Mod Superhero (Book 6 STUBBING on Oct 27th)

Chapter 6.34 - Amnesia

Emmett flowed through the tunnels, steadily moving upward toward the surface. Soon enough he could sense the latent power usage of buildings. He pushed through maintenance tunnels, bypassing doors or breaking through them. When he found an abandoned block of stores, Emmett burst through the basement and then through the first floor. Dusty racks of clothes toppled over, some falling through the floor and into the abyss.

The swarm collapsed, spreading out again like floodwater. Emmett rose and scanned the room. Even though he could sense things through the swarm, he still wanted to see for himself.

The man from the tunnels was still with him. He staggered to his feet and brushed a hand through his gray hair. He too peered cautiously around the room and then out the nearby dusty window.

Emmett walked past him and checked the nearby room before letting his guard down. The old department store was abandoned, and they were alone. The only sound was the faint roar of the highway.

The nanites had formed around the man's shoulders and torso, hanging down like a lab coat. It was only then that the name Venture came to Emmett's mind. It flickered like a spark and kindled more memories in the process.

"...You can't be here," Emmett stammered. "They had you locked up in the lab."

Dr. Venture nodded. "And you broke me out."

Emmett stared at his old mentor in disbelief. The man was as real and as human as the supers they'd encountered in the tunnels. How could Emmett have broken him free and not remembered?

Emmett's head swam. All he managed to ask was, "...How can I not remember?"

Another wave of exhaustion hit him. Even though Emmett's limbs weren't human, they quivered like they would fall apart. Emmett staggered against a nearby shelf, and Dr. Venture dashed forward to catch him. Both men sat on the floor, their legs half covered by the churning swarm. Emmett felt like he was coming unraveled, like his arms and legs might dissolve and leave him drowning in his own swarm.

It was a long moment before panic passed and Emmett collected himself.

"Tell me what you remember," Dr. Venture said.

Emmett took a breath to steady himself, then he recounted backward how they'd arrived at their current spot—coming across those four supers in the tunnels on the edge of the city... fighting and fleeing through the hallways of the lab... finding the lake of nanites and gathering the swarm... and finally, Emmett recounted waking up in chains in one of the biolabs.

"What happened before that?" Venture asked, concern bleeding through his voice. "Was anyone else with you?"

The further back Emmett thought, the less sure he was. His memories of gathering the swarm and escaping were hazy. Why was he imprisoned beneath the lab? Had he gotten captured?

The answer came to Emmett, but not the memory. He had been captured by Midas and Ava Savanus, but he couldn't remember why or how.

After a moment, Emmett shook his head. "I was alone."

Venture sighed and then leaned back against a nearby shelf. "I think we can rest here for a half an hour. Can you connect to TINA?"

Emmett stared at the flood of nanites, watching as they ebbed and flowed with a tide he didn't consciously direct. He didn't remember who Tina was... Only that the name should mean something to him.

"That's okay," Venture said. "Can you look inside your mind? ...Do you see two separate places? One should be an implant."

Emmett nodded, smiling slightly. That much he did remember. He told Venture quickly about how the proto-AI—Bastion—had gotten inside his implant and tried to get into his brain.