Hyper Reality

Chapter 10

Nexus; the control center of the mind. The one place where the soul interacts with the mind to convey commands to the body in order to accomplish a task. The one place where an intruder aims to take over. Control the mind, and you control the person. This is where April, Jay and Kape found themselves, where they found the Hyper.

They passed through the sliding door into the Kraang-like tower and found themselves surrounded by screens that were made of shadows but still managed to show images in full colour and in high quality. There were rows of pulsing pink lights that glowed and sent out and received flashes to the transcribers. There was a main control post in the center of it all, a raised dais where the one in control stood surrounded by flashing lights and panels to manually control the operation of the body.

Standing on this dais was where the group found the Hyper. It was tapping away at the controls, sending various flashes of pink lights skirting out of the tower to do God knows what, but not seeming to have any luck. The Hyper was not in control at this point, but it was trying to break through.

At their entrance, the Hyper stopped its motions before slowly turning around. It was just as April remembered it. A dark, shifting silhouette with smile darker than black.

"So this is the Hyper," Kape drolled out as her strings coalesced beside her companions and swirled together as one mass. "I've got to say, with all the things I've seen in my day, and believe me I've seen a lot, I can honestly say that I've never once come across anything quite like you."

"Well, there was that one time in the Dargatchuan System," Jay pointed out.

"That was totally different," Kape retorted. "That one didn't live solely on the Mental Plane, nor was it able to take me by surprise and steal a fragment of my essence."

"Wasn't too hard," the Hyper boasted, its form blurring as it moved. "You were all caught up in finding a life form that was 'compatible', whatever that's supposed to mean."

"So you were trying to merge!" Jay scolded and Kape seemed to shy away from her angry Guardian.

"Really? Now?!" April said.

"This is not finished," Jay muttered to Kape who chuckled a bit.

"We just want Donnie's Soul Key," April demanded, stepping forward.

"Aw, that's cute," the Hyper said. "Going to save the boy who plays hero."

"Give it back," April repeated.

"Or what?" The Hyper snarled. "You can't touch me in here. You saw what happened when Donnie-chan tried. Physical attacks don't work on the Mental Plane."

"She may not be able to touch you," Kape hummed as she swirled a little closer to the raised dais, "but I am well versed in battling on the Mental Plane."

The Hyper seemed to hesitate for a moment before regaining composure. "You're nothing more than hot air. I know what kind of powers you have. In case you forgot, I have them too. I stole them, from you."

From within the Hyper's shifting form, a dull yellow glow surfaced, and the yellow tendrils snaked out and wiggled around.

Kape seemed to stiffen at this, if strings of light can so that.

"You think you know the extent of my power?" Kape said quietly. "I have been around longer than anything you can dream of. I have lived through millennia, gaining power and knowledge the likes of which you could never comprehend. And you have the nerve to not only question the limits of my abilities, but take them on like their yours!"

The mass of strings started to break up and flit around the control room, but Kape wasn't done. "Well, let me tell you something, sister. You don't know jack."