10 Minute Tales, Part 2

Aug 26 - Truth

The damned insects had gotten him again. It was the middle of Summer and the insects had come out in force. One had bitten him recently and he found himself scratching at the bite again. Relief was instant, but he knew it would only get worse again. He grumbled, scratching anyway. He didn't even like Summer.

"Stupid heat." he grumbled. "Stupid sun, stupid bugs, stupid... stupid." he sighed, scratching again. "Least it's nearly over." he returned his attention to his game, tapping away at the keyboard with one hand while scratching with the other. He scratched, scratched, scratched... until his nail caught something on his torso. He looked, startled. It was... a flap of some description. "What the hell is that?" he exclaimed, recoiling in shock. He sat still for a moment, trying to control his breathing when he realised. It wasn't bleeding. It didn't even hurt. He winced as he tugged at it again. The flap swung open painlessly, revealing a curious thing. He felt the space within the cavity tentatively and felt... paper? He brought it out and flipped it over, reading the cover in disbelief. "Instruction Manual? This can't... what?"

-----

He swept some junk off of his desk and put the book down, opening it. The text within was English, which confused him more. "Okay, uh... index, I guess..." he flipped to the back and looked through it. There was ever category he could think of; repairs, maintenance... editing caught his eye. He turned to that page and looked through it. It was an entire chapter. According to it, the... panel that had hidden the instruction manual also contained a series of buttons he could use to change who he was. It had even been set so other humans and their creations would naturally assume he had been however he set himself.

"Okay, this is nuts..." he blinked, even more confused, but he kept reading. "So... if I flip this one, I sho- whoa!" he felt a surge trickle through his body. With it came a surge in strength, his muscles visibly bulging until he was mighty. "Holy jeez, this works...!" he looked around his room, worried that somebody might walk in, but he was safe. He flicked through the instruction booklet once more, making sure he knew how to open the panel again if he needed to, then nodded to himself and sealed the panel. Even though he knew where to look, he couldn't see any marks at all. Just the bite from before. He considered the weight of everything he had learned in these few short moments. He had to figure out if anybody else could do that, but... how was he going to manage something like that? It wasn't something he could share with anybody. He frowned as he thought. Maybe if he could change himself somehow... sneakier? Quieter? Just plain invisible? He saw a section on superhuman traits, after all... he opened the panel and retrieved the book. He was hooked. He had to know more.