[00] The Teleporter

[DA 2009]

Mal Nova’s eyes snapped open, and a low, feral growl escaped his throat. He felt as though the adrenaline should have still been surging through his veins from combat, but it wasn’t. He felt oddly…calm. Despite the lack of motivation, his guard was still up. He immediately stealthed himself, disappearing in the blink of an eye, and he surveyed his surroundings. It seemed like an ordinary hospital room to him, and he couldn’t see anyone else around. The imperfect namek allowed his camouflage to fade away until his figure rematerialized to the visible world.

With sudden realization, he figured that the girl must have killed him. Why else would he be here? Maybe he was more like his father after all…both had only ever made it so far. In even further realization, it dawned on him that Tamsin was now alone, and he felt himself racked anew with guilt. He was the one who convinced her to follow, and sadly, he’d left her there without his protection. The irony that she was the one of the two of them to survive was thick enough to choke on.

“You can make it,” he prayed softly.

At that point, he finally noticed a letter on the tray next to the bed, and out of curiosity, picked it up and began to skim its contents. It read:

“Dear Maleficus Nova,

Truly, this loss must come at a great disappointment in yourself. While the scoreboard reads nothing but a losing streak, I’m sure naught can compare to the slow and sure eradication of your confidence. Son of Retane…no, Maleficus Nova…you are your own man. You needn’t obscure yourself in your father’s shadow. You may his spawn, but you are not him. You share the darkness of his bloodline, but you have one thing that he does not, and that is the power to fight it. You are a better man than he will ever be, and the day you realize that, is the day you become free of his grip on your mind. Don’t let his failures become yours. For your exit, simply enter the location of your choice into the keypad of the teleporter, and it will take you anywhere you desire. As a parting gift, I have left a package for you next to the teleporter. I implore you to use it when you have the desire to feel whole again. My research and development team designed it especially for you. Go in peace.

Regards, Your Humble Host,
Damon Dukes”

Mal went over to the teleporter as he was bid, and picked up the small box that he had failed to notice in his prior inspection. The namek opened the tiny box, which was similar to that used for rings and proposals, and found a tiny, circular-shaped device. A tiny piece of paper was tucked into the box, and balancing the three, he read the instructions on the note: ‘Attach this device anywhere on your mechanical arm, and it will automatically activate.’

Out of sheer inquisitiveness, Mal began to place the tiny little thing on his arm, and before he could even place it upon the cold metal himself, it attached of its own accord, like a magnet drawn to iron. Instantly, the image of a complete and perfect organic arm materialized over his steel; it was as if he’d been born the way he should have been. Completely taken aback, he reached out to touch it, and his fingertips passed through the illusion, feeling the metal beneath. They found the device, and he removed it, and his arm reverted to its previous state.

He didn’t know what to think.