Sigma/Star

Chapter 80: One Special Camp-out

Within minutes the game was declared over, with a paltry six to zero win for Toriyama's team and a knocked-out opposing one. Rick the referee signed the scorecard, keeping a fair distance away from Porter, who everyone swore had the spirits of students swirling around his head.

"A bit psychotic to have used such a weapon against them but, as Toriyama said, every win matters." Ardwen rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and gave a thumbs up to his comrades, who were all still terrified of Porter. "Too bad Mr. Toriyama wasn't awake to see us get the victory though."

"I still feel bad for leaving him behind though," Riya whispered.

"You get used to it," Raul grunted. He had been tasked with hauling Porter around using a rope, who was still mumbling "Nothing, nothing at all" and not noticing he was being dragged on the ground.

"I still want to know what's wrong with Porter though." Nami had been walking along backwards, curiously observing her former love (whom she still stalked from time to time). "I mean why is he acting all funny and..."

"Dead?" Chase cut in. "Who knows, he's a weirdo. It got us the win anyways."

"I might know." Mr. Shotuku stepped out of a classroom the group was passing, with the daunting figure of Ochenkov looming behind him. "It would appear as if Porter is in a resonance state."

"Resonance state?" the gang replied in unison.

"Indeed. A resonance state," Shotuku explained, with Ochenkov setting up a white board behind the teacher with appropriate pictures and charts, "is something that can sometimes happen to a Goliath pilot after prolonged usage in their battlesuit. The devices within it for harnessing chi energy can leave a resonance imprint on the user, which can slowly build up over time." Everyone was now sitting cross-legged on the ground, following Ochenkov as he pointed to pictures corresponding to Shotuku's words. "The imprint can eventually build up and cause major feedback within the body of the pilot, turning them into this desolate state that is semi-catatonic. Unfortunately they can trigger a similar resonance in other pilots when they get too close to them or look at them for too long or even talk to them at times, unless that person has a very strong chi." Shotuku bent over to examine Porter for a moment before straightening up his wrinkled body. "Sometimes pilots can go into this state if a major emotional event occurs. Did someone talk to Porter about his brother again?" Everyone shook their heads in response. "Then it is probably because of his unique Goliath. It is the only of its kind after all, and can be somewhat volatile."

"So, how do you fix it?" Riya said softly, longingly shifting her gaze to Porter.

"Oh you can't fix it." Ochenkov packed up the board as Shotuku spun on his heel and returned within his room. "You just have to wait it out for a day or so," the professor said over his shoulder. The door hissed and slid shut on the faces of the students and so they resumed walking.

"So we put all those people into resonance states?" Nami gasped, a little unnerved at the idea of harming fellow classmates.

"Barely," Chase answered. "They're just going to lie there until it wears off right? They're like...sleeping or something."

"Should we just dump Porter in his room then until this blows over?" Ardwen suggested, but a dirty look from Riya shot that idea down quickly.

"We could sit and have a big group camp-out!" Nami squealed. "It will be just like when my brother and I used to go out. We can hang out in the cafeteria and tell stories and eat food together and bond together and be a big family. I'll go get Gretta to join us!"

The boys all groaned and stared at Chase, Nami's boyfriend, hoping that he would be able to persuade her otherwise. But, unfortunately, before Chase could say one word Nami had squeezed him and given him a little kiss and dashed away, leaving Chase dazed and babbling from the shock of the kiss.

Riya took over from there, shepherding the boys into the cafeteria and sitting them around a table. "I'll go grab some supplies that we will need for the rest of the night while we wait for poor Porter's recovery."

"Poor Porter?" Chase whispered, "what about poor us?" He grunted as he took an elbow in the ribs from Ardwen and Riya dashed away.

The three sat down and shoved Porter away, letting him roll on the ground and come to a stop a few feet away. "Nothing, nothing is up." They all shuddered at hearing the deadly words and then began a process of waiting and staring at one another and then at the walls and around the room and then back to each other again.

"So..." Chase mumbled.

"So..." Raul continued.

"So..." Ardwen sighed. "Have you guys noticed this room is kind of empty? Shouldn't people be coming in for dinner soon?"

"Guess so," Chase half-heartedly replied. "Maybe there's some fun, cool event that we could be at instead of all being stuck here like a bunch of idiots."

"A bunch of idiots?" Ardwen snorted. "I recall you having nothing to say to Nami when she first suggested it. You were looking pretty stupid right after she kissed you."

"Well," Chase blushed, "you know how she gets and all when she's like that. If I said no she would have me in a triple combo head-arm-leg lock in an instant."

"She can do those?" Raul leaned back on the bench at the table, a bit impressed by the possible technique the loli possessed.

"Yeah, she said she learned it for taking down Porter or something, used it on him a bunch of times. She showed me how you do it but I have so far dodged being beaten up. I would prefer not to ever experience that." Raul popped up behind Chase and hauled the youth onto the ground, pinning him quickly in the aforementioned head-arm-leg lock.

"It goes like this. And then from here you just have to pinch this nerve to put the victim to sleep."

"Get off me Raul!" Chase yelled, squirming until he was released. Chase tried to bounce up and play it cool, ignoring Ardwen's snickers, but he had to break his image and rub his sore neck. "Man Porter put up with her dropping on him and doing that stuff to him?" Ardwen and Raul both nodded in unison. "Not that I'm like...empathetic or anything it's just that...that would suck is all I'm saying."

"Wow Chase, I didn't even know you understood that word." Ardwen faked a gasp and then nearly fell off the chair laughing. "You wouldn't know the first thing about empathy."

"Hey, a real hero doesn't need any empathy."

"Not true." Raul held up a comic book he was using as reference. "It says here all heroes are empathetic and it helps to drive them."

"Give me that you!" Chase snatched the book and whipped it over his shoulder, listening to it flop against the wall then slide to the ground. And then the wall moaned, sending a chill up the spines of all three boys. It hadn't been a wall at all that had been hit.

Not a wall at all.

A/N: Another win for the bowling team, but a resonance stance for Porter. Who even knew such a thing existed? Better question though: what's making ghastly noises right behind Chase? Going to have to find out!