The image of the robots morphed back into Dr. Snow, smiling at me from across the room. The items on her desk returned to the normal papers and stapler.
What. The hell. Was that.
You know how you used to watch those shows with the dolls like Elmo when you were little, but now you're all grown up and Elmo seems like a creep? That's how I'm feeling right now.
I mean, seriously, who puts a smile on a robot? In marker?
I must've had too much to drink. Yeah, that had to be it. Except, I didn't drink anything. Come to think of it, I hadn't even eaten anything in a while.
I grabbed my head and squeezed it, willing myself to stay sane. Too much was going on at one time.
"You alright, Jay?" Jake said, momentarily forgetting our situation.
"No, I am not okay," I said. "This is just too much. Nothing in my life is the way it used to be. Hell, I don't even have my house!" I sank to the floor. "It's too much," I whispered.
"Hold on, calm down," Jake said calmly. "You just need some rest, okay? A good night's sleep should do you some good. You've been through a lot today."
"Yeah, yeah," I said. "Some sleep."
*****
I jerked awake from a deep sleep. I looked around the hotel room, momentarily forgetting where I was.
Then the previous night's events flooded back to me. Afterlight. Sage. Dr. Snow. The freaky robots.
After leaving Afterlight, Jake took me back to the hotel. He said if I was really going to be a part of Afterlight, I would need to get some rest before the next day. Apparently, I was going to be given an instructor today. Jake said I was already assigned one, but he had to be redone since I acquired my new power.
Speaking of, I wonder where this speed came from. It must have replaced my other abilities. But that gave way to another question: where did my old powers go? And more importantly, what was the infinity matrix doing to me?
I threw on some jogging pants and a workout shirt, not knowing what to wear for the day. I put on a jacket over that. It might be chilly outside.
I called Jake and told him I was ready for him to pick me up. He arrived a few minutes later.
"You sure came fast," I said as I climbed into Jake's car.
"Yeah, well, I was around the corner." Jake and I completely let go of the fact that he kept his secret from me. We didn't even need to say anything. The past was the past, and the future was bright ahead.
We didn't say anything along the ride. We arrived at Afterlight a few minutes later, and for the third time, we went through the two doors and the stairway with the door at the bottom.
When we got to the elevator, Jake pressed the button leading to the black abyss.
I felt irritated. What was the point in having an elevator if you were only going to use the trans-dimensional portal inside?
This time, he took me to another room. It looked exactly like a standard school gym, just bigger and without bleachers. I mean, it was the size of 3 football stadiums, easily.
"Your trainer is over there." Jake pointed to the far corner of the room. "Good luck." Then he left back through the black void.
After watching him leave, I turned towards the man in the corner and started walking to him.
The first thing I noticed about the man was that he was tall, about seven feet, give or take a few inches. He was also bald. And in his neon green and yellow suit, he really looked like a dork. He stood with his arms crossed in front of him, acting as if he were my superior in every way.
I mean, he could be for all I know, but still.
"Are you Jay?" the man said gruffly.
"Yeah," I said.
"Yes, sir?" He corrected me.
"Yes, sir!" I stood at attention, saluting like a mock soldier.
"Cut out the games." He ordered. "My name is Que. Just Que. Now, run five laps around this gym. Normal speed."
I had barely met the guy, and he was already ordering me around.
"Okay," was all I said.
I took off, trying to run at a fast but steady pace. But instead of taking a step a few feet in front of me, my body lurched forward, and instead, I ran a few hundred yards straight into the wall with an "Oof!"
"We've got some work to do," Que commented.
I groaned.
*****
"Since you don't know how to use your power-"
Uh, duh. I just got it, dumbass. Did you not see me run into the wall a few minutes ago?
"-we'll have to teach you how to restrain yourself before making you faster. Lucky for you, we have all the time in the world. After all, you won't be going to school for a long time." He chuckled at that.
He reminded me of Coach Malone in so many ways. The baldness. The personality problems. The bad sense of clothing style.
"First of all," Que said, "when you were fighting Sage yesterday, how did you run? Was it like you were running faster than everything else, or like everything was moving slower than you?"
"What's the difference?" I asked.
"They are completely different." Que scratched his goatee.
"Well, didn't you see me run into the wall?" I said sarcastically.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. But I also saw you run last night, and you were a lot faster then than what you look like now. So what's the deal?"
"I don't know. I guess it was both." I shrugged, trying to remember what exactly had happened last night.
"Let me show you," he said. He walked over to the far wall and pressed a button.
People appeared everywhere. They materialized out of thin air. "Whoa," I said.
"They're not real, of course," Que explained, seeing the expression on my face. "Just holograms that look and act like real people."
I tried to touch one of the holographic people standing in front of me. My hand passed through easily. I couldn't even tell if something was there.
"This is...weird," I observed.
"Yeah." Que chuckled. "I thought that too, at first. But let me show you what it's like to slow down time." He grabbed my hand, taking me by surprise.
I instantly noticed the difference. All of the people around us slowed down, not as much as when I did it, but they still moved like turtles on a sugar low.
Que let go of his grip on my hand, and I flexed it, hearing my bones pop. He had a tight hold.
"That is what slowing down time is like," he said. "And what you just did when you ran into the wall, that was real, true-for-real superspeed. I will teach you how to use your power. I will run you until everything hurts. I will make sure you don't go home without dreading tomorrow. "
He sounded determined. Without a doubt, he would reach his goal. He would teach me how to use my speed.
That was what I should have been like. I shouldn't be wasting my time here, trying to get a handle on this new power. I should be going out and tracking Metagor, trying to find him so I can end him.
I breathed out and tried to relax. The reason I was here was because I wanted to find a way to beat Metagor, and possibly rescue my mother. My best chances were here, surrounded by metas giving me everything I needed to succeed. Rushing into dangerous situations wouldn't solve anything.
So, with the thought of revenge in my mind, I gathered my strength, took a deep breath, and ran.