Chapter 24
Marcus and Dem walked away from the battle scene. They wanted to watch the fight, but both knew what the outcome would be; Isaac would play with Liz the way a cat plays with a wounded mouse. They had no place to go, so they simply walked out to nowhere.
“So,” Demetrius said as they walked, “anything new going on in your life?”
“My father was shot, I executed Katherine, and my boss started flirting with my sister.”
“I never expected Isaac to do something like that. When and where did this happen?”
“Just thirty seconds ago. Did you not see him remove his shirt and flex his muscles? I think he wants Liz for his own.”
“And you would let that happen?”
“She would not fall for him anyway. His looks are deceiving, but his attitude matches his dexterity with a blade. Besides, she has a great sum of pride, and his chances are nil should he defeat her.”
“Marcus, you have no idea how women think.”
“Perhaps you are right. Only time will tell.”
They sat in a large courtyard and talked as a hundred yards away, Isaac and Liz clashed blades in an impressive display of swordsmanship. They were still within the remains of the downed structure, and the thick smoke gave the impression that they were fighting in hell. Liz swung her blade not only to strike Isaac but also to throw herself around him. She seemed to be winning, as Isaac was not able to block her strikes and he was forced on the defensive many times. Of course, he was simply playing with her.
His movements were slow because he wanted to measure her current talents. He wanted to know what she knew before he ripped it all to shreds. He would only use a real attack when her blade was able to hit him; then her strength would be at peak. It was only when she used her blade as a club and threw him through a nearby office building that he took the offensive.
The super cells that made up a titanicus’s body were able to move a hundred times faster that a normal human’s ever could. That statement stood double for the flow of impulses that made up the mind. Isaac moved at the same speed as usual to himself, but he was faster than an airliner to Liz. He ran toward her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and jumped into the air. He spun vertically and threw Liz at the speed of sound.
Marcus, who was debating with Dem about the mental stability of a larger zombie, began to pay closer attention to the fight. Liz flew through a nearby building and impacted his side. She moved fast enough to cause a ripple effect on his scales and throw him over. He demolished a nearby building and knocked Dem to the ground as a result of the blow. Isaac appeared out of the hole Liz made in the building and said, “I apologize, Marcus. She had it coming to her.”
Marcus, who had just righted himself, yelled, “Isaac, you have embarrassed her enough. Teach her how to fight so I can continue our lessons. Until she knows what you know, my next teaching will be pointless.”
Isaac nodded and jumped away. Liz sat on Marcus’s upturned palm and said, “May I take a break?”
Dem said, “Sure, take as much time as you-”
“Break time is over,” Marcus said. He closed his claw around her and jumped into the air. He flew to where Isaac was sitting on the highest standing support of the Home Depot. Marcus threw Liz without her blade and returned to Dem to continue their debate. Isaac was motionless. He leaned his shoulder upon his blade and stared down into the rubble fifty feet below him. Liz took a seat beside him and said, “You alright?”
“I’m fine. What I did to you requires a lot of energy. I simply need to rest. As long as I’m stuck here, I might as well quiz you.”
Isaac stood from his position with sluggishness unlike himself. He looked Liz in the eye and said, “Tell me, do you know what the difference between us and humans is?”
Liz thought for a second and said, “Well, we’re a lot stronger and we can take more punishment.”
“Both are very true statements. Yet, that is not all. Firstly, we will never deteriorate over time as humans will. Secondly, our minds can store information like a computer. Thirdly, our cells produce their own energy, which is why we are never tired while humans can wear out over short periods of time. Now can you tell me what is the same?”
“We both think, we both want to exist, and we both are living creatures.”
“Ah, my favorite quote: ‘I think, therefore I am’. I am sorry to say this, but two of your ideals are completely wrong. I realized this long ago, but I never had a way to put it into words until now. Humans think. They have the ability to utilize every part of their memory in some small way, so every event in their life plays a small part in shaping who they are. We, however, do not think. We process information based on past events in order to take action. ‘Who we are’ is shaped based on what we choose to be important memories, unimportant memories, and deleted memories. The other idea you have mistaken for fact is that we are both living creatures. While yes, we both have minds, our bodies are made up of tiny computers while their bodies produce naturally. We are animate objects and so are immune to things that could destroy a human with ease. I will ask you one more question before our lesson truly begins. What is the difference between strength and will?”
Liz responded in the most artistic, articulate, and logical way she possibly could. She said, “Beats me.”
“Strength is your ability to do something. Moving objects, moving yourself, and changing your position are three examples of a use for strength. Will, however, is your ability to utilize that strength. Humans have little strength, which limits them. However, they have a large amount of will to give them the power to do something even we titanicus could not achieve. We have an incredible amount of strength. Our will has the potential to become infinite, yet it is nothing when we are first created and we are slow to produce it.”
“So I have the strength to run as fast as you were going, but not the willpower?”
“In simpler terms, you did not have a reason to do so. If you are given proper reason, you can accomplish feats I would never imagine possible. Marcus is a good example of that; I could never see him doubling in size. Also, his reorganization of his mind gave him a massive reservoir of will that makes even us titanicus view him as a higher power. Yes, he is still our good friend, but none of us hold the illusion that if he wanted power, he would have it.”
“Then why don’t you do it? Rearrange your mind, I mean.”
“Because doing so would change who I am. Marcus did that because he understood that he would never accomplish anything in his old state of mind. Now look at him; he is stronger and wiser than any creature to ever have walked upon this earth as far as I know. He would have become that over time, but he is, was, and always will be impatient. Now as for your own will, let’s go find Marcus. He may know how to release your own power.”
“So,” Demetrius said as they walked, “anything new going on in your life?”
“My father was shot, I executed Katherine, and my boss started flirting with my sister.”
“I never expected Isaac to do something like that. When and where did this happen?”
“Just thirty seconds ago. Did you not see him remove his shirt and flex his muscles? I think he wants Liz for his own.”
“And you would let that happen?”
“She would not fall for him anyway. His looks are deceiving, but his attitude matches his dexterity with a blade. Besides, she has a great sum of pride, and his chances are nil should he defeat her.”
“Marcus, you have no idea how women think.”
“Perhaps you are right. Only time will tell.”
They sat in a large courtyard and talked as a hundred yards away, Isaac and Liz clashed blades in an impressive display of swordsmanship. They were still within the remains of the downed structure, and the thick smoke gave the impression that they were fighting in hell. Liz swung her blade not only to strike Isaac but also to throw herself around him. She seemed to be winning, as Isaac was not able to block her strikes and he was forced on the defensive many times. Of course, he was simply playing with her.
His movements were slow because he wanted to measure her current talents. He wanted to know what she knew before he ripped it all to shreds. He would only use a real attack when her blade was able to hit him; then her strength would be at peak. It was only when she used her blade as a club and threw him through a nearby office building that he took the offensive.
The super cells that made up a titanicus’s body were able to move a hundred times faster that a normal human’s ever could. That statement stood double for the flow of impulses that made up the mind. Isaac moved at the same speed as usual to himself, but he was faster than an airliner to Liz. He ran toward her, grabbed her by the shoulders, and jumped into the air. He spun vertically and threw Liz at the speed of sound.
Marcus, who was debating with Dem about the mental stability of a larger zombie, began to pay closer attention to the fight. Liz flew through a nearby building and impacted his side. She moved fast enough to cause a ripple effect on his scales and throw him over. He demolished a nearby building and knocked Dem to the ground as a result of the blow. Isaac appeared out of the hole Liz made in the building and said, “I apologize, Marcus. She had it coming to her.”
Marcus, who had just righted himself, yelled, “Isaac, you have embarrassed her enough. Teach her how to fight so I can continue our lessons. Until she knows what you know, my next teaching will be pointless.”
Isaac nodded and jumped away. Liz sat on Marcus’s upturned palm and said, “May I take a break?”
Dem said, “Sure, take as much time as you-”
“Break time is over,” Marcus said. He closed his claw around her and jumped into the air. He flew to where Isaac was sitting on the highest standing support of the Home Depot. Marcus threw Liz without her blade and returned to Dem to continue their debate. Isaac was motionless. He leaned his shoulder upon his blade and stared down into the rubble fifty feet below him. Liz took a seat beside him and said, “You alright?”
“I’m fine. What I did to you requires a lot of energy. I simply need to rest. As long as I’m stuck here, I might as well quiz you.”
Isaac stood from his position with sluggishness unlike himself. He looked Liz in the eye and said, “Tell me, do you know what the difference between us and humans is?”
Liz thought for a second and said, “Well, we’re a lot stronger and we can take more punishment.”
“Both are very true statements. Yet, that is not all. Firstly, we will never deteriorate over time as humans will. Secondly, our minds can store information like a computer. Thirdly, our cells produce their own energy, which is why we are never tired while humans can wear out over short periods of time. Now can you tell me what is the same?”
“We both think, we both want to exist, and we both are living creatures.”
“Ah, my favorite quote: ‘I think, therefore I am’. I am sorry to say this, but two of your ideals are completely wrong. I realized this long ago, but I never had a way to put it into words until now. Humans think. They have the ability to utilize every part of their memory in some small way, so every event in their life plays a small part in shaping who they are. We, however, do not think. We process information based on past events in order to take action. ‘Who we are’ is shaped based on what we choose to be important memories, unimportant memories, and deleted memories. The other idea you have mistaken for fact is that we are both living creatures. While yes, we both have minds, our bodies are made up of tiny computers while their bodies produce naturally. We are animate objects and so are immune to things that could destroy a human with ease. I will ask you one more question before our lesson truly begins. What is the difference between strength and will?”
Liz responded in the most artistic, articulate, and logical way she possibly could. She said, “Beats me.”
“Strength is your ability to do something. Moving objects, moving yourself, and changing your position are three examples of a use for strength. Will, however, is your ability to utilize that strength. Humans have little strength, which limits them. However, they have a large amount of will to give them the power to do something even we titanicus could not achieve. We have an incredible amount of strength. Our will has the potential to become infinite, yet it is nothing when we are first created and we are slow to produce it.”
“So I have the strength to run as fast as you were going, but not the willpower?”
“In simpler terms, you did not have a reason to do so. If you are given proper reason, you can accomplish feats I would never imagine possible. Marcus is a good example of that; I could never see him doubling in size. Also, his reorganization of his mind gave him a massive reservoir of will that makes even us titanicus view him as a higher power. Yes, he is still our good friend, but none of us hold the illusion that if he wanted power, he would have it.”
“Then why don’t you do it? Rearrange your mind, I mean.”
“Because doing so would change who I am. Marcus did that because he understood that he would never accomplish anything in his old state of mind. Now look at him; he is stronger and wiser than any creature to ever have walked upon this earth as far as I know. He would have become that over time, but he is, was, and always will be impatient. Now as for your own will, let’s go find Marcus. He may know how to release your own power.”