The story so far..... Lux is a body switching assassin from a devastated near future, forced to inhabit the body of 17 year old Corey Smith. Though the differences between them are stark, Corey and Lux's relationship and sense of respect for each other have been growing. But, they are both about to come face to face with the reality of Lux's mission: to eliminate a series of targets who will bring about the end of human civilization. Her first target: Wilson Stokes. But Wilson may know more about Lux than she bargained for. And what of Corey, a boy thrust into a strange new existence who is just struggling to cope with it all?

Something's not right.

Lux dropped the binoculars down as she turned to the spherical little robot hovering to her left. The LED's in HELPER'S eyes faded from infrared to their typical blue-black coloration as it stopped viewing in telescopic mode. You're seeing what I'm seeing, right?

His mannerisms would seem to indicate a degree of agitation. HELPER concurred.

Lux raised her binoculars again just in time to see Illinois State Senator Wilson Stokes cast a few furtive glances around before ducking into a black sedan. A large man that Lux had not noted before today followed him in, and her keen eye couldn't help but notice the subtle bulge in his side as he leaned over, highlighting the tell-tale presence of a concealed firearm in a shoulder holster. She tracked them visually until the sedan started up and went around a corner, drifting out of view behind a deli. Lux rested the binoculars on the chipped and faded windowsill that was her vantage point and turned away from the window, allowing an agitated sigh to escape and running her fingers through her hair. Looking up, her eyes settled on some graffiti spray painted over the chalk board in this long abandoned school building. It looked like a gang tag, someone or some affiliation named “Excision”, with the “s” patterned to look like a coiled serpent ready to strike.

So what do you think, Lux? Are you going to hold off? HELPER pulled her out of her revelry. Lux broke gaze with the painted serpent and returned her attention to the kindly looking floating orb.

It has to be something else. We're jumping to conclusions assuming that he knows about me. It's just not possible.

What if someone else came back with us? Do we know that Orlu's E.R.A. was the only one?

Lux thought on this for a moment, but cast aside the notion almost immediately. No, that wouldn't make sense. If someone knew I was here, and knew what body I was in, they would have come at me directly. I'd probably be dead by now. Lux picked up a broken piece of plaster and tossed it at the chalk board, watching it splinter and clatter back to the floor. Her tone bespoke a confidence she didn't quite have. Something else has him spooked. Which could play to our advantage. He'll be distracted.

So we're not screwed?

Lux closed her eyes as Corey's presence appeared behind her. I don't think so.

But we should probably play it safe anyway! The robot chirped.

Of course.

Corey stepped around Lux, features lit with excitement. So when do we get this dirt bag?

Lux parted her lips to respond, and then snapped them shut. She opened her eyes and saw that Corey's face was barely a foot from her own. Er, that Corey's face was barely a foot from...his own face, rather. It was still so damnably peculiar. We don't, Corey. I do.

Corey took a step back, putting his arms out at his sides in a flippant “what are you talking about” manner. Hate to break it to ya, Lux, but we're still kinda stuck together. Where you go, I go.

You know what I mean. You should go to the beach while I work. Lux intoned evenly, invoking the name of the mental refuge that they had grown to share. Unfortunately, Corey seemed far from placated.

Oh come on! You mean to tell me you're gonna show me all that fucked up shit he's done and just cut me out of this? Corey shook his head and made a half circle in the dirt, throwing his arms out in consternation. He PREYED on people like me! Kids, desperate kids!

I showed you that so you would UNDERSTAND. Lux replied, her words starting to hone into an edge. Not to try to recruit you to a cause.

Recruit me?! Corey barked incredulously back at her. You “recruited” me when you took my body against my will, Lux! You want to talk about recruiting me! Corey snorted. What is this really about?

You've never killed before, Corey. Lux again tried to keep her voice as uneven and impassive as possible. You don't know what it's like.

Come on, you know my history. I don't have squeaky clean hands.....

Not like this. Lux started to walk around Corey, focusing her gaze on him. I'm not saying your life hasn't been hard. Or that you're not acquainted with death. But you have never had to TAKE a life. It's not like how it is in a movie, or some video game. The camera doesn't pan away once the deed is done. It's not some artistic flash of blood and then an afterthought. Killing someone, even if it's justified, has a weight, Corey. It pulls you down, and some people never get back up. And that's if the death is clean and quick. You want to know what happens if you botch your killing blow? Huh? If the vic flinches and what was supposed to be a “one and done” suddenly gets a little messier than it was supposed to?

You ever heard somebody scream when they know they're gonna die? It's not some horror movie scream queen bullshit, Corey, I'm talking about a real live human being who knows they're about to kiss oblivion and can't do a goddamn thing about it. It's.... Lux stops, shutting her eyes hard. It's desperation, and pain, and mortal terror all wrapped up into one shrill blast that haunts your nights forever. She forces her eyes open, looking at Corey once again. She stops in front of him. Do you understand?

Corey can't meet her gaze, but his expression is sardonic. Yeah, I get it. You're a super badass, you've seen it all....

There is nothing “badass” about this! Lux shocks Corey into taking a step back by getting right in his face. There is nothing “badass” about taking a life. In fact, that idiotic notion doesn't belong within a square mile of the thought of taking a life. Taking a life is a DUTY. It is a CROSS you bear. It is a NECESSITY. But it is NEVER something you relish, or take pride in, even if we're killing the likes of Wilson Stokes! Lux relents a bit, her features slackening as she realizes she reacted too rashly. With a softer tone, she proceeds. I don't like doing this Corey. I do it out of obligation. I do it because I know the kind of hurt and suffering these monsters have inflicted and will inflict. Now, I need to know....do you understand?

Corey remains quiet for a moment, gaze downcast. When he speaks, his tone is hushed. I just don't want you to treat me like a child. It's the least you can do.

And I don't want you to suffer needlessly. Look, I know you didn't ask for any of this. I know this is tremendously unfair to you. I just don't want you to get hurt any more than you already have. I... Lux stopped abruptly, shocking herself back into the present, recoiling from the weight of what she wanted to say. What she COULDN'T say both because she still didn't understand it and couldn't accept it. Not now. And probably not ever. Thankfully, Corey interjected, blissfully unaware of the verbal precipice she almost stepped off of.

Okay. He breathed simply. Okay.

Okay?

Yeah. I get it.

I don't want you to hate me on this. Lux blurted, immediately reproaching herself for sounding so weak.

Corey finally looked up at her, offering up a probing expression that quickly relents. I don't hate you. He cracks a weak smile. How could I? We're kinda the same person.

Yeah. Kinda.

Corey shrugs, still wearing that characteristic half smile. I'm sorry I was a dick.

You weren't a dick. Look, just give me a couple hours to wrap up here and then you can take over the rest of the day. Deal?

Deal. The boy nodded. You know where to find me. And with that, his mental projection dissipated as he returned to their collective subconscious.

Lux stood stock still in the middle of the room, the rubble on the floor abruptly catching her attention as she roiled with uncertainty within. HELPER hovered closer to her, bringing himself to within a couple feet of her.

Lux.....

The assassin considered her robot assistant, and even though he was incapable of facial expression, she needed no such aid to discern when he was thinking. I know...

You know I'm aware of your physiological responses to stimuli.

I know. Annoyance crept in.

This is getting complicated. I don't know how to account for this.

That makes two of us. Lux pushed past HELPER and returned to the window. Then again, does ANYONE truly know how to account for it when it happens?


The master of minds. Let's get the niceties out of the way first. There is no way that you're not a tough bastard. With a record shattering Television title reign, a title that is defended WEEKLY, no less, you turned heads and sent many men and women home empty handed. Well done. But even more impressive is that not only have you kept pace in this sadomasochistic hell known as a wrestling promotion for years when the average run can be numbered in months, but you decided to throw yourself back into the mix after an extended leave. And then returned AGAIN only a month after having your arm broken.

Now ordinarily, I might assume a man like that has a death wish. But I don't think you do.

Also surprising, that in this morass of degenerates, psychopaths, and malcontents, we have an established championship caliber talent who is also an avowed family man. Don't worry, I'm not interested in your family, in as much as they make you a unique quantity here. Why Mastermind, you're dangerously close to normal. Lux chuckles. It's not an insult either. We need people like you to keep us grounded, to keep our feet firmly planted in the soil. So as a favor to you, I'm going to extend that particular favor and bring you yourself a bit closer to terra firma.

There's an old anarchist quote that I've always been fond of: “No Gods, No Masters.” And while you may not think yourself a God, you certainly think yourself a master. It's printed right there on the label. But I'm going to disabuse you of that notion. And if you'll permit me I'm going to open with a story.

In the....place.....I hail from, I was a commanding officer. I had a subordinate named Victor. A solid man. A quintessential solider. Some of the others in my division nicknamed him “the man of stone”. And it fit. Victor was implacable. Unflappable. Followed every order to a “t”, and while he absolutely had a moral compass he was not averse to killing an enemy when needed. Like me, he did not relish the role, but he performed his job admirably. Over time, I got to know him very well. He told me about the family he left behind. His wife and children. And although he missed them terribly, like the rest of us he knew the stakes and he knew that if we did not win this war there was no future to be had for his loved ones. He kept a photo of them tucked away in a beat up copy of “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”. Heh. He kissed that photo every night before bed. I think I'm the only one who knew he did that.

I thought I knew Victor. I thought I understood Victor. And then one morning he was found hanging from the post of his bunk with a belt wrapped around his neck. I'd like to be able to say that we found some secret journal, or a suicide note explaining why he did it. But we never did. We never found out why the “man of stone” took his own life. But it shocked my platoon to it's core. He was supposed to be one of the best of us. Until he wasn't. Until some secret sadness stole him away into the night. We had no idea. None.

My point is this. No one ever truly knows anyone else. Any claim to be able to see into someone elses mind, take hold of their innermost thoughts, desires, and terrors and OWN them is a juvenile fallacy. A facile lie, concocted by people who grossly overestimate their own ability to understand the human condition. It's a form of hubris you've been guilty of time and time again, Mastermind. Because while yes, you can beat a person physically, or intimidate someone, or instill terror or love, or blind devotion in someone, the mind is the one thing that NO ONE else can master. It is where we are truly free, always. The mind can be influenced, but never truly mastered. We withhold the darkest parts of ourselves from our lovers. We keep secrets carried beyond the threshold of death. A man's mind is a fortress, though some ARE stronger than others.

You will never truly know me, Mastermind. I was birthed in war, in a world you cannot conceive of. I have lived my life as a 10 year old boy, a Hispanic house-woman, a Chinese escort...years wearing faces that were not mine in an effort to save the future for you and everyone you love. You think you can master that? Truly? Well, I welcome you getting lost in the attempt. It'll make Round 2 all the easier for me.

As cliché as it may sound, you have NEVER faced someone like me. But I have faced people like you. Decent, strong willed men who lack perspective and overestimate their abilities to their detriment. You came back mighty quick after a severely broken arm too. Don't think I haven't noticed that either. I bear you no ill will, Mastermind. But your progression in this tournament stops here. And hopefully the experience grants you some humility and a keener understanding of the limits of your insight.


Corey Smith lays on his rented hotel bed, looking rather restless and preoccupied. Nearby, HELPER is hovering and looking out the window as the sun sets. Finally, Corey rolls over. Hey HELPER, there's something I need your, erm, help with.

HELPER, like an eager puppy, careens away from the window and comes to an abrupt stop in front of Corey. Corey, slightly startled, jerks his head back. Oh sure, Mr. Corey! I'm always here to HELP!

Well, okay. Thanks. But, uhhh..... Corey drifts off a bit, as though he's making some swift mental calculations on how to proceed. It's kind of a tricky favor. He smiles.

Hmmmm...okay. Lay it on me!

I need you to find someone's phone number. Could you, like, hack into the internet or something and dig it up for me?

Oh, well, jeez. Could I? Sure! But should I? I dunno, Corey... HELPER's sensor “ears” waggle a bit in consternation, or the robot equivalent thereof. You didn't talk to Lux about this did you?

Not exactly...

Hmmmm. And whose number do you want me to find?

It's somebody who works for the XWF.

And may I ask why you want to contact this person?

Corey's smile turns a little wistful, with maybe a smattering of embarrassment. Ever since I came back, I've been torn between feeling grateful to be alive and being completely freaking overwhelmed by the craziness that is Lux. I mean, no offense, I like Lux. But it's just....a lot. You know?

I understand Corey.

Corey sits up in the bed, looking more animated now. And I just feel like I need something normal. I need a....a connection! In my first life, I had a lot of friends. But now, I spent most of my days literally in my own head. It gets lonely. I want someone to talk to that isn't just you guys.

And you think someone from the XWF can be that person for you?

I...think so? Corey laughs lightly. I dunno. Maybe it's just wishful thinking. But she seems nice. And....

I'll HELP, Corey.

You will?

Yes. You need human companionship. I was programmed to understand the emotional as well as physical needs of human beings. HELPER floats over to Lux's tablet, currently docked in it's charging station. A thin tendril extends from his back and inserts itself into a port in the tablet. The tablet's screen springs to life. If Lux gets mad, I will try my best to mitigate it. But I will HELP you with this because I think it will benefit you, and in some small way, Lux as well.

That went a lot easier than I thought.

I always aim to HELP! Now, who can I HELP you find?

Oh. Ashley Johnson. Or Vita Valenteen. And thanks HELPER, you're really doing me a solid. Corey laid back on the bed, a warm smile crossing his features as he remembers Vita's cheeks turning rosy as she kicked out of Lux's last pin attempt for the Xtreme Championship. And despite himself, Corey found himself with a warm feeling in his own stomach, a pleasant tingle that radiated out from within him. It was a cloying feeling he didn't realize he had missed until he felt it again.

HELPER considered Corey from across the room, studying his micro-expressions. And though he dutifully processed Corey's request, he began to regret the fact that he had not been programmed with the ability to lie.