Anya sat alone in a small waiting area across from Renn while Presidents Bisset and Hanover——along with General Johnson and Director MacDougal——met in an adjoining conference room. The waiting area was all white, with recessed lighting along the ceiling, and the only comforts were a half-dozen soft chairs lined up three on each side of the wall.

“So, how is Dr. Immonen doing?” Renn said. He had removed his helmet, exposing his youthful but plain face. Anya quirked an eyebrow at him.

“He’s on his feet, recovering. A little prone to headaches, but they’re getting better,” she replied.

“Good, good,” Renn said and nodded.

Anya scowled. This was too much like any number of conversations she’d had with co-workers in an elevator. If Renn asked her about the Yankees, she would scream.

“You’re irritated with me,” Renn said and gave her a soft smile.

“Don’t need to be a psychic to pick that up,” she said. “What the hell are you up to now?”

“Trying to save the planet,” Renn replied.

“Yeah, I get that, but what else?”

“Is that not enough?”

“No, not for you.”

Renn laughed.

“What?” Anya asked.

“I know this may come off as patronizing, but I appreciate your honesty. It’s refreshing. So much of the time I deal with politicians or people who want to be like politicians. Mona is the only other human I rely on to show me such candor. Pan and Brody can be similarly relied on but this is more due to their simple natures than anything else.”

“Gee, thanks,” Anya said. “So? What else? Why’d you propose this? And why me, really? If all you wanted was more fire power you had other options. And, no offense, but I know you’re at a high level, but psychic stuff is more geared toward mental manipulation and just lifting stuff up, right?”

“A bit. But that’s also like saying your Flame Dominion is only about making things warm. Here,” Renn said and then tapped the side of his neck. He menu, a deep purple, appeared in the air, and he spun it around to show her. It was all his stats, skills and classes.Anya looked it over, her eyes narrowing as she did.

--------------

RENN LEVEL 86

CLASS 1: (Psychic Officer)+3-7 to all Marked Stats // +5-12 to all Marked Skills

CLASS 2: +3-7 to all Marked Stats // +5-12 to all Marked Skills

ADVANCED CLASS LEVEL 2: [Psionic Overlord] +20 Stat Points +100 Skill Points (Any category)

NOTE: Advanced classes come with unique bonuses. Inquire with menu AI or access Advanced Class sub-menu

STATISTICS

Brawn: 25

Intelligence: 79

Awareness: 50

Dexterity: 20

Fortitude: 51

Charm: 26

Speed: 18

Fortune: 10

PHYSICAL SKILLS

Endurance Training: 62

Natural Recovery: 49

Basic Resilience: 51

MENTAL SKILLS

Cognition Acceleration: 55

Pivotal Focus: 60

Squad Tactics: 36

War Strategy: 48

OTHER SKILLS

Body Duplication: 63

Density Control (Self): 30

Hive Mind: 86

Psychic Mastery: 86

ADVANCED CLASS BONUSES: (These can only be upgraded by taking this class again at level 100+)

Mental Master’s Discernment: Any psychic-enhancing equipment or items purchased from the store will be 50% less and receive +5 upgrade levels. +7 to all psychic/intellectual skills.

Edict of the Overlord: Receive bonus of +10 to all skills when commanding an army of more than one-hundred.

Intellectual Inspiration: All mental/mind skills that give benefits to others (including those summoned by the host) gain +10.

-------------------------------------

“What the hell?” Anya asked as she studied the menu.

“On my own, as I am now, I’m pretty powerful,” Renn said. “But I couldn’t match you for pure wrecking power. Not even close. But if I make a couple of adjustments, I am confident that I would succeed in any fight.”

Anya snorted. “Why? And why would you tell me this?”

“Because it is no secret,” Renn said and shrugged as he spread his arms. “I had to give this information President Bisset when I agreed to join the French government. It is classified, but I have made no personal attempt to hide it. Mona has seen it, so have Kan and Harrison and Francis. Granted, those without menus may not have their AIs to help them fully understand my build, but they all know it.

“As for why I could win, it is because of what I call my ‘Grande Armée.’ The skill Hive Mind gives a small boost to the user and any other within a short range who has the same skill. My Body Duplication likewise has a very limited range, with my clones only able to go a few miles at most, even at optimum levels. The farther out my clones are, the less I can have of them, but the inverse is true also: the closer they are, the more I can have.

“That is where Density Control comes in. I lower my density to a great degree, effectively making myself capable of passing through solid matter. While very dense material is difficult, the less dense, the easier.”

Anya’s eyebrows rose up.

“So you stack a ton of clones on top of yourself, because you all have really low density, and since you’re effectively standing on top of yourself, you can summon a ton of them, and all of you have this hive mind thing, and you’re all getting boosted?”

“Yes. Which further boosts all skills. Which further boosts all skills. Which further——”

“I get it,” Anya said and held up her hand. She thought back to Pan after the fight in Beijing when he had said Renn smelled normal, but then got really strong-smelling. Or every time she’d seen him fight and he had condensed all of his clones back into himself and then appeared to shimmer or vibrate in the air.

“My helmet has a few psychic enhancements too, and all of my clones also get my gear. And with the ‘Intellectual Inspiration,’ class bonus, they all get even more boosts,” Renn said.

“Holy shit, man,” Anya said.

“I’m quite happy with my build,” Renn said. “But it is not without its limitations.”

“And I suppose you’re just going to tell me?” Anya asked.

“Yes,” Renn said and Anya gawked at him.

“Why? I clearly don’t trust you! You’re up to something and you always have been!”

“That is precisely why I am telling you,” Renn replied. “Because I want——and need——your trust. If Earth and its people are to survive, if you and I are going on this mission, we cannot be looking over our shoulders. I’m strong, but I’m not invincible, and the people whose trust I do have will need to stay behind. They will be more useful here. And if I’m being honest, I would rather some of them have a higher chance at survival than I myself.”

Anya squinted at Renn, trying to figure out what he was doing. The obvious answer was that he was being genuine. But everything he had done up to this point had, or at least appeared to have, multiple meanings behind it.

“All right. So what’s your silver bullet then?” Anya asked.

“Much like your Battle Aura, I can only keep this going for a short time. The more I stack my clones, the more I ‘loop’ the power, the shorter I can hold it, and the harder the crash after. Worse, I think the effects are cumulative. I have noticed a distinctive dip in my abilities. Nothing truly detrimental, but worrisome. I suspect this is some kind of safety protocol within the menu system itself, as I’m functionally operating at well above level 100 when I enter my power loop. Something Engineer and their cohorts implemented to prohibit menu abuse such as I am doing.”

“If that’s true then why do it?” Anya asked. “I mean, even without going full-bore, you’re strong enough to have survived to this point.”

“Because I needed to test my limits. It wasn’t until the fight with Alpha that I truly pushed myself, and that was when I first really noticed the problems. I’d developed my strategy prior to that battle, but had never fully implemented it. Technically I still haven’t. I think there’s a good chance it might kill me. But if this is a suicide mission, fair trade.”

Anya continued to squint at Renn.

“Still a bit unsure about me?” he asked.

“Well, yeah. People generally don’t volunteer information that exposes their weak spots,” she said.

“No, they do not. But it’s become abundantly clear to me that if people continue to behave as they generally have, none of us will survive. The Engineer was correct about us: we are too violent, too aggressive, too volatile. With the technology available to us now, the magic, the power, the possibilities, we’ll either flourish across galaxies or burn ourselves to a crisp before we ever get off this rock,” Renn said.

“Is that bit about burning directed at me? You think I’d do something?” Anya asked.

“I think you are passionate. I think sometimes that overrides your common sense. I think you’d do anything for the people you care about, even if it meant ignoring what is better for everybody else,” Renn said and Anya clenched her jaw hard enough to make her molars squeak in her gums. But even as a retort rose in her throat, she kept it caged behind her teeth.

When Omega had taken over Immonen and grabbed Gary, she’d done nothing. They’d lost the factory and maybe weeks of preparation. Sure if she had potential victims right in front of her, like London, she watched out for them, but there were too many times when her fire had been stoked and she’d nearly been carried away by it.

“At least you’re smart enough to be aware of your failings,” Renn said.

“Giving a shit about people isn’t a failing,” Anya snapped.

“It is if it cuts off your ability to make a plan,” Renn said. Anya scoffed and leaned back in her chair.

“You think I’m some heartless bastard?” Renn asked.

“I think you’re a shifty asshole,” Anya replied. Renn chuckled.

“Does this mean you won’t come with me into space to probably die at the hands of millions of homicidal aliens?”

“Doesn’t matter. Gotta wait on them,” Anya said and nodded her chin at the door of the meeting room.

“No, we don’t,” Renn said.

“Yeah, MacDougal will get——”

“Your Director is a bureaucrat. She cannot force you to do anything. The American Military, with all of its weapons, could not budge you one centimeter you did not want to move,” Renn said and his tone shifted down, became quieter, more measured. “You know this.”

Anya blinked at him and felt a satisfaction growing within her. Here he was. Here was the super-villain she had suspected since he’d hijacked the world’s broadcast signals weeks ago. He would tell her to seize her power, and join him, rule the world at his side, and——

“And that is why we will not have to fight them,” Renn said and smiled.

“Wait, what?” Anya sputtered.

“The world has seen the power we have. They have seen what violence can do, and they have seen what awaits them out in the darkness of the void. We are not alone in the universe, and our neighbors appear deeply unkind. All we have to do is tell them ‘No.’ Let them attack us. America, Russia, and every other nuclear power on the planet could launch every single bomb they have at you and you would be unharmed. If I am to understand your heat absorption ability, it would actually make you stronger, yes?”

“Uh, yeah. Probably,” Anya said, then sighed and nodded, “Definitely. I can’t just tell them ‘No,’ though.”

“Yes, you can,” Renn said. “Every advance in human history has happened because people began to realize they could do the things they’d been told they couldn’t. Right now you’re thinking that if you defy your government, the only way it ends is with violence, correct?”

“Well, yeah. I wouldn’t hurt anybody though.”

“Not intentionally, I’m sure. But you think they might come after you, or your non-host friends and family.”

“Yes.”

“What if I told you that you, and every host, had a better deterrent to reprisal than cataclysmic violence?” Renn asked. “Even non-combat hosts like Immonen?”

“Like wha——” Anya started to say then stopped. It was obvious. She had an intergalactic catalog of magical and technological wonders at her fingertips, and only hosts could access it. “You think that since we have access to the RAC menus, the world will just let us do as we please?”

“I do. They know they can’t beat us, but they might try out sheer stubborn foolishness. Why not offer them an alternative? Work with us, change the future of our planet, elevate mankind, and in exchange, the wonders of the universe can be theirs. An end to disease, to scarcity. We could colonize Mars next week.”

“You think positive reinforcement is enough? Just the carrot? No stick?” Anya asked.

“A stick breeds only resentment. Look at the world: even now, we only cooperate because our entire species is days away from extinction. But even now, there is still scheming, still backbiting. President Hanover is worried about his polling numbers more than his survival. General Huang is constantly trying to get the Chinese hosts to out-maneuver Gary’s inventions while keeping them sequestered. And, based on what I’ve seen of Li Qiu, do not allow them to access the ‘Other,’ skills at all for fear of them becoming too powerful.”

“Jesus,” Anya said.

“President Bisset is no saint, either. He’s asked me numerous times to peek at what Prime Minister Stark is thinking, or when one of the other world leaders is going to try something suspicious. It’s the same games they’ve been playing for years, and it proves how unfit they are to continue to lead us forward.”

“Ah. And let me guess: you’re the guy to do it,” she said.

“No. No single person should have control over so many. It causes a loss of perspective,” Renn replied. “I do not have all the answers now. I only have goals, and the rough outline of a plan, and we still have an alien horde to defeat. But Anya, if this is to work, I will need everyone. Especially you.”

“Why especially me?”

“Because you are the one the world knows as the killer of killer aliens. The strongest foes Earth has seen fell to your hand.”

“Oh please. There’s no way I could have done that alone,” she said. “And you know it.”

“I do. But I also know we couldn’t have done it without you, at least, not without greater losses. And so does the world. All I ask now is that you think it over. And that if we are to target Asteroid Willis, that you trust me, as I shall trust you.”

Renn stood and Anya leaned back in her chair as he approached her. He stopped in front of her and extended his white-gloved hand.

“Please,” he said. Anya looked at the hand. Her lizard-brain, the part that had told her Renn was up to nothing good from Day One, was suspicious of the hand. It could have had some kind of deadly device to shock her, or scan her, or like when Immonen had been possessed, the contact could drain her, alter her thoughts or body chemistry.

And then Anya sighed, and thought that this level of paranoia was exhausting. She stood, towering almost a foot over Renn. There was another part of her lizard-brain that was talking to her too: the part that demanded she protect the people close to her, that she defend her home from outsiders. And, if she was being totally honest with herself, a far deeper part of her that thirsted to unleash the nova that her heart had become.

“I’m not saying I’m agreeing to any plans or anything, but since we still have aliens to kill, I’ll trust you. For now,” she said, and shook his hand. Renn beamed up at her, an almost childlike level of genuine glee on his face.

He laughed and agreed, “For now.”