《Project Javelin》 Project Javelin: 01 Project Javelin Believing he had no place on Earth with powers, Hector chose to give up everything he had ever known. Joining the nation''s top scientists, Hector sought to help humanity in a way that nobody could. Hector will convert himself into pure energy and travel into Deep Space, sowing life on habitable planets for the Human Race. A lonely existence to say the least. Hector will be accompanied by a crew of autonomous robots, designed to wake and release Hector from his sleeping state, when they arrive at each fertile planet. While in a state of pure energy, Hector will not require the basic necessities that he does as a human. He can live eternally as energy if he chose to; he does not require oxygen, nor does he need to eat, he simply is. While he sleeps, the oxygen will no longer run and temperatures will be lower than humans can survive, but robots can still operate. The ship will be maintained and livable for a certain number of years, one human lifetime to be exact. At which point the systems will no longer function and human life will no longer be supported. The ship will then be set on a course for the nearest star, some 300,000,000 miles away where it will plunge itself inside, destroying all aboard. Hector didn''t seem phased while reading the methods at which he will cease to exist. Did it matter to him? He felt alone. Classified as ''Gifted'', nobody to be close with. It seems like everybody leaves when he confides his ''illnesses''. Forever longing to connect, he hides his flaws and in turn his true identity. Hector had dreamed of using his gifts for good at a much earlier age than he is now, but the Age of Heroes had ended before he knew the differences that exist in the world. Some call it ''Reality'', others call it ˇ°The Harsh Truthˇ±. Hector lives day to day within this disappointing world where dreams do not come true. Although Hector is young, he has lived a lot: losing his parents, developing depression and social anxiety, making sure he isolated himself from this world that he believes is beyond help. Until one day he came across a post on his favorite forum, looking for ˇ°those with gifts interested in helping make a difference.ˇ± Hector had loved space and the idea of finding new life. He thought his level of isolation made him a perfect candidate. At this point in time, we have yet to find another intelligent life. With Earth nearing the end of habitability for humans, we look to the stars with vials of life. These vials contain bacteria, microbes and all the necessary components for life to eventually develop on Earth-like planets. Along with these vials, a satellite is deployed and after 10 million years, when its energy is depleted, it descends into the planet for the predominant species to discover and learn about Us. Such an historic mission. Hector will go uncredited for his role in this, but he wasn''t bothered by that much, he wanted to know that what he was doing mattered. The scientists and Hector worked around the clock and used his unique abilities to enhance the endeavor. They discovered his ability to not age or die as pure energy, it cannot be destroyed and they theorized that this method would allow Hector to live longer and travel farther than humans are able to by hundreds of millions of light years. They have constructed a device that will act as a container, to hold the energy so it does not provide power and inadvertently run out, killing Hector in the process. If not let out of this container by the robotic crew, he will live forever inside, unable to reform into mass without adequate space. After weighing the pros and cons of the situation, Hector decided to proceed, giving up everything. Hector found his power to be very useful finally. Experiments conducted to ensure his safety during this journey passed the necessary requisites, with no one but his robotic crew, Hector spent his last night on Earth. -20 Years Later- This mission has gone smoothly thus far, Hector spends the majority of his time in Stasis. The crew of the Afterra work without needs that their human counterpart does. The only way to ensure Hector''s survival is this stasis. If he didn''t, the food and oxygen supplies both would run out far quicker than one would imagine. ˇ°All systems operational. Begin artificial gravity and the atmosphere cycle.ˇ± The computerized voice spoke. ˇ°Thank you, Sam.ˇ± A robot named Grieves said, engaging in a tradition started by Hector at the beginning of their journey. Sam wasn''t the computer''s name, just that it reminded Hector of his childhood computer. Streamers mounted on multiple vents around the ship''s bridge began flailing in the wind which was to tell Hector that the oxygen was indeed circulating. Imperceptible to the metal men, Hector wanted visible assurance that no oxygen would be wasted by accidentally being left on while in stasis. Grieves was sure his ship was happy to whirr about again, happy to be of use again, as he himself likes.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ˇ°Oxygen levels are nominal.ˇ± Arthur, a portly-built robot with a thick mustache confirmed to Captain Grieves. ˇ°Beginning artificial gravity in 5.ˇ± The robots around the machines cared not if gravity was on or off, they were mounted to the ship and could only move around their stations. They didn''t need gravity, nor could they perceive a difference, they simply performed their duties as designed. To anybody else, the pressure and shift from free-fall to stable gravity would be impossible to ignore, but as robots, they were simply built differently. ˇ°Artificial gravity sustained, nominal.ˇ± Arthur rotely declared. ˇ°All that''s left is to unlatch the lid.ˇ± Grieves noted, silently instructing the crew, referring to the Stasis Chamber where Hector stayed. Housed in the center of the circular room is a large metal structure jutting from the floor and ceiling. Within the center of the structure sat a barrier in case of emergency, or danger, that housed the device. It housed a sophisticated machine the size of an old whiskey flask with a window in the center showing the contents. While Hector ˇ°sleptˇ±, it would glow pink and pulse like a heart. Nobody knew why it happened, but it did all the same. The window is purely aesthetic, designed to be ''pleasing to look at'' claimed the lead scientist of Project Javelin. Its inner workings verify the contents and capacity, to prevent any possible leaks that may occur. And so it was. The robot Ensign unlatched the encasing and in a flash, Hector stood among the crew. ˇ°That time again, huh?ˇ± Hector yawned. ˇ°Affirmative.ˇ± Sam spoke up. ˇ°Thanks Sam.ˇ± Hector said while beginning his morning stretch routine. ˇ°As per the schedule, you will begin your daily muscle rebuilding, mental rehabilitation and then be briefed on the newest information and details regarding our mission.ˇ± Grieves reminded. Hector of course knew all of this, as his time in stasis was like sleep. He was conscious, but the years fly by as quickly as the night and he is awake yet again. Hector loved the stasis he goes in, he had dreams of his past and other things, it always makes him feel warm. Feel as if he belonged and nothing else mattered but love. As always, he awoke to reality, a dark sky filled with infinite nothingness. With nobody to share an intimate moment. Hector did not regret his decision, although loneliness is rampant, he focuses on self-actualizing his dreams and aspirations, as well as focusing on work. He is after all, the harbinger of life to many new worlds. Hector spent his time working out, writing into his journal and meditation, planned cognitive lessons, ensuring he stays capable of completing his task and not falling into madness. As usual, nothing was amiss and later that day he headed back to the bridge chamber for his debriefing. He sat at the an open chair among the many about. He told the scientists that if he had only one chair, he would become complacent, so they gave him a few and he chose a new seat each meeting. He sat at a station with an available terminal, mirrored Grieves'' screen and was ready. ˇ°This is the 23rd planet in our journey out of 150. Ship operations are working as expected.ˇ± Grieves sounded proud while saying the last bit, like it was a great accomplishment to hold the ship together. ˇ°We are currently in mid-orbit and plan to gradually enter the atmosphere, landing on a central land-mass ideal for the bacteria to thrive and develop human life. Initial scans have shown this is likely a high candidate to sustain life and that has NOT changed. We shall continue as planned.ˇ± Days later, Hector stands in a suit, sowing the literal seeds of life onto a familiar but alien world. As he finishes, he wonders what they will be like, his children in a sense. Will they choose to hate others based solely on their differences or will they choose to love? His mental rehabilitation has taught him to hate humanity less, not to give into his thoughts of complete hopelessness and despair no matter how logical they may seem. They are only thoughts, nothing more. Hector enjoys being awake now, but the loneliness is still there. He can''t binge watch a TV show or even watch a single movie, any resource wasted goes against the plan and the mission could end sooner than hoped. This job is now finished and Hector is looking forward to waking up the next time, but he also wants to go back to his dream-like world and stay a little longer if possible. Hector finishes tidying up his things and heads to the Stasis Chamber where the robot crew will keep an eye on him and the ship. He likes his crew. Once Hector is back in stasis, Grieves encounters a problem and is unable to fix it. Hector wouldn''t know this of course, he is back asleep. The crew work for years, too far for a specialist on Earth to communicate with, if indeed humanity lasted this long. The ship cuts all power, to conserve remaining fuel and energy. Grieves alone stays operational to attempt repairs. The robot is much older now and in no shape to repair himself, let alone the ship. So he sleeps, until one day he may live and work once again. The ship slowly rattled by debris, losing its orbit that was maintained by Grieves and the robot crew. It slowly but inevitably falls toward the mighty gravity of the nearest star. Hector and the crew, dreaming of a better world. Project Javelin: 02 As Hector sleeps, oblivious to the world outside, he remembers his past life. -30 Years Earlier- Hector stands suited up in his first ever hero uniform, the sleek silver of the armor reflecting the light rays back out into the world and the light blue spandex filling the gaps between, he patrols the city. Waiting for the inevitable crime. Though young, he is eager to join the ''Good Fight'', having gained his powers early on and suppressing them for fear of the public stigma. Now is different, powers are embraced and welcomed by almost all, he too has learned to embrace with whole heart, claiming a new identity: Javelin. As he makes his way down the sidewalk, the streetlamps reflect off of him giving an almost godlike golden aura as he passes the civilians. At his side is the small cylindrical steel bar, which is about 6 inches in length and an inch thick. This tool allows him to channel energy through it and accomplish things no normal person could. Hector can utilize his powers to attack, defend and even ''fast travel'' as he calls it. Before the Age of Heroes, somebody clad in armor walking down the street would be stared at by all around, but now it is commonplace that ads and billboards around town show off heroes shilling the next big product civilians can''t live without. He continues walking and passes a bench with a hero in white and red armor, he doesn''t pay attention to it anymore and passes an inflatable Heroine with long red hair and purple armor helping a food truck sell their delicious items. The streets are filled with normal people... Nothing out of the ordinary. Hector grabs his core, the cylindrical tube at his side and grips it tightly. He aims toward another part of town and his hands start to crackle with electricity. His arm moves to launch the projectile and in the same moment his body gets swallowed like the vacuum of space ripping everything out of a crack in a ship''s hull, converting to energy to travel within the tool. This is the Javelin. Upon descent, the Javelin loses momentum and before it hits the ground, the energy ripples into Hector''s human form, grasping the tool in his hand tightly, successfully traveling to another part of the city in seconds. Hector holsters it and continues to patrol. "You ready for the Big Leagues, kid?" From behind a voice spoke up. A slightly older, slim man adorned with sleek gold spandex, silver foam-like armor extending over the chest and shoulders to create the cross-hair of a gun''s sight. "Lock-On! Good to see you, man. Of course I''m ready!" Hector greeted the Hero with a large, toothy smile and a familiar, but complex handshake. Once Lock-On! has his target, even from across the city, his wrist and ankle jets propel him to his target and he SMASHES away at the rival. "Good, I''ve brought company." From behind Lock-On! stands 3 figures coming out from the shadows. "Welcome to The Finalists." A woman dressed in a sleek red and green form fitting outfit spoke up, her long white hair shining upon her shoulders. "I am Mother Christmas." Hector''s skin turned to gooseflesh though nobody could tell, he is ecstatic to meet The Finalists. Next to her stands a very tan man with bleach-blond dreadlocks behind a folded bandana. "This is Hang Ten." She introduced. On the other side stands an androgynous person who is outfitted with all the latest tech gear. "Hi, I''m Technoid. We''re your new teammates." They say as they push their glasses up the bridge of their nose. Javelin already knew this of course, but is delighted to meet them all the same. He is now an official member of the All Star Super Hero Club. Since Hector embraced his true self, he wanted to learn everything about others like him, so he did. "I know I''m a total fanboy, but I really am glad to meet you all and I hope I can live up to the name!" Hector said, clearly confident in his abilities. Despite the years of belittling, jeers and condescension from "normal" people, Hector is glad to finally be accepted fully for who he truly is. He pledged to help everyone, no matter what they may have done in the past, so he became a hero to do just that. That is being a hero, he believes. As time went on, the Javelin one of the team. Being a hero wasn''t about being a celebrity for Hector, he was more of a service-industry worker, hoping to get his name out there and be accessible to as many people as possible, to help them any way he can.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. -Present Day- Hector sleeps peacefully in his Stasis device, surrounded by the warm and cozy feeling. Thoughts like dreams come and go, flashes of memories, fill the small mass of energy as if all the synapses in his brain were firing all at once, a million times stronger than normal. Another memory takes center stage this time: Javelin is on a mission by himself Hector remembers this because it meant so much. -15 Years Earlier- Clouds hung low over the city, a constant drizzle steadily washing over everything, in an attempt to cleanse the city of its evils. A large building stood ornamented with spotlights covering almost every inch of land. Men with guns stalking the area for intruders, black nondescript cars littered on the lawn to prevent easy access inside. Javelin crept behind cars, an anxious panic in the back of his head as guards pass. He''s going to be caught, surely this is it. But they continue on in their routine walk, unaware of the Hero creeping through the night. Javelin was hired as a Hand, a group of heroes that were legal mercenaries. The mission is to infiltrate the mid-tier boss''s building and shut down the drug operation. Hector is older now and had seen plenty of the real world. After being a Hero for so long it became like working a job. Nothing but lip service to the customer and no back talking. "You''re really lucky we gave you this chance." He recalled the agent saying. "Yeah, I''m sure. Despite you really needing help and nobody wanted to go on a suicide mission for you." Javelin retorted. He was over shit like this, but money is money. Hector knew this was the target''s rivals leveling the competition so they could profit in drug business, but you don''t bite the hand that feeds, so he kept quiet and did his job. Javelin began outside and slowly worked his way in, avoiding the line of sight of men with guns or ones that could alert the others. Next to the door on the ground laid a brown cardboard box filled with bullet holes, blood pooling below. Poor bastard, he thought, couldn''t get away with it again. Once inside, Hector was able to get passed the guards by hiding inside of electrical outlets, jumping from light to light, evading all of the unaware men. He came to the second floor where two large brown oak double doors were enshrined in gold lacquer. Taking his normal shape again, Hector made the air tingle with his hands and was able to see inside the room. He saw what awaited him and prepared accordingly: Four goons with guns, his target and a woman sitting behind a large oak desk filled with suitcases and small baggies. Javelin took a breath and brought his leg full force into the doors. They cracked open and in an instant, everything became slower. Their reactions were easy to read, Javelin zoomed to the first two goons electrically charging their guns. He moved to the others and the first guns'' exploded upon the pull of the trigger. The men hit the floor as Hector shoved an energy ice-pick into the skull of the third goon. He flailed in pain, the trigger of the gun pulled and firing into the man''s partner. Hector moved on to the desk and became immobilized. His eyes fixated on the woman, a beautiful, brown hair, caramel skinned woman being grabbed by the boss and whisked away. Hector didn''t know he was unable to move, he hadn''t tried. Bullets flew past his head and he didn''t register their existence in the slightest. Their eyes locked in what seemed to be a dance of time as hours flew by into days and into eternity. He noticed the boss running and snapped back to reality, everything still moving so slow, Hector blocked the boss from escape. She also felt the strangeness of the situation, having somebody transfixed on you all while they are evading bullets and fighting as if it was natural for them. The boss yelled at her to move, but she couldn''t. They were connected and both understood that in this single moment, an entire life spent together passed. An eternity that they would never get to visit again, because in a puff of smoke, everything turned to darkness and came crumbling around them. Hector later was told, the boss hit a switch when Javelin blocked his escape that set off explosives inside and outside the building. He was supposed to have taken the woman and ran, but while she and Javelin were locked together in time, he gave up and took all of their lives in an attempt to kill the Hero. -Present Day- Hector struggled to breathe, while in stasis he didn''t need to and trying only complicated reality. If his body were tangible, a stream of tears would show running down both eyes. It is a painful memory, but that one moment shared between two strangers was beautiful, and that is all that mattered to him. He would have wondered why he was seeing that memory, the Stasis Device usually shows him happy memories, although with the loneliness of the voyage, he was glad to remember a time when he wasn''t alone. Hector embraced his memories and remembered his emotions, instead of simply shutting them all away. He needed to remember.