5 Pushing Buttons

After teleporting to a safe bunker, a different one from the one he'd used with the Nobody, Burns heard Jimmy ask "What was up with you back there? Are you having problems with the new mods?"

"Yes and no. Obviously I wanted to test out the new mods and the power armor, so I didn't go all out. Plus, I knew something was up with Donovan and you don't kill someone like him if he can be made an ally. Still, I did have to adjust to some things. You recall the description we got for the Danger Precognition gene mod right? The word they used to describe what would trigger the two second precog was threats but only threats I was already going to detect. Turns out, that doesn't mean what I thought it did. Anyway, I'll tell you the rest later, for now we need to get the others over here."

"Psssh, who do you think I am? It's already done; give me the word and I'll beam 'em up!"

"I'm not calling you Scotty; don't play this game with me again."

"Ah come on, really? Why does no one like the classics anymore?"

"If I ever laugh at one of your jokes you can consider telling it again. Now shut up and bring them here."

Jimmy obeyed in sullen silence, causing the Jacks to solidify out of thin air. Unlike the previous bunker, this one was connected to the surface, possessing multiple escape routes. The teleportation array room, which all the Jacks including Burns now stood in was located at the very center of the bunker, with four blast doors leading away.

Burns, leaning against the side of the only open doorway, said "Bring Donovan, I've got a medlab down this way." Not bothering to look back, he turned and headed deeper into the bunker. The Diego brothers hauled Donovan between the two of them. While they were waiting for the teleportation to kick in someone had clearly pulled the Steam Jack out of his power armor.

The others followed too, with everyone ending up in the medlab. It was a fairly small space, with four beds positioned around a single surgery mech attached to the ceiling. Unlike the one in the Aceron medlab, this one showed signs of wear. Some of its white paint had faded or been scrubbed off over time, leaving glimmers of darker metal to shine through. Still, it was clearly a fairly advanced mech, not that much worse than the Aceron mech that had installed Burns' latest gene mods.

Elizabeth looked around, noting the design of the place, and asked "How did you afford this? I can't really imagine someone like you having so much money to spend."

Burns laughed and, while wagging a finger, replied "what you actually meant was; how did an Erratic afford this? The simple answer is that I couldn't. I stole the whole bunker."

Having laid down Donovan, the brothers moved over to their own beds, ready to have the mech work on them too. As the many arms of the mech extended towards its three patients, Burns explained in more detail.

"This was a Milestone Technologies bunker at one point. They were using it to conduct some top-secret research projects, which is why aside from this medlab there're several other labs in here. Anyway, Milestone and I don't get along that well, seeing how they've got an unhealthy interest in me. So after I'd fought their second capture team I planned to hit back. I made a private deal with the Trader to give him some of the stuff I knew would be in the bunker that I didn't need, research data and whatnot. In exchange he was more than willing to provide me with a fairly advanced teleportation array.

I set up the array in a cave and used the bunker's coordinates to bring it here. I already had some wards and jamming equipment set up, so the researchers and guards couldn't call for help when I killed them. Since then this has been my main base, although I keep a few other bunkers in different areas just in case."

"You have many enemies; I am the same" Hayashi stated. "When Donovan and the others are healed I would like to continue our previous discussion. Time is limited; we only have twelve hours till the Aceron job's deadline. Those of us who are still interested in Donovan's proposal should meet here in eight hours. In the meantime, gather anything you have with effects like the elixir and anyone else who intends to be a part of this. I, myself, will collect my own item now."

Speech completed, Hayashi melted away in a burst of green flame. Elizabeth scowled at the spot Hayashi had just stood and complained "Since when does he think he's in charge?"

Burns, smiling, responded "He's blunt but he isn't trying to order us around. Guys who're feared like that don't get the chance to socialize a whole lot so of course they aren't going to have the best manners."

Elizabeth turned to focus on Burns and snorted. "So you aren't feared? Apply that statement to yourself for a second. Just because you haven't harmed any of us yet doesn't mean I've forgotten what you are. Out of all the countless Monsters, powers, and Jacks, Erratics are still feared more with good reason."

Burns chuckled with mirth as he said "You're right, I'm not on the same level Hayashi is. He's feared but pretty much everyone in our crowd knows what he's capable of. Me, I'm an Erratic; someone who's External Magic isn't limited by the normal rules and is completely uncontrollable. I can be predicted perhaps but my magic can't. Despite his infamy, I'm the one who's most frightening. Knowing that, living that, you think I'd expect someone to forget what I am? Never gonna happen."

"Good, I only decided to work with Donovan and thus you, because of the elixir. Even an Erratic won't be able to actively harm me or anyone else after an Elixir of Bonding's been used."

"I spent most of my life being toyed with by Aceron researchers" Burns said. His normally jovial expression was now gone, as if it had never existed. "If Aceron hadn't made me and so many other Erratics trying to combine Internal and External Magics, I'd be dead. Even now they're probably experimenting on clones of me, because I'm the closest they came to succeeding."

A sarcastic tone lurched into Burns voice as he continued "I'm the Erratic who didn't kill himself with his own magic, wasn't driven insane by the never-ending changes." Burns continued as his voice rose to a shout "I don't know if you've ever seen a 'normal' Erratic but their magic NEVER STOPS! It keeps GOING AND GOING AND GOING, without anyone to rein it in! Do you have any idea the kind of destruction even one Erratic leaves behind? A single one in a heavily populated area can end tens of thousands of lives without even meaning to."

Visibly angry, Burns kept speaking in a much quieter but no less intense voice. "You and everyone compare me to such an existence, thinking ignorantly 'he's the same.' You're wrong. I am so much more than other Erratics. Donovan recognized that on some level even while the Puppet Jack controlled him. Hayashi also saw me as someone worth allying with. Even the Diego brothers, did you see them shivering in fear? If you're too weak to protect yourself or too paranoid to trust me, then go. I won't stop you."

Finished ranting, Burns stomped out of the medlab. As he walked away Jimmy spoke up "What's your angle here boss? She may not know you but I do. That entire scene was theater."

"It's a test. I want to see what she does, how she reacts. If she keeps a poker face up after I've left the room I'll know she's either unaffected by my speech or actively wary of being spied on. Ideally she won't be so well-guarded and I'll be able to read her body language, get an idea of what she's feeling. Hayashi I have a fair understanding of, the Diego brothers are too savvy to fool like this, and Donovan has to wait. Right now, Elizabeth is the only person I can learn more about. Every little bit of information I can pry from her reaction can help."

"Mhm, I getcha. So anyway, about the precog?"

"Yeah, see I realized while fighting Donovan that I get a separate vision for every threat. Thankfully, as soon as I act in a way that ends the threat, the relevant vision ends too, even if the former threat is still in the future. I also noticed that I didn't get any vision at all when the Stalwart's turrets started firing at me, even though I knew they were capable of penetrating the Flood if they connected. So if I see a threat but don't get a vision I don't have to worry about going out of my way to deal with it. Another interesting thing I realized is that the gravest threat takes precedence in terms of vision. That vampire who was hiding behind Elizabeth had some kind of sure-kill attack prepared for me and her. Even though the minions also posed threats, the vision of the vampire was prioritized."

"Ah ha, I see. So you think that's why your External Magic only activated the once? That it was Iron Will interacting with both the precog and your External Magic?"

"I hate that name but yeah, I think you're right. It's always kicked in, first with the experimental gene mods, then when I gained the External Magic, becoming an Erratic, and now with this. I think I can finally say with confidence it's what actually sets me apart from the other Erratics. It's also probably the reason I can handle so many Internal Magics from these gene mods."

"Well that was always what I figured. Up till you, none of my hosts could maintain any awareness at all, let alone flip the tables on me. Much as I hate to admit it, I don't ever see myself living free again."

"That's the price you paid for trying to steal my body and kill my mind. Just be glad you're still alive."