114. Artisan 2

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- …Gilbert. What the hell? - I screamed involuntarily when I saw that the person who had moved into Artisan's lair was Gilbert, a cowardly 12-year-old boy who nearly fell victim to an alien mushroom invasion.

- Who is there? - Gilbert asked warily when he heard my voice. At the same time, his behavior was very different from what I remember. His voice was rougher, his eyes more piercing, and his body language said that he was ready to attack at any moment.

- Your worst nightmare. - I said, appearing right in front of his face in the form of a Ghostfreak.

Wanting to get answers to my questions as soon as possible, before Gilbert had time to do anything, I turned into an Amphibian and shocked Gilbert with an electric shock to knock him out, as well as disable all the devices and gadgets that the guy carried with him. Then, I turned into Squid and began to test Gilbert's memory to find out all his secrets.

So first of all, he really is Artisan and his real name is Gilbert. Gilbert Clive, to be precise. But everything else that I knew about him is complete nonsense. In fact, Gilbert is 22 years old and looks like a child due to a glitch in his genes due to the legacy of his alien father. Of course, I understand that Gilbert is far from handsome, but who would have thought that he was an adult dwarf pretending to be a child.

Although, he's just a great actor. I didn't even suspect him of lying for a second. I saw in him only a cowardly boy who was horrified that alien mushrooms tried to eat him, which, in principle, is to be expected from a child who got into that situation.

That's why I didn't even check his mind before because I didn't see the point. For me, he was only an innocent victim, but not the culprit of the situation, who pretended to be the victim. Frankly, I'm discouraged.

So, back to Gilbert's story. As I said, his father was an alien, so Gilbert is a half-blood. In principle, it is not surprising, because almost all the problems that arise on Earth are associated either with aliens or with their descendants. So here one should expect one of two things.

Gilbert's father hails from the planet Techadon, home to the Weaponmasters of Techadon, a race of aliens who create advanced weapons that they sell to anyone who can afford the price. The associations with what Gilbert was doing are clearly visible, aren't they?

The Techadonians themselves appear as humanoid green-skinned aliens, with red eyes and black sclera, and nasal cavities where their noses should be.

The main feature of the Techadons is their intelligence and engineering skills. Of course, in terms of intelligence, they are inferior to both the Galvans and the Cerebrocrustacean, but there is no other race in the universe that could better than the Techadonians create weapons to destroy intelligent life forms. True masters of their craft, although their craft is bloody.

And, how can you understand, Gilbert got his father's engineering genius, coupled with a large number of genetic diseases, because of which Gilbert cannot grow up. Gilbert's father only visited Earth once to sell weapons to the ubiquitous Forever Knights, and apparently he decided to have a one night stand with an Earth woman, which ended with Gilbert's appearance.

Gilbert's mother died in his childbirth, and since then, he has been raised by his grandparents. This house belongs to them. But, unfortunately, they both died six months ago and since then, Gilbert has been living alone.

After the death of his guardians, Gilbert was able to find a letter left by his mother, from which he learned about his heritage and his father. It was this letter that caused Gilbert to follow in his father's footsteps and start inventing various gadgets and other useful devices that he began to sell to various criminal personalities.

This lasted until the remnants of Vilgax's drones, who attacked the city near Mount Rushmore to lure me out, fell into Gilbert's hands. Later, he was also able to retrieve the remains of the 'Chimerian Hammer', Vilgax's ship, which I thought was completely destroyed by the explosion, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Getting his hands on alien technology took Gilbert to a whole new level and that's how the Artisan I know was born.

As far as I can tell, Gilbert has some pretty serious psychological problems. At a minimum, he is a sociopath, unable to understand the emotions of the people around him, and at most, he is a complete psychopath, unable to feel positive emotions. It is most likely also caused by a gene disorder.

Still, the chance of creating a successful hybrid of two different races is incredibly small. It is even surprising that all the half-bloods that I have met before did not have any health problems, but rather received the advantages of two races. Looks like Gilbert just got unlucky.

Previously, the dangerous tendencies that Gilbert showed were always stopped by his grandparents, who even had to lock him in the basement so that he would not turn into a serial killer of some kind, because there were already signs of this. But, having received freedom, Gilbert sold out to the fullest and became obsessed with inventing and creating weapons.

Gilbert was helped by his school friend, who is also not very healthy from a psychological point of view, but who managed to enter the local police. It was this guy who helped Gilbert sell his inventions on the black market. Thanks to the police database, this was not difficult to do. In the end, it turns out that Gilbert invented, his friend sold, and both of them were in the black. What can not be said about the people who suffered because of them.

- And what am I to do with you? - I involuntarily asked as I finished reviewing Gilbert's memory.

In a good way, it is necessary to hand over both Gilbert and his friend to the police, because what they did was far from being a joke. Due to Gilbert's mistake, an alien invasion almost happened once already, who knows what he might do next. But… I feel really sorry for this guy. It is not his fault that he was born like this and it is unlikely that they will be able to help him in prison ...

- Okay. I think I can help you. I have one idea. - I turned to Gilbert, who was lying on the floor unconscious, and then added: - But, first, I need to destroy this place ...

First, I quickly hacked into Gilbert's computer using the Virus and found all the most interesting information and blueprints for inventions. Whether it is not enough, it is useful.

After I transferred all the data to my phone, lifting Gilbert on my shoulder, I turned into NRG and incinerated his lair using the alien's radiation abilities. This was enough to completely destroy everything here, so that no one can restore Gilbert's inventions.

- Morgana, process the data from Gilbert's computer and send an anonymous message to the FBI about all buyers and those who received Gilbert's inventions. Also, send information about Gilbert's partner to the local police station so that he is immediately arrested. - I ordered as I teleported back to the forest near Camp Opinican.

- [As you wish.]

- Well, now we can talk. - I said, returning to my human form, not forgetting to put on my suit, and woke up Gilbert with a slap in the face.

- Argh… What? What's going on here? Where I am? - Gilbert asked, waking up, starting to look around.

- Well, hello, Artisan. - I said, getting the boy's attention.

- You… How did you find me? - Gilbert asked angrily, recognizing me at once.

- Do you think I wouldn't have found you? Especially after what you did here? - I said threateningly. Still, I really like to intimidate villains. Now, I understand why Batman likes to do this.

- I knew something was wrong with that family. Did they guess that I was only pretending to be a member of the camp? - Gilbert asked, keeping absolutely calm. In a similar situation, this is a sign of psychopathy.

- You can say that. - I lied and again turned to the guy: - You attracted my attention with your crafts.

- That's the way it should be. My creations are flawless and majestic. Much better than anything on this pathetic planet. - narcissistically, Artisan said. This, by the way, is also a sign of psychopathy.

- Flawless? Truth? - I asked, pointing to the wreckage of his teleporter, which I had recently dug up.

- It's just a prototype. - Gilbert said, ignoring his mistake.

- And why did you even create such a dangerous device, especially near the children's camp? - I asked curiously, walking around the guy to add to the atmosphere.

- I was going to create a portal to Techadon. - Gilbert admitted.

- Decided to find your daddy? Who don't even need you? - I asked with a sneer.

- What do you know? He is a great inventor! Once he knows what I have achieved, what I have created, he will be proud of me. Together we will create the greatest weapon in the universe! - with madness in his eyes, Gilbert told me about his dreams.

- Your father, like all of his race, are mere merchants of death. And whatever you dream about, all these are pipe dreams and nonsense. Your father didn't give a damn about you, especially since he doesn't even know you exist. - I said sternly, breaking all the guy's hopes.

- How dare you? - Gilbert yelled angrily, pointing a laser weapon at me, which he pulled out of his pocket.

Ignoring the weapon, I continued to break the guy's dreams: - You are a fool. A frog at the bottom of a well, unaware of how big the world is. On Earth, your inventions may be considered impressive, but they are just pitiful toys, in the scale of the universe.

- I will kill ... I KILL YOU!!! - exclaimed Gilbert, pulling the trigger of his weapon. But, nothing happened, because it was put out of action by an electric shock.

- By creating a couple of things that are only slightly above the level of the Earth, you have an idea of ​​yourself who knows what. Have you decided that with impunity you can create dangerous weapons and devices that can cause untold harm? Have you decided that you can play with the lives of innocents as you please? Did you think no one would stop you? Thought to avoid responsibility? Well, you know, you were very wrong. - I said menacingly, slowly approaching Gilbert.

- Stop! Don't come! - Gilbert shouted, moving away from me, while pulling out another weapon from his arsenal, which also did not work.

- You will answer for all your sins. - I said softly as I turned into a Humangosaurus and swung to hit Gilbert.

- Nooo… Ah….- the guy screamed in fear, and after he just passed out and fell to the ground.

- Hmm… Or maybe he didn't acting himself… - I muttered, becoming a human again. Looks like Gilbert really is just a coward, and when I met him, he was really terrified of a fungus invasion he accidentally set up.

- Okay, let's go. - I said, and grabbing Gilbert, he carried us to the Cave.

This whole conversation was necessary so that I could understand the real identity of Gilbert. Telepathy is fine, but I figured it would be best if I checked on Gilbert and see how he would handle a situation where his life was in danger. Usually, it is at such a moment that a person drops all masks and appears in a reliable guise.

From what I saw, it can be understood that Gilbert is distinguished by a lonely man, whose relatives had his great-ancestors, who acquired him. He has serious health and mental problems and was most likely bullied at school due to his differences. For him, the craft became an outlet, thanks to the fact that he could forget his problems and difficulties, and because he could find a connection with his unknown father.

It was to feel this connection that Gilbert decided to create weapons and sell them in order to become even more like his father. I think that his partner, who wanted to cash in on the guy's talent, also manipulated him to his advantage. All this was the reason for the appearance of Artisan, and also why Gilbert wanted to find a way to Techadon.

Although, this certainly does not justify his actions, but you can also understand the guy. So I decided to give Gilbert a chance at a normal life. That, at least, is what he deserves.

- [Do you want to cure him too?] - Morgana asked as I created a new cryo-capsules for Gilbert. For a while, he will stay in it, along with the Circus Freak Trio.

- Yes. And I think the answer to how to do this lies in the Mr. Hyde Formula. - I replied, putting Gilbert into cryo-sleep.

Since Gilbert's main problems lie in his damaged DNA caused by his alien father's legacy, I think a serum capable of making a person half-alien could help here.

If I study the composition and action of the formula, I'm sure that I can create its antipode, which will be able to erase the alien heritage from the blood of the test subject, turning him into a simple person. It seems to me that this is exactly what should help Gilbert.

- How are our other projects? - I asked, adding a drop of Gilbert's blood to the analyzer to find out about all his illnesses.

- [I examined the DNA of 48 aliens and in all of them, I was able to find signs of the alpha gene. The Circus Freak Trio's healing has stalled until you find the cause of their mutations, and Mr. Hyde's formula is 38% researched.] - Morgana replied, flashing all the data on the monitor.

- Great, you're great. I can't even imagine what I would have done without your help. - I said sincerely, looking at the test results.

- [Without me, you wouldn't have achieved anything]. - Morgana said jokingly, turning up her nose.

- Maybe you're right. Okay, then research that as well. - I said as I took out the eyelash of the giant eye that I took from the Eternal Knights.

- Find out where she could have come from the Knights. - I added, putting the eyelash into the analyser.

h [Received.]

- So, the formula is being investigated, as is Gilbert's DNA and the eyelash. Hope will help me examine the Diadema and other artifacts, and I will present the Hand of Tzul 'Kalu to Zak at our next meeting. I will leave the exploration of the Star to the future, when my ship is ready. Looks like I didn't forget anything. - I murmured thoughtfully, remembering my to-do list.

- I think it's time for me. Gwen and Hope are already waiting for me. When the result is ready, let me know. - I said in the end and returned to Hex Castle.

- [Good luck!] - I heard Morgana say goodbye, at the last moment.