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mastin2 -> Circle of Keyboards|Struggle of Death (7/10/2008 3:52:37)
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The absolute power to kill: many believe that some have held this power before. ‘Any weapon can kill always and those who control the weapons have that power.’ Close, but not quite. Technology is such a wondrous thing…it can fool people into thinking that, when there really is only one way to kill absolutely 100% of the time. And I hold that power.
That power is ancient and has remained hidden from our eyes for hundreds of years. Some ancient power of the world was more advanced than we give them credit for—I don’t know what power it is myself, as it could be Greek, Egyptian, Mayan, or something even older. We’ll never know for sure. However, that civilization somehow saw into the future and similarly designed their greatest creation of all after that. Paper? Don’t make me laugh. That might have been around when the technology was made. It was made to be in the form of what we call the keyboard. They even wrote it in English. I could be wrong, however. For all I know, they made the technology adaptive enough to change to that person’s language and take the form of a common item. It’s simply impossible to tell because that civilization is long-gone.
This technology, however, contained more power than one could imagine. Some type of telepathic bond is contained within. This bond permits whoever it has bounded to the ability to ‘upload’ the image of any person that user has seen. From there, it can be manipulated. The target can be made to do whatever the user wants to, as long as the person’s name is included. And very often, the end result is that person’s death. I don’t know how it manipulates them, nor how it can kill a person in any specified way, if possible. But it is somehow possible. The keyboard is a lethal weapon. A weapon of personal gain. It can kill any foe, or manipulate them into an ally. To use this power, the user needs only enter the target’s name and the action for which the user wishes to do.
I own one of these keyboards. It is quite a handy device. It can get me out of tricky situations, and best of all: it functions a little like a typewriter if you so wish it; I can type things out—like this—and keep them stored until I wish for them to be printed. Such a power is great. But it is not invincible. I’ve heard that there were thirteen of these devices originally. In this day and age, there are only ten.
…And many of them fall under my control. Every keyboard has a few unique features. I’ve seen one that has a television built in, and another with an internet connection, no matter the location. A third even has a function as a cell-phone. And most of them have ways to fold—you can’t exactly blend in with a keyboard attached to your arm, can you? Mine folds up into my watch on my right hand. Typing with my left had is annoying, but I live with it.
Seven of these devices I know where they are, and who controls them. All of the users of those devices answer to me as a leader. No, there was no brainwashing. Keyboard users are immune to every effect of the keyboard except for one: killing. So the only thing that I could do to them is kill them. Did I use death threats? No; they just realized how I could use their potential to the maximum. For one thing, I managed to figure out rules which they could not: If you type in the words ‘forfeit’ on your own image, an electrical shock is sent through your brain, you lose all memory of events that you used the power, and the keyboard is dropped onto the ground for another to pick up. If you pick it up again, however, another electrical surge jumpstarts your memory. This is handy to avoid capture.
If you type in the words ‘Vision’ on your image, you gain the power to view the names of all around you—but the cost is your soul. I would never use such a technique. Others with keyboards of their own cannot have their names viewed by this ability. However, if you type in ‘Deal’, you can override this and view any keyboard wielder’s name, even if you don’t have the vision. However, the cost for this is that you can never forfeit ownership of the keyboard. I’d only use this as a last resort. Sure, I could instantly learn the name of all keyboard users…but I could never live a normal life afterwards. I’d be cursed to forever have the power, even if I didn’t want to. But I know of seven keyboards under my control. Quite a lucky number, no?
These seven are as follows: The first is William Johnson. Age of thirty-six. He is a wealthy businessman. Likewise, he nearly began to use this power to manipulate—and often kill—his rivals. I managed to convince him otherwise. For one, manipulating and killing his rivals would make him look suspicious. And another thing: using the power for that kind of thing is just wrong. I managed to teach him that—with this power—one must still maintain their moralities.
The second is Sally Peterson. Age of twenty-one. She is a writer with quite a few published works. She needed not use her power for anything, so she just let it be. The third is Lisa Jackson. Age of nineteen. She is a young actress. She has quite a temper and has threatened to use her powers before, yet has never done so even once. Bluffs? No; I merely managed to convince her otherwise.
The fourth is David Jot. Age of twenty-five. He is a lawyer, so his sense of justice prevented him from ever using his power. I’ve heard he’s had a rough childhood, but he still has not used his power. The fifth is Samantha Lewis. Age of sixteen. She is a student with no other job. She is ambitious, so she may have used her power, though not to kill. I don’t know much else about her, other than she is a little ‘innocent’ in nature.
The sixth is Brad Quinton. Age of seventeen. He is a very close friend of mine and a trusted ally. He is a student, but he is training to be a law officer. He has a sense of justice and has not used his power.
And the seventh is me, Jack Q. Helio. Age of twenty. I am a student at the same school as Brad and Samantha. I also have a part-time job in law enforcement. My brilliant mind has made it so that I have already become quite a distinguished man. Lisa used to be a student at my school as well, but her career made her leave. I met David on one of the cases I was working on and we talked. He, too, went to my school and we talked about what made us similar. I met Sally because she is a writer and I like both writing and reading. William is a friend of my father, so that’s how I met him.
All of them have their purposes. I had Brad, David, and Lisa all gain Vision. William and Brad I had do the Deal. Samantha, Sally and I all remain with neither. I also had those that could spread out—David is in Washington State, Sally is in Canada, Lisa is in Mexico, and William is in the United Kingdom. Brad, Samantha, and I all remain at our home in New York City.
Now what about the other three? I hear their users are criminals which I will do everything in my power to stop. I know absolutely nothing about the leader of the three, other than he is a mastermind. I know that the other two are his lieutenants and have practically opposite assignments. His first subordinate is a young member of the mafia. He can’t be much older than me. But he is a genius nonetheless and has never failed to find a target that the mafia wants to kill. And that’s without his keyboard. With it, I admit that I fear his power. I don’t know his real name, but those in the mafia call him by his code name, Michael. Or in some instances, just M.
The other is a different manner. I hear he is a double agent, working for the police to catch wanted criminals, but actually providing vital information to his real boss. I know that he has never failed—like his counterpart—and has never shown emotion. Again, this is without the keyboard. He makes me sick. One who pretends to have a sense of justice while actually being the worst of criminals. I’ve heard that he is called Matt by his ‘fellow’ police officers, but I don’t know his real name. If I could manage to track his location, I’d have one of my comrades meet him face to face and kill him to end his threat. But he is good; he hid anything that could allow us to trace him. I also fear his power.
But their boss is who scares me the most—if his direct minions are so good, so clever, then what about him? He must be worse. More powerful, more intelligent, and much more of a threat. I know only his codename: His minions of all ranks just call him B, for ‘Boss’. I wish I had more, but I do not. He could truly kill my comrades and me if I allow myself to get careless.
And their choice of a career makes them my enemies. The chessboard, I suppose one could say, has been laid out; the pieces are all there. I learned that they have increased their activity; they made the first move. Now, let the game begin…
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