The Road to Bangalore - Part Three

A short story in the world of John Ringo's Not That Kind of Good Guy

A brief introduction: This is part 3 of a short story set in the world of John Ringo’s Not That Kind of Good Guy. If you haven’t read it yet, the first book is available now from Baen Books. Or you can read the first draft of that book and the sequels on his Substack:

John also has several chapters from unfinished novels, so if you’ve been wondering whatever happened to Dana Parker and Tyler Vernon or what the Keldara would be doing in a zombie apocalypse, this is your chance to find out.

This story is set 20 years prior to the events in Not That Kind of Good Guy. Again, this is John’s world. I’m just playing in it. But if Baen ever decides to publish an anthology of stories in this setting, it’s ready to go.

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Eric sat in a lotus, blindfolded, uncomfortable, and bored. He and Seena were in a glade several miles from the house.

He had spent most of the first few weeks of his training this way, developing his “sight” and growing his strength. Seena had taught him how to constantly warp space in the air around him so that he would drain his powers even before he started porting and creating portals. But before he could do either he had to learn how to “see” without his eyes.

What they called Sight was both exactly like actual sight and completely different at the same time. Instead of his eyes measuring the visible light reflected from the objects around him, he was sensing the way matter shaped the space around him. Because the amount that space was distorted depended on how much mass was in a specific volume, what he basically sensed was density. At first it was just a general feeling of where matter was and wasn’t, it quickly improved to being able to “see” precise distinctions.

His training had started with a closed metal box on the ground in front of him. Once he learned to “see” the box itself, he had to learn how to “look” past the metal walls and find what was inside. Seena and Aditya took turns porting different objects into the box, and he had to accurately describe what was inside. It was not easy. At first his mind insisted on focusing on the outside of the box. Then he kept “looking” past it. Finally he mastered getting inside the box, but determining what he was “seeing” wasn’t always easy.

Another exercise had him running blindfolded through obstacle courses. He’d thought he had that one down pat, then they started adding tripwires. Then cobwebs.

When he had finally proved to their satisfaction that he could “see” where he was going, he was allowed to start porting objects. Small objects. Carefully. You couldn't focus your “sight” on two distant points at the same time, so you had to be either close to the object being teleported or be teleporting the object to bring it close to you.

Currently he was teleporting rocks from one clearing to another. Seena would port the air above a rock into the other glade, indicating to him which rock to move and where to put it. He had to “see” the distortions to space as she moved the air, teleport the rock without disturbing the ground beneath it, and the rock had to be placed directly on the ground and not dropped on arrival. It required intense concentration and was simultaneously mind-numbingly dull.

“Can I ask a question,” Eric asked, lifting his blindfold to look over at Seena.

“Of course.”

“Something you said yesterday didn’t make sense. It sounded like you were saying that we can port something that’s moving. But if we did that, wouldn’t whatever we ported keep moving when it got to us?”

“Tell me,” Seena replied, “what in the current model of physics allows for connecting two points in space or swapping them?”

“Well, nothing I guess. But…”

Seena laughed. “Don’t expect that the laws of physics apply to any of this. They don’t, exactly. Besides, everything you port is moving already. Maybe not relative to you, but Earth is moving through space around the Sun. The Sun is moving around the Milky Way, which is itself moving through space. Compared to that, the speed difference between you and a moving car is trivial.”

“I guess,” Eric said slowly. “It still seems like it should be harder.”

“It is a little trickier. But that’s mostly because you think it should be trickier. It does use slightly more of your power to translate spaces that aren’t at rest relative to each other, unless the mass you’re swapping is exactly the same. Now, back to the rocks.”

Eric lowered his blindfold and focused on the clearing. As he waited for the next signal on which rock to move, he “saw” a frog jump into the space where one of the rocks had been. Distracted, he ported the frog instead of another rock.

The frog landed right in front of him and he lifted up his blindfold again to see what he had found.

“DON’T TOUCH IT!” Seena screamed as he reached down to grab the frog. “IT WILL JUMP ON YOU!”

Startled, Eric let the frog hop away. “I didn’t know there were poisonous frogs in India,” he said. “And even if there are, can they hurt us? I mean we can heal from just about anything, right?”

“It’s not that, “ Seena replied, clearly agitated. “It’s just… it’s a frog! They jump! It could bite you!”

Eric stared at her, trying not to laugh. “You’re serious.”

“I… I just don’t like frogs, okay?” Seena shuddered. “Can we keep going? And no more frogs!”

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Eric finished packing his suitcase and placed it by the door. In the morning they would be flying back to the United States, and he was both ready and not ready at the same time. He was looking forward to American food. While he had grown to like a lot of Indian cuisine, he was craving steak. And a good burger. And some Kansas City BBQ. For lunch.

At the same time he would miss India. Eric had spent his days getting homeschooled, along with his sister, and his evenings working on his powers with either Seena or Aditya. He was still hopelessly inept at yoga, but he had learned the chakras of his power quickly. Seena was a patient teacher, and very easy to work with. Aditya had a wicked sense of humor, and lots of useful little tips. He had even managed to explain cricket in a way that made sense.

His training had gone well. He could “see” for over a mile and create a portal with sides over a hundred yards apart, and could even port himself, albeit less than a mile at a time. Every day it grew, and it wouldn’t be long before he could really start to travel. Seena and Aditya would be stopping in an hour or so to say goodbye and he was going to miss them. Especially Seena. He knew it was silly, she was at least ten years older than him, but he still had a bit of a crush on her. Okay, he admitted to himself. Maybe more than just a bit.

Without any warning he found himself standing on the top of a hill. Disoriented, it took him several seconds to realize that he was not alone.

“Namaste, young Lord of Space,” said Vishnu Master Sivaramakrishnan in that same concert hall and crystal voice that Eric remembered from their interview. “I regret that we are meeting again under these unfortunate circumstances.”

Confused, Eric stared blankly before regaining his composure. He pulled me miles away from my room and I didn’t feel a thing! Even Seena can’t port me without me sensing that it’s coming these days.

“Namaste, Master Sivaramakrishnan,” he replied politely, stumbling slightly over the name. “It’s an honor to meet you again.” He hesitated. “I’m not sure I understand. Do you think it’s unfortunate that my family is moving back to the States?”

“In a way,” the Vishnu Master responded slowly. “It has been decided by the Houses that leaving a Lord of Space, especially an untrained one, in the United States shall not be allowed. The risks are too great.”

“So… you’re keeping me here in India?”

“No, that is also not an option. We are left without any good choices and now must resort to extreme measures. It will be a great loss to the Vishnu, but your powers are too dangerous and in the wrong hands could do great damage to us all. We cannot take that chance. I am sorry. It was a very difficult decision to make.” He was silent for a moment then sighed deeply. “Do you have any last words? I will ensure that they are passed on to your family.”

He’s here to kill me! The realization brought Eric to the edge of panic. His whole body felt like he’d been dunked in ice water. I’ve got to get out of here!

Frantically, Eric tried to port but quickly abandoned the effort. The Vishnu Master was easily blocking his attempts to translate.

Wait, he can’t block this! Eric created a portal under his feet with the other end as far away as he could, and then immediately created another, over and over trying to get far enough away to teleport. Fueled by desperation, he ran through the first three portals, quickly releasing each of them so he could form another. Before he could run through the fourth portal he stopped, frozen by the “sight” of the Vishnu Master waiting for him on the other side. He let that portal go and formed another in the opposite direction, but the Vishnu was waiting for him there too. Without thinking he dropped that portal and formed yet another. Then beside it he formed a second portal. He had never even tried to form more than one portal at a time when training, but now he did it without even thinking.

As he dove through the portal that didn’t have a Vishnu Master waiting to kill him at the other end, he quickly repeated creating two portals and going through one almost randomly. He could “see” the Vishnu Master following him now instead of waiting for him, effortlessly matching Eric portal for portal.

A crazy idea jumped into his head, and as he passed through the next portal he only opened one in front of him. The second he left on the ground behind him, with the other side floating a few feet directly above the entrance. As he ran through the portal he could “see” the Vishnu step directly into the trap, falling out and back in over and over. Thrilled by his success, Eric continued to run through the portals, although as he tired he could see the portals getting smaller and smaller, and feel the distance he traveled rapidly dropping with each new portal. He couldn’t run through them now, but was forced to dive through, landing on his hands and rolling to his feet each time. The third time he tried this, he realized much too late that the portal he was diving into was not the portal he had created. The Vishnu had placed his own portal directly in front of Eric’s and there was no way to avoid it.

Eric found himself high in the air, so far up that he could barely breathe. Beneath him was nothing but ocean, as far as the eye could see.

I am so dead, he thought bleakly, but even with no hope he refused to go gently. He tried teleporting himself closer to the surface, but his power was too depleted. Forcing down his panic, Eric let himself fall and tried to think. He could breathe more easily now, but there was still no land in sight. If he hit the water going this fast, he might survive the impact with the surface. Supers were tough, even before they hardened. But it would probably knock him out and then he'd drown, super or not. If he could port he could stop his fall, but going through a portal wouldn't slow him down. Finally, seconds away from hitting he realized what he could do. Directly above the surface he created a portal. Falling through it he shot up into the air, using the other side of the portal to change direction. He repeated this twice more, slowing himself down each time. His last portal was barely large enough to pass through. lt still left him rising several meters above the surface, but close enough to survive the fall. He splashed down into the ocean, exhausted.

Kicking to the surface he gasped for breath as he tried to float. I wonder if I rest long enough if I can recover enough strength to start porting again? He looked up at the moon, trying to decide which direction was which. Not that I have any idea where I am. I am so screwed. Aaaand… that’s a fin. Lots of fins. Of course. All that I needed to make this perfect was sharks. He started laughing hysterically until a wave filled his mouth with water and he choked and went under. Coughing, he kicked back up to the surface and tried to catch his breath again.

Without warning he found himself kneeling on the sand, coughing seawater out onto the beach. Seconds later the shoes he had reflexively kicked off in the water appeared on the sand beside him. A hand reached down to lift him to his feet and he blindly took it. Looking up he found himself standing with Master Sivaramakrishnan once again.

“That was pretty good,” said the Vishnu in a perfectly normal voice. I especially liked that bit at the end using the portals to change the direction of your fall. That was quick thinking. So, who taught you the trick with one side of a portal directly above the other? Seena or Aditya?”

Eric almost collapsed onto the sand. “Uh, neither? I saw it in a cartoon once. Wait, you knew?”

Master Sivaramakrishnan nodded. “Journeywoman Prachnar did an adequate job of masking the effects of your training sessions. If I was not specifically looking for the spatial distortions I would likely have not seen them. I was, of course, specifically looking. Apprentice Khan was less proficient in his masking, although he has improved over the past year. I fear that prior to your arrival he had been spending too much time enjoying the privileges of a Vishnu and not putting enough effort into training. I am pleased that his working with you has led to a renewed focus on his part. And of course you were not masking your own efforts. You need at least another year of practice before you have enough of a feel for Space Shape to manage that.”

Still tense, Eric eyed the Vishnu Master cautiously. “So you’re not going to kill me? Sir?”

In response the Vishnu merely waved his hand. Eric felt all of the seawater in his clothes and hair ported away, leaving him completely dry.

Holy shit. Eric could barely fathom the level of control that it would take to teleport thousands, no, millions of water molecules at once without touching the surrounding matter. If he wanted me dead he could have spread me over a hundred square miles of ocean in the blink of an eye! He gulped. “Oh. Never mind. Sir.”

Master Sivaramakrishnan smiled. “I can see you still have many questions. Ask. We have some time yet before we must return.”

His mind whirling, Eric blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. “Your voice. How were you doing that?”

“A simple little trick - shaping the space around the vocal cords and using it to modify the sound. I only do it for special occasions.” He grinned. “You know, formal ceremonies, intimidating young apprentices, that kind of stuff.”

Eric laughed weakly. “It works.”

“Indeed. What else?”

Eric took a deep breath. “I’m still not going to convert,” he said quietly. “Is that going to be a problem Sir?”

“No. The fact that you are not abandoning your faith does you credit. In truth it is the reason that I allowed Seena and Aditya to provide you the training you received.” He sighed. “If you had converted, you would have received some basic training in your powers but would never have been allowed to know the full extent of your abilities. You would have learned how to teleport yourself, but not how to make a basic portal and certainly not how to open multiple portals or teleport other objects. We would not have revealed that you must fully expend your powers each day for them to grow in strength. On the contrary, your training would have been closely regulated to insure that you did not become too strong.”

“So that was just a test, telling me I had to convert?”

“No, not exactly. The leadership of the Vishnu and the priesthood were quite serious. The expectation was that you would convert or you would not be trained at all. The official position of the Vishnu remains unchanged, and as far as the Council of Masters is concerned you did not receive any training. Only Seena, Aditya, and I know the truth.”

“Actually, sir,” Eric admitted, “my parents know too.”

“This is acceptable. You have proven yourself to be honorable, so it seems likely that you learned this from them. Please ask them to be circumspect with this information.”

“I will. Thank you, Master Sivaramakrishnan.”

“Just Master Siva will do.”

Eric considered what he had just learned. “Also, Seena and Aditya didn’t teach me how to do multiple portals. I didn’t know I could do multiple portals! It was just something I did when I was trying to get away from you. I don’t want them to get in trouble for teaching me something they shouldn’t have. They aren’t going to get in trouble are they?”

Master Siva laughed. “Interesting! And impressive that you were able to do that on your own. No, they aren’t going to get in trouble. But please do not tell them that! I am really looking forward to - I believe the English expression is ‘giving them a hard time’ - for months over thinking they had me fooled.

“But,” he continued, growing more serious, “this must be addressed. You have received the full training of the Vishnu. Journeywoman Prachnar and Apprentice Khan held nothing back. Anything they have not yet covered, such as controlling multiple portals, is a matter of degree and not kind. And I have allowed it. I believe you to be a man of honor, Eric Gibson. I must have your word that you will not share what you have learned with anyone else.”

“Yes sir,” replied Eric. “I promise.”

“Good.”

And with that Eric found himself back in his room with the Vishnu Master standing in the corner, out of sight from where his wayward subordinates were about to arrive.

Seconds later, Seena and Aditya appeared.

“Hi Eric! All packed and ready to go? We brought you some going…” Seena trailed off as she noticed that Aditya had frozen in shock, then inhaled sharply as she saw the reason for his distress.

“Master Siva!” Her mouth opened and closed and opened again as she frantically sought out some legitimate reason for the two of them to be there.

The Vishnu Master stepped forward, frowning darkly. “Journeywoman Prachnar. Apprentice Khan.” He let the crystal echoes of his formal voice fade into an ominous silence before going on. “I have been evaluating the performance of Apprentice Gibson.”

Eric could see them blink, then reevaluate the situation as Master Siva referred to him as an apprentice. “I find his performance in the Chakra of Space Sense to be adequate, as is his ability in the Chakra of Space Translate. His ability in the Chakra of Space Connect is better than adequate, although still far short of what must be developed of course. I have yet to assess his skills with the Chakra of Space Shape or the Chakra of Light Shape, but overall I am satisfied with the work you have done.”

Seena took a deep breath. “Master Siva, I…”

“Oh relax you two,” he replied in an ordinary voice. “Do you really think I would not have noticed? Especially since Eric could not mask the training he did when you were not around and it clearly showed the rapid progress in his ability?”

“No,” she admitted ruefully. “I was just hoping you weren’t paying attention. Kinda stupid I guess.”

“Not the brightest assumption,” Master Siva agreed. “We will talk more about it shortly, but for now I’ll leave you to your goodbyes.”

He turned to Eric.

“Farewell, Eric. Keep working on your powers. I’ll be in touch.” He disappeared, only to pop back in a moment later. “Oh, before I forget, tell Seena what cartoon it was that had that portal trick. I want to watch that.” Then he was gone.

“Shit.” Seena sat down on the bed with a huff and shook her head. “I can’t believe he knew this whole time! Did he just tell you tonight? What did he say?”

Aditya appeared to still be in a state of shock. Eric flopped down into the chair at his desk, still shaking from the adrenaline rushing through him.

As Eric recounted the events of his evening, Seena’s eyes got wider and wider. Aditya’s jaw dropped and he sank to the floor at last, hanging on every word.

“So how did he get out of the trap with one side above the other?” Aditya asked?

Eric tried to remember what he had “seen” while running. “I think he just waited until I dropped it. I couldn’t hold it open for that long while I was moving away. Or maybe he put in a portal of his own in between mine, right in front of the one he was falling into. That’s how he got me in the end, putting a portal between me and the one I was diving into.”

They both nodded. “He’s sneaky like that,” Aditya said.

When he was done they all sat silently for a bit.

“Wow, that's quite the adventure for your last night here,” said Seena. “Way more dramatic than anything we planned. Speaking of drama, I think we’d better get back and see what Master Siva has planned for us now.”

“I hope you guys aren’t in too much trouble,” worried Eric.

“Oh no,” reassured Aditya. “If we were really in trouble we would know already. Master Siva doesn’t waste time when letting you know when you’ve done something wrong. But he’s never going to let us live this down.”

“Oh, that reminds me,” said Eric, jumping to his feet and handing both of them the gifts from his desk. “I got you something.”

“This better not be a frog,” warned Seena, looking at her gift. “It is a frog isn’t it!” she cried as Eric and Aditya burst out laughing. “What is wrong with you?”