Save State Hero -Ch11- (Patreon)

“Turn left,” came the automated voice over the car speakers.

“You know… driving off to a battle seems rather mundane,” Dorothy said suddenly, turning to look at Edmund. “But I guess we’re not in a rush since we won’t even be the first people there.”

“More or less. That and… uh… I don’t really wanna repeat what I did last time. That was a really stupid thing to do,” Edmund confessed.

“I didn’t think it was stupid. It was just,” Alina argued. “A little bit of a wild ride but just. If you hadn’t done what you had, it’s likely there would have been more victims.”

“That’s just post action justification. It’s not like I knew that’d be the case when I decided to do it,” grumbled Edmund, remembering his discussions with Ryker. Debate and analysis was something he tended to go round-and-round with Edmund endlessly on.

Often on cause and effect.

Edmund finally got his turn to make his left in the intersection and continued driving. There was something out of the ordinary, however.

Ahead of them was a T-intersection. At the end of the street was a large building with an underground parking lot.

The booth to it was on fire.

Burning away as if it were doing exactly what it was supposed to do.

There was also a lot of people standing around. Staring at the fire as well as upward to the top of the building.

Even as he crept forward Edmund peered up to the top of the building as well. Trying to see what everyone else was looking at.

A lone figure stood at the top of the building. They had their arms up to the sky and were as still as a statue.

“The hell is that?” Alina asked in a hush.

Shit.

Feeling a lot like he had a moment of absolute clarity, that if he waited for even a second, Edmund threw down a save-state. Overwriting the save from this moment without hesitation.

A single second after he made the save, a handful of lightning bolts began ripping down through the sky. Tearing through the air. Striking people and objects in equal measure.

Three people fell over and dropped to the ground at the same time a car exploded and a tree became a massive fire. The force behind the bolts of lightning felt stronger than they had any right to be.

As if they were actually empowered strikes. Pushing one of natures already most destructive forces into another category altogether.

“Fuck,” Edmund said right before he ended up rear-ending the car in front of him. His concentration had been completely on the lightning bolts.

Then another car rear-ended him and a traffic jam was created in a flash. Several cars crunching into one another on either side of Edmund.

Alina grabbed her door handle and tore it open before clambering out of the vehicle.

Dorothy on the other hand began working her hands back and forth and the car they were in began lifting itself off the ground. Raising up off the ground rapidly and reaching ten feet in no time flat.

Alina began flying along next to them.

“It’s lightning, even if magical. I can protect us better if we’re not on the ground,” Dorothy said, her hands making small swirling motions. A magical construct danced between her hands and looked completely foreign to Edmund.

Looking to the side Edmund saw Alina flying next to the car. Giant golden wings flapping effortlessly as she gazed up at the person on the building.

“Well, at least she’s not rushing off this time,” muttered Edmund. “Could you have saved those people with your magic, by the way? Can you stop those bolts?”

“No. It was just too strong and too wide. They weren’t targeted. It was the whole area. Even we were part of the targeting,” Dorothy responded.

Sighing, Edmund looked up to the top of the building. The person there had vanished. He had no idea where they were now but he didn’t think they’d left.

There was a loud boom out from in front of them, out of view.

Rather than bother with this any further, Edmund reloaded to the save-state.

Once again a second after he was in control, lightning bolts came down again.

Except they struck different targets this time. Rather than the six or seven lightning bolts he’d seen last time, there was only four this time.

Three of them hit people, one hit a fire-hydrant.

“Fuck me,” grumbled Edmund. “It’s an edge-case. On the edge of an actual fifty-fifty.”

“What?” asked Dorothy with some shock. “What the heck are you talking about?”

Edmund clicked his tongue as he watched a different reality play out. One that didn’t match the last one he’d just lived through.

Loading the save-state again Edmund watched carefully this time.

More lightning bolts than the first or second time appeared. At least double the first time, in fact.

Almost every single one struck a person this time. Laying out a great number of people. The response was incredibly different as well, with people sprinting out of their vehicles and dashing off in every direction.

He’d been stumped by a situation just like this once in the past. Where no matter what he did, it was as if the situation were truly random.

In the end he could only call it an “edge-case” and had learned what he could about the situation.

Andrea had thankfully bene her honest self as they’d laid dying in the wreck of the vehicle.

They’d been in a police car chase and were boxed in from every direction. It’d been Edmund first real test of his super power.

She’d chosen the directions she had nearly on a whim. Based on what she felt rather than thinking about it. That she could have just as easily turned left, or right.

If the chances were equally good that one thing could happen, or another, to the point that it was practically the same, things could change. Loading a save-state could generate other realities.

And with Andrea, anything is possible. Anything at all.

“Those lightning bolts were all randomly targeted in the area, right?” asked Edmund as Dorothy began levitating the car.

“Yes. Yes. They were. How’d you know?” asked Dorothy.

Clicking his tongue, Edmund reloaded again.

There was eight lightning bolts this time, only one hit a person.

“More lightning bolts than the very first time, but less casualties… can I make it so there aren’t any at all?” asked Edmund, realizing he could reload endlessly until he got the randomness he wanted.

“I… what?” Dorothy asked, once more levitating the car.

Edmund loaded again.

This time he immediately honked the horn. He wanted to see if there was anything he could do to actually change the outcome, or if this really was a situation where he could only save-scum the outcome.

There was no change to anything around him despite laying on the horn. Though there was only four lightning bolts this time.

Each one hit a person.

Less bolts, more deaths.

So many damn variables.

And… and if I manage to get what I want… do I save again? Do I lock down a new save-state just to make sure I don’t lose my progress?

Damnit.

Edmund began to rapidly load his save-state. Cycling it over and over as soon as the lightning bolts fell.

Waiting to see if there was ever a case where no one at all was hit. Where there was no loss of life at all.

Because to him he could easily see anyone who lost their life here being no different than those he cared about. His sister going to school, Romina on her way to or from somewhere, any of his friends going to a meal.

He wasn’t going to let anyone die here if he could help it.

And thankfully, he could indeed help it.

***

Something close to thirty lightning bolts crashed down and absolutely obliterated people. Two people even taking two hits surprisingly.

“Holy shit. That’s the most I’ve seen so far,” Edmund remarked dryly.

He wasn’t sure how many times he’d reloaded at this point, but it was easily in the triple digits.

“So far?! What?!” asked Dorothy in a shriek.

She didn’t levitate the car this time, but sent them flying like a rocket. Alina hadn’t even had time to get out of the vehicle this time.

“Shit!” squeaked Alina, her hand on the door handle as she was suddenly flung to the other side of the seat.

“I can reset stuff,” Edmund murmured, watching out the side window. This was the first time something different had happened. He was curious to see if there’d be any other changes. “I’ve redone this attack hundreds of times now. Hundreds and hundreds.”

“Are you kidding?” asked Dorothy in a strained whisper as the car bounced off a building and then slammed into the sidewalk.

“No. I’m not. I just… reset it and do it over and over,” Edmund answered, staring out the window. He could see what was going on around their original position quite well now.

Except it didn’t offer him much of anything other than what he’d already known.

“Going to reset it in just a second,” Edmund said and then looked over to Dorothy. “Little Miss Lightning back there is on the ground now. She’s going to blow up a few cars since everyone’s run away from her.

“After that I don’t know. I always reloaded right after that because I didn’t want to die. I can’t really reload or reset if I’m dead.”

“You’re… you’re for real?” Dorothy questioned, looking surprised and panicked.

“Yeah. We’ve had this conversation once already before. Alina told me your name was Dot at the time and you told me Alina’s full name,” explained Edmund.

Dorothy slowly nodded her head at that.

“That explains a lot but… why didn’t you just tell me that?” Dorothy continued, then she sighed and shook her head. “No, I already know. If I knew, I’d change all my behaviors. You wouldn’t be able to predictably rely on what we’d do if we knew you’d just reset it anyways.”

“More or less,” Edmund agreed with a chuckle. “Predetermination is a fucked up thing. Fate being completely unhinged and able to be bent to someone else’s whims? Even more fucked up.

“But hey, you’re two-for-two on the whole ‘that’s neat’ scale, rather than the freakout scale.”

“What about me?” demanded Alina from the backseat. She’d righted herself and was looking at him now.

“Same,” Edmund said and looked to her.

“How many times did I die in the big-box store?” she asked suddenly, staring at him in a very different way now.

“Too many times. Anyways. Reloading now,” Edmund muttered.

“Tell me that. Tell me I died a lot in the big-box store. In the future. Tell me that and make a point of it. Really run that one home so I can’t avoid it,” Alina demanded suddenly. Her entire posture and tone changing.

Edmund glanced at her, nodded once, then reloaded again.

And again.

And again.

Ten reloads after that and Edmund once again was bored with the situation. He knew what he wanted was possible, but getting it wasn’t going to be quick.

More lightning bolts that he’d ever seen previously struck down in this load of the save-state. Each and every one though struck the same thing.

A street-sign.

Causing it explode apart as if it were a bomb.

“Wow,” Edmund remarked before loading again.

A single lightning bolt dropped down from the sky and hit a tree. The whole thing splitting in half and catching fire.

“Ha!” Edmund exclaimed and quickly threw down a save-state.

It instantly left him feeling sick. Just as ill as he felt when he’d saved at the big-box store. Staring out at the scene and feeling awful, yet successful.

Alina and Dorothy seemed surprised at the situation, but didn’t respond in the same way they had previously.

“I don’t see any storm clouds,” remarked Alina, leaning down to look out the front windshield.

“Was the person on the building,” Edmund said while hitting the brakes.

This time he got rear-ended as no one had actually stopped but him.

Edmund threw the transmission into park and then flung the door open. Stepping out he was able to see the super responsible for this.

He’d gotten bored a few times while reloading so he’d taken the opportunity to steal some looks up to the front of the mess.

It was a woman who looked like her arms were actually bolts of lightning.

Except unfortunately this time there were lots of people around her. They hadn’t scattered in every direction this time since the bolts hadn’t landed amongst everyone.

Their reactions had been a lot like Dorothy and Alina’s.

Confusion with only a mild sense of danger.

“Fuck,” Edmund whispered to himself watching as the woman lifted her arms up. Then lightning bolts shot out and began landing amongst the road. Hitting cars, people, and objects.

Laughing, feeling absolutely broken, Edmund just watched.

“Oh my god I’m just feeling busted. She’s just gonna buss lightning all over like a gardener with a hose, hahaha… shit,” Edmund said to himself. “Can we block it somehow? Deflect it?”

After the first wave of bolts crashed out, a sloped and glowing blue ramp appeared in front of everyone. Every single thing coming out of the woman’s arms hit it and slid upward and into the sky.

Glancing to his right, Edmund saw Dorothy with a hand up.

Alina was standing next to him now, staring at the woman.

“Now what?” she asked, looking to him.

Edmund blinked, then reloaded the save-state.

“Throw up a shield in front of us, Dot. Quick as you can,” he commanded and stomped on the brakes. They were instantly rear-ended again, of course. “Alina, get over there and stop the super!”

All three got out of the car.

Except they were already too late.

The moment Dorothy managed to get a shield up, the first round of bolts had already left the woman’s arms. Striking several people who were all staring at the super.

Shit… it’s a reload situation again.

Over and over.

But… what happens when I get the load right, then save it? What happens to me if I save again? I’m not sure what’ll happen. I’ve never pushed it this far. Never so close to gether. This’ll be three in less than a minute.

There’s no actual time between the saves, just my own recollection.

No physical time.

Gritting his teeth, Edmund reloaded the save-state.

“Dot, shield, end of the road! Alina, offense, go!” commanded Edmund, slapping the emergency brake, brake, and throwing the car into park all at the same time.

The sudden stop was immediate and so was the bumper shove that came afterward from the car behind them.

All three jumped out of the car.

For some reason, Dorothy was quicker this time, but still not quick enough. A number of lightning bolts got off before the shield came down.

But they missed everyone. They nearly hit a few people, but miraculously missed.

Shit, it’s still random. Even with this going as quickly as it did.

Let’s brute force it! We can push ahead of this without a save.

We can do this!

I don’t have to save.

Alina launched ahead, her wings flapping firmly behind her as she shot forward through the air. Dorothy had both her hands up in front of herself.

“I don’t think I can hold this,” she hissed between clenched teeth. “It’s way stronger than I thought.”

Damnit all. Damnit.

Uh… what… what do I do. Let’s see what happens with Alina. I can always save after that. I can make a choice after that.

Alina flicked her hand out to the side and a blade of bright glowing gold appeared there. It was an awe inspiring thing to see a brightly glowing angel flying down the street.

Right up until a lighthning bolt curved up away from the super and struck Alina right in the chest. Turning her into a bloody chunk of meat with wings as it soared through the air.

Only to slam into a moving truck and slide down the back of it to lay unmoving on the asphalt.

“Damnit,” Edmund whispered, then reloaded.

Only to watch people get hit by lightning.

Over and over.

Damnit! Did I fuck it? I should have saved! Shit!

Edmund was kicking himself now that he hadn’t saved when he’d had the chance. He was still stuck behind at least two different random chance events.

The first being the shield block, the latter being Alina making it to the super.

As if someone heard his mental anguish, the lightning bolts missed the mark. Dorothy’s shield snapping into place and blocking the rest.

Even as Alina’s feet lifted off the ground, Edmund put down a save-state.

His mind was wrenched around and he felt sick to his stomach. As if everything was spinning madly and he needed to lay down immediately.

Alina was knocked out of the sky by a lightning bolt.

Edmund again reloaded before her corpse had even hit the ground.

“Dodge left, behind the truck,” groaned Edmund as Alina passed by him.

Alina did as instructed and curved out behind the truck. It obstructed the super’s view of her until she came around the side of it.

Only to be hit again by a bolt.

Realizing it was futile to give directions, Edmund instead reloaded and said nothing more. Watching Alina glide off through the air toward their enemy.

This time, she dodged two bolts and a third went wide. Ripping past her through the air.

“Shit,” Edmund croaked as Alina flew through the super. Battering her to the side with her sword and then clotheslining them with a raised left arm.

“She probably made her sword dull rather than sharp. I’m sure they’re alive,” Dorothy promised him.

“Shit,” repeated Edmund, realizing what he needed to do now.

Then he saved the world yet again. For the fourth time in one day, beyond what he’d ever done before.

And blacked out.