Chapter 8: The Power of Advance Recall

Charles was astounded by Seeker's claim. In his palms was the destiny of humanity. His success meant the Earth would have a fighting chance. The boy from the future was indeed not as important as him. He would be the man that would change the world and give it weapons to face the enemy.

Charles sat down on one of the chairs nearby and pondered deeply.

"I bet this changes your perspective in life, right?" Seeker laughed.

Charles continued to think. Was it all real? Would he be the impetus that would save the future? An uneasy weight fell on his heart. He was someone special in this world. Someone who made it the top of his career. But never did he thought that lives would be at stake.

"Look, a part of me still doesn't believe in all this." Charles stared straight into Seeker's eyes.

"At times I'm waiting for the camera to come out and surprise me telling me that I've been in some sort of reality TV joke show. I still-"

"Did you bring the gun?" Seeker impatiently interrupted.

"Yes. I have it in my holster underneath this coat." The surprised doctor displayed the gun hanging in his holster.

"Right then. If you still don't believe me, load the gun and shoot me." Seeker commanded unemotionally.

Charles shivered at the thought of what Seeker asked.

"It's the only way to know if I'm telling the truth. You brought your own gun, you have real bullets with you, we are standing in a building you own. So no one else could have prepared anything for a prank, a magic trick, or whatever. Everything is now in your control. If I evade your bullets, would it help you believe?"

Charles didn't respond. He was surprised at Seeker's sudden offer.

"You're crazy!"

"It's the only way, Doc. Now, I already have a blindfold with me. I'll put it on. You walk around me, oh, and try to be discreet, so I can't tell where you are. After that, simply announce when you are going to shoot. Move around some more and about after a half a second or so. Shoot me. I will evade all bullets."

"What?! You will blindfold yourself?! And what do you mean by all bullets? You want me to shoot while you are blindfolded, and you want me to do that several times? Are you insane?" Charles cried in surprise. Even his significant brutish form seemed to shrink in alarm at Seeker's statements.

"Well, yeah. After all, you missing the shot would be well within the possibilities. If you shoot me once, shame on me. If you shoot me twice, shame on you, right? Just like the old saying."

"That's not even close to what the original saying was! Do you think I'm an amateur with guns? And why are you putting on the blindfold?" Charles was now screaming at Seeker, who used Charles's moment of hysteric raving to put on the blindfold.

"To prove my point. Heightened senses, remember? My response time is fairly quick. And besides, there is something that I forgot to mention regarding my Unlocking. I am not just Unlocked. But within my mind are the memories of a Ranked Hero. Because of improved recollection, I can remember things far better than most."

"How does good memory help in dodging bullets?" Charles shouted.

Seeker comfortably stood there with the blindfold on.

"Muscle memory would be the easiest analogy. The human body can react without thinking. When people start practicing to drive, they begin to have to concentrate. They watch which pedal to push, which gears to switch to and other newbie-like actions. But later, they begin to do it as if it was natural. In basketball or whatever sports, it's the same thing. Even simple actions such as dribbling a basketball require concentration. But soon, because of practice, you develop these skills to the point that you do it without thinking. Because of what I am now, I don't only 'remember' my memories, but to a certain extent, I remembered how I moved in it. So don't worry. Point and shoot Doc." Seeker stood calmly.

"I could kill you!" Charles suddenly shouted.

Lynd and Meryl, who were surprised at the sudden shouts, were already eavesdropping.

"Lynd, Meryl. Stay where you are. No matter what happens, don't interfere." Seeker shouted.

Charles was surprised. He hadn't noticed the two kids.

"This is insane!"

"This is Unlocking." Seeker boldly declared as he raised his two hands like a prophet unveiling the glorious truth.

"Trust! Doctor! Trust in your work! Trust in the truth and possibilities of the Unlocking. And most importantly, trust in me!"

Seeker declared confidently.

Charles slowly stood up. He now had a severe face.

He reached for his gun and took a close look at it. He drew it close to his face and started to carefully view the nozzle, the trigger, and even the magazine. This could be the revealer of truth for Charles or the cause of death for the bold boy who stood with his eyes blindfolded.

Meryl and Lynd stood frozen ever since they saw the gun. The development was too strange.

Charles slowly walked around Seeker. He immediately took out the silencer that Seeker asked him to bring.

He immediately attached it to the gun and aimed at Seeker. His hands were shivering. Should he really do this?

"Doc-"

Before Meryl could even cry, Seeker shouted as well.

"Meryl! Don't interfere! Just watch and be amazed at my death-defying act-" Before Seeker could even complete the showman declaration, Charles made his move.

"Now!" It wasn't even half a second later when he started pulling the trigger.

The world slowed down in Seeker's perception. An average bullet travels at the speed of 1700 feet per second. Seeker was only 8 feet away from Charles, and at that range, it would've been certain death.

But even before the trigger was pulled, Seeker already evaded accordingly and immediately removed the blindfold. With his sense, he knew where Charles stood and could even guess where Charles was aiming. The first bullet was fired, and it easily missed. But Charles wasn't finished. Another shot was made after he aimed at Seeker's torso.

Seeker saw where he was aiming and dropped his shoulder a bit. The second bullet was fired. It again failed to hit Seeker. Seeker took his time between these passing moments. He watched the shell casing being ejected out of the cylinder of the gun.

Charles pulled the trigger again. Another bullet was fired. This time Seeker didn't move. The bullet simply missed Seeker.

To Charles, these few seconds passed by quickly. But the perceptions of those in the Unbecoming stage is different. Things can be perceived as fast or slow. And at Seeker's level of concentration, a second could feel like 5.

He saw the next aim of Charles. Estimating trajectory to an Unbecoming stage user was easy. Adding to that was the profound memories that were somehow maximized by Advance Recall to provide him the muscle memory that he didn't have.

Seeker grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled it sideways. The third bullet was fired. Seeker could see the bullet as it flew.

"Fast." He thought in those milliseconds.

The bullet ripped a hole through the shirt that Seeker stretched out. He could feel the pressure and resistance as the bullet passed through. He stared intently at Charles. For a few seconds, he saw Charles not putting pressure on his finger, which was on the trigger.

Two more seconds passed in Seeker's view, and it seemed that Charles didn't plan to continue. So he decided to end this state.

"-ions." Seeker paused a bit. The entire sequence of firing took less than three seconds.

"That was rude. At least you should have made me finish my sentence before shooting."

Charles stared in amazement. He quickly approached Seeker with a dumbfounded expression as the bullet hole in his shirt confirmed that the gun he fired was real as with the bullets he used.

He ran to the back of the room and checked the bullet marks left by his shootout. He found the places where the bullet penetrated deep into the wall.

It wasn't a magic trick. Everything was real. Despite how crazy things were, it was as Seeker had said.

"So, I guess I'm going to be a hero." Charles sighed. He couldn't keep the strength to stand. He slid down as he leaned on the wall.

Meryl and Lynd stood frozen stiff. The moment they heard the small silenced shots, they knew that something strange has occurred.

"Ok. Now that that's over with. I'm hungry. Let's eat!"

Charles just stared at Seeker. There was a hint of frustration and wonder at Seeker's unexpected actions.

"I just shot you four times. And your reaction is that you're feeling hungry?"

"My dear Doctor, it's precisely because I can dodge bullets that I need to eat. These delicacies won't stay around forever, you know." Seeker grinned mischievously.