005 THE TA AMPLIFIER
Dan couldn't afford to care.
The ta training class was exactly what he needed — and there was nowhere else he could get it. He followed Mikey into the school's ta Training Center.
The place resembled an auditorium: rows of tiered seats circling a stage cluttered with strange machines. Instead of desks, each seat was just a wide cushion where students were expected to sit and ditate.
It was Dan's first ti here.
"Hey, look who decided to crawl in … trash-boy Dan," Onda Gronne shouted from across the room. One of Thas's loyal thugs.
"Yeah," another sneered. "What a waste of the school's precious resource. He's gonna bomb his finals anyway. Life is so unfair."
"Ignore them," Mikey muttered, tugging Dan toward a cushion.
Dan sat cross-legged, pulling out his phone imdiately.
"What are you doing?" Mikey frowned. "Class is about to start."
"Just telling the mines I'm not working today," Dan lied.
In truth, his fingers were already sliding across the DemCoin app.
He locked onto Onda Gronne. The Acquire button lit up, hovering above the usual Mine. Dan didn't hesitate. He pressed Acquire, then tapped Strength.
"Arghhh!" Onda shrieked, clutching his head before collapsing.
The room erupted into chaos and panic.
"What the hell? Why'd Onda faint just like Thas?" soone whispered. "Are we cursed?"
Paradics rushed in and carried Onda away.
"It's strange, huh?" Mikey whispered to Dan. "Your enemies keep dropping one by one."
Dan's heart jumped. "It's got nothing to do with ."
"Of course not," Mikey snorted. "You think you're so kind of voodoo witch? Please. You couldn't curse those bastards if you tried."
"Yeah… right," Dan mumbled, forcing a laugh.
The stage lights dimd. Mr. Fischer stepped forward, his voice echoing. "Apologies for the delay. So of our students seem to have fallen ill unexpectedly today. We'll begin."
The machines on stage humd. Though invisible, the air shimred with a strange pressure, like heat without heat. Every student felt it … a tide of unseen energy rolling over their skin.
"For those using the ta Amplifier for the first ti," Fischer explained, "what you feel now are ta particles. They are the foundation of what makes us… more than human. This equipnt produces them in abundance. Your task is to draw them in."
"How do we absorb them?" Dan asked suddenly. Heads turned his way. Dan usually never spoke up in class.
Even Fischer blinked in surprise. Then he answered, "There is no fixed thod. Each student adapts differently. If your body resonates with the particles, you will grow. If not… then this training is not for you."
The hall quieted as the students sank into ditation. Even Fischer folded himself cross-legged at center stage bathing in the ta particles.
Dan glanced at his phone. Quietly, he whispered, "Sorry, Mr. Fischer. I'm farming you again." He tapped Begin Mining. This was the second ti he fard Mr. Fischer today.
The DemCoin counter spiked instantly, digits racing up faster than he'd ever seen.
"Woah…woah."
Dan's eyes widened. "So… the rate of mining skyrockets under ta amplification."
The ta Center's training dragged on until evening. By the end, the students were drained, shuffling out with heavy steps and blank faces.
"How are you going to explain this to your uncle?" Mikey asked as they left the building. "You skipped work today."
Dan didn't hesitate. "I've got that figured out," he said, tapping his phone like it held the answer.
Mikey frowned. "Need a lift ho? It's pretty late."
Dan shook his head. "No. I've got sowhere to be first."
"Seriously? At this hour?" Mikey sighed, but he didn't press. He waved and headed for the school gates, where a car was already waiting.
Dan turned the other way. He had no ride, just a long walk through dark streets… with one secret stop before ho.
-----
Dan weighed his options carefully.
Ralph was always violent, and when drunk, which was nearly every night, he was worse. If Dan went ho tonight, he knew what waited for him.
The stolen strength from Thas and Onda was still settling in his body. It ca in waves, slow and uneven, not the instant transformation he had hoped for.
He was stronger, yes … but not nearly strong enough to take Ralph head-on.
And middle school finals were coming. If Ralph broke him now, he'd lose everything. His scores, his chance, maybe even his future.
"I have to stop him sohow," Dan thought.
He turned down a side street and found himself in a narrow alley, loud with laughter and the clatter of glasses. At its end sat a dimly lit pub … Ralph's nightly haunt.
Dan squared his shoulders and walked forward, only to be blocked by two broad-shouldered bouncers.
"Hey, kid. You're not old enough," one growled.
Caught off guard, Dan forced a quick lie. "I'm not here to drink. I'm looking for my uncle, Ralph Dark. He's a regular. It's urgent …. family business. Erm… his grandmother is pregnant."
Dan was still not used to lying.
The bouncers exchanged a curious glance. "Grandmother!!!"
After a tense pause, one jerked his head laughing. "Ralph eh… Fine. Be quick. We don't need cops sniffing around with an underage inside…. Grandmother or not."
"Thanks. I'll be gone in a jiffy," Dan said, forcing calm.
He slipped inside.
The air was thick with smoke and sweat, the bar packed with miners from the nearby Aur pits — hulking n with dirt still caked in their fingernails. Dan kept his head low, weaving through the crowd.
Then a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"Dan Dark," a voice slurred behind him. "What the hell are you doing here? And why weren't you at the mine today?"
Dan froze. His blood ran cold.
There was only one man in the world who would demand that answer …. the one he had co here to confront.
Ralph.
Damnit. Dan's throat tightened as he slowly turned. I ca here to find him, but he found
first.
The stink of alcohol hit him before the words did. Dan's hand twitched toward his phone, but he knew: one swing from Ralph and he'd be on the floor before the app could even load.
Is this really my luck? he thought bitterly. Dead before I even get a chance to fight back.
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