Chapter 7:
A small flame flickered on. It burned, illuminating, no, tearing a small hole in the shadows before me. And an eye was revealed, filled with malice, deception, vice. I gazed back.
Another candle was lit, this time on the other side, revealing another eye, identical to the first. But this one wore a look of failure, frustration. I gazed back.
The orange glows swayed gently in the nonexistent breeze. The eyes held still, jutting from the darkness, gazing into me, attempting to enter my soul, rip its way through, and tear it out. I just smiled.
"How did it go?" The words crept out from the darkness, trying to sneak up behind me and put a blade down my spine. My grin grew wider.
"Well," I replied, my words easily clawing their way through the shadows. "Well indeed."
"All according to plan?" The words were strained, as if they struggled to reach me.
"According to plan," I replied. Gazing back into those eyes. And at these words, I noticed a change. One of the eyes collapsed in pain, and strained to reemerge from the black shield that supposedly covered it. The other grew, swelled into a large, circular orb streaked with red vessels, and saturated with torment.
Another light flickered on, this one much greater than the last two, and illuminated an entire portrait. The face emerged. It was wearing its uniform smile, the facade used to keep it in place, together, and in control. The smile was cracked, chipped.
There was no mirror, but I knew that I now had that smile worn on my face. I reached out for the orange sun that emerged from the fog.
I spent the evening in the bar, drinking my thoughts away. Everything seemed to move one slow motion. I kinda' liked it. It made me feel powerful. We all aspire to that, don't we? 'Course we do.
The next morning was spent staring at the green sack in the corner of my room, filled with small holes, and bright orange orbs stuffed inside. It's strange thinking that those balls could save me. Even stranger thinking that they cost me a soul. I didn't know whether or not they worked. But, who knows? Maybe hope actually is worth one's soul.
That afternoon I was to be at Truance City for my next assignment. The mission was to intercept a terrorist attack planned at the inauguration ceremony of Frieza's newly appointed governor. I was to eliminate the terrorist leader before the public. Well, that was the primary objective, atleast. The secondary objective would earn me another dragonball. And all I had to do was bring down the organization members and any accomplices involved.
I headed to the pod station on the coast of town. It was amassed by bodies, moving in swarms in all directions. In most cases this is normal. But there was something different this time. Each of these people carried no unique identity. Each face looking just the same as the next. I bumped and shoved my way through these hordes, making no eye contact with any of the individuals. I doubt they even noticed.
Even on the pod, sitting on the inside seat, I could see all around me, men, women, children, looking exactly the same. The boy kicking the back of my seat, looked just like the woman sitting next time, stroking her hair with her claws. And that woman looked just like the man loading his cargo under his seat, who looked just like the old lady squeezing her way through the crowded aisle. I closed my eyes.
As the pod came to a halt, I could here a booming voice emerging from the intercom.
"My fellow brothers and sisters, the key to our survival in this world, in this universe, is to advance, to change, to grow. Whether these amends come in the form of our administrations, our diplomacy, our economic standings, the change must begin within each and every one of us. Together, me, you, your friends, family, neighbors, can bring happiness to this our world."
As I stepped off, I noticed the towering structures justing from every patch of ground, and of every color in the sky. It just so happens that I was up there with them, and below me, was a mass of individuals, wearing golden, blue, red, robes and scarves dangling around their necks.
The drop off station was connected to this pod by tube, so it was a short walk to the towering structure.
"In the event that this planet that we all love collapses, and its pieces disseminate through this spanless universe of ours, why shall anyone remember who we were? Where will be marked in the large stone tablet of wonders? We are not winning the diplomatic race. We are not winning the socioeconomic race. What are we winning? The arms race? Perhaps. But that is nothing short of barbaric. How can an entire civilization be known and remembered only for their brute strength, as if they have no minds of their own? The barbarians and Neanderthals of the past had to rely on this brute strength. They hadn't the minds that we have developed to this point in time, and had to result to their last resort, brute force. We cannot do the same. We have evolved. Our minds have expanded."
I headed into the clear-glassed elevator. There was a man in there, or perhaps a dog. Who knew? Either way, he stared at me the entire way down, as if I was some sort of a madman. I pretended to ignore him, staring out the window and gazing at the magnificent structures wrought by these people. Every structure touched a star in the sky.
I noticed a flock of people heading to the plaza down the road. That, I presumed, must have been the setting for the inauguration speech being held.
"No man, woman, or child in this audience here today, can look into the other's soul, and see and see a different person. Each soul before me today is identical to the next. Is that what you wish? Is that what we are all striving towards? This uniform facade that we are all the same person, defined only by our physical aspects, or blemishes? Look at our neighbors in this galaxy. Earth, for example, populated by billions of different souls, each one striving for different goals, dreams, hopes, and desires. Now, my friends, look into your neighbor's eyes, and tell me what you see."
The elevator door opened, and I stepped out. The woman entering released a scream, as though she had seen a dead body. Silly woman.
As I exited the front door, heading out to the streets, I noticed another wave of men and woman coming, heading in a general direction. It was only obvious to follow their lead. I stepped into the horde, inconspicuously, and then proceeded to squeeze shove, and bump my way through, hurrying to the hotel that supposedly housed the seditious organization.
"What we need, ladies and gentlemen, is a compass. A compass to point us in the right direction, and to lead us down the right path to progression and advancement, not only in this galaxy, this universe, but in our souls, our beings. And, my friends, I will be that compass. Too long have we been brainwashed with these illusions of grandeur coming from the desire to conquer. Too long have we been brainwashed into being what we call the "ideal Saiyan warrior", but what the rest of the world calls a barbarian, a brute. And too long, dear people, have we wasted our intellectual geniuses on the illusion of greatness through brute force. It's time, now, to move on, and I will put forth my best diligence, with the efforts of Lord Frieza in mind, and the efforts of you all, my people, in my mind, to strive to make the necessary changes to create ripples in this lake of ours."
The hotel door stood before me, light overhead saying, "Central Truance Hotel". It flickered with a dastardly fear. I opened the door.
My eyes darted across the room, scanning the venue as quickly as I could. The terrorist was planning a suicide attempt. In order for me to frustrate his attempts, I would need to prevent him from exploding. Simple enough. I had fifteen minutes left till they would explode at the podium, in the hotel, at the bank nearby, and in the audience. Where these fellows learned such an ability, I do;t know. And its' not my business to dabble in. But the slightest mistake was not affordable.
The only one I needed to worry about was the hotel explosion. This one was to be executed by the leader, Grimwall. He should stand out. I stepped in, noticing a plentiful of people in the lobby peering at the television screen hanging from the ceiling. They were staring at a middle-aged face, a man with no hair, and a large, pointed nose. He had a large, strong jaw to follow, sharp cheek bones that carved his skin meticulously, and a thick neck to hold up his large sturdy, head. His voice was deep and strong, echoing through the crowd as he spoke through the mic before him.
"You're early." I heard the voice come from behind me. It sounded young, but strong. And all too certain. Far too certain.
My head grew cold. He couldn't know. No, he doesn't know. He can't tell. I didn't turn around.
"Boom..."
