The 14th Zoalord

Chapter 21

In Dreams:

Doctor Hamilcar Barcus could hardly believe his luck. It was the opportunity of a lifetime to see what really lurked within the mind of Mikhail Czyvek. The Zoalord of Storms was recovering, albeit slowly, and was still weak. His telepathic powers were never great in any sense of the word, but in his weakened state he was particularly vulnerable. The Telepathic Inhibitor would pose a problem, but nothing Barcus' powers couldn't overcome.

The Zoalord of Telepathy carefully began to probe Czyvek's thoughts. Gently, gently . . .

Lord Barcus? What are you doing?

Lord Czyvek? Barcus was surprised. Czyvek was aware of his presence.

Did you think you could just walk into my mind without being seen?

Barcus was taken aback by the remark. I was merely attempting to gauge your mental state. You've been through a great deal of trauma.

Do you take me for a fool?

Yes. Barcus replied, but only to himself.

What do you want?

What is your goal within Chronos?

I want you to go . . . What Czyvek wanted Barcus to do made the old scientist cringe.

I want to make Zoanoids more than just petty slaves. I want them freed. Czyvek

replied bluntly.

That's impossible, they were created to serve us, to fight for our goals, they

have no higher purpose.

And what makes your life or mine of more value than that of a Zoanoid?

We serve a higher cause, but our lives are nothing compared to the greatest purpose. The fulfilment of Archanfel's quest.

And you call me crazy.

Czyvek's mind was proving surprisingly strong, all Barcus could access were the faintest ghosts of memories . . . and emotions, pure, primal emotions. Czyvek's secrets were hidden deep, I suppose that, as an Undercover Agent, Czyvek must have been specially trained to resist mental interrogations, even telepathy . . . But it was all there, somewhere, the secrets of the head of Chronos Intelligence, I know Czyvek keeps secrets from us, such as the location of the Fukamachi boy . . .

You wish. You'll see only what I want you to see.

I sincerely doubt that. Barcus smiled, You may be well trained, but I am the Zoalord of Telepathy, second only to Lord Archanfel himself.

And has Lord Archanfel given you permission to violate my innermost thoughts?

I have whatever authority I need if I'm acting in best the interests of CHRONOS.

You still doubt my loyalty?

I know that you are loyal, Czyvek, loyal to Lord Purgstall's memory, loyal to your "brothers" the Zoanoids . . . But CHRONOS itself . . .

Careful, Barcus, or I will take offense. Lord Purgstall was loyal to CHRONOS, he fought and died for the furtherance of Lord Archanfel's dreams. I would not betray his honor or his memory.

Suddenly an opening appeared in Czyvek's mental blockade, and Barcus swept through. He began to probe deeper, and Czyvek fell oddly silent. Barcus could feel pain, rage and hatred in the Zoalord's mind, running as deep and pure as a mighty river. Suddenly it struck him as a wave, the pain and anguish washed over him, along with such force that he was temporarily stunned. Darkness, the sounds of tires screeching, glass shattering, a child crying . . .His parent's deaths . . . Barcus could see nothing, only the sound and unbearable sadness seemed to remain . . .Then, sunlight, no . . .Smoke, dust, the smell of blood...Zoalord Friedrich von Purgstall lay dead before the kneeling form of Lord Amniculus, as his three murderers looked on, their faces distorted in Czyvek's mind into the faces of demons . . . An unbearable sense of loss swept through Barcus, hopelessness and despair so deep he shuddered despite himself, then came the desire, the desire for death, for the void, for an end to the pain . . . And then rage, a desire for revenge so powerful Barcus had to bite his lip to keep from being pulled in, from succumbing to another man's hatred and anger. And then Aptom's face loomed up, mountain-like, the Embodiment of Evil, the rage grew even stronger as the beast devoured countless Zoanoids before his eyes, and then the monster was washed away, devoured by a raging flood of infinite hatred . . .

Suddenly Barcus was standing on a vast battlefield, watching two great combatants square off. Guyver III was staring up at a monstrous giant. There were no legs, only a mass of serpentine coils, the upper body was human, and atop the shoulders nestled a mass of heads on serpentine necks . . . A hundred heads . . .Typhon, Lord of Storms, was about to do battle with his ancient enemy, Zeus, with Makishima Agito fittingly cast in the role of the arrogant young god. Barcus had no need to guess whom Typhon was meant to represent. Quarters of the monster's heads were the head of each of Czyvek's forms, 25 human, 25 Razell, 25 Galvak, and 25 of Czyvek's Zoalord form. He remembered the old myth, how Zeus had defeated the immortal Typhon, trapping him for all eternity beneath Mount Etna, but he had a feeling this battle would end differently. Suddenly the skies grew dark, the battlefield was best by monstrous winds, lightning crackled around him as the battle began. It was short and swift, and Typhon/Czyvek crushed Zeus/Makishima, pounding him mercilessly with all of the forces of nature at his disposal, easily brushing aside Zeus' thunderbolts, knocking him to his knees. As the god/Guyver fell, the giant grasped him in his coils and began to crush him, Zeus/Makishima shattered like glass and crumbled into the dust. Not this time you arrogant little fool, this time Zeus is the one to fall . . . The mass of heads turned toward Barcus, 200 eyes glaring . . .

Suddenly he was somewhere else, the rage, the anger was gone, as if it had never been. He was in a park, the sun was shining, and happy voices surrounded him. Barcus looked around, humans and Zoanoids were strolling through the park, some hand in hand, some with children . . . The children of human and Zoanoid parents. He noticed Fukamachi Sho, a bit older, with Segawa Mizuki, sitting on a grassy hill, sharing a picnic. Looking closer, Barcus could see Sho was holding an infant, their child. They were unconcerned by the presence of the Zoanoids nearby, and the Zoanoids were unconcerned with them. Barcus could somehow sense that Sho no longer had the Guyver, he no longer needed it, there was no reason to fight. Ishi, Czyvek's odd little pet Rocies was discussing science fiction stories with Segawa Tetsuro under a large oak tree. That annoying band Jukadan was there, but they were in human form, dressed in formal wear, playing a soft ballad, with none of the typical grandstanding or screeching . . . Czyvek's long-dead parents were sitting nearby, enjoying the music and life itself. Barcus noticed that the Zoalords were also there, Caerleon, Galenos, Waferdanos, Amniculus, Mirabilis, even Yentsui, all of them laughing and happy. Barcus turned, and saw Lord Archanfel sitting at a small table, playing chess with Lord Hamilcar Barcus . . .

"It's beautiful, isn't it, a true Golden Age." Barcus turned at the familiar voice, and saw the distinguished figure of Zoalord Friedrich von Purgstall standing there, smiling . . .

This is what I want Barcus. Zoalord Mikhail Czyvek stood arm in arm with Doctor Angela Nighthawk.

Suddenly the dream disappeared, the real world rushed back toward Barcus with the force of a freight train.

In the waking world Czyvek's eyes flickered open, he looked toward Barcus. Do you understand now?

That is impossible, a utopian fantasy, it can never be . . . Barcus' felt some stirring of sympathy in his heart, a feeling he thought he'd long since purged as useless.

I know that, Czyvek replied with sadness, but a man can dream . . .

To be continued . . .