Chapter 35

Deranged Visions

Tears streamed down Penny's face as she sat in the darkest corner of a small, office-like room, trying in futile desperation to hide from the world. She had not done anything but since in the corner and continue to quietly sob since Calico's men had thrown her in here and left her there, locking the door behind them.

She was still struggling to come to terms with Bolt's death...and her mind simply refused to accept it. Her mind had replayed visions of him over and over so many times, it was almost like he was still there, right beside her, trying to comfort and protect her as he always did. Sometimes, she could swear she even heard him, yapping away at some unseen foe...whining at Penny's distress. But, deep in her heart, she knew these were simply visions. Bolt was gone...and he was never going to come back.

But then of, course, every time she thought that way, she would descend into another bout of weeping and mourning, and from there, the visions would start all over again. It would a vicious, relentless cycle that only made her grief worse. It was why she had retreated into the corner, trying to escape from everything. There was nothing for her in the world: Calico had captured her, Bolt was dead, and the world would soon be the enslaved, apocalyptic ruin she had envisioned in Keiton all those days ago. She just wanted to hide, escape from it all. But she had nowhere to run or hide. Her mission, her plan to save her father, was done. It was over, she simply had nothing left...nothing to fight for, and nothing to stop Calico. She had tried...and she had failed.

But Bolt would not leave her mind, and she simply could not move on from his death. It was more than losing a companion, she knew. Right from the moment she had first laid eyes upon him in that pet store, Bolt had become a part of her, forever tied to her. Now that part of her had violently torn from her and destroyed right in front of her eyes. Penny could almost feel the hole in her that Bolt had left behind. She knew that space would never be filled. Nothing, and no-one, could ever give her the same sense of ultimate happiness and companionship that Bolt had given her. They never spoke the same language, yet understood each other on a deeper, much more meaningful level. They were occasionally separated, yet she always felt him there, that part of her that was also a part of him, waiting for the inevitable reunion.

But now? Now there was nothing. There would no happy reunion, no more playing in the backyard. And yet...while she knew he was gone, there was some part of Penny that simply refused to accept that her best friend was gone forever. It was not hope, more an agonising sense of realisation and finality that, in truth, she simply could not see a life without Bolt as anything but misery and torment. Even if she somehow recovered, somehow moved on, his memories would always haunt her, always leave with that lingering sadness and grief. Penny knew that, slowly, no matter what happened, her grief would slowly tear her apart on the inside. Over the years, her despair would slowly eat her away, until she was just a shadow of her former self, a lingering wraith wandering the streets, with nothing but her loneliness and her misery to keep her company, and death finally came and claimed her, and at long last reunited her with the White Shepherd who had completely transformed her life.

This unending, heart-wrenching cycle of misery, despair and hopelessness had torn at Penny's heart and soul since she had seen the explosion, and Calico's helicopter had taken her away. She had barely registered anything on the trip. She had hardly noticed when her backpack, and all of her other possessions, had been taken away and examined, and she had not responded to anyone's attempts to communicate with her, including Calico. After the explosion, she had simply retreated inwards, allowing grief to take her over and rule her thoughts and feelings. She had barely even noticed when she had been led out of the helicopter, dragged into another facility, and eventually shoved in this room. She had simply lost the will to fight any longer. With nothing left to fight for, what point was there in fighting Calico at all?

As if summoned by there thoughts, at that moment the door into her room opened and Calico himself strode in, flanked by two armed bodyguards. Penny did not even look up at his entrance, she simply did not care about anything any more. Whatever Calico wanted, whatever he did to her now, it did not matter any more. Nothing mattered now that Bolt was gone.

"Oh, there you are, Penny!" Calico's voice sounded distant to Penny, but she did hear him. "I almost missed you back there. Wait..." he turned to one of the guards. "Has she moved since I left her in here?"

The guard shrugged. "Nope. She's done nothing expect cry since you shoved her in the chopper." The guard was completely indifferent in his tone. He neither supported, nor fought, Calico's mad plan. Just another mindless grunt.

"I see. Well, you really did seem to love that dog of yours, didn't you?" Again, Penny ignored Calico's attempts at small talk. It was all part of his game, a way he entertained himself. "But this, my little Penny, is exactly why you don't get too attached to anyone...or anything. Such affection only leads to misery. It is the same with power. People who find themselves in possession of power grow to become fond of it, and as such seek to hang on to it at all costs. That, little girl, is where corruption comes from."

Penny, with great difficulty, calmed herself down and wiped her tears away, looking at Calico with absolute loathing. "So that's it, then? That's your big plan? You think if you take all the power for yourself, that corruption will just disappear? That the world will make itself all better?" It sounded like absolute nonsense to Penny, but she was simply trying to follow Calico's train of thought. Besides, she thought, trying to find the method to Calico's madness gave her something to do, forced her to stop thinking about Bolt. With her misery and despair slowly retreating to the corners of her mind, her fire and drive returned, and she became more determined to stop Calico. And if she could understand exactly what it was he wanted, and exactly how he planned to get it, then she could start thinking of a way to deny him everything.

"Oh, no, my dear girl. I'm afraid it's not as simple as that. You see, I know that the world will not fix itself, and indeed, once I have my power, that fixing it will take a lot of time and effort. The corruption of our society has done a very good job of causing irreversible harm to the world. But, under my rule, we can work together to end the madness...to work to right the wrongs our society has committed on the world. With only one person in power, there will no risk of being unseated, and therefore, no need for corruption to protect said power! With corruption gone, the world can work, as one, to become a better place for everyone!" Calico was rambling now, simply spurting out whatever his train of thought ran on to think of next.

"But how?" Penny demanded. "How can you use that to justify the killing of so many people? How can you use that to justify my own imprisonment?! Your efforts to capture me have destroyed a city, and killed hundreds! How can you justify that?!"

Calico waved his hand dismissively. "In any global revolution, there will always be some collateral damage. Innocent lives will be spent, and other ruined. But in the end, it is all for the greater good."

"What greater good?!" Penny spat, jumping to her feet. "You think having sole, uncontested rule of the world is 'for the greater good'? I know people like you, Calico. And you never work for the greater good! You seek the power for nothing more than your own benefit. You go on about creating a better world, but I know better! You will never bring about anything but ruin and death, while you laugh in everyone's faces when they come pleading to you for help! You seek power only for the greater good of your own pathetic existence!"

Calico's face fell in an instant, become very hard and threatening, as Penny realised she may have taken her argument a bit too far. She stopped, remaining in her corner as Calico approached her, his movements stiff. He was obviously desperately fighting to control the urge to simply snap and rage at her, possibly kill her for such a direct insult. But even as fear crawled up Penny's back, she knew that he could not harm her. He needed her...and as such, she was protected from his lethal whims. But that did not make it any less scary when he came up to her and leaned in close, so close that his nose almost touched hers. Penny forced herself to look away, again becoming slightly nauseated by the disgusting sight his eye up close. "That..." he said slowly, dangerously. "...was very rude. I may be patient, girl, but I have my limits. Do not push them!" His face then returned to its usual cheery, victorious state. Penny may have touched a nerve, but the man knew he had won. "Now, if we're quite done discussing my plans for the future, if you would follow me. You have a...special appointment. I would hate for you to miss it." He moved to the doorway, before waiting for her to follow, the guards now watching her intently, for any sign of trouble.

Penny looked around the room properly for the first time, seriously considering trying to escape. But right from the start, it was useless. Calico and the two guards covered the only door in the room, and the room was completely bare, with nothing she could use as a weapon, or any other idea, for that matter. sighing, she reluctantly followed, Calico leading the way through a vast maze of hallways, Penny being covered by the guards; one in front, one behind. No chance of escape. But as they walked, and Penny's thoughts were allowed to wander, escape drifted from her mind as Bolt returned to her thoughts, the grief hitting her like a physical blow once again.

But this time, Penny fought the grief and despair, fought for control over her emotions. There would be time to properly grieve for Bolt, to properly acknowledge his death, but it was not now. She had to be strong now, while Calico was still vulnerable, still working towards his goal...she had to fight. Slowly, with exceptional effort and self-control, she managed to push her grief and despair aside, sealing them once more in the darkest corners of her mind, always there, but no longer clouding her emotions...and her judgement. With her emotions successfully sealed away, she strengthened her resolve. She could see, now, that all was not lost. Calico still had not won, his victory still was not complete. And while that fact remained true, there was still hope...one last speck of hope that he could be stopped.

And as Penny grasped this concept, she allowed herself a small, sly smile. Because while that last hope remained, she would fight. Calico's conviction and cocky certainty were his weaknesses, and Penny was going to try and use those to her advantage. She would fight to the very end...no matter the consequences any more.