Merry Christmas! A somewhat belated Christmas present!
Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah you know the drill
Across the Worlds
Chapter 55: The fortress in the sky
. . . . . . . . . . . .
The electronic billboard flickered, dazzling images flashing across the massive screen as people walked by, hardly glancing at the thing, content smiles on their faces.
"We are blessed."
The voice that spoke from the screen was soft, droning, blending into the background and becoming just part of the scene.
"We are happy."
The images flickered, nonsense pictures that danced and laughed on the screen with carefree glee.
"War is bad."
The cartoon characters were singing, their caricature faces glowing with joy.
"Violence is bad. Intolerance is bad."
The cartoon figures faded replaced by a beaming woman with serene eyes and perfect red lips.
"So let's all live together on Ataraxia…" she winked, "Happily forever!"
The images dissolved into nothing, the screen going black before the video looped itself, replaying once more.
Zaru blinked, drinking it all in, his wide smoky-blue eyes reflecting the neon glow of the screen.
"I love T.V.!" the leopard practically squealed, a blanket hiding his head and body from casual view.
"Quiet," Elias scolded, "They might hear you."
Zaru huffed as Elias laughed, flicking his ears. The leopard growled but a stifled yawn ruined any pretence at aggression. The leopard shrugged and curled into a ball, the sweet scent of peace and comfort drifting in the air sending him to sleep.
Elias smiled at him fondly before looking out at the land of Ataraxia and the setting sun, its burnished reflection shown a thousand times in the towering skyscrapers that dominated the urban landscape. Beyond and all around was the endless expanse of the heavens, blue bleeding to red as the sun died. Their house was perched impossibly on a small floating island in the sky, one of the thousand of splinters of land that made up Ataraxia.
Elias frowned and turned back to the book in his lap.
"The Impact," he whispered, reading for the thousandth time a rendition of the horrifying history of this place.
Twenty years before Ataraxia had died.
A meteor from the darkest reaches of space had smashed into the planet, rending it in one terrible blow. In the single blink of an eye what was once whole and complete had been shattered, pieces of earth sent spinning into the heavens, floating aimlessly as vast oceans drained in seconds, forests burned and died and the mountains themselves toppled. In a single day billions had perished and of those who remained disease and violence reaped a terrible harvest
The hapless fell, the unscrupulous pillaging and indulging their every sadistic whim. Order was an illusion in this new hellish world order. And at the height of the madness it was rumoured man had devoured man, gorging themselves on the weak, the sick and the young.
Elias pushed the book away, disgusted. It was silly to be angry with history but Elias couldn't help it. Why was man's first instinct always to destroy? To exploit? Why did they always give in to the darkest of their natures.
Elias had transverse world after world, fighting to save them all but in that moment it all seemed so useless to him. It didn't matter how many demons or monsters he helped destroy because nothing could save man from himself.
The scientist flinched as a stab of despair and helplessness struck him.
"No..."
He saw Susan and Jason and Zaru and Inara and smile curled his lips.
There was never just monsters... there would always be heroes, fighting, struggling for what was right.
Movement caught his eyes and Elias looked up. In the distance he could see other island, complex propulsion units welded to their bottoms helping them stay afloat as winged machines flew between the different islands. The aircrafts with their lightweight frames and crystalline wings looked like delicate dragonflies as they weaved and dodged around bigger train-like transporters that zipped on thick cables strung between the lands.
Out to the west Elias noticed a blimp, lights flashing as it bobbed gently along in an air current, cruising serenely towards its destination. Advertisements flashed across its side and Elias instantly frowned.
"Malik Industries," he whispered the now-familiar name.
Malik Industries. The saviour of Ataraxia. Even as all around them was plunged back into the dark times of humanity, into a time of bloody and ruthless fight for survival, Malik Industries had kept working. They were the ones who had clawed humanity from the brink. They were the ones who had blazed with light amongst all the death and destruction.
When he had first stumbled into this world Elias was fascinated trying to understand it all.
How could people, let alone a vast civilisation exist on such puny levitating chunks of rock? Were there forests? Lakes? Rivers? What about the weather? Was there rain?
But the answer was simple.
The propulsion units that stabilised the fragments of land, the machine that made oxygen and hydrogen into water, the generators that made power and light from nothing, the medicines, the computers, the technology... all had been birthed in Malik's factories.
Elias itched to study the machines, to dissect them and understand how they worked but so far he hadn't been able to get close to a single one.
The scientist growled and looked across the city once more as advertisements for Malik Industries played on the neon screens that seemed to cover almost every square inch of available space, pretty men and women promoting everything under the sun.
"Malik..." Elias frowned.
"Elias?"
The scientist turned with a yelp of surprise and found himself staring up at Caspian.
"Yes?" Elias tried to hide his shock.
"Susan wants us downstairs."
Elias felt rather than saw Zaru awake. The leopard's eyes flicked open and a pair of smoky blue eyes stared at Caspian balefully, the king enduring his gaze without a word.
"Thank you," Elias said looking at the king sadly.
The boy looked thin, stretched almost to breaking point. But whatever he was feeling it was locked behind a mask of ice. Words died on Elias's lips, everything he wanted to say sounding some pathetic and useless. He could only sit and watch as Caspian nodded and walked away. Elias sighed.
"You should leave him be," he scolded glaring at the leopard.
Zaru looked up at him, fangs bared.
"He tried to kill Susan," Zaru snapped.
"It wasn't his fault," Elias argued, knowing it was useless.
He wanted to protect Caspian but nothing could save the king from his guilt and shame, from having to face Susan day to day and having to endure Jason, Peter and Zaru's open hostility.
"He tried to kill Susan," Zaru repeated as if that ended the argument.
Shaking his head in exasperation Elias gave up.
"Come on," he said instead getting up, "I think they're eating downstairs."
And Zaru perked up as he bounded after the scientist the two descending down the stairs to join the others.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
"This is the worst world ever," Inara muttered.
Peter glared at her, a headache pounding steadily against his temples. He winced.
'Do no harm. Do no harm. Do no harm.'
The air seemed full of whispers, constantly worrying his senses. He rubbed angrily at his ear, trying to clear them but he could hear the voices, nipping at him, repeating same words over and over again. He frowned, trying to work out what they were, what they mean –
He noticed Inara looking at him worriedly and instantly pasted a smirk on his face.
"It's not that bad," he forced himself to say.
"Not that bad?!" Inara squawked, indignant, "Look at me! Look!"
She gestured down at herself.
"This is assassinating my fashion sense!"
Peter rolled his eyes. Inara was dressed in an orange jumpsuit, all of them forced to don the uniform of this world.
Susan sat the head of the table, her face unreadable. Caspian walked in and Jason and Peter instantly stiffened, their eyes following the king as he sat down.
"Food!"
Zaru bounded into the room, Elias behind him as Inara rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth, readying to launch a barb at the leopard but Susan cut her off.
"Everyone... I've got something to tell you," she said hesitantly.
And everyone stared at her puzzled.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Silence filled the room.
"Huh," Inara said finally.
"Are... are..." Elias swallowed trying to wet his throat, "Are you sure?"
"Viola showed me," Susan said flatly, "It's real."
And they stared at each other, not knowing what to say, what to think.
"My god... Gavin," Inara frowned, "Gavin?! Seriously? What kind of evil super-villain name is that?"
"One who has managed to destroy worlds," Caspian said grimly.
Inara let out a long deep breath.
"So... what do we do now?"
In some way she could understand the Darkness. She too had suffered in her childhood, she too had seen the darkest faces of humanity. How many times had she wished someone would come and change it all, someone would come and right all the thousands of wrongs that thrived? But the Darkness... that was not way.
"What do you mean what do we know?" Jason demanded sharply, "It doesn't change anything! We still have to destroy that bastard."
The Seeker had seen the damage the Great Darkness had done, had seen innocent people die because of its selfish desires. He was the enemy and that was all Jason needed to know... that and how to destroy it.
"I think it does change things," Elias said gently, "It's trying to save the worlds."
"And what we let it? We let Narnia die?" Peter spat, "Maybe you missed the part where everyone dies in Gavin's little scheme."
"I agree with," Zaru spoke up, "The Darkness is insane. We need to stop it."
"Or maybe..." Elias hesitated over his next words, "We need to talk to it."
Everyone stared at him.
"What?" Jason said dangerously.
"Maybe the key isn't to destroy it. Maybe the key is to show it that this isn't the way," Elias said in a rush of words trying to get his thoughts out before the others stopped him, "It's goal is noble – "
"WHAT?!" Zaru roared, "You've seen the darkness in the worlds! You've seen what it does! How can it be noble?!"
Elias looked beleaguered, searching for worlds as the others glared at him but Susan understood him. She had been the one to be shown the Great Darkness's birth, to understand it was not truly a monster but a boy, a child who did not understand why the world was the way it was.
What it was doing was madness but was it wrong?
"Gavin wants to save the worlds," Susan said quietly, "Wants to eradicate violence and hate and everything else that is wrong – "
Peter, flushed with anger opened his mouth but Susan cut him off.
"I know what he is doing is wrong. I have seen the destruction he causes... but he is not a complete monsters. Maybe we can stop this... by just..." Susan felt foolish by saying it but it had to be said, "By talking to it. Making it see this is not the way."
"And how do you propose we talk to it?" Inara demanded, "Whipping out the phone and dialling 1800-ultimate-evil? It's evil! We are meant to stop it!"
Zaru flinched as he smelt Susan's fury. The world room was saturated with bitter ash and pepper, stinging as they turned on each other, frustration climbing.
"I'm not saying we stop fighting!" Susan snapped, "Because we still need to stop the darkness it has planted in the worlds. Save Narnia and Aslan but..."
She scrambled for words, trying to say what she felt, trying to understand –
"The Great Darkness might be an ally."
Everyone looked at Caspian as he looked back at them, eyes unreadable.
"If we can stop it from what it's doing... if we can make it understand... maybe it can really help, really wrought good in the worlds," he said hesitantly.
"Oh yes, this coming from the traitor himself!" Zaru snarled, "Or maybe you're just helping your master win this war!"
"ZARU!" Susan roared, "STOP!"
"This is madness!' Peter argued, "We should concentrate on winning this war not on debating the ethics of what the Great Darkness is doing!"
He twitched suddenly, growling under his breath.
"Look," Elias tried again, "There must be some way of contacting the Darkness, some way of making it see – "
"Elias."
The scientist look at the queen who looked at them all wearily.
"Arguing is not going to help us," she said finally, "Why... why don't we just let this rest? I think we all need time to mull over it."
And she stood and left the room as Zaru instantly followed her, the leopard her constant shadow ever since Caspian's attack on her.
Silence fell over the table.
"Damn," Inara said finally.
Peter twitched again.
Elias stood up abruptly.
"I need some air," the scientist said, face closed and he left before anyone could say a single word.
Jason growled under his breath as he watched the scientist leave, furious with the man for being weak, for even considering talking to the Great Darkness. You don't talk with your enemies, you just rip them apart and feed the pieces to the dogs!
Caspian glared at Jason, fed up with the Seeker, fed up with the way that man had been treating him, fed up with the way he assumed he was always right.
"Just because he doesn't agree with you doesn't make him a monster," Caspian snapped.
Inara and Peter's eyes widened.
"Cowboy – " Inara began desperately.
"Isn't there an innocent person you should be stabbing?" Jason growled.
"I'm not going to be shamed by you anymore!" Caspian spat, "You think I don't know what I've done? How close Susan came to death because of me? I hate myself! I don't need you to remind me."
Peter shifted uncomfortably in his chair as Inara winced.
"The only reason you hate me is because you hate yourself. For failing her like I did," Caspian snapped, his voice like frozen fire.
"I hate you because you almost killed her!" Jason roared back.
"And you don't hate yourself?" Caspian's voice was like a blade, slicing through Jason's rage.
The Seeker stared at him, white-faced.
"Cowboy – " Inara began.
With a growl Jason lurched to his feet and stormed out of the room. A split second later they heard the door slam shut.
Caspian sat back heavily in his chair, face flushed, chest heaving.
"Caspian..."
The king looked at Peter, who shifted very uncomfortably in his seat. His blue eyes flicked away, his throat working silently before he looked Caspian straight in the eye.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
Caspian smiled back sadly, accepting the High King's heartfelt apology.
"So am I."
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Elias turned the corner, his mind still whirling frantically.
Gavin... the Great Darkness...
He was so confused. He had seen what the Darkness had done to the worlds. Had seen the people who had suffered and died but he still stood by his convictions. If the Great Darkness could be made to see sense then maybe –
Elias sighed, careful to keep the same blank smile on his face that all the people around him had. They shuffled past him in neat lines, commanded as though by unseen words and commands, all of them with the same neat smile and neat clothes, all happy and cheerful and at utter peace with their world.
After the madness Ataraxia had been plunged into after the impact, Elias couldn't understand how these people could so... at ease. A flare of colour instantly drew his eyes to the large screen protruding from a skyscraper.
"Malik Industries is proud to unveil its new model of sky-trains!" a cheerful voice announced as images of the new machine flashed onto the screen, "Malik Industries is promising upgrades to all of its cable circuits improving efficiency and reliving congestion."
The scientist wove his way through the crowd, studying all of the blank smiling faces around him.
His eyes widened as he realised something, his head instantly swivelled back to the screen as the promotion continued.
"Malik Industries!" the narrator finished, "We change worlds!"
"Oh my…" Elias whispered as a strange cartoon figures pranced across the screen, colourful signs and words flashing rapidly at the crowd.
Elias's eyes swept the street, there were small screens everywhere, each broadcasting their own advertisements and programs, the screens so numerous that neon lights and cartoon sounds were as much a part of the landscape as the jumpsuits everyone wore.
"Broadcasting at a range below…" Elias looked at all the grinning people and scowled, "Oh you people… you poor, poor people."
Careful to avoid the glares of the screens, Elias continued down the street, skin crawling as he tried to make himself blind and deaf to all of the electronics around him unaware that there were invisible eyes watching him, recording his every move.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Jason fought to keep the same bland grin on his face as inwardly he twitched, longing to grab someone and shake them until they told him what was wrong with this eerily happy world.
Why was everyone so damn happy?!
Inwardly he sighed trying to push his anger away.
"Damn it."
Caspian had been right. He didn't hate the king not truly, he hated himself for not stopping the man earlier. In the Academy he had sensed something was wrong with the king, that something was off but he had ignored his instincts and Susan had almost died.
Why did he always fail those he loved?!
Jason blinked.
What had they come from?
But in that moment of rage, that moment of anger he had glimpsed a face.
"Yolanda..." Jason whispered, shaken to his core.
"ARGH!"
The Seeker jerked and looked up as a woman tripped over her own feet, her groceries flying out of her bags. Red sauce flew through the air, splashing onto some of the bystanders as the crowd froze as one, grins falling slightly as they watched the woman.
"Are you okay?"
"Are you alright?"
"Do you need help?"
"Should we call a doctor?"
Everyone swarmed towards her, eager to help, her fallen belongings quickly gathered up and placed back in her bag as others helped her to stand. They brushed her off and her bag was handed back as she smiled at them grateful.
"Thank you! Thank you for your kindness!"
"Your welcome!"
"No need to worry about it!"
"As long as you're fine!"
The woman beamed and turned to look sheepishly at those who had been dirtied by her dropped food.
"I'm so sorry," she said, bowing a little, "Please. I am more than happy to pay for your cleaning costs."
The sauce-splattered people smiled back at her, shaking their heads.
"Don't worry about," one man grinned, "Accidents happen to everyone."
"Forget it," another woman replied energetically, "I was going to get rid of this suit anyway! In fact you did me a favour!"
But the third man was glaring at the woman, a thunderous look on his red-drenched face.
"You… you slattern!" he howled.
His voice was like a knife in the belly, everyone freezing as they stared at the man in abject horror. The silence spread swiftly, the whole crowd slowly grinding to a halt as everyone swivelled to look at the man, fear and utter incomprehension on their faces. The woman, the target of his ire, recoiled, hands going to her open mouth as the man stomped towards her, fists clenched.
"How dare YOU?!" he screamed, the sauce on his face like blood on a murderer.
Jason watched, tensed and ready, as the whole city seemed to fall silent, even the hovercrafts freezing in their paths as the man screamed with fury again, a jagged jangling note that was as alien as Jason in this world.
"I just bought this suit!" the man roared, jabbing at finger at the woman.
The woman staggered, eyes wide, shaking her head frantically.
"Please, sir… I…" the woman was on the verge of tears.
"Go to hell, you stupid…" the man began venomously.
Before he could say another word, a giant dark shadow fell over the crowd. Everyone looked up, gasping as an immense aircraft, shaped like an arrowhead and bristling with weapons drifted over them, light pulsing along its jewel-bright bottom. A beam of light suddenly lanced from its underbelly, pinning the man down with its brilliant glare.
Jason shifted stealthily, slipping further back into the crowd as a long coil of rope fell from the hovering warship, untwisting as the crowd watched, faces blank.
The man cried out in alarm, staggering back as a dark form rappelled down the rope landing with a thump right before him. He whimpered, screaming in terror.
"No…" the man yelled, pushing against the crowd.
The people around him were like statues, staring blankly ahead, not giving him one whit of notice as the man cried, falling to his knees.
"NO! I was just… I was just…"
"BAM!"
The man fell to the ground, motionless as the darkly clad soldier lashed out, clubbing him straight in the face. The attacker was dressed in combat gear, a bulletproof vest strapped to his chest, helmet and tinted goggles hiding his features and giving him an enigmatically menacing mien.
Without a word, he tied the man to the end of the rope before clutching it himself with gloved hands. At a silent signal, the rope was pulled back into the massive ship, soldier and prisoner disappearing into a hatch that opened up at their approach.
No one protested. No one stopped them. No one moved and no one made even the smallest noise.
The warship pulsed with light before rising once more. Engines gunned, flames flying from its rear and the massive craft was gone, zipping through the air with unbelievable speed, leaving the crowd to stagger in its back draft.
The dazed tripper straightened, a grin slowly coming over her face. She turned and walked away as the crowd resumed its movements, everyone still smiling, not a word mentioned about the taken man.
After a few seconds it was like nothing had happened before, no cries of shock, no alarm… nothing, just the same blank grin, just an ordinary day on an ordinary street in this strange world.
Jason could see from the faces around him the man was already forgotten, had completely ceased to exist as if the warship had taken both prisoner and memories. His jaws dropped.
"What the hell?!"
. . . . . . . . . . . .
In this room he was God Himself. He was everywhere; his will and mind in every city, in every house. Screens flickered and flared before him, lights and colours splashing against the bland walls before dying, fading like mirages. His eyes reflected screens and through them the world, nothing escaping his notice.
He had the world at his fingertips and he could crush anyone or anything he wanted, a single word and entire cities would fall, a single gesture and genocide would sweep what remained of the world. Yes, he was a king, he was a god, he was deity and he was power personified.
And he loved it.
He was worshipped, venerated, adored across the shattered globe, placed on a pedestal and elevated to the heavens themselves. He fed on it, fed on the twisted love the world showed him, it was his food, his air, his water and the sole purpose of his life.
A small smug smile of satisfaction and sadism crossed his shrunken face, his eyes twitching as he continued to study the screens, watching people work in offices, sit in classrooms and shop in markets, each blissfully unaware of the god that ruled their lives.
"Sir."
He whipped around as a slim figure stepped into the room, the woman blinking rapidly as she was dazed by the millions of screens that dominated all the walls.
"What?!" he barked, his voice trembling with fury.
How dare she tread in his sanctuary? How dare she disturb his peace?! Did she know who he was?! Anger blackened his eyes, his lips pulling back into a snarl as he shook with his rage, his mouth opening to spell out her death sentence.
One word and…
"He's here," the woman reported hurriedly, blanching knowing what was on his mind.
His eyes widened as a fat tongue poked out, white saliva bathing dry bleeding lips.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, multiple cameras from various locations have confirmed his presence…" she swallowed, "Sir… he's here."
She stood, waiting, praying as his mind grappled with the news, terrible visions of violence and bloodshed flashing before his minds eye.
"Excellent! Excellent!"
His voice was high, brittle and dry as though it would crack at any moment. He rubbed his hands in a childish display of glee, clapping and not even knowing it.
"Get him," he hissed, words stumbling over each other in his excitement "Send the ships. Get him and his companions. And bring him back here. NOW!"
He turned back to the screens and laughed, the foul taint of madness in his voice, the woman already forgotten. She saluted him and scurried out of the room as he smiled.
"So Elias…" his voice was a caress in the dark, "Let's see how you fare against a god!"
The screens flared, rippling as a single image dominated the screens. Elias Denton stared out at him as he sneered back, anticipating what was to come.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Susan raised her bow, eyes narrowed as her eyes slid down the shaft of her arrow sighting her target. She was blood-splattered, her hair coiled tightly against her head, an utter look of rage on her face.
"JUST DIE!" she screamed.
The arrow leapt from her string, zipping through the air and slamming into Caspian's throat before he had time to react.
"DIE YOU FILTH!" Susan roared, aiming again, "DIE!"
And an arrow drilled into his heart as the king let out a bellowing death cry.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Caspian shot up, looking around wildly, the air bitter with his sweat as he gasped desperately for breath. Slowly he calmed, brushing his hair away from his eyes as he leaned forwards, burying his face into his hands.
The nightmares came in torrents, like rain there would be droughts, days and nights when Caspian thought they were gone forever but then they would come, horrible and real.
He didn't know where they come from but always every time he woke from them he felt a pressure in his skull as though something was fighting to break free and tear him apart.
Caspian shuddered.
Was this punishment for what he had done? Or a side-effect of his thankfully short-lived possession?
He closed eyes, remembering it all, feeling sick to his stomach. Susan's stunned face stared back at him, a sword thrust through her belly, his hands wrapped around the hilt as he smiled, relishing her pain and delighting in her death. He had twisted, her cry music to his ears before he had –
Caspian swallowed hurriedly to stop himself from throwing up.
If this was his punishment than he deserved it, deserved every last bit of it.
He had said what he said to Jason to stop the arguing, to stop the cold stares because it hurt Susan to see her friends and family fight. And he had done more than enough to cause her pain.
Still sick and disorientated, Caspian pushed the sheets from his body and got up, hearing the sound of conversation drifting through the doors.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
"Stop twitching," Inara muttered as Peter jumped again.
"Can't help it," he growled back.
'Do no harm. Do no harm. Do no harm.'
The whispers were back, haunting from the moment he opened his eyes from the moment he fell asleep, building in volume, getting stronger and stronger and –
Peter frowned and thrust his Gift outwards, twitching again as he did so.
"What are you doing?"
"We're being watched," Peter said flatly.
His Gift surrounded the camera, twisting what it saw, making illusions into reality as Peter smiled with satisfaction, knowing he had stopped the camera from seeing anything he didn't want it to see.
"What?" Inara yelped, looking around frantically.
"This house is full of cameras and listening devices," Peter stumbled over the unfamiliar words, "This whole world is full of them."
"You mean someone's spying on us?" Inara demanded.
Peter twitched as he disabled another camera even as the whispers assaulted him once more.
"I mean someone's spying on the whole world."
"Why?" Inara gaped at him.
Peter looked at her darkly.
"I really don't know."
. . . . . . . . . . . .
"So they took him away?" Susan repeated incredulously.
Jason nodded grimly.
"AHA!"
Everyone jumped, staring at Elias in shock.
"It makes sense!" the scientist said excitedly, "All of it!"
Jason, Susan and Zaru looked at him, confused.
Caspian walked into the room silently, face pale and taut as he studied Susan without the others knowing, guilt eating away at him.
"Well, I guess it makes sense with what I realised yesterday," Elias continued, "All those screens you see? All those non-stop advertisements? They're hiding something."
"Hiding?" Susan frowned.
"Yes! Subliminal messages!"
Everyone was still confused as Elias sighed.
"Messages that tap into subconscious making us do things or think things against our will. Controlling people."
Peter and Inara joined them, frowning as they caught Elias's statement.
"Like brainwashing?" Inara said hesitantly, "Someone's brainwashing this world? Into doing what?"
'Do no harm. Do no harm.'
Peter blinked as he realised what the whispers were.
"Do no harm... they're controlling the people here. Making them peaceful. That's why they're no wars here. No violence. No crime... because someone is forcing them to do it," Peter gaped, "And they watch everyone... to make sure."
Susan frowned at him.
"Cameras," Peter looked around, his Gift telling him where they were all hidden, "Someone's been spying on us. Well... they would've if my Gifts didn't stop them. But how?"
"Malik Industries," Zaru yelped having watched the televisions and the giant street side screens for hours on end, "That's all that play on those screens!"
Elias nodded eagerly.
"Yes," the scientist smiled, finally seeing the bigger picture, "It makes sense. Malik Industries is the leading company in this world. They make everything… from food products and beverages to buildings to soap to computers to toys and weapons… they practically run this world. They can easily install their cameras everywhere…"
"And use it to the spy on the people," Zaru hissed realising the truth.
"And if they spot someone that doesn't conform," Susan realised.
"They're hauled off," Jason finished, seeing the whole picture "And…"
The Seeker trailed off, his words lingering unpleasantly in the air. Susan suddenly gasped.
"But… that means… this whole world… they're oppressed!" the queen spluttered.
"And they don't even know it," Elias looked out the window, an uneasy look coming over his face, "I recognise the look in their eyes… they've been brainwashed. I've seen test subjects before… subliminal messaging, mental conditioning and positive and negative reinforcements. This whole world… they're brainwashed into loving everything."
Elias was a scientist, meant to push the boundaries of the world itself to understand the mysteries of the forces that governed them externally and internally. He was known to be occasionally reckless, tunnel-sighted in his pursuit of the truth but even he had limits, lines that he would never cross. And the tampering of minds and genetics was one of the starkest boundaries he could never invade.
"And ironically that sounds evil," Peter pointed out, "I mean this is a world of never-ending peace."
"You can't force people to accept peace and erase those who don't agree," Susan hissed vehemently, "This isn't a paradise… it's a dictatorship."
And she and Elias blanched as they realised her words, her feelings of revulsion.
"Gavin," Susan said quietly, "The Great Darkness..."
Before the queen could say another word, a loud thump came from the roof. Their heads snapped up as the whole house began to shake violently, a strange buzzing sound shuddering through the walls and windows. The kitchen table shook, the floor leaping beneath their feet, the glasses of water rippling wildly as some dishes fell from the tabletop, shattering to the ground and adding to the chaos.
"What's going on?!" Caspian yelled, screaming over the dull roar in the air as the shaking intensified.
Jason was on his feet, daggers unsheathed as a vast shadow fell over the backyard, eclipsing the light completely. A massive spotlight fell onto the house, blazing through the windows as everyone staggered back, dazed.
"Oh hell!" Zaru growled.
"ELIAS DENTON!"
Everyone froze at the mechanical voice as it blared from speakers high above them.
"ELIAS DENTON! WE KNOW YOU ARE IN THERE! SURRENDER NOW!"
Elias blanched as everyone turned to look at him, stunned.
"Uhh… Doc? Feel like filling in a few blanks?" Inara said slowly.
Elias could only choke on his breath, his mouth opening and closing helplessly.
"WEAPONS!" Susan thundered.
"YOU HAVE EXACTLY THREE SECONDS TO SURRENDER!" the voice ordered, "ONE… TWO…"
Caspian dashed back into the house, Inara following him as the two hurried to arm themselves.
"Brace yourselves!" Peter roared.
"THREE!" came the inevitable end.
"BOOM!"
The entire kitchen wall suddenly exploded inwards, flames and debris battering them as dark forms swung into the house on ropes.
Peter hurled his hand forwards, a thin whip of lightning striking one man in the chest and knocking him down as Susan swung, bow in hand.
Her first arrow bounced harmlessly over the invader's bulletproof vest but her second struck with deadly accuracy sliding between vest and helmet and finding the man's neck.
Gunfire blazed, the table instantly disintegrating as ceramic shattered, food flying everywhere.
Jason roared and shoved a wall of white fire at the men knocking them back. Caspian burst out from the hallway, sword in hand. Inara trailed him, armed with a sword herself, eyes wide as she took in the army coming towards them.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" Susan shrieked over the roar of the guns.
Peter's Gift instantly provided him with the answer, a jumble of images and words and feelings sweeping through him.
"There's an airship above the house," Peter said quickly.
He could felt the complex machines and circuits that made up the ship, his mind stripping the machine down into its metal skeleton and computer innards, dissecting it all apart with frantic speed. Peter tried to enter the machine, trying to stall it but against there were programs inside the system, fighting back like soldiers repelling an invasion.
He stumbled, his mind snapping back into place as a fresh wash of soldiers descended down from the warship, abseiling to the ground.
"GET BACK!" Peter roared, placing himself before Inara and Elias as more troops swarmed into the house, this time coming from hovercrafts halting before their house.
Caspian staggered, barely able to see through the smoke and dust as Susan grabbed Jason by the arm.
"Get them out of here!" she roared pointing at Inara and Elias, "GO!"
The Seeker roared and grabbed the two, disappearing into the house as Susan whirled, firing another arrow.
The three royals of Narnia held the flow of enemies back, guns blazing, arrows flying and lightning flaring as they made their stand. Zaru was amidst their enemies, a flash of gold that was never still, men stumbling to the ground only to have their throats ripped where they fell.
Susan yelped, dropping her bow as a bullet clipped her in the shoulder.
"SUSAN!"
Caspian tackled her from the side, knocking her out of the way as bullets tore the ground apart. He twisted on the ground, sword flashing, hacking at the soldier's ankles.
Zaru howled, leaping onto one of the men's back bringing him down as Peter threw handfuls of lightning at their enemies.
"BOOM!"
An explosion blew the kitchen apart, bodies flying everywhere as the warship above their house began to rain bombs down on them. The building shook threatening to collapse as more and more troops flooded the house.
AAAAAA
"BACK DOOR!" Inara yelled.
"NO!"
Light blazed in the side windows, searchlights blinding them as more hovercrafts appeared, crashing through the nearby fence and smashing into the sound of the house.
"BOOM!"
The house shook as bombs fell from the sky, the roof instantly disintegrating as the top level began to collapse.
"We have to get out of here!" Elias yelped.
"HE'S HERE!" a voice boomed.
Jason cursed, his powers flying out and smashing into the man's face knocking him down. He twisted, the pictures hanging on the wall shaking before flying from their hooks, spinning down the hall and knocking another few soldiers down.
"GO! GO! GO!" Jason roared.
Inara led the way, Elias behind her.
"BOOM!"
The back wall blew apart, a hovercraft thrusting its stern into the house itself as Inara's eyes widened.
"NO!"
The door fell, swinging down and grinding into the floor as soldiers poured out, weapons raised.
"ELIAS DENTON! SURRENDER NOW!" the mechanical voice blared, "THERE IS NO POINT IN FIGHTING!"
Elias stared at all the destruction around him, Jason using his powers to hurl a table at the enemies as Inara hefted her sword, knowing the battle was already lost.
"I don't…" Elias stumbled back, bewildered, "What…"
What was going on here? How did they know this name? Why did they want him? Who wanted him?
Unanswerable questions yammered to be heard as Elias looked to Inara, ghostly pale.
"Maybe I should…" he licked his lips, "I should just give myself up."
"Doc," Inara picked up a pot-plant and hurled it at the newly arrived wave of soldiers, "Shut. Up."
Unbeknownst to them all outside citizens continued to walk down the streets, staring blankly and happily ahead not a single soul stopping to stare at the spectacle.
Jason grunted, his jumpsuit soaked with sweat as he summoned his powers once more, ripping the floorboards apart and hurling them down the hall.
In the last world he had worked non-stop with Gaspar to train his powers, honing them to be as destructive and deadly as ever and he was using every bit of his lethal expertise to deal maximum carnage.
All three of them knew it was helpless, the enemies had them boxed in, the whole house surrounded but if they were going to fall…
"Let's take down as many of them as possible!" Inara roared.
The soldiers from the back slammed into them instantly bowling the girl over as she swung desperately at the men.
"NO!"
One man raised his gun and clubbed Inara in the face with the butt, knocking her out as Elias howled in fury. His crossbow and orbs were upstairs, now lost in the debris, leaving the man completely weapon-less.
"YOU!"
"ELIAS DENTON! FREEZE!"
Elias roared at them, hurling himself at the men. He punched one in the face, his knuckles rapping against visor, hurting him more than his opponent but Elias kicked him, forcing him back.
"FREEZE!"
Elias whirled only to have two metal prongs fired at him. The scientist froze, eyes bulging as the prongs pierced cloth and stuck into his skin.
"No…" he gasped, moving to rip them free.
"ELIAS!"
His nerves were on fire, his body convulsing wildly as an electric current roared through him, frying his mind. Elias fell, twitching as the taser continued its attack, shocking him into submission.
With a small wimple, he fell still, his chest charred, his body still in spasms.
"Target is down! Target is down!" one of the soldiers roared as several rushed forwards to secure the fallen man.
"NO!"
Jason threw them back, wreathed in a column of white fire as the Seeker made his defeat a bloody one.
"BOOM!"
Another bomb fell from the warship hovering over their house and the second floor finally gave way collapsing down onto the ground storey.
Jason's head shot up as metal creaked and the last thing the Seeker saw was a massive plank of timber plummeting towards him.
He fell without a sound, the white fire dying as the soldiers instantly hurried forwards, shackling him.
"We have three of the targets," one of the soldiers reported into his communication device, "We have three of the targets!"
Trussed up, Inara, Elias and Jason were dragged away into the hovercraft crashed through the back wall as the fight in the kitchen continued to rage.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
"KEEP BEHIND ME!" Caspian roared, his sword bloody, a stolen gun in hand.
He fired into a man's face, bullets tearing through visor as he swung his sword at another, the keen blade slicing through the man's unprotected legs and bringing him down.
He stood before Susan, protecting her with his body, he had failed her once, he would not do so again even if it meant his death. Grimly he fired his gun into the army as Susan fired her arrows over his shoulder, her blue eyes holding a hint of tawny gold as her vision scythed through smoke and dust finding her targets unerringly. Against modern armour and guns, Artemis's bow still proved to the deadlier weapons.
Peter used his Gifts ruthlessly, the machines in the room coming to live. The fridge exploded outwards, the blast taking down two men before it toppled, crushing another as its motors smoked.
He reached out with his mind, invading the radios and phones that connected the soldiers and disrupted the very electrons flowing through their circuits, soldiers screaming as blaring screeches suddenly boomed into their ears.
Lightning leapt from his fingers in brilliant arcs, drawn towards the guns and combat gear the soldiers wore, the metal drawing the lightning with devastating result.
The house was falling apart around their ears, Zaru leaping out of the way as the top floor bathroom collapsed, a sink smashing against a man's head as water fell into torrential downpours.
The leopard leapt onto a fallen length of timber, springboard off and tackling a man around the face, claws finding exposed flesh and tearing deep. Bullets flew like angry wasps all around him, his fur ruffling as they passed but Zaru twisted and dodged, leaping and moving, the bullets hitting the soldiers and missing him each time.
It was a deadly dance, Zaru's every step landing perfectly as he continued his fight.
A soldier charged past Caspian, knocking the king aside as he lunged at Susan. The queen dodged his punch, stabbing him with an arrow.
In quick succession she fired three arrows, each killing their target, her gold-blue eyes darting across the room like dragonflies on a pond, her heart sinking as more reinforcements came.
"THERE'S TOO MANY!" Susan roared over the gunfire and screams, "RETREAT! RETREAT!"
Caspian shouted his approval as he ripped a rifle from a man's hands, replacing his own ran-out gun. He aimed and fire with sniper precision, his time as leader of the Dawn Treaders back in Persephone giving him deadly firearm skills.
"ZARU! PETER!" Susan ordered, "PULL BACK!"
Zaru dived between a man's legs, skidding forwards as Peter took the man down with a crackling bolt.
"PULL BACK!"
Susan gritted her teeth, knowing instinctively the whole house was full of their enemies and retreat was almost impossible but they had to try… they could not win this battle, not with such overwhelming numbers against them.
"RETREA –"
Susan could never be quite sure of what happened next and it haunted her for a very long time.
Caspian had been in front of her, defending her as he fired back at their enemies, defiant to the last. Zaru had roared, ambushing and tearing into the soldiers as Peter had continued his assault, lighting sear flesh with deadly results as both leopard and High King began to back away.
Susan remembered raising her silver bow and aiming at a particular heavyset man and then…
Nothing, just a second of utter chaos where the whole world had become light and sound, blitzing past too fast for her to see and the next thing Susan knew she had been thrown off her feet, her back almost breaking as she was hurled into a wall.
"SU!"
Smoke flooded the room, terrible screams winding through the smog as men died where they lay.
"What…" Susan was confused, blinking, "ZARU!? CASPIAN?!"
Through the smoke a soldier lunged at her, a blur in her dazed vision but Susan managed to smash him in the face with her silver bow knocking him aside. Her sceptre came into her hands without her even knowing how it got there but she stabbed forwards, working on pure instincts and the second soldier fell away, wreathed in crackling blue energy.
She was disorientated, struggling to her feet as she tried to piece what had happened.
"CASPIAN! PETER! ZARU!"
"SU!"
Peter's cursed arms grabbed her, his weakened hands only able to form the lightest of grips as Susan pushed away from the wall, still dazed.
"What happened?" she yelped.
Her ears were ringing, her world still spinning. Peter stomped his foot and a wall of blazing lightning sprung to life, stabbing at the men with sword-like spars and forcing them as he held Susan by the shoulders and concentrated.
The world instantly distorted, warping and twisting in on itself as Peter turned to Susan, the only thing unchanged in the new realm Susan found herself in. She felt nauseous, her head throbbing from when she had hit the wall, her vision spinning as she grappled with the strange fluid, moving world around her.
"Come on," Peter hissed, "Quietly!"
He led the way, plunging through the ruined kitchen door. The rest of the house was ablaze, the ceiling bulging down as the house began to collapse, entire rooms plummeting to the earth from the second floor. The hallway was empty, the signs of a titanical battle still evident, everything including walls and floors torn apart.
Peter cursed softly, still leading his stunned sister as he saw the hovercraft smashing through the back wall. Drawing the distorted air around him closer, concentrating fiercely to hold it intact, they escaped through the destroyed back wall, carefully skirting around the craft.
Soldiers were still pouring into the house, more and more hovercrafts arriving every second. Soldiers occupied the backyard, guarding the house, weapons raised ready to swoop on any fleers but none of them even realised there were enemies amongst them. Peter carefully negotiated his way through the dense thicket of soldiers and guns, avoiding them, sometimes sneaking away just inches from their faces, the smoke pouring from the house easing his task. After several nerve wracking, life-shortening minutes they managed to sneak through the band of men, Peter leading Susan through the destroyed back fence and onto the streets.
People walked by him, not even blinking as an invisible phantom pushed through them, knocking them down. They simply picked themselves up and continued walking, Peter amazed that no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to the siege happening right in the midst
But the people merely smiled their empty happy smiles and continued on their way, Peter grimacing at the emptiness in their eyes. Finally he finally stopped at the fringes of the park, immediately turning to his sister. Susan blinked at him, her mind still stuffed with wool and claxons.
"What…"
The High King looked around, blue eyes flashing as he savagely disabled all cameras in the vicinity with Lauren's Gift before dropping the stealth around them.
He turned back and stared grimly back in the direction of the house, cursing the wall of soldiers that now ringed the place, completely securing the area. There was no hope of sneaking back, no hope of going back and finding the others.
Susan looked at him, horror climbing into her eyes as she realised what had happened.
"The others…"
Peter nodded grimly.
"Most likely taken."
Or dead… but he held his tongue.
"To where?" Susan demanded frantically, clutching at hi.
Peter shrugged helplessly as Susan whirled and stared at the house, horror in her wide blue eyes.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
"Wha…?!"
"Careful," Caspian rumbled.
Inara twisted to look at him.
"What happened?" she demanded stupidly, still groggy.
Caspian raised his hands silently, his wrists shackled, chains binding him to the floor. He was leaning against the wall, long legs splayed casually, a thunderous look on his dark face.
"Oh."
Inara shifted, chains rattling as she tested her bonds. Like Caspian she was securely shackled to the ground.
"Great," Inara slumped back against the wall, "Where are we?"
She looked around, brown eyes taking in their surroundings. The cell was confined, completely bare of any furnishings or comforts. Everything was impossibly white, the floors and walls seemingly glowing, pulsing with life.
Inara bristled, her skin crawling as she felt eyes on her, knowing instinctively that thousands of cameras were trained on her from every angle, her every move recorded and catalogued.
She looked at Caspian, noting his bruised and battered face. She winced as her own wounds twitched knowing she probably looked even worse.
"What happened?"
"They came and they took us," Caspian said bluntly.
He managed a smile, white even teeth stark against his tanned skin.
"But I think Peter and Susan managed to get away," he finished with relish, his voice deliberately loud.
Inara jumped as a soft hiss filled the air, the temperature in the room plummeting as her skin instantly broke out into goosebumps, icy wind cutting through her torn jumpsuit and deep into her flesh.
"What about Doc? Cowboy? Kitty?" Inara demanded, teeth chattering.
The hissed stopped as the temperature slowly climbed back to normal. Inara let out a low sigh of relief as Caspian merely blinked, refusing to react.
"No idea," the king said quietly.
Worry and fear ran through him but Caspian kept up his bland mask, his Telmarine self, the part of him tutored in the bloody art of torture and interrogation knowing the dangers of showing emotions. It was his uncle's hated voice that spoke in his head, softly and deadly repeating the lessons Caspian knew all too well.
In the darkest dungeons of the castle Caspian had been chained as his uncle abused him, curses and threats flying like spittle from his lips as the young prince was humiliated and interrogated for hours on end. He had been shattered, his entire world broken as his uncle ranted, words cutting deeper than blades. In the end he had slumped against his chains, weeping as his uncle mildly told him the lesson was over. He had learn what it felt like to be broken, learnt how to break others. Learn how to resist torture and learnt to use it.
Emotions were as effective as any thumbscrews or hot brands in breaking your enemy. It could be used against you, used to burrow under your skin and into your head, turn everything upside down, make wrong into the right until you broke and confessed everything and anything.
That bitter lesson had been learnt, paid for with tears and anguish. But Caspian was glad for it now, mentally steeling himself for what might come.
"Any idea why they might want Doc?" Inara demanded.
Caspian let out a small sigh, his bleak eyes finding Inara's.
"I think they want him… I don't know why but they might…" he tried to find the right words, tried to put it delicately, "They might use us to get to him."
Inara fell silent, stunned, grappling with her own fears and dark thoughts. She was suddenly acutely aware of her own vulnerability, her powerlessness.
Could she do it? Could she hold out if they hurt her?
Inara's mind flashed back to London, to Keller's maniacal face as he pressed his hands against her skin, branding her simply to watch her scream. She still bore the wounds but that night she had taken refuge in anger, the events that followed and Keller's death softening the blow.
But now…
Inara lifted her chin.
"They'll rescue us," she whispered.
Caspian cursed silently, wishing he had held his tongue as he saw Inara pale. But she looked at him steadily, her eyes flint hard.
They nodded silently at each other, understanding that neither would break, that both of them regardless of what happened next would hold on, waiting until they were rescued.
"I know," Caspian said softly, "I know."
"Plus we're too hot to die," Inara smirked.
Caspian laughed, amazed as always at her ability to laugh at the darkest times. But before he could say a single word, the door to the room slid open.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Zaru cringed as the gorilla screamed in pain, blood splattering the plastic face shield the scientist wore, drill whirring as he continued to probe the ape's brain.
The other animals, all in their enclosures screamed, throwing themselves at their cages as the scientist worked, his assistant taking down notes beside him.
"The amygdala is enlarged suggesting heightened rage and antisocial behaviour," the scientist nodded, the gorilla's eyes wide and terrified as it bulged against its bonds.
The ape was strapped to a cold metal table, fierce lights blazing all around it as the scientist continued to work.
"So it seems that there is a genetic disposition," the assistant noted.
"Yes, if these results are repeated in all of our subjects," the scientist smiled.
The grin was chilling, his eyes as flat and as deadly as a shark's.
"We may have discovered a way to screen for those who could trouble us before they start developing," the scientist said.
He yanked the drill out of the gorilla's skull, the ape limp and whimpering. The scientist stood, tossing the drill casually onto a table as he nodded to his assistant.
"Dispose of this filth," he ordered sharply.
The assistant nodded and instantly rolled the barely alive ape away as the scientist went to his overflowing desk, taking out a folder and jotting down some notes.
"So…"
He turned and Zaru flinched at the madness in his eyes.
"You're the test subject that was with prisoners," the scientist moved towards him with predatory hunger in his eyes, "I wonder what a cat like you was doing with people like them."
He laughed, cackling.
"Maybe I should cut you up and find me some answers."
Zaru's ears were pinned back, the leopard pressing up against the back of his cage, hissing as the scientist gripped the bars with his fingers, pressing his face against the grate, his eyes bulging out of his head.
"What secrets do you have?" the man laughed, "Too bad you can't talk."
Zaru snapped at him, throwing himself at the cage as the scientist leapt back easily.
"Bad kitty!" he snapped.
He slammed a red button near the cage and Zaru instantly screamed, the floor crackling as the cage electrocuted him.
"I would love to just tear you apart," the scientist hissed, "But the higher ups want to keep you alive for now…"
He straightened, a deranged grin on his face.
"So guess what?"
The scientist turned and stalked to the opposite side of the laboratory. He slammed a button on the wall, one of the cages opening.
Zaru heaved himself off the cage floor, his body twitching, fur smoking as the scientist reached inside the opened enclosure. The leopard bared his teeth, hissing furiously as the scientist pulled a rabbit out by its ears, the small mammal kicking wildly as its eyes widened in terror.
"You get to see me at work," the scientist chortled.
Zaru's eyes widened as the man threw the rabbit to the ground and with deliberate slowness, pinned the mammal down with his shoe.
"Of course in this happy world such abuse is frowned upon…"
"Crack!"
The rabbit went still as the man raised his foot, kicking the limp body away.
"But…"
Zaru shuddered as huge python slithered out from amongst the cage, tongue flickering as it winded its way towards the dead rabbit.
"It'll be our secret," the man winked at him, "So don't tell anyone."
The assistant strolled back into the room, completely oblivious to what had happened as his boss winked at Zaru.
"Okay?"
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Jason opened his eyes and found himself staring up at blindingly white ceiling. Grunting, the Seeker tried to sit up but thick leather straps held him down to the table. His limbs were tied down, his head strapped to the table, the man unable to even turn and look to the side. Gnashing his teeth, he opened his hands trying to summon his powers but…
Nothing.
Jason blinked and tried again. He willed anything to open, white fire, the slightest hint of movement, anything to show that his powers still worked. But again… nothing.
Frowning the Seeker turned his mind inwards trying to find what was wrong. He was instantly met with a wall of resistance, a sheer barrier that blocked any attempts to access his powers.
"What the hell?!" Jason snapped, "What the hell's going on?! Where the…"
A long string of curse left his lips as he blinked, eyes watering as he stared up at the brilliant light glaring down at him.
"… am I?" he snarled.
Silence greeted his words. Jason roared, struggling wildly against his bonds but they held tight, pinning him helplessly down to the table. Panting the Seeker fell back down, exhausted.
"I warn you," Jason growled, "I get bored easily. So either do something or entertain me."
"Entertain?"
A shadowy figure swam into his line of vision, a silhouette against the light from above.
"Don't worry, you won't be bored," the woman spoke.
"Who the bloody hell are you?"
The shadowy figure was silent, towering over him, piercing eyes studying every square inch of his body. Jason suddenly flinched, squawking as a scalpel flashed across his cheek drawing blood.
"What the hell?!"
"Blood sample," the woman said casually, disappearing from his limited line of sight, "You are an interesting specimen."
"If you asking me to mate with you, I'll saw to you what I say to all the other ladies… hell no," Jason snapped.
The shadow fell over him again.
"Hilarious," the woman said dryly, "Now… let's have a peek at your history."
Papers rustled as Jason strained to see, cursing as his eyes refused to adjust to the light. The first thing she read, froze his blood.
"Jason Serra. Formerly Nathaniel McLaughlin."
"WHAT?! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
Jason threw himself at the woman but the leather straps held tight, the Seeker practically foaming at the mouth as the woman laughed throatily.
"We detected some kind of mind block in you. The boss is very interested in such things and we have machines that can glean a little from them. And to do that, we have to dismantle the block and examine it bit by bit…"
The Seeker froze as small metal pads were places against his forehead, the woman disappeared as Jason cursed, straining to get at her as a sick feeling rose in his gut.
His instincts were screaming at him, telling him to flee as he struggled to break loose.
"So Jason… Nathaniel…"
The light faded plunging the Seeker into utter darkness.
"This is your life."
And the electrodes began to hum against his skin.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Elias stared out the window, display screens arrayed behind him showing him everything.
Before him was endless blue and white fleece broken only by the dragonfly-like aircrafts as they left or docked at Malik Industries' headquarters. Up close Elias realised something. He frowned.
"They look…"
Exactly like the private transport units of Metech, his home world, replicas down to the very last detail.
The scientist stiffened as an arrowhead-shaped warship suddenly swung into view, the very same model as the one that had assaulted their house from above, bombing their temporary residence into ruin.
These too were modelled like the ones Elias had grown up with all his life, the standard military-issue combat vehicles of Metech's Federation Forces.
The scientist felt cold, faced with a riddle he could not answer. He turned way from the window, frustrated and stared at the plasma screens behind him.
Elias had been the only one of the prisoners conscious when they had arrived at their destination, the soldiers informing him coldly and in mechanical voices that they were approaching Malik Headquarters.
The headquarters was a floating fortress, a warship of gargantuan proportions, a behemoth of steel and cannons. It was strangely elegant in its alien geometric design, hovering high up in the outer fringes of the Earth's atmosphere, protected by its isolation. Any approaching aircraft would be spotted miles away and Elias could only imagine the wrath that would unleashed upon any attacking army having spotted the thousands of turrets and missile ports the fortress bristled with.
No escape... this place was a prison... the perfect prison.
A second door to the room suddenly slid open and Elias started, jumping away from window. He whirled and found himself staring into a face from his past.
"YOU!"
His eyes grew round, his mouth agape as all thoughts were torn from his head and scattered to the winds, shock obliterating all else.
"Hello Elias," the man grinned, "Welcome to my kingdom."
Elias choked but finally managed to suck in a single breath.
"How?!" the scientist staggered back, his voice strangled, "NO! You were lost!"
Images flashed through his head, scientists swarming around a large machine as it whirred. Suddenly claxons rang, lights flashing as the machine crumpled, pulled inwards by a powerful force. It exploded, white light drowning out everything else.
"We were working with particle accelerators," the man corrected nastily, "Probing the space-time continuum itself. It ruptured and I was pulled through."
Elias blinked, working it all out with blistering speed.
"You travelled to another dimension?!" Elias spluttered, "Into this dimension! So time-space rifts and wormholes do exist!? Impossible!"
"You managed to do it," the man sneered, "If you can any fool can as well."
The man turned away him, sweeping regally to the window and looking down through the glass to the floating islands below, to the few hunks of rock that was all that remained of the original planet.
His gaze was disdainful like a king's looking upon an ant's hill.
"Did you enjoy the view?" the man asked, "Did you enjoy seeing what my work has done here?"
The scientist was staring at the man, completely stunned, mind reeling as he tried to piece everything together, tried to understand what was happening.
"Your work?!" Elias demanded.
"Of course, who else has the genius and the skills to do all this?" the man announced grandly.
He turned and Elias finally noticed the richly embroidered clothes he wore, gold and gems glinting at his throat and around all his fingers but the even the most brilliant of gems paled to the fire that burnt in his fanatical eyes.
"Only I could do this! Only I could wrest this world from destruction and turn it to what it is today!" the man raged as if speaking to a vast audience, as if trying to sway an entire world to his beliefs.
"To a world where everyone is brainwashed?" Elias snapped.
"They live in utter harmony and peace. War is unknown. Crime is a rarity. Murder unheard of," the man said dramatically, "I've changed the world for the better."
Elias felt his ire rise, seeing red as the man smiled smugly.
"You have no right!" Elias snarled, "You can't just decide what is good for the world! You can manipulate and brainwash and destroy people just to create a false paradise! What gives you the right to decide what is right and wrong? What gives you the right to shape this world to what you believe in?!"
The words, the sentiments were familiar. The same old arguments, the same old rhetoric and barbs exchanged. Once upon a time such arguments had been petty, nothing more than philosophical musings but now in this strange bizarre world, Elias was protesting against a reality that should've never existed.
His enemy glared at him, hatred flooding his face. His tongue shot up, licking cracked lips as he stomped his feet like a child in a tantrum.
"False paradise?! This is a true utopia! Well… almost," the man twitched, his fists clenching, "There are still some flawed individuals but soon… soon we'll have all of that ironed out and the world will known only peace."
He drew himself to his full height, magnificent in his fervour and utter self-belief. A vein pulsed in his head as he flushed, his words rising to a scream.
"Someone had to stop the madness! Someone had to better this world! Only I, a strange from another world, had the courage to do what was and still is needed!" the man proclaimed dramatically, "Who cares about petty human rights? Who cares about freedom and choice? I am doing this for the greater good!"
Elias glared at him.
"You always were an egomaniac," he said coldly.
"I am a god," his old acquaintance said silkily, "What right have you to judge me?"
"You are a not a god!" Elias snapped, "I've known you since the days of the Institute! I grew up with you! I studied with you! You are not a god! You're just a freak!"
"BAM!"
Elias staggered back, clutching his bleeding nose as the man glared at him. Elias straightened, his gaze utterly disdainful as he allowed blood to drip from his chins, his face betraying no fear.
"I can have you killed right now if I so choose," the false-god before him spat, "You are the one that is pathetic. You believe so much in freedom and humans being left to decide their own destiny… you always have. But don't you see? When given the choice, mankind will always make the worse possible one."
The man smiled.
"I am saving man from himself. Right here I am showing to you, to this world, to all worlds how to make the perfect paradise."
Elias shuddered at the finality, the belief in his voice. He stared at his old friend, his corrupted friend.
"What happened to you?" Elias begged.
"I was given the chance to be salvation and I took it."
'This is not the way," Elias said softly, "Not this."
"Accept it," his friend hissed, "Accept it. It has happened and it is more beautiful and perfect than I could've ever possibly imagined."
He turned back to the window and in one of those random moments of perfect timing, the sun slid from behind a cloud, a brilliant beam of golden light falling over the man. He was instantly wreathed in a halo, an angelic figure offering benediction to Elias, offering to save his soul.
"This is the world I created. This is paradise," the man said grandly, "I am god."
"No…" Elias whispered, "You're not. You're just a man."
His enemy turned to face him as Elias continued to speak.
"You're a scientist. You're just plain old Marcos."
Marcos glared at him and Elias held his gaze, the scientist suddenly deathly afraid for his life. Marcos suddenly relaxed, a cruel smile on his lips.
"Well, we have a dilemma here. You believe one hypothesis and I believe another. You think that left to their own devices man will always choose what is innately right and I believe they will always choose what is selfish and wrong," Marcos chuckled, "We're scientists and what do we do what we're faced with questions?"
Marcos looked at him questioningly but Elias held his tongue.
"We make observations. We test… we experiment," Marcos grinned, the sly smirk of a serpent looped around its prey, "So… let's experiment shall we?"
Frozen fury flashed across the man's face as Elias stiffened.
"Then we'll see just how strong the human spirit really is."
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Author's notes: And we kick off another arc – this one will contain something you have all been waiting for. But it also delves into a lot of ethical/moral dilemmas. Hopefully doesn't bore you too much!
Once again thank you very much for reading! Thank you very much for reviewing – and if you haven't drop a line! And to everyone have a Merry Christmas, a wonderful New Year and keep safe, healthy and sane! (unlike me...)
