Chapter Thirteen: Shadow Puppet
Nick and his Aunt had spent several days with Tony and his family. Deborah would occasionally go back to their house only to pick up things that they needed. They didn't know what to do about the huge puddle Blackheart had left on their floor. If they cleaned it up themselves, who knows what would happen? If they called a hazardous materials team to clean it up, how would they explain it? All they knew that it definately wasn't blood. Nick had a theory that it was either some form of Dark Matter. Nick had a new perspective on everything, as his Aunt had explained to him what happened twelve years ago. Nick couldn't help but feel responsible for everything. He was the one who angered Blackheart at the Commencement. His Aunt could only console him by saying that all this was happening for a reason, and that they'd be able to get through it, as long as they stayed strong.
Nick, Tony, Laurna and Ace had all been trying to find information about Blackheart, as always. This time, they had more clues to work with. With what Nick had experienced, he knew more about Blackheart than anyone among them. They were sitting in the library, where they spent many of their Saturdays, ever since these incidents began. Although, Jason was not with them this time. He had passed the library responsibilities to Laurna.
"Tony, research the name Mephisto, and associate it with words like Dark Lord or Chaos. Find out as much as you can... mythology, legends, anything. We need to know what we're dealing with."
"Right. I'll get on it." Tony continued staring at the monitor in front of him.
"I'll research what was underneath the construction site of the Spire. It's got to be something important if Blackheart is focusing a project on that one spot."
"What do we do?" Laurna asked Nick. She was sitting in a chair next to Ace.
"Laurna, Ace, you guys can try and find out about incidents or news concerning the Blackheart Corporation from the past years." Nick didn't bother looking up. "Look for any deaths, injuries, money transfers, or anything suspicious."
"Gotcha." Laurna turned to the computer monitor.
Ace whispered, "I know your friend Nick has been through a lot, but he seems distant from you today. Should I leave?"
"It's nothing... Don't worry. He's probably just jealous of us, and that's in addition to all the other things in his mind right now. Give him some time, and he should be fine later. Let's just do our best to support him, okay?" she responded.
Ace nodded.
"Hey I found something you guys might want to see." Tony said. "Take a look."
He had stumbled upon various cult websites who worshipped the Lord of Chaos and Mischief, usually referred to as Mephisto. Tony found that they would perform rituals and attempt to use forms of ancient magic. Their magic power was said to come from a potion, said to be the blood of their master, which was thick and black like sludge. No one knew what the potion was composed of to this day. Tony found one thing in common with all the websites.
"Look at who provides the funding for all these cults..."
They weren't surprised as they saw the name which Tony had highlighted.
Jeff Blackheart, Blackheart Corporation.
"It looks like he's the head of a lot more than just his corporation. There are chapters of these cults all over the world, and they see Blackheart as some sort of figurehead, someone who can communicate with their Lord. This has gotta mean something, right Nick?"
"Yeah... The name of this city. I'll look into it..." Nick turned back to his computer and browsed through some search results. "I think this might teach us something..." He clicked on a link.
[The City of Mephisto was named after the deity worshipped by the natives who originally lived in the area thousands of years ago. It was completely demolished after a surge of crime and corruption had run rampant in the city. The city's mayor had forced the complete evacuation of the city, as it was unsafe for living. It is believed that the mayor was superstitious about the city's location, as it was built on top of the ruins of an ancient civilization. He believed that the remnants of the ruins were causing the madness and insanity of the city's people. Mental patients were moved from facilities in Mephisto City, and were later found sane by the psychiatrists at facilities away from the city. The mayor was supposedly a descendant of the people of this ancient civilization, which was most likely cause for his great superstition. His current whereabouts are unknown.]
"Interesting, eh?" Nick said.
"What about New Mephisto City? How did it get here after they demolished the old one?" Laurna asked.
"I think it gets to that...Hold on." Nick clicked through some more links. "Here."
[Fifteen years after the original Mephisto City had been demolished, overcrowding problems in nearby Bayton and Oak City forced a movement for a new city to be built where Mephisto City once stood. This alleviated the overcrowding problem, and provided new job opportunities and schools for children. Mention of the ancient ruins was often ignored, as the crime rate remained steady and under control.]
"That seems reasonable enough... That's about twenty years ago right?" Ace said. "Although, when does Blackheart get involved in all of this?"
"I have no idea about that. Not much is known about Blackheart's past at all. My aunt knows that he moved here from Bay City when he was about fourteen years old, and he lived at the Gilded Wings Child Agency. That's about it. Sometime between then, he won a major Duel Monsters Tournament, winning thousands of dollars in prize money, then orchestrated that buyout of Industrial Illusions. All of us know the rest... After that he moved his base of operations here, and built his business empire by the time he turned eighteen. We've had that info for a long time, since that's what he allows the public to know."
"Guys. Look." Laurna said, dumbfounded at what she had found.
"What is it?" Ace looked at her monitor.
"This headline... 'Two-Hundred Killed in Chemical Plant Explosion' and below it, 'At least three dozen poisoned by unknown substance.' Look, there's a list of all the victims, the people who died of poisoning, and some more information."
Nick walked silently out of the room.
"What's with him?" Ace asked.
"Oh no... Tony go tell him I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."
"Alright..." Tony hesitated a bit, then went after Nick.
"What was that about?" Ace asked.
"Oh, you don't know. This is the same accident that killed Nick's parents twelve years ago. I shouldn't have brought it up." She browsed through the list of victims, until coming to two names, which she highlighted. "See? 'Monika and Victor Poljacik, parents of Nikolas and Duo Poljacik. Killed in car accident caused by explosion.' right there."
"That's so tragic... What were they doing there anyway?"
"They weren't there. Supposedly they were just driving by, and there was the explosion. I remember that day... I was only three years old. I could hear the explosion as if I was right there, although I was miles away..."
"Laurna scroll up a bit, I think I saw something." She did as she said. "There!"
"What?" Laurna turned to the monitor. She couldn't believe what she saw. " 'Xavier and Yolanda Edmont, parents of Zander Edmont. Died of chemical poisoning.' Hmm... You think Zander knows about this?"
"I don't know, but I think you should go to that link below their name, it leads to an article of some sort. It looks like they survived the initial blast, but the exposure to chemicals got them."
Laurna clicked. She took a short glance at the article. "It says that they were in the hospital for several days, suffering from burns, abrasions, lacerations, etc. The doctors had no idea how to treat their chemical exposure, so they did their best to save them, but couldn't. The physical injuries were somewhat minor, but the exposure caused them to slip into some sort of coma. They died shortly after." Laurna looked towards Ace.
"Does it mention Zander anywhere?"
"Actually it does... When his parents died, Zander was put into care of a certain children's agency. The Gilded Wings Children's Agency."
"Hmm... So does that mean that Blackheart could be involved somewhere here?"
"I can almost guarantee he did something. He was only fifteen at the time, but we don't know much about his past, like Nick said."
"Well Laurna, just when it looks like this mystery is starting to make sense... Thousands of new questions rise..."
---
Fifteen minutes later, Nick and Tony returned from outside. Nick had a stern expression.
"Okay. I'm okay now." Nick took a seat. "I'll get back to work."
"Nick, I think we've done enough for today." Laurna got up. "I think we've found enough information for today. At least we have something to work from now."
"Yeah, we've found out that Zander's parents, Xavier and Yolanda, were somehow involved in that explosion, since they worked at the chemical plant. They died in the hospital from chemical poisoning, but apparently..." Ace paused. "There was a visitor about an hour before their deaths. It was an unidentified teenager, dressed in all black, supposedly one of the boys from the Gilded Wings Children's Agency. They didn't mind because there were lots of kids around from the Agency because of that explosion. The office happened to be in the bottom floor of the hospital, and across the street was the home for those children, so it must have been over looked that they had a visitor. I think that visitor was Jeff Blackheart. It's seemingly obvious."
"Sheesh Ace, you got all that from a single article?" Nick was impressed rather than being jealous as he usually was. "What do we do with all the information we've gathered today?"
"I figure that we look into the whole cult thing more, and find out as much as we can about this Mephisto guy... I think we know a lot more than we did before." Tony held out some information he had printed out. "This is a list of some of the websites, if you wanna do any more searching." He handed a list to each of them.
"So what are we going to do now?" Ace asked.
"I sent an email to Zander. His email address was on that information card he dropped at my house. I'm telling him about all this information we found."
"But wouldn't he know about all this by now?" Ace was puzzled.
"If he knows that Blackheart did something to his parents, or even considered the possibility, why would he be such a loyal worker to him? He is his first eliminator, and most likely the most trusted. Zane may be Blackheart's right-hand man, his assistant, but Zander is his reliable henchman, doing what he is told with no question."
"Right... But how does telling him affect us?" Tony asked.
"I think that if we can turn him around, we'll have an inside man at Blackheart Corporation. From his behavior during our duel, he didn't seem like all that bad of a guy. Usually I can tell these things..." she replied.
"What about what happened with Dianah?" Nick said.
"That was different. She had us wrapped in the tentacles of that plant, threatening to kill us... After I beat Zander, he did nothing but leave. That I found incredibly odd. Maybe there is a bit of salvageable goodness left inside him. I tend to believe in the best of people, so that's why I emailed Zander."
"That's good thinking Laurna." Nick turned to Tony. "Hey is it okay if we go home to your house now? I'm getting a little tired and I think I should get a little sleep."
"Sure man, let's go. You guys gonna be okay?" Tony asked Ace and Laurna.
"Yeah, I'll drive Laurna home when we're finished here." Ace replied, reading information off of Laurna's monitor.
"Okay. We'll talk later." Tony and Nick picked up their things and left.
---
At the Blackheart Corporation Headquarters...
Zander was sitting at his desk, typing up a progress report for Jeff.
[Package delivered with no complications. I dueled with Laurna, and was defeated, allowing Miss Hope her last Decoder Device, qualifying her for the tournament finals.]
Zander printed out his report, and signed it. Suddenly, a message popped up on his screen.
[You have mail.]
"Hmm... Wonder who it's from...?" He said to himself. He set the report down and opened the email. He read silently to himself.
"What....? She must be lying! This can't be true..." He clicked on the link leading to the various sources of information she had found. "Blackheart has been lying to me all these years... The hospital records say he was the last visitor to my parents before their death... That bastard... He told me that he visited them to tell my parents that if they died, the Gilded Wings Agency would take good care of me... He must have been involved..." Zander had an indignant expression, feeling a mix of emotions. "If all this is true... I've been mislead for over twelve years! I have to find out more..."
---
Zander left his office, heading down the hall to Blackheart's office. He wasn't going to confront him directly about it, but would tell him he needed to take care of some business. Since Blackheart was very different lately, it wouldn't be a problem. Almost hesitantly, he stepped through the door.
"Mr. Blackheart sir, are you busy at the moment?"
"No, I have a few minutes free. What is it?" Blackheart stood staring out the window, with his back turned to Zander.
"I just needed to tell you that I'm off to investigate Blackheart Chemical Plant on the outskirts of town. There were some trouble makers who tampered with the equipment last night, and I want to make sure there isn't going to be a problem."
"I see. Well, make sure the problem is taken care of. I have some business of my own to attend to."
"Yes sir. " Zander turned around then left, closing the door behind him.
Blackheart walked to his desk, and pressed the button on his intercom.
"Zane, I'll be gone for a few hours. If anything important comes up, let me know."
"Yes sir." said the voice that came from the intercom.
Jeff went back to the window and pressed on the latch. The window opened up, allowing blustery winds to enter the office, which blew various papers around. Huge, leathery wings emerged from Jeff's back, protruding through the back of his trenchcoat. With that, he jumped out of the window and took flight.
---
Zander drove his car out of the parking garage underneath the Blackheart Corporation Headquarters. He didn't head straight for the chemical plant. There was someone he needed to pay a visit to. He dialed a number on his cell phone as he drove down the street. Zander awaited an answer.
"Hello?" a woman's voice came from the phone.
"Hey Sera, it's Zander."
"Oh... Hi there."
"I need to ask you a favor Sera... It's really important."
"Sure. Anything for you Zander... What do you need?"
"We can't talk about it now, but I'll be at your place in a few minutes. Is that alright?"
"Okay, I'll be waiting."
The woman who Zander spoke with was a friend of his from the Gilded Wings Children's Agency. Her name was Sera, an orphan as well. She didn't even know if she had a last name, as she had suffered from amnesia. Sera had always been a sister to Zander, because neither of them had a real family. When she was adopted, she was abused by the adopted parents, so she was put back under the agency's care. Sera said the abused her because she was different, but Zander never understood how until she showed him that she had an odd power inside her. She has no idea how or why she has it, but now she lives alone in a secluded area because of her ability. She only leaves her home when she feels it is necessary.
Zander arrived at her home ten minutes later, parking his car behind the small, square shaped house. He walked to the front door and knocked lightly.
"Sera, it's Zander. You can let me in. I'm alone."
"I'll be right there." The door opened, and standing there was a woman, her skin pale, clad in all black. Her hair reached her knees, which she was dyed jet-black, and had red steaks running through it. Sera's arms were adorned in all sorts of trinkets, chains, and bracelets.
"You're looking different, Sera..." Zander hadn't seen her in years, and was surprised at what he saw. "New hairdo?"
"Yeah, I'm glad you noticed." She made an attempt to smile. "Come in and have a seat."
Zander did so, taking off his jacket and folding it in his lap. Sera sat down in a chair across from him.
"Now, there was a favor you needed?" she asked.
"Let's forget that for now, we haven't seen each other in years... How have you been?"
"Zander, I know you didn't come here for small talk, and I doubt any occurences in my life would interest you."
"What's wrong Sera...? Did I come at a bad time?"
"No... Sorry... It's just that I sense something. Something very bad. It will be catastrophic to all the people in this city..."
"What...? What do you mean?" Zander got up out of his chair.
"I'm sorry... I'm just rambling on about a vision I had... Lately, I've been seeing all these terrible things... Now please, just tell me what you need me for..."
"I want to know if you can use your power to look into my past, and show me exactly how my parents died..."
"Zander, but I thought you never wanted me to do such a thing for you? Just as I would never want to see my own past, it would be such an unimaginable pain. However, my powers cannot be used on myself, only others. But if it is what you wish, I can aid you."
"Thank you Sera. Now how does it work now? You haven't done something like this for me in awhile."
"Have a seat at my table over there, and lay your hands on the table, close to the center. Have your palms face up."
Zander did as she said.
"Okay, now I'm going to paint a symbol on the palms of your hands." She took out a small glass container filled with a black substance. A paintbrush was already sitting inside the container, which Sera had used to paint several odd characters on both of Zander's hands. "Close your eyes, and I'll paint a last symbol on your forehead. Then we can begin."
Zander closed his eyes. "Is this all necessary? Before you would just put your hands over my eyes and we would both see the images in our minds..."
"Ah, but back then, I did not know how to use my abilities, and it was very painful for me to do so. When I use this method, it only has a strain on me, causing great fatigue. Which is why I sleep so often." She painted the characters on Zander's forehead, then took as seat across the table.
"Are we ready to begin?"
"Yes, now just relax yourself, and try to keep your mind clear..." Sera's hands moved over Zander's. The paint began to emit a gentle glow. "Let us see into the past..." Sera breathed in deeply...
---
"What's happening? I hear sirens..." Zander said.
"We're experiencing the events of the past... I hope you find the answers you seek. Please keep quiet because I must concentrate. Any questions you have I can answer later. Just focus on using your eyes now..." Zander could hear Sera's voice as if it were coming from miles away.
They were twelve years into the past, floating ominously above New Mephisto City, seeing the chemical plant, minutes after the explosion had occurred. Ambulances were swarming the area like bees. The police had barricaded the immediate area. Everything was a mess. Cars had piled up on the roads, the chemical plant was covered in flames, the smoke wafting in the winds, contaminating the air... The paramedics were acting quickly as the fire department tried to control the blaze. They feared another explosion would happen if they didn't take control of the fire.
Zander focused on certain areas, trying to see where his parents were. He also tried to see if anything else was recognizable. He had spotted them being taken away by a pair of ambulances. He could hear everything the paramedics were saying.
"These two aren't in such bad shape, if we hurry them to the hospital, they'll survive. I'll take the guy in the back of mine, you bring the girl. Now let's go!" One of them said.
Zander saw his parents as they lay there, seemingly lifeless. Their labcoats were badly burned, but they didn't appear to have any serious injuries. Others hadn't been so lucky. Some had missing limbs, some lay against the burning structure of the building, undiscovered by the paramedics as they bled to death. The employees of the chemical plant weren't the only victims. The area felt the impact of the explosion, and debris had flown everywhere. Cars were struck by the flying rubble, being sent off the road, and some exploding on contact with larger debris. Everything within a two mile radius of the explosion was in utter chaos.
Zander felt sick as his eyes met with the wreckage of a car. It crashed into a wall, as the highway below them had been shattered by the impact of the explosion. The couple who had been inside the car had been ejected... The man had hit the ground hard, and become almost nothing more than a smear on the road. However, the man's wife had met a worse fate; she could do nothing but watch as her beloved husband died. She had ignored her own injuries as she slowly crawled toward the remains of her husband. Zander was disgusted at the sight, but could not stop watching as this seemed important to the events of the future. The woman struggled to reach her husband, her leg broken, bending impossibly in all the wrong directions, and she was impaled in the stomach with a piece of the wreckage. Finally, she reached her husband's side.
"Victor... this isn't happening..." the woman cried. "All we wanted was a weekend to ourselves... Now we'll never live to see out beautiful children again..." She collapsed and continued bleeding on her husband's body.
Victor's lips muttered, "Monika...Nikolas... Duo... I love you all..."
Zander had felt empathetic at the gruesome sight. Those were Nick's parents. He felt guilty for all the evil he had done while working with Blackheart. He turned away in disgust, but couldn't escape himself.
He saw more horrors and so many more people in pain, he couldn't take it any more.
Suddenly, his field of vision was changed to the hospital. He looked around, seeing that this place was just as chaotic as the scene of the explosion. Doctors rushing everywhere, trying to tend to the injured and dying. He watched as things calmed down over the course of several hours. The doctors had stabilized those they could, and they informed the families of the dead. The next thing he saw was something that he was able to remember vaguely. He saw himself sitting in the room where they had taken his parents. The doctor was talking to him.
"Zander, this may look bad, but your parents are very lucky. The other people who work at that chemical plant were hurt really badly, but your parents are going to be okay. Right now they are just sleeping. We'll make sure to take care of them. You'll have to wait before you can see them again, because there are a few things the doctors need to do, so this nurse will show you to the daycare area. There are some kids there who you can talk to and play with."
The nurse took Zander's hand and led him away. The doctor tidied up a bit in the room, and checked their vital signs again. A woman followed by two children entered the room. The children had taken seats outside the room.
"Oh, you must be the woman from the Gilded Wings Children's Agency. I'm Doctor Harkins." said the doctor.
"Yes. My name's Gloria Perrinson. It's nice to meet you. I've been really busy today..."
"I know. Such a horrible tragedy."
"It looks like we're going to need to take some children under our care. Many of the victims don't have any immediate family to contact. How are these people doing? I heard that they're in better condition than most of the victims."
"Yes, they got away with only minor burns and lacerations. They sure are lucky. Are those your kids over there?"
"No, they're just a couple of my kids at the Agency. The girl is named Sera, we've had her under our care since she was only five years old. She hasn't been able to find a home... The people who adopted her previously had abused her."
"Oh, I see... Who's the other?"
"That's Jeff. Jeff Blackheart. He's fifteen years old and has become somewhat of an assistant to me at the Agency. Unfortunately, no one has really opted to take him into their home... He's a bit odd for most of the people looking to adopt. He's been with us for two years..."
"He doesn't look odd to me..." The doctor said. "He must just really like to wear black."
"That may be, but he is very disturbed mentally. I don't have the heart to put him into a correctional facility..."
A voice came over the PA system.
[Paging Doctor Harkins. Please report to the OR.]
"Well, that's me... It was a pleasure meeting you Gloria." He rushed off to the nearest elevator.
"Jeff, Sera... time to move along." she said. "I've got other people I need to see."
Sera returned to her side.
"Where's Jeff gone off to?"
"I'm not sure... He said he went to the restroom. It's been a little too long though." said Sera.
"Oh no... He must have run off again... I hate when he does this... Let's go find him."
Meanwhile...
Jeff stood in the restroom, staring into the mirror.
"What more do you want from me? I've done all you've asked!"
A shadow in the mirror responded.
[THERE IS ONE LAST COMMAND I HAVE FOR YOU. THOSE TWO WHO DID NOT SUSTAIN FATAL INJURIES. THEY SAW WHAT YOU DID. YOU MUST END THEIR LIVES BEFORE THEY CAN SPEAK OF WHAT THEY KNOW. YOU MUST DO THIS TO PROTECT YOURSELF. I WILL ALSO ASK FOR YOU AID IN THE FUTURE.]
"Fine...I'll do your bidding again... But this has to be the last time... Then you'll leave... me... ALONE!" Jeff slammed his head into the mirror, shattering it.
---
Present day...
Blackheart was standing with a Sumga Hong and Manuel Figo in an alleyway. They had been chasing down a middle aged man. He was cornered by the three of them.
"W-what do you want from me...?" he asked.
"It appears that you've forgotten... Perhaps you don't remember me..." Blackheart said as he stepped toward him. "You were there twelve years ago at the hospital after the explosion at the chemical plant. Is that correct Doctor Harkins...?"
"Yes... but who are you?" His back was against the wall now, and Blackheart could sense the fear inside him.
"My name is Jeff Blackheart. You saved the lives of all those people who should have died that day. I suppose the time has come for me to even the score..."
"You're insane. Now please, let me go, I've done nothing to you."
"Ah, but you have. My master was very angry that there were survivors of that incident. He said I failed him... He said that I wasn't fit to be his servant... And now, twelve years later, I am still bound to him. It is a gift to serve such a prominent figure, but it is also a curse. You're responsible for that. I will not allow you to help anymore people."
His eyes widened. "With the way you describe it, it sounds like you were the one responsible for that explosion... If that's true I'm calling the police."
"I never said that I wasn't." The look on Jeff's face instantly became sadistic. "And I don't think the police will be able to do much. Besides, you're not going anywhere."
He clutched the doctor's neck with his right hand, making him choke for air. Doctor Harkins reached into his pocket and drew a knife. He thrust it into Blackheart's midsection.
Blackheart's eyes widened. He put his left hand up to the spot where the knife had penetrated his flesh.
"Ugh..." He grabbed Harkins' arm and twisted it until he released the knife. "That almost hurt." Jeff smiled. "Here's your knife back." He pulled it out and held it out in his hand while still grasping his throat with the other. Harkins attempted to reach for it, but felt weak. "Well, too late." The knife was crushed in Jeff's hand.
He started losing consciousness as he wasn't getting enough oxygen. Harkins looked down at the wound he had inflicted on Jeff, and it was dripping a black sludge-like substance. He gasped for air as he tried to squeeze out words.
"Oh, I'm sorry, can't breath?" He released his grip and the doctor fell to the ground.
"That black sludge... It's the same poison that they found inside the chemical plant and the bloodstreams of many of the people who died. Including the two cases we had expected to recover, the Edmonts... What is it...?" He said as he breathed heavily.
"You have a good memory, but you couldn't even remember who I am? What a shame, I was considering letting you live. However, now that you know a little too much, maybe you'll serve me better."
"What!? No! I have a family! Please let me go!"
"Come now, be realistic. We both know that isn't going to happen." Jeff extended his arms to his sides. "Right now your free will seems to be very annoying to me. Maybe I should rid you of it!"
A strange glow emitted from Jeff's hands. Doctor Harkins collapsed to the ground, instantly falling unconscious. A bright light started to emerge from his chest, which Jeff snatched up with his hands. The light faded out.
"Another soul for the master to feed on once he arrives." Jeff had his hands over his chest. "Take the body to the Spire. His brain should still be functional enough for something there."
"Right away, sir. Manuel, get the car." Sumga tossed Manuel the keys. "And you Mr. Blackheart, sir? Should we return for you?"
"That's not needed. I"m going to see where Zander has been spending the last couple of hours. He claimed to be going to the Blackheart Chemical Plant on the outskirts of town, but he is a few miles away from it according to the tracker inside his cell phone. I do not doubt his loyalty to me, but any suspicious behavior is something I want to handle myself."
"Right sir. Well deliver this body to the Spire and then await further orders." Sumga dragged the body into the car where Manuel waited. The drove off quickly.
"Ah Zander, what are you up to?" Blackheart walked out of the alleyway.
---
Back in Zander's visions...
Blackheart had just left the bathroom, where Sera noticed the shattered mirror. It seemed as if she missed him by seconds.
"Jeff...don't go cause any trouble..." she said as she saw the shards of glass everywhere.
Jeff had entered the room where Xavier and Yolanda Edmont were.
"Okay, now what do you want me to do? You promised this would be the last thing!"
[I SAID THIS WOULD BE MY LAST COMMAND. I PROMISED NOTHING. WE WILL MEET AGAIN IN THE FUTURE, FOR YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE OF CHAOS. IT IS YOUR DESTINY WHICH WILL BE APPARENT SOON ENOUGH. FOR NOW, I COMMAND YOU TO SLIT YOUR OWN WRIST ABOVE THAT WATER CONTAINER. IT WILL NOT SPILL YOUR OWN BLOOD, BUT WILL POISON THEM. THEY SURELY WILL NOT SURVIVE.]
"My destiny..." He shrugged it off then did as he was told. He took out a small pocket knife and slit his wrist. A black substance dripped into the water container, dissolving without a trace. Before he could put away his knife, the cut in his wrist closed up and healed.
"Hmm..." he was amazed at what he just saw. "Maybe serving you won't be so bad... My destiny has to be better than everything I've been through..."
~~~
Zander had seen what he wanted. "Sera, I've seen enough! Return us to our time!"
There was a burst of light...Suddenly Zander felt as if his mind was soaring, transcending time itself. He looked down and saw he was back inside of Sera's home, sitting in one of her chairs.
"That evil son of a..." Zander muttered.
"Please, calm yourself. If he discovers that you have unearthed the truth, he will surely kill you."
Zander looked at his watch. "No... how long has it been since I got here?"
"I suppose about an hour and a half. Why? Is there another matter you must attend to?"
"I'm supposed to be at a Blackheart Chemical Processing Plant right now, and since I've been here for an hour, the tracker that Blackheart puts on all his employees can be used to track me... I'm sorry Sera, but I've got to go now..."
"Be careful." she said as Zander rushed out the door. "I fear this may be the last time we meet..."
---
Zander arrived at the chemical plant fifteen minutes later, and soon enough, he received a phone call from Jeff Blackheart.
"Zander, how are things at that chemical plant? According to the files, they will be providing fuels and preservation materials for the drilling project."
"I'm sorry sir, but I haven't gotten to check on the vital statistics of this place yet. I've been inspecting the plant in my own way and have not yet been given the criteria from the higher administrative members of the staff. I'll be sure to get on it right away."
"Be sure that you do. I plan on starting the drill testing in about forty-five minutes. You do not need to be witness nor is the information necessary to begin, but I wish to have it by the end of the day."
"Yes sir. What will your part be in the drill testing?"
"I'll be monitoring the seismic disturbance from several points in the city. Just to make sure there is no unnecessary anxiety among citizens as well. I'll be able to keep them in order."
"Okay, I'll be ready with the report when I return to HQ."
"Good. Keep in touch."
Zander let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't done anything yet, and just lied to Blackheart. He quickly entered the plant and got to work on his status report.
---
Blackheart put away his cell phone. "Haha, Zander, you liar. Seeing old friends when you should be on the job. I won't punish you... just yet... For there is more than one way to break a man..." he turned to the woman who was tied to a chair. "Right, Sera?"
She struggled to get free. "Let me go... You've let me be alone all these years and you come after me now?"
"It appears you've crossed paths with an old friend of yours... I left you alone as long as you did not interfere with my business, and now your intervention will not be tolerated!" He leered into her. "Now tell me, why was Zander here?"
"I'd rather lose my own life than betray his trust..."
"That can be arranged Sera... You probably can tell what I am capable of just by looking into me with your powers."
Sera remained silent. "Don't act like you don't know what I'm speaking of! I helped you develop those very abilities of yours! Ingrateful whore... If your life is the price you'll pay to protect Zander, then so be it." Another thought struck his mind. "However... I'm actually quite fond of you... Such a lovely face... I cannot harm such a thing... Perhaps this way will be much less painful, and you'll be an excellent addition to the collection of souls I have prepared for my master..."
A blinding light emitted from Sera's chest...