[u]Chapter 10 - Burn[/u]
Now everyone stood assembled in the room, watching Josie get hooked up to an impressive looking machine. And her Chi Gong ball floating in a container—attached to that was the area the wormhole was being manipulated and siphoned to. It all looks very post-modern in a big budget science fiction film kind of way.
Every time someone made a protest about Josie doing this, she quickly quieted them with that fact that it was her choice.
"I don't want to look, but my eyes refuse to look away," Lucas said out loud to himself. "Stupid eyes."
Vaughn came in the door, just as the final preparations were being made. It was time to being.
"Here you go, dad," he said as he pulled Josie2 and Mirror-Josie through the door.
"Why are they here?" Victor asked harshly. "I told you to take them to the containment center."
Vaughn shrugged lightly, defiance filling his eyes. He pushed Josie2 to where John was standing and held Mirror-Josie next to him. She wasn't going anywhere. Lucas glared at Victor as he activated the machine. It was beginning.
"When will I get the information?" John asked impatiently.
"Later," Victor replied, bored with John's whining. "Ms. Trent, you will feel a slight amount of pain."
Josie shot him a dark look. "Thanks for the—"
The piercing pain that ran down her back stopped her from saying anything else. Electricity coursed down her body, energy tore her apart inside. Her breaths were shallow as the pupils in her eyes disappeared.
[i]These are my...
Get out of my mind!
Stop it!
Leave me alone!
You're raping my mind![/i]
Josie's eyes were wide with pain, as her deepest fears were being exploited in her mind. This wasn't just a simple transporter. The subject had to be imprinted first, so they could be exchanged or retrieved.
Lucas spun around to face John. "What the hell kind of machine is this?" He yelled at the new player. "What have you gotten us into?"
John pulled him close. "I didn't pull you into anything, Lucas. Let me remind you that all this was going to explode in your face for a long time!"
Lucas swung his fist at him. John ducked and drove a punch into his stomach. He pushed the smaller boy on to the ground, and looked down on him.
"Understand?" He asked. "That is why you fail."
Coughing, Lucas clutched his side and got up to his feet with the help of Marshall. Fighting what his impulses screamed, Lucas turned his attention back to Josie.
[i]These were.
They're not.
Who are you?
I know you[/i].
Despite the pain and the noise, Josie formulated some words: "These... aren't... mine... This... isn't me! It's—Oh god!"
A twisted smile crossed Victor's face as he breathed out heavily with relief. Soon it would be over. He would be happy.
"Dad," Vaughn said not moving an inch. "What's she talking about?"
No answer.
Marshall looked Lucas directly in the face. He could tell by the fidgeting Lucas was prepared to do anything he could. "No you can't do that. They'll get you."
"But I have to do something," he pleaded. "Prove to her that I..."
"Others love you. Not just her," Marshall said adamantly.
[i]Now or never[/i], John thought as he looked at everyone, and then focused his eyes back on Josie. He couldn't stand this anymore. Slowly he dug his hand into his back pocket. He pulled out a gun and raised it at Victor.
"What do you thinks happening?" Mirror-Vaughn asked the other two, looking directly into the security-camera.
"Lucas and Marshall," Mirror-Marshall murmured. "There's something going on there."
Mirror-Vaughn sighed. "No, not the inner workings of the science club, what's happening with everyone. Now. Where ever they were sent to by John," he replied pushing up his glasses. "We need to get out of here."
Mirror-Lucas half-turned. "And how do propose we do that?"
"Deus-ex machina?" Mirror-Vaughn offered.
The door slid open quietly as the lights shut off.
"You were saying?" Mirror-Lucas asked amused, as the three moved out of the room.
Mirror-Lucas and Mirror-Vaughn headed towards where they assumed everyone else was. Mirror-Marshall wasn't about to. He stopped suddenly and gestured back towards the entrance. Mirror-Lucas glanced at Mirror-Vaughn. He shrugged slightly, and walked back to Mirror-Marshall.
"Are you coming?" The moody Mirror-person asked.
Mirror-Vaughn shook his head. "No. We need to see what they're doing."
"Fine, we'll see you back in our reality," Mirror-Marshall said regretfully. "Don't get killed now."
Mirror-Marshall turned away and walked off gradually with Mirror-Lucas trailing behind him. A pained expression crossed Mirror-Vaughn's face as he headed north—maybe south, he wasn't exactly sure being underground and all—swallowing hard at his lack of defenses or plan of any kind.
Swinging his gun away from Victor's head, John unloaded the clip of the gun into the various mechanical and technological implements around the room, shutting off all the power and providing a large distraction. He threw Josie2 to the floor in the confusion and grabbed the folder with his name and '[i]Le enfant terrible[/i]' attached next to it and swept out of the room majestically, a proud smile on his face.
Mirror-Josie began to unattatch Josie from the main machine as the backup generator kicked in. As she was helped up, Josie pushed away from her Mirror-self and tore the Chi Gong from it's casing. She stood in front of the dissolving wormhole, and held it high above her head.
"Victor!" She cried. "You can't play with peoples lives this way!"
Victor wasn't listening. "It's all gone..."
"Dad?" Vaughn asked softly. "Are you okay?"
"I've lost everything..." He looked up to face Josie2. "[i]You[/i]! You've done this, ruined everything."
She shook her head. "This isn't my fault. It'd be hers if anyone's," she said pointing to Josie.
"No," he murmured, the quiet vehemence in his voice sent a chill down Josie2's spine. "No, it's not her fault. Man's only protection is science."
Vaughn backed away from the Victor and Josie2 stare down and sent Corrine and Marshall after the Mirror-selves.
"We'll find them and bring them back here. Unconscious if we have to," Marshall promised.
Corrine was less sure about going alone with Marshall. "I don't think I should, I mean... I can't."
"Corrine, this is not about you," Vaughn warned her. "Mope later!"
She looked away.
Marshall went to grab her arm, retracting it quickly when he thought about it.
While they were leaving Mirror-Josie, acting on impulse slammed into Josie as hard as she could. Josie slipped, slightly, trying to regain her balance as she dropped the Chi Gong ball behind her. Marshall and Corrine turned back into the room—it was too risky to leave now.
"No!" Victor cried. "I will not give in! I won't!"
The ball vanished through the wormhole before he could reach it. Josie couldn't regain her balance so she grabbed Mirror-Josie by the wrist and dragged her down with her.
Vaughn and Lucas ran towards her—but to no avail. They were gone as quickly as the ball. Vaughn froze, he felt like throwing up he tried to get to the wormhole by himself. Lucas held him back, while fighting his own urges and the tears welling up inside.
Josie2 felt the pain they were feeling, only on a different level. Nonetheless, she left the room silently, running into Mirror-Vaughn on her way out, and dragging him away with her.
Without warning, the wormhole let out a blast of energy. It hit everyone. Nothing moved. Fade to black.
Now everyone stood assembled in the room, watching Josie get hooked up to an impressive looking machine. And her Chi Gong ball floating in a container—attached to that was the area the wormhole was being manipulated and siphoned to. It all looks very post-modern in a big budget science fiction film kind of way.
Every time someone made a protest about Josie doing this, she quickly quieted them with that fact that it was her choice.
"I don't want to look, but my eyes refuse to look away," Lucas said out loud to himself. "Stupid eyes."
Vaughn came in the door, just as the final preparations were being made. It was time to being.
"Here you go, dad," he said as he pulled Josie2 and Mirror-Josie through the door.
"Why are they here?" Victor asked harshly. "I told you to take them to the containment center."
Vaughn shrugged lightly, defiance filling his eyes. He pushed Josie2 to where John was standing and held Mirror-Josie next to him. She wasn't going anywhere. Lucas glared at Victor as he activated the machine. It was beginning.
"When will I get the information?" John asked impatiently.
"Later," Victor replied, bored with John's whining. "Ms. Trent, you will feel a slight amount of pain."
Josie shot him a dark look. "Thanks for the—"
The piercing pain that ran down her back stopped her from saying anything else. Electricity coursed down her body, energy tore her apart inside. Her breaths were shallow as the pupils in her eyes disappeared.
[i]These are my...
Get out of my mind!
Stop it!
Leave me alone!
You're raping my mind![/i]
Josie's eyes were wide with pain, as her deepest fears were being exploited in her mind. This wasn't just a simple transporter. The subject had to be imprinted first, so they could be exchanged or retrieved.
Lucas spun around to face John. "What the hell kind of machine is this?" He yelled at the new player. "What have you gotten us into?"
John pulled him close. "I didn't pull you into anything, Lucas. Let me remind you that all this was going to explode in your face for a long time!"
Lucas swung his fist at him. John ducked and drove a punch into his stomach. He pushed the smaller boy on to the ground, and looked down on him.
"Understand?" He asked. "That is why you fail."
Coughing, Lucas clutched his side and got up to his feet with the help of Marshall. Fighting what his impulses screamed, Lucas turned his attention back to Josie.
[i]These were.
They're not.
Who are you?
I know you[/i].
Despite the pain and the noise, Josie formulated some words: "These... aren't... mine... This... isn't me! It's—Oh god!"
A twisted smile crossed Victor's face as he breathed out heavily with relief. Soon it would be over. He would be happy.
"Dad," Vaughn said not moving an inch. "What's she talking about?"
No answer.
Marshall looked Lucas directly in the face. He could tell by the fidgeting Lucas was prepared to do anything he could. "No you can't do that. They'll get you."
"But I have to do something," he pleaded. "Prove to her that I..."
"Others love you. Not just her," Marshall said adamantly.
[i]Now or never[/i], John thought as he looked at everyone, and then focused his eyes back on Josie. He couldn't stand this anymore. Slowly he dug his hand into his back pocket. He pulled out a gun and raised it at Victor.
"What do you thinks happening?" Mirror-Vaughn asked the other two, looking directly into the security-camera.
"Lucas and Marshall," Mirror-Marshall murmured. "There's something going on there."
Mirror-Vaughn sighed. "No, not the inner workings of the science club, what's happening with everyone. Now. Where ever they were sent to by John," he replied pushing up his glasses. "We need to get out of here."
Mirror-Lucas half-turned. "And how do propose we do that?"
"Deus-ex machina?" Mirror-Vaughn offered.
The door slid open quietly as the lights shut off.
"You were saying?" Mirror-Lucas asked amused, as the three moved out of the room.
Mirror-Lucas and Mirror-Vaughn headed towards where they assumed everyone else was. Mirror-Marshall wasn't about to. He stopped suddenly and gestured back towards the entrance. Mirror-Lucas glanced at Mirror-Vaughn. He shrugged slightly, and walked back to Mirror-Marshall.
"Are you coming?" The moody Mirror-person asked.
Mirror-Vaughn shook his head. "No. We need to see what they're doing."
"Fine, we'll see you back in our reality," Mirror-Marshall said regretfully. "Don't get killed now."
Mirror-Marshall turned away and walked off gradually with Mirror-Lucas trailing behind him. A pained expression crossed Mirror-Vaughn's face as he headed north—maybe south, he wasn't exactly sure being underground and all—swallowing hard at his lack of defenses or plan of any kind.
Swinging his gun away from Victor's head, John unloaded the clip of the gun into the various mechanical and technological implements around the room, shutting off all the power and providing a large distraction. He threw Josie2 to the floor in the confusion and grabbed the folder with his name and '[i]Le enfant terrible[/i]' attached next to it and swept out of the room majestically, a proud smile on his face.
Mirror-Josie began to unattatch Josie from the main machine as the backup generator kicked in. As she was helped up, Josie pushed away from her Mirror-self and tore the Chi Gong from it's casing. She stood in front of the dissolving wormhole, and held it high above her head.
"Victor!" She cried. "You can't play with peoples lives this way!"
Victor wasn't listening. "It's all gone..."
"Dad?" Vaughn asked softly. "Are you okay?"
"I've lost everything..." He looked up to face Josie2. "[i]You[/i]! You've done this, ruined everything."
She shook her head. "This isn't my fault. It'd be hers if anyone's," she said pointing to Josie.
"No," he murmured, the quiet vehemence in his voice sent a chill down Josie2's spine. "No, it's not her fault. Man's only protection is science."
Vaughn backed away from the Victor and Josie2 stare down and sent Corrine and Marshall after the Mirror-selves.
"We'll find them and bring them back here. Unconscious if we have to," Marshall promised.
Corrine was less sure about going alone with Marshall. "I don't think I should, I mean... I can't."
"Corrine, this is not about you," Vaughn warned her. "Mope later!"
She looked away.
Marshall went to grab her arm, retracting it quickly when he thought about it.
While they were leaving Mirror-Josie, acting on impulse slammed into Josie as hard as she could. Josie slipped, slightly, trying to regain her balance as she dropped the Chi Gong ball behind her. Marshall and Corrine turned back into the room—it was too risky to leave now.
"No!" Victor cried. "I will not give in! I won't!"
The ball vanished through the wormhole before he could reach it. Josie couldn't regain her balance so she grabbed Mirror-Josie by the wrist and dragged her down with her.
Vaughn and Lucas ran towards her—but to no avail. They were gone as quickly as the ball. Vaughn froze, he felt like throwing up he tried to get to the wormhole by himself. Lucas held him back, while fighting his own urges and the tears welling up inside.
Josie2 felt the pain they were feeling, only on a different level. Nonetheless, she left the room silently, running into Mirror-Vaughn on her way out, and dragging him away with her.
Without warning, the wormhole let out a blast of energy. It hit everyone. Nothing moved. Fade to black.