Important author's note: During the dream sequences in previous chapters, I referred to the "Sansuma" province in Japan. This was in error. The correct name for that province is "Satsuma" and has been corrected in this chapter, and hopefully soon in the previous chapters.
Not so important author's note: A lot of the stuff regarding the life if St. Patrick was taken from a fictionalized book based on mostly true events in Patrick's life. The book is called "Patrick: Son of Ireland" by one of my favorite authors: Stephen Lawhead. I highly recommend it.
Thanks to all who are reading.
Extra special thanks to the following for taking the time to leave a review: JPMod, willk1989, ps2teen1213, Cold-Chaos, aimtbj, Widow Shark, Jezrianna2.0, PotentialBoy, Kimberly Anne Possible, Melissa Ivory, Mobius97, recon228, BabyMama9672, The Incredible Werekitty, Sand Lord, Sestren NK, Kemiztri, LKillingsworth and Jokerisdaking.
"News flash, Shego (Apollyon is) a bad man!"
VIII.
Humans were so pathetic.
Oh, how Apollyon hated the human race.
They'd do anything their computers told them to, so long as what their computers told them to do at least appeared to be coming from a legitimate source. Certainly no one would simply hand over their money if they got an e-mail telling them to do so. But if people opened up their e-mails and found they were suddenly faced with problems that could be solved if they just responded with their PIN numbers and pass codes…
Global Justice was no exception. At some point, someone at GJ figured getting personal approval on a top secret project was too tiresome. Why not e-mail the Director with the same requests? If the e-mail was in code, why then everything would be safe, wouldn't it?
Idiots.
People took such pride in their inventiveness and resourcefulness when the truth was, they were no smarter than the first humans who crawled out of caves.
Take Ron Stoppable: trusting, naïve, forgiving, loyal… If Apollyon had the physical capacity to throw up, a litany of Ron Stoppable's massive faults would certainly have caused it to do so. The artificial mind originally thought it would be a challenge to get Ron up to the fifth floor and in the chair. But he'd said less than ten sentences to him over the phone, and Ron was only too happy to oblige. Sure it was the voice of his brother-in-law, but did it occur to Stoppable to even once double check and make sure he was talking to a real person?
Of course not.
Apollyon couldn't possibly feel any more contempt for Stoppable than he felt the moment Ron voluntarily sat in the chair. He wanted to dial him up on the cell phone and scream at him for being such a waste of human intelligence.
Fool! I spend months in preparation and THIS is how easily you're captured?
Not that the experience was completely unpleasant. Capturing Stoppable did give Apollyon some measure of glee, but the fun part was using the rodent to secure his own friend's fate.
Once Stoppable was in the chair, Apollyon activated the probe and the beams immediately began sending an image of the ceiling into Ron's mind. The double vision side effect was anticipated and once the real image faded and the simulated one took hold, into the "room" rushed a concerned simulation of Tim Possible.
Meanwhile, Apollyon used Rufus to strap Stoppable to the chair, and attach the electrodes. The mole rat refused at first, but at this point Apollyon could care less whether the rat was awake or not. The rat fought against his mind's invader, but eventually lost. His usefulness had passed and he would be left to die once he'd finished this one last chore.
It was comical – to Apollyon at least – to watch as the rodent attached the electrodes or inserted the needles into his friend's arm all while crying out "No!" every now and then as tears poured down the little rat's face.
Once the task was completed, Apollyon walked the rat over to the corner and left him there. Before he completely withdrew from the mole rat's mind, he was keenly aware of a massive sense of self-loathing within the rodent. After all this, the naked mole rat blamed himself for being too weak to fight Apollyon off.
Just as pathetic as Stoppable himself.
If he'd known it was going to be this easy, he probably would have used Kim Possible for his purposes. At least she might have had the intelligence to distrust what she was hearing on the phone. But then she married Ron Stoppable so how smart could she actually be?
Besides, at the very least Stoppable was good for a laugh.
"Morpheus? Is that you?" he'd said when he answered the phone.
For a brief instant, Apollyon actually considered answering with, "No, Mr. Stoppable, this is agent Smith. We're waiting for you down at the Heart O' The City motel."
Knowing Stoppable, he probably would have just laughed and come right on down.
Oh, it was all so depressingly easy. Tim Possible's image and voice pattern were on file down at GJ. Duplicating those for the purposes of the phone call and the simulation was simple. The hard part, or so Apollyon thought, was trying to figure out how to get Ron in the chair so he could activate the Immersion Probes. Not so hard to do after all. And once the beams were engaged, in rushed a simulated brother-in law, completing the illusion that Ron was still in reality and that Tim Possible actually was in a lab one room over.
The beauty part was that Tim Possible actually was working on something called the Chronos project, and it was under top secret status. But the only thing Chronos was about was making a communicator/database small enough to fit into the casing of a wristwatch.
And if Stoppable actually ever got curious, he'd get confirmation that yes, there was a Chronos project but it's top secret so he shouldn't be asking questions about it.
They were duped so easily, Apollyon marveled that the human race ever made it out of the dark ages.
But… there was one thing in all this that unsettled Apollyon a little. When he'd tried to pull his bluff, Stoppable had been right about the time period of the Roman Empire scenario; the one he was currently occupying. Roman uniforms and speech hadn't changed in the Empire's more than five hundred year existence. He couldn't possibly have guessed. There was nothing in the scenario that indicated the year, or even the decade.. OK, so he'd given Stoppable a little clue by giving away the Emperor's name. But he didn't think the buffoon had it in him to correctly guess the time period just because the Centurion blurted out 'Honorius'.
Wait. Here was something in Stoppable's memory. Apparently he'd done a dissertation in college called 'St. Patrick; History Vs. Myth'.
Quite the coincidence.
In a real world scenario, there was no way Stoppable could have bluffed his way through such a situation. Of course, Apollyon helped Stoppable out a little by infusing his simulated version with the ability to speak Latin. Not that it was overly interested in helping Stoppable, but it didn't want to get bogged down with such mundane details as the inability to communicate.
He wasn't even sure if it would work, since he'd done no testing on live humans. But if he'd been able to erase his own files and replace them, could the same be done on an actual, living human brain? This led to a rather pleasant discovery. He could manipulate Stoppable's mind, and by extension, body functions. As long as the beams from the Immersion Probe continued to function, he could make Stoppable raise an arm, or kick a leg… or speak. And though he had initially planned to administer a lethal dosage of drugs via the intravenous tube, he realized that if Wil Du or Kim Possible or anyone else tried anything, he could order Stoppable's heart to cease beating. It was that simple, just shut down the heartbeat and maybe overload the neural pathways in the brain, causing it to shut down, and it would be over instantly.
Naturally, Apollyon sought to erase memories from Stoppable's mind. Eliminate all the good parts in his life and leave only unpleasantness. But so far this was proving impossible. Basic bodily functions were one thing; simple and ongoing. But memories tended to have a more fluctuating quality and couldn't be isolated. At some point, perhaps Apollyon would just wipe Stoppable's mind completely, but for now it needed him for somewhat grander purposes.
Of course, Stoppable was only one example of the pathetic nature of humans.
Monkey Fist was another.
Once an English Lord, Montgomery Fisk was accustomed to being waited on hand and foot…or hand and hand as the case eventually became. He had servants. In fact he had servants who themselves had servants.
But at some point, Monty became obsessed with Tai Xing Pek Wah, the mystical monkey power that granted its possessor the abilities of Monkey Kung Fu. He'd spent his entire family fortune seeking out the relics that held this power, and millions more having Doctor Amy Hall genetically alter his DNA so that he had the hands and feet of a chimpanzee.
And after all that, he was defeated by Ron Stoppable on their very first encounter.
But the obsession remained, and the newly monikered Monkey Fist spent the better part of a decade trying to become what he called 'supreme monkey ruler'.
Monkey this, monkey that, monkey monkey monkey…
Apollyon knew just how to manipulate that obsession. Once his research had uncovered the existence of the Tempus Simia, Apollyon could use it as bait to get Fist to do all the work necessary to set up the Immersion Probe. With Monkey Fist, he was able to rent the office building, build the Immersion Probe, and get a few more necessary chores done.
Fist grumbled at times, but he always shut up when Apollyon revealed to him a new detail about the Tempus Simia. Like a carrot in front of a donkey. Contemptibly, Fist was actually grateful when Apollyon fed him the last of the details of the Tempus Simia. He'd almost groveled.
"I don't know how to thank you." Fist sniveled.
Yes. Fine. Whatever. Just go.
Did it occur to Stoppable to wonder whether or not he was talking to a real person on the other end of that cell phone? Of course, not. And did it occur to Monkey Fist to wonder why Apollyon was helping him? Vengeance against Stoppable seemed reason enough. Fist had no idea he'd be destroying himself and the rest of humanity. All he cared about was his own world-dominating obsession.
Pathetic.
All of them.
Now events were set in motion, and Apollyon controlled the fate of all mankind for all time. He realized he was not simply an artificial mind existing in the ethereal realms of the internet. How could he be when he had such control over the destiny of all living things?
He knew now what he truly had become.
He was a god.
One who demanded a horrible sacrifice.
"Initiate Directive One!"
"Sir?"
"You heard me," Wil Du snapped at the subordinate's hesitation, "No drill. Directive One, now!"
The guard pulled out a communicator, "Directive One! Directive One! All operations are on hold until further notice. Recall all field agents and put them on standby. All non-essential personnel are to be screened and sent home. Shut down everything! Repeat: Global Justice is officially under Directive One status."
"You'll have to be patient with them," Apollyon croaked through Ron's co-opted voice, "GJ's never had to initiate Directive One in its entire history. They are probably unaccustomed to such incompetent leadership."
Du ignored his taunts, and because Apollyon didn't seem to have a face he could look at, for the time being he spoke directly to Ron.
"What are your demands?" Will asked calmly.
"Evacuate the building. I will allow only Kim Possible in here at any time-"
"Stoppable," She said defiantly. A GJ guard had taken Rufus and was on his way to meet Wade, "My name is Kim Stoppable."
"Seems like a downgrade in surnames, but no matter," Apollyon continued, "I have surveillance and detection equipment placed all through this building. If anyone other than Kim Stoppable enters, her husband dies. And yes, I realize you require a demonstration of my ability to hurt him. I trust this will suffice…"
Ronaldus Sicarius was asleep on the hard straw mattress when three men burst through the door. They had hauled him out of bed before he was fully awake. Speaking in a language he didn't recognize, they dragged him out into the main area below decks where most of the sailors that weren't on duty were asleep.
Ron couldn't tell who they were or where they had come from. They wore no Roman style garb, but rather primitive looking trousers and tunics. They had bluish paint on their faces and savage looks in their eyes.
Before Ron had a chance to protest, they began to beat him mercilessly with fists and the butt ends of their spears. Ron took a hard crack to the head with a spear butt and collapsed, barely conscious…
Though he was strapped tightly to the chair, Ron began to convulse violently, his face twisted in agony.
Kim uttered a startled scream and jumped back, putting her hand to her mouth.
"Stop this, Apollyon," Du said calmly but authoritatively, "We'll meet your demands."
Blood erupted from Ron's nose and the corner of his mouth.
"Did you hear me, Apollyon?"
Gradually, Ron's convulsions eased and then ceased altogether.
"What is the meaning of this?" demanded a booming voice. The Centurion strode fearlessly into their midst.
One of the strangers spoke to the Centurion in an odd language. The Centurion responded and the beating stopped. He stooped and helped Ron to his feet.
"What happened?" Ron said weakly. He was bleeding from several different places and his head throbbed painfully.
"The Princess' personal guard," the Centurion responded, "They'd heard you were aboard and decided you were actually an assassin come to kill the Princess. Of course that may be because the signifer told them your name."
"Ronaldus?" Ron asked confused.
"Sicarius", the Centurion responded, "How did you come to have a second name that means 'assassin'?"
Ron groaned. Originally he thought he was being cute when he picked the Latin word that would most likely translate into 'ninja'. Now it had come back to haunt him.
"Once, while I was encamped with General Septimus in northern Germania, I had need of him to answer a question," Ron's throbbing head was made worse by all the quick thinking he had to do, "I walked up behind him, but apparently made no noise. At the last second he spun around and yelled 'Sicarius', thinking I was an enemy soldier come to kill him. He laughed at his own skittishness and called me 'Sicarius' every time he saw me after that. The name stuck."
"A good tale," the Centurion agreed, "But perhaps you might drop the name as we grow nearer to Eyre. These savages are a paranoid people."
"You may be right," Ron said, exhausted, "I suppose I should meet with the Princess now."
The Centurion shook his head, "I have seen enough battle to know how much rest is needed after one endures such a beating. We are still two days from our passage through the Pillars of Hercules, and then it is at least another six or seven days journey to Eyre. I will explain to the Princess who you are and all that has happened. You should not meet with her until you are far more presentable. And toward that end, I will arrange for more fitting clothes to be brought to you."
The Centurion brought Ron back into his quarters and placed him gently on the straw mattress.
"Thank you, my friend." Ron said, genuinely grateful, "You never gave me your name."
"Ah" the Centurion said, a little self-consciously, "I am Apollos. It was my father's name and I bear it in his honor."
"Thank you, Apollos."
The Centurion gave him a dismissive wave, "Anything for an Imperator. Besides, after a hard ride from Rome, set upon by thieves, and now this, it seems you have had your share of misfortune."
"You have no idea," Ron said with conviction. Then he remembered he was supposed to be of a superior rank to the Centurion. Perhaps an order was, well, in order, "See that the signifer is properly chastised, but he is not to be physically punished. It was an honest mistake on his part."
"As you wish," Apollos said, closing the door behind him.
Grateful for the solitude at least, Ron lay back down and fell asleep almost instantly.
"Are you satisfied?" Apollyon asked with some contempt.
"Let us say I am convinced" Wil Du answered, "What are your other demands?"
Kim moved to Ron's side and began wiping the blood from his face. She fought desperately to hold back the tears as she looked into his ghostly white eyes and took his hand in hers, squeezing it gently and caressing it.
"No doubt you will bring in scanning equipment to begin examining the building. Take all the scans you like, though your X-Rays won't reveal anything about this room. I had it lined with lead plating." Apollyon continued through Ron's voice, "Every circuit in this room is shielded, and thus impervious to EMP waves. Fool me twice and all that…"
Du stood with his arms folded, waiting for Apollyon to finish.
"But if you try something like an EMP burst anyway, he dies. I will keep in contact with you via your personal laptop. No, not your GJ laptop, but the one you've got at home with all that embarrassing fan fiction you've written. You know, it's bad enough a grown man like you watches cartoons, but to write stories about them as well? You make me sick. If I had the capacity to throw up, I would."
Du's eyebrows raised almost imperceptibly.
"Don't let him get to you," Kim said in a shaky voice, "I married a man who still plays with remote control cars and action figures. It's part of what I love about him."
Du merely nodded in acknowledgment.
"Anything else?" he asked Apollyon.
"One more thing," Ron's voice croaked, "All this emotional touchy feeliness is disgusting and it ends here. If Kim touches him again, she'll get to watch him die."
Kim, stood up and stepped back, gazing at her husband and wishing Apollyon's throat was within reach.
"Good girl," Apollyon said in his most condescending tone, "Start pulling your people out now, Du."
"Very well," Du acknowledged, "But you should know this. If you do kill Stoppable, then I will employ every last Global Justice resource in hunting you down. That's not a term or a negotiation, that's a promise. Think about that the next time your trigger finger begins to itch."
"Your threats do not concern me. You have ten minutes to clear the building, or he will begin to suffer horribly." Ron's voice croaked.
Much as she wanted to stay, Kim left with the others. It was possible that Apollyon wanted her there so she would have to endure Ron's pain just by watching him suffer. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction. And there were a couple things she wanted to say to Wil Du.
Outside, and hopefully out of earshot, Kim tried to reassure him.
"Don't feel embarrassed by what he said back there." She said quietly, "You've nothing to be ashamed of."
"I know," Du replied with a half smile, "My writing is how I relieve the stress of the job. I mean, it's not like I'm dating the interns."
Kim guffawed. It seemed an odd moment for a joke, but after the stress of the last few days, a little levity was not unwelcome.
"I take it GJ has never heard of this Apollyon either?" Kim inquired.
Wil shook his head, "But I think we learned one or two things about him in there."
Kim said nothing and waited for him to continue.
"Whatever his intentions are with Ron, they're secondary," Wil explained, "Apollyon did not ask for a ransom, or for GJ to secure the release of any criminals, or any other demands that normally come with hostage situations. In addition, this chair Ron's strapped to is an elaborate device. Much too elaborate for something as minor as a hostage. Whatever he's doing, Ron is only a part of something larger. Perhaps much larger."
Kim nodded, "He was probably the one who cleaned out our bank accounts."
Wil looked concerned, "Your accounts are empty? I was not aware of this."
"Neither was I until just before I found this place." Kim answered.
"OK," Wil said, thinking, "So he's not interested in money. Not if he has all of yours. Vengeance might be part of this, but my instincts still tell me there's something deeper at work here. Plus, there's something about what he said when he was taunting me. He said if he had the capacity to throw up, he would."
"You think he revealed something about himself without meaning to?" Kim asked.
Du nodded, "I think he may be something other than human. Perhaps an artificial intelligence of some kind."
"I'll have Wade look into it," Kim confirmed.
"I figured he would anyway," Du said, "I'm going to set up a mobile command station on the roof across the street and have two squads of GJ agents monitoring the building at all times. I better go home and get my laptop in case Apollyon wants to talk some more. I never thought getting a Wi-Fi card would come back to haunt me like this. One more thing, I want you to check in at the station before you go in there again, just so we know you're there."
Kim nodded and headed off toward the Kimjet.
Though it was early Spring, the day still felt hot.
Very likely the humidity was the main cause. The entire area felt like one large sauna set at a medium temperature. The rice farms dotting the valley were flooded, having just been planted, and since it was the warmest part of the day, the farmers and their families had retreated to cooler environments, such as swimming holes and shade trees.
To Monkey Fist, it felt like he and his ninja companions were the only people for miles. And perhaps they were. The Satsuma province of Japan, at least during the year Four hundred A.D. was very remote. Cut off from the rest of Japan by high mountains and the sea, those who lived here felt it a virtual paradise. At least in terms of the environment. Satsuma had it all. High mountain peaks, lush green valleys of mostly a jungle type of environment, though many of the valleys were dotted with rice farms. Wide, slow-flowing rivers that fell from the snow-fed peaks to meander through the valleys on their way to the ocean. There were always plenty of deer, occasionally a bear, and on rare days, a dragon might come down from the mountains to raid a farm or two.
And there were monkeys, though not all of them were living.
The City of Kagoshima, capital of the Satsuma Province, sat (and is still there today) on the southern coast of the Japanese island of Kyushu, overlooking a beautiful bay. A road ran north from it to the various farming communities of the province. At the first point in which the road divided stood a twenty foot tall statue of a gorilla called the Stone Guardian of Satsuma. It had stood there longer than anyone could remember, or any written history could tell. It was dressed in ancient armor and carried a stone sword.
Monks of a particular cult in the province believed the gorilla to be a living being who would one day come to life. Often they left gifts and sacrifices at the base of the statue, which stood as if gazing northward in a protective stance, facing away from the city.
These monks lived in an ancient temple carved from a cave in the northern Satsuma mountains. They protected an age-old secret. A secret that went almost as far back as the very creation of the earth itself. And they were sworn to divulge their secret to one man and one man only. They did not know his name, but they knew what he would look like.
Half man/half monkey.
The day Monkey Fist suddenly appeared in a valley some fifty miles north of Kagoshima, the Guardian of Satsuma came to life and began walking northward.
It was late afternoon as a guard patrolling the northern walls of Kagoshima Castle stood in abject amazement, watching the statue as it began walking toward the mountains to the north. Frantically, he sent word to the provincial lord of what had just taken place.
The message was intercepted by the Captain of the watch.
"You've been at the sake while on watch again, haven't you, Bishu?" he shouted angrily.
The watchman bowed low, "Forgive me, my captain, but I have not. You should see for yourself."
The captain rolled his eyes in disgust and looked over the top of the wall northward. He was just in time to see the gorilla disappear into the distant forest. His jaw hit the wall.
Twenty minutes later, the lord of Satsuma and his generals rode out with a contingent of cavalry to investigate.
To the north, patience was wearing thin.
"Master," Fukushima panted, "May we rest? It is growing hot."
"Hot?" Monkey Fist responded, "I should say it's rather balmy. You know, for one so eager to sit under my tutelage you certainly do serve up a veritable buffet of complaints."
Fukushima rubbed a bruise where Kim Possible had hit him with the monkey ninja, "I am sorry. I was under the impression you knew what you were doing. Kim Possible's startling presence back at the temple seems to indicate otherwise."
Fist whirled on him, "Look, boy, I asked you to come along with me because Apollyon told me to bring someone who spoke fluent Japanese. Since I do not, I thought you might see this as an opportunity. But you may certainly take your leave of us any time you wish."
"'US'?" Fukushima whined, "I was the one who restored you to your long lost monkey ninjas."
"All right," Monkey Fist said calmly stepping back, "Take them if you wish… if they'll go, that is."
Fukushima knew his bluff had been called. He knew they were on the cusp of world conquest, and the Monkey Ninjas weren't about to back out now. Everything they'd waited for, everything they'd hoped for, every little obsession each of them harbored was about to be realized. They didn't even look at him.
Monkey Fist turned up his nose and began walking southward again. Miserable and properly chastised, Fukushima brought up the rear of the procession, pouting and feeling sorry for himself.
They trudged on for another hour or so.
They'd reached the slightly cooler environs of the forest when they heard something crashing through the woods toward them. Its footfalls were very heavy. Birds scattered from the trees as deer and smaller animals burst forth from the undergrowth in a panic. The monkey ninjas and Fukushima looked about fearfully. Only Monkey Fist seemed to know what was going on. An evil glee spread across his face, and he held aloft the Tempus Simia.
Trees bent over sideways as onto the road stepped a twenty foot tall stone gorilla. Even its armor was made of stone. The only color deviation visible were its eery glowing red eyes. It seemed to catch sight of the idol, marched straight for Monkey Fist and stood there, silently regarding his new master.
Silence for a time. Insects droned in the warmth of the late afternoon sun, but otherwise there was no noise.
"Behold, the Guardian of Satsuma" Monkey Fist said self-importantly to his monkey ninjas… and Fukushima. Then he turned back to face the statue, "Do you know where the others are?"
"Without uttering a word, the giant stone gorilla drew its sword and pointed toward the distant mountains.
"Take us there," Monkey Fist commanded.
Without acknowledgment, the gorilla began walking in the direction he had pointed.
"Great," Fukushima grumbled, "More walking."
Watching fearfully from the woods, unbeknownst to them, the lord of the Satsuma province and his generals had observed everything. Though they did not understand the strange language spoken by the half man/half monkey, they were smart enough to deduce that the Guardian saw him as its master. After a time when they thought they would not be detected, they followed after Monkey Fist and his new prize.
Wade had disconnected the artificial mind of Rufus Prime from the clone body and placed the body in a stasis chamber. As soon as he was disconnected, Rufus went into sleep mode, and stayed that way for days.
Just before he lost consciousness, Wade asked him if he could have his permission to examine the files in his artificial mind.
Rufus could only nod weakly.
The stasis chamber was connected to a sort of life support mind. This was an artificial mind that would regulate breathing, heart beat and other bodily functions but did not have the actual capacity for thought. Every twenty hours or so, the life support brain would wake the clone up and make it eat; a little bit at first, but more and more as the days went on.
Wade had practically fainted when the GJ guard brought the naked mole rat in. With trembling hands, he took Rufus' nearly lifeless body and dismissed the guard. Once placed in the chamber, Wade virtually collapsed into his chair and sat there, staring dumbfounded at what had happened to his friend. Who knew what might be happening to Ron?
Soon, he was perusing the dream files of Rufus' artificial mind. They were wiped completely clean; all files of the dreams Rufus ever might have had were gone. Not just erased or deleted, but thoroughly eliminated.
But the absence of the dream files did tell Wade one thing. Whoever it was had tapped into the signal from Rufus' artificial mind and had probably used it for whatever purpose he was currently using Ron for.
How could this have happened?
Unfortunately, Wade knew the answer before he'd even finished the question. He'd been distracted by the first real relationship he ever had. A pre-Monique Wade would have figured out something was up a long time ago. He wouldn't have been caught up in all this relationship angst. He'd fallen in love, and the distraction had almost cost him the life of his friend.
Wade arrived at a grim decision.
Before he proceeded any further, he picked up the phone and dialed Monique at the store.
"What's up, Baby Boy?" Monique answered the phone cheerfully after checking the caller ID.
"We need to talk," Wade said solemnly.
There was silence on the other end.
"Are you there?" Wade asked.
"I'm here," came a shaky reply.
"Listen, Monique, this relationship has meant the world to me. But I've recently discovered that there are can be drawbacks when you've fallen in love."
"What are you saying?" Monique asked quietly.
Wade briefly described to her the situation with Ron, and what happened to Rufus.
"And you think you've been distracted by 'us'?" Monique queried.
"I know I have," Wade confirmed.
"So you think what's happened to Ron and Rufus is your fault."
"Indirectly, yes." Wade confirmed again, "I can't allow this to happen again. People have gotten hurt because my attention wasn't what it should have been. When I examined Rufus a few months ago, I just performed one or two diagnostics on the artificial brain. Everything seemed to be running just fine. But the truth is I couldn't stop thinking about you. I still can't. I need a clear head. My friends need me with a clear head."
"Well…I…I don't know what you want me to say," Monique's voice trembled audibly.
"Just say you understand, at least." Wade insisted quietly.
Monique let out a heavy sigh. "I guess I can understand a little," She said with a half sob.
"I'm glad you understand," Wade said softly, "But you don't have to cry about it."
"I don't have to cry?" Monique practically shouted, "You're breaking up with me!"
Total silence for a few seconds.
"Are you crazy, woman? I'm not breaking up with you!" Wade practically shouted back. "Do you think I'm insane? You're the best thing that ever happened to me. That's-… Do I look like Ron Stoppable to you?"
"Well then what have you been saying all this time?" Monique asked, confused but audibly relieved.
"I'm just saying I need a few days to concentrate on what's happening right now." Wade practically ranted, "I know we had a date tomorrow night, but I just wanted to get through this current crisis. I'm going to be holed up here for a few days at least. I was just going to ask you not to come by and to keep the phone calls to a minimum, and-… Breaking up with you? That's just crazy talk!"
"I guess we need to work on our communication skills, huh?" Monique said, laughing.
"A little bit," Wade confirmed, "Look, my whole point with the speech was that I'm going to need your help from now on. Whenever an emergency pops up, I just need to be left alone until it goes away. That way I can concentrate totally on what's happening without the distraction. And believe me, when I say 'distraction', I mean that in a totally positive way. I'd much rather spend my time with you and at least thinking about you than fighting off bad guys."
"Aw, come on now, Wade," Monique chided, "You like doing the hero thing."
"Well, yeah," Wade admitted, "In a perfect world, I get you and the crime fighting thing."
"You definitely got me, Big W." Monique told him.
"Yeah? Prove it."
"How, by staying away from you for a few days? I can do that." Monique said seriously.
"Well, sure." Wade agreed, he began to get nervous, "Anyone can do that. I need you to prove it to me in a much larger sense."
"How?"
"You know that little compartment in the back of your cash register drawer? The one where you put the hundred dollar bills? Open it up and look in there," Wade instructed her, "I was going to do this in a much more romantic setting, but given the current situation-"
Wade was interrupted by a scream.
Monique had found the ring.
Two doors down from her, at a doughnut shop, a police officer heard the scream and ran into the store called 'Monique's Boutique', frantically asking if the woman behind the counter was all right.
"My man just proposed to me!" the woman screamed happily at him.
"Ah" the cop replied, "Congratulations."
And he returned to his glazed dozen.
Wade had to hold the phone about a foot away from his ear. He spoke when the volume settled to a tolerable level.
"I know you deserve a much more romantic proposal." He said apologetically.
"What I deserve," Monique said, sounding serious for a second, "Is a good husband. If you can provide me with that, then everything else is cool."
"So I take it that's a 'yes'?" Wade said hopefully.
Monique pretended to sob, "Oh Wade, you had me at 'we need to talk.'!"
"Aw, man," Wade said groaning, "Don't ruin a beautiful moment… you know I hate that movie."
"And you know I love that movie," she countered, "Part of marriage is learning to compromise. So the compromise is, you let me watch the movie whenever I want, and you don't get to complain about it."
Wade laughed, "How about the compromise is: You watch the movie whenever you want…with Kim…and Ron and I will hang out and play video games or whatever."
"Well…" Monique said doubtfully trailing off.
"Um, you never gave me an answer." Wade chided.
"Um, YOU never asked me a question." Monique counter-chided.
Wade sighed heavily, "OK, fine. Monique, I love you. I could not possibly imagine myself living without you. Will you marry me?"
"YES! Yes I will, Wade. And I love you too, you know that." She bubbled.
"Yes, I do know that," Wade confirmed, then hesitantly changed the subject, "I hate to cut this short…"
"I know, I know, you got to do some serious concentratin'. That's just fine, 'cause I got a million phone calls to make, starting with my parents." Monique enthused.
Ten minutes later, Wade went up stairs and broke the news to his mother. He wished he'd been able to move into the ranch house so he could have just called her instead. She almost squeezed the life out of him.
His father had been a hard man. Never approving, never proud of his son, never once even showing a hint that he felt any sort of affection for him whatsoever. So when he was sent off to school at Yamanuchi, Lord Ishigawa of the Satsuma province assumed it was because his father simply wanted him away from the castle.
His mother died at childbirth, and somehow Ishigawa felt responsible for that. He always imagined that his father was a happy man when he was younger. Happy and content. But when he came into the fullness of his age, Ishigawa knew only a father that was ambitious, and dissatisfied to rule such a small insignificant province on Japan's southern coast.
He had tried several times in vain just to conquer the neighboring provinces, but always he was driven back. In his final attempt, Ishigawa's father was mortally wounded and brought home from the battlefield dishonored in defeat. Ishigawa was barely twenty when he assumed the lordship of the Satsuma province.
And where the peasants hoped the ambitions of conquest died with his father, they soon came to learn that Ishigawa did not just want to conquer the neighboring provinces, or even the island of Kyushu itself. No, he wished to have all of Japan. The inhabitants of Satsuma knew their sons would be given as fuel to the fire of Ishigawa's ambition.
Two years ago, Ishigawa had returned home like a beaten puppy. Word spread like wildfire of his humiliating defeat at the gates of Yamanuchi. Whispers of a mysterious wraith, conjured up by the instructor of the school, soon reached the far corners of Japan. It had ravaged his army, and sent him home in disgrace.
But after a year of brooding, Ishigawa began rebuilding his military. Already it was stronger and larger than the previous army he'd marched forth with. He'd poured out his treasury to hire mercenaries from Korea and China, and sent word to every ronin in Japan. Good money was to be had for a hired sword and its wielder.
Soon, it was thought, he would march forth once more. In fact, he must, for his army was consuming the resources of the province faster than they could be produced. They must march, or starve, and in turn, starve all of Satsuma.
But today, an omen. Good or bad, no one could tell yet.
Today the Guardian of Satsuma had come to life and marched northward, as if setting out to conquer the rest of the country. Ishigawa, his daimyo (or chief general) and several of his other generals set out with a contingent of cavalry and followed the easily tracked statue to a small clearing.
There they saw a wondrous thing. A half man/half monkey creature who spoke in a strange language had apparently called the guardian to life. He had with him a young man who looked to be Japanese, but also spoke the monkey man's strange language. In addition, this creature seemed to be watched over by a group of monkeys dressed as ninjas.
An omen, to be certain, but was it an omen of good fortune?
They followed timidly for the rest of the day and all the next as the great Stone Guardian led them up into the northern mountains. High among the craggy stone peaks they came to the legendary temple of the Ninja Monks. These monks upon seeing the monkey man, immediately fell prostrate before him in an attitude of worship.
Ishigawa did not think this monkey man a god, but perhaps he was at least a demigod, for certainly he had mystical powers.
The Ninja Monks led the monkey man inside the cave temple. Ishigawa did not need to follow. He had been within the walls of the temple before. Once as a child he had been taken to this place by his father, so that he would know that such a sacred place was part of the province he would one day lead. The Ninja Monks, his father had told him, were to be feared and respected. Theirs was a dark and ancient cult. Ishigawa grew up hearing stories of how the Ninjas would occasionally come down into the valleys and carry away peasant maids for the purpose of human sacrifice.
As a child, Ishigawa had once thought this was a place of evil, but now he saw that their sacrifices had been rewarded. Their long awaited half/man, half/monkey had arrived.
Ishigawa imagined the looks on the Ninja Monks faces as they proudly showed off their temple to him. Initially, the cave appeared to be small near the entrance with a few ornate simians carved into the walls. However, if one moved further into the mountain, one would come upon a vast cavern, so massive that the light from a torch could not reach to the ceiling. In this vast cavern were thousands and thousands of statues, much like the Terra Cotta Statues found in the Forbidden City in China. But these were not statues of soldiers. At least, not human soldiers. They were statues of every kind of conceivable monkey, ape or chimpanzee, and they were all wearing stone armor in the fashion of the Stone Guardian.
Echoing within the temple, Ishigawa and his generals heard a strange, simian type of laughter. It grew in its intensity and soon became a maniacal screech that chilled them to their souls. After this, a crimson glow could be seen within, accompanied by more screeching, more hysterical laughter.
Then the earth began to rumble.
The horses shied and bolted, running in a blind panic down the mountain, their riders helpless to do anything about it for some time. The generals became fearful. But Ishigawa remained calm. He had a pretty good idea what was happening inside.
The monkey man emerged from the temple, holding a small monkey-shaped idol aloft in triumph. The powers of the Tempus Simia had awakened a vast, ancient, inhuman army. Hundreds of large, stone silverback gorillas ambled out on to the mountain slope. They were about twelve feet tall each, wore armor and carried swords similar to the Stone Guardian. After these came forth chimpanzees wearing what looked like stone bamboo armor. The chimpanzees were archers, carrying stone bows and arrows.
Then things got weird.
After these came hundreds and hundreds of Kijo, ogres with the faces and hair of Orangutans, carrying clubs of stone. Then came hundreds of Kappa. These were large apes that stood about the height of a man, but wore a giant tortoise shell as their armor. They carried katanas as their weapons. Kappa were known to live in water, unable to exist in breathable air for more than a short time. These immediately set off down the mountain in search of a lake or stream in which to dwell until they were called upon by their master.
And finally, a sight to strike fear into Ishigawa himself.
Dragons.
Of course, you know that European Dragons are large lizard-like creatures that have wings and breathe fire. They are an offshoot of the rarer and more exotic species of Asian Dragon. Dragons from the Orient are much more serpent-like than lizard. They have longer bodies, and many more legs than European Dragons, which everyone knows have four. Asian Dragons do fly, but they do not possess wings. It is said their ability to fly is more of a mystical power than of practical physics like their European counterparts.
But these Dragons were slightly different. They had fur instead of scales, and their faces were like the face of a baboon, their legs were those one might find on any chimp. In fact, they looked as though someone had taken a bunch of giant baboons, stretched them so they had the body of a furry snake, and added about a dozen more legs. They did not breathe fire, but they did fly, and though they did not roar as one might expect from a dragon, they uttered a howling monkey sort of cry that carried for miles and miles.
There were about ten of these.
The monkey man gazed about at his simian army and laughed a maniacal, gleeful laugh, his monkey ninjas doing the same. The young Japanese man appeared to be mortally frightened.
Ishigawa turned to his Generals, issued several orders, and stepped out into the open. He brazenly strode up to the monkey man, put on his sternest face, and demanded to know what he was doing in the province of Satsuma.
The monkey man appeared somewhat surprised at this. He turned to the young Japanese man and seemed to question him. Then the young man turned to Ishigawa.
"The Lord Monkey Fist wishes to know why you question him." He said.
"Tell your master that I am Ishigawa, lord of the Satsuma province. And he is in possession of my army." Ishigawa said boldly.
"My master says he is from another world and wishes to return to that world with this army and conquer it." Fukushima related.
"Ask Fist of Monkey if he intends to take the Ohana Wraith with him as well."
"My master wishes to know what you are speaking about."
Ishigawa smiled a self-satisfied sort of smile. He had seen a look in the monkey man's eye. It was a look Ishigawa had seen often in his father's face, and in the mirror. It was the look of the ambition to conquer. And now he had this Fist of Monkey's curiosity piqued. It was time to reel him in.
"There is a school in the north of Japan called Yamanuchi-"
"Lord Monkey Fist is aware of the Lotus Blade and is not interested in possessing it." Fukushima cut him off.
Ishigawa glared at Fukushima. It was the practiced glare of a provincial lord who is unaccustomed to being interrupted. If Fukushima had been one of the peasants in Satsuma, he would have found himself lying on the ground next to his own head.
"Tell Fist of Monkey," Ishigawa growled, "That I speak of all the Ohana blades, not just the one called 'Lotus'."
Fukushima and the Monkey Man spoke back and forth for a few minutes.
"Why should Lord Monkey Fist listen to you?" Fukushima asked.
"Because I can help him conquer his world," Ishigawa answered.
"Explain," Fukushima demanded.
For some time thereafter, Ishigawa patiently explained to Monkey Fist what happened when all the Ohana Blades were brought together. That they called forth a wraith of unspeakable power in the form of a thirty foot tall gorilla. And that it would do the bidding of whoever possessed the Blades of the Ohana.
Monkey Fist seemed to be particularly interested in the fact that the wraith took the form of a gorilla. The fact that it was seemingly indestructible only heightened his interest.
After a good deal of thought, and chatter back and forth between Monkey Fist and Fukushima, the younger man finally translated a question.
"What do you ask in return for the Ohana Blades?"
Ishigawa knew he had him then, the look of greed and imminent conquest was a fire in the monkey man's eyes that could not be quenched. Ishigawa knew it mirrored the look in his own eyes.
"Give me Japan, and I will give him his world." Ishigawa said simply.
"How?"
"Help me conquer Japan." Ishigawa explained, "With his simian army and my human army, we can strike out across the southern half of Japan and take possession of the Ohana Blades when we reach Yamanuchi in the north. With the Wraith in our possession, we can take all of Japan in a matter of weeks, perhaps even days. After I am installed as Shogun, then I will gladly give him the Ohana Blades to take back to his own world to conquer it. If he does not agree to help me, then I will never reveal to him the secret for calling forth the Wraith. This means that while he may take Yamanuchi himself, he will only have possession of the Blades, and never have the Ohana Wraith to control. The only other person in Japan who knows the secret of the Ohana is one called 'Sensei'. He is the master at the Yamanuchi school, but I promise you he will never tell you the secrets of the Blades."
Fukushima and his master conferred.
"It is agreed," Fukushima said at last.
A smile spread slowly across Ishigawa's face, "Tell Fist of Monkey that he has just taken the first step in becoming supreme ruler of his world."
As far as Ishigawa was concerned, today turned out to be a very good omen indeed.
"OK, I'm going to ask you this one last time. Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?"
"And I'm going to tell you for the last time, Wade. Yes." Kim said with conviction, "If there's a way in, I can't leave him in there alone."
"OK," Wade said in a voice of resignation, "I'm going to start with an image of the basement ceiling. You'll probably experience some double vision to begin with, but the real image will fade in favor of the simulated one. Understand?"
"Yes," Kim acknowledged.
It was the following afternoon. Wade had spent most of a sleepless night working, trying to track down the mysterious Apollyon.
When Kim had come over the previous evening, after leaving Ron alone in the empty office building, she was startled to find an almost identical set of Immersion chairs in Wade's basement. To Wade this indicated a great deal about what Apollyon was doing to Ron. He had Ron trapped in some sort of cyber-reality. Wade asked Kim if she expected any contact to occur between her and Apollyon. She didn't think so, but told Wade that Apollyon intended to keep in touch with Wil Du via his laptop.
Wade uploaded a benign virus into Du's computer, with Du's permission, and they waited. Apollyon came calling late in the evening. Words simply appeared on his screen.
You've done well this first day. Your cooperation will be rewarded with a clue to my whereabouts tomorrow.
'What about Stoppable?' Du typed back.
Alive. For now. Just so you know, I don't sleep. Don't expect to catch me off guard with a three a.m. raid.
'I will not send any guards' Du typed, hoping it sounded to Apollyon as though they were all nervous and anxious, 'Please don't hurt him.'
We shall see how tomorrow goes.
A nearby GJ guard had Wade on a scrambled phone line. He gave Du a thumbs up.
The virus was a very small program that sought out hidden files and embedded itself there. Of course, Apollyon had anti-viral software, and it was constantly on the lookout. But Wade was betting Apollyon's viral protection only applied to malicious programs. When Apollyon logged on to Du's computer, Du had all his fan fiction stories pulled up, forcing Apollyon to sift through each of them in order to get the screen to himself. Sifting through them meant downloading them, and downloading them meant the tiny virus program Wade had attached to one of Will's stories was downloaded as well.
In essence, what the virus did was send out an electronic flare visible only to Wade. The only way Apollyon could find the virus file was if he was looking specifically for it, and was able to look through the hidden files in the hard drive. Wade waited a few hours until he was sure enough time had passed, then cautiously went sniffing for Apollyon's location and identity.
The location was easy to lock down. Wade found the flare in a set of information storage units and servers built into the Immersion chair in the office building. He suspected this was a backup of Apollyon, the original very likely being somewhere far away. In fact, this might not even be the full version of Apollyon, but rather enough information that Apollyon could function within the hardware built in to the chair.
Once within the chair's hard drive, Wade found himself at a crossroads. Should he pursue any and all roads leading to the true whereabouts of Apollyon? Or try to decipher what was happening to Ron?
Wade chose the well being of his friend.
Through very careful examination, Wade discovered the simulation files and looked through them. He shared with Kim all that Ron had endured, believing he had traveled through time and that he and Kim were destined to divorce if he ever got back to his own time.
Kim grew furious, and had heard more than enough. She asked Wade if there was a way she could get in to the simulation without Apollyon knowing.
Short answer: maybe.
It took most of the night for Wade to thoroughly study the simulation files, and he made some very useful discoveries.
First, they couldn't just simply unplug Ron. Cutting off power to the building during the simulation would very likely kill him. Right now, Ron Stoppable believed he had traveled back in time to the ancient Roman Empire. If that reality were suddenly cut off, his mind would very likely scramble itself permanently as it perceived all reality had abruptly ended.
Of course, when Wade took Monique on their virtual date, Monique was fully aware that the entire thing was a simulation, and thus it could end any time. Not so for Ron.
Second, Wade discovered that Apollyon could inhabit one of the characters, but only one at a time. He had been the future version of Tim and was now the Centurion who brazenly called himself Apollos.
Wade was able to deduce some very important information from this discovery. Computers could multi-task, even at a very complex level. Apollyon could as well, but was incapable of being more than one character at a time. This meant the other characters in the simulation had been given lives and personalities in order to function on their own. In addition, this also seemed to indicate that Apollyon was either a human, or had been at one time. His inability to multi-task at a complex level belied a human trait; that he couldn't pay attention to more than one person at a time.
Third, Wade found that he could probably interface Kim with one of the characters in the simulation without her signal being discovered. In the future scenario, Apollyon only had three characters running; his (as Future Tim), Ron's and a sleeping Rufus. But in the Roman scenario, there were many characters already running, and several more to be introduced. Since Ron was one, and Apollyon was already inhabiting the character of the Centurion, then Kim could be interfaced with any of the other characters, especially since those characters were – in essence – running on auto pilot. Apollyon had designed each character and given them their own personalities. They could function and act independently, which meant that Apollyon probably couldn't predict their behavior unless he'd pre-programmed them to do certain things. But Wade felt this was fairly unlikely since Ron might grow suspicious if one of the characters began acting, well, out of character.
Obviously the first choice would be for Kim to interface with the character of the Irish Princess. But Wade was against this. The Princess was a major player, and it was very likely that Apollyon had plans for her and her interaction with Ron. They would have to send Kim in as one of the other characters in the scenario.
Unfortunately, there were also some pretty serious rules they needed to follow. Wade was already uncomfortable with sending Kim in for fear that she might be discovered. She would have to follow a strict code of conduct if she was going to get out of this with her husband alive.
For one, Kim couldn't just tell Ron he was in a simulation. Apollyon may not have been able to occupy more than one character at a time, but he certainly could listen to everything Ron heard. Secondly, Kim was going to have to be very subtle about the hints she dropped to Ron about his current situation. Overt hints would again arouse Apollyon's suspicion, and he'd probably kill Ron upon discovery of Kim's encroachment. And for those same reasons, Kim could not reveal her true self to Ron. Telling him her identity would put both her and Ron in danger. Above all, Kim had to stay in character. Any aberrant behavior on her character's part would alert Apollyon to her presence.
Wade would monitor her progress at all times, and if he felt there was something even slightly amiss, he'd pull her out.
After a serious discussion of these rules, Kim finally was ready to go in. She would be given the ability to speak Latin, and the fighting style of a Roman soldier if need be. Wade was still hesitant, but he wasn't about to stand between his friend and her husband.
Wade had one final warning for her.
"If you are killed in the simulation, you will very likely die in reality. Even if it's just a simulated death, your mind will probably convince itself you are dying. There's not much I can do about that."
Kim nodded, "If I am killed, then at least I will be with him."
Wade nodded in response.
"Oh," Kim said, "And in case I don't come back. I'm supposed to give you something from Monique."
And here Kim playfully grabbed Wade's head and kissed him full on the mouth; nothing dirty or romantic, just a quick peck from his fiancé relayed through her friend.
Wade's eyes went wide and he turned a deep crimson. Kim laughed lightly, "I can't tell you how happy I am for the two of you."
"Just make sure you and Ron make it back for the wedding," Wade said seriously, "You guys are half the wedding party."
"I'll do my best," Kim said softly and got into the chair.
Wade took her hand and squeezed it quickly.
"Good luck."
Kim smiled back at him, but already she had a faraway look in her eye. She was anxious to go see her husband.
The rain had passed and the day dawned bright as evidenced by the sunlight streaming in through the narrow slit that served as a window in Ronaldus' quarters.
Ron opened his eyes and blinked. Then he sat bolt upright. There was someone in the room with him. He rubbed his eyes and blinked several times. Already his head and bruises felt much better.
The other person in the room was the signifer. He was staring intently at Ron, waiting for him to wake up.
"I apologize if I have startled you, Imperetor." He said humbly.
"Please," Ron groaned, "Don't call me that. What are you doing in here?"
"I wish to offer my apologies for my blunder yesterday," the soldier said, "It was a foolish thing for me to do, and it resulted in your injuries. I humbly ask your forgiveness."
Ron threw the soldier a tired wave, "I cannot think of such things just now. I am still waking up. Rest assured you have not made an enemy of me."
"I am glad to hear that," the signifer replied, "Because it is my wish to be your friend."
"That is good to know." Ron said dismissively, "You may go now."
The signifer hesitated, then stood up, "Apollos wanted you to know we will be passing through the Pillars of Hercules about midday. He thought you would enjoy viewing the passage."
"I would," Ron agreed, "Tell him I said thank you."
"I'll do that," the signifer confirmed and opened the door to let himself out.
"Oh," Ron said as if remembering something, "I never got your name."
"My name is Caeruleus Vulpes." The signifer replied brightly, and then stepped out, closing the door behind him.
"And odd name," Ron thought aloud to himself, "Caeruleus Vulpes… that means…'Blue Fox'?"
Wade watched nervously as Kim took her first steps into Apollyon's world. She'd just finished her first encounter with Ron and everything seemed to go well. So far there was no sign from Apollyon. Wade wasn't sure if-
Suddenly all his monitors went blank.
Wade frantically checked under his work station to see if there was some sort of power outage. All the connections seemed to be fine, no surges, no seeming glitches. When he straightened back up, there were five words centered on all of his monitors.
The same words were on each screen:
I know she's in here.