Corp's POV: The door of Brooke's private conference room opens so quickly I need to jump back before it slams me in the face.
"Finally! I've been waiting out here for-" Then I remember I'm wasn't supposed to be waiting outside a private conference with Herobrine. "I mean- there ya are! I was just passing by, mate. I need to ask ya a question, do you know where Alex-" I notice the troubled expression on her face. "What's up?"
Brooke mumbles something I don't understand, until I take a closer look at her. There's a serious scar on her face, with blood dripping onto the ground, and there's a long burn on her forearm. Something obviously happened.
Tox and Faul appear from around the corner, and run over as soon as they see us.
"Are you alright, miss?" Tox says as Faul pulls out a healing potion.
Brooke snatches the potion from the zombie and gulps it down violently. She then throws the empty bottle to the side, causing it to shatter. She stares at all of us with extreme intensity, and her eyes glow so bright I nearly go blind.
"Seriously, doc, what's up?" I repeat.
"What's up? Do you want to know what's up? You've messed up, that's what's up!" Brooke shouts. "YOU FORGOT TO BRING US DK YOU NOOBS! Herobrine told us to bring ALL of them. But NO, DK is still out there, while you twiddle your thumbs. I thought one of you would be smart enough to realise that, I SPECIFICALLY EVEN TOLD YOU ABOUT HER! Herobrine said if we mess around ONE MORE TIME, he won't let us off the hook as easily. I VOLUNTEERED to take the punishment for you guys. UNDERSTAND?! Gees, I always have to get mad at you guys!"
"Ok, ok. We're sorry! Don't turn into the Hulk. We won't mess up again, mate" I say, and back up with my hands in surrender. I've never seen her this angry. And if I keep taking my chances at jokes in front of a serious Brooke, then I'll probably see her even worse.
"You'd better not" Brooke sighs. "Tox, Faul. Get your best soldiers and get them to find that ender hybrid. Go!" They quickly run off, already barking orders. "Corp, come with me, and be as serious as you can about this".
"Why?" I blurt out, then cover my mouth. I've already wound up Brooke many times today.
"Because I told you so. Now come on".
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
We stop in front of the prison block entrance;Two beefy zombies guard the entrance, and there are sure to be many more inside. When they notice us, they straighten their posture and salute.
"Greetings, Commander Brooke and General Corp" They say in sync.
"At ease, soldiers. Any casualties in the cells recently?" Brooke asks.
"Only one, miss. Bad prisoner. Eight-nine is 'dem number. Caught picking walls with diamond pick. Must have been thinking getaway for while, many items we found in inventory. He killed, though" One of the zombies groans.
"Eighty-nine? That's that magician guy, mate! I swear to ya we triple-frisked the bloke!" I exclaim.
"Whatever. Probably a fluke that Old Bobby found those items. Good work, soldiers, you always excell to make sure the prison block is secure".
The other zombie, who probably took English lessons with Faul, replies. "Thank you, Commander. We all deserve a less merciful leader than you and your generals," He opens the barred door for us.
"That's true" I hear Brooke whisper under hear breath. "Corp, come on. We're visiting some friends".
As we walk through the halls, I see and hear a picked mix of people. Old or young, boy or girl, you name it. Some rattle the obsidian bars of their cells, shouting and cursing at us as we pass, while others sob in a corner. A gutsy teen reaches through the bars and tries to pinch me. I slap the hand.
"Settle down, ya noobs!" I shout, and it echoes across the halls. It does nothing to silence the racket.
"Get used to it, 'fearless skeleton king'" Brooke scowls at me, and points to a zombie wearing earmuffs. "But if you really aren't going to get used to this, look away".
I do, knowing exactly what will happen when that zombie flips the switch. I hear a tiny buzz, and instantly all the prisoners in the block go unconscious.
We continue to walk the now too silent hallways.
"Just two questions, mate. One, how does that work again? I wasn't showed how. Two, where'd ya leave Alex? Is she in some sort of academy?" I ask to break the silence.
"It works on an electromagnetic pulse. Or something. Dyner's geek scientists made it work. Don't ask, it's probably gonna blow your skull apart from the information. And yeah, Alex is training with other cadets. Human cadets, I mean. She'd freak if she started training with mobs".
My suspicions are confirmed. We really are training mortals. I prevent myself from saying 'Wow'.
"I might as well tell you what we are doing. Herobrine is loosing his patience and wants to be able to assist us now. Because, you know, we are kinda failing. He can't wait for Alex. So we have been asked to find a host body for him temporarily, before Alex does whatever her thing is and brings our master fully back to lead this war".
"Wow. We're using possession now, aren't we?"
VVVVVVVVVVVVV
Icy's POV: I give up trying to find a way to remove the cuff. The more I tug, the more weak I become, it seems. Noobish power-deducting bracelet. I lean against the obsidian walls.
"Where are the others? They must be close, if we are in the maximum security zone like the guards said, right?" I ask.
"I dunno, don't ask me if I don't know things!" Misty, my cell mate, shrugs. "At least they're not dead".
"Yeah. If they wanted us dead, they would have done it already, whoever 'they' is".
"I think I heard them say they were the Singularity or something".
Our personal tormentor and guard appears in front of our cell. The skeleton scowls.
"Shut your chat, noobs. I've got news. It's more urgent for you, eleven year old," He says. Talking about me. "The leader of the Singularity is coming to pick you up themselves, as well as one of the other generals. Don't even think about escape, it'll be impossible. And even if you did, you'll meet a gory end. I bet you've heard the mighty Fangrelor eat it's snacks, right?".
Whilst I've never seen one, I don't want to know what happens when you encounter one. Or how it captures escapees.
"The leader?" Misty says. "Really?!"
"Yeah, derphead".
I don't know what to expect from the lead commander of the Singularity. Maybe an expert sword fighter who can control people telepathically. Or a giant hulking zombie. Maybe even one of those midgets that you should never underestimate. Or...
"Greetings, General Corp. Yes, sir. The prisoners are here, and behaving well, actually" The skeleton says from outside.
"Awesome, mate. Doin' well".
There's a click of a button, and the doors of our cell open. Misty looks as if she's ready to charge, but I glare at her and give her a look that says 'Stay back'. Misty does, and replies with 'You'd better not die'.
General Corp stands there, smirking. The King of skeletons. Looking majestic.
"G'day, kiddo. Ready to go?" He says. In reply, I raise my arms above my head. "Good".
Corp takes out his massive bow, crackling with electricity. Aiming the arrow at my skull, he gestures to the hallway.
"I'm going, I'm going" I retort.
As we walk these obsidian hallways, I try to come up with a strategy. Should I run now, in hopes I can free the others and get ourselves outta here? Or wait until I know what's going on, pretend to go along, then go for it? I push away those thoughts. There's no escaping here. We could be chunks underground and far away from any help. 'Just go with the flow, Icy. You'll be fine'. I think to myself.
We make one more turn. I see a figure up ahead. But all I can register are their glowing white eyes, red T-shirt and long brown hair before a blindfold goes over my eyes so I can't get a better look. It can't be. Impossible. He's dead. I swear. Steve and Notch killed him and banished his soul away forever. Right? But he doesn't wear red, or have long hair, unless he changed his style. No, the figure up ahead was female. Who else, besides me, is part of the Herobrine family tree?
That's when I hear her voice.
"Hello, old friend".
Brooke. She must be the leader, if she's here. It can't be. But it is her. There's no mistaking it. How? After all this time, to. How, in less than a week, did she manage to join forces with Herobrine and gain control of an entire mob army? And does that mean he's back? I've heard a couple stories about it, but I swore they were just rumours. A sensation of betrayal mixed with shock flows throughout me, and I almost trip.
The skeleton general must have pulled out some sort of device because now all I can hear is a high-pitched ringing sound. Shoot. Now I'll have no idea where we're going or how we get out of here. I'll only see wherever they take me. Maybe some empty torture room, or an execution section where they will do it publicly. So I spend the next few minutes blindly staggering around, bumping into unknown objects or maybe even some other mobs.
When the blindfold and ringing device finally come off, I can't see anything. Then I realise my eyes are still shut, so I open them. I'm in a room with the walls, floor and ceiling completely made out of Quartz. Pillars made of glowstone blocks light up the room.
I sense a presence behind me, so instantly I launch a punch. Brooke simply grabs my fist and shoves me back down. Ow.
"Crystal Icy Waters" She smiles and crosses her arms.
"Brooke the traitor" I scowl.
"Like it? I tried to make it as nice as possible for this important stage in a new revolution".
"What do you mean?"
"I'd tell you, but I'd rather let you-know-who do the talking. Well, I hope you enjoy yourself. You're a very important role, just for now. Have fun. I'll see you soon".
A second later Brooke vanishes in a puff of purple smoke. Ender pearled away? Or is this a power she developed after becoming a minion of...
The sudden flash of red and black particles in front of me makes me snap out of thought. The particles linger for a while, but as some dissipate, I see yet another figure in the burst of fiery smoke. Finally, all the particles are gone, but I wish they just stayed in place. Because I don't want to be near him, he's dead.
"Greetings, child".
"Herobrine" I manage to gasp out. "You're dead".
"Yes, that's true. This is not truly me. Not yet, anyway. Later, I'll be fully back to claim what Notch took from me".
"Shut your chat".
"It's been a while" He grins, and cracks his knuckles. "Are you willing to call me father yet?"
"Never".
"Of course not. You're never going to forgive me. Anyway, are you ready?"
"For what? Torture or death?"
"Something around that line. Now, close your eyes, this is going to hurt like Nether".
Some invisible force shuts my eyes tightly. And the pain begins.
Screams haunt me, which must be my own. It lasts for days, maybe years, until the agony is over. But I know, I just know, it's not over. Herobrine looks down on me, smiling. I'm on my knees, almost bowing down to him, even.
"Oh, dear Icy. Still tough and strong after all these years. You're perfect. Now, here's the real fun".
He is right above me. If I had the strength to do so I would punch him in the stomach. Then I could shoot him with a storm of flames. But no.
I feel burning flames in my own head, but it's calming and soothing. I should welcome it. No, I shouldn't. It's Herobrine, ready to do whatever he wants to me. Now I can feel my own sanity slipping away, packing its inventory and saying goodbye. I must resist. I mustn't. I must. I resist. But as I try to do so, the burning heat changes to freezing torture. I don't know what to do. Either continue to suffer the pain of my own cold sinister hand of resistance, or lean towards the peaceful sensation of the burning fire of surrender. The hand, the fire. Resistance. Surrender. Me or Him. Me. It has to. But I can not tolerate this pain any longer.
Him.
Without more hesitation, I let myself go to the safety of Herobrine's Fire. The pain is over. I'm back in reality. He's gone. But I know where he must be.
My body moves without me telling it to. My eyes scan the area without my permission. And twisted magic makes me speak in a voice that's not mine.
"Let us begin".
VVVVVVVVVV
I'M BACK!
DK: WHAT TOOK YOU?!
Me: I'M SORRY, OKAY?! I WAS BUSY WITH ASSESSMENTS! This chapter US short, but I'm trying to push out updates as fast as I can. Annoying homework waves, teaming up with Writers Block. Sorry for the months of waiting, cya as soon as possible!