I would like to thank everyone for giving this fanfic a chance. And for staying with it for this long. I appreciate all the reviews that come my way: the good and the bad. I keep them all close to my heart. This is a learning experience for me so I thank you for tolerating the experiments in writing style.
Chapter 14
A week goes by rather quickly, but there is no sign. No ransom note. No video of Cornelius being beheaded. No phone call for negotiations. If there were, Wilbur and Cereus would have been on it, tracking signals and mobilizing men. Instead, Wilbur is stuck in the palace, looking at computer screens for hours on end. It is all beginning to strain at his eyes, though it could be because of the poor lighting in the room. Wilbur had noticed that Cereus and Gentian like to keep their nest minimalistic at best. Two chairs. Two computers. Seven large screens that decorate the walls all around him.
"Wilbur. You should get some rest. You haven't slept in ages," Cereus suggests.
"No. I want to be here. When you find anything."
"But then, what would you be able to do, exhausted as you are?"
Wilbur knew he was going to say that.
"You'd only get in the way. So please, get some rest now. I promise to wake you when I get anything."
"Okay! Okay…you promise, right?"
Cereus nods without turning away from the screen. "Goodnight, Wilbur."
The fatigue definitely catches up to Wilbur. It is inside every muscle of his body, straining him. He yawns, barely able to stand from his seat. His eyes can hardly stay open. Yes, getting some sleep is starting to become a good idea.
The door suddenly opens with a cold burst of air, and Gentian's miniature form appears.
"Go' mornin'!" He says as he stretches his arms over his head. Just coming out of bed, his hair sticks out in strange but sharp angles, pillow lines embedded on his face.
"I, on the other hand, bid you 'good night', twerp." Wilbur ruffles the boy's hair.
"Ah, stop mussing the money maker!" Gentian scrunches his face. "I got somethin' for you."
Wilbur sees the envelope in his hand. "Hmm?"
"An invitation to the ball tonight."
"What ball?" He looks over at Cereus. "I didn't hear of no ball."
"One of Soren's ideas." Cereus keeps typing without end, the clacking of keys actually increasing in speed. "For you apparently."
"But I don't have time for this."
"Wil-son." Cereus quickly corrects himself as he catches Gentian. "Soren is the emperor. It would not be wise to decline."
"Really?" Wilbur massages the corners of his eyes. "Let's just get this over with, then."
"Hopefully, you have somethin' nice to wear." Gentian takes Wilbur's place by the monitor. "You wouldn' wanna look like a commoner now, would you?"
It still surprised Wilbur how mature Gentian sounded sometimes.
"You don't, do you?"
"I left my time in a hurry, to be honest," Wilbur says.
"Gentian will take you around." Cereus intervenes.
"Hey, I had nothin' to do with him not being socially acceptable!"
"Well, since you were the one who seemed set on dressing Wilson up…"
And that seems to be the end of the conversation. Gentian sighs. " I should've kept me trap shut."
Cornelius knows what he has to do. He had accepted Snake's offer. Had signed off on the plan. Made it even more effective...But was it the right thing? It definitely wasn't honorable, laying a trap for someone who had saved you.
"Doctor, I have it on good sources that there will be ball at the palace. Tonight. What luck!"Snake says.
"What of it?"
"Crash it, of course!" As if she did this on a yearly basis. "For an inventor, you seem to have no imagination."
"And I'll be able to save my son?" Cornelius asks.
"If he doesn't resist…but that's why we have our secret weapon."
"This thing is killing me," Wilbur groans. The piece of cloth around his neck reminded him of those ties his mother used to dress him up with. Though they didn't cut off his air directly, the thought of something wrapping around his air pipe like a noose made him uncomfortable each time. At least this one didn't have a stupid frog on it.
"Try not to let it bother you," Gentian says though Wilbur could see that he is also struggling not to gag, loosening it bit by bit.
The ball is already under way. The sounds of a string quartet resound throughout the hall. A space in front of the throne is open to dancing, with men and women twirling in their fancy dresses. The chandeliers are all alight bathing the hall in a soft glow, the shadows occupied by more than one young couple, kissing behind a quivering lady's fan. The glass doors to the terrace were open, a cool breeze wafting in, scenting the room in a gentle perfume of flowers.
Wilbur looks across the dance floor, seeing a few girls are looking at him right now. "What are they doing?"
They giggle as he blushes.
"I think they want to dance with you." Was that really the case?
One, dark haired maiden, separates from the gaggle. She looks back at her friends, and they giggle as they urge her on. She slowly opens her mouth to speak when he feels someone's hand on his shoulder. Wilbur turns, expecting Cereus to relieve him from this situation.
"Hi." This new lady seems to press her body a little too closely to him. She adjusts a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Wilbur blushes even deeper. Pretty. Her green eyes were beautiful. Translucent even. Or was it just the lighting?
"Hi. Um…my name is…uh. Wilson."
"Hi Wilson. Cassandra." She places her hand forward. Wilbur shakes it which earns an audible giggle from Gentian.
"Wilson. I think the young lady wants you take her around the room." Cereus suddenly appears next to him.
"What?"
"I'm sorry, my lady. My friend here is charming but none too bright." Cassandra and Gentian both laugh softly. "She wants to be your first partner."
"Oh. Oh!"
She takes his hand in hers and pulls him to the center of the dance floor. She starts to lead, spins him once, and shifts to the left. One-two-three. One-two-three.
"Sorry. I have…um…two left feet." He stumbles a bit more. Um...one-two-three.
"You're doing great actually. First time?" He nods.
"Everyone's wondering who this guest of honor was. A ball thrown by the Serene Emperor himself. We thought it must have been a very important person."
"You mean Soren?"
She laughs. "Must be very important. To truly call the Serene Emperor by name."
It has crossed him mind a few times why an emperor was treating him so nicely.
"And then…friends with the Luxifere. Something must be special about you. Not just a looker, I see."
He begins to hear the way she speaks. Very much like Gentian. Not just in that funny accent of theirs. It is the way they talked with subtly meant tones which doesn't mesh with their youth.
"The Lu-ci…ferre?"
"Yes, that brooding man right over there." She nods towards Cereus. Even with the soft glow that emanates from him, the air seem to darken. The older man strikes an elegant figure in his black suit, inlaid with rubies on his chest. Certainly he seems so aloof, even within the ring of Night Bloomer agents that were speaking so animatedly around him. "Oh the countless secrets that man has. How old must he be? Five hundred? Six hundred years old?"
Wilbur stops in his tracks. The couple next to them bump into him. "What did you say?"
"Does it surprise you that much?" She looks deeper into his eyes, and he could see the realization blossoming on her face "You don't have a hint of starfire…"
"What?"
The car is a smooth ride. Which is bad, considering it allows Cornelius's thoughts to wander. To keep remembering that day, that one conversation between Snake and himself. Had it already been that long since he decided to join their group?
After his abduction, he had found himself tied to a chair. His head groggy, his mouth seemed to be filled with cotton.
"Hey sleepy-head!" Snake spun the chair around before sitting down.
"So are you going to tell me why I'm here?"
"Yes. I would think this was the great reveal you've been waiting for!"
Cornelius doesn't speak. Merely glowered. Well, hopefully he was glowering.
"A history lesson for you, Doctor. Or maybe we should consider it spoilers." She looked at him with her one good eye, placing her finger to her lips.
"The year was 2044. Not too long from your own time. A new disease had been slowly gathering momentum. A few bodies here and there. An odd sort of disease. No bacteria was ever isolated. No virus either. No fever or immune response. Just a gradual weakness until patients never woke up."
"Asthenia…" Cornelius whispers.
"Yes, that. Half the world's population basically went to sleep and was wiped out in less than five years. Then 2050, when the cure appears. Serendipitous. Miraculous. It was named the R7, after it's inventor of course. You may already guess, who that was." She looks at him and smiles. "Not only the father of the future, but now the savior of humanity. You truly are a great man and have my utmost respect."
"Then I haven't done anything wrong," he said.
"No…you didn't do anything wrong. Let me finish, and you will understand. It was the cure. The biggest secret of Robinson Industries. No other corporation was ever able to recreate it...you should see the profit margin on this thing. But as you know, there is never a perfect drug... and after four years time, they found out that there was a small side effect."
"What side effect?"
"Starfire," Snake says, pointing to her eye. "It shines through their irises like tiger's eyes in the night."
"They?" Cornelius interrupts, though Snake doesn't seem to hear him.
"Abilities, doctor. Things that you could only dream about now become a reality for us. Telepathy! Teleportation! Telekinesis! Et cetera, et cetera down the list of super powered t's!"
"And one other side effect…the prolongation of life itself. Perpetual youth even!"
"Doctor, the things that we have achieved with two hundred…no three hundred years of life… The population of the earth skyrocketed. Many left to start anew on other worlds. Many more than was ever done. Outside our own galaxy. Oh, doctor! If you could have only seen it. A golden age of mankind. Prosperity that spans light years in every direction of space…"
Cassandra leads him by the arm, walking a little too briskly. Her dark hair flying into his face, her citric perfume tickling his nose.
"Where are we going?" Wilbur whispers, his heart racing. Expectant.
"Someplace special." She giggles. That sound starts to become music to his ears. She leads him through glass doors and red curtains. There was less light in the room, the only source coming from the ceiling, atop a gigantic statue. A man, with his face to the sky. A halo behind his head reminded him of saintly statues.
"Who's that?"
"You're really not from around here are you?" She smiles. "Wilson, this is the statue of the very first emperor. The Golden Emperor. which united all the nations of the Earth under his rule."
"He sounds very…important."
"Under his leadership, humanity rose to greatness. Technologies that hadn't been seen since the Fall and the War. He ruled for a hundred years of peace...before disappearing."
"A hundred?" His mouth hangs open.
"And it was foretold that he will one day return." She looks at him again. Her fingers stroking his jaw.
"Like King Arthur?"
"Just like."
"And who was the prophet?" Wilbur asks.
"…Me."
"If only I had seen it as well," Snake had stated sadly.
"What do you mean?"
"Some of the surviving humans were found to be immune to the disease…and we later found out were immune to the effects of the cure. I'm one of them. Just a regular human…with a regular, measly lifespan. But I don't have regrets about not being blessed with starfire," she added. "It would've been nice to be special…but que sera, sera, as they say!"
"I see a connection. But I still don't understand how this has to do anything with me."
"Then we have to fast forward. You're pretty smart doctor, so you have to know that it wouldn't have been long until fighting broke out…'cause as we all know," she said to no one in particular, "that the thing humans fear the most is another human being who is different than they are…"
Silence fell on Cornelius.
"They discriminated against us…we discriminated against them. Hate crimes grew to such proportions that only war was inevitable." She looked away from him, ashamed. "Not the proudest moment in human history, I can tell you that."
"Then, do you blame me for it?" Cornelius asked. She didn't answer.
"My planet was at peace then. The beautiful Alya-Nelaihah. A great center of learning across three galaxies." Her face seemed to light up as she reminisced. It softened the lines of her face. "I was just a little girl then. My mother and father were professors at the University of Sao Paolo. It was renowned for its aeronautics program. Did you know it specialized in the space bending technology that you made possible, Doctor?"
"Doctor…do you love your family?" She interrupted her train of thought suddenly.
"Yes. Without a doubt."
She leaned back on her chair again and stared up at the ceiling. "I loved mine too."
"So where were we? Oh yes. Well, I thought war would never touch our lives, you see. It broke out in other worlds, but not here, I thought. My father said we were too civilized for such things…I was so naïve back then. I learned then that nothing good ever comes from believing in the best of other human beings."
"I'm sorry…" Cornelius said.
"No, no. I don't hold you responsible. It was just a matter of time until war came to our shores…figuratively speaking of course."
"They fought in our cities. Martial Law was enacted and citizens were not allowed to be out in the streets. I still remember that day…my parents leaving for work…"
"And then…it happened." She stopped, her eyes in a daze. Snake was somewhere else now.
"What? Tell me what happens."
"A star falls…" She visibly shook as her attention focuses again at him. "Well that is how I saw it…outside the window of my school."
"My city…was destroyed by the force of three atomic bombs." Her tears had begun to flow. "And I saw it all. A white light dropping from the sky and a flash so bright that it would have turned night into day."
"We all found out later on that similar events happened on other worlds where war was occurring. Fighting stopped almost instantly and peace came once again…but at a price. For me, my family...My home. Where are they now but dust."
She stood up and paced across the room. Cornelius could see her hands shaking in agitation. "The Sol system! Yes, it was them. They had dropped the stars. That disgusting government and that emperor of theirs! They took my family from me! I couldn't forgive them, no! Not now! Not ever!"
Snake took a small bottle from her pocket and opened the cap. She placed a tablet in her mouth and swallowed. Her tremors subsided in a few moments, her labored breathing slowed. "Sorry…that must have been unsightly. I apologize."
"No…I understand. If my family had died, I wouldn't know what to do with myself."
"Not with me, Doctor. I grew up. Became an outstanding member of my community…what was left of it anyway. But I schemed, I researched. It was the one thing I found I was good at. I wanted to know who was responsible. Who was to blame…I needed someone who I could hate! It took me some time, years of research actually, but I finally found out that what they had dropped on us wasn't any sort of bomb…no…it was the attack of a single person…a very powerful one."
In a whisper, she said, "You know him quite well, Doctor. He has been beside you this whole time."
"You're talking about Cereus? It can't be…he's not someone who would do something-"
"Is that the name he goes by now?" She laughs out loud, but even with her eyes closed, the tears keep falling. "We had other names for him…Shaitan…The Evil One…you can have your pick of them. But our favorite was Luxiferre…the bringer of destructive light. Catchy, eh?"
"No. It can't be. I've talked to him. Been with him this whole time. He tried to save me…" Why had Cereus saved him?
"But here comes the good part, doctor." She came over to him, her lips by his ear. "You've known him for far longer than you could possibly imagine…"
"How?"
"You've probably already forgotten, Doctor, that those with the starfire have lives that far outstrip us mere mortals…he may look like a young man to you...but it's merely deception."
The reason that they had tried to kidnap him, the reason why he was still alive…the reason why Cereus had killed that man in the corporate office…to Cornelius all these pieces of the puzzle click into place. He saw the picture now, the strings of fate which bound him from that first day in his lab when he knew he was going to die...
"I can see by your face that you've already figured it out. The Luxiferre…the fallen star… the very first person who ever received the Robinson 7 cure. The only one to be personally given the cure by the great Cornelius Robinson himself!"
"…No…No it can't be! You're lying!" But it all made sense. He just could not believe it.
"And that is why I haven't killed you doctor. Because I can understand that when someone you love is dying in front of you, you would do anything in your power to save them. I do not blame you for the aftermath of your decision."
"No…it's not true. It just can't be…he would never do that! My son would never kill anyone!" He had screamed.
She smiled at him, the hard lines returned. "But as for you, my good doctor. As to why you are here…you are what we, in the industry, call bait."
