(a/n: Well, i'm back. Here's a neat little chapter to get things started again. Enjoy)
Act 10: For the World is Hollow
Finn's eyes blinked open and were greeted by the sight of a smooth, obsidian ceiling.
Finn frowned and he sat up. The boy saw that he was lying on a soft couch in a spacious office.
The walls were lined with bookcases that were stuffed with old leather books. There was a large, wooden desk with a large leather chair sitting before a wide window that had its curtains drawn.
Finn rose to his feet and he approached the desk. On the desk were some pencils, some journals and two picture frames.
In one frame was the picture of three people. The first was a tall, slim man. The man wore a white lab coat, goggles, and black gloves and had a single piece of long jagged black hair on his head. Standing beside him was a small boy dressed in a black jacket, glasses and had a similar hairstyle to the man.
The last person in the picture was a young girl dressed in black. She had spiky purple hair and a scowl on her face.
Finn recognized her as the woman from the party.
In the other frame was a picture of a woman and a baby. In the photo, the woman wore a black dress and had a calm expression. In her arms, wrapped in a blue blanket was a small, sleeping baby.
Finn heard a door open; he looked up and saw that it was a young man dressed in a dark green business suit and a bowler hat. The young man had short, jet-black hair, blue eyes and pale skin.
He spotted Finn "Oh good you're awake" he grinned.
He walked over to Finn. He took off his bowler hat and tossed it onto the couch "My how you've grown" said the stranger.
Finn saw that the young man was taller by a foot and several years older. The stranger's smile widened a little "Well, say something! Aren't you excited that you're back?"
"I'm sorry but I don't think I know you" said Finn "I don't know what's going on"
The stranger frowned a little but he nodded "Oh, right you wouldn't recognize this place or me" the stranger's smile returned "But that's alright, we can just get reacquainted"
"What?" said Finn.
The stranger cleared his throat "My name is Alex, I'm your cousin" Finn's eyes widened in shock.
Finn wanted to say something but he just fumbled for words "w-wha…huh?"
Alex pulled Finn into an embrace "Good to see you again, cousin" "Huh?" said Finn in confusion.
There was a soft beeping. Alex released Finn from his embrace and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a small digital watch "Oh look at the time!" exclaimed Alex "We better get going".
Alex scooped up his hat and went to the door. He stopped and turned "Well come on" urged Alex "You don't want to keep your mother waiting"
"Mom?" said Finn
Alex nodded "Yes and if we hurry, we can still get there before the evening traffic" "traffic?" said Finn "There are other people here?"
Alex rolled his eyes "Yes, now lets go, we can't afford to be late" he walked out the door and Finn hurried after him.
Finn and Alex entered an elevator and descended to the ground floor.
Once there, Alex led Finn through an empty lobby and through a set of glass doors. Finn found himself standing in a street.
He looked up and saw that there was no sky. Instead it was a roof of earth and stone. Finn's eyes drifted around the street. The street was devoid of life and it was lit by electrical streetlamps. Finn looked back and saw that the office where he awoke was in a tall spire of glass and steel.
Alex spoke "Ah, our ride is here" Finn turned and saw a sleek, grey metal vehicle slow to a stop in front of them.
Alex motioned for Finn to follow him.
Finn and Alex climbed into the vehicle and the door slid shut on its own.
Occupying the front seats were two men in matching grey uniforms. One man had dark grey hair and the other was younger and had dark hair.
The grey haired man looked at them through the rearview mirror "Where to sir?"
"Home" said Alex.
The man nodded "Sure thing", the vehicle hummed to life and it rose from the ground a few feet. Finn looked out of his window and saw that the vehicle was hovering a few feet above the ground. The vehicle lurched forward suddenly "Sorry" mumbled the dark haired man in the driver's seat.
The driver muttered something and they continued on with their journey.
The vehicle glided down the street. Finn watched as dull grey buildings drift past. He saw some people in dark grey clothing walking on the sidewalks. Finn was surprised. He had never seen another human before. Some were men, some were women, one of them looked elderly. They noticed the car passing by and they all began whispering something to each other.
Finn saw more streets, stretching out beyond his sight. He saw some houses, shops and restaurants with people going about their business.
Finn turned to Alex "How many people live here?" Alex pondered Finn's question for a moment then answered "Last time I counted, I would say close to half a million"
"Whoa" breathed Finn
"Yes, well we have our grandfather to thank for that" said Alex. The vehicle zigzagged up a hill and it passed through a set of iron gates.
The vehicle came to a stop in front of an impressive looking home. It was large, elegant and old.
The two passengers got out.
Finn looked up at the house in awe "Whose house is that?"
"Yours" answered Alex.
Finn's jaw dropped "Seriously?"
"Seriously" said Alex, nodding. Alex marched up to the front doors, Finn followed. Alex withdrew a key from his pocket and opened the doors.
Alex stepped aside and Finn walked in. The foyer was dark and Finn couldn't see anything. Suddenly lights came on and multiple voices shouted "Surprise!" Finn blinked and he found himself surrounded by a crowd of people.
Finn slowly turned and studied the faces. Each one of them were human and they looked genuinely glad to see him.
Finn saw that they were all wearing brightly colored clothes and party hats.
Finn glanced back at Alex and he saw hanging above the door was a banner that said "Welcome home"
Alex whispered "Say something"
"Uh" said Finn, hesitating for a moment "Uh, thanks I guess".
The crowd seemed relieved and they clapped lightly "Glad you liked it" said a familiar voice.
Everyone in the crowd muttered and they parted, revealing Finn's mother.
She was dressed in a dark purple business suit her face was relatively calm. Finn breathed "Mom"
The corners of his mother's mouth twitched and they spread a little into a small smile "Welcome home, son".
Meanwhile, miles above on the surface, Zim stood on a boulder holding his prize aloft in one hand "Finally, it is mine" said Zim "It is mine again!"
"That's great", said Marcus, crossing his arms "But what exactly is it?"
Zim turned to his minion "It is the final and most important piece to my ultimate plan at conquest!" he stroked the box "With it, I will become the greatest invader ever!"
"Right" said Marcus, rolling his eyes.
Zim smiled "Glad that you can agree with me"
"So what's the plan?" yawned Malice who looked exhausted.
Zim had woken his minions very early that morning. The five of them journey away from the base for about two hours till Zim told the group to stop. They were standing alone in a grassy field that seemed to stretch on forever beneath the predawn sky.
Gir was laying in the grass snoring loudly, Mini-Moose floated between Marcus and Malice. A cool breeze swept through them, Malice shuddered and wrapped her coat around her shivering frame tightly.
Marcus shoved his hands in his coat pockets, letting the cool wind wash over him.
Zim shivered a little, Mini-moose and Gir remained unfazed "Can we hurry this up?" asked Malice "I'm cold"
Zim shivered "ok, ok" he reached into his Pak and withdrew two objects.
The first was a long metal rod made of a purple alloy with a vast array of buttons on its surface. The second one was a pair of metal tongs.
Zim placed the box Gaz returned to him on the ground. He picked up the tongs and he handed the rod to Marucs "Open it" instructed Zim.
Marcus nodded and he pressed one of the many buttons that adorned it. A small section of the rod slid open, revealing a compartment. Zim nodded "good, now hold it still".
Zim placed the box on the ground. He reached down and pressed the Irken empire symbol on the lid. The symbol glowed purple and the lid slid open, revealing a small, bluish white object that shined like a miniature sun.
Zim picked up the tongs and he used them to pick up the object.
Slowly, but carefully, Zim placed the object into the compartment. Once inside, the compartment sealed itself up.
Zim sighed in relief "It is done"
Malice frowned "That's it?"
"That was only phase one" said Zim "Phase two begins now" Marcus pressed another button and a large drill head popped out of the top of the rod. Marcus planted the rod into the earth drill first.
The drill whirred and it began to dig, kicking up some earth. The group watched as the rod slowly sank into the earth and vanish from sight.
Once out of sight Zim explained, "This rod is based off of the technology that I used to create my base. It will drill till it reaches the appropriate depth then it will activate and transform into my ultimate weapon"
"Which is?" asked Malice.
Zim told Malice the name of the weapon and she blanched "You have one?" breathed Malice "H-how did you get it?"
"Some Plookesians were kind enough to give us one" said Zim.
Malice frowned "But why didn't you use it before?"
"Because, in order to use it, it required a special source of energy that fits its massive energy requirements" said Zim "I searched for a long time but I finally found one, the heart of a neutron star"
Malice and Marcus gave Zim worried looks.
"Are you sure about this?" asked Malice, unease crept into her voice "That stuff is pretty powerful and pretty unstable"
"I know what I am doing" said Zim, brushing off her concern.
Marcus raised a hand like a student in class "Uh, question"
"What?" said Zim
"Why are we out here, when we could have done this at the base?" asked Marcus.
Zim rolled his eyes "Because the transformation process would've destroyed the base. Anything within at least two hundred yards of the device while it is in its first stage would be in serious danger"
"aren't we at least two hundred yards away from the device?" asked Malice
"And isn't it in its first stage?" added Marcus.
Zim frowned a little then it dawned on him. The earth beneath their feet began to shake violently, Zim swore in Irken and he yelled, "Run!"
Marcus scooped up Gir and Mini-moose in his arms and took off after the small Irken with Malice running beside him.
The ground shook even more and it began to split, opening large cracks in the earth. Large metal coils shot up out of the earth and it began to slither around. Large metal plates and rods rose from the earth. The group watched as coils, plates and other materials rise from the earth and click together. Within a matter of minutes the rumbling stopped and where a patch of grass and stone once was, a gigantic, metal tower replaced it.
Zim stared up at the tower triumphantly "Phase two complete"
"I can't believe it" breathed Malice, her eye was wide.
Marcus frowned "What? Its just a tower"
"Its not just a tower" said Malice "It's an Apocalypse Tower"
"That sounds bad" said Gir
"It is" said Malice.
Zim turned to his minions "Its only bad for our enemies, not for us"
"I don't know" said Malice "Apocalypse Towers are notorious for being incredibly dangerous to use"
Zim just waved a hand "Pfft, please any leaser invader may mess up, but not Invader Zim!"
Malice sighed "Whatever, don't come crying to me if it all goes wrong".
Marcus nodded approvingly "Impressive tower. But how the hell is it going to help us?"
"Oh you shall see my friend," said Zim ominously "You shall see" Zim turned back to face the tower "Now, lets get back to the base"
"So we can get some sleep?" asked Marcus
"No, so we can prepare for our last operation" said Zim
"What operation is that?" asked Marcus, sounding a little irritated "Operation Fluffy Cats?" "No!" said Zim "That's Plan B, this operation is called, Operation Apocalypse!"
In the Candy Kingdom, Princess Bubblegum paced back and forth muttering to herself.
An hour earlier she had found Marceline lying unconscious outside and she managed to get her inside before sunrise.
Right now she was in the infirmary, resting peacefully.
But what troubled Princess Bubblegum was that Marceline was muttering something over and over but she couldn't make sense of it.
Princess Bubblegum glanced back to the bedridden vampire muttering, "Please be ok".
Marceline's eyes fluttered open.
The vampire found herself looking up at a dull grey ceiling. She sat up and saw that she was in the bed she slept in when she was a child.
Marceline glanced at the sky outside her window.
The sky was dark grey and a chilly breeze blew through the open window.
Marceline glanced around at her old room. The walls were light pink with some shelves holding some old toys she used to play. She felt a sense of nostalgia wash over her as she faintly remembered her childhood.
Marceline saw something on the bedside table. She picked it up and saw that it was a picture frame with a picture of her father, her mother, herself and Marcus.
Marceline said aloud "What is this?"
"You don't recognize it do you?" asked a smooth voice. The vampire looked around "What? Who said that?"
Suddenly a column of jet-black smoke erupted from the floor beside Marceline's bed. Once the smoke dissipated, Marceline saw the source of the voice. It was a man dressed in an expensive black suit, he wore a black necktie and it dangled loosely around his neck. He had blood red hair; dark colored eyes and an unnaturally pale complexion "it's your memories" said the man.
Marceline frowned "Who are you?"
"Me? I go by many names, a few that are now lost to time but you can call me Lucas" said the man as he bowed theatrically.
He rose "Nice to see you again Marceline, last I saw you, you were this tall" he held out a hand to his hip, indicating Marceline's old height.
"How do you know my name?" asked the vampire.
The man smiled warmly "Well you could say I'm a friend of your father"
"My dad?" said Marceline in confusion "What dose he have to do with this?"
"Well nothing really" admitted Lucas, scratching his chin.
"I was in the neighborhood and I saw that you were in a bit of a jam so I decided to help. Not out of the goodness of my heart, because I have none. You could say that I'm just returning a favor" said Lucas.
Marceline's eyes narrowed "Favor?"
"Yeah well you could say I owe your father, he's house sitting for me while I enjoy some time off" said Lucas, waving his hand a little
"House sitting?" asked Marceline.
Lucas grinned, "The Nightosphere wasn't always known as the Nightosphere, kiddo and it sure wasn't your papa's domain".
Lucas coughed and sat down on the edge of the bed "Well, anyway what's up?"
"You said this was my memory" said Marceline "What do you mean by that?"
"Ah now that's quite a yarn, you see" said Lucas as he gestured to the their surroundings "We are currently inside the deepest recess of your mind, where all of your oldest memories were once buried" he tapped his temple "Thanks to that pesky little alien's memory chip, those memories were safely buried deep down here. But now that the chip is gone, those memories are flooding back in like a tidal wave"
"Yeah, so?" said Marceline "What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that thousands of years of unaltered memories are flooding your entire brain" explained Lucas, his tone growing serious "And in this chaotic state, your mind is trying to process all that new data but its too much for it. On any given day, those memories would've overwhelmed you and would've caused some serious damage but luckily for you it didn't"
He frowned "Unfortunately, your mind, in an effort to keep order of the chaotic memories, built a labyrinth inside your head to trap the memories inside and keep the rest of your mind intact while the memories eventually settle into place. A neat little defense mechanism but it accidentally put the conscious part of you inside as well"
Marceline frowned in confusion "What?"
"In other words, you're trapped inside your own mind, rendering you in a coma" said Lucas.
Marceline's eyes widened in shock "What!"
"Don't worry your precious little head" said Lucas, patting Marceline on the head "Dear Uncle Lucas is here to help"
"How?" she asked.
"Go through a trail of your memories, all the way back to consciousness" said Lucas "Your memories are slowly settling in but the labyrinth has still got you trapped and it won't lower anytime soon, unless you take a short cut by revisit your harsher memories and put them to rest"
She shook her head "No, no I won't do it"
"Why not?" asked Lucas.
Marceline glared at the man "There are horrible things in my memories, I can't face them again, I won't"
"Come on" urged Lucas "If you don't go now, all that raw emotion and memory will only get stronger making it harder to get through. We must go now!"
Marceline shook her head "No"
Lucas sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance, "Fine, you know what stay here, I'm out of here. I tried to be nice for once in several millennia like Father and Mike have wanted and here i am, trying to help somebody but do you accept my help? Noooo…" he got up from the bed, muttering a string of curses.
As he approached the door Marceline called after him "Wait!"
He turned "What?"
"What will happen if you leave me here?" asked the vampire.
Lucas sighed, "You stay trapped inside the labyrinth of your own memories. Out in the real world, you will remain in a coma for the rest of your natural life"
Lucas tapped his chin "Though if I were you, I would stay and enjoy the reruns of the golden years"
Marceline frowned "Why?"
Lucas shrugged "Oh nothing, its just that silly alien Zim, he's going to start his plan for world domination again"
Marceline exclaimed "What? And what do you mean again?"
Lucas waved a hand lazily "Oh, poor little Zim has been at this game of conquest for a long time but to no success. Usually his plans blow up in his face. But mow he's going to try and conquer the world again. Normally I would just laugh and wait for the fireworks but this one's a doozey and it might just succeed"
Marceline thought for a moment.
Zim was going to try and conquer the world.
She didn't want to relive the horrors that happened long ago but she wasn't going to sit by and let Zim conquer Ooo.
Marceline got up from the bed "I'm coming with you"
"Thought you might" said Lucas, smiling.
He opened the door, revealing a dark endless abyss.
Lucas grabbed Marceline's hand "Hold on tightly" said Lucas as he stepped into the darkness "Things might just get a bit bumpy".
Marceline took a deep breath and she followed Lucas into the darkness.
End of Chapter
(a/n: i know its not much but its a start. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. review!)