Thank you to my ever so loyal reviewers who have encouraged and helped shape my writing. Hugs and kisses to all!
Okay. I know I've taken forever. I had actually written this chapter a long time ago, but I was really unhappy with the way it turned out. I restarted, before stopping again halfway. I tried several times, in fact, and seemed to get nowhere. So, the best idea I could think of was to start a brand new story. (Teen Titans, "Shards of Distortion"). A new story is totally inspiring, and while writing it I felt it all coming back to me. So, I present my (eighth?) attempt at Chapter 24! May be a bit confusing. More to follow! Promise.
Frostt: It totally inspired me. Every review does. I've been working on this chapter for EVER…
And responding to a question (is writing hard or does it come naturally?): It is hard to actually find time to DO it. It takes me a really long time to write but it does come naturally most of the time. Right now I had to force myself to start. Once I've got the idea it flows. Yeah, and it takes a while because sometimes I just hate the whole idea and have to restart it, especially in the case of this chapter!
NOTE: Slightly more graphic than other chapters, read at own discretion!
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Twisted Fate
Chapter 24: In the Shadows of Minds
The glorious white tiger lay in its glass prison, the final piece to a forgotten puzzle. The lights of the spirits had ceased to dance, as hopes and dreams were forgotten and lost. Weakness and desolation ruled the eternal night.
The project seemed forgotten, as the madmen had moved onto a different game. Focus had shifted from beast to master. So the spirits were forgotten as well, trapped forever behind glass, as their light diminished with that of their owner. They were now but gleaming trophies, slowly collecting dust and becoming tarnished with weakness.
A man behind thick glasses peered into the madman's lair. "Sir… you aren't actually planning to give them access to the media, are you?" the henchman asked cautiously.
"No," the man chortled. He turned around in his large, black leather chair. "Of course not."
"I see. To give them a false hope, I presume," he said, pushing up his glasses. "And, just to clarify, about the dream sequence being the 'final task'…?"
"Yes; they won't get through it. I've already broken down their defences." A cocky smile sat upon his sick, twisted face. His mind was corrupted, and it showed in his eyes.
The man nodded once, keeping his head down. "But if they do?"
"I suppose they will be free. Well, not exactly free, for I would issue a hefty ransom… enough to make us all very, very rich. More than we could ever hope to spend."
The two men had matching smirks, greed filling their eyes and souls. The man pushed up his glasses once more. "Oh, and sir? When shall we commence the final task?"
The man turned his chair to face the vast wall of screens and data. His voice was chilling and rattled in the echo of the empty room. "Initiate final sequence now."
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Rei trembled softly in the darkness. In a cold room he sat alone; there was nothing there but him. He suddenly jumped as bright lights flashed on, revealing one of the walls to be made of glass. "What's… going on?"
"Show time, dear boy," the scientist's cold voice laughed. "Your friends are here… waiting for you."
Rei blinked, and saw Tyson, Max, Kai and Hilary, all behind glass. Each was in their own box; concrete dividers separating them. He pounded on the glass, even though he knew it was futile. They looked scared. Even Kai looked slightly afraid. Slightly. Well, no, not really, but seemed just calm, instead of abnormally calm.
"Now, Rei. Here's the fun part. You get to choose each of their fates! There are four lovely choices, and you are to assign one to each of your friends. You with me?"
Rei said nothing. "I'll take that glare as a yes, shall I? Now, flip over the cards and read each. Choose carefully. Oh, and you might want to hurry up. With every thirty seconds, one of your friends will receive a harmless, yet painful, shock."
Rei flipped the cards over, one by one. Cold temperature. Temporary poison. Death. Rei's jaw dropped in horror. "No…" He couldn't do this. How could he choose to kill one of his friends? The final one: Watches the others suffer by your side.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of light and a scream. Hilary. She had been shocked. Okay… have to get this done and fast!
If he had heard Hilary's scream, could they hear him? He shouted at the top of his frail lungs, coming out as a hoarse shout but didn't care. "Can you hear me? Guys! Answer me! Can you hear me!" They looked confused, but were looking at him. They could see him.
"Hey Rei," Kai's voice came. It was loud and clear. There must be a speaker system in the room. Figures – Rei would have to hear them scream. "Can't hear you, but can you hear me?" Rei nodded vigorously. He had an idea. He would hold the cards up to each of them through the glass, and see how they would handle it. He dashed towards Kai's container, frantically displaying the four cards, gesturing for Kai to choose.
"Sorry, Rei. I can't read Chinese." Rei glanced at the papers, sighing. Yes, they were now in fact in Chinese. This was so frustrating…
Suddenly, another flash of light. This time, Tyson yelled out in pain. Okay, he'd have to figure this out on his own now. Right now. He wouldn't think about the option of death. He'd do it through process of elimination… and then…
'Okay. Kai is probably most tolerant of pain. He's suffered a lot, though, and deserves a break. But… he would want to take the pain for the others. He would not want to stand by and watch them suffer. Neither would Tyson, in that case. They would both prefer to take it themselves. So either Max or Hilary will watch…
'Kai's had exposure to both poison and cold temperature before. He should take one of those, being slightly better adapted than the rest. But although he doesn't mind the cold – it would be a lot more tolerable for him than the others – if he can handle poison just a tiny bit more than the others can, it'll save them one hell of a time.
'Max will probably handle seeing them die just slightly better than Hilary. I mean, Hilary's already been through a huge deal. Not that Max hasn't. Just… yeah. She'll go hysterical, I'm positive. I think Max will understand better.
'The cold. I know which one will handle it best of the two left. I'm sure, actually, that she would handle any situation worse than the others. Drama queen. I… I suppose I'll have to give Tyson to the freezing temperature.
'And that leaves…'
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The flames licked the charred edges of the building. The smell of smoke, mixed with the heat and screaming, was nauseating. A boy, no more than fifteen, would wake up to this shattering image around him. His blond hair hung in his pale face as he stirred. Max lay on the floor, gaining consciousness with the harsh realization that it was getting harder and harder to breathe. He forced himself awake, taking in the scene around him. Surrounding him. He was trapped inside the burning building…
He staggered to his feet, straining to listen to the screams over the roar of burning things. His jaw dropped as he recognised the voice.
"…Mom!" He glanced around frantically, trying to catch sight of the blonde woman he cared so deeply for.
He heard the shrill scream again, faintly yet still sharp.
The door. He bolted for it, finding himself in a long, winding corridor. There were more doors down the narrow hall than, well, a hallway with a ton of doors. He groaned. His head felt heavy and was throbbing with pain. The roar of the burning building, the smoke, his mother's screams… This was as close to a hangover as he would ever get. Joy…
First door… locked. As were the next 34 doors he tried. The 35th though… he fumbled with the doorknob in his haste, only to reveal another hallway. "No!" he yelled in frustration. But the screams were getting louder…
Was she trapped? Had the fire gotten her? Was she hurt? Max pushed himself harder than he ever had before. Yes, Kai's training maybe was paying off now. A ghost of a smile made its way to his face as he remembered to back then. He sprinted through the corridors, trying all the doorknobs, with such haste Kai would have been proud.
Door 52 was the right one, and, almost expectedly, Max opened it to find yet another corridor. Max realized the hallways were getting narrower and longer. He felt the sensation of his own sweating, and realized just how hot it was getting.
Suddenly, a large explosion could be heard. The sound of glass shattering was ear splitting, followed by a piercing scream and ragged gasps of breath…
The blond's crystal blue eyes widened in fear, tears threatened to spill and cascade down his deathly pale face. "Mom!"
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Kai woke up to the familiar stone walls of the Abbey. "What?" he said aloud. No, not here again!
Great, and chained down too. He struggled, but realized it was useless. A waste of energy. It was the room again… the lab. And a figure, in the background…
"Boris?" he asked, with disbelief. "What the hell's going on here?"
"Oh, Kai… awake, are you? Well then it's time…" he drew out a needle. "You remember this?" he said, as Kai had paled drastically. "Slight modification. It'll make you do whatever I, rather your grandfather, wants. It's time, Kai…"
"Time for what," Kai demanded.
"Time to get rid of your emotions and feelings which are holding you back… Time to taste the sweet blood of murder…"
"You sicken me."
"I know," Boris smiled. "It's for the best, Voltaire says. You're on your way to becoming like him…"
"No way. I am not becoming like him."
"But you are… Don't you see, Kai? It's inevitable. It's fate. Besides… he's only doing it for your own good. Once you are rid of your friends, you are rid of the certain pain and sorrows of relationships-"
"Rid of my friends? What do you mean…?" he asked, hesitantly.
"Oh, Kai. I thought you were quicker than that!" Boris touched Kai's face with a gloved hand, lifting his face. "You're going to kill your friends," he smiled.
"Not a chance," Kai glared.
"That's what you think… now your friends are over there, in the cells." Kai glanced over and saw them, crying and pleading. Boris held the large needle. "And now… you will kill them," he said, and injected the venom into his body.
Kai immediately felt his insides freeze and burn at the same time. He could feel the pain surging through him, making its way from the tip of the needle to every inch of his body. He cried out softly; he had tried to restrain himself but couldn't. He knew, even without opening his eyes which were so tightly shut, that Boris was smiling, enjoying his suffering.
He felt his shackles loosen, and a dagger in his hand. And he was walking forwards… He immediately halted, but felt pain surge through his body again. He managed to stay for a few seconds, before stumbling forward again. Each second, the pain got immensely stronger.
Boris kicked him swiftly in the ribs. "Fool, don't try to resist! Go now!"
Kai groaned, collapsing to the ground. He was shaking, trying to resist. The agony was intense. Sweat rolled down his extremely pale face. The poison was winning.
His vision was blurred, but he could distinctly make out another figure. "Gr- grandfather?" he whispered.
"Get up, Kai," he barked. "Get up. Off your knees, boy!" Kai gritted his teeth, slowly rising. He couldn't resist any longer.
He couldn't fight anymore. The poison was trying to control him, and was succeeding. He found himself walking forwards, as hard as he struggled. He could hear his grandfather's voice but it seemed muffled through the noise of pain. "Don't fight… you can't win because you're a pathetic excuse for a human being…"
Kai opened his eyes and gasped. Right in front of him was Max – frightened and crying. He was inches away. Kai struggled harder than ever, fighting the force that was trying to plunge the silver blade into his friend. "No," Kai whispered. "I can't…"
He shut his eyes tightly as his head swam and he couldn't breathe. "Weak…" Voltaire's voice echoed in the darkness of his mind. He couldn't take anymore; they had won.
He collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. His entire body was covered in sweat, as he unwillingly trembled. He couldn't tell if tears were in his eyes; they were still shut tight. He couldn't open them. He knew what had happened. He could feel the crimson substance on his hands, and they would never be clean.
"So… weak…"
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Tyson woke to the sad songs of a pipe organ. In a church, or something… A funeral. "Hey… could you tell me who died?" Tyson asked. He got no response. Frowning, he ran to the front of the church, asking the preist. The priest however, completely ignored him, continuing to drone on. "Hello?" Tyson waved in his face. Still, he was ignored. He huffed off, and sat down, trying to listen to the sermon.
"He was a good man… loved by many… he really enjoyed kendo, and did so much for his grandson…" This isn't telling me anything, he thought to himself, and ran out of the building. Nobody noticed.
He pressed his face to the glass in a shop that had televisions playing the news. The weather reported faded out, and a woman appeared on the screen."A few days ago, a man was murdered. His murderer was none other than Tyson Granger--"
"WHAT!" he shouted. Different Tyson Granger? Sure enough, though ,they showed his own face on the TV screen. "What is this!"
He ran, only to realize he was running to the dojo. It was out of habit. "Grandpa?" Tyson called, as he approached the gorgeous traditional building. "Grandpa!" Nobody was there.
He heard a voice from the street as two people walked by. "Can you believe it was Tyson Granger?" Tyson strained his ears to hear the voices. "His own grandfather! He KILLED his own grandfather!"
Tyson paled. "No…"
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The cold metal against her bare back was less than comfortable, she realized, as she wakened. It was chilly… she was only in the cropped tank top and short shorts she had been sleeping in. But it was more than that. Something felt wrong…
She opened her ruby eyes softly, and tilted her head up. She glanced to check her wrists and ankles. Restrained, by shackles… She was trapped, bound to a large, vertical board made of metal. She struggled slightly, gaining consciousness and becoming aware of the horrendous situation. Struggling was futile; she was most definitely trapped until whoever had put her in such a state would set her free…
"Hey, Hilary."
"Tyson?" she gasped. "You're here too? Are you okay-"
"Oh, we're better than okay," another voice came. Kai. His voice was colder than the metal against her back. She struggled a bit more, however could do nothing.
"Kai…?" Something was wrong with him. Both of them.
"Sshh… don't say a word, now," Tyson walked into view. An eerie smile was planted upon his face. "Don't speak."
"We want you… to scream."
And she did, seeing what lay in their hands. The knife to make permanent red slivers to match the indelible damage she had done them… the lighter to burn and destroy all that was left of her soul… the rusted nail to cut deep, tear at her insides and stay forever…
"N-no… please…" she stammered, choking on tears. "Don't do this… I'm s-sorry…"
Tyson merely smirked, and began to carve crimson designs in her skin. "I love you, Hilary…" She shook as her arms bled. The drops of blood matched the tears that fell down her face.
Kai touched her pale face. His hands were cold and clammy. She flinched at the touch. "Bye, Hilary," he said, before slitting her throat.
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END OF CHAPTER
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Penguin Pop