Chapter Fifteen: The Bitter End
A deep sickness began to rise inside me as I waited for the Professor's answer. Beads of sweat were dripping down my face, my hands shaking vigorously, numbness had taken my body. My brimming eyes looked over towards the cage. The scared orbs of Luke and Flora stared back at me. In unison, our eyes looked over to the Professor.
Am I going to die here? This false reality, this alternate universe...
"Layton! Make your decision now, or I'll make it for you!" Don Paolo spat, "You wouldn't have to worry then, 'cause it'll be all three!"
The Professor sighed.
"I have made my decision, Paul," he said, slowly making his way to the edge of the pit. He looked up at Luke and Flora, then towards me. He then looked down into the pit, grimacing at what he saw.
"I never thought it would come to this, having to choose the lives of those I hold dear. Luke, my boy, my apprentice, you've helped me though thick and thin, nothing is too much for you. And Flora, such a dear to have been acquainted with. And then Victoria, mending the hole in my heart, a task I once thought impossible."
I weakly smiled. The Professor took one last look at the three of us, a sad longing in his eyes. Then, he looked at the pit once more.
"My decision, it's...it's none of you," he uttered.
"Wha?" Luke, Flora and I pondered in unison.
"Layton! What the hell-"
"A gentlemen must defend his friends, and his lady, so it must be me," he answered, before abruptly throwing himself into the pit.
"HERSHEL! NO!" I screamed, throwing Don Paolo off me. I ran towards the pit and kneeled at it's edge. I looked into it, preparing myself for the worst sight of my life.
What the...?
Instead of a mangled body, instead of blood and skin, I saw dented metal, sparking wires and miscellaneous cogs scattered around the bottom of the pit.
"He..he was a robot?" Flora asked from above me.
"I..I think so," I stuttered, "So where...?"
"Argh! Get off me! Get off me this instant!" The voice of Don Paolo rang out from behind us. I spun 'round, then released a sigh of relief at what was bestowed before me. There stood the Professor, alive and intact, a firm grip holding onto Don Paolo.
"Professor!" Flora and Luke both exclaimed gleefully.
"Hershel, care to explain what the blazes you are playing at?" I asked, a voice of both confusion and relief.
"But of course, my dear," he answered, "But first I need you to release Luke and Flora from the cage. Use the chain to lower it down, it should be simple enough to get open. I also need you to untie Bruno, the poor chap."
I nodded once, then approached the chain, taking a firm hold of it.
"This is madness! Two Laytons...there were two Laytons..." Don Paolo began to babble, trying to wriggle out of the Professor's grip, "How could you have possibly been in two places at once?"
"Will you shut up?" I snapped, gradually pulling the cage towards me. With enough force, I ripped open the cage, allowing Luke and Flora to escape.
"Thank you, Victoria," Luke beamed, tipping his hat to me.
I then walked over to Bruno, who looked very lost and confused. I chuckled slightly, then untied the thick rope from around his body.
"Mff mm!" Bruno exclaimed, ripping the gag off from his mouth, "Thank you very much!"
"Well, I suppose I should really start from the beginning," the Professor explained, "Not long after the events of St. Mystere, when Luke and I befriended Miss Reinhold, I decided to pay a visit to Bruno. There, I asked him to create an android of myself."
"Ehh? Professor, I think I would have remembered that!" Luke said matter-of-factly.
"You were running errands for me that day, you weren't to know," the Professor chuckled, "I thought having a robot replica would be useful, you never know when I'd be in such a situation where I'd need it."
He turned his eyes to face me.
"Late last night, whilst you were sleeping Victoria, I placed my robot replica in my place, then I stayed in hiding until this precise moment. I've actually been here in the shadows all this time."
"Wait...so you already knew that 'Luke' wasn't really Luke?" I questioned, "And you knew that Don Paolo was going to get you to choose between us?"
"The former, yes," he nodded, "The latter, no. But I did know that Paul would have something crafty up his sleeve, something that could have put anyone of us in danger."
I smiled. I looked over to Luke and Flora, who too were smiling.
"The only one of us who got hurt wasn't even human," the Professor smirked, "Bit of a foil in your plan, wasn't it Paul?"
Don Paolo's eyes glazed over with anger. In one swift move, he elbowed the Professor violently in the face, sending him hurtling to the ground.
"Hershel!" I cried, running over to him.
"Not so fast, Missy!" Don Paolo spat, shoving me away. He turned towards the Professor, kneeling over him. The Professor lay with his hand to his face, a trickle of blood running through his fingers.
"Layton, you really are pathetic," he sneered, jabbing him with a bony finger, "You've forgotten something, something I can easily reverse.."
Don Paolo then took a small contraption out of his pocket. It appeared to be a small box with a big button on it. He pointed it towards the ceiling, the pressed down on the button. Suddenly, a large swirling vortex appeared on the ceiling.
Wait, that looks familiar...
"You forget that, ahem, 'Victoria' isn't from this universe. You forget that I was the one that brought her here. Well, I can just as easily send her back!"
He pressed the button once more, this time opening the vortex. A violent wind whistled through the room, then began sucking into the vortex. My body began to attract towards the vortex.
"Wha...what's happening?" I cried, "Make it stop, make it stop now!"
Don Paolo began to heckle, his evil laugh ringing in my ears.
"No!" the Professor shouted, picking himself up from the ground. He pushed Don Paolo away then jumped to grab my hands. With all of his will, he tried to pull me back down.
"Hershel, it's too strong!" I screamed, feeling my body being pulled by two different forces.
"I've got you, Victoria," he said, trying desperately to fight back the tears that were building up in his eyes, "Don't let go, please don't let go!"
I gripped onto the Professor as tightly as I could. Our eyes locked onto each others, refusing to let go.
I won't let go, I can't let go. I'll lose him...
The suction of the vortex became stronger. I felt my hands slipping out of the Professor's grasp. My attempts of holding on were failing. In one final swift, the vortex pulled me out of the Professor's hands, sending my body hurtling upwards into the vortex.
"VICTORIA!" the Professor shouted after me, arms still outstretched.
"HERSHEL!" I screamed, my arms clawing the air.
I felt myself falling upwards into darkness, higher and faster, until finally light at the end. My body passed through the light, then I was flung to the floor. Aching with pain, I picked myself up, then spun around towards the light. I was back home, in my own room, in my own universe. The light was coming from my DS screen. I picked it, desperately hitting all the buttons, wanting to go back.
"Send me back!" I shouted at the screen, angry tears rolling down my face, "Don Paolo, you monster! Send me back now!"
The screen remained blank. No response. No hope of going back. I let the DS slip from grasp, toppling to the ground, creating a loud noise as it landed. I sunk to my knees, letting out an almighty cry, melancholy taking over...
One month later...
My body once again refused to tire as I lay tossing and turning in bed. I hadn't slept at all well since I was sent back here. I had nightmares, lots of them. I wanted to go back, my heart was aching for him. I couldn't tell anyone what was wrong with me, of course I couldn't.
I desperately need closure. Who can I tell though? Who will believe me? No one.
I feel my eyes finally falling heavy. Sleep captured me instantly as I fell into a lucid dream. I recognised the place I was taken to. The telescope. The gramophone. The stars.
This place. This is Hershel's observatory.
"Victoria..." I heard a familiar velvet voice from behind me. I turned around to face him.
"Hershel," I choked, my heart pounding inside my chest. He took my hand and pulled me into a tight embrace. His scent sent nostalgia running through my mind.
"Is this real?" I asked.
"I'm afraid not, my dear," the Professor replied, a deep sadness in his voice, "This is a dream. I managed to enter your mind while you sleep. But you'll remember all this when you awaken."
Tears began to fall from eyes once more. My watery eyes met those of the Professor, whose dark, mysterious eyes were also shining with tears.
"Is there any way I can come back?" I plead, "Please, I need you..."
"Believe me, Victoria, I want that as much as you do," he sighed, "It's out of my knowledge. I'm sorry, Victoria, truly I am."
"No...I'm sorry," I sniffed, "I should have told you from the start. Maybe we could have prevented our feelings, knowing full well I wasn't real."
The Professor gave a half-hearted smile, gently stroking my cheek.
"I don't think anything could have stopped our feelings," he soothed.
For a moment we stood in silence, embracing each other tightly. The stars shone behind, and the familiar sounds of Beethoven's 'Moonlight Sonata' flowing through the room.
"Victoria," the Professor said, "I can't guarantee that we'll ever see each other again, but please know I'll always think of you. You've not left my mind once since that tragic day. As long as we think of each other, and long as we have the memories, we can never lose each other."
"Yeah, I understand," I smiled, "I love you, Hershel."
"I love you too, Victoria." The Professor kissed me for the last time, gently yet passionately on the lips. As our lips parted, my eyes snapped open. I found myself in my bedroom once more.
I still remember that dream, as clear as day. It felt so real to me.
But Hershel was right. I have my memories if him, so I'll never lose him.
I lived in the game. It was my reality. I still want it as my reality.
I'll never get that back, but I'll still have you.
My one, my only.
My Hershel...
THE END