Chapter 26: The Final Break I: A Conversation with Alpha
I am in the middle of a steam ridden environment. Lava is erupting from all sides, the landscape tearing itself apart as the ground starts to descend into the molten magma and burns away into the scathing liquid without a trace. On the only thick bridge giving me access to an unknown location I stand in front of a cloaked being, who for some reason I cannot recognize even though we had met many times beforehand. His aura was no longer feint, but very nearly matched my own. As I stood motionless with my eyes frozen in surprise, I realized that I may have said something, perhaps a revelation about who the being truly was.
"You wanted to know who I am?" They said, the voices of many echoing through the air as they part their hood backwards with both of their hands. I stared into a completely featureless human face, the smooth skin reflection my own face off of it as it said to me. "I am a blank, I am nothing, no one remembered, and no one who existed…Of course, in the end…" Poking through the flesh with viscera and blood leaking out from the openings are eyes, a nose, a mouth, ears, and a hair style similar to my own appear to fill his otherwise empty face. "Perhaps I could just become you?" He grins wildly, staring at me with menacing red eyes as I suddenly feel something puncturing through my heart from behind.
The environment changes completely, the heat of the burning magma vanishing like a whisper into the night as I twist my head as far behind me as physically possible and the temperature drops to an unnatural level of coldness. With a spiky arm impaled into my body stood a dark copy of myself, his body bathed in an unholy black goop as his red seething eyes brimmed with bloodlust. "If anyone is going to become you, its going to be me…Of course, its only a matter of when and why, so tell me…" With a dark echoing of my own tone of voice, the creature spreads its mouth open wide, the two rows of fanged teeth having thin enough gaps between them for his long, blood-ridden tongue to slip through it. "Are you feeling angry?"
After he asked that ominous question, the creature turns his head and is immediately cut in half down the back, give no chance to react as his arm is forced out of my body and the slime begins to gush out from all open vessels of flesh. I am dropped onto the ground back first just as the slime begins to crawl closer to my body, my blood intermingling with it in a matter of seconds to create a truly gruesome mixture. The clinking of metal boots is all I hear as a shadow is cast upon my body and someone walks in front of me, clad in black armor as they keep their backs to me with a katana held in the grasp of their right hand. "In the end, it is only right that I would be the one to kill you…" The voice is familiar, but I don't know why. "Who…Who are you?" My body was dying, but as the figure turned around everything began to fizzle out, static spreading across the air to fully obscure the person's face. All I could make out is a sadistic grin as they pointed their sword at my neck and said to me in a muffled tone "Remember? I am your destruction, I am-" At that moment, everything fades away.
I then wake up in a cold sweat, my pupils shrunken as seen in the reflection of the nearby mirror as I kept my arms held against the sides of the mattress while I tried to catch my own breath. "Why did that feel so real? And who were all of those beings?" Those were the two questions I immediately asked myself even though I was suddenly sitting on a hospital bed in the center of a pure white room. My clothes were still on if not a little roughed up, but they were devoid of any blood, and the pain that I thought would be the end of me had subsided completely. I looked around, thinking that maybe I was back in Toad Town, but there wasn't a window nearby that indicated whether I was there or not.
All I had to go on was a steel door to the left and a camera hanging precariously on the upper left corner of the room. "Oh…I get it…" Remembering the last moment's before I fell to the ground unconscious in the Frozen Palace, I realized right away that I had been brought to the M.S.I.'s Base by Alpha, who was likely in a good enough condition to carry me even after all that happened with the battle against Cackletta. Of course, that didn't explain how I got healed up. I don't doubt Alpha's capabilities, I truly don't, but I was pretty broken up last I checked. Even with advanced medical technology, I really shouldn't feel as renewed as I do right now. I flexed my fingers, the soreness gone and allowing me to clench them against my palm, pumping them close to my chest in joy as I kicked the cotton sheet off with my youthful legs and immediately leaped onto the ground ready to tackle anything that heads my way.
"Oh!" Of course, in the midst of my burst of renewed vigor I looked towards the door and thought to myself with a bit of guilt in my whispering voice "Geez, here I am thinking about myself when Alpha is probably still recovering from the damage I caused to his arms and body…" I lowered my arms and snapped my fingers in front of my chest, getting an idea in my head as I smiled brightly and said next "I got it, I'll go ask some of the soldiers here where I can find him, then say hi and make sure that he is recovering safely." Having long forgotten the nightmare I had, I walked towards the door, moving my hand towards the pocket that acted as the handle, only for a "clink" to ring in my ear as the door was opened from the other side.
And who else would be standing there with his body frozen in place as he kept his right hand attached to the door handle but the Commander himself, his eye staring up at me normally as if we were just two everyday men meeting each other to take part in the daily grind of life. This gaze is averted by a jolly smirk from him, as he chuckles once and with an uplifting smile he says "Well, didn't expect you to be up and kicking so soon kid. Come on, follow me, we can talk in the hallways." Alpha lets go of the door and invites me to join him for a brisk walk down the technologically advanced hallways with the gentle wiggling of his fingers.
He then turns around and makes his way down the left of the room, allowing me to follow two feet behind him as he folds his arms behind his body. "So, got any questions? Seeing as you are the guest here in my base, it would be rather rude if I started asking them first…Ignoring the one I just asked anyways, heh." Acting humble towards me, Alpha gives me a perfect opening to inquiry about what happened after I fell unconscious. "So how did you fix me up?" Was a simple enough thing to ask, and the Commander waved his left arm out to the side and said to me. "Oh, my only contribution to your recovery was bringing you here. Believe it or not, you have Mr. Reality to thank for your wounds healing up."
That was a rather surprising response, and one that left me flinching for a moment while I tried to wrap my mind around why the alien would bother to heal me up. "Wait, why?" I asked, since Alpha seems to have the answer to that question. "He said it was a one-time gift since you were so close to the end and he didn't want to see you die because of your last maneuver, especially with how you outwitted Cackletta and all. Of course, he knocked you unconscious because he didn't want you to hear him explain all of that to me, and he asked me not to tell you…But honestly, fuck that. He doesn't have that realm of his in play anymore in this area, so he doesn't have anyone or anything controlling me, so I can say what I want, when I want."
He looks over his shoulder at me, as if expecting a reaction to the last part of his sentence. I will admit that I was a bit shocked at how blunt he put that, but save for those thoughts my expression remainder virtually untouched. "Heh, within certain limits of my personality anyways. Its not like I'm going to snap at you just for the sake of doing it, after all." He gave that clarification for the sake of reassurance, though I didn't really quite understand how he could've known that I was concerned with how stoic I was. "Either way, I'm really thankful to you for saving me, kid…Actually, I really shouldn't be treating you like you are some upstart around here after all that has occurred. So…"
Alpha stops in place just a second before me and turns around to look up at me with a warming grin. "What's your name?" "My name is Mewmaster, Commander." "Really? You sure you don't want to call yourself Alex Whiter?" Alpha kept his innocent smile even after asking that rather volatile question. I lurched back in surprise, saying to him "Huh? How did-" "I may have one eye, but its perceptive enough to instantly notice the similarities between you and him." He quickly responded, tapping his left pointer against the side of his face with a sly grin replacing his previous expression. "My mind also works well enough to realize that you two aren't the same person. If I had to take a guess, I'd imagine that you are his clone, yes?"
"Umm…Yeah, actually." At first I was nervous to respond, surprised beyond belief that Alpha was able to accurately piece together the truth without me saying a word to-"Hey, wait a minute…" I thought to myself, snapping out of my look of nervous shock as I gave the Commander a sly glare and said to him "You contacted Gemini and he told you everything, didn't you?" I quickly pieced together that inquiry, and after a couple seconds of grinning Alpha reared his head back and burst into jolly laughter. "Hahahah! Yep, you caught me red handed Mew…" He was overzealous about my perceptive discovery, and after he had finally regained control of himself Alpha lifted his right arm up and patted me on the shoulder.
"I was calling him to make sure that he was safe and sound, and he just listed off everything I had missed out on since Mr. Reality attacked our base." Alpha turned back around after explaining himself, retracting his arm behind his back in the process. "Speaking of which…They asked if you were feeling ok, especially after you apparently 'Stormed out of the house' earlier today…How have you been handling things after the revelation of your identity?" That was a bit of a sore subject to bring up, but then again, Alpha wasn't exactly known for being light when it came to these type of issues. Still, he tried to ask as delicately as he could muster considering the topic at hand, so I'd feel like a total jerk if I didn't give a comprehensive answer.
"Well, I guess it would be best if I started from the beginning of this whole mess in detail, since I'd imagine Gemini only gave you the bare basics." "That would be correct. Considering I'm trying to lead you somewhere and all, and your story sounds like a long one, let us stop here for a moment so I can better hear you out…" Empathizing with my concerns about our walking and talking, Alpha did in fact stop in place and turn around, letting me take lead in the conversation for the next few minutes as I told him everything I knew. From the Chronicler, to the whole amnesia fiasco, and finally about the truth of Alex Whiter's past. I did, however, purposely neglect to mention the part of the tale that talked about how Alex obtained his flight powers, since I figured that if anyone would try to do something about the person responsible, it would be Alpha.
"…So the Master is dead, huh?" That was the first thing Alpha murmured, rubbing his chin in deep thought as he sighs and closes his eyelids. "Were you close to him?" I asked, since he did seem a bit distraught about the news. "Not really. Just spoke with him once before…He was a wise man, very well-mannered, and I could see just why he was respected amongst the planet. 'Tis a shame when people like that die, but at least he left in peace from the sounds of things." "Mmm-hmm…" I nodded my head, and the Commander lifted his back up and said to me "So about this Chronicler person..."
"Eh? What about him?" I was puzzled by the fact that Alpha brought him up at first, but then I remembered the thoughts I was having about him when I saw that Cackletta was brought back from the dead, which deeply contradicted what the Chronicler told me about how Mr. Reality couldn't directly influence them. "Oh, right. Yeah, I don't get it…Reality warper's can't directly affect the undead, which is what the Chronicler claimed he was. But then Cackletta appears and throws a wrench in that claim, which means that the Chronicler is actually alive. But if that's the case, why hasn't Mr. Reality just incapacitated him by now with a thought? And right now I have a lot of suspicions about the whole 'I share the same connection to the elements' excuse he threw my way…But…"
"Yes?" Alpha noticed my doubts and hesitation as I turned my head to the side a bit after my spiel and clenched my right fist in front of my chest. "Well…Its just that…" I was going to say it, tell the Commander exactly who I believed the Chronicler truly was even though I wasn't fully certain about it. I turned back around and stared into Alpha's anticipating eye, discarding my doubts as I swung my arm down beside my hip and said "I think the Chronicler may in fact be Alex Whiter…" Alpha's eye immediately widens, not in incomprehensible surprise though, but rather as a show of understanding as to why I had such a difficult time choosing to say that. "The thing is though…He's dead, that's what the Chronicler said."
"Hahahah!" Alpha suddenly burst into laughter, disrespecting my somber, bewildered mood entirely as he closed his eyelids and tried to calm himself down. "Hehehe…I'm sorry for acting like this Mew, but take a moment and think about what you just said." I stood still, calmed down after looking at Alpha in disbelief, and with my eyes gazing towards the ground I took all the facts together and swiftly came to a decisive conclusion. The Commander could tell what I was thinking, and chose to say those words for me since I was frozen stiff in surprise. "If a man wants others to keep thinking that he is dead, then it stands to point that he is going to toss out every lie he can think of to keep that truth alive."
It was rather weird seeing Alpha speak with such certainty. He hadn't even met the Chronicler face to face, or experienced the things I did towards him directly, but he sounded positive when he agreed with my theory that Alex Whiter may be the Chronicler. "Of course, its not a definitive truth. There may be a lot of evidence to suggest that Alex is the Chronicler, but that doesn't mean that he is. After all, here is an alternative theory I came with off the top of my head. What if Alex cloned himself perfectly before he perished, yet implanted a subconscious command to make the clone pretend to be this Chronicler person?" "But that's ludicrous…Wouldn't the clone be in the same condition as Alex was?" I quickly argued, even though I did see a point in what Alpha was saying.
"Not necessarily. I mean after all, your right hand doesn't have the scorch marks that Alex's would've had after using the 'Blazing Overlord Fist' the first time, which suggests that Alex can modify the appearance down to the molecular level." Alpha gestured to my right hand as I left it up and put it in front of my face. "Still, I don't believe that the second theory is the true one, I just said it to show you that not everything can be decided with just one explanation." Alpha was really starting to confuse me now. He was acting like the Master did as far as vagueness went, so it was up to be to start asking for clarification before I lose track of what was going on. "So wait…Do you believe in my theory or not?" I said as I folded my arms in front of my chest and tilted my head in confusion.
"Heh, look back on how I've been speaking so far and determine the answer from there." Is what he said, so I chose to do so, calming myself and firmly thinking about the past sentences in a new light. Ever since I mentioned Alex, Alpha had said everything with absolute confidence in his words, as if he knew the truth about whether or not my original was alive or dead. "Ok Alpha." I quickly yet bluntly said. "Spit it out, you know something about Alex, don't you?" I will admit that my inquiry was asked a bit rudely, but I was growing impatient of the truth being hidden from me constantly. It had been a long day, and I had already dealt with enough hidden truths to fill a lifetime.
"Of course I do. However, I'm going to repeat what the Master told in his final moments. 'He is dead, but by what definition of the word is something you'll have to find out on your own'. The Chronicler came to you, and if he is Alex then that means he trusts you and only you to know the truth about what happened to him after the battle with his evil half, otherwise he would've come back to us by now. You understand what I'm getting at, right?" "Yeah. I have to ask the 'Chronicler' for the truth about his identity, I can't expect you to tell me. While I respect that decision, I have to ask…How and when did you get wrapped up in all this anyways?"
"It all started about a year ago, not long after Alex killed himself in battle. I had Florence go examine the area where I assumed Alex either may have landed or his glove may have fallen to. There were magnetic signatures scattered across the ground, but no sign of the glove anywhere. Needless to say, after Florence left to join the others at the funeral I was approached by the Master and Geno, who told me in layman's terms the truth about what happened with Alex. I can't go into detail about what they said, but with the Master's death only Geno, the Star Spirits, the 'higher-ups' and I know that truth."
After explaining himself, Alpha widened his eyes quickly as he remembered something and quickly shuffled his left arm in front of his face. "Speaking of that…" With a few clicks of the buttons on the surface, a secret compartment opens up above the elbow, and the Commander reaches into it while keeping one eye focused on me through the gap between the limbs. "The Master gave this to me so I could eventually transfer it over to his 'disciple'. I believe you fit the qualifications, considering he treated you like one from the sounds of things. Here you go, Mew." With a quick flick of the hand Alpha throws a stone fragment at me.
I react with the timing of a trained martial artist, latching my fingers around the object as it smacks into my palm. I then turned my hand around, looking immediately at the indescribable text inscribed into the rock and realizing what this was. "So you DID have the last piece of the tablet…But to think that you got it from the Master. I-I don't know what to say." I guess I was overwhelmed by the act of receiving this because, in a way, this was the Master's final gift to the world. I don't know how many hours it had been since he died, but the memory of his final words could still bring a tear to my eye if I thought about it for too long.
"Then let me take the lead for a bit. Ever since Cackletta ruined my life thirty years ago, I trained myself tirelessly, researching and delving into every secret of the planet that I was physically capable of looking into, making certain that I was ahead of the game on all fronts, on ever occasion, against every allegiance…But when the Master gave me this fragment of the tablet, he said to me 'The secrets hidden in this fragment are not for you to know', I considered it a challenge and defied his warning. I tried every translation, ran every protocol, did everything I could to try and translate the text. Nothing worked, and I gave up within a month. I still took it out every now and then, gazing into its mysterious presence and wondering to myself just what this stone would unlock."
"…But I digress." Alpha stops and sighs, shaking his head after rambling on for what feels like forever. "Look, to put it simply, for whatever reason the truth of the tablet was meant to be seen by you and you alone, and my only job in regards to that was to deliver the fragment to you. If you want my personal opinion though…Considering how perfectly things have been lining up, I believe that whatever the tablet has to say, it holds the secret to defeating Mr. Reality once and for all. You've been dealing with plenty of truths throughout your journey from the sounds of things, and you've perceived many of them that others would rather you not see. However, perhaps that's WHY you are the one who was destined to unlock the tablet's secrets. You can see things that most of us mortals cannot even hope to perceive."
In the midst of Alpha's explanations and compliments, I took the fragment and stuffed it into my left pant pocket. When he finished, I smiled and said to him "Well thanks for that little speech Alpha. Don't worry about it, once I see E. Gadd again, I'll let him figure out how to fit the tablet together and then I'll figure things out." I pumped my fist into my chest proudly, and the Commander grinned widely as he folded his arms behind his back and said to me "Well, then you better get some more rest then. I told the heroes to come here tomorrow via Florence's copter, so you'll want to be rested in order to take care of business…"
Alpha turned around mid-sentence, leaving me to panic and thrust my arm out with my eyes widened in shock, blurting out incoherently "Whoa whoa whoa wait what?!" Alpha stopped and turned his head to peer over his shoulders, saying to me "Is there a problem?" In a nonchalant tone of voice. "I-I just think this is rather sudden, that's all." "Not really…You got an entire night of rest to think about what to say to them, don't you? I trust you to make the right decision in regards to your apology. You know what their personalities are like, so just give one to each of them separately." Admittedly, Alpha did have a point there. I was really fretting over nothing. Yeah, I just had to give an honest-to-god apology and all would be good…Right?
"Oh, and before you ask, the reason I'm telling you to get some more sleep is because its past midnight, and while I'd imagine you are hungry the cafeteria is closed for the night because everyone else has gone to sleep. Admittedly, I apologize for bringing you for a walk considering it only led to my Command Sphere, where I was gonna do a few more things before heading off for the night, but I figured that talking while walking is better than standing around and letting our recovering legs atrophy." "But…Didn't we just stand around for most of our conversation anyways?" I said, confused as to why Alpha would say that considering how recent things were.
"Eh, I suppose that was silly of me to say." Of course, who else but Alpha would catch their error in speaking and be humble about it afterwards? "Either way, you should be able to get back to your room since I left the door open, but don't stay up too late or you'll regret it in the morning…Glad we had this conversation Mew, and good night." With a sudden farewell, Alpha departed down the hallway until the darkness ahead consumed his body whole. I took the tablet fragment out of my pocket and peered at the text. "I wonder if this has something to do with that message I heard in the wind this morning?" Having mention 'this morning', I honesty couldn't believe for a moment how many events had transpired in one day. Seriously, if you put it all together in a book, I'd bet there would be about eight chapters worth of material to write because of them all. With nothing else to say or do, I turned back around, went into the room Alpha gave to me, and laid down, ready to fall asleep in preparation for the morning…
Next Time: Confessions of the Prince and Flower