Nikon opened his eyes and immediately knew something was wrong.
He sat up and looked around, feeling the lack of bandages around his face. He grabbed a nearby razor blade, studying his face and noting the presence of a huge scar over his forehead in the exact place the sword had cut.
"There's no way I healed that quickly," he whispered shaking his head. "Something else is going on."
He looked around, noting that the room was incredibly dark and cold, the lantern normally on the far side of the room completely absent. Something else was suspiciously gone, and he didn't realize it until a few seconds of observation.
"…it's too quiet," he grunted. "No generator, no conversation, not even footsteps or the scratching of rats. That's it, something is wrong."
He got onto his feet, moving quickly over to the door. He stopped his hand inches from the metal knob, feeling a sense of unease deep in his stomach.
"Well, let's just rip off the bandage," snapped the surgeon. "I grow tired of weariness."
He opened the door.
He took a step back in shock at what he saw, his eyes quickly snapping all over the image he was seeing but could not believe. His mind brought forth rationalizations and reasons, but each was hollow and illogical.
The abyss before him ate into the hallway, fragments of the wood and steel floating around the wound. Around it, black stones were scattered like bullet shards, mingling with the chunks of hallway in a perplexing pattern of destruction.
"…fucking hell, I died and went to fucking hell."
He kicked one of the black stones, noting that it immediately lost all momentum when it broke contact with his foot.
"And apparently physics went to heaven," grunted the surgeon.
He walked to the edge of the original hallway, noticing that some of the black stones were gathering near his feet to form a makeshift walkway. They did not shy away from his touch, and remained steady.
"Well, it would appear that someone is intending me to follow this path."
Then he immediately turned around and walked back to his bed. He laid back in it, glancing up at the ceiling for several minutes.
"…shit, my body is unable to fall back asleep," stated the surgeon matter-of-factly. "It would appear that whoever is in control here really does want me to meet with him or her."
He gritted his teeth, walking back into the end of the hallway. "Alright you son of a bitch, or just regular bitch depending upon your gender, I say we are long overdue for a meeting."
He took a step on one of the black stones, noting how it was capable of holding his weight without complaint. Deciding that was good enough, he kept walking, moving at a brisk pace.
Nikon began to realize he was approaching some sort of black island in the enormous abyss before him, its entire constitution composed of black stones. It got bigger as he approached it, until it resembled the size of an actual island.
"Whoever is doing this must be there," he concluded logically. "Perfect."
He reached the island, the path behind him dissolving into dust. He didn't even look back, scanning around the landscape before him.
"Alright, I've followed your little trail!" shouted the surgeon. "Come on out! I grow tired of these games!"
He saw a figure in the distance, so far away he could barely see them as a speck on the horizon. He couldn't even tell the gender of the figure or what they looked like, a black dot far in the distance.
"Hey, you! Yeah, you! I see you, you mysterious little freak! Why won't you come here and introduce yourself?"
The figure immediately disappeared, an instant before Nikon realized the figure was now right in front of him, put into hyper-focus due to his proximity.
"Certainly," spoke the figure in an echoing voice, like millions spoke at once.
Nikon recoiled, eyes widening in panic. He raised his fists to strike, though he quickly lowered them when he realized this figure had made no moves towards him.
"…who are you?" asked the surgeon.
The figure rolled his eyes, both of them so full of darkness they seemed to swallow all nearby light. "I get asked that question a lot, so you may forgive me if I find it a bit tiresome. Take a wild guess who I am."
Nikon mulled over the possibilities in his head, quickly deducing through each one. God? Unlikely, as the being before him clearly did not have control over his actions or thoughts like that of a deity. Devil? Equally unlikely. Bad visions due to possible laced food? Possible, and was a fairly decent option until a new one came around.
"Well, due to the firsthand reports I've read and the exact parameters of your features being reproduced extensively, I can only conclude we are inside the Void, which means you are the Outsider."
The Outsider smiled, clapping his hands once. "Splendid, doctor. It's good to see you are not a complete fool."
He glanced at him oddly. "Although…you are remarkably calm about this. Most people tend to find my presence…distressing."
Nikon shrugged. "I am not religious, nor am I atheistic. I have the sincerest belief in a creator deity, but I hold no delusions that you are it, nor that you are some sort of opposed destroyer deity. Simply put, I think you're nothing but an anomaly."
"Hmph, you're little fun," noted the Outsider with a grimace. "Anomaly…first time I've been labeled that."
He disappeared for a second, only to reappear on top of a nearby rock. "You're always so cool and collected, doctor, always in control. And yet, the rug was pulled out from under you."
He reappeared again next to him, smirking. "You attended the showiest parties, danced with the prettiest gals, and now look at you. Slumming around with the scum of society, barely surviving at all. You lost your job, your research, and your assistant."
"What do you want?" snapped the surgeon impatiently.
The Outsider grinned, holding both of his hands out to his sides. "Entertainment. I dislike being bored, and so desire to alleviate said boredom if at all possible. And you, doctor, are my latest attempt at doing so."
Nikon glared at him, a thought creeping into his brain. "You arranged this, didn't you? You creepy little freak, always pulling your strings and weaving your webs…you made this whole situation possible, with me losing everything? You're the reason I lost Diana."
"Technically, a man named Nicholas Popov is the reason," argued the Outsider. "You likely never heard of him, as he was a simple cobbler who could barely afford the horse that pulled his cart. He had children, and those children had children, and eventually one of them became High Judge Kalin. I could be technical and go back even further, but my range only extends so far into the past. Also, I tend to forget trivialities."
"Funny, considering I regard you as one," snapped the surgeon coldly.
"Now, now, no need to be rude. I come bearing gifts. First, the gift of information."
He vanished into flying shadows, reappearing next to what looked like a chunk of reality placed into the Void. It was an incomplete concrete room with a table in the center, three people seated across it, although only two in the room clearly wanted to be there. The third person was covered in bruises and cuts, likely from the punches inflicted by the large woman with the bloody metal rings on her fingers.
"Holy hell, that's Diana," whispered Nikon shocked, barely able to recognize his assistant through the red welts on her face. "What are they doing to her?"
He glanced at the notes on the table, immediately realizing what they were doing. "They're trying to get her to explain the research…"
He tightened his fists, glaring at the woman who clearly had been beating his assistant. He recognized her from the case file Kallisar had given him, the captain of the guard for Secretary Kalin. "Anna Morozov…your days are fucking numbered."
He glanced at the remaining person in the room, recognizing him immediately. "Secretary Kalin? What is your interest in my research?"
"You speak to yourself a lot, don't you?" asked the Outsider smirking. "More importantly, can you tolerate what he is doing to your research?"
"Since I don't know what he is doing, I can hardly find it intolerable," stated the surgeon blankly, realizing that the Outsider was trying to provoke him into an emotional response.
"Hmm, and here I was thinking you were a cut above the rest, doctor. What can you assume he is doing?"
Nikon picked up one of the pieces of paper, realizing it was a recent experiment he had performed with chlorine gas. He gripped the paper tightly, gritting his teeth. "…he's going to try and make bombs out of this. Any rebellions that try and get started, like Prince Kallisar and his little gang of misfits, will be saturated with burning smoke and swiftly be eliminated."
The Outsider smiled, though the smile he held seemed to indicate he knew more than he was letting on. "And if this little scene continues too long, Diana will be directly responsible for this."
The surgeon glared at him, his eyes furious. "Never. Diana would never compromise her beliefs due to simple pain. She's a lot tougher than I am, after all."
"You have a lot of faith in her," observed the Outsider.
"I have to. A surgeon is only as good as his assistant."
He turned to Diana, reaching out a hand but not touching her. "Diana…just you wait. I'll get you back, I promise."
She and the entire scene turned to blackness, Nikon stepping back in recoil as it reformed around him into a new one. This one was very familiar to the surgeon, the scene where he had talked with Prince Kallisar and his cohorts, but a new detail was visible from this angle. Prince Kallisar had a mark around the back of his right hand, the exact same mark everyone identified as that of the Outsider.
"Oh great, and now he's a freak too," noted the surgeon dryly. "And here I thought someone with amazing charisma and uncanny manipulation of other people hadn't been touched by the Void. That's just great."
"To be fair, the powers I gave him were less involved with politics and more of the…violent sort. Let's just say that play about him making a remark about his hot skin isn't an exaggeration and leave it at that."
He smirked, sliding a hand across the table. "Well regardless, he seemed to convince you, didn't he? A noble Prince, banished from his rightful throne…it's rather quixotic, isn't it doctor?"
"I do not concern myself with fantasy," snapped Nikon harshly. "His little rebellion means nothing to me, barely worth noticing. My only concern is Diana, and her safety. I will get her back, no matter what I have to do."
The Outsider suddenly appeared before him, boring into his head with black eyes. Apparently, something in that last sentence had triggered a response from him, and clearly one that excited him by his higher tone. "Really? No matter what? You would sacrifice anything to make sure she is safe and well?"
Nikon glared at him, realizing the ploy for what it was. "Are you baiting me, Outsider? I am not some idiotic noble who summoned you out of morbid curiosity, nor am I a desperate beggar wishing for a better life. You summoned me, not the reverse. I will not be entangled with your silly word games."
"I don't wish to deceive you, doctor," argued the Outsider carefully, each word selected after a split-second delay. "I merely wish to understand, so I ask questions. I find you a curiosity. You are a doctor, which means you save lives, and yet you take them with alarming calm. I find that odd."
Nikon rolled his eyes. "They tried to kill me, so I killed them. Humans do not work off predator/prey relationships like the rest of nature. Even the weakest man can fight back against those who would wrong him. I won't lose an ounce of sleep for killing those who did me harm."
The Outsider nodded. "An understandable philosophy. But what happens when that cycle goes back around to you? Those men had families, and what if their spouses or children decide to follow your same philosophy? It may take a while, perhaps decades after the fact, but they will know you ended the life of the person closest to them. You may not see it doctor, but I do. Time and time again, it happens in this world, an endless cycle of revenge and hatred that spills enough blood to fill the sea twice over. Are you saying that does not concern you?"
Nikon waved the thought away. "If it comes back around to me, it will end there. Diana holds no sentiment for me, and I have no family or offspring to speak of. I hold no fear for future retribution."
The Outsider stroked his chin, pondering over his response. "Interesting…perfectly logical of course, but something else strikes me about you doctor. I cannot help but feel as if you are insincere, as if there are two answers to that question, both of which you have given."
Nikon raised his eyebrows, completely lost. "No idea what you mean by that. Two answers…are you implying this conversation has happened before?"
"No, I remember everything, it is what I do best. It's like…"
He stopped, the Outsider glancing to the side. "Oh…now that really is interesting."
Nikon looked off to the same place, noticing the Outsider was staring at a distant island across the Void.
"…okay, what am I looking at?" asked the surgeon.
"Oh, right, you can't see that. Well, I guess now's as good a time as any."
Nikon grunted in pain, grabbing his left hand and staring at it in shock. Flames were emerging from under his skin, lines running through the flesh and charring it black. When it finished, he was staring at the mark of the Outsider, etched right into his skin.
"Hey asshole, I didn't agree to this!" shouted the surgeon waving his hand at him aggressively. "Take it off!"
"Now, now, hear me out," said the Outsider holding up his hands. "If you want to rescue Diana, you're going to need my help. Besides, there's something you really need to see."
He immediately disappeared, reappearing at the distant island he had been looking at previously. He was standing right at the edge, extending a hand.
"Come now doctor," ordered the Outsider.
Nikon held out his left hand, extending his fingers, before he noticed something. His two main fingers near his thumb felt heavier than normal, as if something was placed on them. He rubbed the area with his thumb, revealing that some sort of invisible ball was present on his hand, around the size of a golf ball.
"So…I throw it and, what, I catch it where it lands?" guessed the surgeon. He shrugged. "Well, it's only the second craziest thing I've heard all day."
He wound his arm up, taking a few steps back before throwing it as hard as he could across the abyss.
Then he immediately appeared next to the Outsider, holding the 'ball' with a single outstretched hand. He felt the wind wash over him in an instant, reflexively taking a step back from the rush that hit him.
"Whoa…" he whispered. It seemed appropriate, considering nothing else could really describe how he felt.
"Not exactly original," noted the Outsider blandly. He gestured deeper into the island. "There, that rock there. Look into it."
Nikon glanced at the rock, noting something. Unlike all the other stones in the Void, this one was reflective, but not a complete reflection. He saw the Outsider pointing to the wall, and his person standing there, but he looked different. He was wearing a gas mask over his face, and he looked terrified.
The surgeon felt his face grow heavier, and quickly realized his plague doctor mask had been strapped to his face. He looked back at the Outsider, slightly fearful. "Outsider, what is going on? Who is that man?"
The Outsider grinned, a face that sent chills down his spine. "I should that the answer to that question is obvious. Well, I guess you should ask the source of it."
He snapped his fingers, the scene around Nikon wavering like his eyes were adjusting to light. When it had readjusted, he was standing before the gas mask man, about a meter separating them.
The gas mask man took a step back, something in his posture and mannerism familiar. He seemed reluctant to approach, though that response was perfectly natural.
"Uh…hi?" asked the gas mask man with a definite shiver to his voice.
"Hello," replied Nikon calmly, deciding it would be rude to simply ignore him. "Tell me, your voice…you sound…similar to someone I know…"
The gas mask man nodded, as if eager to have an agreeable conversation. "Yes, as do you. I…"
They both paused, realizing a logical connection for their statements. Nikon reached for his mask, and the other did the same.
They removed them, revealing their features. The brown hair, cut short to not interfere with their work. The chocolate eyes, said by many to resemble mud trampled upon by boats. The white skin, pale from hour after hour working in a library or surgical table. The stubble, never fully shaven but maintained just enough for hygiene. The scar down the left side of the lips, a result from a feud with their fathers.
"My God," muttered both of them, knowing exactly what was going on.
Nikon rubbed his face, so confused his mind had completely turned to static. "Wow…this is…are you…real?"
The gas mask Nikon took a step back, clearly offended by the question. "Of course, I am real! How do I know you are not?!"
Plague doctor Nikon decided that was a fair question, and conceded his point. "Hmm, fair enough. Fine then. I think there's a simple way for us to figure this out."
He sat on the ground, breathing out a sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest. He honestly hadn't thought this out too much, but decided to roll with it. "One of us asks a question relating to our past, and the other responds with their version. Then we switch. Assuming we both give similar answers, that should determine if we really are Doctor Nikon Luca."
"But…how can there we two of us?"
That was a damn good question, but plague doctor Nikon didn't have an answer. It was good to see this other version of himself the Outsider had seemingly conjured wasn't a complete idiot. "Does it matter right now? We can figure that out later. Right now, we need to trust each other. So, I will start first. How did you split your lip?"
Gas mask Nikon paused a second, as if wondering if he wanted to answer that question. "Got in a fight with my dad, twenty-second birthday. Son of a bitch decided to go on a drunken bender and start hitting mom again. I stepped in, he busted my lip, I broke his hand."
That was something different. "Odd. I stabbed him in the chest with a broken bottle."
Gas mask Nikon let out an audible gasp. "You murdered your father?"
Plague doctor Nikon rolled his eyes. "No, it wasn't lethal, and I was able to sew it shut anyway. Son of a bitch never touched mom again, though. Now ask me a question."
The gas mask Nikon took a moment before speaking. "Okay…I have never drunk a drop of alcohol in my life."
That was also good to hear. He didn't like the idea of other versions of himself being drunkards. "Same. Ever since I saw what it did to my old man, never liked the thought of it. Same for you?"
"Yeah. What's your favorite food?"
Plague doctor Nikon glared at him. Perhaps he had been too generous about not labeling him as simpleton. "Fried mushrooms and onions, and really, that's all you can think of?"
"I'm hungry."
"Whatever. I'm not, by the way, in case you wondered. Now, what was your major at the university?"
Gas mask Nikon perked up, as if proud of what he was about to say. "General practices."
That definitely caught plague doctor Nikon's attention. "Now that is interesting. Mine was surgery, with a minor in biology."
"My minor was surgery."
A moment of silence hung between them, before gas mask shattered it.
"So, is that it then? We're different people because we took different classes? What a sad joke, Outsider. You really could've done better."
Plague doctor Nikon glared at him, infuriated he was treating this matter so lightly. "This isn't a joke. I am real. I am Doctor Nikon Luca, chief physician to council member Kuznetsov. My research assistant is Diana Khil, a charming and intelligent woman who was taken from me by Secretary Kalin's private guard. I am conspiring with Prince Kallisar to retrieve her from Kalin's guard barracks. Sound about right, gas mask?"
His other started to shake, voice trembling. "…yes. That's exactly right."
Plague doctor Nikon rapidly thought of a possibility, something in their past that would be the same but different. "Maybe…I can think of one major event that may have influenced us. Something I would never forget as long as I lived. The first time I killed."
"451 Red Crow Street, the watchmaker," spoke gas mask Nikon with a sad glance. "He was fifty-three years old and a master of his craft. He had just made a watch for his nephew before I decided to rob his safe. I hadn't eaten in three days, and the hunger was beginning to torment my mind. As I was unlocking his safe, he found me. We got in a skirmish, and then I…I…"
Plague doctor Nikon continued, already feeling the shame building in his throat like bile. "…slit his throat and watched him bleed out across the floor. I proceeded to vomit on the floor in disgust, and spent the night at my hovel sobbing in shame. I had killed an innocent man, and for what?"
"Thirty-seven coins," whispered the gas mask Nikon. "That's all he had saved up. I killed a human being for thirty-seven coins."
Then he paused, plague doctor Nikon looking up. Clearly his opposite had noticed something in their stories that conflicted. Perhaps about the murder implementation?
"Before, you said the first time you killed…" said the gas mask Nikon cautiously, each word handpicked.
Plague doctor Nikon nodded. "Yes. That was factual. It was the first time I killed a person."
"…I remember it as the only time I've killed a person."
They shared a look, both coming to terms with the gravity of the situation.
"You…you kill people?"
Plague doctor Nikon snarled, irritated by the sheer naivety of the question. "…I had no other choice. I do not enjoy it."
"There is always another choice. How many men did you kill escaping Kuznetsov's manor?"
He honestly struggled to remember for a moment. "Two, technically. Diana shot the other one."
"You got Diana to kill too? What sort of…who…what are you? You can't be me."
Plague doctor Nikon gave him a withering look, deciding he didn't much like this version of himself. "Oh, so you are not Dr. Nikon Luca?"
"I am proposing you are not."
That hit plague doctor Nikon like a ton of bricks. He stood up, face quickly growing red with rage. "How dare you propose that? We are both the same man, just in different circumstances. I think that at one point in time, you may very well have been like me."
The gas mask Nikon stood his ground. "Never. Not in a million years would I kill another person. Even if it meant I must die."
Plague doctor Nikon immediately saw the hole in that logic. "What if it meant Diana would die?"
"…what?"
He took a few steps forward, glaring down at this pathetic excuse for him that lay before him. Even as he moved he saw him shrink back, terrified of this version of himself. "If it came down to it, would you kill a person to rescue Diana?"
"There has to be another…"
Now he got pissed off, something that very rarely happened to him. "What if there isn't?! If it came down to it, who would you rather see die?!"
Then the insect stood his ground. He stood ramrod straight, opened his mouth, and spoke words with such calm seriousness they honestly stunned him. "Myself. If it came down to it, I would give my life so Diana may live. Can you say the same?"
Plague doctor Nikon recoiled backwards, opening his mouth to reply but having no words come out. His mind blanked out, the thought having honestly never occurred to him before then.
"That silence is all I needed to hear," spoke gas mask. "I am leaving now."
Then he turned and disappeared into shadow, leaving him alone on the black stone.