Cifer's Log

by Dagmar Yeoman

Doctor Cifer writes about his experiments, his life, and his friend. He writes about the dead ship on his shore. He writes about the wounded pirate girl inside it. He writes about the power he finds. He writes about what becomes of them all. A short story from 2017. I hope you like it.

6. Chapter 6: The Empty End

Cifer's Log.

Final Entry.

I have failed.

Everything I have devoted myself too, everything, is gone. The orb is gone. E.R.O.B's blessed presence in my heart, gone. I can feel nothing but impending death.

It took hours, but I finally convinced Arpy that it was the 'free' me talking. He let down his guard and gave me the password to the vault. What a dumb hunk of metal. As soon as I had the opportunity, I deactivated it.

The orb was mine again, and I began to take it to the host's room. Once she swallowed it, the process would be complete and E.R.O.B. could begin his invasion. But at the last second, I lost control to the 'free' me.

He began to take it back to the vault, but then he stopped for some reason. He walked to his office and sat at his desk.

Now, bear in mind that I am still Philius Cifer. There is no second voice in my head, only E.R.O.B's heavenly, benevolent influence. But if I was the second voice, temporarily buried in the recesses of my mind, I would have been confused. I would have internally chuckled at the 'free' me's actions.

I wasn't laughing for long.

It was such a simple trick, one that I hadn't even considered. As soon as the 'free' me felt his control slip, he doubled. A body for him, and a body for me.

An orb for him, and an orb for me.

E.R.O.B's enlightenment did not reach the second body, giving the traitor all the time he needed to attack me. Every injury he inflicted, every punch, scrap, and bruise, he undoubtedly suffered as well. The great weakness of the Double-Double Fruit.

I tried to escape, but he was relentless. I was horrified by his behavior. He kept screaming that I wasn't him, that I was a monster, a ghost of some great evil. I admit I was pretty hurt. Did he not know that he was hurting his own person? That I am and have always been me?

What a pathetic person the 'free' me is. He can't see the inherent beauty of E.R.O.B's plan. Sure, many will die, but I still have my morals. I would never sacrifice souls for fun. It's for a greater good, a greater purpose.

Not that it matters now. There were two orbs at that moment, and I know, I just know that 'free' was betting on something happening because of that. He was desperate, but he was right. I don't understand it myself, but the orbs…did not react well to each other. Honestly, what occurred went against the laws of physics. Anti-matter doesn't react negatively to anti-matter. Only matter. So why is it that one orb reacted negatively to its exact replica? Perhaps the level of power inherently invested in the orbs so great that it… couldn't handle itself?

Whatever the case, the orbs exploded. Violently. The double was killed instantly and disintegrated. I got a hole blasted through my side. The explosion wrecked my desk and pens, which is why I'm writing in blood right now. Honestly, finishing this journal entry is the only thing keeping me alive right now. I refuse to die before I let the world know what occurred here. A good scientist will always persevere until every last drop of his life is recorded.

Literally, in my case.

OH NO, NOT YET, NO-

6:97 P.M.

I must be pretty delirious from blood loss, because the three in the 6:37 I just wrote kind of looks like a nine.

I shut down the shutdown, so Nami can getoutifshewants. It's hard to say what I'm most disappointed in when it comes to myself. And it IS me this time. I guarantee it.

I'm terrified. I've never died before. I can't imagine what it's like. I wish I could record it. Write it. Something. Arpy will reactivate, maybe, to protect Nami. No sure to be.

It's gettingdark, everything blurring. Linda….