The Chronicles of AzzaNation: Dawn of a New Age

by Matt Mihilewicz

  Adras prison.

  The young speedster let out a scream of agony as he realized where he was. His worst nightmares had come true. He was a royal captive, trapped in the worst prison imaginable. To make things worse, he didn’t know anything about his arrest. He had always assumed that if he was arrested by the royals, that they would scan his brain and find out that he was an unregistered evolved. But he hadn’t been conscious when they found him. The inhibitor chip could mean that they did know, and they had taken precautions to restrict his abilities. But he had heard that every prisoner in Adras was issued an inhibitor chip, no matter what their crime or capabilities were. Leo was left figuratively—and quite literally, in the dark. He knew nothing about his situation. He had no idea how long he’d been in Adras before he had woken up, nor how long it had been since the Forbidden Desert incident. He didn’t know how long his sentence was, or the official charges that were laid against him. His situation was utterly and completely hopeless, and all he could do was wait and pray that he might get some answers soon.

  Unfortunately for Leo, he did not get any answers in the coming days. As time passed for him in his boxed cell, he felt like he was going insane. He had no way to tell the time, due to the permanent darkness. He had trouble telling his dreams from reality and had several hallucinations—seeing his father, and Darrod in his cell with him. One minute they would be in front of Leo saying “Hello, son! Keep your spirit up.” or “Need a hand there, kid?” and then their form would wither up and die, becoming rotted and dead. Some days, Leo felt like his brain was on fire, and he craved escape more than anything in the world.

  The only part of the day he felt normal was when the prison guards fed him. They had to open a sliding steel door above him to get the food in, and for that brief moment he was able to see some light. At first, the brief blast of light was too bright to handle, but with each time, he started to crave it more and more. It got to the point where Leo wanted those brief seconds of sight more than the food they dropped. He would bask in the heat of the light, and for those few seconds, he felt good. But then they would throw down his food in a tin bucket. Scraps of bread or meat were always inside—barely enough to feed a dog, and then they would close the door. Leo would be left in darkness once again, feeling around the ground of his cell for the bucket with the food inside. He would eat whatever they were generous enough to give him, and a few hours later, he would return it to the bucket. In those moments between the guards’ visits, the air would become thick and rancid with his own stink, but he slowly got used to it, and would go back to his painful and maddening routine.

  With each passing day, Leo felt like giving up. He felt useless and pathetic. His body was becoming weaker and weaker, withering him down to skin and bones. He wanted more than anything for the torture to be over, and death seemed like the only way out.

  He stopped eating the scraps of food they gave him, and he began to pile them in the corner of his cell. His bowel movements stopped as well soon after, so at least he could count the lack of shit smell to his blessings.

  He had no idea how long he was in Adras for, but he was confident that he wouldn’t be there for much longer. The strange thing was that he was right, but not for the reason he suspected.

  _________________________

  One day, during his meal of the day, something strange happened to Leo Exe. The door above him opened, and for a split second, the young speedster thought he saw a fly in his cell, sitting on the wall. He immediately dismissed it as nothing or another hallucination and went to throw his scraps onto the pile he had laid out.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

  Leo looked around his cell—not that he could see anything. He tried to determine where the voice came from, but he only saw darkness staring back at him.

  “It’s nothing,” whispered Leo to himself, “Just another hallucination.”

  “I assure you I am not a hallucination, Leo Exe. I’m as real as the stench you’re radiating right now.”

  What the fuck? Thought Leo. Who was talking to him right now? The cell could barely fit him, let alone someone else. Was this some trick the royals played on their prisoners—some new and strange form of torture?

  “Who are you?” asked Leo, softly. “…Where are you?”

  “My name is Coté, and maybe if I came closer it would ease your concerns.”

  Leo looked around, but he still only saw darkness. However, something was different. It wasn’t a new sight that he noticed, but a new sound. Buzzing. Leo turned his face towards it and saw a vague shape of a fly land on his shoulder. Suddenly, he understood, and he was relieved to know that he wasn’t insane…yet.

  “So…you’re a shifter?”

  “No, I’m a talking fly,” said Coté sarcastically. “Of course, I’m a shifter! Wow you really are a dumbass. Why Michael wants you, I’ll never know.”

  Leo did not appreciate the shifter’s mocking tone, but he was strangely happy to talk to someone—even if it was a mocking fly.

  “I’m sorry, but you are the first thing I’ve seen in here that hasn’t been a hallucination.”

  “Oh, quit being dramatic, you’ve only been in here for a week.”

  A week? Thought Leo. That couldn’t be true. Could it? He thought he had been in Adras for much longer—at least a month or two by now…Perhaps his sanity was slipping. After all, he was currently talking to a fly.

  “Do you know why I’m here Mr. Fly? I thought I died in the Forbidden Desert.”

  “Mr. Fly?!” screamed Coté. “My name is Coté and you would do well to remember it if you want my help!”

  “Fine, fine, I’m sorry…Coté,” said Leo. He understood that Coté was actually a shifter, and he was only taking the form of a fly temporarily, but it still made it hard for Leo to take him seriously. He never thought he would be apologizing to a fly in his lifetime, but here he was…and stranger things have happened. “Now can you answer my question?”

  “No, because I don’t know the answer,” said Coté, flatly. “I was not sent here for that.”

  “Why are you here then?”

  “I am here to help you escape Adras prison.”

  Leo scoffed. He had never heard such a ridiculous statement. No one had ever escaped Adras alive, and even if by some miracle you were successful, the prison was in the middle of the Singh Desert, which had nowhere to hide for miles. He was positive now that he was insane, and his mind had created this fly—Coté—whatever, to torture him with false hope.

  “Well Coté, that sounds great!” This time it was Leo’s turn to be sarcastic, and he was laying it on thick. “So…what’s the plan? Should I hop on your back and you’ll fly me out?” He laughed and laughed and laughed, not enjoying any part of it.

  “No, you idiot,” said the shifter with a stern edge to his voice, “The plan is way more complex and brilliant. In fact, it’s so brilliant that explaining it to someone with your limited mental capabilities would be a waste of time.”

  Leo was tempted to squish the bug right then and there, but he decided against it on the off chance that Coté was telling the truth. Even though none of this made any sense, the young speedster couldn’t help but feel hope return. He no longer wanted to die. He wanted more than anything for Coté to be real and genuine.

  “Alright then Coté,” said Leo, trying his best to remain calm and composed, in the face of this asshole. He spoke with a genuine tone, forcing the edge out of his voice. “If you are being serious, and you have a way out of here...I’m listening. It’s only been a week, and I don’t know if I can take much more. I’m losing my mind in here…So, if you have a plan…please just tell me.”

  “All in good time Leo,” replied the fly. His mocking tone was also gone, and he spoke with regret. “All I’m supposed to tell you right now is that you have to accept the Warden’s offer.”

  “Offer? What offer? I told you before—I haven’t seen anyone since I’ve been here.”

  “You wi
ll,” said Coté, as he flew off Leo’s shoulder and back into the darkness. “Oh, and you should eat your food. You’re going to need all the strength you can get.”

  “Wait! You’re making no sense—wait dammit!”

  But it was too late. The sound of the buzzing faded into the maddening silence of his cell. Coté was gone, and Leo was alone yet again.

  He could only wonder what it all meant. Was he truly insane and hallucinated the whole thing? Or was Coté real and actually going to help him escape? The most baffling thing to the young speedster was the idea that someone was willing to help him. After all, he was a nobody. The only people who knew him, died in the Forbidden Desert. This fact kept his suspicion close at hand. If Coté was real, what was his goal? What did he get out of the deal? Leo didn’t have an answer, but he did have to admit, that whatever this was…it had livened his spirit once again. Even the thought of escape brought joy to Leo’s heart. He couldn’t help but let a smile form on his face.

  Suddenly, the door at the top of his cell opened, and a guard looked at him through the opening.

  “Get up, shit breath! You’ve been summoned by the Warden.”

  _________________________

  A few royal guards hauled him out of his cell, forcing him to walk through the rest of the prison. At first, Leo’s legs buckled underneath him, but after a few minutes his muscles began to activate once again. The guards hit him with the butt-ends of their ELC rifles, forcing him to move faster. But even with the brainwashed henchmen hurting him, Leo was enjoying every moment out of his cell. He soaked up the light, coming in through the few windows, allowing him to see everything they passed. The corridors in the prison were long, and everything was made of solid sandstone. Every few meters there were locked trapdoors, made of metal, on the ground—assumedly cells filled with other prisoners. Leo hadn’t seen Adras from the outside, but he knew that it was a massive complex. The Desert Drakes had built it, hundreds of years ago, when their people first came to AzzaNation. Supposedly, their intention was to have another strong fortress closer to the Forbidden Desert, in case the Fifth-Dimension demons ever came back. It was strong and massive—able to house thousands of people comfortably. Then Grindaull seized it in his war and turned it into a prison, mostly to hold disobedient drakes, and to serve as a symbol of the price of turning against him. As time went on, it became the most feared prison in the entire sector. The competition wasn’t strong in that regard, Leo noted. The only other prisons were run by Infinity, and while their facilities were also secure, the darthians were definitely more hospitable.

  The walk through the different levels of Adras was long and tenuous. The guards took Leo up at least a dozen different stories, all the same in their layout, until they finally reached the warden’s office. One of the guards knocked on the office door, and there came a loud yet jovial call from inside,

  “Come in!” The guard opened the door and shoved Leo inside, then immediately closed the door behind him.

  The withered speedster stepped in and looked around the office. Besides the sandstone walls, it looked nothing like the rest of the prison. Colored drapes and rugs decorated the room, reminding him of Regent Kren’s estate. There were full bookshelves covering the back wall and to Leo’s right was a massive window. He looked out and saw that they were extremely elevated—high up, looking out over the vast desert surrounding them. There was nothing to see for miles, making Leo’s hopes of escape fade away once again.

  He turned and saw the man who had sent for him. The warden was a skinny human with slicked back red hair and a perfectly clean black suit. Leo wondered how this man kept a suit clean in the desert, but as he observed the warden’s office, he figured the man knew how to get his way.

  “Ah, Mr. Exe, please come in and have a seat,” said the warden with a smile plastered on his face.

  Leo didn’t trust the warden’s smile for a second, but he did what was asked of him.

  “Good. Now let me introduce myself. My name is Montgomery Woodland. I am the Warden of Adras prison. I normally don’t bother myself by meeting with my prisoners, but I wanted to make sure that you were settling in alright.”

  “Thank you, sir. That’s very…thoughtful of you.” Leo was sure to choose his words carefully around this man. The warden was staring directly into his eyes and the royal never lost his eerie smile for a second. Leo felt like he was walking through a minefield, and the wrong move—or word, could mean death.

  “Not at all, and I don’t want us to get off on the wrong foot, so please…call me Monty.”

  “If you say so,” Leo paused, and he tried his best to push the next word out, “…Monty.” It left a dead taste in his mouth. The warden’s smile grew even larger.

  “After all, I’m sure you’ll find that I’m not such a bad guy,” he said. “I want your stay here to be as pleasant as possible. I would hate it if something wasn’t to your liking.”

  Leo noticed that while the warden was talking his hand had subtly grabbed what looked like a metal pen off the desk.

  “Is there anything I can do to make your stay more comfortable?” The warden continued, dropping his smile. For a second, it looked as though he was genuine. Leo didn’t know what to do. In this moment, Monty looked almost compassionate.

  “Well actually—” Leo started up but he was quickly cut off. Suddenly, the speedster’s brain felt like it was on fire. His insides were burning. He convulsed, and let out a scream in pain. Then it all stopped, just as sudden as it had started. The pain had left, and Leo was shaken. Not all the pain had disappeared, however. His neck, right where his inhibitor chip had been imbedded, was throbbing. He looked up and saw that Monty’s thumb was resting lightly on the edge of whatever he was holding. The warden’s face hadn’t changed throughout the entire ordeal. He was still staring at Leo as if nothing happened.

  “Please Mr. Exe, do continue.”

  As Leo looked at Monty, he realized how dangerous this man was. Here sat a man who would enjoy torturing someone for days, just for sport. Beyond Monty’s compassionate face, was an evil man laughing sadistically. The warden wanted perfection, and one way or another he was going to get it.

  “…Um, n-n-no,” said Leo, feeling the effects of the internal shock. “I h-h-have n—n-n-no complaints…”

  “Well I’m glad to hear it!” Monty’s smile immediately returned. “I aim to please all that I can.” He let out a fake laugh.

  Leo was on edge. His skin vibrated and his eyes twitched. He really felt like he was in a minefield now, and he had just blown off a foot. He tried to produce a fake smile as well, but he couldn’t hide his pain and fear that was drenched underneath it.

  “I must say Mr. Exe, when I read your file I was quite intrigued. I mean the list of crimes you committed as a first offender was impressive to say the least.”

  As scared as he was, Leo saw an opportunity to finally get some answers. “What crimes were those?”

  Monty laughed hard, and Leo felt a shiver crawl down his spine.

  “Oh Mr. Exe, it is much too late to play the innocence game. I’m afraid you were caught red handed.”

  “…Still, I would like to know what I’ve been charged with.”

  The warden grinned wickedly at him… “I was right about you Mr. Exe. You definitely are intriguing.” He chuckled and placed the pen back on his desk. He then picked up a pile of papers nearby. “Very well Mr. Exe, your charges are as follows. You and your gang stole from the Regent’s thetinum reserves in the city of Newon, killing a Royal soldier in the process. You then proceeded to trespass in the Forbidden Desert, an act that alone would be enough to put you in here for fifty years. However—that is not all. You are also guilty of four additional counts of murder. Your gang was found brutally killed right beside your body. It’s a shame really…if you hadn’t been injured yourself, you might have been able to get away with all of it.”

  Leo wasn’t sure if he heard the warden correctly. Four counts of murder? That would me
an that the bodies of his gang members were not devoured by the blood creature he saw. They were however, found dead, which meant that some of the events in the desert, if not all of them, did actually happen. It had to be real—otherwise, he would never be sure of his sanity again.

  “Oh, and I almost forgot your worst crime,” continued Monty. “You, Mr. Exe, are an unregistered evolved.”

  That froze the speedster in his seat. This was what he was afraid of most, his entire life—what his father had warned him about. The Royal Government knew what he was and they had him in their custody. All of Leo’s fears had come true. His hopes for freedom seemed to be disappearing, like a faded speck on the horizon.

  “How did you…” were the only words Leo could muster out of his mouth.

  “How did we know? Oh Mr. Exe, do you think the Royal Army is a pack of fools? We have many means of discovering the truth.” Monty smiled and his eyes looked at Leo’s neck, where his implant had been installed. “That beautiful piece of Infinity equipment does more than cancel out your abilities—it allows us to scan your entire brain. Now I admit that your ability was hard to find at first, submerged deep within your mind, but it’s there. An extra neural pathway that gives you the ability of enhanced speed, if I’m not mistaken…quite a rare gift if I may say so.”