by Mink, Jason
"Zak!"
Baxter was on Ashton in an instant, beating him viciously with unfeeling fists. Blood came, but it was the luminous green of his visions, shimmering as it smeared. Heedless of the icy fear which gripped him, Baxter continued to pummel Ashton, driving a knee into his sternum. To his surprise his knee sank into a spongy mass.
"What the fuck?"
Taking advantage of Baxter's surprise, Ashton flexed and threw his opponent clear across the room. Baxter hit the wall at an angle, landing sprawled among the spilled shelves and books. He watched as Ashton came at him, an expression of blind rage on his face. During the tussle his robe had been torn open, exposing his chest, a mass of semi-clear protoplasmic feelers that clutched and writhed in the open air. Each was tipped with a flower-like sucker, within which countless tiny thorns sprang to attention. Too stunned to move Baxter felt Ashton's shadow fall over him.
"Ashton!"
Ashton looked away from Baxter, then suddenly bolted, bounding down the hall with astounding swiftness. Daniel helped him to his feet.
"Baxter?"
It was Erica. She stood before him unsure, eyes suspicious. Her once-ornate robe was caked in blood and Baxter noted the gleaming sword clenched tightly in her right hand
"It's me, it's me!" he said, arms up. Convinced or not, Erica was already looking past him, at the bloodied, crumpled form of Zachary Andello.
"Oh, God."
She realized then she was standing in him and moaned, shoulders slumping. Erica dropped gracelessly to her knees, stopped herself from falling forward with one hand. With the other she drove the sword into the floorboards and let out a blood-curdling lament that filled the manor. After a moment something responded, a high mocking cry from the depths of the world.
Shaken, Erica got to her feet. She pressed her bloody hand to her face, the gore forging a glistening war-mask. Wresting the sword free, she charged forward, her voice a song of rage. Wordlessly the men followed.
THEN
The center of the circle blazed with celestial light. What spun within was impossible to see, but the seven of them understood that it was He, at last come unto them. The air in the room had been burnt up, left them breathless and blind before the unbounded manifestation. While the group remained hanging in place roughly a foot above their glowing sigils, everything before them constantly shifted in time and space: from the parlor to the upper garden, the ruined temple to a massive underground cavern as well as countless other unrecognizable places. The past and future unfolded before them, revealing forgotten ancient rites and elaborate arcane future machinery. Empires rose and fell, history was made and forgotten, life surged forward again and again. And Paq'q was there always, watching, waiting until the stars were right. Now, at last…
"And this is but a fraction of His power!" Ashton roared over the storm. "Accept Him! Accept Him and He will give you the power to be a God! Submit to Him and all you have ever desired, ever dreamt will be yours!"
The transpositions occurred faster and faster. Sensations, impressions, memories that were not their own flooded the group-mind, threatening to overwhelm them. The desire to accept was complete, irresistible and yet some of them still struggled, unwilling to give in. They burned worst of all, Paq'q's desperate need to violate their wills now total. Annie acted then, twisting both of her wrists free from those in the circle.
"NO!" Ashton cried. But it was too late; the spell was broken. In the blink of an eye the seven were home again, back in the parlor where it all had started. Before anyone might stop him Ashton leapt towards the center of the circle, into the rapidly-waning conflagration of light. There was an agonizing wrench as the entity desperately attempted to join itself to Ashton, the two fusing into one indistinct figure. Reality shrieked as separate beings attempted to share the same space, as they wrestled for form, dominance, co-existence in a single material body. Ashton shone with a staggering radiance, man and God as one in a single searing moment. With a gesture he spanned the heavens, opening out to enfold the inestimable All. And he was smiling through his agony, extending his hands through a curtain of white fire.
"Join us …"
No one did. It was clear now the group had been used, manipulated, nearly enslaved by the unspeakable force that had manifested before him. A series of violent contractions began, as Ashton's body began to rebel against the foreign energy he fought to shelter. It twisted and arced inside of him, mutating his once-human form in all directions at once. The flesh blistered, tore, turned inside out in its bid to keep up, exploding in squirming bursts of spontaneous appendages that reached desperately for anyone's hand. Ashton was no longer smiling; his head had split open along his mouth, was cracked nearly all of the way around. Panic was in his eyes, the light of sanity flashing one final time. There was a deafening roar, a sudden surge of ionization that filled the air.
He burst then, in a flood of noxious effluence and unfinished biological processes, spilling all he might have been into the confines of the circle. It went no further, bubbling fiercely just along the outer edge. The energy he had attempted to hold seemed to have torn itself open in its bid to be free, vanishing into a small jagged vent in the air that hovered above its spent host.
"What is it?" Erica asked in hushed wonder.
"A gate," Annie said, rising. "It left itself a way back."
They slowly picked themselves up from the floor, assessing the damage. Everything in the room had been charred, shattered, corrupted by the forces that had recently held reign there. Only their instruments remained unharmed, left intact for a time in the future they might be needed again. Metathias came rushing in, stopping short of the inert form of his master cooling on the floor. He looked at him sadly but said nothing, simply kneeling down beside the circle.
"Let's get out of here," Zak said uneasily.
Erica stopped him. "No."
She pointed to the anomaly hovering in the center of the room."We need to seal it."
Baxter looked up at the crackling rift. "And the way to do this is ..?"
She pursed her lips, unsure.
"Great."
Annie stepped forward."Ashton knows."
Zak pulled his collar uneasily. "Uh, I don't really think he's in any position to tell us."
They considered what was left of their friend. Ashton's remains hissed and bubbled, attempting to re-knit his unseem'd form. The mass had no cohesion, no molecular will to hold it together. It would craft heretofore-unseen organs and appendages in a bid to rise; other times it would spontaneously revert to some remembered pattern. An eye might appear, an ear or a finger scratching about in the searing stew but inevitably these sank back into the slippery throng of steaming biomass. In the end all that could be said was that Ashton still lived, albeit in a rather inconvenient manner.
"No. There is a way." All eyes turned to Annie.
"If one of you is willing I can use my… my gift to send you into what's left of his mind. I don't know how I know, but I think I can do it."
Annie looked around the room. Chloe sat alone in the corner. Without a word she wept, her tears freezing as they fell. Adam was gibbering, his mind completely unhinged by whatever he'd seen in the light. She turned to Erica but the other woman looked away, ashamed. Zak looked back unsure, having no knowledge of the ability she spoke of. Only Baxter seemed convinced by what Annie had said.
"Deus ex machina, folks," he said, stepping forward. "Just do it quick. That thing makes me nervous."
Perhaps it was the power of suggestion but the rift did seem slightly larger now, as if it were occupying more space than it had the moment before. Annie nodded, began to sift through the debris at her feet. She found what she sought in short order, the now-scorched bone pipe and the case it once rested in. Opening it she found the vial of Paq'qa intact, if still hot to the touch. She quickly packed a bowl and set the box aside, sitting down beside the circle with Baxter.
"Man, I hate this stuff," he said, taking the pipe. Annie nodded sternl
y and he lit it, then passed it back to her. They smoked the bowl quickly then set it aside. Annie touched Baxter's forehead with one hand then placed the other in what remained of Ashton. There was a sudden jolt that traveled the length of the three of them and Baxter fell back, into the mind of James Ashton.
NOW
The two men caught up with Erica fairly quickly, reaching her as she descended the first steep slope. The air was rank here, unbreathable, and Daniel began to have a hard time of it.
"Hold up," Baxter called to Erica. Daniel had stopped to catch his breath.
"No," he wheezed. "You two go on. I'll be right behind you."
Knowing there was no time for argument Baxter simply nodded, hurrying alongside Erica down the narrowing passageway. The ground had already begun to rumble, physical evidence of Paq'q's awakening. A sudden tremor shook the corridor around them, bringing down a hail of slate and coal. The lights along their corridor flickered twice then went out, leaving them in sudden darkness.
"Wait, Daniel has a flashlight!"
But Erica was racing ahead of him. "There's no time!"
Torn, Baxter followed, chasing after the fading echo. The earth rumbled again, this time louder, more insistent, spurring them further on into the darkness. Suddenly Baxter was falling, the ground beneath his feet dust in the hot air. He landed hard against a cross-beam and the impact drove the breath from his lungs, leaving him stunned. He tried to call for Erica, but could not catch his breath, let alone speak. Inch by inch Baxter crawled along the passage, stopping only once he'd found a pocket of fresher air. There he lingered, trying to force his bruised lungs to inflate, spitting out what he hoped was only a tooth. It seemed he'd broken another rib, the shooting pain in his side having grown irritatingly familiar.
After long moments a pale circle of light fell across his crumpled form; it was Daniel, picking his way through the rubble. Without speaking he helped Baxter to his feet and the two of them made their way down the shadowed channel. The stone walls continued to tremble, the passageway growing narrower with each passing second. It was clear now this was a one-way ticket; if anyone did live through this they would have to find another way out. The two men hurried down the shaking corridor, dodging the showers of earth and slabs of falling stone, until they found themselves standing on a small natural ledge high in the air above the cavern floor. There was no railing.
"Whoa!"
For a moment Daniel teetered on the edge of the precipice, then stepped back onto the path. As he did something snatched him up, a second later slamming him with bone-shattering force again the cavern wall. Baxter saw surprise flash across his face and then a sense of resignation, as if he realized at last this was where his story was to end. The penlight swung upwards as Daniel's unfeeling body hit the floor, for a moment illuminating the unspeakable abomination that had ended his life. Then the appendage was gone, slipping away through a newly-opened vent in the shifting stone. Ignoring the wooden stair, Baxter dashed after the receding shape.
~*~
Erica entered the cavern's gallery, then blinked in surprise. Annie was running towards her, Sandy held tightly in her arms. Without hesitation she charged across across the shifting stone expanse, heedless of a destiny only steps behind. In the distance Paq'q's shell bulged and split, spilling a hideous emerald light throughout the chamber. By its glow Erica could see her friend, eyes flashing, jaw set with grim determination. For a moment it seemed she'd be free, was only steps away from a fate that had long been written for her. The ceiling collapsed then, any notions of a happy ending vanishing under countless tons of rock and earth.
Erica could only step back into the safety of the enclosure, watch in agony as Paq'q claimed two more victims. Tears came for them but she did not linger, charging back up the shattering stair. She would see Him dead if it took the last breath in her body.
THEN
Baxter was Nowhere.
With nothing to stand upon, with no direction to head he simply hung in the void, waiting for some instruction. None came and so, after a time, he willed himself forward, into the yawning sprawl of emptiness. It was impossible to gauge distance in this vacant realm so he pushed himself on until he came to a beachhead of flesh. It floated alone in the abyss, a decadent thing that glittered with new life.
Baxter walked across the sandy shore, its golden sand adorned with shells, starfish and sea-flowers of every sort. He did not stop to gather the litter of pearls scattered along the path and spurned the rich bounty of exotic flora and fauna which opened out along the jungle paths before him. He did not linger to gaze at the blazing sunrise, was unwilling to stop and drink from the honeyed spring, instead venturing on into harder terrain. Even this was not without its rewards, with still pools of beautiful nymphs waiting eagerly for his attentions. Baxter ignored them, as well as the wine-toting dryads and seductive, scantily-clad sylphs, soldiering on to higher ground. There, cities offered more sophisticated pleasures, the kiss of the coal and the bite of the spice-whip. He would have none of it, leaving it in the distance, passing far beyond the remains of one man's existence. Only then did Baxter find him, alone on a high plain overlooking the entirety of the World.
Ashton was enthroned, seated upon a tier of rising spires. He had climbed a mountain of shattered glass to reach it, had bled a river which now roared below them.
"What do you think of my perfect world, Baxter?"
"It's not real, James. It's all…" Baxter paused, trying to be tactful.
"Please, Brother. Say it."
"It's all in your mind."
Ashton looked down at him. "For now. Not forever."
"We need your help, James."
Ashton scoffed. "My help? Why would I help you? Every kindness I've extended had been thrown back in my face. I offered you more than you could ever hope achieve on your own. I gave you the chance to be Kings, Gods; you were offered ultimate power - and you said no."
"You're right," Baxter conceded, surprising him. "And I have no right to ask you for anything more. But it's not just me I'm asking for. It's everyone. We need you to tell us how to close the portal. It was left open; it's a threat."
Ashton glared at him. "You betrayed me. Betrayed Him. He would have made ours a world like no other, unbound by rule, restriction. Anything would have been possible there. Humanity would have entered a new golden age; as a race we would have evolved in a heartbeat."
"And then what?"
Ashton blinked. "Then..?"
"Yeah, then. Once we're evolved. Once we're perfect."
Ashton did not have a ready answer.
"What would be left of us, if we were suddenly without want, without need?" Baxter asked, pressing him. "If we could have anything our heart's desired, what would be left to desire?" He listened carefully to Ashton's reply.
"The world would be remade as a paradise. Everything you've ever wished for in life…"
"So what?" Baxter said, stepping forward. "You already have everything you've ever wanted. I'm sure you're motivated by more than that. What would be left to hold you or anyone else here?"
"Nothing!" Ashton said. He gestured heavenward. "We would be free to leave the earth, explore the stars…"
Baxter interrupted him. "Why? You already know what's out there, remember? Besides, you said He wants to change the sky, to remake the stars in His image. But your God can no more change the stars than He can Man's nature. Didn't you ever stop to think that maybe we need to reach those stars on our own? Don't you wonder why we yearn for them in the first place? It's because they represent the great unknown, the next horizon. As men, both you and I live to learn, to experience, to achieve. You take all of that away then what's left?" He did not allow Ashton the chance to answer. "So much of who we are is defined by what we want and need out of life. As humans we are seeking creatures, driven to discover, to explore. We need to find the answers for ourselves. You say Paq'q would make ours a perfect world, but..." Baxter gestured to the city below him. "That may be your
idea of perfection, but it's not mine."
Ashton waved dismissively. "What you see here is trivial; a work in progress. What is important is what this represents. A man can only achieve his true potential if he is freed from the bonds that hold him. Paq'q simply seeks to lift these bonds, to allow humanity to reach full flower. His rule will free the universe from the restraints placed upon it by a selfish God. The strong shall rule by His side, in a realm of endless potential."
Baxter lifted his hands. "But if there are no limits then what is there to strive for? This life is meant to be spent searching, coming to an understanding of who we are and what our place is in the universe is. That's what being human is, James. I'm afraid neither you or Paq'q actually understand that. We're not ready to be Gods. If we all suddenly had this power we'd become… indulgent, petty, corrupt. We'd lack the wisdom to tender such power, would be led by the very whims and desires we were so eager to be free of."
"Very eloquent, Baxter. Eloquent but unconvincing. How do you think Humanity got this far in the first place? He has been with us since the beginning. Every major accomplishment in history is a direct result of His influence. He has guided humankind's hand for untold millennia, been with us every faltering step of the way. We are His children and we owe Him this earth. One day He will have it."
Baxter nodded once. "But not today."
He looked at Baxter and smiled sadly. "No. Not today."
Ashton looked at all below him, then at the man who stood at his side.
"The ritual to close the portal is back at the manor, inside of my trunk. All you need to perform it can be found there."
Baxter looked at Ashton, unsure. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
Ashton shrugged. "Time heals all wounds, correct? I feel we would all benefit from… a little time. Make the most of it."