by L. Fergus
“You want this, you have to make the first move,” said Babydoll.
Kita nodded. That was fair. She took a few steps to her left. Babydoll turned, keeping her front facing Kita and her fists up. Her braids bobbed over her shoulders, and the crystal spider legs peeked menacingly around her sides.
No doubts ran through Kita’s mind. To get what she wanted this was what she had to do. Babydoll was an excellent fighter, probably the best hand-to-hand fighter ever. It didn’t bother Kita this was her friend she was about to kill. It was just another small step on her way to seeing her destiny fulfilled.
Kita leaped at Babydoll and struck with her swords. Babydoll raised her bracers and blocked. She threw open her arms, pushing Kita’s swords aside, and kicked Kita in the chest. Kita flew backward and landed on the ground. She rolled over and flipped to her feet in time to block a flying roundhouse. The force of the kick pushed her back, her heel slipping over the edge of the rocky platform.
Kita lunged forward, tackling Babydoll. Her spider legs stabbed into Kita’s back and sides. The two Angels wrestled on the rain-soaked ground. Babydoll, on the bottom, kicked Kita between the legs, flipping her over on her back.
Rolling away from Babydoll, Kita got to her feet. Throughout the tussle, she’d held onto her swords. She flourished them as she regained her focus. Babydoll was back on her feet, ready for more. Kita jumped forward and slashed with Buried. Babydoll twisted to the right and attacked with her spider legs. Kita spun into the appendages and slashed with Dead, severing three of the four legs.
Babydoll cried out in pain and struck with her braids. Kita corkscrewed between the two stingers, slashing at them as she did. She severed Babydoll’s left braid, but the right wrapped around her arm and yanked Kita sideways. Babydoll snapped her head, and Kita flew through the air, slamming into the wet ground. Babydoll flipped her head, and Kita sailed through the air and slammed into the ground on the other side of Babydoll. She repeated this process until she’d knocked Dead and Buried from Kita’s hands. Babydoll flipped, launching Kita high into the air.
Kita couldn’t see straight, but opened her wings and did her best to control her descent. Shaking her head, she regained her bearings. Once the world stopped moving, she felt better. Babydoll waited for her on the ground. She looked for her swords. Babydoll stood between them, ready to keep her from them. Landing out of Babydoll’s range, Kita feigned a lunge for Dead. Babydoll wasn’t fooled. She shifted her weight, but that was it.
Kita ran straight at Babydoll. The move caused Babydoll to raise her eyebrow, but she raised her fists in response. When Kita was close, she leaped at Babydoll, who backflipped, catching Kita on the chin with her heel. Babydoll bounced off the ground and flew after Kita, punching her higher into the air. With a flap over wings, she overtook Kita and landed a heavy blow, sending Kita toward the ground.
Hitting the ground hard, Kita rolled to her left and brought her hands up to catch Babydoll’s fist before it drove into her chest. Seeing the surprise in Babydoll’s eyes, Kita shook her head playfully. Flipping her legs up, she wrapped her lower legs around Babydoll’s head. Throwing her body back down, Kita drove Babydoll headfirst into the ground. Babydoll flipped to her feet, but Kita was ready and landed two fast jabs into her face. Stunned, Babydoll shook her head. Kita hit her with a hard cross to the chin followed by a heavy uppercut, knocking Babydoll off her feet onto the wet rock.
Kita took a step toward Babydoll, who rolled over, pointed her bracer at Kita, and fired. The blast hit Kita in the side, ripping out a large chunk of flesh. Kita’s eyes went wide in pain and shock as she sunk to a knee. Babydoll grabbed her by the neck and slammed her with five body blows that left Kita’s middle a bloody mess. Moving from Kita’s middle to her face, Babydoll punched her several times. Kita’s face swelled and bruised as Babydoll drove it into the wet rock.
Kita flapped her wings and carried Babydoll into the air. Wrapping her legs around Babydoll’s arm, she broke Babydoll’s grip. Kita stopped flapping, and the pair fell back to the ground. Kita landed on Babydoll’s side. There was a sickening crunch from her arm. Twisting the arm, Kita ripped it from Babydoll’s body.
Flinging the arm into the ocean, Kita punched Babydoll in the face several times, before driving her knee down on her friend’s throat. Babydoll’s braid wrapped around Kita’s neck. Kita struggled to get free as the rain-soaked hair pulled tighter. Kita’s hands glowed brightly as she burned through the offending hair.
The distraction gave Babydoll enough time to wiggle free of Kita and get to her feet. Babydoll kicked Kita in the back of the head then jumped and clamped her thighs around Kita’s neck.
Kita’s eyes bulged. It was like having a vice around her neck. She felt her bones stretch as Babydoll flexed. Kita grabbed Babydoll’s upper thighs and cranked up the heat in her hands. Even as the smell of cooking flesh permeated the air, Babydoll refused to let go. For Kita, her vision became fuzzy. Deciding she needed more, she burst into a white flame. Kita stood up, lifting Babydoll off the ground. Even with the extra heat, Babydoll refused to let go. Kita spun, trying to dislodge her. The stress on Kita’s neck was reaching a breaking point. Putting her left hand under Babydoll’s thigh, Kita fired a burst of her purplish-black beam cutting through Babydoll’s leg.
Using what was left of her strength, Kita forced Babydoll off her. Kita collapsed to her knees, coughing and wheezing. She pulled herself up to her feet and stumbled toward Buried. Babydoll remained where Kita left her. Kita stumbled back to her friend and dropped to her knees. She raised Buried.
Babydoll stirred.
“Anything left to say?” Kita said without malice.
“You can kill us all, but you can’t keep it without us.”
“There’s nothing—there will be nothing left.”
Kita thrust her sword into Babydoll’s chest. Babydoll changed to her god form. A blue beam fired, and she exploded in a shower of multicolored lights.
Kita struggled to her feet and staggered across the platform to Dead. She picked the sword up and sheathed it on her back next to Buried. She looked up into the rain, feeling it hit her face. Physically, she was drained. The fight took everything she had, but she couldn’t stop. She needed to reach Infinity.
Kita walked across the platform to Sheppard’s body. Blood stained Sheppard’s uniform. Kita stroked her friend’s hair and sighed. She picked up the body and took it to the edge of the platform.
“I don’t know where Marines go when they die,” Kita said to Sheppard. “But I know one place where you’ll be welcome: the Crushing Depths. I can think of no other place that deserves a finer warrior.”
Kita tossed the body into the raging ocean and watched it slip beneath the waves.
Kita appeared in the equation room. Behind her, universes—or equations as the gods called them—formed a line that stretched out to infinity in both directions. Kita wasn’t sure if there were an infinite number or if the long line was an optical illusion. The walls of the room shimmered like heat rising off sand. The floor and ceiling appeared to move like the walls. The size of the room seemed to change as Kita’s gaze shifted between the three doorways.
She was in her god form. Not far away, a cloud of lights, an unmelded god, did whatever the gods did. When they’re not making my life miserable.
Kita raised her hand and pointed her palm at the god. A blue beam burst from her hand and struck the god. It exploded, sending points of light out in every direction. The lights burned out like fireworks as they struck the ground or walls.
Another god drifted in through a doorway. Kita destroyed it. A second god, behind the first, turned and fled. Kita hurried to the doorway, but the god was gone. All she could see was a hallway that went as far as the eye could see.
I hope the one that got away will bring the ones I seek.
Kita returned to the line of equations and looked them over. Through a doorway appeared E’fil, Y’grene, and to her surprise, Tina. Through the other doorways cam
e two groups of gods that surrounded Kita.
“Li’ve, this assault on Infinity will not stand,” said E’fil.
“What about the assault on my Angels by Ht’aed?” Kita replied pointedly.
“Ht’aed has not submitted any report of him attacking any equations.”
“Don’t try and cover it up. I know you know. Tina was with a group that was attacked. Tell me, sister, did you even try and save the others or did you run at the first opportunity?”
“Kita, that’s not fair,” said Tina. “There was nothing I could do. I returned here to report so Ht’aed could be stopped.”
“Yes, it looks like you’re all out looking so hard to find him and Kylee. You don’t care. You’re happy to let him do your dirty work for you. Too bad he didn’t succeed. Ht’aed made a grave error and has been deleted,” said Kita.
“Impossible,” said Y’grene.
“But you believe Ht’aed deleted my Angels?”
“They can be replaced,” said E’fil. “From destruction comes new life.”
“You can’t replace Jane,” Kita shrieked. “I hold all of you responsible for her death. I will burn Infinity to the ground.”
“Kita, I’m sorry,” said Tina. “I know how much she meant to you, but revenge won’t bring her back.”
“No, but I can make every equation her funeral pyre. With her death, I will fulfill my destiny.”
“You can’t,” cried Tina. “Infinity isn’t at its end.”
“Oh, but it is. You let Ht’aed take the one person I would do anything for. You underestimated how much she meant to me. You had the string to control me in your grasp and you ignored it. Instead, you tore me asunder trying to control me and ignored Ht’aed, who needed to be controlled.”
“Ht’aed was an elder, beyond reproach,” said E’fil.
“Ht’aed was a murdering psychopath bent on destroying me,” said Kita. “Like everyone else, Ht’aed underestimated me and paid for it.”
“Ht’aed’s actions will be investigated,” said Y’grene, “and appropriate measures put in place so it can never happen again. Ht’aed’s crimes do not diminish your own. You have admitted to deleting an elder and several researchers. You were instructed Infinity was forbidden and you have come here threatening its destruction.”
“What are you going to do to me? Lock me up again?” Kita laughed harshly.
“No. I motion before this council of elders that research assistant Li’ve be deleted.”
“Agreed,” said E’fil.
They went around the circle. Each god gave their agreement. Kita folded her arms and glared when it was Tina’s turn.
“Agreed,” she said in a small voice.
“Et tu, sister?” said Kita with venom in her voice.
“I’m sorry. I can’t save you from yourself this time. If you’d let me handle it and been patient—I’m sorry, Kita. I truly am, but I can’t let you destroy Infinity. Too many lives hang in the balance, and there is still much research to do.”
“When I introduced you to the gods I never thought you’d go native on me. Remember, the only thing worse than a spy is a traitor.”
“You’re letting your emotions betray you,” said Tina coldly. “If you’d listen to logic and reason for once you wouldn’t be here.”
“Then let’s get it over with!” yelled Kita as she threw her arms open. “Hit me with your best shot.”
“Kita there’s no need to be dramatic,” said Tina.
“Are you afraid you don’t possess the power to delete me?” Kita said with a twisted grin.
Tina flinched as if Kita struck her. Do you really want to play this game with me?
“Your time is done, Li’ve,” said Y’grene. A small blue beam erupted from the edge of his sphere. Next to him, E’fil raised her arm and emitted a similar blue beam. Around Kita, small blue beams came from the other gods.
The beams struck Kita, each tearing chunks of lights from her. Yes! Strip away everything that makes me part of your universe and leave me pure to join with what lays beyond. Kita let out a long wail as the beams tore her asunder.
“Delete me, and I will gain power you can’t imagine.” Kita’s earlier words rang in Tina’s ears. Her face lit with understanding. “Wait!” cried Tina. “This is what she wants!”
Kita, stripped to a single point of dark blue light, emitted a blue wave that interacted with the beams creating a brilliant white flash. The scene around Kita froze. She felt a pull, and the scene stretched until all light was gone.
Kita moved along a fiber on the outside of a giant glowing blue ball with millions of lit fibers running to it. Pulses of light moved along the fibers—some flowing into the ball, others moving away. Kita flowed toward the ball.
This is what controls all of time, space, and reality. We are nothing but signals in a giant computer. All I have to do is become part of it.
Kita left the fiber and drifted to the edge of the ball. Her light divided. The new light entered the ball moving deeper inside, its darkness remaining visible from the edge. Fibers connected to the light and the darkness spread, until the entire ball glowed dark blue.
And now, I am said computer. I am deus ex machina.
Kita drifted away from the ball and hopped onto a fiber. The world expanded as she whizzed by. She appeared back in the equation room, surrounded by gods, all bent on her destruction. Taking her place in the center of the beams, time resumed.
Kita’s wave struck the gods and slammed them against the walls. She appeared in her angelic form, showing no signs of the earlier attack. Kita snapped her fingers, and all the gods, the room, and the equations vanished, except Tina. Her sister changed from her god form to her angelic form.
Gliding over, Kita stood before her sister. Tina looked around at the barren rock platform surrounded by nebulas of color.
“So, this is what’s really real?”
Kita nodded.
“I didn’t expect heaven to be so bare.”
“It’s a blank slate for creation.”
Tina looked up into Kita’s eyes. “Was it worth it?”
“Is that a fair question? The answer is not so simple. I had taken from me what I held most dear. Something that can never be replaced and left a hole in my heart which will never be filled. This was all I had left. This one single purpose and I fulfilled it. Now, I can rest.”
“You still have me.”
Kita blinked a tear away. “No, I don’t. This has to cost me everything.” She snapped her fingers, and Tina vanished.
Changing into her cloud, Kita settled on the rocky ground and numbly watched the nebulas move and change like clouds in the sky, thoughts of Sarin never far from her mind.
Kita grew a glowing orb in her hand and tossed it into the air. She let it get a fair distance away from her before raising her hand and blasting it with a blue beam. The orb split in half and fell to the ground where it dissolved. She’d lost count how many times she’d done this. It’s official. I’m bored. There must be something I can do before I’m crushed by boredom and loneliness.
She explored the inner workings of the ball. It wasn’t very complex, she discovered. It was nothing short of a giant holographic display, though on a scale unlike any she’d ever seen. Still, the machine took in input, processed it, and displayed the results. Currently, it was waiting for something to execute after she destroyed the last executable.
What about the giant cube? I haven’t explored there yet. Let’s hope it’s not the logic processor.
Kita followed a fiber through the ball out to a large glowing cube. She’d ignored the cube up until now. The ball made a single reference to it, and nothing about it seemed interesting.
Entering the cube, she found it full of data modules. Why would the computer have all this data lying around? Kita went to a module and opened it. It was like opening the lid on a universe and peering inside. She watched a universe play out from beginning to end.
Kita looked around at the modules
. There were more than she could count. How many iterations has this computer run? If it has records like this one, it must have a record of the last iteration.
She opened modules, watching each one. She had no way of searching them. All she could do was watch. Most were not interesting—filled with creatures and languages she didn’t understand. A few didn’t have anything happening.
There were a number of peoples resembling the gods. She’d been excited when she found the first group, only to be crushed when she got to the end and discovered they were not her people of lights.
After countless modules, she discovered the right one. It dawned on her. She should have checked the metadata and looked for a module that was smaller than the rest. She watched with interest as the gods evolved and grew. Of all the races she watched, they were the only ones to create their own universes. Tears filled her eyes the first time Sarin appeared. Her heart broke again. When the module finished, Kita wiped her tears away. She missed the others so much.
What if I could bring them back? The computer’s not doing anything. But, I don’t know anything about creating a universe…but I know someone who does.
Kita watched the module again, searching for a particular Angel. When she saw her, she copied the data from the module, and with a snap of her fingers, Aspen appeared in front of her.
“Hello, Leaf,” said Kita.
“Kita! What happened?” The tiny Angel looked around. “Where are we?”
“I’ll explain. You and I have a lot of work to do.”
“What are we doing?”
“Building our own universe.”
L. Fergus is a Wattpad featured author of science fiction including the #1 book Birthright. L.’s books have more than three hundred and fifty thousand chapter reads. The books Birthright, BykeChic, and Rebirth have won eighteen awards, including Best Overall.
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Like L. Fergus' main character Kita, L. fosters children to give them a supportive place to grow and thrive. L. lives with three dogs: Rust, Moxy, and Storm, and five cats: Nova, Jupiter, Pluto, Crater, and Forest Fire.