Hell's Gifts - Complete Series Boxset

by Mark Russo

  She dove in the dark of the frontal opening. Before her sprawled a long corridor limited by tall walls. She tilted her head and learned the upper part of the construction lacked a roof. Plane K’s black sky presented nothing interesting besides its blackness. “The front door, if we can call that so, leads to a long corridor. The top part of the building is open.”

  James chuckled casually. “I don’t think they get much rain anyhow here.”

  We giggled briefly.

  “Do we explore the inside of this place?”

  He pointed at his new friend. “I doubt he would fit in such a corridor. I also do not think a stone board would be very effective there. This limits my skills.”

  “No worries. That’s what I’m here for.”

  We shared some laughs again, then he turned his back to me and conjured a large stone wall.

  “Wait,” my voice resounded. “I saw someone moving in there.”

  “Someone?”

  “I know this might sound weird, but my double just saw a person running away from her.”

  We didn’t waste more time. The two of us rushed toward the other Emma. I heard rocks rattling around us, around James.

  He was reading a rockjet. My friend was moving a huge block of rock before us, and this sounded instead like a chalkboard being slowly ground. The double, now delving even farther into the belly of that extraneous edifice, kept broadcasting to my retinas images of an interminable corridor.

  We kept quiet while heading forward. He gave a final look at the stone creature, and we both entered the building.

  “Can you send more of those? We’d better make sure it’s not too risky to venture in here,” he whispered close to my ear.

  I gathered a small group of Emmas and let them strew in different directions. “Done. This corridor is safe until the end. From there two more open—one left, one right.”

  He nodded.

  I noticed large black tiles on the floor when my eyes adapted to the obscurity. Besides our cautious steps, the area was silent as the crest of a mountain without wind. “This place feels familiar, somehow.”

  “Maybe this thing’s not even real. Let’s see what happens, James.”

  I ordered the group of clones to split in opposite directions at the corridor’s bifurcation. “The corridor splits into two other identical ones. My doubles haven’t gone through any rooms yet.”

  “I think they brought me here before. I can’t recall when though.” He held a strange expression, like he was full of hesitation.

  “When we get back to our world, we should definitely get some time off.”

  “Sure thing. I can show you the Scottish Highlands. I hope you like it rainy and windy.”

  “Definitely. Every weather condition is better than Plane K’s black sky.”

  “I don’t know if that is actually a sky. The worm showed me something—”

  I grabbed his elbow. “The doubles, they found a human. He’s running from them.”

  We didn’t think about it much and rushed our way forward.

  I ordered my doppelgangers to get the closest possible to the human without hurting him.

  “Can you use mind blast through a double?” he asked while our feet urged at full speed.

  “I’ve never tried, but I don’t want to kill that person.” My breath was short.

  “We don’t want to kill anyone. Just grab him.”

  “We can try that. I wonder why he is even running from us. We’re not locals.”

  “Maybe he is.”

  He was right. Maybe we just set foot in another trap. We would find out soon.

  I gained full control over a double and piloted it in first person.

  The person running from it was still in sight.

  First thing I did was push my clone to run as fast as it could. I found out it was not that nimble. Then I triggered mind blast, and the fugitive kept running but several meters from the ground.

  “I have him. Follow me, we’ve got a new friend.”

  We reached the forcefully flying person not two minutes later.

  I couldn’t help but notice he was wearing some common clothes from Plan R. In particular, his ripped-off t-shirt resembled one from Techware, and I was sure they released it in 2070.

  “Why are you even running from us? Do you know who we are?”

  He emerged from behind his forearms, his face covered in a predictable layer of green powder. “Are you real humans?” His voice was so weak I struggled to hear him.

  “Yes, we are. Are you here alone?”

  “No, there’s more of us. We hide at the center of the maze.”

  “I’ve seen you before,” James added. He seemed upset by something.

  “Of course, you do. Don’t you remember?”

  James shook his head lightly.

  I gave that person the courtesy to put him down.

  “Follow me. It’ll take a few minutes.”

  I noticed his pants were ragged too, like he had been wearing them forever.

  “What am I supposed to remember?” James insisted.

  “You’d better see for yourself. It surprised us when we saw you heading for us.”

  James frowned and looked down.

  The guy escorted us from one long corridor to another, all looking identical.

  “This place is a maze,” I commented.

  “Yes, it really is. We stayed here, it’s safe. Except for … I’ll say no more now.”

  I didn’t like this. Why was he all mysterious?

  We finally were somewhere that looked different—a huge room without a ceiling. The high walls of the maze were now at least ten meters from us.

  “We are hiding here. Me and three other people from the research center,” he said while looking at James.

  “Okay, guys. Can you please tell me what is going on?” I snorted.

  “Yes, sorry. I hate being like this.”

  A few other people appeared from the bottom of the room.

  “My name is Sunil, and I was a team leader on a research project for EIBM—”

  “We all come from there,” I interrupted him.

  “You’ve been there too.”

  “Yes, but go on, sorry.”

  “Okay. So, I was at EIBM. Then there was a fire at the school. They evacuated us. I saw some of us being killed, some others were dragged here. They brought us here with one student. That person was him.” He pointed at James.

  James was shaking. “I don’t remember being brought here.”

  “I don’t know how to say this. Follow me. Can you stay here for a minute?”

  “She can come with us.”

  The research center guy and James staggered toward a pile of dirt, those typical rocks you find everywhere in this damn alternative plane of existence. My friend and the other guy studied something among the rocks. None of them were talking.

  I got closer and saw James’s corpse roughly covered in dirt.

  “When we arrived here, Sneider killed you. He told us, the proxy they created for you got out of control.”

  “I’m a proxy. I’m a proxy.” He repeated this a few more times while shuffling a few random steps away.

  Sunil didn’t raise his eyes from the top of his feet.

  I stayed between them in sheer analysis-paralysis.

  6

  Charles

  “Get in, Giannis. Have a seat.”

  He had a different haircut, but his usual tan was there. “It’s an honor to meet you in person, Charles.” He grabbed my hand with both his.

  “Oh, don’t be so formal, Mr. Kassalis.”

  He kept shaking my hand; he just wouldn’t let go. When we finally sat at my desk, he talked not a full second later. “The blood forger at Cullman Industries is already operating. Everything works out as planned.”

  I lay my elbows on the table. “It’s good to hear that. Did you provide her with a dedicated room?”

  His smile became even wider. “Yes. We granted her access to a f
ully operating lab located three levels below the ground. We automated some steps in the conversion process. I can share more details if needed.”

  “It’s unnecessary, but thanks. I’m happy to hear that. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

  “Yes, thanks. I’m not exactly an early bird.”

  We laughed briefly.

  “Come on. Join me at the coffeemaker. I had one installed in my office.” I put a cup under the shiny silver-coated nozzle and looked outside to spot Laura strolling in the park with Brian.

  “I have one of these babies in my office as well. It’s great, since it reminds me how much I like my coffee.”

  It was the first time I noticed he had at least four rings around his fingers. “It remembers your double latte with cinnamon. They are all connected, remember?”

  He waved his hand in a way unclear to me. “Yeah, yeah. Right.”

  “Which department will we convert first? I’d leave that up to you. You have a much clearer picture of your employees.”

  “Thanks. This is an honor.” He touched my right forearm. “We will start with back office personnel. We want to avoid any potential issues.”

  “Do you mean those caused by human interaction? We know for a fact that proxies mingle quite well with normal people.”

  “We do, but I never handled them directly. I want to run this project as smoothly as possible.” He took a long sip, and his upper lip emerged from the mug covered in milk foam.

  “I see your point, Giannis. I want to ensure you feel confident enough in leading this initiative too. I know the Sons of K take up quite a lot of your time.”

  He made animated gestures with his hands again. “No, no, Charles. I’m fighting for this cause. I want to be a harbinger of this majestic design we are all part of. I strongly believe opening this plane to the influence of Plane K will benefit both worlds. We will thrive together.”

  He was the type of person we needed. He had vision.

  The agenda embedded in my contacts notified me another meeting was coming—a way less interesting one. She knocked on the door, entered and sat at the table without uttering a single syllable.

  “Hello, Monica. You requested a one to one, claiming you had something urgent to discuss with me. Tell me, what can I do for you?”

  “Yes, Mr. Sneider. First of all, I would like to thank you for your time. I came here because one little thing is making me frustrated with the school, and I’d like to discuss it with you.” Her face just wouldn’t stop smiling.

  “We value openness here. Please go ahead.”

  She seemed shy for a second. “Well, I heard Pavel is partaking in a special project. I would like to know why you granted this chance only to him.”

  “Who told you this?”

  “I’m not ratting anyone here. Why only him?”

  I scoffed. “He has impressive results on our scales and a solid resume. We want him to build on that, for his professional future.”

  She burst into laughter. “And you think I’ll buy that? We both know what you are saying is not true.” She stood and came by my side.

  “Please return to your seat, Monica. This is not acceptable.”

  She kneeled by my side. “I’m good. Please be honest. You really thought no one would notice what you guys are doing here?”

  “Monica, go back to your seat. I’m more than eager to help you, but I won’t tolerate disrespect.”

  She grabbed my hand, almost hurting me. “I’m here to play games … Millat.”

  I pushed her back; she lost balance and fell.

  “That’s how you treat a nice girl? Humans didn’t teach you good manners?”

  “I’m calling security.” My finger reached for the panic button.

  She revealed a long knife from inside her short jacket and hurled it at me.

  The black blade pierced through my clothes and my skin and penetrated deep in my waist. Blood gushed in huge quantities.

  “Yes, that is an entrapping knife. It will be fun to become you.”

  My strengths abandoned me. I collapsed to the floor. “Who are you? How did you find us?”

  “We have our little secrets. Enjoy your time in the void.” She came close again and touched me, pushing me from my human suit and becoming me. Monica Kunn became Charles Sneider.

  *****

  “Mr. Sneider, is everything okay here? We received an emergency call from this room.”

  The security guy regarded me like I was about to die.

  “No, no. I’m sorry. I hit the button accidentally. I’m clumsy. Everything’s under control.”

  He nodded, but he didn’t look like he believed me.

  I checked myself in the giant mirror that Millat idiot had installed in his office. My body differed from before; I was taller, hairier, and I smelled like I had taken five consecutive showers. I checked the side of my body where Monica had put the knife. As Valu had predicted, the wound had disappeared already. It was time to move to the next phase. We would change a few things in the Great Communion’s plan.

  The wall computer on the other side of the room rang. “Yes?” I answered the incoming call, not knowing if the caller expected something else from my side.

  “It’s done.” The guy’s face on the other end was not familiar.

  “Could you share some more details?”

  His face showed a hint of perplexity or annoyance. “The parents of that girl. They are now more cooperative.”

  “This is great news. Is there anything else?”

  “No. I’ll be back soon.”

  We disconnected.

  I had to dig through Charles’s private drivers. I had no clue who was now more cooperative.

  *****

  After all the digging, scrolling, and searching through Charles’ documents, files, and notes, I gathered the students for updating them on a very important topic. I reached them in a room called chalet.

  They were all silent, two of them still involved in who knows what augmented reality session—probably that TL they all talked about so much.

  “Guys, thanks for being available on such short notice. I gathered you all to share an important update from our side. I’ll address all your questions this may raise.” I paused; they didn’t seem to notice. “Our student, Monica Kunn, will no longer be part of this group. She withdrew from the program.”

  Their faces didn’t show signs of any emotion.

  Pavel checked the room. “I’m sorry to hear this. Is there more you might share with us, sir?”

  They had worked his brain quite well already.

  “No, Pavel. She did not share the motivation that brought her to this decision. She has already left the school premises.”

  The blonde guy, whose name I struggled to recall, glanced at me.

  “Our classes and activities will proceed as planned. Are there questions on your side?”

  They looked more and more like proxies, even if they weren’t already.

  “You’re allowed to go. Reach out to me or your supervisors if you feel like discussing this in a private environment.”

  They stood and lined in a poorly assembled column, waving to me on their way out.

  *****

  I returned to my office and rescheduled the meetings I had planned for the afternoon; I had more important things to take care of. I recorded a temporary voicemail message for all my devices, left the school and delved into the woods. Even if someone followed me, that wouldn’t matter in a minute.

  I hid behind a tree, grabbed my pendant and held it; that’s all it took to reach Plane K. The red vault appeared before me. I remembered the exact sequence of steps to reach it, the one that would avoid traps to activate. The proportions and aspect of the building amazed me; it had taken us hundreds of years to carve the stones, to pile them and infuse the construction with our power. When we had finally achieved it, the red vault glared in its crimson light.

  When I reached the front door, the invisible guardian opened the stone door
s and allowed me in. The large main nave of our home always meant safety; I could dismiss that human costume I wore for almost a week.

  “You’re earlier than expected. Did you bring the knife?” Our master had already seen me.

  “Yes, Valu. I have him. I got that Communion’s member.” I revealed the entrapping knife from behind one of my many limbs.

  He wore a human suit as he emerged from the darkness before me. “This human skin is so thin. I’ve bruised and cut it already a dozen times, and I’ve been wearing it for less than a Plane R day.”

  “It takes time to get used to it. People are brittle and noisy.”

  “I want to practice here before joining you on the other side.” He grabbed the knife from my claws and stuck it into his throat. “Blood should pour from this wound. I have to remember to add something that looks like it.”

  “Yes, Valu. That would look more natural to the others. Humans are very prone to emotional responses.”

  “What would that be?” he whispered while carving the flesh from his neck.

  “They change their behaviors based on what they see or feel. They do it so much they developed different cultures, as they call them.”

  “Okay, I will study them more.” He withdrew the blade from inside his neck, and the tear below his head closed immediately.

  “I absorbed Millat’s powers. We will not hear from him anytime soon.”

  He dropped the blade to the ground, where it pulverized immediately.

  “A group of people are supporting the Great Communion invasion.”

  He accurately mimicked a surprised expression. “Someone is deliberately supporting the invasion of their world? How did you find out, Vere?”

  I was hearing my real name after a very long time. “By rummaging through Millat’s documents. It looks like the Communion prompted the rise of a sect called the Sons of K many years ago.”

  He crossed his arms before moving closer to me.

  “Too bad we got in their way. Do you have enough artifacts for our new friends?” My lightweight body floated to the large shelf on the left-hand side of the room.

  “I have another knife we prepared some time ago.”

  I could see we had many more of those on a shelf behind us.