Mydia's End

by Sean Davies

  “I don't know,” Veronica muttered, prepping for trouble. “Maybe we should get out and continue on foot.”

  Every screen and electronic sign within the Capital suddenly displayed the hybrid Inquisition and World Banner, and then switched to footage of a smartly dressed man with round spectacles and neat brown hair combed to the side, sitting on an old-fashioned leather couch.

  “Good day to you, loyal citizens of the Holy Autocracy,” the man began. “This is the World Government News Service, broadcast worldwide through the global network, and I am your gracious host, as ever, Bernard Mason.”

  “This is getting trippy as fuck,” Veronica frowned.

  “Today I am speaking with her holiness, Autocrat Alice Eve,” Bernard continued. “Thank you for taking the time to speak to us all today, Autocrat Eve.”

  The camera panned out to show Alice, but not as Winston and Veronica knew her. Autocrat Eve's hair was a steeply angled bob cut, and most of her dark skin appeared warped and burnt. Half of Alice's injured face was covered by a chunky white mask that seemed to be part of her head, and her eyes looked artificial, her irises glowing with light blue energy.

  “Maybe this is just a bad trip,” Winston said softly, his eyes glued to a nearby screen. “I don't suppose we just mixed our Dreamleaf with a barrel-load of Artravenia?”

  “No such luck,” Veronica replied, wishing that they were just stoned senseless.

  “Not at all, Mr. Mason,” Alice spoke charmingly. “It is always a pleasure to be on your show, and to address the people of the Holy Autocracy.”

  “I have to say, it's a glorious sight to see you in such good health after the incident at Central Isle,” Bernard said, placing a hand on his heart.

  “Yes, the Inquisition scientists are truly a gift from the Goddesses.” Alice raised a white mechanical arm for the cameras and wiggled her robotic fingers.

  “For any of our viewers who are somehow unaware,” Bernard began, “during the early days of the War on Supernaturals, a group of filthy inhuman beasts belonging to the Shadow Circle, Triumvirate of Sorrow, and Dogs of War gangs, along with the subterranean-dwelling Trinity of Old, infiltrated Central Isle and detonated the DVO space rockets, which near enough levelled the entire island.”

  “We weren't expecting the gangs to unite,” Alice told him, “particularly not the Triumvir and the Circle, as they had been at each other's throats. Of course, we weren't expecting the Trinity to have portals leading right to our doorstep either.”

  “Quite so,” Bernard Mason nodded. “The former Autocrat, Edgar Aurelius II, was killed in the attack, Goddesses bless his soul. Luckily, he had already named you as his successor—and you were quick to react.”

  “Most of us above ground were close to death,” Alice said in a grave tone, “but the secret underground facilities on the isle were built to double as bomb shelters, so there were plenty of our top researchers and scientists left to come to our aid. I ordered them to scrap the Auton robotic infantry project as we'd never made any headway with the software, and for the parts to be used to repair our mortal wounds.”

  “A radical and highly experimental procedure,” Bernard commented, “but one that saved the lives of hundreds of Inquisitors, along with yourself and General Kevin Wallace.”

  “Indeed,” Alice smiled. “Although the first cybernetics weren't very aesthetically pleasing.”

  Bernard Mason chuckled. “Well, we actually have some footage of you in your last form.”

  “Oh no, Bernard! How embarrassing is it?” Autocrat Eve covered her glowing eyes with her white hand.

  “Seeing Alice with charisma is kind of creepy,” Veronica mused.

  “Not at all, Autocrat Eve. We've picked one of your most glorious moments!” Bernard Mason beamed, before the displays switched to show the top of Imperia’s World GOVT building before the merger.

  Alice was stood in the centre of the building’s flat square roof, holding the late Edgar Aurelius II's war hammer in one crude metal hand and the golden quill artefact in the other one, sending a beam of energy into the skies above just as Winston had once done in real life.

  The leader of the Inquisition appeared to be more ramshackle robot than woman. She was surrounded by dozens of troopers who were gunning down Supernaturals as they attempted to climb or fly towards Alice in desperate and seemingly suicidal attacks, and the Capital city below was a sprawl of vicious combat between the technological might of the Inquisition and their Supernatural foes. The skies were filled with airships raining hell down on the Vampires, Werewolves, and Mages beneath them.

  “In this dream version of Imperia, Alice got the quill instead of me,” Winston surmised, “which means no Alternatives for us.”

  “Why would Alice cause the merger, even in fiction?” Veronica asked.

  Winston shrugged. “I guess were going to find out.”

  “Here, you can see the Autocrat performing the Goddesses’ divine work,” Bernard spoke over the scene.

  “It was a struggle, especially after the initial recovery and repairs, but my duty nonetheless,” Alice said in a noble tone.

  The camera footage panned out to show the Arbiter, General Wallace's beast of an airship, shooting up the side of the World GOVT building with its energy guns and swarm of unmanned fighter drones, as an incredibly fast Vampire Nightclaw launched himself from window to window with inhuman, gravity-defying grace.

  “That's Xavier!” Veronica gasped.

  Winston waited for the Vampire to stop dodging blasts of energy fire long enough to study him, and saw that it was indeed the image of his former guardian, complete with his black trench coat with red lining, strict face, and long black hair tied back with a crimson ribbon.

  “This is one of my favourite moments of the whole scene,” Bernard began, as the camera changed to one of the helmet feeds belonging to the troopers on the roof.

  “Mine too, Bernard,” Alice agreed, as Xavier sprang from the ledge of the rooftop whilst dodging a barrage of gunfire, and smashed through the Arbiter’s cockpit. “The foul creature obviously didn't know he'd be facing a cybernetically enhanced Inquisitor General,” she chuckled, as Xavier came flying back out of the cockpit clenching his chest, yet somehow managing to recover enough to glide out of the fray.

  Even though the Reynoldses knew what they were watching was just a simulated jest at their expense, they both clenched their fists out of anticipation and anger.

  The video flickered in a buzz of violent static, before returning as an overhead view of the freshly merged Imperia City, now packed with Alternatives and Spider-vehicles, worn old Dragons soaring above the ramshackle mismatch of regular buildings and the ones from the Gloom. The denizens of the Gloom immediately set about fighting the Supernaturals alongside the Inquisition forces.

  The Archmage's magic swept through the Capital, transforming the buildings into an orderly array of modernised stone architecture, and displaying the Omni's banner of a white mask on a black background. The cameras also showed another fleet of airships approaching the darkened city.

  “Would you be so kind as to explain what transpired at this point, along with the surrounding details, Autocrat Eve?” Bernard asked politely.

  “Why, certainly,” Alice assented. “Following the inhuman attack on Central Isle so soon after I was healed, the Twin Goddesses summoned me to the heavens to hear their divine word. They informed me that the world needed to be merged to restore it fully to its former state, and bestowed upon me the ability to cross into the nefarious Gloom so that I could obtain the golden quill—a holy relic capable of altering reality.”

  “Alice is doing a good job of brushing over the fact she's a Book Wielder,” Winston scoffed.

  “To cut a long story short,” Alice continued, “I fought my way to the holy relic and was preparing to leave, when I was met by an army of puppets and Archmage Omniosis, a being who claimed to be a messenger of the Goddesses. He offered me more power if I would allow him to assist with
my divine campaign,” she chuckled. “I saw through him from the start, but I was clearly outnumbered, and I couldn't help but see an incredible opportunity to cleanse him and his disgusting Gloom dwellers. So I let him think I was open to an alliance, and tricked him into moving as many of his forces into the reflection of Imperia City as possible.”

  Bernard and Alice chuckled as the footage showed the new airship fleet joining the others above the Capital.

  “That's General Azalea and her fleet from the Tropican front,” Alice explained, “armed to the teeth and ready to do the Goddesses’ divine bidding.”

  The sleek deltoid aircraft unleashed a merciless barrage of energy weapons, missiles, and bombs on the Supernaturals and unsuspecting Alternatives below, bathing the war-torn streets in a bright blue inferno while simultaneously annihilating the Gloom dragons in the dark skies above.

  “Here it comes...” Bernard Mason said eagerly.

  The cameras showed Omniosis’ armoured and masked form hurtling out of the top floor of the World GOVT building, and Alice came crashing out after him with her former mentor’s war hammer raised above her head, the golden quill secured in her teeth. The new Autocrat plummeted towards her falling Archmage foe, engulfed in a fiery golden aura as if she were a human meteorite. Omniosis hit the ground, shattering his white armour and revealing the twisted half-rotten form beneath, before being hit with the full force of Alice's attack. Both Autocrat Eve and Omniosis disappeared in a blinding explosion, and after the dust had settled, there was only Alice standing heroically at the centre of the crater she had made.

  “A truly spectacular attack!” Bernard cried, slapping his knees excitedly.

  “Wish I'd thought of that,” Winston muttered.

  “Me too,” Veronica agreed.

  “Thank you, Bernard,” Alice said warmly. “Shame about what happened next,” she added in an icy tone.

  The footage zoomed in to show Alice recovering, holding her hammer in one hand while she took the quill out of her mouth with the other. Then, in a blinding flash, Xavier arrived on the scene and began lashing out expertly with his sword. The Spell-forged steel weapons clashed against each other as the leader of the Inquisition and the Vampire engaged in a bitter duel to the death.

  Genevieve Jameson, sporting long wavy green hair, suddenly popped up behind Alice and snatched the quill away, throwing Alice off-balance and aiding Xavier, who was clearly gesturing to the young Nightclaw to flee with the artefact. Genevieve reluctantly sped off, just as the Arbiter's drones pelted Xavier full of burning holes.

  “I'm going to make Omniosis pay for showing me that,” Veronica growled ferally.

  Winston looked completely baffled. “Why would Omniosis show us himself getting killed by Alice?”

  “Because he's an insane prick?” Veronica replied angrily.

  The cameras followed Genevieve as she used her superhuman speed and dexterity to navigate her way through the warzone to a secluded alleyway, where Winston, Veronica, and Silvario of the Trinity of Old were waiting.

  Silvario quickly created a portal in the alleyway as Genevieve handed Winston the quill, by which time the Arbiter’s drones had caught up and begun bombarding the group with plasma bolts. Genevieve shoved the others into Silvario’s portal and took the full brunt of the drones' attacks, disintegrating in a blaze of blue fire.

  Veronica hissed through her clenched teeth, and Winston reached over to clasp her hand.

  The screens across the city resumed displaying Bernard and Alice, who were both wearing stern expressions.

  The camera zoomed in on Alice. “From that point onwards, Winston and the Trinity have engaged in consistent acts of terrorism against the Holy Autocracy, in a misguided and heretical effort to derail the Goddess-willed merger, and our efforts to cleanse the world of magic and Supernaturals.”

  A picture of Winston and Veronica’s faces then appeared on every screen in Imperia, with ‘Mydia's most wanted' written in bold red lettering underneath.

  “That isn’t good... we should change our clothes into something inconspicuous,” Winston said, looking around to see if they'd been noticed already.

  Veronica took a deep calming breath and manipulated herself a pair of baggy jeans and a grey hoodie, and then her husband followed suit.

  “Winston and Veronica Reynolds are considered to be the most dangerous people on the planet,” Alice continued angrily. “They use the golden quill's power to make portals in and out of the dark dimension, allowing them and their fellow Supernaturals to appear anywhere without warning. Any sightings, or suspicious behaviour from your friends, family, and fellow citizens must be reported immediately to your nearest Inquisition outpost. Thank you for your time.”

  A fanfare played, and the displays around the Capital briefly switched back to the Holy Autocracy’s banner, before returning to normal.

  The traffic started to flow and Veronica pulled their car away, grateful to be on the move again.

  “What the fuck was all that about?” Veronica demanded as she turned off towards the Hotel Noir's location. “Omniosis—or your subconscious—has created an alternative world where Alice was the one trying to perform the merger.”

  “He wants me to see that it would've happened either way,” Winston replied drearily. “There would have been death, chaos, and carnage even if I’d tried to stay out of it.”

  Veronica frowned as she tried to figure out the reasoning behind performing such an elaborate display. “Surely he could've just said that? Argh, who knows? The sooner we deal with him, the better,” she resolved bitterly.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Outside of Winston’s mind, in Gloomingdale City on central Rura’s southern coast, Genevieve, Constance, Stitches, the Dragon Quoronastra (in human form), and Olishia Rose and Joran Ward of the Tropican Military arrived in the Stitches and Britches Bawdy House to reconvene with Alice, as previously arranged.

  Constance, who was still a little bit shaken from the fight with the Alternatives and corrupted humans belonging to the Bastardly Blighters, clasped Genevieve’s cold hand as the sheer scale of the kinky club overwhelmed her.

  “Oh my…” Stitches gasped, as a row of pole-dancing Alt-girls caught his eye.

  “Avert your eyes, puppet-man,” Quoronastra advised. “This place looks like it was dredged from the bowels of hell.”

  “Hell’s a lot sexier than I’d imagined,” Joran said, gawping at two naked Vampire women on a podium who were pleasuring each other violently, delighting a crowd of rowdy onlookers with their depravity.

  “Pervert,” Olishia said, thumping her comrade on his shoulder pad. “The themes in this places are baffling to me…” She trailed off as she spotted a group of incredibly muscly and well-endowed male dancers.

  “Hypocritical pervert,” Joran smirked, smacking Olishia playfully on her shoulder armour in return.

  “Is this like the brothels the Shadow Circle own?” Constance asked with an underlying hint of disapproval (although she admittedly still had difficulty looking away from some of the performers, and their wild dance moves and sexual positions).

  Genevieve laughed. “No, we don’t have anything quite this… eccentric. The Stitches and Britches takes the sex industry to a whole new level of filth.”

  “You’d better not be pinching any of our ideas, Genevieve Jameson,” the gorgeous blonde Needle Maiden, Hannar, said with a pout as she approached them, wiggling her barely concealed form seductively.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it… Hannar, isn’t it?” Genie replied cheekily. “Like I’ve said before, I couldn’t replicate this place’s style even if I wanted to.”

  “Whatever. I’m so bored of you,” the busty Needle Maiden declared, holding her hand up and looking away dramatically, before turned her attention to Stitches. “You, on the other hand, are very interesting. What’s a special-type colony boy doing this far from home?”

  “We’re on a special mission, ma’am,” Stitches replied sheepishly.

  �
��What do you mean by ‘special-type’?” Constance asked.

  “Made from scratch by mistress Mortissa—made to be different. Her early work, by the looks of it,” Hannar replied indifferently. “Self-modified to appear more human, and well-dressed… I can appreciate that, but sorry, dude, you’re way too polite for my liking.” She patted Stitches on his arm.

  Spensa, the brunette Needle Maiden, squeezed her slender artificial body through a group of patrons, and quickly linked her arm through Stitches’. “Good, then there’s more for me. I’m Spensa. Pleasure to meet you, handsome,” she drawled, giving the baffled Alt a big kiss on the cheek.

  “I’m Stitches, and I am so confused right now,” Stitches sighed, making no attempt to wiggle free from Spensa’s grasp.

  “Genevieve Jameson,” Spensa began, extending her spare hand to the blue-haired Vampire. “I don’t suppose you’re here to talk business?”

  Genie shook the Needle Maiden’s hand, and was shocked at how life like it felt. “Maybe some other time, preferably when your sister isn’t giving me evils,” she said, sticking her tongue out at Hannar.

  Hannar replied by sticking both of her middle fingers up and sauntering back into the depths of the brothel’s club section.

  “Your weird friends are waiting for you. Follow me,” Spensa said, leading Stitches deeper into the brothel. “I don’t suppose any of you are interested in a job? My rates of pay are very generous.”

  “Certainly not,” Quoronastra scoffed, highly offended.

  “Ask me again after a few drinks,” Joran joked, before receiving another punch from Olishia.

  “What about you, Book Wielder?” Spensa pressed. “A big butt like that—not to mention those sexy almond-shaped eyes—would make us both a killing!”

  “Thanks, but no thanks,” Connie replied, going red with embarrassment.

  “Besides, she’s spoken for—sort of,” Genie replied sheepishly.

  Connie smiled and fiddled with her hair, and they approached a section of the Stitches and Britches Bawdy House that resembled an old tavern, where she spotted the Justiciars in their massive suits of power armour.