by Ted L C
I think I finally found a way into her head.
“How am I supposed to know that’s true? And what if that’s the only phase?”
“In that case, I would be bluffing you, but I’m not. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough oxygen and water here for me to show you my request. Otherwise, I would love to in exchange for picking at your brain.”
“Let’s keep going,” Derek reaches his arms toward the boxes. Alyssa’s foot intercepts.
“I’m not asking, anymore, Derek,” Alyssa kneels. Her heart-shaped face appears within eye level of the oblong face coated with brown fur. “I waited beside you for at least ten nights. Dragged your heavy ass across the desert, and cured you of your food poisoning—
“I deserve to know how you got a stupid bong and how you learned about Final Requests.”
“Throughout my time in isolation, I met up with Achilles,” Derek’s arms jack his body upward, pushing him to his feet. “Which is how I learned about Final Calls. As for the bong, I made it during the Holo-Flick. You don’t remember? I think your lack of sleep is gettin’ to you.”
“Sekhemet,” Alyssa’s butt pulls her body backward, colliding it with the sand. “He was probably high when he gave you that. Then once he sobered up, realized he gave it to you. Now a Beta—the second most powerful Beta—is hunting us for a stupid bong—”
“I was sick?”
“Yes,” Alyssa flashes another vacuum sealed package from the box and tosses it to the boy. “You were suffering from a fever of forty-one degrees. Kept vomiting, and you telling me to stop attacking you. It was terrifying—
“Now eat up. You’re going to need one hundred perfect battery when we enter the temple. Especially with a Beta on our tails now.”
* * *
As the duo makes their way toward stone slabs encased inside of an archway, a droplet drips on Derek’s shoulder. Many follow.
“Why is there rain in the desert?” the monotonous voice douses the screaming gales and thunder. A flash fills their vision.
“You see, when water evaporates,” Alyssa brushes a palm against one of the massive doors. Chipped rocks scrape her hand as it rubs the smooth surface. “It goes up into the clouds, it then comes back to the planet as rain. And this creates a water cycle.”
“I know how rain in general works,” droplets smack the boy’s armor transform into steam as they collide into him. “Smartass—I’m trying to say that it’s odd to have rain like this in a desert.”
“How about we break through these walls and do a bit of exploring?” Alyssa presses both palms against the ground. Vines having the width of a bus erupt from the sand, gripping their tendrils into the stone doors. “I feel that we’ve reached the pinnacle of our journey, Derek. Brace yourself—”
The roots shift forward. Stones detonate as their grips tighten. A thunderous symphony of crackles echoes through the desert.
“Come on!” a black spec separates itself from Alyssa’s tattoo, crawling toward the edge of a run-down doorway. “We have some exploring to do. This place looks like it’s full of surprises!”
The Nano digs its legs into the wall. A lens slides open; revealing a glass orb on its back which mirrors the distant brown void.
A pile of dust reflects off Derek’s gaze.
The lad’s eyes magnetize themselves toward a massive sword peeking from the mound.
“Is that—” his fingertips extend to the chainsaw-like teeth lining the weapon. “A fortune?”
“It’s pronounced, Fames,” Alyssa rests a palm against the handle of the blade. “A fake one, unfortunately. However, to you, this sword would still be worth a pretty Reiv.”
“How do I get it to Liam? He never actually showed me how this works.”
“That’s right; he didn’t,” her fingers weave into his and guides the boy’s hand to the weapon’s handle. “You should have the technology to absorb its soul into your core. Imagine—an army of ants disassembling the sword.”
A horde of NanoLites swarm from the vents lining the SAP. They march toward the abandoned weapon. One piece at a time, the Fames falls apart like someone pulling pieces from a complete puzzle.
The blade mutates into a silhouette composed of over a million black specs. It collapses.
“So that’s it—” the bots crawl through his pant legs and into his wrist.
“Data collected for—Fake Fames—” Laura’s voice fills Derek’s head. “Data has been transferred to offline storage—one Reiv has been added to your—pending balance. Upon finding a—nine-G frequency—these funds will be added to your wallet and Reivscere corporation will absorb the data for the—Fake Fames. Thank you for using—Sleight of Hand technology!”
“I’m rich!”
“On Earth, yeah,” a grin creeps across Alyssa’s face as a table with melted shackles appears in her sight.
“I knew that if I waited long enough to retrieve this sword, I could profit once I got a core—”
“What?”
“When I tried to get the sword before, it was a pain in the ass,” Derek’s fingers brush the sand coating the table beckoning Alyssa’s gaze. “However, I got a core—now it’s mine—for a bit.”
“I say,” legs pull her toward the metal doorway. A trail consisting of crusty brown circles comes to sight. “Let’s follow these brown droplets, they might lead us to where we need to go.”
A droid separates from her tattoo, skittering to the edge of a rust-coated frame. This place—looks like it’s full of surprises.
The NanoLite digs its microscopic legs into the wall. A lens slides, revealing a glass orb on its back. It reflects wet dust blanketing a myriad of bones throughout the hall.
Derek’s eyes narrow as they face a pile beside a skeleton pointing to the left with its finger. Muffled moist stomps echo through the halls as the distant thunder echoes.
“Alyssa,” Derek’s feet yank his body backward.
“Yes, my student?”
“I feel like this is a trap—” his index fingers aims at the bones. “I mean—look at that—no one perishes while pointing a certain direction. Also, there are tiny specs of dried things leading down a path.”
“That’s why we spring the trap. I’m sure there’s enough heat in the air for you to ooze some gasses from your skin to eliminate an army or two.” Alyssa yanks the bony arm from its socket and extends it toward a darkened hall. “Onward!”
A NanoLite separates itself from Alyssa’s tattoo, crawling toward the eye socket of the skull. This—is not gonna be a pleasant surprise.
Its microscopic legs into the bone. Two tiny metal sheets slide open, revealing a glass orb. It reflects wet stand enveloping a collection of bones throughout the corridor.
* * *
“The hell happened to this building?” Derek’s eyes magnetize toward the collapsed bricks beside him.
A symphony of vibrations reverberates from Alyssa’s bra. She yanks a thin rectangular gizmo from her cleavage—a light emits from it.
A metal box the size of a town falls from the sky within the screen of the device. Shards of flaming rubble hail from the atmosphere, propelling into the sand.
Bursts of wet brown dust burst upward.
“This doesn’t look positive—” breaths transitions into steam as they pour through her nostrils.
The metal housing encasing the ship erupts, revealing a colossal structure of a crystal. It transforms into a 15 story tall humanoid being made from ice. The abomination arcs its arm backward while facing the direction of the monitor.
“Derek—”
A flash fills the screen.
Thunder echoes as the ground trembles.
Bricks rain from the ceiling above.
Derek presses Alyssa’s back into the staircase as he shrouds her body with his.
“Achilles!” a singsong voice echoes through the skies. “Your fight is with me, deity.”
A bright red kimono appears on the screen. As a golden blade moves toward the duo’s eyes,
the view blackens.
Eri is here? Alyssa’s eyelids narrow as she slides away from Derek’s stomach.
* * *
Alyssandra’s feet carry her through the spiraling stairway. Hurling her body over a series of missing steps. Twisting her figure to evade raining stones.
Derek’s body combusts into ashes. He appears adjacent to the wall at the end of each walkway. He continues doing this until Alyssa comes into sight.
She flings herself into a brown doorframe, collapsing through the wooden structure.
“Intruders, my lord!” several voices utter as five tips of blades press into the rounded point of Alyssa’s nose.
Derek’s legs carry him backward as he reaches the doorway. Many hooded figures emerge. As does a girl with pale skin.
His stare dash to each edge of a cross. Round metal objects appear within the middle of each hand and foot, propping her against the wooden piece.
“Ah, Derek,” a figure flicks his blue hair to the side. A set of metallic golden eyes rest upon the boy’s face. “Welcome back. I’m glad everyone’s in one place now!”
A shockwave surges throughout the walls and floor. The five warriors’ bodies shift sideways, heaving them into one another.
“Quite a battle outside,” the man shifts both hands behind his back. “A Beta versus a Gladiator. Which one do you think will survive? Either way, I’m sure one of them will either reach the top of this tower or bring the tower to them. So—let’s make this short, my boy.”
The man flashes a knife from his pocket and slides it against the girl’s hair. He flings the blue ribbon of mane against the ground. “Do you recognize this girl—”
“Rainy—” a searing sensation pulses throughout Derek’s body. “Rr-Rainy—”
The rain intensifies. As does the timeframe between each burst of thunder.
“Boy!” the dirk’s blade rests against the surface of the Rainy’s neck. “Before you destroy this place of worship. I give you a choice—”
“Not a wise choice to give a man with the upper hand an ultimatum—” Alyssa’s hands press her body upward.
“Shut the fuck up, cunt—” Derek takes the step toward the figure. A swarm of Nanos skitters into the clone’s grasp, forming a ball with pulsing red dots.
“Execute me—both your sister and the planet of Faxian and this woman who you care so deeply for falls,” his finger mashes into the metallic sphere. “The second my thumb moves, this planet detonates. My knife hand moves, it slices this woman’s neck open.
“You have two choices—for I know that I cannot eradicate three Gladiators, or two Gladiators and one Beta. Either you let this woman live—then the planet explodes like a firework. Or, I execute the woman—I cancel the detonation.”
“It’s the life of billions over one—” Alyssa’s voice flows through Derek’s ears.
How do I do mind control? Eri told me it’s possible, but I don’t know how! Why am I so weak?
“Shut the hell up, Alyssa!” the lad’s nails dig into his scalp. “I’m weak—I’m weak—I’m weak—”
“You have ten seconds to answer, my child.”
A syringe presses against the boy’s neck. Appendages press into his back as a surge of electricity dances across his armor and into the lad’s skull.
I choose the life of the Faxians.
“I choose the life of the Faxians’,” Derek’s voice reverberates throughout the room.
I-I didn’t want to say that—
* * *
The Three Poisons
“I’m gonna—” Derek’s echo reverberates throughout the room.
Zeresh twists and yanks his dagger from the corpse. He flutters the blood-covered blade finger’s length from the boy’s face.
The man digs a hand through the hole within Rainy’s chest, then shuffles it through the lad’s hair.
“A way for you to have physical contact with your loved one before your end,” a grin creeps across Zeresh’s face.
“Now that the thing you care about is gone, it’s time to return the favor to Mr. Derek and Miss Alyssandra. For disposing of my servants,” the figure’s thumb against the device. A red hologram of the number 22 appears. It turns to 21. “Any words of farewell to the nine-billion people of Faxian?”
“You’re missing the point of an ultimatum,” Alyssa takes a step toward the man. His feet carry him backward.
“It looks like neural decay is hitting you early,” his maniacal chuckle travels throughout the room. There’s a man who kidnaps a boy’s sister, executes her in front of him, and also threatens to commit specicide. Do you expect him to keep a promise?”
Alyssa’s Stag’s Head materializes.
Her body propels forward as it transforms into a silhouette.
A Fames appears. Replacing the dagger and tearing through a cluster of raindrops.
Her hips jerk to the side. Ebony specs scrape from her sports bra.
Dagger appears ahead of the man. The blade digs into his shoulders as the girl’s fingers press against the stag’s head.
The figure’s gaze beckons to the dark circles underneath her eyes. Her palm propelled into his chest. The girl’s legs shift backward.
Fame’s teeth press the surface of Alyssa’s neck.
Crimson beads trickle throughout its chainsaw-like jaw.
Nanos from Alyssa’s dagger skitter from the weapon toward the man’s arm, coating it with bots.
“The rate your robots eat my skin can’t keep up with how fast I regenerate. Now fall—”
A beam of red light propels through the antagonizer’s skull, forming a circle of molten skin. Where his eyes once were, the opening reveals people garbed with onyx tinged armor and gas masks.
Three figures, equipped with identical helmets, scatter across the room. Glows hover above the fronts of their weapons. A symphony of jingles echoes as they make their way to the corpses of Zeresh’s clones.
“We need two beds!” a grafting modulated voice utters.
“Wait!” Derek’s legs throw him against the pale corpse upon the cross. “Rainy—”
The building trembles as a needle presses against the surface of Derek’s neck—
* * *
“Have an outburst, and I will put you into a state of paralysis,” Liam’s blurry helmet echoes a reflection of the dark circles underneath his eyes.
“Why—” watery droplet’s swarm amass from his eyelids. Vanishing into steam upon coming in contact with his chin.
“Why, what?” a calloused hand mashes into the boy’s forehead.
“Why did my dad and sister perish in front of me—I-I didn’t get to say goodbye to my mom.”
“Survival of the fittest is the quote I believe describes life the best—” a floating disk makes its way toward Liam’s fingers. A clump of capsules ejaculates in his palm. He slings the pills into his open mouth.
Crimson streaks in the boy’s hair reflect from the saucer’s chrome surface. The likeness of Zeresh appears as a clip streams inside of his mind. He twists the Fames’ hilt, yanks it from the Rainy’s chest, and hovers the blood-covered blade in front of the lad’s face.
Please don’t make me re-live this again—
“That is what I have learned in my thousand years of being alive—”
Silence, Liam—
“The healthier survive longer than the unhealthy—”
A scene streams through Derek’s head. The Revelator manifests and veers, tearing through Liam’s neck. An ear-piercing scream dribbles between the walls—
“The rich, over the poor. The quick, over the slow. The logical, over the challenged. I understand it is going to be an impossible reality to accept for the rest of your life, but the past cannot be undone.
“Focus on what you enjoy to do, meanwhile, balance it with your goals. Life isn’t long enough, even for a HESTEK. The cruel hand of Ajanda can take any soul, at any moment. I am sorry to hear about your sister.”
He gazes into Liam’s emerald star
e—pupils, normal. Eyelids—half-closed.
No, you’re not. You smug slab of shit.
“Don’t worry about me, though. I’m good,” as Derek jerks his wrist upward, a cord surrounding his skin yanks him into the table. “As horrid as it is, what you said is true.
“It wasn’t Alyssa’s fault we had to choice of over nine billion lives or my sister. But, this is what I believe, life is fifty percent Darwinism and fifty percent luck.
“Luck is luck. Though some have more than others, I would not recommend relying on it,” Liam makes his way toward the doorway.
“Derek, tell me about how you realized your symptom to teleport matter.” the man brushes an index finger and thumb against his beard.”
“S-sir,” he moves his eyes upwards. “When I was ten years old, the man whom I thought was my father and I were in a boat. I was a dumbass—sitting on the edge of it until he took a sharp turn. The force flung me off the boat, and into the water.
“I can’t swim, so my body just began to sink. As I was gasping for air, the image of my room appeared in my head, and I imagined I was there. Then, I began to heat up. I’ve felt the most painful feeling imaginable—my insides were melting.
“Even though everything happened in an instant, it felt like the longest moment in my life. After my lungs disintegrated, the rest of my body felt like it was burning from the inside.
“I appeared in my room, lightheaded, fatigued, and coughing up water. But, I was alive, and the insatiable burning feeling went away. From thereon, I’ve played with this ability—ported to random places in the world and took mini-vacations.
“Best feeling, ever; however, after a year, everything got old. Because I was a god among men. Able to go anywhere I wanted in an instant. The first twenty times, the pain was bad. However, I took up smoking. It eased the pain and the stress a bit. That’s where my life took its downfall—”
A ring emanates from Liam’s wrist.
“I am truly sorry, Derek.” Liam faces his device. “I would like to talk more about this one of these days. Some of what you say is unwise; yet, nobody is perfect. I enjoy your perspective on life—seeing your love for your family—your take on philosophy. However, Alyssandra is waiting for us on the deck for a brief tour of this vessel. Furthermore, information about your entrance to Germany.