by Ted L C
“Jean-Zoey has heard about your massacre of our brothers and sisters on Faxian,” two one-handed scythes materialize in her grips. “Witness the first-born of Zeresh in her prime—
“Jean-Zoey wonders,” her body transforms into a silhouette made of bats.
“Who has the weaker mind?” her muffled voice brushes through the duo’s eardrums. “The beauty. Or the beast?”
“You stand in our way of slaying Zeresh,” Nanos swarm toward the boy’s palm. “Pass easily so we can be another step closer to our goal—”
“Jean-Zoey knows, the beast,” the overcast encasing the skies transforms into darkness. “Cleansing light of the heavens, give your blessings upon this dreadful city with an orbital bombardment!”
A large beam appears from the sky, firing downwards on the distant skyscrapers. Numerous screams and vehicle crashes echo.
Waves of stone erupt from the surface the light touches.
Jinzo’s knee-high black boots appear. Each step pushes the coal tinged cloud enveloping her body forward. Her scythes manifest and dance on strings attached to the girl’s wrist.
Derek appears behind her. As his hands arc the Revelator backward, two circular objects form. One with a blue galaxy inside. The other, an orb that reflects the wrinkles lining the lad’s forehead.
An aroma of vanilla scent surges through his nostrils.
The scythes transform into blurs. A sour, yet bitter fluid flows from his stomach and up to his throat.
“Derek, what are you doing?” Alyssa’s voice echoes as the Revelator’s body lowers itself to torso level. “Strike her.”
“She’s got por—” one of her scythe blades jolts toward Derek’s gut.
The blade bounces off his belly.
Jinzo aims an index finger at Alyssandra.
“Der—” Alyssa’s voice fades.
A crimson ball of light surrounds her as she disintegrates into ashes.
“No!” legs heave him into the obsidian dust shifting throughout the air.
The Revelator ascends, tearing through a flesh substance. An arm wielding a scythe crumbles. The boy’s arms hurl the handle upward.
Jinzo hurls her body downward and presses her palm against the ground.
“Thank you for cutting off that arm, Jean-Zoey thinks it was getting old.”
A flap of tan skin materializes over the nub on her shoulder. While reaching a hand toward the resting blade, the caramel-tinted casing inflates like a balloon.
Rising, she hurls both blades upward with an ex-formation toward Derek.
She vanishes into an ebony cloud.
* * *
Derek’s spine flattens along the road. His palms hammer the cobblestone as grunts push through his lips.
“Jean-Zoey says it is only a matter of time until the bad man’s brain blows up. She will then cheer at the fall of a psychopath!”
“I know what you’re doing,” a grafting voice echoes throughout Alyssa’s mind.
Alyssa shifts a foot moves forward. Grains of sand flows into golden rings lining her toes. Her eyes drift toward a flat device with the character ‘?’ on the glowing screen.
“How did you get this number?”
“Because I am approaching your location, putting me within range of your satellite provider. It must be great having a provider on Faxian. Forcing you and Derek to be out of reach of my communications.
“A question for you. Why did you take my blood, then force Derek to teleport the two of you to Faxian? You knew the teamwork training simulation was the next day?”
“I’m quick with my work,” words flow through Alyssa’s lips.
“After seeing his skill against those androids. Also, since you said yourself he is more powerful than you are, I decided that to make it my goal to take him with me. Give me a chance to redeem myself on Faxian.
“Take down the HESTEKS who massacred the millions of Faxian citizens and tortured me. Moreover, I was hoping along the way, I might find clues to the whereabouts of the devil himself, Alexander.”
“You went against the contract and trained this boy to become a psychopath instead of a hero—”
“Jean-Zoey wants to make sure you’re alright in time out,” Jinzo’s heart-shaped face appears, replacing the ringer in Alyssandra’s palm.
As Alyssa’s legs carry her body backward. Her Stag’s Head flashes from her boot, lunging toward Jinzo.
The gothic lolita swings her skull from side-to-side. Strands of hair fly through the air as silver blurs flash throughout the arena.
With Alyssandra’s thumb nail, it flicks the needle attached to a ring upward as she lunges toward Derek.
Her finger collapses inward toward Derek’s dancing arms.
“Sees floating red milk!” Jinzo’s massive bow-tie resting above her head transforms into a blur.
A migraine blossoms from Alyssa’s head as her fingers flick the blood coated needle toward her hand.
Alyssa’s wrist swings forward.
An image of two floating slabs of plasma with the shape of discus’ forms inside of her head.
A chrome shield appears, enveloping Jinzo’s forearm as a disk cuts through the upper right part of it. The other slices through the building behind her.
The lolita vanishes.
“How?” Alyssa says.
“You two and the Betas are not the only beings who are smart enough to utilize others’ blood,” Jinzo flicks her wrist toward Alyssa. The scythe fires from her hand. “Derek O’Brien, that bat that bit you, was not a bat at all. It was Jean-Zoey’s syringe.”
“Good,” the Revelator slaps the blade out of the sky as the lad appears in the girl’s sight.
“Jean-Zoey is confused—how is this positive for you?”
“Who knows how many supernatural abilities you’re loaded with,” Derek says. “I want to collect them all by the time we’re done.”
Jean-Zoey’s body disintegrates. A cold breath beats against Derek’s nape.
The boy flings his arm backward. The Revelator’s maw bites the air.
His arms dance as Jinzo’s scythes appears, slapping the sword.
“He will be distracted for a little while,” Jinzo’s coral cheeks manifest a finger’s length Alyssa’s nose. “Shall we continue playtime, Alyssie?”
With her dagger held in reverse, Alyssa’s blade brushes upwards against Jinzo’s cheek.
A symphony of child-like laughs pulses through her ebony lips as the wound seals. The lolita’s fingers scoop a chunk of crimson juices from her neck and slide it against her tongue.
“Jean-Zoey’s never tasted this yum yum juice before!”
“Who’s blood do you have—” Alyssa’s murmurs flow toward Jinzo.
“Father’s—”
“No—”
A scene streams of girl, being the age of seven, sits on a rocking chair. Head cuddling against Alyssa’s as their eyes scan the pages of a paper book. A smile creeps across the child’s face.
“No, no, no.”
The image of undergarments within a wooden drawer appears. A black and white photo of a man reveals itself hidden underneath a pile of clothing. Her gaze shifts toward the corner to see the words, ‘General Zer’.
“I watched him shatter that thing over your head,” Alyssa’s deflating pupils drift to the body of a young girl. Crimson fluids ooze from scratches lining her face. It moves toward a broken bottle. “The weapon he used to off mother—”
“Jean-Zoey asks him once a year why he offed mom and yours truly. He tells me she was reporting his hiding spot to Alexander, who was on the hunt for new experiments. He came to assassinate her before she told Alexander, then me and you to prevent our capture. But you hid.
“After slaying me, he bought me back with the blood of the Warden. Ever since, Jean-Zoey and daddy steered clear from the mean man, Alexander. We come to Germany to fight Reivscere’s private army. To also fight Chinese agents.”
“Zeresh is here—th-that’s a lie. None of what you�
�re saying is tr—”
“You signed a contract with Reivscere to do the man’s dirty work. Jinzo read your cell phone records. Sister cannot trust anyone working for the heretic corporation. The mean man decimated the sacred image of HESTEK culture—the phoenix ouroboros.
“Jean-Zoey is, so so sorry. Just know, Yara still loves you, and will always love you.”
Jinzo digs her right finger into her sister’s forehead and retreats. Alyssa’s hand pulls the dagger toward her own neck. Crimson fluid coats the edge of her blade as it scrapes the skin’s surface.
Alyssandra’s eyelids collapse. I suppose this is the end of our adventures, my love.
* * *
Dependent Origination
A symphony of screams echoes throughout the city as a searing sensation stems from Alyssa’s neck.
“Monsters! Yara sees them surrounding her! How?”
“Must not be able to withstand the suffering you’ve inflicted on others,” a soft voice flows through the air. “I am sorry.”
“Liam?” Alyssa’s stare moves toward a long golden blade sheathed to the figure’s side.
“Do not ever call me that again. Or else I will finish what this abominable girl started,” a pair of cat-like eyes shift to the girl.
“That’s my sister you’re talking about—”
“And it is your sister I saved you from—”
“Why are you here, Eri?”
“You are most welcome for sealing the incision over your neck, Alyssa.
“Though I am against your support toward the Reivscere. And the support to set Germany and Japan into economic collapse. I want Derek to be safe, no matter what I need to do. No matter who I have to take out.
“As you remember clearly, I can relate to the pain you feel. I also lost siblings. They meant the world to me, then they were executed in front of me. As a wise chrysanthemum queen once said to me, one must secede from the past to spark progression.
“I improved upon that concept—I seceded from this Wheel of Life and began my new rondo. Aside from my rambles, why would you shame me for saving your life?”
“Because I have no direction to—”
“That was bull shit!” Derek’s voice echoes.
Eri’s body combusts into a pile of ashes.
“I never wanna fight anything like her, again—” Derek brushes a finger against his head. “What happened to Jinzo?”
“I’ll explain later,” Alyssa’s dilated pupils fall toward the screen facing her.
Was Eri an illusion also? How did Derek not see?
“We need to go,” a droplet rolls across a cheek as her stare focuses on Yara’s twitching body. “The Japanese invasion began fourteen minutes ago.”
“What about Yara?” Derek’s gaze follows hers. “We should get her dope ass weapons. Furthermore, she’s still alive—”
“She’s suffering enough, Derek—”
“Perhaps you should put an end to her suffering, then. Because what I went through—what we went through, was worse than the grave. An endless labyrinth of hallucinations—of memories. Trapped inside the confines of our minds.”
He sounds like Eri, now.
“I-I—” chunks of her face become transparent as a glossy substance consumes her skin. “Usually I have a symbolic way of disposing of a foe; however, this is my sister—”
“What?”
“Jean-Zoey—Yara, is my sister—”
“As Diablo was my brother—”
“Did Achilles tell you?”
“Yes.
“How about you transform her body into a biodegradable burial pod which could then grow into some chrysanthemums.”
“As touching as that sounds, you need ashes for a proper pod. And she’s still alive—and no, you cannot burn her alive—”
“It’s not my character arc to confront a sister—”
“Alyssa—”
“Yeah?”
“I think she’s dead.”
“Thank the name of Sekhemet—” a symphony of chirps emits from the device in Alysa’s grasp.
“We must leave, now. We’re hemorrhaging time.”
Derek presses a palm against Alyssandra’s shoulder. The two transform into silhouettes of shadows.
* * *
Derek’s legs jerk themselves toward Alyssa’s fallen body.
His eyes shift, facing the gash lining the top of her head.
What happened?
His hands make their way toward a rock with crimson fluid coating an edge.
Two of his fingers press against the grove behind her ears. Thumps bump against Derek’s appendages.
“Wake up!”
The sound of a detonation and shattering glass echoes from behind the boy. He jerks his neck to the side.
An onyx tinged sports car with wheels appears wedges through a window’s frame. Bags of chips and carbonated juices cover the car’s frontal body.
“I still haven’t eaten,” his gaze drifts toward the reflection against a mirrored fridge of a tiny hole carved into the windshield. “With how tough Yara was, who knows what Tsubasa’s gonna be like.”
Derek’s arm’s bend Alyssa’s body over his shoulder. As his feet carry him through the shattered window.
A person’s face beckons his stare. Upon reaching the head, a red hole between the figure’s eyebrows comes into sight.
“Hmm—why would weaker caliber bullets be used in an invasion?”
“Point zero four one Reivs looted,” Lauta says. “Point zero two. Reivs transferred into Derek’s dividend account. Point 0.2. Reivs transferred into a spending account.”
“Laura, did you just steal that man’s money?”
“I did, Derek. In accordance with—international code thirty-eight point forty-five. Upon approaching a corpse that has no will be attached to his or her biochip. Funds obtained through governmental Sleight of Hand software can claim funds as a donated source of income.”
He rests Alyssa’s back against the ground. Fingers grip against the hammer of a miniature spray bottle. Fluids seep from the tiny hole into the gash. As the foam mixed with black, brown, and peach specs ooze from the wound, it collapses inward.
Another coat of liquid seeps through her head. It plows the froth, revealing a scar-free surface.
“Laura,” Derek’s fingers snatch a bag with a cartoon octopus on the front. A series of crunches emanate from his mouth as he pours the entirety of the casing against his face. “So what’s Sleight of Hand? I haven’t had a second to talk to you about it.”
“Upon implementation of biochips by the—Chinese government in 2029—”
Derek’s hands dig into a heated glass cage, yanking several balls of rice.
“In addition to a full immersion of—cashless purchases. Their government implemented a system called—Sleight of Hand. This was introduced as a way for authorities to protect any building from theft. For example, if a robber were to run into a bank, steal the funds from the employees, then dash out of the store. He would not get far.
“Upon reaching the range of the many sensors throughout the building, any unauthorized funds leaving the building will be confiscated. Therefore, preventing any possible loss. Seeing how fruitful this program has been, the United States, India, Taiwan, and Korea, created identical programs.
“Later, all explored the territories of unclaimed wills, debt collection, and the highly controversial currency shrinkage. Due to Reivscere being considered a government entity of the country of Barter in Faxian, we are also allowed to use this technology on Earth, Faxian, and Clarum.”
“So,” a large flesh tinted bump slides through the front of Derek’s neck as the last rice ball vanishes. “Reivscere isn’t just a company? It’s a ruling government?”
The boy pulls a clear bottle with a white cartoon cat wearing sunglasses. He hugs the lip against his mouth.
“Due to the lack of provided data, I am unable to gather that information at this time. I sincerely apologize.”
* * *
Turning left, a mountain of materials pile over the roads behind the L.E.D. lights forming words, ‘Blockage for 3K.M.’
His hips arc his body sideways. A glow resonates from his cheeks.
“I could probably get a good view from the top of that building,” he makes his way toward the sixty-story building.
A chunk of debris detonates against the ebony surface fingers-length from the boy’s toes. His arms tighten against the girl slung over Derek’s shoulders.
“Not gonna let you pass,” wheezes expel through his lips. “We’re making it through this.”
The ground trembles. A collection of rubble vibrates in unison.
A 10—foot tall mechanical standing on two legs appears on the screen on his heads up display. Its giant sword pivots toward him.
“Model—ex-seventy-two—spotted—” Laura says.
Derek appears behind it.
The Revelator comes into existence within one of his hands as it swings toward the mecha’s leg. The teeth tears through the back of its limb. Ribbons of orange fluids follow the claymore’s blade.
“Class A mech—weaknesses—”
“A.I. override, mute analysis,” he says.
Derek’s upper body arcs backward. A curved blade dodges his face and digs into the road. The boy weaves his fingers into the car-sized weapon. He vanishes into ashes.
Upon emerging on the surface of the mecha’s back. An army of Nanos forming an enormous blob march across the mechanical arm. They create an identical sword within the being’s grasp.
He has a core somewhere—
The Revelator propels through the robot’s human-like nape. The weapon bursts into a cloud of black specs.
They shuffle throughout the metallic structure. A myriad of wires lining the creature’s circuits snap.
The being transforms into an obsidian glob. The bots crash against into the ground while skittering toward Derek’s SAP.
“Hell yeah!” the Nanos moving toward his arms collapse.
“What happened, Laura? Why’d they stop flooding in?”
“Might I have permission to speak?”
“Yes—”
“NanoLite limit for Mr. O’Brien is 444,444,444,444—”