by Greg Ness
“And I get to stay home and do nothing?” Mikey asks, hot with frustration.
“Yes,” Bruce replies.
Campbell asks, “What about the doomsday weapon?”
Bruce replies, “The Keres? There’s still another year before it’s finished. But I don’t know. Elpis will know what to do.”
“So technically,” Stephen says, “we have plenty of time.” Stephen pauses and leans in. “Let’s go get some burgers!”
Bruce stands out of his chair, thrilled with the suggestion. Stephen joins him in standing and the two low-five each other over the table. “Great idea, Stephen!”
Stephen and Bruce giddily hop toward the front door. Mikey and Campbell stare at each other, flabbergasted by their behavior.
Stephen and Bruce, despite their lost time, despite their prior indignations, are right back to being best friends. They simply picked up where they left off.
As Bruce stands waiting for Mikey and Campbell to get their acts together, he notices something odd resting on a bookshelf at the other end of the room. Squinting his eyes, Bruce struggles to make it out. No one seems to notice as he traverses around the couch to get close to the mystery object. He finally realizes what it is that catches his eye: the ELPIS box. Bruce stands in front of the bookshelf, looking perplexedly at the box sitting in front of a collection of philosophy books. The box has no place being there; it was in Stephen’s possession. He picks up the box and runs his fingers over the letters. “Hey Stephen, did you bring the ELPIS box with you?” Shockingly, the box that sits in his hands disappears; vanishes. The box is gone.
Stephen, misunderstanding his question, asks, “Do you think I should?”
Bruce stares at his empty hands. Was it an illusion? No, it couldn’t have been. But the box had never disappeared before. Where could it have come from? He had run his fingers over the wood-the same wood he had touched countless times before. It was real. There’s no use trying to explain what just happened. Instead, Bruce says, “Yes. Bring the ELPIS box with you to L.A.”
Stephen smiles. He’s as excited as he’s ever been. “Let’s go everyone!” Bruce happily joins in, with Mikey and Campbell reluctant participants.
The night is ideal for fun.
Because everything hinges on tomorrow.
48
The next night, X stands in the center of the dome-room, deep beneath the Russell Corporation tower. Wearing his blue robe, he faces ten of the other disciples, who stand scattered around him. Bruce and Mikey are missing. But he knows where they are. Bruce is bringing him the man who killed Sara Ixley. Who that is, exactly, he doesn’t know, but he can’t wait to execute him and deliver justice.
X faces his blue-robed disciples and says, “The return of Jesus Christ is near. With yesterday’s global blackout, it is apparent: The Second Coming is upon us! It is what we, the Xlympians of Christ, have prepared for. Jesus will continue his mission through us and we will have a special place in Christ’s Parousia. It is what the angel has promised. Now, my brothers, let us pray, as we have always done, for the return of our Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Chad Kane, the principal at Bruce’s school and the man Bruce often butts heads with, smiles and nods at X’s assertions. Chad firmly believes, as all the members do, in the Xlympians of Christ. As he listens to X preach about the coming of Christ, he is filled with enthusiasm. The disciples form a circle around X and stand in position: hands outstretched above their heads with their feet crossed. Standing in the Christ-like pose, Matt, Lisa’s ex-boyfriend, chants in prayer with the rest of the disciples.
X peers around, waiting for Bruce to arrive.
Earlier in the day, Bruce sits at the kitchen table of his home, with the front door in clear view. The sun came up in the morning, despite some concern it had vanished for good. With the light shining into his house, Bruce calmly waits for Kristen to come home. He hears the sounds of birds chirping and kids playing outside. With the world having a second chance, there is a feeling of hope in the air unlike anything Bruce has ever felt before. To know he had once died due to his failed attempt at disbanding the Xlympians puts more pressure on him to get it right the second time. And this time, he has a better plan. One that doesn’t include Mikey.
Kristen struggles to walk through the front door. Her arms are filled with bulging shopping bags. Panting, she glances at Bruce, “Hey, honey.”
“Shopping?” he asks.
“Picked up a few things at the grocery store. What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you.”
Kristen kicks off her shoes and walks toward the kitchen. Bruce stops her. “Could you come here a sec?”
“Why, what’s up?”
“I’ve just been thinking.”
Kristen sees Bruce’s face deep in thought. Something is wrong. Kristen gently drops the grocery bags to the floor and pulls out a chair across from Bruce. “What’s on your mind?” she asks as she sits down.
Bruce suspiciously looks at Kristen. Ever since last night, he’s wondered: could she really be the one who revealed his plan to X? It’s unlikely, but he has to figure it out. “I know we’ve gone over it before, but what exactly happened when you went missing?”
“Bruce,” Kristen says frustratingly, “I told you already. I don’t remember any of it.”
Bruce frowns. “There’s nothing you can think of?”
“I’m sorry, Bruce. You know what I know. I came back here with stitches on my scalp and a terrible headache. I must’ve run into something.”
Like a pile of bricks, the truth falls onto Bruce and crushes him. The thought makes him sick, but for the first time, he understands what happened to Kristen. She isn’t the one who snitched. Mixed with relief and horror, Bruce smiles. “I know. I’m sorry. I love you.”
“I love you too, Bruce. Now let me put these groceries away.” Bruce nods and Kristen stands from the table.
“Do you remember Sara Ixley?”
Kristen looks at Bruce with surprise. “Of course I do.”
“She didn’t kill herself. Someone else did. I figured out who it was.”
Kristen is mystified by Bruce’s statement. As she picks up her grocery bags, she asks, “Why are you telling me this? Who killed her? And how did you figure out such a thing?”
“I just did. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just thrown that on you.”
“Who killed her? And what are you going to do about it?”
“I’ll tell you who did it later. But there’s someone I know, a good friend of mine, who is going to take care of it. Tonight. He’ll be really happy when I bring the killer to him.”
Kristen nervously says, “You’re worrying me, Bruce. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Bruce smiles at her and confidently nods.
X finally spots Bruce, shoving a man whose head is covered with a hood. X holds his hand to his disciples and yells, “Quiet!”
Bruce holds the man’s arms behind his back as he struggles to free himself. Bruce shouts, “I found him. The man who killed Sara Ixley!” The disciples look with curiosity at Bruce. X waves at the disciples, signaling them to take their positions against the dark wall. They obediently listen and scramble to the outer wall.
Bruce guides the hooded man next to X in the center of the dome room. X eagerly waits for the disciples to retain their positions. He smiles at Bruce and says, “Thank you, my friend.” Bruce nods.
Finally, X rips the hood off of the man. And staring back at him is Vince Kane. Chad, his brother, steps forward in shock. “Vince?” he asks himself. There’s no way Vince could have killed Sara Ixley. No. Way. Chad is overwhelmed with concern for his brother.
X asks, “What is your name?”
“Vince.”
X gazes uncomfortably close into the eyes of the man he believes killed Sara. Bruce carefully watches X to make sure he doesn’t do anything rash.
X asks, “You killed Sara Ixley?”
“Yes. And I killed you too.”
BAM.
A gunshot blares and X falls to the ground. Vince had hidden a gun under his baggy shirt and shot X.
X, on the ground, holds his stomach in excruciating pain. Bruce utters, “Nice shot, Vince,”
“Wasn’t that hard,” Vince says in return.
The 10 disciples instantly charge from the outer wall. Bruce pulls a gun from his blue robe and extends it toward them. Back-to-back, Bruce and Vince hold their guns toward the halting disciples. The ten now circle around and stand mere feet from them.
Bruce announces, “It’s over! In case you dumbshits haven’t heard, Jesus is dead! And he isn’t coming back! So every one of you have a choice. You come with us, peacefully, and we leave this place, forgetting all about the Xlympians. Or we kill you. You’ve all been responsible for the murder of the entire world. I don’t forgive something like that. You want to be a martyr? Let’s do it!”
“Nice,” Vince whispers over his shoulder.
“Thanks,” Bruce whispers back.
Chad, from the circle of disciples, stares at Vince, who is pointing a gun at him. His heart breaks at the sight of his brother destroying his 2nd family. “Why are you doing this, Vince?”
Vince sympathetically gazes at his brother. “X was going to destroy the world. We weren’t going to let that happen. I know you think this is devastating, but this cult has done nothing but brainwash you. Come with us. Please.” Chad heeds his words but has trouble accepting them. He stares ahead, weighing his options.
Ryan, a disciple who Bruce originally stabbed in the neck with X’s staff, charges toward Bruce. Bruce takes aim at his forehead and fires. Ryan’s head blasts backwards and his body slides lifelessly across the ground. A disciple shouts, “I will never give up on God!” Two more disciples race toward Bruce. BAM! BAM! Two more disciples slide across the metal ground. Dead.
“Anyone else want to die for God?”
Chad surrenders and holds his hands in the air, fearful for his life. He looks at Matt, who takes note and raises his hands in the air with him. Chad looks at the bodies of his fallen friends. Would it be cowardly for him to avoid their fate?
A disciple with his hands in the air and steps forward and says to Bruce, “Kill me. I do not…” BAM. He falls to the ground. Bruce frowns. He takes no pleasure in murdering men. “I am not here to play games! You want to die, I will grant you that wish!”
Vince looks at his brother, Chad. “Come with us, Chad. This cult has murdered innocent people in the name of God. You don’t want to be a part of that.” Chad’s feelings of hopelessness are magnified. It’s true: he has been a part of things he isn’t proud of. He lost himself somewhere along the way. How could he join his brother? A bullet wound, he figures, is something he probably deserves.
Vince pleads, “We haven’t always gotten along, Chad. Growing up, you were Mom and Dad’s favorite. You were the football star. Mr. Popular. I strived to be liked by anybody. I despised you for that. But none of that stuff ever mattered. Because through all our disagreements, you’re still my brother. And I know you’re a good person. We’re going to Los Angeles. You can come with me and Natalie. I came here today for you. You can be a part of our family. So come over here and join us.” Behind the barrel of a gun, Vince reassures his brother. Chad looks at the disciples to the right and left of him. They sneer at the thought of betrayal.
Chad nods at Vince and walks toward him.
“Traitor!” they scream. “Scum!”
Chad joins Bruce and Vince at the middle of the circle. Bruce and Vince keep their guns pointed at the still-defiant disciples. Bruce, looking over his shoulder, forces a smile at his nemesis. “Good to have you, Chad.”
Chad smiles, but to him, his entire life is falling apart. After a spinal cord injury ended his short-lived football career, he was a man in shambles. Football was all he ever loved. When his ability to play was taken away, it was like he had lost everything. It wasn’t until Matt, a former Michigan State quarterback himself, invited him to join the Xlympians that he finally found happiness again. Now, it’s like he’s losing everything all over again.
Chad glares at Vince and mumbles, “You shouldn’t have to do this.” He tears Vince’s gun from his hands, prompting screams from everyone in the room. The disciples yell in joy, hoping he will kill Bruce and Vince. In the most excruciating move of his life, Chad aims the gun at the disciples. And fires.
Before anyone knows what happened, three more cult members are dead. A massacre of seven people lies around them. All that are left standing now are two: Matt and Sean. Chad hands the gun to Vince and falls to his knees, agonizing in his actions. “Matt is my friend. And Sean is the only truly good man in the Xlympians.”
Bruce lowers his gun and faces Matt and Sean. “It’s over. Are you with us?”
Sean, the youngest of the cult members, nods. He’s in his early 20’s, still a college student. He’s physically toned and highly athletic. His involvement in the Xlympians is an unfortunate story and he is the only member who can lay claim to no wrongdoing. Bruce could see the fear in his eyes; he could see light in his eyes. “You don’t need to worry, Sean. You’re with us now.”
Matt stares wide-eyed at Chad, stunned by his ultimate act of betrayal. At this point, he has no choice but to go along with them.
Vince stared at Matt. He was playing an intense game of chess with the Michigan State quarterback. Bruce was with Kristen at the other end of the kitchen, engaged in a lively game of beer pong. They were all at a party at Lisa’s apartment only a week after Stephen and Bruce met her at the theme park.
Vince stared into Matt’s eyes. And moved his bishop. “Check,” he proudly declared. Matt sat upright. A look of confusion bounded over his face. He had not anticipated Vince’s move. He glared into his eyes. “Interesting move.”
Bruce pinched the ping-pong ball in his hands and lined it up with the cup resting at the other end of the table. It was the only cup left for the other team. Nail this shot and he and Kristen would win. With a swift release, he sent the ball soaring through the air.
Vince took his hand off his queen. “Checkmate,” Vince said, smirking. A fire grew inside of Matt as he stared in disbelief at the chessboard.
A small splash of water flew up as Bruce’s ping-pong ball landed cleanly inside the opponents’ cup. He jumped ecstatically with Kristen and celebrated. He pointed to Vince. “Did you win?”
Vince nodded.
Bruce tossed a celebratory fist in the air, prompting giggles from Kristen. Playfully, he chanted, “Mi-chi-gan! Mi-chi-gan! Mi-chi-gan!” Vince joined in the taunting of the Michigan State locals. “You can’t beat us at football, you can’t beat us at beer pong, and you can’t beat us at chess!”
Bruce and Vince laughed mockingly. “Hey, Vince,” Bruce announced, “Michigan State sucks!”
Matt had just about enough. He leapt out of his chair and threw his hands into Bruce, shoving him backwards. Bruce pounded against the wall as he fell backwards. Matt exclaimed, “You wanna talk shit, say it to my face!”
An emboldened Vince whipped Matt around and clocked him square in the nose. Matt’s head pitched back from the strike. Stunned, he retaliated and threw his fist forward.
Just in time, Bruce pulled himself off the ground and plowed through Matt’s back, tackling him to the ground at Vince’s feet. Bruce winked at Vince. “Thanks, buddy.”
At the doorway of the kitchen, several members of the football team rushed to Matt’s aid.
The fight was on.
Matt walks toward the group of Bruce, Vince, Chad, and Sean. All around him are the bodies of his friends, his family in Christ. Vince hugs his brother. “Thank you, Chad.”
Matt stands in front of the hugging brothers. As they separate, Vince says to Matt, “Come with us. We’re going to Los Angeles.” Matt stares at him, emotionless. He wants nothing more than to clobber Vince, just as he had years ago at the party.
So he does. Matt swings his fist through Vince’s face and rips the gu
n from his hand. “I’m not going anywhere.” Matt puts Vince in a chokehold and points the gun at his head.
Bruce instinctually points his gun at Matt.
Matt screams, “Put your gun down or Vince is dead!”
Chad and Sean look with horror at the unfolding scene. Bruce hesitates. He can take the shot. He can kill Matt. But if he misses, Vince will die. He could never forgive himself for that.
Bruce places the gun at his feet.
Matt demands, “Now kick it away!”
Bruce obliges and the gun slides across the metal floor, far from reach.
“You just killed all of my friends. Goodbye, Bruce.” Matt slowly points the gun toward Bruce, who raises his hands in the air. Bruce’s eyes dart around for a solution.
An unknown voice rings out. “Wait.” A previously lifeless blue robe rises from the ground. As he stands, the man pulls back his hood. The face reveals to be X, who smiles, nearly amused by what has transpired. “Put the gun down, Matthew.” Everyone looks in amazement at X. Matt disparagingly lowers his gun.
X turns to Bruce. “Did you really think it would be that easy?”
Bruce can’t believe his eyes. X took a bullet into the abdomen at point blank range. But somehow he’s fine. X casually leans over and picks up his staff. “I should have known not to trust you. You would even lie to your wife?”
Bruce says, “You kidnapped Kristen. You put a microchip in her brain. And you watched me on a monitor somewhere…”
X looks at Bruce in astonishment. How did he figure that out? When Kristen was taken, she was out cold the entire time.
Bruce yells, “That chip was for monkeys you sick fuck!”
X smiles and reveals the truth. “The procedure was not done by a human. It was done by an angel. And it is he who watched you.” X twists his staff, revealing a blade at one end. “But I suppose I should be thankful you figured it out because now I get my wish: a rematch.” X furiously twirls his staff. It whizzes by, spinning through his fingers like a vicious fan blade. X grips the staff with both hands, prepping himself for combat.