Fractured Spirit (Alpha World Book 5)

by Daniel Schinhofen

  Breath coming fast and hard, his eyes were twin pools of despair. “No… It can’t be…” he panted as he slowly started to face the truth he had kept from himself for the last few years. “Kaylee…” His vision wavered as his head seemed about to explode.

  “She needs ya permission to walk in ya mind with us,” Stacia said quickly, her fingers digging into his foot.

  Feeling the world spin around him, Alburet fell backwards between Fluff and Karen. “Do it…” He barely managed to nod his head once, before he blacked out.

  Before anyone could do anything else, he vanished from the room. Both Fluff and Karen feared that something had gone horribly wrong. Stacia let out a cry of anguish as her hand spasmed on the blanket where Alburet’s foot had just been. “No…” she cried as her knees gave out from under her. “He be gone…”

  Karen and Fluff scrambled out of bed to her side, both with their own fears, but knowing they had to support Stacia. “He’s probably fine,” Karen said quickly. “It might just be some small issue with his pod.”

  “Maybe he just has a checkup that he forgot to tell us about,” Fluff added, even though she was sure that wasn’t the case.

  Stacia blubbered as she was held on either side by her friends and lovers. “They took him. It be all me fault tha’ he nay be here now.”

  Alburet reappeared on the bed. Holding his hand and sitting next to him was Victoria. “Well, this has not gone as well as I had hoped,” she said simply. “He is currently experiencing massive spikes in brain chemistry that might shatter his personality.”

  Karen stood up, a snarl on her lips, “Who the fuck are you?”

  “Vicky?” Fluff said, her puzzlement obvious. “What are you doing here?”

  “You know her?” Karen asked Fluff, her eyes not leaving the woman holding Alburet’s hand.

  “She’s the head of the art team for Alpha World,” Fluff stammered slightly. “I don’t understand…”

  Victoria stood up from the bed with a sigh, releasing Alburet’s hand. “I will explain, after we have him confront the underlying issue that is hurting him. Waiting is no longer an option. Stacia, you did the right thing. Waiting longer would only have made this worse. If he even managed to make it much longer.” Victoria glided past Karen and stood directly before Mother, “You will do what needs to be done, and you will do it correctly, understood?”

  Mother blanched before the full weight of Victoria’s gaze, “As you wish it, so shall it be.”

  “Good,” Victoria hissed, before turning her gaze back to the other three. “There is not a lot of time, so get on the bed and be ready for Mother to engage his mind.”

  “Just who in the fuck do you think you are?” Karen snapped.

  Victoria’s gaze turned to meet Karen’s eyes directly. Karen could only see swirling galaxies in the place where her eyes should reside, “I am the being who controls everything connected to this world. Now, do you wish to aid Seamus, or are you going to force me to eject you from this world?” Her words were calm, icy with the promise to do exactly that.

  “Karen, please,” Fluff pleaded as she pulled on her friend’s arm. “She said she’ll explain, but first we have to help him.”

  Stacia, still crying, crawled on top of Alburet. “Master, please, do nay leave me.”

  Karen looked away from the eyes that seemed to span a universe, to Fluff’s pleading gaze, then to Stacia. Nodding once, she allowed Fluff to lead her to the bed. Mother flowed around to the other side, sitting on the edge. Taking a deep breath, feeling the tension in the room, Mother reached out to place a hand on Alburet’s head. The other she laid across Stacia’s back. Fluff and Karen touched Mother’s arm and Alburet where they could. As soon as they were all touching, Mother began to sing.

  They appeared in a grey void. Mother paused, confused for a moment, until Victoria appeared. Her eyes looked normal now, but they still felt like the entire universe rested behind them. The women looked about, but Alburet was not there.

  Before any of them could say a word, Victoria spoke, “I will explain more later, but Seamus, or Alburet if you like, will not be here as he normally would be. He will see the honest truth that we lay bare here, though. Once we are done he will appear. If he accepts reality, we can move forward. If he doesn’t accept the truth, we might not get the chance to talk to him again. The doctors are doing all they can, but he is showing signs of cerebral hemorrhaging at the moment. His body is fighting against him, trying to stop him from knowing what he shut away from himself.”

  “He’s dying?” Fluff gasped, her arms going around Stacia.

  “Nay, he promised me,” Stacia sobbed.

  Karen growled, but didn’t say anything as she glared at Victoria. Her arms were also wrapped around Stacia, trying to support her friend.

  Mother licked her lips, “I’m not the one controlling this, am I, Overlord?”

  Victoria’s hand snapped up to stop Mother from saying anything more. “Do not use that name, Eve. And no, you are not in control at the moment, I am. It is the least I can do for him.”

  With that, the greyness around them faded away to show a hospital waiting room. Seamus was there along with David. Both of them looked haggard, as if they had been up for a day or more. The scene colored in before them as the two men paced the small room. A waste basket overflowing with discarded paper cups sat near a coffee machine in the process of brewing another pot.

  “How much longer?” David cried out as he came to a sudden stop. Scrubbing at his face, the worried father was reaching his breaking point.

  “I’m sure they’ll tell us something soon,” Seamus placated his friend, stopping next to him. “It’s only been eighteen hours. The nurse who stopped by said Kaylee had multiple major traumas. They’re working on her. Everything will work out.” Even as Seamus said the words, he feared just as much as David did, only able to keep up the façade for his friend who needed him to be strong for them both.

  A few minutes later, a grim-looking man came into the room. “Mr. McMullen?”

  David shot over to the man, “Yes? Is everything okay? Is she out of surgery? When can we see her?”

  The doctor’s face remained grim, “Mr. McMullen, I’m very sorry. We did all we could.”

  David seemed to fold in on himself as he dropped to his knees sobbing, “No… Gods… No.”

  Seamus placed one hand on David’s shoulder as he met the doctor’s gaze. “What happened?”

  “Her injuries were severe. During surgery she went into cardiac arrest. We got her heart started again and she went into seizures due to cerebral hemorrhaging, which we’d had no reason to suspect as there do not appear to be any head wounds. We were unable to stabilize her. We did everything we could to keep her with us, but she was too injured for us to save. I’m sorry.” The doctor looked away from Seamus’ eyes, which had gone cold and dead.

  “I see,” the words were devoid of emotion as Seamus looked away from the doctor. He wanted to lash out at the man who had failed to save Kaylee, but he knew that would be wrong. Instead he dropped to a knee beside David and held his friend. The doctor said something else before he left, but neither man was listening at that point, each lost in his thoughts of the life that had been taken from them.

  A nurse stopped by the room, after an unknown amount of time. “Mr. McMullen, I know this is a hard time for you, but I need you to come with me please.”

  Eyes glassy, David looked up at the nurse, “What?”

  “We have a few forms we need you to sign, sir. You can also see your daughter’s body before we send her to the morgue.”

  David and Seamus followed the nurse, neither one focused on what was around them. They were led into a room, where a body covered by a sheet lay on a gurney. David went to the gurney, pulling the sheet away from her face to look down at his child. Tears welled in his eyes as he was forced to accept that she was indeed gone. The nurse waited for David to step away from the body before she corralled him over to a table to
sign a few forms.

  Seamus glanced at the body across the room from him. Kaylee’s face was turned away from him. Seamus, who had been silently crying, suddenly stopped, his breathing evening out as he looked at her laying there. His face hardened, losing the sadness. His breathing became rougher as the anger at her death started to consume him. Stepping over to David, he touched his friend’s shoulder, “I’ll do what I can. You need to be here for her.”

  He turned and left the room, not saying anything else or responding when David called after him. The scene froze at that point, the color fading away. The walls of the hospital seemed to shake as if the building itself was in agony.

  “That moment is when he invented his first false memory,” Victoria said sadly. “He rewrote that memory in his mind, imagining her to be turned away from him crying and screaming at him to leave her alone.”

  Alburet appeared at their feet, curled in a tight ball as he sobbed uncontrollably. As soon as he appeared, his three wives latched onto him, each holding him while crying. Mother and Victoria looked at the quartet with sadness and pity in their eyes.

  “I never thought fixing a person’s mind could lead to something like this,” Mother said to Victoria.

  Victoria sighed as she looked down at the quartet. “His mind has only gotten more fragmented since that day. The loss of his father, mother and best friend all compounded the issue. I am amazed that he has lasted as long as he has. We were sure that he had only months left before the façade he created broke. At that point, he would either give up on life or self-destruct and harm those around him. I did not want to see either of those happen, and once he found the love he has here I knew it was the chance we were hoping for. Their love for him, and his for them, is what I am counting on to pull him past this. I still have plans for him.”

  “As you say,” Mother whispered as she bowed to Victoria. “Maybe we should leave them.”

  “Bring us back to the world, then you may leave. I have some explaining to do, as I promised them.”

  Bowing again, Mother willed the memory to fade and the group all reappeared in the bedroom. As the trio clutched at Alburet, who lay on the bed crying in his troubled sleep, Mother used her Homestone and vanished. Victoria stood by, waiting for the trio to remember she was there. As the moment dragged on, she willed a chair into existence along with a table and a carafe of coffee. She was still waiting patiently, over an hour later, when Stacia finally turned her head to speak to Victoria.

  “Overlord, is he goin’ to be okay?” Stacia asked, fear thick in her voice.

  “Truthfully, child, I am not sure. He has come back to you, which bodes well, but he will need your love and acceptance. He surely loves you as much as you do him, or he would have rejected life after seeing all he lived for snatched away from him.” Victoria motioned again, and the bed lowered itself so they could all see her easily. “I believe I promised you some answers.”

  “Just who in the fuck are you?” Karen asked again, her head appearing on the far side of Alburet.

  “Ah, yes, the feisty one. Karen Young, who I am is a matter of who you speak to. Alburet knows me as Victoria, his mental counselor while he is in Alpha World. Julia Petrov knows me as Vicky, the head of the art team for Alpha World. I was her contact for the work she did for Mindblown. Stacia Crowley and the rest of Alpha World knows me as the Overlord. I am the being above their gods, the one who created everything in their universe. I am the driving AI behind Alpha World. Does that answer your question?” The words were simple, neither condescending or warm.

  Fluff frowned as she shifted so she could easily see Vicky. Fluff held onto Alburet’s arm as she spoke up, “You’ve been an AI, the whole time?”

  “Yes. Did you not find it odd that we were so accommodating of your wish to only have phone conversations and the occasional video chat?” Vicky smiled as she asked the question. “I’m sorry for not telling you, but, well, if people knew about me… Some of the worst sci-fi features fully sapient AI.”

  “Overlord, are ya goin’ to keep me husband from this world?” The terror in Stacia’s voice was palpable.

  “No. Not unless he breaks the NDA, or one of you do. I wish only for him to find the happiness that was snatched from him. It is Alvin’s wish, as well as my own. I owe him a lot,” Victoria’s voice was full of hope and longing. “If things go well, I hope to be able to see him transition to Delta World. We don’t need him for testing here, what with all the others who have started testing longer term immersion, and the bigger wave which we will be starting in a few days.”

  Stacia froze, “Ya be goin’ to take him from me, then.”

  “No, child,” Victoria admonished her. “If he goes, so will you. Breaking the two of you apart would be the worst possible thing we could do. I am talking of the future. There is still much for him to do and see here.”

  “He will be taken from us eventually,” Karen snapped. “Don’t we get a say in the matter?”

  Laughing lightly, Victoria shook her head, “I know why he likes you so much, Karen. Truly, your fire and passion are good for him, keep those close to your heart. As for taking him from you, what if you decide that you’re done with this world? Would you not take away his choice?”

  Karen’s face went white, “I would never leave someone I love. I’ve learned that lesson, you stupid-”

  Vicky waved her hand and Karen fell silent, unable to move or speak. “No name calling, Karen. I have a good idea of your personality already, but the point was still valid. Not everyone gets a choice in things. If, and this is a big if, certain conditions are met when we begin testing Delta World, you might also be given the chance to enter it with him. If you continue to insult and degrade me, though, why would I want you in any of my worlds?” She waved her hand and Karen was able to move again.

  “You-” Karen began as she went to get out of bed.

  “STOP!” Stacia snapped at Karen. The sheer force of the word made Karen pause. “She be the one tha’ even the Dark Lord answers to. Iffin she wanted to, ya would be thrown from this world faster than ya could blink. Master be needin’ us. He knows her. Do ya think he would want ya to fight and be taken from us?”

  Karen growled, but settled back on the bed, her anger still evident. Victoria ignored her as she turned her attention to Fluffball, “Julia, that goes for you as well. Your greatest hope when you found out about how advanced Alpha World was, was to be here full time. Alpha World though, is only a stepping stone to something bigger, grander and more amazing. If you are willing, and things go the way I hope they do, then you will be given a chance to go with him. All of you. If you wish to, that is.”

  “Why does he matter to you?” Karen asked, her anger still high.

  Victoria shook her head, “That is a different matter, one that I might broach when he is awake to partake of the conversation. Needless to say, I have been working on Alpha World for as long as it has been an idea. He was our first choice for the program to come; this is just a starting point for that greater vision. I’ve been here too long already. Alvin is waiting for an update on Seamus’ health. The doctors have stopped the bleeding and his vital signs are stabilizing. I think this means he will pull through, at least physically. You all need to help him find other reasons to continue going on. I leave his life in your hands.”

  “Overlord?” Stacia spoke up quickly. “Thank ya for helpin’ him. He means everythin’ to me. I do nay think I would be wantin’ to go on, iffin he was lost to me.”

  Victoria stood up, the chair and table vanishing as the bed regained its former height. “It was my pleasure, Stacia. I know what he means to you, to each of you. I hope you will all embrace the love that is before you.” Her eyes turned to Karen, the swirling stars in Victoria’s eyes seeming to pause. “I hold no ill will for you, Karen. I know you fear for him as much as they do. It is because of that fear that you lash out, aiming it at me as I am the outsider.” With that she vanished, with no fanfare or effects.

  Al
buret seemed to calm over the next few minutes, until he slept soundly. Pain had etched new lines on his face that were visible even in sleep. Each of them kissed him gently as they continued to hold him.

  After some time, Stacia shifted so she wasn’t directly atop him. “We should sleep, he will be needing us at our best when he wakes.”

  “I’ll move over to be with Karen,” Fluff said. “You should be next to him.”

  Stacia gave her a strained smile, “Thank you, Fluff.”

  Karen shifted as Fluff came around the bed, snuggling her next to Alburet. “You’ll be on the inside, he calms to the sound of your purr. I’ll hold you and help you purr for him.”

  Fluff nodded as she got comfortable, her arm and leg draped over Alburet’s unconscious body, while Karen did the same to her. Stacia took the other side of the bed, shifting partially into her Infernal form so she could hold Alburet close to her with arms, legs, and tail. One hand rested on his chest, feeling his heart beating. In her current form, she had no wings to interfere with her position as she listened to his slow breathing.