Gods From the Machine

by Andrew Ly

  Bergice laughed. “What can a human hope to offer me? Besides, Agrian lost and forfeited the rights to your lives with it.”

  “You wouldn’t want to kill me anyway,” Alyssa said.

  “And why not?”

  “Through my veins flows the blood of Quinn Valentine. The binding power between her and Agrian has transcended life and death itself. That was her final wish. If you take me as your prisoner it will sever the struggle between both Nick and Agrian’s conflicting souls. This is the key to bringing him back to evil. What I offer to you is the guarantee that the demons to win this war.”

  “If I killed you right now would that not achieve the same result?” Bergice said.

  “I doubt Agrian would give his allegiance if you killed the love of his life. That would simply fuel his rage and hatred towards you, but of course you already knew that,” Alyssa said.

  Bergice looked both impressed and intrigued. Apparently not even the ice demon could resist her charm. “It would be worthwhile for me to hold onto the last remaining Valentine.”

  “Then do we have a deal?” Alyssa said.

  “You realize the unspeakable pain the Crowned Princes will inflict upon you, with the only chance for your solace in death, yet you offer yourself so willingly. Do you not feel fear?”

  “I have more faith in Nick than I do in fear of death.” She palmed her hands on the ground and pressed her face between them. “It has been foretold. He is destined to be our savior!”

  “How do you know I won’t go back on my word?” Bergice said.

  “You may be a demon, but I know you as a warrior with honor. You will not deny a knight their final request.”

  “No Alyssa!” Nick couldn’t let her give up her life. It was the only reason he still had to fight.

  Bergice chuckled. “I find your theatrics to be very amusing, girl. Very well, I will honor your request. Now, stand and face me.”

  She got to her feet. With a wave of Bergice’s hand, ice encased her legs like makeshift shackles. He made a quick rotation of his hand and cut a chunk of ice on the floor below her, raising her up from the ground on a floating platform.

  “Alyssa!” Nick called for her until his voice was raw, but he didn’t care as long as there was even the slightest chance it could make a difference. Bergice turned to Nick, who lay stunned and motionless.

  “This entire scenario reminds me of an old expression: ‘Gods from the Machine.’ Have you heard of it?” Bergice didn’t wait for a response before he continued. “This saying hails from Fyria to describe what we are, and as you know the Fyrians are a superstitious people. They use this phrase when a sudden appearance of a supreme entity seemingly comes out of thin air to put an end to an otherwise impossibly complicated situation, right before being thrust into an even worse circumstance. Like a sudden rain washing away a raging forest fire only to bring about a flood. Or being lifted into the air by a strong draft right before your body is tossed into a crevice of spikes. ‘Gods from the Machine’ is an unexplainable and improbable disaster in the disguise of a miracle. The word ‘machine’ is as a way to illustrate this. It is a complete fabrication of your preconceived notion of traditional deities, like the Heralds. That is what we are Agrian, and what we were supposed to be. We are false gods that descended in order to bring ruin. Yet you act as if you belong to the mortal world, and challenge our beliefs for reasons I can’t comprehend. I’ve waited years in the shadows for the day I could confront you and find out why you have chosen to walk the path of these humans. Then I found out it was all because of some girl.

  “I was disappointed, to say the least, but now I see the irony of your choice. Losing your honor through combat is one thing, but letting a mortal sacrifice herself? The very mortal you swore an oath to protect. Your shame must be overwhelming. I hope you find it in your abilities to redeem yourself before it is too late.”

  “I’m not through with you yet, Bergice!” Nick snarled through his gritted teeth.

  “I’d rather you save the remainder of your strength and listen for a moment.” Bergice pointed at Graves Tower. “I’m taking her to the underground laboratory below that tower. That is where Doctor Numerous resides and where the world will witness the completion of his new doomsday weapon. His plan will go off unhindered unless someone stops it by dawn. Save your beloved Quinn and stop Doctor Numerous before time runs out.”

  “What is Doctor Numerous planning?” Nick said.

  “That is up to you to figure out, Agrian.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Of course not, but I know you’ll try anyway. Remember, if you fail, then her fate is as good as sealed. She will be brought before Ozarael, and you’ll never see her again.” Bergice rose into the air, with Alyssa hovering on an ice block next to him. As he floated away into the sky, he left Nick with some final words. “We need to see whether or not Agrian still exists.”

  With that, he soared off with deafening speed in the direction of the tower. Alyssa remained standing on the hovering ice block as it moved the same way, slowly, as if Bergice was taunting him.

  It was at that time Nick felt his legs functioning again. He sprang to his feet and jumped as high as he could into the air, but he caught nothing in his hands, and slammed facefirst into a pile of snow. He was too late. Alyssa was whisked away. They were long gone.

  “ALYSSA!” Nick bellowed, slamming his fists into the snow creating a small fissure that shook the earth. “ALYSSA!” He punched the ground in his despair. His shoulders were heavy with sadness and he couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. He kept on punching, unable to contain his frustration. He was a wreck now, sobbing loudly and yelling incoherently, but he didn’t care. He fought to protect her—to protect everyone he cared about, but in the end it didn’t matter at all. It wouldn’t change the fact that he lost everything in one afternoon.

  14. The Underground Labyrinth

  Without Bergice to influence the weather the temperature returned to normal. The ice had almost all melted by now, leaving the river overflowing its banks and giant puddles everywhere.

  Nick heard a couple of splashes and turned to find his best friend, wobbling over. Matt was in terrible condition, as if almost to the brink of death. He was battered and bloody.

  “What just happened? Why is he taking Alyssa to Graves Tower?”

  “He took her…” Nick said quietly, grabbing fistfuls of slush harshly in his hands. “He took her, and they’re going to kill her…”

  “We have to get her back!” Matt said.

  Nick didn’t bother to wipe his eyes; the cold winds had already dried the tears to crust on his cheeks. He kept his back turned to Matt, afraid to see the disappointment. “It doesn’t matter, we’ve already lost. There’s nothing else we can do.”

  “What do you mean there’s nothing we can do? You heard what he said. We have until dawn before the shield completely disappears! That only gives us a few hours to act!”

  “Don’t you get it?” Nick put his hands over his face, hiding in the agony he felt. “Even if we make it there, it wouldn’t matter. We can’t stop him. She’s as good as dead.” Hearing the words from his own mouth seemed to make the futility of their efforts more real.

  Matt hobbled over and grabbed Nick by his shirt collar. “Snap out of it, Nick!” He shook him hard. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself and look at the bigger picture! Alyssa was taken, and you’re just going to sit back and do nothing?”

  “What else can I do? There’s no one to help us. It’s happening all over again…just like with Susan.”

  “That’s why we got to take matters into our own hands!” Matt winced at the pain from his wounds and dropped Nick back onto his knees.

  “If only Peter was here,” Nick said.

  “But he’s not. None of them are. Gabriel, Lucius, and Bartholomew aren’t coming. Everything is riding on us! If we don’t try now, then she’ll definitely die! Is that what you want? You live with regret over what happened to
Susan, but now you have a chance to make sure it doesn’t happen again! Are you just going to sit there and do nothing?” Matt said.

  Was he really that weak? To let something stop him from saving the girl he was madly in love with, the girl he swore to protect? He remembered once telling her that he’d be with her no matter what, that nothing could ever stop them from being together. Was all that just a lie? No, he would be damned if he would wallow in his own self-pity. Not Nick Emberson. Not this time. Not ever again.

  “You’re right.” Nick pulled himself to his feet. “Bergice may have won the battle, but this is far from over. We’re going to get her back.”

  “That’s sounds like the Nick I remember!” Matt winced at the pain again. “Help me get bandaged up and we’ll be on our way.”

  “Right. And we need a plan. We may not have an army of archangels to help us, but we still have three knights on standby. Let’s regroup and draw up the battle plans.”

  Back at the loft, the others were awaiting their return. Looks of confusion and fear were upon their faces as the party of three was now just two.

  “What happened out there?” Garreth said.

  “Where’s Alyssa?” Daniel said.

  Nick and Matt retold the story as best they could.

  “I can’t believe you let this happen!” Paul grabbed Nick and slammed him against the wall. “You idiotic demon! We let you go on your way for a few hours and now you’ve sentenced Peter’s granddaughter to death!” He curled his hand into a fist, ready to punch him.

  “I don’t think fighting each other is going to solve anything right now. If Alyssa were here, she’d be angry for making a colossal waste of time,” Garreth said. “And I’d appreciate it if you guys didn’t fly off the handle so often. Things end up broken.”

  Nick pushed Paul away. “You think I wanted this to happen? I tried my best!” He pointed to Matt, who was now wrapped in bandages from the waist down. “He tried his best! How were we supposed to know Bergice would show up? He was supposed to be in Fyria!”

  Matt nodded furiously behind him. “It’s true. The guy just came out of thin air and took us all down. We never had a chance. He made it look like child’s play. Thanks to Alyssa, Nick isn’t in the custody of the princes. At least this way, they don’t hold all the cards.”

  “She sacrificed herself to save me…to save the both of us,” Nick said sadly.

  “A pointless gesture if you think about it.” Paul glowered at Nick with the utmost contempt. “Because of you the only person I could remotely tolerate around here is in the clutches of a demon prince. All because you couldn’t listen to simple orders!”

  Nick couldn’t get too mad by the insults because deep down he knew Paul was at least partially right. If he was half the demon he was meant to be, he’d have the strength to defeat Bergice and stop Doctor Numerous. Then they wouldn’t be in this position. She would have been sitting with them, perhaps sharing a warm meal, instead of being taken away as a hostage. Now that Doctor Numerous had her in his clutches, who knew what the maniac planned on doing to her?

  “Look, it’s too late to change what has happened, but we can still help her somehow. We have to,” Nick said. “Bergice said we had until dawn before they were transporting her back to Ozarael. They’re waiting until the time of launch for some secret weapon that Doctor Numerous has been working on. He didn’t give much detail to what it was, but he said she would be in the laboratory back at Garreth’s tower. He’s giving me a chance to save her.”

  “The word of a demon is worth nothing. We go there like you say, and I guarantee we’ll be sealing ourselves in a concrete tomb,” Paul said.

  “It’s an obvious trap, but at this point we don’t have a choice,” Matt said.

  “No, Bergice isn’t like that. He’s…he’s different than most demons,” Nick said.

  “Damn, so they must have discovered the secret underneath the building,” Garreth sighed.

  “What secret?” Daniel scratched his head.

  “I had my tower constructed differently than other buildings in Hyperion. It has a research facility, a communications center, a training room, and a laboratory that is a small scaled replica of Fyria’s Garrison.”

  “Even if you shrank a Garrison fifty times, there would be no room to house it within the confines of that tower of yours,” Paul said.

  “It’s underneath the tower,” Garreth said.

  “I thought you hated the place. Why would you want any reminders of your past?” Matt said.

  “Being a whitesmith was a significant part of my life. Building a miniature version of it was the only way to come to terms with my departure,” Garreth said. “That was years ago. I have kept most of my old Garrison research there. Compiled through the years, it’s more than enough information to give the Crowned Princes a definitive edge.”

  “Why would he choose Hyperion in particular? According to your research, Doctor Numerous had been seen in several cities, but he always returned to this one. What would be his reasoning?” Nick said.

  “The Holy Shield is my guess,” Garreth said. “That would explain why he would want to black out this city. As the central hub to all other shields, taking out this one would cause all the others to disappear.”

  “Then it’s up to us to stop them as soon as we can,” Daniel said.

  “It is easier said than done. Now that they have Peter’s granddaughter, they know we’ll stop at nothing to save her. We’re completely at their mercy,” Paul said.

  Daniel raised his hand. “Did you all forget there’s an impenetrable layer of ice? Not even the fires of Agrian can melt through to the tower fast enough.”

  “That is why we can’t take him head on. We use our training and knowledge to find another option. There has to be a way around this, as knights we’re supposed to find solutions to every problem,” Nick said. Matt looked at him and nodded with a knowing smile.

  “What makes you think you’re coming with us Cunningham?” Paul said.

  Matt’s face dropped. “Why not? You’re not the boss of me, Paul!”

  “Peter gave me authority in his absence. Do as I say or you’ll give me no choice but to physically enforce it.”

  “Why don’t you just try? I want to save her as much as you guys do! Besides, I have to pay Bergice back for what he did to me!” Matt said.

  “I’m sorry Matt, but he’s right. You can’t come this time,” Nick said.

  “In your condition, you’ll only end up only being a liability,” Paul said. “And if you happen to get into trouble, I don’t want to have to go saving you too. I don’t want anything to detract me from our main priority.”

  “Unfortunately, I agree with them,” Garreth said.

  Daniel nodded as well.

  “So that’s the majority vote, huh? Fine then I’ll stay behind.” Matt folded his arms. “What are you all going to do about Bergice though? We were all powerless against him. Even when we did, no attack fazed him. He’s like a walking machine of destruction.”

  “Unfortunately, a demon of that caliber is much too advanced for me,” Paul said. “We resealed the shield so there should be minimal demon threats within the tower. We also outnumber him two to one. Assuming everyone here is competently trained, I see little room for error.”

  “So what, we rush the place, find and rescue her, and then move out as quickly as possible?” Nick asked.

  “Precisely,” Paul said. “I assume those instructions are easy enough to follow for you?”

  Nick shot him a dirty look. “How can we do that if we can’t even get in the building?”

  “I agree that’s no good.” Garreth fixed his glasses. He was looking out the window and to his tower. “There are security cameras all over the first floor. It’s much too risky.”

  “Prior to betraying us, Doctor Numerous was part of the Wisdom Unit, which meant he displayed a low combat ability. That compounded with the fact that he has aged quite a bit since he had any formal training m
eans that he has gone over his peak,” Paul said. “If there is a confrontation, I’m sure it can easily be dealt with it.”

  “Remember, he’s also an Infernal now,” Matt said. “Time is on his side. He must have changed significantly over the years to rise so quickly.”

  “I doubt it. He’s just an alchemist,” Paul said.

  “None of that matters if there’s no chance for you guys to get to him through that ice,” Matt said.

  “Fortunately, I already have a solution to that problem,” Garreth said.

  “What—have you got shovels for us dig our way through?” Paul retorted.

  “No, there’s a passage at the bottom of my building. I created it as an escape route in case of emergencies. We should be able to get in through the sewers,” Garreth said.

  “If they knew about your secret laboratory, then the sewers will be trapped too,” Daniel said.

  “No one but me knows about that passage,” Garreth said.

  “That’s all well and good, but since Paul’s plan is out the window, what do we actually do when we get inside?” Nick asked.

  “Like I was saying, my company has a secret basement level, but I closed it down after I became too busy with managing the Holy Shield. Once we get access, we’ll be at the entrance of the labyrinth,” Garreth said.

  “Labyrinth?” Paul said.

  “I created it specifically as a defense mechanism against trespassers. Don’t worry, I have memorized the pathways to get to the laboratory and according to what Bergice said, that is where Doctor Numerous is currently holding Alyssa,” Garreth said.

  “Very good. Now all we need is to better equip ourselves,” Paul said. “Unfortunately we’re not in Glenhaven and don’t have access to personal belongings. However, I did prepare a small arsenal in the event a situation arose.”

  He went to the other room and came back lugging two giant cases. He opened the lids to reveal an assortment of tactical equipment and weapons.

  Nick browsed through the collection for the upcoming mission and was finding it difficult to put any of it to use. Garreth sifted through the sizes to find an appropriate knight uniform.