by Paul Ormond
“That is wonderful to hear. Slow and steady is the best approach. We shall await your signal once you have fully stabilized the generator. This operation will be the first true test of your abilities. The Emperor will be watching intently. Impress him this time and you will endear yourself to his heart, but should you fail his wrath will be severe,” Commander Holrathu said.
“I would never dream of failing the Emperor. Nothing will be overlooked,” Robert said.
“Very well then, Robert, we shall leave it at that. Glory to the Emperor,” Commander Holrathu said.
“May his reign be infinite and just,” Robert responded as the signal ended.
Robert scooped up his device off of the ground and walked over to another panel and pressed a button. This time a bed slowly lowered itself to the ground. It was dressed in fresh white sheets, a comfortable duvet and two large pillows. Robert plopped himself onto the bed and closed his eyes. He breathed deeply as he stared up at the ceiling. “This might be easier than I thought,” he said as he drifted into a deep and relaxing sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTY
SoHee awoke with a splitting headache. When she opened her eyes she was certain that she was dreaming. She was alone in a large empty space and her body was immersed in a strange green liquid that glowed softly, allowing her to see a few feet around her. She peered into the inky blackness that enclosed her, but she was unable to gleam any information from her surroundings.
“Hello,” she hollered out into the darkness, but not even an echo replied to her cry. Her body felt weak and she ached all over. The green liquid dripped off of her as she got to her feet. It was only a few inches deep and underneath it sat a mossy bottom that slightly gave way as she shifted her weight. She stood there for a moment shivering with cold. The only thing she wanted to do was lie down, but there was nowhere to rest. She peered into the darkness for any sign of light or a landmark that she could use to give her some direction, but nothing could be seen.
She looked around for a few moments and then sighed softly to herself. She lifted her right leg up cautiously and took one step forward. She then took another step with her left. It seemed like the footing was solid so she took a few more careful steps. Once she was certain that she could walk through the green liquid, she began to make her way forward into the darkness. She had no idea which way to go, so she decided to just keep moving forward in the direction that she had started.
As she walked along she began to recall what had happened to her before she came to be in her current predicament. She remembered walking through the corridors of the convention with that boy and she remembered that she was carrying her colony with her. She stopped as she recalled seeing the glowing green mass rise out her containment box. She could still see the pulses and flashes all around her, but she remembered something else as well. She was standing within touching distance of her colony that had somehow been animated by the inReal device and she remembered feeling strange pangs of emotion emitting from the hovering mass. The pulses and signals it sent towards her seemed to be trying to communicate something to her. She felt fear, horror and confusion coming from the glob as spasms of light reached out to her. It was impossible that the bacteria had become sentient. Single sell organisms were incapable of organizing themselves with that kind of sophistication, she thought to herself as she plodded through the murky green liquid. But It had responded to her movements. Perhaps it was also responding to her emotions as well, she thought. She remembered using inReal to bring up the zoomed-in image of the cell and how it seemed to be infused with light. How was it that she had been able to do all of those things, she wondered.
She then remembered the people in their hazmat suits arriving and then she felt terrified again. She remembered crouching down and then everything had descended into chaos. She could remember things being smashed and people shouting all around her. She remembered an explosion and closing her eyes and then she had awoken in this darkness. None of it made any sense and she couldn’t tell fact from fantasy anymore. She still had no idea where she was or where she was going for that matter, but she continued to plod forward through the strange green liquid that stretched out into the inky darkness all around her.
It seemed that she had walked for hours and hours, but came upon nothing. She was beyond exhausted, but the thought of lying down in the liquid at her feet horrified her. There was something strange and unworldly about the substance that made her feel uneasy. She tried to keep herself from looking down as the liquid sloshed and splashed around her with each footstep.
It was difficult telling up from down in the darkness and she had grown more and more disoriented as she walked. She thought for a moment that she saw a speck of light in the distance, but she was certain that her mind was playing tricks on her. She looked up again and the speck seemed to be growing. She peered into the blackness and blinked several times. She wasn’t going crazy. It was light that she saw in the distance. Hope filled her heart. She continued moving forward towards the light and it slowly began to grow in size. It looked like a large white pole rising out of the darkness. The source of light emanated from its top.
As SoHee got closer she saw that it was a giant tower of some kind and a set of ladders and stairs wrapped around it as it rose up above her. As she got closer a feeling of dread began to rise in her spine. She suddenly felt something brush against her leg. She looked down and saw a long black tentacle begin to curl around her ankle. She shrieked and began to run towards the tower. More tentacles appeared in the water and they tried to grab at her as she ran. It was difficult to run in the water and she tripped a few times. The tentacles grabbed at her in the water as she fell. She managed to break free, but as she approached the tower, the tentacles became thicker and stronger.
She felt one tentacle wrap itself fully around her leg and then another grabbed her arm. She screamed and struggled against them, but she was grabbed by a massive tentacle at her waist and she felt herself being hoisted into the air. A terrible rumbling and sucking sound could be heard in the darkness. She felt hot wind blow against her face and she smelt something terrible that made her want to vomit. She couldn’t see anything and more tentacles had begun to coil themselves around her.
There was a flash of light from above her and she saw that she was surrounded by a large mass of darkness and tentacles. Another flash brought light into the blackness and she looked up and saw a strange energy emitting from the top of the tower. She felt the tentacles begin to squeeze her and drag her away from the light. She heard an ominous hissing or sucking sound coming from behind her and she struggled to turn around. As she looked back she saw a massive gaping mouth opening. The tentacles were bringing her closer and closer to a deep pit of horrendous teeth. A huge tongue like appendage swung out at her and licked her face. She froze in horror.
As she was being lowered down into the mouth, another flash of light came from behind her and there was a tremendous boom. A wall of light slammed into the blackness and SoHee felt herself dropping rapidly to the ground. There was another flash of light and the hissing head began to retreat as a powerful wave of energy slammed into it. The tentacles let go of SoHee and then they quickly disappeared into the liquid. She crept backward away from the beast that had tried to consume her and watched the tentacles slither through the water and out of sight. Her heart pounded in her chest. The smell of the creature still lingered on her and she could see marks on her skin where the tentacles had wrapped themselves around her. She started to run towards the tower and she noticed that the darkness had faded somewhat. She looked up as she ran and saw the top of the tower looming over her in the darkness. Its peak was consumed by a sphere of light that burned into the black emptiness. Her fear melted away as she neared the stairs.
The cylindrical tower seemed to be made of some kind of metal. Long lines of rivets ran along the surface and they crisscrossed each other in a strange and intricate pattern. The stair case that wrapped around the tower was also made of metal. The
railing felt cold as SoHee wrapped her hand around it and pulled herself up onto the first stair. She watched as the green liquid gushed out of her shoes. She quickly ran up the stairs away from the water as fast as she could in case the tentacle monster came back for her again. She was so relieved to be out of the water, but the horror of being eaten alive was still fresh in her mind. She wiped the tears away from her face and flung her damp hair back over her head. She looked up and saw that the glow from the top of the tower was still there. The top seemed to be thousands of feet up and the stair case coiled snake like around the cylinder all the way to the apex.
She took a big breath and began to ascend the staircase. Her headache had eased and she felt somewhat elated after having escaped death. The adrenaline was still active in her system and she felt energized, but she still had no idea where she was or how she came to be in that place.
As she made her way further and further up the staircase she felt a dizzying sensation. The staircase was made of some kind of metal grating and she could see straight to the ground below her. She had climbed a considerable distance up the tower and she was amazed at how high she had come. The sensation of vertigo gripped her as she realized how far up she was. She sat down on the stairs for a moment and closed her eyes. She made up her mind not to look down or risk losing her balance and tumble off of the staircase to her death.
She opened her eyes again and she looked out into the blackness. She thought she saw a flash of movement in the dark, but maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her again. She turned around and looked up. She got back to her feet and she started to climb again, careful not to look down. She had no idea how long she had climbed for and she had no idea how long it would take to reach the top. Her mind returned to what had happened to her before she awoke in the darkness. The entire experience was surreal and unexplainable, yet she knew that her feelings couldn’t be wrong. She had felt something coming from the green mass and as strange as it seemed, the orb had responded to her movements and her feelings. She had no idea how to explain what had happened to her, but she knew that it had occurred. Her mind was awash with thoughts and vexations as she made her way to the summit of the tower.
After what felt like hours she looked up and she could see that she was near the top. The light had grown more intense as she had gained elevation. As she rounded the final turn, the stair case and the tower were awash with light. She didn’t dare to look down. She kept her eyes fixed on the stairs in front of her. Her legs shook as she forced herself up the last few steps. She grabbed the railing for support as she finally stepped off the staircase and came to a metal landing, where she fell to her knees, exhausted.
She was fully aware of the intense light in front of her, but she was frightened by what she might see if she looked up. There was another blast of light and then she felt the strength of the illumination begin to diminish. She felt the same pulses of emotion coming over her except that this time there was no fear or panic or confusion, instead she felt a sense of calm and clarity come over her. She looked up slowly and gasped when she realized what was before her.
She stood on a giant metallic surface and at the center was a platform. In the center of the platform was the source of light. A large Tree of moving green light rose up in front of her and it gently swayed back and forth. As it moved pulses of light emitted from its core and they came at SoHee in soft waves. She felt a sensation of relief wash over her.
The tree was immersed in a soft glow, and from the glow, SoHee began to see images of herself and the research she had done. She saw herself working on the bacteria and she saw the changes she had made. Pulses of emotion washed over her and she remembered the triumph and joy she had felt while developing the species. More recent images flashed past her and she saw herself standing at the MindHive convention alongside Robert Chapman. She watched as she placed the inReal device into the colony and then shut the door. Then she began to see what had happened while she wasn’t looking. She saw the molecular changes that had taken place and she felt waves of confusion and awe pass over her. She saw the cellular mutation taking place. The strings of light pulsed through the cells and she felt fear and pain. She then saw the sphere of green rising out of the box and she saw herself frozen before it. She saw the pulses of light interchanging between herself and the mass of green light. She saw the security personnel fill the room and more waves of terror passed over her. She saw herself frozen inside the inReal sphere being led away by the security guards and she saw the bacteria in stasis being led away as well. She saw herself being placed in a bed and strapped down and she saw the inReal bacteria encased inside a glass and metal cube. Waves of confusion and fear passed over her and she saw the square encasement ripple with a sinister looking energy field that forced the bacteria into a constrained ball.
The visions ceased for a moment and the tree of light grew darker. SoHee felt anger and rage wash over her. Different images began to appear in front of her. She saw large crowds of people inside their inReal spheres frozen in place. An image of Robert Chapman flashed before her and she saw him ordering his security guards to seize Mitch. They lashed him with ropes of light and he fell to his knees. Another boy was brought out. SoHee recognized his face. He was the one they said attacked the convention. They were placed on their knees beside each other. Waves of anger passed over SoHee and she understood that she was seeing the future should things continue as they were. SoHee saw a giant portal of some kind opening. Large shadowy figures could be seen on the other side of the portal. As they came closer SoHee could see that they were humanoid, but metallic. They had blazing eyes of light and they glowed much like the inReal devices, but their aura was a menacing red. As they stepped through the portal SoHee saw Robert Chapman bow before them. She was angered as she realized that Robert was in league with these terrible looking monsters. The other boy was seized by the monsters and the Monstrous figures seemed to be praising the MindHIve CEO. Rage and horror washed over SoHee.
The tree of light grew darker still and SoHee saw more of the creatures flying out of the portal. Suddenly she saw people all across the world wearing glowing collars and forced into labor. She saw her mother and father on their knees in front of the DH laboratory and she saw herself alongside them. Everybody she knew and cared for was there and they were all in tears as several large metallic monsters lurked over them. Fear and confusion washed over SoHee again. The visions ceased suddenly and the tree of light began to pulse slowly. She became immersed in light and pulses of energy passed between her and the tree. She felt an inner strength grow inside her and more visions passed over her again. She saw herself connected and in sync with the green orb of energy. She saw the huge metallic creatures walking towards her in lockstep. For a moment she felt fear, but then a quiet cool came over her. The monstrous creatures towered over her and they raised their arms to strike. They all brought down their fists down upon her, but a shield formed around her and there was an intense explosion. The monsters were sent flying back and SoHee covered her eyes as the light was blindingly bright.
She opened her eyes and she was no longer on the tower. She was alone in a darkened room. It seemed similar to the sleeping portal that she had been assigned the day before, but it wasn’t the same place. She tried to move, but she was restrained somehow. She couldn’t see what held her down. She felt paralyzed although she could feel her all of her limbs. She looked around and saw that she was connected to several different instruments that seemed to be measuring he body functions. She closed her eyes again and she saw the green tree glowing gently before her again. A wave of emotion passed over her. She knew what she had to do.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Time had moved at an excruciatingly slow pace for Mitch Mythic. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since the incident in the lab and every moment since then had been torturous for him. It was only a few hours before game time. New ads to promote the event seemed to be popping up almost hourly and Mitch was featured to some extent in near
ly all of them. It seemed like Robert Chapman was thoroughly enjoying himself at Mitch’s expense and Mitch had to continue playing along or he would risk exposing himself and all that he knew.
“Will he be epic or will he get it in the crotch again?” scrolled across a panel display in incubator W in bold letters, followed by the hashtag “#epiccrotchnot.” Mitch shook his head as he stuffed the remnants of a Martian meal pack into the receptacle to the left of the snack counter. He felt his pocket and realized that his old phone was missing. He had a flash of panic as he thought that he had lost it. It must still be in his bunk, he thought as his heart pounded.
The other members of the incubator were hard at work applying inReal to some task or other. Mitch wanted nothing to do with anything related to inReal. He was actually dead tired as he had suffered through a sleepless night inside the cell he had been assigned. He had been tormented till dawn by horrible thoughts and an unshakable feeling of doom. The more Mitch thought about it, the more it seemed that Drak had been telling the truth all along. He knew just by looking at him that Robert Chapman was dangerous and not to be trusted. If Drak was right and the Masters were coming then Mitch knew that the CEO of MindHIve was at the heart of it.
Something really bothered him about what had happened to SoHee as well. It was Robert’s idea to put the inReal in there with that stuff, but they had treated her like some kind of criminal or a dangerous animal. There wasn’t any danger in that situation until the security guards arrived and tried to contain whatever it was that had come out of that box. They had frozen her and dragged her off to who knows where. She was probably locked up right next to Drak for all Mitch knew. He couldn’t explain why, but he felt guilty for what had happened to her.