A very hefty grey Delmarian sat impatiently at a private dining table, drumming his nails and clicking his numerous golden rings together as he waited.
“More wine?” asked the waiter
“Yes, and be sure to charge it to the woman making me wait. Your most expensive bottle.” He said, knocking back his goblet and shifting position as he spotted Gizzy entering the VIP floor in a slinky black dress and steel toed boots.
“How personal for a business meeting. Fine silk and 3d-printed carbon fiber footwear, with authentic scratches and work wear on the toe.
“I like to annoy you, fatass. The distracting tease, the obsessive compulsive mismatch and as much as I like watching you uncomfortable and knowing your love of Osirian feet, I refuse to wear heels for any man, and I need you mildly distracted, not fully erect and unable to listen.”
An hour wait. That’s excessive even for you. What have I done to make you extra annoyed with me today?”
“Oh just not seeing your name in the recent arena death list is enough to make me annoyed with you. That open invite is getting a bit dusty. You’re still scared to cross blades with a woman half your size?” she said smiling and politely accepting a goblet of wine from the waiter.
“We both know it’s a political problem, members of the same council fighting to the death, especially after passing the bill that only 2 Delmarians can do that legally.” He grinned.
“Which you spent good money to make sure had the winning vote.” She snipped.
“I can’t help it if a mostly native council agrees with our traditions and my compromise proposal for the safety of others. We both agreed that having humans in Fupar was a terrible idea, so why stop there, draw the line of tradition.”
“For the safety of your old fat ass.” Gizzy snipped. “My vote was for Delmarian and Osirians to be privy, and you down good and well on average our species are the same weight class so you weren’t protecting shit…other then you.”
She plopped down a small electronic device on the table and the light turned red.
“Now unless someone speaks fluent Ancient Mesopotamian street slang we can talk plainly without nosey waiters or people with really good ears.”
“Good, because you’d never build this up to bitch about the Fupar laws. There’s something bigger. What exactly are you up to Gizzy, modifying construction records on a project already classified. Now that’s sketchy even for you.” He said pouring more wine.
We’re having one hell of a time keeping the human Delmarian relations stable. The cultures are just too damn different, and without my kind stepping in the middle ground you’d be at war and frankly the humans would just go extinct on this moon, and you know my people favor the humans. That’s a bloodbath. We may despise each other and wish various forms of harm on the other, but even the two of us don’t want a race war in the colony, and we both want the good of the people, even if we disagree on how to best do that. Agreed?” she asked.
“As rare as it is… I agree, what does that have to do with the tunnel systems and air ducts, and a house of humans?”
“Them, not a damn thing. The other day public records showed a red flag on the marriage list. 108 pound Human female, 28, 5 foot zero; Delmarian male, Equivalent 20 human years, 7 foot 3, 550 pounds lean, military class.” She said wide eyed.
“That’s a hell of a combination. I hope she has good life insurance.”
The point is she’s one brave little gal. I know the guy and if she wanted to walk away, he would let her, and she stayed. Now unless you believe in destiny and true love…”
“HA!” He burst out with a belly laugh.
“Exactly, then she is perfect for Operation Shadow Walker.”
“You’ve spent million of your own money on that ridiculous project and keeping it under wraps. You really think letting humans wander around in a simulated nightmare with an endless tunnel system designed to provoke their every fear is useful, or do you just like torturing humans?” he asked.
“The candidates are voluntary, always have been. We select humans we think are suitable, we put them in a room with a memory dampening field and we give them the pitch. If they are appalled or uninterested, they walk away and have no memory of the conversation, no harm. If they agree, we negotiate terms, record the consent, have them record a message to themselves for confirmation, they get compensated for the possible issues and off they go on the adventure of a lifetime, having no memory of the conversation.”
“I still think you just enjoy watching humans run around scared like lab rats.”
“The scans and the data we’ve gotten so far is phenomenal. The human brain lights up like Christmas when they genuinely fear for their lives but you can’t exactly tell them not to expect it and then jump up and yell RAWR and get a genuine response, and creating mass hysteria with unwilling participants would be torture. And the only creature I enjoy tormenting is you. So consensual memory wipes and compensation is the only way to get real fear bottled up without anyone getting hurt.”
“So why is this girl so special?” Gandalf asked.
Because she’s a rare type in an even more rare scenario. Only about 1 in every 50 people volunteer for it. That’s a lotta no’s and I can understand. Facing your fears is well, scary. Most humans don’t enjoy being terrified, but some get a thrill from it, it’s rare when someone can fight through that. She also has a very unusual anomaly in her bloodwork. Frankly I don’t know what it is, but it’s fascinating.
We also have a lot of Delmarians who would be pissed to see human and Delmarians marrying and integrating, “diluting” the cultures and reducing the number of offspring, as if there aren’t enough of you already populating 37 worlds now. You bunnies fuck like rabbits and can’t supply the worlds you have, but sacred law states that conquering and spreading the empire is the highest honor, so here you are fighting yourselves over a stupid holy book. I’ve seen it before, it never ends well.
We have a young woman with a very rare brain profile, who just married one of the most intimidating classes of your kind, word will spread, and we can’t pass the chance to study that in action. I can’t wait around for her to accidentally find the tunnels, which can take months, so I’m manufacturing the opportunity and bringing it to her. We have some very big representatives arriving soon who would love to shut down the program unless we have some impressive results. Even…HE is supposed to arrive.”
“This all sounds like a very big problem for you to solve, and you do so well working alone. Why am I here? You don’t ask me anything because you don’t like my prices.”
I need you to pull some strings where I can’t reach, and I promise you as a result, it will be worth it to you as well, if this works.”
“Promises and IFs. Cooperation on a project I don’t believe in, to solve an issue I feel is unfixable, that theoretically benefits me if it succeeds. You’re a terrible salesperson. You make such a better display model.”
“How about this… a wager. You have a nice gambling addiction that rivals even my own. If this succeeds, Delmar will move out of the dark ages and into the modern integration, which would eliminate a lot of political power among your more traditionally based enemies, You win, I win, everyone wins; but only if HE approves. If it fails, and the project is canceled for lack of results or this blows up in my face then I look like a fool, lose a lot of money and for your reward…I will personally step down from the council.” She smirked.
“So you will wager your very position of power on something for my assistance? What makes you so sure I wouldn’t agree, and then sabotage the project to get you off the council?” he smiled.
“You would risk a civil war just to see me fall from the council? Even your titanic ass can’t be that vile.”
“You bring the vile out in me, Gizzy. Exceptions could be made, sacrifices.”
“That speech jamming device is also a broadcast microphone. I’m recording this conversation live at several locations to people who were on the fence about the two of us, and if you were found sabotaging me on a perfectly legal bet, no only would I keep my seat on the council, but you would have just admitted that in order to dethrone me, you would do what you just admitted is volatile for Delmar and the humans. I believe that would be called treason, knowingly threatening the balance of allies and harming both humanity and Delmar simply to get something you want.”
“You devious bitch.” He grinned “Blackmailing a council member.”
A very light payable penalty if I’m wrong. In fact I believe the penalty for Treason that betrays peace and your own kind is…death? Is it not? In fact I would gladly volunteer to do the honors in the arena in an entirely legal manner that you know you have zero chance of winning. So…if I’m right, all you risk is a few favors and connections, we don’t have to mention here, and we bring two species closer together as a result. If I’m wrong, it all falls on me, I step down and you have your majority council vote. And if you cheat me, humanity, and Delmar like the backstabbing snake I know you are, then the project continues with a mere delay, and I collect your fucking head for my wall…all within the confines of your own traditional laws and religious honor system. Isn’t gambling fun?” She said, slamming her boot on the table.
“Every time we meet, I remember why I hate you, but for the good of the colony and a confident wager, I accept the terms.”
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“Under recorded pressure I bet you do.”
“Now how about we go some place more neutral with no listening ears to discuss the finer points that both of us may want to remain private.” He shook, taking the bottle with him.
“Oh I thought you’d never ask, punkin.” She toyed menacingly, baring her teeth and placing the language jammer in her purse.
Nicole stood alone in a very large gilded office, expensive blackstone polished floors and pillars, statues of the old gods of Delmar Prime, and a single receptionist so quiet that the scraping of her pen on paper echoed down the sacred halls.
“Nicole Marie Gurverdermnerer? Gizzy will see you now in room 6.”
“God I hate that so much.” She sighed, entering the room as Gizzy sat in a very casual attire, snacks and beverages on the table for refreshment.
“So you’re the infamous Nicole Marie Gurv-erder-mner-er.” Gizzy struggled, looking like she was in physical pain.
“Yea I hate it too. Can we please just call me Nicole?” she groaned.
“Horrible names aren’t they. But unfortunately for now that is your legal name, but you would like to have that reversed, I hear.”
“I want the option at least, I’d also like to keep my real last name.”
“Both very doable, both take forever to get done and the paperwork is exhausting, these political bunnies move slower than stalactites, but fortunately your husband works for Jack and Jack is a friend of mine, so we can speed up the process and get things done properly, legally and without the bullshit and dragging this out for a year. Since you’re human, by claiming you were unaware of the legal binding of the bead, the marriage can be nullified and your name restored, and though unorthodox, you could theoretically still date Vendetta, live with him or back at your home as you choose and if you were to stay together and wish to get married at a later date, it would simply be a matter of coming down here and publically exchanging the bead again and people will roll their eyes and give you both judgey looks, but it’s legally binding, so they can go fluff themselves.”
“THANK you, I owe you big time. This has been a very stressful misunderstanding and I appreciate the help. I can’t imagine why anybody jokes about you being villainous.”
“Because in return… I want your soul.” She growled, eyes glowing.
“WHAT?”
“I’m just fuckin with you, Nicole. Everyone in power is a villain to everyone else in power who disagrees with their views on running a moon. That’s politics. We’re all assholes when we get into the chamber and start voting on things. Now this process will still take several weeks, but you’re a tough girl and you got lucky and married a nice guy, so you’ll be fine. In the mean time just don’t sign any documents where your full name is required. That’s just more paperwork. Now if you’ll follow me to this next room we can get some basic information, fingerprints, ID confirmation and you’ll be good to leave in 15-20 minutes. Refreshments?”
“No I’ve had enough bananas for a while. I brought my own energy drink too in case they only had Delmarian blood sodas or something.”
“Smart girl. Come along now.” She said leading her down a series of halls into a very sterile room with stainless steel plates and a mirror, as well as an odd device hanging from the ceiling. The door closed, and a gentle hum filled the room.
“What’s going on?” Nicole asked.
“I have another matter to discuss, off the records.”
“Oh no here’s the price.”
“No no, the help is free, but you can help all of us for free if you volunteer for this project. Consider this an opportunity. You want my help, all I require is you listen to my sales pitch with an open mind, and then it’s up to you. I have been running this program known as Operation Shadow Walker, it’s a series of arbitrary tunnels and caves, designed to screw with people’s minds and drive them to the brink of panic.”
“And there’s the villainous part.” Nicole sighed.
“It’s safe, technically. Nothing is haunted, ghosts don’t exists, the spiders are non venomous and timid, the monsters are either not real or working for me, it’s basically a glorified haunted house on steroids and people do that for fun and PAY to get in. How many times have you paid to, or excitedly went to something or somewhere, just to be scared to the core for fun and entertainment, with no real point otherwise?” Gizzy quizzed.
“A lot, actually. Do movies count?”
“Yes, the scary ones, especially in theaters. I’m studying human fear. Basically I wanna inject you with a small monitor and let you go on a horror movie adventure for science, and due to the rarity of your human personality type and genetic oddity, you are the key to understanding the human mind…or at least the best option we have in the short time we have before they shut down the program. Then point is that it does a lot of good, we’re gonna lose funding and you can save it, and all you gotta do is get poked in the arm and then go to the greatest haunted house ever constructed from billions of dollars out of my own pocket. AND you get paid well. Now tell me you’re gonna turn that down.”
“I don’t wanna do it.” Nicole shrugged.
“Why not?”
“Sounds suspicious, I don’t know you, seems scammy.”
“Okay, then hear pitch number two. I’m not allowed to legally discuss that we’re on the brink of a human Delmarian civil war and we need your damn cooperation to hopefully stop that and all you have to do is go live a scary movie like you always wanted, and then no war, and we give you a shitload of money for your contribution.”
“How do I know you’re not lying?” Nicole asked.
“Because you see that thing above your head? That’s a brain wave jammer. That means the moment you walked into this room you stopped forming memory and the moment you leave you will be perfectly fine and back to normal and remember nothing at all of this room, just like it never happened and where did the time go? You lost 20 minutes, how weird, oh well. Just like being blackout drunk in college, except pinpoint accurate and less bad for your body. I could tell you anything and you won’t remember it.”
“Prove it.”
For example…I have weapons of mass destruction that the senate doesn’t know about. They’d execute me for that but it saved my family once and I lied in court when I said that was the only one I had. I have 36 of them shits pointed at everything that looks like a threat. I also cloned myself with bigger tits because I’m insecure and jealous of my own wife’s smoking hot perfect body. See? I have no reason to lie in here, you won’t remember any of it. I can’t walk in heels.”
“Then why am I here? Why bother?”
Because I need you to agree to this, record a video of yourself agreeing to this to show yourself later for legal reasons, and the lab ra- sorry, the volunteers for this need to be consensually willing for moral reasons, and not know they did that yet, for reasons of: it’s not real fear if you know it’s fake. So if you agree, you still won’t remember this, not until it’s over. Either way this conversation is wiped when you leave, and you either help or you don’t. We don’t have much time to find another volunteer and you are perfect.
“What’s so perfect about me?” Nicole asked.
“You love fear, and you don’t know why. You crave it, you run towards it because it scares you and the only thing holding you back is logic that you’ll get killed doing the scary thing. You throttle your actions for the consequences but you secretly get an adrenaline high out of the fear and you’re addicted to it. The horror movies, the decision to move to an alien moon when you didn’t need to, did you really leave your family to be with your friends, or did you just realize you can’t pass up the chance to go somewhere scary and unknown? A subterranean moon that looks a lot like hell. You hide from people because of embarrassment, and you think it’s fear, but when an alien monster 5 times your size flirts with you, you get married to him, and the only reason you have regret is because you didn’t think of the consequences while you were indulging that fear high. Why?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Neither do we, and we need that answer, because irrational fear is why trigger happy politicians and religious radicals launch rockets, and why people live their lives in a safety hole because spiders and clowns give them crippling anxiety. We have council members willing to go to war because they fear integration and change, and we have people like you making mistakes that can get them killed, because you chased the fear other people run from, and we don’t know why…but we are close. We are so close to answers and solutions, war avoidance. Violent outbreaks, riots being a thing of the past, all with just a simple pill or a shot, but we can’t scoop the answers out of the brains of the dead, and we cant kill humans to scoop it out while they’re still alive, and some of you little weirdos have the gene responsible for controlling it. And you specifically have something frankly, I’ve never seen, in your blood.”
“I think I understand why they fear you.”
“Yea…I’m scary as shit. And hot enough to manipulate stupid men” Gizzy grinned, her tusks gleaming a metallic white.
“No…well yes but aside from that…You have absolute determination. You do what you believe has to be done and damn the consequences of what others think because you know you’re right even if you have to break a few eggs. You believe yourself entirely. You scare people because you’re unpredictable, because you’re a mad scientist pretending to be a villain, that’s pretending to be a nice cheerful person. You’re a morally grey conundrum willing to sacrifice and destroy for the greater good, but you can’t cross a line without being the thing you hate. You could just run the experiment anyway, say that I consented. Fake the video, the fear would be the same. So why don’t you just commit to the villain role and brainwash me?”
“I have my reasons. But that defiance of fear right there is what I mean. I’ve seen it before.” Gizzy sighed.
“Because you’re one of those people too, like me. You have a dark side that’s under control but if you cross that line you know you won’t come back. You’re not the villain, you’re overcomplicated. You just need some people to think you’re the villain and some to praise you, and then you’re happy. You wield fear like a weapon. You’re damn good. I know what you are because I know monsters and which ones are misunderstood and I hope you’re scanning me right now because despite knowing what you are, and kinda wanting your face tattooed on my calf, but you still scare me. Genuinely.” Nicole admitted defiantly.
“And it’s intoxicating isn’t it? Like a heroin addict getting the pure shit for a change. But fortunately you won’t remember any of this and you’ll just go on thinking I’m some nice lady that saved your ass from an accidental marriage. I’ll help you there either way, I already sent in for the forms. Two weeks, all done. Now you can either admit what you are and sign the waver, go on your merry way headed for the ride of a lifetime. Or you can deny what you are, and do it for the greater good sacrifice, because we both know you wanna sign that form, and if I let you remember this and you told me to fuck off, you’d be back here in a day or two asking if the offer was still valid. Of course for security reasons I can’t prove that last part, the memory buffer is already running anyway. Do you wanna go home? Play Delmarian housewife for a few weeks and probably go back to hiding in your own cave, wasting your life in front of a computer like some bored writer, playing games and drinking sponsored beer while the world turns to shit, or do you wanna help me make a difference? Do you wanna BE the difference?”
“Damn you are good.” Nicole squinted, absolutely amazed by the aura of charismatic power and doom-like weight of the room. “I’ll do it, for both reasons. For the cause I don’t know if I believe is real, for the greater good that may be a fabrication, and for the thrill of finally seeing where my own mind goes. But I want an honest answer to something. If you could volunteer for this…would you?” she asked.
“37 times. My wife made me stop. We don’t even let the volunteers go more then twice because of the side effects of accumulative trauma. The first time is cathartic, therapeutic, the second time is darker, eventually you face your darkest fear, and after that it just becomes a job and someone stops you before you go insane.”
“Did they? Did they stop in time?” Nicole asked.
“We’ll find out soon won’t we?” Gizzy said with a slight snarl.
“There’s so much more you aren’t telling me, but so far you’re right. I’ll sign, I’ll do the video, I’ll take the shot, because I’ve been standing on that edge looking down and wanting to jump and I can’t bring myself to do it. So go ahead. You have permission to push my ass of that edge…please. I wanna know who I am.”
And that, is why you’re so special. Let’s hurry up, you’ve already taken longer than most to either jump off or run away. Your hubby will be missing you. So…what scares you more then anything?”
“Drowning.”
“Oh that’s gonna be an expensive one, but you’re worth it. On to the next room to finalize the video and get your signature and blood sample, and the tracker chip only hurts for a second. It’s a small needle.” She said. Nicole left the room and the door close. A buzzer went off and she buzzed the next client in. Vinn stepped into the room and sat down.”
“I need a favor.” He said bluntly.
“And I have a price for those. Get comfortable, we have a whole sales pitch for you.”