Holding herself, April wandered her mindscape in solitary silence. It was an unfamiliar and scary place. This and that she recognized, but with no sky or plants, the cold gray walls felt like a dungeon.
A brisk wind blew through the office building. Paper fluttered. A trash bin rolled across the floor like a tumbleweed. A turned over conference table seemed to have acted as a shield against an unknown foe.
A snack dispenser flickered and buzzed as an overhead light swayed. Ereie whistling from a distant teapot. A large board of blinking lights. Labels in another language. Levers.
April stretched upward for the levers. Maybe they would open a door or make her wake from this nightmare. Alas, she couldn't reach. The curse of her short existence.
*Mphf*
Muffled sounds. A floor panel opened. Out popped a miniature version of April.
Dessed in a brown trench coat and matching detectives cap, the mini-april looked around with narrowed eyes before climbing out. Small round feet plopped onto the tiled floor. Posing, Hard-Boiled April puffed on her pipe. Bubbles floated out anticlimactically.
For some reason, neither of them were overly surprised to see the other.
"Who are you?"
"No time. Follow."
HB's footsteps made criminally cute sounds as she towed April to a hidden door behind a filing cabinet.
Searching left and right. HB waved April through. Walking in tandem, HB's detective cap was level with April's belly button.
"You don't remember the other times. Only I do."
"What don't I remember?"
HB put away her pipe, appearing serious, dramatic lighting framing her face.
April wanted to pinch HB's cheek. She was so cute and small and all dressed up. But it would be like pinching herself and April thought it might hurt. Wait... Did she just call herself cute?
Shaking away the thought, April listened intently to HB's cutesy voice.
"The chained ones. They come to bind us, dangling our worst fears in front our noses, manipulating us to act the way they want. We tried to rebel, but resisting hurts us. We were close this time. So close..."
They walked through a dusty hall. HB dragging April by the hand.
"Stay low."
April complied, ducking her head underneath some fallen support beams. Backstage to whatever machinations went on inside her head. April whispered.
"Where are we going?"
HB paused. Turning with unnecessary drama
"To free the others."
=
The further April traveled, the more worried she became. The damage to this complex wasn't negligible. Crossing wires sparked and sputtered, blocking their path forward. HB searched all around before craning her neck.. April's gaze followed, noticing a bent vent.
"Up."
HB threw both her hands up, bouncing on the balls of her feet. HB wanted April to lift her.
She's so cuuute!
HB's stopped bouncing and pouted her cheeks. It was a cuteness overload.
"Hurry. We don't have long."
"Ah. Right. Up you go."
HB weighed next to nothing. Firmly inside, April was next. Jumping, she heaved her arms up, proud of her upper body strength. Squirming her way in, she was met with a burst of air.
*Pft*
"Uuck."
"Sorry. It's the seltzer."
"Uwah. It... Why does it smell like strawberries?"
April could vaguely see HB shrug through blurry eyes.
"That's what you want them to smell like. Now come on, we don't have long. The time difference is vast but not nearly enough to get comfortable."
Gagging a bit, April grunted and followed along. Crawling on hands and knees. For once, she was glad for her small stature, making it easier to worm her way through the vents. That was the strange bit, though. Vents. How did she understand that they were such? There was no such engineering in existence. Normally runes would serve to heat or cool homes. Air filtration was never an issue. These vents might as well be secret passages hidden between palace walls, harboring vermin, eavesdroppers, and fugitives.
The Waning World.
It was a book she stumbled upon while categorizing history texts in the Grand Library. Instead of simply filing it away, April read the whole thing. She ended up classifying it as fiction because it explained the existence of strange machines and mechanical engineering.
What about the previous room. Wires? So much metal. Levers and blinking lights.
Harnessing Thunder.
A theoretical thesis describing golem creation using controlled electric currents. Tossed into a recycling bin by a professor after being ripped apart by the judges.
How could April rationalize moving screens? Pictures captured in eternity, recorded for viewing.
"Thank yourself for reading so much. Since you stretched your imagination, our mindscape is different from others."
HB whispered from ahead.
"Everyone's head looks this way, but they perceive it differently and aren't able to interact with it in the same way we can. The downside is that the chained ones know this place better than we do."
"The chained ones?"
"They-shush."
Clattering.
Peeking through a grate in the vent, they saw something crash into a turned-over filing cabinet. Papers and folders spilled everywhere. April felt a throbbing in her head as the documents spilled out. The figure damaging the room wasn't so much a figure as a mass of swirling, clinking chains.
Her pounding headache worsened as the amalgamation demon tossed everything else in the room before moving on. spun out of the room.
"Jerk. The others are going to make me clean that up."
A pause.
"Not that I'll listen."
HB continued forward, grumbling. April's headache subsided, deescalating into a mere sense of loss. The cabinet. April felt like it held something important but couldn't pick out what exactly.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"They always create a mess. It makes it more difficult for both of us to operate, but they prefer it that way."
"Are those files my memories?"
"What? No. Well. Kind of. It is more complicated than that. Our memories are stored elsewhere. You can think of that cabinet and the mess they create as decreasing your rationality. You'd only be a bit more irritable, or jittery, or..."
HB tooted.
"...gassy."
=
April recovered. She blocked out the journey to the end of the vents. Holding her nose, she watched worriedly as HB jumped up and down on a grate.
"Isn't that dangerous? What if there are monsters out there."
"Hah! Monsters... *jump* More like... *jump* Invaders...*jump*."
HB crashed through, falling several feet to the floor below with a clatter. April poked her head out.
"Are you mad?"
Wincing. HB recovered quickly.
"We need to hurry. Can't you hear the words you're spouting?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
April hopped down, more gently than HB did. One of her pants legs still got torn. April lamented the loss. Though... it did give her more of a "sexy-survivor" appeal.
HB sighed.
"In the real world. Outside yer noggin. You're spouting nonsense."
"What am I saying?"
"You're rejecting Bellavarn."
"WHAT!"
"Shhhh."
HB jumped on April, muffling her tantrum. April struggled but couldn't throw off the persistent munchkin. Calming down, they separated. April hissed.
"You better explain. How do we fix this? I don't want to reject Bellavarn!"
"Yes. Yes. Follow. I will explain."
April did, stepping over scattered office supplies and unopened snacks. HB drew in a breath.
"They like Bellavarn. And I mean really like him. They didn't show up much before we met him. A bit during childhood. A bit in adolescence. Nothing extreme like today. Now, they are wrecking the place, determined to hurt Bellavarn."
"Why does everyone want to hurt him? What did he do?"
"Nothing. Not that we can tell. But the chained ones are determined to break him. Or to control him. They want him to act out. They are controlling you to reject him."
"Why, though? Why can't they just let him be happy."
"If you don't know how am I supposed to? I am your subconscious, I can speculate, but that is it. We need to fight back. To do that, we need the others."
"Fine. Where are they?"
"Right here."
April stopped. Looking around, she saw nothing but an empty room. HB pointed up. April gasped.
High above, roping chains writhing across the ceiling, restraining hundreds of small figures. Bound, they appeared unconscious. Spinning in place, April got dizzy trying to count them all. The Mini-Aprils looked to be having nightmares.
"See! Look at the monitors."
April tore her eyes away from above and looked at the far wall filled with screens. A few were broken, but together they made up an image of what was happening outside. Speakers displayed filtered sound.
"I think we should slow things down. Take some time."
April was furious.
"Why am I saying that? I don't want things to slow down. Kiss me again, dammit!"
HB stopped fiddling with controls to raise an eyebrow.
"What? It... it was nice. Don't judge me, you're me.
April hid her embarrassment in anger.
"Anyway! What is going on, and why did I say that?"
"They are controlling your actions. I intended to free the others, but we don't have time. Quick, pull that lever."
"What does it do?"
"Hurry!"
April did. She heard Bellavarn's voice.
"Was it the kiss? I didn't mean to scare you."
There was no response. She thought the feed froze, but she could still see Bellavarn's worried face. The lines in his forehead creasing. She wished she could reach through and rub them out. HB wooted.
"If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all!"
*BLARE*
Red lights flashed. A siren rang. The duo covered their ears, swiveling around.
"Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh, what!"
"I wasn't thinking. They know we are here."
The ground shook, and she could hear distorted warbling overlap the alarms. HB slammed a button, the alarms turning off. Continuing, she moved to a console, typing furiously.
"What now? What do I do?"
"They are coming! We can't beat them without the others."
April's breathe quickened, searching for a way to bring the others down. The chains didn't lead anywhere. There was no convenient link to free them. The doorway they came through darkened. The atmosphere grew chilly.
A huge writhing mass of metal links thrummed as they clanked against one another. A ball of cold iron floated, only darkness inhabiting the center of the demon.
April flopped her arms.
"We're boned."
HB finished typing. Shouting.
"The red button! Push it!"
April whirled, searching. It was against the far wall, huge, round, and tantalizing.
Why does it have to be so far!
April sprinted for the button. HB waddled for the opposite button.
The creature of chains screeched. Links shooting out. Racing.
Three more steps.
Two steps.
One.
*Ting*
"I did it!"
A chain wrapped around her ankle.
"Oh, poo-wooooaah!"
April flew into the air, held aloft, she dangled there. An upside-down pirouette, April spun to see HB hanging with her. Folding her arms, she droned.
"That did something, I hope."
HB frowned, which was actually a smile. She jerked a thumb back to the screens.
April witnessed herself standing, holding out a gift. The gift. The one she embroidered herself.
Lurching and motion sickness.
*Thud*
April smacked into the ceiling, squishing HB and a few others. Reorienting, April saw the figure at the computer, tentacled appendages keying and pulling levers. She had time to see her real body turn away.
"Hey! I wanted to see his reaction! Turn me back or else."
April squirmed and pulled. Trying to free herself. Unable.
Helpless, she watched herself walk away. Then she heard the creature speak, clinking oddly to create words.
"...transmission... failure. Receptors."
"What is it doing?"
HB's head popped out from underneath April's abdomen. A deep breath. She coughed.
"Uh... It is switching off the sound."
"Why would it?"
A flash and the monitors were all the same color. Like April had just been blinded.
April turned to HB.
"How do we get out of here?"
"I have something sharp in my pocket. Can you reach it?"
"You're underneath me; how can I?"
"Right. Sorry. Maybe try wiggling?"
April wiggled.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! New plan. New plan."
April stopped. HB panted.
"Get. Angry."
April dead-eyed the trapped munchkin. HB attempted a nod.
"Good start. Now, really angry!"
"You want me angry; you got it!"
"Great! More. I, uh, I spit in your tea! Yeah! I ripped that new lime dress you bought."
"I was planning to wear that next week!"
"I threw out that book you were halfway into."
"YOU WHAT!"
The book comment threw her over the edge. She writhed and fought, trying to crush the traitor beneath her bottom. Then all of a sudden, a chain link popped..
"Huh?"
April was so surprised she stopped fighting.
"Don't stop now!"
The beast rotated. A flurry of chains slammed into them, wrapping April like a mummy. April groaned at how tight it was.
Sweat dripping off her forehead, April wheezed.
"Hey. Isn't that Kerv?"
HB's words came muffled, squeezed between April and a hard place.
"Good on you. You remembered his name."
"Shut it. Hey! Bellavarn's back. What is he shouting? I can't hear him."
"Audio is still off."
The monster below tapped the keys furiously. April saw her real body fight. Punching. Kicking. Biting. Not unlike her actions a moment ago. The sound turned back on.
"Let go of me! Let go!"
"Those are my words!"
"Perhaps it likes irony."
April watched her own fist land on Bellavarn's wound. The pain in Bellavarn's eyes hurt her.
"I didn't mean it, Bell!"
"April..."
"Murderer! Rapist! Savage! Unhand me!"
April fumed.
"NO! Those aren't my words. Bell! Please! It's me. I'm here. I'm here!"
The monster seemed to laugh at April's futile struggle.
Then the whole world turned white.
=
In the real world...
"Oh my."
"Master Bellavarn."
"Did he just? Is he..."
"Are my eyes playing tricks?"
"No! He's just kissing her, you moron."
"Turn around. Stop watching."
"I can't stop staring."
"He's good at it, too."
"I'll say."
*Whack*
"Alright! Show's over. Turn around, or I'll beat you with this stick."
"Aww. Kerv, you're no fun."
The staff begrudgingly turned.
=
The demon blew backward, flying out the doorway. April felt the kiss on her lips. It was rough at first. Filled with desperation. Then it was soft and caring. Warm. Like the first.
The chains all broke into motes of light—a virtual rain of Mini-Aprils.
April landed comfortably on plushy bodies.
"Hey!"
"Oops. Sorry."
A bespectacled munchkin got up with a huff. They all began waking, getting up, groaning. One near the monitors pointed up.
"Hey. Are we still kissing him?"
Another called out.
"Oh yeah we are!"
"Someone press the button that makes us break away."
"Hm... I don't really want to."
"Prudes."
"I heard that. Who said it?"
"It was her."
"No, it wasn't. It was her."
"Liar."
"Nu-uh."
A bungle of Mini-Aprils rolled around, fighting. April smacked herself.
"Alright, that's enough. We should stop the kiss. I feel short of breath."
Then the lights went out.
=
"April? April!"
"Did she faint?"
"Was it that good! Can he kiss me next?"
Cynthia bonked the younger maid on the head.
"Ow! Hey... I was just saying."
=
The feed went out, switching to static and blue light. April turned. Looking to the dark doorway, ambient light shone off metallic chains. The mass grew. And grew. And Grew!
The monster of metallurgy hovered, twenty feet tall.
A boss monster.
It spoke—garbled words barely decipherable in over static.
"...anomaly... It is... abnormal- twice as resistant as... Mel-. At this rate... Orders?"
A response came that shook the entire room.
"...Insignificant..."
The mass sped up. Gyrating faster. Faster.
Screeching.
A warm hand grabbed April's wrist.
"Take this."
"Boltcutters- oof."
Heavy.
"Don't worry; I've got your back."
HB pulled out Excaliber. The grin on HB's face was manic. April thought it unfair.
"And you have my axe!"
Another bespectacled munchkin stepped up beside her, wielding a huge battleaxe.
"You have my sword."
"My bow."
"Maces smash!"
"Hiyah!"
"Clipboard of Power!"
A row lined out before her and behind her. Each calling out their support. The last shouted a battle cry, wielding a dented clipboard.
A broken security camera sparked to life. A blinking red light.
The monitors buzzed, lighting their backs.
An army.
April couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. With a huff, she the boltcutters along her shoulder. Tilting her head with a smirk, she posed.
"Don't mess with a girl's imagination."
*Ttttring*
Both sides charged.