The dark chamber, illuminated only by the small fires glowing in the fog, echoed lightly with the faint sound of Kpop. Lord Behrnought casually scrolled on his phone before sensing a presence in the dark. He jumped and saw a small remote controlled car with a display screen.
“What manner of intrusion is this?” he barked as Gizzy’s face appeared on screen.
“We got the scroll, the quill, the ink, and the glasses. I’m ready to write reality into existence. How does this work?”
“I assumed you would be dead by now. What is this machine?”
“I left a drone on your little world in case we needed to talk again So can I write my way through the 4thwall or what?” We’ve been through hell, almost literally.”
“Not yet you have not. The scroll itself is powerful but it limited inside this reality. Using the scroll degrades it. The more powerful the writing the more degradation it takes. It is only infinite when used outside the wall. To get through the wall, you need a cannon.”
“I’m guessing not just any cannon but a special specific one only found on a world we don’t wanna go to?” she sighed.
“You’ve noticed the pattern. Yes. There is a lost world, one within its own pocket of reality. To go there, you must be willing to leave your future behind, and one of you must face your past. It is a world of death, but it is different for each group that seeks the weapon. You will be greeted by Death himself before being permitted to land. One of you must be chosen. The nightmare below takes the form of whoever is chosen.”
“Well, we’re definitely choosing Nicole, she’s the least fucked up and least monstrous of all of us, so unless she pulls a Dan Akroid and Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man's the situation, we should be good.”
“And you scoff at my riddles and confusing words.”
“Just give me the damn coordinates.” She yawned.
...
Dee stood at the window, watching the crew load Jack in a cryo tube into the shuttle and head down to possibly the greyest planet in existance. The night side black as sin, the light side the color of slate on an overcast day. There was the faintest ring of purple and green in the very center, cast by the foggy dust ring. The definition of dreary.
“I still can’t believe they let me out.” Zhoren said while peering over her shoulder.
“I can’t believe they let me out either. I threatened Gizzy’s crew to save my fat ass and then hijacked their robot. And they just kept me. Let me guard the ship.”
“I murdered 2 people for money and accidentally caused a massacre, and they let me live purely as food for someone now locked up tighter than my own prison was. And they let me out. They let both of us roam freely in the ship unsupervised while Vicki is in a cryo tube, wrists and ankles cuffed to chains, chains around the glass, locks on the chain, locked in a double walled cell with a camera. What is she exactly that is so dangerous and evil? When she fed on me, she was quite respectful about it.”
“Yeah, not so much with me, but that was before I had emotions, and she knew that and still felt guilty. She cried once and apologized… to me. A robot with no feelings or emotions or heart, because I looked like her friend. She had to feed to live and biting Vinn upset Nicole, so she had to feed off me. And she felt guilty for what she is. It doesn’t seem fair, does it?”
“No. They say she’s dangerous.”
“She is now. That damn black goop changed her. She was a person. They got a monster locked up, but inside that monster, Vicki is locked up. And that’s not okay. But she’s not the one in control, and the one who is… is dangerous.”
“Aren’t we all? You could be lying about your downgrade, can you take over the ship and override systems with what’s left in your memory? They don’t know. You could be a threat, I could be a threat. I could kill most of the crew with my hands before they could scream for help. Prison usually makes you more of a monster than you were when you went in. You can see that in Gizzy’s eyes. She’s been the one behind the bars before. She’s dangerous, you’re dangerous, and Jack is a cold-blooded killer. So why is Vicki the only one chained up like a demon in a tomb?”
“Because we can control our actions and we’re being trusted to do the right thing. Have you seen Gizzy’s drawing? That’s what is apparently growing in that poor girl.”
...
Jack opened his eyes, sitting up and being handed a gun and some clothes.
“You sure you wanna do that?” he asked. “After putting me in here?”
“You’re on a shuttle, off the ship. Vicki is safe under guard and we’re trying to help her. You’re the best soldier we got, and the shuttle is locked out unless both Nicole and I unlock with a retinal scan. You’re on this mission and she’s safe, so are you gonna do your job or are you going to let emotions fuck with your mission?”
“Promise me she’s safe and you don’t plan to vent her.”
“Not our Vicki. The mutant thing headed our way on a ship, I absolutely intend to kill without hesitation. The one on our ship, she’s a patient, a sick crewmember we intend to get better, not an enemy. She’s just not well enough to leave. If there’s even a 50/50 chance you’re wrong, and she kills Nicole and Vinn, then what? Oopsie? My bad? Sometimes friends need to be confined to get help.”
“I didn’t hear the words.” He said.
“I promise she is as safe as we can get her, protected, and I don’t intend to vent her. I intend to save her, or try my damndest to do so. That’s all I got.”
“Good enough.” He said, taking the gun.
“Have you noticed that when you and Vicki were together, she only made you stronger and more grounded, at peace? But since she changed, all she has done is make you defiant and violent, no peace of mind to be had? Now that you’re away from her, you’re calm and logical again. Vicki gives you your zen, yet you’re more zen away from that ship. So what does that say about who is telling you things, whispering in your ear and who exactly is saying ‘Jack, they’re the enemy.’ Behind your back?”
“You want me for a mission, let’s discuss the mission and stick with it. When we get back we can discuss Vicki. You said it yourself, this is a job, not personal emotion, so let’s leave that at the ship and get back to that if we make it out alive.”
“Now that sounds like my Jack.” She smiled. “Welcome home soldier.”
...
Zhoren walked past the cell, checking on Vicki. He locked eyes with her for a moment and stepped closer. She had frozen tears in them and she mouthed the words “please help me” silently behind several layers of armor. He looked both ways for Dee and opened the cell door, turning off the energy shielding and closing it behind him for safety. He switched on the speakers and looked at her with pity.
“Please listen to me.” She begged.
“I can’t trust you. I’m not allowed to.” He said almost sarcastically.
“Zhoren, you know me, in a strange way we’ve bonded. You know the monster I am, not the monster they think I am, but they’re not entirely wrong. Locking me in here was the right thing to do. It was Nicole’s idea. She’s usually right about things. The cold weakens the connection to the voices. I’m Vicki… I just don’t know how much longer I will be. So you have to listen to me while there is time. She’s approaching. The darkness with my face and my memories, she’s coming here. There is no time to wait on the mission. She will get here before they get back, kill you and Dee and take the ship, and I’ll be lost forever, just part of her from now on. Jack can’t see the truth. It’s starting a war with the crew. There won’t be a crew much longer if you don’t help me.”
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
“You want me to let you out.”
“Not… exactly. I want you to keep me in this cryo tube, keep me locked up, but get me out of this cell. And I need you to do something you shouldn’t have to do.”
“Just say it.” he grunted.
“I need you to restrain Dee, lock her up, and get me to the lab. There is a vial of the Pitch in there, and it has to be destroyed. It’s too volatile to keep, even if Gizzy believes it’s necessary for the mission. She doesn’t understand it like I do. It can’t be controlled or utilized. It only does one thing, it controls and consumes. I need you to move me to the lab. Gizzy has a contingency plan for everything and everyone, she has one for me. She knows I’m connected telepathically to that thing. I’ll know what she came up with when I see it. Then you get me back in the tube and next to the airlock. If she gets here, destroy the Pitch, throw it in the ships reactor, and vent me. Killing me while connected to her might kill her too. The moment I leave this tube and warm up, the clock is ticking before she’ll know what I know. So we have to move quickly.”
“It’s strange, how destiny chose me to keep you alive, and yet here we are, you asking me to kill you because nobody else will. You still think of me as a killer?”
“No, I think of you as a friend, but the rest of them are my family, and they can't do it.”
“Gizzy can.” He said confidently.
“She would try, and it would tear her and Jack apart, Vinn and Nicole would debate on who was right, and they would all be divided. You’re just some stranger they barely know. I’m asking you to do something terrible, to become the villain they assumed you were when they found you, but to save everyone. And they will probably kill you for it.”
“I was destined to die without a purpose. Now I am destined to die for a great purpose, to do what nobody else can, for a friend.” He said, “The gods are strange and mysterious in their ways, but I cannot believe our destiny is to sit and wait to all die while evil prevails and moves on to conquer. We’re both a couple of misunderstood monsters, too dangerous to live and we never asked for it.” he said, nodding and heading out.
...
Dee smirked and bit her lip as Zhoren cuffed her to the bed.
“Oh you’re bad today. Breaking the rules and cuffing me up. This could be dangerous.” She whispered playfully. “What if you decided to take over the ship?” she joked. He leaned in and kissed her deeply, shedding a tear and wiping it before she noticed.
“That’s just it… I intend to.” He said sadly.
“Oh no.” she gasped dramatically “You've been bad this whole time and planning a getaway. I bet you’re gonna have your way with me and then take me prisoner, leave them all behind.” She acted.
“No, I’m going to leave you here and take Vicki.”
“Okay, kinda kinky, and she might be into it but she’s locked up so how do we play this out exactly? I can’t do both roles at once. You gotta uncuff me and let me change outfits and get my red wig.”
“Dee, this is not a game. You’re just… too fucking stupid to get it. You’re a sexbot, a machine built for pleasure, not thinking. The part of you that could do that is gone now, because clearly you can’t see what’s happening right in front of you. Vicki is addictive, you can ask Vinn if you survive this. I’m taking her and leaving. You should be happy about that. I’m just a piece of meat for her anyway, but she’s dangerous. No place for either of us here. Don’t be too worried, I’m not self destructing the ship, I’m just stealing her and the shuttle.”
“Zhoren, that’s not funny. Tell me right now you’re joking and uncuff me and I’ll just chalk this up to alien culture miscommunication. Ha ha, good joke but it’s not funny anymore. You’re just scaring me.”
“You know the sad part of it all?” he asked. “Even when you had all that intelligence and that power in you, you still believed my story. I brought that building down intentionally to cover my getaway. I just fucked it up and got caught.”
“Zhoren, you’re not like this, what’s happening?”
“What’s happening bitch is that you got played and I got laid. I got two sexy women on me and frankly you just don’t compare to Vicki, but you were good. I enjoyed our time greatly, but you are not what I thought you were, and us monsters need each other and neither of us are free on this ship, with their crew and their chains.”
“Are you fucking serious right now? Zhoren, what the hell? Is she mind controlling you, can she do that?”
“No she can’t. She’s a powerful, sexy, woman with a weak husband that can’t satisfy her needs and a crew who wants to kill her, and I’m a killer who gets what he wants who you all don’t trust either. And you’re right. I’m kind of a bastard. A bastard with a way out free, a woman who needs me, and a need for that sweet venom almost as much as that sweet ass. Sorry. You’re a very pretty copy of a very beautiful person, but you gave away your chance of being something worthy and now you’re a robot with half a brain. A sexbot is great, fresh out of prison, and we could have had something before you threw it away. But you’ll never compare to a real woman, let alone a beast like her. I’m sorry, but you fucked up, and everyone who trusted you to watch me, they fucked up too. It’s been fun, Dee.”
“No, that’s bullshit. I don’t believe it. She’s tricking you or messing with your mind. This isn’t you, Zhoren, and you’re not a monster!” she yelled.
“I am. Apparently, we all are on this ship. You’re just a terrible judge of character.” He said, leaving her to kick and struggle. He opened the cell to Vicki’s cryo tube and began wheeling her to the lab.
“I’m sorry, that must have been hard for you,” she said, placing her hand on the glass.
“She deserves better than me anyway. My purpose was always this. I thank the gods for rewarding me with her for what time we had, and in a strange way you as well. I deserved no rewards and am grateful for them. It’s time to earn my destiny.” He said, looking like he was struggling to convince himself.
“I don’t mean to make this harder than it is, but when you feed on someone who lets you, you do form an emotional attachment to them. It’s not the same as a hunt, it means more. It’s a sacrifice. I connected with Vinn, I did with you too. You’re a good friend, and you’re doing the right thing, I’m sorry it doesn’t feel right.”
“We’re here, in the lab.” He said sadly.
“In the case, there is a black vial marked something like “Evil pitch”, grab it. There should be something that looks like a headset or an EEG machine.”
“What?” he asked.
“Gizzy is a brilliant and maniacal bitch, she knows killing me while connected to her may kill us both and will certainly eliminate one. Look for a helmet or a something that looks like it’s designed for brain surgery.” She suggested. He picked up a strange device, a prison shock collar with wires coming out of it, connected to a rather crown-of-thorns looking device.
“That’s gotta be it. You need to work quickly. The moment we open this tube, I’ll start warming up and losing myself. Shock collar first, then the halo.”
“This looks like a torture device”
“It pretty much is. I’m no brain surgeon, but those look like they’re going into my skull when it turns on.”
“You’re a very brave girl. I know you think of yourself as something shameful and evil and cursed, but you’re not. That thing may be, but without it you’re something special.”
"That’s the venom talking. You’re addicted to it, you associate the feeling with genuine emotion, and you’re fresh out of prison. Don’t fall in love with an idea before you have to pull the trigger. It’s a lie that weakens you, and I need you mean and strong right now. Make your gods proud.” She nodded.
...
The lights on the shuttle flickered and went out, turning back on as a tall dark figure in a robe of smoke glared at them with dim grey dots in the void of his hood.
“Here we go.” Gizzy sighed.
“Welcome to Offrugu, the world of the dead.” It said in a deep thunderous tone.
“Ghost planet.” Nicole sighed. The reaper in black paced before them.
“Are you the key master?” Gizzy said in a breathy seductive tone. They all looked at her, confused. “Sorry, old reference to a… conversation with Lord Behrnought, just let it go.”
“I got it.” Nicole whispered.
“Who are you?” asked the cloak.
“Me? Evee Nicole Alekseev, Captain of the Medusa.”
“You have been chosen.”
“Because I’m the captain?”
“No, because you have a soul.”
“So…” Vinn muttered hesitantly. “That means none of us do?”
“Correct.”
“Aw shit. That’s a shame.” He said looking sad.
“Few in this universe do, and only one with a soul may lead a group to the land of the dead. This world will take on the form of death, as you, Nicole, know it best.
“Well thank fuck they didn’t choose me.” Gizzy sighed. “You don’t even wanna know what kinda death shit I’m familiar with. Nicole, have you ever lost anyone?”
“My grandma that I never met and a dog. I’ve never killed anyone. This should be pretty tame.”
“Welcome… to your world.” He said as everything got bright and they all blinked and winced, adjusting their eyes to the surroundings.
“Well bite my ass.” Nicole sighed.
“I thought you had almost no experience with death?” Gizzy noted.
“It’s not the death I’ve experienced, it’s death as I know it best.”
“Oh.” Vinn gulped.” As everyone looked at him for clarity. “Survival horror video games. She’s a big fan of the Quiet Hell games. This may be a far worse situation than we were thinking, especially with no guns.”
“Well, in the game you start with no guns, and you have to find them.” Nicole cringed. “And there’s gonna be company.” She said looking at Gizzy.
“So I spent countless hours building the perfect modular weapon system and now we have to loot for Glocks and shit?”
“Yep.” She nodded. “I mean, if we’re lucky we’ll find Glocks. You usually start out with a survival knife.” She said checking her side and confirming. “Yep, survival knives.”
...
They slowly walked towards where the terrain was suggesting, following the road down a winding rout of thick fog and ash covered ground, soft from rain and neglect. The gravel path ending abruptly at a field, a clearing between wooded area of dead trees and decay. 6 tall rectangles stood a foot of the ground on a single rusty pipe, lined up like road signs, but instead of paint and directions, just a foggy mirror surrounded ina thin frame of rusty iron and overgrown dead grass. As they approached, their reflections appeared in the mirrors, but smoky and black, without eyes or a face.
“That’s disturbing.” Vinn said. Looking at a skinny desiccated reflection of his own silhouette, muscles shriveled to bones, visible grey through the rotten exposed ribs near his sunken waist.
“Why does mine look normal?” Nicole asked. “Is it a puzzle?” she asked.
“Because you’re the only one with a soul.” Gizzy said, looking at her skinless mechanical leg and the few strands of blurry thinned hair that were almost transparent. “The rest of us are just husks.” She said reaching out and touching the glass.