"Well, here we are, just in time!" Helen said.
Plush leather sofas sat under subdued lighting. A bar toward the back staffed by a gray-haired man in a tuxedo offered a broad selection of mixed drinks. Berber carpet felt firm under Lavinia's slipper covered feet. A wide veranda with clear safety glass offered a bird's eye view of the arena. A brown-haired man in a white lab coat observed the two men below. Lavinia could only see the poorly trimmed hair on back of the man's neck, as if he tried to cut it himself without using a mirror. Alfred turned his gaze upon Lavinia and nodded as Helen remained towards the back of the room.
"My dear sister, you may want to look down into the arena, or if you can't see that far you can always check the close ups on the screens."
Lavinia opted to look towards one of the screens, she didn't want to get any closer to the man who had glued rubber circles all over her body. Larox and Horst were being filmed as they conversed. Lavinia pointed to the screen.
"That man saved my life, his name is Larox, and he's a good person," she said, pronouncing his name correctly, "And the other man, his name is Horst. He's the only person here I've ever seen smile or act happy. I don't know how he can be so happy in a place like this."
Helen's right hand made a fist which tightened hard, but she forced her fingers to break up and regained her composure. As for Alfred, he kept staring, his gaze ever on the black obelisk that confronted the two condemned gladiators.
"So, he is able to smile, even here, maybe that's his crime," Alfred said quietly, his finger rubbed along the edge of his ocular pit as he looked to Lavinia, "My child, these two men are going to be put death by another who you might also be familiar with. If you do nothing, they will die. Though your sister claims you have powers to affect the outcome. No matter what you decide, somebody dear to you must die, or at the very least remain dead. I'm sorry."
Lavinia ran towards the window and pressed her hands into the clear surface.
"He's right," Helen said, "You stay here with him and decide what to do. I'm sure it will only require a small portion of your MER if you want to help them. But in doing so, you'll have to hurt another. I'm sorry, but it's the only way I could arrange for them to be helped."
"The only way!? What is going on!?"
"They're your friends, I'm not sacrificing my MER for them! I would have... would have saved them another way. But the system here works one way, a gladiatorial exhibit was the only way I could arrange for them to have a chance. Whether you help or not is up to you. But I'm warning you Lavinia, try anything funny, like escaping, or hiding. It won't work, you saw how well it worked for your friends. Don't try that; for your own good, don't try that. I have to go back to Jim; he'll wake up soon, and if I'm not there he'll be concerned."
-----
"Citizens of the Mandaree, let the match... BEGIN!" boomed from the loudspeakers. Thick purple steam bellowed from the shaking obelisk on the platform before it split apart evenly. Horst and Larox nodded to one another as they raised their makeshift weapons. Horst took cover behind a rock and observed. Larox approached the steaming obelisk while aiming his spear.
"Get behind cover idiot!" Horst yelled, "We have no idea what will come out of there!"
Horst climbed up the rock and squatted upon the crags of its surface, from there he could make out a vaguely human shape that looked slightly familiar through the dissipating fog. It was a man, a very muscular man, almost hulking but not quite. A froth dripped from the man's mouth. It soaked the front of his beard. His nearly bald head shone in the light along with gray eyes. Larox's and Horst's eyes widened with recognition.
"Tray!" Larox said, "You alright!?"
Tray responded by opening his mouth wide for an echoing screech that filled the coliseum. Horst fell to his knees and covered his ears. Larox retreated behind the rock as the sound pulsed against into his heart. As Tray finished the earsplitting screech, he stepped away from the crumbling obelisk. Each step shook the stone platform, which groaned at the force. Larox and Horst watched, mouth agape.
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"You gotta be..." Horst whispered, "That can't be our captain. What happened to the others!?"
The beastly man pointed at Horst, his eyes glowing, "This is your fault, all your fault. I'm going to kill you both and then I'm going to consume your corpses! You like that Larox? I'm going to snap your spine and drink the fluids! You're going to become a silhouette!"
Larox slowly climbed back up upon the rock and spread out his arm, he dropped his spear, letting it bounce away from him and roll towards a patch of sand.
"I don't feel like entertaining this crap, Tray. Get over yourself!"
"Don't drop your weapon!" Horst screamed, "He's not Tray anymore! He's a silhouette!"
A laugh echoed and the platform shook as it walked to the edge. Tray's face grinned at Larox as silence descended upon the arena.
-----
From her perch high above even the audience and from the data displayed upon the screens in the suite, Lavinia witnessed everything. She pressed her head against the safety glass.
"I don't want to hurt any of them! Why!? Why!? Why did they do this, why!?" she screamed, her tears hit the glassy surface as she pounded it with her fist.
Alfred watched her calmly; he could see the glowing blue power already forming from the edges of her fingertips. He was certain what he did next would play right into Helen's hands. The woman was far more brilliant than he had previously given her credit for. He fingered a button in his coat pocket; it would activate the MER extraction apparatus in the suite.
"I'm sorry little one, this will be the second time I betray you," he whispered under his breath.
His thumb pressed firmly against the button.
-----
The paper ripped in two before being crumpled and thrown down a waste chute, another followed it, then another, and another. Soon stacks of paper were being ripped. They piled up on Jim's desk until he pushed them to the floor with a swipe of his arm. The office felt empty as he looked around.
A light stain still existed on the carpet. Gentle methods of cleaning were certainly failing. That stain glared at him; he wanted it dead. A woman in a plain dress watched from her position guarding the back entrance. She kept a cool expression and said nothing as Jim tossed his snow globe against the wall. It broke against the spot where the bullet had chipped the plaster. A splash of water darkened the wall. Specks of glitter fell like sprinkled fairy dust with the base and the broken glass. The house remained intact while the glass shards gleamed menacingly.
"Nothing but complaining, nothing but threats! This is the pitiful lot of debris I have to work with. They think only of themselves. They can't see the greater purpose, the greater need. Who cares about the advancement of the human species? Who cares that the family system is over, that free love is chaotic, and neither serves any use!? No, no, we can't have something more efficient, something better! We won't accept it! We have to cling to the old ways even if it means we all go extinct! Why can't they understand that this is for the best!? Why won't they let me implement my program!"
The woman guarding the door narrowed her eyes. But when he glanced her way, her expression softened. She knew where the cameras were aiming at any given time.
"My program is crucial to the continuation of the species! It's crucial to the evolution of the species, the perfection of the species. We can't let evolution take its time, if we don't help it along, we all die! It must be mandatory! There's no room for antiquated thinking. I won't allow it anymore! But these insects on the board clinging to my father's corpse, they won't accept it, they want to live like there's nothing wrong. Like this bubble will last forever, like there is no stinking glob of tar infested with countless myriads of MER! Idiots, ungrateful idiots! I tell you this Io, it may not be until I am long gone, but I will be the one recognized for saving the human race. No one else, not my ignorant fossil of a father, no one but me! I want every capable woman who isn't an old hag gathered up, segregated, and outfitted for service. Everything will be regulated appropriately. They will understand, or they will die. Simple as that!"
Sweat dripped from his brow as he fell back into his chair to grab a towel. Paper that had been shredded by hand was spread about the room. Jim looked pale; his arms fell limp against the rests of his padded chair. He looked to Io and waved his hand in a semicircle. Io knew what he was asking for would lead to a direct revolt, open revolt, but she said nothing. She'd relay his orders exactly as directed.
"Could you be a darling and pick those papers up for me, just toss them down the chute. And while you're at it, clean up that glass, I don't want you to accidentally step on it."
The front door opened and Helen stepped through to see that Jim was awake, he looked to be in a rather foul mood as well. She had mistimed her abilities, it rarely happened, but this was the worst time for it. She walked to the front of his desk and got down on one knee, her head went down humbly.
"I'm sorry, I'm so deeply sorry for leaving prematurely, but you were sound asleep and there were tasks you had set for me that needed completion. Please forgive me, I didn't know what to do!"
She looked up at him slightly, half in tears.
"There, there darling," Jim said calmly, "I'm not upset, a little hurt that you would leave me without waking me first. But these things reveal more about yourself than anything. I know you're looking out for my best interests. But we've discussed this before, the best way to do that is to attend to my direct needs first."
"Yes. I'm very sorry. I won't let it happen again. I want to be more perfect for you."
Jim smiled, rubbing her head, "That's a girl, now come to me and sit on my lap, we'll watch the fight together. I'm anxious to see those two grunts killed by their own captain's shade. I wonder if they'll manage to make it entertaining?"