Chapter 18 - Sea of Venus(10) - Fractured Mind

I don’t really know what to say. This feeling… It’s like floating down after jumping out of a plane. The streaks of wind cut at your face as you plummet towards certain doom. Suddenly a jerk hits your back and you float to the ground.

The weather is pretty nice today. The breeze wraps me up like a cocoon as I drift to the soft grass like a feather. I grab the gun hanging at my waist to inspect it for the mission.

Strange.

It doesn’t look like a gun at all.

What is this?

My eyes shot open.

Hand on the back of my head.

Freezing cold.

What the fuck is happening?

Ice cube.

Water.

“Urmmph!”

“Oh! He’s back.”

Eyes blurry. Two grey splotches in front of me. What is this? I must be seeing things.

“Um… Hello? Gaius?”

Who’s Gaius… wait… Gaius?

A bell.

Ringing.

Plane.

Mushroom.

Death

My eyes shot open.

Hand on the back of my head. Wait. I’ve seen this.

Freezing cold.

Tastes stale. Yuck.

Ice cube. No. Crushed ice.

“Urmmph!”

Eyes blurry. Hand move to wipe them. Hand move to wipe them. Hand move to wipe them. Han-

What’s that black stick with red and orange bumps?

My hand? No.

Hand move to wipe them. Ha- That’s my arm.

My eyes shot open.

Hand on back of my head. Again?

Not freezing again.

It hurts.

“Urmmph!”

Eyes blurry. What to do?

I can’t solve it. Must stop them.

“Stop.”

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Eyes blurry. Two red splotches in front of me. What is this? I must be seeing things.

“St-oprufffghhhh”

“Har-per?”

“ACK! AUGHH!”

Blurry red oval on the ground. What’s that? Oh.

It’s blood.

*Thud*

Zero opened his eyes and found himself leaning over the glass table. Loud crackling noises could be heard from in front of him as he rubbed his eyes and stretched his back.

The strange woman that claimed to be his mom was holding this big black circular bowl with a metal handle. Green and brown pieces of food sizzled on the bowl as she rocked it back and forth in the air.

The food looked just like a wave gradually rolling and then crashing on the upper lip of the bowl to be forced back into the depths.

A pain shot through Zero’s skull.

The woman scraped the food onto a ceramic plate using a rubber stick and handed the plate to Zero, “Eat.”

Zero stared at the weird pile of shapes, “Uh…”

The woman placed the object into the sink and sat next to him with another plate of food in her hands for herself. Zero stared at the strange brown and green colors on his plate.

“Where’s the straw?”

“Straw?”

Zero rocked back and forth in the chair, “Um… The tube you suck food through.”

The woman stared at Zero, “Have you only been eating paste?”

“Pae- ACK AUGHHH URFGHHH”

The woman’s eyes widened, “Calm down!”

Zero’s eyes rolled back as his body shook in the chair. A deep purple light poured out of his eyes.

“Shit.”

The woman picked up a piece of broccoli, squished it into a paste, and shoved it down Zero’s throat.

As she took her arm out of Zero’s mouth Zero’s body went limp.

“Ah. Did I shove it too hard?”

The woman looked at the boy. There was still purple light. The woman sighed, “Well. That didn’t go as planned.”

Year 4601. First year of the inquisition. Later known as the First Inquisition.

I don’t know what to think about those inquisitor bastards. It’s been a year and it’s almost like they’re trying to steal our jobs. I can’t believe the doctor would be fine with that.

“Hey Gaius. You good?”

I snapped out of it, “Yeah? What is it?”

“You’re benched again.”

“What!”

This couldn’t be possible. Me? I’m the first guardian. I could solve any problem. What was it I couldn’t finish. I saw an inquisitor with a grey veil and dark blue cloak leaning against the wall. I stood up and approached them.

“Hey. You.”

Two piercing green eyes stared back at me.

“I know you have ears.”

The circles under the dark hood continued staring at me. Ugh.

“What is this whole operation about?”

The figure shrugged.

“You’re literally an inquisitor. How could you not know?”

The figure looked away from me. That bastard. He’s not gonna tell me unless I force it. Aight. That’s what you want. Let’s do it your way.

I stomped my foot on the ground leaving a boot sized imprint, “Tell me.”

The figure glanced over at another inquisitor on the opposite side of the hallway. He shook his head. This wasn’t going anywhere. Should I pull out the prototype? Fuck it.

I unclipped a dark blue dagger from my belt, “You want to go at it?”

Two green dots stared at me. Well shit. He really wants me to stab him. I’m not a pussy. I’ll do it.

I raise the dagger above my head, “Last chance.”

“Hey Gaius, calm down. Talk it out first.”

That stupid Guardian. How is he okay with someone stepping on our authority. Newbies these days. Geez.

Fine. A stab you want. A stab you will get.

*Thunk*

No flesh. What? Hand on my wrist. Ah. The other Inquisitor stopped me. Surprisingly strong. It was a weak stab either way. His wrist is twisting funny. I think I broke it.

A high-pitched voice screamed in my ear, “Stop this nonsense!”

I held in a laugh, “Ah. So, you’re a squeaker.”

The white robed inquisitor shook as he grabbed his right arm with his left. He for sure broke it. Wait. That’s no man. Fuck.

“Why are you doing this?”

I don’t know. I just wanted to. What to say. Let’s just go with this, “I’m mad.”

“Why?”

“Nobody will tell me why I can’t be deployed.”

The woman stared at me. That’s a strange yellow eye color. Wait. That’s not yellow. Gold… Gold eyes? Well. Fuck me. I just broke the wrist of a saint. Whatever. What’s done is done. The woman opened her mouth, “Do you really want to know?”

“Yeah?”

“Even if it kills you?”

I laughed. How could knowing kill me? That was a funny statement, “Hahaa. You jest much.”

“No.”

I leaned towards her, “So are you going to tell me?”

“Fine.”

I waited for a second for the grand reveal.

“Chicken.”

Chicken. What’s that? Wait… chicken. Feathered bird. Egg. Chicken leg. Chicken Thigh. Chicken breast. Chicken. Bacon. Slaughter. Chicken. Blood. Chicken. Nail. Chicken. Eye. Chicken. Toung. What’s chicken. What are these words.

An image flashed through my head. It hurts. My head. My head is cracking. My eyes burn. I can’t rub them. Why?

Arm. Rub. Arm? Black stick. That’s…. Arm? No… That’s ACK AUGH.

*BOOM*

“So, Amanda, what happened to Gaius when you told him about the bird.”

A woman in a white robe and golden eyes looked at Dr. Fritz, “The stored ether in his brain exploded. He died instantly.”

“And what of Phobos?”

“Gone. Compressed into a tiny mass.”

Dr. Fritz grimaced, “This is why I wanted to avoid it. Why’d you tell him?”

“He was about to kill a sacrifice.”

Dr. Fritz looked over at Amanda, “So what of your wrist?”

Amanda pointed up at the tube in the middle of the room, “That monster broke it.”

Dr. Fritz sighed, “This is why we’re erasing it.”

Amanda sat down on a stool, “So how are you covering this up?”

“We’re seizing all civilian bolt guns. The politicians wanted that a while ago so it’s a perfect cover up.”

Amanda shook her head, “All because of the word chicken.”