21. Violate
the Dead
Cliff and Eden sped down the northern corridor. They ran into some lost
assassins on the way, but easily made short work of them. Cliff took care of
most of the fighting, while Eden backed him up from long range. The Vice-Captain
was not a relentless killer, and there were two instances in which they were
able to negotiate their way out of trouble without violence. One injured killer
even traded information about the base's layout in exchange for some first aid
supplies that Cliff had brought along.
Now, they had been running for a good ten minutes at full speed, and Eden
was finding it hard to keep up. She tried sending more psynergy into her legs
to help alleviate the fatigue, but it was difficult. Cliff showed no signs of
tiring, while she was already gasping for air.
They eventually came to a four-way intersection. "This is probably
the junction that guy was talking about," Cliff said, examining the new
corridors for any other landmarks.
"Then we might be able to meet up with Vance here," Eden said.
"Should we wait?"
"According to the guy we saved, we'll be at the main assembly hall
soon," Cliff said. "But I still haven't sensed Captain Azuka's aura
anywhere. It doesn't make sense."
"Why don't you go take a peek ahead?" Eden asked. "I
need a rest anyway. And Vance might come back."
"No way," Cliff said warily. "Then we'll all be split
up."
"Cliff, can't you just trust me this once?" Eden insisted. "You
let Vance go, but now you think that it's too dangerous for me? Come on, what’s
the difference? I’m stronger than he is! Is it because I’m a girl?"
Cliff turned around, biting down his anger. "What are you getting
mad at me for? I'm trying to protect you, Eden. Why would I treat you the same
as Vance? You're special!"
"Only because you want me to be!" Eden shouted, losing all the
self-control she’d employed so far. "You don't really care about my
feelings. You just want me to be the frail little princess so you can fulfill
your protector fantasy. You never ask me about how I feel...you never even ask
me about me!"
"That's not true." Cliff shook his head. "Eden, I've
just been preoccupied. You–"
"Yeah, real preoccupied," Eden interrupted. "Preoccupied
with arguing with Vance over the stupidest things–"
This time, it was Cliff's turn to interrupt Eden, but he didn't use words.
Suddenly, his lips were on hers, and his arms were on her shoulders, pulling her
close to him. She kissed him back, if only to prove to him that she had a will
of her own. Then, she stepped back.
"Eden," Cliff said loudly. "I...I love you. But I understand
that I need to prove that I respect you, too. So I'm going to let you keep watch
while I go check up ahead. Alright?"
Eden struggled to nod her head. She could barely breathe, her heart was
beating so fast.
"I'll be right back," the Knight said confidently, then turned
and marched down the northern passage.
The tunnel curved from its original direction, and Cliff soon found
himself at the entrance to a spacious assembly hall. Every table and chair in
the entire room had been obliterated, along with most of the lighting fixtures,
including two diamond chandeliers. Two small doors were visible on the back
wall, but other than that, it looked to be a dead end. Numerous pillars continued
to hold the ceiling up, which made it hard for Cliff to see much beyond where
he was standing. Near the center of the back wall sat a large, golden throne.
Dead bodies covered the floor. Rotting corpses covered each other, some
in similar uniform, and others completely indistinguishable. It seemed as if this
room was where most of the combat had taken place – but who had survived?
He scanned the room for any sign of his captain's aura, but sensed nothing.
Cliff didn't want to consider it, but he knew there was a possibility that he’d
arrived too late.
It was tough to navigate through the makeshift crypt, and Cliff tried
his best not to disturb the dead on the floor. He started to feel a bit uneasy
and suddenly stumbled. His arms flailed about, grasping nothing but air, and fell
backwards. Instinctively, the Knight pushed his hands back to steady his fall,
but they slipped through cracks in the heap of bodies. His head fell backwards,
and he felt the soft material of a corpse's jacket beneath.
Goosebumps rippled down Cliff’s arms as he turned to push himself up. Then,
he noticed the familiar blue shimmer of a Dimensional Knight uniform poking out
from beneath the mound of bodies.
He shoved corpses off the mound until the body was uncovered. He would’ve
recognized the blue uniform anywhere – as well as the face of the man who was wearing
it.
His name was Leoford Gung, one of the most experienced men in the 4th division. A brilliant strategist, yet
here he lay, buried in this puddle of bodies among the despicable trash who called
themselves assassins. Cliff squeezed his mouth shut and grit his teeth, humbly
allowing himself to close the eyelids of his comrade. Something horrible had
happened, or else Leoford would not be lying here, lifeless and cold.
Cliff stood up, wiping dampness from the corner of his right eye. Maybe
it was for the best that I left Eden behind.
Before he could take another step, he felt the crackle of psynergy.
Cliff quickly scanned the energy for any new auras...but found nothing.
A raspy voice echoed through the room. "You're one of the new intruders,
aren't you?"
Cliff couldn't locate the source of the voice. It sounded like it was
coming from everywhere all at once. That's impossible, though...I haven't sensed
a single thing.
Ducking his head around the pillars, Cliff continued to search. "Who
are you?" He tried to sound as peaceful as possible. "What happened
to all the people here?"
"Some of them are dead," the voice replied complacently.
"Some?"
"Yes. Not all. Not yet."
"Then what the hell? Where is everyone? Where are you standing?"
With all the spinning he was doing, Cliff was starting to feel dizzy.
"You look pretty strong..." the voice called to him. "I
think I might add you to my collection."
"Enough games!" Cliff growled, clenching his shotgun.
"Show yourself."
It was then that Cliff saw a body rising from the other side of the
nearest pillar. He dove behind the structure, grimacing as he used the dead like
a cushion. Quickly, he shot a blast of psynergy at the standing corpse, blowing
it to pieces.
That corpse has no aura at all...Cliff scanned the environment. So why is it moving?! They're
all dead...they have to be!
Another one stood up a few feet away. And then another, directly behind
him. The dead shambled toward him, and the one behind him reached for his left
arm.
Cliff spun around and raised his gun to his attacker's head, ready to
fire, but the face at the other end of the barrel was Leoford's. His eyes were
still shut, but now his arms stretched outward, and his legs stood strong.
Cliff shoved his shotgun into his former comrade's chest, pushing him away sharply.
The body crumpled back into the pile.
The other body approached, and Cliff quickly fired another blast at the
corpse's midsection to keep it at bay. In utter disbelief, the Knight quickened
his pace, dashing around the room and searching for the owner of the voice. As
he moved, more bodies began to rise.
"Don't try to resist," the voice chimed in again. "It
just wastes time for both of us."
A dozen bodies now headed for Cliff. Their expressionless faces and glazed-over
eyes stared into his soul, pleading with him to join them. He charged more
psynergy into his shotgun, releasing it in a wide spray and hitting most of the
risen warriors. But as soon as they fell down, more stood up. At this rate, it
wouldn't be long until they overwhelmed him.
"My name is Cliff Walden, from the Guild of Dimensional Knights."
Cliff called out. "I’m merely looking for the other members of my squad, nothing
more! Please, I wish to do you no harm."
"Oooh..." the voice cooed. "Another Dimensional Knight...how
lucky for me. The other ones fell for this trap just like you did. I should
have known."
"What?!" Cliff shouted. "Where are they now?"
"Right under your feet."
Cliff's body began to tremble.
"Here, let me find them all for you!" the voice rasped
happily. "It’ll be a reunion."
The bodies of the remaining 4th division Knights rose from
the ground. Some of them had a few serious injuries, but most looked unscathed.
Cliff's eyes scanned the room, searching for his Captain. If the soldiers
that Azuka brought are here, then surely...
Then, Cliff felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around, immediately
pointing his shotgun in what he believed to be the direction of the stranger.
Before his eyes stood a tall figure wearing an extravagant black hat
covered in roses and feathers. Dark brown curls flowed out from it, winding and
twisting around the emaciated figure. A Victorian-style gown with black lace covered
the entirety of her lanky body, and a corset tied the body’s waist taut and
firm. The dress mushroomed outward below curved hips, spreading out in a wide
arc. A white porcelain mask of a child's face covered the entity’s face, while a
black-gloved hand slowly tightened around Cliff's shoulder.
"What are you?" Cliff asked, struggling to keep his shotgun firm.
"Sshhh," the deadly voice sang to him. She had to be alive,
but Cliff couldn't sense her psynergy aura at all. He noticed tiny threads of
psynergy running from her hand, crawling across his body, invading him.
Cliff tried to pull away, then realized that he could no longer move.
*
"I found it." The sound of Edward's voice finally echoed back
through Frank's cell phone like music to his ears. "Blank papers are
everywhere."
"Good, that's great, Ed!" Frank eyed his rear-view mirror in
fear. Grayson's Benz had gained a considerable amount of ground since he got
Edward on the phone, and things weren't looking good. "Do you see the keys?
We don't have much time."
Frank heard the ruffling of papers as Edward began to speak. "What's
this about, Frank? I feel like I'm doing something I'm not supposed to."
"I'll tell you about it later. For now, make sure you find those
keys."
Edward sighed. "Alright." A few minutes passed and Frank changed
his direction again, scrambling in what little time he had left. Finally, Ed spoke
again. "Hey, I got 'em. They were under this big pile in the back."
"You're doing terrific, Ed." Frank felt a wave of relief wash
over him. "Alright, now it gets tricky. I need you to take those
keys up to Grayson’s office."
Edward did not respond.
"Ed?" Frank quickly prodded him. "You there?"
"Frank, I don’t like the sound of this."
Frank let out a sigh. "Vance, Ed. Focus on Vance. What if Grayson’s
hiding some info in there? What good reason could he possibly have to keep it
from you?"
After another pause, Edward conceded. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."
"Good," Frank said. "When you get up there, let me know.
The door should be unlocked." Frank waited a bit longer to let Edward get
inside, but couldn't contain his curiosity for long. "What do you see inside,
Ed? Anything out of the ordinary?"
"That’s weird..." Edward murmured. "There’s another door
behind his desk. Must be a closet or something."
"That’s it, Ed, that’s it!" Frank cheered. "Try the key
ring. One of them has to work!"
Edward fiddled with the keys for a bit until he heard a promising click.
"Whoa...it actually opened."
"And?" Frank asked excitedly. "What do you see inside? How
big is it? Are there any files?"
"Yeah, yeah, I see some files in here..." Ed moaned. "Dear
God, Frank, this place is huge."
"What are you talking about?" Frank's eyes stared ahead, but
he was no longer focused on the road.
"Well, there’s a flight of stairs, a bunch of tables, and these
shelves with all sorts of weird things on them. What the hell is this stuff?"
Frank noticed that his friend’s voice was beginning to strengthen. It almost
sounded like the Edward he had once known.
"Clocks, portals, the Space-Time Continuum... What does this all
mean, Frank?"
"I dunno," Frank said. "Read it all over, just narrate
everything to me as you read. We have to figure out what's going on here, and we
don't have much time left."
Behind Frank’s Geo, Grayson’s Benz
*************
drew near, almost close enough to tap Frank’s bumper. Grayson could finally see
the features on Frank's face now, reflected through the Geo's rear-view mirror.
They had been driving for quite a while, and Grayson was doing his best to make
things as suspenseful as possible. Then, Grayson's sharp eyes noticed the shiny
object to the side of Frank's head, slightly obscured by his greying hair.
"Two can play at this game, Arazia." Grayson flipped a slim
silver cell phone out from his pocket. "Hmmm, now who could you be talking
to?"
He selected the top button on his speed dial, and his associate picked
up in the middle of the first ring.
"Hello, President McCarthy?" Grayson spoke into the phone.
"Are you busy at the moment?"
"Nope," the voice of a small, 11-year old girl answered. Some
chiptune music could be heard in the background. "What's up, Grayson?"
"Hey," he spoke into the phone sharply, "what do you
think you're doing?"
"Sorry, sorry," the voice of an aged old man quickly replied.
"It’s just been so long since you called...I thought you forgot about me
or something."
"No, no, of course not." Grayson spoke soothingly. "I
assume you've kept yourself busy?"
"Yeah," the voice replied. "Thanks for buying me those
new games."
"I'm glad you enjoyed them." Grayson abruptly cut off his buttering.
"Now, we must get down to business. I'm away from the office at the moment,
but I have a crisis of sorts that I need you to handle for me. How do you feel about
that?"
"What do I have to do?"
"First, I’d like you to go check my office. No one else should be
up there, of course. But depending on the circumstances, someone might be in that
room. I need you to go take care of them."
"Alright," F. Douglas McCarthy responded flatly. "'sat
all?"
"Yes indeed." Grayson pressed harder on the gas pedal. "Now
go have some fun."
Next: MechaNix
