Troy sighs and buttons his coat. "Probably not. It didn't work six years ago. But it will still provide some much-needed protection."
Mistress types on the sensor on her arm as it beeps. Her eyes grow dark as she reads the message. "Oh, dear."
"What is it?"
"Gabriel."
"Is he all right?" Troy asks.
"Paris's men got him too. He's already with the others. He managed to hide a sensor on his body and he's able to communicate with me when the guards aren't looking. This just got a lot more desperate."
"It's fine. What's one more to fight for, huh?"
"Troy . . ."
"I'm done talking. You go try to find Zodiac and keep in touch with Gabriel."
"Anything else?" Mistress asks.
"Pray for me."
"Of course." Mistress gently kisses his head before pushing him towards the doors. "You're a brave man, Troy."
Troy slides his sunglasses on before stepping through the automatic metal doors to the ramp leading down into the snow. The soft rusty sunlight is barely warm enough to be noticeable on his face, but the light still burns his eyes. As he walks through the busy streets where cars speed by and children play, everything seems normal. Daily life here apparently hasn't changed much. For some reason, Troy had imagined Paris destroying it and slaughtering the citizens. Maybe that's part of his plans.
Troy tries to not look at the blackened land where his home used to be. The only things he has left now are the memories. The pain and sorrow filling his heart only intensify and solidify the need for revenge. Not some fool's pity revenge, but a just and righteous punishment for all the crimes Paris has committed. Too many innocent people have suffered because of him and Uriel.
Oh, Atlas . . . why did it have to end this way? Troy's heart aches for him. Even though they were never the closest of brothers, losing him still hurts. It hurts more knowing that there isn't anyone else left in his once large family. This would be a lot easier if he had someone to help him deal with all these tumultuous emotions and uncertainty about the future.
As he watches Mistress leave in the space transport from the other side of the row of pine trees, Troy takes a deep breath. There goes his final chance at freedom. His fate is now in Paris's hands. What happens from this moment on is out of his control. He can only pray to his guardian, Athena, who has somehow been protecting him all of his life. Does she truly exist, or is she simply a part of his imagination? He may never know for sure, but her mysterious existence in whatever form, is welcome and comforting. Athena will be the one rope he can hold onto when he begins to fall from the edge of his sanity. Troy stops in front of the royal palace.
This is it. Once he steps through these palace doors, there is no turning around, no going back to the life he could have on another planet far from here. But that wouldn't be a complete life, knowing that he abandoned his friends and the love of his life when they needed him most. Troy is no coward, especially not after overcoming so much hardship and loss. Like he has been saying, this isn't about him. If it has to end here, he is fully prepared to accept it with honor and dignity. This will be his selfless sacrifice.
When he reaches out to push open the tall golden doors, they are pulled open from the opposite side by two guards in power armor, their faces hidden behind their silver helmets. They remain silent as Troy steps inside and walks down the long open hall of the vaulted throne room. His boots echo around the icy room, reverberating in the silence against the stained glass and gold chandeliers. He places his sunglasses on top of his hair and looks around. Is anyone here? The guards don't say anything.
From the hallway to the right of the throne, fast footsteps approach down the corridor. Paris runs up to Troy and throws his arms around his waist. "Troy! Hi, Troy! What are you doing here already? Did you come to watch some fights in the arena?"
Troy pulls away from him. "Stop with the games, Paris. You know exactly why I came here."
Paris grins and spins in a circle. "Of course! Are you ready to play my game?" He whistles and a large group of soldiers fills the room with their plasma rifles drawn. "Perfect. Now you don't get to leave. I could have captured you at the wedding, but I wanted to use you as a way to control Nova. Now that she is bending to my will without complaint, I can put you to use for my amusement. You will fight, but no one gets to leave. Everyone will either bear witness to my ultimate cleansing or they will die wonderfully entertaining deaths that I have already planned out in exquisite detail. Now that I have the final launch code for the alpha code, I can finally begin the last preparations for the cleansing."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Guards, go get my other guests and bring them in here. It's time for the unveiling of my master plan. It's so fun to be the villain!" Paris waits until the other are all brought in by guards before reaching to a control panel on the wall behind him. "I'm turning the lights down lower for dramatic effect."
Crazy bastard.
Paris snaps his fingers then a guard hands him a black staff adorned with rubies. He begins pacing across the front of the room, spinning his staff as he goes. "Do any of you know why I am the best person ever? Because I will be the one to lead the universe into a new and enlightened future where perfection will prevail beyond all else."
Dion scoffs. "Perfection? You're a delusional nutcase."
Paris puts his hands on his hips. "How rude. Why do you think you get to interrupt my evil monologue? You have no respect for literary archetypes, do you?"
"Shut up and get on with it. I'm tired of your egotistical babbling. If you're going to do something with us, then go ahead and do it. Is this one big game to you?" Dion asks.
"You must be the dumb brother. Of course, it's a game! Everything is a game because the ending doesn't matter. Each of you is a pawn in my game that I will use and manipulate as I see fit."
"Pretentious prick."
Paris giggles and slams the end of his staff against the polished black marble floor. "Enough! You people are hilarious, but I really do have to get this moving. My adoring subjects are eagerly awaiting the arena fights. Troy, you are my gladiator. I have so much fun stuff planned for you!"
Blice looks like he is about ready to slaughter everyone for Paris just to get this over with. "For the love of dark matter, get on with it!"
"Fine. Someone ask me what my ultimate purpose is. Go ahead. Ask me."
Silver rolls his eyes. "What is your ultimate plan, Paris?"
Paris holds out his arms. "Homeostasis: the constant battle to achieve perfect balance. Life depends on this balance. Organisms seek to attain it beyond anything else. Feeding their hunger, surrendering to sexual urges, maintaining body temperature, all these tedious things drive them and ultimately control them. These beings become slaves to their desires and the natural struggle to stay alive. Look at Nymphs and even humans. We have been trying for so long to fulfill these needs by various means. The first men observed the world around them and learned to adapt to their surroundings. They developed tools to further help their quest for homeostasis. As ages passed on both Earth and Olympus, new technologies were invented to further this goal. Everyone wants security and health. It is these primal needs that have and will continue to dominate and hinder technological and scientific developments. Why waste billions and trillions of dollars or gold on medical research when full homeostasis will never be possible? With the instinctual urge for attaining homeostasis out of the picture, true scientific advancements can be made by those who don't have organic bodies. The universe will finally be unbridled by completely useless issues like hunger, disease, and contagion. All of existence will instead work as one to research and advance technology above all else."
"Aren't those the teachings of Technotheism?" Blice asks. "What is your goal, then?"
"Only in the absence of organic life can technology rule uninhibited."
"Meaning?"
"He wants to end all life." Gabriel says. "He wants to give full control to the n
anobots then wipe out all humans, Nymphs, and animals."
Paris jumps up and down a few times with excitement glowing in his eyes. "Look at you, being so intelligent."
"If you're just going to blow up everything, why put us through this?" Silver asks. "Aren't you just going to kill us in the end?"
"I want to have fun! Can't I have some fun in my life?"
"Oh, I see. You haven't ended it yet because you can't."
"What?" Paris nervously laughs and runs his fingers through his greasy hair. "What makes you think that? I'm more than powerful enough to end it right now. So don't make me angry! You know what happens when you make me angry, Silver."
"There's something you're missing, isn't there? What could that be?"
Paris stomps his feet. "Shut up! Stop it, all of you. This is supposed to be my chance to shine. I'm in control here and you are just animals. You wouldn't understand the workings of it all even if I told you."
"It has to do with Nova." Orion says quietly.
Paris points his staff at him. "I knew you were the smart brother, Orion."
"Where is Nova?" Troy asks.
"Undergoing her transformation to bond with me in the full glory of our unified form. The nanobots will flow through both of us as one body. Check it out. It has already begun." Paris unwinds the bandage from around his right arm.
Troy can't believe what he sees. Before he can regain his composure, he drops to his knees and vomits.
Silver groans and rubs his eyes. "Dear God in heaven. This has to be a trick. Please tell me that's not what I think it is."
Paris giggles as he moves the feminine manicured fingers. "Lovely isn't it? She has such dainty hands. My next operation involves this." He holds up a glass jar. An eyeball is floating in the middle of the liquid. "Now I'll be able to see the world through her eyes."
Dion gasps. "You monster!"
Troy isn't in the mood to play games. "You have to tell me. What else have you done to her? What of Atlas? You've been using his body too, haven't you?"
"Atlas was just my prototype. I used some of his organs for experiments. No, Nova is the real deal. She is becoming perfection. And with that, I am becoming perfect as well." Paris's dark grin only grows as he removes his trench coat then slowly unbuttons his red silk shirt until he exposes his bare chest.
Troy completely loses control. He cries out and hides his face in his hands. He can't look at this anymore.
"Like what you see?" Paris runs his hand over his chest. "I saw her breasts and I knew I simply had to have one. Every part of her body is so supple and smooth. The high concentration of nanobots makes the process so quick. They repair the damaged tissue almost instantly and join with my body without issue. With that merging, I gain more and more nanobots to power my plan."
"I swear on all that is holy, if you killed her, I will slit your bony little neck." Silver threatens.
"Guards, take them away. I have some chocolate pudding to eat. Then I will spend some quality time with my best friend, Troy. Bye bye!"
* * *
Troy slides down the brown stone wall and holds his knees up to his chest. He is still trembling with anger and a newfound level of hatred. Why is everyone staring at him? He wants to be left alone, but they will never allow that. Besides, it's not like they have anything better to do while locked in this cell for gods know how long. There's only one narrow window and that looks out into the arena, probably some cruel move by Paris to make everyone watch the others be killed and tortured. He wipes the hot tears from his eyes and glares at everyone. "What?"
"I've never seen you cry before." Dion says.
"Leave me alone. I want this to be over. I want Nova, Zodiac, and a nice soft bed."
"All at once? That's kinda kinky."
Troy can feel his anger pushing him to the point of snapping. "And of course I'm stuck here with idiots like you. Is this funny to you? How can you joke around at a time like this? Can't you see that we're fighting for our lives against a madman?"
Silver shakes his head. "Troy, get a hold of yourself."
"Don't tell me what to do!"
"Let me handle this. You guys go over to the other side of the room and give us some space." Silver sits next to Troy and pats him comfortingly on the shoulder. "Talk to me."
"I know you're trying to help, but not even your silver tongue can calm me down right now. I can't do this. Did you see what he did to her? I'm going to kill him!"
"Troy, it's gonna be all right. Calm down."
"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down? That demented bastard is cutting up the love of my life and using her body for sick . . . I don't even know what to call that. How can anyone do that to another person? Can Nova even be alive after all of that?"
"If Paris is using sterile equipment and maintaining the levels of nanobots in her body, then there is a possibility that she could make a recovery and be as close to normal as possible in the state she's in. I don't want to give you false hope, but you need to know that the technology exists that could return her to a functioning and productive life. That is, as long as Paris doesn't remove too much."
Troy hides his face from them. "Stop talking about it. I can't deal with this right now. This is only making me feel worse. I need to get some sleep if I can. There's no telling what we will face in the fights tomorrow and I need to be as prepared as possible. I fought for Nova the first time I was here and I'll fight for her again. I will have her back, do you hear me? I will have Nova back in my arms no matter what I have to go through to make that happen. I have suffered for far too long to give up now."
"We are all behind you, Troy. If there is anything you need from us, let us know. We want this to be over as much as you do."
"You all should be concerned with your own fates. I don't want to lose any of you either. You are my friends and my colleagues. At this point, you are family to me. Leave me to face my battles as you fight your own. No one should ever sacrifice anything for me." Troy remembers something Mistress had told him before leaving him here. "Gabriel, you have that communication sensor, right?"
"Shh. Not too loud. This is our only connection to the outside world."
"I need you to try to call Zodiac."
"Has Mistress not been able to find him yet?" Gabriel asks.
"Not a sign of him."
"I already tried. Both his sensor and his cell phone have been off since he vanished on Barren Void."
"I'm worried about him. You're his guardian archon. Shouldn't you do something?"
"What do you want me to do?" Gabriel asks. "In case you've gone completely blind, I have this lead band around my wings, preventing me from using my nanobots for flight. I can't exactly fly from planet to planet with my wings alone. Plus, don't you remember what happened to Uriel at the wedding? Archons and plasma don't mix. If I try anything, those guards will shoot me down without a second thought. I'm as useless as the rest of you."
"But aren't you connected in some way? Can't you tell if Zodiac is in trouble?"
"He's alive. I can tell you that for certain. Other than that, I can't tell you much. We bonded so long ago that the connection has started to fade."
A guard opens the door to the cell and points at Troy. "Troy, Paris wants you outside. Follow me silently and don't try anything. There are fifty guards with plasma rifles surrounding this room as we speak."
Troy stands and brushes the dirt from his pants. "Wish me luck."
The guards drag Troy into the middle of the empty arena to a post and tear his clothes from him. He squints in the bright sunlight that is hotter than earlier in the day. Any signs of winter have vanished with the blazing heat of the coarse sand below his bare feet. Troy closes his eyes as the guards bind his wrists to the splinter-covered wood. He knows what is coming, especially when he hears the whip snap in mid air and Paris's flittering laughter near him. After escaping from slavery, he thought for sure that he would not be whipped again. Troy grits his teeth as someone's hand tousles his hai
r. When soft lips kiss his cheek, his eyes flash open to see Paris pull away from him. What the hell was that? "Did you just kiss me?"
"Maybe. You should be careful not to scream too much. It kinda turns me on. I might have to use you for something else. I already showed Silver that I can establish dominance in more ways than one. Too bad, though. I think he enjoyed it."
Oh dear gods. Troy bites his lip and tries to think about anything else.
Paris's thin fingers crawl over Troy's lips. "Look at how perfectly helpless you look! You are shaking. What's wrong, buddy? Are you scared of my games?"
"Go to hell."
"Tisk tisk. That's not very friendly, Troy." He pushes the corners of Troy's mouth up. "Say it with a smile! We're all happy here. Games are fun, even for the toys. Enjoy the sweet pain. It will free you."
* * *
Gabriel turns his back to the window and leans against the wall. "How long do you think this is going to continue?"
Silver continues drawing something in the rust-colored dirt on the floor of the cell. "Until Paris gets tired of beating Troy and decides to play another game. You know how children are. Once they get bored, they move to something new."
"You're speaking about an adult man like he's a child." Dion says.
"Look at him. Paris is an adult in body only. His mind and emotions are still as if he was twelve. Believe me, I would know. He was my slave when he was that age. That boy out there is still twelve years old inside. He's been hurt so much that not even time can set him free."
Someone makes a whimpering noise and they all turn to look at him.
Silver raises an eyebrow. "Orion?"
"What's wrong with him?" Gabriel asks.
"Oh, I get it. He can't hear Troy suffering like this. That's the problem, isn't it?"
Orion nods his head, still keeping his hands locked tightly over his ears. "I can't listen to it. I've heard him hurting so much lately. I can't take it anymore. Someone do something!"
"There's nothing we can do." Dion rubs his brother's shoulders. "Like Silver said, we just have to wait until Paris stops."
"He's gonna kill him!"
Paradise Forgotten Trilogy Page 52
