by Project Kyle
Sophia continued through the main level and poured herself a hot cup of coffee. She then made her way to the bridge and was saddened to see her commander still wide awake in the pilot’s chair. He was gazing out the front visor and was lost in thought again. It was unlikely he had gotten any sleep, and Sophia wasn’t sure when he would or, for that matter, if he ever would.
She sat at the station closest to him and began sipping her coffee. She figured she’d give it a little time before trying to reach him. However, to her surprise, her commander reached out to her.
“I wasn’t able to tell you before…but you deserve to know.”
“Huh?” Sophia responded. David turned to face Sophia. Dark circles surrounded his bloodshot eyes, confirming Sophia’s concerns that her commander had not gotten any sleep.
“The man who killed all those people…I have seen him before. He…he knows who I am and probably knows more about me than I know about myself.”
Sophia was troubled by what David was saying. There was a lot that was still unknown to her, and the more she learned about it, the more horrific it seemed to get. Still, she had to know what was going on. She wanted to know what they were up against before they faced him. So, she asked David to continue filling her in.
“Please tell me what you know about him. You can tell me anything, you know that.”
“Very well. As you know, I was part of an organization that took advantage of the weak. Cosmic 5 was a group that promised to only proceed with humane and sensible human experimentation. They promised to do experimentation that was legal and respectful. But I was greatly deceived. Little did I know that my research would lead to the torture, mutilation, and deaths of thousands. The things they did to people still makes me sick! Nothing makes my stomach turn more than what I witnessed in my final days of working there…but it wasn’t just a one-sided battle. I managed to get myself wedged between a war. Many of the human experiments stood up to the Cosmic staff and chose to fight back—Hangman, Doll, and the Little Warrior, to name a few. They retaliated, and I couldn’t blame them for wanting to kill us, as we had no business doing what we did to them. Although they did murder many innocent people along with the guilty, I still feel for them. I still understand why they reacted the way that they did—all with the exception of one. Him, the first human experiment ever created on Cosmic 5. One man who went too far, even under the circumstances. Some know him as the Lord of Sorrow, others know him as death itself, but his designation is very simple. His name is Experiment-1, leader of all the Cosmic 5 experiments, and yes, he is the number one criminal on the Deep Cosmos’ most wanted list. He is so horrible that he was able to put Crimson in second place.”
“Experiment-1? Yes, you mentioned him in your…I mean, I heard him mentioned before, he’s just an urban legend, isn’t he?”
“Yes, but I honestly thought he was nothing more than a myth, a false legend that was intended to either scare others or for its creator to gain popularity…until I witnessed him face-to-face. He was trying to kill a dear friend of mine, and I intervened. He responded by taunting me about my past, doing everything he could to break me down, and it worked. As a result, I almost lost my life, as I was too discouraged to fight. The scary thing is that I never told him anything about me, yet he still seemed to know where all my weak points were. It’s like he had been watching me all my life, and given what I know about him, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was.”
“That’s horrible…but we can take him, right?”
“I don’t know. He is fast, smart, strong, and gifted. He’s a master of deception and creativity. There are times where I could’ve sworn I saw him in more than one location at once. His armored suit contains a cloaking device that only reveals the distortion around his body. He possesses a custom sword that can cut through anything; bombs that scream when they explode; vaccines that can kill his victims in horrific ways, which now includes galactic plague. He also has night vision, and his body self-regenerates instantaneously after it receives damage, meaning that he can’t be killed unless every trace of him is destroyed at once. To make matters worse, he obviously has a means of transporting from one side of the galaxy to the other in a matter of hours, rather than days or weeks. I don’t know what to expect, but I do know this: we are playing right into his hands, and there is nothing we can do about it, because he knows what choices we are going to make. Even if I were to set the ship on another course right now, I would only be doing what he predicted I would do. Because he knows people; he knows people better than they know themselves. Our only hope is if we can somehow blindside him, and that’s going to require someone who is unpredictable. I don’t believe that someone is me.”
“David…are you saying we’re…destined to die?”
“No, but we most likely will.”
“What about trying to reason with him? Is it possible that he can be reached?”
“No. He is a raging killer, one that enjoys his work. I once found him standing over the body of a child. When I asked him why he had done this, he simply told me, ‘Life is a game to me, a game that I intend to win!’ He then seemed to vanish into thin air, showing no remorse for what he had done…so no, there is no reasoning with him. He delights in his work too much. I can’t tell if he’s a cold psychopath like Crimson or if he has completely lost his mind like Smiley. What I do know is that those who see his mask rarely live to tell about it. I am almost thankful to be one of the few.”
“I’m thankful you are one of them too. Have you ever seen his face behind the mask?”
“No…at least, not that I know of. That’s the scariest thing about him. He could be anyone. A celebrity, an authority figure, a family member, a friend. Anyone could be him, hiding in plain sight.”
“Wow…that is scary.”
“May I now ask you a question?”
“Of course you can.”
“Back at the freighter, you said that everyone thought you were crazy when you mentioned the two glowing green eyes. Which tells me that you’ve seen him before. May I ask how long this has been going on for?”
Sophia felt a great deal of discouragement settle over her. She hated talking about the things that led to her family disowning her…but at least she now knew she was not crazy. She figured if she was going to tell anyone about this, David would be the one to talk to.
She took a deep breath and revealed as much as she could emotionally handle.
“I first saw him when I was 14. I left my closet door open one night, and as soon as I turned the lights off to go to sleep, I saw his green eyes watching me in my closet. I screamed and yelled for my parents to come save me, but as soon as my parents ran into my room, he was gone. I don’t know how he escaped, but I figured it was nothing more than an illusion that my mind had made up. I was wrong. I kept seeing those eyes off and on throughout my teen years. The worst was when I was by myself. I was walking through the streets of Loss Elton. I was 16, and I had just been kicked out of my house, this time for good. It was midnight, and I had made up my mind that I was going to join the V.T.C., because they recruited young teens to train up to join them. Considering I had no job and had nowhere to go, it seemed like my only chance at survival. I decided to take a shortcut through the dark alleys. I could barely see in front of my face, and as I made it halfway through, I realized that I had made a horrible decision. I began to pick up my pace, hoping to escape before anyone found me…and then it happened. The shadow of a man appeared right in front of me. He began speaking to me, calling me by my own name.”
Sophia stopped, taking a breath and shaking her head as she recited,
“‘Sophia, oh dear Sophia. What a shame nobody cares about you. It must be so hard knowing you will always be alone.’
“He then reached out at me with his hand and stroked my face gently. I was terrified. I wanted to run away…but the fear that he induced paralyzed me. I couldn’t run away; I couldn’t respond. I begin tearing up because I was so scared…and oddly enough, I
think that got him to withdraw his hand. He didn’t really seem interested in hurting me. Honestly, I don’t think he understood why I was so terrified. This calmed my nerves just enough to get a few words out of my mouth. But only a few.
“‘What do you want from me?’ I asked as my teeth began to chatter.
“It was then that I realized that his withdrawal of his hand was not an indication that he wasn’t a creep, and his words still hurt me very deeply to this day.
“‘You are broken beyond repair. I know what that’s like, and I’m so sorry, because no matter what you do, you will never be okay. You are beyond hope, and it’s all their fault…but I can help you. I can put you back together. I can teach you how to even the scales. I can teach you how true greatness can be achieved. What I want from you, my dear Sophia, is your loyalty, your devotion, and the very heart that beats within your chest. Don’t you understand, Sophia; I want your soul! Give it to me, and I will help you. But if you refuse…’ His green eyes lit up, and he quickly pulled out a sword. Before I could react, his blade was resting against my throat. “‘Then I will put you out of your misery, and you won’t have to live as a worthless human being anymore! I will give you time to think about it. If you want to join me, then just say so out loud. I will be watching you very closely, my dear. I will know when you are ready to join. But be warned, my patience has its limits. I will not wait for you forever.’
“As soon as the final word fell from his mouth, he instantly vanished. I never saw him again…until now. I honestly thought that I was crazy. That maybe being disowned by my family drove me to hallucinate, because when I did talk to the V.T.C. doctors about it they convinced me it was all in my head. But now…now I know my life is in danger, just as it was before.”
David’s eyes grew huge. Already Experiment-1 had done everything in his power to harm one of his closest friends, and now he very well could be seeking to do it again; but, it didn’t make sense he would go as far as he had, just to get Sophia’s attention. So, David knew there had to be more to this than just her, and somehow, that provided David a little comfort, knowing that Sophia was not the only target he had in mind.
David leaned back in his chair and started rubbing his forehead.
“I’m so sorry,” he said to her.
“So am I,” Sophia responded. “All of this is my fault.”
“No, none of this is your fault. I don’t know what monster lurks behind that mask, but I know his intentions can’t be good. We must keep fighting him. I’m not going to let him hurt you without a fight. I can’t. He’s hurt too many people already.”
“I know you won’t, and please try to remember that I’ve become a stronger person since then, too. Maybe this is a monster we can overcome together?”
“Maybe. There’s only one way to find out, I suppose.”
Sophia felt a little discouraged at David’s reply. They were clearly overpowered by this one madman, and it was very upsetting, but she had to try to stay determined. David was a brilliant man in her eyes, but he was lacking motivation in this scenario, and although she did not doubt that David would run into the front lines to protect her, she knew he needed her to be the warrior Sophia if they were to both survive, at least for now.
An hour passed, and the other crew members woke up. David put his glasses back on, as he did not want the galactic agents to discover his identity.
Captain Baker was the most alert and awake of the four. Still, he was a bit lost as to where they were headed.
“Where are we going?” he asked.
“We are in route to the planet Obian,” Nerd responded. “It is a jungle planet like Zentar, only this one is much more hostile and primitive. Thankfully, we will not be landing on the planet. There is another spacecraft orbiting Obian as we speak, and regrettably, they too lost a crew member to the plague.”
“I see. How much longer until we arrive?”
“Only ten minutes, and I’m hoping this will be the last one. I was looking for answers to the virus last time. Now, we’re looking for clues to lead us straight to the killer.”
The ship reached its destination, and Nerd deactivated the hyperdrive. The ship entered regular space, and the planet was visible in front of them. It was green, vibrant, and beautiful; about the same size as Earth, home of the first human race. However, if everything went to plan, they would not be landing on it, as their mission was simply to board a nearby spacecraft where another murder had taken place.
Nerd activated the ship’s scanners to search for the ship and was puzzled when nothing showed up.
“That’s odd,” he said. “According to the central commander, there should be a spacecraft on this side of the planet.”
“Do you suppose something could’ve happened to them?” Baker asked.
“Unlikely. If their ship was destroyed, I feel confident we’d be picking up some debris on the scan. My sensors are picking up nothing.”
While David examined the ship’s scanner to make sure it was working properly, Sophia received a text on her communicator. The number was unknown, which wasn’t surprising considering she had gotten a new one only a few days ago at space station 1529 and only had a few contacts on it. She opened the message, and it read:
Unknown: Hey! Is this the phone number for Sophia Nelson?
Sophia: Why yes, haha! Who is this? I don’t recognize the number.
Unknown: Oh… Just a friend of David Bell’s. How are things?
Sophia: Ummm, good, I guess.
Unknown: That’s wonderful to hear. Thank you for taking care of the old kid. He has been quite moody lately, and it’s nice to know he has a little ray of sunshine in his life now that you’re around
Sophia: Aww, of course :) Nerd has been a huge support to me! I’m glad I could be the same to him.
Unknown: I’m glad the two of you are so close! It makes my job a whole lot easier.
Sophia: Speaking of which, you still haven’t told me your name, let alone what your job is. You seem really nice, but it would be a little less creepy if I knew who you were.
Unknown: How rude of me! I tend to be rude at times. I can’t really help it, but I’ll try to do better. Why don’t I say something nice for a change! Things like… I really like the way you’re wearing your hair today. Or, your makeup came out perfect today. I really like what you did with the eyeshadow. It makes your face come alive! Is that better?
Sophia: Ah, no, that’s really creepy 0_0 How did you know how I braided my hair? Wait, is this Nerd or Henry playing a joke on me?
Unknown: And here I was trying to be so nice to you, and look at you, you’re upset! Makes me want to cut your face.
Sophia now felt very uncomfortable. If this was a joke, she no longer thought it was funny.
Sophia: Umm…sir, please stop! How are you observing us? Please tell me!
Unknown: David keeps a security camera on his bridge in case he is…murdered or something. So I hacked into it. Looks like you guys are quite confused right now.
Sophia: Yes…
Unknown: Are you losing interest in this conversation? Bah, you’re no fun. Fine, I will get to the point. I need to ask you a question. Something that I want you to think about and consider.
Sophia: Okay…
Unknown: Do you want to die? Because I’m going to kill you.
Sophia’s heart began to race. She was learning very quickly that her stalker was not a friend at all.
Sophia: I’ve had enough of this. I refuse to believe you and David are friends, and if you can see me, you know I’m two seconds away from showing my phone to him.
Unknown: So much hostility. I’m going to enjoy watching you die
Sophia: Stop it!
Unknown: By the way, would you like to know my real name?
Sophia: I don’t care anymore! You’re a creep!
Unknown: I think you may want to know. It’s important to me that you know.
Sophia: I’m ending this chat!
Unknown: Le
t me tell you my name, and then I will let you go.
Sophia: Fine! What is your name?
Unknown: My name is Experiment-1, and my patience with you has run out.
Suddenly, the room went dark. The interior lights started flashing, the ship’s engines powered down, and the communication screen over by Nerd’s computer activated. The sound of a music box started to play; a soft yet grim melody flowed from it. Nerd cringed upon recognition of the morbid tune that played on. Amelia’s music box. How did he get his hands on Amelia’s music box?
Two glowing green eyes were visible on the view screen. Nerd knew they were in danger and at the mercy of his greatest nemesis. He was about to ask what Experiment-1 wanted with them, but Experiment-1 began talking as soon as he hacked into the view screen.
“Greetings,” he said in a very calm voice. “My name is Experiment-1, leader of the Cosmic experiments. It has come to my attention that someone on your ship has something that I want…” Experiment-1’s voice grew harsher. “Something that I need! And I don’t care if I have to bleed it out of him to get it!” Experiment-1’s voice became very calm again. “But don’t fret. If I get what I want, I will spare your pitiful little lives. If I don’t…well, just sit back and relax. Because the road to death can be…most unsettling…”
Suddenly, the ship’s engines fired up to maximum thrust. Any crew member that was not sitting fell to the ground, and the G-force began to press heavily against them. Captain Baker picked himself up and panicked when he saw that the ship was heading straight for the planet. Nerd was frantically trying to regain control of the ship, but alas, nothing was working.
“I can’t stop it!” Nerd yelled. “He has taken control of the ship. Everyone hang on to something, because it’s going to be a rough landing!”
The ship began to burn as it entered the planet’s atmosphere, and the ride only got rougher as the Iron Heart continued to draw closer and closer to the planet’s surface.
