Sealing Death

by Basil E. Bacorn

  "Oh yeah!" Cassie perked up, "Chrissy, could we use your trailer as transportation?"

  "I thought you'd never ask!" Chrissy squealed, "Let's go!"

  The Cassandra Curse

  “Aphrodite!” a small messenger boy called, walking into her chamber, “You have a, very angry, visitor.” Aphrodite stood up, surprised. “A visitor?” she questioned, raising an eyebrow, “Who is— “

  Aphrodite was cut off as the doors to Mount Olympus flew open. “You!” the blue-haired girl accused, “You made my father fall in love with that woman! My brother is on the run from a Fury because of you! You destroyed my family!”

  “You know nothing, child!” Aphrodite argued, walking forward, “Your father was capable of destroying that family all on his own! I only did what was ordered of me! Now go home, Electra, before you get hurt.”

  Electra turned around and headed back down the mountain. “Mortals.” Aphrodite sighed, turning to fix the cushion on her throne. As she fluffed the feathers, a burst of energy smashed into her back, scorching her pink attire.

  “Silly child!” Aphrodite scolded, “You can’t kill a goddess! I’m immortal!”

  “What is going on here?!” Zeus demanded to know as he stormed in the room, “What are you doing here, Electra?” “I demand to know how I can kill the Fury chasing my brother, since you are the cause of it in the first place!”

  “There are weapons to kill immortals, but you’ll never see them in your short life.” Zeus answered as Electra shot a blue fireball at him. Zeus flew across the room and slammed into the wall. “Foolish mortal!” Zeus scorned, “You dare to take on a god!” “You bet I dare!” Electra shot back, pouncing on the god.

  “Stop this!” Aphrodite called, “You can’t beat an immortal without a weapon like the Silver Shadow!” Zeus shot an evil eye at Aphrodite as Electra grinned. “Now I don’t need you alive!”

  “You still can’t kill me.” Zeus mused, “You don’t have the knife!” “I don’t need the knife,” Electra grinned, “just your immortality!” Electra threw Zeus up against the wall, dodging one of his lightning bolts. With one quick movement, Electra plunged her hand in the god and pulled out a silvery ghost-like substance. “Thank you!” she teased, breathing in the immortal soul, “Now it’s time for some fun, mortal!”

  Electra turned and shot a stream of gold flames at Aphrodite and the messenger hiding behind her. Her pink robes ignited and she fell back as her flesh burnt and her bones crumbled down on her throne.

  Turning back to the frightened Zeus, Electra ignited her fist and punched him in the chest just as Hades walked in with Tartarus’s scepter. “I just shoved Tartarus into that pit where he belongs! Now I’m the ruler of Death!” he announced, walking in, “Electra?!”

  “Oh, Hades!” Electra taunted, “How nice of you to come! I’m sure you know what you all did to me, making my father cheat on my mother with her.”

  “Yes, Cassandra. I just welcomed her to Death after what you did to her.” Hades remembered, “You have certainly overstepped your bounds by assaulting the gods like this. Now, because of your actions, I curse you. The name, Cassandra, shall from this point forward, always strike fear deep in your heart, for by the powers invested in me, Cassandra is the one who shall be your undoing!”

  A red glow flowed over Electra as the curse fell upon her. “Well then,” Electra sighed, “since you are the dead god that placed your little curse, it’s only fitting that you too get what you deserve!” Hades stepped back, but it was too late. Electra blew a wind so strong that the god was blasted back to the Death Realm and landed deep in Tartarus, with his new foe.

  “Pfft!” Electra sighed, remembering Hades’ curse, “Cassie’s definitely not my undoing.” Walking through her empty city, Electra sat on a park bench and sighed. Her brother was probably frolicking somewhere. “So you don’t believe what I said?” the man in black rags began. “Hades?!” Electra yelped, jumping up, “Tartarus sure did a number on you! Wait a second, you’re the one who through Cassie’s band of misfits into my clock tower! But why?”

  “A god’s gotta do what a god’s gotta do.” Hades sighed, “You’ve been thriving way too long without paying the price for everything you’ve done wrong. I was hoping to break Cassandra by making her think you destroyed her loved ones. I did it to assure what’s coming to you.”

  “Well, she took my deals from me, but that isn’t even close to my undoing, so ha!” Electra mocked smugly. “Oh, Electra.” Hades sighed, “You need your deals to survive, having relied on them your entire life.” “Oh really?” Electra shot back, poking the god in the chest, “I did defeat three gods, before I was even immortal! I can take care of myself.”

  “You may have lived over a thousand years, Electra, but you are still the same foolish little girl you were when you were sixteen!” Hades asserted, “Making agreements and compromises is essential in Reality. The slightest slip up of making the tiniest deal could get you dragged to the Death Realm where you would get your designated punishment.”

  “Okay, so you may be right about that, but I know one thing for sure.” Electra reasoned, “Since your curse said a Cassandra would be my undoing, then that’s the only thing that can be my undoing, and therefore, I can bounce back until I’m actually undone by a Cassandra! Ha!”

  Hades stepped back. He knew Electra was right. “I guess I’ll just have to wait.” Hades sighed, “But as long as I live, I will not stop doing whatever is necessary to bring you down!”

  Electra smirked. “As long as you live?” she clarified, reaching in her pocket, “Let me see what I can do about that!” Before Hades could react, Electra stabbed him in the stomach with the Silver Shadow. Doubling over in pain, Hades fell to the ground and turned into dust. With a satisfying grin, Electra yanked out the blade and yipped, “Ta-da!”

  The Internet's Biggest Secret

  A lightyear away from the Death Realm, the gigantic Scarrcedenhogg paddled this way and that, searching for his next meal. A roar louder than that of a million lions rang throughout Reality once more, shaking Realms even remotely nearby. The beast's eyes scanned his surroundings, and took a dive into the Realm of War. Trillions of weapons fell down the monster's many throats, firing until empty. The Scarrcedenhogg wailed in agony as the artillery shot holes in its esophagus.

  "Let's do this thing!" Braddock howled, stomping on the Jeep pedal. The blue vehicle rocketed across the grass and into the portal. They popped out the other side and came to a stop.

  "We don't have time for any more pit stops!" Braddock scolded, seeing Cassie jump out. That kid was past getting on his nerves. She was riding them like a cowgirl in a rodeo! Mr. Braddock growled.

  The sky was a pretty blue, and the grass was green. It was pretty much like a typical Earth-prairie, with a few trees here and there. A red sun hung in the sky, flaming brightly.

  Cassie didn't know why she got out. It was as if something was calling her. She hiked up a hill and looked down. Cassie's eyes grew to twice their size and her jaw fell to the ground, letting loose a stentorian scream.

  "Cassie!" Charlie shrieked, hearing the scream, "Braddock drive!" Mr. Braddock turned the wheel and drove over the prairie and to the hill, pulling up next to Cassie. "What's wrong?!" James shouted. "Don't let Vander and Vanessa see this!" Cassie advised, walking over the hill.

  A bright purple light in the middle of the valley was illuminating the hillsides. The harder Cassie looked, the clearer she saw a human figure stretched out in the center of the light. It was a girl, probably in her thirties. Her feet were strapped down, and her arms were strapped above her head. Cassie squinted and saw that the girl was screaming. Wires protruded from her all over.

  Cassie turned and looked up the hill. Chrissy was running down with the others, holding her bow and arrow. Cassie held out her hand, summoning it to her hand. Nocking an arrow, Cassie aimed at the wires and let the arrow fly. The arrow shot through the air and sliced the wires. Another arrow shot and cut the girl loose
. The girl fell to the ground with a thud and began to cry.

  Cassie waved her hand and transported next to the girl. "Are you okay?" she asked, "Who did this to you?"

  The girl looked at Cassie and then at Cassie's pocket, which held her pink cell phone. "You!" the girl yelled, "It's your fault!"

  The purple glow of the wires faded, and the ground shook. The girl looked up. Cassie looked up. Everyone looked at the sky. A purple glowing net suddenly appeared, and as soon as it came, it seemingly shattered. The pieces fell towards the ground, slowly dissolving. "Congratulations!" the girl snarled, "You broke the Internet!"

  Riley Alicia typed the keys on her laptop as fast as she could. Her term paper was due tomorrow and she only had a conclusion left to do so she could email it to Mr. Brown, her English teacher. She was using this online word processor that was quick, easy, and free!

  Just as she clicked save, the ground shook and she heard a shattering sound. The lights flickered and her internet crashed. "NOOO!!" she wailed, slamming her head on the desk, "I just finished!"

  In Hollywood, Eloise Price shouted into her phone. "Just keep trying!" she begged the cops, "Chrissy couldn't have just vanished!" The building jolted, and Eloise dropped the device. After hearing a loud crash, she picked her phone up and said, "Hello?" All she heard was the droning buzz of an ended call.

  Deep in the heart of NYC, a young girl rushed into her boss’s office. “Ma’am,” the girl began, “the Internet just crashed, everywhere.” "What do you mean the Internet crashed!" the old business woman screamed at her assistant, "It must be her."

  "What do you mean?" Cassie asked, innocently. The girl sat up. "Allow me to introduce myself." she began, "I'm Internet. But feel free to call me The Internet, The World Wide Web, Web, or, my favorite, Webbers."

  The History Of The Internet

  It was 1965, and a group called W.W.W. worked on the first workable prototype of a computer network, but there was no way at the time for science to keep it running.

  "What do you think Miss Adams?" a tall, bald, man at the head of the table questioned, "How can we keep this thing up and running?"

  "The answer is simple, dear." the red-haired woman breathed, pushing a storybook towards the man, "Magic."

  "That's preposterous!" the man laughed, "Magic doesn't exist." Miss Adams nodded at the book. "Open it."

  The man picked up the book and opened it. The pages glowed and reflected off the man's amazed face. "Drop it on the ground." she ordered. Thud. The book spun around and a yellow swirl took form. "Come on, Mr. Hartenburg!" the woman ordered, jumping in. Mr. Hartenburg followed.

  "As you see, magic is real." Miss Adams explained, looking around at the hills around them, "This is an empty realm. The perfect place to set up a, generator. All we need is a baby witch."

  "I can help with that!" a lady chirped. The two turned and saw a blue-haired woman holding a baby, "My name is Electra. I just acquired young, um, Internet, here, in a deal. She's the perfect witch babe. Here's how this is going to go."

  "So the deal is, every realm gets Internet, we get no credit, and no one can know about this?" Mr. Hartenburg confirmed. "Yes." Electra agreed, "And I get to be invited to your wedding."

  "Wedding?!" the two exclaimed. Electra nodded, "Deal?" Miss Adams and Mr. Hartenburg each shook Electra's dainty hand, and took the babe. "Let me help you!" Electra offered, waving her hand over the baby. Glowing purple wires sprouted from the ground and attached to the baby, and it was strapped in place. The baby cried out as it began to glow bright purple, and a ray of light shot into the sky. It exploded into many separate paths, netting out into every realm in existence. "Congratulations!" Electra cheered, clapping her hands, "You just invented the Internet!"

  Several years later, Miss Adams walked down the aisle in her pure white dress. She was getting married to her old business partner, Mr. Hartenburg. They were having a baby, so they figured they should be married when little Linda was born. That, and the fact they were two of the only people who knew the secret behind the Internet.

  Grace Adams placed her hand over her stomach. Linda Hartenburg deserved better parents. People who used a baby to power anything didn't deserve happiness, but here she was, being escorted down the aisle by her father on the happiest day of her life. She was about to become Mrs. Grace Hartenburg! She was going to have her own family!

  "You may kiss the bride." the priest pronounced, smiling. The two kissed and officially became Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Hartenburg.

  Two years later, the couple gave birth to Susan Hartenburg, who went on to marry James Smith, and adopt an evil sorceress baby.

  "I knew that Cassandra would cause trouble the minute I found out she was a witch!" successful business woman, Grace Hartenburg, yelled at her husband, "All our hard work has been destroyed because that child stumbled upon Internet!" "She's your granddaughter, Grace!" Phillip scorned, "She is family! And I am glad that she ended this beast! It's not like we got credit anyway!" Grace huffed at her husband and sat in her recliner. "It's time to make another deal." Grace announced, "And you are going to back me up in this!" Grace opened the secret compartment in her comfy chair and pulled out a bag. "I also got this from Electra." Grace explained, "It is the ashes produced when Poseidon's trident was forged by the Elder Kyklopes! It has the power to make one follow your lead, no matter what they believe."

  "You wouldn't use that on me!" Phillip yelped, backing up. "Watch me." Grace snipped, tossing some ashes on her husband. His eyes twinkled black and he grinned a minatory grin.

  "Let's end this Cassandra issue for good." Grace ordered, standing up. Phillip sighed, "Whatever you say, dear!"

  Grandparents And Internet Access

  "Wait, so you are saying that you're the Internet!" Chrissy yipped. Internet nodded, and explained, "Technically I power the Internet. I was put here in 1965 by, I forget the names. I know it was part of a deal, but since I'm no longer hooked up, I don't have access to the memory."

  "So without you," Will pieced together, "there is no Internet!" Internet nodded, "And something tells me we are in danger now. The ones who did this are probably coming back to fix it."

  "They can't be too dangerous." Stella stated, "1965 was ages ago! They are probably ancient by now!" "Hey!" Internet yelled, "I'm only forty-nine!" Cassie smirked, "You look good, though. But how dangerous could two seventy-some year olds be?"

  Grace packed their blue 1992 Chevrolet Lumina with the essentials: extra clothing, medications, kitchen knives, and a few magical items she had collected over the years. "Phillip!" she howled, shutting the trunk and back doors, "Get out here! It's time to go!"

  "Electra!" she called, while she waited, "I need you!" "How may I help you?" Electra questioned, leaning on the car. "We need to fix the Internet." Grace explained, "And take care of a pest. My adoptive-granddaughter to be precise."

  "You mean Cassie?!" Electra yelped, "I'm going to have to say no." Grace grinned and walked around the car. "Oh well!" she sighed, reaching in her purse, "I thought it would be easier, but I guess not." "I'm sorry." Electra apologized, "But I'm pretty sure the Furies-"

  Electra was cut off as Grace shoved a police taser into her hip. She shook as the electricity shot through her and she crumpled to the ground. "You will help." Grace whispered, opening her purse, "Even if you don't know you are." Grace then bonded Electra with a very thin, silk-like chain. "Gleipnir. The strongest chain in the world." Grace sighed, "Why in the world did she give me all of these goodies?"

  Grace was shoving Electra in the back when she heard a clang. "What's this?" Grace wondered, picking it up. It was a dagger with a pitch black handle and shining silver blade. The Silver Shadow.

  "Let's get out of here." Internet persisted, "Never underestimate someone able to tie up a baby to power a computer network."

  The group walked back up the hill and got in the trailer. "Are we going now?" Braddock asked, impatiently. "Wait a second." Cassie answered, squinting her eyes, "Is that Grandma's and Gr
andpa’s car?" Susan looked out the window, and sure enough, it was.

  "Granma?" Vanessa squeaked.

  The Lumina pulled up next to the trailer and Susan's parents got out. "Mom? Dad?" Susan asked, hopping out of the jeep, "What are you doing here?" Braddock slammed his head on the steering wheel.

  "We're here on business." Grace smiled, looking at her husband, "We used to work for W.W.W. back in '65." Grace walked up to her daughter. "Where's Cassandra?"

  Susan pointed to the trailer. Grace smiled and walked over. "Dad?" Susan questioned, "What’s going on?" Phillip's eyes twinkled and he smiled.

  "Cassandra?" her grandma called. Internet froze. "It's her." she mumbled, "We need to go. Now." "It's my grandma!" Cassie informed, angrily, "She'd never hurt me! And I'll prove it."

  Cassie got out of the trailer and ran over to her grandma. "Hey!" she greeted, "What are you doing?" "Taking care of some long overdue business for one thing!" Grace huffed, taking out the Silver Shadow. "Grandma!" Cassie cried. "You're not coming home alive!" Grace shouted, "And I'm NOT your grandma!"

  What was happening?! What was Cassie supposed to do? She was definitely not going to fight her own grandmother! Even if she did just say she wasn't her grandma.