“As you can see, we don’t have much time to stop it. In fact, we’re already too late, I read that.”
“It was you two,” he accused, pointing the finger. “You broke into the Crash Room and stole the disks.”
“Big deal. I think we have slightly more important things to worry about, don’t you? Like – I don’t know – the impending apocalypse!”
“Apocalypse,” Robyn echoed. “There will be fire everywhere, and so, so much screaming. No blood, but we will swim through oceans of tears, or drown in a sea of corpses.”
“How do we stop it?”
“I don’t think you can. I mean, it’s so late. It’s all set to happen, whether you want it to or not.”
“Whether we want it to?” Carly was shocked. She had not thought that there was anything left which could shock her, but he had left her stunned. That meant that Andrew actually did want it to go ahead. “You know you’ll be going down with the rest of us, right?” Maybe he had not known or believed it before, but it was time for him to. “One of the damned… the condemned… paying for a life of sin… punished for breaking the laws of nature.”
“You know, there’s a circle of Hell reserved for people like you.” Of course, Robyn didn’t know that for certain, she had never been to Hell, but she had an idea that there was. “A special place for arrogant, pricky scientists who think they have the right to play God. And you’ll be stuck there in eternal pain and torment. And every-one will forget you.”
No, Andrew didn’t want to be forgotten. To him, that was worse than being remembered for doing something truly awful. “It’s too late to stop it. But there may be a chance we can slow it down for a while.”
“How?”
“Carly, you may be trying to threaten me with your little friend here but never forget that I am still your superior.”
Carly and Robyn looked at each other through lowered eyelashes, and shared a secret smile that meant that they both knew that he was scared and ready to bow to their every command. Carly was sure she should be horrified that she could smile about this but, in truth, she wanted to smile, rather liking the buzz of having such power over some-one, who had once had control over her. “Superior? Okay.” What was the point of arguing it out now? Carly knew what the situation really was, she was in no doubt that Andrew did too, but decided to leave it on the grounds that it would be a waste of time and breath.
Robyn sidled around the desk to his side and fingered through the mass of papers on his desk. Some of them fell on the floor, but if either of them noticed, they did not move to pick them up. She picked up one paper and read through it quickly, not understanding any of it. “Lots of words. They make no sense to me.”
Robyn planted one foot on his seat and kicked out with just enough to set him sailing across the room and not into the filing cabinet. “Didn’t hit him.” She located the drawer underneath the top. It was locked. It was no effort for her to twist the handle hard enough to break the lock, little metal pieces could be heard shattering and clinking together inside the lock cavity, and yank the drawer open. More papers and other stationery were inside. Robyn took out a handful and dropped it on the floor, then simply brushed the rest to one side until she could see the thing she was looking for. “Bad machine. Easy to break – almost as easy as bone.”
“Computer.” Carly went round and looked at the dusty screen of the laptop. “Is there anything useful on there?”
Andrew stumbled over his words. “P-probably nothing you haven’t s-seen before.” But yes, it was useful to him. He knew how to use the stuff stored in his files, and he was damned if he was going to tell these two little girls what it all meant.
“Oh, you silly little man. You’re already damned… so it really won’t make a difference.” Robyn could practically see the thoughts swirling in Andrew’s head. Absently, she grabbed her hair and swung it over one shoulder, giving him the merest glimpse of a vicious burn. Was that going to happen to him?
He wouldn’t be able to stand a burn like that, and wondered how this Robyn woman could bear it. But he saw that she did not bear it or struggle through it, she seemed to hardly notice it and, when she did, she looked a little proud. Andrew wondered if she was proud of having gone through such torture, probably being scarred for life, and still being here to tell the tale. Or rather show the tale. “Who hurts you? Does some-one hit you?”
“Only when I want him to. He keeps me in check when I’m a naughty girl. I’m a bad, bad little bird. I fly where I’m not supposed to go.”
Carly cleared her throat and looked up. “No argument here.” Her knees started to buckle beneath her, now weak from the pressure of pain she had been resolutely ignoring, and she gripped the desk to stop from falling completely. Robyn clamped one hand over her wrist and held her tight. “Ow! You’re starting to hurt me now.” Robyn released her arm and shrugged.
“Don’t want two bodies to take back. Though we could have a mighty feast.” And she was gone again, into her dream world, lost to fantasy. Carly decided not to pull her out of that world for a few minutes; she seemed happy there at the moment, and Carly could talk to her old tutor for a minute.
“Information. You have it, we want it.”
Andrew rolled his chair back to the desk and stared at the girl he used to be able to tell what to do. God, she had grown up so much since last time he had seen her. Her face was full of fading bruises and healing wounds which, admittedly, gave her the look of a vulnerable child, but something had given her an edge. Where before, she would have been content just to sit back and let things happen, she was different now… wanted to change things. It was humbling to see that quality, that drive in a girl he had taught; even more so to see it in a girl of her tender years – she was only 22. “Carly,” he began, hoping that a softer voice would appeal to the side of her that wouldn’t let Robyn hurt him. “I could tell you everything on those files but there is absolutely nothing there could stop this. There’s also nothing on this earth that could make me tell you that.” If he was going to create a pure world, one where nobody ever hurt each other, why the hell would he want to stop that happening? He told himself that he was not just thinking of himself here, but for future generations to have a nicer world to live in.
“She could. You’re scared shitless of her, I can see it. She’d kill you to get that information, and you know what? I’d watch.” She probably wouldn’t watch, but she didn’t think she would stop it either. “The Earth is about to get burned up and we’re going with it. I wanna stop that from happening because no-one deserves that, no matter how horrible and twisted they are.” No, not even Mika and Robyn deserved tat. Anyway, they had to have some spark of goodness in them if it had been their idea to sae humanity in the first place. Or maybe they just wanted to keep their food supply alive and kicking. It didn’t really matter about the whys; just the fact that they were doing something good had to be enough. “Now, do I have to wake Robyn up, or will you come quietly?” He shut the laptop and clasped his hands together over the top, and spoke two quiet, meaningful words of confirmation. “You’ve changed.”
EIGHTEEN
Mika scrambled to his feet and looked around the room to see who was assaulting him. Of course, there was no-one there. He didn’t understand – it had felt so real, every punch, kick and bruise. It felt real, like it was happening at that moment, but it was all in his head. No-one was in the room with him, and there was no way anyone could have gotten in and out. Except there did not need to be a physical presence in the room to be causing him pain as the scene playing itself out in his head was enough.
It really should not happen, but it had. He had been attacked by the spell to create eternal light, and suffered some adverse reaction. He was remembering the worst thing he had done – only it didn’t really feel wrong, it was nothing special – and he was reliving the moments. Robyn had been taken, at will, to a world popu
lated by the pain of the stars. Whereas Mika had forced himself to travel back to a world populated by the pain of the righteous, of the angels. It was a world that he no longer considered himself to be part of, but a spark of humanity in him had been somehow ignited and he was part of that time, whether he thought he belonged there or not.
It occurred to him that he did not know why he was reliving this right now. Why was he being forced to feel human emotion about a time when he had none? He wasted no extra thought on this, finding himself being propelled to the door by a driving hunger. He didn’t feel very hungry, the need to feed should not have arisen for a couple of nights, but the promise of the purest blood in his mind was taking control. Anything would do – he just needed to feel that warm, silky sensation of fresh blood trickling down his throat. All he would be taking was another meaningless life that no-one would ever notice. So, it didn’t matter who he picked on.
Of course, who he killed had never really mattered to him. It was all about ensuring the survival of yourself, and those you loved.
They were closing in on her.
Annie was lying, dazed, on the floor. She had taken some major punishment over the last hour, and had a certain feeling that they weren’t going to let this end quickly. Why couldn’t they show a little mercy and just let this whole thing be over? But that wasn’t what they did, showing mercy or compassion was not a concept they recognised. Or if they did, they had long since forgotten it.
She saw Robyn and Mika standing over her, so close but looking a little blurred, and felt tears begin to roll down the side of her face. They looked so human at the moment, so ordinary, but they were anything but. Neither had sustained much damage other than cuts and bruises; Annie was sure that she had heard some of their bones break, but also knew that they had a supremely high pain threshold – abnormally so, even for their kind – and looked as though they were ready to go another round. Annie wearily struggled to her feet, sure that her arm was broken. Blood poured from a gash over her right eye and she was bleeding from dozens of other cuts.
“I don’t think I’ve ever hated anyone so much as I hate you two.”
“We aim to please.”
Robyn was ready for more fighting and was a little disappointed when she saw that the so-called Warrior was in no shape to carry on. After a moment, a smile spread across her face as she realised that they could kill her now… and she could get her necklace.
Annie turned and limped away, trying to get up a little speed. She could not turn her severe limp into any kind of run, but at least got a tiny bit of distance between them. She reached into her torn boot and brandished a wooden cross with a pointed bottom. This was the last line of defence between her and them, now that she was injured too badly to fight on, and she held little hope. For a second, the other two hung back and seemed a touch hesitant to move from their safe spot.. Robyn let out a low, feral snarl on sight, the cross not being a thing she feared – fear was of no meaning to her – but something she had an automatic reaction to.
Mika chuckled at her and moved forward. “That all you’ve got left? Not enough little girl, not enough by half.” And he leaped up and kicked it from her grip with a spin-kick. The force and precision of the blow not only took the cross away from her but, sent it spinning into the tree trunk that Robyn was leaning on and buried it there, point first. Robyn moved her head to the side as it whistled past her head.
“You think you are a warrior. Believe me, child, you don’t even know what a true warrior is.” Robyn threw her head back and began to laugh. “Don’t know, don’t know, don’t know. You’ll find out.” It was practically their job to murder this child – this child who thought she was tough enough to defeat them. Her hair was messy, her dress torn, her skin scratched and bloody, but Robyn was having the best time of her life. Her appearance suggested burnt out muscles and severe damage to her body. Neither she nor Mika were showing any signs of slowing down.
So, this is what it was like to go against the world famous Warrior of the Night. Mika could just feel the drive coming from the girl, and he knew that she was something special. “This is the final fight, little girl. Are you ready to die?”
“Let’s finish this.”
“Do we get to kill her now, Mika? She’s all… wrong. And you know how I dislike wrong people.” All this play and no kill. Annie was just giving them the run around, wasn’t she?
Mika nodded and advanced on the seemingly helpless girl. She had become immobilized by fear and the knowledge that she had nothing else to throw at them. Mika and Robyn were famed throughout their circles as two of the strongest and most ruthless of their kind. They both seemed, quite rightly, proud of that fact and were dead set upon maintaining that reputation. Annie knew full well that, had they wanted to, they could have killed her the very first time they had come to blows. But, that wouldn’t have been much fun, would it? This is what it was all about – the hunt, the thrill of the chase. Knowing that lives literally hung on what happened next – it was such an adrenaline rush. And this is what it all came down to – a fight, and a kill. The words seemed somewhat anti-climactic after the tension that had been building between the three for so long. A kill was how every fight ended, but Annie had never before been on the wrong end of the result. Robyn stood over the girl and hauled her up by limp, lifeless arms. Annie had so much strength, so much potential, that she had never even touched.
“There is no good or evil in this world,” she whispered, her voice hoarse as she looked up at Robyn through half-closed eyes. “There’s just power. It’s up to you what you do with it.”
“It is, isn’t it?” She felt Mika rest his head on her shoulder, and Robyn loosed one hand as she cupped his face.
“You want her, I can tell. Desire for her life… it’s coursing through your veins and making you glow.” He did not know if Robyn would like being told she glowed but, to him, she shone with energy and hope. Nothing before had seemed to infuse her with so much life, and Mika didn’t think it would happen again.
Annie was only half conscious but she could still hear and see them standing over her, deep in discussion. With her free, though heavy, hand, she raised it to her chest and closed her fingers around the pendant. She had not removed it since she had been charged with it and had felt a constant stream of supernatural energy ever since. Now, she thought it might have given her all the energy it contained because, for the first time in years, she felt vulnerable. Mortal. “Kill me quickly. Please.”
She didn’t want to fight any more. She didn’t want to suffer any more.
“Giving up already?” Mika wrapped Robyn’s delicate, china-like Fingers in his and looked at her, darkly. “But, we want to play.”
Mika blinked.
Had he really been that evil and uncaring?
It seemed wrong that he remembered all this and could still feel so good about it while it was going on in his head, and then feel so bad and remorseful when he snapped back into reality. Maybe he had changed – the closeness of this New World had ignited the tiny shred of mortal compassion he had left – maybe he was different from the Mika from those days. It was so easy to think up the possibilities of why this was happening but nothing could detract from the fact that it was happening, and he had to work through this before he could return to, what passed as, his normal self. And, suddenly it clicked – he was being reminded of how truly evil he could be. It made no sense at the same time because it wasn’t difficult to get back to that level. Maybe it was not supposed to make sense.
“Robyn.” He had to be with her now. She was the only one who could make this right. She was also the only one who would love a mass-murderer… how many people could lay claim to that? Mika stumbled to the front door and walked to the edge of the road. He closed his eyes and focused. It had never been hard to pick up her scent and it took only a moment before he decided that she had gone left towards the uni
versity.
University – a place of learning. Where children went for a few years and came out as adult. Part of him thought that only children would be foolish enough to want to join the rat race, but another part of him commended the fact that only the young wanted to become something that they weren’t. It was evolution. The one human desire and tradition that did not die when a person ceased to be human. Mika had evolved beyond all human capabilities. There had been no educational institute involved in that process but that kind of transformation took more that most had to give.
It took life.
Although it was dark, the street was dimly lit by streetlights and, he could see the gleam of metal under the moon, he could hear the shouts of emotional civilians, the squeal of brakes and the revving of engines. Not long ago this would have been a heavenly vision for him – chaos and carnage everywhere… a good thing, surely – but now it seemed like hell. It was loud and painful and –
Heading straight for him!
A set of steel bull bars, attached to a speeding off-roader, ploughed into him and he went down beneath it. At the moment of impact, Mika could have sworn he’d seen a look of murderous intent in the driver’s eyes. It was a look he recognised all too quickly… because it was raw and pure and unjustified hate. The large vehicle braked after he had disappeared underneath, one heavy tyre pressing almost five tonnes of car on his chest, pinning him to the road. Mika could feel intense pressure on his chest and knew that, while it would take him maybe a day to fully recover, any human would have been killed instantly on impact. But he was more than happy to play dead for a bit – it was more fun that way – and forced his screaming muscles to relax into the hard surface. The car did not reverse off him as it would any other time, and he could hear the clunk of a door and the crunch of boots on gravel as the driver got out and looked down at him. It took a huge effort to keep a wicked grin from sliding onto his face.
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