by Ramy Vance
Above, from the building that the viceroy had formerly been plugged into, Fred made himself visible. He and Ros’ten were flanked by a host of mythical creatures, almost the entirety of what had been imprisoned in the research cells. Fred raised his hands and pointed at the battle beneath them. “Now is the time to strike back against your oppressors!” Fred shouted before he leapt from the top of building into the thick of battle. The creatures and Ros’ten followed him, the flood washing over the Dark One’s forces.
A bolt of lightning skewered the sky, striking the smallest of the dragons. The dragon screeched in pain as its body fell to the ground, where it split open on impact. Flames burst from the dragon’s carcass, scorching whoever was around. Beth narrowly missed being smashed, only to block the attack of a giant before her, sliding under its legs, and cutting them out from underneath it. She saw José in the corner of her eyes. “Where’s Chip?” she shouted.
José ducked to avoid a plasma shot as he headbutted a screaming goblin. “Can’t find her! How about the viceroy?”
“Working on it!”
“Work together?”
“Get your ass over here then!”
José cut a path through whoever was in front of him until he was next to Beth. Together, they pushed their way through the screaming bodies and the dead that covered the ground. It didn’t take long to find that Chip and the viceroy were still in the main arena.
The viceroy had not strayed far from her throne, her electronic tubes and tendrils still hooked into the liquid steel of the throne. Chip was standing by her side, her eyes glowing bright red.
José pointed his sword at Chip. “You need to snap out of this shit!” he shouted. “We don’t have time for you to be brainwashed too!”
The viceroy laughed as she sat up in her throne. “This is not mind control,” she lectured. “There is nothing to be controlled. Her mind was created by the Dark Lord. It was his to begin with. She merely forgot that. All I have done is to remind her.”
Chip fired her hand cannons at José, who jumped to the side to avoid being burned alive. “Chip, come on, stop!” he shouted. “Don’t you remember me! Don’t you remember who I am?”
Chip smiled and took a step forward, her skin already showing the signs of techno-organic decay. “I haven’t forgotten who you are,” she hissed. “I only forgot who I was, what I was made for. I was—”
Chip was cut off by Beth flying through the air and tackling her to the ground. Beth smashed her shield into Chip’s face as the android attempted to shoot her, sending five hot plasma bolts into the air, where above them all, one of the bolts hit the second dragon in the wings, giving Suzuki enough time to jump onto the dragon’s back and bury his ax deep in the dragon’s microchip. “Two dragons for us,” Suzuki shouted as he leapt back onto Ashegoreth’s shoulders. He looked down to see if he could make out anything in the chaos. “Hey, Ash, can you see anything down there?” he asked.
“Your friends have made their way to the viceroy.”
“Sweet. Let’s bring the party to her as well.” Suzuki opened his channel to Stew and Sandy. “Hey, we’re all converging on Beth’s position. She’s got the viceroy. Give support. If we take down the viceroy, we’ve won.”
Suzuki flinched when he received Stew’s reply. It was nothing but static, the screams of orcs, and Stew’s blood-rage-filled shouts. Sandy replied quickly afterward, “I’ll try to wrangle Stew over there. He’s kind of…in a mood right now.”
Stew’s voice broke through again. “I’m gonna rip your fucking cocks off and skull-fuck you until you shit out your own babies!”
Sandy sighed. “Yeah, he’s having a time.”
Suzuki couldn’t help but laugh as Ashegoreth descended, the smaller black dragon following her. The closer Suzuki got, the clearer he could make out the scene beneath him. José was battling with Chip, narrowly avoiding her plasma blasts, while Beth was fighting off the snaking tendrils of the viceroy, who still had not left her throne.
Ashegoreth hit the ground with enough force to make the forces on the battle ground stop dead in their tracks. She roared, a sound so piercing and fear inspiring that several of the Dark One’s forces turned and ran, only to be mowed down by the soldiers. The black dragon landed beside Ashegoreth and both dragons shot fire at the viceroy, who leapt out of the way, finally leaving her throne.
The viceroy struck back with the tendrils from her back as Chip fired at the dragons. Suzuki launched a fireball from atop Ashegoreth that hit the viceroy flat in the chest as the viceroy’s tendrils wrapped around Beth, tossing her into the air. Stew’s voice could be heard roaring as he leapt over both dragons, landing in front of the viceroy. He grabbed her by the chest and slammed her into the ground three times before kicking her, sending her sailing. The viceroy skidded across the ground, landing next to Chip, before screeching, her tendrils and legs tearing up the ground around her as she ran for Stew. She connected, sending them both sprawling across the ground as her tendrils opened up, sending beams of plasma dancing around her, slicing anything that got near.
Beth managed to slice off one of the tendrils. It didn’t matter; there were too many tendrils streaming piping-hot plasma. The Mundanes and Horsemen backed away as the viceroy carved out space for herself and Chip. The two techno-organics stood backed up against the throne, greatly outnumbered. “I am tired of these games,” the viceroy said as she stretched her arms outward, her tendrils propping her up. Around her, the air started to distort. Large, black portals opened up and a ghastly sound came forth. “There will be order,” the viceroy screamed.
Out of the portals stepped creatures composed of pure black energy. Their bodies didn’t seem to be ruled by space or temporality. Some of them blended into each other, only to rip apart the next second, their immaterial bodies slithering and contorting much as the liquid metal the viceroy and Chip were composed of moved. These demons had bright white eyes that glowed like dying stars, and their whole bodies lit up like constellations. It was difficult to tell if they were living, tech, or something far more disturbing. Sections of their bodies were covered with armor that looked as if it had been cut from the same cloth as the viceroy’s. They also wore HUDS that looked far more advanced than either the Mundanes’ or the military’s.
The demons melded together, flowing like a river of hot lava. They piled onto the two dragons, nearly drowning them in some kind of dark energy. They did not stop coming from the portals. The arena was quickly filling with their bodies as they poured into the fight.
Suzuki leapt from Ashegoreth’s back and landed next to Beth. “We need to end this!” he shouted.
Beth grabbed Suzuki and looked him in the eye, her face determined and grim. “Get me to the viceroy, and I’ll end this.”
“Mundanes, we’re taking the viceroy down! For honor!”
“For glory!”
Stew plowed through the mass of demon bodies, tearing into them with his teeth and swinging his ax as he shouted, “For XP!”
The Mundanes advanced, Stew leading them, knocking aside anything in his way as Sandy backed him up with quick bolts of energy to dispel whatever Stew hadn’t killed. Suzuki and Beth stayed near the rear, pushing forward when they had a chance, their blades slicing through flesh and whatever the demons were made of.
The viceroy’s tendrils snaked out and snatched Stew, pulling him into the air where his struggling meant nothing. It took nearly all of her tendrils though, and Suzuki saw his chance. He ran toward the viceroy, ready to land the killing blow.
Chip stepped out from behind the viceroy and fired three shots. Each one of them connected with one of the Mundanes. Suzuki, Beth, and Sandy fell to their knees, smoke rising from their chests, all of them gasping for breath as Chip walked up to them. Stew was still held above them all as he struggled and screamed. Chip pressed her cannon against Suzuki’s head, and he could feel the muzzle burning a ring into his forehead. Chip stared blankly at Suzuki.
José tackled Chip to the gro
und, knocking her over and rolling on top, trying to pin her hands to her sides. “You’re not touching the kid,” José shouted as he struggled with Chip.
Chip’s face twitched and her jaw came unhinged and stretched open. A plasma cannon pointed at José. She fired.
José slumped to the side. Blood poured from what was left of his neck.
Chip’s face rearticulated and she got to her feet. She looked down at José’s headless corpse, and the side of her face twitched as she blinked rapidly.
Beth grabbed Suzuki’s hand. “Now,” she whispered.
Suzuki was in shock.
He couldn’t block out what he had just seen.
But it didn’t matter.
He saw Beth moving.
He would mourn José later, and he knew José would be proud of that decision.
Both he and Beth ran forward, past Chip, who was still staring at José, blinking as if she were trying to refresh herself. Beth and Suzuki slid past the few tentacles that were not occupied with Stew. Suzuki threw his ax, and it landed in the viceroy’s chest. She screamed in pain as Beth leapt through the air and thrust her sword through the viceroy’s head. Then Beth reached into her pocket and pulled out what looked like a small USB drive. “Fuck your order!” she screamed as she slammed the drive into the viceroy’s head.
The viceroy froze, her tendrils went limp, and Stew fell to the ground. The techno-organic skin started to drip off of her like melting ice. She fell to the ground, convulsing as she threw up liquid silver technology, her entire body shaking as she screamed and coughed blood.
Chip’s scream drew everyone’s attention. Suzuki looked over his shoulder to see that Chip had fallen to her knees and was cradling José’s body in her arms. Tears rolled down her face as she screamed, a sound of pure loss and anguish. For a moment, everyone on the battlefield halted and listened to Chip screaming and crying. There were no words to describe the sound. It was as if she had just seen a piece of herself hollowed out, dead, and bare for her to witness in all its fragility.
The sad serenity did not last, though. Demons were still pouring through the portals. Suzuki pointed to the viceroy’s body and shouted at Stew, “Grab her! Now!” Then he turned to Beth. “Find two soldier’s HUDS and give them to the dragons!”
Beth turned and ran toward the two closest bodies she could find as Suzuki sprinted over to Chip. He grabbed her by her shoulders.
Chip’s face was crushed. She was blubbering and repeating, “I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to.” Her whole body was shaking, and she finally stopped speaking and sat there and screamed until her throat was raw and there was nothing but a harsh whimpering escaping her lungs.
Suzuki shook Chip. “You need to get us out of here!” he shouted.
“I killed him,” Chip wailed. “I killed him!”
“Chip, get us out of here now!”
“I didn’t want to!”
“If you don’t get us out of here right now, you’ll kill all of us! Do it!”
Chip’s eyes cleared for a moment. She looked at Suzuki, and there was no doubt in his mind that whatever had happened to Chip before had been out of her control. She was back now. “Please, we need to leave,” Suzuki pleaded.
Chip nodded, pulled up her HUD, swiped once, and hit a button.
Suzuki felt his stomach turn inside out as he was sucked into a space that was not a space, and then everything around him faded into darkness.
24
Suzuki felt himself spilling out into reality.
He was dumped on the ground, completely disoriented. It was soft and grassy. This wasn’t the swamp, nor was it the caves that they had been in. Something must have gone wrong with Chip’s transportation. Perhaps she was still under the Dark One’s sway. Suzuki struggled to get to his feet as fast as he could. He raised his hand, and his ax jumped from his waistband into it. Even though he couldn’t see anything, he conjured a fireball in his hand as he swung his ax, trying to get his bearings. He heard voices surrounding him. The Dark One’s forces were surrounding him. He was going to have to fight his way out.
“You’re never going to fucking take me!” Suzuki shouted as he waited for a sliver of his vision to return. He didn’t want to hit any of the Mundanes or soldiers. They couldn’t have been teleported too far from him.
A voice came from the darkness. “Please, Mr. Fletcher, calm yourself.” The voice sounded familiar.
Suzuki lowered his ax. It wasn’t out of trust. He had just realized how tired he was. More than tired; he was beyond exhausted. His body felt like it was going to collapse beneath him, and his mind felt fried. Hopefully, whoever the voice belonged to wasn’t planning on killing him.
As Suzuki’s eyes began to focus, he could make out the shape of a tall, older man. The man wore white robes tailored in military fashion. He looked to be very regal, but his bearing was not the consequence of his clothing. Regality was imbued in him from his poise and facial expression. Myrddin, the wizard and the architect of Middang3ard, stood calmly before Suzuki, his hands folded neatly over each other while he waited for Suzuki to compose himself.
All around Suzuki, the remaining soldiers were struggling to get to their feet. Their numbers had been significantly reduced. Captain Wyatt was among them. A little farther away from the soldiers were the Mundanes and Diana. They were all still trying to keep from vomiting as well. Chip sat away from everyone, José’s body still clutched in her arms as she rocked back and forth, sobbing quietly.
Myrddin took a step closer to Suzuki and extended his hand. Suzuki took it and practically fell into the old man’s arms. “You and your friends have accomplished something phenomenal today. We need to debrief you immediately, you and Beth.”
“Give us a minute,” Suzuki muttered. “Wait, Chip!” Suzuki turned, ready to walk toward Chip when he felt an invisible binding seize his body. He was unable to move.
Myrddin walked over to Suzuki and placed his hand on Suzuki’s shoulder. “We will be quarantining Chip until further notice. She still might be a risk. Now come with me, please.”
The wizard raised his hand and Suzuki felt his feet leave the earth. As the wizard walked away, Suzuki floated after him. Beth’s body also rose as the wizard passed her, and she floated along with Suzuki. Captain Wyatt followed at a distance, trying to compose himself and keep from vomiting. There really wasn’t much of a distinction at this point.
The four of them made their way through a military camp.
The tents were emblazoned with the military sigil, and there were guards everywhere. They went to one of the larger tents in the center of the camp. The tent was decorated with odd trinkets and curiosities, the sorts of things that only wizards and mages tend to find fascinating. Myrddin waved his hand, and four chairs conjured themselves into existence. Suzuki felt his body being led to the chair, and he was thankful, if a bit reluctant, to sit down. Beth was beside him, shaking her head and trying to make sense of what was going on.
Suzuki cleared his throat. He still had an odd amount of reverence for Myrddin, even if he hadn’t seen the man since he had been brought to Middang3ard. “Where are we?” Suzuki asked.
Myrddin smiled sweetly as he poured himself a cup of tea. “Tea?” he asked, waiting a second before he went on to explain himself. “You are in an unnamed military camp on the outskirts of the Middang3ard realm.”
“How the hell did we get here?”
“Chip’s teleportation was redirected here by our technicians. That’s one of the faults of tech; it can be very easy to hack if you know what you’re doing.”
“Why did you bring us here?”
“That was the plan all along.”
Suzuki blinked his eyes as he tried to follow what Myrddin was saying. He heard the old man talking, but nothing was making sense at the moment. “What do you mean, the plan?” Suzuki asked.
“Please allow Captain Wyatt to explain.”
Beth had finally come around. She was sitting up straight, stretching h
er jaw out. She had a black eye and a few cuts on her face. Suzuki didn’t even want to think about what he looked like.
Captain Wyatt cleared his throat. When he spoke, it was with the efficiency and formality Suzuki had started to unconsciously attribute to the military. “My platoon was captured in an attempt to infiltrate the Dark One’s largest reintegration encampment. We were chosen because we are the best. But that wasn’t all. We were also counting on you and one of our most promising private’s relationship with you, Suzuki. Through you, we hoped to draw the Horsemen to the encampment to deal with the issue of the viceroy as a distraction we could use to upload a virus into the Dark One’s mainframe, effectively disabling the ringtones being used to control multiple races.”
Myrddin poured Suzuki and Beth cups of tea. Suzuki could feel the grip Myrddin had on him relax. He took the tea and sipped it quietly as he tried to understand what he was being told. “The mission was an overwhelming win for us against the Dark One. Not only were we able to sabotage the Dark One’s mind control, but due to your creativity, we were also able to liberate a goodly number of creatures who would have made all of our lives difficult.”
Anger was welling up in Suzuki, but Beth was the first to speak. “Are you fucking serious?” she shouted. “You’ve been manipulating us the entire time?”
“Not manipulating. We have been planning. The Dark One’s influence stretches too far for conventional tactics. Suzuki would understand.”
Suzuki was too livid to speak. His mind was racing with all of the implications of Myrddin’s meddling. “I would never throw away anyone’s life,” Suzuki finally said.
“Neither have we. You do not win a war without sacrifices. The higher the stakes, the higher the gamble.”
“You knew about Chip? About what Chip was?”
