Fan Fiction ❯ Human Alloy ❯ Welcome Home ( Chapter 13 )

“Well, we're not there yet,” I said, dusting my hands off and carefully lowering myself from the edge, hopping down and sliding along the slope. Jalene was pushed and lowered toward me by Kane. Whistling, at the oncoming darkness that lay before us, I turned to Kane.

 

  "Did you want to stop here on the other side?" I asked, ominous clouds still holding precipitate floating silently above us.  Kane surveyed the area.

 

  "Yeah I think that's a good idea, for now anyway.  We had our stretch; we can take a short break.  No <I>huge</I> rushes," he smiled, hands on his hips.  Mercy pounced down, Cale following behind, stumbling on the loose rock.  We were on flat ground now, the stretch of barren ground before us, mountains on either side of us, only a few miles apart.

 

Everything was silent, the air seemingly stale.  I nodded, delicately pushing Jalene's stretcher to the side.  We moved several feet over to a patch of ground suitable to building a fire.  As I set up, Kane looked around, wandering back and forth and Mercy ran ahead, accompanied by Dua.  Cale sat, watching, offering to help.

 

  "I think I have it," I reassured him.

 

  "Oh ok, just set the spit sticks a little closer or your rotisserie stick won't reach," he said with a half smirk, half grimace.  I was weary, but I did as he suggested.  Detail, at the moment, I was failing to notice. Worried, I sighed, meditating a short moment to get my thoughts together. Fixing a light supper with the provisions I had, we ate in silence, all contemplating what was in store for us beyond the realm of shadows we were trekking towards.

 

“What do you think we'll find?” Cale asked nervously, nibbling on his bite of bread. “I've never been back here; all I know are the stories from when I was young.”

 

“I don't think anyone knows but the animals and the creator,” Kane said ominously, shrugging and flipping his hair over his shoulder. Silence.

 

“I wonder what happened to that gryphon,” the twin pondered, sounding as if it were his pet dog that had run away.

 

“Can't say I miss him much,” the blond replied blandly, almost haughtily. I felt as if I'd be sick from eating, so I stopped. Once we had finished, the three of us eating minimally, we packed up. I scattered the ashes from the fire, tending to Jalene's carrier, brushing his hair from his face and meeting the other two who had taken the time I spent cleaning up for their bonding. Their intimate touching ceased once I had approached. Vaguely I wondered what we'd do once night fell. It'd be pitch black. Would we end up camping soon? I knew it'd probably be awhile before I fell asleep—if I fell asleep. We pushed on to travel as much as we could before we were enveloped in so much darkness that I would have to summon a light. That'd still take a lot of energy out of me, the stronger I made it and the longer I used it, so if we had to carry on for a long time, there'd be no doubting that we'd have to stop periodically for me to regain some of my strength.

 

The scenery lay before us really didn't differ too much. Flat, brownish grass, the rock walls off to either side, the foreboding darkness hovering ahead, obscuring everything; I felt as if we were walking into a black hole. Wind blew faintly, rustling what small scrawny shrubs there were. The darkness was soon growing apparent, stealing grey shadows everywhere. For hours we pushed forward, the shadows reaching out to silently slip over us and take us over, soon to be absolute. I couldn't help but think about our entire situation as we traveled. I was sure there was something I just didn't know about. Something everyone but I knew. I had to sort out my thoughts. One by one I filed them in their separate cabinets. I knew the twins, both Cale and Jalene, as well as Kane had been artificially created. That is, cloned from some sort. I also knew they had been `bred' from a natural selection of traits in which the scientist had successfully developed. They were creating humans that would peacefully work and become good citizens in hopes to completely banish any thoughts of war or violence. I also knew that a couple of no-good-doer scientists had fiddled with some of the human's delicate balance of chemicals and genes, vandalizing them. Kane had the uncanny ability that I did, to read minds; he had slight psychic abilities but I knew that also once his key had been unlocked, his full psychic powers would be unleashed and he would reign hell. I didn't know the exact trigger for this, but it was theorized to be under a great deal of stress. A tremendous amount really.

 

Jalene had been a more serenely modified type. He was capable of wrecking havoc, that much I knew, from some hidden violence. Based on my knowledge, these traits had been very specifically modified and recorded so that if we were ever in a war and needed soldiers, these people would be used. It was gruesome, but what with the countries we had against us, the people felt it necessary; who wouldn't want a short-lived war in which the soldiers would be minimally harmed? The original rebel plan was to use these people to our advantage and win back the world we had lost to industry either by intimidation or force. In the end, our dreamed was shaped into the world we had underground, where nature was intone, where animals roamed freely and where a simple human populace could live and survive without destroying themselves. Gin, Root, and I hadn't wanted to destroy the human race but we did want them to understand how important the world was and how they were throwing themselves into oblivion by killing the world and threatening themselves with extinction. Their escape plan was Mars and so far it was working; only tens of thousands of people remained on earth in various places. The countries that wanted to wage war against us were fully populated in the sense that we wouldn't take our enemies into space with us, but other than that, the country we had proudly grown was less than half the size of our smallest enemy country.

 

Our plan was really a shot in the dark, but it was still a shot. Root had used to talk about how we'd gain control over the government and steer the people towards a bright future. I noticed my nostalgia had gotten us far enough to need a light. Kane, Cale, and Mercy followed Dua who flapped shortly ahead of them, his high beam lights cutting through the darkness. I had been walking mindlessly forward, like a programmed robot given no freedom, Jalene's carrier being pushed effortlessly in front of me. I stumbled, regained my balance and jogged to catch up with them. Cale was holding Kane's hand, looking around nervously, cautious, waiting for something to leap out and attack. Kane's face was blank, though firmly set. His eyes were unreadable. I could see nothing ahead of us, save for what the light showed us and the distant shadows of the ground. Soon we'd be wrapped in an impenetrable darkness.

 

“Should I use a light too?” I asked my voice soft but seemingly loud. The others kept walking. I thought they hadn't heard me, but when I opened my mouth to ask again, Kane replied.

 

“No, it's not necessary.” My thoughts continued to wander with my feet.

 

I thought back to Jalene, placidly lying strapped to the stretcher I was pushing along. He wasn't dead. I could sense it. Or was that another thing they had somehow miraculously worked with when the scientists were altering the humans for their perfect citizens? Was it possible to change the cell structure of the entire body and the code that made the specific cells function, so that they would never decompose? Still, the blood should have settled, and what about the signals he had been transmitting earlier? I didn't know anything about those or what they might have done or called and Kane wouldn't tell me. I felt as if everything would be answered if we found the creator. I was doubtful that He even existed, but somehow I was sure enough that I had followed two robots, a twin brother and the young man I had originally planned to use to destroy the government with. I was still going to fulfill our rebel group's plans, if in the least to honor them. Their deaths couldn't go for nothing.

 

“We should rest,” Kane announced, stopping with an upheld arm as if to halt everyone. Cale nodded, leaving Kane and turning to face me. He was pale, his eyes wide under the wavering shadows of Dua's light. The small robotic dragon perched on Kane's head. He swept the light around, giving us a good idea of what our surroundings looked like: brown grass and dusty dirt. Sighing, I sat on the ground, slightly away from the other, Jalene at my side. I hadn't really meant to fall for him. I'm not even sure if it was just infatuation or full-fledged love, but somehow I had managed to stir my hormones for Jalene. We were supposed to have used him. At least, we were supposed to have when he was alive. Now it was only Kane. I had to wonder why I was actually thinking about these things now. Was it because I had so much time on my hands? Was it because before I was worried too much about everything going on? Now the path was clear ahead of us. We'd go see the creator for some answers. The rest of the time left was for thinking.

 

I pulled off the bag with our provisions and threw it in the center of the small ring we had formed, Dua serving as our `campfire.' I wasn't hungry. I unrolled the thick yet light blanket from my back, laying it out to serve as a bed. I stretched out on my side, my back to the others. I wanted to think on my own. Perhaps I could have set up my camp farther away…..Why exactly were we going to the creator again?

 

`To get help from the Rebounds, those cat things and…. What else?' I reminded myself. `To help Jalene, wasn't it? But how could the creator help Jalene? Wasn't he supposed to be dead?' Thoughts swirled in my head. I felt like I had a small grasp on something but I wasn't sure what. I still felt so confused. I was one of the three who had known about the whole plan, the whole beginning…..why was I suddenly the one who felt as if he knew nothing? Maybe because I really didn't know anything. I hadn't questioned it before, but maybe I was scared to now that Root and Gin were gone. Root was our leader and whatever he said to do, we did it. Well, I did it…. Gin sometimes wouldn't. I had used to be so sure of myself, so confident and reassuring, but really, I was the one that needed reassurance. I felt like nothing without someone to hold onto. No matter how long we rested, or how much I had been through, I needed to try to pull my act together.

 

I needed to be strong, for myself. What would Gin have thought? How could I attempt to overthrow a government who was running from their own faults and rebuild the earth I had so long fought to save? Not like this…. But back to the creator. What did I know about him? Nothing except that he had made this whole underground world when I had joined the rebel group and learned of their base. He was the one that had made this whole underground world, and the lives that sustained it. If he could preserve the animals and plants to well, even underground and with an artificial sun no less, was it possible to revive a dead person? Or was there some way Jalene wasn't dead? Hadn't I thought that before? Wait, I knew Jalene probably was, by some small chance alive, but I also kept forgetting what he was. The soldier the scientists created. What was it they had said about these people—the people like Jalene Banks…..something about their slightly altered cells and immune system and high metabolism. They had been made to withstand injury much better, especially critical wounds, but that didn't mean they couldn't die. By some margin, Jalene was alive, but I didn't know for how long or how badly he had been hurt.

 

It was quiet again for a few long seconds. Kane and Cale were conversing softly to one another, where I couldn't hear them. I closed my eyes and tried reaching out to Jalene's mind. There was still that impenetrable barrier. It frightened me. But somewhere behind it I could feel a strong pulse of life. Something beckoned me. Concentrating, I cautiously peeked forward into his mind. There was a dream. A nightmare. I could feel the rush of confusion and fear. A dark rainstorm swirled viciously around, thunder roaring with wind and rain, lashing out unmercifully, lightening streaking down, catching a tree on fire. It struck other trees, all of them either exploding or set ablaze with angry red flames. Fire rained down, hissing and smoking with the pummeling water. The heat was unimaginable, the smell of burning wood, charcoal, sulfur was undeniably strong. What captivated me was a single person, sitting, his head on his knees, his arms wrapped around his legs which were pulled tightly up to his chest. I approached him. It was Jalene. Only, it wasn't. He looked at me, and I could see behind his left eye an utter madness. I stumbled backwards, not expecting to see some inner demon taking him over. Shadows fell over him as he doubled over, twisting into some grotesque shape, or perhaps out of agony of something within.

 

It all went blurry like water colors running off a canvas before I would watch. I had been unconsciously running away, and although my will was strong enough to stay, something stronger had pushed me away. This dream hadn't meant to be seen by me. I withdrew completely from his mind, slightly annoyed but hopeful. His mind was firmly blocked but he was definitely still alive. Was it possible the bullet had stopped just short of his heart? I hadn't felt his breath or heartbeat before but maybe I was so frantic that I hadn't really looked. Was he in a coma then? I didn't really know. My mind wandered on. The Legends. What did I know about those? I knew some of the stories but they were very vague. It was said the Legends were these great things, neither machine nor human but a product of both. The Legends knew both sides of the story and would one day serve justice to the world. It was something like a fair judgment for the people. They were what balanced the world between human life and industrial life. Once either side was unbalanced horribly or the human population threatened, the Legends were said to be called on to gather where their justice would be served. They weren't described other than that they weren't human or machine. Were they an animal of some sort? Something extraterrestrial? Was it even something alive?

 

I guessed it depended on who thought of what kind of justice though. I shuddered to think about how people these days thought justice was done by spinning people on a wheel and seeing how lucky they got. These people were all whacko. Pushing the thoughts out of my mind, I attempted to sleep but to no avail. I tossed and turned restlessly. Dua had dimmed his lights enough to allow everyone sleep. Cale was curled up with Kane, the blonde's arm thrown over his lover's waist. Eventually I think I had fallen asleep but I have no idea how long. I woke up to see the other two shuffling around, murmuring to each other. I caught Cale's attention by sitting up, rubbing a numb shoulder I had slept on.

 

“Good er… morning?” he tried. I smiled wearily, thinking about what I had promised myself last night about being strong.

 

“Somewhere in this world it is morning,” I replied, standing up and stretching. Whether it was morning here was hard to tell; everything was still dark, faint shadows playing off in the distance where light was found far off.

 

“Eat on the go if you're hungry,” Kane said evenly, looking at me. I offered him my fatigued smile. I don't think I had really slept at all last night, but I nodded, collecting my things and sticking whatever fruit I had pulled out of my sack. A pear. Jalene was pushed ahead of me.

 

“How much further do you think?” I asked between mouthfuls, trying to replace some of the warmth that had seeped out of my voice several days ago. I felt like a worrisome mother, trying to be strong once her child has left for college.

 

“Not sure,” Kane shrugged. “Not too much farther though. I can feel it.” He was right. I could feel it. Not only did the darkness press on us so we were nearly suffocating and so thick that you'd be blinded and completely lost within days, but it sent odd tremors through my body. Something was moving within that cover of darkness. We stayed close together, attempting to maintain our pace despite the fact that Dua was our only light source. Again I asked Kane if he wanted me to bring forth my light.

 

“No!” He replied so firmly that it almost startled me. “No, it's alright. We're fine with Dua,” he finished calmly, apologetically.

 

We continued on as we had before until quite unexpectedly—Dua's shining eyes blinked.

“My battery is running low,” he commented casually, as if he had back up batteries and there was nothing to worry about. Kane said nothing, not bothering to answer Cale's quizzical look. I shrugged when the white haired boy looked over his shoulder at me for an answer.

 

“We're almost there,” Mercy reassured us. I wondered what would be in store for us. I wouldn't know though, at least not at that moment, for Dua's lights blinked in rapidly succession before shuddering and failing. We stood in the darkness a moment. I took a deep breath and summoned a light. It wasn't as strong as Dua's but it was enough to see by without getting ambushed or taking a tumble down the side of a cliff. Cale smiled nervously as I trailed Jalene on his stretcher by my side, taking a slight lead but unsure if this was the right direction or not. Who knew, maybe we were missing it by a long shot. Maybe it was a small shack in the very middle. Maybe there wasn't anything at all. I could feel my energy slowly being drained. Magick was like alchemy. In order to gain something, something of equal value must be sacrificed. That is the law of equivalent trade in alchemy. That meant that my own energy was being used, and since human bodies were one of the least efficient things on the planet, my energy was being expended quickly, even for such a small light. It was small, but strong.

 

We'd been walking only twenty minutes before I was panting, feeling light headed from the expenditure.

 

“We're there,” Kane announced. With relief, I looked up to find two small lights welcoming us. I extinguished my own, and we followed them to see a large structure ahead. It appeared to be a tangled mass of thorny vines, as thick as Redwoods, when those were still around. They twisted upward, to form something we couldn't see since it was beyond our field of vision. Huge scythe like protrusions, the thorns, were wickedly curved and probably sharp enough to skewer all of us at once, no problem. We stood in awkward silence. We were here but what was here exactly? I looked to either side to see nothing but darkness. The torches shining merrily before us seemed ironic since the whole scene felt so chilling. It was indeed deathly cold though. I hadn't noticed but because of the lack of light it was freezing. I shivered, rubbing my arms for warmth.

 

“Now what?” Cale asked in a small voice, clutching Kane's hand.

 

The blonde ran a hand through his hair.

 

“I'm not sure,” he admitted. “Can you run a scan?” Dua tried one, Mercy already knowing its futility had gone to sniff at its base.

 

“Scan reports negative,” Dua relayed. That was no good. The fox quietly sat down, head cocked to one side, watching us, mystified. Kane touched the side of the building, standing there, as if entranced.

 

“It's breathing,” Cale said in awe, his own hand to the structure. Indeed it looked like it; the massive…whatever it was, was pulsing gently. Slowly, with a groaning creak, the twisted vines began to unfold. It was as if it was some huge, living, thinking plant that knew who we were. Did it know we were seeking the creator and His knowledge, or was it merely luring us into a trap to be eaten? The plant thing ceased its shifting and Kane slipped in, followed by Mercy and Cale. Dua was perched on a thorn above and between the two burning torches.

 

“Aren't you coming?” I asked the small blue dragon. He shook his small head, fluttering his wings.

 

“I will go no farther but wait until the return of my friends. I've been instructed to find help if you are not back within a day,” he replied. I nodded.

 

“You coming?” Kane asked, somewhat gruffly, but voice controlled, calling through the slanted doorway the building had formed for us. I pushed Jalene's stretcher before me, through the slant and climbed in after them. Behind us the building creaked and groaned back into its original position. We were trapped inside until we either found a way out or were let out. Taking several steps forward, Cale clinging to Kane's arm, I surveyed the scene. The floor was black and white checkered marble tiles, rather dirty from lack of cleaning. The walls were the twisted vines, spiraling up somewhere into the shadows. Ahead of us were torches in brackets on wooden columns, keeping a straight forward path lit for us. We were here. I wasn't sure what I felt. I was curious about the structure, whether I was here to learn a grim truth or just to explore to prove the stories true or false.

 

“Let's head on,” Kane suggested, although it sounded more like a command. There was no turning back. I took a breath and pushed on behind the two. Mercy's footsteps clipped shortly against the marble, resounding and falling dead with the three other pairs of footfalls as we headed down the lit isle to see what lay before us. We reached a heavy wooden door with brass handles and steel hinges. Kane pulled it open, not bothering to knock or check to see if it was locked. Jalene twitched on the stretcher, but I hadn't noticed. My mind was focused solely on the anticipation of what lay ahead. Honestly I had no idea what I was expecting. Maybe something like an old dusty crypt of run down equipment and some old guy, perhaps attached to life sustaining wires, frail and weak, unable to do anything but live until his will power was extinguished. Maybe I expected a room full of those Rebounds, just hanging around in some candle lit place. Maybe this ingenious creator was a female, not like the expected male mastermind. Maybe I was expecting something like a factory, or, I even reasoned, a laboratory with many different workers, higher as a rebellion group. The Rebounds were on our side after all.

 

I thought I was prepared for almost anything, and truthfully the room that laid behind the door wasn't so shockingly outstanding that it left my mouth gaping like a goldfish, but it wasn't something I probably would have considered. The room was bright. I had to lower my eyes and blink, my hand instinctively covering them. Once adjusted I looked up to see a throne built on steel stairs that branches off to either side on ground level. The whole structure was about twenty feet tall, housing a comfortable looking chair. A person sat there, gadgets attached to his body, for use of a proper pronoun since I couldn't tell what gender they were. There were wires and pipes tracing through the room. A faint clicking and buzzing sound was emitting from the throne, followed by silence. A grey Rebound loped down the stairs, passing us with a quick pace and glancing at us. Mercy stood solemnly to our left.

 

I heard a sigh, or at least thought I did. The person at the top of the structure stood, removing his arm from something resembling a gauntlet attached to an arm rest, pulling off a piece which fit over the head like a visor, and another which fit over the eye. He wore very plain clothes and had long dark hair, just past his shoulders. The man looked young; no younger than either Kane or Jalene. His eyes flickered to us but didn't linger as he descended the steps. His hair was a dark, dark glossy black; his eyes a piercing blue. He stopped just short of us, his footfalls sounding and fading as they rebounded off the metallic stairs. He gave us a quick look up and down, as if sizing all three of us, Jalene, and, Mercy all in one glance. The young man wore a faint smiling, his eyes slightly narrowed and glinting. I wasn't sure whether we should say anything or not. It was rather awkward. My heart was still pumping adrenaline, hoping with all my heart that this man could fix Jalene.

 

He passed us into a door on our far left, where the Rebound had disappeared.

 

“If you wish,” was all he said, his voice low but beautiful, cold all the same. I looked to the others a little nervously. Kane remained unfazed; Cale looked like he had ants in his pants, and Mercy looked quixotically lost. The young man's steps had died away before anyone made a move. Kane walked briskly forward, but seemed as if he was in no hurry. A sensation crept upon me, as if I should fear something ahead, but I had no idea what, so I proceeded cautiously. We entered the next room past another large, heavy, ornate door and into a long hallway that wound in a counter clockwise circle, gradually sloping upward. The carpet was red velvet, lined with torches on brackets on a wall of stone. Apparently, at least part of the structure wasn't the huge thorny thing we had entered. Mercy lingered slightly ahead of the other two, I, as always, somewhat behind, unsure of what I was expecting, whether it'd be something jumping out at me, or if perhaps fearing Kane himself. I wasn't sure if he had been so stressed lately that just maybe he'd lash out. I was afraid to check his mind and see what he was thinking.

 

Feverishly, I walked, jumping about almost every little thing, nervous but still trying to collect my bearings and myself. We reached another fancy, heavy wooden door. Kane wrenched the door opening, throwing his shoulder against it to keep it open, entering behind us. I felt wary with him at my back, keeping him in my vision out of the corner of my eye. Once he was in front again, I looked around. The first thing that tore my eyes away was the musty, closed up smell. Dust had collected fairly well, as if the place hadn't been cleaned in a while, which was true—parts of the room had inches of dust while the rest was spotless. This was what I had envisioned the room to look like.

 

In the centered was a heavily padded leather chair, surrounded by a small desk which wrapped around in a three quarter circle, with piles of papers, several weights, several balances, two flasks of equal size which left stained marks on the papers. The sides of the relatively small room, for it was only small because of the clutter, shelved many books, at least half of them with papers and leaflets sticking out. The one wall to our right, behind the desk, and on the wall across from us had six large tubes, the kinds you'd see spawning something living. All of them were drained and empty.

 

The young man sat calmly behind the desk, his fingers laced, and his small, polite smile chilling. I shifted uncomfortably.

 

“Can I help you?” he asked. He seemed annoyed that he had visitors. Was this the creator? Wasn't the creator of this whole underground supposed to be old by now? He seemed so young though…..maybe a descendant of the original creator then? Kane said nothing, Cale looking to him expectedly, eyes glancing towards the young man on occasion, but still there was no response. The man tapped his fingers together. I was about to respond when I saw him cock and eyebrow, sitting up and peering over his desk.

 

“Um, sir, we came for your help,” I said, unsure of myself but hoping I sounded as if I had more leadership than I felt.

 

“Did you now?” he asked softly, standing, both hands on his desk before walking around and meeting us. He stood several feet away but I could tell he was curious.

 

“Twins I see,” he said after a long second of silence. The man was shorter than I was, but not by much. My height made me feel a little more comfortable, but still, something about this man was very foreboding. “Interesting. So what kind of help do you need, my dear friend?” He suddenly seemed as if he was playing the nice, warm, friendly host, but the cold edge to his voice chipped my confidence. Cale stood nervously to the side. I felt trapped, cut off from the protective group. Both Mercy and Cane stood solemnly, saying nothing. My radar went off on high alert. I took a step back.

 

“You must be Yue,” the man said, a lazy grin spreading delicately across his face, enjoying how anxiously aware I was.

 

“Do I know you?” I asked calmly, despite how unnerved I was. He chuckled.

 

“I should hope so,” he replied, still grinning, taking another step toward me, his hands placed at the foot of Jalene's stretcher. “I'm the creator. I made this place, and everything in this room…..everything, that is, except you and that boy.” The creator looked to Cale, that maniacal toothy smile still pasted on, nice and wide. Cale paled as those deep, icy blue eyes fell on him, and he trembled unconsciously. His eyes were wide and worried.

 

Did he mean he was the maker of this soldier race? The young man laughed again.

 

“Or did you want a name? Call me Alexander, but I doubt it'd have much meaning to you.” He backed up a step to survey us.

 

“Alexander,” I asked, a little more boldly, “as the creator of this then, will you help us?” I still didn't trust this guy but what else could I do? What was the point in coming here for nothing, just to run away without gain?

 

“I hadn't thought I'd see these again for a long time,” Alexander muttered to himself, his grin falling for a moment before turning into a smile. I was still wary. He sighed. “Very well. Over here then.” Alexander beckoned for us to follow him, pushing his dark raven hair over his shoulder, and so we followed him into another room, the door squished between a large life sustaining tube and a bookcase, this one made of steel. The room we entered had a surgeon's table near the back, perpendicular to the door, tubes of pinkish red liquid bubbling in the life tubes that framed the walls. There was a glassed in pit with a control station in the middle of the room.

 

Alexander led us over to the table.

 

“Put him here,” he said, indicating Jalene. I hovered the stretcher next to the table and helped lift Jean and place him carefully down, the smooth shining steel radiating a dull luster of cleanliness, despite how dark the room was. The only light seemed to be from the tubes of pink liquid and a solitary light over the glass dome. I noticed Kane and Cale stood near the doorway, just as quiet. Mercy sat by their side, her head hung. Cale fidgeted but still, Kane's strange demeanor was worrisome. It seemed as if maybe he was quietly plotting something. I glanced back to the creator. He was looking over Jalene's body with a small, pleased smile; then ran his fingers over Jalene's chest. The boy on the table twitched. I wasn't sure if I had actually caught the gesture or if it had been my imagination, but I was pretty sure Jalene had twitched. A grin crept back onto Alexander's face again.

 

“Perfect. He's in top condition,” Alexander laughed gleefully. “That's good. It's been so long I figured at least one of these things would need maintenance!”

 

I was further confused.

 

“Pardon?” I asked, perplexed, my palms sweaty. Was it just me or was it stuffy in here? An acrid tang hung in the air, not too noticeable but nonetheless disturbingly bitter. Alexander grinned, pulling something out of his pants pocket that looked like a pair of surgical clamps.

“You might want to be careful,” he warned in a low, chilling voice, “I don't know whether his system will get a data overload or merely get a jump start. Either way you might be caught off guard.” Jump start? Overload?

 

“What do you mean?” I asked firmly, brows furrowed. He only smiled and pulled Jean's shirt up leaning over the boy's calmed face to locate the bullet wound. I glanced to the others. Cale was the only one who seemed to show emotion. He was nervously backed up toward the doorway, having given up on clutching Kane's hand, staying to see how things went, but ready to flee if anything should get out of hand. The creator extracted the bullet. Jean convulsed, a spasm rippling through his body.

 

I was slightly shocked at the unexpected reaction, despite Alexander's warning, but I stood where I was, watching in something of a wonderment mixed with fear. I felt guilty for being relieved that Alexander had strapped the boy down.

 

“Ah good, he's still functioning,” the creator observed.

 

“What is this all about?” I asked softly. He merely raised an eyebrow at me.

 

“You came here not knowing? Ah well I guess not. It's not like there are really very many of you left anyway,” he sighed, leaning against one of the large test tubes, folding his arms. “I don't exactly expect either of you to escape—” he glanced at Cale, “so I suppose I could explain a few things in bold print for you.”

 

“Who are you?”

 

“The creator.” He smiled wickedly.

 

“Of what?” He scoffed, bored that I didn't know.

 

“I guess I should have figured you'd all be so ignorant. Oh well, it can't be helped if you're not perfected; and you can't be perfect if you don't have my mark on you. I am the creator of everything.”

 

“What mark?” I asked, curiously demanding yet fearing his responses all the same.

 

“Oh just a little gene, or program I twisted in is all,” Alexander mocked, still grinning lazily, fiendishly.

“You made the soldier race?”

 

“Soldier race?” he laughed, cold and brutal. “You call it that? Yue, I made the perfect minions.” Minions? “They respond only to my commands. They're nothing but robots. At first I made only robots, those that you call Rebounds, but I decided to have a little more fun. I went from there by introducing a robotic race of animals to the public. Some agreed but most didn't. They didn't want robots being that smart. They feared they might overthrow their petty, `peaceful' existence. So it was back to the drawing boards.” I waited for him to finish but he said nothing, merely keeping his head down and eyes closed. Jean seemed to be breathing, alive again, but still unconscious.

 

“What did you do?” Alexander smirked.

 

“I started creating human robots. At first they were merely altered humans, but after I started running out of sources, I began to create completely robotic humans. You have to admit though, they're very lifelike.”

 

I'm sure I seemed horrified, and in all honesty, I had never expected anything like this, but how many were there?

 

“I founded enough human robots to begin the idea of a corporation called R.A.D.A.R. It was for robotic pets, those cyber puppies and kitties that everyone loved. Soon after that, I had let a flow of robotic governmental officials in. After kidnapping the entire governmental branches and creating synthetic versions, I had the entire government on my side. All I had to do was let out enough robotic people to agree with my new government. It passed. After that, R.A.D.A.R. grew to a corporation which put out robots pets. Soon the ignorant masses accepted them and no questions were asked. Why would they be? They were getting everything they wanted.” Jalene blinked from the stretcher. He groaned slightly, head rolling to one side.

 

“Mmm ah……” I felt sick with worry regardless of what blasphemy Alexander was spewing.

 

“Good, I figured he'd make it. He was one of the few built ultimately for my warriors.”

 

I looked to the creator, disgusted. He only smiled at my reactions.

 

“What do you mean?” I asked, fighting my emotions to remain in control this time.

 

“I think you call them `Legends'?” A Legend?! “Kane's one too.” My head was spinning. I actually stumbled back several steps. But couldn't that be a good thing? Didn't they bring balance? Or did this twisted creator make them to bring his own kind of wicked balance? Alexander's attention was turned to Jalene.

 

“Hello sweetheart,” he crooned softly by Jean's ear. “How are you?”

 

“Where am I?” Jalene groaned. His eyes where open but I didn't think they were focused.

 

“Home.” Jalene blinked several times. Suddenly, his eyes widened and he stiffened, pressing himself against the table in an attempt to get away from Alexander. The creator caressed Jean's face, causing him to cringe and pull away as best he could.

 

“Let's see if anything might be dysfunctional.” Alexander released Jean's bonds. Jalene immediately sat up, wavering slightly before sliding to the ground. He seemed weak, sitting there, both hands on the ground, panting.

 

“Ahh…. You've been going a mighty long time without ample rest, and then suddenly to take a bullet to the chest. Be glad it didn't break your main hard drive or you'd have been out of it a while. Tsk tsk, you must have been roaming since I first created you. I see you took on a new appearance.” Alexander grinned. “But you haven't fooled me. I've always been with you, you know.”

 

I wondered what he meant but then realized: his dreams. The creator had been controlling Jalene through his dreams.

 

“Yes yes,” Alexander replied hastily, reading my mind. “I reminded him who he was… what he was. He buried those memories so deep that it took me a while to have them resurfaced, but I managed.” Alexander bent over Jalene, gathering him in his arms. Jean lay helplessly in his creator's grasp. “Now, my son you should be reenergized. When was the last time you had a nice long sleep? A couple hundred years ago I think, correct? Ahh but you can't run away forever. In you'll go.” Alexander hit a button on the control panel, opening the glass dome to reveal what looked like a hospital bed. I looked to Kane and Cale helplessly, begging them with my eyes to help. Everything was crashing down. Several rebounds walked into the room, both of them in crude human shape. They were frightening.

 

“Please escort these two humans to a room,” Alexander asked. Two rebounds took me by the arm in a strong grasp. I struggled but felt a needle in my arm. They injected me with something. I was knocked out almost instantly.

 

 

***************************************

 

 

I awoke, who knows how long, later to find myself in a well furnished room. There was red satin and velvet everywhere, with a pink plush carpet and drapery. I peeked through the curtains only to find darkness. We were still in our prison. The room was lit with candles, white and pink to match everything else in the room. On a chair, by the bed I was lying in, rested a note and neatly folded clothes. I picked up the parchment paper to read.

 

 

<I>My dearest guest,

 

I'd be honored if you could accompany me for a lovely dinner this evening. If there's anything you'd like to discuss, perhaps we could later over coffee. I'll be awaiting you.

 

 

Your finest,

Alexander</I>

 

 

I was invited to dinner. Did Cale get the same note I did? What about Kane? What happened to him? And Mercy? I focused on the clothes next, setting the note aside on the curtained four-poster bed. A black evening gown and strapped heels to match? Who was this guy? There was a knock at the door. Without even waiting for me to answer, a Rebound in the shape of a loping wolf came in. It bowed, one foot out and head lowered, before speaking.

 

“The Master wishes your presence at the evening meal. You are expected on your own time. He also asks you wear the clothing he has chosen for you, and to feel free to use his facilities. That is all,” the robot said in a gravelly voice before backing out of the doorway, closing it behind him on creaky hinges. I don't know who this Alexander guy thought he was, but he was mistaken if I was going to wear that evening gown. And for facilities? I stood up and looked around the room. A door was to my left, apparently a bathroom, but there were no closet doors. Oddly, there were no bureaus or wardrobes either. It made it that much more blatant that I felt filthy after our trip here.

 

Reluctantly I explored the bathroom to find it was rather nice with a circular tub the size of a Jacuzzi, still rather well kept if not a little dusty. Sighing, I argued with myself whether I should do as I was asked or just go as I was, dirty and grungy. Although my first impressions of Alexander weren't entirely what I had hoped for, I still didn't want to meet a guest in unclean clothes. Against my stubbornness, I conformed and ran a tub of hot bath water. Even though the entire structure seemed to have electricity coursing through it, powering all the labs and equipment, there were no switches to give me light, so instead I bathed by candle light. Once refreshed and wrapped in a towel, I half decided to jump back into my clothes but they were worse of than before I took the bath, so I reluctantly slipped into the ebony evening gown instead. It fit my body tightly, hugging the delicate curves and although I must admit I felt, and looked, sexy, I was still a little embarrassed. It was a halter top with a cinched lavender ring across the breast, matching my light purple streaked hair. The high-heeled black shoes matched perfectly.

 

With the necessary equipment, I made myself presentable, plain as ever, even with the gown. When I left the room, I found an escort.

 

“Please follow me,” the robotic wolf that had come in earlier said, beckoning me. I followed. I was led down a hall that appeared to be made of stone, making me feel as if I was in a fairy tale castle, brackets lining the wall, aflame. At the end of a hall was a cavernous room, a large rug spread out and several doors leading off to various places. I was lead through a northern door into a dining room. There was a table long enough to suit ten people with one at each head. There were dim light in the corners, candelabras on the table, the white table covering a contrast against the dark shadows and win red furniture. Beyond the table in the rectangular room were sitting chairs and a table end with a lamp. Several plants sat ornately in pots at the foot of the chairs. Alexander was at the far head of the table, silverware placed in front of him. I noticed there was silverware for me next to him.

 

“Please, sit,” he said with a smile, offering me my chair. Cautiously, not trusting the guy one bit but not having any other choice, I did so.

 

“You look lovely,” he swooned as I sat, edging away from him. He sipped from a glass of red wine, cradling it in one hand. “Our dinner will be served shortly but please, tell the butler what you'd like to drink first.” I looked to where Alexander had gestured to see a butler decked out in a three-piece suit by my side. I wondered who he was, or if he was human or robot. I had no idea what was real or not anymore.

 

“Water, please.” He bowed and left. The creator sat back in his chair, relaxing.

 

“Now, I'd like to ask you something if you don't mind,” Alexander said, taking my silence as an answer to go on. He held up the vial on the chain Root had given me. My hand went to my neck but I knew it had been taken already. Alexander's eyes narrowed.

 

“Good, you recognize this. I suppose you may have gotten this from a friend of mine, but he's dead now isn't he? Oh well.” I was stunned.

 

“You know Root?” I asked, voice soft, the memories too painful to bear.

 

“<I>Knew</I> him yes. Anyway though, it wouldn't be very good if you had something like this. I'm not even sure it works, but I'd rather not take the chance.” Alexander placed it in an inside jacket pocket, patting his chest. “Ah, your water.” The butler returned, a wine glass filled with ice water and a lemon slice was presented on a silver platter and delicately set before me. Alexander raised his glass as if to toast me, then finished his wine.

 

“Your meals will be out shortly,” the butler said with another bow, leaving us both to ourselves.

 

“Where's Cale? And Kane?” I asked.

 

“Your friends? Ah, they're to themselves. I gave them the option and they decided to have a room together but I promise they're well taken care of.”

 

“What about Jalene?”

 

“Ah what about him? What situation is he in? Well, he's resting, regaining his strength before I have him set things right above ground. He should be in excellent condition.” My head still hurt from processing too much information. Jalene…. He was a Legend……

 

“He's… a Legend,” I said weakly, one hand to my forehead. I felt exhausted.

“Yes, he is,” Alexander replied.

 

“What did you do to him?”

 

“Well, as Cale knows, Jalene was cloned from him, but he was altered in a way Cale never would have guessed. Jalene is nothing but my puppet. I control him and everyone I have made as I wish.”

 

“This whole thing was a play. I was set up to coming here wasn't I? Kane….. he…” I didn't want to think about it. The creator had said Kane was a Legend too. If Alexander controlled most of the populace, including the two Legends, Kane and Jalene, than that meant that everything had been a setup. The humans still remaining had been fed lies. We, the rebels, had thought we were doing good to overthrow R.A.D.A.R. but in the big picture it was more than that. This was the ultimate end.

 

“Root knew….. and Mercy… didn't they?” I asked, my voice quavering, my throat restricting as it knotted up. I swallowed hard.

 

“Oh yes, but I believe Mercy didn't find out until Root told her. That's how I knew about the rebel's plans. Mercy had been your friends for a while, but she is merely a product of my product, still linking back to me.” I hated this guy. He had manipulated us right into his hands.

 

“Why?” I asked, almost on the verge of tears, a searing anger burning in my heart.

 

“Why? The same reason you people would want to overthrow the government I had created for you!” There was a knock at the door, signaling that our food had arrived. Our meals were brought on silver platters and set before us. It both looked and smelled delicious, elaborate with sauces and herbs, beef, vegetables, and shrimp, but I didn't feel so hungry.

 

“Please eat, you'll need your strength.” I picked up my knife and fork with a sigh and slowly, silently picked at my meal. Alexander's wine glass was replenished and again we picked up conversation.

 

“This might hardly be appropriate for dinner conversation, but I know you must be curious. Please ask me anything.

 

`He controlled them,' I thought. `That's what those signals were for, and the dreams….it was so cruel. What else could he use them for? What does he want with me?'

 

“They're so <I>human</I>,” I said weakly. I had stopped playing with my food, looking somberly down at my plate.

 

“Oh yes they are aren't they? I'm very proud of my race. It took me quite long enough to develop but they're well worth it. But do you know why I made them? Why I also created the Legends?” I said nothing but shook me head, my hair sweeping softly behind my shoulders.

 

“I'll tell you,” Alexander said after finishing a bite of his food and leaning forward. “I want the perfect, idealistic world. It's not far from what you want to attain. I'm merely content to sit back and watch the humans evolve and build their lives up only to destroy themselves, but when the planet is threatened, I have to do something about it. So, I send out robots and convince people to leave or I use them in some way, and eventually everything will return to the earth and start over fresh. Intriguing, isn't it?”

 

“These people,” I said, trying to quell my rage. “You said you kidnapped government officials and made robots like them. What did you do to those people?”

 

“Oh them?” Alexander raised his fork as if making a point. “If they weren't half copies, then they were merely escorted to their cells.” I looked at Alexander.

 

“Are they still alive?”

 

“I doubt it. After all, humans don't like much longer than less than a decade of a decade.” I was dumbfounded. “Oh don't worry so much! You humans never liked your government to begin with. I was merely trying to create a perfect one to suit you but humans can be so picky, can't they?”

 

“I-I don't understand…. How can you be living so long?” I asked, but I already knew the answer I feared.

 

“It's not obvious?” Alexander took a sip of his rose wine. “I'm half robotic myself.”