Victernus - Chapter 24
Back in his spot, Namara watched Lynn go over some new research from the lab. Images of a small device floated within the screen, spinning slowly. Interested, Namara propped himself up on the arm rest and tried to see what it was more clearly. The words filtered past him like they were not there, but the image came through clearly. In response, Lynn shoved him back off of the chair and scolded, "Stay down, dog!" Namara whined and then lied down on the floor. He closed his eyes, drifting into a daydream. He saw himself as a wolf, lying down in a field full of red flowers. Someone sat beside him, running one of their hands through the fur on his back gently. Smiling, he watched as a butterfly flew by and landed on his nose. Its wings opened and closed, shimmering in the light. When it flew away, he turned to see who it was that was rubbing him softly. A name could not come to his mind, but he recognized them. They wore a brown fedora and blue overalls. Their face was tired, but he knew that they loved him. He smiled and laid his head over their leg, hoping that they wouldn't stop. Once again, he was where he wanted to be in real life, but in a dream instead. While he did this in his dream, he was brought back to reality by Lynn's screen. He looked up at it from the floor and saw a red tab blinking in the corner. Lynn reached over to it and pressed it, causing it to expand and envelop the whole screen in a red glow. Red lights flashed all over. Lynn growled at it in frustration. As he did so, another warning tab popped up on the side, but it was orange. After pressing it, he read what appeared on the screen and then stood up in complete anger. Pressing a few more buttons, he initiated something and then sat down again, sighing. Namara sat up and watched Lynn closely, as if he was asking about what was going on. His ears perked up and he beat his tail down on the ground a couple times. But, he quickly shifted his attention to the front end of the court when he heard a couple of blasts outside. Yellow lights shined in through the windows erratically. After every few blasts, a dirty explosion sounded. Looking back to his right, Namara saw that Lynn was trembling. He tried not to smile - he didn't want it to be known that he could resist. Instead, he lowered his ears and tucked his head under Lynn's legs, shaking because of "fear." Lynn paid no attention to Namara. The blasts outside of the court stopped. Attempting to compose himself, he stopped himself from shaking and then stood up, bringing his screen up to meet him. As he did this, the large wooden doors smashed open and blew off of their hinges. Lynn shielded his face as they blew across the room. A crack echoed through and wood splinters scattered everywhere. Namara widened his eyes, one half of him wanting to hide and the other wanting to run to see what happened. As the doors and the splinters settled, he caught sight of Mahalia and Athius walking through the doors confidently. They held laser rifles in their hands and not a scratch was on them. He smiled and wagged his tail, but he stayed put. Mahalia walked forward while Athius watched her back. When she got close to Lynn, she raised her eyebrow in confusion and asked, "Namara? What are you doing there?" Namara glanced up at Lynn, unsure of how to answer. Lynn smiled, "Namara is mine now." She pointed her rifle at Lynn and said, "He belongs to no man, if you can even call yourself that. Come here, Namara." He laughed, "He's not going anywhere! It's too late to save him now. His mind is gone, and it will soon be mine forever." Behind them, Athius bent down and beckoned Namara to come with his hand. Namara took a step forward, knowing that it was his chance to escape. Lynn stepped in front of him and shouted, "No! You are mine, dog!" Mahalia shot a blast into the obsidian of the throne and spoke sternly, "Let him go, or I will kill you right here. I don't care if Namara is that way forever. He wouldn't. But, I will not let you take advantage of him." He sighed and stared down at the ground. After pausing to think for a few seconds, he stepped back and then sat in his throne lazily. "Fine..." When Lynn moved, Namara bolted towards Athius. His face was received into Athius' hands openly, and he closed his eyes as his friend touched him gently. The effect of Lynn's device took a few seconds to start wearing off. When it began, the sudden assault of words on Namara's wordless awareness was extremely harsh. He struggled silently with it at first, trying to let it come back slowly. Instead, it came quickly, and he rested on the floor, growling. Mahalia watched both Namara and Lynn at the same time. She asked, "What is it that you want from him, Lynn? Do you want revenge because of who he is?" Lynn waved her away, "That doesn't matter. Leave, before I have to escort you out myself!" Namara's clarity returned to him and he stood up. Reminding himself of his act, he started pacing back and forth across the court, thinking to himself. He spoke slowly, "Lynn... If you ever do that to me again, I will destroy you. Do I make myself clear?" A brief smile appeared on Lynn's face before he answered, "Yes, yes..." Namara turned and walked out of the court smiling, "Good, because I won't say it again." Mahalia grabbed Athius' shoulder and walked out with him while making sure that Lynn stayed where he was. They passed the broken doors and entered the porch that was just outside. The burnt bodies of robots and Lynn's servants were scattered all around. Namara was standing before the bridge that led back to the main city. His arms were crossed and his body seemed tense. When she approached, Namara asked, "What's next? We can't hide anymore..." She put her rifle behind her back and said, "Next, you need to find and cut off the city's power. Athius and I are going to gather everyone in the city and tell them that they can leave before that happens, but we won't tell them what is going to happen exactly - that way you aren't exposed." He nodded and glanced at Athius, who had taken position beside him. "Are you okay with this?" Athius sighed and watched the metal sections of the bridge below him briefly before answering, "Yes. I think it's time for something to change." Before they embarked on their mission and parted their separate ways, Mahalia grabbed Namara's hand. He felt the soft skin of her hand on his pads and wanted to smile, but he felt worry coursing through her. He turned to her and asked, "What is it?" She spoke gently, "Are you alright?" He smiled, "Lynn has no control over me now. Do not worry for me - I will make sure that we get out of this together." Mahalia pulled him close and hugged him. Namara could feel her soft breathing on his chest, calming him even further. Her hands ran through his fur softly, and he responded by running his hands along her back. Neither of them wanted the moment to end, but eventually, they released. When they did, Mahalia reached into her right pocket and pulled out the small tablet that Theo gave her. She handed it to Namara and said, "This is a gift from Theo... sort of. It'll weaponize your implants. Only use it if you really have to." He took it and nodded, "Alright, thanks. I guess I'll meet you at the tunnels?" She agreed, "Yeah... so get going. Let's try to finish this without any more trouble." When the three friends agreed, they split. Namara ran forward, beginning his journey to the undercity, and Mahalia
and Athius walked to the School's courtyard. It was time.
As they expected, the authorities at the School didn't take too kindly to Athius' absence. When he reentered the courtyard for what was probably going to be the last time in his life, the principal and two officials from the palace were waiting by the entrance under the atrium. They were beckoning him to come sternly, but he would not leave Mahalia's side. He kept his rifle ready and his determination in his gaze. When Mahalia and Athius reached the center of the courtyard, Mahalia pulled out another tablet and initiated a meeting alert to everyone in the city, telling them to come immediately. The lights floating around the city pulsed, creating a pattern that flowed towards the school. When the officials under the atrium got the message, they came out to meet them. The principal, a balding man in his fifties, addressed them bitterly, "What is this about? Only the Great Demonstrator can interrupt school activities." Athius snorted, but Mahalia nudged him with an elbow so that he wouldn't say anything. Instead, she responded, "We're here to give you a warning, and there isn't much time left. Everyone must gather here to listen." The principal raised his eyebrow and said, "Well, they'll all be coming now. As for you, Athius, I'm sure you know that being absent from school without reason will result in an audit. The Palace Guard has decided that an expulsion is in order." Athius chuckled and said, "You don't own my life, and neither does this city." He sighed, "Please, do we need to take you by force?" Mahalia smiled, "I'll show you what force is if you so much as touch him." The principal laughed, "What are a skinny girl and a boy going to do to us?" She fired a blast at the ground before them, causing them to jump away in fear. She warned, "Don't provoke me." While they recovered, the citizens of New Selania started flooding into the courtyard from the inside of the school and the streets surrounding it. Thousands gathered around, but they were surprised when they saw Athius and Mahalia standing there instead of Lynn. Some faces were confused, some were frustrated, but most of them were blank. Everyone wore the same grey uniform with the symbol of the city on it. It was as if they were all one person, with the exception of the variations in their forms. Seeing them like this sparked both pity and worry in Mahalia. She was not sure whether or not they would be able to even cope with leaving, as New Selania was all they knew. But, she decided that it had to be done. She initiated a command on the tablet she held, and it allowed her voice to be projected to all of them. She began. "Citizens of New Selania... I'm sure you are wondering why I gathered you here today. I understand that this is only customarily done by the Great Demonstrator himself. But, there is a matter of great importance that must be brought to your attention. First, I have a question. Who here remembers how New Selania came to be? Please, don't be shy." She scanned the faces of the crowd before her, but no one offered an answer. She nodded and continued, "See, you were never taught that. In fact, in your society, only the Great Demonstrator himself knows what happened. He knows of the world before. He knew what it was like. But, he won't share it with you... and that is because in the old world, it was much different. Everyone was different. And before things went downhill, everyone was free to do whatever they wanted. They didn't have to stick to a specific schedule for every day in their existence, and they didn't have to devote it all to science. They could go wherever they wanted, whenever they wanted. The planet we're on a million times larger than this cavern, and yet this cavern is all you have known for four generations. There is so much more life on the surface, and I'm here to tell you that you can have it again. You don't have to be bonded to this way of life anymore." The principal, who was standing behind Mahalia, asked, "What are you suggesting that we do, then? Do you want us to just leave everything?" She glanced at him and then turned her focus back to the crowd. "Not everything - you can bring as much as you can carry, and that includes your research. But, you must do it with the intent that you will not let it rule you any longer." She sighed, "This city doesn't have much longer to keep running like it is. I suspect that you have no more than a few weeks, at best. The only way to escape what is coming is to leave through the tunnels - and you can come with us, or you can go on your own later. If you want to do this with us, meet us at the entrance to the Forbidden Tunnels in one hour. Again, bring only as much as you can carry. I know that for many of you, it will be hard to part with things here - but you must remember that there isn't much left here for you anyway." Someone in the crowd shouted, "I thought that the surface was barren? There is nothing for us there either!" Mahalia shook her head, "We've been there. It's already as green as it's gonna get. All you have to do is take it." She paused, waiting for a response, but none came. Readying her gun again, she finished, "Athius and I will head to the tunnels and wait for you there. You have one hour to meet us. Of course, you can always leave later if you want to, but there's no telling what will happen between now and then. Now is your best chance, but... it's your choice. With whatever you decide to do, good luck.