Gods From the Machine (34 page)

“
What’s happening?” Paul said.

“
The Soul Eater is making the final preparations for launch,” Doctor Numerous’ voice boomed over the loud speaker. “The glass tubing from this room connects to the main lab which has an automated mechanical projector that comes out from the surface every few hours in order to maintain the integrity of the Holy Shield. Normally, this device uses the special formula synthesized by Graves, which projects the invisible barrier that wards and protects citizens from the demons. However, I’ve replaced the formula with a combination of the Dolere Flos and other deadly chemicals of my own creation to form the Soul Eater! That’s the substance you see being transported into the main laboratory. It has taken years to perfect the formula, but I’ve succeeded in creating the ultimate weapon! Once I launch it, the Soul Eater won’t create a shield but unleash a poisonous gas, which will essentially kill everything it touches!”

“
You’ve been planning this doomsday weapon for years now,” Nick said.

“
Yes. Hyperion is just the beginning. According to my calculations, I’ve perfected the plant and made the virus an odorless gas that is virtually untraceable. I’m going to systematically kill entire populations and they won’t even know until it is too late,” the loudspeaker said.

“
Can’t we stop the launch from here?” Paul said.

“
The activation counter has already been set. There’s nothing you can do to stop it now. And even if you could evacuate the hundreds of millions of people that are soon going to be affected, there’s no place in the world where you could hide them all. The radius covers enough to blanket the planet twice over! Now sit back and enjoy the show!”

Nick charged his arms and blew up the loudspeaker with a quick fireball.
“That should shut him up.”

Without another word Paul leapt forward and hacked at the clear pipe. Nick watched the sparks fly as the sword clanged against the glass with a ferocity he had never seen. It was of no avail however, as the glass was built to be much too durable. However despite the fruitlessness, he had continued to strike over and over again until he was huffing and puffing with fatigue.

“Dammit, how could I have let this happen?” Paul said. He was shaking with anger. “I’m going down as the knight who failed to prevent the world from the biggest genocide in history.”

Nick couldn
’t help be feel a bit empathetic seeing Paul so downtrodden. Though they weren’t exactly friends, he also carried the burden of being held in such high regard by his peers. He was hailed as a prodigy in battle and a warrior on the path of becoming the next archangel. His reputation was rightly earned, but none of that would matter if they were all killed.

“
There might still be a way. The tubes feed into the next room, maybe if we tried to manually disable it from there,” Nick said.

“
It shall be no easy task. He’s going to be waiting there for us and he’s already beaten both Garreth and Daniel.”

“
It’s a little too late to be scared,” Nick said.

“
I’m not afraid of battle…I’m afraid of failure.”

“
We’ll find a way. But the first thing we have to do is make sure that this machine doesn’t exist ever again. And since we’re not exactly technological geniuses, that leaves only one clear solution.” Nick charged another fireball and blew up the computer console.

Paul
smirked. “I couldn’t have done it better myself.”

“
We’re going to rewrite history. Your legacy to this world isn’t tied to the success of this mission. Your greatest accomplishment is going to be helping me save it,” Nick said.

Paul glanced around the room, which was torn apart with tiny fires.
“I suppose the plan to use the element of surprise is completely off the table.”

Nick grinned.
“To be honest, I’m glad he knows exactly where we are. I got a little tired of sneaking around. I hope you don’t mind but lately I’ve developed a flair for making big entrances.”

He walked to the door, the only remaining object untouched by the chaotic fire assault and kicked the door down with all his might. The door tore off the hinges along with the pieces of wall it was securely attached to and sailed in the air before hitting the floor with a hard clang.

He was disappointed to find that the one eyed doctor was nowhere in sight. In fact there were no demon guards at all. No Hellbeasts. No Specters. It was completely empty.

“
Where is he?” Paul held out his sword.

This room was much more different than the Plant Room, taking on a more futuristic and cutting edge design. They followed the single glass pathway that was transferring the Soul Eater and it led them to an operating table at the bottom center with multiple computers and bookshelves, which housed the rest of the research. The table next to it had vials and containers for various liquids. All over the walls were little orbs that stuck out. They had a circle outline to them, which suggested they weren
’t there just for mere decoration and could move in and out of socket. The glass tubing feeding the purple poison continued until it stopped at center of the room and into what appeared to be the Soul Eater device.

The
device was shaped like a large pod with cannon turret attached, and had a seat with controls connected to it for what appeared to be used to fire manually. Nick couldn’t believe how close they were to it. How could one machine control the fate of the entire world?

“
Let’s destroy it now!” Paul rushed to the device with his sword drawn.

A crackle
of static sounded just before Doctor Numerous’s voice boomed through a microphone. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You both did good work in creating a mess of my operation. And though you managed to get this far, I assure you it was all by design. Listen to my advice, and turn yourselves over quietly.”

“
So we could line up to die? No thanks,” Nick said.

“
I already defeated the other half of your party singlehandedly. What makes you think you two can do any better?”

Nick caught a glint of red laser sensors as Paul passed through them with his stride. Before he could open his mouth the sensors triggered long met
allic arms that shot from the orbs on the wall towards them like snakes. The ends of the silver arms opened like clamps and they were coming straight at them.

“
Paul!” Nick shouted.

Paul reacted quickly and sliced through the ones coming head on with ease, splitting it in two. It was then like watching a ballet, as the knight ducked and dodged through the ones that came after him from below and behind his peripherals, eventually making his way to the cockpit of the Soul Eater. He twirled his sword in the air, preparing the stab the system and ridding them of the threat once and for all. But it was too soon to celebrate as he was struck by a figure from above.

Doctor Numerous stood on the seat triumphantly, staring down at Paul, who was dazed and shocked by the sudden blow. The few seconds he let his guard down was enough for the tentacles to snare him.

“
I offer my opponents the option to surrender or fight and they always choose the latter. I’m glad, as it makes things much more interesting,” he said. He pressed the large button on the remote control he was holding.

The panels on the walls were actually prison cell compartments, which now slid open to unveil the others in
captivity. Daniel and Paul, bruised and bloody, stood upright with shackles binding their hands and feet against the wall. Paul was lifted and bound to the wall beside them.

All three of them were
lined up and mounted like trophies to commemorate Doctor Numerous’ victories. It was a despicable scene, and the fact that they were being paraded around in their weakened conditions infuriated Nick even more. Although it was obvious this was his plan to elicit an emotional reaction out of him, Nick wasn’t prepared to be this upset.

Unable to watch anymore and contain the force t
hat was Agrian, he charged forward and transformed into his demon alter ego before he tore through the metal tentacles that flew at him, shredding them with ease. With his increased speed and dexterity he was able to move through much faster than Paul. He was driven by bloodlust, and wouldn’t make the same mistake of dropping his guard for even a second.

He
maintained his rhythm destroying every tentacle until the room was cleared and all the sockets in the walls were vacant of orbs. All that was left was the sound of static electricity from broken wires and the smell of smoldering metal.

Doctor Numerous clapped loudly.
“Impressive, Agrian! Truly impressive.”

“
You’ll have to do a lot better than that if you’re planning on beating me,” Nick walked towards him, ready to end this once and for all before Doctor Numerous quickly whipped out a remote control from his lab coat and waved it into the air.

“
Did you honestly believe you could just walk in here and save her that easily?” Doctor Numerous said. “I have a contingency for every possible move you make before you even make it.”

“
What’s that, another doomsday device?” Nick said.

“
No, actually it’s the game changer.” Doctor Numerous pressed the button and a large, vertical steel bed rose from the floor. There standing, strapped by thick metallic bindings was Alyssa. She was unconscious and unmoving.

“
Alyssa!” Nick yelled. His initial instinct was to rush out and attack the alchemist, but he refrained.

“
Not another step!” Doctor Numerous said. “The girl is attached to this contraption designed for testing on people with a rather… unruly disposition. She has quite the powerful will and strength beyond what her stature suggests. Surprisingly, she struggled for a while before I had to discipline her.”

“
Discipline her?” Nick said through gritted teeth.

“
Nothing permanent, I assure you. However, I can inject her with enough Soul Eater to annihilate a small village at one click of a button faster than you can ignite another fireball, so I suggest you stand down.”

“
How do I even know she’s alive?” Nick said.

Doctor Numerou
s caressed Alyssa’s face. Touching her so intimately made Agrian’s urging in Nick’s head go off the charts. “Rise and shine my delicate princess.”

Alyssa
awoke screaming at his sight, the sound of her cry seemed to excite the Doctor, as it infuriated Nick. His emotions swelled up inside, almost surfacing to the breaking point, but he had to remain as calm as possible.

“
Where am I?” Alyssa screamed as the bright lights hit her face.

“
Alyssa!” Nick yelled. It took her awhile before she could locate his voice.

“
Nick, you’re here!” Alyssa stared up at him, almost at the brink of tears. “He did…he did terrible things to me.”

“
Stay calm for now. I’ll get you out of there soon,” Nick said. Just hold on a bit longer, he thought. There’s bound to be a way out of this.

“
Now that you know she’s alive, I urge you to stand down, otherwise I can easily change that,” Doctor Numerous said.

Nick hesitated at first, but reverted back to his normal state an
d put his arms behind his back.

“
I surrender.”

Doct
or Numerous smiled malevolently. “That’s a good boy. However, since we’re both demons, I don’t think I can merely take your word for it. Turn around slowly and take a few steps backward.”

Nick obeyed and suddenly he was enveloped in a circular cage composed solely of beams of light.

“What is this?”

“
It’s called a Light Prison. It’s a demon cage that I synthesized with the express purpose of trapping you. Don’t bother trying to escape. The cage is composed of high grade Orichalon, which creates a powerful imitation that is ten times stronger and more durable than Luxilight technique.”

“
You’ve thought of everything haven’t you?” Nick said.

“
Of course, I’m a genius.”

17. Ambitions for Ascension

“Most demons are bloodthirsty warriors who live for the thrill of battle. However, as an Infernal you decided to use these built in trinkets and blackmail to beat us. I doubt your superiors would allow a demon in their ranks live with a victory that was hollow.” Paul said.

“
Superiors?” Doctor Numerous laughed brazenly. “Superior would suggest that you believe Bergice was better than me in some form or fashion. I outclass all the Crowned Princes in every way because I defeated all of you without even lifting a finger.”

“
You think too highly of yourself,” Nick said.

“
I disagree. In fact I did extensive research on you before and after your transformation. I learned all your techniques in combat and have a counter for every single one. There are no physical challenges you can provide me, so why bother with a contest? However, you are quite the slippery one, just like Bergice said. You were able to beat the Specter as well as my metal snare seekers, but it is of no consequence. Using that girl to force your hand worked just like I hoped. Did you think I was going to let you interfere with Soul Eater’s launch? I’m no fool. I always have another plan just in case.”