Gods From the Machine (35 page)

“
You’re insane if you go through with this!” Paul said. “Ending the population will do nothing. Once everyone is gone, the only thing the demons will rule is a pile of dust.”

Doctor Numerous laughed menacingly.
“I don’t care because none of that matters. Only absolute power does! And since none of you are in any position to threaten my power, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to let you know the details of my true master plan. While the destruction of humanity serves no real purpose for me, it will guarantee my objectives are met. My dream will finally be achieved!”

“
But to go this far…” Garreth breathed heavily and struggled ferociously against the steel bindings, which left deep imprints on his body. He looked terrible, bloodied opened wounds were all over him.

Doctor Numerous approached them, his hands behind his back casually as if he was
about to take a tour around a zoo, watching all the caged animals.

“
Unfortunately for you, Sir Garreth, it was the only way. From the beginning, I had been tasked by Lord Ozarael to stage the attack on Fyria for the sole purpose of removing all the soldiers from Glenhaven and in order to gain access to the precious supply of Orichalon. I veiled the assault with the threat of the Bergice, the Prince of Fear, whose reputation put everyone in a state of frenzied panic. And with the chaos drawing away their attention, I could pass through Heaven’s Peak and procure a substantial amount of the Orichalon ore in order to create your holy cage. That was merely the first phase.”

“
So everything was just a smokescreen. You never had allegiance to them either, did you? You double crossing snake!” Paul said.

“
I still don’t understand where the Sword of Sir Marcus comes into play. Even if you could somehow resurrect its true power, it would be impossible for any demon to wield,” Nick said. He remembered how badly he was burned before by merely touching the fragments.

“
The holy sword serves no importance to me. However, Bergice was adamant that we retrieve it. I assumed it was for his personal trophy prize, considering their past conflicts. We had believed that this was virtually impossible, considering that it was already in the possession of the Garrison and heavily guarded by their strongest soldiers. Fortunately for us, your superiors were foolish enough to entrust such a sacred and prized weapon to a bunch of children. You carried it with you, bringing it to me without having so much as to lift a finger. You might as well have delivered it to me wrapped in a neat little package,” Doctor Numerous said.

“
Damn you!” Paul snarled.

He rushed forward with all his might, but the Doctor pushed a button on his remote and an electric jolt came from the tentacles, shocking him and causing him to scream and writhe in anguish. Nick could see the smoke coming from Paul
’s body as he crumpled to the floor.

“
That’s enough back talk from you boy,” Doctor Numerous said.

“
You have us now, why don’t you just let Alyssa go?” Garreth snarled from the side.

“
She will be useful as bargaining chip when the time comes and the great, Supreme Commander Peter finds out and comes with a full force of knights. Don’t you see, my plan has no room for error. No matter what outcome, the Garrisons will take a severe loss. Whether or not you stop me is of little importance because the result will be the same! The fruits of my labor will award me as the next Crowned Prince!”

“
You can say that because you’re hiding safely on the other side of the cage. It’s a pity how long it took for the Fyrians to root out such a weak coward among their ranks.” Nick said.

“
Coward you say? Need I remind you about a certain knight who died thanks to you?” Doctor Numerous said.

Nick became silent.

“I’ve studied your file very thoroughly, Agrian. Does the name Susan Stillwell mean anything to you? You don’t have to answer because I already know about your sordid past and the shameful act revolving around her. You’ll be eager to know that there’s more to that story than meets the eye.”

“
What are you trying to say?” Nick said.

“
That situation…I find it to be very nostalgic, or should I say ironic? Your records indicate that you were one of the young soldiers that participated in that infamous mission at that Fyrian village six years ago. It was known as one of the biggest tragedies in Glenhaven Garrison history. Susan Stillwell was among some of your best knights that fell that night, and it was all because of your inexperience and cowardice. After that you battled with insomnia and relied on an intense regimen of medication for years because you could never stop reliving the moments of horror as you witnessed her death. Throughout it all they never did catch the perpetrator responsible, did they?”

“
All the demons that were involved died that night in the fire,” Nick said.

“
That was the logical conclusion they came to when the cavalry arrived afterwards. However, I have a different recollection of the events,” Doctor Numerous said malevolently.

“
What are you saying?” Nick said.

“
The cries she made were heart wrenching, weren’t they? She must have suffered right until she died,” Doctor Numerous said.

The realization hit Nick harder than he could have imagined.
“No…it—it can’t be! You were there that night!”

“
Yes, I was the one leading that raid, Agrian. I remember that night so vividly, almost as if it were just yesterday. I was cornered by her after she took my eye, on the brink of defeat and certain death until you showed up! You were calling out for her, calling out like a lost child for his mother. She dropped her guard down for that instant and it was over. I left her alive, but severely wounded before I blocked every exit and then I lit the entire complex on fire. I waited from afar on high ground and away from the scene, watching from until all I could hear was her bloodcurdling cries for help.”

“
I…I didn’t know…”

“
We shouldn’t be fighting, Agrian. No, I should be thanking you. If it wasn’t for your timely intervention I would have been the one that died that night and none of this would have ever occurred. Ironic how fate works isn’t it?”

Nick felt
nauseous. “All this time I could have saved her.”

“
Yes, but instead you sealed her fate! Because of your foolishness she now lays in a pile of ashes and soon you and the rest of the world will join her!”

“
If you’re too afraid to fight Nick, then why don’t you try fighting me?” Garreth said.

Docto
r Numerous laughed uproariously. “Did you think that you could goad
me
into one on one battle with you? You may not be at your full strength, but there’s no chance I would risk my chances of success on foolish game of pride.”

“
Because you know he’ll find a way out and beat you,” Garreth said.

“
Silence you insolent brat!” Doctor Numerous roared. A click of the button and a large jolt went into Garreth. His body convulsed violently before he also fell to his knees. “I will become more powerful than anything you could ever fathom!” he screamed.

“
Stop it! Leave him alone!” Nick shouted as another jolt went through Daniels’s body this time and he echoed Garreth’s pain, writhing violently.

“
I realize that these shocks would do little more than anger you, Agrian. So instead, all frustration I feel will result in a nasty surprise for your friends.” Doctor Numerous waved a hand towards his captured friends. “And I’d hate for you them to die before you got to see the real show. It’s going to be quite the spectacle.”

“
No!” Nick shouted.

Doctor Numerous laughed
as he tossed the controller in the air in front of Daniel’s face, taunting him before quickly swiping it back.

Nick
’s initial reaction was the same as the others, but in this situation he had to choose his words wisely. It was bad enough that they were all captured, but now everyone except for him had lost their strength and will to fight. He needed to find some kind of weakness to exploit. One thing he’d learned from Peter was to never go into a fight without at least a chance of success. He had to do something that was failsafe, something that he could use in case a direct attack was impossible. What he needed was some kind of opening, a way to figure out what to do before the Doctor got bored and decided to kill them. Problem with this was he couldn’t see any discernible weaknesses from the Infernal. Suddenly overhead speakers crackled and the familiar female generated voice came on air.

Beep.
Soul Eater at maximum capacity.  Readying launch in approximately thirty minutes. Beep.

“
Dawn is approaching. Soon it will all come to an end.” Doctor Numerous’ eye gleamed with delight. “Now all I have to do is wait for Bergice to return.”

“
Before you go through with this, can I ask you something?” Nick said.

“
What would that be?”

“
I know you once shared the dreams of becoming an archangel. What changed you?”

“
Interesting question, Agrian,” Doctor Numerous marched back until they were face to face. “Fate has delivered me a great favor by bringing me this far, and making me almost complete. We are so similar, yet our choices make us different. You chose to be weak and stand with mortals, while I elected to rise above them. That’s the difference between you and me. I can never be satisfied until I am the strongest.”

“
We’re not alike at all. I believe in justice and in humanity,” Nick said. “I’d never stoop to your level.”

“
You are quite right, Agrian. Because unlike you I won’t squander my newfound power. As you know I was once human too, but I gave that up when I swore my allegiance to Ozarael and revealed the secrets of the Garrison.  I exchanged my humanity in order to receive powers beyond my wildest imagination—beyond the limits of any human. It was an easy trade.”

“
It was a stupid choice.”

“
It was the only way to escape a life of mediocrity. Since childhood, I knew I was given life in this forsaken world to become something greater than what had been offered to me. Unfortunately, my weaknesses as a human hindered that. Only as a demon, could I finally show the world my true capabilities.”

“
You could have done so much good in this world if you didn’t turn,” Nick said.

“
Perhaps, but you are in the position to say that because you were born to be coveted and admired, where I was not. Years and years ago I was just a knight named Frank Barrett with prodigious skills as an alchemist. I was average in everything except for my ability to synthesize potions and spells, which was why I was forced to work as a teacher in the Fyria. I’d slave for days and days teaching kids how to become great knights worthy of becoming the next Clarion or Michael. However I was always filled with the shame of my own failure to become one. Days became months, and months years before I realized I was no longer happy with my own life. I hated living attached to my fate as a pitiful alchemist and I was determined to do more. But the more I trained, the more my goals slipped further and further away. I was becoming older and weaker in a world where new knights with talents and potential that far surpassed my own were thriving. I had almost given up.” A grin came upon his face. “That’s when fate stepped in.

“
One day I came across the forbidden demon text known as the Book of Ozarael and was instantly captivated by his life and his teachings. It was an archive of demon rituals and spells he had created during his reign—it was black alchemy! I became obsessed with demons and I quickly learned that their powers could be attained!” Doctor Numerous threw his arms in the air, unable to contain his immense excitement. “Yes, it was then I devoted my life to becoming something better than I already was—a demon! I practiced black alchemy until I memorized every spell and incantation. But that wasn’t enough. I needed to meet Ozarael myself.

“
Then, one night I used my knowledge to paint a summoning seal on the floor and called upon Ozarael. Charismatic and intelligent, he promised a new world of possibilities in exchange for my soul. I gave it to him freely and in turn became a demon. I performed several tasks to prove my loyalty and quickly I became an Infernal. It was then I finally understood the importance of having true power. I was reborn. No longer was boring, weak Frank Barrett. I had become Doctor Numerous! Now I am among the ranks of gods. And soon I will ascend and be like you, a God from the Machine!”

“
Being a demon is nothing to be proud of when you lose everything that makes you human.” How a man could purposely choose to destroy his own humanity was beyond unthinkable to Nick. This man took everything he had for granted; it was infuriating to see someone so selfish.

“
Your eyes are becoming a brilliant red. You must be truly teetering on the edge of reason. I can feel your hatred, your seething anger. How does it feel to be completely out of control? How does it feel to be completely at odds with the demon inside you?”