Chapter 9-11 Poisoned Bait

Chapter 9-11 Poisoned Bait

+Jhred. Jhred! Sync-up, you half-strand. Its Abrel. Youre out of time. Ive stalled dad as much as I can, but its over.

Whatever youre doing, you might wanna consider getting it done now, because my new orders just came in and youre not going to like them.

Listen I know youre still stuck on mom but this is done. Alright? You gotta face it: I meancan you even remember her? After we had our memories censored? It just

Fine. Alright. The sister act probably doesnt do much for you anyway. Well then. Time for the other thing.

Jhred Greatling, for negligence to your duties and utter disregard of your betters commands, I, Instrument Abrel Greatling have been charged with your retrieval.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via Ñøv€l-B!n.

Submit and comply, or stand and deliver.

Blessed be the Worthy.+

-Instrument Abrel Greatling to her brother, former Instrument Jhred Greatling

9-11

Poisoned Bait

Mirrorhead was a fool.

Eccentric as Chambers mind was, he was still but a human. An ephemeral in the words of the Woundshaper. Without adequate protection, for a creature of material reality to gaze upon the eldritch would be akin to lungs inhaling smoke rising from a conflagration.

As Avo worked furiously to mend the fraying mind, he noticed how he didnt feel so affected himself. There was still distortions and lulls in thought when he found himself faced with the immensity of the Twice-Walker, but with the growth of his Soul and the broadening of his mind, no longer did Mirrorheads Heaven seem quite so unnatural, quite so overwhelming.

How easily was one conditioned to madness when they imbibed power from similar sources?

Still, that was something to consider later. A building tolerance to revel in; a thing to investigate.

For now, he needed to keep Chambers intact in ego and sanity. The enforcer was still needed to serve as an infection vector. Avo didnt know if Mirrorhead was merely determined to feed his ego or if there was a genuine point to this vulgar exposure of a Heaven to a mortal.

Such is hubris, the Woundshaper said, breaking it's silence within Avo. It had been countless hours since the former god talked. Occupied by the allure of its reflection in its balancing Hell, it had manifested an inhuman narcissism, glorying in burgeoning growth. The call is too strong for the boy. You need not imagine this to understand: you broke from the calculated path yourself to free those slaves. Did you not indulge in the tastes of their minds as they butchered the captives you offered them? That is the nature of entombing the absolute in the relative: The encompassing nature of our power must be expressed.

Or so the Woundshaper claimed.

Born a High Guilder, there wasnt much hope for humility in the Syndicate boss anyhow.

Camouflaged by debris of memory, Avo resequenced fracturing strands using his Ghostjack, overwriting the paths where trauma flowed, choking the damage before it could sink too deep.

Playing a circumspect game, he could only mend what was broken in the depths of Chambers mind. Some of his carefully laid phantasmics were certainly broken now. Just as well. He never expected to be able to snare someone like Mirrorhead with meager traps.

It wouldnt have satisfied Avo either. As he had had confessed to himself more than once, it would be a sublime pleasure to feel the other Godclad come apart. Between his claws he would savage Mirrorhead, to rend his vessel, severe the stitchings of his mind, and drink the shine from Mirrorheads very Soul.

Patience. That would ensure his moment. His chance to strike.

+Hows it lookin?+ Draus asked, her mind nested inside his instead of Chambers. The rattling of his wards probably caught her notice.

+Hm,+ Avo said. Peeking out at the design of the Twice-Walker again via Chambers fragmented thoughts. His Soul quavered. The beast hissed with near-salacious delight imagining the bloodlust it would soon get to unleash after devouring such a harvest. +Delicious.+

+Jaus,+ Draus sighed. +Dont know why I asked. Im surrounded by godsdamned freaks.+

***

Huh, ha, hmm? Chambers half-drooled, half-spoke. Coherence returned to him like severed wires jiggling back into contact, the surge of clarity there and lost again. During moments of lucidity, he could see the thing touched with the boss voice slide around this weird dimension, its position skipping between fractals and reflections as if everything that captured its visage was a portal.

The damage it inflicted lessened when it circled behind him. Not seeing it felt immediately like someone taking their boot off a mental-wound, but still, even as the pain diminished to somethign more manageable, the hurt was still there, still throbbing.

Chambers chuckled to himself. Throbbing. He liked that word. He knew a lot of things that were throbbing. Wait when did he activate that Dannis Hardsteel vicarity?

+Chambers,+ Mirrorheads distant voice cleaved the straying though from Chambers mind. Attention was forced onto the conversation. Chambers hated paying attention. +Did you hear me? Turn. It. Off.+

Opening and closing his mouth like a goldfish, it took time for the words spoken to him to process. Each syllable cast into his mind was closer to a dagger plunging into the depression left by an open wound, the meat there only barely beginning to heal.

By the time Chambers realized what was being ordered of him, however, he found that the vicarity had already been closed, and that the caustic fog eating away at his thoughts had suddenly parted. Like someone drained it out of his mind.

Chambers chuckled. Gleam. His mind mustve been mem-matter hard. Unbreakable. Maybe he should have been a Reg

The colossal aberration sliced its way back into sight, scouring Chambers mind anew as he noticed it creeping toward him from the corner of his eyes.

Nope, he croaked, the words tumbling out from his liquefying thoughts. Internal and external dialogue grew confusing. Hidden desires found themselves imbued with words. Nope. Cant be a Reg. Reality sucks. The ghouls out here dont do bo-bon-bondage!

No.But even if Mirrorhead didnt do it of his own volition, Avo had ways of forcing it. Chambers was expendable, after all. +Probably. Have something special just waiting for him.+

***

I always despised the Scalpers, Mirrorhead said. For that, you have my sympathy. Surviving them mustve been quite the ordeal.

Chambers tried not to shuffle so much while the Godclad spoke, but damn was the chill hell on his ass and personal nether regions. What the fuck was wrong with a leather chair? What the fuck made their guests sit on a squat barrel naked while getting a nice glass throne all to themselves.

Well, Chamber said, opening his mouth to speak.

The glass beneath his arm cracked. A low whine of something approached. Something drifted through the depths of the desks reflection. He went very, very still.

I was not done. Mirrorhead reached over and poured himself a drink. The other glass stayed empty; no offer to share was made toward Chambers. The Syndicate boss poured the glowing honey that was ambrosia into his gleaming face as the enforcer just swallowed and stared. I said you had my sympathy. But now, I also suffer from another matter. One that I think you might be able to help me with. Can you guess what I want, Mr. Chambers?

Mister? Uh-oh. Enforcer meant he was still working for Mirrorhead. And he didnt think the man did severance packages severance

Was this about the cortex bomb?

Listen, boss, Chambers said, face tight with turmoil, they hit us without warning. Like they knew exactly where we were. I didnt even get a chance to fight butbut you know what? Even as all ten of them broke into our capsule, Chambers went down swinging. Not like that fuckin coward Janand. He bent over and just gave up. Hid behind uh whatever her name was. I think you should check him, actually. Afterward, of course. At your own pace, boss. I mean. Only if you want.

That wasnt an answer, Chambers, Mirrorhead replied.

Oh did it get hard to breathe then. Fading away tempted, but some vague flicker of sense was screaming inside him, howling at him with violence and annoyance, telling him to keep his vicarities off. If only for now. Hm. His mind might be more damaged than he thought: His inner voice sure sounded a lot like Avo.

Rest in oblivion rotlick. Cant be hurt no more in the nothing.

Is it about the bomb? Chambers asked. Cause, they took that out of us pretty early. Made sure we were clean and all that other jazz. So we could be sold, you know.

Do I know that? Mirrorhead considered. You know It takes a particular delicateness to disable a cortex bomb. The manufacturer promised me its more circumspect specs. Like being able to detonate when the host was in danger. Tell me, did they disable your rig beforehand? The machinery?

I, uh. Chamber swallowed. I cant recall?

Cant recall, Mirrorhead said, shaking his head. A shame, Chambers. A real shame. You know, my father he would call this an excuse. Hes a very outcome-oriented man. And a fool. I appreciate process. The journey, if you will. I find that tells us much about future successbut more importantly, the truth. So, I will give you the courtesy of another answer: Are you lying to me, Chambers?

Blood tore through Chambers veins like corkscrews, each heartbeat twisting voice-choking torture. He couldnt breathe. The room was spinning. His muscles shriveled, dry of strength. A pit of discomfort yawned and closed in his gut.

Inside the depths of his mind, only one voice rose through the clamor of his rising panic.

Dear dead Avo was telling him to deny it. To fight on and stick with the story.

Well, he didnt have a better idea of his own.

No, bossman, Chambers said, throwing in a chuckle and praying his cold sweat would be left unnoticed. I mean would I really have the nerve.

Terrified, an unwilling squeal of laughter came out from Chambers. Ohshit! Ah, hells. Too late. The only way back was to keep going forward. He spat another laugh, its note equally shrill, but infinitely more forced.

A few moments passed. Silence slid across Chambers throat like a dagger. The temperature in the room grew colder, harsher. All that was flesh shivered. All that was glass served a judging reflection, threatening a lurking beast.

Then, Mirrorhead grunted. No. He laughed. He laughed! The note was brief and low but Chambers was sure it was a laugh.

Yes! He should have never doubted himself! Never doubted the Avo in his mind! He had the charm and the idiocy to protect himself. He just had to believe and focus. Thats how dreams got manifested.

Its strange, you know? Mirrorhead said. I really dont think your lying. I really think you think youre telling the truth.

Chambers nodded vigorously, a trickle of snot spilling free from his nostrils. Thats cause I am, boss, I am.

Sure. I believe you, Mirrorhead said.

The euphoria Chambers felt at that moment was overwhelming. He saved himself he wasnt going to die he was gonna live forever! Aedon Chambers was invincible! He exhaled a shudder of a breath, pure relief wheezing out of him.

But Mirrorhead spoke again. And this time, the relief lodged itself halfway out from his body. Of course, youve been missing a while, Chambers. You know how jacks are. Very unpleasant business. The Syndicate boss took another drink. I said I trust you. I can taste the fear from you. No one I have is that much of a fool to lie to me. But the game isnt played that way. And we both know that lies run deeper than intent, dont we?

No. Chambers, in fact, did not understand what Mirrorhead was insinuating.

He figured it out quickly when a screaming torrent of ghosts burst out through the glass of Mirrorheads face and tore through his surface thoughts.

The assault was like a drill dug in and implanted prying fingers, the ghosts poking open wounds left in Chambers mind, tearing open clefts of thought. A violating will streame dinto the enforcer, the boiling perception of the Godclad spreading deeper and deeper, like cancer eating away at flesh.

As Chambers sense of self narrowed to a pinprick, he thought he felt something else resonate inside him as well.

It was a feeling. Of pleasure. Of triumph. Of satisfaction.

It was how someone might feel watching a hated foe wander into a well-laid trap.