Chapter Twelve: Deus Ex-Terminator

Chapter Twelve: Deus Ex-Terminator

The first thing I saw upon awaking was my status on the red wallpaper:

Unscathed

Hobbled

Mutilated

Dead

Written Off

Chase Scene

Planning

Unconscious

Infected

Incapacitated

Captured

(Lit)

Off Screen

(Lit)

Fight Scene

Exploring

I was no longer Unscathed, the welt on the back of my head was evidence of that, but at least I wasn't Unconscious either. Instead, only two status lights were lit: "Captured" and "Off screen." I wasn't yet sure what "Off Screen" meant, but I knew what "Captured" meant, and as I came to, I found that I was indeed captured.

I found myself restrained in a metal chair, held down by thick leather straps. The straps were tight, only giving the slightest bit of slack. I had one across each arm and then another across each leg. I wasn't going anywhere.

So much for my use-the-Oblivious-Bystander-trope-to-scout-out-the-bad-guy plan. I give myself an 8 for theory and a 4 for execution, but maybe I'm being too generous.

If only he hadn’t been able to see my eyes...

I didn't even manage to get any information back to my friends. Not that I had a lot of info to begin with. I would have to work on that strategy.

I took in my surroundings.

High above us, apparently growing out of the ceiling, was a large mass of dark glowing crystals. It was difficult to describe what they looked like, but the most apt description would be that they looked like the night sky. They appeared to contain stars. Despite having what appeared to be a mirrored surface, they didn’t reflect the yellow light of the basement. Whatever was inside those crystals appeared to move.

The crystals were supported there by a metal contraption, and they had all kinds of electrodes and pipes sticking out of them that wormed their way down the walls to the computer mainframe. Whoever it was that was living down here had crafted the Mirror of Stars, and whatever its purpose was, it looked like they were trying to use computer technology to perfect it.

But what were they using it for?

The weapon in front of me was connected to the Mirror of Stars by several wires, though I couldn’t say for certain what the purpose of them was.

Then I decided to check the red wallpaper.

Two tropes appeared in my mind. I saw a poster of the weapon, the computer, and the Mirror of Stars.

Indestructible MacGuffin: This plot device cannot be destroyed.

Deus Ex-Terminator: This object kills all targets in one blow regardless of Plot Armor.

So, it was basically the Ark of the Covenant from Indiana Jones.

Noted.

Immediately following that revelation, a man walked into view from another part of the basement that wasn’t visible to me. I recognized him right away. I had seen a painting of him in the showroom. It was Doctor Simon Halle. Here he was in the flesh, well mostly.

His appearance was something that caught me off guard at first. While most of his body was very ordinary - he wore a lab coat and slacks with shining leather shoes - his top half was quite unusual.

His left hand was normal and swung at his side as he walked. But his right arm and his head hung limply like a puppet whose strings had been cut. However, even though his right arm and his head appeared lifeless, they had been replaced. I could only describe it as if his ghost was leaking out of his body. In place of where his right arm would have been was a ghostly arm instead, and instead of a normal head, he had a transparent head.

Even though his real right arm and head hung limply in front of him, their ghostly counterparts took their place seamlessly. I watched him as he moved about his workspace, picking up tools and measuring chemicals. His face was stern and businesslike. Though his body hung limply and his real hair was disheveled, his ghostly hair was well-groomed, his thin mustache perfectly in place.

I had heard of someone having one foot in the grave, but this took that to a whole different level.

"Ah, you're awake," he said. "I was beginning to worry I might have struck you too hard."

I didn't respond, but I did start to wonder how much time I had been out. I looked at the plot cycle and saw that the needle was almost to second blood. Dread consumed me.

"You're probably wondering why I brought you here today," he said. "Together, we're going to embark on a terrific experiment. I have a feeling that you will be the last data points I need to finish my work. The contribution that you are about to make to humankind is immeasurable."

I tried to think of something to say, some retort that might extend my lifespan, but truthfully, fear caught the words in my throat, and I couldn't dream of being clever at a time like this.

"Don't be afraid," he said. "Where you're going is a place we all must go and a place that I believe we can return from."

"Oh shit," I said. It just slipped out.

He didn’t like that. For a moment, the calm, composed scientist ghost was lost and an enraged spirit took his place. But it was only for a moment. He recomposed himself.

"Yes, the youth of today are quite vulgar, it's distasteful, but I suppose I won't judge you too harshly because when you woke up this morning, you did not know your purpose, but now you will.”