Chapter 34: Unnatural Selection

**Aurora snaps back into consciousness and jerks upright with a strangled cry. Gasping for breath, she falls back onto her elbows, rib cage heaving as she forces air into her lungs**

AURORA: I’m…I’m alive…

**Gradually, the shock of waking dissipates, and Aurora’s senses return. Groaning, she rolls onto her side, every fiber of her body throbbing in pain. Lying motionless in the cold, dismal puddle left behind by the receded waters, she allows herself a moment of misery**

AURORA: Ughhh…

**Gathering together all her willpower, she plants her hands on either side of her body and carefully lifts herself up. Her muscles tremble in protest as she draws her knees underneath her. Hunched forward slightly, she rests her face in one hand, waiting for the waves of dizziness to pass. At last her mind clears and, taking a deep breath, she checks herself for injuries. Grimacing slightly, she touches the back of her head, then peers down at her fingers**

AURORA: No blood…that’s a good sign…

**She rotates her wrists one at a time, then shifts her weight forward onto her knees and rotates her ankles, scowling as she does so**

AURORA: Sss …jeez that hurts…

**Finally, she twists her torso from side to side, checking each of her ribs for any signs of fracture**

AURORA: No broken bones…guess that’s good.

**With a clean bill of health, she hauls herself up, wavering a little before she regains her balance. As the overwhelming pain and stiffness recede, she suddenly becomes conscious of a hundred needle-like pains in the back of her left arm. Frowning sharply, she lifts her elbow to get a closer look at her tricep. Shiny beads of blood dot the light blue fabric of her suit, and she runs her fingertips across them, frowning in bewilderment**

AURORA: What the…?

**A glimmer of light reflects off something imbedded in her arm; still frowning, she reaches over and yanks a tiny shard of glass from one of the wounds. Suddenly conscious of their presence, she pulls out half a dozen more. She stares down at the blood-glazed fragments cupped in her palm, eyebrows furrowed as she attempts to deduce their origin**
AURORA: …Glass? How did I get glass in my ar…

**All at once the answer pours over her in a waterfall of icy panic**

AURORA: (gasping) The antidote!

**Aurora falls to her knees, scrambling frantically. She plunges her hands into the murky puddle, desperately hoping to be wrong**

AURORA: Please be here, please be here…

**Her finger makes contact with a rounded shape, and she hastily fishes out the cap to the antidote – which is attached only to a few pieces of broken vial. There is a moment of suspended silence as she stares down at the remains in agonized disbelief**

AURORA: It….broke…?

**She mouths the words again, but no sound comes out. The explanation slowly plays out in her mind – the antidote must have been crushed when she collided with the duct wall. Aurora curls forward, physically sickened, as the full meaning of this revelation hits home. No antidote. No antidote. No antidote. She numbly repeats this appalling conclusion over and over while horror, dread, and anger surge through her like vaporous cyclones. It was so unfair. So monstrously, cruelly, mercilessly unfair. She had sacrificed everything for this plan – and there it lay, in little shattered fragments in her right palm. She purposely clenches her fist around the serrated shards, scowling in twisted satisfaction as they slice through her flesh. She watches the crimson rivulets spill down her skin and drip into the still waters. Closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, she bleeds her emotions out through her hand**

AURORA: …

**The pain clears her thoughts, and she rises quietly, fingers slippery with blood. A moment later, green fire issues from her hand, melting the glass and cauterizing the wounds. She lifts her hand to her face and peers down at her new crisscrossing scars, then turns to face the length of the hallway, every line of her body set in bitter determination**

AURORA: So. This is the way it has to be after all.

**Calmly, she sets out across the corridor, her grim figure refracted in all directions by the water at her feet, like stained glass in motion**

AURORA: (in a low voice) Neutron, you better hope the kids get to you first. Because if they don’t, nothing in all of creation will be able to save you…

**She walks on, ponytail swaying from side to side with each deliberate step. Utterly numb from head to toe, she continues in her methodical procession, every footfall bringing her closer to the inevitable confrontation…**

**Meanwhile, back in Sector 2, Jimmy is slowly turning the door-handle that leads into the maze, completely unaware of Aurora’s situation…**

JIMMY: Here we go…

**He pushes gently, and the door creaks open, revealing a huge, warehouse-like room with a tiny exit at the far end. The floor is shiny and clean, and except for a single light fixture hanging from the ceiling, the space is utterly empty**

CINDY: Wow. That’s a big room.

LIBBY: (gaping) I’ll say…

**Jimmy motions for the others to follow**

JIMMY: Let’s get a move on. But keep a sharp eye out, just in case…I think it goes without saying, but you can’t be too careful in a place like this.

**They strike out into the open expanse, huddled close together as they pick their way across the linoleum terrain. Feeling vulnerable and exposed, they tiptoe forward, barely daring to breathe for fear of missing a distant sound. As the wary intruders reach the halfway point between the room’s entrance and exit, Carl suddenly pipes up**

CARL: Jimmy, I feel kinda funny…

JIMMY: (stopping mid-stride) Funny? What do you mean? How?

CARL: I don’t know. I guess I feel…happy.

**They all stop dead in their tracks, and Cindy considers for a moment**

CINDY: Ya, now that you mention it, so do I. Like…unreasonably happy.

**There is a moment of creepy silence**

LIBBY: (giggling) You know what?…me too! Isn’t that weird?

**The girls make eye contact, and after a brief pause Cindy bursts out laughing**

CINDY: Weird? It’s HILARIOUS!

**Libby covers her mouth to contain the laughter, and Sheen and Carl burst out into hysterics a moment later. Jimmy feels his sides shake involuntarily, and laughter bubbles up inside him of its own free will. He doubles over, barely able to contain himself**

JIMMY: (between fits) What…hahahaha…is…so… heeehhahahahahaHAHAH FUNNY???

CINDY: I…I don’t…haahaHA! I don’t…huhuhaha I don’t know! I don’t get it! Why are we…hee hee…why are we laughing?

LIBBY: I don’t know but…hahahaha…I….haaaahhha!!! I can’t STOP!

JIMMY: N…Neither can I! HAHAHAHAHA!

**He gasps for air and leans forward, steadying himself against his knees. Laughter pours out of his mouth like vomit, and he curls forward, holding his aching sides**

JIMMY: (sickened) Hahaha! Ha! HAHA!! What…what is going on?

**Cindy meets his eyes, her lips pursed in a barely restrained smile**

CINDY: Hm. Hmmhehehehaha! It’s like I suddenly can’t control myself. Hee hee. Everything is just so…brilliant!

**The kids burst out into another giggle fit at these words**

CINDY: (exhaling) I don’t get it. Hm. Hmehehe. I don’t remember feeling this way a few minutes ago.

JIMMY: Hmhehe. Hahaha. Ahem. Me neither. Maybe…hehehahaha! HAHA! Errrg. It could be due to residual stress, or perhaps there’s some kind of radiation or chemical in this Sector that causes artificial laughter. Or…hehehahahaaaa!

CARL: (giggling) He said “artificial”!

SHEEN: ARTIFICIAL?! BAHAHAHAHAHA!

**Laughter once again sweeps the group, and Jimmy shakes his head violently to break the spell**

JIMMY: We should get out of this room. Regardless of what’s going on, we need to keep moving. Follow my lead.

**They approach the exit, giggling, staggering, and swatting each other playfully. Jimmy carefully turns the knob, and the kids step through the frame and into the next room. The hinges squeak eerily as the door swings open; a bluish hue seems to hang in the air, and the floor radiates a bone-numbing chill. There are three identical exits at the other end, and Jimmy pulls up the image of the map**

JIMMY: Hmm, let’s see, which one?

**Like a scene out of a horror movie, the door behind them suddenly slams shut. Their pupils dilate in unison, and they stop dead, consumed by the crushing black weight that has suddenly enveloped them all**

CARL: I can’t do this anymore. I give up.

**Carl’s eyes roll up into his head, and he collapses right where he stands. He lies on the ground like a dead thing, eyes glassy and insensate. Sheen takes one look at him and then, like a choreographed marionette, wheels around and walks into a corner on the far side of the room. Digging his fingernails into the surface, he bashes his own head against the wall. Knocked senseless, he listlessly slides down onto the floor**

CINDY: (gasping) Carl! Sheen! What are you doing?

**Frowning, Libby slowly reaches up and brushes her fingers across her cheek. Gingerly pulling her hand back, she stares down at her newly tear-stained fingertips, confused and horrified**

LIBBY: What…what IS this? This horrible feelin’? Why…why am I…?

**Cindy stumbles back, suddenly dizzy and short of breath. Her palms grow sweaty and her hands tremble; her grasp on reality feels tenuous at best. Fearing for her sanity, she looks around desperately**

CINDY: Guys, what’s going on!?

CARL: (weakly) No…point…in living…

**Cindy whirls around, panicked**

CINDY: What are you talking about? We have to get out of here! Neutron, do something!

**Jimmy’s eyes grow wide, as if in sudden revelation**

JIMMY: (distantly) No…he’s right Cindy. I can see it all so clearly now. We never stood a chance against the Dictator. How could I have been so stupid? I’m so stupid, so stupid…

**He sinks to his knees, covering his eyes and muttering incoherently. Goddard curls up next to his master, pathetically whimpering **

CINDY: Neutron, what’s going on? What’s the matter with all of you?

**Carl’s voice turns nauseating somersaults through the air**

CARL: It’s life. It’s all too much to handle. I wish I were dead.

JIMMY: Alive? Dead? What does it matter? We never stood a chance. It’s all so hopeless. We’re going to die, and it doesn’t even matter. There’s no design or purpose to this life. Just blind, pitiless indifference…

**Libby chokes on her tears**

LIBBY: Don’t say that Jimmy! I can’t bear to hear that!

**She sobs and, hiding her face, runs away from the rest of the group**

CINDY: Libby, no! Where are you going? I…What am I…what am I doing? Aaaahh! Jimmy!

**She stumbles backward as uncertainty and helplessness draw in around her like a death shroud**

CINDY: (fighting hard) Open the door!

JIMMY: I can’t!

**Cindy digs her nails into her scalp, struggling desperately to keep her focus. She bites out the words with as much calmness as she can muster**

CINDY: Listen to me. Jimmy, which door do I need to open?

JIMMY: There’s no…

CINDY: WHICH DOOR?!

JIMMY: I’m so dizzy…

CINDY: TELL ME!

JIMMY: D-Door?

CINDY: (pointing) Those doors! Which one?

JIMMY: …L-Left one…

**To Cindy, each step forward feels like a punch to the stomach. After a few footfalls, she slumps forward onto her knees, every inch of her body screaming in protest as her mouth tries to form the words**

CINDY: L…L…Left door! Oh, God!

**She dives forward and grabs hold of the handle, and the door swings open. After a moment their minds clear a tiny bit, and Cindy is able to stand again**

LIBBY: (rubbing her eyes) Wha…what just happened?

CINDY: Everyone into the next room! Now!

**Libby and Sheen head for the exit, and Cindy grabs Carl and drags him along behind her. The five of them crash through the doorway and tumble into the next room, and Jimmy slams the door shut behind him. This room is larger than the previous, and at first glance a red hue seems to permeate the air. It quickly vanishes as flecks of light gleam off of the strange, twisted metal objects hanging on the wall**

JIMMY: (gasping) That was…horrifying!

SHEEN: Man, I’ve never felt so depressed in my life!

**Carl sniffles miserably**

CARL: I want my Mommy! And some Prozac!

LIBBY: What…what just happened to us? What on EARTH is goin’ on? Did the room do that to us?

**Jimmy straightens**

JIMMY: I don’t know Libby…it does seem like our behavior was being controlled just now. But I have no idea how.

CINDY: Who cares how? All I know is that we have to get out of here before…

CARL: Oh no! I think I’m starting to feel something again!

LIBBY: (frightened) What? What do you feel?

**All of the sudden Jimmy’s expression changes, and his shout rings out across the room**

JIMMY: (angrily) Who does he think we are, anyway? Did he lead us here just to toy with us?!

**He slams his fist against the wall, and the metal objects hanging there tinkle alluringly. Cindy’s head suddenly snaps toward him, and she advances, eyes glittering with rage**

CINDY: This is all your fault! Your fault, you hear!

JIMMY: (voice rising) How is it my fault? You’re the one who got us into this mess!

CINDY: Not the way I remember it! Your stupid triangle pulled us here, remember?

JIMMY: But YOU sprayed the megalomanium in his eyes, you jealous, conniving, cold-hearted twit!

CINDY: WHAT? I’ll bash in your freakish skull!

LIBBY: (forcing her way between them) Guys, we need to get out of here! This place is messin’ with your heads!

JIMMY: (shaking off his confusion) W-What am I saying? This room…it must amplify rage somehow. We need to get to the exit before…

**Cindy barrels into him, and they both slam against the wall**

CINDY: I hate you! I’ve hated you every day and I’ll hate you for the rest of my life! I hate everything about you! Your stupid hair, your stupid inventions, your stupid atom symbol, your stupid blue eyes!

JIMMY: Cindy, you idiot, why did you have to open the left door? Now look at what you’ve done! You picked the anger room for God’s sake!

CINDY: You’re the one who told me to go left, remember? You and your stupid hunk-of-junk dog!

**Goddard lets loose a low, guttural growl**

LIBBY: (cautioning) Guys…

CINDY AND JIMMY: Shut up!

**Carl spins around to face her**

CARL: Ya Libby, shut up!

LIBBY: (turning red) What are you talkin’ about? You’re the one who never shuts up, Carl! You and Sheen both! Always yackin’ away about NOTHIN’ AT ALL! It’s so annoying!

SHEEN: Oh, so is that how you feel? Well maybe we should just stop being friends then!

LIBBY: Ya!

CARL: Ya!!

SHEEN: What are you agreeing with me for? You’re not my friend either! Wimpy four eyes! Fatty-fatty, two-by-four! Llama loving geek!

LIBBY: Sheen, how could you say something like that to Carl? You’re such a jerk! A big, dumb, tone-deaf jerk who’s obsessed with a ridiculous cartoon!

SHEEN: At least I don’t need makeup to feel good about myself!

**A sudden crash distracts them from their spat. Cindy shoves Jimmy against the wall, and what appears to be a sharpened metal pike falls from its hook and clatters to the floor. They both stare at it fixedly for a moment, then Jimmy dives after the fallen weapon. He swings it around just in time for it to clang off of the deadly-looking blade that seems to have leapt of its own accord into Cindy’s hand**

JIMMY: (rising slowly) So it’s come to this, has it?

CINDY: (viciously) I’ll cut you to shreds!

JIMMY: Not if I get you first!

**He slices his weapon down, and sparks fly off the hilt of Cindy’s blade. Before they can inflict any serious damage, however, Libby, Sheen and Carl dive in and restrain them**

CINDY: (struggling) Let me go! He had it coming!

JIMMY: Let me at her!

LIBBY: Get them to the door! Now!

SHEEN: Which door? There’re two!

LIBBY: Uh…left one!

SHEEN: (angrily) Are you telling me what to do?

LIBBY: No!

**Sheen and Carl drag a squirming Jimmy to the left door and throw him through it, exchanging insults the whole way. Cindy takes advantage of Libby’s momentary inattention and rolls forward, sending Libby slamming into the floor. She stands up and points the tip of her weapon accusingly at her friend**

CINDY: Don’t try an’ stop me!

**Libby struggles to force air back into her lungs**

LIBBY: Fine, I won’t! He’s all yours!

**Cindy dashes through the opening, and Libby follows; the door bangs shut behind her. Jimmy and Cindy look at each other in horror and simultaneously drop their weapons**

JIMMY: What…What was I doing??

CINDY: I can’t believe it! I was actually gonna…

**They stare at each other in a state of shock as the others struggle to get their breath back**

LIBBY: This is bad. This is really, really bad.

CARL: Sheen, do you really think I’m a fatty, fatty, two-by-four?

SHEEN: Well you are a bit on the portly side, but I didn’t mean what I said.

LIBBY: None of us did. It wasn’t really us. Jimmy, do ya think you can figure out why this is happenin’ before whatever weirdness this is starts to take over again?

JIMMY: (straightening) I think I understand now. This is the reason we didn’t see any surveillance or weapons earlier. This whole Sector IS a weapon. We must be in some sort of a sensory maze…a labyrinth constructed of a series of interconnected rooms, each designed to bring out a particular emotion. I’m not sure how, but my future self must have created a system to influence the way we act… maybe with chemicals or artificial brain waves.

LIBBY: Why would he do that?

JIMMY: Well, why not? I mean, think about it. It’s a fantastic security measure.

LIBBY: Whaddya mean?

JIMMY: This maze destroys people from the inside out. We’d be done for if we were traveling alone.

**The others stare at him blankly, so he elaborates further**

JIMMY: Don’t you see? If it weren’t for Cindy in the depression room, none of us would have been able to walk out of there. I don’t know about you, but I probably would have committed suicide. Then, in the anger room, the three of you stopped what would have otherwise turned into a deadly altercation.

**Blushing furiously, Cindy kicks her weapon further out of reach. After a moment her face clears**

CINDY: I think I get it. So the only way we can make it through the maze is if at least one of us is able to open the next door and force the others through.

JIMMY: Right.

**There is a long moment of silence**

LIBBY: This is just way too weird. This whole maze thing…it’s so surreal. Are you sure we’re not in some sort of an illusion, like the time the Brains hypnotized us into thinking we were back in Retroville?

JIMMY: I don’t think so, Libby. That kind of mind control wouldn’t work on Goddard. However, he’s clearly being affected too, so I think something else is at work here.

CINDY: Isn’t there anything you can do? Put that freak brain of yours to work!

JIMMY: I’m thinking, I’m thinking!

CINDY: Well think faster!

JIMMY: Hey, if you’re so smart, why don’t YOU come up with a solution, eh?

**Libby intercedes before the argument can proceed any further**

LIBBY: Guys, focus! If we stand around fightin’, then we’re just playin’ right into his hand. We can get through this. We just need a strategy.

JIMMY: (taking a breath) Libby’s right. OK, so here’s what we know. We need to get through this labyrinth to get to the main control room and meet up with Aurora. Each room affects our emotions in a different way. Once we leave this room we only have to get through six more before we…

SHEEN: We can’t leave this room!

CARL: This room is safe!

CINDY: It protects us!

**There is a stunned silence as they all become conscious of their own words**

JIMMY: Well, I guess we know what this room does now. Still, this is good. We have time to plan.

**He falls silent, and the ensuing quiet stretches out, increasing in discomfort with each passing moment. Sheen plays with a hangnail on his thumb, and Carl scrutinizes the tips of his fingers; Libby re-positions her pink choker. Finally Jimmy opens his mouth to speak, and the others await his solution with anticipation**

JIMMY: Guys…I’ve got nothing.

**Cindy’s gestures become animated with her annoyance**

CINDY: …What do you mean, you’ve got nothing? Think harder!

JIMMY: It’s not a matter of thinking harder, Cindy. I’m at a loss. I haven’t the faintest idea how to get around this. In all honesty, I’m not really that adept when it comes to emotions. Sure, I messed around with pheromones a little when I created the Love Potion, but that’s the most time I’ve ever spent analyzing the biochemical factors that create human feelings. This kind of technology is years ahead of anything I can even imagine developing.

LIBBY: Well…then what should we do?

JIMMY: The only solution I can see is the obvious one – we go through the maze, taking each room one at a time, relying on our respective strengths to get us through in one piece.

CINDY: (rolling her eyes) Oh sure, now he becomes a team player. But...all things considered, that is our best bet. How do we start?

JIMMY: We don’t. We’ll be staying in this room forever. Given that fact, I’d really appreciate a nice cross-breeze to keep us cool on hot days. Wouldn’t you guys agree?

CARL: (puzzled) I guess…

JIMMY: In that case, Goddard, would you be so kind as to blow a hole in that wall over there? That should do the trick.

**Goddard barks happily, and unleashes a laser blast on the far door. It collapses into the next room, and the tension in the air immediately breaks**

CARL: Yay, I knew you could outsmart the machine, Jimmy! Take that, you big…uh, room!!

**Jimmy dusts off his hands, a smug expression plastered on his face at having been so devilishly clever**

CINDY: Don’t congratulate yourself just yet, Neutron. We still have to get through 6 more rooms.

JIMMY: Right.

**He strikes out across the floor and stops at the splintered threshold**

JIMMY: Starting now…

** Over in Sector 3, the security systems are still offline. Future Libby peers around a corner, her gaze darting this way and that before she ducks back into the shadows. Heart racing, she forces herself to shut her eyes and take a deep breath. Biting her lip, she cranes her neck around the corner and scans the area again. She twists the ring on her finger several times, then takes a shaky breath and sneaks out of the darkened alcove. She creeps past a row of metallic doors – she slows as she passes the last one, frowning at a sudden and inexplicable urge to push it open and investigate. She glances back at it again over her shoulder while she rounds the next bend. Before she can shift her gaze forward again, she collides heavily with something that seems to have materialized out of nowhere. She staggers backward to catch her balance, only to find herself looking straight into the face of the very last person she had wanted to see – Dictator Jimmy**

FUTURE LIBBY: (gasping) O..ooooh!!

**She freezes in terror as his features burn themselves into her memory. The first thing she notices is his form-fitting, metallic blue space suit – darker than Aurora’s, the lines of the suit coil around his body like an alien skeleton. He is not particularly tall, maybe a few inches taller than Aurora, but he nevertheless seems to exude a presence large enough to fill the entire room. His brown hair is arranged in a state of carefully ordered chaos, and his eyes – as blue and intense as living sapphire – gaze out from the shadow cast by his bangs. Easily asserting his authority, he crosses his arms and lounges against the wall in a perfect imitation of lazy repose**

DICTATOR JIMMY: Libby. It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?

**Future Libby tries to reply, but no words come out. She stares at him dumbly, mouth open, spellbound by his unnaturally clear eyes**

DICTATOR: So tell me, Libby, what brings you here? Business? Pleasure?

**His voice is pleasant, his tone beguiling, and a smile plays at the corner of his lips, as if he finds her faintly amusing somehow**

DICTATOR: What’s the matter? Not going to answer?

**When Future Libby again fails to respond, he plunges forward after her. She hops backward to assume a defensive stance, but before she can counter his movement, his hand locks around her wrist in a cold iron grip. Without batting an eye, he twirls her around and pulls her against him, wrenching her arm behind her back and clamping it down tight. He bends over her shoulder and whispers right into her ear, his words quick and insistent**

DICTATOR: Aurora brought you here, didn’t she, Libby? Didn’t she?

**She struggles, desperately trying to pull her body away from his. He increases the pressure on her arm, and she yelps in pain**

FUTURE LIBBY: Aooow! Let me go! Auroraaaa!

**He raises an eyebrow**

DICTATOR: Why are you shouting? She’s not going to help you.

**Future Libby’s eyes flash angrily, and she twists and thrashes, sputtering incoherently**

FUTURE LIBBY: She WILL save me! You’ll see! She’ll save all of us, you…you…she’s goin’ to beat you!!

**He chuckles, seemingly entertained by her words**

DICTATOR: I see your anger doesn’t express itself very articulately…

FUTURE LIBBY: You creep! Don’t patronize me! Let go an’ fight me like a man!

**His smile fades, and he shoves her forward, still holding her wrist. She stumbles, and he swings her back toward the wall, rotating them around their mutual center of gravity. She smacks face-first into the hard surface, and he yanks her arms back with one hand, pinning her body to the wall with the other**

DICTATOR: You want to fight me? Then you’d better be prepared for what happens if you lose. I’d be happy to give you a preview…shall I tell you about all the things I did to Aurora the last time she was here?

**Future Libby wriggles defiantly**

FUTURE LIBBY: She’s stronger than you!

DICTATOR: (in a low voice) Perhaps. But are you stronger than me?

**She stops dead, a lump suddenly forming in her throat. He leans in closer, and she strains against his hold. He digs his elbow into her shoulder blade, and, resting his weight against her back, pulls off her gold betrothal ring. He examines it thoughtfully; then, a moment later, his blue fire consumes it**

FUTURE LIBBY: My ring!

**In response, he resumes his previous hold, and light seeps down from his forearms and ignites against her back and hands. She cries out in pain as the cerulean flames scorch through her silk dress, marring sections of her skin with hideously painful burns. Future Libby’s legs buckle under her, and he lets her tumble to the floor. His eyes are cold and his voice is deadly serious as he looks down at her crumpled form**

DICTATOR: Don’t even pretend for a second that you’re equal to Aurora. You’re nothing compared to her. Look at yourself…marching into battle wearing that get-up? Have you no sense of reality at all?

**He sneers contemptuously. She merely stares down at her charred palms, too stunned to respond**

DICTATOR: But that’s how you’ve always been, isn’t it? Spoiled and materialistic. Only caring about the way you look. Deep down, you’re selfish, and you know it. First you made Sheen take the fall for you, and now you’re going to do the same to your best friend.

**At the mention of Sheen’s name, she looks up, pain temporarily forgotten. He continues in his delicate verbal torment**

DICTATOR: You’re out of your league, Libby. I have no idea why Aurora brought you here, but whatever she was planning, it’s already gone awry. Somehow, you two must have gotten separated by accident. And now, you’re completely helpless...

**Future Libby’s mouth goes dry, and he lashes out with another blaze of fire, singeing her legs. She draws her limbs in close to her body, cradling them as she waits for the burning sting to pass**

DICTATOR: (mercilessly) How do you think Aurora’s feeling right now? I’ll tell you how she’s feeling, Libby. Your disappearance will leave her internally distraught. Even if she tells herself otherwise, she’ll unconsciously assume the worse. And it’ll eat her up inside. She’ll come looking for me, and when she faces me one-on-one, you know what will be filling her mind? Thoughts of you. She’ll be worried about you. Distracted. She won’t be on top of her game – and I’ll take full advantage of that.

**Future Libby realizes with a lurch of anxiety that his statement is true. He can see that his line of attack is having the desired effect as he slowly paces back and forth in front of her**

DICTATOR: In fact, Aurora’s already off her game. She thinks she’s one step ahead of me, but she’s wrong. I know her better than that. You see, she’s a bit too clever for her own good. Nav and April are doing a phenomenal amount of damage over in Sector 4 – it’s obvious that they’re meant to be a diversion. Aurora intended me to arrive at this conclusion, no doubt in the hopes that I would ignore them and go after her instead. This means that they are actually the weakest link in the plan.

**Future Libby’s eyes widen ever so slightly, surprised by the accuracy of his postulation. She immediately realizes her mistake and forces a neutral expression, but her subtle facial movement does not go unnoticed by her captor**

DICTATOR: Ah. I can tell from your reaction that I have correctly interpreted the situation. Therefore, my next course of action is clear. After I have dealt with you, I will proceed directly to Sector 4 and kill both intruders. If Aurora wants to bring her friends into harm’s way, she will pay the price.

**Future Libby can scarcely conceal her horror, and he smiles in satisfaction**

DICTATOR: Thank you, Libby. You’ve been very helpful, and you didn’t even have to say anything at all. Just by being here, you’ve murdered your friends, one by one.

**Future Libby bites her lip hard, trying with all her might not to burst into tears**

DICTATOR: (with false sympathy) Now, now, don’t worry my dear. I’m not going to kill you. I’m saving you so that Aurora can watch me melt off your pretty face. Plus, if things go wrong later, I may need your life as a bargaining chip. Which leads me to the next item of business…I must dispose of you for the time being. I don’t want any interruptions.

**He yanks her from the ground, twists her round, and pushes her forward, guiding her down the preceding corridor. She winces with each step, her raw skin still throbbing from her injuries. The first of the metallic doors automatically swings open upon his approach, and he forces her inside. It shuts behind them. Dictator Jimmy’s hand grows heavy on her arm and the small of her back as they press onward into the deepening shadow**

FUTURE LIBBY: W…Where are we goin’?

DICTATOR: You’ll see.

**A cold sweat breaks over Future Libby’s brow, and her heartbeat quickens. They descend stairs of some sort, and the light from the door begins to diminish as they head deeper underground. The air grows increasingly oppressive, and in her imagination the world above begins to fade away, leaving only heavy, stifling darkness and the consciousness of her own pain. With each step forward she finds it more and more difficult to breathe. Down in the endless corridor, the blackness possesses thickness and texture, is an entity in its own right. Desperate to hear a noise, to make sure she’s still alive, she finds herself repeating her question in a small voice**

FUTURE LIBBY: Where…where are you takin’ me?

**When he doesn’t answer, the fear hiding on the periphery of her senses rises to full-blown panic, and she opens her mouth to scream. As if he had anticipated her, his hand clamps down over her mouth and muffles the sound. She struggles, twisting and thrashing in a desperate attempt to break free, but her hands remain firmly locked behind her back. She half expects a reprimand, but instead he stops, and she can feel his smile behind her**

DICTATOR: Come to think of it, I have an even better idea. I know just what to do with you…

**He drives her on, and the next part of the journey passes by in a blur of indeterminate duration. Dictator Jimmy unlocks a metal door of some kind, and the hinges creak loudly as it swings open. He pushes her through it and onto her knees, then slams the door shut behind her. The cell swallows her…

Future Libby feels as though she is drowning. Up and down, back and front, and left and right lose their meaning as her sense of space expands into the nothingness all around. Floundering in the darkness, she flattens herself against the floor, grasping at the only solid reality left to her. She presses her face against the damp surface, struggling to steady her breathing. A moment later, every hair on her body stands on end. Somewhere in the mind-numbing darkness, something moves. The noise that comes out of the void assails her senses like a bolt of lightning: the bone-chilling sound of nails clicking against the cold stone tiles of the floor**

FUTURE LIBBY: H-Hello?

**Her voice comes out as nothing more than a barely audible squeak, and the clicking sounds draw nearer. All-consuming terror wraps its icy, vicelike fingers around her windpipe, and she feels the air rush from her lungs. She freezes, daring not even to move her eyes. Cold sweat pours down her forehead and neck, and strange colors seem to swim and blur together in her mind’s eye. From somewhere across the room, a voice speaks. It has a terrifying layered quality – the top half seems human, but underneath the syllables lurk the ancient, guttural tones of a predator**

VOICE: He brought food early today…

**Future Libby tries to scream, but the sound catches in her throat. She backs away on all fours in blind terror, as the unknown presence advances toward her. She extends her arms in desperation, and at last manages to cry out a few strangled words**

FUTURE LIBBY: No! Don’t hurt me!

**The creature’s sharp intake of air echoes in the damp cell. Future Libby senses fear in the air, and after a moment she realizes that it’s not her own. There are scraping noises as the room’s other occupant rapidly backs away. She straightens, wiping loose strands of hair from her forehead. When the voice speaks again, it sounds vaguely familiar, despite its labored breathing**

VOICE: L…L…Libby?

**Recognition dawns on her brain, and a wave of dizzying nausea washes over her. Little white flecks swim around the edges of her vision, and a long moment passes before she is able to speak**

FUTURE LIBBY: Oh my God…Sheen?

FUTURE SHEEN: Libby??

**Before she can process the paralyzing emotions that have taken hold of her entire body, a small panel on the wall slides open, and she is temporarily blinded by the light. She blinks furiously, stabbing pain shooting through her head at the unexpected brightness. Dictator Jimmy stares down at her through the rusted metal bars that barricade the opening. Future Libby’s gaze snaps over in Future Sheen’s direction just in time to see him retreat into the shadows**

FUTURE LIBBY: (squinting)…Sheen? Sheen?

**Dictator Jimmy’s cold smile sends a shiver running up her spine**

DICTATOR: Hidden, has he?

**His eyes are bright as he looks down at her. No human eyes could be that color; they seem to radiate light at an impossible blue wavelength. His smile grows**

DICTATOR: Look harder, Libby. Your vision will have adjusted by now.

**With a dull sense of dread weighing heavy upon her, she swivels and peers into the gloom. At first, all she can make out is a dark patch silhouetted against the mottled, water-stained concrete wall. As her vision clears, she covers her mouth to stifle a shocked gasp. Future Sheen crouches on all fours in the corner. His clothes are tattered and half-rotted, and strange, tube-like protrusions run from nodes attached to his body to a decrepit machine in another corner. Metal cuffs glint from his ankles and his wrists, and a rusted collar constricts his neck. Lines of unintelligible red symbols and numbers are tattooed down his arms, across his chest, and on his face. He quickly moves to hide his left arm, and she catches a glimpse of claws before gazing at last into his face. The numbers 21 12 are etched into his cheeks, but she hardly notices them as their eyes meet. Future Sheen’s right eye is brown and stares back levelly, fear, surprise, hope, and wonder mingling in its depths. His left eye is the color of blood, the pupil nothing more than a slit – a maniacal cat’s eye beneath a cruelly curved eyebrow**

FUTURE LIBBY: Sh…Sheen?

DICTATOR: Libby, allow me to introduce you to Experiment 21-12…

FUTURE LIBBY: (almost screaming) What have you done to him!?

DICTATOR: What do you mean, what have I done to him? You’re the one responsible for this, Libby. Sure, he made his choice – but he did it for you. Everything that’s happened to Sheen over the past decade happened because of you. Don’t forget that.

**He pauses to let this sink in**

DICTATOR: (nonchalantly) But, since you’re curious, I’d be happy to elaborate. 21-12 was one of my first test subjects. I conducted a small degree of gene manipulation in the hopes of creating a sort of ‘super soldier’, with enhanced strength and sensory capabilities. Unfortunately, the experiment was a failure. The subject began to exhibit signs of mental instability and physical violence. The effort it took to control him outweighed his benefit, so I allocated him to this cell for further observation. I occasionally recycled him for additional miscellaneous experimentation when it was imprudent to waste a clean test subject – those numbers you see branded on his skin are a catalogue of all the various procedures I have performed on him.

FUTURE LIBBY: You’re a monster!

DICTATOR: (quietly) You don’t know the meaning of the word, Libby. The abomination you see before you is no longer the Sheen you once knew. All that’s left is a twisted body and an inhuman mind – the final product of unnatural selection. He’s a unique kind of monster, Libby, with the killer instincts of an animal and that special kind of cruelty that only humans can achieve. And I should perhaps point out that his ravenous appetite extends beyond the need for mere food…

**Tears pour down Future Libby’s face and splash against the unforgiving ground. She pulls her knees under her and covers her ears, desperately trying to shut out his words**

FUTURE LIBBY: No! No! I don’t believe you! This isn’t the way it’s supposed to be!

DICTATOR: Believe whatever you want. But in a moment I’ll close this panel, and you’ll once again find yourself alone with him in the darkness. If I were you, I would get down on my hands and knees and pray that he doesn’t escape from those chains. Because if he breaks free, Libby – even I wouldn’t want to see the things he’d do to you.

**With this final pronunciation, he slides the panel shut with a resounding clang. Future Libby lunges after the receding light, but the darkness swallows her before she can reach. She hits the wall, and panic seizes her. Eyes peeled wide in terror, she flattens her back against the grimy surface, digging her manicured fingernails into the concrete. Icy cold tendrils of fear coil outward from the center of her chest, and her heart beats so furiously that it echoes in her ears. Struggling to slow her breathing, she slowly creeps along the wall in the direction she imagines to be opposite Future Sheen.

Dictator Jimmy’s words play over and over again in her head as hot tears spill down her cheeks. An inhuman monster, a cruel killer…at any second she expects to feel hands on her body, to feel his claws poised against her soft skin. …What would Sheen do to her? What final words would he utter? Or would he simply kill her without a sound?**

FUTURE SHEEN: Libby?

**She slams her eyes shut, the cruel irony of it all too much for her to bear. She feels a dim sense of injustice as she waits for him to make his move – that she should have waited ten years and come all those millions of miles, only for it end like this. The moment seems to stretch on for an eternity. When nothing happens, she opens one lid tentatively**

FUTURE SHEEN: (urgently) Listen to me, Libby. Ignore what he said – I may look different, but I’m still me. We need to get out of this cell. But first, you need to get me out of these shackles.

**Future Libby shakes her head furiously, holding tight to her spot on the wall**

FUTURE SHEEN: I’m not going to hurt you, Libby. Please come here.

FUTURE LIBBY: It’s not really you! I don’t know what you are, but you’re not the Sheen I remember!

**The words come out in a choked sob**

FUTURE LIBBY: You’re not the Sheen I knew! I waited so long…and you’re not him! You’re not the man you’re supposed to be!

FUTURE SHEEN: (gently) I don’t know what you were expecting, Libby, but I promise I won’t do anything to hurt you. You have to get me out of these chains. It’s the only way we’re going to get out of here.

**Future Libby swims in a haze of indecision. Dictator Jimmy’s words dance mockingly through her memory, but she finds herself oddly steadied by Sheen’s tone of voice and his uncharacteristically levelheaded words**

FUTURE LIBBY: (hesitantly)…How…How do I know you won’t kill me? How can I believe it’s you? The REAL you?

FUTURE SHEEN: You’re just going to have to trust me.

**She hesitates a moment longer, until all at once Tuyen’s words come rushing back to her. They pour over her in a wave of brilliant clarity: You will very soon recover something that you have lost, but when the time comes, you must not allow yourself to feel any fear. Only by remaining steadfast in the face of terror will be able to save the people you love. In an instant Future Libby comprehends, and she pushes away from the wall, a new resolve coursing through her veins**

FUTURE LIBBY: (wiping her eyes) I understand. Where are you? I can’t see a thing…

FUTURE SHEEN: Follow the sound of my voice…

**She totters forward into the spaceless darkness, arms extended**

FUTURE SHEEN: This way. There we go, a little bit further. A few more steps…

**Future Libby stops in mid-stride, fingers grasping air. Something inside her whispers, this is your last chance to back out. She remains motionless, suddenly gripped by renewed anxiety**

FUTURE SHEEN: What’s the matter?

FUTURE LIBBY: (searching for an excuse) Once we get outta here, won’t he just come after us again?

FUTURE SHEEN: Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt you.

FUTURE LIBBY: I’m not worried ‘bout me. Won’t he do somethin’ to you?

**There is a pause**

FUTURE SHEEN: (quietly) You don’t understand, Libby. Once I get out of this cell, nothing will be able to stop me.

**She feels a chill at these words. Retracting her arms, she hangs back nervously**

FUTURE SHEEN: Libby?

**Biting her lip, she forces herself to cross the last few paces between them. Her fingers quake as they search for his form in the emptiness. Finally, she reaches him. She feels the heat from his skin a moment before her fingertips make contact – and she silently thanks the darkness for concealing the sudden burning in her cheeks. Slowly, she settles her burnt hands on his warm body. For a moment she stands motionless, acutely aware of his presence, until his words ease her back to her senses**

FUTURE SHEEN: Those are my shoulders. Slide your hands down my arms until you find the cuffs on my wrists.

**Pain forgotten, she obeys, a combination of fear and exhilaration fueling her movements. Her heart skips a beat as her hand trails down his left forearm, where unnaturally hardened, raised veins branch across his skin. She quickly jerks her hand past the anomalous lines, and her knuckles clink against the cold metal of the handcuff**

FUTURE SHEEN: Do you feel the latch there? It’s a little hook of metal sticking out from the rest of the cuff. I think it’s programmed so that the wearer can’t open it, but I see no reason why you shouldn’t be able to.

FUTURE LIBBY: I think I got it…

**She flips the hook on his left cuff, and it pops open. As soon as his hand is free, several things happen very quickly. He wrenches the chains off his other arm, then backs up a step, straining against his bonds. The sound of snapping metal fills the air, and Future Libby covers her head as shards of steel and pieces of chain fly out into the corners of the room. Opening her eyes again, she feels a rush of air as he brushes past her. She whirls around, mouth open, but before she can pinpoint his position again, the steel door comes flying past her and crashes against the cell wall. Still in shock at the sheer speed and efficiency of the breakout, she finds herself hurtling forward, her wrist locked in Sheen’s firm grasp. He drags her through the doorway and into the darkened hallway at breakneck speed. Stumbling behind him, she doesn’t even have time to yell out in protest before a tiny patch of light appears up ahead. With feverish speed, Future Sheen turns and scoops her up. He bounds up the stairs leading to the exit, clearing three at a time. Setting her down, Future Sheen tears the door clean off its hinges and hurls it violently into the hallway, where it slams against the far wall and clatters to the floor, warped and distorted. Out of breath and in mild shock, Future Libby leans against the doorframe, catching her breath. Future Sheen darts out into the brightly lit corridor, running in circles**

FUTURE SHEEN: FREEEEEDOM!! SWEET FREEDOM!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!

**He turns a series of cartwheels, laughing wildly**

FUTURE SHEEN: I have so much ENERGY!

**He flips backward, then suddenly turns and punches the wall, leaving a crater where his fist had impacted. Staring down at his clenched hand, his expression changes. He faces the wall squarely, and, yelling obscenities, angrily slams his fists into it over and over again. Dust and chunks of rubble rain down from the site of his assault, and he punctuates the episode by slashing out with his razor sharp claws. He pulls back, panting, a gigantic scrape mark gauged into the wall**

FUTURE SHEEN: (voice cracking) I’m…I’m finally out…

** He bends forward, resting his hands on his knees as he steadies himself. Finally he straightens, and his gaze travels over to Future Libby, who is staring out at him from her spot inside the doorway. Her eyes widen as she gets her first good look at him. At his full height he stands a good head taller than her, and his torn, ill-fitted clothes showcase his sinewy muscles rather than conceal them. His hair, a shade or two darker than his deeply tanned skin, rises from his head in sharp spikes. His eyes, alert and asymmetrical, bore into hers, and every angle of his face hints at a feral, unpredictable nature. She notices that each time he takes a breath his whole body moves, like a coiled animal ready to spring**

FUTURE SHEEN: (panting) Sorry you had to see that Libby. You don’t understand what it was like, to be locked in there…

**He breaks off, voice uneven. After a moment, he forces a reassuring smile**

FUTURE SHEEN: But I got it all out of my system, so there’s no need to be worried. See?

**He spreads his arms and spins around once in an attempt to appear carefree, but the gesture only succeeds in drawing Future Libby’s attention to his strangely misshapen left forearm. It is covered in raised metallic veins, and his enlarged hand tapers into a set of cruelly curved, retractable claws. He notices the direction of her gaze and quickly covers the area with his other arm, blushing in embarrassment**

FUTURE SHEEN: I’m sorry…I know how horrible I must look to you…

**There is a moment of silence. She looks down at the ground and fidgets**

FUTURE LIBBY: Actually, I think you look…really good.

**A smile creeps across his face**

FUTURE SHEEN: Really?

FUTURE LIBBY: Ya…I mean, not what I expected, but…

FUTURE SHEEN: But not butt-ugly?

**She laughs**

FUTURE LIBBY: No, not butt-ugly.

**There is another, drawn-out silence, this one longer than the first**

FUTURE SHEEN: You look…hot.

**Future Libby blinks**

FUTURE LIBBY: Hot?

FUTURE SHEEN: Ya, I mean…well, look at you! You’re drop-dead-gorgeous!

**She plants a hand on one hip**

FUTURE LIBBY: Sheen, I think maybe you’ve been away from other girls too long…

FUTURE SHEEN: No, no, I mean it! Seriously, look at you! That hair, that…err, figure…that dress…

**His sudden awkwardness leaves her feeling cool-headed and in control of herself for the first time since they reunited, and she smiles graciously**

FUTURE LIBBY: (giggling) Well, thank you for the compliments, but I don’t think now’s the time to be sittin’ around flirtin’. What’s the plan?

FUTURE SHEEN: (dazed) The plan? Oh, right…the plan. I guess we find your friends and do whatever it was you came here to do.

FUTURE LIBBY: All right, but I don’t think I should tell you any of the details here, since he can probably hear everything we’re sayin’. Just get me to the main control room…I think that’s where Aurora was headin’. We got separated, and I think it’d be best if…

FUTURE SHEEN: (interrupting) Aurora?

FUTURE LIBBY: Oh yeah, that’s what Cindy’s callin’ herself nowadays.

FUTURE SHEEN: Cindy? So you did meet up with her on Earth after I sent you back?

FUTURE LIBBY: Um…in a roundabout sort of way. I…Ouch! Ahh…

**All of the sudden she becomes acutely aware of her burn wounds; Future Libby glances down at her hands, to find them dirty and rapidly blistering**

FUTURE LIBBY: Ow… oh no…

FUTURE SHEEN: What’s the matter?

FUTURE LIBBY: (in dismay) Ow… He ruined my pretty hands…

**He quickly crosses the distance between them, and Future Libby displays her injuries for him to see. He touches her fingers gently, his eyebrows drawn together in concern**

FUTURE SHEEN: That looks pretty bad. Here, let me…

**He carefully pulls off what’s left of his orange shirt and, after ripping into sections, begins bandaging the wounds**

FUTURE LIBBY: (quietly) Thank you…

**Still holding her hands in his, he meets her eyes, and she immediately becomes uneasy. Jerking away, she quickly babbles out an addendum**

FUTURE LIBBY: Th-that’s better. Thanks. Um, as to what we were sayin’ before…I’ll explain everythin’ later, but right now we need to get a move on. Time is of the essence here.

FUTURE SHEEN: All right. Let’s go.

-> Chapter 34 ->