NOVEL NEXT Chapter 42: Formalities.
Chapter 42: Formalities.
I gasped for air, once, then twice and thrice.
Desperation forcing my sealed mouth open as new sensations overtook the old ones.
I heaved, forcing oxygen down my throat as sweat ran down my entire body.
My arms got tangled in something and pushing them apart saw me falling down unto the floor.
‘Sully? Sully are you there?’
“Buddy?” I groaned.
‘Yes! Its me! I told them to stop putting those disgusting fabrics on you! But they wouldn’t listen! They’re bad people trying to tear us apart! They want to lure you away with bedsheets! As if they could comfort you better than me! Can you believe it!?’
“Ow.” I said, not quite capturing the monumental amount of pain assailing my head.
My fog was somehow managing to work overtime while simultaneously failing in the most catastrophic manner imaginable.
I could feel over a hundred humans beyond my current enclosure, each one having a mini-mental breakdown of their very own.
Beyond their surroundings were the robots I’d ordered to stay behind and…
Not much else.
Which was a blessing, since I very much doubted the presence of my horde would have helped matters.
I felt my skull splitting over and over.
Until some deep and malnourished part of me wished to go back and take its chances with the fleshy abomination.
‘Sully? Are you listening to me?’
“Please…Buddy. Not now. Not for a long time. I can’t.”
The noise was too strong.
Too real.
I needed it to stop.
I shut my eyes as tightly as I could and placed my hands to my head.
Willing the shrilling to cease.
Thankfully, it did.
Leaving me alone with Buddy and the hangover.
“Ohagh.” I moaned, not quite able to shake off the aftereffects of the booze.
‘Buddy, how much did I drink?’
‘A lot? Like, a lot a lot. Your big lady friend and her brother were worried you might die. Three different folks have been in and out of the room over the past two days to heal you. Ever since you passed out.’
“I’ve been out for two days!?” I yelled.
That, as it turned out, was a very stupid thing to do as the noise I made sent me reeling back against the metallic bedframe.
I whimpered.
All too aware of the pathetic state I was in.
I was so out of it that I didn’t notice the bustle outside my door.
Not until it swung open and two strangers raised the alarm.
They fell back towards the bright lights outside, making way for others to enter. A pair of thick hands grabbed onto my arms, gently lifting me to my feet as other, rougher hands patted me down.
“He’s good to go.” A familiar voice assured the others.
I was slurring over my words, not fully aware of what was going on.
As such, I couldn’t put up any kind of resistance when I was carried out of the dark bedroom.
I kept groaning like an idiot for a while longer. Even after the hands put me down and handed me a warm beverage.
“Drink.” They said, with a patience I appreciated.
I brought the cup to my face and felt the warm liquid slash over Buddy’s transparent layer of protection. The see-through portion of his astronaut form having stopped the …whatever it was, from reaching my lips.
“Ask your suit to draw back. I’m going to give you another one.”
I managed to follow the instructions, willing Buddy away from my face. The transparent membrane retreated and water met my lips.
I gulped and gulped again. Feeling slightly better.
Words flew all around me, though I failed to follow most of them.
“(Gnome) me. He looks rough.”
“At least he’s still alive.”
“And not actively enslaving us. Thank goodness.”
“He wouldn’t do that.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“You saw the memories. He’s not like that.”
“I also saw the bodies.”
“Those were gnomes. (Gnome) em.”
“Looks like he’ll make it.”
“Guess its time for a meeting.”
I drank until I felt bloated and was helped back to bed.
Hours passed afterwards.
Strangers holding on to me while I felt icepicks digging into my cranium.
I eventually managed to make out the people caring for me.
Dusty and Slab were there, alongside an unfamiliar senior with a gentle smile.
They stayed with me until I was well enough to hold a basic conversation.
After which they grew serious.
“Right. Its good that you’re back to your old self.” Slab said. “Would you still like me to call you Sully?”
“Yeah.” I croaked. “None of that Shepherd stuff. Not now.”
Slab nodded.
“Very good.” The elderly man affirmed. “With that out of the way, I think its time you sat in during our council meetings. There’s been some developments that you aren’t privy to yet. We should get you acquainted with our current circumstances as soon as possible.”
I winced, reeling form another burst of pain.
“I still don’t feel very good.”
“I can imagine. Me and Borislav have been taking turns healing you. That concentration of alcohol in your bloodstream would have killed a lesser man five times over. Regardless, you are the strongest person in our group and the one personally responsible for our current blessings. There are things you must be made aware of.”
Dusty placed a gentle hand over mine.
“Please Sully. You don’t have to get up. We’ll carry you over to the main hall. Its important people see you. Its important they know you’re still, you.”
There was an edge to her voice that hadn’t been there before. A vulnerability she hadn’t exposed prior to this conversation.
My weary eyes floated over to her. Not to her bloody spear or Symbiote, but to her freckled face and orange hair. To her pleasant features and the pleading in her eyes.
I felt a lump form in my throat as those eyes drew me in.
“Maybe we should discuss some things before we have a meeting.” She said, turning her head towards the senior. “Would you please excuse us, Mr. Park?”
“Of course, of course. Take your time.” He sauntered off, closing the door behind him.
They both turned to face me, their expression growing grim.
Slab cleared his throat loudly before speaking again.
“How much do you remember, exactly?”
“A little?” I answered. Suddenly dreading the turns this conversation could take.
Dusty drew in a sharp breath. I noted the expression she made and started sweating bullets.
‘No. No, this can’t be. Drunk Sully wouldn’t do this to sober Sully. Not after all we’ve been through.’
Dusty noticed my gaze and looked away, blushing.
‘NOOOOO! What have you done drunk Sully!?’
“Very well.” Slab continued. “In that case, I’m going to be describing some events that happened during the three days you were, not yourself. Do you remember the scalping?”
Holy (Gnome).
That took a turn.
“I never did anything to anyone!”
“The targets were gnomes.”
“Oh. Yeah. In that case I probably did that. Checks out.”
“But you don’t remember?”
“No.”
“In that case, do you remember the talks on…. Leadership?”
Oof, that sounded important.
“No.”
“Good. We’ll go over that in front of everyone else so that we can put them at ease. Do you remember the trials?”
“Sort of? Its all very hazy. Like it happened to someone else.”
“Do you remember what happened after the trials?”
“I think we went to another safe zone to liberate it.”
“That happened a little bit later. You made a whole speech about law and order. Saying that you didn’t want a William Golding situation. Whatever that means. You then started listing off rules for us to follow. It was all based on basic decency so nobody argued back then. The council did meet later and agreed to ratify them, so its fine. The issue is that you appointed yourself as, and I quote, ‘The awesomest judge to ever judge anybody. I am the law.’ Then you started repeating that last phrase over and over again in deeper and deeper voices. Prudence was saying it was tribute to a movie.”
“It is a tribute to a…” My head snapped so that I was staring into his eyes. “Did you just say Prudence?”
“I guess that means you don’t remember her either. Yes, there was a person called Prudence Kettler among the warriors we rescued. You were very emotional when you found out and pulled out her diary. You read the whole thing to everyone in the Warehouse over the course of two days. She’s, not pleased.”
‘Dammit drunk Sully! Why would you do this to me!?’
Slab must have noticed my expression, because he allowed himself a small smile.
“Its not as bad as all that. You did save her life and gave her Telepath as a new Type. People would literally kill for such a boon back home. Besides, you shared a good deal of memories with all of us. It’ll be hard to hate you, knowing how hard you tried to be a hero.”
Dusty coughed slightly into her hand. A gesture that looked quite comical, coming from someone as physically imposing as her.
Slab looked her way and nodded.
“That leads us to the final topic. Do you remember the things you said to my sister?”
My voice came out as a squeak.
“No?”
“In that case, I’ll summarise. You can verify the truth of my words through my memories, since I don’t mind you seeing them or through the thoughts of our peers in the Warehouse. Everyone seems to be thinking about it to some degree.”
‘That bad huh?’
My trepidation must have shown on my face because Dusty waved Slab back.
“Maybe its best if I take over.”
Slab complied and retreated, giving her his old spot.
“Allow me to begin by saying that I… I’ve been inconsiderate.”
I blinked rapidly.
Not quite sure I heard her right.
“Me and my brother burdened you with our expectations. We were overeager, and did not consider your wishes. We only cared about what our association with you could do for our clan. How it would benefit us personally. It hadn’t occurred to us that your world would have had different circumstances. That you might not realize your own value to us.”
She paused to make sure I understood.
I nodded slowly. Urging her to continue.
“We all saw your memories over and over again, just as we saw each other’s memories. It has given the people here a queer sense of community. It has also allowed us to see things from your perspective. I understand now that some of our actions could be seen as, too radical. I apologize. Me and my brother will do our best to get along with our new allies so that violence doesn’t break out. Again.”
“Sorry, let me stop you right there. How much did you see?”
“Your memories of the crabs for one. Then it got confused. I saw some birthdays. The riot your family fled from five years ago. Your grandfather arguing with your father in the kitchen. Most people saw the first time you met your best friend Henry and how your bond developed over the years. There was the incident with the bowling place. Your friend saying he wanted to go skydiving. Among other things.”
She sucked in breath before continuing.
“I also saw Doris. How that went. How it ended. I also experienced your emotions and came to know how you saw us and our actions.”
I winced.
Partly from another dizzy spell and partly from the agony that name conjured up.
“I understand now that it was inconsiderate of me to pursue you. Especially when it was motivated by my own desire for leadership back home. You were thinking of saving people when all I could think about was my personal advancement. You deserved better.”
“That, is surprisingly mature. And down to earth. Huh?”
“You are surprised. You didn’t expect me to be so reasonable.”
“Well, I. No. I didn’t.” The admission felt wrong, though it was undeniably true.
“I understand. Which is why I won’t take the comments you made to heart. That said, I still do hope to get closer to you. Not only because my family’s continued existence relies on you, but also because I’ve come to admire you for who you are, rather than what you are.”
My check reddened.
“I saw your selflessness in the wake of adversity. I saw your compassion in the face of betrayal. I saw how your first instinct in any situation was to maximize other people’s chances of survival. Moreover, you are strong. Stronger than anyone else I’ve seen in all my life. That power didn’t change you. It didn’t go to your head and make you a bully. You still went out of your way to rescue others, even while intoxicated. For all these reasons, I wish to stay by your side. Its fine if you don’t reciprocate these feelings. I understand you’re hurting and confused. I only hope that you will keep relying on me and my brother as friends, rather than enforcers.”
I was left speechless.
“That… that was very mature of you.”
She and Slab smiled.
“We know. We rehearsed it for a long time. I’m glad our feelings got through.”
I opened and closed my mouth. Unsure of what else to say.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to respond to your feelings.” I admitted. “But I do want more friends. I hope we can get along from now on as well.”
That conversation went really well, all things considered.
I mean, I wasn’t one for rummaging through people’s memories so I had no idea what I said or did.
I could, however read people thoughts and the implications weren’t great.
‘Dammit drunk Sully! How could you do this to me!? Don’t you have a conscience!’
‘Why are you talking out yourself like that Sully?’
‘Not now Buddy. I have to focus on the meeting.’
The atmosphere was intense. Two hundred or so people with eyes as wide as saucers. All thinking back to my inebriated self and the things I’d done or said.
Some sounded plausible. For example, anything to do with gnomes was probably true. I didn’t regret any of it either. (Gnome) them.
Other examples though.
Yeah.
Best to cut back on the beers from now on.
A limit to four or five a day would be best.
Me, Slab and Dusty made our way down the rows of makeshift benches and towards the center table. It was a hulking monstrosity constructed from bone and chitin.
Its supports tied together with rope in order to avoid structural collapse.
Behind it were a row of people, some of who I recognized.
Monique was there, as was Mr. Park.
Beside them was an older looking woman, maybe in 50s, with long black hair and black eyes. Her waist was thick, as were her arms and legs, giving her a stocky appearance. Her expression was one of serene tranquility. The kind of face that gives off motherly affection without actually revealing much.
The last man looked to be in his mid-thirties, with dark skin, short black hair and small brown eyes. He was tapping his finger on the table. Making small thudding noises that were nonetheless heard over the silence in the room.
Slab moved away from us to take a seat beside Monique, bringing their total number up to five.
I remained standing, not really sure of where to go. The headache from the hangover was still pounding my skull from the inside and the bright lights of the Warehouse weren’t helping the issue.
I was about to ask if they had a seat for me, when Dusty surprised me with a lawn chair.
“Where did you get this?”
“One of the crates on the shelves. They have all sorts of things inside of them. A few are useful.”
I sat down, realizing that I would be sitting in front of the bench, rather than behind it. All while two rows of people looked at me from either side.
“Am I on trial?”
“No. Why would you be? You’re the reason this was all possible in the first place. People just want to talk to you and make sure you understand them. They would also like some… assurances. They’re all reasonable. Otherwise, me and Slab would have objected or fought our way out. Just relax and listen.”
That was easier said than done.
I felt like a very bad person being brought before the Hague. Weary eyes staring me down in silence from all sides.
Mr. Park coughed, drawing people’s attention.
“Right then. First item on the schedule. I’d like to introduce the elected council once more, now that everyone is present and conscious. I am Park Jun-Kyo. 78 years old. Part Enhancer and part Shifter, thanks to Mr. Carter’s help. I come from Earth TRKG 2004. My qualifications come from my time with the Esper response unit in Busan, South Korea. There, I maintained a leadership position from 2003 up until 2019. I retired long before coming here, of course. Regardless, I believe I have a fair deal to contribute to our group. One example is the way I organized our fledgling members into hunting parties to secure additional food and to create a more, permanent map of the surrounding areas.”
He settled back in his chair, allowing others to speak.
The older woman followed after him. Leaning forward to make sure others saw her face.
“Thank you, Mr. Park. I am Agnes. Projector as my first Type. Telepath as my second. 53 years old, from earth TLTL 2012. Same as Monique. Like her, I had a leadership position in my group. At least for a while. I helped save some three hundred people out of Paris when the bombs went down by opening up my family’s bunker. I managed to keep all of them alive. Men, women and children. For about three months. My father, may he rest in peace, was as wealthy as he’d been paranoid, but his supplies couldn’t last forever. After that, I organized search and rescue efforts out of my own initiative, doing some scavenging here and there. My contributions to this group lay in rationing and resource management. I have laid out plans for salting and storing cleaned meat in case of future scarcity. I’ve also created a list of edible mushrooms and plants, complete with descriptions and hand-drawn images.”
Monique went after her, clearing her throat before giving her story.
“Hello all. My name is Monique. Projector and Telepath. 41 years old. I had a leadership position in my group of survivors and have experience in teaching people how to shoot zombies. That doesn’t translate very well into superpowers but I’ve managed to carve out an effective training regimen regardless. I’m in charge of keeping the training room and the shooting range up and running with the help of Jacob here. Also, I observe people’s progress and give them pointers on how to improve their aim.”
Jacob nodded.
Straightening his back before speaking.
“Thank you, Monique. As she said, I am Jacob. I come from earth FLNV 2281. Yes, that’s the one with the regular atomic bombs and not the zombie or mutant bombs. I know its hard to keep track. I am a Projector with Enhancer as my second Type. I was not a leader of any sort prior to this posting, but I was a quartermaster in our subway turned shelter. I’m proud to say that I’ve made sturdy weapons out of pretty much anything and everything and that I’m pretty good at teaching other people how to do it. That’s what I did then and that’s what I’m doing now. Only with bones and fur instead of steel.”
Slab was the last to go.
His face impassive as Jacob finished his speech.
“Thank you. Everyone. I am Slab McMullen. Son of Finn McMullen. Champion of my clan. I am an Enhancer and a Telepath. Me and my sister come from earth NDRL 2411. I was trained for leadership from a young age as the heir apparent for my father and those lessons have shaped who I am, despite me never taking charge of my people. I know how to turn civilians with power into proper warriors and how to lead those warriors in the field. I also know how to break people down before building them back up again, so that their spirits grow stronger, just as their bodies do. I have been put in charge of leading larger hunting expeditions from the front. Our current focus is to find the remaining bosses in the Labyrinth so that we may avoid or kill them at our leisure.”
I sat there in silence.
Taking it all in.
It was good to know that the day to day running of the warehouse was being handled. It would have been better if I wasn’t sitting in the middle of the room though.
I took a deep, steading breath before speaking once it looked like no one else had anything to say.
“I’m glad things are working out. This really is how humans should come together in times of crisis. I sincerely hope to be of use to everyone else here and I hope they watch my back as I watch theirs. However, I can’t help but notice that I’m being singled out.”
“We were getting to that.” Mr. Park assured me. “In light of your accomplishments and the fact that we all saw your status when you were sharing memories, we acknowledge that you are by far, the most powerful person here. We also acknowledge that you are a person of deep moral fiber, who cares deeply about their fellows. That is why we have unanimously decided to support your bid for sheriff. That is, to be one enforcing our code of conduct until we manage to escape. We believe you are uniquely suited to the task because of your willingness to sacrifice yourself for others and the fact that your mind-reading is by far the most potent out of everyone here.”
“That said.” Agnes continued. “We feel that we cannot ignore some, troubling behaviour on your part.”
“The drinking.” Jacob said bluntly. “We’re talking about the drinking. We can’t have that anymore. You are way too (Gnome)ing scary when you drink. If you turn on us, we are all (Gnome)ed. For that reason, we have to impose two demands. One, you need to have one person with you a co-sheriff, in order to verify that everything is above board. Simeon has been chosen for this role. I believe you two know each other already.”
“That sounds reasonable.” I admitted.
Unchecked power was almost always a recipe for disaster. If a chaperone was what it would take to earn back their trust, then I was more than happy to oblige.
Not like I had anything to hide anymore.
“Good. That leaves us to item number two. You have to go cold turkey.”
Agnes piled on the second he was finished.
“You are hereby banned from the tavern and its services. This was a unanimous decision voted on by the council. Do you have any complaints?”
“Uh, yeah. I mean, I get that this my behaviour was, not professional, but I should at least be allowed…”
“Nothing.” Mr. Park cut in. “You will not be allowed any alcohol whatsoever. This is a decision that has been made with the full support of everyone present. It has been considered and voted upon. Regardless of your personal feelings, no one here can feel safe if you are drunk. There will be no negotiation. Is that understood?”
“Yes.” I said at once.
I mean, how was I supposed to argue against that?
“You are also banned from using mind-controlling abilities on others unless it is for the purposes of non-lethal restraining.”
I gulped.
Knowing that I had to give a good answer here in order to dispel the worst of the rumours going around.
“I agree to that. Not like I had any plans to do anything, inappropriate.”
“Good. We will also require that you refrain from sharing or erasing memories while acting as sheriff.”
“Of course. That goes without saying.”
“Very well. That leaves the council with two more items on the agenda.”
I read the answer in their minds before any of them said it out loud.
I groaned.
“You will apologize to all of us for the harassment you caused and you will promise to stay away from our personal memories going forward.”
“Oh, come on! I got everyone on the same page! Told everyone about the future! About Randall and Anezka! I got all of us to work together! I saved another hundred lives and made sure we all trusted each other!”
I turned on my fog to gauge the people’s reactions.
It came alive with the trepidations of others. Causing me to cringe in my seat.
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Agnes grunted.
“That will do. After that, there’s only one more thing to worry about.”
Her expression darkened as she leaned forward.
“The two individuals known as Randall and Anezka. We would like you to take charge of the subjugation efforts aimed at them.”
I said nothing. Merely looking back at the older woman in abject horror.
“Subjugation? What do you mean by…?”
“Death.” Slab said, leaving no room for interpretation.
“I’M A GOOD PERSON!” I shrieked, unable to stop the instinctive reaction.
All the council members reared back as if struck while people on the benches fell over each other in their haste to put some distance between us.
The hangover redoubled in its potency.
Nearly taking off my feet as I kept mumbling.
“I’m a good person. I’m a good person. I’m a good person.”
I felt two big warm limbs embracing me from behind.
The sensation was accompanied by a pleasant softness that took some of the edge away.
Not all of it, but some.
“Nobody here is saying that’s not true. Isn’t that right Slab?”
“Of course.” Slab answered.
Seizing on the opportunity like a drowning man catching sight of a raft.
“We really should have worded our… deliberation in a better way. My apologies. All we meant is that these two individuals should be the main concern of our group. Given the threat they pose.”
“Quite.” Agnes followed up. “I’ve had to deal with my share of bandits back in my earth. Some people cannot be reasoned with.”
“Exactly.” Jacob assented. “Fights using superpowers are, by and large, quick and dirty. One side usually throws a whole lot of stuff at the other before they can react and that’s pretty much that. There won’t be battle lines drawn in the sand when those two come calling. Randall, from what I saw, could incinerate us all in a second. Anezka could and will, do worse. We need to remove them before that happens.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Why not?” Mr. Park asked. “We all saw the same visions you did, Mr. Carter. Some of us even felt the pain you felt. I, for one, am not eager to see them come true.”
They were right.
Worse, I knew they were right. I'd even, resolved to do what was necessary, if it came to it.
The liquor had, given me enough perspective to realize that sometimes, people needed to make hard choices.
But that was just it.
It should be a hard choice.
Wrong.
This was wrong.
Yes, Randall and Anezka were both brutal killers, but murder shouldn’t be our first course of action.
I….I was willing to see it through, but only after all my other plans failed.
“You can’t sentence people to death without a trial!” I blurted out.
“There was a trial. A lengthy one. Where all the people of our community got a vote. There was plenty of discussion on the topic before you woke up and all present agreed that we’d like to avoid being roasted alive or made into macabre cyborgs. The vote was unanimous.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to kill people. Neither of them have committed crimes as of this moment.”
“Didn’t this Randall fellow burn down a couple of towns?” Jacob asked.
“He… might have. Okay, you might have point, but that doesn’t mean we should jump straight to murder!”
I took another breath, slowing down my heartbeat in an effort to calm myself down.
“Look. I… I get it. We’re all a little on edge right now because of… well. Everything. The gnomes, the maze, the darkness. It all comes together to drive us mad. That said, we should be striving to stand above our circumstances and come out of this with our head held high. Suffering under monsters should not turn us into monsters.”
“Didn’t you scalp a hundred gnomes last week?”
Why was he bringing that up?
“So? They’re gnomes. (Gnome) em. The point I’m trying to make is about people.”
I turned to loom at both sides of the parted crowds.
Raising the volume of my voice as I made my plea.
“You all saw my memories, so you know what I stand for. I live my life by the belief that the strong should look out for the weak. Just like Thunder Fist would have wanted. I do not believe in abusing power. That is why I’m so opposed to the idea of controlling you or hurting you all in any way. I cherish that part of me. I don’t want to lose it.”
I could feel some of their emotions easing up after that.
Their attention hanging on my words.
“For that same reason, Randall and Anezka should be given second chances.”
“What do you propose?” Monique asked.
“I want to share my memories with them. Just like I did with the rest of you. I want to make them feel the suffering they inflict on others to make them see the error of their ways.”
A wave of silence descended on the crowd. All of them thinking about what I’d said. About the ramifications of contradicting me after I’d shown such a humane perspective.
Mr. Park cleared his throat before speaking again.
“And if it doesn’t work?”
“I won’t let innocents come to harm. If they try to kill me…. I… I’ll handle them.”