Willy leaned offhandedly on the single chair in the single, rather dull living room, only a chair, table, TV, and a large box of collectables on the corner wall. The walls resonated with the stable tick of the traditional clock on the wall, which echoed in Willy’s head.
Willy escorted himself home early from school after he collapsed only three hours after he arrived. Ever since the incident with Arabella and her ‘purse snatcher’, he had been feeling ill, though he refused to admit it, merely shaking it all off until it was evident during his collapse. Willy didn’t remember anything after that, only the conversation with the school nurse after, he was transported to the Grand Metric Hospital in the center of the district, where he talked to his female doctor.
“Boy, I’ve never seen anything like this.” The nearly petite, light blue haired woman said solemnly, holding a clipboard in between her breasts. Willy laid stationary in the bed, only looking up slightly at the doctor, waiting for her to continue. “Seems you had ingested a unique form of a slow neurotoxin. It took nearly everything we had to set you straight again.” The doctor stated professionally, to which Willy was baffled. He stared at the doctor for a long period of time before making any other move.
“Neurotoxin?” Willy asked.
“It’s a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells which inhibits the functions of neurons, typically occurring in the nerve tissue.” The doctor paused, seeing Willy’s blank appearance plastered on his face. She laughed nervously, hoping to ease the tension. “Simply put, it attacks the nervous system. It continued to spread however, had I not caught it in time, your nervous system would have shut off completely, causing your body to shut down in response.”
Willy groaned. It wasn’t much that he wasn’t a science wiz; he was only concerned of how he could have possible come into contact with such a toxin. It didn’t take him long to consider the only possibilities of the day, that of which occurred during the battle with the SEAT agent. Ever since he was cut by his knives, he had been feeling nauseous and dizzy. Willy sighed in return, it had to be the reason.
“I see. Thank you Dr. Kayton.”
The incident today had reminded Willy that he was human, despite having powers beyond that of any ordinary human being. He was all too mortal, which is a fact that the SEAT agent knew well. Being so well equipped, prepared, and alone, Willy couldn’t help but think. “There must have been a bigger scheme, or some kind of scandal involved. Could it really have been a direct order from K.I.? It doesn’t make sense they would target me. They don’t want me dead. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding.”
Willy watched the flat-panel LCD TV attached through the wall as rationally as possible, leaning against the chair as a certain news story was brought into light at the station. The anchor woman was in much distress, clearly, as she sat in front of the camera, dark circles clearly distinct under her eyes. She folded her hands together intertwining her fingers, playing them with nervously. The background of the news room, despite looking anything less than chaotic, was an illusion that was not placed on Willy. No one knew this world more than he did.
“Good evening, I’m your anchor woman Clara Underwood. This just in, we have breaking news that the infamous faction known as K.I. has created another upsurge of anarchy spreading through the hearts of all nations worldwide. As of now, K.I., still concealed under an ominous silhouette, have given their final declaration, having issued a purge of all humanity who do not comply with their plan known as Order M.E; Mass Extermination. The president of the United States will speak soon in this urgent manner. For now, we ask that all citizens please remain calm in this dire situation…
Willy watched the news. Unbelievable, now K.I. was literally taking over the world, just like that. Willy was battling with himself, attempting to retain the outburst within him. When the rage began to build up inside of his psyche, it took over for a very brief moment. Willy, who always remained calm and collective, just this one time, could not.
He took his T.V. remote control, clenching it so hard his hand was throbbing. “K.I., and especially you Sid… you will regret this for your life! YOU HEAR ME?!” He threw it against the flat screen T.V., creating a small electrical burst; destroying fragments of the wall on the T.V., a crisp black outlined the structure of the wall. Willy clenched his hands together, running it harshly through his hair. He screamed loudly, holding nothing back now, glowering at the roof.
Willy’s eyes widened, as a sudden thought slapped him in the face like a floppy zucchini. His mouth gaped open, as he thought of the anchorwoman alone. He recognized her, her hair, her eyes, her face, he recognized all of it. He even recognized the name, Clara. He had heard that before. Willy thought, knowing who she was, but couldn’t place his finger on the exact resolution.
Willy attempted to shake it off, but to no avail. He knew her, he had to find her. He walked towards his door, opening it with a slow creak, revealing his head outside, which he wished he wouldn’t have done at first. The crowd of people leaving the city was astounding. People were thrown in a chaotic state. Packages were flying out of two story windows; personal belongings drenched on the sidelines, even people were brawling over stolen cars and money. People seemed to be in a riot. Willy sighed seeing the people of Earth in such a pathetic state of affairs. During these times, people really began to show their true colors. The fight for survival was a tough one. They were scared, they didn’t want to die, thinking they would, it was no holds barred. Willy understood the mentality, but never was one to subject to it irrationally. He leaped outside of his house.
“That anchor woman… I know her,” Willy said, the feeling returning inside of his head. He groaned in an unsatisfactory way. “I have to find her.” Perhaps she could give him a clue, any clue, to unraveling the mysteries behind K.I. Any step, no matter the size, in the right direction, was a step in the right direction.
Merely a kilometer a distance away from Willy, a duo of silhouettes stood side by side on an empire rooftop, watching the madness unfold in what was once the most glorified city of the United States of America; Heretic City, California. A tragedy larger than any natural disaster had struck. As quickly as the broadcast came, people panicked. The smaller figure laughed, a feminine laugh, chuckling heartily at the unfolding destruction.
“Look at these people. So pathetic, so defenseless in the wake of death,” the woman said with a hint of ecstasy. The man continued to examine Willy from his range, revealing his maroon, glass-like texture eyes. The eyes suddenly illuminated with a projection of much data simultaneously, processing every bit of information on the miniature screen immediately.
“It’s him. If there was an ever more perfect time to do this, it would be now. What are your commands, Sire?” the woman asked, as the man folded his arms powerfully.
“We will interrogate him, but do leave enough to keep his brain functioning. Attempt to avoid as much trauma to the head as absolutely necessary.” The man said with authority, his voice ringing with a deep, resonating with an almost robotic echo. “I will conduct the remains myself.”
“Understood, Sire,” the woman said, leaping off of the rooftop with astounding dexterity outside of normal human boundaries. The man watched the events unfold mysteriously, his red and blue striped, fuzzily designed cape gust in front of him, revealing a cryptic symbol engraved upon the center of the outside.
Trav had awakened like every other morning, heading to school like so. At first, Trav noticed nothing. Not being a very enthusiastic morning person, Trav did not rise well with the sun, and only noticed the changes of his school when he entered his locker. Trav was dismayed and stressed, at first thinking he was just being punk’d, or if the school hosted a special event and underwent major changes. Either way, the school was in even worse shape than what he was aware of his entire high school life. All of the promotional posters for in-school elections were completely gone, most of the water fountains were ripped out of the wall, the doors and walls themselves were very coarse and smothered with a black outline, also constantly drawn on with markers, some even graffiti that spelled out very offensive language. The staff was also almost nonexistent. It all hit Trav so fast, he was clueless to the changes for the worst.
“What is the meaning of this?” Trav asked no one, leaning against his locker in school. Trav continued to ponder, completely unsure of any of his surroundings. It was the same school Trav had known all of his life, but at the same time it wasn’t. Everything around him was different from what he expected, from what he had a habitual understanding of. His memory was blank, all from only a day ago, he could recall nothing. It bothered him roughly. He leaned back, the back of his head crashing against the locker door, thudding through thin air.
“I don’t know any of these people,” Trav said, his face contorted in a casual, yet crucial expression. Trav straightened out the ridges of his jacket. “I don’t recognize this school entirely.” Trav suddenly retorted with a resentful shout. “Why am I here?!” Trav banged his head once more against the locker, using his two hands to smash the other two beside of him. Trav’s hands bruised up from the dented impact. Students around the hallway turned their awareness to Trav, some stopped to stare for an extended period of time.
“Eh, what an attention whore. Leave the biscuit be,” one student said, passing by Trav, shoving him purposefully against the locker, resulting in Trav’s nonchalant roll to the floor. Trav had injured his shoulder during the descent to the tiled floor; however it went unnoticed and unattended.
“This isn’t right,” Trav uttered, his face now resorting back to the angry scowl. He supported his own weight up, once more dusting off his jacket, flapping it vigorously through the windy draft. A new look of pure determination lit Trav’s face in a silent fury inside. “Whatever is going on, I can’t just sit here and mope. I have to find out.”
As Trav reached the sliding glass doors of the school, which too were unfamiliar to him, he looked outside, noticing a large barrage of smoke engulfing the main terminal of the city. Sirens alarmed and flared toward the direction of the commotion. People screamed, which pierced and rang in Trav’s ears like a broken record. Trav’s eyes widened, as suddenly, his memory returned to him. Fragments of his memory condensed all at once, as he got a swift yet accurate look of the beholding future unfolding in front of his eyes, the future he was warned of.
“The future is a horrible place… - We were best friends… - He became mad, spiteful of me… - It’s the first time of my life I’ve ever felt so helpless…”
“Allow me to show you a world that is tainted black…”
Trav’s suddenly snapped back into awareness of the reality unfolding right in front of him. From seeing the commotion, his memory returned to him. Willman, Sid, Vince, Andy, Clara. They were here, they had to be. Trav’s fists clenched, overcoming with a fierce resolve. Just then, finally remembering the main fragments of the events that unfolded the day that changed Trav’s life forever, he remembered one thing Willy had said.
“Once you’re in, you’re in.”
Trav nodded. “I’m in.” Trav attempted to open the sliding glass door by a swift slide, but found the task impossible. The door was jammed. Students lined up behind Trav, creating a tumult behind of him. One boy even threw an empty Gatorade bottle at Trav’s head.
“’Ey boy, open the damn door already! Didn’t you hear the final bell ring?! Get that shit out of your ears!”
“Shut up Jeremy, we’re in a crisis! Look outside, damn fool! We’ll be safer in here as far as I’m concerned.”
Trav glared down at the door, deciding there was only one more reliable way to escape. Trav raised his foot, kicking through the glass of the door, resulting in a salvo of fallen glass particles soaring with an obstructive force. Trav leaped out of the glass-less door he had now just created, leaping out of the school, on his search for the man he had kept a promise to.
“You better be alright, Willy-man. I have no idea where you are, but I’m coming!”
Willy leaped across rooftop to rooftop. The rising smoke, the remaining debris of the fallen buildings was surfacing non-stop. Willy tuned out the screams of the innocent civilians who had been wronged on this day, the busy sirens attempting to save the lives of said citizens, lives they believed they had already lost to K.I. To this day, in 2024, K.I. had remained hidden for so long, only making them a known, reckoning organization with a hidden agenda in mind, demonstrating a surge of their power in 2015. by effortlessly killing 20 government officials and five world leaders in an onslaught, in less than 13 minutes, even going as far as to air the brutal murders on T.V. Since then, K.I. has been governing the rule of the world hidden in the depth of the dusk, until now.
“Why now, K.I.? What are you trying to prove?” Willy asked himself quietly, while making another leap toward an ongoing rooftop, looked above at one of the tall structural buildings. He had found the News Station for the U.S. news, which, conveniently, now operated in the corner of Sickmill Street. Willy approached the News Station, leaping off of the nearby rooftop, landing firmly yet gracefully on the cement ground below, in sight by no one… or so he believed.
“The fact they have been governing our lives for so long, why do this now? Is there something they want out of this? Are they finally done and bored with this planet?” Willy pondered, fighting his way through the crowd of protesters out in the street. Apparently people were so enraged they were protesting the News Station, claiming this to be a hoax. Willy knew better, he knew it was real. Willy forced his way through the crowd, pushing many people aside, was even attacked by one man with a 1980’s afro, but the afro man was easily vanquished by one blow, and a glass bottle against his head out of the furious crowd.
Willy entered the News Station. Noticing the guards were gone, he took the opportunity to waltz straight into the main room, after attempting many doorways and hallways to attempt to find the room. After finally reaching the broadcast room, Willy ran inside, the lights inside of the artificial room appeared to gleam on him, as if singling him out. The many staff of the studio stared at Willy with a raised brow. A rather large man wearing a tie, apparently in charge of the filming studio, approached Willy from the front. His face appeared very powerful and diligent, and he was dressed for success.
“Why, hello there,” he greeted with a smile. “Only personnel are allowed access in this room. I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Otherwise, I will be forced to escort you outside.” He clearly stated with a kind demeanor, not playing any games here. Willy wasn’t either.
“I need to see Clara Underwood immediately,” Willy announced to the man, wasting no time. The large man’s eyes flustered slightly, still glaring down at the younger man.
“Hey now, I just told you the policy, only staff is allowed in this room. Now, get out, now!” the man said, already losing his cool. Willy’s eyes altered, slanting up at the man, awfully serious.
“You don’t understand. It’s crucial I see her! I have to speak to her. I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Willy?!” the older, familiar voice of the red haired, easily tempered woman resonated through the studio hall. Willy, along with the man, turned their attention to the approaching news anchor, Clara. Her face was contorted in a sudden shock, her mouth gaped open, uttering an unresponsive phrase, unsure of what to say, or how to react. Willy looked on, completely baffled.
“Clara… I remember you now,” Willy said, his eyes widened slowly. “You were one of Trav’s classmates.”
Clara walked toward Willy, staring at him up and down, examining every fiber of his being for a few seconds. Willy could tell she was in utter shock, and he was confused. “Clara?”
“You… you shouldn’t be here! How are you alive?!”
Willy’s eyes widened, his face twisted in a dark, blank gaze. He was speechless. She thought he was dead? He didn’t know how to react, so he didn’t clearly react. Clara appeared to have the same problem through their tense conversation.
“I ate lots of vegetables? Worked out daily? Serum extends my lifespan?” Willy answered dumbfounded. Clara shook her head, tears slowly flowing down her face. Even though Willy and Clara hardly spoke during Willy’s short role in Heretic High 23 years ago, she acted as if she had known him all of her life. Willy continued to stare, curious to know more, needing to know more.
“You were killed 23 years ago by K.I. After that time, Trav disappeared, presumed dead as well!” Clara explained almost irrationally, wiping the tears from her aging face. “And yet… you don’t look a day older than when you were taken from us.” Clara exhaled.
“Clara,” Willy began, grabbing her right shoulder as gently as remotely possible. He looked straight into her deep blue eyes. “What exactly happened to me? And what happened to this world?”
Clara returned the look of daze to Willy, obviously unsure how to answer at first. She collected her thoughts and began. “You were killed by Sid 23 years ago during you and Trav’s fight in the Heretic high gymnasium. Trav disappeared that day. Nobody knows if Sid spared him or what. He just… vanished off the face of the Earth.” Clara sighed. Willy’s tensed up during the mention of Trav.
“Damn, this is my fault,” Willy said solemnly, yet boldly. He turned away from Clara, facing the artificial lighting of the studio room, glaring brightly in his face. “I should not have involved all of you in this mess. Seems you’re now suffering because of my mistakes.”
“What are you talking about?” Clara asked, genuinely confused. Willy turned back to face Clara.
“I’ll explain later. Listen, you have to get out of here, now,” Willy said, strangely with a high demand. His face displayed the importance of the circumstances even more.
“But… I can’t leave,” Clara said, looking down toward the floor. “I have a job to do. I’m actually breaking the code of conduct talking to you now.”
“Never-mind that. Clara, the world is in extreme danger. I can’t even describe to you, or anyone, how bad of a situation we are in now. I’ve known Sid for years, I know them. K.I. isn’t bluffing. They’ll kill all of us,” Willy replied gravely. Despite the serious state of affairs plunging down, yet his face remained as diligent and cool as possible.
“Target locked. Target annihilated.”
Willy’s eyes widened heavily, his face suddenly twisted in a sense of terror. He knew it was coming, he only hoped he was quick enough to react. “Oh no... get down!”
Willy grabbed a bewildered Clara, lunging on the floor with her through the main desk of the studio. In that same instant, a large smokescreen rose above the building, followed by an explosion that shook the entire ground, inside of the building. The studio room of the news station was completely obliterated. A deep scarlet smoke rose from the depths of the debris of the once news station, now completely destroyed. The artificial lights busted, crashing on the ground, sending a flow of electricity surging through the debris, cackling hauntingly, taunting the remains of the building. The protestors ran, screaming at the top of their lungs. All in the crowd, except for one person, in the recognizable red and blue cape, stood in the street, watching the building crumble and burn.
“Finish it, Elementia.” The man said, no louder than a simple whisper, the voice of the man sounded as if going through a synthesizer, a robotic-like lower tuned pitch echoing from his vocals.
“Yes, Sire,” the female of the duo, Elementia, lifted her arms above her head, her robe, the same as her king’s, displayed a marvelous light show through the wind. The ground began to shake, once more. Cars, light signs, glass cracked, it felt like an earthquake was fast approaching, but Willy knew it was more than that.
Clara coughed, underneath of Willy, who had shielded her from the building’s destruction. The back of Willy’s clothes were tainted with his own blood, a large gash appeared on the back of his head and his back, just right below his spinal cord. Blood dripped down his back, as he was also electrocuted from the lights in the studio room. Both were undeniably covered in all sorts of dirt and excess. Despite all of the punishment, he stood up, straighter and bolder than ever.
“Is this… K.I.?” Clara asked, in between coughs. Willy didn’t answer immediately.
“Probably,” Willy simply answered. “I’ll get you out of here. Stay with me, don’t leave my side.” Willy said, as he grabbed Clara by her right hand, allowing her to stand up more easily. Clara coughed, as the ground began to shake. Willy’s eyes widened, glaring up at the woman in the cape, floating above them so easily, mocking them from above.
“Go!” Willy grabbed Clara by her hand, running across the piles of rubble from the former news station. Willy couldn’t help but not ignore the people inside of the station, scouring through the rubble, and the bodies that lay dormant below. This wasn’t the time to think of that though, much more casualties could become of this. Seemed K.I. really was here after all.
Before they could exit the remains of the building, the debris shook. Large, spiky vines shot up from the ground below, covering the perimeter of the building perfectly. The vines weaved through the air, blocking any and all exit from the news station. The vines intertwined, creating a large wall inside of the giant news station ground. In the end, the vines formed into the shape of a colossus eye, its image seen clearly from skyscraper heights above. The woman, Elementia, landed inside of the rubble, walking slowly toward Willy and Clara, her lavender corset seen visible through the blue and red cape that signaled her apparent allegiance. Willy glared at the strange woman.
“Wait… that cape,” Willy began, suddenly shocked. “You’re not from K.I.”
“My name is Elementia,” Elementia said, bowing before Willy. “I never thought I would meet someone of your caliber face to face. I must say, I’m honored.”
Willy’s brow twisted in a form of wonder. “Really? I’m not that amazing. I’m just a young boy with growing hormones.”
“You’re much too humble, my dear,” Elementia said with a seductive smile. “That will give me all the more pleasure, since it will be most appropriately me and Sire Xero, who will dethrone the great leader of K.I.”
Willy stared blankly at Elementia for several seconds. Even Clara glanced at Willy, an uncontrollable terror reacting over her.
“Excuse me,” Willy choked out, genuinely perplexed.
“Sid the Kid, your sentient existence will be terminated today.” The robotic pitched, horrifying voice echoed across the new battlefield of the colossus vine eye. Elementia chuckled lightly, as the man appeared behind Willy and Clara. He took off his hooded cloak, revealing his completely, almost metallic face. A large canister was placed in a red highlight above the crown of his head, his glass-like texture eyes swarmed with overcoming data that was processed almost immediately by the superficial brain that only anyone with a superhuman experience could have.
The android being’s voice startled Willy, and even more so Clara. Clara jumped from his voice, while Willy slowly turned around, masking his true feelings. “My name is Xero, leader of Pendulum, an android created in the year 2032.”
Willy recognized the name Xero, as a project of the past, but right now, he was not concerned with that. “I think you have me confused with someone else.” Willy said simply yet seriously. “I’m not Sid, and I am certainly not affiliated with K.I.!”
“You so blatantly lie,” the man said, his crimson eyes glared at Willy. “I can read your biomass, your essence. I know everything about you, Sid. Now that you have revealed yourself to the public eye, you are vulnerable; you can and will be killed, my loathsome copy.”
Willy’s eyes widened with huge alarm. “There’s no way that’s right…” Willy said slowly, glaring at Xero. Elementia, in the background, merely laughed.
“Listen to him, he sounds so desperate now. We caught you alone, no reinforcements this time. Now that you know your life can be taken by those stronger than you, what will you do? There’s nowhere to hide now, this dome can only be contained by me.” Elementia wiped her index finger across her lips. “Not so tough on your own, huh?”
“Ah yes, this woman, must have affiliation with you somehow, correct?” Xero asked coldly yet casually, locking down eyes with Willy. Willy glared at Xero, an intense showcasing of willpower was already under way. Willy couldn’t put his finger on why, but he felt a connection with Xero. It was a bizarre thing to think about, but he couldn’t shake the feeling. Willy frowned.
“You better not lay one hand on her-“
Before Willy could finish, Xero immediately lifted his right index finger. The sound of the shot resonated through Willy’s head, along with the pierce through the human flesh, and the sound of the blood splatter. Willy’s eyes widened heavily, his face wrinkled in horror, as the red haired anchor woman’s eyes faded lifelessly to the back of her head, falling on her knees, clutching her pierced heart in a painless agony. She fell down, face first through the pile of rubble. Willy’s whole body shook from the shock, it was so sudden, and could anyone truly be so heartless?
Xero continued to hold his finger through the air, a large screen of smoke lifted from the bullet that shot out of the cartridge in his finger. The bullet was no ordinary bullet however, it grazed through the woman like butter, twisting inside of her body, destroying her tissue from the inside out. Even taking a human life so nonchalantly with no second thought, Xero remained completely cold and calculative, just like a machine.
“You…. Really did that?” Willy said quietly, then immediately after, lifted up his head, ripping off his shirt, powering up immensely, his muscles budged, risen just as much as his anger had. Willy’s fury had finally been awaken for this moment. He had changed, he glared wrathfully at Xero. “You didn’t have to do that, you heartless piece of scrap! I’ll send you back to the junkyard… two hundred percent!!”
Xero grinned; the gust of wind blew gently across his metallic face. “Now the great emperor shows his true potential. You hate me. You want me to die. Come at me.” Xero said nonchalantly, his eyes narrowed toward Willy, with the will to provoke.
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