|
THE SUNSET
* 12A *
"Anything?" Captain Helios paced thoughtfully in the open area between the quiet fire and entry flap.
Standing beside the seated Million, Threads looked over her desktop monitors, and shook his head, "Nothing."
Then Million detected something, "Wait! There's a change... They're waking up..."
Nearly an hour since he lost consciousness, Aaron suddenly awoke, the left-center area of his chest on fire, his dark-brown eyes wide in the fluttering dimness. "Miriam!"
"Calm down... Everything is all right," spoke the soothing voice beside him, as the burning sensation disappeared.
"W-What?" he turned, surprised by the red-haired woman, then repeated, "Miriam! Where is she?"
On the other side of the small fire, a large black-skinned man answered, "She is right here... sound asleep."
Beside the dark man, Miriam slept peacefully in a strange reclining chair of thin smooth metal and leather... with wide belts over her wrists... and strings attached to her head and neck and chest... like strands in a spider web!
"W-What are you doing to her?"
The man answered, "Your friend is fine... We're watching over her."
"My friend? WHAT friend? What are you doing to my sister?"
The man looked to the woman, "Brother and sister... Interesting."
"I said, 'What are you doing to her?'"
"We're watching over her."
As if in response to their words, Miriam just-as-suddenly awoke, her dark eyes just-as-wide. "Aaron!" And like before, the burning sensation along the inside of her left forearm disappeared.
"I'm right here!" her brother tried to raise his hand, and for the first time, noticed that he too was belted down... strings attached to his body... and caught in a similar spider web. "What are you doing to us?"
The man let out the slightest hint of a sigh. "We are trying to help you... watch over you... to see if you would wake up."
"Why?" Aaron demanded.
"To free you," the man answered.
"From what?"
"From this world... this life... this dream."
"What?" Aaron gasped.
At that moment, the dark eyes of both brother and sister locked as they recalled those same words before the incredible emerald-rising spire...
'...I felt something,' Aaron had said, 'like some kind of energy or spirit... What if this fire was a dream?... What if this life was a dream?...'
And Miriam whispered to the man, "How did you know?"
The man answered softly, "Like myself, you and your brother have the special intuition, sensitivity, and curiosity to see beyond this living dream... this living lie... called the Matrix."
"The Matrix?" Aaron uttered in confusion. "No, you're trying to deceive us! You're just another eyeless Demon trying to take our souls!"
"Eyeless?" the dark man approached and opened his naked eyes wide. "Do I look 'eyeless' to you?"
The brother glanced then looked away, replying quietly, "No."
"No, I am not a demon. I am just a man... and my name is Helios, named after the Greek god of the sun..." He gestured to the red-haired woman in maroon leather, "Her name is Million..." Then he gestured to the smiling slender-eyed man in checkered leather, "And his name is Threads..."
The sister allowed a slight smile in return.
Helios continued, "I promise you, we ARE trying to help you... but if you don't let us, those eyeless demons will come... and they will certainly take your souls."
Welcoming the promise, the brother and sister looked at each other.
Then Helios looked to each of them. "Will you let us help you?"
Looking at each other, the sister widened her eyes in willingness while the brother silently shook his head in reluctance.
Reading their hesitation, Helios turned to the brother. "Aaron, let me ask you this... Did the Demons come in black?"
"Yes," the brother answered.
"Did they come as a group of three?"
"Yes... Yes, they did... How-How did you know?"
"Why were they taking you to Mirrorbrook Castle?"
"The-The Castle?" Aaron gasped. This time, overwhelming terror struck the boy like lightning and fire through his heart.
He suddenly remembered the village fairy tales as a little boy, the old tales of unimaginable agony and misery and suffering in the cold fingers of hellish monsters, both eyeless demons and multi-eyed spider dragons, torturing, slicing, and eating their victims, innocent victims of gruesome experiments always leading to despairing madness and screaming insanity...
'But WHERE are the knights?' he thought sadly to himself.
Where were the knights in shining silver armor, riding glowing white steeds? Who would slay the scary black dragons and other horrible creatures? Who would save them from this dream? Who would save them?
'Are THESE strangers those knights?' he wondered.
Aaron closed his dark-brown eyes.
And finally, he replied, "Only the darkest demons and dragons and slaves go there... and only the strongest knights can come back."
Without warning, a bizarre penetrating buzz jerked Aaron's eyes back open.
"What was that?" he shouted and received no answer.
Moving away from the fire, and away from Miriam's chair, the dark man named Helios removed something from his belt and brought it up to his ear... It looked like a small silvery stone or crystal... And Helios began to talk to it!
"What is it, Unicorn?"
"Captain," the pale-colored senior operator replied into his headset, "just a few minutes ago, while you were talking to the kids... something happened to the exit fire... Did you see it?"
"No," the transmitted voice answered. "What happened?"
Unicorn turned to the tall junior operator, and Hitchhiker spoke into his own headset, "It was very small, barely detectable, and lasted no more than a second... but it wasn't a signal disruption."
"What was it?" the captain demanded.
Hitchhiker gazed at his displays. "It seemed to reinforce the fire... and many of its features reminded Unicorn of the glitch."
"The glitch? How many features?"
Unicorn returned, "Too many to worry about right now, Captain... The lead Agent has closed to within five minutes of your location, and he's not alone... His two buddies are right behind him..."
Once more, Helios braced himself. "How far behind?"
"I'd say less than ten minutes behind."
"Dammit," Helios whispered then took a deep breath. "Well, Unicorn, I have some good news and some bad news for you."
The senior operator knew. "Yeah, I know... The bad news is that there's NO good news... I'm ready, Captain."
"Just a few things to remember... They're brother and sister, they refer to Agents as 'eyeless Demons who will take their souls,' and they seem to be waiting for a 'white knight in shining armor'... You got that?"
"Got it, Captain."
"Okay, Hitch," Helios instructed, "Load him up and wait for my signal... I'll keep this line open."
When the dark man approached once more, Aaron asked him, "On your belt... What were you talking into?"
Helios was taken aback, "This?" He patted the silvery object. "This is... This object allows me to talk to others beyond this dream world."
Miriam looked up, "Like a crystal that foretells the future?"
"Not quite."
The brother asked another question, "WHO were you talking to?"
His sister brightened, "I heard you say 'Unicorn'... Were you talking to a unicorn?"
Helios allowed himself a rare laugh. "No, I was talking to a man, but his name is Unicorn... He's another friend of mine... Do you want to meet him?"
"Yes!" she replied, as her brother remained silent.
"Well, Miriam, close your eyes..." She did so. Then Helios looked to the brother, "Come on, Aaron, you too..." And reluctantly, he did also.
"When I count to three," the captain instructed, "you may open your eyes, okay?"
With her eyes shut, the sister nodded. Her brother remained silent.
In the momentary quiet, the captain raised his right arm and gave the thumbs-up signal, his signal to Hitchhiker.
"One..."
For an instant, the small orange-and-yellow flames flickered blue -- the activation of the transmission point.
"Two..."
Again, the fire flickered blue.
"Three..."
Yet again, the blue flames appeared and disappeared.
And finally, Captain Helios let them see, "You may open your eyes."
Aaron and Miriam were speechless.
Not since the incredible emerald-sparkling spire that rose against the chilly starlit sky, did they witness a vision so seemingly supernatural... or magical. Unlike Helios and the others, who were clothed in darker colors or were covered in dirt, dust, or mud... this man named Unicorn... from beyond this dream world... appeared before them in glowing white and shining silver... like the knights they imagined...
Even in the fluttering dimness, his long flowing overcoat gleamed with the white brilliance of sunlit snow, while underneath the coat, his matching jacket and pants shimmered with the silver radiance of a moonlit lake...
And against the fairness of his slick golden hair and smooth white skin, his intelligent eyes sparkled with the blue intensity of a rushing waterfall...
"Hello," Unicorn broke the silence. "My name is Unicorn... What are yours?"
The sister was wide-eyed, "I'm Miriam."
Just as wide-eyed, the brother uttered in awkward gasps, "And I'm... I'm Aaron."
"I understand that my friend Helios promises to help you..." Unicorn turned to the brother, "but you, Aaron, are unwilling to let him?"
Aaron looked away in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."
"No, don't be sorry... be mindful... Be mindful of the evil that hunts for you through eyeless Demons... and the evil that awaits you at Mirrorbrook Castle... Will you let us help you?"
From his downturned head, Aaron snuck a peek upwards. "Will you promise to never separate us... me and my sister... and save us... together?"
Unicorn straightened, and in the flickering firelight, his shining garments seemed to shine even brighter. "You will stay together."
Miriam made sure, "Promise?"
"I promise."
Next>>
|
|