Kings of Hell

Wendy’s POV

I’m processing the papers with Dex at my side, when there is a loud scream from under the door.

“Step away from the door, to your designated area!”

Dex stands at once, grabbing my arm and pulling me with him.

Once we are both a safe distance from the door, it swings open.

On the other side, is a young man in an authoritative uniform of all grey. He has a shaved head, clean face and cutting eyes. He’s just a normal human, hands clasped behind his back as he stares right at me.

“You’re not even meant to exist,” he speaks – talking like a snake, suddenly showing papers from his belt, he waves them at me and throws them on the concrete, “How, who, and what is your purpose?” he snaps it all like rapid fire.

“I’ve been asking myself that since forever!” I reply, exasperated, “I don’t have those answers.”

“General,” Dex calls out, “We have some investigating to do.”

He does not acknowledge Dexter, and he can’t break his gaze from me.

“Investigating,” he snaps the word, “It’s always investigating with you, isn’t it? Weak,” now he looks at Dex, “Coward. You do not know the answer? I know the answer. Shoot her.”

Dexter freezes, as the Atlantis General starts to pull a gun out of his belt.

Before he can offer it to Dex, I remember my father, Casey – and how he saved me from Atlantis soldiers outside of his club into the alleyway.

“Shoot yourself,” I let off that command, pulling on that forbidden string of mind control.

The General obeys.

The gun is rotated and the trigger is pulled.

A splatter of brains coats the outside concrete wall.

The door remains open, unable to shut over his body.

I turn to Dex, who looks stunned and frozen.

We’re being monitored so his decision needs to be precisely now. The poor guy can’t even think about it.

All the KINGS guard are on their feet now, alert, waiting for Dexter’s instruction.

“Come with me,” I don’t let off the command, I just beg him, “Now’s your only chance,” I take the lead, turning and walking out of their cell, their fucking home. I step over the dead body to look back in. Dexter hasn’t moved. So I yell at him, “I need your help!”

I wait two more seconds.

All the lights in the corridor and in his cell turn red, as an alarm starts to sound.

Dex shakes his head and he tells me wisely, “It’s time for you to run before I get another command like the last,” it’s a cold warning and nothing more.

I kick the body out of the way and I slam the door shut, separating us.

Breach.

Breach.

The alarm wails and it’s fucking annoying.

“Asshole,” I whisper to the door, turning around, I start to run.

Fear moves me. I know now, I am not wanted to be apprehended – I am ordered to be killed. Going by that General’s response, anyway.

Just as I hear boots on the ground, I find a flight of stairs to escape into.

I head up more levels, checking through each door to see what’s on the other side.

Each corridor has too many people.

Until I find one empty level.

In this particular corridor there is no one around at all; odd.

But there is a sound. I hear a scream of pure terror.

I’m drawn toward it, feeling a need to protect.

I sprint toward a lab door to where I hear a lot of commotion and shit falling over.

Glancing in, there is a woman being chased by a giant of a man with long flowing silver hair. The woman is bruised and limping as if she’s been thrown across the room, but she still sprints around the tables regardless, trying to keep a futile distance.

I slam open the door before more contact can be made.

“STOP,” I let the command sink in as I stare at the giant predator. He halts with his back to me, “Do not move again,” I let off a further command to be sure, “Come with me, Alyssa,” I recognise her now, once she’s stopped and staring at me.

She looks at me in confusion.

“I d-do not know you,” she adds in a stutter.

“I don’t have time to explain. We need to run now, wait… tell me where is the nearest Transpendiser?” I command the man to answer me.

“The basement level,” he growls.

I just came from there. Fuck, I missed it.

“Come with me, please,” I hold out my hand for Alyssa, “I’ll need your help.”

Without a second thought, she runs toward me, and only when she is closer do I notice how fucked up she is. He had been choking her at one point. I think I saved her just in time.

She’s struggling to breathe up close and she wheezes as she straightens her coat where buttons had been ripped off..

“My name is Wendy – I’m your granddaughter, I know, what the fuck,” I shake her hand, “We need to go right now. Don’t worry, I can mind control anyone,” as I glance to the predator remaining where I told him to stand, I see a slight shift in that silver head of hair, “Go to sleep,” I yell at Alyssa’s attacker, scared he might be able to combat the trance after tilting his head like that.

He collapses to the ground and I breathe a sigh of relief.

I turn with Alyssa following, meek and scared – not the Alyssa I remember.

When I spin however, I’m faced with another foe. Fuck! He looks like a scientist.

“Who are you?” he snaps at me.

“Who are you?” I yell back, just glad he doesn’t have a gun. I use my command so he immediately answers.

“My name is Zac, I’m a senior scientist in Atlantis Labs,” he yells back.

“Good guy,” Alyssa whispers at me, still wheezing.

“Help us get to the basement and the Transpendiser,” I snap, “We need to get to Avalon – anywhere other than here.”

“Clam down. I’ve locked down the level so no one gets in… or out, until you tell me more,” Zac explains.

“I don’t fucking know what to tell you. I’m running away. People want me dead. I don’t know why. I found her screaming and getting attacked by that psycho… we need your help to escape this place, Zac,” I beg him, “And please don’t make me force you again.”

Zac furrows his brows.

“She can,” Alyssa adds, “Help us.”

“Let me check the stairs,” Zac turns and does just that, he waits to see until the stairwell is clear, then he turns around with a thumbs up and swings open the door wider, “Basement has the KINGS guard, you know that right?” Zac looks at me, “Can you handle them?”

“I sure can,” I nod, tapping my temple, “Mind control.”

And it was starting to make me a tad arrogant, but I was trying to focus on the adrenaline of flighting the fuck out of here, not the power rush.

“Then run, I’ll deal with Louis,” Zac looks to Alyssa, “I’m sorry he tricked me into leaving you alone with him.”

Alyssa just nods, and I pull her along.

“One last thing,” Zac calls to me, “Try Frankincense City for a cool down – it’ll have a Transpendiser underground you can rest with, before heading to Avalon. FC itself is razed.”

I was very fucking aware, but it was still good advice.

I head back down to the basement, Alyssa close behind.

“I owe you one!” I call out to Zac as I skip down the stairs.

The door slams from above and Alyssa and I run like hell.

Alyssa’s POV

This angel was saving my life. She came from fucking nowhere, just in time. Wendy and I head straight to the basement and down a long concrete corridor, while she reads the doors until we reach the right area.

Restricted. Emergency Transpensider.

Wendy and I push open the door together.

Inside, I stop, perplexed, tilting my head.

I see Dale, Serge, Ace and Jose – all waiting.

“Stop,” Wendy squeaks out, just in time, since Dale was holding a gun toward her head, “Dex,” her voice shakes, “Why are you here?”

Did I get his name wrong? Dex…

“I knew you’d eventually make your way here,” this ‘Dex’ explains, “I have orders to capture, not to kill. So just surrender peacefully, Wendy. It’ll spare you any further risk.”

“The rest of you will stand still and follow my direction,” Wendy’s authoritative tone fills the room, even effecting me. I stand to attention, as she walks toward Dex, “You’ll shut up and listen to me now. Fire this thing up, find the co-ordinates for Frankincense City and follow me through,” Dex puts away his gun as he does what she says.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Wendy spins to me and whispers, fearful, “Sorry, you don’t have to stand to attention,” my posture relaxes, and she asks me, “They’re our enemy. But they’re not bad. Do I ask them to come through? Oh and – this isn’t STRIKE, they’re more clones. Atlantis soldiers.”

Wendy is clearly consulting me for advice. I understand all her words. I just can’t connect the meanings.

“Trust your gut,” I say, kind of hopelessly.

Wendy nods anyway, confidence renewed.

The Transpendiser is now on, “Set it to erase the last location,” Wendy asks.

“It’s already designed to do that,” Dex explains, monotoned.

“Good,” Wendy stays strong and firm, “Dexter, you’ll come with me. Randy… Ryker… Dusty… you’ll stay. Stay still until we’re all gone. Don’t follow, because Dexter is now my hostage. But you have one final order. You will de-ice all the Ultimates. And you will kill anyone who stops you from completing the task. You will tell anyway who asks, that Airen told you to do it. That’s what my gut tells me, Alyssa,” Wendy turns to me with a big smile, “Fuck Airen, he took our family,” she punches my arm with friendly intent, but I don’t know what to feel, “Let’s go, Alyssa,” Wendy grabs my hand and walks us through the portal.

And Dex follows us obediently; now our hostage.

****

The bunker is very familiar, but still, nothing emotional registers at any point. Wendy is somewhat bullying Dexter, who she ordered not to speak for the next couple of hours so she can yell at him about how everything is.

This is what freedom is, this is what a real bedroom is, this is what a real kitchen is, this is what a real shower is, this is what a real city is…

Well.

Wendy doesn’t know but she’s helping me a little bit since I tag along and try to figure out my own mind.

Little by little she is helping me work out something is very wrong with Frankincense City. The city I knew.

And I’m starting to remember my very last memory.

Graduating high-school.

I start to theorise that after that moment, perhaps another apocalypse happened, or a bomb exploded, or something big – which ruined my memory since.

“Oh, oh, oh,” Wendy paces the kitchen in HB, or home base, with excitement, after she checked some vital signs of the city, “Defences kicked in and stopped the nuclear bomb destroying everything. It’s liveable up there. We can stay here,” Wendy fist pumps the air, “Fuck yes, we have a home,” she then points to Dex, who sits silently at the table and just stares at her, “This is perfect for you, so get that look off your face. Now,” Wendy giggles in excitement as she walks over to me and asks me, more seriously, “What happened to you? You’ve been so quiet. You used to be the President, I thought you’d talk more for some reason.”

“I have brain damage,” I explain, “Or… not anymore. My brain has healed but – my emotional memories are wiped. Personal memories. I remember things and people’s names, I don’t remember… relationships or anything. I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met?”

“No, we haven’t, I was a spy for Dale,” Wendy explains, “You and Dale were… I mean you and STRIKE… you know STRIKE, right?”

“Um… the Gang of Shadows,” I try to sound intelligent, but I don’t really know anything about them.

“Well, that’s an old-school name,” Wendy looks at me with disturbance, “Um, yes, I guess? What do you know about them, what do you remember.”

“They’re a gang, they’re dangerous, they live in this bunker, I don’t know why I know that fact – ”

“They’re like, your four boyfriends,” Wendy opens both her palms, “Anything register?”

“I really don’t appreciate that kind of joke right now,” I’m genuinely hurt and disturbed. What the fuck is wrong with her? I can’t remember anything. I’m not going to blindly trust stupid supposed facts like that. Four boyfriends. Who the fuck had four boyfriends? Nice try for a laugh.

“Oh, boy,” Wendy’s expression drops, and she looks to Dex, “You can talk now.”

“I’m sorry,” Dex swivels around on his stool and turns to Alyssa, “I had orders to carry out. That’s why you’re like this. I froze your whole family. But with a gut instinct I protected Wendy,” Dex looks at Wendy, “Thank you for showing me everything. Explaining everything. I think I can help you.”

“Well, you’re a hostage, so no matter how nice you are, I’m not buying it,” Wendy adds, smiling sweetly.

“And I can see you’re enjoying that,” Dex smiles handsomely and smoothly moves his brown chocolate eyes over to mine again, “Do you want me to check your vitals?”

“No,” I answer, fighting a blush.

He was the most handsome man I’d ever seen and I’d been staring a little too much at him for some time, but now that we’re talking, I feel a little embarrassed.

“Are you sure?” Dex holds my gaze steady, blinks once slowly, then looks toward Wendy, who looks a little green.

“Uncle,” she whispers, shivering, “Urgh,” she turns around, “I’m opening a can of beans – get it?” she makes some kind of inside joke, “Who wants tacos?”

“I’m not hungry,” I kind of feel nauseous with anxiety.

Dex shakes his head at Wendy, but jumps off his stool and walks closer to me.

I freeze up, kind of excited but unsure of how to react, as he takes a seat next to me, so our legs touch. He puts an arm around my shoulders.

“You look terrified,” he says, “Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Do you have a headache?”

“She’s an Ultimate,” Wendy calls out, “She’s fine.”

I shrug off his arm and I carefully push it back into his side, as I stand up to put space back between us.

“I might go for a walk around,” I suggest, “I just need some air.”

“No one’s going fucking anywhere.”

A deep and new masculine voice rages from the corridor outside the kitchen.

Wendy, Dex and I turn toward the new guy.

A giant man has turned the corner, bulky muscle and sinew, black messy curly hair, purple eyes – and a hell of a sneer.

We’re all in shock. We never noticed his presence in the bunker – but clearly he had been here the whole time, stalking us. Damn.

“You piece of shit took my family from me? I overheard you admit it!” the man looks like he could kill Dex with his glare, “Where is my family now, fucker?”

“This is why you don’t piss off Ultimates,” Wendy whistles and pokes fun at Dex, who stands up to face the threat.

“Who are you?” Dex asks.

“Armageddon. Why do you look like Dale?”

“I’m his clone – without the big cat genes.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes.”

“So you have no fucking worth to me,” Armageddon waltzes into the room, snarling at me and Alyssa, “You two don’t move. He’s my little bitch to fuck with.”

I like Armageddon, whoever he is. But – this was a little intense.

I just seal my lips as I look to Dex.

Who bravely – raises his hands in submission, “I’m Wendy’s hostage,” he smartly explains, “She’s organised the release of your family.”

“Who you froze,” Armageddon takes another step closer, “If you’re a hostage, why is he in the kitchen?” Armageddon snarls at Wendy now, “Why isn’t he in a fucking cell?”

“I can organise that,” Wendy almost stutters.

“Who are you, Armageddon? Why is your name so fierce?” I speak up now, “I don’t remember you.”

“No one knows me,” he explains, “I’m Wade and Ariel’s son.”

“Who’s Ariel and Wade?” I ask.

“My mother and father,” Armageddon whispers, “Your daughter and her man. What’s wrong with you? You’re my grandma.”

“I’m 18,” I laugh out loud, “Are you fucking crazy?”

“18,” Armageddon barks laughter, “My age?”

“Fuck off, why is everyone playing a joke on me,” I snarl it now as I jump to my feet. Dex reaches for me but I smack his hand away, “This is not a joke – I don’t understand anything. Leave me alone, all of you,” I find all of this overwhelming. Like a staged act. Like a grand fucking joke.

I quickly exit the kitchen, barging past Armageddon.

Who the hell was called Armageddon anyway?

They were all fucking nuts.

On my way down the corridor I find a mirror and do a quick check.

Do I look like a fucking grandmother?

No.

I look 18.

Because I am 18.

I don’t know what the hell was going on but I needed to see Frankincense City for myself.

I walk into an elevator, which takes me to the Black Lair. I walk to the front doors, and I exit onto the streets.

I look around, my new brain in overdrive.

The city… is completely desolate.

I go for a walk.

The city is empty.

Like my head.

But despite my memory problem, I don’t want to go back there. Near those jokers. I don’t want to go near any of them anytime soon.

I keep walking, wondering is this even maybe a simulation, or death, or limbo – since nothing is here. Until… I walk down another street… and I see a fuck load of bones. Everywhere. Human bones, scattering the streets, along with rubbish and litter.

“Oh my god,” I choke on my tears, and quickly find a broken window into someone’s empty home.

I want to hide somewhere and just think.

Because I was lost – and I was so scared.

Someone had tried to murder me. Someone called Louis. Now I was in a city that was once my home and is now full of nothing.

That fear in itself shakes me to my core.

I have one thought now and that is to stay safe.