Author's Note
I am not going to be here for 2 weeks so don't expect any posts from me until like the 29th.
Sorry I will be gone for so long. Hopefully I will be able to make the next CCC and song competition.
(P.S. When I am back, I should have plans on what the plot of my stories are going to be. So I will be able to post chapters at an even faster rate.)
Website: http://kcsshd.weebly.com/ (P.S. New design and fresh update) (Check Back for Author Updates)
Chapter 3 – An Inspiration in Death
“This is our last stop before we head to The Hive.” Nick said to Mortem as he saw the Microsoft Genetics tower pass by. They were on the highway and the Audi, which is self-driven, had to take the next exit.
“That is definitely a corporation with money.” Mortem was impressed with the intricate architecture. The building formed a spiral shape into the sky which was more impressive from up close than afar.
The Audi stopped in the entrance of the skyscraper, which was as extravagant as its design with artistic metal shapes, leaving Mortem and Nick before heading into the parking lot in order to find a space to park itself. The car could later be called on Nick’s phone. They turned around and Vitae was waiting for them at the door.
“Come on in.” Vitae said to the both of them as they proceeded up the steps.
“Good to see your boss,” Nick shook hands with Vitae, “If you want to talk to Mortem about how to control his new robotic augments, the idiot is here.”
Mortem slapped Vitae before looking at Nick in the eye, “I wasn’t that far behind to not hear that.”
“What was that for?!” Vitae screamed in anger.
“For leaving me and 5078 in the f*cking dust. You know how much we suffered while you were gone?”
Vitae looked at Mortem up and down. His friend still hadn’t adapted to the new culture. Or at least, Mortem hasn’t adapted as fast as Vitae did when he first arrived.
“Your petty white shirt and jeans are representative of your unwillingness to change. I forgot about the two of you for my own good,” Vitae held the door for Mortem, “Proceed asshole.”
Mortem walked indignantly inside the building. The lobby was another architecturally impressive masterpiece colored in white with varying splashes of green, orange, yellow, and blue. The centerpiece was the front desk which featured four receptionist, modern touch displays and computers, and a fountain smack in the middle. The 5 staircases of the skyscraper spiraled upwards and they were located toward the exterior.
“Hello, may I have your name and what service are we providing today?” A receptionist asked Nick.
“His name is Mortem and there should be an appointment scheduled.” Nick replied.
“Found it. Just step on the bottom of the staircase and I will send you up.”
‘Send us up? How can they send us up if it's stairs?’ Mortem asked himself.
‘There’s a reason it's a spiral design. You think that they would force someone to walk all that? Of course not. The staircase moves upward and the top stair-pieces are sent back down. It's kind of like a conveyor belt.” Vitae answered as the trio stepped on the staircase.
Mortem felt a little bit nauseous, ‘You truly are hearing things Mortem.’
Vitae jumped in front of his friend, “Funny how you don’t realize that your robotic augment has fully calibrated and is now working.”
Mortem jumped, “What the f*ck? Does this mean you can hear every single thing I think?”
“Nope. Only if you allow me in. Don’t worry, you will get used to how your new augments operate.”
“How do I block you?” Mortem asked.
“OH. It will come naturally,” Vitae saw that his friend was getting angrier, “Look literally it will become something that you do voluntarily. Like how you move your arm to grab something. I don’t know how to explain it to you.”
“It’s a natural thing that you have grown accustomed to having.” Mortem always knew what Vitae wanted to say.
A long silence occurred between the two as the staircase continued to move upwards. As the staircase spiraled upwards, they watched the different levels pass by. Each level was also named a certain thing. Level 10 was Genetic Color Research, level 11 was Genetic Hardening Development, level 12 was Non-Human Genetic Research and so on.
“I asked that they put that in you. In case I need to talk to you quietly after what happens tomorrow.” Vitae broke the silence.
“What’s happening tomorrow?” Nick and Mortem asked in unison.
“I will tell you both later,” Nick immediately knew what Vitae meant while Mortem looked clueless as to why later.
‘The government is always watching the celebrities of importance. This building isn’t safe, especially since you are considered a high-profile.’
‘Wow,’ Mortem turned away from Vitae, ‘I thought you abandoned me and 5078 because you decided that we were worthless. Turns out, you were trying to survive.’
“I don’t f*cking care anymore,” Vitae spoke aloud, “If they kill me now, there would be riots on the street.”
Nick looked at him like if he was psychotic, “What happened to being quiet?”
Vitae turned toward his assistant, “You of all people know, Nick, that if I were to be killed just as my known longtime friend, Mortem, arrived, the citizens of this country would riot.”
“The citizens are dumb.” Nick spoke with a mocking tone.
“That’s what you think. But what would happen if I were the one dying in that tunnel tomorrow? People wouldn’t suspect terrorists. The President is smart in that fact. My mother is less important in people's minds.”
“How long is this ride.” Mortem interrupted and asked as he saw level 77 pass by before he turned back toward the nighttime view of LA.
“Function over form,” Nick stated, “We are on floor 80 so in like 30 seconds.”
In 30 seconds, they reached the 80th floor and stepped off the staircase. This floor was called Installation. The reason was pretty self-explanatory.
The Installation floors were usually less marvelous compared to the rest of the building or even its Research floors. It was one entire floor with 20 rooms. Each had a special Genetic Analyzer and Corrector that was used for first-time users.
Vitae noticed one man and woman walking with a cart that had a chip in the middle, “What is that for?”
A woman with black hair, blue eyes, and dark skin, responded nervously, “Oh well, it’s just a chip that we have to insert into his head for him to be compatible with the GAC.”
Vitae quickly had a vision of the past which Mortem saw. The President, the two nurses, and a MS Genetics scientist were located in a bright white room. It was one of the Research floors and they stood overlooking the same chip.
“Are you sure this will work?” The President asked.
“Of course it will. You will have full control of the subject as soon as it is implanted. Now, the only problem we have is if Vitae sees it.” The scientist responded.
“Why does it matter if he sees it?” The male nurse, a white man with red hair and green eyes, asked the President.
“Just don't let him see it! Do your job properly unless you want your head cut off.” The President ordered.
“Sir, yes sir.” The nurses responded.
‘Both of you walk calmly until we get to the room,’ Vitae ordered Nick and Mortem, ‘And don’t ask why. I will explain as soon as this is over.’
‘I saw your vision. I know what they are trying to do and it is sickening.’ Mortem responded.
‘What… How—‘
‘Don’t ask how. I don’t know the how. Probably this goddamn robotic augment that allows us to communicate.’
‘But wait, we are all connected. So how come I didn’t see whatever the vision was?’ Nick asked.
“Step right in.” The male nurse held the door for the trio.
“Thank you.” Vitae stepped in with Mortem in front of him.
The nurses closed the door and locked it as Mortem laid in the GAC. The room was bright white with dashes of green. The GAC was located dead-center and there were five chairs lined up against the right wall. A tablet was located on the left side hanging on the wall. It controlled the GAC.
One of the nurses grabbed a buzzsaw, “Ok so this is going to hurt but you are on a GAC anyway. So you will heal up quickly.”
Just as the nurse was about to cut Mortem’s head open, he grabbed the buzzsaw and slammed it into the nurse’s head. Blood sprayed everywhere and the other nurse held Mortem down and grabbed the weapon.
Vitae kicked the nurse into the GAC and then spin-kicked him to the right. Vitae grabbed the buzzsaw off the ground and shoved it into his opponent repeatedly. The color red dominated over the green paint in the room.
“What in the hell was that!” Nick screamed.
“That chip,” Mortem stood from the GAC and pointed to the cart, “was a mind-control device.”
Nick didn't look surprised, “Well, I guess that's one way to control a population,” He grabbed the chip and immediately put it away.
“Let’s just do what we need to do and get out,” Vitae ran to the tablet and grabbed it, “We need to get out of here.”
“Do you know how to use that thing?” Nick asked worryingly.
“Did you forget that I can see the past. I can just look and see what the last person did. I can also see who was last in this room and who may have been implanted—with --- the…”
Mortem pushed Nick into the wall and punched him repeatedly in the stomach before kneeing him in the crotch. Nick fell forward and Mortem kicked his jaw, knocking him out.
“Get on the GAC. Now!” Vitae ordered.
Mortem lay upwards on the bed of the GAC. He felt the metal arm pass over him with a white light before turning red as it installed genetic code into his body. Once Vitae said it was done, Mortem got up and fell to the ground.
“What… is… happening?” Mortem’s face turned gray and he looked at the door, “The President. He’s coming in Vitae. VITAE! Get out!”
“Mortem, control your vision. Look in the present.”
“Ah, he’s coming for me!”
“Mortem! Control it!” Vitae screamed.
Mortem passed out for a few seconds before waking up again. He stood up slowly and was happy to even be able to walk. He was clearly traumatized, you could tell by his facial expression.
“Help me get Nick onto this table,” Vitae said holding the buzzsaw, “I’m going to cut that chip out.”
Mortem didn’t say anything. He help Vitae and held Nick’s head while the buzzsaw cut into his skull. The GAC dissolved any blood that would have flowed out of the incision. Vitae removed the chip.
“Nick,” Vitae grabbed the tablet, “NICK!”
“Can’t you shock him?” Mortem asked.
Vitae pressed a button and Nick sprung to life. He stood up immediately and slapped Mortem.
“What was that for!”
“You didn’t have to kick me in the crotch!”
“Well, I needed to knock you out.”
“Guys we have to run. The president will be here in 15 minutes and his goons will be with him.”
The trio ran out of the room and went down the opposite direction they came. They decided that The President would spend a good portion of those 15 minutes already on the staircase. So it wasn’t wise to go down one near his line of sight.
They stepped on the staircase and the trio were completely silent the whole way down. They thanked the receptionist and ran outside. The President’s Stagecoach, a monstrous Cadillac SUV, was parked right in front.
“Where’s the rest of his secret service?” Nick pondered.
“Probably inside. So let's get out of here. I’ll take Mortem while you get as far away from here as possible.”
“No. I’m coming with you. My car can follow.”
Vitae took out his phone and touched a few things before his BMW pulled out next to the Cadillac. They all got in and Nick ordered his car to follow. Vitae decided he wanted to drive so he pressed a button and the steering wheel moved out from under the dash. He got on the freeway and headed toward The Hive.
…
“Reservation for Vitae.” Emerald said to the waiter.
“Wait, you are Vitae’s mother!” The waiter was shocked, “May I have your autograph?”
Emerald took out a paper pre-signed with her signature from her black Chanel purse and gave it to the young man, “It's Emerald by the way.”
"Right this way Emerald,” The waiter removed the red velvet rope and motioned for Emerald to follow him, “I like your exquisite green Balmain dress by the way.”
“I am glad to see good fashion is now attainable everywhere. I remember when waiters would only make $40,000.”
“I do too. I’m around 4,000 years old and it’s amazing to see how much the world has changed.” The waiter responded.
‘Yet it has never changed for the goddamn enslaved countries.’ Emerald thought.
The restaurant, dubbed The Hive, was one of the most expensive in Los Angeles. It was located at the top of the Los Angeles WTC and dinner for three was known to reach over $60,000 and the food served was extremely good. It wasn’t like any normal fancy restaurant with small portions and generic food.
The design of the restaurant itself was enough to force the poor, whose base income was usually 300,000 a year, to stay away. Only the wealthiest could enjoy a reservation. A meeting with the chefs of The Hive meant that you had to be a wealthy celebrity.
The waiter sat Emerald at a table with a nice view of the city. She picked up the menu and waited for the rest of the party to arrive.
…
“You can’t go in that outfit.” Vitae said to Mortem as he pressed a button which told the car to drive itself.
“What’s wrong with it?”
“A white shirt and jeans is not fashionable. Nick, I suppose you have suitable attire for this heathen.”
“Yes. I also have something for you too.” Nick surprised Vitae.
Vitae looked down at himself and he realized he was still wearing the hospital outfit. Nick handed the outfits to both Mortem and Vitae in a nice little packaged plastic. They changed very quickly into their new acceptable clothing. Nick didn’t need to change since a black overcoat with a white Versace shirt and dark blue jeans was acceptable. It showed that he was muscular but it wasn’t sexualized.
Vitae wore a green tank top marked with the Michael Kors logo, which showcased his muscular physique, and American Eagle black cargo shorts which were a little bigger than his size. This was done so that they sag just enough so that people could see his underwear branding, Calvin Klein. The shoes were a pair of bright purple Nike.
Mortem wore jet black Levi’s and a pair of gold colored Adidas. His top half was completely bare and he was shirtless. He had about as much muscle as Vitae.
“Wait, where’s my shirt?” Mortem asked Nick as he looked at the plastic package and saw nothing.
Nick and Vitae laughed because Mortem didn’t know the drill.
“What’s so funny?”
“If you are a friend of mine you have to be a sex symbol. The first time people saw me, Nick did the same. Everyone else who I have met also had to be topless for their first appearance. Brings in more money for the corporations and government involved in this whole celebrity scheme because it means that their animators are more likely to animate you in unspeakable acts that they can sell.”
“Oh good god,” Mortem rubbed his face, “What the f*ck is wrong with you people?”
Vitae smacked Mortem’s chest, “At least you have a nice bod.”
…
‘And the President has arrived.’ Emerald thought as she saw him take a table near him with 8 of his secret service men surrounding the his vicinity. The President was with the First Lady.
‘God where are they? I could have sworn,’ Emerald looked up and saw a commotion happening at the entrance of the restaurant, ‘Never mind.’
Mortem, Vitae, and Nick walked in at nearly the same time. All eyes were on Mortem as he was the most sexualized of the trio. Even the President looked in shock and awe.
“Are you Vitae’s mother?” Mortem asked as he sat.
“Yep. My name is Emerald by the way.”
Vitae paused for a moment, “I thought you told me never to say that name again.”
Emerald swirled her wine and looked at her son, “Sometimes death inspires you to be rebellious.”
“What’s the President doing here?” Nick asked.
“We literally nearly just had an altercation with him.” Vitae stated.
“Nearly! You let him get that close to you?” Emerald asked frightfully.
“No. Thanks to Mortem, who can now see the future, we were able to get out. But it is very unusual for him to be here the night before your death.” Vitae said.
“Her death?” Mortem was flustered.
“Yep. I am going to be dying tomorrow the way Princess Diana died in a tunnel.” Emerald drank more wine.
The group was silent for some time. Mortem eyed the view, Vitae looked at other people in the room, and Nick was paying attention to what the President was doing behind him. Emerald noticed that Nick was worried about him.
“Nick, he’s just here to scare us. I had an altercation with him on a rooftop a couple hours ago.”
“Altercation? What did you do?”
“I stood up to him. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyway, let’s talk about what you two,” She looked at Mortem then Vitae, “are doing tomorrow.”
Vitae started, “Me and Mortem are going to proceed down the white walkway in the middle of the LA WTC Square. At that moment is when we believe that m*therf*cker over there will kill Emerald. In that moment, the television will cut toward the explosion.”
Emerald continued, “You guys will have these,” she handed Vitae and Mortem two sticks, “press the button at the moment of my death. A big fiery Falcon will emerge from them and the camera’s will cut back to you. The rest of the world will see our defiance.”
…
‘Maybe I should kill her,’ The President thought as we watched his opponent eating and enjoying her last night, ‘Or maybe I shouldn’t’
‘Either risk uprisings in the most essential countries which provide most of the United States resources or generate more hatred among my people.’
He looked back at the table where Vitae was sitting with Mortem, ‘That bastard ruined my plan. Considering that they already ruined something of mine, I would rather not take the risk.’
…
“Take me to San Francisco, I have a meeting with an exec there.” Emerald spoke to her car, a luxurious Mercedes.
“I will once you get in.” The car responded.
Emerald turned around to face her son, “I want you to promise me something.”
“What is it?” Vitae asked.
They embraced each other, “Kill those sons of bitches,” Emerald entered her car and took off.
Vitae was at the entrance of the LA WTC Square. The area was dominated by the Los Angeles World Trade Center which appeared to be the backbone of the place. Fountains and glass art dominated the square. The white walkway that Mortem and Vitae were about to proceed on floated above everything. It was connected to the 15th floor of the WTC.
Mortem was on the 15th floor in his dressing room. He was being prepped for his showcase and the clothing designers decided to strip him naked. He was very tired, anxious, and annoyed that the designers couldn’t make up their minds. Mortem didn’t sleep at all the night before.
“I don’t know what he could wear.” One of the designers said as she sifted through a rack of clothing.
“Well he could—”
Nick walked in, “Sorry if I interrupted anything,” he placed a sealed plastic package in Mortem’s lap, “Emerald left this for you.”
“Well I guess that’s what he is going to wear.”
Mortem took out the contents of the package. It was a simple black outfit with no branding on the clothing. The outfit consisted of a black long sleeve, black cargo shorts, black sneakers with white accents, and sunglasses. He began to feel the shirt and noticed that there was something that felt a little weird on the front. He didn’t mind and put it on. There was a note inside the package.
I gave the same thing to Vitae except it has contrasting colors. The weird thing you may have felt in the front is artificial flames that should show the Falcon. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. This outfit is bulletproof, fireproof, really anything proof. Keep it on.
With Love,
Emerald
‘Wow this is sleek.’ Mortem thought as he put on the sunglasses and cargo shorts.
“Are you ready?” Vitae entered and asked.
“Yep.” Mortem replied.
“Let’s go.”
…
Emerald took out of her purse an explosive she made herself in case the President decided against the killing. She watched Vitae and Mortem take stage. She was proud of both of them.
‘If only Mortem’s mother and father could see this. If only my husband could see this. What have we been reduced to? We are pawns in this game and those two are going to destroy it.” She thought.
…
“Don’t kill her.” The President was in his oval office. He talked over the phone with his secret bomber that he had hired to kill Emerald.
“Why?”
“Because she had planned something. I don’t need the people to rise up against my rule.”
…
Vitae and Mortem walked to the end of the white runway. They stood straight and waited for the explosion. They watched the giant televisions that surrounded the entire square. The crowd cheered on as they waited.
The screens changed toward a news reporter saying that Emerald had just been murdered in a tunnel. Security camera footage from the tunnel appeared and a loud explosion took place.
Vitae and Mortem pressed the buttons on the sticks and a Falcon symbol emerged behind them. It glowed in red, hot fire as millions of people from The Poverty tuned in and watched. The people that were in the Square and in the United States were oblivious to the message.
However, the secret service was not. They immediately tried to fire upon Vitae and Mortem. A smoke bomb was thrown by Nick and people panicked as the fog covered everything in sight. Vitae and Mortem disappeared without a trace.
…
“I told you not to kill her!” The President screamed.
“I didn’t. She had her own explosive.”
The President threw his phone across the oval office. He punched a few windows before collapsing on the ground.
‘All the traps we had set for each other. Every single one we danced and dodged. This time I f*cking fell for it. I fell for it.”
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