Devil's Playground
The further April traveled, the more worried she became. The damage to this complex wasn't negligible. Crossing wires sparked and sputtered, blocking their path forward. HB searched, looking up. April's gaze followed, noticing a bent vent.
"Up."
HB threw both her hands up, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Hurry. We don't have long."
"Ah. Right. Up you go."
HB weighed next to nothing. Firmly inside, April was next. Jumping, she heaved her arms up, proud of her upper body strength. Squirming her way in, she was met with a burst of air.
*Pft*
"Uuck."
"Sorry. It's the seltzer."
"Uwah. It... Why does it smell like strawberries?"
April could vaguely see HB shrug through blurry eyes.
"That's what you want them to smell like. Now come on, we don't have long. The time difference is vast but not nearly enough to get comfortable."
Gagging a bit, April grunted and followed along. Crawling on hands and knees. For once, she was glad for her small stature, making it easier to worm her way through the vents. That was the strange bit, though. Vents. How did she understand that they were such? There was no such engineering in existence. Normally runes would serve to heat or cool homes. Air filtration was never an issue. These vents might as well be secret passages hidden between palace walls, harboring vermin, eavesdroppers, and fugitives.
The Waning World.
A book she picked up on a shift, exemplifying the existence and reemergence of mechanical engineering.
What about the previous room. Wires? So much metal. Levers and blinking lights.
Harnessing Thunder.
A theoretical thesis describing golem creation using controlled electric currents. Tossed into a recycled bin by a professor after being booed off stage.
How could April rationalize moving screens? Pictures captured in eternity, recorded for viewing.
Wily Watchers Above.
"Thank yourself for reading. Since you stretched your imagination, our mindscape is different from others."
HB whispered from ahead.
"Technically, everyone's head looks this way, but they perceive it differently and aren't able to interact with such precision. This format is ideal for the chained ones to manipulate."
"The chained ones?"
"They-shush."
Clattering.
Peeking through a grated vent, a crash from a turned-over filing cabinet. Papers and folders spilled everywhere. April experienced a mild throbbing, angry. The figure damaging the room wasn't so much a figure as a mass of swirling, clinking chains.
Her headache continued as the amalgamation spun out of the room.
"Jerks. The others are going to make me clean that up.
A pause.
"Not that I'll listen."
HB continued forward, grumbling. April's headache subsided, devolving into a mere sense of loss. The cabinet. April felt like it held something important but couldn't pick out what exactly.
"They always create a mess. It makes it more difficult for both of us to operate, but they prefer it that way."
"Are those files my memories?"
"What? No. Well. Kind of. It is more complicated than that. The memories are stored elsewhere. You can think of that cabinet and the mess they create as decreasing your rationality. You'd only be a bit more irritable, or jittery, or..."
HB tooted.
"...gassy."
=
April recovered. She blocked out the journey to the end of the vents. Holding her nose, she watched worriedly as HB jumped up and down on a grate.
"Isn't that dangerous? What if there are monsters out there."
"Hah! Monsters... *jump* More like... *jump* Invaders...*jump*."
HB crashed through, falling several feet to the floor below with a clatter. April poked her head out.
"Are you mad?"
Wincing.
"No. Just in a hurry. Can't you hear the words your spouting?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
April hopped down, more gently. One of her pants legs still got torn. April lamented the loss. Though... it did give her more of a "sexy-survivor" appeal. HB dusted herself off.
"In the real world. Outside yer noggin. You're spouting nonsense."
"What am I saying?"
"You're rejecting Bellavarn."
"WHAT!"
"Shhhh."
HB jumped on April, muffling her tantrum. April struggled but couldn't throw off the persistent munckin. Calming down, they separated. April hissed.
"You better explain. How do we fix this? I don't want to reject Bellavarn!"
"Yes. Yes. Follow. I will explain."
April did, stepping over scattered office supplies and unopened snacks. HB drew in a breath.
"They like Bellavarn. And I mean really like him. They didn't show up much before we met him. A bit during childhood. A bit in adolescence. Nothing extreme like today. Now, they are wrecking the place, determined to hurt Bellavarn."
"Why does everyone want to hurt him? What did he do?"
"Nothing. Not that we can tell. But the chained ones are determined to break him. Or to control him at least. They want him to act out. They are controlling you to reject him."
"Why, though? Why can't they just let him be happy."
"If you don't know how am I supposed to? We can speculate, but that is useless at the moment. We need to fight back. To do that, we need the others."
"Fine. Where are they?"
"Right here."
April stopped. Looking around, she saw nothing but a large room. HB pointed up. April gasped.
High above, roping chains writhing across the ceiling pinned hundreds of small figures. Bound, they appeared unconscious. Spinning in place, April got dizzy trying to count them all. They looked to be having nightmares. Those chains had to chafe as well.
"See! Look at the monitors."
April tore her eyes away from above and looked at the far wall filled with screens. A few were broken, but together they made up an image of what was happening outside. Speakers displayed filtered sound.
"I... think we should slow things down. Take some time."
April was furious.
"Why am I saying that? I don't want things to slow down. Kiss me again, dammit!"
HB stopped fiddling with controls to raise an eyebrow.
"What? It... it was nice. Anyway! What is going on, and why did I say that?"
"They are controlling your actions. I intended to free the others, but we don't have time. Quick, pull that lever!"
"What does it do?"
"Just do it!"
April did. Watching the screens, hearing Bellavarn.
"Was it the kiss? I didn't mean to scare you."
There was no response. She thought the feed froze, but she could still see Bellavarn's worried face. The lines in his forehead creasing. She wished she could reach through and rub them out. HB wooted.
"If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all!"
*BLARE*
Red lights flashed. A siren rang, defeaning the duo.
"Uh-oh."
"Uh-oh, what!"
"I wasn't thinking. They know we are here."
The ground shook, and she could hear distorted warbling overlap the alarms. HB slammed a button, the alarms turning off. Continuing, she moved to a console, typing furiously.
"What now? What do I do?"
"They are coming! We can't beat them without the others."
April's breathe quickened, searching for a way to bring the others down. The chains didn't lead anywhere. There was no convenient link to free them. The doorway they came through darkened. The air grew chilly, frost coating the floor.
A huge writhing mass of metal links thrummed as they clanked against one another. A ball of cold iron floated, only darkness inhabiting its center.
April flopped her arms.
"We're boned."
HB finished typing. Shouting.
"The red button! Push it!"
April whirled, searching. It was against the far wall, huge, round, and tantalizing.
Why does it have to be so far!
April sprinted for the button. HB waddled for the opposite button.
The creature of chains screeched. Links shooting out. Racing.
Three more steps.
Two steps.
One.
*Ting*
She did it!
A chain wrapped around her ankle.
"Oh, shi-wooooaah!"
April flew into the air, held aloft, she dangled there. An upside-down pirouette, April spun to see HB hanging with her. Folding her arms, she droned.
"That did something, I hope."
HB frowned, which was actually a smile. She jerked a thumb back to the screens.
April witnessed herself standing, holding out a gift. The gift. The one she embroidered herself.
Lurching. Sickness.
*Thud*
April landed on the ceiling, squishing HB and a few others. Reorienting, April saw the figure at the computer, tentacled appendages keying and pulling levers. She had time to see her real body turn away.
"Hey! I wanted to see his reaction! Turn me back or else..."
April squirmed and pulled. Trying to free herself. Unable.
Helpless, she watched herself walk away. Then she heard the creature speak, clinking oddly to create words.
"...transmission... failure. Receptors."
"What is it doing?"
HB's head popped out from underneath April's abdomen. A deep breath. She coughed.
"Uh... Switching off sound."
"Why would it-"
A flash of light.
April turned to HB.
"How do we get out of here?"
"I have something sharp in my pocket. Can you reach it?"
"You're underneath me; how can I?"
"Right. Sorry. Maybe try wiggling?"
April wiggled.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! New plan. New plan."
April stopped. HB panted.
"Get. Angry."
April dead-eyed the trapped munchkin. HB attempted a nod.
"Good start. Now, really angry!"
"You want me angry; you got it!"
"Great! More. I, uh, I spit in your tea! Yeah! I ripped that new lime dress you bought."
"I was planning to wear that next week!"
"I threw out that book you were halfway into."
"YOU WHAT!"
The book comment threw her over the edge. She writhed and fought, trying to crush the traitor beneath her bottom. Then all of a sudden, a chain popped free.
"Huh?"
April was so surprised she stopped fighting.
"Don't stop now!"
The beast rotated. A flurry of chains slammed into them, wrapping April like a mummy. April groaned at how tight it was.
Sweat dripping off her forehead, April wheezed.
"Hey. Is that Kerv?"
HB's words came muffled, squeezed between April and a hard place.
"Good on you. You remembered his name."
"Shut it. Hey! Bellavarn's back. What is he shouting? I can't hear him."
"Audio is still off."
The monster below tapped the keys furiously. April saw her real body fight. Punching. Kicking. Biting. Not unlike her actions a moment ago.
"Let go of me! Let go!"
"Those are my words!"
"Perhaps it likes irony."
April watched her own fist land on Bellavarn's wound. The pain in Bellavarn's eyes hurt her.
"I didn't mean it, Bell!"
"April..."
"Murderer! Rapist! Savage! Unhand me!"
April fumed.
"NO! Those aren't my words. Bell! Please! It's me. I'm here. I'm here!"
The monster seemed to laugh at April's futile struggle.
Then the whole world turned white.
=
In the real world...
"Oh my."
"Master Bellavarn."
"Did he just? Is he..."
"Are my eyes playing tricks?"
"No! He's just kissing her, you moron."
"Turn around. Stop watching."
"I can't stop staring."
"He's good at it, too."
"I'll say."
"Alright! Show's over. Turn around, or I'll beat you with this stick."
"Aww. Kerv, you're no fun."
The staff begrudgingly turned.
=
The beast blew backward, flying out the doorway. April felt the kiss on her lips. It was rough at first. Filled with desperation. Then it was soft and caring. Warm. Like the first.
The chains all broke into motes of light—a virtual rain of Mini-Aprils.
April landed comfortably on plushy bodies.
"Hey!"
"Oops. Sorry."
A bespectacled munchkin copy got up with a huff. They all began waking, getting up, groaning. One near the monitors pointed up.
"Hey. Are we still kissing him?"
Another called out.
"Oh yeah we are!"
"Prudes."
"I heard that. Who said it?"
"It was her."
"No, it wasn't. It was her."
"Liar."
"Nu-uh."
A bungle of Mini-Aprils rolled around, fighting. April smacked herself.
"Alright, that's enough. We should stop the kiss. I feel short of breath."
Then the lights went out.
=
"April? April!"
"Did she faint?"
"Was it that good! Can he kiss me next?"
Cynthia smacked the younger maid.
"Ow! Hey... I was just saying."
=
The feed went out, switching to static and blue light. April turned. Looking to the dark doorway, ambient light shone off metallic chains. The mass grew. And grew. And Grew!
The monster of metallurgy hovered, twenty feet tall.
A boss.
It spoke—garbled words barely decipherable in over static.
"...anomaly... It is... abnormal- twice as... Mel-. At this rate... Orders?"
A response came.
"...Insignificant..."
The mass sped up. Gyrating faster. Faster.
Screeching.
A warm hand grabbed April's wrist.
"Take this."
"Boltcutters- oof."
Heavy.
"Don't worry; I've got your back."
HB pulled out Excaliber. The grin on HB's face was manic. April thought it unfair.
"And you have my axe!"
Another bespectacled munchkin stepped up beside her, wielding a huge battle axe.
"You have my sword."
"My bow."
"Maces smash!"
"Hiyah!"
"Clipboard of Power!"
A row lined out before her and behind her. Each calling out their support. The last shouted a battle cry, wielding a dented clipboard.
A broken security camera sparked to life. A blinking red light.
Monitors buzzing. Lighting their backs.
An army.
April couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all. With a huff, she placed the boltcutters along her shoulder. Tilting her head with a smirk, she posed.
"Don't mess with a girl's imagination."
*Ttttring*
Both sides charged.