Chapter 5 - Interlude: adhokk7
I wish I had a computer so I could write this down instead of merely composing it in my head. I wish I was sitting at my desk and typing my thoughts out so that I could see them on the monitor because then my thoughts might make some kind of sense instead of being this insane, senseless tornado that has been spinning in my head since this crazy acid trip started. But then, Id probably try to twist my thoughts into some kind of semi-erotic narrative the way I do with everything. Fat lot of good that would do.
Ive been here for three days, stuck in a tiny, trashy hotel room in Japan sometime before...I dont even know when this is. Sometime in the distant past. Sometime before air-conditioning and plumbing were invented. This has been the longest three days of my life and its not getting any better. While my companions are spending their time coming up with crazy ideas and then running around on their wild goose chases, Im wasting my time here, talking to myself and walking around in circles. The-Dark-Knight said Im a psychic, but I hope he was just telling me that for dramatic effect because, if he was telling the truth, then were all lost. All I can see for our future is chaos and misery.
Spider-Man Luvr28 told me today, after she came back from wherever she had been, that she thought she had finally made some headway. She said she had talked to a guy who said he could help us. I know shes a good person and that she means well, but I dont know if I can trust her to know what shes talking about because shes as lost as I am. Assuming she can be trusted, which I am because I have no other choice, were supposed to meet this guy at sundown and hes going to lead us to BizarroAids. When KenshinAtrain came back to the hotel room, he seemed too tired to argue about the plan. He agreed to the plan, but I havent had a chance to talk to him alone, so I dont know how he really feels about it. I assume he thinks its another wild goose chase, the way I do, but I dont really know and I guess it doesnt really matter. I guess all that really matters is that we complete this quest The-Dark-Knight assigned to us so that we can save the time stream or the space-time continuum or whatever so that we can get back to our normal lives and pretend none of this ever happened or that it was all just another bad dream.
While KenshinAtrain napped (restless, twisting, sweating, and talking in his sleep), I decided to pass the time by sharing a little bit of personal information with Spider-Man Luvr28. She was pacing around the room and, every few seconds, shooting a dirty glance at the walls whenever a noise came from one of the next-door rooms. She seemed much more irritable than she should have been and I thought she could use a distraction as much as I could. I told her about the dreams I have been having, dreams of the man known as BizarroAids. After I told her about my dreams, sparing no detail, she said that she didnt like what she was hearing. She didnt seem concerned at all about my impressions of BizarroAids, that he was a cruel and merciless man, but she did seem very concerned about what I had considered to be a meaningless aspect of the dreams. In my dreams, BizarroAids was mostly a shadowy figure and my impressions of him were gut-level reactions, but everything else was crystal clear, including his court, his throne, and what I had assumed to be his servants. It was one of the servants, the only other man in my dreams, that seemed to get her attention. She said my description of this second man gave her a weird feeling and she said she didnt want to hear anything more about my dreams. I imagine that, under normal circumstance, Spider-Man Luvr28 is 100% cool, but I think this little adventure is taking its toll on her. Im starting to think that maybe we should forget our mission. Im starting to think that maybe dying in the Shimbara Rebellion is preferable to whatever awaits us should we continue this mission.
12 Hours Later
Great. This is absolutely great.
We met Spider-Man Luvr28s guy in an alley near the place where, a couple of nights ago, KenshinAtrain and I broke into a store and stole a bunch of clothes for us to wear so that we would blend in with the general populace. We set out from there, dressed in our best disguises, making our way through the town, with townspeople all around us. The threat of being discovered loomed over us like a storm cloud. Making matters worse, our guide informed us that the townspeople were in a state of heightened anxiety. He said the townspeople were especially afraid of outsiders because of a disease that had come out of nowhere and had, thus far, caused the deaths of dozens of people. The disease had been named the flying fire because of its main symptom: an uncontrollable fever that spread with ease, as though it flew from one person to another. Neither Spider-Man Luvr28 nor KenshinAtrain seemed particularly bothered by this news, but I was, so I decided to change the subject and I asked our guide about BizarroAids. He said the man he was leading us to was a powerful Shogun who could see the true nature of anyone in his presence. It was this ability, the guide told us, that allowed the Shogun to find allies and to train them so that they could use their powers in the most efficient manner possible. I asked the guide why the Shogun needed allies and the guide said, according to rumors, the Shogun was preparing for a great battle with a fierce enemy, an enemy who lived in the town but whose identity was unknown to anyone. He said the Shogun was rumored to be merciless to his enemies, but more so to his allies because there were traitors among his allies. There was, he said, a rumor of one particular traitor among his allies, a trusted ally who was high in rank, who possessed a futuristic weapon and was using it to assassinate the Shoguns soldiers.
Finally, we came to the edge of town and the guide pointed out a large house behind a high wall. He said this was our destination. Spider-Man Luvr28 paid the guide with money KenshinAtrain had stolen from the store when we had stolen our clothes and the guide disappeared into the night. We proceeded toward the house, constantly aware as we came closer that it was possible that we were being watched by archers or spies or ninjas or whatever mercenaries the Shogun had hired to protect him. We made it the wall unmolested, though, and when we came to the front gate, we saw, carved into the stone above the gated entryway, Japanese writing which the devices on our wrists translated as Beh-Sur-Oaidz. It took me a second to realize this was a rough translation of the name BizarroAids
A lone soldier, dressed in full military garb, stood at the gate. As we approached, he took notice of us and as soon as I saw him, I knew he had been expecting us.
You are denied entry, he said as we came before him.
I wanted to rip the fools head off right there.
What do you mean, were denied entry, you moron? I shouted. We have to get through! Were...supposed to be here!
The soldier shook his head and said, One of you is ill. One among you is burning from the flying fire and only one of you shall pass.
The soldier pointed to me. I didnt hesitate. I moved forward, leaving the other two behind because, I reasoned, the sooner this was over with, the sooner we could go home and forget all of this, including whatever stupid disease one of us had caught. Another soldier appeared after I passed through the gate and he led me into the house and into a room I instantly recognized from my dreams. Standing in front of his throne was BizarroAids. He was not made of shadows, as I had dreamed, but was a normal man. He welcomed me to his home and he said that since Im a psychic I should be able to see that his home would be a safe haven for me and that I would be protected from my enemies as long as I was his guest. Lurking somewhere behind BizarroAids, I could feel the presence of his lackey (the second man from my dreams, who, I remembered, was apparently capable of saying nothing except, I am the knight.). I could feel the lackey staring at me like he knew exactly what I was thinking, like he could read my thoughts and was amused by them.
BizarroAids rang a bell and he said, My brother, Spider-Fan, will show you to your room. Tomorrow morning, you will begin your training.
Spider-Fan came into the room and he signalled for me to follow him. He led me into a hallway made of stone and lit by torches. We walked for a little way and then he stopped. He turned back to face me, waved his hand, and the hallway and the torches disappeared. What had been the hallway was now an open field where soldiers trained in martial arts, using all kinds of weapons.
This is your future, Spider-Fan whispered and then the hallway reappeared. He led me to my room and he locked me in without saying another word. So here I am, alone in the home of BizarroAids, my friends locked outside, one of them deathly ill. Great. This is great. I wish I was at home in front of my computer, writing this all down because then it would just be another story I was writing and I could turn it into something semi-erotic. At least that would be entertaining. I cant sleep and I cant stop worrying about my friends. Which one of them is sick? What can I do to help them? Whats going to happen to me tomorrow? We only have four days left until the rebellion begins and I really don't think that will be enough time to find Citizen Number 930.
Who is infected?
1-KenshinAtrain
2-Spider-Man Luvr28