Chapter 50
The security team was in a frazzled panic when Saw Yatha strode into the termination center’s lobby. Lines of guards in battle gear tromped this way and that. Flashing lights and the pulsing alarm, which to Saw seemed like the adornment of victory, did nothing to help the trained guards get a plan together. In the center of all the chaos stood the head of security. His eyes bulged and sweat dripped in trenches down his features. His orders, shouted at the passing guards, lost all power in the din. His requests for information went unanswered as everyone around tried to make sense of the situation.
But where the head of security saw mayhem, Saw Yatha saw a tribute to his design. It was like beholding a delicate ballet performed for his benefit alone or like hearing an orchestra play a robust symphony. This was his chaos. This was his magnum opus, willed this into existence by his creative genius. Nova, he scoffed to himself. Nova only used flat colors and lines. Saw Yatha, the triumphant, the victor, the new and powerful Chieftan of Merlain and the Seven Realms, used flesh and bone moving in space. Saw Yatha painted with lives. He could not help but take a moment to take in his creation.
On seeing Saw’s impish face, the head of security ran up to him and shouted over the noise, “It’s about time you got here! You have to do something. We can’t shut it off! We don’t know what’s going on!”
Saw crooked his gloved finger and, with it, beckoned the harried guard to follow him. The head of security adhered himself to the inky leader as he forged a path beyond the front desk and into the room housing all the cell monitors. Rows and columns of illuminated squares showed the confusion of each prisoner in the center. Saw shut the door to the room, muffling the noise outside to an indistinct hum. The head of security wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
“We’ve checked everything we know. We’ve never heard this alarm before, we’ve never trained for it. Nothing is leaking, burning, or falling apart. All prisoners are accounted for. Nothing, as far as we can tell, is wrong, yet this maddening alarm is ringing, and there seems no way to turn it off. We can’t think out there, let alone make sure everything is secure. I figured since you designed the place…”
Saw held up a finger to silence the guard. The head of security, his cheeks flushed and his breathing shallow, looked expectantly for Saw to speak as if he hoped to hear the answer to the purpose of existence. Once Saw had the guard under his control, he took the finger, turned it downward, and pressed a button on the console before him. Immediately, the panels in the center of the wall slid apart, and a hidden monitor pushed itself forward. Once the new panel was locked into place, the alarm’s sounds and lights abruptly stopped.
In the silence, Saw heard the guard’s sigh of relief. “Weaklings,” Saw thought to himself. He calmed himself, making sure that now that he was in charge, many changes would be made to strengthen and streamline all Zungher Dol had let decay. But there would be time enough for that. Now was the time to discover who Nova was.
In the monitor were two figures crouched at opposite ends of what seemed to be an endless desert. They were crouched so that Saw could not make out their identity. He was surprised to see two people. He’d only intended the chamber to handle one person at a time. Saw had always envisioned Lillian driving herself to the breaking point in this place, but he thought Nova would serve as a test case for the real sacrifice. But if Nova was more than one person, would they work to resist the power of the chamber’s tricks, or would they eventually turn on each other? Saw had never considered this possibility before. “All in due time,” he murmured to himself, “all in due time.”
Right then, his curiosity about who he’d caught outweighed his desire to see what would transpire. Two people. A man and a woman. Saw took a moment longer to make a mental wager of who he thought he would discover. The figures looked to be already quite out of their minds as they ran their fingers in columns from their knees.
“What…?” the head of security stammered, “Where is this?”
Calmly, Saw Yatha placed a finger to his lips before reaching for the communicator attached to the monitor’s side. Before speaking into the device, Saw winked at the guard and said, “I’ve been waiting ages for this.” Then, he activated the communicator, asking, “Well, well, well, we meet at last, Nova. It seems your arrogance and audacity have been your undoing. You tested the system once too many and found that it will always win. Now, stand and turn around. I want to see who this mighty rebel is.”
The two figures stopped their kneeling vigil, stood simultaneously, and surveyed the space before stepping toward each other as they heard the ominous voice enter the chamber. Saw’s face turned from glee to surprise when Amnon Saxe’s features became known to him. Surprise soon blossomed into laughter.
“Amnon? Is that you? I knew you were a problem, but I had no idea you were the one spreading all the rebellious lies. I’m not sure if I should be angry, hurt, or impressed.” Amnon said nothing. “Who is that with you?” Saw monkeyed with the monitor’s controls to enlarge the face of the other figure.
It was clearly a woman. She had dark hair, green eyes, and a scowl. The face was familiar to Saw’s memory, but he couldn’t place it. All this time, he’d thought Nova worked alone. Now, Saw started to wonder if Nova had been several people. That would make more sense as to why he could never be seen or captured. Amnon Saxe was gaining respect in Saw’s estimation.
“Who do you have with you, Amnon? Never mind, I can’t hear you. Here’s what you should know. You already know this, but I want to see you hear these words officially: I’ve won. I’ve won, and you’ve lost. I really don’t know what you hoped to accomplish. This is the most secure place in all of the seven realms. I designed it myself. This, what you’ve stumbled into, is my private toy. Though I had hoped its initial use would be on someone else, I have to say, if I was going to pick a second person to try this out, it would be you. You who took my position away from me, who did what you could to erode any confidence Chieftan Dol had for me, who turned the whole system against me. Well, I’m happy to report that you’ve lost everything you’ve worked for. Your story is about to end in obscurity, while mine will take on a new tone of majesty.
“It would be wrong of me, in my new position to not show some mercy on your suffering and that of your accomplice. Here’s what I’m going to offer you. I assume you know about the existence of the hidden trigger, and that is why I found you groveling on the floor. If you find it, I will not kill you. I will only exile you to a slave encampment where you will live out your days wishing you had died here and now. But, if you fail to find it, as you’ve failed in everything else to this point, I promise you, you and your friend over there will fall, step by step, into madness and your last moments will be filled to the brim with despair, fear, and anguish. Either way, I will enjoy watching you suffer.”
Saw smiled as he could see Amnon’s mouth moving but could not hear him. What was the point of hearing the empty threats and accusations from a dead man? The bigger point was to see him, or whoever was trapped in the chamber, writhe in mental pain.
After a moment of savoring this new victory, Saw Yatha turned to the head of security and smiled.
“What am I supposed to do with them?” the guard asked.
“Do? Didn’t you hear what I just said? There’s nothing to do. The chamber is perfect. It is designed to demoralize whoever is in its grip until they choose to end their lives. With two, it will be interesting to see what happens. With two, it may take longer, or it may be faster. There is a very small chance that they will happen across the escape mechanism, but by then, they will be in such a weakened state that they will be easy to recapture. Even your people can accomplish that. Then, you can send their broken mental shells to whichever far-flung realm you like the least. It’s beautiful.” Saw faced the guard. “You may not like me, but you have to admit what I have reacted is beautiful in its simplicity. Now,” Saw said to the guard as he crossed his arms and focused his attention on the miserable pair in the monitor, “watch a real work of art.”
