Chapter 40: It’s His Day
In the cult underground city. Julio had decided it was time for Angelo to be given the new 19CE serum. Razor was not showing any negative side effects, and his advanced healing ability was on par with that of Orcilla.
Julio escorted Angelo down to his laboratory for the procedure.
‘How are you feeling, High Philosopher?’ asked Julio as they entered the corridor leading to the laboratory together.
‘I’ve been dreaming of this day my whole life,’ replied Angelo. ‘Now it’s come. I crave the safety of my glass world.’
‘You mean the higher power did not reassure you?’ asked Julio in a concerned tone.
‘I have been visited every night,’ replied Angelo. ‘The message is conflicting. We face great danger in every direction. This procedure is the least of my deep concerns.’
They entered the laboratory together. Orcilla, Demadrian, and Razor met them.
‘You look much taller close up,’ remarked Demadrian as he looked up at Angelo.
‘Everyone seems tall to you,’ chuckled Orcilla.
‘You’re looking really sharp, Razor,’ said Angelo as he walked over to the examination table.
Razor looked at Julio. Julio nodded in response.
‘Never felt better, High Philosopher,’ replied Razor as he clenched his fists.
‘Thank you for taking this risk for me,’ said Angelo as he sat on the examination table.
‘It’s an honour, High Philosopher,’ said Razor as he stood up straighter. ‘I’d do anything for you. Plus now I feel invincible.’
‘I look forward to joining you,’ said Angelo as he grinned.
‘Try to relax,’ said Orcilla as she approached Angelo holding the needle.
Angelo smiled and nodded.
Orcilla jabbed Angelo in the arm with the needle and then slowly injected the serum into him. Angelo watched on. He seemed a little nervous.
‘How are you feeling?’ asked Orcilla as she pulled the needle from his arm.
‘I feel… I feel a little light-headed,’ replied Angelo as his eyes fluttered a little.
‘That’s perfectly normal,’ said Orcilla calmly. ‘Your body is undergoing enormous changes. The DNA, the building blocks of your body, are being reformed, pulled apart and put back together with a few new pieces.’
Angelo grimaced in pain, and his breathing became heavy. Julio clutched his hand to calm him down.
His pain intensified. His eyes became bloodshot, and blood began to drip from his nose. Julio slowly laid him on his back.
‘It’s going to be okay, my High Philosopher,’ said Julio with calmness in his voice.
Angelo began to seize. His whole body was shaking violently.
Demadrian rushed over to Angelo. He was holding a needle. He stuck him in the neck with it and rapidly injected the substance into him. A few seconds later, Angelo passed out.
‘What did you inject him with?’ said Orcilla angrily as she looked at Demadrian.
‘Just something to stabilise him,’ replied Demadrian. ‘There’s nothing genetic in it. Be grateful. I just saved his life.’
‘Thank you,’ said Julio, nodding.
‘When I take my serum, I’ll need a shot of this stuff every hour,’ said Demadrian. ‘I doubt I could make it without it.’
‘Julie didn’t need it,’ sighed Orcilla.
‘She’s a first-generation new Linap,’ remarked Demadrian. ‘She’s built a little differently than me. And that experiment was nuts. None of them should have survived. I’m not willing to die in that manner.’
‘Razor, I’d like you to stand in for me,’ said Julio. ‘I need to stay with the High Philosopher.’
‘It would be an honour,’ said Razor as he saluted.
‘I’ll stay here too to keep an eye on him,’ said Orcilla as she dragged over a machine to monitor Angelo’s vitals.
‘You’ll all be glad to know I’m in the final stages of my serum,’ chuckled Demadrian. ‘Yes, I work that fast.’
Julio nodded in acknowledgement, and Orcilla was too busy setting up the machine.
The next morning, Angelo began to stir.
‘Hey Orcilla, he’s waking up,’ said Julio in an excited tone.
Orcilla rushed over to check on Angelo.
‘High Philosopher, how are you?’ asked Julio.
‘I feel strange,’ croaked Angelo.
‘That’s okay,’ said Orcilla. ‘We progress at different speeds.’
‘You should eat some pancakes,’ remarked Demadrian. ‘They’ll perk you up.’
Angelo tried to sit up, but it was a struggle.
‘You don’t need to rush,’ said Orcilla as she rubbed Angelo’s arm.
‘I feel a little nauseous, but I still want those pancakes,’ chuckled Angelo.
‘I’ll head up to the temple and get you some immediately,’ said Julio excitedly. He then rushed out of the laboratory door.
‘Being right never gets boring,’ chuckled Demadrian as he looked at a printout of his analysis of his serum.
‘Well, let’s hope you can keep that up,’ said Orcilla as she grinned at Demadrian.
Razor was in Angelo’s temple room. A guard had just placed a huge stack of pancakes in front of him. Razor’s eyes bulged in anticipation. He grabbed the bottle of syrup and was about to squirt it all over the pancakes.
Suddenly, Julio rushed into the room. ‘Well done, Razor!’ exclaimed Julio in excitement. ‘You’re truly absorbing the vibrations of the higher power.’
Razor stood up and saluted Julio. Julio grabbed the plate of pancakes and the bottle of syrup and then rushed back out of the temple.
‘Hmm, are pancakes the price of enlightenment?’ Razor asked himself as his eyes darted from side to side.
A few minutes later, Julio rushed into the laboratory with the plate of pancakes.
‘Okay, you work faster than I do,’ remarked Demadrian.
‘Thanks to Razor,’ said Julio. ‘I think he might have established, through the higher power, a psychic connection with the High Philosopher.’
Angelo began to laugh as he finally managed to sit up. ‘You took his pancakes, didn’t you?’
‘Well, yes,’ chuckled Julio as he placed the plate of pancakes on a side table. ‘The timing couldn’t have been better. It has a divine feel to it.’
Julio put his arms around Angelo and hugged him. ‘You have your sense of humour. You must be feeling better.’
‘You should still take it easy,’ sighed Orcilla as she watched Angelo eagerly attack the pancakes with his fork.
‘Tomorrow, it’ll be our turn,’ said Demadrian to Julio. ‘We will be truly transformed. But the path will be very unpleasant.’
‘I understand,’ said Julio, nodding.
After eating the pancakes, Angelo felt much stronger and could even stand up.
‘Hey Angelo,’ said Demadrian. ‘Do you feel like a punch in the face?’
‘That sounds tempting, but I’ll have to politely decline,’ replied Angelo as he poked his tongue out slightly. ‘What I really want to do is see the outside world with my own eyes.’
‘I’ll tell Razor to take you flying,’ said Julio. ‘I’ll take you up to see him now, if you like. I know he must be deeply concerned for you.’
Angelo and Julio exited the laboratory together.
Meanwhile, in Angelo’s temple room, a guard had placed another stack of pancakes in front of Razor.
‘Oh gosh, they smell good,’ said Razor as he grabbed the syrup bottle.
Suddenly, Julio and Angelo entered the room.
‘Razor, I want you to take the High Philosopher flying,’ said Julio in a forceful tone.
‘I would be ever so grateful,’ sniggered Angelo as he desperately tried to stop himself from laughing.
Razor quickly stood to attention and saluted to Angelo.
‘Guard,’ said Julio firmly. ‘Take these pancakes down to the laboratory. Our wonderful guests must be very hungry.’
Razor’s mouth dropped open as he watched the guard take the plate of pancakes out of the room.
‘You’re really a great sport,’ said Angelo as he patted Razor on the shoulder. ‘You’ll dine with me tonight.’
Razor grinned and nodded.
An hour later, Razor, Julio, and Angelo arrived on the hill where they trained. Razor was fitted with his wings. Angelo was looking around at the scenery in amazement.
‘This is amazing,’ said Angelo as his eyes widened and darted. ‘The cool air blowing in my face, the sounds, and the beauty all around. My screens didn’t capture any of this.’
‘I’ve never seen such joy in you before, High Philosopher,’ remarked Julio.
‘The pranks gave me a lift, but this is something different,’ replied Angelo. ‘It’s a new level of joy I have not experienced before.’
‘Well, be prepared to experience yet another level,’ said Julio as he rubbed Angelo’s arm. He turned to Razor and said, ‘Strap him on and let him fly.’
Razor strapped himself to Angelo.
‘Are you ready?’ asked Julio.
‘I’ve been ready since you designed them,’ replied Angelo energetically.
Julio nodded to Razor, and he smiled back.
‘Haahahaha!’ screamed Angelo as they launched into the air. ‘Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!’
Razor took them high so that Angelo could see for miles in every direction.
‘It’s so beautiful,’ said Angelo. ‘It’s like some of my dreams, but so much better.’
They flew over some mountains and then dropped down lower to gain a better view of a small herd of Sapes. They looked like Hamlet, but smaller and slimmer.
‘That’s them for real,’ said Angelo in delight. ‘I dream about them all the time.’
Up ahead, just above them was a flock of flying Sapes. They were quite large. They had grown far bigger since the fall of Sapey six years earlier.
‘That is something I haven’t even dreamt of,’ gasped Angelo. ’Such beauty is amazing.’
Razor flew upwards so they could fly with the Sapes. Razor pulled up between a few of them.
‘Hello!’ shouted Angelo. ‘Come on, Razor, say something. Julio isn’t here.’
‘You may speak,’ said Julio into Razor’s earpiece.
‘Holy moo, Sape!’ shouted Razor as he looked at a flying Sape that was almost in touching distance.
The Sape turned and looked at Razor and Angelo and onked in response.
‘Silly you!’ called out Angelo. ‘These Sapes “onk” not “moo”. Only the spotted ones “moo”,’
‘Baaa!’ squealed one of the Sapes.
‘Then there’s that one,’ chuckled Angelo.
They flew around for another fifteen minutes before returning to the hill where they started. They landed gently in front of Julio. Razor unstrapped Angelo.
‘This is the life,’ said Angelo in delight as he spun around. ‘I want to be in this world.’
‘This will soon become your reality,’ said Julio in a stern tone. ‘Before that can happen, Miro, the “Emperor”, and finally the “Empire” must fall.’
‘We’ll talk of this soon,’ said Angelo. ‘I just want to enjoy this moment a little longer.’
‘Of course, High Philosopher,’ replied Julio, nodding.
Razor’s eyes darted back and forth between Angelo and Julio.
That afternoon, Julio visited Maskameera in her cell.
‘The serum has been a success,’ said Julio. ‘Our guards will escort you back to your world.’
‘How kind of you,’ replied Maskameera.
Julio’s face lit up as he stared at Maskameera through the small window in the door. Maskameera smiled back at him. Suddenly, Angelo’s song began to play in the frequency that only Maskameera could hear. She dropped to the ground in pain while clutching her ears.
Julio turned around to face two guards. ‘She’ll be safe to sedate now,’ he told them. ‘Take her back to the flying vehicle she crashed in.’
The guards entered the cell. They both injected her with a strong sedative, which knocked her unconscious.
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide is the final book in the Sapien Loop trilogy. It continues directly after the events of the second book. The world above and the world below merge into one world. The conflicts in the underground world are brought to the surface. The new ruling elite attempt to crush any resistance from above and below in an attempt to create a new global empire.
Currently, three books from the series have been published on Amazon; see the links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my account.