Chapter 42: Plans Start To Roll
Angelo, Julio, Orcilla, and Demadrian returned to the laboratory the next day.
‘This is it, the moment of truth,’ said Demadrian, rubbing his hands together. ‘I’m feeling really confident.’
‘Your perfect combination,’ sighed Orcilla.
'It's as good as it’s going to get,’ chuckled Demadrian. ‘If I kept going, I’d run out of egg, and we wouldn’t have a serum at all.’
‘That’s a joke, right?’ asked Orcilla.
‘Yeah, sure,’ chuckled Demadrian, shaking his head.
‘You could use some of my serum,’ said Angelo, looking at Julio.
‘I have given it much thought,’ replied Julio. ‘I trust Demadrian. He’s one of the most brilliant scientists to ever live.’
‘He has a point,’ said Demadrian. ‘My IQ cannot even be measured.’
‘It pales compared to your ego,’ sighed Orcilla.
‘She’s right,’ said Demadrian as he pulled out a large vial of a green liquid. ‘My confidence and willpower are even more impressive than my intelligence.’
‘Nothing is going to change your minds at this point,’ said Orcilla as she watched Demadrian fill two syringes with the green liquid.
‘The odds are stacked against us,’ said Demadrian in a more serious tone as he held out the two syringes to Orcilla. ‘If we don’t take this crazy risk. Tiberius will eventually destroy all of us. My position has not and now cannot change.’
‘I know,’ sighed Orcilla as he took the syringes from him. ‘I’ll do as you ask.’
Both Julio and Demadrian climbed onto examination tables.
‘I want you to sedate us first,’ said Demadrian. ‘Then inject us with the serum syringes. After that, every hour, inject us with the drug that I injected Angelo with. Do that until we awaken.’
‘No problem,’ replied Orcilla.
She sedated both Julio and Demadrian. She waited a couple of minutes, and then she injected them both with Demadrian’s serum.
‘I’m staying with him,’ said Angelo, who was sitting next to Julio and holding his hand. ‘I’ve put Razor in charge for now.’
‘Cool,’ replied Orcilla as she set the alarm on a clock she placed by the examination table. ‘I could do with the company.’
Meanwhile in the temple, Razor was finally enjoying a large plate of pancakes to himself. He sliced into a large syrup-covered pancake and gently placed a piece into his mouth. ‘Now that’s a future I could really enjoy,’ he sighed.
That evening in the West Camp, Tiberius had called for a strategy meeting with his enforcer captains, Miro and Walter. They gathered in the main tent after dinner.
‘Can we confirm that Orcilla is aware of the death of her friends and the resistance force in the Downs Region?’ asked Tiberius as he looked across the table at Cecil.
‘Yes, we allowed them to hack your message,’ replied Cecil.
‘Were they aware of where our training exercises were taking place?’ asked Tiberius.
‘The information was strategically placed for them to find,’ replied Cecil. ‘The documents have been moved since we left, so we know they have been seen. However, they did not take the bait.’
‘I’m very disappointed that you’ve failed to provoke a response,’ sighed Tiberius. ‘I’m also disappointed that you failed to take the initiative and destroy the Sentray and the ugly monster leading them.’
‘We have a spy in the West Tribes that has informed us that the cult has formed an alliance with them,’ said Cecil.
‘An alliance to attack us?’ asked Tiberius.
‘That is almost a certainty,’ replied Cecil.
‘That tells me they didn’t attack because they weren’t ready,’ said Tiberius. ‘Despite our baiting, they had the good sense to hold off. Their rage did not lead them to certain defeat.’
‘Their anger would have subsided slightly,’ said Miro. ‘Therefore, the chances they will make a foolish move have declined. I would strongly argue they would not attack us in this camp where we have far superior numbers.’
‘So, we’re in a stalemate,’ sighed Tiberius. ‘Is there any way we can bring the fight to them underground?’
‘The narrow tunnels negate our advantage,’ replied Miro. ‘We’ve tried before. We can’t win that way.’
Walter watched in annoyance but did not utter a word.
‘Somebody give me an idea that’ll work,’ said Tiberius angrily as he looked around the table.
Everyone remained silent.
‘I want scouts sent to observe every entrance of the tunnels controlled by the West Tribes and the cult,’ said Tiberius as he looked at Miro. ‘I want full surveillance on all the tunnels we control. I want to know every move they make.’
‘Yes, Your Imperial Majesty,’ replied Miro.
‘We meet again tomorrow,’ said Tiberius angrily as he looked around the table. ‘Someone better come back with a good idea.’
As they were leaving the tent, Cecil approached Tiberius. ‘I have an idea, which I feel is better expressed in private,’ said Cecil, grinning slightly.
‘Good, let’s hear it,’ said Tiberius.
‘Let’s start torturing and killing the Downs workers,’ said Cecil. ‘That’s bound to draw them here. Then we can massacre the lot of them.’
‘I like your way of thinking; I really do,’ said Tiberius as he rubbed Cecil on the back. ‘You have to remember Orcilla didn’t even respond when her husband was killed. She and the cult leaders have no compassion for others. They’re not like us.’
‘Some of them are just useless anyway,’ replied Cecil. ‘Their existence is just a waste of resources.’
‘I absolutely agree,’ said Tiberius. ‘Sadly, the others and even many of my enforcers wouldn’t understand that eliminating them is for the greater good and, in many ways, an act of kindness. They will get the wrong idea, and that’ll damage their morale.’
‘Of course, Your Imperial Majesty,’ replied Cecil, nodding.
‘Thank you for your input,’ said Tiberius, grinning. ‘I think we can constructively build on your suggestion.’
Revals was lying down on his sofa in his cabin. Walter opened the door of the cabin and poked his head in.
‘Oh please, go away,’ groaned Revals.
‘I got you some cake, friend,’ said Walter as he held up a plate. ‘It’s chocolate walnut.’
‘That sounds nice,’ said Revals as he sat up. ‘But it’s not going to make my arm grow back.’
‘The technicians are really smart,’ said Walter as he handed Revals the plate with the cake on. ‘I’ll ask them to make you a really awesome robot arm.’
‘Right now, I want the pain to stop,’ sighed Revals as he stuck a fork into the cake.
‘I have an idea,’ said Walter as his face lit up. He rushed out of the cabin.
Ten minutes later, Walter returned. Phillip and Big Burt accompanied him. Walter and Phillip helped Big Burt into the cabin. He struggled to climb the steps because of his weak legs and back. Walter was also carrying two books and a videotape.
‘Why do you want to come in here?’ asked Revals. He had a perplexed look on his face.
‘Masters of Wrestling,’ said Walter as he placed the two books on the coffee table in front of the sofa. ‘Best painkiller around.’
‘It’s the “Final Battle” premium event from ten years ago, friend,’ said Big Burt as he clumsily sat down next to Revals on the sofa.
‘Those two books look the same,’ said Revals as he looked at the two books.
‘They are the same,’ chuckled Walter as he raised his eyebrows. ‘Don’t worry, there’s method to Big Burt’s madness.’
Phillip pushed the tape into the videoplayer attached to Revals’ television, and then he pressed a button on the remote.
The Master of Wrestling introduction began. Phillip plonked himself on the floor next to Walter. A few minutes later, a wrestler’s entrance theme song began. Big Burt opened one of the books. He flipped through a few pages.
‘That’s him!’ said Big Burt excitedly as he pointed at a picture in the book.
‘Get it now?’ asked Walter as he turned to look at Revals.
‘I think so,’ said Revals, sounding a little unsure.
Two hours later, the main event had concluded.
‘That’s crazy!’ exclaimed Revals. ‘That guy attacked him with a pitchfork, and he still won.’
‘That’s the Bulk,’ said Big Burt as he pointed at a picture in the book. ‘He’s the greatest champion ever.’
‘Twelve years ago, he teamed up with his own grandmother to win the tag titles in a grillhouse brawl,’ said Phillip as he waved his arms around.
‘That’s cool,’ said Revals. ‘I haven’t had this much fun in a long time.’
‘We can do this tomorrow night, if you like,’ said Walter as he got up. ‘I’ll make a jumbo cobbler we can share.’
‘Yes, I will like that very much,’ said Big Burt as he smiled at Revals, who smiled back at him.
Big Burt grabbed his books, and both Walter and Phillip helped him up. They slowly manoeuvred him through the cabin door. A few minutes later, Walter re-emerged at the cabin door.
‘Thank you,’ said Revals in a soft tone. ‘You’re far kinder than I deserve.’
‘You’re a piece of shit,’ said Walter in an angry tone. Then he chuckled and began to smile. ‘You still deserve some kindness, and especially so after what just happened.’
Revals smiled and nodded.
It was the early hours of the morning in Julio’s laboratory. Both Julio and Demadrian had just been given the drug to stabilise them. Orcilla was going to sleep for a few hours while Angelo took care of them. Suddenly, Demadrian began to shake violently. Then he started to involuntarily shapeshift.
'Oh, nuts,’ sighed Orcilla.
‘This is probably what he would expect,’ said Angelo nervously.
Demadrian sat up abruptly. His head shapeshifted into that of Sentray’s. He roared loudly and aggressively and then flopped back down onto the examination table. His head returned to its normal size but continued to shapeshift.
Angelo’s hair stood up as he moved away from the examination table.
‘This is crazy,’ gasped Orcilla as she grabbed another syringe of the drug Demadrian had prepared. She jammed it into his arm. Demadrian’s movements and shapeshifting started to decrease. A few minutes later, he was motionless again.
‘I’m going to monitor this personally,’ said Orcilla as she looked at Angelo, who was looking at Julio.
Around every twenty minutes, Demadrian would begin shaking violently and shapeshifting. Each time, Orcilla would inject him with the drug. Julio remained unconscious this whole time.
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 