By Phillip Wright
(This takes place after End of
the Universe and before Fire and Water)
The Cluster
4 Years Ago
The hall
was nearly pitch black and the aroma of rotting flesh filled the air as corpses freshly dead
lined the examination tables. Tubes flowing from various parts of their barely week old
bodies connecting to small vats that drained the blood from the dead, making them ready for
the transformation that awaited them.
Has this one been drained of blood yet? A
figure said in a low, gruff voice as he approached from the darkness towards a table where
one of the corpses laid.
Yes, supreme Bio-Vizier. Brizon stepped closer, his figure
now standing within the bright light as he pulled upon a small machine on wheels closer
towards him. As with the corpses he studied, a tube flowed from his abdomen that connected
to the machine helping to keep him alive.
Drain his essence and memories. The
middle-aged but frail man, who served as His Shadows supreme Bio-Vizier, looked at the
cold, pale face of the corpse that laid before him. Thinking of what tasks it would
perform, the people His Shadow would order it to kill as the procedure continued to turn the
unanimated flesh into a chemical machine with no will of itw own.
What about the
others? Brizon raised his head towards the row of the other corpses that were too in the
process of being turned into undead assassins for His Shadows personal use.
They
are still being drained of their blood which should take another hour or so and some of
their organs are still to be removed. The young, blonde headed Bio-scholar answered as he
moved through the various blood vats checking on the status of their contents.
Well, make this one here a priority. His Divine Shadow requires his services.
Brizon pointed choosing the body that would soon become one of many of His shadows personal
assassins. As he studied the specimen further, gazing upon especially the strange attire of
the Astral-B it intrigued him but more. The frail leader then began to move off from the
row of corpses and the smell of rotting flesh that only enlightened his senses.
May
his shadow fall upon you. The young bio-scholar brought the single fist to his chest in the
honor of their divine leader before continuing on his work. Brizon replied back, repeating
what his student had said but in a loud whisper as if not sincere in which in many cases was
true. At times he had had doubts about the Divine Order and how he had served it beyond
reproach with the greatest of loyalty. Which, besides his remarkable intellect, had been
required to rise this far. Supreme Bio-Vizier for the Divine Order, it was an illustrious
position, one with power. Brizon, renowned for his achievements in the field of
bio-technology, had doubts about who he was and the man that he had become. Somedays he
would awaken feeling like a different person, with different agendas and motives and if he
werent diseased and frail as he was now, he would have left the Divine Order behind. Now,
it was his life and all that he depended on to keep him that way.
The Dark
Zone
Present Day
Silence was all that could be heard throughout the Lexx, except
for the biological processes that echoed throughout his many corridors and passageways. It
had been four days since the collapse of the Light universe and the destruction of its
cause, Mantrid, and things were just returning to normal even though they were stranded in
the Dark zone, a universe of chaos and evil. Since stealing the Lexx from His Divine Shadow
four years ago its crew: Stanley, Xev, 790 and Kai, have been searching for some distant
planet that they could truly call home and settle down. With the Dark zone their only
passage, their search continued.
Barring from the sounds of the Lexx, groans echoed
throughout the passageways as Xev laid sprawled out upon her bed of luscious silk,
overwhelmed with pleasure as one hand laid upon a breast caressing it gently with her
fingertips. The other further down reaching under the thick leather of her cluster-lizard
outfit to the ultimate source of that pleasure. She did this while she slept, the moans
growing louder and louder as she experienced the perfect fantasy, perfect but unattainable.
Her dreams were the only place she could see past reality and create what she always
desired.
I am Alive, I am Alive.
Life of a Brunnen-G
The love we share,
The
love destined be.
Kais voice echoed throughout the great hall while their hands
grasped firmly as they danced together through the tall distinguished halls of what was once
Brunis-Two, Kais home. Xevs heart was full of joy in seeing the smile upon his face,
feeling the warmth within his smooth hands.
I love you, Xev.
You dont
know how long Ive waited for you to say that. Xevs smile widened further as she had no
idea how long she had indeed waited for Kai to tell her that, but this was a dream and when
she woke up none of it wouldve have happened, none of it would come true.
Stanley
Tweedle also slept comfortably within his hollowed-out moth, it was the first and decent
sleep he had received for awhile and he too dreamed, although not on the same level as Xevs
sensual escape. According to the way Stanleys face twitched and how he smiled ever so
slightly at times, he seemed to be experiencing both pleasure and unpleasantness.
I like you, Stanley. The calm and inviting voice also seemed to draw him towards her, even
though she was technically not human, but a plant. Though he had met many women in his
past, this was the only one he believed truly cared about him.
I like you too,
Lyekka. Stan stood his lip slightly trembling in response to this affection, Lyekkas body
close to his. Although he knew that Lyekka didnt experience love, only urges of hunger for
protein to sustain her, she would not even consider him as a meal and that was when he felt
that she cared for him.
Stan could feel his bones begin to tremble as she moved
closer towards him, planting a soft kiss on his lips which in some ways came to him as a
small shock, but as a sexually-starved man and Xev not responding to his needs, he did not
resist. Now with a wide smile gleaming on his face, he moved his face and pouding lips
closer to return a kiss to Lyekka. That was when right before his eyes, her skin began to
dissolve and disintegrate, turning a withered brown.
Lyekka! Stan screamed as what
used to be the beautiful female form of Lyekka was now nothing but a pile of leaves that
laid before him, the last remains of the only woman that had truly cared for him. As he
looked down at the brown scattered pile, he remembered all the times that Lyekka had really
saved him.
Then something caught his eye and he was compelled to look up at the screen
and that was when he was taken aback by a face imprinted on a background of swirling colors
and that was the time when he felt both fear and hatred.
Your little plant-woman is
dead. The face on the Lexxs screen said as Stan raised himself from Lyekkas remains to
face the disembodied head of the greatest enemy they had ever known, the destroyer of the
light universe.
Mantrid! But we destroyed you. Stan said quite surprised at the
sudden appearance and quite worried of his return as it was basically only an act of luck
that they had destroyed him before when the universe began to collapse and after Xev
literally put her foot down onto him.
I am Mantrid, do you think I can die so
easily. The disembodied head replied in a tone that only implied superiority of his
achievement, the destruction of a whole universe. Stan stood upon his feet; the bones of
his legs nearly trembling as Mantrid looked down upon him like a vengeful child would at a
small ant. At that very moment, Stan was very tempted to run from the bridge to the
cryo-chamber as fast as his legs could take him and awaken Kai. Not because he knew all the
knowledge of His Shadow and memories of the ones he had killed, but to protect him from the
inhuman beast. Due to the fear that now ran through his veins, his legs simply did not want
to move and so he clambered to the bridges central column.
Quickly he raised his hand
and imprinted it upon the green outline in desperation as Mantrid still looked down upon him
with his small dark eyes, not saying a word which scared him more then when he was
speaking.
Lexx, where is that transmission coming from? Stan called out, his voice
echoing throughout the adjoining corridors of the bridge. After a couple of seconds of
waiting, Lexxs response never came.
Lexx? His voice changed to a more concerning
tone as he called out again, but still without a response as Mantrid continued to watch down
on him.
Your bug will not respond to you, a pity. Now its time for the fool to
die. Mantrid said in a tone of false pity before he began to chuckle, loudly with depths
of evil within his voice. Stan then heard a familiar sound that sent intense shivers
through every bone in his body as well as in the fabric in the back of his pants, as he
watched as several one-armed drones suddenly swarmed upon the bridge and Stanley cowered
further into the center column.
Bye, bye human. Mantrid said in a high voice as if
gently singing before the transmission ended and the screen went blank. That was when also
the drones now moved in towards the central column and the large packet of flesh that
cowered there.
Stanley awoke screaming, sweat pouring down his face from the
nightmare he had experienced, as he carefully looked at his surroundings to find that he was
still inside the hollow moth that was his bed.
When he realized where he exactly was and
what he had experienced was not real did he breathe a sigh of relief as to think that
Mantrid was still out there, ready to eat up the dark zone like that what he had done to the
light universe. Stan knew that with that terror prowling around his mind, he could not go
back to sleep and so he reached for his red uniform and decided to get dressed, wondering
what was out there within the dark zone and what dangers awaited them.
Xev threw
herself onto the plush bed of silk and satin along with Kai as they emraced in a fit of
passion, taking turns in hungrily planting kisses along their sensous bodies. She couldnt
believe that it was happening, all that she had ever wanted since the first time she had
laid her eyes upon the cold, but handsome face. Here she was, about to be pushed beyond the
limits of sexual ectasy by the man of her dreams and she could not be happier. Just as
she experienced an orgasm, that the room suddenly went dark. Pitch black and no longer was
her body tingling with that pleasant sensation.
When the lights returned, she found
herself strapped to a large bench and as she looked to her right, Kai was strapped onto a
similar bench meters apart from her. Thats also when she heard a quite discomforting
mechanical noise that sent her heart pounding, not in desire, but fear. Raising her head as
far as she could Xev looked toward the source of the noise to find three large circular
blades spinning in fast motion moving toward Kai. As she looked around to him, it appeared
that Kai did not fight or resist, as he laid still, motionless upon the bench as if eagerly
awaiting his fate.
Xev squirmed under her tight bound straps, trying to break free so
she could help Kai from the blades that would tear him to pieces if they werent stopped.
She could barely move her arms and legs to even work them free and so as the spinning blades
continued to move towards him, that she screamed with an angry growl which echoed throughout
the darkened chamber. Her rage, from her cluster-lizard side of her anatomy, increased the
strength throughout her body and now she tried again to break the bonds that held her down
and prevented her from rescuing her love, still screaming like a cluster-lizard as she
continued to try.
To no avail, even with her increased strength the straps still held
her down and in place, making her watch the inevitable as the spinning blades now tore into
Kais cold flesh and continuing straight up the middle of him.
KAI!!! Xev screamed
at the top of her lungs as the blades finished off their work as Kai now fell into two
halves upon the floor. She shut her eyes to the results, not wanting to see what had
happened. Then she suddenly heard a distant voice cry out to her.
Xev Xev. Her
eyes opened again to see blurr of red before her rustling her up. As she focused her eyes,
she found herself in her bedchamber with Stanley looming over her.
Stanley? She
seemed surprised that he was here, though many times when she found him in her bedchamber it
had some sexual agenda to it in which she would always wave away. But this time just by the
way Stan looked he hadnt come with those thoughts in mind.
It sounded like you were
having a bad dream. Stan said quietly as he sat himself down upon the corner of the soft
bed.
I was I saw It doesnt matter. Xev thought about explaining the contents
of her dream to Stan, but stopped as she never thought that he would understand the feelings
that she had of Kai and he would only present the usual argument about him. Being dead and
not able to feel emotion, but all in all she didnt care.
It looks you had one too.
It was at that time that Xev only just noticed that Stanley wasnt actually ogling her body
with his eyes like he usually would, instead he had his head down his eyes looking at the
floor. The way he acted quite different than usual, more sorrowful, presented her the
feeling that something was wrong with him.
I dreamt that Mantrid killed Lyekka then
me. Stan continued his quietness not even looking upon Xev. The nightmare he had but
minutes ago had really rattled him, mostly because he was afraid to die like a coward he was
and everyone saw him as. He had also been very fond of Lyekka, even though she was merely a
plant, but she had saved all of their lives and he wished he could repay that
debt.
But Mantrid is gone, theres nothing to worry about from him. She laid a hand
on his right shoulder to comfort him because she understood what he was feeling, she too
feared Mantrid and in a way also felt a little grief on Lyekkas death. Although she was a
carnivorous plant that had eaten more than her fair share of the guests onboard the Lexx,
she and her pod was onboard long enough to feel as if she was a part of the crew and in a
way she missed her as well.
I say it will be awhile before we forget about him.
Xev withdrew the hand from Stanleys shoulder and wrapped it around one leg to comfort
herself as she was reminded of how day by day the Light universe disappeared more and more
before collapsing upon itself and stranding them in the dark zone.
Ill think Ill
go to the bridge, see whats happening out there? Stan had recovered a little more since
he had first awoken from being ripped apart by Mantrids drones in his dream and he now
raised himself off of the bed and rearranging his hat a little he made his way towards to
the corridor and onwards to the bridge.
The Cluster
4 Years Ago
The
recently re-animated corpse stood within the palldium of pedestals that usually sat each of
the Divine Predecessors, were all empty barr one, which contained the brain of His Divine
Shadow in which the undead figure now stood before. Surrounded by the loyal clerics of the
Divine Order who became the personal guardians of his shadow as he laid in his vulnerable
state.
Who would you like to me to kill? The undead figure said in a cold, hard
tone as he continued to stand before the brain of His shadow. A brace was strapped below
his wrist and easily recognizable to the eyes of anyone, but most notably their enemies. As
if given an invisible signal, the Clerics wheeled the pedestal closer to the
figure.
Your task, assassin, is to pass through the fractal core and locate and
retrieve the Lexx. Bring the heretics who stole it back here to me. The deep, evil voice
sounded from the brain as the newborn assassin listened to the tasks it was to perform in
service of His Shadow.
As you command, Divine Shadow. The assassin understood the
orders that it had been given and was ready to perform to the very last drop of his
proto-blood.
But most of all, your highest priority is to destroy the last of the
Brunnen-G. Kai. Clearly recognizable anger could be heard within the disembodied voice as
well as sub-tones of fear deep down as with Kai around and animated; he still posed a great
threat to him, as was the prophecy that was known to him.
As you command, Divine
Shadow.
Good, now go, do not return until the task is complete. The brain of
His Divine Shadow spoke his last words as the clerics now wheeled the pedestal back into its
original place as the assassin now walked away. His mind now filled with his motivational
directives that kept him alive and functional more than that of the proto-blood that
sustained him as the undead figure climbed into the cockpit of a small fighter craft.
Within seconds the fighter lifted from its pad and sped into the night sky at an incredible
velocity and towards the passage to the dark zone where his shadows enemies roamed and to
complete the task he was set. The capture of the heretics and the retrieval of the Lexx and
of the highest importance to his shadows wishes the assured destruction of the last of the
Brunnen-G, Kai.
TO BE CONTINUED
