Crimson Rain (57 page)

“
Anyway, they have Crimson on display in her mutilated state, roasting in the hot sun. Her skin is beginning to
blister and
peel off. She would have died of dehydration days ago except they connected her to an advanced life support system to prolong the torture, but that isn
’
t even the worst of it, Zarfa.
”

Zarfa
’
s eyes welled with tears as he visualized the pain and suffering Crimson was going through. Sure, she had her own cause she fought for, but there was no doubt that she had aided them invaluably in their fight against the Faraza.
“
Please, Max, spare me nothing.
”

“
Your father has been contracted by the military to create an inoculation that will turn the populace into unquestioning slaves. They plan to put it into effect by the end of the month. It
’
s dangerous and unethical! What
’
s more, I doubt their plan will stop there. As of now, the city and the whole country are under martial law. Anyone on the street after dark is shot on sight. Anyone who looks suspicious, arrested and taken for questioning. People can
’
t even sneeze without being harassed. I have no doubt after they inoculate everyone, they will have an army larger than they ever imagined, and I believe Ilyeion is next.

“
Ilyeion showed their support of Alexarien by outcasting you and your people. They won
’
t stop there. After Ilyeion it will be the rest of the world; anyone who breathes will be under their control, I am sure of it. That is why they let us do what we were doing, why they allowed Crimson, Synaptix
,
and Polyhelix. They planned this from the start!

“
We always knew Ilyeion and Alexarien were allies, yet both nations stood for a different set of ideals and a different way of life. It is clear now, though, that they both allow their militaries to make their decisions and the events that are in motion now means the end of life as any of us know it. I, for one, don
’
t want to be a slave. That is, if they could find a way to do so with me! Even if they could, I don
’
t want to see that happen to Crimson, or you!
”

“
What makes you think that will happen to Crimson? Max, it sounds like she is going to die soon.
”

“
Trust me, I have a plan. I can stop her death. As for stopping this scheme to control men…I need your help.
”

“
Max, let
’
s face it, my people have things good right now. A self-sustained underground habitat. Plenty of good people to live amongst, and relative safety. I am having them focus on that for now, but it is clear it won
’
t last forever. If they do what you say they are planning, they will hunt us down and make us submit or kill us. I
’
m with you. Over the next week, I will work on spreading the word that the war is not over yet and I will seek out anything I can find down here to back the cause. We need you and Crimson here
,
though, and I fear I cannot help you with that. I certainly hope you can make it here.

“
I have an army, strong, true, fierce, powerful. But we need a plan, strategy, tactics. I feel like I am barely keeping them together down here. We need strong leaders. We need you and Crimson. I hope we can restore her to her former self. It sounds like she is
in
worse
condition than one could ever imagine.
”

“
You leave her restoration to me. We will be there in a week. I hope that we can delay your father
’
s production of whatever this inoculation is for
a while
. Even the best leaders won
’
t be able to fight an army ranging into the billions in just a matter of months.
”

“
Agreed. If that is all, I would like to end our conversation by saying, Godspeed, Max.
”

Not much is known about Tex’s early years. Many are unsure of how old he is or where exactly he came from. He has been heard on a few occasions telling people his first memory is of awakening in a laboratory in which they were testing a chemical known as TXZ-871.

This chemical compound is known to erode the mind and cause delusions of grandeur. After several doses the patient is rendered psychologically insane but left with extreme amounts of creativity. Some test subjects in the trial were even able to project their own mental image of themselves externally, resulting in the morphing of size, shape and form.

Tex has been documented as one of the prime examples of this and nobody is really sure what he actually looks like.

Due to the damage caused by this drug, Tex believes himself to be a self employed spy and travels the world seeking clues to his own origin. He says that there are secret messages encoded in his literary works and that others that have been exposed to the compound will be able to decode it.

His residence, is always changing. His look is never the same, and many say he doesn’t even exist but is merely the apparition of another test subject.