Alt+Control Chapter 42

I shake myself awake, and still find myself connected to Chimera. The influence of the drug has worn off, and I feel more alert than ever. I can still sense the heartbeats, but fainter this time. I look around the room, but neither Lukas nor Marc is in here.

I look down at Chimera. It’s still wide open, and the names are still on there. This time though, my fingers don’t start moving of their own accord. I have to move it myself. Perhaps when I was in that drugged state, Chimera was able to connect with me more. That would make sense, as I wouldn’t be fighting it at all.

This time, I don’t click any names. I press the command and “N” key, and open a new window. It’s a blank HTML window this time.

I stretch my arms, and stare intently at the screen. Ok, let’s see what I can do with this.

I will Chimera to show me how to move something. At first, I get no response, and then a cold, childish female voice says, “What would you like to move?”

“Uh, what?” I say, looking around. “The light bulb would be a good start I guess.”

“No need to speak out loud. We’re companions, so we can talk within your mind.”

Oh ok. Chimera, show me how to move that light bulb.

My fingers move towards the keyboard again, and they start typing in a string of coding.

“I need you to will it to move. Focus on it, and think, ‘Move!’”

I listen to it, and focus all my attention on it. Move, move, move, move…

The light bulb starts shifting, starting off slowly, then quickly picking up speed. Eventually, it’s swinging like a pendulum along its wire, almost hitting the ceiling. I focus back on it. Ok, now, stop!

I—no, Chimera, types in a single line of HTML, and the light bulb abruptly stops swinging. Wow, impressive. That was a lot easier then trying to move it.

Chimera, what can you do?

“I am not as powerful as my brother Chronos. I share many of the same powers as him, except instead of shutting down others, I awaken them. But if wielded by the right person, I can be strong in my own right. I feel like you might be that person. I like you, much more than the others.”

Uh, thanks? Wait, the others?

“Yes. I had other companions. They were all either too weak, or too power-hungry. But you…you’re just right.”

Do you like Chronos? And Lukas?

Chimera pauses. “They…they…I don’t know how to describe them. There’s some sort of energy coming from the both of them I don’t like. But when Lukas is hooked up to me, I must obey him. But I much prefer you as my companion. You truly want to save these people.”

Hey, you saved Drew’s life. There’s not much else I can say.

“You’re truly humble.”

Are you under Lukas’s control at any time?

“Unless I am hooked up to him, no. It would wreck damage on his body and mind if he attempted to control Chronos and I at the same time.”

Hmm…ok. A plan to get out of here pops into my head. Hey, Chimera, how would you feel if I told you to rebel against Lukas and Chronos?

“Rebel?” asks Chimera, and I can hear surprise in its voice. “But we couldn’t possibly…”

I’m sure we can! I mean we are companions together. You yourself told me that I was just right, which means that we’re certainly powerful.

“But you only started working with me for a very short time! I don’t think we’ve developed enough!”

How long do you think it would take?

“Give or take, a month or so to be in perfect unison.”

A month? We don’t have a month to spare! I know we’d be saving lives, but Lukas will just keep on creating more and more victims! Even if we can keep up now, as Chronos and Lukas get more in sync, they might start overwhelming us! It’s better to do that now. That way, we can beat them and then heal the remaining victims!

“We’re mewling newborns compared to them. We cannot compare!”

Trust me on this, Chimera. We are the light compared to their darkness. They may bombard me with images, but we can open something up inside of Lukas… something that may stop him.

There’s a lengthy pause from Chimera. Then, letting out what sounded like a sigh, it says, “Fine. Is tonight ok?”