A Tale Retold, RED MIST

Hopelessness

   On his way to 32, Anthony met up with a friend. T-26-A.
   “12?” He called.
   Anthony looked at the man. “26..!”
   26 approached him and gave him a brief hug. “How’s you been, man?”
   “Not that great.” Anthony told him.
   “Oh.. why?”
   “The very reason why I’m here.” He said. “I needed to jump back in time.”
   “Jump back in time?” 26 surprised. “You do realise it’s a high risk action, right?”
   “I’m fully aware of that, thank you.” Anthony nodded. “My daughter, and probably many others are in danger. You remember red mist?”
   “Yeah. What about it?” 26 asked.
   “I’m infected with it.” Anthony said. “My daughter infected because of me. I am running out of time, 26. They won’t make the cure in time.”
   “So.. that’s the reason you want to jump back in time?” 26 slowly caught with his idea. “To prevent all of this from happening?”
   “Yes.” Anthony nodded. “If I can somehow change the outcome of that event, I may have a chance to eradicate all traces of the corruption before my father came.”
   “I see. The red mist really disturb us, isn’t it? I understand.” 26 said.
   “Thank you.” Anthony replied. “I needed to go now. I need to meet 32.”
   “I’ll tag along.” 32 smiled.

…

   The bodies were piling high. 491 and 27 were going menace. They shot everyone who went into their sight. With Alexa getting stronger by time, they're also getting stronger too. They were practically invisible to bullets now.

   "Round up the ladies. Lock them in a room. Kill all men in sight." The man in tinted visor walked past them.
   "Fuck.." 27 cursed. "We've been killig women all this time.."
   "Couldn’t you say it earlier.." 491 added.

   They did what the man ordered. All men were killed in sight and the ladies was locked in any room they could find.
   Several times, the ladies were fighting back, resulting in them having no choice but to kill them. 27 did the job because 491 became uncomfortable with doing it.

...

   The other branches were preparing themselves on the airlock that connecting them to the others. The last one on each side was Red Horizon and the Timekeeper. They were the one who was prepared the most, since they didn't need to guard two or more front.

...

   "Elisa.." 1 looked around. He moved in discreet to not draw too much attention. "Elisa, where are you..?"

   "There! Shoot them!" A shout was heard.
   Followed by gunshots. 1 hid behind a wall. He peeked over to see 27 shot those innocent people.
   "Fuck.." 1 cursed. He gripped his pistol tight.
   1 waited for the right moment for them to move. As the moment came, he immediately leaped into the next cover, avoiding being in their sight.
   He kept searching for 7, hoping that she's still alive.

   His hope was getting thinner until he finally came across the storage rooms. He stumbled upon the room that 7 decorated. There he found her, hiding behind the couch.
   "Elisa..? Is that you?" 1 asked.
   "Father..?" 7 peeked. She confirmed it was 1, so she stood up.
   1 closed the door and approached her. She ran to him and hugged him tight.
   "Father, it's him..!" She was crying. "It's 491!"
   "Yes.. I know.. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you earlier." 1 caressed her hair. "But I'm here now. You don't need to worry."
   "Father, we need to get out from this station. At least to the other branches." 7 suggested. Her body was trembling.
   "Yes.. yes.. that's a good idea. We'll meet up with the other survivors and get out from this place." 1 agreed.
   1 gently pushed 7 a little so he can see her face. He let out a smile.
   "You'll be fine. I love you." He kissed her forehead.
   "I love you too, father." 7 said.

   They slowly walked their way through the corridors. But luck was running out for them. 27 caught a glimpse of them.
   "You! Stop!" He started firing.
   "Fuck!" 1 pushed 7 to the floor, into cover. He cocked his pistol and began firing from the cover. "Fuck you bastards! You traitors!!" He shouted.
   Every shot 1 gave hit 27. Although he didn't die from it, damage was still inflicted. He was filled with holes.
   "27! Cover!" 491 shouted.
   27 quickly went into cover. He looked at his body. The regeneration was not that quick yet.
   "Fuck.." 27 cursed.
   491 looked at him. "There's a reason why he's the number one."
   "491!" 1 shouted. "You fucking traitor! I should've killed you when I have the chance!"
   "I'll kill your daughter!!" 491 shouted.
   "Oh yeah!?" 1 replied. "Then do it!" 1 pulled and showed 7 out from the cover.
   Both 7 and 491 exchanged eyes. They stared at each other. 491 was too stunned. Suddenly his hands were trembling, he couldn't move it.
   1 noticed it. He pulled 7 back into cover and shot 491 right in the eyes, both of them.
   "Fuck!!! Fuck!!!! My fucking eyes!!" 491 screamed.
   1 went into cover.
   "Why didn't they die!?" 7 was panicking.
   "Enhanced regeneration. A normal bullet won't work now. If let alone for long enough, they'll be like Alexa." 1 switched magazine. "Even a nuclear explosion won't kill them."
   "Argghh!! My fucking eyes!!" 491 resorted in blindly firing his guns.
   "Fucking hell, 491!" 27 tackled him and brought him into cover.
   "Your wounds healed?" 491 asked.
   "Not yet. Just a bit more." 27 said.

   They were trapped in a deadlock. The only way to access the main path was through that corridor. Each side were in cover, waiting for the second opening to attack.
   "I need something.. an explosive." 1 said.
   7 looked at him. "There's none here."
   "I had enough of these games!" 27 stood up. "Fuck you 1! I'll shred you to pieces!"
   27 came running to them. The situation was becoming clear to whom it desire.

   But then.. miracle happened.

   Out from the sudden, 27 was struck by an explosion. He was blasted back into his side. His body was torn into bits, tearing into two.
   "Holy.. holy fuck!" 491 watched in horror as he saw 27's body.
   1 looked at where the explosion came. It was 2. He came to rescue. Gripping tight his explosive shotgun, he leaned in from the other side of the wall.
   "2!" 1 shouted.
   "Yo. Come on. We need to go!" 2 said.

   "I'm.. fine.. just need time.." 27 said.
   491 was surprised to see that 27 was still alive. "Is she getting stronger? That fast?" He wondered.
   "Give me that shotgun." 1 said.
   "What..?" 2 was confused by it.
   "I'll hold them. You go with my daughter." 1 said.
   "No. We go together." 2 refused.
   "There should be someone who hold them here." 1 insisted. "Live for me! For my daughter!"
   2 shook his head. He walked forward to those traitors and shot 491. He looked at 27, still recovering, so he shot him with a pistol several times.
   "They needed time to recover." 2 said. "We can go now." 2 said.
   He took both of their guns away.
   "Why don't you live for me instead?" 2 asked. "I've gathered the survivors at the airlock, they needed an identification of a high ranking officer to open it. You should do it."
   "No I can't. I still need to find Alexa and end all of this." 1 replied.
   2 didn't want to complicate things. He saw that 491 tried to grab him so he shot him with a pistol again. "Why don't you just die?" He looked at 1. "You want to stay in this hell?"
   1 only stared at him.
   "Your daughter should go then. She should be enough for them to approve the identification." 2 said.
   "Elisa.." 1 looked at her.
   "Wait.. no.. father, you should come too." 7 said.
   "No.. I'm sorry.." 1 said. "I need to finish what I've started. It was my idea that led us all to here."
   "No.. it's not your fault. No one knows it will ended up like this.." 7 said.
   2 stared deeply at 1, he was waiting for the decision to be placed.
   "You go. Don't worry, I'll catch up with you when all of this is over." 1 said.
   "You promise?" 7 asked.
   "Yes.." 1 smiled.
   "Stay alive for me.. for mom.. for Kassandra." 7 said.
   "Yes.. I will." 1 replied.
   "I love you, father." 7 hugged him.
   "I love you too."

   7 then walked to 2. She went passed 491.
   "7.." 491 called.
   7 glanced at him.
   "You monster." She said.
   She then ran her way to the airlock, just as 2 instructed.

   2 was left with them. 1 soon approached him. He looked at their state. Both wrecked and couldn't do anything, yet can't even die.
   "Should we lock them?" 2 suggested.
   "That's a good idea." 1 agreed. "How about that room?" He pointed to a room behind 2.
   2 looked at it. "There?"
   "Yes." 1 replied.
   2 nodded. He then turned and walked to that room.

   A gunshot was then heard.

.

.

.

   Utter silence. 2 looked down to his abdomen. He pressed his hand into it. Blood soaked his hand. He turned around slowly.
   1 was aiming his pistol to him. The muzzle was fuming with smoke.

   "Why..?" 2 was shocked.

   "There are three of us." 1 said.

   All of them stared at 2 with menacing looks. 2 felt the intimidation stabbing him, his eyes were filled with horror.

   "Why..? Why 1.. why? You were there.. at the secret meeting.. we trusted you.. we trusted you!" 2 was at a breaking point. He couldn't believe what had happened.
   "I'm sorry, but I've found something more worth than to make humankind great. I saw an enlightenment on a thing you called corruption."
   "How long.." 2 dropped down. He sat on the floor whilst pressing hard on his abdomen. "How long have you turned your back against us?"

   "Since the beginning." 1 answered.

   "Remember that day? When we were alone on Earth? When we rediscovered our base?" 1 asked.
   2's eyes were widened.
   "It was your idea to venture the station while waiting for the extraction to come, right?" 1 rolled up his sleeve, showing out his wound. "I got infected there. Since then she began to talk to me. She told me about a better future. A paradise.”
   "You're out of your mind.." 2 was trembling.
   "Oh.. but 2.." He kneeled down to the same level as 2. "Imagine a world without pain, without misery. Wouldn't that be paradise?" 1 asked. "Looked at you. And look at them." He opened his arm to point at 27 and 491. "Unlike you, they're fine."

   1 then reached out his hand to 2. "So.. why don't you join us?"
   2 slowly raised his hand towards 1. But then he quickly dropped it and grabbed the shotgun. With all his might he stabbed the muzzle deep inside 1 and pulled the trigger. 1 was destroyed into mush. In the process, 2 dislocated his arm because of the recoil of shooting with one arm.
   He quickly stood up. He used his hand that was pressing the wound to grabbed the pistol and shot both 27 and 491 in the head several times before making a run for it.

   "7!" He shouted. "7!!" He kept calling her. Elisa!!" His legs were weak but the adrenaline kept him running. "ELISA!!!"

…

   As they approached 32’s room. Anthony saw a series of paintings on the wall. Three in total. He stopped his walk and stared at three of them. It was new. The paintings were not present when he was still a Timekeeper. 26 noticed his stop.
   “The archangels.” 26 said.
   “The what..?” Anthony glanced at 26, then back to the paintings.
   “The three archangels of the lord. A prominent characters in christianity.” 26 said. “A once large and thriving religion on Earth, now abandoned.”
   Anthony fixed his eyes on the paintings, capturing every beauty of it.
   “There’s a book about them. Called the holy bible.” 26 informed. He pointed at the first painting.

   “Gabriel. A messenger of the lord. You could find his story on various book. One most prominent and important is his interaction with the virgin Mary. The mother of the savior, Jesus Christ.” He then pointed to the second one.

   “Raphael. A healer and a friend. An important character in the book of Tobit. A loyal friend that accompany you in your journey.” He shifted to the last painting.

   “Michael. The guardian of heaven. A soldier. In the last book of the bible, the revelation. He was the one who led and conquered the evil. To one who evil once and for all.”

   Anthony stared at 26. He realised how similar those characters were with the Timekeeper. A messenger, a healer, a soldier. 26 stared back at Anthony.
   “Shall we continue? Time’s wasting.” 26 said.
   “Right..” Anthony replied.
   They then continued their way to 32.

...

   7 arrived at the airlock. A crowd of people were present there. They were all complaining about why they wouldn't let them in. 7 read the name on top of the airlock.
   "Galactic Traversal Group."
   7 approached the airlock. She faced the surveillance camera.
   "BV7! Vice admiral of the ship! Let us in!" She shouted through the intercom.
   After some brief time, the airlock opened. The survivor were greeted with heavy armed guards. They passed the guards one by one. 7 waited until every last of them entered.

   "Elisa!" 2 came running. "Elisa!!"
   7 turned and saw 2 came bleeding. He dropped to her.
   "2!? What happened!?"
   "1.. 1..!" He was running out of energy. He was essentially bleeding out.
   "1..? Father? What happened? Where is he!?" 7 asked.
   "He's.. he's one of them!" He shouted.
   "What..? What do you mean!?"
   "There's no time.. I'm at my end.." 2 was trying his best to talk. "Just.. trust me.. trust me, Elisa.."
   "Yes.. yes! I trust you!" 7 replied.
   "Your father.. traitor.." 2 was beginning to lose consciousness. "Alexa.. find.. only way.."
   7 panicked. She dragged him to the airlock, but the guards refused his entry.
   "No wounded." They said.
   "The fuck you mean no wounded!?" 7 shouted.
   "He risk the chance of infection. Beside.." He paused. "He's beyond saving."
   7 quickly turned to see 2. The guard was right. 2 was gone. 7, with her trembling hands, put him down gently to the ground.

   Soon, silhouette of the traitors were caught in her eyes. She saw her father alongside the two men approached.
   "Vice admiral, stand back. Retreat to the ship. We will handle this." The guards said.
   7 stood up. She backed up to the airlock.
   "Explosive!" She shouted. "They're immune to normal rounds! Use explosive!!"
   The airlock closed in front of her, leaving the guards and the traitors behind.

   7 kneeled down. Her knees were weak. She leaned her head into the airlock door. She was devastated. Utterly devastated. Tears were rolling from her eyes.