The Maad Doctor [The Maad Series #1]

|29| My (The) Name (Maad) Is (Doctor).

Being confined in the apartment alienated them from the rest of the world. Don wanted to know what was happening out there. He turned on the TV and then sat on the floor.

A female news correspondent stood in front of the camera, holding a microphone. Behind her were bounty hunters chatting with each other. She turned to the hunters and asked, "Can ya inform those watching at home what ya want?"

"We want Don and Sky! We want Don and Sky!" they shouted in unison while raising their weapons.

The correspondent turned back to the camera. "Don and Sky, if ya are watching this, please come out. Hiding in the apartment will force us to take drastic measures, and ya may get hurt in the process."

She lowered the hand that held the mic and raised the other one to the earpiece in her right ear. She nodded as the person on the other end of the earpiece spoke. When it was over, she looked back at the camera.

"Ladies and gentlemen, ah have received shocking information from Virtue City. It turns out our dearest Duchess–Lady Camilla–is getting married at this moment."

The bounty hunters gasped. Don turned to Stella. She stood close to the TV, but the fox skull hid her facial expression.

"Let us join our compatriots in Virtue City. They are at the wedding," the correspondent said.

The screen went blank for a few seconds then showed the Founding Families' castle. Then it switched to another camera, which showed Lady Camilla in a white dress and flower crown. King Solomon stood on her left side–their hands interlocked–as they walked down the aisle. The guests smiled as the two passed between them.

King Solomon led Lady Camilla towards the stage. He helped her walk up the steps before leaving her with her husband-to-be. The camera focused on him. He had short blonde hair combed over to one side with strands of it hung over his forehead. He also had pearly white teeth, violet eyes, and dark skin. He couldn't stop staring at Lady Camilla.

At the bottom of the screen, his name appeared: Barb Malley.

"Please, join hands," the priest said. The two obliged. "I ask each now to repeat the marriage vows."

Barb turned to Lady Camilla. "I, Barb Malley, take you, Camilla Ironheart, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

Lady Camilla looked over to the side, and the camera followed. The Founding Families' leaders sat in front, wearing their royal robes. She turned back to Barb. "I, Camilla Ironheart, take you, Barb Malley, to be my husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you all the days of my life."

The priest grabbed the two rings placed on a cushion on the tall table beside him. "May the Gods bless these rings which you give to each other as your sign of love, devotion, and everlasting peace. Amen."

"Amen," Lady Camilla and Barb said together.

Before he handed them the rings, the priest looked at the guests. The camera zoomed on his wrinkled face. "Before I proceed, is there anyone who objects to these two getting married?" There was indistinct chatter, but no one came forward. "Speak now or forever hold your peace." After a few minutes of waiting, nobody objected, so he proceeded.

Don glanced at Stella. It must be hard for her to miss her mother's wedding.

Lady Camilla and Barb put a ring on each other's finger.

"May the unconditional love of the Gods surround you and stay with you now and forevermore. Amen," the priest said.

"Amen," the two said.

"You may seal your vows with a kiss."

Lady Camilla and Barb kissed, then faced the guests.

"Allow me to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Malley," the priest said.

The guests stood and clapped. Some cheered, and others whistled.

Then suddenly, an explosion erupted and shook the castle. Don glanced at the others in the room. They were staring at the TV in silence, eyes wide from shock. Another explosion followed, thrusting everyone in the wedding venue to the floor.

The camera shook as the cameraman tried to get on his feet, filming the fallen guests. But a shot rang from behind him, and he slumped to the ground.

Someone shot the cameraman, Don thought.

Someone picked up the camera and turned it towards themselves. It was a man. He had a bone-chilling smile on his face as he stared into the lens. Behind him was the lower half of a bronze robot. It was so huge; its knees were higher than the castle's height. Luckily, they held the wedding in the castle's garden. Otherwise, the robot wouldn't have fit.

"What is going on?" Don looked at the others in the apartment. They seemed as clueless as he was.

"Hello, Hervana!" the man said with a grin. "I am now the shot caller of this broadcast, here to spread a message of hope and wisdom." He chuckled, then turned the camera towards Li, Nash, King Solomon, and Ibrahim. They were on the ground, looking astounded.

They must know who he is, Don thought.

The man put the camera down. It was far enough to show him and the leaders of the Founding Families in one frame. "It is time for a change," he said. "Virtue City will fall and rise like a phoenix. And from that, a new regime will begin. One that is not corrupt, nor favors only the upper class." He grabbed the revolver strapped on his waist and shot the founding families' leaders on the head. Their blood splattered on his face, but he seemed not to care. He shot at them until he ran out of bullets.

Then he turned to the camera and crawled to it. He looked like a humanoid insect with his widened eyes, flared nose, and blood dribbling down his face. "My name is... The Maad Doctor."

The Maad Doctor knelt and spread his arms. "Tonight, Virtue City will burn to the ground. But before that happens, you have until midnight to capture Don and Sky and bring them to Camilla. You deserve the reward after everything you've been through."

He scratched his head with the butt of his gun, then continued, "You have been prisoners for so long. You have been lied to and labeled insane when you fight for your rights. But what they call sanity is a prison in our minds that stops us from seeing we're tiny cogs in a giant absurd machine." He crawled to the camera, his nose touching the lens. "Wake up!"

Don placed his hand over his heart, startled. He's insane.

The Maad Doctor started laughing as if he heard Don. "Remember, you have until midnight. Tick Tock, Tick Tock, Tick Tock." He shot the camera, leaving the screen black.

Don stared at the others in the apartment. No one said a word until he broke the silence. "What do we do now?"

"We rescue Mother," Stella said.

o-o-o-o

Note
The video above inspired the character of The Maad Doctor. When I saw it I was like, yes, this how The Maad Doctor is like xD