The Unwritten Sin

Chapter 31

Wilder squeezed off round after round into the crowd, realizing the alien creatures weren't taking any actual damage. Rather, they seemed annoyed by the noise and the pain. Wilder pushed Neptune farther against the wall, and screamed at him to smash any buttons he could.

There were too many of the aliens in the threshold for the elevator door to close, and Neptune let out a piercing wail. 

The cartridge was empty on the electron gun, and Wilder clutched it to his chest as the mob pressed into the elevator. "Seize them," the mob said, as a collective being. 

"Human specimens," the group said together in a strange hollow voice.

"Oh fuck," Neptune hissed, entranced. "A hive mind."

Wilder felt his heart beating deep in his chest as the tall beings picked the two of them up, and carried them with purpose from the elevator. A finger touched the top of his forehead, and he blacked out.

"Wilder! Wilder, wake up!" Wilder heard a voice through his headache, and tried to open his eyes. The light was wrong. A dark red color. He felt a hand touch his chest and he shot up, clutching his shirt tight to him.

Sitting around the wall of the small dimly lit red room were about half a dozen people. He recognized Neptune right away, kneeling over him. "Hey, man," he said softly, "calm down, we are all friends here."

Wilder sat up, and leaned against the wall, exhausted. "We are all here," he heard another smaller voice say. 

Wilder blinked. The light was heavy and red, and he glanced at his hands, feeling numbness in his limbs. "Are we....are we in the ship?"

"Yes," he heard someone else say. Slowly, he recognized the figures. Adonis was there, as were Opal and October. Neptune, noticing October, rushed to hug them, and stopped a few paces away, hung his head, and turned back to Wilder.

"So we all managed to get taken prisoner," Wilder ventured. That's just awesome." He licked his dry lips and tasted blood in his mouth. "Is James here?"

"James James?" Adonis asked. "No, why would he be?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you," Wilder said, clutching his head. "I accidentally found out I do in fact have a past life. Well, and worse than that," he couldn't meet Adonis' eyes. "Worse than that, I'm Breach too."

Adonis looked puzzled. "Wilder....Wilder? What did you find out?"

"I am...I was....Ness," he said. "I'm....well I don't remember any of you. I'm sorry Adonis, I don't know what happened."

Adonis' mouth dropped open. "Fucking...what?"

Wilder shrugged. "People have been saying I look like this person for ages. Like we didn't think the Machine replicated scars and shit until I saw October come out that way. So when I went to see James I..."

"Wait! You....you saw James?"

Wilder nodded, feeling a warmth rush into his face. "Yes," he said. "I saw James. I told him everything. And then he decided he was going to go back."

Adonis slapped his forehead. "Why?" he asked. "That is unthinkable!"

Wilder shrugged. "He has regrets I guess."

"He didn't go to get a new body," October said in the corner. They were slumped over against Opal, with their face obscured by a hood.

"What?"

"He didn't go to get a new body. He's spent too much of his time going through all the sins again, he isn't going to waste it."

"Waste it," Wilder mused. "Dammit. No. But what was he doing then?"

"Being smarter than us," October said. 

"Wait, you saw him and didn't say anything?" Adonis asked heatedly.

"Don't blame the messenger," October said, rolling over, facing the wall. "I saw some dude going into the Great Hall and coming right back out with something in his hands. It was some dumb book or something. He wasn't a new person. He didn't end himself. He isn't cool enough for that."

"Yeah, like you're the coolest," Neptune said under his breath. 

"Whatever," Adonis said, running hands through his hair in exasperation. "This is bullshit."

"I don't need to tell you everything I see," October said. "You're not my fucking mom."

Adonis heaved a great sigh, balling his fists. "This is serious," he said. "If James was taken into the ship before we were, then he has to be here? Right? And if he isn't here, where in the hell is he?"

"You're with your new crew now," Opal said, "what does it matter?"

"Stop it," Wilder said sharply, standing up. His head was pounding. "James is my friend. Adonis is my friend. I didn't meet anyone else until literally three days ago. We have been friends for a long time and we aren't going to abandon anyone."

"Is that because you actually remember these posers and care about their well being?" October asked, matching his tone. "Or because you're in love with him."

Wilder shrugged, though his face was burning. "What does it matter to you," he said flatly. "You're the one who has no real friends and moves from lovers like changing underwear."

October stared at him, blinking in silence. Before they could say anything else, the door slid open, and a single being stood outside. The light in the hallway beyond was bright white, casting a long shadow into the red room.

Without speaking, they pointed at Wilder, beckoning him forward.