Chapter 23

Two days had passed since John saw Bezad. He was still reeling from the revelation of another world. John didn't know what this meant for everything he had come to know and love. Deep down, he knew it was something that people would fear in this world. Also, despite what Bezad said he felt he wouldn't be accepted in the Dark World either. Now John was standing in the cemetery on a late afternoon. He had three roses in his hand as he stood before Mr. Zestro's tombstone.

He placed a rose on the headstone as he started walking down another trail.  John found his way over to the Valentine family and placed the other two roses on their headstones. The air around him was chilling, and things were quieter than usual. He heard footsteps approaching causing him to look over his shoulder. Eris dressed in a maroon-colored shirt and dark blue jeans approached as she waved coyly.                

"I figured I'd find you here. Could you tell me why you ditched me the other day?" Eris questioned, blushing as she looked away, causing John to become embarrassed as well. He rubbed the back of his head as he stepped away. 

"I thought I saw someone, I'm sorry." John said.

Slowly, he looked up at the sky, taking a deep breath. He noticed Eris place her hand on the headstone of Mrs. Valentine. Many people liked Mrs. Valentine when she was alive because she was a kind-hearted woman. John started to dwell on the past as he noticed Eris step closer to him.  

"It's alright, but I still want to catch up with you. To be honest, I've missed you dearly." Eris said, looking up at John as he stared at her confused. 

He didn't know what to say and continued to feel that something wasn't right. Deep in his soul, something was telling him to be wary of her. 

"Don't you dare trust her, weakling." The voice said as John placed his hand on his head while he winced in pain.

 He bit his lip as looked away from Eris. She sighed sounding disappointed as he stepped away. What was this in his head, and why was it so distrusting of her?            

"Why are you really here, Eris? Why are you so eager to get close again?" John asked, staring at her with a serious look on her face. She seemed confused as she stood silently with her arms across her chest.            

"All I thought about for the past few years was seeing you, holding you in my arms again and all you do is act like I have an ulterior motive. Why can't you just accept that I want to get to know you again?" She questioned, angrily as she walked over to John, who remained silent. He wasn't sure what she wanted him to say.                                    

"I'm sorry that I'm not thinking about that right now when there is a crisis going on, Eris. We could be on the verge of the world ending, so I'm sorry that I'm reluctant to trust someone I haven't seen in years. Besides, I don't remember you as the type to rush into things." John said, sternly as Eris appeared to be disappointed. She clasped her hands together as she nodded slowly. 

"You're right, I'm sorry." Eris said, staring at the headstones. 

A figure appeared a few feet away that John noticed. It was Gizmo dressed in his designer clothes. He walked over to John with a serious look on his face. John noticed Scarlet was standing near the trail to the exit.    

"Eris, can you give us a minute?" Gizmo questioned, staring at John as Eris stood unmoving.

John glanced at Eris urging her to give them a moment. Reluctantly, she walked away in the direction where Scarlet stood. Gizmo glanced over his shoulder before returning his attention to John. 

"How'd you find me here?" John asked, becoming uneasy, wondering why everyone seemed to know where he was.

Gizmo shrugged as he kept his mouth closed. He couldn't trust anyone besides the people in the bunker. John knew he'd have to be on his guard with everyone who he found suspicious.     

"Sensors set up around my mother's grave in case anyone tries to desecrate it. Also, I was already driving by when the sensor went off." Gizmo said, triumphantly as he stared at John. It caused John to become annoyed when he looked around the grave for sensors. He saw them hidden right in front of him.  

"Well, what do you want?" John asked, looking to see where Eris went. He saw her further down near another set of graves. It made him curious as he struggled with the urge to eavesdrop. He could shake the feeling that she was hiding something.                    

"Who was that guy with the mask because he knew too much about what's been going on. I went to further investigate Michael and found out some of the task force members were dirty too. Captain Grey is a person of interest now, but I haven't reported him yet. I don't know who to trust." Gizmo said, appearing reluctant about something as John tilted his head while he began wondering if Gizmo actually needed his help.  

"You need my help which is no surprise." John said triumphantly causing Gizmo to frown appearing as if he was annoyed. Gizmo changed his stance as he rubbed his face appearing uncomfortable.  

"No matter how much I want to punch you in your face, I know that you're the only person I can I trust. You're too selfish to be working with people that want to destroy the world." Gizmo said, in a tone that sounded as if it was filled with spite.

 John bit his lip as he tried to decide if he should be mad or not. He shrugged off Gizmo's remark as he stepped closer to him. "Well, what do you want from me?"

 It appeared as if she was ranting angrily about something. He listened to her heartbeat which gave John the feeling that she was worried about something. Could someone be threatening her, he wondered as he still fought the urge to eavesdrop?  

"Come to the manor tonight so we can talk. Bring your friends who you trust because we'll need as many people ready to fight if needed." Gizmo said, turning away briefly to see Scarlet on the phone. He turned back toward John with a serious look in his eye. John could see signs of desperation in Gizmo's eyes which caused him to worry. How deep was the corruption in the task force?    

"She puts up with a lot of your shit, Gizmo. Try not to ruin things with her, okay? Lay off the drinking too." John said, in a serious manner that seemed to agitate Gizmo. 

Reluctantly, Gizmo seemed to agree with John. It relieved John as well as eased the tension between them. Things were always tense when they faced each other, and John never knew if they'd end up fighting again. As John started to walk passed Gizmo, he felt Gizmo's hand in front of him. 

"You saying that's how I lost Melina to you?" Gizmo questioned, in a tone that John knew was the sign of trouble. 

The tension between them reignited as John pushed Gizmo's hand away. They stared at each other, revealing the rage they both bottled inside toward one another. John felt this powerful force emitting from his body, but he did his best to suppress it.                

"That's not what I meant, and you know it. If you're going to blame me for every loss that happens in your life, then you can forget about me helping you. Also, I never took her from you." John snapped.

He was tired of constantly allowing Gizmo to put all the blame on him. John didn't have control over everything that's happened in their lives.                

"You're right, I'm sorry. Dude, I have to find Melina because if I don't, then I may never see her again." Gizmo said, sounding unhappy as John places his hand on his shoulder. 

John took a deep breath before releasing it from his lungs. The thought of searching for Melina and Octavius was nerve-racking because he had nowhere to start looking.     

"When everything going on is over, maybe we can find her together." John said, waiting to see Gizmo's response. 

He nodded slowly causing John to feel relieved. The wind started to blow as leaves spiraled around the cemetery. John noticed Scarlet shivering as the chills of the weather became noticeable. The weather never made sense to John in Darko city because in the summer it was always raining or windy. A buzzing sound caused Gizmo to dig in his pocket to withdraw a phone. John patiently waited for him to finish checking his messages until a strange look appeared on Gizmo's face. He looked up at John appearing worried which caused John to feel uneasy.

"Dr. Lee is still alive, and my unit has him in custody. They're taking him to a secret underground facility in Ashton. You can come with me if you want." Gizmo said as he started to walk away as John signaled for him to wait. He marched over to Eris, who seemed on edge as she stared at her phone trembling.    

"I wanted to make sure you were okay before I left. You seemed frantic and worried about something when you were on the phone." John said, worried as she Eris smiled faintly. She dragged her fingers through her hair as she took a deep breath before looking up at John.    

"I'm fine. I was talking to my father and he made me mad, so it's nothing to worry about. Let's talk later, okay?" Eris asked, looking at John with her gentle eyes. 

He nodded in agreement before backing away to hurry over to Gizmo and Scarlet. John waved goodbye as he caught up to Gizmo and Scarlet. The three of them marched over to a dark green sports car that belonged to Gizmo. John hated the color that Gizmo picked for most of his things. It seemed unappealing to him as he reluctantly got in the back seat of the car. The car started, and Gizmo was ready to take off immediately. He sped down the road through traffic like a mad man as they headed to the checkpoint that led to the road to Ashton. 

John sat nervously in the back seat, looking out the window as he wondered where Dr. Lee had been these past few months. He also wondered how Diane would feel when she learned he was alive.

"Can you remind me why we're not taking Dr. Lee to the task force?" Scarlet asked, looking over at Gizmo who glanced at her before returning his attention to the road.

John continued to hold tightly to his seat belt as Gizmo sped down the street through traffic. It amazed John that they hadn't crashed yet.  

"If the task force is corrupt when can't go to them, at least not before we get what we need from Dr. Lee. I need more evidence of any conspiracies before I confront them." Gizmo answered, turning down a street where a group of people was fighting.

 Gizmo continued to drive as he sped passed them without a glance. The ride took nearly an hour before they made it to Gizmo's property. The place was surrounded by giant pillars that had risen from the ground. John could see the destruction that had been caused by all the fighting. He saw that the carnival was in ruin as they walked through it. John looked around feeling angry by what happened that day. He couldn't help but remember Melina was taken right in front of him and all he could do was watch her be taken as he fell. He clenched his fist as the shame of failure weighed down on him. Scarlet and Gizmo walked ahead of him marching in an unfamiliar direction. 

They walked over to a group of trees where John saw a small structure with an unusual door on it. He noticed there was a keypad beside the door that Gizmo placed his hand on. A second went by before the sound of a beep was heard before the door unlocked. Gizmo pulled the handle on the door to reveal a vacant room. Nervously, John peered inside to see a set of steps in the far right corner. It led underground he assumed which caused him to glance at Gizmo. Scarlet was the first to descend the creaky stairs. 

As John stepped behind her, Gizmo closed the door to the outside world. The air around the small room changed as John followed Scarlet. Once they had made it to the bottom of the stairs, Gizmo ushered them down a hall. They followed Gizmo silently for a few minutes before getting to a red door which Gizmo opened to reveal that Dr. Lee was inside. He sat silently with his hands strapped to a table with a collar around his neck. A man in a bio-suit stood in the corner with his arms folded across his chest. Dr. Lee closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. John wasn't sure if the scars were from torture or from being buried alive at Wolf Mountain. 

"The fact that I'm not at the Decagon means you found out how corrupt those people are." Dr. Lee said sounding relieved as he appeared to shift his weight in the seat. John glanced at Gizmo confused as he wondered what Dr. Lee already knew.     

"Well, you're going to tell us everything you know and leave no details out." Gizmo order as he rested his hands on the table. John stood beside him with an expressionless look on his face. All that matter to him right now was getting answers.  

"From what I learned, all of this was a foolish ploy from Dante. He plotted to bring down the task force, Michael Kang, and me. Mr. Stoker ended up being involved because of the dirt Dante had on him. Dante had numerous amounts of evidence showing Mr. Stoker and his time with many nonhuman women. That'd be a something scandalous for a married man, who openly talked down on nonhumans. Captain Grey was already in Michael Stoker's pocket, so it didn't take much to get him on board." Dr. Lee said, unhappily as he looked at John and Gizmo.

Scarlet looked at them with a confused look on her face. John couldn't believe what he was hearing, but it had to be true to some degree.  

"Taking down the task force would mean the order is lost, at least in Darko city. I get that, but why take you and Michael Kang down?" John asked curiously as Dr. Lee turned his attention toward him. Dr. Lee had this look on his eyes that made John uncomfortable, forcing him to back away.      

"I assume he wanted me out of the picture so I could no longer be the godfather of superhumans. Their loyalty would belong to him, and he wouldn't have to question any of his followers. Now, if I'm not mistaken, then Mr. Kang and Dante had an agreement that one of them failed to uphold. Everything else I know was delivered to you maid, Mr. Valentine." Dr. Lee said as Gizmo rubbed the back of his neck vigorously. John watched as he paced back and forth in a nervous manner. 

"I know this is unimportant, but how did you manage to survive Wolf Mountain? You've been missing for the past few months, and then you appear with this information." Scarlet said, approaching the table that Dr. Lee sat at. 

He stared at her for a long time as if he was examining her. It caused Scarlet to step beside John and Gizmo, who stood close by each other.   

"That's a fascinating question that I must ask Gizmo in return. I know he didn't get out with everyone else but, somehow managed to survive. Tell us how you did it." Dr. Lee said as he managed to shift the attention toward Gizmo. 

John glanced over at Gizmo, who appeared nervous or embarrassed about something. Gizmo turned away and marched out of the room. Everyone stood silently for a moment before Scarlet went to check on him.     

"Why did you come back? You could have gone anywhere, but instead, you come back here." John said, growing suspicious of Dr. Lee. He knew there was a reason for his sudden return. John assumed Dr. Lee was behind the production of the berserkers as well as their new mutation. 

"I want to find a cure for the berserkers for starters. The population of superhumans has always been fairly low. I turned at least three hundred people while the number of berserkers is already at one hundred and fifty. Superhumans were never a danger to society, but these berserkers will be. Believe it or not, this is the beginning of the dark age." Dr. Lee said, sounding frightened as he shivered in fear. John stared at him with an annoyed look on his face. He hated the nonsense that came out of Dr. Lee's mouth because it made him sound insane.   

"You were the Dark Age, and now that you're captured it will soon end. The terror you caused will still affect society no matter what though." John said in a serious tone as he looked down at Dr. Lee. He looked at the door to see the solider walking out of the room.        

"Good he's gone. Tell me that Rena is somewhere safe because there are people after her. If they get to her, then she will be used to release something that no one has ever seen before." Dr. Lee said with a shaky sounding voice. John could hear the fear in his voice and see it in Dr. Lee's eyes.  

"She's fine, I swear. Now tell about this group of people. What are they trying to set free?" John asked as he leaned against the table. He needed as much information as he could because he knew who was after Rena.    

"This cult of men and women are nothing more than pawns. Someone from another world is using them to retrieve these artifacts. Check my right pocket, please." Dr. Lee said sounding frantic. 

John stepped away as he looked across the table at Dr. Lee. Reluctantly, he walked around the table and dug in his pocket. John pulled out an abnormal-looking shard. It was a rough dark silver shard that glistened in the light causing him to stare at it in awe.   

"I guess this is a piece to a mystical stone. I'll be back I'm going to check on Gizmo." 

John shoved the shard into his pocket. He felt his hands trembling while staring at the wall. Everything in the room echoed, which caused him to wince in pain. He couldn't believe that the mystical stone might be real. John stumbled out of the room, breathing heavily. He looked around to see a group of people standing against the wall facing Gizmo. John sat on the ground as the room began to spin out of control. 

He didn't want to believe all the mythical things he was being told, but he had to accept it. A pair of boots appeared next to John, causing him to look up to see Scarlet. She looked down at him with a confused look on her face and her eyebrow raised.                              

"Are you okay?" She asked as she reached out to help him. He nodded as he grabbed her hand to hoist himself up to his feet. John looked over at the group of soldiers that Gizmo was to, realizing he was debriefing them. They were handing him files which John assumed to be information.    

"Basically, Dr. Lee believes that a mystical stone is going to set something free in our world. I guess if we don't get this magic stone, then we fail and we're probably going to all be destroyed. I may be exaggerating that last part." John said as he stared at Scarlet with a serious look on her face.

She started to laugh as they felt explosions, causing everything to shake. John caught her as she stumbled into him, which knocked him into the wall.   

"Agent Simmons we're under attack by a group an unfamiliar group." A soldier said as he emerged from another room. Scarlet nodded her head as she ran over to where Gizmo was standing. John walked over to the group to see Gizmo putting on a bio-suit.                    

"Agent Drake, I need you to watch Dr. Lee while we go take of this. Agent Drake get the drones up and running now. John here's some gear for you to use." Gizmo said as he tossed John an energy blaster. 

John grabbed a utility belt off the table filled with grenades and a flash-bang grenade. Then he grabbed a knife as he prepares himself to fight Shadow Wolf and his fleet of men.