Crimson Rain (55 page)

“
Let this be a lesson to those who extend their right arm in fury to the authorities, dreaming that you have a better way to run things,
”
he said, taking Crimson
’
s right arm from the man that was holding her up by it.

Reginald ran the blade under her armpit and up circumferentially. The slice was clean and disarticulated her humerus from the scapular-clavicular junction. Blood gushed from the wound and bare bone was exposed. Reginald threw her arm into the barrier and it vanished in a cloud of vapor.

Crimson screamed in pain, cursing Reginald. The crowd roared in excitement. The ratings at home grew by leaps and bounds as word of the carnage being broadcast spread.

Reginald sprayed a can of medifoam into the hole where her arm once was located. It stopped the bleeding and began healing the tissues. His goal was not to kill her, but to make her suffer.

“
I ask why is it that you are all so excited to see this? Is it because she caused your pain and misery?
”
he asked, pausing. He walked to Crimson
’
s left side and held her arm back behind her, forcing her to her knees. The guard that had been holding her stepped back and Reginald continued his speech.
“
It isn
’
t that for you, is it? No, each of you should know very well that despite her spreading her ideas and her will to overthrow the ones she saw as oppressive, it was you who chose to act on it. Now, let me see by a show of your left hand in the air, how many of you are here because you were victimized by the mob yesterday?
”

Many in the crowd raised their hand in protest and triumph. They felt on top of the world and the feeling of justification swelled within the masses. People at home were turning on their video feeds, salivating at what they called
justice
being exacted on Crimson.

Like so many martyrs before herself, she was hailed a hero of the common people, only to have her death supported by those very people. Nobody could say for sure, but in another thousand years, she would probably move from the ranks of villain back to hero once again.

“
Well, here is to you! The
victims,
”
Reginald said sarcastically as he brought his blade down upon Crimson
’
s shoulder.

Her arm came off clean and easy. The blade felt like a hot knife slicing through butter. He tossed her other arm into the barrier and it vanished. He tended to her wounds once again and knelt in front of her. He lifted her head to meet his and looked her in the face. Her eyes were piercing, full of pain, desire, regret, fear, rage, and remorse.

“
What have you to say of your crimes against humanity, oh Crimson savior?
”

“
I did not intend this! I wanted the best for everyone. I feel that it was my failing to give better direction that this ended the way it did. I dreamed that everyone inspired by me would be valiant, fearless
,
and noble. I envisioned them fighting the powers of corruption, not raiding and ransacking anything in sight.

“
I am sorry to those of you who are innocent in the crowd, yet I am not a fool. Many of you who raised your left hand were the very ones victimizing people in the streets yesterday. My biggest regret is that my dream appealed more to cowards prone to mob violence than to true revolutionaries. Again, I apologize to those who are truly innocent, yet I fear most of the truly innocent are dead. You are the ones I desired to be amongst my ranks, not the dogs and cowards that displayed themselves yesterday.
”

Her words stung and cut deep into people
’
s hearts. Their reaction was more anger. Yes, people wanted her dead now more than ever, not because she was the one who caused the destruction of a city and of thousands of lives, but because she unveiled truth in her words.

The crowd screamed for a sensational death, one of pain and gore that would make them feel vindicated. People at home who were watching cheered on as they imagined different violent tortures that could be inflicted upon her. The masses were mindless and ready to see senseless violence dished out in the name of justice.

Reginald put his left hand upon Crimson
’
s throat and brought her to her feet. He stood a few inches taller than her with a face of stone. He stared into her eyes almost lustfully.

“
You know it is a shame, Crimson. You and I are not very different,
”
he said, his voice still amplified by the microphone. He stepped behind her and put his arm around
her
waist. He drew his hips in close to her and bit her on the ear. He then whispered into it something that everyone could hear.
“
It is a shame you saw the light too late. The truth, you know? That the common masses are evil. The good of man is very minute. You give them power and this is what happens,
”
he said, pointing out at the city.
“
Sure, you caused some of this destruction, but how much did they cause? And for what purpose? Sure, they hid behind your ideals to mask their inner beasts. They point the blame at you saying that if you had never spoken, this would never have happened… But is that true?

“
Just look at history to find out, look at the past. Look at what happens in metropolitan areas where there are blackouts that last longer than a few hours. One day without power in their homes and they revert to savages. Rape, murder, looting, rioting…
and that is only
scratch
ing
the surface. No, your words may have been a catalyst speeding up the process, but you and I both know that this was destined to occur. You and I both know that the common society of man needs to be dominated, to be policed.
This is why after today, with the help of one Thomas Cudrow, the Alexarien government will be requiring all to undergo a single genetic changing inoculation.

“
Yes, in order for mankind to become civil, we must
first
become more than human! And those of us in power must become gods capable of ensuring change!
”

The crowd grew angrier and their rage turned again toward the government. People in their homes began destroying their own possessions in fits of rage. Many in the crowd tried to rush the stage, only to be vaporized. The masses were angry now at both Crimson and the government.

Many seethed with anger and breathed threats of death toward Reginald. Their focus was constantly led astray and the threat of another riot was on the rise.

“
Oh, I bet you wish that you all had a savior now, do you not?
”
Reginald asked, taking a step back from Crimson.

He then in one quick swipe cut at Crimson
’
s knees. Both of her legs were quickly severed at the knee joint and she came toppling down to the ground. Blood gushed out and Reginald was quick to give medical attention. Crimson screamed and heaved in agony as Reginald rolled her over onto her back.

“
And yet, here she is; here she shall sit for the next ten days out in this beating sun to show to all of you that your life could be much worse. Perhaps you have no say in the coming change, but would you desire to have her position? That is your option
. A
s of today, Alexarien is being placed under martial law by the military. Those who resist the inoculation shall become the same as your dear Crimson here,
”
he said, putting his hand into Crimson
’
s mouth.

She bit down on his fingers as hard as she could. Her teeth struck his bone and pierced though it. In her mouth, she held his pointer, middle and ring fingers. He drew back in pain, blood running down his hand. The pain had caused him to drop his blade on the ground.

The crowd cheered and laughed at this man of power being injured by a defenseless woman. Reginald turned red with anger and stomped over to Crimson, kicking her in the ribs.
As his foot connected
,
she released all of the electricity she had managed to accumulate over the last day. It wasn
’
t enough to kill him
,
but it caused him a good deal of pain and embarrassment as he jolted the moment his leg connected with her body. After recovering from her final attack,
h
e turned and picked up the blade he had dropped.

He grabbed Crimson by her mandible on the bottom side, careful not to place his hand inside her mouth again. She laughed and spit his fingers out at him as he readied the blade. He placed
it
inside her mouth and pulled it through her right cheek. He then placed it back inside her mouth and pulled it through the left.

He grabbed her mandible with his hand and tore it away from her. He dropped it on the stage and kicked it into the barrier. He looked out at the crowd and held up his injured hand. She
lay
on her back with her tongue flopped over to the side. Her breaths were deep and laborious; the suffering that was inflicted was more than anyone should be forced to endure.

“
This is not for the injury she bestowed upon me. It is for the lies she spoke that I do this.
”
He then bent down and grabbing her tongue, cut it out from her head.

He then sprayed medifoam on his hand to staunch the bleeding before attending to the wounds he inflicted on Crimson. He flipped her over, ran a hook through the skin on her back, and attached it to a chain that was connected to a rafter that spanned across the stage.

He hoisted her up high so that everyone could see. The cameras caught it all. The heat pressed upon the angry crowd. The crowd cheered at the violent punishment dealt upon her. Many began to reason that she was the cause of the government
’
s plan of inoculation.

Others were still angered at the government and now wished for Crimson to be freed and still leading them to their
“
salvation.
”
Only two things were certain. One was that even those who would support her now were nothing more than backbiting dogs with spirits of cowardice. The other was that this event was the most watched thing being broadcast on the video feeds right now.

“
And in conclusion, I bid thee at home one final warning,
”
Reginald said, bowing toward the crowd.

The stealth jets flew overhead so quickly no one knew what was coming. Incendiary bombs were dropped on the large crowd. Many were killed instantly, others caught fire. Screams of agony and flames spread. Crimson looked out over the crowd with tears running down her face from the unbearable pain she was in, both physically and emotionally.

Black smoke ascended to the sky and the smell of burning hair, bone, skin
,
and muscle filled the city. Many were trying to scatter to get away from the bombing when a second round of stealth jets came by and dropped their payload. The whole crowd was dead in minutes and Reginald stood on stage, bowing still.
He
looked to the sky filling with the black smoke while he was still bowing and muttered,
“
Are you pleased by my sacrifice
,
lord?
”
It was barely audible
,
but the microphone picked it up.

Once the fires calmed, he stood and began to speak again.
“
I ask, did none of you learn a thing from the events yesterday? It is much safer in your homes, I assure you. Don
’
t mourn those who died today, for if they had half a brain, they would have left. Change and peace cannot come without great sacrifice. See the smoke ascending? It is the offering of the stupid and weak. Count your blessings that you remained indoors. Take this to heart, do not resist. Unless you don
’
t cherish your life.
”

At this, Reginald stepped off stage through a small hole he created in the barrier and boarded a helicopter. The helicopter flew into the sky and away to the military base. The cameras remained turned on, staring at the smoldering corpses and at Crimson hanging in the center of the stage. The video feed wouldn
’
t stop until the end of the ten days.

Requiem

The moment that the rubble crushed Max
’
s skull, it activated the chip that Crimson had placed in his Cerebral Aqueduct. The chip exploded in a microwave that simultaneously scanned his brain and liquefied it. The microwave sent a signal with every bit of data or memory that had not been backed up after he had left the brain scanning machine.

The signal found its way to the mainframe at Crimson
’
s safe house. There, the signal was picked up by a computer terminal and the data was downloaded and added to the brain scan holding Max
’
s personality, thoughts, and memory. Within minutes after Max
’
s death, all of the information was being loaded onto the crystalline hard drive.