13/13/13
Chapter 10

Ptolemy looked at Aesop’s replaceings, concerned. “You’re absolutely sure of this? The UK Templars aren’t just being their usual stuck-up isolationist selves(The UK Templars were once the most powerful ‘blue blood’ Templar district. Oh, yes, they’d been riding the gravy train since the days of King Arthur. All that changed with WWI, though. All their protectorate Templar districts rose up against them, their lunar and Martian colonies declared their independence, all the other ‘blue blood’ Templar districts were wiped out leaving them friendless, with increasingly hostile enemies on all sides. The only reason they survived, was because they surrendered and gave up a lot of power that lead to the formation of the high council. Despite this, they were still pretty powerful- second only to the US. No, their REAL fall from grace happened when some of their more radical members tried to start WWII and- Yikes, this footnote is taking WAAAY too long. Bottom Line, a bunch of crazy things happened, it blew up in the UK Templars faces, they lost most of their remaining power and prestige and responded by cutting themselves off from the other districts and sulking for next 68 years.)?”

Aesop shook his head. “No, it’s like I told you earlier, the UK is TOO calm and orderly. Which, after as big a reveal of magic and the Templar order, should be impossible! I don’t care how tight a ship they run over there, they sent the ‘everything’s fine’ signal up way too quickly!”

He showed another picture on his holo-screen, showing an encrypted message. “I snuck one of my guys inside the border. He found a Templar USB dead drop... and he found this.” He tapped some more holo-keys, and the message appeared.

The rest is silence...(To the ‘uninitiated’, this code means that a district has fallen to an ‘outside force’, or a force that wasn’t another Templar district anyway. This code phrase has literally not been used since the fall of the Roman Templars/Mundane Roman Empire. Nowadays, they only bother to learn it due to being strong believers in ‘always be prepared’..…. Well That, and their traditionalist-obsessed elders kept screaming at them until they memorized it and a million other seemingly useless codes)

Ptolemy gaped at this; he recognized the code phrase- what Templar didn’t? But to see it actually used...

“What are we going to do?” Asked Aesop concerned.

Ptolemy sighed. “Just hold on to this information for a bit longer. There’s... there’s something I need to do...”

And before Aesop could say anything, Ptolemy had left.

With the forcefield preventing her from getting closer, Red did the next best thing.

“TYRONE! GET OUT! YOUR GONNA DIE! YOU GOTTA ESCAPE!”

Okay, it wasn’t so much the ‘best’ thing, as much as it was the best thing she could think of. What? She’s a naked teenager who’s been put through hell, cut her some slack!

Tyrone sighed. “I can’t...” He looks again at the writing on the wall-

Let me guess...you didn’t read the last half of my message at the bus stop station (sigh)(No, he didn’t write the word ‘sigh’. He actually somehow fused the essence of a ‘physical’ sigh into that part of the message. Don’t ask me how he did it, because I’m never gonna tell yah!)well, bottom line is, it warned that the last test- the one after this one -will probably get Red killed. Honestly, she might’ve been safer if you left her on that ledge, but I digress. Once more, I offer you two choices: escape this tank and risk the chance of Red dying due to your weakness, or stay in the tank and die a hero’s death, and I’ll allow Red to go free. Your move, my boy.

Both Red and Tyrone looked at the intercom, confused as the architect of their pain read out what he’d written in Tyrone’s tank.

“Red can’t see the message where she is, you’ve got bigger things to worry about than to read it to her, yourself. Just trying to help.”

Red looks at the intercom incredulously “You?! Help? I just-” She shook her head, now was not the time.

She turned back to Tyrone. “Tyrone, will you cut off the macho, chivalry bull frack! We survived serial killers and robots! We can survive one more test!”

A depressed Tyrone shook his head. “Red, I can’t risk you dying. He’s right, I am weak. And I know you agree with him.”

Red blanched. “What? What are you-

“You’ve no one to blame but yourself my dear.” Interrupted the intercom in a disappointed manner. “I warn you to guard your thoughts, and what do you do? You don’t guard them! It was ridiculously easy to broadcast all your negative thoughts to Tyrone. And while we’re on the subject, thinking the person who was risking life and limb for you as flaccid? That’s just cold my dear.” Chastised the monocled man.

Red paled in both horror and shame. Every horrible thing she’d thought about Tyrone’s physicality- or lack thereof- that she’d joked about in her head the past several tortuous hours, now felt like a dagger to her soul.

She looked to Tyrone, face filled with tears. “Tyrone I’m sorr-

“You’ve nothing to apologize for Red.” Stated Tyrone reassuringly. “Your thoughts are your own business. That jerk had no right to share them. I’m more angry at him then you-”

“You’d better be more angry at me than her! Like the poor girl hasn’t suffered enough...”

Both kids looked at the intercom in confused disbelief at this sudden outburst.

“Riiiiight, anyway I’m not mad at you. It still hurts, but its fine. I’ve been aware of my ‘weakness’ since that day, two years ago, when I lost my trunks at the waterpark, and all the girls laughed at me and called me ‘Tiny Tyrone’, or ‘Teeny Tyrone’, or ‘sloppy mack’.(That last one was said by a rather ‘slow’ kid who just wanted to feel ‘part of the group’, you know what I’m talking about…) I ran home in tears...”

Red once more felt her heart ache for her friend. Her head buzzed as something in his story resonated- she shook her head. She needed to focus!

“Tyrone-

“But it’s okay now! I’m fine with my weakness! Because I’m about to save you! I’m about to be a true man! You’ll be safe, and that makes it all worth it-

“WILL YOU SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO YOURSELF!?!” Screamed Red as she banged on the forcefield until her hands bleed.

I DON’T WANT YOU TO-

POOF!

Suddenly, the room was filled with toxin, and Tyrone keeled over, dead to the world..

Red just stared in disbelief, mainly at the timer that was still counting down.

“B-b-b-b-b-but the timer...

“Oh, I lied about that. Sorry! But I am a villain.”

Red wasn’t really listening, she was too busy screaming and destroying the room.