Unplugged: The Beautiful World (#3, Unplugged Trilogy)

Chapter Four

Fake Enna

    "These things should be dealt with delicately, Price." Jeremy Perkins draws himself up to his full height and we enter the newly-renovated glass elevator. I hitch up the cape of my navy blue-and-maroon robes so they don't get caught between the sliding doors. "I'm sure you don't need me to tell you--"
    "I don't."
    "--but the Hidden Allies have yet to find a replacement for the Master. As of now, chaos rules their cave. Be prepared for any form of retaliation upon entry. I'm sure the creatures are particularly angry with you."
    "And this is supposed to help me, how?" The elevator begins to rocket downward and I have to hold on to a rail to keep from being knocked off balance.
    "It's not supposed to help you. It's supposed to prepare you." Jeremy stares at me for a couple moments, and I stare right back at him. My keen eyesight can't help but notice the graying hair on his temples. He's a lot older than he looks. Probably weaker than me.
    "I'm plenty prepared. I don't need you to hold my hand." I let my robes fall and look straight ahead, regally. If I let my image fail, then how will I be any different from the real Enna? Jeremy sighs and slightly sags against the glass wall of the elevator. The rest of the ride occurs in total silence. Once the capsule comes to a sudden stop in front of a dark, grimy hallway, the doors open slowly and I step out onto the stone. Jeremy scowls at me.
    "Where is the real Enna?" I ask suddenly, hoping to shock an answer out of him. I'd been trying to receive a legitimate answer to this question for a long time, only to receive riddle-like answers in reply.
    "Our men are tracking her. Don't worry."
    "Tracking? Do they know where she is?" Jeremy stares at me coolly for a moment, then shakes his head.
    "Watch yourself, Price."
     Flustered, I ignore his warning and spin around, treading quickly down the corridor. Even though I know what to do, nervousness still gathers in my chest, constricting my throat. What if I get into a situation that I can't talk myself out of? As if to punctuate my thought, I hear an otherworldly cackle from just a few feet ahead. My feet falter for the slightest of moments and I run a hand through my shortened hair.
    "Get yourself together," I scold myself quietly. "You're supposed to lead an army."
    I force my legs to keep carrying me onward. It gets harder and harder to breathe. A dim light shines from the end of this twisting corridor so I blindly keep walking forward, ignoring the trepidation that grows within me every second. Thinking about performing a task is a whole lot different than actually doing it. Suddenly, clawed arms reach out of the darkness and squeeze my neck. I'm roughly thrown onto the ground. Any normal person would crumple and lie still. But I'm not a normal person. Recovering swiftly, I kick out in the general direction of my attacker. I feel my foot catch a scaly leg and a resounding thud echoes in the corridor. A monstrous roar follows, then a throaty demand in a foreign language. I can understand the strange words, altered as I was to understand the language of the Hidden Allies. Now it blends almost seamlessly with regular English.
    "Back-up! I need back-up!" Wheezing, heart thudding, I pick myself up from the floor and back up against the wall, keeping as still as possible. I can only make out dim features of my attacker through the meager light: horn-like protrusions along its back and tail; red, slitted eyes.
    "Hands up, stranger!" The Reptilian hisses, raising a flash gun. Jeremy had warned me that the Hidden Allies had access to the same Worker weapons, telling me to prepare for the threat. Now, I see that he was right. But he'd also told me to expect capture, and to do everything that the Hidden Allies told me to do. I raise my hands, palms outward.
    "What's your name? Who are you?" Before I can respond, rough scraping sounds rip through the air as several more creatures barrel down the hallway, weapons held at the ready.
    "Who is this?" A small, goblin-like creature with a bulbous nose and a high, tortured screech of a voice confronts my original captor. The creatures start to converge, arguing in loud voices, and I raise mine so they can hear me.
    "I'm Enna! Enna Price!" All at once, the voices fall silent. It would almost seem eerie if I weren't expecting it. A couple Reptilians step towards me cautiously, tails scraping against the uneven floor. I watch their noses and eyes twitch as they decide whether I'm being truthful or not.
    "Enna had brown hair," one of them states dubiously. All at once, the group starts towards me.
    "Wait!" I scream, fear raising the pitch of my voice. "It's a disguise! It's all fake!" This buys me a few moments of time, so I embrace it.
    "I can't begin to describe my remorse for attacking the Master. Your leader was brave and noble until the end. But after I performed this cursed act, my human comrades abandoned me. They left me to die alone in this insufferable prison, just like the humans have made you hold your tongues for far too long." Now I have their attention. Confidence growing, I pull my spine up straight and brush off my robes. The creatures watch me closely, some looking incredulous. Some of them look so ghastly that I can hardly stand to glance in their direction. I take a deep breath.
    "I've come seeking you because I want to lead you into battle against the humans living on the surface."
    "Nonsense!" One of the creatures--a squat, furry, bear-like monstrosity--exclaims, attempting to stir the others. "Humans and the Rightful Ones have never formed an alliance before! What about our plan?"
    "The plan is still the same. And I want to lead you, not humanity. Believe me, I know more about humans than you do. And I know more about how best to hurt Enna Price -- I mean ..." The mistake stumbles out of my mouth and I work furiously to back-pedal. "What I meant was that I know how to hurt my old comrades. I know what to do."
    The creatures form a small group. They grumble, hiss, and growl in low tones. I wait patiently, watching them. My original attacker, a Reptilian not unlike the Master, steps forward, rocking back and forth on its clawed feet as if deciding whether to pounce or not.
    "Why should we trust you?" He demands. "You killed the Master!"
    "I did that out of fear: I didn't know the truth. And as for you thinking I might turn on you later? Let's just say that I didn't show up in a monster-infested cave without a weapon for no reason." The creature studies me over for a moment then nods, reaching out a slimy hand. Swallowing my disgust, I take it.
    "I am very pleased that we see eye-to-eye. But I ask that you grant me a single favor in return for my services." The Reptilian bares his teeth suspiciously.
    "Yes?" I find myself smiling at the twinge of pain that I feel deep within my spirit.
    "Matthew Elliot is mine to destroy."