Disclaimer: I own nothing but this actual story. The people I based characters on

belong to Squaresoft and a bit to CLAMP. The story was also a bit inspired by the movie

"The Matrix" and the story "Nightfall." But this story is mine, so leave me alone,

lawyers!

Inescapable Fate

Earlier in the day, the governor of the City of Dagrim 3 had explained the

situation to Rinerra. Only he, his team of scientists, and now she, knew about

it. The world had been using nuclear power for over 1,500 years now. There were

a large number of completely isolated cities, which were all that was left of

human civilization. Everything else had been completely wiped out in the nuclear

War 1,000 years ago, and the space between the Cities was now a vast overgrown

Wilderness. Scientists had discovered that the standing pools of nuclear waste

were producing a dust that floated in the air and quickly caused anything that

breathed it in to become a monstrous creature. In fact, for that very reason, no

one had left their Cities in nearly 1,000 years because of all the people,

animals, and even plants that had lost their minds and mutated into

unrecognizable monsters. The remaining humans had gathered their domestic

animals and their crops and had hidden behind the tall City walls. However, the

worst of the news was that every device that used nuclear energy sent out weak

waves of radiation. The previous generations had been immune to these waves, but

now the scientists were saying that there was no one left alive with the

resistant gene. After a certain amount of time, everyone would become a monster.

A new source of power had to be found. Perhaps the supply of fossil fuel or

natural gas used in ancient times had been repleted. Perhaps one of the other

isolated Cities would have an answer. Rinerra checked her digital chronograph as

she headed towards the elevator. Although she was only 19 years old, Rinerra was

the top subject in a recent study of humans who developed telepathic powers.

These powers were rather limited. She could 'feel' the mind of any person

anywhere, but she could not actually communicate using her mind. It was more

similar to an advanced form of empathy than any sort of telepathy. Nevertheless,

hers was the strongest talent in her City.

Rinerra got into the glass elevator, pushed the button for the 70th floor, and

then turned to look out onto the City. It was shining silver in the feeble

afternoon sunlight. She could see the City walls, topped with spikes, barbed

wire, and automatic shock rays. Extending up from the wall was a shimmering

transparent blue force field. Beyond the wall was the dark brownish green haze

of the Wilderness.

The elevator stopped on the 70th floor, and the doors silently opened. Rinerra

walked down the hall and pushed the fingerprint scanner next to the door at the

end. There was a pause, and then the door opened.

Inside the room were ten people. The red-haired middle-aged Governor Hirans was

seated behind his desk. Standing between him and the door were six guards who,

upon closer inspection, turned out to be robots. They were obviously guarding

two men and a woman.

"Ah, Rinerra, thank you for joining us. I just filled your companions in on the

situation. This is Zidock, Vinseng, and Rydilet," said the governor, gesturing

to each of the men and the woman in turn. All three of them were obviously

criminals, as Rinerra saw from the guards and the aluminum tags pierced into

each of their ears. They looked very out of place in the office.

The first man, Zidock, had short, shaggy, light brown hair. He seemed about 5'9"

and was built fairly lightly. His eyes looked bluish gray, and he appeared to be

around 24 years old. He wore rather ragged jeans and a slightly torn white

shirt. He looked intelligent and he watched Rinerra with guarded curiosity.

Vinseng, next to him, was the most imposing figure Rinerra had ever seen. He had

long black hair which he held back from his face with a red bandanna. He was

extremely pale, had brownish-red eyes, and looked around 27 years old. He wore

black pants and a black shirt. His right arm had been amputated, and he had a

bronze claw-like structure in place of it. His eyes calmly took in everything

around him without showing any reactions.

The woman, Rydilet, had long greasy blond hair and hard brown eyes. She looked 6

feet tall and about 30 years old. She wore a tube top and miniskirt, both an

obnoxious purple and both very revealing.

The three criminals looked Rinerra over as well. They observed her dark brown

hair and her different colored eyes, one blue and one hazel. They analyzed her

completely red outfit, from her blouse and jacket to her shorts and knee-high

red leather boots.

She said, "Hello," politely. Zidock and Vinseng each gave her a small nod, but

Rydilet just stared at her coldly.

"As you all know, you will be attempting to travel to another City nearby for

help in our crisis," said Governor Hirans. "We don't know how much time we have,

so you'll be starting out early tomorrow morning. We have records dating back to

the War showing that the nearest City should be 500 miles to the West. You

should be able to walk at least 25 miles per day, and at that rate it will take

you about 20 days."

"Hey, don't you guys have any of those transportation things that the ancients

used to use?" asked Zidock suddenly. "We could make better time in one of

those."

The governor shook his head. "Those haven't been produced since the War. We

broke them down for scrap parts long ago. Besides, one of their land vehicles

could never make it through the Wilderness. They were built for fairly flat

surfaces."

The prospect of walking for 20 days didn't appeal at all to Rinerra, and she

could see that the others were none too pleased either.

"You should bring only the essentials, like clothing. Food and water will be

provided for you. You will be given enough water to drink sparingly three times

a day and bathe yourselves and your clothing twice a week. You will have enough

food for 20 days if you use it frugally. Once you find the City, you can restock

there," said the governor. "Now, you'd better go get packed and get some rest.

You have a long journey ahead of you."

Could I speak to you a moment sir?" Rinerra asked quickly as the others turned

and walked out the door.

"Certainly, Rinerra," said the governor. "What is it?"

Rinerra glanced behind her to make sure the door was shut. "The others are all

criminals. What were they arrested for? Am I going to have to worry about

getting my throat slit every night?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," the governor assured her. "Zidock's a petty thief

and a pickpocket, Rydilet was caught running a crack house and a whorehouse, and

Vinseng was taken in because his appearance causes public disturbances. Nothing

more serious than that."

"All right," Rinerra said. "But why criminals? Wouldn't normal law- abiding

people be more dependable?"

"Actually, it's much more convenient this way. If a normal citizen died out in

the Wilderness, the public would be outraged. If a couple of criminals die,

though, it's no loss. Most people would have wanted them executed anyway. This

saves money and keeps people happy. Besides, they're saving their own futures as

well, so I think they'll be dependable enough. With you there to keep them on

track and stop them from bickering, I don't foresee a problem. And perhaps

someone at the other City could even help you develop your mind's powers so that

you could communicate with us without a comm unit."

"All right sir. I'll go pack my things now," said Rinerra, and she left. She

rode the elevator back down to her apartment near the science lab on the 67th

floor.

That evening the four travelers each stuffed a carrying bag full of clothing and

other necessary items. They ate one last meal in civilization, and Rinerra typed

one last e-mail to her parents who lived on the other side of the City before

going to bed.

The next morning at 5:30, the governor met the four traveling companions at the

old city gate to give them their food and water rations and his best wishes.

They also got a comm unit and an extra nuclear cell battery in case the one in

it ran out. They walked out of the gate, leaving the governor and the robot

guards behind. The City gate slammed shut with a metallic "Thunk!" behind them,

and they heard the strong steel bolts click in the locks as they began walking

away from the City. Vinseng, being the strongest by far, carried most of the

water while the other carried equal portions of the other provisions. Each of

them had also received a standard-issue dust mask to keep the nuclear dust our

of their respiratory tracts, should they be unable to avoid a cloud of it.

Zidock had brought an ancient "compass" to keep them going due West. He went

first, followed by Rinerra, Rydilet, and Vinseng in that order.

After about five minutes, Rydilet suddenly pushed ahead of Rinerra and Zidock,

turning to bar their way. "Let's get this straight right now," she demanded.

"I'm in charge. You losers are just grunts. Got it Scruffy, Nerd Princess, and

Freak!?"

Zidock grinned nonchalantly and brushed past her saying, "Whatever you say,

Whore Monger."

Rydilet swung a punch, but Zidock gleefully dodged. She was about to go at him

in a blind rage, but she felt her shoulders being suddenly held back by a firm

hand and a metal claw. Vinseng had set the water down and was staring at her

with narrowed eyes.

"Stop," he said in a soft yet somehow infinitely deadly voice. She was about to

try to hit him as well, but one look told her that it wouldn't be a good idea.

She pulled away from him, muttering that he wasn't worth her time. Vinseng

simply shrugged slightly, picked up the water again, and asked Zidock and

Rinerra, "Are we ready to continue?"

Rinerra was shocked that he could remain so calm, and Zidock paused to gawk for

a few seconds before nodding and moving on.

For the first ten days heading West, the relationships were basically the same,

but after a while, Rydilet realized that she had no choice but to be with these

people who she didn't like, so she just basically ignored them. They passed

through the ruins of old suburbs, small towns, and rural settlements, which were

all things of the ancient past. In many places the rubble was badly burnt, and

in other places it was simply crumbling. The Wilderness was twisted and

treacherous. It was filled with monsters that had once been forest creatures,

domestic animals, house pets, and even humans. Most plants were still normal,

but some pine trees and especially the older varieties of vegetation had become

monsters as well. Zidock cut himself a good wooden club, which he used to fight

them off along with his knife. Vinseng used his metal claw and his own knife to

beat them down. Rydilet had a whip from her previous hobbies that proved quite

effective against many of the monsters. Rinerra had found a long tree branch,

and she was nearly finished carving it into a staff that she could fight with.

They also had to avoid the random pools of nuclear waste and the deadly green

dust that rose from it and blew in the wind. Luckily, no matter how little of it

there was, it could always be seen.

After 15 days, before they left their camp in the morning, Rinerra "felt" out

with her mind, and happily reported that she felt quite a few human minds only a

few days off. This gave everyone fresh hope and the will to press on.

On the evening of the 18th day, they were all in high spirits. Vinseng gathered

wood for Zidock to make a fire, and Rinerra began preparing the meat while

Rydilet cleared away the sleeping areas. Rydilet had smuggled a small flask of

brandy along with her, and everyone took a small drink. The dinner tasted better

than it had in a long time, and they all talked for a while before going to

sleep, with a new person keeping watch every two hours. Thankfully, it was a

rare uneventful night. The next morning, they all woke up feeling fresh and well

rested. Rinerra calculated that they should only have another mile or two before

they reached the City, so everyone got ready quickly, and they each ate a

slightly stale roll for breakfast while they walked. Although they all would

have appreciated a day or two to rest, they were in perfect shape. All of them

had lost much excess fat and gained quite a bit of extra muscle.

However, there had been other physical changes going on in the last few hours

before they left the campsite. That morning, each had noticed frightening

changes in their skin. These changes were very subtle, unnoticeable to anyone

but themselves. Zidock had blue scales growing on his stomach, a dorsal spine on

his back, a hard nub of a horn growing under his hair on his forehead, and the

stub of a tail on his rear end. Vinseng was developing hard black leathery skin,

the beginnings of a tail, two buds that would surely grow into horns under his

bandanna, his nails were becoming claw-like, and he could feel crumpled wings

springing from his shoulder blades. Rinerra's skin was beginning to glow a light

pink starting from her abdomen and growing out, and her hair had also taken on a

pinkish tinge. Rydilet's skin was taking on a greenish tinge, her legs and arms

were shrinking, her teeth were growing, she was sprouting tiny wings, and her

eyes seemed to be enlarging and coming together. They all knew that they hadn't

breathed in any nuclear dust, so they had decided that it must be the radiation

coming from the nuclear waste that they passed. Each of them wanted to tell

someone about these changes, but each knew that if anyone found out, he or she

would be shunned or even attacked. So they kept their horrible secrets to

themselves and kept hoping that they had been imagining it or dreaming.

The trees were especially thick in the last mile or two before they would reach

the City, so no one could see it much before they walked up to the wall. Still,

ten minutes before it came into view, Rinerra, Zidock, Vinseng could smell a

very strong scent of smoke in the air. Rydilet's sense of smell had been

severely depleted by drugs, but even she could smell it faintly. Finally, they

came to the top of the hill and the trees broke to reveal the shining silver

walls of the glorious new City and its tall silver skyscrapers...

...Burning. The tall buildings and spires were in flames, releasing clouds of

black smoke into the sky. Many were falling, and the force field was rapidly

breaking up. From inside, the moaning, roaring, growling, and crying of monsters

could be heard. A particularly large building fell as they watched. After the

explosion that followed, a puff of green dust could be seen rising above the

walls.

The four journeyers stepped back in horror. They had come all this way for

nothing. Tears streamed down Rinerra's face, while the others, even the

ever-stoic Vinseng, were all fighting to keep from sobbing. They slowly headed

back to their campsite and sat down to get a hold of themselves. Finally, Zidock

pulled out the comm unit and typed in the code for the governor's office.

When Governor Hirans's face appeared on the little screen, he looked rather

strange. Zidock thought that perhaps the governor had put on weight because

there seemed to be flaps of skin at his neck, but he didn't look any bigger.

"Yes?" the governor burbled. He seemed to have water in his throat.

"Um, sir? We failed," said Zidock bluntly.

"WHAT!? We can't deal with failure!" the governor exclaimed, looking panicked.

"Give it to me," said Rinerra tiredly. Zidock handed the comm unit to her. "Sir,

when we arrived at the City, it was in ruins. It was burning and collapsing. We

heard the monsters inside. All of the people are... gone. I felt it. I'm sorry.

There's nothing we can do."

The governor began to scream almost incomprehensibly about what complete and

total fools they all were, and what had they been doing that had taken them so

long? Humanity would die now and it was all their fault. Finally Vinseng reached

over and switched him off, not as calm as he normally was, but still the most

level-headed among them.

Rydilet stormed off to the edge of the campsite to curse at anything she saw,

and Zidock went over to the other side to kick a tree multiple times. Vinseng

stared blankly at the smoke rising in the distance, and Rinerra numbly poked at

the remains of the campfire. After a while, she got out some food and began to

prepare a simple lunch. Zidock calmed down after a few minutes. By the time the

food was ready, Rydilet was at least calm enough to eat.

By the time they finished eating, the changes that each feared they were going

through became obvious to the others. Rydilet's head had swelled enormously and

her eyes had almost merged into one gigantic one, while her arms had almost

disappeared and her legs had shrunk greatly. She also had wings sticking out

from over the top of her tube top. Rinerra was glowing pale pink all over, and

her hair had almost completely merged with her head. Vinseng's skin had turned

thick and black, his fingernails had turned into claws, he had two horns on his

head, and a tail down one pant leg that looked very uncomfortable. He was also

unable to unfurl his cramped wings under his shirt, and he had fangs growingfrom

his jaw. Zidock's face had become triangular, and he had a single horn growing

out of his forehead. He had blue scales all over, long claws, and a scorpion-

like tail.

They all looked at themselves and each other in a moment of terror. Then, before

they could panic completely, Vinseng suggested calmly, "All right, Rinerra

probably looks the most normal of us all right now. Why don't you call Governor

Hirans and tell him not to wait for us."

That brought everyone back to their selves for the time being. Rinerra shakily

took the comm unit and typed in the governor's code again. This time, however,

she did not see an angry or worried human face. She saw a blue fish-like

creature flopping around on the desktop, trying to get its teeth around anything

it could. She screamed and dropped the comm unit. "He's -- he's a FISH!!" she

screamed hysterically. The others all ran to the comm unit and saw that the

governor was indeed a fish, and he was presently chomping on his important

documents.

The gravity of the situation suddenly bore down on them all. Zidock abruptly

turned completely into a creature that looked like a cross between a lizard and

an eagle with a scorpion's tail, shook his head as if to rid himself of his

mind's last futile grip, and bounded off to join the monsters in the City.

Rydilet had become a giant eyeball with green eyelids, small green feet,

bat-like wings, and a mouth full of rotting teeth. She staggered in the air, but

quickly regained enough composure to fly straight up into the sky before heading

back to the East, towards the old City. Even calm Vinseng roared in rage and

agony as he became a huge black demon, gripping his monstrous skull, and after a

few seconds, he leapt into the air flapping his powerful black wings and flew

erratically North.

Rinerra was panicking, but just before she lost her mind, she realized that she

was so afraid because she thought she was alone in the world. Surely there was

someone else in the world still human... She wildly cast her mind out over the

whole Earth, searching for some scrap of humanity. But there was nothing, not

even in the farthest reaches of The Planet. The relentless feelings of hate,

rage, pain, and madness from the minds of the monsters all over the world

overwhelmed her. She tried to get a hold of herself once more, but it was too

late. No one noticed as a glowing pink being rose screaming into the sky and

went soaring off to the South.

Thanks for reading! I like it, but please tell me what you think.

~Indigo Tantarian