Chapter LXXXV: Mental Agony -Multex707

Multex lay on his back upon the simple down bed in the hut, staring at the cieling. His eyes remained fully open, not showing a hint of tiredness. The agent knew he could go endless periods of time without sleep, due to the mechanical systems in his body renewing his strength on nine hour intervalls using some complicated chemical reaction he no longer could recall the name of. This was a blessing, he thought. Multex now looked at sleep like a dying man would look at his first glimpse of the fiery gates of hell. Some folks had recurring nightmares in the world. Multex suffered from what would make those horrid dreams look like peaceful relaxation in comparison every time he drifted off. But, the night sounds outside...the nice bed..the pleasant smell of the evening air caused him to slowly grow hope that maybe, this once, he could find reflection and peace. Slowly, the last of his thoughts fading, the agent closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep. And with that, the gates of nightmareish dreams blew wide open, it's inhabitants surging to reclaim their victim long trying to escape them.
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Searing pain sent the agent screaming uncontrollably as he doubled over. The area where he had been shashed seered with a fiery, unquelling pain that refused to dull in intensity. Forcing his eyes to open, Multex caught sight of his assailant just in time to recieve a fiery blast of an extremely concentrated fire spell to the face. The agent fell backwards, expression contorted in pain, but beyond the flames he could see the face of the one who lay into him with such strength. It was a face he had never seen before...but knew more perfectly than words can describe.
As Multex once again opened his eyes, he stared into the darkness of what appeared to be a cavern. His body seemed once again in tact, but the sting of invisable wounds lingered like a bad after though; gnawing at the ends of his mind as if trying to say something by their presence. This darkness too, in it's own right, felt like it had...meaning. Glancing about, even though night vision was natural with his enhancements, the agent could see not a thing. But that didn't mean his senses weren't saying different. He could feel the presence of another, standing accross from him. He could hear the slow, rhythmic breaths of the other, and could sense he was only subject to part of it's attention. Following the other's gaze on instinct, Multex could feel the presence of another. No, that wasn't right, his mind corrected. Some*thing*. It was something inanimate, yet had a presence of it's own existance to it in a confusing manor- as if a contradiction to the nature of saying something couldn't be both not alive and living at the same time. Yes, this object, Multex's mind spoke clearly from his senses, was both. In his trance like state of facination, the agent rose to his feet and reached out in the direction of the object, only to feel his hand go numb with an icy chill then sting with a fiery burning sensation like the one he had felt in his side just moments ago. "You can't touch it." the other being besides himself declared flatly to the agent. Multex turned slowly, holding his hand and gently opening and closing it instinctively. "Why not?" Multex questioned. "Because you aren't worthy yet. You're still confused." "Confused?"
"Yes, you live by hollow purposes. You're not following your path." the being replied in it's strangely familiar tone. "My path? Say...are you the one who attacked me?"
"In a way, yes. But you brought it on yourself really, and you know it."
"By...not following my path you imply.."
"Precisely." the other person replied with confidence to his tone. Multex frowned as he found the questions coming from him almost as fast as they formed.
"How..did i leave my 'Path'?"
"You're getting to concerend with the wrong things. You've wandered down a way of life not meant for you."
The agent frowned again. "What do you mean by the 'wrong things'? What are you saying my way of life *is* then?"
The voice seemed to be replying just as fast as himself, multex also noted, as if both were in perfect synch.
"You're becoming to concerned with others not of your kind. You're not heading down the road to reclaim what is rightfully yours fully enough." the voice once again hesitated, then went on before Multex could even *ask* the next question. "Power. Power and Control are yours rightfully and you have yet to claim them. You've become like those others- searching instead for the weak emotions, pleasures, enjoyment, and safety of those around you who aren't even of your kind! True, sometimes it is nessicary, but you've taken it as your life's duty to find these when it simply is a facade blinding you from the truth."
A few moments of deafening silence past as words sank in deep to their mark. But silence never lingers long enough to be permenant.
"Others of my 'kind'...that's the most arrogant statement i've heard yet. And to hell if im following this 'path' you say is mine. The Hell if you even KNOW me! Just who are you to dictate all this to me? WHO?!"
"You'd learn that if you'd only cure your blindness-"
"And to hell with this 'blindness'! If feeling a bit of caring or concern for others if against my path, then dammit, my path can be bloody damned!"
Now the voice began to lose the cool, matter of fact tone and a heated edge became noticeable within it.
"You ignorant fool! You speak of this 'love' as if you knew what it is. You have never even *felt* it truly, so how can you say so much about it as if you had some familaiarity with it. That's sheer IGNORANCE!!"
Multex's tone quickly joined the stranger's, and his expression became pretty accurate a match as well.
"What the hell are you talking about?! YOU're the ignorant one- saying i don't know what Love is! EVERYONE knows what love is and that's basic natural law!!!"
"..I didn't say others didn't, I believe i said *you*."
The stranger's expression, though it coudn't be seen, slowly took a more confident hint of a triumphant grin on to it as the silence lingered a moment to long on the agent's rebuttal.
"Of course i know what love is!"
"Do you *really* now? Truly? Can you say that with utmost certainty enough that if your life depended on it's accuracy?"
The following moments of sheer, increased tension in another lapse of silence sealed the grin with iron clad firmness.
"...no. If you mean loved someone like i think you do, i don't need that kind of love. It only clouds your judgement and gets in the way."
"Precisely. You're clearing the haze away now. Do try and progress by admitting it more so."
"What? What the heck do you mean?"
"Admit that there's a possibility that *you* can't feel it. Not that you choose not to, but simply cannot."
"That's lunacy! What kind of insane talk is that?"
There was a heavy and exasperated sigh accross the chamber that furthered Multex's frustrations.
"NOW what?"
"You were on a start, but you've still got firm believes in your fantasies. I don't blame you really; you are a romantic, though it be a practical impossibility to the rules of how we are, by nature under that hard exterior you've created. Your blood is pure, but your mind is corroding."
"What-"
Multex suddenly felt himself cut off from speech as he felt what could only be called a "dismissing hand" from the other present in the chamber besides the object which watched through it all.
"I'll put it simply before we end this- You CAN'T run from your path. You will end up seeing the truth if you practically have to die to get that far. But you won't die- not until it's fully clear to you; i assure you of that. Just try not to disillusion yourself with your clever mental defenses any longer- you can't win against impossible odds forever, even if you are the so called "Agent Extrodinaire". You can beat the foes, but you'll never beat what you really are; how you'll never be one of them, and eventually how you hold the glorious and distinct honor of that fact. Now- off with you. And let my mark be a reminder to you of the truth."
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Multex's eyes snapped open and he could feel his brow drenched in sweat. Sitting in the sounds of the forest, he remained utterly silent for a bit, until finally, he got up the courage to verify all that he was certain of for sure.
The pain accross his front met him with undenying agony, and gave way to deep reflection and confusion into the late hours of the night.