Chapter 37 - Paths Beyond Punishment

The wise man profits more from enemies, than a fool from his friends – Baltasar Gracian

Operation Menu: Phase Dinner (UNKNOWN)

FRAGO: Operation: Marianne's Vigil (UNKNOWN) 

Estelle found herself curled into the fetal position, tears streaming down her face. In her vulnerable state, the image she projected resembled that of a preteen girl. Approaching her was a woman with disheveled blonde hair, her own eyes swollen from crying. Sabine sat down at Estelle and inched closer to her.

"So, this marks the end—no more facades, no more labyrinth of deception," Sabine declared. "I ask only one thing of you, Little One."

In a hushed voice, Estelle asked, "What is it?"

"I implore you to surrender your mind to me, to let me assume control. I will alleviate all your pain and shower you with love," Sabine murmured, running her hand down Estelle's back. "A love that you need, little one. Allow me to be your mother."

"So, you are in my head?" Estelle asked softly.

"Yes, I transferred a portion of my consciousness to you, but I can't fully take over without your acceptance, Little One."

"Thank you…" Estelle said.

As she tenderly stroked Estelle's white hair, Sabine wiped away the tears.

"Thank you for finally revealing to me our location," Estelle whispered.

Sabine examined her fingers and tasted the tears. A peculiar taste —sharp and tangy, a familiar essence of pain, yet intermingled with an unexpected undercurrent.

"What is this?" Sabine questioned, tasting it again.

Estelle rolled onto her back, resting her head on Sabine's knees. The enigmatic flavor was…unveiled joy.

"If you think my tears are from sadness, you are sorely mistaken," Estelle said.

"But what about all that we shared together? I opened my heart to you!"

"While experiencing emotions beyond anger and rage was rather invigorating, I found it imperative to ascertain with utmost certainty that my engagement was indeed with you and not a mere illusion akin to a fata morgana or a deceptive coin trick. More importantly, was I in my head or yours," Estelle said as she stood up. "Furthermore, I'm obligated to ask to what extent you may have divulged your so-called heart to other individuals, primarily your victims."

Estelle began to smooth out the wrinkles on her dress. Then she flipped her hand around to reveal a coin.

"I harbored a suspicion regarding the concealment of your intentions, your modus operandi if you will. The hypothesis that I initially formed wasn't substantiated until your father enlightened me upon its purpose and what you absorbed from the lesson," Estelle remarked.

She flipped the coin in the air and caught it with her left hand, then wiggled her fingers showing Sabine they were empty. Then she pulled the coin from Sabine's ears.

Sabine clenched her fists and stood up.

"How...do you know I haven't been secretly infecting your mind the entire time?" Sabine said.

"What can I say, your psychometry abilities are lackluster at best. Not at all the quality and layered compared to the traps my sister would leave for me," Estelle said and stood up to face Sabine.

"Crazjinn please detain Dr. Queen."

A metallic-green machine emerged from an inky black backdrop. The machine was covered the green armor that produced a soft white glow, giving it a semi-translucent appearance. The arms of the beast ended with three sharp claws. As it moved closer light reflected off the gold trim of the machine that hovered in the air. Its arms grappled with Sabine, holding her tightly.

A voice hissed from Crazjinn, like the sound of a wet log being tossed on the fire, "Absolutely, exulted one."

"Please allow me to introduce my mental guardian and servitor, Crazjinn. Whatever you attempted to control was only a sub-partition of my inner conscience," Estelle said.

"Shall I dispose of her?" asked Crazjinn.

"Absolutely not. That would cause more problems than I'm willing to resolve at the moment," Estelle answered. "Allow me to show you the real me."

She waved her hand, and the blackness disappeared. As the curtain lifted, Sabine saw in the distance a black cube, as large as the mountains, hovering over and anchored with silver chains to the ground below.

Black storm clouds swirled above the cube. The occasional lightning flash lit the sky, followed by distant rumbles. When the bright flash from the lightning neared the cube, the light was devoured.

Two ominous holes opened in the clouds, resembling eyes. They were not ordinary eyes; they seemed to pierce through the very fabric of this mental reality, staring into the depths of Sabine's soul with a malevolence that sent shivers down her spine. The eyes moved, holding her there in place, and draining her of all her thoughts.

"This is my true mental state, oh Doctor Sabine Queen," Estelle said, cackling.

"You're the monster, not me!" Sabine yelled, staring up at the clouds.

"Ha! Tell me something I don't know," Estelle retorted.

She made a circle with her finger, causing the air to snap and crackle in its wake. Then, Estelle poked her finger in the center of the circle. Long fissures ran down the sky and into the ground. Pieces fell apart like shards of glass. The shards rained down, and Sabine fell to her knees, covering her face. She shut her eyes tightly as the sounds of breaking glass grew louder.

When Estelle opened her eyes, she noticed that Pink had seen T.C. on the ground. Pink ran over and threw his aid bag on the ground and opened it up. Sabine was lying on her back with the scalpel in her chest.

"Administer 5cc of NeuroRevivein, that should counter Guillotine's paralytic cocktail," Estelle muttered.

"You're awake!" Pink said. "How did you know what to…"

"Psychometry landmine, I got trapped in Guillotine's entire life," Estelle said as she checked on Sabine.

Estelle pressed her fingers against Sabine's neck, searching until she found a weak and thready pulse. After confirming no one else was in the chamber—T.C. still unconscious, Pink with his back turned—Estelle concentrated hands.

"The place is empty enough. I've only got 3 milliseconds before the system comes back online to do this."

She rebooted her internal BC system, then conjured her broach of the Spider with a wave of her hand. Clutching it tightly in her left hand, Estelle placed her right hand over Sabine's face. Once the official BC logo appeared on the internal screens, Estelle began to make a pulling motion above Sabine's face. A wisp of white smoke rose from the unconscious woman's face, guided by Estelle, she directed it toward the broach.

As the ethereal transfer was completed, Estelle breathed a sigh of relief.

"Status report on Tunnel Cat?" Estelle asked, turning around.

"Pulse is weak, but everything else is within normal parameters," Pink said as he placed a rolled-up towel under T.C.'s head.

"Assist me in relocating Guillotine to the Gansfield tank; we can't allow her body to perish," Estelle instructed.

Before throwing Sabine's body in the tank, Estelle pocketed the scalpel. Pink and Estelle then went back to check on T.C., who was just beginning to wake up.

The eyes on the spider brooch began to twinkle.

"What is going on here? Why am I... trapped?!?!" Sabine's voice screamed from within the brooch. "Someone help me!"

"Quiet. Once I determine the next course of action, you'll be promptly released," Estelle thought.

Sabine persisted in mentally calling for help, but the only response she received was an ominous silence.

***