The End

Thursday, August 28- Space, 2199

                "What?"

                 "I said the galaxy is imploding."

                “You mean, like, boom, destruction and debris everywhere?"

                 "No, that's explosion. Implosion means the galaxy is caving in on itself. We'll be dead in less than 36 hours."

Hank Rodgers, a paranoid, egomaniac, who just happened to be Emperor of Earth, Ruler Supreme, and the Infallible Voice of the human race, could not believe what was he was being told. The galaxy, imploding? What right did the galaxy have, to implode and destroy his planet, and kill his subjects and slaves?  Then a thought occurred to him.

This so called genius scientist is lying. She wants to overthrow me. She wants to make me look foolish and afraid, so she can step in and say “Look how foolish and fearful our Emperor of Earth, our Ruler Supreme, our Infallible Voice of the human race has become. He is weak, and makes us look weak. Throw him out, and place me in his throne.” That’s what she wants. It’s all a big conspiracy.

                “Sentry! Escort Ms. Nora Williams to her new cell.”

This, quite obviously, shocked Nora, the genius, preeminent scientific mastermind, and consensus top scientist in the whole world. She had no idea the thought processes in the paranoid mind of Emperor Hank. Neither did she understand what could possibly be criminal about trying to save humanity from destruction. She hadn't even been able to go into her sales pitch for the new space shuttles she designed to save the planet’s population, now for only 20 million dollars each. 

              The sentry was oblivious to all this, he hadn't even understood the words coming out of Nora Williams' mouth. He was, quite literally, mindless. A clone created specifically just to follow orders, which was something he excelled at. Not that he was aware. Only blankly going about his tasks, that registered more on a primal level in a less than self-aware central processor that took the place of the brain grown in him at his "birth." 

                Nora was absolutely furious, frightened too, which only served to fuel her anger. She was being imprisoned for this? Now the whole (expletive) planet was going to die, along with its massive population. There was no reason for this. The Emperor must be mad! it wasn't until she heard a chuckle that she realized she'd voiced these thoughts aloud in her cell. It was then that she also realized she was not alone. 

              "Who's there?" she asked tentatively

              "My name is unimportant." said the nameless stranger. 

              "I rather think it is." Said Nora, now more afraid than before, and also a little stubborn.

              "That's flattering deary, really, but there are more important things at hand. You have a problem with our beloved Emperor of Earth, Ruler Supreme, Infallible Voice of the human race, yes?" he inquired confidently. There was something in his calm, confident voice that soothed Nora, yet also unnerved her. 

            " The moron is going to render us, meaning all of humanity, extinct!" she cried out indignantly. 

            " Well, I don't know how no one saw that coming. He's been "unstable" (he literally did air quote this) since before he inherited his throne." the stranger said in a completely humorless voice. 

              "Okay, I have to call you something. I can't just keep thinking of you as 'the stranger.'" said Nora, exasperated. 

              "If you insist. my friends call me 'The Stranger.'" he said. Once again, there was no humor in his voice, face, eyes, or any other part of the body where one might find humor. Nora was giving him a look of frustration, annoyance, and more than a little curiosity. This stranger, ((expletive), that really is annoying, isn't it?) came seemingly out of nowhere, knew more than he had the right to, and his face, mask-like in its complete lack of expression, aside from the occasional smug smirk when she got upset, was very off-putting. Somehow, she still trusted that he could help, that he may even want to, though to what end she was unsure. After a long pause in which neither of them spoke, 'The Stranger' said, "Would you like to get out of this cell?" 

           Nora was once again thrown off. "How could you possibly manage that?" 

          "Just watch," said 'The Stranger.' "Sentry! Unlock this cell." He said in a perfect, imitation of the Emperor of Earth's, Ruler Supreme's, Infallible Voice's of the human race, eh.. voice, completely imperceptible from the real voice of the Emperor of Earth, Ruler Supreme, and the Infallible Voice of the human race. 

             "So much for the Infallible Voice," said Nora. 

             She jumped at the sudden, barking laughter exploding from 'The Stranger's' mouth. Then she began to laugh as well, and when the Sentry opened their cell door, it was, once more, quite unaware. 

           When they walked out the door, Nora asked, "Should we kill it?" 

            "Kill it! Are you stupid?" He appeared to be genuinely asking the question. 

            This has to be the record for the amount of times I've been thrown for a loop in a space of 15 minutes, she thought. No one had ever even mentioned Nora and that word in the same sentence, much less straight out accused her of being that word. She didn't know whether to be angry, upset, or amused. 

           When 'The Stranger' tired of her speechless gaping, he said "I'll take that as a yes. Oh well, could have been worse, I suppose." He adjusted his mouth, tongue, and vocal chords, "Sentry!" once again in the perfect interpretation of the emperor, "Follow." 

           The mindless drone-clone fell in step behind 'The Stranger.' Nora finally snapped out of her speechless stupor, and spoke up.

 "Hold on! Do you know who I am?" she called out indignantly.

 "Should I?" Asked 'The Stranger.'

"Should you? Should you? I'm Nora (expletive) Williams!" Seeing the utter lack of recognition on his face she continued "The genius, preeminent scientific mastermind, and consensus top scientist in the whole world? You seriously don't know?" 

"Please, keep your ego in check. It's almost sad, you calling yourself a genius." He gave Nora a pitiful smile, like one would give a child brazenly claiming he would one day have a million dollars. 

She had never felt this low. This... this... 'Stranger' had taken her ego, laid it out on his palm, and completely crushed it. She felt almost unworthy of his presence. 

'The Stranger' walked back down the hall leading to the cells, up to the staircase, then took a sharp right, The Sentry two steps behind the whole way. Nora followed, almost compelled to, by her curiosity to an extent, but mostly because she had subconsciously submitted to 'The Stranger's' will. He led them into what looked like a lab. Lining the walls were clones floating in small cylindrical tanks, where they were submerged in a substance similar to formaldehyde, keeping them preserved, until they were planted with the processor's of the kind within the Sentry's cranium, Which would compel them to do what they were instructed. These were the primary export of the Empire, as good help was even harder to find in 2199. 

'The Stranger' began looking on the shelves, which held the recently removed brains of the clones, preserved for study. As he looked, he turned each jar, to see the label, where a unique number was printed on each. His frustration grew, as he evidently couldn't find what he was looking for. 

"It's not here!" He yelled angrily. Nora flinched, the Sentry, who had continued to follow 'The Stranger' on his trek down the rows of shelves, didn't move an inch. It was, in fact unaware that 'The Stranger' had even spoken. It's ears were tuned only to the voice of his Emperor, who's commands it, for lack of a better word, "thought" it was following.  

to be continued...