"Bleeding Edge"

On and on Zipper crawled through the ducts, letting that natural compass in her heart point the way. Her elbows and knees felt pretty banged up after a while, but the adrenaline carried her on, the ducts continuing to descend downwards. All roads lead to Rome, all veins lead to the heart, and Zipper - after a wacky adventure through a series of spinning fans with sharp blades - arrived over the control center of the Presidio.

The chamber below appeared to be some kind of laboratory, dark walls with green lighting, the room full of fancy-schmancy scientist equipment, consoles, and instruments. There was open space in the center, and that’s where Lawrence stood, gazing upon something hidden in the darkness behind the back wall. Nixon and Grace worked at the machinery, Grace typing fast at a console, a big screen depicting strings of letters and numbers that Zipper couldn’t make heads or tails of. She did recognize one part that flashed across the screen - the formula from Azuki’s tattoo. The twenty-fourth piece of the puzzle.

As Zipper debated what to do, Grace hit the ENTER key. The unseen jackboots now seemingly marched to the time of a heartbeat; Lawrence grinned, having reached his endgame. Hidden gears thundered as a compartment in the floor before him opened up; a lever rose to the surface. Even Zipper could tell that once that lever was pulled, it was over.

That’s when the blast doors to the laboratory blew inward. A thin layer of liquid A-Polymer spread into the room from the outside as Kajanas and Billy stepped forward, clothes and hair covered in goop. Everyone in the chamber was armed, and everyone in the chamber aimed at each other, daring the person at the end of their sights to make the first move. Zipper held her breath as the final dance began.

“We know your true plan,” Kajanas said. “You’ve gathered the twenty-four pieces of Jackson Mississippi’s formula. And you had this poor girl do it for you.”

Kajanas glanced at Grace. “I once worked with your father. He was a good man. He stood up for Martian rights. When he ended the kickbacks from Mars to the Earth government, Lawrence conspired to have him imprisoned on false charges of fraud.”

Grace’s eyes flickered, but the laidback expression on her face didn’t change.

“Is this true?” she asked Lawrence.

Lawrence narrowed his eyes. “What is truth? I have my truth, and Kajanas has his. That’s what’s wrong with humanity. Everybody has their personalized truth that fits their whims. Humanity must be united under one truth, indivisible. Otherwise, we’ll be doomed to fight forever. That’s what I’m doing here, Grace. You know that.”

Grace tilted her head. “You didn’t answer the question though.”

“You need to answer me, Grace!” Billy barked out. “You killed X to keep the truth hidden, but here we are, ready to stop you! Tell me, were you coerced into killing such a wonderful girl? Tell me you were!"

“Step away from the console,” Kajanas warned Grace. “And Lawrence, step away from the lever. I know what happens when you pull it. Your true plan isn’t just to become the dictator of humanity. Your true plan is to become God. The Caesar-Messiah.”

Lawrence didn’t flinch. “Humanity needs a common myth. One unifying thread. A Caesar to get things done. A Messiah to believe in.”

Billy spat. “And to do that, you’re gonna sink the universe into a pocket dimension and replace the Laws of Nature with the Law of Man! A reality where the rules of existence are just your play-thing. A universe where’d you be God-”

“Woah woah woah,” Lawrence cut in. “The fuck you talking about?”

Kajanas and Billy side-eyed each other.

“The apocrypha of Eden’s Apple,” Kajanas explained. “Jackson’s plan to rule over humanity as a God in a pocket dimension of his own making.”

Lawrence let out an honest-to-God laugh. “A-Are you kidding me? Are you serious? You think my plan is something stupid like that? It’s true, my plan came from the apocrypha. But perhaps you should’ve read Doc Rooney a little more closely!”

Right on cue, the darkness on the back wall gave away, revealing the room beyond a plane of glass. It was the largest chamber yet, equipped with thousands of robotic arms, all working tirelessly on none other than the biggest pie Zipper had ever seen.

“Project Pie,” Lawrence said with a grin. “Doc Rooney’s plan to make giant pies using a normal amount of ingredients. I’ve done it! This is my master plan! I once needed thousands of bombers to blanket Romulus-1, but now I have the ability to destroy a city with just a single pie. We’ve entered a new era, Kajanas. Surrender now, otherwise all the cities of Mars, the cities of anyone who opposes me, will be destroyed!”

Kajanas’s expression remained stoic. “Don’t you see, old friend? I’ll just have to make city-destroying paint-bombs myself now.” He allowed himself a sad smile. “We’re not so different, you and I. This will only end in the destruction of humanity. Yet we simply can’t stop.”

Lawrence chuckled, his face taking on a nostalgic look. “Perhaps you're right. Maybe we were simply born this way. If only we could’ve stayed at the sultan’s palace forever. But time never stops, my friend."

And that’s when the grate, also missing seven of eight screws, gave way, sending Zipper tumbling down square into the Mexican standoff. The sudden motion caused everyone to fire. And then all was quiet.