Dominion's Authority

Words were power. Though few were foreboding—unless combined.

'Do you believe in God?'

Daichi Ayanami, a Japanese teenager, crept closer towards the strange phrase scrawled on his train’s restroom wall. Black marker that'd been applied like the brushstrokes of a madman were scant and difficult to read. But the warning was clear.

Another victim of Dominion had been here.

Flickering ceiling lights highlighted a cramped compartment that boasted little more than a sink and toilet. Outside, unnerving panting drew Daichi's attention towards the door behind him. Someone's shadow was prowling just underneath, as if waiting with a predator's patience. The brash breaths soon synced with Daichi's hammering heartbeat.

He leaned back against the sink and balled up his fists, struggling to formulate an answer—not to the scrawled phrase, but why: Why did Dominion forsake everyone? And why did some so-called “virus” spread so rampantly? More importantly, why wasn't anyone even questioning Dominion's narrative?

Probably because you’re not supposed to, Daichi thought

He turned towards the sink then faced a mirror someone else smashed up. The fist crater in its center distorted Daichi's face, like a reflection of his own conflicted ideals. The virus—no—the blatant affliction was likely affecting him too, just like thousands of others in Japan.

But nothing mattered anymore, not until he unearthed answers. The problem was hiding his intentions from a system designed to adapt to his thoughts.

If it’s smart, that just means it can be outsmarted. He straightened his black school uniform and ran his hand through his silver hair. A golden button gleamed on his sleeve as he pressed himself to the door. Only the train's gentle hum greeted him while he listened for sounds outside—nothing at all. But his heart's rapid pummeling reverberated up to his eardrums, not out of fear, but a drive forward to finish what began years ago.

He unlocked the door, fingers still on the slide just in case. No noises reacted to the clicking, but he knew it was still out there, waiting.

Good.

The door creaked open inwards. Bright light flooded in and a long hall connecting two train cars slowly took shape.

Daichi peered out to his left. An attendant stood poised by the distant corridor door, seeming unsettled. Her gaze shifted to the hallway's other end where someone in a business suit was sitting against the wall.

"Authorityauthorityauthorityauthority . . ." The man's deranged, glazed eyes couldn't stop twitching, and his mouth oozed saliva strings as he mumbled nonsense.

"Wait, stop!" the female train attendant yelled while Daichi approached the man. But pity was the only thing Daichi could perceive while he peered down on what could have been him.

"Heh—Ha! Hey, h-hey!" Wild eyes of a lunatic grinned up at him. “D-D-Dominion! I can hear her! Clear as day! Can’t you h-h-hear her too?"

Daichi didn’t respond. Instead, he fixed his emerald eyes on the man’s fist embedded with shards of glass and trickling blood. It proved a theory, but more importantly, it now signaled an opportunity—a chance to talk with someone only a smidgen better off than Kyouko.

“Tell me—tell me what you’re hearing," Daichi said, "what you’re seeing, what you’re going through. I want to know everything.”

The man's neck craned at a decrepit angle. “Dominion is just taking what she wants, and she’s gonna keep taking! She d-doesn’t want me, but she speaks to me! Asks me things!"

"About what?"

"A-About my son, my w-wife! I’ve always hated my job, my face, but Dominion fills me with more love than my family ever could. I love her! I LOVE HER! BUT SHE HATES ME, SO I HATE ME TOO!"

Well that explains the smashed-up mirror, but why write 'Do you believe in God' in there? Does Dominion think they're a deity now? His mind raced to decipher everything.

Meanwhile, the attendant down the hall tried getting Daichi's attention again. "Please sir, it's dangerous! Stay away from them!"

He paid no mind and continued his interrogation on the crazed man. "What exactly does Dominion mention? You realize they're the company that made the chip in your brain, right? In all of ours, and now those chips are going haywire, especially yours. Dominion says it's a virus but I need you to confirm or deny that for me."

An eerie silence. The man ignored every prompt, and then with wide eyes, fixated on something behind Daichi. "There! She’s right behind you! DOMINION!”

Damnit, should I even humor this? He glanced over his shoulder towards a blank hall wall. “Sorry, looks like you’re seeing things. I hear it’s the same with everyone so don’t worry about it."

“Y-Y-You think I’m c-crazy, huh? Explain the woman wrapped around your shoulders then! The white hand! Dominion wants you! Paradise is calling!” He tumbled over and started crawling. “Take me with you! Don’t leave me behind! Please! PLEASE!"

Okay, time to bail. Daichi's trembling feet walked backwards as the lunatic shambled towards him like a spider. Their cramped corridor limited maneuverability, causing Daichi to stumble and fall over. His panicked eyes searched for an escape route when he heard the door behind him slide open.

A hulking titan marched through. His face was obscured by dark sunglasses and a black face mask. The small, heart-shaped leaf embroidered on his security uniform stretched against thick pecs, then after a gruff, he slammed the door shut behind him.

Daichi recognized him as one of Dominion’s Collectors—elite guards dispatched around Japan to retrieve citizens lost to sudden lunacy.

The Collector trudged over, standing protectively between Daichi and the deranged man. “Get back,” a booming voice ordered the teen.

He nodded and scooted further away into a wall.

The Collector’s right hand slowly opened, revealing one black microchip embedded in his palm's center. A circuit board of veins assembled around the device, extending up his arm in straight and right angles.

"Y-YES! F-F-Finally! Grant me—Deliver me to Dominion’s Paradise! Show me that wondrous fantasy land!" Cackles ensued below as the lunatic's face was grabbed by the Collector's burly hand.

A high-pitched, whirring sound ensued while the Collector's veins began glowing bright green. Color pooled into his gold ring that coalesced into a blinding, kaleidoscopic light show.

"Auuuggghhh, auuuughhhh . . ." Foam spilled from the madman's mouth as his eyes convulsed in all directions. "Authorityyyyyyy!"

One final flash then a sudden silence bequeathed an end to everything. The Collector’s circuit-like veins receded and he released his grip, tumbling the lunatic's face below into bodily fluids.

Is that—is that how it happens? Daichi quivering on the floor was stunned by the spectacle he'd just witnessed. No amount of blurry footage online could replicate seeing it in person.

After wiping his hand on his uniform, the Collector peered back towards his attendant standing guard. She readied to slide open their door.

“W-Why does Dominion think they can treat us like cattle?" Daichi sat up to challenge the giant. "Do they think we wanted their chips implanted at birth? See what it's done to people!”

Ignoring him, the Collector bent over and slung an unconscious body over his back. Stern eyes behind sunglasses looked down at a cowering teenager. “Dominion thanks you for your cooperation. Please disregard anything this afflicted may have mentioned. Have a nice day.”

Daichi watched as the Collector carried the man away and walked into the opposite train car. Their female attendant followed, closing the door behind them.

Gone. His chance at answers had slipped away yet again, but there would always be tomorrow. Society had no shortage of insanity anymore.

He stood and dusted himself off. Dang it, still gotta figure out an excuse for why I'm late. He waited until his heartbeat normalized before trekking down the hall to another train car. 

The thick door slid open and revealed crowds of seated passengers. Multitudes of school kids, salarymen, housewives, alongside seniors tapped at nothing in the air with their index fingers. Listless faces indicated they were all trapped in their own worlds—becoming slaves to technology.

Daichi shut the door again then walked down a long aisle. Two rows of seats faced each other like a subway's and forced riders to face one another.

He continued his way towards a girl wearing his high school’s black uniform. The crease lines in her skirt gave it a unique, sensual aesthetic that complemented her ebony-black hair. Upon spotting him, she crossed her arms and beamed an annoyed frown.

“Took you long enough!” she pouted. “Aren't guys supposed to be quick in the bathroom?”

He fake itched his head as he sat beside her. “Sorry, Hanako. I, uhhh, had to take a call, haha.”

“Geez. You were probably researching more conspiracies on the net.”

“Maybe just a little."

She sighed and whipped her long hair over her shoulder. "Your mortal enemy gave commuter trains bathrooms, you know? Dominion's done some good things—not to say they're the good guys though."

“Careful. If you badmouth Dominion, a Collector might just come collect you,” he joked with a smile. Hanako's cute giggling sounded off as she pushed him away, highlighting a playful scene between two friends.

Across from them, a young, seated boy made eye contact. Daichi waved hello but the kid glanced away, as if alarmed. His little hand tugged on a sleeping woman beside him whose tired eyes cracked open, reflecting passing scenery as she sat up.

“Mommy, where’s dad?” he asked. “He’s been in the bathroom for a long time now. When's he coming back?”

She groggily caressed his cheek. “Dad will be right back, just wait a tad more. Remember, he quit his fancy bank job today so we could try being a family again."

"But he was acting weird, and saying weird stuff before he left." The boy looked towards the train corridor where Daichi earlier emerged from.

"It's fine, honey. Let's just believe in your dad like he believes in us, okay?" Doubt and concern littered her face, as much as she tried hiding it with a reassuring smile.

"Mm! Yeah! If you say so." The boy nodded and turned back forward, eyes full of cheer. Now with overwhelming positivity he finally waved back at Daichi.

This time, Daichi's conflicted, pained eyes glanced away. Everything today had begun from following a crazed man to the bathroom, who was just attempting to protect his family. But in the end Daichi still couldn't face someone he failed to save, even if it was just their son.

I'm sorry . . .