Chapter 53: Greatest Trick of All
A few weeks earlier, underneath the House of Divine Knowledge temple in the Downs Region. The twins were playing violently with each other.
‘Calm down, friends,’ said Eugene as he walked over to them. ‘Extreme violence is a crime in our region.’
Yassmay grabbed a large stone and smashed Yassme in the face. This busted Yassme’s face wide open.
‘What is wrong with you?!’ said the Hat Lady angrily as she yanked Yassmay’s arm. ‘You’ll kill her.’
‘She’s fine,’ chuckled Yassmay.
‘She’s right,’ said Vulay. ‘Their healing powers are amazing. I think Pardi gave them an extra large dosage of 19CE.’
The Hat Lady looked down at Yassme, who was lying on the ground unconscious as her busted head began to heal before her eyes.
‘I was also given 19CE, but I don’t heal like they do,’ added Denise.
‘Okay, that’s really impressive,’ said the Hat Lady.
‘Try this donut,’ said Eugene as he handed the Hat Lady a chunk of broken donut. ‘It’s really impressive too.’
‘Thank you, Eugene,’ said the Hat Lady.
A few minutes later, Yassme was back on her feet and feeling perfectly fine.
‘Tiberius is determined to find us,’ said the Hat Lady to Denise, Vulay, Daily, and Louis. ‘Our safety down here is not guaranteed. We need a plan if something goes wrong. Something we can do incredibly quickly.’
‘There’s an escape tunnel in the crypt,’ said Louis.
‘That could certainly be helpful,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘However, if they found we are not here, they will know there’s another way out. They will pursue us.’
‘It will still give us time,’ replied Denise. ‘Jennifer still has access to Tiberius’ thoughts. She can warn us in advance.’
‘Like that monster would be so nice,’ chuckled Vulay.
‘Considering the current circumstances and our arrangement with her, I believe she would warn us,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘However, that will not stop them from pursuing us. There’s something else we can do.’
The Hat Lady crouched down and touched the ground with her hand. In doing so, she made an exact duplicate of Denise, Vulay, Daily, and Louis appear in front of them.
‘Oh, my gosh!’ exclaimed Daily. ‘That’s amazing.’
‘Touch one of them,’ said the Hat Lady.
Daily stood up and tried to touch the duplicate of himself, and his hand went straight through it.
‘See the problem,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘I can’t make something solid out of nothing. They are more like holograms than tangible duplicates of ourselves.’
Eugene walked over to them. ‘What’s going on here, friends?’ asked Eugene.
‘Just making contingency plans,’ replied Daily.
‘Mastering the art of confusion,’ said the hologram of Daily.
‘You both look suspicious to me,’ said Eugene as his gaze darted between the two Dailys.
The Hat Lady lifted her hand off the ground, and the holograms disappeared. She placed it back down again and made a hologram of Eugene appear.
‘You look really suspicious to me, friend,’ said the hologram of Eugene to Eugene as he raised his eyebrows.
‘Okay, I’ll be on my way then,’ said Eugene as he walked backwards away from the group.
‘So you could fool them with these holograms while we make our escape,’ said Vulay as she watched Eugene walk away.
‘I would expect Tiberius’ guards to kill us all,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘I can create the illusion of us dying, but we’ll have problems if he tries to touch any of us or even arrest any survivors.’
‘For him to figure that out it’ll give us time,’ said Vulay.
‘With the twins’ help, we can buy even more time or convince him that we’re all dead,’ said the Hat Lady.
‘No, we’re not putting the twins’ lives in danger,’ said Daily firmly. ‘Buying time with your tricks will do nicely.’
‘Relax,’ replied the Hat Lady. ‘I’d never push them to do something that I thought would put their lives in serious danger.’
Daily frowned angrily at the Hat Lady. Eugene had sat down next to Sophie and Arthur. He was watching his own hologram carefully.
A few days later, they could hear cheering from above, followed by the chanting of Tiberius’ name.
‘Ah, damn it!’ sighed the Hat Lady. ‘He always finds a way out of everything.’
‘Maybe there’s more to it,’ said Vulay.
Around twenty minutes later, Lily entered the room. She explained to them the recent events. Then she returned up to the temple.
A few seconds later, they heard screams.
‘I think they’ve found us,’ said the Hat Lady.
‘So much for your faith in Jennifer,’ said Vulay angrily.
‘Crypt now!’ shouted Daily.
‘Move it! Move it!’ shouted Eugene as he and Louis opened the crypt door.
Within a few seconds, they rushed into the crypt.
‘Come on, Yassmay and Yassme,’ shouted Daily.
‘I don’t think so, geeko,’ said Yassmay. ‘We fancy tasting some hot lead.’
‘You said you wouldn’t,’ shouted Daily at the Hat Lady, who was now lying on the ground behind a stone table.
‘Trust me, we have a plan,’ called out the Hat Lady. ‘Now move and make sure the door is fully closed.’
Daily reluctantly closed the door. Only Yassme, Yassmay, and the Hat Lady remained in the room. All three were now invisible.
‘Be prepared to dodge as many bullets as possible,’ instructed the Hat Lady in a rapid tone to the twins. ‘Move closer to the door. I’ll keep them aiming away from you. You’ll become visible when the shooting has stopped. Just remember everything I’ve told you. Fight the pain and play dead. You know you can do it.’
A few seconds later, the door to the room opened. Tiberius and Head Enforcer were at the doorway. After a brief conversation between the two, the imperial guards entered and began shooting.
Both Yassme and Yassmay crouched down low directly in front of the enforcers. All the bullets flew over their heads as they were aiming at the holograms of the others that the Hat Lady was making appear. As instructed, Yassmay flopped to the ground in the form of the Hat Lady, and Yassme flopped next to her but remained invisible.
Tiberius began stomping on Yassmay’s head. It was incredibly painful, but she successfully convinced Tiberius she was dead. Yassmay released Yassme’s hand. This was her cue to shapeshift into Denise and pretend to be dead. Tiberius kicked her. He was satisfied this was real. He and the imperial guards left.
As they were leaving, Polly and Jennifer arrived. Tiberius instructed them to dispose of the bodies. The two of them waited for a few minutes and then closed the room door.
The Hat Lady climbed out from behind the stone table. Two bullets had grazed her leg, but she was still able to stand. She limped over to the twins.
‘Are you okay?’ she gasped.
Yassme calmly sat up. ‘I’m feeling great,’ she chuckled. ‘They completely missed me.’
Yassmay was still lying down. She was groaning in pain. She was hurt from being stomped on and had been hit in the shoulder by a bullet.
‘Take it easy,’ said the Hat Lady as she rubbed her head. She looked up at Polly and Jennifer. ‘Will you be able to remove it safely?’
‘No, that’s not possible,’ replied Jennifer.
‘Seriously, you’re that useless,’ snapped the Hat Lady.
‘It’s not that,’ replied Polly. ‘The bullet went straight through her shoulder.’
‘That’s nasty,’ said the Hat Lady as she continued to rub Yassmay’s head. ‘I’m so sorry I put you through this.’
‘Don’t sweat it,’ replied Yassmay in a surprisingly chirpy tone. ‘It’s nothing compared to that piece of metal that almost ripped my whole shoulder off.’
Polly and Jennifer helped Yassmay up, and Yassme helped the Hat Lady. They went over to the crypt stone door. Polly opened it with ease, and the five of them entered. Daily was anxiously waiting on the other side.
‘We did it,’ sighed the Hat Lady.
‘You’re all nuts,’ said Daily in a relieved tone.
‘We play the virtual reality game “Shootem Up”,’ chuckled Yassme. ‘We’re experts at dodging bullets.’
The six of them rejoined the others, and they all made their way into the secret tunnel.
A short while later, they reached the end of the tunnel. They climbed up a ladder and made their way through a hatch. They came up into some dense foliage. They pushed their way out into the Downs Agriculture Zone.
‘I know this area so well,’ said Yassme in a joyous tone. ‘The old Sape sheds are nearby. I used to play with Hamlet and Rico there.’
‘Are they better than the tunnel?’ asked Vulay.
‘It’s not wet, dark, and stinky,’ replied Yassme. ‘It’s just stinky.’
‘Sape stink trumps mould stink, friend,’ said Eugene, swaying his arm enthusiastically.
‘That’s where we’ll stay for now,’ said the Hat Lady.
‘I do not detect any cameras in that area,’ said Jennifer. ‘You will be safe.’
‘I can do secret supply runs for you,’ added Polly.
Vulay sighed in slight annoyance.
They all set off for the Sape sheds. Yassmay had now fully recovered, but the Hat Lady was still limping badly. Polly and Jennifer went off to pretend to dispose of their bodies.
Inside the old Sape sheds, there were several dozen intact hay bales. They worked together to make piles of hay that could be used as beds.
Vulay organised a rotation of who would guard the sheds while the others slept. Eugene eagerly agreed to take the first shift, Vulay the second, Daily the third, and Sophie and Arthur the fourth.
Three hours into his shift, Eugene saw a large group of Sapes slowly and quietly walking by. ‘This looks suspicious,’ he said to himself as he stood up.
Eugene walked over to the Sapes. From in between the Sapes, Colin emerged.
‘Sape wrangling, eh?’ said Eugene, shaking his head. ‘I thought more of you, friend.’
‘I’m trying to get them out of the Downs Region,’ whispered Colin. ‘They’re in danger now that the “Friends Not Food” law has been revoked.’
‘No, no, no!’ said Eugene in frustration as he began slapping his own head.
‘It’s okay we can get them to safety,’ said Colin. ‘I’ve made a secret passage under the wall.’
The Hat Lady, who was struggling to sleep, heard the noise outside. She became invisible. She saw Colin talking to Eugene. She snuck up behind him and grabbed his wrist.
‘Hello, friend,’ said Colin as he grabbed the Hat Lady’s wrist, forcing her to become visible.
The Hat Lady tried to shapeshift Colin, but he was able to block her attempt.
‘How’d you do that?’ gasped the Hat Lady.
‘I’ve been around a while,’ said Colin calmly. ‘I’ve seen and learnt many things in this time.’
‘Six years in Downs is a real life-changer,' said Eugene.
‘What are you going to do?’ asked the Hat Lady.
‘My focus is these Sapes,’ said Colin. ‘I need to make sure they’re not culled.’
‘His priorities are spot on, friend,’ said Eugene.
‘No, I mean, what are you going to do about us?’ asked the Hat Lady.
‘The enforcers are pursuing me,’ said Colin. ‘They have infrared technology that none of us can hide from. After I have helped these Sapes, I’m going to draw them away from the Downs Region. This should make life a little easier for you.’
‘Helping us now so you can claim a favour later on,’ sighed the Hat Lady.
‘I have to be on top of every angle,’ replied Colin. ‘Follow me! I’ll show you my secret passage under the wall. You might need to use it yourself.’
Colin led the Hat Lady, Eugene and the Sapes to the secret passage. It was hidden under some large bushes.
‘Go on, through you go,’ said Colin as he tapped a Sape on the behind.
The Sape onked a few times and then squeezed through the short passage under the wall. He repeated this with each Sape. Eugene and the Hat Lady watched him.
‘Okay, I’m done,’ said Colin. ‘Take care. I’m sure we’ll meet again soon.’
‘Colin!’ said the Hat Lady. ‘Regardless of your motives, thank you.’
‘Thanks, friend,’ added Eugene. ‘You’re doing a good thing.’
Colin nodded and then disappeared into the passageway.
Eugene put his arm around the Hat Lady, and they made their way back to the Sape sheds.
Vulay was standing at the front of the Sape sheds. She had her hands on her hips. ‘You’re supposed to be on guard duty,’ she said to Eugene in an annoyed tone.
‘I finished half an hour ago, friend,’ said Eugene.
‘You’ve been gone much longer than that,’ added Vulay.
Eugene blew a raspberry at Vulay and then entered into the Sape shed.
‘What an attitude,’ said Vulay, shaking her head.
‘There’s been a development; we need to talk,’ said the Hat Lady to Vulay.
The next morning, the group had a meeting about what their next move should be. Polly had arrived with some food.
‘I prepared your lunch basket, Eugene,’ said Polly as she became visible inside the shed.
‘Alright, let’s see it, friend,’ said Eugene as he beckoned Polly with both hands.
‘Oh geez,’ sighed Arthur.
Eugene turned sharply to look at Arthur as Polly handed him the basket.
Eugene slowly opened the basket and glanced inside. ‘Haha, you nailed it,’ said Eugene proudly as he looked up at Polly.
‘Your mother told me exactly what you liked,’ replied Polly.
‘You’re so attentive, friend,’ replied Eugene. ‘Unlike some characters around here.’
The others grabbed the fruit Polly had brought in her wheelbarrow.
‘On a more serious note, we need to decide if we’re going to stay in this shed or move into the Central Agriculture Zone,’ said the Hat Lady.
‘It comes down to risk,’ replied Vulay. ‘Neither option is viable in the long run.’
‘There won’t be a long run,’ snapped Yassmay. ‘My sister and her new friends are going to return this region to the Downs residents.’
Eugene pumped his fist enthusiastically.
‘The number of enforcer patrols has dropped,’ said Polly. ‘We still need to be careful.’
‘Tiberius’ paranoia won’t disappear overnight despite him believing we’re dead,’ replied the Hat Lady. ‘I think we should get out of the region while we can.’
‘What about Lily?’ asked Louis.
‘Lily can take care of herself,’ replied Vulay curtly. ‘She’s very good at that.’
‘I think we should do this in a democratic manner,’ said Denise, nodding. ‘Raise your hand if you think we should move into the Central Agriculture Zone.’
Vulay, the Hat Lady, Yassmay, and Yassme immediately raised their hands. Eugene grabbed the arms of his parents and quickly raised both their hands. Daily and Denise then raised their hands. Louis looked around him and then reluctantly raised his hand too.
‘Looks like it’s decided,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘We’ll head out into the wild.’
‘We need a meetup point for Polly,’ said Vulay.
‘Ah yes, lunch baskets,’ said Eugene in delight.
‘No, she is our only source of information regarding what’s happening in the region,’ said Vulay as she stared at Eugene.
‘She can come with us today,’ said the Hat Lady. ‘Is that alright with you, Polly?’
‘Oh yes, I would be happy to help,’ replied Polly.
‘Before we go, we must be tactical,’ said Eugene. ‘No one must ever know we were here.’
‘You’re the only one who has made a mess,’ chuckled Yassmay.
‘I see you have the sleuther’s eye,’ replied Eugene as he raised his eyebrows.
Within a short time, they had cleaned up the shed, and they were ready to leave. Eugene eagerly led them to the secret passage.
‘This is very impressive,’ said Polly. ‘I wonder how he cut through all this concrete.’
‘It looks stable enough, so I don’t really care,’ replied the Hat Lady as she walked straight through the passage without even needing to duck.
After walking for about an hour, they found a suitable place to set up a campsite.
‘We’ll use this place as a meetup spot from now on,’ said the Hat Lady as she pointed to a tree. ‘It’ll be easy to find. We’ll be able to see this tree from miles away.’
‘I’ll identify this place by that cheeky-looking fellow over there,’ said Eugene as he pointed to a chubby Sape.
‘I can record the coordinates of this exact location,’ said Polly proudly.
‘Great, we all have our methods to avoid getting lost,’ said Denise, smiling at the others.
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide
Sapien Loop: Worlds Collide is the final book in the Sapien Loop trilogy. It continues directly after the events of the second book. The world above and the world below merge into one world. The conflicts in the underground world are brought to the surface. The new ruling elite attempt to crush any resistance from above and below in an attempt to create a new global empire.
Currently, three books from the series have been published on Amazon; see the links below:
All individual chapters can be found on my 