Tower of Babel Ch.40

Dr. Chen stood in front of the massive machine at the top of the Tower. His underlings scurried around the room running different diagnostics on the equipment. “All displays appear normal,” a voice in the gaggle said. Chen examined the machine to determine which part was not operating properly. He took his glasses off and cleaned the lenses to clear his mind. After looking over the machine a second time, he randomly grabbed at one of his staff members passing by.

“Yes sir?” the man asked. Chen could feel him shake slightly.

“Is there an ample supply of power?”

“Yes, we're running at max voltage.”

“Is there adequate ventilation?”

“All of the fans are working, doctor. We've tested the coupling and the transdermal circuitry but the la-”

“We're not getting fire.”

The man scratched his head and looked down at his watch. “Sir what do you mean?”

“Let us simplify our operations. How does an internal combustion engine work? Answer me this.”

“The intake valve opens and-”

“If you do not understand it simply you simply do not understand it. What is the most simple way you can describe to me how an engine works?”

The man stood there scratching his head some more. He had to stop himself from aimlessly checking his watch again. “Air, spark and fuel.”

“We have air and we have spark. Cut out all of the complicated machinery and the internal compartment containing the missiles, what are we missing?” Chen looked over at where Lilly sat.

Lilly was awake now, but the helmet blocked her vision. She sat in her weakened condition trying to figure out what she could do. Having years of unbridled power mad it awkward for her mind to operate in a depreciative state as the body felt the side effects. Unsure if she could even stand, Lilly felt a knot in her stomach slowly growing. Her palms were sweating and her chest felt heavy. This is all wrong, she thought.

“Call for Baal. Maybe he can talk some sense into her.”

Ten minutes later Baal walked in with a smile on his face. “Hello, Dr. Chen. What do you need me to do for you?”

“Baal, I need you to talk with Lilly. I need her to channel her energy into the machine. All of those restraints are specifically tuned to repress the techniques we have on file, but there is no limitation to free transfer.” Chen waved his hand out towards Lilly. “If you will.”

Baal walked over in front of Lilly and closed his eyes. “Lilly.”

She heard his voice come from the darkness. Lilly was still inside her own head, Baal was just using his telepathy. “What do you want?”

“There's no need for hard feelings.”

She tried to reach out and strike him with her power, but the chains reduced the force of the blow to a small gust of wind against his cheek.

“There is no need for unmannerly behavior either, Lilith.” Baal paused to give her a moment to relax. He sensed there was no chance in that happening. “Let’s start from square one. We have a person trespassing into our Tower along with a whole team of mercenaries hell bent on killing us. Are you following so far? Now Benjamin thinks you are in trouble, which I do not blame him. That chair you are sitting in is not exactly of your choosing. He’s tried really hard to get to you, but you do not want him to get to you, do you?”

Lilly pushed at the malevolent viel closing in around her.

“I noticed you were watching over him intently during the time he’s arrived, but you haven’t helped him on his travels. You could have given him a thousand warnings by now. You could have led him to an express elevator and given him the password to the upper levels. You could have talked to the other Ascending members and ordered them not to attack Ben.” Baal laughed a little. “You could have even walked on down, have him hold you in his arms, and then you and he could have never looked back, yet the reoccurring theme you seem to have is inaction.”

“I wasn’t sure what to do.” A new kind of darkness set.

“Did you want to go with him? Leave the Tower? Would you have miraculously joined the human society and live happily ever after? Come on Lilith your smarter than that.”

“That’s not what I thought at all.” Lilly squirmed in her seat, trying to readjust.

“But Benjamin is the least of our worries, have you thought about that?”

“Yes.”

“Then why do you think Dr. Chen ordered me to detain you, I really didn’t want to do it, but he doesn’t trust you anymore by the way you’ve been acting.”

“You’re full of s**t, Baal.”

Baal crossed his arms. “Was I not the one who has been obsessed with creating the new world? I would be in that chair myself if I could channel my power. You were the only one to take to transferring your excess energy into the machine, Lilith.”

Lilly shook her head.

“We need you Lilith. Bio-Machina is on their way to the top and we need you to charge the machine. Me and Shax may be able to hold them off but I’m not sure if we can stop them. Chen’s plans are almost complete. Don’t you want to live in a world full of people just like yourself? You can make it happen, please just do this one thing for us, and yourself.”

She grunted a little from the battle waging in her mind. It was as if something was taking over her being, penetrating her defenses.

“I don’t understand what’s gotten into you. You were right there with me in changing the world. What happened to you? Is Benjamin messing with your head?”

“Ben wouldn’t do that.”

“So you know him well enough?”

Lilly struggled hard against her restraints. “I know he’s a good person.”

“Good, bad, it does not matter. I am just trying to make our dream a reality, and when I say our dream, I’m talking about all of the Demon members. We have to do this, don’t you see?” Baal paused then asked, “Do you think that Ben is more important than your own dreams? My dreams? The dead Ascending members, Tower staff and the countless who have died in the process of creating the Ascension Serum program? Are you putting him above all of us?”

“It’s not like that you’re just tryi-”

“Lilly, please listen to me. You have to do this. Let this happen. What if Ben reaches the top? Trisha is going to be treated a traitor and Samael, well he’s going to be taken care of, he’s too dangerous. Then that leaves Ben. Oh sure I bet Chen would just pull up a chair and welcome the boy who’s been destroying his lifelong aspiration. Then say that after that the Bio-Machina show up and we will all be dead. Don’t you understand that it’s up to you to do this? You’re the only one that can properly transfer your energy into the machine, why do I have to tell you this twice?”

“Stop, just stop talking!”

Baal walked up and put his hands on her shoulders, his cold touch made her shake worsen. The Dr. watched Baal work his way into Lilly’s head. “You only have one option. You don’t have any control over this situation. Just be compliant and it will all be fine in the end. It’s okay to give in.”

Lilly started to sniffle then slightly cry. “Ok,” she struggled to say. “I’ll do it.” Lights flashed above her head and the machine started to make a louder noise within the room. Consoles all over the machine began to activate and alarm the operators of the influx of energy.

One scientist yelled out, “Ascension Serum replication process in full production.”

Baal took his hands off Lilly and placed them in his pockets. He then walked over to Dr. Chen and asked, “Anything else?”