Deathstalker 07 - Deathstalker Return

Deathstalker. Ever since we took over here, we have been teleporting robots into these cells, attempting to communicate with the twelve survivors. Most of the robots were destroyed, in one fashion or another, but we have no shortage of robot bodies. We've learned… some interesting things."
    "Such as?" said Lewis. He was watching a woman fade in and out of reality, silently pleading for help.
    "Communication has been difficult," the robot admitted. "I don't think we're capable of formulating the right questions. Perhaps you'll have better luck, after you've been through the Maze."
    Jesamine was watching Lewis. Of them all, she was perhaps the least affected by the state of the twelve survivors. Work in show business long enough, and you're bound to see all kind of freak shows. The Sex Circus on Aldebaran X had been particularly informative about the extremes to which the human form can be adapted. Jesamine was more interested in the way all of the survivors were reacting to Lewis, even the ones who shouldn't even have been aware of his presence, let alone his identity. They all oriented on Lewis, turning slowly to follow him as he strode slowly down the aisle facing the cells, and then back again. A few called out his name, like a benediction. His presence seemed to soothe them; as though they'd all been waiting for him, for this moment.
    "They believe the Deathstalker will free them," said the robot. "Though we wouldn't advise it. They're far
    too dangerous ever to be let loose. Perhaps Lewis will be the one to kill them, and put an end to their long suffering."
    "Wonderful," said Lewis. "As if I wasn't under enough pressure. Take me to the Maze. There's nothing I can do here."
    The robot bowed to him, and led the way to the entrance to the Madness Maze. Jesamine clung to Lewis's arm, trying desperately to persuade him against doing anything foolish, but he didn't seem to hear her. Rose looked interestedly at the twelve survivors as she passed, but had nothing to say. Brett made sure to keep Rose between him and the cells, just in case. Saturday stumped along at the rear, fed up with having to bend over in the human-scaled corridors. Behind them, those of the twelve survivors who could still speak were chanting the Deathstalker name like a prayer.
    At the entrance to the Madness Maze, as promised, an old friend was waiting to greet them. Captain John Silence, the last living legend of the Age of Heroes, was leaning casually against the shimmering metal wall of the Maze. He smiled and nodded to Lewis. He was wearing his old captain's uniform, of a kind that hadn't been worn for two hundred years. He looked calm, relaxed, and very dangerous. Like a demon at the gates of Hell, thought Jesamine.
    "How the hell did you get here?" said Lewis. "There weren't any other ships on the pads. Shub teleport you in?"
    "No," said Silence. "I can be wherever I have to be. A legacy of my time in the Maze, even though I was never allowed all the way in, to the heart and center of the mysteries. Owen was the only one ever to get that far. I always said he was the best of us."
    "You were the one who told Shub we'd be here today," said Jesamine. "How did you know?"
    "It was inevitable," said Silence, coming forward to stand before Lewis. "The chains of destiny wind very tightly around you, Lewis. You had to be here now, just as I do. The Maze… has a way of arranging things. Sometimes I think it's alive. Everything will seem a lot clearer, once you've been through it."
    "I can still turn away," said Lewis. "This is my life. I have duties, and responsibilities. I don't know that I have the right to risk my life or my sanity in the Maze, when so many other people still depend on me."
    "You can't help them as you are," said Silence. "The game's got too big for merely human players."
    "You can't make me go in there."
    "In the Maze, you'll find what you need to bring back Owen."
    Lewis scowled heavily. "You always did know how to fight dirty, Captain. I don't have any choice, do I? I never did. Deathstalker luck. Always bad."
    "Lewis…"
    "Hush, Jes. Captain, look after my people. Let no harm come to them in my absence."
    "I give you my word, Sir Deathstalker, upon my blood and my honor. I envy you, Lewis. At the center of the Madness Maze lie all the answers to all the questions you ever had; or so I'm told. Only Owen knew what the heart held, and he disappeared before he could tell the rest of us."
    "Look," said Lewis, just a little