He looked up. "Well, this is what I -".
"L-LIAR!" The Eye's hybrid voice bellowed across the room. Marek jumped in his seat.
"What? Why? I'm not!", he stumbled. Marek puzzled. Why - what does it mean? What did I do wrong? And what is that... noise? There was a pulsing in the distance. Yet it seemed to come from within his own head. And were the ships moving? He stared at the cloud of ships in the distance. They were moving. His eyes leaped into their midst. They were all facing in his direction and the noise... it was an alarm klaxon pounding.
"Ha-How da-dare y-you l-lie t-to m-me!" The voice brought his eyes back to the console. It was flashing red. And the room was hot. He looked up to see waves of plasma and laser fire approaching him. They were firing on him! He brought his hands up to his face and was met with hundreds of burning needles.
"WHAT -", he started, swinging one of his hands in front of him, feeling fire bite across the length of his arm. The sound of the klaxon pounded. "DO YOU -". He swung his hand again, sending up gouts of fire. Flames burst on his palms and explosions sounded in his brain. "MEAN?" Marek threw his hands together, clapping them shut upon a mass of ships. The sound of the klaxon wavered, overpowered by explosions and screams. "That IS -" He brought his hands up. Ships were past his hands and firing on his face. The siren was everywhere, swallowing his thoughts. Burning needles stabbed at his lips and fire breathed across his forehead. "The RIGHT answer!" He jerked his head to the right, causing the chair to spin away, while his hands continued to swat at the ships.
And then everything stopped. It was silent. The burning was gone. Sweat rang down his face. He could feel warmth all over his skin. He pressed his hand to his cheek. It was still swollen, but otherwise unchanged. Marek caught his breath. What now? He inclined his head to the left, slowly twisting the chair around. The fleet was gone. But where was the planet?
"L-LIAR!" The Eye's hybrid voice bellowed across the room. Marek jumped in his seat.
"What? Why? I'm not!", he stumbled. Marek puzzled. Why - what does it mean? What did I do wrong? And what is that... noise? There was a pulsing in the distance. Yet it seemed to come from within his own head. And were the ships moving? He stared at the cloud of ships in the distance. They were moving. His eyes leaped into their midst. They were all facing in his direction and the noise... it was an alarm klaxon pounding.
"Ha-How da-dare y-you l-lie t-to m-me!" The voice brought his eyes back to the console. It was flashing red. And the room was hot. He looked up to see waves of plasma and laser fire approaching him. They were firing on him! He brought his hands up to his face and was met with hundreds of burning needles.
"WHAT -", he started, swinging one of his hands in front of him, feeling fire bite across the length of his arm. The sound of the klaxon pounded. "DO YOU -". He swung his hand again, sending up gouts of fire. Flames burst on his palms and explosions sounded in his brain. "MEAN?" Marek threw his hands together, clapping them shut upon a mass of ships. The sound of the klaxon wavered, overpowered by explosions and screams. "That IS -" He brought his hands up. Ships were past his hands and firing on his face. The siren was everywhere, swallowing his thoughts. Burning needles stabbed at his lips and fire breathed across his forehead. "The RIGHT answer!" He jerked his head to the right, causing the chair to spin away, while his hands continued to swat at the ships.
And then everything stopped. It was silent. The burning was gone. Sweat rang down his face. He could feel warmth all over his skin. He pressed his hand to his cheek. It was still swollen, but otherwise unchanged. Marek caught his breath. What now? He inclined his head to the left, slowly twisting the chair around. The fleet was gone. But where was the planet?
Something flashed across his face. He raised his hand defensively. Gargoyle's laughter rang out from the left. He twisted the chair after the sound. And a flash of grey flew past him, trailing laughter. He twisted the chair to the right. The planet was back. And it was blinking. The Eye was on its surface, watching him.
The planet hovered closer to him. It spun silently on its axis, but the Eye remained fixed in place. It began to speak in Gargoyle's voice, blinking in rhythm to the words. "Everyone knows the right an-swer. But that is NOT what I asked." It flitted to his right and continued in the instructor voice. "I asked you what you be-lieve." It paused for emphasis, the symbol of the eye seeming to stare at him. "Be-cause, if you do not be-lieve, how do we know what you will do la-ter?" The planet glided to the center of his view, its Eye remaining focused on him. It seemed to vibrate in place, watching him in unblinking silence.
"But I believe - I know - this is the right --", Marek started.
"LIAR!", Gargoyle's voice shouted, and then vanished with the planet. It appeared millimeters from his face. Marek's muscles and eyes clenched. When he opened his eyes, the planet had returned to its place, leaving only a rush of warmth behind. "Did you think the questions were for nothing?" The shadows on the planet shifted, seeming to frown at him. "Of course you did." What questions does it mean?
A wind whispered from behind him, 'ee-ut'. Marek's eyes darted to the side. What did it say? He strained his ears to listen.
"I suppose you thought the patterns when you came in were for nothing too?" Gargoyle's voice dripped with disgust. He shifted his eyes back to the planet's deepening frown.
The whisper came again, 'Moron!'. Marek felt his muscles tense. The machine was insulting him. This complete lunatic machine was insulting him? He ground his teeth as he listened, his hands clutching at the sides of the chair.
"I needed to see how you work. Your brain. Your thoughts." Marek blinked, the tension in his body forgotten. "And I have." It knows my thoughts? The planet began to glide closer to him, the shadows shifting into a smirk. "And I do." Marek's thrust his hands up to the helmet. The shadows shifted into a grin, covering much of the planet. "And I will." It came to rest half a meter from him, the Eye examining him.
Marek returned to his thoughts. The questions... Yes to everything. It wanted me to lie. So it could... see if I'm lying? The helmet must be examining my brain. His palms traced along the smooth surface. And the images? Can it tell what I'm picturing? Marek closed his eyes and forced himself to recall the first image he'd seen. Warmth flashed across his face. He opened his eyes and the planet had become a piece of Sanger fruit, with the Eye still in its place. The air in his lungs rushed out.
"Yeeesss!" Gargoyle's voice shouted with glee. "I know! I know! I know!" The fruit bounced up and down with his words.
Marek brought his hands to his face. "Selawa..." he muttered, cursing.
The planet hovered closer to him. It spun silently on its axis, but the Eye remained fixed in place. It began to speak in Gargoyle's voice, blinking in rhythm to the words. "Everyone knows the right an-swer. But that is NOT what I asked." It flitted to his right and continued in the instructor voice. "I asked you what you be-lieve." It paused for emphasis, the symbol of the eye seeming to stare at him. "Be-cause, if you do not be-lieve, how do we know what you will do la-ter?" The planet glided to the center of his view, its Eye remaining focused on him. It seemed to vibrate in place, watching him in unblinking silence.
"But I believe - I know - this is the right --", Marek started.
"LIAR!", Gargoyle's voice shouted, and then vanished with the planet. It appeared millimeters from his face. Marek's muscles and eyes clenched. When he opened his eyes, the planet had returned to its place, leaving only a rush of warmth behind. "Did you think the questions were for nothing?" The shadows on the planet shifted, seeming to frown at him. "Of course you did." What questions does it mean?
A wind whispered from behind him, 'ee-ut'. Marek's eyes darted to the side. What did it say? He strained his ears to listen.
"I suppose you thought the patterns when you came in were for nothing too?" Gargoyle's voice dripped with disgust. He shifted his eyes back to the planet's deepening frown.
The whisper came again, 'Moron!'. Marek felt his muscles tense. The machine was insulting him. This complete lunatic machine was insulting him? He ground his teeth as he listened, his hands clutching at the sides of the chair.
"I needed to see how you work. Your brain. Your thoughts." Marek blinked, the tension in his body forgotten. "And I have." It knows my thoughts? The planet began to glide closer to him, the shadows shifting into a smirk. "And I do." Marek's thrust his hands up to the helmet. The shadows shifted into a grin, covering much of the planet. "And I will." It came to rest half a meter from him, the Eye examining him.
Marek returned to his thoughts. The questions... Yes to everything. It wanted me to lie. So it could... see if I'm lying? The helmet must be examining my brain. His palms traced along the smooth surface. And the images? Can it tell what I'm picturing? Marek closed his eyes and forced himself to recall the first image he'd seen. Warmth flashed across his face. He opened his eyes and the planet had become a piece of Sanger fruit, with the Eye still in its place. The air in his lungs rushed out.
"Yeeesss!" Gargoyle's voice shouted with glee. "I know! I know! I know!" The fruit bounced up and down with his words.
Marek brought his hands to his face. "Selawa..." he muttered, cursing.