Netherworlder (Tale)

Netherworlder
By James

Kneeling in chains next to LJ and Rick, he watched as the guards brought his daughter in. She was only covered by a thin, white sheet. Her half-open eyes didn't move at all. Her skin looked paler than it'd been before.

"Jedda..." Rick said beneath his breath. The boy seemed absolutely horrified.

Not as horrified as Kit was, however. He'd never felt this kind of terror before. If what he suspected was actually true, then this would be the very worst day of his life. 

Kit had lost people at various points — his father, his brother, and Jedda's own mom. Each of those tragedies staggered him. He'd sensed them coming, and gotten afraid. 

But none of those moments compared to now.

He was the Phantom, a superhero. Kit was renowned for his bravery. But Kit lacked the courage to cope with this. He tried to deny what he saw at present.

A servant murmured something to Queen Hadea. Hadea looked down, meeting Kit's gaze. "Jedda has died," the woman said.

Kit froze in place. His frame shut down. He simply couldn't move or speak at all. His very own life had just come to an end. That was what it felt like anyway.

"No!" Rick threw himself onto Jedda, plopping his head right upon her chest. His tears came quickly. He cried and cried.

Kit kept watching his daughter's eyes. They were hanging open, but utterly still. 

He thought about the moment when Jedda was born, in the South African hospital. He recalled the joy that he'd felt back then — the greatest form of joy that he'd ever known. On that day, he knew she was going to live a wonderful life. She'd do great things. She'd form close bonds. She might even start a family of her own. 

But now it was over. Jedda was gone. Her half-open eyes made that quite clear.

Just earlier, at nine in the morning, Jedda was smiling and laughing with him. They had discussed a few memories, then hugged while walking outside together. Neither thought that everything would end today.

But it had now. She'd lost her life. 

It was so wrong. It wasn't fair.

He watched her eyes. They wouldn't move. Kit didn't have a daughter anymore. 

He never should have let that experiment happen. He knew he'd be hating himself for years. Might as well get the hate started now.

Queen Hadea rose. "The girl who you knew cannot be saved. However...Jedda can be revived."

Kit paused again, staring at her. Nothing could draw his attention away.

"I'm afraid there will be two prices, though," Hadea declared. "You must agree that you'll be my king. Secondly...she must be changed."

* * * *

Kit peered into the surgery room, holding a hand on the sturdy pane.

Jedda's pale body was stiff on a table. Another corpse was laying right at her side.

"It will be a three-step operation," Hadea declared as she stood by him. "Her brain will be placed in the other girl's head, the face will be changed to match Jedda's own, and then my power shall awaken her. This isn't possible with her human form, but she can be revived as a Netherworlder."

Kit stirred a little. He got it now. The other girl's size was the same as Jedda's. The frames and the hair were identical — for the most part, from what he could see. The other girl had a birthmark on an arm, the arm that was hanging from beneath the sheet. He lowered his gaze, shaking again. "What happened to her?" he managed to ask.

"She drowned while attempting to steal from me." Hadea didn't sound very sad about that.

Kit was disturbed. His heart was broken. He wasn't happy that the child lost her life, nor was he pleased that she would be defaced. All of this was simply unthinkable. He didn't want Jedda operated on. He didn't want her brain in another head. This was as strange as anything he'd encountered. But there was one truth that he couldn't deny: Kit Walker wanted his daughter alive. This was the way he could have her back.

Hadea turned her gaze to the surgeons within, who were bearing scalpels, and long, white gowns. They seemed to be waiting for the queen's permission. She leaned her mouth toward a microphone, shifting her eyes onto Jedda's corpse. "Cut the brain out of that human's head. Proceed with the operation now."

Kit began to quiver. "Wait..." he uttered, throwing his stare onto Jedda again.

Jedda remained as she'd been before. Her eyes hung open, gazing at nothing.

The queen made a gesture to the palace guards. Two of them started pulling Kit away.

"Wait!" he yelled. "Jedda! No!" This was the last time he'd see her body. That was quite apparent as he studied the girl.

The guards kept forcing him out of the room.

The window began to grow distant now. Hadea stood there, a hand on her hip, watching the pane as her doctors worked. She was going to study the surgery.

Kit heard what sounded like a drill revving up.

Then the drill started cutting into flesh...

* * * *

Jedda awakened in a quiet room, one that seemed pulled from a storybook. The covers beneath her were incredibly soft.

And yet, she wasn't comfortable at all. Something was different. Something was wrong.

Something was terribly, utterly wrong. These weren't her hands. These weren't her feet. Her skin was remarkably soft and pale. Her breathing was odd. Her face felt strange. She had a weird spot on her left arm too. The thing seemed to be a birthmark of sorts — only she hadn't been born with this.

Jedda started shaking. Her tears welled up. What in the world had become of her? She simply didn't feel like herself anymore.

She tried to recall what had led her here. Rick was conducting an experiment. Everything appeared to go well at first — and then she started feeling incredible pain. The last thing she saw was Rick's horrified face. Where was he now? And where was her dad?

The door slid open. A woman walked in — the prettiest woman she had ever seen. The lady bore a crown and an elegant dress.

Jedda sat up, shifting her gown. Why was she wearing this garment now?

"Rest now, daughter," the woman remarked, sounding quite tender as she smiled at Jedda.

Jedda shook a little " 'Daughter?' " she uttered.

Her father walked in, looking quite tense. "Jedda?" he whispered.

"Father!" she said, springing to her feet — or someone's feet — and managing to run to his waiting arms. They hugged a moment, then faced one another. "Father..." she uttered. "I feel so strange." She noticed a mirror, seeing herself. Her face was the same. Her skin had changed.

"Jedda..." He sighed, holding her arms. "Listen to me."

The woman stepped forward. "No, my daughter, listen to me."

Jedda eyed her, beginning to stare. Why did this woman keep calling her daughter?

"You have a new life, and a new home. You won't be going on adventures now. You'll never have to dodge laser beams again." She eyed Jedda's father. "How dare you ever consent to that? How dare you try to make her like you?"

Her father looked just a little bit ashamed. He shouldn't have been. He'd never forced that. He'd moved her to Central City, yes, but Jedda had chosen the life that they lived.

The woman wore a smile. "From this day forth, you are Princess Jedda. I am your mother, Queen Hadea."

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