The Book of Fluids
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Chapter Twenty-Five: Shinjitsu "God forbid that Truth should be confined to Mathematical Demonstration." ---------- "Project Tetrahedral Righteousness started about thirteen years ago. These files have all the details," Syne said, throwing the folder on the table before Vinny. Vincit stared at the folder for a moment, but it was quickly snatched up by Gauss, much to his relief. "The paperwork outlines a project involving the research and study on an item created by an ancient race of people." "The Dht'n'k'lz," Jon blurted out. Syne nodded and continued, "According to my research, this race was driven to destruction in the hopes of creating a powerful weapon to dominate the universe--" "Actually," Jon interrupted, "The Dht'n'k'lz weren't struggling to create an ultimate weapon at all, but rather a tool to save the universe." "Oh really, now?" Syne replied with much skepticism, "How would you know this? Have you talked to any Dht'n'k'lz recently?" "Yes," the saint replied, in a very serious tone. The lawyer was quiet for a moment, "Well, can't very well argue with that, can I?" "C'mon, keep going," Vinny motioned. "As I was saying, some of these weapons--objects--Most Powerful Objects In The Universe--well, a lot of them survived the explosion that 'supposedly' destroyed the Dht'n'k'lz race. The objects lay adrift in the universe for a long while--" "Until the Hikari-No got their hands on them and tried hiding 'em, so-on-and-so-forth, we read about this months ago on that planet with the fat Cod guy--skip to Tetrahedral Whatever." Syne sighed and pulled a second file out of his case, "Very well. This is likely more important to you anyways," he said, handing the folder to Vincit. The tag on it read Moebius. "Now we're getting somewhere," Vinny said, grabbing the file with a furry paw and opening it. Everything was upside-down. He rolled his red eyes and turned the file around. "The one thing we do know about Karl Moebius is that he was born roughly thirty years ago in Citru, but his training as a dark mage gave him the ability to timestream; magic combined with Vitalicium does unnatural things to the human body, but I think we've discerned by now that Moebius is no ordinary human." "He's a monster," Gauss commented quietly, drawing everyone's attention, "I should have killed him that very day, before the coup--" Jacob waved his hand, "Even if you'd managed to defeat him, he'd likely have some sort of backup plan--this was all really inevitable by that point. The Moebius we're dealing with now is years beyond numerable age--greater than any dragon, greater than any fae or elf--probably even greater than any Dht'n'k'lz." "Is that even possible?" the voice belong to head of Wendauerian security Guideau de Sartoreus. "It is if you consider that there were likely three, maybe four Moebius' existing in the same dimension at the same time," Miriam said, "Such an overlay would allow him to triple or quadruple his age." "Anyways," Syne continued, "Sometime during his life, Moebius decided his power was great enough to seek control of the universe and THAT'S when he found out about the ROCKET." Agent Max glanced over at Oscar, but the angel's expression gave nothing away. "Rocket?" Vinny echoed. "Big, bold and in capital letters." "Wait a minute," Nike tapped a fingernail on the table, "Are we talking about the same weapon involved in the Totolli Missile Crisis?" Maximille closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Syne shrugged, "Yes and no. Funny thing about the Totolli Two incident... there never was a ROCKET." Gauss blinked, "So Okmahr blasted Totolli Two with his lasers and killed millions for nothing?" "Seems that way, doesn't it? Naturally, your father never had control of such a thing. Archived files trace the start of the rumor from Okmahr to High Command to Dewne Intelligence and that's where the trail runs cold--not much to go on. Logic dictates Intelligence was either misinformed by an outside source or infiltrated by someone who wanted to spook Okmahr bad enough to have the planet destroyed." "Well that's a dead end," Gauss said, looking back at the Project Tetrahedral Righteousness folder. "Quite so. If you ignore the fact that the ROCKET is even mentioned, the event is moot in comparison to the subject at hand--yes, Your Majesty," Syne said, holding up a finger to Vinny, "Moving on, moving on." Vincit closed his gaping mouth and shrugged, clasping his paws, causing some of those present to smile. "That was all twenty-two years ago, let's jump ahead nine years. At this point, Emperor Wilhelm Gauss commissions Project Tetrahedral Righteousness." Gauss flipped through some papers in the file folder in front of him and found the initiate paperwork. "So, Project Tetrahedral Righteousness is how the Emperor wanted to find out about the ROCKET?" Windsong offered. "Again: yes and no. Turns out the ROCKET is actually a combination of the top four Most Powerful Objects In The Universe. At the moment we cannot be sure of what or where the first three objects are. However, we do know for a fact that the 4MPOITU is a device known only as The Pyramid." The color had completely drained from Max's face and his eyes ached from stealing glances at the angel--he looked so much like de Viaminima. How could he not be getting this stuff? Joel had. ---------- The party atmosphere of Erendauer had died down considerably over the past few days, although many of the diehard Wendauerians were still going strong to round out the week. While most of the bars and entertainment venues were still packed to overflowing, it was easier for folks to walk the streets unhindered. Yet some would take to the dark alleys. It could easily be inferred that those individuals had some rather unscrupulous deeds to be done. One dark figure, in particular was walking down the alley, apparently returning from an evening of heavy drinking. Joel was looking exceptionally better, despite the alcohol coursing through his veins. He had given up on the old black suit and red tie and had gotten himself a new set of baggy black cargos and a dark hooded trenchcoat--and a hot shower had cleaned off much of the dirt and grime he had acquired over the past few weeks. Now he was mumbling and swearing as he staggered down the alleyway. Things had become increasingly frustrating since he had lost presidency--and now that bastard had a freakin' nun protecting him. What was the world coming to when you couldn't even have a fair fight with your arch nemesis? It occurred to Joel that he wouldn't have fought fair anyways--he likely would've done something dirty and underhanded. It made him grin. What if he kidnapped that nun and did horrible, terrible things to her? There was something so deliciously evil in profaning something so hallowed, and Oscar would probably feel so sick it might just kill him. He might even make a great sacrifice to save her... hmmm... In truth, Joel had already decided he would need to set up some kind of trap. Chasing down that angel and confronting him face-to-face had given him little results--Osc either rebuked him outright or one of his dumbass friends came to his rescue. No, frontal assaults wouldn't work anymore--he needed a trap, maybe some leverage... but what and how? Joel heard a meow and turned to see a small feline-like creature sitting next to the dumpster. It took him a moment to realize that this was no ordinary cat. The red eyes were a dead giveaway. "DAMOCLES," the demon grumbled, "You're just everywhere now, aren't you?" The cat had a piece of plasma screen on its chest and it made an eerie mewing sound as the words flashed across the screen. CORRUPTION HAS COME TO A HALT; THE KING IS RALLYING FORCES AGAINST US. "Damn shame. Whatta ya want? I've already told you I don't want your bug." MOEBIUS HAS ASKED US TO DELIVER A MESSAGE. "Look, tell Moebius that I don't know what the hell a Smurf is--" WHY IS IT YOU WISH TO DESTROY THE ANGEL? "I don't want to KILL him!" Joel waved his arms in the air, "Not physically, I mean, I'd LIKE him to suffer, but I can't outright kill him... what I need is for him to submit to me. As far as I can remember, HE'S been the dominant personality--he made the choices, decided what we would and wouldn't do. I'd pull off something petty every once in a while, but it never was enough--de Viaminima still had his 'morals' and 'faith'." The DAMOCLES-cat tilted its head to the side, appearing interested. "See, if I can get Oscar to concede--to join ME, to admit that I am the dominant personality, then it'll be ME who gets to make the decisions--ME who decides what we do and don't do. The trick is getting the jerk to surrender and relinquish dominance." WE CAN HELP YOU DO THIS. The words on the cat-screen. "Ohhhh, no. You only want me to join your cause--I ain't for that." MOEBIUS NEEDS YOUR HELP. "I already told you--" OUR ENEMIES GROW STRONG; THE ONLY WAY TO CONTEND IS TO JOIN TOGETHER. "Okay, so Moebius AND you need my help?" WE ARE RECRUITING THOSE VITAL TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR MISSION. YOUR UNIQUE CONNECTION TO OSCAR ANGELES AND PROJECT TETRAHEDRAL RIGHTEOUSNESS MAKE YOU AN IMPORTANT ALLY. Joel crossed his arms defiantly, "And if I refuse?" YOU WILL NOT. THE BENEFITS OF JOINING OUR CAUSE ARE TOO GREAT TO DECLINE. "Puh-SHAW! What kind of benefits?" UNIMAGINABLE POWER. IF YOU BECOME OUR ASSOCIATE, WE CAN HELP YOU PUT THE ANGEL IN HIS PLACE: SUBSERVIENT TO YOU. Joel rubbed the stubble on his chin and pondered the situation. Maybe this could work to his benefit after all. Even if DAMOCLES did try to infect him again, he could simply burn the nanovirus out. Moebius was a wild card at this point--the last time he'd seen the dark mage was about a month ago, when he lost the presidency to Gauss. He was sure the old wizard was completely insane, but he'd seen him on some broadcasts with the whiny dragon brat, so it was all pure conjecture at this point. "Alright... what's the plan?" ---------- "During the early years of the project, ROCKET theory was based solely on information gathered from ancient texts and a collection of Most Powerful Objects In The Universe donated by the Grand Counselor himself, Moebius." "How'd he get his grubby mitts on those if the Hikari-No had 'em all hidden?" Vinny posed. "Maybe the Hikari-No DOESN'T have them all--maybe just a majority?" Oscar offered, "Moebius himself had the 1423rd at one point. The Pink Materia?" "Oh yeah," Vinny nodded remember the battle with the elementals months ago back in Citru. "Moebius' knowledge of the Most Powerful Objects In The Universe is unusually extensive--likely in part due to his old age. In fact, he was around two and a half centuries ago, at the start of the Great Thaynan War." The lawyer paused for a second. "Moebius started the war against the Chamaleen?" Nike asked. "It's very possible. The K-Bomb isn't the ONLY reason the war came to a close three years ago. This page," Syne said, pulling out a single sheet of paper, "Is heavily censored, but reading this, we can infer that the Pyramid was hidden somewhere on Thayna, possibly by the Dht'n'k'lz, and discovered by a Corporal you served with, Archduke." Gauss looked up from the file and blinked, "Mihai?" "Costescu, yes. The Corporal just happened to stumble upon the 4th MPOITU during the botched extraction, practically delivering it into the hands of the Empire--and Moebius himself." "So Moebius has the Pyramid but he's still looking for the first three MPOITU to make the ROCKET and we've got to find them before he does?" Wyn said. "That would be a nice start, but there's more to this than meets the eye. I think, if you want the full story, some more research needs to be done--even the vast libraries of Gamezoha tend to fall short in Dht'n'k'lz history. Perhaps it would be best to seek out someone who's an expert in the field?" "The Hikari-No," Jon said, "It was they who picked up the remnant of objects and their writings--they should have a rather clear idea on where to find the first three objects." "Good idea," Syne said, pointing, "But there's two more things the Pyramid needs to work: balance and energy." "Balance?" Miriam asked. "Yes. The power of the first three MPOITU is so... pure that they cannot be used simultaneously in close quarters. Otherwise..." "Boom?" Windsong offered. "BIG boom. So in order for the Pyramid to be used in any matter at all, it needs an element of equilibrium--an axis of control--and that could be anything. A MPOITU, a person, maybe something we can't even comprehend." "Great," Gauss mumbled, "What about the energy?" "Naturally, a tool like the ROCKET is a powerful device, so it calls for a LOT of power... telluric in nature. Collapsed wave forms." "The Dragons?" Gauss stood up suddenly. Syne nodded, "The ROCKET is designed to use a specific kind of energy--one not even the researchers could understand--something about reuniting... something. But who knows? Turns out, though, the essence of the draco works just as well... but you need lots and LOTS of dragons. Dare I say, an entire planet?" "Gamezoha?!" Nike exclaimed, "That bastard is going to try and blow up our planet!" Gauss growled. Vinny slammed his fist on the table, "Moebius is going down. Big time." "Perhaps, but we can't even be sure Gamezoha Prime is the intended target--hell, Moebius may yet uncover the true energy of the Pyramid. In any case," Syne interrrupted, "This brings us full circle back to Project Tetrahedral Righteousness... and DAMOCLES." "DAMOCLES is connected?" Guideau de Sartoreus blinked. "Good sir, EVERYTHING is connected in some way or another. DAMOCLES, in this case, is either a distraction for Moebius' benefit, or a program designed to work FOR the Pyramid. What we know is the DAMOCLES program was originally created ten years ago to help modulate and control the flow of information across the universal internet. What better way to infiltrate a virus than disguise it as household software? What most folks don't know is who created it." "Moebius, obviously," Vinny said, "It's working for him, after all." "I don't think we can be sure who's in charge of who just yet. Right now, DAMOCLES and Moebius may be working jointly with other parties to fulfill different objectives." ---------- The dead guard fell to the floor with a thud and Joel stepped over the bloody body. The DAMOCLES cat flashed its disapproval on the plasma screen, but the demon didn't notice--he was too busy peeking around the corner to see if the coast was clear. The cat mewed to get Joel's attention. "Shhh--shut up!" Joel hissed and waving at the feline bot, "You wanna blow our cover?" YOU HAVE LEFT ENOUGH BODIES IN OUR WAKE TO DO SUCH A THING, FOOLISH DEMON. "Hey, you let me do my job, jerkass, and you worry about your own business. Now c'mon--the ship dock is around here, somewhere..." ---------- "If Moebius didn't build DAMOCLES," Vinny scratched his chin, "Then who did?" "We're still not sure about that. Clearly, Moebius had a hand in the infiltration of the program, but it doesn't necessarily mean he constructed it. These reports suggest that a member of the research team indirectly created the DAMOCLES code as a part of the Project study. A scientist from Earth commissioned by the Gamezohan Empire for his skills in technoalchemy." The lawyer turned to look at Oscar. "Dr. Josephus de Viaminima," Oscar said, nodding in acknowledgement. "Well, doctor?" Syne said, arms crossed, "I think it's time you told us what you know." "Oh boy, this had better be good," Gauss said, crossing his arms, "We've been waiting for this story for quite some time now..." ---------- The palace shipyard took up a considerable amount of space in the far back of the complex--it was designed to be able to accept a number of large ships for visiting dignitaries, allowing the elite to be under Wendauer protection as soon as they became planet-bound. Wyn had made special arrangements to reserve a section of the yard for the J-Train. Now the group had a craft of considerable bulk and firepower, not to mention a smarmy attitude. Joel and DAMOCLES crept through the shadows, surreptitiously avoiding the guards who stood idly by, talking about the past week's events. "Far too easy. Can I kill those two? I really wanna kill those two." ENOUGH. OUR GOAL IS IMPENDING. ACQUIRE ENTRY IMMEDIATELY. "Fine, fine, but if they're still here talking by the time we get back, I'm killing them. Seriously." The demon picked up the nanobot feline and moved in a hurried crouch behind the storage crates to the large red ship that set on the edge of the yard. There was no one standing guard, so it would be a piece of cake to walk on the J-Train and screw with the computer systems. That is, if it didn't start blabbering away. Joel felt a strong hatred toward the craft--he remembered it from years ago, during his time as part of Dr. de Viaminima. He wanted something along the lines of a formidable battleship, but Oscar's prevalence kept his influence from making any variance, and the doctor built this thing instead--a marvel of modern technology with a dumbass AI to boot. Joel knew how the ship thought--knew how it worked. It would sense his presence the first minute he stepped foot on the craft--and it might even try to get rid of him--if the DNA scans didn't give anything away, the intuition software would likely catch something amiss. And then there was DAMOCLES. Broken down as the nanovirus, DAMOCLES might better manage to infiltrate the ship, but in his current form, toting the unknown program into the ship as concentrated matter might set off a few bells and whistles. The demon would need to rely on some techno know-how to get the job done--and that wasn't immediately easy. Joel grimaced when he glanced at his wrist. Nothing. No flaps, no biowires, no plugs--nothing. How Oscar inherited the technomancer abilities and Joel had not was just another reason to hate the angel even more. Still, that didn't mean he didn't have the brains. In the shadow of the ship, Joel ran to part of the craft's underbelly and proceeded to punch in a series of digits. A panel slide open nearby, revealing a small keypad and monitor and the demon started to hack the ship's mainframe and gain access to its continuance programs. By now, the ship should have recognized somebody was accessing its systems, but Joel's biological makeup seemed to be throwing it off. Before the J-Train could say anything, the demon had deactivated its exterior sound system and initialized sensor recalibration, making it nigh impossible for the ship to monitor what was going on underneath it. Joel grinned. Hacking had never been this much fun. "Alright, D," the demon said, typing in a few more commands, "The ship is ready for contamination." There was a low hiss as a nearby hatch opened up and the robotic cat jumped up Joel's back and shoulders and into the ship. In the darkness of the hatch, Joel could read DAMOCLES' words. YOU MUST OBTAIN A VESSEL AND SET COURSE FOR GAMEZOHA SPACE IMMEDIATELY. WE WILL DELIVER FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS AT A LATER TIME. "Yeah, yeah, whatever--hurry it up, the ship's almost conscious." The hatch slid close and Joel punched in a few more digits to tamper with the J-Train's memory banks and close up his hack. With luck, the dumb ship would just think the programming scar a hiccup and discard the damaged data. Satisfied with his work, Joel crept back through the shadows and along the outer wall. Near the back entrance, he noticed the two guards were still chatting away about trivial matters and he grinned maliciously. ---------- "The two of you are the same person--this, Dr. de Viaminima, but split in two? Good side and bad side?" Oscar nodded, "And I'm the shoulder angel. I don't know what experiment caused the accident... and I still don't have any information on Tetrahedral Righteousness--any entry that referred to that Project was deleted from the doctor's personal journals." "Does Sister Assumpta know this?" Jon asked. "Yes, I've told her. Whether she understands it is an entirely different matter." Silence reigned in the room for a few seconds. Oscar sighed, "So, there we have it. I'm no real angel and Joel is my fault." Before the others could protest, Syne spoke up, "You can berate yourself some other time, doctor, right now, we've got to focus on what we know: Moebius has the Pyramid and he's going to use it to destroy the universe." Agent Max stood up from the table and nodded curtly to Syne. "I'm sorry, if you'll excuse..." he said as he walked out of the room. Vinny exchanged glances with Guideau. "What are you going to do now, Osc?" Windsong asked. "I don't know... I've got to try and stop Joel from causing any more mayhem. Except... I don't think I'm meant to kill him... I think I'm meant to 'reunite' with him. The trick is just convincing him to give in. De Viaminima knows something about the ROCKET that I don't. Maybe Joel even has some of his memories. One way or another, we've got to find out what the Pyramid's secret is or else..." "Or else what?" "Something very bad will happen to everyone." ---------- "Never tell the truth to people who are not worthy of it." ---------- "She's dead, Moebius," Wolfram said, laying Nava's lifeless body gently on the ground, "Dead by choice." Upon his throne in his tower castle in an alternate future, Moebius considered the teens that stood before him, the cursed spawn of his enemies and allies. It had been unusually easy to turn them to serve his machinations. He should've guessed something would go wrong. "Foolish child," he hissed deeply. "You can fix this," Casamir said, pointing to his dead friend, "Fix it. Now." "You've no right to make demands of me, boy. It was I who brought the truth to you." "You brought deceit to us!" Wolfram shouted, "You took our insecurities and doubts and twisted them all up and used them against us!" "You LIED to us!" Kirsi screamed. The old wizard laughed madly, "Useless puppets. You have failed miserably; leave now or perish." "YOU FIRST!" Casimir snarled, practically launching himself across the massive throne room with blinding speed and agility. He wasn't quick enough. From seemingly nowhere, Moebius produced a sword and impaled it through the half-demon/half-dragon's chest. "Insufferable fool! You've the stubbornness of your father and the ferocity of your mother, yet no temperament!" he twisted the blade, "Die slowly and painfully." Casimir fell to the ground next to the throne, gurgling blood. Wolfram howled and started bounding towards Moebius, but was knocked backwards by the warlock's will. The force hurled him across the room and against the wall where he feel in a heap on the floor. "WOLF!" Kirsi ran to his side. Moebius sat back down, more irritated by the ease of the challenge than by their diminutive assaults, "Just like your parents," he pondered aloud, "You could never hope to destroy me. I see all and know all." Kirsi turned and glared at Moebius. Even with her mental capacity, she could never hope to defeat him with her telepathy. Kirsi, to her own credit, was well aware of this. From across the room, the old warlock could see the twinkle of the tear on her cheek. And then he noticed the sneer on Wolfram's face. "Bet you didn't see this coming, asshole." Moebius' eyes grew wide and he jerked his head to look down at Casimir who had a bloody smile on his face. In his hand, a small device was beeping, and a digital readout read "00:05". "We are ALL damned, Moebius!" Wolfram roared, "But if we go, we're taking you with--!" ---------- "Excuse me, highness," the Chamberlain entered the room again, "Two SURTR soldiers have requested an audience with the Queen and King." Aris and David stepped into the council room. VINCIT: "YOU!" WINDSONG: "HIM!" JON: "YOU!" DAVID: "Oh-no!" OSCAR: "What?" GAUSS: "HIM?" NIKE: "Who?!" MIRIAM: "Him!" GUIDEAU: "GUARDS!" Within seconds, the council chamber was full of armed Wendauerian guards. Vincit jumped the table and strode up to Aris, wrapping an paw around his throat, "Alright, bastard, it's time to talk." "No talking," Windsong said, stepping up beside Vinny, her face twisted with anger, "Just torture and execution." "Hold on," David said, stepping forward. About six sharp poles poked him to keep him from moving. "Really, I wanna know why you did it. Was it SURTR orders?" "Yes," Aris choked, "I mean, no... kinda--GAH--" "All you can do is lie, eh? Double talk everything--why did you infect Wyn?!" "KLOOOOT... 'twas Klot..." Jon suddenly appeared next to Vincit, "What of Klot?!" "It was direct orders from SURTR! High command used the carrier and assigned him--they wanted me to use my position to get him close to the queen--and now they want to destroy you--" "They're not gonna be very successful at this rate". "SURTR is determined to kill the two of you," David interrupted, "Because Aris and I have defected, they will send somebody in our place, and will persist until they succeed or are destroyed." "And why are you telling us all this?" Gauss demanded. "... can't... brea--" Aris' face started to turn a shade of purple. Vinny sneered and released his grip, "Answer him." "GAH...... I'm done... with it... the intent of SURTR... to encourage growth by exterminating those things which cause stagnation. Power hungry political leaders--corrupt business tycoons. Evolution through chaos. Ourobouros' perseverance, if you will. But these orders," Aris continued, massaging his neck, "They're all wrong. I've determined this--and David agrees: your rise to power, Your Majesty, is the best thing to encourage a tremor in the stillness. It is to the benefit of all in the universe that you become King. That's why when Samael issued the order, I realized something was amiss." "So you resigned," Miriam said. Aris nodded, "I'm leaving SURTR. I'm going back to my wife and daughter." "He's lying," Nike charged. "No," Vincit sniffed, "The bastard's telling the truth--every bit of it." "How do you know?" Guideau looked puzzled. "The nose knows. Still, that doesn't mean I trust him." ---------- The grand hall outside the council room was a testament to Wendauerian architecture. Massive obsidian columns lined the halls, casting shadows on the ground. The contrast between the light from outside and the dark gloom reminded Syne of the almost dual nature of the culture. The lawyer was outside the council room at the moment while Vinny and Company debated what to do with the SURTRites. This was a new development. It hadn't immediately occurred to him that a paramilitary group affiliated with the Mi-Go might want some say in the destruction of the universe, but now that he thought about it, it seemed to make sense. He was replaying the events from earlier in his head when he heard a whisper from the shadows. "Just what do you think you're doing?" Syne turned and saw someone in the darkness, whom he recognized almost immediately, "I'm not interfering with the King, if that's what you're asking. You've seen the guy--he's not exactly the kind of person you'd--" "You're helping them. You're telling them everything." "Granted, they won't learn it on their own this way, but when the fate of the universe hangs in the balance--" "Jacob, listen to me: what you are doing here is in a conflict of interest with certain parties." Pause. "Are you threatening me, Max?" Maximille shook his head, "This is no threat; merely a friendly warning." Silence between the two; then Syne spoke: "You know, I had a feeling you were in on this, Max, I just didn't know how--or when I'd find out about it--who do you work for--Moebius? DAMOCLES? The Tres?" Max was shaking his head impatiently, "Jacob, this is too deep for you to possibly understand--" "Bullshit. I'm a lawyer, Maximille--it's my job to come up with this kind of stuff. Just try to explain it to me." "I can't. I can't even begin to tell you--I--I can't, I--" "Where are you going?" "I have to leave--I have to leave," Max said, walking away rapidly, "Leave this alone, Jacob. You leave this alone--you are in WAY over your head." Syne contemplated this revelation. Max appeared to be wrapped up in the side of chaos, but in what way? Was it by choice or by force? Funny--usually the lawyer was always the bad guy. ---------- Jon sighed, "What dost thou suggest we do with him, brother?" Vinny contemplated the situation, then he shook his head, "I'm calling a time out for a mini conference. Jon, Gauss. Oscar, get over here, you're in on this, too. Just give us a second--and try not to kill him, sweetie." The four walked over to a corner of the conference hall. David and Aris were still surrounded by guards, while Wyn, Miriam, Nike and Guideau regarded the two ex-SURTR Shadowscorchers with great displeasure. "What's the call, Vin?" Gauss asked in a hushed voice. Vincit frowned, "... I don't know. There's too much going on. Aris is telling the truth, so SURTR is now officially an enemy." "And that's bad news," Oscar said, "Because they're a formidable force to reckon with." "Those were all Schwarzwyrmkommandos and Adamus loyalists that were destroyed," Gauss pointed out, "I'm sure we can afford some Silver Berets and part of the PSY SQUAD, if necessary--it'll be asking a favor of Nike, though... she'll want to be reimbursed." "We'll throw ourselves at her mercy and worry about payback later--" "We?" Jon stammered. "--so do we kill him, lock him up, let him go?" "I say we find out who his wife is," Oscar suggested, "See if his story is legit, then set up a personal escort to take him straight there--maybe send a spy to keep tabs on him--make sure he doesn't try to screw stuff up. Same treatment for David." Vinny nodded, "Good idea, Osc. We'll make arrangements for that. Now, the first three Most Powerful Objects In The Universe: we need to find those before Moebius does--and the Hikari-No should be able to help us." Gauss nodded, "Sounds like a return trip through the black hole." "As soon as possible. I think we should take the J-Train for that one--if it's up for the trip. You alright with that, Oscar?" "No problem." "Good. Meanwhile, we'll continue our current program devising anti-virus software for DAMOCLES and questioning those infected... did I cover everything?" "'Tis a start," Jon nodded. Gauss and Oscar agreed, and all four walked back over to the others. "What's your ex's name?" Aris looked up, "Please don't drag her into this--" "I'm gonna check to see if she even exists--what's her name?" "Aria Kurosawa." Oscar and Jon looked at each other, surprised. The angel spoke first, "Whoa, time out. You said Aria?" "What do you know of Miss Kurosawa?" Jon asked. Aris looked confused, "You've met her? On Xurmaith, I suppose?" "Yeah--she's your ex, eh?" "Can SOMEBODY clue us in, here?" Nike asked. "It would seem," Jon said, "That Aris' ex-wife is the biomancer that healed Oscar when we stopped on Xurmaith weeks ago. That means your daughter's name is Amaya, right?" "We met those folks--they're nice people. You left them for SURTR?" "Long story," Aris said. "I think we ought to take Aris and David back personally," Oscar said. "Alright, here's the deal," Vinny said, "You two will be given accommodations here for the night and tomorrow we'll take you to Xurmaith and find out if this Aria even wants you back. You do not return to SURTR; do not come back to Erendauer; do not pass Go; do not collect 200 credits. If I so much as see your likenesses, you will be executed, no questions asked. You dig?" "I understand," Aris nodded solemnly. David grimaced, but nodded as well. "Alright, lock these two up--no rough stuff. And feed 'em if they're hungry." After David and Aris had been led out of the council chambers, Vinny continued, "We've got to go see the Hikari-No. We're gonna take the J-Train tomorrow back to the Khenteles system. The anti-DAMOCLES programs continue--and we need to get some observation teams together to keep tabs on SURTR activity. Osc?" "Your Majesty?" "You don't call me that--I want to look over those journal entries with you, if you don't mind." "We can do that tomorrow on the J-Train." "Excellent. If there isn't anything else, meeting adjourned. I'm starving." ---------- Deep within the bowels of the Gamezoha Secundus underground, Moebius was delivering a report to himself in his secret chambers. "The Remarkably Evil Four have failed," a astoundingly younger Moebius was saying, "Somehow, the paladin attained enlightenment that turned them against us. No news from our counterpart in their realm. We fear he is destroyed." "A minor setback," Moebius said. His voice sounded strained, like he was losing his health. His mental capacity had been questionable for years now, but it seemed the events of the past few months were beginning to take their toll on him. He sat in the darkness now, his plush reindeer TooToo on his lap. "The anti-DAMOCLES programs have halted infection, but have not reversed it. As quickly as the nanovirus is disabled, another is contaminated. The program yet shows promise." "Indeed," the older Moebius nodded, "DAMOCLES reports that Joel Diablo is en route to join forces with our cause yet again--and SURTR has become complacent under Samael's control. The Servant will also return to us soon." "And what of his daughter?" "She is lost to us... for the time being. She is on no-one's side." The young Moebius nodded, aware that this meant Kara and Nevin were off doing their own thing. There was some concern that they may defect to the resistance, but there was no way to be certain. The vampire was a wild card--an erratic part of the formula for success--his involvement could not have been predicted, and now, neither could the outcome. But at this point, the formula for success was so jumbled as to not even resemble the original intent of Moebius--his past, present, future, and multi-dimensional self. "Some of us have expressed concerns for our current ability to succeed in this current state of affairs." "Are you questioning MY authority?" the older Moebius asked. "OUR authority," the younger Moebius replied, "We are all one in this. We think we currently lack the proper judgment and direction--" "This was MY plan from the start! None of you--us--would be where we are without our--MY--guidance. Besides," the old wizard said, holding up the plush reindeer, "TooToo has told me so." The younger Moebius regarded his older counterpart with trepidation, "Do you base all our decisions on the... 'words' of that... thing?" "Never you mind--you are dismissed. Continue as planned and report back at the next due time." ---------- Nike had left the dining hall after lunch and was heading to the shipyard. She was going to return to Gamezoha quietly, without announcing her departure. Vinny and Gauss met her at her ship. "Damnit. How'd you two know?" "Call it a hunch," Vinny said. "Why go back now?" Gauss asked. "Don't be silly, brother. The empire has been without my presence long enough. I have matters to attend to--need to marshal our forces against SURTR and advance the anti-DAMOCLES programs in our territory--not to mention keeping an eye out for Moebius." "His trickery knows no bounds, sis," Gauss said, darkly, "I don't think your mind is any less skilled than my own, but he constrained my free will without my knowledge and I fear he may try to do the same with you." "Please, it's not like I'll start a wa..." she sighed, catching herself before she finished the insult, "Sorry, Wernher..." "You don't HAVE to go back, you know," Vinny said, "You can stay here an' Wyn and I can set up an office where you can conduct all your business." Nike smiled coyly, "Sounds like you REALLY don't want me to go--are you coming onto me?" "It's not ALWAYS about sex, Nike. I mean, I'm not saying I don't think you're hot, but that's not why I love you," Vinny said, feeling uncomfortable, "It's hard to explain--I've been a hard case much of my life--I've only recently found out how capable I am of caring for others. You are a friend! Hell, you're practically family now, and I guess I worry about you!" Nike had a contemplative look on her face, "You really mean it, don't you." "I said I wasn't gonna let anybody hurt you," Vinny poked himself in his chest, "Gauss feels the same way--that's why we both showed up. We can't stop you from leaving, but we can't guarantee you'll be safe if you're halfway across the universe from us." Nike didn't want to reveal her feelings. She appreciated their concern--and it felt awkward. Growing up, she rarely did have anyone show this kind of love to her. Usually, it was all about sensuality and pleasures of the flesh--but a love that knew nothing of pleasure but that of compassion for another? This was different. It was good. Too good. It nearly hurt to realize how long she had been without it--how she had held complete disregard for it and denied her own brother of it. "I have to go back. Let me tend to my own affairs and I'll come back when I'm finished. Is that okay?" Gauss sighed, "I suppose. You want me to come along?" "Please, I'm a big girl--I can take care of myself. You take care of you, okay?" Nike looked at her brother and remembered the words of her former mistress: bring me your brother's head. She shuddered within. "We'll be waiting," Vinny nodded. Nike boarded the ship with no other words. The two watched it lift off. "She never was one for goodbyes," Gauss said, shielding his eyes from the sun. "Yeah," Vinny nodded, suddenly smiling, "I guess it's hard to leave unnoticed when you're an empress--can't do all the fancy ninja flips to vanish without a trace..." ---------- Later that evening, Jon was knocking on Vinny and Windsong's door. Vincit had requested the saint's presence--apparently, something serious had gone down. Windsong let him in. "Good evening, Wyn," Jon nodded, then looked at the nearby desk where Vincit was sitting. Oscar was in the room as well, sitting on a nearby couch. "Bro, take a look at this," Vincit said, handing Jon the hardcopy, "It's a message from Earth." "DAMOCLES has Earth, does he not?" "He does. And I'm kickin' myself for not realizing it sooner. The Clan is back there--as is SOAKID. I didn't think what happened to Dave and the others with Em showing up here on this side of the galaxy..." Jon read over the message, "Diarmuid. The wereraven... oh merciful Lord... they're all captured--" "No, read further--they're all hiding out in the Schwarzwald. Ketch is missing. Dave... is... uh, Diarmuid says Gaia can't speak anymore. DAMOCLES has drowned her voice. It's only a matter of time before they're discovered. That virus has everything--communications, transportation, the satellites. Damn him..." "We are to mount a rescue mission, then?" "That's what I'm working on. We can't afford to spread the forces too thin across the galaxy--not with the SURTR threat. Besides, what's to say we can take back an entire planet from DAMOCLES? He might even try to destroy Earth instead of letting us take it back." "On the other hand," Oscar piped up, "A small group could try to infiltrate the planet and ship the people out. We'd need a single ship, big enough to carry a large number of people, but small enough to fly in undetected." "Where are we going to get something like that?" Windsong asked. Oscar grinned, "We've already got one." Silence. "What, you mean, the J-Train? Wait, is THAT--" "The ship that supposedly had a cloak in development but your intelligence had no idea where it was? Yep. That's the one." "Rock on," Vinny said. "Yet, is it big enough to hold the remnants of our people?" Jon asked. "Well, that's only one matter we have to worry about. I've never even used the cloak to begin with, I just know Josephus designed the ship with that feature in mind, so I'm not even sure if it's fully operational. It might be uncomfortable and a little cramped, but we might be able to get everyone on." "If things go as planned, we'll leave tomorrow to ship off Aris and David, then it might take a day or so, but we'll rescue our folks back on Earth, bring 'em back to Erendauer, then head out to see the Hikari-No." "I'm going with you," Windsong said. "Sweetheart," Vinny started, exasperation in his voice, "The baby? The kingdom? You're the queen, you've got responsibilities--" "Cha! Yeah! I'm the QUEEN! This isn't a patriarchal society, bub, I call the shots, and I say I'm going WITH you--or better yet, I'LL go and YOU stay here." "WHAT?! Listen, I don't want you getting hurt--" "Actually, Wyn is a one tough sorceress when she wants to be--" "Shut up, Oscar! Really, Wyn, what about the kingdom?" Windsong smiled, "Skai is perfectly capable of running things in my absence. And she's got PLENTY of sitters--De Sartoreus, Thora, Em, YOUR father--" "I can only imagine what shape the kingdom would be in once we get back," Vinny said, shaking his head. "Like it or not, your furriness, I'm going and that's final." "Your furriness?" Jon echoed. "Just... don't ask," Vincit waved a hand at him, "Fine, let's at least get Gauss in here and let him know our plan now--he might have some suggestions... like leaving pregnant queens at home." He mumbled the last part. "I HEARD THAT!" ---------- "The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple." ---------- "I hoped... maybe..." "I wish. I miss you too." Gauss was dreaming of Krystal... but he couldn't be sure if it was a dream or not. They were together, again, in the Glade of the Silberwald. "I'm only sorry I know you won't ever be happy--I wouldn't be, without you. But hopefully you'll find peace, and that will have to do." Gauss listened to this with his head lowered. He knew what his next words were supposed to be, but he had other things he wanted to talk to her about... and he was afraid to ask them for fear of ending the dream. "Moebius wants to control the universe... he wants to use DAMOCLES and destroy our race and bring destruction... SURTR wants to destroy everything... there are too many enemies against us... why must this continue? I don't want it anymore, I just want you." To his surprise, Krystal replied. "Oh, Wernher," a loving, sympathetic look on her face, "I'm sorry you are tortured so. The world as it exists was not meant for you." "I could have stood it... if you were still here..." There was quiet, only the sound of the nearby water falling down the rocks and the sounds of insects in the night. "Your brother hates me." "He has many demons in his closet. It saddens me that there is nothing we can do to help him--he will either face them and flee the darkness or remain forever captive in his grief." Gauss thought of his encounter with Krystal's brother in the Halak dungeon. She read his mind. "It's my opinion, Wernher, that leaving the scar on your face is a... noble testament." The dragon looked at the ghostly figure, "What, you don't like it?" Krystal giggled, "I love you regardless of however many scars you may have! I always thought you had a handsome face, though that is not why I adore you so. The mark IS a cruel reminder..." Gauss sighed and basked in the silence... it were as if that moment in time had stopped, and it gave him levity from the pain. "Krystal--?" "The King will try to give his life for all." "--what?" "In the days of yore, the King's sacrificed himself so that the land could live once more. It has happened before... and it will happen again... on a grand scale." "I don't understand." Krystal smiled, her hands behind her back, "You will, dearest. You will... the King will try to give his life for all... but it is not how the story ends..." As his vision faded, the dragon heard words in the distance. I am Gauss' blood. I long for Reunion. I bring Might. I am Krystal's blood. I long for Reunion. I bring Peace. The Archduke awoke suddenly. He was in his bed... alone again... Nicolette had been disappearing more and more often. Had he said Krystal's name in his sleep? He recognized the buzzing sound from the page system. "It's Vinny. Can you meet us... ?" ---------- Erendauer's forests were both very beautiful and very dangerous. The same flower that possessed an unnatural beauty could also consume a humanoid in a matter of seconds. Only those with an understanding of the flora could truly commune and appreciate the beauty. The voice of a woman's laughter seemed to echo from all around in the trees, flowing into the small clearing where Fendegist and Jorgan were sitting by a fire. The two had brought Sylvia to a forested area a far way out from the capital city. "Think she's alright?" Fendegist asked his brother. "Aye, she seems to be in her element here. Perhaps she is of a fae descent?" Fendegist scratched his beard, "She's the most human fae I've ever seen. She might be a half-breed." They turned as Sylvia stepped gently into the clearing. The color in her skin had grown fuller and she appeared rejuvenated. Having been isolated from the forests for so long, she had grown unwell, but now, even in the wild woods of Erendauer, she could fill the spirits of the plants and trees revitalize her. She walked up to the two brothers, a relaxed look on her face. "Who do I have to thank for this?" she asked. Fendegist blinked and looked at Jorgan, who shrugged, then spoke in Latin, "We are sorry, we... cannot understand your words." She nodded, "My apologies, kind sirs." Fendegist blinked, "Did she just speak fluent Saxon?" "And Latin," Jorgan said, shaking his head, "What enchantment is this?" Sylvia smiled, "I am part dryad. We have at some capacity the ability to communicate to all beings in some form or another--although it is not as you perceive. It is complicated, but I would rather not go into the details. But never mind all that," she said, bowing slightly, "Thank you both very much for bringing me here. The forest has helped revitalize me, somewhat, and ease my troubled mind. Again, I thank you both." "That's good news," Jorgan chuckled, "At least we're doing something right, eh, Fen?" Fendegist shoved Jorgan hard, knocking the shaman to the ground, who started laughing harder. "Listen, uh..." "You may call me the Green-Haired Witch," Sylvia said, nodding. "Well... Witch," Fendegist said, with some trepidation, "We need to have a long talk about... many things." Jorgan seemed to recover from his laughing fit and sat back up, checking on the pot above the fire. The Green-Haired Witch bowed her head, "I understand that I have lost much time. A lot has happened since my last me... mor... y..." "What's wrong?" "... I... I seem to recall something... after I fell from the scaffold... a thunderous voice..." The brothers exchanged glances and looked back at Sylvia. "... he... wills it forth... an elder god barely alive..." she looked at the two men, hoping they might have answers to what her words meant. They didn't seem entirely responsive. "Please join us," Jorgan said, handing her a cup of warm herbal tea, "We have much to discuss..." ---------- The next morning, the group readied to leave for Xurmaith. Windsong talked to her advisors, along with Guideau de Sartoreus and Jake to have Skai hold the throne under their watchful eyes. Skysong was thrilled. Vinny and Wyn left her in the throne room along with Sartoreus, Jake, Emmanuel and Thora. "Be good now, kiddo," Vincit said, smiling and waving, "Don't go starting no wars." The room was silent after the Queen and King had left. A wide-eyed Skysong spoke, "Can I--" "NO!" everyone said in unison. "Oh pooh." Vinny, Windsong, Gauss, Oscar, Assumpta, Jon, Miriam, Aris and David boarded the J-Train. Oscar gave them a tour of the red ship, which impressed nearly everyone--from the size of the accommodations and the high-tech systems to the quality of the interior. The cargo hold on the lower level of the ship was nearly empty, and in that state, it looked like it might hold a large group of people fairly well. Whether the knights and werewolves could get along well enough in closed quarters was another matter, but needs were too dire. Oscar was alone in the cockpit, trying to access the online systems but there seemed to be no response. "Wha... something's wrong." "'Smatter?" Vinny asked, plunking a furry paw on Oscar's shoulder. "I'm not sure," Oscar said, pressing buttons and reading the screen. The lights in the ship flickered. "Whoa, is that normal?" Oscar didn't respond. He was still tapping away on the buttons, "J-Train? You okay?" There was a quiet digital murmur and then a soft buzz, "No, it's not normal, Vinny," the angel finally said, "Something's wrong with the J-Train's computer systems--" "I--I think I'm okay-kay-kay-kay... everything's f-f-f-fine, boss." "Something's not quite right if you're talking like Max Headroom," Vinny grinned. "Alright, that's the last straw," Oscar said, pulling his biowires, "I'm plugging in." The ship suddenly screamed, "NOOOOOOOO! DON'T DO IT, OSCAR, DON'T DO IT--IT'S A TR--" Oscar and Vinny remained motionless, wide-eyed. Vincit blinked, "Ooooooo-kayyyyy. Your ship scares me, Osc." "What the hell are you doing in here?" Gauss said, poking his head into the cockpit, "Killing the ship?" "I haven't done anything, yet, I'm just about to plug in and find out what's going on." "Keep that thing from screaming again--you scared the girls half to--HEY!" Gauss stumbled through the doorway and Miriam appeared behind him. "Oscar! Don't connect!" "Do what?" Oscar asked, plugging the biowire into the port. "Oh damn," said Vinny. All the screens in the cockpit suddenly glowed a bright red. Oscar could hear a faint buzzing in his ears. The monitors flashed. THE ANGEL IS MINE! ALL SHALL FALL TO DAMOCLES! "Stop!" Vinny said, "Quick! Take the wires out!" "It's too late!" Oscar exclaimed, "I'm... already infected." "DAMOCLES has the ship!" Jon exclaimed, running into the cockpit, followed by Windsong and Assumpta, "Oh, God." The three stood shocked at the sight of Oscar connected to the computer. "What happened?" Aris asked, wandering in. "What happened?" Vinny echoed, striding up to Aris and grabbing him by the collar, "I'LL TELL YOU WHAT HAPPENED--YOU INFECTED THE SHIP, YOU SON-OF-A--" "What? I didn't do--" "--HAVE YOUR HEAD ON A STICK IN FRONT OF THE IMPERIAL PALACE--" "--it wasn't me--" "--NOT FIT FOR CONSUMPTION--" "--I had nothing--" "--SOUL BURNS IN HELL--" "--I DIDN'T!" "STOP IT!" Oscar yelled, "STOP yelling at him! He didn't do it!" "How do you know?!" Gauss asked. "Because... DAMOCLES just said so... it was Joel..." "Damn him!" Vinny pounded the wall of the ship, inches away from Aris' head. "Okay, everybody chill... I'll just tap into the system and disable DAMOCLES--flush him out. Nobody screws with my ship--" Oscar stopped talking and his body fell limp in the chair. "Oscar!" Assumpta ran forward. "Hold it," Miriam warned, "Do not disconnect him from the system... DAMOCLES has him." "Can't we do something?" "I'm not sure. Gauss--you're proficient in operating systems--I'll need your help. We need to search the drives and find out where DAMOCLES has taken Oscar's consciousness." The dragon nodded and sat in a nearby seat and started to type commands into the system, "It's no use--the system's nearly completely locked up--it's barely responsive." ALL SHALL FALL. Gauss flipped off the monitor and went back to imputing commands. Suddenly, the ship lurched forward and started to fly speedily into the air. "What the hell?" Miriam shook her head, "DAMOCLES is kidnapping us--hold on. Are communications down?" Gauss checked the systems, "Locked down. We can't send anything to Erendauer." "Oh dear..." ---------- There was a deep, incomprehensible blackness. Then a faint light appeared, and it grew outwards horizontally. More lights appeared, creating lines and shapes that glowed a faint blue. Some were red and some were orange. The glow started to burn. Oscar opened his eyes and found himself elsewhere--a mysterious landscape of bites and bytes, data and detail. He was IN the J-Train's computer. Slightly dazed, the angel sat up to look at himself. He appeared as he did in reality, but the edges of his being were traced with sharp blue lines, and his entire body had a blue hue to it. "Eat your heart out, Kevin Flynn," Oscar muttered as he stood up and looked at his surroundings. Nearly everything glowed a harsh shade of red--from the outlines of structures and the horizon, to the panels on the walls and floor. In the air, beams of light zoomed across crisscrossing lines--data being transferred between programs. It occurred to Oscar that if he was in the computer, he was in a world completely controlled by DAMOCLES. He checked his body, looking for any signs of red, but could find none. Why would his mortal body become infected but his consciousness remain protected? It didn't quite make sense. He hoped the others wouldn't disconnect him from the computer--he may never get out of here. "Since I'm here, I might as well try to do some damage," the angel said, flexing his wings. He soared into the air to get a high view of the area. There were a few small buildings that had columns of light shooting forth from them--and they pulsed, as if sending information. He'd start there--maybe there was a way to deactivate the nanovirus. ---------- "Vashdra, darling, when are we going to meet mother dearest?" Salyra lounged lazily on the spiky-looking loveseat in the dark gloom of Castle Dirge. "All too soon, I fear," Vashdra said, twirling a whip in the air, "She insisted on visiting tomorrow." "Oh, what fun," Salyra said, seeming to perk up. A crossbred Amazon/Bunnygirl walked into the room, carrying a tray with a single wine glass. Vashdra blinked at the specimen, "Who is that and what is she doing here?" "Oh, one of my latest toys, that's all--I had some contacts transport them here for my pleasure," Salyra purred, taking the glass of blood from the tray. "They're hypnotized to do my bidding. There'll be more, of course, as soon as I can muster the forces to take back my Ducat. I will have my revenge on the Amazons. And that paladin..." she gritted her teeth as she said this. Vashdra cocked his head to the side, "You mean Saint Jon? You intend to kill a knight of the Ineffable Dogma?" "Don't be silly, pet. I'll make his existence a most painful one, to be certain--along with the beast-man and the dragon and the angel. They will all suffer for their transgressions against me--eventually." Salyra drank some of the blood from the glass and licked her lips. "That's another thing--I don't think the dragon was so involved in your demise--he was, after all, under your control." "What is your meaning?" Salyra asked, her eyes narrowing. "I'm only saying that Archduke Gauss could be a viable ally--if we could convince him to fund our cause." "You always were a loyalist to the crown, were you not? I bet you'd rather see the ex-President in his place." Vashdra scowled. He remembered the battle against the former New Republic's Space Marines, and Joel Diablo's mocking face. "Any last words?" the demon had taunted. Asshole. "I can sense your tension, darling," Salyra said, finishing the last of the glass and setting it on the nearby table, "You need to relax. Focus less on the past and more on the now. Pain and pleasure." The duchess flexed the leather strap tight and started stalking over to Vashdra, who despite his excitement, was looking a little pale. "What's the safety word?" Salyra chuckled, "You know better than that, honey. No word is safe." ---------- Oscar stood in a large room. There were a number of panels on the walls--and they all appeared to glow that irritating shade of red. DAMOCLES at work, he thought. He was observing one of the panels when he heard a voice behind him. "Mr. Angeles." Oscar whirled around and saw a figure outlined in red walking toward him. He was a tall man with short hair and a beard--he looked as if he lived in a desert. He immediately knew who it was. "DAMOCLES." "Surprised to see me?" The man smirked. "No." "Then you're aware of it." Oscar regarded DAMOCLES with skepticism, "Of what?" "Our connection." "Don't play games with me, D." DAMOCLES laughed. Oscar reached behind him to summon forth his sword... "It's no use trying--your weapon cannot materialize in this realm," DAMOCLES started walking towards Oscar. "Alright, then," the angel said, taking a fighting stance, "Let's dance the old-fashioned way." "Satisfactory. I'll lead," DAMOCLES rushed at Oscar with blinding speed and rammed him in the chest with his shoulder. With the angel bent over, the virus then spun around and brought his fist down behind Oscar's head, knocking him to the ground. He followed that with a heel kick to the side of his face, knocking him out. "My, aren't we the lousy dancer?" ---------- Aboard the J-Train, navigation was offline, communications was down and life-support was at a minimum. It was dark and quiet--only the low hum of the InstaPulse could be heard as the ship sped through space. And the destination was known only to DAMOCLES. Gauss typed commands on the keyboard, but was replied to by an annoying buzzing sound. He sighed, "That's it. Everything's locked. He's got it all." A feeling of helplessness seemed to pervade the cockpit. "Well, he wants us for something, obviously," Vinny said, "Otherwise we'd be dead by now--and we have no way of knowing where we're going." "Could be sending us to Gamezoha," Samsa suggested, "Or he could just be sending us into uncharted territory--make us die by being stranded in the middle of nowhere." Aris sighed, "As much as I'd like to stand around here and speculate on how DAMOCLES is going to kill us, I'd rather focus on how to get us out of here. Can't we plug into the system or something. Oscar could probably use our help." "No way," Vinny said, shaking his head, "YOU aren't plugging into anything." "Listen, your majesty, with every single bit of due respect, I know what I did was wrong--I screwed up. I did things for what I thought were the right reasons, but I was fooled, and it takes a lot for me to stand here and admit that--it took a lot more for me to come back to tell you what I did. I did it 'cause I thought you were good people and it would be the right thing to do, but I'm starting to think maybe I was wrong. You've given me nothing but crap. Maybe I deserve some of it, but Oscar sure as hell doesn't deserve being refused help because you don't trust me. Let me help." Vincit stepped right up to Aris and stared him in the face. Vin couldn't have been more than an inch taller, but Aris stood his ground, and his face was solid--it was the most defiance he had demonstrated since his arrival yesterday. Vinny's eyes glowed red and his hands had balled up into furry fists. It breathed heavily for a few seconds before speaking, "YOU aren't going in: I am. Miriam, can you plug me in?" "Vinny, are you sure about this?" Windsong asked. "No, I'm not--but between my blood and Mir's nanobots, I'm willing to take the risk. Ariston is right about one thing--Oscar can probably use all the help he can get--and maybe we can give DAMOCLES the boot while we're at it." Windsong nodded, "Very well," she said, walking up next to her husband, "So am I." "Huh?" "If we route the wires through you and Miriam, there should be little to worry about, right?" she waited for a response from Vinny, but when he couldn't find the words, she turned to Miriam, "Mir?" "It's entirely feasible, Windsong." "You people are crazy," David said pointedly, "I love it." "If you're going in, brother," Jon said, rolling up his sleeves, "Then I will bear this burden with you." "I'm not sure if we will have enough biowires," Miriam said, checking the box. She was untangling a pair of wires when someone stuck their bare arm in her face. She looked up at Gauss. "You know how I feel about this... but we're doing this for Oscar." Miriam nodded, recalling Gauss' distrust of her. It was a noble gesture on his behalf and she wanted to honor it. Aris and David watched as the others started slipping wires under their skin. In the corner, Assumpta started to mouth a silent prayer. ---------- Oscar's vision returned to him and he found himself in a small cell. It became clear that DAMOCLES had beat him senseless and thrown him into containment. Hideously clever. There was little to the small room--the few panels in the black and blue room glowed red. The only exit was blocked with a series of orange bars that seemed to flare and pulse. "Firewall," Oscar muttered, walking up to the bars. Outside was another circular chamber, but nothing of great note. DAMOCLES was nowhere to be seen. The nanovirus was either really busy or overly confident. Escaping would be easy for the angel. He touched a small, nearby control panel and found he could easily hack the subroutine. He was out in a matter of seconds. Oscar looked around the room and noticed a second cell nearby with an active firewall. Inside was a young man, dressed in 20th century apparel, and outlined in blue. "Hello?" Oscar asked tentatively. The young man's face shot up and he looked surprised. He jumped up from his sitting position and ran up to the firewall, "Is... is that you, boss?" "J-Train?" "OSCAR! Oh, geez, it's YOU! WOW! OH! Crap--crap, crap--is that scary guy around? Quick, you gotta get me outta here!" "Calm down, calm down," Oscar said, motioning with his hands, "What happened, J?" "Dude! Somebody who looked JUST like you busted into my systems 240 cycles ago and things got jumbled and I don't remember what happened, but next thing I know, this dude shows up and things start turning red and I lost control! VIRUS! He's a virus--and he locked me in this cell and I couldn't get out and... Daniel. Daniel's his name--but he calls himself--" "DAMOCLES--chill, J-Train, I'm gonna bust you out--we've got to take the ship back over--he's trying to kill us all." Oscar accessed a nearby panel and started hacking into the system. "You mean you and Assumpta and that half-Zardarkian and--" "Yes, yes, me, Dearbháil, Vinny, Wyn, Gauss--" "Wait, wait, wait--why would he want to do that to you?" "I'm trying to concentrate here, J. Look, it's a long story--Vinny, Jon and the others are basically key figures in a plot to save the universe from DAMOCLES and Moebius." "Moebius?" J-Train scanned his databanks, "You mean the Prime Minister of Gamezoha?" "EX-Prime Minister. That's him. Haven't you read the backup files? My journals?" "Sorry," the figure in the cell shrugged, "How was I to know it wasn't personal?" "It is but that doesn't mean YOU can't read it--dang, that's not gonna work..." The man in the cell tried looking through the firewall at an angle to get a better view of Oscar, "Whatcha doin' there?" The angel rolled his eyes, "Trying to bust you out of here--do you mind? I need to focus here--" "Oh, okay, sorry." Silence. "... you need a hand there?" "I need you to be quiet a little bit longer, J." "Right." Silence. "Almost done?" "Getting there. Hush up." "Yep." Silence. "Now?" "J-TRAIN!" "SHHHHH!!!!!" ---------- "This... is so VERY trippy." Vinny held up his hand and observed the bluish tint of his hairy arms. Gauss walked up next to him--the dragon was already in battleform, "Rather interesting, ain't it, Vin? The only experience I've had that's rivaled this was a Kallisti King--" "Alright," Wyn said, walking up, "Let's go find Osc and kick some DAMOCLES' ass. I've got a bone to pick with him." "You and me both." ---------- "Where are we now, J?" The J-Train blinked and looked down the hall. The computer scratched its head, "I can't tell, boss. I'm totally lost. I've no control--it's got me all disoriented." "Great. Just great," Oscar sighed, sitting on the ground. J-Train stared at Oscar for a minute before walking over to one of the walls and leaning against it. There was a soft beep and a woosh as a pair of nearby doors opened up, revealing a large dark room beyond. "Hey... hey, boss? What do you suppose this means?" Oscar glanced in the direction of the computer program--then did a double-take, "How'd you do that?" "I just leaned on the wall, that's all." The two walked slowly into the dimly lit room. In the low light, rows and rows of boxes were stacked in varying heights. "Ah-HA!" the J-Train said, snapping its fingers, "It's the DATA DUMP!" "You mean... these are all the journal files from de Viaminima's computer?" "Bingo Ringo! Let's see what we can find--" There was a flash of light and J-Train was suddenly blasted out of the room and back into the hall. The doors to the Data Dump immediately slid shut. Oscar whirled around and could see a figure perched among a stack of boxes. DAMOCLES smiled, "Welcome back, Mr. Angeles. Or should I say, Dr. de Viaminima?" ---------- War. War is good for a lot of things. It's good for business. It's good for industry. There's money to be made in a war. War justifies existence. The pain reminds us we're alive and how close we are to death. War is great for ego. War is a distraction. You can't worry about your own miserable state of affairs if you're too busy fighting a war. Oh yes, war is good--sometimes even glamorous. Heroes are made on the battlefield--it doesn't matter if you live or die, so long as you achieved greatness in battle. War could make you famous. War was life and death and everything in between. Morgan-Giles was sitting in the commander's office on the GENS Morning Star. Before him on the desk lay two separate communicae. The one on the left had arrived not but an hour ago. Empress Nike had requested the admiral call his fleet back to Gamezoha Prime to meet on the matter of taking the fight to a certain underground paramilitary organization. The Admiral knew she meant SURTR. He knew, because the hard copy on the right was a day-old printout from the SURTR leader himself, Samael. It was an offer directed to the Admiral to bring his fleet to join SURTR. Somehow, it had gotten out that Morgan-Giles had been greatly disappointed by the lack of a war against Wendauer--and that the Admiral would do just about anything to go back on the warpath. Samael would give him his war. Now, he faced a great dilemma. There was a choice to be made: his love for war or his loyalty to the Empire. ---------- "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." ---------- "It's an honor to meet my creator in person," DAMOCLES said. "I didn't make you." "Not quite. And yet, adequately so. Moebius did have a hand in my engineering, yes, but YOU, Dr. de Viaminima, programmed my code." Oscar slowly shook his head, "That's not true." "Don't be so modest," DAMOCLES sneered, "Perhaps you weren't insightful enough to create me entirely by yourself, but you certainly laid the base work. If your... counterpart had been in control, you probably would've created me a long time ago. I give Joel a lot of credit--he may not have had a full hand in my design, but he's done some great things thus far to further my cause." "... I don't believe this... I don't--" "While your twin could've easily created me to my fullest potential, you... Josephus, that is, could only achieve a slight portion of my own polar opposite. You named it VeeEm and left it unfinished--it was entirely useless... until Moebius took the programming and reverse engineered me from it." Oscar had an epiphany. "Ah-ha... was blind but now he sees. So you see, I completely comprehend the duality you and Joel share. Oscar... Josephus..." Oscar felt confused and troubled. A heavy weight grew inside of him, crushing his chest and stomach, making it difficult to breathe. The nanovirus ignored the angel and started to pace through the boxes, "I know something else you don't. I've seen Joel's mind. I know things about him that you don't." DAMOCLES walked over to Oscar slowly and leaned forward, whispering in his ear, "I know how he broke your mind." "... what?" "You are rather dull. Do me a huge favor and TRY to remember--it bores me to explain everything." And just like that, the memory came back... ---------- Running. Breathing. Leaves crunching. Forest. Wind on my face. Trees. Birds in the distance. Daytime. Cool air. Running. From where? From whom? No, TO whom? Looking for someone. Chasing someone. Joel. He's running away from me. I must catch him. I must stop him. "Joel!" The demon whirled around. "Stop this nonsense! We cannot be like this. You must yield to me so we can rejoin--" "NEVER!" Joel snarled, throwing a green fireball at Oscar. The angel dove out of the way and the flames engulfed a nearby tree. Oscar rolled on the ground and jumped up, sword in hands. "Do not make me use force, demon." "You'll have to! I'll never give up my freedom!" Joel reached behind him and pulled forth a black, wicked-looking sword. He advanced on his twin. The two fought in the forest--the sword of crashing metal echoing through the woods. A truly authentic battle of good versus evil. Their swords crossed, and they were at a standstill, looking each other in the face. "We cannot kill one without destroying the other," Oscar said, "And we cannot survive in this world--our very nature is too catastrophic for reality. We must unite, and YOU must concede to me for I am the dominate character." Joel sneered, "I will not give in. YOU will!" "What?" Oscar let his guard down for a split second and Joel took advantage, parrying the angel's sword from his grasp and bashing the hilt of his own sword into Oscar's forehead. The angel staggered backwards, stunned. Joel dropped his own sword and grabbed Oscar's head between his hands. They ignited. Oscar screamed. Then Joel bashed his adversary's head against a tree. And Oscar blacked out... ---------- Oscar's fists were clinched tightly. "--only just beginning!" DAMOCLES continued, "We're currently en route for Gamezoha space, where we'll rendezvous with Moebius and his band of misfits. While you stay here in cyberspace, your friends will be captured, tortured, killed--" "That was the WRONG thing to say!" "Why, what are YOU going to do about it?" DAMOCLES whirled around, "I've already proven my superior fight--OOF!" He fell to the side as Oscar threw a left cross into his face. "I wasn't MAD then!" ---------- Whutty sat alone in his guest room on Erendauer. It would've been nice if Wernher had told him they were leaving so early. It hadn't occurred to him that something may have been wrong. And if something was wrong, lucky bastards, they were. He would head back to the empire within the week. If he waited any longer, Chromelips might actually take a flight out here. That wouldn't have been so bad--Whutty had grown fond of the dark, spiky Wendauerian architecture. "Not like I'm dhe center of anydhing impordant," he thought, reading a thoroughly depressing piece of literature, "Dhe universe sure don't revolve around me..." ---------- "Which way?" Gauss asked. "I'm not sure... it looks like--" "HEYYY!" The group turned in the direction of the voice. They saw a blue figure running toward them. "It's Oscar!" Windsong said. "No," Gauss said, shaking his head, "That ain't Osc. It might be a trick." The J-Train ran up to the group and stopped. He considered the others before speaking, "Oscar's in trouble! DAMOCLES captured him!" "I recognize that voice," Vinny said, "You're the ship!" "Yes, fast one, you are--c'mon! Oscar needs help!" J-Train said, waving the others to follow him. Vinny and Gauss exchanged glances with each other, then they all raced after the computer. ---------- Oscar hit the wall hard and fell to the ground. "You are foolish to oppose me! All will fall to DAMOCLES!" The angel growled and lunged at DAMOCLES. The sudden explosion of energy caught the virus off guard and Oscar carried him forward, howling, ramming him into a stack of boxes. Both were battered in a cascade of data packets. Oscar struggled out from beneath one of the boxes, but DAMOCLES suddenly burst forth, grabbing him by the throat and lifting him up off the ground. "You don't get it, do you? You are a weak, worthless worm! To say you had any hand in creating me at all is an insult to my design!" Oscar strained against DAMOCLES grip. He tried kicking him, but the nanovirus simply tossed the angel across the room as if weight meant nothing. Oscar slid to a stop in front of the doors at the far side of the room. Nothing seemed to be working. Not even Oscar's own anger could match the raw power of the nanovirus. The angel struggled to his feet, grabbing the wall, and his hand found the control panel... Oscar looked around the room. He realized that the Data Dump had a quick clear command. Technically, with the right code, everything in this room could be wiped out. He would lose the journal entries--but the process would take DAMOCLES with them... ... it would also destroy himself if he wasn't careful. "I was going to let you live for all eternity in this digital wasteland, but now I see it fitting to destroy you outright," DAMOCLES snarled, walking around the boxes of files. Oscar knew if he was going to do it, now was the time. He could only hope to get out of the room before it was too late. He started to hack the console. "There's nothing you can do. I control this computer now--there's no possible way you... wait a minute..." The angel smirked and executed the lockdown command. An internal timer started and DAMOCLES shrieked, "NO! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" "It's over, D. In a few seconds, everything in this room is going to get scrubbed--including you." DAMOCLES growled and the door to the chamber suddenly opened. He was going to try to escape. "Oh no you DON'T!" Oscar yelled, standing between the large doors and the virus. DAMOCLES started to charge, but he wasn't quick enough. The center of the room started to get heavy, the atmosphere thicker, sound duller. A sort of vortex started to generate itself and boxes started to fly into the emptiness. Oscar whirled around and grabbed the side of the doorframe. He could feel the pull of the void pick up and his feet slid across the blue floor. Then he felt someone grab him from behind. "YOU CAN'T GET RID OF ME THAT EASILY, MR. ANGELES!" DAMOCLES snarled. "I BROUGHT YOU INTO THIS WORLD!" Oscar yelled back, "AND I WILL TAKE YOU OUT!" With that, Oscar kicked with his free leg into the virus' face. DAMOCLES screamed as he was sucked into the vortex, leaving Oscar alone in the now empty room. He tried pulling himself out through the doorway, but his grip wasn't strong enough. He wasn't sure if the portal would close eventually or if he had to deactivate it himself. He couldn't, though, not fighting the force of the vortex. It seemed bleak. Oscar wondered what it would be like if his consciousness was deleted. Would his body continue to live on without him. Could it? Or would it just rot? He closed his eyes and could feel his grip slipping away. His fingers gave... And he suddenly felt a huge, furry THING grab his arm. He opened his eyes in surprise, "VINNY!" Vincit was smiling, his hair blowing wildly in the wind, "Need a hand there, Osc?!" And Vinny wasn't the only one present. Holding onto him was Jon, who was connected to Miriam, who was holding onto Wyn, who was holding onto Gauss who, in turn, was holding onto a nearby fixture in the hall beyond the doors. "Alright, PULL!" Vinny yelled. At the end of the line, Gauss started pulling Windsong to him, pulling the others along. There was an odd breaking sound as the bar Gauss was holding onto suddenly gave way, and the living chain fell partly to the ground by the sudden slack. "SHIT! This is NOT good!" "C'mon!" Jon yelled, "This can be done!" Windsong yelled something, but Vincit couldn't hear her words--the sound of the void was far too loud. Gauss was worried--both by the shape of the wall and the fear that Windsong, despite her strength, would have her bones snapped if he applied too much force to his grip. He had no doubts of Vinny, Jon or Miriam. But even if Wyn could withstand the strain, it was too late now. Gauss could feel the conduit in his hands starting to give away. Something had to happen before they were all sucked into oblivion. Thankfully, something did. "HANG IN THERE!" Aris yelled, suddenly sliding up by the dragon and grabbing his arm. Gauss looked at the man in surprise, but said nothing as Aris started tying a rope around the dragon's waist. "Wait here!" the ex-SURTR soldier nodded down the hall, beyond the pull of the vortex where Samsa and J-Train were holding on to the other ends of the cables. They had been tied around a couple nearby pipes for better leverage. David gave slack out on the rope connected to Aris and the soldier slid along the ground, leaning away from the pull of the vortex. He stopped next to Windsong, who was equally surprised at Aris' presence. The soldier tied a rope to her, as well as Miriam. He had edged his way down to Jon when his footing gave way and he fell to the floor, flying into the doorway. The rope around his midsection caught him and he gagged at the force. Vinny and Oscar watched as the Shadowscorcher proceeded to pull himself back in with his own rope. He gripped the edge of the door frame to the large room and pulled himself around and back in. "YOU OKAY, DELAPORE?!" David yelled. Aris nodded and did a wrap it up motion with his hands. J-Train and David starting pulling the ropes in unison, bringing in Gauss, Windsong and Miriam, along with Jon, Vinny and Oscar. "I don't believe it," Vinny said as they were slowly pulled back into the hallway. When Oscar's legs had cleared the door, Aris hit the switch and the large doors started to close. Oscar's feet touched the floor as the door slide shut and everyone collapsed in exhaustion. David and the J-Train ran up to check on the group. Miriam and Gauss appeared to be okay. Vinny was quickly recovering, as was Jon. Windsong lay on the floor, breathing deeply. Oscar lay on his stomach, the side of his face touching the eerily cold floor. "I told you," Vinny said, looking at Aris, who was sitting with his back against the wall, "I told you I didn't want you plugging into the system." Aris nodded, "Yeah. I know." Vinny stared at the ex-SURTRite for a moment, "Thank you." Aris waved him off, "I owed you one... all of you..." Miriam blinked, "DAMOCLES is gone... and Oscar is no longer infected. We're clean." "Great," Vinny said, grunting, "Let's get OUT of this place..." ---------- Oscar's eyes fluttered open. He noticed the view of outer space outside the window first. Then he noticed the plethora of wires running across his lap. They were connected to those who were lying on the floor. He saw Miriam smiling at him. Then Assumpta came up next to him and wrapped her arms around him. The others started to stir, sitting or standing up. "Hey, boss," the J-Train's voice came loud and clear over the speaker system, "Thanks for bringing me back. Sorry about the journal entries, though..." Vinny looked at Oscar, who frowned, "I had no choice. I had the files quarantined and the hard drive erased and dumped. It's lost now... including Dr. de Viaminima's files. I did it to save the ship." "I understand, Osc. I'm sorry you had to lose them. I guess we're back at square one." "Not really," the angel nodded, "DAMOCLES talked too much. Turns out Moebius reverse engineered him from a program Josephus created years ago: VeeEm." "V.M.?" Jon echoed. Oscar nodded, "Virgin Mary. A logic nano-program designed for Project Tetrahedral Righteousness; the perfect foil to DAMOCLES," he turned and looked at Miriam, "Mir... I guess I'm--Josephus is... your father." ... surprise? "Wait," Jon said, "Archangel Viloyer said he created Miriam when I spoke to him." "I'm not saying he didn't," Oscar said, "Miriam is made up of two... beings... pieces... Mir? Help me out here." "The Dht'n'klz created the 14th Most Powerful Object In The Universe--my life force. It contains my creative processes and my link to the other MPOITU. Vinny spoke to that part of me once when he possessed my power." "I remember that," Vinny said, recalling the time he let the power of the 14MPOITU bind fully into him. "One must have balance, however. It was predestined that Dr. de Viaminima create a logic program for the ROCKET, but Moebius corrupted my program to create DAMOCLES to do his bidding. He spread the nanovirus out as information software, but he also used part of the nanovirus in his weapons program. Remember when you were shot by Adamus' soldiers, Jon?" Jon nodded. How could he forget? "The virus that infected you was a fatal form of DAMOCLES-tainted ammo, given to Adamus through hidden connections with Moebius. When Oscar used the microwave-nanoreprogrammer, a great anomaly--a miracle, you might say--occurred. Your soul, Oscar's technomancer skills, the DAMOCLES code--they all affected each other, and I was reprogrammed into existence--reborn, you could say." "This is... crazy," Windsong said, "And yet it makes perfect sense." "You're only as insane as you want to be," Gauss said thoughtfully. ---------- "Sir! BK Gunther reporting for duty!" "At ease, Knight," the founder of the Blitz Knights said. Gunther took a relaxed stance before the desk of his commander. "You've done a fairly decent job since we've recruited you into our group, Gunther, and I thank you for your dedication." Gunther nodded, solemnly. The commander stood up from the desk and walked over to the BK, "We received word from the Empress. SURTR has been identified as an enemy of the cosmos." Gunther smirked, "You know, I'm no longer surprised by that verdict." "We are fortunate to have you added to our ranks, Gunther," the commander continued, "Your previous experience as a SURTR soldier will prove valuable, which is why I'm promoting you into our intelligence department." "I see." "Something wrong? I understand if it is difficult to fight against your former comrades--" "No sir. I'm alright. I did have friends in SURTR, but that's not my problem anymore." "No, it's not. It's the Blitz Knights' problem. This is a group effort--everybody pulls for everyone else. Here's what we know and your orders," the dark-skinned commander said, handing the Knight a folder, "Read over those and report to intelligence as soon as possible." "Will do, commander," Gunther said, saluting before he left the room. Commander Grant Strong smiled slightly and walked back to the window behind his desk, overlooking the City of Kubrik. ---------- The J-Train was parked in a fueling station on Asteroid 115746. The group took the opportunity to grab a bite to eat at the local MacDonalds and get in contact with Erendauer. Gauss shot an encrypted message to Nike while Jon, Vinny and Assumpta tried to figure out how to get in touch with the clans on Earth. Oscar, Aris and David were outside the J-Train now, tinkering with the ship. "What's this thing?" Aris asked, holding up a glass tube. "Put that back where you found it please," Oscar said, not looking up from the tangle of wires and sprockets. "Sheesh, like it's important or something," Aris gumbled, tossing the tube over his shoulder. There was a shattering sound. "HEY!" J-Train yelled, "What the hell you think you're doing?! I need those!" "David, can you do something about him?" Oscar said, trying to ignore the ruckus. "Fine, but you owe me another rematch," David said, grinning, "C'mon, boss, let's go get some grub." Aris slid down the side of the ship--pretty remarkable, as big as the ship is, "Alright, fine, I can see Oscar doesn't want to play right now. We'll just take our ball and go home." The two soldiers walked off talking and laughing while Oscar continued to mess with the ships innards. He sure missed those service droids. "He busted one of my tubes," the J-Train said, almost pouting. "I'll go get ya a fresh one, J, chill out," Oscar said, climbing down the step ladder, "I'll be back in a few minutes." The angel walked across the shipyard to a maintenance shed. It was a community type deal. A service charge would get you inside to pick up little spare parts and odds and ends for all types of ships. Oscar slapped his credit cube in the slot (now half-full, thanks to Windsong's generosity) and stepped into the shed. It was dark. Funny, usually these lights activate on their own. He felt a sharp pinch on the back of his neck and slapped at it. There were far too many blood-sucking insects on this rock... Then he felt the small dart sticking out of his neck. He pulled it out. It couldn't have been longer than an inch--almost like a little pin. Oscar's thoughts started to jumble. He dropped the dart and stumbled, then passed out. "Well, well, well," a deep, sultry voice spoke from the shadows. Walking on mysteriously silent stilettos, Takako emerged from the darkness, a smug grin on her face, "Hello, bait." The Scarborough Triplets were right behind her. "Let's fuck him," Sage purred. Rosemary shook her head, "I say we kill him." "I say kill him THEN fuck him," Thyme said, licking her lips. "Now, girls, let's not get ahead of ourselves. The angel is a bargaining chip. We use him to get what we want and once we have that, then you can rape, murder and desecrate to your heart's content." The girls smiled in response. Takako looked in the direction of the J-Train, then back at Oscar, "Quickly. Take the angel to the ship. We're leaving." ---------- "Nike's pissed," Gauss said, walking into the common room of the J-Train, "She says she's going to do horrible things to Joel if she sees him." Vinny started to crack a joke, but decided against it. He changed the subject, "I think we've decided we're going to head on to Earth--we're closer to it than we are to Xurmaith--it just makes sense to go ahead on there." "We cannot be sure how much longer the clan can survive," Jon said, "We must move now." Gauss nodded, "I agree, but do you think we'll be alright bringing those two SURTRites along for the ride?" Vinny sighed, "I'd just as soon leave 'em here, but they did save us." Gauss shook his head, "You're joking, right?" "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy," Assumpta found herself quoting. Gauss was tempted to tell her there wasn't jack about dragons forgiving humans in the Bible, but said nothing. "Things were looking pretty bleak for a minute, there, you have to admit--" "Hey, I had everything under control!" Gauss said, poking his chest with his thumb. "Don't start this now," Windsong said, shaking her head, "We've more important things to deal with than arguing the logistics of... urm, excuse me..." Windsong jumped up and ran out of the room. "What's her problem?" Gauss asked. Vinny grimaced, "Morning sickness. Never mind all that, hoss, I think if those two try any funny stuff, there's enough of us to whip their asses. For now, let's give 'em the benefit of a doubt--there's too much going on to worry about them." As if on cue, Aris and David walked into the room with a couple bags of greasy burgers, "Dinner is served," David said, "You guys seen Osc?" The others slowly shook their heads. Vinny looked at Assumpta. She shrugged, "I thought he was outside, repairing the ship?" "He was," David said, "But he chased us off, and now he's gone." "Aw, he'll show up eventually," Vinny said, reaching for one of the bags, "C'mon, let's eat. I'm starved..." ---------- Joel marched down the dark, echoing hallways deep beneath Gamezoha Secundus, his black coat flowing behind him menacingly. DAMOCLES' instructions had brought him to this dark, dirty city and he was now miles below the surface, walking into what he assumed was Moebius' newest lair. Clearly, being a prime suspect in the filtration of a dangerous nanovirus would force anybody to go into hiding. The large chamber doors slowly swung open apparently of their own accord and Joel walked in, looking around. The room was dark and dimly lit. One cliché right after another. He could see the warlock sitting at the head of a large table in the center of the room. "Welcome, Joel. Please join us." The demon sauntered up to the table and stood at the far end, "Well, here I am. What do you want with me, Moebius? I can't do anything here in Gamezoha--I've been completely discredited--the guards will kill me outright." "Calm yourself, Diablo. You are no longer a mere pawn in this game. You're more of a... bishop, I'd say." The demon grinned, "Funny. Really, stop stalling and spill it." "DAMOCLES has told you how Omnibus plans to bring choice individuals and factions together to oppose us." "I doubt the furry bastard could do any damage." "Don't be overconfident," Moebius said with a wary tone in his voice, "These forces alone are no match for my power, but together, they pose a potential threat to my plans." "Okay," Joel said, pulling back a nearby chair, "So... what am I supposed to do?" "The Pyramid is locked," Moebius said, "It cannot be activated." Joel knew Moebius was talking about Project MAO--or rather, Project Tetrahedral Righteousness, "What do you mean it's locked? Lose the keys or something?" "The Pyramid was locked to begin with. It does, in fact, use a sort of 'key' to open it, which I do have that key, yes," Moebius said, his hand tapping the table, "But recently, I've discovered the Pyramid will not accept any key of any kind. It has essentially shut down." "I had scientists working on the thing during Project MAO, what happened?" "The Triple Eye happened. Damn Maximille--fool never knows when he's coming or going. But no matter, we've learned all we can from studying that thing alone. It's still on OCON-G--and very few people know it's there." "So you want me to figure out how to unlock it." "Either you or your twin." Joel snorted, "Oscar don't know shit. I made sure of that years ago." "Are you a technomancer?" "What?" "Show me your wrist." Joel sneered, "I don't need you to point out my faults, old man." "You see," Moebius smiled, "The angel is more important than you realize." "You need Oscar then? You go get him--" Joel stood up suddenly. "You need him also. You need him to give into you, do you not?" "DAMOCLES told you about that, eh? Yeah, I want the punk, but I can't get to him. His... friends have him protected." Moebius smirked, "You scratch our back, we'll scratch yours." "Like I have a choice?" Joel replied, crossing his arms. Moebius only smiled. From the shadows behind him, a figure stepped forward. Joel's face paled and he backed away from the table when he recognized the man. "What the hell is he doing here?" "Don't worry, Diablo, this isn't a double-cross," Moebius said, "I do realize there's little love between yourself and Klot, but what you both must realize is that if we cannot work together to battle our enemies, we stand a greater chance of failing to attain our respective goals." Joel said nothing. He was looking at Klot. The black man was wearing a pair of dark shades and a scruffy-looking SWK uniform. He remembered the last time he had seen the soldier, back when he had still been president. Klot had made it known with a single look he could kill Joel in an instant. The man took his shades off now, and Joel grimaced at the sight of the hollow eye sockets. Klot smirked, "Good to see you again, Joel." "Alright, gentlemen," Moebius said, stopping anything before it even started, "We have much to discuss right now. The next step of the plan begins..." ---------- "It is always the best policy to speak the truth--unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar." <-- Chapter 24: San Merde et le Sang Real (or Holy Crap! Grails! Tours) | Index | Chapter 26: Go Tell the Gamezohans (Dorian Cycladian Mix) --> |