at Ouranos and watched him snap the leg of a man as five darts rippled across his chest. He stumbled back and fell onto his rear.
Gaia's vision blurred. She struggled to stay erect and realized that her hand was still outstretched from having hit that man's groin. She wobbled and fell onto her side.
Voices. Blurry lights from the compound. Then she was being lifted.
Darkness.
XXVII
OURANOS
147 Years Before the End
He awoke two hours ago. He knew because he kept track. Ouranos was good with time.
At no point, however, did he see or hear anything.
Not entirely.
He occasionally saw light filtered through the dark fabric of the bag that covered his head.
While he was conscious, headphones were placed over his ears on the outside of the bag and blaring century-old Attican electrocad music. The album was Gut Shock by Crius Oat and it seemed to be on a loop. After a time, Ouranos felt like he could actually count the individual beats from the droning drum synthesizer, despite the screeching electric lyre and the wispy-voiced singer.
He struggled against his bonds at first to measure them. Stiff metal bands had been placed around his upper arms and then connected to each other. Same for his forearms. His hands were locked in some kind of heavy metal glove-like restraint. His legs were similarly bound. Chains seemed to be used on top of the other shackles. A plastic ball was held in his mouth by a strap that encompassed his head. Ouranos bumped against someone else only once. Given their prone position, too, he assumed it was Gaia.
Finally, the music was turned off. The bag remained and he looked at the shifting light through the threads as he was moved. Placed in a cart of some sort, he heard footsteps echoing in a large room. For a moment, Ouranos doubted his ears. I was listening to electrocad for some time. No. He was certain. Cavernous room or corridor. The footfalls were on stone.
The cart stopped and a door was opened. He sensed the shift in light. The cart was pushed forward and then stopped again. He was pulled from it and seated in a plush chair.
"Take them off."
Ouranos heard fabric being pulled off Gaia's head to his left. Then, as the bag was pulled from his own, he closed his eyes. The light of the room passed through his eyelids for a few seconds as he acclimated himself to their brightness. Then, he slowly opened them.
Standing before him, wearing a dress uniform, purple cloak and gold finery, was Caesar Maxentius IX.
"Welcome to Tiberia," he said.
Ouranos wasn't going to respond, but the gags would have prevented it. Caesar pointed at the prisoners and a guard came behind him and undid the strap. The ball was pulled away and to the right. He watched trails of saliva follow the device before snapping and falling onto his clothes and restraints.
Ouranos closed his mouth and allowed his tongue to remoisturize. He nodded at Caesar once.
He nodded in return and looked at Gaia. Ouranos looked at her and saw her far more frenzied state. Her hair was mussed and there were bruises on her face and on the visible parts of her arm. She slumped in her chair exhaustedly and turned only once to look at her companion.
A man, Ouranos thought. He looked Caesar over. The imperator appeared to be about thirty. He had thick, dark hair and a broad, muscular physique. He walked back and forth before the two prisoners with his cape dredging the marble floor. He should be one hundred six years old.
Gaia continued to struggle and he watched for a moment. He turned to Ouranos and said, "Certainly, you have questions."
"A few," Ouranos croaked. He cleared his throat but made no effort speak again.
The Caesar smiled and knelt before him. He looked into his face closely and said, "You are … remarkable." Maxentius stood and walked toward Gaia. "I've kept my eye on you two ever since you were revealed to the world."
Ouranos shook his head and said, "We are people."
"Of course." He held his hands out and said, "I will admit to having had doubts at first, but the more I learned, the more I understood." He tugged on the front of his shirt and said, "You could well be the most remarkable people in the history of the world."
"There are others now," Ouranos said.
Caesar nodded. "I know." He raised his left hand and pointed at one and then the other. "But you're the first." He knelt again and smiled, "You helped create the others. Not directly, of course, but by being there when the scientists needed another sample. Wanted to give you another prodding." The prisoners didn't react. "Named them after your old gods."
"That wasn't our idea," Gaia said. The imperator seemed surprised to hear her speak and he nodded. She looked toward Ouranos and then said, "You assaulted and abducted two citizens of the Commonwealth of Doria …"
"I know, I know," he said. "But I'll make it worth your while." Gaia raised a single eyebrow. "You felt held back …" He pointed at Ouranos and lowered his voice. "You had ideas to share and they didn't listen until you had irrefutable results." He shook his head once and looked toward Gaia, "And you were a part of their team. They shut you out. Your own children … outgrew you as soon as they awoke." He snapped his fingers and said, "Both of you, though, are obsolete now. Pausa is all about the Titans. Not you."
Ouranos looked at her and watched Gaia slowly lower her head. She never said anything about that before. Feeling closed off from the team. He knew it happened but she never expressed sorrow or regret. To him, anyway.
"You have a spy," Ouranos said.
Caesar smiled. "Of course." He softened his gaze and smiled sheepishly. "But am I wrong? About anything so far?"
Ouranos shook his head.
"Let's talk," he said. He motioned toward the door and four Praetorian guards came forth. With magnetic keys, they uncuffed them both from the various shackles and then pulled them away. Ouranos rubbed his wrists and arms before looking at Caesar. "Let us be honest."
Ouranos glanced at Gaia and then back at the imperator. "You know who we are and how we were made." Caesar nodded. "You know we nearly wiped out your entire squad."
He nodded again. "I know. For there to be any measure of progress, there must be trust." After a moment, one side of the imperator's mouth curled into a grin and then he brushed back his hair with his fingers. "And I'm going to trust you … with something else."
He reached up to his shoulders and unclasped his cape. He pulled it to his right and tossed it in a heap on the floor. Then, the imperator turned from side to side, allowing the bundle of cables and wires protruding from his lower back to be seen.
Ouranos said, "Your artificial body … has limits."
"Indeed."
Gaia's eyes followed the cables to a large black and gray box against a wall. "Your mind can't fit into this body."
Caesar nodded.
"Your life extension project has not been as successful as your media would have the world believe," Ouranos said.
Caesar tilted his head and began to speak. He stopped and chided himself, "No. I am being honest." He lifted his head and said, "It has not been what I hoped for. There have been successes and advancements, certainly, but ... I am as you see me." He stretched his arms out to the side and lowered his chin.
"A marionette." Gaia looked at Caesar defiantly, expecting some sort of wrath.
Instead, he said, "Yes."
"You took us," Ouranos said, "because you're hoping for greater advancements." The imperator nodded. "Perhaps on an organic front."
"Correct again." He knelt and looked from one to the other. "Everything I know about you two tells me that your primary concern is knowledge." The pair didn't answer. "I am going to give you the opportunity to dig deep." His hands plunged toward the marble floor and scooped imaginary dirt. "You will have the resources of the world's largest economy behind you." Still no response. "Study what you will. Build what you will. You will have my blessing."<
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Ouranos looked at Gaia and she quickly glanced at him. She inhaled deeply, raised her head and said, "No. Thank you."
The Caesar cocked his head and wagged his finger. "Don't be so quick to dismiss me." He stood and stretched out his left arm. With his right hand, he rolled up his sleeve. The skin on his forearm began to dance and shift in color. Then, it expanded, making his arm seem like that of a wrestler's. It changed colors and formed various shapes before settling back into its previous appearance.
Ouranos' mouth hung open.
Caesar smiled. "Yes. You're intrigued." He looked toward Gaia who still sat, obstinate. The leader lowered his sleeve and said, "I've given you worm. All worm. Now you're beginning to wonder about the hook, yes?" Gaia didn't answer, but Ouranos' brow furrowed. Caesar looked toward him and said, "I don't have a hook for you." He straightened up and clasped his hands behind his back. "You can build and design and plan in our labs … or not. I won't be throwing you in some dungeon beneath the city. If you refuse, you will be secured but treated well. On the other hand …"
Gaia glanced toward Caesar when he turned toward the double doors that led to the balcony. She saw him begin to look back at her and she snapped straight again.
"… There is a hook waiting for you in Doria."
Ouranos narrowed his eyes and asked, softly, "What do you mean?"
"Your Psilons," Caesar said. "You and your children were test animals in that lab. With you out of commission, they become the world's foremost experts on …
Lords of Kobol - Prelude: Of Gods and Titans Page 19
