Lords of Kobol - Prelude: Of Gods and Titans

by Edward T. Yeatts III

information is valid?"

  "It is, dominus."

  "And that I want it enough to allow you to … extort from the Empire?"

  Gnaeus' mouth twisted and he said, "I would certainly want to know."

  Cronus looked toward the subconsul's hidden wristband. "Would you share the basics with me before I agree to it?"

  Gnaeus inhaled sharply through clenched teeth and said, "I would, praetor, but I wouldn't want to end up like those fellows." He pointed down the hall at the body bags being carried from interrogation room one.

  Cronus looked toward the ceiling and thought. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale. "Very well, quaestor."

  Gnaeus' smile widened and he bowed. He lifted his arm and pressed a few buttons. "I've sent the data to you, but I ask that you not read it until I've left your reach." Cronus stared at him as he walked away, sidestepping a trail of blood drops from a leaky bag.

  The praetor raised his arm and saw the blinking message. He pressed the light on his wristband and the file opened up.

  His eyes danced across the words. "Pausa, Doria … Baraz Bio Medical … Psilons … Three Cronuses, three Rheas, two Coeuses … awakened. Researching …"

  "'Awakened,'" he said out loud. He looked back and read the report more slowly. "After the desertion and defection of the original twelve Psilons (Titans), Dr. Baraz awakened the remaining bodies of each type." He pushed his finger harder onto the glass and the lines of text scrolled down, "… performing research of various types, including medicine, physics, botany, computers ..." Press. "An undetermined number of the Psilons have paired off, siring several offspring …"

  "Children," Cronus mumbled. He leaned back against the wall. He felt lightheaded and he looked up toward the white lights in the ceiling. The dizziness gave way to heat. To anger. He clenched his fist and pounded it into the brick behind him.

  XLVII

  ZEUS

  134 Years Before the End

  Zeus was awakened by the sound of something heavy falling in another room.

  The six-year-old sat up and rubbed his eye before seeing that Poseidon was already out of bed. "What is it?"

  Poseidon pulled the door open slowly and looked down the hall toward the living area. He jerked his head away from the crack and looked at his feet.

  Zeus climbed out of bed and walked to his older brother. Something else fell in the living room. There was a high-pitched sound … like an animal, trapped, but very distant.

  "What's going on?"

  Poseidon shook his head rapidly and looked to the cracked door again. He turned to Zeus and without looking in his face said, "When I go, you follow."

  "Where are we going?" he whispered loudly.

  Poseidon became angry and put his finger to his lips. "Hades' room." He looked into the hallway and said, "Don't look down there."

  And he ran.

  Zeus was surprised by the speed, but he quickly followed. It was only a few steps to Hades' door so he already entered the room before the thought of looking to the living room occurred to him. Poseidon pulled him into the nursery and closed the door quietly.

  Someone shouted in a hushed voice down the hall, "Ille me succidit!" Zeus looked at Poseidon. Neither of the boys understood the language. Another person made a quieting hiss. Wood floorboards began to creak.

  Poseidon turned to the crib and pulled the sleeping baby from it. Hades stirred and twitched but Poseidon pulled the infant's favorite blanket with him and fed a corner of the fabric into his mouth. Instantly, the boy began to suck on it and he seemed placated.

  "What do we do?"

  "Liberos non video," someone said in the hall.

  Poseidon pointed under the day bed. Their parents rested there when they had to tend to Hades late at night. Zeus ran under first and tossed the blanket up. Poseidon got down onto his knees and slid underneath as quickly as he could.

  "Nec filios occidere nolo."

  Someone answered, "Ea sunt mandata nostra."

  Poseidon pulled the edge of the blanket down over their faces. He looked back at Zeus and the little boy was pressed tightly against the wall. His eyes were wide and he was breathing heavily. Poseidon put his fingers to his lips again.

  The nursery door opened.

  The brothers looked toward it and could see only the lower part of a boot as it stepped inside. When he moved forward, the bed's blanket concealed the intruder.

  Zeus closed his eyes and he tried to imagine where the man was. The floor creaked. He was at the crib. It creaked again.

  He was at the bed.

  Zeus opened his eyes in time to see the mattress being lifted up. The boys looked and saw the face of a helmeted man staring down at them through the slats. The barrel of his rifle seemed enormous.

  The man's mouth was hanging open and he breathed heavily. Zeus put his arm on Poseidon's shoulder and the older brother put his hand on top of it.

  From down the hall, a voice said, "Quicquid?"

  The man exhaled. His eyes were wide and he stared at Poseidon and Zeus for several moments. He said, "Non vero," and lowered the mattress. As he walked from the room, he asked, "Tu?"

  The other person answered, "Minime. Deinde secundum destinatum eamus."

  A few moments later, the footsteps and creaking floors were gone. They never heard the door close. Poseidon and Zeus stayed there under the bed for an hour more before Zeus began to push his big brother.

  "I have to go to the bathroom."

  Poseidon shook his head. "It might not be safe."

  "I'm going to pee!" He was still whispering but he was loud. "I'm going to pee on you!"

  Poseidon turned toward Zeus, trying his best to look over his shoulder at him. "Try to hold it until morning."

  "I can't!" Just as Zeus finished his protest, they heard the front door of the house burst open.

  From the living area, there was a scream. Both Zeus and Poseidon were startled and they jumped. Zeus wet the front of his pajamas a little before he was able to regain control.

  "No!" the person yelled. "Cronus!" It was a woman's voice. Zeus thought he recognized it and he tried to squirm out. Poseidon reached back and held him still.

  "No! No!" It was a different woman screaming this time. The loud, distant voices awoke Hades and he began to squirm. After a moment, the woman asked, "Where are the children?"

  Then they heard more footsteps darting about the house. Doors being opened. Poseidon tightened his grip on Hades, but his squirming was becoming too pronounced. The baby's face scrunched up and then a wail erupted. Poseidon clapped his hand over the infant's mouth, but it was too late. Zeus began to struggle and slide out of the end of the daybed when the door flew open and the light came on. The children froze. Someone dropped to the floor and lifted the blanket.

  It was Karin Baraz. Her face was red and wet with tears. Her mouth quivered and she said, "Thank God." She reached under the bed and took Hades from Poseidon's arms. "Come on. It's safe now."

  Poseidon was reluctant but he began to move. Zeus had already emerged from the foot of the bed. When he stood up, he was face-to-face with Gaia, who was kneeling behind Baraz. She was quiet, too, and her face was also streaked with tears. She hugged him and Zeus returned the gesture for a moment before he whispered, "I have to go pee."

  Gaia smiled and stood up. "Come on." Zeus looked back and saw Karin awkwardly holding Poseidon and cradling Hades. He took Gaia's hand and watched as Poseidon began to cry.

  Zeus was confused. His throat clenched, seeing his older brother upset like that, though he didn't understand why. Zeus was about to ask Gaia what was going on when they got to the bathroom door. He glanced toward the living room and saw his mother and father lying on the floor. Their faces and bodies were bloody.

  His stomach sank and Gaia ushered him into the toilet.

  XLVIII

  CAESAR

  134 Years Before the End

  "What ne
ws from Doria?" Cronus said from the screen.

  The imperator moved from the wooden chair and across the conference room. He saw the reports in his head and he forced himself to check his anger. "Your siblings have been eliminated."

  Cronus nodded. "And the offspring?"

  "The last word I received stated that twenty-four children were killed."

  Cronus took in a deep breath and looked out his office window in Alabor. "Thank you for this, dominus."

  Caesar gripped the edge of his cape and tossed it back. He jutted his chin toward the screen and asked, "Tell me, praetor. Do you feel better?"

  The Psilon looked into his monitor and raised an eyebrow. "My lord?"

  "Do you feel … better?"

  Cronus blinked and then nodded. "I do."

  The emperor clasped his hands behind his back. "Why?"

  Cronus started slowly and softly. "They were copies of me. Of us. It was a … betrayal of trust. We were duplicated without our knowledge." As he spoke, he became visibly agitated. "Beyond just the duplication, they were awakened. They were given our lives. The freedom that we should have had … those Psilons were an affront to all that we endured."

  Caesar nodded twice. "So, revenge?"

  Cronus clenched his fist and spoke again, "Not revenge. They were us. It was … an odd form of suicide."

  "And the children?"

  The Titan shook his head. "Abominations. We were created and crafted by masters of the sciences for years. We are the ultimate personifications of what life can be. Those children … they are corruptions of our code."

  "But diversity in genetic coding …"

  "Impurities, imperator," Cronus interrupted.

  Maxentius didn't care for that. Anger swept