The Phoenix Fallacy_Book III_Magnus

by Jon Sourbeer,

  Long ago, when courage failed,

  And no one stood strong,

  ‘Rose from the weak, mighty wails,

  Seeking shelter for the throng,

  From the darkness, creature came,

  Promising wealth, bringing pain,

  No one knew the lies it spread,

  Seeking power, beyond measure,

  Beast reared its wretched head

  Living off the weak, its leisure,

  Knowing death was its pleasure,

  But then noble heroes came,

  Seeking justice, peace, and truth,

  Knowing none remember names,

  And they might be forgotten,

  They battled long, hard and well,

  Fighting so this tale could tell,

  Of those that fight, cause greater,

  Than power, wealth, and fame,

  ‘Battle of Phoenix’, victory,

  Though none know those who came,

  Here they lie, all the same

  The last note died off slowly, Wouris’ soft voice washed over the still crowd. The Praetor stepped up onto the platform.

  “We defend the living by honoring the dead,” he said. “We honor those who gave more than we ever have to preserve and protect us, and our way of life.”

  Northcott strode forward, booming out in a loud voice, “Recipients of the Silver Crescent for Bravery are as follows…” The Praetor pinned medal after medal onto the empty uniform of the fallen Adepts.

  The platform was deathly quiet as the Praetor worked. It seemed as if none even dared to breathe, but occasionally there were brief sobs. But the worst was when Northcott froze. He stared at the foil screen, and did not move. Wordlessly, Hawkes strode forward, and gently pulled the screen from his hands.

  “Cecilia Forrenza.” Hawkes said.

  The Praetor pinned another Crescent on the empty suit. Janus felt a pang of regret, and saw the many matches of Brevis Bellum that would now have yet another empty chair. Hawkes continued to read, while Northcott wordlessly marched himself back into the line of officers.

  Finally, Hawkes reached the end of the list: “Rydia Reynolds.” The Praetor pinned his final crescent on the uniform.

  Janus exchanged a glance with Celes, What about Marcus?

  The Praetor nodded to Hawkes, who stepped off the platform. The Praetor sighed, and finally spoke. “Every Blood Poets’ Ceremony is a time of remembrance. But this one is different. We have had far too many names in recent times. And there are those still unaccounted for.” The Praetor made a brief nod to Colonel Hawkes, who remained stock still. Janus swallowed hard. Colonel Keats had never reported back after the missiles had launched towards Titan.

  The Praetor returned his gaze to the gathered, “But today we award a very rare honor indeed. As many of you know, a team, led by Lieutenant Jennings…” Janus lifted his head in surprise, but the Praetor gave no sign he noticed, “…struck deep into the Phoenix facilities and utterly destroyed it. During that daring attack, Adept Marcus Auras gave his life, after facing down numerous Inferni in close quarters. For that extreme bravery throughout the mission, his willingness to sacrifice everything to save his fellow’s lives, we honor him with the Golden Sunburst.”

  The Praetor paused while he held the medal aloft. It flashed in the torchlight, and then he carefully pinned it onto the empty uniform. The expectant crowd released a collective breath, and he turned to face them.

  “Today, we fought a great battle, one that saved countless lives. Few will ever know; fewer still will ever thank us. Those that we honor today did not fight for glory, for power, or for wealth. They fought for something far greater, something that is often forgotten – justice. We are Adepts. Let us never forget why we are here: to escape tyranny. We live freely, able to do what we will, separate from those who barely survive under the iron fist of tyrants. We are fortunate, but sometimes we forget.’

  ‘Many of our brothers and sisters in other Legions have forgotten this simple truth. They mistake wealth, power, and even their very survival for the truths for which we fight: justice, freedom, and peace. Those we honored today did not forget. They know that the moment we stop fighting for these virtues, we have already lost them. Never forget, never stop fighting.”

  The Praetor paused and Hawkes pumped in his fist in the air, “We are the Defenders of Justice!”

  A cry arose from the crowd.

  “We are the Defenders of Truth!” Hawkes cried.

  The cry gained strength.

  “We are the Defenders of Freedom!” The cry of ‘freedom’ reverberated through Janus.

  “Who are we?”

  “ODIN!” Janus roared with his brothers and sisters.

  The Praetor and the other officers jumped in, “Who are we?”

  “ODIN! ODIN! ODIN!”

  The ceremony had ended long ago, but Janus had remained, sitting on the edge of the empty platform, staring out over the ocean. A million stars lit up the sky above, and the engines of Valhalla were strangely peaceful, a gentle whirring the only suggestion Valhalla still hovered above the silent sea. Familiar footsteps sounded behind him.

  Celes sat next to him, watching the rolling swells generated by Valhalla’s engines. “You can’t do anything about him for now.”

  “I know. But I was the reason he escaped.”

  “And you were the reason he was beaten,” Celes interjected. Janus glanced over at her – the wind played lightly with her hair, and her bright blue eyes sparkled like the waves in the moonlight.

  “I suppose. Though not the only one.”

  Celes met his eyes, her soft lips forming a forgiving, gentle smile, “Great men learn from their mistakes, Janus – they aren’t consumed by them.”

  Janus looked back at the water, “Well, if I’ve learned anything, I’ve got a long way to go.”

  Wordlessly, Celes grabbed his hand, watching the stars in silence. And Janus was content.

  Epilogue: Balance

  100 years of work. Gone. Eradicated in one fell swoop by Norm, and that boy. My son – Janus!

  Delacroix pulled at his Cerberus uniform. The coarse, black material was stuffy and uncomfortable. The days of the Executor’s synsilk were over – for now, at least.

  His son had been an unknown variable. And Norm? No one could have foreseen his transformation. He glanced at the locket he held in his hand, reading the inscription, and tucked the broken chain and pendant away. All was not lost. The armies of the other Corporations had been annihilated, and the landscape of power had shifted.

  He opened the heavy oaks doors confidently, striding onto the lush blue carpet.

  “Ahhh, Magnus, how did the questioning go?” Middleton asked casually. He chuckled to himself as she adjusted the foil screens upon her desk. He focused on her hands, as everything else in the room was an assault upon his senses. The colors, the art. And her clothes! It seemed the fat spilled from every opening in her too tight, high-necked green dress.

  “Well,” Magnus smiled. “Your little trick with that blood sample made them believe I was nothing but Cerberus through and true. I do appreciate you making me the estranged son of an Overlord – that was a nice touch.”

  “Good, good,” Middleton said absentmindedly. “Overlord Estane was always a thorn in my side. And his death was the product of our joint efforts, so it seemed appropriate. They thought nothing of my efforts to preserve the Cerberus forces?” Her voice was carefully flat.

  Magnus struggled to hold back his laughter – she was trying too hard. “No need to worry. It’s all taken care of. Any word on Phoenix?”

  “None yet,” Middleton replied with a sigh, “But I expect that to change any day now. They have been desperately trying to discern where the launch began. It has been difficult, biting my tongue, while our best scientists struggle to determine the truth,” she lamented, “But even when they do, they will never know the full story.”

  Magnus smiled in agreement, “And our guest?”

 
“Resting,” Middleton said crisply. “But that isn’t important. Now we need to look to the future!” she said triumphantly. “Great expansion awaits us! And only Cerberus has the forces intact to do so. Already, the other Corporations are drawing inward, protecting themselves.”

  “Yes – it is rather convenient that Cerberus’ army is intact,” Magnus said coolly.

  Middleton looked up, “I thought you said the Executors believed your story?”

  Magnus’ voice dropped low, “I’m not talking about what the Executors believe. There weren’t supposed to be any Executors, or any army.”

  Middleton tensed, deflecting, “Our goal was to be prepared for any situation. The only way to keep the Cerberus army off the field was to slow the Executors. And after consideration and the intrusion of our merc friends at Cerberus, I thought it prudent to have a back-up. We couldn’t have expected to have removed them all anyway. There are survivors at every Corporation now. Just quite a few more at Cerberus.”

  She smiled sweetly, or at least tried to, and dropped the foil screen upon the desk, “I certainly couldn’t risk contacting you, could I? Besides, had the plan succeeded, the Cerberus army would have been out of position and easy to deal with. Now, we still have resources.”

  Magnus conceded the point, “That’s true.” His kept his voice even and low, “Obviously, Norm was an unexpected factor, but was there something else you thought might have gone wrong? Were you aware of something I was not?”

  Middleton wore a pained expression. “Magnus,” she took a step around her desk, “We both know I only have your best interests at heart!”

  He smiled back, “Of course.”

  Middleton followed him with her eyes as he crossed the room. He eyed a new addition that fit nicely with the paintings of conquest upon the walls. It was an exquisite weapon – a Ghostblade. He gently lifted the weapon from its brackets. Now that he knew what to expect, he loved the weight, the feel of it.

  He looked back at her, “There was nothing else you wished to tell me about your encounter with Norm or the mercs who escaped?”

  “Now, Magnus, that is hardly fair!” her face was full of alarm, “You know how I feel – I would never allow you to come to harm!” She reached her hand out in a gesture of understanding and moved to follow him across the room.

  Pulling the blade out from its sheath, he watched the fiery glow turn white hot. He did not step from the wall, “Tell me again about the night that Natalie and Norm escaped.”

  He glanced at Middleton as she halted her waddle around the desk, her reaching hand trembling as it hung awkwardly in mid-air.

  “Well, of course, I can only speculate,” she put her hand down on the desk. Her voice was slightly shrill. “I believe – I believe they hitched a ride on my transports that night – if you recall, I left that very evening to return to Cerberus.”

  He held the blade up and sheathed it, shaking his head, “But not before they planted a bomb in my estate.”

  Middleton jumped in, pointing a finger, “Yes! And it threw us off the trail for weeks! I told you she would betray you – she might have even been trying to kill you! It wasn’t until Alastor started raising questions about me that we even guessed they were still alive.”

  He sighed, “Yes, you might be right. What else could it have been?”

  Middleton brightened. His fist slammed into the wall. “I just wish I could have seen her face that day.” He stared at the wall, “And you only had a moment?”

  Middelton nodded eagerly. “Yes. Just a moment – she attacked me and then that fool of a Trooper shot her. There was nothing I could do – I’m sorry, Magnus, that I couldn’t deliver her to your justice alive,” Middleton concluded sadly. She took a tentative step forward.

  He hung his head, “I just wish I knew where it all went wrong!”

  Middleton’s footsteps sounded across the lush carpet. They were heavy and plodding. She stopped a few steps away, “Well, no one could have predicted such an underhanded ploy,” she said soothingly, raising a hand.

  He tilted his head back, “That’s true. It’s unbelievable, really. Norm and his plots. And with another merc. What was his name again…?”

  “Janus!” Middleton interjected.

  “That’s right,” Magnus rested the sheathed blade upon his shoulder, “but, tell me again – when did I tell you?”

  Middleton stopped in surprise, “What?”

  “When did I tell you his name? I don’t remember ever doing that,” Delacroix advanced slowly on her.

  “Now, Magnus – I’m sure there is a reasonable explanation,” she backed towards her desk.

  “Do tell.”

  “Well…,” she glanced around the room, stammering, “the truth is – he came from Cerberus. I met him before he was shipped off! That’s where the blood sample I used for you came from!” she shouted.

  He stopped, the pure panic in her voice suggested she was telling the truth. “And you didn’t feel compelled to tell me?” He advanced a step closer.

  Middleton took another step back – her breathing quickened, “I didn’t know. Even if I had seen the resemblance at the time; how could I have expected him to be alive? We both know what happened!”

  “Do we?” His voice became dangerously low.

  “There was hardly any time – Alastor had raised too many flags! To try to contact you on a hunch would be to risk everything!” Middleton pleaded. “I – I never imagined he could do what he did!” Her voice rose to a high pitch, “Neither did you. It caught us both by surprise!”

  “Just like the bomb at my estate the night that Natalie escaped?”

  Middleton eyes locked with Magnus, “Yes! And I-I’m sure that was Natalie’s servant.”

  “The bomb they planted to make us think they were dead? Despite the fact that you were leaving and I was away? Despite the fact that it immediately brought our attention back to them?”

  “It worked, didn’t it? We thought it was dissidents opposed to your rule at Titan!” Her voice was shrill. “Mercs…mercs are tricky. But I knew you were prepared this time for the assault by ODIN. You expected their arrival!”

  Magnus smiled inwardly – she was rambling. Jumping from topic to topic. He did not stop his advance. “Not Norm’s,” he tilted his head, “if you suspected that my son was alive, would Norm’s survival not make sense, as well?”

  “I thought such warnings would be needless; a greater threat to our secrecy – you were prepared!” She swallowed with difficulty, pressing herself against her desk as Magnus advanced, “Such warnings would only serve to distract you – it was so painful, that night.” He was inches away from her, her eyes flitted back and forth, searching for the right words, “I didn’t want Janus to remind you!”

  He smiled and she stopped, her breathing becoming ragged even before her eyes had shifted to the locket that glimmered in his hand. “May Janus remind you…” he breathed. Her eyes went wide and she scrambled onto the desk, but her vast bulk slowed her.

  The Ghostblade sticking from her chest surprised Middleton. Magnus still clutched and pushed the handle as it penetrated through her back.

  “Magnus…,” horror etched her face.

  “Oh don’t worry, Victoria,” he whispered in her ear. “You will serve me well, even now. You’ve grown too powerful – your Executors fear you. As you’ve professed, mercs can’t be trusted. A Ghostblade in your back will cement it, and my credibility.”

  “Noble Executors!” he cried. “I know you are suspicious of me. But fear not, for I am loyal to the Executors.” He lowered his voice conspiratorially, “What if I told you that Middleton plotted against you? And that some strategic information passed along to her former allies had made them none too pleased?”

  Delacroix laughed, “I didn’t even need to lie. Just present a certain set of facts. To think, I almost let another betrayer ruin everything. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  Middleton’s eyes dimmed and her lips barely moved as sh
e spoke. “I loved you…,” she twisted and clutched his uniform as she sunk to her knees.

  Delacroix scowled and moved his face very close to her, so that she could see him through her blurred vision. “From my experience, that tends to get people killed.”

  Valhalla’s Database

  – Common Keywords –

  Adept

  soldier

  Mercenaries employed in the battle between the Corporations. Adepts represent a counter-force established when the Corporations first assumed power. Collections of individuals who wished to remain independent, the first Adept Legions were founded to preserve national freedoms, but few Legions remain that can look back upon such storied histories. Many current Legions are far younger and do not consider this vision core to their identity, and thus mirror the more classical interpretation of mercenary groups: bound to the highest bidder. Unfortunately, this shift has resulted in a system that in many ways has left Adepts beholden to Corporations, anyway. Adepts act as an additional, highly skilled military force most commonly focused on subterfuge, but occasionally join full scale battles. In recent decades, Adepts have been adopted as the primary means of disruption between competing Corporations, as they do not leave evidence of their employer. This has never been more important than in the time following the destruction of Phoenix Corporation 25 years ago.

  Agathon

  full name unknown – Executor

  Executor-Ascendant of Titan.

  Alastor

  Reginald Alastor – Overlord

  A Cerberus Overlord. He is the head of security for Cerberus and possesses an extreme distrust of Middleton.

  Albert

  full name unknown

  Middleton’s loyal butler. Albert has served Middleton faithfully for over forty years.

  Avalon