Until We Break

by Scott Kinkade

  However, both sides had been especially cautious as of late, due to the destruction of Kornia. Neither side wanted a repeat of that since the annihilation of the previous universe was forever etched upon their souls.

  Lord Nuada! One of his subordinates called via telepathy.

  Yes, what is it?

  We’re under attack!

  That’s impossible. The God Dampeners should still be online.

  They are, but it’s not having any effect on the invaders.

  Curses. Could the Academy have found a way to nullify the Dampeners? Describe the attackers.

  They appear to be…uh…robots.

  Robots? What are you babbling about?

  You’d better come see for yourself.

  Very well. But if the God Dampeners aren’t having any effect, shut them down so we can fight at full strength.

  Yes, my lord.

  Irritated, yet concerned, Nuada took the elevators down to the lobby, where he was greeted by his subordinate. “Where are these invaders?”

  The subordinate pointed outside to the street. He went outside and was dumbfounded by the sight that greeted him. Dozens of his own men were engaged in battle with beings wearing black armor. No, he thought as he looked closer; not just any armor. It was the XYL exo-suits they had been developing in Adlo before the Academy took it out. To his horror, he realized someone had salvaged the technology and was now using it against him.

  Well, there was nothing to do but rise to the challenge and destroy these common thieves. He unsheathed his sword and calmly strode into battle.

  * * *

  The invaders, in fact, were Morovian soldiers on a high-level mission on behalf of Joe Lambda himself. The country’s best scientists had worked night and day on the suits to get them operational as fast as possible. Once that was completed, they found volunteers and injected them with drugs that would allow them to endure the suits’ tremendous drain on the human body.

  Now Exodus Squad, as they were called, had been sent into Stiftung to free the city from Zero Grade’s control. Sitting in the war room, Lambda held his breath, his every heartbeat the pounding of a jackhammer. Everything hinged on this mission; if it failed, it was all over for the human race.

  From the room’s speakers he heard the sounds of battle: grunts; yells; the cracking of bones. From what he could gather, it was going well so far. Exodus Squad had the element of surprise on their side. However, he had no idea what tricks Zero Grade might be hiding, waiting to unleash like a coiled snake.

  “This is B4 to M5. We have secured the package.” Exodus Squad had been split into two groups, A and B. B had been sent to investigate a mysterious device that had been spotted on top of a building in Stiftung using satellite imagery. “M5” was the war room.

  “Describe it,” Lambda said.

  “It resembles a satellite dish. There’s an antenna, a parabola, the whole works. But there’s some sort of large generator connected to it. Some superhumans were guarding it. Under interrogation, they explained it’s called the God Dampener. It supposedly nullifies the advanced abilities of the superhumans.”

  Lambda had a decision to make. Did he dare take the risk? “Do you think you could turn it on?”

  “Yes, sir, they told us how to do it. They said it had been turned off so their allies could fight us on equal terms. Apparently it doesn’t work on our exo-suits.

  Lambda smiled. He did dare. “Activate it.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The president made eye contact with his staff seated around the table. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Hinsom asked. “I don’t mean to question you, but if they lied about the device, our soldiers could be put in a dire situation.”

  Lyra straightened in her chair. “Under the circumstances, the president had to take a calculated risk. If Zero Grade’s lackeys were telling the truth, it will give us a huge tactical advantage.”

  Larson said, “I hope this works. This device could make all the difference if we can reverse-engineer it.”

  General Haig was silent. He had been against the plan to utilize the exo-suits, insisting on using conventional methods to fight Zero Grade. Everyone else understood only radical measures would work against their enemy, but Haig remained firmly rooted in the past.

  Locking his fingers nervously, Lambda waited with bated breath for the outcome of this battle.

  * * *

  Using his sword, Nuada cut down another of the mysterious attackers. His adversaries had guts stealing Zero Grade technology and turning it against them, but no armor could stand against Nuada’s blade. He effortlessly slashed his way across the streets of Stiftung like a graceful dancer. His countless millennia of battle experience made this almost too easy.

  As he came upon yet another enemy, he raised his sword for the killing blow—

  —but the attack bounced harmlessly against the exo-suit. The enemy easily turned the blade aside, and Nuada suddenly felt impossibly weak. He came to the crushing realization he had been stripped of his powers; someone had turned on the God Dampener. For the first time in countless ages, panic roared through him as he faced his own mortality.

  The enemy raised his fist and slammed it against Nuada’s chest like a locomotive. The once-mighty god flew backwards into a concrete wall and knew no more.

  * * *

  “This is A1 to M5. Enemy presence neutralized. Stiftung is free.”

  Happy cries erupted throughout the war room. Joe Lambda released his breath, rejoicing in the burden that had been lifted.

  “We did it, sir,” Lyra said, beaming from ear to ear. “You know what this means, don’t you?” Hinsom said. “We beat Zero Grade. We can win this!”

  Lambda nodded. “You’re right; we beat them at their own game. But we can’t declare victory just yet. Those bastards still control two other cities. Until they’ve been liberated, this isn’t over.”

  “Don’t expect them to fall for the same trick twice,” Haig cautioned.

  Larson replied, “He’s right. Once they figure out what happened in Stiftung, they’ll make sure we don’t get our hands on any more God Dampeners. They may destroy every last one just to prevent them from being used against them again.”

  Lambda knew what this meant. “The next battle will be much more difficult.”

  “I think that’s safe to say, yes,” Lyra said.

  “We could see the enemy digging in their heels,” Haig said.

  Sighing, the president said, “We could be in for a long war.”

  “With lots of casualties,” Hinsom said.

  Lambda sat back in his chair and thought about it for a minute. Finally he said, “I think we need to consider a more diplomatic solution.”

  Haig brought his fist down onto the table. “Are you suggesting we make nice with those monsters?”

  “I’m saying it’s an option.”

  “The president may be right,” Lyra said. “We’d be working from a position of strength. Zero Grade has lost significant ground as of late. They might be willing to listen to reason now that they know we have the means to oppose them.”

  Haig shook his head. “It’s a yurring bad idea.”

  Larson replied, “Maybe, but remember—the exo-suits are still largely untested. We don’t know how long they’ll last, nor do we know Zero Grade’s exact numbers. If we settle in for a long-term war, we could find ourselves hopelessly outnumbered. And there’s the civilian element to think about.”

  “Many more people will die if we don’t wrap this up quickly,” Lyra said.

  “I’ve voiced my opinion,” Haig said. “I just hope you know what you’re doing if you ignore it.”

  * * *

  Freya burst into Bethos’ office. “Sir, you need to see this.” She turned on the TV hanging on the wall above the door. Joe Lambda was in the middle of some sort of press conference. The caption read President Lambda to address liberation of Stiftung.

  Bethos was confused. “Liberation? We didn’t liberate
Stiftung. We failed.”

  “Apparently, Morovia did.”

  Lambda was saying, “And so, using cutting-edge—and previously classified—weaponry, we have defeated Zero Grade in Stiftung, and ended their reign of terror there. However, at least two more cities remain under their control. We’re prepared to fight them for as long as it takes by sharing that technology—and resources—with the Faust Kingdom and the Tru Republic. We’re in this for the long haul.

  “But we want to avoid needless bloodshed. That’s why I’m calling on Zero Grade and those fighting them to come together to talk things out. I believe we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement so that we don’t have to fight anymore. For the sake of this world, we have to try.”

  The press conference continued, with President Lambda taking—and dodging—questions about the specifics of the Stiftung operation. Obviously, he didn’t want to reveal too much to Zero Grade, but Bethos was damn curious about it as well. Just how had Morovia managed to do what legendary gods could not?

  “That settles it,” he said.

  Freya turned her attention away from the TV. “What?”

  “I’m going to meet with Joe Lambda.”

  “Do you really think Zero Grade will be open to peace?” Her skepticism was understandable.

  He explained, “You and Zero Grade come from the same place. You were all once Lost Gods. If deities like Brandon Strong can see the light, everyone’s got a shot at redemption. Let’s just hope Zero Grade is willing to listen.” He hopped down onto the floor. “Time to go see a fellow president.”

  Chapter XI

  Hours after the press conference, Joe Lambda was working late in his elegant oval-shaped office in the Vin House. The sun was rapidly going down, tinting the sky orange.

  At least, he was trying to get work done. But his mind kept going back to the unreal war they were now involved in. In order to establish peace, he needed both sides to agree to talk it about, but he knew hardly anything about either. Could this really work?

  Suddenly, there was a knock at the window behind him. He turned around. Outside there stood a black child wearing a purple suit. Lambda was too stunned for words.

  “Hello,” the stranger (emphasis on strange) said casually. “Is this a bad time?” The voice was definitely that of an adult, and Lambda realized he was face to face with a dwarf possessing a unique fashion sense.

  Lambda’s security detail burst into the room. “Mr. President, there’s an intruder on the—” They suddenly noticed the stranger at the window. “Get down!”

  Lambda hurled himself to the floor, and the agents pointed their guns at the window. It was just a precaution in case the intruder managed to get in; the glass was bulletproof.

  Sensing real danger, the Morovian president began crawling towards the agents. Midway to them, he turned back to look at the mysterious dwarf; the stranger had his hands up in a nonthreatening gesture. Not that it mattered; Lambda’s security detail would do what was necessary to protect the nation’s leader.

  * * *

  Well, Bethos thought as he stared into Joe Lambda’s office, this could be going better. He had hoped to avoid Lambda’s security detail, but apparently they had better detection methods than he thought.

  From behind him, someone yelled, “Down on your stomach! Now!”

  He turned around to face more agents. “Look, I’m here to talk with President Lambda. I saw his press conference. I think I can help him.”

  “I won’t ask you again.”

  Bethos sighed. This was getting him nowhere. “Buddy, your guns won’t do a damn thing to me, so you might as well let me see the president. It’s OK; I’m a president, too.” He flashed an innocent smile.

  The window exploded behind him, and a dark blur tackled him to the ground. He found himself being choked by some sort of mechanical arm. This seemed familiar. He recalled Ev and Maya telling him about robotic technology being developed by Zero Grade in Adlo. Could this be the same?

  “Get off me!” he yelled. “This isn’t how you treat a respected administrator.”

  One of them said, “Keep quiet.”

  Anger was starting to build within him. He had come here to answer Joe Lambda’s summons, only to be treated like a common criminal. He was a god, for crying out loud! “I said…” He grabbed the arm and wrenched it from his throat before turning onto his back and punching the robotic jerk in his metal face. “Get off me!” The assailant grunted in pain, and Bethos realized he was just some guy in a suit.

  Bethos slipped out from under the guy, but suddenly several more showed up. They all charged him at once, and he found himself overwhelmed. He needed to get to a more advantageous position, so he decided to hop up onto the spacious roof.

  The guys in the exo-suits jumped up after him, but at least he had some breathing room. Plus, his small size made him a difficult target to catch, and his attackers didn’t seem to have mastered their new technology yet. They tripped over themselves as they tried to get a hold of him.

  Despite his stature, he was as nimble as they came, and he expertly weaved and bobbed around them, dodging their attacks. He pulled his punches, though; he still needed Joe Lambda on his side to try and make peace with Zero Grade, and hospitalizing his security force wouldn’t help with that. Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), their armor proved incredibly durable. Zero Grade had certainly known what they were doing when they designed it. Bethos found it difficult to deter them without using too much force.

  This went on for what seemed like a while, before someone on the roof yelled, “Stop!” Lambda had finally arrived.

  The metal men, having surrounded Bethos, exchanged glances, apparently unsure of what to do. Lambda strode forward to help them decide. “I said, stop.”

  The men reluctantly backed off as their leader approached. The Academy president had to admit, he was relieved. “Good timing, Mr. President.”

  “Sorry about that,” Lambda said, “but I hope you’ll give me a good reason for calling them off. After all, you did show up unannounced at the most secure house in Morovia.”

  Bethos shrugged. “Well, I would have called, but I didn’t have your number, and I wasn’t about to hijack the air waves like Zero Grade. In my opinion, that would be a dick move. Hey, it’s not like I wanted to fight.”

  Lambda motioned to the door on the roof he had come from. “How about we discuss this in my office?”

  A middle-aged man whom Bethos took to be the head of his security detail, said, “Mr. President, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. We don’t even know—”

  Lambda cut him off. “I am sure.” His tone left no room for dissent.

  “Yes, sir.”

  * * *

  Bethos took a seat across from Lambda who sat behind his desk. Bethos’ feet hung comically off the floor. “Now, then,” the Morovian president said. “Why don’t you start by telling me who you are?”

  “Of course.” He then explained very casually, “I’m Bethos.”

  “What?” Lambda’s eyes widened in shock. “The Bethos?”

  “The one and only.”

  Lambda quickly regained his composure. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. We’ve known gods exist for a while now, ever since the incident in Stiftung. I just wasn’t expecting…”

  “Someone of your skin color? Or someone of my height? Funny how wrong your own worshippers can get it sometimes.”

  Clearing his throat, Lambda decided to change topics. “Are you with Zero Grade, or the ones opposing them?”

  “I’m definitely not with them. I’m new blood, you might say. Those guys are old blood. They predate the universe itself. Of course, I have a lot of old blood on my side.”

  “What exactly is your side?”

  Bethos started at the beginning. He told Lambda of the previous universe and its destruction; the rift between the Lost Gods which led to the creation of Zero Grade; his discovery of the Ultimus Point at Mt. Orleia and the subsequent founding o
f the Academy; Belial’s betrayal and the unleashing of the Nephilim; the battle of Adlo and Stonecroft; and finally, the start of the current god war.

  After listening intently, Lambda leaned back and exhaled sharply. “Unbelievable.”

  “Quite a story, isn’t it?”

  “If I hadn’t seen footage of these things, I never would have believed it. But I can’t turn my eyes from the truth now. Gods are real, and we need to deal with this situation.”