by Karl Morgan
He began to squirrel away ammunition, food, water and gasoline. He was always heavily armed. Even though his friends claimed to support him, he encountered more and more of them in secret, hushed meetings. In the middle of one blustery night during the monsoon season, he climbed into his armored vehicle and slipped away. He did not know where to go except somewhere far away where no one spoke English or was named William. He first thought of Mexico and headed south. Given the state of the world, he had no problem finding unattended gas stations to keep going. As he passed through the smashed large cities, he began to notice posters in Spanish and English advertising a large reward for a William Stewart, and so he continued southward. Central and South America had been particularly decimated by chemical and biological weapons, so the going was easier once he reached what had been Panama.
He stopped in Cartagena, Columbia to look for food and fuel. In a broken down liquor store, he found a brochure for Iguazu Falls, deep in the jungles on the border between Argentina and Brazil. It seemed so idyllic that he headed that way, until at long last he found the hotel where they now sat. “And it pains me to say it, but I haven’t seen a living soul since I crossed from Costa Rica into Panama. That doesn’t mean they aren’t out there, but not along the route I took.”
“I’m sorry about your world, Bill.”
“Just call me One, 307. I certainly hope your version of this place is better,” he replied. “Earlier you said you knew why some of us have Watson for a last name and also why we’re being eliminated. Well?”
“I hope I’m not getting out of line, but we were all adopted as children, right?”
One smirked at him and said, “What’s your point?”
“At least in my version of this, I was adopted by a family named Watson. I recently met my sister, and she had been adopted by a family named Stewart.”
One opened his eyes wide and replied, “We honestly never thought about asking everyone that question; at least I didn’t. Okay, that was pretty simple, but why is someone out to get us?”
“Do any of you know who your biological mother is?”
“I don’t want to talk about it!” Seventeen exclaimed and stood to walk away.
“Please wait, Seventeen,” Bill said calmly. “I felt the same way until I found out. And then I met my biological father and maternal grandfather.”
“Why should any of us care about them?” Seventeen argued. “What did they ever do for us?” The argument had drawn a crowd and now dozens of other Bills were standing around their table. “They didn’t do shit for me!” Others in the crowd were nodding in agreement and seemed very upset by the turn of the conversation.
Bill began to laugh. The thought that just crossed his mind was too ironic to believe. The Emperor Gaius Claudius Caesar had sealed his own fate with this short-sightedness. “None of this is funny, 307. Why are you making fun of us? I freaking saved your life an hour ago!”
Bill calmed himself and said, “I am very sorry. I swear I was not laughing at any of you or your pasts, but I have to assume that we are all the same with the same biological parents, or else, why are we all identical?”
One replied, “Okay 307, I think we can all agree that we are all the same. Whatever scumbag was your father is the same piece of shit bastard who spawned me! Now are you satisfied?”
“Guys, assuming we are all the same person from different realities, I can tell you with absolute confidence that our biological parents are not human.” The other Bills began to laugh. “And that is why we are being hunted!”
Seventeen was holding his sides from laughing so hard that his face had turned red. Between gasps for breath, he asked, “So are they little green beings from Mars?”
Bill smiled, pushed his chair backward and stood up. He clenched his eyes shut and began to breathe deeply. He could feel sweat forming on his brow and his body changing.
One said, “You should sit down 307, you’re looking a bit green at the gills.”
Bill could feel his muscles growing and pressing against his clothes. He opened his eyes which glowed red. Another Bill asked, “What the hell is happening to him?”
Suddenly, leathery wings sprouted from his back and he was the beast again. He jumped into the air and began to fly around the room. The others turned to run away as fast as they could, but Bill was faster. He raced past them and blocked the doors so they were trapped inside. The pack of men hurried to the opposite side of the room and huddled in a corner, awaiting their gruesome deaths. The human Bill was standing before them. “You see what I mean?”
Gaius Claudius Caesar was fast asleep, blissfully unaware of the whereabouts of his sister or Bill Watson. He dreamt of a day soon when all the multiverse would cower before him. A white enforcer slipped out of his chest and approached a right angle of light next to the emperor’s head. It pulled it open and slipped through unnoticed.
“I should strike you dead for abandoning your post, Proctor,” the demon king said. The demon sat on a throne made from human bones. Its skin was scaly and mottled with brown and dark green and two horns grew out of his head. It had tattoos all over its body, including its horrifying face. He glowered at the enforcer with bright red eyes.
“I know Master will forgive Proctor.”
“That is likely true. After all, we have been through much, old friend, but why are you here now?”
“Of course Master knows what has occurred.”
“Yes, the demons we provided to Gaius have made a tremendous error in judgment, and it is now possible that even we will be discovered and destroyed.”
Proctor bowed and looked down. “Master doesn’t really believe that will happen, does he?”
“Who can say? I only mentioned it as a possibility and there is certainly time for events to change the course of fate. After all, the creatures of these realms are not that intelligent.”
“Including their immortals?”
“Especially them, Proctor! I doubt any of them have seriously considered a threat on our level. Each of them presumes to be the absolute ruler of the universe, isn’t that funny?”
“Yet some of them now acknowledge others.”
“Yes, that is a problem,” the demon king acknowledged. “Perhaps I can count on your clan to assist there.”
“Anything for you, my master,” Proctor groveled. “But Master must know many of our friends have died already?”
The demon king scowled at the enforcer and bared his fangs. “In this place, one should speak more carefully. Our friendship spans the multiverse, but even so has limits!”
Proctor prostrated himself on the ground and pushed his face into the floor. “Master will forgive Proctor for being a fool. Proctor only begs Master to return them to fight again for your glory.”
The demon king laughed and began to pet the enforcer like a favorite dog. “Proctor my darling, all of them will be returned to you, along with a billion more souls. Whenever you need more, please slice off one of your fingers, and a million more will appear.”
“A finger, Master?”
The demon king laughed again and smiled at Proctor. “And perhaps if you are a good dog, once your fingers are exhausted, I shall provide you with more?”
“Master is most generous with Proctor,” the creature said as it slithered away and back into the emperor’s bedroom.
The demon king sat back and smiled, confident that his victory was assured. “Dom, you stupid fool. Soon even you will know that I am superior!”
Mary was flabbergasted to find herself back in Las Vegas again. When the imperial vehicle had passed through the doorway between dimensions, it became a stretch limousine cruising down The Strip. The first stop had been the Fashion Show Mall where Maggie has purchased dozens of new outfits for them both to wear. Then they headed toward their hotel. The limo pulled up to the entrance of the Bellagio and doormen opened the door. Minutes later, she and the princess were inside their magnificent suite. She sat on a long sofa watching television while Maggie c
hanged outfits and modeled them for her. Maggie was changing again when the doorbell rang. Mary hurried over to the door and opened it. She almost fainted when she saw J.C. in a hotel uniform with a cart holding two bottles of Cristal champagne in wine buckets, a bowl of strawberries and two flutes. He winked at her and pushed the cart into the room. “What are you doing here?” she whispered.
“It’s interesting that she chose this place, isn’t it?” he whispered back.
Mary was about to beg him to leave when Maggie walked out of the bedroom wearing only a bra and panties. She noticed J.C. immediately and walked over, saying, “Please open a bottle for us and bring us some beluga and blinis.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
J.C. popped the cork and Maggie clapped her hands. She moved behind J.C. and pressed her body against his back. “You’re a handsome man for a waiter. What’s your name, stud?”
“My friends call me Jay, ma’am.”
J.C. filled a flute with champagne and turned to hand it to her. Maggie’s body was still pressed against him. She took the glass and swallowed the wine. She ran her hand down his cheek, neck and arm. “Where can a girl go for a good time around here, Jay?”
J.C. was blushing and moved back, but Maggie was undeterred and stepped forward to maintain contact. “I have a cousin who is better at this than me, ma’am.”
She moved over to the cart and selected a strawberry and took a bite, allowing a dribble of juice to run down her chin. “My friend and I are going to the late show. Perhaps you and your cousin could join us there. You seem a bit of a stick in the mud, if you don’t mind me saying so. That makes you a good match for Mary here.”
J.C. smiled and said, “Jonas and I will see you then. How much is the show?”
Maggie walked over to the couch where she had left her purse. She bent over so J.C. could have a good look and then returned. She took a wad of currency and shoved it into his front pocket, and then left her hand there for a moment while looking up at his face. Then she removed her hand and said, “Don’t worry, we have a private table, Jay.”
“I don’t even know your names.”
“Mary and Mags, that’s us. Jonas and Jay, that’s you. We’ll see you at ten.” She ran her hand from his chest to his crotch, left her hand there a moment, and then down his thigh. She smiled at him, walked back into the bedroom and closed the door.
Mary had a horrified look on her face as J.C. only smiled at her, waved meekly and then walked out of the hotel room.
Chapter 11
Gaius Claudius Caesar was sitting at a long glass table with his chief advisors for their daily update on what was happening in the realms of the empire. General Marcus had detailed the events that had occurred at the Place of Desolation, where traitors and other criminals were crucified. “Thankfully, our forces were able to capture the rogue demon and the angel and exile them in the usual way.” The emperor and other advisors looked on in shock.
The emperor blinked several times and asked, “You are telling me that the entire site has been transformed into a formal cemetery?”
“Yes, Majesty, but I cannot claim to understand how that would have happened. I suppose it must have been the angel.”
“And the bus the rogue demon hurled away is the same one that almost killed my sister?”
“I am very sorry for that, sir.”
Gaius replied, “No, that was clearly not your fault, Marcus. I suppose we need a new crucifixion spot.”
“Majesty, on your order, we can exhume the bodies and reclaim the Place of Desolation.”
“No, I think not. There is no need to tempt more retribution from the few angels still alive.” He turned to Councilor Lucius and said, “Lucius, speaking of the incident with the princess, I was advised that you were in the company of two slave girls at that restaurant. Please explain.”
The revelation of a rogue demon worried Lucius greatly. He knew the slave Mary was really a demon and he believed she was an undercover agent for the emperor. Perhaps she was another rogue. If the emperor ever learned he was consorting with enemies of the empire, he would quickly find himself one of the first residents of the new Place of Desolation. The thought that Mary was now serving the princess herself sent a shiver down his spine. “Majesty, while it is not common for my team to include slaves, this situation is not unprecedented. In some cases, a slave girl, especially a young pretty one, can get more information than someone well known in your circle of influence. The meal was just a typical nicety to welcome new staff.”
The emperor smiled and asked, “So this new girl is very pretty, is she? Perhaps you could arrange it so that I could meet her myself?”
“The slave is indeed attractive, milord, and I would love to introduce you, but it seems the princess did not tell you everything that happened. After the incident at the restaurant, the princess took possession of both of the slave girls there.”
“It is interesting that she did not mention this, but they are only slaves,” the emperor replied. He pressed a button on the table and said, “Luci, please get a hold of the head of staff at my sister’s residence and ask him to call me immediately.”
“Yes, milord,” she replied.
“Julius, while we are waiting, why don’t you start your report on the new realm?”
Julius was the only demon among the emperor’s group of advisors, although only the emperor knew if others were demons in disguise. “Yes Majesty. This new realm is the most difficult one yet. It seems that the angels and demons of that realm are working together against us. They have control of two portals and the enforcers must be very careful when opening new portals so they are not captured as well. According to our last count, more than ten million have been assigned there permanently, and we can only account for a few hundred thousand still alive.”
“When will the realms separate again?”
“That is very hard to say, Majesty,” Julius frowned. “The human scientists tell me that understanding the motions and cycles of the membranes in the multiverse is beyond our scientific capability. I believe the open portals now controlled by the others may force the two realms to stay connected.”
Chief Scientist Claudius interjected, “My colleague may be correct, milord, and frankly we had better pray he is right.”
“Why? What’s the problem?” the emperor asked.
“Now this is just conjecture on my part because the science is not known, but it is possible that if the membranes separate while there is an active connection, both membranes may be sucked into the void between them. In my opinion, that would utterly destroy both, and may cause the entire multiverse to collapse into a singularity.” All of the advisors gasped.
“We must get control of those portals as a highest priority!” Gaius shouted. “I am not willing to destroy everything and all of us for one stupid realm. We can try again when the two membranes touch again if we choose.”
“Marcus and I will take care of it, Majesty,” Julius replied.
A tone sounded and the emperor pressed the same button again, “Yes?”
“Most sacred light of the universe, it is I, Drake Night, your most humble servant and Chief of Staff for her grace, the princess.”
“Drake, it is good to hear your voice again,” the emperor replied. “Please advise my sister that later today I wish to meet the two slave girls she commandeered from Councilor Lucius yesterday.”
“Must it be today, my lord?”
“Are you questioning me, Drake?” the emperor shouted.
“Most excellent Majesty, I would never do such an impetuous thing. It’s just that, well, uh, the princess and one of the slave girls are not here, and I don’t know when they will return.”
“Where did they go, Drake?”
“Uh, this is most difficult, my lord emperor. I am not certain how to respond without upsetting you sire, but the lady directed me not to say where she went. She said she would kill everyone in the residence if I failed to keep her secret.”
Ga
ius laughed, “Please relax, old man. I am positive that Maggie did not include me in her warning. You can tell me and she will not be angry.”
“Most magnificent and beloved king of the universe, please, please do not take this wrong, but she said her warning applied especially to you.”
“What?” he screamed. He snapped his fingers and the old man was in the room, standing next to the emperor.
Drake looked about frantically and fell to the floor and prostrated himself before the emperor. “Please have mercy on me, milord. I meant no disrespect to you. I only repeated the words she said to me. I swear on my life, I am telling the truth.” He began sobbing uncontrollably.
“Drake, I understand your situation completely,” Gaius said very calmly. “I release you from your vow to my sister, and swear on my own life that neither you nor the staff will be harmed by my sister if you tell me now.”
Drake slowly climbed off the floor and back to his feet. He wiped his face with the sleeve of his uniform and tried to smile. “Thank you, most beneficent lord. I only know generalities on the subject because I have never been to the new realm.”
Julius jumped to his feet. “She went to the new realm?”
Drake trembled violently at the sight of the monstrous demon. He forced his head to nod. “Yes, milord, that is what she said. She asked her driver to take her to a place called Las Vegas in the new realm. She took the slave named Mary with her last night.”
