by R. E. Graham
Bland ordinary looking furniture filled the space as though this was a regular office. Suddenly, Davis spoke up from down a hall to their left.
“Are you two coming?” he asked with his very gruff voice.
Varius looked to Eva and headed for the other inquisitor. The woman turned and looked to her right before she did the same.
“Heard you have had quite the assignment here Varius” Davis remarked as he stood to the side making way for both of them to enter the next room.
“It has been…interesting” Varius replied.
As the pair entered the room with Davis close behind, Varius allowed himself to smile at the sight of Director Seneca sitting at the large round table situated at the center of the room. Black leather chairs had been arrayed around it, while a deactivated holoprojector sat at the very center of the table.
Seneca rose as the two came inside. "Inquisitor Varius, I am glad to see you well."
Varius stopped several steps from the table and saluted to his superior officer. "Thank you, sir. We both appreciate you making the long journey to Eden."
Eva stood beside the Inquisitor, but she sensed something was off. The room itself looked harmless enough. It wasn't really anything that she saw, more of what she felt.
The Director turned his focus to the ex-inquisitor and greeted her with a half-smile. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance miss Primus. I thank you for your assistance in helping the Inquisitor here to avoid capture."
She did her best to smile appreciatively back. "It was the least I could do since he helped me escape the KoPs compound."
Seneca nodded then his demeanor turned a bit more neutral. "If you don't mind miss, I would like to be able to speak with Varius privately."
Before she could respond, Varius jumped in. "If you would permit her to stay sir, she proven herself to be of exceptional courage and has provided me with council on this mission."
Eva was surprised to hear the Inquisitor give her such praise. She looked back to the older man who stared for a moment before he conceded. "Please, both of you have a seat" he said as he extended his arm gesturing to the chairs across from him.
Varius did not hesitate to pull out the chair closest to him while Eva kept a cautious eye on the other two inquisitors stationed against the wall behind the Director.
"Sir" the Inquisitor began as he got situated in his seat, "have you been able to discover any other news from Headquarters?"
The older man shook his aging head. "Regrettably no. But I was able to bring along with me Inquisitor Davis, Sheal, and Carmine along with me."
Varius nodded respectfully to the other two men in the room behind the Director. They stood in a comfortable parade rest with their arms tucked behind their backs.
"So...tell me, what was the Shadow Man like?" the Director asked while he leaned backwards in his chair. The fine leather creaked and adjusted to the man's weight.
Eva picked up on the strange way to phrase the question, but Varius did not. She elected to remain silent until she felt it appropriate to speak up. While she once was an inquisitor, she knew that being out of the order changed the way that any of them were going to treat her in this situation.
"Honestly sir, it was a very strange encounter. I have tangled with plenty of low life scum across the Republic in my time, but there was something different about him."
"Oh?"
"During the fight that broke out between the Keepers and the Shadow Man's henchmen I witnessed him do something I have never seen before."
Seneca was truly intrigued. "And what was that?"
"Well, it is difficult to explain. From what I could see, when the Keeper of Liberty attempted to engage him in the battle, he blasted her back. Thing is, he didn't touch her. It was as if, he had some kind of power" Varius said.
"Perhaps he had some sort of kinetic weapon?"
"I don't think so. From what I could see he was wearing ordinary clothing with no powered amplifiers. Liberty however was wearing custom power armor. She was thrown back as if she were a child's toy."
"So how do you feel about the Keepers? Do you trust them?" Seneca asked as he adjusted his weight in his chair. He brought his hand up to his chin as he listened.
"I am more focused on are they legitimate? Are they actually part of some secret order that operates throughout the Republic?"
The Director tapped his finger on the table as he thought. He looked over to Davis then back to Varius. "Oh yes, they are quite real. It seems that after the Synthetics and the generals were defeated at the end of the machine war the Prefect Major wanted to bring together a team of citizens to safeguard the Republic. There is said to only be seven of them, but they don't have official files exactly."
The Inquisitor's face turned to a bit of disbelief. "Sir, then why the secrecy? If they are for our nation, then why do they operate in the shadows?"
"Because, once they become a Keeper they lose all of their original identity. They become a representation of a key pillar of the Republic for the rest of their lives. We don't even know if the Keepers alive now are the ones at the beginning of their organization or new initiates."
"That would mean..." Eva started.
"That they could be generations old. Yes" Seneca finished. "Quite frankly, I am more interested in learning what the Shadow Man wanted with you Varius."
The Inquisitor placed his hands on the table but wasn't sure how to start. "He told me that he wanted to give me a choice. That somehow, I am special or something. It doesn't matter, he is a mad man."
"Why would you say that?" Davis asked boldly.
Eva twisted back to see the man standing behind Varius and noticed that his hands were tight in fists. The Inquisitor didn't seem to really notice the change in demeanor and kept his eyes focused on the older man sitting in front of him.
Seneca held up his hand to ease Davis back from the conversation. "Varius, we have made a long trip here and put ourselves in a potentially dangerous position with the order. We need you to share as much information you have. Hold nothing back."
"Okay...well, there was another thing that happened here that I haven't brought up with you just yet."
"Oh?" the Director asked genuinely interested.
"So, you are going to think this sounds really crazy, but we may have come into contact with a being that Eva here would describe as a..." Varius hesitated for a moment fearing that his fellow inquisitors would think he was insane, "...daemon called Envy."
"You met Envy?!" Seneca's whole interest skyrocketed.
Eva instantly noticed the change and carefully reached her hand under the table and squeezed Varius' knee. The Inquisitor didn't look down, noticing the change in the Director too.
The older man leaned forward in his chair over the edge of the table. "What was he like?"
"How...how do you know about Envy, sir?" Varius asked. His alert now made his brain kick him out of being comfortable and back into analyzing the situation.
This isn't how I expected this conversation to go. Something is wrong. He brought three experienced inquisitors with him. Can we deal with all of them if this goes bad?
Suddenly he found a tiny piece of him hoping that the two keepers were nearby.
Seneca stood up and tugged at the bottom of his uniform top to pull it tight. He slid his chair back in and stood behind it. "There are quite a few things you don't yet know about Varius. In time though, you will understand."
Both Eva and Varius felt the change in the tone of the room. The Inquisitor positioned his legs to hop up quickly. "Sir, what is going on?"
"All I need to know Inquisitor is one thing, have you made your decision yet?"
Eva spotted the two inquisitors demeanor look more threatening as they brought their arms out from behind their back as if they were about to make a move. She tilted her head over and whispered to her companion, "We need to go."
Varius on the other hand was feeling a flood of emotions wash over him as his brain was puttin
g everything together.
This can’t be happening. He has been a mentor to me since...
He remembered back to the Shadow Man's conversation where he told him that events had been orchestrated for him.
No...no, no, no, no! He can't be part of this!
"Sir, do you know what I was asked?"
"I know that he was interrupted by those damnable keepers before he could finish” the Director said as his mood turned to be more agitated.
Davis placed his big muscular hands on Eva and Varius' shoulders. Eva had left enough room from her torso and the rim of the table to bring her legs up. She pushed off from the table and slammed her chair into the man behind them. His body was knocked back as he released them both. The ex-inquisitor stood ready to fight but was slightly startled to see that Davis’ eyes had turned pitch black.
Varius sat stunned as he stared at his old mentor who glared at him. The door at the back of the room between the two other inquisitors slid open. Both the Shadow Man and Torvan stepped into the room.
"Varius, get up and fight! He isn't who you thought anymore" Eva shouted just as Davis regained himself and growled at her. She smirked back at the possessed man. "Cute. It sounds like your purring."
Davis snarled at the woman as he rushed forward. Varius clenched his jaw and spun his chair around and charged the advancing man. The Inquisitor caught him under the arms and smashed him to the floor. He blocked an attack from the angry man with his left arm while he simultaneously activated his assassin's blade and stabbed repeatedly into the side of Davis' head.
Despite the injuries, Davis shoved Varius in the chest knocking him off sending him slamming into the pair's now vacant chairs.
The Shadow Man walked towards Varius with Torvan beside him. He motioned with his right hand and both of the other inquisitors rushed forward. Carmine ran around the right while Sheal went left.
Out of nowhere, Liberty and Knowledge burst through the ceiling and landed behind Davis. Chunks of debris scattered about the room. As the dust began to clear Knowledge said sarcastically, "Sorry about that. Are we interrupting something?"
"Get them!" the Shadow Man said to Torvan with a growl.
The surviving Lucem brother darted forward just in time to catch a devastating blow to his head from Liberty's bronze hammer. He careened into the wall and hit so hard that he became stuck in it.
Knowledge held up his hand and a laser pistol formed out of orange pixelated dust. Just as Davis hopped back up to his feet, the dark blue Keeper fired multiple times into the angry Inquisitor. Each hit was expertly aimed for his knees and shoulders. With his body mostly disabled, Davis crumpled to the floor and howled loudly.
Varius rushed over to Eva and turned back to the two other advancing inquisitors.
"I'm glad you are here!" Eva said to Knowledge as he stomped his way over to the pair.
"Varius, I know you spoke with Envy. I need to know your decision" the Shadow Man said as he spoke above the noise of the fighting.
"Today is the day you answer for your crimes!" Liberty shouted as she ran swung her hammer at Carmine who hopped over her attack and barreled himself forward at Knowledge.
The male Keeper aimed his pistol at the advancing man. Just before he fired, Carmine dodged to the right and launched himself into the air. Knowledge's shot missed and nearly hit Seneca as his shot passed by and hit the wall at the back of the room.
With super human speed, Knowledge used the side of his pistol to strike Carmine in the face. The possessed Inquisitor tumbled across the floor. Knowledge formed a short sword in his left hand and readied himself for Carmine to attack again.
Sheal ran up to Varius and was greeted with a kick to the head from Eva. He stumbled backwards but swung a punch at the woman. Varius bashed the other man's head with a devastating punch of his own. Dazed for a moment, Eva chopped his throat and kicked him in the crotch. Even though a possessed person didn't feel pain quite the same as the host would, the body they controlled still had limits.
Sheal fell to his knees but his face was enraged. "I'll rip your heart from your chest!" he said at Eva.
She backhanded him with her fist and the enemy Inquisitor fell to the ground.
"Varius, choose!" Seneca shouted loudly as he slowly walked towards the pair. He drew his sidearm and aimed at Eva.
Without hesitation Varius jumped in front of her and shielded her with his body. The Director lowered his gun and grimaced.
"How could you join them?!" Varius asked with pain in his voice.
"We all serve someone Damien. I have ambitions that the Shadow Man can help with.”
The Inquisitor was crushed inside. "Ho...how long??
Seneca continued to walk towards the pair. "Longer than I’ve known you."
"So then..."
"Yes, all this time I have been leading you to this moment" the Director boasted arrogantly.
"But...why?" Varius asked confused as he recalled tons of memories of when Seneca helped him through his early cycles as an inquisitor.
"Give yourself over to the rage that burns within you and become Wrath. It is your future!"
"Varius, he is just trying to get inside your head. Don't listen to him" Eva said as she peaked out from behind the Inquisitor.
Seneca raised his pistol again and fired. The Woman barely ducked as the bullet flew over Varius' shoulder and dug into the wall.
The Inquisitor felt an intense fury build up within him as he felt the burst of air from the bullet whiz passed him. His eyes burned with anger and he ran forward to fight.
"Kay, stop him!" Liberty called out to her friend as Torvan crawled out of the wall and rushed at her.
Knowledge sliced his sword across Carmine's chest just before the possessed Inquisitor reached him. Blood sprayed across the room from the injury, but it didn't stop the man from punching the Keeper in the helmet. The blow was significant enough that Knowledge's head recoiled, but more or less just made him angry. He swung his sword again slicing Carmine's right arm off at the forearm then followed up that attack by cutting the Inquisitor's head off.
The Keeper turned back to Varius and said, "Don't be stupid Varius. This is what they want!"
Sheal struggled to stand as Eva attempted to kick him in the face. He caught her leg with his hand and pushed her back. The woman stumbled backwards but kept herself upright.
Liberty swung her hammer aiming to catch Torvan in the chest, but he blocked the blow with both of his forearms. He smashed downward knocking the hammer's head to the floor.
"Uh oh..." the female Keeper said as Torvan kicked her in the chest sending her flying into her back. Her armor screeched ear piercingly as it ground against the stonecrete floor until she came to a stop.
Before Varius could close the distance between him and the Director, Seneca leaned over and fired a round into Eva’s back as she fought Sheal.
The Inquisitor slid to a stop and looked back at her. With her back to Varius, she reached down to find that she had been shot in the stomach. Sheal didn't hesitate to strike her in the forehead with his elbow. Her head bucked backwards and she collapsed to the ground.
Switching targets, Varius ran back to Eva as the possessed Inquisitor stood over the woman.
"Raaaaah!" the Inquisitor screamed as he tackled Sheal before he stomped Eva's face with his boot.
Both the men tumbled to the ground and each rolled away from the other to a crouching position.
"I'll kill you!" Varius said caught up in his rage.
"You can try" Sheal replied as he darted forward and tried to punch the Inquisitor. Varius ducked below the attack and responded by punching Sheal in the face. Before the possessed Inquisitor could retaliate. The enraged man grabbed him by the back of the head and thrust his enemy's face down in time to meet his knee.
Blood and teeth shot out of Sheal's mouth as he became disoriented and tripped.
Ignoring everything else going on around him, Varius ran to Eva. A large pool of blood had a
lready built up around her and she was looking pale. He lifted her arm over his neck and hoisted her up.
Blood spurted from her mouth as she tried to speak.
"You have been chosen Varius to do great things" the Shadow Man said as he stood behind the table completely calm. His eyes still were covered by his hood. He extended a hand towards the Inquisitor. "Become Wrath. Enforce your justice across the stars."
Liberty pushed herself up off the ground and released her hammer. It disintegrated just as she formed a large cannon over her shoulder and in her arms.
Varius hit the door panel and ran through the opening just as the bronze Keeper fired her cannon into Torvan. The explosion brought down chunks of the ceiling along with filling the room with smoke.
Knowledge beheaded Sheal while he covered the door giving Varius and Eva time to escape the battle. "Liberty, are you okay" he said over their radio system. His helmet switched over to thermal and he could see her standing behind a shroud of smoke.
"Yeah, I'm good, what about Eva?"
"He will have to deal with her for now. We need to stop the Shadow Man."
As the smoke cleared around them, what remained of Torvan's upper torso crawled over to the Shadow Man. He stood over the charred and maimed remains of the older Lucem brother and scowled. "You have failed me twice now." He raised his right hand and a black orb of energy formed. Torvan screamed like an animal scared for its life as the Shadow Man aimed his hand at him and fired. The orb turned what remained of the brother into ash.
Chapter 33
Cycle: 412 Month: 7 Rotation: 16
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Eden
Location: Downtown Lucifer
"Move! Move! Get out of my way!" the Inquisitor shouted to shoppers as he fought to push his way through the crowds. With Eva bleeding to death in his arms, Varius wasn't interested in being subtle. He knew time was short and he needed to get away from the fight if he had any chance of saving her.
Onlookers were shocked at the sight of the woman and several began to recognize who they were.
