A stern goddess of war finally lowered her head with rebuking eyes toward her husband.
“No husband, snapping her neck would have been more humane, or hurling her from the sky. Not murdering her the same bloody way you killed the soldier. A way that has carved a clear path back to you, keeping you a prisoner here, and undermining your plan for universal domination.”
“I have been laboring feverishly to remedy the matter.”
Horus’s left eye began to pulsate at the sight of Sekhmet’s disapproving gaze.
“You did not toil hard enough to expunge ...”
“Is there a time frame on how long you intend to berate me on my failings, wife?”
Sekhmet reared her fangs to say something. She took a breath and held a hand up to reign in peace to the room.
“You speak truth, husband. Languishing over the past will not repair the damage done…instead, we must forge thoughts together and create a new path. We must wipe the stain of these two deaths from your hands and place them upon another.”
Sekhmet’s visage went briefly blank, Horus’s own followed as the two slowly turned in Graves and Dr. Alexander's direction.
Graves’s nerves began to burn similar to acid on the other side of the room as the room became eerily silent. He found himself instinctively lifting his head to see both immortals staring at him. The lump in his throat began to choke him, while sweat formed, soaking the back of his shirt underneath his jacket.
“Repeat what you were thinking, slave,” Sekhmet commanded him.
Grave’s mind went blank with fear while Dr. Alexander’s bones rattled where he stood as his eyes strained to remain locked onto the floor. Sekhmet’s eyes fluttered in disgust while Horus kneaded the ridge of his nose in irritation.
“This one is worthless!” Sekhmet snidely gestured to Graves. “He’s broken with fear; you should just put him out of his misery.”
“No! No!” Graves yelled, jumping forward. “I remember …my thoughts, my goddess! I remember!”
Graves violently shook his head, followed by a neck crack forcing himself to get it together as his masters impatiently waited for his answer.
“We have … we have …to give …the world someone else…someone capable of executing both murders, …especially eliminating Sir Knight Light. But most importantly …if the assassin was somehow in league with this …this …Dominion Council…”
“We would ensure unwavering fealty from mankind,” Horus answered with a savage grin.
“This may be what purchases our army, husband,” Sekhmet smirked.
Graves’s neck finally lost its strength as his chin fell into his chest. He wanted to collapse to the floor but forced his legs to keep their foundation from crumbling. He managed to appease his masters, knowing full well they were only toying with him again. They already knew his thoughts; Horus and Sekhmet just wanted to watch him squirm for their amusement.
It was difficult for either Dr. Alexander or Graves to keep their constitutions as the gods began to stroll about the room formulating their plan.
“Now we must find a willing patsy to take my stain,” Horus said while stroking his chin.
Sekhmet stopped mid-step and turned to her husband with confusion on her visage.
“Patsy?”
“A person who is easily taken advantage of and can be used to place blame upon,” Horus turned, explaining to his wife. “A fool, my love.”
Sekhmet paused, allowing the word to roll around in her mind.
“I like it. So where in the universe will we find a suitable …patsy?”
An eerie, sinister grin grew on Horus’s face before he answered his wife.
“The who and from where has already been determined.”
“Lord Horus and mistress Sekhmet, your heralds, have arrived,” Meskhenet announced.
Graves’s eyes quickly glanced at Dr. Alexander, who mustered the courage to look back at him. That brief eye contact told them that they shared the same thought. It was the first time they heard the mention of heralds.
Since her resurrection, Horus had already brought his wife up to date privately with his dealings. Graves speculated that Horus, though confined to the base due to his infamous actions, projected his influence across the planet. He was, however, not sure to what degree.
“Excellent, send them in Meskhenet,” Horus commanded.
The two humans straightened up as Sekhmet strolled over to Horus taking her place by his side.
As the doors parted, Graves was sledgehammered with disbelief and doused with mixed emotions as the founding members of Vitruvian Absolute walked through the doors.
Ken Shiro, the CEO, and founder of Northstar International, strolled side-by-side with Saraswati Absolute.
Behind them, bringing up the rear in no particular order, followed the Mercurian class EVO, Deacon Absolute, Ryu Absolute the Apollo Class EVO, and Diana and Maximus Absolute the Titan Class EVOs of the group.
As they got within a respectable distance of the two ancients, all six superhumans fell to their knees with heads bowed, prostrating themselves.
“Hail Lord Horus! Hail Goddess Sekhmet! Our one true gods, and rightful rulers of this Earth!”
Sekhmet turned to Horus with a smile of approval and nodded.
“Rise, my heralds,” he commanded.
Once again, all six rose, standing in a relaxed stance; Ken Shiro turned, giving Graves his attention with a calm ominous smile.
“Former Secretary Graves, it is so good to see you again.”
Graves glanced at Horus before answering with a bit of bass within his throat.
“Ken Shiro …you’re a member…of Vitruvian Absolute. You’re an …infected EVO.”
“The proper term is reborn,” Shiro corrected him. “However, my rebirth did not occur during the first wave in 2008, like my brothers and sisters standing here with me. My evolution is owed to Lord Horus.”
Graves’s eyes found their way briefly back to a sinisterly snickering Horus, amused by him and Shiro squaring off with one another.
“He came to me one night, chose me to be his first herald, and unlocked my true potential. On that night, I dedicated myself and all that I have to him. Lord Horus brought Vitruvian Absolute into the fold as additional heralds, while my company’s resources were put to task in aiding with my master’s endeavors.
Through us, he and goddess Sekhmet will take their rightful place as lords and masters of this Earth, ruling over mankind, unifying us as one species.”
“So, all of that talk about Dennison being the ‘chosen one’ to lead all superhumans was what?”
Graves looked in the eyes of each of the Heralds, expecting an answer.
Horus stepped in, speaking for his subjects.
“Necessary propaganda to both sow unification amongst the people as well as discredit the demi-goddess. The objective set to either crush or bend her to our will. The Dominion Council removing her from the playing field altogether works fine as well.”
Graves lost strength in his neck again, causing his chin to hit his chest. He clutched his fist, purposely digging his fingernails into his palm.
“Careful Graves, your thoughts betray you,” Shiro tauntingly warned him. “Your mind is filled with so many questions after this small revelation.”
Shiro obediently stepped aside as Horus approached him, towering over Graves. Robert collected the mettle to raise his head and look him in the eyes with a face that demanded answers.
Horus, with a simple smile, chose to oblige him.
“A simple builder’s lesson, slave. It takes many layers to create a solid foundation. Shiro’s company brings legitimacy to the serum I created, while Vitruvian Absolute spreads a message of unification and evolution among the species. And with my queen resurrected, the final move on the board will be for you to legitimize us as mankind’s last hope to survive possible extinction.”
“How … how…do you possibly …expect us …humans to win such a war?” Graves ask
ed while swallowing the lump in his throat.
His question brought a visage of disappointment on Horus’s face. The ancient slowly shook his head while placing his hands on his hips.
“Poor deluded child…look at what you’ve become. All of these centuries, you focused solely upon these things to obtain power,” Horus gestured to his surroundings. “When true absolute power was closer than you realized.”
Horus, with a pointed finger, touched the center of Graves’s chest. Robert’s body began to vibrate as the ancient’s eyes burnt bright, fueled by the savage grin on his lips.
“I have walked amongst beings that I once perceived to be gods, boy. And glimpsed true fear within their eyes. Fear placed there by us, by what we would become. I tell thee on this day, armed with this knowledge, I shall bring an entire universe to heel.”
“You still haven’t answered the question! How?! How will you do this?!”
An eerie, ominous silence filled the room as Grave’s not only asked his question but projected it with a sliver of the authoritative bass he once had. Horus stood with a face slightly impressed that Robert conjured up what little mettle he had after the levels of abuse he put him through.
Everyone else, including his wife, wore a stunning visage that Graves’s dared to speak to a living god that way. Dr. Alexander’s face read that he was about to witness the former Secretary of Defense's grisly end.
With a subtle hand gesture, Horus stayed his wife and the rest of the wolves that wanted to tear Graves apart on his behalf.
Graves, with a face that said he knew he was already dead, let his words fly freely.
“There are an estimated seven-point seventy-seven billion people on this planet. Let’s say you somehow manage to get three-quarters of them ready and able to fight for you after you changed them. How the hell do you expect them to defeat this Dominion Council that is, as you said, over thirty thousand nations strong?”
“You doubt me?” Horus said with a smirk.
“Seeing as how I saw almost a day ago, one of theirs run serious roughshod over one of ours. A woman that was supposed to be the most powerful superhuman on the damn planet. Yeah, I’m feeling a bit doubtful that you can do what you claim you can do.”
At that moment, Graves wrestled with his body to stay limp, knowing whatever Horus was going to do to him that very second would be more painful if he braced himself; instead, a living god began to cackle.
“Former Secretary of Defense,” Horus recited, “You served your station well.”
Horus quickly leaned in as if to whisper something into Graves’s ear. Only what he said was both loud and clear and shook him to the bone.
“What gave you the impression that she was the most powerful being on the planet?”
Horus stood up, towering over Graves with his hands calmly folded behind his back, preparing to lecture.
“For those of you who chose to believe what your scientists say, it is said that the universe began with one massive explosion …the ‘Big Bang,’ as you call it. However, another argument was posed millions of years ago that a series of these ‘Big Bangs’ created different parts of what we call the universe. And as these ‘Big Bangs’ expanded, they brought forth life and many other wonders.”
Horus began to take a stroll around Graves as he continued.
“One of the theories mulled around is what would happen to life forms born near the epicenter of one of these Big Bangs. Some of these would possess immediate superior traits, while others would have extraordinary latent potential spawned through evolution.”
Horus found himself standing in front of Graves once again, looking down upon him.
“There are at least thirty thousand nations within the Dominion Council, possibly more. But compared to a fully evolved human with the power to raze an entire planet, thirty thousand will never be enough to defeat me. And as you just stated, we have seven-point seventy-seven billion potential soldiers with that hidden destructive power. Even with three-quarters of the population activated at that level puts this war in the palm of my hand.”
Horus's ears twitched to a violent cough from his wife.
“In the palm of our hands.”
“That’s …not possible,” Graves managed to get out. “There are limits …”
A savage, maniacal laugh from Horus shook the room vibrating the two non-superhumans’ bones.
“You who witnessed the Earth tremble from a mere human’s movement still uses the word ‘limits’ in your vocabulary?”
Horus’s insane laughter switched to an animalistic roar as he grabbed the front of Graves’s shirt, ripping him off his feet into the air. The mortal in his grip hollered in shock as Dr. Alexander fell to his knees in a wail.
“You sniveling little piece of sheep dung! Do you know what stokes my rage?! My cruelty?! It is the realization that my wife and I’s sacrifice all these centuries was for nothing! To finally be freed from my eternal suffering and find the likes of you holding the reigns of the world! And this is its results! Through your greed, shortsighted vision, and backwater thinking, you have poisoned our illustrious and divine gene pool and turned the human species into a universal embarrassment when we should be feared throughout every corner of it! Well, I say to thee on this day, no more!”
“Lord Horus, the rest of the members of your meeting are waiting on hold,” Meskhenet announced.
Horus, with disgust, dismissively released Graves, allowing him to drop painfully to the floor.
“Away with you into a corner with the doctor,” Horus ordered with a hand wave. “Until I have further use of you.”
Graves got to his feet as quickly as his body would allow him. Both he and Dr. Alexander made their way to a nearby corner once again, standing side by side with each other. With their heads to the ground, both of them appeared to be even more worn and defeated.
A smiling Sekhmet strolled over to Horus, standing by his side as their heralds took their place behind them.
The theatre-sized visual screen came to life, creating images of five separate screens revealing alien rulers.
Meskhenet began her introductions.
“Presenting the High Prime Vbzarma of the planet Volori and his sons High Prince Volker and High Prince Nofarrzo.”
Vbzarma sat sulking in his seat while his sons at semi-attention flanked his throne. Both bore a visage of miffed irritation, mirroring their father’s emotions.
“Presenting the Grand Kan Fatra Kumzi of the planet Tinra Oa and his daughter Princess Kai Mefita Kumzi.”
The massive Grand Kan sat cross-legged on a plush red and gold pillow that had the properties of a bean bag. The Tinra Oan was a humanoid amalgamation of an elephant and a rhino. His powerful husking powerlifter physique was adorned in an attire similar to sheiks from Earth. His rhino ears flicked now and then from the insects swarming around his head, while his stumpy elephant snout that stopped at the center of his chest swayed from side to side and expanded as he breathed.
His two thick white tusks were adorned with gold and silver rings.
His daughter sat next to him on her own pillow. Her broad hefty yet slightly curvy frame was draped in a sheer purple and silver two-piece top and bottom similar to a belly dancer's outfit.
Her ears, arms, fingers, and trunk were covered in fine jewelry that teetered close to armor.
She sat with a lazily disinterested gaze while her father wore an ominously calm glare mirroring a bull ready to charge.
“Presenting Regent Maleen of the planet Pandor and her daughter Princess Syrtria.”
The Regent sat calmly with her legs crossed, and her hands clasped upon a red crystal throne with glowing yellow Pandorian etchings on different parts of the seat.
The Regent’s long toned slender form was clothed in a white and pink off the shoulder kimono styled dress. It amplified the demonic blood-red skin her species was known for, along with her four-pearl black eyes, two where typical human eyes would be, while the other two were position
ed at the side of her skull.
Atop her long thick white mane head was a crown constructed from the same crystal material that created the throne. It also glowed from the intricate etchings within it.
Her daughter Syrtia, a mini version of her mother, wore a blue and black off the shoulder kimono dress. She playfully tugged on a thick silver chain her mother lazily held on to.
It was attached to a sad and subservient male Pandorian with his head down and his hands clasped behind his back, wearing nothing but a white loincloth. He winced in pain from the chain connected to his member underneath the cloth as the child mercilessly yanked on it for amusement.
She only stopped when her mother held up a finger, signaling to her that playtime was over. Syrtia obediently skipped over to stand at her mother’s side. She folded her arms, adding a pouting face, and attempted to pay attention to what was going on.
“Presenting Grand Emperor Zoran of the planet Gregor and his son Prince Togar.”
Like his species, Grand Emperor Zoran was closer to human than everyone else present on the screen save for his ice blue glimmering skin and piercing white eyes with black irises the dots' size. Like his species, Zoran’s silver hair had a permanent slick back wet look.
His royal attire was an alien mesh between English aristocrats using rich white and blue material similar to leather and silk.
Attached to his long coat's shoulders were five rows of golden-colored chains connected to a thick triangular pendant. A glowing crystal image of his face sat in the middle of it.
Togar, his eldest son, was a younger image of him with blood reddish hair. His attire was similar to his father’s but with a white and black color scheme. Unlike his father, he did not have a chain or piece of jewelry representing his station.
As his father dismissively fluffed the frills of his shirt, Togar stood at the left side of the throne with a disinterested sneer upon his face.
“Presenting the Imperial Lord Hoovii Omni of the Planet Nowaru.”
The Imperial Lord, unlike his other counterparts, sat at a conference table with four members of his council.
His appearance was that of a humanoid male squirrel monkey minus the tail with black and white fur covering everything save for his palms and face. His attire was an alien version of a Catholic priest’s clerical garb with militaristic upgrades in a royal blue color.
War of Mortal Gods Page 17
