Taking On the World

Enterprise1701_d

 

Part 3

 

Kevin had just entered some more information for the Minister of Culture when Simon entered the Throne Room. No, no longer Simon, Kevin reminded himself. Legate Hawke, he thought when his friend dropped to one knee in front of the small elevation that held his throne.

Kevin looked at his friend, amazed at how far he was willing to take this. Shaking his head in quiet amusement, he said in his best Imperial Voice, which was still being worked on, "You may rise, Legate."

Rising, Simon said, "Your Majesty, I know that you are in the midst of Proclamation Day, and all of the activities that entails, but I thought you might like the gift I have brought for you. If you would please come with me?"

Kevin, unable to contain the fact that he was intrigued, shot a glance toward the three girls sitting next to the platform. April and Ariana shrugged, while Marise remained virtually impassive, only the slight twinkle in her eyes betraying her amusement. If he didn’t know her that well, Kevin wouldn’t ever had thought she even had feelings on the subject.

Shrugging, intrigued, Kevin got up, and jumped off the five steps that elevated the platform, landing right next to Simon.

"Lead the way, Legate," Kevin said, smiling at his friend. He rubbed his hands, and said, "I've always liked gifts. I can hardly wait."

Simon worked hard to control his grin.  He led the Emperor to a door at the back of the Throne Room that led to the Emperor's private areas.  As soon as they were out of the public eye, Simon removed his visor.

They arrived at a door, where Tala was waiting for them.  Simon turned to Kevin and said, "Your present is in here."  Tala opened the door, to reveal a nicely furnished room, with ten girls in it.  Each of them was wearing a starched white blouse, and a plaid skirt.  None of them could possibly be more than sixteen.  Each of them rose as the three entered the room.  "Catholic, every one," Simon said with a grin.

Kevin swallowed hard. His eyes lit up, and he turned to Simon. There was just one thing he needed to know. "How about... you know?" He asked, hoping to whatever Deity that would listen that his friend wouldn't make fun of his inability to form coherent speech at the moment.

Simon smiled at his friend. "Virgins, every last one.  And they didn't seem too eager to change that status, at least when I asked."

Kevin couldn't help but smile greedily. He had feasted on the schoolgirl-rape stories he could find... now he would actually be able to participate in the events that had always been such a turn-on for him.

He hit Simon's arm. "Thanks, man... I really, really appreciate this. Oh... I am going to have so much fun tonight..." he whispered the latter more to himself than to Simon.

He heard Simon chuckle slightly, yet paid no attention to it. After all, Simon was known for always having a good laugh at his sometimes hyper-active emotions. "We're not done, Your Majesty," Simon then said, and motioned for Tala, who silently left the room.

Kevin slowly looked away from what he believed to be just about the biggest prize he had won thus far. His gaze settled on Simon.

"What else is there?" he asked, surprised. He looked back at the ten lovely girls in the room. "You can't get bigger than this... unless you've got two dozen more waiting outside," he added with a chuckle. His gaze traveled over the ten girls, and remained for slightly longer on a lovely redhead of maybe fourteen or fifteen years of age. Although Kevin usually preferred brunettes, he knew of himself that he would never let something as stupid as hair color get in the way of liking someone.

"Oh," said Simon quietly, "I think I can top this." Kevin’s had was turning toward Simon when Tala entered from a separate bedchamber, leading someone. Kevin’s mind short-circuited when he recognized who was being led. It can’t be… his mind whispered. The woman was dressed in a beautiful white prom-like dress that flowed beautifully down her body.

Where did he find HER? And where in HELL did he find that dress? It’s been a while since she wore that thing on TV… I’m amazed that it still fits! The Prom…  his mind added. Damn, I liked that episode. His eyes settled on her face, the beautiful smile on her face going right into Kevin’s soul.

Simon said, "I believe you're familiar with this person?"

Kevin's jaw hit the floor. Literally. The first physical reaction he could bring himself to.

"Sara... Melanie... Gelman..." he whispered, even with his jaw still on the floor. Simon had a hard time believing that someone could still talk with his jaw hanging on his knees, but somehow, Kevin managed.

He blinked, swallowed a couple of time really hard, and composed himself. Slowly, he walked toward her, gently extending his hands to take hers into his own, as if to make sure she was real. At the same time his eyes darted over her body, his mind reached out and undid the simply obey commands Simon had implanted.

His conscience hit him with the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Contrary to Simon, Kevin never really felt comfortable with mind-control, and the fact that he really liked this woman didn't make it any easier for him.

Deciding that he'd better do something, Kevin's mind reached out, gently brushing hers. He didn't want to force her into anything... making someone obey you though physical force is one thing; doing it by changing their minds another. Battling with himself, he decided that he'd better take certainty before uncertainty, and instilled a young love in her.

At least that way, he was reasonably sure that he wouldn't harm her permanently, if anything didn't turn out as he hoped it would.

Here eyes fluttered back to reality, and her warm gaze settled on his.

"Hey," Kevin managed, somehow.

"Hey yourself," Sara returned, smiling warmly at him.

Taking a deep breath, Kevin felt his Master Slayer abilities dampen his emotional backwash. Thank you, Fred! Kevin thought to himself. "Care for some lunch and maybe a movie?" Kevin somehow got himself to say. Having always been shy around the fairer sex, Kevin had NO idea WHERE those words had come from.

"Sure," she replied seductively, linking her arm through his. Kevin shot a smile at the lovely creature on his arm, and turned to Simon.

"Whatever it is, wherever and whenever it is... if you need me, I'll be there," Kevin told Simon. "That's an oath." He looked back toward Sara, his emotional dampers threatening to overflow. "Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before... I swear I will never forget this. By the blood that runs through my veins, I swear."

Simon, obviously trying not to laugh at his friend's discomposure, sobered by Kevin’s words. To Kevin, it looked as if Simon had never thought his friend could get like this. "Just someone I ran into.  I thought she might brighten the Palace a little.  And she seems to have improved your mood a little, anyway..." Simon said with a chuckle.

"I will repay you for this. This is I swear," Kevin replied with so much conviction it might as well be etched into pure space-grade Quadranium.

"Come," he said to Sara, who had now put her head on Kevin's shoulder. He could help but beam at her. "Let's go get something to eat," he whispered gently. Nodding gratefully at Simon and Tala, Kevin led her out of the room.

 

A woman, dressed in a black robe with red borders, walked up to a set of ornate double doors, flanked on the left and right by two men dressed in similar robes. She halted her brisk pace in front of the guards.

Panting, she said with a sense of urgency, “I bring grave tidings to the Firsts. Let me pass!”

The guard on the left nodded, and motioned for the door, which started to open on his command. The woman soon found her pathway cleared, and she raced into the large room that lay hidden behind the door. Inside were about a dozen people, all chattering vividly among themselves. In front of the room were two golden chairs, sat upon by two teenagers. Both had blonde hair and blue eyes, and looked so alike people often mistook them for siblings.

The woman drummed her way to the front, where she fell to one knee in front of the boy and the girl that preceded this ‘meeting’.

“Excuse me, Lord and Lady First,” the woman panted. “I bring grave tidings!”

“You would dare disturb a meeting of the Council of Warlocks?” the girl asked rather icily.

“I humbly ask your forgiveness, Lord and Lady First. But this is urgent!” the woman replied fearfully, her voice shaking more in fear than with exhaustion, as had been the case earlier.

“Then speak,” the boy said, standing up.

The woman nodded, relieved. She closed her eyes, and motioned for the video wall that lined the opposite end of the room. Every screen showed a similar picture, different only for some writings. The picture was black in background while sporting an intricate design: a planet earth, stabbed through by crossed blue-glowing swords, in front of an orange-glowing sun. Around the whole design stood the laurel leaves of peace, colored a bright gold.

Below the design a clock counted down. Five. Four. Three. Two. One.

The picture changed, showing a man, late teens, early twenties. It was obvious he spoke a multitude of languages on the different screens, yet only the English version was audible in the room.

Two minutes later, the original flag replaced the screen, and a timer started counting from five minutes once again.

“It is all over the radio, the Internet, every TV station, and most of our satellite data-feeds!” the woman said.

“Who is this guy?” the boy-president asked.

“And WHO the FUCK does he think he is?” the girl shouted.

“His name, as far as we know, is Kevin. Kevin Duchamps. We barely managed to get that much… the connection became encrypted two seconds after we got his name. The rest of his file is garbage… something is protecting him, and it’s big,” the woman replied.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a rogue on our hands,” the boy said testily, already coming up with battle plans in his head. Rogues were never easy… they knew the inner workings of the Warlocks possibly better than the Warlocks themselves knew their organization.  “What class of Warlock is he?” he asked.

“He doesn’t have a classification, Lord First… at least he didn’t use to have one. We tried to scan him as soon as this message got through… our scans were cancelled as if they were meaningless. Preliminary classification zero.”

“Unknown ability, origin, strength and power-base,” the girl grunted. “Great.” She turned to the woman. “We’re going to the Grand Canyon. Prepare the Shields… all of them.”

The boy nodded in agreement. “Prepare all of the Shields. Only a warlock of tremendous power would be able to pull this stunt off without any sort of warning.”

“Yes, Lord and Lady First,” the woman said, bowing, and leaving the room.

“What in hell dropped in our necks this time, John?” the girl grunted to her companion.

“I don’t know, Jules. But, whatever it is, I doubt it’s gonna be pretty,” John replied.

 

Two hours later, the two Firsts, surrounded by fifteen of the highest-strength Warlocks, which were known as Shields, appeared not far from the Imperial Compound.

Immediately, John and Julie whispered an air-conditioning spell to lessen the temperature, before preceding their bodyguards to the Compound, where they approached the guards of the main gate. They weren’t fooled by the two guards they could see. Their Magic Sight warned them of the two dozen people hidden somewhere beyond the barrier... as well as known and unknown types of magical shields doming over the entire compound.

Julie nudged her head towards John as they approached. “Are you getting that?” she asked in the Magic-Latin dialect. “That gate has enough raw magical energy to power a small city.”

“I know,” John replied quietly. “And that power-dome over the compound has enough power to do the same to the fucking country… now I really don’t want to piss off whoever’s behind this.”

Gathering her courage, Julie opened her mouth, and told the guard, “We wish to see the Emperor. Please announce us.”

The guard raised one eyebrow, used to dealing with people wanting to see the Emperor, even after only one day. “Whom may I tell?” he asked, pulling up the mental list that had been hard-coded into his mind. Only people on that list would be moved by helicopter to the Palace proper… everybody else would have to walk, and risk succumbing to the harsh sun.

“John and Julie, Lord and Lady First of the Council of Warlocks,” John answered steadily. Julie regarded him with barely contained awe. She was shaking in her boots, and he seemed to be as calm as the surface on an undisturbed pond.

The guard’s mind connected the dots. “Of course, Sir and Lady. Please, you and your entourage may pass.”

The gate opened, and another guard, this one dressed in full gala-uniform, approached them. “My name is Albert. I will be your liaison,” the man introduced himself. “Please, if you would follow me to the helicopter? You will be taken to the Emperor immediately.”

John dipped his head in Albert’s direction. “Thank you, Albert.”

Albert only dipped his head and showed them to the large and comfortable-looking helicopter for the ten-minute flight to the Imperial Palace.

Why don’t we teleport? Julie asked her companion.

Right, John answered. “Albert?” he asked. The man turned to them, still smiling friendly.

“Is there a problem, Sir?” the man asked helpfully.

“Not a problem as such,” John said. “But, as Warlocks, wouldn’t it be easier for us to teleport to wherever it is we’re going?”

Albert closed his eyes, contacting the guards at the Palace proper. Before he opened his eyes, he felt himself whisked away in a dimensional gate spell.

 

His head in the clouds, Kevin handed over a data-pad to Gordon Michaels, the Minister of Science and Space Affairs. Gordon was a blond man, showing clearly defined muscles. He looked heavy, and he looked as strong as every bit of his weight indicated.

“I will get right on it, Your Majesty,” the man replied, accepting the pad.

“One month, Gordon. One month,” Kevin said, thinking of the beautiful woman that was settling in as he spoke. Michael, Kevin’s butler, was helping her do so.

“Of course, My Lord. No problem,” the man answered.

“Very well. You may leave,” Kevin told his Minister. The man bowed, and left the room.

“One month,” Kevin told Simon.

“I can hardly wait,” Simon answered in turn. At that moment, a lackey entered the room hastily, and fell to one knee before Kevin.

“John and Julie, Lord and Lady First of the Council of Warlocks have been admitted into the compound, Your Lordships,” the man announced in a clear voice. “Their arrival is scheduled for ten minutes from no-“

He was cut off when seventeen people teleported directly into the Throne Room, two people standing erect in the center of a ring of fifteen protective bodyguards.

“Here we go again,” Simon whispered under his breath at the sight of the materialization as he jumped in front of Kevin. Marise had jumped into street-fighter stance right next to him, and April and Ariana were standing poised at Kevin’s left, lined up next to the elevation that held his throne.

“John and Julie, I presume?” Kevin said amicably, getting up, and effectively disarming Simon and his Shodon, as well as April, Ariana, Marise, and the two dozen Mental Guards in the room. The last thing Kevin wanted was a shoot-out in his throne room… certainly not if said shoot-out was magic-based.

Seeing that Simon and Marise had relaxed their postures but not their positions, Kevin took a step forward, and put his hands on their shoulders, so they gave way for him to descend the five steps to the ground floor.

"That's us," John answered with a short nod, answering Kevin's question.

"How in HELL did you take over the world? WITHOUT us knowing?" Julie shouted, causing John to wince, and expect immediate retaliation from the vastly outnumbering surrounding forces.

"Jules... we're surrounded. We're in this guy's throne room. A little diplomacy?" he asked…. begged…quietly.

Kevin chuckled. "That's quite alright... and I'll tell you all you want to know. But first..." he turned to his guards. "Leave us," he ordered.

"Your Majesty?" the captain of the guards asked, confused, looking at his lord.

"Leave us!" Kevin repeated, more forcefully. The captain bowed hurriedly, fearing the wrath of his God-Emperor, and hurriedly added, "Yes, Your Majesty." He and the guards left just as hurriedly, not wishing to anger their ruler any further. They had seen him angry, and it was not pretty… Kevin was of the opinion that ‘dead men learn no lessons’. As such, he never killed anyone. He made them wish he did, but he never killed anyone who displeased him.

"I'd appreciate it if you sent your friends away as well," Kevin told John and Julie. “What I’m to tell you is very… delicate.”

"What? Do you think we're stupid?" Julie shouted. "No way are we going to..."

"Leave," John told the head of the Shields. "He trusted us. We should return that trust."

"WHAT?" Julie barked.

"My Lord?" the head asked.

"Leave," John said, rather angrily. The Shields gulped, and RACED out of the throne room, leaving Julie to stare at John.

"He didn't send away ALL his guards! The Darth Vader wannabe is still there!" She shouted at her companion, pointing a finger directly at Simon, making him arch an eyebrow.

"He's my second in command," Kevin answered evenly. "He's here to fill in the gaps I forget. Just like my three students here,” he added, motioning for Marise, April, and Ariana.

“U-huh,” Julie answered, looking at the five people in front of her.

“Jules…” John grumbled warningly under his breath. “Diplomacy!”

Julie looked at her companion, back to the five, and back to her companion. “Fine,” she grunted, and turned to Kevin. “So. What’s the info that’s so delicate?”

“Please,” John added, shooting his companion a very angry look. Julie just shrugged. Kevin walked up to them, still smiling, which caused both John and Julie to inadvertently take a step back.

“Okay,” Kevin said, taking a breath. “This is how things are. I’m a writer…” Kevin told the story as he had told it before, to Marise, April, and Ariana.

“And we have to believe this? WHY?” Julie demanded.

“Julie! Do you want us to get killed?” John barked, turning to his companion and for the moment forgetting all about the others in the room. “Because if you do, now would be a good time to tell me, so I can get myself out of here! You don’t walk up to a guy who’s got us beat hands-down, kick his shins, and ask him to explain himself. If you want to live, you will treat him like you wanted to be treated!”

“He obviously believes what he told us! He won’t kill us! He thinks we’re his freakin’ kids!” Julie retorted, somewhat shaking. When John used her full name it usually meant she had crossed his limits… which usually ended up in a fight like the old days. Julie shuddered inwardly. Yes, she used her magic to get her way whenever and wherever. That didn’t mean that she liked fighting the boy she thought of as her brother. But, when she pushed too far… when John actually pushed back… Julie closed her eyes.

John growled lowly, and turned to Kevin. His face still angry, he obviously did his best to contain himself as he asked, “Could you…back any of this? I am sure you understand that this story is pretty unbelievable. Most of what you told us about ourselves, our lives, are common knowledge. Nothing you said couldn’t be found out with a little investigation.”

Kevin smiled inwardly. Even with his youthful temper, John had fought to contain himself and remain diplomatic, as well as respectful. He was proud of John. In a single answer, Kevin withdrew his Sword of Destiny, the blue-glowing blade causing John and Julie to stare.

“That’s a trick… it’s got to be,” Julie whispered. “No object contains enough magic to actually glow… it’s impossible! Magic items are supposed to be inconspicuous… this isn’t!”

Kevin smiled, sheathed his sword, unclipped the light-saber handle, and activated it. “How about this? A real Jedi light-saber!” Kevin asked, waving the weapon around, causing its tell-tale energy sounds to become audible.

“I… I… don’t know what to believe,” John replied.

“What? He’s winning you over! John! Don’t think like that! It’s all an illusion!” Julie screamed at her friend, and turned towards Kevin. “And I’ll prove it!” she angrily said, stomping off towards him. She grabbed for the energy-blade.

Kevin’s reactions were lighting-fast, and he clicked off the blade. But the blade itself didn’t react fast enough. It retracted just as she waved her hand through it. Screaming, and squealing in pain, she fell to the ground, her hand burned terribly thanks to the diminished energy of the light saber. If the blade had been at full power, she would have lost her fingers.

“Shit!” Kevin shouted, dropping to one knee next to the girl who was lying on the floor, groaning in pain. John, April, and Ariana were there as well. Marise remained upright, looking at the scene with an almost dispassionate interest. Simon, meanwhile, didn’t really seem to care.

“Stay still,” Kevin ordered, grabbing Julie’s hand. When she struggled to get it free, he shouted, “Stay still, or you’ll lose the damn thing!” That grabbed her attention, and she stared at him with fear-filled eyes. Kevin closed his eyes, releasing his Mental powers into her damaged hand. Julie felt the pain ebb away, before a strange tingle replaced it, and she could see her flesh regenerate. Within a minute, Kevin released her hand.

“There. Good as new,” he said, getting up and looking down at Julie, who was still sitting on the floor, looking at her right hand. “Next time, don’t try and grab the business-end of an energy weapon, okay?” he added with a chuckle.

“You were very lucky, Jules,” John said, hugging her. He looked up at Kevin, ignoring the others who were still standing around them. “Thank you,” he said. “You didn’t have to do this, but you did. Thank you.”

“Now do you believe?” Kevin asked.

“Yeah, I do,” John answered quietly. “I have no other choice but to believe it…”

Julie got up, accepting a hand from John to do so. “So do I,” she whispered. “I… I’m sorry for doubting you. I shouldn’t have done that…”

“It’s healthy to have doubts, Julie,” Kevin answered. “Now that we have established that I was speaking the truth, what is your answer to my question? Will you join me as members of my Legio Invictus?”

 

Kevin, John, and Julie were standing in a circular cart racing down an elevator tube, going deep into the bowels of mother earth. Finally, they felt the car begin to slow its descent.

Final authorization accepted, the male computer voice noted dutifully, before the doors slid open. Command transferred to Vault-AI.

“John, Julie… welcome to the Vault, the ultra top-secret training room of the Invincible Legion known as the Legio Invictus. Built under 500 meters of solid rock, constructed out of solid Quadranium bio-metal, it’s equipped with a separate zero-point generator, life-support system and holographic recreation grid. The computer that runs it can be completely separated from the rest of the world, and contains more processing power than everything else combined, save for the computer that runs the palace proper,” Kevin said, showing his two companions through a small hallway, which ended in a see-through door.

“This door keeps everything in here separated from everything in there,” Kevin explained as he hit the door. “Solid transparent Quadranium. You can fire anything in the world at this, and it still wouldn’t have a scratch on it. Used mostly to keep those outside from feeling the gravity inside.”

“What do you mean by that?” John asked, curiously.

“Inside, the gravity can be turned up as high as you want. Every Master Slayers benefits tremendously from increased-gravity training,” Kevin explained as the door slid open on a mental command. John and Julie noted the command, and stored it in their own minds for later use. The training room was dome-shaped, with a huge diameter. No lights were visible, yet the room was brightly lit. Luminescent concentric circles were visible on the floor.

“The rings are here for reference when we’re using relative gravity modes,” Kevin explained. “The further to the center of the dome you come, the higher gravity gets. Mostly, we’re using absolute gravity, where it’s the same all throughout the room.”

John and Julie nodded in understanding. By now, they had reached the rest of the Legio Invictus: April, Ariana, and Marise.

“We have new members,” Kevin said. Turning to the two newcomers, he said, “We have established some sort of ritual for those who want to join the LI... since we’re fighting the darkness, literally trusting each other with our lives and sanities, we need to have absolute trust. As such, we share who we are, and we hold nothing back.”

Julie looked appalled at this revelation, but John seemed to nod in understanding. “It does seem logical,”’ he noted. “Yet still… we have been forced to keep our secrets for quite a while. Revealing them to people we hardly know is difficult at best.”

April smiled that trademark gentle smile of hers. “We understand, John. We fully understand. That is why we shall start, tell you who we are. After that, you will gladly share who you are… since you will know us like you would know your own sibling.”

John shrugged, willing to accept it. Julie, however, was a lot more skeptical.

“I’m willing to listen, but I’ll make up my own mind after you’re done. I’m sure as hell not going to say anything unless I want to.”

“That is your prerogative, of course,” April answered with careful neutrality. She didn’t want to show too much disappointment, or resentment.

“But do know that, if you chose not to participate, your Master Slayer abilities will be revoked, your mind cleared of everything you learned, and you will be returned to wherever you came from. This group is ultra top secret. Only those in this room know its secrets. Legate Hawke knows some, but certainly not all. The rest of the world knows not even of the existence of this group. We can not run the risk of this spreading,” Kevin said with deadly seriousness. His tone indicated he would have no problems enforcing those rules.

“Of course,” John answered.

“What? You agree with this?” Julie shouted, turning to John.

“We would do the same thing,” John answered logically. “And you know it. Just because you’re on the other end doesn’t change the simple logic of the situation.”

Julie sulked slightly, but kept her quiet. 

“So, we are in agreement, then?” Kevin asked.

“Yes, we are,” John replied for both himself and his companion. A small silence descended over the group as everyone tried to figure out what to do next.

“I’ll start,” Marise said on her usual composed tone of voice. The same tone of voice that gave her a cold demeanor. “I am Marise, code-named Berserker Girl within the LI… ‘BG’ for calls. I grew up on the streets of Central Tokyo, after running from the orphanage at age six… still can’t remember why. Manzo-sensei said it was probably too traumatic to remember, so I blocked it out. Anyway, I ran from the orphanage. That same evening, I met Manzo-sensei… a man offered me some candy if I went with him. Being only six, hungry, cold, wet, and afraid, I was going to accept it. Manzo-sensei saved me from him… I later found out the name of the man was Peter, and he and his gang recruit for something called ‘The Place’… a whore-house where everything goes; young girls, young boys, and so forth.

“Manzo-sensei accepted me as his daughter, so to speak… and I went to live with him under his pillar of the bridge. At least it was dry. He taught me to fight, to survive on the streets where Peter and his gang were constantly trying to recruit new members, or where various gangs were fighting territorial wars. I learned, and survived… even with going days without food or drink, I survived. Then, after six years, Child Welfare stumbled across me. Before I could do anything, they had taken me to one of their institutes.

“They locked me in after I tried to escape. I told them that I had a home… but they wouldn’t believe,” Marise said, her voice now no longer so composed, rather it was displaying its pain at what were obviously painful memories. “For three weeks, they kept me in… until I was taken into foster care by a family known as the Tsukinos. I wasn’t one to turn down free food, drink, a bed, and a roof over my head, so I stayed, only to sneak out and talk to Manzo-sensei at night.

“I was also expected to attend school. That went rather well, considering I had no previous experience outside the reading and writing Manzo-sensei had taught me, and the reading I did at the library. Anyway, just as my life was finally coming together since being captured by Child Welfare, I found out something. The daughter of the family I was staying with, along with her four friends, were people known as the Sailor Senshi.”

John and Julie blinked. “What?” John managed.

“You are looking at the one and only Sailor Earth,” Marise announced, rather enjoying the shocked looks on the faces of John and Julie. “Anyway, I became Sailor Earth. School was going well, and I enjoyed doing the Sailor Earth thing and save the world. Then…” Marise’s voice stuck in her throat, and tears flushed to her eyes. She swallowed, and her face hardened. “Manzo-sensei was shot. Dead. That night, Sailor Earth became the Black Death, who no longer defended the innocent, but punished the guilty.

“I went after the guy who did it, Peter, with a vengeance. I killed his drug runners, his dealer, and three quarters of his gang before I could get to him. It cost me my home, but I got him… and I got to him. I broke down,” she whispered, sounding so much like the hurt twelve-year-old she was that everybody present just wanted to hug her. Instinctively, they knew that was the wrong thing to do. “The father of the family I had stayed with had followed me… and offered me a place in his home. Where I’ve been staying ever since,” she said quietly. Taking shuddering breath, Marise composed herself, and she looked up, her face back to its usual composure. Not a single tear had fallen from her eyes.

John and Julie looked at the girl in sympathy. “Our turn,” April announced, motioning for herself and Ariana. “April Fromthefield, code-named ‘Phalanx’. Second in command of the Legio Invictus.”

“Ariana Smith, code-named Sagittarius, or ‘Archer’ for calls,” Ariana added. A third female voice, seemingly without a presence, finished, “Carol. Specialized Artificial Intelligence of the Legio Invictus.”

“Here we go… Please, try to keep an open mind,” April said.

“After her story, I’ll believe pretty much anything,” Julie answer, jerking her thumb to Marise.

April smiled slightly, and started the story. “Thirty years ago, the government of the United States funded a black research program. A program with only one goal: to create a genetically enhanced super-soldier. They started doing research into the human genome, and the possibility of inter-breeding different species of animal into this genome. It took them nearly fourteen years of experiments before the scientists were able to create an enhanced genome… and what a genome it was. It contained fifty percent more genetic material than a normal human. Entire martial arts disciplines were encoded into it as genetic knowledge, a sort of instinct. Sixteen years ago, the scientists started their gruesome experiments.”

Ariana took over. “They infiltrated a clinic specializing in artificial insemination. Four hundred women were implanted with their genetically enhanced embryos. Out of those four hundred, only four made it to full term. The couples with full-grown babies were killed. No evidence was to be left behind. Those four babies were scheduled to be trained at the facility established by the researchers. They would have been monitored, but the training was in the hands of the military wing of the Zodiac Project.”

“Then, the government cancelled funding. The Cold War was over. There was no need for genetically enhanced killing machines,” April told them, her voice full of loathing. “They wanted to kill the babies, before blowing up the facility itself. They managed to kill two of the babies… the other two were rescued by a doctor. That man paid with his life, but not before he managed to find a place for the two girls to grow up, safe from Zodiac. We were those two girls,” April said, her voice quivering slightly.

“For the first seven years of our lives, we lived at a convent, before being allowed to attend the Institute of Advanced Learning, in Texas. Our genetically enhanced minds went into overdrive in this place, a place where the best and brightest got every chance and every possibility they wanted. But, this wasn’t all. We also found that we could do things. Different things. We could talk to each other mentally when we touched, we could move objects with our minds, and we could even pull back from the world altogether, entering a place we called ‘mind-space’, where we had full control over our minds, and its processes,” Ariana said.

“For seven years, we were happy at the Institute. Then, I took a genetics course. For fun, I decided to test myself. I found the genetic abomination that is my genome. Thinking myself faulty, I tested her, my friend, and got a similar result. Now REALLY thinking myself stupid, I tested a third person, and got a clear result… meaning that my methods weren’t defective. We knew not what to do, so we sent out the genomes over the Internet, asking for someone to help us with information,” April said.

“We got a reply. It was short, and contained some information about Zodiac, its methods, and what it was supposed to have been about. I, thanks to my ability to interface my mind with a computer, told the computer to start looking for phone numbers of military mainframes. After a ten-hour search, the computer had found a secret phone number, and we hacked into it. We retrieved most of the reports from Zodiac. Unfortunately, Zodiac was better than us, who barely knew what we were doing. Zodiac found us out, and kidnapped us,” Ariana told.

“We would have been killed, if our abilities hadn’t surfaced. At the exact time Ari would have been raped, our genetically encoded martial arts abilities unlocked. After making short work of the three guards, we ran. In the garage, where we were planning on obtaining a car, we found… Carol. Carol was an experimental car, containing a unique Artificial Intelligence system. The car would have been scrapped, since normal humans had trouble working with the AI, which had been originally designed to work with genetically enhanced soldiers,” April said.

“We ran for our lives,” Ariana said. “We first managed to get a loan form an old friend from the Institute, and then we rented a space on a cargo plane. We ran to Japan, where two more agents of Zodiac were waiting for us. I ripped them to shreds, and we ran for it once again. Unfortunately, the continuous strain was really getting to April, who couldn’t stand the violence as well as I could. In a nearby store, where we were looking for some supplies, we ran into someone who would change our lives.”

“Morimoto-sensei,” April answered. “He renewed our faith in humanity by taking us into his home. As a master in the Ninjutsu arts, he trained us to be Kunoichi, female ninjas. We lived in peace in Japan for three years… before we were found out. Someone who wishes to remain nameless helped us out by telling us that we had been discovered.”

“April put a plan into action she had been working on before we ever left the United States,” Ariana took over. “All information we had on Zodiac became public knowledge. The US denied everything, of course, but Zodiac still got cancelled. Violently. Only a small group got out alive… and they came to Japan, looking for vengeance against us. They kidnapped me, and gravely injured our brother-in-training.”

“I went berserk,” April said, sighing. “I unlocked everything that was stored in my genetic profile, and took them all apart. Unfortunately, they had one soldier who was wearing some kind of bio-enhancement suit, which gave him superhuman abilities. He was fresh when we started fighting. I, who had just taken out five of the best trained soldiers the US had to offer, wasn’t. We fought. He nearly killed me, yet I prevailed. I raped the mind of the leader, to make sure that Zodiac was indeed gone, freed Ari, and then collapsed.”

“Something still remained hidden, though,” Ariana continued. “It turned out that we had magical abilities, and that we were to go to a specific school to learn how to use those abilities. So, we went… and ran into Kevin,” she concluded.

“And I taught them much more than they could ever have thought possible,” Kevin said, smiling slightly. April and Ariana nodded, smiling in agreement at Kevin’s statement. “They accepted to become Master Slayers, and Carol got a more comfortable computer system than she’s ever had before… of course, she still has her car-shell, if she wants it.”

“Anyway, my turn,” he continued. “Kevin Duchamps, team leader, code-named Viktor. I was born and bred a normal. Intelligence factor of 147 before the change. As I’ve told all of you before, I was a writer, and one of my most powerful characters came to empower me through a physics I still struggle to understand, even with a Master Slayer’s intelligence. Anyway, there’s not much to tell about me…  my life was as boring as it got before I was changed. Now it’s not,” he added with a chuckle.

“Compared to us, you really did have a boring life,” Julie said on her usual undiplomatic tone of voice. “So, I guess it’s up to us, huh?”

“Yes, it is,” John answered her question. “We’ve always been best friends, ever since first grade. I grew up in a rich place, she grew up in a poor place, but somehow, that never bothered us. Anyway, when we were twelve, we found this book in the library we were helping out, with clean-ups and such. Since the book was written in some sort of code, nobody could even read it, and the librarian let us have it. When we touched it together, the book changed… and the code disappeared.

“In its place was an old-Latin dialect that was very difficult to translate, even with the use of dictionaries. Since my parents were away at the time, we decided to let the book stay with me. That night, I fell asleep over it, trying to decode it. I slept horribly that night… the worst nightmares of my life. The next day, I read the book like it was written in English.

“Turned out the book was written by a man named Aidahn, one hundred years previous. He was some four hundred years old, and he was the leader of a group of Warlocks known as the Council. This Council was something like a ruling body for Warlocks, they settled disputes and such. After all, magic one has one rule…”

“Do as thou wilt shall be the sole of thine rules,” Julie quoted.

“Precisely,” John said, nodding. “Now, Aidahn thought differently. He felt that magic should aid humanity, not be used for personal gain, like the other Warlocks thought. He gathered a group of like-minded, and attempted to change the situation. His supporters were assassinated one by one… until it was his turn. He had just completed the search for something called the Golden Book of Ra, an ancient Egyptian tome of the most powerful kind. Aidahn encoded his book, only to be released by himself or his descendants, before leaving for Egypt.

“He never got there. He was killed in a train crash. His wife and children disappeared, presumably dead. Only, the children weren’t dead. Too young to remember anything, they were split up, and bestowed upon trustworthy people for safety. The boy was placed in a worker’s family. The girl was placed with merchants. I am the descendant of Marian, Daughter of Aidahn.”

“And I am the direct Descendant of Gregoir, Son of Aidahn,” Julie supplied.

“Only together is our magic strong; the strength of Aidahn, the most powerful Warlock ever. When we’re separated, or when one of us doesn’t want to do a particular spell, our magical strength is negligible to the point where it becomes a grave task just to uphold a simple illusion spell. We found that out the hard way, when we unlocked our full potentials using a ritual described in the book. We unlocked our abilities, and overnight, we became the most powerful Warlocks in the world.

“The council, wanting us dead, sent a team of assassins after us. We hid, using our magic in secret. Only… we drifted apart. We had differences of opinion. Lots of them.”

“I wanted to use my magic,” Julie said. “I was better than normal people. So why listen to them? I used my magic to get my way.”

“And I refused to do so,” John continued. “So, we fought. Our combined magical might was unleashed upon one another. Together, we were able to cast the highest-level spells in the book… and we’d read tons of them. We nearly destroyed ourselves physically and psychologically before we realized we needed each other.”

“We got some sense knocked into us,” Julie said. “The Council’s assassins showed up, and nearly killed me. I managed to escape, and ran to John’s house. I knew that we only had a chance if we fought together.”

“So, we did. And we won,” John said. “After that, we went after the Council. To make a long story short, we won, and we became the Co-Firsts of the Council of Warlocks.”

“Only, we don’t make the same mistake Aidahn did… the Council won’t be changed so quickly. So, we’re taking things slowly. Besides, I like the power, and I’m sure that so do the others. There’ll always be some element of power and self-interest involved with the Warlocks. I see nothing wrong with looking after yourself first, before looking out for someone else.”

“Then why are you here?” Marise asked, curtly, her one eyebrow lifted slightly.

“Because I like more power even better. And if I have to go after a couple of vampires in order to do it, why not?” Julie replied, chuckling.

Marise shook her head, while sending to the already established members of the LI: <<She will be trouble. I just know it.>>

Much to her surprise, she got a reply from everyone at once. << We know.>>

 

Kevin was dressed in what had become his standard garb: the battle suit he had designed, only the suit was colored gold, with black joints, and the helmet, visor, and face-guard had retracted fully. He liked having all his defenses at immediate readiness… with a single mental command in the neural connector; the entire suit would switch into full war-mode in under a second.

He was standing in an emptied-out Throne Room, looking out one of the huge transparent Quadranium windows on one side of the room. His back was toward the inside of the room, a situation he partly remedied by looking over his shoulder when the knock came at the door.

“Enter,” Kevin said, turning around fully so his back was now facing the window. Michael entered the room, and bowed.

“Your maternal grandmother, My Lord,” the man said respectfully.

Kevin put a diplomatic smile on his face, the same smile he always used when dealing with her. Kevin really didn’t like her… she reminded him of a matriarch, ruling her family with iron fist. Only, Kevin didn’t listen. He never had listened to her, choosing instead to listen to his own inner voice, living by his own choices, not hers. For that fact, they argued frequently… even though his own parents tried to convince him that she loved him dearly.

Kevin had never chosen to believe those statements, instead letting her statements speak for themselves. Being Emperor had taught Kevin a few things… first and foremost that the one thing that had kept him going all his life was, in fact, the truth. Countless hours he had suffered at the hands of tormentors in school and at the hands of people like his grandmother. He used to vow silently he’d make them pay; SHOW them that he was better than them. Now he was better than them, and now he would make them pay.

But, there was still a little something in Kevin. She was family. He would give her one last chance… one final chance to fall in line, and acknowledge that he turned out just fine, contrary to what she had always told him. “Don’t put up a big mouth with me, young man! Always listen to your elders, and do as they tell you!” Yeah, right, Kevin added.

“Hi, Grandma,” he greeted the woman, walking up to her. Michael left the room, after a nod from Kevin. The remaining forces of the Legio Invictus, now five members strong, were waiting outside. To keep him from killing her, or to show her to the exit, whichever came first.

“Hello, honey!” she greeted back, hugging him, and trying to kiss him on the cheek. It annoyed the hell out of him. Kevin had always been of the thought that the right to kiss had to be earned, not given. Everyone else in the family understood him, and no longer tried. She always did. And she always became annoyed at him for not allowing her to. Good start, Kevin thought. Five seconds in the same room, and we’re already fighting.

“So, what’d ya think?” Kevin asked, changing topics. He motioned to the room in particular, and everything in general.

“It’s nice,” she replied, looking around the room. “But those drapes… if I were you, I’d change them. And that red silk, gold ceiling and black floor… I thought I’d given you better taste than that,” she began, looking around the room.

“As Emperor, I have the right to choose the colors and decorations of my own Throne Room, don’t you think?” Kevin asked with a small chuckle, a thing to break the ice.

“What? You? Emperor? You couldn’t lead your own life, let alone the world!” she said harshly. Kevin blinked against the tirade, never having expecting something like this. “If I hadn’t helped you most of your life you’d be in a gutter someplace, rotting away!” she shouted. “You always make a mess of everything you do!” she drove the knife in deeper. For years, Kevin had been forced to accept it. He closed his eyes, and all the painful memories came flooding back… she had demeaned him at every turn, always belittling his accomplishments, and using every single fault she could find against him. Kevin felt the pain well up. This far, no further. He would not let this go on.

No one can ever say that I didn’t give you a chance, Kevin thought harshly as his mind slammed into hers, literally catapulting her to the wall. Granted, it wasn’t more than a meter behind her, but she still flew. As she sailed back, the sweetest sound filled Kevin's ears. The sound of her startled scream of utter fear.

“You will return to your home, and never contact me again,” Kevin said. “And I will never contact you again.” He felt a strange pang of guilt. She was still family, and if there was one thing Kevin prided himself on, it was loyalty. The slight ache eased as he convinced himself she had broken the loyalty a long time ago, when she had locked him in the bathroom for hours on end as punishment…

“You will know what you did to me, and never forget,” Kevin added. “Now, leave.” A mental command caused the door to open and allowed the five other members of the LI to enter: Marise, April, Ariana, John, and Julie. “Escort the lady to the door,” Kevin answered with an eerily composed voice.

April, Ariana, and John looked in compassion at the woman, before Kevin transmitted some of the pain she had caused him over the years. The look disappeared. Marise looked indifferent. Julie, having picked up on the conversation, was filled in by John, and her look was one was coldness. She looked just as ready to chuck the woman out of the window and into the canyon as to escort her to the door.

“Michael!” Kevin barked as Julie was closing the door. The butler entered, bowed, and asked, “What can I do for you, My Lord?”

“Get me Tony Dela Rea and Philip Duncan,” Kevin said impassively, turning back towards the window he had been looking out of earlier.

“Yes, My Lord,” Michael answered, and turned to leave.

“Thanks,” Kevin said, automatically. He had always believed in remaining friendly unless people proved they didn’t earn it.

“Of course, My Lord,” Michael answered, and left. Five minutes later, Michael knocked at the door, and pushed it open.

“Mr. Dela Rea and Mr. Duncan, My Lord,” Michael announced, showing the two men into the room, before leaving. Kevin turned to face the two men. Tony Dela Rea was of Oriental descent, had black hair and black eyes. He was the Chief Enforcer of the Earth Imperium. The second man, Philip Duncan, was a pure chunk of muscle, and was the Head Enforcer for the North American Territories.

“I want her followed. 24/7,” Kevin said, knowing very well that both men knew who he was talking about. “If she ever sets foot somewhere on land in North America, I was her shot on sight. Or anything else equally permanent,” Kevin ordered. “I want to go on the record by stating that I don’t want to know what happened to her, only that the problem is remedied.”

Both Enforcers looked at each other, shrugged, and looked at Kevin. “Of course, My Lord,” Dela Rea answered, taking the word as senior commander of the Enforcer troops, formally known as the police. He bowed along with his North American colleague.

Kevin nodded. “Dismissed.”

“By your leave, My Lord,” Dela Rea answered, again bowing in synch with his subordinate.

“And get her name off the guest list!” Kevin shouted as both men were almost out of the room. He got a positive reply before the door closed.

Kevin, alone, snarled. The armor changed to black with golden joints as the suit misread his emotional state for a need to fight. Kevin didn’t bother contradicting it. He balled his fists, and focused his anger on the small ball of energy that one of his characters, Shadow, he once called the Warrior Spirit. Ruby-red flames of life’s energy erupted along his body, causing his hair to wave as if caught by a wind.

He only kept it up for twenty seconds, tops. He powered down, told his suit to change back to ‘formal mode’.

Walking to his throne, Kevin pressed the chime that would ring Michael. In Kevin’s mind, it was a more decent way of contacting the man, rather than shouting at him like a deranged lunatic.

“My Lord?” Michael asked as he entered.

“Please bring me my other grandmother, Michael.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“Thanks,” the automatic reply came, signifying Michael’s authorization to leave. Kevin got up, walked to the window, and sighed as he rested his forehead against the transparent metal. For once, he would have liked old-fashioned glass windows… Quadranium always felt warm to the touch, thanks in part to the fact that it was a bio-metal, self-healing when damaged. Kevin found himself missing the coolness of glass windows.

A knock at the door caused him to jump around and compose himself for the woman who entered. She was chatting with Michael, and Kevin found his diplomatic smile become genuine. Lydie, his paternal grandmother, always seemed to be able to get on a friendly basis with just about anybody. Michael replied formally, and politely.

“Grandma!” Kevin greeted her as he walked towards her. She hugged him. And kissed him on his cheek. There was only one thing Kevin did, and it was the same he had done to his other grandmother: he had changed her mind slightly to make her accept recent events as ‘normal’, so they’d both still treat him as normal.

“I told you that I’d turn out alright,” Kevin said, leading her to one of the windows to show her the view. “I’m literally king of the world.”

“I always knew you would,” she replied honestly. She had always had faith in Kevin, something that had always caused him to appreciate her. Everybody else, including his own parents, had called him a leech and a parasite on more than one occasion… all except for this woman, this great woman who had always held faith in him. He could tell her about his problems, and she would listen… and he, in turn, would listen to her problems.

Kevin smiled, and turned to his side, raising his hand. Two chairs and a table appeared in the otherwise empty Throne Room. “Comes in handy for the cleaning crews,” Kevin said, smiling. “Appearing and disappearing furniture.”

His grandmother laughed as she sat down, and Kevin could see how hard it was. She was 74… and things weren’t working as they used to anymore. Sitting down as well, they struck up a conversation, like they usually did when he went to see her. She couldn’t drive, and thus didn’t have a car.

As they talked, Kevin let his mind keep the conversation going. Meanwhile, he let his mental abilities flow freely. You have always been there for me. You said I’d always have a home with you. You don’t have much, but what little you have you shared with me. Now I’ll try to repay you for the years of kindness you showed me, Kevin thought. He let his powers work on her aging muscles, regenerating their strength, elasticity, and size. He worked on her nerve tissue. He cured the problems she had with her eyes. He fixed her hearing. He reversed the osteoporosis on her bones. He fixed her digestive system and returned her internal organs back to their full working order.

Kevin smiled slightly as he thought that her blood-sugar levels would never be out of normal ever again. What he had done up until now was easy, just reversing some damage. Now would come the hard part. He chose a random spot, and entered his powers through her skin into her bloodstream. Full rejuvenation, Kevin’s mind whispered, his powers surging to their full output level. The blood cells and the veins they traveled in rejuvenated, taking the cells they fed with them. Kevin could see the skin around his entrance point lifting and tightening. The effect spread, every living cell in her body requiring blood to live, and would thus be rejuvenated.

There were a couple of biological boundaries that Kevin couldn’t reverse. One such boundary was puberty. A second was the menopause. Kevin could feel his brain starting to liquefy due to the neurological strain he placed on it. He had knocked about fifteen years off her. His target age was as young as he could make her, about 45, the end of the menopause. He kicked in his Ability Sphere, and super-connected it to his brain, using it as a sort of added battery for his powers. Energy was energy, whether it was the Strength of Will that normally fueled his Mental powers, or Psionic energy that fueled the Ability Sphere.

The years crept off her, and Kevin was pleased to see her sitting up straight in her chair, her eyes full of life, just as he had known her years ago, when she had picked up at school on days his mother had to work late. Kevin felt something creep below his nose. He wiped at it, and was dismayed to see it was blood. Damn, the strain’s intense, Kevin thought. I’m immortal, but my blood vessels are still breaking!

His powers shut off automatically when they had nothing let to rejuvenate. Immediately, they started recharging, and his Immortal physiology finally had the energy to close the burst blood vessels.

“Grandma, do you remember something I once said when I was younger?” Kevin asked suddenly. “That I’d be rich one day, and you’d come live with me?”

“Honey, you don’t hav-“

He cut her off. “You’ve always been there for me… You never had much, but you always shared with me. You did things for me nobody else ever did. Now, I promised that, if I ever won the lottery, I’d share with you… well, I just won the biggest jackpot in the history of the world, and I am going to share it with you.”

“You really don’t have to do this,” she replied honestly, and Kevin knew that she meant it, that it wasn’t just a statement of polite refusal.

“I know you mean that… that’s why I’m doing this. Grandma, I booked you passage on a ship called the Ariana.” Not a word, Kevin thought to the smart-ass portion of his mind that would have snickered at the name’s coincidental likeness to one of his character’s. “Three months, around the world, VIP class. You’ll have everything you can ever want, including a lot of companionship. There are close to a thousand people on board that ship.”

She got up, at first not realizing her body acted so youthful. Part of the mental suggestion of Kevin made sure that she just accepted his powers, and didn’t ask awkward questions. She just accepted it. “You did this, too?”

Kevin smiled slightly, and nodded. “As I said… you’ve been one of people in my life that I’ve always liked best. You’ve always had faith in me, and I’ve always had a home with you. I can never repay you for what you did… but I am sure going to try!”

She hugged him, tears brimming in her eyes. Kevin felt himself smiling as he hugged her back.

Another half an hour later, his grandmother, almost thirty years younger, left the Throne Room without any sort of difficulty whatsoever. Kevin asked Michael to come see him as soon as his grandmother had left. She would be taken to the airport in his limousine, and flown back home on his personal jet… a jet he would never use personally. He hadn’t wanted to place unnecessary strain on her and port her… at first because of her failing body, and now because her body was still settling in, and he didn’t want to run the risk of something going wrong.

Michael returned ten minutes later, minutes Kevin spent in a meditative regenerative state.

“I want four Enforcers placed on board that ship. If anything happens to her, it’ll be on their heads.”

“I will notify Mr. Dela Rea, My Lord.”

Kevin nodded appreciatively. “And arrange for a crew of professionals to fix up her home as soon as she leaves. I want the woodwork painted, the walls papered, the doors fixed, gutters cleaned, the roof looked at, and so forth. I want her home to be as good as they can get it without actually breaking out walls and floors.”

“Of course My Lord,” Michael answered.

Kevin nodded at his butler, and answered, “Thanks. Can you send in the next batch?”

“No problem, My Lord,” Michael answered, bowed, and left the room to make his arrangements.

Within minutes, Kevin was smiling inwardly as he paced in front of a row of people. Kevin’s mind identified them without trouble, even if it had been a decade since he had seen some of them.

Christiaan Vereecken, English Teacher. Thought his English was better than mine. It was, but a teacher shouldn’t fling it into a student’s face like that. A teacher should teach, not belittle.

De Vos, Ivan. French Teacher. Refused to give me the info I needed to complete my exam. Finally got the info out of him, with enough pleading. Asshole of a man, who’s hated my guts since the first day I met him. Had him for two consecutive years… really thwarted my liking French. Used to like it. Now hate it. Your fault.

Rawoens, Youri. School bully. I hate your guts.

Verstraten, Simon. Ditto.

Niemegeerts, Killian. Ditto.

Vercruyssen, Mike. Ditto.

Kevin paced in front of them, trying to balance himself, calm his raging nerves. He had wanted to do this for so long. Still, something inside of him felt fear at the sight of those people, people who had tormented him, the people who had destroyed his life for years and years on end, without relenting. Kevin wanted to hurt them. He wanted to make them beg for their lives and their sanities, just like he used to beg silently. He wanted to stump them in the nuts, and see them squeal… squeal like pigs. He wanted to… this isn’t helping, he realized. I need balance. He stopped pacing, closed his eyes, and took a couple of deep breaths, forcing his mind to calm itself, taking his body with it. The technique helped, and Kevin calmly opened his eyes.

Turning to the devils from his past, Kevin removed their programming. Immediately, they became alive once again, moving instead of standing there like statues.

“Kevin? What am I doing here?” De Vos demanded… in French.

Kevin couldn’t resist, and switched to French. In perfect, flawless French, he replied, “You’re here because you did things to me. Horrible things. Things I want payback for.” As he spoke, he felt his strength growing. He felt the power he wielded, and the fact that they could no longer hurt him.

Switching back to Dutch, a language he knew they all had in common, he continued, “You are here because of what you did to me. Whether it was bully me,” he said, looking directly at the bullies, “be a bad teacher,” he continued, looking at De Vos, “or a worse teacher,” he added, looking at Vereecken, “You’re here because of your crimes against your future Emperor.”

The school bullies started laughing. The two teachers, being older, and thus more experienced, realized something. Kevin was no longer shy, quiet, and introverted. He knew. He had power, and wasn’t afraid to use it. The bullies didn’t know that. Their youthful enthusiasm at seeing their old victim negated what little common sense they had.

“Something funny, boys?” Kevin asked.

“You! You actually think you’re Emperor? Sheesh! You’re more insane than when we knew you! You always were a weirdo, but this is totally insane!” Youri shouted. Kevin felt the old pain open up again. Something snapped inside of his soul, and the part he had dubbed Sol Invictus stirred. It was the part of him that reveled in power, the part that wanted to rule absolutely.

Kevin’s closed eyes opened, and looked ferociously at Youri. Since the bullies had turned to each other, sweeping each other back up in the animalistic frenzy Kevin knew only too well, they didn’t notice his look. A tremor went through the Throne Room. In fact, it was very likely it went through the entire Palace. Kevin’s fist balled. Ki the color of blood welled up around his body. Shadow’s Ki was the color of rubies. His was darker, more ferocious… the color of blood.

Kevin walked slowly towards the bullies, who had stopped laughing the moment the minor earthquake took place. They now saw… and they felt fear.

“Kevin… hey, man, it was just a joke, man! You can take a joke, right?” Youri tried to defend himself, backing away toward the nearest wall. Kevin remained silent, his evil, ferocious eyes focused as he proceeded toward his target.

“I can take a joke,” Kevin finally said when Youri’s back had it the wall. His hand reached out, and was placed on top of Youri’s head. Kevin’s fingers tightened, and his hand lifted. Youri was lifted off the ground. Without looking, Kevin threw him like a rag-doll behind him, knocking over the remaining bullies, whom he had hit.

Only turning around after he had heard them thump on the floor, Kevin looked at the group. “I wish I could kill you. I probably should. But killing is humane. Dead people hurt not. Dead people learn no lessons. Living people hurt. Living people learn lessons. I will let you live. And I will make you wish I did kill you,” he said with a voice as cold as the deepest ice-pit on Antarctica.

It sent shivers down the spines of the people present. “You will be placed in the Imperial Labor Forces. ‘Work Forces’ for us initiated. Your mind shall be reprogrammed. You will be fully conscious of your actions. You will feel every ache, you will feel exhaustion, and you will feel hunger and thirst. But you will be unable to do anything about it, even complain. You will do as the Overseers tell you, you will keep doing what they tell you, and you won’t be able to complain to anyone but yourself.”

“What?” Vereecken shouted. “WHY? I demand to know why you would…”

“SILENCIUM TRIPLEX!!!” Kevin shouted, the room shaking on the reverberations of his words. “I will tell you why. You and your partner there,” he said, pointing towards De Vos, “Are bad teachers. You throw in your students’ faces that you’re smarter than them. I don’t mean people knowing more than I do. I mind that people throw it in my face. Certainly when such a situation is in the process of being remedied. You see… I have an IQ of 147. It means I could do whatever I wanted, if you hadn’t taken away the joy of learning new things. I got stuck in a rut thanks to you… and I never unlocked my full potential. Thank you. And I SHALL show my gratitude. MICHAEL!”

Michael came running. He hadn’t been here long, but he had never heard his Lord yell for him like that. It scared him… so he came running.

“Hand them over to Dela Rea. Work Forces. For life.”

“At once, My Lord,” Michael replied, his mind reaching out and taking control over the six.

Before the door closed behind Michael, Kevin said, “Sorry for yelling for you like that. They just got to me.”

“No problem, My Lord,” Michael replied, closing the door gentle. He hadn’t realized it, but the Emperor’s words had eased him. Michael found himself liking the Emperor even more. Someone who could admit his mistakes couldn’t be a bad ruler. Could he? The answer was clear in Michael’s mind. Sol Invictus was NOT a bad leader.

Later that day, Kevin entered the slightly less ornate meeting room, located not far from the Throne Room. Then again, given the Throne Room’s size, EVERYTHING was close by, relatively speaking. He sat down in the throne-like chair at the head of the table, and looked at the gathering of men present. Around the table sat the Ministers of the Empire, people he had taken to seeing at least once a day, to gather updates, give new orders to, or to generally see how things in the Empire were doing.

“How are we doing, men? Anything of particular interest?” Kevin asked.

Most remained silent; resorting to merely giving a small shake of their heads to indicate everything was O.K., while others responded in the negative… with the proper words of respect, of course.

“Okay, then. Let’s got on to the next point on the schedule,” Kevin said, finding it rather odd than a global empire had no special points that needed addressing. Then again, he had selected the best of the best for this job… it was very conceivable that there were catastrophes most other people wouldn’t have been able to look at, let alone solve, that they could handle just fine on their own. Still, Kevin wanted to know about the problems… he always hated being kept out of the loop.

Resolving to getting all the reports, and going through them on his own after the meeting, Kevin let it go, and said, “There are some more things that need changing, gentlemen. Earth has been united under one global government. However, humanity is still divided. People still speak their own language, still think of themselves as residents of their own ‘country’, completely ignoring the fact whether or not their country still exists as a province or a region, and they still use their old currency.

“Gentlemen, it is time to change this. It is time to unite humanity, once and for all!” Kevin boomed across the room. The men at the tale nodded rigorously, wholeheartedly agreeing with their leader. Kevin smiled. “David,” he said, turning to David Rector, the Minister of Financial Situations and Imperial Treasury, “I want Earth changed to a global currency, called the Pax. One Pax buys one loaf of bread, so you can let go of indexation and all that crap. One Pax buys one standard-sized loaf of white bread, and it will always do so. The other goods will be recalculated as such. One Pax divides in one hundred Vix, to supply us with change.”

David nodded, the semi-scowl that always seemed to be present lifting slightly at the prospect of finally doing something globally important… not to mention life-changing. Kevin wasn’t done yet. He jumped out of his chair, enthusiasm fueling his energetic motions as he spoke and paced around the room at a brisk pace.

“TQ, I need you to set up the change for the global language known as Invictan. It’s been worked out completely, and it’s in the computer. Everyone can access it, and everyone is expected to master it by the next meeting, which is tomorrow,” Kevin said, addressing Top_Quark, and old on-line friend of his. Kevin knew his real name was Bob Anderson, but somehow, it stuck in his mind to keep calling him TQ. Bob didn’t seem to mind, and he nodded at the command he had been given.

Although Bob had first signed on as Minister of the Written Word, his tasks had broadened somewhat, to include all language-related matters. “From now on,” Kevin continued address him, “All official broadcasts on TV are in Invictan, subtitled by the region’s language. The situation will remain as such for the next 18 months. After that, radio, TV, magazines and newspapers are to switch, permanently, to Invictan. No more subtitles. After those 18 months, anyone caught speaking any language not Invictan will be arrested, and put into the Work Forces.”

Bob nodded. “And schools?” he asked. “Any languages to be taught outside of Invictan? When do we switch teaching languages?”

Kevin nodded. “Good point. We will not teach any languages outside of Invictan. As such, all books present today need to be translated. In six months, at least 10 hours each week will be spent teaching the children Invictan. Within a year, all classes will be conducted solely in Invictan, with helpful pointers in the old languages. Six months after that, no old languages will be tolerated.”

Bob nodded, scribbling some notes on a piece of paper in front of him. “Consider it done, Your Majesty,” Bob replied, smiling slightly at the use of the title.

Kevin turned to his Minister of Education, who had been taking notes along with TQ on the language issue. Kevin remembered his name as Shaka, just… Shaka. Kevin’s extended knowledge supplied him with the meaning of the name: Shaka was the legendary Zulu leader who united an amalgamation of tribes in the early 19^th century.

“Okay, next point: I’ve always hated compulsory physical education. As such, it’s cancelled now. Globally. Physical education will be elective, and no one will be forced to follow those courses in any way,” Kevin said to the black man, recruited from the plains of Central Africa. Shaka nodded. He never said much, but the man was a genius when it came to educating people. A born teacher and educator, Shaka was the best man Kevin could find to help shape the minds of his future subjects.

“To go on with sports, I want a separate sports channel on TV. All stations found to drop one of their scheduled programs for a sport match, tournament, of whatever of ANY kind shall find its license revoked, its equipment sized, and its people sent to the Work Forces,” Kevin said. “Now that I think of it… make that two or three sports channels. Wouldn’t want people to lose one of their matches, would we?” he asked sneeringly.

Turning to look out a window for a few seconds, Kevin seemed to think something over. He turned back to the people round the table, waiting for him to make his next demand. “Something else that’s always bugged me is the fact that people use drugs to get better performance at sports matches. It’s just sport, and is supposed to be fun. Why people destroy themselves over it is beyond me… safe for one reason. Money.

“Thus, I propose to take all the money out of the sports. No one shall be a professional sportsman or sportswoman from now on. Only exceptions are coaches, and trainers in gyms. For the rest, no one shall be found making money off sports, or they’ll be sent to the Work Forces. Six months they’ll have before the rule is enacted,” Kevin addressed the latter specifically to Tony Dela Rea, the Chief Enforcer. The man nodded.

“Because this will seriously trouble all the attempts at breaking records, world or otherwise, from now on, all records are scratched from the books. We’re starting with a clean slate.”

Kevin then turned to Mathias DracheMörder, a black-haired, green-eyed man in his late teens who was Chief of Staff, and to Robert Ferran, who had green eyes, blond hair, and was Minister of Defense. “By the way, have you had time to review the reports on ESMF and Starfleet tactics yet? Because I want the technology and indoctrination introduced the day before yesterday, and fully operational yesterday.”

“We’ll get right on it, My Lord,” Robert replied.

“Okay, that’s about it for this point,” Kevin said, sitting down once more. “Any additional questions so far?”

There were none, so he continued. “Okay, last point of business…David, I sent my grandmother on a three-month VIP first-class world cruise. I was you to set up a monthly transfer to her bank account. Five thousand Pax.”

“No problem, My Lord,” David Rector replied. “Five thousand Pax a month will be transferred. At 1$ a loaf, that makes five thousand dollars a month… for a woman alone, he calculated. Not bad. She must really be his favorite relative.

“Any matters that weren’t addressed?” Kevin asked the assembly. When his answer was, once again, negative, he dismissed them, leaving him alone to contemplate his thoughts.

Kevin kept his promise to himself, and immerged himself in the reports of every imaginable Ministry. That night he didn’t sleep, working through the night to finish the reports of at least, the Ministry of Science. Science had always stimulated him, so it wasn’t strange he started there.

Throughout the day, Kevin met with the Ministers, granted audiences to all kinds of people, listened to problems, solved difficulties, and gave orders. The second night, he got two hours of double-sleep, now really needing them. Not feeling fully rested, he started a new day. His new schedule was as intense as it was nerve-wracking, and Kevin didn’t let up. When he really motivated himself for something, he went flat-out, all the way… something he had grown used to when writing stories. When a story really went ahead, Kevin could write for eight, nine, ten hours a day, working from early morning to late at night.

Actually, that was an inaccuracy. He worked from noon to late at night. In the morning, he spent six hours drilling the Masters Slayers. He trained alongside them, building team-spirit. So, for six hours each day, he drained more energy out of his body than any normal person could hope to stand draining in a week. The Master Slayers were above the Elite Mental Soldiers, and their training reflected it.

Now, with his enhanced Slayer-concentration, Kevin was able to pass his earlier concentration-experiences off as nothing. He worked with feverishly intense concentration for hours on end, dumping knowledge into his brain at the same speed with which he read them, his mnemonic storage running almost continuously, cross-referencing the different reports, making sure that this was done right, and that the other things were connected rightly to it.

In short, Kevin was having no fun at all. His life had become work, and work alone. He wanted his Empire run right, and in order to do things right, he just didn’t contemplate the option of delegating, as he had originally envisioned. He didn’t dare to… Kevin hated the old politicians who promised a lot and never made good on their promises. Kevin had always kept his promises. That’s why he hardly promised anything at all… but once he did, you could be sure he would do it.

After a week that gave him maybe eight hours worth of double sleep, if that, Kevin was feeling dead-tired. He sunk down on his throne.

“Computer, Rak’Tajino, original formula,” he asked, and received. The cup with Klingon Coffee materialized, along with a small table, next to his throne. He took the cup, blew, and drank half of it. The alien formula contained seven times the caffeine level of ordinary human brands. Kevin felt the substance take effect. Sighing, he rested his head against the headrest of the throne, and closed his eyes for a few seconds, allowing his mind a few minutes of rest while drinking the rest of his coffee.

Kevin pressed a few keys on his armrest-console, and a holographic screen popped up in front of the throne. It filled with information soon after, which Kevin read as he sipped his coffee. Kevin had ordered himself to keep up with the developments on his old forum. It was still up. He just didn’t have the time to post there anymore, so he had told everybody he was ‘unavailable’ for the unforeseeable future. Kevin was relieved to see that the people on his forum still continued to use it.

Today, a new topic of conversation drew his attention.

Emperor? What do you guys think? Kevin read. Hmm… posted by Lone Templar. I wonder what LT has to say about my reign so far, Kevin chuckled at his thought. Clicking open the topic, Kevin read the message.

His shaky hand reached out for the intercom. “Michael… get me Quiana…” he whispered.

At once, My Lord, the answer came. Kevin clicked off the intercom robotically. Five minutes later, a woman in her early twenties strode into the room. Since all cloaking magic was negated automatically by the wards John and Julie had placed on the Palace and the surrounding grounds, Quiana’s metallic purple hair was visible in its full splendor.

The product of a genetic-engineering project in the former Soviet Union, Quiana’s unusual hair color was the result of a bug in her genetic code, and it was usually camouflaged magically. She had been designated as the head of the World Intelligence Agency, which was an amalgamation of intelligence services of around the world. Quiana was reshaping it in the image of the former KGB. She would spy on everything and everybody, and Kevin gladly let her, as long as she stayed away from himself.

“How may I help you, Tovarishch Imperador?” she asked respectfully. Having grown up in during the Cold War, and raised by fanatics, Quiana still thought in the old Communistic terms. As such, she called Kevin Tovarishch Imperador, which translated to ‘Comrade Emperor’. Being one to like a change, Kevin liked having someone around who didn’t call him either ‘Your Majesty’, or “My Lord’, like everybody else did.

“Read,” Kevin said, motioning for the holograph-screen. Quiana turned to read. For a moment, her eyes went wide open, and a fluster spread across her features.

“Forgive me, Tovarishch Imperador. It seems I have failed you.”

Kevin waived it off. “It’s only been up for a couple of hours. I expect your work to be thorough, not instantaneous. You’re still human.” Standing up, Kevin walked to one of the side windows. “I want him and his family found and brought to the palace.”

“At once, Tovarishch Imperador,” Quiana said, as if she were vowing on the very blood that ran through her veins.

“One thing. That’s all I ask. Neither he, his wife, his daughter, nor his friends are to be hurt. They are to be apprehended with the absolute minimum of physical and mental force. Anyone found hurting those people will deal with me. Directly.”

Quiana swallowed quietly. She had worked with Kevin closely enough to know that people did NOT want to deal with Kevin directly if they had displeased him. Involuntarily, the story of the six people he had sent to the Work Forces came to her mind. All six had been put on the construction of the Circus Solaris, a building mirrored after the Circus in ancient Rome.

“Of course, Tovarishch Imperador,” Quiana replied with flawless voice. She was cold and hard as ice at times like these. This was what she had been trained for. Cold, merciless.

“Dismissed,” Kevin said.

Quiana dipped her head. “By your leave, Tovarishch Imperador,” she said, snapped around on her heel, and legged out of the Throne Room.

 

Earlier that day, Imperial Province, North American Territories. (Written by Lone Templar, from his point of view.)

 

I felt like crying as my wife hugged me and sobbed into my shirt, her pregnant belly pressed tight against me. I squeezed her and rubbed her back trying to get her to calm down. She had been like this for the last four hours, ever since that asshole made his proclamation to the world. I had come out of my shock rather quickly, but Sandy was beside herself with fear.

“Come on, Hon.” I cooed into her ear. “You need to get going. We don’t have much time.” I released her and gently pushed her back to look at her.

“Why does it have to be you?” She asked me, tears rolling down her pale cheeks. “Why does it always have to be you?”

“Someone has to do the deed, Sandy.” I patiently explained. “I can do it and get away clean. It’s just like I was back in the Army.” I felt horrible for lying to her. My gut clenched up tight and a vague feeling of nausea welled up within me. “Just go stay with Dave until I come for you, ok?”

She stretched her tiny body up to kiss me gently on my lips. Even after all this time, I could feel the chemistry between us when she did this. I was so in love with this woman that sometimes I couldn’t see straight. I kissed her back and turned her around to tuck her into her car. “I love you, Sandy. Don’t ever forget that, no matter what happens.” I whispered in her ear. “I’ll come back for you when this is finished.”

She nodded to me and wiped her eyes. Putting the car in reverse, she backed out of the driveway and drove slowly out of sight. I was unable to hold back the sorrow and grief that knowing I would never see her or my daughter ever again brought me. Giving in to the urge, I allowed the emotions to overwhelm me for a few minutes before clamping down and suppressing them. I had learned during my time in the Army to never block your emotions off. It’s better to let them out in controlled bursts that to let them fester and spoil inside you.

Walking back into the house, I started planning two general scenarios; one for a long distance shot and one for getting up close and personal. Opening up the gunroom, I quickly selected my fifty-caliber sniper rifle and a forty-five caliber automatic pistol. I thought that if I could only get one shot with either of these babies, the guy was as good as dead. That was all I asked and prayed for was one shot.

After storing the rifle behind the seat of my pick-up truck, I tucked the pistol and holster into the small of my back. Then I slowly walked through the house that had brought so much laughter and joy into my life. Memories assaulted me at every turn, but it was something that I needed to do. I could remember my wife telling me her water broke when I fell asleep on the couch. I smiled sadly as I remembered her laughing at me as I rushed madly through the house searching for the car keys clutched tightly within my hands. Other memories came and went as I completed my tour of my home.

Then my eyes fell onto my computer. The realization that I was leaving without a word was too much. I turned it on and quickly logged onto the network. After emailing everyone in address book, I decided to see what was going on with my forum groups. They all seemed so clueless to me. The few posts that I had read so far made no mention of the egomaniacal megalomaniac who had taken over and shattered my world. I logged onto an acquaintance’s forum and found more of the same. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and decided that someone should know what I am about to do. I know, I know. It violates every principle of security that was ever taught to me, but I just had to do it.

I started my own topic and labeled it, ‘Emperor? What do you guys think?’. Taking a calm breath, I began to type my last testament. I poured my heart and soul into it, trying desperately to put down the reasoning behind my action. If all else failed and my mission was burned, I wanted someone to know that I wasn’t a madman with delusions of grandeur. So I began to type:

Today, I had an epiphany. I had to comfort my beautiful wife as she lay crying in my arms. My sweet little girl stared at us with tears in her eyes and trembling lips as she watched us try to cope with something she couldn’t possibly understand. I watched my wife’s face contort in fear as she gently rubbed her swollen belly, where she carries another daughter. I watched, impotent with rage, as my wife came to the conclusion for the first time in her life that I couldn’t protect her or my children from something. It felt as if my heart were being ripped out my chest.

I listened to the proclamation and my blood ran cold. I heard his words and immediately saw them for what they were; a return to slavery. Only this time, slavery won’t be based on what color your skin is. It won’t be based on what country you are from. The first official word of our new government reveals a critical truth that I have spent the last several hours trying desperately to deny. To cull official favor, women are to be given to our new dictator. Not just any women, but those who have not engaged in a sexual act previously. I sat in front of my television hearing those words and stared at my sweet, innocent daughter. She has never hurt anyone before, but she will be considered property to be given or taken from now on. It broke my heart. I have never felt more like weeping in my life. Those that will give virgins to a tyrant won’t do so with the ones within their own family. They will take them from loving homes and thrust these girls into the hands of a power-mad dictator.

Remember the words, my friends, and fear. Fear for your lives, your loves, and your way of life. When our new master appoints his chain of command, those newly arisen to power will have the same weaknesses as the one they serve. They, too, will search for new slaves. After all, who will dare tell them no? Will it matter to them that the love of your life doesn’t want to go with them? Will it matter that your daughters will have to live in fear of being taken? What can you do to protect them? I irrationally thought of hiding my loved ones and denying their existence to others, but how long can that last? With tears in my eyes, I find myself to be a coward. The right thing to do is to send them to the afterlife without pain, but I can’t do it. I can’t protect them from what is coming, and it’s killing me.

Women are now property. My love of thirteen years is now property. My daughter of eight years is property. My unborn child is property. Do you really think that because you are male it will be any different? My life is coming to an end. For better or worse, my life is forfeit. If not now in a manner of my own choosing, then it will happen when I have to protect my family from our masters. As if this were not enough, our masters are even taking my God away from me.

Perhaps there is irony after all. He who will deny me my God may have made an error. God has given me a gift that I have squandered during my life. I have only had occasion to use this gift once before, and that was to protect my wife and I from criminal scum. Now that scum has risen in power and I must use this gift once again. I will use my gift with firearms in one all-or-nothing attempt to stop this evil before it becomes established. I don’t have much time, but I pray that I can be an instrument of God. It’s funny, but I was never that religious before. Now, God is what keeps me from going insane. I believe in him now.

I sent my family off to stay with my best friend. Even in this, I must do all that I can to protect the ones that I love. I can only pray that it will be enough. I know that I will not survive this thing that I must do. When I stand in front of my creator, it will be with the knowledge that I acted to protect everything I love: my family, my country, and my God.

Farewell, my friends, I shall miss you. Enterprise, I hope you keep up your writing. It will probably be one of the few pleasures allowed us. I hereby hand over to you my own stories in the hope that you can finish that which I cannot. I hope that this group will live on and continue as it has in the past. You have my prayers and my hopes that God will watch over all of you.

If I fail in my task, I only pray that someone else will succeed.

I go now to kill a tyrant. God bless you all.

I read over my words carefully, checking for misspelling and grammatical errors. For once in my life, I told myself, I wanted a perfect document for others to read. If I was successful, I know that I will go down in history, but that’s not what I want to be remembered by. I only hoped that when my daughters grow up, they’ll understand why I had to do this. So, for the first time in my life, I signed a post with my real name and my alias.

The Lone Templar,
Eric John Prenovost,
Father and Husband.

The Lone Templar handle had been given to me years ago for my habit of championing the underdog. My wife thought it was cute and didn’t say much about it, but every once in awhile I could see her lips turn up slightly in amusement before she turned away to hide it. I regret that now. What I wouldn’t give to see that smile again.

Roughly shaking my head, I shut down the computer. I walked out of my home and locked the door behind me. I saw someone standing next to my truck and recognized my neighbor George. He was carrying a hunting rifle in his hand as he rolled a cigarette back and forth between his fingers. He didn’t look up as I approached him, but he did begin to speak.

“I figure you’re gonna’ take a crack at this guy.” He stared at the cigarette as if it were the most important thing in the world. I could hear his voice trying not to crack, and knew that if I spoke right now I wouldn’t do as well as he was doing now. “I’m an old man, Eric. I buried my wife two years ago and my kids won’t speak to me. I ain’t got nothing else to lose. So I figure that I’ll just go along with you and give you a hand.”

I sighed softly and rubbed my aching eyes. “I’d like that, George. I really would, but this is something I’ve trained for.” I opened my eyes to see him staring into my face. “And you know I’m not coming back.” I whispered.

He nodded in reply, but waited patiently for me to continue. I felt my throat constrict painfully, but forced the words out anyway. “When Sandy comes back, I want you to take care of her and the kids, George. She never really had a father except for you and she’s going to need your help.”

George looked down before jamming that cigarette into the corner of his mouth. Looking back up at me, I could see the wetness in his eyes. “I’ll do what I can, son. I’ll make sure that nothin’ happens to her.” He dropped his rifle, pulled me into a fierce hug, and pounded my back with his hand in that irritating macho manner that he was so fond of portraying. “You just kill that son of a bitch, you hear me? Rip his fuckin’ heart right out of his god damned chest.” I assured him that I would and stood there watching as he picked up his rifle and shuffled back into his house.

Blinking the tears from my eyes, I climbed into my truck and drove away, not daring to look back. I turned the stereo on, selecting the compact discs in the changer. I had loaded up a bunch of sixties anti-war songs to remind myself of why I’m doing this insane thing.

Reaching this point wasn’t easy. I’ve never set out to kill someone in cold blood before. Even in the Army, I was only playing. I’ve never been in a war. When the great proclamation interrupted the radio station that I was listening too, I barely had the presence of mind to grab my tape recorder and capture what was said on tape. The first time I listened to it, I was in a state of shock. I just played that tape over and over again. Each time I played that damn thing, cold chills raced up and down my spine. Fear and dread competed with rage and anger for dominance of my thoughts. After about ten times, I started listening to the individual statements that were being said rather than the thing as a whole.

The part about virgins being sacrificed to the Emperor’s ego to gain political favor brought a fever chill to me. I had read a lot of history books in my time, along with psychological texts. I knew what the phrasing of that statement actually meant. A person being given to someone else denotes a feeling that the person being given away is property. A person considered property was a slave. That arrogant bastard was bringing slavery to the world as a whole, probably to satisfy his ego.

I looked up at that point to see my wife squeezing my daughter and sobbing quietly. When my eyes turned to my daughter, my heart nearly froze up. My little girl was a potential target of the Emperor. In a few years, when she started to fill out like her beautiful mother she would be selected, I just knew it. My sweet, innocent little girl was already extremely attractive in face and feature. When she arrived at puberty, and her body developed the curves that women get, she would be taken. For the first time in my life, I cursed my wife’s incredibly good looks. Then my eyes fell onto my wife’s pregnant belly. Just last week we had celebrated the news that we would be having another daughter. The ultrasound picture was already nestled snugly in a brand new photo album.

I thought about what the new world order would mean to me and mine. I couldn’t hide my daughters away from the world. I couldn’t find them husbands because they were too young. I really didn’t know what to do. Then I saw the look that my wife had in her eyes. The look was of betrayal to some extent, but not totally. She used that look on me as she trembled and shook in fear, and I remembered the words I had whispered to her over a lifetime ago. I had promised to protect her from the evils of the world. And I had failed her. There was no way that I could protect her from what I knew was coming. The Emperor was going to have to set up regional governors of some sort, who would set up their own positions. These would most likely be like the Emperor himself, viewing people as slaves. With each additional layer of government officials, the odds of the women in my family being taken from me went up. I couldn’t let my girls be raped, no matter what. I would die first.

So I called up a friend who had moved out in the sticks in the mid-west. He was a survivalist nut who I loved as a brother. I was the one who had introduced him to his wife and taught the both of them to shoot. Dave was a trip in the best of times. Now, his paranoia would be going into overdrive and that’s what I wanted to protect my family. After getting careful directions, I made sure that Sandy would follow them. I think that Dave knew what I was going to do before I told my own wife. He’s almost psychic at times with me, but he makes a great friend.

 

It took me eight days to work myself into position to observe the Wall. My first impression was that it was impressive, no doubt about that. At least this little Napoleon had more taste than the original. I lay at the edge of a cliff face that allowed me some observation into the compound and studied it carefully behind my spotting scope. I stayed there all day, observing the movements of the people, trying to find one that stood out in some way. I didn’t know what this guy looked like, but I was sure that with his ego he would be dressed differently than the rest. I was also positive that the guy would eventually make his way to the tower to observe and gloat over his empire. When he did, I would take him. I was determined to starve myself to death in this position to get that chance. Of course, that wouldn’t be for a while. I had at least another five days worth of MRE’s. What concerned me was that I only had another day or so of water. It would take awhile to starve but dehydration comes on quick.

I realized my mistake in not bringing security to watch my back that first night. I don’t know how the guy got behind me without making a noise, but he must have heard me open up a package of freeze-dried food. The first moment that I knew he was there was when a large blade snapped down next to my head to plunge into the ground. My eyes widened in surprise and I could feel the instant adrenaline rush sweep through my body.

I was happy to see that my reflexes weren’t totally shot as I rolled away from him almost immediately. I came to my feet in a crouch, my right hand already pulling my pistol out from the small of my back to bring it up in a modified Weaver stance. Just as I was bringing it up to point right between his wide, surprised eyes, I felt my head explode in pain. I actually saw stars and bursts of light before unconsciousness claimed me.

 

“We have him, Tovarishch Imperador,” Quiana reported to Kevin. “He was waiting outside the Great Wall. The guard noticed his mental signal, and apprehended him.”

Kevin dipped his head. “Good. How much force was used?”

“The amount of mental force as insubstantial, Tovarishch Imperador. The guard blacked his mind for a duration of three hours.”

Kevin got up from his throne, and stared directly into the eyes of the purple-haired Director of the World Intelligence Agency. “He BLACKED OUT LT?”

Quiana nodded. “Yes, Tovarishch Imperador.”

“You KNOW how painful that is,” Kevin grunted. He took a deep breath, not wanting to be accused of shooting the proverbial messenger. “Fine. I’ll deal with the ass who did it later. First, have him dressed… I think I have just the outfit for him. He seems to like it… or, at least, one of his characters does,” Kevin said, walking to a replicator, and withdrawing a bundle of clothes. “You know where to put him.”

“Yes, Tovarishch Imperador. It has been arranged,” Quiana answered, accepting the clothes.

 

I woke up to find myself in a lavishly decorated bedroom. My head felt dizzy and the room began to spin, so I groaned helplessly and squeezed my eyes shut. It took a couple of minutes, but eventually everything settled down enough for me to open my eyes again. The room was decorated in fancy wooden furniture and silk lay everywhere. It looked like something an eccentric millionaire would do, as long as his sense of taste was anything but subdued. I mentally checked myself out, and decided that someone had clocked me in the back of the head. I was surprised that my skull wasn’t fractured, but I seemed to be all right.

I nearly collapsed onto my back as I levered myself into a sitting position, but somehow I managed it. Swinging my legs off of the bed, I saw that my clothing had been changed and that I had been bathed while unconscious. I was wearing a pair of black soft leather boots that came up to mid-calf level. They felt incredible. The leather was so soft and subtle that it was almost caressing my feet. Tucked into the boots was a pair of black slacks. I couldn’t tell what they were made of, but they slid under my hand and had the softness of velvet. Looking at my chest, I saw that I was wearing a loose fitting black silk shirt with the top two buttons undone.

I patted myself down, but every weapon that I had strapped to my body before was missing. I climbed to my feet and began searching the room, trying to find my weapons and old clothing. The dresser was filled with silk underwear and socks, but most of the drawers were empty. The walk-in closet was stuffed with more black slacks hanging on the left and black silk shirts hanging on the right. Lined up on the floor against all three walls were about twenty pairs of boots identical to what I was wearing.

I walked into the bathroom and searched it as well. Personal hygiene products surrounded the sink and that freaked me out. Every single product was my brand. Everything from the toothpaste to the shaving cream was what I bought for myself on a regular basis. Looking over to the left, I saw a large bathtub. It was large enough to accommodate four people easily. Standing next to the tub was a small shower, barely large enough for one. I guess that the tub was for fun but the shower was to clean with.

Walking back out into the bedroom, I came to the realization that there wasn’t one single item that could be used as a decent weapon. Hesitantly, I walked over to the other door I had seen earlier and opened it. I was surprised when the door swung smoothly inward to reveal a corridor stretching to both sides of the doorway. I poked my head out to see two large gentlemen bracing both sides of my door. They wore black uniforms with numerous weapons on their belts. Both of them had impassive faces turned toward me, and appeared to be waiting. When I hesitated to withdraw back into the room, the goon on the left began to speak to me.

“Are you rested, sir?” he asked.

I nodded slowly, my eyes tracking the both of them as they stepped into the middle of the corridor. They held themselves a little tense, but I could see the forced relaxation that they were trying to project. It reminded me of the few times I had seen professional bodyguards in action. They have a habit of appearing relaxed to let the aggressors hesitate or get overconfident. Underneath, they held themselves as tense as a coiled up spring, ready to strike at a moment’s notice. These two goons were the exact same way.

“The Emperor has requested your presence, sir,” he told me, waving a hand to indicate the way out through the door.

I had trouble retaining the smirk that wanted to break out on my face. These two were good, but they didn’t know me. Anyone can fool others if the people you’re facing didn’t have time to acquire a sample of your normal behavior. I let myself display a little fear and let my body tremble in front of them. I kept chanting in my mind “They’re going to kill me!” over and over again. This helped me maintain the act needed to let a cold sweat break out all over my body. At times like this, I could almost bless the Army for forcing me through survival school. It had taught me how to act and behave while being held captive by a hostile enemy. It had also instilled in me an overwhelming drive to complete my mission and escape. So the game began.

The two goons invited me to accompany them, claiming someone wanted to meet me. I kept chanting my mantra as the smaller goon led from the front and the larger one followed me. I was led up and down too many corridors to bother memorizing the route, so I kept a part of my mind tracking general directions. I knew where I was now, that much was obvious. I was deep inside the Imperial Palace. Why they hadn’t killed me already, I didn’t know. Maybe they wanted to pump me for information to see how many people were helping or supporting me. If that was the case, I was prepared to make up a story that would cause consternation within their ranks for years to come. Propaganda wins wars also.

We finally stopped in front of an ordinary door. The smaller goon knocked on the door and a voice yelled from within to enter. The goon opened the door and stepped within, followed by the big goon and myself. I shuffled into position flanked by the two goons. I was in a moderate-sized office facing a rather large and fancy wooden desk. Most of the desk was clear, but there were several piles of folders on the left. The other side of the desk contained two telephones, one of which was presently in use. I followed the telephone cord to a high-backed leather executive’s chair, which was currently facing away from me. Whoever was sitting there was looking out of a large bay window. I couldn’t make out what was being said, but it sounded something like a goodbye.

Just as the chair starting swinging around to face me, I sprung into action. Letting go of my mantra that they were going to kill me, my body settled down and the adrenaline started flowing again. I slammed an elbow into the small goon on my right while my left hand snaked out to grab the butt of the pistol still in its holster of the goon on my left. As soon as I lifted the pistol free of the holster, I squatted down and rotated toward the man sitting in the chair. The goon on my right was in the process of taking a step back to regain his balance while the goon on my left was currently swinging a fist through the air right where my head used to be.

I felt a feral grin come across me, as both hands finally were on the gun in my favorite grip. I lined the sights up on the man sitting on the chair and squeezed off two rounds as fast as I could. I actually saw the two small bursts of blood erupt right over his heart and his body jerked under the impact. I then rolled forward and twisted around so that I could come to my knees facing the two goons. Everything was going to plan. I rolled forward, twisted just right, and felt my knees press into the carpet just right. As my body started to come upright, bringing the pistol up on target, I saw a black flash in front of me that stilled for just a moment to reveal a black boot slamming into my chest.

The power of that blow hurt badly. I curled around my hurting chest, the gun slipping from my grasp as I gasped in pain. I suppose that it would have felt a little better if I wasn’t currently in mid-air, I thought to myself. No sooner that I had that thought, my wish was granted. I slammed into the front of the desk and bounced forward to fall onto my face. My sight was blurry but I could see the gun lying on the floor two feet in front of me. I tried to move my arm forward to grab it, knowing how desperate the situation was, but it refused to obey my command.

Blinking my eyes furiously, I groaned with despair as I watched a hand come down and reclaim the pistol. Then I felt two sets of hands gently grab my arms and haul me up to my feet. I tried to extend my legs down, but I was still curled up in pain. So, I hung there as the two goons slowly turned me around to face the desk and chair. Expecting to see a body sitting in the chair, I was shocked to see the man standing on his feet. The front of his shirt was covered in about two cups of blood. I could see the holes in his shirt grouped tightly together. I had to admit it was some damn fine shooting. The guy should be as dead as a doorknob. Instead, I could see solid flesh beneath those holes.

I just couldn’t believe it. This didn’t make any sense at all. He should be dead! I kept screaming to myself. I was in a state of shock. There was one benefit to this at least, I had momentarily forgotten about the pain in my chest. I unfurled myself and stood under my own power. The two goons released my arms and took a step back, but I ignored them. In a daze, I slowly stepped forward, staring at the shirt. Yep, the two holes were still there. I just couldn’t process it. I watched, as my hand seemed to drift forward, almost to slow to detect motion. It was as if I were another person watching this instead of doing it myself. I poked the top hole with my index finger, but I couldn’t find the hole in the skin.

The man didn’t say or do anything as my finger pulled out and searched the other hole. No wounds. I just couldn’t believe it. My other hand came up and I ripped the shirt open to see a chest totally devoid of wounds period. It was smeared red with blood, but there wasn’t anything to even indicate a past wound anywhere there. I used both hands to smear the blood around; hoping to find a wound, but there wasn’t anything there. I started to stumble backward in my daze and the two goons grabbed me to prevent my collapse. I just stood there staring at the blood on my hands. I felt like I was hyperventilating but I just couldn’t control my breathing.

In the back of my mind, I noticed the man stepping around the desk to stand in front of me. I just couldn’t seem to take my eyes off of the blood. I saw his hands come up to grip the sides of my face gently and tilt my head up to look him in the eyes. I could hear and feel my own blood pounding in my ears. There was an odd buzzing sound that seemed to come from all around me. My field of vision seemed to narrow as if I were looking through a tunnel as my chest heaved drawing in shallow gasps of air. Subconsciously, I realized that I was on the verge of passing out, but I just couldn’t seem to do anything about it.

The man just stared into my face. I could imagine what he saw, that wasn’t a problem. I knew that I was as white as a sheet, my eyes were opened wider than I could ever recall, almost bulging out in disbelief. My mouth hung open with extremely dry lips. My whole world narrowed down to stare back into his sad eyes. The smile that decorated his mouth seemed half-hearted. It was as if he were trying to reassure me that everything was going to be ok, rather than finding something amusing about this entire impossible situation. Like I said before, I just couldn’t process it. Looking at all the evidence, carefully considering the situation and all possible explanations, I did the only thing possible… I passed out.

 

Kevin had allowed himself to relax in a chair next to the couch where Eric, aka Lone Templar, was still out cold. Kevin’s eyes scanned the words of War and Peace mechanically. He just wasn’t in it.

With a groan, Eric forced himself into a sitting position, to which Kevin’s only reaction was to just mark his place and set the book down beside his chair. He looked at Eric and said with a half-joking voice, "I WAS going to say that it's good to see you, L.T., but somehow I don't think the feeling's mutual."

Eric stared confused at Kevin, unable to imagine why he was being calling L.T.

“Huh?” Eric delivered with all the suaveness that he could muster in his slack-jawed special way. It was obvious the man had no idea why he was being called L.T.

Kevin grinned slightly at his acquaintance’s consternation, during which he held out his hand. “I’m Enterprise, L.T.,” Kevin introduced himself.

Eric automatically gripped his hand for a shake, obviously still unable to process anything. The first thing Eric noted was the change of shirt, unable to get over the fact that he was supposed to be dead. Eric’s eyes dropped on automatic to Kevin’s chest, remaining there. Kevin sat back in his chair after releasing Eric’s hand, a process during which the other man’s eyes continued to be fixed on his chest.

“Who?” Eric asked, his mind still fuzzy and unable to connect the dots Kevin had laid out for him. Looking a little worried, Kevin sat forward to the still confused man.

“Are you alright?” Kevin asked quietly.

Eric waved off his concern with one hand and finally entered the conversation. “Yeah, I’m alright,” he replied. “That was cute.”

Now Kevin was the one that was confused. “Cute?” he asked slowly, frowning his forehead in consternation “What was cute?”

Eric stared him directly in the eye, and replied, “The fake bullets.”

“What fake bullets?” Kevin asked, immediately understanding what Eric meant.

“The ones in the gun I shot you with.” Eric replied glibly.

Kevin chuckled. He had guessed correctly. “Those weren’t fake, I can assure you,” he assured Eric rubbing his chest absently. “It hurt like hell.”

“So tell me something,” Eric began. “How come your guards don’t carry real ammo? Aren’t you worried about an assassin?”

Kevin smiled gently at the man in the couch. “Those were real bullets, L.T. Hurt like hell, and dead-on. Impressive. For a normal, anyway,” Kevin added with a chuckle.

It was obvious that Eric was debating with himself on how to process that bit of information. He continued to stare at Kevin, his mind nagging desperately about something. Something finally clicked into place. “Holy shit! I know you! You’re that Enterprise guy who writes those stories!” Eric said in shocked voice.

Kevin smiled. “Yep. That’s me. Good old E,” he answered, glad that L.T. had finally recognized him. Kevin hoped that the conversation would smooth over, now that his identity had finally been established.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Eric asked, still stunned. Kevin chuckled inwardly, and decided on playing some games… after all, as Emperor, he had the right to play games. Besides, it was all in good fun. No one was going to get hurt.

“I work here,” Kevin answered evenly, keeping the same expression on his face. His Master Slayer stability made sure of that. Kevin was in total control over his emotions.

“So, what?” Eric answered, leaning back into the couch. “You’re supposed to separate out the dangerous from the safe people? You could get killed doing crap like that!”

Kevin laughed, half a dozen hiccoughs filling the room with dry amusement. “Not really. I wasn’t in any danger, trust me,” he answered deadpan. “Never was. Not from you, my friend.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eric replied. “The fake bullets thing.”

Kevin sighed. He hated dealing with people who just wouldn’t listen. “I told you, LT, those weren’t fakes!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Eric said dismissively. “If you don’t want to admit it, it’s fine with me. No big deal.”

Kevin sighed, rubbed his forehead. Great. As stubborn as an ass. Whatever. We’ll just move on, Kevin thought to himself.

“What?” Eric asked in confusion. “I’m supposed to believe that they’re real? Don’t worry about it. If anyone asks, I’ll tell them that I killed you. You can still escape. You got those two goons on the take, right? Hell, I’ll help you slip out and we can head for the horizon. Just give me another couple of weeks and I’ll come back and cap this guy. You’ll be safe, don’t worry about it.”

Kevin raised an eyebrow. That was one hell of an entertaining theory. Very amusing. I like him… “You’re going to try again, huh?” Kevin asked. “You made it this far. Once. I’d advise you not to try a second time. People around here don’t take well to second tries.”

Eric shook my head and replied, “Hey, anyone can be done. It’s just a matter of technique. I’ll be more careful next time. One shot, and you’re free of this psycho forever.”

Kevin sighed, looked at the floor. Okay. Game’s gone on long enough. Let’s bring out the big guns. “Um… L.T.?”

Eric continued on, wanting to reassure his friend. “Trust me. Next time, I’ll get some buddies and do the job right.”

“L.T.?” Kevin asked again, a little louder.

Eric knew he could pull it off. “Yeah, I still keep in touch with my old army buddies. Hell, I can get hold of a couple of assault choppers and do a quick insertion. One little raid and it’s all over.”

Kevin groaned. “Damnit, L.T., will you fucking listen? There’s something you should know.”

“Can it wait?” Eric asked, getting to my feet. “If we’re going to get away, we need to be out of here before first light.”

Kevin looked at his friend, and for a couple of moments actually debated on whether or not to just drop the bomb. “I think this is pretty important, L.T. You might want to sit down for this.”

Eric, confused, sat back down on the couch, and stared at Kevin inquisitively.

“I’m the Emperor,” Kevin told Eric with straight face.

Eric just grinned at him and said, “Can we go now?”

“Jesus Christ, LT!” Kevin almost-shouted. “Are you always this stubborn?”

“Stubborn?” Eric asked in confusion. “No, I’ve always considered myself pretty open-minded, actually. Look, we need to leave now. We’re only going to make a couple of miles before dawn and every minute counts.”

Kevin shook his head, trying to find a way to get the point across. “I really am the Emperor.”

“Uh, huh.” Eric said. “You’re, what? His double or something?”

Kevin jumped up, and started pacing. I can’t fucking believe this! Guess I’ll just have to show him, then.

“Alright, I know this is hard for you to grasp, but this is important. I am the Emperor. Those were real bullets. You did shoot me,” Kevin shot out in short bursts.

“Look, can we skip the jokes until we’re out of here, please? If we wait much longer, I’m going to be dead and you’re going to be trapped here. We need to get moving NOW,” Eric informed him.

You asked for it, L.T. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you! “Ok, watch this,” Kevin said curtly, drawing a Bowie from somewhere, and slashing open his hand palm.

Eric watched for a split second in shock before jumping to his feet and rushing over to him. Grabbing the edge of his shirt, he hurriedly ripped of a small piece before he managed to reach him. Grabbing his hand, Eric jammed the cloth down over the wound. “What the hell did you do that for?” he snapped at Kevin. “Are you crazy or something?”

Kevin reached over and ripped the cloth off of his hand and practically snarled at Eric. “Just watch the damn wound!” Eric, for a moment, stared into Kevin’s eyes in muted silence. Slowly, Eric turned his attention back to the wound to see how bad it was. It is pretty damn bad, he told himself. It’s going to need tons of stitches, if he doesn’t bleed to death first. He started to reach for the wound to apply pressure, when he noticed something strange. Looking closer, he saw little arcs of blue electricity snapping back and forth across the wound. Stunned, Eric continued to watch. He just stared as the wound slowly mended itself before his disbelieving eyes. In less than a minute, the wound was gone. Eric examined Kevin’s hand carefully, but couldn’t find any sign of a knife mark. It was just like the bullet holes in his chest, Eric thought. Something about the entire situation was really familiar to him… he had always a big Highlander fan, and he had seen special effects reproduce what his eyes had just seen.

Eric let go of Kevin’s hand and walked back over to the couch. Sitting back down, he just sat there and stared blankly at Kevin. Inside, his thoughts were racing around. Highlander was a damned television show. It wasn’t real. Bullets made holes. I shot him. Twice. I shot him right through the heart. Twice. I watched a vicious knife wound heal right before my eyes. It happened in real life. It was only supposed to happen in the movies. Movies were real. The implications of THAT rocked his world. Arching an eyebrow, he asked quietly, “What else?”

Kevin understood. It was the same question he had been asking himself from day one, from the very moment this whole mess started.

Kevin shrugged. “CAMP, Phalanx, Coming of Age, Young Warlocks. I don’t know how far this thing extends. Pretty far, I think.”

Eric listened passively, trying to come to grips with it. “CAMP? Net Wolf’s CAMP?” he asked, his voice uneven.

Kevin nodded, smiling slightly.

This time it was Eric who groaned. “Mind control works?”

“Yep,” Kevin answered smugly. “Both ways work. CAMP-style, and Mental-style.”

“So you’re telling me that we have a bunch of rapists running around the country?” Eric snarled, feeling himself tense up in anger.

Kevin slowly got to his feet. “No, we don’t. All Mentals, and CAMP-psionics under our control, have been implanted. Mind-control is off-limits for personal gain. There are exceptions, and those are on a need-to-know basis. I’m not going to disclose them for you,” he said coldly. He was the Emperor. Above the law. He could do whatever he wanted. And Eric wouldn’t stop him.

“So you’re letting those in power do whatever they want?”

Kevin shrugged, and sat down in his chair. “They’re loyal to me. That deserves something. Help me, and I’ll help you. It’s how I always ran my life. I follow my own laws. Support me, and you can’t find a more loyal friend. Cross me, and you will wish that you had gone to hell instead of fallen into my hands. Trust me,” Kevin answered icily.

Eric just sat there, mouth open, string at Kevin. “I’m the first to admit I have screwed ethics… but this…”

Kevin smiled, apparently finding nothing wrong with being called ‘unethical’. “Really?” he asked, interested. “Like what kind of screwed ethics have you got?”

“For instance, I don’t find anything wrong with assassination,” Eric replied. “Killing people is ok, but controlling them is not.”

Kevin smiled. “That is nuts.” He shrugged. “I don’t mind. Most people who work for me are just as nuts about something as you are. NW is nuts about his sex. TQ is totally crazy about the Sailor Senshi. G wants a new computer every month or so. And I just want things to run smooth.”

“Killing for a reason is ok. As long as the reason is ethical, I don’t mind it a bit,” Eric answered evenly.

“And what constitutes an ethical reason to kill?” Kevin asked calmly.

“Treason, several crimes, rebellion, taking slaves, owning slaves. Lots of reasons,” Eric replied, just as calmly.

Kevin chuckled. “I have better punishments in place already. Crime has dropped 25% within one month of the Enforcers taking control of the streets. My system works. You steal; you’ll find your hand removed. You rape, you’ll find something else removed… you be an obnoxious jerk, and challenge my rule; you end up in a work camp, where your mind is altered to perform to the best of your physical capacities, while your conscious mind is unable to do anything about it. Killing… killing is so final. Killing isn’t a punishment, but a release.” Kevin shrugged. “There are fates worse than death.”

“That’s dangerous, keeping people around like that… surely, some people are better of dead? Not for their sake, but for the sake of yourself, and the Empire?” Eric asked.

Kevin thought that over. “I can see your point,” he answered. “But there aren’t that many people who warrant such a treatment… it would be just you and a small team, under direct control of myself, Legate Hawke, or the Director of the WIA.”

“On one condition,” Eric said, after thinking it over for a few moments.

“What condition would that be, L.T.?” Kevin asked.

“I want the power to protect my family,” he stated flatly. “That includes mind control. In return, I’ll serve as your over-paid troubleshooter.”

“Hmm,” Kevin said. “A basic class-one Mental. Best I can give you,” he answered.

“Oh, there’s one more thing.” Eric said, going to his most serious tone of voice. “I believe in an afterlife, E. I don’t belong to any church, because I don’t believe that He agrees with any of them. In fact, I don’t think He even gives a shit about organized religion. Most of those bastards deserve to rot in hell anyway. But I won’t give up my beliefs, E. I can’t.”

“And what do you believe in, L.T.?” Kevin asked in a serious tone of his own.

“I believe that you keep repeating your life until you’re ready for the next stage. Your job here is to learn something, but you have to figure that out on your own,” Eric replied immediately.

“That’s not an afterlife. That’s reincarnation,” Kevin answered. “Besides, we leave Buddhists alone, simply because they don’t believe in a ‘God’. Religion needs a deity. No deity, no religion. That’s what we want to abolish… the fighting over whose deity is stronger, and whose rules of worship are better. So, abolish religion, and you abolish religious wars at the same time. We solve a problem, one that’s existed since the dawn of humanity. Believe in your reincarnation cycle, L.T. Just don’t have us catch you praying to anything,” Kevin added the last part with a joking tone in his voice.

“Anyway, I’ll think about it,” he continued. “Meanwhile, why don’t you go back to your room and get some rest. We’ll talk more later.”

“Alright. I’ll grab one of the goons outside to show me back. See you later, E,” Eric told him, walking out the door at his dismissal. He wondered what Kevin’s decision was going to be. He felt confident that Kevin would like my work, no matter what position Kevin put him in. He always did thorough work, no matter what it was. And Kevin had agreed to keep Eric’s family safe. That’s all that mattered to him.

 

“Miss Gelman, My Lord,” Michael announced, letting Sara in. Kevin’s eyes opened, and he tapped into his Master Slayer-endurance to give himself a normal look, as if he were well-rested, and didn’t have a care in the world.

After they had greeted, standard lover’s style – with a deep kiss – she decided on bold. “I have an invitation for a big celebrity ball tonight. And, since I could bring a guest, and you said you always had time for me, I thought maybe… we could go together?”

Immediately, Kevin’s mind flashed to the huge stack of reports sitting on his desk. But then again, this was his idol! The reports flew right out the window in Kevin’s mind. “Sure,” he agreed. “Why not? It’ll be fun! I bet everyone there will be really surprised to see you show up with the Emperor…”

Sara chuckled. “I’m sure,” she agreed. “So, when do we leave?”

“When’s the party?” Kevin returned the question, managing to sneak in another small kiss. Somehow, it felt routine to him… maybe his exhaustion was creeping up on his, he concluded, and decided to let it go.

“At six,” she answered.

“How about we meet here at five thirty? We’ll take a car…” he suggested.

“Cool,” she answered, smiling sweetly, kissing him. “I’ll see you then!” she greeted as she started to walk out of the throne room.

Kevin sunk back on his throne. “See you then,” he answered quietly, hoping that the meeting that was taking place within half an hour – ten minutes – he corrected himself, would go well. Kevin blinked. Where had those other twenty minutes gone to? Surely Sara hadn’t been here that long…

Ignoring it, Kevin dumped the cold Rak’Tajino down his throat, replicated himself another one, drank it, and called for energy recycle on the table and cup.

That evening, Kevin showed Sara to his pride and joy: the Imperial garage. Having always been a car nut, Kevin had started collecting various machines of various levels of comfort, power, and speed. Ferraris shared a room with Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, a Rolls Royce or two, as well as various other cars, including a Jaguar XKR, and a Viper Venom 800.

“Care to make a selection?” Kevin asked, his eyes lighting up as they went over the shining machines.

Sara too, looked around the room. “Wow,” she breathed. “This is… wow.”

Kevin chuckled. “I know,” he answered. “I’ve always been a car nut. I like driving. Fast. I’m not good at working on them, but I like driving them.”

“Ehh… you really want me to choose which one we’ll take?” Sara asked, looking at some machines that should be behind heavily reinforced steel bars rather than on the public road.

“Of course. All these machines are here to be driven, not gather dust. That’s why I have them. Take that one, for instance. McLaren F1. Only 350 ever built. I have one. Ferrari F50. Only 349 units, of which I have one. The list goes on…”

Sara whistled. She wasn’t s big a car nut as Kevin was, but did understand some of the concepts… rarity among them. “How about that one?” she asked, pointing in the direction of a bright red almost normal-looking Ferrari, save for the intake in its hood, and the lines that made Ferrari so famous.

“575M Maranello. One of the more… subdued models. Although it still puts out a staggering 515 bhp, and a breath-taking 588 Nm. And it’s a very pleasant car to drive,” Kevin said as they stepped toward it. He let his hand trail over the smooth waxed bright Ferrari-red finish. He opened the door. “It’s open. Get in,” he told her excitedly; putting the four-point seatbelt on over the tux he was wearing. Kevin, contrary to Simon, didn’t really mind running around in monkey-suit… what he disliked were the occasions where he had been forced to wear one, namely family gatherings.

Determined to leave the past behind him, Kevin keyed the formidable engine, letting the throaty growl draw him back to the real world, where Sara had strapped herself in as well.

“Ready?” Kevin asked, throwing her a smile. She barely got the first syllable of her acknowledgement out before his foot hit the accelerator.

 The engine growled at being pushed, and it was obvious that the car was loving every second of it. The car shot forward, where Kevin jerked the wheel, causing the back of the car to slip. Using the car’s brute force, Kevin pushed it out of the spin, forcing the red machine through the lines of cars. At the end of the line, Kevin threw the car around the corner, forcing the machine in between the pitch-black Viper Venom and the gray concrete wall.

Driving up the ramp, the car hit outside air. Shifting like a professional race-driver, Kevin gunned the car along the private road leading from the Imperial Palace to the outside gate. He threw a blast of mental energy ahead of him; alerting the guards they should open the gate. Shifting up through the gears, the 575M could do a kilometer in under 25 seconds. Kevin managed to reasonably 23 seconds, only 1.1 seconds slower than factory specifications.

In short, the guards at the gate barely got it open in time for the red flash to blur by.

Sara looked in turn at the road and at Kevin. He looked completely dispassionate, except for the wild gleam in his eyes, and the slight scowl that came over it every time he threw the gearbox into higher gear. “Top speed,” Kevin muttered when the speedometer reached 323 kilometers an hour. 202 miles an hour, Kevin’s mind translated immediately for Sara’s sake. Instantly, it added that on the next meeting of Ministers, Kevin would put everybody on the Metric System. Far more easy than the traditional systems used by American and British citizens.

Sara looked out the window, seeing the landscape blur by at the tremendous velocities the machine reached. “At this rate, we’ll make it to LA in time, even if we drive!” she shouted over the whine of the engine.

“We could!” Kevin shouted back. “But I think Philip Duncan is going to have an ulcer trying to keep the Enforcers off my back!” He hollered at the statement, joined in by Sara.

“Okay,” he said. “Enough fun. We’d better get going.” Kevin slowed the car down to a reasonable 100 kilometers an hour, and whispered something. The scenery changed so abruptly that Sara had to blink three times before it would settle in. They were on the outskirts of LA.

“I’ve got an Imperial license plate,” Kevin said for some unknown reason to Sara. “Forgot all about that. They’re not going to do anything.”

Sara blinked, trying to understand what this was all about. Then, she realized, as Kevin floored the car, and 515 horsepower met the road. Kevin’s mental powers reached out in front of the car, causing everyone to obediently leave one lane free for him. After a few minutes of racing through the streets of LA, Kevin dropped the field. There wasn’t that much traffic, and he wanted a challenge. Everybody could drive on a straight road.

Sara grew pale as she saw the cars swivel back across the road. “Kevin!” she squealed. He just laughed, shifted, and pushed the car through the traffic.

“Yee-haw!!” he couldn’t help but scream wildly as the car slipped and swung through the traffic, around corners, and across crossroads where the lights were red.

Suddenly, his eyes locked on to something. A pitch-black Viper. Following him. At a stretch of road with low traffic, the unknown driver pulled next to him, then floored it, and roared off.

“A race, huh?” Kevin muttered, his telekinetic powers hitting the radio. Sara blinked as the radio came to life, barking out heavy metal. Kevin shifted back, pulling revs on the engine, and forcing it to release more of its potential. The 575 had gone on pursuit.

“Kevin!” Sara squealed again, holding on for dear life as the car swiveled and turned through the traffic, in pursuit of the black Dodge Viper. A Ferrari could beat a Viper. It had 515 BHP. A Viper only had 450. Only, in the traffic, Kevin also needed driving skills. The car alone wouldn’t be able to do much.

He was trained by the best. He stuck to the Viper’s rear bumper as if glued on it.

“Whoever it is, he’s good,” Kevin grunted as he shifted angrily, throwing the larger Ferrari around a corner. He didn’t exactly realize they were going exactly where they needed to go. Soon, the Viper pushed on its brakes, pulled up to a large hotel.

“Huh? This is where we need to go as well,” Kevin grunted, breaking and pulling in behind the Viper. Attendants opened his door, helping him and a pale-looking Sara out of the car. Kevin, intrigued about the identity of the Mystery Driver, looked in the direction of the Viper, to see who came out of it. To his surprise, it was a woman, who immediately got over to him.

Of course Kevin recognized her. Jessie Albany. She starred in a show called Black Devil.

Damn, Kevin’s mind whispered as he saw her step out of that car in full cocktail dress. She can drive in that thing?

Kevin held out his hand to Sara, who took it. “You okay?” Kevin asked, only now realizing how pale she was. “I didn’t scare you, did I?”

Shaking her head ‘no’, Sara answered, “I’ll be fine… after a couple of drinks.”

Smiling, Kevin answered, “Good. Glad to hear that.” By now, Jessie had reached them.

“Hey, Sara,” Jessie greeted Sara. “Who’s this stud?” she asked, looking at Kevin like a cat ready to pounce on its prey.

“Jessie, meet Emperor Invictus. My Lord, meet Jessie Albany, title star from Black Devil,” Sara introduced. Kevin never realized just how uncomfortable his new name was as that instant. Jessie’s eyes went wide, and color started draining form her face.

Deciding on finally using the Master Slayer stability of his mind, Kevin bent forward, took her hand, kissed it, and said, “Emperor Sol Invictus. Charmed to meet you.”

“Eh…ditto,” Jessie whispered, the first thing that came to her mind. Immediately afterward, she realized that she shouldn’t have said that to an Emperor. She relaxed once again when she saw Kevin smile.

“You’re a terrific driver,” Kevin complimented her. “I had some trouble back there when you-” his sentence was cut off when two Enforcer vehicles pulled up to the hotel. Immediately, 3 Enforcers jumped out of each car, surrounding the black Viper, their Mental abilities going fully active.

“Jessie Albany, you are under arrest!” the first Enforcer shouted. “For twelve violations of the speed laws of our Majesty, Emperor Invictus the First! Come quietly, and there will be no further trouble!”

Kevin sighed. Six guys to arrest one girl? Sheesh. I guess I really went overboard with the regulation that they needed at least half a dozen men at each time…Jessie turned pale, started shaking. Kevin put a hand on her shoulder. “I’ll handle this,” he whispered encouragingly. She answered by nodding fearfully, and Kevin stepped towards the captain of the Enforcer squad.

“It’s alright, Captain. Load your men back in their cars, and leave the area. The lady’s with me,” Kevin said, feeling the Master Slayer stirring within him. It was obvious the captain hadn’t expected anyone to talk to him so brashly. But he wasn’t as startled as Kevin was when he received a blast of mental power in his face.

“Who are you to talk to us like that, asshole?” one of the enforcers barked. Sol Invictus, the Master Slayer within, howled at the outrage. Managing to contain himself, Kevin got up, wiped at his lip with the back of his hand. A small trickle of blood was all he got. His Immortality had healed him already. Glad my shields were there. That could have broken my jaw.

Kevin looked at the Enforcer in question. “My name is Emperor Invictus the First of the Earth Imperium. And you guys are road kill.”

The captain’s eyes went wide when he realized that he was indeed talking to Sol Invictus. Kevin’s right hand reached for the light saber clipped to the back of his belt. The weapon activated with a blade of blood-red energy. The Master Slayer within Kevin screamed for blood, and Kevin could feel his blood pound in his veins. He could feel his power level skyrocketing.

The captain fell to his knees. “Have mercy, My Lord! We didn’t know! Mercy, please, Lord!”

The other Enforcers, seeing Kevin look up from the body of the captain; fell to their knees as well, repeating the plea. Taking a deep breath to calm the Master Slayer, Kevin clicked off the saber. “Fine. Get out.”

“Yes, Lord! Immediately!” the captain shouted, urging his men back in their cars. The cars rushed off, carried by Mental fields that made them go faster than mechanically possible otherwise. Kevin’s mind reached out, transferred the license plates to Philip Duncan, as well as an order to have the men in the cars demoted as low as possible without throwing them out of the Enforcers. Kevin believed in justice. They had hit him. He hit them back.

Clipping the saber back to his belt, Kevin returned to where a group of people had gathered by now.

“You really are the Emperor!” Jessie exclaimed, oddly awed by the realization. Bowing her head, she added, “Your Majesty.”

Taking Sara by the arm, Kevin nodded to Jessie, indicating the entrance. “Come, let’s talk inside,” he said, escorting Sara inside amidst hushed whispers. Jessie followed, talking to Kevin.

Kevin pulled up the Ferrari 575M in the Imperial garage, and reverently shut off the engine. He loved that sound. Throwing a look in the rearview mirror, a smile crept up on his face at the sight of the two beautiful ladies on the backseat. One was Jessie. The other was someone he thought Simon would be really interested in.

"I promised I'd pay you back, Simon," Kevin whispered as he got out of the car, and let the lovely woman out of the car. <<Simon? Could you meet me at the garage? I brought you something, but it's a little hard to carry by myself,>> he sent, managing to keep the chuckle out of his voice.

<<On my way,>> Simon sent back.

In a minute, Simon entered the garage, removing his visor.  Or, trying to.  His eyes immediately caught sight of the brunette, her hair pulled back in a pony-tail, her eyes fixed on him.  He glanced down to see that she was wearing a black uniform with blue accents, her insignia and rank in perfect position. Claudia Krislen, aka Commander Susana Ivanoff of Byzatium Six, Kevin’s mind whispered at the look on Simon’s face.

Simon's hand dropped from his visor, leaving it on his face.  He stared, dumbstruck, for a moment.  Clearing his throat, he turned to Kevin.  <<How willingly did she come along?>>

<<More or less willingly. Being Emperor has its advantages... I only nudged her here and there,>> Kevin replied. <<I promised I would pay you back for Sara... It couldn't be better when I saw her at that Celebrity Ball.>>

Simon nodded to his friend, and smiled at Claudia.  "Miss Krislen?" Simon said, recovering himself, and finally removing his visor.  "My name is Simon.  I think you and I should get to know each other a little better."  Simon was surprised that she came to him without a mental push from him or Kevin.

Simon turned to Kevin and said, "Consider us even."  He smiled, and then escorted his lady out of the garage.

Kevin shook his head in quiet astonishment at his friend's ability to handle this type of situation.

"Oh, well. Looks like he's happy," Kevin said to his two companions, holding out both his arms, one of which was taken instantly. "Now, let's get happy ourselves..."

Having gotten the mood from the fancy party, Kevin decided on holding one of his own. Considering the fact that he more or less tore his Master Slayers away from their family and friends, Kevin decided on making it up to them. He invited just about anyone he could think of who has something to do with his characters: Yahiko and Morimoto for April and Ariana, the Senshi for Marise, and some people from the Council for John and Julie.

Since he also had gotten to know his former on-line friends, he knew better than to leave them out of this. Since this was a fancy dress party, Kevin left Simon out of it… knowing very well that his Legate would show up wearing either slacks, or jeans. Kevin wanted fancy. So, he invited Bob Anderson, a.k.a. Top_Quark, his Minister of the Written Word. Kevin also invited Robert Burns, Grossclout, who had become Court Scribe.

Kevin surveyed the party, people mingling, sharing experiences, and catching up on the latest events. He sighed contentedly, happy with his decision to have some time off. It threw his schedule to pieces, but for the moment, he couldn’t care less. Hearing the small band strike up a dance-tune, Kevin got up and asked April to dance, she being the first female to pass his way.

Circling across the dance-floor with one of the most beautiful creatures he ever designed, Kevin felt happy, for probably the first time since he actually became Emperor. He looked around, and smiled slightly wider at the sight of TQ moving across the dance floor with Makoto, a.k.a. Sailor Jupiter, in his arms. He smiled wider when he saw Minako, Sailor Venus, cut in.

With curly black hair that reached down to his shoulders, and medium-muscular build, TQ wasn’t unattractive, and it showed. Kevin was glad TQ had removed the blasted earring form his left ear for this occasion. Usually, Kevin didn’t mind TQ wearing the thing, but for this formal setting, it would just have been… off. And seeing the female companionship TQ was obviously enjoying, he wasn’t regretting the decision either.

“Looks like TQ’s having a blast,” Kevin chuckled to April, who looked, and smiled that gentle smile of hers.

“It does,” she agreed. “He’d better take care of them, though. Somehow, I think Marise is very protective of her friends.”

Kevin chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t let her hurt him… much,” he added with a chuckle. April chuckled as well, knowing very well that Kevin’s harsh words weren’t always meant as such. Certainly not when he was caught in a mood like this.

Kevin continued his feverish pace at which he worked. Every morning, he would wake up after only two hours of double sleep, if he were lucky, take an ice-cold shower, and train for six hours with the LI. After those six hours, he ate lunch over some reports. After lunch, which didn’t really take longer than ten minutes or so, he went to the throne room, and held audiences. During which he continued to update himself on reports that came in at a faster pace than he could keep up with them.

After his audiences, he held a long meeting with the Ministers, during which the more important reports were debated. After the meeting, he had dinner, mostly over reports as well. After dinner, he worked for hours on end on the reports of the next day. Most of the time he got maybe two hours of double-sleep. More often than not, he spent an hour in full regeneration, which had a compression cycle of 48 to 1… but was extremely hard on the body. Thus, he couldn’t do it every day, or he’d literally melt his brain and fry his nervous system. No amount of Immortality could counter the effects of over-use of full regeneration.

 

“We’re finished, Your Majesty,” Gordon Michaels reported to Kevin, exactly one month after he had become Emperor. Kevin smiled slightly, the ever-present ache between his ears preventing his good mood.

“Great!” Kevin managed through the dull throbbing. Turning up his endorphin production, he dulled the pain. He knew it was bad for him to keep it up, which was why he had been suffering in the first place, but for an occasion like this one, it could do no harm. Feeling the pain slip deeper and deeper into his subconscious, Kevin followed his Minister.

The Ministry of Science was a huge laboratory, located in one of the more remote corners of the world. Kevin ported himself and his Minister directly into the lab-area.

The entire area was ablaze with activity, with people scattering all over the place, checking on monitors, computers, vials, and so forth. Kevin just made a ‘carry on’ sign, not wanting to interrupt these people’s important work. And important it was… Kevin’s legs were trembling with anticipation. Or exhaustion, he added. Probably both.

“We’re about ready, Your Majesty,” one of the scientists report, looking at the computer screen in front of him. “If Your Highness would look in that incubator…” the man added, motioning for a steel-and-glass machine. Kevin nodded, and looked through the window.

Inside the machine was a rolled-up ball of hair. A HUGE ball of midnight-black hair. Kevin raised an eyebrow in inquiry at his Minister, who just motioned for the machine. “Please, My Lord. It is vital that you are the first he sees… he’ll attach himself to the first moving object he sees.”

Nodding, Kevin returned to the machine, and looked at the ball of hair.

“Ready!” he heard one of the scientists yell. “Prepare to activate!”

“Activate,” came Gordon’s bass, and Kevin’s eyes squinted against the bright flash of lightning in the machine. The hairball shuddered slightly, and settled into a breathing rhythm.

Fluttering, two slits of fur pulled back, revealing a pair of glowing yellow-amber eyes, with two vertical black slits indicating feline eyes. The ball uncurled, lifting a huge paw from before his mouth. Twin saber-teeth became visible. At least 30 centimeters in length those teeth were, and razor-sharp, from the look of them.

The saber-toothed cat yawned, revealing the remainder of his teeth… which looked just as impressive as the saber-teeth. The cat caught look of Kevin, and stared at him.

<<You are the one they call Emperor?>> Kevin heard in his mind. He looked around the laboratory. “Who sent that?” he asked testily. The scientists looked pale, scared to death as to their Emperor’s mental state of health.

“Who said what, My Lord?” Gordon asked.

Kevin blinked, turned back to the tank and the black feline inside. <<I did, of course,>> Kevin heard.

Kevin blinked again, and raised an eyebrow. <<YOU sent that?>> he asked in bewilderment.

<<Who else?>> the cat asked, shooting him a feline version of a grin. <<Kritanta. Pleased to meet you.>>

<<Eh… Sol Invictus. Call me Kevin,>> Kevin managed. <<After all, you’re supposed to be my companion now…>>

<<Agreed… Kevin,>> Kritanta answered. Kevin turned to Gordon, who watched his leader’s face with no small amount of fear.

“Is something wrong, My Lord?” he asked attentively.

“That cat speaks telepathically,” Kevin answered calmly. Turning to the scientist near the exit door to the incubator, he said, “Open the damn door, and let him out, will ya?”

The scientist nodded vigorously, and fumbled with the locking mechanisms, trying to get the lock open. Finally, the door opened, and the cat stepped out, gracefully. Weighing in at 300 kilos, and standing as tall as a grown man’s hip, Kritanta was a midnight-black amber-eyed saber-toothed cat which looked to come from the very forges of Hell.

“He…speaks, My Lord?”

“Yes. Telepathically. I thought our original plans indicated him to be the level of intelligence of a standard Chimpanzee?” Kevin asked, going down to one knee, and petting the large cat over the head. Kritanta’s eyes closed slightly as Kevin rubbed harder, causing the animal to start purring. Now, the purr of such an animal wasn’t the standard purr from a little cat. It sounded like a locomotive with an attitude.

“Something must have gone wrong, My Lord… I humbly apologize for this screw up…” Michael began, looking for the guilty party among the scientists, who all cringed under his gaze.

“Don’t be,” Kevin said, rubbing the cat’s head, forcing Kritanta to spin his head in all sorts of weird ways to allow Kevin access to just those spots he liked rubbing. “This is just fine. I’ll enjoy having someone to hold intelligent conversations with… for a change,” he added with a jab.

Michaels let out a breath of relief, while Kevin got up. “Come on, Kris. Let’s go home… I’ve got a lot of things to show you.”

<<Kris?>> the cat asked.

<<You don’t like it?>> Kevin asked as he ported them out of the laboratory.

<<It’s… different,>> Kritanta allowed. <<I prefer my full name.>>

<<I’d prefer it to, if I were named after an Indian God of Death. But, sometimes, it’s just easier to call someone by a pet name… And as far as names go, Kris isn’t too bad. Is it?>>

<<Guess so,>> Kritanta rumbled in defeat. 

Kevin chuckled, and led his new friend around the compound.

 

Kritanta was standing between John and Julie, looking through the transparent door that led to the dome-shaped room that was the Legio’s training field. Also present was Marise, with April, Ariana, and Kevin inside the room itself.

Carol’s holographic emitters had created a full-scale holographic representation of herself, which she now transmitted directly into the anteroom where the others were watching this morning’s sparring match.

Lately, the training sessions had become little else than one continuous sparring match in ever-increasing gravities. For the moment, the gravity inside reached 375 times Earth’s normal.

Both of Kevin’s hands were on a double-bladed light saber, which he wielded with deadly accuracy. April and Ariana still stuck to their old Crystal Blade design, which now ran off their Mental powers rather than their in-born psychokinetic abilities.

Kevin high-kicked Arian in the face, sending her flying. At the same time, April tried to sweep his one leg from under him. In mid-kick, Kevin pulled up his supporting leg, rolled, landed in a crouch, and sent chips of concrete flying as he pushed off on sheer muscle power, lifting him above April’s return-attack. He charged with one end of the dual-saber, an attack which she blocked, and he followed up immediately by a kick to her face, which she dodged by dropping into a crouch herself.

Ariana’s feet dug shallow trenches in the concrete as they struggled to slow her down. Her body briefly became engulfed in ki-flames as she pushed off, sending more concrete sprawling behind her. Charging Kevin’s unprotected back, she hoped to get a clear attack in.

Kevin attacked with the other side of the blade. April blocked and charged of her own, charges which Kevin blocked by using his dual-saber to great extent. Suddenly, his senses warned him of Ariana’s approach, and he ducked under April’s next attack, and threw out one leg in Ariana’s direction. It was a direct hit on the girl who had been expecting April to keep her target oblivious to her presence.

Once again, Ariana was sent flying. Kevin didn’t even pay attention. He just knew he had hit his target, and had jumped and resumed his assault on April. April jumped over Kevin’s low blade-attack, extended her leg, and spun in mid-air, attempting to hit him. Kevin bent backward, literally pushing his shoulders to the floor while his feet remained on the ground. The moment his shoulders made contact, his legs detached themselves from the floor, and kicked out toward April, who was forced to telekinetically remove herself from the attack path.

Kevin jumped up, sent concrete flying, and charged after her. Ariana had used her telekinetic power to propel her toward the wall, which she touched, feet-first. Running up the curved surface, Ariana soon found herself looking down on Kevin chasing April. Releasing her hold, the girl dropped down, Crystal Blade ready.

Kevin dodged sideways, threw one last attack towards April, cupped his empty hand, and pointed towards Ariana. “KAMEHAMEHA!!!” he shouted, releasing a blast of pure-white life’s energy towards the charging girl.

Ariana dodged sideways, landing not far from Kevin, and charged.

Now using his dual-saber to the fullest extent, Kevin used one side to block April’s attacks, while dodging Ariana’s attacks which arrived at the same time. The moment they moved slightly out of sync, Kevin switched, using the other side of the blade to block Ariana’s strikes, while dodging April’s. Finding his opening, finally, he jumped up, blocked April’s charge, and spin-kicked Ariana, sending her sprawling once again.

“STOP THAT!” April raged as she charged with renewed energy, her ki welling up along her body in bright blue flames. Usually beautiful, the blue now pulsed angrily, showing April’s mental state.

Yes… Become angry! Kevin’s mind whispered. Rage is the key to power, April! Besides… I’m too tired to be able to hold my own against both of you…Kevin lifted the dual-saber like a staff above his head, to block April’s downward strike. At the last moment, April changed the course of the own weapon, and before Kevin could react, hit the center part of the energy weapon.

Suddenly finding himself with only one functional side to his light-staff, Kevin changed his grip, and used it as a sword. Ariana charged in. Kevin side-stepped, barely avoiding her. He could feel the energy of the Crystal Blade permeating his armor. Damn, close call! Kevin’s mind shouted the moment she had passed. Ducking under April’s next swing, Kevin threw a kick at Ariana’s back with as much force as he could muster in the nearly four hundred G environment.

Kevin landed, and was forced backward by an outraged April, who charged him like a mountain lion on serious steroids. She attacked his right side. Kevin blocked. The handle sparked, and shorted out when the Crystal Blade went right through the red rod of energy Kevin’s light-saber was putting out.

Her blade dug deep into his side.

Kevin’s face twisted in pain and shock as the handle slipped form his hands. His mouth was open in a silent cry of sheer pain. He could feel the energy searing his muscles, his kidney, his intestines… Sol Invictus raged.

Blood-reed ki exploded into existence around Kevin’s body. He grabbed April’s hand, still holding the Crystal Blade, looking just as shocked as Kevin was feeling inside. Screaming, he grabbed the blade form her hand, breaking it in the process. The sound of snapping bone didn’t reach his insane nerve-endings as he grabbed her roughly by her hair, and slammed her into the nearest wall, the two of them crossing the distance of a dozen meters in a purely muscle-powered flight. Her face hit the wall with so much force it made an impression into the wall.

Bloodied and battered, April was unable to even utter a cry of pain as she looked up from her kneeling position, directly looking into Kevin’s insane eyes, and seeing the blood-red energy crackling around his right hand, held in a fully open position, looking ready to release its charge directly onto her.

At that moment, Kevin beat back the Master Slayer. ”My God…” Kevin whispered, releasing his hold on April’s throat, stumbling backward against the wall. He pressed his hands against his head. “What have I done? I… I… what have I done?” he repeated.

Rushing to her side, Kevin knelt to one knee. Ariana was already there, and the look she threw him could, and would, have killed him. “I… I’m so sorry,” he muttered. “I… I… lost it. Damnit!” he cursed, hitting the floor with enough force to add a couple more cracks to the concrete. One more crack for the nanoprobes to heal wouldn’t matter… they were used to it by now.

Closing his eyes, Kevin forced himself to calm down, and channeled his magical powers. Spreading his hands, he shouted an incantation that made everybody look up. A level ten healing spell required so much energy of someone that it was very capable of killing the caster. Only then did everybody realize that Kevin had not planned for this, and that this had happened outside of his will… he always did things like this was he had lost control to his inner demons. It happened rarely, but when it did…

April was healed immediately, which wasn’t a miracle when you counted the fact that Kevin had thrown enough magic into his healing to make cows out of over-cooked hamburgers. By the time April and Ariana had released their hug, Kevin and Kritanta had long since disappeared.

 

Kevin was on the high tower of the Imperial Palace, the protective barrier dropped so he was able to sit on the edge. Kritanta sat nearby, head cocked sideways, providing a comforting presence.

“How could I?” Kevin whispered to no-one but himself. “I hurt her… could’ve killed her, too.” He looked up towards Kritanta. “How could I?” he asked the cat.

<<Your own fault, boss,>> Kritanta replied. <<All that sleep deprivation you’re putting yourself through… it’s eating away your mind and sanity.>>

Kevin sighed, turned back to the uninterrupted view of what was now his world. “I just want to do a good job…”

<<Not when you’re like this you’re not,>>  Kritanta replied dryly. Both heads turned simultaneously. Both Kritanta’s feline hearing and Kevin’s Master Slayer senses had detected the sound of someone climbing the tower staircase at virtually the same time.

“April,” Kevin whispered, seeing who it was. Grief struck his face, and he looked away, down the tower, to the rocky ground. “I understand if you and Ari want to leave…”

April sat down next to him. “We’re not going anywhere, Viktor,” April answered, using his Legio Invictus code-name to show just how much she meant that. “We all make mistakes. You can’t blame yourself for every one. What happened was an accident, and you should treat it as such… I know that no-one holds it against you.”

“But I hurt you! I lost control! I had Fred institute the Instruction Files to keep this from happening! And now… now I make the mistake I wanted to avoid all along. I let the power control me, instead of the other way around.”

April put a hand on his shoulder as she looked at him. “You’re a good leader, Kevin. And a good friend. Don’t let anyone ever convince you otherwise… I know for a fact, that both me and Ari would gladly journey back to Hell to help you, just as I know you’d do for us.”

“In a heartbeat,” Kevin answered.

“Exactly,” April answered softly, now turning her upper body toward him, hugging him close. “You’re our leader, our trainer, and our friend. And I speak for all the LI members. I know so. We all trust you with our lives, day after day, night after night, when we go out to fight the evil and the darkness.”

Kevin sagged in her embrace. “But I hurt-”

April cut him off. “Yes, you hurt me. And yes, you could have killed me. But that was an accident, Kevin! Find out what went wrong, and correct it! You know us better than we know ourselves, and it’s allowed you to work miracles on us… but none of us expect you to do the same for yourself. You were human… always have been. You have problems… problems we don’t. And it’s made you incredibly strong, stronger than any of us. But even you have limits, and that was what was demonstrated today.”

Kevin sighed deeply, and nodded. He righted himself, and looked over the land once again. “I… need some time to think,” Kevin whispered.

April smiled, and nodded. “Of course. You know where to find us, and how to reach us, if you need any of us. We’ll always be here to talk.”

“Thank you,” Kevin answered softly, sadly. “But I think this is something I need to work out for myself.”

Giving a slight nod, April turned for the stairs. <<Thanks,>> Kritanta told her. <<I don’t know how much it helped, but thanks.>>

April smiled slightly at the cat, and replied mentally, <<It was no trouble. He gave us a purpose… a great purpose, and he’d go through Hell for us. We’ll repay the favor.>>

Kritanta dipped his head, letting April leave, while at the same time nudging himself close to Kevin, and putting his large, black-furred head on his companion’s lap. Kevin absentmindedly started scratching between Kritanta’s ears. For the first time in at least a month, Kevin felt his exhaustion.

Kevin watched the sun set. He was still there long into total darkness before he got up, and almost stumbled off the tower. In fact, he did stumble off the tower, but thankfully, he had a truckload of abilities that permitted him to fly. He touched down, and shook his head.

“Damn,” he whispered. Muttering something magical in nature, Kevin felt an ice-cold rain shower drench him. The icy cold woke him up. “Come on, Kris… I know what to do,” he answered the black cat’s inquisitive stare.

<<Whatever,>> Kritanta answered, as always following his companion. Kevin went down into the LI’s training lair. Well, he didn’t actually enter, he paused in front of the transparent Quadranium door leading into the actual Vault. He tapped it, and various green-colored readouts became visible. Used as status indicators to the Vault, the readouts could also serve another purpose. One Kevin intended to use right now.

I'm really sorry everyone, but what happened yesterday really showed me that I can't go on like I've been doing. Six hours of training, three hours of meeting with the Ministers, and spending the rest of the day studying various subjects to find better ways of handling things has left me with little over 2 hours of double sleep a day for over a month now, as well as without the time to have a decent meal. I need some time off, and I'll be back when I'm good and ready, AND with a lot of changes on how to do things. I'm sure Simon will do a bang up job... he always seems to be able to pull things together.

He signed the note with Kevin Duchamps. Not Emperor Invictus I, but Kevin Duchamps. He was sick and tired of the job. At first, it had seemed like a load of fun. Now it was just grueling work, with no fun whatsoever. He hadn’t even been able to enjoy Virgin Friday… the first Friday of every month was designed for the presentation of virgins for Kevin’s and Simon’s pleasure. 

Turning resolutely, Kevin left with Kritanta in tow. As soon as they cleared the palace, Kevin said the teleportation incantation. He had never been so glad to say anything in his entire life.

Thanks to time-zones, Mitzy had only gotten home from school when the doorbell rang. Her parents wouldn’t be home until seven, at least, so Mitzy was a little apprehensive about opening. Making sure that the chain was on, she opened thee door at a crack. What she saw made her heart skip a beat. Kevin…

“Please… help…” he whispered, before collapsing. Mitzy got the door unlocked and opened in record time.

“Kevin!” Mitzy shouted worriedly when she knelt over his body, trying to get a sign of life. She got none, except a slow breathing rhythm and a heartbeat. Kevin was out, literally. Now that the pressure had dropped, his body had simply given up. Grabbing him in his armpits, Mitzy pulled at his body, trying to get it inside, and at least a little less conspicuous than out on the streets.

Unfortunately, Kevin not only had put on lots of muscle mass. He was also wearing the battle suit, which in itself weighed in at three times the girl’s weight. She grunted in strain as she tried vainly to move him. “Come on, Kevin,” she grunted. “You can’t do this!”

<<Allow me,>> Kritanta thought, finally having enough of the display. Locking his powerful jaw around Kevin’s right arm, Kritanta hauled the body inside, around the stunned girl.

<<Want me to put him in your bed?>> Kritanta asked. Mitzy just nodded dumb. At least she had the presence of mind to close the front door.

She got into her bedroom, where the cat had apparently dragged Kevin’s unconscious body into the bed. He looked at her, glowing amber eyes lying deeply in the black fur.

“Who are you?” she asked, gotten the point that it was the cat’s velvety-soft voice she heard in her mind.

<<Kritanta. And you are Mitzy. Apparently, he thought you’d take care of him…>> the cat answered, looking at the unconscious Kevin, unsure of what to do.

“I’ll take care of him,” Mitzy answered, sitting down next to the bed.

This was one occasion that Kevin was glad that he had taken the time to program Mitzy’s parents. When they got home, they never asked any awkward questions, just accepting the fact that Kevin and Kritanta would be staying at their home for the unforeseeable future.

Kevin remained in a state of total unconsciousness for the better part of the next three days, his physical exhaustion paling in comparison to the utter mental and emotional exhaustion his lifestyle had induced. He had forced himself to assimilate tremendous amounts of facts and figures, and now his mind was trying to assimilate it all, making sure that everything was sorted out… his hard drive had filled up and now his mind was trying to organize the mess Kevin had made thanks to Mnemonic Storage.

Kritanta remained at Kevin’s side for the entire time, watching Mitzy’s every move whenever she was taking care of him. There wasn’t much taking care of Kevin, his mind still having firm grips on his autonomous functions. Kevin didn’t require food, drink, or bathroom time. Mitzy did make sure that he had fresh sheets, that he was washed and shaved, and that he was rotated twice a day to stop any bed burns.

Whenever she was done, Mitzy held long conversations with Kritanta, talking about what had happened to Kevin after she had last seen him. She in, turn, told the black cat about her own life. They felt good together, the girl seeing Kritanta as an overgrown housecat, a pet and a companion.

Finally, after those three days, Kevin woke up. He was still exhausted, his body and mind having hardly any strength whatsoever. That passed within the next day, when he started eating to replenish his dwindling reserves.

 

Mitzy returned to her house after a normal day at school. Looking forward to seeing how Kevin was doing today, she smiled slightly when she opened the front door. Kritanta’s big head poked up from above the sofa to see who it was. Open recognizing her, the cat’s glowing eyes softened, half-closed, and the head disappeared back behind the backrest.

<<Welcome home,>> Kritanta sent her from his position of rest, curled up in the luxurious couch.

“Thanks, Krissy,” Mitzy replied casually, walking to her bedroom door.

<<You won’t find him there,>> she heard in her head. Mitzy turned quizzically to the feline, or rather, to the couch where the feline was hiding from her view.

<<Try the kitchen,>> Kritanta elaborated.

Mitzy blinked, looked at the kitchen, and said, “Now why would he need to be in the kitchen?”

 She pushed open the door, and a smell of prepared food entered her nostrils. “Welcome home, Mitz,” Kevin said with a smile, looking up from the furnace.

“I see you’re feeling better… you made a mess of my kitchen,” Mitzy replied with a grin, coming to a stop next to him. He kissed her on the lips.

“Hey! I prepared dinner for you and me,” he answered. “Besides, I’ll clean up the kitchen. Don’t worry.”

Mitzy leaned in to his side, and he casually wrapped his left arm around her waist. “Okay,” she whispered quietly. “So, how are you feeling? Really?”

Kevin sighed slightly, and Mitzy could see his features relax, showing the stress-lines and the signs of exhaustion once again. “Still tired. I’m feeling a lot better, but I’m still tired.”

Mitzy nodded. “Then you shouldn’t be doing this. I don’t want you relapsing… you should learn from what you went through. Stop pushing yourself so hard.”

“I want to do this. You took great care of me… you’re about the only one I trust to do this. Everybody else I once knew has either been turned into a zombie, is out on vacation somewhere, or has been turned into a subordinate. The LI is trustworthy, but I can’t let them see me in a weak state… I could have gone to TQ and G. I know they would have taken good care of me as well, but Legate Hawke wouldn’t have had too much problems getting through them to get at me. I trust him to run the Empire. I don’t trust him with my life… not anymore,” Kevin said, finally letting go, and just throwing it out. He needed to clean his mind of the last stress, ease the load off his heart.

“What happened?” Mitzy asked. “I thought you two were such good friends?”

Kevin sighed. “On-line, we tolerated each other. We fought. A lot. Now, in real life, we’ve been having one blood feud after another. He’s trustworthy, to an extent. But he has a really screwed-up vision of the world, one I don’t share.”

“Like what?” Mitzy asked quietly.

“This is ready,” Kevin said, looking at the pots. “Can this continue over dinner, Sweetheart?”

Mitzy smiled. “Sure,” she replied, sniffing the air. “Smells delicious.”

“Thanks,” Kevin answered with a smile. “I always had a quasi-interest in food. I never pursued it… my mother didn’t tolerate messes in the kitchen.”

Mitzy chuckled at that, and answered, “I can imagine… judging by this mess…”

Kevin sighed. “I said I’d clean it up. Come on, Sweetheart. I’ll serve dinner, and we’ll continue our conversation over dinner, wine, and candlelight.”

“You’re a romantic, Kevin,” Mitzy answered, smiling. “Too bad I’m not dressed for a fancy dinner,” she added, looking at her school uniform.

“Hey, I’m dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. You think I’m dressed for a fancy dinner?” Kevin asked, laughing as he served his food. Mitzy just laughed quietly. “And I know I’m a romantic. Simon used to accuse me of it. But he was only too glad to accept my help with his Warmth of a Touch story. I helped him develop 75% of that storyline.” Kevin laughed, two dry snorts of laugher permeating the air, and warming Mitzy’s heart. “He never accused me of being a romantic after that.”

As Mitzy laughed, Kevin reached out to the two white candles he had put up on the table, and snapped his fingers. A flame appeared from his thumb lighting one wick, then the other. Kevin blew the flame off his thumb, as one would blow out a match.

“There. Romantic candlelit dinner,” Kevin joked, sitting down. Mitzy shook her head in amusement, and dug in.

“Now, where were we?” Kevin asked after tasting the first bite of his own cooking. To his relief, the result was passable. For someone who disliked eating just about everything, that was saying a lot about the quality of the food.

“Simon, and his screwed-up view of the world,” Mitzy reminded him, inhaling yet another bite of food. Kevin smiled in amusement at seeing her enjoy something he had created.

“Oh, yeah,” Kevin said, his eyes taking on a distant look, as if he were reliving something in his mind. “Simon… well, Simon hates humanity. He sees them as cattle, and the women as his own personal sex-slaves, ripe for the taking. For him, this post is nothing short as revenge on the general population.”

“And your reasons are different how?” Mitzy asked with amusement. She knew how far she could go with Kevin… and when he was in a mood like this, that was pretty damned far.

Kevin chuckled. “I want to get even with those who hurt me. I did. I wanted to make things easy for me. Didn’t do that yet, but I will. I have to… it was shown to me that I need to change my ways,” Kevin said, chuckling. “As to the general population: I want to live out a couple of fantasies, but that’s all selfishness that’s involved. I want to make the world a better place to live in, without crime, poverty, and with liberty and equality for all, except for me and my ruling party, of course,” Kevin added, chuckling. “Of course, that also means no freedom of speech, but everything has its downsides. I will create a Sorcerian society.”

“A what?” Mitzy asked, a frown of confusion on her beautiful forehead.

“A Sorcerian society. One of my characters, Sorcerer, created an empire. He united Earth under one government, by basically going back in time and helping the Germans win World War II. After uniting the world, he put heavy restrictions on it. Technology advanced tremendously, crime and poverty were abolished, and everybody was equal to each other … just not to him. The press showed what he wanted them to show. His intelligence service was everywhere, re-educating everybody who didn’t conform to society. All criminals were brainwashed. Problem solved,” Kevin answered. “That’s the solution to the problem… take the choice out of humanity, guide them the right way, and you have an army of fanatics, who will sacrifice themselves for you in a heartbeat.”

Mitzy swallowed deeply. “That’s… big,” she finally allowed, not really knowing how to reply.

Kevin chuckled. “Don’t worry, Sweetheart. It’ll be a Utopian society, with a few downsides, but those are nothing compared to the advantages. No more crime or poverty. Humanity’s ingenuity usually comes out fully during times of stress, like wars. Well, now its ingenuity will be directed, and it’ll always be at that level. We will be making advantages that are downright scary. I’ll use Sorcerer’s models… within five years; all fossil fuels will be replaced with renewable energy sources. No more pollution.”

Mitzy swallowed hard. “That’s something, Kevin,” she answered softly. 

“Ain’t it?” Kevin agreed, smiling. Suddenly, he looked up. “Would you mind much if I went with you to school tomorrow?” he asked, small lights twinkling in his eyes.

“Like drop me off, like you used to?” Mitzy asked, not understanding why he could ask such a thing. Of course he could drop her off!

To her surprise and added confusion, Kevin shook his head in amusement. “Like go with you. Be in the same classroom, follow the same courses, and so forth.”

<<Hey now! Are you sure about that, Boss?>> Kritanta asked on a public channel, so Mitzy could hear him as well. Kevin threw a look at the cat who trotted into the dinning area, sitting down right next to the table, making his head stick up above the table.

“Don’t look at him like that,” Mitzy said gently. “I happen to agree with him. You need your rest. I know you’re trying to put yourself up as stronger than you are in reality. I don’t want you relapsing.”

Kevin’s baffled stare went from Kritanta to Mitzy, and back to Kritanta. He had thought Mitzy would be overjoyed to be with him… instead, he found her ganging up on him… teaming up with Kritanta, who was supposed to be the loyalist friend he had.

“Fine. Tomorrow’s Friday, anyway… but I am going with you on Monday.” When Kritanta and Mitzy opened their mouths at the same time, Kevin interjected, “and that is final.”

“Okay,” Mitzy said. “Next Monday, you’re coming to school with me.”

Kevin smiled. “That gives me plenty of time to whip up the required records, make the necessary changes, and clear the paperwork,” he said with a chuckle.

 

Mitzy awoke at six in the morning, alone in her bed. She let out a groan, and rubbed her eyes. “Not again,” she whispered, before sitting upright and slowly getting out of bed. She walked to the living area, where Kevin was sitting at the table, perched of a twin laptop-setup, his left hand manipulating the keys on the left machine, while his right hand did the same to the keys on the right. Kritanta’s black form was on the floor next to the chair, huge black head resting on his forepaws, eyes mere slits of glowing amber.

“You’ll overexert yourself again, Love,” Mitzy said, taking in the sight of him, and the black cat next to the chair. Kritanta shot her a dry <<What do you think I told him when he got up?>>

“A Master Slayer can get by on four hours of normal sleep,” Kevin said, looking up from the computers and smiling gently at her. “I had six hours tonight… Don’t worry, Sweetheart. I’m doing just fine.”

Mitzy sighed. “I just don’t want you crashing on me,” she whispered, sounding uneven.

Kevin got up, walked to her, and gently hugged her. “I know, Sweetheart. I know you care… that why I care for you, too.” After a few minutes during which they said nothing, and just held on to each other, they pulled away slightly.

“We need to get ready,” Kevin whispered, kissing her gently on the lips.

“I know,” she replied quietly, returning the favor. She sighed after breaking the small kiss. “I hate to break this up, but school still matters to me…”

Kevin let go of her, and took a step back. “I know, Sweetheart. Come on. Let’s get dressed, and we’ll take something fancy to school. Your choice.”

Mitzy shot him a beaming smile, and dashed for the bathroom. Kevin watcher her nubile body run, dressed only in the white nightgown she was wearing. It barely reached to mid-thigh, and flashed up and down as she ran. Kevin got quite a few peaks. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes in concentration.

And snapped his fingers.

Magical energies exploded around his body, revolving around him like a shiny vortex of amber-yellow energy ribbons. Within seconds, the indoor-firestorm had died out; leaving Kevin washed, shaved, and dressed in the school uniform standard to Mitzy’s school. He had never had to wear a uniform before, and Kevin found he rather liked the feeling… for some reason, it made him feel accepted into a group, something he had never experienced before.

Kevin’s mind went out to Mitzy. She was why he had come here, instead of just going off, like Fred would have done. She was why he now felt normal for the first time in his life; even with all his powers, all Kevin ever wanted was to be normal, to fit in, to be accepted. Thanks to Mitzy, he now was, even if he had to create it for himself.

His Master Slayer-hearing picked up the running shower and the running of the soapy washcloth over smooth schoolgirl-skin. Kevin’s mind conjured up the memories of his hands running over that very skin. Holding the thought, he sat down at his workstation once again. The left screen displayed a list of things Kevin wanted changed.

On the right was the replacement for his light saber. Frederic had given him that weapon, and Kevin felt sad about its destruction. Now he would rebuild it, better and stronger than ever, and he would dedicate it to Frederic’s memory, even if Kevin was betraying just about anything Frederic ever believed in.

I am Sorcerer, Kevin realized. I have become the Dark Side of the Master Slayer, abusing my powers and authorities. Kevin shut off the computers. And I don’t give a shit. Mitzy emerged from the bathroom soon after, her body dressed in the sailor-type uniform that had attracted him originally. Feels like ages ago, before this mess started… But no more. I’ll let the Ministers do their jobs. That’s why I selected them… to run the freaking Empire. Not to be yes-men. To be rulers. Rulers with a capital R.  

Mitzy’s choice was the shining black bike, and soon the couple was roaring through the streets of Tokyo, toward school.

 

Kevin got out of bed, and looked back at the sleeping Asian beauty in the bed. Unable to help himself, he leaned over, and kissed her forehead. She developed a loving smile on her, and a small, happy groan escaped her as she turned on her side.

Smiling, Kevin left the room, and snuck into the dining area, where he booted the twin laptops.

<<Morning, Boss,>> Kritanta greeted him, coming to lie on his spot next to Kevin’s chair.

<<Morning, Kris,>> Kevin replied, rubbing the animal’s head with one hand, while pulling up some schematics on the first laptop and a schedule on the second. Kevin jerked his hands into patterns, and pulled up the item he had been working on for the last three days. The Crystal Light Saber. Let’s hope this works, Kevin thought to himself, summoning up the other materials he needed to implement.

Over the course of the last three nights, Kevin had gotten well-underway with the assembly of his new weapon. All that was till required was the connecting of the quadruple quartz crystals that would focus his Mental powers, and the high-yield energy cells that would fuel the blade, just like the original Light Saber design.

Two hours later, Kevin lifted the security goggles to his forehead as he pulled the high-intensity welder away from the item. As Master Slayer, Kevin could have just used his powers to do the same thing a lot safer, but he still didn’t trust his own abilities that far. A lot of things had changed for Kevin, and one of those things was the trust in his abilities. For some reason, he no longer used them as extensively as he used to, choosing to summon some machinery to do the task instead.

Kevin lifted the handle off the table. It looked like a normal sword-handle, except for the fact that there was no blade attached to it, and that each end was decorated with an open dragon’s mouth. Kevin looked at the four shiny transparent stones, placed in the exact middle of the handle. Closing his eyes, Kevin got into a combat stance for the first time in over two weeks. He connected to the new weapon.

Out of each mouth, a flaming energy blade shot, a total black in color, a smoky flame of sheer mental energy pointing in opposite ends. Kevin looked at the result, and smiled. “I think I did it,” he whispered, looking at the dual Crystal Light Saber. He deactivated one blade with a simple thought. Instead of just disappearing, like a Light Saber’s blade would, the flame died out like any other flame would.

Kevin sat down, and watched one blade. He reached over to the laptop. The title of the document was Crystal Light Saber. Kevin’s hand manipulated a couple of keys. This weapon is the best of both worlds. The strength of a Crystal Blade. The power of a Light Saber. And the Dark Energies of a corrupted Master Slayer. This weapon needs a new name… a name that will inspire terror in my enemies, and command fear within my allies.

The name on the laptop changed.

Crystal Dark Saber.

By the time Mitzy got out of bed, Kevin was dressed in his school uniform, where he had now hidden the Crystal Dark Saber in a secret compartment. He was reading over a file he had designated Important Changes.doc.

“Morning, Sweetheart,” he greeted Mitzy, who came over and kissed him in reply.

“Good morning,” she whispered, sitting down on his lap, and sneaking a look at the laptop’s screen. “What are you working on here?”

“Changes that I need to make in order to be happy. Like build an opera house, hire a full symphonic orchestra, a 250-person choir, lead singers, opera singers, and so forth. I like opera, so I’ll want at least one performance each month. I’ll also want a full cinema built, where all the latest movies are shown… or whatever movie I want shown. I’ll start holding full-contact martial arts tournaments in the Circus Solaris. The winner gets to fight me over my title.”

“You mean…” Mitzy began.

“Whoever beats me gets to be Emperor,” Kevin chuckled. “It’s gonna be good for a diversion or two. I’ll also start holding games in it, just like in Roman times. I’ll have the major battles from history reenacted. It can be flooded, so I can have sea battles as well.”

“You’re being greedy,” Mitzy whispered, putting her head against his chest.

Kevin chuckled, and scrolled down the list. “These are the new orders for the Imperial Council of Ministers. Within six months, every person in the world will be entitled to a decent house, with access to telephone, electricity, running water, and sewer system. Within that same period, people from places with low work availability will be relocated to regions where works is plentiful. Also within that time period, all wages in the world will be equalized,” Kevin read. Mitzy looked up at his face to see whether or not he was telling the truth. She found out he was.

“Within one year, every child in the world needs access to a school within 25 kilometers of his or her home. Within that same period, a computer with broadband internet will be placed in every home. Also, school will need at least a full regiment of Enforcers, consisting out of six people, varying with the size of the school, and the level of crime it has to deal with,” Kevin went on, with Mitzy’s jaw opening slightly.

“Within a year and a half, everyone has to be literate, and will need to be up to speed on how to access the Internet, and use it for research and educational purposes.” Mitzy’s jaw opened wider, and her eyes were taking on a shine he had not yet seen on her.

“Within two years, all roads will need to be flattened, and asphalted. And finally, within five years, all power will come from renewable sources, or in the very least from non-polluting resources,” Kevin finished, looking at her.

She remained silent for five seconds, seconds which were the longest in Kevin’s entire life. “Wow,” she whispered.

Kevin smiled. “The world needs to be brought into shape, and I’ll make it happen. People will be relocated to where they can get a job. And jobs will pay the same as well, differencing only because of location. People working in Siberia or Alaska or some other inhospitable place need more money than those living in a nice comfortable house, somewhere in the Caribbean.”

Mitzy kissed him, deeply and warmly. When she filly pulled back, Kevin was beaming his biggest smile at her. “What did I do to deserve that,” he asked finally.

“For finally taking this the responsible way,” she answered smugly, and jumped off his lap. “I’ll go get ready… or we’re going to be late,” she said with a chuckle.

 

Akeno was an Asian man of medium height and build, dressed completely in black. In his right hand, he held his ever-present attaché case. To everyone who didn’t know him, Akeno looked like an ordinary Japanese business man. To those who knew him, Akeno was anything but an ordinary business man. Akeno was a sniper for the Resistance.

Next to Akeno walked a man called Dai. Of smaller build and of obviously less physical prowess than his companion, Dai looked like a small and inconspicuous person, one no one really paid any attention to. Just like Akeno, that was only an impression. Dai was a Psion-9 mentspec, a Mental Specialist for the Resistance. He was charged with keeping Akeno’s mind safe.

The two men were walking from their shared residence to the meeting of the Resistance not far away. It was a beautiful day, so they had decided to walk.

As usual, neither man spoke, both preferring to be alone with his thoughts. Neither man had been having very pleasant thoughts lately.

Someone caught Akeno’s attention. As sniper, he had to have an eye for details, and as such, nothing really went by him. His throat went dry, and his breath faltered in his throat. “Dai… isn’t that… is that…” he whispered, unable to utter another word, his mind going literally in a state of shock.

Dai looked concerned at his companion, and to the two school children Akeno indicated. “Those are two school children, Akeno,” Dai replied evenly, not really knowing how to handle what was obviously an emotional crisis by his companion.

“Look closer… the boy… he’s… Invictus…” Akeno whispered, trying to keep his voice down, and trying not to look directly at the couple.

Dai’s heart skipped a beat as he stared in the couple’s direction, to make sure that Akeno was telling the truth. Dai’s breath stopped, jut like Akeno’s had done, mere moments ago. “Fuck,” Dai said, in pure English. Akeno, never having heard his companion use English before, could only nod.

“We need to find a building,” Akeno grunted. “Come on,” he said, snapping out of his trance. Dai nodded, and followed Akeno. The two men walked casually to the next corner, and rounded it. As soon as they had done so, they began running.

 

“It’s such a beautiful day,” Mitzy said, leaning into Kevin’s side. “I’m glad we decided to walk.”

“So am I, sweetheart,” Kevin answered, looking around. “Beautiful blue sky, singing birds, sunshine, and no wind. Perfect weather for a perfect day.”

Mitzy smiled. “Not perfect,” she whispered. “I spent all day in a classroom with you, and unable to touch you.”

Kevin chuckled. “You should have said something. I would gladly move some memories around if it means making you happy.”

Mitzy just remained quiet, and Kevin decided to let things go. He enjoyed the feeling of the girl against him too much to do anything to upset that balance.

 

“I’ve got him,” Akeno whispered, perched behind the scope of his high-power sniper rifle. “Direct heart shot. Problem solved.”

“Take it,” Dai answered. “I’ve got you covered.”

At the moment Akeno pressed the trigger, Kevin bent over…

 

“Look at this,” Kevin said, bending over. “Who loses a ten Pax coin?” he asked, picking up the coin. The next moment, he felt, rather than hear, something whiz over. Questioningly, he looked up, only to see Mitzy collapse, her virgin-white shirt dark red with blood.

“Sweetheart!” he shouted, his powers catching her before she actually hit the ground, and gently lowering her. He felt no pulse. “No…” he whispered. “No…” he closed his eyes. His mind reached inward, and pulled out all the power it could get. A song blasted into his inner hearing. Kevin recognized it instantly… The Temple of Love, performed by the Sisters of Mercy. A Heavy Metal piece, voiced by one of the most sinister voices Kevin had ever had the pleasure of hearing sing.

He ignored the song, letting it play for his subconscious only. Around his body, amber clouds of energy formed, and he pressed his hands against Mitzy’s chest. She veered up, her eyes flying open, her mouth letting out a dry cry of sheer and utter pain.

With the fire from the fireworks up above me

With a gun for a lover and a shot for the pain at hand

Kevin heard the lyrics, whether he wanted to or not. Sol Invictus inside of him raged and howled. Kevin got up from his kneeling position, and crouched into a modified horse-stance, his fists balled. He heard the gunshot, over and over again. The amber energy turned black. Although it was a beautiful day, thunder rumbled in the distance.

You run for cover in the temple of love

You run for another but still the same

For the wind will blow my name across this land

Kevin cried out, an outcry of pain and fear and rage. His body glowed blood-red, and a shudder went through the streets. Perched up on the top of their building, Akeno and Dai felt the small tremor.

“Shoot him!” Dai shouted. “Shoot him, while he’s distracted!”

Akeno flipped the rifle to full automatic, and pressed the trigger. The nine remaining bullets in the ten-load clip went through within two seconds.

In the temple of love you hide together

Believing pain and fear outside

But someone near you rides the weather

And the tears he cried will rain on walls

As wide as lovers eyes

Kevin’s tears of pain flooded his cheeks. In his state, he paid no attention to what he was doing, and his body reacted by pure instinct. It blurred as his right hand shot out repeatedly. He stood there, holding the bullets.

Regaining some composure, he looked in the direction of the shooters, lifted his hand, and opened it. The nine bullets clattered to the ground.

“He can catch bullets with his bare hands?!” Dai shouted.

“Tell the Resistance. There’s no way we can both escape… you can,” Akeno urged his friend. “Fly, Dai. Tell the Resistance what happened. Bullets don’t hurt him.”

Dai sighed, and nodded. He lifted into the air.

In the temple of love: Shine like thunder

In the temple of love: Cry like rain

Kevin crouched once again, and howled. The black glow intensified eerily.

In the temple of love: Hear my calling

In the temple of love: Hear my name

The black glow starts radiating off Kevin, coming off him in waves of energy that pushed cars away, and caused everyone in the vicinity to flee… those that hadn’t done so before, that is.

“I will kill you! ALL of you!” Kevin raged, his voice booming through the streets of Tokyo, making the windows shudder in their casings, threatening to burst them.

Akeno couldn’t help but remain… he was frozen in place by the deadly spectacle.

And the devil in a black dress watches over

My guardian angel walks away

Kevin pressed his hands against his forehead as Invictus howled louder. Invictus wanted more power. What Invictus wanted, Invictus got. Kevin screamed.

Life is short and love is always over in the morning

Black wind come carry me far away

The black waves coagulated in a black mist, which suddenly blasted outward, obscuring the asphalt deck, as well as the few remaining cars, from Akeno’s view. Kevin was floating above the artificial black misty winds, still crouched, black tendrils of energy connecting him to the invisible ground below the cover of clouds.

With the sunlight died and night above me

With a gun for a lover and a shot for the pain inside

The thunder in the distance intensified in its providing of background sounds to the spectacle, and Akeno felt something sneak up on him. Suddenly, he looked up. The sun eclipsed so suddenly as if someone had put a totally black bowl over it, followed the next moment by a cover of clouds being unrolled over the sky. Lightning flashed within that pitch-black and very thick cover of clouds, causing Akeno to squint his eyes to see anything.

You run for cover in the temple of love

You run for another it's all the same

For the wind will blow and throw your walls aside

Kevin’s ‘black wind’ picked up, and Akeno could feel it tugging at his clothes, and he squinted his eyes not only to pierce the darkness, but to also protect his eyes from the fast winds that were now blowing away from the enraged Emperor.

With the fire from the fireworks up above

With a gun for a lover and a shot for the pain

Suddenly, light returned, but not the light Akeno would have wanted. Lightning streamed down from the Heavens, engulfing Kevin with its ghostly-white light, and lighting up the contours of the dark cover of clouds hanging above the ground.

You run for cover in the temple of love

I shine like thunder cry like rain

Kevin’s scream seemed to pick up further as he tilted his head in his neck, and screamed. The black tendrils of energy became blood-red, and the black glow around his body followed suit. Immediately, the black winds exploded outward.

In Tokyo bay, as well as further out to sea, several ships started calling in tsunami and hurricane alerts… at the same time.

And the temple of love grows old and strong

But the wind blows stronger, cold and long

Kevin’s ki-rage kept up, now really blowing every bit of supposedly earthquake-proof glass in the vicinity… with the vicinity being half of downtown Tokyo.

And the temple of love will fall before

This black wind calls my name to you no more

Then, the black smoke turned the red of blood, as if massive quantities of the essence of life had vaporized, and was now hanging like a morbid smoke above the ground. Akeno gulped, and felt his stomach’s contents rise as the color and ghostly lighting provided by the lightning that was still crashing down on Kevin, as if he were some kind of lightning rod.

In the black sky thunder sweeping

Underground and over water

Sounds of crying weeping will not save

Your faith for bricks and dreams for mortar

All your prayers must seem as nothing

Ninety-six below the wave

When stone is dust and only air remains

Akeno felt the building he was on shake on its very foundations. A building designed to withstand some of the most intense earthquakes Mother Nature could generate was now stressed to its limits as Kevin’s ki reached out to everything it could lay its hands on. Akeno saw cars lift out of the blood-smog, and be catapulted towards his hideout.

The balustrade that Akeno had taken for granted suddenly became nothing more than concrete dust as it was literally disintegrated when met by a ton of steel, lifted by Kevin’s life forces.

In the temple of love: Shine like thunder

In the temple of love: Cry like rain

In the temple of love: Hear the calling

And the temple of love is falling

Down

Kevin started to rise from the position he had held during most of the power-up, and was now floating toward the trembling Akeno. The sky was still cloaked with black clouds, and the blood-vapor still obscured everything on the ground. Yet Kevin’s angrily pulsing blood-red ki, laced with small lightning bolts, provided all the illumination Akeno could want… more than he wanted. He wanted total darkness, to hide away in.

Kevin lifted above the edge of the building, shining red-glowing eyes burning deep within the sniper’s soul. Slowly, Kevin’s body lifted, until the Crystal Dark Saber became visible, twin blades of viciously pulsating, deep black energy-flames cutting through the inky darkness, seemingly sucking up the red glow Kevin’s body provided.

“You will pay for what you to Our love,” Kevin said, Invictus finally having taken over. Over the past two weeks, Kevin had regained his full strength. The enormous physical, mental, psionic, and psychological stress he had been under had dropped, and had left him tremendously strong. So strong, in fact, that Kevin could willfully surrender to Invictus now. “It is Our right, and Our justice that you will die for what you did… you will die with a beg on your lips, a scream of pain within your lungs, and a visage of pain etched on your face.”

Akeno gulped. Then, the world turned black on him as Kevin instilled some simple programs into his mind. One line of code. You are out cold, and you will REMAIN out cold.

Kevin dropped back to the ground level, the shooter, whom he now knew as Akeno, over his right shoulder. “Dispel,” he said simply, and the eclipse, the thunder, the lighting, the clouds, and the blood-mist disappeared. None of them had been illusions, but real events, yet the forces of nature still obeyed Kevin’s intention behind the word. The entire area was coated in a thin layer of blood, real blood, except for two things.

The first was Mitzy, still in the position Kevin had left her. He had told her to remain in a deep sleep to help her body get over the nasty shock.

The second was Kritanta, standing in the center of the road, his thick black coat of fur standing fully erect upon his body, making his appearance even more aggressive. His head was held in extension to his body, and his huge teeth were bared. The cat was in war-mode, ready to kill in defense of this girl that he had held so many interesting conversations with.

<<Thanks for the concern about Mitzy,>> Kevin sent the cat. <<By the way, how did you get here?>>

<<Connected to your magic. You were using enough to level Tokyo, so I guessed right that you wouldn’t miss the little it takes to transport me here.>>

“Awaken,” Kevin said to the unconscious body of Mitzy, kneeling next to her. <<Didn’t know you could use my magic directly.>>

<<You’d be surprised,>> Kritanta answered smoothly. Kevin was sitting to her right, holding her right hand. Kritanta was gently brushing her left cheek with his nose, showing he cared for her. Kevin and Kritanta smiled at the sight of her eyes fluttering open. Well, Kevin smiled. Kritanta just gave her his version of a smile.

 

Since he had made sure no one could port into the Palace anymore, Kevin appeared right in front of the palace doors, one shooter draped over his right arm, and Mitzy standing, still a little shaky, slightly behind him. Kritanta was walking in front, deep-lying amber eyes glowing fiercely. It was obvious the cat was no one to kid with now.

Kevin started walking. The guards, recognizing their lord instantly, couldn't throw open the doors fast enough. Kevin barely spared them a glance. He walked briskly inside.

Simon looked up from reading some damned report or other to see Kevin walk into the Throne Room with his burden.  "What the fuck?" was his first exclamation, then he said, no little sarcasm in his voice, "Gee, nice of you to drop by, Kevin." Kevin ignored the use of his first name by Simon. Continuing his rather snide tone of voice, Simon said, "What can we do for you today?"

Kevin unceremoniously dropped his burden to the floor, and spoke in a very cold and deadly voice, "This is a present for Ourselves, one that just dropped into Our lap. This here jerk works for the Resistance, and took a shot at Our woman. We healed her, dropped him, and now we are here for some solo-entertainment."

He turned to Mitzy, and said in a gentle tone so unlike his earlier tone that it caused everyone to blink, "April will show you to my room, Sweetheart... you'll be safe there, I promise."

April, taking her cue, walked forward, and smiled at Mitzy, who shyly smiled back, before turning to Kevin.

"Everything will be alright, I promise," Kevin assured the girl. "April will show you how to use the replicator to get some new clothes to replace those shot ones... If it will make you feel better, I’m sure Kritanta would be willing to keep you company.” The cat, taking his cue, walked to Mitzy, and nudged her hand with his head. It was obvious to everyone what that meant. Kritanta preferred to speak, rather than use ‘animal’ talk. The cat wanted to go with the Asian girl.

Kevin went on, “We… I need to deal with this man. I kinda dislike people taking shots at you." Kevin just managed to fight back Invictus when it came in referral to the man on the floor.

Mitzy smiled slightly, and accepted Kevin's words, walking out of the throne room after a quick kiss from her lover, following the Master Slayer and the War-Cat.

As soon as Mitzy and April had left, an ice-cold veil seemed to drop over Kevin's face. He looked at the man, who instantly found himself on his feet, and right awake. The disorientation was huge.

"We shall require several hours in the interrogation room. Tell Abishek Beria that he'll need to delay Inquisiting the next religious asshole until We are done," Invictus barked out, referring to Abishek Beria, the Chief Inquisitor.

Simon had risen from the throne as soon as Kevin had replied. In his normal Legate voice, he replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Invictus nodded, grabbed the man by the throat, lifted him, and threw him toward the door.

"Come!" he barked, as if to a dog, as he walked out the room. The man refused to get up. Suddenly, his face turned purple, and he seemed to grab at something invisible as he was jerked towards the door.

Looking around, Simon looked over at the Legio Invictus. "Shit. I've never seen him work CAMP-style before. I'm glad I'm not that guy." Simon stepped down off the dais, returning himself gratefully to his position as Legate.

Invictus walked into the Dungeon, which had been aptly decorated and equipped by Abishek Beria, the Chief Inquisitor of the Earth Imperium. Kevin had introduced a couple of small things Abishek hadn’t thought of, things Kevin had picked up on, thanks to reading some pretty disturbing literature before he ever became a Master Slayer. Things that would sicken normal people to the core had once held a great interest within Kevin’s mind.

Unceremoniously, Invictus’ psionic extension picked Akeno up by the neck, and dumped him on the X-shaped table. A magical incantation forged elemental bounds over the man’s wrists, ankles, and his waist, securing him to the table.

“You are here for a very simple reason,” Invictus spoke to his captive. “You hurt someone We care about. As such, you must be punished. We have lifted your mind, casting aside the primal low-powered protections that were instilled in it. We have seen your connection to something called the ‘Resistance’. For Grand Treason, you must die. For BOTH crimes, you will die very, very, very slowly, and very, very, very agonizingly. You will beg us to end your life, and you will do so with your whole heart and soul.”

Akeno just spat in his captor’s direction. Invictus smiled. “Good. We so do enjoy a challenge.” He stepped closer to Akeno, actually bending over, so his face was mere centimeters away from the captive man’s.

“We have written torture stories before we became Emperor. We have designed and created some of the most vile and evil bastards to ever roam the electronic world. But that was not even ten percent of Our total knowledge. We shall make you suffer, and We shall make you beg for death. And We shall not grant it to you. Before you die, We shall make sure that you have been taken to the highest level of pain a human body can withstand.”

Akeno snorted, and used the last remaining spit in his mouth to spit in face of Invictus, who just smiled in response, not even bothering to wipe the fluid off.

“You will talk differently once We start,” Invictus said, righting himself. Akeno could only watch in horror as the spit on Kevin’s face actually started to boil… and evaporated off the Emperor’s face. “Let Us start by taking you to heaven… before sending you to hell!” Invictus shouted, snapping his fingers. Instantly, music started playing.

A woman’s gentle voice spoke:

O virga ac diadema, (O branch and diadem)

purpure regis, (of the king’s purple)

que es in clausura tua  (you who are in your enclosure)

sicut lorica: (like a breastplate: )

Tu frondens floruisti (Burgeoning, you blossomed)

in alia vicissitudine (After another fashion)

quam Adam omne genus humanum (than Adam gave rise)

produceret. (to the whole human race)

Invictus’ lips were in perfect synchronicity with the words that sounded. Akeno, not believing his ears as a definite religious text was sounding, could just stare at the man that was going to be the end of him. Then, the woman’s voice took on another dimension as she started singing in perfect Latin what could be nothing but a religious song.

Ave, ave, de tuo ventre Hail, hail! From your womb

Alia vita processit came another life

Qua Adam filios suos of which Adam

Denudaverat had stripped his sons.

 

“Hildegard Von Bingen,” Invictus said to Akeno. “Abbess who lived from 1098 to 1179, in Germany, wrote some of the most beautiful religious poems and songs ever. At least, in Our regard,” Invictus said.

Akeno gulped; barely managing to do so with what little saliva he had remaining. Invictus was getting to him, and they both knew it. An Emperor who was putting on religious music while about to torture someone to death was something to be feared. They remained like that, both in silence, during the entire song.

Then, an organ started sounding really ominously, followed a couple seconds later by a really ominously sounding singer. The song didn’t last long, but apparently, it was what Invictus had been waiting for. Akeno found the translation burned into his brain, and he couldn’t help but shiver.

Sed diabolus in invidia sua

Istud irrisit

Qua nullum opus Dei

Inactum dimisit

(Only the devil laughed

Honor to scorn:

In his envy he left

No work of God untouched)

“You attacked Our greatest work to date,” Invictus said calmly, an undertone of venom clearly audible. “For that, you will hurt.”

And Invictus began.

 

Marise pushed open the heavy reinforced-wooden door to the dungeon. The door, just like the walls, had been especially designed for their unique purpose of blocking the screams produced by the human lungs. As soon as the door was open, three things hit Marise’s sensitive Master Slayer auditory nerves: The first was music, the second was Kevin singing along with the female singer, and the third was a wail created by a human being; a human being that was in a lot of pain, judging by the scream.

“Karitas habundat in omnia, de imis excellentissima, super sidera, atque amantissima, in omnia, quia summon regi osculum pacis dedit!” Kevin sang along with the female singer’s beautiful voice.

Marise raised her left eyebrow as she let the door slam shut behind her, and she stared at Kevin, who was apparently completely wrapped in what he was doing. Standing bent over the left of the Asian man’s hands, Kevin was apparently busy with something that was extremely painful.

She walked up to the table, where she now drew Kevin’s attention.

“Didn’t you forbid religious music?” Marise asked her Emperor.

Kevin chuckled. “We forbid religion, not religious music. Hildegard Von Bingen produced some of the most beautiful music of all time. I like it.”

“Charity abounds toward all, most exalted from the depths above the stars, and most loving toward all, for she has given the supreme King the kiss of peace?” Marise translated, adding a question mark at the end.

Kevin chuckled as he calmly worked on the third fingernail of Akeno’s hand. “Fitting, isn’t it?” he asked, the pliers he was using to manipulate the fingernail gently working from left to right, twisting the nail as one would attempt to loosen a rusted screw. Akeno grunted, and tensed.

Marise shook her head in quiet amusement. “The reason I am here, Viktor,” she said, suddenly straightening out, her voice going with her physical posture.

Kevin frowned worriedly at her tone, grabbed the nail harder, and jerked it out with a single motion. Akeno’s back arched as a hiss of sheer pain left his throat, and his eyes clenched shut. Small tears pearled down from the joints of those tightly clenched eyelids down across his cheeks.

“BG?” Kevin asked, looking intently at her. Shit, Kevin thought, beating Invictus down with a single thought. This is what I get for running away.

“I speak on behalf of the entire Legio Invictus,” the girl continued. “We all wish to say that we are happy to see you again. Welcome back. We also wish you to know that, if you need us, we will be there.”

Kevin’s jaw had opened slightly at her statement. It closed slowly. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I really mean that…”

Marise dipped her head slightly. “You were always there for us, Viktor,” Marise went on, keeping Kevin’s LI designation in place. “Now we wish to be there for you. And I know that some of us wouldn’t mind being left alone with this animal in the same room either. Especially Warrior Witch and myself.”

Kevin looked aghast at the girl. His first response, huh, wouldn’t do at all, he realized. “Why?” he voiced his second thought.

Marise’s face got a ghostly expression on it, as she turned her gaze away from Kevin, towards the table where Akeno was attempting to straighten himself out. She walked toward him. She would voice her thoughts of him in Japanese. She knew that, as member of the Legio Invictus, she should be speaking in Invictan. However, this was one occasion she doubted Kevin would mind much.

Stopping at the level of his head, Marise looked into the man’s eyes with her gray eyes as cold as ever. “This animal hurt someone one of us cares greatly about,” the young warrior spoke, “and we of the LI take great pride in our togetherness. You might as well have hurt one of us. Know this, and know this well,” she addressed the man for the first time, “if Emperor Invictus of the Terran Imperium does not terminate you, WE SHALL!”

Akeno gulped, and Marise turned back to Kevin, who was watching the tableau in quiet amusement. “I’ll leave you now, Viktor… enjoy yourself.” She was about to leave when she suddenly turned back to Kevin, and handed him a jar. “A present. From Ariana.”

Kevin took the small glass jar, and looked at the very viscous transparent substance inside. “Vinegar,” his nose told him. “But vinegar is a fluid,” he said, addressing Marise, who smiled impishly.

“It’s laced with so much salt it’s become as thick and as sticky as glue. Count on Archer to come up with stuff like this,” she said, chuckling in amusement as she left the room. Kevin smiled evilly, and turned to his victim.

Moments later, a scream penetrated the heavily sound-proofed walls of the dungeon. A scream that would make Abishek Beria very proud.

 

Kevin dumped himself in his seat at the head of the table of the Council of Ministers. “I’ve spent the last 78 hours getting some stress out of my system, so I’ll make this brief,” he opened. “We’re going to be making a lot of changes, people. I am going to do what I originally set out to do, which is let you guys run the empire, while I outline the big points.”

“So, this is what’s going to happen,” Kevin said, getting up from the chair, where everyone stared at him. “First off, in six months, I want everyone in the world to have access to a hospital and school within 25 kilometers of their home. I also want everyone to have access to telephone, running water, electricity, and sewer systems. People living in regions where there’s no work will be relocated to where there is work, and all wages will be equalized globally.”

“That’s the first stage. Second stage. Within a year, all schools will have a compliment of Enforcers to help deal with trouble, varying in size with the school and the amount of potential trouble. I’m thinking mostly at the public schools in the old United States region. Also within that period, all homes will have access to a broadband internet connection. A such, every home will have a computer with broadband Internet connection.”

“Third stage, a year and a half. Within that period, all access roads will be paved and asphalted. Everybody will be literate, and fully schooled in the use of the Internet for educational and research purposes. And finally, stage four. Five years from now, there will be no more use of polluting or fossil fuels. All energy will come from renewable resources.”

People were scribbling at a huge pace as everyone realized that this was the equivalent of Stalin’s five-year-plan, and that they’d better get things done… on time.

“Good. That’s handled then,” Kevin said, getting up, and walked out of the door, leaving the entire Council to stare at each other.

Just before the door would open, Kevin turned to the Council. “Censeo Repugnantia esse delendam,” he said, turned, and left.

“And further I am of the opinion that the Resistance must be destroyed,” Bob Anderson, Minister of the Word, translated. “He really means that. Damn, I don’t want to be on the side of the Resistance right now.”

The rest swallowed, and the entire council started brainstorming on how to get things done. This would require all of them to pool their resources and their expertise to pull off, and they all knew that they’d better would pull it off.

Kevin sunk into his throne, where the LI, posing as his bodyguards, were standing behind. Kevin tapped a few keys on the hidden armrest-console.

Proclamation mode, the computer-voice noted. TV, radio, and internet traffic have been redirected.

Kevin’s face steeled as he settled smartly on his throne. “People of Terra,” Kevin opened. “We are the Emperor Sol Invictus the First of the Terran Imperium. We do not wish to be known as a harsh ruler. From the start, we have attempted to gain equality for all people, to enable everyone to go to school, to work at reasonable wages, and to educate those that wish to be educated.

“Yet you build resistances against us. You attempt to thwart our every attempt to gain a better life for everybody on this planet. But now… now you have gone too far. From this day forth, the Enforcers will do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of the population. The construction plans will not be stopped, the educational programs will not be halted, and the technological progress shall not be stopped.”

Kevin closed his eyes. “Everyone thought to be in league with the resistance will submit to a full mind-scan. Those found guilty will be sent to the Imperial Work Forces. This invasion of your freedom will halt the moment the Resistance has ended,” Kevin said. “So, I will leave you with this plea. Help me stop the Resistance. As soon as those who do not wish you happiness, those that wish to keep you ignorant, and those that wish to wage war are stopped, the sooner we can all live in peace together, as the brothers and sisters we all are.”

“From the Palace, this was Sol Invictus, and I wish you a good day,” Kevin ended the message. “Computer, repeat every 2 hours.”

Acknowledged, the computer answered.

Kevin sagged slightly once more, and pulled up the nanoprobe design program. Kevin pulled up a map of the Imperial Grounds. He selected some empty patches. “Computer, build Opera house on the selected location. Provide room for a full symphonic orchestra, as well as a full organ.”

Affirmative, the computer replied.

“And contact my Minister of Culture. Tell Georgia to get me an orchestra, a 200-people mixed choir, and the necessary opera singers. Also tell her to hire painters and sculptors. Naturalists. I want paintings and statues of myself and those closest to me. The paintings and busts are for the Palace. The big sculptures are for placement in public. Now that I think of it, tell her to hire landscape architects. I want beautiful parks, with plenty of room for kids to play in, to appear in every city and town larger than 2,000 inhabitants. Computer, end message and send,” Kevin said.

Message sent, the computer noted dutifully.

“You’re really making a lot of changes, aren’t you?” Marise asked, after making sure that they were alone in the Throne Room.

Kevin chuckled. “I had almost two weeks to think about this stuff,” he answered merrily. He sighed. “That takes care of the Empire, the populace, and the spare time… now, let’s discuss some real business.”

Everybody blinked, and it was Julie who asked, “What do you mean, real business, Viktor?”

“Business of the Legio Invictus, what else?” Kevin asked. He got up, and turned around so he was facing the line of pseudo-Master Slayers. “Starting tomorrow, I have activated the extreme environment training centers. For the next three weeks, the entire LI are going to the Poles, the jungle, the desert, and the Australian outback. We will be learning to adapt to the different circumstances, to apply our theoretical knowledge to the practical situations, and most importantly, to raise our Power Levels to new heights.”

“Akeno may have been an enemy, but he was the one who taught me a valuable lesson. I was complacent in my superiority, and people got hurt because of it. This time, nothing permanent was done. Next time, I may not be so fortunate. We will be training excessively, wearing gravity-enhancers, gaining speed, strength, and skill. We will learn to do the impossible, and we will learn to do so without batting an eyebrow. Ladies. Gentleman,” Kevin said, nodding in John’s direction. “We are going to become REAL Master Slayers. Full-fledged, class-three Master Slayers. I believe I may have found the answer to our problem, and frankly, I can’t wait to put it in action.”

“The problem is still the same, isn’t it?” April asked gently. “You have the skill but not the power necessary to boost someone to your level of power.”

Kevin nodded. “Correct. But, let’s not talk about this in here. Too dangerous. This is an unsecured room. I suggest we move this to the Vault.”

The Li members nodded, and filed behind Kevin into the special elevator that would take them directly to the Vault, buried deep beneath the Grand Canyon bedrock.

“Carol, please go to security level omega-nine, fully-active,” Kevin said the moment the group had gathered into the domed gravity-enhancement fighting area.

Okay, the female AI answered. Although I’d like to know why you’re going overboard… I mean, omega-nine was designed to keep a hostile Master Slayer out.

“Can you fill her in?” Kevin asked, turning to April and Ariana. “You’re neural connection is a lot faster, and I’m sure a lot more complete than trying to summarize things.”

April nodded, and blinked. Okay, Carol answered. Now you’ve got me curious.

Kevin chuckled. “Okay, this is what we’ve got. I am a class three Immortal Master Slayer. I have the skill to create class three Master Slayers… just not the power to do it. So, the highest I can do is boost someone to a class two Master Slayer, which is what I did with you. We’ve got five class-two Master Slayers.”

“With you so far,” Julie answered.

Kevin dipped his head. “This is what I thought out while in Japan,” Kevin said. “All Mental Power is compatible, right? I mean, you all know that, if you match frequencies just right, your can merge your shielding, and create a barrier twice as strong as anyone can produce normally.” Kevin saw the LI members nod in agreement, so he continued. “What if we linked your frequencies with mine…?”

“And use our power to boost to level three?” Ariana finished. “One by one… We boost one to level three. And then a second one… And then, we should have the power needed to boost the rest to class three.”

“Exactly,” Kevin said. “We link in a power-circle, boosting higher and higher, using each other’s power to do so. It might take twenty-four hours, though. It will drain us pretty much dry to boost the first of you to class three. The second one will go easier, because we’ll have two class threes by then. And so forth,” Kevin said, only now noticing that no one was paying attention anymore… the LI were cheering ecstatically.

For two weeks, the LI journeyed around the world. First to the Deep South, where the group spent forty-eight hours locked deep within the frozen bowels of Mother Earth, buried under hundreds of meters of ice and stone. Those forty-eight hours were spent boosting the LI members to the full mental compliment of class-three. Next came the Brazilian Jungle, the Australian outback, and the Saharan desert. Constructed identically to the Main Vault under the Imperial Palace, the Antarctican, Jungle, Saharan, and Australian Vaults sported minimal comfort only, with the only technology being Carol’s voice-interface and the read-outs on the doors.

Heat and cooling had to be taken care of by the Legio members. They had to take care of their food, as well. They had to hunt and forage to find breakfast, lunch and dinner each and every day, which is easier said than done when in a totally unfamiliar and inhospitable place like the South Pole, for instance. The Jungle, easily sporting enough food and water, had other problems for them to deal with, like highly poisonous insects, flesh-eaten worms, leeches, and so forth.

 

“I don’t feel like making public appearances right now, Simon,” Kevin grunted to his Legate as the duo strode down the halls of the Imperial Palace.

“I won’t force you, Your Majesty,” Simon answered.

Kevin nodded his head once. “I knew you wouldn’t.”

“The people will be disappointed, but that’s their problem,” Simon added in. “The Shodon can handle it.”

Kevin chuckled. “I know. You and the Senex go. You can be my replacement… after all, that’s what a Legate is: a substitute for the Emperor.” As Simon looked shocked at his friend, Kevin continued with a dry chuckle, “What? You didn’t think the job would be all glamour and glitter, did you? There is work to be done in the Empire, and you, as my Legate, are expected to take some of those duties onboard.”

Simon grunted. Kevin chuckled. “I am sure that you and the good Senex Primus will do a fine job.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” Simon answered coolly. “It shall be done as you say.”

Kevin dipped his head in answered, and the duo stopped in front of an ornate double door leading into a large building on the Compound. “See you this afternoon, Legate,” Kevin finished the conversation, and not waiting for a response, he disappeared through the door leading into what was the concert building.

Simon snorted angrily, before going off to find Ward Blay, the Senex Primus of the Ecclesia Invictus. As Prime Elder, Ward Blay’s job included the religious reforms that accompanied Emperor Invictus the First’s takeover.

Kevin sat down in the exact middle of the listening area of the concert hall, the center seat around which the entire building had been constructed. Already inside were Kevin’s Imperial Symphony Orchestra, a group of people that were the very best the planet Earth had to offer. Kevin tilted his head slightly backward, and closed his eyes as the conductor took his cue.

The building came to life as the timpani set in the opening, backed with the 250-person choir. Orff’s Carmina Burana graced Kevin’s ears. Now the reason for tilting his head became clear as tears formed in his eyes. Music had always cut right to Kevin’s soul, and this was the only place where he would allow himself to show those emotions.

Wiping at the wetness, Kevin allowed himself to relax. Every one of these people knew better than to say anything to outsiders about it. They hadn’t been programmed to do so… yet they did, finding it a huge honor that the emperor would grace their music with tears.

 

Ave, formossissima, gemma pretiosa… Kevin heard. Hail, most beautiful one, precious jewel…

At the same time, Simon and Ward Blay were sitting side-by-side in the helicopter that would take them from Zaventem Airport to downtown Brussels, where their public appearance was scheduled. Simon looked like he was about to kill someone. Soon, preferably. Ward Blay was looking out of the window excitedly, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the masses that had gathered in obvious wait for the Emperor. In his mind, he had already planned the speech that would apologize the Emperor’s absence.

Kevin’s head snapped upright as the final part of Carmina Burana started playing. Once again, the timpani sounded.

The helicopter sheered over a building, where a man, dressed totally in black, was lying in wait. If what Dai said is right, I need to be very careful, the man thought as his eyes made contact with the helicopter.

Sors salutis et vertutis michi nunc contraria est affectus et defectus semper in angaraia! Kevin’s lips mouthed the words along with the finale of the piece.

Hac in hora sine mora cordum pulsum tangite; quod per sortem sternit fortem, mecum omnes plangite! (Fate is against me in health and virtue, driven on and weighed down, always enslaved. So at this hour without delay pluck the vibrating strings; since Fate strikes down the strong man, everyone weep with me!)

With a small cry, the man flung a bolt of energy at the helicopter with as much force as he could muster to still have the energy to guide the sphere to its target. To his utter astonishment, the helicopter exploded in a ball of flaming debris.

A deafening silence descended over the crowds in Brussels as they stared at the debris of the helicopter descending among them.

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Palace, a guard ran up to Kevin as soon as he had left the Concert Hall. His express orders had been given that no one, no one was to disturb him while he was listening to his music.

“Dreadful news, My Lord!” the man brought out. “The Helicopter… with Legate Hawke and the Senex Blay… has…has been…” the man stuttered.

Kevin’s gaze darkened slightly. “The helicopter has been what, private?” he asked, almost curtly.

“The helicopter…has been destroyed, My Lord,” the man whispered. “No survivors.”

Kevin swallowed, his eyes wide. His head snapped in the direction of Europe and his senses cast out as far as they could. For a moment, he could feel the debris hitting the ground. “I want whoever is responsible found. And I want Abishek Beria to try and break my record,” Kevin stated flatly. The Senex is replaceable. Simon and Tala are friends. They CAN’T be replaced. I will have the head of whomever is responsible on a platter!

“Yes, My Lord. It will be done,” the guard said, bowing.

“And get me Quiana.”

“Of course, My Lord. Immediately,” the guard said, already casting out his Mental Abilities to notify the Director of the World Intelligence Agency. It was considered extremely rude to contact someone of high power directly, yet this was one occasion the protocol did not apply. The Emperor ordained.

Kevin nodded. “Good. Dismissed.”

The man bowed. “Yes, My Lord,” the man said, walking away while pumping more energy into his telepathy contact.

<<I will have you sent to the Work Forces,>> Quiana’s voice penetrated the man’s mind.

<<The Emperor wishes to see you immediately, ma’am,>> the man replied, mental voice shaking in its boots from the threat.

<<Very well,>> Quiana’s voice replied, severing the telepathic contact. The man let out a sigh of relief, and ran to the punch clock to punch out for the day. Part of Kevin’s gliding hours, a guard who didn’t feel well could punch out, do something about the illness or whatever was plaguing him, and finish his hours at a time he felt better. Right now, this particular guard needed to get stone-pissed drunk and sleep it off before returning to duty.

Kevin sat on his throne, chin supported by his right fist. His face stood angry. Quiana snapped to attention in front of him.

“You asked for me, Tovarishch Imperador?” she asked levelly.

“No,” Kevin said deadpan. Quiana was silent for one moment, before starting to reply that she would have the guard responsible sent to the deepest mines she could find in Siberia, when Kevin cut her off. “I ordered you here,” he said, standing up, walked down the dais, and looked her directly in the eye.

“Someone just blew up the helicopter with my Legate and my Senex Primus. I want the location of every resistance cell, and I want that information LAST YEAR, got it?” he barked.

Quiana swallowed quietly. She had never before heard Kevin like this. “Of course Tovarishch Imperador… I will put my best agents on it, immediately.”

“Send me their personnel and mission profiles. Dismissed.” Kevin said, turning his back to her, and walked back up the dais, where he planted himself back on his throne. He sapped open the information panel, and started reading.

Quiana bowed, turned, and left. Within minutes, information strolled in on Kevin’s screen.

“Ali Serhat,” Kevin read. “Green eyes, light brown hair. Medium built and size… good.” The next piece of information brought a smile to Kevin’s lips. “Original. I never thought about magical shape-shifting abilities. That sure comes in handy. Let’s see… who else have we got?”

“Alex Shane. Normal appearance. Dense muscular structure. Extremely tenacious and highly resistant to pain. Can withstand tremendous physical and mental abuse,” Kevin read. “Good. The very best. One who’s the sneaky bastard, and one who’s the insane I-don’t-feel-pain-but-I-bet-you-will type of bastard. I like them already. Hope they get the results I need.”

Kevin tapped a key. “Proclamation mode,” he said as he sat up straight, automatically straightening himself out.

Proclamation mode, the computer-voice noted. TV, radio, and internet traffic have been redirected.

“People of Terra. A great tragedy has befallen our Imperium. Today, at fifteen-hundred hours local time, the helicopter carrying the Legate Hawke and the Senex Primus of the Ecclesia Invictus, has been brought down by resistance fighters. The men responsible are being punished as we speak. However, the cause of the problem still remains. The Resistance is still active. They continue to disrupt every effort made to provide comfort to the masses, to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and give work to the unemployed.

“We try to house the homeless, provide transportation and education, yet we are thwarted by this group of nutcases who think freedom is more important than a humane life, and who are making the choice for the entire planet, whether they chose to follow the Resistance or not! Is that not taking away the freedom of the planet’s population? I ask of you, my subjects, who is worse? I, who try and provide you with every comfort imaginable, or the Resistance, who simply blows up people, with little or no regard to the consequences?

“Well, my good people, I know. My heart tells me that the Resistance is worse. So, I must implore each and every one of you to help me in the effort of catching these criminals, these traitors to the human race, who are doing little else but stop me from helping you.

“The Terran Imperium will continue. The construction plans will go on. The efforts to bring everyone up to the same standards will not be stopped. Unfortunately, these are your resources that are being redistributed. The more resources are lost due to resistance influences, the more resources you need to provide for redistribution. Every time the Resistance places a hit, taxes will increase by 1%. It may not sound much, but it adds up quickly.

“The sooner the Resistance is stopped, the sooner taxes will return to this level. This We, Emperor Invictus the First, vow on our title as Emperor, on the blood that flows through our veins, and on our Imperial Honor.

“May the Terran Imperium reach the Greatness that it is due, and may the Resistance criminals be squashed like the bugs that they are,

“We, Sol Invictus the First, Emperor of the Terran Imperium, bid you a good day.”

Proclamation mode ended, the computer replied. Kevin took a deep breath, and sunk deep in his throne.

 

<<We’ll split up here,>> Kevin sent to the Master Slayers that accompanied him. <<Phalanx, you and Archer take the west approach. Witch, Warlock, go East. BG and I will go frontal.>>

The others just nodded, their minds reaching out to the remote mountain in the center of the Chilean Andes. According to Quiana’s research, the place held about 50 Resistance fighters, and Kevin had decided that the first Imperial strike against the Resistance would be carried out by himself and the Legio Invictus. The LI didn’t exist. Only Kevin and its members knew its secrets, now that Legate Hawke had perished. Quiana had looked strangely at Kevin when he had told her to lay off the target, claiming that he would take care of it personally.

She had never received an explanation.

<<Go,>> Kevin’s mind whispered, followed mere moments later by the group’s dispersal. Kevin and Marise followed the route that would take them directly up to the front of the suspected Resistance cell.

Not 20 minutes and 15 kilometers later, the LI contacted Kevin. Everyone was at their respective designated coordinates.

<<Go for strike. I repeat we are go for strike,>> Kevin sent, right before he and Marise stood up from their cover, powered to the point where their Ki became visible, and walked steadily to the Resistance ‘front door’, a cave entrance hidden by bushes.

Kevin reached to his belt, and unclipped the Dark Saber. Marise mimicked him, drawing her Light Saber and activating it. Without as much as exchanging a look, the two warriors launched simultaneously at the bushes. Not one second later, the bushes had been cut down, and the two warriors were flashing through a hallway, towards the center of the mountain, where their advanced senses had picked up numerous psionic signatures.

Kevin and Marise flashed into the central cave, weapons ready, and shields up. Neither of the two hesitated at the sight of the thirty psionics that were in the cave.

Marise’s Light Saber slashed out to her left, cutting a man in half right above the hips, while her free left hand extended to a second man, and blasted him with a Mental Weapon, making him scream in tremendous agony as his nervous system evaporated slowly.

At the same time, Kevin had gone to the left, his double-bladed weapon stabbing one female psionic through the gut. He drew the weapon out, stabbed a man through the family jewels, and returned the weapon to decapitate the gutturally groaning woman who was sitting on her knees, grabbing at her intestines.

Kevin’s mind lashed out at the same time, exploding the head of the man he had just stabbed through the reproductive organs. Kevin ignored the blood and brain that had splattered on his Battle Suit.

On an elevated platform, the leader of the Resistance Cell looked at the slaughter. “Now,” he whispered into his walkie-talkie. “NOW, DAMMIT!” he screamed, launching himself from his platform, letting his Ability dampen the impact on the floor.

The result was as immediate as it was drastic, and Kevin and Marise soon saw one hundred heavily armed psionics stream into the central chamber. The twosome felt one Ability trying to hold them down. Used to moving in hundreds of gravities, the duo ignored it.

More and more Abilities grabbed and tore at them, trying to stop them, hold them, pressure them into discontinuing. Time and time again, Kevin and Marise shrugged it off, kicking in some added reserve of power whenever someone new joined in the fun.

<<How much longer? I don’t know how long I can hold this, Viktor!>> Marise thought to her companion. <<This is worse than in training!>>

<<Five hundred gravities, I think,>> Kevin managed to think back. <<Not much longer. In fact, they should be here right about…>>

Four flashes of light, two from the left and two from the right, blasted into the central chamber, immediately starting to cut up the 75 psionics that were still surrounding Kevin and Marise. <<…Now,>> Kevin finished.

The psionics immediately turned their incapacitation fields against the newcomers, trying to freeze them in a manner similar to the field they were now holding Kevin and Marise in. Not even they could move with a dozen high-strength kinspec psionics pushing down on them.

<<There’s so many of them!>> April shouted to Kevin, who was still being held down, 1000 gravities pressing down on his shoulders. He needed every bit of his strength just to keep standing.

<<Faulty…Intel… we’ll… need…to find…the one…responsible,>> Kevin returned with a lot of effort.

The odds were really against them Legio Invictus, and without a Master Slayer’s greatest weapons, Immortality and a Sword of Destiny, the Legio didn’t really stand much of a chance. Having believed that only thirty to forty psionics were in the cave, they hadn’t been prepared for mass fighting against the only people who stood a slight chance against them.

After fifteen minutes of the fiercest and intensive fighting the world had ever seen, the LI members were standing on a line, against a wall, facing the center of thee central hall. Each member was being held down by 10 Kinspec psionics, the psionics breathing hard and deep against the snarling and growling Master slayers, whose ki was pulsating angrily, their strength pulsating along with the flames of energy surrounding their bodies.

The leader of the Resistance cell ‘walked’ before them. He was limping, his right leg showing a huge and deep cut, made by Kevin’s Dark Saber. The wound had closed thanks to the short intervention of a medical specialist psionic.

“Good… you’re all still alive. Now you’ll have the pleasure of staring your death in the eye,” the leader snarled. Turning to the sixty people holding the LI down, he continued, “Execute them.” He turned to look over his shoulder at the members. “Slowly. One by one. Keep our emperor for last.”

“You can’t do this!” Kevin howled, struggling against the psionic energy that held him immobilized. The ten psionics holding him down strained against him, their faces literally contorting in effort.

“I can, and I will, you bastard!” the leader shouted. “You and your insanity cost me my wife, and my children!” He walked directly in front of Kevin. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to see your wife die? Your children? Can you? Do you have any idea what that feel like? Now I will kill your friends, and I will kill you, and I will make you watch! So you know what it’s like to lose people you care for!”

“I never ordered anyone killed!” Kevin shouted back, advancing another couple of centimeters on the leader. “The only ones killed were those who committed the most terrible of crimes!”

“They were in church!” the leader screamed, his voice a testimony to sheer and utter pain. “They were in church when your men came, and killed everyone there!”

“They shouldn’t have been there!” Kevin shouted back. “I warned everyone not to go to church! I feel for you, but it was their own fault! I warned them not to go to church, yet they did. I warned them that the death penal-” The leader’s full fist, backed by a lot of psionic force, connected to Kevin’s jaw, cutting of his speech, and snapping his head to the side.

“You have no right to speak!” the leader howled. He snapped around. “Kill them. Now.”

Kevin growled and strained against his ‘prison’. “No! You … can’t… do this!” he shouted.

“I not only can, but I will,” the leader answered calmly.

John let out a cry, and sunk to his knees., blood pouring from his mouth.

“Warlock!” Kevin shouted, balling his fists, and trying to find some added measure of power to free himself. He advanced a couple of centimeters.

“John!” Julie cried, not managing more than to turn her head so she could look directly at him. “John… please… don’t go!”

John let out another scream, and toppled over. The entire LI could hear John’s heartbeat stop. They could hear his breathing halt. They could hear the flutter of blood through his veins come to a halt, and time slowed down for Kevin.

He closed his eyes, wanting to sink to his knees. To his astonishment, he found he could. He balled his fists, and screamed. “NOOOOO!!!” For Kevin, he son had just died, under his eyes, and there was nothing he could do about it anymore.

I need the power, and I need it now!!! Kevin’s mind howled, pulling itself into the Astral Plane. Astral-Kevin ignored the Astral scenery around him.

“From the fiery depths of Hell! From the Frozen waters of the icy North! From the unmentionable strength of the granite mountains! From the destructive forces of the Wind! I summon thee! Lend me your strength, your insight, your speed, and your stamina!”

Astral-Kevin, still finding time stopped around him, crouched. “Multi-form!”

Four Astral Kevins split off from the original. “You know what to do, my Avatars,” Original Astral Kevin said. The others nodded, and blasted off. The first set off, at full speed, on a trip that would take him halfway around the world, to the Mount Everest. Surrounded by blood-red flames of ki, the Avatar blasted to the top of the highest mountain on Earth. Looking at the stormy skies, the Avatar smiled evilly, and lifted among the thunderclouds. Spreading his arms and closing his eyes, the Avatar slowly dissolved into the lighting-streaked skies surrounding him.

The second Avatar had mimicked the journey of the first, yet the second one remained at the base of the Everest. His ki was burning hot, melting the snow around him. Pressing his hands against the side of the mountain, the Avatar waiting until the snow had melted and his hands were resting on the rock that made up the Mount Everest. Slowly, the Avatar turned to stone, his shape deforming until there was no difference between him and the mountain.

The third Avatar set course to the Philippines, soon diving under water and disappearing into what is known as the Mariana Trench, the deepest Ocean on Earth. With ten kilometers of water above him, the third Avatar dissolved into the water.

The fourth and final Avatar set course for Hawaii, and disappeared into the Kilauea volcano, perpetually active in barking out streams of lava. In this fiery hell the fourth Avatar disappeared, joining with the fire of the center of the Earth, the closest place to Hell anyone could ever come.

Astral Kevin felt the connections form. Opening his eyes, he found himself back on the Mortal Plane, and time had resumed.

“Good!” Kevin could hear the leader say. “Now kill the little one.”

Marise’s head snapped to look at the leader. She held no particular fear of death; it was just that the timing was a little off. And she did not want to be killed by this pig.

“You will not,” Kevin said in a voice as cold as ice. There was something radiating off him, something that caused just the slightest stir within the Resistance members. The leader just smiled. “Kill her.”

Marise’s lips barely opened, barely had the time to open at the sudden influx of pressure and pain. It stayed with that one brief second.

“NOOOOOOOoaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggggggghhhhhhhh!!!” Kevin howled, pressing his hand against his head, no matter the pressure put on them to keep them immobilized.

In Quito, the capital of Peru, over 1500 kilometers away, the night sky turned bright as day. Every psionic, Mental, or psychically gifted person bolted upright from whatever they were doing, staring in the direction of South America. A blast of sheer Mental energy, stronger and more ferocious than anyone had ever thought possible, circled the Earth and blasted off into space.