Issue 31: The Golden Defender
We got out of the Duat but that wouldn’t
be the last adventure within that Realm. Not by a long shot.---Arthon
Unity did have a way to travel. Into
the future. The trick was finding the trash it had planted.—Arcane Order File
2-55.96
I understand why I had to be the
main “face” of the Highest’s plan. My side was banking on my ability to be
blunt. Unable to hide who or what I was. It wasn’t only to help my brother but
Doc as well. In the end? What they concealed could have destroyed everything. –Sleeping
in Starlight: Vol 18
Earth
P’tah’s Terrace
12th Orbit of Awe (Local
Timekeeping)
Home.
It had been many cycles since I
visited.
Lorain
ran a keen eye over my uniform. “Nostalgic?”
My
old Banner outfit. I crossed my arms. Protectorate phase drones circled.
Their
greetings indicated all was well upon the pale blue dot. I drank it all in. The
united communications network. The Terran Typherian Union accords. Gilgamesh
Sector and its expanded territories. Dexter phased in behind me. His golden
chest plate was adorned with the circular symbol of the Ouro. A black scythe
imprinted in the middle. His black within-black eyes met mine. That remembered
scar on my left arm tingled. Lorain shivered and I draped my cape over her
shoulders.
“Time to give Thoth a show.”
Lorain hit the coordinates on the
feed.
Right on time. I snorted. “For him?
Based on the temporal readings? He just finished stabbing….” Doc pressed an
index finger to my upper lip.
“Don’t you tempt fate.”
I smiled widely at that. I cupped
her hand.
“It's not every day we get to see
history made.”
I wrapped my free arm around her.
She examined my left arm. “The
Highest knew.”
Dexter nodded. It was hard. Clipped.
Genuine.
He responded, “The Golden Path
encompasses all.”
*****
Thoth sputtered.
This
should not be. It couldn’t. A malignant voice tore through his remaining bits
of soul. Make for the histories of this
place. His feet moved. He had no control. Fear boiled in the pit of his
stomach. The spray of Murphy’s blood coated his chest. Why did this place not
react? The entity within him cared not. Humanity had ascended! The monkeys
ruled the asylum! He gritted his teeth. The muscles of his jaw sent spiking
pain to his temples. He screamed against the confines of his mind. It would not
listen.
Madness
lingered.
Thoth
had figured it out. He beat against his mental prison yet Abbadon shuffled forward.
Above them, the words formed. “Sleeping in Starlight: A Convergence Holo
History.”
An
automated electronic voice exclaimed, “Welcome!” An android of shimmering
mirrored glass on a tripod extension maneuvered over.
He
finally got a good look at his body.
Abbadon
had warped it. Gone were his Typherian features.
A
regal face stared back. Hair of starlight. Honeyed eyes. Resplendant white tux.
Abbadon
smiled warmly, “I wish to survey this historical repository.”
He
would take all of the Highest’s prized secrets. The words his enemies tried to
hide.
Thoth
screamed, “THAT’S WHAT THEY WANT!”
Abbadon
didn’t hear. He had only wanted Thoth’s flesh.
Thoth
laughed. The sound was brittle against the endless black of his mind.
“It
was never Eliza at all. Well played.”
The
knife had never been the weapon of Abbadon. Or Unity. It had been the vehicle
for the true Avatar of Death to trap evil. Thoth stewed. His eyes brightened
suddenly. A gleam of insight wormed its way to the top. He could watch. He
would wait. This story had an end in mind for Abbadon. When that final curtain
call hit?
He
would breathe on the embers.
No
wonder Lucifer had abandoned them all.
He
wasn’t the only one waiting for devils to die.
*****
The Curator greeted their enemy
warmly.
They
had been preparing this place since the start. If one had just enough truth
sprinkled about they would fall into the trap. One curated specifically for Abbadon.
Without Life, there was no Death. Without Death, there was no Life. A responsibility
that the Starlight King had forgotten. One couldn’t rule all domains. He touched
the sigil of the Three on his black robes. He had been many things across the
renewed cycles but now his Vigil was ending.
He felt the cool regard of the
Watchers. Those beings who guarded each Death Domain. Abbadon asked, “Where should one begin?” The
demon lord’s face twisted in a mockery of polite interest. Curator responded, “With
Khepri. The birth of the Golden City!”
The former Amache leader smiled
wanly. Time to throw that old fang for a loop.
Thoth as well. As Khepri he could
see the remaining embers of the Urraden floating within the soul-shard aura.
Feed them both what they wanted to hear and see. The one “weapon” that could destroy
the Highest. The greatest trick one could devise against their foe? The
illusion of total victory. The Twin Rulers of the Sky would carry on the Vigil.
Long after Earth herself re-seeded the Multiverse.
His body would be given to the
stars.
Earth
New Ashbury MilSec HQ
Present Time: March 9th, 3166
Feet planted. I let out a grunt as
Mighty Mallet struck me with his newest creation.
He whistled, “That one gave you a
bloody nose!”
Half
of the Old Guard Demis were present. White Lily shouted, “Just imagine what
that will do to the dark underbelly of Chronos’ hoards!” I gave her a double
thumbs up. It was true. The better tech I could give the Alliance? The more
that would survive what was coming. I was all about giving Life a chance. It
helped that all the Archangels within my completed Spear gave me pointers.
June
20th, 3266 wasn’t that far off now.
Dexter’s
voice rolled through my mind, >>A certain set of ducks are right on
TIME.<<
I
pinched the bridge of my nose.
As
if summoned they both waddled between Golden Bulleteer.
Trouble
quacked, <<All specials delivered! First class!>> Judgment rolled
his shoulders, “How about another match?” I held my spear at the ready. He
unsheathed his khopesh. The sound of metal echoed through the hall. Dad was as
fast as ever. The weighted dark matter suit forced me to slow down to half
speed. So I could master the spear at a normal rate. He scored a hit across my
right shoulder.
Doctor
Impossible’s worry flooded our Union Link. We didn’t need our alternative IDs
anymore but most loved to call out “Star!” or “Banner!” Always at the
forefront. Stories had power. The power to change everything. Keep the
attention on me. I would still wake up in a cold sweat. That vision of Abbadon
within Dexter’s body on one seat. Doc on the other. The pale white thrones hugged
their forms like a second skin.
Stars
danced before my eyes as my father dashed in to strike his hilt against my
solar plexus. He pitched his question for my ears only, “It’s not like you to
be distracted. Even during practice.” Dad didn’t play around. Even in training
bouts. He figured the best way to teach was when your heart was in it. I
realigned my stance. That stillness infused my body. He feinted to the right. Metal
clanged as we fought. He switched hands. His sword flashed.
The
point rested just above my throat.
I
tapped the flat of my spearhead against his thigh. We could have joined each
other in critical condition.
He
withdrew. “Remember, In battle? All other distractions must fade.”
I
rubbed the back of my neck. “Message received loud and clear.”
Mom
added, >>Worry later. I’ll even ground you for old time’s sake!<<
The
other Murphy children in the room pretended to look elsewhere. I couldn’t even
keep track of how many were in the Protectorate nowadays. Horus added along a
private channel, <<Currently the Demi Protectorate League/Program has
over 50 members directly correlating to…>>
Dad
noted lightly, <<Yes. We are prolific.>>
Mom’s
keen sense of proprietary glee followed.
Jace
and Tobin coughed. While Zachary ambled over with a few fresh drinks. His Blue
Blaze uniform that traditional blue, white, and silver with a big blue bolt in
the middle. I made this proclamation over the general family line,
<<Murphy Battalion assemble!>>
Gwen
cackled. Others chimed in with various levels of groaning.
My
youngest sister, Hailey, aged 7 screamed, >>I made sparkles! Can I sit in
the big seat?!<<
I
turned my head as the wall glittered and warped. My sister stepped out. Beaming
at everyone with her self-styled suit. It was all pink. Her sneakers squeaked
as she jumped. Another display of sparks erupted around her. I noted the high
energy output in each blue, green, and pink “sprinkle”. She had shaped many of
them as her favorite kinds of animals.
Elephants,
Dogs, Cats, and Ponies.
HeroNet
updated.
Precious Princess of All The Sparkles
The
bright flash of holo cams followed. Grandma was on cloud 9. Again.
*****
Lorain Lanis finished her report,”….Sparkles
can tap into energy from beyond our universe. At 7. Due to her size, it's
localized to about standard solar system range.”
Zach
held back. Gwen didn’t.
She
wheezed, “When…when can we expect….pink…..apocalypse…..”
Mom noted, “Not until she’s 100.”
Gwen sucked in a huge gasp. “Ok. I’m
better. It's just I know what it's like.”
Eliza leaned back in her chair. Feet
at an angle so they didn’t brush the tabletop.
Hailey’s singsong voice rippled
across the Family Line, >>Training Training cause my dad says so! There
goes the test dummy. I sent it to the moon! See? It's pink! The best color.<<
Zach said, “We will watch over her.
Not the first Murphy but won’t be the
last.”
*****
Dad’s face flickered over the holo.
His hands hooked into his military belt. I knew that expression. At this rate,
my parents would repopulate the universe all on their own. Additional Human and
Typherian pairings were cropping up with interesting results. Demis with wild
card genes. Each one would have a role to play. Chronos would be in for one
heck of a surprise when he finally landed.
Noah’s
Ark still had its role to play.
****
Jacob Murphy marveled at the newest
ships of the line.
“I
have to hand it to you, Mr. Fletcher. You and the Commons do excellent work.”
The Englishman in question grinned crookedly, “Well you Arcane Types did give
us the keys to so many fun toys!” Project Freefall had been quite enjoyable.
From
a creative standpoint but this?
This
was the masterpiece.
The
W.R.E.A.K unit spun. Its rings hummed as another ship rolled off the assembly
hub.
Warp
Replication Energy and Assembly K-Field device. In layman’s terms? Feed it raw
materials and it could generate whatever kind of ship you needed. Normal Space
FTL to Near Necrotic Stealth drives. All Fletcher had needed was a bit of Dark
Matter. Everything came back to the Cluster. Jacob asked, “Are you sure you
want to do this?”
Fletcher
held the vial up to the sunlight bouncing off the hidden space station arrays.
“Never
been more sure than now.”
He
would share in the dreams of the Hatheon.
Issue 30: Here
Issue 32: Here
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