[Story] The Future History of Jakob Pettersohn (11/Jul/09 - Final Chapter)

[Tapewolf]

Second, Joshua is awesome.

One of the things that isn't especially clear from the Jakob incident is that Josh is actually very good at what he does, at least where Beings are concerned.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I loved the bottletop mention, as well as all the things Jubblies commented upon.

And the final scene? That just rocks.

[Gabi]

True. It's good to see Joshua beginning to show his abilities.

And the whole chapter was great. I didn't want to stop reading it.

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 51 - Souls

Joshua yawned and stretched himself.  There was something peculiar going on, but it took him a moment to realise what.  He sniffed the air, breathing in the scent of the room.  And his fur... it was so good to feel things again.  But how?  With a start, he suddenly realised where he was... back in his quarters at Starfire.

Holy shit, he thought.  There was a knock on the door.

"Uh... come in," he said, rearranging the bedsheets.  The door opened.

"J- Oh!"  Keaton said.  "You're late.  Have you overslept again?"

"I... It was one hell of a dream," Joshua said.  "If dream it was... it seemed so real!"

"They always do," Keaton smiled.  "Anyway, I'll let Ashford know.   Don't worry, I'll cover for you.  Just be there in fifteen minutes, okay?"

"Um, thanks," he said, still slightly dazed.  That means I'm just a Being, he thought, with a slight panic.  I'm mortal!



"Sir," Joshua said.  "I apologise for my lateness.  I had this really weird dream..."

"Never mind that," Ashford said, making a dismissive gesture.  "This is vitally important... your next mission."

"Kristofer Ausmann?" Joshua said, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes.  The situation with Dr. Ausmann has gone critical.  We have intelligence that there is a link between the Doctor and Johan Cross.  It turns out that Ausmann is in the pay of the notorious renegade Lord Daryil, the leader of Cross' clan."

"Lord Daryil?" Joshua asked, still slightly confused.  Notorious?

"Unfortunately, yes.  We believe he is on the verge of achieving what Johan Cross never could - Ascension.  Becoming a tri-winged incubus.  Ausmann's researches in the Arctic are actually a front for a mass-murder operation.  Ausmann and his men are responsible for the disappearance of hundreds of thousands of innocents, and I regret to say that it seems he has been feeding their souls to Daryil in order to strengthen his evil master."

Keaton looked like she was about to be sick.

"Where do I fit into this?"  Joshua asked, his voice hardening and his nonsensical dreams of Cross simply being misunderstood vanishing like the fantasies they were in the cold light of day.  How could THAT have seemed real?

"We will provide you with charms and wards that should protect your soul.  Your mission is to infiltrate the base - find and destroy Daryil before he can complete his ascension.  This is vital, Joshua - Daryil cannot be allowed to become a Tri-Wing."

"I thought he'd already ascended...?" Joshua asked, before he could stop himself.

"Don't say such things!" Ashford hissed, the fear showing in his eyes.  "If Daryil attains his third wings, he will become as a God.  There will be no free will - there will be only His will.  He must be terminated, at any cost.  The fate of the world depends upon it."

"Yes, Sir!"  Joshua said.

The door clicked open.  Ashford glanced in irritation, then his jaw dropped.  Sethir strode into the room, his headwings and backwings out and his eyes cold and impassive.  For one mad moment, Joshua wondered how he'd managed to combine the wings and racing suit.  But then again, 'Cubi could warp their clothes as well as their bodies.  Like Cross and his trenchcoat...

"How did you get in-" Ashford began and slumped backwards, a bullet wound appearing above one eye.  Joshua leapt backwards as the incubus turned to face Keaton.  She let out a scream of rage and tried to sink her teeth into his arm, the thick leathers making it a losing proposition.  Pushing her away, a wing-tentacle emerged and plunged through her chest as if it was butter, the yellow jackal staring at her death wound in shock and horror.

"Joshua!" he said, letting the dying jackal fall to the ground.  "Come with me."

"Never!" the husky screamed, throwing himself to the ground and rolling under the desk.   "You're an incubus!  You're in league with Daryil!"  Sethir looked at him as if he was insane.

"Ash!" he yelled.  "He's spazzed out pretty bad!  Help me here!"

"Listen to me," Ashley said, appearing in the middle of the room and pulling the struggling dog up from the table.  "You have to come back to us.  It's not safe here.  You've got to wake up before the Father kills you."

"But I did," Joshua protested.  "I had this weird dream..."

"We don't have time for this," Sethir said, as Joshua tried very hard to escape.  "I'll have to take his soul."  Joshua let out a scream of sheer terror but realised he'd left it too late.  They had cornered him.
Ashley held the struggling husky still while the Arctic wolf held his head in a firm but gentle caress, and kissed him squarely between the eyes.  Everything dissolved.

* * *

"This must be it," Salomere said, as they entered the clearing.  She was pointing at what appeared to be a blue sleeping-bag lying in the middle of the forest.  There was nothing else around.

Dorcan looked at it dubiously.  "Are you sure?  It could have just been dumped here for all we know."

"It's in immaculate condition, and a tramp would have built some kind of a tent to keep themselves dry.  No-one would do something so utterly retarded as this unless they had achieved some form of enlightenment, so it has to be the Master.  Or at least, a master."

"Whoever it is, they're not here."

"We'll wait," Salomere decided.



After fifteen closely-matched games of Travel Connect-4, Salomere felt the presence of a mind approaching.  Glancing around, she saw a cheetah approaching.  As Neremath had said, his fur was light orange, and his hair and wings were very pale blue. 

"Greetings, my children," the cheetah said.  "What brings you here?"

"Hail, Enlightened one," Salomere told him.  "We bring thee offerings."  Performing a curtsey, she gestured to Dorcan who reached into the backpack.  He had intended to bring out the melon, but instead his hand drew out a rather bloated-looking Kirian.

"Ooh!" the Angel said.  "I've always wanted a warp-aci."

"I do apologise," Dorcan said, "This isn't mine to give away.  However, please accept this pumpkin."

"Oh, thank you!" the cheetah said happily, placing it on the ground.  "I always love these," he added and stamped hard on the pumpkin, sending a shower of juice everywhere.

"If this is enlightenment, I pray I never reach it," Dorcan muttered.

"What makes you think that I know enlightenment?" the feline asked casually.

"We do not know, but we hope," Salomere said.  The cheetah said nothing.

"Is this your sleeping bag?"  Dorcan asked him.

"It is, my child.  I may live upon the Land, but there is no reason for me to live uncomfortably upon the Land."

"But you don't have a tent!  Doesn't it get wet when it rains?"

"No.  I have a contract with the Gods.  The rain is legally obligated not to land upon me or the sleeping bag."

Dorcan made a strange sound.  "Fine," he said in a slightly strangled voice.  "What about your other possessions?  They'll get wet!  Or do you keep them in the sleeping bag too or something?"

"I have no possessions.  Property is theft."

"What about your clothes?  Or the sleeping bag itself?", Salomere asked, her eyebrow raised slightly.

"They are rented."

"But doesn't that mean you're handling stolen goods?" Dorcan protested.  "And what about the pumpkin we gave you?  That is in your possession, even if you did squash it.  Well, what's left of it, anyway."

"I speak for the Land.  I am the Land's ambassador.  I have diplomatic immunity."

"Then why not simply buy some?"

"Why is the sky blue?" the cheetah asked.  Dorcan opened his mouth to answer, but Salomere shushed him.

"Sir," she began, "We seek the aid of...  Hang on.  Why do you have a sleeping bag at all, when you're obviously an Angel?"

"I have to sleep because I can't," he beamed.  "Now.  You came seeking aid, did you not?"

"That is so, good sir," Salomere replied.

"My aid comes at a high price," the Angel told her.

"How much are we talking?"

"Not money," he said.  "Souls.  That is my price."

"Souls?" Salomere repeated, horrified.

"I told you it was a high price.  Is it one that you can meet?"

"I believe we can," Dorcan told him.

"Indeed?  You must be desperate!  The price alone turns most people away.  The last chap I spoke to had his wife accused of soul-stealing, actually.  Swore she was framed... he stormed off saying that paying for my services would be a worse crime than anything she'd done."

"That would be me," Salomere said coolly.  "And I was framed."

"I believe my employer can meet any reasonable demand you may have for soul energy, if that is acceptable to you," Dorcan stated.  "Non-sentient, but otherwise suitable for most purposes real soul energy is be used for."

"No deal," he said.  "I must have the souls of the living."

"What!?  But why?"

"He's a flake," Salomere said, putting her hands on her hips.  "A cheat.  Like Daryil.  Only a little bigger, of course."

"I beg your pardon?" the Angel said, fluffing himself up angrily.

"My little finger has more legal authority than you do.  You just beg for favours from one of the gods, don't you?"

"Very well," the Angel sighed.  "Yes.  The souls I render up to my Lord as a sacrament in exchange for services.  It is not the energy itself, but a pious act of sacrifice that my patron desires...  Soul energy alone won't cut the mustard."

"You annihilate other people's eternal spirits and call that 'pious'?"

"No, no!  They go to serve my Patron," the Angel protested.  "Or at least, I hope they do... he ain't getting any more if they're just being eaten.  I'll have to ask.  Next time I get a soul."

"How about we offer your god a pumpkin?" Dorcan suggested dubiously.  The cheetah pretended he didn't hear.

"Okay, how many souls will you need?" Dorcan asked.  Salomere looked like she was about to hit him.

"That depends on the nature of your legal problem."
 
"My employer has done something that the Being-Creature Commission will not like.  The creation of a new race.  We wish to ensure that his tribunal goes favourably."

"Hmm.  A difficult case indeed.  I must meditate upon it.  Return to me this time tomorrow."  So saying, he crept into the sleeping bag and moments later was dead to the world.

[Gabi]

That was quite an unusual chapter. I'd say more but I don't have much time right now.

[techmaster-glitch]

...I'm assuming that this chapter was supposed to be confusing as hell, and will probably be cleared up in the next chapter...

[Tyranastrasz]

...I'm assuming that this chapter was supposed to be confusing as hell, and will probably be cleared up in the next chapter...

Well, it looks like they found Joshua, but he was in the middle of being brainwashed, so they took his soul out of his body so he would stop struggling until they could get him somewhere safe. Also, I think Dorcan and Salomere believe the Angel can control the outcome of the tribunal dedicated to deciding if androids are to be allowed to exist or not. Whether he can is yet to be seen, but apparently he's good at doing something, or Neremath wouldn't have been referred to him when he was trying to help Salomere.

This is getting a little confusing, though, even for me. Perhaps it's the fact that there's no "Previously on Future History..." and I'm too lazy to reread the previous chapter before continuing on to the new one...

[Tapewolf]

...I'm assuming that this chapter was supposed to be confusing as hell, and will probably be cleared up in the next chapter...

Yes.

Well, it looks like they found Joshua, but he was in the middle of being brainwashed, so they took his soul out of his body so he would stop struggling until they could get him somewhere safe.

There is a flaw in that argument - Sethir can't steal souls.  I might add that androids don't have tentacles either, but that might be saying a bit too much.

Also, I think Dorcan and Salomere believe the Angel can control the outcome of the tribunal dedicated to deciding if androids are to be allowed to exist or not. Whether he can is yet to be seen, but apparently he's good at doing something, or Neremath wouldn't have been referred to him when he was trying to help Salomere.

An excellent summary.

[Tyranastrasz]

Well, it looks like they found Joshua, but he was in the middle of being brainwashed, so they took his soul out of his body so he would stop struggling until they could get him somewhere safe.

There is a flaw in that argument - Sethir can't steal souls.  I might add that androids don't have tentacles either, but that might be saying a bit too much.

See, this is what I get for not reading the previous chapters. You just totally ninja'd my brain. That thought didn't cross my mind at all.

Also, I think Dorcan and Salomere believe the Angel can control the outcome of the tribunal dedicated to deciding if androids are to be allowed to exist or not. Whether he can is yet to be seen, but apparently he's good at doing something, or Neremath wouldn't have been referred to him when he was trying to help Salomere.

An excellent summary.

Thanks.

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 52 - Violence

"The Father'll be back on his feet soon," said a voice.  It sounded faintly familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he'd heard it before.

"I know, I know!" a second voice replied.  "But we can't take him like this..."

Joshua opened his eyes blearily and found he was staring straight into Sethir's face.  He let out a yell of terror, but the wolf grabbed him by the jaws and forced his muzzle shut.

"Quiet!" he hissed.  "They'll be after us very shortly and I don't think they're in a mood to take prisoners.  We have to remain quiet."

"Mmmph!" Joshua replied.

"Now, I'm going to let go, and you're not going to scream.  You're just going to stay nice and quiet like a good little husky, aren't you?"

Joshua shook his head.  "All right," Sethir sighed, and his headwings appeared.  "We can do it the hard way if you prefer.  You just shut the frig up or I'll suck your worthless soul out and eat it.  Understood?"

Joshua nodded rapidly.  Seth let go, banished his wings and they began to pace down the corridor.  Joshua protested in a low voice.

"Where are you taking me?  Where's Keaton?  Why did you murder Ashford?  What did you do to my soul?!" he babbled, wild-eyed.

"Joshua," Ashley said, "I don't know what the Gnostics did to you, but..."

"I had a dream about that," Josh said vacantly, and then his eyes suddenly narrowed.  "...but you can read thoughts.  You already know about the dream.  You're just saying this to try and manipulate me!"

"Ashford was the dream," Ashley said heavily.  "The Father kidnapped you and made you sleep.  Then he entered your mind and used the Commander as his avatar within the dream.  It's a 'Cubi ability, and it sounds like he was using it to try and turn you against us.  He was manipulating you and we're trying to undo that."

"Oh," the Husky said slowly.  And then everything began to fall back into place.  "Well, he did a good job.  That would explain how I was able to feel things properly... but... that means I'm an android.  Come to that, Sethir is an android.  Was he real, or was that part of the dream?  And what about my soul?"

"I was real," Seth said.  "I can't dream-surf any more, but Ashley can.  It's part of how young 'Cubi are trained to do it before they have the power themselves - the instructor can project both himself and the student into the dream.  A side-along dream surf."

"Left here," Ashley said.

"But what about my soul?"  Joshua asked.  "The dream ended when you sucked it out, but I'm still here... Hold on.  Didn't you used to go around killing people who do that?"

"I kill soul-eaters, not soul thieves," Sethir corrected him.  "I'm a pragmatist.  After all, there can be very good reasons for soul-stealing.  Remember, I had my own soul taken by Dorcan or I wouldn't be here now.  Besides, an android like me couldn't eat anyone's soul if they wanted to," he added.  "I hoped the shock of believing I was devouring you might force you awake, and evidently I was right.  But that's besides the point.  What did-"

"My Children," a mellifluous voice called out over the public address system, "The Church has been breached by sinners who walk among us.   They have kidnapped our fair Brother Oswald.  I would have you bring them to me that they may learn the error of their ways.  Let us pray for their souls..."

"Brother Oswald?"  Ashley asked.  For a moment he was afraid that they were taking an impostor, but then he remembered that they'd been in his dreams.  This had to be the real one.

"You know what Abidan said about the purification rituals?  They were going to do that to me.  Only I managed to turn the tables, and replaced the Brother instead.  Hold on a minute."

Joshua stopped and reached into his sock, pulling out a small crystal.

"Holy gods," Sethir said.  He looked horrified.  "Is that what I think it is?"

"I'm afraid so.  I have no idea what they're doing, but there's evidently a lot more to it than just a bunch of nutters killing people."

* * *

While the cheetah slept, Salomere and Dorcan explored the wood.

"You know, the more I think about it, the more I think we'd be better off if we knew more about this god, if there is such a thing," Salomere said.

"You reckon we should talk to it directly?" Dorcan asked.

"Yes.  I think we should head back and see if we can't bypass our sleeping friend.  That alone may give us some idea of whether he's on the level or not..."

"Hands up!" a voice called.  Dorcan did so reflexively and Salomere followed suite.  "Who do we have the honour of addressing?" he asked, glancing around.

"I am Colthir, Prince of the Thieves," their captor said.  He was a gaunt feline dressed in Lincoln green, and he had a crossbow.

"Oh, right?" Dorcan asked politely.  "Can we help you at all?"

"I think so," the feline said, relaxing his grip on the bow.  "You see, there comes a time when the jewels lose their beauty, and money has no value..."

"You mean hyperinflation?" Salomere asked helpfully.  "Better to invest in a variety of commodities spread over several economic regions.  It's done me well enough for the last four centuries..."

"No, no, no.  I mean the time when gold dulls and the only thing that is precious to a man is his daughter."  He paused, and drew the weapon level with Dorcan's throat.  "That time has not yet come, so hand over the boodle."

"Now look here!"  the Doberman told him angrily.  "This forest is property of the Kingdom of Fairwater.  Brigandage counts as a commercial enterprise under their laws and cannot be practised except in designated areas by an authorised permit-holder."

"Oh," said the cat, and disarmed the crossbow.  "Sorry.  I'll go and get one.  You stay right here, okay?"  He hurried away.  The two Dobermans glanced at each other and headed back towards the clearing.

* * *

Niall sat on the couch with Lilly beside him.  On the floor, Dasgard was playing chess with Wils - moving the pieces without hands was a challenge he relished, and by now he was quite adept at it, only very occasionally requiring Das' help to carry out a move.

"Give us the news," Lilly said.

"May I ask why?" Niall enquired, flicking the channel.

"We don't get to go out much," the panther protested.  "I want to see what the world is like and the news is my only window on the world!"

"I'll see what we can do," the fox told her soothingly, stroking her glossy head.  "If Jakob wins his tribunal, there won't be much reason to keep you cooped up in here if you don't want to.  In the meantime, all I can really suggest is we go for a walk to the power plant.  Would that do?"

"It's not the same," Lilly said.

Police are investigating a plague of mass-vandalism which has hit the usually sleepy town of Northmoor, site of the nuclear power plant scandal 24 years ago, the anchorman announced.  More than a hundred homes had their windows smashed.  In each case the resident discovered that the damage had been caused by a brick wrapped in notes to the value of fifteen hundred gold dollars, apparently to cover the cost of replacing them.   In at least once case, a typewritten note was attached saying "Make sure the next one is less ugly".

The main suspect, who gave his name as 'Orlyid Lard' was briefly apprehended.  Mr. Lard, a red fox, escaped by throwing a squeaky toy for the arresting officer, a German shepherd.

"Are you happy now?" Niall said.  "You wanted to see the world, you got to see Daryil run ape, as if we don't get enough of that already."

"Hmmph," the panther replied sulkily.

...Ha'Khun, rumours are flying around that the long-lost ruler, Johan Cross - infamous for the mass-purges carried out at the height of his rule and currently believed dead - may have returned.
Events regarding Cross have taken a bizarre twist after the statue of the ruler, unveiled yesterday by Councillor Rogiir Soultaker, was destroyed in a brief rampage by an angry 'Cubi.
Police have arrested a wolf incubus who turned himself in shortly after the attack, which was caught on CCTV.

Niall dropped the remote control and gazed in horror as the screen changed to show a statue of Johan Cross.  It was holding the severed head of Azrael, and a number of other decapitated bodies were lying at the figure's feet.  Moments later, Jakob ran onto the screen, his hands tipped with razor-sharp claws, wings bristling with angry tentacle-heads and his face a mask of fury.  He tore into the granite and within a space of twenty seconds was sat down calmly, waiting for the police to arrive.  Of the statue there was no piece left larger than a tennis ball.

"Way to go, Dad," Niall murmured.  "Remind me never to be near him when he's angry," Dasgard said.

At his trial, the incubus, who gave his name as 'Pettersohn', pleaded guilty to the attack.  The court accepted his plea that the statue constituted gross libel and was built against his wishes.  Pettersohn was given a fine and a suspended prison sentence.

Since Cross was known to have at least one brother and also a son, locals are still divided as to whether the accused was Jakob Pettersohn, alias Johan Cross, or simply one of his kin.

"I think I'd like to visit the dam now," Lilly said.  "The world outside is a scary place and it might be better to explore it in small, baby steps..."

* * *

Dorcan cautiously approached the sleeping bag.  A fine mist of rain had started, and he noted with a horrified fascination that the tiny droplets were veering away from the sleeping feline and his bed, leaving him entirely dry.

"OI!" Dorcan shouted.  The cheetah sat bolt upright, his hair and fur frizzing with panic.

"How dare you disturb my meditations?" he demanded furiously, smoothing his locks.

"I'd like to know more about your god," Dorcan said.  "What's His or Her name?"

"He has nine billion names," Quangyre said irritably.  "But they are part of the Mysteries.  I cannot tell you any of them, for you are not an adept."

"Can I become an adept?"  Salomere asked.  "I am currently unemployed..."

"He is not looking for any more servants upon Furrae," Quangyre snapped, his wings fluffing out.  "Now let me get back to sleep, or the deal's off."

"Oh great God of the cheetah Quangyre," Salomere said, her eyes closed in prayer, "He Whose Name May Not Be Spoken, I beseech Thee, Hear Thy child.  I swear unto Thee that I shall f__king kill Thy servant unless Thou makest with the goodies."

"Now wait a minute," the Angel said, climbing out of his bed and edging backwards.  He looked positively alarmed.

"It's only fair," Dorcan told him, his arms folded and a smug expression on his face.  "You sold someone else's soul to keep your hair dry.  It is only just that your evil should end.  Forever."

"Don't you want to go and serve your master directly?" Salomere added.

"Look at that!" the cheetah exclaimed, pointing at the sky.  When they turned back he was lying on the floor, with an arrow through his heart.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

"You mean hyperinflation?"

*rotfl*

And the squeaky toy. Love the squeaky toy.

(Oh, and I have some ideas about where it's going from here, but it would be well and truly premature to say that the cheetah is faking it...)

[techmaster-glitch]

"Look at that!" the cheetah exclaimed, pointing at the sky. 

They did not fall for that, they did not fall for that, they did not fall for that, they did not fall for that...

[Tapewolf]

They did not fall for that, they did not fall for that, they did not fall for that...

'Cubi attention span?

And the squeaky toy. Love the squeaky toy.

Yes, thanks for kickstarting that one.

[Gabi]

That was an interesting way to get rid of the bandit. And I liked the hyperinflation joke (oh, I know that too well).

Lilly's reaction to the news was also interesting. And yet another cliffhanger.

Just one thing: where it says "he was using it to trying to turn you against us", I think that should be "try". Either that or just "he was trying to turn you against us".

It would also be interesting to hear some news that is not related to the main characters sometime. Just to see what else is going on in the world.

[Tyranastrasz]

"And in other news, the famous Daniel Ti'fiona is still doing nothing noteworthy that we know of."

(Oh, and I have some ideas about where it's going from here, but it would be well and truly premature to say that the cheetah is faking it...)

Perhaps it's the bandit, who came back after realizing that he had a brigand's permit?

[Tapewolf]

Just one thing: where it says "he was using it to trying to turn you against us", I think that should be "try". Either that or just "he was trying to turn you against us".

Thanks, I'll fix that.

It would also be interesting to hear some news that is not related to the main characters sometime. Just to see what else is going on in the world.

There has been some.  Wils, for instance.  Or the deep-sea Bag of Holding.  But yes, I might be over-using that particular device a bit.

"And in other news, the famous Daniel Ti'fiona is still doing nothing noteworthy that we know of."

Since I don't know what's going to happen to him, I'm not going there.  My personal guess is that he goes into SAIA full-time.

Perhaps it's the bandit, who came back after realizing that he had a brigand's permit?

I can rule that out.  There was originally going to be an extra scene where Dorcan discovers something interesting in the forest, but it would have changed their behaviour towards Quangyre too much so that will have to come later.

[Tyranastrasz]

"And in other news, the famous Daniel Ti'fiona is still doing nothing noteworthy that we know of."

Since I don't know what's going to happen to him, I'm not going there.  My personal guess is that he goes into SAIA full-time.

I figured the same. Hence the "still doing nothing noteworthy that we know of," hehe.

Perhaps it's the bandit, who came back after realizing that he had a brigand's permit?

I can rule that out.  There was originally going to be an extra scene where Dorcan discovers something interesting in the forest, but it would have changed their behaviour towards Quangyre too much so that will have to come later.

Interesting... Guess we'll just have to wait to find out.

[Tapewolf]

Chapter 53 - Bob

"Run," Ashley said.  "I'm going to try and distract them."

"What!?" Sethir squawked.

"I'll be okay.  Just take care of Joshua!"  Ashley told him.  "I'm not sure he's fully recovered.  Take him back to the Islington.  But there's something I need to check first."

"Can't you warp us back first?"

"No," Ashley said.  "Too much mass involved.  A couple of centuries more practice and maybe, but right now I can't take more than one person with me and right now I don't have the strength to do it more than twice.  We'll have to split up.  It's times like this when I wish I had a warp-aci."  Though every time I see Kirian I'm glad I don't, he added mentally.

"I don't like it, but I guess we have no choice.  I'd give anything to be able to teleport again..." Sethir added wistfully.

"We'll fix it one day," Ashley promised.  "In the meantime, if you 're good I'll buy you a warp-aci.  Now, get Josh out of here!"  He pointed to a door and suddenly ran off in the opposite direction.  From around the corridor there was a shout and a stampede of Brothers suddenly appeared.  Sethir rapidly pushed the door open and found it lead to a stairwell.  Moments later the Brothers were upon them, running up the stairs.

* * *

Salomere knelt by the fallen cheetah and touched his neck.  There was a faint glow as her hand brushed his forehead.  Tears began to well in her eyes.  As she looked up, Dorcan raised his hands.  A troupe of adventurers or mercenaries were aiming at his chest.

"You bastards!" Salomere wailed.  "You've killed the Oracle!  We came all the way from Kurnshire to hear his wisdom, and now you've murdered him!"

The leader, a goat, glanced at her with a look of surprise.  One of her companions muttered something.

"He couldn't foresee his own demise?" the goat scoffed.  "Some Oracle!  Besides, he was an Angel.  They say many souls have gone to feed his evil ways, so you should count yourselves fortunate.  He could easily have taken yours!

"Though," she added, and her eyes narrowed, "I have heard that you are Creatures.  Or at least, a pair of fruit-stealing individuals matching your description claimed to be Creatures.  What have you got to say for yourselves?"

"Show her," Salomere told Dorcan, and closed her eyes.  She shimmered, and a few moments later Dorcan did too, to be replaced by a pair of humans.  Then feral doberman pinschers.  Then they were Beings again.

"Ah, so, you're Weres?" she said, with some relief.  Her men lowered their weapons.

"Yes," Dorcan said, "And we came here to bargain with the Oracle."  He gestured at the corpse - one of the archers shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"Oracle, my tail!" the goat scowled.  "There is a rogue Creature prowling the forest and there have been many murders.  There was one but two hours past, that we arrived just too late to prevent!  I thank the gods that we have finally caught the monster responsible."

"But he wasn't," Dorcan said.  "He's been sound asleep here for the last three hours."

"...and have you been here all that time?" the archer asked.

"No," Salomere admitted.  "We went to explore the forest for the last hour.  But if he'd left his sleeping bag, he'd have left fresh footprints in the mud, wouldn't he?"

"The attack was found before then," the goat said.  "Unless he teleported..."

"Now you're just making excuses," Salomere snapped, hands on hips.  "Admit it, you've killed the wrong man.  Occam's razor.  Quangyre might not have been perfect, but he didn't commit the crime you've killed him for.  That's murder."  She paused before continuing brightly, "King Fairwater used to be the royal executioner before he seized the throne, and he's a justice 'Cubi.  I wouldn't want to be in your shoes!"

"What can we do?" murmured one of the archers.  "She's right.  We're not guards... the King will have our hides if he finds out."

"Quiet!" the goat snapped.  "Uh... what can we do?" she added lamely.

"I see three possibilities," the female Doberman said.  "Firstly, you can go back and beg for the King's mercy.  Secondly, you can flee across the border.  Thirdly, if you can find the real monster, your crime might be viewed somewhat less harshly."

"Thank you for your advice," the goat said primly, and led her troupe away, bickering among themselves as to how to proceed.

"That's got rid of them," Salomere murmured and started.  Her son's brow creased with surprise and then horror.  She glanced around.

Dorcan stared at the shimmering, translucent figure behind them.  It was a pine-marten with scruffy hair and a pair of thick glasses.  There were wings upon its head and back.

"Have they gone?" the apparition asked.

"Yes.  Now if I may ask... who the hell are you?"

"I have nine billion names," it said, "But you can call me 'Bob'."

* * *

Under the stairs, a large cardboard box moved slightly.  A pair of firey-coloured wings appeared at its top, shortly followed by Joshua's head.  "They're gone," he said.

They made a full circuit of the main corridor and there was no way out, so in defeat, they headed back to the stairwell.

"This place is a maze," Sethir whispered as they headed up the stairs.  "All the doors and corridors look alike!  I can't even retrace my steps because I've lost track of where we started from."

"The Brothers seemed to know where they were going, though," Joshua said.  "Do you reckon that knowing where they are inside the Church is a part of their religious doctrine or something?  Or is that why they always seem to travel in groups, never alone?"

"From the sound of it, the Brothers and Sisters are born and grow up here," Sethir said darkly.  "Aside from occasional shopping trips, this is all they ever know..."

"What a horrible life," Joshua muttered.

At the top of the stairs was a door which led to an ornamental yard.  Sethir stared for a moment... they couldn't have been underground, surely?  Then he recoiled in horror... the yard led off into a meadow.  In the distance, the Brothers were tending their crops beneath the morning sun.  This was odd, because it was the middle of the night.

The initial shock over, he scanned the horizon for any of the Black Mountains.  "Portals," he whispered.  "That's why we keep getting lost.  This is on a different continent... somewhere around Valmorath, by the looks.  That would fit, it's about 6 hours ahead of Ha'Khun..."

One of the Brothers had noticed them - or their lack of robes - and was heading towards them with a large agricultural implement.  The pair of them ran back through the door, which hung in mid-air with no supporting frame whatsoever.  They went down the stairs one level and found themselves back in Ha'Khun, but on the flat, moonlit roof of the Church.

"Shit," Sethir said, switching to infra-red vision and making a cursory examination for fire-escapes.  "There's no way down.  We'll have to go back..."  His voice trailed away as the Father stood and faced them.  Behind him, a wing-tentacle inserted a key into the lock and fastened the door.

"I'm afraid, my children," he told them.

Sethir stared at the other wolf in disbelief.  "Afraid?  Afraid of what?  Us?"

"I'm afraid I will have to confiscate your souls," he said.

"What kind of 'father' would do such a horribly evil thing?!?"  Joshua demanded.  "Didn't you just say we were your children?"

"Sometimes children stray from the path," Albina told them.  "Sometimes children must be punished."

"By destroying their immortal souls?" Sethir yelled.  "What can possibly be worth that?!"

"Soon you will know," the Father said.  "Our great work is full of such wonder that it cannot be told in mere words... only as the barriers that separate 'you' and 'me' are dissolved and our two souls become one... only in the joy of that moment will you have true understanding."

"F___ that, and f___ you too, 'Father!'" Sethir snarled.  "If you think I'm going to let a madman like you anywhere near my soul, you need your head examined!"

"I forgive you, my son," the Father said, smiling beatifically, and raised his eyes towards the starry heavens.  Sethir and Josh looked at each other.  Just a moment later his body slid forwards, gliding across the roof towards them, his face still transfixed.  Joshua gaped - the Father's legs weren't moving.  How the frig is he doing THAT? he wondered.

His reverie broken, the Father glanced back towards the husky, his countenance still beaming as if in a transport of ecstasy.  A wing-tentacle sharpened itself to a point and streaked out as if to skewer Joshua, who ducked instinctively.
His body moving to the tune of his own training as a secret agent and the enhancements Jakob had provided, the husky rolled, pulled himself up and leapt backwards, landing next to Sethir in one smooth movement with a grace rarely found even in felines.

"I am sorry, my children..." the Father said and he cast a sad, apologetic smile at them.  He was gliding again and all four wing-tentacles were out.

The two canids glanced at each other and turned around, a single decision reached without words.  They held hands.  "I love you, Josh," Sethir said, and then as Father Albina watched in disbelief, the pair swan-dived off the roof and plunged out of sight, followed after what seemed an eternity by a horrible, sickening crash.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" the Father screamed.  "What a waste of energy!"

* * *

"What do you want?" Salomere asked cautiously, taking a step backwards.

"I heard your prayer," Bob said.  "Sacrificing my own servant to me was a bit extreme, but he was a right ponce so I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later.  Where is he?"

Salomere stiffened and quickly tried to hide the soul-gem in her hand.

"Oh, come now." the god said.  "Fork him over."

"It... it should be his choice," Salomere stammered.  As she did so, the gem fell from her grasp and landed on the forest floor.  A vapourous mist formed from it and soon the cheetah, Quangyre, was stood next to the marten, an expression of horror on his face.

"Oh gods," he said.

"Please sir," Dorcan began, kneeling before the apparition.  "I get the feeling he's none too keen.  May it please you, we have the ability to revive him, that he may serve you again."

"You do?"  Quangyre asked, an expression of relief on his face.

"...But we'll need to convince the Being-Creature Commission that androids are okay," Salomere said, with a curtsey towards Bob.

"I did want another servant," the god told them, chewing the end of His spectacles.  "Tell you what, if Dorcan here pledges to me his first-born child as my emissary here on Furrae, I'll see to it that the android race is accepted by the council."

"That sounds fair," Dorcan said immediately.

"I wouldn't be so hasty," Bob said.  "It's not as straightforward as you may think and you might not like the results.  I'd consider it very carefully before making such a commitment."

"What are you?" Salomere asked suddenly.  "Did you create Furrae?"

"Nah," Bob said.  "I was not always as you see me now.  Many aeons past I was a normal 'Cubi like you... well, like Salomere, anyway."

"What happened?" the succubus asked.  "Did you achieve a state of enlightenment so profound that you left your body and became a Power in your own right?"

"No," Bob said.  "Actually I had a really bad nosebleed one day.  I decided to sleep it off, and when I woke up I was like this.  It was about..." he counted on his fingers.  "Twenty thousand years ago now."

"Wait..." Dorcan interrupted.  He sounded horrified.  "You know what I am?  How?"

"Well, duh.  Divine powers and all?"

"But... but you knew that I'm a machine and you still requested my first-born child?!"

"Think about that for a while," the apparition said.  He clicked His fingers and vanished.

[Gabi]

Warp-aci can be bought?

"I have nine billion names," it said, "But you can call me 'Bob'."

I found that phrase rather amusing. As were Joshua's theories about the Brothers' navigational skills.

Hmm... does Dorcan have any children he doesn't know about?

[Mao]

Hmm... does Dorcan have any children he doesn't know about?

Great.  Just what we need:  A bunch of little dorcs running around.

[Tapewolf]

Warp-aci can be bought?

He was being slightly tongue-in-cheek there.

[AndersW]

Hmm... does Dorcan have any children he doesn't know about?

Great.  Just what we need:  A bunch of little dorcs running around.

I knew it.  I'm surrounded by dorcs.

[Tapewolf]

I had a certain amount of writers' block on this one.  Not enough time to get it proof-read either.  Suggestions for a better title would be appreciated too.



Chapter 54 - 'Accidents'

"Happy?"  Niall asked.

"Much better," Lilly whispered back as they walked down the street, trotting at his heels.  She was on an extending leash for verisimilitude... the collar she wore was a patch that the incubus had made which gave her the appearance of a feral Alsatian.  In a world where an Alsatian Being could have a job and pay taxes, owning one's domestic counterpart as a pet was considered unusual (and illegal in some places).  But rare as they were, the sight of someone walking a pet dog would attract far less attention than the sight of a fully-sentient robotic panther.

"Coo, look at that!" she said out loud, gesturing at a cluster of brightly-coloured balloons tied to a rail outside a shop.

"Shussh," Niall reminded her and jerked the leash slightly.  He himself had shapeshifted into the form of a part-demon fox.

"Hey!  Watch where you're going, asshole!" the dog-panther suddenly blurted as someone trod on her foot.  The Being, apparently in great haste, paused just long enough to stare at her strangely.  "Bloody Weres," he said and carried on with his running.  Niall breathed a sigh of relief.

They turned a corner, and Niall froze, horrified.  There was a car, the driver's door open, apparently abandoned by the driver.  In middle of the road, a vixen stood, tending a young Being who lay in a pool of blood, most likely his own.  "Oh my gods," he said.  "Hit and run."

Forcing himself calm, he probed the mind and feelings of the pair.  Definitely hit and run.  The boy's vision was dimming and the pain was ebbing away.

"I can save your child," he said, pushing the vixen aside and kneeling next to her.  "Look into my eyes, kid..." He pressed a hand against the youth's forehead.

"My soul...!" the fox gurgled.  Then his body went limp.  The vixen's eyes widened and she screamed.

"M-murderer!  You murderer!" she yelled, kicking, punching and clawing the fox.  "Demon!  Filth!  Your kind deserves to be exterminated!  How you could do such a hideous thing to a poor innocent child?  Guards!  Help!  He's eating my baby's soul!"

"I need it," Niall said.

"He needed it too, you filth!" the Being screamed.  "What have you done!?  What did he ever do to you?  He was just a boy...  Guards!  Guards!"

"Madam," Niall interrupted, "Listen to me.  I said I could save your child and I will do that if it is at all within my power.  But having me arrested will do no good whatsoever.  If his soul leaves my possession I will not be able to help him and it may even be destroyed if it falls into the wrong hands.  I can't allow that."

"You call this 'help'?" the vixen screeched.  "You've murdered him!"

"Shut up, you stupid bitch!"  Niall yelled, finally losing his cool entirely.  "You think I enjoy going around, sucking the souls out of helpless, innocent children?  I had to do it!"  He calmed down slightly and began to speak in a swift, measured voice.
"Your kid was dying from shock and blood loss.  I can't work that kind of healing, nor keep him alive long enough for someone who can.  Dead, he has a better chance, strange as it sounds.  Your son will live again, that I promise you."

He closed his eyes.  I hope Dorcan doesn't need Kirian right now, he thought and called out to the creature with his mind.

"Holy hell," he said as Kirian appeared.  "What have you been eating?!"

"Watermelons," she replied, and burped.

"Watermelons plural?  Ugh.  I don't want to know."  He picked up the corpse of the dead fox and slung it over his shoulder.  The vixen made as if to protest.  Niall shushhed her.

"It seems irreverent, but we'll need the body as a reference," he said.  "I'll need you too.  Besides, you have a right to see it.  Trust me, I've done this before.  Kirian... take us to base."

* * *

Joshua opened his eyes to a very strange sight... it looked a bit like some kind of strangely misshapen gingerbread man, made entirely from stars.  With a jolt, he remembered what had happened and sat up.  He was in some kind of shed and the 'gingerbread man' was actually a hole in the roof that he'd made on the way down.

"Am I alive?"  Sethir asked.  "Sounds like it," Joshua said, glancing at him and sitting up.  Crouching, he checked himself over... entry through the shed roof had shredded his jacket and torn a big rent in his shirt, but he was otherwise fine.  The husky removed the tattered garments and reached down to help Sethir up.  The wolf stared at him and then turned away.

"What's the matter?"

"It's... " he turned away.  "I'm sorry.  It's just... Daryil's prank."  If the cyber-wolf had been able to blush, he would have done.  "I... I think you look kind of hot without that shirt," he admitted.

"Oh dear gods, not now!" Joshua squawked.  "Please, Seth... for both our sakes, snap out of it!  If you can walk, we have to get out of here.  The Father may assume we're dead, but he is still liable to want our corpses disposed of."

"You're right," Sethir said, and his expression became harder. 

Joshua reached down and helped the incubus up.  The wolf gave a whimper as pain shot through his arm.  Glancing down at it, it appeared that he'd landed on a rake and his hand had been badly damaged.  Bare metal was poking through the fur.

"Shit," Joshua said.  Then, "At least it isn't bleeding."

Like Joshua and Dorcan, the closest Sethir had to blood was a thick, sticky thermally-conductive gel that acted as a kind of heat-dispersal mechanism.  As the wolf concentrated on his hand, the pain ebbed but remained as a constant irritation.  Joshua picked up the remains of his shirt and handed it to him as an impromptu bandage.

"Look at this!" said a voice outside.  The two of them started.

* * *

There were several bodies in the clearing.  With a sinking heart, Dorcan recognised one of them as the archer they had seen before.  Salomere looked like she was going to be sick.

"I recognise that kind of injury," she said.  Dorcan nodded.  "I've seen 'Cubi tentacles do that.  We might be looking at an incubus or succubus gone rogue.  What about their souls?" he added, hastily.

"Their auras are fading," the succubus said.  "Looks like they got lucky if it was a 'Cubi gone bad.  Hey, wait a sec, there's some pain over there.  We might have a survivor!"

"I'll look," Dorcan said.  "I'm probably tougher than you at this point.  Where are they?"

"Near the hawthorn bush over there.  See the trail of blood?"  Dorcan went and parted the branches to reveal the figure of a young male husky.  He was bleeding from a large number of slices all over his body, and his breathing was heavy.

Salomere turned briefly, her ears pricking.  There was a rustling in the trees behind her, but no mind that she could sense.  Whoever or whatever it was was slipping away into the trees.  For a fleeting moment she considered pursuing them...

"Holy shit!" Dorcan cried, bringing her attention back to the present.  "Ingar?  What the hell are you doing here, bro?  Are you hurt?  Can we help?"

"Oh gods, oh gods," the succubus squeaked, and rushed to tend her son.

"I'll be okay," the husky gasped.  Terracotta leather wings became visible as he realised that his rescuers were also 'Cubi.

"I heard there was a Creature murdering people around here," Dorcan said.  "Am I right in thinking it's a 'Cubi?"

"Yes, an incubus or... or a succubus... disguised as one... or two of them... Jyraneth I think...  Gone on a rampage...  Tried to fight them off..."

Keaton?  Dorcan thought.  But she's in jail...

"What about Amalia?" Salomere demanded.  "Is she around here?  Is she safe?"

I hope not, Dorcan thought.  Salomere turned at him angrily.  "Dorcan!  What a thing to think!" she scolded.

"Stop reading my emotions!"  Dorcan complained.  "Anyway, she used to pull my tail," he added.  "Every time your back was turned.  She managed to get a mind-shield from somewhere so you would't know.  That's why I got it docked as a teenager."

"You're lucky it grew back.  But yes, well... she was a bit of a tearaway," Salomere admitted sadly.  "But people change.  She grew out of it in the end."

"I guess so," her son replied, but he didn't sound entirely convinced.

"Oh, Dorcan.  Don't tell me you both kept up your silly feud throughout the whole time you were at SAIA?" she exclaimed.  Dorcan looked away.

"Great.  Now, Ingar... were you with your sister?"

"She..." the incubus began, and fainted.  Dorcan looked in his bag for Kirian.  She was gone.

* * *

Jakob sat in his favourite armchair, channel-surfing.  It was about time for the news, so he changed the channel again.

And the situation in Plutopia is still in a downward spiral, the newsreader began.  Rioting has intensified in the capital after new measures were brought in to help stem the state's economic crisis.  The collapse - triggered in part by building societies who sold thousand-year mortgages to Beings instead of Creatures - brings into question the viability of Plutopia's whole economic system, one of the only states in Furrae to have a pure Laissez-faire system.

The camera switched desks to a doe.

Rioting broke out yesterday morning in protest of Plutopia's Laissez-faire healthcare system.  Devoid of any regulation or government oversight, Healthcare corporations have been substantially increasing their profits in the dwindling economy by employing gangs who demand protection money in order to avoid messy 'accidents'.

Finance Minister Daltrey - believed to be a sadism incubus - praised the innovation, describing it as "A win-win situation for the healthcare market," since those who refuse the protection money will end up paying a similar sum anyway, in order to get their injuries healed.  In particular, members of the public are up in arms against Gruforth Health Inc. who called out a hit against a local clinic leaving six medical staff dead and further reducing competition.  New Zinvth and Ha'Khun have both announced sanctions against the state, and are preparing for an influx of refugees as the situation continues to deteriorate.

"Mr. Pettersohn, I believe?" said a voice.  Jakob turned in surprise.  There was a Demon standing in the middle of the recreation room.

"My name is Leavander Strauss," the Creature said.  "I represent the Being-Creature Commission in the matter of your android project."

[Gabi]

Wow, there's a lot of pain and death in this chapter. And a lot of canids too.

The Plutopia part was amusing, though. Starting with the name of the land.

[Tapewolf]

Wow, there's a lot of pain and death in this chapter. And a lot of canids too.

Thanks, I think.  It wasn't actually planned that way, it just happened that the plot threads converged in that manner.
As for Dorcan's brother, his parents were both canines so I doubt his brother would be a rat or something 

I guess could have been a bit more creative with the vixen and her kid, but there was a reason for that choice.  Whether it's still relevant, whether I'm actually going with that particular plot thread, I haven't quite decided.

The Plutopia part was amusing, though. Starting with the name of the land.

Bitter, perhaps, but yeah, it was kind of fun to write.

[Gabi]

Being from a country where going through a serious economical crisis is the status quo, I request your pardon for not finding it as bitter as you may have. Sorry.

And I wasn't talking about Dorcan's brother in particular, only about the fact that nearly all the characters featured on this chapter were canids. But that's not necessarily bad, just curious.

[Tipod]

I've always wondered how sci-fi corporations end up getting so much power when most first-world societies have enough anti-establishment and anti-consumer groups to call attention to everything or instill public outrage.

Not that I'm ragging on this, I just find it to be a really amusing trope.

[Gabi]

Maybe the same way real corporations do?

[Tapewolf]

I've always wondered how sci-fi corporations end up getting so much power when most first-world societies have enough anti-establishment and anti-consumer groups to call attention to everything or instill public outrage.

It was more a "What if there were no rules or oversight?" thought experiment.  It dovetailed nicely with the 1000-year mortgage idea which I had separately.

[Tipod]

I think it'd be pretty funny if some sci-fi story had a corporate entity who tried to be hip and edgy through viral marketing and advertising but failed to the point of being a laughingstock, at which point they decide "the hell with it" and then turn to thugs/assassins/insider trading/interest lobbying. Like the little corporation that just couldn't take it anymore.