by Greg Ballan
"Their arrival here caused alarm on both sides. The battle for Earth wasn't ready to be fought and your species was still in its infancy. 'He' intervened…" the being gestured toward to the ceiling. The senator and the House speaker understood he meant Heaven. "Some type of malady rendered both sides sterile and a series of diseases began slowly decimating the alien populations. It was decided they would simply be allowed to live out their lives until both sides became extinct. Your species would be protected and the war the interlopers fought would simply be inconclusive with neither side gaining ground." The being paused, draining his glass and pouring another. He offered the bottle to both men before continuing. "The forces of Light and Dark focused attention on other developing worlds as our eternal conflict continued. But one of our forces, a rather ambitious demon, possessed a Seelak and began hatching a scheme to slaughter the human species and lay claim to this planet. He was very influential and assisted the Seelak scientists in developing a breed of being so monstrous that once unleashed would not only wipe out the Esper race but then turn on the infant human species. The Espers fought one last desperate battle and, using the Seelak's own Netherspace technology against them, were able to prevail, but the final battle decimated both sides dooming them to extinction. These actions were not according to our plan and here's where things went awry. An Esper warrior, called Jakor, actually captured the Seelak demon and locked him in an eternal prison to be fed upon by the very monsters he'd created. He, along with several others of his species, were entombed in the hull of their spaceship to be prey for the creatures they'd spawned to kill both the Espers and the Humans."
"A rather harsh form of retribution," Collins remarked. The House speaker was stunned to learn humanity's untold history.
"Indeed, but what the Espers didn't realize was that the genetically engineered creatures wouldn't die once their food sources were depleted. They'd simply hibernate until a new source presented itself. It was feared that humans would eventually discover the ship and inadvertently free the creatures. The Espers created a mutagenic virus that would combine all the powers of Jakor, their mightiest warrior, with a perfectly compatible human host, and another virus that would carry the knowledge of the war and more importantly the ability to trigger the mutagenic reaction by handing this one being Jakor's primary weapon. If the Seelak creatures were ever released the genetic instructions on both the viruses would activate, causing the seeker to find the one being that was Jakor's genetic match and give him the weapon. The weapon would then detect its owner's genetic makeup triggering the transformation."
"Incredible," McMahon jumped in. "Absolutely incredible! Erik Knight was that perfect match, one man in billions of people throughout the world and throughout time."
"Erik Knight was never meant to undergo that change, Senator. The process was supposed to be a stopgap preventative for something that would never occur. When the Seelak creatures finally killed the Seelak possessed by Molec, the demon was freed from the Seelak shell. As an ethereal, he was able to pass through the solid barriers and free once again to roam the earth. As I stated, we were busy on other worlds until man had progressed enough. When the time of the first Son came upon Earth, some two thousand years ago, we took interest again and focused some of our forces to the battle here. It was at that time that both sides realized what Molec had done and what the Espers had set into motion centuries before. Your God knew of Molec's actions and inspired the Esper's rather ingenious stopgap.
"We scoured this planet looking for Molec but he could hide his essence inside a human shell and become virtually undetectable. Eventually he was forgotten as the war for Earth intensified. As with most advanced species, the more man's technology progressed, morality regressed as rapidly. For the first time in a millennium we had the upper hand on a planet according to God's own established rules of engagement."
Collins leaned forward. "We greatly appreciate the history lesson, but I'm wondering how this ties to what's occurring now?"
The ethereal flashed a wicked smile. "You humans claim to know so much, but you fail to see the very danger right under your very noses. There's a human quality—patience, I believe you call it. Indulge me a few minutes more, Mister Speaker, and I'll tie up the history lesson with our current problem at hand." The being's eyes were viscous and his look sent a chill down both men.
Collins swallowed hard doing his best to avoid any further eye contact with the being. "My apologies." He leaned back in his chair. "Please continue." Collins looked at the being. "I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."
The being looked at him and smiled again. "Because I didn't give it, Speaker Collins. You don't need to know who I am as long as you know who and what I represent."
McMahon shot his friend a warning look. Collins shrugged. "Again my apologies. It was not my intention to offend, sir."
The being leaned in close. "None taken, yet." The ethereal picked up the wine and drank deeply, draining two thirds of the bottle. He wiped his mouth with a napkin, exhaled a deep sigh of satisfaction and continued his tale. "Now, the war was going swimmingly for our side. We had infiltrated and corrupted the church, instigated war and mistrust among the world's religions and most humans were becoming secular humanists of their own volition. Then we believe Molec and his forces made their first aggressive move to lay claim to this word, upsetting the balance and incriminating us in the process. Somehow he manipulated a company to open the crypt that kept his creations in slumber. A team of geologists and scientists broke into the prison awakening the hibernating terrors. The creatures slaughtered humans and terrorized the town of Hopedale. Much to Molec's chagrin, the forces of Light had kept Jakor's genetic match very close. The forces of Light believed we had freed the beasts and took direct countermeasures. They allowed the hybrid to be created. Instead of being killed after an encounter with both creatures, Erik Knight was healed and forever altered. He slaughtered both of Molec's creations leaving the demon angered and irrational. We were close to reclaiming him but he managed to elude us. The forces of Light now had a champion of immense power upsetting the balance and putting our plans for Earth in jeopardy. That power has continued growing inside him. Erik Knight is no longer human. He's more powerful and capable of more destructive force than any other being. His actions could single-handedly sway the war between factions. If the hybrid chose to fight on the side of Light, we would be defeated. The forces of Light are already convinced that we have broken the rules by allowing the Dark creatures to be freed from captivity. They look upon the creation of Knight as a justified counter to our perceived betrayal."
"May I ask a question?" McMahon leaned forward.
The being nodded.
"Knight became a CIA cooler, fighting terrorism and narcotics under the employ of Martin Denton. Denton isn't a player that I'm aware of. It seems Knight was effectively out of the picture and out of our hair. Why would Molec do anything to provoke him? If we lose to the forces of Light, won't he lose too? I'd imagine that his goals and your goals would be one and the same."
The Dark lord smiled again. "An overabundance of arrogance. I confess, those of us on this side of the conflict are afflicted with it. Even you humans drawn into politics, lured by the money and power believing that you know better how to run the nation than your opponent." The being laughed. "Like Lucifer during the great battle, Molec is not content to serve. He believes he can better manage Hell and the forces of darkness. Molec wants to accelerate man's downfall, unleash Armageddon, and destroy the last vessel of Light on this planet, sealing it forever in an eternity of darkness. I personally have no problem with the plan. I just don't think Molec can manage it. He lacks the power. If provoked too far, God will cast out Molec the same way he cast out Lucifer after the Earth was formed. But if Molec has the Ruby Crucifix of Christ, all he needs do is keep it and destroy the Vessel destined to wield the holy relic and this world is lost, by God's own rules."
"So by acting out and taking the relic now, Molec has, in effe
ct, shown his poker hand to the other side and marshaled the forces of opposition," Collins chimed in fascinated by the story.
The being nodded in agreement. "Very astute. Molec, not deterred by his earlier failure, made another attempt to upset the balance and instigate a major conflict among the eternals. There was an incident just over three years ago instigated by surrogates from an underground rogue element of your human government. We didn't pay much attention to it until a certain human became embroiled in the controversy."
"Special Agent Knight," Collins injected.
The being nodded. "Special Agent Knight. This rogue branch of your government attempted to instigate an interstellar incident while at the same time abducting Agent Knight's wife." The being took another swig from the wine bottle clearly enjoying the vintage. "As far as the interstellar war went, we were happy Knight was able to intervene and keep Earth from being obliterated, but the plans being made for termination of his wife and the dissection of his child would have escalated our conflict for possession of this planet to a scale never before seen since the Esper War some 28,000 years ago. Molec was controlling those government forces, using his military stooges like puppets. His subterfuge would have worked if not for Knight's uncanny telepathic power. Molec didn't care about causing an interstellar incident and didn't care about the delicacy pertaining to the Observer juvenile being held prisoner."
The speaker did some quick math in his head. "My God! If those aliens came to Earth 10,000 years ago and you just said their war was some 28,000 years ago … am I to believe they fought a protracted battle for 18,000 years?"
The being nodded. "Less the two decades it took them to find Earth. As I mentioned, the battle they fought was savage and titanic, worse than anything ever witnessed by mortal beings. The weapons and technology used were staggering. Species, like the Observers you Humans sought to engage have yet to become embroiled. They are simple seekers of knowledge and have no desire for power. Truth be told, the Espers were on that same path. If not for the Seelak, they too would never have become embroiled in ethereal affairs."
"The file I read claimed Colonel Ross wanted to create an army of hybrid beings using the child's genetics." McMahon took a sip from his own glass growing more intrigued by the tale being told.
"Colonel Ross was being possessed by Molec, an unwilling and unaware human host. When the hybrid defeated the Observers and the legitimate government forces were closing in, Molec influenced Ross to take his own life thereby allowing the demon to flee the host. Ross couldn't cope with the reality of what he'd done. The poor human actually believed he was freely committing the acts of brutality. Molec was able to manipulate him further into killing himself. Ross was a bitter soul and our demon capitalized on that bitterness to his own ends. Molec's plan was simply to harvest the child and slaughter it before it could become too powerful like its father and possibly fulfill its purpose. Your technology is far too limited to even begin the cross genetic splicing required to duplicate Agent Knight or his son."
"So Knight is somehow tied to the biblical end of the world." Collins shuddered as the weight of this realization struck him.
"Erik Knight, as he is now, was never supposed to exist. His son was never supposed to exist. His life came to be only by Molec's first attempt to control the conflict on this planet. His son is a genetic impossibility and I believe a creation of the forces of Light but I have yet to prove that theory. The hybrid is an unknown element sired by the forces of Light but not sworn to uphold those values or virtues. He is the Son of the Stars spoken of in the Apostle Peter's unpublished writings. A being Peter said would never come to pass. The war for Earth is coming undone and if rules continue to be broken and Molec provokes both sides, Earth will become ground zero for a battle between the forces of Light and Dark. As proud as Lucifer is, he knows he cannot win such a battle. His hope is to win by the rules established in the beginning. We have abided by those rules so we may continue to exist and prosper to some degree and snatch a world here and there for our own. Earth was to be our greatest victory. If Molec is successful, it will signal the end of everything for this planet and possibly impact ethereal conflicts on countless other worlds."
Andrew Collins felt his gut twist in a knot. They'd been played by a second string ethereal into triggering a massive confrontation that could very well bring about the end of the world and the end of humanity. "What do we do? There has to be some way to diffuse this time bomb we've set into motion."
"There are forces of Light in Washington looking for leads to track Molec and the holy relic. It's only a matter of time before your involvement is discovered and you're both taken for your role in this scheme. Before you can be hunted down I suggest strongly you reach out and return what you've wrongly acquired. We cannot be associated with this thievery. The cost of being implicated is a war that will end all wars and make the Esper Seelak war look like two children fighting in a sandbox. I trust the relic is well hidden."
Collins nodded. "It is."
The being slipped the speaker a piece of paper. "I believe you know this man."
Collins studied the name. "Thomas Michael Henderson. He's a freshman pol from Iowa, an unassuming quiet guy."
"He's a human agent of Light and serves much the same role for them as you do for us. Reach out to him, tell him you know where the Ruby Cross of Christ is located and have every desire to see it returned. If he doubts you, and he will at first, tell him you spoke with Bartholomew." The being drained the remains of the wine and sighed happily. "Representative Henderson's father was embroiled in Molec's last plot. He knows a great deal about the activities going on in Washington and elsewhere. Heaven always has eyes upon him. Reach out to him, and Heaven will know. A being of Light will no doubt be dispatched to reclaim the relic. Cooperate and return what is theirs and we can hope things will go back to normal."
"I'll call him first thing in the morning, Mr. Bartholomew," Collins assured the entity.
The being turned. "Never let my name slip from your tongue again, human. Never, ever speak of what was discussed here today. You know certain truths because it was necessary for you to know. I strongly suggest that once the relic is returned you forget this conversation. Ethereal knowledge tends to get humans killed." The being called Bartholomew stood and quietly departed.
McMahon watched the tall being disappear. Muscles tensed and breath held until Bartholomew was out of sight. "Holy shit! Could we have fucked this up any more if we tried?"
Collins shuddered. He reached over and picked up the empty wine bottle. "I can only assume the higher ups don't find us at fault. We both know the price for failure. The fact that we're allowed to fix this mess means our lives are secure for the time being. I strongly suggest we reach out to Representative Henderson's staff first thing in the morning." Collins placed the empty bottle back on the table. "Best expenditure of campaign money I've had all year."
McMahon nodded. "He did seem to enjoy it. I'm going to have to watch myself around Henderson now. I totally misread him. I figured he was a harmless farm boy."
"That was probably his intention. I'll let our staff know to be extra careful around him now. Henderson is on three committees that control a great deal of discretionary spending, find out who appointed him. We may be able to get leads on some others."
"Well, after tomorrow, he'll undoubtedly know who we work for as well. In the end it's a zero sum gain for both sides."
Collins laughed. "Touché. I think our ethereal friends like things the way they are, balanced with no forward momentum, just like Washington and government—look busy while accomplishing nothing but convince everyone around how much you've done for them."
"That's our job in a nutshell, Senator. That's what a politician does best, keep the status quo." Collins stared lustfully at the buxom redhead clearing a nearby table. "I'm going to spend the rest of the evening with her, doing my best to forget this whole ugly mess. I'll call you in the morning."
McMahon winked. H
e had a special intern waiting for him at his apartment. "Until tomorrow, Mr. Speaker."
◆◆◆
Vatican City, Rome
Erik and Martin ignored the summons from the Bishop's Council. Though Martin wouldn't admit it, the events of the day had worn on him both physically and emotionally. Neither man was up for a mental chess game with the Vatican at this point. They'd put their plan of action into play in the morning. Erik stared at the closed blinds pondering the visions he'd encountered from the pole cross and from the shell-shocked cleric, Brother Peter.
"Something wicked this way comes," he muttered. "This is not what I expected. But it ties into my gut feeling." He stared at his watch; it was eight in the evening. He picked up his agency phone and dialed a series of numbers.
"Hey babe? How goes things at home?" Erik closed his eyes savoring the sound of Shanda's voice. He could hear the loud music from her store in the background and then EJ giggling close to the sales counter. Even though he'd only been away a day he already missed the sounds of home.
"Yes, we've started the investigation." Erik didn't go into any details knowing their room was still bugged. But he provided their cover story for ignoring the bishop's summons. "It was getting to be too much for Martin. The loss and the jet lag have hit him hard. He's fast asleep. The poor soul is exhausted. He wanted to keep pushing but I knew he needed the rest. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow and hopefully be on a plane for home some time later in the day."