99 Gods: War

by Randall Farmer

  “It isn’t right for me to lead mortals of your ilk, even if you are my peers,” Portland said. “I don’t have the telepathic connections you do with humanity, no toes in the water of your coincidence pond, and I won’t be able to make the right decisions. In many cases, you’ll have to make your own way.”

  “I’m not at all sure about the coincidence pond, but with regard to the other Gods…” Nessa smiled. “You Gods are beyond our understanding. If we tried to order you Gods around, we’d just mess things up.”

  “Miami’s coming,” Portland said. “I can’t tell you not to defend yourselves. You can’t tell me to defend you, but I will if Miami attacks. As best I can, even unto my second death.”

  “We have to contact Atlanta and John Lorenzi.”

  “Unfortunately, I’ve come to the conclusion you’re correct. No good will come of this path,” Portland said. She gave Nessa another hug. “Cough up the suggestion, Nessa. I won’t get mad.”

  “You didn’t try hard enough to contact Dubuque,” Nessa said. “Our only hope to avoid this turning into a fight is if Dubuque reins in Miami. Consider this an official hunch.”

  “If I exert my willpower to force a contact, I’ll weaken myself for any potential fight,” Portland said. “I’ll do it, though. No good will come of any of the paths we choose today.”

  “Sometimes life sucks,” Nessa said. “You just take the hits and keep on going.”

  “Hey, that’s my advice,” Portland said. “The number of times I’ve given that tidbit out…”

  Ken rubbed Nessa’s neck, and she leaned back into it. Apparently, she and Portland had frozen each other in place mid hug, for far longer than Nessa had realized.

  “Miami’s going to be here soon,” Alt said. “We’ve got to prepare.”

  Far far longer.

  “I’m going to try once more to contact Dubuque,” Portland said. Alt frowned. “Trust me, if this goes bad, it’s not going to use up much time at all.”

  Portland concentrated, radiating willpower, and lit up like a small sun. Nessa blanched at Portland’s power, clearly enough to stop Miami in his tracks. Her ‘I have better things to do with myself than to spend my time learning to fight other Gods’ comment haunted Nessa. Portland had the power to squash the lesser Gods but lacked the necessary skills, and, like Nessa, lacked the necessary mindset. She, like Nessa once did, believed in fighting only when one got backed into a corner.

  Getting her ass whupped would change her attitude, as it changed Nessa’s, but she feared the price. Such as all their lives.

  A sphere appeared in midair, showing Dubuque.

  “Impossible,” Dubuque said. Nessa saw Dubuque floating among the trees, in his white suit and surrounded by his own powered flunkies, piney mountains around him.

  “We must talk. Now,” Portland said.

  Dubuque’s flunkies looked ready for combat, but Dubuque himself didn’t radiate any martial awe at all. Instead, he radiated his normal goodness, sweetness and light. Had they made a mistake?

  Ken sent.

 

 

  “If you’re going to be insistent about it, we can talk,” Dubuque said. “I’m in the middle of a tricky operation here, so talk fast.”

  “Fine,” Portland said. “What are you doing in Boise’s territory, anyway?”

  “Lorenzi, the spawn of Satan, is here,” Dubuque said. “I’m bringing him in for justice.”

  “I assume you cleared this with Boise?” Portland said.

  “Boise is no longer on our side,” Dubuque said. “He’s protecting this particular spawn of Satan.”

  “I don’t agree with your assessment, but we can discuss this later,” Portland said. “What I want to know is why you’re sending Miami here.”

  Dubuque sighed. “You know already about my goals for improving society. I discovered a method for identifying sinners, based not only on their actions but on their thoughts and beliefs. I passed this trick along to Miami when he came to me to surrender and join the City of God. He said he knew of two mortal sinners who had the capacity for immense destruction, and said I knew them, too. After we compared notes on them I agreed they and their similarly dangerous recruits needed to be neutralized and saved. You’re harboring these sinners, Portland. I expect you to turn all of them over to Miami.”

  “The ones you speak of are standing right beside me this instant, Dubuque, and they are not sinners, just different,” Portland said. “Innocents. We don’t have the right to, em, neutralize innocents. If you or Miami has some civil complaint about their previous actions, that’s for the courts to decide, not you or I.”

  Nessa sent to everyone.

  Portland sent back, bringing a smile to Nessa’s face. Portland wouldn’t believe her toe was in the coincidence sea until she got hit by a tidal wave, but disbelief never made anything so.

  “The courts?” Dubuque said. “We Living Saints are beyond courts. In fact, the entire United States government, at all levels, is irrelevant and an obstruction to our goodness and Godliness. The City of God will take their place in due time.”

  Nessa didn’t like his comment, not at all. She smelled corruption at work.

  “Call off Miami,” Portland said.

  “Miami isn’t my slave or my follower,” Dubuque said, radiating goodness and conciliation. “My agreement with him, the one bringing him into the City of God, calls on him to reject his worshippers and convert their worship of him into simple veneration. Save on City of God issues, such as worshippers, he bargained for and won his independence. He initiated this attempt to neutralize these two sinners, not I.”

  Ken sent. Nessa didn’t bother.

  “Veneration? Is this how you see worship, now?”

  “Never,” Dubuque said. “As I’ve stated before, it’s wrong for any of us Living Saints to be worshipped. All who wish to use me as an intermediary to God may do so. This isn’t worship, for those who use me as an intermediary worship God. Not me. This is part of my formal Mission to help others.

  “I understand this calling isn’t one all Living Saints will wish to take on. I chose this as my responsibility, my burden. If you wish to aid me, all I ask of you is to direct those mortals of yours who needs such an intermediary to seek me out. I will be open to their prayers; if you want, I’ll get my people to send you the documentation on the prayer procedures. Through God’s will, their prayers will be answered.”

  Nessa shivered. In his own convoluted way, Dubuque had admitted to worshippers. How could he imagine that being worshipped as an intermediary wasn’t worship?

  What had this done to him?

  Was this the source of her feeling of corruption?

  Anger flickered around Portland. “What you’re doing is wrong, Dubuque, no matter what words you couch it in,” Portland said. “The one you harm most by letting mortals worship you is yourself.”

  “It is not worship!” Dubuque said. “I pledge this to you. I have work to do, now, and so do you. Go in peace.” Dubuque exerted his willpower. Portland matched it, both Gods glowing brightly, and Portland’s communication sphere shattered.

  “He’s strong,” Portland said, visibly exhausted. “Strong enough to cut off my communication sphere.” She turned to Nessa. “As I feared, this cost me a great deal of power.”

  Nessa nodded. “It was necessary.” Otherwise, Portland wouldn’t believe.

  “We’ve got to hurry, folks,” Alt said. “Miami’s going to be here in just a few minutes!”

  “Can we contact Lorenzi and Atlanta now?” Nessa said.

  Portland nodded. “If Atlanta tries to stop me, I won’t have enough power to force contact,” Portland said. “I’ll try, though.”
>
  “We don’t have time for Atlanta,” Alt said.

  “Sure we do,” Nessa said. “Atlanta’s real body can fly really fast, at least when she’s not towing the big heavy thing she’s carrying, or trying to move a projection.”

  “Thing?” Ken asked.

  “Some sort of multi-ton object. She’s been towing it from her territory for almost thirty hours now, unless she got it to where she wanted it to go. She blocked me out ten hours ago,” Portland said. She concentrated, and shook her head. “I’m still blocked.” She half smiled. “Let me try Lorenzi instead.”

  She waved her arms and a clear glassy sphere appeared in the middle of the room, a Dana projection inside. Nessa realized Dana’s projection was wherever John Lorenzi and his gaggle of Gods were holed up, somewhere in Boise’s territory. The strange Dr. Horton other stood next to her, radiating a mixture of terror and anticipation.

  “Dana? Vanessa Binglehauser and her people wish to speak to you and those with you.”

  “Oh, hell,” Dana said, turning herself around to look at them. “This isn’t a good time, unless you and your people know of a way to zip over here in an instant. We’re pinned down. Phoenix is here, threatening us with an entire army of flying powered idiots, some of whom we think are from Dubuque.”

  “Phoenix is actually attacking you?” Portland said, aghast.

  “Well, no. Nobody’s attacking anyone yet, and if Dubuque’s here, he hasn’t shown himself,” Dana said. “So far, they’re just probing our defenses and calling on us to surrender, so we can be brought to the City of God and saved.”

  “Fuck,” Ken said. “Dana, we just learned Dubuque got to Miami somehow, and Miami’s on the way to do the same to us. This is Dubuque’s big victory push. We surrender and he wins.”

  “Crap,” Dana said. “We can’t help, pinned down like this.” She turned her head to the side. “Atlanta?”

  Atlanta’s projection walked into the glassy sphere. “Yes?”

  “Where are our real bodies?”

  “I’m not saying,” Atlanta said. “I’m frankly tired of distrust.”

  “You earned whatever distrust you perceive,” Portland said.

  Atlanta and Portland glared at each other.

  Nessa sent to everybody, including Atlanta and Dana.

  “Well, I trust you, Atlanta,” Ken said. “If you can help us, I’m inviting you in, all on my lonesome.”

  Portland pursed her lips and stepped back a pace. “You’re taking responsibility for her and her evil ways?”

  “Of course I am,” Ken said.

  “It’s true you alone didn’t brush off my offers of help,” Atlanta said. “Nessa, Alt, and, wait a second, Phil? What’s your opinion of Ken’s invitation?”

  “I think it’s necessary,” Nessa said.

  “You and I don’t understand each other at all,” Alt said. “Nor do we have the time to work out our issues.” Atlanta nodded. “But we’re in a war, even if nobody else understands, yet. We’re allies. Do as you must.”

  “Lukewarm, the both of you. Phil?”

  Phil paused for a moment and shook his head. Nessa grit her teeth at the rat bastard stiff-necked God-distrusting Mindbound! She had known he would kick the feet out from under her someday! Dammit dammit dammit!

  “Sorry, Ken,” Atlanta said. “I can’t pledge my help.” Atlanta stepped back, out of the glassy sphere.

  “Fuck!” Ken said. “She was our best hope. This leaves us with nothing.”

  “In that case, I suggest you pray to God with all your hearts,” Dana said. “I’m sure as hell going to be praying. Given what’s going on here, Portland, unless you turn the Telepaths over to Miami, Dubuque’s going to demand you be brought in to be saved as well.” Dana stepped out of the communication sphere, which vanished.

  Portland nodded and turned, angry, glowing like a red-hot ember. She turned to Nessa and Alt. “I apologize to both of you. I just finished checking out Denver Dave. Dubuque’s successfully been pulling the wool over my eyes, to where he can convincingly lie about his worshippers to my face, the bastard. He’s more than being worshipped by a few in secret; he’s got nearly a hundred thousand worshippers, and he’s been doing his utmost to keep them out of my sight. My Mission calls. I must oppose him.” Her glow didn’t fade.

  “As I said when this started, we fight,” Nessa said. She thanked Denver Dave in spirit, knowing someone like him couldn’t hear her, and knowing he had already caused Dubuque the problems she earlier predicted.

  Portland balled her fists. “You still don’t know what you’re saying. If Miami attacks us he will utterly destroy the overall Integrity of the Gods, and most likely doom the Gods’ overall Mission of stopping national war. All the good we’ve done as Gods will most likely go away if we fight.” She frowned. “That’s the real danger of worshippers. A God addled by worshippers, and responding to their needs, will no longer heed God Almighty’s commandment against war!”

  Nessa tasted acid as her stomach clenched, hearing the truth in Portland’s words.

  Now she knew she faced death.

  46. (Atlanta)

  Dana tapped on Atlanta’s shoulder. Atlanta shook her head ‘no’ and resumed maintaining the shields around Lorenzi’s so-called safe house. Dana tapped again.

  “This is just a diversion,” Dana said.

  Some diversion. Phoenix, perhaps Dubuque as well, and over fifty of their divine-supported power-wielding flunkies of a dozen different persuasions flew around their safe house like rabid bats, threatening their capture and preventing them from leaving, all while probing their defenses. Defending this place would have been a hell of a lot easier if Atlanta had her real body here, but none of the others trusted her. Still. Her real body hovered within a short hop of Portland, at John’s request, along with its secret cargo.

  “Boise?” Boise turned from the giant plate glass window to look at Atlanta, his face a mask of intense concentration. “Can you hold these shields for a minute? Some sort of problem’s come up.”

  “I’m not sure how I’m holding them now,” Boise said. He hadn’t been in any Godly conflicts before, and although he had bountiful power to draw on, his inexperience showed.

  Atlanta took a quick scan around the busy room. Magicians, Gods, and numerous flunkies of various sorts attempted to defend the so called backwoods cabin the size of some executive’s luxury home. John had a birdbath set up next to the kitchen bar, what he called a ‘scry pool’. He directed his own probes and defenses, and those of his magician troops, with it. Few of either worked.

  “Okay, Dana, what’s going on?”

  Dana pointed. One of Portland’s communication spheres had appeared in the room.

  “You first,” Atlanta said, and walked toward the communication sphere.

  “So you’re just going to leave them hanging?” Dana said, after they stepped out of Portland’s communication sphere and it vanished. They retreated to the corner by the coat closet to talk. Velma closed her laptop and followed.

  “Give me one reason why I should bother with that bag of dicks.” The potential confrontation between Portland and Miami would give Atlanta and her allies more political ammunition, which they could use to sway hearts and minds. Getting involved appeared to be a no-win situation.

  “How about three: they’re helpless, it’s the right thing to do, and our real bodies are right on top of them.”

  Atlanta shook her head. “Boise and Lorenzi are counting on us. We don’t know what Phoenix’s and Dubuque’s goals are, Dana. They could decide to attack us at any moment!”

  “What?” Lorenzi said, hearing his name and looking up from his birdbath. “Something going on?”

  “Miami’s about to squish the Telepaths, and Portland’s convinced she won’t be able to protect them,” Dana said.

  A gross exaggeration of the situation, which Atlanta thought was Portland’s own damned fault anyway. Portland had the power and had even practiced self-defe
nse, but she lacked self-confidence. If a fight actually started, Miami would beat her like a drum.

  “Perfect,” Lorenzi said, with an undercurrent of an evil chuckle and an ‘everything is going just like I had planned’. There were times when Atlanta doubted she had chosen the right side, such as whenever Lorenzi said word one. He took being ‘the bad guy’ way too far, in her measured opinion. “Atlanta, be ready to attack these idiots besieging us the instant Miami goes after Portland. Once the other side starts the war, we can ahem defend ourselves ahem without destroying ourselves with bad magical karma, or impacting your overall Mission.”

  For one, the damned magician had learned too much about them.

  “You can’t!” Dana said. “The Telepaths are people, too! They haven’t done anything to merit Miami’s aggression, or us sacrificing them.”

  “They’ve already had several confrontations with Miami,” Atlanta said.

  “We cleared that up already. The only reason Miami is attacking them today is because of Dubuque’s prodding,” Dana said. “You said it yourself. Miami’s months away from being ready to expand his influence outside of his territory. He’s still got too many unresolved problems there.”

  “True,” Atlanta said. She couldn’t figure why Dubuque chose to force both confrontations today. What might he get out of this?

  Ah. He thinks we will all surrender if bullied, Atlanta decided. Which meant Dubuque didn’t think anyone useful would be around to help Portland. Which meant Miami probably had some damned good weaponry with him. Which meant some sort of fight, if only a demonstration of his combat abilities, was inevitable.

  She wanted to be there, at least to learn Miami’s tricks.

  “Okay, say we do this, then what?” Atlanta said.

  “You’re thinking of helping Portland with your real bodies?” Lorenzi said.

  Atlanta nodded.

  Lorenzi chewed on his fat lip and thought. “If Miami crosses the line, will you fight him?”