by SK Benton
"I count my son as one of them. Take care in your manner of addressing our distant cousins."
"Yes, I heard you procreated. Samyaza believes him to be an abomination. Why should I choose to assist you in your efforts to find the Grigori?"
"Because if you do not, we fear their plans have only begun. Jah has left our plane and we can only rely on each other. Now is the time to make alliances. I ask you to choose wisely, and come to the side of universal justice, not the side of immortal fear and loathing."
"I should require more information. Please allow me to take leave of my subjects. Meet me in the Hub, at my domicile."
Michael and Gabriel quickly transferred to the Hub, and were soon standing in the entrance to Anaita's quarters. A Primulus could make their home appear any way they liked in the Hub. Draagh's looked like a room in an ancient, medieval castle. Max's looked like an apartment on Azul. Michael's resembled a hippy commune from Earth's 1960s. No one knew what Gabriel's looked like, except for Jessica, of course.
Anaita's home looked like the inside of a massive Babylonian temple, complete with gardens and fountains of flowing water.
The immortal female appeared in front of her brothers, having changed out of the ceremonial garb she wore in front of her subjects. She now wore a simple white tunic, reminiscent of the women of Rome at the height of its empire.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, aside from your demand of an alliance, dear brothers?" she asked.
Gabriel took a step forward and uncharacteristically bowed to his younger sister (yes, she was younger than the two), and took her hand, kissing the back of it before standing back up.
"Sister, you know I have sided more with you than with our brother when it comes to the humans. So in this light, I ask that you hear us out. I have recently spent time - a substantial amount - with them, and I find them worth saving. If not for them, then for Jah, who we truly believe will return one day."
Anaita paused for a moment, and then motioned for the two to follow her to a large room that had numerous statues (of her) and comfortable couches. Sitting down, she waved her hand, causing drinks to appear for them, and then asked, "Please tell me why you believe they are worth sparing."
As time does not exist in the Hub, one could only imagine whether they spoke for an hour or a year, but Michael and Gabriel both detailed Mankind's history to her, starting from when she had left the Milky Way for the last time.
Anaita admitted she had spoken with the Grigori in the recent past, and discovered that they had misinformed her regarding the state of humanity. She was told that not only had men discovered faster-than-light travel, but they were close to unlocking the secrets of the Hub. Further, they were tinkering with their own genetic code in an attempt to make themselves like the Prīmulī.
"So then, it was all a lie," she mused.
The brothers nodded their heads in unison, affirming her newfound realization.
"They are posing a grave danger to the entire universe, sister," said Michael.
Anaita paused for a moment, thinking, and then struck a bargain.
"You do realize we all have… needs. Mine have been long unfulfilled. Satisfy mine and I shall assist you in your endeavors."
Anaita stood and morphed to her native form - looking much like an angel made of light. Her brother reluctantly also stood and did the same. The three then joined together, creating a brightness so intense it would have blinded any human.
###
"I am assuming Captain Gunnarsson is to soon transport me back to my world," stated Jorgen Bierle, President of Azul System. He had dodged the dual full moon on his planet, but knew he wouldn't be able to do so forever. Still, he was anxious to return. He had a wife and children, and even though he had informed them he would be off-world for a few days, he couldn't help but worry - and miss them greatly.
"I am sure he will be arriving shortly, Mr. President," Clarisa Gunnarsson curtly stated, as she attempted to yet again contact Max via their private, family comm channel.
"I haven't heard from Dad or Gabriel in two days. I hope everything's alright," said Max, as he relaxed in the massive bed he shared with his wife. Jennie was snuggled up to him, her head on his chest, running her fingers through the sparse, soft hair on his chest.
"Have you tried to contact them via the comm?"
"Yeah, but they haven't answered. I'm getting concerned."
"Max, they're looking for two douchebag archangels in a sea of galaxies. It wasn't going to be an overnight job, you know."
"You’re right. Hey, the full moon series is over on Azul. Let's take Bierle back and get a bead on the situation planet-side. Plus I want to speak with Josh and get status on breaking the gen-lock Johnson put on the side space-capable fleet vessels."
"Good idea, sweetie. But let's have one more go at it. I still got the itch, ya know," said Jennie, giggling as she crawled up and settled herself on top of her husband, cooing as she did so.
Round three. Thank god for salubots, he thought to himself as his beautiful wife leaned forward and started to kiss him.
"Max! Are you there? Bierle is getting impatient."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming already, Mom. Oh, I didn’t mean it to sound like… aw crap."
Max could have slipped to where his mother and Bierle were standing, but he usually chose to use a more human method of travel (when he wasn't carrying his daughter to her room), especially while within the confines of the castle walls. Approaching the pair, he bowed slightly, and then gave his mother the customary hug and kiss on the cheek.
"Mr. President, please forgive my delay. I was called to resolve a situation, and I…"
"Worry not, Captain," Birele smiled, "I too had a young wife at one time."
"Oh, awkward!" Clarisa giggled.
Max turned slightly red, but quickly recouped. "Very well then. We can go through the Hub, and then directly to the Presidential offices."
"Why this Hub, as you call it?" asked Bierle.
"Well, non-Hub transit requires a massive sphere of influence, and it could potentially destroy your offices."
"Very well then. Agreed."
"Bye, Mom."
"See you soon, sweetie. Is Jennie going to with you too?"
"I'm already here, Clarisa. Please remember - Liliana has classes after lunch. And she is not permitted to go near those sharks while we're gone, okay?"
Clarisa nodded kindly and blew an air-kiss to her daughter-in-law as the three disappeared with a light popping sound.
###
Michael, Gabriel and Anaita were all reclining on comfortable couches, recuperating from their ordeal. It wasn't sex, per se; it was much more. It was akin to a sharing of souls. Ordinary humans would have thought it slightly perverse, but it was not. It was simply the way of the Prīmulī.
"You boys are powerful. I forgot just how powerful you were," said Anaita, as she sipped on a glass of white wine.
Michael and Gabriel looked at each other with glazed expressions. Gabriel, more than his brother, had come to view anything so intimate as being solely between two individuals, and especially not between siblings. It was less of an issue, for Michael, who had multiples wives in his previous home.
"Have you not lately had corporeal sex, Sister?" asked Gabriel.
Anaita nearly laughed out loud in response. "Did you see those monkeys who worship me? I've been around them for the past tree centuries! There is absolutely no way I would bed any of them."
Michael smirked and nodded. "Yeah, they looked a bit funky."
"You truly have picked up on the speech habits of your former home, Brother," said Gabriel. "Do you ever miss it?"
"What? Vegan-world? No way. I mean, I became accustomed to it, but I could never go back."
"What is this vegan place of which you speak, Michael?" asked Anaita.
"Gabe and I had a bet. He won, so he got to stick me wherever he desired. He chose this offshoot timeline world where animal protein was indigestible."
; "And the humans smelled like rotten fecal matter," added Gabriel.
"Please, don't remind me."
"Tell me, what is so special about these humans. I see no issue with them, although I did oppose them being designed to have our corporeal appearance," said Anaita.
"Simply stated, Sister, they are better than us," said Gabriel, causing Anaita to gain a shocked expression.
"How so? I find that to be impossible"
"We are static," continued Gabriel. "This is what we are. We do not evolve. We do not die, and we rarely procreate. We simply exist and shall be as we are for all eternity. However, Jah created humanity with a slight twist - he made them to evolve. They live, they die, and each succeeding generation becomes better - stronger - smarter. They will one-day reach a genetic equivalency to us - a biological singularity. Then they shall surpass us. We can either destroy them, as the Grigori desire, or join them. It is our desire to nurture and protect them. Our father, Draagh, also feels this way. Then, when they are as we are, we shall all evolve together. I believe that was Jah's intent. He did not abandon us, as the enemies of his plan stated. He created them to guide us."
"What do you mean? Evolve to where and what?"
"Do we not need sustenance? Water? Sleep? We have some of the same limitations as these so-called savages. It is our belief that Jah created them to usher in a new evolutionary line - to eventually become beings of pure thought and energy, feeding off the riches of the Universe, and to create new galaxies and worlds where life might flourish."
"Interesting. How is Father, anyway? I haven't spoken with him in so long."
"He is well. You know how much he loves Mankind," said Michael.
"Does he still wear the garb of a Viking warrior?"
"Oh yes, he surely does. And he wears it quite well," said Gabriel.
"Do you not miss the days of the Nordic conquests?" she asked.
"I do, a bit," said Michael. "I loved that hammer."
"I can still see father strutting around with that infernal eye patch," said Gabriel, prompting his two siblings to start laughing.
"And what of Sif? You two quarreled over her continually." Anaita was referring to Dina, another Primulus, known as Sif during the height of the Nordic conquests.
"Well, that was how I got tossed into hippy land," said Michael.
"Hippy what?"
"Michael and I made a bet. Whomever garnered the affections of Dina would win, and could send the loser to a place of his liking for a century," said Gabriel.
"And you won, then," said Anaita.
"Gabe's more of the rico suave type. She liked that more," confirmed Michael.
"I do not understand. What is a rico suave?"
"Never mind," laughed Michael. "Anyway, down to business. Where are Samyaza and Gadreel?"
"They never stay in one location for long, but they are, as you had surmised, assisting the insects, hiding them from your eyes. I must admit, I really believed their story. Perhaps I have been away from my family for too long. I know not where they currently reside, but I am able to communicate with them. However, I cannot do so while you are here. They would detect your presence."
"Understood, Sister," said Gabriel. The two archangels stood and prepared to depart, with Michael handing Anaita a small broche to pin on her tunic.
"What is this, Michael?"
"It is a two-way comm that relays through the Hub. You can use it to directly communicate with us, no matter where we are in the Universe."
"Yes, we need to know their precise location so we may engage in a surprise attack," added Gabriel.
"I shall attempt contact right away," said Anaita.
The brothers nodded curtly to their sister, and then disappeared.
###
Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, looking down at the Colorado River as it mightily flowed through the massive crevice in the Earth's crust, Michael turned to Gabriel and smirked.
"Did you detect them?"
"I could smell them. Maybe an added benefit from passing so much time with a lycan female," said Gabriel.
"Shall we kill her?"
"No, not yet, Brother. She may still prove useful."
###
"Idiots. Now we can trace their very conversations!"
Gadreel laughed as he handled the broche Michael had given to Anaita. "They believed your ruse. Honestly, I am amazed."
"So I did well, my cousins? I told you I would not fail. And their story - their theory of the evolution of humanity. Please! Who would be so foolish as to believe such a tale?"
"I am so going to enjoy eliminating our uncle, the most formidable and unquestionable Draagh. Then we shall retrieve Father from his prison in Purgatory, after we've killed the Hybrid first, of course. Father will need to reclaim his ghanlo," said Samyaza.
The three sat back and laughed uproariously, all believing their master plan to be going on without fail.
###
Max was sitting at the family table in the castle, along with the rest of his clan when he received a ping from his father – informing him that they were on their way. He had spent the entire day with his wife in New Sydney, and was tired, to say the least. In a matter of moments, the two archangels strode into the main dining hall, immediately greeted by their lovely consorts.
Sitting down next to Max, Michael was presented with a plate of roasted pork - a rarity in the Rhönen.
"So, did you find her?" asked Max.
"Yes, Max. We did."
"And did you give it to her?"
"Indeed. She accepted it without question."
"Max, what are you talking about? Are you guys doing secret stuff again?" asked Jennie, her face contorting in disbelief.
Max and Michael looked at each other, and then at Gabriel, who had taken a seat next to Jessica. The three burst out into laughter, with Max stopping as soon as he felt Jennie's fingernails dig into his thigh.
"Okay! Okay! I made a modified comm for them to give to their sister," he squealed.
"Modified? In what way," asked Bagatelle, knowing if Max did something it would probably be pretty amazing, even by Prīmulī standards.
"I made it leaky."
"Leaky?" everyone cried out in unison.
"Max came to me with a plan right before we left. I had earlier confided in him that we would not be directly hunting the Grigori, but looking for their potential allies. Our sister was on that list. So he created a comm that spills sub-dimensional tracking particles onto anything it touches. These particles then casually invade the target's system and reside as if they were part of the normal Primulus cellular structure. Anyone who touches the comm is, for lack of a better term, infected," said Michael.
"But salubots, as Max calls them, do not detect the tracking particles as an invading, foreign agent, and simply leave them alone. I am pleased to say I assisted my grandson with that bit of engineering," stated Draagh, while wearing a large grin.
"So you have access to whomever touches the modified comm?" Bagatelle queried.
"We can track them, yes," said Gabriel.
"But here's the capper. They can't trace our comm signals. The device throws out fake communications, all appearing to be scrambled. They're actually recordings of older conversations of us repairing the castle's sanitary systems," added Max. "However, if we choose to actually speak with the device holder we can."
Draagh swiped his hand in the air, causing an infoscreen to appear. It was a beautiful, translucent white, with mappings of the Milky Way Galaxy, as well as the nearby minor galactic groupings. He immediately saw three dots on the map. Zooming in, one was on the world where Michael and Gabriel had encountered their sister, one was on Earth, and the other was on a planet in the Hercules Dwarf Galaxy.
"Ah, here we are. They appear to be hiding within a critical amount of dark matter. Hercules is famous for this," said Draagh.
"Are you certain it is them, Father?" asked Gabriel.
"Well, unless they swapped places
with your petulant brat of a sister, I would say so. Did you not state that at least two of the Grigori were nearby, and possibly even inside Anaita's domicile?"
"We detected their scent, yes," said Gabriel, "although not their energy signatures."
"Hey, why didn't you ever tell me you had a sister?" Max asked his father.
"Well… you never asked, Max." It was all Michael could come up with, not having any excuse otherwise. But he knew he would eventually have to introduce Max to all of his aunts and uncles, of which there were many.
"And the blip on Earth? That's one of us, right?" asked Jessica.
"Yes, that would be me," said Michael. "I shall need to cleanse myself of the errant particles lest we register a false readout in the future."
Draagh smirked as he slid a large mug of mead to his eldest son. "Here, my boy. Drink this. It shall purge your system of the tracker particles."
Chapter 27 - Blind Breakfast
"I cannot see. Where are we? What have you done?"
Len Johnson, former Azulian dictator, was in a haze, unaware of his location in the space and time. He was blind, deaf and dumb. He could only reach out with his mind. He recalled being able to see out of the ship at some point in time in the past, but he no longer possessed that capability. There was only black loneliness.
"We have done nothing. We are as one with us. Strop struggling against the collective. We are all Vrol now."
Johnson thought about his missing son. His only progeny, heir to his empire. He wanted to escape his bonds, find his son and together the two would conquer the arrogant, self-righteous bastards that had made Azul System into such a weak collection of worlds. He had a new, purified Earth to return to, but first he had to escape. But even his emotive trace thoughts were detected by the hive mind to which he was connected.