Apathetic God

by Ian Withrow

  Lauren snapped out of it, suddenly aware of the scowl on her face and the way she was clenching her fists. She slapped a smile on her face and tried her best to be convincing.

  “Sorry, I just. I should have given you a chance to explain.”

  “You were right to be upset-”

  Her smile faltered.

  “Do I scare you, Valerie?”

  Lauren fixed her piercing black eyes on Valerie’s, scanning for any hint of fear.

  “Y-yes. A little. But I don’t think you’d ever hurt me. I trust you.”

  “What if you shouldn’t? Trust me I mean. I don’t… I don’t understand exactly what’s happening. I have this… this hunger inside me.”

  Valerie gulped. The soft, nearly silent motion pricked Lauren’s keen ears. She listened harder, Valerie’s heartbeat was also elevated. Lauren doubled down, unwilling to break the silence first and doing her best to look serious.

  “W-where are we? Last I remember we were flying and I was so cold…”

  It was an abrupt, artificial change of topic.

  Lauren didn’t resist.

  “We’re safe. This is Cherry Hills. It’s the church I came to when my wings first came in. Miss Caroline took excellent care of me. It’s as close as I have to a home of my own anymore, I suppose.”

  As she spoke, a peal of thunder rattled the windows. Valerie, still wrapped in her arms, started at the sound and let out a pitiful little squeak. Lauren bit her lip to keep from laughing. Lauren rubbed Valerie’s back and felt her tensions ease once more. Valerie was looking nervously through the glass at the gray skies and pounding rain.

  “You don’t get tornadoes here, do you?”

  “Sometimes, yes. One of the perks of the Midwest.”

  Valerie squeezed tighter.

  Definitely a perk.

  “Is it possible? Are you actually afraid of something?”

  “Ha, ha.”

  Valerie turned her face up to Lauren’s and treated her to an adorably pouty glare. Lauren couldn't resist, she met Valerie’s lips with her own. The kiss was shallow, uncertain, and Lauren pulled back right away to gauge her companion’s reaction.

  Valerie’s cheeks were flushed with heat, her lips gently parted and her eyes glazed with passion. Her breath was heavy and Lauren felt her muscles tighten. She was straining to hold herself in check like a racehorse in the chute, eager to be set free.

  Reassured that Valerie’s desires were the same as her own, Lauren saved her the trouble of deciding. Lauren brought a hand around to cradle Valerie’s upturned face, drawing their lips together once more.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.”

  A thousand miles away Presley Weiss was riding out a storm of his own. He was sitting at a large, round table several stories underground at the Pentagon. A dozen senior military officers, the Vice President, and a handful of staffers were sitting quietly in the wake of the slideshow that had just ended.

  “General Malone, just… what’s the bottom line?”

  Justin looked worried, in all the years that they had known each other Presley had never seen so much as a bead of sweat cross the general’s brow, and now he looked like he’d just run a marathon despite the artificially cooled air of the bunker.

  “Conservatively, based on the figures from Athens and London, we’re looking at 40-70% losses in the event of failure.”

  “Losses? You mean just the forces at the Capitol?”

  Malone’s jaw set.

  “No, Mr. Secretary, in the D.C. Metro area.”

  The air was sucked out of the room.

  Presley did a bit of mental math, then did it again.

  “Jesus, Justin, that’s… you’re saying two and a half million people?”

  “At least.”

  Vice President Lynn Charles, a thin, wiry woman in her late forties, squirmed uncomfortably in her chair. She looked past her steepled fingers at the map of the Washington D.C. laid out in the middle of the table. A projector in the ceiling showed the metropolitan area plastered with lines, tactical symbols, and a series of concentric circles of red, orange, and yellow.

  “Two and a half million Americans… God help us. There has to be another way. You’re talking about a device ten times the size of Hiroshima!”

  General Malone was frowning, but did not back down.

  “Mrs. Vice President, ma’am, this may be our only chance to preemptively strike at the being. Consider the cost in terms of human life if we don’t do something-”

  “What if it doesn’t work!”

  Presley didn’t make a habit of interrupting his friend, but until this critical question was answered he couldn't refrain. No one save the Vice President would meet his gaze as it travelled around the room.

  “What if it doesn’t work. What if we make him angry, instead of destroying or disabling him? God forbid, what then? Does two million turn into three hundred million? Nine billion? What assurance do we have that we aren’t about to declare ourselves extinct?”

  General Malone was annoyed, but the steel in his eye suggested he wouldn’t budge. He remained seated for his reply, but gestured widely at the large world map that covered one wall of the briefing room.

  “Mr. Secretary, respectfully, there are only two paths here. The first is the path of submission, the path we are on now. If we continue to huddle in fear, powerless to oppose this monster, it will continue to destroy human lives, culture, and erase our history on a whim.”

  The seated officials grumbled, but no one objected. None could argue that Weyland’s power was already absolute.

  “The second, the path of rebellion. The path of independence. I, for one, refuse to simply roll over for this monster. Operation Elegant Gesture is our best hope, our only hope.”

  The Vice President let out a scornful laugh.

  “I’m sorry, ‘Operation Elegant Gesture,’ is that what we’re calling this… this suicide mission? This massacre?”

  General Malone looked taken aback.

  “Well ma’am it’s not exactly a suicide-”

  “Yes. Yes it is. Forgive me, but did you not just finish explaining to me that 80 special forces operators dying and potentially tens of thousands of civilians being injured was the absolute best case? Did you not just tell me that in all likelihood we are sentencing millions of Americans to a fiery, agonizing death in the middle of American streets?”

  Presley was torn.

  “Mrs. Vice President, I am with General Malone and the Joint Chiefs on this. This is our only real chance at bringing Weyland down. We have a unique opportunity, brought to us at great personal risk to a dear friend of mine, to take our best, most calculated shot at him. We may never get another chance like this, we had no reason to believe we’d ever get this one even. And, at the end of the day, if this mission fails, we will know that there is no mortal way to stop him. That no stronger measure could have been taken.”

  “Are you willing to sign the order, Presley? Are you willing to put pen to paper and write a check for the lives of millions of your fellow countrymen?”

  The Vice President clearly expected a delay, but General Malone answered instantly and without question.

  “I am.”

  Tension crackled like lightning in the air between the two. Finally it was the Vice President who backed down. With a heavy-hearted sigh she returned her gaze to the table in front of them.

  “Ladies and gentlemen if we do this, we may well go down in history as traitors to all mankind. We will, at best, have defied the very constitution we all swore to uphold. Not simply by pursuing military action on American soil but by extrajudicially sentencing Americans, innocent Americans, to death as collateral. We’ll be bypassing Congress, the Supreme Court, every check and balance that exists within our government. Are you prepared, should we survive, for the legacy we will leave behind?”

  Unanimously, the decision around the room was yes. Their minds made up, the group set to the task of bringing blood and fire to
American soil.

  “Ma’am, with your permission I’d like to introduce the leads on each phase of the operation. General Ajoku, Special Forces Command, will be heading up ground operations; General Rogers, First Army, will take charge in the event we elevate to phase two; and finally, General Van Zwieten, Air Force Space and Missile Command, will be the lead if… well if it comes to that.”

  The three men stood, introduced themselves, and took turns explaining their part of the operation in greater depth. The longer they spoke, the deeper the sense of melancholy grew in the room. By the time General Van Zwieten stood and began to deliver his remarks, the room felt like a morgue.

  Would it be enough? Was it even possible to destroy Weyland?

  Presley prayed that it was.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Lauren couldn't remember the last time she’d felt so at ease. She could feel Valerie tucked against her chest, the weight of the covers over both of them, and the faint light of the morning creeping in through the window and across the bed. She carefully memorized the soft rustle of Valerie’s every breath, the way their hearts beat in sync and the feel of their skin touching.

  She willed the moment to last forever, begged time to stand still and eternity to halt in its tracks.

  But time marched on.

  She would not wake Valerie, could not spoil the perfection that was this moment, so she decided instead to dwell on the night before.

  The two, largely undisturbed by Caroline, had enjoyed a fairly innocent evening. Certainly, it was far less heated than their encounter at the Liebeslied, let alone the Chatwick Estate. Still, passion smoldered beneath unsure, hesitant kisses and a long, loving embrace.

  In the end, most of the evening was spent simply holding each other closely and talking. Pouring their hearts into one another and catching up on the time they had spent apart.

  It felt like a dream, really, even the weather seemed to have calmed somewhat. The raging storms of the past few days had been replaced by warm rain and distant thunder. The sun was actually peeking through the clouds, a welcome reprieve from the dreariness she’d grown accustomed to.

  Lauren took a deep breath, inhaling the moment as much as the air around her.

  Valerie snuffled and tightened her grip as Lauren’s shifting chest shook her gently. She held her breath, trying not to rouse her sleeping lover. After a few moments though it was obvious that Valerie was on the path to wakefulness. Her nose crinkled as she slowly rolled over, her hair wild and her leg twitching out into a deep stretch. Her change in position brought her face just inches from Lauren’s own.

  She took a moment to enjoy the beauty she saw there. Valerie had a thin line of drool down the left side of her mouth, and her warm brown hair covered half her face, but Lauren was fully enamoured by her natural state.

  Lauren saw an opportunity too ripe to pass up. Valerie’s red, succulent lips were simply too close to resist. Craning her neck slightly, Lauren dipped in for a kiss.

  She took the opportunity to test a theory she’d been kicking around as well. The moment their lips pressed together, Lauren tried to exercise her powers by giving Valerie a slow trickle of positive energy. She felt the turbulent energies stir within her and a kind of buzz between them as they kissed.

  Valerie’s eyes shot open in surprise, cool green pools glinting in the sun.

  “W-what was that?”

  Lauren smiled nervously.

  “The kiss or…?”

  “Was it? Just a kiss?”

  Damn, she was caught. Lauren shook her head.

  “Sorry. I was, well I was trying something with my powers. I’m sorry.”

  “No, no. Don’t be. That was… intense. Jesus, I feel so alive! Is this how you feel all the time? Like your whole body was just electrified?”

  Lauren was overjoyed that Valerie was receptive, but still kicked herself for not asking permission before experimenting on her girlfriend. She knew it was wrong. Knew that Valerie deserved a say. But even now and with someone she loved she was struggling to feel the way she felt she ought to, to feel remorse.

  Her face must have shown some hint of her inner turmoil because Valerie reached up a hand to gently cup her chin, concern in her eyes.

  “Hey, you ok?”

  “Yeah, I’m sorry. I’ve been a little off that’s all.”

  Valerie rolled onto her side, propping herself up with one arm and looking down at Lauren. She had a mischievous gleam in her eye and a suspicious flush in her face.

  “Well, now that you are officially out and officially my girlfriend.”

  Lauren blushed hard at her teasing, but felt a long-forgotten warmth start to fill her from within.

  “I have to tell you,” she kissed Lauren’s cheek.

  “That after that little shot of,” another kiss, this time on her nose.

  “Whatever you just gave me, I am definitely not feeling off.”

  Valerie leaned back and smiled before bending down to kiss Lauren’s lips once again. She broke contact and allowed her face to drift past and nuzzle Lauren’s ear. She lowered her voice to a whisper while she nibbled gently at her earlobe.

  “In fact, I would have to say I’m feeling on. if you catch my meaning…”

  Lauren was caught between giggling as Valerie’s breath tickled her neck and sighs of arousal as her lover’s lips traced a line from her jaw to her collar bone.

  “Valerie… w-we’re in a Church!”

  Lauren had no real reservations about the location, but she was still new enough to being intimate that she was scared, uncertain.

  Valerie, on the other hand, was not. She also seemed more than willing to lead Lauren on this particular journey.

  “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean, I can be very devout.”

  Valerie punctuated her words with kisses, each deeper and more passionate than the last. With a sudden burst of playful energy she climbed up, straddled one of Lauren’s legs. Leaning forward, she grabbed Lauren’s hands and pinned them beside her head.

  Lauren could feel Valerie’s thigh pressed high between her legs. The firm, steady pressure was like a drug driving her into madness. From her perch, Valerie was also comfortably seated with Lauren’s leg between her own, their entwined limbs strategically placed to maximum effect.

  She knew at any point she could lift Valerie off of her like a doll, but the brazen way that Valerie held her hands to the bed left her feeling deliciously helpless.

  “Really now, I didn’t know you were a believ-ahh!”

  She gasped as her companion leaned deep into another kiss, maneuvering in such a way as to make both of their thighs slide back and forth.

  Lauren rocked instinctively with the movement, riding the building wave of passion between them. Valerie leaned back, her eyes closed with pleasure, and Lauren once again saw her opening. With a wicked grin, Lauren pumped a much larger surge of energy into Valerie everywhere their skin touched.

  Valerie bit her lip to hold back a moan, her eyes rolling and her entire body shaking.

  Lauren took her experiment a step further.

  Lauren slipped softly into Valerie’s mind. She reveled in the ecstasy she found there, experiencing Veronica’s pleasure as well as her own. She collected her own ecstasy and channeled it into Valerie, allowing her lover to feel every bit of pleasure she was creating in Lauren. Stars popped before her eyes and her toes curled as their mutual pleasure grew more and more intense each time the sensations looped through them.

  Valerie’s back arched and she held white-knuckled to Lauren for support. Her mouth was open but she was speechless with desire. Finally the wave broke and she shuddered to a stop, panting heavily.

  But Lauren wasn’t done yet.

  She slid a hand up Valerie’s quivering thigh and under the hem of the soft, jersey shorts she was wearing. Valerie's breath stuttered as probing fingers revealed she had nothing beneath the thin garment.

  Lauren knew the theory, or could guess at it, but she w
as painfully aware that she was still exceptionally new at this. She made up for her lack of experience with an abundance of enthusiasm and soon Valerie was hunched over her, hands entwined in Lauren’s hair and gasping for breath.

  “Sto-st-o-stop, too m-much, too much.”

  Lauren complied, leaving Valerie to rest her sweat-slick brow against Lauren beating chest. She was more than content to bask in the glow of what was certainly the most magical morning of her life, but Valerie lifted herself back into a sitting position as soon as she was able.

  “H-holy hell baby.”

  Lauren smiled.

  “Did you enjoy the uh, ride?”

  She knew the answer, she’d felt it herself, but it brought a glow to her face to see Valerie’s emphatic nod. Lauren patted her chest gently, indicating that Valerie should return. She put on a fake, exaggerated pouting face.

  “Come back baby, I’m cold.”

  Valerie laughed, that infectious, hearty, unashamed sound that Lauren so desperately loved. But rather than return to Lauren’s side, she shook her head no and shimmied down the bed. She paused in her journey towards the foot to grasp Lauren’s hand and kiss it, a just reward for the attentions she’d received from it. She entwined her fingers with Laurens, who blushed at the slickness of her hand.

  Valerie came to rest between Lauren’s legs, her shoulders even with Lauren’s knees and her upper body propped up on her elbows. Lauren’s mind raced.

  She knew what was coming but she had no idea what to expect. Valerie ran a hand through her hair, shaking out the curls and then tucking them back behind her ears before flashing Lauren a winning smile.

  “My turn.”

  “Valerie…”

  Lauren was self conscious, never in her life had someone been this close. What if Valerie didn’t like what she saw?

  Valerie’s head disappeared between her thighs, taking with it all thought left in Lauren’s mind. Lauren gripped her lover’s head as gently as she could, careful at all times to be mindful of her strength. She pumped every ounce of pleasure she received back into Veronica and the two of them soared the clouds together.

  When the pair finally landed, after what seemed an eternity to Lauren, Valerie crawled exhausted back up to Lauren’s arms. She made the trip back up to Lauren’s head before collapsing in a tangled heap with her. Lauren’s vision swam but she met Valerie’s lips with a grateful kiss.