Forty Four

“Why do you have a small army of guys throwing fireballs in your courtyard?”

“We’re going to need troops to fight the one responsible for the angles of course.”

“So you are planing on fighting the angels?”

“Well yeah, it will make great PR.”

“Why haven’t your troops been at the other attacks?”

“Well we can’t help out yet, we need the council to finish mobilizing properly, that’s when the real battles will start. Then we show up, save the Templars, kick angel ass, and prove we are equal to the entire council.”

“How long have you been planning this?” A tone of disbelief was worming it’s way into Nerissa’s voice.

“Couple of years now.”

“You’ve known the angel attacks would happen for a couple of years, and you didn’t tell anyone for political gain?”

“Well yes, I guess.”

“What the hell is wrong with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“People have died Lisbeth, millions of people are dead already.”

“There are like eighteen billion people Nerissa, and they die all the time.”

“Of natural causes, causes we are working to fix. If you had just told people this was going to happen something could have been done to save people. You’re troops out there could have been saving people.”

“but, uh.” Lisbeth kind of froze, she didn’t quite know what to say to her increasingly upset girlfriend. “I’m sorry.”

Nerissa look down at Lisbeth who was looking a combination of upset and confused, when it struck her. “You have no idea why I’m upset do you?”

“Not really.”

“It’s time for me to go home.”

“What?”

“Send me home Lisbeth.”

Lisbeth nodded, and opened a gateway directly to Nerissa’s room. Nerissa walked through the gateway and didn’t look back as it slid shut behind her. Lisbeth for her part stared into the space the gateway.

“I fucked that up, didn’t I?”

“Yes you did Lisbeth.”

Mr. Lansky walked around the corner, where he had been standing trying to be un-intrusive.

“One to ten, how bad.”

“Since your Nerissa appears to be a normal, well adapted, empathetic college student. You being indirectly responsible for the death of millions might be a deal breaker for her.”

“I was afraid you might say that.”

“As long as she doesn’t find out you are directly responsible for the death of millions, you might still have a chance.”

“Not helping.”

“Sorry, it’s just kind of funny to see you fail at a social interaction with a single person.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Me and Atreus figured you out.”

“Bullshit.”

“You simulate important conversation with people in advance, in our dreams.”

“That sounds paranoid.”

“You weren’t very good at it when you recruited Atreus, took you a couple of tries to get it right. But when you got to me you were better at it.”

“Seriously paranoid.”

“Doing it with large groups of people doesn’t work for you because you can’t simulate their interactions with each other, that’s why you had so much trouble in high school.”

“Do you have a point here?”

“It’s just odd to see you messing up, it also implies an odd sense of ethical contrasts between your love life and the rest of the world.”

“Are you saying I should analyze my girlfriends reactions and choose the best course of action to keep her?”

“Heck no, that would end so fucking badly.”

“What are you saying?”

“That me and Atreus don’t care so much how you manipulated us into joining, because now that we are in it’s better for us. If you do the same with your girlfriend however, well that just won’t end well.”

“I know, which is why she is currently pissed at me.”

“She isn’t pissed at you.”

“She isn’t?”

“Hurt, and feeling betrayed, but not pissed.”

“That’s worse isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“What are you doing spying on my conversations anyways?”

“I was looking for Atreus, but the castle lead me to you.”

“Fucking castle.”

“You do know who most likely controls it’s chaos right?”

“Of course I do, fucking castle.”

“Braver woman than me.”

“Thank you.”

“While I have you Lisbeth, we should talk about the drone production.”

Lisbeth opened the gate to where the drones were produced. This portion of the castle was in the cellar, it had low ceilings, and dim lighting. The wooden floorboards hadn’t been arranged with any skill, as the creaked under almost every step. The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust that billowed up in clouds at the slightest draft. All in all it wasn’t a nice place to be. So Lisbeth found it to be rather appropriate for what was made and stored in this room that stretched as far as the eye could see in the dim light.

Row after row of naked men stood there. Each one identical in features, hairless, slightly tan, defined muscles. They didn’t have their wings, those would only form when they were activated, and remain until all of their energy is spent. From activation till destruction the drones would follow whatever orders they had been given upon activation. Cognitive capacity was minimal, reducing how complex the orders could be. Once the gate was shut behind them Lisbeth turned to look at Mr. Lansky.

“Well were are we, on your schedule?”

“We’re done, all twelve thousand units are ready for deployment at any time.”

“Three years of work, and you’re done? Nice.”

“It would have gone faster if you had helped.”

“I had things to do.”

“I had countries to run.”

“Lets agree to disagree.”

“Fine, but it’s your turn now. I need a program to make our fall guy.”

“About that.”

“You did finish it right, Lisbeth?”

“Yes I finished it, looks like a great big serpent and everything.”

“But?”

“I’m conflicted about our endgame.”

“I’m under the impression you’ve been working on this plan for the last nine years, and you want to change the endgame?”

“I don’t really have a stake in how it ends, so it doesn’t matter to me.”

“I do.”

“It won’t change for you, just me.”

“Fine what are you planing now?”

“Well I was going to add more of a human element.”

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