Chapter 21

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Against his will, Nick felt himself standing in front of the other Aeons. He saw Abril gasping with her hand over her mouth, and Kobus grinning and wincing. He realized, with sudden shame, that he was naked. He tried to cover himself but found his arms were pinned to his sides.

Laura's face took on a distant look. She spoke so softly Nick could barely hear her voice. "I remember, when I was a child, before I - before the MindWave... my father took me deer hunting. You enjoy hunting deer, don't you, Nick? I saw you hunting a buck in the ether on the day of the riots. Well, this was a real hunt, not just some simulation in the ether. I saw a beautiful stag with a great rack of antlers. I took aim and fired. My bullet went wide and hit him in the gut instead of the heart. My rifle jammed and I couldn't load a second round. How he struggled, that stag did, as he lay thrashing in the dirt. His marvelous antlers became tangled in the roots of a nearby tree, and he fought in vain to free them. I can still hear his panicked bleating now. It was pitiful to watch such a beautiful creature struggling like that. I tried to calm him but my touch only made him panic even more. Finally my father came and put a bullet between his eyes."

Laura's eyes lost their distant gaze and focused on Nick. "And then the stag looked so peaceful, so calm, so majestic. As if the horror of a few moments earlier never happened. I took his head and mounted it above my bed as a trophy."

Nick squinted back at her. "Laura... I don't - what does that have to do with anything?"

"Your feelings towards humanity echo my feelings towards that stag. We both feel pity when we see the death throes of a doomed animal. But when the moment of horror is past, you will learn to look at it with equanimity, just as I did."

"Mankind is not some wounded deer," protested Nick. "And even if it were, how could you suggest we shoot it again?"

"No, I'm suggesting nothing of the sort," said Laura dismissively.

"What the hell are you suggesting? Sterilization? Eugenics?" He needed to know what Laura's plan was, partly out of sick fascination with her psyche, and partly out of hope that she'd reveal some specific crime that he could take as evidence to the government.

Laura laughed as if amused by the simplicity of his train of thought. "No, Nick. We don't need to do anything at all. The population will collapse all by itself."

Nick's voice lowered to a whisper and he stepped backwards, experiencing an instinctive fear of Laura. "What do you mean?"

Laura gestured with her eyes towards the apple tree that stood at the top of to the peak. A leaf fell from one of its branches, was caught in the fierce wind and twirled into a detailed three dimensional map of the Earth's ecology. Nick watched as the map ran an animation.

The simulation displayed a counter of the Earth's population, which was initially a little under eight billion. The counter ticked precipitously down as the animation sped two decades into the future. The animation revealed that the key killer was dwindling supplies of unpolluted drinking water, although famines also became a major killer as the fuel used for transporting food became increasingly expensive.

At the end of the bleak animation, the population counter stood at 100 million.

"Good riddance," called out Kobus.

"My God, what can we do?" asked Nick. He felt his pulse racing, even though in the ether he didn't have a heart.

Laura responded impassively. "Even we Aeons can't stop it. It's inevitable."

He was reminded of his father's oft-repeated refrain that Langar Foods had just delayed the inevitable. He had never really considered what his father meant by that. Now the hard truth stared him in the face. Civilization would have collapsed a decade ago without the cheap foods created by Langar. Yet as his father had always hinted, that respite was only a temporary one.

Nevertheless, the Aeons had power, much more power than his parents had when they founded Langar. Laura was right that this was his destiny. It would become his life's mission. He would forge the brilliant future that his father had always dreamed of.

First he needed to get rid of Laura. And the way to get rid of her was not to provoke her but to pretend to be on her side, so that she would reveal her secrets to him. "Surely, Laura, beings as great as we are will do something to help. We can't just sit here and do nothing."

Laura gestured around her at the other Aeons with a cruel smile. "We could do nothing if we so desire." Then her face softened. "But we Aeons will not do nothing. I told you this is our destiny, our very reason for being. We will help the world weather the coming storm."

"Weather it?" Not prevent, but weather. Nick narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, by making sure we survive, and with us, civilization. And we will shelter some of the nats as well. With our intervention, perhaps hundreds of millions more can survive. Enough to preserve the knowledge and technology of the human race. But first, we ourselves must survive the impending chaos, no?"

Nick nodded hesitantly. He had been hoping to lure Laura into giving up some devious plan to speed up or profit from the disaster she predicted. Instead she'd promised to try to mitigate it. He still didn't have the information he needed to convict her of any crimes; he would still have to play along until he found what he needed.

She continued. "Instead of letting all the humans turn against us, we must recruit followers from among them. They will defend us today, so that we can save them tomorrow."

The group of Aeons suddenly reappeared in the banquet hall. They resumed their meeting. Nick noted uneasily that the other two Aeons sat in postures even more deferential to Laura than they had before.

***

Nick looked around the makeshift temple that had only taken three weeks for Abril's construction firm to complete.

Laura had selected the former Picnic Point on the grounds of Governor's Island in New York Harbor as the site. This location had a number of advantages. It was near a major population center, which was helpful for drawing visitors. But it was also on an island, making it easy to monitor access, and therefore ensure security.

Abril had put her artistic talents to work, ensuring the architecture made the most of the inspiring views not only of the New York skyline, but also of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty - icons of hope for past generations.

She had ordered her construction company to design and build a marble and granite structure with a three story façade complete with Greek columns flanking a high stone staircase that led to a flat dais. This façade was supported by a modular steel frame that her crews snapped together within a matter of days. Eventually, when the temple was finally completed, marble likenesses of Aeons would be installed to adorn the dais. Behind the majestic entrance, the temple had a more practical purpose.

Providing hope.

The temple included a large storehouse full of sacks of food and canisters of gas and kerosene. Visitors would be allowed to take generous measures of both free of charge.

There was also an acolyte recruiting center, offering jobs at the first of the havens to be constructed. Applicants would be asked to fill out a computerized questionnaire, and receive a quick medical and physical check. Those who passed these screenings would be subjected to intense interviews and psychological testing to make sure they would be sufficiently loyal to their new masters - especially once they were no longer driven by the desperation of starvation.

Finally, there was a fully staffed security center, and a total of two dozen elite mercenaries who had defended Sparkwise oil projects in dangerous locales. Their presence was necessary not only to protect the large amounts of food and fuel stored in the facility, but also because Laura and the other Aeons expected reprisals against their new religion.

Today would be the grand opening of the facility, and Nick had joined Kobus, Abril, and Laura at the temple.

Nick stood at the top of the staircase below the temple's façade, watching as the first ferry boat set out from a lock in the Hudson Sea Wall at Manhattan's Battery Park and approached the island. He tugged at the clothes Abril had instructed him to wear. "This outfit is lame," he muttered to Kobus.

Kobus smiled back, revealing normal human teeth instead of the polar bear dentures he sported in the ether. The two had not met in real life many times before. Nick noticed that Kobus, like himself, was well over six feet in height, and had sculptured features and an athletic build. In fact, Nick and Kobus were almost indistinguishable, except that where Nick had long black hair, pale skin and green eyes, Kobus had tightly curled hair, coffee colored skin, and blue eyes. Nick wondered if their parents had used the same medical team to conduct their genetic engineering, but decided he'd rather not know.

Kobus was attired in an outfit similar to Nick's. It was an updated version of what a Greek or Roman god would have been depicted wearing two thousand years earlier. A tunic, short enough to reveal the rippling muscles in his arms and legs, held closed with a thick black leather belt. Nick's tunic was green and Kobus' was scarlet. Both Aeons wore close fitting horned brass helmets. The helmets' horns held antennae, and their rims held discreet cameras that provided a 360 degree field of view. The backs of the helmets had holes that matched the wearer's MindWave cooling vents.

Kobus shrugged and grinned sardonically as he replied. "At least it's warm inside the temple, bra. What would we wear if the floor wasn't heated?"

"Aeons aren't supposed to worry about banalities like the weather," said Nick, careful not to let his voice sound too sarcastic.

"We're not used to dressing like stukkies, so we feel like a couple of chans. It's easier for Laura and Abril. They're real choty goty."

Nick followed Kobus' gaze towards Laura and Abril. The female Aeons were dressed in more form fitting versions of the men's attire, Abril in black and Laura in pure white. In their real flesh and blood appearance, both women were tall and attractive, Laura statuesque while Abril was more curvaceous. In the morning breeze, Laura's long red hair blew outwards and mingled with Abril's dark brown locks.

"Ja no, they just look better," laughed Kobus. "Thank God for genetic engineering. It would be terrible, after all we've been through in the ether with them, to find out that they were ugly."

Nick agreed their two female companions were beautiful, but the thought just reminded him of Sarah. He felt a sick sense of relief that she was not witnessing today's events. If she had harangued him for trading oil, he couldn't imagine what she would have said about what he was doing now.

He reminded himself that it didn't matter what it looked like he was doing. He would play along with Laura's schemes just long enough to gain her trust and find evidence of her illegal activities. And then he would redeem himself by turning her in to the authorities and by convincing the remaining Aeons to use their vast wealth for good.

He realized he was glaring silently at Laura and Abril. To hide his ruminations from Kobus, he squinted and pointed at the colored tunics they wore. "There are, what, sixty Aeons now? Already, we've got red, green, white, and black outfits. Is Laura going to invent dozens of new colors as she gets all the other Aeons involved in this religion?"

Kobus chuckled. "Don't get your broekies in a knot, Nick. Abril already figured out we need to use sigils to distinguish us, instead of colors."

"How medieval," muttered Nick.

Laura saw them looking in her direction and called over. "All right, let's make sure we put on a show that impresses our visitors. Remember, we just have to stay during the consecration ceremony. I'll make a quick speech, and then we're out of here. No need to mix with the humans who come."

"You got it, baas," said Kobus, making a theatrical bow.

"The miracles we worked over the last few weeks will really draw the crowds today," gushed Abril. She was referring to the series of supposedly divine interventions the Aeons had made since deciding to found their religion, now formally called the Order of Knowledge. The emblem of the church was a golden circle with five interwoven lines coming out of its center.

In the weeks since Laura had proposed the new religion, Laura and Kobus had quickly released news across the multinet that the Aeons had intervened to cure terminally sick children, to provide new homes for dispossessed families, and to repair burned out factories. In some cases, the Aeons actually had done something positive. In others, the stories were entirely fabricated.

"My favorite was the story about the man who saw the device of the Order of Knowledge in a piece of toast and was cured of his tuberculosis," said Abril. "Muy bien!"

Nick noticed a shift in the stances of the security personnel that stood at the base of the steps. They didn't change position, but he perceived a new tenseness in their postures.

He used his MindWave antenna to connect to the audio channel they were using to communicate with each other.

"-wards the island. Repeat, four unidentified craft heading towards island" he heard a tense voice stating.

A calmer and more mature voice responded. "Eagle one, what is origin of four craft, and ETA?"

Eagle one responded. "Command, craft have departed from Clinton Wharf. ETA three minutes."

Clinton Wharf was in Brooklyn, directly across a narrow channel of water from the eastern shore of Governor's island. Nick arched his neck and squinted but could not see the approaching vessels because they were on the other side of the temple, and in any case were hidden behind the Sea Wall around Governor's Island. No matter. He linked his MindWave to the closed circuit security cameras around the perimeter of the building, and soon he could see four overcrowded vessels heading towards the temple.

Command spoke again. "Minnows 1 and 2, intercept unidentified craft and determine their intent. All points be aware we have unknowns inbound. Stallion 1, warm up for potential VIP evac."

Nick called out to the other Aeons, working to sound calm. "The security teams are picking up four boats approaching fast from Brooklyn."

"Que? Brooklyn?" asked Abril, nervousness in her voice. "Are you sure? I thought they were supposed to come from Manhattan." She pointed towards the slowly approaching orange ferry boat that had departed from Manhattan only a few minutes before.

"No, get on the security channel. These ones are from Brooklyn. Our guards are sending the speed boats to investigate."

The Aeons shifted uncomfortably. Behind them, they could hear the rotors of their helicopter begin to spin, as the pilots warmed it up for a possible emergency evacuation.

"This reminds me of my friend Pierre. Maybe we should head to the-" said Abril, taking a halting step towards the sound of the helicopter, yet looking to Laura for approval.

"Abril, stand your ground!" commanded Laura, holding out a long arm horizontally, as if to bar Abril's path. "We will not flee at the first challenge. Those boats may be bringing more believers. Or they may be bringing protestors. Nevertheless, today we unveil our first temple, and with it a new hope for our future. If we run away from a boatful of nats carrying placards, how can we form a new religion? No one worships cowards."

***

"Hal, are you still there?" Colonel Jaeger's voice was marred by static.

"I'm here. It's a sorry day when even United States Senators can't get a good phone signal," replied Senator O'Brien, trying hard to sound jovial.

"You must know the situation out in the Midwest and South is getting dire. It's not just heating anymore. People are starting to go hungry. And every day the Federal Government doesn't help, the Aeons look stronger."

"Laura Mayer seems content to turn the world against her. The National Unity Church has only gained followers since the Aeons launched that bizarre new cult of theirs," replied O'Brien.

"Laura believes she will profit from chaos. What the hell happened to all of those investigations and new laws?"

O'Brien grimaced. "It's hard to get anything constructive done. The Aeons are playing a game of chess where they use their money and influence to create different factions that they set against each other so no one's policies get enacted. As far as I can tell, they're tangling up every agency and every level of the Federal government. I can tell you they've brought the Senate to a complete halt. No one knows whom to trust. Governors who should be declaring martial law and cleaning up the mess seem to be looking to Reverend Cruz for leadership instead." He paused. "A lot of people in Washington have defected to Cruz' side."

"They're traitors. Forget about them."

"It's not so simple, Rad. Some of these are good, loyal people I've known for decades. They're defecting to Cruz because they fear the Federal government is too corrupt to protect the people against the Aeons. They think they can do more good from within Cruz' movement."

"Hal, we can halt all of this if we can make a real strike against the Aeons, and get the people the heating and food they need."

"What are you saying, Rad?"

"I have agents in place right now."

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