Maion reached into her mind, a mind that was still clouded by the residual anaesthetic from her surgery. “Not many. They are very expensive. To work in Michael’s club was the only way I could afford them. He gave them to me as long as I worked for him.”
“As a whore.” Grace couldn’t keep the condemnation out of her voice, try as she did. She had once been an observant Catholic and the early indoctrination was still there. Maion started to cry and that made Grace feel even worse about her outburst. She put that feeling to one side and turned to Lemuel. “And now we come to you. How did you get hooked?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t know until I came here.”
“You never injected anything? Smoked anything?”
Lemuel shook his head. “I took Excedrin or Tylenol sometimes. And drank Gatorade. Reverencing Yahweh made my head hurt and my throat dry. The pills eased my head and the gatorade quenched my thirst.”
Grace nodded. There was a reason why nurses asked these questions, patients opened up to them in ways they wouldn’t to a doctor or a policeman. It sometimes amused her that patients thought they were just chatting to a nurse without realizing that there was no such thing as something unplanned happening in a hospital. “Did you feel bad at other times?”
Lemuel thought for a moment. “If I stayed away from the temple for too long, I would feel tired and irritable. But as soon as I went back, all would be well again.”
“A feeling of peace, tranquility and a sort of glow?”
“Exactly. How did you know?”
“You were mellow, stoned out of your mind my boy. And when you were away, you started suffering mild withdrawal symptoms. Was this any temple? “
“No, just the Temple of Everlasting Acquiescence. After a few visits, I enjoyed the tranquility so much I only went there.”
“Did you eat while you were there?”
“Not at first. But, later I started to eat hamburgers made there.”
“Well, that’s it. I would guess the drugs were in those burgers. It’s a common trick, usually used on women though. Put drugs into their food, get them hooked and put them out to work to pay for their habit.”
“Who could do such a thing to me?” Lemuel was appalled and outraged.
“Who did it to her?” Grace pointed at Maion and then departed with her records. Lemuel was left with a very thoughtful expression on his face.
Board Room, Montmartre Club, The Eternal City, Heaven
“Is everybody clear on where we go from here? Any questions at all, speak up now. The way the humans are moving had caught us before everything was ready so we have to move.”
“How will we know the coup has taken place?” Charmeine-Lan’s nervousness was apparent in her voice.
“You can count on thunder, lightning and sound effects. Multi-colored lightning for a certainty and really impressive thunder, probably covering most of the city. You people here, just ignore that and keep the bands playing. That’ll keep everybody’s mind in synch so I can draw on your power. Think of this place as a hose and me as the nozzle. When everything stops, it’ll all be over. Then, once Yahweh has lost that battle, I’ll put out a call and we’ll get the new government set up. Once it’s in place and running, there’ll be very little opposition. The Host is conditioned to accept absolute leadership from the Ultimate Temple. As long as Yahweh is dead, there will be no trouble, the Host will accept new leadership as an alternative to no leadership. We’ll have our people out there of course, making sure that line gets pushed hard. Then, once our power is solid, Gabby, you and Raffie get through to the humans and tell them we want to surrender.”
“Suppose… you lose?” Leilah-Lan was uncertain and frightened at the prospect.
“Me? I’ll be dead. Very did and probably crushed out of this and any other existence. You lot, you’ll be safe here for a little bit. Yah-yah has no idea this places exists or that he has any reason to find it. You’ll have a few minutes before that idea sinks in. That’s why I don’t want you in the temple with me. Use that few minutes to run like hell. To Hell, or better still to Earth. Try and get the staff here out as well. It’ll be a real panic so do the best you can. Then get out. Trust me you don’t want to be in this city when Yah-yah goes berserk and especially not when the humans blast their way in.”
The other members of Michael’s inner circle exchanged glances. Nothing that had been said before drove the dangers of what they were about to try home so clearly. Michael looked around the room and nodded. “If there is nothing else, I’m off to the Ultimate Temple. If you do nothing else, keep the music playing right?”
Michael-Lan left the room and started wandering through his club. He had conceived it the day he had realized that human development would eventually lead into direct conflict with Yahweh and that the rapid escalation of human abilities meant that conflict would be immensely destructive. The Montmartre club had been modelled first on a Paris night club but had grown to include features from American speakeasies and Las Vegas casinos. At some point during its growth, the club had ceased to be a tool that Michael intended to use and had become something he loved. Now, he was very well aware that he might well be seeing it for the last time.
He left through the front entrance, winding his way out of the maze into the open air. Then, he inflated his flight sacs to the full and took off, climbing high above the city. Stay clear of the cloud he reminded himself. It might be hotter than you like. Underneath him, the shadowed Eternal City lay in its splendor. Splendor? Michael looked down again and once more saw the shabbiness and ill-repair that lay underneath the superficial gloss. Poor city, your problem is that nobody really loves you. We’ll have to fix that. If I survive of course..
Ahead of him was the great Lake of Placid Contemplation that formed the centerpiece of the city. Fed from a river that started in The Ultimate Temple itself, the vast expanse of water was Yahweh’s own private park, one where others were only allowed as an extreme sign of favor. Michael had plans for that lake, ones in which the words “Yachting Marina” figured prominently. Of course, he would still have to win the impending battle first.
He circled above the great square of the city. 1,500 kilometers on each side, the walls pierced by 12 gates. Michael knew well that some humans believed that the gates were named after the tribes of Israel but that was just a human legend. Their names were older than that. In fact they pre-dated humanity completely. They pre-dated humans but they would not post-date them, not unless Michael’s plans worked. He had a brief vivid mental picture of the city below screaming as the great mushroom-shaped clouds rose over it. The humans would not even try to take the Eternal City by storm, they would destroy it utterly. Michael knew that as surely as he knew his own name.
He paused for a second. Did he know his own name? Was he still Michael-Lan-Yahweh or had he in truth become Michael-Lan-Michael? He mused over the point for a few seconds while his eyes took in the sights that he may never get the chance to see again.
Michael sighed and backwinged, dropping through the air towards the forecourt of The Ultimate Temple. There had been a time when this place had filled him with superstitious awe. Now, he viewed it with little more than contempt. Yet, it was still an impressive enough building, one that would make an excellent tourist attraction. Briefly, Michael contemplated installing a ‘What the angel saw’ machine in the forecourt and the idea made him chuckle. That, at least, broke the mood of apprehension that had been gathering within him.
“Welcome Mighty General.” The gatekeeper genuflected in front of him. Michael acknowledged the obeisance with a curt nod and entered the forecourt itself. Once again, he looked around, gathering in the sights that might soon be eternally denied to him. Then, he squared his shoulders, tucked his wings into place and started the climb up the alabaster steps towards the throne room where Yahweh awaited him.