Post by The Circle Television Network on Jan 15, 2017 15:13:58 GMT -5
Chapter XIX: Just Have a Little Faith
Empire City General
Downtown, Empire City
“Tell me officer…how do you like your bacon?!!”
The words echoed inside her head as Vixxxen launched a massive fireball at her. Even as she backed away, she knew that these were her final moments on earth. She had hoped to at least die with the satisfaction of knowing that she had denied them the satisfaction of seeing her grovel for her life, unlike the nurse that now lay in the hallway, burned to a crisp.
‘Yeah… let’s see God get you out of this one moron…’ she thought to herself.
It all came together in a flash. The fireball was hurled at her, just as she fell back and braced herself against it. Her body fell against the window, and then crashed right through it. Even as she toppled over, she felt the heat lash across her and explode all around.
She thought to herself; ‘Not only do I get to burn to death…but I get to take the express all the way to the ground floor!’
Stacey reached out instinctively, her hands grabbing for purchase wherever they could find…even as she saw the world spinning wildly out of control beneath her. Suddenly, inexplicably her decent stopped, then she felt a hard jerk at her shoulder as her right hand found a jutting piece of concrete. The pain exploded in her arm and she nearly cried out, but she stifled it, even as tears rolled down her cheeks, betraying her secret heart.
She hadn’t hung there a second, when she realized that the remnants of her gown were aflame and no matter what she did she’d not escape death on this day. Her free hand beat at the flames, but it was no use she’d burn until she let go, and once she did she’d fall five floors to the ground below. Oddly, the only thought she had in her mind at the moment wasn’t of how hot the flames were or how hard the ground was but how silly she’d look in the crime scene photos.
‘FUCK! I’m not wearing any underwear…aint this a bitch!’
She could feel her fingers slipping…first one…then two…three…finally she dangled by a single finger. She looked up, not wanting to see the ground as it rushed up to meet her. This was as good a moment as any other to commune with Brandon’s God…especially since she was about to find out if he was real or not…
“…I…” The words caught in her throat, even as she slipped and tumbled down.
She lost her breath as she tumbled and felt something hard strike her side. There was a loud ‘POP’ and something scratched her face, arms, and legs…even as she once again found herself hurdling down. Her body, caught and hitched, even as her she held her eyes shut tight against what had to be the unenviable end.
“UMPH!!!” Her body hit, then caught on something, hanging awkwardly as she slowly opened her eyes. The ground was only a few feet away…but what had happe…
CRACK!!
Stacey slammed into the ground with a muddy splash, landing on her back and staring up through the tangled mass of broken tree limbs above her. As she lay there, she reached down and found that the flames had been doused by the mud…sparing her further injury.
She didn’t move for a minute or two more, staring up as she took quiet inventory of all of her body parts and powers of deductive reasoning. She rolled over slowly, pushing herself up onto her knees, even as she spoke aloud. “This doesn’t mean that I believe in you…”
A clap of thunder pierced the sky and a sudden downpour seemed to come from nowhere, soaking her almost instantly. Stacey shook her head as she struggled to get to her feet, then staggered and fell against the side of the tree. Her body was still a wreck…and suddenly she had second thoughts about her previous desire to give up the ring so quickly…
‘…the ring…’
Stacey thought back to the moment that Vixxxen and Reaver had come in. She had believed they had come to kill her…to finish the job they hadn’t in Gateway Park. However, there seemed to be more to their visit…they wanted something from her, something more than her death. They had come after the ring, there was no other explanation. She had to get back up to her room to see if it was still there.
She rubbed her aching shoulder, moving it as she did. That was a good sign…if nothing else. A broken shoulder would be the last thing she needed. She stood up slowly and began making her way towards the nearest entrance. She needed more time to recuperate, but time was no longer a luxury that she could afford. She needed to be certain of what she already knew, the ring was gone…and that meant one thing…someone had sent those murdering bitches after her, and she only needed one guess to figure out who had done it…
…Daria Knight…
Gateway Park
Empire City
The bronze 100 foot tall statue of Superius gleamed in the bright summer sunlight, before it was a mass of people on the damp grass of a park that had seen its fair share of disaster over the last month. At the feet of the enormous bronze statue was a pulpit and 3 large picture frames, across the front was a picture of each and every police officer, soldier, or ordinary citizen lost in the past month. From there was the crowd, the first rows of people were the direct mourners; the real losers in this past month of conflict. Friends, family and loved ones of every unnamed cop, soldier or civilian. After them were throngs of people assembling on the lawn, all the way to the street en masse; halting traffic and stopping city businesses eager to resume 'business as usual' in these unordinary times.
Moving up before the pulpit was Brandon Knight, the good book grasped in his left hand, greeted by an uproar of cheers at his presence. Empire City it seemed needed God now more than ever. "Good Morning. Thank you for coming. On this day of remembrance." Brandon Knight spoke calmly, pacifying the humongous gathering before him. "In our world of science...and technology...and supers...it's easy to turn a blind eye towards a God most of us might not feel exists; and I assure all of you I'm not here today to try to convince you otherwise. I'm here to lay to rest hundreds of brave souls who some might feel have been sent to the cold hard ground before their 'time', their lives extinguished like the blowing of a candle flame never to be heard from again. There is no comfort to be had in such an idea, my friends. So, I'm here to tell you that science itself supports the idea of an afterlife, even when it won't support the idea of One God; for all humans be they super or not, are composed of energy...and my friends energy is something that cannot die even if the shell around it withers...it can only change form. Like boiling water turns to steam, like burning wood turns to heat and smoke, these people, as we know them are dead, but what was within them...they're...spirit, their soul or whatever you'd like to call it...is not."
Sniffles began, as the onlookers bowed their heads out of respect, others looked upon the images emblazoned on the plaques as Brandon spoke.
"By meeting here today we do not condemn them to an eternity in the ground, we set them free to experience existence in some way that we as mere mortals won't yet get a chance to. As a minister of faith, I'm inclined to tell you, that I believe all things happen for a reason. This...tragedy...isn't for naught. This is a chance for all of us to see the mistakes we've made and act upon them. Violence doesn't always have to beget violence. It's so very easy to feel the need for vengeance in this terrible time. It's so incredibly easy to feel hatred and anger for those that would do us harm. These are all HUMAN emotions, be you calling yourself superhuman...or just plain ordinary human, I assure you, we're all just HUMAN in the eyes of God. It's also very easy to turn our minds away from God, after all...without Him we can have our fast money, our fast cars, and our aimless deaths. But today I encourage you, all of you not to do what is easy, but to do what is hard. It's hard turning the other cheek and moving on, it's hard forgiving those that have wronged you, it's hard to let go of our old fears and prejudices. I know this. History has proven that we as humans have simply done what is easy, and not what is hard. I'm asking everyone to consider this tragedy of life not as an excuse to hate, but as a reason to love."
--------------------
His voice sang out over the masses who listened intently; on the fringe of the mob, in the midst of a tiny walkway between two buildings stood Arella, quite unnoticed by the people gathered just feet away from her. Her brow was furled and her face hard with concentration as she watched and listened to the man who was now the most powerful minister of faith in all of Empire City, a man she had ironically led to that very position after her encounter with him when he was an officer of the law. She had not known the purpose for leading ‘the lamb’ into his true calling at the time…but it was not her place to know her Father’s will…only that Brandon needed to hear ‘the call’ of God so that he could fulfill his potential. When she ‘died’ yet again, Brandon heard the call and committed himself to the One God faith, ripening his spirit for the harvest that would soon come.
Brandon’s crisis of faith in the wake of the church burnings and the resurgence of meta worship had all been part of her Father’s plan. The Lamb would be the key to unlocking the gates that would allow her Father and his vast army to enter the Kingdom and finally bring about the End Times. Everything had gone according to plan…until Anka had appeared, emboldening not only Brandon but the city itself to rally to the One God. Faith was now running rampant and faith strengthened the Kingdom and its barriers. Faith would need to be broken if her Father’s aims were to be realized.
She whispered to herself, “Father, I will not fail you again…” She stepped back, her dark almond shaped eyes scanning the crowd…seeing deeper than any human eyes could see as she sought out those with power, those who could be turned to her will. She had lost one ally in the struggle with her ‘Mother’ but Empire City was a near endless wellspring of meta humanity now…souls that she could possess if they were weak enough.
Arella smiled as she found one such plaything…a young girl on the fringes of society, a runaway gifted with power…shunned as a freak by her family and friends. Arella could feel the power coursing through her…like a gathering storm ready to break. She had come here hoping to find solace and reconnect with humanity…maybe to find an answer to why she had been made different…and for what purpose. Arella had a purpose for her…a glorious purpose.
Arella focused her power on the girl, or more precisely her pain and discord. It shown like a beacon even as her eyes clouded over and she was cast into darkness.
The Shadow gathered…crawling up through the earth as it took root inside a new host…perhaps more powerful than the first. This one called herself Athena…how appropriate…
---------------
Athena stood at the edge of the crowd, listening to the priest as he talked about God, souls, and spirits. She had never been a believer in the One God, she hardly believed in anything, especially since she had nothing. She had been shunned by her family because of her abilities. They had been avid believers in the One God, so much so that they branded her an abomination. She fled from her home and lived in the streets, a lost young girl looking for meaning and purpose. She thought for a time she had found it in Gaia…a woman who reveled in her power and sought to liberate those like her from human oppression…but Gaia had been defeated, and now she was again cast out into the dark and choppy seas like a rudderless ship.
Perhaps religion was the answer…like her parents had always said. Perhaps if she asked the One God to take away the curse He had placed on her, she could have her life back. She listened to Brandon talk and talk about humans and metas and how they were all one in the same, despite the brewing disharmony between them. People needed to accept one another for who and what they were…but how could they when those who shared the same blood could not accept their own?
A single tear coursed down her face as she realized that it was only words…just like those her parents had bombarded her with. They meant less than nothing because there was no God…or more precisely, none that cared for those like her. The tear sparked on her cheek, popped and evaporated like water on a heated skillet as the anger inside her festered and boiled over…
---------------
The Shadow Arella summoned was called to the girl’s broken spirit and took root inside her, reveling in the sorrow inside of her…feeding on the anger.
The girl was a shattered vessel and darkness greedily filled those cracks and blossomed inside her. Arella had her new charge…one that would help turn the people shatter the fragile truce that the Lamb sought to build.
At the pulpit, Brandon continued on, "...we pray for their souls. The bodies of the deceased will be remembered...in one mass monument."
Arella couldn’t help but to smirk as the girl turned to her purpose…and her powers were unleashed…
The air coursed with static and the crowd felt the hairs on their heads raise up. There was an uneasy feeling among the people as they looked around. Brandon stopped and glanced around, people in the crowd doing the same...panic it would seem was all too familiar to these people, glancing around with worried glances. Brandon tried to continue, but a sound like thunder knocked many to the ground as lightning pierced the ground around them.
Brandon held his hands up, to try to calm the flock, as they stood gripping those close by. He searched the sky, but it was bright and clear, not a cloud to be seen anywhere. Frightened voices from the crowd rose…
"What's happening?" a woman cried.
KRACK!!
Lightning hit again, knocking the three stands of photographs over in front of the procession, Brandon himself falling onto his back on the platform the entire crowd starting to run in a panic.
A large man in the crowd held his hand up and pointed, “IT’S A META!”
All eyes turned towards Athena as she rose from the ground, lightning arcing from her body and striking not only the ground but panicked people as they stampeded like frightened cattle. The entire crowd seemed to scream the kind of scream you might hear in a grade school classroom, only with a lot less glee. The funeral gathering turned into a mob instantly, fleeing for their respective lives.
Athena hovered up, glancing around as she lashed out at the people around her.
Her eyes furtively darted around her at the crowd as some fled, others stayed, tossing rocks at her, in seconds the police had rolled out in force in full riot gear, quickly dissuading any civilians from taking action. Gritting her teeth, she took one final look at Gateway Park, the ground littered with the writhing bodies of her victims, people screaming, crying at the travesty of seeing yet another meta attack. She shrugged, and rose higher out of the reach of their hurled rocks and the weapons of the police as they attempted to stop her. In an instant, she was gone…leaving only devastation in her wake.
Arella’s vision slowly returned to her as she watched the scene of chaos all around her…and she smiled…
---------------
Brandon stared at the chaotic scene all around him even as he did what he could to allay the fears of the people, but it was of little use. The events of the evening had galvanized the crowd…the mob…and now it was beyond his ability to quell. Anti-Meta sentiment spread rapidly as the people shouted at the top of their lungs…
“SACRILEGE!”
“THEY SHOULD ALL BURN IN HELL!!”
“THEY ARE EVIL!! EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM!!”
Brandon wanted to tell them that it wasn’t so…that their fear and hatred had gotten the better of them, but in fact it had gotten the better of him as well. Brandon pursed his lips as he closed his eyes and turned his face up towards the heavens. “God…I know that you work in mysterious ways, but this…this will tear the city apart! Set brother against brother…us against them!”
He opened his eyes and looked back down at the devastation. He could feel it…the tide was turning here. Once…people ran in fear of what they didn’t understand…but now? Who could say…
Empire City was as Rome was before…a mob. Once, Rome burned…how long would it be before the whole of Empire City did the same?
Brandon turned and looked to the sky…even as it now suddenly began to turn black with thunderheads. “Anka…where are you?” He sighed. “We could all really use a little faith right now…”
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Vixxxen … Katie Anderson
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Father Brandon Knight … Trace VanReardon
Arella … Orchid
Athena … Cass Baumer
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
Empire City General
Downtown, Empire City
“Tell me officer…how do you like your bacon?!!”
The words echoed inside her head as Vixxxen launched a massive fireball at her. Even as she backed away, she knew that these were her final moments on earth. She had hoped to at least die with the satisfaction of knowing that she had denied them the satisfaction of seeing her grovel for her life, unlike the nurse that now lay in the hallway, burned to a crisp.
‘Yeah… let’s see God get you out of this one moron…’ she thought to herself.
It all came together in a flash. The fireball was hurled at her, just as she fell back and braced herself against it. Her body fell against the window, and then crashed right through it. Even as she toppled over, she felt the heat lash across her and explode all around.
She thought to herself; ‘Not only do I get to burn to death…but I get to take the express all the way to the ground floor!’
Stacey reached out instinctively, her hands grabbing for purchase wherever they could find…even as she saw the world spinning wildly out of control beneath her. Suddenly, inexplicably her decent stopped, then she felt a hard jerk at her shoulder as her right hand found a jutting piece of concrete. The pain exploded in her arm and she nearly cried out, but she stifled it, even as tears rolled down her cheeks, betraying her secret heart.
She hadn’t hung there a second, when she realized that the remnants of her gown were aflame and no matter what she did she’d not escape death on this day. Her free hand beat at the flames, but it was no use she’d burn until she let go, and once she did she’d fall five floors to the ground below. Oddly, the only thought she had in her mind at the moment wasn’t of how hot the flames were or how hard the ground was but how silly she’d look in the crime scene photos.
‘FUCK! I’m not wearing any underwear…aint this a bitch!’
She could feel her fingers slipping…first one…then two…three…finally she dangled by a single finger. She looked up, not wanting to see the ground as it rushed up to meet her. This was as good a moment as any other to commune with Brandon’s God…especially since she was about to find out if he was real or not…
“…I…” The words caught in her throat, even as she slipped and tumbled down.
She lost her breath as she tumbled and felt something hard strike her side. There was a loud ‘POP’ and something scratched her face, arms, and legs…even as she once again found herself hurdling down. Her body, caught and hitched, even as her she held her eyes shut tight against what had to be the unenviable end.
“UMPH!!!” Her body hit, then caught on something, hanging awkwardly as she slowly opened her eyes. The ground was only a few feet away…but what had happe…
CRACK!!
Stacey slammed into the ground with a muddy splash, landing on her back and staring up through the tangled mass of broken tree limbs above her. As she lay there, she reached down and found that the flames had been doused by the mud…sparing her further injury.
She didn’t move for a minute or two more, staring up as she took quiet inventory of all of her body parts and powers of deductive reasoning. She rolled over slowly, pushing herself up onto her knees, even as she spoke aloud. “This doesn’t mean that I believe in you…”
A clap of thunder pierced the sky and a sudden downpour seemed to come from nowhere, soaking her almost instantly. Stacey shook her head as she struggled to get to her feet, then staggered and fell against the side of the tree. Her body was still a wreck…and suddenly she had second thoughts about her previous desire to give up the ring so quickly…
‘…the ring…’
Stacey thought back to the moment that Vixxxen and Reaver had come in. She had believed they had come to kill her…to finish the job they hadn’t in Gateway Park. However, there seemed to be more to their visit…they wanted something from her, something more than her death. They had come after the ring, there was no other explanation. She had to get back up to her room to see if it was still there.
She rubbed her aching shoulder, moving it as she did. That was a good sign…if nothing else. A broken shoulder would be the last thing she needed. She stood up slowly and began making her way towards the nearest entrance. She needed more time to recuperate, but time was no longer a luxury that she could afford. She needed to be certain of what she already knew, the ring was gone…and that meant one thing…someone had sent those murdering bitches after her, and she only needed one guess to figure out who had done it…
…Daria Knight…
Gateway Park
Empire City
The bronze 100 foot tall statue of Superius gleamed in the bright summer sunlight, before it was a mass of people on the damp grass of a park that had seen its fair share of disaster over the last month. At the feet of the enormous bronze statue was a pulpit and 3 large picture frames, across the front was a picture of each and every police officer, soldier, or ordinary citizen lost in the past month. From there was the crowd, the first rows of people were the direct mourners; the real losers in this past month of conflict. Friends, family and loved ones of every unnamed cop, soldier or civilian. After them were throngs of people assembling on the lawn, all the way to the street en masse; halting traffic and stopping city businesses eager to resume 'business as usual' in these unordinary times.
Moving up before the pulpit was Brandon Knight, the good book grasped in his left hand, greeted by an uproar of cheers at his presence. Empire City it seemed needed God now more than ever. "Good Morning. Thank you for coming. On this day of remembrance." Brandon Knight spoke calmly, pacifying the humongous gathering before him. "In our world of science...and technology...and supers...it's easy to turn a blind eye towards a God most of us might not feel exists; and I assure all of you I'm not here today to try to convince you otherwise. I'm here to lay to rest hundreds of brave souls who some might feel have been sent to the cold hard ground before their 'time', their lives extinguished like the blowing of a candle flame never to be heard from again. There is no comfort to be had in such an idea, my friends. So, I'm here to tell you that science itself supports the idea of an afterlife, even when it won't support the idea of One God; for all humans be they super or not, are composed of energy...and my friends energy is something that cannot die even if the shell around it withers...it can only change form. Like boiling water turns to steam, like burning wood turns to heat and smoke, these people, as we know them are dead, but what was within them...they're...spirit, their soul or whatever you'd like to call it...is not."
Sniffles began, as the onlookers bowed their heads out of respect, others looked upon the images emblazoned on the plaques as Brandon spoke.
"By meeting here today we do not condemn them to an eternity in the ground, we set them free to experience existence in some way that we as mere mortals won't yet get a chance to. As a minister of faith, I'm inclined to tell you, that I believe all things happen for a reason. This...tragedy...isn't for naught. This is a chance for all of us to see the mistakes we've made and act upon them. Violence doesn't always have to beget violence. It's so very easy to feel the need for vengeance in this terrible time. It's so incredibly easy to feel hatred and anger for those that would do us harm. These are all HUMAN emotions, be you calling yourself superhuman...or just plain ordinary human, I assure you, we're all just HUMAN in the eyes of God. It's also very easy to turn our minds away from God, after all...without Him we can have our fast money, our fast cars, and our aimless deaths. But today I encourage you, all of you not to do what is easy, but to do what is hard. It's hard turning the other cheek and moving on, it's hard forgiving those that have wronged you, it's hard to let go of our old fears and prejudices. I know this. History has proven that we as humans have simply done what is easy, and not what is hard. I'm asking everyone to consider this tragedy of life not as an excuse to hate, but as a reason to love."
--------------------
His voice sang out over the masses who listened intently; on the fringe of the mob, in the midst of a tiny walkway between two buildings stood Arella, quite unnoticed by the people gathered just feet away from her. Her brow was furled and her face hard with concentration as she watched and listened to the man who was now the most powerful minister of faith in all of Empire City, a man she had ironically led to that very position after her encounter with him when he was an officer of the law. She had not known the purpose for leading ‘the lamb’ into his true calling at the time…but it was not her place to know her Father’s will…only that Brandon needed to hear ‘the call’ of God so that he could fulfill his potential. When she ‘died’ yet again, Brandon heard the call and committed himself to the One God faith, ripening his spirit for the harvest that would soon come.
Brandon’s crisis of faith in the wake of the church burnings and the resurgence of meta worship had all been part of her Father’s plan. The Lamb would be the key to unlocking the gates that would allow her Father and his vast army to enter the Kingdom and finally bring about the End Times. Everything had gone according to plan…until Anka had appeared, emboldening not only Brandon but the city itself to rally to the One God. Faith was now running rampant and faith strengthened the Kingdom and its barriers. Faith would need to be broken if her Father’s aims were to be realized.
She whispered to herself, “Father, I will not fail you again…” She stepped back, her dark almond shaped eyes scanning the crowd…seeing deeper than any human eyes could see as she sought out those with power, those who could be turned to her will. She had lost one ally in the struggle with her ‘Mother’ but Empire City was a near endless wellspring of meta humanity now…souls that she could possess if they were weak enough.
Arella smiled as she found one such plaything…a young girl on the fringes of society, a runaway gifted with power…shunned as a freak by her family and friends. Arella could feel the power coursing through her…like a gathering storm ready to break. She had come here hoping to find solace and reconnect with humanity…maybe to find an answer to why she had been made different…and for what purpose. Arella had a purpose for her…a glorious purpose.
Arella focused her power on the girl, or more precisely her pain and discord. It shown like a beacon even as her eyes clouded over and she was cast into darkness.
The Shadow gathered…crawling up through the earth as it took root inside a new host…perhaps more powerful than the first. This one called herself Athena…how appropriate…
---------------
Athena stood at the edge of the crowd, listening to the priest as he talked about God, souls, and spirits. She had never been a believer in the One God, she hardly believed in anything, especially since she had nothing. She had been shunned by her family because of her abilities. They had been avid believers in the One God, so much so that they branded her an abomination. She fled from her home and lived in the streets, a lost young girl looking for meaning and purpose. She thought for a time she had found it in Gaia…a woman who reveled in her power and sought to liberate those like her from human oppression…but Gaia had been defeated, and now she was again cast out into the dark and choppy seas like a rudderless ship.
Perhaps religion was the answer…like her parents had always said. Perhaps if she asked the One God to take away the curse He had placed on her, she could have her life back. She listened to Brandon talk and talk about humans and metas and how they were all one in the same, despite the brewing disharmony between them. People needed to accept one another for who and what they were…but how could they when those who shared the same blood could not accept their own?
A single tear coursed down her face as she realized that it was only words…just like those her parents had bombarded her with. They meant less than nothing because there was no God…or more precisely, none that cared for those like her. The tear sparked on her cheek, popped and evaporated like water on a heated skillet as the anger inside her festered and boiled over…
---------------
The Shadow Arella summoned was called to the girl’s broken spirit and took root inside her, reveling in the sorrow inside of her…feeding on the anger.
The girl was a shattered vessel and darkness greedily filled those cracks and blossomed inside her. Arella had her new charge…one that would help turn the people shatter the fragile truce that the Lamb sought to build.
At the pulpit, Brandon continued on, "...we pray for their souls. The bodies of the deceased will be remembered...in one mass monument."
Arella couldn’t help but to smirk as the girl turned to her purpose…and her powers were unleashed…
The air coursed with static and the crowd felt the hairs on their heads raise up. There was an uneasy feeling among the people as they looked around. Brandon stopped and glanced around, people in the crowd doing the same...panic it would seem was all too familiar to these people, glancing around with worried glances. Brandon tried to continue, but a sound like thunder knocked many to the ground as lightning pierced the ground around them.
Brandon held his hands up, to try to calm the flock, as they stood gripping those close by. He searched the sky, but it was bright and clear, not a cloud to be seen anywhere. Frightened voices from the crowd rose…
"What's happening?" a woman cried.
KRACK!!
Lightning hit again, knocking the three stands of photographs over in front of the procession, Brandon himself falling onto his back on the platform the entire crowd starting to run in a panic.
A large man in the crowd held his hand up and pointed, “IT’S A META!”
All eyes turned towards Athena as she rose from the ground, lightning arcing from her body and striking not only the ground but panicked people as they stampeded like frightened cattle. The entire crowd seemed to scream the kind of scream you might hear in a grade school classroom, only with a lot less glee. The funeral gathering turned into a mob instantly, fleeing for their respective lives.
Athena hovered up, glancing around as she lashed out at the people around her.
Her eyes furtively darted around her at the crowd as some fled, others stayed, tossing rocks at her, in seconds the police had rolled out in force in full riot gear, quickly dissuading any civilians from taking action. Gritting her teeth, she took one final look at Gateway Park, the ground littered with the writhing bodies of her victims, people screaming, crying at the travesty of seeing yet another meta attack. She shrugged, and rose higher out of the reach of their hurled rocks and the weapons of the police as they attempted to stop her. In an instant, she was gone…leaving only devastation in her wake.
Arella’s vision slowly returned to her as she watched the scene of chaos all around her…and she smiled…
---------------
Brandon stared at the chaotic scene all around him even as he did what he could to allay the fears of the people, but it was of little use. The events of the evening had galvanized the crowd…the mob…and now it was beyond his ability to quell. Anti-Meta sentiment spread rapidly as the people shouted at the top of their lungs…
“SACRILEGE!”
“THEY SHOULD ALL BURN IN HELL!!”
“THEY ARE EVIL!! EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM!!”
Brandon wanted to tell them that it wasn’t so…that their fear and hatred had gotten the better of them, but in fact it had gotten the better of him as well. Brandon pursed his lips as he closed his eyes and turned his face up towards the heavens. “God…I know that you work in mysterious ways, but this…this will tear the city apart! Set brother against brother…us against them!”
He opened his eyes and looked back down at the devastation. He could feel it…the tide was turning here. Once…people ran in fear of what they didn’t understand…but now? Who could say…
Empire City was as Rome was before…a mob. Once, Rome burned…how long would it be before the whole of Empire City did the same?
Brandon turned and looked to the sky…even as it now suddenly began to turn black with thunderheads. “Anka…where are you?” He sighed. “We could all really use a little faith right now…”
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Vixxxen … Katie Anderson
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Father Brandon Knight … Trace VanReardon
Arella … Orchid
Athena … Cass Baumer
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure