Post by The Circle Television Network on Feb 27, 2017 21:36:37 GMT -5
Chapter XXIII: A New Religion…A New Obsession…
High Over…
Empire City
Anka’s wings beat at the night air fiercely as she looked down at the city, on the brink of complete chaos. She had narrowly managed to escape the clutches of the mighty Superius…to her, a mass murderer…to most others; protector of Empire City. Granted great power and strength, he had endured through the centuries, nearly as long as she had. Was this also a ‘gift’ from God…like the ‘gift’ she was cursed with? Were she and Superius just pawns in the same game?
Through hundreds of years of pain and suffering she had learned to hate Superius, to blame him for much of the tragedy that had befallen her…but what if he was nothing but another piece on the master’s chess board? The mere thought was enough to make Anka’s blood boil. Was all of this just a sick game? It seemed that every time she turned her attention to earning admission into paradise, another distraction conveniently found its way into her path…
Superius…
Arella…
Brandon Knight…
Everything she believed had been thrown into chaos. Saving Brandon Knight had not opened the gate of Heaven to her. She had sacrificed paradise for Arella as she lay dying in her arms, but the girl had not taken her place in Heaven…she remained here on earth. Then there was Superius, the bane of her existence…a man she thought to be evil incarnate, yet he had risked his life to save hers…knowing of her hatred for him.
She didn’t feel the slightest tinge of guilt for putting him in the path of the transport, but all the while his concern was not for himself, but for her wellbeing. He was obviously a man of principle…a man of conviction…if not one that had helped to cleanse the world of her people. No one was perfect…she craned her neck to the Heavens…especially not God.
But maybe Superius wasn’t wrong…maybe his fault hadn’t been in wiping out her people, maybe it had been in not destroying them all…
Madison District Police Station
Empire City
Brandon sat in his tiny cell…a protective prison made for him by his old friend and former lover, Detective Stacey Jordan. Even though she had explained her actions, telling him that she was doing this for his own protection, he sensed that there was something more behind it all. There was some other agenda…buried just below the surface.
Who was he being protected from? The fire-wielding, clawed maniacs that had attacked her at the hospital…the same pair of female metas that had been responsible for burning down his church? They hadn’t been seen in weeks. No…there was something more to it…and he would make her tell him when next he saw her.
He didn’t have to wait long…
He heard the outer door open and then the whistles and catcalls from the men locked in adjacent cells. The treading footsteps stopped in front of his cell and he glanced up from his bunk into the piercing eyes of his personal jailer. “Are you going to end this farce Stacey? You know that the people out there need me…so why are you doing this?”
She didn’t answer him, she merely held up her police scanner and turned up the volume. Brandon listened and a shock ran through him as the words poured out and filled every dark corner of his minuscule cell…
'Be on the lookout for a flying woman with wings. Looks like an angel. The charge is murder.'
Brandon got to his feet, glaring at Stacey. “What is the meaning of this?!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE STACEY?!!”
She was taken aback by the fierce response. She had expected some resistance, but not outright anger. This caused her own anger to boil over and she stuck an accusing finger in his face through the bars of the cell. “The question is…WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!! This entire city is in an uproar…and you have been busy touting that META as some sort of savior…some kind of sign from God!” She grinned with a sick sort of satisfaction as she gestured with her hands. “NEWS FLASH FATHER!! Your girl is a murdering whore…and for all any of us know…she was a party to burning down Madison Chapel and every other church in this city!”
“NO!!” He protested. “I was there! She had nothing to do with it! It was the other two women…they burned down the church and killed Jacob! You are playing with the will of God here Stacey…and I don’t know why you’re doing it!”
Stacey took a deep breath and planted her hands firmly on her hips. “Anka is a murderer…she killed dozens of people in the S.C. Lewis Building…and I’m willing to bet that she’s responsible for the church burnings around the city…”
“…no… you’re wrong…” he replied, his voice almost a whisper.
Stacey roared. “I’M RIGHT!! And when she’s brought in…at least part of this nightmare will end!” She turned to walk away. “Now…if you’ll excuse me…there’s a murderer running or flying around loose in my city, and I mean to have accommodations ready for her when she arrives!”
Brandon listened as Stacey’s footsteps treaded away, but he could only hear her parting words echoing in his ears. Anka was no murderer…she was a child touched by the hand of God and given a great purpose. Perhaps she wasn’t an angel…and certainly she was fallible…but an arsonist? A murderer? NO! There was no way! Stacey, whether she realized it or not, was off on a tangent…tinged by some sort of personal vendetta or prejudice.
Whatever it was…it was wrong…and it was dangerous. This was a time for faith and healing…what Stacey was doing would drive the final nail into the coffin of a city already well past the brink…
Brandon jumped to his feet and ran to the bars and began banging on them. “HELP!! HELP!! SOMEBODY!! OPEN THIS CELL!!”
After a few moments, a baby-faced guard opened the outer door and ran down to Brandon’s cell. “What’s your problem?!”
Brandon glared at him. “I need to get out of here right now!”
The man scratched his head. “Errr…sir…you’re in here for your own protection. I have str…”
Brandon waved him off. “Spare me the company line son! I have shoes back at my apartment that have more time in the police force than you! Get me the Chief down here…I’m demanding to be let out right now!”
The young officer stuttered. “B-but…I have strict o-orders from Det…”
Brandon stared at him evenly. “I don’t give a damn what Stacey Jordan told you…get the Chief down here…or get ready to find a new job, rookie!”
The officer lingered for only a moment, then ran back towards the exit. In the adjacent cells, the prisoners all clapped and cheered. ‘YOU TELL EM’ FADDA!!’ ‘SENT THAT PIG RUNNIN’ LIKE A LIL’ BITCH!’ Brandon ignored the cheers as he sat down and waited. The longer he was confined…the more damage would be done outside. Not only to the faith of the people…but to the city itself!
Anka was a lost child…how would she react? What would she do? Time was the enemy now…and for all he knew…it had already run out…
High Over…
Empire City
Anka flew without rhyme or reason, her mind wandering from thought to thought. She wanted desperately to find Arella…to talk to her…find out what had happened to her, where she had been. But those thoughts were always tinged with doubt as she wondered if this was just another distraction…just another way to get her to play His game…
…one she no longer desired to be part of…
Anka veered off at the last moment, nearly crashing into the side of a building as her mind wandered. As she collected herself, her eyes moved to a commotion, just a few blocks north of her. She swooped in, caring little about being seen now. As she flew over, a massive crowd of fifty or more surrounded a young boy, barely out of his teens, if at all. They all screamed and yelled at him, calling him names…pelting him…spitting on him…all because of the color of his skin.
…its blue hue stood in sharp contrast to everyone around him…all of the so-called normals…
The boy was frightened beyond all reason and it showed as blue tinged tears flowed down the sides of his face…his trousers wet and stained blue at the crotch. This was to be a lynching of a sort…payback to Meta-Kind for all that they had done in recent weeks.
No one seemed to notice her there…no one except the boy who turned his face skyward…for the last time. His eyes big and pleading…just before the mob descended on him, thrashing and beating him to death. His only crime…being born different…
This was not her concern…nor was it God’s. Where was He now? The answer was plain, He stood in callous indifference, just as He had when she was raped, beaten, and brutalized over and over for many lifetimes.
She turned to go, but before she could, a loud voice yelled to her. “FREEZE!!”
She turned and her eyes were met by a bright light that blinded her, then her body convulsed…causing her to fall from the sky, down to the pavement below. She hit the ground with a thud as sparks flew from the taser darts that had been fired into her body.
The officer holding the taser gun looked at his partner. “CALL IT IN BERT!!! TELL THEM THAT WE GOT HER RIGHT HERE ON 23’RD AND BRANCH!!”
The crowd gathered around and watched as Anka tried to will her limbs to obey her, but the electricity coursing through her made it all but impossible. The faces within the mob were ashen and confused. They all looked down at her and then at each other.
The officer with the taser walked over and gestured for the crowd to move back. “PEOPLE!! CLEAR THE WAY!! WE HAVE A SITUATION HERE!! THIS…THIS…ANGEL…IS WANTED BY ECPD!!”
This sent another ripple of murmurs through the crowd… the mob… the one that had just beaten a young boy to death…
‘HEY!! LEAVE HER ALONE PIG!!’ ‘YEAH!! SHE’S AN ANGEL YOU FUCKING MORON!!’ ‘WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? ARE YOU A RETARD?!!’
The officer took a step back, even as his partner exited the car, unstrapping his weapon. “MOVE BACK PEOPLE!! YOU ARE INTERFERRING WITH OFFICIAL POLICE BUSINESS!! IF YOU DON’T GE…”
A rock flew from the crowd and hit the windshield of the squad car, cracking it and causing him to put his head down. He drew his weapon, even as crowd began to throw more and more debris his way. The officers beat a hasty retreat as they got into their car and backed off.
Several members of the crowd ran over to Anka, even as she finally managed to yank out the darts as they looked at her in wonder. She stood up slowly…her eyes falling on each of them…and then to the blue tinted blood on their hands. She almost laughed as some fell to their knees and crossed themselves. These were God’s children? The ones that He would allow to pass through The Veil and into paradise…all while she and Arella languished here in torment. It sickened her…and yet…it also opened her eyes.
She stretched out her wings, giving them an audible pop as she made herself look as majestic and regal as possible. Here she stood before a mob of anti-meta protesters…a curious look on her face as she considered the irony of it all. Out of the majority of metas in Empire City, with the immediate exception of little-dead-boy blue…she looked the most non-human with her broad wings. All the same, for that very reason, she had attained a level of acceptance here that none of the others could lay claim to. She wasn’t looked at as a meta at all…she was divine…a being truly of God…at least to those who believed.
Deep down inside, she loathed the idea that she was somehow perpetuating the ‘One God’ theory and drawing more followers to the church, but on the other hand…there was no better position for someone with her aims to be in. She was going to do what needed to be done…leading the lambs to slaughter.
Anka took a deep breath as she prepared to do something that she hadn’t done but once before…address the people of Empire City. She had been talked about in many circles…and seen in far fewer. That time was at an end…God had played His game with her, and now she would start with a game of her own…
“Children…the Lord God has sent me unto you in this most desperate of times so that you might have faith and strength enough to enter His Kingdom! He has watched you all…each and every one, and as the time of judgment nears…each of you will have to soon make a choice between right and wrong…good and evil. The question is…would you put your fate in God’s hands when the time comes?”
At first, the voices from the crowd were few, a murmured “yes” with a “amen” or two sprinkled in for good measure. All the same, after a few moments, the crowd began to come together, rallying themselves into a renewed frenzy.
Anka turned to the lifeless blue body that lay on the ground behind her. His only crime was being born different…but what was her crime? Being born at all? She turned to them. “The End of Days are upon us…and the enemy of God has set his minions among you…” She pointed to the dead boy. “…the war for your immortal souls…the war between Heaven and Hell is begun!”
The looks of confusion by some, were turned to looks of utter fear. ‘IT’S THE METAS!! THEY ARE DEVILS!! I TOLD YOU THEY WERE DEVILS!!’ ‘EVIL!! EVIL I TELL YOU!!’ ‘WHAT CAN WE DO?!! HOW CAN WE SAVE OURSELVES? HOW CAN WE SAVE OUR CHILDREN?!!’
Anka smiled ever so slightly. “You must wipe clean the firmament of the unholy among you…make ready the land for His return…”
‘KILL THE METAS!!!’ ‘SEND THE DEMONS BACK TO HELL!!!’
What did God think about Anka’s impassioned speech on His behalf? Did He even care? He didn’t care about the little blue boy lying dead in the streets. Just as He didn’t care about the young girl who was beaten and raped in the streets of Rome so many long centuries ago. He had taunted and teased her…dangled paradise before her…then snatched it away time and again. He had alluded to a ‘GREAT PURPOSE’ for her…and yet…He had only visited more torment upon her.
How long had she groveled at His feet and begged for His love and mercy? How long would He ignore her?
Not for much longer if she had her way…
If He would not allow her to die and end her suffering…she’d make Him strike her down…or watch while His children…human and meta alike butchered one another…in His name…
She was like a petulant child throwing a tantrum all for the sake of getting Her father’s attention. Would it work? How far would she go? Could she stand to have the blood of innocents on her hands? The mob didn’t seem to mind…but Rome was a mob…and the mob was Rome. She had nothing but hate in her heart for what the Empire was…and what remained of it. If God did not intervene…then she had no problem with watching Empire City tear itself apart.
“THAT WAS SOME SPEECH YOU JUST GAVE CRAZY LADY!”
Her eyes turned and finally fixed on a long shaft carried in the hands of a man that stood watching her from the street. “I take it that you’re not a believer!”
The man whirled the staff around, “Oh! No, I believe in a lot of things! I believe the sky is blue, though the sky itself doesn’t actually have a color! I also believe that global warming is real, except in the winter time when it’s colder than a witche’s titty!” He crossed the staff in front of him, “Oh…and this is my newest belief…YOU’RE A MURDERER!”
Anka pulled up short, her brow creased slightly. She didn’t know this man, and she cared little for his accusations. She turned and unfurled her wings as she started to lift herself into the sky. She fell hard to the ground as she felt a blow to the back of her head, to her midsection, and a final one to the backs of her legs.
She turned and glared at the man carrying the quarterstaff. “I told you to hold it right there!!”
Hannah looked to the Heavens as her dark tangled locks fell into her eyes. “Is this your instrument, Father? Is this how you intend to stop me?”
She moved with blinding swiftness, using her wings to sweep him from his feet, even as she sprang to hers. She would not dally with this man…she leapt into the air…even as her pursuer recovered, rolling and leaping to avoid her rabid followers.
He swept the people off their feet and vaulted over the mob, in hot pursuit of his quarry as he scaled a nearby building, moving with a speed and grace that no normal human could possibly possess.
A new game had begun, and in this game, they would both play for keeps…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Father Brandon Knight … Trace VanReardon
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Blue Boy … Tommy Thumb
Taser Cop … Nick Tesla
Cop #2 (Bert) … Ernie Street
Quarter Staff Man (Staff Master) … Justin Spirit
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure
High Over…
Empire City
Anka’s wings beat at the night air fiercely as she looked down at the city, on the brink of complete chaos. She had narrowly managed to escape the clutches of the mighty Superius…to her, a mass murderer…to most others; protector of Empire City. Granted great power and strength, he had endured through the centuries, nearly as long as she had. Was this also a ‘gift’ from God…like the ‘gift’ she was cursed with? Were she and Superius just pawns in the same game?
Through hundreds of years of pain and suffering she had learned to hate Superius, to blame him for much of the tragedy that had befallen her…but what if he was nothing but another piece on the master’s chess board? The mere thought was enough to make Anka’s blood boil. Was all of this just a sick game? It seemed that every time she turned her attention to earning admission into paradise, another distraction conveniently found its way into her path…
Superius…
Arella…
Brandon Knight…
Everything she believed had been thrown into chaos. Saving Brandon Knight had not opened the gate of Heaven to her. She had sacrificed paradise for Arella as she lay dying in her arms, but the girl had not taken her place in Heaven…she remained here on earth. Then there was Superius, the bane of her existence…a man she thought to be evil incarnate, yet he had risked his life to save hers…knowing of her hatred for him.
She didn’t feel the slightest tinge of guilt for putting him in the path of the transport, but all the while his concern was not for himself, but for her wellbeing. He was obviously a man of principle…a man of conviction…if not one that had helped to cleanse the world of her people. No one was perfect…she craned her neck to the Heavens…especially not God.
But maybe Superius wasn’t wrong…maybe his fault hadn’t been in wiping out her people, maybe it had been in not destroying them all…
Madison District Police Station
Empire City
Brandon sat in his tiny cell…a protective prison made for him by his old friend and former lover, Detective Stacey Jordan. Even though she had explained her actions, telling him that she was doing this for his own protection, he sensed that there was something more behind it all. There was some other agenda…buried just below the surface.
Who was he being protected from? The fire-wielding, clawed maniacs that had attacked her at the hospital…the same pair of female metas that had been responsible for burning down his church? They hadn’t been seen in weeks. No…there was something more to it…and he would make her tell him when next he saw her.
He didn’t have to wait long…
He heard the outer door open and then the whistles and catcalls from the men locked in adjacent cells. The treading footsteps stopped in front of his cell and he glanced up from his bunk into the piercing eyes of his personal jailer. “Are you going to end this farce Stacey? You know that the people out there need me…so why are you doing this?”
She didn’t answer him, she merely held up her police scanner and turned up the volume. Brandon listened and a shock ran through him as the words poured out and filled every dark corner of his minuscule cell…
'Be on the lookout for a flying woman with wings. Looks like an angel. The charge is murder.'
Brandon got to his feet, glaring at Stacey. “What is the meaning of this?!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE STACEY?!!”
She was taken aback by the fierce response. She had expected some resistance, but not outright anger. This caused her own anger to boil over and she stuck an accusing finger in his face through the bars of the cell. “The question is…WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!! This entire city is in an uproar…and you have been busy touting that META as some sort of savior…some kind of sign from God!” She grinned with a sick sort of satisfaction as she gestured with her hands. “NEWS FLASH FATHER!! Your girl is a murdering whore…and for all any of us know…she was a party to burning down Madison Chapel and every other church in this city!”
“NO!!” He protested. “I was there! She had nothing to do with it! It was the other two women…they burned down the church and killed Jacob! You are playing with the will of God here Stacey…and I don’t know why you’re doing it!”
Stacey took a deep breath and planted her hands firmly on her hips. “Anka is a murderer…she killed dozens of people in the S.C. Lewis Building…and I’m willing to bet that she’s responsible for the church burnings around the city…”
“…no… you’re wrong…” he replied, his voice almost a whisper.
Stacey roared. “I’M RIGHT!! And when she’s brought in…at least part of this nightmare will end!” She turned to walk away. “Now…if you’ll excuse me…there’s a murderer running or flying around loose in my city, and I mean to have accommodations ready for her when she arrives!”
Brandon listened as Stacey’s footsteps treaded away, but he could only hear her parting words echoing in his ears. Anka was no murderer…she was a child touched by the hand of God and given a great purpose. Perhaps she wasn’t an angel…and certainly she was fallible…but an arsonist? A murderer? NO! There was no way! Stacey, whether she realized it or not, was off on a tangent…tinged by some sort of personal vendetta or prejudice.
Whatever it was…it was wrong…and it was dangerous. This was a time for faith and healing…what Stacey was doing would drive the final nail into the coffin of a city already well past the brink…
Brandon jumped to his feet and ran to the bars and began banging on them. “HELP!! HELP!! SOMEBODY!! OPEN THIS CELL!!”
After a few moments, a baby-faced guard opened the outer door and ran down to Brandon’s cell. “What’s your problem?!”
Brandon glared at him. “I need to get out of here right now!”
The man scratched his head. “Errr…sir…you’re in here for your own protection. I have str…”
Brandon waved him off. “Spare me the company line son! I have shoes back at my apartment that have more time in the police force than you! Get me the Chief down here…I’m demanding to be let out right now!”
The young officer stuttered. “B-but…I have strict o-orders from Det…”
Brandon stared at him evenly. “I don’t give a damn what Stacey Jordan told you…get the Chief down here…or get ready to find a new job, rookie!”
The officer lingered for only a moment, then ran back towards the exit. In the adjacent cells, the prisoners all clapped and cheered. ‘YOU TELL EM’ FADDA!!’ ‘SENT THAT PIG RUNNIN’ LIKE A LIL’ BITCH!’ Brandon ignored the cheers as he sat down and waited. The longer he was confined…the more damage would be done outside. Not only to the faith of the people…but to the city itself!
Anka was a lost child…how would she react? What would she do? Time was the enemy now…and for all he knew…it had already run out…
High Over…
Empire City
Anka flew without rhyme or reason, her mind wandering from thought to thought. She wanted desperately to find Arella…to talk to her…find out what had happened to her, where she had been. But those thoughts were always tinged with doubt as she wondered if this was just another distraction…just another way to get her to play His game…
…one she no longer desired to be part of…
Anka veered off at the last moment, nearly crashing into the side of a building as her mind wandered. As she collected herself, her eyes moved to a commotion, just a few blocks north of her. She swooped in, caring little about being seen now. As she flew over, a massive crowd of fifty or more surrounded a young boy, barely out of his teens, if at all. They all screamed and yelled at him, calling him names…pelting him…spitting on him…all because of the color of his skin.
…its blue hue stood in sharp contrast to everyone around him…all of the so-called normals…
The boy was frightened beyond all reason and it showed as blue tinged tears flowed down the sides of his face…his trousers wet and stained blue at the crotch. This was to be a lynching of a sort…payback to Meta-Kind for all that they had done in recent weeks.
No one seemed to notice her there…no one except the boy who turned his face skyward…for the last time. His eyes big and pleading…just before the mob descended on him, thrashing and beating him to death. His only crime…being born different…
This was not her concern…nor was it God’s. Where was He now? The answer was plain, He stood in callous indifference, just as He had when she was raped, beaten, and brutalized over and over for many lifetimes.
She turned to go, but before she could, a loud voice yelled to her. “FREEZE!!”
She turned and her eyes were met by a bright light that blinded her, then her body convulsed…causing her to fall from the sky, down to the pavement below. She hit the ground with a thud as sparks flew from the taser darts that had been fired into her body.
The officer holding the taser gun looked at his partner. “CALL IT IN BERT!!! TELL THEM THAT WE GOT HER RIGHT HERE ON 23’RD AND BRANCH!!”
The crowd gathered around and watched as Anka tried to will her limbs to obey her, but the electricity coursing through her made it all but impossible. The faces within the mob were ashen and confused. They all looked down at her and then at each other.
The officer with the taser walked over and gestured for the crowd to move back. “PEOPLE!! CLEAR THE WAY!! WE HAVE A SITUATION HERE!! THIS…THIS…ANGEL…IS WANTED BY ECPD!!”
This sent another ripple of murmurs through the crowd… the mob… the one that had just beaten a young boy to death…
‘HEY!! LEAVE HER ALONE PIG!!’ ‘YEAH!! SHE’S AN ANGEL YOU FUCKING MORON!!’ ‘WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? ARE YOU A RETARD?!!’
The officer took a step back, even as his partner exited the car, unstrapping his weapon. “MOVE BACK PEOPLE!! YOU ARE INTERFERRING WITH OFFICIAL POLICE BUSINESS!! IF YOU DON’T GE…”
A rock flew from the crowd and hit the windshield of the squad car, cracking it and causing him to put his head down. He drew his weapon, even as crowd began to throw more and more debris his way. The officers beat a hasty retreat as they got into their car and backed off.
Several members of the crowd ran over to Anka, even as she finally managed to yank out the darts as they looked at her in wonder. She stood up slowly…her eyes falling on each of them…and then to the blue tinted blood on their hands. She almost laughed as some fell to their knees and crossed themselves. These were God’s children? The ones that He would allow to pass through The Veil and into paradise…all while she and Arella languished here in torment. It sickened her…and yet…it also opened her eyes.
She stretched out her wings, giving them an audible pop as she made herself look as majestic and regal as possible. Here she stood before a mob of anti-meta protesters…a curious look on her face as she considered the irony of it all. Out of the majority of metas in Empire City, with the immediate exception of little-dead-boy blue…she looked the most non-human with her broad wings. All the same, for that very reason, she had attained a level of acceptance here that none of the others could lay claim to. She wasn’t looked at as a meta at all…she was divine…a being truly of God…at least to those who believed.
Deep down inside, she loathed the idea that she was somehow perpetuating the ‘One God’ theory and drawing more followers to the church, but on the other hand…there was no better position for someone with her aims to be in. She was going to do what needed to be done…leading the lambs to slaughter.
Anka took a deep breath as she prepared to do something that she hadn’t done but once before…address the people of Empire City. She had been talked about in many circles…and seen in far fewer. That time was at an end…God had played His game with her, and now she would start with a game of her own…
“Children…the Lord God has sent me unto you in this most desperate of times so that you might have faith and strength enough to enter His Kingdom! He has watched you all…each and every one, and as the time of judgment nears…each of you will have to soon make a choice between right and wrong…good and evil. The question is…would you put your fate in God’s hands when the time comes?”
At first, the voices from the crowd were few, a murmured “yes” with a “amen” or two sprinkled in for good measure. All the same, after a few moments, the crowd began to come together, rallying themselves into a renewed frenzy.
Anka turned to the lifeless blue body that lay on the ground behind her. His only crime was being born different…but what was her crime? Being born at all? She turned to them. “The End of Days are upon us…and the enemy of God has set his minions among you…” She pointed to the dead boy. “…the war for your immortal souls…the war between Heaven and Hell is begun!”
The looks of confusion by some, were turned to looks of utter fear. ‘IT’S THE METAS!! THEY ARE DEVILS!! I TOLD YOU THEY WERE DEVILS!!’ ‘EVIL!! EVIL I TELL YOU!!’ ‘WHAT CAN WE DO?!! HOW CAN WE SAVE OURSELVES? HOW CAN WE SAVE OUR CHILDREN?!!’
Anka smiled ever so slightly. “You must wipe clean the firmament of the unholy among you…make ready the land for His return…”
‘KILL THE METAS!!!’ ‘SEND THE DEMONS BACK TO HELL!!!’
What did God think about Anka’s impassioned speech on His behalf? Did He even care? He didn’t care about the little blue boy lying dead in the streets. Just as He didn’t care about the young girl who was beaten and raped in the streets of Rome so many long centuries ago. He had taunted and teased her…dangled paradise before her…then snatched it away time and again. He had alluded to a ‘GREAT PURPOSE’ for her…and yet…He had only visited more torment upon her.
How long had she groveled at His feet and begged for His love and mercy? How long would He ignore her?
Not for much longer if she had her way…
If He would not allow her to die and end her suffering…she’d make Him strike her down…or watch while His children…human and meta alike butchered one another…in His name…
She was like a petulant child throwing a tantrum all for the sake of getting Her father’s attention. Would it work? How far would she go? Could she stand to have the blood of innocents on her hands? The mob didn’t seem to mind…but Rome was a mob…and the mob was Rome. She had nothing but hate in her heart for what the Empire was…and what remained of it. If God did not intervene…then she had no problem with watching Empire City tear itself apart.
“THAT WAS SOME SPEECH YOU JUST GAVE CRAZY LADY!”
Her eyes turned and finally fixed on a long shaft carried in the hands of a man that stood watching her from the street. “I take it that you’re not a believer!”
The man whirled the staff around, “Oh! No, I believe in a lot of things! I believe the sky is blue, though the sky itself doesn’t actually have a color! I also believe that global warming is real, except in the winter time when it’s colder than a witche’s titty!” He crossed the staff in front of him, “Oh…and this is my newest belief…YOU’RE A MURDERER!”
Anka pulled up short, her brow creased slightly. She didn’t know this man, and she cared little for his accusations. She turned and unfurled her wings as she started to lift herself into the sky. She fell hard to the ground as she felt a blow to the back of her head, to her midsection, and a final one to the backs of her legs.
She turned and glared at the man carrying the quarterstaff. “I told you to hold it right there!!”
Hannah looked to the Heavens as her dark tangled locks fell into her eyes. “Is this your instrument, Father? Is this how you intend to stop me?”
She moved with blinding swiftness, using her wings to sweep him from his feet, even as she sprang to hers. She would not dally with this man…she leapt into the air…even as her pursuer recovered, rolling and leaping to avoid her rabid followers.
He swept the people off their feet and vaulted over the mob, in hot pursuit of his quarry as he scaled a nearby building, moving with a speed and grace that no normal human could possibly possess.
A new game had begun, and in this game, they would both play for keeps…
EPISODE CREDITS
CAST (In order of appearance)
Anka … Kenzi Grey
Father Brandon Knight … Trace VanReardon
Detective Stacey Jordan … Nina Stokes
Blue Boy … Tommy Thumb
Taser Cop … Nick Tesla
Cop #2 (Bert) … Ernie Street
Quarter Staff Man (Staff Master) … Justin Spirit
Directed by … DubbleFC
Screenplay by … Ron B.
Produced by … CTN Television Studios
Casting by … Maleek Raheem
Music by … Guilty Pleasure