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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
Life in the dark future is hard, and conflict is constant between the empowered and the power hungry.

The Mantis Variant - Book One - 20. Chapter 20 - Madame Hart & the Principal Messiah, Part One

The hunters have been slaughtered, and word has reached their superiors.

Behind the massive desk in the leadership chamber, the heads of the hunters were stirred up in a rage. The one woman among them was standing with her palms on the desk again, leering over it at her kneeling subordinate.

"What do you mean that Talin's entire team is dead?!" she fumed.

"Affirmative, milady," replied the scout with his head bowed.

"How?!"

"They were cut to pieces, literally pieces. There were body parts everywhere, heads, arms," and the man's voice faded.

She glared down at him. "By a single Shift? One Shift managed to accomplish all that carnage?"

"Unclear, milady," the scout continued, "but they all seemed to be attacked by similar weapons, which we could not identify."

The woman looked towards her fellow leadership seated to both sides of her at the table. "I think it's time," she said, and she paused. "No objections? It's settled. I shall take the title of Madame Hart and reach out to our connection at the Messiah temple."

The woman who was now Madame Hart crossed her arms over her chest. "Too long have we worked from the background," she declared, "acted behind the scenes, but we have been in discussions about grander events," she paused, "events that will change the world. The time has come, and our combined powers shall be such that none will be able to stand against us. We are going," and her voice took on a wrathful tone, "to war."

Without another word, Madame Hart stormed around the desk and through the center of the hall. She exited the warehouse, and it was only a short distance across the industrial district before Teshon City's high tower came into view.

The massive steel doors at the base of the Messiah temple were closed, but Madame Hart was not going to enter through anywhere except the front. The minor welcome entrance around the side was for the common people. She banged on the metal.

A small window opened and the tower's porter looked at her through it without a word.

"I am Madame Hart, Master Mystic of Teshon City. I am here to speak with the Principal Messiah."

"What the fuck do you want?" the man snapped.

Madame Hart stood proud before the doors. "The Demifae are going public," she replied.

"More public than an entire neighborhood?" he scoffed. "More public than apothecaries on every corner? By the by," he added, "where's your shop? Oh," he continued, without letting her reply, "that's right, you lot don't even live in the Spritehood with the rest of your Demifae kind. Why is that?" he questioned with a sneer.

"I'll speak no more with you," Madame Hart declared. "Open these doors," she commanded.

The man slammed the little window, and for a moment nothing happened. Then the huge metal doors begin to shift. The porter was opening them from the inside, and even though Madame Hart understood the capabilities of Messiahs, she was still amazed to see the scrawny little man moving them with ease. He stepped back, and she touched the metal. She leaned into it to see if it would budge. It did not and the man snickered at her. He did not say another word.

"Greetings and welcome," came the voice of a woman.

Madame Hart looked to a flight of stairs. First appeared a pair of bare feet, then legs in dark trousers, then a torso and the rest of the woman came into view. She was dressed all in fine black leather. The pants were fitted over her muscular legs, and the jacket she wore was snug about her midsection. The zipper was only pulled about halfway up, and the woman's cleavage was exposed. She descended towards Madame Hart and continued speaking.

"I am Wrostecorite, Principal Messiah, and I welcome you to the Messiah Tower. Please, introduce yourself and tell me why you have come to my home today."

"I am Madame Hart, Master Mystic of Teshon City," she repeated. "We Demifae will no longer tolerate the Shift presence in our city, and we are escalating our vigilance."

"Please," the Principal Messiah said, "join me for tea," and she led Madame Hart into a private chamber. "I thought the leader of the Demifae was the High Chemist," she commented, as the two women took a seat at a table. "Master Mystic is a new term to me. Do you speak for all Demifae?" She turned to an attendant. "We'll take two."

Madame Hart replied, "I speak for the most zealous."

"Ah, zealotry is a quality in which I quite believe," the Principal Messiah declared, and her face curled into a wicked smile.

Their teas arrived and each of them took a sip.

Madame Hart furrowed her brow. "What is this?" she asked. "It just tastes like hot water."

"It is," the Principal Messiah replied, "hot water with a single other ingredient." She elucidated in a growl, "One drop of spinal fluid from a living Shift."

Things were already bad, but they were about to get worse.
Copyright © 2022 Adam Andrews Johnson; All Rights Reserved.
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This is my first book, so I thank you from the bottom of my being for taking the time to read it! Please, keep reading and leave feedback :-)
Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you. 
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Madam Hart, leader of the mystic demifae hunters, wants to go to war against the shifts. One of her teams was fully destroyed. She realizes she needs more help. She has sought out the head messiah to join forces with the, They have started to talk and plan. Things sound very ominous. 

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So the stupid and the blind are joining forces; why do I feel that this will be a disaster for all?  Zealotry is rarely to never a good thing; it usually signals ignorance and hate.

 

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What will that drop of spinal fluid from a living shift do to Madame Hart???

Do she and the Principal Messiah really know and understand just what they are getting into????

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This 'alliance' would upset the balance, if it works. The thing about cults is they are so insular. It's all Us vs Them, and Them is everyone else. You might be a cheetah and a predator, but what does a tiger think of you? I'm not sure this outreach will go well.

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