The Talents of the Fallen - 30. Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Faith of the Elected

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Faith of the Elected

When Landon received the report that Aaron and the others had reached Chicago with no further incidence he could finally allow himself to move on to other issues. The first and most important one was finding out who had been behind it.

While he was tapped into the network he was able to track down the ships that had the island surrounded. Whoever was behind it had come prepared. Beside the three cargo freighters they had brought with them a flotilla of fast anti-ship torpedo boats. It would only have taken a single hit to sink any of the ships the Graft’s people had escaped on. Once Graft’s ships had managed escape the net Landon set into motion his plan for retaliation.

Having taken steps to make sure word didn’t leak out; he acted fast. His people were already on standby when word was given to move in. They were aboard the cargo freighters before the enemy knew they knew they had intruders on board. The torpedo boats were harder to deal with. If the freighters were capture the attack craft were to recapture the ship or if that proved impossible sink them. One was sunk. Another took a pair of hits but so far the pumps were keeping up with the water flooding in. The third, which as luck would have it was the command ship, was left without a scratch. All in all the Chosen couldn’t reasonable hoped for more.

Then there were those things which had attacked the island. Taking the Graft’s advice he warned his people to take steps to make certain that when they were order to kill most of them that the things were truly dead. That required burning the bodies as quickly as possible. After all they, unlike the Graft, did not have Aaron and his special Talent to save them if they screwed up.

On the two ships that survived they found sixteen surviving Nulls. He ordered one be kept alive for future study along with tissue and blood samples from the others that were destroyed. He particularly was interested that the Nulls’ brains be preserved and brought back. If the Graft’s specialists were correct and Landon didn’t doubt they were, they were the only part of the creatures that did not appear to have been genetically modified.

As for who was behind the attack, he greatly doubted the prisoners knew exactly who they worked for. If anything he expected to discover that they had all undergone severe neural alterations by a skilled mental Talent.

Such alterations leave behind a unique signature that is particular to the mentalist involved. Like with finger prints, there was no example of two mental Talents leaving behind the same signature. Because of people’s fear of mentalist taking control, mental Talents were to have their signature recorded and stored in the archives. So in theory one could identify the mentalist by comparing the signature with those stored in the Council archives.

In practice however it was near impossible to ensure all mental Talents reported to have their signature measured and stored. The Coven itself refused to take part. Landon would not be surprised if the Order had numerous unregistered mentalists in their numbers as well. There were also the Blips. Born outside the families they would have to come to the attention of the Liaisons before being brought in to register. As Tom Mays proved in his attempt to get back at his mother there were now drugs such as Taint which could bestow Talents on the Untalented.

If Landon were to present to the council his suspicions that a Faction mentalist was partly behind the attack they would laugh in his face and blame it all on the actions of a low life Blip. The Liaison would be ordered to hunt a few of them down. There would be a show trial. Regardless of guilt they would be executed and handed over to the researchers for study and everyone would do their best to sweep the entire affair under the rug.

The Chosen however would not forget. He could not. Not when his brother’s murder was likely one of the main objectives and reasons behind the raid. He couldn’t make the life of a mere Blip the main issue however. It would draw too much attention and that was the last thing either brother wanted. The only way he had been able to convince the Council to sanction the counterattack was by focusing their attention on the Graft and not his guests.

The night after Aaron and the other got back to the school the Chosen summoned his chief lieutenants, Dean, Bill, Rob, and Lee. They and the people under them had been converted by him according to his methods. Their unquestionable loyalty belonged to him and him alone. “I take it you all are aware of what happened five days ago.” He spoke in a sharp, crisp, tone that reflected his unpleasant mood. They all nodded in silence. “I want answers. I do not care where you go to find them. I do not care what methods you use to get them. You are to find out who tried to kill the Graft and why. I want their blood to flow and fill our goblets. Understand?”

“Yes Lord Chosen.” They said as if they were a one, united entity.

“Any idea where we should begin my lord?” Lee, the only woman in the group asked.

“These things… these mutated Nulls. Only a handful of Houses of the Elected managed to hold on to a few during the purge. The Order and the Coven kept enough to start their own breeding program. A few of the neutral families might be able to start one on their own. I myself am overseeing my own program. The other Chosens are likely doing the same. As for the Order… these things are just up their alley. One of the traitors the Graft discovered right before the evacuation claimed that that the person, who he claimed to be a woman, had threatened to turn him into a creature similar to the Nulls. Do I need to go into detail the threat it would pose to the Master if this technique could be weaponized to trigger mass mutation in the general population. No? Good. Let your fear feed your pursuit. Let your just anger give you the courage to take whatever steps might be necessary to make certain this threat is eliminate. Do this for me and you will have pleased me beyond measure.”

Staring into their wide open eyes, shining with adulation he felt their hearts skip a beat. How much like the Master he had become to command such devotion. They would do anything to please him even take their own lives if he so ordered it. Those closest to the Master were as just as devoted. He was no different when the Master was near. He hated and despised himself for letting himself become so much like the man he wanted to see dead. “That is all. You can go now. Except you.” He pointed to the only woman in his inner circle. “You stay Lee.”

“Yes my Chosen.”

“I have a specific task for you.”

“Of course my Chosen.”

“I want you to arrange a meeting with our dear beloved headmaster. You know he is my lover, don’t you?”

“Yes my Chosen. He is the one you love most.” There was no hint of jealous in her. His inner circle knew of his relationship between him and Gregory Balthazar. In comparison she was but a moon to their close orbiting planet and star.”

“I want you there at the meeting.”

“That is most generous my Chosen.”

“You must prepare yourself first.”

“How so my Lord Chosen?”

Landon felt his guts tighten. He needed to come up with a title for himself he could more easily accept. There was no longer any distinction with his people between calling him Chosen or as the Master. “I want us to have a child together.”

Lee fell to her feet and kiss the ground her Chosen stood on. “You have chosen me of all your people to carry your sacred child.”

“Our child. The child is to be born of a fusion between all three of us. It will be a joining of blood.”

Lee knew what her master intended but offered no resistance. “I understand my Chosen. I am the most blessed of all vessels.”

Landon did his best not to grind his teeth. He had just asked her to sacrifice her life for the sake of a child he wished he didn’t want or need. The future, his future had to be protected that only a son could provide. “You will be ready?”

“Yes my Chosen… god bless you.”

On returning to the school Dr. Balthazar called the young men to prayer. They were to give thanks to god for having allowed them to return home safely.

Aaron, raised according to the Methodist tradition had never been a full blown religious fanatic. His faith was personal and private and didn’t go out of his way to share it. Among the Elected however offering prayers to god was seen as a solemn duty they must perform openly. He couldn’t claim he understood the foundation of their faith. The members of the Elected saw themselves as so superior to the Untalented that compared to them they were gods. He did know they took it seriously. He wished he understood why but didn’t know how to bring up a subject he was already supposed to understand.

Given the significance of what they had just endured each was called to offer their prayers so that all could hear. Aaron listened to each carefully hoping to figure out what he should say. The problem was what each said was so poetic and filled with so many allusions most of the time he couldn’t figure out what they were trying to say.

Then it was his turn. He gulped and did the only thing he could think of… he whispered the Lord’s Prayer. When he sat back down he looked for any sign of disapproval, while none seemed ready to laugh at him they didn’t look at him with the same awe they had with the others.

As he greatly feared the headmaster told him to stay behind while the others left. Seeing Jon give him a pitying look and shake of his head Aaron knew he was in for it. “Sir… I’m sorry I just didn’t know what else to say.”

“You say what’s in your heart. If in your heart were the words of the Lord’s Prayer then that is what you should have said.”

“I don’t think it was in my heart. Everyone else seemed to be able to come up with such idyllic prayers I couldn’t’ say anything to match them. I’m not saying I don’t believe in god, I very much do. I just don’t understand why the Elected with all their power, wealth and Talent, get so pious when in church but do all that stuff outside it.”

“Ah… you’re an idealist.”

“I don’t see how.”

“Believe it or not your honest faith is stronger than ours. You are more concerned with living the life you feel god expects from you while those of the Elected… well. Our faith is based on ancient ritual and traditions.

“Take the others… do you think they were able to come up such poetry out of thin air. It comes from one of our oldest books that their families forced them to memorize. They can say what they want about your prayer but theirs was taught the same way yours was… through repetition and memorization. Do you understand?”

“Not really.”

“Let me ask you this. Have you ever prayed for the sake of another person?”

“My grandmother and my best friend who looked out for me in the Coven. I prayed asking god to look over both of them.”

Greg felt his guts twist into knots He still hadn’t told Aaron what had happened to Mary Mays. Whenever Aaron asked what happened to her he would lie and tell him she had been taken into hiding to be safe from the Coven. Taking in a deep breath he whispered. “When you pray does the prayer come out of a book?”

“No... I sort of made it up as I go along.”

“As I said you are an idealist… at least when compared to us hypocrites among the Elected. We don’t pray for anyone other than ourselves and what we pray might as well come out of a book of spells… say the right prayer as it says in a book and poof you’ll either get what you want or you don’t. No one cares. You do. You pray for people to stay safe and be healthy. As I said your faith is stronger than ours so don’t let the others say otherwise.”

“What about you sir.”

“Well, I was taught the same way they were. I try to think like you do. I wish I could but I don’t like what our religious leaders tell us because I think they’re wrong.”

“What do they say?”

“That we of the Elected are the chosen of god. That god set the rest of humanity so far beneath us as to be no different than cattle. We use that assumption to justify our place in the world and the cruelty we show the Untalented. We even hold you Blips are less than loved by god then those of the original 200 families. If that were true there would still be 200 of us left. Because of our infighting and desire to rule over each other only 145 remain. When our number drop to 120 then according to our teaching we will be punish and stripped of our high position and live as animals like the Untalented do.”

“That’s horrible. How can they think something like that?”

“Because much of it is based in truth. We were chosen… not by god but a tribe of people known as the Engineers. If you think the Graft’s modifications are amazing what the Engineers were capable made them like gods. They gave us our Talents and taught us how to master them. They gave us other thing… much of our advanced technology such as devices that could magnify our Talent and extend our youth and lives. Some of their technology remains with us to this very day. Most of it though was taken away and put beyond our reach.”

“Why?”

“Because as you know we are not the most moral of people. At first we were grateful and felt blessed by their kindness. Over time however we began to see ourselves as better than the rest of humanity and began using the gifts they gave us to kill and subjugate the Untalented. When we would no longer listen to them, and we became so convinced of our own superiority, the Engineers came to regret sharing all they had given us.

“Still they didn’t have it in them to destroy us. Instead they decided to teach us a lesson, one they hoped would change our ways. They didn’t kill a single one of us but they took or destroyed much of the technology they had given us and locked it away in a hidden vault.

“To guard this vault they created three powerful AI’s known as the Three Wise Men. In case something was to happen to their creators, the three AI’s would stand ready to judge over us. If we learned from our mistakes and committed ourselves to use our Talents for the betterment of all mankind then the Three Wise Men would open the vault and give us back the knowledge we lost. If however we continued down the same destructive path and seek dominance the Untalented and Talented alike then what little the Engineers left behind would be taken from us as well… include our precious Talents.”

“How will the AI’s know when to do what?”

“We don’t know what it will take for the Vault to be opened but we do know what will cause us to be punished.

“There were originally 200 families. By the time the Vault was sealed there were only 180. Over the years and the wars we have fought against each other there are only 145. If the number of original families ever drops below 120, then the Three Wise Men will judge us and release what we call the Balthazar Virus. Once a person with the Talent is infected he will lose his Talent and the ability to pass it on to his heirs. That will mean the end of the Elected and all that made us special.”

“How will the AI’s know when there are less than 120 families?”

“Because they will count us. Every five years at least one member of the surviving original families must make the journey to the Grand Council Chambers in London. There they are to put their hand on a special panel that will allow the AI’s to know which family is present. If at least 120 families present themselves then we are safe for another five years before we must present ourselves again.

“This has been going on for centuries and each time enough families make it back. Even during the Talent Wars the factions would declare a cease fire to allow all sides to be counted. The next counting is two years from now. Until the counting is complete and we are safe for another five years no faction will break the peace created by the Council Treaty of 1946.”

“That was the last time there was a Talent War right?”

“Yes… six families were wiped out. A few more wars like that and the virus will indeed be released. That is one of the reasons the families have been breeding like rabbits and why Blips like you will be forced to do most of the fighting and dying. After all why should the Elected care about you? Your bloodline is not one of the ones that can be counted.”

“Is there any way to stop the release of the virus if there aren’t enough survivors?”

“If you know in advance there are not enough survivors I guess you could try to shut the AI’s down. The Engineers didn’t hide and seal away the AI’s three central cores without leaving behind some sort of fail safe. Supposedly they left behind three key, which were hidden, which will open the three tombs where the cores of the Wise Men are protected, which were also hidden. If one finds all three key and the tombs then the Vault can be opened and the virus destroyed. To that however it takes all three keys being used at the same time to open the each of the tombs and deactivate the three AI’s.”

“Have any of the keys and tombs been found.”

They believe they have found a tomb in the Grand Council Chambers in London but none of the keys or the other tombs has been found. It is therefore in everyone’s interest that, war or no war, as many of the families continue to survive.”

“Why fight a war at all.”

“Because the two main factions… the Coven and the Order, cannot agree on the future of our people. The Coven believes that to strengthen our Talent we must spread it among as many people as possible. The Order, however, believes the purity of the bloodlines is the only way our way of life can be preserved.”

“I don’t understand… that makes the Coven sound like the good guys and the Order the bad.”

“They’re both bad through and through. The Coven might claim they wish the Talents to be spread to all people. It’s the way they have chosen to achieve that which is an abomination. They don’t eat anyone Aaron. Through a means I cannot nor want to understand they can give otherwise weak Talents such as Blips greater power by having them consume the flesh and blood of other Talents. You saw what happens on Cake Day. Now you know the reason behind it.”

“And the Order?”

“The Order believes in purity of the original families. You Blips represent a threat to that. They wish nothing more than the genocidal elimination of those with Talent who is not of the remaining 145. The Coven which gets the majority of their coverts from families that stated off as Blips stand in the way of that. They’re both monsters Aaron. They’re both capable of being behind what happened on the Graft’s island. Both are your enemy. Don’t forget that.”

“But you’re the son of the head of the Order?”

“I am, and I’m not proud of it. I left the Order so I wouldn’t have to take part in their butchery. I can’t say my father was all that pleased by my decision. He is most certainly furious with me for allowing Blips like you to be educated at Lakes. That is why I fear I will not be allowed to remain headmaster for much longer.”

“But the school won’t survive without you.”

“Oh yes it will.” Greg laughed. “You Blips might be expelled but the majority of the students will continue to be educated in the ways of the Elected. Anyway… I’m tired of fighting. I’ve already agreed to take up the Graft on his offer. In return for me agreeing to be grafted and become… well… one of his whores, he will give me the funding I need to set up my own company where I will free to hire anyone I want…Elected, Blip, or Untalented. It’ll be a new start and right now that’s what I really need. I understand you’ve reach a similar decision.”

“It seems I’m to be the husband of a future politician. That seems what the Council wants of me.”

“Is it what you want?”

“It will give me some respectability and some space away from the world of the Elected. That’s something I need right now. More than anything I need some time to live a normal life.”

“I think you’ve more than deserved that. Jon will be joining the military. Sam plans to become a doctor. I will finally tell me family to go screw themselves and marry the man I truly love.”

“And he loves you just as much.” Turning around the two of them saw Ryan sitting in the pew behind them.

“How long have you been sitting there and why didn’t I know you were there?”

“I’ve been sitting here for quite some time. Given whom your companion is it should be obvious how I managed to sneak up on you two.” Ryan reached over and ruffled Aaron’s hair. “I understand the Graft plans on forcing you to dye your hair.”

“He thinks it will help me fit in better at Harvard.”

“Well just don’t let him dye is some outrageous color pink or blue.”

“If he does he’s a dead man.” Aaron replied.

“You can’t even bring yourself to hurt a fly.” Ryan laughed.

“I don’t know…” Greg said. “We’ll have to see how he does in the arena. Your team has only three weeks left to prepare. Are you sure you want to go through with it. It’s no holds bar in the arena.”

“I don’t want to disappoint Andrew. He’s depending on me and this will probably be the last time I’ll ever compete as a duelist.”

Ryan and Greg gave each other a worried frown. “It might be the last of many things Aaron.” Greg whispered sadly.

“So enjoy yourself!” Ryan shouted he didn’t see any reason to dampen Aaron’s spirits. There would be plenty of time and opportunities for that later.