"If he survives?"
"Off to create another world to torture."
"Another wife?"
"Without a doubt."
"Most curious."
"I must go Briar. Look after your sister."
"I shall not leave Gaea's side."
"Good. Know that you are loved."
"An emotion I am confused by. I wish to be loved."
"Patience child."
Petta was gone. Briar enlightened ever so slightly.
Outside Gaea's fauna domain the Comanche Indian Chokote and the gypsy Stefan peer at the still evident moons of early morning. Although Stefan did not understand the Indian's language he knew the term many moons ago. Maybe the Comanche knew more than he could convey.
The gathering of rabbits in the early morning view went unnoticed. As Petta departs so do they.
Celestial City...
Lucas Dorsey in all of his confidence seemed leery of facing God. Even in his human body, lost to amnesia the thoughts that God might somehow recall the past...the future...could destroy his plans. However, abusing God at this juncture seemed all too appetizing. God was going to lose everything to Dorsey. If all went as planned Lucas would rise up in power and be able to smite this Deity. Although when God cursed Dorsey for harming Jesus, to walk the Earth until the end of time, it drew insight into how to use this torment to his advantage. It was quite simple really, and with the help of others he traversed time back to the beginning rather than the end. Back to the first end times. Now.
"Welcome oh Lord." Dorsey threw his arms out as if expecting a hug. One he knew was impossible if in his right mind. Unknown to Lucas however as he tried to read the mind of God a certain Orin Ridge with his own extensive telepathy blocked him. Dorsey presumed that reading God would be next to impossible anyway as it was something only omnipotence could fathom. Something that not even Dorsey had the privilege of at this moment. Vexing at best. As guards stand behind God, Dorsey paced around the Creator between them, "So this is your true body. Quite old but that does make sense. I should be quite cross at you for what you did to me those many years ago yet I'm not. You opened my eyes to far greater possibilities than merely being a soldier. I should thank you for that. A long fruitful life I have led. Gaining insight. Planning. Cutting deals. Who knew I would end up at the beginning long before the end."
Orin Ridge feigns expression within God's features, appearing puzzled by Dorsey's speech. He knew Dorsey from the 1960's at a time of alien alliances. The man had a dark side even then. One that Orin kept a close eye on. Learning of Dorsey's ideas led Orin himself to use the Ganthorians for his own mode of transport through time. He himself having had a confidante along the way to offer inspiration. Files on the Reflection program at REGION fed Orin Ridge enough to reach back in time and attempt to be the first Reflection of God. His mission did not go quite as planned. Still his body though devolved into a baby his mind evolved just the opposite. His intellect and telepathy increased substantially. Now it was a matter of hoping Dorsey didn't kill God before he could usurp the throne. So to speak. Of course there was always another alternative should Dorsey get all high and mightier. Orin could just jump into Dorsey's body and send him packing. Food for thought.
"How does it feel to walk among your creations, Creator God?" No answer leads Dorsey to pat God on the cheek drawing eye contact, "I bet it's nostalgic. Inferior beings under your feet we are. Well, most of us. Not myself of course. I have ascended quite nicely I think. Do you know my goals? Do you know anything right this moment?" He gently taps God on the temple. Frowning at zero emotion Dorsey sighs, "I guess there won't be a Best Man's speech after the Wedding. Do at least try not to drool on your tuxedo. I decided to go modern over my nuptials. If there's anything I've learned in all of my long life it's that things improve. Those ratty robes we wore back in my day have long been burnt. Thank...you for style I suppose."
From behind him stepped the beautiful but distant Bride. Princess Kym'Ani of Ganthor. She held her tummy as she eyed the Creator. Her legs wanted to kneel before him but her belly wouldn't let her without harming her child within.
"Ah! Allow me to introduce the Bride. God? This is...Kym'Ani. Your Reflection in a long line of Ganthorian Reflections." Orin ridge admires her beauty and notes the similarities between she and his one time ally Harpea. Still catatonic in expression Orin lifts his hand as if a trembling old fart offering a hand in friendship. Kym'Ani dares to accept his calling and faces him with tears in her eyes. Orin wipes her tear and goes into a bout of confusion. All a game face. Looking down at Kym'Ani's belly he hovers a palm over her swelling. Dorsey observing this bulges his eyes fearfully. A sudden glow from God's palm caresses Kym'Ani's belly making her feel faint. Catching her Dorsey snarls, "WHAT DID YOU DO?"
Orin had no idea. He was just as bewildered by the glow. Forcing a guard to escort her to lie down for a bit he directs an attending Physician to examine her. As she shuffled away her belly felt different. Less full suddenly. She could tell a baby was still there but things were definitely changed. She thanked God for whatever blessing he offered.
Still no response to his outburst Dorsey nods, "Lock him away until the Wedding. Never leave him alone. Oh, and just in case place a shock collar on him for shits and giggles. I wouldn't want him to stroll off when you bastard aliens aren't looking." With a fan of his cape Dorsey left them. Another visit was planned before the Wedding itself. The aliens which were Vynkorans and Domochean were hardly hostile races but they did fear Dorsey. They would obey.
Miles away from Celestial City but mighty close.
"KNOCK IT OFF!" Malcolm Brand in his colossal form smacks away Kytani fighters like flies. There seemed to be no end of their aggravation. Most evade his slow hand strikes but others rapidly fire upon his impenetrable hide. Beneath him on all fours within a massive sinkhole Atum feels invigorated. Having just devoured his Godlike son Osiris and absorbing his own mystical apples into this adopted body once belonging to Malcolm himself the effects were quite dramatic. Strength building Atum finds now the appropriate time to rise up. Size mounting the Osirian God brushes aside Malcolm toppling him backward over the rim of the sinkhole. A quarter mile of dirt and trees buckled beneath Mal's body weight adding to the hole. Atum chose then to march directly up from the pit using Malcolm as his ramp. Malcolm straining to keep mobile felt Atum's every foot fall. Our hero was in a bad situation. Sinking deeper beneath the weight of Atum this might be his final resting place. His own body the headstone without an epitaph. Fear had actually crept into Malcolm's soul. Not good. Not good at all.
The Kytani fighters devoted their firepower on the bigger opponent now. That gave Malcolm the breather he needed to grab a hold of Atum's leg. In Atum's multiplied size this was the only way of staying above the sinkhole. It was a challenge for both giants. As Atum's height and mass dwarfed Mal's limited range another chunk of land mass avalanches down. It was all Mal could do to hang on. His biggest question was just how big could Atum get now that two apples occupied his cells. As it was Mal was still boggled by the fact the Osirian God could keep Mal's original body yet expel his human sized host like garbage. Why hadn't his acidic form not devoured Malcolm himself. It had to have been the apple. Even more puzzling was how Osiris who had eaten the two apples Briar had given him lost his life so easily. In every textbook on Egyptian lore Osiris was the God of the Dead. He was ripped in half by Atum. Definitely dead. Unless there was more to the story. Osiris did appear to drop down into battle carelessly. Maybe that was the plan. Surely not. At the moment Mal left it to chance.
"I hope Cam has better luck preserving the pyramid of Osiris and the Royal family of souls. If that thing crashes in all of this madness it's probably game over for the Osirians. Fuck! How do I beat Atum? He keeps growing he's gonna hit the upper atmosphere. He might be able to just bend over from here and touch the black mountain. Whatever the fuck his reason is for doing that. It's just a mountain right? Of course not. Sweet Jesus help me out here."
The battle continued to rage. More fighters from other alien factions joined in. This was a George Lucas movie in the making.
High overhead in Earth orbit the alien Grey Milo Greyson watched from his satellite home. Running low on air the smartest guy on Earth realized just how pressing Atum's growth was becoming.
"Atum get bigger he be a world killer. He send axis in loop changing weather. Milo not know how to help. Milo not know how to help self. Stupid smarty not expect unexpected an have escape pod on MEMO. Who think Milo even be on MEMO?" He looks to his companion the jar of eyes belonging to the Seer Helena, alias the hag Wretch. "You big help. Stop staring at Milo."
As MEMO switches locations on a preordained consistency in the surveillance of the entire Earth he witnesses the multiple Earths once again. It boggled him that his earlier probes of Pangaea never once showed such an event. Why now? The fact he was also viewing a massive fleet of Ganthorian starships confused him further. He knew in this era the Ganthorians were barely the equivalent of Java Man during Earth's infancy. Something about the ships seemed different. Almost more high tech than those he was used to seeing. Jaw dropped he realizes the confusion.
"Milo must be oxygen deprived. These not early Ganthorian. These not my time Ganthorian. These end of time Ganthorian. Year 3333. They travel time like Milo do. Why they here? Study Earth in final days? How possible when this beginning days?" He rambles under his breath choosing to hush verbally in order to preserve precious oxygen. Finally he stops thinking with a remarkable conclusion. "These not Ganthorians visiting Earth ours. These Ganthorians confused by other Earths. They lost. Different dimension like Lost Horizon, somehow here in ours. Make sense multiple Earth's multiple of all worlds. Even Ganthor. Milo need Excedrin."
Yes he did. If he was right about the crossover these Ganthorians might lead a totally different outlook toward humans. This was just as bad as Atum. Milo Greyson holds his welded word sign up again to face the eyeballs.
He jumps within his confined quarters deciding to break his silence, "OVER HERE. MILO OVER HERE." As if the Ganthorians or Wretch could actually see him. Hope fades as MEMO switches position over what will be New Zealand.
"Please see. Please understand. Milo need you Helena."
19 hours of oxygen left.
Approaching the floating Pyramid of Osiris, the opened gangplank allowed Lightmare, Sabbath, and Horus entry. The ship was obviously on auto pilot. With no Commander now the ship would eventually land amid the devastation below. Evasively the ship did escape Atum's grasp by moving three miles out of reach. Set to recognize the Osirian bloodline the trio was greeted cordially by a hologram of a stunning beauty of Egyptian features.
