At the Twilight of Mankind

Part 30 - Chapter 6: (5/5) The Goddesses of War

SUCCESS

Sarah in uniform, and a woman in her thirties are sitting on the backseats of a black car stopped in an underground parking lot. Stephan in uniform is sitting in the driver's seat. The woman keeps looking restlessly through the car window, her gaze moving back and forth between her hands on her thighs, and the closing door lift in which Jeremy has just disappeared.

At the entrance of a modest restaurant, a waitress comes to greet Jeremy who is also wearing his Libra Justice uniform. Paying no attention to the waitress in front of him, the young man starts scanning the large dining room. With Jeremy dressed in the Libra Justice uniform, the waitress suspects that he obviously isn't here to eat. The restaurant is full, almost all the tables are occupied. Some customers get slightly uneasy when they notice Jeremy, and many start fidgeting on their seat. One in particular, a man in his late fifties, immediately gets up from his table, leaving his partners behind to head in a hurry to the back of the dining room. Jeremy recognises the man he is coming for, so he starts following him, ignoring the waitress who is still trying to talk to him. Taken by a panic, as he sees Jeremy coming after him, the man swerves through the tables and rushes into the restaurant kitchen, bumping into two incoming waiters on his way.

Jeremy runs after the fugitive who he manages to catch in just a few steps, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and dragging him across the dining room to the exit of the restaurant. Some customers are watching delighted and amused by the entertainment while others are left mouth dropping and in shock by the scene. The man keeps kicking and throwing his arms around violently in an attempt to escape from Jeremy's grip. Somehow, he manages to punch the young man in the face before running away, speeding through the shopping centre. Jeremy immediately comes back to his senses, spotting him in the crowd despite of all the people passing by, staring at the Libra Justice agent. Like a powerful camera, Jeremy's device is programmed to recognise the fugitive from miles away even behind concrete walls or metallic doors. 

Out of breath and all sweating, the man is hiding behind a wall, his heart panting in terror. He looks around haggardly when he feels suddenly a strong pressure around his neck. He gasps for air a few seconds holding his hands against the mysterious firm grip that is chocking him, then he collapses.

"I have our man, alive," Jeremy's voice exclaims, speaking on his watch phone.

A few minutes later, Jeremy comes out of the lift of the parking lot, carrying on his shoulder the man, unconscious.

"So, madam, "Stephan begins his usual mischievous smile, spinning his body around, pushing in the steering wheel that automatically gets engulfed inside the dashboard in front of him. He addresses calmly the woman sitting on the backseats with Sarah: "Do you want your man in the boost or on the backseat with you?".

***

In the morning, Karl announces to Tempéra that the request by his cousin called Jeremy to join the Assembly with his wife has been approved. Karl and his mother will have to spend some time with them during their first days here. Exhausted from his short night, Tempéra's face shows no expression when he hears the news. Whether there are more or fewer prisoners makes no difference to his penance. He and his daughter are trapped until he solves the charade Mother Nature has laid on him in exchange for their freedom.

Heartbroken, Tempéra goes to the laboratory with Gaëlle. His team is already busy like bees around their hive. They are laughing, they are clapping and patting each other firmly on the back as if peace in the world had been announced after a long period of war. Tempéra is told that today (day four) the gene hasn't mutated and the cell is intact. The Supreme Goddess wishes to begin the implantation without delay despite the reluctance and recommendations of the members of the team. Tempéra giggles at the thought of the danger she would expose herself to if they accepted.

"Did your God create the world in four days?" He jokes, addressing his teammates.

"Mr Akheeli, you will do as I say!" The Supreme Goddess exclaims behind him in a dry tone.

Tempéra can't stop a jump. He turns around abruptly. Breathing heavily, he dares to answer her calmly, avoiding eye contact:

"With all due respect, we're not God."

"Of course, you're not, Mr. Akheeli," she says disdainfully, slowly approaching him and Gaëlle before spitting in his face: "I am God."

Tempéra stands there, frozen by what sounds even to his non-believer ears like massive blasphemy. He squeezes very hard Gaëlle's hand in his; the little girl's hand is just as cold as his. His daughter is scared. For the first time, Tempéra blames himself terribly for having brought Gaëlle to this place. Away from him, close to her mother and grandfather, his daughter would have had a carefree and happy childhood. His saliva passes through his knotted throat like lava as his heart starts drumming in his chest so, he says nothing. He would like to run away, but he is choosing to remain silent, obedient and stupid like during his endless years of boarding school. He knows very well that they will never let him out of this horrible place unless he passes all his exams. He must succeed.