Empyrean Iris Story Collection Vol. 4

The Laws of Energy

The ship was locked in a tableau of awkward wariness, humans versus Makers, and Adam knew exactly who would win. Unfortunately for them, the odds weren't exactly in their favor.. Their one maker, Celex, was lying face first on the floor with several maker weapons leveled at his back.

Adam for his part stood patiently on the captain's platform his hands held out to either side, "I am going to skip the part where I try to get you to see reason, you refuse to listen to me, and then the big bad thing happens because I wasn't able to warn you in time cliche." Hands still raised Adam raised his voice over the crowd, over Adham's protest, "Everette has called Apollyon."

The entire room erupted like a minefield.

Adam hadn't exactly expected a name to have so much power, but he saw a wave of disgust, hatred and fear pass through the Makers. They flinched, jumped, and even hissed on one or two occasions.

"Don't say that name." Adham hissed, "Not in the light of revelation."

Adam shook his head, "You need to know what is going on. Do you think I came of my own fruition because I thought we were going to be accepted back with open arms?" he barked a laugh, "No way in hell, I know what I did, and I know how you must feel about me, but I am also not stupid, and I know when a fight is out of my league. I don't know if Everette managed to summon him, but I do know that he was trying and he seemed pretty damn convinced that it was going to work."

Adham pursed his lips, "The prince of darkness has no reason to stop himself to such trivial matters as to answer the call of a corrupted maker to deal with inconsequential constructs." Adam frowned but Adham waved a hand, "This is not an insult, simply a fact. The prince of darkness is older than time itself, ancient and spends most of his time slumbering, to call on him for such a menial thing as a few billion constructs would be a catastrophic waste of his time. He hasn't been awake in more than ten thousand years and he certainly isn't going to awaken from his hibernation to deal with the children of his enemies."

Adam tried to fight the chilling feeling beginning to rise in his blood.

"Well that is some ass backward logic."

All heads turned, including both Adam and Adham to look at the news speaker who had entered the conversation.

Krill, still in his human form, had removed himself from his suit, and was only now shrugging into his long, white coat. At his side, rested the environmentally sealed container that held his construct body.

As soon as their eyes locked, Adham's went wide with surprise and then narrowed with anger. He turned to look accusatory at Adam, "What have you done."

"Its not like there was a rulebook that came with being a construct, so you can't get mad at us for making a few modifications."

Adham was about to open his mouth when Krill stepped in, adjusting the lapels of his long, white lab coat with one hand even as he raised the other to halt any protests, "Enough of your proverbial pissing contest please. Your anger over the loss of this ship, which was not, in fact stolen, pales in comparison to even the potential return of apollyon."

Krill adjusted his large, round spectacles russet hair bouncing gently around the sharp angles of his face. Despite being outside his Vrul body, he carried himself in a very similar way even as a human, though now he posed somewhat of a threat no matter how minor.

"Not stolen?!" Adham exclaimed, and krill huffed in exasperation.

"That is what you got out of that sentence? For the love of revelation, don't you get it. The architect GAVE Adam the ship."

That news seemed to be a revelation to almost everyone in the room except, maybe for Adam, Ramirez, Sunny, and the others within his more immediate circle, who had seen the exchange Adam had made before taking the ship.