“I like a man with that kind of attitude. Let’s do that.”
“I assume you want to curry some sort of favor with The President,” Van Draught continued. “But I have to be honest, this isn’t the kind of President for whom that sort of thing comes easy. Franklin believes in the stature of the office he holds. He goes out of his way to not only appear a certain way but to actually be that kind of man.”
“Very honorable.”
“I suppose but also damned stupid at times. You wouldn’t believe some of the lengths he goes to in the hope of appearing strong to the American people.”
“I can imagine.”
Van Draught finished his cognac and held the empty glass out for more. “That’s not to say it’s impossible. We just have to be sly.”
“I’m never anything but.”
Accepting his newly refilled glass, the crooked politician sat back and asked, “What is it that you do want, by the way? Special concessions to help your business? Loan approval from a bank? What is it that I can help you with?”
“I want to become Emperor of the United States.”
Van Draught exploded with laughter. “Hell, boy, you’re barking up the wrong tree. We don’t have Emperors in these parts. We have these things called Presidents and I’m afraid you aren’t eligible for that position!” Wiping the corners of his eyes, he added, “Why don’t we stop with the jokes, son. I thought we were going to be playing straight here.”
“I meant what I said.”
The pleasant expression began to fade from Van Draught’s face. “Maybe you should go back to Japan, then. Hirohito has a firm grip on the throne but there’s where you’d get that Emperor title you’re lusting after.”
“He is a fine man though somewhat limited in vision,” Hiroshi replied. “Eventually he will bow down before me but I plan to cement my power in this country before I ask him to do that.”
“Are you insane?”
“No, I am not. I am speaking to you now because my people tell me that you’re corrupt. If you help me willingly, all the better — for you and for me. I need a face-to-face meeting with the President. You can get me that.”
“Help you willingly?” Van Draught stood up. “That’s not going to happen. You’re talking about the overthrow of our government. I’m a red-white-and-blue American.”
Hiroshi stood up and clasped his hands behind his back. He regarded Van Draught with a mixture of respect and amusement. “You are a curious man, Mr. Van Draught. You are willing to bargain away your honor for a relatively small amount of money and yet when offered the chance to truly grab power in the coming order, you refuse, citing some sort of loyalty to your country.”
“Well, that just goes to show how little you understand about Americans, son. None of us are averse to making a little money on the side. That’s called Capitalism. But when the push comes to shove, I think we’re the greatest country on this planet and I won’t do anything that would work against that.”
Hiroshi raised his voice and said, “Pandora, now, if you please!”
PANDORA HEARD THE shout and she closed her eyes, allowing the dark emotions of the Seven Deadly Sins to play across her soul. She focused on the most violent of them: Wrath. Using the strange device created by Prof. Potter, she began to project Wrathful images into the mind of the man whose picture she’d been studying. The exact nature of the scenes would be tailored by Van Draught’s own mind, showing him the dark nightmares that haunted the deepest crevices of his psyche.
She could feel his anguish even before his startled screams began to echo through the hotel. Pandora did not hesitate. She had long ago learned to turn off her emotions when confronted with the pain of others. She drew no pleasure from seeing men and women struck down, of course, but it was sometimes necessary for the greater good.
The power was almost palpable. With Potter’s device augmenting her own ability, she was able to touch the minds of everyone around her. It wasn’t telepathy. She had no idea what Van Draught was seeing in his mind, for instance, but she could sense that they were there and she knew the basic emotional state they were operating under.
A smile touched the lips that had once belonged to Locke. Tamaki and Potter were thinking so small. Perhaps it was because they had no idea how powerful she truly was or perhaps it was because they were men, who tended to think on an immediate level. As soon as their quick desires were satisfied, they moved on to the next conquest.
Pandora could feel that a lot more was possible with this device. Manipulating the mind of one person was hardly a true test of its abilities. Allowing her mind to expand further, Pandora was able to brush the consciousness of people throughout the city, blocks and even miles away.
The spirit of Wrath tumbled out from her as Pandora began to test the power she had now been given.
The number of screams began to multiply.
HIROSHI BACKED AWAY in confusion. Van Draught was on his knees, his fingers raking at the skin of his face, digging deep furrows in his own cheeks. The old man’s voice was hoarse now but he was still shrieking.
Strangely, he was not the only one. Other voices were joining Van Draught’s. Hiroshi ran to the window and yanked open the curtain, watching as several cars careened off the road. One of them ran up the steps of the hotel, smashing into the spinning door and shattering the glass.
Then the visions began to shove their way into Hiroshi’s head. He saw a river of blood, the waters filled with bodies and the weapons of war. Cannons, tanks, swords and rifles floated past a ruined landscape where Hiroshi himself sat upon a throne formed of human remains. He wore a set of armor formed of flesh and bones, the upper half of a skull affixed to the top of his head like a helmet.
This was the landscape of his dominion, the result of his mad grab for power.
Hiroshi’s lips pulled back into a horrific grin and he began to laugh, wildly, madly.
By the time Pandora finally ceased her ‘experiment,’ Hiroshi had sagged to the floor, his back against the wall. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw only the bloodied streets of his future realm. He smelled the decay and death. He could taste the bile rising up from his throat.
“MR. TAMAKI?”
HIROSHI swiveled his head and fixed his gaze upon the worried features of Doctor Craig. “Yes?”
“Are you… are you alright?”
Hiroshi stood up, noticing Van Draught’s corpse. “He is dead?”
“He’s not the only one. The streets are filled with them. The hotel, too. I have no idea why we’re still alive. Most of these people… it’s like their brains were burned up inside their head. They’re oozing right out of every orifice.”
“Pandora?”
“She’s fine. She said she wanted to test the upper limits of the device.” Craig looked disturbed. “I suppose she did that.”
Hiroshi pushed past him, striding across the hall. He found Pandora and Potter huddled together. The old man was obviously frightened, having revealed the second thoughts he was having about the use of his device.
Pandora turned to face Hiroshi and from her demeanor he knew that she expected him to be angry. She crossed her arms over her chest and waited for his fury.
“You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.” He reached out and embraced her, pulling her against him. She stiffened in surprise. When he pulled back, his intense gaze held her own, refusing to let her look away. “I had no idea what you could do with that thing. Forget all of my earlier plans! You’re going to seize control of the entire city, all at once! The President will be ours and through him, we’ll rule this shadow government! The military, the treasury, the media — all of it will be ours!”