Speak with your thoughts, vessel. Heed my words. But first, relay to Amanda that death is the solution to all problems.
Enzo repeated the phrase verbatim.
Amanda nodded and looked at Palos. “Release command accepted.”
There is much to do. Devin’s place among the United States government is not something you can replace. Your immediate concern is to manage his proxies and oversee the ProGenesis project. The Quasiform program can wait. Everything else is of secondary priority. Amanda will address the succession of his senate seat. For now, you must secure your holdings within the Council.
There wasn’t much time for the two to get acquainted, and frankly it wasn’t necessary. Enzo’s sole purpose in life was to serve Zoras. The Quasing relayed dozens of instructions and was pleasantly surprised at how well his new vessel assumed the mantle of control. Enzo began to dictate to the aides around him as if he were an experienced Councilman. He told Amanda to return to Washington immediately to oversee Devin’s burial. He called for a meeting with the head researchers of the programs under his responsibility. He summoned the French Ambassador to China, a Genjix operative, to continue discussions with the Chinese prime minister, and he ordered an audit of Devin’s holdings within the organization. They were over budget, after all.
A Council meeting needs to be held as soon as possible to solidify your standing. While Genjix seniority is measured by the Quasing, you will still need to put the Council at ease. Devin’s accumulated holdings were vast and the others will move on any perceived weakness.
“I have no weaknesses, Holy One. I do not fail.”
We shall see. Assign the rest of the daily operations to Amanda. Lean on her while you grow into your role. Call a meeting of your senior ministers and commanders in two hours. There is something more pressing that requires your attention. The rest can wait. Test lab six is waiting for you to proceed with the test. I wish to personally witness the results.
Enzo nodded and left his office, flanked by twenty aides coming and going as he dictated orders. He left the building and proceeded toward the ProGenesis lab.
By now, word of his ascension had spread and the curious lined his path to pay tribute. Several of the devoted reached out to touch him, a new god walking amongst them. Zoras watched with curiosity at how Enzo dealt with the attention.
The results were mixed. On the one hand, Enzo recognized that he was a blessed being more valuable than a thousand humans and carried himself as such. That was an important trait for an Adonis Vessel to possess. Their sense of self-worth enforced their Quasing’s ability to rule. On the other hand, Zoras watched with disdain as Enzo played the crowd like a politician walking the rope line. Keeping his face stoic, he touched the outstretched hands and made eye contact with the worshiping masses. It was a far cry from how Devin, who played the role of an isolated Egyptian Pharaoh, treated his people.
You are a god. Remember that.
“A god who leads, Guardian.”
To lead is a human trait. A god demands obedience.
It took Enzo over half an hour to make the five-minute walk across the Genjix campus to the research building. He was met by Chow, the head researcher, at the entrance to the ProGenesis lab.
“Father,” the rotund man dressed in blue research robes bowed.
Jikl’s vessel.
Enzo noted Chow’s figure with disdain. It was a vessel’s responsibility to keep his body healthy for his Quasing, something Chow had heretically neglected.
Not all Genjix serve your purpose. Jikl’s vessel fills his role well.
“The sacrilege is unacceptable, Holy One.”
“We await your order,” Chow said.
Enzo nodded and signaled for the test to begin. A large crane hummed to life and lifted a cage into the air. Inside, a prisoner shook at the bars.
“You can’t do this,” the man screamed at the dozen people below watching him with scientific interest. “I’m not a lab experiment. This is murder!”
“Penetra scanner readings,” Chow called out. A few scientists below on the ground level confirmed it. “Signatures,” he directed to another group. A large screen appeared, showing the human and Quasing’s life signs.
Then on his order, Chow ordered the experiment to continue. The crane moved the cage over a massive cylindrical glass vat filled with a slow swirling, sludge-like red liquid. A metal cover, split down the middle, opened outward.
The prisoner screamed, hammering the bars with his fists. “We’re all humans! Think about what you’re doing!” He began to slam his body into the bars in a crazed fashion until blood poured down his forehead.
With a signal from Chow, the crane dropped the cage into the vat and the cover closed over it, vacuum-sealing the container. Immediately, the cage sunk to the bottom and within seconds, the human was dead, a frozen look of terror on his face. Enzo paid attention to the steady beep of his life signs flatlining. The Quasing’s life signs, though, jumped as it moved out of the corpse. Several scientists took to typing into their tablets. A sparkling light swam around the body of the cylinder, zigzagging back and forth, trying to escape. After a minute, it settled near the base of the vat.
“Elevated signs, but stable,” Chow reported. “Clocking at ninety seconds.”
“How long do these subjects survive in there?” Enzo asked.
“The most recent test, using chemical batch 5-8S, lasted nine minutes, Father,” Chow said.
Longer than a human could stay alive underwater. Better than one could in many parts of the world.
The life signs of the Quasing remained stable, but slowly eroding. He was dying a lingering death. Enzo waited patiently, watching one of the gods perish. He wondered where gods went after they died. The humans on this planet believed their gods to be immortal. Some believed in only one omnipotent god who had lived since before the creation of this planet. It seemed they were only half right. Gods could live forever but could also be killed like any other. Enzo was now a witness to this truth. After nearly fifteen minutes, the life signs of the Prophus leveled out, turning from a soft blip to a steady tone.
To the Eternal Sea.
Enzo repeated the words under his breath.
“Sixteen minutes, forty three seconds at time of death,” a scientist below called out.
Several of the blue robes congratulated Chow. They were on the right path, a step closer to the formula for the Quasing primordial soup. It was only a matter of time.
“Find the cause of death,” Chow ordered. “I want an autopsy report of the human and the Quasing within the hour.” He turned to Enzo with a large smile. “An advancement, Father.”
Enzo nodded. Sixteen minutes was encouraging. “When will you be ready to test again?”
“Immediately after the autopsy and analysis from the Penetra scanner,” Chow said. “We’ll need to make adjustments to the chemical mixture and synthesize the formula. Possibly a few days?”
“How many Prophus prisoners are on hand?”
“Three, Father. A shipment is being delivered from Tibet as we speak, and I am told the recent captured enemy vessel has plenty more. It should be enough to keep our tests running for the rest of the year.
“Continue on then,” he said briskly, turning to leave. A small army of aides trailed close behind.
Enzo looked at them, irritated. “Holy One, must they follow me every step like lap dogs?”
These aides are simply a means to do my bidding. Do you pay attention to your hands when you perform a task?
“I long for a little routine at the gym. My body requires its nourishment to stay strong for your use.”
Your dedication is noted. Who was that betrayer sacrificed for the greater good?