THE VROL TRILOGY (156 page)

"They are posing a grave danger to the entire
universe, sister," said Michael.

Anaita paused for a moment, thinking, and
then struck a bargain.

"You do realize we all have… needs. Mine have
been long unfulfilled. Satisfy mine and I shall assist you in your
endeavors."

Anaita stood and morphed to her native form -
looking much like an angel made of light. Her brother reluctantly
also stood and did the same. The three then joined together,
creating a brightness so intense it would have blinded any
human.

###

"I am assuming Captain Gunnarsson is to soon
transport me back to my world," stated Jorgen Bierle, President of
Azul System. He had dodged the dual full moon on his planet, but
knew he wouldn't be able to do so forever. Still, he was anxious to
return. He had a wife and children, and even though he had informed
them he would be off-world for a few days, he couldn't help but
worry - and miss them greatly.

"I am sure he will be arriving shortly, Mr.
President," Clarisa Gunnarsson curtly stated, as she attempted to
yet again contact Max via their private, family comm channel.

"I haven't heard from Dad or Gabriel in two
days. I hope everything's alright," said Max, as he relaxed in the
massive bed he shared with his wife. Jennie was snuggled up to him,
her head on his chest, running her fingers through the sparse, soft
hair on his chest.

"Have you tried to contact them via the
comm?"

"Yeah, but they haven't answered. I'm getting
concerned."

"Max, they're looking for two douchebag
archangels in a sea of galaxies. It wasn't going to be an overnight
job, you know."

"You’re right. Hey, the full moon series is
over on Azul. Let's take Bierle back and get a bead on the
situation planet-side. Plus I want to speak with Josh and get
status on breaking the gen-lock Johnson put on the side
space-capable fleet vessels."

"Good idea, sweetie. But let's have one more
go at it. I still got the itch, ya know," said Jennie, giggling as
she crawled up and settled herself on top of her husband, cooing as
she did so.

Round three. Thank god for
salubots
, he thought to himself as his beautiful wife
leaned forward and started to kiss him.

"Max! Are you there? Bierle is getting
impatient."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming
already, Mom
.
Oh, I didn’t
mean it to sound like… aw crap."

Max could have slipped to where his mother
and Bierle were standing, but he usually chose to use a more human
method of travel (when he wasn't carrying his daughter to her
room), especially while within the confines of the castle walls.
Approaching the pair, he bowed slightly, and then gave his mother
the customary hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Mr. President, please forgive my delay. I
was called to resolve a situation, and I…"

"Worry not, Captain," Birele smiled, "I too
had a young wife at one time."

"Oh, awkward!" Clarisa giggled.

Max turned slightly red, but quickly
recouped. "Very well then. We can go through the Hub, and then
directly to the Presidential offices."

"Why this Hub, as you call it?" asked
Bierle.

"Well, non-Hub transit requires a massive
sphere of influence, and it could potentially destroy your
offices."

"Very well then. Agreed."

"Bye, Mom."

"See you soon, sweetie. Is Jennie going to
with you too?"

"I'm already here, Clarisa. Please
remember - Liliana has classes after lunch. And she is
not
permitted to go near those
sharks while we're gone, okay?"

Clarisa nodded kindly and blew an air-kiss to
her daughter-in-law as the three disappeared with a light popping
sound.

###

Michael, Gabriel and Anaita were all
reclining on comfortable couches, recuperating from their ordeal.
It wasn't sex, per se; it was much more. It was akin to a sharing
of souls. Ordinary humans would have thought it slightly perverse,
but it was not. It was simply the way of the Prīmulī.

"You boys are powerful. I forgot just how
powerful you were," said Anaita, as she sipped on a glass of white
wine.

Michael and Gabriel looked at each other with
glazed expressions. Gabriel, more than his brother, had come to
view anything so intimate as being solely between two individuals,
and especially not between siblings. It was less of an issue, for
Michael, who had multiples wives in his previous home.

"Have you not lately had corporeal sex,
Sister?" asked Gabriel.

Anaita nearly laughed out loud in response.
"Did you see those monkeys who worship me? I've been around them
for the past tree centuries! There is absolutely no way I would bed
any of them."

Michael smirked and nodded. "Yeah, they
looked a bit funky."

"You truly have picked up on the speech
habits of your former home, Brother," said Gabriel. "Do you ever
miss it?"

"What? Vegan-world? No way. I mean, I became
accustomed to it, but I could never go back."

"What is this vegan place of which you speak,
Michael?" asked Anaita.

"Gabe and I had a bet. He won, so he got to
stick me wherever he desired. He chose this offshoot timeline world
where animal protein was indigestible."

"And the humans smelled like rotten fecal
matter," added Gabriel.

"Please, don't remind me."

"Tell me, what is so special about these
humans. I see no issue with them, although I did oppose them being
designed to have our corporeal appearance," said Anaita.

"Simply stated, Sister, they are better than
us," said Gabriel, causing Anaita to gain a shocked expression.

"How so? I find that to be impossible"

"We are static," continued Gabriel. "This is
what we are. We do not evolve. We do not die, and we rarely
procreate. We simply exist and shall be as we are for all eternity.
However, Jah created humanity with a slight twist - he made them to
evolve. They live, they die, and each succeeding generation becomes
better - stronger - smarter. They will one-day reach a genetic
equivalency to us - a biological singularity. Then they shall
surpass us. We can either destroy them, as the Grigori desire, or
join them. It is our desire to nurture and protect them. Our
father, Draagh, also feels this way. Then, when they are as we are,
we shall all evolve together. I believe that was Jah's intent. He
did not abandon us, as the enemies of his plan stated. He created
them to guide us."

"What do you mean? Evolve to where and
what?"

"Do we not need sustenance? Water? Sleep? We
have some of the same limitations as these so-called savages. It is
our belief that Jah created them to usher in a new evolutionary
line - to eventually become beings of pure thought and energy,
feeding off the riches of the Universe, and to create new galaxies
and worlds where life might flourish."

"Interesting. How is Father, anyway? I
haven't spoken with him in so long."

"He is well. You know how much he loves
Mankind," said Michael.

"Does he still wear the garb of a Viking
warrior?"

"Oh yes, he surely does. And he wears it
quite well," said Gabriel.

"Do you not miss the days of the Nordic
conquests?" she asked.

"I do, a bit," said Michael. "I loved that
hammer."

"I can still see father strutting around with
that infernal eye patch," said Gabriel, prompting his two siblings
to start laughing.

"And what of Sif? You two quarreled over her
continually." Anaita was referring to Dina, another Primulus, known
as Sif during the height of the Nordic conquests.

"Well, that was how I got tossed into hippy
land," said Michael.

"Hippy what?"

"Michael and I made a bet. Whomever garnered
the affections of Dina would win, and could send the loser to a
place of his liking for a century," said Gabriel.

"And you won, then," said Anaita.

"Gabe's more of the rico suave type. She
liked that more," confirmed Michael.

"I do not understand. What is a rico
suave?"

"Never mind," laughed Michael. "Anyway, down
to business. Where are Samyaza and Gadreel?"

"They never stay in one location for long,
but they are, as you had surmised, assisting the insects, hiding
them from your eyes. I must admit, I really believed their story.
Perhaps I have been away from my family for too long. I know not
where they currently reside, but I am able to communicate with
them. However, I cannot do so while you are here. They would detect
your presence."

"Understood, Sister," said Gabriel. The two
archangels stood and prepared to depart, with Michael handing
Anaita a small broche to pin on her tunic.

"What is this, Michael?"

"It is a two-way comm that relays through the
Hub. You can use it to directly communicate with us, no matter
where we are in the Universe."

"Yes, we need to know their precise location
so we may engage in a surprise attack," added Gabriel.

"I shall attempt contact right away," said
Anaita.

The brothers nodded curtly to their sister,
and then disappeared.

###

Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon,
looking down at the Colorado River as it mightily flowed through
the massive crevice in the Earth's crust, Michael turned to Gabriel
and smirked.

"Did you detect them?"

"I could smell them. Maybe an added benefit
from passing so much time with a lycan female," said Gabriel.

"Shall we kill her?"

"No, not yet, Brother. She may still prove
useful."

###

"Idiots. Now we can trace their very
conversations!"

Gadreel laughed as he handled the broche
Michael had given to Anaita. "They believed your ruse. Honestly, I
am amazed."

"So I did well, my cousins? I told you I
would not fail. And their story - their theory of the evolution of
humanity. Please! Who would be so foolish as to believe such a
tale?"

"I am so going to enjoy eliminating our
uncle, the most formidable and unquestionable Draagh. Then we shall
retrieve Father from his prison in Purgatory, after we've killed
the Hybrid first, of course. Father will need to reclaim his
ghanlo," said Samyaza.

The three sat back and laughed uproariously,
all believing their master plan to be going on without fail.

###

Max was sitting at the family table in the
castle, along with the rest of his clan when he received a ping
from his father – informing him that they were on their way. He had
spent the entire day with his wife in New Sydney, and was tired, to
say the least. In a matter of moments, the two archangels strode
into the main dining hall, immediately greeted by their lovely
consorts.

Sitting down next to Max, Michael was
presented with a plate of roasted pork - a rarity in the
Rhönen.

"So, did you find her?" asked Max.

"Yes, Max. We did."

"And did you give it to her?"

"Indeed. She accepted it without
question."

"Max, what are you talking about? Are you
guys doing secret stuff again?" asked Jennie, her face contorting
in disbelief.

Max and Michael looked at each other, and
then at Gabriel, who had taken a seat next to Jessica. The three
burst out into laughter, with Max stopping as soon as he felt
Jennie's fingernails dig into his thigh.

"Okay! Okay! I made a modified comm for them
to give to their sister," he squealed.

"Modified? In what way," asked Bagatelle,
knowing if Max did something it would probably be pretty amazing,
even by Prīmulī standards.

"I made it leaky."

"Leaky?" everyone cried out in unison.

"Max came to me with a plan right before we
left. I had earlier confided in him that we would not be directly
hunting the Grigori, but looking for their potential allies. Our
sister was on that list. So he created a comm that spills
sub-dimensional tracking particles onto anything it touches. These
particles then casually invade the target's system and reside as if
they were part of the normal Primulus cellular structure. Anyone
who touches the comm is, for lack of a better term, infected," said
Michael.

"But salubots, as Max calls them, do not
detect the tracking particles as an invading, foreign agent, and
simply leave them alone. I am pleased to say I assisted my grandson
with that bit of engineering," stated Draagh, while wearing a large
grin.

"So you have access to whomever touches the
modified comm?" Bagatelle queried.

"We can track them, yes," said Gabriel.

"But here's the capper. They can't trace our
comm signals. The device throws out fake communications, all
appearing to be scrambled. They're actually recordings of older
conversations of us repairing the castle's sanitary systems," added
Max. "However, if we choose to actually speak with the device
holder we can."

Draagh swiped his hand in the air, causing an
infoscreen to appear. It was a beautiful, translucent white, with
mappings of the Milky Way Galaxy, as well as the nearby minor
galactic groupings. He immediately saw three dots on the map.
Zooming in, one was on the world where Michael and Gabriel had
encountered their sister, one was on Earth, and the other was on a
planet in the Hercules Dwarf Galaxy.

"Ah, here we are. They appear to be hiding
within a critical amount of dark matter. Hercules is famous for
this," said Draagh.

"Are you certain it is them, Father?" asked
Gabriel.

"Well, unless they swapped places with your
petulant brat of a sister, I would say so. Did you not state that
at least two of the Grigori were nearby, and possibly even inside
Anaita's domicile?"