Chapter 331: (BEHOLD!) (2/2)

Three billion living beings.

Feeling slightly guilty he turned off his display and used his datalink to order a bowl of vanilla ice cream with walnuts sprinkled on it.

He needed the comfort.

He considered, for a long moment, of calling Matron Neskila'at, of reaching out to her for comfort and reassurance. The military channels could reach the other systems still 'bagged up' but he was loathe to use official channels just to have his family's matron comfort him.

He slowly rubbed his forearms together, resisting the urge to lift his hands and start hewing on the tips of his fingernails.

The view outside his window was beautiful, but it did nothing to help ease his distress, it offered no solutions, no possible way to...

There was a sudden shimmer in the air and Tik Tak stood up, moving back, his hand touching his temple as he pinged security.

Before the signal could even go through a huge booming noise filled the air, the concussive force of the noise slamming him back against the wall.

The window exploded outward, his desk shattered into splinters and whipped around in a circle, the floor was ripped away to expose the room below, the ceiling was shredded apart, revealing the empty office above him. Glass, wood, metal, chunks of wood, concrete, plaster, carpeting, and ceramic showered over the immaculate green lawn and the parking lot.

A shimmering being of pure code iridescent code stood in mid-air. Great wings made of gauzy energy streamed for the junction of where three human figures had been fused together, each looking a different direction with eyes that were covered in folded cloth. A winding flowing twisting eternity symbol of burning warsteel, covered in staring eyes, flowed over each head. The figure was girded in shining armor. The one facing Tik Tak had a burning sword in its four arms. The one facing to the rear left held a shield and a lamb in its four hands, and the one facing to the rear and right had scales in its four hands that were weighted with flickering images of lives lived.

FΣΛЯ ПӨƬ!

the voice rang out as loud as thunder. Vehicle windshields in the parkinglot shattered, glass in the buildings for a two mile radius shattered. The voice echoed off the mountains a hundred miles away.

”I bring thee, General Imak Takilikakik, succor for the Lanaktallan in sore need of mercy! Have thy technicians and medical personnel attend the files that I leave unto thee!” the three mouthed figure roared out. The sword lifted to point at Tik Tak and he felt his implant shudder as code streamed straight to it, then to his personal data storage.

”THE HOUR OF DELIVERANCE AND MERCY FOR THINE FOES HATH ARRIVED!” the figure intoned.

The entire lawn suddenly flowered. The ragged edges of the massive hole in the building was suddenly edged in pure gold. Rainbows appeared, streaming from the building and off into the sky.

It suddenly vanished.

Tik Tak swallowed thickly, blinking, and silently congratulated himself on not wetting his pants.

-------------------

Sam looked at Herod and shrugged.

”Huh. No reply. Well, I left it in his inbox,” Sam said. ”Maybe I didn't have it turned up high enough? The interference is pretty thick.”

Herod shrugged and offered Sam a glass of digital whiskey.

”Eh, I'm sure it's fine. Give him a few hours to have it verified by the techs, then send him another avatar to check up on things,” Herod said. ”Leave it on low power, we don't know how strong the transmitter is.”

”Oh, good point,” Sam said, accepting the glass. ”Do you suppose he knows I left him a message?”

”Eh, he's a busy man. It might take him a while to find out,” Herod said.