Chapter 17
Lau Industries Building, Under Office
Cycle 6002.654.08.25 M
Executive Lau was in an exuberant mood. What sounded like odd moans, were him happily humming to himself in the data abundant area that the under-office lit up to become. Today the dignified presentation was there in clothing and grooming only. He was more like a wild man, madly working away in his chair.
His eyes twitched between various corners of a scale map of the island that light the room around his feet and the notes he had attached to various parts. Today he was enjoying updating the status of the island, with his hands flying to input the torment and upheaval that was being carved into the nations psyche.
So engrossed in his work was he that he wasn’t bothering to sit up straight, he was leaning far enough forward that his body was almost hunching to stabilise it’s thrilled occupant. He was watching an opinion piece from one of the coastal areas after this mornings tragic accident. He examined the interview and then went through the report from that areas minder.
He entered the update with delight, then jerked around still leaning forward to the map in front of him. It had been too long since something had happened to break the nation so well. Until recently his unease had only been bearable because it had covered up the emptiness and boredom.
But today a tragedy had jammed its way in and torn apart the stability of the nation. Who knew how many openings had been created and how many would be able to be further manipulated with the emotional turbulence of the island now? It was what he lived for.
And so he continued energetically twitching and jerking around in his seat, wishing he could feel all the suffering and growth that was happening over the island. It was a nice kind of frustration to have. Maybe it was time for him to spend a couple of days out of the office and enjoy the harvest.
An alert sounded as he worked late into the evening. The cloaked figures identification revealed it to be Drahr. These days the man moved with a more hunched narrowed posture. It was almost as if his entire being was tensing in towards the chest, with bracing against the ongoing pain the only concern.
Mildly irritated at the interruption the executive saved the progress of his map and simplified all other info onto he seats console. With that done he activated the elevator for Drahr. He supposed he couldn’t be to upset though Drahr was the man of the hour. The under-office had again returned to it’s state of near darkness in preparation.
As the elevator arrived, the executive cheerfully greeted Drahr. Drahr seemed to relax for a moment temporarily distracted from the pain. That was till he moved to walk forward and his nervous system yelled at him again.
The executive said that he was very impressed by Drahrs recent work.
Drahr thanked his superior.
He said there was a news report that had especially impressed him he brought it up in the room as a big projection. It had been present live by a reporter. She quickly thanked the news room for the introduction and quickly talked through the current state of the tragedy.
She quickly started on the disbelief that of all the groups to have such a tragedy befall them, that this gathering would be the one. The people planning the energy sympathetic re-colonisation of islands around them seemed the least deserving of such a terrible tragedy. She said that day 2654 was going to be a day many remembered for a long time.
Building on this she stated that at 11.32 W, people had just finished talking through exciting plans for a couple of colonies for the future of their nation. No-one would have expected it to so quickly swing to the scene of absolute disaster.
Tragedy had unfolded when an older model train had been placed back in service with a backlog of repairs and maintenance happening. Then through some foul accident the train had derailed and spilled chemicals through the meeting.
As the next person was wheeled out on a stretcher the camera bustled in to get a shot. You couldn’t tell much as they were mainly covered in a blanket. But their face was covered in bandages. Despite being unconscious they still looked uncomfortable. They were wheeled away into a waiting ambulance.
With the camera focused back on the reporter she stated that it was unclear how many of the forty in attendance had been affected by the accident. About eight had been released after some questioning of those in stable condition had happened. She had been told that rail officials were deeply apologetic about the incident and a full enquiry was being launched.
She addressed her audience, studio and viewer alike, to let them know another camera around the side of the building was waiting at a door where people with more minor burns were now being released. The camera expertly found those tenderly holding bandaged limbs and grimacing as they walked uncomfortably.
Some people clearly had borrowed clothes as splatters of chemical burns were tended to all over their body and they were definitely not in the formal attire expected for attending the event any longer. After a few more shots of victims, it switched back to the reporter. Though appearing composed she almost seemed to be fighting being overwhelmed as she described the tragedy of what should have been a meeting of such hope.
She handed back to the studio and they again summed up what a sad event it was before cutting to a commercial.
Lau commented on how well the first bit was done, subtle and simple. Drahar agreed politely unaware of the subtleties involved. Lau nodded frustrated that the other man could not enjoy it with him. Regardless he brought up the later bit of the playback, when the studio again cut back to the reporter.
This time Neinluge head of the Arteig temples was there with her. She asked what this tragedy meant for the nation spiritually.
Neinluge smiled politely as she spoke and waited. He agreed this was a clear message for the nation to watch carefully for those that pedalled false hope. Many had ignored the business community and council officials concern about Jonas Wagdin.
When he had brought his family to ruin and torn it apart, people were still blinded by his bright ideals. While his wife and some of the children had retreated to the safety of society, he had let his madness pull him along. He had taken advantage of other outcasts.
The real tragedy of this was that his well meaning followers of these false hopes were actually destroying the order and troubling those that cared for them. It was a more obvious tragedy that those that were caught up in spreading this evil were punished severely for there involvement, there was no questioning it. Because god didn’t punish the innocent.
With that the reporter thanked Neinluge, she continued with talk linking hope to tragedy and then the camera cut to more watching of the medium to severely injured being brought out of the broken and shaken building. The reporter again summed up the tragic details before signing of with a little shake of emotion in he voice.
The executive excitedly smiled. He proclaimed happily that the second part gave him the tingles it was just so delicious. He said that he had heard Drahr was the the one that had pressured the Neinluge to co-operate with the reporter. He asked how he had achieved it.
Drahr nodded and said he had gone for the simplest of persuasions. First he had said that the pressure on Arteig followers would be relaxed. Then he had just threatened the man’s daughter. Usually it took more, but his deformed face was making persuading people so much easier.
Executive Lau was stunned. He was shocked by the artlessness and the lack of passion in the man before him. Still he had many years of practice plastering on a fake smile, so he thanked Drahr and wished him a splendid celebration. It sickened him to think the man would probably not bother with that either.
He watched Drahr leave the building and frustrated he called into the darkness for Number Eight.
As if a ghost, the top of a masked being could faintly be made out, appearing in the nearby darkness. A chilling distant voice produced the word executive in response.
He let Number Eight know of his displeasure at the situation.
The icy voice replied, lack passion plague their way.
He asked Number Eight to follow Drahr. He didn’t seem to be letting the pain free him. They would have to find someone with real passion, even if they weren’t quite as talented. Drahr was serving his purpose for now, but it would soon be time for him to suffer an unexpected defeat in a duel with the noble little wizard families.
The creature drifted by now that it had a mission. He often wondered why the shades needed guidance. They had passion, they acted less encumbered by the world than simple humans. Was there something of the intellect or the will that was lost once one no longer had a body. He longed for the days when there had been throngs of the beings.
Shades were not on the same level as those that attained enlightenment. The truly horrible became so toxic that their bodies completely rejected them and they became a being on another level of existence. He’d never asked, but there was probably a twisted ritual for separating a believer from their flesh to make a shade.
Lau was momentarily worried. Was his vanity holding back his passion? Could he have done more to inspire Drahr and others he had striven with? He dismissed the worry as empty, as he had still been getting high ratings and not felt any shades tailing him.
He though back to his younger days. Especially working at temples. The joy you got from telling people their god and heroes were trash. Then the satisfaction of raising up the teaching of the heretic that had been woven into their holy books. It left you in the perfect place to tell meeting attendants that they were just as hopelessly flawed.
The silly thing was, that so much of the time it was the temple attendees own fault. They were so busy chasing stability, blessing and spiritual encounter that they becoming more helplessly entangled. It had gotten to the point where Lau could easily preach that what was faking as god at the moment, was there to break and conquer them. At the same time he had weaved in double meaning to piss off any that were beginning to wake or visitors not captive in the place.
Or maybe it was not even the people of the worlds fault. Maybe it was the fool God that though he could make a sanctuary world. The stupid thing was people called Him and the children of the sky with Him, the old Gods. How little the ignorant masses really knew.
The gods from which he had escaped had perfected the skill of turning hope into tragedy. The creator God had become a key part of the new feeding ground, because it’s very inhabitants had been turned against Him.
He loved the irony of the token holy meal served in various forms, throughout the different temples.
The obvious message that they were parasites of their own saviour, going completely ignored. How delightful it was to serve little manufactured wafers and micro shots of alcohol as a disembodied ritual.
It was easy to deal with believers when they started to unpick this. You would simply point the fact that the cries of the ritual being a fake substitute of togetherness, were coming from someone already isolated from the lost sheep caught in the place. Usually it could be combined with the hints of why were they calling one God made use of, a heretic? Then the fools would usually quieten or chase away the problem person by themselves.
But how come, the up and coming priests of darkness not revel in this delight? One little teaching to remember that your nourishment comes from working for others and refreshment comes from engaging you spirit to help those around you, twisted so delightfully into a empty self important ritual.
Maybe it was time for him to take it back a step and get involved with mentoring young dark priests again. How could one of darkness not be delighted with the routines of prayers established, that had worn out God? The very God that had earned the title of long-suffering, by working with those of the sky and the earth to get them this far?
The nagging of a planet had put its creator in a coma. The inhabitants were being converted into useless parasites. Control was reigning. You could easily become a leader in different temples and lead the ignorant in the ritual of devouring. How could all of darkness not rejoice in this?
While his decade in business had no doubt served it’s purpose, he was questioning his passion more and more these days. Did he need to go back to repressing the temples. Twisting the perfect opportunity to serve their fellow human beings, into self focused contracts of enslavement definitely kept people trapped in mediocrity. He still felt more and more empty though.
Pushing his reflection aside he bought the map back up in-front of him and let it fill him with excitement. Despite a few questioning of the last minute venue choice and a few other details, everything had been easily suppressed.
It was almost at the stage where fear was reigning. In a couple more weeks things should be completely under control. Then maybe he could look into moving onto retraining those of passion. For the moment he should focus on the delight of the work in-front of him. Then he should worry about a celebration of his own.
Wehl 2025
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