Across town in the basement of the church, something nefarious was about to transpire. Rex Goodman was there shackled to the wall in a medieval-like dungeon. The guard splashed a bucket of water in his face trying to awaken him.

“Wake up sinner. The High Priest is here so that you can confess before you are sentenced.” Shouted the small man. As he put the bucket down and opened the door and walked into the corridor beyond.

As Rex slowly regained consciousness. His vision still slightly blurred looked toward the doorway and saw a figure enter the chamber.

The figure was of a male. He stood about five feet ten. He was wearing a black suit. On his feet are black wingtip shoes. I red silk tie around his neck. On his lapel, there was a rather large red serpent that appeared to eat its tale. The man was bald except for black mutton chops and a monocle in his right eye. As he approached Rex the man came into full sight. And Rex recognized him immediately.

“Fucking Penix. I should have known you were behind all this.” Said Rex as he spat at the man’s feet.

“Yes, Rex. It is I Dr. Hugh Jenix. I am here to bear witness to your confession. Please feel free to unburden yourself so that you can go to hell to meet your creator with a clear conscious.” Said Jenix as he made himself comfortable in an overstuffed velvet throne chair in the middle of the room. “Hell go ahead Judas. Unburden yourself. Tell your story one last time. Quick out with it while I have a semblance of patience.” Said Jenix as he crossed his legs.

“I don’t need to tell you anything you demon. Go back to hell where you came from, and I will meet you there if need be. And there I will tell anything you want to know.” Said Rex as he pulled at the chains on his wrist and then at those on his ankles.”

“Have it your way Goodman.” Said Jenix. “If you do not cooperate I will just have to get it out of your friend Virgil.”

“Virgil died ten years ago. You devil. You know that.” Shouted Rex.

“I do know that. I brought him back nine years ago to serve the dark lord. I am surprised you did not know that. He has been a member of the Puritans of Righteousness ever since his resurrection. He has been working beside you for many years. Same. You lost all that time reconnecting. Bring him in!” Proclaimed Jenix.

Within seconds the guard brought in a thin black male about Rex’s age and threw him to the floor. The man looked up at Rex from the ground before him. Then lowered his head exhausted from the torture they must have put him through.

“Virgil is that you?” asked Rex. “What in the world has he done to you.”

“Yes, Rex it is I. He brought me back with the agreement that I would follow you and befriend you once again. I was to tell you that I survived and that we should rekindle our relationship once again anew. So that I could keep track of you and report back to the P.O.R. But I ran. I loved you too much to betray you even if it meant that I would die again and return to eternal damnation.” Said Virgil before crashing to the ground and losing consciousness.

“You evil fuck!” shouted Rex. “You even bastardize love and use it for your evil means. I know what you are up to. I too have been playing a part as well. But my ends and my means are for the benefit of humanity. So go ahead and kill me. Do what you must.” Stated Rex as he hung there from the wall at his wit's end.

“You miss my point here young Goodman.” I do not intend to kill you. Not yet anyways, there is the sacrifice tonight though. But I do intend to slit young Virgil’s throat if you do not tell me what I want to hear.” Said Jenix. As he pointed to Virgil on the floor the guard lifted his head by the back of his head and put a knife to his throat. “Do understand now, Rex?”

“Alright! Alright! Alright! I will tell you everything. Just do not harm Virgil, and I will give you what you want.” Said Rex as he collapsed and hung from the wall.

Across town Alma, Thea, and Jove were preparing for battle. They planned to masquerade as one of the P.O.R and snatch Rex when the time was right. Alma would give the signal and then they would launch into action. Jove would secure Rex and get him out there while Alma and Thea would get their backs and help with the evacuation. AlmaThea would make an appearance if necessary. That was the plan. But it was a flexible plan that could be amended now if need be depending on the circumstance. The coffee shop was closed as they sat there getting ready and going over the plan one last time.

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“OK, everyone clear on the mission at hand?” asked Alma as the sun slowly set. Twilight slowly creeps across the land. All seemed still and a little too quiet.

“Yeah, but what about us three? What is our part?” Asked a middle-aged man from the shadows of the kitchen doorway. Behind him a younger man and thirty-something woman sharing a cranberry scone.

“Senex, Puer, Ursula! You are here? We did not call for help. But hey glad to see you all nonetheless.” Said Alma as she rushed to grab them all in a group hug.

“Easy Mom Ma you will crush my scone.” Jested Puer the younger as he stuffed the last of it in his mouth.

“Yeah, wouldn’t want to do that. The kid never stops eating.” Laughed Ursula as she went over to hug Thea who now had made her way over toward the three of them.

“Good to see you all.” Said Thea. As she went in for a group hug herself.

“Got to love the Aegis cuddle puddle.” Said Puer as he reached for another scone.

“Well, well, well. This must be ‘the’ Jove. At last, we meet.” Said Senex as he approached Jove with his hand outstretched.

Senex looked about sixty years old. He stood about five-seven tall. Had gray hair and blue eyes and seemed rather fit for his age. Puer seemed to be a younger version of Senex but had brown hair and appeared to be about twenty-five years old. Ursula appeared to be thirty, athletic build. She stood six feet tall. Her eyes were deep brown and her complexion olive in tone.

“Yes, at last.” Said Jove inquisitively. “The aforementioned Senex. The elder Aegis – the shield. The team of emissaries sent ahead to help with the humankind on this world.” Said Jove as he stretched out his hand and shook greetings with Senex.

“OK, now the introductions are done with let's sit down and bring you all up to speed.” Said Alma as she returned to her seat.

“Wait a second before we get to it. I have a question for Jove.” Said Thea as she fidgeted in her seat. A little nervous about what she was going to ask. “Jove you mentioned to Alma that you were once mortal, human, can you tell us about that? I thought you were immortal. How does that work I am curious.” She said as she looked at him while trying not to look at him.

“I have no secrets.” Said Jove as he looked directly at Alma. “However, it is a rather long and uneventful story that can wait for later. Perhaps sometime after this issue at hand is resolved. Perhaps in an origin episode when matters of when the survival of humanity here on old mother earth is not as they are now. If you get my meaning.” Said Jove as he sat back in his seat. “Seriously, another time.”

Meanwhile, back deep beneath the church across town, Rex was beginning to summon his strength to tell Dr. Hugh Jenix what he wanted to hear.

“OK Dr. You are a doctor, right? Because I believe that you are a chiropractor right? So, a back cracker is the one who is going to annihilate humanity. How fitting. Wow.”

“Get on with it worm. Or I will kill your beloved. Another outburst and he dies. Are we understood?”

“Understood! Ok! So, after Virgil was killed by Richard Haman and by extension Patsy Haman a.k.a. Dix and Pix. Yes, I know about these low-level unsuper villains. They are the fund-raising arm is the P.O.R they go on TV and social media and bilk you mindless followers of their pensions and cat food money. Fucking right-wing boomers am I, right? They troll good people trying to make things better. They call them snowflakes and libtards and other stupid names. How righteous and adult of them? What a joke. They spread your toxic venom and disrupt and throw sand in the gears of democracy without question. They do what their fearless leader tells them to. The whole time Jenix that you are running for office in a state where you don’t live sewing discord and lies about men and women who have done the work and earned the right to run for office to be a public servant is now a public nuisance. But I digress. After I got out of prison I assumed the identity of a right-wing neo-Nazi and Christian Nationalist or Christo fascist. When I was in prison I fell in with a bunch of these men. I had to adopt their philosophy, behavior, and methodology to survive. When the lights were out I was reading about Humanism. Books by Roy Speckhardt and people like him who are trying to make this world, this society a better place. So, I became an undercover agent if you will, and I tried to do my bit to help as well. I thought I had you all fooled, but I guess I was wrong. I was framed for the murder of my best friend and lover. For that reason, I found a way to console myself, and the thing that could have destroyed me made me a better person and more compassionate soul. If I believed in a God I would pray for your soul. I can be good without a god. You should try it demon.”

“Silence!” screeched Jenix as she shouted in Rex’s face before slapping him. “There is a God alright the dark lord and you will meet him soon enough. Guard, take this infidel and prepare him. It will not be long now.” Saying that Jenix stormed out of the chamber in true villain style.