“Out, Geh jetzt!” Jack ordered, walking into the airship’s directory where every file it had was located.

“Alright, you want to tell me what the fuck was that?” Python asked as Jack's hands danced across the keypad to search up names and references to Solomon.

“Seventh Solomon…” Jack muttered, pulling up a directory labeled Project Solomon from the airship's main data vault.

Jack's eyes rapidly began scanning files, darting between each mention of Solomon. From what he knew, the expeditions were an Imperial led coalition of corporations, military industrialists, and nations. A force to navigate and scout out the continent once known as Africa and known to the rest of the world as the Lost Lands.

From what little information he had, the continent was overrun by demonspawn and covered in never-ending corruptive smog, the same kind that had turned the citizens of Frelia into mindless beasts.

What the Black King sought was there. Buried beneath the cradle of humanity with every expedition undertaken by his orders.

Jack scowled, changing data sets rapidly.

The Theocracy, the Alliance, even the Empire were secretly in some way under an Archangel’s boot and heel. The implications of which unsettled Jack.

“It's very likely the Infinity machine is there,” Sahaqiel said. “If he's organizing expeditions into the continent he probably doesn't know where exactly it is.”

Yeah. I get that. But why does he need me? What does he seek to gain by pissing me off and sowing so much chaos? Jack frowned, opening another file. He’s stronger than anything I’ve ever encountered so why does he need fodder to do his work?

“I don't know. Micheal…” Sahaqiel said, her tone remorseful as she finally uttered her brother's name. “He was a beacon of light during our age. The chief enforcer of Heaven and leader. After the war he put the survivors of the cataclysm back together. Gave us purpose, gave us hope. And we stood by him to rebuild everything…”

Jack paused.

You knew all this time.

Sorrow blossomed inside of Sahaqiel, “I… didn't want it to be him. I'm not even sure how he’s alive. I thought he died during the outbreak. To think that all this time…. He was alive. Alone in this world.”

He isn’t who you thought he was Sara. Or at the very least not anymore. Understand that if I have the opportunity, I will kill him. Jack sent back before the screen in front of him was abruptly shut off.

“Oui! You gonna talk to me or just ignore me while getting frown lines?” Python asked, waving his gloves hand in front of Jack's face.

“Sorry, just lost in thought.”

Stolen novel; please report.

“Ok, well, do you want to talk about what the hell that was back there? You almost killed him with your demon curse crap,” Python demanded.

Jack turned to the man, “Demon curse crap?”

“Is what the hell I’m calling it,” Python replied, sucking loudly on a daylily. “Look, I’ve seen a lot, hell I’ve done a lot, but that… shit. That was some wicked stuff. Just tell me one thing.”

Jack raised a brow.

“Are you ok lad?”

Jack blinked twice, taken aback by the question before he sighed and put on his most reassuring smile, “Of course, better than I’ve ever been.”

Python’s face took on a look of disgust, “Right, ok, I’m putting you under orders for psych eval.”

“Heh, I’m fine, really. And I’m the King of the Empire, I outrank you remember?” Jack chuckled before his expression turned grave. “Still… there's work to be done. Thanks to my demon curse crap I’ve found a few pieces of the puzzle out. Namely where my sister is and what the Black King is up to.”

“Care to enlighten me?” Python said, pressing the button to turn the monitor back on.

“The Black King is searching for something known as the Infinity Machine,” Jack said, opening a map of the Lost Lands as well as various files related to the Soloman Expeditions. “Everything he’s done has been to find and access the machine.”

“Ok? Care to explain the why?”

“To control the demonspawn,” Jack lied, choosing to spare Python the truth about reincarnation and souls. To know the potential hell that awaited every life taken. That knowledge was better left unspoken than shared. “And bend the world to his whim. The problem is he lacks the resources and manpower to secure a beachhead to safely search for his prize.”

Jack opened up the folder labeled Seventh Solomon, the last expedition undertaken by Imperial forces of which included his uncle Mike and Mi’shika.

“Isn’t he stronger than you? What would he need protection from?” Python asked, drawing a look from Jack. “No offense lad, just he made you and he’s got an army of lunatics at his beck and call.”

“No, you’re right…” Jack said, looking away.

What could he need protection from?

Suddenly a memory flashed before Jack’s mind, pictures belonging to Sahaqiel of old friends turned into abominations. Tarhanna, Athena, Ares, angels brought down before rising back up as different creatures.

“The Apostles,” Sahaqiel chimed in, her words knitting together a missing piece of the puzzle that Jack could only hope weren’t true.

“Fuck…No… it makes sense…” Jack muttered, hand over his mouth.

“What?”

“It just occurred to me, if angels and demons of lore exist,” Jack sighed, staring at the folder of the Seventh Solomon expedition as his thoughts shifted to the mercenary with tattoo of a staff and the number seven, the man Mike had murdered. “Where the hell did they all go?”

Python furrowed his brow, blinking once before his mouth twisted into a slight frown. “Are you trying to tell me there are worse things out there than us?”

“Do you want to know the answer to that?” Jack said, facing Python fully.

“Ya know what, I think I’ll read it in a briefing,” Python replied, taking out another leaf. “So what's our next step?”

“I need to talk to Lita and her group, figure out their answer.”

Python shifted the leaf in his mouth, “And if they don’t agree to your plan?”

“Then we make them,” Jack said coldly, his back to Python. “If they won’t listen to reason, then we’ll do what we’ll have to.”

“Right…” Python said slowly, wondering if Jack was even capable of what he was suggesting.

“Brief Selfia on the Solomon expedition link, I’ll talk to the Templars and then we’ll go from there after making sure the flying city is safe to move,” Jack ordered as his thoughts turned to his sister and the war going on back home.