Epsilon Crucis turned to Lycka. "Your Majesty. We just returned from London and have been hitting the hot sheets."

"Hot sheets. You mean an unknown source of yours?" Lycka asked.

"Indeed, Your Majesty. I want to add that the Royal Marines' higher-ups knew about a pending attack in London yesterday. They knew it was The Third Rev, how many people would be employed, and how they would attack." Epsilon Crucis said.

“You mean our military forces knew about the terrorist attack?” Jervis questioned.

"Absolutely, and we have documents to back that up. Also, we have a letter from Holy Mother she'd given to Brigadier Halsey," Epsilon Crucis said as she pulled out a folded piece of paper. "It reads, 'for those of... for those of you have survived tonight, was not because of one's mercy, it is because of God's. God told Abraham to kill her son, which tested her resolve and devotion. But God realized that Abraham was willing to kill for her, including spilling her son's blood; she had proven worthy of her love. I don't want you to believe that God would abandon you in your time of need; I bet she would allow you to rise as she did with Abraham's son.

'It is nothing personal what I've done to the citizens of London, but it was of my firm commitment, love, and devotion to my Lord and Savior. And with her son, I believe I was soaked in her blood by serving her ultimate test and forwarding to all of you one's indomitable will. Be proud that you have survived, so you will be strong enough to see what will happen days ahead as we cleanse the world of evil and the creatures born from it. So, they won't murder our fertile men, poison our children, and rape and impregnate our women. God save the Queen. The Holy Mother of the Third Revelation, Maria Boutonnière.' And that is what she wrote." She concluded.

Lycka scowled, “It’s pretty obvious that soldier boy didn't take her seriously. One reason why the Third Rev productively set a quarter of the city on fire!"

Epsilon Crucis shrugged as she folded the paper, “Yeah, that seems to be the case...”

Simon scoffed, "Why wouldn't he? She was some... sailor magical scout who turned into some big bad in some fantasy story." He debunked.

“Gentleman, I hope you see the huge disconnect of believability I have dealt with for years.” Lycka pointed out.

"Preventing a terrorist attack is a waste of time. We should be hunting down these five sickos right now!" Simon argued. "Who cares about what's happening in Spain? We should care about putting them in the ground."

“And it begins...” Alpha Crucis uttered.

"I'm sorry, but not sorry. Why are we talking about slutty wolf-girl mercenaries, fake princes raping their vampire step mommies, and shit that doesn't matter?! We need to hunt down these assholes and stop World War 3 from happening!" Simon argued.

"It's not easy, Simon. If it were, we would have done that already," Lycka said.

"Yeah, no shit. Since she was one of you!" Simon critiqued as Lycka scowled at him.

"You think it's easy? We kill the Holy Mother that would ensure your fantasized war. It's not that simple." Jervis argued.

“And that is why we need to go after these guys, one by one,” Simon said.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

"You do realize there is more than just her, Mr. Devereaux. This network she had constructed took years—even decades to build from the ground up. Killing her won't be enough. Their downfall must be complete." Alpha Crucis analyzed.

“Yes, you would know that.” Simon heckled.

Alpha Crucis scowled, "You're making it seem like we are to blame for making the Holy Mother. In reality, we didn’t!” she defended.

"And you're not, I assure you. Everyone's faith and tolerance were tested after the events of 9/11." Christopher said. "There are many moving parts surrounding the Third Revelation, and we must investigate. In war, your worst enemies can be your best friends and vice versa. This is important to find out what they are doing--"

"Look, I don't need a lecture. Okay, Chris? Stop!" Simon interrupted.

Jervis grew impatient, “what do you want, Mr. Deveraux?”

Simon scoffed, “Since the current attack happened in your hometown, you want some kind of retribution.”

Jervis slightly sneered, "I see. You want us to kick down every door, pour everyone out in the street, and interrogate them?"

"If that's what has to be done, then yes!" Simon agreed. "Playing Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy will not get the job done. I have no problem putting a tarp over and smoking out the rats. We did it before."

“Which led thousands of innocent people being persecuted from 2002 to now!” Lycka counterpointed. “I understand you want action and run full speed ahead to whatever danger is out there, but don’t you think the Holy Mother has planned for this? And according to the letter she sent to the Brigadier was not a warning, Simon; it was an invitation."

Simon felt like he was losing this battle, so he went through his bullet points: "There are a few things I would like to address her at the table and to the audience in attendance. One, the Holy Mother has a network of more than 560,000 people who have broken into smaller groups who can fully function with their central leadership. They no longer have to ask for permission to commerce terrorist attacks.

"Two. Their funds are legit and taxed in the countries they reside in. While it's big oil companies in the States, it's strip mining in Europe. The funds are then donated and distributed to 29 different commerce chapters worldwide.

"Three. Recruitment and advancement are within, buying into the 'next man up' mentality. Someone will always lead. Always.

"Four. Our agency has owned up to whatever mistakes that were made. But in reality, we are at war.

"Five. People had to realize we could sit on our hands and wait for another attack. We had to lead by example. And out of ten possible suspects, with every three innocent that we had 'falsely persecuted,' we had successfully persecuted, convicted, and sentenced seven! We have to pay a small price to get things done, everyone.”

"Once again, this is what the Holy Mother wants you to do. To create panic and depend on broken societies to do her work for her." Alpha Crucis summarized.

"And do you even have an estimate on how many you have detained during these raids? Is there even a total on how many who were sleeper cells?" Beta Crucis wondered.

“That information has not been fully tallied...” Simon said.

"In other words, Mr. Deveraux, your raids and profiling have done more harm than good," Lycka said. "And that is why we are doing this instead. If that were not the case, you wouldn't be here." She argued.

Jervis sighed, “Yes, your majesty.”

"I do not want this to be brought up again!" Lycka yelled. "It's bad enough they are bombing cities, but they are attacking not only nephalems but humans as well!”

“Um, nephalems?” Simon wondered.

Lycka scowled at him, “Yes, nephalems. Those who are born with daemonic heritage. Like diaras like you, descendants of different winged angels.”

Simon couldn’t help but smile. “Okie-Dokie!” He quasi-accepted.

"Then, it is settled. Jervis, have your people scout the palace in Madrid. As for the rest of us, stay alert. I will deploy my sentinels accordingly. May the heavens watch over you." Lycka adjourned as she left the table with the Empyrean to follow her out of the room.

“What the hell was that all about?” Christopher asks Simon.

"Such blatant inactivity from the Crux. They knew about the Holy Mother's identity but didn't want to admit it."

“We all figured it out before she ever was,” Jervis said. “you just wanted to be ‘the alpha male’ in this situation.”

"Here we are coddling for help a bunch of thick, hard-bodied teenagers! And now we got some toddler vigilante who is running around down there--"

"Quiet, Simon!" Christopher admonished. "No one is telling you to stay. Go ahead if you want to play Dog the Bounty Hunter."

Afterward, he and Jervis left the table, joining their teams, leaving Simon to reflect on what had just happened.