Chapter 4
MESSAGE 1 - SENDER: ANONYMOUS
It didn't work.
MESSAGE 2 - SENDER: ZEUS
Pardon?
MESSAGE 3 - SENDER: ANONYMOUS
Homer lives. He's more powerful than ever before. You promised to get rid of him.
MESSAGE 4 - SENDER: ZEUS
It’s been a while since we last spoke; what, a year? This information would have been more useful back then. What prompted you to contact me now? Why the long silence?
MESSAGE 4 - SENDER: ANONYMOUS
I lost faith in you. You promised to remove him, but you failed. It's risky for me to contact you at all, and pointless if I expect nothing to come of it.
MESSAGE 5 - SENDER: ZEUS
But you don't expect nothing to come of it. You wouldn't be reaching out to me otherwise. And I kept my word before; the woman was unharmed. Now, I can only assume something has happened to prompt you into action once more.
MESSAGE 6 - SENDER: ANONYMOUS
They're together. You said you'd prevent that.
MESSAGE 7 - SENDER: ZEUS
Tell me how that makes you feel. It must be hard, unable to express your emotions around your current companions. In a strange way, I understand. I have a son with unusual sexual proclivities.
MESSAGE 8 - SENDER: ANONYMOUS
It's sickening. She goes away with him. Nobody mentions it, but they must think it. He's not a man; he's not even human. I can’t bear the thought.
MESSAGE 9 - SENDER: ZEUS
And something must be done about it. That's what you want, isn't it? That's why you're contacting me now. Am I right?
MESSAGE 10 - SENDER: ANONYMOUS
Yes.
MESSAGE 11 - SENDER: ZEUS
Then tell me where you are.
MESSAGE 12 - SENDER: ANONYMOUS
I can't do that. Don't ask me again.
MESSAGE 13 - SENDER: ZEUS
Then what do you expect me to do?
MESSAGE 14 - SENDER: ANONYMOUS
I just want to know if you're still there. Still ready, still willing. An opportunity will present itself soon enough. We'll talk again when that happens.
Chapter 5
‘Follow the money,’ Razmik said, standing in front of them with a curious, triumphant grin on his face. They had gathered in one of Razmik’s many living rooms, possibly his favorite. The couches were gold-gilded with floral fabrics, massively more comfortable than they appeared. The walls were ornately wallpapered, and the ceilings were elaborately molded. In contrast to the beautifully extravagant room, the decor was decidedly modern. A monstrous television mounted on the wall, flanked by a selection of frames and display cases, housed a cornucopia of American sports memorabilia. Signed baseballs and armies of jerseys filled the collection, resembling a museum.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Homer and Ardia lounged on one of the couches, Homer’s massive arms stretching along its back. Despite his open posture, he seemed on edge. Abraham, Slayer, and Father Stryker occupied another couch, while Fr. O’Connor wandered slowly around the room, examining Razmik’s collection.
‘This concept is really beyond me,’ Homer admitted.
‘Not just you, my friend,’ Razmik replied, ‘This concept is beyond almost anyone.’
‘Except you,’ Ardia interjected dryly, stopping just short of rolling her eyes.
‘Yes,’ said Razmik without bothering to scowl, ‘most certainly. I can’t say that I’m at the end of the trail, but I’m close. I can smell it.’
Slayer appeared genuinely fascinated. ‘How, Raz? How’d you do it?’
Razmik waved dismissively. ‘It’s not one thing; it’s a thousand little things. They’re smart, incredibly so. If I hadn’t spent the last few decades of my own life moving money around the world without a trace, then I would never have been able to put it together.’
O’Connor spoke without turning his gaze from what appeared to be a jersey belonging to Tom Brady, which, as he recalled, had disappeared following a recent Super Bowl victory. ‘And what were the pieces of the puzzle that you delicately put together?’
‘It was a lot of tiny things,’ Razmik explained. ‘It’s about the movement. They came to Africa, they came to Georgia. It’s not easy or inexpensive to move small armies of superhuman creatures like that.’
Ardia interrupted, ‘So we’re talking about Zeus’s people? That’s who we’re close to?’
Razmik shook his head. ‘I have leads on Troy as well, but it’s less obvious.’
‘What’s your lead on Zeus?’ Homer asked, the darkness in his voice indicating that he was finally growing interested in the cryptic ritual of ‘following the money.'
Razmik continued, ‘It’s not a certainty, by any means. However, these were extremely remote areas. If they had registered a specific flight plan or even tried to move around the globe illicitly, then it would have been easy.’
Ardia waved her hand in a hurry-up gesture. ‘Yes, yes. But it wasn’t easy. Razmik is the finder of all things unfindable.’
Razmik spared a moment to scowl at her, but he continued, ‘There were shipments of materials to nearby locations. None of these directly went to our sites, but they came within about a fifty-mile radius of where we were both times. That, on its own, helped. The shipments were both made by the same company. What helps is that the shipments were scheduled at very short notice, and they both came from the same location.’
Ardia said, ‘What company?’ while Homer asked, almost simultaneously, ‘What location?’
Razmik smiled and spread his arms wide. ‘The Darkley Corporation.’
Slayer shook his head. Ardia snorted, ‘Razmik, come on. That’s like saying Microsoft is moving the monsters around. Darkley is one of the biggest companies in the world.’
‘Yes,’ Razmik agreed, his tone a mix of patience and excitement, ‘and where do they make their money? Or at least, where did they start out making their money?’
Ardia opened her mouth to voice her disbelief but paused. Her expression shifted from furrowed brows to thoughtful eyes. Slayer leaned forward, awe in his voice. ‘Biological sciences. Drugs, gene-spliced crops… Good God, I read only recently that Darkley holds more patents in bioengineering breakthroughs than the next ten most powerful companies in the sector combined.’
Razmik nodded, triumphant. ‘It stands to reason that there could well be a connection between the hybrids and one of the most technologically advanced organizations in the world.’
Ardia began nodding rapidly, her eyes darting around vacantly as she considered the possibility. ‘It’s out there; it’s ridiculous. But it makes a kind of sense.’
Homer cleared his throat, the noise like a motorboat gunning its engine. ‘And the location?’
‘Taiwan,’ Razmik announced.
‘Taiwan, as in China?’ Ardia inquired.
Razmik affirmed, ‘Taiwan, as in China.’
Stryker rubbed his forehead. ‘But Darkley’s American, isn’t it? You sure you’re not making shapes outta clouds with this one?’
‘It is possible,’ Razmik conceded. ‘I don’t think so, however. Darkley is doing a lot of work in Asia and has interests in Taiwan. I’m not finished searching it up. If I find that Darkley is moving materials or doing something suspicious, then I truly believe we’ll have our next step.’
Homer nodded slowly. ‘So you gathered us together not to tell us that you had found our enemies, but to announce that you have almost—sort of—found our enemies. In a vague and inactionable way.’
Razmik smiled and fixed his attention on Homer. ‘That’s not the only reason.’
Homer quickly glanced sideways at Ardia, uncertainty etched on his face. She smiled in return.
Razmik walked to the couch opposite Homer and Ardia. From behind it, he dragged a huge duffel bag. From the effort he exerted pulling it, the bag must have contained something very heavy.
Razmik grinned. ‘I have a present for you, Homer.’