“Please don’t go chopping up everything you see now that you’ve found your axe,” Ethan said to Michael on their way to the Rec Center. “For some reason these robots have sim cards. I was thinking we could get some of them working for us if we swap out the sim card”.

“Worth a try,” Michael replied. “What’s our goal here”?

“With the Rec Center”?

“No. Here on earth”.

“I don’t have one as of yet,” Ethan replied. “The potential for life seems to be lost on this quest. As far as a world goes, it’s over. I suppose you’d have me throw Satan into a lake of fire, pass judgment on everyone and leave?”

“That’s exactly what I’d have you do,” Michael replied.

“I don’t know if that works for me.

“Why not? It is prophecy”.

“Well, yeah it is, but you know, Revelations was written by a mystic, not by one of the Apostles and certainly not Jesus. It’s too once removed for me. Jesus wasn’t an eye for an eye kind of guy. He told us to turn the other cheek. You come from a time that was cut and dried, Jesus was much more fluid in his response to evil. It worked too. You have Mahatma Gandhi and the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. as proof. Both confronted evil through Christ’s example and produced spectacular results. Would my response to Satan be the same if I were to follow the words of Jesus instead of yours?

“Then, of course, there’s Duality,” Ethan continued. “In the New World the response to anything is to apply the rules of duality. Identify the problem, find the alternative in it, and apply retrocausality time to change it. The New World considers this to be one of the first communiques directly from God. This response will bring balance to the world, but it won’t remove Satan. It will bring unity between Satan and I, drawing from both of our potentials and maximizing our dynamic.

“Which option do I choose?” Ethan asked Michael. “Each will bring very different results”.

“I don’t know. You’re the boss”.

“I think I choose the World to Come”.

Michael looked at Ethan questionably, but they were approaching the Rec Center and he turned his attention towards it. The Center would serve them well as a compound. The perimeter of the property was already defined by wire and iron bar fences. They would not provide much protection, but they did mark the territory. There were numerous buildings, all bungalows, some with a military, defensive, design.

“So how do you want to do this”? Michael asked, nodding towards the Center.

“I don’t know. You’re the expert”.

“It’s full of robots and you don’t want me to destroy them?

“If possible, that’s how I would like things to end up, yes”.

“I guess we could do it that way,” Michael replied, looking down at his lost and now found axe. He sighed at the lost opportunity. “I guess I can just go in there and shut them all down”.

“You?” Ethan asked. “What about me”?

“I am to protect you, no matter how minor the conflict. You remain here while I take care of things”.

“Well, okay,” Ethan replied, knowing it would be simple fare for Michael. “If it makes you feel better”.

“Maybe throw them in the work shed over there, so they’re out of the way,” Ethan added as Michael was leaving.

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Ethan was content to wait about 15 minutes before his nosiness got the better of him. He started making his way to the building that reportedly housed the robots. It wasn’t hard to find. As he neared he saw beams of colored light flashing in the window, and Michael yelling and cursing at full voice.

“What the hell?” Ethan wondered as he passed through the open door. Rather than being disabled, all the Sheriff Bobs were pointing lasers and firing bullets at Michael who was on the roof fighting a swarm of demons, axe wielded. Judging by the barbs and quips he was uttering, he seemed to be having a good time.

“I thought you were going to shut down these robots,” Ethan yelled up to Michael. Immediately, the robots turned their attention to him. Now all the lasers were on Ethan, which proved to be annoyingly distracting. With a “Hmph!” Ethan waved his arm and the robots froze into place; all in hibernation mode.

“Well, these demons attacked me. What was I to do? They’re pesky little things. They grow out of the size of a gnat,” Michael explained as he cut down the bigger ones with his axe.

“I know. Already ran into a swarm. Do you need any help?” Ethan asked, swatting down and killing those who were now attacking him.

“No. I’ll soon be rid of these vermin.

“Alright. I’ll go get our guests. Try not to have a bunch of guts and stuff lying around when we get back. We want to make them feel at home”.

“I’ll clean up,” Michael replied, decapitating three demons with one swing of Slash.

“Alright,” Ethan shouted. “I guess I’ll go then. You’re going to move these robots to the shed?

“I said I would”.

“Well alright then,” Ethan replied, happy he dodged the bullet of having to help clean up. “We’ll be back in a couple of hours”.

“Children, the Consortium is under attack. Now, what do you think about that? A couple of bad guys stole in here during the darkness of night, and reigned terror on the peaceful citizens of the Consortium. But don’t you worry. We’re going to get these terrorists. Yes sir. We’re going to get them good. We have pictures of every single one of them.

“Now listen up you outcasts. There’s a reward in here for you. Let’s look at the pictures of the offenders, and I’ll start listing off some of the rewards you’re going to get.

“This one here,” Reverend Al said. “His name is Ethan and he’s a bad one. He’s the devil himself. This one here, you have to be careful with. He’s a badger if I ever saw one. You’re not going to want to take him alone. You’re going to need some backup firepower, so I’m talking to the gangs out there who have assault equipment. Maybe a tank or two. That’s what’s needed for this job. You need to be organized.

“Now if you take down Ethan, the consortium is going to give you your own territory out there, as big as you can handle. We don’t care how much outcast lands you take as long as you’re big enough to rule over them, and provide the goods and services expected by the Consortium. Now who’s big enough to step up to this reward?

“While you’re at it, have a look at this guy. Now, this one’s as bad as Ethan, I swear. His name is Michael and the same good folk who take out Ethan will want to take a stab at this one too. This one here’s a fighter. Very dangerous. You’re best to catch him unawares, but if you do, same deal as with Ethan. Take as much territory as you want and if it’s the same band that takes them both down, why we’ll remove all Consortium tariffs on all your goods and services. Now what do you think about that? No taxes. Ever.

“Now this one here,” Reverend Al continued. “She and her parents here, joined up with this desperate gang, and are out there leaving a wake of destruction and terrorizing everyone they come across. Now these ones are easier to kill, so the reward has been reduced to reflect their worth, but it’s still pretty good. Three months, all exclusive paid vacation in the Consortium, brought to you by Trans-Continental Inn, right here in New York City. ‘Trans-Continental Inn. When you’re here, you’re home’. Now this package is for two. Oh, won’t you look the hero when you slay one of these blackguards? What a time you will have.

“Now, there’s also this little girl here. We believe her name is Elsie. We don’t know who she is, so if you kill her, we’ll have to negotiate once we find out more about her. Now there’s a good chance the scamp stole a dress, so if any of you little children out there know her, you just turn her in. Why, I bet you’ll get a dress too, or maybe a ball glove if you do. We’ll give you one free selection from the Consortium store. Now wouldn’t that be nice? There’s candy in there, and all kinds of fun things to choose from.

“Alright Children, there’s one more with them we don’t want you to kill. Children, these renegades abducted this young woman from the Consortium and are performing all kinds of unspeakable acts on her at this very minute. Ooh, I don’t even want to think about what they’re doing to her. Now if you bring this one back alive and healthy, her name’s Alicia, you are going to earn yourself and one other a lifetime pass to the Consortium. That’s right. Never go hungry again. That’s how much the Consortium looks out for Consortium people. No child forgotten. Wouldn’t you like to be one of us?

“Now children. Time is of the essence on this one. We don’t want those rascals to organize. You know what happens when people organize. Complete chaos and destruction, that’s what”.