Until We Break (14 page)

“We could see the enemy digging in their heels,” Haig said.

Sighing, the president said, “We could be in for a long war.”

“With lots of casualties,” Hinsom said.

Lambda sat back in his chair and thought about it for a minute. Finally he said, “I think we need to consider a more diplomatic solution.”

Haig brought his fist down onto the table. “Are you suggesting we make nice with those monsters?”

“I’m saying it’s an option.”

“The president may be right,” Lyra said. “We’d be working from a position of strength. Zero Grade has lost significant ground as of late. They might be willing to listen to reason now that they know we have the means to oppose them.”

Haig shook his head. “It’s a yurring bad idea.”

Larson replied, “Maybe, but remember—the exo-suits are still largely untested. We don’t know how long they’ll last, nor do we know Zero Grade’s exact numbers. If we settle in for a long-term war, we could find ourselves hopelessly outnumbered. And there’s the civilian element to think about.”

“Many more people will die if we don’t wrap this up quickly,” Lyra said.

“I’ve voiced my opinion,” Haig said. “I just hope you know what you’re doing if you ignore it.”

* * *

Freya burst into Bethos’ office. “Sir, you need to see this.” She turned on the TV hanging on the wall above the door. Joe Lambda was in the middle of some sort of press conference. The caption read
President Lambda to address liberation of Stiftung
.

Bethos was confused. “Liberation? We didn’t liberate Stiftung. We failed.”

“Apparently, Morovia
did
.”

Lambda was saying, “And so, using cutting-edge—and previously classified—weaponry, we have defeated Zero Grade in Stiftung, and ended their reign of terror there. However, at least two more cities remain under their control. We’re prepared to fight them for as long as it takes by sharing that technology—and resources—with the Faust Kingdom and the Tru Republic. We’re in this for the long haul.

“But we want to avoid needless bloodshed. That’s why I’m calling on Zero Grade and those fighting them to come together to talk things out. I believe we can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement so that we don’t have to fight anymore. For the sake of this world, we have to try.”

The press conference continued, with President Lambda taking—and dodging—questions about the specifics of the Stiftung operation. Obviously, he didn’t want to reveal too much to Zero Grade, but Bethos was damn curious about it as well. Just how had Morovia managed to do what legendary gods could not?

“That settles it,” he said.

Freya turned her attention away from the TV. “What?”

“I’m going to meet with Joe Lambda.”

“Do you really think Zero Grade will be open to peace?” Her skepticism was understandable.

He explained, “You and Zero Grade come from the same place. You were all once Lost Gods. If deities like Brandon Strong can see the light, everyone’s got a shot at redemption. Let’s just hope Zero Grade is willing to listen.” He hopped down onto the floor. “Time to go see a fellow president.”

Chapter XI

Hours after the press conference, Joe Lambda was working late in his elegant oval-shaped office in the Vin House. The sun was rapidly going down, tinting the sky orange.

At least, he was
trying
to get work done. But his mind kept going back to the unreal war they were now involved in. In order to establish peace, he needed both sides to agree to talk it about, but he knew hardly anything about either. Could this really work?

Suddenly, there was a knock at the window behind him. He turned around. Outside there stood a black child wearing a purple suit. Lambda was too stunned for words.

“Hello,” the stranger (emphasis on strange) said casually. “Is this a bad time?” The voice was definitely that of an adult, and Lambda realized he was face to face with a dwarf possessing a unique fashion sense.

Lambda’s security detail burst into the room. “Mr. President, there’s an intruder on the—” They suddenly noticed the stranger at the window. “Get down!”

Lambda hurled himself to the floor, and the agents pointed their guns at the window. It was just a precaution in case the intruder managed to get in; the glass was bulletproof.

Sensing real danger, the Morovian president began crawling towards the agents. Midway to them, he turned back to look at the mysterious dwarf; the stranger had his hands up in a nonthreatening gesture. Not that it mattered; Lambda’s security detail would do what was necessary to protect the nation’s leader.

* * *

Well
, Bethos thought as he stared into Joe Lambda’s office,
this could be going better
. He had hoped to avoid Lambda’s security detail, but apparently they had better detection methods than he thought.

From behind him, someone yelled, “Down on your stomach! Now!”

He turned around to face more agents. “Look, I’m here to talk with President Lambda. I saw his press conference. I think I can help him.”

“I won’t ask you again.”

Bethos sighed. This was getting him nowhere. “Buddy, your guns won’t do a damn thing to me, so you might as well let me see the president. It’s OK; I’m a president, too.” He flashed an innocent smile.

The window exploded behind him, and a dark blur tackled him to the ground. He found himself being choked by some sort of mechanical arm. This seemed familiar. He recalled Ev and Maya telling him about robotic technology being developed by Zero Grade in Adlo. Could this be the same?

“Get off me!” he yelled. “This isn’t how you treat a respected administrator.”

One of them said, “Keep quiet.”

Anger was starting to build within him. He had come here to answer Joe Lambda’s summons, only to be treated like a common criminal. He was a god, for crying out loud! “I said…” He grabbed the arm and wrenched it from his throat before turning onto his back and punching the robotic jerk in his metal face. “Get off me!” The assailant grunted in pain, and Bethos realized he was just some guy in a suit.

Bethos slipped out from under the guy, but suddenly several more showed up. They all charged him at once, and he found himself overwhelmed. He needed to get to a more advantageous position, so he decided to hop up onto the spacious roof.

The guys in the exo-suits jumped up after him, but at least he had some breathing room. Plus, his small size made him a difficult target to catch, and his attackers didn’t seem to have mastered their new technology yet. They tripped over themselves as they tried to get a hold of him.

Despite his stature, he was as nimble as they came, and he expertly weaved and bobbed around them, dodging their attacks. He pulled his punches, though; he still needed Joe Lambda on his side to try and make peace with Zero Grade, and hospitalizing his security force wouldn’t help with that. Fortunately (or perhaps
un
fortunately), their armor proved incredibly durable. Zero Grade had certainly known what they were doing when they designed it. Bethos found it difficult to deter them without using too much force.

This went on for what seemed like a while, before someone on the roof yelled, “Stop!” Lambda had finally arrived.

The metal men, having surrounded Bethos, exchanged glances, apparently unsure of what to do. Lambda strode forward to help them decide. “I said, stop.”

The men reluctantly backed off as their leader approached. The Academy president had to admit, he was relieved. “Good timing, Mr. President.”

“Sorry about that,” Lambda said, “but I hope you’ll give me a good reason for calling them off. After all, you
did
show up unannounced at the most secure house in Morovia.”

Bethos shrugged. “Well, I would have called, but I didn’t have your number, and I wasn’t about to hijack the air waves like Zero Grade. In my opinion, that would be a dick move. Hey, it’s not like I
wanted
to fight.”

Lambda motioned to the door on the roof he had come from. “How about we discuss this in my office?”

A middle-aged man whom Bethos took to be the head of his security detail, said, “Mr. President, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. We don’t even know—”

Lambda cut him off. “I
am
sure.” His tone left no room for dissent.

“Yes, sir.”

* * *

Bethos took a seat across from Lambda who sat behind his desk. Bethos’ feet hung comically off the floor. “Now, then,” the Morovian president said. “Why don’t you start by telling me who you are?”

“Of course.” He then explained very casually, “I’m Bethos.”

“What?” Lambda’s eyes widened in shock. “
The
Bethos?”

“The one and only.”

Lambda quickly regained his composure. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. We’ve known gods exist for a while now, ever since the incident in Stiftung. I just wasn’t expecting…”

“Someone of your skin color? Or someone of my height? Funny how wrong your own worshippers can get it sometimes.”

Clearing his throat, Lambda decided to change topics. “Are you with Zero Grade, or the ones opposing them?”

“I’m definitely not with them. I’m new blood, you might say. Those guys are old blood. They predate the universe itself. Of course, I have a lot of old blood on my side.”

“What exactly
is
your side?”

Bethos started at the beginning. He told Lambda of the previous universe and its destruction; the rift between the Lost Gods which led to the creation of Zero Grade; his discovery of the Ultimus Point at Mt. Orleia and the subsequent founding of the Academy; Belial’s betrayal and the unleashing of the Nephilim; the battle of Adlo and Stonecroft; and finally, the start of the current god war.

After listening intently, Lambda leaned back and exhaled sharply. “Unbelievable.”

“Quite a story, isn’t it?”

“If I hadn’t seen footage of these things, I never would have believed it. But I can’t turn my eyes from the truth now. Gods are real, and we need to deal with this situation.”

“What exactly did you have in mind?” Bethos asked.

Lambda simply replied, “Peace.”

A simple enough goal. However… “I’m sure you realize peace is not so easy to obtain. You need a realistic plan.”

Lambda leaned forward, a spark of hope in his eyes. “And for that, I need someone with intimate knowledge of Zero Grade, someone like you. What do they want? What are they hoping to achieve with this war?”

Bethos laughed bitterly. “The same thing old blood like them always wants: Adoration. They want mortals everywhere to bow down and worship them day and night. They crave the undying devotion of their subjects. They can’t live without it.”

“But isn’t causing such destruction and loss of life counterintuitive to that? Don’t they realize people will hate and fear them?”

“Mortals aren’t complicated creatures,” Bethos said. “Since the days of old, they have
always
feared their gods. Even today, humans are perfectly willing to bow down and worship in the hopes of not being destroyed. Zero Grade understands this. They don’t distinguish between fear and love. As long as mortals are trying to curry their favor, they’re satisfied.”

Lambda rubbed his chin as he thought about this. “But doesn’t the Faust Kingdom already worship them? Isn’t that enough for them?”

“One country is
never
enough for them. They want the world.”

“Listen,” Lambda said, “I have an idea. Will you hear me out?”

“Certainly.”

Lambda told him his idea. After he finished, Bethos said, “Hmmm, it’s risky. But it just might work.”

The Morovian president nodded, a smile beginning to show on his face. “Good. I’ll schedule another press conference.”

* * *

The next day, the Academy faculty watched as President Joe Lambda appeared on TV for another press conference. But this time, he had a diminutive guest standing next to him in a shocking purple suit.