Golgotha

caineskiss@hotmail.com

The second part of Heartdown, equally pretentious and a lot bitterer, I would say "Enjoy!" but… I think this is some of my darker work and though not especially grim does capture the essence of Gregory's distanced psyche and some of the reasons for it.

Gregory stood on the hill, looking down the meadow. The long swaying grass covered the stone markers that he had founded almost four hundred years ago, those names inscribed with great care peeped through the grass like shy children. The smell of burning flesh still assailed his nostrils; the stench of death from centuries past bowed his head and forced the memories.

* * *

Across the hill they had come like black bees swarming in skimmers from the mountain pass. He had missed them as his path took him away from their complex by the Capitol. The House had welcomed them, in its hospitality, and suffered as a result.

Avanno stood on the hill the meadow was scorched, carbonised grass that crunched beneath his feet as he walked like black snow. He headed into the classroom to find Threads, a pillar of black ash, and the blasted shell of the avatroid: its internal circuits blown. He walked into the main hall to see many of the young ones, most of the House, he did a body count there was one missing. He looked at the pillars, bodies now monochrome images in memoriam to their former inhabitants.

Avanno returned to the slightly fresher exterior, there the roasted smell was slightly more bearable. There was a figure dressed in the same black jumpsuit that mirrored his own, the silver belt buckle etched with the arcane mark of the old Celestine: Death, the same.

"You served us so well," said the figure, "and now you see the price of betrayal."

"This is disgusting."

"Then we are agreed, but you betrayed us, this is the result."

"What do you want?"

"We want you to return, your House is gone, we are your Family now."

"No."

"I'm sorry, did I give you the impression that this was a choice? This is an order and you are expected to obey orders."

"You have no authority over me."

"I beg to differ." The figure smiled and gestured to the remains of the House.

"You killed civilians. That's the only power you have, The OCPC is nothing now!"

"You are fool Avanno! You should have never been an Agent, you are an ideological naïve imbecile."

"It runs in the Family."

"RAN in the family." The figure levelled his weapon at Avanno, "Goodbye partner, it was a pleasure…"

Avanno bent back on his knees, a Venusian aikido move, energy in him like a coiled spring, the blast sailed over his head exploding on the wall behind him. Avanno flicked back into a diving jump barrelling into his opponent before he time to charge up another shot. Avanno griped the staser and twisted it out of the other's grip; he relaxed pointing it directly at his former partner's chest.

"Why?"

"You always were one for who, what, when, where, how and why."

"Tell me," Avanno spat through gritted teeth, "Or I'll kill you."

"You wouldn't shoot a former colleague, and now, a most senior officer."

A flash of energy exploded along his back, covering his whole body. Avanno stepped back as the skin cracked into a dry black layer. The cooked meat smell strengthened, as Avanno sidestepped to avoid the body collapsing into dust, revealing Phyllisopora holding a staser.

"No, but I would you srhorikaan!" she spat, she turned to Avanno, "Thank Rassilon, you're here."

"I know, I know there are just three of us now…"

* * *

Gregory turned back to the 'tree' on the hill, "One down," he muttered. "Two to go."