39. Season of War

The war had begun, and now it had spread to Earth itself. From Titan, Ganymede and the other outposts, Northerners had advanced to bring themselves to a very favourable position. It was a different position at Earth though, as the balance was maintained, and none of the alliances made any big advancement. The status at Moon and Mars were not clear though, as the situation kept changing – it was sure to be the biggest war ever fought in the history of mankind.

The newly formed command centre underground was not really a happy place to be, for the Northerners. The original command centre was hit by one missile which brought it down, as the interceptors of the Northerners were damaged in an unexpected intrusion by the combined forces of the enemies. The new centre used to be prisons for super-soldiers, but it is now used as the special area, as Zeus himself had moved there to make sure that there will no more attacks from the air threatening his own life.

“There have been significant territory changes on Earth, but the territory that we have conquered here remains the same as they have control over some of our territories too. The battles at Mars and the Moon have been complicated too; we have lost some of our best lands there even though we did capture some other territories. This is going to go on for very long” said the commander.

“We will unleash our friends from the other world. They are really in need on Earth. The enemies of the Northerns will run away like there is no other way. There will be no mercy, and there can be no escape for them though” declared Zeus.

“We have already unleashed those friends…or fiends. The whole battalion here is talking about the same” said the commander.

“Yes, but not on Earth; we couldn’t take them to Mars or the Moon either as the enemy space watch has been strong and these assets are just too valuable. They are needed here more than anywhere else; this is where the final results of this war will be declared. Earth has always been the key and the centre of everything – the rest are just outposts which depend on Earth for something or the other” said Zeus.

“So, you are saying that we should unleash the secret weapon right now without having a discussion about it?” asked the commander.

“Yes, they already know something about it, and so I don’t see why we should delay it – it is not really that much of a secret weapon. As most of the information from the other outposts couldn’t be linked to Earth, they haven’t been able to spread the news. Our friends are more than what they might have thought about, and so unleashing them will take our enemies back in surprise. We will take over their lands in no time” said Zeus.

“Do you think that they are ready for this full assault?” asked the commander.

“Yes, I don’t see why they wouldn’t be. They are well-trained, and they are brutal” Zeus was confident about it.

“They are brutal and a lot cruel, that much I know” added the commander.

“Brutality is a much needed trait in war. I am surprised that you don’t find it as the amazing thing that it is” Zeus was surely not happy.

“They have the kind of bruality which will make them uncontrollable, I fear. After all, they are not human; and they are not even animals or birds. They might not answer to us at all – unleashing might be the only thing which we will do and I am worried about the rest which will follow” said the worried commander.

“Control is just an illusion; you are never really there with it – we rarely had the same completely despite trying. But I am so close to it that they can make me a role-model. Don’t worry about these friends though. We have a pact with their leader, and they will have to honour it because they will require us to honour it on this side. I also have my backup plans” said a confident Zeus.

“So, you trust them enough, or just your own plans?” asked the commander.

“Well, trust is not the exact word there; I feel these things, and as I am born to be a leader, it comes naturally to me. You will know if you remember some of those quotes from my dear father – they have always been so popular, and they apply to me” Zeus declared with even more confidence.

“If you believe so, my lord. It is your will which shall be done, and it is your final decision that matters for us” said the commander.

“Well, take some time to think, and you will know that I am right. We are not doing badly at any front, and it gives you a few days to believe what I actually said. Maybe it won’t be needed at all with us winning more. So, keep thinking about it and let me know when you are ready” Zeus said while leaving the room.

Zeus remembered his revenge, but he had that in control. It came to him very often, but his thirst for power was above all at that moment. He just wanted to win by any means possible, because that was what he thought he was born for. His soldiers had their doubts, but above everything else, what they possessed was loyalty, something which was part of them ever since they first volunteered. Well, the Seventh World War had begun, and there was no chance of going back from there – a victory for one side and the defeat for the other seemed to be the ony option left; the end of the world was still possible though. He wanted to rule over the other rulers, like Zeus, the king of Gods, and he still believed that he was named for the one simple reason – to be the emperor of them all.

To be continued…

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14. Tale of Pain

“The war has been declared. Every male member between the age of sixteen and sixty should enroll in the army and every female between the age of seventeen and fourty should enroll in the female division of the army, with those between fourty and sixty being part of the medical units. There will be no exceptions, as long as you can walk and hold a gun in your hands. There were a few people who tried to hide themselves in their houses, and you know what happened to those traitors. For the women who wished to keep away from battle due to fear of losing their beauty, your beauty shall be carved out of you publicly. For the men who are too lazy, there shall be life for you to be lazy any more. We make it clear – do not make the public shame come to you and your family which will pass over to generations. The new volunteers who has just reached the age of eighteen have to report to the medical evaluation camp. Nothing personal should be taken; come as you were born, and we shall provide you with clothing and food. You shall belong to the government and will wear only our uniform and will eat what we give you to eat. The children between the age of thirteen and sixteen are supposed to end their studies until further notice, and help with the arms and amunitions department and the related industries. The citizens are advised not to use televisions and keep the radios supplied by the government and keep the frequency to only one area. The slaves are to be sent to the basement of every factory in chains. Remember, we are the new age Sparta, and we need all your power and energy so that we can continue to provide you with all the luxuries that you deserve” said the announcement in the streets.

Zeus looked at the piece of iron which was shaped like a head with two horns which were bigger than the head. There was no face on the head with the exception of fangs which stretched further down the wooden table as if to fix the head on it. He could remember what was the story behind that head which has featured in the coat of arms as well as the flag of the Northern Bloc for such a long time. It was related to a demonic invasion or an alien takeover, which is referred to by many names.

As far as he could know from all that he had collected from different people, the most significant one from his father itself, it was story of a failed space expedition, or rather a successful weapon expedition. It was the ship Scavenger which had used a newly found technology of bending space and time in order to travel through a newly created black hole which could lead to instant teleportation. But there was one problem, and it was that the object sent will go missing for a few hours before it comes back visible at a space specified, no matter how much is the distance. This was a completely Northern invention.

After the first few tests were made on automobiles and later space ships without people, Scavenger was the first to feature crew in it. The test was successful and the crew had come back. The energy for using this to send people to all planets in all the solar system were being accumulated when something strange had happened with the crew who visited a prison. They came up against a prisoner who was being interrogated, and they had tortured him to death. They were remorselesss, and taken to a hospital; on thorough examination, alien lifeforms were found to exist on them. Measures were taken to quarantine them, and the alien lifeform was kept in the laboratory for further research.

It was a conspiracy to replicate the alien virus, and spread them among the citizens in a mild dose so that they could co-operate with the new policies of the government which needed the support of its citizens on taking some stern measures. It actually worked perfectly. The media later managed to leak a lot of information, but the people were content with whatever they had received. But when the remaining alien life-force combined to form a demon-like creature, it had to be quarantined, not before causing mass destruction and taking hundreds of lives. Now the citizens of the Northern Bloc needs regular injections to keep the demonic elements from spreading.

The space program based on bending space and time has been cancelled ever since. There has been rise in violent crimes and the number of torture victims in the past which points to people not getting the vaccines or them not using the same. The most popular explanation for the phenomenon has been that the ship had gone to another dimension, to a place similar to hell. The army of demons had attached themselves to the ship by the orders of Lucifer himself. But the scientists had denied the theory and has stuck to the alien theory. It lead to a large number of groups of believers in religion, chosen only from the most intellectual thinkers who didn’t reveal their identities and met only at night in places which were least observed.

Zeus never supported both of these theories. He believed that it was his destiny and it was imposed upon him, which he should fulfill. If he was the master of torment and a torture-dealer, it was not a gift, but in his blood. He despised the feeling of being under control. He had to decide everything by himself, and even someone affecting his thinking process was not entertained.

To be continued…