Prophets: Heaven's Adversary Read online

  Of course, the most lavish and heavily armored HBC was saved for himself, Damascus uses the HBC he has named “The Obelisk” to flagship his campaign. The international news channels are flooded with daily video with sightings of war, Damascus leading the charge on the ground displaying his right to be called, Messiah.

  Thus spreading a mixture of both fright and inspiration throughout the media airwaves, including additional footage of yet another rebel burning by the hands of the deranged dictator. The bodies begin to pile, all reduced to rubble; seared as the desperate occupants flee in mortal disbelief of the horrors they’ve witnessed.

  Project “STATUS”

  A large screen housed in his dark cathedral built deep underground resting within the abandoned industrial complex, the stairwell passageway will take you down below this nocturnal colony. Where monitors built into walls display works of horrid art, wordings and sentiments spoken of Damascus himself and of the aftermath amongst a sea of followers most rejoiceful of what their new Father has brought onto this world.

  His evening sermon, full of promise and devotion through faith and security in him would generously be rewarded by following his every word. Within these halls lies filth and sex, home to faithful minions performing acts of the diabolical, baptisms in fire, the words and will of Damascus is the pulse that resonates as law within these grounds.

  The successful implementation of their latest project originating from a small circle of outcast computer scientists has now become a staple amongst Damascus’ daily operations. Their contributions from Project “STATUS” have made controversial advancements in BCI (Brain Computer Interfaces), specifically in their findings of synergy between female adolescent brain development while in a forced and critically controlled comatose state.

  Batteries of tests have proven certain subjects would display better comprehensive statistics to navigate throughout the most complex of databases with exceptional speed and accuracy. Hacking multi-tiered Pentagon firewalls, extravagant wire transfers within milliseconds, all of which causing minimal effort and mental ware for the user.

  Candidates for the vital position of STATUS maintain flight control, communication arrays, and intelligence gathering. They can be visually recognized by the instrumentation around their stations, usually the focal point in each battle cruiser and by the blue colored illuminating hues given off by the weave of tubes and cables channeling into their head-pieces.

  Damascus has recently taken a personal liking to one of the STATUS Subjects by the name of Penelope. Age-wise the oldest, most successful & unfortunately the most beautiful Digonic of the clan. Able to demonstrate superior levels of intellect and mental recall. He has been known to act on his desires and actions towards young Penelope whenever the moment strikes him, at that time he would order everyone out of the room for privacy.

  The arena of biological, cybernetics and gene-therapy are sciences that are also deciding factors in acquiring the exact measure of leverage to defeat any attempt in opposition. As the United System’s defenses are becoming more and more troublesome, often thwarting Damascus’ “planned events” which would result in great casualty and retreat. His clan is now in desperate need of greater minds to better facilitate his aspirations with an outline to succeed in his next goal for conquest: to create a horde of unstoppable enforcers to represent as ambassadors of Damascus’ word and vision.

  The expertise and skill that is needed is not yet immediately available at this time, of which is now a matter of urgency and action. Luther’s wide-spread initiative to steal the talent has been expedited by the taking and housing of the loved ones of the genetists and scientists who have proven themselves unwilling to express any common enthusiasm. A simple method of ransom is set, forced allegiance and cooperation in order to construct the twisted desires of Damascus’ administration.

  Family members are stored off-site and visitation sessions are permitted within selected intervals and success rates. Failure to comply would be met with various methods of public execution, in which Damascus takes personal pleasure performing with bare hands resulting in broken limbs, pyrokinetic grappling, and often ending with his own satisfaction indulging his newly developed messy cannibalistic cravings.

  He is indulgingly convinced that opponents that are weak are not viable to live, they are beneath him as if they are lower on the food chain. All of which takes place on the Level 4 of his subterranean stronghold, equipped with stainless steel floors, white walls with a singular horizontal panel stretching across the entire width of the room. True, there are occasions were his chosen victims decide not to make their torture commence without struggle, their natural strengths gives them the tools to fight back and resist.

  A heated debate between one of his captive scientists would spike to physical escalation. Damascus has instructed to enforce public execution on the genius’ wife and daughter for his deliberate insubordination. Damascus will notice a bead of sweat rolling down the opponent’s forehead due to nervousness and intimidation. Damascus will approach him very closely and asks him:

  “Is that fear dripping from your face? Hmmm, which in turn means you most certainly fear me, I have placed fear in your heart! Oh I am starting to hunger now, and I do love the taste of fear!”

  Enraged, the scientist, a Mezzo Digonic, is able to sprint around to the back-side of Damascus faster than blink of eye speeds leaving a trail of what appears to be a florescent blue electric charge in his wake.

  During the conclusion of this intense brawl on Level 4, the defeated combatant (who utilized static-charged electric bolts and high speed body movements) would lie on the floor battered and nearly collapsed grasping for air. Damascus would stand above him, declaring his expected victory. Telling him of a wasted effort he made standing against such unmentionable power:

  “So many others would cower before me, others long for the days they can see Damascus with their own eyes. Perhaps even the chance to hear his words, to touch his unbreakable flesh, they would open their mouths to indulge in the taste of Damascus as they cry out for more! But you are worth far less (unzips or the sound of wrestling his garment and urinates the victim) pathetic pisshole, you can guzzle Damascus piss for the rest of your days. Until those miserable wounds heal, until you choke on your last breath, you will come forth, with delight, and be anointed.”

  With his last strains of energy within him, the victim murmurs “Kill me now, you’re only wasting your own breath…..” before he can finish his sentence, Damascus violently “grabs” his face, increases pyrokinetic flames, horribly burning his head. Single-handedly (left hand), Damascus telekinetically lifts him over head, pauses, then pushes him into the ceiling above. He charges the right hand, radiating with power, launches a monstrous clawed flame grip, raking across the ceiling leaving indented burn marks in its wake.

  The claws make swift contact with the victim, searing right through his body and splitting his carcass into four cindered pieces, disintegrating before they make contact with the floor below. Their end, however, has the same outcome as so many slain before them. Inserted are timed sprayers used to hose the room with water meant to clean and sterilize.

  His Vanguards… His Enforcers... His Prophets…

  Candidates for experimentation pour in one after the other to volunteer, allowing an extensive testing phase for implant compatibility along with battle worthiness. All of which have been conducted by Kimono, Lead Tactical, a former high-ranking Navy Seal instructor/recruiter. A Mono Human who is reluctant to admit her self-deluded singularity. She is now a recent recipient of cybernetic implants granting her lifting strength of a world class Olympian. Accompanied with optical enhancements for sizable field advantages (i.e., infrared, x-ray & 10x vision), armed with an assortment of high-end rifles and revolvers.

  She has a number of instruments that provides a personal touch to her military tactics. Such would include electrified bullwhip and twin bangle bracelets that deceptively serve function over
her individual and evolving sense of couture fashion. Each bracelet are composed of a series of jagged miniature pipe bombs that are easily detachable, once thrown and makes contact with the target, the gesture of the snap of her engineered finger tips would trigger its detonation.

  There have also been nominees recommended by other members outside of the Damascus Dominion for possible conversion to be called upon, notably internationally known marksmen and marshal artists with fantastic ability. Each would elect themselves to take on tasks address by Damascus himself. Conducting business such as bodyguard protection, cavalry reinforcement and given extermination/assassination filled dossier suited to provide their dictator the best advantage possible at all costs.

  A manipulator of kinetic forces was another subscriber of the Holy Destiny Institution. Not only did his cropped platinum blonde hair create such a memorable impression, he displayed great promise with mental accuracy of both slowing/stopping objects moving towards him at high speeds along with the complete reverse, thrusting objects already in motion at a tremendous velocity by altering the kinetic fields between air and gravity. The swing of his punches have been recorded to rival seismic tremors, along with the adverse of relaxing the frictional forces of an oncoming automobile to a non-threatening crawl’s pace. Creating focused streams of super-heated air by outrageously accelerating the laws of thermodynamics around him has also been a specialty of the first candidate. A Digonic Human soon named Arson.

  …

  Another member shares similar reptilian traits with his master Damascus with the exemption of more prominent scale-like features, two additional arms, stubby tail, extra-ordinary height (nearing 7 feet) and proportional weight and strength as well. A Mezzo Trigonic Homo-Dragonus in the most extreme end of the spectrum, Tortorus exhibits a list of facial features. Elongated snout in the same fashion of a close relative, Tyrannosaurus Rex, notoriously known for their rows of excessively jagged teeth to match.

  Tortorus carries a ferocious exterior, extremely durable skin and an acute mental capacity for hyper-terraforming his surrounding environment has made him an invaluable asset. It has been reported up to a city block in diameter can be affected by altering atmospheric conditions to his advantage. Severe heat, cold, gravitational charges, all atmospherical affects have been exhibited in his scarred and unstable history until he has found his new faith and calling. It is not Tortorus’ favorite tactic to use in battle as this requires an additional amount of concentration compared to the mechanics involved with smash and grab brutality. He has been known to “Rage Out” in order to control this ability by standing and stomping one foot maniacally to activate it.

  …

  Modifications of their BCI breakthrough have been conducted amongst the captive scientists to allow for a mobile version on compatible subjects. The next goal was to grant the user to be actively aware of their surroundings while on the field and to include full interaction with the world around them without being bound to a stationary location. With the proper balance of cybernetics, mental capacity and determination, the user would need to exceed all pre-determined boundaries with a virtually zero negative response rate.

  The user will be equipped with nearly a dozen retractable metal boomerang-esque 3-sided throwing blades. Each powered with an advanced thrusting propulsion system guided with a combination of surveillance tech and GPS. The trajectories of these blades are controlled wirelessly by the user’s gesture of the slightest of movement of their individual fingers, aided with talon-like glove tips that gives a slight blue glow and transmits the signal to the blades. Finger moves up, the blade moves up, finger moves right, so on so forth. Each blade is assigned to each finger in tandem with insurmountable amounts of coordination only science and natural talent could provide.

  There is also a minor data link shared between the user and either one of the STATUS members at all times. Victoria, a near-perfect Trigonic functioning with uncharted mental recall and spacial awareness capabilities. Western Indian lineage, soft spoken and terse in her conversation, has proven to be the very candidate to surpass expectations with deadly precision and operatic grace. A weapon that can be used offensively, for reconnaissance due to the active video feed recorded from each blade, and defensively. By striking her fingers together, the two blades can interconnect and fuse together for increased size and shape, placing them into a top spin could provide some cover from oncoming enemy fire. Certain blades are also equipped with specialty functions, releasing detonators, flares, EMPs (electro-magnetic pulse), and neurotoxin gas.

  …

  Rivaling Damascus in charisma yet exceeding in crass, another disciple who has always been unbreakable, unshakeable, and untouchable unless he allows you privileged access granted to a select few. Women love him and he loves to love them back, a proud, broad shouldered Greek, proud of his heritage, his well sculpted physique and his new faith and savior. With an ability that radiates within him, it is pure fuel for his ego, especially while in the midst of battle, which gives him strength. Shielding him is an integrated matrix of bio-electromagnetism that every living thing produces on their own naturally; his Digonic levels are set to a near uncalculatable degree, providing an impenetrable thin barrier around both him and immediate objects within his grasp.

  Through extensive training, his experience has been heighten even more so under the guidance of his new counsel, Minister has been able to wield a variety of close combat tactics and weaponry. Case in point, twin curved machetes fused with the proper bonds that would allow his bio-electrical field to freely channel to its very tip, dramatically increasing the blade’s capacity for destruction. This along with his personal tool of choice, a fearsome death-scythe with telescopic staff, retractable endblade, combined with a grappling hook-like clamp. With a twist of the staff, the blade can be blasted from its base tethered by heavily reinforced wire used as a grappling hook tool as well.

  …

  A skilled marksman of the highest grade has also been requested distinguishable enough to operate the tools bestowed from Damascus’ personal suggestion. Dual highly advanced assault rifles that would yield the firepower to mow down a SWAT team battalion on their own. Activated by voice-command, these rifles are designed for auto-calibration based on the user’s instruction and are able to self-adjust its size/alignment within seconds. Plasma conduits would emit bursts particle beams that could fry metal upon contact. Sniper rifle mode would elongate the barrel necessary to accommodate accurate fire. High velocity machine gun fire, limited Surface-To-Air RPG ballistics, in addition to the aggressive kick of shotgun power can be used upon vocal request made into the user’s headset. The two rifles have the ability to “fuse” upon command by bringing the two barrels in close proximity to one another. They can interlock with one another to form a singular large barrel to fire surface-to-air missile-like projectiles over the shoulder.

  Gunman had a lucrative history representing the United States in the Olympic Games in SharpShooting and maintaining champion rankings in a myriad of other global shooting competitions. His skills previously presented the opportunity for Earth representation in the Nine Circles Games (the Olympics for the United Systems held every five Earth years in Saturn), but fell short in the registration trails necessary for testing skills under the foreign planet’s atmospherical physics.

  Now strictly Earth-bound, Mezzo Mono Gunman, sporting a bald clean shaven look based on preference & efficiency along with a short chin beard with a streak of white that is off-center, has also been given enhanced telescoping visual capabilities into his eyepiece that also can be retracted from his headset upon command. Along with integration with some assistance from STATUS as well, he is able to pinpoint his target two city blocks away. With mathematical precision without the use of traditional aiming via view-scope, Gunman has inherent and uncanny ricocheting abilities as well with the use of a trusted “Colt” like handgun.

  When he calls “mask”, the visor goggles will display a singular whit
e targeting reticule. Red, green, yellow and blue concentric circles would guide his gun position upon request, especially while in Sniper-mode. Each of the colors will form into the white, a glowing white reticule would confirm a target lock while Gunman adjust the guns up or down while he carries the guns on his side. He carries magazines of sniper rounds encased in a metal housing that can wrap around both of his upper thighs and biceps.

  …

  Damascus always takes great voyeuristic pleasure in watching his personally selected line of dancers to celebrate his victories. Each guy or girl would have their own personal method and technique to wow their audience either by dance or prop. Princess Andromeda has a talent that would utilize both in her balletic/erotic performances with the use demonstrating her skill with molding metals. Her gymnastic and traditional dancing grace along with her natural ability to alter metallic bonds of metal and reshape, resize them at will has categorized her as a fan favorite. While the strobe lights flash in the background and the bass of the techno radiates throughout the room, her audience is spellbound observing her skill on the pole, watching as its shape of a cylindrical rod transform into a twisted helix while Andromeda has masterful control.

  Her personal favorite, and a total surprise coming from her namesake, are the use of chains that would coil around her as serpents ready to feast are used to grab unsuspecting spectators to join her on stage for an even more intimate performance for all to see. The chains could also hoist the bodies of the user plus guest with the unwavering strength of steel similar to the pole vault to great heights and superb durability. Of course this ability can tactfully be used for offensive purposes which further sparked Damascus’ interest even more. He orders his Mezzo-Digonic, Auburn Brunette Princess to make her way to the forefront of the battlefield.