“…What do you want from me?” I asked him.
“Humankind- and angelkind, for that matter- must be destroyed,” he answered. “If we can use the demons to do that, they will have no idea who is actually behind it until it’s too late. And in order to orchestrate the demons’ movements on such a large scale, I will need your skills.”
“Why do you want to destroy them?”
“Why else? Because they’re simply incompatible with utopia. Angels are hedonistic fools and humans are fear-driven parasites. But both races are nothing if not resourceful. If we don’t destroy them, in their selfishness, they will destroy us. They will destroy perfection in its infancy.”
“Perfection…?”
He smiled. “The perfection of the Synthesized. A truly free society, made up of people who can live anywhere and do anything. Intelligent, psychically connected, impervious to injury…imagine what we could do. We would be…a race truly fit to possess the universe. That is what I want to create.”
He pulled me into a hug. “Isn’t that worth the sacrifice?”
I took some time to think while I was in the hug. My plan would work best if Toll thought I was on his side. So it wasn’t enough that he liked me; I needed to get him to trust me. But it would have to be believable.
“…If I decide not to work for you, you’re just going to threaten Clarion, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Naturally.”
“Unless, somehow, I can protect him from you myself. You said you were going to use me while “you still could”, but…what if I told you your time was already up?”
Provoking.
He tightened his grip on my shoulders. “…I thought I warned you about this.”
“You did. But I’ve made a lot of progress since then. A lot more than you bargained for, probably.”
“Exactly what are you trying to do? Is this a suicide attempt?” he asked. I could feel his hands heating up already. “You should know that I’m not foolish enough to kill you. But I can certainly make you wish you were dead, if that’s what you want.”
“All I want is for you to see me as an equal.”
“I don’t like humans or angels any more than you do,” I went on. “I’d help you all on my own, if you would let me. Why can’t we just work together?”
“Why should I compromise with someone I can just as easily control?”
“Because you’d lower the odds of betrayal.”
I looked him in the eye. “I can’t control all the demons on Earth from up here, you know. Eventually you’ll have to let me out. And the way things are now, I’d much rather use them on you than on the humans.”
Really provoking.
My shoulders were instantly fried. But I wouldn’t cry this time. “You can torture me if you want to, but I don’t care! I won’t be anyone’s stooge. You’re the one who needs me, so either we do this 50/50 or we don’t do it at all!” I yelled.
He let go. “I was sure that would be enough to make you surrender….perhaps you have made some progress. In any case, why should I trust you? Your human friend will certainly have something to say about you helping me to wipe out his species. How do I know you won’t turn your back on me the second you see him again?”
“You don’t. And I still won’t hurt him. But when I said I wouldn’t be anyone’s stooge, I meant it. I’m tired of people bossing me around; you and him both. Everyone just wants to use me….so when this ‘perfect society’ or whatever is done, I’m going back to living by myself. Clarion can stay with me until he dies, but after that it’ll be just me and my demon pals, and no one will bother us again.”
“…You will let me keep the demons, right?” I asked.
Showing deference.
He smiled and rubbed my hair. “We’ll still need the demons to exist as a food source, at least in the beginning…so, if you’re a good little boy to the very end, I suppose I could include a few in your ‘retirement package’.”
Then he stood up and walked away. “I’ll be watching you, Knell.”
I was left alone in the middle of the hallway. I guess this was his way of showing me that I was free.
But I could tell it was the kind of freedom you give just so you can see what someone will do. He was waiting for me to try something; he probably wanted me to. So then he could show me what he was really capable of, and make me afraid of him all over again.
I rubbed my burnt shoulders. If this plan failed, I would be in huge trouble.
But so far, I’d gotten what I wanted. The baking soda was in the volcano, even if there wasn’t a lot. When it came time to add the vinegar, I’d definitely get a reaction.
Phase One was complete. On to Phase Two.
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