but the wall closed after you . . . I called to you, pounded on the wall with my fists; but you never answered. Did your Big Cosmic Daddies order you not to let me in? Did they tell you I wasn’t worthy?”
“That’s not how it was,” said the Sun King. “I wanted to take everyone in with me. I thought I’d only be in there for a moment, and I could walk back out and invite you all in. I wanted everyone to be living gods, like me. But that wasn’t how it worked. When I did come out again, years had passed, and the world had moved on. Oh, Princess . . . all the years we’ve lost. The life we could have had together. You’ve changed, Princess.”
“You haven’t,” said Benway.
The Sun King smiled. “Some old wrongs can be put right.”
He pulled his hand out of hers. She sighed and almost fell, as though some basic strength had been taken away from her. The Sun King dropped both hands onto her thin, bony shoulders, and he shook her, once. Dr. Benway cried out, in shock rather than pain, and all the years fell away from her. The Sun King laughed, took his hands away from her, and stood back to look at what he’d done. The whole lobby looked on in silent and respectful awe, at the beautiful young woman standing where Dr. Benway had been. Long blonde hair fell down around a flawless face, and Princess Starshine held up her hands and looked at them. Young hands, without a mark on them. She brought her hands to her face, and cried out again, at the untouched skin her fingers found. Someone in the crowd stepped forward and humbly presented her with a mirror. The princess looked at her young face with something like shock, as though she was looking at someone she only vaguely remembered. Someone she hadn’t seen in a long time. Her beautiful young face was full of awe and wonder. She lowered the mirror and looked at the Sun King with clear blue eyes; and he bowed to her without a hint of mockery.
“Welcome back, my Emily. My Princess Starshine, and my one true love. Welcome . . . all the way back. I am the Miracle Man, once again. Walk with me, as we did before in that far-off land, and embrace your power again. The living god and his living goddess, come to put the world to right.”
“I can’t,” she said, in a voice rich with youth and emotion. “I have responsibilities here. My hospital, my patients . . .”
“You have no more patients,” the Sun King said gently. “I cured them all. My gift to you.”
“Even the ones in Ward 12A?” said Princess Starshine.
“The unfortunates and the untouchables? The abducted and distorted? Oh yes, my princess, those most of all. There but for the grace of the Entities from Beyond, go I.” He paused, frowning slightly. “Well, when I say I cured everyone, obviously I didn’t include the vampires. Or any of the other inhuman scum. Or any of the really ugly people. No. I killed all of those.”
“What?” The princess looked at him shocked. “You killed . . . ? Who gave you the right . . . ?”
“I did!” said the Sun King. “Only the beautiful people belong in the marvellous new world we shall make.”
The princess slapped his face, hard. The impact slammed his head round. The sound was flat and ugly on the still air. No-one said anything. The Sun King slowly brought his head back round, to stare at the princess. His face was completely empty of expression or emotion.
“You killed my patients!” screamed the princess. “How dare you? They came here for help! We’re here for everyone who needs us. We don’t make distinctions. Hospitals are for everyone! That’s the point!”
The Sun King looked down on her, his face cold and disappointed. “You always did think too small, Emily.”
He waved his hand tiredly, and Dr. Benway was old again. She cried out once, as the years weighed down on her again, then she turned away from the Sun King, bent and withered with the renewed burden of age. She started to raise the mirror to look into it again, but she couldn’t do it. She let the mirror go, and it fell to the floor, and broke. And then she straightened up as much as her old body would allow, turned back, and glared at the Sun King defiantly.
“And you always were the selfish one, Harry. Everything always had to be done your way. Well, let me tell you this; you’re not worthy of me! You never were!” She lost her voice for a moment, the angry words choking her. She clamped her mouth shut, shook her head fiercely, and quickly had control of herself again. “You won’t make me cry. I shed my last tears for you long ago, when you abandoned me in San Francisco. You’ll never make me cry again.”
“Watch me,” said the Sun King.
He started forward, and I moved quickly to stand between them, blocking his way. Julien was right there with me. The Sun King smiled on both of us.
“Here we all are again! I knew you two couldn’t keep away! Not when I have such wonders to show you . . .”
“Leave her alone,” Julien said harshly. “I won’t let you hurt her any more.”
“Ah, Julien, you always did have a soft spot for the ladies. And you always made such bad choices in women . . .”
“I remember your healing the sick in Haight-Ashbury,” Julien said steadily. “You never made any distinctions, then. And to heal a whole hospital full of patients, in a moment? You’ve come a long way, Harry. Where did you get such power?”
“From all those years in the White Tower,” said the Sun King. “Sitting at the feet of my masters, learning the truths of the universe.”
“Yes,” I said. “We get that. But who are these Entities from Beyond, exactly? Why can’t you tell us their name?”
“You want a name?” said the Sun King. “Is it really so important to you? Oh very well, then; call them the Aquarians. Yes, call them that. Because through the power they have bestowed on me, I shall finally bring about the long delayed Age of Aquarius.”
I looked at Julien. “Never heard of them. You?”
“The Age of Aquarius was another name for the Big Dream of the sixties,” Julien said slowly. “He’s playing with us.” He met the Sun King’s gaze squarely. “No more games, Harry. Not among such old friends. All those long evenings we spent talking together . . . You always believed in the truth above everything. So tell me—all this power that matters so much to you. Where does it really come from?”
The Sun King stared steadily back, smiling. “You’ll find out.”
I opened my mouth to say something, and the Sun King stopped me with a glance. I was so surprised, I let him get away with it. No-one had ever been able to do that to me before.
“You don’t get to question me,” said the Sun King. “Little man. Annoy me again, and I’ll turn you into something more amusing. I will do what I will do; and no-one will stand in my way.” He dismissed me with another look and concentrated on Julien. His words were suddenly playful, teasing. “You remember what we used to say, Julien. If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. And I’m really not in the mood to put up with any more problems.”
“So what are you going to do?” said Julien. “Kill me, like everyone else who opposes you? Like all the poor people here who weren’t pretty enough for you?”
“Killing is easy,” said the Sun King. “I can do better than that. I think I’ll start here, with you and Taylor and the woman. All such a disappointment to me. I think I’ll do something really impressive to you, to send a message. Start as you mean to go on, that’s what I always say.”
He moved towards Benway, and Julien immediately stepped forward to block his way. “I told you, Harry; I won’t let you hurt her again.”
“Oh please,” said the Sun King. “Always the perfect En-glish Gentleman. Or did you feel something for sweet little Emily, back in the day; when I was too busy to notice? I think I’ll make you watch what I’m going to do to her, so I can enjoy listening to you scream . . .”
He walked forward, smiling easily, with all the confidence in the world; and I stepped forward to meet him and threw a handful of coarse-ground black pepper right into his eyes. He cried out in shock, then again in agony, as the pepper ate into his eyes. He staggered backwards, clawing at his streaming eyes with both hands, unable to think of anything but the horrible thing I’d done to him. I grinned at Julien.
“Some shit I don’t put up with. And the old jokes are always the best. Living god, my arse. For all his admittedly impressive power, he’s still a man. Let this be a lesson to you, Julien. Never leave home without condiments. Condiments are our friends.”
“I’ll kill you!” screamed the Sun King, staggering blindly back and forth. “I’ll kill you all!”
