The elevator opened up into a plain, unfinished hallway. He could hear men yelling at each other and walked to where they were, eager to see for himself. Stepping into the room, he moved to a nearby railing and saw it there in all its splendor.
A Mandrite crystal!
They were so lucky all those years ago to find someone who knew what the quartz-like crystal really was, and obtain it before that information could be disseminated. He doubted anyone knew of its full potential.
Basileus swallowed, and began stepping down the nearby staircase to the platform where the crystal sat like a king on his throne, the obvious object of preeminence in the entire room. He wiped away a tiny bead of sweat as he approached, not wanting the men to see how the crystal affected him. He couldn’t show any weakness.
No one knew that he was any different than the first Basileus, attributing his longevity to some regenerative ability. It had to stay that way; if they knew the truth, they would never swear fealty and in turn would not be able to be controlled. He needed that collar if Archon’s plans were to be accomplished.
Uncertainty filled him as he stared at the crystal, close enough to touch. Could his DNA handle the transition or would it be torn to shreds? He knew he had lost some things, being a copy of a series of copies. Fortunately, his erratic nature was overlooked, with him being ‘the big boss’ son.’ Somehow that elevated him from creepy weird to eccentric weird, which the mercs could handle.
As the warm colors pulsed inside the crystal, Basileus felt there had to be something that would compensate and help him be whole again. He didn’t want to die, not when he was this close! Better to have others try it first to see if they could regain their lost powers, and then he would hazard a try. It was maddening to have to wait, but his confidence and bravado needed to be feigned.
Deep down, he resented the fear and cowardice that had entered into his core. Many of the others were afraid; was it bleeding through to him? He didn’t think that had always been there. Possibly an artifact from the cloning process. It angered him though; his father was ruthless against weakness, and he had endeavored to mask those feelings and so far had succeeded.
His anger flared at the thought of how their powers were stolen! He had no idea what that worm had done to his men when he had allowed him to be trapped. But if he could find a similar ability in the crystal, he would take it for himself.
Yes, that would be suitable, have those supers try to reclaim their abilities first. It would make him appear magnanimous and convert any of the skeptics to his side. He could work this to his favor. His weakness must not be known. His fear must not show.
“Gather all those who have lost their powers, we shall offer them a chance to regain what they have lost, and possibly much more if they swear fealty to Manticorps!”
He had his lieutenants gather the supers who were now powerless. They should have a natural affinity to their own abilities, if the research was correct. If there were any untoward effects, it would be better to know now. He reassured himself that he was not acting out of fear, but of calculated risk. There would be chaos if this fell into one of the hands of the mercs, better that they not know everything until they had sworn fealty. Then they would be bound to him and Manticorps.
When the neutered supers had assembled, he started the ceremony. Archon had shown him the value of presentation and he had absorbed the lessons well. He pulled up a tab in his display to make sure he got the wording correct, then he had the supers swear fealty upon their powers.
One by one they stepped forward, gladly accepting any agreement if they could once again touch the powers that had become such an integral part of who they were. Little did they know the bargain that they were making.
Basileus marveled at how the supers absorbed their lost powers so quickly, their familiarity making the powers instantly available. He was certain that the general theory was that abilities needed to be assimilated first, but perhaps this only applied to new abilities.
“Hey!” someone shouted, bringing Basileus out of his musings. An augment who had reconnected to his electronic minions had released them and was pointing to a balcony above where he caught a glimpse of a familiar face that simultaneously filled him with rage and eagerness.
Good, he saved me the trouble of retrieving him.
Chapter Forty-Four
I’ve Got the Power
“You again!” Basileus roared.
How did he get free? one voice demanded.
That trap was supposed to be inescapable, another added.
Someone is working against us! a fearful voice shrieked.
With a growl he pushed the voices from the fore. He vowed that he would find out once they had sworn fealty; they wouldn’t be able to lie to him then.
Sensing they might lose their chance, supers rushed forward, hurriedly repeating the words and touching the crystal, expecting this to be required to regain their abilities. In the moment of distraction, Gus had managed to descend to the landing below.
Basileus fired a plasma ball at Gus, who dodged to one side. At the last second, the ball expanded, forming a large net that draped over him, immediately burning part of his outfit and the skin on his neck before a gray mercurial substance flowed over the areas of contact, separating them from his skin. Gus made a quick shield to push the net away from him, and managed to create a little space,
