x
The altar screens parted noiselessly. The guards looked up, hesitating. And in the moment of their indecision, Mendez's powerful voice filled the cathedral, echoing off the vaulted ceiling.
"I shall await the Blessed Day," he said with unwavering conviction, his voice resonating with a profound sense of purpose. "Today is not just any ordinary day; it is the day of Almighty Purification, a momentous occasion when the divine forces of righteousness and victory shall converge to cleanse our world once more."
His eyes gleamed with an otherworldly intensity as he continued, his words carrying an air of hope and anticipation. "On this sacred day, the Almighty and Victorious shall unleash their boundless power, casting away the shadows that have plagued humanity for far too long. They will purify our hearts and minds, eradicating all traces of darkness and despair that have clouded our collective spirit."
"And just what does that mean?" another voice suddenly rose from below.
The two mutants looked down onto the Main Concourse and saw Buck Rogers emerge from the crumbling stairwell, holding his knife club tightly.
"You are indeed quite resourceful, Mr. Rogers," Mendez remarked, his tone laced with a hint of begrudging admiration. "However, it is truly regrettable that amidst your remarkable capabilities, you still cling to the lingering remnants of primitive instincts that perpetuate a sense of barbarism."
"You can drop that high and mighty act, Mendez," Buck spat with venom, his voice laced with frustration. "Your mind games won't work on me anymore. I've seen through your manipulations, and I refuse to be a pawn in your twisted games. Now, listen carefully because I'm only going to say this once: I don't want to be your enemy, and neither do the rest of my people. We just want to live together in peace."
"Live together?" Mendez scoffed, his voice dripping with disdain. "For years, we've endured the relentless torment of living in constant fear, haunted by the looming threat of those barbarous apes and their sinister plans. Every passing day, we've anxiously awaited the moment they would finally make their move against us."
"Barbarous?" Buck scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. "You think you can torture me, throw me into a cold, dark cell, and then have the audacity to use poor Colonel Taylor as a pawn in your twisted game of murder? Well, Mendez, let me tell you something - you've got some nerve."
"You speak falsehoods, Mr. Rogers," Caspay retorted, his voice filled with conviction. "Our ways are not merely about preservation; they embody the very essence of peace and the noblest form of life that has ever graced this world. It is a life that receives the eternal protection and blessing of the Bomb Everlasting."
As he spoke, Caspay's eyes gleamed with a fervor that seemed to ignite his words. He continued, his voice growing stronger with each passing moment. "The Bomb Everlasting is not just a destructive force; it is a symbol of our commitment to harmony and balance. It represents the culmination of our collective wisdom and understanding, harnessed for the greater good."
"What protection does a weapon capable of destroying the entire planet offer?" Buck stepped toward the balcony. "You can't use it without making this planet and your entire population cease to exist. How is that protection?"
"You simply do not understand, Mr. Rogers," Mendez said, his voice filled with conviction. "The Bomb Everlasting serves as a potent warning to all those who dare to contaminate our sacred land and threaten the very essence of our people. It stands as a symbol, a resolute declaration that any attempt to destroy our cherished way of life will come at an unimaginable cost - the price of Purification."
"Purification in the form of global destruction," Buck muttered under his breath, his disbelief growing with each passing moment. How could these descendants of humanity be so utterly sick and demented? The thought sent shivers down his spine, as he struggled to comprehend the twisted logic behind their actions.
"You're crazy!" he finally blurted out, unable to contain his outrage any longer. The words escaped his lips like a desperate plea for sanity in a world gone mad. But deep down, Buck knew that reasoning with these individuals would be futile; their minds were clouded by a darkness that seemed impenetrable.
"Are you so noble, Mr. Rogers?" Mendez retorted, his voice laced with a hint of sarcasm. "It is you who has blood on your hands in the form of our brother. We have never killed and we never shall."
"Yet you'd destroy the Earth!"
"The Holy Purification," Mendez proclaimed with unwavering conviction, "transcends the realm of human agency and rests solely in the hands of the Almighty. We, as mere mortals, must not dare to impede our god's divine guidance, even if it means surrendering to his ordained path."
"What do you know about God?" Buck spat, his voice dripping with disdain. The mere mention of their religious perversions sent waves of revulsion coursing through him, threatening to overwhelm his senses. He fought the urge to retch, his stomach churning at the thought. "God isn't some lifeless piece of metal," he continued vehemently, his words laced with a fervent passion. "He is a being of boundless compassion and unwavering justice."
Buck's eyes blazed with an intensity that matched the fire burning within him. How could they reduce the divine to a mere object? To him, it was an abomination beyond comprehension. The very notion of worshipping an inanimate entity made his blood boil.
In his mind's eye, Buck envisioned God as a force so powerful and all-encompassing that it defied human understanding. It was not something that could be confined within the boundaries of a physical form or manipulated by human hands.
"Your peculiar beliefs do not interest us," Caspay said, his voice dripping with disdain. "All your statement has done is prove to us that the day of Purification must take place at this very moment to guarantee that our society shall not be contaminated with such beliefs."
The room fell into an uneasy silence as Caspay's words hung in the air. The members of the council exchanged glances, their faces etched with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. It was clear that Caspay's conviction had struck a chord within them, igniting a fervor for immediate action.
"And just how do you plan to carry out this Purification?" Buck asked, his voice steady despite the growing tension in the room.
"His will shall be done, Mr. Rogers," an edge of forcefulness returned to Mendez's voice, "And the mere fact that you found a way to defend yourself from our powers shall make no difference in the end."
Buck felt a chill run down his spine as he listened to Mendez's words. The man's unwavering determination was unsettling, and it made Buck question the extent of his own abilities. He had stumbled upon a method to shield himself from their mind control, but now he wondered if it would be enough. Mendez seemed confident that their powers would prevail, regardless of any defense Buck could muster.
As the silence hung heavy in the air, Buck couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. He had encountered thought projections before, illusions created by those with powerful psychic abilities. They could manipulate reality itself, making one question what was real and what was merely a figment of their imagination.
Bracing himself for what might come next, Buck focused on grounding himself in the present moment, determined not to let the illusions consume him.
But it never happened. It was not a tangible event, but rather a figment of collective imagination projected onto the minds of adults and infants alike. The proclamation echoed through the air, resonating with the authority of Mendez XXVI, the revered leader. His words reverberated within the hearts of believers, stirring a sense of urgency and devotion.
"This is Mendez XXVI," his voice boomed across the Holy Temple, commanding attention from every corner. "The Almighty decrees our presence in this sacred space, for the day of Purification is now at hand!" His voice carried an unwavering conviction that left no room for doubt or hesitation. "I say to you all," he declared with fervor, "that the day of Purification is now at hand!"
From somewhere deep inside the walls surrounding the Concourse on all sides, Buck could hear the faint sounds of moaning go up. The eerie chorus seemed to intensify with each passing minute, sending shivers down his spine. It was as if a dark force was awakening, stirring the very depths of this mutant colony.
In that chilling moment, Buck's heart skipped a beat as he realized the true gravity of the situation. The population of this underground society was emerging from their hidden living spaces, drawn by an unseen force towards St. Patrick's Cathedral. It was there, within the hallowed walls of the cathedral, that the Alpha-Omega Bomb resided – a weapon capable of obliterating everything in its path.
The mutants' purpose became clear to Buck: they were preparing for a sinister ceremony that would mark the end of the world as they knew it. The thought sent a wave of panic through his veins, but he knew he couldn't afford to succumb to fear.
"You're not going to get away with this, Mendez," Buck hissed, his voice filled with determination. "As long as I have a breath of life inside me, you won't get away with this."
Mendez's eyes narrowed, a cold smile playing on his lips. "You cannot thwart the will of God," he replied, his tone growing grave and haunting. "That is one thing our people will never permit."
Suddenly, the heavy metal door at the far end of the Concourse swung open with a resounding crash, causing Buck's heart to skip a beat. In an instant, his eyes widened as he beheld a chilling sight: a horde of mutants, clad in pristine white robes, flooded into the Concourse from Madison Avenue. Their faces were concealed behind eerie masks that exuded an aura of malevolence and unyielding hatred. The air grew thick with their sickening moans, which reverberated through the vast space.
It was as if time stood still for Buck as he watched this terrifying spectacle unfold before him. He had assumed that everyone had been making their way toward the Cathedral, seeking refuge or answers amidst the chaos that had engulfed the city. But now it became painfully clear that not all paths led to salvation; some veered towards darkness and destruction.
As Buck's gaze swept across the crowd of mutants, he couldn't help but notice their twisted features beneath those hoods, a chilling reminder of the irreversible consequences of the mutants' descent into madness.
"You will not be killed, Mr. Rogers," Mendez said, his voice dripping with a sinister tone. "But you will be rendered quite ineffective by the relentless onslaught of our people."
Buck's heart pounded in his chest as he watched the number of hate-filled mutants pouring in through the Madison Avenue entrance. They seemed to multiply before his eyes, their grotesque forms filling the air with an eerie presence. Fear gripped him, rendering him momentarily frozen as he tried to comprehend the magnitude of the impending danger.
With a surge of adrenaline, Buck snapped out of his stupor and sprinted back towards the crumbling stairway that led to the lower levels. His mind raced, desperately searching for a plan to escape this nightmarish scenario. The sound of their heavy footsteps echoed through the Concourse, amplifying his sense of urgency.
Buck's heart pounded in his chest as he raced through the dimly lit corridors of the lower levels. The hate-filled moan echoed behind him, growing louder with each passing second. He knew he had to find a way to escape, to save himself and Nova from the wrath of Mendez and his followers.
Glancing to his side, Buck saw Nova still lying unconscious against the cold, metal wall. Taylor stood guard over her, his eyes filled with determination. Buck knew he could trust Taylor, they had been through countless dangerous missions together. But this time, the stakes were higher than ever before.
"If you can come up with something, Taylor, do it now!" Buck shouted over the deafening noise of their pursuers. "Mendez has this city's entire population hot on my heels."
"As a matter of fact, Rogers, I do have a plan," Taylor said with a hint of determination in their voice. They paused for a moment, contemplating the magnitude of what they were about to propose. "But I must warn you, it's quite a longshot."633Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr2Zow9kwz1
"Don't get bogged down trying to explain it to me, just point me in the right direction," Buck begged, his voice filled with urgency. The weight of the situation hung heavy in the air as he glanced over his shoulder, the sounds of approaching footsteps growing louder by the second.
Without wasting another moment, Buck swiftly turned on his heels and broke into a brisk trot down the dimly lit corridor. The walls seemed to close in around him, casting eerie shadows that danced menacingly along the cold stone. It was a place that exuded an aura of foreboding as if secrets whispered through its very foundation.
Taylor, ever loyal and determined, followed closely behind Buck. His muscles strained under the weight of Nova, who clung tightly to his back.
633Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wl2Q23jOv
633Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCrdAC6L9YN
633Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWP2OV2cu5
