A Conversation

“God’s Gift” Jeremiah Vastrix lays upon a surgical table as a team under the lead of a Dr. Virgil Schultz work on restoring his face.

Dr. Virgil Schultz is a mad scientist or theoretical scientist. A number of sciences once thought improbable at best become practical under Dr. Schultz’s genius leadership.

The fight against Belial had ruined Jeremiah’s face and lost him his remaining good eye. A combination of nanotech, cybertech, and old fashioned skin grafting would go a long way to fixing him up enough to be able to fight again.

Through a window watches Allen Anderson, executive of Warhammer Corporate fame. Standing next to him in a business suit that costs more than the value of some nations is Warhammer Corporate CEO, Micheal Vastrix. He looks stately with his steel grey hair as he watches the surgeons do their work.

MICHEAL VASTRIX: He is my last remaining heir. I will be sad to see him die at the hands of that Takuma Sato fellow. Do we know the details of the match yet?

Anderson gives Micheal the side eye before clearing his throat.

ALLEN ANDERSON: We don’t know what kind of atrocious match that the Koreans have in mind yet. Though I will have to ask. You’ll miss Jeremiah? You have tried to have him killed yourself! Several times.

Micheal just shrugs, taking out his smart phone and opening an application.

MICHEAL VASTRIX: You don’t understand. You don’t have children who want to one day murder you and take control of the world spanning company that your family has built from the conquest up.

ALLEN ANDERSON: Except that Jeremiah doesn’t want to do that. Heck, he wouldn’t have even been working to take your place if you hadn’t personally requested him to take things seriously so he can fulfill his duties as your heir. Losing him to Sato would be a blow to the company. Is your daughter even willing to take up the mantle? I don’t think so.

Micheal Vastrix is silent for a long time, his hands folded neatly behind his back as he watches the people work on his last living son. He has had three sons and one daughter by Monica Vastrix, but events led to the death of the two older sons. Incidents that Monica believes to have been the machinations of Micheal Vastrix himself in his paranoia of his children desiring to commit patricide as he did to his own father.

MICHEAL VASTRIX: There are few people in this world that would dare speak to me in the kind of tone that you think that you think you can do. I would have lesser men killed.

Micheal puts his smart phone away, whatever he was working on now complete. Anderson just chuckles.

ALLEN ANDERSON: I’m old. I’m not as old as you, but I am old enough to not care about trying to hide from your wrath. I’ll speak my mind honestly instead of speaking only lies. It’s my value to you.

Micheal nods, watching with a total dispassion as sparks fly from setting up the framework for Jeremiah’s new cybernetics.

MICHEAL VASTRIX: It is that honesty that I value the most. Do you think that Jeremiah will survive this next round? Do you think that the United States will be pushed over the edge for a Warhammer takeover when they obliterate this nation?

Anderson pulls a silver cigarette box from his inside pocket, lighting one. He watches the proceedings with much more concern than the father.

ALLEN ANDERSON: I trust in Dr. Schultz’s skills. He can rebuild the broken Jeremiah into a fighting machine that will destroy Sato. If a war is triggered, the public reaction of the United States destroying North Korea will get our candidate a landslide victory. We’ll be able to use the war as a way to cement control forever. Just as we have done with other nations. I think that those UOW stars that survive this next round will be of particular use.

Micheal Vastrix raises an eyebrow with a grin.

MICHEAL VASTRIX: You just want to get your claws into Valora Salinas again.

ALLEN ANDERSON: She’s a capable fighter and deliciously skilled killer. Why would I not?

MICHEAL VASTRIX: You’ve developed a soft spot for the girl. You should have had her killed when she broke away from your control before. Loose ends.

Anderson chuckles as he flicks ashes onto the floor.

ALLEN ANDERSON: I know what a valuable tool she is and know that there will come a time that I will need her services again. If she wants free of Korea before its destruction, she will do as I ask. Besides, wetwork is in her blood.

MICHEAL VASTRIX: Bah. You’ve gone soft on the girl. How many other operatives have you lost control of and had put down? Twenty-seven? More? Valora is a liability if she cannot be controlled.

ALLEN ANDERSON: I understand. She will listen to reason. I know it.