14 Red Mother

Maria wakes up to the sound of someone calling her name. She raises her head from her pillow, seeing that Adam has left, probably to get breakfast, she puts on a robe and walks to her living room.

Outside of the living room, on the beach, Kiyana walks around yelling out Adam and Maria's name. Maria extends her consciousness towards Kiyana, who recognizes Maria's contact.

"Hey, Maria. How did your meeting with the Pantheon go?" She asks.

"Hi, Kiyana, come in."

Kiyana finds her way through the invisible worm-hole, walking into Maria's living room.

"Hey." She says. "Where's Adam?"

"He must have left to get something to eat."

"Oh, okay." She says taking a seat on the sofa. "Damn, we had to go through like fifty people's minds and rework everything so they don't know about what actually happened."

Concerned for her coworkers, Maria takes a seat on the sofa next to her.

"Is everyone alright?" She asks.

"Yeah, Lucas took complete control, apparently they weren't even aware of how they got there. It was such a mess, but that lady, Olivia, was a great help. She seems really interested in Boris' line of work." Explains Kiyana.

"How is she?"

"She'll be fine. We asked if she wanted to have her memory erased. She said she preferred knowing the truth, and seemed sincere when she said she would keep the events to herself. I think Boris likes her, because he was all cool with it and everything, which is weird because he's usually really strict with these things."

"Where is she now?"

"She's back at the base where Boris works."

Maria lets out a sigh of relief, glad to hear Olivia is doing fine. "Wish I could talk to her."

"That's actually why I came, Boris asked to speak to you and Adam."

"What about?" Asks Maria.

"Probably a debriefing on the events that happened. I had to answer a bunch of questions too."

Maria stares out into the ocean, the cool breeze entering the living room.

"You look different." Says Kiyana. "Adam being back must make the difference."

Maria smiles. "Yeah, definitely. Despite everything that has happened, I feel like things are normal again."

Kiyana laughs. "Is that what you want, for things to be normal?"

"I don't know." Answers Maria, looking at the horizon.

Kiyana thinks about what to say next, unsure if it's the right time. "Listen, I know you've been through a lot, and you guys definitely deserve some rest, there's just something that has been bothering me."

"What's that?"

"The third Eternal on the planet is nowhere to be found. I mean, it's good that Lucas didn't find her, it's just unsettling to think that such a powerful individual could just disappear like that, without a trace, and for so long."

"Did you come here to ask Adam to help look for her?"

"No, just thinking out loud. These last couple of days have been so stressful, and I still have a bunch of work to do."

"You should get some rest." Says Maria, concerned.

"I will," Kiyana stares at the blue sky. "But, like I said, I have a lot of work to do." She says sincerely to Maria.

"You think the other Eternal is alright?"

"She might be the strongest out of all of us. She's also the most eccentric, and a bit of a loose cannon. Nothing crazy like Lucas, but a different kind of 'crazy', you could say."

"I don't think I know what you mean?"

"Well, she is really into anime and video games. Not very fond of this world, she spends most of her time exploring other planets and dimensions in the realm. When I didn't find her after Lucas started hunting us down I assumed she was safe, hanging around somewhere else, but it seems she hasn't been seen in years."

"You did say she was strong. Why so worried?"

"She has a short attention span, she usually hangs out somewhere else, antagonizes the community enough to get kicked out, returns home for a while, then goes somewhere else to repeat the cycle."

"Maybe she found somewhere she likes."

"That's what I'm afraid of. Especially for the local community."

"I'll be sure to tell Adam."

"Thanks, I just wanted to give you a heads up. I may end up asking Adam to help. Well, I should get going. I haven't slept in days." Says Kiyana, getting up from her seat. "Just one more thing, Boris and his organization have good intentions. That said, they still have an agenda. The reason Boris and I don't get along, or at least, don't see eye to eye on many things, stems from the fact that he has a very specific job to do, and I have another."

"I thought you were on the same side." Says Maria.

Kiyana looks out at the waves hitting the shore. "Most of the time. Still, he's part of something big, Adam should get acquainted."

"How do we contact Boris?" Asks Maria.

A grin on her face, Kiyana answers. "Fly to the moon."

"What?"

With a flash and a crack, Kiyana is gone.

Adam returns a few minutes after Kiyana leaves. He mentions how he wants to spend the day with Maria, not doing anything in particular, just spend the time together. Wanting to see how Olivia is doing, Maria suggests going to see Boris.

"Fly to the moon? Do the people Boris works for have a moon base?" Asks Adam.

"I don't really know anything about who Boris works for."

Adam puts the Turkish bagel down. "I won't lie, going to the moon would be awesome. I'm just worried about you."

"What do you mean?" Asks Maria.

"You know, the lack of atmosphere, air, intense cold and a ton of radiation."

"You lived in the center of the sun." Maria states matter of factly.

"I'm an Eternal. I can do weird things."

Adam gets an idea. He gets up from the table, facing the beach. He raises his hands, closes his eyes, concentrating. The beach outside fades away, replaced by a pitch black sky, and an endless horizon of grey dirt. Maria gets up, approaching Adam.

"Wait, don't go out yet. I'm gonna go get Boris, maybe he has a space suit or something."

Maria nods, instead, taking a seat on the sofa, mouth open in amazement. "Wait, can you make it face the earth?"

Adam doesn't see why not, as if he were side scrolling on his phone, he moves the scenery around. Up in the sky, they spot a little blue sphere.

"Wow!" Exclaims Maria.

Adam walks out of the living room. Wearing nothing but gym shorts and a t-shirt, he steps on the white dirt below him, as it crunches beneath him. He turns around and says something, but nothing can be heard.

"No noise in space, huh." He communicates with Maria telepathically.

He raises his head. "Hey Boris. No, she spoke with my mom. Uh, okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Sure. Hey, listen, could you get my mom something to put on so she can come along. She says she wants to speak to Olivia. Yeah. Why not? If she doesn't go, I don't go. Yes, I'm serious."

Maria, still connected to Adam's thoughts, observes as Adam convinces Boris to let her come along. After a brief back and forth, Boris appears next to Adam. Adam gestures with his hand to come in. Entering the living room, in his usual business suit, Boris greets Maria, speaking out loud.

"Forgive the delay, Miss Maria. Protocol is strict with my organization, I understand you wish to speak to Miss Olivia, yes?"

"Uh, yeah. If possible." Replies Maria.

"Yes of course, please wait a moment, she will come right up." Boris draws a circle on the ground with a piece of chalk he took out of a case from his pocket.

"Mom, I'll be back soon." Says Adam.

Boris exits the living room, out to the exterior of the moon. He extends his arm, Adam takes it and they teleport to white minimalistic office. Instead of windows, white fluorescent lit cubes fill the space on the walls.

"I like what you've done with the place." Adam remarks sarcastically.

"Function over fashion, Mr. Adam. Please, take a seat."

Adam sits opposite Boris, who sits behind his post-modern glass-top desk.

"You have spoken to Pantheon, yes?" Asks Boris.

"Yeah."

"I hope I am not intruding in asking what they said."

"They warned me about an Eternal amassing an army in the Olympus realm."

Boris leans back on his chair. "Ah, yes. We too have been gathering information."

"So, what exactly do you guys do?" Asks Adam.

"Think of us as a sort of men in black. Whenever something out of the ordinary happens, we intervene, and make sure to maintain the status quo."

"Do Eternals go off in power hungry rampages often?"

Boris smiles. "Eternals are a liability, yes, but there are other things out there we make sure to contain."

"Like what?"

"Listen, Mr. Adam." Boris leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. "We owe you for your assistance in the containment of Lucas, yes, but please understand, the reason our organization has been so efficient throughout the years is because of our dedication to our most important principle: secrecy. Please do not take any offense if I am unable to elaborate further on the matter, or any other question you may have."

"Yeah, I guess I understand. Can I trust you guys to contain Lucas?"

Boris smiles. "You did an admirable job in doing that, but yes, we can assure you Lucas will not be leaving the facility he is contained in."

"Is he not being held here?"

"No, this moon base is used primarily for dialogues with- uh." He pauses. "Outsiders."

"Aliens?"

"That's a narrow minded way of looking at the universe, Mr. Adam. What I asked to come here for is for a possible job opportunity. We could use a man of your capabilities."

Adam raises an eyebrow. "I bet you could. What's in it for me?"

"Well, there is great monetary compensation."

"I don't have much of a use for money nowadays."

Boris grins. "Yes, of course." He gets up from his chair. "Mr. Adam. This Eternal amassing an army, while on our list of things to take care of, he is of no immediate concern for the time being."

"What's keeping you guys up at night."

"We believe there is an infiltration in our midst." States Boris.

"I thought you said your most important principle was secrecy. How did anyone even find out about you?"

"The breach is coming from one of our prisoners. The mother of Lucas, Isolde."

"Hang on, Boris. You're not really selling me on your ability to contain Lucas if his mom's giving you trouble."

Boris stares at him, unsure of how to answer. After a while, he turns away, a thousand mile stare in his eyes, he releases a sigh, deciding to be as open as possible. "Come, follow me."

Boris touches one of the fluorescent cubes on the wall, it expands and narrows, taking the shape of a door. He opens it, pitch black, with a putrid odor coming from the other side. He steps in, Adam follows.

On the other side of the door they find themselves in a massive dark chamber, a deep red hue, barely illuminating the surroundings. At the center of the chamber stands a tall throne, built out of skulls of varying sizes. Around it, robed individuals in a praying position, chanting something unintelligible. Upon the throne, crossed legged, sits Isolde, wearing a crown made of roses, a smug look on her face.

"What the fuck?" Exclaims Adam. "She was captured like two days ago!"

"She made contact with one of our most dangerous beings. I'll try to save you the details, the thing about this entity she made contact with is that it grows stronger the more people know about it, the more people know about anything in general."

"Well look who it is." Says Isolde, a golden goblet in her hand. "Came back to profess your undying loyalty for me?"

She gets up from the throne, the red dress she wears extends from the throne, as if they were one, a large baby bump on her belly.

Isolde notices Adam's eyes on her abdomen. "Or did you come to swear loyalty to the true King of all creation?" She puts her hands on her stomach. "My child, my true child."

The robed individuals stop their chant and face Adam and Boris, waiting for their mistress to instruct them what to do.

"I have no clue what is going on." Says Adam.

"I will explain later." Says Boris to Adam. "For now, we must get rid of these acolytes who protect her."

Isolde smiles. "Bring me their skulls."

The first thing Adam does is attack their minds, finding a thick barrier around them. Three acolytes focus on Adam, another two on Boris. One of the acolytes closes in on Adam, swinging at him but hitting nothing but air. Cocky, Adam readies to take the acolyte down with one shot when he is hit by a massive fist with great force. Confused, Adam looks back at the other two acolytes when the one he was fighting takes a knife out, Adam is able to dodge the blade, when he is hit again by another giant fist.

"What the hell is going on?" Yells Adam.

He then sees how the acolytes use their magic, one of them makes a floating circle in the air, then punches into the hole, resulting in the giant fists that have hit Adam. Attempting to close in on the magic using acolyte, Adam is intercepted by the one he was fighting in close range, knife still in hand.

In a struggle, Adam is able to finesse the knife from the acolyte, he charges at him with the knife, stabbing his chest. Adam lurches in pain as he feels steel penetrate him. The knife he used against the acolyte harmed him instead of his target.

"What kind of-" Adam is interrupted again by another giant fist slamming him to the ground from behind.

Adam heals his wound, tired of all of this, Adam slows time down, he gets up and charges at the close-ranged acolyte. The third acolyte, somehow unaffected by the slowing of time, creates a circle, a rune in the center Adam does not recognize, breaking the effect Adam created, the closed range acolyte charges at Adam. A feint, as Adam readies himself to fight the first acolyte the second one slams another giant fist at him, dropping him to the ground.

"Shit. These guys are fighting me like they're an rpg team fighting a boss."

Boris is thrown near Adam. Helping him get up, Adam looks back at the acolytes who are not moving in on them.

"Are these guys Eternals?" He asks Boris.

"No." Replies Boris, spitting out blood. "They tap into a different source of power." Boris faces the acolytes. "This confirms my suspicion. Their purpose here is to protect Isolde, or rather, her child."

Isolde releases a cold, ear-piercing laugh. "When I saw what you did to Lucas I thought I had witnessed true power. Now I understand what true power is, and all I can say about you is that I am no longer impressed. This world will fall to my little prince." She says, rubbing her stomach.

"We must leave." Says Boris, ignoring Isolde's taunts. "We must regroup and figure out a strategy."

"You're just going to leave her here?" Asks Adam.

"We will come back, and finish the job."

Unsatisfied with the result, Adam and Boris turn back to the door to exit.

"Tell your mother I send my regards." She says, smiling.