Dekker's Dozen: The Last Watchmen

Unicorn Zombie Spores

The memory was warm and sweet, like foreign blood on his tongue; it came pouring back to him as he entered the Dodonic Inner Sanctum. Austicon faintly remembered that old curiosity, his need to know what artifacts lay buried within each container. He retrieved the small, latched cask and peered inside to ensure the apothecium remained alive. A twisted smile spread across his face. The deadly arbolean fungus signaled the beginning of the end for humanity.

* * *

Andrews breathed into his air mask. He still called himself Andrews in his mind despite his best efforts to convince his psyche to accept a new name. Several days had passed since the theft and he could do nothing with that time but stew in his anger and impotence. The only other option was to watch the MEA's streaming broadcasts and cuss at the video feeds. He'd lived through revolutionary events, but the current state of things looked as bleak as ever.

A live video feed covered every detail of the political installation; the ceremony took place on Earth at the Mother Earth Aggregate headquarters in Neo Mesopotamia. The Grand Council of the MEA had chosen to fill the slot of Chief Magnate with the Krenzin leader: The Pheema. For the first time since its inception, a nonhuman controlled Earth politics.

"First they boot all religions from modern society, and then they want to convert us to an alien one! Absurd." He vented to no one in particular. Andrews assumed he was the only human still alive in the whole sector. That was a logical assumption based on recent events.

Andrews hated being helpless—he'd done his best to prepare for hostile situations ever since the first assassination attempt on his life, years ago. The Krenzin philosophy that mandated peaceful nonresistance didn't seem to eliminate those lethal threats he'd observed over the decades. Andrews was a Darwinian and passive submission made no sense to hard science. "Only the strong in mind or body survive!" He cussed out the entertainment console. Strength resisted rivals by its nature. "Now that bleeding-headed fool has control of Earth and can influence the planets allied with the MEA? Get your own stupid planet, you rotten felinoid!"

He held his breath and stuck a whiskey bottle under his breathing mask and took a pull. He'd meticulously sterilized it to avoid infections.

The feed crackled for a second from the interstellar interference. "I'm happy to accept this prestigious position, and I'm so excited that the vast majority of humanity endorses this move. It is a huge step forward. As a people, we are so grateful that you have welcomed us so whole-heartedly; since the loss of our kind's planet, Earth has become our new home. I want to ensure you all that we will continue with current measures. I'm pleased to report that our disarmament protocols have remained on schedule. The only remaining, operational weapons facility under MEA control and funding is Darkside Station, on Earth's moon and the capital we've saved by defunding the engines of war have been shifted over to benevolent missions of peace, such as new education and philosophic centers across the quadrant."

Andrews bristled at The Pheema's speech. He shook his head, thinking of a test subject he'd once seen that lost its immune system... defenseless.

"We need not fear the vile darkness of war. Through peace and love we are strong! The faithful know this as true enlightenment. The militant mind is an old way of thinking. There is no art of war; it possesses no aesthetics, only overwhelming ugliness. Military is moot when utter peace is achieved, and we are so close, my brothers and sisters.

"I know that there lingers pockets of resistance, but only because they do not understand. They would rather see an entire planet of soldiers than of lovers, and that is, in fact, exactly what I am offering! Each citizen will go through mandatory training classes. True citizenship means working for the corporate good of the planet and culture. The citizen's army will include each and every one of you!"