Deathstalker 05 - Deathstalker Destiny

sweat it, Boss. This new model has a backup storage system. It automatically retains that last few minutes of any tape, in case of snarl-ups.
    And I think I got something interesting. The last thing Robert said to Constance."
    "Run it," said Toby quietly. "And play it back through our comm implants on a secure channel. I don't want anyone else picking this up."
    Flynn nodded, and made the connection. The camera's view filled their eyes as it zoomed in on Robert and Constance's faces, and the microphone boosted Robert's last words to clear audibility.
    "The Recreated have come."
    Flynn stopped the tape and broke the connection, and then he and Toby looked at each other.
    "Shit," said Toby quietly. "Flynn; we're leaving. This isn't a story anymore. If Robert's right, I think the shit just hit the fan for the whole Human race."
    Before Robert Campbell could set out on his way to Parliament, for an in-depth briefing, he was waylaid by one of his least favorite acquaintances, Cardinal Brendan. With BB Chojiro dead and gone, the Cardinal had taken her place as the pleasant public face of Clan Chojiro. He smiled a lot, spoke in simple homely terms, and quietly brokered important deals and meetings behind the scenes, between people who wouldn't normally have agreed to share the same room together. The Cardinal had a lot of pull these days. So when he insisted that what he had to say was vitally important, Robert had no choice but to agree to
    listen.
    So he allowed the Cardinal to steer him into a nearby empty room, and waited more or less patiently while Brendan set up some powerful security seals, to be sure they wouldn't be interrupted. The Cardinal wasn't much to look at, even in his impressive Church robes, but Robert studied him closely anyway. The Cardinal was tall and thin, with an entirely forgettable face, as long as you overlooked the eyes. They were dark and fiercely intelligent and missed nothing. The eyes of a man who thought deeply, and probably on subjects most people would prefer to avoid. Robert scowled, and wondered what the hell Clan Chojiro wanted with him now, and why it couldn't wait. He couldn't think of a single thing he knew or was likely to know that would make him worthy of the Cardinal's attention.
    "All finished," said Brendan, smiling pleasantly. "Just making sure we won't be bothered or overheard."
    "What do you want, Cardinal?" said Robert. "I'm needed at Parliament. All hell's breaking loose, in case you hadn't heard."
    "People are dealing with it, I'm sure," said the Cardinal. "Parliament is responsible for the present. My people are more concerned with the future. We're planning it, step by step. Parliament follows where we lead."
    "Your people? The Chojiros?"
    "No, Robert; Blue Block."
    The Campbell nodded slowly. "I should have seen that one coming. So; what does the Empire's most secret secret society want with me?"
    "Perhaps just to remind you of your roots. As a young man, you were inducted into Blue Block…"
    "Oh please! I was only there a few weeks, before my Family took me away again. I
    was never initiated into any of the mysteries. I owe you and them absolutely nothing."
    Brandon smiled easily. "Once in, never out. You will always be one of us, till the day you die. The ties that bind are real and potent, even if you don't remember them."
    "There are no ties," said Robert flatly. "I've heard about the indoctrinations, the controls you put in people's minds. The Black College. The Red Church. But you have no power over me, and I have no loyalty to Blue Block."
    "But you do remember things. Not one man in a million knows about the Black College, or the Red Church. Or the Hundred Hands. You know these things because we placed them in your mind. We put other things in your mind too; for future use."
    Robert grabbed a handful of the Cardinal's robe and pulled him forward, till they were face-to-face, Robert's hot eyes glaring into the Cardinal's unyielding stare. "What are you talking about, Brendan? Are you threatening me? By God, if you threaten me or Constance, you'll leave this room a dead man!"
    "Let go of me, Campbell," said the Cardinal. "I know things you need to know.
    Before it's too late."
    He waited patiently while Robert controlled his temper, and finally released his grip. The Cardinal brushed fussily at the front of his robe, flattening out the crumpled material. "You must learn to control yourself, Campbell. It's one of the first things we teach, at the Black College.