THE SWORD AND SICKLE

PART TWO

CHAPTER-ELEVEN

STATE OF THE UNION

When the Children of Satan first emerged, their wings were still wet, and when the two fell to the floor, they landed on their haunches and sprang immediately up on their feet. Their feet were not human; rather, they were representative of a velociraptor. Their claws were razor-sharp. From what he could see under the insect-like wings, their legs appeared to be leathery with a deep scarlet hue. Their buttocks appeared human-like, as well as their torsos, with the exception that they were three times the size of a normal linebacker and their tailbone extended into a long tail, which ended in an arrow-shaped tip. Their color gradually changed from scarlet from the chin to a deep navy blue with a slight ashen powdering on the surface of their shoulders. Their tails were a deep blue with a very brilliant orange stripe down their middle on the male. Fine scales began at the waist and continued up to the neck and gradually became larger with each row, with medium scales on the tail. The neck was thick, revealing large veins to supply blood to an enlarged, domed head with curled horns like those of mountain goats. Their faces and snouts look like what one would imagine on a dragon. Large, curled canine teeth hung low from the upper jaw. Their eyes were large, solid, glossy black, which allowed them binocular vision, but they also had many other human-like eyes all over their bodies. On closer inspection, he counted over one hundred eyes in total. They had six wings, which, when dried, had a transparent luminous coloring, with the eye pattern found on a peacock's tail feathers. They could stand erect and reach a height of twelve feet, but at rest, they took more of a predatory stance, looking more like a giant raptor. They were pure killing biological machines designed in every way to destroy. Their hands and arms were identical in every way to those of a human being, except for their color and texture, which was flesh-like on the hands to leathery on the arms. The hue ranged from deep scarlet to a deep navy blue on the upper arm to the shoulders. Sex was easily discernible. Six had breasts and a vagina like any woman, and Victor had a large phallus formed like that of human males. Their heads were bald and leathery, with a reddish dome on Victor and a pale navy blue for Six. Their foreheads remained human-like, and the six-six-six was a burnished bronze hue.

The two new beings put Henry at ease quickly when they both bowed and said telepathically to him, "What is your bidding, Daddy?"

Henry replied, "Welcome back, my children." Before, he had dismissed all the Beelzebub stuff as fanciful childhood thinking. The nightmare his wife had many years ago, he'd dismissed as a nightmare from finding Six, and all Six's talk about that Beelzebub being her father was fanciful. Now, he knew he was dealing with more than fancy, more than a dream; he was dealing with the devil himself. He was not extremely religious, but he was beginning to become a believer, and now he wondered if it would be better to terminate the whole project. However, the call was no longer his, and who knew if the fail-safe was even there anymore? Homeland Security Chief Alderman had made that clear when he was last here. This was a Homeland Security project, and he was a mere soldier, so to go against their orders would be high treason, and he could not muster up the courage to kill his adopted children. However, his job was clear; he was to prepare these two beings for battle like any other recruit, and that was exactly what he would do...train them to kill. He asked, "Do you have vocal cords?

"Certainly, but the vibrations from our voice would shake your lab violently."

"How are you aware of that?"

"Our DNA now contains the memory of our father. Instinctively, our knowledge is that of the angel Lucifer, better known as Satan, the Devil, or Beelzebub."

"I do not doubt you, my children...after witnessing your transformation, why should I? Are you able to fly?"

"Yes."

"With that many eyes, how does the world appear?"

"We see everything at once; if we need to focus on one area, we can block off other visual input to focus on the areas of importance. We do have a blind spot above our heads, but our necks are very flexible."

"May I touch you?'

"Please do." We enjoy touch. Henry approached them carefully. He was careful, though, as he walked up to Victor to touch his legs. Victor began to purr loudly, like a kitten, and the room began to vibrate with the sound. The skin felt like a very thick cowhide.

"Bend down so I may touch your shoulders." Victor did as ordered. Henry touched his scaly skin. The scales seemed extremely hard, like tempered steel. "You are indeed something to behold, and amazingly, your thick skin is sensitive to my touch."

Victor replied, "This is so, Daddy. However, that is our choice. We have the power to control the sensitivity of our skin and, at the same time, block out pain."

Henry stated, "I want you to be proud of our country. I want you to be strong and believe in yourself. I am more than a father to you... I am your superior. All the members of this team will be considered as your superiors. You will salute your superiors and refer to them as sir. Is that understood, soldiers?"

They responded in unison, "Yes, sir. Sir, may we ask you our rank?"

"As of now, you are recruits...the lowest of the low and the dirt under my shoe. To advance in rank, you will have to prove yourselves to me. If I find you worthy, I will reward you. If you prove yourself in battle, then I will promote you. You will not receive special privileges. If you are to rise in rank, then you will do it the old-fashioned way, with sweat, toil, and tears! I expect greatness from you! Do you understand me, recruits? I will build a special carrier for you, and I will take you out to a private area so you can show me what skills you have."

"Yes, sir. We are anxious to show you our capabilities. When will the training begin?"

"Recruits, you will begin your training this evening."

"Yes, sir."

"In the meantime, I will have my lab assistants document your physical changes for the record."

Their training went very well; they were virtually indestructible and would provide the military a reliable resource in battle if it came to that. Until such time, they, like other secret projects, would remain under tight security. Returning to the base, the two asked Henry, "Sir, we wish to see our mother."

"I'm afraid that would be impossible. She believes Victor died at birth, and she knows nothing of Six, since she brought her to General Abrams."

They snorted, and the sound shook the room as steam rose from their nostrils. Henry reached for a counter to steady himself. Telepathically, they said as one, "It is important that she see us and know that Victor is her son, and I am her stepdaughter."

"Why must she know?"

"It is not for you to know; only know that if she sees us, your relationship with her will improve and that you will be of service to the nation."

"Why not visit her in her dreams and reveal yourself?"

"If you do not make the overture to her, she will remain distant from you. If you want your marriage to improve, you should do this for us, if not for yourself."

Henry thought for a moment and said, "I will consider it."

"Thank you, sir. It is what we hoped. We will abide by your wishes."

"Am I to be a part of this meeting with your mother?"

"No, it is between us and her, but let us make this assurance that we will not reveal to her any vital information of importance to the security of this nation."

Later that night, Henry said to Ebon, "I have something I need to tell you."