Ironbolt said his piece. “You came here for war, and war is what you’ll get.”

“Well,” I said, letting out a deep sigh. “Fuck.”

The whole table was quiet as they let their declaration of war sink in. I feared, if not for Paradise’s Power giving a veneer of calm to the whole situation, that they surely would have attacked. My very presence, I knew, had their vital signs spiking. There was fear on the air, and I could taste it. Maximal was stock-still, but he was sweating bullets just like the rest of them.

Hickory was just about to begin shouting and damning them all to hell when my hand raised to stop him, prolonging the quiet, giving me time to think.

I let out a slight chuckle.

They knew that I’d left my central mass on Mars. I didn’t have half the tricks that I usually did, because of that. If I’d wanted parasites or neurotoxins, I would have had to put in the request before we left. At the moment, it was just little old me.

But I wasn’t the reactive and perpetually slighted idiot that I once was. All of a sudden, I felt a calm fall over me. Then, a smile began to creep onto my lips.

I nodded in agreement with Ironbolt. “War is what I came here for, yes. In just one year, I returned with millions of soldiers. Soldiers who were grown in a matter of months. You know, it’s funny. As always, there is an expectation between us.” I looked pointedly at Maximal. “An expectation for conflict which drives its inevitability. I know that, given enough time, you would come after Mars, just like you came after me on Earth. You can’t just allow me to keep growing unchecked. And anything short of completely leaving the solar system, well… perhaps not even that would free me from you. Truly, we finally see eye to eye. There has to be an order to things.”

The black suits beside Maximal hardened their faces at that comment. I imagined they were still trying to get a grip on what I could do, and seeing my confidence gave them pause.

Therefore, I went on, feeling a wind beneath me. I sat leisurely back in my chair as I made my threats; gaze cold. “You see, the mistake I made before was always acting so surprised and offended when people treated me as a threat. But there’s no hard feelings between us now. Because I see the truth in that assumption. There’s merit to trust and reciprocity and all those fluffy things, of course, but ultimately, it all comes from selfishness. What altruism we do have exists within rigidly defined in-groups. And so, I’ll speak to your self-interests and I’ll keep it short.” I leaned forward, choosing Dawn to look straight at as I spoke. “You all made the right choice in trying to kill me when I was weak, but now you’re making the wrong one. Because I’m about to make a promise. And once I do, there will be no going back and there will be no stopping me. I am strong now.”

“We have contingency plans in place,” one of the black suits said. “We can defeat you.”

Ironbolt was just watching. Weighing his odds. And so was Dawn, I knew.

In fact, I was certain of it. I’d seen her animal instincts and melded them haphazardly to a human level consciousness. She could make herself smarter, but she would not delete her own soul. And that meant, deep down, she was still just an animal backed into the corner. Only recently had she gained her freedom after decades of imprisonment. For her, intelligence was no more than another kind of claw, and she was using it the best she knew how.

But they all had to get this straight.

“I’m a vengeful God,” I said. For this to work, they needed to be afraid. “My promise is this. For every hour a person opposes me on Earth, I will give them a year of Hell. Once I’ve won – not if – then each of your bodies will be in my hands. And I will torture you until I’m satisfied.”

Every face at the table drained of color. Even Hickory beside me turned in surprise. “Boy?”

I waved him off, pointing straight at Dawn. “You made a choice out of fear, but it’s still not too late.” What she needed was to understand that her best shot was with me, despite the fact she so desperately feared me. She feared that I would reabsorb her and take away her freedom. “The reason I didn’t make you as Powerful as me is that I couldn’t. You don't need to hate me for that, though.” I’d sensed the jealousy in her voice, so I tried to assuage it. “Given the chance, I would have made us equals. That way you wouldn’t have to lash out in this way. I have no intention of enslaving you, Dawn.”

“What have you become, Walter?” Ironbolt couldn’t believe what he had heard. Even I was a little startled at the monstrosity of my promise, now that he drew my attention to it.

Doubts lingered then, but only dimly. Was this Creep talking? Was this me? I simply pushed through them. What I said to Dawn in that moment was a lie. If I could have made her equal, I wouldn’t have ever tried. In reality, there were no true equals and any attempt to create them would only end in misery and resentment. Plus, it would have made this whole betrayal thing, always an option, that much harder.

“I think we’ve heard enough,” Maximal said. “Our message has been shared. We stand strong against you. And you will lose.”

I looked briefly back at our black, carbon-skinned jet. “No doubt you’ve already set up or delivered a strike on our forces on Earth and in orbit. That’s fine. What I find ridiculous, though, is the idea that you’re some unified force against me. I have the knowledge of Alejandro’s deepest confidants. I know the situation.”

Just as I expected, Maximal was the only one to give push back. “We haven’t seen eye to eye, Ironbolt and I, but he did good work here in Russia. The Lich King is neutralized because of his efforts.”

“But he collaborated with King Solomon to do it? And a known terrorist, am I right? That wasn't supposed to be possible. All the Kings were supposed to be this evil, monolithic threat which the lovely Western world opposed, I thought?” Ironbolt had teamed with one of the two rogue Kings, thus proving it was not a simplistic, two-sided battle. “Worse is that he proved what everybody but you, Maximal, seem to already know. Hell, even that spooky bastard on the moon seemed to know it!”

“If you’re referring to that common, insane conspiracy theory, I’m just about tired of hearing it,” Maximal seethed.

“And yet, Seraph just magically couldn’t take down the Lich for how many decades? And a small team waltzes in to do it on their first try.”

“They had help.” Maximal was referring to Dawn, I knew. A fine counterpoint, but still. I had a better one.

I put my finger to my temple, mockingly receiving a psychic vision. “I’m getting something! Your top-secret plan which I couldn’t possibly know… Ah yes, the Tyrant King.”

The black suits tensed up and I found myself laughing at what bad poker faces they had.

“Not much of a secret,” Ironbolt agreed. “We all know Seraph is preparing for a massive siege on the Iron Keep in the North. But what I want to know is why.”

I raised my hand sarcastically. This whole meeting was a farce. “I know,” I offered. “And I’ll be glad to tell you if you join my side.”

Maximal snapped. “The origin point of all Superpowers exists there. Everyone at this table is aware, then.” I supposed that he didn’t appreciate being treated as the table dunce. Now everyone was in the loop, including Ironbolt.

“I did not know this,” Dawn cooed. “Is it there for the taking?” The idea clearly excited her and I found myself wishing that I had tried just a little harder to dampen that lust for power.

I wasn’t a complete idiot, however. I’d seen the possibility of her turning against me. Nonetheless, she had helped by taking down the Lich in the meantime. And she served to bolster false confidence which I could manipulate in Seraph.

She was smart. Smart enough to play with her own genetics and evolve, even. But without my Power, all the brains in the world couldn’t unravel a fraction of the mystery of her beautiful DNA. Really, it was some of my finest work. Full of tricks.

And hidden within it? I thought. Well, let’s just say it wouldn’t be much of a fight.

The right protein would activate a consciousness delete-function in her decentralized backups. The remaining center would dissolve soon after, reducing her entire mass to a pile of pus.

“You all really need to apply some logic here,” I said. “If this whole world really is some game for the amusement of an entity up the North Pole. One which can supply the entire human race with Powers at a whim – then there’s nothing any of us can do about it.”

“It’s some kind of an alien?” Ironbolt asked.

I shook my head. “More like a god. But I can’t be playing catch-up for you all. There’s no hope converting you or Maximal. In truth, I came here for Dawn.”

“I remember you violating my body. Before I was… fully awake,” she told me. “You broke me down to nothing and then turned me into your weapon. I have every reason to think that you’d do it again. And I cannot accept that.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “I understand. I haven’t really gained your trust. Frankly, though-” I almost thought twice of my honesty, but I went ahead anyway. “To me, Dawn, you’re no different than any other animal in the world. You’re a piece of life. But I am life. And I have no intention of interfering with the workings of this world. Not more than is necessary to combat the…” I found myself implicitly admitting to the fact that Seraph still posed me a threat. But I bit my tongue and went on with an idealistic charade. “The, uh, how would you put it. The oppressive force of Seraph in the world.”

“And what’s your vision for the world then, Walter?” Dawn wanted something she could have faith in.

It occurred to me that, like a bad father, I’d sent my daughter off into the big bad world without so much as a single conversation about why. To her, I was alien and Other. Even more so than the poor mortals, who were no doubt planning to kill her later.

So, I reassured her. “My plan for the Earth is simple. A reset, I’m thinking. If what is, is what ought to be. Then what was is what will be. I’ll take most of the Earth’s population and put their consciousness into a reserve. The rest will be taken back to pre-agrarian civilization. All traces of modern society will be removed, and each soul will take turns being born into a world where they belong. And you? You will be put where you belong. Among the stars as the beginning of a higher, eldritch race. In a proper celestial hierarchy.”

She didn’t say anything after that. Her tendril of eyes looked in turn at everyone seated.

Ironbolt, sensing that I was perhaps getting through to her, tried to argue back. He’d had plenty of time to think, and so his response came confidently. “Just because things happen as they’re supposed to does not mean the world is doomed to complete nothing but cycles. We progress towards higher complexity as a society. Better medicine and better lives. The only thing standing in the way of that is Power mongers like you.”

“Better lives,” I scoffed. “People spend their entire lives flailing miserably at recreating those things which used to come completely naturally to them. Without a thought in the world. Diet, fitness, social integration, and purpose. Can you even count the number of self-help books? The fad diets and the money wasted on gym memberships? The pathetic attempts at recreating a tribe? All the meaningless identity groups to console us that we aren't utterly, utterly alone. I remember what it felt like to wake up in my car and go to work at a gas station, eating shit food and rotting away in my chair. Nothing felt right. And even the idea that we could change, it was just another tool to keep us glued to our screens. Don’t even get me started on that bullshit about Power Mongers.”

“You’re using an idealization of the past to justify mass genocide,” Ironbolt pleaded with me. "Just look at what we accomplished here. The Lich is gone." But not dead.

Finally, I brought my fist down on the table. “I’ve had enough. Unless you can produce a tolerable alternative, there is no question where we have to move. What the only meaningful option is. The longer we put a total revolution, the worse the inevitable collapse becomes.”

“There doesn’t have to be a collapse. You can return to your humanity. We can put Seraph into their goddamn place! And we can have hope again.” Ironbolt glanced briefly at Maximal. Then, he made me an offer I did not expect. “If you’ll just give up this fantasy, we could even join forces. I’m willing to place my trust in you one last time. Because I’ve always believed that what is necessary to break the cycle of mistrust… is forgiveness. You didn’t mean to release those bioweapons at the Southern Border. You’re only trying to do what you think is best for the world. For all life.”

I’d been prepared for anything, including Dawn’s defection. But Ironbolt just had to floor me one last time. Against everything I had done, he was still willing to offer his hand in brotherhood. After all the times I had burned him and proved Maximal unequivocally right. He still wanted me to join the Heroes.

“You still want peace.” I held the declaration of war in my hands, contemplating the irony of it. Beside me, Hickory was silently judging. Waiting to see what I said.

“Yes.” Ironbolt thought about what he was doing. It was tantamount to admitting that they couldn’t beat me. Abandoning his threat of force in favor of a philosophical argument. Quite a vulnerable position.

At last, I spoke my mind. “The show must go on.” His face fell. "None of us were born for Utopia. You could succeed for a day, perhaps, but as long as this world has not been taken to its fucking foundation, then it will only be a matter of time. No amount of intensifying technology can solve the problem it created, then. The world is just too goddamn big, Ironbolt. Too complex and soulless. And we have to go back."

Before the loneliness, I thought.

So many faces flashed through my mind. For once, I could almost tempt myself to believe that I was the Hero of this story. Up until now, I'd simply been finding my way.

"I can get behind this," Daniel announced from behind me. Always one to follow his leader. The others were not so sure, per the norm.

Dawn retracted back into her enormous mushroom without saying another word after that. She had a great amount of thinking to do.

Before I knew what was happening, then, Maximal lept across the table. He got his fingers around my throat and started shouting at me, lost in his rage.

And that concludes our meeting.