{"id":5899,"date":"2020-08-28T21:49:20","date_gmt":"2020-08-28T13:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=5899"},"modified":"2020-08-28T21:49:20","modified_gmt":"2020-08-28T13:49:20","slug":"wolves-of-babylon-chapter-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=5899","title":{"rendered":"Wolves of Babylon Chapter 3"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Between Gods and Wolves<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Babylon, again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla Fox loved the outdoors, but part of her heart remained in Babylon. Here, she had served in the Public Security Bureau. She had cracked the glass ceiling and became one of the few women to join the Special Tasks Section. She\u2019d fought and bled and killed in the streets and shadows of Babylon, more than other corner of this godforsaken nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of all, here was where she\u2019d met the men of Team Black Watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And Yuri Yamamoto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Babylon didn\u2019t love her back. The government might have wiped the slate clean, but humans and gods had their own rules, their own agenda. When the STS shut down and the PSB underwent \u2018reforms\u2019, she saw the signs early and fled to the heartlands of Nova Babylonia. To the fields and the forests and the mountains, still untouched by the New Gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She would have stayed there forever, but when a brother called, you came running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which went a long way towards explaining why she was in a no-frills room in a no-star motel at the edges of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There wasn\u2019t much in this room. A bed. A table. Two chairs. A bathroom. A hopelessly obsolete television that went out of style two generations ago. The second she checked in, she went to work hardening the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Motion detector alarm. Door wedge. Portable security chain. Tiny spy camera in the exterior hallway. Cardboard flap taped over the peephole. Permanently drawn curtains and noisemakers attached to the handles. Common sense for travelers, barely adequate if the New Gods were in play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim hadn\u2019t mentioned what this was about. But after the STS dissolved, every former operator dispersed to the winds and went deep underground. Only one thing would prompt him to call her after months of silence, requesting an immediate meet in Babylon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten minutes before the scheduled meeting, the doorbell chimed. Kayla whipped out her phone and called up the feed from the spy cam. The low-rez feed revealed one man, stocky and compact, waiting at the doorstep. She approached the door from an angle, lifted the cardboard flap, and peeked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She opened the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHi. Glad you could come at such short notice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou look\u2026 different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The youthful operator she knew was once clean-shaven. In the past six months, he\u2019d grown a thick but neat beard that flowed from under his nose to engulf his jawline. His olive skin was paler, as if he\u2019d spent much time indoors, though he remained as sleek and muscular as ever. But his eyes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She remembered clear chocolate eyes, once burning with purpose. Now they were dull, darkened, as though buried under thick layers of muck. The fire within remained, but through the darkness it was so hard to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside the room, Karim ran through his own security check. He glanced at the corners, peeked into the bathroom as she set his backpack down, sat with his back to a wall. She would have done the same in his shoes, had<\/em> done something similar when she came in. But his movements were deliberate, purposeful, a wolf hunting prey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s eating you?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA\u2026 situation has come up. I was hoping the old team could help out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNew Gods?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere are the others?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim counted off on his fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFarmer is back home on Moreno Island. He says he can\u2019t leave; his family is too vulnerable. Zen and Boomer are in Riveria, protecting Marcie Ngo. They can\u2019t leave either. The Void Collective are hunting her and they\u2019re keeping an eye on her.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marcie Ngo wasn\u2019t STS. She was an ordinary PSB Special Agent, one of Zen\u2019s\u2026 friends. After joining the Void Collective, she saw the truth of the Void. The team extracted her from the VC\u2019s arcology, along the way recovering the evidence that would bring down a nation. Her testimony gave the Temple Commission the ammunition it needed to order mass crackdowns, though even Special Counsel Temple couldn\u2019t take down the VC completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd Yuri?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know where he went.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2026He didn\u2019t tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUh, no?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuh. After the last of the major raids, after the Feds were done with us, he caught a flight overseas. He didn\u2019t tell you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. The rest of the guys were wondering where the hell he went. All he told me was that he was going underground. Did he say which country he went to?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNope. OPSEC, he said.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHuh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A strange light entered Karim\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWere you two\u2026 you know, close?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kayla blinked. Blinked again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo. Not\u2026 not like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReally? The first time I saw you two, I thought\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her cheeks flushed. She shook her head, looking away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, it\u2019s\u2026 That man\u2026 He\u2019s a lone wolf. It\u2019s who he is and who he\u2019ll always be. Nothing will change that. I don\u2019t think he\u2019ll ever be close to anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe made an exception for you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2026\u201d Kayla sighed. \u201cI don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t know what\u2019s in his heart. I just can\u2019t tell what he\u2019s thinking. He\u2019s always so\u2026 distant. So mysterious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe wasn\u2019t so distant with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo the New Gods, he is Public Enemy Number One. By leaving, he\u2019s drawing fire away from us. At the same time, if something happened to him, if he needed help, he needed someone he could reach out to. Among the team, I\u2019m the only one not on their radar. At least, I don\u2019t think they see me as a priority target.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim\u2019s lips crept into a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs that it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He chuckled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, nothing. But if you really<\/em> want to, you could talk to him soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe told me he couldn\u2019t come to Babylon, but he could do a video call. Fifteen minutes from now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heat bloomed in her chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim extracted a laptop from his pack and set it on the table. Kayla drew up a chair next to him. Her heart beat slightly faster in her chest. She breathed into it, letting the feeling pass. She wasn\u2019t some hormonal schoolgirl. Not anymore. She was a professional, and she had a job to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though it would be nice to see him again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a Virtual Private Network, Karim set up the call and tested the signal, speakers and microphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m bringing in a fourth party into the call. Harold Dahl, Priest of the Temple of Galen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow is he involved? Is he your client?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s\u2026 a stakeholder. He\u2019s at risk, yes, but he\u2019s not the primary target. The primary client.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho is?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGalen the White.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the arranged time, Karim sent out the invitations for the video call. Seconds later, a face familiar yet different filled the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jet black hair, once close-cropped, now allowed to grow into a thick tapered fade. Fair skin bleached almost to white. A face carved from granite, softened with sandpaper, highlighting high cheekbones and a broad chin. Cold eyes, gray as gunmetal, simultaneously the points of twin daggers and paired wells drawing her in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYuri,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKayla.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A very slight pause. In that moment, it was just him and her in the universe, Yuri Yamamoto and Kayla Fox, a man and a woman who had seen the worst the New Gods had to offer and thrown that back. For a second, his eyes softened, widened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he was all business again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKarim,\u201d he added. \u201cGood to see you both.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSame here,\u201d Karim said. \u201cWish this was under better circumstances, though.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNext time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, well, you\u2019re a hard man to get.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She couldn\u2019t tell anything else about Yuri or his location. Harsh electric light shone down on him from above, casting faint shadows across his face. Behind him was a flat, blank wall. She didn\u2019t know if it were night or day, or where he was. Doubtlessly he\u2019d have a VPN of his own, pointing to some godforsaken patch of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There wasn\u2019t any point asking about such details either. He wouldn\u2019t reveal anything about that. It was just who he was, and what made him such an effective operator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the situation?\u201d Yuri asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was all Yuri. No pleasantries, no small talk. Not that he was incapable of it, but this was strictly business. He\u2019d flipped the switch, and there was no flipping back until it was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As if on cue, a new window appeared on the screen. This one showed a short man, mid-sixties at least, with a shining pate and a huge white beard. He looked small, but his neck was thick and his shoulders broad, and his eyes were as hard as any STS operator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is Harold Dahl, Priest of the Temple of Galen the White,\u201d Karim said. \u201cWe\u2019ll explain the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the next ten minutes, the men outlined the situation. Yuri and Kayla listened to in silence, letting the tale play out to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo that\u2019s where we are now,\u201d Dahl concluded. \u201cCaught between gods and wolves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho are the Street Wolves?\u201d Yuri asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStreet gang pledged to a wolf god,\u201d Karim replied. \u201cStrictly small-time. But that was in our time. Now, they\u2019re powerful enough to threaten Galen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo they know the Pantheon is interested in recruiting you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey do,\u201d Dahl confirmed. \u201cLast month, when the Pantheon paid us a visit, a pack of Street Wolves swooped down on us. Damn near started a brawl there and then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy would a minor Power tangle with the New Gods like that?\u201d Yuri asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe New Gods have been weakened. There\u2019s blood in the water. Minor Powers are rising up, testing what they can get away with,\u201d Dahl replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, but an open confrontation like this? They wouldn\u2019t dare. Not unless they\u2019re as powerful as the Pantheon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd if they were, we\u2019d have dealt with them in the STS,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn our time, if a minor Power attempted such a blatant show of disrespect, the New Gods would tear them a new one. They\u2019d have to, to show strength to the other Powers. Why haven\u2019t the Pantheon done this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe they\u2019re weakened?\u201d Dahl suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOr maybe there\u2019s more going on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have buddies in the Babylon PD and the PSB,\u201d Karim said. \u201cThey\u2019re putting together a package on the Street Wolves for me. Maybe they know something we don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, that\u2019s a start. Something\u2019s strange about this whole setup. Everyone knows that if you use force to press a god into service, especially a warrior god like Galen, it will not<\/em> end well. I was expecting a lot more diplomacy and a lot less violence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Pantheon tried diplomacy, at first,\u201d Dahl said. \u201cTheir mouthpieces went on and on about the benefits of joining the Pantheon, of being recognized as a New God, etcetera. They said we grow in wealth and status, we would increase our territory and pack, we would gain access to resources and power beyond our wildest dreams, and all we need do was to pledge ourselves to the Pantheon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGalen has no wish to entangle himself in the affairs of the New Gods. He desires only to live in peace with humanity and protect whoever he can. It was why you allowed Karim to join the STS, no?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The STS had an inviolable policy of never recruiting anyone even remotely affiliated with the New Gods. The only psis they allowed in the organization were those pledged to neutral Powers like Galen, and only after a rigorous vetting process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Yuri said. \u201cGalen, through Karim, has helped us protect the people from the New Gods, including the Pantheon. Which is why I find this offer interesting. Why don\u2019t they see him as an enemy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYesterday\u2019s enemy is tomorrow\u2019s ally,\u201d Kayla said. \u201cThe Pantheon is the weakest and least-organized of the New Gods. They\u2019re just an alliance of minor gods. With the rest of the New Gods scrambling for wealth and resources, they have to do the same or be left in the dust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHave any of the other New Gods approached you?\u201d Yuri asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI saw them sniffing around Hunter\u2019s Heights, but otherwise they left us alone,\u201d Dahl replied. \u201cSo far as we can tell, only the Pantheon and Street Wolves are involved here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut if the dynamic changes, they might get involved too,\u201d Yuri said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBet on it,\u201d Karim said. \u201cIf they think Galen will sign up with either side, they\u2019ll have to act before that faction grows too powerful. If they think Galen is too weak, they will invade Hunter\u2019s Heights. And if Galen fights with the Pantheon or the Street Wolves, or both, they will take the chance to fish in troubled waters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a complex situation,\u201d Dahl said. \u201cComplexity gets people killed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYup,\u201d Yuri said. \u201cMaking matters worse, you escalated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKarim, you laid hands on the Street Wolves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat guy was transforming. They were about to gang up on me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue. But up to that point, have they done anything physical?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Karim and Dahl said as one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere you go. You humiliated the alpha in front of his pack. He can\u2019t take that lying down. Not if he wants to remain the boss.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019ll be retaliation?\u201d Dahl asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCount on it. And when the Pantheon sees it, they will make you an offer you can\u2019t refuse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan Galen go to war against the Street Wolves, and win?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPerhaps,\u201d Dahl said, \u201cbut they are many, and we are few. Such a war will bleed us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAfter this call, I\u2019m going to get the intel package and run recon missions,\u201d Karim said. \u201cI need to know what we\u2019re up against.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs there any possibility of violence from the Pantheon?\u201d Yuri asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey prefer the carrot to the stick. But they made it clear that they will not tolerate Galen signing up with anyone else, or not<\/em> signing up with them,\u201d Dahl said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re weakened by a war with the Wolves, and if you still won\u2019t join the Pantheon, then you can expect them to attack you too,\u201d Kayla mused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSums it up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut why? At the height of their power, they could have crushed you. Instead, they\u2019ve left you alone. Now that they\u2019re weakened, why would they do this? What changed?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPreviously, Galen didn\u2019t pose a significant threat to them,\u201d Karim said. \u201cNow, Galen could be a powerful asset, or a dangerous foe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd if Galen signs on with another faction, they\u2019ll have a significant threat at their borders,\u201d Yuri mused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, there is that,\u201d Dahl agreed. \u201cOne way or another, they must deal with us, and soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs violence inevitable?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGalen says he can taste it in the air. The time for war is not now, but soon,\u201d Dahl said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri\u2019s eyes narrowed. His lips tightened into a slash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you thinking?\u201d Kayla asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m thinking there is an opportunity to turn both sides against each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow?\u201d Dahl asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe New Gods and Dark Powers have this in common: paranoia. They are afraid that everybody else is out to destroy them. They can only trust themselves, their own believers, no more. If the Pantheon and the Street Wolves both believe the other is out to make war on them, they will turn on each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd leave Galen alone,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA sound strategy, but to the Pantheon, the Street Wolves are small fry,\u201d Dahl said. \u201cThey could muster their forces and crush the Wolves if they wished. And then there\u2019d be nothing to stop them from turning their attentions to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich is why we need intelligence,\u201d Yuri said. \u201cThe Street Wolves\u2019 aggressiveness just doesn\u2019t add up. You\u2019d expect them to behave that way towards civilians, but not another Power. Not if they haven\u2019t lost their minds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know about this\u2026\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2026 I was BPD, then PSB, then STS. All my life, I\u2019d fought to uphold the law and protect the innocent. This\u2026 What you\u2019re proposing is illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWill the law protect you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Dahl said bitterly. \u201cWhen the cops showed up at the Temple after the fight, they just filed a report and dropped it in the folder with all the other<\/em> reports I filed against the wolves and the gods. Until someone gets hurt, they\u2019re not going to do a thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd by the time that happens, it\u2019ll be too late,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, but\u2026 Kayla and I, we were law enforcement. Not soldiers. This\u2026 This doesn\u2019t sit right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri smiled gently. His entire face softened. Kayla had never known he could make an expression like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKarim, Kayla\u2026 have you ever wondered why I chose you two for Team Black Watch?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Special Activities Unit is Nova Babylonia\u2019s premier counterterrorist unit. When the New Gods started throwing around tech, magic, Husks and Elect in their turf wars, we all thought the Unit would be called up to intervene. But the Unit was military. Domestic deployment without Presidential authorization would be a violation of Posse Comitatus, and by the time we got approval, it\u2019d be too late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInstead, we were tasked to assist the PSB to stand up their own special operations unit, one that could go toe to toe with the New Gods. During our initial studies, we determined that the only way for the STS to take on the New Gods, and win, was to deploy heavy firepower and military tactics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShoot first, shoot to kill, shoot until you know they\u2019re dead. Armor piercing ammo, high explosives, machine guns. Hunter-killer drones, assault armor, miniguns. We couldn\u2019t allow the New Gods to compromise the STS, so without Elect of our own, we had to count on big guns, the willingness to use them, and use them right<\/em>. That required a special kind of operator. An operator who was highly skilled, but also highly moral. Someone who would do whatever it takes to do the right thing, while still holding true to the motto of saving lives. Someone who could wade into a dark world but remain untouched by it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s you. Both of you. Everyone in the Black Watch too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn a perfect world, the law reflects the values of the people, and is perfectly just. In the world we live in, the law and its enforcers have been thoroughly compromised. When the law fails, all that is left is natural justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs warriors, we are charged with protecting and defending the innocent. To do that, we need to see the situation exactly as it is and respond with the most appropriate action\u2014and only the most appropriate action. One that will resolve the incident without causing harm to anyone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom what we know so far, what is the most appropriate action?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone went quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seconds ticked past. Minutes. Lifetimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat you\u2019re proposing\u2026 it\u2019s illegal as all hell,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe went rogue, didn\u2019t we?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd we saw how that <\/em>turned out,\u201d Karim snapped. \u201cWe blew up our country, our lives, and for what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo give everyone a fighting chance,\u201d Yuri said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t knock out the New Gods, but we gave good people the time and space they need to claw back some sanity in this world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2026\u201d Karim massaged his temples. \u201cI don\u2019t know about you guys, but I\u2019ve been on the run for months. No job, no income, no support\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are always be welcome in the Temple of Galen,\u201d Dahl said. \u201cIf you had but come back to us\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI would have called down the wrath of the New Gods on you, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are pack. We ride and fight together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim made a sound. It began like a snort, but it transformed into a sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKarim,\u201d Kayla said gently, \u201cif you had to do it all over again, to go rogue and challenge the New Gods alongside us, would you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He closed his eyes. Breathed. Looked away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was the right thing to do. The only<\/em> thing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere we are now,\u201d Yuri said. \u201cWhat is the right thing to do here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThings were different six months ago. The Void Collective was abducting and brainwashing people, the other New Gods were itching to start a war, all we were doing was protecting people and carrying out our mission. Now\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the difference?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing\u2019s changed,\u201d Kayla said. \u201cDark Powers are still preying on the innocent. The world still needs people like us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf the laws of Man are powerless to protect us, then we must act in accord with the law of Heaven,\u201d Yuri said. \u201cWe must always do what is right, even and especially when the New Gods and their puppets oppose us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim bit his lip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we do this, innocent people might get hurt in the crossfire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoth sides will know that if they allow the violence to spread, the authorities and<\/em> the New Gods will get involved, so they have an incentive to keep it focused and surgical.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is always that risk,\u201d Kayla said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlways,\u201d Yuri said quietly. \u201cBut given our resources, intelligence, and manpower, what else can we do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen\u2026 if<\/em> this kicks off, it\u2019ll be like lightning a fuse,\u201d Karim said. \u201cWe won\u2019t be able to put it out. We might not predict the consequences either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. So if you take this path, you have to be committed. You have to see it all the way through to the end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat would your god do?\u201d Dahl asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYours, Yuri. I see the presence of a god in you. What would he do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe would extend his hand to smite the wicked. Or else direct a believer to act in his stead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid he attack the innocent?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a moment, a troubled expression crossed his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe drowned the Old World in an enormous flood, sparing only enough to repopulate it. He hardened the heart of a wicked ruler, then visited pestilence and plague upon a nation, and took the lives of the firstborn of an entire kingdom. But it was a different time, a different place, a different world. Everything was different then, and I cannot pretend to know the mind of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI only know this: we cannot control what the opposition does, but we can control what we do. We target only those who need to be destroyed, and do what we can to protect the innocent and control the consequences. It is all we, as mortal and limited humans, can do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGalen has never knowingly harmed the innocent,\u201d Dahl said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGalen is also a tutelary spirit, with dominion over a small patch of the world. His actions are limited to the micro level. At the macro scale\u2026 Some things are too complex for us to predict.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere was once an Old World leader who said, \u2018You cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs\u2019,\u201d Karim said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe was also a monster who used it to justify absolute power and endless terror. We are not doing that. We are safeguarding Galen and the innocent from the depredations of the Pantheon and the Street Wolves. That intention, that goal, guides us. Our strategy, tactics, everything we do. That is the difference. But we must act in alignment with it, or we will be lost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karim looked down at his hands and said nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2026 I was a cop. This, though, it\u2019s\u2026 I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were always a warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. I get it. But I can\u2019t\u2026 I won\u2019t<\/em> do anything that will harm anyone who doesn\u2019t deserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood. Keep that in your heart, always.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut there\u2019s another problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have any hardware. The State Police took my gun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have weapons, but for what you have in mind, we can\u2019t use personally-owned firearms,\u201d Fox said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Before they were rogues, Karim, Kayla and Yuri served in the top-tier tactical unit of Nova Babylonia. Find their stories here<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To stay up to date on my latest writing news and promotions, sign up for my mailing list here<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Between Gods and Wolves Babylon, again. Kayla Fox loved the outdoors, but part of her heart remained in Babylon. Here, she had served in the Public Security Bureau. She had cracked the glass ceiling and became one of the few women to join the Special Tasks Section. She\u2019d fought and bled and killed in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[68,106,168,216,253,277,278,289,338],"class_list":["post-5899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-babylon-red","tag-cyberpunk","tag-horror","tag-military-science-fiction","tag-pulprev","tag-science-fantasy","tag-science-fiction","tag-singlit","tag-wolves-of-babylon"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5899"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5899"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5899\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}