The Devils Do (Chaos of the Covenant Book 3)
Table of Contents
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Author’s Note
Other Books By M.R Forbes
Join the Mailing List
About the Author
The Devils Do
Chaos of the Covenant, Book Three
M.R. Forbes
Published by Quirky Algorithms
Seattle, Washington
This novel is a work of fiction and a product of the author’s imagination.
Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by M.R. Forbes
All rights reserved.
Cover illustration by Tom Edwards
tomedwardsdesign.com
Acknowledgments
THANK YOU for staying with the series, and grabbing the third book. I think you’re going to have a blast with this one. I know it was a ton of fun to write. Your continued support is immensely appreciated. I couldn’t do any of it without you.
THANK YOU one more time to my beta readers. If there are any typos still hiding inside, blame them ;). Seriously though, we all do our best, but sometimes those little buggers sneak through. My apologies in advance for any errors you might find.
THANK YOU always to my wife. For who you are, and who you inspire me to be.
1
“There is a place outside of this one,” Jequn said. “It is the beginning. It is where the Seraphim were born. It is where the One resides. It is called Elysium.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Gant said. “Hold on one second. A place outside of this one? You mean a parallel universe?”
“We’ve already established that,” Bastion said. “You were too busy solo sieging a starship to keep up with current events.”
Gant glared at Bastion. “At least I was doing something useful. I’m willing to take bets Queenie was doing everything for you.”
Bastion smirked. “Not everything.” He opened his mouth to make another comment.
“Are you going there?” Abbey asked.
He closed his mouth.
“I don’t mean a parallel universe,” Jequn said. “Not exactly. Elysium is the home of the One. It is the root of all living things. It is the origin of all.”
“What? Wait,” Gant said, again. “The origin? There are a bunch of theories about how the universe came into being. Big Bang, Oscillating Universe, Hologram, Simulation. Which one are you referring to?”
Jequn looked confused. “First, there was the One. Everything followed after. All universes originated from Elysium.”
“Eternal Inflation?” Gant said. “Multiverse? I can accept that, I suppose. When you say the One, I assume you mean God? If he was the first, where did he come from?”
“Gant,” Abbey said.
“What?” Gant replied. “I think it’s a fair question.”
“I don’t think it’s relevant to our current situation.”
“Someone claiming direct access to God isn’t relevant?”
“You’re still assuming the One she’s referring to is God,” Benhil said. “It’s all a matter of perspective.”
“How do you mean?” Gant asked.
“If the individual you most look up to can do all of this cool shit, and you don’t know any better, you’re going to call him God, too, right? Could be he is. Or it could be he’s just another alien with better tech. Maybe Elysium isn’t the first. Maybe she just thinks it’s the first because she doesn’t know any better, and neither do we. Maybe this One was a nobody where he came from, and he decided he wanted to be all powerful, so he left his universe and started a new one. The Trickle Down Theory of Universal Evolution.” He smiled. “I just made that up, but you can use it if you want to.”
“A multiverse of gods?” Gant said. “I can get behind that. But the first one still had to start somewhere.”
“Unless the whole thing is one big loop,” Erlan said.
“What a mind frag that would be,” Bastion said.
“Can you all shut up and let her speak,” Abbey said, finally intervening. “Those details don’t matter. God, The One, Nephilim, Seraphim, Ophanim, Watchers, Converts, angels, demons, blah, blah, blah. They’re all just labels for things. None of it changes the reality of our situation. You know, the one where some hyper-powered asshole is trying to subdue the civilized galaxy.”
“I like labels,” Bastion said. “They make it easier to know what to hate.”
“What’s a Nephilim?” Pik asked, wandering onto the bridge.
“Where the hell have you been?” Bastion asked.
“Went to Medical to get some pain meds.” He held up his limp glove. “This fragging hurts.”
“We can get that fixed on Machina Four,” Benhil said. “You’ll love the results.”
Pik’s eyes landed on Dak. He grunted. “Another Trover? I don’t feel special anymore.”
“Dak,” Dak said, putting his palm up and out toward Pik.
Pik approached him, pressing his hand to Dak’s. The other Trover's hand was at least six centimeters larger, a fact which wasn’t lost on Pik. He grunted again. Then he smiled. “Welcome aboard.”
“I don’t know what just happened there,” Bastion said.
Abbey sighed loudly. “Can we please just get back on topic?”
“Sorry, Queenie,” Pik said.
“Jequn,” Abbey said.
Jequn nodded.
“Wait,” Pik said. “What’s a Nephilim?”
Abbey glared at Pik. “Really?”
“Nevermind.”
Jequn started speaking again. “As I was saying, Elysium is the beginning. It is the first universe, where the One made his home and created his first subjects, the Seraphim, of which I'm a descendent. Of course, we didn’t always know the One created us. Some of us worshipped many gods. Some of us worshipped one, but not necessarily the One. Most of our focus was purely on science and technology, learning and discovery.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that,” Gant said.
“There is,” Jequn countered. “We grew, we learned, we evolved. In time we gained the stars. We settled hundreds of planets in Elysium. We had problems. There were wars. There was death and destruction. There was chaos. It lasted for thousands of years.”
“That sounds familiar,” Gant said.
“And then it ended. The years of violence made us long fo
r peace in ways we never imagined. We learned other ways to settle our differences. We learned to accept one another. We became peaceful. We all worked together. When we came together in harmony, that was when the One made himself known across Elysium. He had a plan, and we were part of it. We had always been part of it, but he was waiting for us to be ready. We learned that he had been there with us the entire time, guiding us like a parent guides a child. Letting us trip and fall, but ultimately picking us up.”
“What kind of plan?” Bastion asked.
“He came to us. He presented us with a contract. A Covenant. He wanted to fill all of the universes he had made with life, and in exchange for our help, he would ensure the eternal survival of our kind.
“What did you need that for?” Benhil asked. “It sounds like you had it pretty sweet already. No more war. A benevolent god.”
“He offered us enlightenment. And besides, we wanted to help. We agreed to the Covenant. The first of his Prophets appeared on our homeworld of Earth. He provided us with specifications to build a temple to the One.”
“Wait,” Benhil said. “Your homeworld is called Earth, too? What are the odds of that?”
“Clearly, it isn’t a coincidence,” Gant said. “Shut up.” He glanced at Jequn. “Go on.”
“We didn’t understand the nature of the technology we were creating, but we followed the schematics, and we made the One a home.”
“You’re saying this One of yours had no physical form?” Abbey asked. “He didn’t speak for himself?”
“Correct. He chose a Prophet from each of our worlds. We knew the Prophet was true because he spoke of things we didn't understand. Science and mathematics and technology that we had yet to discover. Through them, he showed us the secrets of the universe he created for us. When the temple was completed, a great light filled the sky and then settled within what we had built. The following day, the first of the Shards appeared. The following month, the first of his ships rose from within. One year later, we began to build the gate.”
Abbey’s eyebrows raised at the word. “Did you say gate?”
“Yes. The Elysium Gate. It was made to transport the Shardships and their crews throughout the many universes that the One had made.”
“Was a gate built on the other side?”
“It wasn’t necessary. The ships were never intended to return to Elysium. Why?”
“I lifted some data from Eagan Heavyworks. We found a schematic. It was badly damaged, but it was a technical diagram of a gate.”
“The Shards traveled through the Elysium Gate. Each Shardship had a crew of close to ten thousand Seraphim. Our mission was to travel to the planets in the universes, find those that could support life, and plant seeds among them. Single celled organisms that would evolve based on the planetary climate. The Gant. The Trover. The Atmo. They came from these seeds. All life forms did, except for one.”
"Humans?" Bastion asked.
"Yes. Humans too were a seed, but they were not the same stem organism as the others. They were taken directly from the genetic code of the One, and engineered to evolve in his exact image. Like the Seraphim, humans were intended to be peacemakers in the universe, even if it took millions of years for you to evolve to the same place we have reached. Such is the patience of the One.”
“But something happened,” Abbey said. “I know that much. There was a rebellion.”
“There was an engineer on the Shardship named Lucifer, who was responsible for helping to prepare the seeds. When he learned that the Shard had made an organism that would evolve in the exact image of the One, he became enraged. Had the One not made the Seraphim? Were they not his chosen? He began to believe that the One was using them, and that when their task was done they would be abandoned and replaced by humankind.
“He wanted to prove his theory, so one day he approached the Shard and asked him why they couldn’t go home. The Shard replied that the fate of the Seraphim was to be without a home and that we had agreed to this when we accepted the Covenant.”
“When Lucifer informed the others of this reply, many dismissed him. They believed the Shard meant the Seraphim would one day be raised up to a higher place of being, in brotherhood with the One, as had been promised. But where the others saw salvation, he saw further imprisonment. Over time, he grew certain that the One had indeed fooled them, and that the Seraphim were nothing more than slaves to his grander designs. He worked tirelessly to convince others of his lies.”
“And then they turned on the Shard?” Bastion said.
“Yes. Lucifer and his followers formed their own sect. They called themselves the Nephilim. They began secretly altering some of the Seedships and outfitting them with the necessities to survive away from the Shardship. We later discovered that they were also modifying and taking seeds. In public; however, Lucifer apologized to the Shard and went out of his way to be the ideal follower and crew member. He excelled in his work and spoke to the Shard daily about how to improve and become closer to the One.
“One day, the Shard gathered the Seraphim to speak to them on the progress of their work, with Lucifer standing beside him in a show of unity. The Shard had only just started to speak when Lucifer withdrew a weapon he had made. A weapon! There had been no tools of violence in Seraphim culture for thousands of years.
“He drew it from his clothes, held it up, and then plunged it into the Shard’s side. He shouted at the other Seraphim as the Shard fell to the floor. ‘Do you see your god? Do you see that he can be killed so easily? Is this a true god, or are we slaves to superstition?’ The fighting began immediately. While the Nephilim were outnumbered, they all had weapons, and they didn’t hesitate to use them. Many were killed as they made their escape. They fled the Shardship, vowing to free their brothers and sisters of their slavery no matter how long it took. That was the beginning of the war.”
“Where does the Blood of Life fit into that?” Abbey asked.
“The Blood of the Shard,” Jequn said. “That’s what it is. The key to the everlasting. Human legend has placed it as something called the Holy Grail. Thraven’s power. Your power. It isn’t magical. It isn’t mystical.” She glanced at Benhil. “You weren’t completely wrong with your trickle down theory.”
“Ha!” Benhil said.
“The Shards are physical representations of the One. The power of the One is contained within them, also as a physical manifestation. Their power comes from machines. Molecular machines.”
“Molecular machines?” Gant said. “You mean like an atomic engine?”
Jequn smiled. “An engine is a simple thing. The machines within the blood of the Shard are infinitely complex. A work so intricate that only the One could have created them. Self-healing, self-replicating, able to store and disburse massive amounts of energy in multiple forms. The Shard called them naniates.”
“Naniates?” Gant said. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. He said they were the pinnacle of his creation, made to serve him in his work.”
“Then Lucifer didn’t just kill the Shard; he also took his blood?” Abbey asked.
“Yes. Lucifer stole a prick of blood from the Shard to prove that he was not a god, but a being just like us. That was when he discovered the naniates.”
“And it proved his point,” Gant said.
“He came to see everything as deception.”
Abbey reached inward, feeling for the Gift. It had been nearly silent since they had gotten off Anvil, a surprising change after it had literally been burning on top of her skin. She wasn’t sure what to think of the idea that the grittiness she had tasted in Emily Eagan’s blood was a congregation of atom-sized machines. And that she had billions, if not trillions of them running through her body right now. They weren’t dormant either. According to Thraven, they were changing her. Altering her. To what end? And why?
“Emily Eagan claimed she was a true Nephilim,” she said. “Whatever that means. She said she needed human blood to keep the Gi
ft strong.”
Jequn nodded. “The Seraphim are very much like the One, but not identical. Not like humans. You are made in his exact image. Your blood is the environment the original naniates were designed to function in. While they can survive externally for a time, the blood is their food. Their fuel. Without it, the naniates will stop functioning. The Nephilim won't die, but they will lose control of the Gift. Believe me; they don't want to lose control of the Gift.”
“I can imagine,” Abbey said. “You have a Gift of your own. You healed Bastion with it.”
“Yes. I accepted the Blood of the Shard six months ago to help the cause. But accepting the naniates isn’t without consequences.”
“What kind of consequences?” Abbey asked.
“We gain some of the power for a short time. Less than the Nephilim. Much less. Then we go mad. Then we die. We don’t partake of the Blood of the Shard unless we must.”
“Wait,” Bastion said. “You just said-“
“That I accepted the Blood of the Shard,” Jequn said.
“Knowing that it will kill you?”
“Yes.”
Bastion whistled. “I don’t know if I would ever do that.”
“Thraven said the Nephilim turn into violent monsters without the second half of the Gift,” Abbey said. “He claimed that’s what happened to Lucifer. He told me that’s what will happen to me. Based on what you’re saying, it seems that the Nephilim must have developed an immunosuppressant of some kind so that they could survive indefinitely with it. But since I’m human, shouldn’t the naniates be compatible?”
“If the Nephilim naniates respond to a suppressant, they have to be different from the Seraphim version,” Gant said. “It makes sense that Lucifer might have re-engineered them to be different.”
“Or perhaps the naniates have evolved to better survive in their changing environments,” Jequn said.
“You say that as if they’re alive,” Abbey said.
“They’re machines, but they react as though they’re alive. They respond to chemical changes in the bloodstream, often triggered by an emotional stimulus.”