The Prophet

Julian steps echoed along the Bel Temple's dark polished marbled walls. His three subordinates trailed behind him, holding the empty container suitcase, and other miscellaneous items they managed to save before the police come to their now former lair, where the man named Marco was slain. The corridor was long and dark, with red spotlights along its wall, distanced every two meters. The ceiling was so high they couldn't see what was up there, only blackness. A low but far humming could constantly be heard. It sounded like some sort of a great machine.

Julian lead them to a point on the wall, between two red lamps. He whispered "Deas Sententia Liberatum…" to an unseen speaker, and a chunk of the wall slid away, then to the right, revealing the darkened room behind it, that then lighted when the door was opened. The lighting was also red.

His three subordinates knew instantly that it was a room of pain. Julian was in a foul mood.

Inside there was a long desk fit for three people sitting around it, but there was no chair save for the one at the end, reserved only for Julian. He sat down, put both of his fists on the table, and looked down. His subordinates stood around awkwardly, jittered about, waiting for the hell to drop, and who was going to get it.

"Report," Julian finally said.

The subordinates shared look to one another. Shifted their weights from one foot to another. There were sounds of heavy breathing since they were walking fast from the parking area to this place. Two of them were nervous, trying to find the courage to speak. But they didn't know where to start to explain their failures.

"We were sabotaged," Margot said. He was the one with a long wavy tousled hair with heavy facial hair, "we didn't know that… other parties would be there."

Julian still looked down. Margot shot his pleading gaze towards his friend Gob, the one with the almost the same hair-facial hair configuration, but blonde, to help him.

Gob cleared his throat, then, "we didn't manage to get the plates, S…sir…"

Deadly silence floated down the room, as they waited for Julian to respond.

Julian lifted his face and looked at Gob, "why is that?" he asked, then slowly turn his head towards Margot.

Margot now tried to code Kasha, the only girl in their entourage, for help. Her eyes were hooded so that she always looked eyeless, in most lighting, the only shadow in a place of her eyes. She crooked her lips to one side, and shrugged in a deliberately slow movement, as if saying, 'deal with your own failures.' Margot's head was racing through all possibilities of answers and repercussions of those answers, all of them lead to certain pain, he decided. He swallowed and answered, "we thought that Callisto was unaware of this. We… we didn't do our due diligence. We thought we could make it."

Julian inhaled slowly then exhaled. Turned out his point fingers from the fists, and started to slowly doodled something invisible on the desk surface.

"I told you that you were careless," Kasha said to Margot. 'The bitch finally speaks,' Margot thought. A sudden realization that she was not a part of his team, but Julian's acting officer in this particular mission. Dread was rising. She continued, "but, you refuse all of my… suggestion…oh, Julian. What am I supposed to do?"

Julian smiled and looked at Margot and Gob interchangeably. "As I said, dear. You do nothing." He stopped his finger doodle and clenched his hands together under his mouth, "I only wanted to know how well they were in following orders and make sure they did it according to plan."

"But, sir—" Gob tried to say.

Julian hands slammed on the desk, still interlocking, "and you are clearly failed!" He then brought back his clenching hands under his mouth and resumed his former quiet tone, "you disrespected my commander, tried to get an advantage of her, which is fine…" Kasha chuckles, "…if you deliver what you were ordered to do."

"Sir... I…," Margot stammered. It was hard to breathe.

"But you didn't," Julian continued, "the only person who did things correctly and according to plan was just me," he stood up, then looked straight in front of him, not acknowledging anyone in particular, "you… you ruined the one hundred years plan…" he trailed off. He felt his heart sinking slowly into nothingness. Deep sadness overcame him, but it was amalgamated with a wave of very raw anger. He could feel the red eyes of Bel judging him, regretting Her decision in making him Bel's prophet. He wanted to hear Bel, but She seemed to be utterly disappointed in him.

"They should be dead," Kasha's voice pulled himself back to the room, "Bel would require it."

"What? No… please!" Margot and Gob stammered.

"I'm not hearing Her, Kasha," Julian said painfully, "She might be leaving us."

"Because of these two incompetent fools!" Kasha exclaimed, then assumed her previous calm and flirtatious. She moved closer to Julian, "this may be one of Her tests. To shape us—you, into Her true incarnation. She never pretended that it would be easy."

Margot felt his throat drying up. His head slowly became heavy. 'Will this be my time? Will I experience what Marco had?' He didn't know what to do, but somehow his will to live diminishing. He didn't want to fight for his wellbeing anymore. But he needed a reason why.

"No, Kasha." Julian said, "Bel specifically instructed me to kill Marco, but not with these two. You better leave them to Her judgment." Then he looked at Kasha with his look of influence, so she would not hound him anymore about killing them.

"As the Prophet wishes," she bowed a little and stepped back.

"We now leave these two here to meditate on their sins," he felt weak, "let us go."

After leaving the two men in the room. Kasha asked, "Julian. By not giving them their proper punishment, you will be seen as weak. The other's respect for you will be diminished."

Julian kept walking towards the end of the wide long straight corridor, not stopping when he answered, "it is not my duty to judge the failure of Bel's children. It is completely in Her hand. Come now. I have to pray and ask for Her guidance. All of Her plan through us, to birth her again in this world, maybe not completely ruined. At least one part of the plan worked: the unbalancing of Adam's heart. Now we only need to find a way to get the plates back from those heathens who think they could out create Bel."

Margot couldn't move. He couldn't beg Julian to not leaving both of them in the room. In his now immovable standing position, he could only think of how they disappointed the Goddess Bel. How Gob and he could do things better. How if they listened to Kasha's suggestion, they could please Bel more. Gob was now bashing his head on the walls, maybe he should do the same. But he couldn't move. He was jealous of Gob. He prayed to Bel to give him strength, enough to also bash his head against the wall.