The Only

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Neima

A killer? A murderer? An immortal? She quickly instituted the calming yogi breathing. Now was not the time to lose control or to puke. The man that sort of looked like Roland was already losing it, laughing as he morphed to further resemble the dark facade known to belong to the Mutare lieutenant.

"My sons?" Hamza said. "You killed my sons?"

"Yes, you insufferable cleric!" Roland said, spitting. "Your sons were in the way of my plan going forward. I had to make sure your power was gone, and that it was me you came to as your enforcer and confidant."

Hamza began to shake, his body tense and rigid as if he were experiencing some sort of seizure. "What plan?"

"Why kill Yasmin?" Karl blurted.

"She was foolish."

"She was my child!" Hamza howled.

Roland shrugged. "She was collateral damage. I was after Cesar. He was close to discovering my true nature. I didn't realize he would be so hard to kill. Yasmin was easy. I snapped her neck like a twig."

Hamza boiled with rage. Neima placed her hand on his arm as he began to growl. He must not lose his temper. It was what the imposter wanted.

Neima momentarily stopped breathing, trying to take in the entire situation. Another immortal? One like herself? How was it even possible?

"You wish to kill off humanity?" she said, examining the half Roland and half... She couldn't decipher.

"The stupid, shallow, arrogant humans. They are nothing compared to us." Roland panted like a dog.

"They are everything to us," Neima said softly.

"That's where we differ," Roland spat. "That's why I waited till now to reveal myself to you. I needed to find a way to remove humans and Experiments from the equation – to leave the world just to us. This world should be ours and no one else's. You love humanity too much, Aphra."

Her true name. She must tread carefully. "Don't call me that."

"I, more than anyone, have the right to call you that." He spread his arms out. "We are gods compared to them." A disjointed finger pointed at Hamza. "We are meant to be together. You and I are the future of this pitiful world. You and I will repopulate it with gods such as us. That is what the Creators really had in mind. You haven't even begun to see your potential. I can teach you. I can teach you how to change at will, to take any shape!"

"You are a mad man," Hamza said. "The rules are in place for a reason. Changing is a gift but comes with a price."

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" Roland said, wiping his mouth. "Day after day for the past eighty years, your constant blathering on about The Way and madness. I'm sick of it. None of it applies to me. I am not just a changer. I can manifest any shape — animal, human or Experiment. I am the commander of my abilities."

Out of the corner of her eye, Neima saw Karl slide down the wall and settle next to Cesar on the bed. The patient was now wide awake and listening to the entire conversation. The doctor laid the smoking stun gun on the bed and Cesar's long, strong fingers quickly took it in hand, gripping it tightly. Karl deftly moved to remove the cell phone from his pocket and silently typed.

"You have lied with your allegiance to The Way. You have allowed the lunacy caused by excessive changing to seep into every fiber of your being!" Hamza bellowed.

"No!" Roland shook his head. "There is no madness. You've spent too long in the dark." He looked at Neima. "You want a child, don't you? You've told me that you've desperately wanted a child your entire existence."