NINE TIME MACHINES: Do you want to undo your entire life on planet earth?

CHAPTER 99

Xaxu ignored Fantum and turned towards the second witch, the red wand.

"Qira, what do you think about the humans?"

"They're too divided," she replied, her voice a warm blanket of comfort.

"On that we can all agree. But be more specific."

"For starters, they're divided on race."

"I remember we tried to fix that."

"What good that did. Even the mixed races have their opposition."

"So how do we solve this division?"

"Force them to see that all races are one blood."

"Easier said than done. We've been trying that since their kind existed. Nothing works!"

"How about we make them mutate into one race?"

"Like your eyes?"

"Not rainbow-coloured. I meant bring all the colours into a mud of cohesion."

"Hmmm, interesting," Xaxu replied. "And how do you propose we do that?"

"A virus."

"A virus! So we make them sick to fix them? That sounds crazy."

"I like the sound of it," Fantum interjected, then decided against continuing after Xaxu flashed her a deadly look.

"Yes, a virus," Qira replied. "We breathe upon them, all of us at once, so that our united breaths prompt their races to merge."

"Interesting," said Xaxu. "Tell us more."

"They'll blend slowly until one day they all look the same."

"And where do we put this virus?"

"The blood. Where else?"

"Ah, the blood! We tried that too. Remember? Didn't work back then. Why will it work now?"

"This time will be different," Qira protested. "Their blood won't just be the same. They'll look the same too. Trust me. This is definitely going to work."

"Blood. Appearance. None of it matters if their thinking won't change. We need a more permanent solution."

"Like extinction?" Fantum slipped in. This time Xaxu ignored her.

"I agree with you, Xaxu," Qira jumped over Fantum's input. "They need to think as one."

"That's the only thing that'll stop our drain."

"Their deaths will stop our drain!" Fantum shouted. "Instantly!"

Qira turned to her appalled. "Mass murder is not the change we need. Are you forgetting that Mother's children are lost among them?"

"Mother's children are the reason we're in this mess," Fantum replied. "If it wasn't for them, we'd still be with her."

"She'd have cut your tongue out by now," Xaxu said.

"Or not! With them not around, we'd have nothing to argue about."

"Sometimes even I don't know why you bother," Qira said disgusted. "All your constant babbling is useless."

"Qira," Xaxu said finally. "Your plan is not an option. But at least you raised one good point."

"What's that?"

"We had one job to do. Mother left us here to look after them. We're supposed to be training their minds. And so far we're failing. So one of us had better have a good answer or we'll all be too drained for that bloody war."

"Well, you don't want my well thought out plan," Fantum mumbled.

But Xaxu ignored her again. "Raea?"