Murdersphere Mosaic [ManXMan] [BoyXBoy]

Chapter 9 Part 2 Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey

"That's 'Lord Poplar' to you Talent!" He replies.

"Traitorous bastard Poplar!" I seethe, suddenly furious, momentarily paralyzed.

Then I remember Orai's advice. I seize his mind in mine and Orai's last trip through the hell-pit device has given me a more than a chance against his defenses.

"Get out of my mind!" He roars.

"Audience who traffics with Talent, becomes Talent." I say, repeating Orai's words. And then I hit him with a necromantic binding,  which he moves to counter, distracting him from the telepathic assault.

I read quickly, searching just to get as much as fast as possible. He does not remember the recursion. He... only knows me through recordings. That does not make sense. But through those recordings he has an idea that he is in trouble and he is ready.

My vision wavers and Poplar's defenses surge against me.  He is connected to sever external psionic boosters. With them online, he is starting to rally.  So, I charge him and move to a purely physical assault, punching him repeatedly. "You sold them!"

"Better than being dead!" He snarls, before I bounce the back of his skull off of the floor.  These furry bastards are actually tough!

"You can't say that because you don't know what happened to them!" I reply. "You just shipped them thousands of light years away!"

"I'm really confused." Klesean says.

A multicolored mote of light flares between us; the air ripples we are driven apart. The pulse flows around the trio of executives.

Khorus's voice echoes through the room as he materializes fully. "Kian, forebear."

Khorus's physical presence and his mild, tense tone catch my attention. I land, balanced on the toes of my feet, ready to react while a bleeding Poplar pulls himself up.

"He attacked an Audience member!" Poplar rages. "I demand his immediate execution."

"You have been harvesting Formless spirit matter." I spit, evoking a zealotry I do not understand but I do sort of feel. "And selling it! I've been on your Neo-Medusan scow!"

Poplar's face goes slack. "But... the gate... the gate was destroyed."

I sense his psionic boosters turn off.

"Damn." Rikkard says. "Lord Khorus, is that really Lotus, Exalt?"

"He is the pre-prototype produced by Oraianna the Engineer at your behest and further modified at my insistence." Khorus says. "His mind, spirit, and personality are original and he is a member of Lotus Corporation."

"That is 'yes' in Talent-speak." Poplar says, rubbing at his face. "I can't believe you haven't killed that Talent Khorus. You spent enough time bitching about him to me and anyone else who would listen."

"I can't believe you're actually here and not a consciousness projection into a doll Dick Fury." I say.

Poplar's nose twitches, and he launches himself at me, all teeth and claws.  "Nick Fury!"

Khorus gestures, and Poplar halts in mid air. "Poplar will be punished for shipping sphere property into interstellar hands." Khorus says. "He will get the life Talent lives."

A new voice enters the room. "And what of he who was touched by that which gives form to the Formless? What of he who murdered our precious Cicero?"

"Ballack!" Khorus exclaims looking about. "This is not a safe place!"

"Cicero is in danger again." Ballack's voice says, seemingly racing about the room.

"Not from me." I reply.