The Chronicle of Belthaeous

by John W. Steele

Chapter 29: Mindy Accepts the Truth

The stainless steel corridor leading to Adrian’s chamber was polished to a gleam. The air smelled of disinfectant and Mindy tread barefoot along the aisle. She sometimes wondered if she had died and passed into an astral realm. Though she felt perfectly safe, and all of her needs were met, this underground paradise seemed like a mausoleum; a cold artificial sanctuary devoid of any sense of reality.

A smooth obsidian obelisk shaped like a pyramid stood in the center of the atrium. It held an atomic clock that flashed the number 12:33, but it was difficult to tell whether it was day or night on the face of the earth over a mile above. Time had little meaning in this place. She’d lived here for at least a decade now and she’d lost count of the years. Only the present existed, a straight, unbroken line leading to her death.

Adrian asserted that the compound was the most perfected place on earth and that she would never want for a thing as long as she remained true to him in her heart. But she knew she existed as his prisoner, and that he’d placed her here so he could keep an eye on her.

It wasn’t all bad. She cared for her botanical gardens and the endless variety of animals who’d become her pets. Adrian had shielded her from the dark side of his research and she knew only rumors of its design. Her needs were met with impeccable luxury. She had her own spa, gym, and pool.

Mindy existed on an island in the sea of Samsara, surrounded by comfort and security. She adored the solitude and spent long hours in meditation. One day she’d reign as Adrian’s queen... But there were times she felt like a magnificent diamond locked away in a safety deposit box.

The Genibolic compounds had been constructed to house and protect the elite from the scourge of the magnetic and biological holocaust that would destroy all infidels during the apocalypse. These were the ruling monarchy that would emerge on the surface of the earth in the aftermath of its purification from the scourge of conscience and reason. The underground facility could withstand a direct nuclear blast. It contained enough provisions and sophisticated technology to sustain its inhabitants comfortably for several decades.

Nearly twenty-thousand selected civilians, soldiers, scientist, and support personnel thrived in this fortress. No one but Dr. Nacroanus and the Vulpeculans knew how far the tunnels extended or where they led, but it was rumored that squadrons of Enukai pilots were stationed at an airbase somewhere deep in the heart of the underground metropolis.

The alien navigators were equipped with flying saucers armed with reverberating electromagnetic cannons so powerful they could vaporize entire city blocks with a single pulse. In the event of an uprising against the new order, the insurgents would face a swift and unmerciful retaliation.

Sentries armed with sub-machine guns monitored checkpoints throughout the annex, their bulletproof jumpsuits cast muted silhouettes on the lustrous pewter colored walls.

Mindy tread gently through the tunnel, her movements athletic and graceful. She wore only a sheer black chemise robe and a red silk thong. The exquisite lines of her naked body peered through the transparent fabric. Like a succubus in search of a spirit on which to lust, she hoped this would be the night Adrian would acknowledge her ... love her ... flow into her.

It seemed she’d been forever without love. Early in her life, she tasted the mysterious sweetness of carnal pleasure, but the memory of that day made her shudder. The experience had left her cold. It was her uncle who’d deflowered her, though not entirely against her will. After the act, she vowed to cherish herself and never again feel the humiliation of copulation with someone of a lesser ideal.

The wooden-faced guards followed her with their eyes as she passed, but they dared not move their heads. They feared Nacroanus and understood his dark side.

Adrian lay on an oversized circular bed. His ruby colored silk pajamas hung loose on his thin, hollow frame. He stared at the ceiling, his mind a whirlpool of ideology and grandiose imaginings about a world he’d create in his own image.

The messiah has awakened... and it is me. Thus far everything has unfolded with meticulous perfection. Soon, Belthaeous will reincarnate before the eyes of all men, a contemporary Lazarus resurrected as the shadow of Mammon.

“The Angels’ heart pumps in a slow even cadence. His lungs survived the thaw from the deep freeze of oblivion and now function without flaw. Hyperbaric oxygen has rejuvenated the mitochondria in his cells. His nervous system is charged, pulsing life energy through the neurons in his electron transport system.

No one knows of my plan. When I am convinced Belthaeous can sustain the forces of Infinite Intelligence I will enter in to control his heart, will, and mind. Never again will I face the limitations of this broken impotent shell. Through the perfected atoms of his seven stranded DNA the miracle of Eternulum will grant me eternal life. Not even Mammon or the Council will hold the power to defeat me.

I will breach the Rings of Saturn and the shackles of chakra control grid to Lord over this earth and its inhabitants as the Son of Mammon.

To be so close, to sense the glory of Infinite Intelligence... and yet there remains a fly in the ointment. What is this Eye he speaks of? All those who understood the true meaning of the scrolls have passed on. All accept one... Belthaeous.

The door chime sounded. He picked up the remote from the nightstand and the panel slid into the wall.

She stood without moving, an incarnate goddess, her head bowed in hope that her imaginary lover would not send her away. Adrian stared at her for a moment, his eyes cold. Mindy awaited his verdict.

“I know I’m not supposed to arrive here unannounced, but I need you now darling.”

Nacroanus sat up. “It’s perfectly all right my dear. I’m glad you came. Please come in. It’s time I distanced myself from the problems I’m facing. Would you like a drink?”

Mindy walked over to Adrian and took his hand. “I’m aching for you, my love. Please let tonight unfold with the rapture it could be for us.” She loosened the sash of her gown and gently rubbed his hand on the inside of her thigh.

A reflexive jolt shot down his arm and he yanked his fingers from the warmth of her firm smooth flesh.

“We’ve had an understanding for years now, Mindy. Our love is sacred and cannot be defiled by animal acts of passion.”

She fell to her knees. “Let me share with you the tantric energy I have cultivated for the one that I adore. I know I’m worthy to satisfy you.” A single tear rolled from her cheek.

Adrian shot up from his bed and stepped away. “Our relationship is based on mutual respect and understanding, my dear. I will not disgrace myself for you or anyone else. Our bond is psychic, an emotional union unfettered by carnal desires, a beautiful security based on purity and discipline.”

Mindy began to sob. “I don’t want purity and discipline. I want you to make love to me. She buried her head in her hands and wept softly like a child.

Nacroanus paced slowly on the elegant Oriental rug. He stopped and sighed deeply. “If you insist, my dear, but this will be the last time. Remove your robe and lay on the bed.”

Mindy stood up and wiped her eyes. “I’d rather not. I can’t do this again. You just don’t understand.” She turned and headed for the door.

“Where do you think you’re going, you pathetic little slut? I ordered you to disrobe and prostrate yourself on the bed.”

A chill shot down her spine. The tone of his voice frightened her. She dropped her gown to the floor, removed her thong, and lay down. She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes tight, her face wrinkled with disgust.

“Beauty such as yours is to be savored, my dear. It should not be defiled in the manner of beasts.”

Nacroanus dropped his pajamas. In a matter of moments, it was over. Mindy rolled over and buried her head in the pillow.

She turned and faced him, her eyes two burning pools dripping with scorn. It is over... it is done.

“You’re a sick, perverted monster!” Mindy screamed. I’ve waited for you forever, savoring your voice, your mind, and your promises, living a fantasy that someday I would stand at your side in this perfected world you rave about. But there will never be anything between us except words, duty to the Vulpeculans, and your twisted view of reality.

“I see you now, Dr. Nacroanus. You’ve used me to make yourself feel like a man. But inside, you’re a vacuum devoid of anything but the lust for power and hatred for anything sacred.” She got up and threw on her gown.

Adrian approached her, the blood drained from his face and his chest heaved in short shallow gasps. He slapped her hard across the face and knocked her to the floor.

“How dare you criticize me you simple little whore? Without me you’d be twirling on a pole shaking your ass for drunken businessmen. I’ve given you the best years of your life and this is how you repay me? Do you honestly believe someone of my breeding would stain himself with woman? A creature designed for nothing but pleasure, and the ability to bear worthless scraps of self-indulgent robots like itself? You’re nothing but a slave in the lowest sense of the word.”

Nacroanus waved his arms and pounded his fist in the wall. “I’ve made concessions for you to compensate for the hormonal imbalances inherent in flesh. But when I am granted the wheel of empire, the vile act of copulation will be abolished, its tainted pleasures reserved for the elite. Now be gone before I have the guards rape you like the filthy whore you are.”

Mindy stood up from the floor and rubbed her reddened cheek. “I want them to rape me, she screamed.”I want to screw every one of them until I’m so sore I can’t walk. I hate chastity, I hate purity, I hate you.”

She ran sobbing into the corridor. Nacroanus followed behind. He made the sign of the fist and his voice reverberated in the empty corridor. “Your Light belongs to me Mindy Whithers, do you hear me?! Your Light belongs to me!”

Adrian returned to his room. He stood like a catatonic and his hands trembled. He walked into the bathroom and stared into the mirror. The world is mine. Yet the jewel has lost its luster. I am but a living corpse, the object of my desire an impossible imagining... Mindy.

He removed his top and pulled a scalpel from the drawer. He placed the razor against his chest. The tine bit into the flesh and he drew the blade along his ribs to the bottom of his abdomen. When he completed the incision, he raised the instrument and cut himself again on the other side.

The doctor stared at the freak imprisoned inside the pane of glass. His mouth gaped at the meager pale body that would never know the rapture of carnal passion. His joints ached, and his bones peered through the flesh like the frame of some odious emaciated beast.

Blood dripped to scarlet pool on the floor. The weight of his fate crushed him in an ocean of despair. I would trade it all to know the wonder of your love, Mindy. I am cursed forever by the burden of this broken shell.

Nacroanus buried his face in his hands, his tears fell like rain, and he wept bitterly for a long time.

To be continued...