Gospel IV, Trials, Therapy and Taurus.

Returning home, the three spoke several hours a day for almost a week. Steven’s new profession, the sueing, how Martha and John met doctor Kahfka at Verwex, his suggestion using a previously unused clone-technology called “D.O.L.L.”.

The treatment for making Annie strong enough to eat by herself.
Martha and John had picked the age of six to make her not have the same risks as mature dolls, Kahfka’s advice. The monthly funds the doctor promised didn’t convince Steven, only infuriating him.

Steven was against it with every fiber inside his body. Then came the  stranger, a woman, walking into their apartment without his mother knowing who it was. This stranger offered therapy to "work out" issues, something Steven brushed off. He considered doing it only if “the thing”, Annie, was brought back to Verwex. Martha refused, it was best for them all, she said. Ultimatum stood against ultimatum.

The subject of speaking was playing inside her room, Martha and John’s former room, peeking out visibly once in a while when not eating or needed to go to the bathroom. The room was simple, a bed, one shelf with boxes to store her things in, a plant and pictures on the walls. They were animals from books and cartoons, Annie watched them on the screen when the grown-ups weren’t in the room. One whisper and the sound was low.

Annie once listened when they talked, she didn’t understand what a “clown” was, but for big brother it was something bad. Mummy said it was something good instead. It confused her. She spent most of the time playing with with her toys in her room; A stuffed grey kitten with blue stripes, a doll dressed like a female.

A sentinel in purple armor along with long amberhair and a stick. Books with pictures and words written under. Finally. a blue ball. It was a favorite together with mister Muffles, the stuffed cat. The ball sounded like someone was eating with the mouth wide open. “Munch, munch! Kraskt, kraskt!”A bad thing to do, mommy said.

“Have it your way, if I don’t see the thing, I will speak with the foreigner.”, Steven said.
“But please reconsider it, Steven. She is practicallly your sister! A fresh start surely will help, she haven’t done any harm.”, Martha said. She was pleading.

“The verdict stands, what is dead should stay that way… I have a trial to attend to.”

Steven left the appartment. The rain was smashing on the roof. Crowd was standing waiting for a train to come. Soaking wet, Steven took a seat on the magnet train. Few were on the car, indicated that his case would be short.

Passing kilometres of districts, the magnet train stopped at its destination: “Society Court, Justice’s home”, the neon sign said.
The building itself was large, apartment buildings paled in comparison. Lionstatues stood at each side, almost roaring at the visitors. A gigantic statue of a man with a sword slaying a beast, stood in the middle when you walked in. Twenty doors stood side by side. People sat on the benches waiting. A large screen in the middle showed today’s schedule on initial trials.

4.45pm: Erah Retailer Company versus Officer Jensen.
Cause: False Marketing of Systems.
Room 14.

5PM: Chief Meika versus Educationeer Dawson.
Cause: Disrupting Work.
Room 16.

5.15pm: Industrieer Spellings versus U.B Tronics
Cause: Industry Spionage.
Room 14.

The list went on. Steven’s trial against his former boss was about to start.
He identified himself by transmitting via his bracelet. The door opened.
Inside, the room was small, three desks were displayed. Watercontainers stood on each desk. The largest desk was for "the Justice", former known as “judge” or “jury”. Smallest for the defendant, Steven himself.

And the middle for the prosecutor, Chief Meika.
Meika already stood waiting. Steven went behind his desk.
A face appeared over justice’s desk on a screen. It was an old man with a black wig and glasses.
“State your name, occupation, and cause of case.”

Chief Meika stood up:
“Prosecutor Meika, Chief, Guilty of disrupting work at company.”
The justice confirmed this and turned to Steven.
“State your name, occupation and cause of case.”
Steven rised and put up his hand.
“Before essential, live-recording is requested by Dawson, Educationeer, Defendant. Part of profession.” He took off his bracelet and put it on the table along with a small transmitter.
Chief Meika lodged a protest. Justice overuled it.
“Your cause?”, Justice said.
“Society demands basic insight for students. Public cases still allows it.”
“Appealed, defendant. Begin the trial, prosecutor. ” A buzzing sound circled around in the room, confirming that the privacy of the case was lifted.

Prosecutor Meika showed the defendant’s record while working on the company. Small complaints, mostly came from anger-issues. It bothered customers. The defendant did his tasks, until nine days ago when a very important customer was expected. He was thrown out by the defendant, claiming that he didn’t know it was the very important customer. Pictures were displayed days before to employees, Meika displayed footages taken two days before the crime in various rooms, making it impossible to go unnoticed by anyone. Next up was a voice sample, made by prosecutor Meika himself the day before. The man beamed with pride.
He pressed the voice recorder’s button.

“Twelveth of August, year twenty one thousand and forty seven... Employee message seven, nine a clock am: Dear employees, tomorrow a very important customer called “Albin Faist” arrives eight a clock am. Remember to greet this customer.”

The message stopped.
By denying the previous evidences, the chief was forced to crawl to keep the customer. The contract was sett on two billion credits, a sum that the defendant reduced by his actions to one-point two billion credits. The yearly reports by said company is kept at a steady six hundred million credits each year before taxes and reduction by the tax-maker company.
This was a clear case, prosecutor Meika pleaded. The loss was twice times the company’s reports! He demanded that the defendant was guilty at three points;

1. Costing more then the defendant was generating.
2. Insulted the customer by physically, and mentally harm him.
3. A threat to Society itself, by the defendant’s previous actions.

The punishment for these crimes were suggested to be a fee corresponding to the company’s economical loss and intrest a five percent, plus effective intrest twelve percent, redemption for being a threat to Society and finally compensate Albin Faist for his injuries in body and soul.

“The defendant may speak before Justice ends this courtsession, resuming court is within three days. Final verdict will be held in two weeks.”

Meika sat down behind his desk and took a glass of water.

Steven stood up. He confirmed that evidences a, b, and c were correct. The justice asked why he disobeyed the order. Steven choosed not to answer, pleading to continue the session. He told about how he was serving the Society in their new program called “Education for the enlightened”. Records were processed, showing that violent behavior have occurred, the first day was the strongest contradicting evidence. Making the victims submit to a low-ranked profession, educationeers were not allowed to raise their voice nor assaulting the victims verbally. Steven stopped his defence and resumed seat.

“Today’s session, “Chief Meika versus Educationeer Dawson”, has come to an end.”

The prosecutor and the defendant raised from their chairs.

Steven went back to the center with an empty look. Candy greeeted him in her bittersweet way. The trial went as he assumed, telling that Faist was up to no good would only worsen his situation without solid evidence. He dropped it. His parents weren’t worth this after one week of war. The fee would pile on the mortgage, cutting down their daily life even more. “That thing” was already costing too much with its vitamin-cans and carrots. Problems would be lessened if “it” was returned, the funds wasn’t going to make him happy and accept “it”. After what happened with his own appartment, this was kicking the wounded dog. He couldn’t concern himself about this now, in a few days the next part was taken place and in a couple of weeks it would be over. His job came first.

The next lesson was art and biology. Steven looked at his bracelet’s screen over the studentlist. More then half had come back since his first day. A handfull came on most of his lessons. “Fukado” was among those topping the list. The name felt familliar somehow.

The afterrnoon was turning dark. Sarah sat on a reeling ona roof close to the Baio-building.
It had been about a week since she gave that card. Could the target have suspected something? She sent several messages without any answer in return.

Sarah had moved her home, a green plastic box large enough for three men to fit inside sitting. That is if the third would sit with some bodyparts on the outside. The interior was usually a blanket along with a small pillow and a bowl used for gathering morningdew. Now she decorated her home with a table, a couple of candles on the purple cloth residing on the table.

On the wall infront when you peeked inside, hung a picture stating that this was a legitimate psychologist. The boy wouldn’t suspect a thing, nope not even once.

Sarah had been bothered before by sentinels, this time she was prepared; sacred ashes were sprinkled over her home to draw off unneeded attention. They couldn’t force her to live in an apartment! This was suppose to be a free province afterall. And how to afford the rent?! Her little wardie would starve to death.

Sarah climbed down the reeling, turned around and sighed.
“He isn’t coming, is he? Might aswell pay another visit... now without the gloves!”

Sarah had dressed up in a formal outfit, incase the mundane target would come. The spectacles were on to keep it proper looking.
Laundryclothes hang on a rope connected between her home and a transmitter

She warmed her food over glowing rocks held in a casket.
Chewing on the wieners, Sarah thought of how to extract the raw essence. She needed time to do it shortly, quick and painful or slow and replenishing?

Storming inside the apartment wouldn’t be too difficult, but getting out would be something else, since others could sniff it and bamf! Be there in no time! Using her home would isolate the essence, a better choice.

“I wonder, the spike would have attracted more mercenaries by now, and yet I have only encountered two for the last week. Teehee! It makes me wonder if the rest got the idea after I hung them up as a warning sign?” Sarah shuckled.

It was a duo hired by Celestials, as what she could extract from them before they turned annoying. Both were maggots. Loud ones at that. Sarah drank from her coup when something happened in her coup: Rings appeared in the soup. She felt a tremor pulsating through her body. Each came with shorter intervals.

Sarah was about to turn around when she jumped. A large object came crashing. The soupcup was crushed, the rocks scattered everywhere. Someone was laughing.
Bodies lay bundled on the impactsite. They ranged from maggots to wealthy mercenaries. Dead, all of them were soaked in blood with some still spastic.

Sarah landed on the corpses.
“Muha! Are you the last one, mundane? If not, bring your friends along to spare me the time tracking them down. I assure, your lives will end in pain! That is Taurus’ law!! I claim this as my territory from now on!”, The man said.

Taurus was tall and muscular. If the large nosering didn’t give it away, his jagged horns definitly did. Scars covered his upperbody. He wore blue pants and had hooves instead of feet. A large spiked battlemace hung on his back connected to a chain on his arm.

“Teehee! You definitly got the nerve disturbing my loneliness in the supper. Let me pay you back… With sweet intrest!”, Sarah said.
She darted off into the opponent’s gut with her right elbow. Taurus grinned.
“What’s this? The little mundane girl is giving me a slap…Useless!”. Taurus said. He scracthed off the annoying insect with his right palm.

Sarah fell onto the floor, but recovered before the mace struck. Roofparts were tossed everywhere.
“Teehee, you are really as dumb as your half-breed! I only tested you…”, Sarah said.
Sarah hit her right fist into the ground. “Ma-khar, un terra!”
The floor started to slightly tremble before jagged rocks formed from the surrounding, moving towards Taurus.
“Puny, lass…”

Tarus raised his mace and struck through the attack. Concretesplinter fell.
He stomped and rushed towards Sarah. She reacted too slow and slammed towards the wall. Cracks appeared. Taurus laughed.
“You are nothing for Taurus, mundane!”

He laughed again. The hand swung around the mace. Taurus thrust it into Sarah, the cracks became deeper. Sarah spat blood. He struck again. Her body sank into the wall like the air was running out. Another blow.
“Muha! You are weaker then the others, mundane girl! Huh?”
Sarah’s body dissolved into the wall.
The very ground under Taurus shook for a moment and clamped him. He was imprisoned in concrete, his head was poking out.

Sarah now stood on Taurus’ head. Her clothes were torned. Blood came from the wounds.
“ Teehee! Looks like the cattle is in the barn...
Earth-Shell, a cute trap with pain as its source. Might sting a bit, though…”
She stomped on the half-breed's head. Taurus bellowed.
Taurus twisted his head to free himself. The lump didn’t flinch.
His bellow grow louder.

“Only weak mundanes tries to imprison Taurus of Pitar five!”, Taurus screamed. He started to try and tilt.
“Teehee! Stop your flattering, this won’t take long. You are going all back to Pitar with a hefty bill on your furry back, beefsteak!”, Sarah said. She breathed heavy. Sarah reached inside her pocket and produced a pocketknife with symbols on it.
She flicked it, the blade came out.

Sarah started to draw on Taurus head, using the pocketknife as a pencil.
It made shallow marks on the roaring half-bull. Every symbol made it grow louder.
“Just stuff it, beefsteak! You will only hurt yourself even more. Makes the packagequality grow weak at the marketprice…”

Taurs eyes turned slim. Concrete fell when an arm came out. Needles were buried deep inside, some poking out from the skin. Taurus grasped Sarah’s leg and flinged her as a paper on the concrete prison. The other arm came through. More needles. Taurus dropped in rage the spastic opponent to the ground. He launched a barrage of fists on the earth-shell, as pain grew worse. The hits became harder.
Sarah laid on the roof, caughing blood. The wounds were open.

Finally the prison split apart, revealing Taurus was covered in concretespikes. He took the battle mace from under debris and put it on his back.

Taurus lifted up Sarah in her right arm. He torned apart the sleeve.
“So the girl was playing weak! You use the mark of gaia. Very clever… Boosting power taken from our mother to challenge her son!”
He squeezed Sarah’s body and tested its elastic ability. Taurus ripped off her arm. Sarah screamed.

“Try steal from mother, now mundane thief!”
Taurus tossed Sarah. She hit the ground hard on her stomache, blood gushed out from the armsocket. Sarah covered it with her left hand.
The arm was thrown off the roof.
Taurus took a large chunk of debris and lifted it over his head. He shook off most needles covering his body.
He went over to Sarah and kicked her over to her back. The half-breed
grinned.

“Earth to earth….”, Taurus said. He dropped the debris on Sarah.
It turned blue on contact. Sarah was holding it back, shaking in her arm. She muttered a few words. “… Shellcore…”
The debris exploded turned into scraps. Splinters spread everywhere. Some hit Taurus in the face. He covered his face and swung the mace in the air.

Taurus looked back finding that Sarah was sitting and still covering her wound. Sarah was panting.
“Now you made me upset beefsteak, I changed my… mind. Slaughterhouse next!”, Sarah said.

She staggered when she got up.
Sarah’s eyes became wide open. Something barely visible was walking on the bridge to this house. Two humans. The spectacles were cracked, but retained some use. It registered a negative essence oozing from one of them. It must be that lost son!  Losing him out of site wasn’t good, especially playing with this little bully throwing tantrums.

Taurus was looking at Sarah.
“You still got strenght… from other marks, little girl? Why are you looking like that? Is it…”, Taurus said. He smiled and turned around his head.
“Don’t bother your meathead about that. He’s mine to play with!”, Sarah said.

She ran towards Taurus and jumped high into the air. Sarah made gestures with the hand and glowing red balls appeared around her.
Sarah used two fingers symbolising a firearm, the spheres turned yellow and flew off.

Taurus turned back as he was bombarded with fireballs in the head. He staggered, and recovered. More fireballs were sumoned and directed at him. Taurus stepped back and covered his face with the mace.
“It tickles, mundane! Ramus Nollta!!”, Taurus said.
He drew back his other arm and fired off a projectile resembling an oxe’s head. It was glowing orange in the dark.

It scratched Sarah in her hip. She lost balance on the way down.
The impact was painful. Probably sprained a leg or two. Maybe some ribs were broken.

Taurus turned around jumped off the building towards the bridge.
Sarah took a needle and jumped after. She threw another barrage of fireballs. It didn’t seem to stop him one bit. Throwing the needle in his back seemed to do a little. Taurus threw his mace backwards. Sarah was hooked on to the jagged spikes.

Taurus twisted his arm and the mace came back. He turned around with a clenched fist waiting for a welcomekiss.
Sarah changed the angle of the impact by flipping with the force over the opponent’s fist.

She landed on his back, still hooked to the mace. Sarah grabbed the needle when Taurus withdrew his weapon. She tried to came off, but was met by the fist. It grabbed her, ripped her from the mace. Sarah stung the hand. Taurus screamed more then Sarah. She coughed blood.

They were over the bridge now. Taurus tossed Sarah aside and aimed for the target: A man walking with a woman. Taurus smiled. He rised his mace as he went down. Closer to the target. An easy kill, he thought. Taurus felt something was wrong when he went down faster then anticipated, missing the target. He saw the mundane man's eyeballs face to face as he missed the bridge.

Taurus looked around to see what happening. A snakelike metal chain was biting his leg. He followed it's tail to the source: The mundane girl being higher up then he was, held it in her only arm.

“Teehee! He’s... mine, I told you... already beefboy!”, Sarah said.
Summoning the Medea-Snake was difficult in this state, Sarah thought. Sacrificing comes at a toll: Blood. Drawing the seal was easy using the blood covering her body and hair.

“You are a persistent mundane, little girl. I hate it, maggots like you are inferior to us!”, Taurus snarled.
“Teehee, glad to help you.”, Sarah replied.

Sarah was panting heavily, she could barely hold her eyes open.
Taurus leg was turning pale around the snake. He grinned and grabbed it. One twist and Sarah was drawn back to him. Taurus prepared his mace. The snake dissolved. Sarah grabbed the needle she tucked under her jacket’s back. It turned grey on impact.

They battled, falling faster in the air. Each blow deflected the other. Taurus fist joined in on the fray.
“You grow weaker, girl! While I grow stronger. I won’t die on impact, but you will...”, Taurus said. He laughed.
Fighting half-breeds like this gets tougher as time goes, Sarah thought. Those wounds of this one doesn’t seem to bother him much. A trumphcard was needed before he started act smarter then his kind. The petrificating poison seemed to leave him unaffected.

“By the heavens and deep valleys, I pledge myself…”, Sarah said.
“Your incantations are too slow, mundane! Pray instead to the celestial scums to make your journey to there more painful.”, Taurus said.
“… Unlock what is sealed, soak me in it, thou the highest of all lords…A tribute to the last of its kind!”, Sarah said. She coughed again.
Sarah’s eyes went hollow and her body slack. Taurus’ mace struck her in the gut. More blood.

“Good…”, Taurus muttered. He grabbed the lifeless body and tossed it down towards the ground. She struck hard into the concrete. Vehicles turned aside to avoid.
A minor crater, and grave for the mundane girl. Now he could track down the boy and make his life short, Taurus thought. Persistence lead nowhere, only prolonging death…

A purple light shone from the crater. Taurus widdened his eyes. A creature was standing in the crater. Sporting an armour made out of stitched flesh, deranged human heads in agony as shoulderprotectors. The ribs were fully visible on the one-armed creature. A skull covered as a helmet. It roared animalistic as it was leaving the crater.

Taurus landed on a vehicle, windows flew and the coach was flattened on impact. Vehicles behind stopped. Some collided.

“You think changing form would make a difference?! Think again, mundane!”, Taurus said as he rushed head-first towards Sarah.

Sarah grasped the horns with her arm, she moved backwards on steady feet. She flipped the collosus with ease over her head.
“… Meatloaf…”, Sarah whispered. Her voice was hollow.
The arm transformed into a bonespear, cracked and frail-looking.
Taurus stood up again and fired off a projectile, Sarah sliced through it. The vehicles behind her were deformed.

The mace appeared and wrapped around Sarah’s arm. Taurus showed his teeth and pulled back his arm, Sarah took her stance and held back. Taurus started to lose ground.
“…. Dimension twelve…”, Sarah said.
The heads vibrated and woke to life. They howled a noise resembling scared pigs.

The next second the heads flew towards Taurus, still chained to the axels. It resembled long necks made from human intestines.
They hooked onto Taurus, burrowing deep inside the meat. Sarah pulled herself in with the mace still chained onto her spear-arm. She readied it and struck the half-breed inside his guts.
Green blood poored out. Taurus looked down.
“Is that all you got…?”, Taurus asked. He lift his hand when the limb disobeyed.
“What! How!?”

Blood dripped from the arm, his body grew weaker; It cried blood. Taurus was soaked in it in tens of seconds. He stood paralysed. His eyes were green, blood gushed out in small portions.
Taurus roared.

Sarah pulled out the arm, the shoulderprotectors followed its master’s example and released their grip on its prey. They retracted and resumed their place on her axels.
“You… will... pay!”, Taurus said. He spit blood.

Sarah’s hand merely touched his skin. Bodyparts fell apart in a pile.
She looked at the half-breed and turned around. Her body was resuming its former state, the heads forced its way inside her axels. The hand recovered its five fingers. Sarah’s torned clothes replaced the armour.
“Why? Why don’t you kill me, this unworthy earth-son of gaia?”, Taurus said.

“Teehee. Chopping off your filthy head in this realm would only prove annoying later on without a cleanser, silly!”, Sarah replied.

She left the site staggering. Every wise mercenary knows that halfbreeds recovers faster once their earthly form is at the brink of destruction, killing it would allow them to grow stronger in comparison with demons who only would have their summon cancelled.

Pulling off this incantation had its costs, Sarah thought.
“Lucky that the arm beefboy torned off earlier was still accepted. The soul-tribut would have to wait until later. Perhaps sonny will fix it? Teehee, I don’t think he would mind offering his soul…”
Sarah tried to smile, but it hurt more. “Good that the blood have coagulated around the right socket.”