Agents of the Demiurge by Brian Blose Read Free Book Online

something to draw his attention. Acted tough on a street
corner. Dressed fancy. Talked too loud. Littered. Tried to use
expired coupons at the checkout line. Walked alone at night. Smiled
at him.
    Unfortunately, he was too busy playing choir
boy to take care of business. The religion of Deispite somehow
managed to intertwine his favorite things with the biggest flaws of
the people. Torture and murder were permitted; scrutiny and
intimidation outright encouraged. But then there were the rules . Arbitrary ordinances for everything.
    Of course, that was hardly a surprise when
the religion itself was built on hatred of the Creator and all
existence. Erik thought it was the first religion of the people to
embrace their deepest secret. He had known for a long time what
these pathetic creatures thought of their lives. They hated
themselves, their world, and the grand entity who had made it all.
At least the people of the Church admitted they hated existence.
Their nihilistic attempts to rise above their self-hatred were more
amusing than annoying. For now. Once he no longer needed them to
hunt Hess, that might change.
    Erik wore an army surplus jacket with his
current last name, Wilson, embroidered onto the fabric above his
chest pocket. The uniform, plus the high rate of Investigators with
a military background, caused a lot of people to assume he had
served. Some of his fellow deputies didn't care for his
presumption, but none of them had bothered him since the first
called him out. Apparently, even the toughest guys on the
investigation team didn't like someone stalking their family
members.
    People from soft societies never pushed him
far. At some level, they sensed that he was willing to go much
further in pursuit of vengeance than they would dare dream. It
freaked them out a little when their posturing failed to impact
him.
    He met up with another deputy investigator on
his way into the Church building. The woman nodded to him. “Any
idea what this meeting is about?”
    “I heard someone from the regional office was
here,” Erik said.
    “Great. Another lecture on proper
behavior.”
    The two of them entered the gathering hall
and sat in separate pews. Other deputies filed into the room. Then,
in order of seniority, they were called from the room. Erik settled
in to wait, displaying the dignified mannerisms expected from a
member of the Opposition.
    The fifteen deputies in front of him left one
by one until he was the only person in the room. Then the secretary
appeared to summon him. Erik followed her down the hall. “They
doing staff reviews or something?”
    “Something,” the secretary said, cradling one
hand.
    “You injured?” he asked.
    “Just a scratch. Don't worry about it.” She
opened the door to the conference room and waited for him to enter.
The door closed behind him.
    Erik walked forward and extended his hand
towards the man he didn't recognize. “Hello, sir. My name is Fran
Wilson.”
    “A pleasure, deputy. I am Lieutenant
Investigator Edwin. I see from your record that you've been here a
few months.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    Edwin was thirty at most, but held himself
erect with rigid professionalism. “You reported your parents as
suspicious individuals and they were later executed for the crime
of worship. Since then, you have become a cornerstone of the
congregation. If I was uncharitable, I might wonder if you sold
your parents out for your own gain.”
    “Their betrayal deeply hurt me, sir. I choose
to honor their memory by hunting down those who perverted
them.”
    “You honor their memory, deputy?”
    “Chapter five, paragraph forty six: 'There is
good in all people commensurate with the level that they reject the
Demiurge.' My parents never indoctrinated me in their faith. I owe
them my purity of spirit.”
    “Quoting the Book impresses simple people,
deputy. I am intelligent enough to know that anyone sufficiently
motivated can twist isolated passages to support any course