THE LORDS OF Acid
were aware of so much now, it was impossible to convey unless you stood in
their presence. Even then, you might find yourself too overwhelmed to
appreciate their level of comprehension, a fact they were also aware of. (Awareness
was actually the first keyword.)
They had tapped into
something special even before the Acid Bath, that much their fans would testify
to, none more than Ven. He was indeed the prime example of how deeply moved
their followers could be by their music. (Movement was the second keyword.)
Even casual exposure to their music often brought new listeners to the fold. It
was infectious and potent like a drug.
Then in a collision
of music and starlight, The Lords of Acid were gone. But they left their music
behind.
Always something of
an underground phenomenon on Earth, they were for a time symbolic of the
resistance movement against the Perdendosi, which raised the public awareness
(first keyword) of them immeasurably. It wasn’t unusual at all during the most
pitched battles on Earth for the revolutionaries to blare Lords songs like Take Control or The Power is Mine in front of themselves like shields. (Revolution
was the third keyword.) The Lords and their Children were actually considered
the first casualties of World War Three, with a memorial marking their status
at the former site of the East Side Amphitheatre.
The ill-named
interstellar charity L.E.T.H.A.L. (Lifeforms for the Ethical Treatment of
Humanoid Aliens Laterally), one of the few groups openly opposed to the
Perdendosi occupation of Earth, used the group’s songs at protest gatherings –
which usually morphed into giant inter-species parties. It was in this manner
that L.O.A. music became known first throughout the galaxy, and then beyond.
From the
Beta-Epsilon system to the Omicron-Harambee constellation, bootleg CDs and
tapes were hot items. They were also the first direct exposure most of these
races had to Earth culture of any kind. When the Perdendosi opened up the Earth
channels to off-world traffic – extraterrestrials were permitted to visit and
trade but all Terrans had to remain planetside – one of the first things aliens
sought out was original Lords of Acid music.
And from there, the
universal fascination with Earth culture evolved. (Evolution is the fourth
keyword.) Particularly, the music.
It was not common
knowledge that the Lords had reemerged. Whatever rumors circulated to this
effect were dismissed as wishful thinking, like the undying belief that Elvis
was still alive. (It was the occasional re-surfacing of Elvis clones on Earth which fueled this rumor,
despite attempts by Graceland officials to
restrict licensing to other star systems.) Some did believe it though, and
typically held Praga Khan, Deb, Oliver and Nikkie in near-Messianic regard. And
the Children bore such little resemblance to their former selves few believed they
were the same people. Many of them now insisted on leading completely new
lives, and felt relieved of the burden of their old identities.
But the Lords were
indeed back, and more in touch with their music than ever before. They weren’t
gods, but now existed as beings composed of matter and energy bound by music, their
souls tethered to a human shell by the Acid. It was the backwash of their
transformation and the resultant energies that in turn transformed the Children
and spirited them all off their time-space plane of existence. The Lords now were Acid and the Children were products
of Acid in its purest form.
This was a concept
so radical only a few strong minds could fully absorb it. Ven had no trouble at
all grasping the new equation, and was charged with the task of making sure the
Children understood their roles in fulfilling the parents’ purpose:
Awareness. Movement.
Revolution. Evolution. These were the notes of the Lords’ new song.
Awareness of the
potential of all living things to grow, which was the common denominator of
everything in existence; movement toward a higher level of existence, which was
typified by greater awareness; revolution which allowed for the upheaval of
discordant masses, like cutting out a cancer so the body could continue to
grow; evolution of any and all living things to the fullest of their potential.
Ven was at once
guardian, go-between and gate-keeper. He was the primary source for any being
interested in discovering the Lords of Acid’s music (an honorary title in days
past, now an all but foregone conclusion) through his revived website, as well
as the Lords’ primary source for information about the world at large.
Most of this
information concerned the Perdendosi; most of it had been gathered by the
Children. There was no doubt that left unchecked, the aliens would nullify the
Lords’ purpose. The paradox of the information gathered however was that each
bit required more information to support it.
Over the course of
the next two days, the Lords studied Photogirl ’s
pictures in every conceivable manner. They did this around the clock – they had
no need for sleep anymore and actually lived to assimilate more and more
information – and found themselves with as many new questions as answers.
The harmonics of the
Way-Station installation revealed a certain function. The arc building was
obviously constructed as a giant battery, and it was situated in the midst of Universe City
So what was the
power intended to be used for? The Lords weren’t sure, but they had suspicions.
The densities of the
materials of the Battery were what kept Photogirl from being able to penetrate its walls.
There were still levels that remained unrevealed. But the main power core was
set-up to direct collected energies – so much that it would take the
technicians several days to generate it all, along with a singular massive
collection to fire-up the Battery – through the pods, to effect some manner of
change to the beings inside. It was also designed to do this repeatedly over an
extended period of time. The Perdendosi had long-range plans.
After two days the
Lords decided they had enough of an understanding of the basic functions of the
Battery , now they needed specifics. To unlock
the intricacies of the alien mechanics, they would need a key.
So they gave their intermediary instructions.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
was crucial. Sometimes the picks were no-brainers, and other times it was more
a question of mathematics. There was rarely an issue of availability: if Ven
called, you answered.
He and fscked stared
now at a wall full of members online, each going about their business on the
network, blissfully unaware of how some were being scrutinized and considered
for activation.
(All Children were
members, but not vice-versa. Children had been through the Acid Bath together.
The rest were either site members who had not been present on the night of the
first strike, or had for reasons unknown not been spirited away with the rest,
or had simply joined the site following its re-emergence. They didn’t boast
Acid-enhanced powers, but they all had the potential
to become true Children.)
The Children weren’t
soldiers but they knew there was purpose to their empowerment, which came at a
price. Even the most undisciplined, uninterested and unruly Child had some dim
awareness (the first keyword) that they might be pressed into the Lords’
service.
Some absolutely
couldn’t wait for the chance; they were bored with the routine of their dreary
day-to-day world and welcomed the escapism. These were usually the first ones
considered. The ones who wanted to
participate.
Ven sat impassively
in his chair while fscked paced slowly behind him. They had to detach
themselves from the histrionics and melodramatics of the Children and consider
their potential.
Even now, they
watched as two members exchanged heated messages over the nature of their
profile pictures, paragraphs riddled with slurs and obscenities. Another
fiddled endlessly with the biographical content of his profile, trying to
describe himself in the most flattering way possible that didn’t make him seem
vain (he wasn’t succeeding). Three members’ profiles had been updated to
include rants about another who had left the site and apparently the state,
absconding with their money and tender affections. They wanted the world to
know how much they didn’t care about their absentee lover anymore (they weren’t
succeeding either).
And more.
Two successive journal
entries from one member, posted minutes apart, described the unbearable family
life she had to endure which really revealed an average spoiled post-adolescent
suburbanite supported by her parents. On another monitor, a member was busy
writing a message of support for that suburbanite, with the hopes of maybe,
possibly, one day finding a way into her pants. She would be flattered and send
him a private message with an attachment of pictures flashing her boobs.
And more.
A T’Rnatian from the
Plutonic Quadrant, who apparently didn’t understand the site had language
adapters available, repeatedly left the administrator suggestions (written in
near gibberish) on how to make the site better by including something like,
well...language adapters. Another member currently residing on one of the
Sirius moons insisted on reviving that old BABES OF ACID lithograph promotion,
this time including some of his own favorite species (Earth girls were way too
easy, after all), and illustrated by a better artist.
All this and more
silliness was waded through in order to determine who could now be counted on
to fulfill the Lords’ directives. These were their operatives, for better or
for worse.
While Photogirl had actually been chosen to run long-range
reconnaissance, they now needed someone to specifically infiltrate the Battery again. The person to be chosen here needed proven
experience in the field. They’d have to be undaunted at the prospect of walking
into the midst of enemy territory, alone and unarmed. They’d have to be smart
and resourceful and sure of their own talents. They needed someone at the top
of their game, quick-witted and slick who could improvise.
They picked him with
relative ease. Ven froze the monitor with Member 5959 in place and he and
fscked continued. The Lords had other instructions.
The photographs of
the Perdendosi officials were also very illuminating. Previously, there was
nothing of record anywhere on the planet that specifically identified any top
ranking officials. There were some Terrans that worked in administrative
capacities at some of the installations, but their knowledge base was limited.
They may never have had any contact with an occupant of distinction.
But knowing the names
and faces of some of the occupiers’ elite would make the task of deciphering
their business on Earth easier. If the Children could discover exactly who the
aliens in the pictures were and what their functions were, that would unlock
another piece of the puzzle.
The Lords needed an
agent who could deliver that information back to them with the least amount of
disruption. But this person would also have to work with the quickness, ideally
in tandem with the other Child. This called for someone with a sure-footed style
who knew how to get around and maintained their own network of connections. Ven
and fscked didn’t have any problems here either. They actually picked a close
associate of 5959, freezing Member 360’s image on an adjacent monitor.
Then came the
trickier part: selecting back-up for the retrieval of the information.
Although both Ven
and fscked liked to be hands-on when this time came, the Lords let it be known
they wanted them on-call in case the situation changed. The time and place for
this would have to be determined later, naturally, since it would be dependent
on how fast the first two Children accomplished their goals. But it was never
too early to start alerting members, so they’d be ready regardless.
Ven and fscked had
their own ideas about who to utilize here. They both wanted to pair-up
Children, but for different reasons. In the end, Ven got to make the call, and
decided to make the Primaries two females who would balance out the two males
they’d already chosen. The ladies’ endowments were mostly physical, which
complimented the more cerebral talents of the boys. He was sure there would be
no objections from anyone involved, and fscked’s choices would still be kept as
the Secondaries. Their status could change at a moment’s notice anyway, so this
seemed prudent.
Next...ELBANDITO
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