2.83 The Golden Bombs

Deep in thought, Torus gazed at the candle flame, flickering on the walls of the Engine Chamber, pondering complications of Halios’s coup over another puff of the pipe, could he really trust the Nefilim?

         His thoughts were interrupted as Nolan wheeled the fourth bomb out of the welding shop. He had done well, fulfilled the task within minutes of the deadline, however it remained to be seen how effective they would prove to be. Without having experimented on a larger scale, Torus was in doubt the bombs would bring the entire mountain down. Annihilate Aquilla? Absolutely! He had seen the toxic results on the rabbit tests; once the radiation nuked the tunnels, Aquilla didn't stand a chance. Would anyone though?
         Nolan ran his fingers over the gold casing, checking the welds with microscopic attention, his heart was pounding with adrenaline now that the reality of war was manifesting itself right before his eyes.

         "Halki's on his way to pick them up" Torus got up from his chair to examine the golden bombs, he wasn't impressed. "That's good gold you're wasting."

         "The gold is what annihilates the Archon Spirit" Nolan finally seized an opportunity to preach some Panther wisdom. "Aquilla's an Archon!"

         "Really..."

         As expected, the Engine Chamber door flew open, it was time for the bombs to make their maiden voyage. Halios immediately detected Soloha in the air, he could tell Nolan was impaired, he shook his head, embarrassed to have to deal with him. The gods moved in to examine the bombs with a critical eye. Halki scratched the casing with his ring.

         "Seems you used expensive materials!"

         "Finest gold from Kergal" Nolan assured, smoothing things over as best he could. "Donated by the Nefilim, in honor of Medel."

         "Donated?" Halios knew it was a lie, it was another reason to be wary of Nolan's promotion, even as a puppet they were making a huge mistake, was he the only one who could see it? "Have they been tested? Do they even go boom?"

         "Of course they work!" Nolan snapped, offended by the suggestion. "Do you want me to prove it?"

         Halios ignored his childish outburst and glanced towards the office beyond, noticing the candle lit desk, Torus had disappeared.

         "Where's Torus?"

         In spite of his high, Nolan could sense the general's anxiety, his worries were out of character, he was almost a different Halios altogether in the face of a real war. He was almost... Afraid.

         Before Nolan could answer, Torus returned with the transport documentation, and proceeded to check off the list.

         "Four Golden Bombs, as ordered. Your Honor" He handed Halios the authorization tablet.

         Halios scratched out the ‘Golden’ part of the work order and signed off on the bombs.

         "Don't forget to blow the candle out" he warned as he turned to leave. "You wouldn’t want a fire raging down here, unattended!"

         The door slammed shut, only to be opened again by Bell and his unit with their orders to transport the bombs. Bell noticed the gods were impaired, he recognized the smoke in the air right away.

         "Is it a good party at the Villa?"
         "Yeah, it's a good party..." Nolan handed him the tablet to sign. "Why don't you stop by?" He pulled out a business card and offered it to him. "Consider it an official invite. Dena's there."

         Bell chuckled as he signed the tablet, noticing the smell of alcohol thick on his breath. "Thanks, I'll pass. I'm on the clock."

         "Right!"

         "So…" Bell hesitated to ask his old friend turned god, unsure of his boundaries these days. "That smoke…"

         "Soloha." Nolan's face lit up.

         "Yeah. I recognize the smell, seems everyone's smoking it these days, what is it?"

         "You haven't tried the Soloha yet?" He strode across the chamber to Torus's desk, picked up the pipe and filled the bowl, offering it to his old friend, lighter in hand.

         "Here, try this!"

         Bell stared at the pipe, it was filled with glitter. "What the fuck is that?"

         "This, my friend, is one of Doctor Seton's new medifications!"

         "Medification?" Now he knew he was right. Bell noticed his red eyes, he was clearly wasted. If it was the same stuff that he inhaled in the Gora Lab there was no way he was going to try it now, was Nolan trying to set him up for a fall?

         "No thanks" he waved it off, refusing. "I've been assigned the responsibility of transporting four atomic bombs tonight. We're going to war."