The carrier touched down roughly on the concrete pad, spilling Champagne from his glass and onto his ceremonial robes.

“Piss…”

Every drop was priceless since France’s vineyards had become ashes. The post-war stuff just wasn’t up to par and the stock was limited. David licked his fingers. He was rich beyond the average person’s wildest imagination. That didn’t mean he was an arsehole who wasted rare wine.

“Bloody pilot couldn’t fly straight in a gentle breeze,” he said aloud.

The other occupant of the carrier tossed back his thick hair and laughed. The boy couldn’t stop playing with it since the operation. At least he was smiling again.

“It wasn’t that funny.”

William raised an eyebrow. “You couldn’t wait until we landed to pop that?” he asked, pointing at the empty bottle of Dom.

“I’m celebrating. Tonight, I get elevated to the next level. I’ll be a decision maker. A policy creator. The curtain falls back that extra inch, giving me that extra insight,” he said holding his fingers apart for effect. “We’ve made it. Don’t you see?”

“You’ve made it,” replied William. “I know my place.”

“We did this,” said David standing. “Together. You should be proud.”

William’s smile evaporated. “I’ll be proud when I don’t have to hide in the shadows like some kind of secret butler-bitch.”

David frowned back at the boy. “If anybody found out, we’d both be six feet under. I understand how frustrated you are. Things will change once I’m pulling the strings.”

William stood up from his casual repose amidst the comfy cushions and brushed down his dull grey robes, the colour of a servant. “I was kidding.”

“Let’s go inside. We don’t want to keep these people waiting unnecessarily.”

“Yeah…” agreed William, downing the rest of his Champagne and slamming the glass on the sticky flight table.

The Virginia night air was cool enough for their breath to fog and the breeze plucked at their heavy robes. Blazing torches lit the way into the chambers, held aloft by attractive boys and girls in flimsy gowns of white satin, the cloth barely covering their sex. If new members were to be tested tonight, they would have their pick of the torch bearers for the ritual sacrifice. One of Kurniec’s initiatives had been to replace the traditional sacrifice of whores and criminals with soulless clones, keeping their hands clean in the eyes of God, and appeasing their own dogma of advancement through science and discipline. The beautiful children stood still, torch in hand, showing no emotion or thought, perhaps unaware of their ultimate fate, each little more than a prop or stage piece.

He heard the jets cycle up to take off. There would be more waiting to land on the secluded pad. The craft would then fly on, far away from the secret location of their grand temple, carrying on their previous trajectory to obfuscate their true purpose. A clever jockey could probably sniff it out, hence the need to change the flight records. Meetings like this only happened in person once or twice a year, due to the growing security concerns. It would only take one slip up. Their enemies would relish the chance to find them all gathered and wipe them from the face of the earth.

David and William joined the queue of members at the temple door. It had the air of a mausoleum, with fluted columns of marble and an ornate relief of skeletal figures poised in combat below the symbol of their order. A weave of fake foliage spread like a dome over the entrance, hiding it from satellites, scanners and wayward jets that might fly over this unassuming stretch of private forest. An array of scanners probed each person who passed through the temple doors, confirming their bio-signature and checking for concealed weapons. Programmed guards stood either side armed with ceremonial swords, ready to strike down anyone whose scan came back irregular.

A red robed man turned to look at him as they joined the short line.

“Kurniec,” offered Senator Trindell with a wry smile. “I hear you’re being elevated tonight. Whose dick does a guy need to suck to get anywhere?”

David gave him an icy smile back. “Do something worth a damn then. Even you’ll be happy with what I’ve done after tonight. You’ll all see.” He adjusted his robes and looked ahead, pointedly ending the conversation.

Trindell scoffed and ignored David in return.

William nudged him in the ribs. David growled and looked down at the boy. William mimed thrusting and tapped his head. David rolled his eyes and looked straight ahead. William still hadn’t learnt to keep his thoughts private after David had received the Null Membrane implant, rendering telepathic communication impossible. It wasn’t the time or the place to talk about mentally scrubbing a fellow member.

Kurniec kept his eyes on the screens ahead, watching the scanners reveal the upgrades, defects and the internal workings of every person who passed through. The Programmed guards read the screens without emotion, their heavy swords unwavering. David looked at the one on his left as he was scanned, catching the giant giving him a brief glance. Then he was through, free to descend into the temple, passing golden panels depicting ancient iconography and moth-eaten tapestries from the order’s early beginnings woven centuries ago.

“Do I really have to go to Ohio tonight?” asked William, catching up as they circled deeper down the turning staircase.

“Yes,” whispered David. “I only brought you here out of necessity. I need you to… watch our friends. See if there are any untoward thoughts about me. Yelich desperately needs you to fix your offsider’s fuck ups. As soon as we have a window we’re gone.”

“I was hoping we could celebrate properly…” said the boy, absently brushing his hands through a burning brazier’s flames. “Going to that place is a major buzzkill.”

“I’m quickly running out of favours to pull. Tonight’s unveiling will reset the balance, but not before we fix the damage your boy has unleashed.” David ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back beneath the hood of his robe. “It could be as bad as the de-Programmed debacle.”

“You were lucky you had me.”

“You saved my ass, yes. But don’t get too cocky. All it takes is one too many slip ups and our friends will turn on us,” said David looking back to make sure they weren’t being overheard.

William smiled back at him. “Nobody can hear us. I’m on to it.”

David frowned back at his nephew. “Bugs…”

William’s smile slipped into a grimace. “I see.”

“We still have to be on guard. Especially after tonight. We may be giving them the gift of eternal life, but that won’t stop them from shearing the weakest link from the chain and forging anew. So, we smile, accept the elevation and continue as normal, with one eye on our goal and the other on our back.”

They continued in silence, their shadows stretching along the golden icons and relics from generations past, the chanting of the gathered members rising up to greet them.