One day before Christmas Eve, in the CERN offices, several explosions disturb their peace. Several scientists were kidnapped and transferred in helicopters. In Oxford, MIT, Harvard, and other universities recognized for their high academic level were attacked by large groups of terrorists.
The best students were kidnapped and their whereabouts were unknown. Various developers and computer geniuses suffered from the same fate.
Not to mention huge explosions at various sites of cultural interest in the world, such as the United States Congress, the Louvre Museum, the Svalbard World Seed Bank and the Arc de Triomphe.
Especially this last one. Several corpses had been hung throughout the entire monument. And what was most disturbing were the identities of those bodies.
Followed by several terrorist attacks throughout the entire planet. Explosions in shopping centers, in the middle of the street, or even in various schools.
There was a common factor in all the attacks, a graffiti of a hanged king.
At the White House, President George W. Bush was yelling at several high-ranking military and political officials in his cabinet. For some reason he had been reelected for the third time.
─Are you telling me that a terrorist nobody, and who is also a fucking Chinese, caused all this commotion!? Wasn't he supposed to be dead by then? What happened to the group of CIA and SEALs that we sent to the Amazon?
─That's what we wanted to tell you, sir, they're all dead. We received no news of them until yesterday, when their bodies appeared hanging from the Arc de Triomphe. We already suspected they might have perished, but every recovery team we sent out suffered the same fate. And it was not only us who suffered, but also Russia, China and the United Empire.
─And that's not the only thing, sir─said the secretary of defense─several attacks and kidnappings occurred all over the world, including our territory. The Freedom Tower, several stadiums, some universities and the Supreme Court of Justice received enormous collateral damage. The casualties are counted among hundreds of thousands and the disappeared are more than ten thousand. What should we do sir?
─May I know why the hell you ask me that, stupid!? That's your fucking job! You are the fucking Secretary of Defense for God's sake! Think of something, and make it quick. Mark, do you have my speech ready for the press conference?
"We were up all night but we managed to finish it, sir," the White House Director of Speechwriting replied.
─I hope you understand that I'm not angry with any of you, but it's my nerves and anxiety that speak for me. We all know that we won't be able to go home to our families, we won't even get more than two hours of sleep. But what we have before us is not a simple threat, but a future Adolf Hitler or even worse, a Stalin. We've known each other for at least four years, and many of you I've known for at least ten. Therefore, let us give our best, and may God bless us.
While the president of the United States of America was giving his press speech, in Mexico a man was discussing business in a bar.
─Don't think that because I'm kind and generous I'm weak. In my job, you learn to respect those on an equal footing. At first, when I heard about your adventures here in Mexico, I thought you were someone like me. That you would be able to understand my ideals, and yet I am again disappointed.
"Chapo" Gúzman was not in his best condition. He was supposed to meet this "Sophocles" who had put his hands in drug trafficking in Colombia. He thought it would be easy to trick and kill him, and then take power from his domain.
Not at all, nothing he had planned went well. At the bar, several of his henchmen had actually betrayed him. Not even his personal army could go against the enemy's army. Among those were adolescents, the elderly and even animals.
His body had been beaten beyond recognition. Not even an iota of his glory remained. Sitting on a throne of silver and gold, Sophocles looked down on him.
─You were not a challenge, as I thought you were going to be. Your name resonated throughout the world, so that even I a, how did you say it was? "Un puto chinito de mierda" knew about you. Do you want to know why you lost? Because you put weak shit under your wings. Shits that took advantage of the weak, that abused their power. And don't get me wrong, the strong should crush the weak. But you must earn it. Sacrificing all your sweat and blood to become part of the strong, not because you're the boss's friend.
─ What do we do with him sir?
─Burn it and broadcast it throughout Mexico. I want the whole country to see who their new God is. I want them to pray to me together with Saint Death, the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. That every Night of the Dead they set up altars in my name, and offer me their offerings.
Certainly, this man was the most arrogant and megalomaniac in the history of mankind. But are men who pursue a dream guilty? Doesn't everyone on this planet chase their dreams? Is it a sin to dream? If there is a God in heaven, then let him judge humanity for the sin of dreaming.
Even if it means destroying the peace, Sophocles won't stop his campaign. He did so in the past, and he will continue to do so in the future.
The months went by. But the attacks did not end, but became more violent. The investigation of that alien ship ushered in a new era for Sophocles' cause. Energy weapons were being developed, as well as cyberbionic implants.
With the help of his research team, it was even possible to develop a serum that improves the anatomical capabilities of the human body. Superhumans were possible beyond fiction.
The elite soldiers, whom he called "Neo Spartans", were capable of killing fifty men each. But it was not enough for Sophocles. He wanted more power. He felt that the world did not fear him enough.
So he prepared for phase 2 of Operation Thermopylae. It consisted of increasing its forces and roots in secret, accumulating connections in the power circles of the countries.
They would put on a quiet façade, stop making terrorist attacks and wait. In the shadows, their strength would increase, until they are ready for the next phase.
─Prepare phase 2. You will not be able to sleep, anxious, because we will be silent. And when the time is right, we will come out into the light again.
─How long sir?
─As many as needed. Don't stop the intelligence reports. And remember, no one is safe until the rope is removed from his neck.
Sophocles left for the main laboratory. He was deep in the Andes Mountains. There, the best scientists were at work.
Part of the plan was to achieve the complete remodeling of his body. To overcome the limits that the body of flesh and blood imposed on him, and take over the throne of the world.
He entered the facility and was greeted by the team. They disinfected him, he undressed and entered a special liquid cabin.
He would be put into hibernation, while every cell in his body was replaced. And he would wake up when the job is done. His confidant, Ricardito, would take care of everything necessary while he is away.
A long folder of instruction files would help if a problem arose.
While The Hanged King and his men disappeared, in Beach City, in the state of Delmarva.
A man named Greg Universe and a woman knew each other. Rose Quartz, which was his name, was a kind and quite plump woman.
Both found in the eyes of the other person her soulmate. And they made their love nest in a beach house.
While Rose was enjoying a barbecue with her beloved, her subordinate Pearl came rushing in with new news.
─Rose! Do you remember that a few months ago you ordered us to investigate the affairs of the Hanged King? It seems that they disappeared from the face of the planet.
Amethyst, another of her subordinates, asked in astonishment about the matter.
─Those idiots really disappeared? What a disappointment, they were fun to hit.
─Don't take this as a game, Amethyst. They were criminals who terrorized the world, and if it wasn't for the fact that we fought hard to free them from the Diamonds I wouldn't be getting involved in earthly troubles.
─You're boring Pearl. What do you think of this Garnet?
─If they disappeared, it could be good and bad at the same time. Perhaps this could be a trap, and right now they would be increasing their power. However, while they are not, the Earth can have peace. What do you think we should do, Rose?
─When I asked you to stop these criminals, I never tried to "erase" them from the planet. Ultimately, humans are capable of doing it themselves. They just needed a little help. Also, people like them are not much of a danger to Earth. It seems that I exaggerated because I freaked out about Steven.
These new characters stood out among ordinary people. Well, they all consisted of a common factor, they had a gem in one part of the body, exposed.
Yes, they and the aliens found in the Amazon were of the same species. They weren't made of carbon, and certainly not silica. They were made of gems. Minerals, such as those found in the depths of the earth.
But how was a being composed of crystals able to obliterate the Hanged King's men? Density. Even a piece of paper is nearly indestructible if folded over enough times.
The denser a material, regardless of its atomic structure, the more difficult it is to destroy. And these aliens were denser than any metal on earth.
According to reports from spies in the countries of the world, several identical ships were found in other parts of the planet. Even historical records of encounters of these beings with civilizations of the past.
So why don't the powers of the world agree on the destruction of these beings in Beach City? Or at least in the study of his race? Because at some point in history, Rose Quartz and her army made a deal with these agencies.
They would protect them from their own race, as they did millennia ago, as long as they kept their existence a secret. So they came to a kind of mutual agreement.
However, it did not mean that they would stop studying their technology.
They were ignorant that, no matter how well they hid it, the Hanged King would steal that information from them.
However, going back a few steps. The United States government didn't come to Rose Quartz and her team out of her own pride, and it wasn't until she paid them a visit that they admitted they needed help.
It was then that they were included in the operations against the Hanged King.
─What's the matter, my love?─ Greg asked when he saw his beloved absent from him. A few moments ago she had gone to speak privately with her friends, and when she returned to her side she was quite absent.
─ It's okay sweetheart. I was thinking about the color we're going to use to paint my Steven's room. I don't know if he will be a person in green or orange.
─ Perhaps we should let him choose the color he likes best. But don't think about those things now, we are going to enjoy our days before the operation. Not every day you can enjoy a clear night with a full moon.
"You are so beautiful when you ignore the events of the world Greg─Rose thought─. You live your life, unaware that your own race is annihilated day by day. And to think that among your people there would be individuals who only think about their own benefits.
I have read the propaganda spread by the one they call the Hanged King. It is so full of selfishness, painted with a message that nullifies the individualism of the human being.
It invites people to contribute to the state governed under a capable person. And that only capable people would belong to it.
A tyrannical ideology against the weak. And the most surprising thing is that there are several voices that support his message. Why do humans have to waste their lives on crusades and wars?
When the real threat is beyond this galaxy. I sacrificed everything, and everyone, to have this life of peace on earth."