Irony.
is it ironic that the whole arrangement is ironic?
The villain as heroe,
The heroe as villain.
The Gods, as victims?!?!
Round about, a whirlwind of Madness,
Mayhem, chaos, confusion, choices made, realities manifest. Everything relative.
From one perspective, a predator /farmer protecting their herds/fields.
from the other, divine saviours :
protectors of humanity...
Which is which? How is the why? At least the where and when are obvious.
Even so,
the Gods have ALWAYS been thirsty.
As for the the Formor, the titans.
shape shifting nano-A.I. Clouds.
the Fomor in the end had lost the long war with the Aos Sidhe. The surviving A.I.'s Driven out of the Solar system.
Essentially immortal, amoral A.I.'s driven by vengeance , fury, and rage powerless to directly face their enemy.
Being timeless,
the long game, was the only game.
just maybe,
should fate and luck choose to dance,
the Formor,
will shelter in the Proxima/Alpha Centauri cluster. Recovering numbers, planning, plotting from afar.
The retreating Fomor had left many presents, behind.
surprise gifts of calamity, to create destruction and chaos randomly throughout the ages.
How often has it all been whack - a- moled back into the stone age, back to the caves?
the Aos Sidhe quit counting after the third cycle through.
Logistics;
Probably the single most critical requirements for a successful army to win.
Attack the Only source of sustenance for the enemy.
kill the food, poison the herds, starve the Aos Sidhe into submission and destruction.
Thus the Fomor occasionally rained destruction upon the human herds. Directed comet strikes, engineered plagues, asteroid strikes.
Covert political/economic manipulation.
The Aos Sidhe found themselves having to protect their dinner. Defend their picnic from the Ants and Bears. The competing predators which slaughtered the prey haphazardly.
Perspective is a crazy bitch.
At least it was amusing.
At least it wasn't boring.
Llew drifted through his thoughts, each side, each face sporting a slightly different view.
†*********************†
2020 AD
Plan A:
Seize and secure the tunnel, along with the pinacle.
Plan B:
Provide veterinary care for the injured cattle.
Michael perched atop the steel strapped wheel of the Cannons caisson. Quietly waiting in the civil war gun emplacement.
Llew irritated Morgan as he paced along the paved pathway, pausing to look down onto the picturesque Town of Cumberland Gap on the Tennessee side, at the base of the mountain, leaning precariously over the edge of the stone perched at the edge of the sheer cliff. Whirling about to march back to the Cannon emplacement, to spy north, through the winter barren hardwood forrest at Kentucky, and the Town of Middlesbrough.
Badbh chose to sit on the edge, overlooking the Tennessee side. Macha took up position in the museum building overlooking the crest parking lot.
Morgan occasionally wondered if Llew would bounce if hurled from the pinnacle while glaring at Michael , who was aggravating in how he stayed aloof ,out of her way. How dare he go out of his way to give her nothing to complain about!
Boredom Always led to danger and chaos.
Chaos and danger,
The mayhem of madness.
The Morrigna's stock in trade.
With three of her, one is usually bored, out of the trio.
Thus, Goddess of madness, strife, war...
Michael , quiet, detached, studied his companions from a distance. While searching the perimeter with random glances.
Sometimes silence is , while painful, the only viable option.
There, to the north, on the brink of the horizon.
A bright flash. A burning tail, the after image of passage etched across the sky.
A crack in the skies, to release the tears of vengeance.
through the distance,
a subtle , earth resonating with the rumbling shock wave which swept everything before it.
" Well, that's that then: " Badbh dropped over the edge.
Llew followed, apparently diving in her wake.
Michael raced to the parking lot. Macha was already behind the wheel, revving up the black 68 Coronet440 impatiently waiting.
Michael introduced himself, intimately, to every hard surface, uncomfortable angle and point of pain when he dove into the open window.
Macha wondered why he hadn't simply used the door. It was distracting and amusing to see Michael, head down between Morgans feet, legs kicking out the open window with Morgans thoroughly un -amused expression and surprised dismay.
Macha laughed, dropping the Car into gear.
A dark, white and black cloud billowed out from the rear tires as they spun free heating up, melting rubber, gaining traction.
And they were off.
How quickly could Macha navigate their way to the valley floor, the north side, entrance to, the Cumberland Gap tunnel. Babd had busied herself subduing the small town of Cumberland gap guarding the entrance to the pass, choosing to base herself in Cudzo's Cave, overlooking a the spring at the entrance to the Gap. Llew had moved up through the Gap along the surface route. Moving to position over looking the northern entrance to the tunnel. The old Rail Road tunnel remained unused for the time being. Using the two tunnels and a fort/tower like the Border lords towers along Wales and Scotlands borders. On the crest of the pass through the mountains.
the perfect place over all to hole up and secure a kingdom amidst the chaos of the apocalypse Michael presumed.
Why merely survive the apocalypse when one may conquer and secure a kingdom?
There are ways to plan for the future one wants.
Of course, why merely play along surviving when One has equal opportunity, "Carpe Diem!" To win the zombie apocalypse!
Win the Apocalypse? Seems like a reasonable plan and priority.
Chaos always brings opportunities.
what else should the Aos Sidhe do?
It is not like this is the first time the Fomor had dropped the hammer of the Heavens on them. After the third time, it had become reflexive, reaction, action, without thought.
A habit of conquest and order in the midst of chaos. Time to start over.
the only thing new, being the answer to the questions:
What could be salvaged?
How much would survive this time?
Llew gazed about in consternation.
All of his planning, millennia of maneuver, manipulate, deliberate betrayal, careful plotting planning and meticulous execution. All of that hard work and extreme effort threatened by a big rock, hurled by ancient hate ....
what was that saying?
"people in glass houses ? "
Nothing for it.
Adapt, advance, overcome...
bring order and meaning out of chaos and destruction.
Tho, usually,
the destruction was on a much smaller scale, incited by the bored antics of hurricane Morrigna.
Tumultuous tho they are,
One can never be bored when they are about.
from the distance,
the sounds of everything falling,
Burning, dying faded amongst the chittering of startled squirrels. Llew leapt, skipping lightly from surface to surface on his way down to secure the south side of the tunnels.
memories played through his minds.
Llew considered the shiny, fresh blackened asphalt as he smoothly ran along the mountain road.
Roads, roads and plumbing truly are the great indicators of civilization.
Tho something could be said for rattle, jounce, and thunder of a chariot at gallup on a wooden corduroy road. Llew considered the insane joy of racing Horses and Chariots along these modern roads.
one part observed the world of now passing by,
one part considered and plotted to turn things to the advantage of the plan.
while the rest, sought understanding in memories.
Just as in the first great calamity, Morgan had incited many smaller storms of fury, chaos, madness.
Thru all of which Llew had labored to minimize the dammage.
True Love has unexpected costs....
Hopefully loves labors are not lost.,
confused though they may be.
how much would survive this time?
......................................... In the end,
most survived. There was only the one impact,
where had once been five great lakes, inland seas really,
Now, there was only the one . The peninsula of Michigan, now shattered and scattered as dust upon the whole earth.
to say the world lost its mind, would be to presume that the world ever had a moment of rationality to begin with.
a new order arose,
Another dark ages,
another epoch of catastrophe come calling.
throughout the world,
weary Aos Sidhe set to work,
doing all they could to preserve their herds,
the herds,
could not understand, they simply could not believe that these heroic saviors, rescuers,
these new revealed old gods,
could be anything other than heroic saviors.
perception is a vicious beast of misdirection,
misunderstanding,
and delusions.
the entire world order collapsed,
nations fell, economics ceased, chaos became the only consistent reality.
from the madness,
New, old kingdoms were reborn.
ancient nightmares once again openly took form,
in the Americas,
Well, north america,
the powell valley transformed.
a kingdom formed out of the ruins.
one piece of insane sanity,
in a world of madness and mayhem.
Badbh, had found her purpose in the chaos.
she revelled in the horrors of war, disease, famines, the destruction,
Macha,
once again became a queen.
and Morgan,
Well, Morgan had Michael and that was all she allowed herself to think about.
nearly two thirds of the population had been eliminated during the first hours of the calamity.
Starvation, privation, disease, chaos, pointless battles, took their tolls.
Truly, death , is an equal opportunity employer.
Now,
That we are all thoroughly confused,
It is time to back up and fill in the pieces missing.
How, why, did The Morrigna, Michael and Llew, get from breakfast, to perched at the pinnacle to oversee the apocalypse?
That is a minor piece of the tale, though important.
Elspeth had worked her magics and cast her spells to great effect,
The power of pie is compelling.
They sat, nonViolently eating, enjoying her handiwork. A sense of calm, if not exactly peace had settled into place.
The six of them ate, studying, contemplating, watching each other in depth.
LLew, was pleased with himself, having thus far survived the encounter,
the Morrigna, well, the Morrigna remained, constraiMichael Michael tried to feign nonchalance, while actually enjoying Elspeths cooking.
Elspeth, reigning at the table, oversaw it all, maintaining the peace,
And, an extra large bowl of gravy with which to restore order at her side.
The meal progressed,
Manners enforced, became habit, keeping the peace between them all.
When all had gorged to their fill,
Elspeth appointed chores, no one disputed her blatant orders, not with that bowl of still hot gravy or that over large steel spoon clutched in her gesturing grip.
Llew found himself in the kitchen, washing dishes with Elspeth,
While the Morrigna cleared away the table.
Michael, was relegated to firewood duty, restocking both the wood bin in the kitchen, and the central fireplace in the main room.
Domestic functionality kept the peace.
Busy hands, cannot be about the devils work, not even with the devil himself directly involved. The power of pie compels even the gods it seems.
Elspeth kept them all busy, directing, assigning tasks, beginning preparations for dinner and supper,
stew seemed a good idea,
it would cook on its own well once put together, which would allow Elspeth to focus on managing the house full of hellions.
one wrong step, one spark would be all it took to ignite the conflagration. Elspeth was determined it would not be on her watch.
at some point, someone turned on a radio, searching for suitable music,
that led to a chaos of its own that ended with Elspeth locking it down on a country gospel station.
" You heathen hellions, need to hear the word of the lord, before I lose my temper with you!!! Listen, learn,
Act like adults not a congress of baboons and toddlers that aint housebroke yet! ”
The group busied themselves, setting things aright, avoiding the angry scowl of Elspeth.
For her part, Elspeth was scarcely able to contain herself from exploding into laughter.
Biting her cheeks, fighting back tears of mirth,
She reigned,
They, seeing tears at the edge of her eyes, and what they perceived was barely contained rage, scurried about, seeking peace, her approval, and maybe, more pie.
Thus they continued into the early afternoon,
pausing for coffee and hot teas, and of course, Elspeths hand pies.
peace had established itself as the status quo. Though the tension was clearly palpable, a quiet, polite order ruled
Things continued as such throughout the afternoon. The Five miscreants behaved under Elspeths unwavering eye, the cabin resonated with country gospel and bluegrass, all to the joyous aromas of stew, stewing, and pies baking.
the very picture of domestic peace and joy.
It is amazing how catastrophe, can bring people together. How quickly enemies can become allies in the face of cataclysm.
The aggravating noise of the emergency alert,
shattered the equilibrium. All six stared in consternation at the radio, while the warning announcement progressed.
there was no further disruption, or disagreement. In fact, there was only focused coordination and concentration on the crisis at hand.
it is not everyday that the President of the good ole U.S.of A, announced that a planet killing asteroid was coming and there was nothing to be done except, place our heads between our legs and kiss our arses goodbye.
they had less than seventy two hours till the impact...
not a lot of time in which to prepare.
not that there was much, if anything, that could be done, even so,
it was a good thing that they were so secluded.
the cities all erupted into looting, chaos, violence.
before the impact, every government had been rendered pointless by the out of control mobs. That was within the first few hours after the announcement.
madness reigned, Badbh, felt contented, right at home in the atmosphere of doom and terror and chaos.
Llew, Macha, and Michael, convened..
what was to be done?
Llew could not return to his realm on jersey, all flights were grounded.
he was, pretty much stuck here with them.
Macha, already had plans.
knowing that it was merely a matter of when, the next god hammer would fall, Macha had made plans.
Out came the USGS maps, and the discussion of, what was to be done in the aftermath began.
there was absolutely no point in discussions of preventing the disaster.
even if the asteroid didn’t impact, the chaos and insanity that had devoured every city, was something that would likely never be recovered from.
leave it to the goddess of war, to have plans in place!!!
eastern Tennessee is an extremely fertile place, mountain ranges running both north and south, and east to west.
so long as an impact did not strike them directly, the multitude of valleys, hollows, rivers, and caves, would provide ample resources for survivors.
the Aos Sidhe set about planning , there was no question of it, they would reign, establish order in the aftermath, once again, the Aos Sidhe would establish kingdoms, realms, and secure the herds for posterity.
The humans, would have no clue as to what was really going on. No more than they had had in the past and likely, less understanding now than in past events. The Aos Sidhe had been to this rodeo before. there truly was nothing else to be done.
So, they planned, discussing where, how etc.
just north and west of the cabin, was the Powell valley, and Cumberland Gap.
a perfect location for the establishment of their herds,
good farmland, climate, plenty of water, relatively isolated, easy to defend and to contain...in short, a perfect location for their new kingdom.
five Aos Sidhe can accomplish wonders, reestablished as gods, and powers, it would be just as it had several times in the past.
the great cosmic game of whack a mole,
continues .
Less than seventy two hours to plan, conceive, and execute.
Less than seventy two hours, until the end of the world.
Well, the end of the old world, that is. The sun will keep shinning, the world, will keep spinning, on the grand scale, nothing significant changes.
Of course, that is all a matter of perspective.
looking up, knowing the hammer is dropping, could only be amusing to Badbh. Morgan , being Morgan really didn't care, Michael had her attention. Macha, Badbh and Llew
focused upon securing the cabin, battening down the hatches. Llew, efficiently followed her instructions, experience and wisdom, directing him to offer no suggestions.
Now,
That we are all thoroughly confused,
It is time to back up and fill in the pieces missing.
How, why, did The Morrigna, Michael and Llew, get from breakfast, to perched at the pinnacle to oversee the apocalypse?
That is a minor piece of the tale, though important.
Elspeth had worked her magics and cast her spells to great effect,
The power of pie is compelling.
They sat, nonViolently eating, enjoying her handiwork. A sense of calm, if not exactly peace had settled into place.
The six of them ate, studying, contemplating, watching each other in depth.
LLew, was pleased with himself, having thus far survived the encounter,
the Morrigna, well, the Morrigna remained, constraiMichael Michael tried to feign nonchalance, while actually enjoying Elspeths cooking.
Elspeth, reigning at the table, oversaw it all, maintaining the peace,
And, an extra large bowl of gravy with which to restore order at her side.
The meal progressed,
Manners enforced, became habit, keeping the peace between them all.
When all had gorged to their fill,
Elspeth appointed chores, no one disputed her blatant orders, not with that bowl of still hot gravy or that over large steel spoon clutched in her gesturing grip.
Llew found himself in the kitchen, washing dishes with Elspeth,
While the Morrigna cleared away the table.
Michael, was relegated to firewood duty, restocking both the wood bin in the kitchen, and the central fireplace in the main room.
Domestic functionality kept the peace.
Busy hands, cannot be about the devils work, not even with the devil himself directly involved. The power of pie compels even the gods it seems.
Elspeth kept them all busy, directing, assigning tasks, beginning preparations for dinner and supper,
stew seemed a good idea,
it would cook on its own well once put together, which would allow Elspeth to focus on managing the house full of hellions.
one wrong step, one spark would be all it took to ignite the conflagration. Elspeth was determined it would not be on her watch.
at some point, someone turned on a radio, searching for suitable music,
that led to a chaos of its own that ended with Elspeth locking it down on a country gospel station.
" You heathen hellions, need to hear the word of the lord, before I lose my temper with you!!! Listen, learn,
Act like adults not a congress of baboons and toddlers that aint housebroke yet! ”
The group busied themselves, setting things aright, avoiding the angry scowl of Elspeth.
For her part, Elspeth was scarcely able to contain herself from exploding into laughter.
Biting her cheeks, fighting back tears of mirth,
She reigned,
They, seeing tears at the edge of her eyes, and what they perceived was barely contained rage, scurried about, seeking peace, her approval, and maybe, more pie.
Thus they continued into the early afternoon,
pausing for coffee and hot teas, and of course, Elspeths hand pies.
peace had established itself as the status quo. Though the tension was clearly palpable, a quiet, polite order ruled
Things continued as such throughout the afternoon. The Five miscreants behaved under Elspeths unwavering eye, the cabin resonated with country gospel and bluegrass, all to the joyous aromas of stew, stewing, and pies baking.
the very picture of domestic peace and joy.
It is amazing how catastrophe, can bring people together. How quickly enemies can become allies in the face of cataclysm.
The aggravating noise of the emergency alert,
shattered the equilibrium. All six stared in consternation at the radio, while the warning announcement progressed.
there was no further disruption, or disagreement. In fact, there was only focused coordination and concentration on the crisis at hand.
it is not everyday that the President of the good ole U.S.of A, announced that a planet killing asteroid was coming and there was nothing to be done except, place our heads between our legs and kiss our arses goodbye.
they had less than seventy two hours till the impact...
not a lot of time in which to prepare.
not that there was much, if anything, that could be done, even so,
it was a good thing that they were so secluded.
the cities all erupted into looting, chaos, violence.
before the impact, every government had been rendered pointless by the out of control mobs. That was within the first few hours after the announcement.
madness reigned, Badbh, felt contented, right at home in the atmosphere of doom and terror and chaos.
Llew, Macha, and Michael, convened..
what was to be done?
llew could not return to his realm on jersey, all flights were grounded.
he was, prettymuch stuck here with them.
Macha, already had plans.
knowing that it was merely a matter of when, the next god hammer would fall, Macha had made plans.
Out came the USGS maps, and the discussion of, what was to be done in the aftermath began.
there was absolutely no point in discussions of preventing the disaster.
even if the asteroid didn’t impact, the chaos and insanity that had devoured every city, was something that would likely never be recovered from.
leave it to the goddess of war, to have plans in place!!!
eastern Tennessee is an extremely fertile place, mountain ranges running both north and south, and east to west.
so long as an impact did not strike them directly, the multitude of valleys, hollows, rivers, and caves, would provide ample resources for survivors.
the Aos Sidhe set about planning , there was no question of it, they would reign, establish order in the aftermath, once again, the Aos Sidhe would establish kingdoms, realms, and secure the herds for posterity.
The humans, would have no clue as to what was really going on. No more than they had had in the past and likely, less understanding now than in past events. The Aos Sidhe had been to this rodeo before. there truly was nothing else to be done.
So, they planned, discussing where, how etc.
just north and west of the cabin, was the Powell valley, and Cumberland Gap.
a perfect location for the establishment of their herds,
good farmland, climate, plenty of water, relatively isolated, easy to defend and to contain...in short, a perfect location for their new kingdom.
five Aos Sidhe can accomplish wonders, reestablished as gods, and powers, it would be just as it had several times in the past.
the great cosmic game of whack a mole,
continues .
Less than seventy two hours to plan, concieve, and execute.
Less than seventy two hours, until the end of the world.
Well, the end of the old world, that is. The sun will keep shinning, the world, will keep spinning, on the grand scale, nothing significant changes.
Of course, that is all a matter of perspective.
looking up, knowing the hammer is dropping, could only be amusing to Badbh. Morgan , being Morgan really didn't care, Michael had her attention. Macha, Babdh and Llew
Macha, focused upon securing the cabin, battening down the hatches. Llew, efficiently followed her instructions, experience and wisdom, directing him to offer no suggestions.
there was nothing else of a helpful nature he could do. The soon to be chaos and madness would be the perfect environment for the Morrigna.
Michael and Morgan,
checked and cleaned weaponry.
Elspeth, baked...
before the sun had set, they had done all they could do. Michael and Morgan set up an op/lp ( observation post, listening post) on the ridgeline. Secluded as they were, there were still a million or more panicked , stampeding cattle surround them. With no way to stand against the herds, all they could do was keep an eye open, and move out of the way.
When the shit hits the fan, the experienced, step to the side. Only fools stay in the line of fire. Only idiots get hit with the crap.
Through the night, into early morning they poured over maps, studied the region, established a plan.
When all is chaos, madness, and falling apart, it is the calm, decisive actors that prevail.
The question of where to find safety, shelter, became glaringly obvious.
The Cumberland Gap tunnels. The highway built through the mountain, connecting Tennessee with Kentucky, and the old train tunnel. These would provide shelter.
Rumour had it that end of the world/ nuclear war prep and supplies were hidden away in the complex tunnels. Whether that were true or not, did not really matter. The Aos Sidhe would seize control during the chaos of impact,
With a secure base, shelter, water, survival was assured. A secure base with which to preserve and manage, the food supply, the " herds" was a certain priority.
Machas cabin would best be reserved as their refuge, there being no farmable and to speak of, and no way to support the human herds, which the Aos Sidhe would depend upon , they needed a more suitable place ,
The Powell valley and Cumberland gap, quickly became the obvious choice.
Thus, the five of them, were perched, posted, waiting on the overlook.
They watched as the fireball formed, blazing across the sky, crying out, screaming, roaring in thunderous rage, the fire ball grew, until it passed beyond the northern Horizon. The impact was felt before the sound, a silent, grinding thunder. Followed quickly with A piercing wail of ignited air, roaring lion like, rumbling , building in intensity. The north became a sinister red haze that blanketed the horizon. The Aos Sidhe from their precarious mountain perch, looked on as the humans panicked, rioted, burned in Middlesborough, the shock wave from the impact rolling across the land, as if it had become a storm tossed sea. The Aos Sidhe observed with approval, as the small town of Cumberland Gap, had prepared, taking refuge within the mountain. Within the highway tunnel, people of Harrogate mixed with students of Lincoln university, huddled , cloaked in despair and fear. Some few hundred had sought refuge in the long abandoned train tunnel. That had been a horrid mistake on their part, none in the train tunnel survived the tidal convulsions of Earth and stone. More than half, in the highway tunnel, drowned when the mountain spewed forth the under ground aquifer into the the massive tunnel.
The Aos Sidhe moved, they knew would have to over awe the herds, become, be, more terrible than the destruction around them. More terrifying than the wrath of god that burned the skies, shook the land and convulsed the mountains.
The shock wave struck the great Cumberland mountains, redirected upwards, and neatly skipped over the Powell valley, to crash against Clinch Mountain,tearing through the rest of the Tennessee valley, wiping the land bare of any traces of the handiworks built by man. Channeled by the Mountains and western foot hills, the shockwave, crashed and broke itself , like the storm surge of a hurricane, on the sea shore. Badbh and Llew watched in awe at the wave of destruction that passed overhead. Macha, Morgan and Michael, scarcely made it into the highway tunnel ahead of the rolling waves of destruction. The 68 Dodge, was tossed ahead, fired out of the southern tunnel entrance as if a pea, shot from a straw. The car, becoming a crumpled, twisted mess the Aos Sidhe within, broken, battered, though surviving.
Directing a stampede is a chancy thing, difficult to control ,but, doable.
While chaos reigns around them, being the calm in the midst of the storm would create and establish leadership, order, hope.
One thing about the panicked stampeding herds, natural selection would be the rule.
the weak, the foolish, would perish quickly.
the remnant, the survivors, will be those most capable. A Brutal reality, that would serve to cull the herds, and, allow the Aos Sidhe to take on the mantle of saviors, protectors, rallying the herds to be easily controlled.
there will be plenty of fear, terror to go around,
far better to establish leadership , by being the heroes, than to claim power through fear.
best that the herds give up leadership willingly,
that was the only way in which to establish a secure order. A stable organization, a system that would whether the coming storms. Besides, the Morrigna and Llew, had been through this a few times already. They knew what to expect, they knew, from experience, how to take advantage of the unique opportunity presented. Humans had become exceedingly numerous, and , nuclear weapons, bio weapons, chemical weapons, were a threat to all sentient creatures. Not just the herds of humans that swarmed unchecked, un managed across the world. Though not by design or intention, the Fomorii, had ensured the preservation of the Aos Sidhe. The chaos after impact would cull the weak and the stupid from the masses, leaving only the strongest, smartest, most capable to survive.
that would also ,of course, mean the herds would be left with a higher remnant/population with more Aos Sidhe, DNA, that the diluted masses of the seven billion or so. Ironic, that what was intended to destroy the Aos Sidhe, would instead, ensure both survival and an increase in population of Aos Sidhe.
Badbh found the irony delicious, Macha, found it opputune, Llew , Llew argued within himselves the pros and cons. Morgan Was focused upon Michael, and Michael, was focussed upon Morgan.
So, when the fireball vanished over the northern horizon, the Aos Sidhe were in place, prepared to seize power and control. Ready, and waiting to act.
when the dust began to dissipate, the Aos Sidhe would already be, the heroic saviors, the natural leaders, the powers that be.
Chaos and madness bring opportunity. The only questions being, how, why, when, and where.
Questions the Aos Sidhe had already asked, answered, and prepared for several times before through the ages
Having answers while everyone else had only questions, having directions while everyone one else had only,Fear, panic, and confusion. Would in itself establish their clear dominance of the the survivors. Rallying them to their examples of leadership. Exactly what role the Aos Sidhe would take, remained to be established. The only certainty being their position at the top of the food chain. There would be time to contemplate their preferred, title in the chaos ahead.
The great game of Cosmic whackamole, engaged the world, reverting back, into the old ,original order. This time however, there would be no Fomorii to contend with,
Rather, there would only be, literally a handful to contend with. The Morrigna, and Llew privately exhulted, in the knowledge that the Aos Sidhe, would be the sole power , undisputed, left on the Third planet of Sol.
The passing fireball, wailed and roared, the impact, a thunder that shook the whole earth. And yes, the planet did indeed ring like a massive bell. Fire storms, earth quakes, tsunamis, massive storms enveloped the world.
Middlesbrough, was gone.
In fact, everything north of the Cumberlands and west of the Shenendoah, was ,if not gone, flattened, wiped from the face of the earth. Weeks passed, the northern hemisphere had been cast into a sort of perpetual twilight. The dust raised by the impact still swirled, circulating , clouding over everything north of the equator. Temperatures dropped,
There could be no spring this year, not for north
America at least. Winter settled in and remained throughout the rest of the year. There was no spring, no summer, and no fall. There was only the relentless gray, the colors of death to be seen.
The Cumberland Gap tunnel, proved to be a brilliant move.
Turned out the rumours of supplies, and underground shelter were understated. Fuel, generators, barracks, food and medical supplies,
Plenty to feed a few thousand. Problem was, there were only a few hundred survivors.
The first months, most perished, starving and freezing, then, the bioweapons took their toll. The chaos of the impact triggered the release of bio weapons stored. Airborne Rabies, Ebola, Super flu, not to mention the traditional nasties of disease decimated the survivors.
The Aos Sidhe would set about establishing their, kingdom.
Gathering what survivors they could find, sheltering in the tunnel complex, the only thing to do was survive, hold on until the dust settled, until spring would return once again. Once blue skies returned,
The real work could begin.
Until then, there was only the waiting. Waiting for nature to reassert herself. For the new climate, to settle down, establish itself.
Waiting for the years long winter, to end, and a new spring.
Until then, there were , memories to untangle, hierarchies to establish, roles to be defined, plans to be made.
For the duration of the winter, the grey years as they came to be known only The Aos Sidhe would venture out of the tunnels, collectively they all hoped for a spring to return, though, a return to ice age seemed certain. was nothing else of a helpful nature he could do. The soon to be chaos and madness would be the perfect environment for the Morrigna.
Michael and Morgan,
checked and cleaned weaponry.
Elspeth, baked...
Before the sun had set, they had done all they could do. Michael and Morgan set up an LPOP, observation post, listening post on the ridgeline. Secluded as they were, there were still a million or more panicked , stampeding cattle surround them. With no way to stand against the herds, all they could do was keep an eye open, and move out of the way.
When the shit hits the fan, the experienced, step to the side. Only fools stay in the line of fire. Only idiots get hit with the crap.
Through the night, into early morning they poured over maps, studied the region, established a plan.
When all is chaos, madness, and falling apart, it is the calm, decisive actors that prevail.
The question of where to find safety, shelter, became glaringly obvious.
The Cumberland Gap tunnels. The highway built through the mountain, connecting Tennessee with Kentucky, and the old train tunnel. These would provide shelter.
Rumour had it that end of the world/ nuclear war prep and supplies were hidden away in the complex tunnels. Whether that were true or not, did not really matter. The Aos Sidhe would seize control during the chaos of impact,
With a secure base, shelter, water, survival was assured. A secure base with which to preserve and manage, the food supply, the " herds" was a certain priority.
Machas cabin would best be reserved as their refuge, there being no farmable and to speak of, and no way to support the human herds, which the Aos Sidhe would depend upon , they needed a more suitable place.
The Powell valley and Cumberland gap, quickly became the obvious choice.
Thus, the five of them, were perched, posted, waiting on the overlook.
They watched as the fireball formed, blazing across the sky, crying out, screaming, roaring in thunderous rage, the fire ball grew, until it passed beyond the northern Horizon. The impact was felt before the sound, a silent, grinding thunder. Followed quickly with A piercing wail of ignited air, roaring lion like, rumbling , building in intensity. The north became a sinister red haze that blanketed the horizon. The Aos Sidhe from their precarious mountain perch, looked on as the humans panicked, rioted, burned in Middlesborough, the shock wave from the impact rolling across the land, as if it had become a storm tossed sea. The Aos Sidhe observed with approval, as the small town of Cumberland Gap, had prepared, taking refuge within the mountain.
Within the highway tunnel, people of Harrogate mixed with students of Lincoln university, huddled , cloaked in despair and fear. Some few hundred had sought refuge in the long abandoned train tunnel. That had been a horrid mistake on their part, none in the train tunnel survived the tidal convulsions of Earth and stone. More than half, in the highway tunnel, drowned when the mountain spewed forth the under ground aquifer into the the massive tunnel.
The Aos Sidhe moved, they knew would have to over awe the herds, become, be, more terrible than the destruction around them. More terrifying than the wrath of god that burned the skies, shook the land and convulsed the mountains.
The shock wave struck the great Cumberland mountains, redirected upwards, and neatly skipped over the Powell valley, to crash against Clinch Mountain,tearing through the rest of the Tennessee valley, wiping the land bare of any traces of the handiworks built by man. Channeled by the Mountains and western foot hills, the shockwave, crashed and broke itself , like the storm surge of a hurricane, on the sea shore.
Badbh and Llew watched in awe at the wave of destruction that passed overhead. Macha, Morgan and Michael, scarcely made it into the highway tunnel ahead of the rolling waves of destruction. The 68 Dodge, was tossed ahead, fired out of the southern tunnel entrance as if a pea, shot from a straw. The car, becoming a crumpled, twisted mess the Aos Sidhe within, broken, battered, though surviving.
Directing a stampede is a chancy thing, difficult to control ,but, doable.
While chaos reigns around them, being the calm in the midst of the storm would create and establish leadership, order, hope.
One thing about the panicked stampeding herds, natural selection would be the rule.
the weak, the foolish, would perish quickly.
the remnant, the survivors, will be those most capable. A Brutal reality, that would serve to cull the herds, and, allow the Aos Sidhe to take on the mantle of saviors, protectors, rallying the herds to be easily controlled.
there will be plenty of fear, terror to go around,
far better to establish leadership , by being the heroes, than to claim power through fear.
best that the herds give up leadership willingly,
that was the only way in which to establish a secure order. A stable organization, a system that would whether the coming storms. Besides, the Morrigna and Llew, had been through this a few times already. They knew what to expect, they knew, from experience, how to take advantage of the unique opportunity presented. Humans had become exceedingly numerous, and , nuclear weapons, bio weapons, chemical weapons, were a threat to all sentient creatures. Not just the herds of humans that swarmed unchecked, un managed across the world. Though not by design or intention, the Fomorii, had ensured the preservation of the Aos Sidhe. The chaos after impact would cull the weak and the stupid from the masses, leaving only the strongest, smartest, most capable to survive.
that would also ,of course, mean the herds would be left with a higher remnant/population with more Aos Sidhe, DNA, that the diluted masses of the seven billion or so. Ironic, that what was intended to destroy the Aos Sidhe, would instead, ensure both survival and an increase in population of Aos Sidhe.
Badbh found the irony delicious, Macha, found it opportune, Llew , Llew argued within him selves the pros and cons. Morgan Was focused upon Michael, and Michael, was focussed upon Morgan.
So, when the fireball vanished over the northern horizon, the Aos Sidhe were in place, prepared to seize power and control. Ready, and waiting to act.
When the dust began to dissipate, the Aos Sidhe would already be, the heroic saviors, the natural leaders, the powers that be.
Chaos and madness bring opportunity. The only questions being, how, why, when, and where.
Questions the Aos Sidhe had already asked, answered, and prepared for several times before through the ages
Having answers while everyone else had only questions, having directions while everyone one else had only,Fear, panic, and confusion. Would in itself establish their clear dominance of the the survivors. Rallying them to their examples of leadership.
Exactly what role the Aos Sidhe would take, remained to be established. The only certainty being their position at the top of the food chain. There would be time to contemplate their preferred, title in the chaos ahead.
The great game of Cosmic whackamole, engaged the world, reverting back, into the old ,original order. This time however, there would be no Fomorii to contend with,
Rather, there would only be, literally a handful to contend with. The Morrigna, and Llew privately exhulted, in the knowledge that the Aos Sidhe, would be the sole power , undisputed, left on the Third planet of Sol.
The passing fireball, wailed and roared, the impact, a thunder that shook the whole earth. And yes, the planet did indeed ring like a massive bell. Fire storms, earth quakes, tsunamis, massive storms enveloped the world.
Middlesborough, was gone.
In fact, everything north of the Cumberlands and west of the Shenendoah, was ,if not gone, flattened, wiped from the face of the earth. Weeks passed, the northern hemisphere had been cast into a sort of perpetual twilight. The dust raised by the impact still swirled, circulating , clouding over everything north of the equator. Temperatures dropped,
There could be no spring this year, not for north
America at least. Winter settled in and remained throughout the rest of the year. There was no spring, no summer, and no fall. There was only the relentless gray, the colors of death to be seen.
The Cumberland Gap tunnel, proved to be a brilliant move.
Turned out the rumours of supplies, and underground shelter were understated. Fuel, generators, barracks, food and medical supplies,
Plenty to feed a few thousand. Problem was, there were only a few hundred survivors.
the first months, most perished, starving and freezing, then, the bioweapons took their toll. The chaos of the impact triggered the release of bio weapons stored. Airborne Rabies, Ebola, Super flu, not to mention the traditional nasties of disease decimated the survivors.
The Aos Sidhe Would set about establishing their, kingdom.
Gathering what survivors they could find, sheltering in the tunnel complex, the only thing to do was survive, hold on until the dust settled, until spring would return once again. Once blue skies returned,
the real work could begin.
Until then,
There was only the waiting. Waiting for nature to reassert herself. For the new climate, to settle down, establish itself.
Waiting for the years long winter, to end, and a new spring.
Until then,
There were , memories to untangle, hierarchies to establish, roles to be defined, plans to be made.
for the duration of the winter, the grey years as they came to be known
only The Aos Sidhe would venture out of the tunnels, collectively they all hoped for a spring to return, though, a return to ice age seemed certain.