Chapter 10 Losham #2
"I'm doing my best to keep the Brotherhood from falling apart," Losham said firmly.
"Father put me in charge before this happened, perhaps because he felt the strain building up, and he knew that he needed someone to handle the day-to-day operations.
I know his objectives. I know his plans.
I'm simply continuing his work until he recovers. "
"If he recovers," Hocken muttered.
"He will." Losham injected fake confidence into his voice. "Our father is the most powerful immortal ever born, the direct descendant of the god Mortdh. He won't be defeated by a nervous breakdown. He just needs time to regain his equilibrium."
Hocken's gaze drifted to the eight enhanced soldiers along the walls. "What about them? What are they even doing here? Are they your new bodyguards?"
Losham smiled. "They are the successful prototype for our new army of enhanced soldiers.
The Russian scientists have perfected the protocol, and these eight represent proof of concept—enhanced strength, enhanced speed, enhanced durability, and most importantly, perfect control.
The scientists are ready to begin the next phase of testing with a new batch of volunteers.
This program is crucial to the future of the Brotherhood, and we need to keep it going even while our father is temporarily indisposed. "
He'd presented it as if Dave was there to show off the program's progress, and with Dave's subtle mental manipulations, his brothers would likely accept that.
As another exchange of glances passed between them, Losham could almost see them calculating, weighing their options, and trying to determine what course of action would benefit them.
"I want to see Father," Hocken said. "I want to see him with my own eyes or at least talk to him even if it's from behind a closed door."
"That's unfortunately impossible." Losham shook his head. "Entering the harem is a capital offense. You know that as well as I do. He's always been adamant about being the only immortal male allowed in there."
"Perhaps we should defy his orders just this once.
" Hocken leaned back in his chair with a fake casualness.
"Perhaps it's time someone checked on him to make sure that his concubines didn't kill him or tie him to the bed and keep him a prisoner.
" A cold smile crossed his face. "Besides, I for one would like to finally meet my mother. I hope she knows who I am."
"So would I, Hocken," Losham admitted. "But I'm not willing to risk Father's wrath for that privilege. He's already in a volatile state. Anyone who defies his orders now, while he's balanced on the edge of madness..." He let the implication hang in the air. "Well. We all know what he's capable of."
They did know. They'd all seen the aftermath of their father's rage. The threat was enough to give even Hocken pause.
"So be it," Kolhood said after a long moment. "We wait until he emerges from the harem. But that still leaves the question of governance."
"What question?" Losham asked innocently.
"Father's alert, regardless of what triggered it, contained specific instructions.
He wanted us to form a council and work together.
His directive was for us to make decisions unanimously.
I choose to interpret his instruction as pertaining only to the four of us, but he might have meant all of his sons, and that includes the juniors. "
The other two grimaced, which was exactly how Losham felt about including the juniors in decision-making.
"Those instructions were to be implemented in the event of his death," Losham countered. "He's not dead."
"But he's out of the picture." Kolhood leaned forward, his dark eyes boring into Losham's. "Until he returns, his instructions should be followed. We form a council. We share power. We make decisions together."
Unfortunately, it seemed that Dave's influence on the brothers was not all-encompassing.
Dave had been prepared to compel them to believe the story about Navuh and suppress their urge to investigate the harem, but he hadn't been prepared for a direct challenge to Losham's authority wrapped in the guise of following Navuh's wishes.
Furthermore, it was entirely possible that Dave saw nothing wrong with a council. After all, his eight bodies functioned as a sort of council themselves, each one contributing to a shared consciousness.
The concept probably made perfect sense to him.
"No one elected you to rule over us," Kolhood continued. "No one appointed you supreme leader of the Brotherhood."
"I'm the one Father chose to leave in charge before his breakdown, so in a way I was appointed by him."
"So you claim. But we have no proof of that."
"There is plenty of proof. You can ask anyone in the administration who has been running things around here lately."
That was only partially true, but anyone who his brothers asked would confirm Losham's claim. That, at least, Dave had taken care of.
"You were put in charge of the repairs," Hocken said. "You were not put in charge of the enhancement program or the army."
"I wasn't in charge of the army, that's true, but Father was including me in decisions about the enhancement program. He wanted me to take over."
"Even if that's true, you have no military experience," Hazok said. "You can't make decisions on that."
"What exactly are you proposing?" Losham asked.
"Exactly what Father demanded. A council of the senior commanders." Hazok exchanged looks with the other two, who nodded their approval. "The four of us. We meet regularly and put major decisions to a vote. That's what Father wanted us to do."
Losham weighed his options. He could refuse, assert his authority, and trust in Dave's ability to compel the other three brothers into compliance. But while Dave was powerful, he wasn't infallible. It was better to concede gracefully and maintain the illusion of cooperation.
"I have nothing against forming a council. On the contrary. I could use some help. We'll form a council, and all major decisions will be put to a vote. We'll meet twice a week, or more often if urgent matters arise."
Kolhood smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "That's acceptable for now. I reserve the right to propose changes if the system doesn't work as intended."
"That's reasonable." Losham forced himself to return the smile. "I'm glad the three of you are so eager to cooperate. Truthfully, I was worried. The way Father raised us, pitting us against each other and encouraging rivalry and suspicion, I was afraid you'd be at each other's throats."
Kolhood's smile turned colder. "If Father were dead, that's exactly what we'd be doing. But since he's not dead, I'd rather stay on his good side. When he emerges from his self-imposed seclusion, I want him to think of me as the son who held things together, not the one who tore them apart."
"A wise perspective."
"Self-preservation usually is." Kolhood leaned back in his chair. "What about the junior commanders?"
"Five of them are abroad and on their way back as we speak.
Three are here." Losham let out an exasperated breath.
"They're not as sophisticated as we are, and that's not because they are younger.
" He looked at Hocken. "Most of them are older than you.
They are likely to cause problems, and I'd appreciate your help in managing them. "
"We'll handle it." Kolhood rose to his feet. "All of them are military, and they answer to me." He moved toward the door, pausing briefly to study one of Dave's bodies.
The enhanced soldier stared back without expression and without reaction—a silent sentry.
When the brothers had filed out of the conference room and their footsteps on the hallway floor faded, Losham allowed himself to exhale.
"That went better than expected," Number One said.
Losham flinched, startled by the sudden shift from perfect silence to speech.
"Did it? I just agreed to share power with three brothers who would happily slit my throat if they thought they could get away with it."
"You agreed to form a council. That's not the same as sharing power." Number One stepped away from the wall and approached the table. "You don't need to tell them anything of importance."
"That's true. I can have them voting on nonsense until they get tired of it."
The real problem was time. How long could he maintain the fiction that Navuh was still on the island?
His brothers would not wait forever for their father to emerge from the harem. Eventually, they would demand proof and risk their father's wrath by forcing their way into the protected enclave of the underground pyramid.