Talk about good timing. Thanks, Chuck Wendig (terribleminds.com). For those of you paying attention, I give you – Becoming Utopia- Chapter 3.3: Bloodline.

 Knock, knock.

Chapter 3.3: Bloodline

11:00 p.m. – There is a knock on the door at the home of Letharo Sr. He adorns his robe and slowly approaches. Opening the door he sees his son -smiling and holding an unopened bottle of Macallan 55 Lalique Crystal whiskey. Returning the smile he invites him in. Letharo Jr. sits as his father heads to the kitchen to retrieve some ice and glasses. The two happily shake and converse.

 

Letharo Sr. speaks in jest “Nikolas I hadn’t expected you. Haven’t I taught you to at the very least call ahead before showing up uninvited? Macallan? Been talking to Dignan have you ?.” Nikolas laughs and responds.

“Yes but tonight is quite the abnormal night for me father. Tomorrow is the big announcement.”

Letharo Sr. -visibly confused asks “Big announcement. Son, it’s just the annual Fourth of July address to the nation. You’ve done it for years now. I hardly think it’s an issue for concern. I would think! Especially not for any son of mine.”

 

Nikolas answers “Yes but this won’t just be any announcement father. You see tomorrow will be the next step in the advent of our dream.” .

His father -at a loss- adds “ Our dream? I would hardly say so. We’ve already accomplished the finality of it all. Alchemy passed, was adhered to. Succeeded. Carried out with the fervency of the law. There is no more to our mission son. The goal is not for Alchemy to end, but to continue -until such a time as the urchin of our society have been purged. Job well done, and met.”  He says, raising his glass to toast.

Nikolas negates the toast – retorting , “ No. I don’t believe that to be true. We can expand Alchemy to incorporate the entire world.”

Nikolas stands and enthusiastically tells his father. “ When you first began Project Alchemy, I was a child. However even in my youth, I understood that the limitations of your legislation existed within the nearsightedness of its authors. Now, Project Alchemy though brilliant had its weak spots. I can make it breathe.”

“Ergo, Tenebris, and his death therein. You flaunt around here claiming that you care so much for the country and ridding it of the leeches of society. But who are you really? What I think is that in your search for this country’s success, you may have lost sight of the true meaning of societal progression. humor me if you will.”

“Say that hypothetically we had the entire world, or at the very least it’s strongest countries allied behind Project Alchemy. That pitfall that had been built into your plan would only have to happen outside of America. Think about that!”

“An entire nation -free of despair, poverty, and lack of intellect. This would be humanities beacon of hope.” The best and brightest have already migrated here and anxiously await future evolution of the legislation that helped to set a sixth of the world free. They thirst for new innovation and this is it.”

“The best and brightest have already migrated here and anxiously await future evolution of the legislation that has helped to set a sixth of the world free. They thirst for new innovation and this is it!”

Letharo laughs, pouring himself another drink and questions

“Ah son. the grandiosity of greatness does behoove; you. I must say, but what of the remaining urchins here? What of the rebels? The purpose of Alchemy was to let it happen naturally. For these people to systematically phase themselves out? Lest their be total upheaval from the people? We are a democracy. I hope you haven’t forgotten that Mr. President.”

Nikolas sighs and answers “ Well just as your sweeping declaration changed our country relatively quickly. Mine will allow for the immediate extinction of the remaining bacteria that plague our nation. In justifiably doing so, the world will be none the wiser. The needs of the many over the needs of the few -and all of that.”

Letharo stands and yells “ Foolish boy! You stay with the plan at hand. You have but a few years left and now you choose to, to, to, toooo….”

Letharo grips his chest and falls to the ground, grunting and moaning in agony. Nikolas is unresponsive as he watches his father suffer. He crosses his arms and watches as his father’s steady crawl deteriorates into no movement at all. Nikolas walks to the kitchen and pours himself a glass of whiskey from a different bottle.

Nikolas is unresponsive as he watches his father suffer. He crosses his arms and watches as his father’s steady crawl deteriorates into no movement at all. Nikolas walks to the kitchen and pours himself a glass of whiskey from a different bottle.

Letharo crosses his arms and watches -as his father’s steady crawl deteriorates into no movement at all. Nikolas walks to the kitchen and pours himself a glass of whiskey from a different bottle. His father drowns in his own bile.

 

Returning to the room he kneels down and tells his father,

 “Foolish man.”

He walks into the adjacent room, grabs a rolling computer chair, brings it into the room and places his father on it. Letharo lays in the chair, awake,

–unable to move.

Nikolas sits in front of his father and continues. “ You see, I thought you may take that stance on the matter. So I felt I would need a moment of silence -to correctly inform you of how I plan to save the world.”

“You know as far back as college, the professors used to talk about you as if you were some sort of dictator. Albeit the dictator presiding over one of the most prosperous decades to date, but a successful dictator. Of theses professors, one in particular- rang my bell. He insisted that all of your power truly came from the Tharos. And I thought about it.”

Nikolas stands up, turns his father’s chair around and begins to slowly push him down the hall while continuing….

“Even during my tenure, you strut around the White House grounds -as if you’ve never left office. Coming and going as you ,please. Effecting change to any (if not) all of my legislation. It’s disgusting, really is what it is.”

“Then I thought, hmm when he dies who will that power revert to? In that moment I decided -that not only were you abusing your authority, you were standing in the way of progress. You father have unwittingly become part of that dirt -on the gold you so love to preach of. Here we are”

Nikolas turns the chair into the bathroom walks in and begins to run the water.

Nikolas begins to undress his father while continuing…

“ Though you may see this as some sort of mass betrayal or whatever. I assure you it truly is for the greater good. Just as you had always told me. Without you in the way, The Tharos will revert their loyalty to me. Here I can effectively annihilate the rebels. No excuses, no paperwork, no explanations, no objections. “

Letharo Sr. pleads.  His last plea.

“I mean, think how it will read tomorrow morning in the paper. ‘Former President Killed by Rebels in Tub.’

“It has a certain violating and appalling, ring to it. The country will be in mourning and I will help raise them from the ashes of sadness. Besides what better way to boost morale- than rallying behind a mourning President, and effectively killing a gang of domestic terrorists who killed their favorite incumbent, quite brilliant no? “

“Alright now pants.”

Nikolas removes the remainder of his father’s clothes and places him in the bathtub. now filled with water. Noticing the tears on his father’s face he stops for a moment to sit next to him and complete his thoughts. “

Now filled with water. Noticing the tears on his father’s face he stops for a moment to sit next to him and complete his thoughts. “

“You know, ironically, all I can think of right now is that story you used to tell about that damn dog. Liberty.”

Nikolas laughs to himself and continues “ I guess karma kind of bit you in the ass on that one, huh.”

Nikolas stands again  -pushing his father’s body beneath the water

“ You know I really didn’t even have this last moment of compassion with you?

“Charles would have been more than happy to do the job.”

“You, Monster. Good bye.”

Nikolas kisses his father on the forehead and with both hands holds him by his neck under the water. As the final pockets of air ascend and burst, Nikolas, now holding back tears emotionally sings “

As the final pockets of air ascend and burst  -Nikolas, now holding back tears sings “

“Oh the bombs, the bombs, the wonderful bombs, how bright all my bombs will be.”

As he’s dries himself -Nikolas, prepares to accept his Nobel Peace Award.

 

-Becoming Utopia. Chapter. 3.3: Bloodline.

-Antwan Crump.