The entire army of zealots is just stunned, watching Beatle tend to Bite and Fred, who have sustained injuries and scars.
“Here…” said Beatle, gently cleansing his wound with a single touch, and removing it. Then he finished the wound of Bite, who purrs and pecks on Beatle’s finger.
Beatle laughs softly. “Haven’t changed at all, huh, Bite?“ he smiled, rubbing her favorite spot on the belly as she faces upward and purred.
Beatle turns to the Zealots, who back away out of fear when he did.
“Kill him,” said the General.
“Sir… This is THEIR leader…”
“DO IT, MELVIN!!!” yelled the General. They all shot at Beatle, as the General turns and runs away.
Beatle just stomps forward and blasts at all of them with heat vision, melting their very Souls in their Silver Matter, instead of just melting their bodies.
Frank, out of fear, turns and runs, but Beatle appears and punches him, gentle but enough to knock his body down as he melts the Silver Matter.
Now, back to their Human states, they lose their armors, and back away in fear, bowing before Beatle, shuddering.
Beatle sighs, as Athena soldiers leave the portals. “You are all under arrest, ya grifters. BT Dubs, guys. YA BASIC!!!”
The General reaches Gerard’s cage, and sees Gerard smirk.
He grabs the cage and rips him out of the cage, beating him down and crushing his ribs.
“YOU FUCK!!! YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!!!” sobbed the General.
“Charlie, c’mon, man… Or shall I say, GunnJamsSnyderFan69?” asked Beatle, who sees the General beating Gerard to near-death.
“Don’t you dare call me that… NO!!! FUCKING NO!!!” boomed the General.
Beatle just crosses his arms with a scolding look. “Guys. I DID NOT legitimize your faction for a reason.”
“FUCK OFF!!! I represent the true power of the American people!”
“Dude. You’re like, some Fil-Am kid with money that bought that suit since you owned a YouTube channel and used it as your personal therapeutic chew toy. And, I am not here to judge-...” said Beatle.
“SHUT UP!!! I WILL KILL THIS BOY!!!” He held Gerard by the neck and pointed his blaster to his head. Gerard twitched in pain.
“Charlie, listen.”
Gerard laughs. “His name is Charlie…”
Beatle chuckles a bit, but stops. “Gerard. Not cool, alright?”
“Sorry… It’s just that.. This guy was such a dick…” said Gerard.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
Charlie roars. “Fuck Superman. That movie was fucking woke as hell. MAN OF STEEL FOREVER!!!”
Beatle sighs. “I respect your opinion.”
“Fuck off, you pathetic Flip. No, you don’t.”
“Hey! That is a derogatory language no one should use. Not even a fellow Pinoy.“
“FUCK OFF, FLIP!!! GOD!!! UGH!!! I HATE THAT THIS IS ALMOST AS BAD AS WHEN THE INTERNET LEARNED I USED TO SHOCK COLLAR MY CAT!!!”
“Callous?” asked Gerard.
“Dude… ALMOST as bad!? You just committed a Biblical Egyptian Phaorah, dude!” yelled Beatle, gesturing to the entire camp.
“Yeah. I mean, Canaanites WERE the ones who should’ve won THE WAR against the ANTICANAANITE BIGOTS THAT ARE THE PHILISTINIANS!!!” he roared.
“Dude… That war I stopped was like… 800 years ago.”
“AND YOU NEVER ADMITTED YOU WERE WRONG!!!” Charlie pointed his blaster at Beatle.
“Um…” said Beatle. “Yeah. Okay.”
“I remember when the OTHER Charlie thought you SUCKED!!!”
“You mean Wet Critical? Dude, he’s a part of my army back in the PH. Whaver… Dude. You gotta let go of the past and go to therapy, man. You need help. Don’t make me wanna use Cainmarker on you. You… just started out as a misguided kid who believed in the hard right because you thought it gave you so much control… Try what I do. Brew wine… Or, or… start a garden!” smiled Beatle.
“Listen to him,” said Gerard, twitching. “Please…”
“Look at you… Cowering for your life…” said Charlie.
“No… I am cowering for yours… Because I believe that you can be just… as civilized as I am…”
“What?” mocked Charlie.
“Dude… I only ever do things to help others like me… And you stalked me, hurt the people I helped out, and you beat me and tortured me. Whoever hurt you when you were younger, I condemn their actions since I know you’re hurting just as they were! You gotta let go of what hurts you man…”
Charlie cocks his gun only to be shot in the face by Beatle.
He falls to the ground, dead, cross-eyed with a stupid smile on his face.
He immediately charges and catches Gerard to be sure he doesn’t hit the ground head first.
Beatle sighs, tearing up and wiping the tear, realizing he had failed to save another.
Gerard tears up, smiling and laughing instead, hugging his Uncle Beatle.
That evening, the Athenas are seen structurally teaching the former zealots the origin of their entire ideology, where Beatle is shown to be saying this, “Nah. Superman was awesome. Wokism isn’t really a thing unless you make it a thing. Makes extremists all the more pathetic.”
Meanwhile, Beatle smiles, annointing the boy, Gerard, with oil.
Gerard smiles, sitting on a wooden throne, while the Akteonites, the Salvaged, the Daughters of Nature, and the Animalized Men all cheered for his coronation.
And, after all that, Gerard decided his palace should be… A teashop. Where he could have tea and play chess every day… with his dear friend, Bluford.
That evening…
Beatle watched the television on the couch, drinking some wine he made himself. “Weird… Murrican Football is so weird now… Why is there a bat?”
“That’s baseball,” said Gerard.
“Why is he running after hitting that ball?” asked Beatle.
“We… We don’t know, actually,” said Gerard, playing chess with Bluford.
“Ah… Checked again…” laughed Bluford. “You will make a great King.”
“Thanks. Didn’t fit the job description, though.” Gerard smiled, sipping Ceylon tea and sighing happily. “Wish I could go home.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“Didn’t you kick me out?”
Bluford laughed softly. “I never kicked you out to buy bread. I gave you a path to your destiny.”
“Huh? Really? You didn’t speak up about it…” said Gerard, as Bluford facepalmed, and Beatle laughed while watching them play.
Gerard smiles. “Oh! That reminds me!” Gerard slams a paperbag full of cinnamon bread. “Want some?”
Bluford sighs and facepalms. “Yes.”
Beatle smiles. “I’ll get the tilapia!”
Meanwhile, in the corner, Little Fred stayed sleeping, nesting under Bite, who has her personal bedding by the cozy fire burning from the furnace.