Rally the Troops (Bishop)

As casually as a normal person would flip through the channels of their television with a remote, Bishop mentally flipped through the channels psionically hard wired into his consciousness. Some came to the forefront while others were pushed to the back becoming part of the constant background ‘noise’ of information he received. All were either watched directly or mentally recorded for later playback. The virtual landscape of his mind constantly in motion as some new font of information took priority over pre-existing input.

A series of screens suddenly flared to life not from his external monitors but from a series of channels that were transmitted directly into his mind and to nowhere else on the planet. Bishop immediately tuned out all other channels bringing these five not just to the front, but also to his undivided attention. These five channels belonged to the five members of the ‘Council’, those individuals whose dictates he followed unerringly and without question.

“Bishop what do you have?” the first asked from the Vatican City.

“The ‘city’ is showing a marked increase in residual aura, your Excellency.”

“Related to the recent undead episode?” followed up the Jerusalem representative of the Council.

“No sir Rabbi. That aura had fallen to normal background levels, though we did mark a flare from the female.”

“Is it due to that jezebel Shaera’s visit?” asked the Egyptian representative.

“Shaera journeyed her typical journey and left our plane, Khalif.”

“Then what is the nature of the flare?” was asked from Constantinople.

“The energies have been building for the past several weeks and are now sustained at levels several powers greater then usual, Sultan.”

Waiting briefly for input from the fifth and final member of the ‘Council’, Bishop continued his brief.

“The female has been at a heightened state since the Undead episode and we have also measured the emissions from the ‘renegade’. He has visited the ‘city’ but has not stayed nor exerted any aura more then to exit our plane or enter it.”

“When was he last here?” asked the brooding representative from Antioch.

“Just yesterday, mein Gilt. He met with an outplaner and vanished soon after. He has also been in contact with the female.”

“Is the female still being watched?” asked the Papacy.

“Yes, Your Eminence. The Magdalena has been assigned and has been filing regular reports.”

“And?”

“The female has shown none of the trappings of the Infernal and does not consort with any of the known Heathens.”

“Yet she remains marked as a ‘whore’ of both by her houghmagandy with the ‘Sceptre bearer’.” Remarked the Antioch druid.

“They have not ‘been’ together, that we are aware sir.” Bishop replied slightly confused by the use of the centuries old word.

“Perhaps not in the flesh but her aura has been tainted by his non the less.”

“We have also noted the appearance of several of the lesser divine and an increase in the numbers of immortals in the area. The Watchers indicate that the ‘warrior’ is among them.

“Let us confer.” The Pope chimed, at which point Bishop pushed the five into the background and caught up on what had transpired in the world during their minute and a half conversation.

Bishop took particular interest in the stranded ‘cowgirl’. Her ‘story’ was not his to follow but she interested him for the fifteen seconds it took for him to catch up on her wanderings. Something about the eternal ‘warrior’also piqued his interest. Rewinding he saw that several of the more interesting lines being fed to him intersected with that of the female and ‘sceptre bearer’, he marked all of the files for further study.

“Bishop” thought the Pope. Again with but a mental flip the five of the ‘Council’ were foremost in his mind and all others reduced to background noise.

“It has been decided to put the Magdalena on highest alert and to search out and make ready the ‘Hunter’.”

“Sir most of that one was replaced with cybernetics after his last mission for us.” Bishop said tuning one of his mental screens into the playboy persona of the ‘Hunter’.

“He is the only mortal of this generation to have bested one of the Infernal host single handed. We paid him generously with the gifts of his new body, he will be receptive”

“It will be done” Bishop acquiesced with a mental nod.

Silently the five screens went dark and Bishop went about the task of making contact with both the Magdalena and the Hunter. Quietly and with minimal effort Bishop also started to sift through the aura reports and those forwarded by the Watchers concerning immortal activity in and around the ‘city’. He was determined that his watch would not suffer through another Tunguska affair.