The Peacemakers Ch. 01

"The press conference is tomorrow. Get some rest. I've got a lot of calls to make," the PR man told the siblings as they got out of the limousine. The car drove off to leave them standing in the grand garden that surrounded the base of the tower.

The garden was closed off from the public, and Luther briefly savoured the quiet. It was a lovely day, cloudless and bright, the sunlight gleaming on the surrounding skyscrapers. In the long shadow of the tower, the air was refreshingly cool. Verdant ash trees stood proudly on the manicured lawn, their branches swaying in the breeze. An ornamental fountain burbled in front of the tower's entrance. "Home sweet home," he said, trying to sound jolly. Then he saw a camera drone hovering over the trees, filming them both.

Marie's expression was glum. "They won't leave us alone, will they?" she asked dully.

Luther wasn't in the habit of lying to his sister. "No, sis. They're too afraid of us. And they need us too much."

Marie was looking up at the sky now, her pale blue eyes angry and searching. There were vast dim shapes up there, great rings and wheels and spheres hanging in the sky. The distant silhouettes of Marie and Luther's home. "We shouldn't have come here," Marie said with sudden fierceness.

"Maybe not. But it's too late now." Luther put his arm round her and guided her through the garden to the main entrance.

The tower's foyer was huge, its pillars and arches sparkling an otherworldly white, and totally empty. Marie and Luther crossed the cavernous hall in silence. Their footsteps echoed on a floor that looked like marble, but was something else entirely. The richly carved patterns on the walls seemed to move dizzyingly as the eye caught them, shifting into intricate new configurations. A strange soft light glowed from every surface.

There was an elevator waiting to take them up the tower. A bubble of glowing crystal, it rose swiftly and silently through the soaring structure, apparently unaffected by gravity. Luther gazed out at the vast hollow spaces that surrounded the elevator. Huge bright spheres floated in silence on every side; machines that no Earthly human could understand, sent to help the siblings with their great task. Shimmering patterns of light, like miniature aurorae, flickered and danced between them.

Marie was still blinking back tears as she stood beside Luther in the crystal bubble. He hugged her close against him and kissed her long black hair. "It's going to be okay, love," he told her. "We'll go home some day."

"We don't deserve to go home," she replied bitterly, as the elevator came to a gentle halt. "That man was right. We're monsters now."

Luther found he had no answer for her.

*

Marie and Luther had been born normal, or at least normal for their kind. Children in the orbital cities were invariably tall, strong and beautiful -- perfection had been written into their ancestors' genes long ago. Their medical technology had almost entirely freed them from the ancient scourges of disease and old age. They were not immortal, but they lived so much longer than Earthly humans that they might as well have been. It was quite possible, in the superhuman cities, for a person to be three hundred years old and not look a day over thirty.

Their childhood in the vast orbitals had been idyllic. They'd grown up in a huge extended family, living in a palace of gleaming crystal that flew above the glorious blue curve of the Earth. By day they roamed the lush domed gardens or flew like birds in zero-gravity chambers. By night, they curled up naked and explored each other's bodies, making slow, gentle love together and with others. Their kind had no taboo for incest; any love was permitted so long as it was between consenting adults, and Marie and Luther had been lovers since they came of age.

Despite their carefree existence, the two siblings had always shared a fascination with the ancient Earth below them. Long ago, when humanity had ascended into the skies to create wonders among the stars, a few had chosen to stay behind, seeking to live as their ancestors had lived. For untold millennia, Earth had endured beneath the lights of the superhuman civilisation; primitive nations rose and fell and fought their ugly little wars, just as they always had. Tribes of cavemen became industrial empires before tumbling back into barbarism. The superhumans watched from the orbitals above, sworn never to interfere.

But then came the great slaughter. Two of Earth's empires clashed in a war that threatened to bring the planet to ruin. Millions died in the bloody chaos as each nation inflicted dreadful atrocities upon the other. Nuclear weapons darkened the skies and filled the air with lethal radiation; the green continents were left scorched and cratered as if afflicted with some vile disease. At last, one nation faced utter defeat, and its people were threatened with outright genocide. The superhumans watched in dismay, and at last they chose to act.

Volunteers were sought -- young, eager and compassionate people who were moved by the suffering of Earthly humans. They would descend to Earth and bring the war to an end, by any means necessary. Marie and Luther stepped forward without hesitation. "They're humans just like we are," Luther had said when his parents asked why they were volunteering. "We can't let them destroy themselves."

Groups of volunteers were deployed to different parts of Earth, each with a different task. Some were told to repair the ruined atmosphere and clear away the nuclear fallout. Others were tasked with separating the warring armies. The siblings' group had been told to serve the threatened nation as military advisers, under orders to save it from genocide and protect its civilians. They were trained to excel in multiple disciplines: reconnaissance, diplomacy, crowd control, warfare.

And then, before the gleaming silver ships brought them to Earth, the peacemakers were made invincible. Quantum-manipulation machines were woven into their bones, powered by micro-reactors and controlled by precise impulses of brain activity. It was the pinnacle of their technology, containing the power of a star inside a human body.

The q-machinery reinforced the atomic structure of their bodies to the point that they could safely walk naked on the sun. It turned the fibres of their muscles into nuclear piledrivers, letting them hurl tanks around one-handed. It let them sprint faster than an express train and leap miles in a single bound.

But all that was just a sideshow. The true power of the q-machines was to contain and channel atomic energy, corralling even the most powerful nuclear reactions safely inside a quantum energy field. These reactions could then be triggered with a thought and directed at will. When they were so inclined, the peacemakers could melt mountains by glaring at them.

Despite it all, their bodies were still human, albeit taller and stronger than the Earthly norm. They still needed to eat and drink and piss and shit. They breathed oxygen and slept at night. The q-machinery might make them unkillable, but it couldn't protect them from starvation or exhaustion.

And all the power in the world couldn't replace their need for love.

*

The penthouse of the tower reminded Luther achingly of home. It was a single huge open chamber of woven crystal, encased in a transparent sphere a thousand feet across that gave a glorious view of the city skyline. A dense tropical garden formed the centrepiece of the penthouse, lush with ferns and tall palm trees, with an artificial waterfall feeding the deep clear pool in the middle of it. The garden was surrounded by a raised circular walkway that seemed to hang in the air unsupported. The doorways leading to bedrooms, bathrooms and other accommodations were discreetly hidden in the soaring crystal walls.

As they left the elevator and stepped into the sunlit chamber, Marie and Luther stripped naked. Their creased garments vanished into the glowing floor as a layer of nanomachines quickly swallowed them up; they would be returned, clean and pressed, whenever the siblings asked for them. Such technology was so commonplace for their kind that they barely noticed it. They headed towards the central garden, hand in hand. They could hear happy voices from the trees.

In a little green glade vivid with exotic flowers, they found the other members of their group. Elena, Aurelia and Andreas were triplets in their mid-twenties, a little older and taller than Marie and Luther. The three of them were blue-eyed, golden-haired and stunningly beautiful. They were also lovers and complete nymphomaniacs, and the two siblings were unsurprised to find them in the middle of a bout of passionate sex.

Elena, the oldest triplet by a matter of minutes, was on her back on the lush grass, giggling delightedly as her powerfully muscled brother fucked her. Her superb breasts bounced and heaved with each of Andreas' quick rough thrusts. Aurelia, the youngest, was kneeling beside the couple, watching them with a huge happy smile. She had clearly just been fucked too; her beautiful tight pussy was overflowing with fresh come.

Elena and Andreas climaxed simultaneously, calling out each other's names and writhing around in ecstasy. As they collapsed onto the grass, panting for breath, Aurelia looked up and saw Marie and Luther standing nude at the edge of the glade. "Look, guys, they're back!" she said excitedly, as her siblings shared a happy sated kiss. Elena and Andreas broke the kiss to follow her pointing finger.

"Hey, you two," Elena smiled drowsily as Marie and Luther wandered over. "We were just talking about you." She and Andreas burst out laughing at that, and started eagerly French-kissing once again. Aurelia made an apologetic face and went to greet the two younger volunteers. Despite everything, Luther felt his cock stiffen as the tall naked girl approached, her hips swaying seductively. Aurelia's body was frankly incredible; an hourglass figure with firm, high breasts and a perfectly toned belly. Her dark blue eyes sparkled with amusement.

"Hello, beautiful," Aurelia said huskily, kissing Marie on the lips, then reaching up to stroke her breasts as the kiss deepened. The younger girl didn't reciprocate, and Luther could see her eyes were still dull and distant. Aurelia pulled away, frowning. "What's wrong, babe?" she asked.

Luther spoke up, to spare Marie the discomfort. "It was a rough day, Auri."

"We'll help you relax, Marie. You know what helps after a rough day? A nice swim, a nice drink, and a nice fuck." Aurelia kissed Marie again, more lightly this time, and then went to greet Luther. She pressed her lean, toned body against him, the wet mound of her freshly fucked vulva stroking teasingly against his cock. Their kiss seemed to go on forever. Luther only broke away when he glanced aside and saw the misery on his younger sister's face.

Elena and Andreas finally stood up to greet them, sleepy-eyed with post-coital happiness. Full-frontal, they made a truly gorgeous couple. Elena's huge, honey-coloured breasts were dappled with sweat, and her long blonde hair formed a sexily unkempt mane framing her smiling face. A neat strip of golden pubic hair was visible above the pink pearl of her cunt. Andreas was impressively muscular and tall even for a superhuman; he wore his hair almost as long as his sister's. Luther had a fairly big cock, but Andreas was so well-hung it was frankly breathtaking. His massive shaft swung thick and heavy between his legs, still glistening wet from Elena's pussy.

"Hey, sweetheart, sorry you're feeling down. First deployment's always rough," Andreas said easily after he'd kissed Marie. He shook Luther's hand and patted his shoulder -- neither of them were into boy-on-boy -- and then Elena repeated her sister's unashamedly seductive greetings. All through it, Marie wore the same glum expression she'd had since she left the prairie. The triplets' usual smiles started to fade and they shared worried glances.

"Let's get some drinks in, hey?" Andreas suggested. "Then we can talk it over. If you want to, I mean." He glanced at Luther, as if seeking permission. Luther thought it over, then nodded. There was no point keeping secrets from their fellow peacemakers. They'd hear the news soon enough, anyway.

The five of them left the glade, weaving through the greenery towards the garden's edge. The air was sweet with the perfumes of exotic flowers, and brightly-coloured birds swooped between the trees. Insects chirped busily in the bushes. Maintaining a full jungle ecosystem inside such a small space would have been fiendishly difficult for Earthly people, but for the superhumans it was as easy as keeping a potted plant.

"Drinks!" Andreas called to the empty air when the group crossed back onto the crystal floor. The penthouse's voice-activated machinery responded obediently. A large grey capsule floated down from the ceiling high above and hovered silently beside the five of them, while crystalline nanoliquid flowed up from the floor, solidifying into a set of elegant white chairs. The group sat down, still naked, as the hovering capsule swiftly produced their preferred drinks.

"So what happened?" Elena asked when they were all seated. She eyed Marie with concern. "We weren't following the news. We thought you'd be fine out there."

"We were," Luther said. "I mean, they didn't hurt us or anything. They still don't have anything that can pierce our skin. But it was...well...they just kept coming." He looked over at Marie, who was sipping her ice water impassively. Her expression was blank.

"We ended up burning half the eastern prairie," Luther went on. "The army people said we killed twenty thousand. It...wasn't easy for Marie. And then when we got back here, there was a man in the crowd." He hesitated, remembering the bearded man's wild stare, the crunch of bone shattering against his fist. "He shot at us. I...I hit him."

"You punched him? In front of people?" Andreas asked, with faint incredulity. Luther nodded. It needed no elaboration.

"God," Andreas muttered. There was a brief, uncomfortable silence. Then Aurelia spoke up, gazing earnestly at Marie.

"I know it's hard when we have to kill them, Marie. They're so weak and their lives are so short, I know it seems unfair. But we're doing it to help the rest. The men you killed were going to kill women and children. It was the right thing to do."

"She's right, sweetheart," Elena put in, resting one of her supple hands gently on Marie's arm. "We knew when we volunteered that we'd have to do this. We chose it."

"I know," Marie said softly. She was staring into the verdant treeline of the garden, unblinking.

Elena went on. "So you just get some rest, okay? Come swimming with us. Sleep in our bed tonight, if you want. You'll feel so much better in the morning, I promise."

"Yeah, Marie," Aurelia said with a winning smile. "Let us take care of you tonight. I know how you like it. We'll make you forget all about the prairie."

Luther managed to meet his sister's gaze, and gave her a look that he hoped was encouraging. "Would you like that, love?" he asked her.

Marie was silent for a long time. At last, she mumbled, "Yes". But the look in her pale blue eyes was dull and dead.

*

The triplets were as good as their word, and Luther was grateful to them for it. Still naked, Elena and Aurelia finished their drinks and led the unresisting Marie back into the garden, kissing her and whispering sweet nothings in her ears. Luther and Andreas followed them along the winding jungled path to the waterfall. The water rushed down the side of a rocky hill that rose from the middle of the garden, and splashed merrily into the cool blue oval of the plunge pool. Flower bushes surrounded the pool in a vibrant mass, lantana and hibiscus and a dozen kinds of orchid all together in a riot of colour.

The five of them swam in the pool for hours, accompanied by little schools of tiny, brightly-coloured fish. Luther felt his tiredness fade away in the cool clear water as he watched the shimmer of the sunlight from beneath the surface. Every now and then, they'd all get out of the water to make love. Andreas fucked Elena and Aurelia with cheerful roughness, until their happy cries echoed over the treetops. Luther took Marie more gently, softly asking her permission as he laid her down on the grass. She sighed with pleasure as his cock entered her and they moved together in growing passion. For a moment, some of the old warmth returned to her lovely blue eyes. But he couldn't make her come this time, and when he climaxed inside her, he saw that she was staring dully up at the sky again. The great wheels and orbs of the distant orbitals shone faintly through the crystal canopy of the penthouse.

When Andreas was finally spent, Elena and Aurelia came over and tended to Marie with enthusiasm, just as they'd promised. They'd all been lovers since their recruitment, and they knew exactly what she liked. They kissed every inch of her body, suckling her pale nipples and caressing the curves of her breasts and hips. Aurelia stroked her fingers through Marie's long black hair as Elena kissed the pink lips of her pussy, delicately licking Luther's warm semen from the tight wet slit. When Elena's tongue danced over her clit, Marie moaned and shuddered, her hands digging into the soft grass beneath her. Even so, she didn't come, and the two older girls looked genuinely astonished.

At last, with evening setting in, they all dried off and left the garden. The sun set gloriously over the skyline, painting the glowing crystal of the penthouse a warm reddish orange. The five of them sat naked in thickly cushioned lounge chairs as hovering servant-machines brought them dinner. Trying to lighten the mood, the triplets chattered away as they ate, talking about their friends and family back home, the new resorts orbiting Jupiter, the places on Earth they wanted to visit. All the while, Luther couldn't stop looking worriedly at his sister. Marie hadn't said a word for hours, and she didn't touch her food.

The only hint of emotion that she showed was when Andreas called up a floating screen to watch the news. The allied newscasts were shamelessly triumphant, of course: "Peacemakers obliterate enemy battlegroup in midnight blitzkrieg! Twenty thousand killed! Eastern refugee camps saved! Generals promise that next deployment will bring total victory!" Much worse, though, were the messages from the other peacemakers scattered across the Earth. The ones who were cleaning up the atmosphere over South America gave them a congratulatory video call, obliviously telling Marie what a good job she'd done and how proud she should be of herself. The Chinese reconstruction detachment sent a long flowery message hailing Marie and Luther as heroes. Luther finally had to ask Andreas to shut off the screen when he saw Marie start to cry.

Before they all went to bed, Andreas called Luther over and whispered nervously in his ear. "Are you sure she's okay, man?"

"She's fine. She just needs rest," Luther said, trying to sound sure of it.

*

"I'm sorry, love," Luther told Marie that night, as they lay side by side in their huge bed. They'd decided to sleep separately from the triplets in the end. She'd let him fuck her again, but all through it she had just lain there passively, hardly making a sound. "I know it hurts."

"Do you?" she replied softly. It was the first thing she'd said all evening. "You killed just as many as me. And that man at the airport, too. You didn't even flinch."

"Marie, sweetheart, you know I don't like it any more than you do. It's just...what we have to do."

"We don't have to do anything. We chose it. That's what you told me."

"I didn't mean it like that. I was just trying to..." he trailed off. To be honest, he didn't know what to say to her.