Attrition of the Gods: Book 1 of the Mystery Thriller series Gods Toys. by P.G. Burns Page A

asked.
    The Pope nodded. Leo noticed a look of trepidation fall across the elderly priest’s face. Simeon spoke again.
    “The last report you sent mentions a transaction from the Vatican to China.”
    Leo felt uncomfortable. He noticed that as well as authority, Simeon’s voice was bearing a certain menace.
    “Well?” asked Simeon, his voice raised.
    Uncomfortable was now an understatement, especially as Simeon was acting as if the Pope was a secretary awaiting instruction. Leo gathered his courage and inquired to the Pope.
    “Is everything all right, Your Worship?”
    Simeon sighed. “Trust me, he is fucking fine. He shits in a golden latrine and gets blow jobs off the nuns so don’t worry about him. I need you to focus, Leo. The Jesuit and the Jew, what paperwork have you found on them?”
    A mixture of outrage and fear prompted Leo to stand suddenly. His mind raced: What is going on? he thought. Is this some sort of prank? No, of course not, you fool. Perhaps it’s a test. Well, I’ve failed if it is. What if Simeon has flipped? Could be drugs? No, he doesn’t look drugged, does he? I can’t see his eyes with those confounded glasses on, I need to get out of here. Eventually he had a clear thought . Of course, Simeon must have had some sort of breakdown and the Pope is playing along. I must alert the guards!
    “It’s okay, Leo,” said the Pope. “Take a seat.”
    Leo hesitated as he watched the Pope get up and offer Simeon the chair at his desk.
    “Thank you,” said Simeon, slipping into place. “Now I understand that this is a little strange, Leo, but let me explain.” He opened a drawer in the desk and pulled out Leo’s report before nodding to Benedict who turned and left the room, closing the doors behind him.
    “What I am about to tell you is a secret that only a handful of men and fewer women have ever heard. This secret goes back three thousand years. I am a part of this secret and the first thing I must tell you is that my name is Simeon, Utrillo, Santa Cruz and I am not human.”
    If someone tells you he is an alien your first thoughts will probably be ones of pity towards them or perhaps fear as you naturally conclude that the person is either on drugs or mentally disturbed. Of course, if the person claiming to be an alien is sitting opposite you in the Vatican library and has just dismissed the leader of the Roman Catholic Church with a nod of his head, then the feelings you are likely to have are ones of utter confusion and possibly an unease. However, the thing that bothered Leo most about this encounter was that the man talking to him was not moving his lips.
    “You are wondering how you can hear me,” smiled Simeon without opening his mouth. “I am communicating through a connection we have via a gland in your brain. Don’t panic, everything will become clear soon.”
    Leo felt he should be panicking but he really wasn’t. The voice in his head had a calming tone that relaxed him in a way he imagined meditation would. As well as the monotone vibration that carried Simeon’s words, pictures seemed to be forming in his mind. Simeon began to explain.
    “I am one of a delegation that came to this place thousands of years ago.”
    In Leo’s mind he could clearly see a ball of intense fire sitting in a crater of its own making. The sands of a desert surrounded the scene. A group of a hundred or so nomads were curiously looking into the crater, their faces portraying their awe at this mystical fireball. Then thirteen of the tribesmen started to walk towards the fire that burned within as their friends and family screamed at them to stop. The thirteen seem to be in a trance and ignored the remonstrations. A small man was knocked to the ground as he stood in front of his brother, trying to withhold him. Undeterred the thirteen walked into the crater, no longer pursued by their fellow tribesmen as the heat became unbearable. Leo could almost feel the heat himself. The thirteen men