"Well, now that I've got everyone's attention, where should I start?" the Jons asked. It really seemed confusing as they all spoke simultaneously. They were answered by all the rebels shooting at them. Somehow, they managed to miss every shot. "Really, bullets are the best you can do?" they asked condescendingly. They raised their hands, which glowed brightly, as they said something in an incomprehensible language. A loud shriek sounded that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere, and as glowing balls of energy came out of the rebels' chests, Bambi and Candy included, converging on Jons' hands as their bodies collapsed without any sign of life.
"You killed them?" Karyn asked in shock.
"No, I've done something far greater," the Jons answered. Suddenly, the corpses stood up and their faces, hair, and clothes seemed to melt away. Eldritch blue light shone from their eye sockets, mouths, and nostrils, as their faces became ghoulish and skull like. In mere seconds, they all looked almost exactly the same, and stood with a slight hunch, hissing and screeching at their former allies. The humanoid creatures clawed at the air, moving like limp puppets. "Behold the future of humanity: the Glorified. Their souls are within God now," Jon said.
"So you made them into your slaves? And what's up with there being ten of you, which one of you is the real Jon?" Zoe demanded.
"They aren't my slaves, they're slaves to the only power greater than me, and we are all the real Jon. I made phantom clones of myself on the off chance that something unexpected happened,"
"We'll never let you get away with this!" Joan roared, trying to attack her father.
It was useless, and he simply said, "Joan, remember who you were". Suddenly, she glowed and transformed, as her clothes became a more conservative gold and white gown, her makeup changing, and her hair turning its natural brown, tying itself back in a bun. The overall effect made her look like some kind of princess.
"You see, I originally planned to use my 'daughter' here as a sleeper agent," Jon explained. "Then I could wish to know where she is, but I guess I won't even have to,"
Joan looked at one of her father's bodies, and said, "It's good to be back dad, but could you get that sword for me? You know the one "
"Oh, sure," Jon answered, as a pink and cobalt bladed saber appeared in his daughter's hand. She smiled, and walked over to Josh, with the sword still in her hand.
"Joan? Please, don't tell me it was all just a lie! You must have had feelings for me! You even said you loved me!"
"Yeah, I guess I did," Joan said coldly. "Unfortunately, I love my dad and what he's got planned a lot more," she declared, giving her former boyfriend a light cut on the cheek. JD felt his cheek, noticing a single drop of blood, and thought it was odd that she didn't cut him any more than that. Suddenly, he doubled over in pain, and as he writhed on the ground screaming, his voice gradually gaining a higher pitch, and he started changing into a young woman.
Jon laughed, which sounded especially creepy coming from all of them at once, "The good ol' sword of Aphrodite, the smallest drop of blood will turn its victim to the opposite gender. I had a ton of fun with this back in the day," he said, amused. "Somehow, this never gets old, no matter how many times I see it happen. Even the women turning to men "
"Jon what's happened to you?" Karyn asked. "The Jon I used to be best friends with believed in freedom. He wouldn't be a fundamentalist, and even if he was, he'd never force his beliefs on other people! What did that stone do to you? You claim to be in control, but I think that stone's been the one controlling you!"
Jon looked down at his best friend, "Karyn, there's so much that I've learned over the past half century, so much I know now that I didn't before," he sighed, suddenly sounding more like the old Jon," "When I wished for the stone to show me the secrets of the universe, it showed me everything. Now, only God himself has more knowledge than I. It showed me the path to preserving humanity. This 'wishing stone' as you call it is actually the Viracocha Aspect, a part of the divine essence, disguised in the form of a mere disk," he explained. "Though its power is limited, when used correctly it's nearly omnipotent. Tell me, when people worship their God or gods, where do you think all that mental energy and emotion goes? What do you think happens to it?" Jon asked them.
"I always assumed it all went to waste," Zoe answered derisively. Karyn decided that Zoe was either the most foolish, or the bravest girl she'd ever known.
Jon simply laughed, the same way adults do when a small child says something ignorant, "Ah yes, little sister, you would say that wouldn't you? It's been too long Now I bet you all want an explanation for that comment, don't you? Well, that's too bad, because I've decided not to tell you, at least not yet," he taunted. "Whether you support or oppose me is immaterial. Preparations have to be made, a massive assembly of 144 million believers, a maiden's sacrifice on an altar of all faiths, it needs to be done before the deadline. A massive cyclone is forming, and we must light the spark to ignite it before it's too late." Karyn and Zoe looked at each other and then Jon in shock. Had the stone somehow driven him insane? How could they get it away from him?
Two of the Glorified grabbed the transformed Josh, apparently the virgin sacrifice, and the three of them vanished. "Now, what indeed should I do with the two of you?" Jon asked.
