Izikiel

by Thomas Fay

  Even as he said it, Izikiel wondered how they could possibly outrun the Void Lord citadel on foot. Then he saw Da’Amo shake his head.

  ‘No. There is another way. Come with me, quickly. I can sense that the Void Lords are almost upon us,’ Da’Amo said.

  Turning around, the true believer followed the underground river to the far end of the cavern. Izikiel was surprised at the speed with which Da’Amo moved, despite his ruined body. Motioning to the others, they set off after him. Half running, Izikiel could see the dark waters of the underground stream flowing rapidly past him. He could hear the water as it broke against the rocks along its banks. After a while they reached what appeared to be a solid grey wall. They stopped behind Da’Amo. The true believer raised the palm of his right hand up. Then he spoke.

  ‘Repulso’

  The rock face lifted as if by unseen hands and disappeared into a hidden recess. A dark tunnel, just large enough for a man to pass through, was revealed. Motioning for them to follow, Da’Amo disappeared inside. Taking one last look at the remains of the Great City, Izikiel followed with Te’Anne and Xavier close behind. The moment they stepped into the tunnel, they were plunged into darkness.

  ‘Da’Amo!’ Izikiel called out.

  The true believer’s voice drifted out of the darkness.

  ‘Aduro’

  The light from the Eternal Flame illuminated the tunnel. Holding his burning hand aloft, Da’Amo turned back towards them. His voice had a distinct note of urgency as he said, ‘Hurry, the Void Lords have entered the planet’s atmosphere.’

  ‘Where are we going?’ Te’Anne asked as she ran to keep up with them.

  ‘When the Great City was first constructed it was built with an escape route to the other side of the planet.’

  ‘Other side? But that’s thousands of kilometres away. How can we possibly get there?’ Te’Anne asked.

  ‘The technology employed in the creation of the Great City was beyond anything surviving today. It also drew upon the very power of the Eternal Flame. What you are about to see is the result of what the fusion of faith and technology can achieve.’

  Izikiel could see Te’Anne was about to ask another question, when they rounded a bend and arrived at what looked like a solid wall of black metal. Except that the metal was moving. It was flowing upwards.

  ‘What is that?’ Izikiel asked as he stared at the strange material.

  Da’Amo moved closer and spoke the ancient language once more.

  ‘Repulso’

  At his command, the wall of flowing metal parted to reveal a small chamber. Inside, a cool white light shone on a metallic interior.

  ‘It looks like an elevator,’ Te’Anne said.

  She moved closer. Xavier motioned her back with his left arm but she ignored him.

  ‘Yes. This is the last surviving geo-planetary elevator. Once there were hundreds of these linking various underground caverns and parts of the planet together. Today, this is all that remains of this incredible feat of engineering. It will take you to -’ Da’Amo’s words were cut short as a sizeable tremor shook the tunnel. Small fragments of rock fell from the ceiling and broke upon the ground with a loud cracking sound.

  ‘What was that?’ Te’Anne asked, her hand instinctively moving towards her weapons as Xavier moved in front of her.

  ‘The Void Lords have landed! Quick, into the elevator, they must not find you here,’ Da’Amo said.

  Running through the opening, Izikiel found himself inside a rather confined space made entirely of silver metal, smooth to the touch. There were no controls or visible pieces of technology. He wondered how it would operate.

  ‘The geo-planetary elevator will take you to the edge of New Babylon. From there you will have to make your own way.’

  Izikiel suddenly realised the meaning in Da’Amo’s words as a cold shiver swept through him. He asked the inevitable question.

  ‘Are you coming with us?’

  Da’Amo shook his head.

  ‘No. I must remain here. If the Void Lords do not find one who is united with the Eternal Flame then they will continue their search. This way you will have a chance.’

  ‘But -’

  ‘I am sorry, Izikiel. There is no other way. Now go, I can sense the void spawn have been unleashed inside the cavern.’

  NINETEEN

  Casting his head back, Da’Amo closed his eyes and concentrated. Izikiel could sense him establishing a connection to the Eternal Flame, drawing upon its power. As the familiar feeling of heat increased, Izikiel suddenly felt something else. An intense cold permeated his body. But this time it wasn’t out in space. It was right there with them in the underground remains of the ancient true believer city. Looking down the tunnel, he thought that his eyes were deceiving him. Blinking, he looked again. There had been no mistake. The tunnel was getting darker. Something was coming for them.

  ‘Izikiel, look!’ Te’Anne cried out.

  A dark shadow moved along the tunnel at frightening speed. As it neared Da’Amo, Izikiel tried to call out, to warn him. But he was unable to speak as an overwhelming sense of cold and emptiness swept over him. Dropping to his knees, he could only watch as the shadow reached Da’Amo. The patch of darkness detached itself from the wall and leapt at him.

  Da’Amo’s eyes snapped open and he turned with speed beyond any normal man.

  ‘Aduro’

  The dark shadow was engulfed in blue flame as a terrible howl filled the tunnel. Turning back towards the elevator, Da’Amo lifted his other hand and spoke the ancient language once more.

  ‘Accelero’

  A deep rumble passed through the geo-planetary elevator as it shuddered slightly.

  (’May the Flame burn brightly within you, disciple,’) Da’Amo’s voice whispered in Izikiel’s mind.

  As the doors slid shut, the last thing Izikiel saw was a handful of shadows heading towards Da’Amo.

  ‘No!’ Izikiel cried out.

  He attempted to run forward but the molten doors sealed themselves and the elevator accelerated, throwing him off balance. He landed hard on his left arm, wincing from the pain.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Te’Anne asked as she and Xavier lifted him up.

  ‘We have to go back. We can’t leave him to die!’

  A sudden jolt ripped through the elevator. It slowed, dropped sharply and then accelerated twice as fast pushing all three of its occupants against the ground. The elevator continued to build speed as Izikiel’s vision swam with dark colours. He saw Te’Anne pass out from the extreme force as Xavier struggled to maintain consciousness. As darkness pressed in on him, Izikiel attempted to free his mind and reach out to the Eternal Flame. For an instant he felt the heat rising inside of him as he lifted up through a passage deep underground. Then the weight of the darkness returned and he lost all sense of place and time.

  TWENTY

  Opening his eyes, he saw stars. Thousands of stars shining in their constellations as they hung suspended in the darkness of space. Turning on his side, he realised that he was lying on a patch of grass. It was soft and slightly damp. Standing up, he looked around.

  He was on top of a small hill overlooking a vast forest. Oak and fir trees stretched out towards the distant horizon. Turning, he spotted a well worn path leading down the hill towards a house. A number of tall, metal lights illuminated the path. Neatly cut grass stretched out on either side. Walking towards the house, he saw a distant congregation of lights rising up out of the ground at regular intervals. Staring at them, he realised that they were buildings.

  Turning back towards the path, he watched for any signs of life. The night air was still. The only sound was the dry dirt crunching underneath his feet as he walked along the path. Nothing seemed to move as he approached the house. A car was parked underneath a large tree. Light reflected off its metallic blue exterior and glass components. Walking past it, he reached the frosted glass door to the house.

  Instinctively, he knew how to open it. The door sw
ung inwards with the faintest sound. Looking inside, he could see a few small lights. They illuminated a large room with several pieces of furniture and electronic equipment. The house appeared deserted. Walking inside, he paused, not sure what to do next. Then he saw his own reflection in a pane of glass and realised where he was.

  ‘I’m home.’

  PART II - AWARENESS

  TWENTY ONE

  He was adrift. Neither able to move in any direction nor caring if he did. He floated on the invisible currents of space. A desolate gas giant spun silently beside him. Savage magnetic storms scarred its pale red hue as a powerful vortex raged within its inner core.

  ‘Izikiel,’ a distant voice called out to him.

  He tried to hold onto it but it was too faint, too far away. He drifted further. A frozen moon loomed out of the darkness before him. Gigantic shards of ice hung suspended above its surface as the moon’s gravity exerted its force. He stared at his own reflection deep within the ice without a glimmer of recognition.

  ‘Izikiel,’ the voice grew stronger, more forceful.

  He saw a harsh white light fading through the darkness of space. Blinking, he felt a hand touch his chest. A distant memory of a forsaken world rose up within him. As he concentrated on it, he felt himself regaining some measure of control. But something drew him back. A fiery comet was hurtling towards him. Gigantic pieces of burning rock broke off from its tip to impact into nearby asteroids. Its flaming tail stretched out for miles behind as it filled his vision. Panic overtook him as he desperately attempted to move out of its path. The flaming harbinger of destruction expanded in his vision as he opened his mouth and screamed.

  ‘Izikiel, wake up!’ the voice demanded.

  He felt a sharp sting on his face. The comet, asteroids and planets disappeared. He opened his eyes. A dark brown rock formation with strange purple protrusions was directly next to him. He realised that the protrusions were some form of oddly shaped plant which was growing on the rocks. Wiry stalks supported a dense canopy of tightly interwoven branches. The last rays of the twin suns cast a red haze over the landscape. He felt sand, soft and warm, underneath the palms of his hands as he sat up.

  Te’Anne was kneeling in the red sand next to him. There was a small dark bruise on her forehead just above her left eye but otherwise she appeared unharmed. He was thankful for that.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Te’Anne asked.

  ‘I...don’t know. I was adrift, lost in the darkness of space,’ Izikiel replied. Looking closely at Te’Anne’s green eyes, he felt the darkness fading away. ‘Then I heard your voice. You brought me back.’

  ‘Not the first time either,’ Te’Anne replied with a smile. Izikiel smiled too, drawn in by the warmth in her eyes.

  ‘What happened?’ he asked.

  ‘We were in the geo-planetary elevator when something went wrong. It accelerated out of control and I thought that we were going to be crushed. But somehow it must have regained control and deposited us on the other side of the planet.’

  ‘Da’Amo,’ Izikiel said.

  He could see that Te’Anne wanted to say something but seemed unable to find the words. Instead, she leaned forward and hugged him tightly.

  ‘We will never forget what he did for us,’ she said.

  Letting go of him, she stood up. Shaking the sand off her leggings, she looked towards the horizon.

  ‘The New Babylon star port is about twenty kilometres north of here. We should make it before dawn.’

  Izikiel stood up. A large metallic cylinder had partially torn through a nearby rock outcropping. Its black surface glistened in the fading light. A dark pool of liquid congealed around its base. Izikiel recognised it as the remains of the geo-planetary elevator. He could still sense Da’Amo’s influence on it. Closing his eyes, he silently asked the Eternal Flame to watch over his mentor.

  Turning back to Te’Anne, he asked, ‘Where is Xavier?’

  ‘Over here,’ the powerful figure of Xavier replied as he stepped out from behind the remains of the geo-planetary elevator. He carried several objects in his arms.

  ‘Are you alright?’ Izikiel asked.

  ‘I have survived worse,’ Xavier replied, dropping what he was carrying onto the sand.

  Izikiel absently noted the faintest glimmer of green as Xavier’s left eye reflected the fading light from the twin suns. He tried not to stare at it.

  ‘I’m glad to hear it,’ Izikiel said.

  ‘I wish I could say the same for our equipment. We’ve lost the light generators and most of our food rations,’ the large scavenger said as he picked up two squat metallic objects. ‘At least we’ve still got our weapons and enough water to get us to the star port.’

  Xavier suddenly fell silent. Looking at Izikiel, his face betrayed a series of emotions as he furrowed his brow. After a moment, he asked, ‘What happened back there? I’ve seen some strange things out in the desert before but never anything like that.’

  Izikiel considered how much to tell him. He realised that he owed these people his life, so he decided on the truth.

  ‘We were attacked by the void spawn, creatures both of this Universe and of the Void.’

  Xavier seemed to consider what he had been told. Shrugging his shoulders, he said, ‘Well whatever they were, I hope that we never run into them again.’

  ‘Me too,’ Izikiel replied.

  He shivered as he recalled the encounter in the underground tunnel. He could still feel the after-effects of coming into contact with the dark creatures. Turning back towards Te’Anne, he realised that she was staring at something in the distance.

  ‘Te’Anne, what is it?’ he asked.

  Getting no response, he moved closer and was about to repeat his question when she finally spoke.

  ‘Look’

  Following her gaze, he saw a sizeable rock formation covered in dense patches of spindly purple plants. Looking closely, his eyes widened in surprise. Standing atop one of the larger rocks was a young girl of about ten. She wore a simple one piece beige overall with long sleeves. Her hair was blonde and she had a rounded face with a small nose and thin lips. Her pale blue eyes registered a vapid expression as she stared directly at him.

  TWENTY TWO

  The light from the twin suns was now so low that it cast a deep orange glow across the landscape. Impossibly long shadows stretched out from the rock formations which were silhouetted against the darkening sky. The small purple plants, sensing that night was fast approaching, folded up around their stalks. The three of them continued to observe the little girl.

  ‘Where did she come from?’ Izikiel wondered out loud.

  The little girl continued to stare at them. Izikiel could sense Xavier tensing up as his right hand moved down to one of his energy weapons.

  ‘That won’t be necessary,’ Izikiel said. ‘She’s just a child.’

  ‘I don’t like this. How did she get here? She cannot be alone,’ Xavier replied, his eyes scanning the horizon.

  ‘I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for why she’s here. Let’s just -’

  ‘Izikiel’

  Te’Anne’s voice had a note of urgency to it. Izikiel was surprised to find that more and more children had appeared on the rock formation. Boys and girls, all about the age of ten, had sprung up as if from the ground itself. They were all dressed in similar one piece beige overalls of varying lengths. Their eyes had the same vapid expression as the little girl. Izikiel realised that something was wrong. Yet he was unable to tell what it was. The children looked healthy, despite their slightly ragged appearance. He turned to Te'Anne with a questioning expression.

  ‘They are known as the silent ones.’

  The moment she said it, Izikiel realised what it was. The children were silent. They did not laugh, or cry or make any sound at all. He knew intuitively that was not how children behaved. Puzzled, he asked Te'Anne about it.

  ‘I don't know. I've only ever seen one of them before at the star port and th
at was many years ago when I was young.’

  ‘How can this be? And where are the adults?’

  When Te’Anne didn’t reply, Izikiel repeated his question.

  ‘No one has ever seen an adult silent one.’

  Several of the children had stopped moving and were now staring intently at them. The twin suns had dropped to the edge of the horizon and cast their light directly into Izikiel's eyes. As the orange light blinded him, he was suddenly aware of the Eternal Flame.

  It was showing him a vision. No, not a vision, he realised. Rather, it was allowing him to perceive the world in a different spectrum. As he looked at the children, he could see two additional forms slightly off centre on each of them. The first was that of an infant crawling on the ground. The second was that of a fully grown adult. But only the child form stood out as the other two attempted to converge with it. Some unseen force prevented them from doing so, keeping the other two forms in constant motion. Taking a deep breath, Izikiel severed his link to the Eternal Flame.

  ‘I know what they are,’ Izikiel stated with certainty.

  Te'Anne and Xavier looked at him, awaiting an explanation.

  ‘They are trapped in some sort of temporal flux between their past and future selves. This is why they always remain as children. They can neither move forward nor revert back.’

  ‘But how is this possible?’ Te’Anne asked.

  ‘I don't know,’ Izikiel replied, shaking his head. ‘There was some incredible power unleashed on this planet during the final confrontation between the Void Lords and the true believers. It’s possible that power somehow affected this group of children.’

  As he looked back at the little girl that had appeared first, a different thought began to form in his mind. He began to wonder if all those true believers had really perished on that fateful day. After all, it was possible that some of them could have escaped through the geo-planetary elevator.