In his black throne of a chair, Chase sat bolt upright. “You insult me, Enoch. We do this for only the best possible reasons. We mean no harm and take no pleasure in having to kill billions, but difficult problems call for difficult solutions. Motivated by the best and most noble of goals, we won’t tolerate the kind of future where a single person is forced into living a life of suffering. We care too much to allow that. To achieve that best destiny in the days to come, culling now would be of great benefit all around. How else could we return Earth to its springtime beauty? How else can the globe provide enough resources for everyone? Enoch, you of all people should recall those early days — there is nothing remotely like it now, no place where the pristine loveliness of the Garden of Eden can be found any longer. Countless people crawling like a parasitical infestation over the face of this planet, useless eaters ruining everything. We respect the planet too much to allow this human contagion to continue. It must be controlled. And we plan to.”
Enoch answered, “Wholesale destruction and degradation sold to me as a best destiny? Do you seriously believe God will allow you to proceed with such plans? Fortunately, your contempt for the human race is not shared by the King of the Universe. He loves them, gave his life for them. Would he have taught them to pray calling him ‘Daddy’ unless he valued each and every one as a greatly loved child? You already know your scheme would never be approved. Even hell under God’s eye shows greater love and compassion for those souls than your plans do. No, I won’t help you. And know this, Talmai — your scheme will be stopped.”
After adjusting the heavy chain on his wrist, Amunson got up from his tall black chair, gave his jacket a brief shake, and then buttoned it up as he walked up to Enoch standing in the doorway to his office. “Stop us? Why? It makes no sense. Help us, Enoch! Present our case for us, one more time. We aren’t asking for much. Think what we can accomplish. We are owed the chance to do great things.”
“What you are owed in return for the evil you’ve sponsored throughout all the ages of Earth, you will receive. Your judgment had already been decreed by the Lord, the Eternal King, and he has no intention of excusing any of The Watchers or the Fallen Ones from meeting him at the great white throne on the Day of Judgment. There, you can present your case when the books containing the records of all deeds done are opened, and the circumstances of your existence are reviewed. You can offer as evidence whatever you consider to be your best deeds, but those you have harmed will also have their chance to testify against you.”
Growling, Amunson glared at Enoch, who continued speaking. “The Watchers abandoned their duty to intercede for the human race in the Divine Council. And now you want me to intercede for you? It’s not my place to plead your case for you.” Shaking his head, Enoch said, “Have I ever told you how ironic I think it is that you keep asking me to act as your intercessor? The sins of The Watchers grew out of their contempt, their disrespect for frail human beings and their disapproval of God’s decision to seat us as participants in the Divine Council, ranking us higher than the angels. And yet here you are, putting your fate into the hands of a son of Adam. You’re admitting I stand higher in The Eternal’s estimation than you do.”
Black eyes starting to glow red, Chase took one step closer.
Enoch said, “What right do you have to do the evils you’ve done to humanity throughout the ages? How dare you disrespect the children of God like this!”
Amunson bent over and cocked his head sideways to position his nose only an inch from Enoch’s. “Disrespect? You think we should show humanity respect? Respect for what? They are — you are — frail, filthy uruku made of dirt. I could make a new and BETTER human by scraping the mud off my shoes!”
Enoch’s brown eyes calmly looked back into the pupils of Chase’s black eyes. “And yet we frail, filthy animals made out of stardust will one day soon rule over all in the Unseen Realm, from messenger angels to archons who have authority over the nations of the Earth.”
Chase threw his head back and howled.
“By the way, Talmai, ” Enoch said. “You might want to take a step or two away from me. I’m not sure when it will happen that I will be given my end time power of destroying my enemies with fire that issues forth from my mouth. But you never know. It might be today.”
38 | Attack
With her heart beating so rapidly, it was difficult to catch a breath. Mia deliberately and slowly took in a lung full of air, held it, and then let it slowly out. Technically, she was mounted on Maru-Dannum, and he was securely standing on the subway platform in the nexus way station. But looking out the open gateway to where she was headed was giving her an attack of nerves. Before yesterday, she would never ever made the decision to return to the iCon HQ building. And yet that was the task set before her. She was about to return to that place of ashes and torment. And to make things worse, this return to the HQ (more than three hundred feet below) meant she had to step into the middle of thin air, without the help of wings to make a controlled descent. And all this waiting around wasn’t helping. Anxiety was driving out what little patience she normally had. It was like flooring your accelerator while standing on one place by stomping hard on the brake.
Unlike Mia, Maru-Dannum was supremely calm, his head held high, motionless except for the occasional lift of a restless hoof. No doubts or fears to disturb him, he was ready to be the distraction needed for Enoch’s plan to succeed. Standing outside the barn at Ismarsettehka earlier this morning while his armor was being put on, Maru had looked fierce and handsome and ready for battle. Pleased to be the center of attention, he knew he was a strong and magnificent horse. Both Enoch and Ethan had whispered some words of instruction and encouragement into his ear before Mia had mounted, instructions no doubt concerning the objectives of the mission and the importance of protecting his rider. Recalling this, Mia thought, “Maru probably knows more about what is going on than I do.” Enoch also spoke a blessing and a prayer over her and Maru-Dannum:
“Eternal King, the holy ones who dwell in heaven
Have united with one voice to give thanks
And bless your name, the Lord of Spirits.
Add my voice to the heavenly plea, Lord —
Fill our hearts with joy by hearing our prayer.
We ask on behalf of the innocent and the righteous
That judgment be brought on the violent,
On those who have forsaken their God.
Remember the deeds of the wicked,
And break the strength of sinners
That your people may not suffer any longer.
Let the prayers of the righteous not be in vain —
With your strong right hand give us victory today,
And preserve the lot of your people,
For in your name alone are we saved.”
Afterward, Enoch told her that she and Maru would be descending a celestial stairway in the sky, and that she probably would not be able to see the stair steps. And it was just like Enoch had said it would be — she saw nothing but blue sky in front of them. Thinking about making that first step into an airy nothingness, she felt nervous and sick inside, but she made up her mind to trust what Enoch had said. Even if she couldn’t see them, there were stairsteps in the sky leading to the HQ below. She also trusted Maru-Dannum. Enoch had assured her that the tall red horse would be able to see the stairway, and the strong horse certainly was not worried in any way right now, which reassured her. She had already seen (multiple times) that he would take care of her to the very best of his considerable ability.
Both Mia and the red horse were dressed for battle in armor fashioned by Ethan. The iron had intentionally not been highly polished, but instead was finished with a dark patina so that the blows made on the anvil were still visible. The result was a rugged and beautiful armor, accented with silver and gold trim, joined together with thick leather dyed black, reinforced with steel brads. Maru’s armor was a dazzl
ing contrast with his shiny cherry red coat. Differing from a more traditional shape, Maru’s iron chanfron had an open design, shaped like a reinforced halter that framed his eyes, with a center strip running the length of his nose. At the center of his forehead, the silver escutcheon was an embossed portrait of a woman. On his neck, a black leather crinet with overlapping steel plates covered his mane and was strapped around his neck with three strips of thick black leather reinforced with steel brads. The reins were also made with matching reinforced black leather. Maru’s point of shoulder and chest were protected with a shield of the same dark, beaten, and embossed iron. Under the black leather saddle, which was trimmed with gold and silver decoration and reinforced with steel, was a black and white saddle blanket that Daisy had woven for him.
Feeling less confidence in herself than she felt in Maru (much less confidence), Mia was also prepared to play her part as a distraction. Also protected by matching armor made by Ethan at his forge at Ismarsettehka, his creation for her started with a black leather hauberk covering shoulders to mid-thigh with small steel lamina and plates layered over the leather, hammered pauldrons fastened at each shoulder. The sleeves were leather without the reinforcements to better permit the freedom of movement needed to fully utilize her weapons. There were also black leather gauntlets for her hands, and her legs were protected with lightweight cuisses, poleyns, and greaves. A sturdy black leather belt kept the cavalry saber and scabbard Kit had given her securely at her side, and she wore a shield strapped to her back. Her helmet was made in a Viking style with no visor to flip down since it was made of all one piece. Stylized eyebrows in gold gave a fierce glare to the eyeholes which also acted like a mask disguising her face. Running down the center of the helmet and down the nasal, gold trim embossed with the design of a complicated braid was secured to the helmet. In the middle of Mia’s forehead, a medallion of a horse beaten out of gold. From the crest of her helm, a white silk scarf made of a fine weave that would float on the breeze, as would the white pennon attached to the five foot long lance she carried made of ash wood, its point covered in silver.
Unlike what she had expected, her shoes were the latest black leather high top cross trainers, not boots. Earlier, when Ethan had acted as squire and was helping her don the equipage, she mentioned that the shoes didn’t “go with the armor.”
Ethan had chuckled, looked up at her face, and then replied, “Really?”
“Yes, really,” she replied, nodding. “They’re not appropriate to the weaponry or the armor.”
He said, “Our goal is quick and secure footwork to achieve success and victory. Using the best equipment possible. Time period authenticity is not important.”
To which she had replied, “I don’t understand then. Why am I carrying a sword and wearing armor and not carrying a machine gun or maybe sitting nearby in a minivan full of electronic equipment, ready to push the button to launch an RGP carried by a drone?”
Ethan said, “RPG. There are legitimate strategic reasons. Such as some entities we encounter can’t be mortally wounded by bullets made of lead, because the wounds heal up immediately. And explosions from bombs, it’s like water or air to them. Wouldn’t harm them in the least. For monsters and giants, swords are the best and most effective weapon you can carry. Even once they are put down, giants don’t stay dead unless you cut their head off and bury it separately from the body. Which, by the way, is what David did with Goliath’s head. Also, pure ancient metals, such as iron, silver, copper, gold on occasion, they act like a powerful acid or poison against supernatural entities. That’s why the tip of your lance is covered with silver.”
“Like silver bullets killing a werewolf?” Mia had asked.
“Exactly. But we can discuss strategy against supernatural opponents in greater detail later.”
So here she was, impatient to get things started, but also afraid to take that first step out the door. To keep her mind from thinking too much about that moment of having to trust in the existence of invisible steps in the middle of the blue sky, she focused on keeping a close lookout below for her signal to proceed. From the open door of the gateway high above the former Edgestow College campus, she could not see the entry to Noonan Hall, hidden from this angle behind the six story height of the iCon HQ. But it didn’t matter — her signal would come from the adjacent parking lot, which was plainly visible. Minutes of waiting seemed like they would never end, but at the same time, she also didn’t want them to end.
Finally, she saw Dr. Adjani look up and give a wave as he and his squad left the car they had just parked. Then they all headed toward the entry to the science building. Gulping in a deep breath, she said, “Time to go,” and applied pressure with her knees to Maru’s sides.
Three hundred feet above iCon’s headquarters, they stepped out of the nexus gateway and onto the top of the invisible celestial stairway. The door behind her swung shut. With the door shut, she was surrounded by three hundred and sixty degrees of blue skies. Unable to see the steps, Mia’s immediate reaction to the information provided by her brain (“You’re standing on thin air!”) was to freeze and not move, in spite of what she had been told by Enoch. For a second she felt like the cartoon coyote after he stepped off a cliff, kept aloft by his ignorance of the situation. Was that her predicament now? Would she fall if she looked down? She looked down. Her eyes kept insisting, “We’re standing on nothing!” A terrifying experience worse than jumping out of a plane for a parachute drop. Gravity makes sense, defying gravity doesn’t. She drew back strongly on the reins to keep Maru from moving. She was so scared she was swearing and praying at the same time. “Frack! Frack! Frack! Oh Jesus, forgive me for what I said. Save and protect us!”
But after a brief second of sheer terror, the reality of staying aloft sunk in, and Mia quickly calmed down. Because they were staying where they were. Not falling. Standing rock solid, Maru was not panicked in the least. In fact, his calm helped calm her down. “He does see them, he can see the steps!” She gave the red horse his head and let him negotiate the invisible stairway on his own. His footing absolutely secure and solid, he started his beautiful swagger down the steps. She estimated the stair steps to be about fifteen feet deep — who knew how wide!
It was a warm summer day in Barrow Heights, and a slight breeze was blowing the white silk pennon and scarf around. Mia relaxed and started to enjoy the descent. “Now that I’m not terrified, this is even better than flying! But watch out for that first step.” She took a look at the old Edgestow College campus spread out below her — Stark Gymnasium, the library, Flanagan Hall, the atrium next to Edgestow Hall, and all the other beautiful buildings with their arches and towers. She thought, “I miss those days. I wish iCon hadn’t ruined it all.” But after her brief moment of nostalgia, she reminded herself to focus on the task at hand. As Maru continued down the stairway that angels climb to travel back and forth between the Third Heaven and Earth, she took the time to review the mission plan that Enoch and the others on his council had made. Which she had memorized word for word so there would be no mix-ups or mistakes.
“Step 1. Dr. Adjani, Wynne, James, and Pastor JT took the gateway leading to McLeod near the Mississippi River early this morning. From there, together, they all drove to Barrow Heights, scheduled to arrive on campus on or before 2:15. They will pose as visiting scientists who have shown up without an appointment, who are requesting permission to visit Noonan Hall in order to learn more about iCon’s research into transhumanism. Since the receptionist is away at the business meeting, this will require at least one security guard to come meet them and deal with their request for access. I’ve seen that this step has already commenced.
“Step 2. Enoch will confront Chase in his office. Chase will think he’s captured Enoch’s attention, but in reality, Enoch will be distracting him from what is going on under Noonan Hall in the sub-basement. This step should have already commenced inside iCon’s HQ.
“Step 3. Once I have seen that Dr. Adjani’s team has reached Noonan Hall, I am to traverse the celestial stairway riding Maru. Obviously, that’s what I’m doing now. The goal is to be a further diversion, to distract any security guards who are not already busy dealing with Enoch or Dr. Adjani’s group, making it safer for the team to enter the sub-basement in Noonan Hall. Once I reach the ground, I am to enter the lobby, still riding Maru. Under strictest orders, I am not to dismount or go any further into the building than the lobby. If needed, before the rangers arrive, Maru and I are to prevent or at least delay any security guards trying to use the grand staircase to go to the second floor, but I am not to leave the lobby should any of them evade this blockade.
“Step 4. Led by Joseph and Ethan, the rangers will portal into the sub-basement of Noonan Hall. While Kit stands as lookout near the elevator in the sub-basement hallway, Joseph will access every iCon network computer he can find in order to upload the worm created by Wynne, which will then spread throughout the networked systems to corrupt and destroy all archived records related to transhumanism. While he is doing that, Ethan will check the sub-basement complex for any random person still on site. Should any be found, they will be kept near the elevator until it will be time for them to be sent upstairs to safety.
“Step 5. Sofia will plant targeted explosives at strategic locations to ensure the complete destruction of all equipment, computers, and records related to the Geek Rapture and the AI Singularity located in the lab and nearby rooms in Noonan Hall. That completed, she and Joseph will fall back to the sub-basement hallway in front of the portal exit. Once they return after completing their mission, any iCon personnel that Ethan finds will be sent up the elevator to the lobby. After they are safe and out of harm’s way and before the team portals out, Sofia will use a disposable cell phone to remotely detonate the bombs. Noonan Hall itself will not be structurally damaged. The portal is carved out of bedrock and will not be damaged either.
No Geek Rapture for Me_I'm Old School Page 48
