Elohim did not answer. Reese, again, saw Bennett’s jaw muscles tighten as he fought to retain self-control.
“The Jews have known it all along. It’s your job to provide the ‘evil inclination.’ All of your work, all of your hatred, and all that you have done for hundreds of centuries have served this being you hate so much. And, if you ever stop doing your assigned job, you’re fired, you’re gone. You are brushed out of existence with the mere twitch of His little finger. You’re not on the brink of winning some battle with Him. You’re just starting to get the hang of this job.” Reese watched the pressure building within Bennett. His eyes bulged. His skin reddened. His fists clenched and re-clenched.
“And the best part of this, Lucifer, is that you’ve known it all along. Why else would you hide from Him, perfecting your ability to conceal your thoughts, deeds, and feelings from Him, cowering in a dark corner like a rat hiding from a snake?”
Instead of the anger Reese expected to evoke, Bennett laughed. As the peals of his laughter continued, they echoed off the stone walls, until eventually dying away. With a smile of extreme satisfaction, Bennett gloated, “Did you really believe you could bait me? Did you think me such a fool not to understand the truth?”
It was Reese’s turn to look back silently.
“As you said, I have known for a long time the purpose I served. Since the last visit I have waited, patiently, for this moment. I have waited for a day to come when those loyal to me had not only the will but the means to change the course of his plan. That day is today. That time is now.”
Bennett, stepping back from Reese, casually waved his arm toward the sky. “As we speak, the skies over several cities each contain an airplane. These are very extraordinary planes for they are flown by pilots who are waiting for my orders. They are also special because of their cargo. Each of them carries a device, designed by man, perfected by man, to kill men and, of course, women, children, and any other living, breathing being who happens to be in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Smallpox, nerve gases, modified anthrax, the list goes on. These humans my father so prizes have been quite creative in recent years. There is enough in the sky, ready to deploy, to kill millions immediately, with many more millions to follow as new, genetically-modified diseases spread.”
“Another attack?” asked Reese. “What will that accomplish? The Chosen will be restored. You will gain nothing, and you will lose the input of all of those millions whose connection you crave.”
His smile broadening, Bennett replied, “You’re assuming I plan to kill them.”
“You’re not? Then, why the planes? Why the weapons?”
“Because,” answered Bennett, relishing the moment, “if they are to be killed, their blood will be on his hands, or yours, but certainly not mine.”
Reese thought for moment, suddenly understanding the plan. “You want Him to call it off.”
“I knew if you had a minute or two, you’d figure it out,” Bennett taunted derisively.
Margo caught Reese’s eye. “I don’t understand.”
Explaining, Reese said, “What choice does he have? He can’t fight Elohim head on. Turning more people to evil may slow down the stream, but it doesn’t stop the flow of the few to Heaven. Remember, we’re talking about eternity here. The only option remaining is blackmail.”
“Very good, Dr. Johnson. But I’m not just relying on him to call it off. I’m relying on you, too.”
Reese again faced Bennett. “You mean, if we choose not to go.”
“Exactly. If all of the Chosen decide to stay, I call off the planes.”
“You’re capitalizing on the basic nature of those who are chosen. You know they wouldn’t be able to live for an eternity with the guilt of all of those deaths, all of the pain and suffering.”
“You’re close. It’s even more clever than that. I’m actually extremely proud of myself.”
“Of course!” said Reese. “If any of those among the Chosen did decide to go anyway….”
“Really wouldn’t fit the old man’s criteria anymore, would they? All of a sudden, they wouldn’t be quite the noble, ‘caring-about-others-more-than-themselves’ people he thought they were.”
As the gathering paused to assimilate Lucifer’s words, Elohim finally spoke. “I have watched this…and listened to this long enough. My son, Reese was accurate when he shared my words with you. You have served my purpose. Sadly, it was not what I had planned for your existence to become, yet so it was. And as such, I allowed it to remain. But now, as you plot the deaths of a multitude, for the sole purpose to spoil my wishes, you have gone too far. This must end. Tonight.”
“And what will you do?” asked Lucifer, a twisted smile spreading across his face. “Kill me? Make me cease to exist?”
Bennett burst into a maniacal laughter, which slowly ebbed away. “There is something I’m afraid you don’t understand. In the epochs since we last met, I’ve grown stronger. I have robbed and pilfered from millions, not their property, not their money…their strength.” Gesturing at Michael, he scoffed, “As your cadre of angels, under your misguided instructions, gave and gave and gave their life force away, I have taken and taken and taken. Not only are they no match for me…” – he stepped closer to Elohim, defiance and contempt twisting his face – “neither are you.
“Even if I have underestimated my strength, even if you and your pathetic army can nullify my existence, those men in the planes have their orders. The release triggers will be pulled. The death will rain down from the sky if I do not stop it.” Bennett laughed again. “You see, if you kill me, you kill millions. As you have said to all of us, in your infinitely tautological way, it’s all about choices. It’s time you made your choice. Put an end to this nauseating exploitation of yours. Stop the harvesting and go home, content with what you have. Leave the Earth to me…or I will end it for you.”
“As I said, I have watched you, my son….”
“Stop that! Do not call me your son!”
“As I have watched, I have observed your gradual descent into madness.”
“You lie! You have not been able to look into me.”
“One need not see into the mind of a maggot to smell the stench of its work. I have watched the ripples formed by your deeds as they spread through this world. Do you believe for a moment that I would walk away, that I would leave the hearts and souls of billions in your hands?”
“You have no choice. If you don’t, they die.”
“Death is a better choice for them than enduring you.”
Bennett’s fury was growing exponentially. “YOU’RE BLUFFING!”
“You have forgotten. Bluffing has never been a part of my repertoire.” Elohim lifted his hand. The movement caused Bennett to flinch. Indicating Bennett’s pocket, Elohim said, “Call them. Release your foulness. End this. NOW!” The final word thundered off the walls.
Bennett, the slightest twinge of self-doubt appearing on his face, immediately replaced it with unbridled hostility. Thrusting his hand into his pocket, he withdrew a cell phone and punched the first number, listening for the ring. It began and continued to ring, unanswered. Ending the call, Bennett pressed the second number, again getting only the ring. Angrily, he pressed the third and then the fourth with no result. His frustration driving his hands to shake, Bennett continued calling phone after silent phone.
Elohim watched quietly, his eyes full of pity, before finally speaking to Lucifer. “You have no planes in the sky. You have no foul and hideous death poised for release upon mankind. Your men are no more. Each discovered the true cost of consorting with you. A message was delivered personally by Gabriel, Uriel, Uzziel, Sammuel, Raphael, Nemamiah, Jophiel, Abdiel. From this day forth, my child, every man or woman who succumbs to your contemptible seductions, who plots to kill on your behalf, who schemes to bespoil the beauty of another’s soul at your behest, will receive this message.”
Bennett, still tightly gripping the cell phone, disbelief deforming his face, bare
ly uttered, “You can’t. You have never intervened.”
“It’s true that since the days of Eden, I have not meddled. It was a promise made and a promise kept for all of these centuries. And it is a promise from which I have been not only liberated but beseeched to ignore, for I have come to understand that it is a promise kept falsely. When the mother of Abel and Cain begged for me not to intrude, it was I who misunderstood. She only wanted for her children to grow and thrive out from under my shadow. She instinctively understood that which I did not. For man to enjoy his own victories, he must also endure his own mistakes. Today, a new promise – to meddle not – is made, but it is based upon this new understanding.”
Bennett stared silently, mesmerized by his father.
“By serendipity or design, allowing you to exist among them, unchecked, has not been a fulfillment of that promise; it has been a violation. You are my son and, as such, my agent. I promised to not intervene; yet, permitting you to have your malevolent way with mankind is tampering to the most heinous degree. I have erred. Deceiving myself into believing that you served a purpose…my purpose…was a mistake. A mistake which shall be undone tonight.”
Mustering the strength to speak, Bennett protested, “You cannot destroy me. You have said so yourself.”
“And that is true. I cannot.”
“Nor can you send me away.”
“That is also true. You would simply return.”
Encouraged by Elohim’s confirmations, Bennett straightened, absently dropping the phone onto the stone floor, the clatter preternaturally loud. In a more confident voice than a moment before, he asked, “Then, if this is to end tonight, what will you do?”
“I will do that which I can. I will, to use the word offered by a friend, quarantine you. You will remain on Earth or leave if you choose. It will matter not to me. But you will have no further access to mankind. You will never again possess another mortal. You will no longer revel in the countless attachments to millions, feeding off of their senses and their very vitality. You will be an observer, as if within a glass sphere, but the glass shall be opaque, for I will not permit you to even embrace the senses of the lowliest animal.”
As Bennett heard his sentence being pronounced, his eyes began to flash, the snarl returned to his lips. “And how will you do this? You cannot even find me, if I choose not to be found.”
“It is true. When you conceal yourself, you are invisible to me. It is only when you send out one of your tendrils, touching another living being, that I become aware of your existence. Even then, I cannot follow the filament back to its source. You have become quite adept at obfuscating. But I can, through my angels, snip the filament the instant it connects, severing you from your goal. And that I will do, tirelessly and for an eternity.”
The implications of Elohim’s words, the realities of being cut off from everything, were beginning to insinuate themselves into his mind. With a tinge of panic, Bennett said, “You cannot do this.”
“I can. Would you like a demonstration?” Elohim turned to Michael and nodded. The Archangel walked to Clayton Dean and stood before him. Elohim continued, “This is a good man. He has struggled for a lifetime to find the righteous path, never quite reaching his goal because of you. He has been one of your legion, one of the many caught in your web. You have tied him to you, whispered in his ear, never tired in your effort to keep him adrift. Tonight he will be free.”
Clayton Dean, hearing Elohim’s words, feeling them resonate deep within his heart, saw Michael lean forward and gently kiss his forehead. In that instant, he felt a powerful, whirling sensation, ceasing a moment after it began. Suddenly, a weight – present for so long it had become a part of him, unnoticed – was gone, as were his doubts, anxiety, and fear.
“At this moment, as we speak, it has begun. Around the Earth my angels are doing my work. Do you feel it, Lucifer? Among the billion sources streaming into you, are you starting to the notice the absence of a few? Soon this will be followed by a few more. And so it will proceed until none remain.”
Still staring at Clayton, aware of the severing which had just occurred, Bennett asked, “I’ll be alone?”
“No, my son. You will not. I am not capable of such a harsh punishment. As time goes on, your sphere will become filled with others.”
“Who? Who would you banish in such a way?”
“Kindred souls. Souls who, through a flaw in my design, have remained on Earth, multiplying in number, teasing, cajoling, and incessantly attempting to influence and invade the pure hearts of the living. Those who have committed the foulest of offenses. Those who are irredeemable. They are the ones who will join you for an eternity.”
Without warning, Bennett struck out at Elohim, knocking him down. Claire screamed. Melissa shrieked. Reaching down, Preston Bennett bent his fingers, prepared to wrap them around Elohim’s neck. As he looked past Bennett, Elohim’s voice thundered, “Michael, no! You’ll be destroyed.”
The Archangel had swiftly stepped to Elohim’s side, seizing Bennett’s arm. At the instant of contact, an eerie sound began, vibrating the stone floor and walls of the alcove – a deep rumble, resembling distant thunder, mixed with a humming, crackling sound, as if from a massive generator. The effect of the contact on Michael was immediately apparent and staggering. Bennett turned to give his full attention to the angel, gripping Michael’s shoulder with his free hand.
The added connection accelerated the process as Michael began to collapse in the grip, his eyes looking beseechingly at Bennett for mercy. The unnatural sound grew in intensity and volume, rising to the pitch of a whine, nearly deafening to all. As the mortals watched the one-sided conflict between two titans, they were immobilized by the sight, frozen by the spectacle. No one moved as Michael’s head lolled to the side, as he struggled mightily to maintain his grasp on Bennett.
The entire space seemed to be filled with a charge. The bystanders, including those spread out on the steps, felt the hair on their bodies stand on end. Rearing back his head, Bennett loosed a roar filled with anger and hatred. Removing one hand from Michael’s shoulder, Bennett began to reach upward…to clasp his head, his obvious intent to complete the annihilation, when Matthew suddenly screamed, “NO!” and broke loose from Claire, running to the falling angel. Before she could react, Matthew tucked his head under Michael’s arm, hugging him tightly.
“MATTHEW!” Claire shouted, too late.
Michael, feeling the presence of Matthew…the willing contribution of his strength, opened his eyes and looked down at him and smiled weakly. “LOOK! IT’S HELPING!” yelled Melissa, running to help her brother and the angel. Both Reese and Claire, joined by Reynolds, reacted instantly, dashing to follow Melissa. Too late to stop her from also embracing the angel, they joined her in the act.
Lucifer saw and sensed the addition of others. His furor grew even more intense. Again he gripped Michael’s shoulder, squeezing ferociously. Determined to reverse the respite caused by the intervention of Matthew, Melissa, Reynolds, Claire, and Reese, Lucifer called upon more strength, more energy stored within, and, in moments, Michael’s energy again flagged. Leo Schmidt walked slowly to the spectacle. Rather than attaching himself to Michael, he reached out and gripped the shoulder of Bennett. The direct contact caused a violent trembling within him. Leo saw that Mario Bonavente had followed him, grasping Bennett’s other shoulder and murmuring words Leo did not at first understand, only to recognize them moments later as the Rites for an Exorcism. Craig rushed to join the huddled group, as did Margo, Burke, Walter, and Doris.
Just in the moments since he had joined the contact, Reese felt his energy draining, sapped by Lucifer. In less time than a minute he felt himself sinking into a pit of fatigue, as if having wandered for days without food or water. Reese could tell the same thing was happening to the others, as he looked into their faces. Weariness and the beginnings of despair showed on all of them, yet Bennett withstood their amassed force; steely determination born of hatred filled h
is face.
Barely able to see through his own profound fatigue, Reese saw the mighty Archangel Michael close his eyes again. No longer standing on his own, Michael was completely supported by the others. Somewhere within him, an unstoppable will drove him to maintain his grip upon Bennett’s arm, even if it meant the end of his existence. Both from Elohim’s words and from what he sensed, Reese knew what was happening within him, his loved ones, and the others. The pure, polarized, intensified negative energy of Lucifer was nullifying the balance within each of them.
If they did survive this, their souls would no longer be compatible with the environment and the residents of Heaven. They, too, would be banished for an eternity. The nobility of trading one’s life for the good of others paled against the reality of their actions, for they were offering their eternal place in Heaven.
The Harvest Page 75
