Relics

by K. T. Tomb

  Shala IL Eve showed no emotion as she watched the monitors. There was video surveillance on each level of the complex as well as just outside of the mountain.

  The trucks they had spotted earlier were considerably closer and Mother Daughter Myora and her Daughter Shala watched the monitors in silence. A satellite link allowed for continuous surveillance of the approaching convoy as well as anything else which could be considered a threat. The only sound that could be heard in the control center was the faint hum of the servers.

  Myora gently placed her hand on her Daughter’s shoulder for reassurance.

  “Fear not, Shala,” she said encouragingly. “I sense that Jessima IL Eve and the Chosen One are en route. They have taken a less direct path than the one our enemy has chosen.”

  “Why are they our enemy?” Shala queried. “Outsider? Yes. A threat? Perhaps. But who decided that these particular people are dangerous or our enemy?”

  Myora tried to conceal her look of surprise at the question.

  “My dear child, it is not our place to judge the outside world. It is our job to protect the Garden of Eden from those who would try to use the Tree of Life for their own purpose.”

  Shala stood and faced her mother.

  “And yet, we bring an outsider here to protect Eden? How do we know that he has not been poisoned by the world? Can you say for sure that he won’t try to take the oil for himself?”

  “Daughter! That is enough!” yelled the Mother Daughter.

  Myora immediately placed both hands over her mouth. She was shocked and disappointed with herself for losing control for the first time in centuries.

  “Forgive me, Daughter. It is a tense time for all of us and is seems that I am no exception. We are at a crossroads. I have seen great destruction coming to Eden. I have seen fire and blood, so much blood.”

  Mother Daughter lowered her head. She could no longer fend off her tears.

  It was Shala’s turn to comfort.

  “You see it all, don’t you, Mother Daughter?”

  Shala’s words were cold and uncaring, even patronizing, as she continued, “Being immortal can be a blessing and a curse. For the first several hundred years, it was a blessing. Now we are held like prisoners in a place that never changes. We are forced to watch the outside world change from century to century and we are unable to do anything but watch. We see all the wonderful things this world has to offer, but we cannot touch and experience any of it for ourselves.”

  Myora backed away from her Daughter. She was in shock.

  “How dare you, Shala! We are not entitled to anything but a life of servitude! That is our mission!”

  “That’s right, Mother!” Shala snapped. “Our mission! One of eternal servitude! Yet, two sisters went out into the world! Two!”

  Myora’s self-control left her completely and her tone changed to one which was much more severe.

  “Why is it that you feel compelled to question your destiny? We were not born into the world of men! We have a purpose above all else! You are ungrateful and disrespectful; not just to me, but to God and Eve herself!”

  Shala’s expression changed. She showed her anger.

  “Ramallah and Jessima were sent to retrieve the Chosen One. Instead of them… it should have been me.”

  Myora, the Mother Daughter, experienced an emotion that she had hoped she would never feel; at least not to the extreme that she felt it then.

  Fear mixed with pity.

  “Oh, dear Daughter, no,” Myora said, as tears began to streak her cheeks. “Do you know who you sound like?”

  Shala smiled as she straightened her stance.

  “Call me what you will, Mother Daughter. That will not change the fact that you know I’m right. Do you think I am similar to Lucifer? Or am I reminding you of your sister? Perhaps then I should prove you right. I wouldn’t want to correct you.”

  Shala went to the computer and quickly typed something in. She then held her finger over the enter button. “I hope you’re prepared for what comes next, Mother Daughter.”

  Shala pressed the button and looked around with anticipation.

  There were intermittent glitches in each computer screen. Myora looked closely as the computer screen showed that some systems were going offline. The link to the satellite was also gone.

  As more mechanical and electronic systems went offline, Myora watched Shala retreat from the control room. Instantly, Myora knew what Shala had done.

  She kneeled down in the control room while alarms started to sound. Red lights were flashing as the Mother Daughter closed her eyes. She needed to contact all of her Daughters at once. There was only one way she could accomplish that task.

  She pictured each Daughter clearly as she spoke to them through her mind.

  Daughters. The Mountain of God is in distress. We have been betrayed. Some sort of computer virus has been uploaded into our entire system. I believe it is shutting down all of our defenses as well as everything else. All of the access doors are also controlled electronically, so I suggest retreating to the Garden. Otherwise, we could be trapped inside. Beware of Sh—

  The remainder of Mother Daughters’ message was never received.

  ***

  Calaya IL Eve was the last of the Daughters to exit the Mountain of God fortress. She got out just in time to see the large metal door slide into place and close; locking securely.

  All of the Daughters had made it out from whatever part of the fortress they were in when Mother Daughter had sent them the warning. They looked at each other for an answer to what had just happened as they stood in shock.

  “Did Mother Daughter manage to get herself out?” questioned Calaya, as she broke the silence.

  Shala just stood there and watched the door as if she expected Mother Daughter to open it. She pictured the accusing finger of her leader singling her out for her betrayal.

  There was no movement at the door or anywhere around it.

  Shala breathed a little easier, while still pretending to show concern for Mother Daughter.

  “I don’t know,” she squeaked.

  She had to choke back a few tears. Maybe she was feeling the loss. Maybe she was just afraid of what would happen to her, if her sisters found out what she did. She had to cover her tracks. “She tried to warn us of something before her message was cut off.”

  “A betrayal,” said Ellisia, with a reproving tone in her voice. “Beware of someone or something with ‘SH’ as the first two letters.”

  Shala turned to face what she thought was her accuser.

  “Ellisia. There are a lot of things that Mother Daughter could have been referring to.”

  “Maybe, Shala,” Ellisia replied.

  “We don’t have time for this,” Tallia interjected. “We need to find a way out for Mother Daughter. I suggest that we pick four or five able bodies and do just that, while the rest of us search Eden for anything we can use as a weapon.”

  Calaya had just realized that all of their supplies, armor, and weapons were inside the fortress.

  “We are warriors. We can use what God provides.”

  “Speaking of God,” Shala continued, “someone should lead us in prayer.”

  Chapter Two

  “Jess!” screamed Evan Knight for the fifth time.

  They were close to the Sardroud Islamic Azad University just south of Tabriz. The quiet of the night seemed to amplify Evan’s outbursts.

  Geronimo knew something was wrong, but he also knew that the last thing they needed was to draw attention to themselves.

  “Come on, Evan,” Geronimo said quietly. “We can’t be doing this here.”

  Jess had gone into some sort of a trance just minutes before and she didn’t seem to be coming out of it. Her eyes glazed over and her pupils were dilated. The odd thing was that she still stood upright instead of falling over. She just froze where she stood.

  Geronimo panicked at first when he saw her freeze up, but once Knight had lost it, he realized he ha
d to be the voice of reason.

  “Does your babe do this a lot?” Geronimo asked, as he tried to calm his friend.

  “No,” Knight replied, with more than just concern in his voice. “I’ve never seen her do this before. I don’t know if there’s a time limit or if we should even try to move her or what the hell we’re supposed to do.”

  “Damn it, Evan!” Geronimo snapped. He was surprised at his own lack of control. “I know you have degrees and diplomas coming out of your ass! What does your gut tell you?”

  Knight smiled, because he knew that his longtime friend was right. His gut never betrayed him. What exactly was his gut saying?

  “We have to wait,” Knight declared. “My gut is telling me to wait. We don’t know Jess’ physiology and anything we do could cause more damage than good.”

  Geronimo slapped his friend on the back.

  “Good! See? It wasn’t that hard, man. You’ve got some heavy feelings for her, I can feel it, but don’t let that get in the way of making decisions. Making a decision when you let emotions get in the way can get you killed, and me too, if you don’t mind.”

  “When the hell did you become a fucking philosopher, Geronimo?” Knight expected a smartass remark to his question.

  Geronimo tilted his head and stuck his chin in the air.

  “I’m always fucking as long as Molly’s in the mood. I just recently got my B.A. in B.S. and I plan on working toward my doctorate very soon.”

  Knight got the answer he expected.

  Jess collapsed as the trance lost its hold on her.

  Knight went to her side and held her head up.

  She was gasping for air, trying her best to breathe.

  “Jess! Are you alright? What happened? What do I do?”

  Jess pushed him back just far enough to catch her breath.

  “Evan... Knight,” she managed to say between breaths. “Mother… Daughter…”

  “Don’t try to do so much at once, Jess,” Knight said calmly. “Just try to breathe and then you can tell me what’s going on.”

  Geronimo handed her a bottle of water, which she drank in a matter of seconds. She started to breathe easier.

  Jess sighed once and said, “Mother Daughter… is in trouble.”

  Knight put his hand on Jess’ shoulder. “What kind of trouble, Jess? Is there something else going on?”

  She tried to shake off the entire experience.

  “I believe so, Evan Knight. I think it has started. We have to get to Eden as soon as we can. There is more of a threat than I ever imagined.”

  Knight realized that time was their enemy. They had to hurry if they were going to get to Eden before it was destroyed.

  “I need to know everything you know, if I’m going to be of any help. Do we have any other adversaries that we have to look out for, Jess?”

  He knew the answer to the question before he had even asked it.

  Jess took a breath and closed her eyes as she spoke.

  “The Fallens’ numbers are depleted, but they are still not to be taken lightly. Just now, I was as one with Mother Daughter. It was revealed to me that there is a convoy of war vehicles approaching Eden.”

  “Trucks? Are they Iranian?” Geronimo queried.

  Jess strained to find the answer.

  “I believe so. There is an army.”

  Geronimo and Knight shared a quick glance as each realized that this was bigger than they both had anticipated.

  “Go on, Jess,” urged Knight.

  “I could feel the betrayal that Mother Daughter felt, but I am unsure as to who the betrayer is,” Jess continued, as she pressed her hands against her chest. “There is dissension among my sisters. They are without their weapons and now without their fortress inside the Mountain of God. I don’t… know…” She trailed off as she lowered her head and closed her eyes.

  Knight grabbed Jess’ shoulders.

  “Not now, Jess! We need you right now. Snap out of it!”

  Jess blinked slowly as she appeared to go in and out of the trance once more. She placed one hand on Knight’s shoulder. She had a pained expression on her face.

  Her eyes pleaded with Knight.

  “Evan Knight, we must move quickly if we are to be any help to my sisters. My mind is clouded with visions of Mother Daughter and the new threat my sisters face. I’m afraid that I have no further resources to aid in getting us to Eden. The fortress has been shut down and all the routes that are known to me are sealed off. You know the way, Evan; the original entrance that was sealed off to the sons of men. You have to get us there before all is lost.”

  “Yeah,” Knight agreed with a grim expression. “And I have to do it without letting the Iranians know we’re here.”

  Chapter Three

  Sulna put her cell phone away, sporting a Cheshire grin.

  Alexey had monitored her call to see if he could overhear anything she might have been trying to hide from him but she hadn’t spoken once since she’d answered the call.

  It was getting dark and uncomfortably cold as the lead truck rumbled steadily along the old road. There was a sound on the wind that sounded like singing off in the distance. Alexey knew the familiar sound but he couldn’t quite place it. Without any sort of warning, their driver suddenly pulled over to the side of the road and came to a stop; the other trucks followed suit. He was puzzled by the action, until the driver pointed at the building in front of them.

  Alexey saw that there was a mosque a few hundred feet in front of them and he nodded his head appreciatively. That was what he had heard; the Imam’s call to prayer. Even though he detected a hint of exasperation in Sulna’s face, he didn’t mind stopping. A couple hours of rest in a warm place would do them all some good. Alexey smiled to himself. Sulna would not be permitted in the main hall with the men so there was no chance of her besmirching the air with her awful scent. All of the men exited the vehicles and entered the mosque in single file.

  Alexey turned to his partner after the others had filed into the mosque.

  “It appears to be open all night,” he laughed. His expression changed to a more serious one suddenly. “Sulna, I would think that by now we would be through with hiding things from one another. Would you like to share your good news?”

  “Hiding, Alexey?” she rebutted, leaning against the wall beside the door. “How is this for hiding? From now on call me by my given name, Sulina the Fallen. I am the rightful heir to the Garden of Eden and it is mine now. So, if anyone truly has the right to destroy it, it is me.”

  Alexey laughed nervously.

  “Rightful heir? What the hell are you talking about now, Sulna? Heir to Eden? Oh, stop it please! I can’t take this masquerade anymore.” He moved from the wall and paced in front of the door. “The way you talk now, it’s as if we should all be bowing down, saying ‘All hail the Queen of Eden!’ What exactly has changed to make you feel so righteous in your bid to burn Eden to the ground?’

  Sulina the Fallen thrust out a hand, snatched Alexey by the throat and squeezed. She gritted her teeth as darkness consumed her eyes.

  “Mock me no more, mortal!” she screamed.

  He was terrified. He had never heard her raise her voice before.

  “What you see before you is no masquerade; this is who I am.” Her tone changed in volume, but not in intensity as she loosened her grip only slightly. “Remember that I eat men like you for supper; quite literally. The masquerade was Sulna Obvesky. I have given you the pathway to Eden, Alexey Konstantin, and even as you tediously gathered your little army of men and machines, I had my own devices at work within the Mountain of God. The leader of the Daughters of Eve is no more and my true heritage can now be revealed.”

  She loosened her grip on his throat and resumed her calmer demeanor. She had no intention of killing him, not yet anyway; she still needed him to lead his army to the doors of Eden.

  “Once I was one of them, Alexey,” she said. Her tone was much softer, almost tender, as she spoke. “Bu
t I dared to question the Mother Daughter. I dared to want more. So, I ate the fruit of the Tree of Good and Evil, the Forbidden Tree, and I was cursed for it. I am neither dead, nor alive.”

  She paused and turned to look at him. In the moonlight, Alexey thought she looked remarkably beautiful but then again, the scholars all say that Lucifer was the most beautiful of all of God’s angels.

  “I am the blood sister to the now deceased Mother Daughter,” she continued, staring straight into his eyes. “So yes, as a matter of fact, you son of a bitch, all hail the Queen of Eden!”

  ***

  After a few hours all of the men returned to their respective trucks. The lead truck pulled out toward their destination: Sahand, a stratovolcano that stood over 12,000 feet high and was one of the tallest mountains in Iranian Azerbaijan. It lay directly south of Tabriz, but more importantly, it was the key to finding Eden.

  Alexey had been silent ever since Sulina had removed her hand from his throat. He could still smell the stench that surrounded his neck from her touch. He gagged a few times while trying to breathe. He couldn’t believe that he had ever shared a bed with her.

  He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was in charge and he hated her for it. No one had even attempted to belittle Alexey Konstantin and lived; but she had made her position in the game abundantly clear. He would bide his time.

  Sulina glared at him in his reverie.

  “The defenses of Eden have been disabled. They have no way of telling our position or when we will be arriving. Do you have anything we can send them to warm them up?”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this earlier?” Alexey whined.

  “You know now, Alexey,” Sulina said sarcastically. “So, what do you have for our situation? It’s better that we attack now, but it will be impossible to get over the mountain walls before the Daughters find weapons and sufficient cover.”

  Alexey pulled out his cell phone and made a call. He smiled as the other party picked up. “This is Alexey. Do you have access to the equipment that we talked about earlier? Good. Do you know where Sahand is?” He handed the phone to Sulina who reluctantly took it.