by Ciaran Nagle
'Apparently the Lamb is going to let himself get royally humbled by Inferno's Leader in order to get you back. Just as well I stopped Zhivkin from slicing you or he'd be doing it for nothing. Everyone in Paradise and Inferno will be watching. It's going to be the biggest event of all time in the Fifth. Leastways, that's what they're all saying. Anyway I'd better be going. You'll be safe now that they've got what they really want. But someone could come to the squadroom at any time and I want to get a head start.'
Jabez was clearly shocked to hear Kodrob's news. His face became pale despite the heat.
But he held out his hand anyway. 'My best wishes go with you.' The demon took his hand and shook it.
Ruth's Mansion, Paradise
Nancy stood up to leave Fatty Lo's office with a shine in her eyes. An ambitious young woman on her way to the top. She skipped out of the door with her confident head high, her body radiating happiness.
Ruth had seen enough. She raised her hand and the scene rapidly faded from the centre of the room. Gloom invaded like a cancer. Ruth, Luke and Agatha continued staring at the floor for a while, not wanting to meet each other's eyes.
'So that's it. Our hope is gone.' Luke spoke for all.
'The enemy's plan has succeeded. Nancy's been pumped full of Mya Ling's ambition. Her meeting with Dan had negligible effect.' Agatha turned to Ruth. 'I'm sorry Ruth, I don't mean to criticise. You did brilliant work getting them together ahead of schedule.'
'Very soon now, the Lamb will suffer as big a humiliation as he did on Earth.' Even Ruth could see no last-moment cavalry to prevent another Calvary. 'There's only one last act of this whole miserable play to come and I can only see it ending one way.'
Halfway Island
Satanic standards bedecked the rocky island. Flags and black bunting streamed from one end of it right up to the centre. There, troll smiths had built a crude but solid platform, raised high enough that everyone in the Fifth, Inferno or Paradise should have the clearest view.
Inferno's five fingers were crammed with demons of all ranks. For once, enmities were suspended and scores went unsettled as even gurns came out of their holes to watch the spectacle.
Squawhouses were empty for the first time in the memory of the damned and jugs of diesel and tar were passed from satyr to banshee and on to mawl and vixen. Jager and Charnel imps flew in from their deep space sabotages and landed indelicately (and often drunkenly) on the edges of the lava lakes, so little space was there left. Inferno's deep rocky halls were empty, for this was the rocky horror show to end them all. They would memorise this day throughout all of their huskings until the moment of their final burn. 'Where were you standing when you saw the Leader humble the Lamb?' would become the most common conversation starter in squawhouses and tar barns till Hell froze over. New arrivals from Earth were landed in a special field where arm-banded imp marshals growled at them to shut up, watch the show and ask questions later.
On the other side of the rock, in Paradise, the mood was very different. Angels and non-flying Heaven-dwellers all stayed at home, crying and mourning. There was no public assembly to watch the proceedings. Tools were downed and globes were closed. No-one wanted to watch but no-one could work either. The Music continued. But the small number of choristers from all over Heaven who could force themselves into voice at this time could not bring forth any joyful sounds and instead turned to Gregorian chants and funeral airs for their inspiration.
Jo and Chan sat with their wings around each other, knees drawn up, staring at the beauty of the mineral trees around them while their tears fell and were soaked up by the desert underneath them. 'Surely the Creator will step in and put a stop to this, won't he?' said Jo. Chan squeezed her shoulder and said nothing.
In the Boot and Shoe Archipelago, Gianni, Maria and their friends huddled together in the piazza for comfort and resolved to watch every last moment of the unfolding tragedy together. The Lamb's friends should not desert him again, they whispered to each other. The charcoal in the pizza ovens burnt out. That had never happened before.
Even in Montefalco, raptors ceased their predation, pterodactyls ceased flying and herbivores lay in their swamps not even chewing the cud. All knew the world was upside down.
Luke, Agatha and Ruth remained together, holding hands and consoling each other. They wondered what they could have done differently. They lamented every decision, every action and every bright idea.
Throughout the Kingdom angels asked each other 'Who's Jabez?' But if they wondered silently whether the unknown engineer was worth it, they answered themselves, yes. Because if it was me instead of him, I know the Lamb would come even for me.
Inferno's Leader now appeared, flying high above Halfway, gradually gliding lower in circles. He smiled down graciously at his excited subjects, his charm switch temporarily on. He waved, fluttered onto his back and planed as if reclining on a sofa, to a storm of applause. Not that there was anything positive in it for Infernals, of any rank, except a brief pause in their dismal routine. Their victory lay only in hurting the other side. Their circumstances would be exactly the same the next day. More misery and decline.
The Leader landed on Halfway and bowed to his dark flock. His dazzling female guard detail, resplendent in metallic red robes with matching flame guns formed a line to one side. Olive leaves garlanded the Leader's forehead making him every bit the Nero. He opened his arms while his siren cheerleaders orchestrated adoration from the mob. 'Lu-ci-fer,' they chanted in delirious devil worship.
Now across the void came six swarthy satyrs, hells' angels in their bullet-riveted capes, bearing a billowing package which they placed at Halfway's Inferno End. Its curtains flapped back like a slit skirt, concentrating the eyes of demons and angels alike. Every head in both kingdoms peered at the drapes and their hidden structure. Out from the curtains, like a magician's assistant emerged Bezejel herself, flamboyant dominatrix, prancing the stage like one to the clamour born, effortlessly raising Hell's roar several notches.
'Hail the true Lord of Light,' she called, bowing low to the Leader. The roar surged even higher.
Heaven quailed. Hundreds of millions of beautiful, piercing eyes could scarce pierce the hands held in front of them.
'Why are you here?' shouted Bezejel to Hades, putting her hand playfully to her ear. Indiscriminate roars assailed the heavens, fingers jabbed towards the curtained construction.
Bezejel grasped the tassels where the curtains met. 'Shall we?' she called to the Hadean mob while the Leader nodded and suavely grinned his triumph.
'Yes' screamed millions of red throats as heads pumped up and down like pistons, bodies prostrated in Baal-mania and scores of demons lost their footing and fell into lava lakes only minutes from seeing Hell's greatest victory.
The curtains came away and were cast aside as Bezejel swept her arm back. There between two pillars of red Mars rock stood the pale figure of Jabez, one wing sickeningly askew, every bit the lost but surprisingly defiant sheep. Steel rings circled his wrists and led out in chains to the pillars. Chants and raucous cries now ascended from Inferno as demons joined together in venting their hate. If the Leader had ever thought to take a popularity poll, now was the time. Though their wretched post-life existences were more hopeless than that of a palsied child born in a typhoid slum, here was a real live angel to blame for their misery. Praise the Leader for that.
Jabez would go home this day to his crooning friends, a beautiful house and a soft pillow. They to their hard vulcan beds with barely a teaspoon of tar to send them to their nightmares. What more reason to hate him?
Magog swept in, suppressed urgency in his pocked features. Bezejel threw him a glance like a dart but inclined her head.
Jabez looked behind him at the blistering ranks of rancour that filled Inferno's acres and ached to tear him apart. Then forward again and calmly into Bezejel's diabolically beautiful face. For the taking of a breath it seemed to many that it was Bezejel, not Jabez, whose calm was cracked. Smug turne
d to anger in a particle of a second and she spurred towards him in her high black boots, composure undone. Jabez's head was knocked sideways as her smack landed on his cheek, her famous strength behind it. She leaned into him, the way she liked to frighten men, spikes on the knuckles of her drawn-back hand threatening the sight of his eyes.
'Where are Zhivkin and Kodrob,' she hissed.
Jabez was still holding it together. 'They can't bear to watch you. They don't want to see a woman cry.'
Bezejel waggled the spikes. 'Don't waste my time or I'll make sure you never see Paradise again.'
'Well, OK then. They said they were going off to hold hands and jump in the lava lake together. It was either that or carry on working for you.'
Bezejel launched her blow with all of her strength. But the spikes stopped suddenly just short of Jabez's unflinching gaze. Bezejel's eyes winced in pain as she looked behind her. The Leader was holding her arm and his strength was far greater than hers. He nodded towards the assembled host of Hades, every one watching the bewitching scene.
Bezejel spat in Jabez's face but herself howled in agony as the Leader's vice grip tightened on her.
'Patience, my dear,' he murmured softly. But his own eyes spoke of anger and patient revenge. Bezejel relaxed as she realised she had gone too far and was now in danger of losing a life. She stepped back respectfully.
Master that he was, the Leader now stepped into the hiatus caused by Bezejel's loss of temper.
'Well,' he beamed at both kingdoms. 'We are, I believe, waiting for one more player.' He paused and allowed Infernals, thrown by the unruly scene they had just witnessed, to recover their bile. They knew who the missing 'player' was.
'Yes,' he nodded in turn towards both Hell and Paradise. 'Who could it be? Who is coming from Heaven to ask for the return of young Jabez here. Jabez the impetuous. Jabez the loner. Jabez the unprepared. Jabez the bumbling friend who's always there when he needs you. Who needs a friend like Jabez?'
The throng of Inferno cheered again. They were back on track.
'For he can go home as soon as someone claims him. That's all I ask. That's fair isn't it?'
The cheering grew. Arms were waved and fists appeared. The Leader walked to the centre of Halfway where the crowds now saw a soft red cushion had been placed on a low plinth. He stood still and crossed his arms imperiously, then raised his head towards Paradise.
'It's time. If you want Jabez, come and claim him.'
All eyes turned and looked up into the great vault above. At the gate of Heaven the faint outline of a door appeared as if lit from behind. As the outline grew brighter and the door opened a ray of light shone out illuminating the darkness around.
A figure in white appeared, male, long-haired and barefoot. The figure was the source of the light. Below the door a stairway now etched itself out of the nothingness and curved its way down to the Paradise End of Halfway. But Lo! When that foot stepped out and reached for the first step, a gasp came from everyone in Inferno and Paradise alike. For as the hem of the cloth pulled back and the heavenly ankle was revealed, all could see the scars of two wounds on either side. Then they remembered that it was not two wounds, but one, drilled from side to side. A soldier's workaday duty from long ago.
The Blue Diamond Warehouse and Godown
Only a single external light was shining above the door outside the Blue Diamond. Chopper Kwok knew that the warehouse had hosted a lot of Brother parties of various kinds recently and he didn't want to draw the wrong kind of attention.
Anyway, this was a small affair, compared to the others. This time it was only his own crew and that was no more than twenty five men and women, all counted.
'Special treat tonight, a night you'll never forget,' said Chopper to one of Wonton Chiang's toadies. A smooth thug who worked on the sham charity soup kitchen in Tsim Sha Tsui.
A gentle rain was falling and Nescafé Mao held an umbrella over his boss's head. Without Chopper's support he would now be in prison, unable to afford the bail for his stupidity in getting caught in possession of dangerous drugs. More gangsters arrived including two women, prostitutes who also worked as 'Mama Sans' keeping the new girls in line and keeping tally of their clients and their financial contribution to Brother. These women were vital to the success of running girlie bars, they knew better than a man just how hard a girl could work, how many men she could service.
Beside Chopper, Wolf Smoke panted and scrutinised every gangster, checking their sweat glands for fear or nervousness. Such things were clues to treachery and the German Shepherd instinctively knew how to protect his master.
Wolf Smoke's training to kill on command had been intensified over the last 48 hours. Chopper had shaken up his network of contacts and sent out pimply youths on scooters to buy and bring back captured rats and small stray dogs from all over the colony. Then, in the cock-pit of the Blue Diamond he had worked Wolf Smoke hard, slapping him down if he killed on the wrong command and rewarding him when he got it right. The youths were also kept busy disposing of the dead creatures in shanty town refuse dumps, sewers and building sites.
Wolf Smoke had a special mission this night and Chopper was sure that the dog was up to the task.
Only yards away Dan Kelly listened intently and tried to make out any names that were used during the meeting and greeting. If he ever got out of this alive - and he was naively sure nobody would be so foolish as to kill him - he would need all the facts he could remember as evidence.
The last expected visitors walked up the alleyway to the Blue Diamond and were admitted, after a thorough nose job from Wolf Smoke. Chopper and Nescafé checked the area one last time for unwelcome intruders. They threw their cigarettes into a pile of rusting boat engines and joined their guests.
Ling Yee, a Mars Ma stalwart who knew everyone in Brother - and was universally disliked - took Nescafé's umbrella and stood himself outside the door. A user himself, he had clumsily packed a hundred heroin fix bags with twice the regular amount of the drug. This had cost Chopper thousands of dollars in lost sales and Ling was now dogsbody for the night, literally under a cloud and missing the show as combined doorman cum lookout.
Inside the Blue Diamond warehouse, Chopper took his place a few steps back from the side of the pit. It was still uncovered since his training sessions earlier with Wolf Smoke. He allowed his gang members to drink beer, smoke and socialise for some time while he revelled in their praise of his leadership. You're so good to us, Mr Kwok, sir. You should be the Brother of Brothers. Thank you for leading us. On and on went the stream of obligatory adulation.
As each supplicant came to him in turn to inflate his ego with another puff of sycophancy, Chopper levelled his penetrating stare at them, forcing them to open up the windows of their dark souls to him. He believed in the essential badness inside every person. He reminded his underlings with his condemning looks that he knew every detail of every evil they were up to and it was no use trying to hide them from him. Wolf Smoke soaked up the malignant atmosphere and waited for the chance to kill, which deep in his canine brain he knew was coming.
Eventually Chopper signalled that he was ready to address the group and a hush went around the cavernous space.
'Now, you all know that I am a fair man.' Chopper continued in a long tradition for bullies and tyrants of opening his speech with a serving spoonful of self-promotion. 'But I am not a man with infinite patience. Nor will I allow the authorities to interfere with my legitimate business. We don't force our customers to buy from us. We are not evil. They buy our white powder and our girls and they gamble with us because it's what they want. It's natural. And then along comes the police who try to stop us from earning our living.'
Everyone nodded at Chopper, encouraging him. They could hardly do otherwise. He went on in this vein for a while, building himself as the people's champion against the merciless imperial forces of policing and taxation. The audience murmured and occasionally shouted their approval which Chopper soaked up with bar
ely suppressed delight. 'It's not right, brothers, it's not fair, and I won't just roll over like others in our profession and let it happen.'
One of the women was especially vocal. 'We must stand up to them, Chopper. The police must learn to protect us and serve us. Not arrest us when we do business.'
Chopper warmed to this theme. 'You are right, Ah Min, they must learn. And I am going to teach them. I will teach and they will learn. We must stand up for our rights and hurt them as they hurt us. Tonight I am going to hurt one of them. A lot. His fate will be a lesson to them all. If they want to fight us, we will fight back until they leave us alone.' He looked at all of his gang and shouted. 'Who among you wants to hurt the police tonight?'
The response was universal and loud. 'Yes. We do. Hurt the police.'
Chopper had intended to run a few cock-fights before the confrontation between Dan and Wolf Smoke in the pit. He had planned to build up to it slowly, escalating the tempo of the night. But now he began to get carried away in the moment and impulsively decided to bring forward his plans.
'Right then, let's get started. Wolf Smoke, into the pit.' The German Shepherd looked up at Chopper adoringly, checking he had understood the command correctly. When Chopper motioned his hand he leapt down the seven foot drop into the cock pit. 'Everybody, stand around the edge of the pit. You're going to see a police inspector die.'
Golden Luck Casino 7.30 pm
Nancy swirled her head in front of the mirror, checking her jade earrings, her make-up and lipstick. A puff of Chanel on her neck made her feel thoroughly feminine. She had had quite a lot of dressing up recently so for this tête-a-tête with Frenchy, she decided to look a little more relaxed.
A white V-necked woollen top over blue jeans on top of classic red high heels was just the ticket. Her six-point star necklace neatly filled the cleft of the V. Quite fetching if I say so myself, she said to the mirror.