Jae-Hoon pulled out his spike. His skillful fingers held it with a care developed by an ongoing training since he was very young. His discipline required he treat his weapon with respect, and he made no sign of betraying that respect.
Until he dropped it.
The three drunks laughed again. Even Daniel, sitting in a corner with Zeke and Ariel, cracked a smile.
Zeke watched quietly. Alcohol never failed to amaze him. Despite poor living conditions, despite oppressive governments, lack of food, lack of shelter, or whatever life might throw at a person, there always seemed to be a drink nearby.
Despite being a toxin to human biology, fatal in high doses, it seemed ever-present, ever-needed. Like air or water.
The first recorded civilizations in the Middle East discovered how to make it out of honey. It was their custom to give a newly married man as much of it as he could drink for a month, which coined the term “honey-moon.” Peasants in the dark ages discovered that beer was cleaner to drink than water. The average medieval farmer could drink three gallons a day. It was present at major religious events. Passover. Communion. Around the twentieth century, it became a rite of passage. Drink when you come of age. Become a man. Over the years, alcohol became a human mating ritual. The initial steps of a primal dance. Hey, can I buy you a drink?
Zeke himself didn’t drink. It was a nasty habit he picked up from Micah. But he didn’t begrudge his friends taking part in another time-honored tradition of intoxication, the post-battle drink. He may have appeared sullen as usual, but he was taking a slight enjoyment in watching Jae-Hoon try to explain his choice of weapons.
“But they’re not vampires, so we can’t kill vampires. But since that’s what we do, we have to kill vampires.”
“That’s called tradition,” explained the big man.
“Thank you Charlie,” said Joel.
“So this is sharper. Goes in ‘em faster. Makes ‘em deader.” He stabbed the air, dropping the spike again.
The big man dove out of his chair, chasing the rolling spike. “I’ll get that for you buddy.” He bounded across the floor like a gigantic toddler. The spike came to rest by the broken window. He grabbed it with both hands. As he pulled himself back up, he saw something outside. “Hey, I know him. That’s the . . . the . . .”
Jae-Hoon pulled himself out of his chair to see. “The Supervisor.”
“Yeah, the stupor . . . supper . . . that guy. I hate that guy!” Charlie pulled himself through the shattered window. He tumbled out of view. Zeke snapped to attention. He filled a small glass of water.
Charlie’s drunken voice came from outside. “You want to talk? And why should I let you in?”
Zeke ran outside into the battered streets. The city looked worse than ever. Debris lined the streets, marking former houses. With the citizens still under the protection of the militia, the Northern sectors were deathly quiet.
He found Charlie and shoved the glass into his hands. “Here. Go drink this. It’ll make you feel better.”
The big man held the glass lovingly. “Thanks Zeke. You know, you’re a good friend. I really . . . good friends . . . tomorrow.”
“I know.”
“This guy wants in. Beat him up?”
“No, Charlie. We’re going to talk to him. Let him by.”
The giant stood and wavered back and forth. Then a puzzled look flashed across his face. “Even a dolphin?”
“Yes, Charlie. Even a dolphin. Now sit down and drink your water.”
Obeying, the big man dropped to the ground immediately, spilling half the water. Then he began to take tiny sips. The others began to file out of the house.
Joel glanced at the drunken giant. “Kind of a lightweight for being such a big guy,” he commented.
Dumah faced Zeke. “Thank you.”
He drew his sword and held the blade to the man’s throat. “You set us up!” he growled.
The Supervisor became tense, but did not back away. “I did nothing of the sort.”
The swordsman pushed his blade forward slightly. It pricked Dumah’s neck. “Two men are dead because of that mission of yours, and God only knows how many are dead because of today’s attack.”
“I had no choice in the matter,” he answered, politely, but urgently.
“Give me one reason why I should trust you.”
Dumah was defeated. He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can say.”
Something slid between the two men, pushing them away from each other. Zeke glared furiously at Daniel. The boy glared back. “Killing him won’t help. It’ll just land us in more trouble. I say we hear him out.”
The fighter hesitated, staring down the younger man. Then he slid his sword into its sheathe. “Be quick.”
“I was betrayed by the Karellan,” Dumah said. Zeke scoffed sarcastically. “He’s taken some interest in you. I don’t know why, but he’s obsessed with testing your power.”
An unsettled feeling washed over the group. Even Charlie, in his advanced state of drunkenness seemed to recall what they had been told about Metatron.
The Supervisor continued. “He approached me, wanting to release a hoard of draugr in the city to see how you’d react.”
“Release the draugr?” asked a horrified Ariel. “In the city?”
“I didn’t understand it. He said something about testing the draugr as well.”
Zeke was growing impatient. He reached for his sword. “Why didn’t you stop him?” he spat through his teeth.
“I tried! That’s what the mission was for. I arranged it to protect the city. I thought if I he’d be willing to test you somewhere else . . .” His voice trailed off. They weren’t interested in his excuses.
“You thought wrong,” said Joel.
There was a pause. “I did,” he said at last.
“And the malak?”
The Supervisor was genuinely surprised. “What? Malak?”
“A giant malak. Carries two large swords. Seems more intelligent than most and has a definite taste for draugr.”
“I’ve never heard anything of the sort. They don’t tell me much.”
Ariel stepped forward. “Hold on. Are you two suggesting that the Karellan is working with malak? Is that even possible?”
The group was silent. Was it possible?
“I don’t know,” said Daniel. “The Karellan is a mysterious man. I’m not sure if a malak would work with a human, but if one would, he could figure out a way to do it.”
Thinking of an ill-fated shipment of cargo, Joel added. “He would find a way to do it.”
The Supervisor tried to pull them back on topic. “Whether he is or not, I can’t verify that malak were part of this operation.”
“I’ve had enough of what you can’t do,” Zeke growled, gripping his sword.
Joel stepped forward, taking his turn playing the peacemaker. “Maybe you should tell us why you’re here.”
Dumah hesitated. “I need your help.”
“Forget it,” Zeke snapped.
“It’s in your best interest.”
“We can’t trust you. You said so yourself.”
“I said I can’t give you a reason. That doesn’t mean you can’t trust me.”
“You’re right. It means we won’t trust you.”
“So you’re willing to leave the Karellan to use us in his schemes? Throw us away like pawns? You saw it yourself. He doesn’t care about the safety of his citizens.”
“You still haven’t explained,” said Ariel calmly, “how any of this concerns us.”
But Zeke already knew. He hadn’t spent the better part of the morning fighting monsters for nothing. The city, hellish and stifling though it may be, was still his home. Even if ‘home’ meant nothing more than Ariel and Charlie.
Not that he wanted to team up with Dumah.
“I need your help. Specifically your help,” the governor explained. “I can’t abide by the Karellan’s actions, but I can’t take him on myself.
I, unfortunately, have to play dirty. He has an army of spies. They’ll probably be here soon for the battle results, if they aren’t already. We have to act quickly. We need our own spies.”
“We are no spies,” Zeke answered flatly.
“No, but you are strong, skilled, and have quite the reputation of not working for me.”
The fighter reached for his sword again, but Joel and Daniel appeared at his side, holding him back. “So you can deny your involvement in whatever you’re planning?” he growled, giving up struggling for freedom. When he calmed down, they released him.
Silence.
“Just as I thought. All that talk about the glory of the army and being a man of honor . . . bullshit. You’re nothing but a snake and a coward.”
The insult hit home. Dumah knew he was betraying his own principals. Giving in to Lillith’s political philosophy. “Do as I ask, and I can ensure Ariel’s protection,” he said.
Zeke bounded forward and punched him hard. He fell. The others rushed to restrain their friend.
Pulling himself to his feet, Dumah explained, “I think you misunderstand me. I’m through with blackmail. That was merely an offer. Consider it payment, if you will. The city’s help in protecting your home and your friends.”
Ariel stepped forward to Zeke. She seemed to have a soothing effect on him. He gave up his struggle once more, but Daniel and Joel didn’t release him.
“No. You don’t have to do this,” she said. “He doesn’t need you. Let him find someone else. You don’t have to do this to protect me.
Zeke closed his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But I do.”
“What?” asked Charlie, from the ground.
He spoke quietly to Ariel. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to work with him, but I need his help. I made a promise. I have to do what I can to protect you. I can’t do it by myself anymore.”
“Zeke,” she started.
“I’m sure. I’ll do this.” He turned to Dumah, who was still dusting himself off, and spoke louder. “Hear that? I’ll work with you.”
“Thank you.”
“So what is it?”
The Supervisor began his briefing. “The draugr were concentrated around the Namsan sector. The Karellan’s laboratory is in a building situated directly above Nam Mountain. We believe that’s how they got into the city.”
Charlie, still buzzed, rose to his feet. “So you want us to sneak in and tear the place up?” He took a lumbering step towards Dumah, who took a quick step back.
“Not exactly, no,” he said, keeping an eye on the drunken giant. “I know the facilities are used for . . . questionable activities, but not even his personal attendants know exactly what those are.”
“But the draugr are kind of a dead giveaway,” suggested Joel.
“Right. And if they escaped—or were released—from the lab, I expect you’ll find a way in. Somewhere on the mountain.”
“So we enter, find out what he’s doing, then bring you the proof?” asked Daniel.
For a moment, the Supervisor seemed worried.
The panic faded from his face as he approached the boy and said quietly, “I know this is asking you to overstep the bounds of your job description, but I hope you can see the importance of this. The Karellan must be dealt with.”
After a moment of hesitation, he answered, “Of course.”
The Supervisor seemed satisfied with his conviction. “Good. You’ll likely find a secure terminal in the building. This code should work to access my own terminal and transfer any data you find.” He took out a small card and slipped it to Daniel.
It was only a brief glimpse, but Jae-Hoon recognized the card. “Isn’t that . . .”
Dumah cut him off. “My friend, I want you to go with them. I think it’s important that you see what they find. You are a man of astounding faith, but some things still need proof to believe.”
Jae-Hoon fought for sobriety. He struggled to understand this cryptic advice.
The others were sober, but still didn’t understand.
“Yes sir,” was all the priest managed.
“So,” started Joel. “Clandestine operations? Screwing with the G-men? Instigating a revolution, maybe? Zeke, I hope you’re planning on including me in this party of yours.”
“You can’t leave me out either!” shouted Charlie, a little too loudly. “We should stop in and visit Emily!” The big man drooped his arm around Zeke’s shoulder, half-supporting his weight on his smaller friend.
Zeke pushed him off. “I don’t believe this. You’re all taking his side? No questions?”
“Well, aren’t you?” asked Charlie, who had collapsed to the ground.
“Not without questions!”
“You may have to trust him,” pleaded Ariel. “Just this once. Please?”
He turned lazily to talk to all his friends at once. “I don’t believe this. Any of this! You trust his story? There are only a handful of people on this planet with enough power to stand up to the Karellan.” He turned to speak to Dumah directly. “You’re one of them. You could do it. You say you want to. But what are you doing? Hiding in the shadows and resorting to petty thievery.”
“Like it or not, I have to maintain my position. I won’t have much power if I’m impeached for treason.” He turned away. He didn’t want to look anyone in the eye as he said, “You have to learn to work with the system if you want to change it.”
“That is exactly the reason the system will never change,” Zeke countered.
He paused, but ignored the remark. “Will you do it?”
“Like I said, if it means protecting Ariel, I have no choice.”
Dumah turned back to them, much more cheerful than before. “Excellent. You leave at midnight.”
In a city once famous for its mountains, Namsan was its highest point.
That was before the Unified Theocracy.
The communications tower at the top of the mountain once rose a half a kilometer above sea level. It was visible from nearly everywhere in the city. Then the plate cities were built. Seoul was thought of as an excellent choice because of its mountains. The peak of Namsan was razed to a level 100 meters, and the tower that had stood for over two hundred years was scrapped to build the plate.
A mountain castrated by the church. An entire city emasculated.
Over the years, the city’s mountains had grown in their functions of supporting the upper city. Tunnels of steel and titanium were dug into it side. A forest of pillars sprang up to support the immense weight of the civilization above it. The mountains were no longer natural.
They were undead.
Murdered, then reborn through metal and science. Frankenstein’s earthen monsters.
And somewhere on the horrible mountainside was a path to the city above it. To the Karellan’s secret laboratory. Jae-Hoon, wedged in the space between earth and metal, forced his own way with a hand cutting torch.
“Kind of old equipment, he gave us,” commented Charlie. “He works for the government. Why didn’t he give us lasers or something? I know they got some.”
“It’s the same reason we can’t look for the tunnels the draugr used,” explained Daniel. They had had the same discussion several times already. “We have to make it look like vandalism. They don’t want the break-in traced back to the government.”
“The break-in? More like the capture,” said Zeke as he leaned against a metal support pillar. He didn’t trust the plan. The Supervisor did not need them to return, and there wasn’t much chance they would. Plausible deniability. There was no proof that he had instigated or even supported the infiltration. And it would stay that way if they were caught. The scenario the others didn’t want to think about.
But they didn’t argue.
Charlie paced around nervously. “So how do we know we can get up there just by cutting through the plate?”
“The plate is hollow. It’s strong, but people have to get inside for maintenance,” Daniel answered.
&nb
sp; “So we’re gonna climb in through a bunch of itty bitty tunnels?” The big man was clearly agitated.
“Not only that,” Zeke teased, “but also steam pipes and nuclear power cables. Better be careful not to crack one or the whole plate might blow.”
“R-really?”
“Granted that’s only the worst case. At best the steam pipes might explode and flash-boil us to death.” Zeke paused, trying to keep a straight face. “Charlie, are you actually scared of something?”
“No. Of course not. It’s just . . . well, how do we know I’m not gonna get stuck? I’m bigger than you guys.”
The others looked as though they were going to laugh. Daniel spoke first. “Guess being a runt doesn’t seem so bad anymore, does it?”
“Calm down. They’re regular maintenance tunnels. Each one big enough to walk through. You’ll probably have room to spare,” Zeke explained. Charlie looked at him nervously, as though he didn’t believe him, but still wanted to.
The hiss of the cutting torch stopped. A large ring of metal fell to the ground. “I’m through!” shouted Jae-Hoon, staring at a large square hole.
The others approached quickly, then took a fast step back.
“Oh, god,” said Zeke under his breath.
“Smells ripe in there,” hooted Charlie.
“Draugr definitely came through this way. Smells like a nest of them.”
“I think I’m going to be sick.” Daniel sat on the earth as his strength left him.
“We cut the hole. Didn’t we? It looks like vandalism. Can’t we go look around for another tunnel?” Charlie pleaded.
“Any tunnel we find will probably smell as bad as this,” said Zeke, not thrilled with the idea of crawling through these rancid holes either.
“Or worse,” added Joel. “Might as well get it over quickly, though.” He pulled himself up through the hole and disappeared into the darkness.
“I’m with you on that.” Zeke took a deep breath of clean air and leapt into the hole. Jae-Hoon did the same.
Daniel turned to Charlie. “You could let them have all the fun without you. If you’re scared, you can stay behind.” After his taunt, he took a breath and climbed in after the others.
Ragnarok: The Fate of Gods Page 12