“We have to make time for it!” Dr. Eisenberg replied. Copying Arngrim’s previous motions, he activated the anti-gravity field, sealing the room. “If we don’t, the chamber won’t survive the Flood and we’ll be stuck without a time machine!”
Seeing his point, Akwen remained silent, yet agitated by worry.
“Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!” Mack said, his eyes wide in sudden realization. “It’s just like in Terminator. It was the guy that went back in time that was the cause of what they found in the future! The reason we found that corpse with a broken neck in the future was because of Goliath!”
“Can we contemplate the ramifications of time travel later?” Lisa said as Dr. Eisenberg finished closing the hidden panel. Shaking his head in wonder, Mack followed Jerome as they carefully climbed the stairs with their precious cargo, followed immediately by Lisa, Rebecca, and the doctor.
When the group reached the top step, they congregated in the wide hallway and looked around nervously as if expecting a team of Nephilim to set upon them at any second. Beneath their feet, the building began to shake once more as another tremor struck, causing them to grab the walls for support. Once it had passed, Rebecca ran over to a nearby broken window, her face radiating deep concern. “Where is Sikaris?”
“Who?” Jerome asked.
“The angel that saved us,” Rebecca replied as she continued to stare out the window, searching the courtyard below for any signs of him.
“Who knows?” Goliath said tersely as he looked back at Dr. Eisenberg, who had just finished activating the protective field over the antechamber. As the doctor pressed the button to conceal the stairs with the movable wall, Goliath began heading off down the corridor, the massive spear in his hand held ready to strike.
Chaos reigned around every turn. Soldiers fought one another as if they had suddenly been stricken insane, screams rose from behind closed doors, and several times Rebecca and the others were forced to step over bodies that lay on the floor in pools of blood, one of which they recognized as the bull-like Naphil that had been working with Arngrim. However, through it all, the escapees went unchallenged during their short trek to the room containing the floating platforms.
Opening the door to the room, Goliath’s face screwed up in anger behind his helmet. A lone Naphil soldier stood upon the only platform left in the room. A set of double doors leading out of the building stood open at the end of the fifty-foot room. Turning at the sound of Goliath’s entrance, the soldier snarled at him, and then returned his focus on operating the controls of the machine. Letting out a feral cry, Goliath reflexively hurled the spear in his hand at the giant, catching him in the shoulder and preventing him from pressing the controls and moving the platform. The force of the impact sent the soldier flipping over the edge toward the floor, where it lay, unmoving, upon impact. Running up to the giant, Goliath swiftly made sure it wouldn’t wake up to threaten them again as the others entered the room behind him.
“Hurry!” Goliath called to them as another shockwave shook the building.
Not needing any prompting, his companions were already moving swiftly to climb aboard, while setting Jeffrey carefully into the back of the machine. As Dr. Eisenberg stepped onto the surface, he collapsed onto the floor, holding his wounded side in pain, and leaned against the four-foot wall of the vehicle.
“Do you know how to drive this thing?” Mack asked Goliath in concern.
“What do you think?” he shot back in annoyance. “Akwen, can you figure it out?”
“I’ll try,” she said, quickly moving up to stand at the controls. “I watched da giants dat captured us pilot one of dese when dey brought us here. It looks simple enough.” Grabbing what she had observed to be the throttle, she moved it forward slightly, causing the platform to glide forward smoothly. After a few moments of experimentation during which the group thought the room was going to come down around their ears from the continuous earthquakes, she moved the circular vehicle out of the room and into the open.
What the group saw as they exited the building took their breath away. Dark, rolling clouds hung in the sky above them blotting out the sun. Blades of flashing lightning lit up the sky with angry slashes. To their left, an explosion sounded, causing them to whirl around in fright. Even though it was several miles from the edge of the city of Asgard, the explosive sound of the top of a small mountain breaking off and sliding downward toward the plains below was deafening. Thick, molten lava spewed from the open face of the mountain like a grievous wound, oozing down the southern mountainside toward the city. The glowing magma rolled over the landscape, burning up everything in its path.
Turning the platform, Akwen headed away from the volcano. Ahead of them to the south, massive crevices had opened in the earth, swallowing entire city blocks. The streets that remained were filled with people, some running in flight, others fighting with one another, and still others looting and pillaging. Fires raged everywhere throughout the city, the mighty gusts of wind fanning the flames into an inferno and spreading it rapidly across the city. In the distance, just on the outskirts of the city, geysers of superheated water shot upward thousands of feet into the air. Those unfortunate enough to be anywhere in the nearby vicinity of the water was scalded as it fell back to the earth in torrents.
Buffeted by the wind, Akwen fought hard for control as the platform dipped and tilted precariously. Goliath pointed toward the distant image of the Ark on the hill as he shouted to be heard over the roar of the gusts. “There it is! But you need to take us lower! We’ll get smashed to pieces by this wind!”
Nodding, Akwen complied, dropping them at a steep angle toward the city below. As they neared the river, rain began to pour down, pelting them and forcing them to cover their faces for protection. Reflexively, Akwen let go of the control stick and threw her hand up in front of her to protect her skin from the bite of the water, causing the platform to shift abruptly. Pushing her aside, Goliath, who was protected by his armor and helmet, grabbed the controls, quickly leveling out the wobbling platform.
Ignoring the sting from the driving rain, Dr. Eisenberg suddenly climbed to his feet, his face white with fear. “NOOO! We must turn back!” he shouted in panic.
Startled, everyone turned to face him. “Why? What’s wrong?” Goliath called out.
“Because, I read Noah’s diary!” he stated. “I know the order of events for the Flood! We’re too late! Look!” he shouted, as he pointed toward the east.
Gazing in the direction indicated by the doctor, the companions stared in horror as a wall of water filled the horizon, heading toward them at a terrifying speed.
26
Escaping the Cataclysm
Sikaris grunted heavily as Odin slammed his shoulder into his torso. Pushed by the momentum of the attack, Sikaris flew backward out of the workshop. His legs shoving mightily against the ground, Odin leapt up the steps three at a time, carrying his opponent with him. Reaching the top, he crossed the width of the hallway and crashed hard into the opposite wall, his body bearing down on Sikaris. Before the angel could recover from the blow, Odin struck him twice with his massive fists. Stunned, Sikaris fell to the floor.
Snarling down at him, Odin moved his face to within inches of Sikaris’ own, his noxious breath causing him to gag. “How does it feel to have a physical body, my old friend? It holds many advantages for our kind, but pain is certainly not one of them.” As if to accentuate his point, he grabbed the angel’s hair and hit the back of his head against the floor, causing Sikaris to yell in pain.
Forcing himself to fight against the throbbing in his head, Sikaris kicked out at the false god. His foot connected with Odin’s abdomen and sent him stumbling down the hall where he landed on his back next to a large window. Climbing to his feet, Sikaris glared at his foe as he began walking steadily toward him. “We are no longer of the same ‘kind,’ my ‘old friend.’ You made your choice of whom to serve. Now you will face judgment for that choice!”
Odin twisted and leapt
to his feet as Sikaris charged. The two giant combatants grappled with one another for several seconds, neither gaining the upper hand. Muscles straining, they fought desperately, each attempting to throw the other off balance.
As they struggled, the demon-god’s appearance began to change. His once tan skin darkened until it became nearly as black as night. The long white hair and beard shriveled and became little more than twisted threads. His skin began to crack as horns and spikes began to push their way to the surface, like thorns breaking through parched ground. The pupils of his eyes blackened and the whites turned a blood red color while his fingernails elongated into yellowish claws.
“It’s…too bad…your human worshipers…didn’t get to see…how repulsive…your true appearance is,” Sikaris grunted as they wrestled. Odin merely snarled in reply, his cracked lips rolling back to reveal a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. Suddenly seeing an opportunity, Sikaris threw his weight sideways. Caught off guard, Odin fell with him and they crashed through the window.
As they plummeted toward the courtyard below, the demon-god twisted his bulk so that Sikaris would take the brunt of the impact. The stone pavement buckled as the two beings crashed into it. Recovering quickly, Odin grabbed Sikaris and flipped him over onto his armor-plated stomach. Using his knees and hands, the demon pinned his foe to the ground. Enjoying his advantage, he grabbed Sikaris’ by the hair and pulled his head back, a look of perverse ecstasy on his cruel face. “So, your Master must have some special purpose for those particular sludge bags if He sent you to protect them. You wanted them to get to somewhere. The Ark, perhaps? Somehow I doubt it. That would probably interfere with His plan to restart the human population. No. It must be something else.”
Suddenly, the muscles in his left eye began to twitch as the answer came to him. “Could it be that the pyramid actually does work? Yes, that’s it, isn’t it? That fool Arngrim either lied to me, or was himself deceived. How else could you expect to save them?”
Pushing Sikaris’ face back into the stone of the courtyard, Odin rose to his feet. Looking upward at the blackened clouds above them, he let out a roar of triumph. As he did so, he tore at the armor made of reptilian scales until it hung in tatters, revealing his broad, muscular chest. A moment later, two black, leathery wings protruded from his back.
“If I am going to be sent to the Abyss, then I will at least do everything in my power to confound the plans of the Enemy!” he screamed down at Sikaris. “If I can’t use the pyramid, I will certainly make sure those sludge bags won’t either!”
Finally coming to his senses, Sikaris spun around as Odin’s wings gave a powerful heave, propelling him into the sky. As Sikaris jumped to his feet, a pair of blazing white wings materialized on the angel’s back. Almighty Warrior, grant me Your strength and speed! he prayed, then leapt into the sky after his enemy.
Lightning raged across the heavens and the wind howled in his ears as Sikaris closed the gap between him and the demon. Glancing behind, Odin’s eyes narrowed angrily at the doggedness of his pursuer. Swerving up and around the archways and buttresses of the outer courtyards of Valhalla, Odin reached down with his right hand and withdrew his sword from the sheath that hung at his side. Free of its bonds, flames burst forth over the entire six-foot blade, adding its own blazing light to the sporadic flashes of lightning.
Stopping abruptly in mid air, Odin swung the weapon at his attacker. Narrowly dodging the strike, Sikaris swooped downward, then reversed direction and came up behind his opponent. As Odin spun around to face him, Sikaris drew his own sword. Holding the gleaming silver blade aloft, the angel of light dove at the angel of darkness. Sparks flew as the sword blades clashed, showering the warriors with pinpricks of light.
With their wings beating heavily to fight against the raging wind, the combatants traded blows back and forth, their muscles straining with each thrust and parry.
“You cannot win!” Sikaris yelled above the roar of the tempest. “You lost the day you joined Lucifer! The Lord of creation reigns and His will be done!”
Enraged, the demon feigned an attack with his sword, but instead kicked out at Sikaris, causing him to fall momentarily toward the ground. Taking advantage of the slight reprieve, Odin flew toward the entrance of the hangar that contained the pyramid.
Using his downward momentum, Sikaris turned his fall into a dive. Picking up speed, he suddenly swerved toward Odin, making up the distance rapidly. Just as the demon was about to enter the hangar, Sikaris crashed into him from below. The force of the blow stunned the two beings, sending them tumbling into the angular walls of the building. With their limbs entwined, the two warriors began sliding down the wall toward the courtyards below. Odin released the grip on his sword and instead began to tear at Sikaris. Dropping his own sword, he fought to keep the wicked claws at bay as the pair continued their descent.
Lightning flashed once again, briefly illuminating several flying buttresses and walkways as they flew by. Finally breaking through Sikaris’ defenses, Odin grabbed his neck in one hand and began to squeeze his nails into the tanned flesh. Grasping at the claw with his own hand, Sikaris fought to pry the fingers away. Suddenly, both of the giant beings felt the breath leave their bodies as they crashed into one of the lower walkways several stories above the ground. The impact broke the marble walkway free, causing it to collapse. Stunned, Sikaris and Odin lost their grip on each other. Seeing the ground rushing up toward him, the angelic warrior spread his wings and managed to slow his fall just enough to keep from smashing full force into the ground.
Sensing something coming rapidly toward him, Sikaris turned to see a large section of the marble walkway falling down on top of him. Calling upon every ounce of strength in his legs and wings, the warrior propelled himself to the side, narrowly escaping the massive structure as it crashed to the ground.
In all of the confusion, Sikaris momentarily lost sight of his foe. Muscles protesting at the strain caused by the battle, he rose to his feet, searching the area for any signs of Odin. A glint of silver metal to his left caught his attention. Running over to his sword, he bent to pick it up. Yet, as he reached out to grasp the hilt, an enormous weight bore down on him, knocking him to the ground.
“It really is a shame that you didn’t join our side,” Odin said as he used his full weight to keep Sikaris down on his back. “You are quite a skillful warrior.”
“Look at yourself, Odin,” Sikaris yelled in reply. “You use your God-given talents and abilities to pervert and destroy men, who are made in the very image of God!”
Freeing one of his hands, the demon grabbed Sikaris’ silvery blade. Pointing the tip at his enemy’s throat, he screamed in rage. “WE were His only children until they came along. WE had power, but yet He chose to place them above us! And to make matters worse, He commands us to protect them! They are the ones who deserve death, and my true brothers and I have given it to them! Today we strike at the heart of our Maker. Even in defeat, we win. For in order to undo what we have done to His precious humans, He is forced to wipe them out and start over!”
Sikaris shook his head sadly. “No, you haven’t won. Noah and his family still live, and through them, the Promise still lives. One day the seed of woman will strike the head of the serpent! You have LOST!”
Screaming in unbridled rage, Odin tensed his muscles, preparing to decapitate his enemy. Suddenly, an earthquake shook the ground, causing a fissure to open in the earth several feet to the left of the combatants and causing Odin to lose his balance. Reacting quickly, Sikaris kicked him toward the fissure. The demon dropped the sword and rolled to the edge, his claws raking the ground to keep from falling into the gaping hole. Leaping back to his feet, he laughed raucously. However, a deeper rumble from inside the cavernous opening within the earth caused the laughter to die on the demon’s lips. Turning to stare into the chasm, Odin’s eyes grew wide with horror. With his opponent momentarily distracted, Sikaris dove forward and kicked, sending the fallen angel over the edge.
Letting out a shriek of panic, Odin spread his wings to arrest his descent. Pumping them hard, he fought to rise out of the newly formed crevasse. However, as he neared the lip, the fountains of the great deep burst forth from inside the earth, the superheated jets of water pulverizing the physical body of the once mighty Odin, lord of Asgard.
The moment Goliath saw the approaching tsunami, he jerked the controls hard, turning the platform around.
“Can’t we just fly over the water?” Jerome asked fearfully. “That way, once the wave has passed, we could continue on to the Ark.”
Dr. Eisenberg shook his head sadly. “You felt the winds earlier. We’d be knocked out of the sky!”
“Did the diary say how high the waters of the tsunami reached?” Goliath asked the doctor, his eyes darting to his right, gauging how much time they had before the wall of water hit them.
“It said that they reached almost to the Ark,” Dr. Eisenberg replied.
“Good. Then only the bottom section of Valhalla will be hit,” Goliath said. “Once the wave passes, we can try for the Ark again.”
“But the door will already be closed!” Dr. Eisenberg said.
“Then we may have to land on the roof and climb through the window!” Goliath shot back, his voice strained as he looked at the rapid approach of the tsunami.
“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Mack asked as panic filled him. “We’re not gonna make it!”
Gritting his teeth, Goliath tightened his hands on the controls. He knew Mack was right. Every flash of lightning showed that the water was now less than a mile away, and although the platform was climbing upward toward Valhalla, the machine was too slow. They were going to be swept away.
Suddenly, the platform shot forward with a burst of speed, causing all of the passengers on board to grip the railings and walls tightly for support. Surprised, Goliath nearly let go of the controls. “What the…? I’m no longer controlling it!”
Escaping the Cataclysm Page 25