“Why can’t she talk to us?” Nina demanded. “Don’t you think she would be more comfortable if she didn’t have to just sit there like an idiot?”
“Jesus H. Christ…” Howie grumbled. “Someone could be watching her, Nina, and we need her to look like she’s alone. If anyone from The Righteous’ forces notices her seemingly talking to herself they’ll assume that she’s actually communicating with someone else. That could put her in danger and I’m simply not willing to take that risk.”
“Well I don’t think it’s that serious,” Nina retorted. “I mean, what could they possibly do to her with all of those people down there—” Nina’s sentence was suddenly cut off by a screeching fire alarm that rang out with no advanced warning. The confused crowd of gamblers who filled the room began to clamor as the fire alarm continued to wail.
“Howie, is that you?” I asked.
“No, it’s not,” he said, nervously.
My heartbeat quickened as someone yelled “Fire!” and the crowd suddenly, rushed towards the exits.
“What should I do, Howie? The rest of the people down here are leaving!” I asked as the hurrying crowd became an all-out stampede.
“What do you see?” he asked, frantically. “Is anyone moving toward you?!”
“No, I don’t see anyone!” I said as my heart beat even faster as I noticed the desperation in Howie’s voice.
“Nina, lock the door!” Howie ordered. “Monica, I need you to get out of there as fast as you can! We have to abort the mission!”
“Should I come back to the room?!” I asked as the fire alarm blared on and my head began to spin due to the sweltering anxiety that had taken hold of my entire body.
“No, just fall in with the crowd and make your way outside as quickly as possible. Once you’re outside, find a police officer and stay with him until we can get to you!”
“Okay! I’m headed out now!” I confirmed as I swallowed a lump in my throat and grabbed my purse. A sick feeling churned in the pit of my stomach as I turned to look for an exit and my eyes fell onto an incredibly large, bearded man who was wearing dark sunglasses and a black suit and facing my direction as he stood motionless amongst the surging crowd of patrons that were dashing toward the exits. My legs turned to jelly as the man removed his sunglasses and I realized that he was glaring directly at me. Even with the ocean of people between us I knew that there was no way I could outrun someone as athletic as he looked—but I still had to try.
I turned and darted into the crowd as quickly as I could, hoping to lose the man in the chaos as I made my way toward the exit. My heart pounded faster as I looked back and saw the powerfully built man pushing his way through the crowd with alarming speed.
“How’s it going, Mo?” Howie suddenly asked over the radio.
“I think there’s someone coming after me!” I shouted as I pushed forward through the crowd.
“Are you sure?!” Howie asked.
“Yes I’m sure! He’s looking right at me and he’s as big as a freaking house!” I yelled as I looked back at the icy glare of the man who was moving to capture me.
“You have to hurry, Monica!” Howie encouraged.
“I’m trying!” I yelled as the man closed in on me while I fought to keep my balance amongst the stampede.
“Monica, listen to me! When you get outside you have to—” Howie’s transmission was abruptly interrupted as I felt someone behind me suddenly yank the earpiece from my ear. Before I could react, a massive hand suddenly clasped over my nose and mouth and I was yanked from my feet before I could even muster a scream.
13. BEYOND THE VEIL
MONICA:
PRESIDENTIAL SUITE: CRIMSOM LEGACY CASINO
(LAS VEGAS, NEVADA)
THE CASINO AND HOTEL PATRONS WERE SO CONCERNED with saving their own skins that not one of them cared to raise a finger in my defense as the gigantic man in black hoisted me into the air with ease and carried me off in the opposite direction of the fleeing crowd. I had tried to escape several times as the hotel elevator carried us up to the top floor but my enormous abductor was so incredibly strong that I couldn’t move a single inch as he held me within his grasp. Despite his unearthly brute strength my captor was surprisingly gentle as he easily fended off my attempts to escape. I was even more surprised when we entered the enormous luxury suite on the top floor of the hotel and the man simply sat me on my feet as opposed to tying me up and locking me away.
My heart pounded in my chest as my feet hit the floor and I searched for a way to escape. Every part of me wanted to run but I was completely frozen stiff as the man simply backed away from me and stood guard near the entrance to the suite, nearly blocking the entire door from view.
Clamoring and quiet gasps from just behind me suddenly caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. When I turned and peered further into the suite, I was completely shocked to see that six bearded men, who were equally as large as my abductor, were now standing in a crowd before me. A few of them were dressed in dark suits similar to the one worn by my abductor but most of them wore variations of a futuristic looking suit of black metal armor that was like no armor I had ever seen before. My knees trembled and threatened to give out as I realized that they were all staring right at me. Even the armored ones had removed their helmets as I stood before them and they all focused their gazes onto me with an unusual look of awe within their eyes.
I had never been so afraid in my entire life. There I stood, clad in nothing more than a little red party dress that was barely covering my bottom and I had somehow found myself surrounded by a hoard of mysterious giants that were all silently staring at me with the weirdest of expressions upon their faces. I couldn’t tell if they wanted to rape me or kill me—the only thing I knew was that whatever they had in mind I would be powerless to stop it.
I quivered in fear as they slowly moved toward me. Some of them gasped while others whispered barely audible remarks about my “beauty” as they crowded around me. I felt like a child amongst towering adults as I realized just how much bigger they were than me. The shortest one among them stood around 6’4” while most of them towered at nearly seven feet tall.
“Can it be?” the closest one to me whispered to no one in particular as he stared into my eyes as though he was completely mesmerized by the very sight of me. They all stared in silence as the towering man slowly reached his gloved hand toward me. My entire body stiffened as his massive hand neared my face.
I flinched as the cold tip of his armored glove sent a tremor down my spine and the entire group of giants suddenly cowered in fear as I threw my fists into the air in a desperate attempt to defend myself. I stood in awe as they shielded their faces as if they were all expecting me to unleash some devastating attack at any second.
“At ease, men,” a booming voice suddenly commanded from beyond the cowering crowd. The men suddenly straightened their posture in an instant and scampered away to each side of me, creating a narrow path between them. At the end of the path was a well-built, broad-shouldered man, who stood nearly 6’5”. He had a full head of dark shoulder length hair along with a dark, neatly trimmed, tight beard that accentuated his powerful jaw line. He wore a variation of the same high-tech black suit of armor as the rest of the men in the room, yet his armor was a bit more distinct in that it was adorned with several decorative engravings that I had not noticed on the other suits. His wide shoulders were also draped in a long snow-white cloak that was gently wavering behind him as he focused his luminous blue eyes on me.
I remained silent as this mystery man approached me. His piercing blue eyes seemed to emanate a subtle glow as he gazed at me. Despite the fact that I was certain that he was about to rip me in two with his bare hands I couldn’t help but notice that he was unbelievably handsome.
“Hello, Monica,” he said as softly as he could in his booming voice.
“H-hello,” I stammered as I stared up at him. “A-are you him? Are you The Righteous?” I asked as I g
azed into his dreamy blue eyes. Something about the soft glow of his unnaturally beautiful eyes had brought a wave of calm over me and suddenly the only thing I could focus on was the fact that this man was remarkably attractive. In the back of my mind, I still feared for my life, but as I peered into his majestic eyes, that somehow didn’t seem to matter quite as much anymore.
“No, my dear. My name is Darius, The Greater,” the man replied.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, still mesmerized and equally terrified by the very sight of him.
“It is not I who has summoned you, my dear,” he said as he stepped aside and extended his massive right arm toward the dark room before us. “The Righteous awaits.”
I didn’t know what to say. I certainly didn’t want to go into that room but at the end of the day, what choice did I have? So far they had not physically harmed me in any way but there was no way for me to know what they had in store for me in the end. I had no idea of what was about to happen but I knew that if I didn’t make it out of that suite the one thing that I would regret more than anything would be not getting the chance to see Reaper again. For my sake, I suddenly found myself hoping that Howie was right when he assumed that The Righteous wanted to use me as a vessel for their Goddess. I didn’t know if I truly believed any of what Howie had said about the Goddess of Eden but I knew that as long as they believed in it I would still have a chance to remain alive—and as long as I was alive there was still hope that Reaper would come to save me.
IT TOOK A FEW SECONDS FOR MY EYES TO ADJUST TO the darkness of the room. It was consumed by deep black shadows and the only light was that which seeped in through the colossal glass windows that lined the outer walls of the room. From the entrance of the room I could see a shadowy hooded figure standing alone just before the windows and peering out into the breathtaking Las Vegas skyline.
“Greetings, my dear,” he said without bothering to look back at me. His voice was just as deep as The Greater’s but it had much more texture to it—as if he had smoked five packs of cigarettes a day for his entire life.
“H-hello,” I stammered as I stood motionless in the doorway.
“Please join me,” he said, still looking out over the city. “We have much to discuss.”
My pulse throbbed in my temple as I silently made my way toward him. He was wearing a hooded white cloak that was similar to the one worn by The Greater, yet his was much longer and the parts of it that draped onto the floor were filled with many unfamiliar symbols. As I took my place beside him I noticed that he was actually a bit larger than The Greater, however, based on his hunched posture, I could also tell that he was much older.
“I’m still not sure what we’re supposed to be discussing,” I said softly as I cautiously glanced over at him, wondering if he was about to pull back the hood of his flowing cloak and allow me to see the face of the man who most considered to be the ultimate enemy of the United States of America.
“As I said before, my dear,” he began as he slowly pulled back his hood and revealed a face that could easily go for eighty to ninety years old. “I have asked you here because I need your help.”
Even in the darkness of that room the four square cut stones that lined the front of the circular crown that he wore on his head glittered brightly as the silvery moonlight shone against them. I was completely taken aback as I studied his leathery skin and long full-faced grey beard and realized that he was much older than I had anticipated. As he brushed strands of his long, pale grey hair from his face, I could see that his weary, brown eyes were so dark that they almost appeared to be black. As I looked into his eyes and he stared back at me I couldn’t help but notice that there were so many emotions locked within his gaze—much more than the simple evil glare that I had come to expect. With one look, I could tell that these were the eyes of a man who had experienced more anguish in his lifetime than I could possibly dream of.
“I-I’m just a girl. What do you need my help for? What could I possibly offer you?” I finally asked, as I recalled the questions that Howie had instructed me to ask him.
“The salvation of my people,” he calmly replied.
“I don’t understand,” I admitted.
“You have been kept in the dark for many years, my dear, but I can assure you that you are much more than just an ordinary human girl.”
“But you don’t even know me,” I whispered.
“But I know of your purpose and soon you too will come to understand it as I have,” The Righteous declared. “There is a realm of existence far beyond that which you believe to be reality and it is there that your destiny lies. This world in which we stand—this universe that surrounds us all is not as unique as you humans have come to believe, my dear. This is but one of many universes—one of many wondrous planes of existence. Beyond the veil of this reality lies another universe that is inhabited by spiritual beings of unimaginable power. Through sacrifice, my people discovered a way to draw one of these beings into our realm—and we worshipped Her as our God and through Her grace and mercy our once war-torn world began to prosper beyond measure—”
“What does any of that have to do with me?” I asked.
“She was taken from us,” The Righteous said solemnly as he looked away from me and peered out over the city once more. “Destroyed by the same enemy that now seeks to wipe my people from the face of existence. Her physical vessel was vanquished but the weapon that was used to destroy it also instantly incinerated over a billion of my people, allowing our Goddess’ true form to escape back into Her realm before it too could be destroyed. There She awaits until such time as a worthy vessel is chosen and the ritual to bring Her back is once again completed.”
“And you want me to be the vessel,” I said softly, as my heartbeat quickened.
“It is your destiny, Monica,” The Righteous confirmed.
“And what if I say no?” I reluctantly asked.
“We can bind Her to your body from beyond the veil, however it is up to you to allow her to bond with your soul and assume complete control,” he answered.
“Then I won’t do it,” I said as firmly as I could.
“I understand your reluctance, my dear, for this is not a decision that should be taken lightly, however you must understand the extent to which my people depend on Her. If the Goddess does not return we may never reclaim all that was taken from us. Consider the lives you—”
“I don’t know your people! I have absolutely no idea who or what they are so why should I have to give up my body for them?!” I protested.
The Righteous sighed and shook his head as he turned and stared at me for a few uneasy moments. “I had hoped that you would willingly accept your fate,” he finally said, as he tried in vain to hide his frustration. “But I fear that you have left me no choice, Monica. I had agreed to only sacrifice the one billion lives that I would need to bring Her back into this world but I am prepared to destroy this entire planet if I have to.”
My knees suddenly grew weak once again and I found myself completely speechless as his ominous threat echoed in my mind. I didn’t want to believe that he was even capable of destroying the entire planet, however there was nothing about his demeanor that indicated that he was joking or bluffing.
“You’re a monster,” I finally cried as tears welled up in the corners of my eyes.
“I am not the villain that your government has made me out to be. I am only trying to save my people,” he scoffed.
“By sacrificing my people?! How can you expect me to be okay with that?” I demanded.
“There are more than seven billion people that inhabit this planet, my dear. I have given you an opportunity to save six billion of them. If you agree to my terms then I will only take the one billion lives that are necessary to complete the ritual.”
“What about the others? Why can’t I save them too? There has to be another way to bring Her back without having to kill so many people,” I pleaded.
“This is the only way,
my dear. Almost all life in this universe is comprised of a physical component as well as a spiritual element. On the Earth you call the spiritual element the soul. When we die in this realm a gateway is opened which allows our souls to pass on to the next realm—into Her universe. Our ritual allows us to reverse the natural flow of this gateway which enables us to pull her from the spiritual universe into our own realm. But Her true form is far too massive for just one soul. In order to open a gateway large enough to accommodate the enormity of The Goddess’ spiritual form it would require no less than the one billion lives that I have asked of you.”
“Then I can’t do it. I can’t agree to letting you murder so many innocent people. And why does it have to be us? Why can’t your people just leave us alone?” I sobbed, shaking my head as I contemplated the genocide that he was proposing.
“Because the Earth must pay for its crimes against the children of Eden,” he replied as he stared coldly at me. “And because there is no mercy in darkness, dear girl. There are only broken bones and captured souls. It was your people who chose to take sides in this dark conflict—and it is because of their foolish alliance with our enemy that the murky clouds of annihilation now loom above you all.”
“Well, I don’t believe you!” I cried, defiantly, while wiping tears from the corners of my eyes. “I don’t believe you can destroy our entire planet!”
“And you would not be the first to have made that mistake. If you continue to choose to defy me then so be it, but perhaps you will change your mind after the Earth is nothing more than a memory. As we speak, my ship, The Pillar of Eden, approaches. Its Infinite Mass Weapon is capable of firing a projectile at a velocity which exceeds the speed of light. At that speed the projectile would gain infinite mass and enough power to destroy anything in its path—even a planet… especially a planet. I cannot force you to become the vessel of Eden as the ritual requires that you willingly give yourself to Her, but you should know that I am prepared to do what I must in order to ensure the survival of my people.”
Savior Part 2: Son of Eden (The Savior Series) Page 12