by Siegel, Alex
Virgil stepped backwards, and his foot found a hard surface. He kept walking even though he couldn't see where he was going. It was an act of faith.
The sky became brighter. He looked down and discovered he was on a path made of gleaming silver bricks.
"You can turn around now," Alfred said.
Virgil turned. The night had become a sunny day. He was standing before a pool of crystal clear water in a giant silver bowl. More water was falling into the pool, but when he looked up to find the source, all he saw was the sun. Alfred, Sara, and Lisa were at the edge of the bowl.
A huge goldfish was swimming in the bowl. It jumped out of the water, landed on its tailfins, and stood before the team. Virgil was surprised, but he was even more shocked when it spoke.
"You stink of Hell," the fish said in a lilting voice.
"Sorry," Virgil said, "but that's where I came from."
The fish sniffed at Lisa. "Gah! You both reek. How can you stand to be with yourself?"
"That's just rude," she said.
"This is Vaasa," Alfred said. "It guards the passage. Heaven is up there." He pointed up the waterfall.
"Great," Virgil said. "We have reason to believe somebody snuck into Heaven recently. A Corporal Scott Hartmann."
"He didn't come through here," Vaasa said. "The last people to use this passage were you two, the stink-free ones." The fish nodded towards Sara and Alfred.
"You never take a break?" Virgil said.
"I've been on duty for 112 years, and I haven't closed my eyes the entire time."
Virgil looked at Vaasa's unblinking fish eyes. "I believe you."
"Did you think I might lie?" Vaasa sounded deeply offended.
"No, of course not."
"And I don't see how a human could sneak into Heaven regardless. These passages are just for angels."
"And people like us," Alfred said.
"I don't even know what you are. Human souls wrapped in immortal bodies? You're nameless abominations."
"For an angel," Lisa said, "you have a bad attitude."
"At least I don't smell of rot and damnation," Vaasa said. "Sniff me and see for yourself."
"Let's stay on topic," Virgil said. "Can you imagine any possible way for a human to use a passage?"
"Not without help, a lot of help. An angel would have to provide very specific instructions, and no angel would do that. Even if one did, somebody would notice a human where they aren't supposed to be. In six thousand years, no mortal has ever entered without official, top-level approval and plenty of assistance. Hell is a little easier to penetrate, but nobody in their right mind would want to go there."
Virgil looked at his teammates. "Any more questions?"
They shook their heads.
"Then let's talk to Barachiel," he said. "Hopefully, it will tell us the next place to go."
Sara scooped up some water with her hands. She splashed the water onto the silver path to create a gleaming puddle.
"Barachiel!" she said. "Are you there?"
Barachiel appeared as a wavering image in the puddle. Vaasa gasped and dove back into the pool.
"We're at the passage in Lake Michigan," Sara said. "The guardian claims nobody has come through here. Where do we go next?"
Barachiel hesitated. "I suppose we have no choice. Your next stop is Aladdin's Castle in Elmhurst."
* * *
A face made of stars looked upon a patch of trees far below. The face had powers which would surprise even the archangels, and one of them was the ability to conceal. Heaven and Hell would not know what transpired tonight in that little patch of forest, at least not right away. The secret would get out only after the damage was done.
The face smiled like a mischievous child.
* * *
Dr. Harlow zipped up his coat. A cool night had evolved into a cold one, and the damp air was sucking away his body heat. He hopped a few times on the dirt to get his blood moving, but it didn't help. He hoped the experiment wouldn't take too long.
The modified ordnance disposal robot was parked in the middle of a grassy meadow. A dense forest surrounded the meadow, and black shadows filled the spaces in between the trees. Lights on stands illuminated just the robot. The experimenters couldn't risk attracting attention by using broad floodlights.
Most of the scientists in the Crusader Special Unit had turned out to see the show. Colonel Knox was present, of course, and his tight expression made him appear constipated. Rena Penn was next to him and even less happy.
The security detail had created a perimeter around the experimental area. In addition to heavily armed men, there were machine gun emplacements and lots of barbed wire. Nobody was getting in or out until Colonel Knox gave the word.
Harlow focused his attention on the robot. He was holding the radio controls, but it could also act autonomously. If the experiment worked as hoped, the robot would have to finish on its own.
"How does the telemetry look?" he called out.
"100 percent," another scientist replied.
"And the video feed?"
"Rock solid, all channels. Battery is at full power. We're good to go."
Harlow turned to Knox. The colonel gave a "thumbs up" sign.
"I am starting the robot!" Harlow yelled.
He pressed a button on the controls. Headlights on the robot lit up, and it rolled forward on rubber tracks. The bumpy terrain didn't give the robot much trouble. It was designed to run on battlefields.
Harlow pressed another button, and a loud, repetitive chant came from speakers on the robot. The words weren't in any language ever spoken by man. The face had taught the chant to Harlow, and he assumed it was meant to be sung by angels.
The robot rolled around the meadow, performing a special dance. The weaving pattern was mildly hypnotic. Everybody watched intently.
Harlow didn't expect anything to happen though because robots had no souls. They couldn't experience faith or revelation so they had no place in Heaven. As the minutes passed quietly, the thing only managed to crush a lot of grass. After ten performances of the dance, he pressed the "stop" button. The robot froze.
"It failed," he announced for the sake of scientific completeness.
Colonel Knox and Ms. Penn walked over.
"We'll try a guy in an armored spacesuit tomorrow night," Knox said.
"I never agreed to that," Penn said.
"You're not in charge of this project, so your agreement isn't necessary."
She frowned. "But I can express my displeasure to certain important parties."
"Stop trying to bully me," he said. "This research is far too important for schoolyard games. If you don't like our idea, what's yours?"
"I told you before. We should stop experimenting until we establish a safety protocol..."
"Ms. Penn!" Harlow said in an exasperated tone. "We can't make safe what we don't understand, and the only way to understand is to send test subjects into the portal. I have a good feeling the next one will come back safely."
Penn raised her eyebrows. "You're hanging a man's life on a 'good feeling'? That's not very scientific."
"Experiments are scientific. Weeping over the risks is not."
"I'm not weeping. I'm merely pointing out the facts. You are reckless and irresponsible."
"How about this idea?" Harlow said. "We'll proceed as we planned, and afterwards, you write your report for the President. If there is another failure, you can crow about how you warned us. If we succeed, as I expect, this argument will be moot. No harm, no foul."
Penn hesitated.
"Unless you're afraid I might be right," he added.
She crossed her arms. "Fine. You get one more shot, and if it doesn't work, I'm going to recommend to the President that you get shut down."
"Thank you."
Colonel Knox whistled loudly and waved to get the attention of the crowd. "Let's start cleaning up!" he yelled. "I want everything packed up and gone in thirty minutes! We'll be back here tomo
rrow."
* * *
Virgil parked the car in front of Aladdin's Castle. It was a small amusement park in the western suburbs of Chicago. The entrance looked like a castle, but it was made of gray painted wood instead of stone. He saw some of the rides through a chain-link fence. There was a rollercoaster suitable for young children. A spinning, tilting platform could fling teacups around. A wet section had water slides and fountains, but the water was shut off.
Virgil, Alfred, Lisa, and Sara got out of the car. The parking lot was otherwise completely empty. All the lights were off, but orange light from the city reflected off the clouds, providing enough illumination for Virgil's sharp eyes.
"Let's go," he said.
The four of them walked to the fence and climbed over. They jogged quickly through the silent park. They didn't want to bump into a security guard on night duty.
They went to a secluded back corner, far from the popular areas. An unmarked path took them to a ride standing by itself behind a screen of trees. The ride consisted of two steel towers about fifty feet tall. Steel cables came down from the tops of the towers to a spherical cage with seats inside. The cables also connected to massive counterweights. Clearly, the idea was to fling the cage high into the air and give the riders an intense thrill. Faded golden letters on a sign read, "Rocket to Heaven."
Virgil smiled. That's literally true, he thought.
"There is supposed to be an attendant," Sara said.
Everybody looked around. A decrepit wooden shack was the only possibility.
Lisa walked over and knocked. "Hello?"
The door opened with a dramatic creaking noise. An old man with wild gray hair peered out. He was wearing overalls with patches on the knees.
He sniffed Lisa like a curious dog. "Lord Almighty! You reek of pain and desolation."
"Can't do anything about that," she said. "It's how I was made."
The old man looked at the rest of the team. "What are you? You're not humans, angels, or demons. You're very strange creatures."
"Our kind doesn't have an official name," Virgil said. "We're prototypes, and we're on a mission. A human snuck into Heaven recently. Is it possible he came through this passage?"
The old man squinted suspiciously. "Who told you about this passage?"
"Barachiel."
The old man's eyes widened. "Oh." He straightened and appeared more respectful.
"Well?" Virgil said.
"I don't think your human came through here. I'm the guardian of the ride, and I haven't seen anything suspicious."
"When was the last time an angel rode to Heaven?"
"A year ago," the old man said. "Since then, it's been only kids, and they don't go any higher than seventy-five feet. But if you want to be sure, you can check with the attendant on the other side."
"The other side of where?" Virgil said.
The old man pointed straight up.
"We can go to Heaven?"
"If you're working for Barachiel, I suppose you can go anywhere you want."
Lisa grinned. "Let's do it!" She ran over to the cage which was sitting on the ground.
Virgil was just as eager to experience the ride, and he joined her. Sara, Alfred, and the old man came over at a more casual pace.
The attendant unlocked the spherical cage and opened it. The interior contained just two seats. Virgil looked at the others with a questioning expression.
"You and Lisa can go ahead," Sara said. "Alfred and I spent plenty of time in Heaven. It's not a big deal for us."
Virgil and Lisa climbed into the cage and sat on the hard plastic seats. The fit was tight, particularly for Virgil. He had to hunch his shoulders and raise up his knees.
Lisa started to buckle her seatbelt.
The old man shook his head. "No belts."
The cage had two halves connected by heavy steel latches, He twisted the latches one at a time to disengage them. Then he removed the top half of the cage and placed it aside. He was a lot stronger than he looked.
Virgil realized nothing would stop him from flying off the ride. When it reached its apex, he would keep going. A lawsuit waiting to happen, he thought wryly.
"Ready?" the old man said.
"Sure," Virgil said.
The old man pressed a button on a control panel. Electric winches came alive and lifted the counterweights.
Lisa looked at Virgil with a sloppy grin. "This is exciting!"
"Yeah," he replied with less enthusiasm. The kind of exciting that gets people killed.
The heavy steel cables on the ride tightened like bowstrings. The towers flexed inwards, and he heard a worrisome pinging noise. He grimaced.
"Has this thing ever broke?" Virgil said.
"Not yet," the old man said.
"Uh, when was the last time it had an inspection?"
"Why would it need one?" The old man sounded confused. "It's as reliable as the Lord's love."
Smoke was coming from one electric winch. Virgil decided to ignore it.
The old man yanked a release lever. Powerful acceleration crushed Virgil into his seat. The cage shot upwards and threw him like a rock from a slingshot. He continued flying towards the stars. He expected gravity to slow him down, but he sailed onwards at a quick pace. Lisa was right beside him. Wind whipped his hair and stung his eyes.
The moon slowly transformed into a sun which shined with an intense light. It was bigger, brighter, and hotter than the sun on Earth. The sky lightened to a beautiful light blue without a single cloud.
Virgil and Lisa's flight finally ended when they landed on a polished silver platform. The only way off the platform was a path which snaked through the sky. He couldn't see the other end of the path.
"Very cool," Lisa said.
An old woman was standing with them. She had a white dress and white flowers in her hair.
"Oh!" she said. "I wasn't expecting travelers. What is that awful smell?"
Virgil took a moment to experience Heaven. The air was very thin, and the sunlight made it hot. He felt the rays penetrating his body and heating his insides like a microwave oven. This is what killed Corporal Hartmann, Virgil thought. Fortunately, he was made of much tougher stuff than human flesh. He wasn't even uncomfortable.
Barachiel suddenly appeared on the platform. "What are you two doing? You shouldn't be here!"
He had never met the angel in person. It had the appearance of a woman, but he knew angels actually had no real gender. Its face was so exquisitely perfect, it looked computer generated. It was wearing a shimmering green dress which flowed like water. Giant, white, feathered wings were big enough to serve as the wings on a light airplane. The angel's voice resonated like a grand piano.
"We're investigating. We came to talk to that person." Virgil nodded towards the old woman.
"I gave you permission to check the passages," Barachiel said, "not use them!"
"Sorry. That wasn't very clear. We're already here, so we might as well interview the witness."
"Then let's get this over with." Barachiel turned to the old woman. "Did anybody come through here in the last few days?"
"No," the old woman replied in a quavering voice.
"Good." Barachiel gave Virgil and Lisa a stern look. "Now go back to Earth, please."
"OK," Virgil said. "Calm down."
He turned around and looked over the edge of the platform. He saw an infinite space of blue emptiness.
"Just jump!" Barachiel said. "The passage is directly below."
"But...," Virgil said nervously.
"Go."
"Together," Lisa said. "Three... two... one... jump!"
They leapt off the platform simultaneously and dropped like stones. The blue soon darkened until it became a black night sky full of stars. He saw city lights below. The ground was approaching very quickly.
Virgil realized he didn't have a parachute.
"Oh, crap," he murmured. "This is going to hurt."
He tensed. His body was dur
able enough to survive even a free-fall impact, but healing might take a while.
Just before he struck, something snatched him out of the air. Instead of a violent thud, he experienced relatively gentle deceleration. He realized he had landed in the seat of the Rocket to Heaven ride. Lisa was beside him.
The cage came to a stop on the ground. The old man opened the door, and Virgil and Lisa climbed out.
"What a rush!" she said.
He could only nod in agreement.
"What happened?" Sara said.
Virgil told the brief tale.
"I wonder why Barachiel was so rude," Alfred said.
"I have a good guess. It was worried about Lisa and me not leaving. Once a soul gets into Heaven, he has a right to stay."
"Oh," Lisa said. "I didn't realize. I should've stayed!"
"You would abandon the mission?" Virgil said. "You would bail on your friends?"
"We're talking about Heaven! That's the big prize, right? It was in my hands! I just needed to refuse to leave."
"The first level isn't so great," Sara said. "It's just very pleasant."
"It's a hundred times better than Limbo," Lisa said. "I would do anything to avoid going back there."
"That selfish attitude is what kept you out of Heaven to begin with."
"And you have more integrity than that," Virgil added. "Stick with the team, and I'm sure it will work out for the best."
Lisa looked back and forth between Sara and Virgil. "Maybe."
"Let's get back to work. We need to make contact with Barachiel and find out the location of the next passage."
"I have a jug of distilled water and a silver plate in my shack," the old man said. "I'll get it."
* * *
Virgil parked the car on the side of a residential street in Northbrook, Illinois. The big, stately homes made him feel like he already had one foot in Heaven. He took a moment to admire the immaculate lawns and mature, healthy trees. The spacious lots were a far cry from the compressed townhouses of Chicago.
The team got out of the car. Virgil checked his watch and saw it was already three in the morning. He wasn't sleepy, but the amount of time spent on this adventure was frustrating him.
Sara was carrying a piece of paper with some written notes. She read from the paper, "We're looking for a golden willow tree."