"It's holy water, parasite! Holy water from the Christian Church, blessed by a priest of God. Hurts, doesn't it? It will purify this poor soul, and burn you out like the unwanted parasite you are. Tell Satan we're still here! You thought you had exterminated the church, didn't you, the Christian Church and all who believed, and all nations who believed. But you didn't. You just drove us underground! We're still here – that's the message for Satan. You've failed! All that effort, all that subversion, all that conquest, all those years, all those zombie brainwashed victims, billions of them, and all for naught. God speaks! Taste more, you foul, unspeakable, dead excrement!" And he threw another burst of holy water on Ice, from a little vial. She screamed again, from the very soul, thrashing around out of control. Her skin hissed and smoked and sizzled from the holy water.
"Stop it! Stop it! I can't stand it!" Kwan tackled Dorak violently and they fell to the deck and the Prof and I dragged Kwan from the room.
Dorak got up shakily and then went back to Ice. As the Prof and I were dragging Kwan away from the scene, I could hear Dorak. "Want more, parasite? Want more? I'll pour it right down her throat until you choke on it! Begone, coward! God has you by the throat! Tell your master Satan he is doomed! God is coming for him, with all his angels! And nobody is afraid of him any more. Nobody!"
I was shaking. My heart was pounding. I had thought Dorak was just a little loony-tunes ghost enthusiast trying to make a living out of something nobody was interested in. Man, was I wrong!
Δ
"Don't worry about Ice," Dorak said. "She'll be fine. The thing is still in her, but I'll drive it out. Ice is fighting it. Sometimes she speaks to me, herself, and screams at the parasite to get out. She's tough as nails. But Bees – this is different." We were standing before Bees' isolation room, looking in through the one-way portal, Dorak and Prof and I and Scout and Arie. And I was now listening to what Dorak said with a great deal of respect, and interest. "You see, these creatures enter someone through vulnerable gateways – that is, personal weaknesses that can be exploited by evil. If you are armed with the armor of a strong faith, or a strong love, or strong links to a band of brothers or sisters who share your faith, it is harder to penetrate such a person. But never impossible. Nobody is free of sin, nobody is an island, nobody is invulnerable to Satan and his filthy minions. Both Ice and Bees are strong, courageous, and well-armed against Satan. Bees is practically an emissary of God, a White Hand knight, driven by pure faith. She speaks to God every day. That's why I am particularly worried about her. Whatever has possessed her body and soul must be a particularly strong and evil creature. Because she is a particularly strong agent of God. But she appears to be totally under control of the creature." He peered into the room where Bees was strapped tightly to the brainscan table. She was silent, panting, looking around the room with sullen eyes.
"I'm sorry, Scout, but we cannot let you in there," the Prof said. "Kwan went crazy watching Doctor Dorak work on Ice, and we don't think it would be wise to allow you to view the proceedings. I'd like you to know that I have total confidence in Doctor Dorak. He knows what he is doing. He's going to get Bees back for us."
"Scout," Dorak said. "I'd like to learn more about anything that may have been troubling Bees in the period leading up to the mission to Pacifica, or just before the mission. She has so much faith in God, and love, both for you and for Ice and for Delta. I've learned that much. I'd like to learn how this evil parasite penetrated her defenses, which appear exceptionally strong. And I believe you can tell us that if anyone can."
"Yes," Scout replied in a low voice. "She didn't seem the same, on the star trek to Pacifica. She was clearly worried. And she had stopped praying. That was very unusual. I asked, and she told me. She was terrified that Saka's vision of Pacifica, and Prophet's vision of the asteroid striking Earth, might turn out to be true after all. And that we would end up fighting the Brights. That scared her. The Brights were angels, she kept saying, and we couldn't fight Heaven. Also, the Brights had saved her life, and Ice's, and Saka's. She owed them everything. How could she fight them? She was hoping that we would show up there and, once again, find nothing. But she didn't know what to do. She stopped praying because she was afraid anything that happened would be God's will, and she didn't know how to deal with it if she was to end up opposing God. When we arrived and found the deflector was there, just as Saka had foretold, she was cast into a black mood and I could hardly get a word out of her. She was so worried. I've never seen her like that before."
"I see," Dorak said. "I see. She was confused, her faith was wavering, and her defenses were down – way down. That helps. Thank you, Scout. Thank you very much. Now I can attack this thing."
Δ
We entered Bees' isolation room cautiously, me and Dorak and the Prof and Arie. Arie was there for the extra muscle, just in case things went bad. The air was horrible in that room – heavy, brooding, hot and evil. And it stunk. Bees watched us with eyes of hate, but it wasn't Bees. It was the creature. Bees was filthy, vomit splattered everywhere, blood leaking from her mouth.
"What's your name, worm?" Dorak asked.
Bees spat at Dorak, black spittle, then the creature spoke, in a cracked, hoarse hiss. "Kneel before me, mortal, and despair. You are doomed!"
"No name?" Dorak replied. "So you are one of those nameless slaves who crawl around on your belly doing Satan's will, right? Oh and by the way, I'm not mortal. We are all immortal. Unlike you, who is dead."
"I am the mighty serpent Galistos, who lives forever in the world of the dead!" the creature screeched. "Bow down before me, all of you, or I will kill all whom you love. You Prof, your beloved daughter Carol will burst into flames. You Prophet, your Honeyhair will die in agony. You, Nitro, Blondie's heart will cease beating. Kneel before my glory or they die! And you Dorak – who shall I kill for you?" My heart was hammering. Honeyhair! The creature could read our minds. What might it do to Honeyhair?
Dorak walked over to stand right next to Bees. "Oh, I love you Galistos, you are such a mighty serpent. You're the one I love. So kill yourself! Galistos, huh? No, I think we'll just call you Worm. I know all your secrets."
Bees screamed, thrashing around violently against her bonds, spraying blood. "Die, Dorak!"
Dorak stood there quietly. "No, I don’t believe I shall, Worm. Instead, we'll talk about you. You’re not a mighty serpent, you're just a slithering, cowering worm, a slave. A slave of Satan. And you're not fearsome at all. You're a coward. Hiding just like the parasite worm you are, inside a heroic, courageous woman who hates you and all you stand for. Do you know she is protected by God? Oh, yes, we know all about God. Troubling, isn’t it? Are you getting scared yet, coward Worm?"
"There is no God! God is dead! Satan killed him!"
"God is alive. He is right in this room." Dorak pulled something that he had concealed under his jacket. It was a large golden cross – a simple cross, clean and shining, bereft of ornamentation. No! There was something else – the tiny figure of a man, affixed to the crosspiece. What the hell?
"It’s a crucifix, Worm. And it's all for you." The creature was silent. Bees was frozen in place.
"But first we purify the body. Bees, we're going to burn this filthy parasite right out of you. It's going to hurt, but when we're through, it will be gone."
"She is mine, Dorak! She no longer exists! I raped her soul! I killed her! She serves Satan now!"
Dorak touched Bees on the forehead, chin, and cheeks and as his fingers touched her the flesh burnt, hissing and smoking. "In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, protect this faithful innocent from all harm," Dorak intoned. Bees shrieked. I could hear the flesh sizzling. Then Dorak carefully placed the entire crucifix on Bees, the crosspiece resting on her face, the vertical shaft on her chest. The instant it touched her, she screamed in agony and her face sizzled and blistered and her clothing smoldered and caught fire. The crucifix was glowing radiant golden light – as if it were alive.
> "Attention, Worm! God touches you. How do you like it, Worm? Are you comfy in there?"
"I will kill her!" the creature snarled. Bees began thrashing wildly in her bonds, shrieking and gasping. Dorak kept the crucifix affixed to her body. It was smoking now, glowing red-hot.
"Yes, Dorak," the creature snarled. "You kill her outside and I kill her inside. I'll burn her heart out!"
"Parasite! Coward parasite! Would you destroy your own home? Where will you go, coward? Bees, do you hear me? Bees! Bees!" He fell to his knees by her side, continuing to press the crucifix against her body, now clutching one of her hands with his own. "Pray with me, Bees! You know this prayer! Pray and let God expel this filthy intruder. 'Saint Michael the Archangel defend us in this day of battle, be our safeguard against the wiles and wickedness of the devil…'"
"...wiles and wickedness..." Bees choked.
"may God rebuke him, we humbly pray," Dorak said.
"may God rebuke him!" Bees repeated. Then she screamed and thrashed around, spitting blood.
"and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host,"
"and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host," Bees shouted in despair.
"by the power of God..."
"by the power of God!"
"cast into hell Satan and all the other evil demons who prowl through the galaxy seeking the ruins of souls!"
"Amen!" Bees shrieked.
"Coward Worm, are you still there?"
"The power of hate is stronger than the power of love, you fool! Yes, Galistos is still here. I do not fear your mythical God! I laugh at your pitiful efforts!"
"Open your mouth, Bees." She did it, with a lot of effort. Dorak emptied a little vial of liquid into her mouth.
"Swallow it, Bees! It's holy water, Worm. God's fire!" Bees let out a piercing shriek and again began thrashing around in her restraints. Her clothing was still smoking.
"Getting hot in there, coward?" Dorak asked. "Why don’t you come out of there and face me? Yes, face me. Try me, you miserable worm. Oh, but I forget. You are a coward, hiding inside a woman. But that's all right. We have plenty more holy water. And we've got a priest on the way, too. We hope you're having a good day, Worm. We'll be back shortly. We'll be back, Bees! Don't despair!" Dorak carefully removed his hand from Bees' grip, picked up the crucifix and led us out of the room. Once we were outside, he doubled over in agony. One hand was trembling.
"I think she broke my hand," he said. "I'll need some medical care and painkillers before we go in there again. Let's make it quick."
Δ
Honeyhair and Blondie and Mary fixed up Dorak real quick in the clinic. They had been watching the proceedings over the medview, and I could tell they had been crying. I watched as Honeyhair finished bandaging his hand.
"Are you really going to do it, Dorak?" the Prof asked in concern.
"I would prefer just to drive it away, but it will be looking for a new host. And I'm not sure I can drive it out of Bees – and away – if it doesn't want to go."
"But then we'll have just exchanged one problem for another."
"Yes. But Bees will be free. And Father Speirs is on the way."
I suddenly realized what Dorak was planning. Deadman! Where do we find people like this? The man was a soldier and a saint. An agent of God – just like Bees.
Δ
"Nobody here is afraid of you, Worm. Nobody," Dorak said. "We're going to expel you from the body and soul of this holy woman – and you're going to be remembered just like people remember a particularly nasty bout of diarrhea. So why don't you save yourself a lot of trouble and leave now – before the priest gets here?"
Bees was exhausted, moaning, her face all burnt from the cross.
"Kill her, Dorak," the creature hissed. "Then I leave. I leave when her heart stops beating."
"Coward Worm. You are afraid of me, aren't you?"
An evil, guttural laugh, from Bees.
"You claim to be a mighty serpent," Dorak said, "but I say you are a terrified little parasite worm, hiding from the world inside your woman-womb, too frightened to face anyone else. Face me, you despicable parasite! Why are you afraid of me? Do I look so formidable? I laugh at you. I scorn you. What do you call yourself? Gasalot? Garaglog? Gottago? What was it?"
"Galistos!" Bees snarled in fury.
"Quite an imposing name for a little worm like you. Why don't you try possessing Dorak, Worm? Oh, I know why. Because you're a sniveling coward. And you know I'd strangle you, crush you, the instant you enter me. Well, we'll let you enjoy your mommy a bit longer. Then we're going to burn you to ashes with holy water."
Bees let out a piercing scream, tearing at her bonds, and then collapsed, unconscious. Something black and evil and smoky swirled briefly around us all, then shot into Dorak. Dorak staggered and fell, twitching. Arie and I caught him and dragged him from the room. He was unconscious.
"Medical!" the Prof shouted. "Release Bees and treat her! Security, get here now. Scout, go to Bees. Arie, cuff Dorak. Now let's get Dorak to another isolation room and strap him down."
I was shaken, stunned by developments. I could hardly believe it. Dorak was a hero – a genuine hero.
Δ
We only received one day's notice that the Brights were coming. They told us through the DX Q-link. Then the next day they touched down at Quaba starport in a giant snow-white starship that was so beautiful and awesome it made my heart speed up. Right up front was the emblem of the White Hand. It was kind of like the Legion Cross. When you saw that mark you knew you'd best be very careful, and on your best behavior.
"Welcome to the Confederation of Free Worlds," I said, as the lead Bright delegation exited their ship and took their places where we indicated. I was telepathing the same thing as I spoke. I was getting good at that. Saka and I and the Prof and Nan the Man were there. Bees and Ice should have been there too but they had very good reasons for missing this one. We were clustered around the Director General of ConFree, the Minister of Interstellar Relations, the Minister of War, the Director of the ConFree Legion, the Director of Galactic Information, and a whole lot of others. I knew the entire inhabited galaxy was going to be viewing the images of this event – well, maybe not the slave states in the Gulf, but everybody else. Surprisingly, I was not in the least bit nervous. By that time I had no interest at all in the opinions or perceptions of the people of the inhabited galaxy. I cared about Delta Research and nothing else.
Martial Breakblade led the Bright delegation. We were all in the formal Legion black uniforms and the Brights were all in white uniforms. "Martial Breakblade," I said and telepathed, "I wish to present Antara Tarantos-Hannah, the Director-General of the Confederation of Free Worlds. Director Hannah, this is His Excellency Minister Resident Martial Breakblade of the official Liaison Office of the government of Bright Haven."
"Greetings and a warm welcome from the Confederation of Free Worlds," Tara began. A light breeze touched her silky hair and it floated gently around her face. I was standing right next to her, stunned by her raw beauty. "This is a historic moment and represents the formalization of what already exists – a strong and enduring friendship of two peoples from separate universes. Our young soldiers have fought side by side against common enemies and our alliance has been sealed with blood. I pledge, in the name of the people of the Confederation of Free Worlds, to do all I can to nurture and encourage this bond of blood." I was doing the telepathing of her speech which was made easier by the draft copy of her remarks which her secretary had passed me earlier.
"The people of the Confederation of Free Worlds and the people of the United Mocain Coalition are grateful for the kind treatment that your knights offered to the captive female humans that they rescued from the thoughtless dead subhumans. The Confederation of Free Worlds welcomes the establishment of full diplomatic relations with Bright Haven as soon as Bright Haven is prepared to agree. In the meantime we will ensure that your staff is happy here. We are certain they will enjoy the hospitali
ty that we offer."
When Tara was through, Martial Breakblade replied, and Saka interpreted his thoughts into Inter. "Greetings to all humans of the Confederation of Free Worlds from the government and people of Bright Haven. We are pleased to initiate formal contact between our two peoples. We pledge friendship and cooperation. We appreciate the help proffered by the Confederation of Free Worlds and the United Mocain Coalition in freeing our captive females from the thoughtless dead. We will never forget that your young soldiers fought by our side against the Demon plague. We regard you as friends and allies against the forces of evil, and we view our relationship as one that is blessed by God." Saka was good. It was not easy to be so precise in interpreting Bright telepathing into human speech, but Saka did it.
As the initial contact broke up and we were ushering the Brights toward a line of aircars that was to take them to their liaison office, I heard Tara urgently instruct the Galactic Information chief, Snow Leopard: "Now let's find out what the hell was with that asteroid thing – soon as you can!"
We ferried the Bright delegation to their new offices in a mini fleet of aircars, meandering through Quaba City to orient them to the surroundings. Their embassy building was a brand-new structure on the edge of town, a sparkling white stone multi-story edifice that looked a bit like a cathedral to the future. We had put in every convenience but were pretty sure they would be changing it later to reflect what they liked. We even installed toilets that never stopped flowing because we had seen that on our visit to Vezhedak. There was a big aircar pad out back.
There were thirty of them. Breakblade said this was the advance delegation, focused on setting up the offices for more folks who would come later. Saka and I were to be assigned to the embassy until further notice. We called it the embassy although officially it was a liaison office. We had a whole army of folks on call all day and night to service the Brights. A fleet of aircars and drivers was standing by in the aircar pad. We distributed visual-heavy welcome handbooks to all, and lots of 3D city maps. We even handed out credit cards to them all for incidental purchases, courtesy of the ConFree taxpayers. This was clearly Number One on ConFree's list of priorities.
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