by Summer Lee
“I won’t. We have a job to do and then we are out of here.”
“Glad you understand.”
Reuben smiled, with a sparkle in his eye. “I know, boss. I wouldn’t be here if I thought I couldn’t handle it. It will just take a little getting used to. That’s all.”
She forced a smile back. “I get it, Reuben and I’m sorry for being a jerk. My nerves are jumpy and I just want to make sure we get out of this alive. Thinking about seeing Yasmeen-slash-Jezebel again sends a cold chill down my spine and shivers all over my body. Plus, we have to deal with the demon possessed Hive of Baal.”
He nodded while losing his smile. “I paid close attention when you told us about the Hive. It sounds like something that would exist in Jezebel’s time. I would really like to find out who gave this program to DiBenedetto. Once we find that out, it will be easier to learn where they created it and find out how many more copies exist. There could be other scenarios in play as we speak. That’s what sends chills down my spine. The possibilities are endless.”
Reuben parked the van out of sight behind a large boulder and under drooping branches. “That should do it,” he said.
Magena led the way to the underground cavern where she had once been. She looked around to see if evidence of Daniel remained. She saw nothing.
She walked over to a wall. That was where she was just before she reappeared back into the real world. No one was around now. She stepped over to the secret opening in the middle pillar. It was open and all of the treasure was gone. She gasped. “Oh my.”
“What is it?” Reuben asked.
“Jezebel’s jewelry is gone, along with all the treasury.”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “It may not have been real anyhow.” Reuben pointed down at the many footprints around the pillar, and how they went off to one side.
Her eyes widened. “Those are fresh. Maybe they have Daniel.”
“Count on it.”
He took the lead as he crouched and slowly followed the tracks. Magena stayed close behind him. He whispered, “We need to be quiet, just in case someone is here.”
She recognized the path they were on. They followed the footprints until they suddenly stopped. They were now at the side of a dirt wall of the pit where Daniel was trapped. She remembered how she found a hidden passage down to him. Motioning, she brought it to Reuben’s attention. Creeping slowly, they inched their way to the spot.
Reuben inspected the area, pressing on the wall until part of it cracked. They heard a click and then the wall opened inward to reveal a lit passageway. Reuben asked in a low voice, “How many more passages are in this area?”
“I have no clue.” Her voice was trembling. “I was kidnapped before grasping what was going on.”
“I know what to do.” Reuben closed his eyes tightly and held out his hand. After clenching his teeth for several moments, a flashlight started to fade into his hand from nowhere. It came close enough to him that he grabbed it.
Magena was shocked. “How did you do that?”
“Virtual reality. Ha ha.”
Quietly, she said, “You mean Daniel and I could have done that while we were in here?”
“Sure,” he whispered calmly. “Remember, though. You had no idea you had entered a virtual world.”
“True.”
“You might have suspected it, but you didn’t actually know for sure. Since we know where we are now, we just have to remember that since we are hooked up to this unreal world, we can control certain things.”
“I don’t know how much control we will have, but it will be fun trying to figure it out.” She laughed.
He clasped her hand. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“I’m with you.” Clinging to him, she followed.
“By the way, the flashlight is in case we lose the light in this passage. You can never be too prepared.”
Magena shrugged and wondered if there was anything else he needed to tell her. “Are we now prepared to find Daniel?”
“I hope so.”
They moved forward in the snug passageway until they saw a small opening letting the sunlight in at the end of the structure. Heading in the direction of the light, they were guided to the small opening on the side of the dirt wall. They went to it quickly and looked out.
Reuben put a finger to his lips, to make sure Magena made no noise. She nodded that she understood. Right after he did that, she could hear voices coming from the left side of the outside opening. She raised her eyebrows. “Listen.”
“I can hear it. Let me see if I can pinpoint the location.” Reuben stepped on a rock and stretched his neck. Slowly, he stuck his head out. Magena carefully leaned over to look out as well.
They both gasped at the same time when they saw what appeared to be an army of Hive members spread out through a lush green valley.
Off to the right was a pile of ornate boxes and cases.
“That has to be the lost treasure,” Magena whispered as Reuben nodded in agreement.
Standing tall and confidently in front of the pile was Yasmeen. Facing the other way, she stood with her back to the duo with her hands placed on her hips, as she apparently admired her treasure.
Magena whispered, “Daniel is not with them.”
“Let’s get out of here, then.”
Outside, Yasmeen was prepared for action. “It’s almost time!” she bellowed, as the Hive members cheered. “Prepare to march.”
She turned to face the crowd of devoted and loyal followers, as she raised her hands over her head. “You all have your orders! We will travel as one!”
As soon as she said that, all of the Hive members grabbed another member’s hand and gripped it. Yasmeen appeared to be impatient. She was tapping her foot on the ground. After a few moments, she then crossed her arms in front of her and huffed noticeably, which caused her disciples to stand to attention.
“Get ready,” Magena again whispered to Reuben “This is our ride back out of here.”
“I agree.” She sensed that Reuben was tense.
Fortunately for the two of them, the Hive members now had their backs to Magena and Reuben. That made it easier to sneak forward without being noticed.
There was still the matter of Yasmeen thinking she was Jezebel. Who knows what she would do? But she was so engrossed in what she was doing next to notice anything out of the ordinary.
Magena had the advantage as to what Yasmeen was going to do, because she did it herself earlier. She saw the closed tube that contained the Shroud of Turin lying at the feet of Yasmeen and knew that the degenerate female must have touched it.
Magena’s mouth dropped open when she realized what Yasmeen was trying to accomplish. She was going to attempt to take herself, her treasure, and countless Hive of Baal members out of the virtual world and into reality all at once. All of it.
Magena didn’t have time to tell Reuben what she had figured out. So she waited for Yasmeen’s outstretched hand to reach over to the Hive member who started the line of hand-holding. Yasmeen was also close enough to the treasure, so that when she touched it and held the closest minion’s hand at the same time, she could successfully transport everything and everyone into reality.
Magena’s first thought was to find some way to stop the fake queen from bringing anything or anyone into the real world. She then wondered why that wasn’t an option when the situation was being discussed before with the Sons of Destiny.
She felt unusual fear.
She tried not to let the new panicky feeling out. She didn’t want Reuben to see her paranoia. She can’t take that stuff into the real world.
“We have to find some way to stop her or at least slow her down,” Reuben said quietly, almost as if he could hear what she was thinking. “I wanted to wait until the last minute to try to disrupt, well… everything. I’m not sure how. If you have any ideas, I’m open to them.”
Magena gazed at him. “You mean to tell me you knew how to create a flashlight, but you have
no idea how to get home, or what we’re going to do about Yasmeen? Are you serious?”
“We didn’t have the time we needed to plan something like that. You know that,” he responded with a defensive tone. “That would have taken at least a full day. Possibly longer.”
“Longer than a day?”
“Probably.”
Magena almost lost her cool but realized she needed to keep her voice down. “Probably? Remember when I said I didn’t know if I could trust the Sons of Destiny? Yeah, well, I think I’m closer to not trusting you now.”
Reuben did not answer her. He just winked at her.
She stared at Yasmeen as hope of stopping her faded. “We can’t stop her. As soon as we do anything, her army of the blind and the bald will overwhelm us. Do you realize what’s going to happen if she successfully gets her army and the treasure into our reality?”
“Of course.” Reuben gulped signifying his answer. “I’m not stupid.”
Magena took in a deep breath and gritted her teeth as she watched Yasmeen grab her minion’s hand, while at the same time, reaching out to touch the treasure.
“She’s got it,” said Reuben.
Magena’s heart sank as she realized that if there had been a way to stop the event, now was too late. “I hope the Sons of Destiny are prepared for what’s about to happen here,” she said with disdain. “Once the ball starts rolling, we’re going to be knee-deep in doo-doo. Are you ready for that, Reuben?”
“Stop it.” He looked at her, and his lips turned down into a frown. Magena couldn’t tell if he felt as helpless as she did. Or did he have that supernatural knowledge that most Jews had? Either way, she knew that her biggest battle was about to begin and she didn’t even know how to fight it.
She placed a hand gently on his shoulder and forced a smile. As she looked in his dark eyes, she realized that she needed to be comforted. She needed him to be her friend, not an enemy.
Magena had always stepped up to the plate before and had become the strong one. She recalled several times in her life where loved ones passed on or something happened that affected more than just her. She was always the one who comforted the rest of her family. Always.
She thought that she had stumbled into another situation where she had to be the strong one. She had come to terms that God would be the only one to give her strength. She had slight comfort in that fact, knowing that she needed support from His children as well. At least one of them.
She needed Daniel!
Even though she had grown close to him during their time of searching for the shroud and jewels, she knew that she had been the one in charge. Daniel often had trouble adjusting to the extreme situations they had gone through.
It would have been difficult for anyone to have adjusted to what they went through. She might not have been fair to him. She had adjusted every time, or so she thought.
Now Magena realized that she had assumed what she believed to be her rightful role—she was the strong one. Maybe she didn’t give Daniel a chance. Not enough of one, anyway.
“Are you alright?” Reuben asked as he studied Magena’s face.
“Not sure.” She had been lost in her thoughts. “Dealing with memories.”
“I don’t know what’s going on inside your head, but we really need to act. Now!”
Magena shook herself out of her thoughts and realized only a few seconds had elapsed. She had expected that the phony Jezebel and her Baal worshiping army to be gone. No such luck.
She narrowed her eyes and almost smiled. “The only way to do this is to just do it. I understand that!”
Reuben smiled. “I think so. On the count of three?”
“Three!” she exclaimed as she took off toward the treasure.
Apparently, Reuben did not expect the short count, but was still on her heels, nonetheless.
Everything seemed to go in slow motion, as most things had for Magena since the operation started.
She reached Yasmeen just as the phony queen’s hand was placed on the treasure. The other hand still gripped her minion’s hand.
Yasmeen, her crew, and the treasure all started to shimmer and become slightly blurry. Magena managed to get a hand on one of the antique jewelry boxes and held on for dear life. Reuben joined her, and it snapped loose. They both breathed a sigh of relief.
Then she saw something. Magena noticed the Shroud of Turin tube still lying back there, and realized it hadn’t been touched yet.
“Take this!” She quickly released the treasure box to Reuben and dashed to where she had seen the tube. Grabbing it frantically, she rushed back to Reuben and held it in front of her, while making contact with the treasure again with her free hand. Reuben still held on and an electricity filled the air. A thickness in the air disappeared. Reuben grasped the tube containing the shroud. He was smart enough to open the tube and pull out the shroud.
The virtual world faded.
She felt the sensation of Jezebel’s fortune fade at the same time. It seemed like time was moving faster now, as they both touched the bare shroud and the box of jewels at the same time.
Lightning flashed and thunder rolled, driving the darkness away. With an amazingly slow radiation of light, the phony Jezebel, the Hive members, and Jezebel’s jewels all disappeared. They were gone.
“Let’s go,” said Reuben. “We’re through here.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Daniel
Daniel saw the Hive of Baal arrive in the area. They circled the camp and moved in closer. He could see something in the middle of the Hive horde. It looked like a woman with a crown on her head—a queen.
Daniel knew who it was, but wondered why she was dressed like that, when her minions were almost exactly as he had seen them before. It was a question he would like to know the answer to.
Slowly, the central figure struggled to stand, shedding a dark debris and bringing into view the person inside. It was an enhanced Yasmeen in the appearance of Jezebel. Daniel’s eyes widened as he saw her figure shed the last of the dark grime. He had hoped she was gone, but here she was back in his life.
She stood straight and tall. Her waist-length raven hair flowed over her shoulders. Her crystal blue eyes were almost florescent. She wore black leather tight pants and a black leather midriff tank top.
She wore a black onyx bracelet on each wrist and radiated more beauty than any woman Daniel had ever seen. She was dark skinned and looked of Israeli descent. She also looked confused, as she glanced at her hands and flexed her fingers.
A gold chain was laced around her neck. On the chain, a golden coin adorned her neck. The visage of the woman who wore it stood out against her black wardrobe. Dante had created Yasmeen in the image of the coin.
“The lost coin,” Daniel looked at his father with disdain. “She has my coin.”
Dante laughed.
Lightning flashed all around. Daniel felt uneasy. The thunder was loud. Slowly, a radiation of light came out of nowhere, circling the center of the Hive. Circling and circling. The Hive members dropped to their knees as they faced her. Daniel stared at it wondering what was next. Then Daniel saw Yasmeen was laughing nervously, as if she had just learned to walk for the first time. She grabbed her throat and clung to the necklace, looking all around her. As if looking for someone. Maybe Daniel or Magena.
She spotted Daniel. “Ha! If it isn’t Ahab!” When Yasmeen spoke, Dante’s men looked confused, like they couldn’t understand what she was saying. They probably didn’t. She was speaking in Hebrew. She took a step toward Daniel. “You see me now as I am! Don’t you, Ahab?”
“Do I really? What is your name now?”
“I am revealed once more to the world as Jezebel, Queen of Israel!” She laughed a haunting sound. “No longer do I hide under the guise of the one known as Yasmeen!”
“It was not a guise.” Daniel spoke seriously. “That is who you are. Even with that, you are not human.”
She looked down at the ground and expressed mirth as she
crouched and grabbed fistfuls of dirt and grass. “I am home!” she shouted, throwing the soil. “I am home in Israel forever.”
She laughed again, as Dante started toward her with slow, uneasy steps. Suddenly, every eye was on him. No one bothered to stop him. They just watched. She stopped laughing and rose to her feet. Dante stopped about 5 feet in front of her. The Hive members backed up but were on guard as they eyed him.
“Your Highness,” he said in English, while bowing his head. “Daniel does not understand ancient Hebrew, which is what you have been speaking to him. I, however, spent years learning the language for just this event.”
She glanced at Daniel. Still speaking Hebrew, she said, “Do you understand me, peasant? I know you do. You know what I am saying.”
Surprisingly enough, he said in unbroken Hebrew, “I hear and understand you.” His Hebrew was clear. “Say on.”
Dante looked shocked. “I don’t believe this.”
“I can understand every word you’re saying, Jezebel,” Daniel answered, matter-of-factly in Hebrew, with a snarl on his face. “After all, I am Ahab, the great king.”
Dante turned to his son in surprise. “What? Where did you learn to speak ancient Hebrew?”
“I guess it must have been in that virtual world you sent me to, Dad,” Daniel answered with disdain.
“Hmm,” Yasmeen returned with a pleased look on her face. “I know not what this word means. Vur-choo-ahl?” She inhaled. “But I like it.”
Dante looked at her with a sinister smile. “Perhaps I shall teach you the words of this time and many other things as well while you take over the world?” He raised his eyebrows up and down. “You just have to reign as Queen of the World.”
“What is that?” She lost her smile, as she pointed to a small trace of blood on the corner of his lips. “You are diseased! You must keep away from me.”
“What? No! I bit my lip.” Dante responded in fear mixed with embarrassment. He stepped closer to her. “It’s not like that! I am not contagious…!”