Heaven and Hell (66 page)

Serena and her compatriots had reached the acid bogs along the island’s southern plains. Their attention was drawn to the approaching storm in the east.

“We noticed that storm on our trip in,” said Semjaza, gazing at the flashes of blue coursing through the clouds. “It’s coming this way.”

Serena shook her head. She looked toward the storm and then scanned the skies overhead, not quite sure what she was looking for; then she saw it. It looked like a faint star, high overhead, yet this star was moving, becoming brighter. “It’s them!” She exclaimed, pointing toward the still faint luminary.

Abaddon drew a large luminous crystal from a pocket in his cloak, willed it to glow at its greatest brightness. It illuminated their surroundings in brilliant blue light. He hoped that there were no others to see it, save the humans descending from the sky.

Eight miles over their heads, the Spirit continued its rapid descent. Nick had a dozen things on his mind. They were entering a zone where attack from demons was a real possibility. He might have to react swiftly in case of trouble.

From his seat, Chris scanned the fiery sea below. “I see the island. It’s a small patch of darkness setting in the middle of all of those flames. And wait, there’s a light at the one end, a blue light. It must be Abaddon and Serena.”

Johann pointed down and to the left of the craft, where a myriad of glowing figures was traveling in formation swiftly toward the island. “The angels; and they’re right on time.”

“Four minutes to touchdown,” announced Nick. “We’ve got more trouble. David reports that we’ve got demons coming in several waves from the south, about five or six minutes out, several hundred of them. I hope Moriah and his forces can keep them busy. If our landing is delayed by more than ten or fifteen minutes, we will have about two hundred thousand more demons to deal with. This has to go perfectly.”

Abaddon had selected a level site for the landing and had placed a series of three glowing crystals on the ground around it.

The craft was now a softly glowing sphere in the sky, descending almost vertically toward the selected landing zone. From its sides, the four spidery legs extended and locked in position. It was almost silent, as three spotlights on the bottom of the craft bathed the plains below in brilliant luminance.

Overhead, the arriving angels moved to intercept the first wave of demons descending upon the island. The battle had begun.

The legs of the Spirit planted firmly on the rocky ground and the soft noise of the craft’s engines went silent. From the craft’s side, an opening appeared, and a small stairway emerged.

True to style, Chris bounded from the craft and onto the black rocky terrain without so much as a second look. Overhead, amid bright flashes of light, the angels had engaged their dark foes in combat. The glow of their mighty weapons lit up the sky.

“Chris!” cried Serena, running toward her husband and falling into his arms. “Oh, Chris, I was sure I’d never see you again, not for the rest of eternity!”

Chris hugged her tightly, kissing her on the cheek. “I’m with you now, my love, and I’m taking you out of here, I promise.”

Serena gazed up at the escalating battle. More and more demons were entering the fray. “Chris, how many can that ship of yours take out of here?”

Chris turned to see the six dark angels. At first he was apprehensive.

Serena tried as best she could to dry the tears of joy that filled her eyes. “Don’t be afraid, they’re friends. Chris, I wanted you to meet Abaddon. I’d still be in the sea of fire if it weren’t for him.”

Chris stepped forward, extended his hand toward the dark angel. Abaddon accepted it. “I owe you more than I could ever say or repay. I saw the kindness you have shown my wife when I looked into her book in the Hall of Records. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

“I am pleased to meet you,” he replied. “Chris, you have a good wife, the very best. That which I did for her, she was more than deserving of. I now turn over the responsibility of her happiness to you. I am certain that she is in good hands.”

Chris seemed surprised. “You’re not coming with us? You are more than welcome.”

“Abaddon smiled. “I am sure that I am, but I must decline your kind offer. There is much work for me to do here. I cannot leave it unfinished.”

“But the demons will catch up to you eventually,” objected Serena. “I can’t bear to think of you in their hands. I wanted all of you to come with us.”

Semjaza laughed out loud. “You give them far too much credit, child. We shall prevail.”

“It is true,” confirmed Asael. “Do not look at their numbers and judge us vanquished so quickly. We cannot come with you.”

The others nodded silently; none would be joining Serena on her quest to the new world.

“Chris, Serena, we don’t have much time.” It was Johann who called to them from the doorway of the craft. Chris saw some sort of high-tech rifle in his hands. “Moriah is encountering greater resistance than we had anticipated. We need to lift off
now
.”

Serena turned to Abaddon. “My ride is waiting.”

“Yes, and you have a destiny to fulfill, of that I’m sure,” confirmed Abaddon. “May the Father of all look kindly upon you, wherever you may go.”

Serena embraced Abaddon one final time, kissing him on the cheek. “I’m going to miss you. I hope I get the chance to return your kindness someday.”

Abaddon smiled, as a tear came to his eye. “One can never tell what the future might bring. Fair thee well, Serena.”

Ramiel and Asael turned abruptly, their attention drawn by approaching danger. A second later a beam of brutally intense light flashed over Serena’s head, followed by a loud report. Nearly a hundred feet away, it struck a shadowy black form, a demon had broken through the angelic defenses. The demon flailed wildly as it plunged to the rocks below, his body literally shattered by the blow of the weapon so skillfully wielded by Johann.

“Impressive!” exclaimed Sariel. “For a human, that is.”

“Like I said, we need to leave,” repeated Johann. This time he was noticeably agitated. “It is not safe here.”

“Get clear, we’re taking off,” yelled Chris, as hand in hand he and Serena dashed toward the Spirit.

The black angels quickly scattered, not knowing quite what to expect. As Johann covered their retreat, Chris hoisted Serena into the craft, then leapt in after her. The portal swiftly vanished behind them.

“Let’s roll!” Chris shouted, helping his wife into the seat by his side. Nick was not as gentle on this lift off. Amid a whirlwind of swirling dust, the Spirit hurtled skyward.

A demon swept just below them as the Spirit made an evasive maneuver. The ground swirled below them before Nick regained control and continued skyward. On the ground far below, the six black angels had already taken to the air, making good their escape from the growing demonic threat.

Already Moriah and his angels had broken off their attack. They had done what they could. Yet they were rapidly being outnumbered as demons by the scores continued to join the battle. Now with their objective accomplished, they would need to make their way home. For the first time in many centuries they had engaged a demon army in the flesh. They had made the demons feel the sting of their weapons, brought to their remembrance the Great War in Heaven, the war in which they had been defeated. It felt good to strike a blow against the greatest foe of them all, even though the battle was brief.

Yet even as they flew for home, they realized that this was only a taste of things to come. They would fight again; and next time they would have the resources to vanquish the army of darkness once and for all. It was something to look forward to with great anticipation.

The Spirit punched through the sound barrier as it raced toward the upper stratosphere, leaving any opposition far behind. Serena and Chris sat there, hand in hand, watching the vile realm of Hell dropping farther away. The dull star that was the center of Hell’s orbit materialized along the horizon, bathing them in its amber glow.

“We pulled it off, Johann,” said Nick, beaming with pride. “There were times when I had my doubts, but we really did it.” He glanced at his readouts. “We’re crossing into space now. Preparing to set course for the jump. Next stop, the new planet.”

“Wait till we reach five hundred kilometers before you make the jump,” cautioned Johann.

“Of course,” confirmed Nick. “Three minutes forty seconds to the jump.”

“Jump?” asked Serena, still overwhelmed by the events of the past hours.

“Yes,” confirmed Johann. “We have a long trip to the new world. If we attempt to cross such a distance in normal space it would require twenty-two centuries. I’m not that patient. By creating a hyperspace wormhole, we can reach it without traveling through any of the space in between. You see, the shortest distance between two points is not always a straight line.”

Serena felt certain that she should have understood that explanation, but she really didn’t. She looked to Chris.

“It’s a physicist thing,” he replied.

Serena broke out into laughter. It felt so good to laugh again, yet her happiness was short lived.

“I can’t get a lock on the new world,” announced Nick, his frustration apparent. “I’ve tried three times. According to my instruments, those space time coordinates do not exist, at least not in outer darkness.”

Johann rose from his chair and joined Nick at the controls, only to confirm their worst fears a few minutes later.

“What now?” asked Chris, who, with Serena walked toward Nick and Johann.

“Well, for the moment we drop into a parking orbit until we can evaluate our options,” replied Johann. “We have time.”

“Some,” cautioned Nick. “The capacitor won’t hold its charge indefinitely. If we can’t come up with a solution in about eleven hours, we will lack the power to escape outer darkness. We’ll be stuck here.”

“Why can’t we just set course back to Heaven,” suggested Chris. “Maybe we could negotiate a pardon for Serena.”

“We can’t do that,” said Johann. “You know that.”

“How do you know,” objected Chris.

“Look, this is not something I’ve contrived,” objected Johann. “I’ve spoken to Aaron regarding this issue. I gave my word to Moriah that we would not resort to this. What would you have me do, Chris?”

Chris did not get the chance to respond.

“Johann is right,” interjected Serena. “I was condemned to this place by God. I deserve to be here.” Serena drew closer to Chris, placed her arms around him.

“And there is more to it than that,” continued Johann. “Serena’s reality is in outer darkness. There is no way out. Even if we were to try to return to Heaven with her on board, she would not survive the trip. Her physical body would evaporate like a mist, leaving her spirit to float in outer darkness for all eternity. She can’t go with us.”

“I love you, Chris, more than anything, but we can’t do this,” said Serena. “We have tried to cheat my destiny. You’ve got to take me back. Maybe you could just release me into space.”

“No!” cried Chris, drawing Serena closer. “There has to be another way, there just has to be.”

“Don’t make a decision yet,” Nick said, rising to his feet and turning to the couple on the deck below him. “Look, I’ve tried not to interfere in any personal affairs up to this point. I’ve just made what talents I possess available to all of you, tried to offer what solutions I can. I was never in love as you, and I can’t claim to fully understand what the two of you are going through. What I
will
tell you is not to make any hasty decisions right now. You are too emotional. Let it rest for a time, think things out for a few hours. Weigh out your options. Only then commit yourself to a decision.” Nick sat down and scanned the readings. “I’m placing us in a one thousand kilometer-high parking orbit. I truly believe that there is a solution to your crisis, but you will need to find it together.”

Chris and Serena did not return to their seats, but rather sat on the floor together, arm in arm. As they did, Nick and Johann continued to explore their options. They had not come so far, braved so much, to give up now. They couldn’t abandon Serena. If there was a way out, they would find it.

T
HE Spirit swept high above the brutal sunlit deserts of Hell, above swirling dust storms, roiling lava pools, and other unseen horrors. The coming of night an hour later offered no solace, for it brought forth a panoramic view of the glowing sea which Serena knew too well. Through it all, she cherished her time in her husband’s arms, dreading the hour when it would come to an end.

Chris prayed fervently for guidance, though he still wondered if prayers were heard from this place. Serena joined him in those prayers. For the first time they were of one mind in the spirit. Chris and Serena spoke of their happy years on Earth. They cherished those wonderful times; yet here and now, their togetherness seemed all the more precious. These few hours together were like no others.

Meanwhile, Nick and Johann worked feverishly, conferring with David, running simulations, trying to figure out where they went wrong. In the end, there were more questions than answers.