He felt Yahweh reaching for his sword and shield, his mind seeking to lock with that of Uriel. But, all it reached was a blank emptiness. Uriel was dead and the reality of that suddenly sank in on Yahweh’s rage-engulfed mind. He reached out further for his less-powerful allies, seeking for the tiny margin of power that would allow him to overwhelm the rebel who stood before him. He ran through the list, trying to bring in each of his allies. Each to be met by the grim silence of death,
Colepatiron, killed by humans.
Nesupeh, killed by humans
Sacereor, killed in a terrorist bombing
Neripon, killed by humans
Erikehan, killed by humans
Irnasodeor, accused of treason and died under interrogation
Esetatuteh, killed in a terrorist bombing
Tonolpalon, killed by humans
Lesoteminiel, killed by humans
Hisralraman, killed in a terrorist bombing
Ritosehon, accused of treason and died under interrogation
Zaslohael, killed in a terrorist bombing
Umadipsah, killed by humans
Pinaliel, killed by humans
Michael-Lan-Michael sensed the lack of response from Yahweh’s greatest and most powerful supporters. He also felt the rejection of Yahweh’s touch by those who had forsaken him. All of the Chayot ha Kodesh that had survived refused to aid Yahweh and by implication threw their support to Michael. He sensed Yahweh’s growing desperation as the truth was slowly forced on him. Every one of his allies had been killed. Either thrown against the humans and died under their guns and missiles or blown up when the terrorist bombings in the Eternal City had struck their temples. It dawned on Yahweh at last that those terrorist bombings had been nothing of the sort. They had been carefully planned assassinations and Yahweh finally understood who had been behind them.
Tahenael, killed by humans
Arsasaum, assassinated by Michael
Tcuadahiel, assassinated by Michael
Zunael, killed by humans
In desperation, Yahweh turned to the one ally he was sure he had left. Michael-Lan-Michael felt Yahweh reach out to his son, Elhmas, for the support he needed. For a tiny fragment of a second, Michael thought that Elhmas had answered the call and the chill of defeat started to sweep though him. But, Michael crushed it down even as the grim silence made the answer obvious. Elhmas was dead, destroyed so thoroughly by humans that not even a shadow of him was left.
Michael felt the assault on his existence beginning to ease very slightly. He had survived another round but he knew that he was dangerously close to using all the power that he had available to him. He had called on his allies, he had taken every effort they had offered to him. He had destroyed Yahweh’s allies and forced him to fight this fight alone, unaided. For all that, he was barely a match for the immense power of Yahweh. In fact, it was an open question whether he was a match at all.
As the pressure on him slackened, Michael allowed his own energy output to decline. He needed to conserve strength and economize on that he was drawing from his allies. Slowly, his consciousness expanded away from the duel to take in his surroundings. The throne room, once resplendent in its brilliance was blackened and charred. The floor was covered with the precious stones from the walls, many cracked, blackened and charred from the energy discharges that had flooded the chamber. Poor stones. Michael thought. Looted from worlds beyond number and brought here to be baked. Too bad.
He took a deep breath and looked through the shimmering arrays of lightning that still crackled and swirled around him. Then, he spoke once more, his voice loaded with scorn. “Is that the best you’ve got?”
Chapter Seventy Five
Angelic Treatment Ward, Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, MD
“What do either of you know about cancer?” Doctor Zinder asked the two angels in the ward.
Lemuel and Maion exchanged bewildered glances. “What’s cancer?” Lemuel answered for them both.
Zinder frowned, it was a strange reminder of the fact that the two angels were from a different universe. “Strange growths on or in the body. They grow out of control and will kill the victim unless treated. And treatment can be very difficult indeed. You’ve never heard of things like that?”
Both angels shook their heads. Again, it was Lemuel who answered. “Never. In all the millennia I have been in the Eternal City, I cannot recall anything like that. We are as we have always been, perfection.”
“I doubt that very much.” Zinder tried to hide his annoyance at the unwitting arrogance of Lemuel’s reply. “The absence of cancers is remarkable. Your healing capability should make you more vulnerable to them. Obviously there is something about your physiology we don’t understand yet. No matter. We’ll sort it out. We’re not perfection, just smart.” Zinder took an unprofessional delight in the jab but to his disappointment it didn’t seem to register with either angel.
“Why do you ask about this thing.” Maion was confused and slightly disappointed. Behind her, the stumps of her amputated wings were changing, slowly morphing into a new set, wings that were but miniature reproductions of her original pair but ones that enlarged every day. She had been hoping to show them off.
“We took out one of your formations, some 50,000 angels and five times that many humans. The weapon we used killed most of them but many of the survivors have developed skin cancers. The victims are being covered in them. We’ve tried cutting them out, but they grow back even faster. We’ve tried every thing in our arsenal, chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, to beat the cancers and we’ve failed. Frankly, you two were our last hope. We thought you might know something that might help. Without a few new leads, we’re out of ideas and that means our patients won’t make it.”
“The Incomparable Legion of Light? Gone?” Lemuel could hardly believe what he had just heard. He knew that was the unit ordered to attack the human invasion but that was all. Yahweh’s own personal guard gone? By a single weapon?
“Was that what it was called? No matter. It’s gone.” Zinder was slightly irritated again. He wasn’t really interested in what had happened except in as much as it affected his patients. “I believe the Army nuked it. We think the sleet of radiation from the blast is the cause of the skin cancers. The oncologists believe it mutated the DNA in the victims so your rebuilding mechanisms have gone out of control.”
Lemuel and Maion looked at each other again in confusion. That almost caused Zinder to grin openly. These angels might think they are perfection but they know less science than a human seven year old. Then he decided to try something. “Perhaps Michael-Lan might know more?”
Lemuel answered very carefully. “Ah yes, Michael-Lan. There is much I wish to discuss with my old friend Michael.”
Hill 331, Overlooking the Western Wall of the Eternal City. Heaven
The ZBD-97 platoon was parked in the trees that covered the crest of the hill. The scouts had left them and moved forward so that they could overlook the massive city that lay below them. Captain Tao Gan had very specific orders from his command, orders that did not eventually trace back to H.E.A. supreme command. He had followed those orders exactly. His reconnaissance platoon had slipped through the countryside with all the stealth that four armored personnel carriers could muster. He had avoided contact with enemy forces, steered clear of population centers and done everything else to make sure that his presence on this hill was undetected. From this hill he could see as far into the Eternal City as was possible. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army didn’t have the wealth of equipment than the Americans did but they now had an asset in place that could substitute human eyes for remote-controlled aircraft.
The Americans had promised that all the information they gathered would be shared out but the CPLA commanders had been suspicious. Perhaps that was the wrong word Tao Gan thought. Cautious might be better.
