Maniacs in The Fourth Dimension (22 page)

''Can you be hundred percent
sure?'', said Emily: ''You cannot know until you look inside the
portal.''

''I've look inside once before
and I will not do it again.''

''Then allow
us to do it'', said Lempo.

''You don't have any idea what's
inside, but go, go in if you want, but don't say I didn't warn
you.''

They escorted us to the wall of
this shimmering hot air, and they all stepped into it one by one,
and disappeared. Before I stepped, I looked back and saw that big
man is watching.

''Thank you'', I said.

''Don't think
I bought your friend's lies. You will all die. Don't say I didn't
warn you.''

Chapter sixty two

He climbed up
the numerous stone steps, and disappeared
inside the temple. Edwin closed his notebook, and went
after him.

''Hubert, let's go!''

I'm coming.
Is there a point to all this? I just want to go home. I have rash
on the inside of my ass, and around my armpits from sweating and
rubbing skin to skin, I need to take a shower, is there a point to
all this, you fuckin' bushwack?!

''Marco!'',
Edwin yelled: ''Marco!''

''Down here!'', his voice came
from behind the altar.

A hole, and stairs that lead
down.

''Jesus Christ, what are
those?!''

''They are exactly what you
think they are.''

''Nuclear warheads?!''

...Five, six, seven.

''Seven of them?!''

''Ya, the
magnificent seven.''

No more
doubt, Engelherz truly is, insane. That display he bought, now I
realize, is a detonator, detonator that he's connecting to
BOMBS!

''Marco what are you doing?!'',
spoke freaked out Edwin.

''I've been
collecting them for many years. SSSR, India, Pakistan... Long ago,
I realized that they frequently build these temples on places where
cracks exist. And here is en crack too, between de warheads. And I
realized, that de only way to get from point A to point Z, is to
blast your own passage. Turn en crack, into en rift, with splitting
of de atoms. I will create en passage to three fifty-three, and
bidsprinkhaan.''

''You, you will blow away three
fifty-three, bidsprinkhaan, and the rest of the world!!''

''Much must be risked in
science.''

''This isn't
science, this is lunacy! By god, you ARE INSANE!''

''Relax, this
isn't de first time that I'm doing this. Once before, I have blown
a rift, forty-two dimensions long, from one thirty-six to one
seventy-eight, with only two warheads. They call it de rift of Al
Miraj, named after de crack, that used to be there, no one is
calling it de rift of Marco Engelherz, because no one was there to
see that it was my deed! But now, you are here to witness my work,
and Edwin will write it in de book, and everyone will know that
Marco Engelherz isn't a moronic insurance agent, but de
constellation in eternity!''

''You truly
are-''

Edwin pushed me, ''Don't anger
him, we have to talk him out of this'', he whispered.

''Is there no other way
Marco?!''

''No, none
for me. I was waiting for far too long for something to happen, for
en sign from above, but nothing happened and nothing will, until I
take matters in my own hands.''

''Maybe you
didn't get the sign because time isn't right yet, maybe you need to
wait for little more longer...''

''No more
waiting! I was en fool to believe in destiny.''

The detonator beeped.

''You will
rip a gigantic hole in the time-space continuum!'', I
said.

''Ya,
that
's de idea. Setting the detonator
to... two hours. That will give us enough time to make some
distance...''

''Wait Marco, just wait!'',
yelled Edwin: ''I'm a man of God, remember?! Let me try talking to
him, let me ask him for a sign!''

One last desperate attempt.

''Nothing will happen'', said
Engelherz.

Scene of
wounded Charlton Heston detonating the doomsday device from 'Planet
of the apes' flashed before my eyes. Everything went
white.

''Please, just let me try
Marco!''

''Fine. Pray.''

He kneeled
and folded his hands. There's no point to this...

''There's no point to this! Just
press the button, you fuckin' fiend, press the fuckin' button and
burn everything!! Burn us all in the fire of thousand suns!!''

''Hubert, don't!''

''You think
you know everything, damn fool, yet you don't have any idea what
purpose of life is!!''

''Stop! Stop! There's your sign!
God has answered you! There's your sign!''

Chapter sixty three

Three
white men. A father and his two sons, perhaps?
Or, a master craftsman and his two assistants?

''Is this for real?'', uttered
the first assistant.

''Yes, I am!'', I said: ''I am
Pegasus, the winged horse of legends, always in aid of heroes! I
aided Bellerophon and Perseus when they slew terrible
monsters!''

''Did god
sent you to take us to bidsprinkhaan?'', asked the
master.

''What is
this 'bidsprinkhaan'?'', I replied.

''A monster'', he said: ''The
greatest leviathan that ever existed.''

Oh, boy! A
hero and his two slaves! Yes! Another opportunity for glory! Maybe,
after this feat, people will finally build me a temple.

''You are on a quest of slaying
this monster?'', I asked.

''I am, it is my destiny'', the
hero replied.

Oh, boy, this is so
exciting!

''I offer my
service to you'', I said: ''How can I help you?''

''Take us to
the monster, over the wall and through the portal of three
fifty-two'', he said.

''Over the wall of
Hyperboreans?'', I asked.

''Yes'', he answered.

''I will!'', I said: ''Climb my
back and I will take you there!''

The first
slave was reluctant to do so, so the hero ordered him. Hero climbed
my back the last. And I flew them through the temple portal and
high in the sky, setting my course for Hyperborea.

''Tell me hero!'', I spoke in
the clouds: ''What kind of magical weapons do you have to
accomplish this feat?''

''Many!'', he
said: ''They are all invisible!''

Oh, boy, invisible weapons!

''Perseus had
one such helm, that would make him invisible when he would put it
on his head'', I spoke to them of glory days: ''You know, people
are wrong when they say that Perseus slew the Kraken! Kraken is a
creature from Norse mythology, not Greek! Perseus actually slew a
sea monster of Poseidon!''

''You keep slapping me with your
wings, horse! How does anyone fly on you?!'', complained the
rebellious first slave.

''Sorry'', I apologized.

''What god's blessing and
protection do we carry with us?!'', I asked.

''All of them!'', answered the
hero.

All gods are
with us, we cannot fail! We reached the wall of Hyperboreans and I
flew lower, so we could hear their shouts of jealousy for their
terrestriality, as we flew around their portal.

''Strelyat
loshad! Strelyat loshad!'', they shouted.

I wonder what
are they saying? Exclamations of awe, at the sight of me,
surely.

''Do you understand the language
of Hyperboreans?'', I asked my riders.

''They're shooting at us!'',
screamed the slave.

''Fly, fly
in, you dumb animal!'', yelled the hero and hit my ribs with his
boots, caused me to curvet, and he fell of my back and into the
hands of Hyperboreans.

''We have to
go down for your master, or our quest is doomed!'', I
exclaimed.

''No! No,
just fly!'', shouted the cowardly slave: ''Fly away before they
kill us! Fly!!'', and I plunged myself into the portal with two
remaining riders on my back.

Chapter sixty four

''Jove, no! What are you doing?!
Come back! Jove!!!''

''HEY! HEY!
LOOK AT ME! DISGUSTING INSECT! PUTRID SHELL OF CHITIN! LOOK AT ME!
GOD OF THE HOTTENTOTS! SATAN! MONSTER! ABHORRED ANIMAL! I CAME ALL
THIS WAY JUST TO FIND YOU! WHORE! EAT ME! YOU ARE THE ONLY I EVER
WANTED! EAT ME! EAT ME! I'LL PISS ON YOUR DEAD FACE!! YES! MOTHER
OF ALL MY FANTASIES! YOU WILL NEVER LET ME GO! YES! YES! WE'LL BURN
TOGETHER IN FIRES OF HELL, FOREVER! FOR-''

_

C
hapter sixty five

I
don't know which words to use to tell you what just
happen
ed. I'm still shaking,
and I will never stop. Good God... I saw Marco's bidsprinkhaan. I
thought that mountain of rocks is ascending to the sky. Horse flew
in front of its head, with Hubert and me on his back, we were a
speck that Earth is when it passes in front of the Sun. Jesus...
First thing that I managed to discern from this thing that filled
the horizon, was its insect eyes, two giant globes that reflected
our flight like glass... I will never stop shaking...

When we finally escaped far enough from it, I turned around
and saw in its entirety, a celestial mantis. Marco's bidsprinkhaan.
But, it wasn't Marco that got the glory of its destruction, no. Two
small specks of light flied around it, like two fireflies,
attacking it with lightnings, to no effect. And then, one small
human being from the ground started running towards the monster,
and all of a sudden, a light beam sprang out of him, hit the
bidsprinkhaan, cutting it in two. The upper part of the monster
fell to the ground, and he disappeared under it. Bidsprinkhaan is
destroyed, and its destroyer with it.

The horse left us. He flew away. Hubert was screaming on
him bitterly during the flight, for not being faster in getting us
away from the monster. Insulted, he flew away. We will have to go
back to the portal on foot, as soon as we catch air.

After everything that happened, I can't believe I'm still
here, wherever that be.

See the picture of
monstruos bidsprinkhaan's carcass below:

Chapter sixty six

''Stop crying
Cleit, and get off you knees, Jove's dead, it's not going to bring
him back.''

''Jove's
death was a good death'', said Emily: ''If he hadn't intervene, the
guardian would devour us. Jove somehow turned himself into a
conductor for the free energy of the realm, and directed it at the
guardian, just like the Sibyl said.''

''What?'', muttered Cleit.

''You might
as well hear the truth now, when all is done'', I said: ''Emily and
I saw an oracle, the Sibyl, and asked her what will it take for us
to reach the Throne of Glory. She said that whatever we do,
whatever quantity of energy we accumulate, we will never make it
pass the guardian. But, she said that there is one man that started
the journey with us, that is able to defeat the guardian, and
remove the last obstacle before us. She said his name, Jove's name.
That's why we went to get you, Jove would never follow us without
you. And her prophecy came true.''

''You.. you motherfuckers! You
killed Jove! There never was any Laszlo, was there? Was there, you
piece of shit?!''

''No. I took his energy long
ago.''

''You did the same thing to Jove
and me, that Abraxas did to us, do you realize that, baby
Abraxas?!''

He hates me now, beyond any hope
of reconciliation.

''Same way
Abraxas fooled us all, you fooled Jove and me.''

I've never seen his face like
this. He scares me.

''And that
story about killing God... it's what you're after... and you used
it on Jove and me...''

''Is it
really evil to wish to be something more?'', Emily said to him:
''To be something more than miserable creature that I was? Metatron
himself was only a human once, why would only he have the right to
rule for all eternity?''