Ragnarok: The Fate of Gods (18 page)

Micah.  It
’s always Micah.  He makes them strong.  He is their brain.  Without his guiding hand, they would not be the Dragons.  Just soldiers.  They fight for his protection, though he doesn’t need much.

His short white hair dances as he runs.  His speed is incredible.  He fights like a ghost.  Vanishing and reappearing.  Slashing his enemies tirelessly.  A murderous ghost of white and red. 

Casualties seem nonexistent.  Bullets graze by, stinging skin and tearing clothes, but causing little damage. 

At least, damage that they can see. 

Those who lead tend to forget the ones who follow. 

Behind Micah and his lieutenants, something explodes.  Ariel and Zeke are thrown forward.  Micah barely breaks stride.  He flips in the air and lands on his feet, still running. 

A handful of dying Dragons lay in the street.  Their comrades call for a medic, but they understand the mission.  They let the others run ahead, praying for success. 

Ahead in the street, Micah spies a soldier reloading a rocket launcher.  With a vengeful spirit, he launches himself at the enemy. 

The man is felled in a single stroke, cut clean in half mid-torso. 

Micah keeps running. 

Zeke and Ariel cover his back, but struggle to keep up.  One by one, the Theocratic army picks off the straggling Dragons. 

They press on, oblivious to the loss. 

As they run through the city, the fighting around them seems to grow quiet.  Eerily quiet.  Micah slows when the tower is in sight. 

He stops just out of sight of the gate. 

They hide in an alley for a brief rest and check their ranks.  Only Micah, Zeke, Ariel, and three of their comrades have made it this far. 

“
Why did we stop?” asks one Dragon, panting furiously. “It’s quiet.  We’re home free.” 

“
No,” says Micah.  “We broke through their outer defenses, but they’ll soon catch up with us.”  He creeps to the edge of the alley and waves at them to follow.  “Look.” 

They peer around the corner.  Not too far away, they see guards around the tower
’s gate.  Frightfully stoic, they stand like statues. 

“
Nataraja’s Arms.  They’re the Theocrat’s personal guard.  They live and breathe training.  They won’t be easy to get by, but you can be sure the Theocrat’s on the other side of that door.” 

“
How are we going to get past them?”  Zeke asks. 

“
We
don’t have to. 
I
do.”

Ariel protests. 
“You’re going in alone?  You don’t know what’s inside!”

“
No, but I need this door secured, and there are only five of you.  I think I can handle the old man.”  He looks smug, but they can’t be sure if he’s joking or not.

“
It’s too dangerous.” 

Micah shrugs her off. 
“I know.  So cover me.” 

With astounding speed, he dashes at the guards.  He ignores the two in front, skips by the next two. 

He’s making straight for the tower,
Zeke realizes. 

Nataraja
’s Arms have raised their guns, but the Dragons distract them with a rain of bullets.  Micah slams into the door.  The guard directly in front of the door has already fallen.  The sixth platoon continues to fire. 

One of the guards falls.  The rest return fire. 

Micah disappears inside.  Two of the Theocrat’s guards move to follow, but Zeke takes them out with two well-placed shots. 

Nataraja
’s Arms handle their weapons well.  Two of the Dragons are neatly disposed of.  Zeke and Ariel try to move around behind their cover, dashing randomly between buildings, behind dumpsters, and anywhere they can find to hide for a moment.  Predictability is their enemy.  If the Theocrat’s guards guess their moves, a bullet could be waiting for them when they pop out. 

The fight lasts only minutes.  The Dragons eliminate the guards quickly.  However, Nataraja
’s Arms don’t go down easily.  The final guard lands a shot on the final Dragon before Zeke takes him out.  In the soldier’s death throes, he lands a shot on Ariel’s shoulder.

Unhindered by the pain, she runs to the door of the tower. 
“We have to help him!”

Zeke stops her. 
“We can’t.  He needs us to guard this door.”  Distant gunfire grows nearer.  Staying put isn’t a pleasant idea. 

“
You guard the door!”  She breaks free of his grasp.  “I’m going to guard
him!
”

“
We’d only get in the way.  You know he can’t be bothered with protecting anyone right now, and if we were there that’s exactly what he’d be doing.  Whether we needed it or not.”  He manages a weak smile. 

Ariel doesn
’t notice.  “Damn it.  You’re right.”  She collapses, defeated, against the tower.  Her shoulder bleeds. 

The gunfire grows louder. 
“They’re coming.  Let’s not let him down.  We’ve made enough noise that . . .” 

His voice trails off.  The night sky began to glow with a soft yellow light.  Zeke looks up.  A symbol appears above the city.  It
’s strange.  A pattern of circles, the centers connected by a series of lines.

“
A Metatron’s Cube,” came a mysterious voice, cutting through his dream.

“
What?  Metatron?” answered his unconscious mind.

“
Not Metatron.  The holy glyph you saw in the sky is called a Metatron’s cube.”

“
It is?  Does that mean that . . .” 

“
Shhh,” interrupted the voice.  “Just watch.”

Ariel and Zeke glue their eyes to the sky.  The distant gunfire ceases.  The nodes at the centers of the circles seem to swell.

Then a thick beam of light shoots down from the glyph. 

The plate shakes and cracks. 

The city explodes. 

The two fighters
are thrown into the air and lose each other in the chaos.

Chapter Twelve: Jail

Tich.  Tich.  Tich.

Zeke woke up to the sound of scratching.  Below him, Joel held a spring that had broken off of his bed.  It must be morning because he was adding a new slash to his tally on the wall.
“You can hear about this all your life, but it’s so rare that you actually get a chance to keep a tally in a jail cell,” he said. 

Zeke groaned softly.  During their time as cellmates, he had gotten to know the pirate better than he really wanted.  Joel was ever cheerful, even after . . .

“How many days is this?”

“
Twelve by my count.” 

. . .  even after spending the better part of two weeks in jail.  Zeke had observed a subtle, bizarre sense of humor.  One that he didn’t understand.  Given the choice, he never would have spent so much time around the man. 

Not that he
had
a choice.

Still, given his options of either Joel or Jae-Hoon, he would have picked the pirate any day.  He may seem bizarre, but at least he spoke.  Across the hall, the priest hadn
’t done much more than cower in a corner since they arrived.  Zeke glanced at his cell.  His eyes were open.  That meant he was awake.  Maybe.  Last night’s dinner still rested on a tray on the floor, untouched.  Dry and cold.  Not very appetizing.  He wondered how the Slayer could live on virtually no food. 

Calling him
alive
, however, was a loose term.  His mind may not be dead, but it was definitely on a leave of absence. 

“
Father Personality is still chipper, as usual,” Zeke noted sarcastically.

“
Give him time.  He’ll come around.” 

“
He’s got a few things to deal with, I guess.”  He took silent pleasure in the priest’s condition.  It was proof that some people in the government were still capable of guilt and remorse.  He wondered if Jae-Hoon was strong enough to deal with it.

Zeke found himself hoping he was. 

Tich, tich.

Joel continued to scratch away at the wall. 
“How about you?  Sounds like you were having some major flashback up there.  Do you always make that much noise when you sleep?”

“
Flashback?  Couldn’t be.  I’ve never had one.” 

“
Well you must have been having one hell of a dream.” 

“
Yeah,” said Zeke, sitting up.  “It was the strangest . . .”

“
Oh no!” he interrupted.  “I’m not believing that.  Every time someone has a dream they remember even remotely, they go around telling their friends ‘I had the strangest dream,’ but that’s just what a dream is.  It’s strange!”

“
That’s just it.  It
wasn’t
strange.  It was completely normal.  As if I were watching the past.”  He usually didn’t talk so much.  Of course, he usually wasn’t stuck in jail, either.  Talking with Joel was the only thing he could do to keep occupied.

“
Sounds an awful lot like a flashback to me.” 

“
Well, it wasn’t.”  He thought of the mysterious voice.  “It was more like I was watching . . .”  His voice trailed off as he remembered something.  “Micah!” 

“
Micah?”

“
Ariel said she had a dream too . . .” 

“
Who’s Micah?”

Zeke remembered the pirate. 
“Micah?  Oh . . .  Micah Frostbane.  Our friend—captian.  Captian.  From the war.  Ariel seemed to think her dream meant he was coming back.”

“
Makes sense.  You’ve been betrayed by Daniel, so your mind wanders to your more faithful comrades.”

“
Hold on,” said Zeke, affronted.  “I was not
betrayed
.  I never trusted him completely.” 

Joel wasn
’t convinced.  “Doesn’t mean you didn’t want to.  I
know
he followed you into that lab to help you.  Otherwise he’d never have transferred that data.  I’d be willing to guess you secretly wanted a loony fan boy of your own.” 

“
Hah.  Not a chance.  I am not dreaming about Micah because I need a friend.  And
he
wasn’t all that faithful either.  I haven’t seen him since the Roman conflict.” He regretted saying so much.  As if giving up his secrets meant giving up his identity. 

“
So you think he’s coming back?” 

Zeke thought. 
“I don’t know.” 

Silence. 

“No,” he decided.  “Dreams can’t tell the future.”  Dreams are very powerful tools for telling the present.  It only meant he was thinking about Micah. 

But why? 

Footsteps echoed down the hall.  The jail was quiet, except for that.  The two prisoners stood up, ready to face the source of the sound.  The footsteps drew near.  A man stepped into view.

Daniel. 

Without thinking, Zeke hurled himself toward the bars and grabbed the boy before he had a chance to jump back.  Joel rushed forward to pull him back.  “If I were a centimeter closer, I would kill you with my bare hands!” he struggled to pull Daniel closer, through the bars.  “The deepest level of Hell is reserved for traitors.” 

The Raven reached into his coat and pulled out a small remote control. 
“And just by pressing this button I could turn your whole cell into a giant bug zapper.”  He dropped it.  It fell to the floor, into the cell.  “But I won’t.  I’m no traitor, and I’ve come here considering your best interests.”

Joel broke Zeke’s grip on the boy and pulled him back.  “That’s not going to help our position.  Don’t kill him while we’re still in jail.  Wait until we get out.” 

Daniel continued. 
“I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be.  It’s true.  I am the Karellan’s Raven, but . . .” 

Zeke flew into a rage again.  He threw himself into the bars and reached for the boy, who had enough sense to stand back. 
“You supported that bastard who turned all those people into monsters!  You’re no better than a monster yourself!” 

             
Daniel felt a twinge of shame.  “I know you’re upset, but this is the only way to fight him.” 

             
“Wonderful way of fighting you have.  Working for the villain and then locking us up in here.” 

             
“If you’d just listen, I’m trying to help you,” he shouted over Zeke’s rampage.  His voice resounded through the empty halls, startling them.  He quieted immediately. 

             
“How the hell can we trust you?” asked Joel. 

             
“If you can’t trust me, what makes you think the Karellan can?” 

             
Zeke strained against the bars, as if he could force himself through by sheer will.  “What kind of backwards logic is that?  Come here so I can rip your throat out!”

             
Daniel stood calmly.  “A dishonest man, you can always trust to be dishonest.” 

             
Zeke’s rage vanished instantly.  The phrase was familiar.  An old line from an old fairy-tale.  He didn’t understand, but he no longer wanted to fight.  Could it have been the dream he had?  Both Daniel and Micah had an odd obsession with ancient stories.  Was Joel right? 
Did
he need a new friend. 

             
No.

             
But he was still curious.  “I’ve heard that before.”  Zeke stepped back from the bars and stood up straight.

             
“I’m not surprised.  It’s an old proverb.” 

             
Joel offered a suggestion.  “We might as well hear him out.  It’s not like we have anything else to do.”  Zeke was beginning to agree. 

             
Daniel spoke.  “I know you’re upset about being locked up, but I had no choice.  My orders were to bring you to the upper city.  If I didn’t, the Karellan would have sent someone else to do it.” 

             
“What difference would that make?” 

             
“Besides me being executed for treason?”  Daniel suggested.  The look on Zeke’s face made him wish he hadn’t mentioned his execution.  “Look, anyone else would have actually been loyal to the Karellan.  I needed to keep you safe for a while.  If I followed my orders, I figured they’d stop looking for you.”

             
Joel was starting to get peeved.  “So you lock us up for two weeks?” 

             
“I’m sorry.  It shouldn’t have taken so long, but Jae-Hoon’s condition made things difficult.  I had to make some arrangements.  Get funds.  Find a transport.” 

             
“Transport?  Are you going somewhere?” 

             
“
We
are.  Yes.  We’re going to Rome.” 

             
The dream. 

             
Zeke thought back to the war.  It was the last time he had been to Rome.  He thought back to the horrible things he saw after the plate fell.  He thought of his own problems that started there.  He knew he couldn’t trust Daniel, but he couldn’t stop thinking about his dream. 

             
He had to go to Rome. 

             
There was something he was being shown.  Something he had to see. 

             
“Rome?  Are you crazy?”  Joel was now speaking for himself.  “No one goes to Rome.  It’s been a demilitarized zone since the war!” 

             
“That doesn’t mean no one goes there,” explained Daniel.  “The Karellan makes regular trips to the ruins of the city.”

             
“And you want us to check out what he does there?” asked Zeke. 

             
“No.  You have to meet Sandalphon.”

             
“Who?”

             
Daniel looked around nervously.  “I can’t tell you more here, but it’s something you have to do.  It’s the only way to stop the Karellan.” 

             
“And I’m supposed to trust you?” asked Zeke, although he knew by Daniel’s nervousness and his nearly sub-audible whispers that the Raven was not in the jail under orders.  He was in danger just by being there. 

             
“You have no choice.  Now I’m going to let you out.  Interpret that however you want.  If you decide to trust me, come with me.  If not, you’re still free to go.”  He reached over to a key pad and hit some numbers.  There was a soft hiss, then the cell door slid open. 

             
Zeke immediately rushed out, grabbed him, and pinned him against the bars on the other side of the hall.  Jae-Hoon jumped when they slammed into his cage.  Nothing more than a reaction.  Instinct.

             
“If there’s any chance of putting a stop to that madman and avenging Charlie and Emily, I’ll go with you.  But if I even get a feeling that you might betray us again I will kill you without a thought.”  He released his grip.

             
Daniel didn’t move.  “I’m sure we won’t have that problem,” he said timidly.

             
“Of course we won’t,” said Zeke with an intimidating cheerfulness.

             
“We have to go soon.  It was no easy task clearing out this building right under the Karellan’s nose, but you have a one hour window, and we’ve already used up ten minutes.  Your weapons are in the evidence room down the hall.” 

             
“I’m on it!” said Joel.  He started running. 

             
“You’ll need the key,” shouted Daniel, tossing him a card.  He turned back to brief Zeke.  “I’ve made arrangements with a pilot who’s willing to fly . . . under the radar.  He’ll take us to Rome, but we have to get to the dock before dawn.”

             
“Correction . . .”

             
“Of course.”  Daniel should have expected it. 

             
“
You
have to get to the ship before dawn.  You can pick us up outside the West Gate at noon.”

             
“You’re going to the lower city?”  Zeke was known to change plans before, but this was risky.  The only ways back to the lower city were either to pass through the ASH or to survive a 100 meter fall into a forest of razor wire.  And for a citizen wanted by the Karellan, the latter was the safer option. 

“
We’re bringing Ariel.  I’m not leaving her alone anymore.”

“
How do you expect to get there?”

“
When Joel gets back with my sword, I’m sure I’ll think of a way.”