The War in Heaven (38 page)

“Come on,” whispered David, adjusting the new discriminator, in an attempt to pull the distant signal out of the static. It was a person, he could see that now, it was becoming clearer.

“David, is that you?” It was a faint voice, just perceptible above the static.

“It’s me,” said David, making further adjustments. “Is that you Nikola?”

“Yes,” came the reply, stronger this time. “It’s good to hear your voice. I am sorry about the other day. Understand that I had to do it.”

“It’s OK,” said David. “I guess I’m needed here. OK, here goes.” Suddenly the strength of the signal increased ten fold. It was still a bit snowy, but better than David had anticipated. He could see Nikola clearly. He was in the lab along with two other men. “I’m sending you a schematic diagram that will help you make the necessary upgrades on the telesphere over there. Then we should have a much better signal.”

“Got them,” said Nikola. “You need to know, we found the power source; it is in the City of Sheol. We plan to hit it with an explosive device in about four or five days, once we work out a few problems in the delivery method.”

“The sooner the better,” said David. “Things here are not so good. We need to get the angels on Earth back here.”

“I’ll keep you informed of our progress,” said Nikola. The signal was starting to degrade. “I’ll contact you in twenty-four hours. In the meantime, I’ll upgrade the telesphere. Tesla out.”

“Way to go, son,” said June, placing her hand on David’s shoulder. “The Father has given you a priceless gift. We’re going to get through this, so long as we have people like you. Now, why don’t you get some sleep? You’re going to have to be at your best in the days to come.”

David nodded and rose to his feet. He would let the others know about the new telesphere modifications then get some sleep. Right now he felt really great; he was making a difference.

Two days later, dark angel Lenar was climbing high into the starless sky. Rarely had Lenar felt so very uncomfortable. He carried the dummy bomb
in the harness attached to his chest, below a sky filled with shifting green aurora. The bomb wasn’t that heavy, but the combination of high altitude, cold, and the exertion needed to reach an altitude of five miles were taking their toll.

“If God intended angels to fly this high, He would have given us bigger wings,” he grumbled. He knew why he was up here—no demons. Who in their right mind would fly at this altitude? It had to be negative 60 or 70 degrees.

Below, he saw the faint glow of the crystals that had been set out to mark the target. It was time. He had done this four times already today, five times yesterday, and each time he had dropped the bomb a bit closer to the target. When was Tesla going to be satisfied? He slowed his speed and prepared to make the drop. He made a steep 180-degree turn to the right, then he took the bomb in his hand and dropped it. He accelerated and descended, heading for the high mountains to the east.

Five miles below, Nikola and Abaddon watched the sky. They couldn’t make out Lenar amid the shifting lights. This was a good thing. If they couldn’t, then neither would demons guarding the city.

“The bomb has been dropped,” said Tesla, looking at the small gray box in his hand. “It will be a couple of minutes before we know.”

Abaddon turned to the great human scientist. “How many times does Lenar need to do this? He has this thing mastered.”

“I want to see how he does this time,” said Nikola, barely looking up from the readings on the box.

“You said that last time,” objected Abaddon.

Nikola remained focused on the readout before him. “If he gets it this time…we do it for real tomorrow.”

The bomb made a whistling noise as it fell through the thickening atmosphere. Nikola couldn’t help but smile as it struck the ground, a mere 150 yards from the target. They were ready.

An hour later, Nikola was on the telesphere in the Spirit communicating with David and Johann. Since he’d made the modifications David had recommended, the image produced by the unit had returned close to its normal clarity, even with the increased inter-dimensional density.

“I’m still a bit concerned with the yield of the bomb,” admitted David. “I mean, sixty kilotons, do you really think you need that much yield? I’d think five or ten would be more than enough to destroy Sheol. Keep in mind, this isn’t a typical nuclear explosion. Its effects will likely extend into higher dimensions.”

“They had fears like this regarding the trinity test—the first nuclear detonation on Earth,” said Nikola. “Those fears were unfounded. As I see it, we’re only going to get one shot at this. If we don’t do the job the first time, I doubt we will get a second chance.”

“It’s your call, my friend.” said Johann, “Do what you think best.”

“But sixty kilotons,” repeated David. “Look, could you send me your telemetry data from the flight? Maybe it will tell me more about the risks.”

“Transmitting,” said Nikola, turning to the Spirit’s computer terminal.

“When will you make the drop?” asked Johann.

“Tomorrow at 1430 your time,” replied Nikola. He paused. That is, 1430 hours, your time at the mansion. I am sorry for your loss.”

“That place was near and dear to my heart,” replied Johann, “a gift from God. But, it was a thing, and it will be replaced when this war is over. My concerns are with you. Take care my friend.”

“I shall,” replied Nikola. “By the way, be certain to close your gate and the one in Elesia in the event that there is a powerful electromagnetic pulse from the detonation. I doubt that there will be, but we’d best err on the side
of safety. You should be able to move the angels from Earth back to Heaven by 1440.”

As the sphere went blank, Nikola turned off most of the Spirit’s electronics. He descended the stairway, where he was met by Abaddon and Lenar.

“We are all set for tomorrow,” he announced. He turned to Lenar. “One or two more drops, and you can retire from bomber duty.”

Lenar smiled. “I don’t mind in the least. I was just tired of dropping those duds, as you call them.”

“I assure you, the next two will be quite real,” said Nikola. “Just make sure that you fly fast enough to get out of the blast range. Believe me, this will be an explosion like none you have ever seen before. Don’t look straight into it.”

Lenar considered telling this eminent scientist that his last comment made no sense, bright light would not damage his eyes, but he decided against it. Right now, he was just eager to drop the bomb.

Abaddon had seemed deep in thought until now. “My friends, before we drop that thing, there is something else I wish to see to. In the lower caverns, millions of my children rest in hibernation for lack of food. I propose to release all but half a million of them into diverse regions of Hell, give them an opportunity to renew their strength, live off the land. We’ve been waiting for the right time; I believe that time is now.”

Lenar smiled broadly. “Yes, I like that idea.”

“Live off the land?” asked Nikola.

“Yes,” replied Abaddon. “My children are most remarkable. They have the ability to read the aura of any living creature. They can recognize a soul that is relatively pure, and one that feeds upon evil. Their instincts are indeed simple. They will release and defend those whose hearts are truly repentant, even as they feed upon those who are evil—unrepentant humans and demons alike. They hunt in packs to this end. They are numerous enough
now to raise true chaos in Hell. In the process, they would grow stronger, be fruitful, and multiply. I shall send them forth in groups of a hundred thousand through the portal, to places of relatively benign climate. I had already decided the where and how; it is just a matter of when. That
when
is now.”

“It should create an interesting diversion,” said Lenar.

Within an hour, all had been set in motion, and the children of Abaddon set forth from their resting places, flying through the tunnels of Refuge and into the now active ring. They emerged into a multitude of places where the hunting would be favorable. The exodus continued for the better part of four hours. Hell would now have a new army of tormentors, and an army of deliverers.

With the communications concluded, the sphere went clear in the laboratory in Elesia. David turned to Johann, but said nothing. He wondered if he were the only one concerned with the size of the blast proposed by Tesla. Apparently he was.

He needed to keep producing particle rifles for the war effort, but right now he was too troubled. He removed what looked like a small sliver of glass from the telesphere, replacing it with another. Then he proceeded to another room that contained his computer. It really didn’t look much like a computer. It lacked a mouse, keyboard, and even a monitor. It was a small light gray box with nothing more than an on switch. He pressed it and placed the small shard in a small port in the front. The computer responded to the weak electrical impulses produced by his own mind. In reality, it was an extension of his mind, solving in seconds problems that might have otherwise taken him days.

An image of the pictures and numerical data produced by the Spirit’s scientific instruments appeared in midair as a three-dimensional display
before him. For the next three hours he stared at it. Tesla’s conclusions were correct; the demonic City of Sheol was the source of the field that was preventing the angels from moving from Earth to Heaven.

Sheol wasn’t a city, really, it was a launching point where demons left their physical bodies and traveled to Earth as spiritual entities only. Their physical bodies were left there in Sheol. It was composed of a repeating series of glowing crystalline pillars and crossbeams built upon what appeared to be a huge marble slab over three miles on a side. Exactly how this place worked had remained a mystery to everyone here. Now that was a question he should have asked Lemnok while he had the chance. He wondered if Lemnok even knew. He dove still deeper into the data; there wasn’t much time.

Nikola Tesla and Abaddon emerged from the misty field of stars to set foot on a 4,000-feet-high mountaintop, 22 miles north of the City of Sheol. It was distinctly chilly here, only a few degrees above freezing. Yet compared to the barren frigid wasteland around Refuge, it seemed almost warm. Sheol looked so much like a human city from here, a dazzling network of lights laid out in true geometric precision.

Here, the aurora seemed to descend to the surface in a narrowing and brightening cone of light. Never had he seen such a sight. Where was a camera when you needed it?

Three miles to the east, the great Sea of Fire extended to the horizon, a glowing ocean of horror and pain. This mountain formed part of a range that paralleled the coast for hundreds of miles. It prevented the warm winds from the sea from penetrating far into the interior of the Dark Continent.

“At any given time there might be millions or even tens of millions of demons in that city,” noted Abaddon. “Yet their spirits are far from this
place, creating chaos on your own world. With the war underway in Heaven, I cannot say for certain how many demons remain in the city.”

Nikola scanned the city carefully with his binoculars. “It’s too far away to tell how many demons are there. It is, however, the perfect place from which to observe the detonation of a sixty kiloton bomb.” He glanced at his wrist watch with the red LED display. “Kurt and Lenar should be gating in right about now.”