Read Online Mercury Rests by Robert Kroese - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Robert Kroese
Ads: Link
did a search for “Wormwood” on the USB drive. It popped up in three different places: in a note in Cain’s document about the Sumerian manuscript, in the sixth Charlie Nyx book, and in Cody’s notes. In the Sumerian myth, Wormwood was an evil artifact that threatened to destroy the world, and in the Charlie Nyx books Wormood was an evil sorcerer, the nemesis of the hero, Charlie Nyx. But it was the reference in Cody’s notes that made Eddie’s blood run cold. He realized now how it was all going to come together, how the Universe itself was going to end.
“My God,” Eddie gasped, regarding a crude drawing of a rectangular object in Cody’s notes. “The bastards finally did it.”
EIGHT
“I have to admit,” said Jacob Slater, staring out the window of the 747 at the blighted moon. “It’s rather Apocalyptic.”
“No, it isn’t,” replied Christine Temetri irritably.
“I’m sorry?” said Jacob. “A third of the moon falling out of the sky? Isn’t that in Revelations?”
Christine sighed. “First of all, there’s no book in the Bible called Revelations. It’s Revelation. Singular. The Revelation of John of Patmos. Second, I happen to know the people running the Apocalypse, and this wasn’t part of the plan.”
Jacob frowned uncertainly. “Did you say you know the people running the Apocalypse?”
“People, angels, whatever,” said Christine wearily. “The little girl at Finch’s place, Michelle? She’s one of them. And that jerk Uzziel used to be, before he fell in with Tiamat. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to try to get some sleep.” She closed her eyes and turned away from Jacob, who went back to staring out the window.
Jacob found his thoughts drifting to the scene in
It’s a Wonderful Life
where George Bailey promises to throw a lasso around the moon and bring it down to Earth for his sweetheart. That planwas stymied by the stock market crash of October 1929—another Black Monday. Things worked out OK in the end for George, but it was hard to imagine a happy ending to this story. There would be no recovery from this Black Monday: the world had lost something that it was never going to get back.
Jacob still didn’t fully comprehend what had happened in Kenya. He had prevented Horace Finch from annihilating the universe, and that Mercury fellow had somehow flown to the moon, causing a Texas-sized chunk of it to disappear into another dimension. There had been a general consensus that this was preferable to a Texas-sized chunk of Earth disappearing.
He hadn’t been able to get a firm answer to the question of where the anti-bomb had come from, and he couldn’t keep straight the cast of strange characters who had showed up at Finch’s complex the night of his fateful experiment. Christine referred to them as angels, and he supposed that was as good a name as any, but he resisted the name on principle. It was clear that they had access to some very advanced technology, and he allowed the possibility that they were extraterrestrial—or even extradimensional—visitors. But to call them “angels” was to adopt a metaphor that was rife with potential for misunderstanding. He preferred to think of them as Beings of Indeterminate Origin.
Adding to his consternation was a vague, not fully accessible memory that before being abducted by Horace Finch, he had himself been abducted by a BIO with the unlikely name of Eddie. He remembered being carried around a parking lot on Eddie’s shoulders, and he thought he recalled an intimidating blonde woman firing a gun at someone. He assumed this partially recalled episode had something to do with Horace Finch and the Chrono-Collider Device, but he couldn’t imagine what.
Jacob closed the window shade and tried to get the flight attendant’s attention. His Coke was empty, and he was feeling very thirsty all of a sudden. The attendants on this flight, he noted, were somewhat less attentive than those on his flight
to
Kenya. Not only
“My God,” Eddie gasped, regarding a crude drawing of a rectangular object in Cody’s notes. “The bastards finally did it.”
EIGHT
“I have to admit,” said Jacob Slater, staring out the window of the 747 at the blighted moon. “It’s rather Apocalyptic.”
“No, it isn’t,” replied Christine Temetri irritably.
“I’m sorry?” said Jacob. “A third of the moon falling out of the sky? Isn’t that in Revelations?”
Christine sighed. “First of all, there’s no book in the Bible called Revelations. It’s Revelation. Singular. The Revelation of John of Patmos. Second, I happen to know the people running the Apocalypse, and this wasn’t part of the plan.”
Jacob frowned uncertainly. “Did you say you know the people running the Apocalypse?”
“People, angels, whatever,” said Christine wearily. “The little girl at Finch’s place, Michelle? She’s one of them. And that jerk Uzziel used to be, before he fell in with Tiamat. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to try to get some sleep.” She closed her eyes and turned away from Jacob, who went back to staring out the window.
Jacob found his thoughts drifting to the scene in
It’s a Wonderful Life
where George Bailey promises to throw a lasso around the moon and bring it down to Earth for his sweetheart. That planwas stymied by the stock market crash of October 1929—another Black Monday. Things worked out OK in the end for George, but it was hard to imagine a happy ending to this story. There would be no recovery from this Black Monday: the world had lost something that it was never going to get back.
Jacob still didn’t fully comprehend what had happened in Kenya. He had prevented Horace Finch from annihilating the universe, and that Mercury fellow had somehow flown to the moon, causing a Texas-sized chunk of it to disappear into another dimension. There had been a general consensus that this was preferable to a Texas-sized chunk of Earth disappearing.
He hadn’t been able to get a firm answer to the question of where the anti-bomb had come from, and he couldn’t keep straight the cast of strange characters who had showed up at Finch’s complex the night of his fateful experiment. Christine referred to them as angels, and he supposed that was as good a name as any, but he resisted the name on principle. It was clear that they had access to some very advanced technology, and he allowed the possibility that they were extraterrestrial—or even extradimensional—visitors. But to call them “angels” was to adopt a metaphor that was rife with potential for misunderstanding. He preferred to think of them as Beings of Indeterminate Origin.
Adding to his consternation was a vague, not fully accessible memory that before being abducted by Horace Finch, he had himself been abducted by a BIO with the unlikely name of Eddie. He remembered being carried around a parking lot on Eddie’s shoulders, and he thought he recalled an intimidating blonde woman firing a gun at someone. He assumed this partially recalled episode had something to do with Horace Finch and the Chrono-Collider Device, but he couldn’t imagine what.
Jacob closed the window shade and tried to get the flight attendant’s attention. His Coke was empty, and he was feeling very thirsty all of a sudden. The attendants on this flight, he noted, were somewhat less attentive than those on his flight
to
Kenya. Not only
Similar Books
