A Brief Moment of Insanity Ch. 04

The last few days of my time in Nepal reached their end. Patanjali rewarded my time with him by giving me one of his hats and wishing me well. Ozzie was more sober in our last moments together. As he drove me towards the Nepal - Chinese border he spoke in what could only be call cryptic. The most important exchange came at the very end. I got out and slid my backpack over my shoulder when he offered me one last bit of advice.

"Hey kid, you are going to have a lot of time on your hands. Just remember this... every story has more than one side to it. Are you doing this for the reason you believe is true or is there a deeper truth to it all? Good luck."

I smiled and walked towards the twenty well-armed soldiers and reached out with my mind. They blinked and all they saw was Ozzie turning around and driving away. I was effectively invisible to them and walked unhindered across the border.

Too Hot to Handle:

Three months and twelve countries later I was finally approaching my goal. The island was within sailing distance of the Solomon Islands. I had let my grooming go a little on the wild side. I doubt even Willow would have recognized me at this point. My hair touched my shoulders and the beard was grown in and a bit on the scruffy side. My skin was heavily tanned and I was more robust in my musculature than I had ever been. I had walked, worked and wandered over the last few months. I had maintained my daily commitments to the Family but all of that had been done via my connection to Jeanie. While my own personal wealth had grown by leaps and bounds the others had suffered and were desperate now. Three assassinations had occurred and one of the Exarchs, a Family elder, had to be replaced because of it. Soon I would have them exactly where I wanted them.

I steered the catamaran towards the spot where I would drop anchor and swim to shore. My constant companion for the last ten days appeared from below and stretched as she yawned. She had told me her name was Miranda and that she had escaped slavers in Malaysia. We had met in a market on the isle of Papua New Guinea. I had been stocking up for the last stretch of my journey. She had been begging on the street to survive. I offered a ride to the Solomon's or a plane ticket back home if she wanted it. Miranda took me up on the jaunt to the Solomon's. We had become lovers in that confined space and it had been weeks since the last time I had enjoyed the company of a woman. Miranda was a fierce partner and I think she liked the fact that I had been so generous and wanted to show how much she appreciated her freedom.

"So we are here at last," she said in her heavy Boston accent. "What do you want me to do?"

"Just sit tight," I told her. "I am going to put the boat on auto pilot. If I am gone for more than twenty four hours it will raise anchor and will take you to Australia. You will find a plane ticket with your name on it. But I expect I will be back long before then."

"Good luck," she said kissing me fiercely. "Come back in one piece."

"That's the plan," I said as I dove overboard.

The boat was parked out of the line of sight of the island. Jeanie projected a green arrow in my vision pointing the way. My inner eyelids protected me from the salt water getting into my eyes. I had spent quite some time swimming in the ocean to prepare myself for this very moment. I had learned to use the waves instead of fighting them. Two hours later I reached the beach of the tiny island. It had once been a private resort but the active volcano had destroyed any hopes of that. Lava flow and poisonous gasses had driven the owners and their guests away a decade ago. But the island wasn't uninhabited. It was home to the Cult of the Dark One. They were Nephilim that worshiped Loki in her guise as the creator of their race.

It was these fanatics that I had to avoid at all costs if I was to succeed. I found a hiding spot and closed my eyes and reached out for any living minds upon the island. I did a slow count and discovered there were fifty Nephilim living inside the caldera. They were all clustered together and that would make things easier I hoped. I masked my presence and made my way to the volcano. I could have used the abandoned road that led to my destination but I decided on a more direct path. In the ten years since maintenance had ceased the jungle had reclaimed much of the black top roadway. My path would have deterred any sane person but I hoped that would work on my side. The mountainous course I had chosen was strewn with boulders, fragile cliff sides and rock slides. My time with Ozzie made my passage possible. I had to adjust my planned route since the landscape had changed drastically when compared to the satellite images I had memorized.

It was almost sundown by the time I got to the base of the volcano. Jeanie scanned the area and discovered there were no hints of power around or within the caldera. Talk about living a simple existence. As I scaled the exterior of the volcano I wondered if this cult was a Hamish version of Nephilim society. Perhaps they preferred a simple life to the technologically infested world outside their island home. It was well passed dark by the time I summited the lip of the caldera. I could smell the fumes billowing from the top of the volcano and I fought the urge to cough with everything I had.

I found a spot to hide in and reached out to touch the fifty souls below me. I whispered in their subconscious 'nothing here to see or hear'. I made my way to a location where I could look down into the heart of the volcano. There it was the tower that held the first piece of the god slayer. I stared for a long time at the patience and ingenuity it had taken to build this thing. The fifty foot tower stood on a thick stone platform. The square platform was held above the boiling lava with four massive chains anchored into the living bedrock. The only way to reach the platform was a bridge that could be lifted and lowered to allow passage. The bridge was up and so I had to work out another way to the platform. I slipped into that eidetic meditation and took in every key feature so I could study it in safety. I blinked and repositioned myself in one of the thousands of niches in the wall of the volcano.

Jeanie produced a holographic model and showed me the distances I would be working with. There were only two possible choices. The first was to race along one of the chains to the platform. That exposed me to being seen for the longest time. The other and far more dangerous option was to leap onto the platform. It was possible even though the platform was at the very extreme range of what I have accomplished before. If I missed I would die a horrible fiery death. On the up side, if I made the leap I would be shielded by the tower from a direct line of sight.

'Or you could just use your Jedi mind trick and just walk in there,' Jeanie suggested. 'But if you failed it would all be over with.'

'Correct, it is either chain or leap. I am leaning towards the leap. The tower will hide me from the cluster of Nephilim.'

'Do you want the odds or... no I didn't think you would. Good luck Warren.'

I reached out again and dulled the nearest Nephilim from my presence. It took forever to reach my launch point. I walked it three times removing every loose rock I could find to clear my path to the edge of the cliff. It would be a diagonal trajectory but I would still be in the shadow of the tower. I meditated for a few minutes and pushed out my fear. If I failed I was dead and then it hit me. If I died so would Jeanie. Her core crystal was located in the device on my wrist. I ordered her to upload herself to a passing satellite. Only then did she inform me that we were out of range of any technology. I began to take off the watch and leave it behind when she argued. If I did succeed would I have the time to return to that very spot and recover it? The answer was a resounding no. I had to succeed or burn.

I moved to the beginning of my path my hearts hammering in my chest. I locked my full attention to the platform and raced forward. My arms pumped and my legs pistoned as I reached the edge and launched myself into the empty air. Time seemed to slow as I flew the fifty or so feet and I hit the edge in a shoulder roll. I fought the urge to stand there and gloat over my success. I sprinted to the side of the tower and only then did I kneel and let my emotions have a voice. I did the mental dance of joy. My adrenalin was coursing through me as I looked at the tower and my next obstacle. Once it would have proven an impossible task. The exterior of the tower was covered in tiles of polished obsidian, volcanic glass. When it was first constructed its glass smooth walls would have proved impossible to scale. But in the ages since its creation, time, heat and entropy had worked a miracle. The once smooth tiles were now cracked and pitted. I could scale it.

I took out my climbing gloves I had tucked into my shirt and slipped them on. They would hopefully keep my hands from being cut on the jagged glass. I walked around and plotted my course up the side of the tower. I jumped straight up and caught a broken tile and found two places for my toes. I maintained my three points of contact as I slowly but relentlessly ascended the tower. Thank you Ozzie, if it weren't for you I doubt I would be here now. I wondered where he was now. I was halfway up when his final words to me sprung back into my thoughts. Every story has more than one side.

I had pondered that since we had parted company. Loki had indirectly sent Nikki to kill me, or had she? Perhaps she had been sent to give me the gifts I would need to acquire the god slayer. If that were the case then why would she want it out in the wide world again? Loki had called it Ragnarok. It had, according to legend, sunk Atlantis and ended the conflict between the Nephilim and their long hated enemies. Was there another war on the horizon? Did Loki need the weapon for a private agenda? I reached out with my mind to make sure the top of the tower was empty. Sure it was empty I entered through a singular window at the top. The circular room took up the entire top floor. A staircase was located on the opposite wall and led down to the core of the tower. I crouched and leaned against the wall. Had I been manipulated again? The anger threatened to overtake me. With great effort I calmed my breathing and cleared my thoughts.

I looked around the room and saw nothing obvious. I told Jeanie to scan the floor. She found it after the third pass. Near the center of the floor was a hidden panel. I crept to its location and took off my gloves. I ran my fingers over the smooth stones and felt the subtle inconsistency. I pressed down and the secret panel slid aside. Another scan revealed the trap located at the bottom of the recessed safe. The small metallic chest rested at the bottom but if it were lifted up blades would be triggered and lop off the thief's hand, how biblical.

I examined the interior of the space and that is when I saw the keyhole. Someone must have a key to lock the blades into place. I didn't have time for that. I reached down and unstrapped the Velcro pouch at my thigh and removed the lock picking tools. I positioned my body and took out the tools I would need. I hadn't even put the picks in when I heard a sound from outside. The clank of metal on stone warned me that the bridge had been lowered. Had I been seen? Had opening the safe triggered something? It didn't matter I had a lock to pick. I pushed out the exterior distractions and worked the lock. I was close when I heard the door of the tower open.

"You think we will get Wi-Fi like they promised," a voice said from below.

"You aren't here to surf the net, you are here on a sacred mission," another voice chastised the first.

"But twenty years without... sorry," the first voice became suddenly silent.

Click! The trap was disarmed! I grabbed the box and set it on the floor. I tried to open it but it was also locked... seriously! I grabbed two other tools for the smaller lock. I cleared my thoughts and worked the lock. Ten seconds later it was open. I lifted the lid and nearly gasped. There gleaming in the pale light of the nearly risen moon was the entire Sicarius Deus. It wasn't just a single piece but the whole weapon. What the fuck? I took the weapon, closed the lid and replaced the box. I pressed the switch and watched the panel close. I leapt for the window and was out seconds later. I clung to the outer windowsill with the god slayer between my teeth. I begin the slow decent when the two Nephilim entered the top of the tower.

"Hey the window is open," the first voice called out.

"So," the second replied. "The previous watch must have left it like that."

I reached the platform and stared at the dagger with a measure of fear and hope. It was a weapon designed to kill and despite centuries of neglect the blade appeared razor sharp. I rested for a few minutes and gathered up my strength for my second leap. I made my way to the edge of the platform and picked up speed as I did so. When I was near the edge I launched my body once more into open air and landed a lot harder than I had on the platform. The irregular surface made my landing abrupt and ugly. I was bruised and battered but intact. I did a quick mental scan but there were no signs of alarm from any of the Nephilim. I rewarded myself with a soft exhale of relief.

Eager to be away from this place I reversed my course and returned to the beach where I had first landed. I cut my shirt into pieces so I could safely wrap the knife's blade and strap it to my waist. I entered the ocean and once more with Jeanie's aid swam back to the catamaran. The entire mission lasted just over sixteen hours. The majority of it was spent in the ocean. The swim back to the boat was slower as I constantly made sure that the knife was safely secured. That made for slow going. When I climbed back aboard Miranda was waiting for me. She looked as if she hadn't slept since I had left. I wasn't far off. She had only managed three hours of fitful naps. Her thoughts were clear enough, she had panicked that I would never return and the ship wouldn't go on autopilot. She raced over and hugged me.

"You got it huh," she whispered in my ear.

"Yeah, I got it..." I said and my joy was thinned by my fear that I had just fucked up on a heroic scale.

"You don't sound very happy," she said as she kissed my cheek. "Let me fix you supper. I bet you're starved."

"I am not sure I did the right thing," I told her as I took the god slayer in my fist and walked to the side of the boat. "Maybe I should just chuck this god forsaken thing in the depths. No one would find it there." The sense of overwhelming panic radiated from Miranda and I spun around to look at her. "I fucking knew it!"

"Don't overreact," Loki pleaded as she shed her Miranda guise. "You don't understand what is going on and what will happen. The world needs the god slayer Warren. Not me, not you but the world."

"Mother fucker, it was you in Fiji... and in Delhi... damn you woman you have stalked me over half a freaking continent."

"I did. I admit it. I am a fan to be honest." Loki purred. "Admit it, we are good together."

"Okay, I admit it, you are a great lay," I fired back and she actually smiled. "Why did you have me steal the god slayer when your own people are right there?"

"They wouldn't have followed my orders. I need you to deliver the Sicarius for me and you may not believe me when I tell you where."

"I will be your errand boy if you do something for me." I replied and watched her smile widen.

"What do you want Warren? You can have anything in my power. Think long and hard because this opportunity will never happen again."

"I want an end to the Fuck Off and all this fucking silliness forever. Do you understand me... for fucking ever!"

"Define silliness," Loki asked her voice oozing sensuality. "I don't want you claiming I broke my word later on."

I stopped and thought about it. She was right. This was a chance to obtain a real long lasting concession from her. I pondered trying to read her mind but that would be cheating and could be viewed as a violation.

"If you were in my shoes, what would you ask for," I asked and she smiled.

"Do you trust me," she asked and there was an expression on her face that was almost human. I nodded. "I grant your request. Now here is where I want you to take the god slayer."

The next words out of her mouth left me speechless. Now I understood. Now I knew why none of her children would follow her command. I nodded and walked to the helm and raised anchor. Instead of disappearing as she always did Loki gave me a sensual smile and went below decks. I set the autopilot and went after her. When I saw her under the sheets on my bed, I knew it was about to get real, real interesting.

"Jeanie, keep us safe," I said and stripped off my clothes.

"I got ya boss," she replied as I joined Loki beneath the sheets.

Epilogue:

It was nearly a year to the day that I had left. I stepped out of the cab and extended my hand to help her out. She smiled and nodded as the cabbie got our luggage out of the trunk. I paid him and took a deep breath. A kiss on the cheek from my companion and I mustered a smile. I walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.

"I got it," Willow cried as she opened the front door. "Warren... Warren is that you?"

"Hello Willow," I said as she launched herself into my arms.

"MOM... Warren's home," Willow screamed as she pulled me into the house. "Oh hey, are you a friend of Warren?"

"Willow this is Miranda, Miranda Sutekh. I rescued her from slavers. I am helping her out until she gets on her feet."

"Oh my god, come inside, please feel at home!" Willow said smiling warmly at Miranda.

Mom and Aunt Janine appeared and paused when they saw me and Miranda. The mixed emotions were almost comical. Mom raced over and embraced me. I told them about Miranda and how I had rescued her. Janine grabbed a bottle of wine and opened it to celebrate my homecoming. We sat down and I was asked how I was, what had happened and where I had been. I gave them the edited version of events so as not to alarm them. I told them all about my quest and my training with Ozzie and Patanjali. I told them about my going off the grid and backpacking across much of South East Asia. I told them that I had managed to acquire the god slayer but didn't use it when I had the chance.

"So the Dark One is still alive," Mom asked her hands shaking.

"Very much so," I said as I took a sip of wine.

"You've seen him then," Janine asked.

"Her, she appeared to me at the mansion and then again on the catamaran." I said and the trio went pale.

"What was she like," Willow asked her eyes wide with wonder.

"She was gorgeous, intelligent and cunning as all hell." I told them and they all smiled at that.

"So what happened," Mom asked. "If you didn't use the god slayer on her what did you do?"

"We cut a deal. I agreed to deliver the knife where it needed to go. That way it would come into the hands of someone who needed it desperately."

"But where did you take it," Janine almost screeched she was so curious.

"You won't believe me if I told you." I said and took another sip of wine.

"Damn it Warren, just tell us already," Willow growled smiling at me.

"Rome, I took it to Rome. I delivered it to the Vatican." I said.

"No way..." Willow replied. "Did you meet... Him?"

"I placed it in His hands actually," I told them.

The rest of the conversation centered around me meeting the Pope and handing the Sicarius into His hands. I told them how he had offered me a commission in a group called the Inquisitors but I had to turn him down. I had more important things to do. I told him my family relied heavily upon me. I got to learn all about everything that had happened and what hadn't happened in my absence. I was thrilled to learn that the Fuck Off had never occurred. After an hour or so I was able to get Willow alone. We talked and I asked her to forgive me for everything I had done and said. She hugged me and told me there was nothing to forgive.