iCarly: iMeet the Relatives: Chapter 29: Then and Now

I don't own iCarly. I can wish, though.

Chapter 29: Then and Now

"Yes," Jemiah said, closing his eyes in pain at the memory. "As a matter of fact, it has happened before."

Then: It was a world much like Earth, with a pleasing mixture of temperature, atmospheric gases, water content, and abundant natural resources, ideally suited for the comfort, even the luxury, of homo sapiens. It was also a world about to die.

Seen from space, one could see missile contrails crisscrossing the surface, back and forth, their terminations marked by nuclear explosions of such savagery as to be visible from hundreds of thousands of miles away. If one looked, one could also make out the eruptions of major volcanoes, spewing toxic gases into the atmosphere. Some had been deliberately exploded.

And, here and there, even more troubling than the nuclear blasts, were curious spots of shadow, of darkness that, even as one watched, seemed to tremble around the edges, and to expand slightly, gathering more and more of the troubled world unto them. Within these patches was no light whatsoever, and no communications of any kind issued from within.

The city resembled Earth's Los Angeles, if Los Angeles had lost a major war with an invading power. The platoon had been deployed to protect the valuables confined within the lower level of the massive bank's vault. Just the mere amount of reinforced steel would ordinarily be sufficient to keep anything inviolate from any ordinary or even extraordinary force. But what was coming for the prize was beyond even the extraordinary.

"Sarge, what're we lookin' for?"

"You'll know 'em when you see 'em! Just keep yer eyes open and yer mouth shut!" He gripped his rifle hard, as though he could squeeze extra power, extra deadliness out of it. "Pray it's not Seraphim, though." This last a mutter than still reached the ears of one closest to him.

"Pray? Who would we pray to? Tell me that!"

"Shuddup!"

All at once, the darkling skies overhead gave birth to a strong wind that swept down from high in the southwest. "Here they come!" the sergeant yelled.

The wind grew stronger, increasing to the point to where some of the soldiers had to steady themselves against what few walls were still standing. Some were trying to brace themselves against exposed pipes—anything that would help keep them in place.

Light erupted from the southwest, an awesome brilliance that made them look away. Even the sun, at its full noon-day strength, could not equal this. Then it faded, as the forms it had brought came into sight.

There were seven of them, humanoid, but with the golden triangles of light extending from their shoulders that bespoke of their wings. Each one of them wore a gold and white uniform. Seraphim. The Judges.

The lead angel spoke. "We've come for the hostages. Release them, and we will depart in peace…such peace as you have allowed yourselves."

The sergeant got to his feet, his face flushed in anger. "Who do you think you are, you think you can just come in here an' take ov-*" He disappeared in a thirty foot geyser of fire, the probability effects crystalizing everyone within fifty feet of him. The survivors threw down their weapons and ran.

"As a matter of fact, we do think just that," muttered the angel whose hand was still raised. He inclined his head to the one to his side. "Remiel! Scan for the hostages."

"At once, Exalted One!"

"Sir!" One of the others, Lehial, spoke up. "I am sensing six inbound nuclear-tipped missiles, closing rapidly on our position!"

Jemiah shook his head. Rather than let them take the hostages, the humans would slay their own people. They had long known that nuclear weapons had no effect on angels. "Samael? Speak. Speak now."

Samael lifted his head and spoke words in a language no human could ever hear, and all at once, a shimmering dome of golden force appeared around the ruined city. It expanded outward, the missiles detonating harmlessly upon its obdurate but immaterial substance. Outward, ever outward it expanded, until it covered half the hemisphere of the doomed world. Then it simply disappeared.

"Remiel?"

"They are directly below us, Exalted One, behind reinforced steel."

"See to it."

The angel known as Remiel held out his hand, as though to receive something. Instantly, a column of intense light appeared, springing up from his palm for nearly two feet. He upended his hand over the spot he'd pointed to, shoving the light-column into the ground below.

There was an incredible sizzling sound, and the earth and steel, everything in between seemed to melt back, ever back, opening like an iris, forming a perfect circle leading downward into the holding area where the hostages were being held. The other angels immediately flew down into the hole, and began helping the humans to the surface. Some of them had been badly treated. Jemiah saw this, and his anger was kindled against those responsible. Well. Judgment was coming for them, anyway.

Another contingent of angels had brought the shuttle, and the humans were rapidly seated, those with the most severe injuries tended to.

Jemiah stood before them. "Be at peace. We will transport you to a place of safety."

Soon, the shuttle, under angel guidance, was on its way to the waiting Ascendant Rescue Carrier orbiting just beyond the planet's single moon. Once it docked, those within were welcomed by EMTs, doctors, and people in general who wanted to help.

Hanging in space, Jemiah considered. This was the last of them. He consulted with the other angels; all were in agreement that departure would be wise.

Star Wormwood was approaching.

On board the ARC, the humans in charge of guiding it examined the readouts nervously: Estimated time to neutron star impact: 22.45 hours.

22.42 hours

22.39

The main drive activated, the course already set….

Back on the planet: volcanism was increasing fantastically. Every fault line became active, and the interior heat of the planet began to rise.

Closer still did the neutron star approach. Now pieces of the planet begin to be torn away, bits and pieces falling into the sky, flames erupting from everywhere…..

On the far side of the planet from the approaching stellar fragment: Darian BenDarian stood with a group of demons in an underground chamber. They could feel the shudderings as the doomed planet began to vibrate like a bell, a bell rung by the high gravity gradient of the approaching neutron star. "So. Is this all of them?" Around and before him floated several hundred globes, with the appearance of being polished crystal or glass. Yet they were not. Within each was the soul of one who'd freely given it.

When the destruction of the planet became imminent, there had been many who'd gone to the demons, stating they wished to give their souls, in exchange for survival. The demons had rejected them. To belong to a demon meant more than simply to be kept, like a watch in one's pocket. The demons sought specific souls, those souls not given over to the Darkness, those souls not corrupted by the political and sociological forces that had so torn this world apart. The demons didn't care for the souls of destroyers. That was what the Darkness was for.

And the patches of Darkness were spreading over the globe. It was a race to see which fate would be first: torn apart by the neutron star, or consumed by the Darkness.

Of course, BenDarian reflected, there was no reason he knew of why both should not occur.

"My lord," his lieutenant came up to him, golden trident flashing in the intermittent light. "These are the last of them. But I felt you would like to know of one in particular." He produced a small force-globe and handed it to BenDarian.

"Is this…? Yes, I can tell. Thank you, Deumas." He turned his attention to the force-globe in his hand. "You see? It is not so bad as you were led to believe."

From within the globe came a wordless feeling, like a sigh of relief, to be followed by: I wasn't sure what to expect. I guess I thought, in spite of all you said, that it'd be horrible. But this feels like….it feels like I've always felt. Kinda nice, actually.

"Of course," said BenDarian, "it would scarcely do if the process changed you so radically that you weren't you anymore. What would be the point of that? Now, we can be together forever, sharing our feelings, our emotions. You will share in my triumphs and my losses. And as I told you, it will not always be pleasant, but that is normal: a soul in perpetual ecstasy or agony is an unnatural condition. You couldn't remain sane in a situation like that. It would soon become intolerable to you. You wouldn't want it."

A pause. Then, Okay. I, I guess I was just…you know…worried. But now we'll be together, forever. Right?

"That is correct," he said, kissing the globe lightly. "My love." Turning to the others, "We must leave this world now. Gather those precious to you and let us return home."

They teleported out, shadowcloaks flipping up and over not just their own heads, but also extending around the floating force-globes.

Soon, there was no one left within the chamber. Without the demons' power to shore it up, it quickly fell victim to the seismic effects of the approaching destroyer.

Star Wormwood.

….

"Yes," Jemiah repeated. "Yes, it has happened before. And we would very much like for it to not happen again."

To be continued….