SIX
"When your children ask you 'What does this ritual mean?' you will answer,
'It is the sacrifice of the 'pass-over' to honour the Lord (Yahweh/Jehovah),
because he has passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt.
He killed the Egyptians, but spared us'.
At midnight the Lord (Yahweh/Jehovah) killed all the first born sons in Egypt…"
-The Book of Exodus 12:26, The Bible
"Martin? Are you alright?" The Doctor was knelt on tiptoes beside Martin. He had his hand on the man's back and he patted it gently.
"Do I look alright?" Martin gasped looking round. "Do I look 'all right' to you, Doctor?" He eyes were full of tears and his face full of pain and devastation.
"You bring me here to see this? To see this… soul destroying truth and you want me to be 'all right'?" He stayed on his knees and looked at The Doctor with pleading eyes. "Why… WHY did you bring me here?"
The Doctor scrunched up his nose and shrugged. "I just thought you wanted to know." He stood up casually, "I mean, you asked me remember? You asked me where I stood on the whole 'God' question." He nodded towards the mountain, "Well, this is where we're standing and this is what we are seeing. You wanted to know the Truth and, to an extent, that's what I'm giving you. It's not my fault if it doesn't go hand in hand with what you previously thought you knew." He bent his knees and patted Martin gently on the top of his head, "But don't worry", he said brightly, "Just because aliens visited your world years ago doesn't mean all of spirituality is a lie… It doesn't mean the soul doesn't exist… It doesn't mean there's no 'life after death'… It just means there's much more to 'God' than a visitation like this from a 'jealous' deity".
He stepped forward a few paces and picked up a sharp stone. He pointed the edge of it towards the Mother ship in an almost casual manner, spinning the tip around in small, delicate circles.
"So this is Yahweh… or Jehovah, as he's sometimes called… A God of order and discipline mixed in with a load of good old wrath and vengeance… A bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser and a deity that demanded it's worship above all other gods… A tyrannical monarch who would kill you so much as look at you if you made even the slightest error. Just ask the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah whom he had destroyed in one of your planets first nuclear blasts. And of course, just recently, he's had all the Egyptian first-born children murdered and then got all his followers to celebrate it with what is termed 'passover'! And they're still doing it in your time"
Martin rose to his feet and staggered towards The Doctor. "You seem to know a lot about this, Doctor. I thought you were on this journey of discovery with me? I thought you said you just wanted to see what really happened here?"
The Doctor looked round at Martin. "Well, yeah, I did but I just wanted to see it again." He shrugged, "Nah, I've been here before. It was one of the first times and places I came to on your planet". He looked suddenly just above Martin's left shoulder. "In fact, there I am" he said, his eyes nodding.
Martin turned to where The Doctor was indicating. About 800 yards away on another hill Martin could see a blue police box just like The Doctor's. Stood a few steps away from it there was an old, white haired man in what looked like Edwardian clothes. He seemed to be holding some sort of camera and was clicking away clearly fascinated by what he was seeing above the mountain.
"He doesn't much look like you" Martin said perplexed.
"No, well I've changed a bit since then." The Doctor said sheepishly, "In fact, I've changed nine times since then…" He looked at Martin's confused face, "But don't let that worry you." He put his arm around Martin's shoulder then, with his other hand, put his thumb and a finger in his mouth. He whistled loudly over at the old man.
The grey haired gentleman looked round and seem to recognise The Doctor immediately but, instead of waving back, he shook his head almost disapprovingly. He cupped a hand to his mouth, "And what are you doing here, young man, mmm? You know that only one of us is meant to be here at any one time!" he shouted.
The Doctor 'funnelled' his mouth too, "Oh don't call me 'young man', you old buffer, I'm older than you!" He gripped Martin more tightly around the shoulder, "Now take our picture or I'm telling your missus you're here!" He beamed a big grin as the old man raised the camera and reluctantly took a couple of shots. The Doctor then gave the old man a wave of thanks and let go of Martin's shoulder.
The Elderly gentlemen shook his head once more then turned and walked back inside his time machine. A couple of seconds later the light on the top of the blue box began flashing and, with a harsh, wind like noise, the machine began to slowly fade from view.
Martin looked back at The Doctor who was grinning at him smugly. "Lovely bloke that", The Doctor said warmly, "He's got a bit of a temper though. Luckily I've mellowed since"
Martin said nothing. What could he say? What could surprise him now?
Both men turned once more to the sight above the mountain. The colossus bulk suspended above it had seemed to have slowed its rotation slightly and the screams coming from the valley below seemed to have eased slightly also.
"Yahweh's ship has just arrived" The Doctor explained, "That's why you've been seeing so much panic from these poor people" He nodded down at the Israelites in the valley. "The Mother ship will be here for six days and then depart, leaving Yahweh at the top of the mountain where Moses will go up to meet him… Meet 'God'… Get given the Ten Commandments… Come back down again…. Find a few Israelites worshipping 'false' idols… Have nearly three thousand of them killed… And then stay in touch with 'God' via a telecommunications device known as the 'Ark of the Covenant'" The Doctor lowered the sides of his lips. "Quite straightforward really" he said as if nothing more needed to be explained.
"Well, can't we warn them?" Martin asked anxiously as he looked at the human beings in the valley below.
"What?" The Doctor's laugh was more of a snort, "What are you going to say to them? 'Don't take any notice of that nasty space man he's not really God'?" The Doctor put both his hands on Martin's shoulders and spun him around to face him. "It is their God, Martin! That's the whole point! You'll be killed before you finish your first sentence. You haven't seen religious zealousness like this I can tell you!"
Suddenly the ground shook as the deep, 'trumpet blast of the angels' rang out once more through out the valley.
Martin shook violently as his heart raced considerably and the knot in his stomach returned to haunt him.
"Oh-oh" The Doctor sounded alarmed for the first time. "I really don't think we should stay any longer, Marty. It's time to go."
"Why?" Martin felt his hands tremble.
"I think we've been noticed" The Doctor's voice sounded genuinely concerned as he was looking up at the Mother ship.
Martin followed his gaze. He squinted his eyes as he focused in on the side of the ship.
Four small objects had left the vessel and were moving outwards in flying formation. They flew upwards in an arrow like shape creating vapour trails as they did so and then suddenly swooped downwards above the heads of the Israelites. Martin could hear screams and wails as chaos broke out in the camp below.
"Angels!" The Doctor shouted. "And I don't mean the big, white fluffy kind either! Martin we have to go! Now!"
Martin was terrified but found he couldn't move. He was literally paralysed with fear.
"I can't move, Doctor" He whispered "Doctor! I can't move!" He raised his voice through clenched teeth.
He could see the Angels getting nearer.
He could feel them getting nearer.
They were still about half a mile away but Martin could see that they looked metallic as flashes of bronze and gold reflected off them in the harsh sun. It made them shine with radiance and power. He could also make out their huge wings, which were almost interlocked with each other and which seemed to make them spin as they flew. All four creatures grew larger and larger within Martin's eyes as their terrifying mass got closer and closer.
"Doctor I can't move!" Martin was screaming now. His heart felt like it was about to explode and his stomach was twisting with pain.
"Yes you can!" The Doctor shouted commandingly. "Yes you can… just do it! DO IT!"
The Doctor was stood by his TARDIS almost holding on to the sides of it as the wind increased in ferocity. The noise of the air alone bellowed deeply but the angels were making their own unique sound: a deep, juddering scream as if the air before them was literally been ripped apart as they moved swiftly towards where Martin and The Doctor were stood.
"Move, Martin!" The Doctor shouted through teeth clenched tight. "If you don't move now I am leaving you here! For them! NOW MOVE!"
Yet all Martin could hear was the Angel's screaming getting louder and louder.
All he could see were their giant wings covered in turning, hypnotic eyes.
And all he could feel was overwhelming fear…
"At the centre of the storm, I saw what looked like four living creatures in human form, but each of them had four faces and four wings…. They shone like polished bronze… Each creature faced all four directions, so the group could go wherever they wished, without having to turn… As I was looking at the four creatures, I saw four wheels touching the ground, one beside each of them… The rims of the wheels were covered in eyes… I heard the noise their wings made in flight: it sounded like the roar of the sea, like the noise of a huge army, like the voice of the Almighty God"
Extracts from The Book of EZEKIEL 4: 5 – 22:24