CHAPTER XX: THE BLACK CATHEDRAL
Though considered renegades and heretics, these black magi were fulfilling the will of the Deities in a way, and were a part of the mechanism for manipulation over humanity...
The flashlight's beam sank into the darkness, as if devoured by foul magic. Judging by what they could touch, the two men knew they were moving down a narrow corridor, towards the heart of the cathedral. Every noise the marines made was muffled, and the air they breathed seemed somewhat heavy and thick, as if a mystic shroud or a nasty spider's web hung in the passageway.
"Be careful, sir," Kyle whispered, "I have a very bad feeling about this place. It seems perfectly quiet, but I have a gut feeling it is not quite abandoned."
"Better watch your step, Corporal. I can take care of myself, especially with this sweetie in my hands."
The Major had already loaded a fresh cell pack into the BFG, and adjusted it carefully so that it would be able to bring down even the toughest of Barons of Hell with only one shot. Kyle trusted his shotgun above all else. Still, he hoped that he would not have to use it, and the cathedral was abandoned. The corridor went on, consumed by overwhelming darkness and a feeling that something very evil and dangerous was lying in ambush somewhere within.
Finally, the light seemed to regain its strength. The tunnel ended, opening into a small triangular chamber. There were two doors – one to the left, and one to the right. Corporal Harlan stopped in hesitation.
"Damn, they look exactly the same. Sir, perhaps we should split up?"
Major Boyd frowned.
"No, we should stay together. I don't like this place. Somehow, I have the feeling a threat hides somewhere within."
"I know what you mean, sir. I can feel it too... Well then, let's take the right path."
The two men approached the closed door slowly and opened it. No reaction. Beyond it was another corridor, this time lit by the dim light that came through the stained-glass windows along the right wall. The images on the windows caught the marines' attention – there were dragons, robed figures, and images of creatures never seen by human beings. Along the left wall of the corridor, there were entrances into smaller rooms. They all seemed abandoned, yet filled with various items. One such chamber had an old cauldron in its center. It was full of blackened human bones. Another room had several crude iron tables – there were ancient tomes left on them, but they crumbled to dust when the marines tried to approach them. Other rooms revealed shelves and empty flasks arranged on them. Yet other were filled with what looked like ancient sarcophagi. Corporal Harlan and Major Boyd passed down the corridor, having decided not to disturb the peace of these forgotten places. In his mind, Harlan was still striving to believe how all this existed so close to the UAC colony and Earth, yet no one ever knew about it.
As for Major Boyd, he was still finding it hard to believe that he was involved in this mess. In his younger years as a marine, he longed for adventure and danger, but now that he finally got it, he was not sure whether he still had the spark within. He had some doubts that his service as an officer had dulled his passion for battle. This was not something he would put up with – every marine was supposed to be a fighting machine, even the high command. Still, marines did not face such supernatural adventures every day.
A door, which seemed to be the end of the corridor, loomed ahead. Beyond it, the two men could see a very well-lit hallway with arches, which continued further into the cathedral's depths. As they stepped forward to enter that room, both marines heard a faint voice in their heads. It was the voice of the Gatekeeper.
"Be warned, humans. After they hid the artifacts here, the Council of Dark Magi sacrificed themselves, in order to imbue the building itself with their souls. Should they awaken, they will have full control over the entire edifice. I cannot predict what they can unleash at you beside the Guardian... Be also aware that in the next hallway lies the most ghastly of the cathedral's defense systems – the Circle of Truth. When you pass through it, you will see visions of either your past... or your future. These are only visions, they cannot hurt you... do not succumb to them, or your souls will be forever lost."
The voice faded away. The marines stopped for a moment before they would move on. They quickly decided to move as quietly as possible, as they did not wish to awaken whatever haunted this place. They moved on into the hallway, which was lined with torches – still burning, as if fueled by magic. Further up the corridor was a narrow section, which was taken up by a sparkling circle, made of white crystal. The corridor was built in such a way that there was no means to avoid passing through the circle.
"Sir," Kyle whispered, "That must be the thing the demon warned us about. We should be careful."
"No worries here, Harlan. Just remember that it is only an illusion... or so I hope."
The two men approached the circle. On closer examination, its surface appeared to be liquid and churning, as if it were alive. Low humming emanated from it, as well as a feeling that the air was electrified. They both stepped inside it. Nothing happened.
Major Boyd was both surprised and somewhat disappointed. The circle seemed not to react in any way to their presence. He shrugged and took another step... right into a furious battle. Shocked by the sudden change of scene, Major Boyd looked around. Burning buildings, flying rockets, plasma discharges. He was in a city, on Earth, and the city was under attack by demons. Hell Knights and Mancubi marched steadily towards the place where the marines had fortified themselves, ignoring the heavy losses that they sustained under the rain of flaming death that the desperate defenders unleashed upon them. Ahead, in the distance, the Major could see several other similar fortifications – they were already destroyed and crushed by the advancing wave of demons that was now heading for the Major's position.
"Captain Boyd... what are we going to do, we are running low on ammo! Captain... Captain, do you hear me?"
A young marine, his face covered with fresh blood, clutching his bleeding right arm, was standing right in front of Nicholas Boyd. He referred to him as "Captain..."
An explosion nearby caused one of the defense towers to collapse, sending two marines to their death among the burning debris. One of the other young soldiers had found a rocket launcher somewhere, and tried to use it to push back the approaching Hell Knights.
"Captain Boyd... please, what is wrong with you... tell us what to do... they are coming... I don't want to die here! Sir..."
The Major looked at himself – he was wearing a dirty Captain's uniform, he was holding a shotgun in hand, and was surrounded by wounded and desperate marines. They were all looking at him, waiting for orders. A part of the fortification fell, melted away by plasma bolts – Arachnotrons were approaching, and with their arrival, the fate of the marines seemed decided...
Then, Major Boyd remembered. This was a scene from his past – from the demonic siege on a small town during the demonic invasion on Earth! At that time, he was not yet promoted to the rank of Major... he was a Captain, and he had to hold off the demonic advance for some more before... yes, now everything was clear.
"Return to the fortification and unload everything you have on them," the Major shouted, "Hold them off for just a little longer... help is on the way"
The marines cheered at the command. They knew it was desperate, but at least they could fight to the bitter end. They returned at their stations and unleashed a hurricane of rockets, plasma, and bullets at the approaching hordes. Their losses were great but they did not stop. Meter by meter, they came closer. Ammunition was almost depleted, and the marines were chilled to see that a Cyberdemon had come from behind the corner. The creature's rocket launcher was already aimed at the platform where the Captain was standing.
Major Boyd knew very well what would happen next. A roar from the sky was heard, and the demonic advance was instantly stopped by the air strike that the Captain had requested several minutes prior... Right on time. Following that, the marines could safely retreat and evacuate all civilians from the area...
The vision vanished as suddenly as it had started. The Major was standing on the other side of the circle, and Corporal Harlan was still standing in it, staring blankly at him.
"Major Boyd, are you alright. You were standing like paralyzed... you were mumbling something I could not hear."
The Major smiled, having felt the passion for adventure revitalized.
"I am fine.. The damn thing showed an episode from my past... the invasion of Earth... and me defending a group of buildings with civilians in them. It shows you things after you go past the circle's center. Be careful..."
Kyle took a deep breath and stepped forward... only to fall down because of a sudden and unexpected pain in his left leg. Gasping, trying to regain is concentration, the marine clumsily stood up and looked around... only to discover that he was no longer in the cathedral.
The marine found his hands resting upon black soil. The air was saturated with the smell of burned flesh, brimstone, and decay. The sky above was burning and swirling in an eternal storm.
He was in Hell. But was that the past or the future?
Kyle looked at his leg – there was a wound, small and not really dangerous, but rather painful.
Then he remembered that he had never had such a wound in his life. Not even in Hell.
The landscape was eerily familiar. The continent of Inferno. And above – the moon of Deimos, still floating. This time, it seemed that something had happened there – smoke rose from its surface, as if the buildings were damaged or destroyed by a raging army. The plains of the continent seemed abandoned, there was no trace of demons or their bizarre structures. Then Kyle felt something move behind his back. He turned around...
Behind him, gaping in the scorched surface of Hell, was an enormous pit, which seemed to have been dug dug recently. The pit was filled with a complicated network of metal structures, machinery, buildings, and many other things he had never seen before. It was an excavation! But who could have done it... who could be excavating in Hell? Thinking about that, Kyle suddenly felt that he was not alone.
He had a sawed-off shotgun in hands... not the same as the one he had in the cathedral, but still quite a good model. He turned around quickly, prepared to nail down whatever crept behind his back. He stopped, paralyzed with dread at the sight of the creature that waited for him...
It must have been organic once, but much of its body was replaced by metal elements, turning it into a half-organic, half-machine abomination. On its armor, it had an insignia – a skull, from which lightning bolts came out, like hair. Before the marine could react, the thing aimed its right arm at him. The arm opened, revealing what seemed to be a machine gun or a shotgun.
The marine closed his eyes. Inside his mind, he was shouting to himself that it was all an illusion... a vision.
"Corporal Harlan, are you alright? You can calm down now, you have passed the circle... stand up and look at me."
It was over. The marine was kneeling right next to Major Boyd, holding the shotgun in a position for shooting. It was over.
"What did you see, Corporal? What disturbed you so much?"
"Sir it was... something I had never seen before. I think I saw the future... or maybe a possible version of it. It was in Hell and... there was that hideous cyborg... I'm not really sure what it was."
Having passed this treacherous obstacle, the marines were ready to go on. The bright hallway ended with a heavy iron gate. It opened without a noise, revealing an enormous dark hall – such as the main halls of the old Gothic cathedrals on Earth. There were no pews, but lines of chandeliers and urns. A black carpet led to the other side of the hall, where gates, cut from reddish metal stood.
The marines stepped inside, and the iron gate closed behind them immediately. A clicking sound told them that it was locked. Blood-chilling laughter echoed through the hall, a cold wind blew and extinguished all candles, leaving only the dim light from the stained glass windows.
Major Boyd raised the BFG and whispered.
"Prepare your gun, Corporal. You will likely live long enough to see Hell and that cyborg, so fear not. As for me, I have something for whatever bastards are going to attack us. Prepare for battle."