Tsion exchanged a few quiet words with the Levite priest, and was admitted to the Holy of Holies.
To all onlookers, he appeared to simply prostrate in silence, only glancing at his Lord for the briefest of moments.
Those who had been granted an audience with the ultimate Authority knew better: the conversation simply happened on a level that most of the time went far beyond voice and syllables. With one or two Words, or none at all, the Saviour could form a gestalt in a supplicant's mind, as vivid as any recent memory. And as a Glorified, Tsion had an excellent memory..
"I have just walked across Osaze, Lord." the theologian whispered "Many machines in Osaze. New machines. Better than those in Pacifica."
Of course, there wasn't much point in giving information to the omniscient, but clearly the Son of God wanted Tsion to feel at ease. He nodded, almost imperceptibly, and the theologian felt a wave of peace wash over him.
Lord, I worry about the revenants. They have died of unbelief, and their souls are in Hell, yet they walk and talk. I worry about the computers called Omega, ordering our vulnerable children around by a simulacrum of money. I worry about the the Earth, it again teems with billions of people, and the end of the Millennium is so vastly different from the beginning.
Tsion was shown, as if from a helicopter, perfectly clear and yet with a gentle haze that he recognize as meaning that this was what would be rather than what was, an aerial view of the Ultimate Temple, surrounded by the Last Army, built by The Only Light for Satan over a millennium. Only a few scant decades to go, he thought. Then, he was suddenly able to discern details, the decorations and gear of every soldiers. God Himself was revealing everything to the theater of Tsion's mind.
Among the enormous throng of soldiers in fatigues were men and women wearing what Tsion at first thought to be Roman legionary armor. Looking closer, he could see that the helmet had heads-up displays, the lorica segmentata plating hid servomotors and advanced antiballistic protection, and the shields contained improved and ruggedized version of the sonic weapons he'd seen in action during the last revolt. On each helmet was the sign of an inverted omega, made to look like a pair of horns. That, of course, was the other half of Tsion's report to the Tribunal. Still in a whisper, he repeated it.
"The Omega Legacy faction is building a secret army!... using a technique unknown to us... a technique involving sound. The Omega are becoming more popular with the undecided..."
Again, the Son of God sent forth a wave of peace in Tsion's direction.
With the new discernment, the theologian was able to see that many of the soldiers were revenants. Each and every trooper, even those who were alive, sported the metabolic extension controller that combined with a helmet and grounding strap, would revive them in case of heart attack or electrocution. A soldier of The Only Light could be put to death by lightning, God dealing with them immediately as He did to Ananias and Sapphira of old, only to get right back up, soulless and incapable of feeling pain. The Roman-styled soldiers, the self-styled Legionaries of Light, sported a more thorough version which would keep the body functioning for hours even in case of major wounds. The Saviour spared him a detailed vision of those who had shed most of their flesh for composites and titanium, but Tsion knew that the principle was the same, only taken to its extreme consequences.
Tsion was given a different sort of discernment, and realized that the futuristic legionaries and the regular troopers eyed each other as rivals united by a common enemy, rather than as comrades.
"I see two great factions, The Only Light and The Omega Legacy..."
Tsion was again, in his mind's eye, whisked away. The scene was even more photorealistic, and perfectly in focus: Tsion was being shown the past. Specifically, he was being shown a minor scuffle that had happened in Australia between The Only Light and The Omega Legacy over the control of an underground installation. The smaller faction had won handily thanks to better weapons and tactics. Tsion was shown, in a sequence of flashes, snippets of life from many of The Only Light members who had died in the battle - they had been influencers, recruiters, leading fellow young men and women astray right up until their lives were cut short. They would face punishment, but their bodies and brains would not stand up to return to their evil efforts.
"Feuding... I see... You behind it. So, The Omega Legacy will rid You of The Only Light's worst?"
Another tiny nod from the Throne, another healing wave of peace and understanding washing over Tsion.
The scene in front of Tsion's inner eye changed again. It was, once more, the Last Army assembled around the Temple on the Last day, but this time, instead of photorealistic, it looked like an Impressionist painting. Tsion understood that he was being shown what might be, rather than what would be.
In a moment, all the enhanced soldiers were replaced by regular troopers, all the cybernetics disappearing as if they had never been invented. A blue flame, poisonous and purifying light coming from the very inner sanctum that Tsion was prostrated in front of his Saviour in, turned the Last Army into dust. Tsion saw the souls of the lost soldiers be herded to the final judgement.
Then, the scene reset. This time, the Legionaries of Light were back in position, those who already had been damned looking colorless in the Millennial sun's harsh light, as if the painter hadn't finished them. Once again, the blue flame incinerated the armies. Tsion again saw the souls of the lost soldiers be herded to the final judgement, noticing that there were less of them.
The scene reset again. Atop each revenant, floating in the air, was a regular soldier. They were whisked away to the side, and shown worldlessly talking to a group of missionaries, in ones or twos or fives. Many of them would let the stick that symbolized their gun drop to the floor, and themselves drop on their knees. When the blue flame came, they and the missionaries were whisked away to safety.
The Son of Man again nodded gently, this time with a smile, when comprehension dawned on Tsion's face. There would have to be a vast army at the Last Battle; so it was written, and so it would be. But each MEC trooper, damned already, would be there in the stead of a living soldier, who -unlike the revenants - up until the very last day had a choice to turn away and repent.
Of course, God had a Plan. Tsion slowly stood up, bowed again, and offered thanks to the One and His Son before humbly making his exit. The message was clear: some, maybe many, in the Last Army would be beyond reach just as those who in the Tribulation had taken the Mark of the Beast were beyond reach. This was, of course, so that Tsion and those like him could reach more of the others.
Tsion turned in early; his Glorified body needed little rest, but it was a habit he'd picked up at the end of his first life, age starting to catch up with him before he was martyred at the very end of the Tribulation. His new duty was to help coordinate the Millennium Force's efforts in light of the new information, to make it more efficient.
The Glorified do not often experience vivid dreams, but sometimes, they do.
In his dream, Tsion was again hovering above the Last Battle about to start. This time, the details were much fuzzier, the vision being the product of his own mind rather than Divine insight; but he could see that, him having taken control of the simulation, the army splayed around the Temple was once again different. This time, to go with Tsion's hypothesizing, legionaries were more numerous, and worked in concert with troopers in earnest rather than begrudgingly. Drones and airships like those that Tsion had seen in Osaze - Misrayim as The Other Light called it - filled the sky as the locusts had during the Fifth Trumpet, to the point where they blotted out the sun. The Last Battle would be fought in the shade.
It finally became obvious that God had released Satan, according to the Scriptures, when the warriors of the world, united, "whose number is as the sand of the sea," were finally in place, gathered for battle.
The millions-strong enemy created an euphony of rumbling and jangling as the sonic shields activated, sending dust billowing as far as the eye could see. And suddenly rising from within those masses and marching to the fore came Satan himself, as a shining light, a gleaming sword raised high.
"And now," he shouted, somehow able to be heard for miles, "I come to claim what has been rightfully mine since the dawn of time: the very throne of God!"
As Desolators and Heavy MECs advanced toward the temple, the noise of the endless troops drowned out the sounds of nature. Tsion was aware that his friends also stood tall beside him in the dream world, eager, anticipating, knowing the side of the righteous would prevail.
Despite all the attacks of the evil one throughout the aeons of time, his efforts were doomed to an ill end. In his dream, Tsion looked on with Rayford Steele and his compatriots — all of them sinners redeemed by the blood of the Lamb who sat on the throne — Jesus rose to face His challengers last time.
"Plan C, fallback N", said a head in a jar inside an armored vehicle, and in seconds the drones doubled back in a suicide charge, and cut an unsuspecting Satan to shreds with their blades.
Tsion kicked in his sleep. That was wrong.
The Alpha and Omega, the King of kings, the Lord of lords, the Lion of Judah, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Rock, the Savior, the Christ stood in the courtyard of His temple.
The recording of a girl's voice, silenced for a thousand years, shouted, "There doesn't have to be a fight!"
Jesus responded quietly, "I AM WHO I AM."
Tsion heard distant thunder from the East. And with that, the clouds rolled back and the heavens opened, and orange and yellow and red mountains of white-hot, roiling flames burst forth. The Other Light's entire throng — men, women, weapons, everything — was vaporized in an instant, leaving around the holy mountain a ring of ash that soon wafted away in the breeze.
And then the long-range naval artillery that had been fired seconds before and flown hypersonically through the cleansing firestorm struck the Temple with algorithmic precision, bathing it and Tsion's vision in the blue flame of Cherenkov radiation, hotter than any other.
Tsion woke in a puddle of sweat. Surely that couldn't possibly...
Taking a deep breath, the celebrated theologian and master debater knelt on his bedside like a child might. Tsion prayed for forgiveness, for guidance, for assurance.
KNOW THAT I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, YES, TO THE END OF THE WORLD.
Tsion's lips moved along with the Voice in his heart, and he felt most of his anxiety go away. He'd gotten enough rest, he figured, and it was early in the morning rather than late at night. Time to take a shower and then get to work. He knew that his nightmare's scenario couldn't happen, but he'd use it as motivation.
Author's note: Can you spot all the references? This chapter is a response to a request by Child of Dreams. The chronicle of The Omega Legacy and of the last 100 years of the Millennium can be found by Googling "Left Beyond Quest" and clicking on the Archive link that should show up in first position. It is an interesting piece of fiction written cooperatively over the course of about a year. You can also use the redirect URL at
http：／／www．f3．to／omega／