The Oddsquad #4: Within Gehenna
Prologue:
Beads of sweat trickle down Walter Traugott’s face. He is trussed like bleating livestock. Sunset bonds of fiery energy hold his wrists and ankles behind his back. Walter’s eyes roll madly with fear.
“I have much to thank you for,” Cain whispers softly. “My freedom. The blood of your brother broke the bonds of Gehenna. I had been incarcerated there since nearly the dawn of time. I owe you, Walter, and I shall repay my debt.”
The smoldering bonds tighten and the German huffs in animal-like agony.
Cain continues, “I shall bless you with power beyond belief. I will give unto you the might of the gods themselves. Your strength will equal the Giants of the Earth. You will soar the winds like the Rocs of yesteryear. You will command fire with the ease of the efreet.
“Walter, you will lead my assassins to destroy my father’s guards. You will be the one to bring ruin to the Oddsquad. I name you Brotherkiller!”
Light, dim and murky, bursts forth from Cain’s eyes, mouth, and nostrils. The light dances torturously on the skin of the man who, until just now, was Walter Traugott.
Brotherkiller screamed in primal pain.
*
Molasses meets Dr. Phillip Watford at the Plaza restaurant, located in the rebuilt Skyline Plaza. The Skyline Plaza was the sight of the Oddsquad’s battle against the Children of Kali. Dr. Watford is a well-respected professor of archaeology at Freedom City University.
“David, thank you so much for meeting with me.”
Molasses smiles, “It is no trouble, Phil. I always have time for my colleges. What is it that I can help you with?”
“Well,” Dr. Watford begins, almost embarrassed, “A situation has arisen that may require a man with your… uh… talents. Several expeditions into the mountains of southern Syria have disappeared. The latest being a FCU research team lead by Betsey.”
Molasses interrupts, “Betsey Ebberts?”
Dr. Watford nods, “Yes. Her team last reported from a small village called Tal Taweel. That was two weeks ago. The reason we believe that the disappearance may be more than simple politics is that one of the other groups that disappeared is that the team was an Amerio team. It was lead by Cortez Amerio himself.”
Molasses shakes his head. The Amerio Corporation investigates supernatural occurrences across the globe. It is very telling that an expedition lead by the head of the Amerio Corporation itself has vanished.
“The first to disappear was a duo of German brothers, Walter and Heinrich Traugott.”
“The treasure hunters? I have crossed paths with them before. If I remember right, Walter has a terrible temper.”
“You are correct. With the disappearance of the three teams, we are hesitant to send anyone to Tal Taweel. But I have seen you and your allies in action, David. I am hoping you and the Oddsquad will agree to help. Especially since Betsey is involved.”
“Of course I will help, Phil. I will round up my associates and discover the secrets of Tal Taweel.”
*
Fractal sits in the meeting room of Odd Mansion. His feet are propped up on the table. Adam sits calmly, waiting for the hero to speak.
“I am sorry, Adam, but I have to leave Freedom City. My job is taking me to Hollywood. I have to leave the Oddsquad, but I will continue the good fight on the West Coast.”
“I understand, Fractal. The Guardian has also left for more… exotic… locales. I believe he has traced some information concerning the Forever Gate to the seven-star moebius system, GF42pi.”
“Um, ok. Yeah, well maybe some day I can return to Freedom City and the Oddsquad.”
Adam says, “Of course. You are always welcome back to our ranks. But remember, Fractal, to keep your powers reigned in. You know what will happen if you use them at full potency.”
Fractal nods, “I know.”
*
The Colloidion and the Blind Navigator eat lunch in the mansion’s dining room. Nebu Nezzer has served up deli meat sandwiches and steaming soup.
“What is Uhrm like?” The Colloidion asks.
“I do not remember much,” The Blind Navigator replies, “I was locked in the Guidance-Sarcophagus when I was ten years old. I do remember that it was a beautiful city supported by an old, sturdy cumulous cloud. Uhrm is ruled by a noble caste called the Ancients. Those inhabitants that have psychic abilities are named Justified. Unfortunately, I do not remember more than that.”
“What is going to happen to Uhrm now that you aren’t steering the city?”
The Blind Navigator shrugs, “I do not know. Most likely, they have found another to imprison in the Guidance-Sarcophagus. But there are none in the city as strongly gifted as I in the mind-powers of direction and navigation.”
*
Molasses explains to The Colloidion, “Several of my professional associates have disappeared in southern Syria. The Freedom City University expedition was investigating the rumor of a site dating back to the Kingdom of Nod. Nod, arguably, was the first nation on Earth. Myth has it that Cain, son of Adam and Eve, was its tyrannical ruler.
“Also lost is the Amerio team. Cortez Amerio is an investigator of the supernatural. His team was investigation a large surge of proto-ecto energy in the same region. I believe that the two objectives are tied together. I am going to find out what became of them.”
Adam Odd escorts the heroes down a long hallway filled with dozens of doors, in every shape and size. He chooses a certain door and opens it. Hot, dry air fills the Oddsquad’s lungs. The door opens into a small shelter located near the capital of Syria.
“Nathan Smith waits for you,” says Adam. “He will be your driver and guide. And… watch out for my son. Cain is a very bad seed.
Adam herds the duo through the door.
“You! You’re that Adam?” The Colloidion asks, shocked.
As the words tumble out of his mouth, both The Colloidion and Molasses are knocked from their feet. A huge weight pushes them ground. A fatty bulk squeezes the air from them. But Molasses smells a familiar scent; Cuban cigars.
“Vegas!” the Man of Tar exclaims.
The obese man rolls off of the two heroes, “Molasses is that you? Is it really you? Not some stupid alternate dimension dupe? I have been trying for so long to get back to Earth Prime!”
Molasses stands and slaps the gadgeteer on his back, “Where have you been? Are Leatherette and The Fourth Estate with you?”
Vegas shakes his head, “No. After we went through the portal on Void, I wound up on a dimension I call Haunted Earth. I have been hopping dimensions, trying to find my way back here. I was a little detained in the last dimension. Met a Pirate Princess and appropriated the royal gems of that world’s emperor… a bloke that calls himself The Ivory Emperor. Rules from some floating city called Uhrm. Had to leave there damn quick. It is a stroke of luck that I wound up here.”
“Another example that the universe loves you, Vegas. This is The Colloidion, another hero Adam has drafted into the Oddsquad.”
Vegas vigorously shakes The Colloidion’s hand, “Good to meet’cha.”
“And you Vegas. We are currently on the search for David’s associates that have gone missing.”
“Where are we? Wait…” Vegas takes a large breath of air. “I know that roasted goat anywhere. We are in Syria.”
Molasses chuckles, “We are heading towards a village called Tal Taweel.”
“And I have your transportation right here,” their guide, Nathan Smith, says is a hearty Australian accent. He pats an old ’77 Chevy pickup.
“My baby!” yells Vegas. “Adam brought is here? That is pretty damn lucky! Let’s get going. Oh and watch out for the Theta-wave accelerator in the back.”
“Shotgun!” Molasses yells, trying to get in the passenger seat.
“My wheels,” Vegas says, “I ride in the front. But before we go…”
Vegas rummages through the junk in the pickup bed. He begins constructing some sort of gadget out of baling wire, a calculator, and a handful of vacuum tubes. When he is finished, he places the device on the dashboard and connects it to the cigarette lighter. The truck shimmers and is replaced by a beat up bus. When the Oddsquad enters the vehicle they become Middle-Eastern in appearance.
“Viola! Image transmogrifier!” Vegas grins.
*
After seven hours, jostled and jarred to within an inch of their lives, the Oddsquad arrives at the mountain village of Tal Taweel. The village is hauntingly silent. No people are seen.
“There is no Islamic holiday today,” Nathan whispers.
The heroes spread out to search Tal Taweel. Vegas accidentally backs into the door of a brooding shelter. The door swings open revealing the high-tech gear of the Amerio expedition. Vegas opens the laptop computer, hacks through the password and finds interesting information.
We believe the Gate of Gehenna has opened. Legend has it that Adam imprisoned Cain in Gehenna for numerous misdeeds. The only way to open the Gate, we have learned, is for a brother to spill his brother’s blood upon the door. There is no telling what else can be found within the hellish prison. I have assembled a six-man team to drive back anything that may have escaped Gehenna and then close the door once again. Father Briswold believes that demons may be interred within Adam’s prison. We shall leave from our base camp in Tal Taweel to the Gate. I don’t admit this freely, but I fear for our team’s safety. Over the last few days, people have been disappearing. The FCU expedition has not returned. I do not know what we are dealing with.
Vegas writes down the GPS coordinates in a grubby notebook. The large hero notices that there are still six separate piles of gear in the room. No one from the Amerio team has left… with his or her gear, at least.
While Vegas searches through the gear, Molasses finds a room covered in dried blood. The body of a priest lies in fetal position on the floor. The tar hero inspects the corpse and finds that his tongue has been ripped from his mouth.
“That would be Father Briswold of the Amerio team.” Vegas murmurs from the doorway.
“Where is everyone else?” The Colloidion asks.
“My hunch is that they are in Gehenna, the prison where Adam interred Cain. It is not far away if the coordinates are correct,” replies Vegas.
The gadget-maker begins tinkering with the pickup and soon has it converted into an anti-grav vehicle. Nathan Smith pilots the reconfigured Chevy to the coordinates in Vegas’ notebook. It leads them to a ledge high in the mountains. The Oddsquad spots an open door on the ledge. It glows greenish. The door contains an indentation in the shape of a skeleton. Runic script crawls around the Gate of Gehenna like a serpent eating its own tail.
Vegas builds a translator from cracked binoculars, a Game Boy Advance, a sound blaster, and the innards of a slot machine.
“I will never understand how he gets those things to work,” Molasses mutters to The Colloidion.
“By order of God, do not open this door.” Vegas reads, “Opened with brother’s blood, closed with brother’s bones.”
The trio enters Gehenna. A stairway descends into the depths of the mountain. After two hours of cautiously following the stairwell, they reach the bottom of the prison. Through an archway, the Oddsquad sees a huge room. A ledge surrounds a seething pit of yellowish acid. Floating in the heavy air of the room are hundreds of glass globes. A sludgy liquid fills each globe and suspended in each is a severed tongue. At the far end of the room is a throne of skulls. Behind the throne, shackled to the wall is a full skeleton. Chained to the throne is Betsey Ebberts.
Lounging on the throne is a man dressed in a gray tunic and black kilt. Small horns adorn his forehead and his legs end in cloven hooves. The demon appears to be speaking with Betsey.
Vegas lights up a fresh cigar and enters the room. The demon looks up at the hero and speaks in the voice of a woman. No one understands the demon’s language. The demon summons one of the globes with an air of annoyed frustration. He removes his tongue and replaces it with the one from the globe.
“English is such an ugly language. But forgive my manners. Welcome to Gehenna. I am Karkas, Eater of Tongues. Who might you be?”
“We are the Oddsquad. We have come for the woman,” Molasses responds.
“I thought I smelt Cain’s father on you. I am afraid you cannot have the girl. She is the only one I have kept alive for companionship.”
“Well then,” says Vegas, “This is where we say we are going to rescue her. So are you going to pull a gun or just whistle Dixie?”
Karkas appears perplexed, “Are you saying that you are going to test the mettle of The Eater of Tongues?”
“Nope. Not the mettle, just the soft fleshy bits, but let’s see what we get,” retorts The Colloidion.
“Such disrespect from ones so young.” With a flick of his hand, Karkas knocks Vegas from the ledge into the pit of acid.
Molasses runs over to assist his companion.
“Why are you here, demon?” The Colloidion asks.
Karkas responds, “I was put here by Adam to act as a dimensional anchor. I served to keep Cain from escaping. But now that Cain is gone, Adam’s Dictum no longer binds me. I am free to roam the Earth! Hahahahahha!”
The demon flicks a finger at The Colloidion. The hero is thrown from his feet against the wall of the cavern. The might of Karkas’ attacks stuns The Colloidion. As Molasses hauls Vegas onto the ledge, the obese hero pulls free his plasma rifle and squeezes off a shot at the demon. The burning energy steams off of Karkas’ force field like water on a hot engine.
The Eater of Tongues turns his attention back to Vegas, “Fat one, you have an uncivil mouth.”
With a careless wave, Karkas pins Vegas to the ground with the force of a herd of elephants. Molasses charges his adversary, stretching his fist like a battering ram. The Colloidion shakes off the attack and closes in on the demon. He hurls purple baseballs of iron goop, but they bounce off Karkas’ impenetrable shield like rotten grapes. Vegas squirms under the power of the demon. The pressure becomes unbearable and the gadget-maker loses consciousness.
“Mortals are so very rude,” Karkas observes. “I wanted nothing more than companionship and a good meal.”
At the mention of food, Molasses’ face contorts into a predatory visage. “Food…eternal hunger…fooood!” Eothovox licks his black fangs.
“NO! Not now!” Molasses asserts control over himself once again. In his rage, the man of tar smashes the chains binding Betsey Ebberts to the skull throne.
The Colloidion strafes the ceiling of Gehenna with a shower of gel spikes. Several dozen globes shatter. A bounty of tongues and viscous fluid rain down upon the ledge and into the roiling acid.
Karkas frowns, “That is most upsetting. You have spoiled my feast. Now I shall have to rip your tongues from your broken skulls!”
Betsey runs from the room with a scream of pure terror. Molasses turns and smashes the throne into shards of dusty bone. The Eater of Tongues sprawls to the floor in a most undignified manner. Vegas moans and pulls himself to his knees. He begins fiddling with several devices in his coat pockets.
Karkas gestures at the skeleton behind him, “Even Abel thinks that you are weak and feeble and if any knows the meaning of those words, it is Abel.”
The demon then crushes the Colloidion to the ground. Vegas completes his newest gadget, gloves of matter control. With a sweeping gesture of his own, Vegas encases the demon in a sphere of stone.
The Colloidion weakly rises from the ground and notices the skeleton of Abel. He remembers the outline of a skeleton on the Gate of Gehenna.
“Molasses! Grab Abel’s skeleton!”
The man of tar tears the bones free, just as Karkas bursts forth from the earthen egg, a violent, demonic rebirth. Wings unfurl from his back and the Eater of Tongues launches himself over the pit of acid. The Colloidion tries to create several bands of goo around the demon, but Karkas shrugs them off like decaying flesh. The demon sends waves of enormous force at the goop-man. The Colloidion dodges the deadly attacks.
Vegas first drops a huge chunk of the ceiling on the demon and then raises a column of acid to engulf him. Molasses sprints towards the stairs, his speed unmatched by anyone in the battle. The acid splashes back into the pit. Karkas snarls, unimpressed by the attack.
“Nothing I do can harm this bastard. Maybe I can buy us time to escape.” Vegas thinks. He taps his temple an idea lights his face! The tinkerer begins turning his gloves into a headband.
Karkas and The Colloidion trade attacks. Vegas turns towards the demon wearing his invention, “You are very hungry, Karkas! Eat your tongues!”
The demon claws at his head, but in the end he is unable to resist Vegas’ delicious suggestion. Karkas flies to the nearest ledge and begins scooping the bloody pieces of flesh into his mouth. As Karkas feeds, Vegas quickly builds a teleporter. He grabs The Colloidion and after several quick hops up the stairs, they wind up on the windy entrance.
Betsey is huddled in Vegas’ Chevy with their guide Nathan. Molasses is assembling the skeleton in the Gate as fast as he can. The Man of Tar pushes the last piece, Abel’s skull, into place. The prison door swings shut with a mighty roar.
A muffled scream of rage can be heard deep with Gehenna.
