CHAPTER 9: DOOM.

In the Abyss, your depth perception is shot all to hell, because there is no distance. That’s why it looked like two tiny figures appeared, and then swelled, as if expanding before us. One was a lithe redhead, a knowing smile on her face, and holding what looked like a margarita. The other was a tall brunette, with pale skin, dressed in a revealing black dress. She didn’t look very happy.

“Hi Bella,” I said to the redhead. “How’re things?”

“Okay. You?”

“Eh, it’s been a rough day.”

The brunette spoke up. “What does this have to do with Zorga?”

“Everything. It’s all about Zorga after all. Here, I brought you this.” I handed Zorga the rum. She took it, uncorking it immediately, as she produced a glass from somewhere.

“Bella, Zorga, I’d like to introduce you to Erin. Erin, this is Sssbella, and Zorga, two-thirds of the Oracle of Doom.”>p> “Um… Pleased to meet you both,” Erin said.

“Likewise.”

We stood there for a few moments. Bella took a sip of her margarita, and looked out into the void. Zorga was busy being Zorga. No one spoke. Finally, Erin said, “Well?”

“Oh, we’re just waiting for Demonica. She’s late, again. We’re thinking she messed up the difference between day and night again,” said Bella. “Seen Mal lately, L? She’s been asking about you.”

“Yeah, she tipped us off about fluffy.”

“Oh, you met fluffy? Isn’t she just the cutest?”

Erin spoke up. “If by ‘cutest’ you mean ‘scary as hell,’ then yes.”

Bella turned to Erin. “Why, dear, where do you think you are? You’re in the abyss! Things have the meaning you give them! Really, L. Who have you been hanging around?”

“It’s all part of a case. Erin’s looking for some answers--”

“We know.”

Another pause. It was impossible to tell if it was a minute, or an hour. Zorga kept nursing her bottle of rum, which never seemed to go empty. Good thinking, Mal, I said to myself.

In that strange, ballooning way, another figure appeared. She eventually grew into a tall blonde, with a pink T-shirt and jeans. She was scribbling away at a newspaper, mumbling to herself. Finally, I thought. Demonica.

She lowered the paper revealing an absolutely enormous word scramble puzzle. In a soft voice, she said, “Hi. Wow, you guys are early.” She gave off a low evil chuckle, which made Erin visibly shiver.

“Zorga doesn’t like waiting, even for Zorga’s sister,” said Zorga.

“Oh, please, you’ve got rum. I’ll make it up to you, we’ll go be ninjas & chase some pirates after this is over.” Demonica tossed her hair back.

“Hi, Demonica,” I said. “Hoshiko sends her love.”

“Oh, hi L. How is Hosh?”

“The same, still kicking ass in scrabble. You taught her well.”

“Don’t I know it. Hello, Erin.”

Erin gave a start. “How… I mean, how do you know--”

The three women just gave a stare that just screamed, “Oh, please.”

Bella put down her drink, shook out her hands, and said, “Okay, ladies. Shall we get to it?”

Zorga, Demonica, and Bella joined hands, and the Abyss gave a tremble, as if matter threatened to explode the universe into a second big bang. The women went… blurry, like looking at them through the bottom of a tequila bottle, and started to twist and spin, coming together, and growing even taller. Their bodies merged, and their 3 faces emerged from the twisting mass that began to resemble a very sexy Shiva, but with a triple-faced head. The Oracle spoke.

“I, I, I, see ALL! I, I, I, cast the future of Futures! And I, I, I see only DOOM!”

“Here we go,” I said, stepping up to the six-armed Oracle. “Wish me luck.”

“DOOM!” she/they cried.

“Well, yeah, but could we dial it back a little? How about before the Doom?”

“… More Doom!”

“Perhaps you could be a tad more specific?”

“You, you, you dare mock an Oracle from the Old Tradition? Mortal, you know not the dangers you face by acting in such a manner!”

“Let me guess… Do any of the dangers I have to face involve Doom in any way?”

Three arms lashed out, grabbed me by the lapels, and threw me through the Abyss. I felt like I was falling for days, but when I landed, I was no further away than I had been before. Time to stop fucking around, I thought. I stood, shakily.

“Mortal Man, I, I, I, see naught in your future. Your time is nearing its end. The Knife of Atropos is being sharpened on the rocks as we speak.”

I got down on one knee, bent my head, and chanted the Litany. “Oh, wise Oracle, the Three who are in One, from Time Immemorial, who see all things that were, and all that is, and all that shall be; whose identities are separate, equal, and in conflict; Sisters, and yet severed; Whole, and yet in thirds. A humble traveler who has lost his way beseeches the Grace of Thee Three, for guidance and counsel.”

“That’s better. Still though… It’s Doom for you.”

“With all due respect, I’ll handle my Doom at it’s proper time. My request, however, is not for me, it’s for Erin. We seek knowledge in this.” I nodded to Erin, who revealed the Tarot card. The Oracle plucked it from her hands, and peered at it. She, They, began laughing.

“You bring the Oracle of Doom the Tower card?”The Oracle laughed again. “You do know the outcome of this, of course.”

We waited for the inevitable.

“DOOM!”

There it was.

Erin was the first to speak, this time. “Is there, uh, anything else you can tell me?”

“Of course there is. I, I, I, was just fucking with y’all. It just seemed like too good an opportunity to pass up.”

“Why do you keep repeating yourself like that?”

“Oh, I, I, I, stole that from Stravinsky and Tony Kushner. Revealing the inner Trinity, and all that. But that’s beside the point."

“You are headed for major Transformation. Before your Doom, many things will be revealed. Many Trials await you, fair traveler. You will be Tested. You will Change. You will Transform. Of these things, do not doubt. Your Doom awaits, but there are many roads to travel before the End of All Things.”

“Thank you… But where should we go from here? We need to find who sent this, and what they want from me.”

“Want? You know what they want, but refuse, for now, to reveal it to yourself. I, I, I will not spoil your fun. You must travel to the Ocean. You know of which I, I, I speak.”

Erin’s eyes went wide. “The Ocean? But how did you--”

The Oracle sighed, and the Universe shook. “We are an Oracle, remember? Enough of this. We are finished here. LMNO, thanks for the rum.”

I jumped up. “Wait! We need an exit. I don’t think we could handle another journey down the Tree.”

“Fine. Because we like you. Take a hand. Both of you.”

Erin and I each grabbed one of Her many hands. The void began to tremble.

“Close your eyes. The Infinite Light is not meant for those such as you.”

Heat. Light. Every cell, every strand of DNA, every atom was bathed in light. There was nowhere to turn without the glare of a thousand million inquisitive suns. The light was not in our eyes, it was in our entire bodies. A thirsting, questing, blind curiosity probed our very natures. It began to take us apart. I heard Erin scream. The light began to feast. If souls existed, ours were being drained off into the Light of Forever.

~~~

We were thrown to the ground. The bustle of the Café surrounded us. Hands grabbed us, pulled us into chairs. Bella, Zorga, and Demonica were separate again, sipping at tea, rum, and tequila. With smiles all around, they rose from the table, gave a brief nod, and turned to leave.

“Good Luck,” was the last thing they said as they walked out the door, into the night.

I stood up, stretching. “Looks like you need some sleep.”

Erin just sat there, visibly drained. Her luminous green eyes seemed almost sunken, and her lips were drawn thin as she gazed into the table. The day’s events had obviously taken their toll. “Hey,” I said, “let’s get some sleep.”

Erin stood slowly, and we made our way out of the Café, into the cold night air. The City’s oppression was less palpable tonight somehow, perhaps alleviated by the full moon glowing a tainted yellow, offering it’s meager light to the sidewalk, which gobbled it up hungrily.

“The Ocean,” mumbled Erin. “God…”

“Let’s get you home first. We’ll deal with what we have to do next tomorrow.”

Erin grabbed me above the elbow, like she was clinging to a life preserver. And maybe in a way she was. After all the different states she’d had to go through, all the things she’d seen, the only constant was… me. Her fingers gripped tightly, and I could feel the heat from her hands radiate through my coat, into my skin. She still walked with confidence, but she wouldn’t be awake for much longer.

Her hand let go of my bicep, and slid along my back. Instinctually, I raised my right arm, and she moved up next to me, her head resting gently against my chest as I grasped her shoulder, gently steering her towards the car. I could smell her again, like 4-day old lilies when they start to wilt, releasing their heady perfume into the air. My head filled with images: A half-drank cup of tea, waiting for a trip to the sink in the chilled morning air; a solitary charred log in a fireplace, gently smoking, the last ember of the last fire of the winter fading into grey; an empty jar of perfume lying on its side, kicked over in a fit of jealous passion; the desiccated hull of an old boat, ribs jutting out of a sandy beach… Which brought me back to the Ocean. Why was Erin so shocked when the Oracle told her to go there? What was it about the Ocean that frightened her so? Tomorrow, deal with it tomorrow, I thought. Right now, you have to deal with Erin. She’s dead on her feet.

We reached the car, and I helped her inside. “LMNO,” she said, “I want to thank you for helping me today…”

“Hey, that’s why you hired me. Now let’s get you home. Where do you live?”

“1723 Heofon. East Quadrant.”

I whistled low. “Pretty classy digs there.”

She looked over at me. “I happen to be a pretty classy lady. Or have you not noticed, since your tastes run towards the genetically modified, apparently?”

“Trust me, I noticed. But seeing as how you’re a client, I tried to ignore it.”

Erin sighed. “Right now, I just want to go to bed. Could we get going, please.”

“You’re the boss,” I said, gunning the engine.

Driving towards the East Quadrant, I glanced over at Erin. She was still awake, gazing out the window at the Moon, which looked impossibly big tonight. Her hands were resting in her lap, fingers twisted together, lifeless. I caught the faintest sound of her humming over the engine noise. It sounded like an old lullaby, probably sung to her decades ago, before the Rebellion, before the Sanctions, before the Mandated Plutocracy, even. Before anyone would have known she’d wind up in this car, having traveled through space-time and ancient mystic-space to get here, half-asleep, staring at the impossible moon.

The car roared on through the night.

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