Episode 089

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            “I’m not sure when I suggested that you should get frozen in a block of ice. I don’t remember saying anything like that. Probably because it’s so stupid.”

‘Darko of the Dark’, 8-Bit Theater

 

            Khizer was standing before Emma well after she had blinked. “Um…” she muttered to herself.

            “All I’m trying to do is free the spirits trapped beneath the desert,” Khizer explained, slowly moving away from the baggage cart, his luggage in hand.  “The syncretax is just a tool to release their spirits so that they can rise to meet their maker.”

            “No,” Emma disputed slowly.  “That box is a spirit bomb.”

            “Okay,” Khizer decided.  “Which one of us has an angel telling him what the box does?”  Emma’s thinking stalled.  “There you go.”

            “Where’s the angel now?” Emma asked.

            Khizer’s thinking stalled.

 

            Lisa fell back against the roof.  A second later, Isaiah landed next to her, still clutching his rifle.  Before he could open his eyes, the woman in the blue headscarf dropped down on top of him, driving her fingers into his chest.

            Isaiah bit down on his pain as a powerful glow erupted from within his shirt.  The woman was thrown back by the light.  Isaiah fell to the metal roof of the terminal, panting harshly.  Lisa scrambled out from underneath the sniper and grabbed his rifle.  Handling the large weapon awkwardly, she aimed it at the woman and pulled the trigger.

            Nothing happened.

            The woman smiled, regaining her composure.  “Pathetic little gnat,” she seethed starting towards her.  Lisa dropped the gun and backed away.  The woman neared, but Isaiah lunged out to grab her feet.  His hands passed through her as if passing through a cloud of smoke.

            The woman turned back to Isaiah and jammed her hands down into him again.  A second time, light shot out from his chest and the woman was practically thrown from him.  Isaiah rolled over, his shirt burned by the protective sigil tattooed onto his chest.  He panted, then felt around, grabbing his rifle.

 

            The door to the maintenance bay was kicked in.  Eliot fell forward from the kick, holding his leg.  Alec rushed past, yelling back to the airport personnel “stay with him!”  He ran through the narrow aisles of repair equipment and spare parts, Irene following.

            The two turned a corner to find Til and Jason both on the ground unconscious.  Alex dropped next to Jason and felt his neck.  “He’s okay,” he said.

            “So’s Til,” Irene confirmed.

            Alex looked around Til, grabbing his pistol.  “Stay with them,” he ordered, rushing on.

 

            Isaiah rose, the light from his chest still dying down.  The woman was on her hands and knees, panting desperately.  Isaiah lifted up his rifle, a hating look on his face.  The woman glared at him, rising.  He fired three shots, each passing through her as if she was a cloud.

She glanced back in the direction the bullets had gone, then took a step towards him. He tore open his shirt and grabbed at the necklace beneath.  He yanked it free and held it forward, the golden Star of David dangling between him and the woman.

            She fell to a halt, petrified at the sight of the star.  She drew back, crawling away from it.  Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha‑olam, ha‑gomel lahayavim tovot sheg’malani kol tov!” he yelled at her.  She crawled away as best she could, her hands held up defensively.  Barukh atah Adonai Eloheinu melekh ha‑olam, she‑hehiyanu v’kiy’manu v’higi’anu la‑z’man ha‑zeh!” he shouted, making the woman howl in pain.

            He released the star and aimed his rifle a second time.  But in the brief second, she disappeared from sight, fading like a puff of smoke.

 

            “Khizer, you’re not going to get away,” Emma yelled across the tarmac.

            “You won’t stop me,” he insisted.

            “No, but I will!”

            Khizer spun around to Alex, Til’s gun aimed right at him.  “Drop the bag,” he insisted.

            Khizer glanced over his shoulder, seeing Emma drawing out her own gun.  He looked between the two agents, an equal distance from each.  He finally started to lower his gun hand, looking acquiescent at Alex.  He released the gun, letting it fall to the ground.  But as it landed, he threw his bag away, holding onto the black box.  He held it up.  “If you shoot, it drops,” he threatened.

Alex watched the symbol on the top slowly uncurling.  “Don’t do this, Khizer,” he yelled.

            “Why are you trying to stop me?!” he yelled.

            “It’s a bomb!” Alex barked.  “That thing is going to wake up ever marid for miles from its detonation.”  Khizer looked back at Emma.  Still holding the gun ready, she nodded in confirmation.  Khizer looked down in thought, his mind racing.  Alex lipped his lips, thinking as well.  “I know about the shaitan,” he called.

            Khizer looked at Alex with disbelief and fear.  “What shaitan?” he and Emma both yelled simultaneously.

            “The one that’s been traveling with you,” Alex yelled before glaring at Emma.

            Emma bit on her protest, then looked up in realization.  “The one you think is an angel,” she shouted.  Khizer looked at her, putting things together as well.  “He was ordered to do this by an angel,” she yelled to Alex.  “Only it’s not an angel, it’s a shaitan.  It’s a demon!”

Khizer looked at the box, for the first time considering the possibility of it.  “Why would an angel try to possess a human?” Alex yelled.  “The thing tried to posses one of my people.  You saw it with your own eyes.”

“It didn’t try to possess her,” Khizer said.  “She glowed from the inside.”

“We all have protective symbols,” Alex said.  “Hers is tattooed on the inside of her cheek.  That’s what that light was.”

“Don’t listen to them.”

Khizer looked up, seeing the woman approaching him.  Ragged and exhausted, she panted in agony.  “Don’t listen to them,” she repeated.

Emma whirled her gun towards the woman.  “Freeze!” she yelled.  Alex followed Emma’s aim, but saw nothing.

The woman looked at Emma, for the first realizing what she was.  “Khizer,” Emma yelled, “ask her to say Allah’s name.”  The woman met Emma’s gaze with fury before looking at Khizer.  “Ask her,” she called again, keeping the woman between her sights.

Khizer looked from the woman to the box.  A’oo thu billahi min ash shaitan arrajim,” he said with disgust.  The woman’s eyes went wide just before she evaporated in a puff of smoke.  Khizer turned to Alex and put the box down.  He held up his hands and stepped back from it.

 
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