attempted to lift his body but suddenly recoiled moaning in pain. The pair looked down at the wound Michael had inflicted upon the seraphim’s torso, the gigantic blade which had caused the blow had also cauterized his skin preventing further damage. Heylel sighed with frustration looking at the death probe’s open hatch.
“I don’t understand.”
“Nor I, Heylel... you should be dead.” Once more an outburst of speech flooded into the craft from Eden catching Heylel’s attention. Samyaza quickly realised he could not understand their words for his headset was broken.
“There are humanoids outside, they speak of gods coming down from the mountain.”
“Their deities?” Samyaza shook her head.
“I fear they speak of us, Heylel.” The seraphim’s breathing suddenly became unstable. His face creased in pain, he shifted his body backwards, up against the death probe’s interior walls. Samyaza extended an arm, resting it upon Heylel. “Stay calm, you should reserve your energy.” He nodded. “I will greet the humanoids, perhaps they can be of some assistance.” She lightly squeezed her seraphim’s hand before turning about to exit the pod.
Sliding gracefully out of the craft’s narrow exit the commander stood to look at a crowd of humanoids, they appeared bewildered, their bodies were scarcely covered by some ragged material. None spoke nor moved.
“I understand you.” Samyaza said, her voice boomed from her headset in the humanoids’ tongue causing many to flinch, “from where do you venture?” They each looked amongst each other, still stunned in amazement. “Is there one here who speaks for the rest?”
“We live beneath now,” at last a white haired female spoke up. “The giants kill us all.”
“Beneath? Underground? How long have your people lived there?”
“I have lived always beneath.” An aging male this time spoke, glancing between the other humanoids, “but the Adams say it was not always so. It is why they sent us above, we saw the light fall to us. They said you would come from the sky.”
Impossible. The commander stood shocked at the humanoid’s words. “The Adams...” Samyaza trailed to silence. Azazel’s logs filled her mind, could they be direct descendents of the experiments?
“There was a time when the Adams were not killed by the giants, when they lived in the mountain, but then the gods punished them. They were sent down to live with the sinners, to be killed by the giants, so now we live as they do, beneath, and hide.”
“Your people are the children of Eve?” The humanoid shook his head.
“Not all of us, it is what the Adams call themselves.”
“Can you take me to them?” Again the male shook his head. “Why?” Samyaza asked becoming sceptical of the being’s words.
“I do not know the Adams by face, but I can take you to where we dwell. They promised us when the gods return we will be saved, in return for our loyalty. They say the gods are all powerful, that they are not from our lands, that they will free us from the giants.”
“The Adams do not live with others of your kind?”
“Yes, it is vast beneath, the Adams dwell apart from the rest of us, for their guidance and promise we supply their needs, but sometimes they are cruel. They send some who have done wrong out from beneath, to keep the giants away.” A feeling of pity for these entities not dissimilar to that which she felt towards the malakhim and cherubim of her home world began to ensnare the commander. After a moment’s thought a sudden realisation dawned upon her, perhaps all is not lost.
“Remain here.” She turned about hurrying back to the death probe, delving inside she checked upon Heylel who remained slouched against the craft’s interior, a sudden bleak idea filled her mind. “How do you fair, Heylel?” The enormous entity breathed steadily but there was little reaction from his face.
“I am fine, Yaza, though I fear, without support from a suit, I will not last long upon this world.” Samyaza feared the same.
“The pure liquids running across Eden support all life here, Heylel, perhaps if the air does not poison you, nor will it.”
“Perhaps, Yaza,” the seraphim coughed causing him to wince at the wound upon his side.
“I intend to venture to these humanoids’ dwellings, Heylel. I will return with this liquid.” The huge being continued to stare at the probe’s interior.
“Be careful.” For a moment she looked across Heylel’s broad face, anxious as to what she could do to help him, but more so relieved to see the light in his eyes had been reignited, something she feared she might never have seen again. With a forced smile unseen by her leader she left the pod returning to the humanoids.
“Lead the way to your dwellings.” The bunched creatures turned about obediently and together, beneath the early morning sky, began across Eden’s untamed wilds.
“Do you truly come to free us from the giants?” A young female stood closest to Samyaza spoke without looking upon the watcher.
“First I wish to understand what has happened here, to your people, in as much detail as I can, but do not fear. We are here to help. What do your people call you?” The commander looked at the dark skinned being who for the first time glanced at Samyaza’s reflective dome visor, her dark eyes were captivating. Such a vast contrast to those of Samyaza’s kind.
“I am Aetha.” The humanoid whispered, smiling, before an aged female grasped the young one pulling her away from Samyaza.
“Do not speak such things, my dear.” The humanoid was joined by a grey haired male, he too held the young entity close before glancing in Samyaza’s direction.
“The Adams prefer us to be without name, should they know we have granted such a thing, we would be sent out to the giants. I truly hope you are the gods they speak of.” With those words he ushered his kin away from Samyaza, the idea was most bizarre causing a disturbing feeling to creep into Samyaza’s psyche.
The more she learned of her people’s subjects the more it became evident their most primal instincts had long overridden the brilliance instilled in them by Azazel. Or has it? Samyaza could not help but see parallels between these humanoids and her own kind, Rafaela’s words resonated louder than ever. These beings know only destruction. Azazel’s logs had concluded these fears, and Michael’s furious accusations were beginning to fill her with doubts. But to destroy them? The dilemma consumed Samyaza. The actions of a few should not speak for all. There must still be hope.
Over vast distances the watcher followed her new companions. She could see these creatures were prey, their mannerisms and erratic movements gave away their paranoia. She could see they were weak. Helpless. Perhaps Michael had not been far from the truth, these beings are already slaves.
At once the group stopped, stooping low beneath an elevation of grassy terrain, beyond it a vast outcrop of trees extended from the forest which itself sat hundreds of meters back. “What is it?” Samyaza whispered, feeling an immediate pang of dread fill her innards.
“Nothing,” A male ahead of her spoke to the commander without turning. “In the darkness, this is from where they spring. From where they watch us, and wait. The giants will eat anything, our children and elderly, tear their flesh from their skin before our very eyes, I believe they devour them. They are monsters.”
“We must pass through to get to the waters beyond, and our home.” The trees appeared calm, their fertile branches swayed innocently in the breeze, the shrubbery beneath stood motionless, undisturbed by life, the wilds were silent.
“I will lead.” The eldest of the humanoids stood, “remain close, we will circle the outcrops until we can make for the waterway. I pray they are not drawn in the light.” For a moment the male stared up at the sky, his kin looked at him, they each breathed irregularly, though so too did the commander. After a moment he began to scamper towards the trees, crouched low the rest followed. Samyaza tracked them closely staying towards the back of the pack, she plucked a stillot from her shoulder blade in case she would need to defend these beings.
Together they follow
ed the undergrowth across many hundreds of meters, all the while Samyaza glanced into the forest, fearing a wild roar or eruption of ghastly deformities yet their hasty venture remained uninterrupted. Before her the tree line gave way to open water, yet more startlingly, far up the waterway’s banks, gargantuan structures stood.
Enormous walls erected from the rocks of the land, she had seen them from above. The settlements. Samyaza had a sudden idea of her whereabouts, south west of Mount Hermon. Incredible. “What do you know of these structures?” She asked to no particular humanoid.
“The Adams say the giants inhabited these walls, until the gods came and drove them into the forest so our people could live in peace, but the people were greedy, so the giants were set upon them by the gods, they say when the gods return they will drive the giants away for good.”
Manipulation. The commander fell quiet, thinking about the nature of these Adams. The humanoids led her between the colossal stone walkways of the settlement. The sun was now high in the sky, the creatures Samyaza followed appeared far less paranoid in the light. The calming sound of flowing water coursed through the air as they weaved through walkway after walkway of pale stone walls.
Gargantuan structures and abandoned slabs laid all about the site. Towards the compound’s far reaches high extending hillsides had been carved out for what the commander could only