Marlene nodded. "Yep. I'll bet that it was initially a secluded, hard-to-get-to place 'on earth, given the transportation technology of that era, like an island or a mountain, something real difficult to access."
"Right," Damali said, her head bobbing as she thought out loud. "In every legend, to get to the so-called gods, a normal human had to go on some long, arduous trek to some crazy place to speak to one of them." The Oracle at Delphi jumped into her mind. Carlos had put that image into her head back in her house in Arizona, which renewed her annoyance at him. But it fit. The joint was wild, the place jumping, and every profoundly kinky vice that would make the average person squint made her shiver, just remembering what she'd seen.
"Yeah," Marlene said with a satisfied sigh. "However, these entities didn't stay put. Humans ware a new, forbidden toy to these big kids. So, even though humans couldn't easily get to them, the reverse wasn't true. They came over to where they weren't supposed to be and started messing with people, sharing deep knowledge too advanced for human evolutionary development or consumption, and finally got into enough trouble by causing havoc that they got swept into the Land of Nod, or swept away in the great Atlantis wipeout," Marlene said, finishing Damali's thought.
"Well, if it's cool over there, ain't Hell and all... and they can do all this stuff and be whatever, why did one rip through the fabric to come here?" Jose's tone was filled with curiosity, not judgment. "I mean, for real, if there's goddesses on their side, then . . ."
"Oh, so like my girl is chopped liver?" Inez said with hands on hips.
"No, he's got a point," Damali said, standing again. "I ain't no match for Venus, let's be real. And if they can procreate, have a superior level of technology, all the stuff the scientists were after, why would they subject themselves to the human condition?"
"Probably too many chiefs," Shabazz said flatly. "Didn't Krissy say something about them making humans slaves? What fun is it to play god with nobody to worship you anymore? If they've all got da juice, hey."
Two loud coughs echoed from the speaker, followed by a round from each cleric on the line.
"So, we're not necessarily talking Armageddon here. We're talking about a basic takeover of the planet by the gods of old? You have got to be kidding me." Rider jumped down from the table as two more coughs sputtered through the speakerphone.
"All I wanna know is," Shabazz said, "how do we know which ones we can outright smoke if they pass from their dimension into ours until we close this rip? I personally ain't trying to have an angel's blood on my hands, no more than another human's."
"Sho' you right," Big Mike concurred, looking at Berkfield. "Any of us that been to war for our country already have to deal with that. But then when you put angels in the mix, me, for one, I ain't blowing up shit until I know for sure. It has to present fangs, first--feel me?"
Damali nodded. "Primary order of business is for me to figure out how to get into that dimension. It's not about calling anything through the rip until we know which entity is coming through the tear, where it hails from lineage-wise, and what its agenda is."
"I have to ask a delicate question before you go anywhere, though," Marlene said. She stared at the telephone. "If we take the team--"
A loud single cough stopped her words.
"The team can't go?" Marlene glanced at Damali.
Two coughs sounded.
"By herself isn't advisable, either, given Cain's interest in her."
Silence echoed in the room.
"All right," Marlene said calmly. "Let me ask it this way. Is there some reason why a human team cannot go with their Neteru in search of the other Neteru?" Two coughs sounded.
"This twenty questions is kicking my ass," Berkfield said, running a palm over his bald scalp. "C'mon, Father, talk to us."
"He can't," Damali said flatly. "Nor does he know the way in." Two coughs answered.
"If Heaven knew that this natural disaster was headed in our direction, they knew the rip would occur before the Armageddon kicked off, right?" Damali stared at the telephone.
Again, two loud coughs filled the speakerphone.
Damali began walking to help herself think. The Light always had a very good reason for anything it did or allowed. Figuring out the puzzle and adhering to what was the underlying message in the lesson was the tricky part.
"Okay, guys," Damali said, lost deep in thought. "Just like the Darkness was trying to do, the Light is concentrating, pulling in what was theirs to amp up for major battle. My guess is they're banking on mercenary soldiers from their far-flung angel corps, the ones over there in Nod that could help sway the balance and have superhuman powers, but also are grounded by a human soul and choice factor. Those that are ready in Nod have gotten themselves together and served their time well. Maybe they're supposed to cross over through the rip and really be of service to humankind in the last days."
Another excited series of loud coughs filled the phone.
"Cool," Damali said flatly as she leveled her gaze at the group and then Juanita. "So, maybe my prayer wasn't a mistake, after all? Maybe it was part of the grand cosmic design, and as a Neteru warrior, I was supposed to rally those troops, ya think?" Vindicated, she strode away from the telephone, now truly irritated.
"But the Light wouldn't allow the planet to be flooded by half-demons, no matter what." Marlene began walking, raked her hair, and looked out of the window. "There has to be something that's keeping the bad guys at bay. So there has to be something in a Neteru's ability to summon them through the rip. Maybe Neterus are the only ones that can do it, so we have to be careful what we summon."
Two more aggressive coughs greeted Marlene's statement. The team stared at her.
Now Damali was really confused, because an honorable Cain had come through. He spoke of humanity, of art, of the positive-- while also having one thing on his mind as he apexed, like Carlos would. She knew the cosmic lesson would spank her natural butt, but had no idea it would be something like this. And the hardest part of it all to deal with was he'd come through more awesome than her man.