Deluge: The Conqueror Worms II

CHAPTER 54

“Our organization,” Simon said, staring into the flames, “deal with the things the rest of humanity is unequipped to battle. Things like what is currently occurring outside.”

“What is occurring outside?” Gail asked. “Where did the rain come from? And all these… monsters?”

“It’s global warming,” Novak said. “I mean, it’s got to be, right?”

“No.” Simon shook his head. “It’s not global warming. It’s magic run amok. And I would appreciate it greatly if you’d allow me to tell this story without interruption. We’ve delayed long enough as it is, and there is much to tell.”

Gail and Novak apologized simultaneously, and Simon continued.

“There are thirteen entities—supernatural beings—neither demon nor angel, but something far older and far more powerful, whose only goal is the complete destruction of all creation and existence. They are older than our universe and they intend to be here still when our universe is gone. Are any of you familiar with string theory or alternate dimensions?”

All three nodded.

“Good. Believe me when I tell you, there are other Earths than the one we occupy. There are other Mars and Jupiters and Milky Way galaxies, as well. Everything in our own universe—every star and every atom—has myriad duplicates in other planes of existence. The Thirteen seek to destroy all of these dimensions, or levels, as my people call them. Like any other power, the Thirteen have those who worship and serve them, including here on our own Earth. A cult in Baltimore who was loyal to their cause managed to unleash two of the Thirteen—Leviathan and Behemoth. Behemoth takes the form of a monstrous worm and Leviathan takes the form of a giant, squid-headed abomination. They are the source of many of our legends—dragons, the Kraken, and the like. Loosed upon our planet, Leviathan and Behemoth have been hard at work, along with their spawn. Neither will rest until this Earth is utterly destroyed. As we speak, their minions overrun the planet. The seas are full of Leviathan’s children. On what little land is left, Behemoth’s worms leave behind a disease—a fungal infection that turns solid matter into water. You’ve probably seen signs of this.”

“The White Fuzz,” Gail said.

“Indeed. The Book of Job tells us that ‘The waters wear the stones and wash away the things which grow out of the dust of the earth, and destroy the hopes of man.’ Although much of the Bible’s content has been perverted, re-written, and obfuscated by mankind, that particular passage still rings true. Everything around us—this building, your boat, ourselves… all solid matter—will eventually transform into water. Thales, the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, called this the First Principle. He proposed a cosmological doctrine—the foundational principles of existence, based upon the belief that the world had originated from water. He believed that the entire universe was nothing more than a giant ocean that he referred to as the Great Deep. Earth formed by solidifying from the water on which it floated. One day, it would return to such. Obviously, we know that the universe isn’t an ocean, but when you consider what is happening outside, his theory that the planet would revert back to water isn’t that far off.”

Novak cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I need to get this straight. You’re saying that all matter on this planet is slowly turning into water?”

“Yes. Forget the supernatural aspect of what I’m saying and look at it scientifically for a moment. One of the first laws of physics is that matter cannot be created nor destroyed. It can only change form. Matter on our planet is slowly changing into water.”

“But if that’s true,” Novak said, “then maybe the water around us isn’t getting higher. Maybe the ground is actually liquefying.”

Simon opened his mouth to respond, but McCann cut him off.

“That’s bullshit. If the planet is turning into water, then what keeps all that water from floating out into space?”

“The planet still has a core,” Novak reminded him. “It’s still rotating on its axis, so we still have gravity. Picture a big bucket of water. If you tip it over on its side, the water spills out, but if you spin the bucket as you tip it over, the water stays inside because of the centrifugal force. So we’d be okay until the planet’s core began to liquefy.”

“We won’t simply float off into space,” Simon said. “The Earth is changing form, yes, but as that happens, the Great Deep is absorbing it. Thales was partially correct about the existence of such a place. The Great Deep does exist, but not on Earth. It is another dimension, one composed of nothing but water—a vast, supernatural sea. The Great Deep is Leviathan’s home. As our planet slowly liquefies, it is being absorbed by The Great Deep. The barriers between our dimensions are weak right now. Our plane of existence is crossing over into the Great Deep. Picture two sheets of paper. One of them is the Earth. The other is the Great Deep. Now slowly place one sheet of paper atop the other, until they are lined up evenly, appearing as one sheet rather than two. That is what is happening to our planet.”

“So how do we stop it?” Gail asked.

“We don’t,” Simon said. “We can’t.”