Posted 09-07-24
The TWILIGHT OF THE GODS -- Chapter 16
A Story of Mantra and Black September
By Aladdin and Christopher Leeson
Chapter 16
THE TOWERING INFERNO
I looked outside again, and I didn't like what I saw.
New York was down there again.
But how could that be? We left New York only seconds before it was destroyed.
This must be an entirely different version of New York.
But what version? And what was the date?
The monitor was giving us a few of the physical damage below, as if New York had been hit by something.
“What happened here?” I asked Gabriel.
“As you know doubt have realized, this is new alternate timeline. In this time and place, Nemesis has already seized the Infinity Gems and the ultras opposing have rallied to await her attack."
“Why are we here?” I asked.
“To plan, and to learn.”
"There are serious fires down there. What are we going to do?"
"It's wisest not to do anything. This timeline is expendable. Standard policy advises the Timekeepers to leave bad enough alone. Do not allow what you see upset you. This isn't your world after all."
"My mind doesn't work the way yours does,” I told him. “Maybe it's because I'm not as educated as you are, but when people are in danger I want to do something about it. Are you going to get into my way about that?"
"You'll be subjecting yourself to danger for a world that is probably unsavable."
"Mom!" yelled Evie. "Don't go where you can get hurt! We lost you before that way!"
The three kids were standing together in the hatchway. "I’m sorry,” I said. “I have to go, but I'll be as careful as possible. If worst happens, remember that I love you."
I turned ghostly and leaped through the hull of the Time Capsule and found myself high above the ground and falling fast.
I arrested my plummet by summoning up my levitation ability. As I floated aloft, I took stock of the ground below.
From where I hung, I saw scorched concrete and plenty of blow out windows. I buildings swaying, but I knew that it takes a lot to knock over a Manhattan skyscraper.
One high rise was a blazing inferno and hundreds of lives were in danger. I don't possess the kind of powers I would need to help so many people evacuate a en masse, but I thought I could help. I could start by initiating an orderly evacuation.
I phantomed through the high rise's wall and entered an inside room I adjusted my shield to protect me from the smoke. I followed the hall until I heard cries and yells. The elevators had obviously been rendered useless by the emergency system and people were instead trying to wedge them into the fire stairs wells. We were high up and the trip down would be long and slow. But something was wrong. People were not feeding forward at all.
Someone grabbed my arm. "Are you really Mantra?!" an adenoidal voiced intern type asked in a shaky, adenoidal voice. Then he answered his own question. "You can't be. She protects L.A."
"I’m hi – her and I’m here to help. What can I do?"
"The stair’s jammed somewhere below.”
“Is there another escape route?”
“There's one on the other side. Maybe it’s clear!"
I did the ghost thing again and took the flew as a ghost to the alternate stairwell and saw people still using it. I went up through the ceiling and took the direct route to the other stair well. The smoke on that side was bad and persons were choking.
I used a force bolt to smash a gap into the outside wall were I could magically draw in fresh air from outdoors. I fed the the air into a force bubble that I had thrown over the asphyxiating people. But these people were as hard to manage as a coop of chickens. Some of them were frantically trying to leave the bubble, as if there was some safe place they could go. Scuffling fights were breaking out among the people. Their clamor kept them from hearing my instruction. To startle them into quiet, I released a bursts of light.
When the noise quieted a little, I shouted, "You’ll be all right. I'm Mantra. I'm an ultra! I'm here to help you!"
That got some attention. "No pushing, no climbing over one another. Settled down and get orderly!" I pointed to where I wanted them line up.” Does anyone know if there are people in the next floor above?" I asked."
"Not many,!" a woman shouted. "People from higher up must be cut off!"
That was bad. What could I do about it? "I'll have to go help them. Now keep orderly and evacuate. Panic will kill you, so keep your heads on straight!"
I did the ghost thing again and ascended through a number of ceilings I came out among a mob of trapped and baffled people. There was actually flame there!
The best way to kill fire was by cutting off its air supply, but that wouldn't be easy on floors laid out this way. I thought a flood of water was what the doctor ordered and so I dashed to a wall-sized window and broke it. Again I used my elemental power to condense the moisture inside the mountainous cumulus clouds above the city. I started drawing it into the flaming building as quickly as I could. In fact, it came on so hard that I had to get out of the way of what felt like a burst water main. I channeled this by magic through the building's broken windows to overwhelm as much of the fire as possible. Clouds of hissing steam rolled up wherever cold water collided with hot flame.
With telekinesis I managed to direct the influx of water into the worst areas. The resulting smoke was so bad that I had to seal it off with force fields. But that wasn't enough; people were still asphyxiating. That forced me to bring in fresh air along at the same time I was trying to bring in which -- a juggling act that was harder than it sounds.
In one place where the blaze was ebbing, I used the respite to break through the blockage in one of the fire wells. I discovered it to be blocked by twisted steel and rubble. The most efficient way to get rid of it was to portal it into another plane of reality, the same way portaled objects into my mystical closet for safekeeping. I hoped the junk was not going into the same place my good things did; that make for a daunting clean-up job! But for now, my actions eliminated the obstruction and created a passable way for the trapped people to use.
This herculean effort on multiple fields at once was draining me. On the other hand, the thrill of my successes was energizing me.
Through a gap in the wall, I spotted a flying man -- an ultra I didn't recognize. Something told me he was a touch guy, the right man to have on my side. I left the high rise and flew after him, waving my arms to flag him down.
He looked back and was gracious enough to drop down and land on the chaotic street below. Whoever he was, he wore red and gold armor that made him look like a robot. I landed also and the guy stood there quietly staring at me.
"You must be some new ultra," I said.
"I'm not all that new..." the guy began, using an electronically enhanced voice. "But one can say I'm new to this locality. Do you need rescuing?"
"I'm good, Armor Man," I replied. "People are trapped in this building, and they need more help than I can offer."
"My handle is Iron Man," the newcomer corrected me. Then something drew his attention to the sky.
"This must be your lucky day, Goldy," he said. "We're getting reinforcement," said the armor guy, pointing.
"I'm called Mantra, by the way," I replied. I could see the "reinforcement" he was referring to. I recognized the amazing shape.
The mighty man -- if human he was -- settled down a few yards away from us. He recognized me, too. "Lady Mantra!" he exclaimed using a powerful baritone that I supposed a woman on the make would really like."
"Verily 'tis I," I affirmed.
"How do you know someone in another universe, Thor?" Iron Man asked.
"I spoke to you about my abduction to the land of Vahdala," answered the blonde titan. "This maid of blue and gold was there with us, fairest flower of the land."
I didn't rate this to be much of a compliment. Barren Vahdala didn't have many flowers to enter into the competition. But he wasn't really complementing me. The Mantra he remembered had been Eden Blake, during that brief span in which she had taken over the role of Mantra. I had been standing right beside her in a male clone body, but up beside Eden, Thor probably didn't even notice me.
"Hi, Thor!" I said. "Can you help me and Mr. Iron Guy get people out of that fire?"
Thor took in the lay of the land and answered, "It shall be done, my lady."
The two guys flew toward the high floors of the burning building, leaving me among a squad of arriving rescue workers.
I told the uniformed people what I knew and then got out of their way. I would be going aloft to help Thor and Iron Man since save lives.
To think that for the last two years I'd been thinking that live in suburban Canoga Park had been difficult!
TO BE CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 17
