CHAPTER 1

The Oracle

Hear the words of our Great Creator all youinhabitants of the earth, for He loves you withan everlasting love. Alas He is sorry He evermade man on the earth and His heart is grieved! And why doesHe feel thus about mankind? Because of the wickedness that isrampant in our world today and every intent of the thoughts ofman's heart is evil continually to the extent that there are unholyalliances between the sons of God and the daughters of Adamand Cain! You are full of immorality with them and with theNephilim who have spread violence and corruption throughoutour earth!

Turn from your wicked ways before it is too late! The days are fastdrawing to a close when He will no longer have mercy on us! Hewill not only destroy the wicked works of the sons of God and ofthe Nephilim and all who follow in their ways, but also of all whohave turned from worshipping Him and are self righteous in alltheir ways! The days are fast approaching that the end is near! Hewill bring calamity upon the earth; floodwaters to destroy fromunder heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life, and everythingthat is on the earth shall die! There will be signs and wondersnever before seen by the sons of Adam, upheavals in our earth thatwill bring about extreme conditions unknown to us; somethingcalled wind and rain, earthquakes and volcanoes! Repent, that Hemight turn His wrath away from us!

We have already experienced the shaking of our earth on severaloccasions! It has begun! Do not laugh it off as if it was nothing butremember the panic you felt at the time! What is about to befall allof us is far far worse than anything we can imagine!

The strong pleading voice reverberated across the valley, crowdedas usual with curiosity seekers, filling the air with a mixture oflaughter, jeers and taunts. Televised on screens around the world,the Prophet of the Creators' deep voice rang out with authority,making yet another plea to all that would listen. He was a familiarsight, well known and respected by most. Among others his wordswere found to be humorous, but to many, they were offensive, as ifhe had personally plunged a dagger deep into their hearts, evokingthe smoldering responses of hatred, fear, anger and rebellion.Even with this knowledge, he never wavered in his conviction ofthe message delivered; it was the same appeal he had been makingfor a hundred and twenty years, always hopeful that the sons ofAdam and Cain would respond.

CHAPTER 2

The Nephilim

A crid smoke, thick and dark, spread throughthe city of Mesha like fingers grasping for thethroats of any foolish enough to be caught inits path. Screams of terror and anguish penetrated the pre-dawnair as a volley of deafening explosions rocked the area. Flames shothigh into the atmosphere, intolerable heat engulfing buildingsand melting foliage as though they were papier mache, creating anethereal glow over the city.

The flames reflected in Bito's humorless dark black eyes as hemutely observed the horrific scene from the shadows of a nearbytransport tower. Standing ten feet four inches tall, massive andlean, his raven black hair braided at the temples, caught up in ablack leather thong from which it fell in long thick greasy strandsacross his broad bare shoulders and down his muscular sinewybody made a formidable presence, enhanced by arms and legsrippling with muscles that gave the appearance of hard steel. Heblended into the shadows with raiment made totally of leather andblack as midnight, consisting of a belt sporting sheaths holdingvarious sizes and shapes of weapons, attached to a black skort thatclung to the middle of his thick, hard thighs. Sandals encasing hisfeet were held with laces that wove up to his knees and fastenedwith wide metal bands.

The sound of approaching feet and weeping could be heard in thedistance and as it grew closer, he impassively turned away from hisobservation point to callously observe his men appearing throughthe thick smoke with dozens of children and young women in tow.Cries of fear and pain accompanied with terrified sobs filled theair as they were prodded along with tasers that zapped them withelectrical shocks.

A barely noticeable nod from Bito silently directed the tallforbidding soldiers, all carbon copies of him, as they loaded theircaptives into awaiting transport pods that had the eerie appearanceof giant monsters, silently swallowing their prey.

* * *

Chlorice clung tightly to her little sister Phoebe, fearful of beingseparated in the pandemonium around them as they were buffetedfrom all sides, and pushed ever forward by the press of thosebehind them. Her eyes stung in the thick smoke that threatenedto choke her last breath from her. Tears coursing down her face,she tried unsuccessfully to awaken from the nightmare aroundher. Surely she would soon discover that she was still tucked in hersoft comfortable bed, safe and secure within the confines of thenursery where the younger children slept just down the hall fromthe bedchambers of her parents and older sisters and brothers.Wasn't it just yesterday that she had celebrated her tenth birthday?It seemed like a lifetime ago! In just two short years she wouldmove out of the nursery and into her own chamber, somethingshe had looked forward to for some time!

A searing electrical shock jolted through her right arm, jerkingher attention back to the present and confirming that this wascertainly not a dream, but a living, breathing nightmare! Cryingout in pain, she looked up through her tears at the giant who wasthe cause of her distress, and struggled to move away from hertormentor. Looking ahead, she caught a glimpse of two of herolder sisters, Terilinne and Hymeneous, as they and several otherstheir age were drug from the group by their hair into the gapingjaws of a giant transport pod that seemed to materialize from thethick smoke surrounding them.

Chlorice, shrieking with fear at the sight, stumbled as her feetbecame tangled in her sleeping gown. Weeping inconsolably,Phoebe, in reaction to her sisters' terror, let out a scream thatimmediately caused a chain reaction throughout the dozens ofyoung girls surrounding them. All appeared to be between theages of four and ten years old. All with the same large fear-filledeyes, crying out for their mothers and fathers, but they did notcome.

* * *

Disembarking from his pod, Bito looked around him with awithering look that caused the sentries to hold their breath infear of their lives. If not for the threat of instant death at any signof cowardice, they would have taken cover behind the nearestpod or one of the immense one hundred and fifty foot columnsstanding in abundance around them. Blending in with the forestsurrounding them, they supported the intricate structure thatsprawled out over a five-mile radius of territory nestled deep in thejungles of the land of Cush. The entire complex never ceased togive him a deep satisfaction within his very being, for it was he andhe alone who had ingeniously chosen this site to locate and buildtheir command post, right under the noses of their enemy!

The area consisted of dense jungle that had been designated asone of four regions in the world where endangered animals couldstill roam free. They were known as "The Realms of Tranquility"because the original one bordered the Sea of Tranquility locatedin the North Eastern Hemisphere. This one was deep in the NorthWestern Hemisphere of the land of Cush, bordered by the RiverGihon, which eventually emptied into the Sea of Mercy deep inthe South Western Hemisphere.

An ideal refuge for the headquarters and nerve center of theNephilim; for the only eyes watching them were those of themighty behemoths of every variety, leviathons, wooly mammoths,dragons, elephants, monkeys of all sizes and types, rhinoceros,hippopotamus, several species of bears, tigers, lions, giraffes,horses, and birds of every description. Even the much soughtafter unicorns could be spotted in the early morning mists on theshores of the Gihon leisurely drinking in the cool refreshing wateralongside the others!

They had installed a force field over the area, which had beencleverly merged with the magnetic fields not only of the "ThirdRealm of Tranquility" here, but of all the force fields around theearth. This precautionary measure had so far been successful inblocking them from detection by the sons and daughters of Adamas they patrolled the airways around the earth. The fools had neverconsidered the possibility that the very area they protected forthe "good of mankind," also protected the very ones they soughtto destroy! This thought alone would have given him a sense ofgratification, if it weren't for the continual disparaging remarksof the Prophet of the Creator, broadcast once again just thatmorning, causing his every waking thought to be consumed withan unexplainable blinding rage, a rage that would only be satisfiedwith the demise of not only the sons of Adam, but specifically, the"Prophet". Even as he seethed within he remained ever aware ofhis surroundings.

Approaching the entrance to the cavern that led into the depthsof the fortress, his cold black eyes took in each minute detail ofthe activity around him. Every nook and cranny, every sentry, everywarrior, even the squirrel perched on a limb overhead observinghis movements did not go unnoticed. The position he held did notcome by being lax; it came with a heavy price he was more thanwilling to pay. Unlike his inferior peers, he never allowed himselfthe luxury of relaxation or even the pleasure of sleep, which forhim, was sporadic and rare.

CHAPTER 3

The Watchers

Although the nine men seated around themassive crescent-shaped table all appeared atfirst glance to resemble each other in theirsize and dress, Doeg's commanding presence in the center seatdiminished the others with the impression of being larger thanlife. Part truth, part illusion, the effect contributed to his positionas leader of the dreaded Nephilim, along with the fact that he hadearned the reputation for being a heartless cold-blooded killer witha sadistic malicious mind that took pleasure in the misery of others.His ten-foot six-inch frame reflected the very embodiment of evil anddemanded obeisance from all. His demeanor was cold and detached;his steel gray eyes silently observing those seated around him.

Moving his enormous hand across the smooth black panel beforehim, the room instantly darkened and what had appeared as twenty-foothigh walls of black glass surrounding them became giganticscreens with glowing hologram grids of the earth's hemispheres.Turning to the two screens on his right, his eyes narrowed to slitsas he intently inspected every detail of the north eastern and southeastern hemispheres; the former more commonly referred to asthe land of Uz and the latter, the land of Nod. Swiveling to his left,he considered the north western hemisphere known as Cush andthe south western hemisphere known as the land of Assyria, hisbeloved homeland. Carefully tracking every inch of the hologramuntil he was satisfied, he then directed his attention to the screendirectly in front of him. His jaw clenched and unclenched as heclosely scrutinized the land of Abel, which comprised the northernhemisphere and Havilah, which made up the southern hemisphere.These two hemispheres were of the most concern to his tribe ofthe sons of Cain.

A burning hatred for the sons and daughters of Adam welled upfrom within his chest, leaving a familiarly bitter taste in his mouthand an annoying twitch at the corner of his left eye, for once againthey had had to endure the stinging words of the "Prophet" telecastfrom the land of Havilah where all origins of man had begun andtheir father Cain had first become an outcast. The desire forrevenge was as strong now more than sixteen hundred years lateras it had been that fateful day when their father Cain had dealt outhis vengeful retribution on his brother Able of the sons of Adam.To this day it remained the driving force for everything they did,and the "Prophets" words simply added fuel to the ever-growingdesire for revenge and victory over the enemy. The common bondof his tribe was their desire to rule the world and destroy the tribesof the sons and daughters of Adam, especially the "Prophet" whoinsisted on spreading his poison. Oh, yes, vengeance would besweet, and it would come in due time!

Forcing his thoughts back to the present and glancing away fromthe holograms, he surreptitiously observed the nine "Watchers ofCain" in the room with him. Seated to his right were Omri, Atys,Solon and Cleobus; to his left, Tubal, Mehujael and Irad. Bito hadnot yet arrived, much to his frustration. He didn't like waiting onanyone, and he was anxious to hear his report concerning theearly morning attack on Mesha in the land of Abel.

The Watchers, all hardened warriors as he, were extremely diligentin their training of those assigned to them. Although they hadindividually proven themselves many times over, he never trustedany of them. Trust was for fools, and he had had the distinctpleasure of destroying a few of those. No, he knew those seatedaround him would slit his throat if the opportunity availed itselfand never think twice about it, just as he would theirs.

* * *

Striding briskly through the cavernous doors of the sanctum, Bitoprivately smirked to himself as he observed that the Watchers wereall accounted for and expectantly awaiting his arrival, for he knewthat Doeg would be simmering with hostility towards him for thisobvious slight to his authority—a thought that gave him a deepsense of satisfaction almost bordering on pleasure. In that event,the delays had been well worth it.

Doeg, his elder by three hundred years, had been at odds with himsince birth for they both laid claim to the same Father, Croesus.As half brothers, they were trained in the ranks with the commonwarriors under their father who was infamous for being the cruelestof the sons of Cain to have ever lived. He had proven to the worldthat the label of "manslayer" did not even begin to describe theatrocities he orchestrated around the globe.

With a show of superiority, he burst through the huge black doorsof the conference room, enjoying the response of those seatedaround the table, particularly that of Doeg. Ignoring the protocolof bowing the knee before Doeg, he gave only a slight nod ofacknowledgement to those already seated, and advanced to thecenter of the room. Silently turning towards the holograms, heextracted a memory dot from one of the many sheaths attached tohis belt, slipping it into a slot along the screen that displayed theland of Abel in the northern hemisphere. Immediately an enlargedarea of Abel came to view and homed in on the metropolis ofMesha. The viewer screen came alive as the events of the earlymorning attack played out before them, graphically displayed inexquisite detail. The assault he had led just hours before gave awhole new meaning to the world's view of "atrocity", and for himpersonally, a deeper fearful respect from his peers.

The bloodlust in the room was almost tangible as the nine recliningsons of Cain leaned suddenly forward, intently taking in everyminute detail of the slaughter of hundreds of sons and daughtersof Adam, the sacking and burning of their homes, infants wrestedfrom screaming Mother's arms, marked for the sacrificial fires inAtlantis, lines of children being herded into awaiting transportpods that would deliver them to holding arenas where they wouldawait their destinies.

CHAPTER 4

Havilah

Shimmering rays of filtered sunlight filled theinterior of the pod with an infusion of a myriadof colors as it wound its way through the pathsof the magnetic fields, programmed in advance for an early arrivalat port forty-six. Outside could be seen delicate orchids of varioushues of pinks and purples nestled among large ferns beneath tall,spectacular palms that gently swayed in the breeze caused by theflow of thousands of mercurial pods hurrying to their diversedestinations, while Blue Morpho Butterflies flitted lazily amongstthem.

Usually this view captivated Kitura, but today it went unnoticed asshe struggled to lace little Abigail's blue satin slippers one moretime! Abigail, wiggling and squirming in her sister's lap, giggledand reached for Kitura's long auburn hair with her chubby littlefingers, sticky with the remnants of her honey treat that she likedso well. Preoccupied with this bundle of energy, Kitura absentmindedlyobserved on the overhead screen, Portia and Naamahsquabbling over which one should get to lead the procession. AsKitura deftly seized Abigail's little fingers in her own delicatehand, saving her hair from certain disaster, she simultaneouslygave the two girls onscreen an exasperated frown.

Brought to silence by her look, Portia quickly grabbed theopportunity to be heard first. "Kitura, please explain to Naamahwhy it is obvious that I should lead the procession in the weddingmarch! After all, I am the oldest, and Persipitis and I are veryclose!"