Superior Revue ~ Chapter one

[Mass Driver]

Superior Revue - 1
by dymondbolt

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This chapter doesn't have any growth, but it sets it up for the next chapter.
Only two chapters and an Epilogue.
I hope you like this, but I'd still like to hear comments on it if you don't.
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Chapter one


A well dressed man in his late fifties was sitting at a conference table, gently pulling at his beard. All his hair was white and the color of his eyes was hard to determine. His expression shifted from bemused to shocked, then to mildly angry. And it shifted back again just as swiftly.

The conference room was on the top floor of a very, very tall building. At least that's how it seemed. Because the row of windows in back of the chair the man sat, were filled with all sorts of fluffy clouds, slowly floating by. Like the building was so tall it reached half way to heaven.

The tone of his voice was majestic and low, as he muttered "This is just Silly. I am not up for Peer Revue for another three millennia." His eyes flashed a deep golden amber before they returned to their normal Summer Sky Blue. He'd caught some grief from his younger children, since statistics showed his eyes should be a warm chocolate brown. But he had a penchant for the dramatic and so he stuck with the blue. For the moment.

The walls of the conference room were opaque and he could see other people's form walking back and forth down the hallway that ran along it. Finally one form stopped at the door to the conference room and a very large man with broad shoulders walked through and closed it behind him.

The large man's features were a strange mixture of masculine and feminine. His attire was "Conservative Assistant To One In Authority". He had a small pin in the shape of two wings in gold, pinned just over his left breast pocket. In his hand was a large gold colored PDA with the word Records on the back of it.

The man with the white beard sat back in his chair and folded his arms. The large man looked a bit chagrined, but he stood up straight and smiled anyway. "I'm sorry for the delay, Father. But the Mode of Transportation for the newest Revue Board Members was a bit unsettling. Raven asked that they be given a few extra moments to clear their heads and the others agreed. Would You like me to bring you some coffee? Mead? Ambrosia?"

The man with the white beard scrutinized the large man for a moment. The large man felt his existence teeter on the edge of winking out for a split second, and then return to normal. He took a deep breath and was thankful his Father believed in Love. The man in the white beard then took a deep breath of his own and told the angel "Things will be, the way they will be. If you could bring me a double espresso with a little honey on the side, that would be fine."

"I'll be right back with it, Father." He turned and opened the door.

"Thank you, Gabriel." The Angel turned back to catch God's smile before he closed the door.

God tugged at His beard again as a chagrined look played across His face. But only for a moment. The very nature of the dimensional plane that He found Himself in at the moment, prevented Him knowing what was going on in the Revue Board Receiving Room. But His Imagination gave Him a lot of different and interesting ideas about what the three Junior Revue Board Members were going through. With that in mind, He was much less angry at the delay when Gabriel brought in His double espresso and side of honey.

Gabriel's anxious demeanor got a big reassuring smile on God's face. "This is just right, Gabriel. Thank you. Why don't you go tell them that I said not to worry about Me. And to take all the time they need. OK?"

Gabriel's whole body seemed to relax as he took a deep breath and released it. "Thank You, Father. That takes a lot of pressure off of everybody."

"Me included." They shared a chuckle, then Gabriel walked out, closing the door as he went.

While God added a bit more honey to His double espresso, Gabriel relayed God's message to Raven. Raven was the Deity acting as the Peer Revue Mediator for this particular unusual event. Gabriel could see the female human physicist in her present manifestation, barely holding back a monumental anger. The other Junior Revue Board Members were not in such an agitated state.

Raven had turned away from Sonja Oftedal's demand for answers to her questions, as Gabriel came into the Receiving room. Sonja was kept from following Him/Her (Raven), by another Deity named Luxmont. The image of a tall beautiful Valkyrie, (Sonja) in riding leathers, wearing a horned helmut and a short broad sword on her hip; being blocked by a large half man, half snake (Luxmont) with a nimbus around his head, was !!???. What words, what adjectives could you apply to scenes out of ancient myths and religious texts? But Gabriel was well used to such images and such creatures. Raven, the Deity that walked over to talk to him, was shaped like one of the Egyptian gods, with the head of a raven and the body of a human.

As the other Junior Revue Board Members heard Gabriel relay God's message, they visibly relaxed before turning their attention to their loud colleague. Glen Conor was the tall male, shaped like a beefy gymnastic Angel, dressed in pure white sweat pants and a muscle T-shirt, that matched the color of his feathers. His expression was anything but angelic as he watched Sonja rant and rave at a very patient supreme being.

Glen ruffled his wings without spreading them and then cleared his throat. "Hey Red Sonja! How many times does Cecrops there, or that Horus Gal/Guy have to tell you that They aren't allowed to answer our questions, before you take a Norse god chill pill and just calm down?"

She turned her anger on poor Glen, but he rose to the occasion. He spread his wings very slowly as she walked right up to his chest and glared up into his face. He told her in a softer voice "I think the sooner they know we're not going to tear the furniture apart, the sooner they'll let us ask those questions of the Big Guy, who can answer them." He smiled and put his hands on her shoulders. "OK?" For a second she looked like she was still ready for a fight. Then she took a deep breath and the anger drained away.

"Can I at least take this stupid hat off and get rid of this sword?"

Glen chuckled as he hugged Sonja and got a hug back from her. The Cecrops look alike smiled up at Glen before telling Sonja "Yes, Sonja Oftedal, you may. You are only required to put them back on when you return to your plane of existence. We can hold on to them for you here, during the Revue." Glen furled his wings in relief.

Sonja muttered "Yeah!" as Glen removed her helmut while she unbuckled the belt holding the Sword. Luxmont accepted both items and placed them in an oak chest by the bench Luis Tanner was sitting on.

Luis, the third Junior Revue Board Member, looked like a six foot tall village blacksmith from the late 1800's, complete with hammer and tongues tucked in to his leather apron. You could just make out the tips of two little jet black horns, poking out of his very curly red hair, just above either side of his fore head.

Luis leaned over and told Luxmont in a low voice, "You know, I thought for sure your name was going to be Cecrops. You look just like the figure of that Greek god that they drew on drinking cups and amphora, back in Ancient Greece. Or he looked like you. Though, as I recall, Cecrops never looked to have your size muscles." Luis' eyes opened wide as he realized he had been flirting with a deity.

"Imitation and flattery aside, Luis Tanner; my name is Luxmont. I bet it would sound much better than Cecrops, if you said it."

Luis looked into the Deity's eyes and swallowed. Was a god flirting back with him? "I guess Luxmont does sound much better than Cecrops." Luis took a breath and smiled. "Luxmont."

"Thank you, Luis Tanner."

A third Deity suddenly appeared in the Receiving Room. The Deity named Valute looked like a human in shadow. His eyes glowed a soft gold color and an aura around his whole body made it look like he was floating in a star filled sky. His facial features were blurry, yet still discernible. "Now that we are all ready to begin this off cycle Peer Revue, would you please follow me into the conference room next door. Then we and your God will be able to answer as many questions as we can in the time allowed."

Glen pulled his wings in a bit tighter as they filed out and followed Valute. Luis kept glancing back to see how Luxmont moved on his snake body. He nearly bumped into Glen as they paused for the door to be opened. Valute showed Sonja into the room first and offered her the middle of five chairs placed along the long side of the table, closest to the door. On the other side of the table, God sat alone, framed in back by the windows and the fluffy clouds that seemed to float just on the other side. Occasionally one of the slightly darker clouds helped reveal the gentle golden nimbus that glowed around God's head. From left to right as the seats faced God, Luxmont took the far left seat and Luis sat between Sonja and He. To Sonja's right sat Glen and Valute took the far right chair. Raven sat in the lone chair at the end of the table nearest the door and at God's left hand; while Gabriel sat opposite Raven, in the chair placed at the right hand of God, his Father.

The Transmogrified Humans stared at God with a multitude of emotions. He in turn smiled upon His children with pride and Love. So few of His children in His universe ever connected enough of the Laws of the Universe together, to be able to contact this plane of existence. And here these three were.

Raven took a breath and slowly let it out before starting the ball rolling. "Gabriel, please start recording this Revue. I sit as mediator as well as one of the Senior Revue Board Members. Not to be trite, but.. You have questions and We have answers. And while we six are all members of the Revue Board, We Senior Members are allowed to answer some of the questions that your God is not. And to help clarify some of the answers only God is allowed to give."

Letting that sink in for a moment, Raven turned Her/His attention towards God. Beaks have such a difficult time showing expression, yet God detected a sort of playful tilt to Raven's head that imparted a smile.

The Deity that sat alone spoke up before His creations thought of a question to ask. "I hope I'm not out of line for asking a question of My own." His questioning expression was easily interpreted.

Raven blinked, glanced at the other Revue Board Members and then sat up straighter in His/Her chair. "This form of Peer Revue being rather rare, I think a few questions from Your end is certainly acceptable. Perhaps they will help spark some questions from the Revue Board Members. What do You want to know."

Sonja jumped in before God could open his mouth. "Yeah! What in the world could our God possible want to ask us that He doesn't already know. Aren't You omniscient? All knowing?"

All the Celestial Beings in the room snorted out a laugh, then tried to act like they weren't laughing at her.

Sonja was now very angry. "What's so funny? If You don't stop acting like this is one big COSMIC JOKE, I am going to get angry and start looking for that damned sword I just got rid of."

God smiled like a father would to a young innocent daughter, after she asked about faking an orgasm. His hand reached out to her in placation of her emotions. "We're not laughing at you or even with you, Sonja. We're laughing at Ourselves and the situation We happen to be in. As chance would have it.."

Luxmont cut in with "If chance really is working in this particular situation."

Raven cawed a rebuke as God continued. "Whether chance is involved or not. The Senior Revue Board Members and I.. and Gabriel. Are all Deities or Demigods that are not All knowing."

He waited for a second then said "All seeing, yes."

A murmur of agreement went through the room. "All powerful? To a degree." Another softer snaugh was shared amongst the Deities at the table. This time Gabriel remained silent.

"We each of Us set forth Laws for each of Our Universes. And then We abide by them as Time progresses."

Luxmont added "And by those Laws We set forth at the beginning, We ultimately end up binding Our hands at a later date. Thus All Powerful is still there in idea, maybe even principle. But in fact We violate our own precepts when We act with out regard to the Laws of the Universe that We create."

Valute finally spoke up. "Sodom and Gomorrah?!"

Raven murmured "Admah, and Zeboim."

God sat back in His seat and looked contrite. Glen frowned with the rest of them but asked "Brimstone and fire?"

Luis finished it for him. "From the Lord out of heaven. Genesis nineteen. Twenty four to twenty five."

Sonja asked "Admah, and Zeboim? I thought there were only two sinful cities."

God looked even more like a kid caught kicking the dog. Luis wondered about that as he told her "Nope. The first two just got more press. There were four."

Luxmont leaned towards God. "Yes. Four separate meteors, hitting four separate cities, perfectly!"

God looked to the side as He mumbled "They were little meteors."

Valute chimed in with "Oh yeah. Little ones. Aimed perfectly. Not like the Big One at Chicxulub."

Raven cawed "End of the Mesozoic Era and the Dinosaurs."

Luxmont sneered "Dinosaurs not evolving fast enough were they?"

Glen's wings spread out as he yelled "Hey! I feel like I'm at a Kennedy family dinner and the guests all started to chant Chappaquiddick, while poor Teddy is sitting at the head of the table. We're hear to ask questions, not point fingers."

All were silent after that outburst. Glen pulled his wings back in as they all calmed down. His face became innocent as a child's as he got God's attention with "Father?"

God looked up with hope on His face. Glen smiled. "Thanks for the Big One sixty eight million years ago. We wouldn't be here without it. And I get the feeling You already took some heat for the other four, so You won't hear any bitching over those from me."

God sat up straighter after that. "Your welcome, Glen. That one was actually a mercy shot. The oxygen levels were dropping and it would have meant a slow painful decline for all of those big animals anyway. I don't get My nose rubbed in that one very often."

Luis chuckled till he burst into outright laughter. The mood lightened as he stopped laughing. "I don't even want to know if there's a Party Of The Gods every thousand years." The look on the Deity's face's had that "Caught" look. The Junior Revue Board Members chose to ignore it.

Luis looked at Raven and then God. "I believe our God had a question for the Board?"

Raven fluffed Her/His feathers. "Oh yes. What is it that We might know that You might not?"

God grinned slightly. "For the Junior Members information, when a Deity is called into Revue, Their memory of the last year is taken from Them."

Glen raised his hand before getting a few nods from the table. "Why? Doesn't that handicap a proper Revue of all the events in the Supreme Being's past?"

Valute raised an aura shrouded hand. "May I?"

God smiled. "Please do."

"When We Supreme Beings connect to Our Creations, Our own Universe; it occurs through the temporal moment
of 'the Now.' So for Us to be able to focus properly on the past and talk about it, removing Our most recent memories helps detach Us from the Now. Otherwise it would be a great distraction. After the Revue is over We are able to reconnect to the Now and Our Creation."

The three Junior Members all nodded and then looked back at their God.

"So a year ago I knew you three physicists were getting close to a breakthrough in Hyper-space theory
and research. I just didn't foresee your group making the other two necessary discoveries or breakthroughs, you'd need to be able to contact the Essence dimension, let alone ask for a Peer Revue."

Sonja had a few emotions playing on her face. Then her expression went cold as she said "Did You forget about Jerry Cornelius?" The other Humans looked very sad, all of a sudden.

Raven saw the blood drain from God's face and looked to Gabriel. Gabriel shook his head and punched some buttons on his PDA. "I am overriding the memory wipe and returning all of God's memories."

God's face closed tight and He shuddered like He had been hit. His nimbus went solid as a gold plate for a fraction of a second, then dissolved to a soft glow that resembled a Dandelion. He gasped and let out a stifled moan. One single perfect tear fell from His tightly closed eyes. Sonja's anger slipped away from her as the tear drop was joined by another and then another. She grabbed her face and silently sobbed for the man she had loved and lost. If God could cry for him then she found she could finally cry for him, too.

Gabriel was by her side in a split second and he handed her a handkerchief. His hand on her shoulder brought her attention to the offered cloth. She took it and hugged him from her seat. Glen rubbed her back and she sniffled a bit. "Thank you Gabriel." She blew her nose into it and wiped her eyes. She didn't look angry when she next looked at God.

The look on God's face would be familiar to someone who has seen a father's face right after learning of the death of his son. And here before Him was that son's bride, ready to blame Him for taking away the love of her life. Somehow Sonja knew her previous assumptions regarding God and the Universe were incorrect; so she had her heart hold on to Love while she waited for the truth to be told.

"I was praying so hard for David and Jerry to test that Plasma Conduit from a remote console. But David had to say 'It's all safe right? Let's test it ..

God and Sonja spoke the rest of it as a mournful duet. "Right where the problem seems to be."

Sonja continued "And then Jerry just smiled at me like that was the most reasonable thing in the world. I never heard another word from Jerry."

God had to make her remember. "But the last thing he ever said to you was the most important thing he wanted you to know and what mattered the most to him. 'Darling I love you so much. If I learned everything there was to know about the universe, it wouldn't mean a thing without you there to share it all.' And he meant every word."

Gabriel softly added "He read your mind and heart with those words, and told you the same thing you felt about him. Sad to say, even God's prayers can go unanswered."

Glen decided they all needed more of the facts. "Ok, we simple humans are suffering under a lack of concrete facts and a lot of assumptions when it comes to the Universe we just came from and the Creator of that Universe. Is it alright for some One in this room who knows the truth, to tell us the truth in an orderly fashion?"

Luis nodded then turned to Luxmont. "Yeah. Like was Creation the Big Bang? If not, then what? And while you're at it, could we get a precise answer about whether the Universe, uhhh, I mean our Universe works on Free Will or Destiny? Cause that is a big one for theologians and scientists alike."

God looked to Raven hopefully before he turned back to the Junior Peer Revue Board Members. "Your own formulas and calculations showed you a Universe, your universe, as one that started from an infinitesimal point containing all the mater of the universe. And something caused it to expand and move and interact and Change. I caused that moment of change. Only at THAT moment for the Universe, could ALL of the mater be changed into energy. The change caused time to exist and matter to re-crystalize from that energy and back to energy again. There is no human word to describe the sound of that expansion."

Sonja asked "And Free Will?"

God frowned. "As opposed to Destiny? Free Will is a sentient concept. And so when creatures in My Universe attain sentience, they attain Free Will in a Universe that has a Destiny. It's a confusing dichotomy for a thinking, reasoning animal only recently become self aware. Many instincts and order seeking processes in the animal part of the sentient will see a logical progression to events. Synchronicity, Serendipity, a Grand Design. Destiny is a concept that gets overlain by Free Will, because self aware beings chose to do so. Your ability to chose what you want to do and how to do it, manifests Free Will and proves it exists. Whether or not that very same Free Will follows or fights Destiny is completely irrelevant. Because you all still get to chose what you want to do. Destiny does not make your decisions for you. Events may sway you. I hope your hearts will guide you. Your heads got you to the point where you can value your hearts again. But your Universe was begun with Choice and Love. I chose you. I love you. And however the Universe got to where you exist, it did so with Choice and Love."

Valute turned to Raven with a suggestion. "Perhaps this is a good point for us all to take a small break? I think we all could use a few refreshments, before we continue with this Revue."

Raven nodded, then looked to the Angel. "Gabriel, please note a refreshment break at this time. And would you be kind enough to get whatever the Board or God would like to drink or eat at this time?"

Gabriel smiled as he finished punching buttons on his PDA. "A refreshment break is noted in the records." He stood up and walked along the side of the table God was sitting, and stopped next to Raven. "What may I get the Revue Board Mediator?"

Raven tipped His/Her head to the side. "Hazelnuts and Sunflower seeds in a light Ambrosia, if you will."

Gabriel recorded Raven's order and turned to Valute. "And what would you like, Valute?"

Valute's aura pulsed and his eyes glowed a bit brighter. "A mug of warm Chocolate Milk with honey and a slice of baked Manna, and could you put a few marshmallows in the Chocolate Milk, please?"

Gabriel nodded as he said "Certainly." He finished punching buttons then turned to Glen. "And what would you like, Glen Conor?"

Glen frowned for a second then smiled. "Um. A large Cappuccino and an apple fritter, please."

Gabriel recorded his order and turned to Sonja. "And you, Sonja Oftedal?"

Sonja grinned. "Just a big mug of some Kona brand Coffee with some cream and sugar on the side. And a pizza bagel would be nice, if you know what those are."

Gabriel looked up from the screen on his PDA with a smile. "Dennis Park Bakery, right?"

Sonja's grin flashed into a big smile. "Yes. exactly. Thank you."

Gabriel smiled back. "You're welcome. And you, Luis Tanner. What may I get you?"

Luis glanced at Sonja, then looked up at Gabriel. "I'll have what Sonja ordered."

Gabriel quickly finished his order and turned to Luxmont. "Make that three of the same, please."

Gabriel mumbled "Three it is. And you Father? Would you like another espresso or something different?"

God glanced up at Gabriel but looked back to Sonja, Glen and Luxmont. "While three is a favorite number with Me, I think I'll make it four of that last order, please."

A shy little smile graced Sonja's face as Gabriel jotted down God's request. "I will be back in a few moments." Gabriel left the conference room and an amiable silence reigned.

Glen turned slightly to his right to get a better view of Valute. His smile remained innocent and sweet in spite of it's shining off of a large muscular angel like body with very large wings bracketing his head. Glen noticed that Valute's aura made it look like his shadow body floated in a star filled sky. And as one moved around Valute's stationary body the aura presented a star field that was far away and in back of which ever part of Valute was closest. So slight movement of your head made the star field shift a lot. It could be a bit disorienting, if the smile on the shadow body's face wasn't so apparent and heart felt. It grounded the perception of Valute as the aura tried to confuse.

Sonja noticed Glen staring at Valute and was going to remind him about the manners he learned as a child, when she realized this was not her universe. She leaned towards God and whispered "Is it polite up here for beings to stare at each other?"

God leaned across the table and held His hand to His face as if that would keep Glen or Valute from hearing Him.
"Yes. As long as both parties do so with an open mind and heart. Some would call it praise from ones eyes."

Sonja flashed to a sweet memory of when she first met the love of her life. She smiled. The joy of the moment overcame the sorrow of her loss. "Oh. Thank you Father."

"You're welcome dear."

Luis was admiring Luxmont's upper body in the same manner that Luxmont was returning the favor. Both were wondering if they could find some privacy for their own questions to get answered.

Sonja suddenly realized she was feeling the same way she had,*when she told her Engineer father that she was going to become a Physicist. The pride and love that shone in her father's eyes that day was dazzling. It gave her the courage to lean closer to God and whisper "How do You do it? Overcome the sorrow?"

They should have waited for the Break to be over, but no One on the Board objected. God leaned closer to Sonja. "It's the love that you share with each other. It is far more powerful than you know and can push back the darkness and sorrow with very little effort. It is that shared love that reflects on Me. I don't know why. But I'm very glad of it."

Gabriel returned at that moment with a silver cart that had no wheels and seemed to float a few inches above the floor. He quickly served each Board member in the order. Raven began pecking at Her/His bowl of Ambrosia covered seeds as any bird would, with the resultant scattering of seeds. Gabriel had already served Valute and had reached for Glen's plate and mug when the seeds flew out of Raven's bowl and a few over the angels head. One Ambrosia coated Sunflower Seed landed in Luis Mug of Kona Coffee, without anybody seeing it fall in. Gabriel visually located the seeds that escaped Ravens Beak and Bowl, and his slow blinking of his eyes caused them to cease to exist. Then Gabriel served Sonja, Luis, Luxmont and God each, a big mug of Coffee and A large Pizza Bagel.

To Be Continued

[michaelv2]

There's somethin' going on here. You angels always angling.