Part 44 (1/2)

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than he had a moment of vertigo. When his head cleared, he found himself standing inside a great amphitheater. Empty seats rose in a circle on all sides of him. Azzie was naked save for a loincloth; apparently the new deity was a bit of a prude. That was worth, remembering.

Checking himself over, he saw that he was holding a s.h.i.+eld of rather antique design and carrying a standard Roman short sword.

”That was fast,” Azzie said.

”I catch on quick,” Nameless said, his voice coming from nowhere in particular.

”What now?” Azzie asked.

”Hand-to-hand combat,” Nameless said. ”Just you and me. Here I come!”

A door slid open on one side of the amphitheater. There was a noisy snarling sound, and out rolled a large metallic object with tracks. Azzie had seen one of these before, during his visits to the First World War battlefields in France. It was a standard-sized army tank with the usual armor and cannon.

”Are you in that tank?” Azzie asked.

”I am the tank,” Nameless said.

”Not quite evenly matched, are we?” Azzie said.

”Don't be a sore loser,” Nameless said.

The tank rumbled forward, its blue exhaust bleating out a chorus of challenge. Tentacles sprouted from its sides, each tentacle terminating in a whirring buzz saw. Azzie retreated until he felt the wall at his back.

”Wait!” he cried. ”Where's the audience?”

”What?” the tank asked, coming to a stop.

”Can't have a real gladiatorial contest without an audience,” Azzie said.

The stadium doors opened, and people started to enter the amphitheater. Azzie knew all of them. First came the Greek G.o.ds in their sculptured white sheets. Then came Ylith, and with her was Babriel. A few steps behind them came Michael.

Nameless looked them over and apparently didn't like what he saw.

”Just a minute,” he said. ”A short time-out, okay?”

Azzie found himself in a nineteenth-century sitting room with Nameless.

Chapter 3.

Now, look,” Nameless said. ”You can see that I've got you outcla.s.sed and outmatched. Nothing to be ashamed of. I'm the new paradigm. No one can oppose me. I'm the visible sign of ”what is to come.”

”So kill me and get it over with,” Azzie said.

”No, I have a much better idea. I want to let you live. I want you to join me in the new universe I am going to create.”

”What do you need me for?”

”I don't. Let's be very clear about that. It's just that once I'm established I'd like to have someone around to talk to. Someone from the good old days, which are now. Someone I didn't create. I suspect it gets boring when there's n.o.body to talk to but emanations of your own being. I imagine that's why your G.o.d went away-He got tired of having n.o.body to talk to. n.o.body from the old days, I mean. n.o.body who wasn't Himself in some way or other. I'm not going to make that mistake. You're another point of view, and I can make use of that, so I'd like you to stay on with me.”