Gus Jerusalem and the Konja Gum
Part II
by Joe Jacking
illustration by Kevin Banks
They could hear the music as they made their way through the market square of Crash city. The Wizard said the band’s name was Black Sabbath, some anger-rockers from one of the Earth’s many dimensions. They weren’t from Gus Jerusalem’s Earth. The music wasn’t angry enough.
“On my Earth, this band would be accused of being possessed by demons,” said Bogan Chun, Jerusalem’s comrade. His Earth was an Asian-dominated one, with Japan and China the competing world powers. Bogan had been a high-level commander in the Emperor’s personal guard before the Barriers Between Universes had fallen.
“On my Earth, this band would be considered upbeat,” growled Jerusalem, puffing on a Cuban cigar.
Jerusalem himself had been captain of the 1st Infantry Tank Division of the U.S. Marines, from an Earth that knew genetic engineering and massive World Wars over who would play God and who wouldn’t. Jerusalem, like Chun, had found himself here on this world after the Barriers fell, trapped in a place full of people, plants and places from all over the Eterniverse.
The market square was packed today, with people and trees from every time, space, dimension and planet mingling freely. People, creatures and plant life from Earth, Alpha Centauri, Bela Teguese, the Tarakian Conlomerate, Mars, Plooozoo and countless other worlds bartered and traded goods and services among buildings from just as many different places. Above them in the sky, planets, moons, floating cities and clumps of trees and mountains filled space. Jerusalem’s seven foot tall, herculean build moved under that full sky, plowing through the sea of beings like the prow of a ship.
“The Wizard will know the weakest point in our enemy’s defense, but we are still outnumbered,” Bogan was trying to reason with Jerusalem as they made their way among the bizarre alien buildings, trees and creatures.
“Hey, I’m not gonna get jumped in my sleep by some religious fanatic again,” growled Jerusalem. “I’m fighting these pussies head on. I don’t care how many fanatics the Konja Gum Entity sicks on me, I prefer an enemy I can get a bead on.”
As the words left Jerusalem’s lips, the two warriors entered dead center of the marketplace. Then all hell broke loose.
From under cart and skirt, from behind rock and tree, from over wall and out of window, weapons of a thousand different makes, sizes and destructive power came to bear on the two friends. Innocent bystanders scattered like sand in the wind, trying to avoid a messy death. Gripping each weapon firmly with holy devotion was a member of the Konja Gum Entity, each of their minds linked to the other by sheer religious fanaticism. A thousand deranged, glassy eyes stared at Jerusalem and Chun as one of their number moved forward.
He was the standard high priest type, the shepherd of the flock. The aged biped wore plaid robes and had a wicked mohawk. “Behold the infidels!” he roared.
“JUDGEMENT TIME IS NOW!!” yelled a thousand throats as one.
The priest moved to just within arms reach of the two soldiers. “For the crime of attempting to restore the Walls Between Universes, I hereby sentence you both to death!!”
“DEATH!!!” screamed the crowd with religious fervor.
“For the gods have ordained that all creatures from all times and all places and all realities shall live together until the time of Final Judgement, when the Konja Gum Entity shall judge the souls of all living things.”
The priest was just starting to get rolling and the gun-toting fanatics were getting caught up in his words, when Jerusalem’s auto-cannon thundered like field artillery. A large hole in the human/alien wall showed the path of the projectiles he’d fired. The priest was a bloody mist. Deprived of their leader, the disciples of the Konja Gum stood unsure of what to do next.
“I HATE religious fanatics!!” roared Jerusalem.
“And I believe they hate you,” Chun had his katanas out, and was poised in a battle stance that would be no help against arrows, hot lead and laser bolts. They were dog meat and they both knew it. They prepared to die fighting.
Quickly, the Konja Gum entity chose a new leader from the Groupmind and there was a voice yelling “kill the infidels!!” Unsteady weapons now took careful aim at the center of the ring of humanity surrounding Jerusalem and Chun.
Suddenly, a sound came to the ears of all in the marketplace. It was the sound of beautiful, female voices singing in unison, singing like Germans in a beer hall. Faces looked to the sky for the voices, and there, coming out of the sun, they saw six women falling from the planet-filled sky, a huge woman at their head. Golden hair, polished blades, gleaming barrels and shining armor shone brightly in the sun as the religious cultists stood awestruck. The Valkyries were coming and fear of them had the Konja Gum disciples frozen in horror.
The valkyries plunged into battle, singing their killing songs in loud, strong voices.
TO BE CONTINUED
