Part 19: INTERLUDE: SIF

Sif had reached the surface. Her prison had been several levels underground. She had climbed the stairs and stormed the corridors.Everyone she had encountered paid with blood and life. Now she was in some sort of temple or church. Rows of benches aligned before a big stone effigy of a white skull. It had wing like ears on the side and long fangs. The skull was missing the lower jaw and she wondered what being or animal would have such a strange skull. The walls, the ceiling and everything was painted in a dull black, the floor shiny but black as well and the only light came from oil or gas fire in steel bowls suspended from heavy chains. At the opposite side of the skull was a wooden double door that looked like the exit. She was about to take it, when she heard voices. From well hidden door in the black walls came two men. One wore a black robe, much like the eight men she had killed coming up., and the other wore a grey suit. His voice she recognized right away, Mr. John.

Sif crossed the ten meters that separated her from the two men almost flying. Her boots hammered onto the gleaming stone floor, both men turned around. Both surprised but neither seemed to recognize the blonde woman in black leather and billowing cape, brandishing an old fashioned sword.

The bald headed, black robed man took his surprise to another world, Sif struck him so hard, the sharp blade split him from head to collar bone. Sif kicked the dead man against the chest to free her sword and to face the grey suited man, who just drew a weapon from his pocket.

Sif dropped to the floor, just as the man fired and a laser beam parted the air where Sif had been a heartbeat before. She executed a leg sweep, tripping her opponent and with catlike agility she completed the spin and followed with a hard kick against his temple. She was a woman alright, but she was also a Neo Viking, a race of warriors.

Her attack was so fast, so decisive the man did not have a chance to fire again. Her bloody sword tip hovered less than a centimeter from his left eye and she hissed. “Drop it.”

The gun dropped from his hand, she kicked it out of reach and slowly got up without ever moving the sword away.

He didn’t look so smug now and as hard boiled he might have been, looking at a blood dripping razor sharp sword tip this close, was more than un nerving. “Alright, all right. Take it easy with that poker. You are probably here for the girl. Take the sword away and I tell you where she is.”

Sif laughed. “No, you rotten slime fish. I am here to skin you alive for what you did to me.”

Now his eyes showed he recognized her.”It’s you. Where did you get a hold of all this anachronistic gear? I got some Califerm for you and you will tell me. Now put that sword down and I get you some God Dust. This is what you want.”

She had planned to question the man why she had been kidnapped and what he wanted from Eric but she had the same easy to anger temper as every Norse from Nilfeheim. She plunged the sword right into his eye sockiet and through his skull and spat out. “No, this is what I wanted. Splitting your skull the anachronistic, Nilfeheim way.”

Someone screamed and from the now open double door. At woman wearing a black robe stared in horror at the gory scene, then ran out calling for help on the top of her lungs.

Sif barely made it to the door herself as a police man and a robot appeared. “Drop your weapon Citizen.”

She was unsure what to next. The Robot rattled. “Suspect Scan complete. Outstanding warrant of Pluribus Police on file suspected Califerm dealer.”

Both the Cop and the Robot were armed and while Sif thought she might be able to overwhelm the cop, she never fought a robot.

“Last Chance, Citizen, drop your weapon. “Califerm dealers can be shot on site.”