“What else am I gonna do tonight? It ain’t like I can go anywhere.”
“Oh, but you’re wrong. You can leave whenever you like.”
“Then you didn’t do your research. If you had, you’d know that—”
“The conditions of your deal with the government need not be a concern. We’ve taken care of that. You’re free to travel. Indeed, we’ll be leaving shortly.”
“Where are we going?”
“To the airport. We have a plane on standby.”
“Awesome,” Tony said. “Let’s hit St. Martin’s. Or Cabo. Yeah, let’s go to Cabo. Sammy Hagar’s got a bar down there. Always wanted to see it.”
“We’re going to the island of Naranu.”
“Never heard of it.”
“That’s not surprising. Until recently, it was wholly unremarkable to the average layperson.”
“Until recently? What changed? The natives discover cable television or something?”
“No,” Amethyst said. “A team of scientists discovered something else—some very old ruins. But what they don’t know is that Naranu has another, older name. R’lyeh.”
“The fuck is that?”
“In mythology, it’s a sunken city. In reality, it’s the island we call Naranu.”
“So why are we going there?”
“Because Naranu refers to more than just the island itself. It is also the name of the catacombs that honeycomb the island, and the sunken city that lies beneath it. Naranu is a shrine, of sorts. A temple. The Dark Ones consider the island to be the holiest of ground.”
“The Dark Ones?” Chuckling, Tony shook his head. “I should have known. I mean, you brought the Clickers up earlier. I should have fucking known that sooner or later it would come around to this. You want to go fucking around with those goddamned lizard things, and since I’ve faced them before, you expect me to be some sort of guide and shit. A civilian advisor. Is that it?”
“Yes, and no.”
“Well, I got news for you, Amethyst—the Dark Ones are dead. The Army scragged them and the fucking Clickers. They’re extinct.”
“Far from it,” Amethyst said. “You’ve fought them, and survived. Tell me, did the Dark Ones seem intelligent to you?”
“Sure. The Clickers were dumb as stumps, but those lizard-things were as smart as you or me.”
“They are, indeed. And they have thriving communities far from the reach of mankind. The Dark Ones are far from extinct, Mr. Genova—or may I call you Tony?”
Tony shrugged, and Amethyst continued.
“The Dark Ones have certainly suffered heavy losses. But they’ve been biding their time. Waiting until the stars are right. You see, the Dark Ones are theistic. They worship a being known as Dagon. Humans know this deity as Cthulhu or Dagnu. He has many other names, as well. Tlaloc. Matsya. Vishnu. Dingir. Bekalam. Kraken. His real name, however, his secret name…is Leviathan.”
“You guys take this name shit seriously, don’t you?”
Ignoring the comment, the younger man continued. “The island of Naranu is little more than nine miles in circumference. It’s basically a mountaintop of phosphorous rock and lush jungle jutting up from the ocean. Beneath the waves, however, lies a much larger landmass—sunken eons ago. The being that the Dark Ones worship is said to reside in a temple located deep beneath the island—somewhere in Naranu’s subterranean depths. According to the Dark One’s beliefs, he sleeps until the stars and planets align in a particular formation, at which time they can awaken him, after which he shall exact their revenge on the surface world. Like all other religions, this is not entirely accurate. Dagon actually dwells on another plane—a place called the Great Deep; it is a dimensional realm composed entirely of water. There is a portal beneath Naranu—a doorway, if you will. When the astrological formation occurs, the Dark Ones’ ceremony will actually open this portal, allowing Dagon to crossover from his realm to our own.”
“You said this thing’s real name was Leviathan,” Tony said. “So why do you keep calling it Dagon?”
“It is hard to explain to a novice such as yourself. Suffice to say, the Dark Ones know it as Dagon, so that is what we must confront it as.”
“Time,” Diamond reminded them.
“I knew they were smart,” Tony muttered, “but I didn’t realize they had their own religion and shit.”
“Oh, yes. Since your last encounter with them, the Dark Ones have not been idle. They have retreated from the surface world, licking their wounds and gathering strength again. Now, due to certain astrological events that they believe to be portents, the Dark Ones intend to wake up their god.”