The Descent

'It's  a  word,  no  more,  a  name,'  Thomas  said  to  her.  'The  term  Satan  signifies  a historical character. A missing link between  our fairy tale of hell and the geological  fact of  it.  Think  about  it.  If  there  can  be  a  historical  Christ,  why  not  a  historical  Satan? Consider hell. Recent history tells us that the fairy tales had it all wrong, and yet  right. The  underworld is not full of dead souls and demons, yet  it has human captives  and  an indigenous  population  that  was  –  until  recently  –  savagely  defending  its  territory. Now,  despite  thousands  and  thousands  of  years  of  being  damned  and  demonized  in human  folklore,  the  hadals  seem  very  much  like  us.  They  have  a  written  language, you know,' he said. 'At least  they  did,  once  upon  a  time.  The  ruins  suggest  they  had  a remarkable  civilization. They  may  even  have  souls.'

Ali  couldn't  believe  a  priest  was  saying  such  things.  Human  rights  were  one  thing; the  ability  to  know  grace  was  something  entirely  different.  Even  if  the  hadals  proved to  have  some  genetic  link  with  humans,  their  capacity  for  souls  was  theologically unlikely. The  Church did not acknowledge souls in animals, not even  among the  higher primates.  Only  man  qualified  for  salvation.  'Let  me  understand,'  she  said.  'You're looking for a creature  named Satan?'

No one denied it.

'But why?'

'Peace,'  said  Lynch.  'If  he  is  a  great  leader,  and  if  we  can  come  to  understand  him, we may  forge a lasting peace.'

'Knowledge,' said Rau. 'Think what he might know, where  he might lead us.'

'And  if  he's  merely  the  equivalent  of  an  ancient  war  criminal,'  said  the  soldier  Elias,

'then we can seek  justice. And punishment.'

'One way  or another,' said January, 'we're striving  to  bring  light  to  the  darkness.  Or darkness to the light.'

It  sounded  so  naïve.  So  youthful.  So  seductive  and  abundant  with  hope.  Almost, thought Ali, plausible – hypothetically. And yet,  a Nuremberg  trial for the king of  hell? Then she saddened. Of course they  would be attracted  to  tilting  at  windmills.  Thomas had drawn them back into the world, just as they  were  dying out from it.

'And how do you propose to find this creature  –  being,  entity  –  whatever  he  is?'  she asked.  It  was  meant  to  be  a  rhetorical  question.  'What  chance  do  you  have  of  finding an  individual  fugitive  when  the  armies  can't  seem  to  find  any  hadals  at  all?  I  keep hearing that they  may  even  be extinct.'

'You're skeptical,' Vera  said. 'We wouldn't  have  it  any  other  way.  Your  skepticism  is crucial.  You'd  be  useless  to  us  without  it.  Believe  me,  we  were  just  like  you  when

Thomas  first  presented  his  idea.  But  here  we  are,  years  later,  still  coming  together when Thomas calls.'

Thomas  spoke.  'You  asked  how  do  we  hope  to  locate  the  historical  Satan?  Like reaching into mud, we must feel around and then pull him loose.'

'Scholarship,'   said   the   mathematician   Hoaks.    'By    revisiting    excavations    and reexamining  the  evidence,  we  compile  a  more   careful   picture.   Like   a  behavioral profile.'

'I call it a unified theory  of Satan,' said Foley. He had a  businessman's  mind,  given  to strategy  and  output.  'Some  of  us  visit  libraries  or  archaeological  sites   or  science centers  around  the  world.  Others  conduct  interviews,  debrief  survivors,  cultivate leads.   In   this   way   we   hope   to   outline   psychological   patterns   and   identify   any weaknesses  that  might  be  useful  in  a  summit  conference.  Who  knows,  we  may  even be able to construct a physical description of the creature.'

'It sounds like such... an adventure,'  said Ali. She didn't want to offend anyone.

'Look  at  me,'  Thomas  said.  There  was  a  trick  of  light.  Something.  Suddenly  he seemed  a  thousand  years  old.  'He's  down  there.  Year  after  year,  I've  failed  to  locate him. We can no longer afford that.'

Ali wavered.

'That's the dilemma,'  said  de  l'Orme.  'Life's  too  short  for  doubt,  and  yet  too  long  for faith.'

Ali recalled his excommunication, and guessed it had been excruciating.

'Our  problem  is  that  Satan  hides  in  plain  view,'  de  l'Orme  said.  'He  always  has.  He hides within our reality.  Even  our  virtual  reality.  The  trick,  we're  learning,  is  to  enter the   illusion.   In   that   way,   we   hope   to   find   him   out.   Would   you   please   show Mademoiselle von Schade our little photo?' he asked his assistant.

Santos  spread  out  a  long  roll  of  glossy  Kodak  paper.  It  showed  an  image  of  an  old map. Ali had to stand to see its details. Most of the group gathered  around.