Archangel Evolution (24 page)

Their toy guns were already drawn.

David smiled.

D
arkness fell and
the killing continued.

After the gang, David had reveled in the
beauty of human death. Perhaps he had lingered for too long.
Perhaps a few witnesses had come around. He couldn’t leave
witnesses so he used his sword again and again until he heard the
police sirens.

With no other option, he spread his wings and
took to the sky. A guy in an approaching TV van might have spotted
him, but he couldn’t risk going back.

He flew a few miles and then landed on an
apartment building where a lady was clipping wet linens to a line.
She screamed. He liked the sound and wanted to hear it again, but
didn’t have time so he quickly put an end to the noise. Her whites
were no longer white.

From there he entered the apartment building
from the roof and methodically picked his way along the corridors,
entering apartments uninvited and ending lives. Pleasure. Pure
pleasure.

More sirens. Someone had tipped off the cops.
He leapt from a window, smashing through the glass because it
wasn’t open. He flew. Saw a man with a camera taking a picture. But
he didn’t care. What was the stupid photographer gonna do? David
was invincible, untouchable, and soon he would rule the world,
along with Dionysus of course. But for the moment he was the
king.

As dusk fell, David knew that more than one
hundred had fallen to his sword. That would get the angels’
attention. That was the plan, after all. He had done well. Dionysus
would reward him. Dionysus would understand why Lucas and Cassandra
had to be dealt with swiftly and harshly.

The sun was gone and David was flying home
just when the mission was supposed to begin. Dionysus would be
surprised to see him home early. Surprised, but pleased.

David smiled. It had been a good day.

A
n angel burst into
the hall, shouting something that Gabriel couldn’t understand. All
heads turned to see what all the commotion was about. Martin said
into the microphone, “Jason, what is it, what’s the matter?”

“New York is under attack!” Jason yelled,
still running down the aisle.

Gabriel later found out that Jason was a
reporter for the
Times
. He often worked the late shift to
help the paper meet its deadlines.

“Under attack by whom?” Martin demanded.

Reaching the stage, Jason leapt up and spoke
directly to Martin and into the microphone at the same time. His
voice echoed throughout the hall, bouncing off the walls hollowly
and spinning across the rows. “By an angel—or at least one angel,”
he said, sounding like he wasn’t even sure if he believed his own
statement.

“Tell us,” Martin prompted.

As if finally realizing he was not only
speaking to Martin, but to a large audience, Jason’s head jerked to
face the crowd. His eyes were wild, scared. “I’ve been following a
breaking story all day. There’s a homicidal maniac rampaging across
the city, slashing, cutting, piercing, stabbing. Killing. Killing
people. All dead, all of them. They never had a chance. He’s bold.
And getting bolder. Killing more openly. Not afraid of being
seen.”

Jason paused to take a breath, and
immediately the house stood up. “Another witness—a member of the
Council, yes, but still no proof. Angels don’t attack humans…ever.
We are their protectors. It is probably just a human killing other
humans.”

Jason said, “It’s
not
a human. I have
proof, I do.” He lowered his head and lifted a strap over it. Only
then did Gabriel notice the camera hanging from his neck. A nice
camera, an expensive camera, a camera full of proof. The proof they
needed.

“I have photographs,” Jason said. He pressed
a button on his camera and Gabriel looked over his shoulder while
Martin leaned in. A photo flashed on the digital screen. Gabriel
noticed the wings right away. The angel was flying—buildings could
be seen around him. Jason cycled to the next photo. Dead bodies—and
lots of them. Slashed, torn, bloody. All dead. Next photo: more
bodies, massacred. Looked like gang members; they had the same
tattoo on their forearms. Tough guys, hardened by tough lives, not
easily killed. It would take another gang—or a New Archangel.
Another photo of the angel, this time zoomed in closer.

Gabriel shuddered. It was him. Not him, but
looked like him. David. David was the homicidal maniac angel
terrorizing the city. “Oh no,” he breathed.

Jason looked back at him. “Do you know this
angel?” His words sounded accusing as they projected through the
speakers and out into the hall.

Gabriel said, “He’s my brother, David.
Dionysus’s apprentice.”

Footsteps boomed across the wooden stage. The
house was approaching. “Let me see that,” he growled, pulling the
camera away from the reporter. A few seconds of silence as he
cycled through the photos. “Proof…,” he said, almost to himself.
“I’ll be damned,” he whispered. As silent as the hall had become,
Gabriel had no doubt that the giant angel’s mutterings could be
heard at the very back of the auditorium.

Looking up, the house’s eyes were intense and
serious. “We have to act fast. Nothing like this has ever
happened,” he said.

Gabriel said, “I know. That’s what I’ve been
trying to tell you all. Will you help me?”

The house nodded and then turned towards the
rest of the Council leaders. “Who’s with me?”

One by one they raised their fists in
agreement. Gabriel’s shoulders slumped. His mission was essentially
over. With the support of the leaders, the members’ agreement would
shortly follow. And with New York on his side—along with the
photographic evidence—the other major angel hubs would soon join
the cause, too. London, Paris, Tokyo, L.A.: Thousands of angels
would come together, united, to fight against a dictator, the angel
version of Hitler or Hussein.

Gabriel should feel happy, but he didn’t. He
felt cold, lifeless, lost, defeated. His thoughts swirled
aimlessly.
His brother. His brother. His brother. David. Not
David. Not anymore. David was not David, not really.

“
Another shot before we kiss the other
side

Tonight, yeah baby

I’m on the edge of something final we call
life tonight

Alright, alright

Pull on your shades ‘cause I’ll be dancing in
the flames

Tonight, yeah baby

It doesn’t hurt ‘cause everybody knows my
name tonight

Alright, alright

It’s hard to feel the rush

To push the dangerous

I’m gonna run right to, to the edge with
you

Where we can both fall over in love

I’m on the edge of glory

And I’m hanging on a moment of truth

Out on the edge of glory

And I’m hanging on a moment with you

I’m on the edge”

Lady Gaga- “Edge of Glory”

From the album
Born This Way
(2011)

A
final hug and it
was time. Sam looked at her seriously. “Don’t get yourself killed,
alright?”

Taylor said, “I’ll be fine, I always have
been.”

“I know.”

Taylor watched awkwardly as Chris embraced
his girlfriend. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed
Gabriel. She wished he was coming on the mission.

Earlier, she and Kiren had met with Clifford
for an update on Gabriel’s and Sampson’s mission. He wouldn’t tell
them much, except to say that it was going extremely well and that
their boyfriends were safe. She wondered why he was being so
tight-lipped. The only thing she could come up with was that he
didn’t want to distract her from her own mission.
As long as
Gabriel was okay
, she thought.

Taylor had spent the previous day hanging out
with Sam. It was fun, like the old days—before serious boyfriends
and wars. They ate ice cream and laughed. They went shopping, which
Taylor normally hated, but enjoyed this time. They shot pool. While
sharing a mushroom pizza for dinner, they reminisced about high
school, back when times were simpler. For the first time in a few
weeks, they both slept in their own beds alone, talking late into
the night about everything and nothing. It was what Taylor
needed.

Now she was focused on what she hoped would
be the end of the Great War. She didn’t know how to defeat
Dionysus, but she knew she was capable. And she knew she would have
Chris and Kiren with her, two of the most dependable friends she
had ever had. Good friends, true friends.

It was time.

The mission team left together, walking side
by side down the familiar tunnel, onto the transporter, and into
the other familiar tunnel that led to the teleport room. Once
inside, the threesome held hands. Chris said, “Ready?”

“Are you sure Rocky can’t come along?” Taylor
asked.

Chris laughed. “I don’t think he would do too
well on a stealth mission. Each of his legs weighs about a
ton.”

“I’ve seen him tiptoe; he can be quieter than
you might think.”

Chris said, “Maybe next time.”

“I hope there isn’t a next time,” Taylor
said.

Kiren said, “You say that now, but trust me,
you’ll miss it once it’s gone.”

Taylor knew she was right but didn’t want to
admit it. “Okay, ready,” she said instead.

Twisting-turning-melting-spinning—the trio
moved through a strange vortex. Taylor closed her eyes so she
wouldn’t get dizzy. When the motion stopped, she reopened them to a
different world. The fiery torches had been replaced by the shining
sun; the rocky walls were no more—she could see for miles in all
directions, her view obstructed only by the twin mountain ranges
that rose up on either side of the valley; the heavy, cavernous air
had changed to fresh, sweet air, which she gulped at greedily.

Taylor’s team was sitting in the uppermost
branches of a pine tree that had grown high above one of the
mountain peaks. The fresh smell of pine needles filled her
nostrils, like the scent in a room just after a real Christmas tree
had been erected.

“A tree, huh?” Taylor said.

“We look after our angel friends,” Chris
said. “Given you have wings like a bird, we thought you might
prefer to nest in a tree. It’s not our thing, but…”

“A ledge would have been just fine,” Taylor
said, smirking. The demons in the Lair were constantly teasing
their angel guests, calling them various bird names, like robin, or
sparrow. They shied away from using the term
pigeon
, which
was considered derogatory by the angels. They also shied away from
using grander bird names, like eagle or kingfisher, as the point
was to get under the angels’ skin, not compliment them. It was all
in good fun and the angels certainly didn’t back down, using
nicknames like nightcrawler and hyena to describe their darker
allies.

From the top of the tree, Taylor could see
the Warrior’s Plateau, the site of the fight between Clifford and
Dionysus. The fight wasn’t scheduled to start for hours, but they
had arrived early to set up surveillance. They assumed the angels
would do the same, so they had left two hours earlier than they
would normally, to ensure they were the first ones on site. The
stakes couldn’t be higher, and they wanted to grab every advantage
they could.

“How’s Sam?” Chris asked.

“You should know, she’s your girlfriend,”
Taylor said.

“Right. Do you always tell Gabriel exactly
how you’re feeling?”

“Sampson and I tell each other everything,”
Kiren interjected.

Taylor said, “Really? I think we hide our
true feelings sometimes. I do it mostly because I don’t want him to
worry about me and hover over me like a concerned parent.”

“He just does it because he loves you,” Kiren
said.

“I know, but it gets annoying.”

Chris said, “I do it sometimes, too, because
I’m expected to act tough and macho, but—”

“You’re really just a big softie inside,”
Taylor finished. “I know, I know, you’ve said it before. What’s
your point?”

“My point is that I think Sam tries to act
tough sometimes when I’m forced to put myself in dangerous
situations. I’d like to know how she’s really feeling.”

Taylor said, “She’s so scared she might pee
herself. That’s the truth. Now don’t think about it or you’re not
gonna be able to do what you need to do.”

Chris laughed. “You have a way with words,
Taylor.”

Something caught Taylor’s eye. Turning her
head to the left sharply, she discovered it was actually
some
one
. An angel, given away by his dull glow, picked his
way along the mountainside.
No, not just one angel, four.
Three glowing figures trailed behind the first, moving silently
across the wooded slopes. Unless they happened to look up they
wouldn’t see their watchers.

Taylor whispered, “We’ve got company,” and
pointed below. Chris and Kiren peered through the branches.

Chris hissed, “The New Archangels: Johanna,
Sarah, Percy, and—”

“David,” Taylor said. Suddenly she was glad
that Gabriel wasn’t on the mission with them. While he knew his
brother was dangerous, he also desperately wanted to talk to him,
to reason with him, to make him understand. If he were here, he
might try something stupid. And today needed to be a stupid-free
day.

“They’re setting up surveillance, too,” Chris
said. “I’m glad we got here earlier.”

Taylor nodded. “They’re missing Lucas and
Cassandra,” she noted.

Kiren said, “Maybe Dionysus doesn’t trust
them after the last time. Lucas nearly got killed and Cassandra was
captured.”