Battle Angel (3 page)

Emily
was written in seductive pink cursive, right above a picture of her face. “There’s no way the Angels won’t come,” the T-shirt girl was chirping. “They’re just trying to teach us a lesson because humans were being mean to them. If you’re out there watching, Jacks or Emily, or Chloe, or even Archangel Godspeed, please come back! We need you! OMG, we
love
you!” She shrieked until she was practically swooning.

The next interview was with a middle-aged man holding a sign depicting both an Angel and a UFO, with a big green question mark painted between the two. A conspiracy theorist, Maddy figured. “Where are the demons?” he asked. “Have we actually
seen
them besides on specially staged television broadcasts?” He was getting more and more worked up. “This whole ‘war’ is just a diversion to distract us from what’s really going on in the government with Senator Linden. It’s a cover-up. A conspiracy to turn America against the Angels, and people are swallowing it hook, line, and sinker. Just like the supposed ‘moon landing,’ as if anyone believes that. Save the Angels!” Behind him, the group of Angel conspiracy theorists howled and cheered.

The image cut and Tara was back, spinning toward the camera with a dramatic flourish. “Also out of the spotlight is Maddy Montgomery.” Maddy bolted upright on the couch. “Since her public announcement in support of the Immortals Bill, we have heard nothing from Angel City’s newest Guardian. What are her thoughts on the impending demon attack? Has Jackson abandoned her to be with the Immortals, wherever they are? Will we ever see those famous Maddy Montgomery wings flying over Angel City again?” Footage of Maddy in flight, her luminous purple wings outstretched, hair cutting across her face, filled the screen, and she flipped the station.

On the Angel News Network, a grave-looking anchor was in the middle of a story. “There are even some global experts who say that despite so-called demon sightings, the sinkhole off the coast of Angel City will not develop further.” The shot cut across the news desk to a bespectacled man in a sharp suit.

“The Angels are playing a game of chicken. A very, very sophisticated game of chicken. It’s all about who blinks first. They’ll come to our aid, but they want to teach the entire world a lesson first. It’s not as if they would simply
abandon
us, would they?” He chuckled nervously, and Maddy felt bad for him.

She flipped and flipped again, only to land on more of the same. Every channel was reporting either on the attack or on the growing crowd in front of the Temple of Angels. A!
seemed to be the only network that had given up running anything about the demon attack. In fact, it had switched to a rerun of Chloe’s reality show,
Seventeen and Immortal
,
to be followed by a marathon of old Angel Commissioning ceremonies.

“It’s just more of the same,” Kevin said as he entered the room and handed Maddy a mug.

“Thanks,” Maddy said, and smiled at her uncle through the steam. “This is great.” And it was. The warmth of the tea radiated through her chest as she drank. Kevin just shrugged, but Maddy could see the intensity in his face, and she could tell he wanted to say something to her. He looked down at his tea.

“We’re all in this together, Mads,” he said, finally looking up at her. “Even if the Angels really have left us, I’m still here. And so is Tom. And President Linden. He’ll know what to do.” Maddy smiled a little and wrapped her arm around him, pressing the side of her face against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat against her cheek. She felt Kevin’s hands fumble for a hug, which was a bit awkward, but warm all the same. Suddenly Maddy felt herself being pulled back into thoughts of the pier, but she stopped herself before she could get started. There were more important things at hand, she told herself.

“I know there are a lot of people who don’t think this is real,” Maddy said. “But, Kevin, we need to assume the demons are coming.” Maddy looked at her uncle.

“I know what you’re trying to tell me,” Kevin said. “And I’m not leaving. They’ve already closed down the freeways for emergency vehicles only. All the chaos earlier today blocked everything. No one’s getting out now.”

“I could make a call—” Maddy started to suggest. Kevin stopped her by putting a hand on her shoulder.

“When your mom and dad left you with me, I made them a promise. I promised that I would protect you, no matter what,” Kevin said. “Nothing about that has changed.” He looked at Maddy. “I know you, Maddy, and I know what kind of young woman, and Angel, you are. I know you aren’t leaving like the rest of them. You’ll stay here and fight. And I’m not going anywhere, either. We’re going to get through this together, just like we always have. Even a Guardian needs someone to look after her.”

Tears started to form in Maddy’s eyes, and they hugged again. Kevin’s eyes welled up a bit as well, but he quickly wiped them dry. He looked out the living room window. “Besides, who’s going to be here to reopen the diner after everything’s over if I’m out in Kansas somewhere with a bunch of refugees? No. I’m staying right here.”

• • •

Maddy took a long, hot shower, willing the steaming water to wash away the day’s events. When she was finished, she wrapped herself in a towel and walked into her old room, the one she grew up in. Kevin had more or less kept it the same way Maddy had it while in high school, but it looked much different now compared with her new glass condo. By contrast, this room was old and worn, yet somehow that was comforting. Maddy sat on her bed, which, as Kevin had promised, was neatly made. She couldn’t help thinking it was a different person who used to live in this room. A different young girl, with different dreams, who was going to live a different life. Maddy felt like an impostor.

On the bedside table sat Tom’s flight wings. She picked them up and felt the weight of them in her hands. Their heaviness always surprised her, considering how small they were. As she held the wings and sat in the quiet of her old room, the thoughts began to flood her mind. Thoughts she had tried to push away since leaving the dock, and there was no stopping them now. She replayed a string of decisions in her mind, as if going over them again would convince her that they were, in fact, the right ones.

Why had she chosen Tom? Because he needed something to fight for. He was going up against an enemy he could not possibly beat, and the least she could do was give him a reason to survive. Fear welled inside her as she pictured Tom aloft in a fiery sky, fighting for his life against supernatural creatures that couldn’t be killed by bullets or bombs. In a moment like that, Maddy thought, death might feel like a welcome escape. If the future he saw for them together could keep him alive, then so be it. Her love was the best weapon she could give him to use against the demon army. And so she had done what needed to be done, just like she always tried to do. It was her job as an Angel. Sacrifice. Tom was her Protection now.

But—what about Jacks? She let herself fall back in the bed and listened to it creak like it used to with her weight. Her eyes traced the familiar edges of the room. Did she love Jacks? Of course she did. She always would. But she would have to forget about Jacks. Not just for herself, but also for Tom. She had made a promise to Tom, and she intended to keep it. The only question was, could she?

Could she forget two years in which she and Jacks had been inseparable, in which Jacks had been a part of her? She knew exactly how they fit together, and could so vividly recall the way she would reach for his hand and lace her fingers with his, like it was the most natural thing in the world. She thought of the way he would bend his head and kiss her slowly, and could practically feel the pressure of his lips on hers. They had each other memorized. How could she just erase it all? An aching chill started in her throat and radiated through her body, and suddenly she was freezing. Shivering against her wet hair, she realized it wasn’t the temperature in the room making her cold. It was the dawning of the idea that, from the very beginning, she knew this could never work out. She’d been a fool. She had known from their very first date, when Jacks had taken her flying over Angel City, and yet she had let herself be pulled into this whole misadventure, this emotional black hole.She willingly let herself be lulled into a dream because she so badly wanted it to be real.

It was this same blind desire that had driven her to train as a Guardian Angel, and to believe that she and Jacks could actually have a life together and be happy. She didn’t want to see that she and Jacks were too different, that they came from different worlds and had different values. Just like she didn’t want to see that Jacks’s injuries were as severe as they were after his fight with the demon, or that he would withdraw from her as her own star rose. Just like she didn’t want to see herself becoming swept up in the glamorous lifestyle of a Guardian—the money, the fame, the adoration—so she just closed her eyes to the world while it all washed over her, while she let herself be sucked into everything she used to hate about the Angels. Maddy thought back to the moment she received her rich, entitled Protections, the same moment she realized she had lost herself and become just another Angel. The memory turned her stomach. That wasn’t who she was, but it was who Jacks was. She had wanted the dream of the two of them together so badly that she couldn’t see that was all it was ever going to be: a dream, a fantasy. They were just too different to ever work. How often, Maddy wondered bitterly, do people really see things for what they are? How often do we instead just see a
version
of things—the version we want them to be? Here she was, two years later, and things were exactly the same as they’d been on that first night. And now she really had to face it: Maddy Montgomery and Jackson Godspeed just weren’t meant to be.

She turned over and looked at the flight wings in her hand. If she somehow survived the demon attack, if she could help Tom and Kevin and everyone she loved to survive, then it didn’t matter what happened to her afterward. If she and Tom could have a life together, wouldn’t that be enough? Maddy’s smile was slight, bittersweet. There’s a strange sense of freedom and calm in letting go of your own desires and giving in to the path that fate has placed before you. She pictured her life up until this point as standing waist-deep in a swiftly moving river, straining and fighting against a relentless current but getting nowhere. Now she was finally letting go and was ready to let the current take her. There was something beautiful about it. Maybe the current would take her to the place she was always meant to go. Maybe everything was going to be okay. She felt a weight lift off her chest, one that she hadn’t even realized was there until now.

Yet, deep inside her, the flame that still flickered for Jacks had to be snuffed out. She conjured up an image of Kevin in the claws of one of the demons, crying out for help—crying out for her—and white-hot anger raced through her veins. Even if she was the last thing standing between Kevin and an entire army of monsters, she would never abandon him. Jacks knew the kind of danger her uncle was in, the danger everyone was in, and yet he was content doing nothing. He was actually going to stand by and leave those weaker than him to their fate. Tom, on the other hand, was out there right now, preparing to go up against impossible odds without a second thought for himself. The anger came to a boil inside Maddy, replacing her blood with bitter water and filling her. Consuming her. She erased those pictures of the Jacks she loved, of the impeccable Angel she had memorized, and replaced them with the new Jacks. This was the Jacks in battle armor, worn to attack humans. That armor and those robotic wings were all that was left of him now. She let herself think through her next realization very slowly. If the Angels wouldn’t help the humans against their enemy, then the
Angels were the enemy, too.

She sat up and looked out her window to the Angel City sign that stood on the hill, still gleaming and white, like a beacon. How she hated that sign and everything it stood for. How she hated the city and everything it had done to her.

In a low voice, Maddy said aloud, “Nonaction is complicity.” She thought of the Emergency Broadcast on the radio. That broadcast was like her life now. This was
not
a test. This was really happening. The Angels were the enemy. The logic was irrefutable. And that could only mean one thing.

Jackson Godspeed was now her enemy, too.

N
estled in between the trees in the Angel City Hills, the ostentatious glass cube building was perfectly under the radar. In Pittsburgh, Plymouth, or Podunkville, USA, it would have stuck out like a sore thumb. But here up off Mulholland it was just another display of Angel taste, wealth, exclusiveness, and prestige. The front entrance was the site of what would likely be the last public Angel televised appearance for some time. Archangel William Holyoake had stepped out with Jackson and other Guardians at his side to state that the Guardians would not be taking part in the demon war. And all just before the first demon scouts had been sent into the Immortal City.

As Jackson dropped down from the sky, he entered the glass doorway and retracted his glowing wings, all in one smooth motion. The security guards positioned inside the cube saluted him, but Jacks didn’t pay any attention to them as he walked—stomped, really—to the large elevator, which was housed in a marble column in the rear center of the cube. The gleaming doors opened smoothly, and Jackson stepped into the plush car. Soothing music played from sleek speakers, and an enormous TV embedded in the back wall displayed footage of underwater tropical fish swimming calmly along a coral reef.

He didn’t have to push a button. There was only one way the elevator could go. And that was down.

It took some time for the elevator to reach its destination. Not too long ago, Jacks had idly wondered how deep down the sanctuary actually was. Now he couldn’t have cared less, and he didn’t even notice the ride. After what Maddy had done to him on the pier, his mind—his whole body—had become a tempest of rage, sadness, and confusion.

The elevator dinged, the doors opened to reveal another world, and Jackson began walking, his footsteps echoing along the Italian marble floor. The secure Angel complex had been prepared as a haven for just the kind of emergency the demon attack posed. It had been dreamed up during the Cold War, when the threat of nuclear annihilation was a real concern, but this was no bare-bones underground bunker. Far from it. In true Angel fashion, no creature comfort was left uncared for.

Long, elegant passageways extended underground, illuminated by soft light coming from frosted windows along the way, which simulated sunlight filtering through to the lush plants. Jackson’s footsteps echoed as they stepped along the marble floors. The Immortals’ living quarters were furnished with huge flat-screen TVs, enormous claw-foot bathtubs, king-sized beds with feather pillows, and balconies that looked out over artificial lakes. All the interior windows were outfitted with electric bulbs timed to simulate natural light from dawn through sunset, and the air was pure and fresh from outside. They had everything they needed for quite some time. Everything had been planned out immaculately.

It was called the sanctuary.

The complex was known only to a handful of non-Angels who had been forced to sign threatening-looking, ironclad agreements promising they would never say anything about it. Any slip of a word and an army of Angel lawyers would be suing the pants off them. Back when the sanctuary was being built, a construction worker blabbed his story, and the
National Enquirer
ran a story with the headline, “HOLE-Y COW! SECRET ANGEL UNDERGROUND LAIR!” The construction worker was sued into the next century, and the next week the tabloid took the very unorthodox step of totally taking back every part of the story, saying: “How sad we are to admit we had been fooled so easily.” And so the legend of the sanctuary died.

But the legend was real. The sanctuary was quietly refurbished every few years so it remained up-to-date for the finicky Angels. There were the living quarters, which were lavish and suitable for those Angels who were only accustomed to the finer things in life. Along the passageways were rows of boutiques displaying the latest trends, fine jewelry shops, a half-dozen organic gourmet restaurants, and a couple of fancy cafés. Everything the Immortal City had to offer, all kept safe and tucked away in the sanctuary. It was all perfectly planned and was the ideal place to ride out the demon attacks while still ensuring that the Angels kept their foothold in Angel City, no matter what happened upstairs.

The Angels had only been down there for a day, but they were already settling in nicely. The sanctuary was always prepped for their arrival and ongoing comfort, and now the time had finally come. As soon as the demons struck with the sinkhole, the Angels had simply disappeared from human sight, stealing away from their homes in the Angel City Hills and descending to their paradise below.

But the sanctuary wasn’t only used for hiding. Somewhere along the way, the maze of passages led to the Council chambers. Once a year, the Angels convened in the sanctuary ballroom for an ultrasecret gala where they honored the Council of Twelve, who had brought them into the Light. And sometimes the Archangels would have their most secretive meetings—or, depending on whom you asked, secret parties, complete with wild debauchery—down here. There were also darker rumors about darker things that had taken place in the sanctuary during the Troubles, but they were never substantiated.

• • •

“Godspeed,” said Mitch, Jackson’s closest friend, calling out to him as he passed.

Jackson kept walking.

“Godspeed!” Mitch caught up to him and put his hand on his best friend’s shoulder.

Jackson stopped on a dime and spun around to Mitch.

“What?” Jacks growled.

“Whoa, bro, relax,” Mitch said. “Your stepfather was looking for you.”

“He can keep looking.”

Mitch looked at Jackson. It didn’t take a psych major to see something wasn’t quite right. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Jacks said. He continued down the hall again, and Mitch followed alongside him.

“Sorry, I should have known you’d be upset. You know, we’re all worried. From a certain angle, it’s pretty harsh that we’re leaving the humans out in the cold like this.”

Jacks looked at Mitch in disbelief.

“I mean, I understand why you’re a little upset, bro. We’ve been protecting the humans for how many thousands of years?” Mitch said. “That’s a long time. And now, just to turn away from them with the demons coming? Even if the humans
were
trying to ban Angel activities, we could’ve worked through that, at some point. But to leave them alone like this, and they don’t even know what they’re up against?”

Jacks gave him an incredulous glance. “Are you an Immortal or a human, Mitch? Think about it. Would they have supported
us
? No. They would have been glad to see us wiped out.”

Mitch’s expression betrayed his confusion. “What are you talking about? I thought you were mad because we’re
not
helping the humans. You’ve always been pretty liberal in comparison with the National Angel Services, or NAS. We’ve talked about this for years.”

Jacks snorted.

Mitch put his hand on Jacks’s shoulder and stopped him again. “What happened? This isn’t like you, Jacks,” Mitch said. “I knew you were gone for a while today. A bunch of Angels saw you leave. No one said anything to Mark or anything, though.” Mitch paused. “Did you go see her?”

Jackson ignored the question. “Don’t you remember the Immortals Bill, Mitch? They were going to imprison us. Remember whose side you belong to. Don’t be a human sympathizer.” Jacks paused and steeled himself. “They deserve whatever they’re going to get.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying, man. You can’t believe that. Whatever’s happened between you two, you still have to think about Maddy!”

The name was like a billowing red sheet waving in front of a speared bull. He shoved Mitch out of the way and stormed down the gilded passageway.

• • •

Jackson hadn’t gotten far before a beautiful female assistant of the Council’s dressed in a luminous modern robe stopped him.

“Jackson,” she said calmly.

“What?” Jacks spun around angrily on the woman.

“You’re wanted in the solarium.”

• • •

Gabriel was unmistakable as he sat on a bench near the tree in the solarium, with his mass of lustrous white hair and seemingly ageless face illuminated by the artificial light. The sanctuary solarium had been built many years ago as one of its first features. Situated on the edge of the sanctuary, near the passage to the Council chambers, it was reserved exclusively for the Council and its closest circle. Jackson had never been inside.

Gabriel wore his normal golden robe, which seemed almost to glow as it touched his skin. Jackson’s stepfather, Mark Godspeed, was there as well, standing just off to the side of the bench alongside a few advisers to the Council. Behind them, a small stone bridge crossed an indoor stream that ran through the solarium. All around, lush green and flowering plants were flourishing, making a small path circling the entire area. A butterfly flitted past. Above, a span of domed, frosted glass covered the whole scene. Behind the glass, huge electric bulbs shone with the warmth and light of the sun.

Gabriel, chief True Immortal of the Council of Twelve, leader of the Angels in the Great Awakening, founder of the NAS, looked at Jackson Godspeed and smiled.

“I know I’ve said it before, but the armor of the Battle Angel suits you well,” Gabriel said, observing the young Angel in front of him. “Rest assured, Jackson, we will not forget your loyalty, your willingness to stand by us on the brink of the human-Angel war. Even though, thankfully, it did not come to pass.”

“I would think of doing nothing else,” Jackson said.

Once again Gabriel gave his ancient smile. Throughout the recent dramatic events, Jackson had found a kind of shelter with Gabriel. Far from being simply a figurehead, he was genuinely concerned about the welfare of the Angels on a daily basis, and it showed. He could have delegated everything, but he didn’t. He felt he had a duty, and Jackson admired him for that.

“There is a reason we wanted to see you, Guardian Godspeed,” Gabriel said. “Jackson, we’ve been discussing the possibility of helping the humans.”

Jacks struggled to mask the shock that ran across his face.

Gabriel continued. “It is obviously quite difficult for us just to stand idly by. Even if the humans were planning to turn on us with the Immortals Bill. After all, we have ancient ties and lines of duty to humanity, stretching back far, far before we ever left Home and made ourselves known on Earth.”

Mark nodded silently at Gabriel’s side.

A flood of emotion crashed across Jackson’s face, coloring it, as he thought of what might happen between him and Maddy if the Angels could rejoin the humans. It might not be too late after all. But the painful image of her in the arms of that . . .
pilot
chased away his fresh-born hopes. Gabriel looked at Jackson and smiled once again.

“I can see you have some feelings on the subject, Jacks,” Gabriel said. “Do you mind sharing them?”

Jacks hesitated a moment, looking to both Gabriel and Mark. He wondered what the right answer was. What did he
really
feel?

“It’s hard to say, sir,” Jacks said uncertainly.

“That’s why we’ve been discussing this for so long here in the solarium. There’s no easy answer. You’re right to see that. Prudence in these matters is vital,” Gabriel said. “That said, Jacks, after our debate, I still think we have no choice but to leave the humans to their own devices. Even if we’d not had problems with them and Linden, there is just too much at stake for us to compromise everything by entering the battle against the demons.” Gabriel paused as if to let this monumental fact sink in.

“The fact of the matter is,” he went on, “we did leave Home when I decided to bring us out of hiding. And for a good reason: We have a destiny here on Earth. We need always to keep our thoughts focused upon preserving the Angel line. We have no idea how large the force of the Dark Ones will be. It is quite doubtful, even with our highest standard of training and loyalty among the Battle Angel corps, that Angelkind could realistically weather an attack from a large number of demons. Too many would be lost. Too much blood would be spilled. While, if we stay here in the sanctuary, we will remain safe, and in the end Angel City will ultimately remain under our control. Just as it was meant to be. The demons are here for the humans, Jackson. Not us.”

Mark cleared his throat and spoke up. “We’ve debated this a lot, Jacks. Even in the face of the anti-Angel Immortals Bill we have thought of helping the humans.” The worry lines written in his forehead grew more pronounced as he spoke. “But there’s nothing we can do.”

“And the Book of Angels has spoken clearly on this matter,” Gabriel said. “For centuries our scholars have deemed this to be a prophecy about humanity, not Angels. We just did not think it would come so soon for our human brothers and sisters.” As he said this, Gabriel’s ageless face took on a sad, faraway look, his mind likely drifting to thoughts of the countless human beings he’d protected and served throughout his epic lifetime.

“I as much as anyone know that there may be . . . temptations to help the humans in the coming conflict with the demons.” Gabriel cast his kindly, Immortal gaze on Jackson.

“Archangel Godspeed has informed us of certain feelings you probably still have for the Madison Godright girl. This, too, is understandable, my son.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Jacks said, unblinkingly and without pause. “I promise.”

“You needn’t put up a front for us, Jackson. We know you are prepared to do your duty. But we are not hard. We have loved, as well. Our entire order is, in fact, based on love. A love of righteousness and for the Protections we have sworn to save.”

Gabriel turned partially and looked out past the foliage into the pathways of the solarium. “It is difficult, of course, to see all those Protections we have spent our lives Protecting now be put in such grave danger. But endangering ourselves just to help those who would have rendered illegal our one true purpose is worse than insane. It is against our principles. Our homes can be rebuilt. Communities will be reconstructed. All these things would pass on their own accord, as part of history, no matter how sweeping the destruction. But we Angels must endure,” he said. “There is no other way.”