Espial (16 page)

     “Try to see
things from the spoon’s point of view. How would you feel as a spoon? What is
your purpose? How are you treated? Are you flexible or inflexible? These are
some of the basic things to start thinking of to make…” Her voice trailed off.
The spoon immediately moved from the table and shot into my hand. “Of course.
This would be easy to a natural like you.” Div and I both began laughing.
Christian looked at me with his mouth agape.

     “That was
cool, Sol!” he exclaimed when he finally found the words.

     “Thanks,
Christian.”

     “Now open
the book to page four hundred and sixty-seven,” instructed Div.

     The book
flashed open, pages flipping rapidly before they all stopped. Div and I walked
over and saw that it landed on page four hundred and sixty-six.

     “Hm,” said
Div, eyeing me.

     “I’m trying
to flip it one last page, but it won’t turn for some reason,” I said.

     Div took
the book and began reading the page it had landed on. “Um. I think we’re
supposed to read this, that’s why.”

     I walked
over to her and began reading the headline on the page. “The Final Judgment,” I
read aloud. “Div, where did you find this book?”

     “It was on
the floor of my hallway weeks ago. I picked it up and just left it at my
place.”

     I flipped
to the book’s cover, which had no title or author. I went back to page four
hundred and sixty-six. “There comes the day on which all beings will be judged
for their eternal future,” I began to read. “Blessed or cursed, this judgment
will seal the fates of all of the dead and living for the rest of time. It is a
day one cannot escape. A day when either evil or good shall prevail for all
eternity.” As soon as I read the last word, the page was able to turn. It was
blank.

     “I think
it’s a warning,” said Div with concern.

     “A warning
for what?” asked Christian.

     “If we
don’t do something about Sato,” I said, “then evil might prevail and overrun
the world for good.”

     “Oh no. It
can’t be.”

     “It won’t
if we stick together and get our job done,” assured Div. “Come, Sol. I think
it’s time we show you something new we’ve been working on with the defense
department here.” She took my hand and led me to Stella’s office. Stella
greeted us and activated her desktop screen.

     “I thought
now would be a good time to show Sol the special wings we’ve been working on.”

     “I agree,”
replied Stella. “Come over, Sol. Take a look.”

     I
approached her desk as she opened an image of metallic wings. “Those look like
the wings of Sato’s robotic army.”

     “Precisely.
We’ve recovered some of the bodies from the ATS immediately after you arrived
and began inspecting them. After weeks of running tests and making minor
changes to the overall design, we’ve been able to create military-grade robotic
wings for our Espials here. Rider believes we need everyone helping us in this
fight, not just angels. I agree with him.” Using two fingers, Stella enlarged
the image to fill up most of the screen. I looked closely at the detailed work.
The wings were truly impressive and seemed well-fortified. The memory of Sacra
fighting the demon quickly flashed through my mind.

     “We’re
going to customize these robotic wings and outfit every Espial in Los Angeles
with a pair,” explained Div. “During that time, we’ll hold some basic combat
drills so that everyone knows how to properly use them.”

     “The entire
process should take about two weeks,” said Stella. “The wings are being
constructed as we speak.”

     “Wow,” I
replied in awe. “This is both incredible and scary at the same time.”

     “I
understand how you feel. Yet in the times we live, they are necessary
precautions.”

     I nodded
and turned to Div. “Will you be training everyone?”

     “Yes, which
is why I’d like to finish your training sessions by next week. Time is almost
up.”

     “What do we
have left?”

     “I think
I’ll have time to show you basic wing regeneration, but invisibility may have
to wait until the mission is over. I’d rather you spend the rest of the time
practicing what you’ve already learned.”

     “Since we
only have a week left, let’s get started with regeneration now.” Div and I
thanked Stella for her time and made our way back to the lobby. Christian had
left, the reception desk now occupied by Victoria. She was reading through the
book we had left.

     “Wing
regeneration is self-explanatory. It’s our ability to repair an injured part of
our wings. Keep in mind, not all injuries can be repaired. Some are too
damaging to ever heal.” Div took a dagger out from her boot and before I could
stop her, she slashed her left wing. It began dripping blood, staining the
feathers. Her aura seemed to dim slightly.

     “Remedia,”
she whispered, eyes closed. The gash in her wing began to close together. The
blood seemed to evaporate into thin air. In moments, her wing looked perfectly
normal again.         

     “Well
that’s very useful,” I said in amazement.

     “It
definitely is. It can also work on minor fractures or small breaks. But
remember, more traumatic wounds likely won’t heal. An angel would need to seek
assistance or it will bleed out.”

     “Do you
want me to try?”

     Div didn’t
even respond. She quickly slashed be blade across one of my wings. I winced,
feeling when it made contact. I turned and saw blood dripping down my right
wing.

     “Close your
eyes and say “Remedia”, she reminded me.

     I closed my
eyes and whispered the way she had. I turned again and saw that the wound was
healing just as hers did. The blood evaporated as well.

     “Div, you
and Sol have been summoned to Stella’s office,” said Victoria, reading a
message on her screen.

     “Alright.
Let’s go.”

     “Here’s
what we’ve mapped out,” said Stella. She waved her hand rapidly, which opened
up an interactive map of Terredome on the hologram above her desk. “As you can
see, the Central Excellency Building sits precisely in the middle of the city.
Surrounding it are the factories that produces all goods. To the east lies the
residential community. The south houses the primary and secondary schools. The
west is where the boarding schools’ campus sits. And in the north lies the
military headquarters.” She expanded the map to focus on the CEB. “Our weapon
is a nuclear reactor. We can access the underground tunnels and overhead
catwalks that stem from the factories. Using the tunnel passageways, we will
head to the central-most location underneath the building. Once the reactor is
planted, everyone will have precisely three minutes to vacate the premises
before it detonates.”

     “Am I the
only one who remembers what happened the last time a nuclear reactor was
activated on this planet?” asked Div. “We’ve barely recovered from that
catastrophe and you want to use one again?”

     “Our design
specialists have created a way in which the blast will be localized to
Terredome only. If planted properly, the only damage will occur within city
limits.”

     “And what
if it’s not planted properly?”

     “Well let’s
just say that we cannot plant it improperly.”

     “Where does
Sol fit into all of this? Will she be planting it?” asked Luke.

     “No,”
replied Rider. “Sol was correct: Warren Sato wants her alive. So she will keep
him distracted in the building while we are planting the bomb.”

     “How will I
know when it’s time to leave?” I asked.

     “We will
implant a hearing device. It won’t be seen by anyone. Once you receive
confirmation, you must teleport yourself as far from the blast zone as
possible.”

     “Here’s how
we will set everyone up,” continued Stella. “General Matthews’ army will remain
hidden inside and outside of the factories surrounding the building. However,
they will not police the streets. We need for Sol to seem as if she is
willingly turning herself over.”

     I nodded,
agreeing with the tactic.

     “Once she’s
in his custody, Rider will guide Div and Glinda through the tunnels and into
the CEB. Invisible soldiers will be flanking them the whole way.”

     “Will the
soldiers be with me?” I asked.

     “Unfortunately,
no. Sato’s powers will enable him to see them. You must go in alone.”

     “Oh. How
are we all getting there to begin with?”

     “We set up
a new ATS pod in your former house in Terredome,” said Rider. “The pod was
installed by Div during your Oculation ceremony. We thought you’d need it that
day. The entire community has been forced to live and work within the
factories, so your former neighborhood is an utter ghost town.” I looked over
at Luke, who was shaking his head in disbelief.

     “After the
reactor is planted, everyone will fall back,” said Stella. “Sol, you must
access your invisibility and at that exact moment teleport here.” She pointed
to a house on the eastern most border of the map. “We call it “House A.” This
house sits exactly at the thirty mile mark from the CEB. You won’t be entirely
out of the blast range when you make it here, but it’ll give you several
additional seconds to board a launch pod we established there. Everyone else in
the tunnels and on the catwalks will make their way into Factory 7. You all
have three minutes once the reactor is planted to reach a pod.” She pointed to
a factory just outside the CEB. “It is currently the only abandoned factory on
the property. A single ATS pod will be set-up there for the rest of you to
transport back to L.A.”

     “After I
appear at House A, how do I return?”

     “An ATS pod
will be in that house as well,” she answered. “Ace, you will be there providing
security for Sol. Once everyone makes it through, the three pods will
automatically self-destruct.”

     “This
sounds like a great plan,” said Ace.

     “It does,
but what’s our margin for error?” asked Luke.

     “There is
no room for error,” stated Stella matter-of-factly, “because this is our one
and only shot at taking down Sato for good. If this fails, prepare to be hunted
mercilessly.” Her last words hit hard as everyone sat silently. “He has his
eyes set on world domination and our failure would only fuel his rampage. I
beseech you all to go into this with the strength and the will necessary to
pull this off flawlessly.”

     “Tomorrow
we will perform a test run,” said Rider. “The combat facility here can act as a
simulator, converting the combat room into Terredome. Let’s work hard and get
the job done. Meeting adjourned.”

     Everyone
all stood and headed to the cafeteria for dinner. I pulled Rider aside.

     “Rider,
what if I can’t teleport far enough?” I asked, worried.

     “In that
case, and only as a last resort, teleport to the pod at your house. It’s within
the blast zone but if you get there with enough time to spare, you should be
able to make it out.”

     “And what
about you, Div and Glinda?”

     “We’ll be
fine, Sol. This isn’t our first rodeo.” He gave me a half-smile, and then left
the room.

     I made my
way to the cafeteria. Servers brought out menus for us. After we made our
selections, they gracefully placed our food on the table. We all dug in and
enjoyed the ambiance. My mother, who had joined us to eat, didn’t ask how the
meeting went. I assumed Rider already updated her. I explained some of the
logistics of the operation while she nodded silently. Ace and Luke decided to
lighten the mood by making jokes throughout dinner. They succeeded in making us
all laugh and easing the tension. We all went to bed that night feeling
slightly better about what lay ahead.

     I spent the
next two days working on my teleportation with Div and practicing in the CEB
simulator within the combat room. The others joined me at various points
throughout the simulation. We all worked hard fine-tuning our tasks,
individually and as a team. I found the simulator enjoyable to work with.
Stella asked that we familiarize ourselves with every inch of Terredome in the
event we had to reroute our plan of attack. Since I grew up there, I knew every
corner of the city like the back of my hand. At the end of the first day,
specialists came in and implanted a hearing device in my ear. It was a quick,
painless procedure and Rider oversaw the process. Rider gave me a picture of
what the interior of the house in the east looked like. I memorized every
detail of it for when I would be teleporting back.

     Luke began
testing out an early model of the robotic wings. They worked seamlessly in
propelling him into the air. Each feather contained microchips and sensors that
communicated with a wireless earpiece that he wore. He simply had to think
about how or where he wanted to fly, and his wings would follow. Div and Rider
took turns fighting him both hand-to-hand and with weapons. The wings were impenetrable.
He won each and every fight.

     My training
continued the following day. I imagined what Alex’s face would look like when I
walked into the CEB. The image enhanced my personal training with Div. I was
able to teleport to various areas within the LARF. She had me begin practicing
outside as well, increasing the mileage I was able to transport to. She also
recreated distractions within the simulator so that I could practice focusing;
tuning out any ambient or random sounds. By the middle of the day before the
attack, I was able to teleport 29.25 miles.

     “If you
focus really well, you’ll be able to do it tomorrow,” said Div confidently.
“Just block out any distractions like we’ve practiced.”

     I ran over
and gave her a hug. “Thank you for everything, Div.”

     Shockingly,
she hugged me back. “You’re welcome, Sol. I know you can do this. Let’s go
eat.”

     We headed
to our final dinner in the LARF. Glinda stood at the table.

     “I just
wanted to say that while not all of us have made it this far, I am happy for everyone
sitting here tonight. I have faith that we will be victorious in our journey to
remove evil from the world.” She lifted her glass. “To the preservation of this
world we call home.” We all raised our glasses and cheered. An unspoken
agreement was made to avoid talk about the next day’s quest. Instead, we all
joked and laughed, filling the evening with a sense of peace and contentment.

     Div and
Glinda decided to sleep in my apartment. We stayed up late, chatting about what
lay ahead before sleep overpowered our ability to talk.

#

     I took
extra long in the bath. With an important day ahead, I wanted to soak up every
moment I could in the lap of luxury. Everyone seemed to have the same idea in
mind at breakfast. No one rushed to finish eating. And everyone took extra
orders, shoveling into their bodies as much food as possible. We arose together
to make our way to the ATS, where Flash, Stella and Rider awaited us. Fly was
operating the system for us, along with two assistants.

     “Flash and
I will be here monitoring everything,” said Stella reassuringly. “Please. Come
back alive.”

     “General
Matthews’ army already transported there last night,” explained Rider. “They
are all in position at the factories. Fly, please activate the launch codes.”

     Fly’s
fingers flew across the hologram. “Activated.”

     “Perfect.
Now please activate our earpieces.”

     Fly
selected a blue button on one of the screens. I heard a click in my right ear.
Voice patterns appeared on that screen, indicating our vocal levels. “You’re
on.”

     “Thank you.
Div, Glinda, and Luke. You will transport with me first. Sol, you will travel
with Ace, arriving in your old home. Head straight toward the CEB from there.
His military demons will likely intercept you on the way. Let them take you
straight to him.”

     I nodded
and took a deep breath. My mother pulled me into a final hug. “I’ll be here
waiting for you, sweetie,” she said into my hair. “I love you.”

     “I love you
too.” She pulled away and took a step back to watch. Rider, Div, and Glinda
stepped onto the pad. Luke came over and gave me a quick kiss. He then ran onto
the pod, standing beside Rider. He adjusted his robotic wings to lay flush
against his body. This launch pad was faster than the one in the ARC. It
flashed instantaneously without a countdown. They were all gone. I then stepped
onto it with Ace. Stella, Flash and my mother looked on as we flashed and
disappeared. I blinked and found myself in my old room.