Angels of Heaven flew above their heads, leaving trails of glowing fire.
“What does it all mean?” Vilma asked.
Aaron looked about him. The surviving Unforgiven angels were seeing to their wounded, to their dead. He saw his mother, Taylor Corbet, kneeling upon the sand, a wounded angel’s head resting in her lap. Gabriel was there as well, the dog using his unique talent to take away the Unforgiven’s fear.
His gaze was again drawn to the wondrous sight in the sky above him, and he remembered his conversation with the Lord God.
He had no idea what it all meant, but then he saw the Metatron moving again and figured they were about to find out.
The armored giant extended his massive arms, palms turned upward.
“Hear me, sons and daughters of earth,” the Metatron’s voice reverberated inside his head, and inside the heads of every man, woman, and child upon the planet, of that Aaron was sure.
“For I am the voice of God.”
Aaron stood transfixed before the manifestation of God upon the earth. A great change had come to the world this day. Not only had the forces of darkness been vanquished by the light, but Heaven and the earth were united again.
Bound more closely than ever before.
The earth was now an extension of God’s kingdom.
Watched over by the beings who were the embodiment of both Heaven and earth, divine and human.
Nephilim.
And the name went out over the world for all to hear and know—
Nephilim.
They were to be the guardians of a new world—
Nephilim.
Emissaries of God’s light, and scourges of shadow—
Nephilim.
It was their world to watch over and protect from harm—
Nephilim.
And they would do anything, and everything, to keep it safe.
EPILOGUE
One Year After God’s Message to the World
Aaron Corbet stood with hands clasped behind his back as the giant, ghostly simulacrum of the earth slowly spun before him above the floor of the control center.
If there were any dangers that required the attention of the Nephilim, a circle of red would have pulsed with the location. At the moment, there was quiet, as if to acknowledge that a year ago this day, God had made a declaration to the world. Darkness would no longer have a place on earth, and the Nephilim were there to ensure that remained so.
So much has changed in a year, Aaron thought, as he looked about the control center where he and his technicians worked tirelessly to carry out Heaven’s wishes.
They had come to the installation in droves, men, women, and children, the young and the old, people eager to help achieve God’s vision for the world. For many, the world had lived too long in the shadow of darkness, and they welcomed the Nephilim’s efforts.
Others, well, some did not care to see one group endowed with so much power, but they were slowly coming around.
What choice did they have?
Aaron liked to think of this control room as a representation of the world. All people, Nephilim, humans, and even members of the monstrous Community working together toward a common goal.
“Sir?”
Aaron turned to the member of the Unforgiven, Cobb, who had chosen to stay on the earth and not be redeemed by Aaron’s touch.
The images of that day briefly filled Aaron’s mind. With their mission accomplished, the Unforgiven angels had been given the choice of returning to Heaven, purged of their sins and returned to their glory, or staying on earth. Most had chosen to return, but several embraced a new mission.
“Commander Verchiel wishes to speak to you from the Ukrainian hot spot,” Cobb said.
Commander Verchiel, Aaron thought, barely feeling the anger that the angel used to generate. Yes, much had changed in the last year.
“Put him through,” Aaron said, directing the operator to open the connection on the command center floor.
There was a slight distortion in the air before him, and then a window opened to reveal the former Powers’ leader, murderer of countless Nephilim, who now served their cause.
* * *
After what seemed like an eternity, Verchiel had found his calling.
He had a clarity now that he’d never had before.
“Go ahead, Verchiel,” Aaron’s voice spoke in his ear.
Verchiel scowled at the intrusion, tempted to tear the damnable piece of technology from his ear and melt it to slag in his grip, but he was of a calmer spirit now and accepted his former enemy’s more—modern—ways. “Yes.” Verchiel tapped the audiovisual device plugged uncomfortably in his ear. “It is me.”
“Yeah, I know that. You called me.”
“Yes,” Verchiel agreed. “I did call.”
He heard the sniggering laughter of his monster compatriots behind him and turned to glare at them. There were times that he wondered why he had been so merciful, sparing them from becoming ash and bone.
But then again, if he had reacted to his baser instincts and killed them all, he would never have had the honor of commanding such skilled and ferocious warriors. These beasts rivaled those of the original Powers. Despite their lack of decorum, they were a force to be reckoned with, and one that he was proud to lead.
“What have you found, Verchiel?” Aaron asked.
Verchiel and his warriors had been sent to investigate a possible demonic infestation beneath the tiny village of Korolivka in the Brody Raion region of Ukraine. There had been some unusual seismic activity in the area, and sensors back at the command center had suggested a supernatural threat.
“We thought the village abandoned when we first arrived, but we were wrong.”
Verchiel walked around the underground chamber where he and his small army were crammed, stepping over the still-burning bodies of those that had been slain, giving Aaron Corbet a view of what had transpired.
“I’m guessing our suspicions were correct?” the Nephilim leader asked in his ear.
“Indeed they were,” Verchiel replied. “We located the disturbance in tunnels beneath the village, where we engaged and eliminated the enemy.”
“The missing villagers?” Aaron questioned.
Verchiel knelt down amongst the dead, so Aaron could see the face of the enemy. “One and the same,” the angel said.
The face of an older man’s corpse was twisted, as if the skull beneath his flesh were taking on a new shape. Horns were beginning to push out through the pale flesh of his forehead.
Even though darkness had been burned from the world by the light of Heaven, evil still managed to hide in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to flourish.
“Deamons,” Aaron commented. “That makes the fourth encounter in three weeks.”
The Deamons were just one of the newer threats to the world since the Almighty decreed it part of Heaven. It was as if the ancient species, which possessed the flesh of the living, twisting it into a monstrous mockery, had been patiently waiting to emerge.
Waiting for Heaven to be closer.
Verchiel felt a surge of excitement. This was why he had been given a second chance. This was what the Lord God Almighty had really wanted him to do. And this time there would be no distractions.
Aaron’s voice was again in his ear. “So if we’re dealing with Deamons here, then we likely have a—”
“Nest,” Verchiel finished, turning around in the cramped space to reveal a larger area excavated from the cold, dark stone.
The chamber was filled with large, leathery eggs that seemed to glow from within with an eerie, pulsing green light.
A light that said, I am evil, and I defy you and the God that you serve.
The sickly glow within the eggs became brighter, the leathery sacks violently trembling as one after the other split open, and things oh so horrible—
Abominations to the world, and to the sight of God, started to emerge. “Right,” Verchiel heard Aaron say in his ear. “Y
ou know what to do.”
Verchiel could not help but smile as a sword of fire came to life in his hand, and his soldiers readied their own weapons.
“I most certainly do,” the mighty angel said, a divine purpose in his voice.
* * *
Aaron watched the images from the Ukrainian cave with a certain sense of satisfaction, but also with trepidation. He made a mental note to ask Levi if he could upgrade the equipment, allowing them to locate Deamon incursions before helpless innocents were possessed and killed.
He was about to ask one of his officers to set up an appointment with the former Unforgiven leader, when Melissa arrived.
“Is it that time already?” Aaron asked.
The girl smiled. “It most certainly is.”
“Give me one minute and—”
Cameron’s sudden appearance interrupted Aaron.
“Cameron,” he acknowledged with a polite nod.
Melissa stepped closer. “I was specifically ordered to report to duty now so that you could get to your appointment on time.”
Cameron smiled. “And your wife specifically ordered me to escort you.”
“My wife?” Aaron asked, looking from Melissa to Cameron. “My wife doesn’t trust me to get to our meeting when I’m supposed to?”
He felt Cameron’s grip on his arm, guiding him toward the stairs that would lead up and out of the control center.
“I guess she doesn’t,” the young man said, and Aaron noticed a look pass between Melissa and his head of security. A look that hinted of something more than just camaraderie.
He made a mental note to ask his wife if his suspicions were correct.
* * *
Vilma looked out the large picture window of the home that she shared with her husband.
After Heaven’s declaration, the Nephilim had decided that the site of the last battle, Armageddon, would be their home. The land had been given to them by the Israeli people, the materials they needed to construct their new homes donated by all the nations of the world.
Going as far as to incorporate the ancient city of Megiddo into its design, signifying their and God’s vision, Aerie 2 quickly sprang up from the desert, bringing hope to a changing world.
A changing world.
Her eyes were drawn to the soft blue of the morning desert sky, to the new star that hung there, always visible.
Heaven.
Vilma’s eyes followed a flock of Nephilim as they soared joyously above Aerie 2. The Inheritors had adjusted quite well to modern times and the roles they now played.
Some of the flock broke off from the others, touching down upon the great concrete wall that had been erected around the enormous chasm opened during the battle against the Darkstar and his legions.
She watched as the winged warriors created fearsome weapons of fire, at the ready in case any of the monstrous things that now lived deep beneath the earth decided to make an unexpected appearance.
It had been some time since there had been any contact with the denizens below, but they needed to remain vigilant.
This was their responsibility to a changing world.
Vilma stepped away from the window and quickly gathered up her things to leave for her appointment.
A changing world.
No truer words were ever spoken.
EARLIER THAT MORNING
“You know it’ll break his heart,” Gabriel said, sitting stoically in front of the apartment door.
“Aaron is a big boy now. He’ll understand,” Taylor Corbet said, as she removed her contents from the dresser and shoved them inside the backpack on the bed, zipping it closed.
She had hoped to leave Aerie 2 before anyone noticed that she was gone, but Gabriel had stopped by for a visit, catching her in the midst of packing. The dog stared at her now, his large, deep-brown eyes prodding at her soul.
“Are you going to try and stop me?” she asked him, hefting the backpack over her shoulder and moving around the bed.
“I could,” Gabriel answered. “But I won’t.”
“I thank you for that,” Taylor said. She knelt beside him, patting his soft, velvety head.
“How will you get past the sentries?”
“I’ve made arrangements,” she told him. “I won’t say any more.”
“Are you sure you need to do this?” the dog asked.
Taylor didn’t even hesitate. “Absolutely.”
Gabriel rose and stepped out of her way.
“Will you say good-bye for me?” Taylor asked as she grasped the doorknob.
“Of course.”
“And that I love him very much.”
“Yes.”
“And that no mother could ever be more proud of her son.”
“I will do that,” Gabriel promised.
Taylor pulled the door open and stepped out into the hall.
“If he asks you why I left, tell him that if even the slightest chance exists for me to have what I once did, to feel the way I once felt, I had to go for it.”
With that, Taylor Corbet left, no doubt in her mind that what she was doing was right.
As quickly as she could, Taylor made her way down to the lower levels of the building to the paths used to carry maintenance supplies. It was there that she met her contact.
Jeremy Fox stood beside the security door that opened into a tunnel leading to the wall and the edge of the chasm.
He had been put in charge of wall security by Aaron and was the first person Taylor had approached when considering what she was about to do. She’d been surprised at how understanding he’d been when he’d heard her story. She’d half expected him to report her immediately to his superiors.
To her son.
But Jeremy had agreed to help her without hesitation. She didn’t know for sure, and did not want to pry, but she guessed there was something in her story that the young man could relate to.
Perhaps he understood what it felt like to be denied a chance at true love.
“Are you certain about this?” he asked her now.
“I am,” she said, switching her knapsack from one shoulder to the other.
“Just checking,” he said, and turned to punch in a code on the side of the door. There was a loud pinging, followed by the sound of heavy locking mechanisms pulling back, and the door slowly opened.
Jeremy stepped away, turning his back on her. “Didn’t see a thing.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly, as she stepped into the dimly lit corridor.
“You be sure to tell Old Scratch that I said hi.”
“I’ll do that, Jeremy,” Taylor said, proceeding down the passage, as the heavy metal door closed behind her with finality.
There was no turning back now.
* * *
Aaron gazed down at his wife, who looked back at him with trepidation.
“We’re going to be fine,” he told her in his bravest voice.
He squeezed her hand reassuringly, as they watched the strange device of Levi’s invention drop from the ceiling, pressing firmly against Vilma’s exposed stomach.
“Hold still,” Levi ordered, as he disappeared behind a wall of complex machinery.
Aaron’s grip on Vilma’s hand intensified as the machine began to hum. “Won’t be long now,” he told her, bringing her hand to his mouth to kiss it. “Almost done.”
He had no idea how long the test would take, but he’d do anything to reassure her.
Vilma hadn’t been feeling well, something quite uncommon for her, and they’d decided to consult with Levi about the cause.
The machine had grown temporarily louder, before it was silenced and gradually moved away from Vilma’s stomach, then back up into its housing on the ceiling.
“Is that it?” Vilma asked, a look of relief on her beautiful face.
“I think it is,” Aaron answered, bending down to kiss her sweat-dampened brow.
They waited for what seemed like an eternity before Levi stepped out from behind the cov
er of machinery.
“Well?” Aaron prodded.
He could feel the Unforgiven’s intense stare through the dark goggles that Levi wore.
“Is the baby all right?” Vilma asked, a hint of panic in her voice.
“Baby?” Levi questioned, and Aaron immediately knew that something was wrong. He could feel Vilma stiffen beside him, her hand squeezing his so hard, it was almost painful.
Levi held up an egg-shaped device and depressed a button on its side. Immediately a three-dimensional image appeared, slowly turning before them.
“Not baby,” Levi said. “Babies—twins.”
Aaron and Vilma could only stare, dumbfounded. It was clear from the holographic image that they were looking at two babies, crowded together inside a womb.
Vilma’s womb.
“Those are our babies,” Vilma whispered in awe, and started to cry.
“Aren’t they sort of big?” Aaron asked, noticing how fully formed they looked for only being a little over a month old. He could already see tiny, feathered wings growing from beneath the shoulder blades.
“The normal gestation period for a human child is nine months,” Levi stated, turning his goggle-covered stare to them. “These are not human children. These are Nephilim children.”
“So what does that mean?” Vilma asked nervously.
“These children will grow at a far more rapid pace. They should be ready for birth within . . .” Levi returned his gaze to the image of the slowly spinning fetuses. “The next ninety days, give or take.”
“Oh my God,” Vilma said, fear in her eyes. . . .
Fear that quickly turned to absolute joy, as she threw her arms around Aaron’s neck.
“We’re going to be parents,” she cried. “We’re going to have a little boy and a little girl.”
He held her tightly, almost afraid to squeeze her too hard. “And they’ll be the most special children in the world,” he said, then remembering something that Gabriel had told them so very long ago. “They’ll be magnificent.”
“Magnificent?” she asked, pulling away to look at him. Her eyes twinkled magically. “Yeah,” she nodded, answering her own question. “Yeah, they will be. They will be magnificent.”
Aaron smiled, pulling her toward him again, and they kissed long and deeply.
“When should we tell my aunt and uncle?” she asked breathlessly, breaking their kiss.
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