Guardians: The Fallout

by StVil, Lola

  “Tell me he did something to you.”

  “He did. And I did a few things to him. That’s how it’s done. Or is it hard for you to remember since you can’t kiss—”

  That did it. He grabs me and flings me into the adjacent wall. My body makes an imprint and the bricks around the wall begin to crumble.

  I call for the nearby dumpster, but he stops it just as it is about to collide into him.

  He stands only inches from me. He has me cornered against the wall.

  He then pulls his right hand back and aims to deck me in the face.

  I’m more shocked than scared. But he didn’t punch me. He punches about two feet off to the side of me. I turn and look at the part of the wall he has just struck; it is now a fine powder.

  “Why, why would you do this?”

  “I was bored.”

  He looks like he is about to strike the wall again but he doesn’t. Instead he backs away from me, runs both hands through his hair, and then down to his neck. It’s as if tension and stress are gripping his whole body and chewing on him from the inside.

  He starts to kick and throw everything in his path. Given his strength, I’m sure some of the garbage cans will end up somewhere across town.

  Then, somewhat more composed, he turns to face me again.

  “I underestimated you.”

  “How?”

  “I thought you were mad at me, but to do this, you have to actually hate me.”

  I turn my eyes away from him.

  “Is that it? You went to Rage to get back at me?”

  “Who said this had anything to do with you?”

  “So then what is it?”

  I can’t bring myself to look at him. But I will be damned if I will bow my head and look at the floor. I won’t let him think that I’m ashamed of what I have done.

  I am. But still that’s not his business.

  “I’m waiting,” he demands.

  “I haven’t told him any information. We never speak about the mission.”

  “You never speak about the– Are freaking kidding me right now? Is there really something wrong with you? Tell me there is so we can take you to get healed, because you have lost your damn mind.”

  “Why, because I’m doing something you don’t approve of?”

  “YOU ARE DATING A DEMON!!!” he roars so loudly it sinks into the core of my soul.

  “What’s your point?”

  “If you want out of this mission, Ameana, stop being a drama queen and just say so.”

  “I would never walk out on my mission. I’m not like you. I don’t say I’ll do something and then change my mind.”

  “So this is about me and Emmy. You don’t actually care about Rage?”

  “It is not your place to ask about my love life.”

  “You can’t possibly be this stupid.”

  “Me? No. But then again I did date you, so I’m not sure how smart I really am.”

  “You’re Turning. You’re changing sides.”

  “I’m not Turning. I have never held back when I fought Rage.”

  “So you kiss him, then a few hours later you’re trying to kill him and he’s trying to kill you?”

  “It works for us.”

  “There’s an ‘us’ between you and Rage?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Okay, enough talking. I’m going to give you instructions. You will follow them to the letter or I will kill you myself. Do you understand?”

  “You can’t kill me.”

  “You have taken up with a demon. That makes you a traitor. Even though you haven’t official Turned and gone to the dark side, you are on your way there. That’s why you’re shooting fire like a damn demon, you’re becoming one. I have the right to take you out like I would any demon.”

  “So, you came here to kill me?”

  “I came here because I wanted to prove myself wrong. I wanted to believe that you would never be that selfish.”

  “You should talk.”

  “Here are your orders. If you fail to follow them, I will destroy you.”

  I look him head-on and never blink.

  “One, you will always have on your tracker. If at anytime it shows that you and Rage are even in the same city, and we aren’t in a battle, I will kill you.”

  “Is that all?”

  “No. You will stay focused on this mission and on nothing else.”

  “Why should I do that? You don’t. Your only mission is Emmy. You’re the reason why we’re in this mess, not Julian. He’s right. You put your schoolboy crush ahead of everyone and everything, including us. I could be a better leader than you in my sleep.”

  “I hope so.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  He starts to walk away. I follow him.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You can’t be with Rage, especially now. Things are going to get difficult for you in ways you can’t begin to imagine.”

  “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “I know you want to get back at me, but you have to stay away from Rage.”

  “Yeah, I got it, because he’s a demon.”

  “No, because you’re an Angel; you deserve better.”

  “I had better; better left me.”

  That gets to him. It’s like I aimed for his heart. I’m sure that was my target even before I began speaking.

  He pauses and leans back against the wall of one the buildings. I can see his silhouette in the moonlight. He seems smaller somehow; like the mission has mended him into something he’s not proud of.

  I stand to the side of him and look at his profile.

  Marcus; my Marcus.

  “How did you know about us?” I ask.

  “During the end of the battle with The Hun, Rage looked at you like a guy who had somehow known you. It was like he had some kind of relationship with you beyond that of mere enemies. I asked Rio if the Trackers were okay and he said they were. I asked him to track down Rage. He did. Then I asked him where you were and…”

  “So, everyone knows?”

  “Only Rio.”

  “Oh.”

  “The others can’t find out about this, they’re gonna need you. They have to believe that you are capable of doing the job.”

  “Why would they need me more now than before? What’s going on?”

  “Rio said before things got crazy with Emmy that you were going to give me my Rah back.”

  “Yeah, we can go get it whenever.”

  Don’t say you want to go now, any other time. I just can’t bring myself to do it now.

  Marcus speaks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

  “I don’t know if this will matter to you or not but every moment I spent with you was genuine. I never lied about loving you. I did. I do. Don’t forget that. In your obsession to change everything about your inside and outside, remember, I love you.”

  “But not like before?”

  “No.”

  “Marcus, I need to know, what did I do wrong?”

  “You think it’s your fault?”

  “Isn’t it?”

  He sighs and gently caresses my cheek.

  “You don’t have to give me back my Rah.”

  “What? But you asked for it.”

  “I thought Emmy was…Mimi, when you’re ready to give it back, you will.”

  “What makes you think I’m not ready?”

  “Call it a hunch,” he says as he looks up towards the rooftop of the adjacent building.

  I follow his gaze and see Rio standing on the rooftop looking down at us.

  Before I can say anymore, Marcus flies up to him.

  *********************************

  Over the next few days I thought about what Marcus said about the team needing me more. There is something very unsettling about that statement. The trouble is I don’t have a moment to confront him about it.

  First, we had to have Jay convince everyone in Emmy’s b
uilding that they were, in fact, dreaming when they heard all that screaming and wall breaking.

  I had to put as much of Emmy’s apartment back together that I could. I spent over an hour moving objects around the room with only my thoughts. Finally the place is back together and looks exactly the way Emmy’s mom left it.

  Emmy herself is almost a hundred percent. Even her silly cat made it out okay. Arden and the Witness are also fine. The Healers took care of his arm. They were going to fix up some gashes he had gotten but he said no.

  Since he would have to remain in Daraquin for fear he may still be in danger, the Witness wanted to keep his scar to remind him of his adventure with Arden.

  As for the princess of parties herself, Arden threw a huge bash and invited a slew of Paras. A few days later, she was scolded by her father for allowing very ‘un-Para like’ things to occur during the party.

  You would think that having defeated such an evil force would make everyone happy. But you’d be wrong. There is still the little matter of The Council’s trip back to earth. Marcus will have to choose which one of us will die for what Rio did.

  I still can’t believe he took souls that were meant to die and saved them. I mean that’s Angel 101. But then again I haven’t been making sound decisions myself, so…

  Anyway, back at the house the tension is thick and growing. In two days, The Council is due to meet us on top of the second highest mountain on earth, Tamara Falls.

  “C’mon Marcus. We have a right to know. Which of us are you going to have the Council get rid of?” Jay asks.

  “I have a plan. But it requires you guys to chill out and let things happen.”

  “What does that mean?” Rio asks.

  “It means I’m really tired of being given the third degree. When we get on the mountain, you’ll see who I chose to throw down to the fire. Okay? Until then, can I just get some damn peace?”

  “Just say it’s me, man. It’s okay. I’m okay with it” Jay says.

  “For the last time, it’s not you!”

  “It’s me, Jay. I’m the one who broke the rules, it’s only fair that I should be the one to pay for it,” Rio joins in.

  Marcus picks up his leather jacket and heads for the door.

  “Where are you going?” Miku asks.

  “Out, Mom,” he says as he slams the door behind him.

  I follow him. I think something is very wrong here but I’m not sure what.

  He goes over to Emmy’s apartment. Half up the stairs she meets up with him. They embrace tightly. I look on from the stairs below.

  She studies his face with her hands and looks at him with concern.

  “What is it?” she asks.

  “Long day.”

  “Long human kind of day or Guardian?”

  “Both; how are you feeling?”

  She looks at her watch.

  “Well, it’s been fifteen minutes and no one has tried to kill me, so I’m great.”

  He laughs. It rings out in the hallway. He hasn’t laughed in a long time. I miss that sound.

  “You should still get a checkup with a human doctor.”

  “You kidding? I got checked out by Angels. I won’t need to see a doctor for years.”

  “Do you want to go somewhere?” he asks.

  “I haven’t seen my Mom in days. I know she doesn’t remember but I don’t want to go too far from her right now. Is that okay?”

  “Yeah it’s cool.”

  “How about we just sit here and you tell me why you’re running away from your team?”

  “I’m not running away.”

  “You would be in Vermont right now, overlooking the Green mountains if it weren’t for me.”

  “I love that place. I told you it helps me think.”

  “Well, I can help. I’m better than a mountain.”

  “How so?”

  “I have better legs.”

  I hate her.

  “So, I’m guessing this is about the Council coming down right?” she asks.

  “That’s all they want to talk about. What is Marcus going to do? Who will he choose to be destroyed? Blah, blah, blah”

  “Normal everyday Guardian stuff, huh?”

  “How could any of them think I could choose?”

  “From what I understand, you have no choice.”

  “Yeah, but why are they pushing me to tell them what my choice is? Would you want to know if you were about to die?”

  “Well—”

  “Never mind. You would.”

  “I like knowing what I’m headed for.”

  “Do you really?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then why are you with me? We don’t know how this thing with us will end.”

  “Yeah, I do, in a blaze of glory. Everyone will clap and cheer when we find the Triplex and prove that our love isn’t the destructive force everyone thought it would be.”

  “You really believe that?”

  “No, but it sounds nice.”

  “Yeah, it does.”

  “Hey, I’ve decided to talk to Julian. I know I said that before, but after everything that’s happened, I can’t afford not to. So, I’m gonna march over there and do it.”

  “You won’t have to.”

  “Why?”

  “Julian is not going to help us. He has made that clear.”

  “When?”

  “When he—”

  “When he what?”

  “You don’t remember anything from when you were sick?”

  “Only flashes here and there. I’m sorry.”

  “No, maybe it’s best that you don’t.”

  “So why do you think Julian’s not helping us anymore?”

  “I think he’s focused elsewhere.”

  “That was a very politician-like answer; now how about the truth?”

  “The truth is Ameana was going to give me my Rah back, but I told her not to.”

  “Okay.”

  “Not because I’m still in love with her or because I don’t want you. I just think it’s—”

  “—unfair to ask that of her before she’s ready.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay.”

  “Since when were you so understanding?”

  “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve matured.”

  “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah, I only watch cartoons on the weekend.”

  He laughs again. I bite my lips and lean into the wall for support.

  “Thank you for not hounding me about which one of my team members I’m choosing to hand over to the Council.”

  “I don’t want you to have to say it out loud. I think that’s like killing the person twice, ya know?”

  “I do.”

  “Listen, we don’t have to stay on this stairwell. If you want we can go to the mountains. I can leave my mom for a little while.”

  “No, this is fine. I don’t think it matters where I am. If I’m with you, then I’m okay.”

  “Same here.” He reaches over and kisses her eyelids. He works his way to her nose and nape of her neck.

  Can angels go into cardiac arrest? I think that’s what’s happening to me now.

  “I have something for you,” my love says to his love.

  “Really, what is it?”

  “Close your eyes.”

  She does as he says.

  He places a small platinum ring on her finger.

  “It’s beautiful,” she gasps.

  “It’s in the shape on my Rah. I know it isn’t the real one but it’s to let you know that you have my heart. Forever. No matter what happens from here on out.”

  “What’s gonna happen?”

  “Nothing. I just want you to know that I was never sorry about us. I don’t give a damn what anyone says, I was never sorry. Not about us.”

  He pulls her in and holds her tightly. I can see her face from where I’m standing. She’s worried. She too can sense that something is wrong.

  She pulls away
from him.

  “I have something for you too. Stay right there,” she orders as she jumps up and heads inside her apartment.

  I wish I could read minds. What is Marcus planning that has him acting so weird? It feels like he’s keeping something from us.

  Emmy comes back moments later.

  She sits back down besides him and hands him something.

  “What is?” he asks.

  “It’s a charm my mom gave me.”

  “No, Emmy, you have to keep this.”

  “You don’t like it?”

  “It’s a cross; I’m an Angel. How could I not like it?”

  “Good, then keep it.”

  “But your mom gave it to you.”

  “She said it would give me courage. And it has. Now, I’m giving it to you. That way you’ll have extra if you should ever need it.”

  “What makes you so sure you won’t need it?”

  “I have you.”

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “Take it. For your meeting with the Council.”

  “I can’t believe you’re… Thank you.”

  He embraces her.

  “And I can’t believe you still don’t get that I’m in love with you.”

  “I do.”

  “Then why’d you ask me to forget all my memories of you?”

  “I wanted you to be safe.”

  “Sometimes we get to have ‘safe’ and ‘happy.’ But if I have to choose one, I’ll always go with happy. That’s what I am when I’m with you. Even in the middle of being tortured, so long as I get to be with you, I’m happy.”

  “That’s insane.”

  “That’s love; And I think you’re in love with me,” she says coyly.

  “Damn right,” he says as he picks her up from the floor and scoops her effortlessly into his arms.

  ****************************

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: BLAME

  On the night of the Council’s arrival, no one in the house is recharging. Since his fight with Marcus, Julian has long taken off. Rio, on the other hand, has moved back into the house.

  Marcus thinks we’re going to hound him, but we don’t. Everyone is quiet and keeping to themselves.

  Marcus calls us all up onto the roof.

  “Before we take off, I want to say something: We’ve made bad decisions and taken dangerous risks. We’ve broken laws and bent the rules. We’ve all done things that the Angel next to us doesn’t approve of. We have fought, attacked and judged each other.”