"Oh," Mark said and coughed again, some more blood coming up as he did, but at least the pain in his chest was slowly diminishing, his broken ribs where starting to heal.
"Does that mean we got it all?" Mark asked, hopefully.
"Once you deal with everything in the camp down there, yes."
"Thank you, Lord," Mark said reflexively.
"You shouldn't have killed him, Mark."
"I, I didn't mean to. I thought I'd just force them to go back and land."
"Really, Mark?" Lucisignious said, moving around now into Mark's line of sight. Mark was a little surprised. The last time he'd seen the angel, he'd been dressed in a fine Italian silk suit, with matching shoes and a very stylish fedora parked on top of his blond curls. He'd looked rather dapper and stylish. But this time, he was wearing robes, and even had something of a glow to him, and his wings were on full display. Just like the angels you saw in the paintings.
"Okay," Mark said, trying not to cough, "I wasn't thinking beyond anything but stopping him. However, it wasn't my fault he killed the pilot."
"You're still in trouble, Mark."
"I love you too," Mark sighed Lucisignious may be right, maybe he did go to far. He'd gone to far back when Clem and Dave had gotten in trouble, but at least no one had been seriously hurt or even killed. But still, if he didn't protect his family, who would?
"Still," Mark continued, "he wasn't a good man; in fact I think we can all agree that he was a rather bad one."
"But he was no longer a threat to you. Or your family. You are a knight, Mark. Of the order. You are held to a higher standard," Lucisignious sighed and shook head, "You have sinned, Mark. You will need to atone for this sin."
Mark nodded, and then gave a soft growl of pain, his neck was still healing.
Mark heard it then, someone, make that several someone's were approaching. He heard them all stop, then gasp.
"I must go now," and with that Lucisignious vanished.
A moment later, they ran up to him, Estuardo, Michael, and two others from Estuardo's clan that Mark did not know.
"Was that..." Michael asked, looking down at him.
"An angel," Mark groaned as things in his body started to shift and bones started to knit. It hurt even more now than it had before. But at least he was healing.
"We thought you were dead," Estuardo said. "You fell from such a great height. But an angel, it came, it saved you!" Estuardo crossed himself, and the other two did as well.
"Are you okay?" Michael asked, as Mark groaned again.
"I will be, I'm still healing."
"What should we do with the body?" one of Estuardo's companions asked.
Mark shifted back to human form, which hurt and left him panting on the ground. "Give him a Christian burial," he told them.
"Are you sure?"
"Maybe it will do him some good in the afterlife," Mark sighed as Michael and one of the others helped him rather painfully to his feet. Looking down at himself he saw that he was covered in blood and dirt. On top of that he could barely stand and was feeling as weak as a newborn child.
"Anybody have some clothes I can wear?" He asked looking around.
When they got back to the compound, Mark found that Javier's people had everyone kneeling, facing the barracks, while several of his men covered them with guns they had picked up off of the ground.
"There was a man wounded up in the building," Mark said, motioning to the warehouse. "Did anyone help him?"
"He was dead by the time we got to him," Javier told him. "He was the one running the research you were concerned with."
"Where are the others who were with him?"
"Your son and two of mine are holding them over by where they were working."
Mark nodded and went off to find the others, with Michael and the other man all but carrying him, as he had an arm over each of their shoulders. Estuardo and the other one stayed behind and talked to his grandfather in hushed voices.
"You okay?" Michael asked him as he was still having trouble walking.
Mark shook his head, "I think I fell about a thousand feet, and right about now, I could eat a cow. Let's get this over with and go find some food."
Michael nodded and didn't say anything else.
When they came around the corner, Clem was there with two of Javier's men.
Gathering himself up, Mark looked at the three men and the one woman, who all looked like college types. They all looked shocked, and the woman was quietly sobbing.
"Open it up," he told them.
One of them stepped up and keyed the pad, causing the door to unlatch.
"Okay, I want you to show me where each of the samples are."
The four of them nodded, and took Mark to each of the testing areas, where he used the holy water that Clem had brought down from the campsite. Mark had put several bottles in each of their bags, in case any were lost.
Next they took him to the small culture vats, where he destroyed all that was in them, and then they showed him the large culture vats, which were not yet in use.
Mark sprayed them with holy water as well, just in case.
Once he was done he had Clem and Michael smash the computers with a couple of axes they found, making sure to pay special attention to the hard drives, and then burn all of the notes that had been made.
"Okay, you can go join the others," Mark told them.
"They'll rape me!" The young woman blurted out.
"You should have thought of that, when you went to work for them," one of Javier's men said.
"I, I needed the money!"
The other man sighed, "I will take you to the cars. You can pick one and drive off before we let the others go."
"You're just going to let us go?" one of the other lab workers, a young man, asked.
"We don't care about the drugs, we only cared about this," Mark said and motioned to the labs they had just gone through, and then turned and left, heading back to their campsite, as Michael and Clem followed.
30: San Benito, Guatemala
"Mark."
Mark looked up from the bar he was sitting at. He had been staring into his beer and thinking about something that had happened when Judith and he had stopped at the local parish office.
He'd touched a silver cross, and it had burned him.
"Hi, Jake," he said, looking at his former, as in dead, partner. Jake was dressed as fine as ever, and he still had the wings, which Mark had to admit, really did make him look good.
"You are dreaming," Jake said in his heavily accented voice and sat down next to Mark at the bar. This time they were sitting in a public house just outside of Norwich that they'd both been rather fond of.
"They took away my immunity to silver," Mark sighed, shaking his head.
"Yes, you are being punished. It will be a while, for zhere are zhings you must do."
"Such as?" Mark asked and took another drink from his beer.
"Confession for one. How long has it been, Mark?"
Mark sighed and hung his head, he hadn't gone to confession since his confessor and mentor, Father Gregory had fallen into a coma, almost two years ago now. And with his passing earlier this year, Mark should have found a new one.
"Still, Jake, I don't see what they're so upset about? So I killed someone? It's not like I haven't done it before. Yeah, I don't do it often, but that Carlos guy; tell me he didn't deserve it?"
Jake shrugged, "It is not as easy as all of zhat. Some zhink that Carlos may have just put his first foot on zhe path to redemption when you killed him."
"Well, if he was sincere, then he will be judged appropriately, won't he?" Mark asked. "Besides, I don't see them getting all upset about the one my son-in-law killed."
"Yes, you should talk to him about zhat, make sure he understands the need for atonement. But I would not worry about him much."
"So," Mark sighed, "am I still a knight of the order? Or should I pack my things and go?"
"Well, zhat is up t
o you Mark, what do you wish to do?"
Mark shook his head, "I don't know Jake, I've got kids on the way, and I do want to be home more, but I'm good at this. Me and you, we put down how many devils? Dealt with how many demons? Besides, even if I do leave, I don't want them mad at me. I don't want to be tossed out and be fair game to the other side either. I've lived up to my side of the bargain after all."
"And zhat, my friend is zhe problem," Jake said, leaning in a little closer.
"What?" Mark said, focusing in on his former partner.
"It is simple, is it not? You remain loyal, you do not sell out, and no matter what, you go to heaven, no?"
Mark nodded, "And I haven't sold out, I haven't changed sides, I'll never do that. I will stick to my oath and my word."
"Yes," Jake nodded, "And zhey know that."
"So, what's the problem?"
"Zhe problem is, if you start killing people, because you feel it is justified, zhey will have to let a murderer, a man who would otherwise be condemned, into heaven."
It might have been a dream, but Mark would have sworn that he could feel the blood drain from his face.
"Oh. Shit." Mark swore.
"So, you see zheir point, yes?"
Mark nodded slowly. "I see their point. But I don't think I crossed the line with what I did to Carlos."
"No, but you were, how does zhe song go? One toe over zhe line?" Jake shook his head, "Zhey are worried, Mark. I am worried. You are on probation, you might say. You could retire, and as long as you never had a problem like zhis one again, no one would find fault. But,"
"But they don't want me to go just yet," Mark sighed.
"And neither do you, am I right?"
Mark smiled wanly, "Yeah, Jake. You're right."
"So, go to zhe order, confess your sins, do whatever penance zhey assign for you, and zhen be sure to stay out of trouble."
"The wives are going to kill me for not coming right home," Mark sighed.
"Zhey will understand. Zhey married you, did zhey not?" Jake laughed.
"Yeah, after they all take turns making me feel guilty as hell," Mark sighed. "Thanks Jake. Thanks for telling me."
"You're welcome, my friend."
Jake disappeared from his dream then, and Mark fell into a deep sleep. But when he awoke the next morning, he knew he'd be accompanying Judith on her flight back to Manresa.
END
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Loose Ends (The Hammer Commission Book 3) Page 26
