by M. R. Forbes
"Rose?"
The door flew open and she hopped out, her knife in hand. "He's here. Come on." She ran ahead of me, vaulting the mangled mess of steel she had crashed the truck into. I turned and leaped, following her over it.
Whatever the building had once been, it had been gutted and converted to something somewhere between a lab and a penthouse. The space was huge and open, a long corridor lit by sharp LEDs that hung from plain wires looped around the ceiling cross-beams. At the near end was the lab, a workstation with massive monitors hanging in front of it, a large, flat table with scrolls laid out and weighted so they wouldn't roll up again, and a bunch of equipment and machinery that I didn't recognize, and would have no idea what to do with.
The far end was a living space. A bed, a couch, a large-screen television. A kitchen, and an enclosed area that must have been the bathroom. There was a man there, standing in front of the couch looking at us, the video game controller still in his hands. I could hear the music of whatever he was playing blasting through the speakers.
There were no angels here. There was no one here, except for him. Matthias Zheng. I recognized him from the profile.
Was it really going to be this easy?
The controller fell from his hand. He watched us coming, showing no signs of distress or panic, no indication that he was worried about us at all. He reached down onto the couch, removing an object that looked like a baseball.
We were still twenty feet away. I had sprinted ahead of Rose, and was closing on him in a hurry. I could see Gervais gaining out of the corner of my eye. He had his own weapon in hand, ready to use it on the man. I really wanted to reach Matthias first, to make sure we captured him, and got to talk to him.
I gathered the energy and pushed, using it to propel me off the ground towards him in a dive that probably made it look like I was flying. The baseball fell from his hand and rolled onto the floor.
I reached out, lunging with my arms, my hands grabbing his shoulders, my momentum pulling us both to the ground. We rolled a couple of times and he fell away from me, coming to a stop on the carpet a few feet away. I ignored the pain and shoved myself to my feet, scrambling to reach him before Gervais could, watching helplessly as the demon leaped onto him, knife raised.
"Gervais, no," I shouted. I gathered the energy and threw it at him, knocking him away.
Too late.
The knife rested in the engineer's chest.
Only he didn't scream.
He didn't make any sound at all.
He hadn't made a sound when I tackled him either.
The three of us converged on him almost at the same time. There was no blood pooling up from the entry point. Instead, there was a clear, slick fluid.
"Synthetic oil," Rose said. "He's a fake."
A fake? They had known we were coming long enough to arrange the doppelgänger. No. How could they? We had only known we were coming five hours ago.
"Landon," Gervais said softly. "We have company."
I turned and watched as the demons streamed in around the truck. Mostly vampires and weres, along with a contingent of armed devils, summoned from Hell by the fallen angel at their head. There had to be fifty or more. Too many to fight.
"Don't move," the fallen angel said. He was easy to identify by the demonic runes painted across the part of his arms that were visible, and the dark wings that folded out behind him. He wanted us to see them, and to know what he was.
"Who are you?" Gervais asked.
The runes on the angel's arms glowed, and Gervais fell to his knees, clutching at his throat. The other demons continued moving, filling in around us, blocking us in.
"You don't question me." His voice was calm, confident. His eyes scanned us. "What are the Nicht Creidem doing here, I wonder? What prize have my brothers been stashing, that have attracted such acute interest?"
He thought because we had no Divine aura that we were Nicht Creidem - a cabal of mortals who had been bred and inbred to a partial immunity to Divine power, who trained from birth to fight the Divine, and who spent their resources hunting down the Divine artifacts that existed in the world, hoping they would give them an edge in seeing their ultimate goal achieved.
Destruction of all the Divine, regardless of consequence, regardless of whether or not it meant the end of man as well. They were another player, and while we had similar goals, I understood that the Divine were a necessary evil, that they were an equal part of the balance, and that without them, without that balance, mankind would simply destroy itself instead.
Not that we didn't seem to be on the brink sometimes, anyway.
"This," I said, kicking the fake Matthias Zheng. "There were other demons who were watching this place. Did you kill them?"
"I said, you don't question me." The angel's eyes burned, and he moved his hand. I heard Gervais take a heaving breath, and stared back at the fallen while he tried to choke me. I pushed my power against his, keeping my own airway clear.
I was about to take a step towards him, to challenge him, when Rose nudged me with her elbow.
"Landon, look," she said, motioning past the angel.
The object that fake Matthias had dropped was still resting on the floor. There was seraphim scripture carved into it, and it was glowing.
I was wrong. It wasn't a baseball.
"Praise be to God in the Highest," the doppelgänger said in a synthesized voice.
I clenched my stomach, taking my power and wrenching it in. The not-baseball vanished in a burst of white light, followed by the red and blue of intense heat.
I pushed the power out, a hemisphere of energy that expanded enough to cover Rose and Gervais, that caught the fallen angel in its protection as well. The blast tore through the assembled demon army, the heat destroying those that were susceptible to it, the cold blue of the Heavenly flame killing the rest.
It continued outward while I crouched and gritted my teeth, pushing my own power back against it, keeping the explosion from reaching us. I could feel the sweat on my forehead, the strain in my muscles. Everything vanished, leaving us submerged in a sea of red and blue flame.
It was replaced a few seconds later by the force of the building collapsing around us. I closed my eyes, concentrating on keeping us safe, using every bit of my strength to do it. Metal beams and aluminum siding came to a rest against my invisible shield, covering us and leaving us in darkness. I felt Rose take my hand in hers. I heard the slap of flesh against flesh, and the fallen angel grunted.
Ten more seconds, and it was done. I made one last push, throwing the debris away and freeing us from the burial. I opened my eyes. We were under open skies, the building around us reduced to ash and twisted metal, the roof gone, the entire west side, gone.
A bomb designed to kill demons. They had known they were being watched.
They had been prepared.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Rose put her hand under my shoulder and helped me to my feet. I stumbled a little bit, disoriented by the massive use of the power. I could feel it churning in my soul. It couldn't be diminished, only disturbed, and the disturbance left me weak.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"I will be. I need food, rest."
Gervais was standing over the fallen angel, having knocked him to the ground during the explosion.
The dark seraph looked up at us, his nose bloodied. "What was that?"
"You don't ask questions," Gervais said. "You're outnumbered now." He kicked him in the gut again for good measure.
"Let him up," I said. The demon looked at me and backed off.
The fallen angel got to his feet. "What kind of artifact holds such power, to protect us from this?" He motioned at the destruction around us.
"None of your business," I said. It didn't matter who he thought we were. Not now. "Do you know why we're here?"
"Why do the Nicht Creidem turn up anywhere? To capture something of power, I'm sure." He looked around again. "I don't think you're going
to find it here."
"Is that why you were here? Is that why you were watching?"
"Something valuable, yes. Valerix's spies took a strong interest in this building. We saw the angels come and go from here. We knew they had something she wanted."
"You don't know what?"
"What does it matter? We were preparing to take it. Then you showed up and we were forced to act. Lucky for me that I had already created the rift to carry in the soldiers." He shook his head, looking over at the mess again. "I wasn't prepared for this."
"It was a bomb," I said. "A bomb made to kill demons." Maybe the Nicht Creidem, too. Why else have a physical explosion to go with the holy flame? "They were waiting for you. They knew you were watching."
"No. They couldn't have. We never came close. I dispatched Valerix's spy myself. No one saw."
Someone saw. Unless this whole place had been a honeypot from the beginning. Angels had their own way of being sneaky.
"Who are you working for, if not the archfiend?" Gervais asked.
"I'm not some sniveling vampire. I don't work for anyone. Coming across that horny bitch's lackey, that was pure luck."
"Bad luck," Rose said.
The fallen angel glared at her. "You saved my life. What do you plan to do with me?"
"I didn't save your life on purpose. That part was good luck for you. I don't really care what you do. The treasure you wanted, the treasure we came for, isn't here." He didn't need to know we were looking for a person, something I doubted he would find any value in at all.
"You're letting him go?" Gervais asked.
"Why not?" I snapped. I was already pissed enough at him for stabbing Matthias before we knew he wasn't the real deal, and his questioning wasn't helping.
"Information. He'll find someone to sell this story to. Someone who will bring it back somewhere that it may get intercepted, or traded on to the seraphim."
"So what? This was a trick and a trap rolled into one. What does it matter if Adam finds out we were here?" The angel wouldn't even remember what I looked like, though I was sure he would derive the truth from whatever tale reached him.
"Fool. It isn't just Adam you need to worry about. If word starts to spread that the Nicht Creidem are searching for an artifact powerful enough to go headlong into an angel safe house for, you can be sure it will make things much more complicated."
"If you let me go, I won't say a word about this," the angel said.
Gervais stepped in and grabbed him by the throat. "You lie."
"No. Look at me. I've lost my army. I'm starting over."
"All the more reason for you to sell whatever you can." Gervais turned to me. "You know I can be useful, diuscrucis. As you said yourself, I know demons better than anyone."
"Diuscrucis? What?" The fallen angel took a step back and fell to his knees. "I can help you."
"You turned your back on your God, and you think you can be trusted?" Rose said. "I hate to say this, but I agree with Gervais."
I looked at her, surprised.
"It's not just about one demon," she said, using my own words against me.
Of course, she was right.
"Do what you need to do," I said to Gervais. "I'm going back to the car. I need to sit for a while."
I turned my back on the two demons and started walking away. I was weak and tired, and my stomach was making itself known. Rose kept her arm around me, lending me a little bit of support as I moved.
The fallen angel didn't scream or beg or cry out. I heard the soft sound of Gervais' knife sinking into his flesh and got a whiff of the frankincense that followed.
I didn't look back.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
The fire trucks screamed past even as we piled back into the Escalade, with Rose behind the wheel and Gervais in the back. I didn't say anything to the demon, not yet. I didn't say anything to Rose either. I wanted something to eat. I wanted to close my eyes. I was lightheaded, unbalanced, the power feeling like a stormy ocean in my soul.
"Rose, can you find us a hotel or a motel or something? Deflecting explosions isn't good for my health. I'll need a few hours to recharge."
She leaned over and tapped some buttons on the navigation system. "Looks like the Happy Bay Inn is the closest."
"I'm not picky."
She put the truck in gear. Five minutes later I was alone in the car with Gervais, while Rose went inside to get us a room. The place wasn't much to look at, and was probably lacking in any kind of comfort beyond four walls, a ceiling, and a bed. It was more than good enough for me.
I had one more thing to do before I could rest. It was the reason I'd asked Rose to do the check-in.
"What the hell were you thinking?" I said, shifting in my seat so I could see Gervais. The demon was laying across the rear bench, picking his nose.
He flicked his prize away. "What do you mean?"
"With Zheng."
He shrugged. "He's dangerous. I was thinking I would end the danger."
"I wanted to talk to him."
"What for?"
"What for? For one, I'd love to see if he knows why he's immune to Divine power. For another, I'd like to try to talk him down from helping Heaven."
The demon sat up, putting his face too close to mine. He smiled. "Convince him to help you instead? All the more reason to kill him."
"I don't want to convince him to help anyone. I just want him to stop. What if he dies and continues his work? He'll be upstairs. He'll have access to anything he needs."
"He's mortal. That will happen sooner or later, regardless of your best intentions."
"If we can talk to him now, he might refuse to help out once he passes."
He laughed in my face. Right in my face. "Are you serious? He made a bomb that kills demons. No, not just demons. It obliterated that entire warehouse. It was meant to kill whoever or whatever came after him. A man like that is not one to abandon his ideals because some wanna-be godling has a chat with him." He sat back. "Better to kill him first, and then deal with the consequences."
"No. Maybe I wouldn't be able to convince him not to help the angels. We would have at least gotten him to talk. To tell us about the Fists. There's no saying Alichino is going to find anything helpful in that head."
"Are you suggesting torture? Hmm... you do still surprise me sometimes."
I took a deep breath. "If it came down to it, yeah, I guess I am suggesting torture. This has already gone beyond just the Fists. I've never seen anything like that bomb before. Heavenly flame? That's a new one to me. Give Zheng another month, and he'll have the Divine nuke that the Nicht Creidem have always wanted."
"Except it will only vaporize demons," Gervais said. "Heavenly flame... I've heard of the seraphim's cold fire, though I believed only the archangels could wield it." He rubbed his chin with his hand, silent for a moment. "It is troubling."
"Yeah. Anyway, the angels have to be building these things somewhere, right? Somewhere here, in this realm. Zheng can tell us where. If we can shut it down then it doesn't matter if he tells them how to make things, because they'll still never get made."
"An interesting theory. I can admit that I may have been a bit premature in my decision to end his life. I suppose it's fortunate for both of us that we attacked a replica."
"We got lucky in that, at least. Let's get one thing clear here, Gervais. This is my work, my team, my rules. I lead, you follow. It isn't a democracy."
"Are you certain? I seem to recall you being outvoted on the matter of the fallen angel not ten minutes ago."
"No. You made a suggestion, and I saw the value in your logic." I was trying not to let him get under my skin. I was failing.
"Whatever you want to call it to feel like you're in control. I don't see you having a tantrum at your little plaything for her cowgirl antics."
"How I handle Rose isn't your concern."
"Of course." He leaned over and pushed open his door. "I'm going to go for a walk. Don't worry, I'll stay disgui
sed." He morphed into Anita, just to piss me off even more. "I can imagine how you'd like to handle Rose." He fondled his breasts suggestively, blew me a kiss, and then hopped out and started walking away, morphing into Peter as he did.
I watched him go for a couple of seconds, and then turned my attention back to the hotel. Rose pushed her way out of the lobby and came over to the car, holding a set of keys in her hand.
"Where's Gervais?" she asked, sliding into the driver's seat.
"He went for a walk."
"To walk, or to eat?"
"I don't know. I don't want to know."
She started the truck and drove us to a spot a little further down. "That's our room there," she said, pointing to the door in front of us. "Are you okay?"
"I will be. I don't usually get like this unless I time walk. That bomb packed a punch."
"Time walk? Is that what it sounds like?"
"Maybe. It's like teleportation."
"Another cool trick. I might be willing to die for that one."
I smiled at the joke, opened the door and slid out of the Escalade. "Can you grab Valerix's laptop?"
"Okay. Thanks for saving my life, by the way."
"You're welcome."
She got the computer, and we went into the hotel room. It was predictably shabby, with dirty walls, a rust colored carpet, and a thin, queen-sized mattress on a squeaky frame. The bathroom was done up in polka-dot wallpaper and matching shower curtain, a pattern that made my head hurt even more.
I sat down on the edge of the bed. "Rose, can we talk for a minute?"
She put the computer down on the dresser, next to the old tube television. "This is about the dump truck, isn't it?"
"Yes and no. It's more about the fact that you didn't wait for us to make a plan, or even give me a warning."
She took a deep breath, walking over and dropping down onto the bed next to me, putting her face close to mine. It was much more enjoyable than having Gervais six inches away.
"I understand if you're upset. The thing is - I want to help you. I really, really do. It's just... I don't know if you've been paying attention the last twenty four hours, but I'm outmatched. Seriously outmatched. Your power is amazing, and even Gervais is stronger and faster than I can ever be. That fallen angel? The Fists? Hell, even the bomb. Without you, I would be dead three or four times over. In less than twenty four hours."
