Doss looks between Gabriel and Zerachiel. "What are you going to do with him?"
"What I should have done long ago." He pushes Zerachiel down to his knees and places his hand on the jade wings. A bright light jumps from Gabriel's fingertips into the wings. Zerachiel uncharacteristically cries out in pain as Gabriel holds the chains tightly and laughs.
"What are you doing? You're hurting him."
"That's one. Two more of that and he'll shut down, never to be awakened again. Since I am such a good brother, I will give you a chance to save him, Uriel. What do you say?"
"What could you possibly want from me?" Doss asks.
"He only needs two more and he's dead. You haven't received any. I feel like playing a little game. If you take the two remaining ones for him, then I will let him go."
"What's the catch?"
"Nothing at all." Gabriel says. "The only thing is that you would need one more strike from me before you'd die. I imagine it will be difficult for you to avoid that if we fight."
He can't. It's too dangerous. "No deal."
Gabriel sends another bolt of light into Zerachiel's wings who falls to the ground and whimpers as his body shakes. "Then maybe you will take my next offer. How much do you care about your friends?"
"What friends?"
"Jarred Cunningham."
"What did you do to Jarred?" Doss asks as he holds up his sword. "So help me, if you hurt him or Katarina, I will make your demise more miserable than you can imagine."
"Jarred is fine. Or at least, he should be. I haven't seen him in a while. I'm proposing a prisoner exchange. I will give you both Zerachiel and Jayce Cunningham for the one prisoner I want most."
"Me."
"Exactly. Just surrender to me and I will ensure that Jayce is disconnected from the Paradise security network then given immediate and safe passage to Himmel to be with his husband again. And you can have this piece of garbage as well." He kicks Zerachiel in the side and places his boot on his face, pinning him down. "What do you say? Isn't love a noble cause to die for? I'll tell you this right now. If you don't take this offer, I will kill Zerachiel now and I'll kill off Jayce slowly and extremely painfully over the next few years. He will wither away as my slave. Is that a fate you want for our new brother Jophiel?"
What should he do? If it was just himself here and no one else was counting on him to kill Gabriel, then he would take this deal in a heartbeat. However, as they stand here, the rest of the IGR military pilots are en route to Clark's space carrier where they will board it and secure the information from the onboard database, set it on fire, then kill Clark and evacuate. Sure, it failed countless times on the simulations, but there's still a chance that something could go right. If Doss gives up and goes with Gabriel, then he won't be there to take the final shot and seize victory for the military. He's the only pilot who even got close to a successful run. He has to weigh the consequences here. Is it worth it? The more precise question is if Jayce and Zerachiel are worth it. No. The lives of millions of IGR citizens far surpass those of two men, no matter how much they mean to him or the people he cares about. But there's always a chance . . .
Gabriel is noticeably growing impatient. "What's your final answer, Uriel? Who dies today? Will it be Zerachiel or you?"
Doss takes a deep breath and drops his sword to the ground. "I'm sorry, Zerachiel."
"Are you going to let him die?" Gabriel asks.
"No. Take me instead. In exchange for Zerachiel and Jayce, I give myself to you."
"On your knees and put your hands on your head."
Doss obeys, never taking his eyes off of Gabriel. Like Zerachiel had taught him, Doss tries to focus on every tiny detail, no matter what is going on around him. He has to concentrate or this entire plan will end tragically for everyone involved. As soon as Gabriel steps away from Zerachiel and takes out a pair of handcuffs, Doss leaps forward and grabs his sword. Doss screams as the air begins to vibrate and an explosion of force and flames spreads out from his sword. An ear shattering crack echoes below the atmosphere as the red terrain shakes and a jagged fissure appears all the way to the horizon. The divide separates Gabriel from Zerachiel just long enough for Doss to speed past and cut through the chains binding Zerachiel's arms and wings. "Get up and fly away. Get out of the atmosphere. Fly fast."
"Thank you."
"Go!" Doss shouts as he barely dodges out of the way of a blinding white bolt of light from Gabriel's hand.
"Nice trick, Uriel. I must say, I wasn't expecting you to be that smart."
"Shut up. Prepare your soul for your eternal damnation." Doss spins his flaming sword in his hand then drops down to the ground, burying the metal all the way up to the hilt. All around him, on his skin, his wings and in his hair, he feels the microscopic nanobots as billions of them surround him. Just as he raises his wings to release them, an excruciatingly sharp pain slices through his shoulder and he falls back to the ground.
Cain's red eyes are almost the most terrifying thing he has ever seen, second to the razor sharp teeth inches from his face. Doss cries out as he uses all his strength to push against the black wolf with his bare hands. With a surge of energy, he kicks the wolf away and rolls out of the path of Gabriel's attack. The light hits the ground and dissipates. Doss spreads his wings and takes off into the air. If he's up here, at least that demon wolf can't get him. Something's wrong. He's can't fly like he should be able to. He glances back at his right wing where large claw marks have slashed through his feathers. Without those feathers intact, he can't stay in the air and he falls back down to land on his knees. What now? His sword is still in the ground just feet away. He has to go for it.
As he runs, white light speeds past him from Gabriel who is laughing hysterically, but he can't focus on that. He has to focus instead on getting to his sword. When the first hit from Gabriel's ability hits him, Doss is thrown off of his feet and slams into the ground hard. He screams with the searing pain that travels down the full length of his wings. Coughing and spitting out the dry red dust, he picks himself up and bears through the pain that isn't fading. Two more. He can only take two more.
Cain runs at him and the flash of sharp black claws is the last thing Doss sees before he covers his head with his arms and hears the whimper of a dog. He looks up and takes off running before anything else touches him. With the pain finally beginning to subside, he reaches his sword and activates the program for his final ability. With one final look around, he spots the worst thing he could see right now. Abel. The white wolf is splayed out on the ground as Cain rips and tears away at the fur and skin. Blood spreads out across the dusty ground. Just as the nanobots are released, the engine of a space transport fires up and the wind from its takeoff kicks up dust in a vortex around Doss.
Gabriel waves at him from a window on the side as it takes off. He is laughing and grinning with his dark eyes maliciously sparkling in the light from the consoles. "It was fun, Uriel. But I have an archon down in Paradise to punish. See ya later!"
Doss ends the program and pulls his sword from the ground before throwing it with all his remaining strength at Cain. The metal slices through the wolf's neck, severing its head completely from its body. With that done and Clark escaping, Doss runs back to his space fighter. He kicks the caked on dirt off of the wings and prays that it didn't get into the engines. He hops into his seat and lowers the doors. He has to get to the others before their one chance at taking down Clark is lost.
As he takes off and exits the atmosphere, Doss picks up the radio and calls for Velex. "Righteous Fire to ground. Come in, Velex."
"Where the hell have you been? We've been trying to reach you for an hour."
"I've been down on Verloren like we discussed. Gabriel got away."
"That's the least of our worries right now." Velex says. "Because of some stupid injunction Kazimir filed that got immediately approved by Dressler, the annihilation force won't be sent to Paradise. Apparently, there is still too much technology down
in Paradise that Kazimir feels must be salvaged. So the Blood Force is practically given free reign down there to do whatever they want."
"Then Jayce will be alive."
"No one cares about him. One man isn't worth saving. You heard Jarred. Jayce is beyond help. He's been officially declared deceased. It's over. He doesn't exist anymore."
"I never expected to hear you say something so nihilistic, Velex."
"It's reality." Velex says. "And our reality right now could be over if you don't get your ass over towards sector sixty-seven and intercept Clark's space carrier."
Doss checks his coordinates on the console. "I'm two thousand miles out. Give me a few minutes and I'll be there."
"You should know something."
"What's that?" Doss asks.
"Do whatever you have to do to make this work, but don't disobey any other orders. I may be able to negotiate for the charges against you to be dropped if this goes well."
"I'll do what I can."
"You'll do what I tell you to do." Velex says sternly.
"Yes, sir. I apologize for earlier."
"As do I, friend. As do I."
27
Zerachiel lands inside the hanger of Clark's space carrier as the airlock activates behind him. He sips lavender tea from a tiny white teacup as he fires a laser pistol in his other hand, taking down two Blood Force agents who come rushing out at him. He's so focused right now. He makes his way slowly up the ramp to the sliding doors and into the hallway where emergency alarms are already sounding. That's okay. He's more focused than they are.
Soldiers in red body armor block off the hallway with their laser rifles drawn and aimed right at Zerachiel. "Stand down, archon."
"I'm already standing."
They look confused. "Put your weapon away."
"Where would you like me to put it?"
"On the ground."
"What ground?"
"Stop with your word games, Zerachiel. Clark gave us specific orders to not kill you, but we will use force if you continue to be incompliant with our orders."
"Let me finish my tea."
"Fine. You can finish your tea."
Wrong decision. Zerachiel finishes his tea and in the bottom of the teacup is a thin strip of microgrenade tape. "Catch this for me, would you?" He tosses it towards the soldiers whose hands are full with their guns. As soon as the thin porcelain shatters, the explosion blows a gaping hole in the walls, floor, and ceiling. They didn't even have a chance to scream. Zerachiel sighs and steps over the assorted bits of metal, cloth, and human flesh. No one respects fine porcelain anymore.
Zerachiel rolls up his sleeve and opens the metal panel on his arm. He presses a button and continues down the hallway as he speaks. "Hello, Uriel."
Doss sounds a bit freaked out. "What the hell? Where is that coming from?"
"It's me, Zerachiel. I told you that you would like having those new wings. Now we can communicate with each other from anywhere. Like them?"
"What? Who all can hear me?"
"Just me." Zerachiel says. "Hi."
"Hello. What do you need? Are you okay?"
"I'm focused. How are you?"
"Sorry, but I don't have time for pleasantries right now. Where are you?" Doss asks.
"The better question is where are you? I'm on Clark's space carrier waiting on someone to do something." Zerachiel glances back at the hangar and outside into space where a few space fighters fly by. "There are a couple other Himmel pilots here unleashing some pretty ineffective shots into this thing. The only real way you are going to destroy this is to get down into the reactor that powers it."
"And how do I do that?" Doss asks.
"I'll take you there. Oh, but there's one stipulation."
"What?"
"Do you have any tea?"
"Oh my God. No. I don't have any tea."
"That's a shame." Zerachiel says. "You really should drink more tea. It's good for you."
"I don't need a nutrition lesson right now, thanks. I will be there in about five minutes. Meet me at the hangar."
"I'm already here."
"Then stay there and wait for me." Doss says.
"What do you expect me to do for five whole minutes? I'm growing quite bored."
"I don't know. What do you usually do?" Doss asks. "Write some haikus or something."
"You're an idiot. I am too focused to write. Plus, I need paper."
"Was that a haiku? It was. You just wrote a haiku about not being able to write haikus. Unbelievable." A loud beeping comes over the speaker. "Um, I think I have a problem."
"What's wrong?"
"My fuel is running really low for some reason."
"What fuel are you using?" Zerachiel asks.
"Is it a bad sign if I say that I don't actually know? I've never flown this model before."
"You don't sound very focused right now."
"Of course I'm not focused!" Doss shouts. "According to this, I don't have enough fuel to get back to Himmel. You get down to the reactor and try to get me some sort of target that is visible from out here. If there is anything flammable around you, I want you to bring it out into the hangar then lower the air lock and shields. I have an idea. We can still accomplish the primary part of this mission. Velex is going to kill me, but I think it will work."
* * *
Doss checks the fuel gage one more time as he gets closer to the space carrier. There's no way he can get back to Himmel. Well, that only leaves him one choice. As he passes by the hangar, he sees that the shields and airlock are deactivated. Right there in the center of the hangar is a portable nuclear reactor. Way to go, Zerachiel. He did it. Doss circles around for one last flyby. He has to get this right. He picks up his radio and calls to Velex. "Righteous Fire to ground, I have a visual on the target. One direct hit and I can destroy a nuclear reactor on board that should trigger a chain reaction. If it goes the way I think it will, I'll be able to take down the entire ship."
"Your power is too low to fire your guns." Velex says. "I've been monitoring that from here. You will need every last bit to get back here. It's over, Doss. Just come back in and land your fighter. We'll get Clark later."
"Negative. Requesting clearance to overload dark matter shields."
"Absolutely not. Don't do what I think you're going to do. Listen to me. Don't do this. I'm warning you. If you power up those shields, I will have you arrested for treason. You can't disobey orders like this during wartime. You're already walking on eggshells."
Doss flips on the switches controlling his dark matter shields. "Good luck arresting a corpse. I can't sit here and watch him get away. Put my communicator over the Himmel broadcast radio."
"If I do that will you stop this madness?"
"Yes." He lies.
"There. Go ahead. They can hear you."
With his targeting systems set on the nuclear reactor in the hangar of Clark's space carrier, Doss speaks into his radio as he makes his way close again. "Citizens of Himmel, this is Vice Admiral Doss speaking to you from my space fighter above the atmosphere. Today I give this sacrifice for all of you and for all the people to come. I will end this killing and secure a brighter future for all of mankind, humans and androids alike. With this, I will finally be able to atone for my sins and the failures of my past. To my wife, Katarina, if you can hear me, know that I love you very much. You made my life complete in too many ways to count. I'll see you in heaven."
28
Velex watches the data from Doss's space fighter go black on the monitor. He tries to get him on the radio. "Ground to Righteous Fire. Answer me."
Nothing.
"Doss, I order you to answer me!"
Another call comes in. "Star Reaper to Ground."
"Go ahead, Star Reaper."
"I just saw Vice Admiral Doss's space fighter collide with Clark's space carrier. He's gone."
He throws his coffee cup against the consoles where it shatters. "Damn it!"
"Sir, what a
re our orders?"
Velex continues throwing everything he can find. His shouting drowns out the sounds of the radio as the floor quickly becomes littered with broken glass and ceramic. How? No. This isn't happening. "Doss!"
* * *
The cold rain is all too fitting for Velex's mood tonight. He pulls his long black coat tightly around him as he walks down the empty streets that are now slick with water. The hazy glow from the streetlights glistens on the pavement under his rain boots. A low rumble of thunder echoes off in the distance while the downpour continues. The city is silent tonight as most of Himmel is inside with their friends and families. Velex has no family he cares to be with right now and the one friend who has always been here for him is now gone. The bundle of fabric he carries in his arms smells far too much like that man.
Where did this go so terribly wrong? He acknowledges the very real possibility that this mission could have been a failure. However, they accomplished what they set out to do. There was no reason for Doss to give his life like that. They had already done the impossible. Any other pilot could have taken the shot. Thousands of flight simulations by nearly a hundred pilots all showed no chance of success, but Doss did it. He actually completed a level ten. That was the first level ten in the history of Himmel to be a success. Doss was without a doubt the most talented and heroic space fighter pilot in Himmel's history. Velex is beyond honored to have known him as both his superior and a friend.
With a heavy heart and a mind filled with dread and uncertainty, Velex knocks on the door to the apartment he has been inside so many times lately. So many memories live here, but the one person who should be in this room isn't. He knows that and it's this realization that eats away at him.
Katarina opens the door and it's all too obvious that she's heard the news. Her face is deathly pale and her eyes are red from crying. Mascara has streaked down her cheeks and even now, her lips quiver as she can barely contain her grief.
Velex holds out a black piece of folded fabric with the red and yellow skull of the IGR embroidered on the back. He bows and places it in Katarina's hands. "Please accept this in honor of Doss's service and his sacrifice. It was one of his uniform capes. There's no one more deserving of this than you. I'm so sorry for your loss."
Paradise Awakened Trilogy Page 42
