by David Estes
“Oh, how nice,” Cassandra sneered, “you’ve found yourself a human pet.” She looked Taylor up and down, inspecting her ripped jeans, tattoo, and punkish styling. “And how lovely she is…”
“Get over yourself, Cass. Taylor has more power within her than you could ever hope to have. Now step aside, we need to see the Council,” Gabriel ordered.
While Cassandra had been quite successful in the angel army, Gabriel still outranked her significantly, and she turned sideways to let them pass. Her angry eyes never left Taylor’s, but Taylor stared right back at her without blinking, maintaining the upper hand that she had gained when Gabriel defended her. For the moment, she even considered forgiving Gabriel for his second round of lies, just to spite Cassandra by keeping him off the market.
The other angels in the room had watched the exchange with interest, but now, seeing that the action had ended, went back to their planning and strategizing. When they reached the far end of the command center, Sampson said, “Wow, Gabriel, you really handled her. It was fun to see someone put her in her place for once.”
Gabriel smirked and said, “She’s a stuck-up, obnoxious little know-it-all, and I’m sick of her crap. Don’t listen to her, Taylor, everyone else here realizes that you are special.”
Taylor wanted to kiss him on the spot, but she controlled her urge and instead said, “What next?”
Gabriel said, “This is the War Room, where the key strategic decisions are typically made. Usually it is used by only the generals and the commander, and the Council participates by video conference, but as Sampson told me on the way over, the full Council is here in person.”
“This is awesome, Gabriel, thanks for bringing me,” said David, in awe of the command center.
“No problem, bro, but unfortunately, only Taylor and I will be able to meet with the Council. However, under my authority you guys can stay in the command center and observe for as long as you want.”
“Cool, thanks!” David said enthusiastically. “My friends are never going to believe this!”
“Good luck, man,” Sampson said, giving him another man-hug.
“Thanks, we’ll see you all later.” He pressed his glowing finger to the door and it opened for him. Taylor took a deep breath.
They moved past the door and it closed automatically the instant they were inside. Now they were in a tiny intermediate room, separating the command center from the War Room. Gabriel strode confidently to the next door and repeated the finger trick. It opened upon his command.
Walking into the next room, Taylor ignored the thirty-four eyes that watched her from the long board table. Gabriel pulled out one of the two remaining chairs for her to sit in and then pushed her closer to the table. He sat in the last open seat.
Gabriel spoke first: “Dionysus, Councilmembers, meet Taylor Kingston, the girl whose arrival I am sure you have all been anxiously awaiting.”
The angel at the head of the table rose from his seat and the other sixteen angels followed his lead. He began clapping and soon the other angels joined him, a full applause to welcome the lady of the hour and the angel who had escorted her.
Dionysus walked around the table. Taylor stood as he approached her. He took her hand and kissed it gently. “I’m Dionysus, the Head of the Archangel Council,” he said. “We are forever in your debt for your willingness to help us.”
Taylor felt awkward. She didn’t know how to address him so she said, “Thank you, your majesty, it is my pleasure.”
There were a couple of snickers around the table at her use of a pronoun typically reserved for royalty. She glared at the offenders, who seemed taken aback by her boldness.
“You can just call me Dionysus, for I am not royalty. The Council is a democracy that, by necessity, needs a head to ensure protocols are followed.”
“Thank you, Dionysus,” Taylor said, correcting herself.
As Dionysus walked back to the head and sat down, Taylor scanned the room. Sitting at the table were some of the most stunning people she had ever seen in person. Any one of them could be photographed and placed on the cover of national magazines and look completely natural. There were five women and eleven men.
Upon sitting, Dionysus folded his hands and placed them on the table in front of him. “Now, gentlemen and ladies, we have some work to do. Thanks to Taylor, we now have the ability to finally win the Great War and defeat the greatest enemy that mankind has ever seen, the demon army. Commander Lewis, have you come up with a proposed strategy?”
A sturdy man with short white hair and a white goatee was standing in front of the longest wall in the room. Except for his hair color, his features were remarkably young looking; Taylor guessed he was between thirty- and thirty-five-years-old. His finger glowed as he touched the wall. A large screen appeared. On the screen was what appeared to be a satellite view of the valley they had flown over when they arrived at the mountain.
Motioning to the screen, he explained slowly for Taylor’s sake. “This is the battlefield and our forces are here.” He pointed to the left side of the map. “Tomorrow we have a large-scale battle scheduled with the demons. It is estimated that at least two-thirds of their forces will be exposed in the valley. The width of the battlefield is less than two miles wide, so based on the estimations we’ve been given, we should be able to impose mass devastation on the majority of the demon army within a few minutes. Would that be accurate, Gabriel?”
Gabriel replied confidently: “Based on our tests,” he said, looking at Taylor, “if a single angel harnesses her aura, we can, without question, vaporize anything within two miles.”
Commander Lewis smiled and rubbed his hands together greedily. “This is exactly the opportunity we have been looking for. The key will be to avoid killing our own forces with friendly fire. We will need to have our entire army out on the field to lure the demon forces into combat, but the Generals and I propose a synchronized maneuver, where at the exact moment that we fire the weapon our troops fly high in the air and out of the line of fire.”
“That could work,” Gabriel commented, “but the timing would need to be perfect. Too early and the demons will flee, suspecting the trap, and too late…well, I think we all know what that would mean.”
Dionysus stroked his chin. “Hmmmm,” he murmured. All eyes waited for him to speak. “I think it is the best plan we have at this point. We will separate the attack strategy from the defense strategy for voting purposes. Council, let’s put the attack strategy outlined by the Commander to a vote. Those in favor…” All of the Council members’ hands went up. Commander Lewis, the Generals, and Gabriel and Taylor remained still as they were not permitted to participate in the vote.
“Unanimous. Excellent. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Back over to you, Commander, for the defense strategy.” Dionysus motioned to Lewis, who had remained standing during the first vote.
“Thank you. While our primary goal is the complete obliteration of the demons, we have a secondary goal which is to protect the gir…I mean Taylor, from harm.” He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts.
Secondary goal, Taylor thought. She squirmed uneasily in her chair. Gabriel noticed and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly under the table. She kicked him hard and he released her hand.
Lewis continued: “Now, we must do everything in our power to protect her, as without her, we cannot achieve our primary goal. She is our most valuable resource.”
Taylor was getting dizzy now. After the standing ovation, Dionysus kissing her cheek, and the “thank you’s”, she thought the angels’ respected her as a human. Cannot achieve our primary goal. Most valuable resource. All they really cared about was killing demons! Protecting her had nothing to do with caring about her human life; rather, it had to do with killing demons! She was pissed off and considered speaking her mind, but her dizziness was becoming unbearable. Gabriel seemed to sense the change in her body language and leaned close to steady her.
Gabriel interjected, “Sir, if I
may. We’ve had a long trip today and I think it would be best if Taylor lies down for a while. Once the decisions have been made, Commander Lewis can fill us in on the details.”
Dionysus’s silky smooth, tender voice was back and he spoke directly to Taylor. “Certainly, my dear, how thoughtless of us to not think that you would be fatigued from the journey. Please go, have a rest and we can talk later as Gabriel suggested.”
Taylor didn’t think she would be able to speak without throwing up all over the War Room table, so she just nodded and pushed her chair back, standing up. Gabriel held her arm, trying to provide support if she needed it, but she shrugged him off. Noiselessly, they left the room, strode through the command center and then cut a path through a maze of six or seven twisting and turning hallways.
Taylor’s legs eventually failed her and Gabriel had to catch her from falling—she let him touch her this time. She felt weak. He swept her legs out from under her and picked her up, carrying her around a few more bends before taking her through a door to the left. Through her half-closed eyes she could see they were in a large, brightly-lit room with a king-sized bed, small kitchenette, and sitting area, complete with couch and love seat. Gabriel said, “We’re alone, you can rest now.”
“Bathroom,” she managed to groan.
He carried her into a lavish and sparklingly clean bathroom.
“Down,” she mumbled and he set her back on her feet. She immediately fell to her knees and vomited, desecrating the shiny white toilet.
Gabriel wet a washcloth and brought it to Taylor, kneeling beside her. “Are you okay?” he asked.
She coughed once, twice, and then snapped, “Do I look like I’m okay?” She snatched the wet cloth from him and wiped her mouth. Scrambling to her feet, Taylor unzipped her overnight bag, which was still hanging diagonally from her shoulder, and removed her travel toothbrush and a small tube of toothpaste. Ignoring Gabriel, who was hovering over her, she thoroughly brushed her teeth, thankful that the awful taste in her mouth and pangs of nausea had subsided.
Upon finishing, she pushed past Gabriel, moving out of the bathroom. She sat on the edge of the bed. Gabriel sat next to her, barely touching. They sat unspeaking for a minute. Gabriel seemed afraid to speak after the harsh response he had received the last time.
Finally, Taylor said, “They made it sound like I was a piece of meat in there, to be used up and thrown to the dogs!”
“I’m sorry about that, Taylor. They aren’t used to having humans around, especially in strategy sessions,” Gabriel replied, weakly defending his leaders.
“You told me that I was going to help the angels, not be used by them; there is a major difference!” Taylor shouted.
“I know, I know, you’re right. Let me talk to them about it. They’ve got their priorities mixed up. Their primary goal should be your protection and attacking the demons should be secondary.”
“No! I want to talk to them and tell them how repulsive their behavior was. Let me talk to them or I won’t help you,” Taylor demanded.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Taylor. The Council will respond better to me. They know me and trust me.”
“I don’t care if you think it’s a good idea, that’s what we’re doing!” Taylor raised her voice again.
Gabriel shouted back, “It doesn’t matter what you think, Taylor! You are going to help destroy the demons either way!”
Taylor threw herself to the side, lying in the fetal position on the bed, her arms covering her face. The uncharacteristic sound of weeping arose from Taylor’s balled up form.
As soon as he had shouted the awful words, he knew he shouldn’t have. The funny thing though, was that it was probably the truest thing he had ever said to her. Their entire relationship had been based on lies and half-truths. He realized that he hated it, and had hated it for some time. Because he loved her. He really, truly loved her.
Fearing the damage he had just caused, Gabriel shifted towards her, placed his hand on her back and said, “Taylor, please, I swear I didn’t mean it the way it sounded. I am so sorry. I truly love you with all my heart. Please, Taylor. Please…” He trailed off. He continued to rub her back, tracing the curves of her slithering tattoo with the tips of his fingers.
Her crying began to lessen and eventually stopped completely, her breathing slowing to a gentle rhythm. She seemed so peaceful that Gabriel began to wonder if she had cried herself to sleep.
Suddenly Taylor sat up and looked at him, her tearstained face clenched with anger. “Has it all been a lie? You say you love me and yet you are willing to let them put me in harm’s way? You’ve been using me the entire time. My mom would not have approved of you.” Taylor spat out the last few words, spit bubbles flying from her lips.
Gabriel knew that the last sentence was the most terrible of all. Taylor had told him all about her mother and the relationship that they had before she died. To not have her mother’s approval was equal to not having Taylor’s approval. The pain of her words ripped through his chest. “No, Taylor, I swear that’s not true. I do love you, with all my heart, and I will do everything in my power to protect you.”
“Okay, then take me away from this damn place,” Taylor demanded.
Gabriel’s mind spun, as he tried to solve a problem with no solution. There were an endless number of potential methods of escaping from the complex; however, each of them would result in a dead end or capture. Getting out of angel headquarters without proper clearance was just as difficult as getting in. And as much clearance as he had within the mountain, the one type of clearance he needed—Exit Clearance—he did not have. The only way out would be with the army, when they marched out onto the battlefield.
“I can’t do that. If there was any way I could, I would,” Gabriel said, “but there is no way out now. We have no choice but to follow the Council’s plan.”
“I’m going to die,” she said.
“I promise you, Taylor, I will die to protect you if I have to. I will prove to you that I actually do love you.”
Evidently, Taylor was not in a forgiving mood. “If you loved me you would never have brought me here,” she said accusingly.
On hearing Taylor’s words, Gabriel’s thoughts darkened. Even if he was able to protect her, and the angels defeated the demons, she would never love him again, especially considering that Dionysus’s next move would be to enslave the human race. She would hate him forever, even if he was able to negotiate a relatively normal life for her family in the New World. What was stronger, his devotion to the cause of his people or his commitment to the one he loved? But was it really the cause of his people or just the cause of a few madmen who wanted to dominate the earth? Yes, he had been taught that humans were inferior to angels and maybe they were in some ways, but in other ways they were equal or even superior to angels. They had an incredible capacity to love and to forgive, as well as a willingness to help each other in times of need. Wasn’t it worth reconsidering whether angels could live alongside humans like the demons suggested? Why had he been so stupid, so blinded by his own ambition? What kind of monster had he become? His parents had surely not raised him this way. They were kind, loving people, who only supported the supposed “angel cause” because they believed they were protecting the world from the evil demons, the gangsters of the underworld.
Gabriel knew the Council would never change their plans, so he had a decision to make. Sacrifice love and rededicate himself to The Plan, or follow his heart and find another way out of this mess. Seeing Taylor’s anger towards him solidified his decision. He couldn’t live without her and more specifically, he couldn’t live in a world without her love.
This meant three things: he needed to protect her, he needed to prevent her aura from being used to destroy the demons, and he needed to get her the hell out of there.
All of these thoughts spilled through his mind in less than a minute with Taylor staring at the wall, unable to even look at him. He finally said, “Well, I did brin
g you here and now we at least have a chance to help mankind by winning a war that is being fought on their behalf. I’ll do what I can to protect you and then I will return you to school once it is over. I’ll go check in with the Council to finalize the plans and then I’ll bring some food back for us. We can go through the plans together and then get some sleep. I’m sorry that I let you down, I hope someday you’ll forgive me.”
He said all of this with as little emotion as possible, afraid that his shaky voice would betray him. Gabriel thought it was best if he told one final lie for her own good; it was better if she didn’t know what he was planning. Later, once they had escaped, he would tell her everything, the full truth. If he was lucky, she would forgive him and take him back.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Back in the Lair, the Elders had finalized a strategy. Of course a lot was dependent on whether Taylor was already on the angel front lines and when the attack would eventually come. The Elders agreed that the strategy would have to be in place for every battle going forward, as the angels could decide to use Taylor’s power any day they chose. Given his knowledge of Dionysus, Clifford believed the attack would likely come sooner rather than later.
The plan was to first locate Taylor’s position using an infrared scanner—due to the strength of her aura she would show up as a brighter image on the map. Once located, the demons would send all of their troops to her location. The troops would teleport as close to her as they could and draw the attention of any angels defending her. They expected her to have the strongest angels protecting her, including Gabriel.
With the defending angels in front of her distracted by the ferocity of the demon attack, Chris and Sam would attempt to teleport in behind Taylor and get her attention. Ideally, they hoped that if Sam called to her, Taylor would be more willing to come to them without raising an alarm. Chris would then teleport them all back to the Lair.