The Daughter of Zion

by Elicia Hyder

  I stretched my wings. There was just enough room for them to miss the walls and cables. Still, flying up the tight space would be precarious. We’d done it when we escaped from Claymore, but that had been like bull-in-a-china-shop flying. Here, we couldn’t afford to demolish the elevator shaft.

  “Warren, a hand?” Ionis called from down below.

  Kneeling down, I reached through the hole and grasped Ionis’s small hand. I pulled him up with little effort.

  Ionis moved over as Reuel reached up and easily grabbed the rim of the hole. He jumped, and the entire metal ceiling bowed under his weight. I stumbled forward but planted a foot across the concave surface before I fell.

  Ionis latched onto me.

  “Oops.” Reuel reached through the deformed square and pulled himself up. His shoulders wedged through one at a time, but somewhere around nipple-level, he got stuck. His eyes widened with worry.

  “Oh shit,” I said.

  The metal creaked under his weight. He threw his large shoulders side to side, but his body didn’t budge.

  “Can you drop back down?” I knelt again. “I can fly up and get Kane to turn on the power.”

  Reuel wiggled. I pushed against his shoulders, and Ionis jumped up and down. But nothing happened.

  Ionis tapped Reuel’s forehead. “This is what happens when you eat four breakfasts.”

  Reuel frowned.

  The elevator lurched again. I grabbed hold of the cables attached to the top of it, and Ionis, who was crouching, grabbed onto Reuel. Gears turned overhead, and we started to rise.

  Fast.

  “What do we do?” Ionis asked, panicked.

  The bloody elevator scene from The Shining flashed through my mind. I imagined the outer doors being coated with our blood as our bodies were crushed against the ceiling.

  Looking up, light was shining near the top. We needed to stop. Now.

  Brakes. We need brakes. The walls were concrete and too far apart for me to reach, so manually stopping it—if I even could—was out.

  The elevator ran between steel guides in the corners of the shaft. I held my hands toward two of them and blasted them with laser-sharp energy. Sparks showered down on us, and the metal peeled up as we rose, rolling and bending over on itself, like two large balls of crumpled aluminum foil.

  When we neared the top, I dropped my hands and knelt down over Ionis and Reuel, shielding them from whatever our fate was above. With an ear-piercing shrieeeeeeeek of metal grinding against metal, the elevator slowed.

  And stopped.

  I let out the breath I’d been holding and sat back on my heels. Sweat drizzled down my forehead. We were close enough to the ground-floor doors that I could stand and touch them.

  “Oh my god! You saved us!” Ionis threw his arms around my neck, toppling me over onto my ass.

  When he released me, I bent my knees and rested my arms over them, sucking in deep breath after deep breath to steady my panting. “That was close.”

  Reuel grabbed my foot and squeezed.

  The gears were still humming, and I caught a whiff of smoke. But the elevator, thankfully, wasn’t going anywhere.

  I stood when I finally caught my breath.

  With a loud hiss, the gears stopped, and the elevator shaft went dark again. A moment later, there were footsteps on the other side of the doors.

  “Warren!” Kane yelled.

  “We’re in here!” I called back.

  “Hang on. I’ll get you out.” I heard the clinking of keys. “I called Lex on the radio to see where you were, and he said you were on your way up. I yelled through the stairwell and didn’t hear you, so I assumed you were stuck on the elevator after I shut it down.”

  The double doors to the lobby finally slid open. Kane stuck his head through and looked down. “What the hell happened?”

  “Warren saved us!” Ionis replied.

  “Save you from what?”

  “From being crushed to death,” Ionis said.

  Kane’s brow crumpled with confusion. “What?”

  “We had gotten on top of the elevator to fly out of here, and Reuel got stuck. When the elevator started to rise, we were trapped,” I explained.

  Ionis slapped my chest. “This guy stopped the elevator before it smashed us against the ceiling.”

  Kane grinned and pointed up. “You know there’s like eight feet between the elevator and the ceiling, right?”

  My mouth fell open.

  Kane started laughing. “How did you stop it?”

  My jaw shifted to the side. “Uh…”

  “He jammed up the tracks with metal,” Ionis answered for me.

  Kane pinched the bridge of his nose. “Well, that won’t be easily fixed.”

  I cringed. “My bad,” I said, quoting Ionis from earlier.

  Still chuckling, Kane reached down into the shaft. “Come on, I have something to show you.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “I’m really sorry about the elevator,” I said as we followed Kane to Echo-5’s control room.

  “Don’t worry about it. It won’t kill anyone to take the stairs for a while.” He pushed open the door.

  The control room had one whole wall of flat-screen televisions with security-camera footage. In front of it, Kelvin Holmes was handcuffed and duct-taped to an office chair.

  I looked at Kane.

  He shrugged. “I told him I don’t trust him as much as you do, and that I can’t kill him without making a mess.”

  Kelvin’s eyes widened, and everyone else snickered.

  Kane rolled him to the side and sat down in another chair at the desk. “I think I’ve figured out a way to bring the power back on but keep the system completely offline.”

  “How?” I asked.

  He pointed to one of the video feeds outside. It was the “tree” Nathan had installed, a powerful cell-phone tower that connected the building with Claymore headquarters.

  He looked back at me. “We need to take the whole thing down.”

  “You want to chop down the ugly fake tree?” Ionis asked.

  “Well, it’s made of titanium, so chopping isn’t an option.” Kane looked at Reuel. “Ripping it out of the ground, however, should be an easy task for you.”

  Ionis scowled. “An easy task? This guy couldn’t free himself from the elevator hatch.”

  Reuel argued in Katavukai that if he could’ve wedged his hands between himself and the hole’s edge, it wouldn’t have been a problem.

  Ionis cut him off. “Sure, sure. Good to know the strongest angel of the auranos can be defeated by a hula hoop made of steel.”

  Kane chuckled, but he held up a hand to silence them. “We don’t have a lot of time here.”

  “Reuel, can you take down the tower?” I asked.

  He gave a single confident nod.

  “Okay. I’ll go out with him and Ionis when we’re done here. Ionis is going to contact the Father,” I said.

  “Good,” Kane said.

  Ionis clasped his hands beneath his chin. “If the power is coming back on, does that mean we can all move back upstairs?”

  Kane grimaced. “We just need the power to run the cameras and the electric fences around the property. I don’t recommend anyone staying aboveground until we have a lot more information.”

  “I agree. It’s too risky right now,” I said firmly.

  Ionis sighed.

  I ignored him. “Are we ready to make a phone call to Claymore?”

  “Ready if you are,” Kane said.

  I looked at Kelvin. “You ready?”

  “Y-yes, sir.” Kelvin certainly didn’t sound ready, but he used his feet to scoot closer to Kane. “Wait a second.”

  We looked at him.

  “Claymore’s cyber-security team will know if you call from this building. I don’t want them to suspect my girlfriend of anything.” He lowered his voice. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”

  “We don’t want that either,” I said.

  Kan
e tapped a few buttons on the computer’s keyboard. “We can mask the location by sending the call through a VPN. Even if Claymore sees a call come through, they won’t know it’s from us.”

  Kelvin nodded nervously.

  I really wished Cassiel was with us. She would know for sure if he was trustworthy. By doing this, I wasn’t just entrusting him with her life, but potentially all of ours.

  I turned his chair for him to face me, and I leaned down so we were almost nose to nose. “Kelvin, if you betray us, I will see to it that you and everyone you love dies a slow and painful death.”

  It was a good thing Kelvin couldn’t tell I was bluffing. I wasn’t above taking human lives in war, but I would never go after his innocent loved ones.

  He didn’t have to know that.

  I let him shake with fear on his office chair. “I promise. I only want to help.” Poor guy looked like he might have to change his pants.

  I turned him back toward the desk and gave Kane a nod.

  “Okay, what’s your girlfriend’s number?” Kane asked, his fingers ready above the keyboard.

  As Kevin spouted off the digits, Kane tapped them into the computer. He hit send, and a moment later the room was filled with the sound of the line ringing.

  On the third ring someone picked up. “This is Chimera.”

  All the oxygen was sucked out of the room.

  Kane’s hand slammed onto the keyboard, ending the call before Kelvin could speak—or before anyone else could gasp with horror. I covered my eyes with my hand and groaned.

  “What? Why did you hang up?” Kelvin asked.

  I peeked at him through my fingers. He was either genuinely confused or the absolute best liar I’d ever met. And I’d met the Morning Star, so that was saying something.

  “Reuel!” Kane spun around in his chair. “Open that metal panel by the door and flip the big red breaker.”

  Reuel opened the panel door, flipped a switch, and the whole room went dark.

  I dropped my hand. “Your girlfriend is Chimera?”

  “Yeah?” Confused, he didn’t sound so sure.

  I brightened my wings, and Kelvin scooted back in his chair. “Whoa.”

  Kane looked at me. “Can we kill him now?”

  “What’s the matter?” Kelvin asked, casting desperate looks around the group.

  Ionis walked over and thumped Kelvin on the forehead. “You’re sleeping with the enemy, soldier!”

  “Huh?” Kelvin struggled against his handcuffs. “Chimera’s really high up in the company. She could get you whatever information you want!”

  I crossed my arms. “How long have you two been dating?”

  Before Kelvin could answer, Kane raised his hand. “About as long as you’ve been working here in Asheville?”

  Kelvin’s mouth parted. “Well…”

  Kane sighed and sat back in his chair.

  “What’s happening? I don’t understand!” Kelvin’s voice was higher than ever.

  “Hate to break it to you, Kelvin, but she’s using you to spy on what’s happening here.” I walked over beside Kane and leaned my arms on the desk. “Now what?”

  “Now we wait to hear back from Huffman.”

  “Hold on just a damn minute,” Kelvin said. “Are you serious? Chimera is using me?”

  Ionis shook his head in disbelief. “What women say is right. Human men really are stupid.”

  I straightened. “Chimera is part-angel, part-human. She’s been working for the Morning Star since before he was even born.”

  “Before he was born? How is that possible?”

  “It’s a lot to explain. You’ll have to trust me,” I said.

  “But long story short, we won’t be getting any help from Chimera,” Kane said.

  Kelvin blew out a shaky breath. “I swear I didn’t know. Please don’t kill me.”

  I shook my head. “No one’s going to kill you.”

  “Really?” Kane asked.

  I ignored him. “Have you checked to see if anything’s come through from Huffman?”

  “A few times. Nothing yet.”

  “Why not call him?” Kelvin asked. “I have his number in my phone.”

  Kane and I looked at each other. He lifted a shoulder. “It’s your call, man.”

  Calling Huffman—our friend—directly was dangerous, but Cassiel was running out of time and we were out of options. “You’re sure the line is untraceable?” I asked.

  “It’s supposed to be,” Kane answered.

  My head felt like it might explode. I rubbed my temples and pressed my eyes closed, playing out all the scenarios that might happen if we were to act…

  And all the scenarios that might happen if we didn’t.

  “Do it.” My eyes popped open. “Call Huffman.”

  Kelvin swiveled toward me. “I need my phone back.”

  “We have his number,” Kane said, his worried voice barely audible. “Reuel, the power.”

  Reuel flipped the power breaker again, and my heart raced as the computer booted back up. Kane finally tapped the number into the keyboard, and the line began to ring.

  I leaned my arms against the desk again for support.

  “This is Huffman.”

  The room was dead silent.

  “Hello?” he asked.

  “Huffman, it’s Shadow,” I said, referencing an old nickname, a throwback to my days as a Marine.

  More silence.

  I felt sick. “Do you copy?”

  “Holy shit. Is it really you?” Huffman asked.

  “It’s really me.”

  “Where did we first meet?”

  This was a test. “About a hundred and sixty klicks north of Sadr City in a shithole concrete building.” I grinned. “You promised to be my worst nightmare.”

  He chuckled on the other end of the line. “I still am, you bastard. Where the hell have you been?”

  “Stuck between worlds.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Unfortunately, yeah. I’m afraid we don’t have much time.”

  “Your whole group is being watched,” he said quietly.

  “I’m not surprised. Listen, what do you know about this new round Claymore has developed? It’s called the…” I looked at Kelvin.

  “The 5.56 Yahweh,” Huffman answered before Kelvin could.

  “Yeah, that’s it.”

  “I got Kane’s message. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to get this information to you guys. The round was just officially released a few weeks ago.”

  “What can you tell us?”

  “Inside the bullet is a pellet containing an engineered chemical agent called hydrogen necroxide. Once the pellet membrane dissolves and the chemical is released into the bloodstream, it binds to Rh-null blood cells. Have you seen elephant’s toothpaste?”

  “Yes,” Kane said.

  My brow crumpled. “Is that a real thing?”

  “Search online for a video when we get off here,” Huffman said. “In this case, it’s sort of like pouring peroxide onto a cut. You know how it fizzles?”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  “Instead of fizzling, the toxin combines with the Rh-null blood cells to form a foam. A highly toxic foam that destroys everything it touches. It basically melts angels from the inside out.”

  I thought of how hot Cassiel’s forehead was. “It only binds with Rh-null?”

  “Correct.”

  Kane looked up at me and lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. “Explains why Iliana could heal Kelvin and not Cassiel.”

  I closed my eyes, swallowing hard all the emotion that threatened to bubble up from my chest. “Does it have the ability to destroy the spirit as well as the body?”

  “It might. It’s rumored they melted down a sword like yours for the compound, but I have no proof. That’s way above my pay grade.”

  I swore.

  “What about a treatment?” Kane asked.

  I wasn’t the only one holding my breath.

&
nbsp; “They say there isn’t one.”

  I hung my head.

  Ionis whimpered.

  “So I’d stay clear of it, if I were you,” Huffman said.

  I sighed. “Too late.”

  “Shit. Really? Anybody I know?”

  “Not important.” The less Huffman knew, the better. “We need to find out all we can about hydrogen necroxide.”

  “Oh.” Kane looked up at me. “We got in touch with that doctor. She’s coming later today.”

  “Good.”

  “A doctor isn’t going to be able to help you,” Huffman said. “This stuff is so highly classified that even I wasn’t told 5.56-Yahweh ammunition existed until we started distributing it to Legion Nine operators. The only reason I found out what’s inside it is because I pulled some serious strings to get the information. Hydrogen necroxide doesn’t exist outside Claymore labs.”

  Kane drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Huffman, how many rounds of 5.56-Yahweh have been distributed?”

  “Each member of Legion Nine was issued seven thirty-round mags,” Huffman said.

  Kane looked at Kelvin. “And how many members are there in Legion Nine?”

  “Nine hundred,” Kelvin answered.

  Reuel let out a low whistle.

  Ionis was mumbling numbers to himself. “Two hundred and ten angel-killing bullets each,” he finally said out loud. “Times nine hundred. That’s math I can’t even do in my head!” He held up his hands. “That’s it. I’m not going outside.”

  “Thank you, Huffman. This has been really helpful,” I said.

  “Warren, man, I’m afraid that’s not all that bastard in the top office has created,” Huffman said.

  “I know about the virus.”

  “It came from us. I’m sure of it, but I couldn’t leave.” Huffman sounded sick. “There are so few of us left who know the truth.”

  “You did the right thing. We’re going to win this war because good men like you stayed.”

  “I’m trying, man. I wish I could do more to help.”

  “You can, I hope. Sloan and Nathan are possibly being held at Azrael’s house. Do you have access there?” I asked.

  “None. That place is locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”

  I’d figured as much. “What about the old armory? I think they might be holding a couple of angels prisoner there.”

  “Yeah. That I can do. What do you want to know?”