Espial

by Nikita Francois

  “From what Rider said, sweetie, you were amazing. You can’t blame yourself for what happened to Sacra,” soothed my mother. “The blame belongs to Sato and his demons.”

  “I might as well not have my wings. I wish I was just an Espial.” The tears now flowed down my cheeks.

  “Your mom’s right,” said Alex. “Use your emotions to fuel your rage against Sato, not yourself.”

  I nodded and he gave me a light kiss on the head. He excused himself and left the table. In need of clearing my mind, I stood and left the cafeteria as well. I wandered aimlessly throughout the building for over two hours. It was past nine o’clock at night; the sky was pitch black and stars were out in full display. The Los Angeles Resource Facility, or LARF, was an above-ground building. It was easily accessible from outside and very modern in appearance. Angels and Espials came and went without navigating secret passageways. From what I understood, the few humans in existence in Los Angeles were all Espials and recognized that Angels existed in order to defend mankind. Everyone knew about Sato’s stronghold in the east. All were employed to work on developing a powerful weapon that would destroy him and his army for good, before his grasp reached the west. The main hall reminded me of Rider’s apartment. It had glass panels instead of walls and you could see outside. We were situated on a hilltop, overlooking the remnants of a formerly vibrant city.

  “Hi Sol!”

  I turned from one of the large windows and stood facing the neon pink angel I had met during my first transport session.

  “Oh hi,” I smiled.

  “My name is Fly and this is my son Gadget,” she said, patting the head of a toddler clutching her leg.

  “Hey buddy!” I said, bending to his level.

  “He wanted to meet you. Everyone is so excited to have a descendant of Solomon Arch walking around,” she said, her eyebrows raised in excitement.

  “Is that right? Did you really want to meet me?” I asked Gadget.

  He nodded shyly, clutching his mother’s leg even tighter with one hand and massaging his shoulder blade with another.

  “He’s a little shy,” she said. “I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “Thank you I will,” I replied. Fly gave me a bright smile before leaving with her son.

  It was dusk and the toll of the day’s events suddenly hit me. Not wanting to listen to Glinda’s sobs throughout the night, I went to Alex’s apartment. I knocked, yet there was no response. Finding the door unlocked, I walked in and found the living room empty. His apartment was very modern and chic, minimal in furniture and décor. The fireplace was grand, a fire crackling and making the room warm. I noticed a stack of papers on his white marble mantle and began flipping through them. They were the ones from the ARC’s ATS room desk. I explored my way around his apartment until I found the office. He had a hologram for a computer desk, already turned on and displaying an enlarged image of him as a child. I sat down at the desk and located a file containing approximately sixty saved pictures. Clicking through each one, I smiled as I saw what he looked like as a baby and youngster. I was at the second to last photo when my heart stopped. It was an image of him blowing out candles at his unsheathing party. He had said that he was only seventeen, yet the picture looked like it was taken decades ago. His parents stood behind him, smiling at him with their arms around each other. His mother looked exactly like him: brown hair, deep piercing eyes, and brown wings. He did not resemble his father at all, though. His father was Warren Sato.

  CHAPTER 21

  I sat there staring at the picture for a minute, yet it felt like hours. Unable to move, I felt weak. How had I not noticed that something was off? Or had I simply chosen to ignore my intuition? My mind flashed back to my unsheathing party. He had strangely asked to visit the ATS room. I laid my head in my hands, a massive headache developing. All of our interactions played in my mind in slow motion. Tears began trickling down my face. How could I be so blind? Eventually I arose and left his apartment. I had printed a copy of the photograph and stuck it in my pocket. I found Rider in his own temporary apartment. He was sitting at his desk, bent forward with his eyes closed.

  “Rider?” I called to him gently.

  He didn’t move so I walked over and rested my hand on his shoulder.

  “Rider?” I called again, tapping him.

  His eyes opened and he turned to me. I could see dried tears along his cheeks and chin. “Yes Sol?”

  “I’m sorry about Sacra.”

  He lowered his eyes and nodded. “There wasn’t much else we could have done, Sol. While my heart aches for her loss, I intend to make Sato pay for what he’s done. We cannot have any more of our kind die at his hands.”

  I nodded in agreement. “What do you know about Alex?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, what do you know about his upbringing? How did he come to work here, and why did he choose to work so closely with you?”

  “After your mother came to speak with us several months ago, I reached out to the LARF to see if they had any employees available to work as a liaison between the two centers. Alex volunteered after a brief interviewing period.”

  “And what do you know about his background?”

  “I know that his mother is an angel and his father was an arch angel. He had never met his father before, though. No one knew which arch angel could have fathered him.”

  “Are you sure about that?” I asked, softly placing the picture on the desk in front of him.

  Rider picked up the picture. He smiled at first glance, and then frowned when realization set in.

  “Where did you find this?” he asked, standing quickly.

  “On the computer in his apartment,” I said, shaking my head. “Luke warned me that he didn’t like him, but I didn’t want to listen.”

  “I believe he had us all fooled. We must find him now.”

  We both hurriedly left the room and made our way back to his apartment. After a thorough search, we were still unable to find his whereabouts. I also noticed that the papers resting on the mantle were no longer there. Upon further inspection of his closet, we saw that all of his clothing was missing. Rider took the lead in running to the main hall. He asked the receptionist if anyone had seen Alex leave the building since dinner.

  “No,” she replied. “However, he was carrying a suitcase with him a short time ago.”

  “Where did he go?” asked Rider.

  “He was headed to the ATS. Why? What’s going…” the receptionist trailed off as Rider and I took off running to the ATS. Once there, Fly greeted us at the door.

  “Hey, Sol! Hey, Rider! Is everything ok?”

  “I believe we have an emergency on our hands,” said Rider furiously. “Please alert Stella. We need her in here NOW! Also, please call in Glinda, Div, and Luke.”

  Fly typed in various commands on her hologram. It opened several messaging windows and she began speaking while the software transcribed her words. Within a minute, Stella, Glinda, Div and Luke arrived in the ATS room. Stella had golden wings similar to Rider and also gave off an amber aura. Her salt and pepper hair was in a low bun, with a small dagger holding it in place.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Div, immediately sensing tension.

  “Alex has betrayed us,” replied Rider, shaking his head. “He’s been betraying us all along. Sol?”

  I pulled out the photo and gave it to Div, who passed it around the room.

  “Where is he now?” asked Stella, fuming.

  “He was last seen carrying a suitcase and heading here,” said Rider, turning to Fly.

  “He was in here possibly ten minutes ago,” said Fly. “I asked him where he’d like to be transported and he said “New York City.” I found it odd that he was headed back there, but he said that you authorized for him to collect evidence of what occurred earlier. I told him that the room was scheduled for detonation within the hour and he said not to worry becaus
e he’d be back by then.” She typed furiously on her hologram. After several failed commands, she frowned. “I think the ATS in New York has been jeopardized: it’s not receiving any signals. He must have destroyed it after he arrived there.”

  “Alex had papers from the New York ATS room desk with him,” I said.

  “The papers he and Ace retrieved were various launch codes and detonation sequences for ATS locations throughout the world,” said Div, her hands flying up to her face as she shook her head. “He’s giving them to Sato!”

  “Exactly,” said Rider. “Fly, please call Ace.”

  Fly sent a message to Ace. I squatted down and tried to steady my breathing.

  “Are you alright Sol?” I felt an arm pass around my shoulder. I looked up to see Glinda smiling down at me.

  “No,” I choked, bending my head back down.

  “Come.” She pulled me out of the room just as Ace entered. I avoided making eye contact with Luke on the way out. We made our way back to the room we shared. I lay down on the bed and cried for the first time in as long as I could remember.

  “Let it all out.” Glinda began removing my clothes and let my hair out of its ponytail. I continued crying like a baby, tears and nose running all over my face.

  “My heart. My heart is broken. I can actually feel that it’s broken,” I sobbed. “I can’t breathe. Help me, Glinda I can’t breathe.” I yanked the necklace he had given me at the unsheathing party off of my neck and threw it across the room.

  “Take a deep breath,” she said soothingly. “Follow my lead. In, then out. Good. Again, in and then out.” She guided me through several deep breaths until I steadied my hyperventilating. “Just a second.” She got up and went over to the closet, pulling out several jars. One contained Elixir Respite. “Here you go.” She passed me the jar and I swallowed the beverage in its entirety. I began to yawn and kicked back the covers of my bed.

  “Rest up, honey bee. Rider will sort everything out, don’t you worry. Sacra’s death and your betrayal will not go unpunished. Only time can mend a broken heart, but sometimes some good ole fashioned revenge helps speed up the process.” She winked and gave me a pat on the back.

  “I’m so sorry you lost Sacra,” I whispered to her.

  “I am too. But there’s nothing more we could have done. I’d rather spend my energy remembering the good times rather than what happened. She would have wanted it that way.” Tears formed in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. “We angels know that any day could be our last. So I cherish the fact that we had two joyous centuries to spend with each other.” She made her way to the door as my eyes began to close, then turned to face me. “Get your rest. I have a funny feeling that the true battle for the survival of mankind is imminent.”

  CHAPTER 22

  The following morning arrived, bringing with it a sense of both rejuvenation and sorrow. We all attended a ceremony in the lobby, held in Sacra’s honor. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room as people stood and recalled happy moments they had shared with her. Glinda’s stories brought out the most tears from everyone.

  “Sacra and I never told anyone this, but she once saved my life,” she said. “We were fighting demon centaurs during the final battle of the Great World War. One of the beasts had placed me in a chokehold and was about to twist my neck.” Several people in the audience gasped, myself included. “Sacra soared over and with one slice, beheaded that filthy creature. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t be alive.” Everyone began sniffling. “Sacra’s outer beauty was dim compared to her inner splendor and strength. She inspired me every day to take charge and cast fear aside. Div, Sacra and I unsheathed at the same time a hundreds of years ago. Inspired by great warriors like Solomon Arch, we banded together to fight for justice and peace in this world. We will continue our legacy, and we know that Sacra is smiling down upon us, lighting our path. May she rest in peace.”

  After her eulogy ended, Sacra’s sword was carried outside by General Matthews. He became invisible, only leaving the sword in sight. It then flew off into the sky while Glinda sang the same Japanese song she had once hummed to me.

  After the ceremony, I met up with everyone for breakfast in Stella’s private office on the main floor of the LARF. Lavish and plush, Stella seemed to have an obsession with animals. Fur rugs, zebra print cushions, and tiger print walls were only a few of the many decorative accents she incorporated. Her desk had gold lion’s paws. Large oil paintings of jungle animals adorned the walls. A buffet had been set up and we all ate ravenously. I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten a full meal. As we sat around with our plates, Stella started the meeting.

  “I believe that our primary order of business would be to apprehend Alex Sato.”

  At the mention of his last name, I nearly choked on my eggs. Div thumped my back with her palm and the food went down.

  “As of yesterday evening, I officially declared him a traitor to the LARF and I consider him highly dangerous to anyone who is an angel or Espial.”

  “I agree with your findings,” said Rider. “General Matthews briefed me and Div this morning. Apparently, Alex made his way through the ARC’s rubble, out of the grotto, and caught a ride into Terredome. Someone is helping him, although we’re not sure who. Matthews’ soldiers could barely make out the image of a woman driving the car he got into, but nothing more descriptive than that.”

  “So what are our options?” asked Luke. “We have to do something soon before Sato gets his hands on those codes.”

  “By this time, he probably has the codes already,” replied Div. “I think what we really should focus on is taking him out.”

  “Yes,” said Stella. “We’ve already alerted all ATS centers around the world; they’ve changed their codes, but it’s a matter of time before their systems are hacked by Sato’s minions. The weapon we have been working on here will be complete within thirty days. We need to devise a way to breach the CEB and destroy Sato’s headquarters permanently.”

  “How do we do that?” I asked. “The Central Excellency Building is very well fortified. He’d see us coming from a mile away.”

  “Well that’s what we’re here to figure out today.”

  Everyone sat quietly thinking. Ace scratched his head. The answer seemed obvious to me. I glanced at Div, who was already looking at me. She gave me a nod.

  “Bait,” I said.

  “What do you mean?” asked Rider.

  “Bait. I’ll act as bait.”

  “No that’s too risky,” said Glinda, worry furrowing her brows.

  “It’s the only way we can access his building without being killed. He made it clear that he wants me alive. So he’ll get exactly what he’s asking for.”

  “Ok. Let’s say we get you in there without a hitch. How do we get you out when it’s time to use the weapon against him?” asked Luke.

  “Div has been teaching me how to be invisible and how to teleport. I can just disappear to another location.”

  “The weapon will destroy a thirty-mile radius, Sol,” said Stella. “No angel I’ve ever known could teleport that far away. Not even General Matthews’ army can do that.”

  “I know someone who could teleport across continents,” said Div.

  “Who?” we asked. We all turned to face her.

  “Solomon Arch. He did it regularly. I think he’s the only arch angel ever to have mastered that.”

  “That’s wonderful, but he was three thousand years old, Div,” said Rider. “Sol has only been training for a few days, and not thoroughly at that. It would take her years to master a skill like that.”

  “From what I’ve seen, Rider, she might just be able to pull it off. You said we have thirty days until we attack, right? Let me work with her until then.”

  Everyone then turned to face Rider. My heart was pounding.

  “Alright. But we should have a backup plan in place.”

  “I agree,” said Stella. “Rider and I will consult with Matthews in developing o
ur plan of attack. The three of us will meet back here before dinner so that we can outline a detailed itinerary.

  We all nodded and made our way out of her office. I felt a hand on the small of my back and jumped in fright.

  “Sorry, Sol. I didn’t mean to scare you,” said Luke, concern across his face.

  “No it’s ok. I’m just a little jumpy I guess.”

  “Can we talk?”

  “Umm…sure,” I agreed hesitantly. I really didn’t want to hear a lecture about how I should have listened to him.

  “How are you?”

  “What?”

  “How are you? Are you feeling alright?”

  I shook my head. “What happened to Sacra was horrifying. I refuse to let Alex and his father get away with what they did.”

  “I’m sorry he hurt you,” he replied, looking down.

  “I should have listened to you. We only knew each other for a few days and I foolishly thought he had feelings for me,” I said, blushing.

  “You deserve the attention he gave you.”

  I nodded softly. “It did feel nice. I felt special.”

  Luke ran his hand up and down my arm. He then pulled me into a hug, kissing the top of my head. He then released me and left. I took a deep breath and headed back to my room.

  CHAPTER 23

  “You’re not thinking detailed enough!” yelled Div.

  It was my fourth day of training with Div and I was lying on my back, looking up at her. I had just fallen onto the lobby floor after attempting to reappear on the top of one of the window panels. I winced as I slowly got back up.

  “Where were you trying to go?” asked Div.

  “The top of the window panel,” I replied pointing.

  “What did you think about?”

  “The window.”

  “This entire lobby is one big window!” she shouted. “Be more specific! Again!”

  I closed my eyes and tried imagining the window panel. I saw the seam it made where it connected to the ceiling. I opened my eyes and found myself hovering at the top of it.