by J Moon
Legion cowered on the floor in pain. There was dissention within himself. Some of the demons that were apart of Legion wanted to strike back. These demons were younger, and most likely human, but the older demons, the ones who dwelled in the darkness before there was light told him to steady his hand. Once Legion took control of the Heavens, he would have the means to destroy all seven Princes of hell. He looked up at the chairman with a smile in his face, and delight in his eyes. “Apologies, I talk out of place.”
Abaddon tore his gaze around the other Princes who sat at the table. They all nodded, agreeing to spare number twelve any further harm. “If there are no other matters, you are free to go. Make sure Heaven Reign is a success. Otherwise the consequences will be quiet dire.”
Legion left in a crack of white light.
Abaddon turned to the others. “What do you think gentlemen?”
“The Lightbringer will be pleased. Soon the anointed will fall along with SMITE.”
“And then the first seal will break.”
When Legion teleported back to the abandoned factory, two Enforcers rushed to him and stood in salute. “Sir we have identified the location of the human threats, Shepherd Base.”
Legion was pissed but a smile swept across his face. “Splendid.”
“What shall we do?” One enforcer asked.
Legion set his jaw hard, “Take a small squadron of grunts and annihilate them. Nothing must stop Heaven Reign.”
Both Enforcers saluted and said, “It will be handled.”
Legion nodded, “Good. I want this done quickly.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Gabe motored across the grim looking Brooklyn streets, while thinking furiously about the catastrophe that surrounded him. He had to get this right. The consequences were far too dire. Strange that what started as a simple seek and retrieve mission, spiraled out into something more dire and convoluted. His fingers moved carefully over the stick as he shifted gears. This had to work. His plan had to fall through or Nia would die with the rest of them.
As he steered across the eerily empty streets, a cone of light flashed before him. With a sharp turn of the wheel, he pulled The Ark to a stop. He shielded his eyes from the light.
Standing in the spotlight was a child or what appeared to be a child. Gabe knew for sure the child was a messenger. At once he hopped out of The Ark, leaving the engine rumbling as he walked towards the child.
“Have you heard my prayer?” He shouted across the empty streets.
“Archangel Gabriel we have heard you from up high.” The child said, his voice was pure and full of innocence.
“Then where is my backup? Who is setting up the defenses for the onslaught of Legion’s forces? There is still plenty of time to thwart the demon.”
“Yes there is plenty of time,” The child agreed with a nod. Then with a hard jaw and shrewd eyes he said, “But there will be no other archangels sent for this mission.”
Gabe let out a heavy breath and rubbed his palms down his face. A flurry of emotions slammed into him. With a frown on his face he asked? “What do you mean?”
“To save the girl and to save Harlem is your mission Gabriel, and your mission alone.”
Gabe was stunned silent.
Sure the archangel had completed plenty of missions alone over the millennia but never one that could end up crippling SMITE and destroying the Heavens, the home he fights for.
The child took three steps toward Gabe and the cone of light followed him like a spotlight. “We all must prove our faith pure and worthy. Even you archangel must still prove yourself.”
“I’m on my own,” Gabe murmured.
“We are never alone. As long as the Creator sits on the throne.”
“So you can’t help me or you won’t,” Gabe asked in a very tight voice.
“Won’t.” Evelyn answered firmly as she appeared out of nowhere. “We received orders from upper management that this mission is yours alone. You and you alone will handle it. No backups.”
Gabe whirled around to spot Evelyn in his peripheral. “From upper management? The Thrones?”
Evelyn pursed her lips tightly before she spoke. “Even higher. It was from the Creator.” Then just like the child she was casted in the glow of light. “You're not alone Gabe. Let his will flow through you. Trust in your faith. This is Evelyn signing out.”
A breeze swept through the vacant streets like a sultry sax note, and the angel vanished into air. Galled beyond words, the archangel cursed, and spat hard on the sidewalk as he walked over to The Ark.
Anger had put the pungent taste of sulfur in his mouth. It was going to take all the archangel’s faith to save Nia. For if he could not stop Legion’s army then SMITE will fall and the bodies of angels will rain down on the Earth.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Nia was determined to do something. She wasn’t raised to be a girl that needed to be saved. As she listened closely, she heard the two grunts talk in front of her cell about incoming prisoners. She thought to herself, it was now or never. She simply could no longer wait for the archangel to save her.
It was up to her to get herself and her father out of there, if not only to save themselves but to also save the world.
Nia wondered to herself if it was possible to get her hands on the staff, and use it against Legion. “You are going to get us killed,” Pops murmured as he laid down on the floor. “We have to try something,” she whispered back.
Nia turned to the door. “Help! You need to come help my father. He is having a heart attack.”
“Get away from the bars!” One grunt commanded.
“You have to help him or he will die, and if he dies, I damn sure won’t use that staff. Legion won’t like that.”
“She has a point,” the grunt on the left said to the other.
The grunt at the door raised his gun, “Step back!”
Nia did as told and allowed both grunts access to the cell. One bent down on the knee to check Pops. It looked up to its comrade, “Well he’s not dead. This one still detects life.”
“You got it!” Pops shouted as he wrestled the grunt to the ground.
At the same time, the other shot at Pops but was thrusted out of the way by Nia as she slammed him into the wall. Once the rifle dropped on the floor, she picked it up and shot at the grunt on the floor, then turned to shoot the one by the wall
It all happened so quickly that once both grunts were down, Nia’s face brightened in pure shock that her plan succeeded. In between short pants she said, “See I told you the archangel said they were dumb. Let’s go!”
Both father and daughter ran out of the cell. Pops closed the door behind them as they faced a leaky grey corridor with other holding cells.
A foul stench of mold, and stale air assaulted Nia’s nose. She surveyed her surroundings and concluded that they must’ve been a level lower than the last time she had been there with Langston.
“Where are we going?” Pops asked as they walked the corridor.
Nia looked back at him, “I don’t know but I’ve been here before. We got out through a long tunnel system, so if we can find stairs, go up another level or two, then we should be able to find it.”
Pops nodded in agreement as he continued to follow along. They had only walked a few paces when they came to large oval doors. Nia walked forward, and the doors opened automatically to a larger room, to which now stepping forward they were on a bridge overlooking a control room.
Pops shivered once he saw what was waiting on the other side. On his right he saw three wooden crates stacked on top of each other. “Get down,” he whispered as he pulled Nia under cover.
Over the rails in the vast shadowy pit, they saw two grunts standing over a complex muddle of electronic panels. More panels were all around along with crates stacked up nearby. Behind them, three grunts herded a group of captured men to holding cells downstairs. Any moment they would check her cell.
“What’s the next part of your plan
genius?” Pops asked.
Nia had to only look to her left to see another large set of doors across the bridge. She took a quick glance down below and saw that the grunts were still focused on the monitors. “Let’s move,” she commanded with a wave of her hands.
She was first to scurry along the bridge, her back hunched, as she crouched, trying not to be seen. Nia looked back and motioned for her father to follow.
Nia waved her hands. “Come on.”
“Hell no,” Pops whispered.
Nia rolled her eyes. “We have to get out of here.”
“This is a bad idea,” Pops moaned, his voice growing louder.
“They will kill us if we stay.” Nia said softly.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he joined her. Nia took another quick glance to make sure they hadn’t been seen. Once she saw that the grunts were still unaware of their presence, she walked forward through the doors.
A cacophony of screams welcomed them as they stepped across the threshold. On instinct, Pops tugged at Nia’s arm. “Did you hear that?” he asked.
Then they both listened with their ears peaked. Soon they both began to shiver. It was strangely colder in this section than the other. An echoing wail bounced off the corridor walls that made them both tremble in fear.
Pops spun and pulled Nia as he did. “No we need to turn around,” he said with his breath blowing in the cold air.
Nia snatched her arm back. “No we can’t. If we want to get out of here we have to go forward.” Goosebumps prickled her arms and legs, and she began to rub her arms as she led the way.
Pops became belligerent. “I’m sure it’s also a damn slaughter house that way too. Haven’t you watched enough horror movies baby girl? You don’t going running towards screaming. You run away.”
Another scream filled the cold air, it started off as a high shriek and ended with a faint moan. Dreaded horror filled Pops worn brown eyes. “But did you hear that? It sounds like someone is being tortured. We gotta get the hell up out of here.”
“I heard it Pops, but we can’t go back to our cell. We have to keep moving.” She said as she ran forward on instinct, pushing past her father who seemed frozen by fear, moving toward the inhumane sounds.
Moving ahead they came to another bridge area, this one with a large window that overlooked cells below. Finally, they drew near the source of the screams. Nia peered down and the sheer horror of it all made her drop the gun. Silently Pops looked down.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” Pops repeated as he saw the doom that awaited them below.
Below them was a giant cold room. The grunts brought a group of captured men, shot them down in the back of their heads, placed metal hooks on their necks, and strung them on the conveyer belt hanging above. Legion had turned the factory into his own personal cyborg assembly line. It was hundreds of them. Legion was not just assimilating a few soldiers but building a massive army to attack the gates of Heaven.
The grunts showed no mercy as they pushed them into lines and executed them without second thought. Together they stood watching as the grunts dragged a coffin-shaped metal box up to the equipment complex and attached electrodes to the sides.
The machine groaned as it lurched with power and the lifeless steel shape hopped up like a corpse waking from the dead. The newly created grunt climbed stiffly from the container and stood upright. Its metal arm clanged across it’s armored chest in salute. Then it hopped off the belt as another formed behind him.
Nia watched, terrified and fascinated as the process repeated again and again. She saw all the blood on the floor, the lifeless eyes of the men, and she thought about all of their families. Before tears cold form in her pretty almond eyes, a sour liquid formed in her throat and she spilled it onto the floor.
Tears fell as the vomit came out. Immediately she dropped to her knees and let it out in a corner of the room. “Oh my god did you see that?”
Pops knelt beside her, his voice dropping to a calm baritone. “Yes, I did.”
Nia wiped her mouth. “These men. We can’t leave them. We just can’t.”
Pops patted her back, “Are you good.”
Nia leaned up and wiped her lips dry. “ I’m good. Come on.” she said.
Creeping down the corridor they moved off the bridge and came to another room full of cells. Four grunts marched their way, and quietly they ducked to a corner off to the left, and waited for them to march by.
Once the coast was clear, they continued on. They walked past three empty cells before they came across one on the left that was brimming with occupants. All of them cried for help at once, reaching their hands out of their bars, once they saw Nia and her father. Amidst all the pleas for help Nia heard her name.
In a quick glance inside the jail cell Nia recognized one face amongst the masses.
Her heart sank.
She ran over to the door immediately. “Rahlo how did you get in here?” Nia asked.
He was already crying hard. Tears and snot ran down his face. Fear had made his words difficult to come out. “They got me not too far from the Cotton Club.”
“Damn!”
Rahlo stood still for a moment, his eyes shimmering so much fright that it made Nia want to look away. “Please help me Nia. I don’t want to die. Please help us.”
Nia took a deep breath, her mind struggling to come up with a way to free him. “Just stay here and I’ll find some keys or something to get you out.”
Pops waved his hands, “Nia come on…. we can’t help them. We have to worry about ourselves.” Pops cast his concerned gaze over to Rahlo. “Sorry son but we will send the police and maybe the SWAT shooters once we’re home.”
Rahlo ignored Pop’s comments and focused on Nia. “I don’t understand. How did you get out?”
“We tricked the guards,” Nia answered. “Just stay here I’ll come back for you.”
Rahlo shook his head, “Hurry!” he cried.
Nia nodded and as soon she turned to leave, the crowd in the cell cried louder for help. Annoyed, she turned back to the cell. “Listen you all have to keep quiet. I can’t help yawl if they know I’m out.” She turned to her father, “One of the grunts we knocked out earlier might’ve had a key or something.”
“Hell no,” Pops declared. “I’m not going back there. Nia we can’t help these fools. They are good as dead. Best thing we can do…. and I’m going to do as a father is get out of here and don’t look back.”
Nia was taken back, “Pops I can’t believe you.”
If only there was a button, a switch or something she thought as she looked around. Nia knew she had to keep looking. Her father would only slow her down. “Stay with them and I’ll be right back.” She turned and left the room. Pops called out her name desperately trying to get her attention, and to listen to reason.
Nia turned to her father with her eyes full of emotion, “We have to do something. We can’t let all those men die. She walked back out into the corridor, and was met with silence, none of the grunts in sight. Perfect, she thought to herself as she walked a few steps before abruptly stopping. Nia whirled to her right as something sparkling caught her eye. It was beyond a closed door but she could see it through bars.
A small still voice spoke to her, “Draw near.” Nia opened the door and saw the briefcase.
“And here it is!” she said to herself. Nia took one half step into the room and the voice spoke again. “Take off your shoes for this is holy ground.”
“Okay,” Nia did as tell. She walked forward, frightened yet enthralled at the same time.
“Is that you big God?” Nia asked.
“It is I the Creator, maker of the Heavens of Earth.”
Nia marveled at the voice in her head. “Yes God. You sound exactly like I thought you would. All powerful and wise, sounding like Morgan Freeman.”
“I sound like only what your mind can comprehend.”
Nia nodded. “That makes sense.”
“Step forth,
take hold of the staff and receive revelation.” The Creator spoke in a resounding power that enthused Nia.
“Revelations?” She parroted as he spoke in her head. Then she thought about and realized this was an opportunity most don’t get to have, not even the archangels. So she asked, “Why me?”
“Your heart. It is pure and resilient. You have what it takes to save my angels and my people.”
Nia was looking down at the staff now. The staff was no more than seven inches of splintered wood. On the outside it showed no significance and no sign of power. Strangely Nia could feel the staff’s power on the inside. Inside her resided a burning question. “I still don’t understand. Why my mom? Where were you when I needed you to save her?”
“With you,” the voice simply spoke. “As I promised Moses, Abraham, and the Israelites. I will be with you on this task.”
“What task?”
“I need you to save my angels. You, Nia will save SMITE.” The Creator paused to allow the importance of his request to sink in. “Now take hold of the staff and receive revelations.”
Nia took the staff into her hands and her mind flooded with quick snapshot visions of ancient golden gates being torn open, angels falling from Heaven, doom falling upon New York, and bodies, hundreds of bodies everywhere. As the terror and doom of the possible future surged into her head, the staff lengthened in her grasp. Her body shook violently as the Holy revelation went into her head, she levitated off the floor with the staff still in her grasp, a voice begged her to let go, and once she did she fell to the floor in a heap.
Grunts marched in at once, Legion was leading the way, as they dragged Pops behind. Legion turned to see Nia on the floor. For a slight moment the demon had become frightened, he was afraid of his failure and the consequences that would bring to him.
“Nia… Nia!” Pops yelled, his voice was strained and filled with a gut wrenching sorrow. Seeing his baby girl sprawled out on the floor made him fear the worst. “Get up baby!” he wailed, almost convinced she had been dead.