by Leo Romero
“We stopped the portal to Hell,” I said, “but when the Armor of Agony melted Samuel, he was accepted as a sacrifice that opened it to Tartarus instead. And that’s where the gargoyles are.”
Jerome rubbed his chin. “Hmm, now it all makes sense.”
“Let’s get everyone ready.”
“Is this it then?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Now we’re going to war.”
****
I sent Rabid back to the Void and entered the Guild. Everyone rushed over and I was bombarded with questions and anxiety and stress from all angles. It hit me like a tidal wave. I raised my hands in the air. “Whoa, whoa! Everyone calm down!”
Some semblance of calm took over and I caught my breath.
“What’s going on, Stone?” someone asked.
“We’ve been stuck here for hours!” someone else snapped.
“Yeah, I know,” I said. “I got preoccupied. But I’ve got us something that’ll help take these things down. A rock troll called a stonecrusher. Works like a charm.”
“So where are they coming from?” Ramirez asked.
I sighed. They all stared at me with eager eyes. They wanted to know. Aurora bowed her head. Man, it isn’t your fault, kiddo. “They’re coming out of the portal Samuel and Beelzebub opened up.”
“I thought you stopped them,” said Olivia.
“I did. But the Armor of Agony took Samuel’s soul, which was accepted as part of the ritual and it opened up a portal to Tartarus and not Hell. Some ancient king was storing an army of gargoyles there. Samuel’s soul was sent into the first and the gargoyle came alive. He popped the next angel, whose soul awakened the next, and so on until there became an army of them.”
“I knew it had something to do with her!” Ricardo piped up, and all eyes focused on Aurora.
Oh boy!
“Yeah. She’s bad news. Why’s she even here?” Jarvis sneered.
“Hey! She’s here because Heaven told me to take care of her!” I snapped.
“She’s a freak that’s gonna get us all killed! If she’s dead then there’ll be no threat from Satan!” Ricardo said.
A bunch of ‘yeahs’ ensued and I pulled out Excalibur.
“You’ll have to come through me first!” Next to me, Aurora was trembling.
The angels backed off and I turned in a small circle. I was ready to use Excalibur if I had to.
“Gabe...” Aurora said, her voice laced with fear.
“It’s all right, kid. I won’t let them hurt you.”
“You won’t be by her side forever, Stone,” said Ricardo. “That’s when we’ll get her!”
Jerome stepped in ahead of me. “Then you’ll have to get through me as well,” he said. “Want to try your luck?”
Hope arose inside me. “Thanks, buddy,” I whispered.
“And me,” came another voice. Belinda. She stepped over to us. Jack and Jill were in her hands, ready to go to work.
“Make that four of us,” Ramirez said and I could feel tears welling in my eyes. It was reassuring to know I had good guys backing me up. But it felt equally shitty to know I couldn’t wholly trust everyone here. A couple more came and stood with us and strength solidified in my weary limbs.
“It isn’t her fault any of this is happening,” I said. “It’s just shitty circumstance, like it is for all of us. Now we can bitch and whine all we want, but we’ve got a war to win and if we don’t, then we’ll all go down. I don’t know all of what’s going on, but something tells me Aurora’s more important alive than dead. You want Heaven on your ass? Or Bracken? ’Cause that’s what’ll happen if anything bad happens to her. Trust me, something big is going to go down someday and this kid’s gonna be the one standing between us rotting for eternity or finally being free.”
“How do you know that?” asked Olivia.
I met her stare. “Why else would the higher uppers put her under my protection? God needs her for something, I don’t know what, but it must be for something important, otherwise, yeah, He’d probably just leave her to the dogs. We all know how things work.”
Everything went silent for a moment, but the tension on the air was as thick as cement.
“We’re all going to have to stick together for the time being,” Jerome said, looking around at everyone. “Put our differences and our opinions aside.”
“That’s right,” I said with a firm nod. “Things have been messed up around here and now we’re gonna put an end to it. But we need to be playing on the same team. Are we all agreed?”
I scanned the faces opposing me. They held firm, but eventually, they caved, one at a time.
I nodded and sheathed Excalibur. “Good. Now, everyone come out the back to get your wings.”
*****
Jerome, the other Enforcers, and I got busy filling in L45 forms and placing olive wreaths on the heads of all the angels. I knew it was against protocol, but these weren’t normal times. Jerome and I agreed that the risk was worth it. If the higher uppers felt we were abusing the L45 forms, then so be it. We had a war to win and protocol went out the window. This was about ensuring the survival of the Guild. If they wanted to take me to task they could.
Soon, the room was full of powered-up angels, imbuing their weapons with light magic, readying themselves for battle. I had my eye on Aurora the whole time just in case one of them decided to take the opportunity to erase the root of the problems at hand. Would an angel do such a thing? What would the Big Kahuna do if He found out an angel did that? My guess would be a one-way ticket to Hell, but I was still wary.
I blessed Jerome and then he blessed me and my transformation from half angel to full angel took place. Wings burst from my back in a blaze of glory. My veins juddered with the power of good; angry love surged through me. My eyes flushed white and every pixel of planet Earth came into vivid clarity. Every sound, every taste, every sensation ramped up in volume like I was an overclocked computer. My body was taut, honed with muscular power. Even more so now that I was an Enforcer. I got Excalibur imbued with intense light magic and held him up.
“All right, everyone listen up,” I said, starting my final rousing speech before we went to battle. All the angels turned my way, blazing halos lighting up the dressing room we were all crammed into. “This is where we make our stand. We have to stick together if we’re going to end this, so all beef is left out to pasture until tomorrow at least. I want everyone to fight like their lives depend on it, because guess what? They do. Now, everyone will be tasked with a role that you’ll have to stick to if we’re going to win this. Aurora and I need to go into through the portal so we can close it off. First, we’re going to have to clear the way of gargoyles. Jarvis and Ricardo, I want you to carry Colin into battle. He’ll take care of the gargoyles, but we need to destroy them all. Just get Colin near them and he’ll take care of the rest.”
Jarvis and Ricardo glanced at one another and nodded their heads.
“Olivia, I want you and Donovan to get a mass trick of the light going to make the whole battle look like some kind of firework display. You probably won’t be able to get it perfect and catch everything, but as long as you get as much as you can, we might just get away with it. Belinda and Ramirez, I want you to keep any gargoyles distracted from Colin and us as we head for the portal. Jerome’s support. His iron fists will be there to help you in case anyone gets tangled up with a gargoyle.”
Jerome gave me a solemn nod.
“Everyone else, I want you to offer support wherever you can. If you see anyone in trouble, you get to their side as soon as possible. The mission is to destroy every gargoyle, then get into the portal and close it up. Now, they know we’re after them, so they’re gonna protect that portal with all they’ve got.”
I took a big breath. “Everybody understand?”
There was a unanimous, “Yeah!”
I nodded. “Good. This is a war and we’re gonna win it!”
A few cheers went up. I thought of adding a ‘they may take o
ur haloes, but they’ll never take our freedom’, but that would be way too corny. Besides, none of us were free. We were bounty hunters.
“All right,” I said. “Let’s go kick ass!”
****
We stepped out and the others took off for the Loop. I summoned Colin and the big dummy entered our world. Jarvis and Ricardo glanced at one another in bemusement.
I shrugged at them. “What? This is Colin.”
Colin just gazed about him, drool falling down his chin.
“He’s stronger than the gargoyles?” Jarvis asked in disbelief.
“Believe it,” I said. “Now grab him by the legs and hold him upside down. It’s his hands that do the damage. Just get him close to a gargoyle and he’ll take care of things.”
“Stoneses,” Colin said.
“Yeah, we’re going to the stoneses, buddy,” I said to him.
“Oh goody!”
Jarvis and Ricardo bent down and grabbed a leg each. They yanked and Colin fell face first into the sidewalk. He let out a groan before Jarvis and Ricardo took hold of an ankle each and flapped their wings. They shot into the air, taking Colin with them.
Colin’s upside down face came level with mine. “You all right, buddy?”
“Everything’s upside downsey.”
“You’ll get used to it. All right, boys, take him to the Loop. Do not drop him!”
They flew off, taking Colin with them, who hung there like a bat. “Wooh!” Colin yelled in excitement, his voice petering out as he disappeared into the distance.
I summoned Pegasus. Aurora and I mounted him.
“I’ll see you up there,” Ramirez said to me and took to the sky. I nodded in return.
“You ready, kiddo?” I asked Aurora.
She nodded in return.
“Tartarus here we come,” I said and got Pegasus moving. We flew up and away, Chicago soon becoming a Lego set as the air rushed by us. In the near distance, the others were flying out toward the Loop. Olivia and Donovan were flying low beneath everyone getting the trick of the light going. Alongside that, I called Smith beforehand and told him to expect some falling rubble over the Loop. He got straight on the case; a temporary lockdown of the Loop and a media blackout whilst closing off all the airspace over Chicago. It was hopefully only for an hour, so at worst, there’d just be a few disgruntled people at the airport frustrated by a delayed flight. It being the middle of the night made all of that easier.
Pegasus flew and stampeded through the air over the city and the concrete forest of the Loop loomed. I took big, steadying breaths, heavenly strength coursing through me. I wasn’t scared, only concerned of not putting this all right. I didn’t want to fail the city, the world, Aurora, the Guild. Pegasus raced ahead of everyone as I made my way to the front of our attack. I was leading the charge, Excalibur in my hand.
“Ah, this takes me back,” Art said. “Riding into battle on horseback, fearless. About to bring justice to the evildoers!”
“Just like old times, Art.”
Above us, the stars twinkled in a clear sky, a half-moon bathing everything in white light. The first of the skyscrapers passed by below and the gargoyles were up ahead. The front line were forming a blockade, floating in the air like blimps, their wings flapping. I clenched my teeth and raised Excalibur to the sky. “Charge!” I shouted and we swooped in.
The gargoyles swept in toward us. Aurora’s grip on my waist tightened. I let out a growl, the wind whistling past me, Pegasus not letting up. The gargoyles got up close and personal, their claws bared. An ugly, contorted mug dominated my view and I gritted my teeth. I whipped back Excalibur and swung him across the air. I connected with the gargoyle’s wing. There was a loud clang, a burst of radiant light, and the gargoyle was propelled out of my way. All around me were roars and snarls as angels clashed head on with gargoyles. Flashes of light erupted around us, stone clanging against powered-up weapons. Gargoyle claws swiped through the air while angel wings flapped in glory.
Another gargoyle flew in toward me, causing Pegasus to pull up. It threw a punch. I kept my eyes focused on that stone fist, thrusting Excalibur toward it. The blade jammed into it, halting it mid-air. Light exploded outward, flinging the gargoyle back the way it came.
It came to a halt and snarled, about to fly in for another attack. Before it had a chance, a pair of giant troll hands came into view from above, the chubby fingers wiggling in delight.
“Stoneses!” said Colin as he reached down and plucked the gargoyle out of the sky. Before the gargoyle had a chance to react, Colin crushed the thing to pieces, a loud crack echoing through the night. Bits of stone rained down, showering the roof we were hovering over. A cheer went up around me, my heart filling with joy. These assholes were there for the taking.
“Kill them all!” I shouted, thrusting Excalibur to the sky.
Jarvis and Ricardo flew straight over to another gargoyle, dangling Colin over him like an electromagnet picking up shipping containers. Colin snatched the gargoyle’s wings and pulled them right off his back. The wingless gargoyle dropped like a bomb, plummeting down to the streets below.
Jarvis and Ricardo didn’t waste a second. They zipped over to the next gargoyle, Colin swinging on the air like a pendulum. He lashed his fists out, smashing them into the hovering gargoyle. The thing broke into chunks with minimal effort. Another one down. Colin was making light work of the bastards. All we had to do was avoid their attacks and let Colin do the rest. And stay alive.
I swung my head to the left to catch sight of Ramirez crack his light-imbued whip on the back of a gargoyle, sending it off course. As it went, Jarvis and Ricardo swooped in, Colin’s hands shaking with enthusiasm. “Stoneseeeeeees!” he cried as he went by and grabbed the gargoyle by the head. He crushed it like a grape; the headless body seized up and fell down to Chicago’s streets. I nodded in appreciation.
“Gabe! Look out!”
Aurora’s scream caused me to snap my head back. A gargoyle was flying in. Pegasus kicked up on his hind legs. I pulled out Bam Bam and fired off a blast slug. It hit the gargoyle on the wing, the explosion pushing it off track. It veered away, out of our path and straight into Colin’s hands.
“Pretty stoneses goes crack!” he said as he crushed the gargoyle to death. He let out a dumb chuckle afterward as Jarvis and Ricardo flew off to look for more victims.
I took a moment to look around. Jerome had his iron fists out and was having a mid-air boxing match with an irate gargoyle. They were going blow for blow. Jerome landed a jawbreaker before the gargoyle retorted with a haymaker.
I pointed over at them with Excalibur. “Go, Peggsy!”
Pegasus dived in toward them. I aimed Bam Bam at the gargoyle’s back. I hit him with a blast slug, just as he was about to unleash another punch. The explosion caused him to stumble on the air. Jerome took advantage and thumped it on the top of the head repeatedly until the thing literally cracked under the pressure like an egg. The headless gargoyle dropped down into the night. Jerome gave me a quick nod and dived in toward the next gargoyle.
I cranked open Bam Bam and held her over my shoulder. Aurora jammed in some more blast slugs and I was set to go.
Up ahead, Belinda was swooping over everything, Jack and Jill in her hands. Now her bullets were imbued with more powerful light magic, they were impacting the gargoyles better. She came down to get face to face with a gargoyle and unloaded on him. She was keeping the gargoyle at bay, sending him back on the air long enough for Colin to be flown in and take care of the rest. She stopped firing and Colin slapped the gargoyle upside the head. Cracks appeared down the length of the gargoyle’s body. He broke apart mid-air and that was another one down. I gave Jarvis and Ricardo a sure nod.
We were winning, but the gargoyles weren’t going down without a fight. From nowhere, a bunch of them zoomed in from the right, aiming for Jarvis and Ricardo. They’d ID’d the Colin threat and were acting on it.
My eyes widened. “Ricardo! Behind you!”
>
But it was too late. The gargoyles torpedoed into Ricardo, one at a time, knocking him off course. The impact loosened his grip on Colin’s ankle and he let go. Colin dropped, his weight transferring over to Jarvis, who instantly strained, the veins in his neck bulging, his wings flapping ferociously. Colin’s weight proved too much and they dropped like lead.
My eyes bulged. “Wait here!” I shouted behind me and leaped off Pegasus.
“Where exactly am I gonna go?” Aurora shouted after me, but it was something at the back of my mind. I focused on Jarvis and Colin. Colin was waving his arms around while Jarvis was flapping his wings like crazy. He’d somehow still managed to keep hold of Colin’s leg. But they were falling fast. We couldn’t afford to lose Colin. He was the last known stonecrusher; without him, we were screwed. I dive-bombed after them, my wings pressed into my back so I could cut through the air faster. Meanwhile, Jarvis and Colin were dropping like the stock market after a banking collapse. They fell between a couple of scrapers and were picking up speed. The street was awaiting them below, where Colin was gonna go splat. I clenched my teeth and made myself as thin as possible, trying to be like a dart flying toward the bullseye. Icy wind rushed past me, blowing my hair behind me, my cheeks pulling back. Jarvis was hanging on for dear life, but he couldn’t hold out forever. His hand started to slip away from Colin’s leg and my heart leaped into my throat.
“Hold on!” I screamed.
Jarvis shook his head in protest. He tried with all his might, but Colin was too heavy. Whatever he was made of, it suddenly weighed a ton with only one guy to lift him. To my horror, Colin’s dead weight became too much and he slipped from Jarvis’ grip. Now he plummeted down even faster toward the street. Jarvis reeled on the air, his chest heaving. I watched Colin go with unbridled terror. I heard him shout “Weeeeee!” as he went, the dummy totally oblivious to his impending doom.
I sucked in a big breath and propelled myself through the air. I shot by Jarvis like Superman, compelled to put things right. Windows raced by me like a looped background on a video game. I focused in on Colin who was dropping straight down. The streets below came sharp into focus. I could see the clear outline of streetlights and sidewalk. Panic frazzled my mind, but through the chaos, I kept my focus on the dirty soles of Colin’s feet. My mouth opened up and I let out a roar as I pushed myself as hard as I could. My speed picked up and the world became a tunnel of ice.