Vince interrupted with, “What the hell, open season, is she a deer or something?”
“She could be my “two legged dear” anytime she wanted.” Alex ducked quickly to dodge an ice shard that Vince had immediately materialized and thrown in his direction.
“That’s enough!” Raven’s voice got that hard edge to it, which always happened right before he became his gargoyle self.
There was instant quiet in the room as both Vince and Alex sat back down and tried to mellow. Raven continued in his now gravelly voice, “As I was saying before I was interrupted, I caution you both to take it slow with the girl. If anyone hurts her, he’ll answer to not only Vince, but me. Need I remind you that I answer directly to Father? He is overseeing this task for the Order, as you know, which makes me in charge of our team effort. Is that understood, brothers?”
Vince grudgingly agreed and Alex beamed. Damn, those warrior angels could light up a room when they got excited. He wondered if Alex was actually interested in Emma or just trying to aggravate Vince, as he often did. Vince would always rise to the bait if that enticement were Emma. He realized with Alex, it was likely a bit of both.
He’d known Alex for many years and was secretly glad that he’d been requested to help with protecting Emma. As long as he could learn to keep his teasing to a minimum, they would make a great team. He just wasn’t fond of his overactive hormones and his oversized ego at times. While Alex would always have their backs, he wondered where he planned to put his front. Seraphim certainly weren’t normal angels like one would see in a children’s book. The only thing pristine about them were their overly white teeth, but then again, they were fierce warriors not minions of Cupid.
“Now, may we get back to the business of discussing her safety?” Raven inquired.
“The worst part is that the girl has no idea what’s even going on, who her father really is, or what kind of danger she’s in,” Alex interjected in a serious, concerned tone, lacking any of his earlier jollity.
“I’m not sure if we should tell her, either. In this case, it may be safer for her to remain ignorant, at least for the time being. She’s been through enough already. When her mother disappears, it will be traumatic for her. We may have our hands full.”
“One can only hope,” mumbled a smirking Alex. Vince’s low growl signaled that he’d heard the smugly whispered comment.
“I’m starting to agree with Vince. Are you thinking with your head or your dick, Alex? It may have been a poor choice of words on my part, but you could have left it alone. The only thing we can actually do is be there to comfort and help her,” Raven stated, getting back to business as he hoped Alex finally would.
“Sorry, guys. I’ve missed you both and the banter we used to have. I know the situation is serious. I’ll protect the girl with my life. I just wanted to have a few laughs. The sun is boring these days, as you know. All we do is fight this delegation from Dark Hearts or that group from who knows where. I just want to spread my wings a bit, if you get my drift. Vince, you’ve gotten excessively serious. Are you actually in love with this girl? I understand how you could be, she’s ho…well, a nice girl.”
“I don’t know if it’s really love, but I just feel protective towards her and I care deeply for her. She is one of my dearest friends and a kind-hearted girl. It really hurt her when her dad disappeared. I know what she went through and now all this horseshit that will be partially caused by our future employer, well, it just isn’t fair.”
“You know that Raven and I will protect her with our lives, Vince. Wouldn’t you prefer that she be safe with one of us, no matter who we are working for, rather than be alone? You know we’ll keep her safe, better than some guy off the street that doesn’t have a clue about what’s happening.”
“I know you’re right,” Vince muttered grudgingly, “I guess I’d rather her be with one of us than be with someone that can’t protect her when the evil comes for her, and we all know it will come. I want her safe just as much as you guys do, probably more so. I also know that we’re to follow the directives of the Order. She must be protected at all costs. I’m actually concerned if we can really protect her. How the hell is a gargoyle, a sun seraph and a wendigo supposed to keep her safe when we can’t even use our fucking magic in front of her?” Vince demanded as he again assaulted a marble table with his fist.
Raven continued the discussion, “Simmer down, Vince. Loverboy is right. He may be mouthy, but he’s one hell of a warrior. I’m considered one of the strongest gargoyles in our legion. Vince, hell, I’ve seen you fight. You’re damn powerful, even without your magic. We don’t have a choice. She’d probably panic, be terrified, or try to call the police if she found out gargoyles, angels, and ice spirits actually existed. We have to do this. We have no choice.”
“While it’s going to be difficult to keep our personal thoughts off Emma, we must focus. I have no doubt it will be a rough assignment, but the fate of a civilization rests in our hands. We all know Dark Hearts will stop at nothing to get what they want. Don’t forget what H.E.A.R.T.S. stands for: Hate Earthlings Always Ready To Strike. As you are aware, we’ve added the “Dark” since we don’t think the damned creatures involved in that organization have anything but darkness in their hearts, if they even have hearts.”
Raven continued as he thought of all the humans that had already been destroyed by Dark Hearts. “As we know, their ultimate goal all along has been to destroy all the adult humans and enslave the children, shipping them to distant planets as slaves. They’d raise the pretty ones to be pleasure slaves and the rest to work in the deepest mines on Mars or other unspeakable places. Eventually most of the children would die from starvation, over work, abuse, or worse.”
Alex spoke up, “Dark Hearts is a fitting name for those bastards. They’ve caused multiple types of destruction on the Sun, too, which the humans refer to as sun storms. Their purpose for years has been to destroy the Sun to trigger the ruination of the entire planet of earth. If the humans only knew what Dark Hearts was about, there would be panic in the streets.”
“Since Dark Hearts have been unable to find Emma’s father, they’ll undoubtedly attempt to kidnap his only child to entice him out into the open. They want that formula and will kill anyone that gets in their way,” Vince said, after remaining pensive for a few minutes.
“You’re right. If they can obtain the formula, then they’ll have twice as many slaves by enslaving the adults, too. If you control the mind of a human, you are in control of the body. If they succeed, this would give them millions of expendable killers, pleasure slaves, and free laborers. They could breed earthlings and have an army that continued to replenish itself. They’d eventually try to control the entire universe with an army like that. The situation would be dire for the Order and the rest of the cosmos.”
Raven continued updating them about the gravity of the situation. “Matthew Steffan is a genius with a photographic memory. Since he kept no records, the only way Dark Hearts can get what they want is by forcing him out of hiding. When they find him, he’d be forced to prepare his formula for them. They’d never trust him to hand over the formula on paper. They’d want to make sure it works before they dispose of him and his daughter. We know that Matthew would agree to develop the serum to save his Emma. After all, he left in the first place to protect her. If he does give them the formula, it will be the end of humanity as we know it. Dark Hearts will kill them both and enslave every human on this planet.”
“We’re all too aware of that, Raven. That’s why we must keep Emma and her mother safe,” Vince said.
“Actually, our directive is to keep Emma safe. That’s why Alex was asked to come here in the first place. He’s our third enforcer. It will take all three of us to keep her safe after her mother is taken away to safety. The Order will be transporting Emma’s mother somewhere out of Dark Heart’s reach until this whole ordeal is over. We don’t believe that Dark Hearts will come after her mother, but they are taking
no chances.”
“That is fucked up, Raven,” Vince argued, “why can’t they take Emma to safety, too?”
“It is in the best interest of the entire universe for the Order to locate Steffan before Dark Hearts does. If they do, they will immediately transport him and his entire family to a safe galaxy far from the reach of Dark Hearts. They’ll also expunge the entire formula from Steffan’s mind.”
“So, the Order is going to use Emma as bait to lure Steffan out of hiding? We’re no better than Dark Hearts. They planned to do the same thing, you said so yourself,” Vince stated in a rather disgusted, matter of fact tone.
“We have no choice, Vince. Dr. Steffan has to be located before the enemy finds him. The only way to find him is for the Order to entice him out of hiding by using Emma before Dark Hearts does. If the unthinkable occurs and she falls into their hands, we are to rescue her at all costs.” Raven continued divulging the Order’s ultimate goal to protect humanity and the balance of the planets.
“I just don’t like using Emma as an inducement. Dark Hearts is a formidable organization, as you know, Raven. They have thousands of operatives that could cause us some major shit,” Vince stated empathetically, as he barely held his concern for Emma in check. They all knew that losing Emma was not an option, but Vince felt it deep inside, because of their deep friendship.
“I already care for her, too, Vince. I believe Alex does, too. We plan to make sure she remains safe. As I said before, one of us is to be with her at all times,” Raven assured him.
“You haven’t known her long enough to care for her and Alex only cares about what’s in her panties.”
“That’s not true. You’ve told us so much about her that we feel we know her fairly well already. There is something special about her, as you obviously know, Vince. I already feel the pull when I’m near her. It’s like I feel a bond forming or something I can’t explain,” Raven said in a calmer tone, out of respect for his dear friend. The guy had been a true friend of his since they’d come to this odd place. They were close friends. It was nice to be able to act as if they were friends in public at last.
Their friendship had been kept secret because of that bitch, Brittany. She didn’t want to associate with anyone from the “corner” table. She felt as if they were beneath her. He figured most of the guys at school had been beneath her or on top of her at one time. He was glad that nonsense was over and he was rid of the promiscuous bitch. Brittany thought she’d broken up with him. If only she knew how happy she’d made him, she'd have most assuredly changed her course of action.
He was thankful that the assignment had been a success and he was finally a free man. Brittany’s father had been so busy worrying about him dating his daughter that he’d stopped his investigation of the Order and Raven’s father. He’d constantly spied on Brittany and him.
“When are they planning to take Emma’s mother to safety?” Vince asked, finally coming to terms with that little tidbit of information.
“The Order will take her Sunday while Emma’s with Alex, skiing,” Raven answered.
“She’ll be coming home to an empty house. That can’t be good,” Vince replied.
“We’ll begin our protection efforts of Miss Stephens with or without her cooperation commencing Sunday night,” Raven emphatically stated.
“She can’t stay in that house alone, Raven,” Alex insisted.
“Her best friend, Vince, will convince her that she should stay with one of us or he’ll stay with her. Her refusal is not an option. I’m counting on you to convince her that she needs to be with someone and not alone, Vincent, preferably at one of our houses,” Raven stated as if he were talking about the weather and not an emotional teenage girl who would freak out when she realized her mother was gone.
This was the same teenage girl that he’d noticed some time ago. The one he’d backed away from, because of Vince’s feelings. Now, he’d probably end up competing for her affection with not only Vince, but also with Alex. They may not have mentioned the pull, but neither of them was willing to give up pursuing her. He knew the “hands off” policy that he’d initially suggested would never work. However, Raven already decided that he’d rather share her with his two closest friends then see her in danger alone. They were close enough that soon they’d be positive it was a good idea for one of them to be with her at all times, no matter which one it was.
Even though Raven already knew that and would rather she were with one of his pseudo brothers, he wondered how Emma would feel about it. Especially when she realized they all planned to not only protect her, but wanted to date her and someday maybe more. It would be her choice of course, but if he had anything to say about it, they’d all be having Miss Stephens in their lives as more than just someone they were protecting. He had no idea how long they’d be shielding her, but maybe when the assignment was over they could get a house together. He knew that was a long way off, but he could dream.
Just thinking of Emma’s pouty full lips was enough to tighten the crotch of Raven’s jeans. They’d have to be patient with her. It was going to be a rough ride for her. Hell, it was going to be a rough ride for all of them. Vince was like a bear on the warpath when it came to Emma, but he hoped that he’d finally mellow. It was not a matter of choice anymore. The damned bickering had to stop.
His thoughts were interrupted when his cell phone delivered an urgent message from his father at the offices of the Order. There has been a new development… That was all he got as his phone went dead.
Alexander had remained fairly quiet, listening to Raven and Vincent discuss Emma’s life and that of her father. He wished he could offer a better solution to the problem, but the Order had been unsuccessful in locating Steffan for several months. They’d recently increased their efforts to locate him since they discovered what Dark Hearts was planning. It seemed the man was a genius at hiding, too.
He understood that Steffan had disappeared shortly after he found out that sinister forces were seeking his formula for evil rationales. He learned that they planned to exterminate his entire race with his discovery so he vanished, taking the formula with him.
Sadly, the SXK24 formula had started out as a cure for schizophrenia. It would have saved millions of lives and prevented humans from ever experiencing the heartbreak of having a family member completely withdraw from the world because of their disease. As soon as it was administered, it instantly cured the disease in any person, regardless of their age or the severity of their condition.
Someone had unfortunately found out what the doctor accidently discovered when administering the SXK24 to some test subjects. If the formula was administered in too large a dose it turned the subjects into mindless minions unable to think for themselves and easily controllable. Steffan, realizing this problem, had tried to fix the issue by enhancing SXK24 with a synthetic enzyme before he disappeared. He took any progress with him, along with the SXK24 formula and any finished samples.
The man was not only a genius, he was street smart. He’d started work on the formula for the United States government several years before he married Diana Morgan. He knew that his work could potentially bring danger to his family’s doorstep due to its value to mankind. He also knew that it would cost hospitals and mental health care facilities millions in lost revenues, which some corrupt government officials might find objectionable. Therefore, he planned his future with careful precision.
Steffan protected his wife and any future family by using a false name on their marriage certificate. He further protected them by immediately moving his lab underground and severing his ties with the government. He quickly relocated his family to a small, unknown community where no one recognized him as anything more than a blue-collar worker.
Somehow, Dark Hearts had found out the location of his lab and destroyed it. They tortured and killed his assistant, but didn’t find the formula. Steffan’s lab had been located deep in an obscure cave in central Ohio, far from his family’s home. In act
uality, he’d flown a small plane to his lab daily from a secret airstrip hidden deep in a forested area. How Dark Hearts had found the lab was anyone’s guess. Vince was right. Dark Hearts was not only formidable, they were wealthy and resourceful. They’d obviously hired a mole and he’d done his job remarkably well.
Steffan had lived as normal a life as possible while he perfected his formula. He’d leave his house dressed as a typical blue-collar worker. He made sure his looks blended in with everyone else. He also kept his private life low key. He did nothing to attract attention to himself or his family.
Another reason he’d been so difficult to locate was that there were no known pictures of him. His looks were labeled as non-descript. He was reported to be of average height with hair that may have been dyed to appear prematurely gray. His eyes were probably blue like Emma’s eyes. His weight based on his height was normal. He did wear glasses, one of his early co-workers had said, but as the work became more intense, he began to work alone in a private section of the laboratory with just one assistant. Eventually, when Steffan had moved underground, he’d taken the one assistant with him. No one had seen the man in many months, other than his assistant who’d been murdered.
Of course, the Order would try to get Emma’s mother to help them. Perhaps she could give them a better description of her husband or maybe she had a picture that she carried in her wallet, which they’d missed. The Order had already searched the Stephens’ home for photographs of the missing man. They’d come up empty handed. There were no records of his birth or his parents, no grade transcripts, social security number, or service records. It seemed that when Steffan chose to disappear, he knew how to use his resources to vanish completely.
The assignment also tasked them with gaining Emma’s trust in the hopes of gaining information for the Order. Based on the comments tonight, all of them were looking forward to becoming better acquainted with her. That part of the assignment, Raven didn’t mind. Spending time with Emma would be enjoyable, as long as he could keep the guys from coming to fisticuffs over her. He was used to Vince’s moodiness and Alex’s irritating attitude and smart mouth. Both of them were good fighters and he trusted them with his life. Now, if he could just trust them with Emma, it might prove to be a successful assignment that ended well, with all of them living together and working for the Order.
Dark Hearts Page 13