by SK Benton
"Gadreel, I believe it is time to come home," said Samyaza.
"Brother, something has happened here. I believe the Hybrid's mate has been killed."
"Yes, she is dead. Come, now."
###
"No! Holy shit! Whaaat?" screamed Max, as he charged out of Bagatelle's office toward the corridors that led to the flight deck. Michael, Draagh and Bagatelle followed in pursuit, while Gadreel stayed behind, blinking out of sight as soon as they had left.
Max rounded a corner, only to find Jessica on the ground, covered in blood, holding Jennie Gunnarsson's nearly severed head on her lap. Krynos stood near a wall, staring with a blank expression, lightly banging his forehead against a door in a rhythmic cadence.
"Max! Krynos… just… just… he cut her head off! Oh my god! What do we do?" cried Jessica.
Max Gunnarsson dropped to his knees next to the love of his life - his only love - his wife, and supposed mate for nearly forever. His heart almost stopped as he tried to catch his breath. Quickly moving Jessica to the side, he took Jennie and gently tried to repair the damage done by Krynos' massive quadrinium blade. His hands were shaking as blood continued to leak out of her severed jugular vein, covering his uniform shirt.
"Jennie, no. My god, no. How did this happen? Somebody help!"
Max felt his head start to swell, and looking back at Krynos, he nodded, violently flinging the massive lycan into a far wall. Turning his attentions back to his deceased wife, he stroked her lustrous black hair while he started to hyperventilate. Draagh, Michael and Bagatelle arrived and could only stare at the carnage.
"I feared something like this would happen, but I had no idea Krynos would be the victim," said Michael.
"Krynos? Victim? What the hell?" screamed Max, as he again flicked his head at the now-unconscious lycan king, slamming him into another wall. Max then completely lost control, and, closing his eyes, started to unknowingly warp the local atmosphere, creating massive amounts of pressure that actually forced the bulkhead to warp. Tears streamed down his face as he tried to heal his dead wife. The walls nearly buckled, undulating back and forth, accompanied by the creaks and groans of quadrinium being stretched to its limits. Small holes formed in the bulkhead, with numerous air leaks sprouting, and lowering the already-weak air pressure.
"Max! Son! You must control yourself! Stop, lest you create a breech in the bulkhead and release atmosphere, killing anyone in the vicinity!" commanded Michael.
"Let them die! I hope they all die! I want to die!" he moaned, trembling and nearly losing consciousness himself.
Gabriel popped into sight by Michael's side, looking down at Jennie's bloody body, her still beautiful face looking upward, her eyes closed. He immediately felt sick to his stomach, which was saying quite a bit. Gabriel had wantonly slaughtered humans in his long, storied past, but not one death had ever affected him in this manner. A tear fell from his eye as he watched his nephew scream in anguish.
Draagh knelt down next to Max, putting a hand on the man's shoulder, and using a cantus to control his extreme emotional outburst. "My boy, allow me to make dear Jennie a bit more presentable." He then repaired the breeched bulkhead with a quick transmutation cantus.
"Save her! Can't you save her? Bring her back!" he wailed.
Draagh gently took the woman's head and set it on his lap, looking at her with a gaze of affection never before seen on his face.
This time it must be different.
Looking up at his two sons, the two most powerful archangels in all existence, he said, "My boys, you know what I must do."
"Father, no! The risk is too great! We need you here. Without you we shall fail!" yelled Gabriel, while Michael went to restrain his brother.
Max sat, his back against the wall, banging his head against the metallic surface, moaning and suffering like never before in his short life. His heart had dropped to his stomach. Everything good and beautiful in his life, aside from his adopted daughter, had been taken from him. The most amazing person he had ever known, who ended up being his wife, now lie dead on his grandfather's lap.
"My sons, you know that I must do this. I… love you both."
The Primulus known as Draagh, but before by countless names, gently caressed Jennie's forehead before placing his fingers on her temples. He looked up at everyone and gave them a kind smile, and then started to slowly dissolve into the local atmosphere. At first it was almost imperceptible, but soon began to resemble Socrates when the faithful computer would fade from view. If not for it being such a tragic situation, it would have appeared to be a beautiful thing; the brilliant blue-colored particles that made up his corporeal form wafting into the air and slowly disappearing. Then, without any sort of warning, his mouth opened and emitted the most painful sound ever heard in the universe, accompanied by what appeared to be a mass-ejection of particles, shooting out into space. This was his soul scream, and it wasn't a pleasant thing. One could determine he was in absolute agony just by looking at him. Everyone was forced back, holding their hands over their ears. Jessica and Bagatelle passed out from pain, and even Michael, Gabriel and Max started to bleed out through their ears.
###
Jennie Gunnarsson found herself standing in a place that seemed to have no ceiling, floor nor walls. It was pure white, exuding a tranquility that brought her complete peace. After a few moments she felt a presence, and turning, she saw Draagh standing next to her. After he put his hand on her shoulder, he said, "Hello, my dear. I am afraid something happened."
"Hullo, Draagh. Where are we?"
"This would be the place in-between places. Some call it purgatory, while others call it null space. I merely call it a transition point."
"Transition? To what?"
"The other side."
"Other side? Like, death? Am I dead?"
"Hmmm," he said thoughtfully, "well, yes. I must apologize. You see, I never thought Krynos would be the one to suffer mental control. His mind was always very strong."
"Huh? King Krynos killed me?"
"Yes, I am sorry, my dear. But he was being manipulated, much like that poor fool who was ripping wires out of your spacecraft earlier."
"But who did it? Who controlled him? Oh god, no! Liliana! Max! What will they do without me? Max can't even properly make a bed! He'll let her make up new swear words!"
Draagh appeared to snicker as he shook his head. "No my wonderful granddaughter, Max shall never have to make his own bed, and neither shall you. The swearing part, well, I cannot say."
"Well, are there beds in Heaven? Will I be able to see them? Max and Liliana?"
"But of course, Jennie. You shall see them every day."
"So, what do I do now? Where are we going?"
"That is immaterial. Please remember - you must soon make a critical decision, and it cannot be made with emotion. You must think of the greater good."
"Draagh, I don't understand. Please explain what you are talking about. What decision?"
"You shall see. Pay careful attention."
Moments later, Jennie watched as Draagh faded from sight, and the entire space in which she resided went black.
###
"You killed her? Do you realize what you have done?" screamed Gadreel.
Samyaza wore a gloating smile, standing with his arms crossed. "The Hybrid is finished. Such is his agony, he shall never function at complete capacity. Now we attack with full force."
Gadreel shook his head violently, saying, "No, no, no. This is not how it was supposed to have happened. We are doomed, do you not see? So disconnected have you been from Mankind that you fail to understand the depths of their abilities. This shall only amplify Max's resolve."
Samyaza laughed out loud, his voice echoing throughout the vast chambers of the Brood Carrier, as he slipped his entourage to another part of the galaxy.
###
Max had moved over and again put Jennie's head on his lap. Draagh was gone. The Primulus had disappeared before his very eyes. Not
only had Max lost his wife, he also lost his grandfather. Now all he could do was gently sob, having had two of the most important people in his life ripped away from him. He bent down and kissed her forehead while he stroked her blushed cheek, still unable to believe what had just transpired. He saw Jessica, Bagatelle and Krynos regain consciousness, where Michael used a cantus to freeze the lycan king in place, just as a precaution. Then, looking up, he realized that Michael and Gabriel were grinning. This alone made him furious.
"What the… assholes! Why are you smiling?"
Michael nodded down toward Jennie, causing Max to again gaze upon his wife's beautiful face. But this time it was different - there was movement. Her lips pursed. Slowly, she lifted an arm to his face, as if her corpse were reaching out to touch him one final time. Then, without further delay, she gasped for air, her lungs filling and causing her chest to expand.
Jennifer Marie Escalante de Gunnarsson opened her now-brilliant-green eyes, and cried out, "Draagh! He's gone!"
Chapter 38 - Resolve
Max, Jennie, Michael, Gabriel and Bagatelle were seated at their usual table in the Rhönen Dominion, shortly after everyone had cleaned up, all having been covered in blood from not only themselves, but mostly from Jennie. She casually ran her fingers over her neck, trying to feel where Krynos' sword had cleaved her head from her body, but could detect no such aberration. Michael had brought them to Krynos' castle as a precaution, not wanting to expose any of them to immediate danger.
"So, Jen, what happened? Do you remember anything?" asked Max, obviously relieved that his wife was no longer a beautiful corpse. He was holding her so tightly she couldn't move a centimeter.
"Well, I was walking down a hallway toward the flight deck, and then I noticed Jessica - she had an odd, blank expression. Then everything started spinning and I was in this white place. And Draagh was there. Baby, you're kinda crushing me."
"He was there? Where was this place?" asked Max, as he softened his grip on his wife.
"They were in-between life and death, son," said Michael.
"How do you know that?" asked Jennie.
"We are aware of all points in space/time, Max. What our father did was reckless, and could very well have handed us our defeat. We need his power and strength to defeat the Grigori," said Gabriel.
"Grigori! That shithead Gadreel! He's responsible for this!" Max yelled, with the force of his voice causing a nearby servant to drop her platter.
"No, my son. It was Samyaza who was responsible, although we have yet to ascertain Gadreel's involvement," said Michael.
"What happened to Draagh? Is he coming back? I'm confused," said Bagatelle.
"He shall not return any time soon, Admiral. He is now unavailable to us," responded Michael.
Max looked into his wife's brilliant green eyes, trying to create an explanation in his head, but continued to fail to understand the gravity of all that had happened.
"Our father sacrificed himself to bring Jennie back from the void. In doing so, he wantonly self-destructed his corporeal form, which will require at least a century to reconstitute itself," said Gabriel.
"Gadreel is gone, and we're so totally screwed," said Max.
"Worry not about the traitor, Max. We shall yet see the outcome of all that is to pass," said Michael.
"Jen, have you looked in the mirror?" asked Bagatelle.
"Yeah, it's weird, I mean, it's beautiful, but… wow." Said Max.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" asked Jennie, as Max conjured a simple handheld mirror for her. Taking it from her husband, she looked at her face and gasped, reaching up to her cheeks and examining her eyes. "They're… green! They're beautiful! But how? What the hell happened to me?"
"Father resurrected you, my dear. In doing so, he imbued a part of himself into you," said Gabriel.
"A part of… oh, wait. Max," she said, standing up, "come here, sweetie."
"Um, okay," he said, joining his wife.
"Where's my sword?"
"I don’t know, Jen. Why?"
"Good, 'cause I don't need it," she said, with a mild grin.
Jennie put a hand on Max's shoulder, and he suddenly found himself out in front of the castle, near the Haida housing that protected most of the elderly and young from Saxman.
"What the… hell?" Max exclaimed.
"Yeah baby. I don't need the sword for magic anymore," she said.
Slipping them both back to the dining hall, she gave everyone a big smile. "Um, I think I changed just a bit."
"Just a bit," mused Michael.
"Uh, I don’t understand," said Max. "Jen just slipped me out and back. She couldn't even do that with her magic-enabled katana."
"You are now, my dear, for lack of a better term, a hybrid, like Max," said Michael.
"No way!" Jennie squealed.
"Yes… way," responded Michael.
"But how? I don't understand," said the gorgeous, now-hybrid female.
"A Primulus can self-sacrifice and bring someone back from the brink," explained Michael. "Father did it only once before in all his existence.
"Who did he do it for?" asked Bagatelle.
Gabriel conjured an infoscreen and displayed a massive vid scene. It was like an ancient movie being played back for everyone, with the camera displaying a third-person view. In the display they saw Michael and Gabriel, both dressed like Roman soldiers, following a robed Draagh to a hillside out in the desert. In the background, up on a hill, were two dead men, tied to crossed poles, and another, unoccupied cross in-between the two. Draagh looked around, making sure there was no one in sight, and waved his hand, causing a massive boulder to roll off to the side, exposing the entrance to a cave. The three entered, and found a sarcophagus containing a wrapped corpse. They then witnessed nearly the same thing they had seen in the hallway on the Revolution. Draagh dissipated and, after his soul scream and complete disappearance, the figure in the wrapping sat up, with Gabriel and Michael both assisting it. Pulling the cloth off its head, they revealed the face of an attractive, bearded, Semitic man. Like Jennie, the man had brilliant, green eyes.
Gabriel said something in a foreign language unknown to Max, Jennie and Bagatelle, as he lent a hand to assist the man out of his container.
Jennie gasped. "That was… was…"
"Yes, my daughter. He was the Pacifist, as we called him. You see, he was sent nearly powerless by Jah to lead a tribe to military victory, but instead chose a path of peace. Then he went and got himself caught and killed. Three days had already passed since his demise, and Father barely got to him in time," Michael explained.
"Oh, so then I was fine. He got to me right away," Jennie stated.
"And a good thing, too. You were merely human," said Michael, "while he was of the Prīmulī. His eternal essence was much more resilient than yours. I dare say, if Father had delayed further you would have been lost to us forever, your soul having taken residence within the shards that wander the universe in a collective consciousness."
"Wow, that's heavy. So, where's King Krynos. I don't know whether to thank him or kick his ass," Jennie said bluntly.
"Krynos resides in a cell on the Revolution, little sister. We're keeping him there until we know how to keep the same thing from happening again. Jessica too - she's also in a cell," said Bagatelle.
"Does he know what he did?" she asked.
"Yes, he is aware," said Gabriel.
"Wow, he must feel like shit," said Max.
"He mourns, not knowing of Jennie's resurrection," said Michael.
"Well, let's leave him on ice for a while. What's next?" asked Jennie.
"We need to find the Grigori," said Gabriel.
"Oh great. And how do we do that now that Draagh's gone and Gadreel escaped?" asked Max.
"You shall see, child," said Michael, who then quietly thought out to his brother.
"Gabriel, how is it that Jennie is at a hybrid Primulus level, like Max? As a mere human she certainly should have been improved, b
ut only to the level of a mezzo."
"I do not know, Michael. It is indeed odd, but Father has his ways."
###
The team made their way back to the Revolution, and went right to the brig, where Krynos and Jessica were being held. There were no bars in the holding cells, as modern technology facilitated invisible energy shields, locking the occupants inside. Max walked up to Krynos' cell, finding the lycan king sitting on a small bench, his head in his hands and weeping like a child.
"Hello, King Krynos," Max said with a toneless expression.
"Oh, what have I done? I murdered the most beautiful creature to have graced my world. I am worse than any ghoul."
"Yeah, that was a shit move you pulled."
"My son, I have been told Krynos has never cried in his life. Not even when he was forced to kill his own wife during her murderous rampage on the full moon. He truly feels remorse. Given the remarkable situation we now face, I believe it best to treat him with kindness," Michael said to Max over their familial connection.
"Max, I am so, so very sorry. I do not know what happened. I awoke in this cell, and young Jessica told me I had murdered your wondrous wife."
"That's all I told him, Max. How are you guys doing?" she asked with her typical peppiness.
"We're fine," said Jennie, as she walked up to Krynos' cell. "Um, King, I'm b-a-a-a-ack."
"Demons! What manner of sorcery is this? Are you an apparition? A ghost? Please, follow me throughout my miserable life and wantonly torture me. I deserve no less."