by Dima Zales
“How did the Akons get the locals to let them stash Julian there?”
“Money.”
“Other Angels have tried to cross that area. It’s a no-fly zone. They have to walk right into the midst of everything,” Rio adds.
“How many Angels have tried to get through?” I ask.
“Over the years, hundreds.”
“How many made it?”
“None.”
18
A little while later, we land in Togo, West Africa, on the rain forest floor. The ground is muddy and reeks of decay. I hear buzzing and hissing from different animals around me. The humidity wraps itself around me like a cloak.
Vines swing across from tree to tree. Various creepy crawly things use them as a kind of bridge to get from one tree to the next. The plants lower on the ground start shaking near my foot. I pray that nothing jumps out with more legs than me. I think I feel something crawl on me, but I hope I’m wrong.
“Human, do not move.” I stay frozen as a beautiful African man appears out of nowhere and swiftly swats something off my back. A black animal goes flying off of me. I jump even though I know the creature is already gone.
“What the hell was that?” I ask him.
“A scorpion.”
“Aargh!”
“Not the killing kind. Only paralysis would have occurred,” he says.
“Good to know.”
He smiles at me. His skin is darker than Ameana’s. It’s absolutely stunning. His teeth are bright and his eyes are shades darker than the forest floor. His body is lean and seems to stretch up like the branches around us. His accent is a mixture of French and some kind of African language. What ever it is, it sounds like music. Everything he says has a melody to it.
“Marcus, it is good to see you.” He extends his hand.
“Ebo, thank you for meeting us.” Marcus takes his hand and introduces the rest of us.
“Um, I hate to be the human in all of this but could we go where things aren’t out to take bites out of us?”
“We can not be seen out in the open. Even in Togo, it is best to use discretion,” Ebo informs me.
“But I thought they were used to seeing angels.”
“At a passing glance. There are stories told by village elders. But again it is not wise to be out in the open.”
“Who is involved in this civil war?” Jay asks.
“The Tobins and the Mylars.”
“Why?”
“Lots of guns and very little sense.”
“Were you able to get us a car?” Marcus asks.
“Follow me,” Ebo says taking the lead.
As we walk through the forest, I take Miku’s hand. I figure she won’t make fun of me if I should scream and carry on. I tell her that I will literally watch her back, and she says she will do the same.
About ten minutes later we see light making its way through the forest. We are at the edge. Every part of me wants to run and keep running until I am as far away as possible from all things swamp-like. But I keep my cool and act aloof, as if getting to the edge of the forest is no big deal.
A few yards away is a beat-up rust-colored Jeep with no doors. It looks like it’s been in a battle and lost. As we get closer, I think that maybe it’s not as broken down as I first thought. But once we are standing in front of it, I can see my first assessment was right: the thing is a death trap.
“It’s not pretty but it will get you where you need to go,” Ebo says.
“Can I take a look under her?” Jay asks.
Ebo agrees and the two of them go to the front of the Jeep, open up the hood and talk car talk. I know nothing about cars, but I think doors are a good thing to have. Why didn’t the maker of the Jeep think of that?
They come back to us moments later. Jay addresses his leader.
“She’s rough, but she’ll do.”
“Do you have the other things I asked for?” Marcus inquires. Ebo goes to the back of the Jeep and takes out a black duffel bag. He unzips it and shows Marcus a remote control of some kind. It only has one button.
“What is that?” I ask Miku.
“It’s a Stopper.”
“What does it do?”
“Remember how Agony was able to control your body?”
“Vividly.”
“This controls the synaptic nerves in your brain. The little currents that tell your body to move get their order from that part of your brain. When you press the red button, it tells your brain to tell the other parts of your body to stop moving.”
“So you’re frozen in place?”
“Yeah, it’s cool. You can’t move a muscle for a full fifteen seconds.”
“Yeah, cool,” I say without enthusiasm. It’s hard for me to appreciate the technology, given what I went through with Agony.
“My Seller only had one, so it’ll have to do,” Ebo says.
“Not a problem. We’ll make it work. What about the Para lights?”
“I was able to get three. They had an overstock and I got them pretty cheap.”
He shows Marcus a small flashlight. It looks like the kind that goes on the end of the key chain.
“How does that differ from a regular flash light?” I ask Miku.
“It takes away your eyesight completely.”
“For how long?”
“It depends. Most Para lights can take you out for twenty to thirty seconds.”
“Why don’t any of the Para weapons inflict permanent damage?”
“Paras would never invent something that could not be undone. That is the major difference between them and Hun. Hun made up inventions that hurt humanity, but Paras invent things that slow evil down.”
“That’s crazy. We should be able to attack them with guns and stuff like they do us.”
“Then what is the difference between us and them?” she asks me with kind eyes.
I can’t think of what to say. It doesn’t matter because Ebo is on to the next item.
“I have two holders. You did not ask for them, but they may come to be of help.”
“Jay has a holder but we could use a few more. Thank you.”
“I have put in something that may help with the human.”
“You can call me Emmy.”
“Emmy. I will remember next time. I have brought you blankets, a first aid kit and water.”
“Thank you,” I say to the handsome man in front of me.
“Certainly” he replies.
“What is troubling you?” Rio asks Ebo.
“Yes, I have heard of your powers. What color is my wave Rio?”
“Blue. Filled with worry.”
“What is it, Ebo?” Marcus asks.
“I fear that your journey may not be a smooth one. Julian is being held deep in the village. There is no way to get to him without encountering the natives.”
“We will be careful,” Marcus assures him.
“Also, there is a Trimeter at the edge of the cave where Julian is being held. It is attached to explosives that require complicated rewiring. The moment it detects that you are Angels, it will go off. You may have just seconds, depending on how they have set the timer.”
“The Twins can reprogram it to give us more time. Anything else?” Marcus asks.
“My Seller informs me that the Akons have Quip guns and Soul Chasers.”
“I’ve heard about Soul Chasers. It’s a ball controlled by the owner. It’s supposed to be thrown to the ground like a Splash. Then a funnel of wind rises out of it. It pulls the nearest soul toward its center. Then it strips it away, killing the soul in a matter of minutes,” Ameana says.
“There is a release button that deactivates it, but you would need to get to the center of it and release it before it sucks you in completely,” Ebo adds.
“I thought Chasers were just a rumor,” Rio says.
“The only person who could have come up with such a device is Hun,” Jay tells us.
“Hun’s supposed to be dead,” Marcus says.<
br />
“And you’re supposed to be six feet underground right now. You know things are never as they are supposed to be, Marcus,” Ebo cautions.
“Hun is alive?” Ameana asks.
“I have not seen him with my own eyes, but for someone who is dead, he gets a lot of work done.”
“How many Soul Chasers?”
“At least two.”
“What does it do to humans?” I ask.
“It would harm you as well but it would take longer for you to die. But we angels are pure soul, so it will kill us in a matter of moments,” Ebo replies.
“The sun is setting,” the twins say.
“Yes, you should be on your way. Take the Jeep straight down then make a left turn, go ten miles and then make another left. You will arrive in Totsivi. There, you will see the light coming from a cave. Julian is in there. And be carful. The Akons must know you are here by now.”
“Thanks. How much do we owe you?” Marcus asks.
“It has been taken care of.”
“By who?”
“The Sage. He must really like you.”
“Yeah, we’re best friends,” Marcus says dripping with sarcasm.
“Jayden, I wanted to say how sorry I am about Reese. The Passing was beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Jay mutters.
I can tell he isn’t ready to talk about Reese with strangers. He shoves his hands in his pockets and stares at the ground.
“Thank you for everything, Ebo,” Ameana says as she shakes Ebo’s hand.
“You are as captivating as I was warned you would be,” he says to her.
Ameana is clearly uncomfortable with the compliment. She flashes Ebo a smile and goes to put the duffel bag back in the Jeep.
Ebo turns to Marcus. “I am sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass her.”
“No, you’re right, she is stunning.”
“For some that matters a great deal. And for others they require…more.”
“What do you mean?”
“Forget I said anything. I have broken a few Splashes…forgive me.” He is embarrassed to admit it. He can’t look me or Marcus in the eye.
“It’s cool. Thanks for all your help.”
Marcus is brief and official where as before he had been courteous and grateful. Even in West Africa he couldn’t get away from the gossip. I wonder what bothers him more—that they think he and I have something together or that we don’t?
We all pile into the Jeep and take off down a red dirt road. Jay is driving. Marcus sits shotgun. The rest of us get in the back. Miku is the smallest one so she sits partially on our laps. It’s a tight fit. The sun is just about faded from the sky. Togo is a beautiful country.
As we make our way to the city of Lome, we see a number of African women dressed in colorful print dresses. They have jugs on their heads. They carry them with skill and grace. Some of them have their kids with them, others have partners they share the load with. Seeing them make their way across the land, it looks more like a dance than a daily chore.
The road is rocky and difficult to drive on. Jay doesn’t seem the least bit put off. I lean forward and ask him how he’s doing. He tells me he needs complete concentration in order to “get to know” the car. The boy is not well.
I had never thought about going to West Africa before, but now it’s on my “must go again” list. There is something so calming and earthy about it. The trees spread out in the air as if they are praising the sky. There are more stars above us now than I’ve seen in all my years of living in the city. No wonder it was chosen as the starting point for humanity.
We pass by a fork in the road and Jay takes a left. By the time we make the second turn, the sun has set completely and darkness covers us. We enter Totsivi. A row of hills surrounds the dilapidated village. There are broken down tables lined up side by side in what used to be the street market. Nothing is moving anywhere except our car. Jay slows down. Marcus tells him to keep going.
A man comes out of one of the huts with a Bazooka. Jay sees it before the rest of us. He brakes and turns the car around.
“Hold on,” Jay says as he fights to keep the car under control. The man fires the rocket directly at us. Rio spreads his wings so that they cover us. The rocket goes over us and lands at what we now realize are his targets; a group of men on the other side of the street who each have the letter “M” carved on their faces.
They take cover and duck into one of the huts, but it is too late. They are blown up as are the surrounding huts they took shelter in.
“Keep going,” Marcus shouts over the roar of the screaming and burning taking place. Jay turns the car and goes back the direction we were headed in originally. The man who had fired the Bazooka is now joined by more members of his team. They also have a scar on their face. It’s the letter “T,” but the top of the letter is slightly off balance, like a scale.
Before the new members have time to join in the opposing group fires back, sending something oval and dark into the air. It misses its mark and falls inches away from our car. Ameana waves her hand, causing the object to go flying in the other direction. Seconds later it blows up and takes a few more huts with it.
The Mylar man throws another grenade but this time his aim is deadly accurate. One of the Tobins jumps into our car in hopes of avoiding the attack. Jay tries to push him off. He knows the men aiming at their target wouldn’t care if we were harmed in the process. Sure enough, they launch a rocket and it heads straight for us.
Rio goes to cover us but Marcus yells that he won’t be able to cover us all. He calls out for us to jump out of the car. Is he crazy? Before I can make myself consider the question, Jay stomps on the brake and jumps. Marcus and Ameana leap out and roll to the ground. The twins jump and take me along. We all hit the ground just as our car blows up, taking the unwanted rider with it.
Then the shots ring out. I can’t tell from where. It has to be in the hills because if the shots were coming from somewhere close, we would have been able to spot the shooters. Rio tries to cover us. Marcus was right: he can’t take us all under his wings. Marcus removes himself from Rio’s protection so that the rest of us can all fit.
“No, get in here,” I yell at him. He pays no attention to me and goes over to one of the torn down huts.
“They think we helped the guy who attacked them with the Bazooka,” Rio shouts.
“We had nothing to do with it,” I protest.
“They don’t care. Now move!” Jay instructs as he guides us to a hut that is barely standing. My heart is racing and I’m sure everyone can hear it beating. There is yet another explosion and it takes out the hut we’re heading for, consuming it with flames.
Marcus rips a large block of cement from one of the homes. Ameana waves her hand and guides it in the air. She makes it land in front of us to keep us covered. Jay Glides over to get Marcus who is now out in the open.
The parties start shooting Quips at each other. Marcus orders us to stay down. Ameana reminds him that we are pressed for time. Marcus surveys the area and orders Jay to take me into a hut that Rio says is empty. I want to stay and help, but now isn’t the time to argue.
Jay Glides me into the hut. I quickly look out the window and see Ameana disarming both sides by taking their weapons and floating them away. But for every member she disarms, two more start shooting from somewhere in the hills.
Rio enters the hut and shields me with his wings.
“I’m fine. You need to help the others.”
“Miku is going to sing. Cover your ears,” he orders.
Miku sings her funeral song. The members of both sides are wailing and crying. I’m feeling more sorrow than I ever did in my life. I’m only tearing up, but had I not been shielded by Rio, I would be screaming in pain like the others outside.
As soon as Miku stops singing, Rio lets me up. He covers us as we try leave. He tells me to stay low to the ground. As we crawl out of the hut, I see Ameana and two little boys curled up in the corner b
ehind a huge bin of water.
The little boys are frightened and crying. Ameana speaks to them. I can’t understand what she’s saying. I didn’t know she knew how to speak the language. She gently wipes their faces and somehow gets them to stop crying.
“Who are they?” I yell over to her.
“They’re from a neighboring village. They came here on a dare. We have to get them out.”
“Rio, help them.”
“Get back in the hut and I’ll be back for you,” he says. I crawl back into the hut as the Quips fly over head. Rio races to Ameana and the boys. He tries to take them but they won’t go with him. They stay stubbornly by Ameana’s side. They couldn’t have been more than nine or ten years old.
Ameana tells Rio that she’ll take them out of the village herself. He tells her it’s safer if they go with him. But she insists that she be the one to see them to safety. Rio agrees. He runs out into the middle of the village to cause a diversion. The Quips hit him from every angle. Ameana makes a run for it with the boys. A man with a Quip gun sneaks up behind her.
“Ameana, watch out!” She turns in time to see him coming for her. She waves her hand and sends him flying across the village. The boys cheer.
I am so engrossed with what is going on I don’t hear the footsteps coming towards me. By the time I look up, it’s too late. A man appears in the hut and strikes me in the head with the butt of his gun. Everything goes black.
“Emmy, Emmy, wake up.” I feel someone shaking me. I wish they would stop so I could go back to sleep. I moan and turn to the side. I just want five more minutes. Why won’t they let me sleep?
Someone shakes me again.
“What?”
“Open your eyes,” I do as I’m told and find a group of angels looking down at me. Then it all comes back to me.
“Where are the boys?” I ask Ameana
“I had Jay glide them home. They should be okay. Thanks for the heads up,” she says. It’s not easy for her to say anything nice to me.
“No problem.”
I try to get up. My head is throbbing. I groan.
“Yeah, that guy got you good, but we took care of him.”