“Did you know about all of this?” I demanded of George.
“Yeah,” George answered. “Hey man, Rene is an Archangel. He’s like Old Testament, destroyer of Sodom and Gomorrah, flames and ashes, pillar of salt type of Archangel. That’s a frickin’ rock star in our world. I’m just tripping I’m around the guy, really,” he said.
“Such a fan boy, George.”
“Go screw yourself.”
Aunt Emily snapped to attention. “George!”
“Um, sorry.”
“So you’re an Archangel, like Smiting Angel of the Lord-type stuff.”
Rene stood there not answering, just staring back at me.
“So what’s this guy Pazuzu going to do?” George asked.
“He will come after you and yours, Matthew,” Rene said.
“Then why don’t we just kill him?”
“That would only prove his point and throw us into more of a mess,” Aunt Emily said. “Besides, that is much easier said than done.”
“Also, to disobey the Accords would start another war as bad as the war of the Fallen,” Rene said.
“So?”
“The Accords were put in place for a reason, Mr. Rising. To ignore the Accords would be to put you and your entire species in great danger. The Accords have taken so much of certain Sentients’ powers away, they would like nothing better than to see your final Judgment.”
“What do you mean Judgment?”
“Many of your religions talk about a judgment at the end of time, a judgment that will balance the individual’s soul to see what its worth may be. This is a mistake.”
“Whose mistake?”
“Whoever passed these ideas down. It’s not an individual that will be judged. Judgment will fall on all of humankind.
“The Council of the Accords and the Galactic Council will judge this planet and, if found wanting, Pazuzu and those like him will take over. They will make sure that you humans experience a hell like never before.”
My head was spinning. This was like Biblical stuff: Armageddon, End of Days. Things so far outside of my experience that I had no idea how to even deal with it.
“What do you mean before?”
“Before the War of the Fallen, humans were slaves to many Sentients. They were forced to mine the deepest mines, some close to the molten rock. It is no coincidence that the images of Hell include fire and brimstone, because in the deepest, darkest mines, that is exactly what you will find. But this time, they will not let you out. There will be no Intervention.
“Slowly, your kind will devolve into a non-sentient species. It has been done on other planets, and it can be done here.”
“Other planets?”
“The forth planet from Terra Sol, what do you call that?”
“Mars.”
“Yes, Mars was a most warlike planet. It was stripped eons ago. What little life that is left there festers in the bottom of the deepest caves.”
“Are you serious?” Rene nodded. “Oh my God.”
“Your god had nothing to do with it, young pup.”
“We have to let people know. They have to know,” I said.
“To make the rest of the world aware of what is going on would only hasten the Holocaust. Mankind is simply not ready. There would be riots, religious wars. Your society would crumble as the threat of Armageddon was made real.”
“What about the government? Who was that Colonel Hearst guy?” I was grasping at straws and I knew it, but I needed to try to come up with something.
Rene looked at Aunt Emily, who turned back from the window. “The government and Colonel Hearst is fully aware of these events. The government is only interested in covering this up and Colonel Hearst…” Aunt Emily said softly. “I have known Colonel Hearst for a long time; he has the Malakhim blood but denied the Pledge. He won’t help.”
Rene regarded me seriously. “I have been fighting this war for too long, Matthew,” Rene said. “Now we are at the end of it. I don’t know if you can help, but I do know that without you and the Malakhim, your world has very little chance. Will you step forward or will you stand aside, Matthew Rising?”
“If it means doing something about what happened at my school, I’m there.”
George placed his hand on my shoulder, his eyes level and steady. “I’m there too, buddy!”
“As am I,” Rene said as Aunt Emily nodded her support. Even Ms. Maggie smiled her encouragement and Bailey barked. I looked at the dog quizzically, wondering if he was going to tell me off again.
“I am glad. Truly,” Rene said, his eyes twinkling. “Matthew, tomorrow Emily and I are in conference with the Council of the Accords. We will state your case. Until then, stay out of trouble.”
“You two better go get some rest,” Aunt Emily said.
I went upstairs, my head spinning after everything I had just been told.
Chapter 21 – Colonel Hearst
When I woke, the sun was already shining through the westward-facing window. I was sleeping more and more as I learned to use my abilities. Last night was the most power I’d ever tried to use and I guess it came at a cost, as my mind was cloudy and my body ached.
I had gone to find George when I saw a man in a blue suit and a close-cropped haircut in the sitting room with Aunt Emily. Her lips were stretched across her face, making her seem gaunt and frail.
It was Colonel Hearst, the guy I met at my trial. He smiled as he saw me, his lips exposing white teeth. His heavily starched dress shirt in his crisp blue suit and carefully buzzed sides reminded me too much of the rigidity of the military and I resented it.
“Mr. Rising, just the man I wanted to see,” he said. “If you could come here, I would like to speak with you.”
I sat down in one of the chairs across from the Colonel.
Through the large sitting room windows, I saw two men in blue Air Force uniforms leaning against a grey Humvee; two others were visible in the front seat. Colonel Hearst must have realized he would have to initiate the conversation and cleared his throat.
“Matthew, your Malakhim Trial was very impressive, young man. Very impressive.”
I nodded.
“You have been mentioned at the highest levels. Tell me, what do you know about Section 9?”
“Nothing,” I answered. He appraised me, his eyes working their way slowly up from my feet to my face. It was very uncomfortable but I waited to see what he would say next.
He licked his lips. “Well, let me explain, then. Section 9 was organized to act as a liaison for Extra-Terrestial activity. So if everything gets shot to hell, we clean it up. This is an enormous responsibility and in doing so, we need the help of very good people. I’m going to come straight to the point. We would like you to join Section 9 and help us fight the bad guys.” He sounded like he was talking to a six year old, and his condescending tone was really starting to get on my nerves.
“Why would I join you? I’m training now.”
“But you failed, Matthew,” the Colonel said.
“There will be an investigation,” Aunt Emily answered.
“Facts are facts, Emily. The boy failed. He has little recourse. With everything going on, he must join Section 9.” Aunt Emily shifted a bit in her seat.
“Why would I go anywhere else?” I asked.
“You have no idea how powerful we are, Matthew. We can give you training and experience you could never dream of. Everything you want, and everything you need, would be at your fingertips. Every resource would be available, working alongside some of the best in the world. That is what we are offering.” He looked over at my aunt, but she remained silent.
“Why me?”
“You have an amazing gift, Matthew. Some of the things I saw the other day, I have never witnessed in a Trial in my life. I have seen more Trials than I would like to admit. You have a power most would only dream of, and Section 9 would be able to put that power to best use now that the war is coming.”
“What do you think?” I
asked my aunt.
She sat up a bit straighter. “Section 9 has very extreme ways of handling things. Many times, I do not agree with their methods,” she said, staring at Colonel Hearst.
“We do what is necessary, Matthew. I received the report of what happened the other night. Devon Pazuzu is a very dangerous enemy, and you were put into a very bad situation. The Council will be weighing your case and I’ll be honest: it does not look good for you. We can make all of that go away,” Colonel Hearst told me.
Aunt Emily stared; she sounded tired but resigned as she said, “Matthew, it is your choice. Colonel Hearst is correct. If you go with him, every resource will be at your disposal to accomplish the things they will set for you to do.”
“Before you answer, Matthew, it may interest you to know that your father was a member of Section 9 before you were born. I worked with him many times in our younger days. Good man. You would be following in his footsteps when you join us.”
“Was a member?” I asked.
Aunt Emily fidgeted a little as the Colonel continued. “Yes, we discourage those in Section 9 from having families. We deal with some very dangerous individuals.”
“You kicked him out?” I asked.
“No, of course not. But it was best that he leave our service for all involved.” Colonel Hearst glanced at Aunt Emily.
That weighed heavily on me. My father was part of this mysterious Section 9. Was that why my mother died? Was she killed because of my father’s involvement with this group, whoever they may be?
More questions, but in the end, it was about choice, and my choice was simple. I looked straight into the Colonel’s eyes and knew that I would have no freedom.
Just like my father.
I refused to be my father’s gunnysack any longer.
“No, Colonel Hearst. I think I’m going to complete my training here.”
His eyes widened just a bit. I don’t think he was used to hearing the word no very often. “Matthew, we do not offer this lightly. You do not know what you are giving up.”
“Oh, yes. I believe I do, sir.”
“Join us or it will be very difficult for you, young man.”
“Is that a threat?” I asked through gritted teeth. My fist clenched in my hand and I felt my pendant warming under my shirt.
“I am stating the obvious: join us and we will take care of everything. You do not know the power that is arrayed against you.”
“Would that now include your Section 9?” I asked, real venom in my voice. I reached down to the earth, pulling power from it.
Aunt Emily stood up and motioned toward the door. “Colonel Hearst, you have heard Matthew’s answer. I will ask you to leave now,”
“Emily,” Colonel Hearst sighed. “The Council has ordered me to bring him in. They have given us no choice. I thought I could resolve this with dignity.”
“The Council doesn’t have that kind of power,” Aunt Emily replied to the weary looking Colonel.
“I would have agreed with you before, but things have changed.”
“You have heard Matthew’s answer, Colonel. I will ask you to leave now.”
“I really wish I could, Emily.” The Colonel nodded and the front door burst open. Soldiers rushed in, long rifles at the ready. There was something wrong with their rifles. I had been trained in recognizing and utilizing almost any kind of firearms especially those issued by the US Armed Forces and the guns were not like any I’d ever seen before. The bore of the barrel was impossibly large and where the magazine usually was, there was a glowing glass-like container. The other strange thing about these soldiers is their eyes glimmered with bluish-silvery light.
Aunt Emily jumped to her feet. “You dare bring those Abominations into MY house!” Red aura coalesced above my Aunt and it was very much like the energy I manifested each time I had been attacked. A line of power lashed out and three of the four soldier’s dropped their rifles but the last still had his rifle in hand.
“Look out!” I yelled as I pulled Aunt Emily out of the firing line of the soldier. The wall behind where Aunt Emily just was standing exploded with force, showering the sitting room with debris.
The air was so thick with Aunt Emily’s aura that I could barely see the standing soldiers behind it.
She cast her power forward and all four of the soldiers let out a sound that could not have come out of the mouth of a human. It was a shriek of metal against metal, an anguish that was unimaginable. Then the four figures disintegrated in cloud of dust and blew out the door as if caught in a strong wind.
“Tell the Council they did this,” Aunt Emily screeched at Colonel Hearst. “They did not have to die.”
“Emily,” Colonel Hearst began to plead.
“Get out!” she screamed. He jerked upright and bolted through the door, like a marionette with tangled strings.
“Emily, they will force him to join us. One way or another,” he screeched. Then, at a gesture from Aunt Emily, his jaws clenched shut and he was unable to speak.
“You have a choice, Colonel,” Aunt Emily commanded, following him out the door. “You can either leave and never come back or I can send you off the nearest cliff. Do I make myself clear?” She released control of Colonel Hearst.
He stared at Aunt Emily sadly then got into the Humvee and left.
I exhaled after I’d realized I was holding my breath.
“Thank you, Aunt Emily,” I said. “I knew from the first time I saw that Colonel guy, I didn’t like him.”
She laughed at that and the constant sadness in her eyes left for a second but returned like water from a very deep spring. We went back into the house.
“So my father was one of those assholes?” I asked, at which my aunt gave me a very disapproving look. “Umm, sorry.”
“Yes, he was part of Section 9.”
“What is this Section 9? Who are they?” Seems like I made another enemy. First Ricco, and then this Devon Pazuzu character, and now some government agency; I was just rolling on the friends lists.
Aunt Emily sighed and sat back in her chair. “There was a time when the Malakhim believed we should foster better relations with the governments of the world. It was our world we were trying to save, after all, so we reached out to them in secret. At first, they were astounded with what we could do and gave us all the support we needed.”
“But that didn’t last?” I asked.
“No, it didn’t last. Like most people who seek power, those in power could not stand to see someone they couldn’t control, so the United States government created Section 9.”
“The Colonel’s group?”
“Yes. Section 9 organized the government, gave them the power to subvert, coerce, or eliminate the Malakhim. It was a very dangerous time for us. Many of our lesser members were captured and experimented on.”
“Then why do you even let them around here?” I asked. “Shouldn’t we stay away from them.”
“Wee did and some of our members did much worse. They went out and killed Section 9 members on sight. There is a reason our rules and our training are as severe as they are. Many Malakhim began to systematically eliminate Section 9, but it did not stop there. They began killing everyone else off as well, including the Shed’im and fellow Malakhim, all in an effort to gather power.
“Our entire ranks were corrupted. A war the size of nothing the world had ever seen erupted and the remaining Malakhim, many of the most powerful, were forced to ally with the remaining Section 9 agents or face complete destruction.”
“If this was such a gigantic thing, why don’t I read about this in the history books?”
“I assure you, you have. World War II would have easily been called the Malakhim War if the truth were common knowledge.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No, but that’s a story for another time. What really bother’s me is what he said about the Council,” Aunt Emily said. “They should never have ordered you to be taken.”
“He must have b
een lying,” I answered.
“I have known Hearst for many years and he is many things, a liar is not one of them. If he said they ordered it, then they did. But why?”
Just then, I felt her reach out with her power. The rifles that were still in the foyer began to glow red, then yellow, then they burned white-hot, disintegrating into wisps of light, leaving the wood below unblemished. It was an amazing display of power and she did it while stirring a cup of tea that sat on the table next to her.
Now that I’ve seen her power, it was different from mine, but it felt very, very similar. I guess the family thing ran deep. Now that I knew what it was, I realized that everything she did was an extension of that power.
It was ubiquitous and all around her, all the time. With the help of my Loci, I sensed her power and felt it as it ran through every inch of this house. The aura surrounded each grain of wood, each crevice; everything here glowed with a very faint reddish hue that would be invisible if I weren’t looking for it.
The lines of power leading to her private chambers shielded off everything. Within her room, my Loci told me that she would have the power of a god and be near omnipotent.
This was my family, my heritage.
“Why didn’t my father tell me any of this?”
“It was not your time yet,” she said. “You have to be a certain age before you are allowed to see the secrets. Your world has changed forever. When you have time to think about it, you will resent it, and us, forever,” Aunt Emily said.
“How could anyone resent being told the truth?” I asked.
“You look just like your father right now. Once he got an idea in his head, no one could change his mind,” Aunt Emily said.
“You knew my father well.” It was not a question.
“Yes,” she answered.
“What happened to my mother?” I asked.
“When you are ready, I will tell you,” Aunt Emily said with a sadness I didn’t understand.
“Is she alive?”
“When you’re ready, I will tell you everything you need to know.”
These weren’t answers. They just left many more questions and I didn’t have the stomach for any more mystery.
Fallen Angels Page 18