Angeles Betrayal

by Michael Pierce

  I took a few deep breaths to center myself, envisioning how I wanted the rest of the night to go. I just wanted to get in and out as quickly as possible, then check on Sean. I’d tried calling him on the drive there but it went straight to voicemail.

  We’re going to make it, I told myself. And everything will be okay. Afterward, I’ll explain everything to Matthew and he’ll understand why I had to do it.

  He’d understand. He’d have to. It felt like I’d already lost my mother, so I couldn’t lose him too. After the night we’d had, I knew how much he loved me. He’d understand and forgive me.

  Startled by a sudden crash on the roof of the minivan, I swerved and had to correct my direction from not having both hands on the wheel. I had to remind myself it was all a part of the plan, but it was alarming just the same.

  I pushed the button to automatically open the sliding side door. A warm breeze blew in as I continued to drive.

  A moment later, a dark figure swung into the back of the minivan from the roof. I glanced into the rearview mirror at the shadowed figure of Frederick crouched at the rear of the van; he promptly gave me a thumbs up.

  “Well, that’s two down,” I said, pressing the button again to close the door. “Now, we’ll see how well that tattoo really works.”

  But something was off. My arm was tingling like crazy and I didn’t know why. Frederick’s presence had felt very different earlier.

  But everything’s working just as we’d planned…

  “Frederick, is that you?” I asked, again glancing into the rearview mirror. “Are you going to help my mother out of that coffin?”

  “Fiona, stop the van,” the man instructed—not with the voice of Frederick.

  “Oh my God… who are you?” I screamed, pushing down harder on the accelerator.

  “Do as I say, and you’ll be able to save yourself too,” the man said.

  As I glanced in the mirror, I saw him lifting the carpet and opening the hatch. It was empty!

  “Where’s my mother? Who are you? What the hell is going on?”

  “Guards will be here any moment,” the man said sternly. “I suggest you heed my words and stop the van, now!”

  I slammed on the brakes, sending the man in the back tumbling forward and crashing into the back of the front seats.

  “Was that really necessary?” he said, shaking his head.

  I released the seatbelt and whirled around in my seat, getting my first good look at the vampire in the rear—the man I’d seen earlier helping the busty redhead remove the back seats.

  “Get in the hatch,” he demanded. “And don’t come out until you can be sure it’s safe.”

  “What? How will I know? Where’s Frederick and my mother?”

  “I can either deliver you straight to your people and you can throw yourself upon their mercy—all the while remembering what collateral Frederick still holds. Or I can give you an opportunity to escape.” The man looked me in the eyes with an almost kind expression. “The hatch has extra reinforcement, so it’s bullet-resistant and fire-resistant. You’ll be safe no matter what happens outside. But choose quickly. The guards are on their way.”

  “And what are you going to do?” I asked, frantically.

  “Cause a scene and get the hell out of here, but not until the angels show up. The attention here will lure people away from the others.”

  “Who are they with?”

  “Whoever’s in the vehicle, come out with your hands up!” a voice bellowed from outside. “Or we’ll open fire!”

  “What’s it gonna be?” the man asked, ready to throw open the side door.

  Knowing I only had a split-second left, I dove into the hatch and it was promptly closed above me, trapping me in utter darkness. I’d jokingly compared it to a coffin before, but was now feeling the weight of those words.

  The whole van shook as the sliding door was opened and the man leaped into the night air. A fury of gunshots went off like fireworks all around me.

  I felt my chest seizing up again. I couldn’t breathe; that confined space might as well have been my coffin. I desperately felt around in the dark for the small oxygen tank I’d been shown earlier. After finding it, I moved my hand along its smooth surface to locate the nozzle, the tube, and then the mask. I turned the nozzle and brought the mask to my face.

  The flow of pure oxygen was invigorating. I strapped the mask to my face and took long, deep breaths to calm myself; it worked extraordinarily well. That was when I began to realize it wasn’t oxygen I was inhaling. But it was already too late. I was already falling asleep… The gunfire had stopped… And I had the distant awareness that someone was climbing into the van.

  40

  Susan

  “You can come out,” I heard a muffled voice say.

  I pushed open the hatch door and climbed out of the hidden compartment into the back of the minivan. The carpet layer was all jumbled now, so I had to maneuver around the back space to close the hatch and smooth out the carpet, positioning the cutouts perfectly with the seat tracks and attachments. It now looked like the regular back of an open minivan.

  “You good?” Taylor asked from the driver’s seat.

  I didn’t know if good was the appropriate word after what Frederick had ultimately decided to use Fiona for. Her van had become a decoy, to help ensure that he’d be able to slip in undetected.

  “Great,” I said, sarcastically.

  Moments later, something slammed into the top of the minivan like a large object falling from the sky. And that’s exactly what it was; Frederick had morphed into a bird to fly over the electrified fence, then dropped down onto the roof of the minivan in his humanoid form again, so we wouldn’t even have to stop driving.

  I opened the sliding side door and Frederick swung in like a ninja. The door was harder to close with the vehicle still moving, but Taylor hit the button to make it shut electronically.

  “So far, so good,” Frederick said, excitedly. He patted my leg and turned to me, his face awash in shadows. “She’ll be fine.”

  “I wish I shared your confidence,” I said.

  “In the end, it will all be worth it.”

  “We’re reaching the underground parking,” Taylor called from the front seat.

  Fiona had been tasked with driving toward the main entrance while we went around the back to drive through the tunnel and enter the North Building from the sub-levels. While security was checking out her vehicle, we’d be on the opposite side of the compound.

  After driving for some time through a narrow tunnel, we reached a lit underground parking structure. Taylor diligently found a spot on the lowest level to ensure the least cumbersome getaway. She led us to the elevators and we were luckily able to step into an empty cab. Frederick was dressed all in black with a long coat and high collar. He also had a thick scarf wrapped around his neck, which he’d pulled up over his chin to ever so slightly conceal his features.

  From far away, I could easily be mistaken for my teenage daughter, so with my dress and makeup, I played up that fact, working to conceal some of my age. I kept my hair down and made sure it framed my face like Fiona always did to partially conceal her scars. Going in, I felt that looking more like my daughter would be helpful—though at the point of getting out, the same ploy could work to our detriment. However, Frederick was much less concerned with the process of getting out than getting in.

  The elevator didn’t stop until we reached our second-floor destination. When the doors slid open, there were a few people lingering just outside, waiting for us to exit first. Taylor confidently led us into the hallway, not even acknowledging the waiting group. Glances were cast our way as we strolled by, but no one said a word. As I heard the elevator doors shut, I glanced back only to find the hallway empty.

  The next thing I knew, Frederick had grabbed my hand. He gave me a sidelong glance and smiled. “This is probably what Matthew would be doing with your daughter at a time like this.”

  “I don�
��t really want to think about what Matthew does with my daughter,” I said. We didn’t need to pretend we were other people to hold hands.

  After a few more turns, Taylor stopped at a nondescript wall. There were open doorways nearby, and I broke free of Frederick’s grasp to peer inside. There were several manned computer stations, electronic equipment I couldn’t identify, and large video screens on the far wall.

  When I turned back to Taylor and Frederick, a door had seemingly appeared from nowhere, opening to a dim, narrow corridor.

  “Let’s go,” Taylor urged, first nudging Frederick inside. She gestured for me to follow.

  The corridor was only wide enough for one person to advance comfortably, but once the door was closed, Taylor squeezed past each of us to lead the pack again.

  “How much further?” Frederick asked.

  “This is it,” she said. “This is the portal you’ve been searching for.”

  Frederick straightened, and I could sense his exhilaration that the only thing between us and the portal was a few feet of corridor.

  “The portal is in the chamber,” Taylor said. “We have multiple functioning chambers now that can take you to as many destinations around the country instantaneously. It’s by far the fastest way to travel. But this one—this is the legendary portal from a chamber that malfunctioned, and instead of merely transporting through space, it also transports through time.”

  “This isn’t the time for an explanation,” Frederick said. “Let’s see what the future holds.”

  Taylor stopped just before reaching the chamber and opened a metal locker against the wall. “Empty your pockets,” she advised. “You don’t want to travel with anything that could get damaged or deleted.” She led by example, expecting us to follow.

  “I’ll see you on the other side,” she said and stepped into the chamber.

  There wasn’t a door to close. Before us was a circular metal contraption that looked like it should have lights and beeping electronics. But it had none of those things. It looked more like a machine that didn’t function at all.

  I peered over Frederick’s shoulder to get a better view of the inside of the chamber—and realized Taylor was gone. Frederick had no hesitation in stepping inside the chamber. He waited in the middle of it for just a moment before moving toward the back wall. It was as if the wall was liquid and he could pass straight through it. Once he was fully submerged, he disappeared completely, leaving the chamber empty once again.

  I placed my phone and wallet in the locker with the others and stood before the open chamber door. I took a deep breath, hoping we weren’t marching straight to our deaths due to some other unknown anomaly. That portal was some kind of strange malfunction in itself, so who was to say it wouldn’t produce some new error code when one or all of us stepped through? But, as nervous as I was, I had to see what was on the other side of that wall—what was behind the unseen door that supposedly led to another time.

  “I’m sorry, kid,” I whispered as I stepped into the chamber and proceeded through the wall.

  It was like walking through a waterfall without getting wet. I was instantly in an identical chamber, but I could see the room outside the chamber door was different. It looked more like the room I’d peeked into from the hallway before entering the secret corridor.

  Frederick and Taylor were huddled around one of the computer stations. Other than us, the control room was empty. Then I heard another voice, crackling with static as if coming through a radio, so I joined them by the computer.

  “President Bolt is not here right now,” Frederick said. “Who is this?”

  “Nathan Kinghorn,” the new voice said over a small speaker positioned next to the computer monitor. “I led a team from ParallEarth to the surface eight years ago. Are you familiar with my mission?”

  “I’m sorry. I guess I wasn’t party to that information. You said you’re calling from Earth?”

  “Yes; I’m with a rebel group in a small bunker outside Richmond, Virginia. Who am I speaking with?”

  “What’s it like down there?”

  Nathan launched into a visceral description of a post-apocalyptic, vampire-run society, where the humans who survived the bombings and initial rise had been reduced to servants, slaves, or were in hiding.

  Even Taylor looked concerned at the fate of the world—our inevitable future. Frederick had talked about the portal to a few of us for years, but now I was here on the other side, everything suddenly became real.

  I’d started working with Frederick to keep Fiona safe after Becca was killed. But I didn’t realize the ultimate goal until much later, and by that time I was too committed. I’d developed skills I never thought I’d possess, made connections to rival world leaders, and was standing beside the man destined to rule the world.

  Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven.

  The future was terrifying but it would be ours. And the voice on the other end of the line was solidifying that belief.

  “What year is it?” Frederick asked, glancing over at Taylor who was remaining extraordinarily quiet.

  “Is this a joke?” Nathan asked, scoffing at what seemed to be a terribly offensive question. “It’s 2116. Who are you? Where is President Bolt—or anyone from the Assembly?”

  “I am Damien Galt.” Frederick leaned into the microphone, enunciating the name to make sure it came in loud and clear at the other end. “Does my name mean anything to you?”

  “You—you’re the one who caused all this…”

  “Yes; I suppose I am,” Frederick laughed, returning to his full height. “Thank you, Nathan. Thank you for confirming what I’ve believed and yearned to learn for so many years.” He turned to each of us with a wide grin, then slammed his fist into the computer, abruptly ending the transmission. “I suppose I also have Matthew to thank for all this.” He stepped away from the still sparking computer and gazed around the room. “This place is truly remarkable.”

  Twelve identical chambers lined either side of the room, while on the back wall by the exit to the hallway, “Sector 7” was written in large block letters.

  “Where do these other chambers lead?” I asked.

  “None of the others works,” Taylor said. “The time portal is all that remains—and technically it doesn’t work either. The portal opened inside of it.”

  “Where did they use to lead?”

  “To stations around the country—stations being built as we speak in our own time. On the ground, we already have functioning transportation portals.”

  “Is there a viewing deck of some kind?” Frederick asked. “I’d like to see Earth from this vantage point—it will help put everything into perspective. I know space stations are no longer science fiction, but it still feels like it.”

  “You could say that,” Taylor said with a knowing smile. “We call it the Singularity Room. Follow me. And don’t worry, it’s a little unnerving for everyone the first time.”

  41

  Matthew

  We drove Damien and Clementine back to the garage in Hollywood. As I went to open the back door of the limo, I had a flashback of our last encounter with them—or the lack thereof. We’d confirmed they’d been ushered into the vehicle along with four security guards. I didn’t know how anyone could pull off a switch this time, but if someone could figure out a way, it was Damien.

  However, when I pulled open the back door, the expansive interior of the limo was occupied by the people who’d entered back at the hotel.

  “Everyone out,” I ordered, putting on my most menacing vampire demeanor.

  “Well played, Matthew,” Damien said, not intimidated at all, then heaved into a barf bag probably given to him by hotel staff upon departure. His face glistened with beads of sweat and his face had very little color left. His bowtie was undone, as were the top two buttons of his starched shirt. But beneath the shirt, I noticed a black Kevlar vest.

  He was obviously prepared for something, I thought.

  Cl
ementine wore a long sleeveless evening gown of shimmering gold, and the security guards had on matching dark suits. We already knew Damien wasn’t a vampire, otherwise poisoning him wouldn’t have worked, but I was amazed to discover that even those guarding him were human. It was hard to believe this future vampire king would surround himself with such weakness.

  Clementine helped him as he stumbled out of the limo, holding his arm to help keep him balanced once he was upright. He still held the barf bag in one hand; it smelled absolutely foul.

  I almost expected at least one of the security guards to try something, but they all remained calm and docile, none of them speaking a word.

  “I suppose you plan to kill me because you think you know what will happen next?” Damien said. Clementine helped him down to the concrete floor and he leaned against the metal shelving unit with his legs splayed out in front of him.

  Clementine took a seat beside him, folding her legs to one side, her focus more on Syrithia than on me. The stoic security guards took standing positions on either side of them.

  “And what is going to happen next?” I asked, walking up to the great Damien Galt and crouching before him.

  He was a tall and skinny man who didn’t look all that formidable. But he was handsome and charismatic, polished and speaking with an air of sincerity. He had gotten the world to fall in love with him over the past few years—well, with him and the woman he typically had on his arm—the classy middle-aged woman holding onto him at that moment.

  “I know you’re not going to kill me tonight,” Damien said, then threw up again. He had a pocket square in one hand which he used to wipe his mouth afterwards.

  “And why is that?” Syrithia interjected.

  Damien turned to her with a confused look like he was seeing her for the first time. “You’re new.”

  “I was part of the last attack, the one in which you killed two of my associates,” Syrithia said, her voice exuding pain from the angels she lost.