Angel Of Solace (29 page)

Kronn glanced to each of them. They were all willing to do this, despite how insane and probably deadly it was going to be. The others who weren’t here would probably take a bit more convincing, but in the end they would go along with it. They were all fighters in one way or another, and they were tired of being underestimated.

“For now, a couple of us need some sleep and a meal, and we have a lot of details to work out,” Kronn said. “Corin, keep me informed of your progress on that decryption.”

It was fifteen minutes and several short conversations when he was finally alone in one of the apartment rooms with the few medical supplies the others had moved in. It didn’t last more than a few seconds before Shyrah found him and shut the door.

“You want to tell me what’s going on?” Kronn asked.

“I may be a fool,” she told him flatly, walking up right next to him. “In fact I’d probably place good voca on it. But right now I still think you’re the man for the job, and we both know the moment you blab about ESI you’re going to end up with a flechette round in the head.”

“It might be easier that way.”

“I’m sure it would be,” she grunted, turning away. “But I’m not letting you get off like that. Let’s face it: we’re all probably going to die here soon anyway. I can’t even explain to you what happened to me today—a part of me still can’t believe what I did. I was breaking through walls with my god damn
mind
.” She shook her head and sighed. “Sara’s right about Marivean. There’s a good chance this guy will rip us apart the moment we get close to him.”

“But you still want to try.”

She nodded. “One way or another, it has to end here. It’s Sara’s only hope, and it’s our only chance to expose this conspiracy for what it is.”

He smiled faintly. “Is that you talking, or the Demon?”

“You know, I actually wondered that,” she said gravely. “I understood the tradeoff for its power was to let it take more control…I wonder if I would even feel it if it did.”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, reaching a hand into her hair. He gently tugged a few strands free from her ponytail and dangled them in front of her face so she could see.

“Damn,” she breathed. Her hair was normally pretty light anyway, but these had turned a solid white.

“No change in your irises, but I’m sure if I ran some tests it would give similar results to Sara’s. The harder it pushes, the more it alters your body chemistry.”

She abruptly pulled away. “Speaking of tests, why don’t you tell me about that shit you’ve been injecting me with?”

He blew a stream of air out the front of his teeth and leaned against the wall. “I didn’t give you anything last time.”

“Why? And what were you normally giving me?”

“A serum I created, just like I told you,” he explained. “It weakens the bond with the parasite. ESI wanted me to develop something to use on Angels.”

“So you tested it on us instead?”

He looked away. “You know how many problems a lot of the Asurans come in here with, and a lot of them are a result of the parasite. I couldn’t treat the source, but I could target the symptoms. It helped your headaches.”

“Yeah,” she whispered. He could see her shaking with barely restrained fury. “You have no idea how much I want to hurt you.”

“I can guess. And you still can. I deserve it all.”

She turned away, rubbing at her face. Given what he knew she had been through in her life, he really should have expected her to just kill him right here. But somehow, he knew she wouldn’t, and it made his stomach twist even more.

“The others will have to know about that,” she said eventually. “They’ll rip you apart.”

“I know, but I think you’re right about this—about everything. One way or another, it’s time for us to end it.”

She nodded and turned back towards him. “If we do survive, then you get to tell them. Everything.”

“Agreed.”

Shyrah glared at him for a moment longer and then spun and left the room. Kronn stood there looking at the spot she had just departed, and thought back to all the things they had done together—her, and the Asurans. Together they had saved hundreds of people from a life of slavery or torture. At least if they did die here, it would be attempting something worthwhile. He had never been much of a martyr before, but right now it didn’t seem so bad.

Kronn sighed to himself and cracked open the medical kit. If they were going to commit suicide, he was at least going to make sure he was in good health beforehand.

***

They were magnificent in any sense of the word—ten in total, all tall and statuesque, eight men and two women who had dedicated their lives to the service of the Lord. At Marivean’s request, each had endured at least five levels of the pain ritual and had at least two years of combat experience in the Unenlightened Regions to the far north. They had also demonstrated their loyalty to the Angels through personal service and sacrifice. 

And now they were here, and Zanek couldn’t help but smile thinly. Unfortunately, his enthusiasm was tempered by the failure of Vaelen and his lapdog. In ten years of his own service to the Covenant, he had never seen Chosen fail so thoroughly, but really, that fault was his. He had selected Vaelen in the first place and listened to the man’s assurances about his young apprentice. It was not a mistake he was going to make again.

“Your army awaits your order, my lord,” he said as the Chosen stood at attention, tilting his head back just enough to see the Angel emerge from the darkness of the hallway.

“Yes, I see. I wonder if they understand the challenge they are about to face?”

“We have been thoroughly briefed, my lord,” one of the soldiers, Gidon, said. He was probably in his late 20s, with a shaved head and numerous scars across his scalp. “We know what is at stake. We will not allow the Betrayer to escape.”

Marivean moved in closer to them, sizing up the entire group with his cold gaze. “I have heard these assurances before. Two of your brothers failed me and the Lord.”

“That shall not happen again,” the Chosen replied stiffly.

“I trust not,” the Angel murmured, “but you’ll forgive me if I am unwilling to take your word for it.”

“We have a record of loyal service, my lord. Lady Kasille herself assigned us to this mission. She personally witnessed our efforts in the Unenlightened Regions.”

Marivean stopped in front of him. “Yes, she speaks highly of each of you. But then, many of my brothers and sisters spoke well of Vaelen, as well.”

Gidon’s eyes hardened. “We shall not fail you, my lord. I swear it.”

A faint smile tugged at the Angel’s lips, and he raised his hands in front of him. Almost immediately, each of the men and women gasped and twitched as their bodies were lifted from the ground. A moment later a bright latticework of blue lines traced across their skin, as if their veins themselves were glowing.

“Pain…is a weakness of the body,” Gidon rasped, “but the Lord protects my soul.”

It was repeated nearly on cue by each of the other members of his squad, and Zanek felt his smile widen. Yes, they were magnificent indeed.

“Then transcend the weakness that binds you to this world,” Marivean replied. He held them in his mental grip for another minute before releasing them. They landed on their feet, each and every one, and instantly sprung back to attention. Their veins continued to glow.

“The Betrayer will be here soon,” Zanek told them. “A day, perhaps, maybe two or three at the most. She will bring an army with her.”

“Then they will die,” Gidon said between clenched teeth, “and the Lord will have no mercy on their souls.”

“No,” Marivean said, turning back towards the hallway and leaving the room, “He most certainly will not.”

Chapter Nineteen

“There are certainly more impregnable places they could have holed up in,” Corin commented dryly, “like, say, an underground base with only one entrance and a dozen defense towers.”

“It’s not that bad,” Kronn replied, his eyes sweeping back and forth over the holo projection at the center of the table.

“Multiple access points, at least,” Stanson added, though he didn’t seem particularly confident either.

No, it really wasn’t that bad…but it was bad enough. The unfinished Paralex Tower was basically a skyscraper, which meant dozens upon dozens of floors where their enemy could hide themselves and put up what amounted to an urban guerilla fight. The problem wasn’t the actual battle, though, but rather how long it would take. The authorities wouldn’t just miss a firefight in a giant building forever.

Kronn repressed a sigh. Corin’s decryption had finally come through last night, and the transmissions had confirmed this as the Covenant’s new base of operations in the city. Ever since he had been organizing people to dig up everything they could on this tower, from the blueprints and this hologram to some actual on-the-field reports about any movement. The results had been…well, less than he had been hoping for.

A part of him had rather foolishly believed they were due for a break. After all, the last place Marivean had stuffed himself had been little more than a house. But really, years of experience should have taught him better. Especially given the circumstances of how they got this information in the first place.

“How reliable is this?” Damien asked as he eyed a few datapads with reports from their scouts and contacts elsewhere in the city.

“It varies,” Kronn admitted. “Beren’s group is all but broken at this point, and I trust our reports there—maybe two or three dozen of his people could be there. But I’d be shocked if they didn’t have some of their own forces as well, and Chosen don’t exactly announce themselves at customs.”

Corin grimaced. “We could do better, but it would take awhile. As in weeks, probably. Anyway, I think we should assume the worst. This still doesn’t feel right to me.”

Stanson cocked an eyebrow at him. “You’ve said that several times. Care to give specifics?”

“It’s everything. The timing, the encryption package, the details it provided…” Corin shook his head. “Way too convenient.”

“He wants us to find him,” Sariel said softly. “He wants me to find him. He’s tired of looking, and he knows he has what I need.”

“Yeah, well, I’m tired of running,” Shyrah grunted. “Seems like a good match.”

“So we’re looking at probably three dozen mercenaries and a handful of Chosen,” Kronn reasoned, trying to keep them focused. “And Marivean himself, of course.”

“At least a third—maybe even half—of their forces will be watching the ground-level entrance,” Stanson said. “They’ll have ample cover and probably some automated defenses. The cops would show up long before we got through. Hell, even ESI might make an appearance by then.”

Kronn nodded and turned to Corin. “What’s your best guess on a response time?”

The younger man ran his hands through his hair and hissed softly. “There’s a precinct less than two kilometers away, but it’s heavily understaffed. For something serious like what we’re talking about, they’d have to pull a team all the way from…oh, Delgan Avenue almost five kilometers away. Best guess?” He shrugged. “At least eight minutes, plus however long it takes for someone to notice in the first place.”

“So fifteen minutes at best,” Shyrah put in. “There’s no way we’re getting in there that quickly.”

Damien shuffled from his perch against the wall. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I doubt the Covenant is any more interested in having the authorities find them than we are.”

“Not with a platoon of mercs and dozens of illegal weapons, no,” Kronn agreed. “And that’s just from the police. They have to be just as worried about ESI as we are.”

“So can’t we use that somehow? I mean I don’t know police procedures, but I assume we’d all be fair game at that point.”

“That’s not a terrible idea actually,” Corin said, his eyes lighting up. “Whatever we throw at the front door doesn’t have to be much more than a distraction. Get their attention, start a firefight…and then gradually back up before the cops arrive. I can probably send out some false signals too, just to stir the pot a little and make it seem worse than it is.”

Shyrah smiled. “You mean make them want to storm in the front door.”

“And set up snipers, send in infiltration teams…the works. Basically we turn the whole thing into a shootout between the cops and the mercenaries.”

Kronn tapped a finger on his lips. “It’s a good start. ESI might warn them off once they figure out what’s going on, but there’s nothing we can do about that. All we need is a distraction, and it will definitely buy us time.”

“We’ll also be leading a bunch of innocent police officers into a trap,” Sariel pointed out softly. “Mercenaries are one thing, but they’ll have no idea there’s an Angel in that building. He’ll rip them apart.”

“They won’t be anywhere near him,” Kronn told her. “I doubt he’ll be at the front lines just waiting for the shooting to start, even if this is a trap.”

“So we put together another team to use the distraction,” Shyrah said, nodding along with him. “And they go after the Angel.”

“Two other teams, actually.” Kronn gestured to the hologram and the sole completed shuttle/copter platform on the fortieth level. “This platform hasn’t been used in ages, but by all accounts it still works. We can set a second team down there.”

“That’s pretty obvious, though,” she warned. “They’re definitely not going to leave that undefended. They might even have the damn thing rigged to explode.”

“I doubt that, but you’re right: it will be defended. That’s why you’ll be the one going.”

She blinked. “I’m hoping that will make more sense in a minute.”

“You take a small team up there,” Kronn went on, “and with your abilities, you can handle anything they throw at you. Probably.”

“Oh,” she muttered, “great.”

“It has to be you, because Marivean needs to think that’s where Sariel is,” Kronn explained. “He’ll believe we tried to send her in to fight him alone, and he’ll redirect most of his forces to take you on.”

“So then what am I doing?” the Angel asked.

Kronn gestured to the holo. “You’re taking the only other entrance into the building. The unfinished skyway on the sixty-fourth level.”

They all stared at the hologram for a long, silent moment. The skyway connected the tower to another across the street, but like Kronn said, it had never been finished. Most of the framework was there, but the final supports hadn’t been installed and it had probably never been tested before the company went out of business.

“Maybe that scrubber did more damage to you than we thought,” Shyrah murmured.

He shook his head. “It’s not set up for heavy traffic, but there’s no way it would have survived up there so long if the structure was unstable.”

She snorted. “That dubious leap of logic aside, it still wouldn’t take much firepower to bring it down.”

“You could say that about most civilian buildings,” he countered. “Look, it’s a calculated risk. I doubt they’ll have more than a token defense watching it, and certainly not once your team starts its assault at the landing pad.”

“What exactly do you want Sara to do?” Damien asked. “Head straight for Marivean?”

“That’s the gist of it,” Kronn said. “His defenses will be spread thin, especially if we get the police involved. It’s the best way I can think of to get him alone in a reasonable timeframe. You’ll probably only be able to take a few men with you, though.”

“I’ll go,” Damien said.

Kronn eyed him oddly. “I appreciate the offer, but I know this isn’t exactly your specialty. It’s probably best if you stayed behind.”

“I can fire a gun just fine, and I might be able to help her distract him.”

Shyrah raised an eyebrow. “How is that going to work, exactly?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, “but I’m going with her. Maybe I can get the information we need from him.”

“Damien…” Sariel breathed.

“I’m going,” he said firmly. “And that’s final.”

Kronn repressed a smile. He wondered idly what the young man had thought of them all when he first arrived. He had been so cool and reserved from the first moment he arrived, and he had no idea why he had even been brought there. Now, only a week later, he was willing to put his life on the line for them.

Well, perhaps not them. But certainly for her. And that Kronn understood well enough. “All right, then. Corin, you’ll—”

“I’ll go with Shy,” the man said.

Shyrah turned towards him. “The way he’s talking, we’ll be taking a significant amount of the fire here.”

“I know, but that’s why you’re there,” he told her. “Besides, it’ll give me some time to mess with their signals while the door team starts it off. And maybe I can help with whatever defenses they have on that landing pad.”

Kronn wasn’t a technical expert on the same level as Corin, certainly, but even he knew enough to know how weak of a defense that was. About as weak as Damien’s had been only moments before.

Shyrah smiled and put a hand on Corin’s arm. “We’ll need others, but he’s with me.”

“I’ll get volunteers for the rest, and we’ll figure out the details from there,” Kronn told them. “Even if they go where we want them to, we’re going to lose people.”

“The life of a terrorist,” Shyrah said dryly.

“I’ve always liked ‘revolutionaries,’ myself,” Corin put in, waving his hands grandly.

Kronn smiled. “I’ll talk to the others. For now, why don’t we take a break. Let me know if anyone comes up with any brilliant addendums.”

***

Damien Vendare had had some pretty intense weeks in his life. When he had turned fourteen and “officially” started his Incubus training regimen, he had collapsed from raw fatigue almost every night. When he had turned eighteen and been given his first list of clients, he had been so nervous the experiences were all still vivid and fresh in his memory. But none of that could possibly compete with everything that had happened since he arrived in Solace.

It was a shame it was all likely about to come to an end.

“Nervous?” Sariel asked him as she slid gracefully into the room.

“A little,” he admitted, glancing down to the clothes he had folded and laid out on his bed. Between planning and salvaging supplies, he hadn’t had much time these last few days to really get his room setup here, and it was, he knew, rather silly to be bothering with it now. Tomorrow was judgment day, after all. If he came back from this it really wasn’t going to make a difference if his clothes were folded and his bed was made.

She shut the door behind her and moved over to kiss him. As tempting as it was to throw her down and unmake the bed, it was only early evening and the building as active as it ever got. Kronn had mobilized everything, and Damien had to admit he was impressed by their gusto.

Sara eventually pulled away but kept her hands on top of his, unwilling to break the spark. He understood exactly how she felt. It was as intoxicating as any drug, and he wouldn’t bother to deny he had become addicted to her touch.

“It’s a lot to think about,” she said softly.

“It is,” he agreed. His thoughts flicked briefly to the Agency tower, to Vala and all the others there. If this didn’t work, they would never know what had happened here. And of course, thousands of other Demons across the world would never learn the true nature of their condition.

“You miss them, don’t you?” she asked.

He raised an eyebrow, but belatedly realized his thoughts weren’t his own at the moment. “I do. I mean it’s silly, really. I’ve only been gone a week, and I’m sure their lives haven’t changed at all.”

“But you made a promise to them. To her.”

“I did,” he whispered, pulling away from her hand and letting his thoughts settle. “I told Vala I’d come for her eventually—and the others too. The Agency keeps dozens of Demons just in that one tower, and I’m sure they have others spread across the country. I owe it to them to at least try and help.”

Sariel nodded and sat down on the bed. “If we stop Marivean, you might have that chance.”