Espial (12 page)

     “Three.
Two. One.” We all illuminated and in an instant vanished from the ARC for good.

     Everyone
sat quietly for dinner. Glinda had collapsed onto the floor upon arriving in
Los Angeles, so she was resting in the room we shared. Rider was off briefing
Stella, head of L.A.’s defense department. Alex and Div sat next to me, and Ace
sat across from us next to my mother and Celeste. As delicious as the food
looked and smelled, no one seemed to have much of an appetite. I pushed my food
around the plate, taking only three bites. Div just sat and stared at hers. Ace
and Alex chewed quietly. Alex did not make eye contact with anyone.

     “I’m so
sorry about Sacra,” said my mother, breaking the silence.

     Div stood
abruptly, knocking the table. She left for her private room.

     “I’m
sorry,” said my mother, looking down and shaking her head.

     “No one
knew her better than Div and Glinda,” I said. “The three of them were
practically sisters.”

     “I wish
there was something we could have done!” blurted Ace, slamming his fist onto
the table, his aura darkening. “This didn’t have to happen!” He stood and left
as well.

     Alex
reached over and rubbed my arm. “We all did the best we could.”

     “Did we?” I
asked, tears forming. “I stood there half the time, not knowing what to do.”

     “From what
Rider said, sweetie, you were amazing. You can’t blame yourself for what
happened to Sacra,” soothed my mother. “The blame belongs to Sato and his
demons.”

     “I might as
well not have my wings. I wish I was just an Espial.” The tears now flowed down
my cheeks.

     “Your mom’s
right,” said Alex. “Use your emotions to fuel your rage against Sato, not
yourself.”

     I nodded
and he gave me a light kiss on the head. He excused himself and left the table.
In need of clearing my mind, I stood and left the cafeteria as well. I wandered
aimlessly throughout the building for over two hours. It was past nine o’clock
at night; the sky was pitch black and stars were out in full display. The Los
Angeles Resource Facility, or LARF, was an above-ground building. It was easily
accessible from outside and very modern in appearance. Angels and Espials came
and went without navigating secret passageways. From what I understood, the few
humans in existence in Los Angeles were all Espials and recognized that Angels
existed in order to defend mankind. Everyone knew about Sato’s stronghold in
the east. All were employed to work on developing a powerful weapon that would
destroy him and his army for good, before his grasp reached the west. The main
hall reminded me of Rider’s apartment. It had glass panels instead of walls and
you could see outside. We were situated on a hilltop, overlooking the remnants
of a formerly vibrant city.

     “Hi Sol!”

     I turned
from one of the large windows and stood facing the neon pink angel I had met
during my first transport session.

     “Oh hi,” I
smiled.

     “My name is
Fly and this is my son Gadget,” she said, patting the head of a toddler
clutching her leg.

     “Hey
buddy!” I said, bending to his level.

     “He wanted
to meet you. Everyone is so excited to have a descendant of Solomon Arch
walking around,” she said, her eyebrows raised in excitement.

     “Is that
right? Did you really want to meet me?” I asked Gadget.

     He nodded
shyly, clutching his mother’s leg even tighter with one hand and massaging his
shoulder blade with another.

     “He’s a
little shy,” she said. “I just wanted to let you know that if you ever need
anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

     “Thank you
I will,” I replied. Fly gave me a bright smile before leaving with her son.

     It was dusk
and the toll of the day’s events suddenly hit me. Not wanting to listen to
Glinda’s sobs throughout the night, I went to Alex’s apartment. I knocked, yet there
was no response. Finding the door unlocked, I walked in and found the living
room empty. His apartment was very modern and chic, minimal in furniture and
décor. The fireplace was grand, a fire crackling and making the room warm. I
noticed a stack of papers on his white marble mantle and began flipping through
them. They were the ones from the ARC’s ATS room desk. I explored my way around
his apartment until I found the office. He had a hologram for a computer desk,
already turned on and displaying an enlarged image of him as a child. I sat
down at the desk and located a file containing approximately sixty saved
pictures. Clicking through each one, I smiled as I saw what he looked like as a
baby and youngster. I was at the second to last photo when my heart stopped. It
was an image of him blowing out candles at his unsheathing party. He had said
that he was only seventeen, yet the picture looked like it was taken decades
ago. His parents stood behind him, smiling at him with their arms around each
other. His mother looked exactly like him: brown hair, deep piercing eyes, and
brown wings. He did not resemble his father at all, though. His father was
Warren Sato.

     I sat there
staring at the picture for a minute, yet it felt like hours. Unable to move, I
felt weak. How had I not noticed that something was off? Or had I simply chosen
to ignore my intuition? My mind flashed back to my unsheathing party. He had
strangely asked to visit the ATS room. I laid my head in my hands, a massive
headache developing. All of our interactions played in my mind in slow motion.
Tears began trickling down my face.
How could I be so blind?
Eventually
I arose and left his apartment. I had printed a copy of the photograph and
stuck it in my pocket. I found Rider in his own temporary apartment. He was
sitting at his desk, bent forward with his eyes closed.

     “Rider?” I
called to him gently.

     He didn’t
move so I walked over and rested my hand on his shoulder.

     “Rider?” I
called again, tapping him.

     His eyes
opened and he turned to me. I could see dried tears along his cheeks and chin.
“Yes Sol?”

     “I’m sorry
about Sacra.”

     He lowered
his eyes and nodded. “There wasn’t much else we could have done, Sol. While my
heart aches for her loss, I intend to make Sato pay for what he’s done. We
cannot have any more of our kind die at his hands.”

     I nodded in
agreement. “What do you know about Alex?”

     “What do
you mean?”

     “I mean,
what do you know about his upbringing? How did he come to work here, and why
did he choose to work so closely with you?”

     “After your
mother came to speak with us several months ago, I reached out to the LARF to
see if they had any employees available to work as a liaison between the two
centers. Alex volunteered after a brief interviewing period.”

     “And what
do you know about his background?”

     “I know
that his mother is an angel and his father was an arch angel. He had never met
his father before, though. No one knew which arch angel could have fathered
him.”

     “Are you
sure about that?” I asked, softly placing the picture on the desk in front of
him.

     Rider
picked up the picture. He smiled at first glance, and then frowned when
realization set in.

     “Where did
you find this?” he asked, standing quickly.

     “On the
computer in his apartment,” I said, shaking my head. “Luke warned me that he
didn’t like him, but I didn’t want to listen.”

     “I believe
he had us all fooled. We must find him now.”

     We both
hurriedly left the room and made our way back to his apartment. After a
thorough search, we were still unable to find his whereabouts. I also noticed
that the papers resting on the mantle were no longer there. Upon further
inspection of his closet, we saw that all of his clothing was missing. Rider
took the lead in running to the main hall. He asked the receptionist if anyone
had seen Alex leave the building since dinner.

     “No,” she
replied. “However, he was carrying a suitcase with him a short time ago.”

     “Where did
he go?” asked Rider.

     “He was
headed to the ATS. Why? What’s going…” the receptionist trailed off as Rider
and I took off running to the ATS. Once there, Fly greeted us at the door.

     “Hey, Sol!
Hey, Rider! Is everything ok?”

     “I believe
we have an emergency on our hands,” said Rider furiously. “Please alert Stella.
We need her in here NOW! Also, please call in Glinda, Div, and Luke.”

     Fly typed
in various commands on her hologram. It opened several messaging windows and
she began speaking while the software transcribed her words. Within a minute,
Stella, Glinda, Div and Luke arrived in the ATS room. Stella had golden wings
similar to Rider and also gave off an amber aura. Her salt and pepper hair was
in a low bun, with a small dagger holding it in place.

     “What’s
wrong?” asked Div, immediately sensing tension.

     “Alex has
betrayed us,” replied Rider, shaking his head. “He’s been betraying us all
along. Sol?”

     I pulled
out the photo and gave it to Div, who passed it around the room.

     “Where is
he now?” asked Stella, fuming.

     “He was
last seen carrying a suitcase and heading here,” said Rider, turning to Fly.

     “He was in
here possibly ten minutes ago,” said Fly. “I asked him where he’d like to be
transported and he said “New York City.” I found it odd that he was headed back
there, but he said that you authorized for him to collect evidence of what
occurred earlier. I told him that the room was scheduled for detonation within
the hour and he said not to worry because he’d be back by then.” She typed
furiously on her hologram. After several failed commands, she frowned. “I think
the ATS in New York has been jeopardized: it’s not receiving any signals. He
must have destroyed it after he arrived there.”

     “Alex had
papers from the New York ATS room desk with him,” I said.

     “The papers
he and Ace retrieved were various launch codes and detonation sequences for ATS
locations throughout the world,” said Div, her hands flying up to her face as
she shook her head. “He’s giving them to Sato!”

     “Exactly,”
said Rider. “Fly, please call Ace.”

     Fly sent a
message to Ace. I squatted down and tried to steady my breathing.

     “Are you alright
Sol?” I felt an arm pass around my shoulder. I looked up to see Glinda smiling
down at me.

     “No,” I
choked, bending my head back down.

     “Come.” She
pulled me out of the room just as Ace entered. I avoided making eye contact
with Luke on the way out. We made our way back to the room we shared. I lay
down on the bed and cried for the first time in as long as I could remember.

     “Let it all
out.” Glinda began removing my clothes and let my hair out of its ponytail. I
continued crying like a baby, tears and nose running all over my face.

     “My heart.
My heart is broken. I can actually feel that it’s broken,” I sobbed. “I can’t
breathe. Help me, Glinda I can’t breathe.” I yanked the necklace he had given
me at the unsheathing party off of my neck and threw it across the room.

     “Take a
deep breath,” she said soothingly. “Follow my lead. In, then out. Good. Again,
in and then out.” She guided me through several deep breaths until I steadied
my hyperventilating. “Just a second.” She got up and went over to the closet,
pulling out several jars. One contained Elixir Respite. “Here you go.” She
passed me the jar and I swallowed the beverage in its entirety. I began to yawn
and kicked back the covers of my bed.

     “Rest up,
honey bee. Rider will sort everything out, don’t you worry. Sacra’s death and
your betrayal will not go unpunished. Only time can mend a broken heart, but
sometimes some good ole fashioned revenge helps speed up the process.” She
winked and gave me a pat on the back.

     “I’m so
sorry you lost Sacra,” I whispered to her.

     “I am too.
But there’s nothing more we could have done. I’d rather spend my energy
remembering the good times rather than what happened. She would have wanted it
that way.” Tears formed in her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. “We
angels know that any day could be our last. So I cherish the fact that we had
two joyous centuries to spend with each other.” She made her way to the door as
my eyes began to close, then turned to face me. “Get your rest. I have a funny
feeling that the true battle for the survival of mankind is imminent.”

     The
following morning arrived, bringing with it a sense of both rejuvenation and
sorrow. We all attended a ceremony in the lobby, held in Sacra’s honor. There
wasn’t a dry eye in the room as people stood and recalled happy moments they
had shared with her. Glinda’s stories brought out the most tears from everyone.

     “Sacra and
I never told anyone this, but she once saved my life,” she said. “We were
fighting demon centaurs during the final battle of the Great World War. One of
the beasts had placed me in a chokehold and was about to twist my neck.”
Several people in the audience gasped, myself included. “Sacra soared over and
with one slice, beheaded that filthy creature. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t
be alive.” Everyone began sniffling. “Sacra’s outer beauty was dim compared to
her inner splendor and strength. She inspired me every day to take charge and
cast fear aside. Div, Sacra and I unsheathed at the same time a hundreds of
years ago. Inspired by great warriors like Solomon Arch, we banded together to
fight for justice and peace in this world. We will continue our legacy, and we
know that Sacra is smiling down upon us, lighting our path. May she rest in
peace.”

     After her
eulogy ended, Sacra’s sword was carried outside by General Matthews. He became
invisible, only leaving the sword in sight. It then flew off into the sky while
Glinda sang the same Japanese song she had once hummed to me.

     After the
ceremony, I met up with everyone for breakfast in Stella’s private office on
the main floor of the LARF. Lavish and plush, Stella seemed to have an
obsession with animals. Fur rugs, zebra print cushions, and tiger print walls
were only a few of the many decorative accents she incorporated. Her desk had
gold lion’s paws. Large oil paintings of jungle animals adorned the walls. A
buffet had been set up and we all ate ravenously. I couldn’t remember the last
time I had eaten a full meal. As we sat around with our plates, Stella started
the meeting.

     “I believe
that our primary order of business would be to apprehend Alex Sato.”

     At the
mention of his last name, I nearly choked on my eggs. Div thumped my back with
her palm and the food went down.

     “As of
yesterday evening, I officially declared him a traitor to the LARF and I
consider him highly dangerous to anyone who is an angel or Espial.”    

     “I agree
with your findings,” said Rider. “General Matthews briefed me and Div this
morning. Apparently, Alex made his way through the ARC’s rubble, out of the
grotto, and caught a ride into Terredome. Someone is helping him, although
we’re not sure who. Matthews’ soldiers could barely make out the image of a
woman driving the car he got into, but nothing more descriptive than that.”

     “So what
are our options?” asked Luke. “We have to do something soon before Sato gets
his hands on those codes.”

     “By this
time, he probably has the codes already,” replied Div. “I think what we really
should focus on is taking him out.”

     “Yes,” said
Stella. “We’ve already alerted all ATS centers around the world; they’ve
changed their codes, but it’s a matter of time before their systems are hacked
by Sato’s minions. The weapon we have been working on here will be complete
within thirty days. We need to devise a way to breach the CEB and destroy
Sato’s headquarters permanently.”

     “How do we
do that?” I asked. “The Central Excellency Building is very well fortified.
He’d see us coming from a mile away.”

     “Well
that’s what we’re here to figure out today.”

     Everyone
sat quietly thinking. Ace scratched his head. The answer seemed obvious to me.
I glanced at Div, who was already looking at me. She gave me a nod.

     “Bait,” I
said.

     “What do
you mean?” asked Rider.

     “Bait. I’ll
act as bait.”

     “No that’s
too risky,” said Glinda, worry furrowing her brows.

     “It’s the
only way we can access his building without being killed. He made it clear that
he wants me alive. So he’ll get exactly what he’s asking for.”

     “Ok. Let’s
say we get you in there without a hitch. How do we get you out when it’s time
to use the weapon against him?” asked Luke.

     “Div has
been teaching me how to be invisible and how to teleport. I can just disappear
to another location.”

     “The weapon
will destroy a thirty-mile radius, Sol,” said Stella. “No angel I’ve ever known
could teleport that far away. Not even General Matthews’ army can do that.”

     “I know
someone who could teleport across continents,” said Div.

     “Who?” we
asked. We all turned to face her.

     “Solomon
Arch. He did it regularly. I think he’s the only arch angel ever to have
mastered that.”

     “That’s
wonderful, but he was three thousand years old, Div,” said Rider. “Sol has only
been training for a few days, and not thoroughly at that. It would take her
years to master a skill like that.”

     “From what
I’ve seen, Rider, she might just be able to pull it off. You said we have
thirty days until we attack, right? Let me work with her until then.”

     Everyone
then turned to face Rider. My heart was pounding.

     “Alright.
But we should have a backup plan in place.”

     “I agree,”
said Stella. “Rider and I will consult with Matthews in developing our plan of
attack. The three of us will meet back here before dinner so that we can
outline a detailed itinerary.

     We all
nodded and made our way out of her office. I felt a hand on the small of my
back and jumped in fright.

     “Sorry,
Sol. I didn’t mean to scare you,” said Luke, concern across his face.

     “No it’s
ok. I’m just a little jumpy I guess.”

     “Can we
talk?”

     “Umm…sure,”
I agreed hesitantly. I really didn’t want to hear a lecture about how I should
have listened to him.

     “How are
you?”

     “What?”

     “How are
you? Are you feeling alright?”

     I shook my
head. “What happened to Sacra was horrifying. I refuse to let Alex and his
father get away with what they did.”

     “I’m sorry
he hurt you,” he replied, looking down.

     “I should
have listened to you. We only knew each other for a few days and I foolishly
thought he had feelings for me,” I said, blushing.

     “You
deserve the attention he gave you.”

     I nodded
softly. “It did feel nice. I felt special.”

     Luke ran
his hand up and down my arm. He then pulled me into a hug, kissing the top of
my head. He then released me and left. I took a deep breath and headed back to
my room.