Authors: Nikita Francois
I awoke the
next morning feeling groggy. My hair was a knotted mess and I had somehow
ripped my dress while sleeping. I tore the remnants of it off of me and slumped
into the shower. Back in my room, I noticed that all of the gifts from the
party had been placed at the foot of my bed. I sat on the floor and opened up
each one. From clothing to jewelry, I owned more possessions in that moment
than I ever had before. Afterward, I found a yellow cotton blouse and my jeans
on the vanity. Yellow leather boots sat on the floor, their laces dark orange.
I rushed to get it on and was extra careful when pushing my wings through the
back slits. They had grown a few more inches overnight. More of my feathers
were turning blonde, shedding their grayness. I drew my hair into a high
ponytail and smirked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked different, but in
a good way. Feeling my new necklace briefly, I then headed straight to
breakfast.
Rider, Alex
and Luke were nowhere to be found. My mother was cooking up something tasty in
the kitchen with Sacra. Glinda floated over and said I looked lovely. Thankful
I didn’t have combat training that day, I took my time eating breakfast before
heading downstairs to explore the ARC some more. I peeked into all of the lobby’s
rooms I hadn’t visited yet. Done investigating, I then explored each floor via
the elevators. I reached the floor directly below Rider’s quarters where I discovered
a library. It took up the entire ninety-eighth floor of the ARC. Thousands of
rows and shelves filled the expansive room. Tall ladders that would take
forever to climb reached the ceiling. The shelves that reached the ceiling were
so far away, I couldn’t differentiate the colors of the book spines. The
library was lit by miniature versions of the same chandeliers from the lobby.
Large cushioned chairs and sofas dotted the room. I walked down row after row,
opening up books of all shapes and sizes. Some smelled new while others
practically fell apart in my hands. An older-looking librarian sat there
watching me as I explored, smiling to herself.
“Looking
for anything in particular?” she eventually asked. I noticed that the nameplate
on her desk read ‘Anastasia.’
“No. I’m
just browsing,” I replied.
“Alright.”
She looked down to continue reading a tablet in front of her.
I thought
for a moment. “Actually, yes. I could use some help.” I had changed my mind.
“What topic
are you interested in?”
“Warren
Sato.”
She smiled
and got up from her seat. She walked swiftly toward one of the tall ladders.
She began climbing and I followed. About midway, she reached over and pulled a
red book off of a shelf to her right. The entire shelf transformed into a pathway
and she hopped onto it, agility clearly not affected by what I thought was old
age. Against the wall was a round, wooden door. She opened it and stepped
through. Once inside, I was captivated. A small room lay before us, walls entirely
lined with books. A tiny desk sat in the middle, with a cushioned chair and red
lamp.
“Every book
in here is about Warren Sato,” said the librarian. “Anything you need to know
about him you will find in here.”
“Thank
you.” She left me alone in the room and I began grabbing random books. I sat at
the table and spent the next several hours reading. Anastasia entered from time
to time, bringing me cookies and a beverage she referred to as ‘milk.’
By the time
the afternoon rolled around, I couldn’t read anymore. My eyes felt tired, so I made
my way back through the lobby. I found Rider in his office, which was right
next to the defense department. Why I hadn’t thought to ask him before, I
wouldn’t know. But I suddenly realized that I had no idea what his profession
truly was.
“I am the
head of defense operations. I established the defense department immediately
after the ARC was constructed and reconfigured its systems after your great-grandfather
passed.”
“Oh I see.
You always look so fashionable, so I assumed you oversaw the clothing
department,” I said, giggling. Luke entered the room, giving me a once over
briefly. He averted his gaze and said hi to Rider.
“Very
funny, Sol,” smiled Rider. “I only dress to impress one…” he began, then
stopped abruptly.
“Who?” I
asked, intrigued.
“Never
mind,” he said, waving his hand and blushing.
“No! Now
you have to tell me!” I exclaimed. Luke rolled his eyes and sighed.
“No, Sol.
Please focus. There are very important things going on right now. I don’t need
you pressing me on things that are none of your business!” he snapped, now completely
red.
“Sorry,” I
mumbled. I had to figure out who he was talking about. Div? Sacra? Maybe
Glinda?
“Why do
Div, Sacra, and Glinda stay in your quarters?” I asked, switching subjects.
“When your
mother came to visit us before your Oculation ceremony, we all agreed to make
my residence the official meeting place. After your mother left, the four of us
spent so much time together planning that Sacra offered to decorate my spare
rooms for everyone.”
“That was
very sweet of her,” I said.
“Yeah she’s
very talented. She did a great job with my room,” piped up Luke.
“Indeed.
She’s been amazingly crafty for as long as I’ve known her,” replied Rider.
“I found
the library today. It had a room entirely filled with books discussing the life
of Warren Sato.”
“Ah yes. I
established that room several hundred years ago. I wanted to learn as much as I
could, hoping to find some sort of pattern that would work in our favor.”
“Did you
find it?”
“Unfortunately,
no. I’ve long given up trying to find any pattern and haven’t been to that room
in decades.”
“Some of
the books mentioned my great-grandfather. He really was an extraordinary man,
wasn’t he?”
“Yes, Sol.
Without a doubt. Regardless of Warren Sato’s evil-doing, jealousy and rage,
Solomon Arch will always be remembered for the good he did in this world.”
At that
moment, everything in the room shut down, including the lights. Without a word,
Rider grabbed me and led us out of his office and into the defense department.
Someone screamed. It was completely dark in the room. Soon every angel’s aura
brightened and provided enough light to see. I quickly realized that my own
aura lit up as well. Luke looked around in amazement. We heard the sound of a
motor start up and everything turned back on.
“That’s the
generator,” said Rider, who seemed extremely concerned. “The power is still
out, though. Something is wrong.” As soon as he spoke, all of the hologram screens
in the room flickered on to an image of Warren Sato. He was standing in the
Capitol Excellency Building, with his two advisors at his side.
“This
message is for the citizens of Terredome,” he began. “Two days ago, a fugitive
by the name of Soleil Arch murdered four laboratory technicians and brutally killed
a young girl by the name of Angelica Chere, along with a security guard.”
“That’s not
true!” I shouted.
”Quiet.
Wait,” cautioned Rider.
“At this
time, we believe she is being aided by three persons of interest. They are Luke
Duto, Ruth Arch, and David Rider.”
“Wait…your
first name is David?” I asked, turning to Rider perplexed.
“Shh!” he
hissed.
“Military
personnel will be stationed on every block within Terredome. If you have any
information regarding the whereabouts of these persons of interest, please
report it to one of the military personnel. If you have information regarding
the whereabouts of Soleil Arch, please report it to one of my advisors
directly. If any of these aforementioned people are watching, please turn
yourselves in. You will be treated fairly and given the opportunity to vouch
for your actions.”
The screens
went blank. The only sound in the room was the running motor of the generator.
Rider ran over to a hologram and began typing rapidly. Suddenly, an alarm rang
out.
“I activated
the emergency alarm system. I believe Sato has found our location and shut off
the power supply. We must head to the lobby immediately.”
Luke and I
ran behind Rider into the main lobby, followed by all of the angels who were in
the room. The lobby was in a state of panic. Angels flew everywhere, yelling to
each other from afar, knocking into things. Angels spilled out of the elevators
looking for others they knew. We ran over to the welcome desk where Ace was
typing onto a hologram screen.
“I’m activating
our lockdown system,” he said without looking away from the screen.
“Quickly,”
replied Rider. “If his minions shut off our power supply, he’ll be here within
two hours. And please pass me the overhead speaker microphone.”
Ace reached
down and pulled out a headset. Rider placed it over his head and flicked it on.
“Attention
everyone!” he bellowed. The lobby came to complete silence as everyone turned
to face him. “We are officially in lockdown. Please do not panic. Follow my
directions and we will all be safe. We’ve had these drills before, however
today is not a test. Everyone please line up with those who reside on your
floor.”
Angels
began flying across the room to stand in groups according to the floor they
lived on. I scanned the crowd trying to spot my mother. Amongst the loud
talking and quick movements, it was hard to make out exactly who was coming or
going.
“Floors one
through thirty, please exit through the emergency tunnels.”
Ace pressed
a button on the screen and all of the elevators whisked up and stopped at the
ceiling. The floor directly below them opened up into seven holes. Each group
of angels then began diving down into the shafts. I found my mother and waved
her over to the welcome desk.
“Finally,
floors thirty through fifty, please exit through the emergency tunnels.”
The
remaining groups of angels dove through the shafts. Alex came over with Glinda,
Sacra, and Div. The remaining angels from the defense department ran and flew back
into the defense room. Suddenly, one hundred angels mysteriously appeared surrounding
us, dressed in dark green uniforms. All were enormous; over seven feet tall and
muscular. Their wings were larger than any I had seen until that point. All of
them possessed swords, and shields were resting on their backs.
“Soldiers,
welcome. General Matthews, please debrief.”
An angel
with expansive gray wings and an extensively decorated uniform stepped toward
the desk. He was larger than all of the others.
“Four
demons were caught tampering with our power supply in the grotto. They were
questioned and exterminated.” He spoke with a deep gravelly voice that gave me
chills.
“What
information did the demons provide?” asked Rider.
“Sato’s
robotic army is complete and ready to launch. They are scheduled to begin the
destruction of cities in two days at 18:00. A select group of special demon
operatives from his military are tasked with breaching the ARC at the same time
with specific orders to kill all, except Soleil Arch.”
“Alright.
Establish an airborne perimeter. We will blast the grotto, blocking off all
access points. Everyone in the emergency tunnels is to be escorted to our
bunker location. Authorize the launch codes from the ATS room. Our Los Angeles
affiliates can begin preparing their transport center in the event of an
evacuation. They can also offer defense support as needed.”
The general
nodded and turned back to his army. His aura brightened radiantly and they all
nodded. It seemed as though his aura was communicating with them. Then they all
disappeared.
“How’d they
do that?” I asked.
“You’ll
learn in a moment. I’m afraid that there’s a lot I may have to teach you on the
fly,” acknowledged Rider. “Glinda, Sacra, please escort Ruth through the
emergency tunnels. Alex and Luke, you both will flank me as I head to the
grotto to activate the demolition switches. Somehow, our defense system was
compromised. Sol, please head with Div to the Combat room. She will give you a quick
battle and weaponry overview.”
Rider ran
toward the main door of the lobby, followed by Luke and Alex. Sacra and Glinda both
gave me a quick hug and then flew down the tunnel shaft. I turned toward Div
who had already unsheathed her sword.
“Time to
get busy,” she smirked.
The
entire ARC was jarringly quiet. Except for the sound of the generator running,
no one was seen roaming building. It had been an hour since Rider left with
Alex and Luke to demolish the grotto. Ace watched them on a security feed as
they ran throughout the grotto. We watched them check and install dynamite
throughout the tunnels. I had attempted some small talk with Luke, yet he
brushed me off and walked away. Eventually, Div and I made our way into the
combat room. Within a few minutes, I found myself standing in the center of the
room in a defensive stance while Div explained defensive hand-to-hand fight
strategies.
“When
defending yourself, forget to think.”
“What?”
I asked, perplexed.
“Forget
to think. The more you think, the less receptive you’ll be to reacting
quickly.”
As I
pondered what she said, she smacked me across the head with her rubber bat.
“You
see?!” she exclaimed.
Rubbing
my head, I nodded.
Why was she always right?
This
time, my senses kicked in just as she raised the bat to strike my face. My
wings instinctively flapped a strong downbeat to propel me up and over her
head. I landed behind her and reached out to grab the bat from behind. She
swiftly spun around, whacking my arm.
“Ow ow ow,”
I said, holding my left arm, wincing.
“You took
too much time to think about snatching my bat!” she yelled.
“Ok ok,” I
replied.
“Again!”
She faced me, legs apart and unmoving. I stood tall and took a deep breath.
Like before, I saw she was about to jab the bat at my torso. Again, my wings
propelled me up and over her head. As soon as I landed, I bent and slid under
her legs, ending in a defensive crouch.
“Better,”
she smiled. “Let your instincts guide you. They are always right. While these
techniques are imperative foundational skills, you will need a weapon
considering what we’re facing. Weapons allow for increased speed and accuracy. Low-ranked
angels can die via battle. Higher-ranked angels can also die, however it takes
a lot more than battle to kill them. However, all levels of demons are
susceptible to every form of death. For that reason, you’ll notice the plethora
of weapons we have lining the walls.”
After my
first encounter in the combat room, I hadn’t been back since. Now, however, I
took time to look around and assess the various swords, knives, and daggers
that hung everywhere.
“We all
have a preference,” continued Div. “Like Rider, Sacra loves a clean sword, yet
Glinda is quite skilled with knives. I enjoy using swords, yet my favorites are
sais. Sacra and I spent several decades in Japan studying the use of ancient weapons
and I fell in love.” She walked over to a display of weapons. The sais had one
long metal point in the middle, flanked by two smaller prongs. It resembled a
miniature pitchfork. She grabbed two and began spinning them in her hands. She
continued fighting the air with them, making her way towards the center of the
room as she wielded them. My wings fluttered as I watched her, fascinated and
eager. She then threw both sais across the room, landing in the eye sockets of
one of the rubber sparring demons.
“Were you
in Japan when you took that picture on the boat?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yes,” she
said. “I believe Sacra’s sword from her training there is in your room.” Div
yanked the sais from the dummy’s eyes and continued flipping them in her hands.
“I want to
learn how to use those,” I said.
“Are
you sure? These are not easy to work with.”
“I’m
definitely sure,” I replied with certainty.
“Grab
a pair off of the display.”
I
ran and grabbed an ornately decorated gold pair, my wings flapping excitedly against
my back. I then joined her in the middle of the room.
“Remember,
we only have two days of training. If this doesn’t work, just grab a sword and
I can teach you the basics easily.”
“It
can’t be that difficult.” I took the handles and began twirling them in my
hands. Soon my eyes closed and I began moving around the room, wielding the
sais as if I was fighting an invisible opponent. It felt like second-nature. I
stopped and opened my eyes. Div stood to the side watching me cautiously.
“How
did you do that? I thought you’ve never used them before.”
“I
haven’t. It just came over me. That’s been happening a lot since I arrived
here. My body just knows what to do,” I shrugged.
“Your
great-grandfather was like that with everything he touched.” She looked down
momentarily. Div then met me in the center of the room. “Begin!” she commanded.
Intuitively,
I blocked one of her jabs and we both began dueling. We worked our way
throughout the entire room, not once stopping. Slice after slice, jab after
jab, I avoided her blows as she followed me around. She attempted to catch my
neck, when I bent forward and nicked her shin. She took a step back and looked
at her leg, a slice in the pant leg of her catsuit.
“Oh no I’m
so sorry Div!” I ran forward to make sure I hadn’t injured her.
She looked
up and began to laugh. “I think that’s the first time in my very long life that
anyone has come close to drawing blood from me.” She continued laughing. Not
knowing what else to do, I began to laugh with her. Soon we were both laughing
so hard, tears streamed down our faces. Our wings bounced up and down while we
giggled. As we settled, she walked closer and placed her hand on my shoulder.
“I know I
haven’t been easy on you,” she began. “But it’s because I expect a lot from
you. Your great-grandfather is legendary. I wrongly assumed that you would be
too weak and frail to handle what lies ahead. But I know I was wrong. I
apologize.”
“Apology
accepted.”
“Let’s see
what you’re like with a sword.” She made her way toward one of the many sword
racks when we heard a loud explosion, and the floor shook violently.
“What was
that?” I asked, panicking.
“I think
Rider must have detonated the dynamite within the grotto. Come.”
We ran out
of the room and straight into the lobby. We heard a second explosion and again
the entire building shook. The chandeliers above us swayed dangerously. Ace
looked up at them worriedly from the welcome desk. Div pulled me into the
defense department and we watched on the security feed as Rider, Luke and Alex
ran down one of the grotto’s tunnels, smoke chasing them. They ran out onto the
beach just when it looked like the smoke would overpower them. All of the other
tunnel entrances were blocked with boulders that had collapsed in the blast.
The only tunnel remaining was the one leading into the ARC. The three of them
ran down it and stopped outside the ARC’s main door. Rider mouthed the password
and the door began to open. Div and I left the room and met them in the lobby.
“Quick! We
need to blast this tunnel now,” said Rider, running to the welcome desk. Alex
and Luke ran with him. He typed several codes into the hologram screen while
Div closed the main ARC door. We heard the dynamite go off down the tunnel, its
sound approaching the door. One of the massive chandeliers came crashing down,
sending glass flying around us. Alex pulled me in and opened his wings to block
the shards from hitting us. Smoke and dust began pouring in just as the door
shut. All of us took a second to look around.
“Is
everyone alright?” asked Rider.
“Yes,”
we all replied.
“Alright.
Alex, please escort Luke through the emergency tunnels. Luke, you will be in
charge of watching over Ruth.”
“I
can find my own way,” said Luke, who began walking off.
“Alex,
please go with him. If you see Sacra and Glinda, have them come back with
Celeste.” Alex nodded and chased after Luke into the tunnels.
“Who’s
Celeste?” I whispered to Div.
“She’s
an angel. All purple. I believe she was at your unsheathing party.”
“Oh
I think I remember her.”
“Sol,
we have an exit from the emergency bunkers, but no one will be permitted to
access it until we have secured this end of the ARC,” said Rider. “The only
other passageway down there leads to the ATS room. In the event that our
emergency exit is compromised, we must begin transporting everyone. Los Angeles
knows what we’re facing here and have begun preparations in the event we need
to head there. I have only one request of you moving forward.”
“Yes?”
“Worry
about yourself. Protect yourself. You are the most valuable being here and Sato
will stop at nothing to capture you. I don’t care what may be happening to me
or anyone else, your survival is our priority. That being said, I must implore
you to turn a blind eye if you see any one of us in distress. Coming to our aid
could be the very worst decision as it could jeopardize your safety.”
“Are you
asking me to leave you behind if something happens?”
“Yes,” he
said intently. “Every moment you are exposed to danger is a moment too valuable
to waste.”
“He’s
right, Sol,” said Div, nodding. “Your great-grandfather died trying to save us
all. And he did save us, but at great cost.”
“So what do
you want me to do for the next day and a half? Just sit here and think about
all of the ways you could be dying while I yawn and brush my hair?”
“No. While
we’ve done everything we can to secure the ARC, the fact is it has been
compromised. I have a feeling this fight will only be the first of many, and we
will need you highly skilled. Continue training with Div and just be as
prepared as possible.”
Alex
returned with Glinda and Sacra. An angel followed them closely behind, skin and
hair violet with matching wings.
“Luke is
with Ruth in cabin eleven,” said Alex. “What can we do to help?”
“I will
need Ace and Celeste in the defense department with the angel agents. Alex, you
will work with Glinda in maintaining order in the bunker. Sacra, you will stay
here in the lobby. And Div, you must begin showing Sol how to access some of
her special abilities. I will head to the ATS. I fear we may need to evacuate
some of the populace to Los Angeles.”
“Celeste
and I will monitor our hidden bunker exit,” said Ace. “We will sound the ATS
evacuation alarm if needed.”
“Perfect.
Let’s move.”
Everyone
began running off to their designated locations. Alex came over to check if I
was alright. He gave me a quick kiss, and then disappeared down the tunnels
with Glinda, who wiggled her eyebrows at me. Div recommended that we stay in
the lobby for training.
“You
already know how to open doors. There are really only a few special abilities
we have. They include telekinesis, flight, wing regeneration, invisibility, and
teleportation. Our purpose as angels is to guard and protect humankind. So in
putting all of our gifts to use, we are capable of either saving the world or
destroying it. Hence, you must learn to control your powers and use them
precisely.”
“What
are we going to do first?” I asked.
Div
then disappeared. I looked around unable to spot her.
“Up
here.”
I
looked up and saw her standing on one of the tiers of a chandelier. She
outstretched her wings and drifted down, landing in front of me.
“I’m
going to show you how to teleport. Remember the second rule I taught you?
Sometimes in order to see, you must remain unseen.”
I nodded,
recalling that disastrous training. “Wait. What was the first rule?”
Div rolled
her eyes. “Always be prepared to meet your worst nightmare.”
I nodded,
wincing as I remembered.
“Teleporting
is actually quite simple. Close your eyes.”
I did as she
said and took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
“Imagine
yourself sitting in a small, dark cupboard. Now see the walls slowly coming in
on you. Fold your body into yourself as tightly as possible. Now picture a spot
within the lobby we’re standing in. Once you have a clear image of that spot,
imagine yourself exploding open into it, knocking down the tight walls of the
closet.”
I followed
her instructions, creating very clear and specific mental images. I envisioned
the welcome desk. I then imagined my arms exploding outward, catapulting the
walls of the tiny closet outward. The walls shattered into millions of pieces.
“Now open
your eyes.”