Redemption (Stand-Alone, Spin-Off to Reaper Series), page 26
“Then why did he kill himself?” Javan demanded. “He was just a boy.”
“Now, don’t you go pretending you value the lives of children,” Belial laughed. “You forget, I know what you’ve done in the past. The one you called Boulder… Didn’t he have a son?”
Javan’s hand suddenly shook as he remembered the innocent-faced child who watched without understanding as Javan had murdered his father. Then Javan remembered the boy’s fear when Javan turned to him.
“I guess young Nicholas couldn’t handle having killed that man,” Belial grinned. “Such a heavy burden for a child to bear.”
“I thought you said you would make him forget,” Javan frowned.
Belial simply shrugged and, with his grin widening, said, “Oops.”
“Dammit, Belial,” Javan sighed. “Have you no respect for life?”
Belial shrugged and sniggered as he said, “Not really. No.”
Javan exhaled abruptly in annoyance, but said nothing about Belial’s indifference. “I’d hoped to reveal Nicholas to the media when they arrived. I suppose I’ll just have to improvise. Make sure no one hears about this. I need the world to trust me and the serum. They won’t accept it if they think immortality might drive them to suicide.”
“You know, we don’t have to let humanity accept the serum,” Belial said thoughtfully. “Once my Demons are ready, they can spread immortality like a pandemic. They can absorb the serum and spread it across the globe. An airborne assault on the world, infecting everyone they touch with immortality.”
“I will not have this thrust upon them,” Javan said firmly. “We have discussed this before. They must want it. Otherwise, what’s the point?”
“The point is changing the world!” Belial grinned, grabbing Javan’s arms and shaking him emphatically. “Both our worlds! Humans and Demons, both reborn!”
“And what about humanity when you return to your world?” Javan asked. “Once you’re gone from this universe, they’ll no longer be part of your own mind. They’ll be free to think for themselves again. And what will they think? Will they think they’re fortunate to have ascended to immortality while so many others died? Or will they think of me as a tyrant who forced immortality upon them and allowed their minds to be enslaved? You think solely of your goals. I also think of the aftermath. You’ve done me a great many favors in my life, Belial, for which I am extremely grateful. We have played a long game, you and I. But now that it is drawing to an end, I beg you to think of more than just your revenge.”
Belial simply grinned at Javan, showing far too many teeth for his smile to be considered amused or even remotely friendly. His eyes glinted with malice and, when he spoke, it was barely more than a deadly whisper.
“Oh, I do,” Belial said. “Trust me. I’ve got a lot of plans for the future. Big plans.”
Javan looked curious, but before he could ask Belial anything about his plans, Belial looked down at his watch and then, returning his gaze to Javan, began tapping the watch’s glass face.
“The reporter should be here in a couple of hours,” Belial leered. “Don’t you have something you need to do before they arrive?”
Javan pursed his lips and nodded. “Yes. We can’t take any risks with the media here. Our patients have served their purpose. Begin the purge.”
Belial’s grin seemed positively gleeful as he took out his cell phone and dialed a number. When someone answered, Belial spoke with barely contained excitement, sounding almost giddy with anticipation.
“This is Isaiah,” Belial said. “Mr Javan says it’s time. Start leading patients and non-essential staff down to the incinerators. We don’t need them anymore.”
*****
Eve wandered the streets of Toronto for she-didn’t-know-how-long. She moved slowly, still limping from her sprained ankle after diving from the moving car. The scratches and cuts on her elbows stung like fire-ants biting her flesh over and over again, while the wound on her forehead throbbed relentlessly. She had wiped away most of the blood, but streaks of it had dried against her skin. Eve could feel people staring at her as she limped by, but she didn’t look up at any of them. She couldn’t. She kept her head down as she walked without a destination, too ashamed to look at anyone.
She had failed. She had failed Lexi and Mitra. She had failed herself. And, worst of all, she had failed humanity. How could she stop Javan and Belial when they were so much stronger than she? How could she even lift a finger in defense against either one of them? Eve thought back to the garage where Belial had chased her, thinking about how she had simply hidden in fear, cowering beneath the SUV like a frightened puppy. The thought made her stomach twist into knots and she felt like she could almost vomit from the shame that sat so heavily within her. Belial had overpowered her so easily. She had been completely helpless against him. If he had decided to kill her, she would be dead, no doubt about it. If he had decided to do as Javan had asked and take Eve back to live out her life as a prisoner in Javan’s immortal world, then that’s what would have happened.
Face it, Eve thought bitterly. You’re useless. As a mortal, you’re no good to anyone. You only make things worse. You made things bad when you were an Angel, but now you’re just a total screwup. Good work, Eve.
Eve finally glanced up from her dragging feet and saw that she was standing outside of a bar. It was a dank little place, on a quiet street, removed from the otherwise bustling city. As Eve passed by the window, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the glass. Her first thought was that she looked awful. The combination of scratches all over her arms and the dried blood on her forehead made her look like she had just lost a fight with a honey badger.
With no other plan of what to do next in mind, Eve resolved that maybe she could use the restroom inside the bar to clean up. She wished she still had her hat to hide her hair, but she quickly decided she didn’t care anymore. If people called the police, whatever.
Eve walked into the bar and looked around. Fortunately, the place was almost completely empty, what with it being the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. There were a couple of guys sitting at the bar, nursing their drinks, a few scatterings of people sitting at tables, and one booth in the corner was taken up by a group of loud women, one of which was wearing a bride’s veil. Seemingly, it was the beginning of a bachelorette party. No one paid Eve any attention as she walked in. No one aside from the bartender, who eyed Eve scrupulously as she stood in the doorway uncertainly.
Walking up to the bar, Eve said to the bartender, “Um, is it okay if I use your restroom?”
The bartender nodded and then gestured towards the back. “Sure. Just follow the signs that way.”
“Thank you.”
In the restroom, Eve did the best she could with paper towels and warm water to clean up her wounds, gritting her teeth and hissing in pain as every cut and scrape stung viciously when she dabbed away the blood. Finally, after some time, Eve studied herself in the mirror and declared herself to be slightly less of a mess and walked back out into the bar.
Eve was heading towards the exit when she suddenly wondered what the point was. Where the Hell did she think she was going, anyway? She suddenly felt extremely tired and all she wanted to do was sit down and pretend she knew nothing about the impending end of the world. Sighing heavily, Eve turned around and sat on a stool at the end of the bar, glancing up towards the bachelorette party once when they all laughed loudly, waving drinks around in their hands.
“You all right?” someone asked.
Eve looked up to see the bartender standing in front of her. He looked to be relatively young, maybe in his early thirties, and wore a pair of wire-rimmed glasses. His expression was blank, but his tone was both concerned and suspicious.
“You looked pretty banged up when you came in,” the bartender said. “Did someone hurt you?”
Eve attempted to smile, but only one corner of her mouth lifted as she hunched over the bar. “No more than I hurt myself.”
The bartender frowned, but nodded, not pressing the issue any further.
“Do you need to call someone?” he asked. “You can use my phone. I can get you a cab if you need one.”
Eve shook her head. “No, that’s okay, thank you. I don’t… I don’t have anywhere to go.”
The bachelorette party shrieked in laughter once more, which was apparently all one patron could take. He downed the last of his beer and quickly rose to his feet, giving the women a dirty look as he exited the bar, donning his coat in aggravation.
“They look like they’re having fun,” Eve pointed out, nodding towards the party.
The bartender glanced over his shoulder at them. “They better be. They’ve driven out two customers already.”
“Could I get a drink?” Eve suddenly blurted out.
“What do you want, water? Soda?”
“Can I have what they’re having?” Eve asked, pointing at the brightly colored drinks the women were clearly enjoying.
The bartender frowned again. “How old are you?”
Eve stared at the bartender with a blank expression for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Why?”
“I can’t serve you alcohol if you’re underage. You look a bit young to me.”
Eve struggled to hold back her laughter, giggling almost crazily as she sat on her stool.
“Do I?” Eve laughed. “I’m too young to drink alcohol? I’m too young?”
“Look, if you’ve got ID-”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Eve laughed, waving her hands in a gesture to stop. “I’m sorry. But this is the first time in my life that I’m actually in a position to properly drink alcohol and… I’m too young? I just find that funny.”
“Why?” the bartender asked, clearly confused.
“Because,” Eve began, as though it was obvious, “I’m pretty sure I’m actually older than you.”
The bartender looked as though he was getting annoyed. “Are you kidding? You barely look eighteen, if that. Now, if you’ve got ID and can prove that you’re legally able to drink, then I can serve you. It’s that simple.”
“Thing is…” Eve said, still amused. “I don’t have ID.”
The bartender sighed. “Then I can’t help you.”
“I’ve got it, sis,” came a sudden voice beside Eve.
Eve and the bartender both looked to the stool beside Eve where a handsome young man with messy black hair had suddenly appeared. Neither one of them had noticed him sit down, but he looked perfectly comfortable on the stool, wearing a blue sweater and a pair of faded black jeans, his coat folded neatly on the bar beside him. The bachelorette party on the far side of the room had quietened some as they all keenly eyed the new, and rather attractive, face in the room, whispering among themselves.
“Gabriel!” Eve cried in shock and delight.
“Where’d you come from?” the bartender asked in confusion.
“Don’t worry about it,” Gabriel grinned politely. “I’m her brother, I’ve got her ID right here. She always leaves it at home.”
Gabriel then picked up a coaster from the bar and held it up to show the bartender. The bartender looked at it and his eyebrows pressed together tightly in confusion and annoyance, but then his face suddenly relaxed as he stared at the coaster and he began to nod.
“Alright,” he said, still nodding, as though he wasn’t just looking at a coaster. “You’re good to have a drink, but you’re sure as Hell not older than me. Anything for you, buddy?”
Smirking, Gabriel set the coaster back down on the bar and said, “I think I’ll have a whiskey, thanks. With ice.”
“I’ll just have whatever they’re having,” Eve said, pointing at the bachelorette party.
The bartender nodded once more and walked away to prepare their drinks. Eve half-turned on her stool to look at her brother.
“What the Hell are you doing here?” she hissed. “Isn’t this interfering?”
“My oath says I can’t help you, but there’s no rule against me talking to you,” Gabriel replied quietly. “Father lost sight of you for a while, which could have only meant Belial was near you. I was worried. So when you reappeared, I thought I’d check on you. Are you okay?”
Eve turned away to hunch over the bar again, suddenly too ashamed to look Gabriel in the eyes. “I’ve been better.”
Gabriel leaned closer, concerned. “Talk to me.”
Eve sighed. “Why? It’s not like you can do anything. You’d be interfering, which, of course, Angels can’t do without upsetting the balance and all that crap. All that matters is that I screwed up. I’m nothing but one big screw up. I gave Javan intelligence and self-awareness, which got people killed. I trusted Javan again, which also got people killed, and lost me my wings. I let a friend try and help stop Javan, but it just got her and her father killed. All I can do is get people killed. I should just do what Belial said and… disappear.”
Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Eve. “You’re kidding, right?”
Eve looked sideways at him, having not expected him to respond so curtly. “What?”
Sighing, Gabriel said, “Eve… True, you’ve done a lot of stupid things. Who hasn’t? It’s not because you were stupid. It’s just people took advantage of your trust. It happens to everyone. Remember when I was in training and I let that other recruit know that I was sneaking out at night to the female dormitory?”
Eve laughed softly. “Yeah. He told Michael all about it, just to make you look bad.”
“That’s right,” Gabriel nodded. “By making me look bad, he made himself look better. And Michael came down on me hard about that.”
A distant look came into Gabriel’s eyes as he looked across the bar. Eve could tell he was thinking of the late Archangel, Michael. His mentor and Commander. Even though they had butted heads a lot in the past, they had been close. Michael had personally trained Gabriel, which was probably why there had never been any question about who would replace Michael as Commander of Heaven’s Armies after he had been killed.
“But anyway,” Gabriel said, bringing himself back to the present. “None of this is your fault. Place the blame where it is due. With Javan and Belial. They killed all those people. They took your wings. No one blames you.”
Eve snorted. “Please. You know that’s a lie. There are loads of Angels who blame me for everything that’s wrong on Earth. Sa’Atana, remember?”
Gabriel frowned as he recalled the title many Angels had bestowed upon Eve when she had made Javan and many other humans sentient. A name that had somehow translated into the human world many centuries later, giving Eve another name that she did not deserve. Before Gabriel could say anything, though, the bartender returned with their drinks.
“Thank you,” Eve said as she took her drink. “How much?”
“Thirteen dollars for yours,” the bartender began, “but nothing for the whiskey. Courtesy of the ladies in the booth.”
Gabriel picked up his glass and looked over at the bachelorette party, who were all staring in his direction. When he looked over at them, smiling, some broke down into fits of giggles and the one seated beside the apparent bride-to-be turned a bright shade of red and gave Gabriel a small wave. Gabriel lifted his glass towards them and inclined his head, silently saying thank you. Then he turned back to the bartender and handed over a twenty dollar bill.
“Keep the change.”
“Well, thank you very much, sir,” the bartender grinned as he took the money and walked away.
“Hey, I could have paid for my own drink, you know,” Eve said. “I’ve got some money.”
“I know,” Gabriel nodded, grinning mischievously. “I took that from your pocket. So, technically, you did pay. It’s not like I carry much cash.”
Eve rolled her eyes. “Figures.”
“Okay,” Gabriel said, suddenly serious again. “So what’s your next move? What’s your plan?”
“Plan?” Eve scoffed. “What plan? I can’t do anything! Belial had me cornered today. I’m only still alive because he let me go. Didn’t want me distracting Javan anymore. But… I’m confused. Why didn’t he just kill me? He had me. I was completely helpless against him, Gabriel. I mean, there was nothing I could do to stop him. Nothing. I’m… I’m useless. I can’t stop Javan, I was stupid for thinking I could. And if I try anything again, Belial said he would kill me. Maybe I deserve it.”
“Stop that,” Gabriel snapped. “You are not useless. You’re the best chance anyone has of stopping Javan and Belial. Seriously.”
“Why?” Eve asked insistently. “Why me? I’m just mortal, now. I don’t have any powers, I can’t heal, I can’t fight Javan because he’s too strong, and I can’t fight Belial because he’s a freaking Demon! Can’t you do something? Can’t you get Heaven’s Armies together and stop him? His involvement has to be interfering with humanity! Doesn’t that give cause for Angels to step in?”
Gabriel sighed. “I asked Father the same thing. It seems that Belial is hiding behind Javan’s decisions. Belial hasn’t hurt anyone without Javan telling him to. If he did, then the power that prevents Father from seeing him would fail. Naturally, Father still couldn’t destroy him without destroying the planet, but Father has suggested there might be a way to banish Belial from this universe. If Belial hurts any human, he would be exposed and vulnerable to Father’s will, but he’s too clever for that. So he lets Javan make all the decisions and hides in plain sight. We can’t touch him unless he strikes at a human without a human telling him to.”
Eve thought for a moment, remembering the words Belial had said to her when he had her cornered in the parking garage.
“So that’s what he meant.” When Gabriel looked at her questioningly, Eve explained. “Belial told me that he wasn’t going to kill me because had ‘rules.’ I guess that’s what he was talking about. But…”
Eve’s brow furrowed as she remembered what else Belial had said.
“Gabriel,” she began, turning in her seat to face her brother. “Belial also said he wouldn’t have to follow the rules for long. He said he’s planning on launching an invasion on Heaven. He can’t do that, can he?”
