+1+
I managed to roll out of bed at 4am and got dressed for a quick run and workout. Mrs. Salvatore was up and bustling around in the communal kitchen when I got back. I steal into my apartment as fast as I can because I knew she’d been asking question about Aria showing up last night
I showered and poured an entire bottle of dye onto my hair and buzzed it neat. I almost got out my uniform when I remembered today was the Liberation Day Parade. I cursed and pulled on a standard Burgundy 001 t-shirt and camoflauge pants. It was tight fight, I’d gained some muscle since the last time I’d dressed to do boot camp. I also pulled my dog tags out over my shirt because the PR office would like that.
Out in the hall Mrs. Salvatore had left a box of Italian cookies by my door.
“Uh, thanks”, I called into the kitchen.
“Look at you”, she said leaning against the door, “You look like a real hero, Captain Argos.”
“You ready for the parade?” I said trying for small talk. I’d been practicing.
“Haven’t missed one in three years”, she said with a wink, “I’m inviting some people to come watch from my terrace.”
This was probably the part where I was supposed to ask her about her time under the Helion Regime. I knew she’d lived through it. She was a nice lady in her late 60s. She had a married name but never mentioned a husband. She knew how to cook for a crowd but she lived alone. I didn’t want to know her sad story, I couldn’t handle it.
“You mind if I give these to a friend?” I asked holding the tin of cookies.
“If it’s the queen you certainly can.”
I take it she hadn’t been blind to the tall brunette who spent so much time at my place.
The city was crowded as fuck today, people came from all over North America and the world to attend the Liberation Day parade. Every NADF police officer, guardsman and NADF and reserves member were on alert for the first ever Liberation Day Parade post Paris’ assassination. This would mark the fourth anniversary of New Aeterna freedom and Paris’ first parade as King.
I’d try to be put on security detail, but as a commissioned officer I got stuck leading the cadets in a drill across the parade route. They said I had a good face and body to represent the military. We were going to do a quick boot camp drill. Nothing fancy, just a way to lobby a good image. Basically the PR office picked the best looking young cadets and wanted to make them look as badass as possible, to persuade more people to join.
A cab driver saw me walking to the parade in my fatigues and gave me a free ride downtown to the meet up location. The place was a small boutique on 14th street that had been closed for the day. I pushed my way into the boutique and saw Vassey in her dress uniform playing a game on her phone. She had on a pair of black heels that were making her feet turn red.
A woman from the PR office was berating someone on the phone and Seraphina was standing in front of one of the oversized boutiques mirror. A hairstylist standing on a stool pulled a final roller out of her hair and sprayed the bouncy curl it in place. She was wearing her usual to-pretty-for-regulation uniform but today had on a velvety dark red sash secured with a large shiny New Aeterna medallion.
“You good?” I asked her reflection.
“No”
“You sleep?”
“No. I can’t even fit on that ugly couch”
I wanted to say something, but it was none of my business if she didn’t want to share a bed with her husband anymore. It was probably none of my business if she didn’t want to share a life with him anymore.
It had taken a lot of arm twisting to convince Sera to be on the military float, she’d agreed as long as she didn’t have to wave or smile. Paris had been regulated to the headlining float, his was an elaborate sparkling Snow Apple grotto float designed by Imagineers or something.
The parade had already started and I caught glimpses on the TV in the corner of the boutique. Paris is in one of his imperial suits, with a complicated looking cloak and red sash. He waved and smiled like he hadn’t almost jumped off a bridge last night. Bastard even hopped off the float to shake hands, he even hugged a few people who were crying.
No
He embraced them. Shaking his head as they told him some horror story of life under the Helion Regime. Seraphina watched all of this very carefully before turning back to the mirror and adjusting her uniform skirt.
We followed the PR woman to the stately looking NADF float, some dancers from the INNA USO were on the float to make it look more cheery. I had to help Vassey onto the float, she was weighed down by her Bronze Heart medal and those damn high heels, and she nearly kicked me in the face with them.
“The fuck.” I said.
“Sorry, Captain. I can’t walk in these stupid shoes.”
“Then why are you wearing them?”
“I think they look good on her”, Seraphina said pulling herself up onto the float pushing a stray hair from Vassey’s face, “Don’t you.”
“Yes, ma’am”, Vassey said and I realized Sera was probably intimidating Vassey to keep her quiet. Vassey wasn’t one of us.
A PR woman lead me to the small group of cadets I’d be with leading along the route, they looked so young. Like fucking toddlers to me. We started a slow jog in unison. It was biting cold out but the music was loud and the mood was. . .joyous. I’d never been to the Liberation Day Parade before and there was a sea of smiling spectators. Felt kind of good
Red and white flags waived in every direction. I did my job and ran the cadets through a few simple drills. Then I let the cadets break at one point to hand out the plastic dog tags to the kids along the route. Good old fashion propaganda. Even though I had to laugh when a few middle aged ladies whistled at me.
A group of female cadets were cooing over a child who’d toddled a bit outside the barrier. When one of the cadets slipped the plastic dog tags over the young girls head I realized the kid was my baby girl. I broke from the parade and signaled for Vassey to take over leading the cadets down the parade route.
“I got her”, I said to the cadets and picked up Athena. She giggled when I picked her up, her blonde pig tails blowing in the wind. She had on a pink New Aeterna sweatshirt under a pink coat with pink pants and sneakers.
“Where’s Mama?” I asked.
She just giggled and waived to another float going by
I had to push aside a barrier to make it to the sidewalk and scanned for Aria. I saw a bright pink stroller near the mouth of an alley
“Shit”
I jogged over and peered in the stroller, Helena was wrapped up tight and sleeping inside. I sort of put my hand over her nose to make sure she was breathing. She was and she looked fine. I felt this huge weight on me all of a sudden and a little panicky. A feeling that was lifted by the sound of vomiting.
I peered into the alley and saw Aria on her knees holding her own hair back and throwing up on the ground. She coughed loudly and threw up again. She stood up and swirled some water around her mouth. Her eyes were blotchy and puffy.
“Oh my God”, Aria said when she saw me, “Did Athena wander? I just felt really nauseous and ran out of bags. It’s really bad this time I hope it’s not multiples—“
I almost died on the spot, then I had to use words again.
“It’s good. She’s okay”, I said, “You . . .good?”
“Yeah, chewing on ginger usually helps.”
She had on a dark red very patriotic dark red sweater dress, the fabric was thin and clung to all her full curves from top to bottom.
“Okay, sweetie pies let’s get back to the parade”, she announced taking Athena from me, “Mommy’s all better . . . for now.”
“I need to—“, I vaguely pointed back to where the cadets were.
“Go”, she finished pulling out a flag from her bag and giving it to Athena to waive, “Come on Athena, We’ll wave Daddy on.”
“What?” I said before I could turn around
“Daddy. Leon, that’s you . . . remember”, Aria said with a smile on her face. I must have looked like a deer in the fucking headlights.
“. . . That’s me.”
Aria and girls got caught back up in watching the parade, Athena waived and giggled at the passing soccer team doing tricks.
I jogged to catch up with the cadets, Vassey was struggling to keep the cadets in order. Vassey and a few other jumped when a victory cannon went off in the distance.
“The fuck”, Vassey said.
“Probably a celebratory cannon, get over it. And stop cursing around kids.”
“I—there are no cannons this year, Captain. The PR ladies were complaining about it this morning.”
The ground tremored beneath us again and another cannon went off.
“Then what the fuck was—“
Another quiet boom went off and this time the ground gave out beneath me. My vision started to shake and the world went upside down for five seconds. It was dead quiet before my eardrums sprang back to life. Debris was still settling but the world was so ugly now. I could smell a very distinct odor. One that sent good men and women in to dark pits of dark memories.
“It’s . . . an IED”, Vassey said.
+2+
The ground shook again and the pavement in front of us burst open like it was nothing. I heard roars of screams and throngs of people scattered, some cadets ran for cover but others knew their fucking place. A geyser of asphalt went up in front of me and a sewer lid slammed into a wall.
I had to fucking focus
“Get the civilians”, I shouted at the cadets, my hearing was all off, “Take civilians to secure locations. No one shoot. No one shoot.”
There were too many cameras and having video of bullets flying was a no go. Another explosion went off and a sewer lid just barely missed a civilian’s face.
The rear of the military float had been blown apart and the thing had toppled over. In the wake of all the dust and smoke figures wearing black full faced tactical balaclavas appeared. There were maybe 70 of them. They were sprinting through the rubble and had something in their hands.
Some guardsmen were helping Seraphina off the float and physically holding off some of the balaclava covered strangers coming for her. Some of the balaclava strangers dove into the frantic crowd of civilians grabbing random people.
“Get away from me”, Sera tried to push away from the guardsmen who were trying to lead her to safety
“Go with them, Sera. They have to get you to safety.” I order her as a smaller explosion goes off.
“Fuck off with that, I need to find Paris. It’s him they want”
“We don’t know what they want. Sorry you don’t get to fight this battle. You’re not a person today you’re a fucking national treasure, so go.”
“I need to find Pari-“
Another IED went off and the civilian screams made my blood boil. A sewer grate slammed into the ground just few feet from us.
“Operation Lock and Key”, I said to the guardsmen, “You know the drill. Go with them, Seraphina.
“But—“
“That’s a fucking order”
“I don’t—“
“Don’t make me knock you out, and have them drag your stubborn ass way. This ain’t about you and it sure as hell isn’t your job to protect Paris. Stop trying to protect him Sera. Follow these men and that’s a fucking order.”
She stared stunned at me for a second, then let the five guardsmen pull her away and down the street. I ordered some of the other cadets to help the USO dancers then I went to look for one of those balaclava motherfuckers.
I gripped my gun and dove into the running crowd looking for one of the masked men. One of them was going to give me a damn explanation for this. I pushed through the crowd of civilians, directing them the best I could to safe locations.
Finally I saw one of those masked bastards. That unlucky fucker had cornered the wrong Angel. Aria was trying to run but couldn’t maneuver around him, Athena was screaming and rubbing her eyes. The masked man pulled Aria to the ground and sat on top of her, he was pointing something at her forehead
“Vassey”, I yelled to the young corporal who was pointing some cadets to some elderly folks, “With me.”
She threw those shoes off and ran with me. I ran full speed toward the street and jumped the barricade. I dropped my gun, unclipped the knife from my belt, then I came up behind the guy sitting on Aria and rammed my knife into his back then threw him into the wall, he dropped what he’d been holding and I watched a can of GoldMagic! Spray paint roll down the street.
“Get up, you gotta walk, sweetheart”, I said to Aria but she was still crying
and holding her belly. The masked stranger had taken her down really hard.
“The girls”, she said trying to sit up.
“We got them”, I said pointing to where Vassey had Athena.
Aria took Baby Helena out of her stroller and held her close to her. I picked up Aria because we had to move. I ran down the street with as fast as I could with her in my arm. I dodged sewer lids and debris. I turned back every five seconds to make sure Vassey was following.
I took a left and ran toward the National New York Bank. One of the most secure building in New Aeterna. Five guardsmen were outside protecting the place and they looked armed and ready to kill. I pulled out one of the many badges so they would let us through.
Operation Lock and Key was as security strategy designed to protect the king and queen under a foreign invasion, something that was very high likely to happen given New Aeterna’s past. The plan called to secure them in the closest bank and create a secure perimeter out front. Former banks were highly secure and we were supposed to lock them (and any other major officials) inside the bank’s vault. Seraphina had refused to be locked in the vault.
Once we got into the bank Seraphina rushed over to Athena, The bank was full of civilians and parade performers who’d been caught up.Athena was still crying her eyes out and screaming for Aria, but Aria was crying and trying to calm down Helena. I couldn’t bring myself to put her down yet.
“What is on her face”, Sera asked.
Sera kneeled down and opened Athena’s hands, they were covered in gold paint. Those bastards had sprayed a toddler in the face with paint.
“It’s paint”
Then we both looked at Aria. The bastards had put a gold
spray painted circle on her face.
“It’s a –“
“Halo”, Sera finished.
+++
Sera walked Baby Helena around the perimeter of the bank, trying to lull her to sleep. I’d never seen Sera hold one of my girls before. For a moment I couldn’t figure out how she knew how to comfort Helena, until she walked past Arrow sitting on the floor with the other boys from Briar’s Boys School
I’d forgotten the school was in the parade. The boys were supposed to sing but they weren’t that great and it wasn’t a big secret that the performance was pre-recorded. No one cared as long as long as they looked like cute and harmless Angel Boys.
Arrow stared at Sera, carefully watching her show affection to my baby. Sera was so wrapped up in jingling her dog tags in front of Helena that she didn’t even notice that she almost stepped on Arrow’s hand.
I carried Aria to the restrooms so she could clean the spray paint of her and Athena’s face.
“L-Leon”, Aria’s voice shook.
“Yeah”
“You killed the person who marked me.”
“Yeah.”
“That looks bad. Angels can’t kill humans. You know how that makes us look.”
“I didn’t mean to, it just happened. I saw Athena crying---you don’t just take down a pregnant woman like that and get away with it. No one has to know. You can’t tell anyone Aria.”
“They marked us”, Aria said looking at the paint, “This is how it starts.”
“Trust me. I know”
+++
UNIFY OR DIE
The words sparkled on New Aeterna’s flags in tacky gold spray paint. Images of Angel children and women with “halos” painted on their foreheads filled the news feed. We watched all this from the small TV in the bank’s lobby.
Tourist who were more used to a voyeuristic culture had filmed the attacks, some video showed masked people pulling off their balaclavas and blending into the crowd. It was too chaotic to really see anything.
We’d been in lockdown for eight hours, everyone was tired and sitting on the floor except for Sera. She stood in front of the door with her hands behind her back, listening to the television in those shoes that had to be killing her feet.
It was actually a good look for her, it made the people locked in with us feel protected. Like this mysterious queen who hardly spoke or smiled was immovable. The occasional tourist would try to come up to her and I’d play interference.
Around 6 p.m. the guardsmen out front stood down and came inside with their weapons.
“Get back to your post”, I commanded, “We are still on—“
“Its fine Leon”, Paris Prince made his way in, he was with Isobel Charter and Callum. Paris wasn’t wearing his eye-bighting contacts and he favored his left side. Isobel had a thick bruise on her cheek.
“What’s it like out there”, I asked, “What the hell is going on?”
“Not here”, Paris said nodding to all the people around, “The attack is over, but the Joint Chiefs want to holding a recon briefing at the MI building in two hours. I don’t know what the hell is going on but I want some answers.”
Paris stepped around me and took both of his wife’s hands. She let him because there were so many people watching.
“Are you alright, love”, He asked.
“Get me the hell out of here”, she said pulling him out the door.
+3+
The palms of her hands pushed against my tight hard bicep through my t-shirt, her nails prickled my skin as she dragged her fingers up and down my arm, and I suddenly got the appeal of taking a woman on her back. My belt clinked every time my hips met hers, the sound reminding me of how fast this had happened.
I took the hand the was holding her dress up and slipped my belt off, then I pulled up on my knees for a deeper angle. With both hands I reached back pulled off my t- shirt and ripped off the bandages holding back my wings. They opened setting off a cool stream of air.I went to pull her dress up over her breast, wanting more and I became momentarily transfixed by the dark stretch marks across her soft belly.
“Leon”, she said turning my head away. I was slightly embarrassed and realized this was why I didn’t like doing it this way, sometimes women got weird about it. I lasted way to long and the ending was mediocre. I was still sort of hovered over her, but with my weight on my elbows. I kissed Aria. At first I kind of opened my mouth to much then I wasn’t sure what to with my bottom lip. Aria kind of froze . . . and I realized she was a worse kisser than me. Then she laughed at me.
“Sorry”, I said for some reason.
“I think we just need practice, Leon”, she said putting her hair up in a big thick ponytail
“Uh, okay. I mean…okay”, I tried not to sound embarrassed.
“When we were younger . . . we used to practice kissing all the time in secret”, Aria said, “ To be ready in case we found our true loves. We’d have like contest. It was silly . . . but Seraphina always won.”
Her dark blue gaze shifted slightly and I realized she wasn’t looking at me, but behind me. Her eyes taking in my splayed wings. She’d seen them once before when we first met, I just wasn’t in the habit of showing off. They weren’t white, most were an off white and a few were textured grey. A few rogue ones fluttered around the room, but they’d grow back. They always did if I took proper care.
Aria bought her fingertips around the back of my neck and kissed me again. She pressed short kisses to my lips, she had this curious smile on her face like she was amused by my slow reaction. I relaxed my jaw, opened my mouth and pulled her into a deeper kiss and she slipped her tongue in my mouth. We went really really slow picking up a nice pace.
She broke away long enough to pull her dress over her head.
“Is this what you wanted”, she asked. I swallowed and tried to answer but didn’t know what to say, I tried to nod but it felt weird.
Instead I kiss her again and take my pants all the way off. I carefully move my bulk between her open legs, pulling the sheets up to my waist, our bare cool bodies meeting skin to skin beneath. Underneath sheets she guides me into her again, wrapping her legs tight around me. I felt a flood of warm and wet where my chest was pressed up against hers. I pretended not to notice that happened and focused on kissing her mouth, matching the slow rhythm of my hips.
I’d never heard Aria moan like that before, her whole body arched humid and hot against me. Tt made me want to go faster but I didn’t. Her eyes were closed and I could hear the frustration in her voice and how she tried to move against me to get what she wanted. She was so damn warm and tight for me I didn’t know what was happening until she dug her teeth in my shoulder to stop from screaming.
I cursed more than I should have and got the satisfied
release I wanted, but I could remember why I’d wanted it so bad. Aria tightened her arms and legs around me, and
I flipped us around so she was straddling my lap. She had beautiful skin, her
body was thick, soft and forgiving compared to my thick bulky shape. I
“That was something”, I said
“I was fantasizing”
“About?”
“Oh, about being ravished in a water temple by a winged golden Greek god.”
I looked up at Aria as she shook her hair out of the ponytail.
“. . . That’s fucking hot.” I told her.
“You’re wings are beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful”, I said. Cause she was. And it came out so quick and I wanted to say it again, but I also wasn’t sure if I was allowed to.
“Stop it, Leon”, she said like she thought I was joking.
While Aria went to the bathroom, I turned up the silent news footage showing those golden words ‘Unify or Die’ sprayed on buildings and cars.
After it was declared safe I walked Aria and the girls home. Once we got further downtown the trains were running and people with rickshaws were helping out the best they could. It only took us two hours to get back to Brooklyn and the girls were clearly very sleepy after that adventure. The company that made the spray paint was already on the news saying they were pulling the product from shelves. As if that was the problem
“I can’t believe they marked us”, Aria said getting back into bed wearing pajamas and a soft looking bra I could see through her white t-shirt. “Like cattle. What if next time it isn’t paint?”
“There were so many of them. I knew people hated Angels but that many. “
“Leon, you live your life right next to Sera and Paris where no one dares speak ill of Angels. Out here people have opinions. They think we are all power hungry like Helios. Those masked people could have been anyone. This was why Anne always wanted us to stay secret.”
We keep watching the coverage in silence, until they keep showing the same images over and over again.
“You want to, uh, get married?” I asked during a commercial break.
“Are you proposing to me because I’m going to work at that brothel?”
“No. Just offering an alternative. We could get base housing at Ft. Chelsea Piers and you’d feel safer right? You could relax and take care of the girls, clean . . . I don’ know cook? I’d. .. give you money for school and take you places . . . I’d like to have a son. .. .I think. I mean if you . . . want to.”
She smiles at me, but it’s a pity smile. I got those all the time when I tried to ask a girl out. That smile hadn’t changed in over a century.
“Leon you were my hero today. So, I’m beyond tempted to say yes to anything you ask. But I can make way more money than you can make in a year. Not to mention free daycare, housing and support”
“What I did today, Aria. . . I should have been doing every fucking day. Protecting you and the girls.”
“Me, the girls, New Aeterna, Isobel, Seraphina, Paris, SGI, The NADF, your secrets, Heilo’s secrets, Sera’s secrets”, she listed, “Leon you can’t do it all and I know what comes first. There’s not enough room in there for me.”
She jabbed a finger into my heart, but she was taken aback by how hard the muscle was there, she pokes at the rest of my pectoral muscles, but the muscle is so hard there I can’t really feel it. The hell was I thinking? A dumb meathead like me even thinking about her wanting me.
She gets on her knees behind me and starts kissing my neck and wraps her hands around my
cock. I hate to say no, but it’s getting late. I get out of bed and put on my
fatigues and boots. I had to get to the Recon meeting with the Joint Chiefs.
"I can't stay, baby."
Aria sighs.
“Leon, I know it’s a point of pride for every Angel to have a son. So let’s give it five years. If in five years we’re both still single we can get together.”
“Forget it, I was being stupid,”
“Leon”
“Sorry, sweetheart. I—“
“Gotta go”, she finishes.
I give her one last look because I knew what five years could do. Once Aria got a taste of all those sophisticated political types she wouldn’t give me a second look.
+4+
The Military Intelligence (or MI) Building on Fort. Chelsea Piers is considered the most secure building in New Aeterna. It’s a 5 story circular building that houses The Independent Nation of New Aeterna’s most sensitive information and secrets. It made the Pentagon look like a fucking puzzle piece.
I have to past 4 rounds of intense security before I can enter. I have to put my shoes, my two 9mms along with my Swiss army knife, hunting knife and white gold throwing knife through the scanner. I’d had to take my shirt off and I also realized I’d left my belt at Aria’s.
When I make it to the lobby I see Kelly Vassey walking barefoot through a scanner, when she picked up the bin with her shoes and weapons she was juggling twice as much as she could carry.
“Corporal”, I said putting my shirt and shoes back on.
She shuffles over to me and drops the bin. The military jackets in it fall all over the floor.
“Shit”, she says and scrambles to pick up the medals that had fallen off. People are staring at her and I see some American officers getting really judgey.
“That better not be my jacket”, Seraphina snapped at Vassey. She’d just come through the scanner and like me had been forced to remove her everything except an undershirt and pants. Her nipple piercing smust have set the sensors off.
“Sorry”, Vassey said brushing off the jacket.
Sera motions for Vassey to move over so she can sit down next to me.
“Look Leon”, Sera whispers, “The Joint Chiefs are going to want to be diplomatic about this because they know the Unification Party is mostly Americans and they don’t want to piss off our allies. We need the military to authorize a door-to-door raid between 75th and 101st street. They will come across Ravi’s hideout which means we will come across Anne and LeCroix.”
“Ravi had to have done this, the explosives were his thing.”
“Well”, she said, “I don’t rank high enough to actually speak during the meeting. So I need you to do it for me.”
“Suggest a raid between 75th and 101st. I got it.”
“And make sure we get assigned 80th. I want to find them myself.”
“They aren’t go to let you in the field.”
“Fuck them”, she mouthed
“Where’s Paris?” I whispered.
“The hospital”, she said but she was clearly not invested, “He caught some glass in his leg. He’s fine. He should be here.” She stretched her neck a little bit and watched Vassey lace her shoes. She tapped her fingers against the seat, pretending not to notice all the personnel staring at her.
“I can’t believe glass got him when he had that dumbass cloak he was wearing.” I said.
“Stop trying to make me laugh”
“You want to hear something funny? I proposed to Aria and she really nicely turned me down.”
“Of course she did.”
“What do you mean of course she did?”
“ Aria loves you but we Angels live for a very long time. Marriages go on for a very long time and no woman wants to spend eternity with a nice heavy man sweating and breathing hard on top of her. Women don’t actually look forward to that.”
“Didn’t you tell he-who-must-not-be-named that there is more to marriage than sex?”
She stifled a laugh by pretending to cough. What?
“I’m just saying Leon having sex makes you happy and will get you another cute baby, learning to please a woman will get you a commited wife.”
“Trust me I do pretty good most of the time. Also this is such an inappropriate conversation to be having.” I say as she pulls on her jacket, “Especially from a woman who was desperate enough to come on to me in the back of a pick up.”
“I was drunk”, she said but I knew Kickback’s moonshine
wasn’t that strong, "And I'm not a woman."
Her eyes land on a TV above our heads. Without all the flounces and flourishes she looked like a real solider. Except for the impressive wig styled in a complicated chignon.
“This was supposed to be the happiest day of the year and those bastards ruined it.”
“Yeah”, I said putting my weapons back on, “And it’s far from over.”
+++
Solstice LeCroix
I’m not going out this way.
In an ironic twist I tie the oversized New Aeterna flag tighter over my waist and fight the wave of nausea that comes over me. Every time I think I’ve gotten used to the smell it only gets worse. Since it is finally dark I rip off the balaclava and take in a big whiff of the empty Dumpster I’d crawled into.
Fuck Ravi
Fuck Anne
Fuck them all.
Chairman Anne B Lynne didn’t fool anyone and I don’t think she was trying. Everyone who was anyone could tell she wasn’t human. Her eyes were too blue, her stature tall and she had a genuinely old soul, but no one ever felt the need to “out” her because she was on the human side.
Anne Lynne had met Giuliani at some fundraiser back when this New Aeterna and Paris Prince nonsense started. She was polite, she was beautiful and she was dripping in million dollar jewelry that slowly seemed to disappear as her bank account increased.
She helped with little things around the Unification Party offices like making phone calls and setting up donor dinners. Little things to keep her out of the spotlight but thick in the machine.
Everyone involved in the Unification Party was doing this for American values. For Anne this was . . . about something else. What it was no one ever knew.
Giuliani’s death hit us all hard, or so I thought. I mean he was barley dead 2 days before Anne Lynne moved into his office. The board had mostly given up on “the cause” after his death and started pulling funding and cutting staff.
Instead of heading back to the New Orleans I stayed in D.C and got a job at the Department of Justice. I kept in touch with the Unification Party the best I could, but Anne Lynne was no Giuliani.
I tried to tell her about how suspicious Giuliani’s death was, but she wouldn’t listen. And when I told her I was going to New Aeterna to investigate Giuliani’s death, she seemed nonplussed.
So I really didn’t expect her to show up at Ravi’s apartment, it was surreal siting at a kitchen table with Anne Lynne in her cream colored suit, next to a 20 year old freedom fighter in pajama bottoms, both of them gaily planning to blow up a fucking parade.
“Are you crazy”, I’d said that day, “This is not what the Unification Party is all about. There will be kids there.”
“The blast won’t be deadly”, Ravi insisted. Things will just shake a little bit. Enough to disorient them so we can mark the Angel fuckers. It’s just a demonstration.”
“What about debris?” I asked.
“Whose side are you on, Solstice dear?” Anne cut in.
“Ours”, I said, “I just don’t know if this is the best way to reintroduce ourselves.”
“It’s perfect”, Anne says rubbing an encrusted white gold collar pin.
“I’m out”, I said again and got up to leave, “And who is funding this anyway? Are you really using Unification Party funds for terrorism? I’m not getting involved in--”
“Not so fast, Solstice”, Anne said, “We need as many footmen as we can, so don’t make any plans.”
“I’m not about that. I’m here to find out what happened to our friend. Giuliani? Remember him?”
“Solstice, dear”, she said, “Have some patience. Besides if Ravi here can detonate a street with a glass soda bottle . . . what do you think he can do to that sweet little senator you’ve been spending time with.”
“I don’t care about Venice, she’s expendable.”
“Yes, dear. She is. But when she gets expended you’ll be the one the National Police will arrest and we all know what happens to people who get sent to Riker’s Island and I don’t think former cops fare well in prisons. You help me. I’ll help you.”
“Fine . . . Are you staying on the island?”
She wrinkled her nose.
“No dear, I wouldn’t spend a night in this filthy Demo—demonically run country for anything. “
I’d had to sit in the back of Ravi’s apartment building’s basement yesterday, while Ravi briefed his followers on his and Anne Lynne’s plans to set off IEDs at the Liberation Day Parade. They were mostly young maybe fifteen to nineteen. Plus about 10 ex-military and mercenaries Anne had hired.
“Remember”, Ravi said holding up a can of GoldMagic! Spray paint, “Angels are cold as stone. When you touch their skin you will know. Then you just”
He drew a beautiful gold circle on the wall, then started passing out black balaclavas and mini cans of spray paint. I was sure to put on gloves first before taking them.
On the day of the parade Venice had woken me up early. She looked stately in her dark red pea coat and shiny black boots. I’d put on black skinny jeans and black turtleneck. Then covered up with my blue leather jacket.
A street vendor had told Venice the best place to be during the parade, so we stood on the corner of 45th out in the cold with the rest of the crowd. There was a ton of security. Ravi and Anne probably hadn’t planned on that. My nerves were shot as each float went by. We’d caught a glimpse of the so called King, he seemed to be enjoying himself and talking to Isobel Charter. I spotted the guardsmen Callum from earlier. Guess he won’t miss his chance to save his king this time.
I watched the hands tick on my watch and when the clock struck 10:14 I heard a rumbling coming from beneath my feet. The sewer lid in front of us shot in the air and the ground began to violently shake.
People ran and I got lost in the crowd and charged for an alley. I threw my jacket into a trashcan and pulled out the balaclava and paint form my pockets. I kept a pocket knife in my bra . . . just in case.
When I made it out the alley I saw more Unifiers in their balaclavas had taken the streets. Kids they could be ruthless as long as they were in groups. They grabbed anyone with the hair and eye color of an Angel. Now humans had all the power.
There was way more destruction that Ravi had said. Parts of the road were jagged and splintering up. Floats had turned over and a few buildings were on fire. Ravi had miscalculated.
I shook my can and wrote UNIFY or DIE on the building in front of me. I started to write JUSTICE FOR GIULIANI when someone ran into me.
I push the woman off of me, but she shoved me back. I felt the unmistakable cold rush of her skin. She was an Angel. Inhuman pretentious creatures who willing let Helios use them to bring about a new generation of monsters. I squared her off, not letting her get past me. In a flash she’d punched me demurely through the mask.
I pushed the Angel down out of self-defense or some misplaced anger.
“No”, she yelled, “Leave her alone”
I turned briefly to see a Unifier spraying a toddler. I suddenly realized why the Angel had been trying to get passed me. The Angel took the moment to spit at me and I sprayed a circle on her forehead.
Then a searing pain ripped through me. I thought I’d thrown something out, but all the pain came to a point at my belly. I was thrown off the Angel and slammed into the concrete. Everything was shaking and I saw the blurred images of the Angel being carried away.
I got on my knees and saw the blood pouring form my middle. I grabbed a balaclava covered Unifier as they ran past me.
“I need help”, I said to them,
“You’re on your own, man”, the kids said running off.
I cursed the kid and crawled my way into an empty blue Dumpster. In a fit of irony I found New Aeterna flag that had come down during the demonstration and used it to tie my wound. I decided if I was found I would make something up, show my badge.
I listened to the demonstration continue, the screams were more intense than I imagined. And once it all fell to silence I feel asleep. When I woke up it was dark, my cracked watch showed it was 8pm. I stood now without the balaclava and went to the mouth of the alley
Sewer lids were thrown haphazardly along the street. Some of the asphalt was protruding upward like paper being folded together. The remains of turned over floats were still in a morbid parade of their own. I could see flashlights in the distance. It was also eerily quiet. They had probably quarantined the area, there was no way I could just walk out.
I limped to an overturn float but first I took off the black turtleneck so I was just in a thin New Aeterna tank top I was practically falling out of. I slid under the float and wedged myself in. After a few minutes footsteps echoed on the road. In a fit of inspiration from one of my favorite movies I stuck my fingers in my mouth and whistled.
The footsteps halted. Then they came faster.
When the footsteps got closer a flood of light washed over me and I saw two men in NADF uniforms looking down at me.
“Oh, God”, the officer said.
“I’m . . . alive” I rasped
“Yeah, but”
I followed the sweep of the flashlight and I saw wasn’t alone under the float. I was just the only one alive.
+++
The officers escorted me out of the site and one of them drove me back to my hotel, I pretended to be in shock the whole time. Security was tight at the New Aeterna City Center. Luckily I had the officer’s to vouch for me. I stopped in the hotel lobby to make a call I didn’t want to make
“Anne Lynne?” Was how she answered her phone.
“It’s me.” I said watching people watch news coverage.
“Who is this?” Anne said.
“Solstice.”
“I was wondering when you were going to check in.”
“I got stabbed.”
“Well, Come to Ravi’s so we can debrief you. We heard things got a tiny bit out of hand.”
“Did you not hear that I got stabbed? I don’t have anything to report. All we did was give a bunch of people PTSD. I don’t think Ravi miscalculated. I think he wanted to show off.”
“I want you here, Solstice. I could use another adult around. I feel outnumbered. I need you to be patient. I will get you the truth about Giuliani. I promise. Just get back to Ravi’s. Now”
I checked my watch. I had a first aid kit in my room I could clean up and talk to her face-to-face.
“I’ll be there soon. Don’t move.”
+++
Leon
I literally get a seat at the table.
The New Aeterna situation room is twice the size of the U.S one. In the front of the room is a long oval table that sits 30. 29 of the seats are reserved for the New Aeterna Generals and members of the national security committee, there are also a few private security consultants.
The other 50 chairs are laid out in neat rows and are filled with lower ranking officers, field sergeants and advisors. Military on one side and civilians on the other.
Sera is sitting in the second row with Vassey next to her. Back straight, hands neatly folded and a foot tucked neatly behind her ankle.
“How many are dead”, Paris asks looking at the footage from cell phones that had been collected and thrown up on screen.
“14”, The Police Capitan for the Midtown area said, “So far. We haven’t released the numbers to the public yet.”
“And we shouldn’t”, Paris said, “That would be a victory for the Unification Party. Do we have any prisoners “
“No, sir. They all blended into the crowd.”
“Sir”, General Jaden Kellers stands up, “Reports show the materials used in this attack were purchased from a U.S company. We believe this is an isolated event by some unruly American patriots and that we should leave this matter to the Americans to investigate.”
“There are”, Paris said, “14 people dead. Those “patriots” set off explosives in our country and you think a simple passing of responsibility is in order. This is a clear act of aggression by the Unification party. “
“As much as I want to nail these guys, our intel show that this was a non-violent protest that got out of hand”, Keller’s said, “We can’t justify a war over this.”
“Who said anything about war, General? I’m a pacifist.”
“Then you’re naive, sir”. Keller said, “To be frank.”
“General Keller”, I said getting to my feet. All the generals swiveled to me,
“I’ve heard reports from many of cadets about suspicious Anti-New Aeterna
activity Uptown. I’d also gotten some Intel about pallets of paint coming
through the border a few weeks ago. I thought nothing of it. We should lead a
raid around the areas where it was shipped to and see what we can dig up. If we
do it tonight we might have the element of surprise.”
They all raised their eyebrows at me. They just knew me as the quiet hulking Angel who never had the time to attend meetings or follow protocol.
“Capitan Argos”, Kellers said, “Excuse me sir, but we can’t just raid civilian homes. That’s the kind of shit The Helion Regime would pull.”
“I have good authority, sir”, I said. “Not to mention most of the buildings up that way are abandoned.”
“Really and do you have actual reports we can review ?”
I side stepped. Kellers knew how much I hated office work so even if I wasn’t lying I still wouldn’t have a paper trail.
“I do”, I lied. I could get Vassey to forge some later, “The information is solid but we need to move fast. They came onto our country on a day of joy and turned it into a day of suffering. We need to act fast.”
“Let’s hold a vote with the execute officer—“, Kellers stopped when Paris stood up.
“Capitan Argos”, Paris said and I looked at his ugly face, but I knew he wasn’t look at me, he was really looking at the stoic woman behind me, “Do you really think this is the best method. . . Leon?”
I could practically see Sera maybe closing both of her eyes in approval.
“Yes, sir. I do. The sooner the better.”
“General Keller’s, get your best men and women ready.”
“Sir”, Keller said, “We should vote on this you can’t just—“
“I can’t just what?” Paris said, “Last I checked that’s up to the commander in chief. “
“You’re not the commander in chief that is the prime minster that you are supposed to nominate.”
“General Kellers that is not the way I would address the man
who pulled most of you out of the dredges of a Helion prison and gave you your
dignity back.
He broke back into that easy smile
“Dismissed”, he said and everyone stood as he left.
Kellers glared at me and stopped by me on his way out.
“What are you playing at Argos?”
“Nothing sir, I’ll get the tactical team ready we should be ready to roll in an hour.”
Then he got in my face.
“I want you to know this is the first step, Argos. You start knocking down door and throwing people in jail for the greater good, then suddenly you can justify anything. And when you reach that point there is no going back.”
+5+
It felt like the old days sneaking stealthy around the street of New Aeterna. It felt odd to do it in standard tactical night gear but we’d kept it light. We’d spent all night knocking on doors and running up staircases.
We worked in teams of nine, all of us from the same company. My team had Sera, Ares, Vassey and Callum (who was on the reserves) plus four PFC. From out platoon
It was easy since most of the buildings were ransacked and abandoned, but running up 17 flights of steps in each of the eights building our team was assigned was hell for the newbies. We found a few squatters but nothing incriminating.
When we reached the building we knew Ravi was living in I kept to protocol. I divided the team into threes. Vassey, who hadn’t been trained for field work, was coming along rather nicely. I had her come with Sera and I to the third floor.
“This is it”, I told Vassey trying to give her time to prepare.
“What?”
“This is Ravi’s crash pad, so look alive”
“What? You knew where they were all this time”, Vassey said.
“Have you learned nothing Vassey”, Sera said.
I went in first with Sera and Vassey covering me.
I knocked on the door and when no one answered I rammed the door open with my shoulder and burst in the door. Dim lights came on and people swarmed like roaches. They dove to the fire escape, some crawled under beds and a group tried to rush us. I shined a flashlight on the wall and saw the New York state flag on the wall, denigrated images of Paris and a handmade Unify or Die flag. Empty paint boxes littered the room, masks were haphazardly thrown around. It was so damn careless.
I took out my weapon and tried to coral them, Vassey tried to copy me but some got past her. Sera scanned the crowd of kids fleeing. I pulled out Zip ties and started cuffing anyone I could catch.
Frustrated Sera (against protocol) shoved open the kitchen and bedroom doors. I took a minute to look at the crowd hoping to find Ravi, Anne or Solstice.
“Shit”, Sera said coming back into the main rom, “Anne and Ravi aren’t here. Neither is Solstice.”
“They’re somewhere.”
She watched as the others in our unit came in to assist. We’d gone in with non-lethal weapons so the non-compliant kids got pepper sprayed. We dragged and lined the kids up against the wall.
The National and Military Police would come clean up. Sera looked over the group again.
“They got away. All three of them”
“We’ll find them.”
“I doubt it. “
“These people are suspected terrorist right?”
“Yeah”
“That’s’ a crime against the crown . . . isn’t it.”
“I don’t read legal books”, I said cuffing a kid who looked around Arrow’s age, “but yeah.”
“You know what that means”
“What”
“They are going to Riker’s Island.”
+6+
It was nearing midnight and Vassey was either going to make it or break it at this point. After the arrest I got another shift of soldiers to transport and process the prisoners. Seraphina was going to see this to the end so I took Vassey back to the base so she could get a one hour nap and change.
“That should have been me”, Vassey said as we walked to the overnight barracks, “That would have been me.”
“Well it’s not”
“I cuffed a 14 year old. Is that what New Aeterna is about now? Is that what the king is about? Cause that’s no different from Helios.”
“This is different that kid committed a crime. You saw it.”
“But . . . the thing is . . . the Unification party doesn’t want another Helios and if feels like we are getting one.”
“You turning on us Vassey? After all Sera’s done for you.”
“No, sir”, she said.
“Good. Catch an hour of sleep.
Is showered in the communal barracks and went to reload my guns. Ares was in the armory and he didn’t say a damn word to me. My phone went off and I saw a text from Seraphina. A text that made my blood run cold.
I woke Vassey up and drove her out to the Riker’s Island military prison complex.
I followed the instructions from Sera’s text and went down to the juvenile women’s laundry room. The industrial wash room was grimy and leaky. As we came down the steps giant tree crickets scattered out of the way. The industrial laundry machines hummed automatically dumping clothes from washer to dryer.
“Sir”, Vassey said, “What are we doing here? “
Paul and Callum were waiting for us down there. There were 10 plastic red chairs lined up in a row. Each one with a trembling slight teenage girl strapped to it. The girls looked like they should be in a mall or some Disney show. Some were crying, the others tried to look tough.
Every single one of them had their eyes on Sera who stood very very still in front of them.
“Unify . . . or die”, Sera said thoughtfully, “Does that mean if we don’t unify . . . you’ll kill yourself?”
“It means”, one of the girls said, “Unify our country or you die—“
Sera slapped the girl before she could finish speaking.
“That was a rhetorical question”, Sera clarified.
“I shouldn’t be here”, Vassey whispered. I watched her hand shake and I held it.
Sera produced a picture of Anne and she showed it to each of the girls, followed by a picture of Ravi and a security image of LeCroix.
“Where are they”, she asked, “Please, think carefully ladies.”
No one spoke.
“Fine then. Why don’t you tell me what Ravi and the Unification Party are planning together? Was the stunt at the parade it?”
No one spoke
Sera grabbed the sides of one girl’s chair and she dragged it to the center of the room. She tilted the chair back.
“What your name, pretty?” Sera asked.
“Annabelle.”
“Annabelle, I’ve been where you are”, Sera said, “I know what happens next and I don’t want that for you. So tell me what you know. Any little thing.”
The girls sniffled.
“I . . . I. can’t”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Won’t”, she said defiantly.
Sera tilted the chair back some more and in almost a synchronized motion Paul threw a piece of plastic wrap around the girl’s face and Callum dumped a bucket of filthy laundry water over her face. Sera set the chair up and before Anabelle could enjoy a breath, Sera tilted the chair back again.
When she tilted the chair back for the third time Annabelle face was turning red and her body was shaking. Her blonde pig tails plastered to her face.
When Seraphina righted the girl’s chair I pulled Sera over to a corner.
“Sera, this is too much and it’s illegal. What’s all this for.”
“They are covering for a murderer. They are trying to destroy what we built. That bitch Anne and that fuck up Ravi need to be taken out”
“Sera, you’re not going to find them this way. “
“Stop being so soft, Leon. Didn’t Helios teach you anything –“
I grabbed her arm and twisted it up, pulling back her long sleeve shirt so she could see the circular scars embedded in her wrist,
“What are these from, sweetheart”, she looked at her wrist then back at me, it was no good for me touch her but I had a point to make “That’s what happens when you spend five years wearing cuffs. You’re better than this Sera. And if I remember correctly you never gave anything up, not matter what they did to you.”
“Those girls aren’t me”
“Exactly. You’re better than this”
I let go of her wrist and she rolls her sleeve down
“No… I’m not.”
She takes my Swiss army knife out of my belt and walks over to the girls and cuts the ties on their wrist. Without a word she walks up the steps and disappears at the top of the stairs.
I supervise Callum and Paul as they get the girls back in their cells. Vassey follows along to tired and shocked to say anything.
I linger outside of Annabelle’s cell.
“You ladies sure are loyal.” I said, “I want to help you. Tell me what I can do.”
The girl spits at me.
“Don’t fucking talk to me”, she says, “You ungodly creatures are evil. This is our land this is our world. Unify or die.”
+++
After taking Vassey home to her parents, I fall into a dreamless sleep. I’m knocked out before I hit the pillow. I hadn’t slept on my sleeper since Seraphina stayed with me and my sheets still smelled like her. I wondered how many times I could save her from the brink before I feel in too.
“Fuck ‘em”, I thought.
I woke up moment later.
I just knew
I knew I wasn’t alone in my apartment
It was pitch black but I felt the shift in the air. I thought maybe it was Sera trying to get one over on me again, but no. I tensed and slid a hand under my pillow for the gun I kept there. I kept my breathing to REM rhythm.
Then I rolled to the floor, jumped up and the lights clicked on as I cocked the gun.
I wasn’t alone
I mean I really wasn’t alone
My tiny 300 square foot loft was filled with tall broad figures dressed in all black wearing full face balaclavas. They all had guns pointed at me I looked around at the macabre sight.
“Let me guess”, I said, “Take me to your leader.”
“Actually”, said a smooth cultured voice, “You took the words right out of my mouth.”
Anne Lynne hopped down from where she was perched in a peach skirt suit on my counter, her jewelry sparkles in the florescent lights. Her minions parted as she took the four steps over to me.
“I’m ready to make my formally introduction to the King.”