Chapter 11 Zeke
Zeke
We hiked for close to a mile to ensure our car wasn’t seen and approached a rundown farmhouse at the end of a lane.
It looked innocuous enough against the rolling fields, but this close it thrummed with energy that shouldn’t be found on Earth.
Clearing my head, I pointed toward my watch and we both activated the cloaking field Michael had provided in our field equipment.
It was the best I’d ever seen. Not only did it mask our scent, dampen any sounds we made, and block our auras from detection, but it also prevented all but the most focused attempts to see us. We were all but invisible to everyone.
Avoiding the sagging porch and creaky wood, we circled the house toward the barn.
My heart hammered in my chest in anticipation.
We’d planned for this moment for days. Orion acted much calmer than I felt.
Either he hid it well or his centuries as a soldier made this operation little more than a blip.
Probably a lot of both. His grim, determined expression was as focused as I’d ever seen from him.
The barn door was open halfway, more than enough to grant us access to the dim interior. The room was thick with the scent of musty wood and machine oil. My senses expanded outward, alert for any hint of danger as we crept inside.
Four auras flickered at the edges of my awareness.
Angels, their life forces emitting a barely perceptible radiance only another angel could detect.
One stood out, brighter than the others.
I’d wondered about the need for a bodyguard, but this angel was more powerful than me.
He—and it was a he—was not quite at Orion’s level, but he was close.
Gesturing for Orion to follow, I guided us across the dusty floor toward a back room. A door at the far end stood slightly ajar, light spilling through the crack. I gave Orion the hand sign to guard my back and I inched closer to get a look.
Drevlin technology filled the space, the unmistakable array of crystals and glass conduits snaking across the dirt floor.
At the center, a raised dais supported a pulsing sphere of near sentient-energy contained within an intricate cage of crystal and metal.
Smaller structures on either side of the dais sat on stone slabs.
I couldn’t guess at the exact function of the one in the center, but it was a weapon of some kind. A big weapon.
The machine to the left was a communications array, and the one on the right generated power it fed to the other two.
Three angels, dressed like farmers, stood at various stations around the perimeter. They tapped on the images hovering over their computer crystals.
I studied the machines with a mix of awe, confusion, and anger. The generator was small and wasn’t an efficient design. Whoever built it understood the basics but not how to refine it for maximum productivity. It was still an impressive feat, but ultimately a poor use of resources.
The communications station made little sense.
Even with its advanced technology, it would be practically useless.
Without relay stations to send messages across the galaxy, any messages they sent would take decades to reach their target.
Anything it received would be so outdated, it would be worthless.
The amount of time invested in creating the device was a sunk cost with little-to-no return.
The weapon I understood, and it made me furious. This could destroy the entire state of Minnesota if it exploded. The crude casement might hold up, but my money said when whoever built it tried to charge it, the containment vessel would fail, and it would destroy everything in a fifty-mile radius.
I’d used my watch to get detailed schematics on each device and was stalling, hoping to see the fourth angel. The way the other three acted, they were flunkies. I wanted an image of the leader to send back to Michael.
I heard a voice and the fourth angel came in through a side door.
He had an air of smug satisfaction and the demeanor of a petty dictator.
Pointing at each of the other three one by one, they came when summoned, let him review the information on their crystal, and scurried back to their places without a word. Someone got off on giving orders.
He turned and I paused. He was tall, boyish-looking, brown hair, trim build, clean-shaven, and carried himself like an athlete or fighter. If I’d been making a Grindr ad, those were the words I’d use to describe myself.
I never saw myself as an evil tyrant, but this guy had built some bad-ass machines that had little productive use outside warfare.
The man’s features were a slightly different version of me, or since he probably was older, I looked a lot like him. There were differences for sure. He had a sharper jaw, and a hard edge around the eyes, but the resemblance was there. I found it more than a little unsettling.
He moved around the space, studying readouts and issuing terse orders to his subordinates. Who was this man and what dark purpose fueled their work with Drevlin tech?
One of the flunkies gestured to the leader, drawing his attention to a particular display. The angel leaned in, lips curving into a cruel smile that twisted my stomach.
Time seemed to slow as the man lifted his gaze, eyes locking unerringly on the narrow gap I used to observe the inside of the room. For a visceral instant, I felt his stare pierce me, seeing straight through the invisibility shield.
The moment passed, and the leader turned away as he resumed his study of the console. My pulse thundered in my ears as I backed away.
Orion hadn’t moved, still guarding my back. I met Orion’s questioning gaze and motioned toward the exit. We retreated in tense silence, the weight of our grim discovery hanging over me.
Outside, he held up his hand and indicated we needed to keep walking. I filled my lungs with the fresh spring air, letting it clear away the darkness I felt in that barn. My pace was just shy of a jog, I was so anxious to get in the car.
Hopping in, I pulled the door shut and gave Orion a rundown on what I’d seen. I answered every question before I tested my theory.
“Describe Lael physically,” I said.
Orion looked understandably flummoxed. “What? Why are you asking me this now? What happened in there?”
He probably thought I was continuing the earlier conversation, but I needed to test a hunch. “Humor me, please.”
A flash of anger clouded his face, but I didn’t react. I wanted to be sure before I said anything. His continued glare made it hard, so I shifted gears. “Is he about my height, about my build, with brown hair and eyes, clean-shaven with a scar along his right cheek?”
“Zeke, what fucking game are you playing? If you’re insinuating something, say it.”
I didn’t need his answer to know I’d been right. “This isn’t a game, Ori.” I tapped my watch and called up the image of the leader. “This is the angel running this operation.”
I let him consume what I showed him. He reached out tentatively as if to touch the image. When he looked at me, I cocked my head. “That’s Lael, isn’t it?”
He nodded. “How’s this possible?”
I had the same question, but no answers. “Your guess is as good as mine, but one thing I’m sure of: Michael knew Lael was involved in this mess.”
The entire operation was too convenient. My skills, Orion’s link to the leader, how I had a similar look to Lael. It all fit too perfectly together.
I needed to get back to the house so I could take a walk or something. With all the manipulation involved, I didn’t know what was real and what Michael orchestrated. I needed to know before I went any further with the mission or with Ori.
Seeing his expression, I guessed he was having similar thoughts.
“Let’s get back to the house,” I said.
It wouldn’t have answers, but at least I could find a place to be alone and think this through like a good detective. I probably wouldn’t like the answer, but an unwanted answer was better than none.
At least that was what I told myself as we moved.
The drive back to the house passed in tense silence.
My mind whirled with the implications of what we’d discovered.
Not just what the angels were doing, but who was leading them.
It was no coincidence Lael led this group of dissidents.
The question was why Michael would manipulate Orion into confronting his ex.
That was cruel at any time, but at this critical time, it was particularly reckless.
I also couldn’t shake the sense I’d been played. Set up as a pawn in a larger game whose true stakes remained hidden from me. The questions and doubts crowded my brain until I could barely keep my thoughts straight.
Orion’s grip on the steering wheel alternated between squeezing tightly and nearly crushing it between his fingers. I wanted to help, but how? The emotional cost of telling me about him and Lael had been high. This new revelation had to be eating him up.
“Orion?”
The momentary side eye he gave made it clear he didn’t want to talk. I couldn’t, shouldn’t force him to talk, but I didn’t need to force anything to be there.
“I know you don’t want to talk right now, but I’m here if you need someone to listen.”
He nodded and I figured that was the best I could get from him. “Thank you for understanding. I’m not ready just now, but I might be later.”
So much for understanding him. “Anytime.”
Orion got out of the car without a word as soon as we arrived at the house. I would have talked if he needed me, but I wanted to speak to my dad first. He knew me and Orion, and he might have some insight into what Michael was doing that could help.
“I need to make a call,” I told Orion’s back as we entered the house. He headed for the kitchen area, so I retreated to my bedroom.
Sitting on my bed, I tapped the secure line programmed into my watch and hoped he’d be free. It only took a few seconds before Dad’s halo image appeared in my room.