Chapter 14 Orion #2
Gabriel asked us to continue as planned. He reiterated our need to capture the tech, Lael, and his accomplices. I expected Zeke to protest. If what he said was correct, Lael could destroy everything in a fifty-mile radius if the machines explored and more if detonated the weapon. That included us.
For Zeke’s sake, I managed to remain outwardly calm despite the maelstrom of emotions churning inside me.
This would be the first time I’d have seen Lael in over seventy years.
I had no idea how he could have fallen so far into darkness.
He’d always been arrogant, but the audacity to meddle with forces he clearly didn’t understand .
. . that bordered on delusional madness.
We approached the barn uncloaked. If they knew we were coming, they wouldn’t have to use the weapon in a panic. The rest of the team was concealed, ready to swoop in as needed.
The doors creaked open, and Lael stepped out. Two other angels joined him, leaving a gnawing sense of unease in my gut. Lael’s mocking smile was disquieting. He acted like everything was going according to plan.
“Well, well,” Lael said, his attention on me. “I didn’t think my little trap would bring me such an unexpected trophy.”
Lael locked his gaze on mine, but his two associates kept their eyes on Zeke. Having fought with Zeke already, my money was on him if it came to a fight. “You haven’t trapped anyone,” I said. “We walked up knowing what you were doing.”
I tensed, ready to act if Lael escalated things suddenly. Lael’s bravado faltered and his gaze flickered past us. His jaw tightened, and the first tendril of doubt crept into his expression.
Seizing the opportunity, I stepped forward. “What’s going on, Lael? Why are you doing this?”
For an instant, the man I’d once loved surfaced in his eyes—that familiar fire, that unshakable sense of purpose that had so captivated me lifetimes ago. But it was a fleeting glimpse, swiftly consumed by the madness that had taken root.
“You mean you haven’t figured it out yet?” He let out a bitter laugh, shaking his head in disgust. “The Drevlin are coming, and our so-called leaders are too timid and too complacent to develop the weapons we need to protect ourselves.”
With a sweeping gesture, he indicated the unassuming structure looming behind him. “That’s what this is all about. Me and the others, we’re taking matters into our own hands. Building the arsenal that will ensure our survival when the Drevlin finally arrive.”
My stomach twisted at the fanatical zeal burning in his eyes. This wasn’t the passionate warrior I’d fallen for all those centuries ago. The unhinged desperation twisted his features into something unrecognizable.
“You should join us, Orion.” Lael’s voice took on a pleading tone, and I heard echoes of the love we’d once shared. “We were an unstoppable team. Together we can save our kind from annihilation.”
I shook my head slowly, my heart heavy with sorrow and regret. “I’m not sure who filled your head with this false narrative, but I won’t join you in this suicide mission.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw, but before he could unleash the torrent of vitriol I knew was coming, I cut him off.
“Stand down, Lael. Come with us quietly, and no one has to get hurt.” I infused my words with as much calm authority as I could, hoping some part of him might still hear reason.
Silence hung in the air, thick and oppressive, as Lael regarded me through narrowed eyes. Then, as if the spell he was under reasserted itself, his eyes flashed hot.
“You think you can stop me?” He sneered, pointing to himself. “I’m not going anywhere. Try and take me, Ori. I dare you. I’ll blow up half the state if you try.”
Zeke had been quiet until then, but he raised a finger, drawing attention to himself. “No, you won’t. Not with what you’ve built.”
Anger splayed across Lael’s face. “Is that so, little boy? Do you care to test your theory?”
“Zeke, wait.”
I shouldn’t have said anything because Zeke didn’t react.
Worse, my tone was too scared and protective.
Lael’s head whipped around, and he stared at me.
Recognition replaced confusion as he glanced back at Zeke for a second.
“You’re not serious. You replaced me with a child? Oh, Ori. How far have you fallen.”
White-hot ire clouded my vision. He could insult me all he wanted, but I wouldn’t let him disrespect Zeke. Before I could speak, Zeke put a hand on my arm.
“I’m okay,” he said softly. When I looked over, he winked. “But thanks.”
Lael laughed, but there was too much anger for him to hide his real feelings. “The mighty Orion. Lickspittle to a mere boy.”
“You don’t know me, so I’ll excuse your ignorance,” Zeke said in a calm voice.
“Your tech is operating at a frequency and power level so far below current spec, it wouldn’t be functional if the Drevlin attacked.
I’m not sure which of your assistants brought you this ancient technology, but it’s so laughably useless you should consider the possibility you’ve been set up. ”
Whatever Lael expected from Zeke, the authoritative tone and command of the subject matter wasn’t it.
“I get why you don’t believe me. I wouldn’t believe me if I were you.
Which means I need to give you information for the brains of your operation to chew on.
The others you’re counting on to rush through that tree line over there.
” Zeke pointed to his left. “They aren’t coming.
All eight have been detained. Those portable energy emitters you kept as a failsafe, they’ve been neutralized by a focused polaron wave, oscillating at frequencies above the level your defenses can keep out.
This neutralized the power sources, rendering them useless. ”
Lael glanced at the angel closest to him. If he wasn’t the scientist in the group, he at least understood the physics better than Lael.
“And since you’re checking to see if I’m lying, Orion and I are wearing an energy shield designed to withstand a blast from a weapon powered by an 11,000 megajoule generator. That’s approximately twenty percent greater than your machines can generate.”
The shocked expressions on the angels’ faces confirmed the accuracy of Zeke’s statements. Lael noticed it, too, because it was about that time he lost the rest of his swagger.
“Lastly.” Zeke waited for Lael to meet his steady gaze.
“Before you decide whether to self-destruct your tech in the hopes of taking us with you, I should tell you, Michael and the other leaders have taken steps to defend this world. The tech Ori and I are using to protect ourselves is at least one full generation behind the cutting edge. If your goal was truly to protect the planet, that’s not necessary.
It’s being handled by people who are competent enough to create weaponry and defense that can match and exceed the Drevlin.
“Your sacrifices won’t draw attention to a problem too long ignored.
You won’t be heroes. You’ll be reviled as mass murdering terrorists who killed millions of innocent people for no gain.
And that assumes you can even detonate your devices.
The polaron beam should have been strong enough to destroy the devices inside the barn. ”
A surge of pride swelled within me for the remarkable man by my side. His courage and unflinching confidence in the face of danger were utterly captivating.
The blood drained from Lael’s face as Zeke’s words hit home. For a long beat, stunned silence reigned before Lael finally found his voice.
“You’re bluffing,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “There’s no way you could possibly—”
“Orion and I wouldn’t risk millions of lives on a bluff,” Zeke said, his tone hardening like steel. “If you truly want to protect the world, you’ll stand down and let Gabriel know who put you up to this ill-fated plan. Otherwise—”
The singe of an energy weapon forced everyone to take evasive action. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air. My heart seized as I turned to Zeke. He shook his head, and we both looked toward the barn. Lael was down. More energy weapons rang out, these from behind us.
Lael’s two assistants were running for the open door. One was cut down by a beam of light. It paused for a moment, stopped by a diffusion shield, before it cut through and killed the angel.
The third angel was closest to the door and managed to get inside before his shield failed. Zeke was on his feet a half second before me. He made it to Lael’s side and cringed. He gagged loudly and turned away.
I didn’t need to check Lael to know he was dead. Most of his back had been burned away, half his internal organs had burned, and the rest were a bloody mess. I’d seen worse in my life, but that didn’t make this any less horrific.
The guards Gabriel sent surrounded the barn, and I put an arm around Zeke. “Are you okay?”
“Been better,” he said through clenched teeth. “I’m sorry about Lael. I’m sure you still cared about him.”
I took a moment to question if I did. The short answer was yes, but it was complicated.
I didn’t hate him, and we’d once meant a lot to each other.
He’d hurt me, but part of me still believed it wasn’t deliberate.
That the reason he stayed as long as he did was because he loved me and wanted it to work. It just didn’t.
“That wasn’t the Lael I knew. His injury did more psychological damage than anyone realized. He wouldn’t have done this on his own. He wasn’t a murderer.”
Engines roaring warned me a moment before an SUV and an ATV burst through the green wooden barn doors. Instinct kicked in, and I pushed Zeke in one direction and ran in the other trying to draw their attention.
They ignored me and headed for the main road. Energy weapons locked onto the SUV and quickly overwhelmed the diffusion shield. Shockingly, they didn’t cut through the metal and the SUV continued to drive.
The ATV driver didn’t fare so well. Once his shield collapsed, he was killed an instant later.
The retort of a small caliber weapon rang out, and I turned to see Zeke firing at the SUV. His third shot blew out a tire and the vehicle careened off course. The driver tried to compensate, but the security detail took a page from Zeke’s actions and shot out the tires.
I had to give the angel credit for trying because he tried to drive on just the rims but couldn’t control the SUV, and it crashed into a tree. The men and women who’d come with us cautiously approached the stopped vehicle, but the leader ordered everyone to retreat, shouting “energy overload!”
I used my body to shield Zeke just before the explosion. Pieces of shrapnel blanketed the area. I felt several pieces collide with my shield, but thankfully none of them made it through.
“What the fuck were you doing?” Zeke pushed me off. “You made yourself a bigger target. You could’ve been killed.”
I held up my hands. “Calm down. By covering you, I merged our shields and created a double barrier. We probably would’ve been fine with one, but I thought this was safer.”
“And because it happened so fast, there wasn’t time to explain,” he said. “Thank you, Ori. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”
I pulled him into a hug. His heart was hammering against his sternum. “You were scared. And I’ve been a soldier a long time and I trained for that possibility.”
Scanning the yard, only a few security officers hadn’t been able to double up. Thankfully, only one was injured and that didn’t look serious.
“We should go see what’s left of the machines,” Zeke said.
I wanted to go home and hold him, but he was right. We were almost finished but not quite. The sooner we assessed things, the sooner we could go home.
“Let’s go.”