It was late at night, and activity at Sanctuary 1 was dying down. The night patrols were finding their places, scouts reporting back to Flight Manifold on the status of the ongoing siege. Most of the Angels were simply retiring for the night. Archangel Miriam Toure eyed them all with suspicion. The traitor in their midst still had yet to be located, despite the watchful eyes of many.
A buzz. The flutter of wings. Her symbiote, Locusta, landed on her shoulder. Sometimes the other Angels asked how she could tell her symbiote apart from the rest of the swarm. It had never been a challenge. Locusta had always just looked different.
“Any news?” she asked.
“Nothing tonight,” the locust responded. “No suspicious behaviour at all. It could be that the traitor arranged everything before arriving here.”
“If that’s the case, then it might be one of our new arrivals,” Miriam said. “But I thought Viviana went through them all and asked them personally?”
“Or perhaps...”
“No,” said Miriam. “None of the Archangels could possibly be a traitor. Don’t even suggest that. We’re in no position to be doubting each other now.” She couldn’t afford to show any weakness, either. Especially as the youngest Archangel. Well, probably the youngest... whatever. There were still a lot of questions she had for her fellow Archangels. And the other Sanctuaries had questions as well. As the head of Flight Ensifer, Miriam had the responsibility to coordinate all the Sanctuaries situated worldwide, and right now, the whole world was blowing up. Especially for those who were less in-tune with the current events, this sudden revelation by Blood Thunder had come as... a shock, to be sure. She’d been quick to reassure them, but nothing would really appease her sisters until she had a response from the council. She found herself biting her nails again. It was a nervous habit she’d picked up since becoming an Angel. Coincidence? She thought not. “Stupid grasshopper genes...” she muttered.
Miriam descended down into the citadel. At night, the smooth granite and basalt seemed to suck in all light. The glowing golden amber seemed like molten embers. The sound of her footsteps reverberated through the large, empty chamber. She came to the doors and entered the throne room. This room, too, was largely dark, save for the small lamp atop the round table where the other Archangels were already waiting for her.
When the Archangels met alone, there was no need for formalities. Though arbitration between the Angels demanded the pure instinct and rationality of their Imago exoskeletons, it would be exhausting to keep up the same facade between each other. They were all on equal footing here, and each chose to let their human features stand. All, that is, save Viviana.
The head Archangel and leader of Flight Magister was standing by the table, the others seated around her. The smooth curves and sharp edges of her exoskeleton were cast in brilliant relief by the dim light. Occasionally, a hint of her amber wings would sparkle as they twitched behind her back. Miriam had always been unsettled by their leader’s habit of... remaining like this. It made her uneasy, especially knowing how easy it was for Angels to be lost to their base instincts.
But Viviana’s voice silenced her reservations, as it always did. “Come in, Archangel Miriam, and take a seat. You’re right on time for us to begin.” She giggled.
The laugh also made Miriam uneasy. For such a powerful Angel, Viviana was sometimes... too childish. How old was she, actually? Nobody seemed to know. Miriam had a hunch that she was far younger than she claimed. And yet... she had indeed been chosen by the prior Archangel. No sense in doubting that.
The thrones, too, were not needed when the Archangels met together. Such heigh and majesty was there to confirm their authority to lead the Flights. But alone, they were all equals. Miriam pulled out her chair and sat down. The stone was freezing. To take her mind off of the unpleasant sensation, she looked across at her fellow Archangels.
Alia was joining remotely from Sanctuary 2. On the screen, she wore her uniform loosely, revealing the white shirt beneath, embroidered with a multitude of bright, multicoloured floral and geometric designs. Likewise, her tan jacket was also finely decorated with additional patterns of leaves, insects and humans. The Archangel of Flight Elytra had a warm brown complexion, with dark eyes and black hair, with beautiful pink-and-green cloth woven into the long braids running down her back. She leaned back in her chair, always casual, muttering something in Spanish to Rachel.
Rachel only nodded absentmindedly, holding the laptop in her lap. “I’m not in the mood for jokes, Alia,” she muttered. The Archangel of Flight Haltere was tired. Her ordinary black uniform had its own decorative modifications, too, though they paled in appearance compared to Alia’s. Though usually worn tight, her jacket was wrinkled and hung loosely over her shoulders. Her brown hair had been hurriedly combed over, probably just before this meeting. “I know you’re trying to keep things light, but I’m just.... I’m not here for it.”
“That’s enough. Both of you,” said Kei. Unlike the other two, her uniform was somehow still immaculate, pale gray with the engraved outlines of plate armour painted on. It was so neat that Miriam couldn’t help but straighten her own jacket and shirt. Despite her polished appearance, the Archangel of Flight Manifold was visibly shaking, her straight black hair swaying side to side in the still night air. She alone among them was just partially transformed, the transparent outlines of her wings falling behind her like a cape. “You are both under duress, but we must remain calm.” Her dark eyes met Miriam’s, and her expression softened. “Isn’t that right, Miriam?”
“Yes, we must remain calm.” Miriam let out her breath. At the very least, the other Archangels were all here. And just seeing them all here made her feel at ease. Though things in the school had been crazy as of late, it was reassuring to see that the struggles across Sanctuary 1 had been weighing heavily on her comrades. “Now, to the main order of business,” Miriam continued. She tapped the projector, and the recorded video of the Blood Thunder stream played on the wall. The sound was muffled, but ultimately unimportant; after all, they’d all seen the video already. “We have been challenged directly by our enemy, and the humans who chose to side with them. What is our response?”
Alia said something in Spanish. “Are we going to make an attempt to extract Russula from Blood Thunder?” Rachel translated.
Miriam sighed. “We aren’t in any position to do that, are we?”
“We still are unable to break the perimeter,” said Rachel. “Ornithopters are essentially inoperable under current siege conditions. Quetzal’s forces have a very strong set mobile anti-aircraft weaponry at their disposal. A ground assault...”
“A ground assault is not feasible,” said Kei. “Not right now. The anti-aircraft weaponry is only the tip of the iceberg. Despite what they may publicly be saying, our existence has already been extensively leaked to at least... some nations.”
Rachel looked over. “Isn’t that a bit of a stretch—”
Kei’s wings twitched, shortly followed by a loud shockwave from the inside of her chest. “Do not doubt my Angels, Rachel. They’ve checked. I don’t like this at all. We’re surrounded by a world of enemies. And we’re stuck in here for now.”
“Where is the nearest free Sanctuary, then?” asked Rachel.
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“Gao, perhaps,” said Miriam. “There might be some upriver as well. I haven’t been able to get steady responses from them... I mean, they’re small Sanctuaries and staffed sparsely. I’m afraid I don’t know how exactly they’d be able to help, though. Do we even know where Russula is being held.”
Kei nodded. “We’ve located the house. It’s getting there that’s the problem.”
“Quetzal knows what he’s been doing,” said Rachel. “He’s been applying a lot of pressure to try and bleed us out of skilled operatives. Haltere and Manifold both. A lot of our best are injured and regenerating. And frankly, the people assigned to places like Gao are not up for the task.”
Kei nodded her assent. “The Demon known as Dawn has been identified around the house. She is perhaps one of the most dangerous Demons we have within recorded history in combat prowess. Miriam can attest to that.”
Miriam could only shudder in agreement. She could still remember locking blades with the Demon... and also the sensations of her claws digging into the back of her neck, pulling out the crystal that kept her anchored to Gaia. She remembered the feeling on the teeth and claws tearing at her exoskeleton, and the feelings of those same molten teeth tearing at her soft human flesh shortly thereafter. If it hadn’t been for Quinn... Miriam felt the telltale signs that she was slipping away, the rush of euphoria, the silken chrysalis racing over her skin—
“Snap out of it.” Viviana spoke for the first time since the conversation had begun. Her hand on Miriam’s shoulder immediately shocked her out of the loss, returning her to her human form. “Don’t worry. We will not be making any sort of assault on this house.”
“It’s too dangerous?” asked Rachel.
“It’s not feasible,” said Kei.
“It doesn’t matter whether we can or cannot recapture Russula. We should not make any such attempt,” said Viviana. Eyeing the rest of the Archangels’ puzzled expressions, she explained. “Our attempts at information control have largely failed. After covering for Vancouver, our resources were already stretched too thin, and now the question of Angels has infected the minds of the general populace. At this point, keeping everything under wraps is impossible. But limiting the belief of the masses is still... possible. As long as we don’t reveal our hands too much. As long as we don’t walk in on Blood Thunder right away and reveal ourselves to the whole world.”
“So what do we do, then?” asked Rachel. “Nothing?”
“No,” said Kei. “I see what you mean, Viviana. For now, they have their guard up. We can focus our efforts on discrediting Blood Thunder. Spread misinformation to make whatever they do look like nothing more than an elaborate hoax.”
“Yes,” said Viviana. “Whatever they do will be a trifle to cast doubt upon. Few will come to Timbuktu to verify. And then, while our adversary is preoccupied with the confusion, we can make a strike for real.”
“And what of Russula?” asked Miriam. The chatter stilled. Miriam wasn’t too attached to the young Angel. Or at least that’s what she told herself. But Miriam was still taken aback at the callousness of their leader’s suggestion.
“She is an Angel. She knows her responsibilities.” Viviana’s response was immediate, and the blank compound eyes of her Imago were inscrutable. But looking across the table, Miriam could see the reservation in the other Archangels’ faces. The Archangels were called to make decisions on behalf of all the Angels, even the hard ones. Especially the hard ones. But even so...
“She is an Angel,” Rachel and Kei conceded. With a short delay, Alia’s voice echoed them through the screen.
“This is not going to go over well with those who know Russula,” Miriam warned. “Those who are under me won’t be content to just let her be a sacrifice for the greater good.”
“Then they will be disciplined,” said Viviana.
“By whom?”
“By you. It is your responsibility, Miriam.” The sharp claws of Viviana’s fingertips dug into Miriam’s shoulders. “I met with the Chorus of Symbiotes. The time is not yet right. As much as some of your Angels might want to see their friend back, they must acknowledge their places. They are Angels. And Angels are merely a smaller piece of the great tapestry of time. An Angel accepts her fate gladly.”
Correct. Miriam had no choice but to nod in agreement. Still, she couldn’t imagine them taking this well. Yet more work for her. But there wasn’t time to fret about that. There were other questions to ask. “If we are to strike, how are we to coordinate with the other Sanctuaries?” Alia said something in Spanish again. Miriam waited for Rachel to translate. How annoying it was to deal with remote communications like this...
“Alia is asking if we’ve found our traitor yet,” Rachel translated.
“No,” said Kei. “Well... we have several suspicious individuals. Mostly those under your care, Miriam.”
Of course. Yet more concerns to deal with. Thankfully, she had her swarms of locusts to help. In times like these, she was always glad for the extra hundred thousands sets of eyes and legs and wings assisting her in administration. “I have been watching them, as has Grace from your Flight, Kei. We haven’t noticed anything off, although there could be some sort of coded message being transmitted?”
“Could you not check them individually?” Rachel asked Viviana.
“Troublesome,” the leader muttered. “Perhaps we should have the rest of them replaced. There remain some parasitoids seeking new hosts, are there not?”
At that suggestion, all the other Archangels stopped in their tracks. Although certainly the existence and function of parasitoids was a necessary and accepted part of angelic life, he suggestion to... to replace so many individuals was... a lot.
“Viviana,” said Kei. “Are you quite alright?”
“Perhaps we should meet again at a later date,” said Rachel. “Do not be so callous with these new Angels. And do not put them through such hardships for no reason. There is probably only one traitor among them, and you would...”
“There are many talented young Angels there,” said Miriam. “And surely you would not replace Quinn, would you?”
“No. Never Quinn,” said Viviana. “But the rest... perhaps a sacrifice worth making.”
“That’s enough, Viviana.” Kei had gone beside her leader and grabbed her by the shoulders. “What’s gotten into you? Your suggestions are crazy. Can we not focus on getting out of this siege? On stopping our adversary without tearing ourselves apart in the process?”
Viviana paused, her body seeming to freeze in place as the other four watched rapt. She seemed to stay frozen for an eternity before finally shaking her head. “Where am I?”
What? Rachel and Alia seemed alarmed as well. Kei was the only one who seemed to understand what was happening. “It’s okay, Viviana.” Had she been... slipping? Not her, too...
“I’m sorry. I’ve been using my Imago a lot these past few days,” said Viviana. “Even I’m losing my grip from time to time. Yes. Don’t worry about your people, Miriam. I will go and check on them. The traitor... will be caught. For now, though, prepare as if she already has been. Kei, discredit whatever is shown by Blood Thunder. Rachel, rally our remaining pilots and combat forces. And Miriam...”
“Yes?” Miriam looked back at her leader. How much of what she’d been saying had been Viviana? How much was the human being, the Angel, and how much was the pure, animal instinct lurking within? Staring into the blank compound eyes, she knew she wouldn’t get an answer. And the chills ran down her spine anew.
“Keep your people in line until the time is right. I don't want them breaking our silence too early.”
“Of course,” she said. But, of course, this was far more easily said than done.