The auditorium was buzzing with excitement by the time Gabriel found his seat beside Fairy. It was rare for the Academy to call an assembly during the weekend. The abruptness of the summons meant everyone already knew what the subject would be.
Archangel had struck another decisive blow against the ELA forces.
The video detailing his success would be shown to the students, both as a motivational tool and as a teaching aid, before being revealed to the rest of Nova. Every student without exception was familiar with Archangel’s accomplishments. Not only was he the most the most successful Kniv Pilot to ever graduate from the Academy, his exploits were legendary, even among the general public. Many a student had spent hours studying his techniques and running simulations based off his exploits, all in the hope of gaining even the slightest edge on their peers and being fast tracked to the one of the seven Orbital Knight divisions.
The room grew silent as the lights dimmed and large video screens descended from the ceiling.
Gabriel watched the screen with a blank expression. Beside him Fairy took out a tablet from her bag and propped it up on her knee. She gave Gabriel a gentle nudge with her shoulder.
“Take notes,” she said as the video began to play.
Gabriel made no motion to comply with her request, his eyes glassing over as footage from Archangel’s Drop played out across the screens. Fairy spun her stylus around with nimble fingers and jabbed him hard in the ribs. Gabriel hissed in surprise and turned on her.
“What?”
She held up her tablet. “Notes.”
“I’ll download it after.”
“First impressions are the most important,” Fairy said as she jotted something down on the pad. “How you understand Archangel’s decisions on your first viewing is a more realistic representation than if you watch the video multiple times.”
Gabriel stared at her. “What?”
Fairy’s stylus was a blur on the data pad. Her pale blue eyes never left the screen as she continued to lecture. “Place yourself in Archangel’s Kniv. Try to make decisions as he makes them. Evaluate your actions against his. You can only do that the first time you watch the video. Any subsequent watches will be corrupted by knowledge you learned beforehand. Be proactive, not reactive.”
Gabriel nodded but he still did not move to pull out his own pad.
“This is exactly why you are ranked so low in your class.” Fairy tutted, jabbing him in the ribs again. Gabriel grit his teeth against the sharp pain and drew his tablet from his pocket. Appeased, Fairy returned her full attention to the battle.
Gabriel did as well, though his interest in the battle quickly waned after only a few seconds of viewing. It was hard to get invested in a battle that he already knew the outcome of.
He never really enjoyed watching the Archangel battles. Despite what Fairy, and many other students believed, he didn’t feel like he could learn much from the videos. It also didn’t help that the battle was always extensively edited, often cutting between Archangel’s own perspective and an overhead, satellite view from Nova. Gabriel had figured out a long time ago that a perspective shift normally came right before Archangel took heavy damage or made a mistake.
“Ten targets eliminated in less than fifteen minutes,” Fairy said softly as the video came to an end with Archangel looking down on his final downed enemy before cutting to black. “Impressive.”
“He lost an arm,” said Gabriel. He heard someone behind him snicker before a boot nudged against his shoulder. A slight frown tugged at the corner of his mouth, but he didn’t turn around. His lack of interest did not stop his aggressor from giving him another nudge.
“I don’t think someone from B-class should be critiquing Archangel,” said Harvey Ford, a thickly built second year student, same as Gabriel and Fairy. His skill as a Pilot was well known within the school and he had quickly surged through the ranks and taken his place as an A-Class Pilot within his first year and was well on the way to the S-Class. He was expected to be accepted to an Orbital Knight training division within the year. This knowledge was not lost on Harvey and he took any chance to show off his skill and prowess, usually at the expense of the lower ranked students.
“He made a mistake,” Gabriel said as he turned to look up at Harvey. Though they were the same age, Harvey still stood a good head taller than Gabriel.
“Yes, he did. Many in fact,” Fairy said. She was still scribbling on her tablet and did not waste effort on looking up. “If you believe that just because a Pilot is of a higher standing than another that it makes them safe from criticism you are extremely naïve. Criticism and critique are how improvements are made. If you think any differently, you will not last long outside of the shelter that the classroom provides for you. Orbital Knights are held to the strictest of regulations and oversight. If you wish to become one of them, I strongly suggest you remember that.”
Harvey’s eyes widened as he stared down at Fairy. She blatantly ignored him. After a moment of fuming he cursed softly and stormed off. Gabriel watched him go, his frown slowly turning into a small smile. Though he was sure Harvey would have loved to argue with anyone else, Fairy was a unique case. As one of only five S-Class Pilots at the Academy, a single look from Fairy held far more weight than an entire speech from Harvey.
“You have a message,” Fairy said as she looked up from her work and spied the flashing icon on Gabriel’s tablet.
Gabriel glanced down at the screen. With reluctance he brushed his thumb over the mail icon. His frown returned in full force as he read over the message. Fairy glanced at it out of the corner of her eye.
“The infirmary again?” She tilted her head, her hair cascading down the side of her face. “Are you having any trouble?”
“Not really,” Gabriel said as he pocketed the pad.
Fairy stared at him pensively, her eyes flicking to his chest. “Really?”
“Really.”
“It said your presence is requested immediately.” Fairy pointed out unhelpfully.
“I know.”
“Immediately means now.”
“I know.”
“Gabriel.”
“Fairy.”
Fairy spun her stylus around and Gabriel prepared himself for another painful poke, but Fairy simply tapped out a few commands on the screen. She turned and gave him a blank stare.
“So, you’re not going?”
Gabriel shrugged.
“I have just requisitioned arena eight for a private training session. You’ve been slow on your corner boosting lately. Seeing as it is the weekend and as you have nothing else to do, we can continue your training.” Fairy brought her eyes up to stare at him. There was not a trace of animosity in her voice and her face remained completely blank, but the threat of her words still hung in the air between them.
Gabriel held up one hand in defeat. “I’ll go to the infirmary.”
Fairy nodded and watched him begin to leave before calling out. “Gabriel.”
Gabriel stopped and turned to look back at her. “Yes?”
“I have the arena for the entire day. Your infirmary visit shouldn’t take that long. Meet me there when you’re done. I’ll send Chance a message and see if he wants to join us. The training would benefit him as well.”
“Thanks,” Gabriel said with a decided lack of enthusiasm. With shoulders slightly slumped he shuffled his way out of the room and on towards the infirmary.
_
Gabriel did not like the infirmary. He didn’t like the overly white surfaces that smelled of disinfectant and burned his throat, nor did he like scratchy sheets that felt more like sandpaper than fabric. He especially didn’t like that the head doctor, Sara Kim, seemed to take a very sadistic form of joy at watching him squirm whenever she brought out something particularly nasty looking from her seemingly endless collection of medical devices. It amazed him that there could be so many things designed to heal and yet they all still caused varying amounts of pain and discomfort.
The very large syringe she currently held was one such item. Gabriel watched her out of the corner of his narrowed eyes as she stabbed the needle into a vial of clear liquid and filled the syringe up. She flicked it a few times with her nail and depressed the plunger, sending out a small fountain of liquid and dispelling any air bubbles. She turned towards him and gave him a large, cheerful smile.
“Are you ready?”
Gabriel was unsure how anyone could ever be ready to be stabbed, even by a needle administered by a trained professional.
“What’s that for?” he said warily.
“Oh, this?” Sara reached out and took his arm, pressing her thumb down his forearm until his veins began to rise from his skin. She brought the needle towards his flesh. “This is my newest concoction. You don’t mind being the first human trail, do you?” She waited a beat longer before releasing his arm and putting the syringe down. “Just kidding.”
Gabriel stared at her. “What?”
“I’m sorry.” Sara hid a smile behind her gloved hand. “I’m sorry. I know how much you hate needles. I couldn’t resist.”
Gabriel glanced towards the syringe, still wary. “So, I’m not getting a shot?”
“No, not today. There’s nothing but distilled water in that syringe anyway,” Sara said as she grabbed her rolling chair and sat down across from Gabriel. “Don’t worry, this is just a regular checkup. No needles.”
Gabriel let out a sigh before a thought struck him.
“So, this wasn’t urgent?”
Sara shrugged. “No, not really, I suppose.”
“You said immediately.”
“It’s more fun that way,” Sara said. “I get bored. You’re really my only regular. Besides, I really don’t feel like working today, so I don’t have to. One of the many perks of being entirely irreplaceable."
“You have terrible bedside manner,” Gabriel said as he shook his head. To say Sara was a genius would be an understatement. Her work was singlehandedly keeping Nova years ahead of the ELA. This, unfortunately, gave her a confidence that few could match. It also left her lacking a certain professional tact. At least, when no one was around that could get her into trouble. Gabriel fell into that category.
“You could have sent that message earlier.”
Sara rocked back and forth. “But then you would have missed the exploits of the great Archangel. It wouldn’t be right for me to detract from your academic experiences.”
“You’re doing a good job of detracting from my Sunday.”
“Fine, fine,” Sara reached out and knocked the back of her hand against his chest. “So how are you feeling? Everything working like it should?”
Gabriel nodded as Sara pulled out her stethoscope. She motioned for him to remove his shirt as she placed the buds in her ears. Gabriel complied silently, shrugging off his jacket and unbuttoning his shirt. As his shirt fell away and his chest was exposed Sara let out a low whistle. Reaching forward she traced her finger along the long, knotted scar that cut a jagged line across his chest. He shivered at her touch and shrunk away slightly. Sara gave him an apologetic smile as she pulled her hand away.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that,” she sighed before pressing the bell of her stethoscope to his chest. “This might be cold, by the way.”
It was cold and Gabriel sucked in a sharp breath. Sara closed her eyes and her tongue poked out of the corner of her mouth as she listened.
“Well, it’s definitely working,” she said as she pulled away, popping the buds out of her ears and resting them around her neck. “How is it holding up when you’re in a Kniv?”
“No problems,” Gabriel said as he started to button his shirt.
“I wouldn’t imagine so. Actually…” Sara picked up her tablet and tapped out a few commands. “It’s probably making you a better Pilot, if we’re being honest. Your resting heart rate… hmmm, is it still called a heart rate if you don’t have a heart?” She looked at Gabriel but only received a shrug. “We’ll call it a heart rate then. Your resting heart rate is roughly equivalent to ten to fifteen beats per minute. Your implant is very efficient. A real heart could never hope to work half as well as your implant. It will be pumping blood through your veins long after you are dead.”
Gabriel buttoned his shirt back up. “Lucky me.”
Sara lightly tapped him on the head with the tablet. “You are lucky, all things considered. You know how easy it is to lose sync points in high-pressure situations. I know a few Pilots who would kill for that advantage, or at least pay quite a bit of money.” Sara rocked back and forth as she began to think aloud. “Though, I’m not sure how ethical that would be. It would require what amounts to a total heart transplant, and I’m not entirely sure even I could promise no mistakes.”
“Sounds like a bad idea, then.”
“I suppose so.” Sara sighed dramatically. “If we consider a Pilot’s neural interfacing ability peaks mid to late teens and begins to decline around twenty-five, then I suppose just tearing their heart out for a short-term improvement could be considered wrong. Still-” Sara gave him a sly wink. “-In theory, you could even set it up to have the implant release a stimulant to help speed up your reaction times. Of course, that would be extremely unsafe, not to mention unethical, and would never be done in practice, at least not by any licensed medical professional.”
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Never.” Gabriel gave her a half smile. “Of course.”
“Of course.” Sara tilted her head as he pulled on his jacket. “Is your shoulder alright? You look a bit stiff.”
Gabriel shook his head. “It’s fine.”
“Wonderful. Now, then.” Sara swiped through a few documents on her tablet. “I see your class ranking has not improved at all. Still holding steady in the middle of B-Class. Any chance of seeing you move up?”
Gabriel shook his head.
“That’s too bad. B-Class battles are brutal. Everyone is so cutthroat trying to make it to the A-Class. It’s funny, you would think it would be A-Class that would be the most vicious.”
Gabriel didn’t disagree. Those on the cusp of joining A-Class were often the most dangerous Knivs on the battlefield, desperate to gain even a few more points to raise their rank up to the next level.
“Your last match went well. You placed third, if I remember correctly?”
“Fourth.”
“Ah, right. Well, at least your grades are decent. You Kniv Technician and Systems scores actually lead your class. In fact, with these alone you could be placed near the top of A-class. You should think about giving your history and biology scores some work though, don’t want to fall behind. After all, you can’t be a Pilot forever. Eventually you’re going to be expected to get a real job.”
“Like you?”
“Oh, I don’t think you’re quite cut out for this job, Gabriel.” Sara spun her chair around, completing a full rotation before stopping to face him. “I don’t think you could handle the needles.”
“What do Pilots usually do when they retire?”
“Oh, that all depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether or not they survive!” Sara laughed and glanced down at her tablet. “Oh, look, your name has been added to arena eight. Someone even requisitioned a Kniv for you already.”
“That was fast,” Gabriel said as Sara pushed the tablet towards him so he could read.
“Let me guess?” Sara said. “It wasn’t Chance. He wouldn’t be up this early. He probably didn’t even go to the assembly. It’s amazing he is able to stay in A-Class. His grades are abysmal. Though, we all know combat ability trumps grades any day. I won’t be surprised if he gets bumped up to S-Class soon. Hmmm… That must mean it is the little Fairy.”
“Yes.”
“I do enjoy watching Fairy fight. The Orbital Knights always speak so highly of her whenever I see them. Apparently, they’ve had her run formation drills with them and she’s done extremely well. I wouldn’t be surprised if they start taking her out for scouting trips down on Earth soon. That’s probably why she has been logging in so many extra hours in the arena.”
“You’re keeping a close eye on her.”
“I keep a close eye on all the S-rank students. A handful of the A-ranks as well. You never know when they might get called in for action, can’t have them having any problems.” She reached out and ruffled his hair. “Of course, I keep an even closer eye on you.”
Gabriel blinked. “Thanks.”
“A shame you won’t be to join her though,” Sara said. “I’m sure you’re going to get into trouble for that.”
Gabriel’s eyebrow went up. “What?”
“You’re not allowed to pilot anymore this weekend, unfortunately,” Sara said as she pulled a small notebook from her lab coat and scribbled a quick, nearly illegible note. She pushed it into his breast pocket. “Doctor’s orders. Your heart is having some issues and you need to rest for at least two days, but let’s make it three. That way you can actually use the time off for what it’s meant for.”
“Ms. Fern?” Gabriel asked.
“You’re expected to be at her office within the hour. Someone will be coming to pick you up soon,” said Sara. Gabriel nodded and started to pull out his tablet to send a message to Fairy but Sara waved him off. “Don’t worry, I’ve already alerted the Little Fairy that you won’t be in attendance.”
“Did you call her ‘Little Fairy’ in the message?”
Sara’s wide grin gave him the answer.
-
Gabriel’s escort was a tall, suited man who quickly shuffled him out of the infirmary. They followed the same path that they always did, taking the service elevator down to the lowest level of the Academy parking lot where a car with blacked out windows was waiting. Gabriel nodded a small thanks that was not returned as the escort opened his door. Sliding into the seat, he was surprised to find someone already inside.
Lucile Fern sat across from him; a small smile set on her delicate face. “Hello Gabriel. I thought you might appreciate some company.”
Gabriel returned the smile with a genuine one of his own. “Thank you, Mrs. Fern. It’s good to see you.”
“You know I prefer Lucile. Mrs. Fern makes me sound so old, or like one of your professors,” said Lucile as the car began to move. She glanced out the window as they left the Academy and entered the city. A gentle sighed slipped from her lips, drawing a look from Gabriel. She lifted up a manicured finger and pointed out the window. “Look.”
Gabriel pointed his gaze towards the trees that Lucile pointed at. They were just beginning to blossom, releasing a fresh scent throughout the city. It was spring. Or what amounted to spring. There were no real seasons on Nova, all aspects of the artificially introduced flora and fauna were carefully monitored to make the citizens as comfortable as possible.
“All the amenities of Earth with none of the drawbacks,” Lucile said airily. “In Nova there is no war, no famine. There is nothing but the guaranteed progress of humanity.”
Gabriel could think of nothing to say to that so he gave a simple nod and remained silent.
“Comfort is created through control. Control is created through obedience. Obedience is created through loyalty. Unfortunately, not all people are able to understand this,” said Lucile softly as she turned her dark eyes on Gabriel. “But I’m babbling and I’m sure this isn’t how you want to spend your weekend.”
Gabriel shook his head. “I don’t mind.”
“You’re sweet, but I’m sure you want to rest, or be with your friends. Don’t worry, this won’t take long,” Lucile assured him.
The car stopped in front of an impressive building that soared high into the air. So high it nearly touched the domed, translucent ceiling of the colony. Lucile exited without waiting for the driver to open her door and Gabriel quickly followed after her.
The inside of the building was uncomfortably cold and Gabriel found himself slipping his hands into his jacket pockets for warmth. Even in her skirt, Lucile showed no aversion to the change in temperature and strode forward confidently with Gabriel in tow. A quick elevator ride later and they were in her office where three others were already waiting. Almost immediately the nearest person pulled him into a painfully tight bear hug.
“Gabriel! How the hell have you been?” Michael Stinson all but shouted in Gabriel’s ear. Gabriel winced and did not return the embrace. Michael was not put off by the lack of affection and slapped him hard on the small of the back, stumbling him forward a step. “Serious as always!”
“Michael,” Gabriel greeted softly.
“Please, call me Archangel.”
Gabriel ignored him and turned to the other two. One he was glad to see. “Hello Ms. Lane, Mr. Sani.”
Rachel crossed the room and gave Gabriel a firm handshake. “Hello Gabriel. I am sorry for the inconvenience.”
Gabriel started to tell her he didn’t mind when Sani thrust his hand out. Gabriel accepted it with only a hint of reluctance. His grip was loose and it often reminded Gabriel of jelly.
“Yes, we’re all sorry we have to work on a weekend but it is what it is,” said Sani. “Now that everyone’s present and accounted for, shall we get down to business? Michael here has a press conference in two hours. If we’re late it could cause a riot.”
Michael grinned, showing off a set of dazzlingly white, and perfectly straight, teeth. “People love the Archangel.”
“They do,” said Lucile as she sat down at her desk and leaned back in her chair, her fingers running down the leather armrests and playing against the hand-done stitching. “Which is exactly why I’ve called you all here.”
“What’s up, boss?” Michael asked, tossing himself onto the couch and kicking his feet up.
Gabriel remained standing, edging slightly to the side of the room to look out the plate glass window that dominated the wall. Lucile’s office had a breathtaking view of the city and far beyond. Squinting, he could even make out the fuzzy shape of Earth, obscured through Nova’s protective membrane. Gabriel brought his eyes back to the city, looking to the Academy. Counting silently to himself he found arena eight. Fairy would start practice with or without him. Chance wouldn’t be very happy about having to spar with Fairy one-on-one, though in all honesty few people would be excited about that prospect. Gabriel would hear an earful about it for at least a week. He quickly turned his attention back to Lucile as she cleared her throat and the room went completely silent.
“As you know, Archangel’s most recent achievement against the ELA has been released to the general public,” Lucile began.
“Along with multiple streams being broadcast on a loop down to Earth on all available open channels,” Sani added.
“Yes, which apparently has been successful at reaching the ELA.”
“Really?” Michael let out a bark of laughter. “How do you know?”
“They sent a response,” Lucile said.
Michael sat up, his eyes widening. “They did?”
“They did.” Lucile snapped and the windows grew dark. For a moment the room remained completely black before a monitor on the back wall flickered to life. Despite the high quality of the screen the film was grainy. Still, it wasn’t hard to make out the figure standing in the center of the frame. A tall, imposing man with coal black skin. He puffed out his large chest and began to speak, eyes burning with intensity.
“This is David Goli of the Earth Liberation Army. This is an open transmission to the Novan Pilot Archangel.” David took in a deep breath. “Despite our differences, I think we can both agree this war has been going on longer than either of us would care to admit. That’s why I’m offering an end to it. At least for one of us.”
David’s face disappeared and his image was replaced by a set of coordinates and a date.
“This spot is directly between one of our bases and Nova’s nearest forward operating base. It’s as neutral of a space as I can manage.”
Rachel pulled out her tablet and looked up the location. “Five days. It will take at least three to move Nova into position without disrupting the projected orbital pattern…”
David once again appeared. He lifted up his hand and pointed a thumb towards his chest.
“I challenge you to a single battle, Archangel. Fight me and me alone. You may bring no more than six other Knivs as escort and we will do the same. I will be waiting for your response.”
The video ended and Lucile snapped her fingers. Light flooded into the room. Michael was standing now, both hands running through his blonde hair. Rachel was tapping furiously on her tablet and Sani was thoughtfully stroking his chin.
“Well, it is interesting,” Sani said, breaking the silence.
“And obviously a trap,” Rachel added in.
“Obviously,” Sani said, though it the thought didn’t seem to bother him.
“It would be best if we ignored it. It’s simply an act of chest thumping bravado.” Rachel gave a firm nod.
“Hey!” Michael shook his head vigorously back and forth, further musing his perfect hair. “Archangel doesn’t back down from anything. No challenge is insurmountable.”
“Michael….” Rachel’s began lowly, but Sani cut her off.
“Michael is right. Archangel cannot back down from any challenge. It’s likely they are broadcasting this message as broadly as they possibly can. It would impossible to keep that from the public forever. This could potentially be very damaging… Or extremely useful if we can control the situation.” Sani bobbed his head back and forth.
Gabriel felt a weight form in his stomach as he watched the man begin to plot.
“I don’t care,” Rachel said, slicing her hand through the air. “You’re just going to trust the ELA to actually honor this? There is absolutely no point in sending Archangel to do this.”
Sani scoffed. “That isn’t your call, Rachel.”
“The health and well-being of Archangel is my call,” Rachel shot back. “This in no way, shape, or form can be considered to be in his best interest.”
“His public image would be tarnished. That image is his most valuable asset!”
“Everyone, quiet please,” Lucile said as she stood up and walked around to the front of her desk. “Sani is correct, we cannot afford to simply ignore this. However, as Rachel has said, it is completely possible that this is a trap set by the ELA.”
“Highly possible,” Rachel said.
“Perhaps,” Lucile said. She waved her hand and a digital projection of the battle coordinates lit up in front of her. “However, if they were attempting to double-cross us, this is a terrible position to do it. This entire area is an open plain for miles in every direction. A direct ambush would be impossible.”
“You can’t believe that this is a serious offer.” Rachel nearly recoiled. “Lucile!”
Lucile held up her hand. “This is not a unique situation if you look at it from a historical point of view. During times of great conflict, it was not uncommon for each side to pick a champion and send them to battle. In the Iliad it was Achilles who battled Hector in single combat to the death.”
“Yeah. Exactly. We gotta get down there and kick this guy’s ass. Just like Hector did!” Michael punched his fist into the air. Gabriel repressed a sigh.
Lucile slowly turned her head to look at Michael. “Michael, sit down and do not speak again for the rest of this meeting.”
Michael was instantly cowed and fell back onto the couch. He gave Lucile a weak, apologetic smile and remained silent. Lucile took a calming breath and turned back to Rachel.
“Still, you are correct, under normal circumstances I would not even be considering this, but these are not normal circumstances. Goli is also correct. The war with the ELA has been going on for far too long. Public opinion remains in our favor only because it is heavily influenced by the high-profile success of Archangel. In reality, in the last two months we have lost control of two of our mining operations with a third in contention. Our troops are spread thin and the last thing we need is for the public, or the military, to believe that Archangel was too scared to do battle against the ELA.”
“Excellent!” Sani clapped his hands together. “If we are all decided, I’ll add this onto our press meeting and we will shoot a response video from Michael. That should be suitable for a quick morale boost.”
“Lucile, are you really going to allow this?” said Rachel.
Lucile lifted her head. “Yes. David is a renowned Pilot among the ELA. He has an impressive military record. Eliminating him would not only boost the morale of our own military, but also deal a great blow to the effectiveness of the ELA. It’s a chance we cannot afford to lose.”
Rachel ground her teeth and shook her head. “Fine, but if you’re going to send him into the lion’s den you should at least ask him what he wants.”
“Archangel has already said he wants to fight,” Sani said, waving his hand towards the silent Michael who gave a feeble nod. “I believe that is more than enough.”
“Don’t, Sani. You know exactly what I mean.” Rachel shot them both a scathing look before turning her gaze to Gabriel, her eyes softening. “Gabriel?”
Gabriel was still staring at the digital projection when all of the attention in the room suddenly focused on him. Slowly he lifted his eyes up.
“Rachel is right,” said Lucile as she pushed off from her desk and approached him. Leaning forward, she looked Gabriel straight in the eye, her dark eyes locking onto his. “So, Archangel, what do you think? Will you fight for Nova again?”
Gabriel slowly shifted his eyes from Lucile to Rachel. She looked back at him with a furrowed brow. Sani was waiting with growing impatience, his foot beginning to tap against the plush carpet beneath his feet. Behind him, Michael was staring at Gabriel with a hopeful and expectant look. Gabriel looked past him and out the window, taking in the city. He could see the citizens milling about, going through their daily lives, remaining blissfully unaware of the true nature of the battles raging on the Earth so far beneath them.
Taking his silence for hesitation, Lucile reached out and rested her hand gently on his shoulder. “No one will force you to do this, Gabriel. If you don’t want to fight as Archangel, I will never make you.” She gave his shoulder a squeeze. “If you feel you cannot do it…”
“If he cannot do it, we can simply get another Pilot to take his place,” Sani said. “Any one of the Orbital Knights would gladly accept the challenge, I’m sure. Of course, we could also use one of the S-class students. I’m sure they would be more than a match for the ELA’s best. The narrative practically writes itself.”
Gabriel’s eyes flicked towards Sani for a moment. His trigger finger flexed ever so slightly before he turned his eyes back to Lucile. She gave him a soft, understanding smile.
“I’ll do it,” Gabriel said quietly. “I’ll fight.”
“Wonderful,” Lucile breathed as she released him and returned to her desk. “We have less than a week to prepare. Gabriel, Sara will extend your rest period until the battle. I will leave hanger twelve open for your private use during that time. Your Kniv was badly damaged during your last mission, but we were able to salvage the chassis. The refitting should be finished sometime tonight. I’ll leave outfitting the Kniv to you. You may have whatever you need, cost is not an issue.”
Gabriel nodded. “Understood. Thank you.”
Lucile flicked her eyes to Sani. “Harold, continue with your press conference and the planned response video. Be sure to make a live broadcast feed available for the battle. I want the entire colony to see this. Leave the channel open so the ELA, and anyone else on Earth, can see it as well, though I’m sure they will be doing something similar.”
“Right away,” Sani said. He pulled Michael from the couch and out the door. “Come along, we need to prepare.”
Michael paused at the door and lifted his fist towards Gabriel. “Do me proud out there.”
He didn’t wait for a reply from Gabriel, not that Gabriel had a response other than an extremely slow blink.
“Rachel.” Lucile delicately returned to her chair. “I know you disagree with this course of action, however, please assist Gabriel as you have always done. If he needs anything, get it for him.”
“Of course,” Rachel replied curtly.
“You may leave, then.”
“Lucile.” Rachel nodded her head and motioned for Gabriel to follow her. He threw one last glance at Lucile, who gave him a warm, gentle smile, before following after Rachel.
His handler was completely silent until they reached her car. As soon as he shut the passenger side door Rachel took in a sharp breath and slammed her fist against the dashboard several times. Gabriel remained silent as she started up the car and slowly pulled out of the parking garage, merging into the light midday traffic.
“Do you want me to drop you off at the Academy or at the hanger?” Rachel finally said after almost ten minutes of thick silence.
“The Academy, please,”
Rachel nodded and Gabriel expected the silence to resume until Rachel sighed.
“You don’t have to fight him, Gabriel. Lucile wasn’t lying when she said you don’t have to do it.”
“I know.”
“I know what Lucile and Sani said, but this is most likely a trap just so the ELA can take you out, publicly.”
“I know.”
“We won’t be able to send more backup than what David allowed. Dropping from Nova will take at least ten minutes and running Knivs out from the FOB will take double that and we can only keep so many on the ground. The ELA will have the advantage in numbers if this is a trap.”
“I know.”
Rachel came to a stop in front of the Academy. She put the car in park and turned to look at him. “Then why are you going?”
“We can only do, what we can do.” Gabriel looked up at the Academy. “And if I don’t, someone else will.”
Rachel stared at him for a long time before she closed her eyes. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly through her nose. When she opened her eyes again, she was completely calm.
“Very well, Archangel. I will do my best to support you,” Rachel held out her hand. Gabriel accepted it and gave a firm shake.
“Thank you, Nova-two,” Gabriel said softly before he exited the car.
Rachel watched him until he entered the building before letting out a soft sigh and pulling away.