Demon Evolution (19 page)

The demons teleported out of sight, leaving
only Sampson and the other angels in the loft. Sampson opened a
window and peeked into the backyard, two stories below. It was
empty. “Clear,” he said gruffly.

One by one, the angels crawled out of the
window and along the shingled roof. Each perched so that they faced
in a different direction to ensure the entire sky was covered by
their watch. Ten painfully slow minutes passed. Then another ten.
Halfway through the third ten, Sampson spotted something. “I’ve got
a bogey approaching from the north. Might just be a bird, wait for
my confirmation.” He whispered sharply into his headset.

As the “bogey” approached, there was no doubt
in Sampson’s mind: it was an angel. A scout, most likely. “We’ve
got a solo-flyer coming in slow from the north. Should I take him
out?”

Chris replied, “No. Lookouts—make yourself
scarce. We want them to think the house is unprotected.”

Obediently, the rooftop angels hustled back
through the windows, taking refuge in the attic. Sampson watched
cautiously through the glass panes. The angel circled the house
three times and then raced back in the direction from which it
came. “Scout’s gone,” Sampson informed them. “Prepare for a full
attack, I don’t think they know we’re here.”

“Roger that. Stay in the attic and let us
know what you see.”

Sampson waited patiently. He didn’t have to
wait long. In less than five minutes he saw them coming. Lots of
them. Not panicking, he counted them quickly and then announced
evenly, “We’ve got eighteen targets coming in from the north.”

Chris took charge. “Okay. We are going to
surprise them. If all goes according to plan, they won’t even step
foot anywhere near the house. The lead demon squad and the angels
up top will perform a synchronized attack, while they are still in
the air. If any of them manage to get through you, we will handle
them from the ground.” Chris’s orders were clipped, efficient, like
he was merely reading through a grocery list. “Sampson, you’ve got
the best view. You give the signal.”

“Yessir.”

His stomach squirming with anticipation,
Sampson watched the angels soar, in perfect formation, towards the
house. When they got within a hundred yards, he commanded,
“Angels—go! Demons—follow in five seconds.” Sampson wisely
staggered the attack, allowing five seconds of flight time for his
angels before the demons teleported into the fray. He hoped that
the attack would be perfectly coordinated.

The angels burst out of the house and raced
towards the incoming attackers. Seeing five angels roaring towards
him, a look of surprise flashed across the lead angel’s face, and
he halted his team in midair. A second later, Sampson crashed into
him shoulder first, generating enough force to knock a 747 off its
flight pattern. At the same time, twelve demons appeared out of
thin air, each landing on the back of an angel.

Having the element of surprise in their
favor, the Sampson-led team quickly gained the advantage, knocking
several of the angels out of the sky. The remaining angels turned
tail and ran, or flew rather, retreating from the surprise attack.
The five demon-friendly angels chased them for a few miles to
ensure they wouldn’t try to make a second attack. Finally,
satisfied that the enemy was gone, they returned to the attic,
where all of the demons were now gathered.

“Something ain’t right,” Sampson said. “That
was way too easy.”

W
hile listening to
the radio transmission from his team, Dionysus cracked his knuckles
in anticipation. He had gathered the full Archangel Council
together to monitor the situation. They sat around a long, glowing
table in the Master’s Room; the mission was being broadcast in full
surround sound. They would be able to hear every word in clear
Dolby Digital.

Dionysus looked around the room, sizing up
his friends, or maybe his potential enemies. This was the moment of
truth. If one of them was a traitor, then surely the demons would
be protecting the girl’s father. Each Council member seemed to be
focused on the broadcast; there were no fearful faces in this
crowd. Dionysus frowned in concentration as the mission leader
announced that they were within 500 feet of the target.

“400 feet, 300 feet. Wait, there’s something
emerging from the roof. Crap, there are five angels approaching us
from the house. I can’t make out their faces. Stop the attack!” the
voice commanded, presumably to his team. And then: “Oomph,
dammit…Who are—?”

“What’s happening?” Dionysus yelled to no one
in particular.

Various voices came through the speakers.
They heard, “It’s a trap!” followed by two screams and “I’m hit!”
Finally, someone yelled, “Retreat! For God’s sake, retreat!” The
rush of wind whistled in the night.

Dionysus picked up a wireless microphone and
raised it to his lips. “Is anyone there? Can anyone tell me what’s
happening?”

Ten seconds passed in silence. And then a
frantic voice, bathed in static said, “We have nine
down…ssshhh…knew we were coming…ssshhh…never had a chance.”

“Don’t bother coming back,” Dionysus sneered
into the microphone. His voice echoed hollowly through the room.
Not waiting for a reply, he turned off the speakers with the press
of a button on the control panel in front of him. “Ladies and
gentlemen, it appears we have a rat amongst us.”

Ten highly armed guards stormed into the
room, surrounding the table. The doors slammed behind them, the
lock engaging with a loud click. Suddenly, thick, steel sheets
dropped from the ceiling, covering the windows.

The Master’s Room had become a prison.

Johanna was the first to her feet. “What is
the meaning of this, Dionysus?” she demanded.

Dionysus rose slowly, like it was very
painful for him to stand up. “SIT DOWN!” he roared. Dropping his
tone a notch, he said, “Or we will make you.”

Surprised at the forcefulness of his demand,
Johanna eyed one of the guards, who looked ready to make her sit if
she didn’t cooperate. Reluctantly, she returned to her seat.
“Please explain yourself,” she asked in a softer tone.

Laughing evilly to himself, Dionysus pointed
a finger at the first Council member, who happened to be Andrew,
and said, “I have just proven that you are a traitor.”

Andrew froze.

Dionysus continued, “Or rather, one of you is
a traitor.” He shifted the aim of his finger casually around the
table, pausing on each face, as if to consider it.

Andrew realized he had been holding his
breath. He slowly released the air, trying to mask his sigh of
relief. Dionysus didn’t know it was him. At least not yet.

“The mission that we just listened to—the one
that failed miserably because the demons seemed to be one step
ahead of us—was only discussed amongst the Council. Even the team
involved didn’t know what their target was until I personally
briefed them on it five minutes before it started. And yet…And yet
somehow the demons were ready for us, as they have been on so many
occasions. Always one step ahead of us. What is the only feasible
explanation for this, my friends? Anyone care to take a stab at
it?”

Dionysus’s second-in-command, Michael,
fearlessly said, “Someone leaked it.”

“Exactly. And it had to be someone in this
very room, because you were the only ones who knew. We are not
leaving this room until the rat, or rats, have come forward and
been punished for their crimes.” Dionysus smiled. “But first, the
rest of the entertainment.”

Pressing a button to activate the speakers
once more, Dionysus spoke into the microphone. “Lucas, are you
ready?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Then let the fun begin.”

“I
’d say everything
went perfectly,” Chris countered.

“Listen to me, man. I know these angels.
Something is wrong. They are up to something.” Sampson had been
trying to explain his fears to the demons for fifteen minutes, but
couldn’t seem to make any headway.

“You may be right, but I think the only thing
we can do right now is to leave the lead team here to keep an eye
on things, and go back to the Lair to debrief.”

Sampson couldn’t argue with that. All he had
was a feeling, but he couldn’t substantiate it and he didn’t have
any better ideas.

Within seconds, the mission team was back in
the teleport room. They charged back down the tunnel. They needed
to be ready if there was another attack.

“O
peration Bait and
Switch is now underway,” Lucas said sharply to his team. As
instructed by Dionysus, he narrated their progress for the benefit
of the Council, who were plugged into their radio frequency. “Phase
one is complete with David Knight having been taken into special
custody. We now begin phase two: the capture of Helena and Theodore
Knight, and their youngest son, Peter Knight.” Lucas grinned, as he
pictured the shocked faces of the Council members when they learned
the nature of the secret mission. All brought to you by Lucas
Sharpe.

His team, hand selected by him for their
abilities and trustworthiness, mirrored his delight in being a part
of this mission. They huddled around him now. Crab, one of the
tougher blokes in the bunch said, “Want me to do the honors?”

“Go for it.”

The giant known as Crab leaned back, raising
his leg sharply in the air and then smashing the heel of his right
boot into the door, shattering the knob, the primary lock, and the
deadbolt in one swift motion. Splinters of wood scattered on the
tile floor as the door burst open inwards, allowing access to the
house. They rushed in professionally, two at a time, covering each
other’s backs. “We’re in,” Lucas announced for his audience.

A scream sounded from the next room. “Leave
him alone, he’s not one of us, he’s fragile,” said a woman’s voice.
Lucas strode purposefully into a brightly-lit living room,
analyzing the situation. Crab had a terror-stricken man pinned to
the wall by his neck. On the couch, a young boy, Peter he presumed,
had a gun leveled at his head by another angel. Like his brother,
David, the boy had a shocking resemblance to his eldest brother,
the infamous Gabriel Knight.

The woman yelling was on her knees, hands
clasped tightly together, like she was praying. She continued to
beg for the lives of her family. “Please, don’t hurt him. He’s only
a boy.” Her thick blond hair fell around her face messily—she had
likely been thrown to the ground, rather than ending up there on
her own.

A particularly nasty female angel stood over
her. She was one of Lucas’s favorite recruits. Her name was
Cassandra and like Lucas, she had a grudge against Gabriel, having
been dumped by him a long time ago or something. Grabbing a fistful
of Helena Knight’s hair, Cassandra snarled, “Want me to shut her
up?”

Beauty and purpose
, Lucas thought,
admiring the versatility of the blonde bombshell standing before
him. “Thank you for the offer, but you will have your chance later.
Let me speak to her.” Hearing a gasping noise coming from his left,
he added, “You can release him now, Crab.”

Reluctantly, Crab removed his hand from
Theodore Knight’s throat. The breathless man fell to the ground,
his knees buckling when his feet hit the floor. Crab rested his
foot on Gabriel’s father’s back. “That should hold him, boss.”

Lucas turned back to Gabriel’s mom. “Don’t
worry, Mrs. Knight. You and your family might just survive this if
you cooperate.”

“What do you want from us?” Helena asked
angrily.

Lucas strode forward and snapped his hand
sharply, like a whip, the back of it connecting forcefully with her
face. “Shut up! I’ll be asking the questions!”

“Leave her alone,” Mr. Knight croaked, his
face flush against the carpet. Crab kicked him once, hard in the
stomach. Theodore groaned in agony.

“You can shut up, too,” Crab grunted.

Cassandra laughed. “This is getting fun
already.”

“What happened to you, Cassie?” The question
came from Helena. “You and Gabriel used to be such good
friends.”

“Listen, bitch. I’m not the traitor
here.”

“I…I don’t understand. What are you talking
about, Cass?”

Lucas said, “Either you are a good liar or
you are completely unaware of your eldest son’s recent anti-angel
activities.”

“Gabriel? I haven’t heard from him in months.
Every time I call they tell me he’s on a top-secret
assignment.”

Lucas licked his lips greedily. He would take
especial pleasure in telling her the news. He paused between
phrases for effect. “Your son…Gabriel Knight…is a traitor. He tried
to help the demons, was sent to prison, broke out, and is now
living in the Lair.”