As the video ended, the room was filled with absolute silence.
I faced Zepherina and Eva, both were staring at the video as it ended in dismay. Zepherina more so than Eva.
Tim broke the silence, his voice was serious, measured, and even. âI received word from Fatima late last night. Ragnaâs seized control of Rachelâs nation of Penthesil, and the Valkyrie army.â
Zepherina stared at Tim, her expression of shock worsening, âThatâs not possible! My mother would never allow it! Sheâd die first!â
Eva placed her hand on Zepherinaâs shoulder, concern crossing her face, âZeph-â
âNo!â Zepherina shouted, casting Evaâs hand off her shoulder, âPenthesilâs always been an ally of the United States! Sheâd never turn her back on them, theyâve given her too much! The weapons, the training, the research and development!â Zepherina paced, âThis makes little sense!â
Tim tried to speak next, âZeph, Sister Fatima informed me of what she saw. Ragna and Rachel are cooperating with one another.â
âNo!â Zepherina shouted, her foot slamming down onto the ground hard enough to make the floor shudder. âRagnaâs done something to her!â
âHow can you be so sure?â I ask.
Zepherina glared at me, âBecause my mother left the Throne of Penthesil open to anyone who could defeat her in combat. Anyone that tried to fight her for the throne died at her hand.â She turned to Tim, âShe killed those traitors to keep her throne. Mother would never relinquish it without a fight!â
Eva moved herself to block Zepherinaâs pacing, âZeph, calm down and look at whatâs happening. That was our mother, she wasnât reading from a script, you and I both know that. We know her better than anyone.â
Zepherinaâs face turned into a full pout, âThen why would she surrender to Ragna?â
Tim walked over to the sisters, placing his hand on their arms, âThere is something else.â
âWhat now?â Zepherina whimpered.
âThe strange weakness we all experienced yesterday? I know the cause.â Tim explained.
Eva scrutinized Tim with great concern, âthe dark energy?â
âYesterday, Ragna summoned a demoness from hell, a creature named Esmeralda. I informed Father Thomas, he said he thought he caught that name before, heâs researching at the Vatican.â Timâs face fell, âBut to summon her forth from Hell, Ragna used some of Rachelâs blood to create a stone of Sanguine Amber.â
Zepherina shook her head, âNo thatâs a lie!â
âDuring the ritual, we all suffered the effects of the spell, it leveraged all of us through her blood,â Tim explained.
Zepherina was beside herself, âThen Ragnaâs just using her!â
Tim heaves a heavy sigh, âAccording to Fatima, Ragna said she would never use the ritual again because it hurt Rachel so much. SheâŠâ Tim steadied himself as he spoke, âShe claims to be in love with Rachel.â
Zepherinaâs energy shifts, forcing me to step back. Wrath consumed Zepherina, and I notice as her wings shift from white to a pitch black. Her fists clenched, she shouts, âSheâs seduced my mother!â she shouts, in a voice that shakes the room and knocks me to the ground. Her eyes darken to a jet black, her iris breaking apart until the remains turn to smoke swirling in twin pools of black ink. âIâll tear her apart! Iâll rip Ragna apart limb from limb! I will kill her!â
Eva shouts over Zepherina, âZeph! Calm down!â
Zepherina looks to her wings and blinked, her eyes returning to normal in an instant, her wings turning white again. She fell to her knees, looking winded. âW-whatâŠâ she shook her head. âWhat was that?â
Eva rushes to Zepherinaâs side, âSis⊠you⊠I canât explain it but⊠you scared the shit out of me.â
Tim was staring at Zeph wide-eyed, his face pale.
Zepherinaâs aura was pulsing like a wild storm, confusion, fear, anger, all of it swirls around her. Her hands were shaking as she examined one of her now white wings. âWhy did they change?â
Demond walks over, giving Zeph an odd stare, â⊠when that happened, your heart stopped.â
Zepherina looks up to Demond in shock, âWhat?â
âYou had no pulse. It didnât seem to exist as far as I could tell. I couldnât even smell you, I couldnât see your breath, I couldnât hear your heartbeat.â he sinks to his haunches examining Zepherina, âItâs like you stopped living when your anger took you.â
Zepherina hugs herself, looking to the floor, âThatâs never happened.â she peered at Demond, âIs my heart beating now?â
Demond nods, âYouâre normal now.â he faces Tim, âI may need to with her, Major. That kind of power, if she lost controlâŠ.â he alludes.
Zepherina shakes her head, âNo, I wonât lose it.â she gazed up at us from the floor. âI can control it, I promise.â
I hug her, not knowing what else to do, âWe know youâd never hurt us, Zeph. Demond is just asking you to have him help you get a hold of your full strengthâŠâ
Zeph picks her head up, desperate watery eyes staring back at me.
I grin at her, âSo you can kick Ragnaâs ass, and free your mother, okay?â
Zeph chokes back a sob and nods, going back to hiding her face, âY-yeah. Okay.â
Tim is silent for a few moments before he speaks, âI think⊠Zeph⊠if anyone could defeat Ragna, it would be you. If so you must hit her full force, without giving her a chance to react.â Timâs face shows a great deal worry as he finishes, âIt would be the only chance we had to defeat her head-to-head.â
Demond nods, âRegardless⊠I donât think we can send Zeph or Eva in to handle this situation, Sir.â
âFor now, yes. Sergeant, I think you and your brother should take point on this.â Tim looks to Jason, âAnd if you could, Jason, I would appreciate if you back them up if you have time.â
Jason looks to Tim in agreement, âIâd say I canât, but given the circumstances, Iâd be more than happy to help. Fight fire with fire, right?â
Turning to Tim I suggest, âIâll get Josh back home in the meantime, and meet up with you once Iâm done,â I lie, I have no intention of sitting this out. I would get to Fort Hamilton, take command of the situation on the ground, and do my best to help with the mission. Tim wouldnât let me go though, so the decoy mission seemed my best ploy.
âCaptain that sounds like a good idea, I would rather not have to keep your friend here much longer.â Tim agreed.
I give him a salute, âMajor.â
He salutes back, grinning, âMy Captain.â
I grin back to him, turn and head out.
Eva stands up, âIâll help Sofia get her friend out of the temple.â she explains as she follows me.
As we leave the training room, I make out Zepherina speaking to Tim and the others, âDemond, Jason, when you confront my mother, please donât kill her? Sheâs not in control of herself.â
As we headed down the hallway toward the medical wing, Eva caught my attention.
âMy mother is not brainwashed,â Eva explains.
âHow can you be so sure?â I ask as we cross the main foyer.
âMy motherâs a monster, this is what I have come to expect from her.â Eva stops just outside the medical wing with me. She stares at me with a faraway expression, âZepherina has a rose-colored picture of our mother. She considers those who put forth challenges to the throne traitors, but she was not present whenever a challenge like that arose.â Eva clenched a fist as she explained.
âI stood by once, off to the side with no one noticing, and witnessed how one of those challenges transpired. My mother did not offer mercy upon victory, and she relished the chance to fight in the first place.â Eva shuddered, âShe also relished killing the poor soul who she defeated⊠and dishonoring them. One woman, one of my motherâs generals by the name of âColeâ, demanded an end to the pact between the United States and our people.â Eva shook her head, âMy mother is helping them to develop weapons that are violations of United Nations sanctions. When my mother defeated her, she stripped General Cole of all titles, land, legal holdings, and ordered her remains burned and dumped into a river with no marker.â
âDonât fuck with the Queen, then?â I ask.
Eva nods, âThe act didnât just dishonor the general, it left her family destitute and homeless. They fled the city later that day for fear of further persecution. When my mother found out about their flightâŠâ Eva heaved a sigh, âshe ordered that if they ever were to return, the whole family was to face execution.â
I grimaced, âSo⊠sheâs kind of-â
âMy mother is a despot,â Eva explained. âAs the heir, I was planning to relinquish the throne and establish a new more powerful Senate and strip myself of most executive powers.â Evaâs face fell even more so, âSeems with Ragna as the new ruler, thatâs no longer an option.â she faces me, âdefeating Ragna means freeing my people not just from her but my mother.â
âEva, what are you asking of me?â
âIâm well aware that you arenât just going to stand by while my mother attacks your commanding officer.â Eva explains, âYou will head to the fort as soon as you can.â
Iâm shocked Eva had me figured out already, âDonât tell Tim, please?â I plea.
Eva nods, âI wonât.â she fixes me with a stern gaze, âBut should you have the chance, I implore you to please,â she hesitates for a moment, her fist shaking, âkill my mother.â
âŠ
I walked into the medical bay, seeing Josh laying in his bed, asleep. Irfan is sitting at his desk, mixing a few things in a large white mortar with a pestle. As I listen to some harder objects grinding together in the mortar, I cannot help but flinch.
âHey, Irfan?â I ask trying to get his attention.
Irfan looks up from his desk, grinning wide âAh, Ms. Sofia. How can I help?â
âJosh, howâs he doing?â I ask, looking to Josh in his hospital bed.
Irfan keeps his near constant smile as he speaks âRecovering. Heâs a lucky man. He can head home soon. Right now I have given him some medication to help him rest.â
I sit down on a chair across from Irfanâs desk, âHow long is he going to rest?â
Irfan thinks, âI would estimate another few hours.â
âIâm going on a mission, I wanted to make sure Josh is okay while Iâm out,â I explain.
Irfan nods, âHe will be just fine.â
I stand up, âperfect, Thanks Irfan!â I dash out of the medical wing, just in time for me to see Tim opening the doors to the temple. I hang back in the doorway, eavesdropping.
âThis shouldnât put you far off from Fort Hamilton, itâll be on lockdown, so assure the MPs there that youâre under Colonel Andersonâs direct command to assist with the situation,â Tim instructs. âDo not mention my name, understood?â
âSir, yes sir.â Elon and Demond confirm.
Jason just nods while Demond and Elon salute, and head out of the opened doorway along with the other two.
Tim walks away from the doors, I swear I see a second aura near him, itâs faint and cloaked but it looks like a small woman near his right ear. Iâll question him later on about it.
Once Tim leaves, I head into the main foyer and place my hand on the doorway.
My eyes strain as I see hundreds of locations where the doors have opened, and even more where they can potentially open. My hands fall from the doors and the visions stop. I check my surroundings to ensure no one sees me about to leave. I grab the doors once more, I focus on Fort Hamilton, seeing the location where it opened last.
As I swing the doors open, I step through and shut them behind me. There is a rather confused Demond looking back at me.
I assess where we are as I approach them, we arenât far outside the Fort. âSergeant, wait up,â I shout.
Jason and Elon are also glancing back at me as I cried out after them.
âCaptain, Maâam, I thought youâd be supporting us offsite, Maâam,â Demond questioned.
âI thought I would be a better asset in the field,â I explain.
Elon raised an eyebrow, âIs the Major aware?â
I fixed Elon with a glare, âIâm your superior, am I not Sergeant?â
Elon flinches, âSorry, Captain.â
Demond nudges him in the rib.
âSorry, Maâam!â Elon corrects.
Jason rolls his eyes, âWhile youâre busy pulling rank on the boys here we are running low on time.â he taps a non-existent wrist-watch. âThe goal is to get to Rachel before she goes âbiblicalâ on someone else, remember?â
I nod to him, âRight. We must rescue the hostages inside first.â I head towards the gate where a pair of Military Police are standing, weapons out, gates down.
The first MP faces me, âSorry Maâam, no admittance, thereâs a situation.â
I show him my Military Identification, âIâm Captain Sofia VĂĄzquez, United States Army. I work under Colonel Anderson, weâre here to negotiate with the terrorist.â
The MP checks my Identification before waving over a jeep, âIâll take you to the location.â
We all climb into the jeep, as we drive I face the MP, âWhat do you know so far?â
The MP takes a few turns here and there before we arrive at the administrative building, where Colonel Andersonâs office is. He points to a broken window, âThe trouble started there, someone broke the window from the inside before we knew it there was gunfire coming from that room. Afterward, the broadcast happened. Weâre sure there are nine hostages, one casualty at the moment, a single civilian.â
As the jeep stops I notice the entryway of the building, turning to Elon, âElon, you need a perch I assume?â
Elon nods, looking up at the building, âYeah, Iâll need something higher, Iâm not hitting a fourth story window from the ground with any kind of decent shots, Maâam.â
I turn to Jason, âJason, can you help Elon scout out a good location?â
Jason faces me, âYou donât think youâd need me down here?â
âElon needs to be in a supportive position.â I explain to Jason, turning to Elon, âIf you have a shot, take it.â
Elon nods, âMaâam, yes Maâam!â
I point to Demond, âYouâre coming in with me.â I narrow my eyes, âI hope I can trust you to have my back.â
Demond nods, â10-4 Captain.â
Jason looks on with disapproval, âSofia, as much as I agree that Elon needs a liftâŠâ he clears his throat, âThis isnât a place to uh, spread my wings, you know?â
I walk up to him, getting chest to chest and looking straight up at him, âRachelâs already shown sheâs an angel, I donât think you will cause any additional hysterics if youâre seen flying by a few folks.â
Elon points to an adjacent building, âIf I can get onto that roof, I should have a clear view of the Colonelâs office. I doubt anyone is going to spot us if we scale the east side of the building.â
Jason nods, âFair enough.â he and Elon run off towards the adjacent building.
Without waiting much longer I run towards the administration building, âSergeant, on my six.â I donât check if Demond is behind me, instead, Iâm just expecting him to follow orders.
As we run in and head up the stairs, however, Demond taps my shoulder, offering me an earpiece.
He clears his throat, âItâs the Major.â
I continue up the steps, my face flushed now as I put the earpiece in. âYes, Major, Sir?â
âSofia?â I listen to Tim as I get to the fourth floor. âWhat are you doing? I thought you were transporting Josh?â he shouts.
âI couldnât stand on the sidelines while the Colonelâs in danger. Itâs better to have me on the ground, sir.â I whisper as we make our way to Colonel Andersonâs office. My pistol out, I check on Demond, who is removing his boots, following tight behind me.
âI canât lose you Sofia! I-â I cut Tim off.
âMajor, I have this, you donât have to coddle me.â I smile, âIâm a big girl, sir.â
Thereâs a moment of silence where I can feel Tim cursing under his breath. When he states, â10-4 Captain, guard your six.â
âSergeant Winterâs got that, sir,â I explain.
âWhich one?â
âBoth, Sir.â I near the door, âWeâve found the hostages Major, Iâll see you on the other side.â I face Demond
Demondâs eyes are yellow now, his ears are long, pointed and twitching. He faces me, pointing and motioning that sheâs inside.
I reach up to the office door, opening it, careful not to make any noise. Demond and I peek inside, I spot Rachel arguing with Colonel Anderson, who has his hands tied behind his back.
âWhen I offered to send you my daughter, Singular, mind you, I didnât expect it to be such a damned hassle to get them back!â Rachel spat at him.
Iâm surprised as I appraise Rachel.
While Iâd seen energy around everyone I met, the angels having the most pronounced, I had seen nothing like Rachelâs.
It is pitch black and drips off of her like tar. The energy around her hands is a dark ooze of sorts. The rest of her aura pulsed and rose off of her like thin black smoke. When she got agitated, her energy rises up in large dark plumes.
âSo are you more agitated that we also took Zepherina or we wonât give either back?â Colonel Anderson retorts. Heâs silenced as Rachel slides the bayonet end of her rifle against his neck.
I recognize the design of the bayonet. It has three blades, all twisting around toward the tip, with several holes bored into the blade, Iâve seen that design before. Itâs an Integral Tri-dagger, the United Nations banned those from mass production a while ago.
âI expected Eva to go, she damn near volunteered. Hell, they both did, but I forbade Zepherina from going. One heir to the throne risking her life is one thing, but I wonât lose two, most of all Zepherina.â Rachel growled.
I clenched my fist. This woman didnât give a shit about Eva or Tim, she loved Zepherina only. I wondered if it even was love, or if she wanted Zepherina because she was stronger.
Demondâs hand moved to mine, and he gave me a serious expression, then moved his gaze to Rachel.
I nodded, I was getting distracted, it wasnât smart. I did my best to sneak into the office, Demond at my back as we made our way inside.
Elon chirped in on the earpiece, âIâm in position. Jasonâs en route to you.â
I took a deep breath and trained my weapon on Rachel, waiting for her to lower her guard. So far, she didnât seem to detect either of us.
Demond crouched down low, to an inhuman level, his hands low on the floor as he crawled to my left, trying to get a good angle on Rachel.
Colonel Anderson had spotted us but had given no major cues that there was someone at the door, âTheir commander is out of comms right now. Theyâre on a mission. What do you want me to do? Endanger your daughters mid-mission?â
Rachel cocks her head and her hip, lowering her weapon to point to the floor, âIs that so Colonel? What if I told you, you were full of shit?â
Colonel Anderson spits in her face.
Rachel didnât flinch, but ran her fingers over her face, looking Colonel Anderson up and down before placing her rifle on the desk and kneeing Colonel Anderson in the balls, sending him careening to the ground in pain.
I chose this moment to point my pistol at her, and shout, âHands up, step away from the weapon.â
Rachelâs head whipped in my direction, her eyes narrowing, âWho the fuck are you?â
âCaptain Sofia VĂĄzquez,â I flicked the safety off my pistol, âAnd you just injured my senior officer.â
Rachel looked bemused, which wasnât the normal reaction most have when I train my Desert Eagle on them. âQueen Rachel Hippolyte.â she glances to my weapon, âWhat do you plan on doing with that, little Hestie?â
I narrow my eyes at her, âIâm not sure what a âHestieâ is, but it sounds insulting, now-â
Rachel interrupts me before I can finish, âIt means âhousewifeâ.â
Triggered, by popular definition, means getting filled with hate after seeing, hearing, or experiencing something you cannot stand. From the get-go, and I mean the exact moment my career choice became a military one, my mother, father, grandmother, grandfather, aunts, uncles, and every other family member always told me I couldnât be a soldier. Time and time again my family told me the real reason I was enlisting was to âFind a nice military man to settle down with.â
Anger consumes me and I have a lapse in judgment, and I fired at her. I fired a .50 caliber hand-cannon at the women who was my future mother-in-law.
The good news is the bullet rocketed out and struck her shoulder, bounced off her armor, and caused her no harm. The bad news was, also the bullet struck her shoulder, glanced off her like it was a peanut, and did her no harm.
It pisses her off, however.
âOh, you little bitch!â She shouted, reaching for her rifle, âYou want to compare firearms?â she grins, a hint of madness streaming into her eyes, their color draining to a near gray color. âUnless youâve got some serious armor penetration there missy, you arenât scratching my armor!â
I dive out of the way, hoping to dodge the ensuing bullets. Expecting a flurry of bullets, instead, I overhear a scream coming from one hostage. Demond is now in his werewolf form, a firm grip on both Rachelâs wrists.
âSurrender, we donât want this to get ugly,â he grunts, preventing Rachel from grabbing her weapon.
Rachelâs face contorts to a full grin as her wings spread wider, âUgly? Oh, dear have you looked in the mirror?â
Demond growls.
I get to the hostages lined up on the wall while Demond distracts Rachel. They shuffle out of the room, I donât bother to undo their restraints, focusing on getting them out of harmâs way.
Rachel keeps her eyes on Demondâs, despite him being much larger than her, she shows no fear. âRage, armor transition, anti-freak mode: Lycan.â
Rachelâs armor shifts, from her feet, rising to her neck and hands the material changes from the black and gray theme to that of shimmering silver. Her nails grow longer and I watch as her wings, and even her hair, change to a bright and pristine silver color.
My eyes go wide as I realize what Rachelâs plan was, âSergeant! Disengage!â
Before he can both of Rachelâs wings whip forward, the tips of her massive feathers slicing across Demondâs cheeks.
He lets out a whimper and staggers back, bleeding from either side of his face.
Rachel doesnât let up, taking her elongated fingernails and slashing at Demond.
He tries to defend, holding up his arms, only getting his forearms and biceps slashed opened as he does.
Rachel then leaps into the air, her wings unfurled, and flaps them hard, silver flakes flying from her wings.
Demond yipes, coughs, and closes his eyes as the flakes blind him.
Rachel lands in front of him, and jabs both of her hands into his sides, digging her long nails deep into his abdomen and then breaking them off inside.
Demond howls in pain.
Rachel then roundhouse kicks Demond to the floor, placing her foot on his throat. âPoor pup⊠looks like I need to put you down, sweety.â
At this point Jason rushes over, his eyes focus on Rachel, âDare I ask âwhat the fuck is going onâ?â
I whip around to him and see him still in his trench-coat, âOkay, Jason, we need some good angel vs bad angel action.â
Jason cracks his neck, âWell that is why Iâm hereâŠâ he throws off his trench coat and pulls his fists up like an experienced boxer, âHey, old lady!â
I watch Rachelâs eye twitch, âWho dares?â she turns to face him. âOh, how desperate are they getting when someone like you can become an avatar of Saint Michael?â
Jason hurls a right hook at Rachel that knocks her off Demond.
Rachel wiggles her jaw, and turns to Jason, glaring, her aura shifts and somehow grows darker. âTime to stop fucking around.â
Elon chimes into my earpiece, âI canât get a shot, she needs to be near the window.â
Demond has reverted to his human form as I rush to his aid. My heart races as I drag him into the hallway with much effort, I see Demond bleeding. âSergeant? Are you all right?â
Demond shakes his head, groaning, âI-Iâm not⊠healing⊠the fuck did she do?â
I frown, turning to the bout between Rachel and Jason.
Jasonâs taken a few to the chin himself, and Rachel is now dodging most of his swings.
Rachel sweeps Jasonâs legs out from under him, and pins him to the ground with her knee on his neck, âI will snap your foul-mouthed little windpipe, you little punk!â
Jason groans, his hands on her knee.
I get up, ready to fire a few shots at Rachel before Demond charges at her, tackling her into a desk, and wrapping his arms tight around her upper body. He shouts in pain the entire time but puts every ounce of strength into holding her back.
Demond blocks my shot, I run to Jason to check on him, âYou okay?â
Jason sits up, âYeah, but sheâs not going down easy.â he looks to my gun, â⊠may I? Iâve been trying something⊠broke my service pistol at home but⊠it might work with that thing.â
I glare at him, âBreak my baby and Iâll break you.â I hand him my gun.
Jason drops the magazine from the gun and clears the chamber.
I catch the ejected round, âGuns work better with bullets.â I remind Jason.
Jasonâs eyes glow white and his wings do the same, light surrounding him and then channeling through his hand and into my gun, âDepends on what kind of bullet youâre using.â
I shout, âDemond, Let go!â
Demond lets go, falling to the ground in a heap.
Rachel stands up, glaring at Jason, âThe Hestie tried that already bird boy!â
âIn Nomeni Patri Et Fili,â grins knowingly to Rachel, âSpiritus Sancti!â Jason shouts and pulls the trigger.
A white light shoots from his arm and out of the pistol, then crashes into Rachelâs shoulder, shattering her armor and forcing her to stagger backward, tripping over Demond.
âHoly shitâŠâ I exclaim.
âMan that felt goodâŠâ he looks to my desert eagle, âGuess I needed more iron.â
I snatch my gun from his hand, âthen get your own.â I slide the magazine back into place.
Rachel gets to her feet, her left shoulder bearskin, the armor burned and torn, and her flesh singed. âOh, that was a neat trick.â
In my earpiece I can hear Elon, âI have a shot: take it?â
Rachel cracks her neck, âI will kill you all now.â
âTake the shot,â I order.
Rachel runs past the window, as she does she tumbles to the ground, a hole in her side, the sound of the shot following after the bullet strikes her. She slides to the ground at my feet and coughs up blood on my boots.
I get down to the ground and pull her to a sitting position, the bullet entered her side and hit at least one lung.
Rachel gasps, âDamn you⊠Xyphiel⊠if I never had children⊠that would have bounced off meâŠâ
Jason looks around, âShould I find some bandages or is she done for?â
I look down on at Rachel, trying to decide which daughter I should listen to.
I feel dizzy as Samaelâs voice rings in my head. âEva reaps a great boon if her mother is dead, as she will be queen after her. However, Zepherinaâs love of Rachel is also selfish, so many are put in danger for a single daughterâs wants. What to do, what to do?â
I shake my head, âJason, there should be a first aid kit in the hall. Rachel will be our prisoner until we decide what to do with her.â
Rachel spits blood at me, âFuck you.â
Jason makes an odd squeaking noise of sorts from the doorway, I look up, my eyes wide as I see a massive arm wrapped around Jasonâs neck. Someone points a knife to his chest.
Behind Jason is Ragna, holding him tight against her, a portal of some sort pulsating behind her.
Ragna growls, her teeth clenched as she speaks, âRelease my angel or your angel dies.â