Hannah made reservations at the South Mountain Suites and Inn. Five rooms to start, but she would adjust as needed when they learned how many girls and boys had been rescued. The reservationist assured her there were plenty of rooms available. The two Brethren flew off just as the sun set, with Barbara and her in one van, Stanley and the boys in the other, using the more traditional way of traveling.
They were to wait for Gabriel’s “all clear” signal before entering and ushering the kids into the vans. Having the boys along for the extraction, although risky, provided Gabriel with an unusual opportunity. They were proof to the others that he could be trusted. He’d be able to spend less time explaining and more time whisking the kids away to safety.
The vans arrived at the apartment complex and the wait began.
****
Gabriel’s senses were focused and controlled. He’d shrouded Yofi and himself with a protective incantation. One could never be too careful. Those guards could be mortal, which offered them no problem, or they could wind up being mortals under the influence of Satan, otherwise known as UTIS. In this instance, they usually were unpredictably volatile and possessed superhuman strength. They wouldn’t know which they were dealing with until they were fully engaged in rendering them null and void.
In all the time that Gabriel had been rescuing victims, he’d had Hannah keep track of the statistics. They weren’t pretty. After reviewing nearly forty years of being on the job, it was split down the middle fifty-fifty. Half of the population they encountered had been UTIS. What about the other fifty percent of degenerate souls? They were just that evil, all on their own.
His plan, with Yofi as lead Brethren, was all about stealth. Shielded, Gabriel made quick work of the locked front door, and they entered. As he walked around unnoticed, he counted four girls and five boys lying haphazardly on the floor of the living room, sleeping. He smiled, glad that his intuition was right. Night time was best for this particular operation. No sense in frightening the kids as they dealt with the guards.
Using the hilt of his sword, Yofi knocked out each one of the goons and cuffed them. Gabriel unshielded his mind and allowed the connection with Hannah to flourish. “Apartment One, secured. Nine kids sleeping on floor. Ready for extraction. We’re moving on.”
“Got it,” she replied.
They proceeded to the next apartment, and he Yofi worked over the next two guards. Gabriel found seven kids in this one, again, sleeping on the living room floor instead of the empty beds in the bedrooms. Disgusted, he concluded they may have only been used for lying down on the job, literally.
“Apartment Two, secured and ready for extraction. Seven sleeping kids here.”
“Roger that.”
They moved on quickly to the third and fourth apartments, where the pattern repeated itself. Fifteen more kids were rescued from these last two. Hannah, Barbara, Stanley, and the boys were tasked with not only removing these victims from their captivity to the safety of hotel rooms, but also letting them know they’d been rescued, not stolen by another trafficker. They got to share happy news that they’d soon be reunited with their families or taken care of in the event that they had none.
They had the onerous task of culling information from the guards and sending them to Hell. They’d dragged them all, unconscious, to lean against a wall in the fourth apartment, like a line-up. Yofi, unshielded, strolled from one man to the next, splashing water on their faces. A few of them flashed red glowing eyes in protest and spat on his boots, but there was no way out of their predicament. Once in Brethren shackles, possessed or not, it was basically all over.
“Wakey, wakey, assholes. Time to rise and shine, and meet your doom.” He snickered, and shook a few who weren’t quite roused yet. “These are the ones that had no fight in them, Gabe. So dissatisfying. At least the others struggled a little bit.”
“Not every mission can be exciting, my brother.”
“Yeah, well let’s see how exciting it gets when we show them our swords, eh? Ha!”
Yofi unsheathed his, kissed the blade, and waved it about with flourish. Gabriel rolled his eyes, but couldn’t deny feeling the same eagerness to give these men a taste of fear before they no longer existed in the mortal realm. He unsheathed his own sword, inspected it, read the inscription carved into the blade, and sliced through the men’s shirts without marring their skin. The non-possessed screamed, while the others remained stoic or hissed their disapproval.
“Now that’s what I call exciting!” Yofi laughed so hard, he choked. “Wasn’t expecting that so soon from ya. You must want these fuckers gone real bad.”
“Oh, yeah. Why don’t we begin?”
“Go for it. I’m more than ready.”
Gabriel stepped forward and took the stage. “Hello, gentlemen. Allow me to make introductions. My name is Gabriel, and this pony-tailed wonder is Yofi. We’re your hosts to Hell this evening.” He released his wings in grand style, along with his partner, fluttering and flapping, and intimidating.
More screams and hostility. “What the fuck, man? Is it Halloween or something?” One guy, a scruffy, bulky, washed up professional wrestler type, spoke up, preening and puffing out his chest like a gorilla. Stupid ass, Gabriel thought. Just like all the others. His cohorts freaked out in appropriate style.
“I’ll tell you what the fuck, dickwad. It’s not Halloween, but it sure is Christmas for a bunch of kids that you held hostage. We’re The Brethren, angels sent here to take care of degenerates like you.” He paced across the floor and pointed his sword at each one of them. “You are charged with aiding and abetting the sex trafficking of minors. You are also charged with thirty-one counts of child endangerment, kidnapping, and I know I can come up with a lot more. Now, I get you’re just the guards. You were just following orders. But all’s equal in my eyes. I am prepared, though, to make you a deal if you tell us who and where the bosses of this operation are.”
“You hear that, boys? They’re angels. What are ya gonna do, poke us with your fancy swords and make us fall in love with each other?” Mr. Asshole snickered and looked to his friends for support, but he got nothing but dubious looks in return.
“Ah, your ignorance is so refreshing.” Gabriel feigned a cough and sneered. “You see, you’re talking about Cupid, the Roman God of Love, who shoots arrows. We, on the other hand, are not myth. We’re quite real, and we’re the first and last angels you’re gonna meet before you die. That’s who the hell we are. Ready to spill it? ‘Cause your death can hurt a lot or not at all. That’s the deal. This guy over here seems ready to lay down a whole lotta hurt on ya, so make your choice, and make sure it’s the right one.”
“Well, fuck me.”
“Yeah, that’s basically what’s gonna happen. So…pain or not, you’re gonna die. I’d prefer to save the pain for your bosses. Wouldn’t you?”
“Tell him, Moose.” One of the other buffoons chimed in. “I don’t like pain. If you don’t, I will. Hell, I was just out to make a few extra bucks! I didn’t sign up for this!”
Moose glared at the imbecile shitting bricks at the end of the row, but complied. “The Richters live about a mile away from here, on Bethany Home Road. You can’t miss it. It’s got Gargoyles on the front porch.”
“Anyone else? Are they the top dogs in this operation?” Moose didn’t respond quickly enough, so Gabriel jabbed his sword at the man’s bloated belly.
“All right! All right! No, they’re not. They work for some guy named Teddy Hatchet, out of California. He’s the one you want. He’s the one pulling all the strings. It’s his ring in the first place.”
“You see, you can be so accommodating when your life is on the line. Now, how do you know so much…. Moose, is it?”
“I heard them arguing the other day about him. They’re pissed he’s jacking up his take and giving them less. They wanna break away from him and do this all by themselves. They have the money to do it now. They were gonna put me as their top guard, too. Damn.”
“Yeah, don’t think that’s gonna work out like you planned, there, Moose. Thanks for the info, though. You’ve been so helpful. Shame it had to come so late. You should’ve worked on being helpful to the right people all these years. Pity, really. Now, for the formal proceedings.” He turned away from the lecher. “Yofi?”
They waved their swords as high as the ceiling would allow. Gabriel breathed in deeply, feeling the adrenaline course through his veins, quickening his pulse. “For your crimes against humanity’s children, you are sentenced to eternity in Hell. Prepare for Brethren Justice!”
A fiery glow emanated from the engravings on the blades. Shrieks and wails of terror mixed with the Brethren’s incantation. In one swift swing of his sword, Yofi sliced through the necks of all the men. Heads toppled and rolled across the floor as Gabriel stood by, guarding his Warrior and acting as backup in case by some odd chance something went wrong. Nothing did. It was a picture perfect meting out of justice.
“You outdid yourself. Eight all at once! I’m humbled by your mastery.” The Protector bowed, and Yofi swatted his ass with his sword.
“Get up, asshole.” He chuckled. “I’ve done dozens in one fail swoop. You know that.”
“I know. Just busting your chops.” Gabriel punched him in the arm.
“’Cause I’m that good.”
“Let’s move. There’re some kids I need to see and talk to.”
“Go ahead. I’ll call in the clean-up crew and hang out ‘til they arrive.”
Gabriel flew off into the night, anxious to assess the situation at the hotel. He’d had a long standing history with South Mountain Resort and Spa. After his very first rescue of one of their own, they’d always been there for him to lend a helping hand with any rescue—offering rooms for them to stay in and even hiring those eligible and needing work.
This happened to be the largest rescue mission to date, and he hoped there were no problems. He’d received no phone call from Hannah, so all should be well. Shielding as he approached the grounds, he tucked his wings away and threw on a long-sleeve shirt with a sport jacket he’d neatly hidden in a hollowed out rock by his favorite suite. Then he entered the resort like any other guest. But he knew better, and so did one particular member of the staff.
“Mr. Seeker!” A tall, lanky concierge, well-groomed, scrambled up to greet him. “What a pleasure it is to see you again!” As he shook his hand and smiled, Gabriel scanned “The Face of South Mountain Resort” and found he still meant every word he spoke. That was nice to know. He didn’t like kiss-asses or liars.
“Jean-Luc, as always, I’m pleased to be here.”
“Have you come to stay with us for a little while, then?”
“Just for the night, perhaps. I have a few suites reserved for friends of mine staying here for an extended visit. Can you look up their room numbers for me?”
“Of course, your… friends.” He smiled that smile he got when he was in on a covert rescue. His eyes always lit up and his cheeks trembled with excitement at being in on a secret. “And I’ll make sure to reserve your suite for you just in case you should decide to stay. Walk with me to my desk.”
As they sat down, Gabriel took a quick sweep of the area for any signs of nefarious dealings. So far, so good.
“Okay, so all your reserved rooms are down the hall from your suite. They take up the entire wing, actually. All guests have access to all the facilities, including spa and salon. Dining privileges are being paid for by your company. We also have reserved two vehicles in the event they are needed. Here is your room key, just in case, and a list of room numbers and who is staying in each.” He lowered his voice to a whisper and leaned in. “Aliases, of course.”
“Naturally. I’d like to go see them now, so, thank you. I’ll be in touch.” He got up and gave a hearty pat on Jean Luc’s back. “Excellent job, my friend. Excellent.”
No one needed to show him the way. He’d stayed there for quite a while when he first manifested on earth during the present era. He’d returned numerous times just to get away for a respite every now and again, as well. He picked up the pace.
A door opened at the end of the hallway, letting a peel of laughter tumble out. Hannah stumbled through the doorway, sniffing and swiping at the corners of her eyes. “Oh, my God! I must remember that joke! You are one funny fellow, Rickie. I’ll be back in a few.” The door fell closed behind her.
She didn’t notice Gabriel, so he stood still, waiting to see what she’d do next. She took a set of keys out of her pocket, opened another room, and leaned against the door. “Hey! How is everyone doing? Can I get you anything else? Gabriel should be here any minute.”
“No, we’re good.” A chorus of female voices answered sweetly.
“All right. It’s getting late, so if he’s not here shortly, it’s lights out. But don’t worry. You’re safe now. Remember that.” She gave them the thumbs up sign and closed the door.
She moved on to another room, and just as she was about to put the key in the lock, Gabriel stopped her with his hand. “I’m here, Hannah.”
She started and laughed. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
“Didn’t mean to. Well, yes I did. You’re doing a fantastic job and I just wanted to hang back and watch for a bit.”
“Thank you, boss. They’re all yours! I’ll gather them all up for you so you can talk to them together first. Keep it short if you can. I suggest holding off on your individual meetings with them until the morning. They are so tired, some are dozing off in the middle of sentences, while others are wound up tighter than a top and need to just calm down.”
“Bring them all to my suite, okay? I’ll be in the living room and can bring everyone back to balance all at once.”
“Got it.”
He left her to do her job and opened up his suite. Same set-up, same floral scent. It felt just as much like home as his others. Would he ever be happy in just one place? He doubted it. He sat himself down on the couch and reviewed what he wanted to say to these children. It was important that they knew they were safe, that their abductors and captors couldn’t get to them again, and that they’d be reunited with their families, if they so wished, as soon as possible.
He’d left the door ajar, so one by one a small army of children marched into his suite and stood just inside the door. Not a giggle to be heard. Utter silence. Tentative glares. White-knuckled hands holding hands. These poor skittish children. I’ll make it right soon enough.
“Come in, come in. Don’t be scared. I’m Gabriel. I’m leader of this team that brought you here, to safety. Come in.” He waved them to come and sit down, but no one moved. Hannah stood behind them all and she busted through the line to the front.
“Come on, everyone! This is Gabriel. The angel who just saved your lives. There’s nothing to be frightened of here. Come sit down with me.”
She walked in front of him and sat down on the floor by his foot. She looked up at him, and when his foot accidentally touched her thigh, he knew it was out of admiration and love. One by one, the children broke down their defenses and sat by her. As the scene played out, he couldn’t help but be reminded of that family of kids who all sang together, huddled around their governess. She’d made a connection and was now the bridge between them all. She’s supposed to be a Warrior? She behaves more like a Savior. Hmm.
“If he’s an angel, where’s his wings?” A little girl, all of maybe ten years old, whispered to another seated beside her.
“I don’t know.” The other shrugged. “Maybe they’re invisible.”
A boy interrupted the girls with a scowl and a shove. “He’s no fucking angel. He’s just another dude who’s gonna sell ya to some fucked up people.”
“Danny, there’s no need for that kind of rude language. Now, apologize to the girls.” Hannah took her role as Den Mother seriously.
“Sorry” He slumped his shoulders. “But I still think he’s no angel.”
Gabriel jumped up, turned around, and ripped open his shirt so the kids could see his wings sprout and flourish. Exclamations of the loud and awed kind erupted from the crowd. When he twirled back around, not one child remained seated. They rushed forward to touch his feathers, and tossed out dozens of questions that they couldn’t wait to be answered. As the huddled around him, he unobtrusively wove about them a double layer of his comforting incantations. It would last them until Cassiel could heal them properly. “Okay, okay! Everybody have a seat. I’ll tell you my story and give you all a happy ending to your own.”
Movement from beyond the group caught his eye, and he watched, like a puppy dog, as Hannah left the room, unnoticed by the others. His heart blipped a little. Where is she going? Probably home for some much needed rest, or to her boyfriend’s house. Yeah, he wouldn’t dwell on that possibility.
He directed his attention back to his charges, and his heart swelled knowing they’d be sleeping tonight and for many more nights to come, without being violated. Once delivered to their homes in the morning, their families’ memories of how they were returned would be swapped with artificial ones meant to keep the Brethren shielded from detection.
****
What a rush! The adrenaline that surged through Hannah surpassed the many times she’d rock-climbed with Rick. And what a satisfying feeling knowing those kids were safe and would soon be reunited with their families! Now, she sat on her couch, waiting for utter exhaustion to consume her. It never happened.
She didn’t understand. How could she be so wide awake after the day and night she’d had? A novel might’ve helped ease her into sleep, but she didn’t feel like reading. A sweet, hot bath could’ve lulled her to sleep, as well. Nope, she wasn’t in the mood for that either. She wanted to do something. Physical activity would definitely wear her out. In the basement, lying in wait, was what one could loosely describe as a workout zone. A while ago, she’d hung a punching bag and a heavy weight bag for boxing and kicking, and she had a jump rope bunched up in the corner, on the floor.
Once decided, she changed into her shorts and tank top, and headed downstairs for the workout of a lifetime. With wrapped hands, first she did ten minutes of jump rope, and then she punched the shit out of the speed bag. That didn’t even break a sweat, so she moved on to do a combination of punching and kicking with the heavy weight bag. She returned to the jump rope for another twenty minutes, and finally one single sweat droplet dared to slide down her temple to her cheek.
What the hell was wrong with her? Did she develop a disorder where her body couldn’t produce sweat? She’d ask her mother in the morning. Regardless of the answer, she could fix her up, good as new. In the meanwhile, there was only so much working out she could do before her body rebelled. It hadn’t yet, but it could.
She was ready for that hot soak in the tub and jogged all the way to her bathroom. Some soft music, candlelight, and a glass of wine all served to relax her well. As she eased herself into the hot water, she sighed aloud. No jets needed in this tub. She had the finest Japanese soaking tub in town. Leaning back, she closed her eyes and let go.
Flying above the land, like an eagle, she gloried in the freedom and the exquisite nature of wind rushing over and under her wings, providing lift. Higher and higher she flew until she labored for every breath. She heard her name slice through the thunderous air with urgency. Soaring back down toward earth, she spotted her companion perched on a rocky cliff. She alighted beside him and he spoke.
“One day, you will fly so high and so far from me, I won’t be able to protect you.”
“Who says I need protecting? I am the greatest there is.”
“It is the very greatest that need protecting the most. Not just from others, but from themselves.”
“I suppose you are right. You’ll be here for me always, then, won’t you?”
“Always have been and always will be. I am your Protector until eternity ends. And you?”
“I am your Warrior until eternity ends. I will fight for you to my last breath.”
“I will give you no reason.”
“Then let us fly together this very day and touch the moon, the sun, the stars! Together, we are invincible!”
Hannah roused, splashing her arms about in her tub, with raisined skin and chattering teeth. Why was she in water? She’d just been soaring to the heavens above with…. Oh my. I’ve seriously lost it. She reached up to grab a towel and wrapped herself up as she stepped out of the tub.
This dream. What the hell was that all about? What did it mean? It definitely felt as though the pair were Gabriel and her. This shit had to stop. First, Gabriel and she accidentally forged a threaded connection reserved only for mated couples. Now this? Why was this happening? They’d been solid friends for years, and she loved him as such. Why on earth would she ever contemplate challenging that arrangement? Why would he?
She loved Rick. How could she love him and yet have similar feelings for Gabriel at the same time? Feelings she didn’t even want to have, no less. Something, someone must have a hand in this. Before she lost the dream, she found a pen and a notepad and wrote it all down. She would analyze it later, when she wasn’t so close to it and felt as though it still lived inside her.
Thoughts of sleep shot to hell, Hannah chose to surf the web until it was time to get ready for work. After purchasing a crock pot, a yoga mat set, and a watch, she decided that tooling around the internet was not a good replacement for sleep and one particular website should be banned from her computer altogether.
Anxiety welled, as thoughts of work gnawed on her brain, but it receded as she recalled that she’d be working in the office today. Good! Gabriel, Marty, and Barbara would be with the kids. She wouldn’t have to face him so soon after the dream. On the way to work, she called her mother. Emma had a way about her, even before she became the Great Savior Mother of the Brethren. A way that soothed without being patronizing. She may very well have the answers Hannah was looking for, or at the very least, help her deal with the strange physical issues she’d been dealing with over the last few days.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mom. It’s me, Hannah.”
“Of course it’s you. Why are you calling me on a phone and not using our threaded connection?”
“Ugh. I’ve had my share of threaded connections for a while, thank you very much.”
“I see. Everything all right with you? You sound… harried.”
“Can I come over later? After dinner maybe?”
“Sure, I can make all the time in the world for you. Wanna fill me in a bit so I know what’s in store during your visit?”
“Weird things have been happening to me lately. Let’s leave it at that for now. I’m at work already anyway.”
“Okay, Ms. Cryptic. I’ll see you later, then. Have a great day. I love you, my sweet daughter.”
“I love you more.”
“I love you most.”
Hannah laughed and her mother joined in as they said their goodbyes. Old habits died hard, and this was one ritual she’d never give up.