Fallen Angels Read online

  “Matthew, I tried to tell the Council. I tried to tell them what really happened, but they wouldn’t believe me,” Maya said. “Only he would listen.” She gestured at the doctor. “That’s when he told me to bring you here.”

  “Why?”

  “If Pazuzu has his way, your father will die. We have analyzed the situation and no matter what we do, you will try to stop your father’s death, which would be in direct conflict with the decision of the Council. You would be held in contempt, cast off planet and sent to your homeworld. Since this is your homeworld, that is a death sentence for you,” Dr. Enkadu stated this clearly and succinctly, making it seem so much more surreal. “So you see, you have no choice but to take over the Council of the Accords.”

  “But how could I possibly do that?” I asked.

  “Matthew, you are special. There are those who follow the timelines, and they have seen your arrival.”

  “Timelines? You have people that can see the future?” I asked.

  “We have people that can see the timelines,” Dr. Enkadu answered. “Timelines are predictable, but they do shift, thus creating differing realities usually ending in a point of singularity, moments of time that are present in every timeline. We’re not sure why that happens, but it does. Thus, the timelines are usually stable, following a predictable path to points of singularity. In your case, they are shifting randomly, unpredictably, with no singularity in sight.”

  “In my case?” What the hell was he talking about?

  “It was predicted millennia ago that you—or someone exactly like you—would arrive. Then after you became of age, the timelines would no longer converged the way they have for all that time,” Dr. Enkadu said.

  “Why would that be?” George asked.

  “My best guess is someone is altering time. Matthew, you were placed here, and your existence is bending time itself. The timelines have been shifting because your every decision and every action is warping the timeline continuum,” Dr. Enkadu said.

  “Huh?” George said.

  Dr. Enkadu sighed and explained. “Imagine time as a film that runs through a film projector. Each frame is a moment of time and is supposed to flow through that projector. What is seen on the screen, the movie, is reality as we experience it.”

  “Uh, okay,” George said.

  “That is the Timeline, the way it is being observed, each frame of time moving forward to become reality on the screen, on our consciousness. But imagine, within each individual frame, each moment of time, there is something that is changing things in the frame, changing the reality. Once this happens, the movie no longer makes sense,” the doctor explained.

  “Okay, so?” I asked.

  “You are the thing that is changing each individual frame and bending time around you. Each decision you make is changing all of our realities.”

  “How so?” Kayla asked.

  He looked at Maya and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, dear,” he said, his eyes kind. “This beautiful creature here would have died in that dungeon under Devon Pazuzu’s hand, and Pazuzu would have made sure the humans were blamed.”

  Maya’s breath caught in her throat and George placed a hand on her shoulder, calming her.

  “The Pendrakes, grief-stricken, would garner considerable support from the Galactic Council and this planet would have been destroyed a year from now.”

  “Matthew changed that?” Kayla asked.

  “Matthew, with the help of a few others.” Dr. Enkadu’s glinted, tilting his head in George and Kayla’s direction. “Matthew, you are the focal point, the singularity behind which everything else will be made reality.”

  I stared at the strange-looking creature. “What am I supposed to do?” I asked.

  “You lead and we will follow,” George said. “But just don’t let it get to your head or I will give you a good smack.”

  “Taking over the Council is the only way you will have a chance. The war is coming, and it is time your people were made ready,” Dr. Enkadu said.

  “You mean the Malakhim?” I asked.

  “I mean the human race!”

  Chapter 26 - Ricco

  Our consciousness, awareness, whatever you want to call it, was taken from the ship and sent back through the ocean and over the Golden Gate Bridge. The city sparkled even through the fog that had settled in. I became aware of my surroundings. Someone was knocking on the console beside us.

  Maya pressed a button and the energy field disappeared.

  “You guys need a drink?” A waifish-looking waitress mouthed to us, pointing at her empty tray impatiently, the loud thumping from the speakers making it impossible to hear her. The club was crowded and I’m sure she couldn’t wait to get out of this madhouse for the night.

  “No, we’re good!” Maya yelled.

  “So, how many of these places are there in San Franscisco?” I asked when we had left the club and could talk without screaming or hiding behind privacy screens.

  “More than you could imagine,” Kayla replied. “Sentients have all but taken over this city. Why do you think they call this the City of Misfits?”

  I thought about it as we walked down the street. On the corner, a bum danced by himself, swaying back and forth, his hands high up in the air. “Yup, makes sense to me,” I commented dryly.

  We walked down the same alleyway we had come through before.

  “Aw, crap!” George said and stopped walking so fast, I almost bumped into him. Across the street, a bunch of Vin Diesel wannabes had taken up posts around Kayla’s car.

  “What are you doing here?” Maya glared at a darkened doorway. I struggled to make out who was there until my pendant flashed and I saw the shoulder-length hair of Ricco.

  “We saw the car and knew you must be around here somewhere,” Ricco said as he stepped out into the light.

  “What do you want?” Maya hissed.

  “What I want to know is what you’re doing here. I thought you’d be out of commission for a while,” Ricco told her.

  “You bastard, you left me there to die!” George stepped in front of her with his Kindjals already out, but she said, “Your insane father was going to have me killed.”

  “He promised me you wouldn’t be hurt. You were to join the New Society,” Ricco told Maya. “This place won’t last for much longer. You are to be by my side when we take over, Maya. Can’t you see?”

  “Wanna bet on that?” George asked and I stepped next to him, standing between Kayla and Ricco. I began to gather the power of the earth, but it felt far away. The energy cascaded around me in weak, fiery arcs.

  “Oh look, the little boy thinks he’s got some new tricks,” Ricco said. “I’m going to enjoy this,” he sneered and made a quick motion. A long rod materialized out of thin air. Arcs of electricity crackled along its length, and the air around him sparkled.

  “You can’t do this here! What about the Accords?” Kayla asked.

  “Oh, don’t worry. I’ve made sure the fog is very thick tonight; these Earthbound fools won’t see anything. Besides, soon the Accords won’t mean a thing,” Ricco jeered and his bouncer friends circled around us.

  “There were six of your buddies, Ricco. Now there’s only five. Did one of them figure out how bad your B.O. is?”

  Ricco’s face contorted into a sneer. “Because of you, my father punished me. Teotica is no longer alive and for that, you will die!” he shrieked. Lightning fell from the fog-laden air.

  “Umm, Matty?” George asked.

  “What?”

  “If this is gonna be how it is, I really gotta stop hanging out with you!” At that moment, he lunged over Kayla’s car. He swept out a leg and caught one of them on the crown of his head. The guy fell to the ground, stunned. George swept his Kindjals but Ricco blocked his strikes quickly and efficiently. He whipped the rod back and forth faster than my eyes could follow.

  “Matthew!” Kayla screamed as two of the bouncer guys rushed her from the left. I jumped past her an
d used all the power I had drawn from the Earth to throw a haymaker across the guy’s jaw. His neck twisted, but he slowly turned his head back toward me, smiling mockingly.

  “Aw, shit!” I said as the second thug attacked Maya. I used a blast of energy toward the other guy, blasting him off his feet.

  The first guy tried to grab me but I squirmed downward and spun to face him. I launched my knee upward, catching him squarely in the crotch. He doubled over in pain. In the same motion, I came out of my crouch and exploded upward, the crown of my head into slamming under his chin. He hit the ground hard.

  I glanced over at George, who was busy with Ricco. I hoped George would be all right as a scream from Maya demanded my attention.

  She had been pulled away from us. Before I could get to her, three other guys jumped me. I leapt over two of them and tried to get to Maya but was grabbed by the third guy. He pulled me off my feet and slammed me down on the asphalt. The Right Said Fred wannabes spent the next few seconds kicking me.

  I crumpled, protecting my head and trying to concentrate enough to think of something to stop them from dancing on my skull. Not easy when three huge bastards are trying to use me for a soccer ball. I felt the power of the Earth and realized maybe I had the power to move it?

  Deep down, I felt the asphalt below me, then a BART tunnel below that. No wonder I felt so disconnected; I was over fifty feet from contact with terra firma. The bouncer guys stopped dancing on my head for a second and I took the reprieve to reach down farther into the Earth and draw power. My break didn’t last long because I heard the ominous sound of someone else gathering power. Well, that was just great!

  I glanced up. The bouncer dudes had short clubs out and I was sure they had every intention of turning me into peanut butter, extra crunchy. But I had enough time to do what I needed to do. I reached deep, deep down and there was a snap and something answered. I mean, not in a way that I could understand, but somewhere the Earth heeded my call and it was the weirdest feeling I’d ever felt in my life.

  My pendant flashed and there was a terrible screeching sound as the asphalt under the bouncer guys’ feet rocked and shook, sending them to the ground, knocking the clubs from their hands. A gas line broke and a spark from a broken electrical conduit set it a flame. Fire and black smoke gushed from the hole in the ground.

  One of the goons disappeared though the gaping hole down into the tunnel below. I could hear him screaming as he fell.

  The other two were still kicking me but didn’t have enough leverage to do any damage. A blast of air sent them scrambling after their friend.

  The strain was just too much, as I was so far above the actual earth that I couldn’t replenish quickly enough. I didn’t realize how bad the strain was until I collapsed.

  Now, this is one of the things Rene should have taught me. I lay there helpless; my cheek plastered to the dirty, concrete sidewalk, my body a limp rag. I gathered enough energy to lift my head and could still see where Kayla and Maya were and was surprised as hell when I saw what they were doing.

  Maya had gotten away from the bouncer guy and held Kayla by the arm, swinging her sister in an incredibly quick arc. Kayla kicked one of the guys in the head. Before he could recover, Maya released Kayla, sending her flying. She landed behind him and sent out a jolt of power that made the bouncer guy scream in pain. He fell, writhing in agony.

  Maya jumped the other guy and kicked him so fast I had a hard time seeing what she was doing. Her high heels crushed the bridge of his nose and he reeled back, stunned. I could hear her yelling at the poor guy.

  “Grab me, will you!” She kicked the guy in the crotch, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. His eyes actually crossed and I didn’t think he’d be going anywhere for a while.

  “Ouch! That had to have hurt!” George stood above me, watching as Maya gave the guy a brutal kick as he lay on the ground, just in case. “Whew! Remind me never to piss her off.”

  “What are you doing lying there? Don’t you know we got places to go?” he asked and helped me to my feet. I had gathered enough energy to stand. Strangely, I felt whatever it was that answered my call waiting for me to do something. What it wanted me to do I had no idea. I shook off the feeling as I got to my feet.

  “What happened to Ricco?”

  “He took off right after the explosion. Good thing we’re in San Francisco; they’re used to strange things going on. Would have been harder to explain if we were in Peoria or something.”

  “You been to Peoria?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “Then what they hell are you talking about?”

  George sneered and pushed me hard. I smiled.

  “We better get out of here. Someone is going to call the authorities,” Kayla said. “The street is pretty badly torn up, but there’s enough room for us to get through. Wonder how the street got torn up?” Kayla asked with a smirk.

  “Ask Fireworks Boy over there,” George said.

  “Fireworks Boy, you’d better learn how to clean up after yourself. You really leave a mess,” Maya chided, giggling as she pushed my shoulder.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I said as I slowly stepped over a large crack in the road, my legs aching from the minimal effort, and got into the car.

  Chapter 27 – The Council

  My body ached from last night’s efforts and I spent the last hour sitting in my room, watching the slight breeze blowing through the green leaves of the vineyard below. I stretched, each muscle straining with fatigue. Had I been hit by a truck and didn’t remember it?

  Bailey padded into the room, brown eyes in a white and tan face. I tried to ignore him but he began to bark, a piercing bay, like a large foot mashing on my already frayed nerves. It was difficult to remember that this little dog housed the mind of the late husband, especially when he was so annoying.

  “What do you want?”

  “Sausage,” the dog answered.

  “Rupert, this is getting old!”

  “Bailey, it’s Bailey. Don’t go upsetting the Missus. Get downstairs and let’s have some sausage.” His collar jingled as he hop-stepped down the carpeted stairs.

  I got ready and followed him down.

  “Well, good morning, sunshine!” Ms. Maggie said. “Or should I say, good afternoon?”

  “Um, yeah,” I mumbled.

  “What’ll it be, a sandwich or some pasta?” Bailey barked at the latter. “You know you can’t have any, you rotten little dog.”

  “Pasta, I guess. Thanks.” George and Aunt Emily sat in the nook. Rene was in the kitchen, glowering as always. George already had his hands around a sandwich, and Aunt Emily was reading the afternoon paper.

  Big headlines across the front of the paper read, Explosion Rocks City with a picture of the street we had been on. George looked at the page then took a big bite out of his sandwich. I didn’t think he wanted to be able to speak when they started asking questions. Aunt Emily folded the newspaper as I took a seat, the paper placed conspicuously in front of me.

  “Do you know anything about this?” she asked, pointing at the headline on the page. I peeked at George, who suddenly had a very healthy interest in his sandwich.

  “Uhhh, yes,” I said half-heartedly.

  “Oh really? What do you know about it?” She snapped. I don’t know how, but somehow, she knew we were involved. Maybe it was part of that whole empath thing. Whatever it was, she was pissed.

  “We were attacked.”

  “By whom?”

  “Ricco and his guys,” I said.

  “You were in the city?” Rene asked.

  “Yes,” I answered truthfully. If I was going to go down, I thought I’d better go down with the truth.

  “Matthew, do you have any idea how many of your enemies are in the city?” Rene asked.

  “He didn’t know,” George said, trying to defend me.

  Rene cut him off. “I haven’t even gotten to you yet. You’re Malakhim; you knew! Do you have any idea the trouble you both have cau
sed? We are trying to manage your last fiasco with Devon Pazuzu and then you do this? Do you know what they do to those who expose themselves to the non-initiated? They execute them!” I squirmed in my seat. No, I didn’t know, but the results must be very severe or else we’d be seeing ETs on every news channel every night.

  I sat in silence, nibbling from the bowl of pasta Ms. Maggie had put in front of me.

  “Matthew, the Council has already come to a decision,” Rene said

  “This quickly? That was only three days ago,” Aunt Emily asked.

  “Seems Pazuzu has more influence than we’d like to admit,” Rene said.

  “Yeah, Dr. Enkadu told us about it last night.”

  That got a raised eyebrow from Rene. “Enkadu spoke with you?”

  “Yeah. He told me about the Council’s decision and said the Council is not what it was meant to be.”

  “He’s become involved? That is unprecedented.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Dr. Enkadu is one of the members of the Council of Accords. He usually keeps a scientific detachment from his research subject here,” the old man muttered to himself.

  “He also said the Timelines predicted that the only way to save our people was to take over the Council.”

  “He said that?” Rene and Aunt Emily said in unison.

  Aunt Emily peered at Rene. “Perhaps there is a chance. Rene, do you think you could declare your status on the council as Ad Infinitum? You never officially quit; you just stopped attending.”

  “Yes, I believe I can. I put that stipulation in the Accords myself centuries ago,” Rene answered.

  “Good. Pazuzu has not made many friends amongst the Sentients, especially the Malakhim. This should push any support he may have over the edge. It’s time I gather support to gain a position on the council and claim Filius Meas, giving Matthew the seat,” she said.

  “Filius Meas?” I asked. Aunt Emily looked up but didn’t say anything.