Guardians: The Fallout

  I fly over to Emmy’s window and listen to what they’re saying.

  I know I shouldn’t. And I also know I shouldn’t be with Rage. So, let’s just make ‘Things Mimi shouldn’t do’ the theme for the day, okay?

  Emmy’s voice is very weak and requires me to get as close as I can to the window in order to hear what she is saying.

  Marcus leans in lovingly to take in her every word.

  “Hey, do me a favor,” Emmy says to him.

  “Anything.”

  “I know how much you want it, but don’t ask Ameana for your Rah back.”

  “Why?”

  “I think we’ve taken enough from her.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Marcus, I love you. I love you in ways I’m not sure I even understand yet. Our love is deep, crazy, and unrelenting. It saved my life.”

  “Mine too.”

  “But that same love can be selfish, all-consuming. But we should have handled it better.”

  “I tried,” he says.

  “Me too.”

  “Emmy, I don’t want to hurt Ameana but I want to kiss you.”

  “You and I know that’s just not gonna happen. We have to be okay with that.”

  “No.”

  “Marcus, I don’t want our last moments together to be spent lying to each other. I know it’s hard. But the truth is what I want from you, more so than a kiss. I want you to be able to face what’s happening. I won’t survive the next marking, will I?”

  “No.”

  “Am I dying?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, then you have to do what I say. That’s the rule; the dying girl gets to call the shots.”

  “Em—”

  “—Okay, so you’re going to give me anything I want?”

  “Anything, anything at all.”

  “I want you to have Jay convince my mom that she never had a child. That her life is perfect and she’s happy.”

  “If I do that, she won’t remember you.”

  “She also won’t remember that she was raped. And I was a result of that. It’s the best thing for her. Besides, I don’t want her to grieve for years and years after I’m gone, okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “There is a picture of me and my mom in my room. Mrs. Charlotte is in the background with her tail up in the air. She’s about to fall off the curtain. It’s my favorite. I want it with me.”

  “What, no pictures of me? Don’t you want to take me with you?” he says, trying to lighten the mood.

  “I don’t need your picture. I don’t need to kiss you or to have your Rah. I had something more important; your love.”

  “I can’t just let you go; I won’t. I love you too much. I will find a way to save you,” he vows.

  “You already did. That’s why I’m okay saying goodbye. I’m the luckiest girl on the face of the earth. I was loved by an Angel.”

  “Emmy, don’t die. Don’t do this to me, please.”

  “I want one more thing from you.”

  “Only if you keep fighting.”

  “I want you to watch out for Ameana.”

  “Why?”

  “She’s breaking apart from the inside.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We left a hole in her. I know she is refilling it with something dark.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because that’s what I’d do.”

  “Okay, I’ll watch her.”

  “Good, now go kick Hun butt.”

  He remains silent. I take a chance and peer into the window.

  “I’m sorry, Emmy,”

  “This is not your fault,” she assures him.

  It takes a few moments before he can bring himself to answer.

  When he speaks his voice is pained and tortured. “It is my fault. I couldn’t save my mom from drugs. I can’t save you from this…”

  He falls to his knees and places his head in her lap. She bites her lip and tries not to cry as she strokes his hair.

  Marcus pleads for his love to answer that question that has been haunting him since his death.

  “Emmy, why can’t I save the people I love?”

  I pull back and lean on the side on the building.

  Seeing him there broken, uncertain and hurt is more that I can stand.

  I make a decision.

  Then I look out and find Rio standing a few yards away, watching me.

  His stare isn’t hard like it was when we talked in the White Forest.

  The look on his face is that of a wounded child.

  Then for the first time since knowing him, I wonder if Rio’s gift to read people’s feelings is really a gift at all.

  Miku flies over to her brother.

  He talks to her without ever taking his eyes off of me.

  “We aren’t going to Alaska with Marcus or Ameana,” he says with complete certainty.

  “Why not?” Miku asks.

  Rio answers as he continues to look into my eyes.

  “Ameana is going to take Marcus to the mountains; She’s gonna give Marcus his Rah back.”

  ********************************

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: TWO OF A KIND

  Before I can confirm or deny what Rio suspects, Jay comes from around the corner and tells us we have to go back in to see Emmy.

  “Did the second mixture work?” I ask hopefully.

  “No, the last marking just carved itself into her wrist.”

  “Is she…?” Miku is afraid to finish her thought.

  “Not yet. Let’s go,” Jay says. All three of us follow him back to Emmy’s room.

  Once there, we find Gray pouring over a Book of Vows. It is an encyclopedia of evil symbols and their meanings.

  “What is the last marking?” Rio asks.

  They show him Emmy’s wrist. The symbol is now complete. It is twisted triangle severed in half by lightening. The circle that encompasses the marking is made up of short, violent red stokes.

  “What does it mean?” Miku asks between the sound of Emmy’s screams.

  “I’ve seen part of this symbol before. It means a memory sweep has to be performed. That is why the lightening is there; it symbolizes a part of the memory must to cut away. But I don’t know why the triangle is there or why it’s twisted,” she says as she scrambles to find more info from the Book.

  “Look up ‘parting significant others,” Marcus instructs.

  Gray does as he says. Shock spreads across her face. She shows the result to the rest of us. Marcus doesn’t bother to look.

  “I should have known; How could have not seen this?” he says almost to himself.

  “What is it; what do the markings mean?” Emmy asks as soon as she is able to catch her breath.

  From the false cheery look on my ex-boyfriend’s face, I can tell he’s about to lie.

  “It’s good news. The maker of the Virus doesn’t want the Triplex. They want something much easier to give.”

  “Don’t lie to me Marcus; not now.”

  Apparently his new girl could read him too.

  “The Virus is asking that you leave a few memories behind.”

  “What memories?”

  “Memories of us.”

  “I can’t forget the Guardians. How would I be able to help in the mission?”

  “No, Emmy. You don’t have to forget the Guardians. You have to forget us; you and me.”

  “No.”

  “Wait, you’d still remember who I am. You’d still be part of the mission,” he pleads.

  “Then what would I actually be agreeing to forget?”

  “Love. You would forget that you ever loved him,” I say in a strange, far-away voice.

  She starts shaking her head and crying. But this time it has nothing to do with the physical pain.

  “Emmy, you have to consent to what the Virus asks.”

  “No, I won’t do it.”

  “No one has ever lasted more than an hour after the last markings appear. The
y either give in to what the Virus demands or die. Young lady, you have to agree and you have to do it now,” Gray says in no uncertain terms.

  “Gray assures us that it’s really simple. You agree to what the Virus wants and place the markings to the center of heart. You won’t feel any pain,” Miku adds.

  “Can I say yes now and get my memoires back when I get better?”

  “No, a Virus requires a Vow,” Gray says.

  “What does that mean?”

  “The same force that keeps me from kissing you is the same force that will keep you from breaking your agreement with the Virus maker. In the angel world, a Vow is not just words or an oath; it’s a contractually binding agreement. It prevents the Angel from breaking it unless both parties agree,” Marcus informs her.

  “Okay, so why don’t I agree and then you guys can have Jay convince me that I loved Marcus. He can put all the memories back in my head with his power of suggestion,” she says with renewed hope.

  “Jay’s powers can’t override a Vow,” Marcus says regretfully.

  “Well, figure something else out, because I’m not gonna forget about you. I can’t.”

  She barely finishes her statement when a sharp cry escapes her throat and fills the room. There are dark greenish vein-like lines now growing from the symbol on her right arm. It moves slowly up her arm and stops just below her shoulder.

  “These lines are called pressure points. That’s where the name of the Virus comes from. Once they reach her chest, there is nothing we can do,” Gray says sadly.

  “Is there any way we can force her to agree to this?” Marcus asks.

  “You know we can’t, Guardian. It has to be a decision she makes of her own free will,” Gray replies.

  “Wait, Jay, can convince her,” he says.

  “No, he can’t. Emmy has to agree to this. Her true desire will be read by the Virus.”

  “Emmy, please do this. For me!” he pleads again. But she is in too much pain now to respond.

  “Who would want the two of you to be apart?” Rio asks.

  “You mean aside from the whole damn world?” Marcus spits bitterly.

  Suddenly, Emmy starts laughing.

  “What is it?” Miku asks her.

  “The horses, they’re standing on top of each other; I think they’re going to fall.”

  Everyone in the room turns to face the direction the human is looking at; there is nothing there.

  “She’s in the last stage; she’s having delusions.” Gray informs us quietly.

  “Emmy, can you hear me?” Marcus asks.

  She just keeps on laughing.

  “Look, it’s obvious that she isn’t thinking straight. Let me use my powers on her and see if it works.”

  “She may be not be in her right mind now but she already told us her decision. Her mind may be going but her heart is steady in what she wants,” Gray says.

  “That’s crap.”

  “Marcus,” I warn him.

  “Gray, you have to try. Maybe she’s changed her mind and we just don’t know it because she can’t communicate right now.”

  Gray takes Emmy’s wrist, and creates a small liquid-like pool of white over the symbol. She then puts Emmy’s hand on her heart.

  “If it works, the markings should begin to fade, as will Emmy’s memories of her having loved you.”

  I see Marcus’s reaction from the corner of my eye. He’s terrified that it won’t work; he’s also gripped by sadness at the thought that it will.

  After a full minute, Gray takes Emmy’s hand away from her chest and studies it.

  If anything, the mark seems to have gotten bigger.

  “Wait, we may just need to give it some time,” Marcus says.

  So, we wait. We wait until it is obvious that it did not work. Marcus makes Jay try and convince Emmy. And just like Gray said, it was pointless. The Virus would not allow Emmy to say yes unless it was of her own free will.

  And Emmy, even in her pain-filled delusions, couldn’t give up memories of the boy she loves. I get that. I truly do.

  “The second version of the mixture is still being prepared. It may not be ready in time. And even if it is, it may not work. The only thing to do is find the maker of the Virus,” Gray says breaking the silence.

  “Everyone wants me and Emmy to never have happened; from my members of my team, to Ground Walkers and even the Sage. How are we supposed to narrow it down in time? She has less than in hour,” Marcus roars at everyone.

  “I think I know who the Virus Maker is.”

  Everyone turns to face me. They are shocked by what I have said.

  “What? How do you know that?”

  “I followed him one day and he led me to Hun’s Market. We’ve talked a few times before and he is really pissed off about you and Emmy being together.”

  “The Sage.” Rio concludes.

  “Yes, he’s the only one you can’t read. Who knows what he’s feeling and how far he’ll go to ensure this mission,” Miku says to her twin.

  “No, it’s not him; the maker of the Virus is Julian.”

  *************************

  Marcus quickly protests. “I know he hates me but he wouldn’t hurt Emmy like this just to get back at me.”

  “It’s not about his hatred for you; it’s about his love for her. He is sure that her being with you will put her life in danger. He would hurt her if he thought it was the only way to save her from certain death with you.”

  “How long have you known about this?”

  “I just put it together a little while ago but I wasn’t sure.”

  “But you’re sure now?”

  “Yes.”

  The words barely leave my mouth when Marcus heads out.

  I rush up after him.

  “I’ll come with you,” I say.

  He is about to argue but I don’t give him the chance. We head back to New York City.

  Yes, I know I shouldn’t have withheld the info for so long. I just kept hoping that the mixture would work.

  You were also protecting your secret.

  I wish like hell Angels didn’t have inner thoughts.

  My trips back to the city from Daraquin always seem to take too long. So, of course now that my whole ‘life’ is about to be destroyed, it takes no time at all to get back to New York City.

  But what did I expect? Marcus is flying with the frenzy and speed of an Angel possessed.

  Thankfully, its nightfall in the city so we can fly outright. But I get the feeling that the first Guardian would be flying whether it was nightfall or not.

  A short time later we arrive back at the house on the Upper West Side. Marcus runs inside and drags Julian onto the roof.

  When Julian called me days before and told me to meet him at Hun’s Market, I told him that things might play out this way.

  Marcus is a nice guy but I have no doubt that he is willing to do anything for the people he loves. And he’s proven he loves Emmy. And if keeping her alive means killing Julian, then that is exactly what he will do.

  Although Julian would get to come back, he would have to start all over and the urge to be with Emmy’s mom would be even greater.

  “You son of a–”

  I can’t hear the rest of what Marcus is saying because of the sound of Julian’s head hitting the rooftop pavement. Right away, blood gushes out from the side of his head. I X-ray him and find that his skull isn’t cracked, but he has a huge gash on his left temple. His left eye is already swelling.

  “How could you do this to her, you’re her father!” Marcus says as he tackles Julian again.

  Fearful that he may actually kill him, I intervene by standing between the two.

  “I love her,” Julian shouts back from behind my protective stance.

  “You’re killing her.”

  “No, I am protecting her.”

  “Protecting her from what?”

  “You.”

  “I have never hurt her,” Marcus says filled wit
h fury.

  “All you’ve done is hurt her. She was so upset to find you and Ameana kissing in school, that she went off to be alone and was attacked by an Akon.”

  “I told her not to be alone. That wasn’t my fault.”

  “She watches her friend get murdered right in front of her and what do you do to help her out of her depression? You lie and tell her that you love her.”

  “I do.”

  “Yeah, you love her so much you stood there while your girlfriend, an angel, throws her against the wall and split her head open.”

  “I tried to stop Ameana from doing that.”

  “I don’t give a damn what you tried to do. The Sage made it clear that you are to stay away from Emmy but you won’t listen. You just want what you want. Well, I’m not gonna let you end my daughter’s life because you’re horny and have a thing for humans.”

  “Who the hell are you to say that to me? You are the reason we’re down here. If you hadn’t broken the rules, none of this would have happened. You’re a selfish, self-serving bastard.”

  “Yes, I am, and I can recognize a fellow bastard when I see him in front of me.”

  “You and I are not the same thing.”

  “Oh yes, we are. Both of us hide behind wings to say that we’re good and just. But the truth is Guardian or no Guardian, we will take whatever we want. It doesn’t matter what the Council says. It doesn’t matter what The Sage or even Omnis says. We will do whatever we want.”

  “I have always followed the rules.”

  “Really? It that why my daughter is dying?”

  “She’s dying because you’re killing her.”

  “I would rather have her suffer and die once. It’s better than her being with you, and ending up in a never-ending cycle on earth like her mother.”

  “That is not gonna happen.”

  “How do you know? Everyone has forbidden you from seeing Emmy. Everyone says it will be the end of the mission. What do you think the Council will do with the human that helped bring about the end of humanity?”

  “It is not Emmy’s fault.”

  “It wasn’t Femi’s fault that I broke the rules but still the Council punished her too. They’re really nice like that.”

  “I wouldn’t let anything happen to Emmy.”

  “You are what is happening to her. You’re out of control and have to be stopped. Just like I should have been when I first began falling for Femi on the bridge.”