Disclaimer: I do not own Dominion, its locations, characters, plot, etc. I do own this crazy idea and a love for angels, and a few characters thrown in...
Summary: Six weeks post 1x04 The Flood, AU. Ever since Michal returned to Vega after being stabbed, some of the Corps soldiers noticed he wasn't always the stoic, aloof archangel Vega's known for years. And Alex is about to find out why. Also...William Whele has a secret to tell about a night that went normally to everyone else but was actually something much bigger.
To waldtaz2go: Thank you for the follow!
To Verity Knight (Guest): Hey you're fine, if you see one and can, let me know, I go through and note mistakes regularly. If it helps, I cracked myself up writing it...Thank you! Oh and according to my notes that are ever changing because I'm working on fleshing out the ending...so far: 49 more chapters! Whoa! Didn't realize...whoa...I've shocked myself...anyway here's the next one, starting to get into some plot points now.
To Tuanzi: lol teddy bear huh? How about a cuddly Carla or Caroline with soft blankets and pillows? Thank you!
***So this chapter wasn't supposed to happen, started the idea for the beginning of another chapter and it kept going...also it's a tad shorter than my average because I ended it like I did, the next one will be long :) Enjoy!**
Chapter Twenty-One
Xxx
The first time, it was Carla and Caroline who entered his suite in the middle of the night; he didn't hear them at all, and barely noticed when someone's hands shook his shoulders, their words muffled to his tired mind. He groaned softly, tugging the blankets up higher as the shaking got harder. Sleep was dragging his mind down again when he heard a muttered curse, the mattress shifting as one of the girls kneeled on it to get closer.
In hindsight, the fact they even tried to wake him up should have been his first clue something was wrong, the second was their continued insistence even though he outright growled at them and tried to cover his head with a pillow, too exhausted to care or even wonder why they were trying to disturb him at this hour.
The last clue that something was wrong...the quick snap of "gimme that" coming from Caroline half a second before the pitcher of ice water was up ended on his head and shoulders.
Michael sat up sputtering, gasping for air and in shock at the extreme cold, trying to wipe water from his eyes with sleep heavy limbs that were being grabbed and pulled. Before the archangel had really even opened his eyes he was on his feet, being supported by now three of his guards as they half dragged-half led his stumbling feet forward.
It wasn't until he was in the elevator, backed into one of the corners and being bodily blocked by Eric and Mitch did Michael fully comprehend what the hell was going on. The blaring alarms that echoed in the Stratosphere and around Vega were a big slap to the face also.
He grimaced as he finally stood straight, pulling out of Eric's supporting grip as he tried to get his ear piece in, fumbling with the device lodged in his coat pocket...when had he gotten his coat on?
Probably during the mad dash from his bed since he was barefoot and still in his sleep wear…
Judging by the fact Carla was also in her sleepwear with her armor strapped over it, the alarm had surprised all of them. Michael rolled his shoulders, trying to stretch out his spine without moving too much, he really needed to stop sleeping on his back.
"Sgt. Lannon calling Unit Four, tell me you got the tunnels cleared."
The slight pause was the answer and Michael growled under his breath, shaking his head when Mitch glanced to him in confusion, apparently his radio was out. Alex nodded from where he stood by the elevator doors, confirming the response he was hearing as the elevators stopped at the basement to the tower, opening to reveal the half lit tunnel that ran under Vega to the bunker beneath the Whele Arena.
"Really should have a car or something down here…" Noma muttered, grabbing Michael's elbow and tugging him forward while Alex and Eric covered their backs. Besides the lack of steady balance, the half jog-half run for the bunker wasn't as bad as the archangel thought it would be, still it wasn't easy.
At one point the tunnels echoed with the sound of gun fire, the bouncing noise causing Caroline and Noma to pull Michael down into an alcove along the wall for that exact reason. Several Corps soldiers from Unit Three sprinting past them with Mitch and Alex following. Eric cleared the area and got them safely the rest of the way to the bunker.
Half the senate was there, most like Michael in nothing more than sleep clothes with robes or jackets thrown over them. Riesen was already coordinating with Captain Carter and the computer technicians, monitors and big screen showing several angles of a breech in the wall, eight balls climbing up the stone work just under the reach of the guns.
Michael made to join the two commanding officers, knowing his expertise would be needed as the scanners picked up on an approaching higher angel, for Vega's sake Michael hoped it wasn't Furiad, the Power would be ruthless in destroying any soldier who came near him just to get a response from the archangel. And Michael couldn't fight back…
His plans of moving forward were bashed when he stumbled, ankle giving out and back starting to throb with his center of balance being totally screwed up, maybe that sprint was harder on him than he thought. Caroline was quick to catch him and keep him on his feet long enough to make it to a chair along the upper level of the bunker. Michael nodded in thanks, sighing softly as he bit back the grimace trying to break his mask.
David Whele passed behind him irritably, swearing under his breath as he moved to the terminal controlling the nuclear cells that powered Vega, going over the lockdown information with the technician. Michael watched the leaders silently, their movements while slightly slowed by the shock of being woken up in the middle of the night were still coordinated and efficient, radios going non stop with chatter from the AAC units and the army.
The cameras caught almost everything, eight balls dropping to gunfire or swords if they somehow got close enough to a pissed off soldier. Michael stiffened when wings blocked one camera for a second, the feathers retracting away as the higher angel landed in a semi circle of soldiers.
It took a technician a couple seconds to relay audio when the higher angel shouted to the skies, smirking at the soldiers aiming their guns at him point blank. Michael didn't recognize him, but judging by the almost Asian descent look to his form, it was likely he was a lieutenant or something under Furiad, sent as a scout. By the time the audio came through, the delay was about half a minute compared to the screen, the buffering made the screens jump as the angel's words played over the now fighting group.
"Miguel! Quo tu te absconde frater? Venio! Tam anceps proelii fortuna, ut adiuvetis me in caput tuum umeris rip."
Michael grit his teeth, standing slowly as he stared at the screen, silently hoping the soldiers currently engaged in the battle weren't some of the new inductees, knowing they'd be ripped to shreds in minutes. Caroline was at his side a second later, passing him a water bottle before turning and speaking discreetly.
"Dare I ask what the sonuvabitch just said?"
"He wants to remove my head."
"Lovely."
He bit back a grin, instead nodding for her to join efforts with Noma to coordinate over the radios with the others about eight ball movements.
The doors slightly behind him made Michael turn, eyebrows raising slightly as he looked over Becca's barely dressed body, the short night gown barely concealing anything due to its size let alone how thin it was. Her robe was tossed over an arm, feet shoved into boots to run quickly. David Whele had also turned at her arrival, snorting at her appearance; she didn't notice right away, instead stared back at Michael, having not seen him for close to three weeks and even then that was in quick passing in the market, Michael had yet to return to the senate. Her eyes couldn't help but move lower, and Michael narrowed his gaze, body tensing before Whele cleared his throat.
"How nice of you to join us Consul…and with such a view..." The sarcasm and contempt oozing from his voice was enough for Becca to quickly slide into her robe, yanking the ties with a defiant jerk as she moved to Riesen, Whele returning to working with his technician.
Michael gained another minute of peace, or at least no one was bothering him, hard to be peaceful when the cameras were showing nonstop the fight between the higher angel and the soldiers, as well as the eight balls trying to tear up the gun mounted where they'd managed to get over. Many were falling to bullets, but that didn't mean the humans were left unscathed, every time the radios hissed or sqwuaked when a soldier went down, Michael twitched, taking to gripping the railing in front of him. Each noise made his hands squeeze harder, if he wasn't so tired and sore already, the archangel wouldn't have been surprised to find dents in the metal bar, as it was the railing was barely holding up.
Alex suddenly swearing over the radio made the archangel try and catch a glimpse of him on the screens, only managing to see Mitch and Max pull Ethan away from a flailing eight ball as someone from Unit Two shot the angel in the head. Whether he liked it or not, Michael was worried, especially more for his unit than he realized as the camera locked on Dimaro, Angelo, and Mack suddenly cut out. Noma turned around long enough to check on him, not receiving eye contact in return as Michael watched the screens anxiously, trying to keep his heart from pounding in his chest. It was bad enough the soldiers sworn to Vega and himself were out there fighting, it was bad enough now Michael couldn't help them...it was the worst watching them die and be completely helpless to stop it.
"Archangel! Where is my son?!"
Marc Blake nearly stalked into the bunker with Senator Julien just behind them, judging by their attire of rolled up sleeves and Julien wearing a lab coat, they'd been at the hospital working on remodeling designs again, something in the back of Michael's mind reminded him that one of the medical sections needed repairs and Whele was demanding multiple designs and budgets to be presented before approval.
Before Michael could answer, not that Senator Blake would want to hear that the archangel didn't know, he was beaten by the person in question jogging through the far door with a child on his hip, spinning back around and slamming a fist onto the lockdown button, sealing the bunker entirely as Lady Arika slid to a stop next to him.
"Right here dad." Joshua stated, passing the half asleep kid to Lady Arika before he almost jumped down the stairs to check in with Captain Carter and Riesen, radioing out to Carla who'd used the tunnels to get to AAC HQ for computer monitoring.
Senator Blake sighed loudly, pausing at the refreshment table to poor himself a a cup of coffe before glancing back to Michael. The archangel refused to look to him, instead turning to listen to Caroline's half swearing-half directing over the radio. The senator's gaze never left the archangel, staring at him as if this attack was his fault, and in truth it was, but the architect had no right to be upset now that his son was safely in the bunker with the rest of them…
"Blow it up."
Whele's sharp snap was enough to make Michael finally get involved, moving to see what the heck the Consul was seeing fit to destroy.
Riesen was denying this though, gesturing to the screen as the general and Captain Carter tried to coordinate soldier movements. Michael watched over the female captain's shoulder seeing the red points where explosives had been planted along the wall. David was trying to convince the other two that it was necessary to eliminate the threat by setting off a handful of the charges, ones right near the eight balls...and the soldiers.
"Absolutely not."
Michael even surprised himself with his sharp tone, having spoken without thinking.
"The charges will eliminate all eight balls within a ten foot radius of each one-"
"And kill the soldiers alongside them."
"Sacrifices must be-"
"Sacrifices?" Michael couldn't bite back the anger in his voice, subconsciously he recognized the mood swing and its sharp appearance, but just the sheer audacity of Whele's suggestion made him ignore his rapidly dwindling patience. "Killing nearly twenty soldiers and destroying infrastructure just to take out a handful of eight balls is not a sacrifice, it's murder."
"I'm doing what's best for Vega!"
"No, you are taking the cheap way out of a fight, the soldiers are handling this-"
"Handling this? They let the damned things get over the wall!"
Riesen snorted, "Actually David they didn't, your new guns failed to lock on their targets and then shut down once the eight balls were close enough, the defenses were useless."
"A minor technological hiccup-"
"That you are trying to use to justify murder!" Michael yelled back, nearly growling in anger.
"So says the one called the 'Flood'!"
The former televangelist hit the wrong button with Michael, he tolerated a lot of insults and harsh words about him and his past from humans, came with being an archangel, but this was just unacceptable.
Riesen caught his switch from angered to pissed, hand subtly moving to grab Michael's wrist when his hands balled into fists at his sides. The archangel forced himself to breathe slower, arms crossing over his chest in defiance.
"Consul Whele bite your tongue, Michael's not the only one opposing this plan, we're not setting off a single charge if a soldier is within its range. It's very possibly they'll have this under control in a matter of minutes-"
"As if you would know Riesen! Dammit Michael I'm trying to keep people in Vega safe! You may be the archangel and hell you may be pr-"
Before Whele could finish that statement Captain Carter had her gun whipped out and on his forehead, free hand over his mouth to further stifle his words.
"Keep talking and you'll lose your head."
No one had the chance to speak after that, Noma hissed loudly, drawing their attention back to the screens as the higher angel spun around suddenly, wings slashing into a pair of Unit Three soldiers who didn't back up in time. Captain Carter winced, biting her lip at the soldiers falling to the ground, Three was her unit, she'd trained many of them since they'd joined the Corps. The higher angel was laughing as he turned back around again, wings arching up and crossing behind his back.
"Alex! No!"
Caroline slammed a hand over Noma's mouth, but it was too late. Michael watched with everyone else in the bunker as Sgt. Lannon and Sgt. Long took on the higher angel, swords swinging to catch the angel's blade and wings. Alex was the main target, for whatever reason he was provoking the angel the most, and nearly getting his head taken off in the process.
Michael tensed as Alex dropped and rolled away from the sword swinging at him, Eric ducking under the blade and blocking another slash, locking the hilts together and trying to shove the angel away. The male angel only pushed back, the two locked in a stale mate.
"Now Alex!"
Eric's yell made the higher angel freeze, and gave Alex the opening he needed to jump on the angel's back, weight forcing the wings forward as he wrapped his legs around the angel's waist while his sword slid through the wing hole in the armor.
The higher angel roared in pain, blood already coating his front and hitting both soldiers as he thrashed. Eric was shoved to the ground with enough force he bounced, Alex was still clinging to the angel's back before the wings thrashed, knocking him off to drop to the ground in a crumpled heap. A hail of bullets hit the higher angel as he buckled and went down, blood pooling on the ground beneath him.
The bunker erupted into applause as the other cameras displayed the few remaining eight balls fleeing back over the wall if they could, most didn't make it, even David was clapping as the soldiers finished off the enemy. Michael couldn't take his eyes off the one screen, the higher angel was down for the count, Eric was limping a little as he moved to check to make sure. But Alex...
He wasn't getting up...
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