Chapter 4

The angel glided across the night skies, clasping on to me tightly, its wings reflecting light on the rooftops below.

Eugene had gone quiet, ending the call before telling me where exactly his angel was taking me.

Boom!

Shit! was that a grenade launcher?

Boom!

The angel dipped out of the way -dangerously close that time!

Boom!

The angel was struck and disintegrated into particles of light immediately, leaving me plummeting to the ground.

I hit the ground again – luckily the fall wasn't too far, not nearly as big a drop as from the hotel.

"You alright?" came a voice.

I opened my eyes to an intimidating looking man looming over me, grenade launcher over his shoulder and his hand extended out toward me to assist me up. I'd learnt my lesson, I was fine but maybe not a good idea to show it. I groaned and grabbed the stranger's hand. I groaned again almost stumbling as I got to my feet – laying it on thick.

"When I saw that thing carrying you away, I thought you were a goner!" he said.

"Yeah," my head was bowed – feigning injury – and I rolled my eyes under my hood "you're a real life saver."

"The streets aren't safe!" my hero replied "you're unarmed, find yourself a weapon and come with us. We're gonna take our city back."

I lifted my head and a legion of video angels and demons came to my rescue.

"Shit!" my rescuer aimed his grenade launcher and fired it indiscriminately– taking out a building and a couple of Eugene's video buddies in the process. He threw me a pistol, "here!"

"I've never fired a gun in my life!" well not that I remembered anyway, sorry Eugene- had to make this look real - and I fired my pistol into two video demons that were closing in.

"We gotta fall back!" he called "there's too many of them!"

I hesitated, if I let Eugene's angels carry me away it would just prompt another rescue and I didn't want to test my odds against an explosive.

"You coming or not?!"

I didn't argue and we retreated down an alley way and under a bridge. There were others here, ten of them and they did not look pleased to see me – every gun, weapon – improvised weapon, one of them had what looked like several baseball bats strapped together crudely with insulation tape – and all aimed at me.

"Who the hell is this?!" was how one of them greeted me, pistol aimed in my direction.

"I rescued him from one of those freaks," my saviour proudly announced "you should have seen it - one of them winged freaks dragging him around in the streets like a rag doll."

"He saved my life!" I announced – I meant to sound more convincing.

"And how do you know he's not one of them, David?!" one of the mob asked.

"Think I'd still be alive if he was? You've all seen those bio-terrorists – they're mindless monsters going around killing everything that moves!" replied David – I think that's what they called him – it was hard to concentrate with all of this hostility aimed my way.

I can't say I approved of his opinions on 'conduits' but judging by the look of the city he probably had every right to think that way, I wasn't about to pipe up and condone the actions of my kind – from the evidence I could see all around me these people had every right to their beliefs. I was about to try to convince them not to kick my ass when my phone rang. I ignored it and continued looking at my apparent captures.

"Are you gonna answer that?" one of them asked suspiciously.

"Yeah," I sighed "yeah." I reached into my pocket.

"Hello?"

"Miles, where are you? I've got my angels looking for you but –"

"Yeah, I just got a little side-tracked," I answered, my eyes tracing each of the menacing looking weapons still facing my way "now is really not a good time."

"What are you talking about? Are you okay?"

"I've been better," I said "listen, I'll be with you very soon. Until then sit tight – don't worry about me – I'll be there soon." I ended the call – Eugene was just not getting it.

"Who was that?" David asked.

"A friend – we err – got separated when that thing grabbed me and carried me off. I really need to be getting back." I said.

The mob had maintained the same menacing glares throughout and then one stepped forward and no warning, held a gun to my forehead. I felt the coldness of the tip of the barrel lodged up against my skin.

I didn't say a word.

I couldn't say a word.

I winced and squeezed my eyes shut, silently pleading with the stranger not to fire.

"Put that down!" David yelled "do you really think if this boy here was one of those bio-terrorists that he would just stand there cowering?!"

"The last one did!" he spat through gritted teeth and thrust the gun harder into my head with every word.

"And what happened when you shot him?" David asked.

Shit, I really didn't like the sound of that!

"What happened?!" he repeated – Okay, Okay ease up David! You are not the one who's about to have your head blown clean from your shoulders.

"One mistake, what about all the others?" the pressure of the gun eased slightly "they all pleaded but I've seen bullets pass straight through these freaks, not a scratch on them."

"And that's not how it went down last time," David warned.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

The pressure of the gun eased more, I opened my eyes slowly and the stranger cocked the pistol. Eyes wider – this was it! My heart thumped in my chest. I'm pretty sure a bullet to the head would be as lethal to a conduit as it was to a human. If I really did have powers this would have been the ideal time for me to remember how to use them.

Concentrate – concentrate – dammit - Nothing.

"Put it away, Morris!" David warned again.

"One bullet won't kill a conduit," one of the others from the mob announced, he'd been silent up until now "like you said – it will just pass right through him!" – shit! Really? Was this guy really trying to help?!

It worked, it worked! Morris lowered his gun.

And I took a sigh of relief – a very brief sigh of relief –

Morris turned and he fired and I fell to the floor screaming.

He'd shot my hand, he'd shot right through my hand. I grimaced in agony as I wrapped it tightly in my other hand – blood all over.

"What the fuck?!" David yelled out "Look! He's bleeding, he's fucking bleeding! He's not one of them. I fucking told you! He's not one of them!"

I glared up at Morris, shaking with adrenalin – rage – pain. He glared back coldly, eyeing my hand and then he just took off, not another word.

The others gathered round, a lot of guilty faces. A woman quickly tore a large piece of fabric from her shirt and began to wrap my wound.

What's the deal?! So conduits just have bullets pass through them? - I assume without leaving a gaping hole in their hand?! – wait, what did this mean? - was I a conduit? Was I actually a conduit? Argh my hand!

David got me to my feet, "I am real real sorry," he muttered – it was genuine.

I nodded, shaking, still a little lost for words.

"It's not safe out there," the woman announced "look, you're welcome to come with us, we'll get you back to your friend tomorrow."

As if to confirm her warnings, there was another explosion not too far away.

"We're staying in a bunker just past the check-point that way," she vaguely pointed "we can get someone there to take a look at your hand."

"I'll be fine," I replied.

"Don't be so stubborn!" the woman replied "that's suicide! If you won't come with us, we'll go with you."

"Gloria, we need to be getting to the bunker!" David snapped.

Then another explosion quickly chased up more sirens.

All eyes were on me. I wasn't about to lead an angry mob to Eugene – not like I knew where he was anyway – I'd stay in the bunker for tonight and sneak away first opportunity "you're right," I eventually replied still clasping my hand "so where's this bunker?"

We all walked cautiously, some small talk along the way – mostly conduit hating. We introduced ourselves the guy who rescued me was indeed called David, the woman was Gloria, the guy who shot and ran was Morris – the other names quickly escaped me –my mind was on other things as we approached a huge concrete tower. Before that were several gates and lines of security guards as far as I could see, the infamous DUP I'd heard so much about. I slowed whilst I examined the gates. We joined the queue – so this is where everyone was hold up.

As we got closer, I watched closely as each person stepped forward individually and placed their hands in scanners. The gates opened and they were free to enter. There was only one thing that the scanner could possibly have been checking. There's no way I could scan my hand – luckily I had an excuse.

"Miles?" Called David. I hadn't realised I'd lagged so far behind.

I stopped as did he, "don't you think I'll look a little suspicious?" I asked as I held up my hand covered in a blood drenched cloth.

"They only need your index finger," he replied "and you've got two unharmed, come on!" he proceeded toward the queue.

I pulled the cloth back, out of view from David. Both my index fingers were intact, unfortunately – not only that the hole had closed – I mean there was still a wound there, little more than a scratch now and I could almost see the skin mending.

I stood there starring in amazement – guess I really am a conduit.

"Miles!" David yelled again.

I quickly concealed the wound again and smiled nervously and quickly caught up. There were several people in front, I only had a few minutes to think of something. The first of our group approached and I still hadn't thought of anything. A DUP guard walked passed, he glared at me – the guy was huge. Did he suspect something? Running was out of the question – they'd shoot me down in seconds – having the ability to have bullets pass through would have been really helpful right about now.

Gloria approached the gate and put her hand on the scanner, David next and then me.

My phone rang – this was the distraction I needed. David turned.

"It's my friend," I said "I gotta take it." I began to back away.

The same DUP member who'd glared at me pushed David, "move along," he commanded.

"See you at the other side of the gate!" David yelled back at me.

I nodded, "Hello, Eugene?"

"You cannot go through that gate!"

"Yeah I figured as much!" I muttered as I walked further away from the queue, I glanced around looking for the camera Eugene was spying me through –it must have looked suspicious me loitering, I could see a couple of DUP agents eyeing me up and down whilst they spoke quietly, "could really do with a couple of angels right now."

"They're on their way."

I wasn't given a chance to answer, there was a loud siren and the DUP swarmed the gate.

[PRIME CONDUIT DETECTED - - - PRIME CONDUIT DETECTED - - - PRIME CONDUIT DETECTED]

I froze in fright - I looked up to see a man thrown to the floor, every gun aimed at him. Shit for a minute there - I thought they found me.

"I'm not a conduit- bio-terrorist!" he screamed out desperately "I'm not a bio-terrorist!"

I watched as one of the DUP smashed the back of his rifle into his head and he was silent. I already had the distraction I needed but as promised a fleet of angels joined the affray. Bullets and video projectiles flew in every direction. I threw myself down to the ground onto my front, hands over the back of my head. Everyone who was not already inside the concrete compound scattered screaming in every direction. Then several SUVs appeared on the scene. It was mayhem!

Several innocent people queuing were gunned down when a machine gun fired chaotically into the crowds – this was well and truly out of hand. They were willing to sacrifice innocent lives for the sake of some video angels Eugene could conjure up at will? I doubt Eugene even felt a thing when one of his buddies was vaporised with a bullet.

These guys were no better than the apparent conduits rampaging the streets – who the hell were the good guys?

Still lying flat out on the road, I inched forward attempting to turn around onto my stomach, so that I was facing in the right direction for escape but as I did I saw the conduit ahead, who had been knocked out. He rolled onto his back, he tilted his head in my direction, he looked dazed.

What the hell could I do? The battle was still raging on and for every angel and demon there were double and then triple the amount of DUP.

The conduit reached his hand out towards me and as a video projectile came close to hitting him, the lighting revealed that his head was soaked in his own blood. I didn't know what I could do –

I should have just gotten out of there.

I didn't even have any powers, how the hell could I even do anything?

But I couldn't leave him.

Goddamit - I inched toward him, head down hood up. The cloth came away from my hand as I pulled myself over the road with my arms. I paused when I noticed – the wound was gone – the blood remained but there was no wound at all – I couldn't even feel it anymore. Several bullets ricocheted off the road right next to me – there was no time I continued forward until I reached the conduit. He looked in a bad way he was fading in and out of consciousness and his eyes flickered as he tried to focus on me.

"I'll get you out of here," I said as I grasped his hand.

I can't explain what happened next – our hands were locked together like powerful magnets and a rush of energy swept through my entire body.

Shit this was it! This was my power!