The land before them was harsh, vast and deserted. Winds whipped about the large building in the distance and blew dirt and debris against the field of abandoned automobiles and broken bottles.
The sound of their steps echoed chillingly in the air and Gabriel paused. His eyes took in the deserted landscape, but his gut was telling him that something was there, watching. He looked down into the dirt and noticed something buried there.
He pulled an old sign from the ground and swept the dirt from the face of it. It read:
"Welcome to the Primatech Paper Company!
Paper is our Business!"
Paper wasn't the only thing, Gabriel thought. He remembered the short time he'd been captured in one of their facilities. He'd been stripped of his powers, taunted and tortured but managed to escape. He didn't want to go back, even if it did appear deserted. But he had to. For her.
He turned to find Aydra staring at him thoughtfully. "Gabriel, are you well?"
"I'm fine," he said brusquely. "Let's get this over with. This place—it isn't right."
They walked five feet and hit a wall. It was as if the air itself had solidified into a great, solid shield, preventing them from going any further.
"The ring, Gabriel," Aydra told him, "Use it."
Gabriel dug the ring from his outer pockets. "Okay…I'm not sure what--,"
The ring began to warm in his hands. So warm it burned him and he dropped it into the dirt.
Sparks flew up from the ring and Gabriel jumped away, pulled Aydra with him. "Cover your eyes!" He told her as the ring blazed brighter than a thousand suns and warmed the ground beneath them.
Lightning flashed in the distance and thunder rumbled menacingly above them. The light became weaker and weaker until only a slow, dull throb remained and even that was soon gone. The skies were quiet once more and Gabriel took an experimental step forward and Aydra soon followed.
"I don't like this," Gabriel told her, "Something isn't right."
Aydra didn't answer, but she pulled a wickedly long dagger from a strap on her thigh and told him, "Let's go."
A large parking lot surrounded the building they approached. The asphalt had long since cracked and split, and tangles of weeds sprung up between the spaces.
Gabriel's nerves were on edge. They felt raw and taut, as if they were drawn so far out, that anything would cause them to snap. Yet he forced his feet to move forward and made certain that he kept Aydra within sight.
Giant birds sliced the air from above their heads, circling as if in wait, then finally landing atop several precipices on the building. They stared at Gabriel and Aydra with predatory eyes as they continued their approach.
Gabriel began to feel even more unsettled and as they came to the entrance, he stopped and listened.
"Let me go first, Aydra, if I tell you to run, then don't look back. Just do it."
Her lips set into a determined line. "I will never leave you, Gabriel."
His heart stopped as his eyes drank her in. He was touched beyond words. An alien emotion swept through him, brushing aside years of doubts, fears and worries. He felt happy and anxious, giddy and concerned, but not for himself. Though death terrified him, living without her seemed to pose an even greater threat. And he could not—would not—put her in harm's way.
"I don't care what happens, Aydra, I mean it. I want you to save yourself if the time comes."
She nodded as if she agreed, but her eyes said otherwise. Gabriel sighed in frustration.
"Let's go."
She followed him inside. The doors looked as if something had long ago taken them off the hinges and they hung haphazardly from their corners. The glass that they had contained had shattered, and bits of them still lay upon the tile.
The waiting area still boasted a few chairs and tables, though they were all flung in different places, many of them broken and twisted. Wild plants grew everywhere and a dank odor hung in the air.
They walked along the hall and Gabriel grabbed Aydra's hand. They walked along in the near darkness to a door that had been blasted open. At one time it had looked inconspicuous, had probably blended in with the wall, but now lay open to anyone who cared to venture into its depths. Gabriel didn't like those depths. Without his powers, he felt helpless. No, he would not let Aydra down. He squared his shoulders and stepped forward. He would make sure they got out alive, with or without his powers.
He looked around quickly. An idea formed and he ripped a corner of his robe. He ran back to a chair that been broken into pieces and grabbed a leg. He wrapped a thick wad of cloth around the leg and tied it securely.
"Aydra," he told her, "Can you make white fire, like you did before?"
She nodded, became still, and after a moment, her hands were enveloped in white flame. She touched the broken chair leg and the fabric ignited. Gabriel looked at the flame as it burned. He looked back at Aydra and saw that she had already extinguished the flames that crawled about her hands. Gabriel remembered that there had been a time when he would have easily killed her for such an ability; he would have tried to open up her head and see why her genes had gifted her with such qualities, and would have wanted her powers for himself.
Now, such a thought only filled him with disgust, loathing and sadness.
"Follow me, I'll lead."
Aydra nodded reluctantly, but followed as they began to descend into darkness.