Chapter 35: So It Begins…

Another explosion rocked Vega, strewing debris and crumbling buildings. Its inhabitants ran for cover as soldiers darted towards the action near the North Gate. Winged beings were pitching and rolling about the sky, avoiding the turrets' gunfire and swooping in to destroy each of them one by one. The settlement had turned into an all-out chaotic mess as the angels slowly disarmed the wall's defenses.

Alex and Noma worked their way down the street, keeping to the shadows and struggling to remain out of the way as people fled for their lives. David followed closely behind them and Ethan kept watch over the rear.

People were panicking and what was left of the Archangel Corp flooded the streets to join Arika's army of black-clad wardens. The wardens were already lining the city walls. It struck Ethan as oddly convenient that the angels arrived now. Speaking of angels…

Noma found herself being shoved against a nearby wall with a rifle jammed into her throat. Ethan spat out, "Who are they? Is this because of you?"

Alex grabbed Ethan's arm. "What are you doing?" he hissed.

"Did you bring them here? Was this part of the plan?" Ethan said, frantic.

"It's not me, Ethan! They must be Gabriel's," Noma said breathlessly. She could easily shove him back, but she was afraid she'd probably exacerbate the situation. Or worse yet, hurt him.

"Let her go!" Alex said sternly, shoving his rifle against the back of his friend's neck.

Ethan's eyes widened as he turned to him. "You'll always pick them over us, won't you?"

"I'm not picking sides." Alex scowled as he spat out, "I'm trying to stop the fighting. I want it to stop too, Ethan."

His friend stared at him for a moment longer and then released his grip on her. Resigned, he moved a few steps back, lowering his rifle. Alex leaned closer to Noma, wordlessly showing his support and she gave him a small nod in response.

"She's going to leave," David said hollowly, standing frozen nearby. They glanced at him and then noticed what he was staring off at in the distance.

In the middle of the city square clearing, a large helicopter sat with its blades whirling. It was ready and waiting. Part of Arika's elite warden squad guarded it, but Arika was nowhere to be seen.

"Nice exit strategy," David said, wondering if perhaps he should have secured a seat on that chopper. He turned to Alex and said, "There's a way through the wall on the other side. The South Gate."

"That has been cemented in," Ethan said automatically without much thought, glancing over at the helicopter once more. His eyes kept moving, scanning for any incoming threats.

David's expression betrayed his panic. "Then the one by the West Gate?"

"That has been highly guarded by those in black for the last month. Since they arrived actually. Probably cemented up too." Ethan turned to David. "They've secured Vega from top to bottom. Arika made sure of it. The only way out is the North Gate. West and East have also been solidified."

Alex and Noma exchanged a momentary look. She shook her head as Alex quickly moved towards the nearby North Gate, having only an inkling of what he intended to do.

"Hey wait!" Ethan said, running after them and leaving David behind. The conflicted man hesitated to follow, pausing for a moment before reluctantly following behind the motley crew.

Another explosion blew the last of the turrets on the north wall and then everything stilled. Silence blanketed the settlement with the complete ceasefire. Alex and Noma stopped at the corner, crouched down and cautiously peered around it to get a good view of the gate.

The city's PA system screeched, causing all of them to cringe and cover their ears. Then it went silent once more. Vega's inhabitants stopped moving, looking up at the sky and wondering what was coming next.

Noma wordlessly squeezed Alex's arm as they remained close to the edge of the building, careful to remain out of sight.

"That can't be good." David's voice stammered as he stood close to them, pressed against the wall.

Ethan moved in and leaned over his friends to peer around the corner as well.

The North Gate was closed and guarded by various wardens and Archangel Corps soldiers. Their armed trucks were waiting to be deployed through the gate if needed. A sizable mass of elite wardens swarmed away from the gate, quickly marching closer as they headed towards the clearing.

Ethan quickly moved back from the edge and pulled at Alex's arm. All of them scurried backwards, looking for cover as the wardens rushed passed. In the middle of the sea of black was a splash of color.

"That's Arika," David whispered hoarsely.

The armed wardens moved fluidly at a clipped pace, aiming for the helicopter.

Lights flickered as a reminder that Vega was still under siege. The loudspeaker came on with another screech, and then silence once more as someone chose their words carefully. "VEGA INHABITANTS…LAY DOWN YOUR WEAPONS…WE DO NOT WISH TO FIGHT. WE ARE HERE TO ASSIST YOU," a pleasant female voice called out. It was a strange juxtaposition to their debris-strewn surroundings.

Ethan let out a scoff.

Noma froze. That voice was familiar. Alex leaned into her and whispered, "The moment you see a chance, fly!" She remained silent, narrowing her eyes at him and shaking her head.

"YOU HAVE A TRAITOR AMONGST YOU. YOU'VE LET THE SNAKE INTO THE GARDEN. HELENA'S QUEEN HAS TAKEN OVER YOUR VEGA WITH THE HELP OF GABRIEL AND HIS FOLLOWERS. YOU HAVE BEEN DUPED. DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE HELENA SOLDIERS WILL HELP YOU IN THE WAR AGAINST GABRIEL AND HIS EIGHTBALLS." The voice paused, letting the significance of her words sink in.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Noma realized what was happening. She leaned closer to the blonde man. "Alex… she can be trusted," Noma said quietly.

A look of confusion crossed Alex's face as he turned to her. "You know who that is? That voice? You know who's attacking Vega?"

Noma shifted to the side as Alex stepped back from her with a look of betrayal. Yet again. It hurt her heart. "Raguel is on Michael's side. She can be trusted," she insisted.

He hissed, "You knew this was going to happen? Here?" He grabbed her arm and growled at her, his anger getting the better of him. "Was this part of the plan? To trick me into this?"

Yanking her arm out of his grip, she glared at him. "If you remember, I'm the one who didn't want to come to Vega! I had no idea Raguel was planning on attacking!"

A different voice echoed out. A male voice, with less patience. "VEGA HAS BEEN TAKEN HOSTAGE! WE CAN HELP YOU! LAY DOWN YOUR ARMS AND OPEN THE DAMN GATES! THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD!"

Noma looked stricken as Alex stared at her. She clearly recognized that voice as well.

He spat out, "And who would that be? Another friendly angel?"

"Incoming…" Ethan interrupted, grabbing Alex by the arm. "We have to go! Now!"

Bewildered, they were spurred into motion, setting aside their argument until another time. Noma turned the corner, heading towards the gate, only to find herself facing a wall of black.

Arika's elite wardens surrounded them and there was nowhere to escape to. Immediately, all three of them raised their rifles, while David slowly held his hands up in surrender.

Another screech and another voice came on; only this time it was Arika's voice echoing throughout the city. She had taken control of the comms once again. "WE HAVE THE CHOSEN ONE! IF YOU LEAVE VEGA IMMEDIATELY, YOU CAN TAKE HIM WITH YOU. VEGA DOES NOT NEED ANOTHER FALSE IDOL."

Alex looked past the wardens over at the clearing and found Arika standing by the helicopter, holding a radio mic to her mouth. She lowered it as she stared at them with a small smile. The woman was a survivor first and foremost.

Her wardens outnumbered them, giving them no option other than to surrender. Moving in unison, they immediately took their weapons, quickly yanking the rifles from their hands and shoving them to face forward, away from Arika and her helicopter.

"Oh great. Because this day wasn't sucking enough," Ethan said under his breath as he was seized by the arms and spun to face towards the North Gate.

~~**D**~~

Through the cloudy sky, the blazing sun beamed down on the desert sands surrounding Vega's walls. Smoke tendrils floated up to the sky as the city sat waiting. Waiting for the next move. The North Gate remained closed for a moment longer, leaving those outside to wonder if such an exchange would even occur.

Raphael stood by his truck still holding the radio mic he had yanked from Raguel's hand not too long ago. He was well aware of her irritation with him as she leaned against her own truck parked nearby. She was staring at him in that eerily motionless way of hers. But the tall redhead had been too pleasant over the loudspeaker, too pleasant for his liking. Jackson, her right-hand man, hovered protectively nearby as always, gripping his shotgun and throwing him dirty looks.

Raphael ignored them and mulled over Arika's words. Her response was unexpected, and he wondered if she really did have the Chosen One. Michael had been right, that Alex would make his way to Vega, but Raphael never thought he'd be there already. And how much of what the queen offered was truly on her terms and how much of it was part of Gabriel's plan? Raphael dropped the microphone back inside the truck, giving a nod to the soldier sitting inside who had hacked into Vega's main comms. And then he deftly climbed on top of the hood of the vehicle. Yanking out a pair of binoculars, he aimed it at the city walls and eyed them for any changes. After a moment, he lowered them and scanned the horizon, surveying those ready for battle. It was an impressive sight.

The Oracle Corps waited patiently among their own trucks, all of which were lined up at a distance from the city walls. They were removed just far enough to retreat to safety, yet close enough to use their weapons. Most of the trucks were strategically positioned near the North and East Gates. Michael's departure from New Delphi had been the beginning of an angelic reveal to its citizens. Raphael had to thank Azrael for rallying the troops and whipping them into shape, although his ability to heal others gained some favor amongst the distrusting. The rumor of his abilities had made the news less shocking, as most already believed he was anything other than human. Those standing on the front lines were either in support of him because of his ability to unify New Delphi, or because Azrael had convinced them that Gabriel's version of the future was direr than not fighting at all.

The Camp's own version of soldiers gathered on the other side of Vega, close to the West and South Gates. They were a rugged bunch with their own set of rules and jokingly called themselves, the Rebels. Raguel had seen to it that the most skilled of them were out front and ready for action, with their leader Dutch awaiting orders.

And then there was the Wing Battalion.

Raphael glanced up at the sky and let out a huff. It was a cute name that Jackson came up with a while back. Raguel found it amusing and so it stuck. As requested by Raphael, she had gathered as many of their own kind who would be willing to fight against Gabriel, and formed the small alliance. They waited in the sky with Azrael among them, waiting for the right signal.

Gazing at the North Gate once more, Raphael put his binoculars away.

The feuding would stop. He would see to it.