Protect and Follow
By: MusketeerAdventure
Summary: This chapter takes place during the episodes Lay Thee Before Kings, The Longest Mile Home, and The Seed of Evil. Noma comes face to face with a waking nightmare; and Gabriel gets the upper hand.
Chapter Thirteen: The Darkness
Noma stepped out from the small house; closed the front door quietly behind her and looked out over the desolate yard. She held onto the knob tightly; and considered her choices.
Behind her, Alex and Pete slept on – their exhaustion making her exodus an easy enough thing to accomplish. The scene before her of abandoned cars, bicycles, dust and beyond that, brown trees that drooped heavily under the relentless morning sun – only heightened her resolve to go through with her plan.
She squint her eyes against the brightness, and out there among the tree line – stood waiting several eight balls who swayed in time with the breeze. Noma thought on their lust for blood, and sighed with resignation. This is what she wanted – wasn't it? She turned back briefly toward the door, and brought up in her mind's eye, the image of Alex, on the couch - holding her close and breathing warm air against her neck.
She caressed the side of her neck; let go of the door knob, and began her trek for the trees.
She would greet the eight balls – lead them away from Alex, and end what was left of her life this hour. Phantom tingles at her back brought back the nightmare of her fabricated dream of flight and she moved forward to the delight of the hissing creatures – who egged her on to come close.
The pain of her injury kept her pace slow – but Noma was determined to give herself over to them. She had made up her mind. As much as she loved Alex – she was no good to him this way. She was no good to herself this way.
So she stumbled forward and prayed with each step that the end would come quickly. She wouldn't fight them. They could have her – do what they will. She was no longer willing to live like this. Her life was back in New Delphi – pinned to the wall under Julian's watchful eye.
The hissing eight balls called to her, and she was drawn to them like a siren – unable, unwilling to fight the pull of their screeching song.
But as she strode closer to the tree line with undaunted purpose – something untoward paused her march toward certain death. The eight balls, as they moved to greedily engage her – stopped in their tracks and burst into flames.
She squeezed her eyes shut, and opened them again in disbelief – only to watch as they writhed, screamed and threw themselves to the dirt as if to douse out the fire as it engulfed them. Noma stood still as stone as the flames burned the approaching eight balls into fine dust that then clumped into molten, uneven piles around her.
She stared wide in awe and disappointment as each eight ball moved out from the trees and was struck down with an inferno of heat.
A tear escaped the corner of her eye and her shoulders slumped in defeat. Was this another dream – no, a nightmare? Had she been denied her wish to have these beasts end her existence? Would she wake up now once again beside Alex, in the little house –on the couch – to bemoan her fate once again?
Her back wrenched with pain and she felt blood escape from the makeshift tape and tattered towels that loosely covered her wounds.
Suddenly, there he was before her – the dark man in the gallon hat, smiling down at her with dead eyes. Here was the man in her dream, who had promised to grant her whatever she desired. She stood before him dumbfounded; unable to move – her limbs heavy with improbability.
He reached out for her, grabbed her shoulders and shook her strong to arouse her from the stupor she found herself in. She felt his vice like grip; gasped out at the torturous pain – snapped aware and thought – not a dream; and teetered into his embrace.
"Have you come back to help me then?" she sobbed in his arms – hope rising in her chest.
He caressed her hair and whispered softly down into her ear, "It depends doesn't it? Is that boy really the Chosen One you travel with, and his First Reborn?"
Noma stiffened – and stepped back carefully. He released his hold and gazed down at her with a piercing intensity; looked for the answer within her; and leered as she clasped her hands hard over her mouth – fear replacing hope.
The stranger leaned further into her personal space, and Noma bristled with apprehension; danger signals going off in her mind.
Who was this man? Why did he torment her with dreams of flight? What did he know of Alex and Pete? Was he promising to give her back her life? She shook her head in dismay; and told herself that she would not betray them – the instinct to protect Alex was still strong within her.
She tried to turn away – get back to the house – away from this threat and the burning eight balls.
He grabbed for her again and stared deep within her eyes, down into her soul, held her still and laughed softly at her fear and confusion. "Never mind fallen one", he chimed," just you get them to come east."
Noma turned to run, but he held her fast – his face so close she could feel his breath at her cheek. "Do as I say – east – is where you lead."
And then he was gone. The screeching of the eight balls halted; the flames erupting from their bodies ceased and silence descended around her.
Noma stood alone – stared out into the trees, the pain at her back unbearable; the pain in her heart and mind – inconsolable. She collapsed in the dirt and wept.
Alex woke to a sense of loss and unease. When he pried his eyes open he immediately missed the heat of Noma's body next to his. He shivered slightly and felt the cool, empty space at his side.
He was struck by how incomplete he felt and wondered how she had shifted from being his friend – to his partner – to someone who now made his life worth living. She was his anchor; and along with Pete, the reason he kept going.
He thought then of Michael and hoped he was okay – that he had somehow escaped torture by Julian's hand and would meet up with them as he had promised.
He swung his legs to the floor; stretched his arms above his head and popped his neck. Sleeping on a couch this small had cramped his neck and shoulder muscles – but he would not begrudge the soft surface, after so many hours – no days, on hard earth or stone floors.
He winced as he felt the burns about his body; and flashed back to Noma's wings pressed and pinned to the wall back in New Delphi. Her sacrifice weighed heavy on him, and he knew, he could never make up for her loss. He sneaked a brief peek at the markings on his arms beneath the sleeves of his jacket and for the thousandth time, wished he understood what they were meant to tell him.
He hoped what they revealed was worth her devotion and worth Pete's faith in him.
One thing he did know for certain was that they needed to get help for Noma, and find their way to Vega. Julian's army was in hibernation for now, but soon he would awaken them and march on his home; Claire and his child.
Alex rubbed the sleep from his eyes; then leaned forward to massage the stiffness in his neck; and watched as Pete began to stir and flop to his back on the floor near the far wall.
Pete sighed deeply; opened his eyes and peered at Alex from under his bangs. "Hello ", he murmured, as he swiped drool from the corner of his mouth, and stretched his limbs.
"Hello", Alex smiled back, and stood to his feet. He scanned the room and saw no trace of Noma. He wondered where she could be when Pete voiced the concern aloud.
"Where's Noma?" he asked through a yawn and red teary eyes. He raked his fingers through his hair; and pulled gently at the roots. It had been a long, long night – and he was happy he and his friends were alive.
Alex shrugged; made his way to the window, and pushed aside the frayed curtains. Could she have gone out to get water? But Noma had been so weak – he didn't think she could carry the bucket full of water back to the house by herself.
Pete gingerly got to his feet, used the wall as his anchor; and felt every muscle in his body pull at him in pain. He walked over and stood next to Alex at the window, and there – out at the perimeter, near the trees was Noma – walking slowly back to the house, weaving to and fro, unsteady on her feet; eight balls gesturing and snarling at her back.
Alex yanked the front door open and raced out of the house. He could hear and feel Pete on his heels – as they ran head long past the well and toward the trees.
"Noma!" Alex screamed with fear and frantic anxiety. He ran as fast as his aching legs could carry him and skidded to a halt before her – grabbed her about the shoulders and felt wetness on the tips of his fingers at her back.
When he pulled them away – blood tinged his hands and he brought her in close. When she did not respond to his embrace, he squeezed her tighter and felt her flinch. What had she been thinking? Why was she out here? Why weren't the eight balls in pursuit ready to tear them all limb from limb?
Pete yelled to him at his side; pointed to the ground, and once again spoke aloud his very thoughts, "What happened out here?" Alex looked up to see that piles of ash dotted the surface of the ground all around them. Out among the trees, the eight balls stared them down, but seemed reluctant to approach.
As Pete moved to investigate – a memory of his dazed fight for the house came back to him. What he thought was a hallucination – an eight ball burned alive – was perhaps not a figment of his exhausted mind after all.
"No Pete", Alex called to him – effectively bringing him to a halt. "Let's get Noma back – she's bleeding again."
Pete nodded and moved to the other side to help support Noma's weight back to the house. As they moved away – he looked over his shoulder and thought he saw a silhouette of someone watching them.
When he blinked, the shadow was gone.
Lyrae moved with calm ease toward a bound and pinned Gabriel – lifted the vial and leaned over to peer into his eyes. He held the Amphorae of Darkness close to his heart and laughed.
This was going to be fun – he thought – and dropped the black, darkness into Gabriel's waiting eye.
"This will never work", Gabriel forced out the words as his heart beat ratcheted up and drummed hard against his chest. He would never admit it – but he was frightened. The Darkness was one of God's ultimate weapons. What effect would it have on him?
Lyrae snickered and stood to his full height, "Oh, in an infinite universe, never is a useless concept", and then stepped away to behold his long awaited plan – destroy Gabriel; possess his body and rule over this pathetic earth.
Lyrae watched with anticipation as the darkness invaded his nemesis and caused him to open his eyes wide – cough and then convulse in pain. He took pleasure in it – the pain the darkness caused; and only wished more that it was Michael who suffered.
Gabriel could feel the darkness worm its way through his veins, his blood stream and then to his heart. The power of it radiated through his body and left his brain firing on all cylinders. And though he felt pain, he also felt powerful, omnipotent – in control of himself and all that was around him for the first time in his life.
This formidable, dark creature was who he was truly meant to be. He could feel; hear; and see everything. The hum of New Delphi called to him. He could sense every lower angel; and every wayward human inhabiting the city.
Lyrae stepped to Gabriel; reached out and tried to steal the essence of the archangel; but realized his mistake when he moved to enter and possess him. Gabriel's eyes filled with blackness and he took his substance back. Lyrae knew then, he was no longer the one with the upper hand. He dropped the Amphorae and attempted to retreat.
But it was too late.
Gabriel released himself from his bonds with ease – pushed back against Lyrae's attempt to gain control of him, and recognized that the darkness was just not in him, but was him.
He howled as Lyrae scurried away in fright and loosed his wings to encompass the room; and strike him hard against the far wall – blood erupting from his mouth, his nose and ears. Eight balls and humans alike, in the room to bear witness to Lyrae's forced takeover of an archangel – fell to their knees in subjugation; as they saw the tide turn in Gabriel's favor.
They – as all of New Delphi; were now at his mercy – Julian only an afterthought – as he crawled away and disappeared into the maze of the underground bunker.
Gabriel breathed in his greatness. Lyrae in his misguided need to seek revenge had overestimated his own intelligence; underestimated what made Gabriel who he truly was. But Lyrae was right about one thing. Michael had left him – abandoned him – given himself over to Alex – to mankind; and had betrayed their brotherhood.
The darkness seeped deeper into his soul and held fast. He would find Michael; make him pay for his betrayal. He would take Alex from him, as he had taken David. He would rule over New Delphi; command its army in Lyrae's stead, and destroy Vega.
Gabiel picked up the discarded Amphorae and smiled. He would do more than destroy Vega; he would obliterate her from the face of the earth.
Thank you so much for reading. Please review and tell me what you think. Your thoughts mean a lot; and help me to stay the course! Also, thank you for those of you who have decided to follow and favorite. I was so bummed to hear that Dominion had been canceled for next season. There is nothing else like it on television, and I will miss it.