Tim Marquitz - Armageddon Bound

Asmoday shivered. His confidence had broken rank and fled. His head drooped to his chest, eyes locked on the floor. “I had to try,” he replied, his voice shaky.

Baalth nodded. “I suppose you did. I can’t fault you for playing to your nature, now can I?”

Asmoday raised his eyes, a glimmer of hope shining in them. “I am what I have been made to be. Forgive me?”

Baalth raised his chin, his eyes narrowing as he looked Asmoday over. “In time, perhaps.” He managed to sound magnanimous despite the hint of condescension in his voice. “Though I imagine, in doing so I would be showing you far more kindness than you would have shown me had you succeeded with your plan.”

Asmoday swallowed loud. He hung his head in a show of staged humility. He knew his fate rested in appeasing Baalth. “I am your humble servant. Do with me as you will.”

“Brownnoser,” I muttered, my jibe coming out between clenched teeth.

Asmoday kept his cool and ignored me, though Baalth broke out in an amused smile.

“I’ll spare you for now, old friend, but you’ve much to atone for.”

Asmoday loosed a sigh of relief and dropped to his knees, kissing Baalth’s hand. Baalth shooed him off, taking a step back.

“I’ll deal with you later. Begone from my sight.”

With a wave of his hand, Asmoday was engulfed in a billowing cloud of darkness. It whirled up around him, drifted up through the roof, disappearing a moment later. Asmoday was gone with it. Wiping his moist hand on his suit, Baalth turned to stare at McConnell. After a few silent moments, he waved his hand once more and The Gray disappeared in a similar manner.

Done with the wizard, Baalth walked over to me. Poe and Marcus followed on his heels. The mentalist’s face was a mask of neutrality, but Marcus couldn’t help but grin at my predicament, chuckling as he stared down at me. He had to be loving this.

“I have to thank you, Frank. None of this would be possible without you.” Baalth knelt down beside me. I tried to feel honored.

“Make the check out to the emergency room.”

I met his cool gaze. “You’ll have to forgive me for not groveling at your feet like your pal, Asmoday, but I’m really not feeling up to it.”

He smiled at me and winked. “I’ll let it go, this time.”

I rolled my eyes. “There’s only room down here for one smart-ass and I was here first.” I pulled myself up straighter so I could look him in the eyes with a semblance of confidence. “How’d you find us?”

He gestured toward the entrance. “It seems we have a friend in common, you and me.”

I followed his gaze and my heart sank. Veronica stood at the doorway, Abraham by her side. The joy at seeing Abraham alive did nothing to temper the heartbreak I felt at learning just how much my ex-wife had betrayed me. I turned back to Baalth, unable to look at her.

“She tracked you to the Ninth where you disappeared. It didn’t take much to figure out where you’d gotten off to from there.” He shrugged. There was an unexpected compassion in his expression. “Sorry, Frank. Never trust a succubus.”

My eyes drifted around the devastated room, everywhere but at Baalth. I didn’t want to look at his face for fear he’d see just how hurt I was. “So what now?”

“For the most part, life goes on,” he answered with no trace of deception.

“No big bang, no end of the world?”

Baalth shook his head. “That doesn’t serve my purpose, at this time. Maybe one day, but not now.”

He got to his feet, dusting his suit pants off. “Before he disappeared, your uncle left you something knowing you’d manage to find your way back down here one day.”

I tried my best not to look surprised Baalth had known about mine and Lucifer’s secret meetings. “I- I-”

He waved off my sputtering response. “You’ll find it hidden beneath the altar.” He motioned to the back of the room and made a face when he noticed the state of the sanctum, his focus having been elsewhere.

“It’s buried somewhere under that mess.” He called for Veronica to release Abraham. “I’ll see you soon.”

His goons in tow, he headed for the exit, nodding to Abraham as they passed. At the archway where Veronica stood waiting, he called back to me. “Don’t forget, Frank, you still owe me a favor.” With that, he left, Poe and Marcus at his heels.

Veronica lingered for a moment and our eyes met. Even as angry as I was, I couldn’t bring myself to look away. Though I probably imagined it, I thought I saw a trace of regret flicker across her face. She looked at me and raised her hand in a tentative wave, a half-assed attempt at a smile creeping to her lips. Unable to bear it, I turned away. I heard her footsteps a second later, scuffling off into the distance as Abraham arrived at my side. Hurt, I focused my attention on him.

“How you doing, Abe?”

He dropped down beside me, looking me over.

“I’d have to say a slight bit better than you.” He glanced around the room. “Katon, Scarlett?”

I shook my head, my eyes beginning to tear up.

“They didn’t make it. I’m sorry.” I hung my head as Abraham placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, holding back his own tears.

“Don’t be so quick to count us out, Trigg,” a quiet voice spoke from nearby.

We both popped our heads up and looked to the wreckage. There, about twenty feet away, Katon lifted his scorched head from out of the detritus and looked at us with mild amusement. “It takes more than a little fire to put me in my casket for good.” He climbed to his feet and though he spoke with confidence, his movement didn’t reflect the same. He limped unsteadily over to us. His dark skin was ash black in places while rosy pink in others where the flames had gouged deep and new flesh was forming, his vampiric regeneration already kicking in. Though motley in appearance, with only a few strips of cloth keeping him from being naked, he looked as though he’d pull through okay.

“Have you seen Scarlett?”

He nodded. “She’s back that way a bit.” He thumbed over his shoulder. “I checked on her as I circled around to get to you. She’s unconscious and hurt pretty bad, but she’ll make it if we get her help soon.”

Relief flooded my face. Abraham sighed, as obviously relieved as I was. His fears of our deaths allayed, he stood up, taking charge. “You have enough energy left to trigger the gate?”

I shrugged. “I’ll find it.”

Abraham smiled as warmly as I’d ever seen him. After a brief moment, he turned to Katon. “Gather Scarlett. We can take stock of things once we’ve returned to DRAC.” He bent down and slipped beneath my shoulder, wrestling me to my feet. He impressed me. Wounded as I was, I was dead weight, but he managed to get me up and support me without hurting himself. I smiled at him. I guess there was still some life left in the old guy after all. Once Katon returned with Scarlett, hanging limp over the shoulder of his battered arm, we started toward the gate. Dragged along, I peered back behind us, saddened by the destruction of my uncle’s sanctum.

“What about-”

Abraham cut me off. “It’s not going anywhere, Frank.” He said it with such certainty I couldn’t help but let it go. “I’ll send Katon back once I’ve got you two safely back at headquarters.”

I was too tired to argue. I let him pull me along, my eyes fluttering with exhaustion over the slow haul. With all my adrenaline burnt off, I was crashing fast. At the gate, I could barely keep my eyes open. How I managed to trigger the portal is beyond me, but the next thing I knew I was being dumped into an uncomfortable bed in the emergency room at DRAC. Abraham stayed at my side until unconsciousness welled up to claim me. Dosed with painkillers, I drifted off on a cloud of flickering darkness.