Snippet #1597594

[Tab, you better read this when you're back]

Listening to Elris was really getting to Len; yes, the guy was in charge, but he stayed out of the middle-man stuff. It was all well and good that he said they had influence over the majority of the troops, but the loyal forces were the most powerful, the most patriotic, and importantly, the most magic-resistant. Elris could lead the Angles around all he liked, but if Len hadn’t helped out at the beginning of Chronos, where would it be now? He just stood and nodded, watching as Elris and Abomination left, then sat down and sighed. This was really escalating now, and the bizarre thing was, he hadn’t left this room in days, maybe even a couple of weeks now, and he still knew exactly what each department of Chronos was doing. Len pondered the outside; the massacres of the Angels, the chaos of the Royal lands, the fear driving through the farms... and his family. Chronos mook family had been transported out ages ago, except for his. Would they survive this?

A series of knocks on the door interrupted his thought pattern.

“Yes, Jamesson?” Len noticed his exhaustion in his words. Jamesson entered, complete with tray of tea-making facilities. Ah, was it that time already.

Jamesson laid the tray on the desk. “Cheers.” Len was just glad there was someone out there in this company he could trust. It was a little unorthodox that this was his assistant, but nevertheless, everyone needed a confident.

He reached over and began pouring. “I knew Chronos would be trouble, but I didn’t quite expect this. I feel like I haven’t seen Virchow in forever, the Boss is taking interest in only the Angel-related business, and the Angels... well, I’ve only met one, and they seemed to be a bit of a, um, unusual deposition.” And drink. Ah... it was a good idea annexing the tea farmland in the early stages. Yes, maybe there were a few dozen important mines, but the tea was worth it. “What’s going on down the hierarchy?”

“Well, sir, the scientists seem to be complaining of a lack of materials, as well as believing their work is underappreciated. And, er,” he glanced at a clipboard. “Oh! The workers are still low in morale, wanting to know exactly what is going on with the Angels.” Len placed his tea down and groaned. How many times would he have to talk to the works about the Angels. Or maybe talking wouldn’t do. Maybe he had to go further. “Which subjects do we still have in Holding?” The tone was low and cold; Jamesson could sense why he wanted to know. “Sir, please don’t do that. If the boss-“

“If the boss finds out, I’ll take the fall.” Len downed the rest of the tea and stood up, making way towards the door. “Besides, I have another project to check. Here’s a job for you: go down to Dr Lex and tell him to prepare my project. I’ll be there in a couple of hours.” He slid out the door before Jamesson could reply. The PA rubbed his face with his free hand, trying to massage out some tiredness. Being Len’s PA was certainly interesting. He could say for certain that no other regular in Chronos got this much information. And after seeing what happened to the others... yeah. Definitely the right choice, this job. He looked down at the scrawling on the clipboard. ‘Dr Lex, 2 hours, Adaven’s project.’ Ok, mostly the right choice. He picked up the tray and left, soon having to make his way down.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Holding was an unusual place. Some of the failed Angels still had research possibilities, and were kept down here. Chronos’ best guards, equipment and magic-resistant items were used here, as an escaped Angel could quickly take down the buttresses of the building. Luckily, there had only been one breakout, and Elris himself had stopped it. The guards knew the price of failure after that. Despite his ranking and ability, Len was forced to have a guard follow him around ‘just in case’. His escort led him to area 4, and Len took the lead down a tight corridor, barely enough for him to fit through. He felt the heat of the torches as he walked down, their yellow glass coverings creating an unusual effect down the passage. A door appeared on the left, Cell 4-4027, holding Angel ID 4027, obviously. Len peered in as he passed, noting the Angel’s appearance. Green skinned, looking sickly. Apparently, he had some sort of allergy to the yellow light in the corridor, a measure to help contain him. A few more steps took him past Cell 4-4888, the Angel dubbed ‘Taser’. This one had the ability to create lightning from his body, but a cell made of pure iron disrupted his power. The Angel jumped on the door as he passed, a slicing noise filling the air as he impaled his hands on the spikes on the door. Of course, this one was messed up, and didn’t even feel it. Len’s facial expression said it all; that one really weirded him out.

The next door was what he wanted. Angel 5174. Len mentally went over the file he had read. Most Angels had the problem that their AT fields were too weak. Indeed, it seemed as if that problem was beginning to resurface in the working Angels. 5174 had different problems, though. The AT field was too strong. It had a permanent presence on this plane, and was slowly seeping into it’s mind. There had to be some sort of middle ground, though, but the problem was they needed to study him in order to secure any sort of theory, and no one could get close enough before the field started having an effect on them, crushing their mind. The only remedy was someone completely immune to magic... now where could you find someone like that?

The cell’s watcher handed Len a syringe. He would likely only have one chance at this, the syringe’s matter being susceptible to the AT field. “Good luck, sir,” the watcher muttered as he wound the chain to the cell’s door. Len slowly moved inwards, the door slamming behind him. The cell was small, probably only able to fit around 20 people. The walls had been built in white tile, but decay had taken its toll, and on top of that, the empowered AT field cast a wavy pattern across the area, ultimately shading the cell blue. And in the corner, sure as ever, was 5174: Safeguard.

Safeguard was in the corner of the room, huddled on a bench with its arms over its body. It was difficult to tell in this light, but Safeguard had some... irregular features. The skin was pale blue, and the eyes dark black, with no visible iris. Scrawly hair matching the eye’s colour dominated the head, the untidiness obvious by the fact they were not expected to keep up appearance. Apart from the odd colour, Safeguard could pass as normal; well, if it wasn’t for the wings. They were exceptional, really. A spectrum of colour, made entirely out of energy. Unusable, yes, but terrifying in the right situation. As Len moved further towards it, the arms went down and it stared, right at- er, near him.

“That’s right, I’m immune. So we can do this easy if you want to, Safeguard, but I’m leaving with this full.” Len twizzeled the syringe in his hand as Safeguard slowly uncoiled. It stood up and edged towards him. Len stiffened, not sure what to expect. “You never got a weapon. I know that. So why not-“ Len was cut off by Safeguard spontaneously leaping on him, slamming him against the portcullis door. The syringe fell out of his hand as he used both to hold the Angel away from him, the creature thrashing about like a rabid dog. Struggling to maintain a hold against the construct, Len attempted to lift his leg, and gave it a swift kick to the stomach region. Safeguard keeled over slightly. Well, something worked there. Len drew out his right leg’s kukri and went for a slice on the arm. The blade cut the air and embedded itself in Safeguard’s forearm.

“Oh bugger.” Len hadn’t anticipated that. Safeguard pulled out the kukri and the wound healed instantaneously. In response, Len swiped out the other leg’s knife. The Angel adopted a fighting stance. “The hard way it is,” Len said smugly, before blocking the creature’s first strike.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As well as being Len’s PA, Jamesson had some basic admin duties. The dull stuff could be quite welcome after serving with the Angels and their bosses. His first duty alongside Len had involved ‘testing’ one of the prototype Angels. And by ‘testing’ he meant cutting holes into it to find out how long the regeneration took. Every time he received an ‘urgent’ notice, he just remembered that, and he kept sane.

After placing some more papers on Len’s desk, Jamesson decided it was finally time to go see Dr Lex. The thought placed ill on his mind. Dr Lex wasn’t head scientist for the primary reason that he disagreed with Elris a LOT. The last straw had been the invention of the anti-telepath field; blocking the ability of telepathy to work within the area. And Elris, furious about the creation of something that impeded his power, made it clear Lex would never have a position of power in the company. But, it made sense. If you wanted a project developed without Elris finding out, who better to go to?

Jamesson tidied his modest desk and began the walk to the labs. The first walk was down the main staircase; splendid architecture, but he was too occupied by the looks of Chronos workers passing him as he descended. He never got anything from them. No threats, or violence. But he knew they hated him for his opportunity. There was one guy, Marcus, who had applied alongside him. He found out three months later that Marcus had been used to test for that Angel... the first success. ‘Maci’, wasn’t it?

Mulling over whether this was a ‘success’ or not, Jamesson suddenly felt a bit sour. Morality was never his strong point. He reached the end of the staircase, the deepest basements (Well, second deepest, but he wasn’t allowed in Holding) where the labs laid. The bleach-like smell of the labs had always deterred him from making an appearance, but he had seen the maps of the building enough to know the layout perfectly. The left corridor was the darkest of the branches from this pit, and Jamesson was reluctant to enter. Still, he had a job to do. As his footsteps echoed, he couldn’t help but wonder if this was some sort of warning, expecting a sign saying ‘Abandon Hope all ye who Enter...’

A wall suddenly appeared in front of him, nearly getting the better of him. As he tried to look for a secret door or something, he noticed a small beam of light from under a door, down a barely noticeable corridor to the left. It was so dark, it was no wonder he hadn’t seen it. Treading carefully up to the door, he considered knocking. After all, he did have to deliver the message. But... Dr Lex was terrifying. He once killed a mook by yelling at him. Neither option sounded-

The door swung open. “Yeshellowhat?” spat a bulky, grey-haired man dressed in a mix of lab gear and battle armour. Jamesson jumped; he had been taken by surprise, coupled by the suddenly intense bright light in the lab, causing him to slip and fall to the ground. “If this is some sort of practical joke, you’re doing miserably.” The doctor’s posh accent became more noticeable. Yep, this was him. Dr Lex had been a member of the nobility, but had been too insane to ever be taken seriously by the rest of the land, causing him to join Chronos in the first place.

Jumping up and trying to keep composure, he tried to keep on the doctor’s good side. “I, I have a me-message from Mr Ad, Adaven, Dr, Sir, Man.” Yeah, he did a fine job there... The man raised an eyebrow. “Ah, is it time already? I must admit, I haven’t exactly been keeping track of the project. Interesting. Please, come in.” Lex moved to allow him in, and Jamesson reluctantly entered. The lab was a peculiar place, much like the others. Scientific kits, research papers, all the usual stuff. Apart from a most unusual device in the far corner. A central sphere of white (Pure Magic?) tapped by pipes that surrounded it, most leading down into a central construct below the glow, and a couple of pipes pointing up, funnelling into bizarre spinney thing. A polite cough reminded him where he was. “Enjoying yourself, are you?” asked Lex. Jamesson was hypnotised by it. “What is that?” Lex moved up to the device and patted the sphere. “This is my famous telepathy-blocker. Too heavy to lift in here without telekinesis, but of course, it cancels it, so it’s been here since. Maybe when Elris isn’t so far up himself he will appreciate my genius.” Oh dear, this can’t go well. Best get back to why I’m here.

“Mr Adaven told me to inform you he wants the project in two hours.” Lex twitched into a stiff-looking posture. “Already? I’ve had barely any time to work on it! Who does he think I am?!” Panicking, Jamesson picked up a piece of scrap wood and cowered behind it. “Because I am some sort of genius!” He peered over the scrap and noticed Lex walk over to a compartment, picking out a key. “Angels are just manipulation of standard Human DNA. But if we take the DNA of someone with powers, we can find out how to amplify it into inorganic materials. And, just as Adaven asked, I have perfected it. Well,” he added, “Nearly.” The doors swung open, and inside was a suit of armour. If fit had been designed for Len, then it was a tight fit. The plating was an unusual pale violet colour, shining exponentially in the glow of the device, with a multi-coloured trim. Nothing exceptionally difficult. Well, except for the veins of pure white that appeared to supply the magic to the entire suit. Even so, what could be so ingenious about it?

“I’m... not really following this. What is it?” A swipe around the head was his first answer, followed by the doctor’s explanation. “This, boy, is the pinnacle of magic-utilisation! One ordinary suit of zephyr armour-“ Zephyr? Not the most durable material. Odd choice. “-enhanced with tracks of power harnessing, designed to replicate a person’s magic ability and strengthen it to be permanently on.” His voice escalated in volume as he went on. “Which, in your boss’s case, means complete and utter protection from any sort of magic attacks, EVEN those made by passive powers, such as an invisible crossbow bolt, or a fist from a healer.” His voice quietened for the last piece. “This suit levels the playing field for him. Of course, I don’t know what happens if someone with a different power uses it, but that what experiments are for!”

Jamesson walked up to it and placed a hand on the chest plate. Cold, with the unusual feeling that came with magic items to the non-users. “But... why has he authorized this?” Lex rummaged through his papers on the desk. “I believe this is the only excuse he needs,” he said with a silent, solace tone, holding up an executive order. Jamesson took it and read the text:

“Just in case – Adaven”.

He looked back at the old man. “In case of what? The Angels would never attack us.” He thought about that. “Would they?”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The kukri pierced a few hairs as Len ducked and rolled away towards the back of the cell. Safeguard pulled the knife out of the wall, tearing out tiles and kicking a load of dust around. Len adopted a crouched position on the bench, noticing the watcher and his guard trying to decide what to do.

“Just watch the door!” he ordered them. “I’m fine in here!”

This came as Safeguard swung a leg round, narrowly missing his face. Len hadn’t seen the claws on Safeguard before. After all, the wings kinda took your attention. The Angel continued a spin, choosing another stab attack. Len’s reflexes paid off, raising his own knife up to block the swing, and he took the chance to kick Safeguard in the shin. It’s balance off, it tried to recover by jumping on him, but again he had moved and the Angel went into the tiles. When it turned its face to Len, he saw the broken nose reverse back into shape.

Right. Maybe it was his turn. Len made a lunge, lancing forward with his kukri, repeatedly stabbing the construct in the chest. And again, the cuts healed up when he removed it. Occupied, he had barely any time to avoid the blade headed right for his neck. His manoeuvre brought him back to opposite his foe, the two of them on either side of the cell.

Safeguard made a relatively conservative move, lashing out with the kukri and slowly moving forward. Len copied him, and the two met for a quasi-slap fight. Blade ricocheted off blade multiple times, sparks flying off either side. Counting in his head, Len tried to find an opportunity. ‘Two, three, five, seven, ten, eleven, now!’ He made a flicking attack, and sure enough, Safeguard was off-guard. The knife was propelled out of his hand, and a bemused look tried to enter the coal eyes. Len began panting. How much more could this-

The thought had barely finished when Safeguard grabbed it’s jaw and screamed. It was so unusual. Not so much a scream, but a call of darkness...

*Pt-tash*

Len stumbled as a tile whacked him round the head. His balance went, and he fell against the wall. Aah... that was a little bleeder. He turned his gaze to the Angel. It was... pulling it’s jaw off? At least, harming itself in some way. And this was affecting the AT field. The tiles on the walls were misbehaving, as if their reality was changing. Some followed the path of the first and whizzed off the wall; others simply dropped to the ground; the rest disintegrated. Len felt a little something he wasn’t used to – panic. Lucky his power would protect him from similar effects. He flicked round the knife and prepared to jump the Angel. It stared right into him as he made the jump. The kukri stabbed right at it, and stopped in mid air.

“Oh, for-“ he squeaked. Len was immune. The kukri wasn’t. It glowed with a field similar in colour to Safeguard’s skin, before slamming into the wall, taking Len with it. His skull cracked right onto an exposed brickwork wall. As he tried to recover, it moved into the other wall, catching the exact same spot on the other side, before swinging him back to look directly into the thing’s eyes. It released its jaw and stopped the scream, giving a blank look right in his face. Len kept a grip on the kukri for some reason.

“Go on then, freak. Give it a shot”. Safeguard continued to look right through him. Len braced for a punch, or a stab, or a kick, or SOMETHING. Without warning, the kukri shot back, sending him flying into the door. He lost his grip, and the knife fell out of the door, clattering to the ground near a very lucky watcher. Len yelled a series of obscenities, and his brain refused to unclench his face. This was easily the most pain he had ever suffered. A few deep breaths, and he could open his eyes to see... Crap! Safeguard reached a hand out and pulled the kukri Len had knocked out of his reach back into his grasp. ‘Dammit! Think, Len, think!’ He looked round for something, anything- hello. The syringe. This was his last chance. He reached under the door and made a reach for it, Safeguard slowly and confidently making its way towards him. No! He was a couple of inches too short! Of all the-

“Here you are, sir!” called his guard, placing a spare syringe in his hand. Len didn’t have time for gratitude, instead seizing his chance. He leant round, charged forward and stabbed the syringe straight in Safeguard’s eye. It reflected the pain, a different scream emanating from it.

’SKRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!’ The cold tone echoed through Holding. Len drained some eye fluid, then removed the syringe and tossed it in the air. In one swift movement, he kicked Safeguard straight in the chest, flicked out his arm’s kukris and went for the dual strike to the heart and brain, before catching the sample. Safeguard flailed it’s arms as the scream died down into a gargle. Len decided to finish the job with a kick right between the eyes. The Angel remained oddly still, the energy wings disappeared, and the odd colour of the shield disappeared from the room. It was over.

Len had a few deep breaths while scanning the remains of his enemy. Still, this was an inconvenience. He hadn’t anticipated such a fight, and was behind schedule. One last look at Safeguard, and then he turned and walked to the door. “Open!” The portcullis lifted and he emerged, in between the watcher and guard. He addressed the watcher first. “Clean up the mess, then go down to the archives and have Safeguard removed,” he ordered. The watcher saluted, before entering the cell. Len faced his guard and handed him the syringe. “Take this to the labs and have them analyse it. I have to go change,” he said, looking at his suit. Tie was shredded, shirt was covered in dust and blood, and the jacket had numerous cuts. So annoying.

The guard saluted and left. Len looked back in the cell, at the watcher trying to fit the Angel into a body bag. ‘And that was a bad Angel. I can’t imagine what the successes were like,’ he thought to himself. Then again, he had an advantage. And speaking of advantages, he still had to follow up on Dr Lex. One last look, then Len turned and made his way out of Holding. Quarters first, then labs for the results, then to Lex. After all, Jamesson should be there by now.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I’m not sure I’m alright with this...”

“Don’t worry boy, it’ll be fine! A few strap adjustments and it fits like a scarf.”

Jamesson felt the chest piece shorten slightly to create a better fit. He wasn’t sure how, but Dr Lex had convinced him that he had to try the suit on to make sure it was the correct size. However, seeing as it had straps he was a little suspicious as to the real reason.

“There. How is that?” Jamesson did a few movements. In spite of being a modified suit of armour, it was surprisingly light. “Feels fine, but how do I test the ability boost? I don’t have any.” The doctor clicked his fingers and pulled out a syringe containing a sky blue liquid. “Side result of my Angel work. This little beauty is water control. However, as a booster, it works for only around 5 minutes.” The doctor pierced his neck with the needle, that and his face being the only exposed flesh. As the concoction entered his blood, he felt... well, there was something, but he couldn’t tell what. He was still a bit doubtful it would even do anyt-

He braced as a load of water was tossed over him. Popping open an eye, he saw Lex with an empty bucket in front of him. “Was that completely necessary?” he asked as he went to wipe his eyes. And then noticed no water on his face. Sure enough, he was bone dry. “Interesting,” the doctor whispered in that odd way. “For water control, the power extends to resistance to the element... I wonder what this would do for the prince’s black hole power.”

That statement confused Jamesson. “Wait, why does that matter? If this was designed for Mr Adaven, why are there straps and an adaptive ability?” Lex shrugged off the question. “That is irrelevant. Besides, this is far from perfect. There is still much work to do!” He walked over to an empty area of wall, and pulled on a notch in the stonework, opening a door. A secret door in a lab? That seemed a bit cliché... The doctor motioned him in. Jamesson tried walking in the suit. It was, well, a lot easier than he had expected. The plates felt as if they flowed over his body. He shuffled past Dr Lex, ducking a little despite perfect headroom, and ended up in a dark alcove. There was an identical door about two meters from the other, but other than a torch, the room was empty. Jamesson looked around, confused, as Lex closed the door.

“I’m not sure this is... what kind of experiments do you do?” A slap round the head follow. Jamesson rubbed the whack, despite wearing the amour. “Foolish boy. This is one of the most important magic developments ever created! So important, I... don’t know how it works. In fact it was accident, but still! Watch this.” He opened the other door, and shoved Jamesson through. He fell over as he moved, and ended up face down in a load of grass.

Whoa, hang on. Grass? Jamesson held his head up. They were in a field, a stone wall sealing off about an acre, with some sort of small barrack-like building on the opposite side of the area. He stood up, shocked, and noticed the top of a hill about 200 yards behind the building. He turned around and saw... well, everything. Over in the distance, maybe about 20 miles away, was Hyrzua. You could easily recognise the city. Unique architecture, and bloody huge. Jamesson looked at some of the landscape. The forests... the lake. Hmm... they must be near the mountain range. Wouldn’t be a surprise if Rukital was hidden behind a hill or something. It was a splendid view, yes, but it didn’t answer the question.

“What the hell?”

“A good question,” Lex replied over the light wind. He shut the door and Jamesson looked at the exit. It looked as if someone had built the corridor right there in the field, but there was nothing behind it. Just the two meters of stone wall. “That used to be a supply closet. I was carrying some pure magic when I tripped and spilt it on the door. It seems that at the exact same time, someone else did the same to this holding cell, and they got linked. As you can tell, we are in the mountains, around 40 miles from the HQ. I wish I knew how to replicate it, but as I said... a mystery. So no one else knows about this. It’s annoying though; I can’t figure out how to get back my supply closet.”

The wind intensified, and the visor on the amour slammed down. As he pulled it back up, Jamesson ventured a question. “Well... what is this place anyway? And why is there magic here? I didn’t think Chronos had permitted magic research outside HQ.” The doctor began walking towards the barracks, and Jamesson followed after him. “Well, we needed to test the Angels in external conditions. Elris doesn’t know it, but Len authorised some tests to be done in remote, outside areas. This is Outpost Cyrus IV.”

“So why is this place decommissioned?” It was a good question. There was no one around, and Angel experiments were still ongoing. By now, they had reached the structure. The walls were a combination of stone and a dark, yet light metal. It resembled the bottom half of a pyramid, with three doors of the slanted side of the building. “Oh, it hasn’t been.” That was... quite an ominous response. He pulled up one of the doors, and Jamesson looked inside.

There was an Angel housed in the small space.

It’s hair reminded Jamesson of that working Angel... Ishkur, wasn’t it? The skin was paler, and the wings looked diseased, a sickly yellow colour only half full with feathers. A hand covered it’s face. Angels did that a lot, as if it was some sort of trance state. “In fact, the next experiment begins now...” Lex’s voice cut through, and Jamesson’s attention diverted to him. He had hopped over the stone perimeter. He tried to follow suit, put when he placed his hand on the stone, a powerful magic blast appeared, knocking him backwards. The visor shut again. Lex sneered at him over the fence.

“So sorry, Jamesson, but I need this testing before Adaven takes it from me. The wall has an anti-magic field built in, so with the armour on, you’re going nowhere.” He leant a clipboard on the wall. “Now, get him Poet!” Jamesson looked back over to the open door, and the Angel emerged. It’s face was terrifying, enhanced by the wings behind it. The eyes were that of a feral cat, and the skin appeared to hang off the face. It turned and grinned at its prey, revealing an upper set of razor-like teeth and an empty bottom layer.

Alarmed, Jamesson propped himself back up and ran for it. The Angel couldn’t fly on its wings, but it ran just as fast as he cold. As he approached the wall again, he tried a jump, but once again the magic barrier intensified, knocking him backwards into the ground. Dazed, he watched the Angel close in on him, chanting something.

For the skies we come
Hope of salvation
For this great nation
Where the end has come.

The wind accumulated in its hand and a trident formed. Walking over to Jamesson, it grasped it in both hands, and stabbed down towards him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The new suit was a jaunty number; crisply cleaned, allowing the blue tint of the material to show through. Len self-pleasingly fixed the collar as he entered the main research lab. The torches were encased in white-tinted glass to create a very dream-sequencey area. The further he walked into the complex, the more scientists appeared. His destination was right in the centre, the genetics lab. Len shoved the door open and made his way to Dr Layway. She was the principle geneticist for the Angels, and Len had tasked her with reading Safeguard’s DNA to find the AT field solution. Maybe then, Elris would give him some respect.

As he approached the doctor, she spoke first. “Mr Adaven, these results, they’re-“ Len couldn’t be bothered with an explanation, and interrupted. “Do they explain the AT field intensity?” Layway gave a slight cough. “Well, yes they do. We can identify the problems, and integrate an improved structure in further Angels. But-“

Len make an obviously exaggerated sigh. “That won’t do, Layway! I need the changes brought into the working Angels.” She began to speak, but he went over. “I don’t care if it’s genetic, find a way to do it!”

Layway’s temper frazzled. “SIR!” she yelled, “THERE IS A PROBLEM!” Len tried to begin a few sentences, shocked by a subordinate shouting at him. “There better be if you think you can talk like that to me.” The doctor moved round next to him and showed him a diagram. “Sir, we’re finding these codons all over the sequence. All identical in sentient, working Angels. We think it may be the key to a working Angel.”

Running it through his mind, Len found one response: “How is this a problem? Working Angels, surely that’s a good thing.” Well, that could be a moot point, but it was definitely their objective. “Well, sir, we checked the inserted structure with existing records. You know, the higher ups such as yourself. And it seems... they match the Master’s.”

“...What does that mean?” Len didn’t get genetics, but this didn’t sound good. “We believe the sites used are the areas that code for our abilities, and specifically, if anything were to happen to the master... the Angels will become unstable.” Blink. “That... that’s not possible!” The doctor shook her head, causing Len to grasp her by the shoulders. “Katie! Who did this?! The entire project is in disarray now!”

The scientist squirmed uneasily. “We don’t know sir. We believe it has been present since the first Angels, and replicated into the later ones.” Len released his grip and repeatedly banged his head on a desk. This was bad. Of course, Elris was powerful. Matching the prince in terms of power levels, yet even he wasn’t immortal. What would happen if he died of old age? He spoke between headbangs: “Can you – be 100% - sure – about that?”

“We believe it’s more than likely sir, and preparing to counter any results. But, um... there’s more.” Len stopped in mid-bang. “What?” “There are more unidentified areas we never saw before, and we have no idea what they do.”

...

...

Len tried to describe what happened to him in his mind. He believed the term was ‘white-out’.

“Layway... fix this. I don’t care how. Just. DO.IT. I’ll be back soon, and I expect SOMETHING. Don’t let anything get back to Elris if you value your life. I’ll do what I can. But I have an appointment. Ciao.” He made a beeline for the door, pausing after he had opened it. “Oh, and I want to see Virchow. And- er, whoever came up with the AT field.” He left the lab and entered his thoughts.

CRAP! This is the worst thing EVER! How did this get entered under our noses? If Elris ever does anything stupid, the Angels will... hang on, wasn’t he going to- Aw, hell. Calm down, Len, calm down. Go get the armour, then discuss this with Jamesson, Virchow and the other one. I mean, it may not even mean a thing. Maybe it’s coincidence. Or... what if HE placed his DNA inside them. It would guarantee obedience. Wouldn’t it? GAH! I wish I understood genetics! Maybe Lex can help me. Speaking of which...

Having been in his head the entire way, Len arrived at Dr Lex’s lab, the familiar aftersound of the psi-blocker at work in the background. He found the shadowed corridor, and entered the lab. “Rei! Is it-“ Hang on. Where are they? The lab was deserted, and the closet he presumed housed his project was empty. Len looked around, puzzled, before noticing the door in the corner. Sigh. If Lex was up to his old tricks...

He walked over and poked his head through. Huh. This corridor wasn’t on the maps. He closed the door and walked over to the other one. This time he swung it ope n... Oh, now this is unusual. Farmland? If Lex had developed a portal and neglected to tell him, he was going to be pissed. Before he too got a chance to admire the view, he saw someone on the ground in- his armour! Lex, what are you doing?! An Angel was closing in. Dammit, not much time. Shutting the door, Len dashed towards the two. He began to make out details of the Angel. The trident, the wings, the teeth. Poet – ID 1019. The file said it had been destroyed. This could be a problem.

Len jumped as he closed in on them, coming between the guy and Poet. The trident came down, dissipating as it hit his immune skin. He hit the ground and stared up at the Angel. “Sir?” a hopeful voice came from behind. “Jamesson, are you wearing my clothes again?” He didn’t listen out for a reply, just focusing on standing up to face the monster. “Angel ID 1019. Classification ‘Poet’. Named for its tendency to speak in – what I must admit is pretty bad – poetry. Major faults: rapidly degrading biological structures, and aforementioned speech. Just a quick question; how have you survived until now?”

The Angel wore a blank look, before reciting:
Chronos’ power
Seeks to conquer
Yet the divine path
Evades them.
In this hour
We fix her
Lest destiny’s wrath
Brings the end.
A loud groan emitted from Len, which he worked into proper words. “Spare me your poetic justice.” He flicked out his arm kukris, slicing straight through the sides of Poet’s skull. As its eyes cried blood, the Angel fell to the floor. Without hesitation, Len kneeled down next to Jamesson, panic filling the PA’s eyes.

“What is going on here?” Jamesson was frantic, as if he couldn’t believe what was going on. “I don’t know, sir. Dr Lex had me put this on, then brought me here and put the Angel on me!””You have to admit, it was a good plan.” The doctor’s voice jumped from behind them. Len stood up to face – ok, he has a crossbow. “Plan? How does killing Jamesson constitute a plan? The guy has not strategic worth. No offense.”

“None, taken sir,” a weak voice piped. Lex wiped his forehead. He was sweating heavily, obviously nervous. A good sign. “I knew you would turn up to save him. Didn’t plan on you taking out Poet so easily, but nonetheless I think I have you now. Especially now you have discovered the codons.” Len had to ask at this point. “What is a codon, and what are you on about?!” Lex grinned. “You would love to know, wouldn’t you? Too bad. You’ll die ignorant.” He pulled the trigger, and the bolt fired towards Len’s heart. An in that instant, he had just one thought:

What is a CODON?!

The arrow pierced bone, catching several veins and just one important artery. Objectively, it was probably better Jamesson had jumped in front of his boss, the bolt entering his leg and, quite importantly, saving Len’s life. Panicking, Lex dropped the crossbow and made a dash for the portal. Len’s thoughts were immediately with Jamesson. “Are you alright, Jamesson?” He released a pain-induced groan. “I have a military-grade bolt embedded in my shin, sir. That sort of thing really puts a crimp on your day.” Jamesson looked at Lex moving toward the door. The doctor was about halfway. “What’s he going to do, sir?”

“Die, that’s what.” Jamesson noticed Len pick up the crossbow. “Terribly sorry about this, chap.” He yanked the bolt out his leg. As Jamesson spouted obscenities, Len lined a shot. 100 metres, probably. He took a breath and fired.

Lex opened the door just in time to receive a bolt through the stomach.

Picking Jamesson up and supporting him against the wall, Len tore off a leg from the trousers – Jamesson’s, not his. That would be ridiculous – and fashioned a bandage. “Sir...” he began before Len overspoke. “If you tell me you love me, you’re fired.” Jamesson laughed, but continued. “Sir, what was he talking about? What’s a codon, and why do I feel like someone is judging me?

“I wish I knew, Stanley. All we can do now is go back to the office. I have a lot to digest, and some tea sounds fitting.” Giving Jamesson some support to walk, the two made their way down to the portal. All this... it would probably have no effect, but what if Layway was right? What if Elris had more meaning than he knew?

The two of them passed over the body of Dr Rei Lex, the only link they had. Many thoughts went through their heads, but Len spoke only one:

“Jamesson, you’re gonna have to clean my armour.”

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two sugars went into the tea, and Len took a mouthful. Katie had done a good job of suppressing the information, and now all had to do was figure it all out. At least the boss wasn’t around. He and the Angel had left ages ago, and they were yet to hear news of what had gone down. Len leant back in his chair and considered what would happen if they were right, and Elris died. Would the Angels go crazy? Scratch that, crazier? Well he still had time.

A knock at the door, and Jamesson entered. “Sir, a report for you.” Len stared at it before reluctantly taking it. “Any talk among the lower ranks?” “No sir, everything is as normal. What do we do?” Len had filled him in on what had happened. If you can’t trust your PA, who can you trust?

“We wait. Something will happen sooner or later. Anyway, I believe the AT field guy will soon be here. I doubt he knows about this, but I’ll keep an eye out. Thank you, Jamesson.” The man bowed, and left. Len leant back into his chair. The last couple of hours felt like some of the longest in his life.