literature

Fallen Angel (my first short story from 2007)

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Literature Text

Fallen Angel

(just a bit of a warning: this story does depict mild violence, but nothing more than one would see in a video game, or movie, so reader discretion is advised)

     The scent was getting stronger. Tobias flew through the trees as fast as he could, the others keeping close behind. Tobias and the other A.N.G.E.L.s had been tracking the demon for a week and had finally found his location in a small, secluded area. From about half a mile away Michael spotted him.
     “There he is,” Michael said. “Tobias, you go ahead and secure the demon.”
     “Affirmative,” Tobias complied. He swept onto the scene a few meters away from the dark shape. Folding his wings close to his body, he landed softly on a patch of grass. The human-shaped creature turned to face Tobias, his pale skin shining bright in the moonlight. He cocked his head to one side, facing Tobias.
     “So what now?” the Demon asked. “Are you going to send me to Hell with the others?”
      “Just give up, Marcoh.”
     Marcoh laughed as he brushed a strand of black shoulder-length hair from his face. “And if I don’t stop running, what are you going to do then?”
     At these words, Tobias drew a sword that hung by his side. “Then I shall have to use force to get what I need from you. Now tell me, where are the other Demons!?”
     “Ohhhh,” Marcoh said mockingly. “I see that you didn’t fly all this way just to kill little ol’ me, but it would be a cold day where I come from before I would willingly lend my services to an A.N.G.E.L.”
     Tobias scowled at Marcoh’s response. Sword still drawn, he leapt into the air, spread his wings, and flew right at Marcoh, thrusting his blade into his gut. Yet despite the dark red blood spilling from his mouth, a satisfied grin stretched across the Demon’s face. Grabbing Tobias by his sword arm, Marcoh crushed it with incredible strength until Tobias was forced to let go. Marcoh clasped the hilt of the sword and pulled it from his stomach. Gripping the sword tightly, he swung the blade at Tobias, who parried the attack, countering with a swift kick to the demon’s side, knocking him off balance. Tobias caught the sound of wings off in the distance, coming from the direction from which he had first appeared. Michael and the others weren’t far behind and would be on the scene in a few minutes. Standing up straight to his full height, Tobias raised his right hand to eye level, palm facing Marcoh.
     “May the light of the Archangels bind you!” said Tobias. His words held an air of authority. Beams of light suddenly rushed from Tobias’ outstretched hand towards Marcoh, who had been getting back to his feet. The light wrapped around him tightly, like a binding rope, causing him to release the sword. Tobias lowered his hand, causing the beam to break off. He walked forward, knelt over to reclaim his fallen blade, and faced the demon once again, slipping his sword back into its sheath. “That should hold you until my comrades arrive.”
     Suddenly the sound of wings filled the clearing. Tobias spun around to see that three other A.N.G.E.L.s had appeared on the scene, all of them with their swords drawn. Two of them were male, one young and tall, the other was short and elderly. The third A.N.G.E.L. was a beautiful girl who looked to be in her mid teens.
     “Hmmm,” said the oldest looking angel. “I see you had no trouble apprehending the subject on your own.”
     “He struggled a little,” said Tobias. “But not enough to hold me back.” He turned and faced the old one. “You could have gotten here a little sooner, Michael.”
     “Alas,” Michael sighed. “I am too old, and my wings don’t work as well as I would like.” As they were having their small conversation, Tobias noticed a slight movement out of the corner of his eye. Marcoh, who had been left alone, had begun to try to move out of the clearing, but he was trapped. Tobias once again drew his sword, ready to finish the Demon off, but Michael placed a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Stay here, Tobias. You’ve already had enough excitement for one night. Why don’t you let one of us take it from here?” Tobias stared at Marcoh, and then looked back at Michael.
     “Of course,” he said. “Do as you wish.” Tobias bowed to his elder, and stepped aside.
     Michael walked forward, returning his sword to its sheath, and knelt down next to Marcoh. “You’re not going to be able to out run us forever, Demon,” Michael said in a calm and soothing voice. “So why don’t you save us the trouble and tell us where the other demons are. If you choose not to, we will be forced to kill you, and that won’t do because, then we’ll have to start the hunt all over again, and we don’t want to do that.”
     Marcoh shot Michael a dirty glance. “I don’t see why it would be any trouble for you to just kill me like you did my brothers. You already know that I’m not going to help you, so you might as well get it over with.”
     “As you wish,” Michael said, turning his back to Marcoh. Walking back to the group of A.N.G.E.L.s, Michael turned to Tobias. “It seems like he isn’t going to give us anything, so get started on locating the next one.”
     Tobias bowed to Michael, respecting his decision to finish business here and move on to the next target. “Already on it,” Tobias said. “I have a lock on the next target and we’re ready to go. Why don’t you finish up here and you can catch up with us once you’re done.”
     Michael nodded in agreement with the plan and turned back to Marcoh.
     “Let’s move out,” Tobias said to the other A.N.G.E.L.s, and they all turned back to the way they had come, spread their wings, and took off.
     He hadn’t been hunting Demons for a long time, but Tobias had always been one of the best. He had gone through strenuous training exercises, teaching him how to fight and kill a Demon, but none of the exercises taught him how to negotiate with them only because there was no way to negotiate with them. That was what was wrong with them and that was why Tobias and the other A.N.G.E.L.s had to kill the Demons. They were evil beings that only thought of themselves and they needed to be exterminated before they did anything too drastic.
     Tobias had always found flying at night enjoyable. When he first practiced flying, he was too embarrassed to fly in front of the other angels, so he would wait until the dead of night when no one was looking. One night, when clouds veiled the moon and stars, he went flying and found himself in the middle of a forest. When he tried to fly out he found that he could do so with out even hitting a tree. Somehow, without being able to see a thing, he could sense whenever he came close to a tree. This was how he gained foresight and could fly at night without care. He was one with his surroundings, and could fly through a heavily wooded area with his eyes closed and come out without a scratch. For this reason, he was placed under the charge of Michael, his team’s captain. He was the scout - his job was to fly ahead and apprehend any Demon who was in the area and wait for his team to come and deal with it.
     Lucky for them there was a breeze blowing through the cool summer air. This meant that they could conserve their energy by riding the thermals, gliding most of the way to their next target, who seemed to be less active than Marcoh. Tobias sighed as he reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a silver pocket watch, decorated with two swords crossed over each other that were backed with a rose in full bloom and topped with a halo. He popped the lid of the watch and checked the time. 2:36. They would have to head back home after this. The team had been hunting all night and were becoming fatigued, and they would need to rest soon.
     The new target’s name was Jason. He had been high up on the list of Demons who needed to be executed, and he was the closest one in the area. How lucky they were. Tobias sensed that Jason had an average amount of Demonic aura emanating from him and would not be much trouble. Though Jason didn’t have much power, he was still worth a lot to the enemy, because he held a lot of information on the locations of other Demons.
     “Ananias, Atoli” Tobias said, turning to the A.N.G.E.L.s flying on either side of him. “I’m going on ahead to question the Demon. You two hold back. I don’t think this will be too troublesome. I’ll handle it on my own.” The other two nodded, slowed down and landed on the branches of a large oak tree.
     Tobias quickly picked up speed and flew right through the forest until he came to a high cliff. The aura that he sensed was emanating from atop it. Angling his wings upwards, he steadily flew up the cliff. There sitting next to a fire, with his back to Tobias, was Jason. Tobias landed silently and walked up to the unsuspecting Demon. “Hello, Jason.” Tobias said.
     The Demon spun around, startled to see that someone had discovered his hiding spot. “What do you want?” Jason inquired.
     “Information. I want to know where the other Demons are.”
     “Then I guess that would make you one of those A.N.G.E.L.s that I’ve heard about.”
     “That is correct.”
     “Then that would mean that you live at the Celestial Society, your little hidden base.”
     “Once again you are correct, but I am afraid that your extensive knowledge of us won’t help you. Now tell me where the other Demons are hiding.”
     “I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll tell you the locations of all the Demons I know, and you spare my life and take me back to you moon lab to protect me from the others.” Tobias stared at Jason taken aback. Every single Demon who he or any other A.N.G.E.L. had encountered had always chosen death rather than to reveal the locations of his or her brethren.
     “First you tell me their locations, and we will discuss your deal once my superiors arrive.”
     “Very well,” Jason spent the next fifteen minutes giving names and the parts of the world where they could be located. When he finally finished he said, “Now I guess you’re wondering why I helped you.”
     “That had been puzzling me, yes,” Tobias replied.
     “Come on, you’re telling me that you don’t remember me, Tobias. I mean, it’s been about sixteen years since we last saw each other, but still there shouldn’t be any reason that you wouldn’t recognize me. Well, except for the fact that I was turned into this…thing. I guess I wouldn’t blame you for not recognizing me. Hell, I didn’t even recognize you when you got here, but I thought there was something familiar about you wh-”
     “I’m sorry, but I don’t know you. I try not to make a habit of socializing with demons.”
     “I’m talking about before all of that. Of course, you probably don’t remember anything before becoming an A.N.G.E.L. It’s been so long, and they probably erased your memory to turn you into a killing machine. You and I were friends once. Then one day my father took me away, said I was sick, had to go to a special hospital for treatments. When I woke up I had been changed into this monster that you see.”
     Tobias stared in disbelief. There was no way that anything Jason said was the truth. Yet, there was no way to disprove his claim. A few years ago, after being attacked by a powerful Demon, Tobias had suffered some memory loss. Most of his childhood was gone. The doctors said that it was normal because of the medication that he had been taking to nurse his wound. After that, Tobias hadn’t thought much of it. Even now, after what Jason said, he chose to deny that he was telling the truth. It was easier to live life the way it was now, rather than in some make-believe past. Tobias turned away and withdrew his sword. Jason was beginning to annoy him. “Sorry but I still don’t believe you.”
      “You should!” Jason said franticly while looking at the blade, the fear growing in his eyes.
     “And why should I?”
     “Because the same thing happened to you!”
     Tobias shook his head. “There’s no way that I can believe that!” he said defensively. “Why should I believe that everything that I can remember from my childhood is a lie!? There may be holes in my memory, but what I can remember is so clear to me that I cannot accept your pitiful attempts at staying alive.” Turning to face Jason once again, Tobias felt the strength that moments ago had faded from him, now burning like a wildfire in his eyes. In an instant, he was inches away from Jason, his blade cleaving the Demon in half.
     Silence surrounded Tobias as his foe’s body fell to the ground. With a sudden flick of his sword, the blood flew from the blade. He had done what he needed to. Killing the Demon was the right thing to do. Even though Jason had given up the locations of other enemies, he was still a threat to the well being of the world. Still, Tobias couldn’t help wondering if Jason was right, about how they had known each other as children. If what Jason said was true, that scientists created all the Demons and the A.N.G.E.L.s, then what had happened to him? Was he really just the result of a science experiment to alter his genes? No, he couldn’t be. He was no different now than the day he was born. He sat down by the fire, hoping it would help him to clear his head. Closing his eyes, Tobias fell into a deep slumber.
     As he slept, he had strange dreams. He dreamt of a young boy, no more than 5, playing in a park. While the child played, the parents sat happily nearby. The little boy smiled at his parents, who returned the smile. Suddenly, his dream took him to a different time. The boy was being carried out of a house, coughing, by his father, who placed him in the passenger seat of the car. They drove off to a large building hidden at the foot of a mountain. More time passed in Tobias’s mind. He then saw the boy lying face down on an examination table, his back covered in blood. Protruding through the skin on the boy’s back were two white, bloodstained, feathery wings.
     A few hours later, Tobias awoke with a jolt to the sound of many wings approaching. He ran his hand over his head as if to wipe away the bad dream, cool beads of sweat dripping down the side of his forehead. Sitting up, Tobias looked at the edge of the cliff to see the other A.N.G.E.L.s land in front of him. Michael glanced at Tobias, then took a quick look at Jason, whose corpse was lying in two pieces a few feet away.
     “Well,” Michael said, looking back at Tobias. “I guess we’re going to have to start over again.”
     “No,” Tobias said looking at his captain. “He told me everything that he knew, I think.  He said that in return for the information that he gave me, he wanted us to take him back to the Celestial Society for protection from the others.”
     “And what did you tell him?” Michael asked.
     “I said that I would have to wait for you to arrive for an official decision.”
     “So if you were to keep him alive,” Ananias added to the conversation, “Then why is the Demon lying in two pieces?”
     “Because,” Tobias said, “he was trying to fill me with this nonsense about how we were genetic experiments. That some sick scientists took us when we were young and changed our DNA to make us the way we were. His ranting annoyed me, so I killed him.”
     Michael looked alarmed at this statement. “You did the right thing,” he said. “It wouldn’t have done any good to keep him alive.” He looked up at the sky. “The sun will be rising soon, so we should be getting back now.” Sure enough, as they all turned and flew off the cliff, the sun began to rise, coloring the sky a light blood red.
                                                                …
     Back in bed, Tobias lay sleepless on his back, thinking about the night’s events. He knew he would need a full day of rest before the hunt that would take place the following night. He stretched out his right arm in front of his face so he could get a good look at his hand. It was still a little bruised from when Marcoh crushed it. I should have the Med team check that out tomorrow, if it isn’t any better. He set his hand down and turned onto his side. Closing his eyes, he thought he might try to get to sleep using an old method he had learned from one of his friends back during training. He concentrated on trying to block his mind from anything that might be bothering him. This took a matter of twenty minutes to accomplish, but before he knew it, he was asleep. His dreams were filled again of the little boy being taken away and being treated as a lab rat.
     When Tobias woke again, he was drenched in sweat. Why was he having this dream again? He wondered if it had anything to do with what Jason said. Maybe he was just subconsciously picturing what it might have been like if what he said was true, but he just couldn’t figure it out. At one point in the dream, Tobias had mistaken the child to be himself, but there was no way that it could have been true. After all, he thought, it was just a dream. It doesn’t need to make sense. It was just that something about the dream made him feel uneasy, as if someone had unlocked a piece of his mind without permission. Tobias sat up in his bed, still thinking about the dream, when he heard a knocking on his door.
     “Tobias,” said a voice from the other side. “It’s almost time to start the hunt. If you aren’t already prepared, get so, because we’re leaving soon.”
     “Ok, I’ll be right there,” was Tobias’ reply. He got to his feet and walked over to a closet on the other side of the room. He opened the doors and pulled out a pair of white pants and a matching button-up shirt. He put these on as quickly as he could, so he wouldn’t be late (he skipped tucking his shirt in, as was his fashion). The shirt that he wore was specially made with slits in the back, big enough for him to slide his wings through. This attire was mostly for show, but it didn’t affect the way they flew or fought. The last thing he grabbed was a belt that hung off a bedpost at the foot of the bed. Attached to this belt was his sword. He strapped the belt around his waist and stepped out of his room. Outside was a wide, lengthy, metallic corridor that connected to many rooms. Standing outside his door was Atoli, waiting for him.
     “It took you long enough,” she said, jokingly. “I was getting worried.” She smiled at Tobias, who, after a moment, returned the gesture.
     “I would have been out sooner, but I couldn’t find a clean pair of socks. It’s been a while since I did the laundry.”
     “Same here. Most of my good shirts are stained with blood. Sadly, it’s my own. Every time I fight a Demon, I always end up getting injured.” Tobias leaned forward and gave her a kiss. If there was anyone he was happy to have met it was her. They had been friends since training and had later developed a special relationship.
     “Don’t worry,” Tobias said. “You’ll get used to it. If you want, I can help you practice you skills. Once you get the hang of it, killing Demons will be as easy for you as getting injured.” Atoli pouted and gave Tobias a playful punch in the arm. Tobias laughed. It had been a little joke of his to poke fun at Atoli, but both of them knew he didn’t mean what he said.
     “That’s not very nice, Tobias,” she said.
     “I’m sorry, but it couldn’t be helped. You set yourself up for that one.” They were both laughing when Michael stepped through a door to the left.
     “I see you two are up and ready to go,” Michael said. Both Tobias and Atoli stopped laughing and bowed to their superior.
“Yes, sir,” they both said.
“How is your hand feeling?” Michael said indicating Tobias’s sword hand.
     “Better than it was, though I think I’ll stop by the Sick Bay for a little ointment to help heal the pain before we go.”
     “Very good,” Michael said. “You’ll need to be at your best today, if you’re going to help us slay some Demons.”
     Tobias nodded and walked off. He turned back and called to Atoli. “I’ll meet up with you before we go.” She waved back to him and ran off after Michael. Tobias turned and continued walking in the opposite direction. He veered off into an adjacent hallway that led right to the Sick Bay. When he entered, one of the many doctors there walked over to him.
     “How may I help you?” the doctor asked.
     “I came to get some ointment for an injury,” Tobias told him.
     “If you would wait just a moment, I’ll be right back with some.” The doctor bowed to Tobias and walked off towards the storage cupboard. Out of his many years of living here, the Sick Bay was the place that Tobias had been to the least. A.N.G.E.L.s didn’t usually fall ill, but there were many injuries to be healed after bad fights with Demons. Tobias walked over to a chair on the other side of the small room. Suddenly, things began falling apart. The walls of the room were deteriorating into nothing, and before Tobias knew it, total darkness took him.
     He was there again, in that small park that the little boy played in, in his dreams, only this time there were no people, only Tobias himself, standing there in a daze. He knew this place, not just from his dreams. For a moment, he felt as though he had actually been here before, long ago. He walked over to a nearby swing and sat on it. A familiar sensation spread through his entire body. It felt as though something that had been lost for many years had been found in the most obvious spot. For the first time after seeing this place, he realized that this was his childhood. All the missing pieces of his former life now stood before him as if he were watching them being re-enacted out on a stage, which he just happened to be standing on.
     Tobias closed his eyes, not able to take any more of what he was seeing. When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on the Sick Bay’s cold marble floor, dripping with sweat, and he felt the strange sensation as if he had just flown into a wall. He sat up, holding his head, pulling himself back into the chair that he had slid out of. For the first time in a long time, Tobias felt confused. He had to talk to someone, someone who would be able to give him the answers he was seeking. The only person he knew he could talk to about this was Michael. He had been an A.N.G.E.L. longer than any other person Tobias knew, so if anyone had the answers, Michael would. Tobias had to hurry and find Michael before the team left to hunt down the Demons.
     Forgetting the ointment for his hand, Tobias rushed back through the door he had come in and raced down the hall. Running didn’t allow him to go fast enough. There was only one way to get to the hanger from which all the A.N.G.E.L.s would be taking off, but it was risky. Spreading his wings, Tobias flew down the hall, pumping his muscles as hard as he could to make himself go faster. The tricky part was turning into each new corridor, but his foresight allowed him to navigate the building without any real trouble. He was getting closer to the hanger with every beat of his wings, but he couldn’t go on for much longer; he was too mentally tired from his ordeal in the Sick Bay. Pulling his wings in close to his body, Tobias landed heavily on his feet and began walking the rest of the way. He took a left and found himself facing an automated door, which swung open when he pressed the red button next to it. Exhausted, Tobias walked into the hanger, almost falling to the floor.
     The hanger was a fairly small room, just large enough for ten A.N.G.E.L.s to stand in comfortably. It was a gray room, with metallic walls and floor. From here, the A.N.G.E.L.s could launch themselves safely and quickly to anywhere in the world. Looking around the room, Tobias found Michael standing next to the back wall, alongside Ananias and Atoli. Tobias slowly walked over to his team, saving his strength in case anything went wrong. He faced Michael but said nothing. He didn’t dare make the first move.
     “I see you’re finally ready to go,” Michael said, his smile faded when he saw the look on Tobias’s face. “What’s the matter Tobias?”
     “Who did this to me!?” Tobias demanded.
     “I don’t know what…”
     “You know exactly what I mean. Whose sick and twisted idea was it to do this to me? To all of us?”
     “You’ll have to be a little more specific.”
     “Who turned us into A.N.G.E.L.s!?”
     “What do you mean, Tobias?” Atoli asked.
     “When we were young, we were stolen from our homes. Scientists then manipulated our DNA to make us what we are.”
     “That’s absurd,” Ananias added in. “There is no way that’s true.” But Tobias ignored Ananias’ protesting and stared furiously at Michael, still hoping he could get him to talk.
     “I want answers Michael,” Tobias said. “I want answers and I know you have them.”
     “Who told you these lies?” Ananias asked.
     “Jason,” Tobias continued. “That Demon that I killed last night, but they aren’t lies everything he told me was the truth.”
     “I’m sorry but you’re wrong.” Michael said. Now frantic, Tobias drew his sword and pointed it threateningly at Michael. This was a low act, he knew, but it was a last resort. It was the only way Tobias figured he would be able to get anywhere with this interrogation. He took one quick glance at the others. Ananias had his hand on the hilt of his sword, and Atoli looked as if she were about to cry.
     “I don’t want to kill you Michael,” Tobias said. “But I will if you don’t tell me the truth.”
     “How dare you threaten our leader,” said Ananias, drawing his blade, but Michael calmly signaled him by lifting his hand not to, and the sword returned to its sheath.
     “I think you and I need to sit down and talk for a little bit, Tobias.” Michael said. He walked forward towards Tobias, who still had his sword drawn. “But before I tell you anything, put that sword away and follow me.” He looked back to the others. “Wait here this won’t take long.” He led Tobias out of the hanger, and into an empty room a few turns in the hall from the hanger door. “So I see you found out Tobias.” Michael said as he closed the door to the room.
     “So it’s true?”
     “Yes, every word, but you weren’t taken from your families, they brought you to us.”
     “So you’re one of the ones who did this to us.”
     “Yes I was, once. I was also the first person to receive the operation, to see if we were successful, and I am living proof that we were.” Michael gave Tobias a sad look. “But we weren’t the first ones, our scientists also created the Demons.”
     “But why? What was this for? Was there any reason for creating the A.N.G.E.L.s or the Demons?”
     “Let me start at the beginning.” He motioned to Tobias to sit down as he continued his story. “Our lab was created to create a group of beings that had incredible strength, longevity, and special powers to make them superior to normal humans. Our first results proved effective. But, what we began to call the Demons turned against us and began terrorizing the citizens of Earth, so we pulled the plug on that project and started on a project to create a team of Advanced New Genetically Enhanced Life forms, or A.N.G.E.L.s. This time we were successful. The purpose of the A.N.G.E.L.s was to exterminate all the failed experiments. There was only one problem.”
     “What was that?”
     “You had too much free will. We found that experimenting on younger people was easier, because their bodies hadn’t fully developed yet, so they wouldn’t reject the treatments that we all went through. The only thing was that you and the rest of the little ones weren’t cooperating with us, so we had to reprogram you so you would listen to our directions without disobeying.” Tobias had had enough. Standing, he drew his sword, his arms trembling with hate.
     “I don’t want to hear anymore, old man.” Tobias was enraged now, a fire blazing in his eyes. Before Tobias could think twice about his actions, he was standing right in front of Michael, his sword piercing the shoulder of the old man. Tobias removed the blade from Michael’s body and watched as he fell slowly to the floor. The wound wasn’t fatal, but it was enough to keep Michael from doing anything to stop Tobias, who, feeling mass amounts of fear, and hatred flow through his body, ran out the door and into the hall.
     He felt lost, like an outsider who couldn’t escape no matter how hard he tried. He had nowhere to run. Anywhere he went, he was sure to run into someone else. He didn’t want to hurt anyone else, but if someone got in his way he would have to do what he could to escape, even if it meant killing them. There was only one thing he could think of - if he could get back to the hanger, he would be able to fly down to Earth and hide out for a little while to gather himself up.
     About halfway down the hall, he stopped. There was someone blocking his path. Even more scared than before, he raised his sword, ready to defend himself. Whoever it is, I must be ready for anything, Tobias thought. The figure began to walk toward him and draw its own sword. Just as he was ready to attack, a soft voice reached his ears. “Tobias, stop!” the voice called out hysterically. It was Atoli. She had found him.
     “Atoli,” Tobias shouted to her. “We have to get out of here. These people are mad.” They made their way to each, their eyes meeting. Tobias felt a little relief for the first time in hours. “You’re the only person I can trust now, Atoli. The people here can’t be trusted. They’re just using us to clean up the mistakes they made.”
     Atoli looked at Tobias’s blood soaked sword. “What happened to Michael?” she asked, her body trembling.
     “He’s one of them. I was scared and stabbed him. Come on. If we hurry, we can still make it out of here before anyone finds out what I did. We just need to…” Before he could finish, Atoli embraced him, a tear running down her delicate cheek.
     “I’m sorry, Tobias,” she said, “but I can’t let you leave.” Before Tobias knew what was happening, a sharp pain began to spread through his torso. He looked down to see a dagger running into his stomach, from Atoli’s hand. “You were one of the best, Tobias.” As the strength faded from his legs, Tobias fell over, holding his stomach as warm blood slipped past his fingers that stained his pure white clothes a deep red. “Don’t worry,” Atoli continued, “that wound isn’t fatal, but the blade was covered with a toxin that is now making its way through your body. In a few minutes your whole body will be paralyzed, and we can begin reprogramming your brain.”
     “Atoli, why?” Tobias said through staggered breaths. “I thought we were friends.”
     “We were, Tobias, but you found out the truth, and what you learned is something that will affect what I did for you.”
     “So you’re in on it, too? Let me guess, as soon as the project was finished, Michael hired you to make sure that we didn’t do anything that would cause us to end up like your failures?”
     “Michael?” Atoli laughed. “Michael is a weakling, and he doesn’t have much for brains either. His only reason for glory is because he was the first successful test subject. I am the real brains around here.”
     Tobias couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What?” he said. “You? But that’s impossible. I remember you from back when we were children.”
     “That is a correct statement, but misguided. We were both children together, but that was how it was meant to be.”
     “What are you talking about?” Tobias asked, his vision becoming blurred.
     “Many of the scientists were turned into test subjects back when we were still trying to perfect the method of making an A.N.G.E.L. I volunteered myself for DNA change through radiation, but something went wrong. When I was being exposed to the radiation, my DNA wasn’t just altered to the form of an A.N.G.E.L. I was also turned into an infant. After that, the scientists continued their research while I did a little growing up. After a few years of counseling, I regained my former memories, but I was still too weak to lead. As much as I wanted to, there was nothing I could have done in that state. That’s when I had the idea to enlist in the training program for new A.N.G.E.L.s. I figured it would help me to control my new powers, and it would allow me the chance to monitor my creations personally, without them knowing the whole truth about what they were.
     Then one day during the early days of my newfound youth, I met a young A.N.G.E.L. boy who was afraid to fly because he was scared of the older A.N.G.E.L.s, so I suggested to him to fly at night. I can guess by now that you know who that boy was.”
     “So this whole time you were just toying with me?”
     “No, that’s not it at all, I actually fell in love with you, Tobias. I don’t know what it was, but there was something about you that I found admirable, and I thought that one day, when the time was right, I would reveal to you who I was, and we would lead the world into a new era run by the A.N.G.E.L.s, but now that you’ve regained your lost memory, and have decided to turn against us, I can’t hold those feelings for you, at least not until you go through a little reprogramming first.” She walked over to Tobias and lifted him off the ground with surprising strength. “Don’t worry, Tobias. You won’t remember a thing tomorrow. This will all be a bad dream.” Tobias couldn’t move. The toxin she had poisoned him with had begun to take full effect. His eyes were beginning to fail him. The last thing Tobias remembered seeing before passing out was a figure, clad in white and holding a sword, standing in front of them.
     Tobias woke up moments later to the sound of wind rushing past him. He was cold. All feeling was back in his limbs, but he was still very lightheaded. He was flying, but he couldn’t use his wings. Someone was carrying him. He looked up to see who his rescuer was, and saw a familiar old face. Michael.
     “Don’t worry,” he said. “I swore to protect you.” Tobias couldn’t really concentrate on what Michael said. All he could think about was the countless stars above his head. He thought about how fond he was of the night sky and flying through it. He had always tried to fly up and reach the stars and he thought how great it would be to try again.
Wow, ok, I thought I had lost this some time after high school, but here it is. This is the very first short story that I ever wrote. It was for a creative writing class that I took back in high school back in 2007. What we were tasked to do for our final, was to write either, a twenty page first chapter for a novel, a twenty page short story, or twenty pages of poems. Obviously, I chose to write a twenty page short story. And that was twenty pages, double spaced, so it was really more like ten pages.

Before anyone says anything, yes, I know it's a little "Meh" there are several plot holes, it's very rushed, quite a bit of poor character development, and many grammatical errors, but I think this story turned out pretty great considering it was my first time ever writing something this long. So no matter how bad I know this story is, I still look on it fondly, because it pretty much paved my way into wanting to become a writer. What's fun is, with a lot of hard work, I could probably clean this up, find a way to slow the pace quite a bit, and turn this into an actual story (like a novel kind of story). Hmmmm...

P.S. the observant reader might recognize a similarity to a certain series of young adult novels written by James Patterson. That's because when I wrote this I was a big fan of his Maximum Ride stories. I liked the idea of genetically altered beings with wings, so I thought I would try it out for myself. I'm not sure I would call it a fanfic, but Patterson's work was a huge inspiration on this story.
© 2013 - 2024 lrft4san
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