Space Angels: find the Gift (complete)

ЄD0Ɲ: Ŧhe CiŦy ~ Chapter Forty-Four

Cherubim Landing Zone

44 – destroying the O-zone (2038)

Jango wondered how many abilities a Throne could retain as

an Edon. It seemed to be a lot. Borak had entered the O-zone by using his dimension-slipping skills, had judged two Imps and an Incubus without much effort, and then his omni-directional sight had scanned every blade of grass and swept over the whole flickering surface of the O-zone, until he'd detected its creation point. Borak's healing skills would have saved Ecad too, if Jango had been concentrating on Picky's treacherous hand instead of listening to his flattery. Jango was racked with guilt about that, though Borak never mentioned it. Jango felt grateful for that skill too – Borak would never judge his own cadre.

"Come with me, Jango," he said, striding towards the ruined trunk in the centre of the field. Jango walked around the two golden mats hovering over the grass; on one Benji lay sleeping, while beside it on the other the unconscious canis was still, its black and white fur shaved at the hind leg, revealing dark grey flesh and an angry T-shaped wound Borak's healing bots had stitched together. Cylvah knelt beside it, gently stroking the white blaze on its head with her gloved hand. The creature was all that was left of Ecad. This was all my fault, thought Jango. He pushed it from his mind and caught up with Borak, who was now reaching into a gap in the twisted, smouldering tree roots.

"Here it is," said Borak. He pulled out what appeared to be a length of strange cloth from the hole in the ground. "This is the O-zone's outer skin." He tugged at it and Jango noticed the grass ripple slightly beneath his hooves. The Throne bunched a part of the material in his fist, tracing the weave with his Edon fingers until he pulled back a fold to reveal a black diamond blinking with silver lights. "This is the activation mechanism, Jango." Borak pressed something and looked up. Behind Cylvah and the golden mats, a large window had appeared at the foot of the wall of flame. She turned her head to stare through the portal – it was dark in this other dimension but a bright Scintilla revealed familiar tall shapes and a milky patch of moonlight.

Cylvah turned to face Jango. "It's the Landing Zone. And it's still night there. We should leave soon."

"Cylvah is right. But first we must collect everything we need before I set the O-zone to self-destruct," Borak said, and began tapping silver lights in a sequence on the black stone.

Jango joined Cylvah in the air and the pair scoured the field with as many Scintillas they could muster, looking for anything they could use, or checking for any lost changeling tokens. They found none, although Jango located the original scabbard for Deon's long knife among the Imp's discarded flesh and gave it to Borak.

Borak pressed another silver light; loud beeps echoed shrill across the field. Borak told them it was the beginning of the self-destruction process. The flaming walls roared and tongues of fire licked the dry grass. The Cherubim hurried towards the exit, tugging golden cords attached to the floating mats, leading the sleeping bodies to safety, Borak bringing up at the rear. Jango took one last look around the field – the Night Mare's corpse still lay mouldering at the far end of the zone, a few of Ecad's wing feathers floated across the grass. A killing field it truly was. Jango turned and stepped out of the O-zone.   

The sweet smell of dewy grass hit his senses first; a crowd of solid trees loomed over them,reassuringly normal. The darkness was profound after the O-zone's perpetual firelight, but he adjusted his filters and scanned the landscape.  The lights of the city to the east and to his left the long road where he'd started the evening waiting for Ecad. There were no chariots at this hour; the only sound a dim beep coming from a fiery rectangle floating in the air. Jango understood. The O-zone was invisible in this dimension –only its open window gave away its existence. Jango saw a sea of flame swirling inside, the window began to reduce in size and Jango guessed the O-zone was disintegrating. Not one second they'd spent in that temporary dimension would exist in the endless weave of space-time, yet they experienced those horrific hours in their own personal life spans. They had escaped. Those who died inside the O-zone would be lost...