Fate and Armageddon

I led her to the bathroom and we showered together. We kissed and held each other and washed each other clean. Once we were clean and dry, I gave her some old jeans and t-shirts for her to wear. It was more practical than her current attire. Then I gave her some earplugs and we went into the shooting range. I had paid a lot of money for the soundproofing and bulletproofing of the walls, but it had been worth it. I set up targets and gave her a compressed shooting course. I showed her different grip styles, and she decided that the weaver grip was best for her. I nodded in approval. She was a natural. Her skill was perfect as she put three rounds in the center ring, then did the same to the center ring on the head of the target.

Once she was comfortable with shooting, we worked on fast draw and tactical shooting techniques. By the time we had finished, she had an advanced working knowledge of firearms and tactical combat. I was proud of her.

"I didn't think I would be able to learn that so fast!" She grinned at me as I smiled back at her.

"You're a natural, Sharon. I have never seen anyone pick up the basics and advanced tactics of shooting as fast as you have."

After we were done, I showed her how to disassemble, clean, and reassemble her pistol. I gave her a Beretta and four magazines, and three boxes of Hydrashok rounds. She became adept at loading the magazines and then tactical reloading during a firefight. She became excellent at counting her rounds as she fired them, and we had made a lot of progress.

It was past midnight when I felt the presence. "Sharon, get in the bedroom."

"Are there more of them?" She asked with a worried look on her face.

"Just one. But still, please go into the bedroom."

She nodded and kissed me. "Ok, sweety. If you need me, let me know." She holstered her pistol and went into the bedroom, shutting the door.

I moved to the front door and opened it just before he knocked.

"Gabrael."

"Bazael."

"You will not have her, Brother."

"I'm not here for her, Baz. Please, may I come in?"

I stood aside for Gabrael and he walked inside.

"Baz, I know what you are doing. I know why you have done it. You are my best friend, and I won't stop you."

I nodded. "Gabrael, I have had to kill three of our brethren so far to protect her. All friends from before the Invasion."

"I know, Brother. The Council is calling for your head, you know."

"I figured they would. Are you here for me, then?" I smiled ruefully. "It would be just like the Elders to send my best friend to kill or capture me."

Gabrael laughed. "No, Brother. If they knew I was here, they would put a Mark on me as well. Now, you said her soul is pure. I have yet to see a human over the age of two years old with a pure soul. May I see her?"

I turned to the bedroom door. "Sharon. you may come out. Gabrael is a friend."

I turned back to him as I heard the door open. I was ready in case he were to try something, but I just saw his eyes go silver as he gazed into her soul.

Gabrael nodded and smiled. "Her soul is pure as you said, my friend. You didn't mention that she was already carrying the Redeemer within her, though."

I started at that, and he noticed. "Baz? Did you and she...?"

"Baz, what's going on? What does he mean by that?" Sharon asked with a concerned look.

"She carries your child, Baz. How is that possible?" Gabrael asked as he sat down.

"I haven't scanned her since we made love, Gabrael. I didn't know. But if the Redeemer is born of both human and Setian blood, then so be it. Maybe then we can let the vendetta go against Mankind and work with them to better themselves so they don't make the mistakes of their ancestors." I had moved between them as I said that.

Gabrael nodded once. "While I don't agree with everything you do, Baz, I agree with you on this. For twelve thousand years we've been trying to bring Mankind down from within. We have put the most horrible humans in power, but we still are no closer than when we started. Mankind has a way of overcoming obstacles at every turn."

I turned and looked at Sharon, and she was smiling. I took her hand in mine and we turned to face Gabrael together. "Gabrael, this is Sharon Summers. I love her as I loved Jarielle. Sharon, this is Gabrael. We have been friends since before the Invasion."

Sharon held out her hand with a smile, and Gabrael shook it. "She reminds me of Jarielle, Baz. The same soul. The same eyes. The same smile. If reincarnation isn't a myth, then she is Jarielle."

"She is Sharon, Brother. When you return, give the Council a message from me. Tell them that I will not tire. I will not rest. I will not falter. I am bound by Blood and Stone to defend Sharon and our child until my dying breath, and They will not have her. Whoever they send against me shall die.... Even you, Gabrael. Forgive me, but that is how it will be."

Gabrael nodded and smiled. "If they try, I will refuse. If I die, so be it. I will not die at the hands of my friend." We embraced as Brothers in all but blood. He smiled at us both. "I wish you both luck."

"The same to you, Brother. Be well, and escape the Council's wrath if you can." I said.

"You know me, Bazael. I'm hard to kill." Gabrael grinned and left as he had come.

"He's your best friend." Sharon said. "He's a good man."

"I married his sister. If they had sent him to terminate you, he would have refused as I did and turned against them. He walks a dangerous path, but he will not betray us." I told her.

"Jarielle was his sister?"

I nodded. "It was how he saw your similarities as easily as I did. He is perhaps the only man who knew her better than I did, since they grew up together."

"I have to know if he was lying, Baz. Can you scan me and see if we're really going to have a baby?" The look on her face was one of apprehension.

I silvered my eyes and gazed upon her pure soul. As my eyes neared her abdomen, the brightest light I had ever seen shown like a beacon. I placed my hand over her stomach and could feel my child's life emerging. I could tell that he would grow strong and become the one hope for Mankind and Setians as well.

"The Prophecy is wrong, Sharon. Our son will save both our species." I smiled and laughed with relief at what I had seen. I collapsed on the couch and Sharon sat down on my lap.

"From what you told me, it isn't wrong. It's just incomplete." She shrugged. I must have blinked several times as that sunk in.

"You're right! We must go. If Gabrael found us, the Council's Assassins will find us soon." I pulled her to her feet as I stood. I kissed her passionately. "Sharon, I love you. Let's go before they find us."

"Yes, I believe it's time to go, Baz. I love you too!"

We left shortly after one and took my Jaguar from the garage. It wasn't the lowest profile vehicle, but it was fast and powerful. Sharon was impressed. "First a Park Avenue penthouse, and now a Jaguar. I'm glad I fell in love with you!"

I laughed. "It's centuries of hard work and investing wisely. Setians have controlled your stock market for years. You might say we invented insider trading."

"Sneaky." She laughed.

"Indeed." I agreed.

"So if we get married, will I have to sign a prenup?"

"No. We might not even live that long, but if we do, I am pretty certain that you won't rob me." I chuckled.

"Hmm. True."

We drove out of town and down into New Jersey and Atlantic City. Sharon went to sleep as we passed into Delaware and down into Maryland. I stopped and got food for us and fuel for the Jaguar, then we were back on the road down the East Coast. We needed to put as much ground between us and New York City as possible. Virginia came and went, as did North Carolina. We stopped in South Carolina for food and fuel again, then down into Georgia, where we turned west.

I had taken the circuitous route south in case they followed, which I knew they would. We stopped in Atlanta for a more substantial break and a visit to my safe house there.

I unlocked the door to the townhouse, and it was tidy as usual. I employ a lot of cleaning staff for all of my safe houses, just in case I need them at a moment's notice. I have autopayments set up for their accounts. I showed Sharon into the house and she gasped in delight.

"It's beautiful, Baz!" Sharon was awestruck by the splendor.

"I'm happy that you like it, dear one." I smiled at her happiness. She was my second chance at lovr, and I would do all in my power to protect her and our child. I remembered her humble beginnings and moved to hold her in my arms.

"I love you, sweety." She smiled and kissed me.

Her kiss intoxicated me and aroused me. I loved the feel of her lips on mine, and her tongue entangled with my own. We broke the kiss after several long moments.

"I love you too, dear one." I replied breathlessly.

"How long can we stay here?" She asked.

"Two or three nights, but then we will have to move on. We can't stay any one place for too long until we get to California. That is where my main safe house is." I said by way of explanation.

"Do you have a fortress out there?" She asked with a smile.

"Something like that. It's a place that nobody, not even Gabrael knows exists."

"Gabrael is a good man like you, Baz. I could feel it in him."

"He is. I believe he began to tire of our Crusade even before I did."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because he told me of the nightmares he had been having of Jarielle looking at him with horror in her eyes at what he had done. I soon had the same nightmares with my son added to them. They both looked at me as if I was the worst monster on Earth. I looked inside myself and could not argue."

"This Redeemer that your Prophecy speaks of, is it really going to be our son?"

"I believe so. Up until now, no Setian has successfully mated with a human. In fact, I believe we are the first to even try." I smiled.

"If that's the case, would my protector wish to make love to his pregnant girlfriend tonight?" She grinned and winked at me as she said it.

"I believe I would, dear one. Sharon, I haven't felt this way in over twelve millenia. With you, I feel as if I can do anything."

"Then you can do anything, Baz. As long as you believe, anything is possible."

"Indeed, sweet Sharon." I kissed her lovingly and led her to the master bedroom.

Once again we undressed slowly, and again her very presence intoxicated and overwhelmed me. I let my guise drop and was once again a Setian in her arms as we made love all through the night. Again and again we felt the need for each other. Deeper and deeper our love grew stronger.

As morning dawned, I heard my cellphone ringing and moved to pick it up. Gabrael's name was on the caller ID, so I answered it.

"Hello, Gabrael."

"Glad I caught you, Baz. You have a serious problem."

I laughed bitterly. "I already know that, my friend. Are there any other problems?"

"The Watcher's Eye." He said soberly.

I felt my blood run cold. "No. They would not!"

"They have, Baz. He has been awakened and sent after you and Sharon. I advise that you run as far and as fast as you can."

"We cannot outrun him, Gabrael. You know that." The Watcher's Eye is the ultimate weapon at the Council's disposal. He is invincible. None can stand against him.

"You can at least buy yourself some time. I gave them your message after they informed me of The Watcher's Eye. They seem unconcerned that I helped you."

"That is because The Watcher's Eye will dispose of us in short order, and no one will be able to stop him. He is the breakage of the Prophecy. The Doomsday option against Mankind!"

"Still, Baz. Just run. Please!" I had never heard Gabrael so unsettled.

"Calm down, my Brother. I believe I know his weakness. If I am wrong, we both die anyway. If I am right, he will not harm us."

"What do you mean, Brother?"

"Gabrael, just trust me. If you do not hear from me after the battle, mourn me and avenge me if possible."

"Very well, Brother. If you fall, I will see the Council burn and the end of this Unholy Crusade. You have my word, and I swear it by Blood and Stone."

"Thank you, Gabrael. You have been my Brother in all but blood, and I will always call you friend. Farewell for now." I hung up and got ready. I reached over and shook Sharon gently.

"Hmmm? What is it, sweetheart?" She was still a bit groggy.

"Wake up, dear one. We have much to do and only a short time in which to do it."

She was awake instantly. "What is it?"

"The Watcher's Eye. I didn't believe they would send him, but Gabrael just called and told me. Before you panic, listen to me. If I am right, he cannot harm you."

"What do you mean 'if'?" She sounded unsure. I was even unsure it would work.

"The Watcher's Eye, also known as The Coming Curse or The Anti-Christ, is a Doomsday weapon that breaks the Prophecy and annihilates the Wicked. Mankind is not listed specifically in its orders. I scanned you, and you have no wickedness inside you. You are innocent and so is our child."

"That doesn't sound good, Baz."

"You have mastered the art of understatment, dear one." I smiled in spite of our situation. "He won't cut a bloody swath to us, though. When targeted at a single enemy, he will track and destroy that enemy to the exclusion of all else.

"And now he's coming after us? Why?"

"Because the Council fears our child, Sharon. They will stop at nothing to kill you before you can give birth. We need to get away from Atlanta, though. We must face him away from the innocents."

She nodded and dressed quickly, as did I. I had changed into jeans and a t-shirt again for ease of movement, and because I didn't need to impress anyone with how I was dressed. I found the weapons safe and removed a SPAS-12 and a fully automatic AK-47. They wouldn't do much, but they would at least slow the fiend down, if necessary.

As we were getting ready to leave, I heard the doorbell and felt the presence.

"No. He is here already, Sharon. Come with me, and we will face him together." She took my hand and we walked towards the door. I opened it to a rather banal looking man standing there staring at us.

"Come in, Eye." I bade him enter, and he looked surprised but did so.

"You know why I am here, Bazael." His voice was otherworldly in nature.

"I do, but you cannot harm her."

"I punish the Wicked, Bazael. She will die." He moved and put his hand on her forehead, then recoiled. "NO! How can this be?"

"She has no evil inside her, Eye. She is Innocent. She carries our son in her womb. Our son is also Innocent, and you cannot harm him either."

"But I can take you, Bazael."

"No you cannot, Eye. Everything I have done in the name of Justice, I have done at the Council's bidding, until now. Now I protect my love and our child from the depredations of the Elders. Take me to them, and they will burn."

He nodded once. "You are safe from me for now, Bazael and Sharon Summers. But the time will come when I will find you and slay you as the Council wishes."

"Eye, when our son is born, he will unite Setians and Mankind. He will redeem all of us, Brother."

"It cannot be done, Bazael. Your quest is a fool's errand."

"Time will tell, Eye. We believe what we believe. The Prophecy is incomplete, and you know it."

To my surprise, he nodded again. "It is. The Council cannot find the missing piece of it. If you do find it, then you will know what no one else knows."

"Do you know where it is hidden, Eye?"

"I do, but I cannot tell you under penalty of Death."

"Your life is already forfeit when the Council discovers that you have failed."

The Eye thought about that for a while. His eyes unblinkingly stared at Sharon, then at me. "Very well, Bazael. It is kept in a safety deposit box in Olympia Washington at the Bank of America branch there."

"Thank you, Eye. Who holds the key?"

"Hirielle. She lives in Olympia, and you will find her."

"I take it that she either does not know what it is, or she does, but will not show it to anyone."

"Your latter supposition is correct. Only Elder Garhael knows of the missing piece of the Prophecy, except for Hirielle, you, and myself. I do not know what it says."

"Eye, thank you. You may have just saved all of us."

"If you find it, Bazael, and use it against the Council, please free me. I fear this dark power bestowed upon me even more than you do. It is always coursing through me, begging for release."

I was surprised by that.

"Do not look surprised, Bazael. I am not without emotion. I know what I have become. I wish you luck, Brother." He bowed and left the way he came.

"We have a new target, Sharon. We need that key."

She smiled and nodded to me. I nodded back. We gathered our bags and departed in the Jaguar.

We stopped twice more for rest. I tried to remember the last time I slept, but could not. How long had it been? A hundred years? Two hundred? Even longer? I resolved that after this was all over, I would sleep for at least a day.

I sat and watched Sharon sleep in our hotel bed. She looked like an angel. So peaceful and lovely. I smiled ruefully at my feelings. Long had they remained dormant to the point where I had thought myself dead inside. Then I had met her, and resolved that she would not die by my hand or anyone else's. I had loved her, and would love her until my dying breath and beyond. She would be the mother of our child. Our son who would become the last best hope for Mankind and Setian alike.

She loved me in spite of all she now knew. Tomorrow we would be in Olympia and would have the last piece of the Prophecy. If it was what I thought it would be, Garhael and Hirielle would pay with their lives for keeping it from us. Garhael had taken great pleasure in throwing the Prophecy in my face, knowing that it was incomplete. Only the Eye, who knew where everything was on the entirety of Earth, knew where it was kept. He had risked everything for us. If he should face his death for his transgression, then we would make sure his death was not in vain.

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Chapter 5: I Walk Alone

I gently woke her by kissing her sweet lips. Her eyes opened and she smiled. When she sat up, she asked why I wouldn't sleep with her at night.

"I do not sleep like humans do, dear one. I must also remain vigilant against those who would harm you."

"Ok. But when this is over, please sleep with me, and hold me in your arms?"

I smiled as my heart melted for her. "I will, my love."

She gave me her most radiant smile at that. I was now able to distinguish the love for her from the love for Jarielle. While they were the same in many respects, Sharon possessed qualities that Jarielle hadn't. Jarielle was Setian. She would have accepted the Crusade against Mankind, at first. Sharon wouldn't, had she been in our shoes. She would have fought for peace above all else.

We left after checking out and made Olympia in a few hours. It was easy to close my eyes and concentrate to find Hirielle. When she opened her door as we approached, she looked at me stoically.

"You know why we are here, Sister."

"Yes, Bazael. But what you want is not mine to give."

"That does not matter, Hirielle. You know what the missing piece of the Prophecy says, don't you?" I would not play games with her.

"I do, yes. It would change everything. Garhael was wise to shield our people from its knowledge." She asserted that our people would not be able to handle the truth.

"The Truth walks alone, Hirielle. You know this. It is a bitter fruit to bear sometimes, but it must always come out.

"Why, Brother? Why must it be known?"

"Because without it, more and more innocents will die. I will no longer allow that if there is another way. Sharon carries our son, the Redeemer. He will bring about either the end of Setian life, or peace between us and Mankind. Which will it be?" I grabbed her by the throat. "Tell me, woman!" I snarled.