Avenging Angels Ch. 09

'Damn the Pope and his request,' he thought as the woman settled into her seat. In this instant Sun had found his purpose. Little did he know the depth and breadth of impact his purpose would have.

...

Takari had watched the six other people in first class since they had taken off. The group was powerful, all of them having a unique energy about them. Those that were grouped had vibrations and auras that complimented and enhanced one another's. Takari herself found that she could feel her own connection to the two groups, understand and feel how her own unique gifts would meld and merge with theirs to create a whole that would be awesomely powerful. The young solitary man at the front was another thing entirely. Try as she might Takari drew what realms of power this one called home.

'Well you have never been a shy one.'

Takari laughed at her thought as she got up from her seat and walked forward toward the young man. She projected her feelings as she went, which drew soft smiles from those she passed as her emotions were calming, like a warm blanket on a cold night, something that would bring ease and comfort to the most jaded of people.

"May I join you?" Takari asked as she gestured to the seat next to Cryptic.

Looking up from his computer he regarded the woman standing next to him. She was tall, her mocha colored skin highlighted by the soft yellow dress that covered a shapely, womanly form. Her eyes were calm pools of blue which was striking considering her obvious ethnic background.

"It's a free airplane."

Cryptic didn't do well in social situations, the nature of his disability had precluded most of the normal social outlets growing up. After his mother died he retreated even farther from the outside world. As with all human animals, he longed for companionship, for friendship, for love. For so long he had simply put such things aside in favor of a place where he had no disabilities, where he was not just an active participant but acted with impunity.

"My name is Takari. And you are?"

Her soft, heavily accented voice seemed to enshroud him, having an almost magical quality.

"Cryptic, it is...nice to meet you Takari."

"Cryptic, an interesting name. Sounds like one that you probably gave to yourself. There is power in such actions. A person or things name has power. To reinvent yourself, to claim a name as your own, this a very meaningful thing. It takes a great deal of strength to do."

The honest and appreciative tone of her voice put Simon further at ease.

"Takari is an interesting name as well, and I'm horrible with accents, where are you from?"

Simon had turned in his seat toward her, becoming more animatedly involved in the conversation.

Smiling, Takari placed her hand on his.

"I am from Louisiana, near New Orleans...."

Takari and Cryptic spent the next hour in easy conversation, sharing bits and pieces of their lives, getting to know the other. Takari was intrigued by the young man, it wasn't often that she found herself at a loss to figure someone out. She found Cryptic to be an apropos name, she looked forward to the process of decoding the interesting young man.

A few rows behind Takari and Cryptic, Sam and Cali had settled in. Curled around each other, wrapped in a cocoon of thin airline blankets the pair shared a quiet conversation.

"Did you sense anything dark regarding this trip?"

Cali's question surprised Sam.

"Of course not, we wouldn't have come if either of us had. The intent behind the request is pure, I just can't imagine what could drive the Vatican to seek out the likes of us or the others on this plane."

Sam's fingertips toyed lazily with Cali's nipple, which hardened even under the heavy sweater she wore.

"Stop that." Cali said with a smile. The look in her eye disagreed with her words.

Sighing Sam slid her hand into Cali's.

"I don't know what will come from this trip. What I do know is that I can't wait to get there and find out if it is something interesting or just a good excuse for a free trip to Italy."

Sam and Cali leaned in closer to each other, drifting off into a restless sleep.

Aiyana slept peacefully, curled up between Duncan and Jonus. She had moved between them after the flight had taken off, eschewing the large seat across the isle for the comfort of being squeezed between her two lovers. They had been guarded about this trip. Both of them had picked up on the fact that the passengers in back were most likely affiliated with the church. Both of their heritages railed against the church for past atrocities, neither quite understood why Aiyana had agreed so quickly to the summons from Rome.

"You know how she is. Once she gets an idea in her head there is no stopping her."

Duncan's quiet voice was lost to all but Jonus over the drone of the engines.

Jonus smiled at Duncan's harried tone.

"She is rarely wrong about such things Duncan, If Aiyana believes it to be worth the trip while being six months pregnant there is little you or I could have done to stop her from coming. It will be fine. We will keep our eyes open for any overt threat. We just have to trust that Aiyana will know fairly quickly after we reach our destination if this trip was a mistake."

Both men jumped as a hand began caressing each of their thighs.

"I won't be able to do anything if you two don't let me get some sleep."

Her palms ran over the growing hardness of each before continuing.

"And you two won't be able to do what I'll need from you when we land if you both don't get some yourselves. So please shut up and get some rest. I can't tell you it will be OK, but it will be interesting, and for now that is enough."

Aiyana slipped back into silence, arms outstretched gently caressing each of her mates. Her touch both soothing and and inflaming in the same moment as the trio drifted into that gray resting state between true sleep and wakefulness as the onyx ocean passed swiftly beneath them. ...

After take-off everyone seemed to quiet and go to sleep almost immediately. Mary was too excited and after several tries at calming down she looked around the cabin. The only person that seemed to be awake or, at the very least, approachable was the Asian gentleman sitting one row behind and across from her. While her life had been a solitary thing, shy was not something that entered into Mary's lexicon. Unhooking her seat belt she rose on unsteady legs to see if the man would like to chat.

"Hello, my name is Mary."

Sun was startled by the sound of her voice. Soft, with just a hint of an accent he couldn't place but also carrying a great deal of weight, a weight far beyond what her age should have allowed her to acquire.

He turned slowly, hand raising toward hers as his eyes traveled along her arm, up across her shoulder, past her plump lips to finally meet her eyes.

His hand found hers as he spoke.

"I am Sun. It is a pleasure and honor to meet you."

His voice was hoarse all of a sudden, as if his mouth were filled with cotton.

Her hand was warm, his fingers moved over hers in a gentle caress that, despite his desire to stop, would not be controlled.

Her lips parted and spread, an easy smile brought a twinkle to her eyes as she regarded him.

"I am happy to meet you Sun."

Her response was honest, but held a hint of desperation. As if the act of meeting him, of meeting anyone, was something of great import, as if it rarely happened and she was in awe of the process.

"As I am happy to meet you Mary. Are you traveling to Italy or is it just one stop in a longer journey?"

Sun's question made Mary blossom like a flower as the first rays of dawn warm its delicate petals.

They spent the next hours in easy conversation. Sharing highly abridged versions of their lives.

Two more unlikely companions had rarely been seen by the flight crew as they went about their tasks. The young redheaded woman and the stern looking Asian man were the talk of the crew as they folded down their jump seats preparing to land in Rome. All of them also noted that this flight, notoriously rowdy with drunken Russians, had been the quietest any of them could remember.

"I was told I would be met after we landed."

Mary had so enjoyed her talk with Sun, she was sad that she would probably not see her new friend again.

Sun could hear the hint of fear in her voice.

"I will be happy to escort you until you can find your friends Mary."

Sun's gentle words and strong yet caring hand on hers calmed Mary's fears.

"I would so appreciate that Sun, thank you."

Sun merely nodded. Standing he offered her his hand, helping Mary to her feet . Staying close behind her, Sun followed Mary out of the plane their hands still intertwined.

As they walked down the gantry toward the terminal, Sun felt a pull at his heart, he was faced with a situation that had no seeming solution. Not seeing Mary again was not an option, yet he could think of no way to stay close to her without the possibility of frightening her, which was the last thing he wanted.

Mary held onto Sun's hand with a grip tighter than what was required. She was filled with uncertainty as they passed through the door into the terminal.

'I don't even have an email address.' Mary lamented to herself. 'Once again life passes me by.' She wanted to cry but the impulse was cut short as Sun's hand tightened on hers.

Mary looked up to see a small grin on his lips as his head motioned into the terminal beyond.

As the universe is wont to do, it took care of Sun's and Mary's perceived problem before they even were aware of it.

Standing in the waiting area was a black frocked monk holding a sign with two names.

The owners of which were most pleased to see were...together. ...

"The final two people we have been waiting for just landed and are on the way. We should be able to depart in a few minutes."

Father David, the young priest who had met the seven people as they came off the charted flight from New York said in a relieved voice.

This group of men and women were nothing like any he had encountered before. They were quiet and polite but being around them gave him an overwhelming feeling of passing too closely to something very dangerous. Whether it was real or imagined made no difference. He would be glad to be on the road and get his charges delivered safely to the citadel.

Takari had paired herself with Cryptic as they sat at the back of the twelve passenger bus. All of them had taken time during the flight to introduce themselves, share a small bit of their history. Takari felt drawn to Cryptic and took it upon herself to stay close to him.

Everyone looked up as the bus door opened, eager to see who the last two of their group would be.

Even Cryptic was surprised, hell, surprised doesn't even come close, breathless is more accurate, at his first glimpse of Mary.

Few noticed Sun, a hand gently laid on the small of Mary's back, as he entered the bus after her.

Sun noted the response to Mary as he looked around at the group. He lingered on Cryptic longer than the rest. Sensing both his wonder at her more than apparent uniqueness. Sun also noted a deeper, more primal desire coming from the young man, a desire that mirrored Sun's own.

"Everyone's accounted for now, if you'll all take your seats we can be off."

Mary's unique presence was not lost on Father David either, but after his last two years at the citadel, he knew it was best to keep his mouth shut and opinions to himself.

No one would believe that he had picked up an Angel at the airport anyway.