Secrets and Sins Part 2: Finding Mary

Chapter 26

~Ava~

"Reya…" Ava breathed, her blood turning to ice in her veins, a rushing noise filling her ears.

The Halo bearer felt the relic nestled between her shoulder blades warm. The deadly golden power rising within her, reacting to her shock and fear.

The deity was encased in a bell-shaped glass tank, a strangely familiar blue light shone upwards from the edges of the structure.

"That's why I couldn't sense her…the floor is lined with the alloy that blocks our connection."

Ava flinched away at the realization. Although she had relied on it to block Reya from being able to control her through the Halo, now she was one with the relic, the thought of ever being in contact with the cerulean blue metal again made her feel nauseous. She forced her eyes away from the offending substance, her gaze travelling upwards.

At the very top of the bell was a thick black cable that connected the glass tank to a large computer workstation against the wall. Ava could see strange fluctuating readings on the large screen set into the front of the equipment but had no idea what to make of what she was looking at.
Reya herself was standing with a slumped posture facing away from her, the white armor-clad creature didn't look quite right, but Ava couldn’t identify what was different.

But we killed her…how is she here?

"I don't know."

Reya stirred, shifting her weight to the other leg, Ava couldn't stop the audible gasp that escaped her. When the deity moved her entire body broke up into what Ava could only describe as pixels. Each 'pixel' was bordered with a golden light. The same golden light that the Halo bearer had slammed into her enemy to destroy her after her attack on Bea.

Reya, upon hearing Ava’s gasp, spun around with a hiss, the younger woman had to close her eyes for a second to stop the surge of dizziness that the pixelated deity caused. Reya’s armor was still stained with black blood from where the Halo bearer had thrust the Cruciform sword into her at the sinkhole.

"Ava?" Reya’s voice sounded off, like each tone had been separated creating a discordant mixture.
"Well, isn't this a surprise."

"I killed you." Ava was proud of how steady her voice sounded considering the tidal wave of emotion rolling through her body.

"Yes, well, as you can see it didn't stick." Reya grimaced as she held out her arms, each limb breaking briefly into pixels before solidifying once again.

Now that Ava was looking closer, she could see that Reya’s entire body appeared to be vibrating, like it was barely holding itself together.

What the hell is wrong with her?

"The glass bell she's in must be the only thing keeping her in one piece."

"Finished with your little vacation in the Alps early I see…" Reya sneered, Ava’s gaze snapped back to her enemy's face.

Wait, you don't think?

"The information leak."

They didn't break Mary…

"I don't…" The Halo bearer shook her head, looking away from the deity, she was at a loss for words or maybe in shock, who knows.

Her eyes fell on another machine positioned in the corner of the room, opposite Reya’s glass bell. Ava didn't know why, but this one caused a shudder to run down her spine, her body instinctively wanting to get as far away from it as she could. A large white igloo-shaped hub built into a flat black base. An upright table was wired into the front of the hub, near the top of which was two perfectly circular indentations.

What the fuck is that for?

"God knows, but we need to get out of here. They'll be on us any minute."

Right. Yes. Okay.

Ava tore her gaze away from the unnerving contraption and strode over to the wall across from the one she had just emerged from, preparing to phase again.

"Ava, wait!" The Halo bearer froze, the panic in Reya’s dissonant voice making her turn back to the deity.

"Kill me…please?" She begged, falling to her knees, hands against the glass.

Ava didn’t understand, did Reya not want to be here? Had the Brotherhood been using her against her will? How did they even capture her? As the Halo bearer grappled with the unknown, one thing became clear, she absolutely refused to feel sorry for the creature who had tried to murder her girlfriend.

Shouting reached her ears from outside the door, "I…I have to go."

Ava phased through the wall, Reya's scream of despair ringing in her ears.

~

"Nearly there, keep moving!"

Ava had finally found her way back into the familiar spooky hallway and was racing towards Mary's cell as fast as her legs could carry her. She was still reeling from the discovery of Reya being alive, if you could call whatever the state she was in alive, but adrenaline had now narrowed her focus to just getting out of here.
The Halo bearer heard the door bang open behind her, boots thundering down the corridor.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

She pushed herself to move quicker, Mary's cell door was so close.

"Ava duck!"

Without thinking about it, she reacted, stooping as she ran. A projectile whizzed above her head burying itself into the concrete wall to her right.

What the hell was that?

"Some sort of dart, don't get hit."

Ya think?

She didn't quite stop in time, skidding past the door a few feet, Ava struggled to get her balance to phase through it.

"Watch out!"

Ava glanced back at the large group of guards following her just in time to see another dart flying towards her. Summoning the incredible power at her fingertips, the Halo bearer blasted a wave of golden energy towards them. Her assailants toppled back like bowling pins, but somehow the dart kept coming.

How? Oh fuck!

In that moment, the projectile was close enough to her that Ava suddenly realized why the Halo blast had no effect on it. The tip and shaft of the bolt was glowing an unnatural cerulean blue color. Even with her supernatural speed, she couldn't get out of the way in time. The Halo bearer felt a sharp sting as the dart embedded itself in her shoulder, but that was nothing compared to the agony of the link to the Halo being abruptly severed. She let out a scream of pain, her knees buckling underneath her.

"Ava?" The voice broke through the torment she was in.

Ava lifted her head to see Mary limping towards her, the Halo blast must’ve blown the door to her cell off its hinges.

"Mary, stay there!" She shouted; her voice hoarse from screaming.

Her friend paused, looking terrified for her, bending to pick up the logbook that had been thrown from the Halo bearer’s hands when she had collapsed.

Ava could see the group of men she had knocked off their feet were recovering themselves. She lifted her hand to attempt to pull the dart from her shoulder, but before she could she felt another one's impact, this time at the back of thigh.

Fuck. Not good.

A crack of power echoed off the concrete walls and all of a sudden Lilith was standing between the two women.

"Lilith?" Mary exclaimed, staggering slightly, shock written all over her face.

"Mary?" The winged woman immediately rushed to help support her old friend, placing an arm around her waist.

It was then that Lilith noticed the Halo bearer, "Ava!" She cried out, beginning to shuffle Mary towards the younger woman.

"No! Stay back, Lilith." The former sister warrior was currently being provided cover from the armed guards by the door frame.
"Get her out of here, now."

"What? No!"

"Do it!" The Halo bearer winced as yet another dart made contact.

Their eyes met, Ava could see how conflicted the other woman was, "But…"

"I know." Her voice cracked.
"Tell Bea I'm sorry."

Lilith steeled her expression and nodded, tightening her grip on Mary she teleported out of the cell.

Thank God.

Ava sighed, but her relief was short lived, the butt of a gun hit her from behind, knocking her unconscious.

~Beatrice~

Other than the occasional updates Camilla provided about how much time had passed since Ava’s departure, no one spoke.

"We are at the three hour mark." The young nun’s voice shattered the silence as it did every hour.

Beatrice was fighting the urge to fidget. She wanted, no, needed to do something productive. The sister warrior couldn't understand how Lilith could lean on the wall beside the open window so serenely and just wait.

A sudden sharp inhale from the winged woman caused all eyes to turn to her. The expression on Lilith's face had Beatrice rising from her chair to stand.

"I felt her, I felt the Halo. Somethings wrong." The former sister warrior met her eyes.

"Can you teleport to her?" Mother Superior questioned sharply, also rising to her feet.

"Yes…yes I think I can." With a crack of purple power, Lilith jumped to Ava’s aid.

Beatrice hadn't noticed her breathing turning ragged until Camilla gently placed a hand on hers. The younger nun offered her a sympathetic look. They waited in a tense silence.

It didn't take long for Lilith to return, but instead of bringing back Ava, the winged woman had a firm arm around…

"By the Saints! Mary!" Mother Superior and the others rushed forward to tend to the injured woman.

Lilith looked up at her in the chaos and spoke three words that stopped her heart, "I'm sorry Beatrice."