Argonaut - The Apprentice (Part II)

Chapter 9 - The Devil You Know

Chapter Nine – The Devil You Know

25th Apr 10:02 PM

My hands unconsciously started to move towards my Gladii, but the captain made a small motion behind her back to wait. I stopped, but my hands did not return to a relaxed position. None of the other Argonaut’s spoke, though the tension was showing clear on every single one of them.

“Is my existence that much of a surprise to you?” Israfel asked, bemused by our reactions.

“The Archons are all dead” I spoke slowly, “I watched them die. If you are who you claim, you are the last of a dying breed.”

“Do you take pleasure in reminding me?” he said darkly, clearly aching, “Yes, I am the last of my kind. You slaughtered my kin, though admittedly not without due cause. I was separated from my brothers and sisters to safeguard our lineage, to survive if something was to happen to them; this precaution was obviously well founded.”

“So what, you hid under a rock while the others tried to destroy the planet?” the detest in Cassius’s voice was clear, “I though an Archon would have more pride than that; I can’t believe we once called you our leaders.

“It may surprise you to know that my siblings did not inform me of their plan to use the Aegis Device, or even that the Kinetic we hid had been retrieved. It would appear that they schemed to simply leave me outside the protection of the machine’s shields and let me perish with everything else.”

“They wouldn’t do that” she scoffed in disbelief, “The Archons only cared about one thing; other Archons. Abandoning one of their own is unthinkable.”

“But Israfel isn’t like the other Archons,” Solomon cut in, “He’s been helping us in secret for nearly two months now, providing valuable information of his own accord and at great personal risk.”

Israfel nodded, “I’m what you would call a black sheep amongst the Archons. Their lack of interest in my life does not surprise me.”

“Do you honestly think that he’s doing this out of the goodness of his heart?” Cassius scoffed in disbelief, addressing Solomon, “He wants something, you must be able to see that!”

“Well of course he wants something,” the Council member replied as if it were obvious, “Amnesty from the crimes of his siblings, which will be given once he has fulfilled a suitable redemption period. Of course, with the new development we’ll need him to stay on until it is resolved.”

Israfel caught sight of the object in Cassius’s hand, a look of recognition in his eyes. “We can discuss my motives later, at the present time they are unimportant. We must act quickly if we are to have any hope of stopping the Stygians, though I fear we are already too late.”

He turned away, walking quickly back the way he had come through a path winding through the thick forest. Solomon and his group of guards wordlessly moved to follow him, also disappearing into the undergrowth. Before we became separated and our smaller group walked along the path as well; we didn’t have to go far.

As soon as we rounded the corner of the path a large clearing came into view, bustling with activity. The makeshift headquarters consisted of about six demountable buildings, each squat and Archaean in style, completely hidden from view to anyone watching from above.

Dozens of Archaeans roamed the area, assembling new buildings and tapping frantically on large holographic screens. Israfel stood before a particularly large screen, waiting impatiently for us. He beckoned Cassius to come forward, indicating to pass him the item in her hands. When she hesitated he lost his temper.