Reapers

Chapter Thirty-Six: Old Enemies in New Lives

Thane clutched his twin daggers as he walked down the front hall of the factory.  David walked behind him with his blade named Leto, meaning to kill or slay in Latin.  Thane looked back at him uneasy.  There were few things that he feared, at the moment the Dark Angel following him caused small amounts of fear to gather in his chest.  He trusted David, as much as he could trust someone who he had just met.  Even then, there was something about him, the way he talked and looked at him made him uneasy.

“Thanatos.”

“I told you, it’s Thane.” He muttered to the Dark Angel.  Thane stopped and looked back at David, “You keep staring at me.  Like you think I’m going to attack, or something.”

David sighed, “You carry your father’s blood, his Reaper blood.”

Thane’s eyes narrowed, “And what’s your point?  You said earlier that I was nothing like my father, so now what?  You’re having doubts?”

David shook his head, “No.  Not toward you.”

“Okay, what then?”

David walked ahead of Thane, “Your father.  He may not react well to this rescue.”

Thane began to walk but stayed quiet  “I know.” He said after a minute, “I don’t even think he’ll be willing to help us.  Not without encouragement at least…”

David stopped and looked back at Thane.

For a moment Thane worried he had said something wrong to the Dark Angel.  It was bad enough that his father, Valcon, was responsible for the Dark Angel’s first death, but now David was forced to help Thane rescue him.  He couldn’t even begin to imagine what David would be feeling, he wondered if thoughts of revenge ever crept into David’s mind.

“These reasons are personal, nothing against your father.  I know Reapers are not truly emotionless.  You are still his son; there is no true parent that does not care for his or her child.  Your father cares.”

Thane looked to the ceiling, the flickering lights of the old factory.  “I believed that once, when I was a child.” He looked to David, “But I was a child then.  I grew up, David.  My father is a Reaper; I am a weapon he created.  There is no bond, no love, so you say.”

David sighed.  Thane could tell the Dark Angel was beginning to become somewhat frustrated.  “Thane.” David said, “Darcie is not my daughter by blood, but I would die for her.  You must know that.  That is family, that is what I know your family feels for you.”

Thane rolled his eyes, “Yeah, but my family does not include my father.  I’m sorry, David, but it doesn’t.” he walked ahead taking his original place at frontpoint.

“Children.” Thane heard David say in a sigh, he didn’t say anything else.

Thane stopped as the hallway split going left and right.  Thane looked to David, “So?”

David sighed, “You take right, I’ll go left.”

“All right.” Thane said hesitantly, he didn’t like the odds of fighting a Reaper alone.

He felt David place a hand on his shoulder, “Don’t worry.” David smiled.

Thane nodded.  This was the man who had protected Darcie even before this mess, the man that would die for her, the man that was in a way her father.  If Thane couldn’t trust him on his own experiences then he’d trust him using Darcie’s.  “Good luck.” He said heading down the hallway to the right.

“Same to you, Thane.” He heard David say from down the other hallway.

He clutched his twin daggers tighter, a feeling of dread growing in his stomach.  Every moment in the old factory filled his mind with fear, not for his own safety but the others here.  Darcie came back to his mind, at least Era and Mo had someone to fight besides, even he had David, but Darcie was alone here.  A chill went up his spine as he thought about what could have happened to her in the time it had taken for them to find the old factory, in the time it would take to find her.  He shook his head; those thoughts wouldn’t make them find her any quicker.