The Morningstar Brigade

Chapter 11

XI

DAKEN

175 A.E.F.

Chapel Safehouse, Sanctuary

"Not a single day goes by where I'm not amazed that you outrank me," Jonathan said with a sigh as Daken stumbled out of the transport and fought the urge to throw up.

Daken turned around to retort, raising a finger, but then quickly covered his mouth again as he fought off another wave of nausea.

Jonathan walked over to the safehouse's reinforced door and briefly examined the frantically blinking green lights lining its exterior. "Well, at the very least it looks like the chamber hasn't been breached," he noted with relief.

"I don't trust good news," Daken said in a low voice, unclipping his silverwood mask and strapping it over his face as Jonathan did the same. "Let's just get this over with."

"Agreed," Jonathan replied, placing his hand on a black and yellow striped lever. He pulled the handle down and the chamber door shuddered to life, slowly lowering into the floor. Beyond lay only the unknown.

Daken stood silently beside Jonathan for a moment, staring into the inky darkness of the chamber. "Eli?" he said hopefully. "You there?"

Novo launched through the doorway, snarling as he sunk his teeth firmly into the cloth of Daken's arm.

"What the hell is this thing?" Daken demanded, tugging furiously on his arm in an attempt to break free of his attacker's jaws. "Well? Don't just stand there, Jonathan! Help me get it off!"

Jonathan dashed over to Daken and grabbed Novo's collar. He pulled with all his might and managed to throw the dog off of his comrade, pinning it to the ground with his shoulder without hurting the brown spectre. "Do you know what this is?" Jonathan said, his voice a mixture of excitement and fear as the angry ball of fur squirmed.

"Yeah. In about five minutes, it's going to be a very nice belt," Daken growled, drawing his dagger and getting to his feet.

Jonathan rolled his eyes as he fought to hold Novo down. "And you call yourself a teacher. Don't you remember anything from our Earth Studies courses?"

"I teach useful stuff, like punching and stabbing. And punching while being stabbed," he responded indignantly, crossing his arms. "You're the teacher that reads all the books. Do you not remember how this arrangement we have works?"

"This," Jonathan began, running his hands gently behind Novo's ears as he slowly began to calm down and press his head into the steady strokes, "is a dog. From Earth."

Daken blinked in surprise and took a second look at the ball of brown fur. Novo growled angrily at him as he leaned in closer. "Earth? Then what's the little jerk doing here?"

Jonathan simply shook his head as he stood up. "I don't know, but whatever the reason, it can't be good. The Gates are supposed to keep things like this from happening."

Novo nudged his head against Jonathan's leg and then dashed back into the pitch-black chamber. The skitter of unkempt nails against the industrial diamond-patterned steel grates echoed around the safehouse as it vanished, quickly accompanied by a beckoning bark.

Daken scowled, his face wrinkling with distrust. "I vote we don't follow it. It's clearly leading us into a trap," he said quickly.

"You just don't like it because it bit you," Jonathan said with a laugh as he walked into the chamber.