The Morningstar Brigade

Chapter 31

XXXI

URIEL

Day Five. Five Days Remain.

En Route to Solomon's Lab, Morningstar Keep

"What's in the bag?" Uriel asked curiously, motioning to the duffel bag that Artemis had slung over her shoulder.

Artemis reached back to the bag as they moved past the mess hall and pulled out a brilliant, shimmering silverwood plate. "It's my armor and combat mask. We're about to go get each of you your own and then ship out. Can't be sending you back to the infirmary every time that you take a hit," she explained. "The Brigade can be an overprotective bunch, but I'd be lying if I said I haven't been in a scrape or two since I got kicked out on my rear that I hadn't missed it. Solomon's a weird ball of brains, but he makes sure you can take a hit. And if you're up against Nephilim, you'll be taking a hit" she said, opening the door. "Oh, and watch the tracks. I'd prefer if we looked a little like we know what we're doing. Competency is the key," she added as they entered.

"Tracks? What do you mean, tracks?" Isaac said, walking into the room and immediately tripping over a small set of rails built into the floor. "Ow," he moaned, standing back up.

"Like I said," Artemis chided. "Competency."

"It's a bit of a mess in here, isn't it?" Uriel remarked, looking around the room. The laboratory looked like a library that had gone through a hurricane. Indecipherable notes and schematics covered the floors and walls. Old world books dotted half-broken bookshelves. Random bits of colored string connected everything from encyclopedia entries to gargoyle statuettes. And all across the room lay the powerlines of an incomprehensible grid, inconstant shudders of Vita intermittently illuminating the room in a glow of amber light.

"If you think this is bad, just imagine what it's like in his head," Artemis quipped, carefully sidestepping a pile of engineering textbooks.

"It's actually quite a nice place," Solomon retorted as the armchair he was sitting in sped along the rails over to the four of them. The thin boy adjusted the pair of rounded spectacles resting on his nose and smiled brightly as his gaze fell upon Artemis. "But where are my manners?" He hopped up and bowed deeply to the veteran. warrior "It's been some time, old friend. I was quite pleased when I heard that you would be returned to me, for however brief a time."

Artemis socked Solomon in the shoulder, knocking him out of his formalities. "Solomon, plenty of things change, but somehow you always manage to stay the same. I guess that's some kind of comfort when the rest of the world is going to hell."

Uriel scanned the childlike visage of their technological prodigy. He nudged Kat. "Old friend? When did he possibly know your mom if she left when you and I were still kids?"

"I don't think anyone manages to hang around here for long enough if they're not hiding some weird secret," Kat replied with a shrug.

"As you know, I'm in charge of all research and development in the Keep, be that armaments, infrastructure or alternative weapons." Solomon noted Isaac's empty stare with disappointed and then added: "I make things that go stabby-stabby or boom. Sometimes both, if I'm feeling frisky."

"Well, why didn't you just say so?" Isaac said happily. "We're going to be good friends," he remarked, extending an eager hand.

"It's a pleasure to see you looking so well, Uriel. I'm eager to begin our project." Solomon replied, looking past Isaac as he nimbly extended his bare foot and shook the dishelved Shepherd's hand with it, much to his dismay. "Terrible things, hands. So filthy," he said with a shudder.