The Morningstar Brigade

Chapter 58

XXXXXVIII

URIEL

Day Nine. Four Days Remain.

Chariot Wreckage, Forests of Eden

Bitter blood dripped from Uriel's forehead, running along his face and swimming against his tongue in an acrid kiss. The dark-red liquid slowly drained from the wound on the side of his skull, an uneven smear left on the window it had struck. Broken glass blanketed Uriel's chest, twinkling in the evening light as he jolted up. A lick of fire raced through his veins as he started to regain his bearings, the numbness in his body fading as the ground came into focus. The Chariot had turned over on its right side, leaving the unconscious Jonathan hanging precariously above Uriel.

Unstrapping his harness, Uriel took a deep breath of fresh air and then pressed a shaking hand to Jonathan's neck. He closed his eyes in silent gratitude as the pulse kicked against his fingers. Carefully, Uriel put one arm underneath Jonathan and wrapped the other over top of him as he reached for the restraint's release. He winced before pressing the button, fearing he wouldn't be strong enough to carry his comrade. To his surprise, however, Jonathan fell into his arms with ease. Another bolt of fire raced along his body, and he felt sharper than he had even a few moments before. A new strength slowly began to seep through his veins.

"Uriel," Jonathan coughed, his eyes flickering open with a dim light of recognition as the two moved outside. "Don't... don't worry about me. Had a lot of poison in my day. This won't be the one that beats me." His hands fumbled blindly through the air until they grabbed hold of Uriel's collar. "The Fruit," he ordered. "Protect the Fruit of Life. "

"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" Uriel asked, carefully placing Jonathan on a soft patch of grass.

Jonathan managed a weak smile. "Nope," he admitted, closing his eyes. "But it's... it's still the right call. And if I don't make it... you wouldn't want... to argue with a dying man."

"You're going to be fine," Uriel said, attempting to reassure both Jonathan and himself. "You're going to be fine.

Drawing his blade and putting on his mask, Uriel slowly crept around the back of the Chariot. As he grew closer, he could hear muffled voices from the inside of the vehicle and a steady thump against the wall of the containment section. Uriel slowed his breathing and sidled up against the open back door, leaning his head around the corner. Another flash of heat ran up his spine, filling him with an unnatural calm as he took in the barbaric scene.

Isaac, in full armor and mask, spun his daggers in his hands. Behind him was the emaciated corpse of the Gardner, the dead man's gas mask torn off. At his side was the unconscious body of Artemis. Before him stood Kat, bloody and defiant. "All right, now. You've had your fun. I poisoned you, you hit me. You took the Fruit, I stabbed you a few dozen times." He glanced up and down Kat's scarlet-soaked form. "Can't we all just get along? You know, before you die by either toxin or blood loss?"

"I will never, ever lose to a pathetic little gnat like you," Kat said, clutching her severly wounded right arm and backing up against the containment unit's wall. "I took on this mission ready to die before defeat. You think I'm afraid?" She spread her arms out in front of the containment vault, a resolved guardian. "You're dead wrong."

A dark laugh erupted from underneath Isaac's helmet. "You're not scared of me?" He stomped his foot, his third blade shooting out from the boot. "Baby, you don't even know me," he said excitedly. Isaac ran his daggers along his notched armguards, sharpening them with a fetishistic glee as he advanced on Kat. "Now allow me to introduce myself."