Gabriel (17 page)

“
Okay.”

Gabriel
started to pace. What was he going to do with this new information? He entered
the room again.

“
I will
answer your questions, but in return I have some for you,” Gabriel said to the
man, as Robert stayed in the entrance.

“
Okay,”
the man said.

“
Who are
you?”

“
I’m
called Tre, Prince of the Kassities.”

“
Do you
remember anything that has happened over the last ten millennia?” Gabriel
asked.

Tre’s
face paled. He sank to the ground. “Ten millennia? It can’t be.”

“
It is a
fact. Now do you remember anything?”

“
The
last thing I remember is being yanked from the ground, and a long tongue licked
my face and neck,” Tre said, “and then the monster bit me. Everything went dim.
I thought I was dying.”

“
Where
did this attack take place?”

“
Our
palace was in Zagros Mountains.”

“
We will
need your blood.”

“
What
for?”

“
To see
if the mutation has been destroyed,” Gabriel said.

“
I
agree. Now I have some questions,” Tre said.

“
Very
well, ask.”

“
Am I
the only one you found alive? Where did you find me? How was I preserved for so
long?”

“
We do
not have answers for all your questions,” Gabriel said.

“
Tell me
what you know then,” Tre said.

“
Up
until now, I was not aware that some of the Kematians were humans at one time.
I found you on the street, drinking from a young girl you killed. You became
the very creature that attacked you in your palace.”

“
No!”
Tre yelled. “I’m a good son, brother, and husband. I have never harmed an
unarmed person in my life. I would not do the things you have accused me of
doing. I couldn’t.”

“
It
appears that when the mutation is active, the carrier has no memory,” Robert
said.

“
You
have tested this before?” Tre asked.

“
Yes,”
Gabriel said.

“
Not to
this extent,” Robert said.

Maree
came back with a stack of clothes. She gave them to Tre.

“
What
are these?”

“
Clothes.”

Tre
lifted each piece, and a grimace spread across his face.

“
Those
go on first,” Gabriel said, pointing to the underwear and started to leave.

“
Wait!
Am I a prisoner?” Tre asked.

“
No.”

“
I’ll go
get a syringe and get a sample,” Robert said.

Robert
came back. Tre watched every action, and Gabriel watched Tre.

“
Give me
your arm.” Robert brought the syringe up, and the tip of the needle gleamed.

“
What is
that?” Tre kept his arm inside the cell.

Robert
and Gabriel glanced at each other. Gabriel hadn’t thought that Tre wouldn’t
know what was about to happen.

“
Tre, we
need to check your blood. Robert has a needle that will puncture your skin to
get a sample of your blood. It will only sting for a minute.” Gabriel
approached the cell, ready to assist Robert in case Tre decided to not
cooperate.

Tre
gave Robert his arm tentatively. Robert stuck the needle through his vein, and
Tre pulled back a little.

“
That
hurts!”

“
I’m
almost done. Quit being a baby,” Robert said.

Robert
placed a cotton ball on the wound and pushed Tre’s arm up so the ball stayed in
the crook of his arm. “Keep that there for a minute.”

“
Are you
going to let me out?” Tre asked.

“
The
results of the blood will determine your fate,” Gabriel said as he left the
room.

“
We will
know the results in a few hours. Are you hungry?” Robert asked.

“
No,”
Tre said.

“
All
right then. I will come back and let you know what we’ve found out as soon as
we know,” Robert said.

Maree
and Gabriel were waiting in the lab when Robert returned with the specimen.

“
What
does this mean?” Maree asked.

“
It
means that those things can turn a human,” Robert said.

“
No. At
one time it appears it was possible, but something changed in their DNA. The
humans who were bitten are dead.”

“
Are you
certain they remained dead?” Robert asked.

“
If
those who died had risen from their graves, I am certain we would have heard
about such news,” Gabriel said.

“
Yes, I
guess you’re right.”

 
“
What have you found?” Gabriel asked.

“
Their
bite possessed venom that destroyed the human cells. There wasn’t an alteration
to the cells; they were just destroyed.”

“
Interesting,”
Gabriel said.

“
I’ll
know more when we get the results back from Tre’s blood.”

“
What
are you going to do with Tre?” Robert asked.

“
Only
time will tell,” Gabriel said.

“
What do
you mean ‘do with him’, Gabriel? He is as much a victim as Calla is,” Maree
said.

“
That is
true,” Gabriel said with hesitation.

“
That
wasn’t an answer,” Maree said.

“
It is
the only one I have, for now,” Gabriel said.

Maree
walked away from Gabriel as she muttered to herself. Gabriel was certain that
he did not want to know what was being said. If Tre’s blood came back without
any trace of mutation, what would that mean? Gabriel pondered the implication
for a moment, before deciding that it would be best to wait before worrying
about a decision he might not have to make.

Robert
leaned against the wall. “How many do you think are real Kematians?”

“
I do
not know.”

“
If his
test results come back ‘normal’ what are you planning to do with him?”

“
I do
not know.”

“
Are you
sure you’re an angel?”

Gabriel
grinned, and then his expression was somber. “I do not know.”

****

Tre sat on the cot, watching
the small box Gabriel brought to him. There was a man talking with a funny
accent. It appeared he was some kind of human machine. The man pulled on a pair
of sunglasses and walked away. The information Gabriel had given him didn’t
prepare him for this small box let alone this century. Everything was so
different, scary, but exciting at the same time. He knew that there was a lot
to learn, but he looked forward to the challenge.

His thoughts drifted off to
his family. He wasn’t sure if any of them had survived the attack as he had, but
he hoped that he was the only one. The thought of being the only one from a
race extinct long ago was overwhelming, but the idea his children, wife, or
people were out there right now killing people was devastating. His little girl
had been six and his son ten when the palace had been attacked. Bile crept into
his throat at the thought his children were stuck in the forms of monsters.

He was grateful that these
last millennia were erased from his mind. As a Prince he was very familiar with
the fragile balance of life and death. He had been a fierce warrior, trained
from an early age to protect his people, so the thought of killing to survive
was not a new concept to him, but the thought of killing defenseless people to
feed
was enough to drive him mad.

He stared at the TV, but his
mind raced, distracting him from whatever was playing. He had so many
questions, but Gabriel was less than accommodating. Why must everything he said
be so vague? Although he was grateful for the mysterious answers versus the one
word response, he received nods more often than not.

As if Gabriel could hear
Tre’s thoughts, he entered the room. Tre noticed his expression had changed,
and he appeared sullen.

“
Is everything okay?” Tre asked.

“
I was coming to inquire the same thing about you,” Gabriel said.

“
Are you always like this?”

“
What
are you referring to?”

“
Mysterious. No clear answer or you answer a question with a
question,” Tre said.

Gabriel stood there a moment,
and then grabbed a stool from the corner, pulled it over in front of the cell
and sat down. “When interacting with humans, it is best to tread with care.”

“
More encryption, great. How about just giving me a straight
answer,” Tre said.

“
If it is something I can answer then, yes.”

“
Okay let’s start with something simple. Am I the only survivor
from my Palace?”

Gabriel waited a moment
before answering.

“
Before today, I did not know humans had become Kematians. I would
say it is possible.”

Tre’s heart sank. His
thoughts returned to his family and people once more. Nothing good was going to
come from this line of thinking. He needed to find out as much as he could, and
right now the man with the answers was sitting in from of him. He needed to
focus on the present.

“
I heard you talking about the injection I was given. It was
supposed to kill me?” Tre asked.

“
Yes.”

“
Oh good. We’re back to the one word answers again. Do you think
more of my people survived?”

“
I do not know,” Gabriel said.

“
Are you going to try to capture another one of those monsters?”

“
Yes.”

“
I want to go with you,” Tre said.

“
We must first see if you are free from the mutated cells.”

“
How long will that take?” Tre asked.

“
I do not know.”

“
Who does know? I’m asking questions that pertain to my future.”

“
Dr. Weiss is working on it as we speak. When she knows, we will
all know,” Gabriel said.

“
So I have to sit here until then, and wait?”

“
Yes.”

Tre paused. He needed
answers, but he would have to ask the right questions. “How is it possible that
I can speak English?”

“
With my assistance.”

“
I know you did something to me, but what did you do?”

“
I am omnilingual. I shared a piece of my knowledge with you.”

“
How did you do that? You are something other than human. I can’t
sense evil, but I do feel something more. What are you?” Tre asked.

“
I am the Archangel Gabriel.” Gabriel extended his wings and then
retracted them as quickly as he had extended them.

A blast of emotion rushed
through Tre.

He fell to the ground, on his
knees, arms stretched out front, and face touching the ground. He started
whispering in his native tongue. His eyes remained focused on the ground and
away from the heavenly being that stood before him.

Gabriel opened the cell and
knelt next to him.

“
Rise,” Gabriel said.

Tre started to lift himself
up careful to keep his eyes averted from the God before him. How was it
possible that one so holy would make his way into a mortal’s life? He was a
Prince, but he was still just a man. Standing upright, his eyes remained on the
floor.

“
Tre, look at me,” Gabriel said, while resting his hand on Tre’s
shoulder.

“
I can’t. I’m unworthy to look upon the face of a God.”

Gabriel stepped in front of
Tre. “I am no God. I am a child of God as are you. In the eyes of the Almighty
we are brothers.”

Tre raised his head with slow
movements. His eyes met Gabriel’s. His hands trembled as he reached a hand out
to touch his arm. Gabriel’s form was substantial. He pulled his hand back and
dropped it.