Chapter 6

 Chapter 6

ללָהֵָ

 

    Ariel stands in front of Frank as he experiences an overwhelming feeling flood his heart and

mind. As she kneels down to pick him up to his feet, his cell phone rings. She reaches for the phone off

of his belt and answers.

    “Frank Titan’s phone, Agent –“ She was interrupted.

    “Ariel, this is Tom. I need you two at A&M right now. There has been an explosion. Call me when

you are en route.” Tom hangs up.

    Ariel knelt to Frank and places her hand on his head. As if hit with lightning, Frank stands up and

wipes his cheeks.

    “It is time. We must go now.” Ariel briefly instructed.

    Frank took the phone from her with perfect composer and walked out the door locking only the

handle. Ariel opened the door for Frank on the passenger side. He hesitantly got in. She sat in the

driver’s seat and pulled out of the parking lot of the apartment building heading toward Texas A&M

University.

    “What happened?” Frank asked.

    “The next one has begun. An explosion occurred at A&M and we were instructed to respond.”

Ariel replied.

    “How do you know it’s a demon and not just someone else?”

    “The pattern. You will see. This is a demon, though I do not know which one.”

    “Naturally.” Frank blurted, nearly rolling his eyes.

    Ariel smiled and continued on their course down I-10. The forty minute drive flew by in

complete silence. Frank’s mind is wandering at a hundred miles per hour but he could not formulate the

right words to ask a question to this angel. He had thought that he knew her. He recalls even meeting a

brother once. She has come over for the past two thanksgivings with other agents and staff. All of the

times that he considered her his muse, he never expected her to actually be one.

    As they pass Round Rock, Texas, a clearly visible plume of smoke was coming from the precise

location they were headed to. Without the luxury of details that he normally possesses prior to arriving

on a scene, Frank was confident that his “partner” already knew more than his intelligence sources

would.

    Once again a command center was set up. Austin bomb squad was on scene trying to collect

evidence of a detonating device or substance. Police from two cities were on scene with campus police.

And now the FBI.

    Frank stepped out of the car with his usual confidence and walked to a nearby officer.

    “Excuse me!” Frank yelled over the commotion. “Can you direct me to the Incident

Commander?”

    The young patrolman simply pointed through a smoky parking lot at a similar trailer as the

elementary school. Frank nodded his gratitude and proceeded in the trailer with Ariel directly behind.

    “Ariel, let me do the talking. I don’t think they would be as understanding as I am.” Frank said

prior to entering the command center.

    “No problem, Frank. But remember, I was able to convince you for years.” Ariel smiled, amused

at his behavior.

    Frank stepped into the trailer. Inside were two long tables against the outside walls with several

laptops connected. Each computer had an officer working diligently to assess hazmat information as

well as points of contacts for students and faculty that would be inside. In the rear of the trailer, Frank

spotted the obvious man in charge.

    “Sir, I am agent Titan and this is agent Proctor of the FBI. Do you have a breaking point to brief

us?”

    The slender, middle aged, and exhausted man stood and rushed to them, eager to have help.

    “I’m Dennis. Chief Dennis Needham. I’m happy as hell that the FBI is involved, never thought I’d

say that! Come over here and I’ll brief ya.” Chief Needham gestured for the two agents to follow him to

a small desk with an attached bench.

    “We are here. In this parking lot. The Albritton tower is on the end of the parking lot behind us.

Now, over here, about a half mile as the bird flies, is the chemical engineering building. Some sort of

explosion went off about an hour ago in the middle of classes. We have no idea what damage has been

done. The school gave us a roster of who was expected to be there. The numbers are staggering.”

    Needham sighed.

    “Now the nuclear reactor hasn’t been compromised yet –“

    “Wait, what?” Frank interjected.

    “Nuclear reactor. Over here.” Needham pointed on the map. “Hasn’t been affected but they are

bringing down the output to minimal.”

    Frank looked at Ariel and thought to himself. If demons wanted mass panic. Wouldn’t that be

the ideal target?

    Ariel gave him an odd look and smiled. Out of all expectations Frank heard her.

    Not unless the pattern were more important to them.

    Frank’s eyes widened.

    “Whoa!”

    Chief Needham, startled, dropped his pen under the desk.

    “You trying to kill an old man, boy?” In an awkward effort, Needham leaned over to pick up his

pen, which is now forever lost under the generator firewall.

    “Damn. That was my good pen!” Needham exclaimed.

    Blushing and confused, Frank replied. “My apologies, sir. I am just relieved about the reactor.”

    “Aw hell, I reacted the same way. Now about the casualties, we just don’t know yet. We’re

getting some air samples and testing out soil to make sure we can get in there to look. The problem is,

everyone that knew all about the methyl-ethyl-death or whatever they have in there was inside the

building.”

    Frank sighed. “What kinds of aid do you all need here?”

    The Chief seemed to already have a list.

    “I need clean water for my boys and some clean food. I have to assume that everything is lethal

until I know otherwise. I need some big hands help over here to get the manpower and funding to make

everything else happens. Think you can help with that?” Needham’s eyes glowed with hope.

    “Sir, take my word for it. You will have what you need.” Frank nudged Ariel’s arm and they walk

out of the trailer.

    In the car Frank couldn’t help but obsess about the mind reading that Ariel had done to him.

    After a long silence, Frank asked.

    “Have you been able to hear my thoughts the whole time?” Frank was nearly afraid of the

answer. Ariel smiled wide.

    “I hear everything. Do not be embarrassed about your occasional fantasies. You are human as is

that line of thought. What are important are your actions. You never acted on any of the wildly

imaginative fantasies that you had about my body.”

    Frank was now truly blushing. His heart pounding with embarrassment. Then the thought

occurred to him.

    “Your body? The way you said that, it’s almost as if… is that your body? Your real body I mean.”

    Ariel looked down at herself.

    “My body is what I inhabit. It is always easier to gain trust with beauty. My real body is…

different.”

    Frank raised an eyebrow.

    “So, are you possessing her or something or is she dead?”

    “This body was never used. This was created for my descent. This was created for my mission. In

a sense, this body was created for you.” Ariel winked in a way that was clearly a tease.

    Frank looked away and focused all of his intentions on not thinking what would naturally enter

any man’s mind. Turning the key in the ignition, Frank pulled away from the bell tower and proceeded to

Austin to find clean water and food.