Avenging Angels (The Seraphim Chronicles Book 1) (13 page)

SEVENTEEN

“You need to get this off your mind.” Jack said as he stood in their kitchen, leaning against the counter. “It’s not your fault. How could it possibly be your fault?”

Jack cradled Evangeline against his body with her arms folded up against his chest. His arms were wrapped around her as he massaged her back, alternating between gentle circles and running his fingers over the ports along her spine. She let out an involuntary smile. He was always there for her, and always in the way she needed.

Evangeline still felt shaken by the news of Daryl’s relocation to a quarantine clinic. She had insisted on getting herself examined for any signs comparable to Daryl’s symptoms. While she sat in the exam room, she released a small outburst of joyful tears when the nurse reported that there were none. She was in perfect health. After Amber delivered the good news, Evangeline asked how Daryl could have contracted the disease.

Evangeline recalled a portion of the conversation as Jack squeezed her tight.

“He could have picked it up anywhere,” she said, “in a million places that you’ve never set foot. How well did you know him?” Numb detachment filled Amber’s eyes. Evangeline sensed that the nurse’s mind was somewhere else, unable to focus on the present.

“I was assigned as his trainer just a week ago, and we only first met in person a few days ago,” Evangeline answered feeling defensive. “I really hadn’t had much time to get to know him.”

Amber gave Evangeline a sympathetic smile with a distracted nod of her head. “There are countless clubs, bars, and other night spots on Olympus that he could have frequented while off-duty. Who knows
what
he could have picked up and from
whom
?”

Evangeline watched a shudder run up Amber’s spine as she turned away and headed for the door, allowing Evangeline privacy to change out of the examination gown and put her flight suit back on.

Evangeline took a long, slow breath, taking in Jack’s scent, and closed her eyes. “You’re right,” she replied. “The doctors cleared me.” She knew she wasn’t responsible for the vicious disease which had caused Daryl to lose consciousness, thereby triggering the TRTV accident, but the circumstances nagged at her anyway. She sighed and pulled away from Jack as the teapot whistled. She poured herself a cup of herbal tea, and offered him some as well.

During their conversation, Tori and Addison had been sitting on the floor, playing with Addison’s blocks. As Jack took a sip of tea, he noticed Addison staring at him.

“What’s on your mind, buddy?” Jack asked with a smile.

Addison continued to stare, and then switched his gaze to Evangeline. “Mom, are you going to die?”

His concern touched her. The bond she shared with her virtual children often surprised her, as did their expressions of tenderness for her. She sat down on the ground to be at eye level with him. “No, sweetie. I’m not going to die. I’m as healthy as a horse,” she said with a big smile.

“Horses only live for twenty five to thirty years,” Tori offered with no warning. “So, you must be healthier than a horse.” The virtual girl never looked up, but continued playing with the blocks on the floor. Evangeline let out a giggle. She was certain, but unsure how, Tori had been programmed with Jack’s dry sense of humor and his affinity for random trivia. Evangeline stood up, turning her attention back to her husband and her neglected cup of tea.

“You’ve been tinkering with the kids again, haven’t you?” she asked him in that voice that was both a tease, and an accusation. Jack took a sip from his cup and wiggled his eyebrows at her over the brim. The boyish guilt in his eyes confirmed her suspicions.

“I’m just trying to see how well they deal with some abstract concepts,” he answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Without warning, Jack set down his cup and clapped his hands together, startling the children out of their play.

“Kids, we’re shutting down early tonight. I’m taking Mom out on a date!”

“But I don’t want to go to bed. I’m not tired!” Addison whined. Jack chuckled at the boy’s choice of words. Jack’s computer-generated son would never be tired unless his program told him to be.

As usual, Tori spoke up first. “It’s not about being tired; it’s about doing as you’re told. Let’s change into our pajamas so Mom and Dad can go on a date.” Tori took Addison by the hand and they dissolved out of the kitchen.

Jack looked at Evangeline with a wry smile on his face. “Now, aren’t you sometimes glad we don’t have real kids? Real kids aren’t nearly as compliant as
my
babies!”

Evangeline knew Jack was just trying to help. She had told him about being faced with making the government requirement to remove her reproductive organs when she became a TRTV pilot. He had designed Tori to give his wife some taste of motherhood, and he later created Addison to give Tori someone with whom to interact. Having artificial-intelligence children made life more interesting for them, but it was not the same as bringing up human children.

Evangeline gave Jack a big smile, and put her empty cup in the sink with a clink. “I’m going to go get changed. You’d better have something good in mind,” she said, playfully jabbing her finger into his chest before she walked out of the room.

EIGHTEEN

Jack and Evangeline walked out of the massage therapy clinic and headed toward the entertainment district. She felt rejuvenated after their ninety-minute massage, which was a welcome treat after a long and exhausting day. She appreciated Jack pampering her. It made her feel precious, feminine. Feminine was not something she felt while on base or on duty.

As they walked down the street, Evangeline enjoyed feeling relaxed and drowsy. She longed to go home, crawl into bed with Jack, and make love. Jack wanted that too, but he wanted to eat first. The night was still young, and Jack was more of a night owl than Evangeline.

Evangeline was unquestionably more of a homebody than her husband. There were times when he needed to get out of the house and expend some energy. His favorite activity was the simulated combat arcade he owned with some of his friends from his academy days. He had loved the thrill of the simulations since he was a boy.

Evangeline was not as interested in simulated combat. Because of her years in military service, civilian simulated combat arenas seemed juvenile. She could never understand the appeal they held for Jack.

Jack, on the other hand, was still just a big kid at heart. He loved playing in simulated battles with the younger kids. He would jump out from behind obstacles and scare them, and he pretended to have real injuries when they shot at him.

Hand in hand, Jack and Evangeline made their way to a shuttle station with a few minutes to spare before the next transit arrived. They used that time to share soft kisses under a glowing marquee sign. Three shuttles arrived and they boarded the one that headed to the lower levels with restaurants and gaming establishments.

As they rode along on the shuttle, another passenger struck up a conversation with Jack. The man knew of his work with artificial intelligence and had some questions about the virtual kids with whom he had been having problems. Jack, always eager to talk about his work, engaged in an excited conversation with the man. Evangeline clung onto Jack’s arm and allowed her mind to wander through the events of the day.

She recalled how she missed her stop on the train, the vehicular accident in the LTZ, the former TRTV pilot, Daryl’s near fatality.

“The woman with the ports,” she mumbled to herself. The memory roused her from her daze. “What an odd place to run into a retired TRTV pilot.”

              She tried recalling the woman’s face, but the meeting had been brief and Evangeline had been distracted by everything else happening at the scene. Try as she might, Evangeline could not reassemble the woman’s face in her mind. She let the recollection pass. She was too relaxed to waste energy on something so meaningless, the face of one retired pilot. She made a mental note to look her up in the base records before her next patrol shift.

The shuttle reached its destination and Evangeline put all thoughts of the peculiar woman out of her mind. Jack stood and thanked the other passenger for their “simulating conversation.” Evangeline smiled and rolled her eyes at his awful pun. The man responded with a comment about blue wallpaper and both men laughed, amused at an inside joke to which she had missed the set-up. With a final wave, Jack took her by the hand and they departed the shuttle.

The walk was brief to the new restaurant Jack wanted to try, which was quite crowded inside. Their wait for a table would have been much longer had Jack not hacked into their reservation system before leaving home. When they entered the restaurant, the staff greeted them with eager anticipation, as if it they were waiting on some famous for the evening. Evangeline tried giving Jack a stern, disapproving glare, but her gestures were half-hearted. She detested waiting for a table when they went out to dinner. It was one of the main reasons she preferred staying home after a rough day. But, tonight she had a hard time disapproving his unique style of bypassing a boring wait, knowing he had done it just to make her happy. She delighted at the first-class treatment.

Evangeline felt more alert after a delicious dinner. She was feeling less tired than she had right after the massage, but she was still in the mood to take Jack home early. But he had other plans, which included spending time in his simulated combat arena, Ground Zero. His boyish excitement was infectious and she agreed that doing something different together that evening seemed exciting. 

They left the restaurant and strolled in silence around the entertainment level to walk off some of their meal. After their carefree chatter during dinner, Evangeline wanted to enjoy peaceful time next to Jack before the loud and chaotic battles they would play at his arena. Jack’s mind was racing ahead to some last-minute adjustments he wanted to make in the simulation system that he had been wanting to test out.
some of their dinner. e er the impression that they were serving a famous performer for the eveningarque sign.

They boarded a lift that would take them down to the gaming levels. Just as the door was closing behind them, Evangeline noticed a couple of Angels, a male and a female, dash to squeeze through the closing doors. They seemed a touch out of breath, which struck Evangeline as odd. Angels never had to rush to catch a shuttle or lift. They always preferred to wait in patient serenity for the next transport to come along. Evangeline dismissed the atypical behavior; perhaps they had an urgent appointment for which they did not want to be late.

“What are you staring at?” Jack asked, following her gaze toward the Angelic couple. He saw nothing out of the ordinary about them worth observing, so he returned his attention back to his wife. Evangeline, on the other hand, had a mental itch she could not scratch.

“Have you ever seen Angels run for the lift, before?” she whispered to Jack as the lift descended.

A news bulletin scrolling across the display above the window had distracted him. She nudged his ribs with her elbow. Still half-watching the news bulletin, he peered at the couple through the corners of his eyes. The Angels stood smiling at those around them, making typical pleasant conversation.

“No, I can’t say I have,” Jack replied, returning his attention to the newsfeed. “Maybe they were just running late.”

“Maybe,” she said, shrugging it off. “Oh, well, first time for everything, I guess.” As the lift descended further, Evangeline looked up to catch Jack staring at her, smiling his boyish grin.

“What?” she asked, unable to keep the grin from escaping her lips. “What are you staring at?” she asked, trying to be coy. He gazed into her eyes while brushing a few stray hairs from her face. Then he leaned down and gave her a long, lingering kiss. As he pulled back, he took a deep breath.

“Sometimes, I just can’t believe you chose me,” he sighed. “Of all the men vying for your attention, you chose me.” Evangeline melted. He leaned down to press his forehead against hers. She loved the feeling of peace she always felt when he was beside her. She had learned to depend on him as the rock her river of emotions could not wash away.

The next several minutes raced by as they clung to their own microcosm of joy. The lift slowed and approached their destination’s level, prompting their return to the real world.

As the doors opened, she reached up, pulled his head down to her own, and kissed him hard on the mouth. Before she released her grip, she pulled him further down to whisper in his ear.

“When we get home,” she cooed, “I’ll remind you why I chose you.” With another deep kiss, she gave Jack a come-hither grin and a saucy wink before she spun around and walked off the lift. Jack’s mind was reeling from her playful promise when he sprinted after her to get off the lift. He bumped into the Angel couple, who apologized for getting in his way.

He caught up to her at the end of the platform, grabbing her hand and leading her toward Ground Zero. Both were oblivious to the Angel couple who walked with an air of serenity just a few yards behind them.