Patreon or PayPal Me keeps this site and its author alive. Thank you. |
Stories from the Verse
Con Version
Chapter 204: Brown 357
Table of Contents
Previous chapter: Takano 147
Michael Gabriel was getting practice in the early morning, having gone to bed early the previous night. At five o clock not many people would be out and about and looking up to see a ten foot tall angel flying high overhead. The air high over the city was cleaner and clearer as well, which he enjoyed since he did not appreciate the constant background scent of burned hydrocarbons. He was just finishing up his first lap of the city, and planning to go for one more when he saw a man in odd clothing waving at him from a suburban rooftop below.
Annoyed because he had been trying to be discreet, he floated down lazily. He would have gone faster, but the man sat down and crossed his legs, and so Michael Gabriel rather thought this was a social visit. He came to a rest on the slanted roof near the top which would hold his perceived weight better (which was less than his actual weight). The man had leather leggings and a leather tunic, and straight black hair touched with white and gray streaks.
"The young brave is wise to practice. Catch me if you can, warrior." With that, the man shifted and became a green-tailed hawk, which flew away. He circled back, and called challengingly. Grinning, Michael Gabriel took up the challenge. Both rose high into the early morning light with Michael almost losing him in the sun. But the hawk flipped over, and dove on him, and Michael was out of position for grabbing him. He started to flip over and the hawk's wing smacked him on the face.
Going into the flip, he used the full visual to get an eye on the hawk, who was circling back up higher using an updraft. Michael Gabriel just powered straight up, his wings thudding steadily, his breath rushing in and out, heading right at the hawk, intending to return the favor with a thumb thump. The hawk noticed him, and went higher. Both climbed now, going up and up, wings snapping at the air as sinews strained. Michael Gabriel was new to this, and far heavier, but then the hawk stuttered, and got his thumb thump.
The hawk wobbled his wings, and nodded his head.
'Go down' seemed to be the message. And so Michael Gabriel followed, although he could not keep up with the hawk in a full dive, as its speed was over seventy miles per hour as it descended nearly vertically. But it pulled out early and settled with beating wings on the same roof to transform back into a man. Michael Gabriel landed near him on the roof's top again.
The old Native American man was sweating and breathing hard.
"You O.K.?" the Angel asked.
"Yes. I have strength, as long as I ration it. I fly a few times a week. You are new to this form, I think--but I am not sure. But do not tell me your secrets. I have no need for them."
"It was fun. You're a lot more maneuverable than I am," Michael Gabriel said, although he wondered how he would fare in his sprite form as Morach.
"Yes. It has been over a decade since I got into an aerial battle, and I forget the joy of it. I was the hero Green Hawk, and worked with Sockajawea and Captain Eagle. I did not merely count coup with you for fun, but for you to hear me. I have dreams sometimes. Future things. I dream of fire each night in the last week. Of the trees burning, and the little ones screaming. I see you and others trying to stop it, but failing. Even my old girlfriend Sockajawea falls. I saw you fall in my dream last night, Avenging Angel they called you. And yet you fell."
Michael Gabriel blinked as he tried to process. So he started with the easiest bit. He had not met her, but the others had described her as pretty.
"You and Sockajawea were an item?"
"Oh, she would deny it, but once upon a time she was deeply interested in this body of mine. Now it is old and stringy and she is still as lovely as she ever was." He smiled to himself, lost in memories.
"Do you know any more?"
"I spoke to Mister Justice, the new one. This is related to that, but I don't know how. I will tell you more if I can. But for now, I'm going to go inside and take a nap until Wheel of Fortune comes on."
Michael Gabriel flew back and found a place to hide, and shifted through his forms to become Morach. It was easier to sneak back to the manse as an eighteen inch tall sprite than a ten foot tall angel. A shower, breakfast, and then he briefed the others. Brian also briefed everyone on his library research as they ate toast with jam. Upon hearing of Green Hawk's connection, he nodded.
"Explosives for a mine were set off, I think by rising magma in Last Mountain. Cutter/Mordenslice is doing something to Yellowstone, which caused a bit of an offshoot down here."
"Maybe he intends to hold the city of Berkeley hostage by threatening to blow up Last Mountain?" Tommy speculated.
There is a behind-the-writings look at the thoughts, influences, and ideas of this chapter, along with eleven other sequential chapters of this novel, in mark Joseph "young" web log entry #521: Versers Act. Given a moment, this link should take you directly to the section relevant to this chapter. It may contain spoilers of upcoming chapters.
As to the old stories that have long been here:
