Ever since that brief meeting the day prior. Jackson pondered about opening the Vaults and whether they would do good for the rest of his Order. While he was on the side of opening them, believing that the weapons and sanctioned equipment inside would give the Order Horrifica an edge they desperately needed. It didn’t mean he liked the idea in its entirety.

  Jackson had to think about it, trying to see if opening them was a good idea. He had already doomed the world before; he didn’t want the recent failures, deaths, and air of hopelessness to force him to take action when there would be a better alternative. He needed to take the time and weigh up the pros and cons. Consider every possible choice that could help everyone.

  Waiting didn’t make it easier either. As the meeting was on hold until tomorrow, his role as leader of his team prevented him from leaving Olympus under any circumstances. Mark, Nickle, Jessica, and Bunker had to be responsible for carrying out missions in his absence. Though he was competent in their abilities, Jackson wasn’t the sort to sit back. He needed a job, a target to kill to keep his mind busy.

  It might even help him find clarity if it were worth opening the Vaults. That perhaps fighting the monster, similar to the one he slew in China or ran into in Mexico, would make him find a conclusion he desperately needed. Nor could he ask his squadmates, for the contents of the meetings had to be kept hidden until a resolution had been made. In the end, he was well and truly alone.

  ‘Ahem, Operator Abernu.’

  Jackson shifted his body, his left hand instinctively going for his hip to reach for a weapon, even though none was there. His heart raced as he thought he heard a familiar voice from his distant past. But seeing that the person who wanted his attention was his assistant. He shook his head, knowing that he didn’t hear something out of place.

  The unit’s administrator was holding onto a stack of freshly printed documents while she stood waiting by the door. Her angelic wings wrapped around her like a cloak. Feeling safe, Jackson gestured for her to step forward and present her findings.

  Azrael had a gentle grace about her. Though she towered over most people in Jackson’s unit, standing at 7 feet tall. While it was never unusual for angels and demons to be taller than the average human. No one had a sense of foreboding or insignificance being near her; instead, they always felt calm and unjudged. Having spiky red hair that is wild and free, and her wings looking like the wings of a dove with the ends of the wings dyed bright purple, Azrael always came off as an approachable kind of person.

  She came to his unit for a temporary position, as Heaven was doing an exchange program, wanting some members of their community to work with humanity to facilitate trust and cooperation between the Nations of Heaven and the Order. Azrael had no combat training, nor any experience that would help him on the field. Fortunately, there was always a job he didn’t want to do but needed to be done. It might not be what she had expected, but Azrael never spoke up about being put in a mundane job.

  ‘The reports,’ Jackson glanced at the files in her hand before giving her his full attention.

  ‘Everything you asked for relating to The Locust. The latest one being,’ Azrael shuffled the documents around to look at their dates. ‘16th of April, which is just two days ago. So you should be up to date and knowledgeable about them… hopefully.’

  ‘Something wrong?’

  ‘Not really. I mean, I checked the files, and they don’t provide anything interesting. We know their leader is named Booker Forest, Canadian-born, late twenties to early thirties. From his medical reports, he seemed to be badly mutated by The Cascade, and he had lost his job as a primary school math teacher. Though from what we know of him, he is just some ordinary guy.’

  ‘The ordinary are just as dangerous.’ Jackson replied before taking the files to glance over. Mostly looking for names of Agents and Operators who went against The Locust and survived the mission so he could question them about their experiences. Though what caught his attention was their suspected motivations. Written in bold. “Expose the truth about magic and monsters”.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  ‘Azrael,’ Jackson called to her before she could leave. ‘From what you have gathered about them. What should we do with this group?’

  The angel froze, her hands brushing her left wing for comfort. ‘I don’t know why you are asking me. I only do admin.’

  ‘You’re part of the team. I need an opinion.’

  ‘Oh, okay.’ Azrael thought for a moment, continuously caressing her left wing before finding the right words. ‘We still do what is necessary. We have to stop them before they spread the truth about the world. Equipment and personnel aren’t the issue, as the people who work in this unit are more than capable of doing the job. Preferably, we take them out of sight and away from civilian areas.’

  ‘What force should we use?’ The reptile asked. The reptile wasn’t interested in determining what the best use of violence was against a new threat, because he already come up with an answer against them. Total annihilation. Jackson wanted to understand his new member’s thought process and determine if she could stomach the unsavoury aspects of being in the Order Horrifica. A small test for his team’s newest member.

  People expected the famed monster hunters to be noble in their quest to slay horrors, even though it was far more accurate to say that the Order would always have its fair share of horrible people. In Jackson’s case, a monster fighting for humanity’s survival.

  ‘Whatever force is necessary. Quick, painless, and merciful. Ideally, we shouldn’t kill but arrest them, but… that can’t be done.’ She humbly replied, though shook her head with a disgruntled expression. ‘I don’t know. I don’t like thinking about what or how we should kill people. It doesn’t feel right. Though there is no doubt that some of them will be killed, as it is the nature of this type of organisation. That doesn’t mean killing is necessary. I like to believe we can arrest them and make them see why they are wrong. Why should we bomb them when we can just talk?’

  Jackson kept his blank expression, causing Azrael to smile awkwardly, believing she had said something foolish. Embarrassing herself in front of her new boss. As Jackson didn’t resuscitate any emotions, she cowered behind her wings.

  ‘It isn’t right.’ The reptile said in a harsh, yet oddly sympathetic tone. ‘You are right to feel uncomfortable thinking about taking another life. It isn’t easy, and often wrong. Wanting a peaceful option isn’t possible, but good to hear at least.’

  ‘So why did you ask?’

  ‘To understand.’ He bluntly responded before handing the files back to her. Without showing it, he appreciated her honesty. ‘I want the contact details of every living Agent and Operator who fought. We are expected to fight them for the foreseeable future. If they are spotted, alert the team so we can depart to combat them.’

  ‘Yes, thank you, sir.’

  ‘Jackson,’ he corrected before she could depart. ‘Call me Jackson.’

  ‘Um, yes, Jackson. I’ll get it done. Should only take a few hours.’

  With a simple nod, the reptile looked back out into the open. Overlooking the city, to think about the Vaults once more. Looking back at the conversation, Jackson thinks about her words about not needing to bomb someone when they can simply talk to them.

  Though negotiations wouldn’t be possible or allowed by the Order. It was the overall point about excessive force that got to him. Jackson’s team is well-equipped for the task against humans who flew too close to the sun. In the case of monsters, though they were harder to kill, the weaponry of the modern era, enhanced with magical enchantments and blessings, could even the odds. Making him wonder if the issue was truly based on the Order Horrifica being ill-equipped, or if it was about them not having the right equipment.

  In the end, the reptile needed to take a walk to truly make the right judgment. So far, in his mind at last. Keeping them closed was the right thing to do. Azrael had a point. Why kill when they could just talk? Force should be necessary, not overkill when given the chance.