“We’re approaching in the zodiac from the south. We are carrying vaccines with us. Do not fire on us.” Zee spoke into her radio as she turned the rudder of their small craft.

“Understood.” The muffled reply sounded. “Pull alongside the carrier and await further instructions.”

Throughout the exchange, Eli couldn’t tear his eyes away from the enormous ships ahead of them. “I’m guessing the big boat over there is the one we want?”

She cracked a smile. “Yes, it is. Don’t let them hear you call it a boat though. It’s a ship. The USS George Washington.”

“The navy doesn’t like the term ‘boat’?” He questioned.

“Not the navy. The admiral. He’s…peculiar.”

He furrowed his brow. “Admiral…Wilson, right?”

“Rear Admiral John Wilson, yes.” She corrected him.

“You know him?”

“Officially, no. Unofficially, yes.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means that we crossed paths while I was doing some work for the CIA. He never knew my name but we had to ‘borrow’ one of his helicopters for a short time to get out of somewhere we weren’t supposed to be. He saved a few operators lives that day.”

“What’s he like?”

“A bit of a loose cannon. He’s always pissed off some of the more political types in the military, which is why he never made Vice Admiral. His troops love him though, and he gets results.”

“Sounds like my kinda guy.”

“I thought you might like him.” She replied as she adjusted their course again.

Their journey to this point had been mostly uneventful. After a night of rest they’d returned to Earth via portal, this time to the city of Darwin in northern Australia. There, they’d tracked down a small boat and some fuel while fending off a diminished number of ratkin skirmishers before taking to the water and heading north. About an hour after rounding the peninsula protecting the harbour and heading into open water the American fleet came into view, having dropped anchor between the continent and the Tiwi islands.

Eli couldn’t help but be impressed by the size of the grey ships as they neared. Each of their main decks sat at least 50 feet in the air, with their radar antennas and control towers easily reaching 100 feet above that. Armed service members stood along the railing of the deck with their rifles trained on them as they approached, giving an intimidating welcome. The sight caused him to serruptitously check the armour he and Zee were wearing.

“So here’s a dumb question.” Eli started as they puttered along at sea level. “How do we get up there?”

“We don’t. They come get us. Probably with a helicopter, a ladder, or a winch.”

“And all the while people point their guns at us?”

“Pretty much.”

“Lovely.”

“That’s far enough.” A man said over the radio.

Zee cut the engine before standing and addressing the man. “We are here to meet with Admiral Wilson. This crate holds vaccines for the plague.”

“We haven’t heard anything from fleetcom about a vaccine. How do we know you’re not lying?” He questioned.
Eli rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath. “Really? Who are they expecting to get confirmation from? I’m pretty sure most of the world’s military leadership is dead by now.”

Zee was far more tactful in her response. “You’ve noticed by now official communication lines are down. That’s why we radioed ahead.”

“How do we know you’re not infected?” The man pressed.

“The virus kills far too fast for that. You think I’d spend my last days finding a boat and coming all the way out here just to die?” She shot back.

There was a long silence as the man consulted his own radio before speaking again. “Fine. We’ll take the vaccines. We’re sending down a harness – attach the crate and we’ll pull it up.”

“What about us?”

“You stay down there. You’re not coming up.”

“That’s not how this works.” Zee countered. “We need to speak to Admiral Wilson in person.”

“You’re staying down there or we’re shooting you and taking the vaccines for ourselves.” The man threatened.
Something within Eli snapped at the man’s words. The idea that they’d shoot at his bond mate – especially when they were trying to help – was something he wasn’t willing to tolerate. His body glowed gold as he summoned his mana and triggered a transformation into his Nephilim form.

“Eli what are you doing?” Zee asked.

“Speeding up the process.” Eli grunted as he placed one hand on the metal crate of vaccines and the other on his desert elven bond mate.

“Síl!”

In the blink of an eye Eli and Zee disappeared only to reappear in the shadow of one of many planes parked on the top deck. Confused soldiers shouted for a moment at their sudden vanishing act before firing into the zodiac, turning the small boat into shreds. It was only when they stopped to reload that Eli stepped forward into the light. Several service members ran towards him as he held up his hands and wings in a non-threatening gesture.

“I come in peace. Let’s take a deep breath and-”

He was interrupted when one of the nearby soldiers pulled the trigger of his pistol. The bullet bounced off the enchanted metal plate of the armour before ricocheting off the deck and into the leg of another nearby soldier. Eli rolled his eyes before summoning his mana and darting forward, placing his hands on the screaming man’s leg.

“Guérir líkami!”

Either because of his natural agility or because of the soldier’s shock, none of them fired further rounds into Eli as he healed the man. The bleeding slowed before stopping entirely, and the bullet fragments pushed through the skin before falling to the ground. His eyes went wide as the pain faded, the skin having stitched itself back together until it looked new.

“You-…you-…” He stuttered.

“He’s an angel.” One of the other soldiers said, dropping to his knees and making the sign of the cross on his chest.

“I’m not an angel.” Eli shook his head.

“He’s an angel!” Another soldier cried, as he dropped to his knees as well. “He’s come to deliver us from evil!”

“I’m not a fucking angel!” He shouted, only for his words to be drowned out by further pleas for divine assistance.

Zee snorted with laughter. “You know, that’s the sort of thing an angel would say.”

“Goddamnit Zee.” He swore, turning to his cackling desert elven girlfriend without realizing the irony in his choice of words. “A little help here?”

Still laughing, she moved forward to the formerly injured man. “Petty Officer. How about you show your thanks for him healing you by getting us in front of the admiral? And while you’re at it, why don’t you carry this heavy crate for us?”

“Y-yes! Of course!” The man replied, tentatively getting to his feet.

To Eli’s great surprise, he did exactly as was asked. He immediately began barking orders over the radio before directing the nearest crew members to help him carry the crate of vaccines. As a group they then escorted both Zee and Eli across the deck of the aircraft carrier towards the large control tower on the other side.

Seeing the looks he was getting as they walked, Eli furrowed his brow in thought. They’re looking an awful lot like the mousekin when I used this form last. At the time I thought it was because I killed a Titan in front of them, but maybe the form itself has something to do with it too.

Seeing the look on his face, Zee nudged him. “Problem?”

“No, just…thinking. I want to test something when we get home. I’ll tell you about it later.” He replied as their group reached the control tower.

He stepped towards the open doorway before stopping and turning to the soldiers. “You should take the vaccines, all of you. I don’t want any of you getting sick just because you came into contact with us.”

“Yes! Of course!” One of the soldiers replied eagerly as they set the crate down.

A moment later they unlatched it and began distributing vaccines amongst themselves. Eli made sure to grab a few as Zee took the lead, moving into the open door at the base of the tower. They were greeted by the sight of more soldiers with glazed looks in their eyes and slack jaws, but thankfully none of them moved to stop them.

“Right.” Eli nodded, tucking his wings in so they’d fit through the door. “Which way?”

The desert elf glanced up at the signage in front of her before pointing to her left. “That way. The admiral will be on the bridge.”

“Sounds like that’s our next destination then.”

As they started to march through the narrow corridors, Eli couldn’t help but notice that the guards behind them were following them. The expression on their vacant-looking faces never changed as they moved, giving more credence to the hypothesis about his Nephilim form. More soldiers continued to join their procession as they walked, meaning that by the time they reached the bridge they had a significant crowd of followers.

“What in the hell…” A man in a black uniform started as they entered the large room with windows on three sides.
His words seemed to snap the soldiers behind them out of their trance. As one, they rushed forward to place their hands on Eli and Naz, pointing pistols at them and telling them to get on their knees. Rolling his eyes, Eli complied as Zee shouted over the crowd.

“Admiral! I still owe you a helicopter after what happened in Kuakata! I’ve come to repay that debt!” She shouted.

There was a moment’s pause before the admiral’s voice boomed out. “Wait!” He bellowed, moving through the crowd towards them. “What did you just say?”

“My name is Zebeyana bint al-Ramil.” Zee said quickly. “You didn’t know my name at the time, but you pulled me and several other CIA assets out after the helicopter you leant us was shot down by insurgent forces.”

Eli took a moment to look at the man. His face made him look like he was in his 60s given his grey beard and thick-rimmed glasses, but he showed no signs of age as he pushed aside sailors to get closer to them. His black coveralls and boots matched that of the rest of his crew, with the gold insignia on his shoulders being the only thing that set him apart.

“Anyone could have told you that story.” The admiral growled.

“No they couldn’t.” Zee countered. “It was classified, and you know that.”

“Then why are you repeating it now in front of everyone?”

“Because I think the chance to win this war is worth risking a court-martial over.” She replied defiantly. “Don’t you?”

He narrowed his eyes for a moment, gritting his teeth before looking up at the soldiers around them. “Escort these two to the briefing room. I’ll hear them out.”

“There’s a crate of vaccines outside.” Eli added as the men around him stopped pushing on his arms and legs, giving him room to stand. “You should each take one. It’ll protect you from the plague.”

The admiral’s eyebrows shot up. “Truly?”

“Truly.” Zee confirmed.

“Complements of the CIA?” He pressed.

“Something like that.” Eli responded evasively. “It’s a long story. The part you need to care about is that it’s safe, tested, and you should take it as soon as possible because I can’t guarantee that the two of us are completely clean.”

“Fine.” The admiral nodded. “Go to the briefing room. I’ll meet you there.”

Accompanied by a significantly more hostile crowd this time, Eli and Zee were taken out of the bridge. With a series of small pushes and firm hands they were guided across the hall to a smaller, windowless room. Maps and charts were pinned to each of the walls, and a large table that was bolted to the floor dominated the middle of the chamber. Two armed guards stepped into the room behind Eli and Zee only to close the door behind them.

“Don’t be alarmed.” Eli said, warning the guards as he turned to them. “I’m going to glow gold for a second here. It’s nothing nefarious I promise.”

The two guards looked between each other before glancing back at him as he triggered a transformation into his human form. Their eyes went wide when his wings shrank then disappeared, and his skin tone turned from an inhuman ashy-grey to his regular pale. His horns shrank into his skull and his hair turned blonde just as the admiral opened the door and entered the room.

“Who are you?” He asked, narrowing his eyes at Eli. “And where’s the one with the wings?” He followed up, turning to Zee.

“I’m the one with the wings.” Eli answered before Zee could. “I just tucked them away for a minute.”

“You look…human…now.” He replied haltingly. “Is this some sort of disguise?”

“About that…” Zee started.

The admiral looked between them only for Zee to slowly remove the pendant she’d been wearing around her neck that disguised her as a human. Her features turned more angular and her ears elongated, becoming pointed at the end. The sight caused the guards to reach for their pistols before Eli stepped between her and them protectively.

“That would be a bad choice.” He looked at the admiral. “Please tell them to stand down. I would hate for our only shot at victory to end because of a misunderstanding.”

He looked at Eli for a moment longer before holding up his hand to signal his guards to stand down. “I don’t suppose you have a name?”

“Eli Grayson.” He replied, holding out his hand to shake. “I wish we’d met under different circumstances.”

The admiral hesitated for a moment before shaking his hand. “Your human mannerisms are very convincing for an…alien? I don’t know what to call you, to be honest.”

“Actually, I am human.” Eli corrected him. “Grew up in Toronto, Canada. Of all of us in this room, Zee’s actually the only one who isn’t human.” He gestured to his desert elven bond mate. “And they prefer the term ‘magical races’, rather than alien. More specifically, Zee’s a desert elf.”

“Elves? Magic?” The admiral questioned hesitantly.

Eli chuckled. “Come on now. I’ll bet you’ve seen some pretty weird shit over the last few weeks. Are you really going to get hung up on the idea that elves and magic don’t exist?”

He paused as he mulled over Eli’s words. “I suppose the last few weeks have…let’s say ‘opened my mind’. Though I’m going to need you to start at the beginning here, because I’m obviously a few steps behind.”

Zee gestured to the chairs bolted to the floor around the table. “You may want to sit down then. This might take awhile.”

Over the next two hours, Eli and Zee did their best to explain the broad strokes of magical society, the ratkin, and the Titans. At the admiral’s prompting both of them demonstrated their magical abilities several times to prove their point, with Zee casting a mirage spell and Eli drawing on several different schools of magic. When they were done the admiral leaned back in his chair and let out an explosive sigh.

“You know, if someone had told me this story a month ago I’d have them committed to a psychiatric facility.”

“Trust me, I get it.” Eli assured him. “The first time this was explained to me, I thought I’d been given drugs or hit my head really hard.”

“Does that mean you believe us though?” Zee asked.

“In lieu of any other explanations for how the world has gone to shit over the last few weeks…yes, let’s say I do.” The admiral said finally. “But that begs the question: why do you need me to believe you so badly?”

“We need your help.” Eli answered. “We’re launching an assault on the Titan’s… I guess you could call it their home world. It’s the source of their power, and destroying it will cripple them.”

“You had my attention.” The admiral said. “Now you have my interest. What do you need?”

“Your carrier strike group has a nuclear weapon assigned to it.” Zee replied. “We need it.”

His eyebrows shot up. “You don’t ask for much, do you?”

“We’re not detonating it on Earth.” Eli assured him.

“Why though? You have magic, for fucks sake. Can’t you just use that?”

“The place we’re targeting is heavily protected against magical attacks. We need something big, and non-magical.” Zee explained.

He narrowed his eyes. “It’s not that I don’t want to help you kill these bastards. It’s just…that’s the most powerful weapon in our arsenal. If it were to fall into enemy hands, or to be misused…” He trailed off.

“You’re welcome to accompany it and make sure it gets used properly.” Eli offered.

“Me?” He questioned, caught off guard by the offer.

“Well, you and your marine detachment.” Zee clarified.

“And anyone else you want to bring along to the final battle.” Eli added. “I wouldn’t say no to some air support and some more guns in the fight.” He grinned. “So what do you say, Admiral? Know anyone who might be willing to take the fight to these bastards and end this thing once and for all?”

He looked between them before nodding. “I’m probably breaking about a thousand rules by agreeing to this…but fuck it, the world is falling apart anyways and I think I just might know some people.”