Chapter Twelve
For this discussion I really had no idea what to say to Adrienne. How do you tell someone that their life needs to end so they can play a larger role in the world and help assist Fate get what it wishes? Adrienne seemed to enjoy her job at the zoo and I almost felt badly about what I had to do. Then again, Thanos had said that she would be an easy recruit, so as it seemed a great deal of the time, there was probably a lot more going on that I just didn’t know. This was necessary or the Leaders and Resurrectors would win and I couldn’t let that happen, not on my watch. Besides, it was just like going to ensure that someone died; though I would like for them to continue living, sometimes death isn't such a bad thing. And this job is a lot to handle, especially alone.
As a Resurrector I had excelled, but I knew even then that I couldn't do it completely alone. Back then I had relied on the other Resurrectors to attend to their jobs as well. As the Angel of Death I had only been able to rely on Thanos and with him gone I was alone. Now doing my job well meant I had to get help, and this was my chance.
Adrienne looked at me for a few moments, though it seemed she had already made up her mind. "Okay, I can take a break for a few minutes. Just let me take Arthur back to his environment." Arthur? I almost laughed at that revelation. Well, it was an interesting name for a crow and it did sort of go with Celtic mythology as well. Crows, death, the Morrigan, and Arthur. All of these little signs pointing to exactly what Thanos had said, that Adrienne was perfect for an emergency recruitment. But would I be able to say what was needed to convince her to give up her life? What other connections to mythology or death—if any—would I find?
I nodded and smiled, grateful that this at least seemed to be going in the right direction. "That would be good. Can I walk with you?"
She shrugged. "Sure. Whatever."
This was going to be interesting; I could tell that already. Somehow I needed to get her on my side. Most people would not believe the truth, that they were on the short list of people who are capable of becoming the Angel of Death but instead were being relegated to a completely new role. "I'm actually here on a business matter," I said. "We have a few positions opening up at our company that could be extremely worthwhile to those who accept the offer. My boss has told me to hire the people I think best for the job. All he gave me was a list of potentials." It sounded rather vague to my ears, but I had to hope that Adrienne would be even slightly intrigued.
"And I'm on this list of yours?" she asked, opening a door to the behind the scenes employee area of the zoo.
Knowing that most normal people didn’t bring strangers with them into restricted areas, I paused, but Adrienne gestured for me to come in with her. When I arrived I had only made myself visible to Adrienne, though Resurrectors could still see me, so nobody would see me walking with her. Still, Adrienne seemed to be doing what she wanted, regardless of any rules or restrictions. Was that something I should be concerned about? After a moment I followed her and nodded. "Yes, you're at the top of the list." That at least was true. She was the second name on the list after mine.
"I already have a really good job here. It isn't likely that I would leave this."
"We can offer you more than you can imagine. This is a job people would die for." Saying that with a straight face was only slightly more difficult than I had thought. There was no way Adrienne could know just how truthful my words were. Of course people would die for the position. The job was all about ensuring that Balance was maintained by Reaping the souls of those meant to die. If the situation wasn’t so dire I probably would have laughed at myself.
She sighed and opened a door to a habitat, letting Arthur the crow loose before closing the door and looking at me. "I can't afford to move to another job, and it’s wonderful here. The weather is nice most of the time, I get to work with animals, and my life is peaceful and wonderful. I don't think I can change careers, not now. It's stability I need at this current time." It sounded like an excuse, something she was saying to end the conversation quickly. Was she just trying to get away? What if she could sense what was going to happen? Or perhaps she was just testing me, checking my resolve to see if I would rise to her little challenge. I could not really disappoint, especially considering just how much I needed her help.
"Adrienne, I can guarantee that you will still be able to live in a place with nice weather and you could bring in as many pets as you would like, if you so choose. The job is a worthwhile and necessary one and it is wonderful in its own way. Plus, you won’t have to worry about paying your bills or running late or anything else." It was the complete truth. She wouldn't have to worry about much of anything; she would be dead.
"And what would I be doing?" she asked as she started walking away from Arthur's habitat.
"In essence you would be helping people find peace. As a perk you'll be able to travel all over the world." I paused. I knew this wasn't enough but she could think I'm crazy for saying that she would be helping to ensure the balance. Maybe it would be easiest to just get it all out in the open. "Look, I know this is going to sound completely insane but I'm the Angel of Death and my boss is in trouble. The only way this will work out is if Death maintains its workload."
Adrienne stared at me, lips pursed, with her arms crossed in front of her. In that moment I was unsure what she was thinking or feeling about what I said. I had almost felt certain that she would laugh at me or walk away. Her still standing there was a good sign…right?
"I know it doesn't seem possible…" I continued on.
She shook her head, effectively cutting me off. "Don't. I know it may sound crazy but it isn't." She let out a breath. "So, if I’m to understand this, you work for Thanos, and something has happened which means that you need help.”
That stopped me short. I honestly hadn’t expected that she would know who Thanos was or that she would know anything of the whole situation that had led to this point. Considering how much Thanos thought about different possibilities and planned for any potential deviation in a plan, I should have suspected that he had already made arrangements for if something happened to him. He obviously had been hinting at it for a long time and I just hadn’t realized it. First he had told me about the restrictions placed on him during his original arrangement with the Leaders, and then he had showed me the list that determined who could step up into the position of Angel of Death. So, was it that far out of the realm or possibility that he had already spoken to the others on the list?
I nodded to her, still too stunned to speak. It made it clear why Thanos had said that Adrienne would be perfect for an emergency recruitment. But then I started thinking about other reasons why Adrienne would know all about this. It could have been that Thanos was unsure that he would be able to get a Resurrector to accept the position and so he had groomed someone else to take the position if he was unable to. That thought hurt slightly. Thinking that Thanos could have been working with someone else and discussing that they were meant to be the Angel of Death while also trying to recruit me was troubling.
Adrienne stopped walking and turned to fix her gaze on me. "First, I'm not too big on helping people whose names I don't know. Second, what kind of trouble is your boss in? And third, you never told me exactly what I'd be doing."
"I'm Tamesis, and Thanos has been taken by the Resurrectors, a group of beings who believe that everyone should be allowed to live full lives and die of only old age. In theory their beliefs sound completely reasonable but sometimes death is necessary to help people grow, adapt, and evolve. The job I have is simple enough: I go around to people who are near death and I help them on to wherever it is they go after their life is over. You would be doing the same thing, helping to keep the balance as it is. If we allow the Resurrectors to tip the Balance too much in their favor then the consequences would be devastating."
She stood there for a moment and then nodded. "All right. Thanos always told me to be ready because someday I might find that one of his associates would come for
me. I'll help however I can."
"Okay," I said, nodding. Having her agree to the position was a huge relief, but then I realized that she had agreed to basically let me kill her. It didn’t seem fair at all, especially considering that she wasn’t on my list and not meant to die just yet. Once again, I realized there had to be a little wiggle room in the grand scheme of things. "Normally this would happen with no notice, but since this is a unique situation, I think that things can be handled differently. Is there anyone you'd like to see? You know, for closure?"
"It seemed like you were in a hurry earlier."
She had a point and I had to admire how quickly she was taking to the job, even without training. "Well yeah, but a few minutes won't push me back too much."
"No, Tamesis. Even a little delay can push the balance out of whack. There is no time to waste," Adrienne answered. "Besides, I have no one with whom to say goodbye. We should go now before the Resurrectors do something we can’t fix."
I paused. This was where things got difficult. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that she was going to need to die now. "Well, it's not that simple. Before you can even start training for the job…well, this may hurt."
I stepped towards her and placed my left hand over her heart. I hoped this worked as I really had never tried anything like this before. Usually helping people die was easy; they were already near death. Adrienne was not marked for death, because she was a healthy person so I knew this would be more of a challenge than I had faced before. I would need to exploit practically every health problem that was hiding deep inside.
She stared back at me, her hazel eyes questioning what I was doing. I didn't answer her. I didn't want to break my focus. Then I noticed her body was shaking and it caused me to look up to see that she was holding in a bout of laughter. “If it makes it easier on you to kill me, a seizure would work best.” She held up her hand, the one that had been covered with the leather glove, revealing a silver bracelet that stated her medical status and allergies. Once again I felt a little foolish because she was more ready than I had expected, possibly even more prepared for this than I was. Instead of saying anything I simply nodded.
I let out a deep breath which allowed me to concentrate as I started to pull out her energy or life-force, whatever people wanted to call it. As I did this I noticed she started to spasm slightly. Apparently this drain really was attacking her mind and causing her to have a seizure. I hoped for Adrienne's sake that this was over quickly. It wasn't often that I conversed with those that I was sent out after.
In a way I guess it made me understand Thanos a little better and how he wasn't able to kill me. After all, he had met me several times and in that time he had formed an attachment. Of course he wasn't able to go through with killing me to make me the Angel of Death. That just made me wonder how I was able to do my duties since I hadn't been converted over. Maybe I was more unique than the Leaders had realized. Doing this with Adrienne also gave me the opportunity to ask if dying hurt or if it was just a momentary burst before nothingness consumed everything.
A few moments later Adrienne's body collapsed to the ground. Wasting no time, I waved my hand over the body and watched as her soul emerged. So far everything was going as it was supposed to. I held out my right hand for her. "Take my hand."
Her soul looked back at me, a shadowy form of her physical body. "Did you have to do it in the middle of the zoo?"
"Sorry about that. It was the only way you could take this job and you agreed that we shouldn’t waste time. There's no going back now." I knew it was a lie; I had healed people who had reached this stage but she didn't know that. I felt bad about lying to her but I needed to bring these people in, to get them to accept this position.
She reached out and took my hand. As soon as she did her soul "body" became whole again, no longer a shadowy figure. I knew then that she had fully joined the side of Death, and it felt good to once again have a co-worker.
"Welcome to the team," I said. "Now I just need to get the others."
Project Death: Resurrection Page 30