ARCHANGEL

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “It will be very difficult for them to track us where we’re going up in the mountains. I’m not sure it’s a bad idea to just let them do as they wish. It may be part of the bigger picture anyway.”

  “The approach they use will have to be more subtle once we establish ourselves at the place Gorby gave us to live,” Angelina said. “On the other hand, they will know right where to find us. What’s to stop them if they decide to blow us up?”

  “I would sense danger, my love,” Abaddon answered. “The danger for you and Sister Mary Catherine will escalate though as the creatures give up on defeating me and concentrate on killing you two. It is good my brother is getting stronger.”

  “Are we going to stay another night here in the city?”

  “I have no objections, Cat, if you can display some temperance in your drinking habits,” Raphael kidded Catherine.

  “I deserved that.” Catherine yawned, covering her mouth at the last moment. “Maybe we should call Serge now and tell him where we are. I could use some rest.”

  Raphael called Serge as requested. After a moment’s discussion, Raphael hung up.

  “Serge will meet us out in front of the Square in five minutes.”

  Later, in front of their rooms, Angelina kissed Abaddon.

  “I better stay with Cat tonight and make sure she’s okay.”

  “You were incredible tonight up on the dance floor,” Abaddon whispered in her ear. “Perhaps you could dress up for me tomorrow night too.”

  “Count on it.”

  Catherine waved at the two Archangels tiredly. She used her keycard to enter the room ahead of Angelina. Before following Catherine, Angelina addressed Raphael.

  “What’s the chances of a day off tomorrow?”

  “Slim and none,” Raphael answered quickly, evoking a laugh and nod of understanding from Angelina before she went inside the room after Catherine. “Well, my brother, would you like to rest?”

  “I have been resting for eons, Raph.” Abaddon followed Raphael into their room. “Why don’t we go out on the town? We’ll wreck havoc amongst the evil doers.”

  Raphael laughed. “This sense of humor you appear to be developing suits you well. While we are out playing Batman and Robin, our two companions would be in deadly danger.”

  “Batman and Robin?”

  “Just a couple of fictional characters, battling crime in small magazines called comic books,” Raphael explained. “I will get you one when we see a book store.”

  “You could maintain a shield for our friends with my help no matter where we went,” Abaddon suggested. “It would be a great exercise in case we could block a demon from transporting them along with us to whatever hellhole the creature decides to kill us in.”

  “Interesting.” Raphael considered Abaddon’s idea seriously. “If they wake up and cannot leave the room Sister Angelina will surely smack you around when we get back.”

  This time it was Abaddon’s turn to laugh.

  “You think I’m kidding?”

  “First off, Raph, I wouldn’t feel it. Secondly, what makes you think I am under Sister Angelina’s control where every act not under her direction casts me into the path of retribution?”

  “Oh, you thought I meant physically slap you around,” Raphael replied innocently, eliciting a furrowed brow questioning look from Abaddon. “I meant she would cut you off from those Abyss forgetting times you two have managed to join in together.”

  “I…” Abaddon began, and then stopped in silent contemplation for so long Raphael began waving his hand in front of Abaddon’s face as if to wake him up.

  “Come back to me, oh Archangel of the Abyss.” Raphael peered straight into Abaddon’s face.

  Abaddon snatched Raphael’s hand in a vice like grip, holding his brother immobile. Raphael recoiled at the amount of power he sensed coursing through Abaddon.

  “Perhaps you would like to join me on a little excursion into the darker kingdom I hold the key to,” Abaddon offered.

  “That will not be necessary.” Raphael waved his free hand around in a placating motion of penance. “I merely sought to point out the weapons of your opponent.”

  “My opponent?” Abaddon released Raphael.

  “You have much to learn about relationships with human females, my brother. They sense the weakness in their prey instinctively as a pack of jackals would. Once they discover the key to control, the poor object of their attentions might as well fall to its knees and begin bowing in supplication.”

  “In other words, you believe I am subservient to Angelina because of my attraction to her and the ease with which being with her dispels the Abyss from my consciousness, correct?”

  “Precisely,” Raphael answered enthusiastically. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Sister Angelina will allow you some leeway.”

  “I am going up to the bar and have another couple Irish Coffees. Would you like to go with me and exercise the added power I charged you with or stay here and worry about how Sister Angelina will abuse me once she finds out?”

  “Luckily I am under no spell so I will accompany you.”

  “Do you think Sister Mary Catherine would be interested in how you coldly withheld treatment of her drinking ailment to teach her a lesson, my brother?” Abaddon exited the room into the hallway, glancing over his shoulder to find Raphael watching him in open mouthed surprise, still standing in the doorway.

  “You have a mean streak, dark brother. I believe you have been hanging out with Sister Angelina a little too much now that I think of it.”

  Abaddon laughed. “Come on, we don’t have to worry about food and drink intake.”

  “Very well but let us at least agree on returning to our room before we have to deal with inquisitive young nuns in love.”

  “I doubt Sister Mary Catherine will be running head first into any shields tonight and Sister Angelina would simply be curious.”

  “So powerful and yet so naïve.” Raphael sighed, walking behind Abaddon and trying not to glance back at the nuns’ room.

  The bar room’s atmosphere served to lighten the mood even further for Abaddon. Raphael noticed his brother’s smile as they approached the bar. Other customers watched their every movement. After Abaddon and Raphael sat down at the bar a beautiful but harried young woman in her twenties asked them what they would like to drink. The bartender, her long red hair tied back in a ponytail fashion, did a double take as Abaddon ordered two Irish Coffees.

  “Wow, what happened to your face?” The woman realized the coldness of her question guiltily. “Sorry, that was rude. Two Irish coming up.”

  “You do seem to be glowing, my brother. I imagine the battle tonight has not left you as yet.”

  “It is still on my mind,” Abaddon admitted as the waitress served their drinks.

  “My earlier comment was way out of line, Sir, I…” the red haired waitress apologized, putting her hand over Abaddon’s for a moment. She pulled back suddenly as if she had stuck her hand in an open flame. She clutched the small golden cross at her neck.

  “Easy, Suzan,” Raphael whispered soothingly, reading her nametag. “All is well.”

  “Yes….yes, my Lord,” Suzan replied, waving off her fellow bartender who had hurried over at Suzan’s sudden movement. “It…it is hard to believe… I mean…”

  “We are sorry to have upset you,” Abaddon interrupted. “We mean you no harm.”

  “No…no, of course not.” Suzan moved closer to the two Archangels across the bar again. “I am honored.”

  Raphael pushed a twenty dollar bill toward her but she shook her head negatively and stepped away.

  “Your drinks are on me.” Suzan turned to take the orders of other customers.

  “Sorry, Raph, she caught me by surprise.”

  “No harm done. We will have to be more careful though. It would be appropriate in the future to withhold enlightenment from all we meet. I am unsure if balancing the eternal struggle between good and evil encompasses us reve
aling ourselves to everyone we come into contact with.”

  “It has something to do with it.” Abaddon explained the Lord’s touch when first he enlisted Abaddon’s help. “Our Father no longer wishes for good to be scoffed at as some ritualistic nonsense for weaklings or for his representatives to tremble at the slightest hint of evil. Take that woman whom we saved tonight. Even after all she witnessed, the first words out of her mouth were to disavow God.”

  “It has been a growing cancer for a long time now. Christians were once spoken of as soldiers. Now, if they see some nitwit in a black hood with an upside down cross, they want to run like children. This shared mission will be very satisfying. Did you have any trouble filtering out the darkness in what you absorbed from those demons tonight?”

  “The part of me which is the Abyss swallows darkness as an ocean absorbs rain water, leaving me with pure power from those I vanquished. The euphoria takes some getting used to. The hotel room was too small a place for my thoughts.”

  “We could go walking near the water if you like.”

  “The laughter, clinking glasses, and music, coupled with this most excellent beverage works well on my mental state, Raph. I have an idea about catching the ones who are following our movements.”

  “Well then…” Raphael began, but waited as Suzan finished serving customers and approached the Archangels once again.

  “I promise not to tell anyone. It is so exciting to know the truth.”

  “Thank you, Suzan.” Raphael noted a reluctance to leave in Suzan’s stance as she watched the other customers. “Is there something my brother and I can help you with?”

  “No, no…” Suzan blushed. “I wanted to help you if I can. I…I had lost my faith.”

  “I don’t think…”

  “You could help us,” Abaddon interrupted. “After we finish our coffees, we will walk out of the bar toward the elevator. Would you note for us if anyone gets up to follow after us? We will return to our seats after going down to the lobby and coming back up. If anyone followed us, you could point them out when they also return to the bar.”

  “I would love to,” Suzan agreed immediately before walking away to take a new customer’s order.

  “Abaddon, that is a very intelligent ploy - simple and effective,” Raphael complimented his brother.

  “I know we are to seek out the demons. We are also to curb as many of the human variety miscreants as we can too. Let us begin my ploy and see if we can at least identify who it is shadowing our movements.”

  The brothers left, walking out to the elevator and taking it to the lobby. They waited for a few moments in the lobby, hoping whoever was following them would do so immediately. When no one took the elevator down, the brothers returned to the bar and sat down in their seats again. Suzan finished up with a customer and came right over, excitement showing in her demeanor.

  “A man wearing a dark blue sport coat left the bar almost immediately after your elevator went down. I copied his name from the credit card he gave me when he paid his tab.” Suzan handed Raphael the slip of paper.

  “You did extremely well, Suzan.” Raphael grasped her hand. “Would you get us two more Irish Coffees and then let us know if you see the same man return?”

  “Of course,” Suzan said, her body shivering at the feeling of well being Raphael sent through his touch. “It…it is wonderful to believe again.”

  “You clutched the cross around your neck at the bar,” Abaddon pointed out. “I doubt you had lost your faith, Suzan.”

  “Maybe.” Suzan fingered the cross at her neck absently as she turned away. “I promise this: I never will again.”

  “I thought I was the one meant to handle the mundane earthly matters such as coming up with plans to discover spies,” Raphael complained, feigning hurt feelings.

  “You were the one standing outside of the shield with a sword you have not brandished for eons,” Abaddon reminded him, chuckling at Raphael’s comical pout.

  “Good point. I confess to not wanting battle with one of those new-gen demons. I don’t have any wish for my power to be siphoned off into one of them at my defeat.”

  “You take it as fact you would be defeated, Raph. I think you underestimate your power.”

  “There is a reason Lucy bound me up into hell without breaking a sweat, Abaddon. I lack any semblance of hate or shadow. I could stand for eternity to protect someone but I lack the drive to smash even the most heinous demon into nothingness.”

  “Yet you understand human nature and evil very well.”

  “Understanding is a far cry from battling it. Even an Archangel of the Lord must know there are limitations.”

  “Would you like some shadow? Maybe I could infuse a little darkness into your nature, Raph,” Abaddon offered jokingly.

  “No thanks, my brother, I am content as I am. You realize our human shadow must have people outside waiting. He probably made sure we took the elevator down, and then alerted them to watch for us to exit the hotel.”

  “That would mean he probably knows this was a ruse if they saw us standing around in the lobby. I may have shadow but I seem to be a little short on common sense.”

  “How would you have known there were others?” Raphael reasoned. “We’ll play it out and… wait, here comes Suzan.”

  Suzan pretended to be checking the Archangel’s drinks and replenished their napkins. “He’s at the table directly across from where you two are sitting. You can’t see him because he slipped in around the dancers on the dance floor. The dancers are blocking your view.”

  “Thanks Suzan. We’ll wait until the band takes a break and then get a look at him.”

  “You can’t miss him. He’s the only one over there sitting alone.”

  “See, you didn’t miss anything,” Raphael said while Suzan hurried away.

  “When we do see what he looks like what would you have us do with him?” Abaddon asked.

  “Get him alone, and find out who he is spying on us for. We have a pretty fair idea already but it would help to know what group of people he’s with.”

  “And if he refuses to tell us?”

  “We convince him by, you know, changing into the Angel of the Abyss. I don’t think our Father would be pleased if we began torturing humans for information.”

  “We could wake Sister Angelina,” Abaddon suggested.

  “Yes, indeed - Sister Angelina possesses an untapped grey area I would rather leave untouched if possible.”

  “Agreed,” Abaddon replied. “There is no directive against torture by the way.”

  Chapter 16

  Minions

  Angelina woke from her deep sleep, sitting up abruptly and unsure of her surroundings. She relaxed when Catherine snorted noisily on the bed next to her. The night stand clock flashed five minutes after one o’clock in the morning. Angelina left her bed quietly, trekking carefully to the bathroom. She walked over near Catherine for a moment after returning, making sure her friend’s covers were in place. Angelina ached to be with Abaddon. She had immediately regretted staying with Catherine but knew it had been the right thing to do. Now, with Catherine settled in comfortably, Angelina changed her wardrobe into the scanty outfit she had worn for only a moment earlier the prior evening.

  Angelina approached the door adjoining the two suites. She opened it noiselessly, taking a full minute just to turn the handle. Hearing movement on the other side of the door, Angelina anticipated Abaddon’s welcoming look. Easing the door open slowly to a point where she could just barely fit through, Angelina’s excursion ended with her shoulder bumping into Raphael’s shield. She felt all around the now open door, her hands running quickly over the shield. The Archangels’ room was quiet and dark. Angelina could not hear any sound as she stood in front of the open door. Her fists clenched in silent anger, knowing instantly the Seraphim had went out without waking her.

  “Raphael!” Angelina hissed, her face pointed upwards and her eyes closed.

  When nothing happe
ned, Angelina paced back and forth in front of the doorway for a moment before quietly trying to exit out the main door leading into the hallway. She refrained from slamming the door shut. Upon finding Raphael’s shield extended around their apartment, Angelina left it to retrace her steps to the suite’s adjoining door once again. Angelina shook out her shoulders and arms as if preparing to do physical exercise. Then with her palms extended, she gently rested them against the shield, her full concentration directed into them. She smiled in triumph as she slowly passed through the shield and took a deep breath of satisfaction.

  “That’ll teach you to try and confine the Sister Angelina to her room,” Angelina muttered, looking around.