step, still insisting on maintaining a height advantage, just in case. My hand never got near my blade. This wasn’t a place to fight. It was a place for subtlety, so much so that I had to distract Uriel and Michael simultaneously. “Uriel can confirm that what I am saying is true, if you still don’t believe me.”
At the mention of his name, Uriel hopped the couch and walked over to stare down at Adelaide. The glances between him and Michael spoke volumes. I’d had a sliver of hope, even realizing that efficiency and her safety could no longer be combined, that maybe they’d be willing to wait, to do it the hard way. Sometimes, however, individual mortal lives didn’t mean a lot to those who only see the big picture. They were definitely looking at her like a puzzle, not a person. I’d saved the young woman’s life only to endanger it by my misjudgment of both Iaoel and the Archangels.
As soon as they were thoroughly enough distracted in parsing Adelaide’s soul from Iaoel’s Grace, I took the opportunity it presented and appeared on the couch next to Gabriel. I picked up Uriel’s controller and started playing. He immediately recognized what I was doing; only the television, the console, and we were moving; it was everything else on Earth that had stopped. He didn’t look at me; he just kept playing for a couple of minutes.
“Good shot. Hey, Tabby, have you been practicing?” He still didn’t look at me, and neither did I at him.
“I’ve had some down time.”
“I heard about that. How’d that turn out?” His concern was genuine, or so it seemed. I’ve known Gabriel to be many things, but never disingenuous.
“Not as bad as it looked. Still not in any hurry to go back to Hell.” That got a chuckle out of him.
He paused the game and turned to face me. “I’m sure they’d love to get you back downstairs.” He shook his head, smiled and then looked back to me. “So, here we are. What’s on your mind?”
“I was hoping you’d help me out with something.” I looked earnestly at him.
He maintained a slight wince as he made a hissing noise. “Oh, I don’t know, does it mean pissing off Michael?”
“Absolutely.”
His expression lit up with an almost maniacal glee. “Let it never be said that an opportunity passed this Angel by.” He pointed to himself with a thumb. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
“In a few seconds, they’re going to discover what I just figured out before she ‘popped,’ as you put it. When that happens, they’re going to try to destroy her to get it out of her. I just need a distraction. She did not choose this…”
He looked pensive, stroking his chin with his hand and staring off into the ether before saying, “Distracting huh? I think I can handle being distracting. How creative am I allowed to be?”
“Just… keep them occupied. No plagues. Don’t look hurt. You know exactly what I mean.” He let the fake offense fade from his expression and nodded.
“Okay, most of the building will be standing. What? ” His eyes widened in mock innocence. “I promise this time.” He drew an invisible ‘x’ across the left side of his chest, and I narrowed my own gaze in suspicion. “I mean, I promise that I’m not secretly planning to break this promise like the last one. Come on, you’re asking me for the favor here.” I had a secret appreciation for Gabriel; he was always one of the less reverent Angels. I nodded my consent.
As quickly as I had gone, I returned, hopeful that they had not seen through my deception just yet. I was, of course, disappointed. Michael turned to Uriel as soon as my effect ended and time moved forward. By the time he’d started telling Uriel to grab me, I was already moving.
Gabriel leapt up and smashed the television with his righteous might, taking out a good section of the wall; Michael was distracted for just an instant, and it was all I needed. I grabbed Adelaide, and we were gone.
***
At its best, London
At the mention of his name, Uriel hopped the couch and walked over to stare down at Adelaide. The glances between him and Michael spoke volumes. I’d had a sliver of hope, even realizing that efficiency and her safety could no longer be combined, that maybe they’d be willing to wait, to do it the hard way. Sometimes, however, individual mortal lives didn’t mean a lot to those who only see the big picture. They were definitely looking at her like a puzzle, not a person. I’d saved the young woman’s life only to endanger it by my misjudgment of both Iaoel and the Archangels.
As soon as they were thoroughly enough distracted in parsing Adelaide’s soul from Iaoel’s Grace, I took the opportunity it presented and appeared on the couch next to Gabriel. I picked up Uriel’s controller and started playing. He immediately recognized what I was doing; only the television, the console, and we were moving; it was everything else on Earth that had stopped. He didn’t look at me; he just kept playing for a couple of minutes.
“Good shot. Hey, Tabby, have you been practicing?” He still didn’t look at me, and neither did I at him.
“I’ve had some down time.”
“I heard about that. How’d that turn out?” His concern was genuine, or so it seemed. I’ve known Gabriel to be many things, but never disingenuous.
“Not as bad as it looked. Still not in any hurry to go back to Hell.” That got a chuckle out of him.
He paused the game and turned to face me. “I’m sure they’d love to get you back downstairs.” He shook his head, smiled and then looked back to me. “So, here we are. What’s on your mind?”
“I was hoping you’d help me out with something.” I looked earnestly at him.
He maintained a slight wince as he made a hissing noise. “Oh, I don’t know, does it mean pissing off Michael?”
“Absolutely.”
His expression lit up with an almost maniacal glee. “Let it never be said that an opportunity passed this Angel by.” He pointed to himself with a thumb. “What exactly did you have in mind?”
“In a few seconds, they’re going to discover what I just figured out before she ‘popped,’ as you put it. When that happens, they’re going to try to destroy her to get it out of her. I just need a distraction. She did not choose this…”
He looked pensive, stroking his chin with his hand and staring off into the ether before saying, “Distracting huh? I think I can handle being distracting. How creative am I allowed to be?”
“Just… keep them occupied. No plagues. Don’t look hurt. You know exactly what I mean.” He let the fake offense fade from his expression and nodded.
“Okay, most of the building will be standing. What? ” His eyes widened in mock innocence. “I promise this time.” He drew an invisible ‘x’ across the left side of his chest, and I narrowed my own gaze in suspicion. “I mean, I promise that I’m not secretly planning to break this promise like the last one. Come on, you’re asking me for the favor here.” I had a secret appreciation for Gabriel; he was always one of the less reverent Angels. I nodded my consent.
As quickly as I had gone, I returned, hopeful that they had not seen through my deception just yet. I was, of course, disappointed. Michael turned to Uriel as soon as my effect ended and time moved forward. By the time he’d started telling Uriel to grab me, I was already moving.
Gabriel leapt up and smashed the television with his righteous might, taking out a good section of the wall; Michael was distracted for just an instant, and it was all I needed. I grabbed Adelaide, and we were gone.
***
At its best, London
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