“It’s beautiful. Are you sure it can hold him?”
“Yes. It is a Cage of Angels. It would be impossible for him to escape.”
“It’s so small. I can barely see it.”
“That’s the point. If a hundred of them can dance on the head of a pin, it takes millions to create this prison.”
“Each one is still an Angel? With all the power of an Angel of the Host?”
“Indubitably. They were all Angels once. They have sacrificed themselves to this greater cause.”
“The real question remains then. How do we get him into it? I can’t see him going willingly. Honestly, I can’t see him going at all.”
“Are you prepared to go back and tell Them you didn’t try?”
“Not me. I would rather face Azazel a thousand times before returning to Heaven without him.”
“Then you better hope this thing works.”
“What’s the worst that can happen? He can only kill me once.”
“You must be new around here. Azazel is the Angel of Death. He can kill you as many times as he wants and each one will be exactly like the first time you ever died.”
“If he’s so terrible why do they want him back Upstairs?”
“Because he’s refused to kill anything on Earth. Ever again.”
“Excuse me? Why is that a problem? Isn’t everything down here, by definition, mortal and doomed to die?”
“Normally, yes. But Azazel has the power to revoke death and dying. For anyone. For anything.”
“So why doesn’t The Shop just revoke his License to Work?”
“Because They don’t work that way. Anything decreed by Them is the way its supposed to be. If it couldn’t happen then it doesn’t.”
“Huh?”
“You must be a second generation operative. You weren’t around during the Fall, were you?”
“No. I am one of the newly minted.” Designed to replenish the ranks. Everyone keeps looking down their figurative noses at us. What was so great about the time before the Fall?”
“There are no Archangels in your generation; that’s the difference. They are like the Power. All encompassing; their abilities dwarf ours, like ours dwarf Humans. Their will is terrifying. This is why the Fall was such an event. Rebellions led by Archangels who fought against other Archangels.”
“Lucifer made his own realm and populated it with those who Fell. I know the story. It’s literally the first thing we ever learn.”
“No, it isn’t. What you learn is the story. You don’t learn what really happened. You don’t see what they did. You don’t see how things ended up. You don’t ever see the wreckage they wrought. You see only The Shop. You’ve never seen what was left of Heaven when they were done.”
“I thought the Shop was Heaven.”
“No. It isn’t. It is the area we work in, walled off from Heaven. We haven’t seen it since the Fall. We work in a demilitarized zone between Heaven, Earth and Hell.”
“This doesn’t explain why we have to bring back the Archangel Azazel. Besides the fact he has rescinded death and dying. Why would he do such a thing, anyway?”
“Because he loved Lucifer and never forgave him for leaving. It was only a matter of time before he turned against Heaven.”
“Then why send us? Why not send Michael or Gabriel?”
“Have you seen either of them? Michael is still broken after the War. He doesn’t do anything but sit and recount how many of us were broken and couldn’t be restored. He sits and repeats their names as a litany for the dead. He hasn’t moved since the Fall.”
“And Gabriel?”
“She sits at the doors to Hell and plays her trumpet, trying to soothe the souls of the damned. Without her constant playing, the Damned have no reassurance Heaven hears their prayers. She is confident Lucifer will repent and close Hell one day.”
“Weren’t there any other Archangels who survived? Anyone more qualified than two unnamed Angels to bring back the scariest remaining Archangel?”
“No. The others retreated behind the Wall and claimed they were necessary to hold the fabric of all that is together. The War undermined reality, and their powers were necessary to repair it. We are on our own.”
“I can’t believe this tiny thing is going to hold him.”
“I keep telling you, it will work. That’s not the problem. We have to find him first.”
“How hard can that be? All we have to do is listen. Every one of the Host has a unique signature.”
“Have you Listened to the World lately?”
“No. I’ve been busy.”
“Try it.”
“What in the name of all that’s holy is that cacophony?”
“The sound of people praying.”
“I’ve heard the sound of prayer. It never sounded like that!”
“That’s because you’ve never heard such a concerted prayer from the entire world at one time, for one thing.
“I couldn’t understand it. It was so loud, so all-consuming. What were they praying for?”
“Death. Get your coat, it’s going to be cold where we’re going.”
“Coat? When was the last time you were cold?”
“We aren’t going like this. If we were to go to Earth like this, we would be torn asunder by the need of their prayers. We’re going to be wearing the flesh of Man. We will have to find Azazel dressed in mortal flesh.”
“You can’t be serious. You remember what happened to the Gregori? They succumbed to the needs of the flesh and were forever lost to Heaven.”
“Yes.”
“Yes? That’s all you have to offer?”
“Only one other bit of good news. He will have the same limitations we do. He’ll be wearing flesh just like we will.”
“You say that like there’s some other bad news you haven’t told me yet.”
“We have a time limit. Look at Hell. Do you see them massing at its borders? Every day we take will allow them to expand the borders of Hell. It will only take them a month and Lucifer will be able to annex Earth for his kingdom. If he should do that, we’ll be out of work.”
“If I have this straight, we have to, wearing mortal flesh, confront an Archangel who doesn’t want to be found, convince him to enter this Cage of Angels, which will neutralize his power and return death and dying to the world, while working quickly because otherwise Hell will be annexing Earth within a thirty day window which will shut down any part of Heaven that isn’t on the other side of the Great Firewall of Heaven.”
“That about sums up our situation.”
“Is there any good news?”
“Yes. There is one bit of good news.”
“And that is?”
“There isn’t anyone else going to be any supervision in our work. We can do whatever it takes to get the job done. No limits.”
“How is that going to work?”
“We’re the last Angels in The Shop. You haven’t noticed how quiet things have been around here lately, have you?”
“I just assume they were off on assignment.”
“They were. They went on this mission before us. They all failed.”
“That’s not possible. How could they all have failed? We have Heaven on our side.”
“That’s what I have been trying to tell you earlier. If it wasn’t possible it wouldn’t have happened. That it happened means maybe this is what They want. Because if They don’t want it to be possible, it isn’t.”
“Then does that mean we shouldn’t go?”
“As long as we can go, we do. As long as we can Serve, We do. It has always been that way. If there is a chance for us to do our job, we do it.”
“Where do we start?”
“New York. Azazel had a thing for the Statue of Liberty. Don’t forget to turn out the light. Nobody’s going to need it once we’re gone.”
“Do you think we’ll be back?”
“Stop looking around. Take a picture it’ll last longer. Leave the wings and the halo. From this point on, we walk, just like everyone else.”
“Damn.”
“Indeed.”
A Cage of Angels © Thaddeus Howze, All Rights Reserved, 2015