The Salvation War: Pantheocide. Part Eighty One Up

[MondoMage]

Looks like humans are going to find out about Lemuel and Maion's addictions. I expect this to lead to a lot of questions for Micheal. So I don't see much of his plan remaining secret after the war.

My expectation in this regard is that Maion is going to be the one to break - her addiction is much more deep-seated than Lemuel's, and she knows a lot more about what Michael was up to. Once the serious withdrawl kicks in, she'll probably tell the intelligence people anything they want to know in order to get her fix. Which they may or may not believe, considering the circumstances.

What would prove interesting is if Lemuel hears any of it, and it knocks him off of Michael's carefully-crafted path and gets him to thinking about what's been going on. If he's half the investigator that Michael built him up to be, he may well key into at least part of what Michael was playing at. That would probably lead to one heck of a "That son of a bitch!" (or whatever the angelic equivalent would be) revelation on Lemuel's part.

[Lagmonster]

Looks like humans are going to find out about Lemuel and Maion's addictions. I expect this to lead to a lot of questions for Micheal. So I don't see much of his plan remaining secret after the war.

My expectation in this regard is that Maion is going to be the one to break - her addiction is much more deep-seated than Lemuel's, and she knows a lot more about what Michael was up to. Once the serious withdrawl kicks in, she'll probably tell the intelligence people anything they want to know in order to get her fix. Which they may or may not believe, considering the circumstances.

Maion knows that Michael runs the club, and manipulated Lemuel, but I doubt she knew to what end, since she's just an object to distract a high-ranking official with rather than a co-conspirator.

Amusingly, everyone involved - humans and a significant portion of the angelic population, given the terrorism and fear - can absolutely honestly say they have precisely the same goal: Eliminate Yahweh and secure peace. Michael is going to extensive underhanded means to accomplish this, including arranging for torture, abuse and murder. That makes him morally reprehensible by human standards, because we're limiting our use of torture (unspoken, but what are the Israelis likely to do with that nigh-immortal Nazi guard they appropriated from the Hellpit?), abuse (interrogating that turncoat lady via scare tactics), and murder (well, actually, we killed a shitload of things pursuing our goal).

Michael, to me, has shifted from antagonist to protagonist over the course of the second book, as humans become more and more evidently dangerous to peace and stability in the universe. Frankly, even though he is one of those ends-justify-means types already, there are repeated instances where he mentions or thinks of the preservation of his people in the wake of an inevitably human-dominated universe, suggesting to me that he's measuring his actions against the extinction of his race in the face of an awakening colossus (part of what I'm hoping is a trend towards humans becoming stereotyped as dangerous, arrogant, predatory expansionists by book three from the point of view of other species. It would be wonderful to see us meet a dominant species of hermaphroditic herbivores who cannot believe what lust-crazed, twitchy flesh-eaters those humans are).

[Bayonet]

Maion knows that Michael runs the club, and manipulated Lemuel, but I doubt she knew to what end, since she's just an object to distract a high-ranking official with rather than a co-conspirator.

That will probably be enough to get the mental camel-nose under the tent flap. Maion and Lemuel will be going into a medical situation. This will become a highly cooperative process. The medicals will discover their drug addiction very quickly, and the wheels will start to come off the cart in unexpected ways.

[Lagmonster]

Maion knows that Michael runs the club, and manipulated Lemuel, but I doubt she knew to what end, since she's just an object to distract a high-ranking official with rather than a co-conspirator.

That will probably be enough to get the mental camel-nose under the tent flap. Maion and Lemuel will be going into a medical situation. This will become a highly cooperative process. The medicals will discover their drug addiction very quickly, and the wheels will start to come off the cart in unexpected ways.

Why? Think of the club, the only thing Lemuel and Maion really know about the club: Angels have no advanced medicine, alien biology, and so can claim ignorance on addictive nature of drugs or may believe themselves - as some humans do - to be powerful enough or wise enough to avoid addiction. The hip ones are violating every law in Yahweh's play book - whoring it up, keeping company with *entertainers*, getting drunk and stoned as though it were prohibition America. Sure, Michael knows he's using drugs to manipulate people, but to people like Maion and Lemuel? It wouldn't cross their minds. To the human entertainers? It's just party time. And even if they figure Michael IS using drugs to manipulate people, they'll notice he's doing so entirely with the goal of defying humanity's declared enemy, via subverting and corrupting loyalists.

[Barrigana]

Wait, why the hell were angels starving in the camp? I find it hard to believe that both demons and humans in Hell require no sustenance while their counterparts in Heaven can suffer from starvation.

Also, I thought the angels flew by inflating an hydrogen sack, wouldn't just breaking their wings still leave them with the ability to float like a balloon?

[lloyd007]

Hello. New guy here who just can't not post after this last chapter, which was brilliant...

My thoughts and theories on what will happen to Mikey...

While Stuart has done a brilliant job in setting up Michael as THE Magnificent Bastard and while we on the boards (and I'm sure on this story's Earth) might loath and despise the guy in the balance of history I think the final record will be far more kind to him either in person or posthumously... I mean consider...

1. We have no idea exactly how powerful Yahweh really is... apparently he can cause multicolored lighting and shake entire buildings with his anger... evidence that he is quantifiably more powerful than Satan and Satan survived his palace being blown to smithereens burying him under it and earlier we have Michael musing that while he could have tried the direct route that had a good chance of failing in part because of Yahweh's power...

2. There is probably going to be little direct evidence of the really bad things Michael's done vs humans barring a lucky shot and they capture Belial / Azrael and such alive. You can bet noones going to be interviewing Yahweh himself to find out his absolute cluelessness... Sure there will be suspicions and those "We know what you did!" things will probably keep him out of an Abigor like position but unless there is direct proof of how he planned the bowls he'll probably escape execution especially considering the last act in his play where he 'wakes up' to how corrupt Yahweh is after seeing the concentration camp while before he was the 'loyal general'...

3. And even if the whole unvarnished truth DOES become know Michael still has an out in the balance of lives... as much as people on Earth might hate him that fact that his plan stopped what would have been a near complete genocide of his race via carpet nuke (because unlike the much more numerous and independent demons who were true to the concept of being demons angels are for the most part slavishly devoted to Yahweh and would have fought to the death... just look at all the gymnastics it took for Michael to turn one of his closest associates! Although this realization might not come in time to save his life...

I mean consider it... if Yahweh had somehow been taken out earlier in the book by... I dunno.. choking on a chicken bone... Michael would have appeared in the UN waving the white flag and talking 'deal'... as slimy and self serving as he is (and he's not a good person by any definition) when it comes to the big picture he's doing the right and best thing to his own race and you gotta respect that... And no he's not going to try the Nuremberg 'cog in the wheel' defense lock stock and barrel cause everyone knows he's not a good person... the addictions and prostitution and the club are going to get out one way or the other... But unlike the demons who delighted in battle and under Satan were unrelentingly sadistic creatures Mike has been heaven's general in a war against the Humans. He can honestly say he didn't take pleasure in what he did.

[Eevin]

The only things we can prove he's done is finance and protect a REALLY AWESOME speakeasy and be nice to humans, and get high from time to time. Now, if such a man offered to depose Yaweh and make peace with the Yalta Alliance, would we say no? He's no worse than Saddam in '85, and possibly a lot better given that he doesn't have a secret police force, and we sold that guy nerve gas!

Exactly, what we do know is that he buys drugs, he helped his pal Uriel escape, and has a very loyal follower in Branch. And remember:

"Sounds like the spiel that Yahweh gave to us for so long."

"Exactly, radically different approach from Michael who is supposed to be running this war. Doesn't that make you think there is a rift between those two? And if that's the case, we have a situation we can exploit."

We are already looking to break Michael and Yahweh apart, and now Michael comes to us begging for help. It looks perfect, he helps us depose Yah Yah and then he'll be indebted to us. The perfect puppet.

And really, how much can we keep up with the cost of the war? Everyone is being pressured to end this business fast, and then move to other things. Hell is going to be a literal Hell to administer. So, if Michael offers an (almost) clean image, and to keep Heaven quiet... well, I think we might turn a blind eye to a lot of things. Think about Saddam and almost every South America dictator. Everyone ignored their crimes as long as they promised some economical concessions and to keep things quiet in their country.

Michael is preparing himself to look like the reluctant hero. I'm almost sure he even has a minor breakdown prepared for the humans (It's my fault. I should have known, How could I let this happen?). He will then charm everyone with Star Wars quotes and a visit to the Montmarte club (and the ecstatic Victory girls). And he will become our man in Heaven.

Except if some dumb luck ruins his plan. Or Yah Yah fries him first.

[Jamesfirecat]

Wait, why the hell were angels starving in the camp? I find it hard to believe that both demons and humans in Hell require no sustenance while their counterparts in Heaven can suffer from starvation.

Also, I thought the angels flew by inflating an hydrogen sack, wouldn't just breaking their wings still leave them with the ability to float like a balloon?

Then could probably still float, but I'm guessing they need to flap the wings in order to generate momentum. Thus while they could in theory inflate the hydrogen sack, that would just turn them into a slowly floating balloon unable to steer or move against the wind, making them a very easy target for the Angelic guards to fly over to and beat the living crap out of for trying to escape.

Second possible explanation involves that angels are also all fitted with a good old ball and chain (we didn't see it happen but it could pretty easily be inserted in) that add enough weight to the total mass they'd have to lift that even with a full hydrogen sack they remain heavier than the air around them.

[Jamesfirecat]

Hello. New guy here who just can't not post after this last chapter, which was brilliant...

My thoughts and theories on what will happen to Mikey...

While Stuart has done a brilliant job in setting up Michael as THE Magnificent Bastard and while we on the boards (and I'm sure on this story's Earth) might loath and despise the guy in the balance of history I think the final record will be far more kind to him either in person or posthumously... I mean consider...

1. We have no idea exactly how powerful Yahweh really is... apparently he can cause multicolored lighting and shake entire buildings with his anger... evidence that he is quantifiably more powerful than Satan and Satan survived his palace being blown to smithereens burying him under it and earlier we have Michael musing that while he could have tried the direct route that had a good chance of failing in part because of Yahweh's power...

2. There is probably going to be little direct evidence of the really bad things Michael's done vs humans barring a lucky shot and they capture Belial / Azrael and such alive. You can bet noones going to be interviewing Yahweh himself to find out his absolute cluelessness... Sure there will be suspicions and those "We know what you did!" things will probably keep him out of an Abigor like position but unless there is direct proof of how he planned the bowls he'll probably escape execution especially considering the last act in his play where he 'wakes up' to how corrupt Yahweh is after seeing the concentration camp while before he was the 'loyal general'...

3. And even if the whole unvarnished truth DOES become know Michael still has an out in the balance of lives... as much as people on Earth might hate him that fact that his plan stopped what would have been a near complete genocide of his race via carpet nuke (because unlike the much more numerous and independent demons who were true to the concept of being demons angels are for the most part slavishly devoted to Yahweh and would have fought to the death... just look at all the gymnastics it took for Michael to turn one of his closest associates! Although this realization might not come in time to save his life...

I mean consider it... if Yahweh had somehow been taken out earlier in the book by... I dunno.. choking on a chicken bone... Michael would have appeared in the UN waving the white flag and talking 'deal'... as slimy and self serving as he is (and he's not a good person by any definition) when it comes to the big picture he's doing the right and best thing to his own race and you gotta respect that... And no he's not going to try the Nuremberg 'cog in the wheel' defense lock stock and barrel cause everyone knows he's not a good person... the addictions and prostitution and the club are going to get out one way or the other... But unlike the demons who delighted in battle and under Satan were unrelentingly sadistic creatures Mike has been heaven's general in a war against the Humans. He can honestly say he didn't take pleasure in what he did.

Umm for point one, you need to read the story more carefully. Satan wasn't in the palace at the time that it was bombed he only survived because of the fact that he was flying around Hell on his multi-headed hydra.

Given that in this universe Yahweh and Satan are evidently brothers, it's a fair bet that Yahweh could actually be taken out with a pair of anti-ship missiles if we can find a way to open up a large enough portal for them to go through and take him by surprise with.

That said, in the story humanity doesn't know that Yahweh is Satan's brother so we are probably expecting him to be even more powerful, and thus figure that the only way to take him out would be nukes....

[Simon_Jester]

Second possible explanation involves that angels are also all fitted with a good old ball and chain (we didn't see it happen but it could pretty easily be inserted in) that add enough weight to the total mass they'd have to lift that even with a full hydrogen sack they remain heavier than the air around them.

Or just some of those golden shackles referenced earlier. Those things would have to be heavy.

[lloyd007]

Umm for point one, you need to read the story more carefully. Satan wasn't in the palace at the time that it was bombed he only survived because of the fact that he was flying around Hell on his multi-headed hydra.

Given that in this universe Yahweh and Satan are evidently brothers, it's a fair bet that Yahweh could actually be taken out with a pair of anti-ship missiles if we can find a way to open up a large enough portal for them to go through and take him by surprise with.

That said, in the story humanity doesn't know that Yahweh is Satan's brother so we are probably expecting him to be even more powerful, and thus figure that the only way to take him out would be nukes....

Huh I just reread that part of Armageddon... I could have sworn that Satan was rescued by Belial digging him out... thanks for the correction. Still my point remains... if humans kill Yahweh the way they killed Satan the loyal angels of heaven aren't going to act like the demons of hell...

[Lagmonster]

Second possible explanation involves that angels are also all fitted with a good old ball and chain (we didn't see it happen but it could pretty easily be inserted in) that add enough weight to the total mass they'd have to lift that even with a full hydrogen sack they remain heavier than the air around them.

Or just some of those golden shackles referenced earlier. Those things would have to be heavy.

Despite the size of their more prominent specimens, I'd expect the average angel to be comparatively strong, with a redundant mass of ligaments and tendons, but you or I might come out winners in a sumo match.

I'd love to take the time to put together a practical anatomy layout for an angel. Unless, of course, gravity is lower on planet Heaven, which it may well be; we never hear about their footsteps shaking the ground the way I *believe* - but haven't read back to check - we did with the huge demons.

[Simon_Jester]

Despite the size of their more prominent specimens, I'd expect the average angel to be comparatively strong, with a redundant mass of ligaments and tendons, but you or I might come out winners in a sumo match.

I'd love to take the time to put together a practical anatomy layout for an angel. Unless, of course, gravity is lower on planet Heaven, which it may well be; we never hear about their footsteps shaking the ground the way I *believe* - but haven't read back to check - we did with the huge demons.

The point being that they can't have unlimited reserve buoyancy, and gold is an extremely dense metal. Load them down with enough metal (and precious metals are cheap in Heaven), and they're not floating. The only reason I suggested the shackles is that you don't necessarily want to impede their ability to walk; you may want them able to move about on foot for various purposes.

So it would take a relatively small volume of gold to prevent them from floating away.

[Edward Yee]

Frankly, even though he is one of those ends-justify-means types already, there are repeated instances where he mentions or thinks of the preservation of his people in the wake of an inevitably human-dominated universe, suggesting to me that he's measuring his actions against the extinction of his race in the face of an awakening colossus (part of what I'm hoping is a trend towards humans becoming stereotyped as dangerous, arrogant, predatory expansionists by book three from the point of view of other species. It would be wonderful to see us meet a dominant species of hermaphroditic herbivores who cannot believe what lust-crazed, twitchy flesh-eaters those humans are).

That's the fun part, reading non-contemptuous views of humans through non-human eyes... I'd actually be quite fascinated if, other than requisite parts (i.e. "what's Robert E. Lee up to"), Lords of War ends up being majority non-human, but of course unfortunately that goes against the third book's declared premise.

Historical perspective for anyone who missed the ending of Armageddon: A might-have-been coup was tried by Deumos the succubi "queen" and Dagon, to depose Satan and thus leave some semblance of the ancien regime, perhaps akin to Imperial Japan's surrender while keeping the Emperor, but humanity pre-empted it by killing Satan and bringing in Abigor who was already "their man." Deumos had intended to come into power by "playing every side" of the would-be contention for succession, then coming in as the "consensus candidate" after the dukes decided that a succubi ruling in Hell was better than a disunited front. Dagon had thrown in with Deumos for fear that the human invasion of Dis would go "demon style."

[Stuart]

Washington DC Air Defense Interception Zone Command Center, Andrews Air Force Base, Washington DC, United States

In another city in the United States, the sudden wailing of an alert siren caused the staff to make a panic-stricken transition from the sleepy ambiance of an over-heated room at 3 am to the urgent activity of an operations center that faced an imminent, city-destroying threat. Nobody had forgotten the sights as the western side of Manhattan had been pounded by rocks falling from a portal in the sky. Nobody wanted to see the same thing happening in Washington.

"The DIMO(N) net is picking up data from the cell phone system now. We're getting increasing numbers of towers dropping off the network." Sergeant Manuel Oporto made the report in crystal clear English. At a very basic level, it was a sign of just how uncoordinated the US government was that he had been drafted by the United States Air Force and promoted several times without anybody seemingly being aware that he was actually an illegal immigrant. "The spectrum analyzer is showing a broadband hump peaking in the low gigahertz. The data is partial at this time but it's filling in fast. I'm going to call it Sir. We have a portal forming over Bethesda, Maryland. Confidence is high, say again, confidence is high for portal opening over Bethesda, Maryland.”

Even through the thick walls of the command center, the sirens wailing outside could be heard. Yet even they were drowned out by the howl of F-22s firing up their engines and moving to take off. Oporto could envisage the scene in Washington itself, with the air raid sirens screaming, the street lights flashing and, something that had been absent from the attack on New York, Marine-One landing at the White House to evacuate the President and his family. The war-room under the White House had been designed to stay functional during a nuclear exchange but nobody was confident of its ability to do so when hit by a rock of effectively unlimited size.

Across the readiness board that dominated the control center, lights were flickering, changing in color as the units they represented came on line. The entire room vibrated as the first of the ready-alert F-22s took off directly over the building, their engines on full afterburner as they clawed for altitude and swung north. Washington was lucky, the stealthy composite structure of the early F-22s made them unsuitable for use in Hell so they had never been fitted with the filters that allowed them to fly in the dust-laden atmosphere of Hell at major cost to their performance. These F-22s went supersonic within seconds of leaving the runway. Around the Beltway, missile batteries and anti-angel guns were coming to full alert as well. Soon, the command center would be swamped with target discrimination work as they tried to distinguish hostile targets from the defensive assets that were pouring into the area.

"Philadelphia and Richmond are on line Sir." Oporto's headset was constantly buzzing with updates. A part of his job was to filter out the routine data so that his officer knew what was happening without getting swamped by detail. In Oporto's private opinion, it didn’t take much to swamp an officer with details. "They confirm a portal forming over Maryland. They're ready to transfer assets to us if we need them."

"Very good." Major Coyote was watching the map display carefully, seeing the red carat defining the area of the newly-developing portal. "Data consistency?"

"The cell-phone system error rates and signal strengths still climbing Sir. We expect ingress any second. Hold that Sir, we have the portal, it's a little south of Bethesda." He hesitated slightly as the final data came in. "It's just a touch west of the I-270/Old Georgetown Road interchange. It's frozen in place, not moving the way the New York one did."

"F-22s on scene. They report the portal, no ingress. No rocks."

"Hold that one Sir, we have radar contact. Single object is transitting the portal. We have an inbound."

"Well done Sergeant. Send the data to all missiles and gun batteries, prepare to open fire."

F-22 Raptor "Oscar-One", Over Bethesda, Maryland.

"We have portal in view." Captain Joshua Slocombe racked his F-22 around in a tight curve. He guessed that the glaziers would be doing good business tomorrow, replacing all the windows that were being shattered by the passage of the four fighters in Oscar Flight. Out of consideration for the householders below and to try and keep an open firing solution on the portal that hovered a few hundred feet in the air over I-270, he dropped speed to well below transonic. "This is a weird one people, it's very low down. Rocks won't pick up that much speed when they come through."

"Topaz Control here. We have word of an ingress." The message from ground control was disrupted by the strange electronic effects caused by the close proximity of a portal but they were still clear and decisive.

"Roger that. Selecting AIM-120 now." If angels came through, Slocombe wanted to be sure he could start getting hits early. That meant missiles, he could shift to the AIR-120 later. "Confirm that Topaz, we have visual on ingress. Ready for missile shot. Fox- . . . . Hold that Topaz, there is something wrong here."

Slocombe looked carefully at the figure that had just come through the portal. Despite being clearly an angel, and thus a perfectly legitimate target, it was falling through the sky under the portal, frantically beating its wings in an effort to brake its descent. And, it was malformed somehow. It was the wrong shape, it wasn't the perfect humanoid that had marked the other angels that had afflicted Earth. As he analyzed the shape in front of him, it suddenly snapped into focus. "Topaz, figure is two angels, one appears to be carrying the other and attempting to fly for them both. Am holding fire."

"Acknowledged Oscar-One." There was a pause on the radio. "Sensors indicate portal is closing."

Slocombe took his attention off the falling angels for a second. "Confirm that Topaz. Portal is closed. Say again, portal is closed. Whatever we just got is all that there is."

The F-22 climbed a little as Slocombe completed another circuit. "Topaz, hostiles just landed on I-270, almost on top of Old Georgetown Road interchange. Confirm, two angels, one laying on road, other standing. Request instructions. Over."

There was a long, long pause on the radio channels while Slocombe imagined messages running up and down the command chain. Eventually, the radio broke silence. "Oscar flight is to remain circling area. Ground forces closing in to assess situation. For your information, alert is being cancelled."

Police Cruiser Adam One-Two, I-270, Bethesda.

One of the small advantages of gasoline rationing was that the roads were clear and people who wanted to drive at high speeds could do so. The previous night, Officer Peter Malloy had been in a high-speed pursuit of a Corvette whose owner had obviously decided to blow his month's fuel ration on a really fast run. The race had topped 170mph before the 'Vette had gotten clean away. In the secrecy of his soul, Malloy was looking forward to a rematch. In the meantime, this race along I-270 would have to do. "What's going on?"

Beside him. Jim Reed was listening to the scanner. "Two angels down just ahead of us. They're not doing anything, just standing on the Interstate. Well, one of them is standing, the other is laying down. Army and Marine ground forces are moving in but we're way ahead of them. Nobody seems to realize we're here yet."

"Good, let's keep it that way. If we can bring them in alive . . . ." Malloy's eyes were sparkling with delight at the prospect.

"Or get killed in the attempt?" Of the two, Reed was the more realistic. Or pessimistic depending on how one looked at such things.

"So? We go to Hell. You think they don’t need cops in Hell?" Malloy hit the brakes on the Crown Vic cruiser. "OK, we're there. Get ready."

He reached under his seat and pulled out one of his most loved possessions, a Pfeifer-Zeliska .600 Nitro Express Magnum revolver. Malloy was a cop partly because he liked it and partly because it had annoyed his parents who believed that their money should insulate their only child from such mundane lifestyles. When they had finally died in an auto wreck, he had become a very wealthy cop and had invested USD17,000 in an example of what was truly the most powerful handgun ever made. 'Malloy's Cannon' was a legend in his local police station and had caused him to be at the top of the "must call" list if there had been a Baldrick berserker raid. Sadly, in Malloy's eyes at least, the opportunity to fire the piece had never emerged.

"Do you want a hand carrying that thing?" Reed's question was a mixture of envy and genuine curiosity. A handgun that weighed just under 14 pounds was quite a load after all. And it made his .500 Smith and Wesson look positively feeble.

"Just watch those two." Malloy walked up to where the two angels were stretched across one of the Interstate 270 carriageways. For a moment, he was stopped by the sheer beauty of the one who was standing. Then his training kicked back in "Freeze, you are under arrest."

I-270/Old Georgetown Road interchange, Bethesda, Maryland

Lemuel-Lan looked at the two humans in blue walking towards him. They'd emerged from a car that had strange red-and-blue flashing lights on its roof, lights that reminded Lemuel of some of the shows in Michael's nightclub. That connection made him blink, the truth was that the rapid changes had left him bewildered. He remembered taking Maion through the portal to Earth that he and Michael-Lan had generated. They had emerged in mid-air and had fallen towards the ground below that seemed all too close and solid. He'd beaten his wings with all the strength he could muster and filled his flight sacs to bursting point in an effort to break the fall, yet Maion had still screamed with pain and passed out when they struck the road.

Now, these two humans were facing him. It occurred to him that their very presence meant that the aircraft overhead weren't going to rain destruction down upon them but they both had drawn guns and seemed very determined. And hostile, Lemuel reminded himself of that. These are not the meek and docile servants I knew in Heaven. These are the killers who destroyed The Eternal Enemy's Army with contemptuous ease, stormed his fortress, killed him and installed their own puppet in power. And now they will do the same thing to Heaven and that is the only way to save us from a madman.

Lemuel moved to place himself between the humans and Maion's gravely-injured body. "Don’t kill us I beg you. Maion is terribly injured, she needs your help." As if in answer, there was a thunderous crash and a brilliant flash of lightning.

Police Cruiser Adam One-Two, I-270, Bethesda.

"I said freeze sucker." The standing angel had tried to step sideways and Malloy decided it was time to fire a warning shot. For the first time since he had bought the piece, he squeezed the trigger on the Pfeifer-Zeliska.

It took a second for Reed to clear the after-images from his eyes and shake the ringing noises out of his ears. When he had managed it, he looked around for his partner. Malloy was laying flat on his back on the ground, staring up at the F-22s circling overhead. Behind the two angels, little bits of concrete were still falling off the flyover where the .600 bullet had plowed into the cement. "Too much gun?" Reed asked sympathetically.

Malloy climbed to his feet, also trying to shake the ringing noises from his ears. His hat had gone somewhere backwards and there was a red gash in his forehead where the recoiling pistol had hit him. "Nahh, just right," he mumbled. Then, in a stronger voice he addressed the lead angel. "When I say freeze you don’t move. Not a muscle, you understand? Now kneel down and put your hands behind your head. Jim, call dispatch, tell them we have two angels in custody. You, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to talk to a lawyer and have him present with you while you are being questioned. If you cannot afford to hire a lawyer one will be appointed to represent you before any questioning if you wish one. Do you understand each of these rights I have explained to you?" Lemuel nodded. "What's your name?"

"I am Lemuel-Lan-Michael. This is my mate, Maion-Lan-Lemuel-Lan-Michael. Please, you must help her. Just look what Yahweh did to her. Michael says humans are her only hope."

"You get those names Jim? What does dispatch say?"

"I think they're speechless. Oh, the Army is coming."

"Please help her." Lemuel was pleading, tears rolling from his eyes.

Malloy nodded and looked at the angel on the ground. She was indeed female and was as beautiful as Lemuel was handsome. In fact, she was just about the most beautiful thing Malloy had ever seen. Or would have been if she hadn't been beaten so badly. "You say Yahweh did this?" He couldn't believe it.

"It was done on his orders. Because a female he smiled on was jealous of her."

"Damn. Jim, get back to dispatch. Tell them we'll need some sort of transporter and a medical team. We've got an emergency here."

"That's all right Officer, we'll handle it from here." An Army Colonel had appeared at the scene. "This is ours now."

"Sucks to be you, Sir. We got here first, this is a Prince George County PD collar. And these are our prisoners."

Colonel Paschal sighed. He was beginning to see why Prince George County PD had the reputation it did. "And you are, officer?"

" Peter J. Malloy, Badge number 744, service number 10743."

"Well, Peter J Mallow, badge number 744, this area is under Federal jurisdiction and these are foreign military personnel engaged in hostile activities against the United States and, by the way, the human race."

"Hosile activities?" Malloy's voice was openly derisive. His family had been big on State's rights and the iniquities of the Federal Government. "Look at them. Lemuel there has been as good as gold. I've had more trouble busting little old ladies. And his mate is so badly smashed up, she needs emergency care right now. She's not hostiling anybody. We've got the EMS on their way, have you."

"Hostiling isn't a word." Paschal sighed again, then looked at the female angel. That was when he realized just how urgent getting her to a medical facility was. "And an EMS team won’t do much good. We need to get her to Bethesda at least. I can get a tank transporter here to move her."

Malloy twisted his mouth in a semi-grin. He was having a lot of fun baiting this Army officer even though he knew it would probably bite him in the ass in the long run. "I'll do you a deal. You take Maion there to Bethesda right away, we'll take Lemuel to Central Booking and get him signed in. How's that?"

"Malloy, if you look behind me, you will note that I have half a dozen armored cars here. They're armed with 20mm cannon. Now, I have seen that pistol of yours and I note that the dirt on the back of your uniform suggests you fell flat on your ass when you fired it. So, let's just assume that the balance of firepower is in my favor. So, I'll suggest a deal. We get Lemuel and Maion, we'll record you as being first-on-scene and them as being your collar. Fair enough? Oh, and I'll make sure your watch commander knows that you had the situation well in hand when we got here."

Molloy smiled at the Colonel. "That sounds right fair Colonel."

"Good, now take a hike before we have a falling-out."

I-270/Old Georgetown Road interchange, Bethesda, Maryland

The number of humans surrounding Lemuel was growing faster than he could count. All that mattered to him was that some of them had made a straight line for Maion and started to deal with her more obvious injuries. Lemuel knelt quietly on the blacktop, listening to what they said. He understood very little of what they were saying but he did comprehend the tones they were using to say it and that frightened him. Those tones were getting steadily more urgent and the actions of the people treating Maion were becoming more and more frantic.

"What is happening?" The words burst out from him.

The one Lemuel had heard called Colonel Paschal turned around. "She is your mate?"

"She is . .. Colonel."

"That makes you next of kin I guess. The doctors here are deeply concerned. They'll tell you all about it in due course but the short version is that your mate has numerous badly broken bones, severe internal injuries and a lot of superficial ones. We've got a vehicle coming, it'll be here in a few minutes and that will take her to the best local hospital we can find. That's a place called Bethesda up the road. At the moment, they are trying to stabilize her so she can be moved. They're not certain they can do that."

"What will happen if they can't . . . . . stabilize . .. . . . her?" Lemuel saw the sympathetic look on Paschal's face and knew the answer without being told.

"Lemuel, I'm not a doctor, so I can't give you a detailed picture. What I can do is this. We'll do everything in our power to cure her. More than that, I can't say."

[Bayonet]

Why? Think of the club, the only thing Lemuel and Maion really know about the club: Angels have no advanced medicine, alien biology, and so can claim ignorance on addictive nature of drugs or may believe themselves - as some humans do - to be powerful enough or wise enough to avoid addiction. The hip ones are violating every law in Yahweh's play book - whoring it up, keeping company with *entertainers*, getting drunk and stoned as though it were prohibition America. Sure, Michael knows he's using drugs to manipulate people, but to people like Maion and Lemuel? It wouldn't cross their minds. To the human entertainers? It's just party time. And even if they figure Michael IS using drugs to manipulate people, they'll notice he's doing so entirely with the goal of defying humanity's declared enemy, via subverting and corrupting loyalists.

These are not dumb people. And Lemuel, for the moment, is starting to view humans sympathetically. The doctors will educate them about their addiction. The interrogators will be subtle as serpents. We control their whole experience, now. I don't think it will take long to figure out that Michael has been screwing them over. If nothing else, the doubt will set in. Murphy has a whole bag of monkey wrenches to toss into the gears.

[Darth Wong]

Looks like poor Maion might not survive. It would actually suit Michael's plans better if she doesn't. Lemuel's rage against Yahweh and his minions would be terrible to behold.

[CaptainChewbacca]

A cop with a .600 nitro revolver? Who in God's name would agree to let him carry that on the job?!

[westrim]

One of the small advantages of gasoline rationing was that the roads were clear and people who wanted to drive at high speeds could do so. The previous night, Officer Peter Malloy had been in a high-speed pursuit of a Corvette whose owner had obviously decided to blow his month's fuel ration on a really fast run. The race had topped 170mph before the 'Vette had gotten clean away. In the secrecy of his soul, Malloy was looking forward to a rematch. In the meantime, this race along I-270 would have to do. "What's going on?"

...

"So? We go to Hell. You think they don’t need cops in Hell?" Malloy hit the brakes on the Crown Vic cruiser. "OK, we're there. Get ready."

A Crown Vic, capable of going 170 MPH? That would be awesome, but the theoretical top speed of the '98- '03 model is 123 MPH.

[Kuroji]

Anyone who thinks that there's a chance that Baldricks might march through a portal while he's on patrol, probably.

To be honest I'm kind of surprised that they abused Maion that badly and that quickly. Or perhaps her condition somehow got worse after going through the portal?

[Darth Wong]

To be honest I'm kind of surprised that they abused Maion that badly and that quickly. Or perhaps her condition somehow got worse after going through the portal?

Why should that surprise you? If I was a mobster or some similarly unsavoury character, I could beat you to death in less than 10 seconds with a baseball bat. One good swing will break whatever bone it hits; do the math. It really doesn't take long to cause very serious injuries. An angel would be more durable, but she's also being beaten by individuals who are much stronger as well.

[CaptainChewbacca]

Plus, the 'first day beating' is almost a tradition at any prison/camp/shithole you go to.

[SCRawl]

A Crown Vic, capable going 170 MPH? That would be awesome, but the theoretical top speed of the '98- '03 model is 123 MPH.

It's more likely that the 'Vette was the car that got to 170 mph, which was how the driver made a clean getaway. Also, not every police car in the U.S. is a Crown Victoria.

[Kuroji]

No, what I'm concerned about is that it appears they've beaten her to the point where she's going to need a great deal of medical care to keep breathing. I'm not questioning their ability to beat the crap out of someone, just whether it's wise for them to have done so already, unless they finished a fresh round of beatings under Michael's orders before they arrived.

[Darth Wong]

No, what I'm concerned about is that it appears they've beaten her to the point where she's going to need a great deal of medical care to keep breathing. I'm not questioning their ability to beat the crap out of someone, just whether it's wise for them to have done so already, unless they finished a fresh round of beatings under Michael's orders before they arrived.

As I stated previously, as long as she doesn't die before Lemuel arrives, then the whole situation serves Michael's purposes. She can die in Lemuel's arms right now, and the mission is accomplished.