print1.4- Wicked Game
Supporting Cast
Scene 1- Lobby, Art Institute of Chicago
The crowd is silent, eyes fixed on the monitor. Lucifer's perfect face looks benevolently downward upon Los Angeles, and there's a burst of static. He rises up into the air, and shimmers out of existence against the smoke-blackened sky.
The museum-goers begin to whisper amongst themselves. A real angel. Xariel, though, heard what Lucifer said. He wanders out into the downpour, feeling waves of faith from all directions, warming him despite the cold rain.
He steps across the veil easily, barely feeling it as it passes by. The angel smiles. Just like the old days. And then he remembers Lucifer's words, and grits his teeth.
Xariel takes flight, speeding across Chicago at the speed of thought.
Scene 2- Whiteman's Apartment
Labazar won't take his eyes off the TV, even as he lets the other angel in. Xariel looks around, finding, with a bit of difficulty, a clear space to set his soaked hat.
"You saw this." Labazar's not asking.
"Yes."
"Un-fucking-believable." Labazar fumbles with the remote, restarts the segment. He keeps staring at the television. "That's him. Can fake a moon landing. But you can't fake that."
"We have to go there."
"You mean you have to go there. I can't leave the area; the Dominion took care of that when he declawed me."
A smile plays across Xariel's face. "Try again."
Labazar rolls his eyes, but tries anyway. A mental flex, and his hand extends into a monstrous, bear-like claw. He smiles down, looking at it. "Hey, I could get used to this. Again, I mean." He lets out a growl, surprising himself with how real it is, then lets the claw slip.
"The rules have changed, Labazar. People are believing in him."
Labazar grimaces. "You heard his warning, I take it."
"I heard it." Xariel's mind flickers back. The static in the transmission. Static to everybody else, anyway. Do not interfere with the humans again. I will be watching. It stings. More than Xariel wants to admit. "What do you know about us out there? Can you set us up with any contacts?"
"Who's this 'we', kemosabe?"
Xariel looks at him expectantly.
"Well, there's more of us out there than most other places, anyway. Like London or Tokyo. I know a few other people, journalistic contacts, too." He can't suppress a laugh. "I hear Remiel's in some kind of a moon cult. I'll see what I can do."
"Thanks. I've got a loose end to tie up."
That's what's been bothering Xariel, of course. Leaving Chicago means leaving it to Sandalphon. Nursing that thought, as well as Lucifer's words, he takes flight through the land of the dead.
Scene 3- The Spirit World
Xariel finds the wreckage of Haven in turbulence. The part he's emerged into looks like the wreckage of Chicago after a parade of blockbuster disaster movies. Earthquakes, floods, and of course fires have ravaged bits and pieces of a hundred different eras. He can feel the veil moving, too- events in Los Angeles have changed the rules in more than one place. He can even feel the rain from the material world, albeit only as a light tingling.
Xariel hears, feels ghosts moving all around them. Walking through the debris of some townhouses, he finds a few huddled around a barrel fire. One of them, a teenage boy in rags, challenges him.
"What are you?"
"That's complicated. I'm a guardian of sorts."
The boy looks a little suspicious. "A ferryman?"
Xariel contemplates his appearance. "You might say that."
"I heard you was all gone."
"And what have you heard about us?"
The ghost explains a little bit about the Ferrymen, supposedly ghosts raised up above the others as protectors, who kept the spectres at bay. He's never seen one, though- he's only been around for a few years. The last time anybody he's met saw one was before the Maelstrom. In response to the obvious question, the kid tells Xariel that the Maelstrom was twelve years ago.
As the ghost goes back to his fire, Xariel tries to remember when the crack in the Abyss opened, but that's more than a little hard. It's shifty, like trying to figure out how long ago the war was. On the other hand, he knows Sandalphon has been out about that long. And that reminds him. Time to see the wizard.
Scene 4- The Spirit World, outside Sandalphon's club
Xariel strides through the spirit world, noticing that the veil is thinning in many places. In the South Loop, he can actually see passersby in the physical world, or at least their souls, lit from within by life and faith. It's that faith- confused, wavering, but present- that's changing the rules.
The angel stops outside the Thunderbolt?, staring at the graffiti as rain drips down the wall. Bright, stylized signatures of blue and red and orange streak the walls.
"Sandalphon," Xariel whispers gravely.
The graffiti swims, and the figure of a man- of Holmes- appears, the paint clinging to him like a skin. As he smiles, the graffiti patterns across his body become more defined. They change from airbrushed paint to the colored shadows of a stained glass window, casting light down upon Sandalphon in brilliant orange and blue.
"You've seen the news, then?" Sandalphon asks.
"Yes. I'm going."
Sandalphon gives a small wave. "You'll let me know if you find anything?"
Xariel pauses a moment, then "Yes, I will." Another pause. "There's no reason for you to continue taking secrets."
Sandalphon shakes his head, gracefully displaying sadness and resolve. "There is. Lucifer's long gone from Los Angeles, I'm sure. And so many questions remain. I need the answers."
"There will always be questions, Sandalphon." Xariel thinks of Max's days on the force. 'Who did it?,' and 'why,' then 'why' again. "The nature of questions is to lead to other questions."
"That's why I'm looking for our Father. He will have all the answers. And one day, one of these children will lead me to Him."
They face each other, the rain scattering around them.
"You know I can't let you do that."
"I don't remember you being so fiery. I wonder... is that Xariel speaking, or Max?"
"Maybe it's both."
Sandalphon smiles, almost paternally. "Let's find out, then. You've made friends since you came back, and even Max had one or two. Who matters more?" The blue and orange stained-glass patterns separate and flow down either side of Sandalphon, turning into swirling balls in his hands. "For the sake of the experiment, I think I can deal with just one secret. Who do you value more? Detective Robinson, or Miss Thompson?"
Xariel's stare bores into Sandalphon's eyes as he reaches for his sword. But Sandalphon only nods, and the balls of light fly off in different directions. Deprived of their light, the figure of Sandalphon vanishes. His voice rattles in the raindrops.
"Fly, Angel of Unhappy Endings. Rescue your friend."
Scene 5- Angel Sanctuary
Max's figure appears across the street from the shelter, the rain scattering around him. He strides in, letting the door hang open behind him and the rainwater pool in the entrance. No one in the kitchen. Kids asleep in the bedrooms.
Xariel races up the steps to Jill's office. She's there, unconcious, her mouth working and biting her lip in her sleep. He puts a hand to her neck... her pulse is racing. Without even stepping back, he crosses over.
In the spirit world, Jill floats, sleeping but screaming as tendrils of red fire pierce in and out of her, cleaving chunks of spirit away with every thrust.
Xariel doesn't know what Jill's seeing, but he can guess. Endless, lightless streets, and something hunting her relentlessly down. He goes to work with the scalpel, its gleaming white edge cutting apart the flame. Then, having a little room to work, he reaches into her, drawing out her spirit into himself. She flows into him, almost too easily. He takes flight. I don't know if I can do this. But I have to.
Xariel flies into the heart of the Tomb, towards the inscription. Sandalphon's sending turns into a fiery, winged figure and gives chase.
Reaching the inscription, Xariel lands. The signatures were infused with angelic repentance, carved- perhaps literally- with tears. As the rainwater floods across the letters, Xariel pushes Jill's soul out, into the names, anchoring her to their sorrow and resolve.
The angel turns, then, and draws his blade, taking to the sky, flying towards the sending. The fiery creature snarls at him with Sandalphon's face, and whips out its tendrils. Xariel feints, then runs it through. The flames are suddenly dampened by the rain, and the spirit collapses into smoke, then into plain, damp ashes.
He looks back briefly at the inscription- he doesn't know how long it will hold. He turns, and spreads his wings.
Scene 6- Mitch's Apartment Building
Xariel hears a gunshot, and lands on a fire escape, passing back into the material world as he does. Mitch is asleep, but he's standing with his pistol drawn and ready to fire. The last shot damaged the window, so Xariel sees no harm in crashing the rest of the way through it, the storm finding its way in behind him. Before he even hits the floor inside he's crossed into the spirit world.
The angel finds himself standing in the darkness. He sees no figure of Mitch, here, just the bright, hard light of the detective's soul, shining forth from some arbitrary point. It's struggling with something. Xariel can't see the sending... and then he realizes the darkness is alive. This sending is fluid, inky, indigo, and swarms around Mitch, as if to drown him. Xariel reaches towards his friend, and tries to draw him out. No dice. He pulls harder, and finally rips the soul free of the body.
The liquid blue swirls towards him, Sandalphon's face reflected in it. Xariel reaches his hand out and touches it, willing it away, scattering it in all directions. Taking Mitch's soul into himself, he flies quickly to street level.
He makes a series of calls to 911 from different payphones, making sure Mitch and Jill's bodies are taken care of, and sent to Cook County hospital. Then, he flies back to the inscription.
Kneeling on the inscription, Xariel puts his hand into the sparkling water running over it. He closes his eyes, thinks Trust me. The sparkle of the water flows into his hands. Jill's soul comes softly into him.
Now comes the hard part. I'm tempted to pray.
Scene 7- Hospital Ambulance Entrance
The strain of carrying three-and-then-a-bit souls is starting to tax Xariel. The shreds of spiritual energy he's managed to absorb since escaping the Pit are nearly gone. So it's as just plain Max that he skulks in the shadows by the ambulance entry.
He spots Mitch's body, first. He gathers the cop's soul in his hand, and blows it towards the body. With a sharp intake of breath, it enters Mitch. The paramedics moving him babble something.
It's several more agonizing minutes waiting for Jill. And when she arrives, the paramedics seem much more excited. Max doesn't know much about medicine, but he recognizes a saline drip. Getting as close as he can, he wills her soul forth. It doesn't want to stick. He closes his eyes, and pushes again, putting in everything he has left. The soul holds, and then Max's body wants to do nothing more than collapse.
Scene 8- Hospital Lobby
With Xariel drained, Max's body is mortal again. Still, he manages to pull himself to the lobby, where he gets the attention of a receptionist. After assuring the young man he's alright, Xariel asks where Jill and Mitch are. Mitch is in a room upstairs, Jill in the emergency ward. Xariel gives the receptionist his old badge number, and leaves instructions that they be transferred to the same room once Jill is stable.
Scene 9- Emergency Ward
Xariel passes a kid with broken arm and various people with less obvious maladies as he walks through the emergency reception area. He stops, only for a moment, to glance at a television. CNN. A frizzy-haired white woman is shouting at a very tolerant looking young black man. The footage of Lucifer's appearance is looping behind them. Xariel can't hear what they're saying, then turns to find Jill.
He has to wait outside for nearly half an hour. After the medics finish whatever they're doing for her, he speaks to one of the doctors. He tells the doctor no, he isn't her father, he's Detective Harris, and will she be alright? The doctor tells him he doesn't know.
Xariel sits down. There's nothing he can really do for Jill, now. He contemplates that momentarily, then stands again. He closes his eyes, and listens. Yes, he hears prayers, hears the dying calling out for him. He only needs one of them.
He walks down the corridor and up a flight of stairs. He walks into a room; the sole occupant's name is, according to his chart, Alphonse MacDonald. He's an old man, or at least he looks it- he's probably only five or six years older than Max. He's dying of cancer. His pancreas.
Xariel watches him a moment, then wakes him. Alphonse opens his eyes to see a somewhat disheveled man in rain-soaked clothing standing over him.
"Do you believe in life after death, Alphonse?"
"I don't know," the old man stammers, coughing a little. "I want to."
Xariel thinks of his battle with Usiel. "I can promise that there is something after this, though." A beat, then Xariel unveils his angelic form. "Are you ready to go?"
"I guess."
"Then close your eyes, and trust me." Xariel takes the man's hand and closes his own eyes. He crosses over with the spirit, and then lets it go. He hears a distant twinkling of chimes, and there's a flash in front of his eyelids, but it's gone when he opens his eyes. He moves back into the physical world, where a machine by the bed is whining angrily.
Xariel glances at the machine a moment, then walks towards the door. His feelings are mixed- he's buoyed by the faith he absorbed from Alphonse, and by having served his role. At the same time, he exploited a human being again. Is that right?
He feels something crunch beneath his shoe as he walks out the door. Frowning, he picks up a muddied, broken white feather. The angel puts it in his pocket and leaves.
Scene 10- Jill's Room
Jill's room is dark as Xariel slips in, past a sleeping nurse. She's on various drips, including what looks like blood. He gazes at her, tuning his vision to the rhythm of her slow, shallow breaths. Her soul is anchored to her body, but only by the most tenuous of threads. For all intents and purposes, Jill isn't there.
Xariel draws his scalpel. Funny how patterns repeat themselves. Xariel's blades were made with thin channels, to form a vacuum and suck the blood and spirit from a body. In the center of each of them is a bit of the void beyond the spirit world. Roughly the same technique would be applied millennia later, in Italy, in the rapiers his sword so much resembles.
Xariel draws his scalpel, and quickly slices across his finger. The neat white edge draws in blood, and part of Xariel. He holds the blade over Jill's neck, and pushes the substance back out. The droplets of blood fall, and disappear into her skin. She breathes in deeply, and the patterns on the machines change. Xariel can feel her soul settle back in. As he walks out, he notices something- her left wrist and forearm are bandaged.
Scene 11- Emergency Ward Reception Area
An orderly gets Xariel some coffee as he sits heavily down. He sees a doctor rush back towards Jill's room. A radio is playing in the background, static scraping the signal. A smooth, deep voice pours out past the static.
"It's a cold and rainy night out there, ladies and gentlemen. The kind of night to spend with someone you're close to. But we can't always be with the ones we love, and that's why I like to play a few requests. This first one's for 'Xariel,' from an old flame."
Xariel listens, and the static gets worse, but he can hear a pop ballad from a few years back. Something his daughter might have listened to. He tries to place the artist. Max's daughter, that is.
The song winds on, to a refrain... "Don't look back, you can never look back." The same message the Lost Girl gave him. The song fades away, back to the announcer.
"I hope that brought a little warmth to some of the chilly hearts out there. Have a good night, ladies and gentlemen. This is W*static*, Radio Free Death. The voice of the afterlife, signing off."
It's time to move forward. Xariel has to do something he's been avoiding. He has to tell them the truth.
Scene 12- Mitch's Room
Deeper in the night. As Xariel instructed, Jill has been brought here. She's asleep, but Mitch is watching TV, flipping channels. News networks. Every one of them has a different banner. "One Nation Under God?" asks Fox News, "Angels in America" blares MSNBC, "City of Angels" says CNN.
"Hey," Xariel says.
Mitch smiles from behind a two AM shadow. "Hey, Max."
"How are you feeling?"
"Okay, I guess. Doctors say I had a seizure."
Xariel shrugs that by.
"They brought Jill in here. You have them do that?"
"Yes."
"You know something, Max?" It's barely a question.
Xariel takes a breath. "Jill, are you awake?"
"I'm giving it a try," she responds weakly.
Xariel begins to explain what Simon Holmes is up to, then what he is. Jill interrupts.
"He got the shelter, too."
Xariel looks at her- he hadn't known that.
"Holmes dropped by in person. Branche decided to evict us. Next week. It all seemed so... hopeless. That's why I..." she raises her bandaged arm. Xariel makes the connection- that's why her soul seemed ready to leave. She was dying already, sending notwithstanding. "I'm sorry," she says.
"We're hardly the ones to apologize to, Jill." But Xariel can't help think. They weren't meant to die. And they sure as hell weren't meant to kill themselves.
Xariel gets back to his story. "Those sendings- the nightmares you both had- they were part of the same plan. He was trying to force me to make a choice." And he did, even if it wasn't the one he was expecting.
"Why was this... angel... after you, Max?"
Xariel looks into Mitch's eyes. He doesn't know what the younger man is expecting, but he doubts he's guessed the truth. That's what he tells. The truth. About how Max dwindled away, alone in an apartment with a bottle and not enough memories. And how Xariel filled up the empty parts.
Mitch puts a hand to his head. He doesn't totally comprehend it, but he's been on the job long enough that that won't stop him from asking the important questions. "Fine," he says. "So how do we stop this Holmes?"
"Do you believe in love?" There's a long silence.
"I guess," Jill says.
"I'm giving it a try," Mitch says, sarcastically.
"You both do. Jill, that's why you work day in and day out for those kids. And you, Mitch, you believe in it. You love your fellow man. That's why it tears you up to see kids like Kelly Frost die. That's why you want to stop the Dominion."
Mitch grumbles. Xariel still hasn't answered his question.
"Love is why I rebelled against God. It's why I need to put this right. And to do that, I need you two to believe in me."
Jill replies quicker and more dramatically than he expected. "Give me the strength and I'll follow you."
Xariel smiles at her. Mitch just sits up and shakes his head.
"Look, Max, I don't get all of this. But this isn't your job anymore. If you're Max, well... there's a reason you retired. And if you're an angel, this is our world now. I don't know if you've noticed, but it's not paradise out there anymore. I'm your friend, Max. But I can't believe in you."
That hurts Xariel more than he expected. Jill, he didn't know about, but Mitch... well, your partner's supposed to stick by you. "I understand. But if you can't help me, then stay out this."
"You know I can't do that, Max."
Max does know that. Xariel grabs a piece of paper, and scribbles on it. "Look, if you go after him, and you're in trouble, just say that name."
Mitch looks at the name for a long moment. "I will."
Xariel gives another piece of paper to Jill, this one with an address on it. "This is just outside the Tombs. If there's trouble, you'll be safe there."
"Just give me strength," she repeats.
"The strength I can give is already in you, Jill."
He exchanges an uncertain look with Mitch, then turns to leave.
"Max!" Mitch calls after him. "Be careful. Your daughter doesn't like me as is."
Tired, Xariel goes home. Takes a cab, this time.
Scene 13- Max's Apartment
The rain has settled to a drizzle outside Max's apartment. Sunrise isn't too far off. Xariel walks in. He looks at his wall for a long moment, then starts taking down the files from the Kelly Frost investigation. No need for them, anymore.
"I'm glad you're back," says a voice from behind him. He spins. On the couch is a woman in a nice, if outdated suit. Her features are a little Lauren Bacall, a little Sophia Loren, a little of any number of screen stars Max remembers. Her hat, an elegant number that would be more at home in the forties, sits next to an alligator purse.
"You've got to help me, Xariel. I'm in trouble. Bad trouble."
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