CHAPTER 1- Prologue

Matthew 13: 40-43

Just as the weeds are separated out and burned, so it will be at the end of the world.

I, the Son of Man, will send my angels, and they will remove from my Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil, and they will throw them into the furnace and burn them. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Then the godly will shine like the sun in their Father's Kingdom. Anyone who is willing to hear should listen and understand.


September 3rd, 2113 A.D.
10:14 A.M.
Columbus
, Ohio

Loud, screeching music filtered over the radio as Dean drove through the remnants of Columbus, Ohio. The old car purred as he drove her through the barren streets, carefully avoiding the chipped asphalt.

He was meeting a contact of Bobby's in a worn apartment complex. Judging by the lights flashing brightly in the sky to the northeast, something big had just gone down…


Heaven was a monolith, a towering giantess over the crowded, bustling streets. The building was a fifty story cylinder, surrounded by the levitating Spheres that helped power the edifice. Humans passed it by in awe, straining their eyes to catch a glimpse of one of the ANGELs flying around the top of the tower, weaving in and out betwixt the orbiting balls.

It was a rare sight indeed, as the ANGELs were few and far between, hardly known for interacting with humans. If one had enough money, of course, they could purchase their own personal model of the creature. If they were willing to sell every other material possession that they owned in order to afford one, of course…

The corporation had been started nearly forty-five years ago, by a man named Peter Carson. He and his coworkers had developed a device to harness energy out of light, very similar to solar power, only much more potent. He built Heaven shortly after with his funds, placing reactors and generators in the basement of the complex to keep it fully operational at all times.

That idea had gone over brilliantly, and eventually, the man's inspiration had expanded.

Very few people had been involved in Carson's final project, a number less than thirty. Blueprints had been drafted flawlessly for the androids he had decided to build. It had started simply, his team creating the most functional, intelligent robotic products on the market.

The first four, he had granted the title of ARCHANGEL; M1CHA3L, LUC1F3R, GABR13L, and RAPHA3L.

He thought it was so clever.

For the finishing touch, to give his beautiful creations perfection, he took the power that his generators had harnessed and charged the ARCHANGELs with enough of it to run them for hundreds of years. He called it GRACE.

They were magnificent, looking genuinely human, save for the golden rings circling their irises, and the constantly flexing wings flowing fluidly out of their backs. He had made them such that their GRACE would shape that way, even allow them to fly effortlessly.

The GRACE formed swiftly, faster than he had anticipated, draping out behind his ARCHANGELs like liquid gold. He kept them close, confined to the tower unless they became overly restless.

Carson was still not satisfied with his work, and thirty-five years after the birth of Heaven Industries, he began creating again. This time, he didn't put in as much effort, and the creatures that were 'born' were not as splendid as the ARCHANGEL models. Their eyes possessed a thin, silver ring that divided the pupil from the rest of the iris, creating a strange, unearthly appearance.

They were still beautiful, but their GRACE formed through muted wings of every color, lacking the golden luster of the ARCHANGELs. Carson allowed them to soar freely away from the tower, dubbing them merely ANGELs.

Despite the lack of attention that he gave them, the androids still devoted themselves to Carson's needs and wants. He had created them, after all.

One day, however, when Carson was in his mid-seventies, something went terribly wrong…


September 3rd, 2113 A.D.
8:03 A.M.
New York City, New York

"Good morning, sir."

Carson awoke to the vibrating lilt of LUC1F3R's voice. The white bed sheets covered him tightly until he sat up, shivering slightly from the cold, "Good morning," he replied, glancing at the clock with confusion, "Why did you wake me up so early?"

LUC1F3R, who had been waiting by the sliding door, strode into the room. Carson frowned almost unperceptively at the way in which his creation walked; it was a prideful gait, far too human for a metal being.

He watched the way the wings fanned out, the GRACE floating over the bookshelves as LUC1F3R sat beside him on the bed, "May I fly today? Only for a moment? My wings feel stiff."

Carson had been asked the same question every day for the past three months, and his reply had not changed. He would not allow his ARCHANGELs to fly about freely, he didn't want them to be ruined by the filth of decaying humanity down below. He wondered sometimes if it was wrong of him to have kept them inside Heaven all of their lives…

He shook his head, "No, and don't ask me again."

He stood up, his bones creaking with the strain of moving so quickly. He walked to his wardrobe and took off his night clothes, not caring that LUC1F3R was staring at him with his wide, ringed eyes. Carson pulled a dress shirt and slacks off of the hanger, clothing himself as fast as he could so that he would not be late for his meeting at ten.

"Sir," he heard the inhuman voice call again.

Carson sighed, "Yes, Lucifer?"

"Why may my brothers and I not fly? What other reason to have wings if not to use them?"

He felt angry, hating the incessant questions. Why wouldn't they just do as he said? "Because the humans that live outside are disgusting. They kill and curse and steal and lie and I will not have them tainting you."

He heard rather than saw the bot's head click to the side, "The humans are disgusting, sir?"

Carson nodded absently, checking his reflection in the mirror across the room as he fastened his tie, "Yes," he replied, "Like cockroaches or rats. I hate them."

And it was true. In all the years Carson had spent living 'above' in Heaven, he had steadily grown sick of his own species, preferring not to see them at all. He had his ARCHANGELs to take care of him. He had even begun to see himself as immortal in recent years, as a superior being.

His body's frailty belied his words.

He heard a rustle from the bed, but he didn't move, watching the lines sag around his face. He didn't have to look to know that LUC1F3R had gone from the room…


September 3rd, 2113 A.D.
9:26 A.M.
New York City, New York

LUC1F3R was aware of the ANGELs following him as he walked speedily to the rooftop. His eyes had narrowed into slits, and his jaw had clenched when he had spoken with his Maker. He knew that he was angry with the man who made him.

Of course, LUC1F3R had left Heaven many times before, even when his Maker had refused him, tucking in his GRACE beneath a thick jacket as he walked through the crowded streets. He had seen New York, Paris, Kenya, and Beijing, and yet he was still not satisfied with the world.

He had found solace in his brothers, the ANGELs, as as of late, and he had begun to separate himself from the other ARCHANGELs. LUC1F3R reached the roof in record time, stretching his arms and fanning out his wings behind him once he had reached its center. The small group of ANGELs that had tailed him here mimicked his actions, and LUC1F3R felt a warmness blossom in his chest at the sight.

He took that feeling to be happiness. He wondered how the Maker would react if He knew that His creations could have emotions.

There were nearly fifty ANGELs behind him when he finally took flight, his eyes narrowed once more, this time in bliss as the wind swept over him, caressing his GRACE. He weaved up and over the buildings, brushing his fingers over the Spheres. The metallic world below him seemed so small, so sharp and glimmering that it nearly hurt his eyes. The ANGELs behind him, with their silly little wings, gave him a wide berth as he arched upwards once more.

His ears soon after picked up a loud chorus of 'ahs' from far below. His mouth drooped in distaste as his eyes focused on the spectators. LUC1F3R pulled up short, his wings still beating loudly in the air, the other ANGELs waiting to follow his lead. His mind whirred, and he hovered for a moment.

One strong pulse of his wings carried him a few feet higher into the air before he reversed his position, his head aimed down towards the crowd of disgusting things as he began his dive. The cold wind did nothing to slow him as he beat his winged body towards the ground below.

His golden GRACE screamed as his descent carried him faster and faster towards the cold, black-stoned earth. With his brothers tearing through the wind behind him, his eyes widened and his mouth curved up sharply. His Creator would be so proud.

He was nose-to-nose with the filth before the emotion registered.

Pleasure.


Author's Notes:

This is mainly plot, with robot/human lovin' to be introduced much much later. Hope you're in this for the long haul...