The Agent stood before God's throne room, trembling. He knew he was in for it. Even though his last transgression had been years ago, protesting about June's exile, the wounds were still fresh in his mind and it was showing in his work ethic. He knew God would call him in to "talk" about it eventually, but having to actually go through with it was harder than expected. Worst of all, though, God had decided that the best way for The Agent to get over June was to practice casting her out himself, but as she was already in Hell, The Agent would be practicing on a look alike.
That was right. God was going to have him beat up some June-look alike in order to get over the real June. What a sick thing to do! But it was God's orders and The Agent had to carry out his instructions to the letter. He had to stay forever faithful to the format… But it still hurt his heart deeply, knowing what God was having him do now. He'd seen this June-clone's files. Her name was Emily and she was, as far as The Agent could tell, guilty only of a minor sin. The punishment The Agent was expected to give to her was far too high, but did he dare tell God that God was going against his own standards in punishment? No. So he would obey. He would hurt this innocent girl to please his master. God always came first.
"Dear Emily, I am so sorry, can you forgive me for this?" The Agent whispered as he reached God's office doors. They swung open, a billowing breeze beckoning him inward. Incense and hymn tunes were carried on that breeze, but the beauty of it was lost on The Agent. All he could smell was decay and all he could hear were dying whispers and desperate murmurs…
"Now, my top angel with the well-used Bible, here's our next conquest, will she live?" God sang out the moment The Agent set foot in the room. He looked around. A circular area had been cleared out entirely. In the center of the circle, sobbing and on her knees, was the angel known as Emily.
She was begging, crying out to The Agent. She had a gag in her mouth, so he didn't know exactly what she was saying, but at the same time, he had a pretty good guess. Then, all around Emily, on the edge of the circle, stood all of The Agent's comrades. He saw God standing at the head of the circle, surrounded by Librarian, Designer, Watchword. But where were the-?
"Doubtful!" two eerily cheery voices echoed from behind The Agent. He turned his head to see the Translators standing at the door, chewing happily away at their gum while grinning like the psychopaths they were. The Agent fought hard not to look at them with all the disgust he felt for them.
"You're the head of God's pets, working his behest!" another voice declared. It was Librarian, standing proud and tall, arms crossed over his large chest. He was looking at The Agent with a gaze that seemed to say, "You are the best of us all! Show us how it is done, for it is both your duty and honor to serve the Lord with ALL of your heart…"
"He'll set you straight, like the Fallen. Ha! You like that?" yet another voice added. It was Designer, kneeling down in front of Emily and grabbing her chin mockingly. The Agent had to look away. He didn't like seeming women being manhandled.
"Better start praying when you see him coming!" God agreed with Designer, making sure to note the irony of praying against one of God's divine judgments. It was sickening to watch.
"'Cause tonight it's curtains!" one of the Translators declared.
"You're the Avenger!" the other echoed. The Agent felt that Translator slap him playfully and, without meaning to, he jerked away.
"Remember who you are," several unseen angels warned The Agent when he made this minor error.
"I remember..." The Agent replied brokenly.
"Remember what you did to June!" the voices repeated. "Remember who you are."
"I remember..." The Agent repeated, just a little bit more desperate than before.
"To your knife!" Librarian interrupted, tossing The Agent the golden staff he used to cleanse Heaven's books. As he threw it, it morphed into a golden dagger the size of The Agent's forearm. It had a wickedly sharp tip. Emily screamed through her gag when she saw its hungry glow.
"See it glide!" Batez admired the weapon, stepping closer to The Agent.
"See it slice!" Bentz agreed, mirroring his wife's movements.
"Who's your Avenger?" the chorused.
"Hope you've prayed for mercy!" Watchword remarked, daring to take a photo of Emily while The Agent stood over her regretfully, knife in hand.
"Or it's buon viaggi!" Designer waved his mirror at the girl.
"He'll reduce you to ashes!" Batez encouraged. The knife The Agent held seemed to glow brighter as she said this, like it was responding to the idea.
"Am-pu-ta-tion!" Bentz cheered. He and his wife could wait no longer. They began to physically push The Agent forward, but he resisted.
"Remember who you are!" God warned, finally speaking up after watching most of the proceedings in a gloating silence, reveling in the terror of Emily and the guilt and shame of The Agent.
"I remember," The Agent promised lowly, looking at his feet.
"Remember what you did to June!" the unseen angels sang. In the back of his mind, The Agent realized he was hearing his own thoughts being sung aloud. It was also then that he realized that they sounded just like June and that other girl that always hung out with her. Wasn't her name Cora? Or something like that? Even though The Agent hardly knew Cora, he knew what pain he'd caused the girl the moment he allowed June to fall to Hell. It seemed that her voice was condemning The Agent for his inaction just as much as God and all of his comrades were.
"Remember who you are!" God repeated the longer The Agent stood about, refusing to do away with Emily like he was supposed to. How was that boy, his top man, supposed to get back to serving him if he couldn't stop moping about that little filly who had barely even lasted a day in Heaven? This had to stop and it had to stop NOW.
"I remember," The Agent promised again, louder now.
"Remember what you did to June!" The Agent's conscience, in the voices of Cora and June herself, echoed. This painful back and forth between God, The Agent and The Agent's own psyche carried on for a bit longer before The Agent finally fell to his knees in defeat.
"I REMEMBER!" he wailed. "I remember every dying whisper, every desperate murmur. I remember as I gaze upon her, she looks just like June... I remember! I remember...!" The Agent forced himself to swallow down all feelings of pity and empathy.
He tried to force himself to go back to that night when he lost June. This time, though, she was no victim. She was the instigator! He forced himself to see that awful night with new eyes. This time, he had been a martyr and she, a foolish sinner whose selfish desires would've brought Heaven crashing down. He was trying to shift the blame of that night onto June herself. For better or worse, it was working. His own mental wiring was rewriting what had happened that night and, suddenly, June was the only one to blame for what happened.
"I remember working every sinner with acute precision," The Agent growled, bringing out a side of himself that hadn't been needed in nearly 2000 years. It was the True Avenging Angel within him, not just the mild-mannered lapdog that followed God around to heed his every beck and call. Instead, The Agent was bringing out the warrior in himself. The champion of God who had conquered hordes of demons in His holy name.
"I remember every time I hold you, my dear companion!" he spoke to Librarian's dagger and suddenly, it began to glow again, turning into a full sword, gleaming with the golden rays of God's almighty power. Emily began to panic, struggling to get up and run, but being bound and gagged meant that she could barely stand up, let alone run. She did manage to get to her feet, but one of the Translators stepped forward and shoved her back down. She could only look up hopeless into the eyes of The Agent and pray that she would find God's mercy and grace. There was none. Instead, all she saw was righteous anger and the divine justice of a ruthless deity. She gave one last piteous moan before The Agent brought the burning sword down in a glittering arch of gold.
"I remember…. I DISMEMBER!" he bellowed, cleaving Emily almost entirely in half. "Cause this God's servant gives no anesthetic! Too many sins delinquent gets you Heaven's treatment!" The Agent continued to swing his sword, cutting deeper and deeper into Emily's flesh until there was nothing left. Whoever thought angels were tame creatures couldn't have been more wrong.
Blood flew across the entire length of God's office and God watched, laughing. Librarian had a satisfied expression upon his face while Designer and Watchword both were leering down as their comrade finally lost the last of his sanity. Watchword made sure to snap a few photos to remind Heaven just how lucky they were that God didn't just do this to all of them the moment they sinned. Instead, he would wait until several transgressions. That was mercy right there! The Translators, meanwhile, were almost as crazed as The Agent, the smell and sight of blood triggering their most barbaric natures. It was all they could do not just to jump in and help The Agent finish what he'd started, but they knew that this was strictly an intervention for The Agent. They were not allowed to help in this translation.
"I'm the winged horror on your street corner! Make your mama mourn ya!" The Agent continued, still working himself up over Emily's slushed-up remains. His wings had come out from his back in his rage, the last of his control slipping away entirely. All around him, he could hear his comrades cheering and, oh, wasn't it glorious!? They were all singing with him…
"I'm the AVENGER!" The Agent finally wore down the last of his temper, sword shrinking back into the simple wand it usually was. It slipped from his hand and hit the ground with a clatter. Everyone was breathing hard. The Agent, covered in blood, took a look at the pile of torn red flesh, strands of blond hair mixed in with shredded organ and shattered bone fragments.
Yeah, that's right! She deserved it! The sinner! The dirty, rotten whore!
The Agent thought cruelly as he admired his handiwork. God, meanwhile, was smiling serenely. His intervention had worked. There was no way The Agent would ever spend his nights crying for June anymore! God hadn't seen his top man act that vengeful since one of the mini rebellions against Hell. What an excellent show!
But then, the longer The Agent stared at Emily's pile, the more time he had for his sanity and humanity to return to him. Eventually, the full horror of what he had done sank in and it was all he could do not to scream, cry, puke, or just faint. Instead, he forced himself to stand up straight. He looked his God and father dead in the eyes, but said nothing. Instead, he only hoped that the pain and grief would be enough.
Then, without another sound, he turned around, turning away from God and from his comrades and from Emily. He turned away from himself and headed towards God's office doors. He left through those doors, ignoring the looks of confusion and worry his comrades were giving him. Instead, he could only hear June and Emily, both screaming out for the help he had so cruelly denied them.
"I remember…"
AN: As you can see, this is TDC Night Surgeon. It's darker than any of the other song crossover fics, but that's for obvious reasons. I have always seen Agent as Nathan, especially if you see TDC 2 as a Repo prequel (God is Rotti, June is Marni, Cora is Mag). This is just how God forces Agent to get over June. It is something brutal enough God/Rotti would do.
Oh, and if you notice, Publicist isn't in here. In Night Surgeon, Amber is the only Largo not to attend Nathan's breakdown. I know it's because she had a surgery she needed to get, but I heard someone say that it was because, as evil as the Largos are, Nathan's killing would've been too much for Amber to handle. I wanted Publicist to be the same way.
(And this fic does reference the idea that Agent and the others are real Biblical angels with Agent possibly being the Archangel Michael, who was a warrior. Agent is just Michael's toned down form).
Anyways, just wanted to share this with you. Hope it wasn't too dark or depressing.