The next morning, Lucifer woke up to the sound of Lilith screaming like a banshee, eyes snapping open immediately,"Argh! Lilith, what the fuck is your problem!? Why are you screaming this early in the morning!?"
"THE BABY IS GONE!"
He balked,"What!? How can a baby that isn't even a month old just leave!? He can't even reach the door dammit! Are you sure he's not fucking crawling somewhere on the ceiling?"
"I just checked the ceiling! Hell, I even checked the entire room, the baby isn't there!"
Lucifer forced himself out of bed and saw Lilith had torn every item upside down in pursuit for Samuel only to come up empty handed. Sweating, Lucifer did his best to comfort his wife, placing a hand on his shoulder,"Now now, my love. There's no need to be upset. Maybe he's hiding somewhere is in the Mansion…"
"You're far too optimistic, Lucifer…"
Thinking fast, Lucifer quickly went to Charlie's room where both she and Vaggie were sleeping and shouted,"CHARLIE! GET YOUR FRIENDS UP! THE BABY IS MISSING!"
Charlie bolted upwards,"MISSING!?" She then shook Vaggie up,"Vag! Get up! The baby is gone! We gotta tell everyone!"
The moth groaned,"Shit! Why didn't you say something? Let's go!"
In a matter of seconds, every resident inside the Mansion was alerted about the missing baby and quickly rushed to their feet, some still wearing their nightclothes. Everyone was searching high and low, calling out Samuel's name over and over again in an attempt to locate him, splitting off into groups and searching individual parts of the Mansion for him.
Al, Vincent, Vanny, Velvet and Vol were searching the west wing, searching through for Samuel desperately.
"SAMUEL!" Al shouted,"Are you here!? Come out! This isn't funny! We'd all like it if you showed yourself!"
"That is if he's even here," Vincent replied.
Vanny narrowed her eyes,"He's gotta be around here somewhere! Come on cutie! Show yourself! We ain't getting any younger here!"
"Yeah! Don't make us come find you dammit!"
Vol rolled his eyes,"Girls, I really doubt the baby even understands what you're saying. And like Vincent said, I really do doubt he's here. Someone would've found him by now and it's been thirty minutes…"
"Well, do you have any better ideas? We're trying to goad him at least!" Velvet huffed,"Seriously, who knew baby wrangling would be so damn difficult! We'll never find him at this rate and-Hey, what's that?"
Vol turned his head towards her,"What's what?"
"That thing on the ground…" Velvet said, pointing just up ahead to see something on the floor. When she picked it up, she noticed it look like a crown of sorts,"What the fuck is this thing? And what's it doing on the floor?"
Vincent immediately snatched it from her without warning.
"HEY! What gives!? I was looking at that!"
Ignoring her, Vincent examined it closely before saying,"This is Micheal's wreath crown. But what's it doing here?"
"Maybe he dropped it?" Vanny suggested.
"I doubt that," Vincent retorted.
Velvet gave him an incredulous stare,"Why? I mean, everyone loses their things sometimes…"
"Not something like this. I've known Micheal well enough to know he'd never forget like this without trying to go back for it. It's a prized possession and I can't imagine him just dropping it without attempting to retrieve it. For reference reference, could you imagine Al dropping his staff with no intent on retrieving it? Or if Vol tried to see without his glasses? Do you think he'd be able to see without them?"
"Lemme check…" Velvet suddenly grabbed Vol's glasses off his face.
Vol squinted several times as he adjusted to his sudden loss of his vision, his surroundings now blurry. The next thing he knew, Velvet suddenly hoisted her fingers in front of his face and asked him,"Vol, how many fingers am I holding up?"
"Three…"
"HA! In your face Vincent! He can see perfectly fine!"
"Not really," Alastor informed,"Velvet, I don't know if you were aware of this but not all people with glasses have completely terrible vision. Some of them can still see to a degree, it's just very blurry like in Vol's case…"
"Yeah yeah, whatever…" Velvet then put Vol's glasses on her face,"Oooh! It's so purple here! And super blurry! I can't believe you actually wear these on a daily basis!"
"I wear them because they are specifically designed for me," He retorted,"By the way, I'd like the way I'd like those glasses back…"
"But I'm not done with them! Hey!"
Vol then swiped them from her and placed them back on his face, giving his girlfriend a semi-amused glance,"I believe you misunderstood me, Vel. When I said I'd like my glasses back, it wasn't an optional request…"
"You're mean!"
"I'm well aware of this, too bad for you that I don't care…"
"Alright lovebirds, enough flirting! We need to focus!" Vincent huffed,"We still don't know why Micheal left his wreath behind."
"Speaking of Micheal, don't you find it strange nobody has seen him?" Alastor brought up,"You'd think a father would come out and search for his child if he was aware he was missing...That is unless he's the cause of Samuel's disappearance that is."
"Al, you can't be serious!" Vincent balked,"Micheal would never do that!"
"Are you certain? I don't mean to sound rude or anything but don't you find it a bit too coincidental that both the baby and Micheal are missing? As smart as that child is, I doubt he'd be able to get far on his own without someone assisting him through. Someone who opens doors, someone who can fly and do a magnitude of things that I doubt any of us are aware of….Someone like Micheal, who can do all these things and more…"
Vincent fell silent, the logic did make sense and while he didn't want to admit Micheal was capable of something like this, it was hard to ignore the evidence stacking up in Alastor's favor. Before he could say anything, they all heard Charlie shout,"Guys! My dad found something! Come quick!"
"Looks like we'll find our answer soon enough," Vol said,"Come on, let's go see what the commotion is about…"
When they followed after Charlie, they saw Lucifer and Lilith standing at the balcony, Lucifer clutching a few spare black feathers in his hands. He then said,"Dammit Micheal, what did you do?"
"So I take it that he took the baby?" Velvet asked.
"From what we can see...Yes. I don't understand why my brother would take Samuel, but I have the feeling that isn't all he did. Ada has been absent the whole day, she was supposed to come and tell me how Micheal was doing. I didn't think much of it the other night, but now, I realized just how big of a mistake that was…"
"What the fuck is wrong with him!?" Vanny shouted,"Seriously, who fucking kidnaps their own kid and some woman whose sent to check on them? This came outta fucking nowhere!"
"No, actually, it didn't," Lucifer admitted,"I knew something wasn't right with Micheal when he came back. At first I thought he'd revert back but as time progressed I noticed this...dark energy about him. The last conversation I had with him...ended on a rather ominous note. He rejected my offer to rule Hell together, claiming he'd find a way back to Heaven, one way or another. With that in mind, I think it's safe to say that Micheal's priorities have taken a dark turn for the worst. I didn't know what he meant earlier when he said he'd find a way back to Heaven one way or another, but now that this happened, I regret being such a fool for not seeing it. It was obvious yet I was blind to Michal's true intentions until it was too late…"
"Wait, you knew Micheal had something wrong with him but you didn't do anything? What type of lousy brother just turns their back on their sibling like that? You didn't even bother to check on Micheal yourself, you just let Ada do it and look how that ended! She got kidnapped!" Vincent snapped.
Lucifer scowled,"Shut the fuck up, Vincent! I didn't ask you to judge me! I know I fucked up but it's a bit late to tell me what I should've done since the moment to act has long passed. I don't need you lecturing me about how I handle my sibling affairs! It's not like I knew Micheal would snap like this! Nobody could've predicted this!"
Vol narrowed his eyes,"Where is this even coming from anyway? Like this is out of character for him. I know Micheal was upset that he got banished but this is new territory for him. I can't imagine him doing this without some type of influence…"
Lucifer then tensed when a memory flickered inside of his head,"Aw fuck. That son of a bitch!"
"Huh? What son of a bitch, Dad? Who are you talking about?"
"Asmodeus!"
"What about him?" Lilith asked,"Isn't he dead? I thought Micheal killed him earlier. What does he have to do with this?"
"Everything! He fucking corrupted Micheal's mind with his bullshit!"
"How do you even know this?"
"Ada told me before I sent her off what exactly happened to Micheal when he killed Asmodeus. He was about to erase him for good until Asmodeus opened his mouth and exhaled this weird gas into his face and it entered his body. Asmodeus's physical body died, but his soul attempted to merge with Micheal and from the looks of it, he succeeded…"
Charlie's eyes widened,"So does that mean Micheal's being possessed by Asmodeus and that he's controlling his body?"
"In a way. I believe Asmodeus was hoping that he could use Micheal's body as a host when he did that last gambit of his in order to stay alive but it didn't go as planned. As clever as the idea was, he underestimated just how powerful Micheal was and realized that a full-takeover was out of the question. However, Asmodeus's real strength was targeting people's weaknesses and since he's merged with Micheal's soul, he was able to amplify Micheal's resentment and hatred to the point it sent him into a delusional frenzy of madness and he's dragged Ada and Samuel along for the ride…"
"You don't think he's going to hurt them, right, Dad? They're not in danger are they?"
Lucifer made a face,"I...I don't think so. I'm not certain, Charlie, but to a degree, I believe Micheal at least has enough control over himself to refrain from harming Ada or Samuel. At the very least, he won't try to directly harm them. Honestly, those two are the least of our concerns, because if our findings are true, Micheal's going to be waging a war against Heaven and we're all going to be stuck in the middle of this conflict."
"So what should we do?" Vincent asked,"Micheal's clearly out of his mind and if something isn't done there's going to be second Hell vs Heaven war on the horizon if nothing is done about it."
"We need to stop him. Micheal's unstable and needs to brought down before he starts a second war…."
Suddenly, Vincent tapped him on the shoulder and held up Micheal's wreath. Staring back in amusement he asked,"Where'd you find this?"
"Michael dropped it on the floor. Given the state we found it in I'm under the impression he just tossed it onto the ground in a fit of anger. I know it won't help, but I figured you'd at least want this thing since you're his brother and all."
Lucifer stared at it before sighing. He wasn't going to delude himself, he and Micheal don't exactly have the best twin bond ever. In fact, their bond was near nonexistent up until now and Lucifer wasn't certain what to do now that Micheal had gone off the deep end.
He then narrowed his eyes, staring off at the skies,"Everyone, get your weapons and arm yourselves alongside your friends. My army has a ton of holy weapons stashed in the back and if Micheal gets hostile, it's best you are all armed to the teeth. It's time we stop this disaster before it happens…"
With a nod, everyone agreed to follow Lucifer's instructions, Lilith seemed ready to go until Lucifer said,"Not you."
"What? But why?"
"Lilith, we both know you haven't fully recovered from the pregnancy. You drained most of your energy using magic to give birth and I doubt it'd be a good idea for you to strain yourself."
She scowled,"But my son-"
"Lilith, Samuel is probably the safest he could possibly be in this scenario. Micheal's probably keeping him somewhere safe in the event this gets ugly and Ada is probably the same situation. He wouldn't dare hurt them, which is something I can't say about the rest of us once we make our presence known to him."
"Are you worried he'll hurt you?"
Lucifer frowned,"To a degree.I know what he's capable of, but at the same time, I can't just let this slide. Micheal's too dangerous and he needs to have Asmodeus's...essence removed from his body at all costs. I just hope we can stop him before he does anything insane…"
"He's already kidnapped our child, I think he's already tipped the scale of sanity. Regardless, I want Samuel back and I'm counting on you to not mess this up or else."
"I get it, dear. I won't fail, I can promise you that.."
"You better…"
Ada groaned when she came around,"Ugh...my head…" She then looked around, narrowing her eyes when she suddenly saw she had been placed in a large Queen Size Bed and a rather lavish one at that. This made her small but comfortable personal quarters that Lucifer allowed her to keep in the Mansion look like childsplay and she was debating if she was dreaming…
"This can't be real…" She tensed,"How did I even get in this place? This doesn't look like the Mansion...Wait…" She then pinched the bridge of her nose upon remembering Micheal knocking her out earlier,"Ugh! Of course he did. He knocked me out and placed me in this room of his. Assuming this isn't some fucked up illusion, it's probably some gilded cage of sorts to ensure I can't get in the way of his plans."
She then looked at the door hesitantly, fearing what would be on the other side. When she opened the door, she looked side to side, seeing an empty hallway.'Looks like the coast is clear….For now at least…'
Ada moved forward as she tried to find an exit, looking for signs of a weakness in the build. To her dismay, she wasn't finding any. The windows were locked and when she pulled them open, it was like some type of magic seal was preventing her from lifting it and attempting to tear it down with her claws had the same effect. Worst part was that her scratches didn't even leave a mark...
'Course he safely proofed the house. He wouldn't let me go that easily…' She sighed,'There's got to be another way out of here. There has to be…'
Suddenly, Ada then heard the sound of someone talking up ahead. Treading carefully, got closer and peered through the wall once she gathered the courage to do so. Needless to say, she hadn't expected to walk in on Micheal attempting to spoon-feed Samuel his first meal while wearing an apron.
"Alright Samuel, it's time to eat your veggies!" He then held out a spoon,"Here comes the airplane! Open wide for Daddy!"
Samuel stared at it for a few seconds before whining and shoving the bowl away, causing the food to end up on Micheal instead.
"ARGH! Samuel, you're supposed to eat the food, not spill it on me! What the Heavens was that for!?" Micheal growled,"And why are you laughing!? Is there something humorous about this that I'm not aware of!?"
The baby giggled,"Dadda makes a funny face!"
"It's not funny, Samuel! Quit laughing!"
Samuel paid no mind to his father's complaints, giggling in his high-chair, his little wings fluttering from behind him.
Ada snickered to herself, it was rare for her to find humor in a situation but this was probably the funniest thing she had ever seen in her whole life. Before her eyes she had the Former King of Heaven covered from his head to his apron with mushed up food while his son was laughing like a hyena.
Unfortunately, this moment of peace wasn't to last, as Micheal had heard her laughter and turned,a semi-amused smile growing on his face,"Find something amusing, Ada?"
'Shit! He caught me!' She froze up, stepping back slightly,"Uh...Sorry. I didn't realize I was interrupting anything. I should go…"
"Not so fast," He grabbed her arm firmly, not enough to hurt but just enough to keep her from running away,"There's no need to be so tense my love. Samuel and I were just...discussing feeding terms. As you can see, he was a bit uncooperative…"
"He literally threw the food in your face…"
"It's a work in progress. He's not a fan of mashed foods but we'll get there eventually…" He then summed a handkerchief to wipe his face,"Ah, that's better…" Micheal then raised an eyebrow,"What's with the face? You look upset…"
"You know why I'm upset. Don't act as if you didn't knock me out earlier…"
"Oh that. Ada, Ada, I get it, you're mad that I knocked you out. I promise that it was for your own good, I couldn't have you running the plan. Besides, I plan on making it up to you later at the wedding…"
"The what!?"
"The wedding! Once I reclaim the throne I'll have you crowned as my Queen, we'll even have a public wedding for all to see! We'll rule together, just you, me and Samuel! Isn't that just amazing!? We'll be together forever!"
"Micheal, as much as I'd love to be with you, I just can't do it…"
"Oh? And what's stopping you?"
"Hell is my Home. Even if you free me from my contract, it won't change the fact I've lived here my whole life. I'm not cut out to be a wife and I most certainly am not Queen material. I don't want to leave my home…"
Micheal didn't seem amused,"Really Ada? You consider this barrel of sin and vice your home? Where murder is talked about on the news like the morning weather? Where rapists and murderers terrorize their victims with little to no consequences? Where the overpopulation crisis so bad that we have to send heavenly souls to exterminate the population so that it's not constantly overflowing? Where poverty and starvation is blatant around just every street corner? This is the place that you call home? REALLY?"
"It's the only home I know, Micheal…I know it's not great but it's the only place I know…"
"Which is precisely why you being in Heaven would be a major improvement. You can start over from there and we can be a family together without any degeneracy involved. This is for our future."
"What about what I want?"
"I'm afraid that your wants and desires in terms of living in Hell will have to be put on the backburner. But don't worry, once everything is settled, it'll fall into place and we'll earn our happiness ever after…"
"Why did you even bring me here again?" She asked,"Couldn't you have just thrown me in a cage and been done with it?"
"Well I could, it's just that I thought you deserved a better living quarters than just a plain old cell. Besides, that'd be no way to treat my soon-to-be wife! Not to mention I need somewhere to place both you and Samuel in the time being, especially since I'll be leaving soon."
"Leaving?"
"You know I have to reclaim the throne, right? I can't exactly stay here and watch over you two at the same time. And since Samuel still needs to be cared for, I need someone to watch over him…"
"Lemme guess, you want me to be his babysitter…"
"Oh don't be like that, Ada. It's only temporary. Besides, given you're going to be his adoptive mom up in Heaven it'd be best for you two to get well acquainted with each other…" He then picked Samuel up out of his seat and affectionately smiled at him,"Now son, Daddy has to go for a bit. I promise that I'll be back, however until I return, Ada is going to be your caretaker."
He then handed the baby over, Ada staring at Samuel awkwardly,"Uh...what am I supposed to do with him exactly?"
"Take care of him. Make sure he doesn't climb on the ceiling, change him, feed him, and work. I'm certain you can handle that…" His eyes then turned hostile,"And by the way, don't even bother trying to escape. I safely proofread this entire house, you won't be getting out so I suggested not wasting your time." His tone then reverted back to a cheerful one as he kissed her cheek,"See you later my love…"
Ada blanked as she saw Micheal teleport out,'Fuck. I'm stuck here for good. Not only am I trapped, but I'm stuck babysitting an infant! I've never even had children and now he suddenly just thrusts his kid into my arms!? What the hell!?'
Her eyes then snapped open in shock when she felt Samuel grabbing her breast,"Hey! What's wrong with you!? Why are you grabbing my chest!?"
Samuel began whining and tried to suck on her.
'Wait a second...Shit! He's hungry! But I can't lactate!' Her eyes then darted to the fridge and rushed over to pull out a bottle with an already prepared formula inside.'Thank Satan Micheal actually had enough foresight to leave this for me…'
"Alright Samuel, open wide…"
Samuel obeyed and began drinking from the bottle, Ada doing her best to keep him stable while in her arms. Holding a living creature was definitely going to take some getting used to…
As he drank, Ada then looked up at the window,'I know there's a barrier preventing me from getting out...But that sure as hell won't stop me from trying...I'll find a way out of here. One way or another…'
Suddenly, Samuel began whinging again.
"What is it this time? Don't tell me you're still hungry are you?" She then sniffed the air,"Oh...Dammit. Guess I'll have to change that…Just my luck…"
By now, Ada was starting to be glad she was infertile...because if this was what having kids was like, she was going to pass on it.
Gabriel narrowed their eyes as they brushed their hair, looking at themselves in the mirror as they brushed their platinum blonde hair down. Their eyes were a light blue with aqua eye shadow. They had visible eyelashes and though they weren't exaggerated or pronounced, they were still noticeable with their pale white complexion.
With androgynous leaning masculine build, they wore a blue-white suit with grayish high waisted pants.
They sighed as they brushed a strand that was out of place,"Can't be going out un-presentable now. I have to look absolutely perfect before I go out. Especially since I'm filling in for Micheal's absence…"
They then narrowed their eyes, the decision to exile Micheal was a hard one and the other angels weren't exactly overjoyed at making but they felt that exiling Micheal would serve as a reminder that his actions have consequences. When it came to the idea of releasing him, the angels hadn't agreed on a set number of days for how long he'd be banished but the others believed they should've let Micheal back ages ago but Gabriel remained adamant, saying that he wouldn't learn if they immediately took him back in…
Still, it had been almost two months and Gabriel couldn't help but wonder what their brother was doing. It wasn't like they were worried about Micheal getting hurt, but from time to time, they did feel a bit uneasy at Micheal being in such close proximity to Lucifer, especially given Lucifer's tendency of luring people to his side.
The only reason they weren't overwhelmed with paranoia about this was because it likely would've been on the news if Micheal had joined forces with Lucifer and since no sad news had come they decided to not engage until they believed it was time to take Micheal back in…
However, as Gabriel was about to leave the restroom, they suddenly felt something pulling them down out of nowhere. It was as if someone was forcibly dragging them away from the comforts of their home and Gabriel had no other option but to get dragged along for the ride.
When they landed, Gabriel looked around to see that they were in Hell. The smell of death and blood burned their nostrils, causing them to cover their nose,"Oh sweet heavens! By my father's name, why am I here!? I swear if the others pulled a prank on me I'm going to be so mad!"
Suddenly, they heard laughter behind them, a familiar laugh at that.
"Haha! Don't worry, my dear sibling! This isn't a prank!" Micheal crackles from behind, floating up from behind them with a 'welcoming' smile.
Gabriel took a step back. When they saw Micheal, they were horrified at what they saw. Micheal looked far more intimidating and monstrous than they had remembered him being.
"B-Brother, is that you?"
"Of course it's me!" He replied in a far too enthusiastic manner,"What's wrong, Gabriel? Don't you like my new STYLE? Don't I look dashing?" He said this while brushing his bangs back arrogantly, his gold eyes glistening in the light.
"Micheal...what happened to you?" Gabriel then frowned,"Don't tell me you let yourself get manipulated by Lucifer did you?"
Michael scoffed,"Do I look stupid to you? I'm not dumb enough fall for Lucifer's mind games. He's tried but I've always rejected his offer. In all honesty, Lucifer has nothing to do with this situation and I find it offensive you think I'd let Lucifer control me…"
"Then what is the reason for this, Micheal? Why have you summoned me here!? And how did you do such a thing anyway!? You were never one to use advanced magic!"
"Easy, I used this little Grimoire to summon you," He said, holding out the book momentarily,"It was fairly easy. All I had to do was draw a pentagram, light some candles and say your name and presto, you appeared. And don't play dumb, you know why," He retorted,"You and the others BANISHED me this godforsaken pit for one offense!"
"One offense? Micheal, you're not supposed to have children, especially with demons! And that demon was Lucifer's wife! You can't expect us to ignore something like that! Actions have consequences Micheal!"
"You didn't have to banish me!" He hissed,"It'd be one thing if I was banished, but you didn't even bother to tell me if I was allowed back in! You just left me to rot like I was garbage! You all have some nerve for treating me like that! After all the eons I've served in Heaven's light, the years I've spent upholding order and you all toss me out like I was nothing more than a piece of dirt! You ABANDONED ME TO ROT!"
"That's not true! We were planning on letting you out!"
"Oh really? How convenient! Could've said that earlier, don't you think!?" He asked sarcastically,"Oh well, not like it matters anyway! Because I'm planning on taking back the throne, however before I do that, I have to get rid of the opposition…"
"You can't be serious…"
"I'm dead serious," Micheal crackle,"After all, once I get rid of you, I just need to dispose of the others. And after you've been defeated, the barrier will be weakened just enough for me to break through and reconquer what is MINE! Heaven is my KINGDOM and I won't let you steal it away from me! My son's future will not be ruined because of the likes of you!"
Mortified, Gabriel asked,"Have you gone mad, Micheal!? What's happening to you? Has something corrupted your mind!? I can sense this foul presence inside you, you need help!"
"I don't need help, Gabriel, especially from you! In fact, you and the others have 'helped' me quite enough as it is!" He roared,"Honestly, it's getting old having people lecture me about 'needing help' when I've NEVER felt better! Before, I was too weak minded to imagine standing up to you, but now? Oh now, I'm MORE than ready to reclaim what's mine no matter the cost." His voice rose an entire octave,"Not only for myself, but for the sake of my SON! I will not allow anyone, not even YOU to stand between him and his rightful place at the throne!"
"Micheal, stop talking like that. This isn't you, please, let me help you and-Argh!" Gabriel narrowly dodged Micheal's incoming blade,"What was that for!?"
"Oh sorry, I just BORED listening to you try to 'reach out' to me. It's fairly dull and I got tired of it a few minutes ago," He admitted, wielding his twin swords in his hands with an overly calm smile,"And don't bother trying to call for help. I made sure that NOBODY from Heaven would come to your aid, meaning it's just you and me in this all, they can only be ONE ruler in Heaven! And that ruler shall be ME!"
Gabriel's eyes widened in horror when they saw their sibling charge at them with murderous intent. When he saw Micheal's eyes. Those weren't the eyes of the brother he knew and loved, no, those were the eyes of a sick and twisted monster who wanted nothing more than to claim the throne, even if it meant facing off against those he had swore to protect...
Thanks for 12,843 views, tell me what you think below!
I won't try to stretch this arc out, I'm gonna make sure to keep things just the right length for this arc so don't worry. Also if ya'll want a better description of Gabriel, go check out teamseraphicsins on twitter if you have it. Gabriel's design is displayed there and given the justice it deserves.
Enigmus-288: Yeah right now we have Semi-Possesed Micheal whose currently running on vengeance and a lust for the things his siblings stole away from him. Paranoid dick Lucifer is one thing, but Semi-Possesed Michael whose mind is currently focused on reclaiming the Heavens is legit everyone's worst nightmare.
Yeah God is kind of just reclining on his chair in vacay land somewhere in the galaxy sipping a smoothie and saying,"Should I check on my kids? Meh, they're going fine. I'm sure everyone's got things handled." while the others are screaming in terror as they scramble to fix the situation themselves.
