Chapter 14

Hope blinked blearily, trying to figure out why her head hurt and why her mind was cloudy. She groaned and made to get up, only to find that she was tied to a chair. A course rope was wrapped tightly around her chest and down her legs. A gag was tied around her mouth, a ratty cloth that tasted like it hadn't been washed in a long time. Hope tried to keep herself from throwing up, knowing that it could very well suffocate her, but it was difficult with the pounding in her head turning her stomach in knots. With trouble, she raised her head and tried to see where she was. It took a long time to process the sleek, shiny walls that held up the fancy penthouse over her head.

It took her a while to realize that one of the walls was a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf that had books that looked old.

Not as impressive as Aziraphale's own collection, but damn near enough that Hope would've been genuinely impressed.

There was a bar and a liquor shelf piled high with bottles. There was a shiny, grand piano that sat dead center of the floor.

The only thing missing were the inhabitants of the apartment. Both the demon Mazikeen was missing as well as Lucifer. Hope eyed the mess in front of her warily, noting that there was…. quite the amount of blood. The messenger wasn't particularly squeamish but she wondered just how she hadn't discorporated.

Figuring that she was just wasting time just sitting there, Hope started to struggle against her bonds. The rope, thankfully, was of the regular variety, but it tied far too tightly for the Messenger to break free and her mind was too foggy to miracle it off. She wondered if she even had the strength to miracle it off. She hissed as the rope chaffed against her skin and drawing blood in the process. Her eyes filled with tears as she dropped her head. Her heart fluttered in her chest like a frightened bird in a cage. Hope couldn't give up though.

She had to fight.

There was a dainty little ding that had Hope freezing up. The elevator door slid open, almost horrifyingly slow.

Hope sat still as she watched the doors open fully opened and a woman stepped out. Her eyes went wide at the look of the petite woman stepped out and glanced around, almost as though bored and uninterested. That is, until her dark brown eyes landed on Hope. The Messenger angel didn't know if this woman was an ally of Satan, seeing how the stench of Brimstone clung to her like a cloud, but the way worry shone in her eyes…

Hope stopped fighting against the restraints, fighting the restraints that cut her deeply, when the woman gently shushed her and pulled off her gag.

"Thank you. Thank you." Hope whispered as the woman untied her restraints. Her mouth was dry as the desert sand and her tongue felt like it weighted a couple of pounds heavier.

"Not a problem." The woman said. Her eyes shot up to meet Hope's. "What the hell is Lucifer thinking?"

That had Hope recoiling. "Wha…. you k-know him?!"

"Yeah. I do. Unfortunately."

The last part was muttered almost to where Hope couldn't hear. She stayed silent though as the last of the restraints were fell away. Hope stood quickly, instantly regretting it as the room titled. The woman quickly caught her arm as she dangerously tilted with the room and sat her down back on the chair. Hope wretched her arm out of the woman's gentle grip, glaring at her without too much heat. It was more of a curious glance as it processed what the woman had said. Her heart pounding in her chest, Hope stood shakily, pulling her arm away as the woman scanned her face quizzically.

"I…. know you, don't I?"

Hope's heart stopped. She remembered this woman, remembered her pulling her weapon out and defending the Adversary, remembered her coming to search her apartment. Hope took a step back, stumbling over the shattered glass and ignoring the pain that exploded on the soles of her feet. The woman held out her hands as if she was near the ledge of the railing behind her. Before more words were exchanged, the elevator gave another delicate ding!

And out stepped two beings.

Lucifer, the Adversary and the Deceiver.

Mazikeen, the Head Torturer of the Damned Souls of Hell and Right Hand of Satan.

Panic set in again and Hope backed up even more. The sensational looking, high-ranking demon stalked over to her as though she was a mouse and she had been caught in the sights of a hawk. Lucifer didn't stalk, more like sensually sashayed that would make any woman weak and vulnerable. Hope eyed both of them wearily, trying to get her body to hold herself up straight so that she could stare the two demons down with equal hate and malice. The petit woman, obviously human, just rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

"Okay. That's enough." She declared.

"Dear Detective, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Of course, you do. You're the definition of being dramatic."

Hope had to bite her tongue to keep from speaking. She took a step back, hoping beyond hope that she could sneak away while the woman (a human woman at that) scolded the Devil and his top Torturer to all hell. Unfortunately, all eyes flocked to her, even as she was preparing to turn and take to the skies. She damned herself for dropping her sword.

"Come, little pigeon." The devil cooed.

Hope's breath caught in her throat at that word, that taunt that most demons and some angels that have it out for her. She was back in the forest at Tadfield, surrounded by a betrayer and two horrid demons. Her mind went back to seeing Crowley above her as he was stabbed with a holy blade that would have, in any other situation, destroyed his very essence. She would've lost him and she would've been taken from Aziraphale forever.

"Stay away!" She shouted; the air was crackling with electricity. Lucifer stepped back, placing an arm around the human woman. "I will not be taken prisoner again!"

Something didn't feel right. The room titled suddenly too far to the left. But Hope kept herself straight, hoping that they wouldn't notice.

The woman, whom she had yet to know the identity, quickly pushed through the Devil's protective stance and stood in front, dead center. Her hands were held up in a placating gesture, as though she was trying to talk her off a ledge.

"I don't know what is going on here, but I'm going to need you to calm down."

"No." Hope shook her head. Her breathing was short. The room titled dangerously, and black spots appeared in her vision. "All I want is for Satan to return to Hell. So that me and my guardians may have a peaceful eternity."

"I'm sorry, my dear. But I won't be returning to that literal hellscape any time soon."

"I just want to go home." Her legs felt weak and her breathing strained. "I….I just want to be home with my guardians…..and my friends….they threaten us."

It was a strange sight to see, Lucifer's face twisting into a sympathetic expression, while beside him, Mazdikeen rolled her eyes.

"I assure you, Mazdikeen," she spat upon noticing the expression, "that I am above playing the sympathy card. Especially to the Devil himself."

"Who's threatening you?" The woman asked softly.

"No one that you would be able to protect me from," Hope whispered. She swallowed her fear and tried to recollect herself. She made eye contact with the Devil, despite the fear that curled inside her when doing so. "The Archangels…..Gabriel tasked me with finding and sending you back to hell. Otherwise, they would p-punish me, my friends and my family. I cannot go back to London until you are sent back. They'll destroy us if I don't succeed or if I abandon the mission. Either way, it's a lose-lose situation for myself."

"How so?" the human woman ventured.

Hope allowed herself a watery chuckle as she gestured to herself. "I am a Messenger, someone who has no business holding a sword. The Archangels knew what they were doing, setting me loose after the Devil and his Head Torturer. I wouldn't last a moment against the two of them."

"And yet you somehow could." Mazdikeen snarked. Hope nodded, suddenly not feeling like talking. She was tired, and hurting all over.

It was a wonder how she was still conscious.

Just then, her legs lost the strength to support her and she dropped to her knees. Hope cried out as she hit broken glass, the human woman rushing to her aid quickly. She stood shakily to her feet with the help of the woman, feeling the room turn and spin. Her breathing turned into shallow gasps as her ribs tried to heal themselves but couldn't. Too much movement, too much agitation and far too much demonic power around.

"Leave." she hissed as the human laid her on the couch. The woman started to clean her wounds, but she glanced up when she pointed towards the door.

"Get out you two." She ordered the devil and the torturer. Though she was delirious with pain, Hope was shocked to see both demons to move towards the door, both of them huffing and puffing as they went. Once they were gone, Hope breathed a bit easier, though she was still exhausted and weak. She sank deeper into the cushions of the couch while the human started to clean her wounds and gently pick out the glass that was embedded into her kneecaps.

"Tell me-eeee." She whispered, gasping in shock as the glass was plucked out. "How did a human get involved with the Devil?"

"That's a long story." The woman said with a chuckle.

Hope gritted her teeth as the woman pulled another, rather long piece of glass out of her knee. She took a moment to compose herself before saying, "I've got time."

"My name's Chloe, by the way."

"Hope."

"An angel named Hope…. interesting."

"You should see the others." Hope felt herself relax as the human, Chloe, finished pulling the last piece out and started to clean her legs up. Her eyes threatened to close but she kept talking, her words slurring, each one to the next, "Grace…. Joy…. Genesis…. Faith…."

She trailed off. Chloe seemed to notice but didn't make any comment as she finished dabbing on the last of the antibiotic onto her more visible wounds.

"Why don't you get some sleep? We'll figure everything else out when you're feeling a little better."

Hope nodded absently, hearing Aziraphale's words in the human's. But not a moment later, her eyes were closed and she was falling into a deep sleep.