Chapter 14
Michelangelo looked out at the darkened city and felt the rush of excitement he always did when he donned the clothes of his alter ego. He looked at the goddess at his side and felt the silent menace that rolled off of her dark waves of anticipation. Her eyes reflected in the dark like those of a cat, and watching her move was like watching a predator stalk its prey. She wore her predatory nature like a cloak, lovingly wrapped around her, or maybe it was that she let the cloak of humanity she wore for their benefit, fall.
The Silver Sentry landed next to him. "You wanted to talk Turtle Titan?" He asked.
Michelangelo nodded. "We wanted to talk to you about Dr. Malignus." He said gruffly trying to convey a sense of authority he rarely possessed. "Have you had any leads on where he is?" Michelangelo asked.
"Who is we?" The Silver Sentry asked curiously.
"This is my sidekick, The Harbinger." Michelangelo said proudly as he motioned to the still form of the goddess beside him. Her wings were folded under her cloak and her hood covered her ears, making her almost appear human...almost. Raphael's mask seemed to add a spectral glow to her skin which gave lie to the deception of her being anything remotely human.
The Silver Sentry looked at her doubtfully. "We aren't recruiting right now." He said stiffly.
Her pink lips rose in a smile. "Do not worry, I am only The Turtle Titan's. I have no interest in joining your group."
Michelangelo felt burning heat fill him when said that she was his. Even though he knew it wasn't what she meant, it still made him feel possessive of her.
The Silver Sentry looked at her. "Can she keep up?" He asked.
"I'd be more worried about not being able to keep up with her." Michelangelo said with a smile.
"If you say so." The Silver Sentry said turning his attention back to Michelangelo.
The goddess watched the skies, seemingly unconcerned with the conversation they were having.
"We have checked all of Dr. Malignus' hideouts." The Silver Sentry informed him. "But have come up empty. We will have to wait until he surfaces again."
"We are close to where he robbed that convenience store right?" Michelangelo asked.
"Yes, but he would be a fool to rob the same place twice." The Silver Sentry began.
"There is a disturbance four blocks over." The goddess said pointing in the direction of the convenience store.
The Silver Sentry looked at him. "Super hearing." He said lamely. The Silver Sentry took to the air, and the goddess watched him go.
She looked to him. "Do you want a lift or are you going to use your grappling hook?"
"I think I will run the rooftops." He said. She nodded and ran with him. They kept pace with The Silver Sentry in the sky. They stopped on the rooftop overlooking the convenience store which was on the other side of the street.
The Silver Sentry looked at them. "That's him alright." He said of the man who looked more insect than human.
"I suspect his inside probably matches his outside now." The goddess said grimly.
Dr. Malignus ran from the convenience store, stolen goods in hand. He ran down the street ducking into a nearby alley. The Silver Sentry leapt down to confront Dr. Malignus.
Michelangelo looked to his left where the goddess had been and discovered that she was no longer there.
"Dr. Malignus, your nights of crime will now come to an end." The Silver Sentry said heroically.
Michelangelo leapt down to land beside the Silver Sentry. Grappling hook in hand he stared at The Silver Sentry's archenemy who was gulping back slushes like they were going out of style.
"Whoa, what's with the slushes? First Twinkies, now slushes." Michelangelo asked in confusion.
Dr Malignus looked up and tossed the empty containers away. "Oh goody, fun." He said menacingly. Then he moved. One minute he was at the end of the alley, the next he hit the Silver Sentry in the stomach pushing him back and sending him flying into the wall.
"Ouch." Michelangelo winced. Then watched in horror as Dr. Malignus turned his attention towards him. Dr. Malignus' head turned one eighty while his body still faced the Silver Sentry. "Holy exorcist Batman." Michelangelo squeaked in terror. He turned and ran, trying to lead Dr. Malignus away from the Silver Sentry who was just beginning to pull himself from the wall.
The goddess appeared in front of him, and he had to screech to a halt so he didn't run into her. "Naughty, naughty." She purred. "Rule number one, human necks are not supposed to turn that way." She said as she crossed her arms over her ample chest.
Dr. Malignus ripped his mask off, leaving a slavering drooling maw that looked less than human. "More fun." He said as his body followed to line up again with his head.
"Erk" Michelangelo said frightened.
She advanced towards Dr. Malignus, he moved again, but then, so did she. He saw flashes of the combatants when they stilled, but everything else was more a sense of movement and flashes of colour. She seemed to be more on the defensive than offensive. She hadn't drawn her swords, so Michelangelo assumed that she was playing with him, and judging by the maliciously gleeful smile on her face, she was enjoying herself.
The Silver Sentry stood beside him and watched them fight. "Do you think you could convince her to join?" He asked.
Michelangelo shook his head. "I don't think The Harbinger is interested. I don't think she plays well with others." He said with a smile.
She stopped moving and looked at Dr. Malignus. "Well as much fun as that was I think play time is over." She said with a smile. She moved obviously faster than even Dr. Malginus could see because one minute he was standing close to the alley wall, the next he was pinned to it, blue sword sticking out of his heart. He looked at her in shock. "Who are you?" He whispered.
The Silver Sentry moved to stop her, but Michelangelo put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "He's fine. It's not Dr. Malignus that she wants, it's the demon inside him." He said with a shrug.
"Demon?" He asked.
"Long story." Michelangelo answered turning his attention back to the goddess and the demon.
She pulled her hood back and removed her mask. "Andora, Goddess of Magic" She said fangs bared into a silky sweet and deadly smile. "Of course you demons call me The Golden Goddess"
The demon began sobbing and babbling in a language that Michelangelo couldn't understand.
"As long as this sword remains you will be unable to jump bodies, so don't bother trying." She said as she slowly drew her other sword, the really creepy one. Menace leaked off of the sword and Michelangelo swore that the temperature in the alley dropped several degrees. Her wings rose from under her cape her tail slowly moving from side to side. "Now I should very much like some answers." She said sweetly while lovingly caressing the blade of her sword. He was shaking his head, and talking to her in that funny language again. "Oh I do so love a loyal demon, they are so rare nowadays." She grabbed him by the helmet and put her sword to his neck. "You see my poor sword hasn't tasted blood for a whole two months, and because you inhabit a human body it won't get to taste blood this night either. However, if you will notice the soul currently screaming within this blade, well, I think it may be lonely, and I would hate to disappoint the poor demon whose soul I have bound in here. He will possibly be a nice snack for later, and after all, two snacks are by far better than one."
"Who is this woman?" The Silver Sentry asked with fear in his voice.
Michelangelo looked at him and shrugged. "The Harbinger." He said.
The demon quivered and spoke again.
"Who is leading the rebellion?" She asked. He shook his head then squeaked when she pressed the sword closer. She then began talking in the same language the words flowing fast. He replied and nodded vigorously. She then pulled the sword from his body. Dr Malignus went limp as a red light floated out of his body. She caught it in her hand. She opened her clawed hands then blew on it. It disappeared.
"How can you trust what he said?" Michelangelo asked.
"I don't." She sheathed her swords and picked up Dr. Malignus as if he weighed nothing. She handed him over to The Silver Sentry. "He'll be fine...maybe...eventually. He was probably half crackers to start off with." She said with a shrug. "Thank you for your help." She said walking away.
"There's one thing I don't get." Michelangelo said as he followed her, leaving the stunned Silver Sentry in their wake.
"What's that?" She asked.
"Why Twinkies and slushes?"
'That's easy. They don't have sugary things in Hell. Too sweet, get it." She said with a smile. "Demons also can't stand the cold. Having a human body would enable him to drink a sugary sweet cold drink. Must have been like a little taste of heaven for him. Pardon the pun." She said laughing.
Michelangelo turned serious. "So now what?"
The goddess contemplated her the question before answering. "If there are demons running away from Hell, that means things are really bad. It is bound to spill over onto the mortal plain very quickly. The problem is I don't know what Heaven is doing about it. Heaven can't just send Angels into Hell and fight it out with them. Angels are at their weakest in Hell."
"How does that work?" He asked in confusion.
"Like me Heaven and Hell must always be in balance. You can't have the angels able to just go and bust down Hells door any time they feel like it. Same with Heaven, the further from Hell the demons get the weaker they get. Keeps the powers in balance. Heaven isn't too eager to war with Hell though, which is shown by the fact that they didn't attack when Hell was at its most vulnerable after my last visit." She paused in thought.
"What do you mean like you?" Michelangelo asked.
"I am the goddess of magic. Within me rages the forces of dark and light magic. I must always remain in balance. All of my feelings, all of my emotions must remain perfectly in check. No anger, no love, no happiness, no sadness, all emotions within me have to remain shuttered up. At least they normally had to be. Cut off from my godhood like I am, I haven't had to worry about being consumed by the evil, or going all evil as I like to think of it. For the first time in a millennia, I have actually been able to...feel something." She whispered.
"Going all evil? And what do you mean feel something?" Michelangelo asked. An ill feeling washing over him.
"If I felt anything, any strong emotion at all, I could end up losing myself. I am powerful enough to destroy worlds Michelangelo. I have gone bad before and the experience was not pleasant. Don't misunderstand, I was not emotionless. I could be happy, but not joyous, I could be angry, but not livid, I could experience love, but not be in love."
"What do you mean you have gone bad before? Are we talking like..." He began.
She laughed cutting him off. "Much worse than when the Silver Sentry was manipulated by those robotic bugs." She said to him. "I consumed a demon soul, which threw me out of balance. I was...newer then, and I was not able to control what it did to me. I lost who and what I was and almost destroyed the Warrior Legions of Heaven. Luckily I regained my balance and destroyed most of Hell's Legions instead, but the point is...The darkness always wishes for something." She said softly as she looked up into the night sky.
They walked in silence on the way home. Her face became more grim the closer to home they got. She had always seemed so controlled with her emotions. She was emotional, but now he realized now that she had been slowly changing. Her emotions were now more open. He looked at her grim face and thought about not being able to feel anything. No strong emotions, no joy, no real love; going through a thousand years of not feeling anything. But why was it only the past thousand years? He wondered. The only thing she said had happened was...her guardians had died and she had almost been...He felt ill. Something had obviously happened to her when her guardians had died. He thought to himself.
He shook these thoughts from his mind pulling her to a stop before they entered the lair. She looked at him curiously. Michelangelo pulled off his cowl and looked at her earnestly. He gathered his courage to say what he had to. "I know you don't love me like you do Raph or Donny, probably even Leo. I could never compete with them, I'm just the goofball. But I just wanted to tell you, before you chose one of them, that I love you." He whispered as he touched her cheek lightly. Her skin felt like the softest velvet and he memorized the feel because he knew that he would never feel it again. He turned and walked towards the entrance of the lair before he could see the expression on the goddess' face.
He felt her grab his arm stopping him. He turned to face her, expecting a rejection. "Never sell yourself short Michelangelo. You are so much more than just the goofball of the group." She touched his face lovingly, brushing her lips across his. "But we have more pressing concerns."
"What like the Apocalypse? Pssht. No problem. I eat Apocalypses for breakfast every second morning." He said with a smile, trying to cover up his confusion. He looked at her as a flash of something crossed her face and she suddenly went limp. He grabbed onto her, surprised at the delicacy of her body. She shook her head as if trying to clear it.
"Are you okay?" He asked with concern. She was silent then shook her head negative. "Donny's blood hasn't been enough has it?" He asked.
She looked at him in shock, then smiled. "Comic book theory?"
"Monster movie theory." He corrected her. "Donny's been pale, tired, and gulping down iron pills like there's no tomorrow. And the only vampire I know is you, so I figured he had been feeding you." He paused as a thought struck him. "Leo found out didn't he? That's why he has been going nuts since yesterday." She nodded. He touched her face. "You need more blood don't you?" He asked.
"If you knew Donny was feeding me then why didn't you say anything?" She asked instead. He made a mental note not to drop the question.
He shrugged. "It wasn't any of my business."
She smirked at him. "You need more blood don't you?" She turned her head away.
"I am starving." She whispered. "It has taken more blood to heal the wounds the Syna gave me than I had thought possible. I haven't taken that much blood from Donatello , but I guess I never had to deal with only my ability to heal as a vampire, as opposed to healing with my magical abilities."
"The Binding." Michelangelo said, voice worried. He had forgotten about the Binding that cut her off from her godhood. It's not like he actually forgot, but, he supposed he just didn't really think about it. But a slow dread seemed to seep into him.
She shrugged. "We have demons to worry about Michelangelo." She said to him.
He tried to turn his thoughts to demons, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was avoiding the subject of her Binding. He walked with her into the lair, his mind too full of too many frantic thoughts.
He glanced up and watched as Raphael walked over to the goddess. She looked up at him, but looked distracted. Donatello and Leonardo chose that moment to walk up to them.
Raphael pulled the goddess into an embrace, stroking her face gently. "Well?" Raphael asked.
Michelangelo looked at Raphael and felt a twinge of jealousy, This was followed by overwhelming guilt as he remembered that moments ago the goddess had kissed Michelangelo outside of the lair. The enormity of her kissing him rolled over him and he realized that he had gone behind his brother's back and told the girl his brother loved, that he was in love with her.
She shook her head oblivious to his inner turmoil.. "Hell is embroiled in a civil war."
"So now what?" Raphael asked as he moved around behind her pulling her into him. She looked up at him, her face worried.
Michelangelo looked at his brothers. Donatello looked hurt and Leonardo looked fit to explode with jealousy. Michelangelo closed his eyes in despair. We are so screwed. He thought to himself. They were all in love with her, and three out of four brothers were going to have their hearts ripped out, if she even decided to choose one of them.
Michelangelo tore himself away from his gloomy thoughts and turned his attention back to the goddess.
"I don't want to get involved, I'm not in any sort of condition to be involved, but I can't just sit back and do nothing..." She ran a clawed hand through her hair. "I need to think." She broke away from Raphael and began to pace. She stopped and looked at them, an inscrutable expression on her face. "Lucifer is in trouble." She whispered almost to herself. She seemed upset about this. "He doesn't know who the traitor is, which means that the rebels are probably waiting for the perfect moment to kill him." A look flashed over her face, worry mixed with something else.
"What I don't understand is why you want to help the Devil?" Michelangelo said crossing his arms.
"If Lucifer dies, the Apocalypse will start. I can't let anything happen to him." She said finally. She paused in thought. "I need to go." She said reaching a decision.
"Where are you going?" Donatello asked in worry.
"To find an angel, or a demon, there must be a few running around somewhere." She turned and walked slowly from the lair.
Raphael looked at his brothers and shrugged. They had no choice but to wait until she came back. "What happened Mikey?" Raphael asked.
Michelangelo looked surprised. "What happened when?" He asked trying to get his thoughts in order and not look as guilty as he felt.
"What do you mean when? When you found the demon, or has that cowl you wear melted your brain?" Raphael asked.
"Right that." Michelangelo said as he rubbed his head, distracted. He looked at Raphael, a new wave of guilt crashing over him. Raphael thought that the goddess had chosen him, and if that was true, why had she kissed him? He pulled his thoughts together and answered Raphael's question. "We found the demon. She fought with him and she managed to pin him to the wall with that blue blade of hers. She was asking him who the traitor was but, I don't really know, they started talking in a funny language and I couldn't understand them."
"So what's this angel going to tell her that the demon didn't." Raphael asked.
Michelangelo shrugged. "She wants to know what Heaven is going to do about the war, but she doesn't think that it will be much."
"So what, Heaven won't help her, protect her in any way?" Raphael asked angrily.
Michelangelo shrugged. "I guess that is why she needs to talk to an angel." He looked at Raphael. "Raph," He began. Raphael looked at him. Michelangelo lost his nerve. "Never mind." He finally said. Raphael looked at him questioningly, but Michelangelo just shook his head. Raphael left his brothers in frustration. Michelangelo looked at Raphael's retreating back. He looked angry, frustrated...and scared.
Michelangelo followed Donatello into his workroom. "Oh, hey Mikey, what's up?" Donatello asked as he walked to his workbench. "She hasn't chosen Raph." He said leaning against the workbench, arms crossed staring at the other wall.
Donatello stilled then began picking up bits and pieces of scrap. "Yes she has Mikey." He answered softly, his voice laced with hurt.
Michelangelo was quiet for a few minutes. "So what's it like to have her bite you?" Donatello dropped a piece of metal and blushed. Donatello looked at him wide eyed. "So how good does it feel, because I am assuming it feels good by that blush." Donatello got redder. "Wow that good huh? Are we talking first base, second base or...wow third base good. So let me get this straight, Raph just managed to get to first base, and you have been sitting on third for about a month now."
"It..it's not like that Mikey." Donatello managed to stutter out.
"No? Then how is it like?"
"Her bite feels good Mikey, but I haven't touched her, not in that way."
"Have you kissed her?" Michelangelo asked.
Donatello was silent, then shook his head. "And you think she has picked Raph?"
"She won't take my blood anymore." Donatello whispered.
"Cause she doesn't want to kill you. Besides she just kissed Leo just before we left. You should have seen Leo's face. Raph didn't see of course."
"What do you mean she just kissed Leo?" Donatello asked shocked.
"I could see what happened. It was when Leo was threatening her to make sure she looked after me. He was right there in her face so she just kissed him, very lightly. Leo didn't know what to do, just backed off, but he kinda had this look on his face, like...I don't know...like he was conflicted." He paused in thought. "Then she just kissed me before we came into the lair." He whispered. Donatello looked at him in shock. "It wasn't a big kiss Donny so quit looking at me like that." He said with a wave of his hand. "I'm worried about her Donny." Michelangelo said, finally getting around to what he had to talk to Donatello about. He had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with Goddess.
"She needs more blood," Michelangelo began. "But she won't take anymore. She said that she is starving, so why isn't she taking my blood, or Raph's blood? When I asked her about her Binding, she changed the subject."
"So we need to ask her about this Binding when she gets back." Donatello said to him.
"Yah, if she doesn't manage to find some way around answering us." Michelangelo grumbled. He then told Donatello everything she had told him about the balance between Heaven and Hell, and her own internal balance, her having been unable to actually feel any strong emotions and her consuming the demon soul that had thrown her out of balance once.
"If you had gone a thousand years without being able to feel, anything, then suddenly you were able to indulge in all of the emotions you were never able to, what do you think would happen?" Donatello asked.
Michelangelo shook his head. She was still very controlled, but it might go a little way to explaining why she had kissed him, and Leonardo, maybe even why she let Raphael kiss her. He looked at Donatello worriedly.