(3) Finding A Long Lost Friend

It had been a month since Jonathan had appeared at last. Mark had spent the last half of it with Dianne. He had been unable to return home since a suicide bomber had blown up half the block where his house now lay in shambles. He had only gone back for a moment to retrieve one thing. The feather naturally, had survived the blast.

Mark now sat with Dianne in the living room, late one night. She was curled up in the arm chair while Mark sat across from her on the sofa. Between them lay the shining feather atop the small coffee table. Dianne stared at it in silence; thinking over the fantastic story Mark had just finished telling her about their friend, Jonathan.

"Well?" Mark ventured after several moments of silence. "Say something."

"What?" Dianne tore her eyes from the feather. "What am I supposed to say? How should I answer? You brought that ma—that...You brought Jonathan into our lives so many years ago. You took off with him, leaving your home you had with your sister, hanging out with him all those years & then he suddenly disappears. You know, Leslie & I like him just fine but we often wondered why you two were always off together. What you were doing. Let me tell you, some of the theories we came up with were pretty wild."

"Ohh well," Mark shrugged. "Jonathan & I got that a few times. All I can say is, don't judge what you don't know."

"An angel, Mark?" Dianne spoke over him. "Isn't that something you tell kids so they won't be scared at night?"

Mark stared at her. He had to get through to her. Time was running out. "Yes, he is an angel. Really." he said simply.

"He was our friend for years," Dianne went on. "Why didn't he tell any of us?"

"Well it isn't something he broadcasted loudly," said Mark. "When he first told me, all I wanted to do was lock him up & keep him away from Leslie." He laughed softly at the memory. "I didn't like him at all but then stuff happened. Like the steak in the fridge. Or getting Leslie to come out of her shell & the way he just tossed those guys aside that were beating me up. Unhuman strength." He picked up the feather & looked it over. "At the time, all I saw was maybe a different life from the one I was drinking myself out of. I figured that if nothing else, he was at least harmless. Thought I'd give it a shot to hang out with him. Things just took off from there." He pocketed the feather & leaned back. "He really is what he said he was back then."

Dianne scoffed under breath, looking away. She slowly got up, leaning on the armchair for a moment before moving once more. "There's something different about you Mark. Did you have a surgery or something? That cataract you had on one eye is gone."

Mark hesitated, buying time as he stood up. He moved easily, without the confining problems old age brought. His hair & beard were still snow white & he still had some wrinkles though not as much as before, but he felt half his age again. "Jonathan came to me a few weeks ago," He began. "He showed me something & said the Boss was giving me a choice."

"The Boss," Dianne repeated. "You mean God?" Mark nodded silently. "Where's your cane?"

"I don't need it anymore."

"Mark, you have a really bad leg."

"Not anymore."

Dianne started at him. "What's happened to you?"

Mark thought over what he would say. She would either accept it or not. "You might want to sit down again." Dianne was about to protest but Mark sent her a withering look. She slowly sat down again & then finally, he told her.

"So," Mark finished half an hour later. "I've accepted to be part of that number."

Dianne was staring at him. "Never to die. You really believe that? No don't answer. I already know that you do."

"You don't?"

"I don't know what to believe right now!" Dianne shouted at him. "You're telling me you've walked with angels. That the world is nearly ended. That you won't die. That God is coming back? All in a short time?"

Mark raised his hands. "It's a lot to absorb, I know."

"A lot?" Dianne echoed scathingly. "Supposedly no one even knows when He comes back."

"Well, we know not the hour," said Mark. "But anyone can take a look around & see that this world is nearly finished. It's called the beginning of sorrows. Besides, He & Jonathan told me!"

"Yes, yes I know," Dianne shushed him. "Sometime in your lifetime."

"That's all they said," Mark tried again. "I don't know the exact hour any more than you, only that it is soon."

Dianne stood up again, slightly faster than before. "I really need to think about this. I'm going to bed."

Mark let her walk by him. "Do you want me to help you up the stairs? I can do that now." Dianne just glared at him but allowed him to take her arm & guide her up stairs to her room. He helped her into bed then left, closing the door.

Dianne heard him move about for a few minutes, then another light switch off. He had gone to bed as well. She lay awake, staring at the ceiling for most of the night. About four in the morning, Dianne shook herself from a light doze, blinking in brilliant light.

"Hi Dianne."

She stared at the object of light at the foot of her bed. "What..."

"It's me, Jonathan Smith. Remember me?"

"I remember," Dianna gasped. "But he looked different."

"I didn't have my wings then," Jonathan rustled the feathers, letting all four wings extend. Dianne gaped at him. "You should listen to your cousin. What Mark told you is true. Scott & Todd say hi by the way. They miss you. Scott can walk again now."

"He can?"

"Of course. No pain or sorrow or death in heaven."

"Right …." Dianne sat up, swinging her legs over the edge. "Right."

"I have to go back up," Jonathan said. "Tell Mark I'll see him in three days."

"Three days?" Dianne looked back where the light was, but it was gone. She sat in stunned silence for a moment, then got out of bed completely. "Mark? MARK!"

Three days later found Mark pacing the balcony at the back of the house with Dianne sitting on the loveseat swing by the wall. The entire porch was covered, keeping off a hard rain. Mark turned & slowly made his way back to the seat. "What's taking so long? He's going to pop out of nowhere. I just know it. I hate it when he does that!"

"Mark, calm down," Dianne ordered as Mark had reached her, turned & started his way back.

Mark stopped & turned to look at her. "You believe me now, don't you?"

"I saw him with his wings," Dianne admitted.

Mark was about to say something when a voice sounded behind him. "Are you ready, Mark?" Jonathan asked as his light chased away the gloom of the rainstorm.

"ARGH!"

"Never gets old," Jonathan doubled over in laughter.

"He he he," Mark mock laughed as he snarled, "What do you want?"

The light surrounding Jonathan dimmed & his wings folded up behind him, then seemed to disappear with the light. Jonathan appeared almost human again, dressed in white. "The Boss is allowing me to appear human for this."

"Now that is the face I remember," said Dianne.

"May I borrow him?" Jonathan put a hand on Mark's shoulder, ignoring the dark look still smouldering in his eyes. "We have to go pick up an old friend."

"Oh really?" Mark derided, still grumpy. "Just what I need. Another one of your kind to jump out at me."

"Oh it's not another angel," Jonathan assured, still snickering, pushing the disgruntled human through the door.

"So who are we meeting?" Mark asked as they stepped into the street out front, still wet from the passing storm.

"Not who. More of a what," said Jonathan. "You were looking at cars last week."

"I can drive again," said Mark. "I'm going to need one to get out of the city soon enough it seems. They're talking about martial law if you can believe it."

"I believe it," Jonathan said. "It's all the start of the New World Order that's coming. Soon you won't be able to buy a car, let alone the fuel for it."

Mark stopped walking, shocked. "I didn't think of that. Although I was considering maybe one of those electric cars. They run by computer."

"Oh sure & be tracked by the Order with that built in GPS."

Mark stopped walking again. "Didn't think of that one either!"

"This is why the Boss sent me down," said Jonathan. "He has a good untrackable car in mind for you." Jonathan led Mark down two blocks & into a small parking lot behind a store. Several cars were parked there. "Pick one."

"What?"

"Go on," Jonathan smiled at him. "Pick one. Any one."

"But I can't take another person's car!"

"You won't," Jonathan said mysteriously.

"So none of them are traceable?"

"Oh they all are," said Jonathan. "All except one."

"How am I supposed to know which one then?" Mark complained.

"Go have a look. You'll know."

Mark wandered between the two rows of parked vehicles. All looked rather modern; though, Mark wasn't exactly paying attention at the moment. "Just one time Boss," He complained under breath. "Just once. I'd like to get him for all the times he's just popped up. Whatever happened to an eye for an eye or, you know, a wing for wing?" He fell silent at the single loud thunderclap. A hard rain fell from a cloud that had formed directly above him, drenching him. "Cute Boss. Real cute." When the rain cleared, he decided to focus on the vehicles at last & was about to rethink over which of them he would take, but as he got to the end, a silver one caught his eye. It was a very old model, built by Ford. "Uh ...Jon?"

The angel walked up beside him. "Is that the one you want?"

"But...but I …it was cru..."

"Jason Brook was the one who took it away to be crushed," said Jonathan. After a dramatic beat of silence, he simply stated, "He's an angel."

"Ohh," Mark could only stare at his old familiar car.

"We brought it up for safe keeping," Jonathan walked around the front of the old car, knocking on its hood. "It's all different under here & it runs on distilled water now."

"Water?" Mark exclaimed, putting a hand on the driver's side door.

"Yeah you can get that anywhere," Jonathan said. "Even make it yourself." He tossed some keys across the hood to Mark. "Speaking of water, you're all wet." Mark glared at him.

They both got in, Mark shaking himself in disbelief. He was sitting in his old car again & she looked almost new. He backed out & turned the car towards Dianne's home. "Almost like old times again," He remarked to Jonathan.

"Just for today," Jonathan twisted around in the seat to grab something from the back. "By the way, the Boss wanted you to have this." He held up a flat square package.

Mark parked the car in front of Dianne's house before taking the package. He dropped it into his lap & stared out the windshield. "How am I supposed to do this?"

"How did things go with Dianne last night?"

"She didn't believe me until you showed up."

"Blessed are they who have not seen, yet believe."

"So what, I'm supposed to be a preacher now? Where does the Boss expect me to get ordained?"

Jonathan burst out laughing. "He already has ordained you, along with one hundred forty three thousand & nine hundred ninety nine others." He opened the door to get out. "You do what you did with Dianne. Bring people back to the straight & narrow."

Mark got out as well. "First things first. Get out of the city."

"The Boss already has a place established for you & anyone who wants to follow."

"Where?"

"You'll find it when the time is right."

Mark looked up the stairs to the door. "Will I see you again before the end?"

"Oh I'll drop in from time to time," Jonathan teased.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Mark groused, heading up the stairs. He entered alone since Jonathan had already gone back up. He sat on the sofa & opened the package to find a folded silver-ish cloak. It felt soft as velvet.

"Where did you go off to?" Dianne asked when she noticed Mark sitting alone, the cloak draped about his shoulders.

Mark stood up quickly. "We need to leave."

"Leave? Why?"

"There is talk of martial law," Mark began. "We don't want to be stuck in the cities. The government is going to control everyone eventually, using that microchip we've been hearing about."

"I was thinking about getting one."

"NO!" Mark yelped. "No you can't!"

"Mark, it will keep track of my medical condition & alert someone if I have a problem."

"It will keep track of a lot more than that," said Mark. "It was predicted thousands of years ago. If you get that chip… I … We won't…"

"Does this have something to do with Jonathan?"

Mark stared at her long & hard. Whatever his answer would be will either save her or lose her. "Yes," he replied simply.