I did a lot of research for this chapter, and by research, I mean I watched quite a few documentaries and read some articles on what might have happened. I picked my favorite theories and ran with them. Any historical inaccuracies are completely my own fault and were deliberately placed there to improve the dramatic nature of this chapter.

HYPERCANE

"The sea is boiling, Gabriel!"

"The ocean floor was on fire!"

"Gabriel, the land is flooded!"

"Forests are burning!"

"The animals are dying, Gabriel!"

"What do we do?"

"Gabriel!"

"What do we do!?"

Gabriel stood at the very peak of a mountain on the opposite side of the Earth from the disaster unfolding. His Seraphim flickered in and out of existence around him, trying frantically to direct their garrisons to gain some semblance of control while simultaneously reporting their failures to him and begging for direction. Earth was the domain of Gabriel's choir, and every minute he stood silent was another minute the world burned.

Cariel stood by Gabriel's side, trying to control the press of angels, keeping them away from their motionless choirmaster, but Gabriel could feel even his trusted lieutenant shooting him worried glances. A massive rock had slammed into the ocean less than an hour ago, and already, the entire choir could feel the Earth's screams of pain. Despite this, Gabriel had not moved once since the impact. Aside from a deep groan when the rock struck the planet, Gabriel had not made a sound. His eyes were fixed on the clouds from the far side of the planet, distant, focused, listening to something no one else could hear.

The Earth had changed immensely since Gabriel had stood with one of his fledgling brothers at the edge of an ocean, watching a solitary fish make the first trudge out of the waves. That one fish had become millions of creatures, from tiny furry rodents to towering reptiles. The land had pulled apart, creating multiple oceans between the continents. The green fuzz of early plants had shot up, reaching for the sun. Gabriel's angels had settled in, blanketing the planet in their presence. Zachariah's garrisons, especially the new Cherubim-filled ones, focused on the living creatures, encouraging their favorites to grow and multiply, shutting down less-favorable branches of evolution. Barachiel's concentrated on the planet itself, sculpting and shaping the surface with winds and water and heat. Jeremiel's had turned their attentions to the plants. Cariel's garrisons had risen above the rest, keeping everything organized and moving smoothly.

And now a huge rock had smashed through all their work, shattering the fragile balance Gabriel's choir had maintained for millions of years. They turned to Gabriel for answers, and Gabriel turned to his Father, but God was silent.

"Gabriel?"

Cariel's quiet voice was accompanied by a touch to Gabriel's arm. The Archangel started abruptly, turning his gaze to the Seraph. "Yes?"

"Do you have any revelation for us?"

Cariel's Dominions made a ring around Gabriel, their wings outstretched, holding back the pleading Seraphim. Only Cariel was inside the ring with him, and only Cariel looked to Gabriel without expectation of answers. Gabriel's wings flexed and tucked against his back before he gave a little shake of his head. God had given him no guidance for this.

"Gabriel!" Sammael slammed into the mountainside next to his brother, three of his Seraphim touching down beside him. "What is going on here? Your whole choir's drained out of Heaven, and the Earth is shuddering!"

Sammael's choir was one for excess. While Michael managed Heaven, Raphael the Borderlands, and Gabriel Earth, Sammael's choir existed solely to supplement his brothers'. He had no one domain for himself, but rather, he inserted his angels wherever they were needed.

Gabriel was never more grateful to see his older brother. If he hadn't been surrounded by his own Seraphim, he would have flung himself straight into Sammael's arms. Sammael always made everything better. "Sammael… I… the Earth was hit by a rock."

"A giant rock," Cariel muttered, as if that made a difference, though he gave a miniscule bow to the new Archangel. Sammael ignored Cariel to focus on Gabriel.

"How can a rock cause this much distress?" Sammael asked, cocking his head to the side uncomprehendingly.

"It was bigger than all the Archangels together," Gabriel said. "It caught fire as it fell, and it slammed into the ocean. The tidal wave alone has stripped miles of land completely bare. The heat is making the sea boil above the impact and igniting the plants. Storms are forming, and just the lightning from those is concerning, much less the wind and rains."

"So we put out the fires and cool the sea." Sammael gave a firm nod. "That shouldn't be too hard."

"I don't think you understand," Gabriel said weakly. "This is… it's already wiped out a massive portion of life from the impact zone, and looking ahead…" He tilted his head back, staring up at the sun. "Within a week, most of the world will be dead."

"So we stop it."

"I don't think you understand!" Gabriel repeated, whirling around to face his brother, his hands clenched into fists. "Father isn't saying anything!"

Sammael took a step back, his wings flaring in shock. "He's… not?"

Gabriel shook his head, reaching up to press his hands against his face. "Ordinarily, Father gives me some direction when a cataclysm strikes the Earth. Even just a feeling of approval when I've chosen the path He most wants. This time… nothing. He wants nothing from us."

"He wants us to watch the world burn?"

Gabriel lifted his thoughts back to Heaven, trying to reach his Father again. This was much harder when he was surrounded by other angels. Ordinarily, seeking revelation was a solitary, meditative activity. Gabriel had to force his awareness of his brothers away. Distantly, he could hear Cariel snapping at the other Seraphim to shut up, just shut up already!

Father?

There, just there, on the very edge of Gabriel's awareness, he could feel the brightness that signaled his Father's presence. He stretched his grace as much as he could, trying to connect with the light. Father, please! No matter how far he reached, his Father stayed just ahead of him, refusing to reach back and enfold Gabriel in His warm love.

Gabriel's grace faltered and faded, and Gabriel shrank back from the absolute indifference projecting from his Father. Never before had he been so shunned by his Father. Is this what You want, Father? Do You want the winds to rage, the world to burn, the animals to die?

God's answer, when it came, was deafening. Gabriel snapped out of his revelation, falling back with a scream of pain, clutching at his head. Only Sammael and Cariel diving to catch him kept him from tumbling off the mountain.

YES.

Gabriel hung limply between Sammael and Cariel's hands, aware of the absolute silence surrounding him. Not one of his angels or Sammael's were speaking. They were all frozen in fear at the sight of a collapsed Archangel. Gabriel's head throbbed, and he couldn't find the coordination to move his limbs or even twitch a wing. His vision was spotted with black, and his spirit prickled with specks of pain. God had shouted into his mind, the force of His voice scouring him raw from the inside out.

"Fetch Raphael. Go now. Hurry!"

Sammael was speaking. Gabriel was only dimly aware of his brother's voice. He gave a whine as two warm hands drew away from him, and the other two cooler ones lowered Gabriel to the ground, cradling his head gently.

"Gabriel? Gabriel, look at me. Little brother, focus on me."

Cool hands wrapped around the sides of Gabriel's face, and Gabriel could make out the shape of Sammael kneeling over him. He managed to twitch one of his hands, but that sent a spike of pain ricocheting throughout Gabriel's whole spirit and he cried out again.

"Who's next in charge here?" Sammael snapped. "You and you! Get back to Heaven, prepare his tower for his return. You three go with mine, keep an eye on the disaster. All the rest of you, clear out! Give us space!"

Gabriel whined at Sammael's raised voice, turning his head in to press against Sammael's cool chest. Sammael was always the coldest of the angels, while Gabriel burned the hottest, but right now Sammael's coolness helped to numb some of the agonizing pain that lanced through him.

Two bright comets of grace slammed down on the mountaintop: Raphael and Michael. Sammael growled, sheltering Gabriel with his arms and wings. A third landed much more gently than the Archangels: Cariel, anxiously peering around the mass of wings to see Gabriel.

"What happened?" Michael demanded, pushing Sammael's wings open. Gabriel whined and managed to lift a hand toward Michael. Michael was here now. Michael always made things right again. Gabriel's oldest brother caught his hand and squeezed gently. "Sammael, what happened to him?"

"I don't know," Sammael admitted quietly. "He was trying to speak with Father about what was happening here on Earth, and he just screamed out and fell."

"If Father hurt him, I can't help," Raphael pointed out blandly, finally moving to kneel beside Gabriel. His grace was absolutely impassive as he pulled his twin into his lap. One hand pressed against the side of Gabriel's face, and Gabriel tried to twitch away from the uncomfortable pressure. "What Father does should not be undone by angels."

Gabriel didn't want to be in Raphael's arms. He wriggled and hissed in pain with each movement, but he reached determinedly for Michael and Sammael. His oldest brothers exchanged a look above him, and Gabriel huffed, upset at their silent communication.

A new pair of hands slipped in to cradle his head, and Gabriel rolled back enough to see Cariel crouched behind him. "You need to stay still, Boss," Cariel said, smoothing his thumbs over Gabriel's face. "I know you think Raphael's a pompous jackass, but he's also the best Healer in all of Heaven."

"You presume quite a bit, Seraph." Raphael's voice was a low rumble, threatening and dangerous. Michael and Sammael remained silent, though Gabriel could tell even from this angle that they were watching.

Cariel didn't back down from Raphael. His fingers didn't even twitch against Gabriel's spirit as he calmly met the more powerful angel's gaze. "It's no secret you and Gabriel hate each other. I'm only echoing his own words. He's said far worse to your own face."

"Car…" Gabriel managed to murmur half of his Seraph's name, and he stretched one wing up to brush against Cariel's arm. If Cariel got himself blown away by Raphael's temper now…

Cariel softened as Gabriel called to him, looking down at his fallen choirmaster. "If you behave for Raphael, so will I."

Gabriel sighed, losing his strength to hold his wing up. He gave Cariel a little nod and drooped in Raphael's lap, submitting to his brother's ministrations.

"I should smite you where you stand," Raphael muttered to Cariel, but Michael reached in to place a restraining hand on his arm.

"You won't, because he's managed to get Gabriel to behave, a feat none of us have managed." Michael's tone was light, trying to gentle his brothers. "Raphael, do what you can for him. Sammael, keep an eye on things here. You, Cariel? Don't let him move again until Raphael says it's okay." Michael gave Gabriel's hand one more gentle squeeze before passing it over to Sammael and rising up.

"Where are you going?" Sammael demanded, curling his fingers around Gabriel's.

"I'm going to see what's going on with Earth." Michael was already looking over to the west. "We can't assume it will take care of itself while we all fuss over Gabriel."

"No…" Gabriel shook his head against Cariel's hands, trying to reach for Michael, but Raphael's hands were back on him again, one pressed against the side of his head, the other touching his throat, over his core. Gabriel could feel his brother pressing energy into him, soothing healing grace that numbed the pain and turned the inside of his head fuzzy instead of feeling scraped clean. "Father… He said… no…" The last thing Gabriel remembered seeing were Cariel and Sammael's faces, bent over him, Seraph and Archangel looking concerned.

When Gabriel opened his eyes again, he was faced with a wall of red glass. His wall. In his tower. In Heaven. He sat up slowly, pushing his wings aside where they had been draped over his spirit. He still felt sluggish, like none of his limbs wanted to obey his mind, but at least nothing hurt. Pain was rare among the angels, and none of them liked it. The younger angels, the Cherubim and Angels, tended to get hurt the most. Archangels rarely had more than a brief twinge of discomfort at the worst. Their grace was strong enough to shelter them from most forms of damage.

Grace apparently counted for nothing in the face of their Father's rage. Gabriel winced, raising a hand to his head in memory of the agony that had been just one word shouted from God.

"You're awake!"

Jolted from his reminiscing, Gabriel looked up sharply at his visitor. Cariel stood in the doorway to his room, holding a silver bowl. The Seraph rushed forward, dropping to his knees beside Gabriel to peer up anxiously into his face. "Are you still hurt? Raphael said he did all he could…"

"No, nothing hurts." Gabriel let his hand drop, looking around slowly. "I just feel very slow. How did we end up here?"

"Sammael carried you back, once Raphael said there was nothing else he could do." Cariel set the bowl aside and rested his hands lightly on Gabriel's knees. "He has been alternating between spending time with you here and helping Michael on Earth. Raphael is there too. They've been trying to battle massive storms spawned by the rock that fell last week, but…" Cariel lowered his gaze and his wings. "We're losing, Gabriel. The sun… it's managed to cook the Earth. Almost all life has been utterly destroyed. Just a few things that live in the ground or deep in the oceans have survived this far. I'm sorry. We've been doing all we can, but even the Archangels are powerless in the face of this disaster."

Gabriel pressed his hands to his face and shook his head. "I need to tell them… Father told me to stop. He said He wanted the Earth to die."

"He wouldn't…"

"It's why I fell," Gabriel admitted, pushing himself off the low cot he had been lying on. Where had that come from? "He was so angry, Cariel. Michael always said we should never test our Father for fear of His wrath, but I never thought…"

"Sit down." Cariel grabbed at Gabriel's arms and pulled him back onto the cot. Gabriel felt too weak to resist. The presence of his wings pulled him back, his head bumping lightly against the wall behind him. "I'll let them know. You stay here and rest."

"Thank you, Cariel," Gabriel murmured, his eyes slipping closed again. "What would I do without you?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Gabriel felt Cariel's grace press close against his, brushing over his face in a gentle caress. Gabriel turned into the gesture of comfort but did not open his eyes. He barely heard the rustle of Cariel's wings before losing track of the universe again.

The next time Gabriel awoke, it was to the sound of two of his brothers singing softly. Michael and Sammael. He recognized their unique harmony even before he opened his eyes and saw them sitting together beside him. Michael was holding Gabriel's hands between his, leaning forward slightly, his wings trailing behind him. Sammael sat at Michael's back, carding his fingers through wind-tousled feathers, grooming them back into line. Both Archangels' graces were dimmer than usual, weakened from strenuous use. Nevertheless, Michael's brightened when he noticed Gabriel's alert gaze, breaking off the song and brushing one of his lower wings along Gabriel's side. "You worried us all, Little One. Your choir was starting to wonder if they would need to sing a lament for you."

Sammael tucked Michael's wing aside to stretch up over his brother's shoulder, leaning his head against Michael's to peer down at Gabriel. His arms wrapped around the oldest Archangel's waist. "I don't believe I've ever seen an angel sleep before. I didn't even know it was possible. You always manage to surprise us."

"If that is what sleep is like, I don't care for it," Gabriel answered, freeing one hand from Michael's so he could push himself up again. He moved easier now, and his wings were once again weightless and responsive at his back.

"What was it like?" Ever curious, Sammael's head was tipping to the side, pushing Michael's along with it. Michael didn't fight the gesture. He usually let Sammael get his own way.

"It was nothing," Gabriel tried to explain. "It was absolutely nothing—no sight, no sounds, not even the feel of the Host within me. I didn't even realize time passed."

"Time has passed," Michael said. "It has been seven days since Cariel came for Raphael and me, after you first collapsed, and another hour since he alerted us to your message from Father. You were… asleep, again, when we arrived."

"It feels like I only just saw Cariel here," Gabriel gestured at the otherwise empty room. "And then like I had just been on Earth."

"Sleep sounds strange. I don't think I'd like it very much," Sammael decided.

"Good thing you don't need it, Light Bringer," Michael retorted fondly, reaching down to cover one of Sammael's hands with his own.

"What did I miss?" Gabriel asked, looking between his brothers. "Cariel mentioned the world had burned?"

Michael and Sammael exchanged another glance before they moved together, each climbing off the floor to sit on the cot on either side of Gabriel. Wings and arms wrapped around him, and Gabriel knew their news would not be good.

"We did all we could," Michael murmured.

"The over-heated ocean created massive storms. Raphael tried to slow their spin, but even he was blown away by their winds." Sammael reached up to tip Gabriel's head against his shoulder. "They pulled water into the atmosphere, destroying it. The Earth was defenseless against the sun's rays."

"Every creature on land died." Michael's arm curled around Gabriel's waist. "All of the giants are gone."

"We tried to protect the planet for you," Sammael closed his eyes and rested his head against Gabriel's. "I suppose the good news is that the planet is still in one piece."

"Did anything survive?" Gabriel asked quietly.

"Some did." Michael rubbed a wing over Gabriel's. "Little burrowing creatures, creatures in the water, a few birds. Anything that could hide. Once we realized we couldn't stop the storms, we concentrated on protecting what hadn't yet died."

"The planet is already recovering," Sammael assured Gabriel. "Like you, it is remarkably resilient. The ocean has returned to a normal temperature, the fires are dying down, and Raphael is determined to repair the atmosphere as soon as Father permits."

"Has anyone spoken with Father?"

Michael and Sammael exchanged another look over Gabriel's head. Michael finally answered his question. "Father has been… distant. He's in the Borderlands now. No one has attempted to approach Him since your collapse."

The Borderlands were Raphael's domain, a dull, shifting greyness that wriggled between every realm, like between Heaven and Earth. They were also a wide band surrounding the entire universe, keeping it separate from any other universe that might exist. By jumping into the Borderlands, an angel could theoretically find the lost realms of Purgatory or Limbo, but the Borderlands were also home to weird and frightening creatures, some of which attempted to break into an inhabited realm. Raphael's angels stoically patrolled them, fighting off any threat that might come their way. The Borderlands were all that remained of the Void the Archangels had once flown through. Gabriel hated them and always tried to make his passage through them as short as possible.

The Archangel closed his eyes and swallowed back a shiver of fear. "I should speak with Him." Gabriel flinched as he remembered the feeling of God's voice in his head, shouting, boiling through his mind. His brothers' wings tightened around him, and Gabriel gratefully turned into Sammael's cool chest, trusting Michael at his back. "I'm scared," he whispered. "I'm scared of Him."

Michael shifted, blanketing Gabriel completely with his wings, both of his hands moving up to Gabriel's back. "I was scared too, when Father first displayed His wrath." He fell silent, rubbing gently, working away the tension between Gabriel's wings. "I thought He would smite me where I stood. Never before, and never since, had I ever been so terrified."

"You've never mentioned this before." Sammael's voice was quiet, as if he was afraid of scaring away Michael's reminiscing. Gabriel understood the sentiment. He had known Michael had seen God's wrath firsthand at one time, but Michael never mentioned the incident. Gabriel didn't even know what had caused it, or if God had been wrathful at Michael or if the angel had simply been an unrelated witness.

"I suppose I'm still scared of it."

Gabriel turned his head to look back at Michael, and his brother leaned forward to nuzzle against him. "Yes, Little One, even I can be scared of things."

"What happened?" Sammael stretched his wings around Gabriel, wrapping them around Michael as well and pulling him close, forcing the three of them into an Archangel sandwich with Gabriel in the middle.

"You don't remember? You were there." Michael closed his eyes, resting his head against Gabriel's back. "I suppose you wouldn't, though. You were injured, dying."

"Dying!?" Sammael shook his head. "I'd think I'd remember that!"

"Father may have suppressed your memories, or removed them. It wasn't your fault." Michael didn't lift his head as he spoke, and Gabriel didn't move, didn't want to shake Michael off, even accidentally. "I failed you once, Sammael. Just once. Once was enough to nearly cause your death."

"What happened?" Sammael repeated, creeping his hands around Gabriel to touch Michael. Gabriel felt like his brothers were forgetting he was even there, pressed between them. As the smallest Archangel, he was accustomed to feeling overlooked, but not usually by these two.

Michael was silent for a very long time, eventually shaking his head and sitting back, forcing his grace brighter. "It's nothing you need to worry about. It happened long ago, before time. Let's focus on the events now, and fixing the Earth."

Gabriel looked between his brothers, watching them watching each other, wondering how much they spoke mind-to-mind when they did this. Sammael's eyes narrowed, clearly unhappy with whatever Michael was (or wasn't) telling him privately, though he was the first to break their gaze. "Earth," Sammael echoed, releasing Michael to stroke Gabriel's wings again. "Yes. We should look to Earth."

"Maybe we shouldn't," Gabriel suggested quietly. "Father wasn't happy. Maybe we should wait for His directions before attempting to interfere further."

Michael nodded behind Gabriel, his hands dropping to slide around Gabriel's waist. "You do have a point. Father intended Earth to be for His 'greatest creation.' Perhaps we should wait for His return before making another move."

"I hate waiting," Sammael grumbled. Michael swept his wings forward, covering all three of them in his feathers.

"Patience, brother. We must all be patient."