|Upper Realm|
"And that's your assignment. Don't forget to meet up with your supervisor before you go and be sure to follow regulations." The bored clerk did not nothing to temper Madeleine's enthusiasm for her first official mission.
Turning to Tamrat she grabbed the black-skinned angel's face between her two hands, squishing her cheeks. "I finally did it! I finally get to go with you and the others to the Middle Realm again!"
Tamrat slapped her hands away, rubbing her cheeks to soothe the pain. "You're awfully excited about this. I'm just going to tell you now, most of the times it's boring surveillance missions where nothing happens. At all. Last week I got stuck watching an old dude clipping his toenails every day."
Eduardo shook his head at seeing the two women together like that. "Relax, Tamrat. Madeleine stopped being a nuisance quite some time ago. But only a week after graduating is fairly soon to start working. Are you sure you want to go through with this? I could have a talk with Lord Michael you know."
"I feel a little woozy sometimes, but that's all. Say, what do they do during the graduation anyway? Everyone I know complains about it, but nobody knows a thing," Madeleine inquired, having noted how not a single full angel had second thoughts about the whole thing. Not that she really needed to know.
Tamrat shrugged, her wings moving along in the motion. "Who knows? Probably unlock our hidden powers. But it's not really important, right?"
The newest fully-fledged angel wanted to disagree but suddenly couldn't think of a single reason why she should worry. So what if she felt a little woozy? It probably was just a transition thing. "So, let's get started. Tamrat, you're with me on this one, right?"
The black angel nodded, her fine features forming a smile as she plucked the document out of her best friend's hands. "Sure thing. Let's see, what is it we have here?" the woman let out a slow whistle, prompting the other two angels to peer between her feathers to see what it was.
"C'mon, share the goods," Eduardo commanded, his fiery hair glowing copper in the candle light. Due to an untimely death - like pretty much all of them - he was forever stuck in the body of a fifteen-year old boy, though he was tall enough to compete with his female friends.
Madeleine let out a disappointed groan. "What are you excited about? There's nothing concrete in here."
Tamrat smacked the brunette on the top of the head with the document. "Well duh, that's the beauty. It means you get to gather clues down there and take it easy. Far better than a stake-out. You have to try the food, they have this thing called curry these days and it's to die for. And chocolate! You haven't even tried chocolate yet."
"Ladies, at least try to seem professional in front of your supervisor," Eduardo said, shaking his head in disapproval. The twitching of his mouth suggested he didn't really mind all that much.
"Don't worry, runt. We'll bring you back some chocolate. C'mon Madeleine, let's go."
|Middle Realm|
The two angels landed on top of a high building in London. Though Madeleine had been allowed to make a few short trips in preparation, the new view took her breath away every time she saw it. How much the city had changed in two centuries. Below her a throng of people made their way even though the weather was overcast. "So pretty."
"Maybe when the rain has washed away all the filth," Tamrat commented. The novelty of the city had faded in the fifty years she'd been working as an angel here. Assignments were supposed to be completely random, though the archangels did take care not to split up groups friends, which was why they had been allowed to remain together.
"Let's see, we do have a dead body that caused the assignment this morning. It's fresh so the undertaker probably won't have had time to destroy any of the evidence. Why don't you go check it out?"
"Then what are you going to do?" Madeleine had thought Tamrat was supposed to keep an eye on her every step of the way.
"Pump the informants for details. Maybe one of them will have useful information and it'll make your job a bit easier. Just don't say anything to the bosses," Her best friend sounded as if she highly doubted being lucky enough to get info so soon in a case. "Remember, I'm just your wingwoman for this mission. When we find the perp you have to handle it on your own, unless it's a demon."
Madeleine shuddered when the d-word was mentioned. "Yech, let's hope not. That would be horrible for a first assignment."
"You know it," Tamrat said, scanning the crowd beneath them. "Well, better get going. I'll see you back tonight for additional reports. Feel free to go after the perp if you happen to find them soon, makes things nice and easy."
The two of them shared a mock-salute before Tamrat took off to a more central part of London. Madeleine located the street where the undertaker shop was situated and jumped off the roof. She landed in a secluded alleyway, walking from there to her target. Being in a physical body felt weird, especially since she had to walk on top of that. Once people got wings the whole walking kind of was thrown out of the window.
Her clothes - simple, white and soft gray - blended in nicely enough, making her seem like she belonged in the crowd. She had to suppress a squeal at the notion. How great this was! Maybe Lord Michael would praise her as well when she brought this to a good end. Just to make sure she would remain undetected she added a simple 'don't notice me' glamor. This way someone actually had to bump into her to pay her any attention.
'Okay, focus. I totally got this,' she thought to herself, trying very hard not to stare at the shops. Two hundred years was a long time and the supervisors hadn't given her more information than strictly necessary. For a moment she stopped at a toy shop to look at a stuffed bunny while considering her next move.
First she had to get a look at the body to check for supernatural residue, like bite marks. Those would make her work a lot easier. If she couldn't find any of those she would have to go back to the scene of the crime.
The undertaker shop was fairly easily located. The building could have been considered nondescript had it not been for the huge sign spelling 'Undertaker' and an ornate skull to top it off. Three caskets of varying sizes stood outside for costumers to see.
Madeleine paused outside the iron-framed door for a moment. How sad that for her first assignment she had to step into a shop dedicated to the deceased. She noted the lilies that had been engraved in the iron frame, a delicate touch for such a place.
With a deep breath she straightened her back. As a fully fledged angel it was her job to keep humanity as safe as possible. Thankful the door didn't creak as she stepped in she passed the threshold, silencing the bell that would have announced her arrival.
Inside the shop was dark and the air was cool. Caskets were all over the place, displayed on the ground and alongside the wall. The only light came from a pair of candles on the counter. Unsure of what to do she walked towards it. If possible she wanted to do things by the book. No screw-ups. Not on her first mission.
Arriving at the counter she noted a beaker filled with a brown liquid. Slightly curious she sniffed it to discover the typical scent of tea. How odd that someone would not use a cup however. If she combined this with the sign outside she could only conclude the owner had to be a strange character indeed.
Breathing shallowly she continued her search, not fond of the chemical-saturated air. The small hint of vanilla in the air was a surprising contrast, one she added to the ever-growing list of things that felt off in this place. Truthfully speaking, the place creeped her out. Angels weren't very big on the whole 'dead' thing, which was why the Reaper department was so handy.
Finally she reached a room with marble slabs, two in total and both occupied. The one closest to her supported the body of a woman with hair the color of burnt licorice, the deep red slightly discomforting against the pale skin. Madeleine paused for a moment to take in the woman's mature face and wondered who she had been. But this wasn't the woman she was looking for.
The second marble slab proved to be more fruitful as she spotted strands of pretty, honey colored hair. She scanned the face for a moment, peaceful in death. There was no doubt about it, this was the victim. Gingerly she reached out towards the white cloth that covered the body. All she needed to do now was see if there were any marks on the body.
"Can I help you, my dear?" A high-pitched voice asked from behind her. Madeleine at once turned around as her heart leapt in her chest. Behind her a man dressed in funeral robes was leaning against the door, not in the least concerned about an intruder in the preparation room. Surprised she noted how long his silver locks were, falling down his back as he put a doggy biscuit in his mouth. With a giggle he looked up at her, or at least she thought he did. Half his face was obscured by silver hair, like moonlight shining on a lake.
That was when he seemed to change. When he did get a good look at her the man straightened his back instead of slouching. The biscuit fell to the ground as his teeth snapped through the end in his mouth. Judging from the way his mouth clenched he was more surprised now than he had been a few seconds ago. Everything in his attitude suggested a shock that went to the bone.
"Can't see me," she commanded at once, flicking a hand towards the man. It was too bad she had to use her power on a mortal but she couldn't allow him to see her. Not when she couldn't pretend to be something else than a nosy busybody.
The stranger relaxed his body stance before walking over to her in firm steps. At once she started to panic all over again. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Humans couldn't resist the power of an angel that easily and this guy was just an undertaker. Hurriedly she repeated the incantation, waving her hand in front of her. She felt the energy knit itself in the appropriate pattern, wrapping around the man.
As he stopped in front of her she swallowed. The top of her head just barely reached his chin and yet she couldn't see his eyes. He was close, though not so close it was inappropriate. Still she had trouble breathing all of a sudden because this wasn't supposed to happen.
Madeleine flinched as he brought his hand up. His slender fingers were cool against her skin, the gentle caress sending a shiver down her spine. What was up with this guy?
"… Dearest?" The man asked, the titter that had been audible in his previous sentence nowhere to be heard. The stranger sounded as if he had seen a ghost, fearful that she might disappear should he put more pressure than just that featherlight touch across her cheek.
"Uhm… my name is Madeleine," she offered, unsure of what to do now. How was this man immune to her powers? "Who are you?"
As if the question had burnt his hand he jerked away, though he did not lessen the distance between them. Madeleine could feel his gaze fixated on her through the silver curtain that shielded his eyes from her. Surprised she noted the faint scent of vanilla in the shop seemed to be coming from him.
His shoulders sagged down, the hand he had used to stroke her cheek dropping to his side. "I thought… I must have mistaken you for an important friend of mine. Apologies,"
Madeleine felt a pang of sadness for this strange character. 'Dearest' wasn't just a title for a close friend. Had he mistaken her for a past lover? "That's okay. Everybody makes mistakes. You are?"
The man stepped away from her, averting his gaze if is he could not stand the sight of her. "I'm Undertaker, and this is my shop."
"Under… Taker…?" she repeated slowly, thinking the name a tad odd. What was she supposed to do now? Nothing in the guidebook ever mentioned anything about this sort of situation. Humans were not supposed to be immune to an angel's glamor. So who was this guy?
He nodded, still with his back half towards her. "That's right. Now, what are you doing in my shop, de-… my dear?"
Once again he sounded strange, as if he had suddenly lost something precious to him. Yet the emotion she felt coming from him was not as strong as his voice had suggested. Another thing that was strange about this character. What should she do? She didn't have clearance to adjust someone's Memory Reel.
"I'm… with the police. They sent me here to investigate a murder near the site of the Tower Bridge. That's the bridge they've been building for a while now."
The pain hit her hard though she managed to keep a straight face. The pain from a lie was something all angels had to suffer. A way to remind them they were supposed to be serving the Light, that was how Lord Michael had described it.
"Pretty strange for a woman to be working for the police, isn't it?" he asked her with a feeble titter in his voice. "You should work on your lies more, -" he stopped himself before he could once more call her 'dearest'.
"I just want to have a look, that's all," Madeleine said in between clenched teeth. Would knocking him out count as a violation of the rules?
She could just see the side of his mouth curling up in a slight smile. "No doubt you do. And what will you do after you take a look, I wonder? Will you go to chase the big bad beastie that caused the damage?"
Madeleine opened her mouth to ask him what he was talking about when he removed the cloth from the body. The woman on the slab had appeared peaceful enough when covered, though the illusion was quickly broken when the remains were exposed to full view. In fright the angel clasped a hand over her mouth, afraid she might shriek in surprise.
What had done this was no mere serial killer. Wounds like these she had never seen before, gashes and bite wounds, claw marks disfiguring ashen white skin. But there was no scent of a demon on the woman either, just the scent of something else. Something that smelled horribly wrong.
Meanwhile the man - Undertaker - seemed to be studying her from the side, one hand brought to his face so she couldn't see if he was smiling or not, the long black sleeves dangling down. "Well then, is everything to your liking?"
The angel swallowed once, trying to get rid of that barrier in her chest. Whatever had done this should be stopped before more people got hurt. Yet the thought of going after it on her own seemed daunting. Protocol demanded she get back-up if she suspected she wouldn't be able to handle it on her own.
"I hear that in an hour or two the police will go to inspect the crime scene themselves. Would be a shame if they ran into the beastie and ended up the same as well," Undertaker continued.
Two hours? Would she be able to find Tamrat before then? Inside her she felt two sides twisting, arguing about the best course of action. Of course she had to protect humans, but she also had to do things by the book. She wasn't allowed to make her own decisions in the field. "I… I'll…"
There was something funny about how Undertaker spoke to her. A certain familiarity perhaps. "Then I shall go and see. Somebody should probably step in."
Panicked she turned around, grabbing him by the sleeve. He stopped at once, his back still turned towards her. Madeleine held fast, breathing rapidly as deep inside her the need to follow the rules screamed out at her. "You can't go. Whatever the thing is, you will die as well."
For a moment she thought he might take her hand. A finger slid against her, the pressure pushing the sleeve against the inside of her wrist. Then he withdrew once more as if he couldn't bear to touch her. "If angels fear to tread a certain place, perhaps it would be more appropriate for one such as me to have a look."
Madeleine felt as if the ceiling had just caved in on her. "How do you? What? Who are you?"
Undertaker pulled his sleeve away from her fingers, walking towards the door. "That would be for me know and for you to… well, not know. Are you going to let me go alone? I might get killed."
Rule one : angels must at all times serve the Light to their best capacity.
Rule two : humans must be protected at all times, unless this conflicts with rule one.
If she let him walk out now there was a good chance he would get killed. Which meant a casualty on her very first assignment. Other than that, this seemed to be a human who not only knew about angels but was immune to her power. If he died, all of his secrets and knowledge would die with him. "You're not going alone. I'm going as well."
Undertaker turned back towards her, the corners of his mouth curling up to an almost dangerous height. "Then let's make like a tree and leaf."
I wrote a second chapter. I'm weak, okay. I'm so, so weak! Forgive me. Also, reviews are cool and make me really happy. Though if you're too shy to review, that's okay too. No need to do something that would make you uncomfortable.