Chapter 31: Battle Ready

Curtains fluttered as a robust wind blew through the room and over Michael's naked prone body. The sound of loud footsteps echoed throughout the streets below and rebounded off the walls, causing him to rouse from his sleep. Blinking the remnants of a dreamy fog from his eyes, he looked over at the empty spot next to him. He let out a groan, clutching his pillow for a moment as he snuggled into its softness and tried to go back to sleep. Except, after a moment, he found it to be a lost cause. Sighing, he released the pillow and opened his eyes to stare at the empty spot. He knew that Azrael probably disappeared to deal with New Dephi business, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Leisurely, he turned onto his back and stretched for a moment. A sudden sound of commotion outside made him jolt upright. Perhaps it was time to see where Azrael had gone. Curious, he got out of bed and dressed quickly.

~~~~**D**~~~~

Several soldiers rushed down the hallway, hurriedly passing Michael as the archangel strode towards the door of Raphael's office. He wondered what had transpired and why there was a heightened energy throughout the building. Pausing in the open doorway, he watched as Raphael paced with a walkie in his hand, barking out commands to someone on the other end. He sounded agitated and responded abruptly, "We need those supplies. Just arrange it!"

He groaned as the walkie clicked off and paced over to his desk. A soldier waited patiently nearby with a few sheets of paper. Raphael hurriedly signed them and then shoved them back into the soldier's hands. "Go! Get it together."

The soldier immediately left the room, barely glancing at Michael who slowly paced his way in. Other soldiers were in the seating area, discussing something in hushed tones.

"What's going on?" Michael asked, standing rigidly across from his brother.

More soldiers flowed in and out of the room, volleying questions and getting answers while Raphael fielded more inquiries over his walkie.

"RAPHAEL!" Michael tried once more. "Where is Azrael?"

The soldiers glanced up at Michael, wondering if they needed to be on alert, but Raphael continued on as if he hadn't heard his concerned brother. A voice came over the walkie once more, responding to an earlier question. "Max Boss, earliest at first light."

Raphael groaned and then responded, "Fine. Posthaste." He slammed the walkie down and leaned over his desk, surveying the map, only to glance up a moment later to find his brother glaring down at him.

"What is happening?" Michael attempted to remain calm, but the frantic energy in the room had made him alarmed.

"You knew about this!" Raphael's venomous tone resonated through the room.

Michael's head tilted a little, giving him an inquisitive look.

With a small nod from Raphael to one of the soldiers, the room cleared immediately and the two angels were left alone with just the walkie chirping as an occasional interruption.

"Vega is under siege. Rapidly taken over by Arika and Helena's elite guard." Raphael straightened to his full height. "And Uriel has betrayed us all."

"Taken over? Uriel? Betrayed how?" Michael's eyes narrowed.

"Our sister has been playing her own little game. Taking Vega was a power move," Raphael spat out.

"A move for what? She would have no reason to take Vega."

"Unless she is in league with our brother." Raphael crossed his arms.

Michael jerked forward, angered at the thought of Uriel betraying him. "She wouldn't!"

"She already did!" he yelled. "She's been toiling her days away with Queen Evelyn in Helena. Looking out for her own interests! Typical behavior for our lovely sister. But you must have known this already?"

"Only just so. I had no idea she was scheming with the ruler of Helena in order to take control of Vega. It makes no sense. Why would she side with Gabriel? Uriel was so sure of the Chosen One, so sure that Father would return soon!" Michael spat out.

"It makes perfect sense. She has lied and conspired to get her way before. You've been blind to it for some reason. And Gabriel will take what he can and ruin it all. The nuclear reactor will be the final straw."

Michael's concern was mounting. He stared at his brother for a moment, weighing the veracity of his words. "Did you send Azrael into the fray?"

"Azrael is fine. She is…taking care of an errand," Raphael said as he sat down at his desk, leaning back in his chair. He rubbed his face and groaned. "This is going to be bloody, Michael."

"What have you done, brother?"

"We're moving forward. Our sources can only tell us so much, but if we wait long enough, Gabriel will take over. Arika has been with Uriel and she is not to be trusted." Raphael sighed. "It's time. There is no more waiting. No more waiting for the Chosen One or for anyone else."

"So you'll descend on Vega and take it by force? Isn't this exactly what Gabriel would do?" Michael spat out.

"Uriel is not on our side. When will you see that? And Vega has already been taken!" Raphael growled as he slapped his hand on the desk. "There won't be peace when Gabriel shows up in Vega and takes over the nuclear plant! There will only be destruction!"

"And what about Alex? Have you given up on the scripture too?"

Raphael stood up, the anger and frustration beginning to boil over. "That was your priority, not mine! I'm doing what I can to make this right. The feuding needs to stop. Between people, between settlements, between siblings! Peace needs to happen and then… and only then, can we really hope to bring back Father!"

Michael stilled. The room went silent as the two brothers stared at each other, both realizing the weight behind Raphael's words.

And then Michael stepped closer. The compassion for his brother's longing to be Home could only go so far. "This is your version of what Gabriel is doing. Do you not see that? Forcing them to fight for your version of peace? How is that going to solve anything?"

"It has become abundantly clear to me over all of these years that this…" he paused to gesture at his sword hanging on the wall behind him. "This is the way of life among humans. This is the only thing they understand. Without the fear of pain and extinction, they would continue to feud amongst themselves. To tear apart their own lives. And Gabriel has fed on that. It is his game."

"Father's words will make sense of this," Michael said quietly, not disagreeing with his brother's assessment. He had seen enough to know that human beings can be cruel creatures.

Raphael shook his head and sat back down. Running his fingers through his hair, he said with exasperation, "We are no better than the humans, Michael. Gabriel has shown us that." He looked up at his brother, propping his chin up, his elbow on the desk. "He would do anything to bring Father back, to destroy whatever keeps us from going Home and having what we once had."

Michael saw the raw emotion in his brother's teary eyes, and quietly responded, "Alex is probably heading to Vega, if he hasn't already arrived there. He will fight Gabriel."

"Or he will join him."

Michael's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? What aren't you telling me?"

Raphael slapped the desk with a jolt, causing Michael to blink. "HE IS THE SON OF THE MORNING STAR! What do you think Gabriel is banking on? The stronger the Chosen One gets, the closer he gets to his powers, the more likely he will lose control!"

"But those are Father's words on his body! How can it be anything else but our salvation? If only we choose wisely!" Michael restrained himself, his hands balled into fists. "What if all of this is a test and we are failing miserably?"

"Then so be it! Go! Find Alex! Do what you please! This is what's happening. We're moving out tonight. Without the Chosen One, without the almighty Archangel Michael." Raphael glared at his brother. "We will have peace, damn it! If I have to kill Gabriel myself!"

Michael stared at him. It was a terrible declaration to want to kill their own brethren, but his brother wasn't wrong. The war would end with Gabriel's demise. But that Raphael, who was once a healer and often the peacekeeper amongst them, would fall so far to crave his brother's blood, that was most disconcerting.

Without another word, Michael stepped away from him. He had remained complacent for too long and allowed his own self-wallowing to interfere with his main objective. And now they were on the brink, and he was playing catch up.

Chastising himself, he stepped out onto the terrace and released his wings. Stepping onto the ledge, he looked at the streets below. The Oracle Corps was gathering and trucks were pulling up to the building. Raphael was amassing those that would follow him to Vega. Michael's feathers quivered in the breeze.

Before taking to the air, he took one last glimpse at his brother. Raphael stared back at him, unmoving. Exhaustion exuded from the angel and Michael felt sorry for him. What had they all become? When would it all end? Only pain and despair answered their questions.

Michael flapped his wings once and called out, "Perhaps there is another way. Be well, Raphael. May Father return soon."

Before Raphael could respond, he stepped off of the edge of the building, relishing the air as it rushed through him. With great panache, he dove down over the crowd of Oracle Corps and then banked around one of the buildings, leaving the alarmed soldiers to scramble for their weapons, too little, too late. He couldn't help but smile as he soared over the settlement, taking note of just how large it actually was. Within moments he took to the cloud line and disappeared into the darkness, off to find the one that may still hold their salvation.