No rest for the righteous

Time: Afternoon, December 28
Location: Michael’s Office in Heaven
Outfit: A three-piece suit and leather brown dress shoes
Dedicated to: @Cael

It had been a while since Michael had been in Heaven and worked consecutive days, usually only visiting whenever a meeting needed his attendance. His deputies did a conscientious job while he was away on Earth. But there were still many matters that they couldn’t address or make decisions regarding - especially as of late. Since Lucifer disappeared, there had been no ruler in Hell to keep the demons in check. This had in turn increased the demon population on Earth, and hence their corruption of mankind.
Michael sat behind a mahogany desk in his grand office, looking through an old case file of the demon Asmodeus. There were two matching mahogany chairs on the opposite side of the table. To the left of the rectangular room were two royal blue settees facing each other. On each side of these was a console table with a gold and white lamp. On the other side of the room was a strategy table. There were two tall bookcases at the end of the room with drawers in each of them, most of which were locked with a key. The walls were decorated with various artwork amongst two swords with golden hilts and behind him was his collection of military medals. He opened his journal to reacquaint himself with his notes from five years ago. Looking for anything that they could have missed back then. Michael had been sure that they'd eliminate him once they found the location of his lair, yet he’d managed to escape and hide. Leaving the angels to temporarily shut down the investigation. So, he was positively surprised when he saw the message from Cael, stating that he’d found a new clue in relation to Asmodeus. Michael had made sure to set up a meeting with the angel as soon as possible, rescheduling another meeting as this was of greater importance. Michael raised his gaze from the files to the double doors when he heard steps on the marble floors in the hallway.

Once an angel got access to the archangel’s mansion, they’d be led into the east wing where his office was located. He stood up from his seat when his assistant opened the door, leaving way for the angel to enter the office. Michael walked a few steps closer to him, reaching his hand out to shake hands. “It’s good to see you, Cael,” he greeted before he stepped back to the desk. It had been a while since they'd last worked a case together, but he'd always shown great promise for his age whenever he'd mentored or worked with him. “Please sit.” He gestured to the seat in front of him as the assistant closed the door and left them alone. He then sat down in the chair as he looked at Cael. “I am intrigued to hear what you’ve found. Five years without any activity from Asmodeus. I was starting to worry about the plans he had in making or more so that he had executed them under our nose,” he admitted. After all, it was unlikely that a guy like him was simply hiding for this long.

Cael havde sørgede for alt, særligt da flere beviser var dukket op omkring sagen med Asmodeus, var Cael ikke længere i tvivl om det var denne dæmon der var skyld i dette og vendt tilbage for at forsætte sine planer. Han havde taget kontakten til Michael igen som han lovede at ville gøre hvis der dukkede det mindste op eller hvis der var andre ting der krævede hans opmærksomhed, nu Cael havde den stilling han havde opdagede han nogle gange ting fra underverdenen som ikke normalt bare lige kom frem.

Han havde derfor været på stationen hele formiddagen, hvis ikke man også godt kunne sige han havde brugt hele natten der, for det havde han. Han havde endnu ikke været hjemme og sove og vidste at hans kone var bekymret særligt for denne sag, hun kendte den godt! Det var også derfor det var en Cael der var i sit arbejdstøj, sin skudsikre vest og sit bælte, da han var kommet forsent fra stationen, så da han landede i himlen med en speciel sags mappe i hånden, rettede han kort på sit hår og sit tøj. Han hadede sig selv for ikke lige at have skiftet tøj inden han tog afsted, men som sidste gang havde han været opsagt af denne sag. Hvor han skulle hen vidste han så fødderne gik den faste rute mens han hurtigt og meget smil hilste på dem han mødte på sin vej.

Cael stoppede kort op inden han blev ført ind til Michael og forsøgte at finde et sted at lægge alt sit udstyr, men han blev enig med sig selvom at tage det med ind til Michael og så kunne han lægge det der. Et stort men bekymret smil voksede på Cael læber som han kom ind til Michael, han tog imod hans hånd og gav ham et fast og venskabeligt klem ”It’s good to see you too Michael, or are we formal Sir?” Sagde han med et vis latter i stemmen, for at prøve at skjule sin bekymring og for at slappe lidt af. ”Thanks” sagde han og satte mappen på gulvet ved siden af stolen ”Sorry for all this, I just come right from job and forgot to shift clothes” sagde han og pegede ned af sig selv, som han hurtigt fik taget den skudsikrevest af og bæltet så man kunne se den mørkeblå skjorte indenunder samt de sorte arbejdsbukser før han satte sig.

” first I need to tell you this is seriously. I might think that he are getting stronger and morer powerful ” Sagde han uroligt før han trak mappen op på skødet hvor han åbnede den. ” I got the first evidence when parents of three different boys chose to make a wanted on their boys, all three at the age of 13, the two of them are found again but not alive ” Sagde han og så på som han trak to billeder op af mappen og rakte dem til Michael. ” They were found wearing only their pants and shoes and as last time with his mark on their groin. His mark is more pronounced and deeper in the skin of the boys than last time” sagde han og tog to billeder frem som var fra sidst de arbejdede på sagen sammen.

He was slightly surprised when Cael entered the office in his police uniform, but since it was just the two of them, he didn't care for the slight informality. If anything, it proved the diligence and dedication that he had to his work, which was something Michael valued highly. It was a characteristic that most angels had in their work to serve humanity, the archangels, and God. And he knew well from himself how difficult it was to take time off, so he could hardly blame others for being the same way. A brief smile showed in his expression as he asked if they were formal. Normally this was the custom in Heaven. Some lower-ranking angels didn’t even look him in the eyes out of respect, but Cael was his nephew, and on top of that one he’d worked closely with in the past, so there was no reason for them to not call each other by their first names. But with that said, he did appreciate the politeness and respect that came with the more formal setting. ”You may address me as Michael,” he permitted and once they got seated, he gave him an understanding nod. “It’s alright. I know how busy you’ve been… It seems as if the crime rate keeps increasing in Gaia these days.” He did monitor the numbers of various places on Earth, and the ones with a high supernatural presence usually had the highest crime rates. But it had been especially prevalent in Gaia and Moonlight Falls as of late. He leaned back in his chair as Cael started to explain the evidence he’d found. His expression tensed up slightly as he revealed that two children were found murdered, leaning forward to take the pictures in his hand, looking at the pale corpses of the boys. There was absolutely nothing that could justify murdering innocent children, so he wanted nothing more than to stop Asmodeus before more children ended up a victim to his evil plans. “How long ago was this?” he asked as he placed the pictures back on the table, to look at the photos from five years ago. The marks were identical, albeit not as deep as the first ones - as Cael had noticed as well. “What other evidence did you find at the scene?” he asked as he placed the photos back on the table and raised his gaze to Cael.

Ærligt, så undrede det ikke Cael at Michael blev overrasket over at se ham troppe op i politi uniform, det var nok heller ikke første gang det var sket, det ville nok heller ikke være sidste heller. Cael var ikke i tvivl om rangorden i himlen eller generelt blandt engle. Michael var langt højre stående end Cael og jo vist måtte han da indrømme han havde været jaloux på Michael som yngre og måske også indimellem lige testede Michael en anelse for meget. Michael var Caels onkel det vidste de fleste hvis ikke alle vel? Men det ændrede ikke på den respekt der skulle være, særligt når det havde noget med noget der var officielt at gøre som dette. ”Thanks Michael” svarede han stille for at indikere at han var med på at det ikke var formelt.

Lyden af ordene der kom om at graden af kriminalitet var stigende i Gaia og Moonlight, nikkede han til jovist han var klar over det. Det var irriterende for nogle dage rendte hans afdeling hurtigere end dem i uniform fordi de ikke selv kunne følge med og havde mere travlt med at drikke kaffe og spise kage, hvis man spurgte Cael et andet sted end på stationen. ” That's it, and it makes me stressed!” mumlede han før han flyttede sit fokus tilbage på hvorfor han egentligt var her.

Cael så nøj på Michael som han studerede billederne og hvis Cael ikke tog meget fejl, syntes det at se ud som om at Michaels hjerne lige nu kørte på højtryk, ikke at han kommenterede på det, jo Cael kunne da dog stikke en spydig kommentar eller to indimellem, men han havde minderne i baghovedet om hvad der sker hvis man gør det for meget overfor Michael, onkel eller ej. ”These boys where found about 2 days ago” svarede han og så på ham usikkert før han rodede i mappen for at finde en sagsmappe. ”How stupid can i be!” Sagde han og så på Michael, før han rejste sig fra sin plads ”We already have a timeline over it, if I just had look at it!” Sagde han og gik roligt over til det storebord på Michaels kontor.

”please come and look this” Sagde han og tog de forskellige sagsmapper op af mappen og de forskellige billeder. ”These four different parents called and reported heir boys missing the same day, but there are exact 6 hours between each call” sagde han og lagde billederne op af forælderne og deres savnede dreng under hvert billed. ”Its around 3 weeks ago” Sagde han og hev en gammel sagsmappe frem fra den gamle sag. ”Its exact the same last time” sagde han og lagde billederne op på bordet af dem, hvor der var klistret en gullabel på med tidspunkt for hvornår de var meldt savnet.

”Can you get me a case file? Because I know about 2 murder of to young angels for some days ago” sagde han og så på Michael, ” The forensic scientists say the two human boys have been dead for about 2 days. Sagde han og så på Michael. ”Do I sound crazy?” sagde han og stoppede sig selv kort, selvom hans hjerne kørte på højtryk.

Han rettede sig op og så på Michael, med et noget mere alvorligt blik. ”I’m afraid of my family Michael” sagde han og stak hånden ned i mappen og trak en forseglet bevis pose frem, I posen lå der et gammeldags pergament rullet sammen med et brudt forseglings mærke ”Look” sagde han og meget på forseglings mærket ”Its Asmodeus mark” sagde han og bed sig i underlæben. ” One of my officers who had the night watch at the station last night had fallen asleep in his office chair. When he awoke to the sound of a scream and running footsteps. When he came out into the hallway the cleaning lady stood with this letter in her hand and said 'A man in completely black clothes and with bright red eyes gave me this and said I should give it to Cael' and that he should have fled afterwards.” sagde Cael og rakte posen over til Michael. ”I had read it, but my fingers hurt and burns every time I touch it with my bare hands, I thinks it his plan, but why should he tell me his plan?” Sagde han og så på ham med en anelse frygt I stemmen. ” ‘Beware of your family’ it’s the last words in the text” Sagde han og så på Michael.

Michael understood that he’d feel stressed about the increasing crime rates. And so did he. Especially since it was caused by the multitude of demons on Earth. The angels couldn’t just passively stand by as it went on. They had to help the humans against the demonic corruption. He nodded subtly as he said that they’d been found two days ago. He then raised his gaze to the angel as he called himself stupid. Stating that they already had a timeline of the case. He got up to his feet to follow him towards the strategy table, looking at the photos that he placed on the wooden surface. He furrowed his brows as he mentioned that four other parents had called and reported their boys missing, looking between the photos from a moment. It was all very similar to the case they’d investigated five years ago, so it had to be regarding Asmodeus. But why had he decided to strike now? Of course, Michael had been preoccupied with his missing siblings and children, but that couldn't be the only reason that he’d decided to move forward with his plans. He'd have to have gathered quite the support to move forward with these abductions so openly. He looked at the gold labels that showed the time before he looked up at Cael. At the request of a new case file, he walked towards one of the bookshelves to open one of the drawers. He picked up a folder of empty papers that he brought back to the table. He then placed a fountain pen on the table next to it. “What angels?” he asked. Michael knew about most pure angel families, so there was a good chance that he’d know of the angels that had been missing. But it was still very aggressive of Asmodeus to target angels.

He shook his head lightly as he asked if he sounded crazy. So far, he hadn’t said anything that would lead him to believe that he was. Nor that he was acting out of irrationality, which was something Michael often caught his angels do. To be caught up in emotion. He looked from the photos to Cael as he said he was afraid for his family, before he looked at the evidence he pulled forward. The mark indeed being his. He looked back at Cael as he started to explain an incident at the police station last night. He furrowed his brows as he mentioned the letter. And that Asmodeus seemingly had delivered it personally. He grabbed the bag in his hand and opened it to take out the letter to read it for himself. He felt the same burn against his skin as Cael talked about, but he’d experienced much worse pain, so it hardly bothered him. “He is trying to intimidate you… In hopes of you laying low,” he said as he closed the letter and put it inside of the bag. “You should make sure to keep an eye on your children and wife the following days. Until we get a clue to where he is.”

Cael kunne fornemme på Michael at han nok også havde opfanget det han selv tænkte og mente, men han stillede ikke spørgsmål til det, for han vidste at Michael godt selv kunne spørge ind hvis der var noget han ville vide. Hans ord om hvilke engle det var, trak Cael på skulderne ”I don’t know them, nones does, we can’t finde them in the system” Sagde han og trak to lyseblå sagsmapper frem fra sin kuffert. ” We only have their bodys and I have pic of them.” Sagde han og rakte ham sagsmapperne, han havde ikke i sinde selv at åbne dem, mest fordi han ikke havde lysten til at se hvordan de to drenge var blevet dræbt igen, det var rigeligt han så det fysisk, for de var blevet brutalt myrdet. ”He had remove their fingertips, Which makes it even harder for us to identify them, but they have his mark on their chest, right where the heart are” sagde han og så på ham, han regnede med at han selv kunne åbne mapperne og kigge. På hver finger var det yderste led fjernet på begge samt de havde store tydelige skader. ” I think he played with them before he killed them” Sagde han og vendte kort blikket mod gulvet for at vise hans sorg til de to drenge, man var ikke i tvivl om det var engle, hvis man vidste hvad man skulle kigge efter.

Om Michael mærkede den samme smerte som Cael havde gjort vidste han ikke helt, men han ville helst heller ikke spørge indtil det. ” I think he is desperate. You know he need his ring and amulet, and I think he has stolen the only picture we have of his ring and amulet from the station, in the evidence room in the basement, because the picture are gone.” Sagde han og så på ham. ” I will take care of my family, but I also need to work I can’t be home all the time. I need your help Michael” sagde han og så på ham med et lidt trist blik.

”Alright. I’ll tell my assistant to copy the files of the angels. Maybe we can identify them in our system.” Heaven had a database of most angels, keeping track of those they’d sent on missions and those who hadn’t reported back. Maybe they could find something there. But either way, he planned to avenge them. Michael took the blue case folder to take out the image of the two boys, noticing the signs of the torture they’d been through as well as the mark. He became very quiet as he looked at their lifeless bodies, feeling as if his heart was torn out of his chest. He then closed his eyes to send a silent prayer, wishing them a peaceful rest - or if God willed it, a resurrection without the trauma of their deaths. He opened his eyes again at Cael’s notion about them being played with. He couldn’t begin to imagine the kind of sick mind it took to do something like that. But unfortunately, he’d seen it many times. It was partly why he had such a hard time taking a break from work. Knowing the evil that went on meanwhile he did so. He slowly placed the images back in the folders before he turned his gaze to Cael.

”If you do find any trace of him, tell me immediately. Send a prayer if you must. I will not let him carry on with this infamy,” he said as he looked over the pictures lined up on the table again. ”The amulet and ring. Do you have any idea where they are located?” he asked. It was more than just a family heirloom. The objects held great power that was in the angels' interest to keep and for Asmodeus to never have. He looked back up at him as he expressed that he needed his help in regards to keeping his family safe. He thought he'd be able to send an officer out to watch for their house, but if that wouldn't do it. ”I'll try to see what I can do. I might be able to get a guardian angel to look over your house, but it won't be at all times. We are short on angels and I have a human family in Gaia that needs it just as much.” It was the best he could do. His other resources were dedicated to much more highly prioritized tasks and the pureblood angels weren't exactly in abundant numbers as of now.