38/XXXVIII. There Is Nothing Greater Than Grace (Mastered)

Michael averted his gaze back to the greyish-brown ground that they stood on, and sadly wiped the smile from his mouth and as soon as he stepped forward to get away from the two Archangels, Raphael grabbed his arm, and besought him to reconsider, “If you’re going to isolate yourself, the misunderstanding will continue to grow, the fear will continue to increase, Michael, please come back.”

His words at least reached his heart, and Michael stopped momentarily. He turned his face to him and held Raphael’s hand, removed it from his arm, as he retorted, “No matter what I do in the future, there’s no getting back.” He bitterly smirked, and went on his way.

Raguel stayed silent all these time as Raphael made an effort to at least persuade Michael to come home.

As Raphael honed his powers of Nature, he became more attached to his creations rather than with his angelic brothers and sisters.

And for Michael, that’s okay, having their own little world outside of their responsibilities are somewhat he considered productive.

The angel of healing stayed neutral between the opposing convictions of Michael and Samael, but when it worse came to worst, he stood by his Creator, the Almighty and fought alongside with Michael.

The two weren’t that close, but having someone that shares the same sentiment and power of Nature, he’s always relieved when Michael is around.

With the power of Oracle, he saw everything that Michael was struggling through.

He saw Eon, Michael’s blood-stained hands, and many more.

Everything that Michael had been holding back, Raphael was able to see with his eyes or Oracle.

“Don’t you know, already?” He remembered the Captain’s words, just fleeting, sorrowful, and full of bitterness in his lips.

He glanced disappointed at Raguel, knowing full well what happened between the two of them, but he really could not put the blame on Raguel.

He doesn’t want to know Jophiel’s motive as well, but all he wanted to do is to appease the raging sadness inside Michael’s heart.

But he knew he couldn’t do that if even his own presence pained Michael.

Michael quickly got out of their eyeshot and teleported back to Abram’s camp invisible to the human eye.

Gabriel along with Jessiel and Maloriel, transformed with human guises, approached the camp with caution and Michael stood afar observing the two.

He hid within the gushes of the wind and loomed around Abram’s tent.

And as he drew near, he heard Jessiel’s voice, “… Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham, for a father of many nations have I made thee…” His ears caught the angel of blessing bestowing God’s covenant to his chosen person.

He isolated the place with the radius of one hundred meters, several tents and set-up an illusionary field called Dimension and made sure that there would be no interruptions from the outside.

The three angels inside the tent felt the presence of Michael upon the tingling of their hair on their skin.

They looked at each other, and as soon as Jessiel finished stating the Almighty’s covenant, Abraham offered meal to the three angels.

To the hospitality of the chosen man of God, the three did eat the meal that was prepared outside the tent.

“Where is your wife, Abraham?” Gabriel asked, impatiently waiting, as he still has other missions from Heaven.

“She’s inside that tent.” Abraham turned and pointed out the nearest tent to his one.

Gabriel sharply looked at Jessiel and grinned at him. Jessiel remembered the rest of the covenant that he had to bestow on Abraham and looked panicky on the chosen man of God, and ran with, “You and Sarah will bear a child.”

That statement was not readily accepted by Sarah who heard it on the other tent. She grinned and chuckled quietly as she realized that she was too old to bear a child.

Gabriel heard her scorn with the Lord’s blessing and rebutted, “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” He asked her, turning to the tent where Sarah was staying.

“I didn’t laugh.” Sarah shyly swayed the tent doors and showed herself to the three angels, denying the fact that she just mocked the blessing of God.

As soon as that debacle was done, Maloriel began to prophecy the tragic future awaiting Abraham and Lot.

“The Lord will come upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and judge its people for their wickedness.” Maloriel averted her gaze to the plentiful plains near the east, and told what God had in mind in regards the city’s punishment.

Knowing that Lot and his family is within the city, Abraham drew near to the angel of curse and debated, “Will you also destroy the righteous along with the wicked?” He wanted to change the angel’s mind.

Maloriel only looked at the city, worried, and hopeless, unmoved, and silent.

Gabriel had the main connection with the Almighty, and as he darted his eyes to Abraham, he smirked in confidence, “He really is the chosen man of God.” He thought to himself.

“If there are fifty righteous men in the city, will you still destroy it?” Abraham appealed in behalf of the people in Sodom and also for his nephew.

The Lord hearkened unto Abraham, and considered his plea, “If I find fifty righteous men in the city, I will not destroy it.” Gabriel spoke directly the exact words of God as the two of them exchanged words.

“What if… what if there are five missing from the fifty? Would you still destroy it, my Lord?” He knew that the true God is a righteous judge of all.

It was a bit of a stretch for the angels to hear that God will spare a city for forty-five people, since the last time wickedness plundered Earth, the Creator only saved eight humans.

Michael wanted to weigh in, but he stayed inert and tongue-tied. He felt that he had no right in weighing in between the conversation of the human and his Creator.

Besides, the humans were the ones involved, not the angels.

Gabriel delivered the message directly, “If I find forty-five righteous men in the city, I will not destroy it.” The Lord promised, knowing full well that there were no forty-five righteous men in the city.

Abraham expected this answer, and since he knew that there are no forty-five righteous men in the city, he planned to know the limitation of his requests.

“I hope the Lord does not get angry with me, what if… what if there are only thirty righteous men, will you still destroy it?” Abraham implored to Him once more.

The Lord of mercy, He is indeed, He answered quickly and Gabriel conveyed His message word per word, “I will not destroy the city if I find thirty righteous men.”

The chosen man of God smiled sweetly and bitterly at the same time. He knew of the Lord’s merciful side, but at the same time, he also realized the Lord’s vengeful character.

“I desire that the Lord be patient with me, what if… what if there’s only twenty righteous men in the city, would you still destroy it?” It should have been clear by now that Abraham was clearly bargaining for his nephew, Lot.

But he knew that Lot’s disposition changed in time due to staying in the green fields of the Sodom and Gomorrah.

Swallowed by greed and covetousness, Lot, little by little, moved in the city from outside the walls into the wicked-shredded streets.

Even offering his daughters to the wicked men of the city just to appease them was in itself its own wickedness.

Abraham knew he couldn’t bargain that position with the true God, the Lord of righteousness, but nevertheless, he spoke and asked, and debated with HIM.

Gabriel, giggled, and muttered under his breathe, he couldn’t believe that one human can move the heart of the Almighty.

Once again, he uttered God’s direct answer, “If I find twenty righteous men in the city, I will not destroy it.”

Abraham wanted to push his limit, he craved to know how generous the true God is. “I hope that the Lord would not be angry with my inquiries, but… what if… what if there are only ten righteous men in the city, would you still destroy it?”

This last time, he was not asking for his nephew. He was asking for himself. What if I could rally and change ten men in the city before the punishment of God, is that possible?

The Lord was pleased with Abraham’s attitude, but Sodom and Gomorrah’s destiny has already been written and decided. “If I find ten righteous men in the city, I will not destroy it.” Gabriel enunciated God’s answer.

Both of them knew there were no ten righteous men inside the city.

Abraham knew that was the end of the line. He asked too much, but it was also only righteous that the evil be destroyed.

Soon, the Archangel of the Thrones sojourned to return to Heaven, and Abraham went back to camp.

Michael continued to hid himself and teleported far off from the camp of Abraham where he can see the whole camp, and called both the angel of blessing and curse to his side.

“Michael!” Jessiel’s excited smile as he waved meeting Michael near atop a hill was one of the comfort he had that day.

Maloriel’s mellow and calm face also gave him a bit of solace as he waited for them to approach him.

“How’s work?” The Captain asked the two angel’s wellbeing.

Jessiel expected this from the angel of mercy, but the angel of curse stood stunned by the kindness of the Captain.

“We’re doing great!” The thrilling and energizing character of the angel of blessings was one of his redeeming characteristics.

“What’s your next?” Michael turned to Maloriel, wiping the sweet smile off of his face as he gazed directly to the angel of curse.

The angel of mercy directly received an Oracle as Gabriel and Abraham has been conversing about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

In the Oracle, the Captain summoned using Nature millions of fiery rocks and stones and flung everything to every living being in the city, until the whole place has burned into the ground.

“God wanted to deliver punishment to the wicked in Sodom and Gomorrah, by sending rocks and stones with fire enveloping it.” Maloriel firmly spoke, without even batting her eye, unmoving, and not even blinking.

Michael nodded, as if not listening to the pending doom of the humans inside the city – men, women, and children.

He grew apathetic from the humans.

“What are you going to do now? I thought you went back with Gab?” Michael wanted to get rid of them as well and he wanted to be left alone.

“We will warn Lot.” Jessiel’s smile also got wiped from off of his face. The angel of blessing got concerned with the nephew of the chosen man of God.

“Of the impending destruction of the city.” Maloriel continued.

“Father truly is merciful. Lot has long been consumed by the wickedness of men, yet…” The two Seraphs agreed with the Captain as they went on their way to the city as the night drew nearer and nearer.

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An electromagnetic disruption plagued all of the studio’s equipment, and even the CCTVs and the cameras used by the MI-7 to monitor the other kids were disabled for a brief period of time as Michael teleported along with a strong gust of wind near the entrance of the production studio.

Michael can feel a telepathic connection with Johnny.

He knew that Johnny’s consciousness has gone out, and it’s not something to be alarmed when they are at home sleeping, but all of them were out of the mansion doing a reconnaissance mission to further pinpoint who the person sending the warnings.

This was not something to be taken lightly of.

From across the street, transformed as Michael, with ordinary human clothes, he phased into the territory, invisible to the human eye.

As he cannot locate Johnny’s consciousness, he opted to use his power, Locate, with a radius of five kilometers.

He knelt with one knee to the ground, and laid his right hand flat to the surface of the cement, and closed his eyes.

He inhaled and opened his eyes to locate the person of Johnny, and-

SFX: KSSSSHK KSSSHK

“Chief, our monitors are down.” Mayer reported panicking about what to do since they won’t be able to see for a while or monitor the moves of the children, or even protect them when necessary.

“Get our men to get ready for a raid inside that studio. NOW!” The Chief back in the MI-7 building began to lose it as well.

Unnerved by the sudden disappearance of the children in the monitor, he became afraid that he may lose this valuable asset to the country, or better yet, he grew anxious as to what he will answer to the higher ups allowing a child to investigate this terrorizing case.

SFX: Ring, ring, ring!

Mayer answered a call while they were arranging the raid with the SFC (Specialist Firearms Command) team.

“Sir, I got a call from one of our undercover agents in that production floor, and he mentioned that all of their equipment got hay-wired by an EM signal. They still haven’t found and located the cause, and they still haven’t got the signal back up.” Mayer recounted and quoted to the Chief what the agent reported to her through the phone what happened on the studio.

“Do you think this is the same person as with the puzzle?” One of the senior agents sitting round the table glanced at the shocked face of the Chief as he questioned him.

“This is out of the profile of the puzzle-maker. This is another person, I’m certain of it.” He regained his composure and answered that inquiry with his own deduction of what happened.

“WHERE’S THE SWAT?” The Chief shouted his lungs out as he still was not able to confirm the whereabouts of the children.

“They’re on their way, Chief.” Mayer was able to arrange everything in a span of a quick time since this was an emergency.

“Tell them to standby if there’s nothing wrong or suspicious.” One of the senior agents advised the Chief and the SWAT team what to do when they arrived at the scene.

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“John!” He found his twin. With his powers, Locate, he can see the soul and spirit of the human he is trying to trace and find.

Upon using it, he saw that Johnny was being dragged out of the production floor by another human being, not an angel, not a demon, but a human being.

Something was attached to that human, though, he’s not too sure for now, but as soon as he saw where Johnny’s soul was, he hurried and-

What? Why can’t I teleport? Why am I shrinking?

Upon using his powers, Locate, his Transform and Illusion has been disabled, Arthur ran towards a back alley where he knew no camera or CCTVs can catch him transforming.

Damn! Why in this most critical time would you think to…!

He cursed himself for being so helpless in the most restless situation.

The EM Disruption was still active even after 10 minutes has passed and the broadcasting company had no choice but to hold a press conference on another location about what happened.

Arthur, once he transformed back, without wasting any time, or skipping a beat, he quickly rushed to the Production Floor Studio 72’s backdoor where he located Johnny earlier.

SFX: Gasp, pant, pant, gasp, pant, pant, gasp

As soon as he reached the back door, he was only able to see a nvay-blue BMW driving away from the studio, and as he inspect the back trunk, what seemed to be Johnny’s head rests sleeping on the car seats at the back of the car.

He caught the license plate of the car, Papa-Xray 07, Juliet-Pepper-Whiskey. It was one of the hidden assets of Jones, the camera man slash Abaddon’s leader that Arthur went through when he had the access to their financials.

He couldn’t get a word out, he gasped, and gasped for air. He panted and panted as he rapidly ran from the gate up to the studio 72 in which earlier they had ridden a cart to go to.

A little while has passed, and his legs and knee gave out and he fell knees first on the ground, trying to balance himself to not to wobble further, he coughed and coughed up blood, as he held his chest, trembling from the exhaustion that he brought about running all the way to the backdoor.

At the same time, Eddie, Jackson and Irene, instigated their own search party to look for Johnny inside the studio and outside the studio.

They have a rendezvous on 19:00 at the front gate of the production company to make sure that they’ve searched everywhere for Johnny.

Meanwhile, Arthur consistently struggled in normalizing his breathing, stopping the blood-coughing, and having aches in his body all over.

Jackson agreed to be the one to check the studio 72, and the other two will go to other studios, and as soon as he peeked at the back door, he noticed the panting kid from his eyeshot.

Arthur’s abdomen and lungs continued to be restricted as he fell forward, he lifted his head and his closed eyes to the skies, and with this, Jackson recognized half of his face that was turned back from him.

The child attempted to fall backwards to make sure that he can breath without any restrictions, and as soon as he unfolded his knees forward and fell back, Jackson slid his body down to catch Arthur’s.

“Hey, you okay?” He was able to pull it off, but he got scruffs and scratches downwards his knees up to the ankle due to the friction and heat against the ground.

“Ja- *gasp* Jackson.” He barely got that word out of his mouth, but he tried his best to breath first.

Jackson noticed the blood splatters in the ground, the smudge on his lips, and a substantial amount still clinging on one of his hands.

“What happened?” His anxiety level went thru the roof. He still wasn’t ready to treat a patient as he’s still a university student.

He knew Arthur wouldn’t want to call the emergency line since they’re doing a mission right now, but they both discerned that he needs medical attention.

“I- I’m…” He continued to fight back, and he stuttered as he wanted to tell Jackson quickly what had transpired.

“Fine…” He calmed down a bit, his breathing slowed down a bit. He’s trying to maintain the soothing of his heart.

“Art, you need a doctor.” Jackson went out of his way to say what Arthur doesn’t want to hear in the first place.

“NO. NOT NOW.” Arthur coughed up blood for the last time that day, and he picked himself up, and stretched out his arms and pushed himself up.

He barely got himself up, still panting and gasping for air, but with a determined look on his face, he gazed upon Jackson’s worried face, and reached out his hand to help his brother up as well.

Jackson accepted the good will and recognized Arthur’s zealousness to close the case before anything else, and reached out his hand as well to meet his’ and he sprang up to his feet.

He grinned with confidence, as he meet Arthur’s eyes, but the next statement that came out of Arthur’s mouth shook him to the core.

“Get everyone. Johnny’s been kidnapped. We’re getting him back.”