40/XL. Is He Worthy? (Mastered)

“Are you o-?” Michael wanted to console Raphael.

For the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the Lord has instructed Raphael, the angel of nature, to send meteors down to the city, its walls, and its surrounding that everything in a hundred kilometer radius outside the walls were incinerated as well.

Raphael, the sweetest amongst the archangels, even amongst the angels, truly wept for the living beings that died that day.

His heart painfully ached seeing the wake of what he did to the city.

There were momentary flashes of blood here and there, but due to the impact of the meteors, any traces of living beings were completely wiped out.

Only the craters, and blackened dust and ashes covered the walled city.

Raphael diverted his gaze as the first meteors strike the land, but he had to finish the job – his eyes had to feast on the unsavory looks of dead bodies and blood splashing everywhere within his eyeshot.

His power, Disaster, was a part of him that he wanted to shut off as he considered it a curse.

For someone who loved to create life and invigorating things, something that caused death was indeed an anathema.

“I’ll… I’ll be okay.” That was not convincing at all.

His voice cracked, along with his glassy eyes, Michael worried for his brother, this was the first time that he handled something of this magnitude for the Creator.

For the Great Flood, it was the Creator that sent it and not Raphael.

The angel of nature may have sent the rain and the winds, but not the Great Flood.

But sooner or later, Raphael would need to face his biggest weakness, that there are two sides of a coin. If he is the angel of healing, he is also the angel of disasters.

As soon as the mission was done, Raphael turned around to shut his eyes off. He closed his eyes reluctantly, and for a moment, he imagined the green pastures of the Garden of Eden before the flood.

It reminded him of his happiest moments. He simply smiled, but that smile soon got wiped off of his face.

His being was trying to fool his mind, but as soon as he opened his eyes again, he was faced with the truth that he brings healing, but also conjures disaster to the physical realm.

His eyes stretched as he smiled, but as soon as he opened them, and he was pushed back into reality, Raphael could not help but frown, and the creases and crow’s feet at his eyes disappeared as soon as smile transformed.

“Anathema.” That single word pulled back Raphael into heart-wrenching reality.

The angel of healing knew exactly what Michael meant by that single word – a curse.

The curse of their angelic orders and responsibilities – it’s a one thing they always wanted to be emancipated from, but cannot.

Michael spoke it from his heart - truly an empathetic person that can relate to his brother’s struggles.

The only way to remove the curse of their angelic orders is to gain the curse of eternal death – which is far worst comparable to than that following the orders of the Creator.

It’s not all curse – most of the times they’re given orders to manipulate fate and destiny, good things, blessings, and many more, but the angels are also the ones that reinforce the will of God, the punishment of evil, and the destruction of the wicked.

The angel of healing vexed as his creations were wiped out from the face of the Earth – not the humans themselves, but the plants, the nature, the animals, and the life itself of nature.

Apart from that, he hated the concept of death even from the beginning.

Raphael struggled to grasp the idea behind it, and what glory would it bring to the Creation of the Almighty as he grew in his wisdom and maturity.

Michael could imagine it, he drew closer to Raphael and raised his hand to lay it on his shoulder, but at the last second, he hesitated.

His hand stopped midair, as he recalled a memory, not entirely his.

-------------------- // --------------------

“THEN WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST, RAGUEL?”

“I… I would suggest the Creation of another angel.”

“ANOTHER?”

“Yes, another that you can call your Will, Father. Something that Michael cannot defy with his body and with his power.”

Overwhelming emotions flooded in his heart as he recalled that Oracle from Raguel’s memories.

-------------------- // --------------------

He wanted to get close again to his brother. He still very much desired a seamless relation to his fellow angels, but remembering the former betrayal of Raguel and Samael, he stopped himself.

He slowly let down his hands, diverting his gaze from Raphael to the ground beneath him.

He can only sigh in helplessness. He clenched his hands, shaking as he tried to stop himself in getting closer.

“Go home. Find rest in Father.” Michael gave an order. He summoned Jessiel and Maloriel to accompany Raphael back home.

So easily, without contest and word, the three went home without Michael.

Michael turned his head around to take a last glance of the destroyed city. What remains are the remnants of the meteor strikes, and even the walls were completely destroyed by the magnitude of the meteor strikes.

The angel of mercy was as devastated of the destruction as the angel of healing.

-------------------- // --------------------

“Alright, their base should be near the London’s Eye, the London Big Ben and the metros or at least overlooking those buildings. What are the nearest buildings in the three kilometer radius of those places?” Arthur pulled out a map of London in Gugule Maps.

He stepped back and examined the map, imagining a circumference of five kilometer with the center of the London Eye, the London Big Ben, and the nearest metro station, but all the space he can see is the Thames River, but looking on the south of the London Eye…

Andy McCrain had a surgery, plastic surgery. It should be done in a hospital, even with professional doctors that kind of intricate operation should have been done in a controlled and sterile environment.

“Art, I got past the security access of dad, what’s the plate number of that car?” Eddie butted in Arthur’s thinking process.

He drew his face closer as Arthur didn’t seem to have heard him the first time.

He squinted his eyes and looked at the same monitor that Arthur had been looking.

Jackson pulled out the paper maps in the study and using a pencil he picked up from his father’s study table, he draw circles around the London Eye, and the London Big Ben.

Irene just stood silently in the room, trying to suppress her aura in the midst of the thinking men.

As Jackson was done with the mapping, he approached the two to the other end of the room.

“Art, I tried to map it here on the paper map, is this how it’s supposed to be?” The babbling really takes out a toll on Arthur’s focus and concentration.

Irene noticed the circles on the paper map that Jackson held out and spotted each important building nearby - including Saint Andrews Hospital south of the London Eye.

“Give me that.” Irene grabbed it from Jackson’s arms, and laid it on the floor. Irene sat down the carpeted floor, and crossed her legs, without any regards that there were three men with him in the room.

OUT OF FOCUS! SO MUCH NOISE!

Arthur gave up in thinking, and just turned his attention to Irene, and the map that she just grabbed from Jackson.

“Give me the pen and the marker.” Jackson reached out the pen and marker in his hands upon Irene’s request.

Pop! The cap of the marker popped right off as Irene took it out the marking pen. “Wait, wait, what’re you doing?!” Jackson reacted quite shocked and stunned, but protesting.

Arthur stepped in between the two, and he darted his eyes from Jackson’s and then to Irene down the floor and drew closer, and knelt with one knee, and folded his legs.

Jackson froze upon seeing the irritated demeanor of Arthur, and backed off as Arthur stepped forward.

“What’s on your mind, Irene? Arthur?” Eddie stepped in, seeing that Jackson froze unmoving.

Arthur gazed upon Irene’s eyes and the direction of the marker, it was going on, a large circle that covered part of the circle from London Eye, and London Big Ben.

“What-” Eddie knelt on his one knee as well to see the drawing clearly.

“The hospital.” Arthur’s and Irene’s eyes met. Arthur smirked at the thought that there is someone that gets his thought without further explanation.

Arthur acknowledged Irene for the first time with his reassuring smile. He wanted her to know that she has more than just her singing - she has more to offer than just her strong will and confidence.

At that same moment, Irene knew something clicked between the two of them, but it’s not one that involved the heart and romance, something that transcends blood-bond, and something that overcomes any law and man-made contracts – a platonic friendship.

A person that can read your mind without speaking your thoughts and will guide you to the right track in your life – a platonic friend, for now, Irene was contented with it, especially since it doesn’t involve any feelings or emotions, but pure concern only to the other person.

“What do you mean the hospital?” Jackson wanted to ask that as well, but Eddie already did.

The two were not able to follow the course of thoughts of Arthur and Irene.

“They made Andy perfectly look like William, so…” Arthur wanted to guide them to the right answer.

It was not good for them to always lean on Arthur for answers and deduction, the two needs to learn to form their own thinking, conclusions, and deductions.

“Plastic Surgery?” Jackson drew closer and knelt as well. “Saint Andrews.”

“Yeah, even if they have a team of surgeon on that terrorist group, they wouldn’t be able to do the surgery without proper tools and place.” Arthur sprang up to his feet and went back in front of the computer.

His fingers moved in a speedy manner, his eyes darted as the visuals and windows change left and right and-

“What are you doing?” Eddie turned his back from Irene and Jackson, while the two locate the common building inside those three circle and perimeter.

“I’m checking the list of faculty in the hospital. I’m cross-referencing them to the memory I got from Pauls.” Arthur hacked in the hospital database to check all of the doctors, nurses, residents, and anyone with medical background, which can easily procure a room for that operation ten years ago.

“Eddie, while I’m looking for the personnel that helped them with the surgery, go and track the car that got Johnny – PX07JPW – that’s Papa, X-ray, 07, Juliet, Papa, Whiskey.” Arthur reiterated his memory from that time.

“What?- Wait, can you give me that again?” Eddie panicked into the half of that sentence as he stumbled across the room trying to approach Arthur near the computer.

Eddie rushed to the other computer at the other side of the room, and opened Edward’s access to the London’s satellite and government CCTVs using the traffic lights.

“I’m ready.” He turned his head around and waited for the plate number.

“Papa, X-ray, 07, Juliet, Papa Whiskey.” Arthur spelled it using the American military phonetics.

“What the hell is that?” Eddie squinted his eyes and was confused even more.

“It’s military phonetics, just get the first letter, or… hmmmmm…” Out of irritation, Arthur grabbed the nearest pen in the pen holder, and wrote on the notepad on the table, PX07-JPW, and tore it off of the notepad and marched towards Eddie, grabbing his hand and slamming it down hard.

“Awww… do you really have to do that?” Jackson and Irene burst out laughing at the two of them.

They seemed to be enjoying their time while Johnny’s kidnapped. The only reason why they can do this was that Arthur can feel the essence of life of Johnny – besides a telepathic connection, he can also sense if Johnny’s life is in danger through their spiritual connection.

Their soul and spirits are so in tune with each other that when the other feels weak, the other will feel it too momentarily.

“We need to hurry.”

“Hm.” The three agreed at Arthur’s suggestion.

Out of the several pictures that rolled from the Hospital database, there was one that closely resembled the memory from ten years ago, and as Arthur pulled up that doctor’s information, it confirmed his suspicion.

“Doctor Hugh Urkle, H.U., Plastic Surgeon.” Arthur’s words rang a bell, especially with Eddie’s cross-referencing and tracking of the car with the plate number.

A graduate of Harvard University twenty years ago, and now a retired plastic surgeon consultant working under Saint Andrews Hospital, Doctor Hugh Urkle. Arthur grew suspicious as his initials coincide one of the doll-phones in Pauls’ home.

“Arthur, you need to see this.” Eddie located the car in one of the coffee shops downtown.

The parking was in an auspicious area that none of the cameras were able to capture anything that’s happening in the parking lot, but it captured, the cars going in and out of the parking lot.

Eddie froze the recorded video from five minutes ago.

One car entered with the plate number PX07-JPW, with Johnny and a blurred man in the driver’s seat, and another going out with the plate number MA02-WPF with two blurry shadows in the driver’s seat, and one blurry shadow at the rear seat, possibly Johnny, going out after five minutes.

“I’ve searched the plate number, and it’s registered under Dr. Urkle from St. Andrews.” Eddie did the research.

“They didn’t expect a child to be investigating about them. They’re being lax in their security and their moves. We need to catch them fast, or else, they’ll move up their schedule. Mark that vehicle. I’m sure they’ll lead us to their base.” Arthur immediately gathered his thoughts and made it clear to the group.

Arthur closed all of the windows and information about Saint Andrews hospital. He also rolled up the map that Jackson and Irene were studying, and-

“What are you doing?” Jackson looked up to Arthur, scurrying around the room, trying to tidy up everything they have touched to its original state.

“We’ll have them lead us to their hideout. It’s much faster than locating it ourselves. We’ll also need backup.” Arthur pulled out his flip-phone and dialed Matthew’s number.

Eddie already tagged the doctor’s car, and the cameras from Edward’s access concentrated on tracking the car and its whereabouts.

“Storm, where are you?” Arthur calmly made the call. Matthew wasn’t able to answer it using his hands but he laid the phone at the passenger’s seat and tried to answer.

“Eagle? I’m still trying to lose the monitoring team.” He peeked at his rear view mirror, but there were still two black cars following him closely.

“Storm, we need your help. I need you to turn around and encircle the area near Waterloo, go around the blocks in the Sea Aquarium, and the Plaza and make sure to go over the Westminster Bridge as well. We’ve located their base. We just need you to lure the monitoring team in the radius.” Arthur gave Matthew the places that overlap with the London Eye, the Big Ben, and Saint Andrews hospital in the south.

“Sure, Eagle, I’ll be there in ten.”

“Hmmm. Bye.” He nodded in agreement.

The three got too immersed in Eddie’s monitor as they were tracking where the car would go.

Irene hoisted from her seat from the floor and loomed closer to Eddie and the monitor to clearly see the streets that the car was passing through.

“Have you tidied up everything?” Jackson turned to Arthur as the Eddie and Irene concentrated on the monitor.

Arthur appeared concerned, but answered apathetically, “Yeah.”

He seemed to be in a bad mood. Is he in a bad mood because we had to use his father’s tools and connection again?

Jackson grew uneasy with what they were doing in the room, especially the arrangement of the room, there was something that was different from the first moment they stepped in to the moment they will teleport out, but he could not put his hands on it simply.

Arthur was the one with the photographic memory so he asked him, “Have you tidied up everything?” just to confirm his suspicions in the room, but even if Arthur answered him simply, he still could not calm his worries.

“Art! They’ve stopped!” Eddie confirmed their base of locations.

The car entered another parking lot, one where Irene was most familiar of as of the moment – the Mario Hotel County Hall.

Entering the radius kilometer of the three locations, London Big Ben, London Eye, and the Saint Andrews Hospital, the county hall is within the vicinity, and the top executive floor does not have any monitoring cameras that the ones who owned it can do whatever they wish to do without any supervision from security.

“That’s-” Irene was staying in the lower floor of the Mario Hotel near the Saint Andrews hospital.

“You’re staying there, right?” Eddie turned to Irene upon hearing her reaction.

“Hmm.” She only nodded to affirm.

“Then we’ll have no problem infiltrating their base.” Arthur followed up on the idea.

This was the first operation that the whole team was involved, especially heading out for rescue and recon.

“Arthur…” Irene’s hands were visibly shaking.

She couldn’t believe such terrible people were just close by – especially in a place where she bathed, she slept, and she treated a peaceful home, compared to what she had back in Russia.

Arthur approached slowly and quietly until he was inside her personal space. He cupped her hands with his’ and tried to get her attention. As soon as her eyes met his’, he reassured her, “I’ll make sure to keep you safe. Once we have them arrested after today’s debacle, you’ll move in here with us, okay?”

Her pupils dilated showing signs of fear. Her mouth can barely register any words to reply to what Arthur had just said.

She can only smile and nod as if understanding what Arthur had promised, but she scarcely heard it.

“Are you-” absolutely sure about this? Jackson doesn’t say.

He remembered Arthur’s sharp gaze, but there was something more about his words, his glances at Irene.

Pity. That was it. The same gaze that he saw from when his mother was still alive, fighting her illness, in the hospital.

It was not something he wanted to experience himself. He didn’t want Arthur to look at him in pity again, not because of his ego, but because he didn’t want Arthur to be too concerned on him as he has more things going on.

But for him to be too concerned for this so-called fiancée of convenience, it was hard for Jackson to grasp the actions of Arthur lately.

Ever since being involved in the human-trafficking case, the only understanding of Jackson with all of this was that Arthur was working under Edward’s orders, nothing more and nothing less.

“Let’s go.” Eddie pushed the urgency of their mission.

“We’re outnumbered and out-skilled. Apart from that, we don’t have any weapons or backup.” Jackson pointed out their vulnerability.

The only one that can only barge in unharmed on that base was Michael, the angel, but illusions won’t work unless Arthur transforms.

And it will take a toll on his physical body using too many powers at the same time.

Arthur remembered the compartments in the books in the study of their father, and started going through all of the books again.

“What are you doing? There’s no time to-” Jackson, agitated by their lack of manpower and skills, began berating Arthur for wasting time, until he found a weapon in the books – a stun gun.

“I had gone through these books previously when I located… father’s… computer from Interpol, I noticed there were weapons here.” He went through another section of books, and located another stun gun.

“What… what other weapons we can use that dad has there?” Eddie didn’t want to use the stun gun, but a more powered weapon.

“These are the safest one that cannot implicate father in any way.” Arthur replied calmly, while keeping his gazes sharp at the two other men in the room.

He thought this through. He knew that having Mister Edward’s weapon would eventually be traced back to him, and he knew that these are the ones that cannot be traced back.

How far have you thought this through, Arthur?

Before he began having terrifying, unsolicited thoughts of his brother, Jackson breathed in, stopped thinking, and got one of the stun gun that Arthur handed over.

“We’re going to land on the café that has no security cameras, it’s around that hotel, and we’re going to enter through the hotel doors.” Arthur planned this through as well.

“Are you sure it’s alright to go through the front door?” Eddie questioned his brother’s decision, because the last time he did go through the front door, the consequences were the arranged marriage of Irene and Arthur.

The child considered it, looked down for a moment, and gazed straight to Eddie’s eyes.

“We’re going in the front.” He turned to Irene.

He already investigated Irene, and anyone connected to Silvia in London in cases like these.

“Yeah, the general manager in that hotel county hall has a debt to my mother he can never repay in his life.” Irene rebutted as she grabbed one of the stun guns.

“Mkay.” Eddie grew a bit more confident this time around. He grasped the last stun gun.

“Let’s go.” Arthur offered his hand to Irene, and Eddie and Jackson drew closer to Arthur and laid their hands on his right and left shoulder.

“Close your eyes, and put your trust in me.” The angel of peace reassured Irene once more.

His smile, and his eyes, reflected peace, as if talking directly to Irene’s heart and says, “Calm down, and let everything go. I’ll take care of it.”

“You better do.” Irene retorted, closed her eyes, and in the same gust of wind, she was no longer in the small mansion study room, but at the parking lot of the café.

In that short window, another EMF disruption occurred in the area.

And in their luck, there were no lights and no people as well in and near the vicinity.

The cameras went disabled for about half an hour as they went out of the café’s parking lot, and treaded two blocks to enter into the front gate of the county hall.

“Johnny, I’m coming.” Wait for me, brother.