Chapter Sixteen

After a few seconds of falling and quite a bit of screaming, Zia's rapid descent came to an end thanks to a fluffy pillow of clouds. Unsurprisingly, she landed right next to her room's window. However, getting back into her bed was the least of her worries. "Asshole…" she thought as she tried to free herself from her squishy prison. Why would she expect anything else from a judge? "If we were back in Heaven, I'd file an official complaint!" It was a damn shame that the Bureau decided that Aeron Weber was fit to be at the head of judges. The man was a complete sadist! Especially for an Angel, having such a twisted personality should've been a red flag during the hiring process. "He doesn't strike me as a proper Cherub, but his strength is the real deal," she thought as she rubbed her aching behind. Being able to create tangible constructs at this range and speed wasn't easy, even for judges.

But strength wasn't everything. Satan was one of the Universe's most powerful beings, and he was still bound to Hell. "In the end, it all goes back to God's will." At least that's what the Angels would say. "Whoever came up with that lie must be a real bastard or an idiot," she thought as she hopped back into her room. Unsurprisingly, the Demons were already on the move. Zia could hear their hooves clatter against the ground as they neared her suite.

"Be careful when you open that door," she heard one of them say. "Dr. Leeson told me that he smelt gunpowder on her. The bitch might be armed." Talk about rude! Before the devils entered her room, Zia quickly dove into her bed, gun at the ready, and hid under the covers. The Demons weren't there to kill her, after all. They were making sure she hadn't left her room. As expected, the guards didn't knock and just forced their way inside.

"Is she asleep?" the largest one asked as he meandered up to her bed. She could feel the creature's heartbeat at this distance—its foreboding rhythm was akin to a war drum. Zia could almost feel the devil's dark blood pumping through its veins. A typical mortal would have screamed when put under such pressure, but not her. Compared to what she had gone through in Hell, this was like taking candy from a baby.

"Just go ahead and try," Zia thought as she quietly loaded her pistol. If one of these idiots got too close, she'd send them straight to the grave. Thankfully, these Demons didn't have good instincts and decided not to check if she was asleep.

"This isn't the one. Let's report back to Dr. Leeson and search the rest of this floor," the final Demon said as he quietly closed the door behind him. Just in case they were still outside her door, Zia stayed silent for another five minutes before finally getting out of her bed. A large black stain covered the underside of the white sheets where she had hidden her weapon. For the next few days, those blankets would reek of gunpowder.

"That was way too close," Zia thought as she holstered her weapon. But, before the ambassador got the chance to revel in her small victory, a crushing realization washed over her. "Oh dammit…" she cursed as she stared horrifyingly at her bedside clock. She was so busy dealing with the Demons that she completely forgot about the summit. Sunrise was less than three hours away, and she hadn't gotten a wink of sleep! After a quick shower and a much-needed change of clothes, Zia dived back into bed. They would be departing for the spires of Hell come morning. "God… how long has it been since I was last there?" In some twisted way, she felt kind of nostalgic. She used to be one of the damned, and now she was returning as one of Heaven's ambassadors. "Fate sure can be strange," she thought as she closed her eyes. For the first time in nearly a week, sleep welcomed her with open arms.

Zia yawned as she hopped out of her bed. The sun was starting to peek over the horizon, staining the forest canopy down below a beautiful shade of golden yellow. "I can't believe I managed to get some shuteye during this trip." Granted, the events that led up to it were horrific. However, when it came to rest, she'd take it when she could get it. She could already hear the other ambassadors shuffle about their rooms as they got ready to depart. Today was the day the Demons escorted them to their lodgings in the First Circle. There, they would be free to discuss business and relax at their leisure until the summit in three days. Although, that would probably be impossible. "How in the world do the others deal with it?" Zia thought as she scratched her scalp. At this point, she assumed most diplomats had gotten used to spending time in Hell. Now that she thought about it, Aeron Weber was probably the only diplomat who would be going in blind. But that wasn't unusual. After all, the man was an Angel. Granted, he was a twisted sadist of an Angel, one that some might even call demonic, but he was still one of God's Cherubs.

"He'd be better off with the devils," the ambassador thought as she buttoned up her shirt. Then again, it wasn't like Aeron would be the only Angel there. After all, once upon a time, good old Satan himself used to be one of God's most beloved. "I wonder, what does that bastard look like?" Even though she had spent years in his backyard, she'd never actually seen Hell's ruler. It didn't help that whatever information she could find on the subject was nothing but scripture and some vague rumors. That said, she wasn't totally in the dark. During her journey through the Ninth Circle, she overheard an intriguing piece of gossip about the afterlife's infamous boogeyman. "Heh—if that's accurate—some people will have a field day when the summit begins," she thought with a smile. "Speaking of which… what would the Bureau's great Templar think if that turns out to be true? He is a Cherub, after all. If that gossip is more than just the ravings of a madman, I don't know how he'll react." Zia smirked. If she had to guess, he'd probably be more curious than afraid. "That man is insane." She'd have to keep an eye out on him.

"Ms. Lombardi?" one of her guards announced as they knocked on her door. "Your ship departs in two hours. We'll be waiting for you at the docks." Zia sighed as she went about her daily routine. The extra bodyguards she'd received were so carefree. As she heard the man walk away, the ambassador turned to her room's window and looked at the skies above. Multiple blimps were hovering overhead. The golden ones were what would be carrying her and the rest of Heaven's ambassadors. Unsurprisingly, Dr. Leeson's was by far the most extravagant. His transport towered over the rest and even had a multi-story cabin. However, there were quite a few that rivaled his. Specifically, those that belonged to the top ambassadors from Heaven, their blimps were outfitted with an extravagant silver ship head and had been blessed with multiple protective wards. "Of course, mine isn't going to be anywhere near that nice," Zia thought with a sigh. "Oh well, beggars can't be choosers." Fretting over fancy transports would gain her nothing. Right now, she had to focus on getting ready.

"Well… I guess it's time for my makeover," Zia thought as she closed the bathroom door behind her. "Let's hope this doesn't take too long." All the dirt and muck from yesterday's battle had gotten into her wounds. Thankfully, there wasn't any danger of her getting an infection. After all, she was already dead. However, excess debris always made her job harder when it came to her daily routine. Gunpowder would turn the foundation she made green, and dirt would stain it orange. Still, it wasn't that bad. After thoroughly cleaning her face and neck, she started to apply her mask. Deep scars vanished as she slathered on layer after layer of foundation. After that, she began to use the color. With every stroke of her brush, she transformed her burnt skin into something normal—something beautiful. Finally, she moved on to the finishing touches. It was the little things that made her face pop. She had a touch of eyeliner there, a smidgen of shader here, and just like that, her task was complete. "On a scale of one to ten, eleven!" she announced with a smile as she threw on her coat and holster. Once she was sure everything was in order, she straightened up her hair and walked out into the hallway.

It was amazing how different the place was when draped in sunlight; the dingy corridors that she walked through just hours ago now exploded in an array of vibrant colors. However, even though the place was extravagant, she knew about the horrors that lurked underneath. "This place is just like a poisonous butterfly." If she flew too close to the truth, she'd risk getting stung.

"Well, if it isn't Ms. Lombardi! I hope you slept well!" Zia rolled her eyes when that annoying voice grated against her ears. Dr. Leeson was the last person she wanted to see right now. Bodyguards surrounded the devil, each with horns longer than tree branches.

"Are you heading off to war, Doctor?" she hissed, her tone deceptively playful and lighthearted. The Demon pretended to laugh at her joke, but Zia saw right through his fake smile. The bastard was still unnerved because of what happened last night. If she had to guess, he probably got these guards to scout for intruders. "He may consider himself to be strategic by gathering all of these men, but his actions are predictable when it comes down to it. In the end, Demons only trust one thing, and that's brute force." She learned that the hard way during her time in their homeland.

"Your sense of humor is spot-on, madame ambassador!" the Demon said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Keep that enthusiasm up, and I think you'll go places." Like the liar he was, the devil smiled and hurried to the next room. Dr. Leeson may not have known she followed him last night, but he had good instincts. Unless she kept her distance, it was only a matter of time before he connected the dots.

"I'll have to be extra careful around him from now on," Zia thought as she walked to the main hall. As expected, most of the ambassadors and diplomats were already there. A few were discussing official business. However, most were busy going over the day's schedule with their bodyguards. Of these little briefings, the Giants were by far the most thorough. Griswold Mapp had brought along an entire platoon's worth of soldiers and lectured them like a professor would do for an idiotic student. "What in God's name does he need all of those guards for?" she whispered aloud. Usually, Giants weren't that cautious.

"He's one of his race's most valuable ambassadors. Of course, he'd have a lot of guards." Zia swore she felt one of her veins burst when she heard that voice. "I see you've put your mask back on. That's a shame. I preferred the way you looked before."

"I could say the same about you. Don't you Angels usually flaunt your wings? Or are you scared someone might try to clip them?" Zia hissed as she crossed her arms. Did this idiot forget what he did last night? He threw her off the side of a building, for Heaven's sake!

"Oh, come on, you're overreacting!" the man said as he plopped a small object into her left hand. Zia knew what it was without even looking at it.

"Why are you giving me your transmitter?" She already had one to make diplomatic calls. It wasn't anywhere near as fancy as a judge's, but it got the job done.

"A friend from the Bureau sent that over," Aeron told her as he walked away. "Now come on. I'll explain on the ship."

"Wait, what? What in the world are you saying? What ship?" She was already assigned to take one of the small blimps. "Listen, I know you want to talk about what we heard last night, but my guards will start asking questions if I don't get going." Instead of answering her, the annoying Angel just kept on walking.

"My friend has already notified them. Your guards should be there already. Don't worry. We'll get to see them soon. I'm curious to see what sort of people you chose to be your shields, Ms. Lombardi." Everything just kept getting more and more confusing. Why were her guards taking orders from the Bureau? With the way Aeron was talking, there was no way he was referring to the bodyguards assigned to her from the main office. No, he wasn't talking about those prudes. He was talking about her bodyguards—the warriors that answered to her and her alone. As the pair hurried along, the crowds of diplomats got thinner and thinner—which only added to Zia's confusion. How long a walk was it to this ship?! "Before you ask, I had our transport dock away from the others," Aeron told her as a smirk crawled across his lips. "If any of the other ambassadors saw our ride before liftoff, I'm sure they'd riot. A long walk like this is worth it to avoid all of that headache."

"Okay," she mumbled—her tone still shaky and confused. As bewildered as she was, she wasn't going to throw away a golden opportunity like this. After all, this was a chance to climb up the political ladder! Even though she was less than pleased to share a ship with Aeron, it was no secret that the Angel held a high position. If she played her cards right, it would be easy to spin this as her moving up the Bureau's proverbial ladder. "Won't it be kind of crowded if the two of us are in there? This ship will have to carry both us and our guard regiments," she said as they headed through a pair of large doors.

"You don't have to worry about that. I don't need any guards," Aeron told her with a short chuckle. Zia wasn't sure if his confidence stemmed from his strength or simply the Angel's atrocious personality.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. Then again—even if you did have some guards—I bet they would all just run away from you," Zia joked, somewhat shocked at how surreal this situation was. Usually, nobody in her position would dare talk this way to one of God's Cherubs. However, she had a feeling that this one didn't care. Aeron Weber seemed like a person who would make fun of his kind if it provided him with some entertainment.

"Nah, if they did that, I'd just get the Bureau to add a few more years to their terms." Zia scoffed when she heard that. This man was getting less and less Angelic by the second.

"So, if you get attacked, what do you do? Just send your assailants' souls straight to Hell?" she asked. "You know that wouldn't solve anything, right?" she finished, catching Aeron off guard. After all, what the ambassador said was the truth. Attempting to banish Demons to God's dumpster was a fruitless endeavor. It was their home—it wouldn't be much of a punishment. However, humans were a different story.

"The Demons know to stay away from me. But the same can't be said about you mortals. You're all stuffed to the brim with hope. I honestly can't fathom how you deal with it." Zia smiled. Of course, an Angel wouldn't know what it was like to be a mortal. He never had to deal with the stress and pain that came with carrying the weight of your sins. As an Angel, he knew what his place in the Universe was since birth.

"Hmph, I'll give you that. Us mortals are ignorant beings," she exclaimed as she turned her gaze to the ceiling, "but, in the end, it's that idiocy which makes us who we are." With her gaze fixed above, Zia didn't get the chance to see his expression. But, for the briefest of moments, her words stopped the Templar dead in his tracks. Sadly, it was then that the pair finally arrived at their destination. If Zia had to guess, this place was probably the tower's maintenance garage. Bits of trash and debris lay scattered about the hold, and several oil stains covered the walls.

"Heavenly, is it not?" Aeron exclaimed as he took in a deep breath of polluted air. "This place reminds me of Jeremy's lab." It had everything: filth, an open atmosphere, and a complete disregard for human decency. "Now then, where did he park our ship?" he mumbled as he led Zia to the back of the hangar.

"Good God," Zia thought as she looked over some of the Demons' vehicles. There had to be hundreds in this bay alone. Many were just simple merchant transports or trading vessels. However, even though they appeared to belong to civilians, their intricate designs were impressive. Some were paneled with rubies, while others were as big as small towns! The largest ship there had to be at least a kilometer long!

"The Demons don't have access to Heaven's plentiful resources. So, they built these ships to find and transport the materials they needed back home; that's why they're all so massive," Aeron told her as he knocked his fist against one of the ship's metal hulls. "Even though Demons made these, without God holding them down, they managed to create some truly amazing things," he continued. Zia swore she misheard him. Was Aeron, an Angel, really insinuating that the Almighty was a burden? If his brethren heard this, they would burn him on a stake.

"You're one strange Cherub. You know that, right?" Zia said as they stumbled through the forest of ships. After a few more minutes of walking, the two eventually arrived at the back wall of the hangar; this was where the largest, most expensive vessels docked.

"Ah, there she is," Aeron mumbled when he finally located their transport. Instantly, he jumped behind one of the freighters and raised his voice. "Go ahead and start her up, boys. The princess is here." Immediately the hangar started to rumble, almost as if it were in the middle of an earthquake.

"Can you possibly be any more obnoxious?!" Zia yelled at the top of her lungs. She knew for a fact that no ship could cause a hangar to shake this much. Unless, of course, the captain was trying to on purpose. "You asked the pilot to do this, didn't you?" the frustrated ambassador hissed as she glared at Aeron's back. Even though he said nothing, she knew this was his fault.

"You've been spending too much time touching shoulders with those prudes back in Heaven. Learn to relax a little." With that, the Angel smirked and flew up to the deck of one of the smaller ships.

"Why did he go up there?" she thought, her expression frustrated and suspicious. She wasn't sure if she was being paranoid or if it was a spark of intuition, but she suspected that Aeron was still hiding something from her. However, before this suspicion could fester and grow, the weary ambassador finally got the chance to lay her eyes upon their ship. And the second she saw it all, her woes came flying out of her chest. "Oh… wow," Zia mumbled as she stared, her jaw agape, at the vessel. It was, for lack of a better term, glorious. Granted, it was still smaller than Dr. Leeson's and the other ambassadors' ships. However, it more than made up for its lack of size with style. The entire transport looked like a flying black monolith. Adorning the hull was hundreds of gold and silver streaks that drew the eyes towards the gigantic bridge. While the bottom half of the hulking mass, on the other hand, was covered in greenery. Numerous trees, plants, fields of grass, and vines clung to its underside—making the entire thing look like a forest hanging upside down.

"Is the carriage to the princess' liking?" Aeron joked as he hopped into one of the floating trees. Like bees swarming out of a hive, a wave of pigeons and cardinals flooded out of the canopy. They proceeded to fill the hangar, roosting in every available nook and cranny.

"Where did you get this?" Zia asked as she walked up to the loading bay. "I mean… how in God's name did you manage to slip this past Dr. Leeson, Aeron?" Instead of answering her, Aeron just continued to laugh as he patted the ship's hull. He didn't do anything. This miracle was thanks to the Bureau's far-reaching influence.

"Never underestimate the power and resources of Jeremy Knight," he thought as he silently thanked the Bureau's top operator. As annoying as the man was, Aeron couldn't deny his usefulness. Zia smiled as one of the smaller birds landed upon one of her outstretched fingers. Its feathers were pure white, just like a dove's. "Now hurry up and get your ass on board," Aeron continued, "we've got quite a bit to talk about." Once finished, several branches from the ship's canopy started to move on their own. They twisted and turned, changing color, becoming a simple set of steps that led straight into the vessel.

"A bit too flashy for my tastes," Zia thought as she started to climb the wooden steps, "although, that said, it sure is beautiful." Once she neared the entrance, Aeron hopped down from his perch and opened the door for her. "Be careful," Zia smirked, "if you keep doing that, people might mistake you for a good person." In response to her little jest, the Templar rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Tell me, are you trying to be an asshole, or does it just come naturally?" she asked as she walked through the ship's jewel-encrusted corridors, which caused Aeron to let out a small chuckle.

"What would you say if I told you it was part of my charm?" As he spoke, Aeron reached into his jacket and pulled out a small envelope. "Take it, I'm certain you'll find its contents interesting," he continued while handing her the mysterious letter.

"And this is?" Zia asked as she popped it open. Inside was a small packet of documents. They all contained standard intel on Dr. Leeson and even had information on a few of his contacts in Hell! "He has a house in the Second Circle?" she mumbled as she skimmed over another page.

"That's not surprising," Aeron told her, "most Demons are practically slaves to their carnal urges. For someone of his status, the idea of living anywhere else would be laughable." While Zia was absorbed in her reading, Aeron got her attention and pointed to one of the smaller papers. "This is what you should be looking at." Said document was a picture of Dr. Leeson standing in a large ballroom. The color of blood painted vast swathes of the hall, perfectly accenting the obscene artwork that lined the walls.

"I… I know that place," Zia said as she stared at the blurry photograph with wide eyes. She swore she had seen that room somewhere before. After a few moments of thinking, it finally clicked. "That's the embassy in the Fourth Circle!" It was one of the largest of its kind and was also the location of the upcoming summit. "Ugh, that explains the horrid decor."

"Of all the things wrong with that photo, the window dressing is what bothers you?" Aeron chuckled. "You mortals never cease to amaze me." Zia rolled her eyes. She wasn't just any old mortal.

"Spare me the childish insults, Mr. Weber," she groaned and scribbled some brief notes into her journal. "If Dr. Leeson was at the embassy, he's close to Hell's upper brass. I'm assuming that's what you wanted me to find out by giving me this envelope?" Aeron was shocked. He thought it would take longer for her to arrive at that answer. "Hah!" she chuckled as she pressed her pen against the Angel's cheek. "Don't take me lightly, Templar. I didn't get to my position by just being good with makeup." After that little spat, the duo continued in silence as they clambered towards the bridge. With every step, Zia saw something new. Robotic animals pranced around the decks as if they were in the middle of a forest, while the actual machinery was all fashioned to look like metallic plants. "Don't you think the other ambassadors will try to find out why we're flying together? This ship sticks out like a sore thumb. There's no way that they won't notice." She was right. The vessel was a bit flashy. However, that was the entire point.

"I've already informed the other diplomats that we'll be having a meeting today. And before you ask, I had my friend back home pull some strings to avoid unnecessary interruptions. Right now, all of them are under the impression that this is nothing more than a simple business meeting." Zia scoffed. That still didn't explain the need for the fancy ship.

"That's not what I asked," she said as one of the steel squirrels scurried past her head. "I already know all of that. The question is, why do we have to talk in this flying art exhibit?" Aeron shrugged as he stepped over a coil of branch-shaped wires.

"The main reason is that this ship is easy to track. Plus, I thought it looked cool." Zia raised one of her eyebrows when she heard that.

"Why in the Almighty's name does it have to be tracked?!" she yelled. It wasn't like they were going to get lost!

"The tracker's there for the rental company," Aeron whispered in an almost disappointed tone. Zia couldn't believe what she was hearing. Did he say that they were renting this thing?!

"Wait a minute… this ship is a rental? You've got to be joking." Weren't they supposed to be God's emissaries? Bringers of peace and whatnot? Why did they have to rent their rides?!

"Well, this whole fiasco was never strictly approved by the Bureau," Aeron mumbled as he scratched the back of his head. "If those idiots on the Council caught wind of our situation, we'd probably have to cancel the summit. And that would be a pain in the ass for everybody. So, to avoid any unnecessary problems, I had one of my allies back home put in the request."

"But how did you get approval for the funds? A beast like this has to cost a lot, even if you're only renting it," Zia asked. The Bureau was powerful, but they were far from being an omnipotent organization. They still had a budget just like any other agency.

"Oh, that?" Aeron said as a large grin spread across his face. "I just had Jeremy tell the Minister that I didn't want to fly in any ship made by Demons." If there was one thing he could always rely on, it was his superiors' racism.

"Play to your strengths, right?" Zia groaned. Why didn't that surprise her? With her question answered, the pair continued walking in silence as they clambered onto one of the ship's many escalators. Like everything else on the vessel, covering it was a dense layer of greenery. Instead of metal belts and glass railings, the escalator used clear vines and wooden steps as its main components. "All we need now is a waterfall, and this magical wonderland will be complete."

"That's in the ship's back near the radiator," Aeron joked as he walked up to the bridge's entrance. "Hey! You bastards! I brought the ambassador! Now open the door!" It took a few moments for Aeron to get a response, but when somebody finally decided to answer the Templar's call, Zia immediately knew who it was.

"What's the password?" they heard a young woman say from the other side of the entrance. With no options left, Aeron grunted started pressing random keys, hoping that one of the combinations would be correct.

"Your guards sure are something else… this door didn't have a combination lock when I was last here," he whined as he tried another code. Unsurprisingly, the entrance remained shut. Zia laughed as she walked up to the keypad and entered a long string of numbers. A few seconds later, the door swung open, accompanied by a soft ding.

"There is only one person I know who'd do something like this," she thought with a sigh as she walked into the bridge; this was going to be a long trip.

Two years ago...

Since I took this job, every morning has greeted me with new challenges and headaches. Today I've tasked myself with finding some bodyguards. A few idiots tried to mug me earlier this afternoon while walking around in the lower sector. They must've been fresh off the staircase because they didn't seem to know where they were! I don't even know how that's possible! Did they not read the signs? How does a person manage to get into Heaven and not realize it? Much less try and mug someone on their first day here! Such an appalling lack of self-control is shocking! First off, those two never should've been able to get here—they were both hardened criminals! I'd blame it on their judge, but they died naturally under the Almighty's watch! How in the world did that happen?! Did those two have some redeeming quality that got God's attention?!

If that's the case, I'm going to file a complaint. If people like that can get accepted without intervention, then why the shit did I spend years slogging through Hell to get here?! I swear, this system is fighting me at every step. As much as I don't want to, I'll have to find somebody to watch my back. Tomorrow I plan to drop by the gates and see if I can find anyone interesting. Hopefully, it won't take too long.