CounterPoint (2 page)

“They’ve been threatening a war like that for centuries now. It’s never materialised. Usually a ploy to marshal the rank and file, give them a kick in the ass so to speak. Demons must be eradicated by neutralising their leaders and then taking out the loose ends. An all-out war would devastate the planet.”  He had explained this to management in his reports many times before but requests for more resources was always denied.

“Anything else?”

“Rumour has it there’s a management meeting tonight. We’ve been requested to provide security for a hotel in London and the surrounding area. All five are going to be present, the first time in over five hundred years, as you well know. There hasn’t been a meeting like that since the time of the Knights Templar. And we all know how that ended.”

“Indeed,” said Ariel gravely. A meeting of management was what concerned him the most. A previous meeting of management resulted in the massacre of the Knights Templar, something that still stirs rage in human sects. Management don’t get together that often and when they do it’s only when there’s major movement somewhere. ‘Movement’ was a saying used to describe something that could change things, and this was very much against doctrine. Sensing that he would have to do some detective work of his own, Ariel moved the conversation on to department resources and budgets. Though if he was truthful with himself, he had no real interest in hearing anything more about the department. Amber had everything under control as usual. He had decided he would need to seek an audience with Lana, an old time associate and friend of his. If something big was happening, she would know.

Later that evening, the same high powered meeting was about to take place in London’s luxurious Dorchester Hotel. The hotel’s main boardroom had been booked for a group under the name of ‘Christian’. Curiously, there was no record of this meeting taking place at the Dorchester. A group of businessmen from Asia had booked out the boardrooms and suites for an official trip. The Dorchester’s computers now showed no record of that booking. The hotel manager, Mr Edward Port, was preparing for the arrival of this group by instructing staff to follow his orders to the letter. There was to be no talking to the VIP guests and no eye contact. They were here to do business and leave again. No fuss. At exactly 10.00pm, the limousines began arriving.

A black limousine was the last to pull up outside the main entrance to the hotel. Two burly bodyguards jumped out from the front seats and opened the rear door of the vehicle. Their black suits and sunglasses contrasted sharply with the tall, thin man who stepped out.  Clad in a dark navy suit and blue shirt finished off with a bright pink tie and matching pink diamond cufflinks, he possessed an air of classic landed gentry. His grey hair and slender wrinkle lines showed the years of wisdom and experience. Flanked by his two bodyguards, he strolled into the hotel and towards the main elevator in the lobby. His demeanour, even his walk, exuded confidence and power. This, and indeed there was no doubt, was the boss.

The elevator was of course waiting, ready for his arrival. The two bodyguards secured the elevator but did not join him, they were to stay in the lobby and ensure the meeting was not disturbed. In truth there were over fifty bodyguards currently in and around the hotel from the Department of Special Operations to ensure the safety and security of the summit. The last thing they needed was for a demon attack in the centre of London with so many high ranking persons in the one building.

Aerial reconnaissance and protection was also taking place. High above, angels circled the building and outer perimeter. Nothing was allowed to come anywhere near the hotel. Specialised agents were also on the grounds around the hotel and adjacent streets on patrol. Underground monitoring and surveillance was taking place with agents skulking deep below the city ensuring no demon decided to be clever. Every avenue had been investigated, secured and then sealed.

The meeting room itself was pure decadence, fitting for the grandeur and power that these high-ranking individuals demanded and had come to expect. Gold chandeliers hovered above a gold and marble rectangular dining table in the centre of the room, surrounded by five magnificent throne chairs, finished off with golden arms and royal purple silk coverings. Huge brilliant religious paintings adorned the walls of the room and gold statues of historic religious figures stood atop silver stands. Jewel plated silk curtains washed down over the huge bay windows on one side of the room whilst the storm outside continued to thrash the UK capital. The other four were already there. Walking into the room, they greeted Michael in the customary fashion – each rising from their chair and bowing their head. Behind him, two high-ranking bodyguards sealed the doors shut from the outside. They were now alone and secure, a still silence swept over the room as Michael remained standing at the head of the table. The others took their seats once more.

“Gentlemen, as you know I have summoned this meeting to discuss the current events that have been happening around the globe. One might say they are of biblical proportions and thus should be treated as so. You have all seen the reports. If we do not act now then evil shall overtake this world. Our numbers are limited and we cannot continue standing firm against expansionist demonic objectives. The Human Experiment is our responsibility and we must act to safeguard it. To do this, we must first cleanse this world of evil once and for all and then I propose immediate evaluation,” spoke Michael to his fellow partners sat around the luxurious table.

“You’re proposing disobedience on a scale never imagined,” replied Raphael, looking concerned but not overly surprised. This issue had been a centre point of angelic disagreement since God left.

“It’s not disobedience, Raphael. God isn’t coming back. I don’t think he’s dead,” said Michael, answering the question he knew some would ask, “but Heaven agrees, the probability of him coming back is minimal. We’ve heard reports of the creation of life in distant parts of existence. Some so spectacularly grand they make Earth and its inhabitants look like a pathetic Petri dish.”

“It is not the time,” commanded Gabriel, the one archangel who could always be counted upon to disagree with Michael.

“Heaven disagrees,” said Michael in an equally authoritarian tone glaring down at Gabriel. The other archangels looked at Gabriel intently; he was often their spokesperson against Michael.

“You propose to bring the evaluation forward. That’s what you really want. This has nothing to do with current levels of demons and evil. The experiment is to be completed with the return of God. We are not to expedite that process,” growled Gabriel, rising from his seat.

“What do you propose we do instead? Stay here for an eternity in the vain hope that God will return?  He’s not coming back Gabriel. How many times have we tried to contact him since he left, and nothing?”

“God does not need to inform us of his plans.”

“Gabriel, evil has polluted this world and humanity to the point of no return. The experiment on its present course will fail. Are you prepared to stand by and allow demons to overrun this world? To allow evil to pollute every remaining aspect of creation here?” shouted Michael. “If we don’t act now we will face chaos. We are at a tipping point and I fear we will soon plunge. There won’t be an experiment left worth evaluating. How do we explain that to God if he ever returns? We must salvage what we can.”

“The importance of humanity cannot be overstated.”

“God is gone, Gabriel, and by all accounts there shall be no return. Humanity has been a disaster from the very beginning. Do you want to continue patching up a sick planet riddled with evil for the rest of eternity?”

“Then destroy Hell!” Gabriel countered loudly. Both had now squared up to each other.

“Destroy Hell?” shouted Michael, over Gabriel’s repeated yeses, “and lose hundreds of angels in the process. What about the millions of demons roaming the planet? They’ll regroup and we won’t have the troops to counter them.”

“Michael,” said Gabriel calmly. He didn’t want them ending up brawling and destroying half the city in the process. “This is wrong. If we try to forcefully remove evil from this planet we risk destroying it. Humanity is capable of ejecting evil from this world. Give them the time to do so. Let the experiment run its course,” he reasoned.

“Evil was never meant to be part of this experiment!”

“We don’t know that. God left no instruction, nothing. For all we know evil is the very object humanity must overcome to pass this experiment.” Gabriel sat back down again. He knew the other Archangels agreed with him, at least to some extent, but would not anger Michael.

“The time is now,” finished Michael once more. The other archangels listened to Michael and Gabriel now descend into an ear bashing row.

The world’s inhabitants, human, animal and supernatural alike had no idea that at this very moment, their fate was being determined in a hotel suite in London.

Chapter 2

Ariel strolled down the corridor outside his department’s offices and towards the main elevator. It had been a busy day getting everything sorted. He always failed to understand how humans were able to accomplish all they had whilst sleeping through a third of their life.

Once above ground, he closed his eyes, chanted an ancient three-word spell and vanished, spiriting upwards toward Heaven. Despite what most humans thought, Heaven was not ‘floating’ above Earth somewhere. It was an entirely different dimension but nonetheless very real. Moments later, Ariel arrived. As a senior angel with departmental responsibilities he was allowed to enter Heaven whenever he wished from any location on Earth.

Heaven was not as many humans imagined it. The truth was that there is a single Heaven at the centre. Expanding outwards from Heaven are various large sections. Some contain different eras of Earth history allowing humans to explore. Of course, even Heaven was a department. A large number of angels were required to process humans and keep everything in order. Heaven had changed considerably since it was first created. The original plan was to concentrate everyone in one huge Heaven. Angels quickly discovered, however that even in the afterlife, humans were still as ‘human’ as ever. Confrontations, stealing, deceit and trespassing were rampant. Therefore a decree from the Archangels stipulated that everyone admitted to Heaven was allowed to proceed immediately to their designated department for processing without delay. No more ‘social leave’, as it was called.

Of course, they could still visit the communal areas in Heaven, with its wondrous gardens and unimaginably beautiful waterfalls. Heaven also possessed every creature ever created by God, with small exceptions. Many were even extinct on Earth. Ariel, however, was not on a social visit. He needed to seek advice from an old friend on this anomaly he had encountered. Being thousands of years old had allowed him to experience many a peculiar thing in his existence; more so after being stationed directly on Earth for over two thousand years. He was very aware of humans clashing with demons and monsters all over the planet. That had been happening for centuries now and would most likely continue. Angels were simply not numerous enough to keep the demon and monster populations in check all the time. Thankfully, to most on Earth, the existence of supernatural entities was considered laughable and at the very most slightly curious. There were cult sects that followed and actively sought out demons and monsters of all kinds but they usually were never successful. Those who were successful usually didn’t last long enough to tell anyone of their discoveries.

Under his watch, Ariel had petitioned for vast increases in resources for his department. He genuinely believed that they were capable of being far more efficient in rooting out demonic ringleaders and managing supernatural disruptions. Attacks on humans from demons had been decreasing, with occasional spikes, over the past one hundred years, but during conflicts such as the first and second world wars this quota was multiplied tenfold. The problem partly lay due to the inaction of Heaven. Angels had hunted down demons, reducing them to a mere smattering across the globe. But they never took the final step in eradicating them completely. Like a cornered rat, demons began fighting back and were increasing their numbers drastically. The result of this was in the actual creation of the Department of Special Operations, which specialised in the training of highly advanced, elite angelic operatives who could investigate and quietly silence any disturbances which were considered a ‘disruption’ to the natural order on the planet. Every demon attack, monster outbreak and human witness of a supernatural occurrence was considered a disruption. It should never have happened. The original blueprints for Earth and humanity show that no evil and no monsters were to be present

Having walked through the centre of Heaven, Ariel now found himself sitting on a bench in one of its grand gardens. A monumental forming waterfall which fell onto a smattering of diamond like rocks at the base caught his eye. Heaven was constantly changing and evolving. Every type of flora imaginable blossomed around the edge of the water at the bottom of the waterfall. The sky was the bluest of the blue and a very light breeze moved eastwards through the garden, carrying the scent of fresh roses. You could see clearly for miles around in every direction, gorgeous spanning hills and rivers along with flying animals in and out of the trees of every type. Tall palm trees provided an occasional oasis from the sun’s penetrating shine around this waterfall.

Ariel had called for Lana; he just hoped she had heard him and would come. Lana and he had a long history, working together on Earth and it was she who had recommended him for promotion to replace her as Department Director. Lana had moved on up into Heaven as one of its key liaisons with the Three Sisters of Fate.

“Ariel.  It’s been over fifty years.”

Ariel didn’t even look round to meet her gaze even though he was relieved she had appeared. Most angels were never interested in such human formalities as saying Hello and goodbye. They simply preferred to talk and be objective. It was all business. They had a duty of charge to the planet and humans.