By Tony R. Smith & Beth Townsend
Clouds churned ominously above the city, blanketing what only an hour earlier had been a sky full of stars. Lights from the towering buildings shimmered from behind the sheets of water cascading over the busy avenue. Even at this hour, the occasional car horn blared as drivers tried to manage in the deluge and cabbies scrambled to entice rain-soaked pedestrians into their taxis.
Inside the warm wood and chrome interior of a popular twenty-four hour coffee franchise, clusters of regulars hoping to either sober up from the night’s revelries or wake up for a very early day chatted around tables. In one corner of the café, two dour figures, built like tanks wearing suits, flanked a well-dressed man with large glasses sipping some indeterminate liquid from a glass. He smiled when he spotted an individual clad in a bone-dry trench coat with wiry, white hair streaming over his shoulders. The customers seemed to subconsciously part at his approach, making room for him to get by without actually noticing him.
“Vigil, you crazy, old geezer! I’m glad this terrible weather didn’t hold you up.”
“Cease your shallow pleasantries, Machination. I did not call you here to play games.”
Mac’s grin widened. “Of course, of course! Must say, I am curious as to why such an esteemed Elder called me here at all. As you’re probably aware, I’m quite busy.”
“You know why.”
Mac snickered evenly and scraped the tip of a pinky talon between his incisors. “No, I’m not certain I follow.”
The hem of Vigil’s coat fluttered and the ceiling lights flickered, provoking the two bodyguards to slide one foot forward. The babbling humans detected nothing amiss.
“The imp. Elaborate, as my patience grows thin.”
“Ah, that…tiny…matter.”
“Removals are only sanctioned by Council approval. You overstep your bounds! Balance must be maintained.”
Mac gestured glibly. “Your precious balance is fine. I simply did some in-house cleaning. Vex was becoming bothersome and, honestly, a tad useless.”
“You need to handle your petty quarrels with your subordinates by the rules or the next removal to be discussed will be yours.”
Slapping one of the guards on the shoulder, Mac guffawed.
“That sounded like a threat, didn’t it? A sad and empty one, at that. If these two are the only devices capable of doing any removing, how in all the realms do you plan on accomplishing that?”
Vigil gauged the weight of his words before continuing. “Satan’s hiatus, finite or not, does not give you free reign. I assumed this was made clear to you when you were appointed.”
Mac’s smile thinned as he bowed forward menacingly. “I will not be intimidated. Just because His Unholiness isn’t around doesn’t mean you and your kin get to micromanage. I don’t need a nanny.”
Incensed, Vigil took an impulsive step. “We acquiesced when that devil chose a mere imp—a reckless, conceited one, at that—to manage things in abstentia without first conferring with us when his weapons were bound to you. You were supposed to help us maintain order. But if we deem you unfit, as seems ever more likely with your flagrant abuse of power, then we will have you cast down, carrion!”
Mac’s face collapsed into a scowl. The two bodyguards at his side also frowned, advancing slowly as a black mist leaked from the bottom of their pant legs. Gradually, the droplets that had been forcefully splattering against the windows began to fall languidly, almost hovering.
“You don’t understand. I AM Satan, now.”
“You treacherous worm! The Council will hear of this.”
Time had slowed to a near stand-still, but the room around the two divine beings, still arguing, seemed to breathe like a living painting.
“ʻWILL hear of this,’ you say. So, no one else knows exactly where you are, at present? Now who’s taking unsanctioned action?”
Obscured by an ever-thickening shroud of dark energy, only the dancing gleam off Mac’s lenses were visible where he sat, laughing. Vigil ignored him, turning around to glide through the crowd of motionless patrons clasping over-priced beverages and leave.
Mac sighed, calling after him. “I’m not sure what you hoped to accomplish here, but I am sorry that we weren’t able to reach an agreement. And if you thought I would hesitate to protect my interests in a crowd of idiotic mortals, well…this is going to negatively impact my customer service satisfaction survey, isn’t it?”
His sentinels burst into huge plumes of black smoke, spewing from their suits through the cuffs and collars. Still facing away, but sensing imminent danger, Vigil’s trench coat billowed wide as a ray of light erupted from each shoulder, arcing into massive, incandescent wings. From inside his sleeve, a glowing beam whizzed down his arm and consolidated into a shining weapon, which he hastily swung to meet the vortex surging at his back.
As light clashed with darkness, an explosion rocked the building.
Outside, a bolt of lightning as bright as day split the sky, frozen in place. The protracted rumble of thunder dulled the sound of splintering glass when a glowing orb smashed through the largest café window. Resembling a small comet, it careened into the office across the street, narrowly avoiding any immobile vehicles in its path. Sparks skittered in all directions from the impact site.
Smoke spilled rapidly from the broken pane onto the sidewalk, slithering after the trail of light like a serpent. Striking from range, it caught the luminous heap with two large tendrils, unfurling Vigil’s radiant wings and pinning him to the building exterior before he could stand. More tentacles shot out, curling around his arms and legs and pulling them taut. A pair of eyes opened from within the fog, dividing into two cycloptic heads with the features of the guards.
Mac casually sauntered over, hands in his pockets. Suspended raindrops simmered upon contact with the demon’s flesh and clothing as he walked through them, enveloping him in a steamy haze. He smiled, pausing to appreciate how well his detainee was bound.
“Comfortable?”
“You fool! Evade and jest all you want, but you have sealed your fate. Your acts of sedition will have been for naught.”
His body stopped a few feet away, but Mac’s head continued to advance toward Vigil, the demon’s neck stretching over the sidewalk toward the wall until their faces were uncomfortably close.
“YOU’RE the fool! I told you, I’m not afraid. I’ve got all sorts of wheels in motion and I seriously cannot be inconvenienced at the moment. Lucky for you, I’m feeling generous today. I forgive you and your ignorance. I am, however, going to need something to send a message back to your precious chicken coop. I’ve been taking up a collection, so I sure appreciate you making this secret trip all the way here to volunteer.”
Mac winked. Vigil gave a surly grunt and the gaseous appendages tightened their grip. Stepping away, as though disinclined to get his own claws dirty, Mac’s elastic neck retracted back into place.
“Fellas, make this mockingbird sing. And take your time.”
On that stormy night, the resulting shock wave rippled through the hearts of otherworldly beings across all realms. Another offense against divinity and order, taken by force.
TO BE CONTINUED…
So, You're Possessed! 