The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

Triple-Zero "Prologue" (Draft 2.5)

The Forbidden City glowed in the sky. There was the blackness directly above, pale violet throughout the streets, and deeper violet below where the light burned then was diffused through the atmosphere of the greater Night Regions. The brilliant violet light came from the lifting mechanisms below the city's foundation and lit the streets only indirectly where it was reflected from the glittering metal and glass buildings and the polished white stone and mixed with the white light filtered through the colored curtains and glass at every window.

There was a rose window in the meeting room of the House of the Archangels, colored rose and red, green and gold. It was a large window and the Archons of the nine orders of Angels knew to land when they came to it, alighted on the place without and came into the room through the tall double-arched entrance below the window. Four of the nine came in slowly, walking lower to the floor than usual. Remiel rushed to support Raphael as he entered. Raziel and Gabriel came in leaning against each other. And then Zerachiel came last, and no one touched her, but watched anxiously as Archangels ever got as she moved slowly over the glimmering floor, head held high.

The nine sat at a round table in the order of rank, so that Caziel of the Eyrim was next to Raphael of the Seraphim. Raziel opened the Tome of Minutes. Raguel who often spoke for the collective Archons said, "The world almost ended today."

Raphael began to say something, he meant to bring up the approaching time of Jibril's judgment before the Irim Qaddisim, but he sensed something in that part of him that was linked to the others. All turned to Gabriel. Her sapphire-blue eyes flashed brightly as the word came to her.

"Gaaabriiiel!" the voice boomed in her mind.

Gabriel rose. "I must go," she said. She flew to the landing place without and ascended. She knew where she must go and flew toward the centre of the city. She came to the tall building there with the semicircular facade, its row of tall stained-glass pointed-arched windows.

"Gabriel! I'm calling you!"

Gabriel went to the balcony above the windows and entered. She hurried down the shaft to the hall below, ran down the hall with the voice speaking her name impatiently. She came to a pair of tall doors and they opened outward to welcome her. A draft of warm air moved through Gabriel's hair and over her skin.

The large room held many pieces of sturdy wooden furniture, and several quirky paintings. There was a bubbling fountain, plants hanging from macramé holders, a sweet smoky smell throughout. A woman in blue sat finger knitting red and purple yarn, a man sat nearby with sandaled feet drawn under him swaying slightly in time with the music piped from above. Both raised their eyes calmly to Gabriel.

"Greetings, Yeshua, Greetings, Mariah. I was called, where is...she?"

A clopping sound came to Gabriel's ears, seemed to be moving closer. Momentarily the girl appeared in a doorway at the back of the room. "Here I am," said Pandora.

"Greetings, Pandora," said Gabriel with a bow. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Forgive me, but you sounded urgent."

"I know," sang Pandora. She was looking at the beautiful long-haired man sitting on the wooden couch. "Minerva you for playing this damn folk music all the time, you know it annoys me to no end."

"Hey, sorry, play what you want, I'm not out to annoy anyone."

"She'll play that pounding music," Mariah whispered.

Yeshua held his head in his hands. "I don't want to annoy anyone."

"Tell her to stop with the guilt trips," Pandora tempted him.

"Don't fight on my account," Mariah said quietly, "I'll just go pay a visit to Earth...have you seen my sandals with the roses on them?"

"Gabriel, I've decided," Pandora said, watching Mariah scour the floor for a pair of sandals.

"Err, what was that?" Gabriel asked.

"I'll show you," Pandora said. She turned on her heels and clopped away. Gabriel hurried after her. Pandora led Gabriel to a small room with no windows. There were several paintings drying or half-finished on easels. One depicted Pandora enthroned, another showed Yeshua and Lucifer standing on a mountain top without clothes on. Pandora closed the door behind Gabriel. "I've decided," she said again.

Pandora clopped to a projection device and let her fingers glide over the console. A projection of Earth appeared in the dim air if the room, spinning and wobbling slowly. In a quick movement of fingers Pandora narrowed the view and zoomed in. Gabriel recognized New York City speeding into view. The view narrowed even more.

"Soho?" Gabirel asked. She had flown over New York quite enough to recognize its landmarks. Pandora made no answer. A particular rooftop came up, two figures. They were laying out on large towels in moonlight, some flowers were about, a small green lizard, an occasional distortion moved across the projection.

"Him." Pandora's long first finger pierced the projected figure of the three-quarter Angel Morpheus.

"Are you certain? He's not a virgin, he's not even female."

"Gabriel, I've decided. I want him. You make it so."

Gabriel bowed her head reverently. "As you say so it shall be."