All the Time to Lose (Wormverse)

Interlude 2: Angels We Have Heard on High

Buildings lie toppled on their sides, bridges are collapsing, and roads are torn up. The air is thick with smoke and the fog that had gathered in the early morning and stayed throughout the day. It makes for an eerie image.

"She's beautiful." I whisper as I gaze at the being before me. I don't know where I am and I'm not entirely sure how I got here. I also don't know my name nor my age. What I do know? Very little...and yet so much more than I think I should.

This...creature though, is truly beautiful. She reminds me of that picture I saw. What did that old lady say that thing was? Angle? Anjal? No. ...Angel! That's it. Angel. Now how did that person define an angel?

'A creature of light with wings that descends from the heavens to do God's bidding.' Let's see...this lady has lots of wings. I don't think the definition included a number. She came down through the clouds so I'm going to say she did come 'from the heavens'.

The only thing left is the purpose of performing 'God's bidding', whatever that means. Back there, in that place, I could hear the angel calling to me. She beckoned me through the door and into this chaos, away from the old woman.

I see flashes, images of a dark figure soaring through the sky, a green, faceless figure toppling the angel, and a blue figure with flashing lights. I don't know how to describe them all. The images are like short videos, relatively quiet compared to the sounds all around me.

Some look so similar that I wonder if they are replaying...but then something will change and the video will end differently. It's fascinating to watch really. Each scene is a veritable light show, with the blue man zipping around like a shooting star.

I think I like the green one the most. I couldn't tell you why. It's just...something about them. I look around, the images fading from opaque to translucent so I can see through them to look at the crumbling city around me.

I search the sky but see only the gray clouds overhead and the angel. I see no colorful individuals. There's something like a buzzing or a ringing in my...it's not my ears. Is it in my head? It almost feels like its both. Where is that coming from though?

It doesn't quite hurt but it's not really pleasant either. I finally look up at the head of the angel to see a woman with high cheekbones, pale skin, and even paler hair. Her face is relaxed...serene even.

She watches the destruction of the city, the calm at the center of the storm. Could she be the one doing this? Maybe. I can almost hear a whisper, an assurance from deep within that I can do something, that I can help.

I don't know how true this is, but I feel compelled to trust the voice. Before I can do anything though, I see the colorful beings. When did they get here? Were they always here? How long have I been standing here? I have no way of knowing the answers to any of these questions.

I watch as the one in black tries to punch the angel, only to go flying backwards before she can hit it. I wonder why. The man in blue unleashes a stream of colorful light at the angel and she stops her slow advance down the street.

I hadn't even realized she'd been moving. I look around to see large mechanical structures lying among the ruins of the city. I wonder what those were. The figure in green flies up to the angel, and unleashes their own energy blast.

This one makes the angel 'stagger'. It's not a real stagger so much as it pushes her backwards several blocks. They continue to fight, with the angel showing no signs of stopping. Her gaze meets mine.

Her eyes are gray and empty, unable to express any kind of emotion. In that moment, I know that I need to help the colorful individuals. I focus all of my energy at her. I don't know what I'm doing. Hell, I might not be doing anything at all.