Project Death: Resurrection

by Danielle Thamasa

  Chapter Eleven

  He was an idiot. I kept asking myself why he would make a stupid deal like that. He had to have known better. The Angel of Death was always expendable; I could be replaced easily. Without Death, how was Balance to remain? The Resurrectors and the Leaders would tip the scale in their favor, so to speak.

  Thanos gave himself up and I watched as the other Leaders came and led him away. It made me notice that they all seemed afraid to touch him. They kept a foot away as they escorted him out of the conference room, but Thanos did not even try to escape. He simply walked with them as if he was a dignitary being escorted, and not a prisoner with his guards. Samuel removed my bonds in one swift motion and gestured for the door. The first thing I did was to return to the facility to try and figure out some way to get Thanos away from them. If Fate truly wanted Balance to remain in a state of near equality then it wouldn't let Thanos stay in Resurrector custody for too long. That thought ran through my mind as I rushed to the library. My quest was clear: save Thanos.

  In the massive room I rushed around, grabbing tome after tome from the shelves and carrying them over to the table. I buried myself in books, trying to find anything I could use to help with this situation and for hours I ignored the silence of the building and the loneliness that crept over me, wrapping around my body and then pressing against me. The pressure of it was almost too great to bear. I lost myself in my research, hoping to keep the ache at bay as I searched for a solution.

  The silence was not the only issue I had to worry about as I tried to ignore everything but my search for answers. When I could ignore it no longer, I went to the kitchen to fix something for my rumbling stomach. It was there that I found a piece of paper on the table, a short note from Thanos to me.

  He kept it simple. Four short words: Don't come after me.

  If he thought I was just going to let him stay there, then he was even more of an idiot than I had thought when he made the deal. For a few moments I almost lost it but somehow I managed to rein in my feelings. Letting those take over right now would not help anyone. I looked around the kitchen, already missing Thanos and his cooking. He wouldn't have let me stay in the library that long without bringing me something to eat.

  It made me wonder if he did that with the previous Angels of Death. Certainly he wasn't just giving me special treatment because he has feelings for me? It was a possibility, just not one I really wanted to think about. My thoughts were already centered on Thanos, which was a problem, but to focus on his "feelings for me" would just be too much.

  I made a cold lunch meat sandwich and then returned to the library. Setting the plate down on a little side-table between two chairs, I noticed another note. I raised an eyebrow, wondering how I missed it earlier. Of course, I hadn't exactly been paying attention before either. Slowly I reached out and picked it up, my eyes running over the script quickly.

  There are more important matters to think of than either you or I. Concentrate on the job and making sure things continue to go smoothly.

  I stared at that note, still holding my sandwich in my hand. How could he expect me to do the job when he wasn't around to help? Did he honestly think that I would be able to do that? Yes, I had my scroll with all of my Reaps listed on it, but Thanos had a list too, one that he never really showed me though I knew it was similar to mine. I sighed, knowing that he was right, that the job had to come first. The best way to help him would be to continue taking souls, to fight against the Resurrectors. But how did he expect me to do this on my own?

  Eating quickly I began to think of what I was going to do. Once finished with my meal, if one could actually call it that, I left the library to go down the hall to Thanos' personal study. Usually I wouldn't go in without his permission as we tried to give each other space, but under the circumstances I didn't think he would really mind. As he had said in his note, there were more important matters than either of us. I opened the door and walked inside, pausing a moment to push aside the churning feeling of my gut. He wouldn't mind me coming in here, I told myself, not now anyway.

  I let out a deep breath. We would get through this somehow, of that I had to maintain a firm belief. It would be the only way to keep from falling apart. I cleared my throat, listening to it ring through the otherwise silent room. I was getting distracted by my thoughts and that wasn't going to help with anything. Work had to come first as I knew the Resurrectors wouldn't slow down to wait for me. In fact, if I knew Samuel at all, he would probably increase his efforts just to make sure I knew how futile it was to try and stop them.

  This wasn't going to work. I could not do this job all by myself. I was amazed that it even worked as well as it did with just two people. However, I had to try because Thanos wouldn't want me to give up and I had never failed in my job before. Now would be a horrible time to start slacking. But I didn’t feel as if I could go back to the habits I had fallen into as a Resurrector. Thanos had gotten me into the habit of regular meals and getting enough sleep each night. If I had to do both of our work, then it would mean resorting to only extremely brief naps and grabbing the occasional quick bite when I could fit it in. I knew Thanos would not appreciate it if I were to start doing that again.

  Thanos had to have a plan, right? He wouldn't go and do something stupid like offering himself up in my place if he didn't have a plan. Or at least I hoped that he had thought far enough ahead to plan something. He spent a lot of time deep in thought, and I had to believe that he had considered every possibility possible to ensure that Death would be able to continue, even if he wasn’t around. All I had to do was find whatever he was planning. He had to have it written down somewhere. I searched inside some of his books, flipped through folders, and leafed through the papers on his desk.

  I looked for some time before I collapsed in his desk chair, almost completely exhausted, having found nothing that would help me. How could it be that there were no books or file folders with information that could help me? It wasn't right. I let out a deep breath and glanced around the study.

  He wanted me to continue with the job which meant he obviously had more faith in my ability than I did. I blinked; that was a strange conclusion for me. I had never really reached that particular thought before. In the past I knew my skills and how well I did my job, making it impossible for me to doubt myself. Now though the tides had shifted and I felt as if a tsunami had swept me out into the middle of the ocean and I had no clue which direction to swim. Thanos was a life preserver and he was nowhere to be found, leaving me to either drown or figure out some way to survive on my own. I could not let him down, not now.

  There had to be something I was missing. Really, how could this be so difficult? I hadn't been the top of the class at the Resurrector school but I had still done decently enough with the theory and such, though I had truly excelled with the practical hands-on lessons. The library here was almost as expansive as that of the Resurrectors, and here I never had to worry about other people taking the materials before I got to them. With all these resources I couldn't just give up. No, I would continue to search, even if it took through the night and into tomorrow. I had to find a solution.

  Hours passed and still I found nothing that brought me any closer to an answer. It was beginning to tear me down. My speed in searching had slowed dramatically and I was now struggling to keep my eyes open. Not even coffee would help me at this point. The words seemed to blur together and I found myself re-reading sentences four or five times before I figured out what they were trying to say.

  I dropped the book I was holding onto the desk, ready to just give up out of frustration and exhaustion. "Why?" I asked the empty room as if I would actually get an answer. "Why me?"

  "It's simple really. Have you tried to think of a reason?"

  His words reverberated in my mind, called up by my own stupid question. Still, even after all these weeks I could still perfectly recall him looking at me from across the library as he taught me about being the Angel of Death.


  "With each choice of Angel of Death I have a list, a rather short list, and it tells me of the people who could next fill the role. You were simply at the top of the list."

  "Why not have more than one Angel of Death then?" I asked. "Certainly that would make the job easier for you."

  He shook his head and looked over at me. "That would break the rules, something I am honor-bound to follow. From the beginning I made an arrangement with the Resurrectors. I would only create one to assist me at any given time. One Angel of Death to go up against the Resurrectors. It is all I have needed to assist me in the task of maintaining what Fate wants."

  I sat back in my chair, blinking a few times. Was it really that simple? The solution was a simple as the rules dictating that he could not create anyone else to help benefit our side in maintaining Balance and fighting against the Resurrectors. Could that be why he did it? Of course he would. He knew what would happen as soon as he gave himself up for me, that I wouldn't just let this decision stand. Thanos obviously knew me better than I thought he did. He could not break the rules that he had set for this but who said that I had to follow them? I had broken enough of the Resurrector rules during my time there, but because I had never lost a charge they let it slide. Thanos was far too honorable but I had no problem breaking rules to go up against those who refused to follow what Fate and Balance wanted.

  Now the Leaders had made a huge mistake and they hadn’t even realized it. Letting me go was something they would come to regret. I stood up and glanced around the room again. Where had he kept that list of people who could become the Angel of Death? My eyes lighted upon his desk and I smirked. Moving over to the paper covered desk I began to pull open the drawers and dig through them.

  I could feel the smirk turn into an all-out smile when I pulled the scroll from a desk drawer. Unrolling it, I glanced over the names. There were ten of them listed on the scroll, including mine. Staring at the paper I knew what it was that I needed to do in order to keep up with what Fate wanted. This job was not one that I could do on my own so I was going to get help.