CounterPoint

by Daniel Rafferty

  “The late Pope, as leader of one billion Catholics, was actively engaged in pursuing those behind these malicious lies directed at him. We shall be pursuing that investigation even in his death,” said a Vatican spokesperson on one news channel.

  “I think it’s strange that as leader of the Catholic Church, this figurehead had not been seen or photographed in over five weeks. Either the Pope knew his past had been discovered, or there is something seriously wrong behind those tall Vatican walls,” countered a news analyst. Regardless of what was truthful, the real danger here was another dirty brush to tarnish on the image of the Catholic Church. It had sparked riots in the Pope’s home town. Many more protests which usually ended up in violent clashes with the police were occurring all around the western world. Followers from other religions had stepped up to denounce that the head of the world’s largest religion was in fact accused of assaulting children. This, in turn, sparked political ramifications as leaders sought to rally behind their people. The Middle East was heading down a definite path of war with Iran successfully testing nuclear bombs. America, now debt ridden and unable to police the world as it once had was not inclined to start another war. Europe, bankrupt and its cities overrun with immigrants, crumbled under the immense strain put on public services.

  Catherine sat on the sofa, her legs curled up as she hugged a small cup of tea. The same cup she had used for many years now, white with a simple pink rose. The news reports were bad, but she had to admit she had little interest in world affairs. She was a woman of faith, but she did it in her own way. She never saw the need to have to justify her faith to anyone. If there truly was a divine being after death, then they would know if you’ve had faith, whether you went to mass or not.

  “Why don’t the Italian police investigate these claims? I mean if they are true, oh God it isn’t even worth thinking about,” said Catherine.

  “They can’t, Mum” replied David, still watching the news reports before turning round. “The Vatican isn’t just a building, it’s a country. One of the smallest in the world I grant, but it’s still a country. The Italian government just can’t walk in demanding answers. The Vatican has its own foreign office and currency. It is a working state, if just a very small one.”

  “All rubbish anyway,” quipped Thomas, sitting on the floor beside David playing a game on his phone. He considered religion a lot of mumble jumble and was definitely an atheist at heart, like David.

  About to agree with Thomas, David was interrupted by a bright red news flash across the screen.

  “We are getting very hazy reports of an outbreak of armed conflict between Israel and Iran in the Middle East. We’re doing our best to confirm this but sources say the Israel Prime Minister has instructed the military to prepare for a hostile invasion.”

  “That’s it, all starting now,” finally said David, getting up from the brown leather armchair in the corner of the living room.

  Mary, who always had the remote controls for the television, began flicking through the other news channels as her kids debated the different political ramifications in this conflict between Israel and Iran. She, too, had no interest in such things. At her age, those countries were a very long way off.

  “The SARS 2 virus continues to ravage central China. Current government reports put the death toll at over one million, mostly those living in poverty. The World Health Organisation is to release a statement tomorrow morning, many suspecting it to say they can no longer contain the virus and that a global pandemic may be inevitable. Incidences of the virus popping up in other countries in the region, and in areas such as Turkey and Germany, have so far been contained….”

  “This place is falling apart” said Mary, “I really wish you didn’t work in London, David. If something bad is going to happen, it’ll happen in London.”

  “Gran, Dublin will be just the same.”

  “You know what I mean,” she replied.

  He didn’t try to argue. He was amused and touched by her concern but he couldn’t just quit his job. And if he was to leave London at every sign of danger he would never be in the city. Daily reports of terrorist activities, weather warnings and new diseases had become common over the last year. Sometimes you didn’t even register it.

  Feeling tired and in need of a shower, David made his excuses and headed upstairs. His room was still as he remembered it from the last time. The en-suite, a combination of cream and beige marble, was a warm, welcome reminder of home. The room itself was large for an en-suite and featured a separate walk-in massage shower. He doused his face with some cold water and gazed at his reflection. Unusually, the room was freezing, yet the radiators were blazing hot. Looking into the mirror, he really did look tired; he hadn’t slept much since that night out in the club.

  Chapter 5

  “I really don’t see the need to douse one’s face in an effort to awaken one,” came a quiet, steady voice from the corner of the room behind the tall towel cupboard adjacent to the shower. David swung round, his heart almost exploding through his chest. He felt weak at the knees through the sheer fright. Only this time it wasn’t the same man from the bathroom in London. Dressed in a tailored three piece suit and bald, he could easily be mistaken for one of David’s more senior work colleagues.

  “Who are you? How the Hell did you get in here?” demanded David, trying to keep his voice down and take a gulp of breath at the same time. He didn’t want to attract attention to the family members downstairs or to let him know there were people in the house. His eyes darted around the room, looking for something with which to strike the burglar.

  “That’s irrelevant, and don’t try and hit me. That would be futile. I’m here to tell you a story,” replied Ariel, walking over to face David toe to toe. Noticing David looking towards the door, Ariel slammed it shut without moving a muscle. David looked startled to which Ariel simply stared.

  “What are you?” he whispered.

  “What am I? You mean who am I?” rebuked Ariel, not appreciating the insult. “My name is Ariel. I am the Director of the Department of Special Operations here on Earth. I’ve come here to tell you a story that could change the course of history. No more questions, just listen carefully.”

  David went to speak again, and Ariel warned him that if he kept interrupting him he would simply remove his voice box for the duration of the meeting. Ariel started slowly walking around the en-suite as he spoke in an unhurried, even tone with his hands clasped behind his back like a school headmaster.

  “I’m sure you are aware of what’s been happening around the globe this past year. Floods, hurricanes, natural disasters, disease, murders, rape and the slow but steady removal of any respect people once had for the Church and humanity in general. I’ve been informed by my superiors to enlighten you as to why this is happening and what we are going to do about it,” said Ariel in an authoritarian tone. He continued to walk around the bathroom, intrigued by human inventions such as water taps, soap bars and radios. He didn’t have much experience amongst humans, especially since his promotion. “We have decided that it is in the best interests of this planet and its inhabitants that we now prepare to wage an all-out war on the forces of evil. You see evil as Saddam Hussein or Genghis Khan. We see evil as that which rips apart the human soul and that...” he paused for dramatic effect,”...is in direct violation of the natural order. Have you ever had a cold shiver down your spine, or wonder why there have been nights when you have ran up the stairs to bed because you get the feeling there’s something behind you? Most people put it down to simple human stupidity, ‘letting their minds wander’, they say. But it couldn’t be further from the truth.”

  Seeing David listen intently but unsure of how much was actually being processed by his limited human brain, Ariel decided to give him a quick recap on the ‘politics’ of Earth from his prospective. “Let me give you a quick history lesson. There are four types of habitants on this planet worth noting - angels, humans, monsters and demons. Each has pla
yed a pivotal role in its history. You wonder what madness is this? Cast your mind to the lore of human history for your answer. History is full of monsters and demons from the earliest points of humanity. Today they’re simply dismissed as nonsense, that humanity has risen above believing in such fairy tales. The truth being that my colleagues and I decided a long time ago it was time to intervene on a global scale to save humanity and hence no more monsters. You think Hercules was a myth? No, he wasn’t, his father was an angel who intertwined with a human female and caused an upset to the natural order. It took us years to track them down. Demon attacks were also at an all-time low for centuries. We had the planet finally under control and operating within the confines of law and order.”

  “Law and order?” replied David, struggling to process everything this burly man was saying.

  “Yes. We’re not referring to your own irrelevant criminal laws. We’re referring to the natural order of things; law and order from the prospective of Heaven. Unfortunately, we are seeing a huge surge in demon activity and that natural order is now threatened. It almost happened during the global recession in the 1920s and 30s but was avoided, humans pulled back from the abyss so to speak. This time, however, is different. The number of attacks and their coordination and sophistication is unprecedented. It is because of this Senior Management has taken the decision that the time has come to rid the planet of evil once and for all,” said Ariel. He now gripped firmly a white hand towel before setting it back on the heated towel rail once more.

  “Why now? I mean human history is littered with bloodshed and evil.”

  “Because Management has declared it should be now.”

  “And Management just decide do they?”

  Choosing not to answer what he considered a juvenile question, Ariel moved the conversation along. “You ask why I’m telling you this. Why an angel from Heaven has decided to inform David Bassett of their plans for the planet. It’s simple. Your family is important to us. We cannot allow anything to happen to you during the oncoming battle. You can be sure that the demons are aware of this as well and will try and capture you and your family. Leverage is a powerful weapon in any war. We don’t want to be put in the position of having to mount a rescue plan to secure an entire family at a later date. Therefore, you and your family will come with us tonight to a safe location. Once it is all over, lasting salvation will be provided.” Ariel turned round to fully look at David, placing emphasis on the last lines of his speech.

  David simply stood there, beyond speechless. He was using his hand to steady himself against the marble sink. Remembering the warning he received in the club toilet in London about nothing being what it appears, there was no chance of David or his family going anywhere. Trying to get some moisture into his mouth before speaking, David rattled his brain to string the words together.

  “We aren’t going anywhere. I don’t know who or what you are, but we’d rather take our chances alone,” he argued, still supporting himself on the sink.

  Ariel simply stared at him, his lips tense and thin. The warm glow provided by the circular wall lights on each side of the room quickly dimmed and could not hide the chill in the air.

  “But this is for your own protection and wellbeing,” said Ariel, genuinely confused as to why this human would not come with him tonight. A part of him did not miss the frequent interaction he once had with humans.

  “We’ll take our chances,” repeated David confidently and quietly, not breaking eye contact with the intruding angel.

  “You’re coming with us tonight whether you agree to it or not,” growled Ariel stepping forward, squaring up to David. He had an objective to complete, the humans must be secured.

  “I don’t think you’d have bothered explaining everything to me if you could simply take us against our will. If you are angels then I’m sure you can’t go around kidnapping families when you please,” countered David louder than he had intended, feeling threatened by Ariel’s imposing stature.

  The temperature of the room plummeted and a sheath of frost crawled up the mirrors and walls. Ariel moved right up, nose to nose, with him but David stood his ground.

  “Don’t think of us angels as buffoons who sit on clouds and play harps all day,” whispered Ariel, baring his clenched, inhuman white sparkling teeth. “We are warriors of Heaven. Of God. I suggest you think carefully in future about what you say to us, and how you say it. We’ll be back.” He lingered, staring a little more until vanishing before David’s eyes.

  The temperature of the room began to return to normal. What the Hell had just happened? He slid himself down to the floor and tried to breathe slowly. Using his hands to support his head, he fought back that desire to vomit. Insanity wasn’t the issue, neither were hallucinations, as the towel Ariel had picked up still lay creased across the rail. Whatever was happening, David knew he had to tell his family. He slowly rose from the floor and went to his bedroom, logging onto his computer. Within minutes he was on the internet searching angels and demons and monsters and myths. Scanning the web just left him more confused than ever. Most researchers had backed up the fact that angels were not presented in the bible or any historic text as innocent or caring. They were more like God’s warriors, battling his enemies. The biggest question on his mind now was how to tell the family. He couldn’t come up with any logical way though. They would think he was mad, probably have him sectioned or something. Imagine coming down to your family whilst they’re watching the television and saying you’d just been contacted by an angel. He told you there’s a holy war coming and that we are super important in the eyes of Heaven! Imagine.

  Going back into the bathroom to finish what he started before being interrupted, there was one thing that kept cropping up in his head. He had abilities most other humans did not, and therefore was it really out of the realm of possibility that there were other beings, or things, out there that also existed? He didn’t like the worried expression looking back at him through the mirror.

  Chapter 6

  After his argument with David, Ariel was convinced more so than ever that humans were too unreliable to comprehend even simple requests. The Bassetts are in danger, but offer them protection and they refuse. If only they knew the sheer complexities of existence, it was enough to fry a human’s brain.

  Ariel sidestepped an empty coke can and opened the dirt plastered glass door of the abandoned garage. The small room inside was not typical of an abandoned building. From the outside, the garage looked like it had not been used for decades, even longer. Inside, however, the floor was tiled a dull matte black. The adhesive between each tile glowed bright luminous white creating a lattice effect. The walls were black and the white border running around them along the floor was in pristine condition. Three large black doors lay at the rear of the room. They were without handles or buttons.

  As Ariel approached the middle door, it automatically opened to reveal a huge elevator carriage. Ariel simply stood still for a few moments before the doors slowly hissed closed and the carriage began its descent downwards. To the human eye, the carriage would only have travelled a few metres down considering the elevator ride lasted only six seconds. In reality, however, Ariel was now six miles underground and about to enter what was cryptically known only as Headquarters.

  Located six miles underground in the middle of the Scottish highlands, this massive complex spanned forty floors and housed thousands of angels. Protected with Heaven’s most advanced formulas Headquarters was considered to be the safest place on Earth for any creature. The interior itself followed a very simple pattern of white tiles and walls enclosed by black steel borders. Every door was black, every desk was white. While no lights could be seen, each room was illuminated brightly. The building had no power source. It didn’t need one. Angels always found it curious that whilst hundreds of millions did believe in their existence, they envisioned them floating around the sky carrying harps and singing songs. Humans never even considered angels had an entire planet
to run.

  Headquarters, however, did not deal with local population issues, which was left to the regional offices. Instead it acted as the centre point for all angelic operations on Earth and had a direct passage to Heaven. Heaven was not administrative, and was the final destination for all those of the human experiment, permitting they met stringent criteria. As such, Heaven was the ideal paradise, but for angels it was only provided in very small quantities.

  Ariel was acutely aware that the absence of God was the single greatest catalyst to the under-swelling of negative opinion swarming through the rank and file. Angels had acted as the caretakers of the experiment for millions of years. With those fearing God may never return, dissent at having to maintain Earth for a possible eternity was increasing with every passing day. Angels were created solely to serve God and many were created specifically for the human experiment. No one knew its purpose or when it was to be evaluated, only that God and other omnipotent beings considered it vital for the future. Ariel remembered when plans were being drawn up for the human experiment and only then it was realised just how vast and resource intense it would be. No other planet had been created like Earth before, let alone with the diverse life from plants to animals. Humans were projected, and aptly so, to be the biggest challenge.