CounterPoint

by Daniel Rafferty

  “I’m also tracking them heading north up to the tip of the Island of Ireland,” yelled another over the commotion in the room.

  “I’ve got a report of them in France, Paris,” called another, pointing to new live feeds appearing from an operative running down an alley. Live feeds allowed those in the control room to see exactly what the angel out in the field was seeing. Inbuilt into every angelic creation, it allowed instant contact with regional offices and other angels on the ground: an invaluable tool in times of crisis.

  “We’re going to have reports of them all over the planet soon. Demons know we are looking for them and we’ve issued their details to every regional office. Every angel on the planet has been put on alert. We have to assume they have not left the island. Pull ten operatives from the European continent, get them to begin aerial reconnaissance over the south of the island,” shouted Amber, projecting her voice around the room. The sheer commotion made that increasingly difficult; staff were running everywhere correlating and remapping information on a second by second basis. If only humans were this efficient in their daily military affairs.

  “Ma’am, an operative in Dublin Port has confirmed they boarded the ferry on route to the mainland. They claim 100 per cent confirmation.”

  “They damn better be right about that,” said Amber.

  Looking around to Travis, the department’s special op’s commander she gave new instructions. Travis was a large broad shouldered angel with a cold stare and grey brittle hair. Dressed in all black, finished off with white gloves, he typified someone hiding something. Such was the nature of the job.

  “Lead a team to that ferry. If you find them, secure them on the ship and let me know immediately. If they’re not there, take to the skies if you have to and help with the aerial reconnaissance.”

  Travis reply was a simple nod as usual and he vanished. That simple act showed how much apprehending this family was now considered a priority. Transporting out of Headquarters in such fashion was strictly forbidden for security reasons but anything that helped speed up this investigation was now allowed. It certainly infuriated Internal Security but Management considered this mission more of a priority than the feelings of that naturally irrational department.

  “Get Ruchiel down here ASAP!” ordered Amber to no one in particular, running her fingers through her red hair. She perused reports indicating there was movement in Heaven and Management was advising everyone to concentrate on the task at hand. Within seconds of her issuing the order, Ruchiel appeared. Over six feet tall, in old fashion grey robes, his old fashioned clothing was in stark contrast to the modernity of the offices.

  “I was requested,” he said in the usual irritated voice.

  “You were,” replied Amber. She had dealings in the past with different elder angels and they all seemed, to use a human expression, ‘warped’. “We are under direct orders from Michael to secure a human family. We think we’ve located them on a boat heading across the Irish Sea to mainland England. Stop them dead so we can get our operatives aboard,” she commanded. Specialists were higher up the celestial chain of command than even department heads such as Ariel but they were subservient to senior management and the will of Heaven.

  “Indeed,” replied Ruchiel coldly, and he vanished. He detested having to use his gifts from God in the lower, unrighteous causes of the angelic ministry on Earth. As Angel of the Wind Ruchiel was extremely powerful, capable of the most powerful hurricanes and typhoons.

  Chapter 12

  The family sat in the main passenger lounge of the car ferry. Huddled round a circular table in the corner, the boat’s lights flickered on and off occasionally due to the storm battering the ship on all sides. Coffee, lemonade and snacks littered the small table, but no one was in the mood.

  “What about Thomas, David?” began Mary tenderly.

  “I don’t know, Gran. He went on to a house party with Bernadette after the club. I haven’t been able to contact either of them.” He trailed off, consumed fully with worry. He’d always assured Thomas that the gifts his family possessed were unique to them and nothing else remotely similar even existed. How was he now meant to explain angels and demons and the rest? That his family were now essentially fugitives running from the angels of Heaven?

  Mary brought him out of this chain of thought, clearing her throat and sipping some tea. “I suppose I should start from the beginning. I want to make one thing clear. I have never encountered an angel before in my lifetime. Nor have I heard of any previous family member ever encountering one either. I am, however, aware of their existence. I chose to break with family tradition when I had my two children. Before that, our ancestors took it upon themselves to fight against evil in all parts of the world. It’s an understatement to say our family is a bit travelled. Even your grandfather fought against evil. The Second World War was a type of evil that spilled over onto many fronts, and between demons and us. My father was a firm believer in doing what was right, and went to the battlefields across Europe with a group of others like ourselves. They fought creatures known as demons across the whole continent. The fighting was ferocious.

  “During the war years my mother moved us to London. It was overrun with demons, so my mother and her sister went out during the night and fought demons on the streets of the capital with others. People think World War Two was a human war, but it was far more than that. Angels and demons fought it out across the world just as humans did. We always surmised that the two world wars of the twentieth century were based around an evil that ran deeper than was ever previously thought.”

  “But Gran, surely angels could just snap their fingers and stop the fighting, kill the demons,” interjected Claire innocently.

  She’d obviously been watching too many TV programmes, thought Mary. “Not exactly, dear. Demons can be extremely powerful. If they weren’t, angels would have ‘snapped their fingers’ a long time ago. They’re not bound by any laws and they outnumber angels on a huge scale. Their biggest advantage is numbers. Angels don’t procreate. There are a set number of them from my understanding, and that’s it. Demons though can capture the body of a human and use it against their will. When we die, if we go to Hell then it is possible a demon will lure us over to demon kind. They give you a choice, live in Hell and be tortured for eternity or become a demon and spread evil. As long as humanity keeps committing sinful acts, the number of demons will increase.”

  “What’s happening now then, Mum”

  “Clearly a disturbance of the balance. My understanding has always been that since that first sinful act of mankind, angels have struggled to keep demons in check. For the most part, they’ve always succeeded. Never outright winning but doing enough to ensure the balance is kept so mankind can go on oblivious. Sometimes the two sides will clash on more epic scales such as the two world wars, the hundred year war and so forth. What has happened now is very worrying. Something very grave has occurred and it’s caused the angels to go into overdrive – and that is bad for us.”

  “Granny” said David, setting his tea down, “you told us that your father went to Europe to help fight evil. Therefore, angels must know we pose no threat to them. We aren’t going to side with demons, for God’s sake!”

  “That’s an excellent point, David, which is why I believe our situation is more precarious than we know. The fact we have angels attempting to take us into captivity with as much force as they are allowed to suggests something planet wide is happening, or is about to.”

  “Planet wide?” questioned Catherine, visibly startled.

  “Yes, dear. Angels only ever get involved directly in the affairs of humanity when a worldwide crisis occurs. Generally, they are usually content enough for us to potter along in our own ignorance. Let our scientists make breakthrough after breakthrough so to speak whilst religion takes an even greater backseat. This appeals to them, they’re still the driver but they’re sitting in the back seat. No blame, nothing.” She took another sip of her tea before co
ntinuing. “I think we really need to consider the possibility these mega storms and the disasters happening all around the world since the millennium are actually indicators of angelic power weakening against the growing might of demon kind. The Catholic Church is even worse, and with the Pope dead……the world’s in turmoil.”

  “Where do we come into this though?”

  “I was told a long time ago this would happen. Back when me and Seamus had just moved into our new house,” said Mary, looking at Catherine. “I was told to expect the worst in years to come, that angels would come and try and take us captive. They fear we’ll try to stop them from waging a war on this world. Apparently our family bloodline is a special one, and the powers that lie dormant in us are enough to worry angels. They fear we would try and stop them from whatever it is they’re planning. That’s why I’ve always been so private and secretive my entire life. That’s why I came to Ireland, to get away from everyone who knew me. To protect all of you.”

  “Gran why didn’t you ever tell us?”

  Mary looked at David, her face swimming with emotion. “I always thought I could protect us, keep us under the radar. The less you all knew about what was really out there, the better. The angels would never even know about us. If angelic power is truly weakening across the globe then we may have reached a precipice. David, you told us this angel Ariel said they are planning to rid the planet of evil. It doesn’t help that we go against the very thing angels abide by. Ancient texts tell us it’s called the ‘natural order’. We are human beings that possess powers far beyond what any human should ever have. I imagine we are all being rounded up across the world.”

  “How many of us are there then?” asked David again. He always thought they were just a freak accident.

  “At the beginning of the Second World War, there were just over one hundred and fifty of us that we knew about. World War Two reduced our numbers to almost nothing. Only the mothers and very young children were mainly left. This is a particularly important point to remember. The power we have is based on our bloodline. If I married someone other than my husband, someone who didn’t have any gifts and was normal then while our offspring would still be gifted, the intensity would be reduced. This has been happening over generations and generations, for hundreds of years. From the texts, people with our gifts use to be a lot stronger. Writings even go as far to say that Moses, the ancient prophet, was actually gifted by his bloodline and not from divine intervention above,” she motioned her eyes upwards to help illustrate her point forward.

  Her family stared at her intently, though she could see the fluttering emotions in each of their eyes. Catherine and Claire were worried, knowing that their future would be changed forever, no matter what way this turned out. David was stubborn, with determination in his eyes as usual. Many always said he had all her personality attributes, the good and the bad.

  “Divine intervention from above? You mean God?”

  Mary wondered when this question would come up, and she suspected David would have been the one to ask it.

  “You just asked the most debated question in all of history David. The knowledge passed down from generation to generation through the ages has never provided a definitive answer to whether there is a God. It’s my private belief that there is a God, but it’s a simple belief based on there being angels and demons and so forth. So I then assume that someone must have created the angels, and this world. But then we could spend a lifetime debating the issue. If God created angels, who created God, and then who created the person who created God? It gives me such a headache. However,” she finished in a quiet, firm tone, “I think it’s safe to say he’s either gone or against us, either way it doesn’t help us.”

  They sat in silence for what seems like hours, all confined to their own thoughts.

  “Why now?” asked David.

  “Hmmm?”

  “Why are angels trailing us into this war now, Gran?”

  “This angel who contacted you may have been telling the truth. That they want to secure us before demons can get to us. It’s not unheard of in the past for our kind to be experimented and mutilated upon in an attempt to get our powers. Everything I know about angels says we must not trust them; they would likely kill us to stop demons getting to us. What’s worse, we may be needed.”

  “Do you feel that?” a deafening voice suddenly broke the silence.

  “Attention all passengers, this is the captain speaking. We’re encountering some extreme turbulence and advise everyone to head to the designated emergency areas immediately.”

  The message repeated over the ship’s speakerphones. The family began clearing their table, lifting mobiles and handbags. Catherine and Claire, who were at each side of Mary, began to lift her up slowly from the seat. Ensuring they could cope, David made a decision.

  “Get to the cabin, I need to find out what’s happening!” shouted David, jumping out of his seat and rushing towards the front of the ship.

  “David, come back here!” shouted Catherine.

  “Let him go dear, he needs to see this. He’ll be OK,” replied Mary, finally getting a good grip on her walking stick.

  “Get to the cabin – hurry!” he shouted back, already well in front of the crowds going in the opposite direction. Running through the corridors of the ship as it tilted from side to side violently, David struggled to keep a firm footing. The floor was ridden with magazines, biscuits and all sorts of debris. Sea water pounded the hardened glass windows all over the ship and drenched the decking.

  Pushing one of the emergency doors open, he vaguely heard the alarm sounding and doubted anyone else would take notice. There was enough happening. What he had prepared himself for when storming through the emergency door to the stern of the ship was nothing for what hit him. It seemed like the entire Irish Sea had risen and the ship was stuck in the eye of this apocalyptic storm. The ship continued to sway from side to side and water gushed in from the decks to the interiors. Grasping on to a white support railing for dear life, David looked up. The waves that had cocooned the ship must have been half a mile high. The rain pelted down fiercely and lightning lit up the black sky above.

  Above the tallest wave, hovering in mid-air was Ruchiel. His robes were eerily still despite being the unceasing force of the ferocious planetary winds. Closing his eyes briefly, he informed Headquarters that his task was complete and the time to strike was now. Moments later Ariel and Travis, flanked by four special operatives appeared on the deck of the ship behind David. They could hear and see each other perfectly even though the storm continued around them. David, soaked and wretched continued to hold on to the railing for physical support – he was utterly exhausted.

  “This ends now!” Ariel’s voice was firm and commanding walking forward towards him. Ariel’s coat was constantly berated by the winds and sea water. Those flanking him only added to his imposing presence. Travis merely stood and watched, looking menacing.

  “Why? You need to tell us why we’re in danger. Why you need us to go with you,” shouted David. The scene was unreal.

  “We are here to protect you. We come with the sincerest of intentions,” replied Ariel stepping forward more, trying to look genuine and urgent. The problem was, Ariel was simply not sure that he believed his own words anymore. It was not unusual for Heaven to have secrets, but there was something very wrong with this assignment.

  “And why! Why is that?” answered David, still holding on to the railing and wiping salty seawater from his forehead, it was leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

  “Because the order comes from Heaven. It’s sincere. That makes it just,” finished Ariel. “Now accept to come with us for your own protection or we let this ship get ripped apart.”

  “You won’t let anything happen to this ship while we’re on it.”

  “Nothing will happen to you. We won’t guarantee the safety of anyone else. Do you really want to be responsible for over three hundred deaths?”

  “How ca
n you be an angel?” asked David, with the purest of disgust in his voice. He wanted to kick this self-righteous angel into the sea, head first.

  “I’m following the orders of Heaven. Now please come with us.” Ariel’s voice was now quiet, subtle.

  Just as David started to contemplate going with these angels, a brief blinding flash of light zapped at the corner of his eye. Standing to the right of him, between himself and Ariel, materialized the same elder person from the bar in London and club in Dublin, in the identical clothes and, strand for strand, exact same hairstyle. David immediately noticed Ariel turned round to the stranger and slightly bowing his head.

  “Sir, can I ask what you are doing here?” stuttered Ariel. He now spoke in the politest, most humble voice David had ever heard uttered from his mouth.

  “Ariel. Please be reminded of whom I report to directly. Be aware that I am taking extensive notes on this situation……..and those involved,” said the stranger, as calmly as if he was sitting in a fine restaurant, but the tone was different. He was almost warning Ariel, and by the look on Ariel’s face it had worked. The importance of ‘those involved’ couldn’t have been better highlighted by the stranger.