Falling Hard Ch. 09

Virta was escorted down a long corridor and into a small room. It contained a desk and a computer. Song pointed at the screen.

"This is the program you use to choose the physical traits of your human body," she explained in her spiritless voice, while clicking on the mouse. "It's pretty self-explanatory as you go. So, unless you have any questions, I'll leave you to work on that now."

Virta shook her head, eyes riveted to the screen. She barely heard Song leave.

She couldn't believe this moment was really here. She'd dreamed about it for centuries. Now it was actually happening. It wasn't under the circumstances that she had hoped for, but at least she was Earth-bound.

She could cycle through and choose any body, any face. The combinations were endless. But she didn't waste time. She knew exactly what she wanted, both in her facial features and other, more intimate parts.

With the choosing out of the way, she'd be on her way to Earth in no time. It was a very complicated process when she was 'beamed' to Earth. They would meld her angelicness with human flesh on the fly; transporting her in the twinkling of an eye into the mortal coil.

Song dropped her back off at the General's office. He was just hanging up the phone.

"Let's see what you've chosen, Virta." He typed and clicked on his computer. Then he leaned back, evaluating the monitor. "Pretty much what we thought you'd go for." He smirked at her. "It'll do."

He leaned forward in his desk. "It's time to go to Sending."

"Can I say goodbye to my best friend first? He's just over in my Department."

Banner sighed. "Fine. But make it quick. You're scheduled to be out of here at 1300 hours, Mandi's time."

"Thank you, Sir."

A guard walked with her. When they got to Mick's office, she saw that his big glass door was closed. His back was to them; he was talking on the phone.

She never knocked before and she didn't knock now. With a smile on her face, she quietly opened the door and stuck her head in.

"A-hem," she said, clearing her throat.

Mick whirled around in his chair to face her. His eyes widened and then a huge smile broke out on his face.

"I'll call you back," he said into the phone and hung up.

"Angel!" he cried, practically leaping over his desk to take her into his arms. "God, it's so good to see you." He squeezed her tightly.

"Mick, you have no idea how much I've missed you." She was trying to breathe inside his suffocating grasp.

"Oh, sorry, Virta, I'll let you have air now." He chuckled, loosening his grip. "I haven't seen you for two weeks, but it seems like forever."

"I know," she said.

"You must be thrilled to be on your way to Earth. I can't believe you won't be around up here anymore."

She just stood there.

"What's the matter, Virta?" He peered into her face.. "You picked out your new body, right?"

She nodded.

"Well, go have fun with it then." His smile turned mischievous then. "I've got a bet going with Flash and Carol. A pile of manna says you'll lose your virginity within the first 24 hours."

Virta said nothing, just averted her eyes.

Mick caught her chin in his hand, lifting her eyes up to his. "Hey, what's the matter? I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Virta. I thought you'd get a kick out of that."

She forced herself to smile a little.

"Where's my Patron Angel of Sarcasm?" he asked.

Virta tilted her head to the side a little, but didn't quite meet his eyes. "I'm right here."

He looked closely into her face. His voice was uneasy. "You sound... broken. What did they do to you - in training?"

"Nothing," she said, looking at him. "Aren't you happy for me? I finally get my Earth assignment like I've been whining about for the last 2,000 years."

"Yes, I've very happy for you," Mick said. "But you're... different."

"Maybe I'm just being the angel I should have been all along."

"Ah, you've just got pre-mission jitters. Don't worry."

"You're not worried about me going up against Athan? And his men? I might be killed."

Mick looked puzzled. "What I saw of your mission -- it's to protect Mandi from Heath, nothing directly involving Athan. It's not likely Athan will even show up. That's small potatoes for him. Besides, you almost got him killed once. Doubtful he wants to tangle with you again. He doesn't want to be caught."

Virta shook her head. "Hmm, I wouldn't be too sure. He strolled right into Heaven a couple weeks ago, didn't he?"

Mick sighed. "Are you sure you wanna do this?

"I don't really have a choice," she said angrily.

"Oh, because it's Mandi? You do have a vested interest in this assignment, it's true."

Virta said nothing.

Mick pulled her into an embrace and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Be careful, please," he said.

"I will."

"I want to see you first thing when you get back to Heaven."

Tears began to well up in her eyes, making their lovely green color even brighter.

Mick looked pained. "You just don't seem as happy as I would have thought. Are you sure you're OK?"

Virta sighed. "I just don't know what to think anymore. There's been too much information thrown at me, no - forced into me - over the last couple weeks."

She lowered her face toward the floor. "Mick, there's a chance I won't be coming back."

His hands went to her shoulders. He dipped his own face below hers, trying to look up into her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"This assignment... things could go terribly wrong."

"Don't talk that way, Virta!" Mick glanced around and then pulled her away from the door and the guard standing just outside. He leaned down and put his mouth to her ear, speaking low.

"Find the perfect moment to slap the relic on him, Virta. Once you do that, you'll be home free. Trust me, I've seen them bring Fallen angels in before with the relics. They're so weak you could knock them over with your little finger."

Virta shook her head. She took Mick's hand and placed it on her chest, over her pounding heart.

"Hey," he said softly, "you're really afraid. You don't have to do this, you know."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Yes, I do. I've gotta go now. I have to help Mandi if it's the last thing I ever do."

"I have faith in you, Virta."

Mick glanced up at the camera on the ceiling. "Just one more thing before you go." He guided Virta into a spot in his office that the camera couldn't find.

"I don't know how much I'll get to watch you, he said. "I'm sure it won't be nearly as much as I want to."

Virta did manage a tiny smile at that. "Don't watch EVERYTHING," she said slyly.

Mick cocked an eyebrow. "You mean you're not gonna wear that chastity belt I got you as a going-away present?"

She smiled a little bigger, feeling more like her old self, if just for a moment.

"Ooh, are you jealous, Mick? Jealous that you won't be my first? That you're not gonna be down there for me to suck your big, fat cock?" She licked her lips slowly, sensually.

Crimson spread over his face. "God, Virta," he said, looking away and running fingers through his sandy blond hair. "You had me fooled for a minute there, but you're still the same wicked, crazy angel." He grinned.

She matched his grin, feeling a little better; a little more at ease just being around her best friend.

"Here, I want you to have this." He took something from his pocket and placed it into Virta's hand. He continued to hold onto her hand for a moment, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"What is it?" she asked, looking over the small device.

"You know me," he began, "always trying out the latest in technology..."

"Yeah, I know," she said. "So what does this do?"

Mick's face tensed a little as he began to talk in a lower, more serious tone than usual.

"They aren't going to give you any means of communication back to Heaven. I've seen them do this lots of times to high-risk, low-level angels. No offense, Virta," he said.

"None taken."

"Anyway, they sort of throw you to the sharks and it's sink or swim. Eat or be eaten."

She frowned. "I figured that much. My packet said that I couldn't communicate back to Heaven once I'm down there."

"And so, I wanted to give you something that will let you communicate with me."

She looked at the small device in her hands.

"You can only talk to me with it. Use it if you have an emergency, but only use it in certain places... in the pockets."

"Pockets? What the hell are the pockets?"

"Ssh," Mick said, watching the mounted video camera just outside his office door.

"Pockets... they're metaphysical hiding spots on Earth... think of them like air bubbles between the dimensions of Earth and the Cosmos. Apparently, once you're in one, nothing you do or say can be monitored by Heaven. That can be a good thing for the demons... but a bad thing for angels."

Virta put fingers to her forehead, trying to think. "I've never heard of such a thing in all my 2,000 years!"

"The official Office statement on them is, they don't exist. That means they don't admit to them existing. But, they do, and it's an embarrassment to them... that demons can come and go on Earth without the Office being able to track them."

"Where would I find one of these pockets?"

"That's the thing, we don't know. I'm hoping you'll run across one while on assignment.

Mick leaned up against the wall, looking down soberly at the device in her hands.

"So, I take it the Enemy makes full use of the... pockets to hide from us?"

"Definitely. Demons go skipping on and off the radar all over the place, evading capture with these things. Why do you think we have such a hard time bringing them in? I mean, they're hard enough to find when they don't hide, let alone when they jump into one of these holes. They know the lay of the land down there."

"But I thought they were bringing in the baddies all the time... thought they were running scared from U-Sec."

Mitch cocked a brow, a sarcastic look on his face. "Well... from what I've heard, they aren't bringing in too many upper level demons these days."

Virta shook her head, trying to make sense of it.

"Just remember to use the device if you ever get inside one of these pockets. Like if, uh, Heath is running from you and you chase him inside one. U-Sec won't be able to hear you transmitting from there, OK? Just me."

She smiled at him. "Thanks, Mick. God, you've always looked out for me. I don't deserve a friend like you. You're a real guardian angel. You're the only true friend I really have."

She threw her arms around him, unable to stop the tears of gratitude, of sorrow, of fear, from falling onto his neck.

She felt him hesitate and then he slowly enveloped her in his arms. He stroked her back, whispering comforting words in the angel language he knew she loved best.

She pulled back and looked at the small device she was clutching, then up at his beautiful face.

She hugged him again, clinging tightly to his angelic body.

Finally, she broke free.

"I have to go now," she said, looking into those amazing blue eyes for what she knew could be the last time.

He stroked her face and mussed her hair gently. "Goodbye, Virta."

She turned and left with the guard.

* * *

Mick stared after her until she disappeared down the corridor. Then, he sat down at his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed a number.

"Yeah, Song," he said into the phone, "this is Mick, U-Sec Internal Affairs... I need to speak with Banner..."

"Hello General. Yes, she was just here to see me. She's on her way to Sending now. No, Sir, she doesn't suspect a thing...

"I gave her the device and she thinks its just a line between the two of us... Of course, we think Athan will take her into at least one pocket.

"Right, Sir, once we have a reading on one or two of them, we should be able to locate more on our own... I understand Sir... That's right, Sir."

"Yes, I'll be meeting you on the golf course this weekend, like always. Thank you Sir."

Mick hung up the phone with a sigh and sat back in his chair. He reached into his desk drawer, pulled out a flask, and took a long drink. He stared at the wall for a moment, and then his eyes drifted down to a small picture on his desk.

He picked it up, staring at it as he took another drink. The picture had been taken by Carol at one of his karaoke parties.

Mick had his arm around Virta and she was smiling up at him. The song she'd chosen was "Summer Nights" from the Earth musical "Grease". Virta had slicked his hair up like Danny and made him wear a black jacket. She'd draped a sweater over her shoulders Sandy-style.

The guys and girls had joined in the song. They'd even tried to do some of the dance moves from the film: the guys in one group, the girls in the other.

Everyone had a blast: Carol, Flash, all of them. Of course, Virta didn't know everyone there secretly worked for U-Sec; that they were all working against her. They were just having fun while they maintained their cover.

Virta had laughed and laughed, and so had he. He remembered the innocent twinkle in her perky eyes, her shining face.

He turned the picture face down, and took another long drink.

Then Mick stood up and shoved the flask back into the desk drawer. He pulled off the Office Assistant badge, threw it down on his desk, and left.

* * *

Virta was escorted to the Sending room. She was made comfortable on a bed while technicians from both Sending and Supernaturals worked around her.

"We're giving you a shot to make the transition easier on you, dear," one of them said. She was a cocoa-skinned angel with a name badge that said, "Twila".

Virta sat straight up. "No, no shots. I refuse it."

"Are you sure?" Twila asked, concern in her deep brown eyes. "This will keep you from getting all wired when you come out on the other side. It's very disorienting, especially if you've never done it before."

Virta gripped the bed, flashbacks of Medic's needles before her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure," she said firmly. "No needles."

Twila shrugged and went back to her monitor.

Virta slowly curled up on the bed and closed her eyes, for what she knew could be her last time in Heaven.

Suddenly, things began to vibrate and heat up. She felt like the bed was rocking. It was frightening but also very interesting: her curious mind wanted to experience what the translation process was like. Her body rumbled like a rocket at take off.

There was a whoosh of air. She saw amazingly bright light through her closed eyelids, and felt the sensation of traveling through a tunnel at impossible speeds. It was very disorienting. She felt as if her body was disintegrating into millions of pieces and becoming light itself. There was a roar in her ears like a freight train.

Finally, she felt what could only be her atoms coalescing together. Then, heaviness... so much weight pulling down on her. Suddenly, it all stopped. There was stillness, quietness. She saw darkness behind her eyelids.

Sound trickled in... music. She recognized it as a hymn. Soft light filtered in through her closed eyelids. The faint smell of incense, which she knew well from Worship, permeated her nostrils, and she was aware of cold tile under her skin. Virta breathed in a strange, heavy air, but her new lungs caught on after just a few gasps.

Virta opened her eyes, and immediately she knew that nothing was the same.

She was naked on the floor. Virta sat up and looked down at her new human body. She could see right away that it was not like the one she had before... no, unlike her angelic body, this one had flaws... and it was beautiful.

She got to her feet shakily, supporting herself on the bathroom sink. She looked into the mirror, seeing her human face for the first time.

Some things were very much the same: her mossy green eyes, the basic shape of her face, her long, dark hair, all the features... so much the same. Just human now. And the flaws, she thought excitedly. Human flaws!

Peering closer in the mirror, she saw a few enlarged pores, faint expression lines, even some dry skin that needed lotion. Awesome! She couldn't wait to use beauty products and makeup because she HAD to, not just because they seemed cool to her when she was an angel.

It was so much better being imperfect, she mused. The fun part was going to be decorating, fixing herself up.

She fingered her long, flowing hair. The texture was a little different than what she'd had as an angel, but it was dark and shiny, just like she liked it.

Ah, humanity and all its flaws. She was starting to feel at home.

She knew she shouldn't dally around with superficial things. She had to stay focused. She had two serious missions after all.

But she also knew that Mandi was at work, safely away from Heath. It would be a couple hours yet until the girl got off work. Virta knew she had some time to look around, to experience. This might be the only time she had to do so.

She turned around to look at her back in the mirror. No wings.

Yes! she thought. Nothing on my back. Freedom from those darn flappy things. I get to walk everywhere, or I can learn to drive or take a bus. Too cool.

Her eyes lowered to her bottom. Nice. Maybe a little wider than she would have liked, but still, it was round and felt good to grab ahold of. She squeezed it with both hands, then gave herself a sharp slap.

Whoa, that's really good! she thought.

She turned to inspect the front of her womanly self in the mirror. She felt like it was Christmas day.

Her breasts were so pretty. The nipples had definite borders and were rosy brown.

She had chosen her breast size very carefully. She thought if they were too big, then they might just get in the way. So, she'd ordered a C cup. But now that she was in her new body, her breasts looked a little smaller than that, probably a small C. She frowned, turning her body this way and that, inspecting them.

She knew that oftentimes, things didn't translate perfectly in the beaming of angels across the Cosmos - from Celestial body to Earthbound human flesh. But hey, no complaints from her - she had boobies! And they looked like a lot of fun.

She cupped her hands around each one, squeezing, juggling, playing with them. The tips began to tingle and tighten. She slid her fingertips up to the nipples and began to gently squeeze, pull, and twist a little. Exquisite sensations radiated out from them. She moaned a little.

So, her breasts were very sensitive. This was going to be good. Just for fun, she jumped up and down a little and watched her breasts jiggle and bounce in the mirror. She giggled. Yes, breasts were fun.

Her eyes traveled down the dip of her waist, out over the curve of her hips. She wasn't a slight, straight, wispy angel anymore. She had womanly curves. And a belly button! How sexy, she thought.

Then was something between her legs now. She turned her attention to the curls down there. The hair was dark and short. She ran her fingers through it softly.

She wondered if she should get it waxed. That's what Mandi did. Mandi had everything removed but a little 'landing strip." She decided one of the first things she'd do was get a waxing at the same place as Mandi.

Grabbing the mirror off the wall, she set it down against the counter and lay down on the floor with her legs spread wide, the mirror reflecting what was between them. She gently spread her folds open.

She saw the little bump of her clitoris and further down, her virgin hole. Her hymen stretched around her vaginal opening, making the hole look impossibly tiny.

She couldn't resist taking one finger and massaging it over her inner labia. It felt good, but where was that intense sensation? She licked her fingers like she'd seen Mandi do and then began caressing down there again.

Ahh, that was better. She let a finger slip into her vagina. Wow. It was a little wet in there, and so hot. She marveled at the tightness of it around her finger.