Falling Hard Ch. 13

Virta sat in the coffee shop, in a corner by herself with her back to the wall so she had a clear view of the whole place.

She didn't want to be around too many people, but she didn't want to be home by herself either. She just wanted to see Athan. But would he find her here? She stirred her coffee as she thought back over the day.

Virta opened her eyes that morning to an empty apartment. A glance at the clock showed it was well past noon. She'd slept that long? In Heaven, she only needed a few hours of sleep each night. Wow. So much of the day was already gone.

In the shower, she watched the water streaming down her body and saw no evidence of her rough, first day on Earth. No bruises. There should have been bruises – in the shape of fingerprints even, where Athan had squeezed into her flesh with his large hands.

So, he must have "fixed" her in her sleep. She was grateful in a way, but then again, she found herself wondering what else he had tinkered with... her mind, possibly? No, she decided. After all, the memories of last night were as clear as a bell.

Virta finished getting ready and walked down the building to Mandi's apartment. Nobody was home.

She decided to go find Athan. But no matter how many times she walked and felt and searched for the pocket, it was gone. She was sure she wasn't just overlooking it. No, it was like it had never existed.

She was getting funny looks from standing and walking with both arms out, feeling around in the air like a mime. Loneliness and sadness sunk in when she realized she wasn't going to find it. She stood there, lost in thought, as the crowd milled around her on the street.

Where was Athan? Why was he avoiding her? Maybe that explained why he didn't wanted to stick around last night: he was itching to move out before she woke up and came looking for him.

Her thoughts turned to Mick as she walked back to her apartment. She hadn't Fallen yet. It was not official. If only she could hear his voice. But, she had no way to talk to him now. And he considered her an enemy.

Virta entered her apartment and shut the door. Immediately, she sensed that she wasn't alone.

She turned around. There in front of her was a tiny woman. Virta recognized her instantly. She wouldn't forget the long blonde hair and the chocolate brown eyes. The woman from the video.

"Hello, Virta. I'm Rose."

"I know who you are. What do you want?"

Rose smiled. "You were supposed to bring in Athan. But there's a problem. You aren't going to do it."

"I don't see how it's any of your business. And, you broke into my home. I don't appreciate that."

"It IS my business. Anything to do with Athan is my business. And I didn't break into your home. You forgot to lock the door."

"Are you a demon?" Virta asked doubtfully. Perhaps demons weren't always strapping seven-footers...

"No. Eww. Why would I be?" Rose's expression changed from disgust to one of amusement. "You think because I want to see your boyfriend get what he deserves that I'm evil? Just like you, I came down here on assignment to bring him in. Just like you, I played the convincing love-sick little angel for Athan. And then, when we made love, I put the relic on him."

Virta gasped.

"I was bringing him in when we were ambushed by his friend. I lost my weapons, my backup. They gave their lives so I could escape. I managed to hide for a couple days. When the time came, I had to go meet Banner, alone, in the dark. But Athan found me first."

"I don't think I wanna hear what happened next."

"Why not, girl? Face up to reality. But, I'll spare you all the unsavory details for now. Let's just say, he was going to kill me, but one of his men was there undercover, for Heaven. He worked with me. He convinced Athan to let him put me in a holding pocket for a while. That's when I made my escape." Rose smiled. "I've been biding my time, hiding out... until you came."

"Me?"

"Someone who had the means and position to bring him down. We'll work together. I already have word that your appointment has been moved up. Banner is meeting us tomorrow night."

"Banner's coming here tomorrow?" No. This was all too soon.

"I know he's disappointed in me," Rose said, twirling some hair in her fingers. "But I can still make it right. I can still have everything I want. And the same goes for you. You'll be rewarded."

"I don't want any heavenly reward. And I won't work with you. I don't know you; I don't trust you."

Without warning, Rose slammed a relic into Virta's chest.

Virta fell to the floor in a heap as the power instantly drained from her cells. At first, she felt shock, confusion, but then her stomach and the room was swirling and her head was spinning, and the pain, oh the pain. She flickered in and out of consciousness, but unmercifully, her awareness returned and she was full of fear, helplessness.

The worst part was the extreme emptiness inside her, as if her soul was being sucked away into the device clinging to her chest. Even her torture under Medic had never taken away her will to live. But this... She'd never felt anything like this. Instantly, she wished for death. She could hear and see and feel, but she was utterly, completely paralyzed. Her vocal chords wouldn't work. She couldn't even cry.

She heard Rose's voice above her.

"I found it in your half-eaten carton of ice cream," she said. "What can I say, I got hungry waiting around here for you.

It seemed like forever passed, and then Rose said, "So, what do you think of the relic? Isn't that just the wildest thing? But don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. Here, I'm taking it off of you. That proves you can trust me now."

Virta lay sprawled on the floor for several minutes after the relic was removed. It was hard to recover. It was as if her whole body had fallen asleep and now it was painfully, slowly, waking up with sharp stabs and tingles. At least she had her voice again.

"You fucking insane bitch," she gasped.

"Come on baby girl, you must be tougher than that. I just had it on you for 10 seconds. When my friends and I were at parties, we would shove those on each other for a few minutes at a time, just for the fun of it. Well, it wasn't fun for the one wearing it." She laughed.

"You're nuts. I'm not helping you. I could never do that to him. It's sealed in my mind now if it wasn't before. I will never put a relic on him."

"Oh, but you will. Just wait til you've spent some more time around him. Don't think the two of you have anything together. He'll tell you shit in that smooth, seductive voice. He'll act all sweet. Here's a clue: It's called acting."

Virta slowly got to her feet, using the wall for support. She wanted so much to shut this woman up, but she felt weak, drained.

"You know, you talk a lot more now than you did in that video," she said. "It's annoying."

Rose ignored that.

"Banner told me he wasn't pleased with how things were going on your end. So, he wanted me to work with you. You really don't have a choice."

Rose held up a small device and pushed a button. The General's unmistakable voice boomed out.

"Tell that horny bitch, Virta, that if she doesn't work with you to bring Athan to me, that Mick is going down: to the Mines and Hell that is, after he's had about a month of torture. I've got some new talent in here. Would love to test them out on a paper-pusher like Mick. And I'll make sure he knows it's all her fault. Every bit of his pain and blood and suffering."

There was a click.

"No!" Virta was angry. They might do shit to her, but Mick was her best friend. He was just a good, decent guy. He didn't deserve this.

She looked desperately into Rose's brown eyes.

"You will do everything I say if you want your friend Mick to be OK."

Tears started falling down Virta's cheeks.

"What, you think Athan is going to change and become a cuddly little puppy in your arms? Don't be a fool, Virta. Learn from what happened to me. Even if he decided to keep you around a while, you wouldn't make it in his world. Heartbreak awaits you, girl."

Virta didn't speak. How could this little woman be so menacing?

"I used to be have a large, intimidating body in Heaven," Rose said, as if reading her thoughts. She sounded bitter and her face was twisted up in anger. "The agents in Sending didn't give me the body I chose for my mission. I think someone up there thought they could play a joke on me."

Her eyes blazed with fury.

"Just wait til I get back up there. They'll wish they'd never been made. Anyway, don't think for a minute, that just because I'm in a small package that I'm weak like you, you big-ass bitch."

"God, how did Athan ever think he loved you?"

Rose reached up and smacked Virta across the face. Virta gasped and held onto her cheek.

"Because the whole thing was a mission from the start. The info he had in his file about me was planted there. There were people in his camp who were planted there, deep undercover. It was all a setup: a potential convert crying for help behind the walls of Heaven. A pretty one too. He couldn't resist. I just didn't count on getting caught. I was so close to delivering the goods to Banner." Rose was steaming mad.

"It's no wonder he freaked out on me," Virta said. "I think he wanted so much to trust in me. But you damaged him. He came unglued when he saw the relic."

When she heard that, Rose's expression went from anger to pure giddiness. She laughed and clapped her hands together in glee. "God, I wish I could have seen his face when that happened. I would have taken a picture. Priceless. The relic - it's like a trigger for him."

Rose looked bright and cheerful at the thought of it. "I'm surprised he didn't just unleash himself on you. He has the powers of a god, you know."

Virta shivered. "I don't even know where he is. The place he took me to last night is gone."

"Hmm. Did you compromise it in any way?"

Virta thought. "Well, I used a radio device in it that Mick had given me. But then I destroyed it, threw it in the trash."

"Well, there you go, silly. He found it. I mean, he knows what those things are. He knows you gave him up to the General."

"What? No. I said I destroyed it. And Mick wouldn't tell anyone where we were."

"Oh, you'd be surprised what someone will do when their neck is on the chopping block. And Athan wasn't going to take a chance. He packed up and left, honey."

She must have seen the look in Virta's eyes, because Rose quickly added, "Hey, it's not a problem for our mission. He's bound to come looking for you before the day is out."

Virta swallowed. "Why?"

"Why do you think? God, will you stop being so stupid?" Rose spat at her. "You're gonna have to play along, you dumb cunt. Do you get that, Virta? Play along!"

Virta breathed out a huge sigh and shook her head. Finally, she looked at Rose. "I just don't know. I'm scared. Something could go wrong, like it did with you. How am I supposed to do this?"

"OK, I get that you're the type that has to experience things yourself before you'll take action. Fine. You won't have a problem talking yourself into it after he starts savaging you in the sack. By the end of the night, after your body is all torn up... you'll wish you'd listened to me."

Rose reached down and picked up her bag.

"Put the relic on him, she said. "Then, call me. I'll come by. We'll take him to the General."

Rose was smiling happily as she gave Virta her number.

Virta opened her mouth, but Rose cut her off: "Don't say anything now. Wait. Wait until later tonight, tomorrow, I don't care. But you will call me."

"Fine," Virta said through gritted teeth, holding the door open. Virta watched the little angel leave her apartment. She'd left the relic behind. It was glimmering on the table.

Virta had noticed a coffee shop last night on their way to Athan's place. She decided to go there. On her way out the door, she picked up the relic, put it in her pocket, and left.

Now she sat there, stirring her coffee and waiting for Athan.

* * *

Mandi was walking home by herself in the dark.

The bar wasn't far from where she lived. She'd walked it many times before, but usually in the company of a man.

She hadn't been at the bar very long tonight. Being there didn't make her feel any better. It was amazing how lonely she could feel in a crowd of people. At the bar, she was constantly hit on by guys, but she didn't want to be with them. She just wanted a drink.

She'd stayed with her friend last night and all of today, but that situation was bringing her down even more. She didn't want to think about angels and demons and monsters.

It was strange how she could get the impression of being watched in such a crowded place. But there it was. It made her uncomfortable. She decided to leave.

She dug her phone out of her bag as she walked. When she turned a corner, she literally ran into two men. She raised her phone, but one of them slapped it out of her hand. She heard it clatter on the sidewalk.

"Where are you going by yourself, baby?" the one in the red shirt asked. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. His friend was older, and not nearly as thin. She gasped as she recognized them from the bar. She'd turned them both down for sex tonight.

"Get out of my way," she said. She tried to brush past them, but they blocked her way.

"It isn't safe out here in the dark by yourself," the older one said, as he put an arm around her. "I'm Phil, and this is Derrick."

"But you can call me Rick," said the one in the red shirt, smiling.

Rick moved closer, and she could smell the alcohol and cigarettes on his breath.

"I don't care who you are. Just let me go."

"Now, Mandi, we just want to talk to you. So you better be nice to us. Right, Phil?"

"How do you know my name?" she asked, shrugging Phil's arm off of her.

They laughed. She tried to move away, but Rick grabbed her and backhanded her across the face. She was stunned, and fell back against Phil. Before she could start screaming, he clamped his smelly hand over her mouth.

"Thought you'd tell me no back at the club? You won't tell me no again," he hissed in her ear.

"We've watched you for a while now," Rick said, letting his eyes slide up and down her body. "You bring guys home all the time. So it don't make no sense why you turned us down. Think we're not good enough for you?

She tried to shake her head, but Phil's hand was still clamped over her mouth, and his other arm was wrapped around her middle, preventing her from moving very much. She began to fight as hard as she could, bucking and kicking. Her foot landed on Phil's shin and she broke free, running.

Rick caught her. Again, a hand was on her mouth, and she was dragged into a nearby alley. It was considerably well-lit and she saw the gleam of a knife in Phil's hands.

"If you scream, I'll cut your throat."

She felt Rick's hand release from her mouth.

"Haven't seen you in the bar for a while," Phil said. "Thought maybe you had a boyfriend."

"Yeah, what happened?" Rick asked over her shoulder. He moved to stand in front of her, one arm pressing her back against the wall. "Did the two of you break up? You must be lonely then, huh? I have just the thing for that." He began to unfasten his jeans.

"No! Leave me alone!" She punched and kicked, and tried to break free. That got her another backhand across the face. She was pushed up harder against the wall.

Rick reached under her skirt. She felt his rough hands on her thighs, groping her. Phil started pawing her through her blouse. All she could see was red from Rick's shirt.

God, no. How could this be happening, again? And these were apparently just regular guys, nothing supernatural here.

Maybe she'd imagined all that stuff with Virta and Heath and Athan. Yes, she'd imagined it all. She was crazy. That had to be it. Somehow her mind had created all that junk to cope with the things she'd endured in her life.

Just then, a huge shadow swallowed up the entrance to the alley.

The men looked at the same time she did. For a second, Mandi felt hopeful that it was Virta and her man, Athan, come to rescue her yet again.

On the one hand, she missed Virta, and on the other hand, she never wanted to be reminded of that mess. Yet here she was just 24 hours later in a similar mess. She'd take any help she could get.

She yanked her skirt back down. Rick and Phil were now distracted by the threatening form coming their way. The dim lamplight passed over his features, and she gasped. Mandi looked up at that short, blond hair and those dark brown eyes, and there was no mistaking who it was. Heath.

Oh, no. She groaned. Her legs turn to jelly. Her situation, as bad as it was before, just got a helluva lot worse.

The two men got into a fighting stance.

"This don't concern you. She's my girlfriend, not that it's any of your business" Rick said.

"She IS my business," came the voice she knew all too well.

"If you're smart, you'll turn around and get the fuck out of here."

"What, and leave you pieces of shit to have all the fun?" Heath was moving toward them.

Phil brandished the knife at Heath, who was now within arm's length of the two men. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm her guardian angel," Heath sneered.

He reached out and grabbed both of the men, one in each hand. He crashed their skulls together. They fell, still as death, at Mandi's feet. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. It was all just too much for her mind to take. She moved away and felt herself sink to the ground.

"Heath," she breathed.. There was no use to try to run. She knew how this worked. He leaned down and pulled her back to her feet.

"Going out behind my back, huh, Mandi?" he snarled, but there was a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I'm gone for 24 hours and you're already spreading your legs for other guys."

It was his usual sentiment, only delivered with less venom than she was used to. It surprised her.

That's when she noticed he was wounded, with blood and gashes on his body, and rips in his clothing. He was leaning against the wall for support. The arm that grasped her was trembling. Daring to peer up into his face, she saw that it was also battered.

So, Athan's men had been beating him, torturing him. Well, good. But now he was definitely going to take it out on her. Maybe he'd just get down to the business of killing her, without the usual mind games and bravado.

"You're hurt," she said.

"It's nothing."

There were no more words between them for a moment. The only sound was his strained breathing. Slowly, he removed his hand from her and just leaned against the wall, his large body between her and the exit.

"How did you get free?"

Heath laughed in a raspy voice. "Athan really needs to do better background checks on his people," he said. "Seems like someone always slips through the cracks. Oh, and nobody is going to rescue you this time. The traitor in Athan's camp is for sale. He told the others he's guarding you tonight."

"Did you kill them?" She glanced at the men on the ground at their feet.

"Let me check. Uh, yeah, I did," he answered quickly, without so much as glancing down at their bodies.

"Did - did you know they were were going to hurt me?"

"Of course. I read every dirty, illegal thought in their brains. But, I don't think they're creative enough. Besides, that's MY job. And I came to finish it." He grinned at her. She'd forgotten how beautiful his smile was.

She heard his ragged, catching breath as he moved closer. He seemed weakened and in pain. But she knew he was still very dangerous. He pushed her gently against the wall, caging her in.

"After I've finished with you, I'll drop in for a little visit with your angel. Athan will pay last of all."