“He’s not coming back.”
Mike sat back and put his feet up on the console, careful to not hit any buttons. He looked over at Kelvin, who had come up to the second floor to talk to him. Downstairs, Radar was watching TV and probably trying not to overhear, but the moon base was cavernous and it wouldn’t have been surprising if he did.
“Are you sure?” Mike asked.
“I’m sure.” He was cold, detached, and if not a bit angry. “I’ll start going out today.”
“Radar!”
“Yeah!” He yelled up at Mike. “What’s up?”
“Go out with Power Shift.”
Radar hesitated. “Are you – oh.” He yelled back up, “I’ll get dressed.”
Mike said, “Look, I don’t want to piss off the angel.”
“If anyone pissed him off, I did,” said Kelvin.
“What did you do?”
“I told him he was being possessive. That he wouldn’t let me breathe. Then I walked out on him.”
Mike looked away, his eyes slightly widened and shaking his head. “Whew, you pissed him off.”
“I think so.”
“Ready!” called Radar.
“Okay, off with you. Go to Monster Island and take out the VIPER nest there. They rebuilt it. Again.”
“Absolutely,” said Kelvin, and put his helmet on.
Mike kept watching the console. He had a pretty good bead on the kids for the most part. Most of them were in Monster Island. He hoped that the Technomancer wouldn’t find them. He had warned them constantly to be on the lookout for him. He should let Fold shoot him.
Mike looked up from the console to see a man flying outside his window, holding a flaming sword. Mike stood up. “Fallen.”
The angel landed on the ground and came around to the door. Mike followed him on the console camera. Fallen stepped into the lobby and flew up to the second floor where Mike sat. Mike didn’t turn around.
“What is my name?” he demanded.
“I know why you’re not with the grace of God,” said Mike, and turned around to face him.
“What does that have to do with my name?”
“Your name is Pride.”
Fallen glared at Mike. Mike kept looking at Fallen, and made a motion with his hand, just to be sure. It was part of a spell, and all he had to do was utter the syllable which activated it.
“You dare to send hellfire?”
“Not here. Not in front of you.”
“What do you bring against me? I am an angel of God.”
“I’m not going to do anything to you right now. If you try something, then I might.”
Fallen came over the railing and dropped down to the floor. He stood two feet taller than Mike, eyes flashing and his sword blazing. “My name is not Pride.”
“You said, a long time ago, ‘For the love I bear this boy’. And now, all you care about is yourself. Not him.”
“He left me.”
“You’re not angry at being spurned?”
“He chose to leave me. My name is not Pride.”
“Back to you, isn’t it? All about you.” Mike turned away. “I don’t know your name, but I know that’s what you are. Pride.”
He turned around to see Fallen back in his human form, the handsome white-haired older man. He looked defeated and hurt. Mike felt momentary compassion for him, but it lasted just that moment. He dismissed the spell that hung in the air between them.
“Do you love him?”
Fallen said quietly, “I love all humankind. It is what God made me for.”
“If you love him, then set him free.”
“What will I do? What will he do?”
“He’ll live on,” said Mike. “And you? You’ll keep looking for your name.”
Fallen looked up at Mike. Mike could swear that Fallen had tears in his eyes. “Tell him that I love him.”
“You should tell him that, not me.”
“I cannot. He does not love me anymore.”
“He does care, though,” said Mike. “He cares enough about you to be angry at you.”
Fallen looked confused at that.
“If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t be angry. He would have no emotion. He cares. You care. Would you either kiss and make up or go your separate ways?”
He paused, thinking. “I will give him time.”
“And space.”
“Yes.” He flew over the railing, to the floor below and out the door.
“Not even a thank you,” muttered Mike, going back to the console.