Work Text:
The pain comes as a surprise. And suddenly, her body doesn't work right and is falling backwards. Kai is there to ease her down, but everything is wrong. She's looking at Kai, trying to bring his hand down to give the keys…she has to give him the keychain…her last thought as her vision fades.
And just like that, the pain is gone and her vision begins to return. But she no longer smells the subtle smog and stronger city odors of the outskirts of Los Angeles. What she smells makes her blood run cold: brimstone. She knows that smell from her nightmares.
As she looks around, she is in a large alcove with other people. The alcove is lit from its misshapen entrance in a dull red. The floor is dusty and everything is obstructively dark; the ceiling disappears above her into utter darkness. A dull ominous roaring, like a waterfall or the rush of a flood, can be heard all around her.
People continue to appear, fading in from the world above, the world in which they died. The crowd of people continues to grow and begins to push her toward the alcove's entrance. Some are walking through that entrance; some are being pushed by the crowd. When she exits the alcove, the light of the surrounding land makes it easier to see. What she sees confirms what Kai had said. And there is no comfort to be found here for her. She knows this is Hell.
The tears stream down her face. But she will face her misguided choice with all the dignity her mother instilled in her, ready to face her punishment for the sins she committed. She just hopes that Kai was able to get that USB to the right people. That she didn't die in vain.
The Herders' whip-cracks could be heard now. Soon her steps bring her into range of their demonic voices.
"Move along!"
"Too slow!"
"Do you enjoy my whip to be going so slowly?"
"MOVE!"
The pushing and the shoving move her straight down the crooked path. From this distance, the slope of the path allows her to see a building at its end.
Drawing nearer, she sees a moat around a wall. And she realizes: it's not a building. Those are gates in the wall.
The people walking with her have their emotions on display. Some are pleading. Some are crying. Some are yelling. Some are quiet, like her. The only sound from her voice has been a whimper when a whip slashed across her back, but that was miles ago now.
The Gates of Hell resolve themselves into two pillars (one of them cracked and askew) holding open two giant doors and two statues of what look like an angel and a large animal with wings.
The people are being herded through that entrance. She can see demons waiting through those gates. They are yelling and shoving the people around. Her doom approaches.
As she nears the gates, a voice rings out.
"Daniel! Look." All the people are quiet and have stopped moving. Even the demons forget their shouting and their whips for a few seconds. The silence rings out like a reverse gun-shot.
"I see."
The angel statue…is moving. Its hand reaches out and a finger touches the top of Maria's head.
#
"Kai! I have a message for Kai!" The reliever is racing through the Halls of Progress shouting at the top of its lungs, excitement apparent with every shouted word. "Kai! I have a message for Kai!"
Kai untangles themself from Mannie. "I guess I have a message."
"I have a feeling I'll be getting one from Gariel in a moment as well." Mannie stands up, unlocks, and opens his office door. Then moves to his computer to compose a preliminary email to Gariel about the reliever.
Kai exits the office and wheels after the reliever with as much speed as it can muster. The reliever doesn't get very far.
"Kai! I have a message for Kai!"
"Hey kid! I'm Kai."
"I have a message for you! And here you are! And I found you!" The reliever's wings let off sparks that pop as the sparks descend to the ground, like little fireworks.
"So, what's the message?"
"And I had to travel fast because they said you are an Ofanite and Ofanite are fast, so I had to go fast! And I like going fast! And you're an Ofanite and I want to be an Ofanite because they are FAST!"
"And yes, you are! You're going to be a great Ofanite!"
The reliever pauses its verbal deluge and blushes.
"You did have a message for me, right?"
The reliever looks at Kai for a second or two with a blank expression on its face. "…YES! Uhm…and I’ve found you…now, what was I supposed to do…oh right! Here!" The reliever hands the note to Kai.
“Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome!” The reliever zooms away almost banging off one wall in its excitement. "I did it! I delivered my! First! Message!!" The reliever declares this loudly and repetitively as it continues away from Kai.
Kai opens the note and reads:
Dear Kai, Ofanite of Creation in service to Lightning,
Greetings! You expressed your wish to know when and if a certain human soul of one Maria Fernandez, who died in Los Angeles on the date you specified, would be seen in Heaven. It is my pleasure and joy to be able to inform you that her soul has arrived, having been saved from entering the Gates by the Angels of Final Judgement.
Please feel free to send a note with a request to meet with her, if it is your wish to do so.
Sincerely,
Jacob
Servitor of Destiny