Angels And Demons

Gone Fishing

Nobody could say that Saint Peter was bad at his job. Anything but. If anything, he was considered the most diligent and thorough of all the saints. However the employment package left little to be desired. 

For Saint Peter the days were long, the pay was short and the holidays were non-existent. To top it all off he didn't so much get an official lunch break. Unacceptable he thought, especially considering the population explosion. Exploitation, that's what it was. Well, Peter was about to hit back. Two thousand years without a holiday. Well, that was about to change....

Later that day....

A newer, trainee angel of just three hundred years, Serafina arrived at the pearly gates to deliver the newly updated entrance list and Peter's lunch. She was just another employee with a bug bear, for she had been a trainee for her entire stay in heaven so far. Had done everything that was asked of her. But no. Every time she asked about graduating, she got the same old answer. 

"You will" they told her.

"Be patient" they would tell her.

"All we need is an angel to vacate and then you'll graduate" were the answers they had kept giving her, for the last two hundred and fifty years.

'Oh, well, maybe next year' she thought.

Fina arrived at the gates to the disconcerting sight of souls backed up to the bottom of heaven's highway and beyond. Of the souls she could see, fearful glances were present. All wondered what this could possibly mean. 

Peter was no where to be seen. It seemed he had done a runner.

"MATTHEW, HELP ME" Fina yelled. Never had she been so fearful.

This was an emergency. Never had there been situation of this kind. Never had a saint abandoned his post before. Matthew had called an emergency meeting with the Almighty. With him was Gabriel and Michael. Centre stage was Fina as she found herself stood before the almighty.

"What do you mean Peter has gone AWOL?" the almighty demanded.

"My lord, I simply arrived at the gates to deliver the necessary lists and refreshments, only to find that he wasn't there. The only clue to his disappearance was the note, which simply read 'gone fishing'. That's all I know" Fina explained. 

"This is far from good. Maybe I should have been more receptive to his requests. All this time on the gates without a break" the almighty observed. 

"But lord, if you do this for one saint, then where does it all end. Every saint will probably want to follow suit. Peter should have considered himself lucky to have held such a privileged position and serve you so faithfully" Matthew argued.

"Perhaps you're right. What do you suggest we do?" the almighty questioned. 

"Well my lord, it seems Peter has put on the spiritual blinkers on so as he can't be found so easily. However their are a few favourite locations we can try first and hope he is at one of them" Gabriel spoke up. 

"We also suggest that it would be worth sending someone who isn't seen as so much of an inconvenience to Peter. Someone he maybe prone to listening to" Matthew put forward has he inclined head towards Fina. 

"Why me" Fina panicked.

"Well he does seems to have become fond of you these past few centuries" Michael pointed out. 

"By sheer perseverance and irritation only no doubt" Fina shot back.

"You do this, you will be rewarded" Michael chided.

"Really, how?"

"You shall graduate as a fully fledged angel. No more training" Gabriel blackmailed. 

"And the sooner we find him, the better. As you can imagine what would happen if it became common knowledge in hell that Peter is not at his post" the almighty carefully reminded. 

"Lord, can I suggest something unorthodox?" Michael spoke up. 

"And what would that be?" 

"Well lord, this is quite the task for Fina to take on her own and she has little experience of this sort of thing. May I suggest that someone accompany her, an individual who is, shall we say...more worldly wise?" Michael put forward.

"Who were you thinking of suggesting?"  the almighty enquired. 

"I have heard it mentioned of a misfit demon, self exiled on earth after an altercation with Lucifer. She seems to be at a loose end. She might be an ideal candidate to act as a sort of guardian and guide to Fina and even offer advice" Michael concluded.

"How is this a good idea. What's to stop this demon from trying to earn brownie points and get back into hell next to Lucifer's side? She could quite easily trade this piece of information." Fina spoke up. 

"You raise a valid point. But we have offered immunity to her from Lucifer and his henchmen in exchange for her help. She's no danger in selling you out to her former master, after what she did to him" Matthew explained. 

"Really, it seems my mysterious demon guide offended Lucifer if he wants her head on a proverbial platter. That's  definitely a strike in her favour. What is the name of my so-called demonic guardian?" Fina wondered.

And that's when it happened. The clouds vibrated and shook. An angelic chorus was slowly replaced by a gentle hum that grew louder. Soon that gentle hum rose to an almighty roar that grew closer. 

Everyone turned to the direction of the offending noise. Eyes widened and mouths agape in shock as a vintage BMW R18 motorcycle speeded into view. It screeched to an almighty stop, right in front of Fina. In fact too close. Her last image, a figure all in black atop a powerful bike, then....BLACKOUT.

THANK YOU for tuning in to my new fanfic.