Angel's Messiah (28 page)

There were eight final gunshots then all was quiet, save for the hysterical sobbing of the audience and crew. Gina’s assassins had saved the last of their bullets to take their own lives. Two unknown accomplices, elsewhere in the building, also took their lives. This had been a suicide mission from the start.

“
Somebody call an ambulance,
” a voice yelled.

A few people climbed onto the stage to try and render assistance to Gina, though none sought to check if those people in the back row were still alive or not. Scum are very often overlooked, rightly or wrongly, when someone held in higher regard, or considered more precious, is in need of help.

At the very moment Gina died, when her body fell to the floor, a video of her murder, as if taken by a member of the audience, appeared on the Internet. It was uploaded to one website initially and then continually replicated itself — one became two, two became four, four became sixteen — until such time as
every
website on the Internet, even those that were secure, was hijacked and displayed the last few moments of Gina Malakh’s short life. The video footage wormed its way into Intranets and Extranets as well, leaving many to wonder what sort of hacker, or
power,
they were dealing with.

Millions of people accessing the Net were presented with the same thing, no matter where they surfed. Hundreds of thousands of people downloaded the video footage for careful analysis at a later date. Was it real, or was it a hoax, and if it was a hoax, who was responsible? Surely Natalie wouldn’t have been involved in such a sham, something so tasteless. It would be scrutinised for years to come, and would join the ranks of conspiracy theories such as those regarding man’s first moon landing and Marilyn Monroe’s death.

While the world watched Gina’s murder over and over again, the studio was overrun with police and FBI agents. It would be almost twenty hours before anyone was allowed to leave the studio, and all had been advised not to leave the state.

No matter whom they collaborated with, the police and FBI would not be successful in locating the person who had taken the video footage and uploaded it so swiftly.

As was usual with the type of live interview Natalie was conducting, particularly one where sensitive topics would be discussed, cameras, phones and recording devices of any nature were banned, yet someone had managed to smuggle six guns into the studio. If that was possible, wasn’t it feasible something as small as a camera or transmitter, even the type that could be disguised in a pin on a lapel or button, could have made it past security as well?

During the initial pandemonium after the studio was stormed by the authorities, only those closest to the stage witnessed Gina’s body disappear. A pool of blood was the only evidence left that she had been there. The disappearance of her body only added to the conspiracy theories.

The cameras had been abandoned shortly after the shooting began, so there was no hard evidence to support the claims of the witnesses about the light surrounding Gina’s body. These people were later diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Their accounts of the event were disregarded.

Governments around the world were at a loss to explain how hijacking of the World Wide Web on such a scale could take place in so short a period of time. It was considered to have required months, possibly even years, of planning. Gina Malakh was just seen as a convenient vehicle for the cyber-terrorists, as they would come to be known, for there must have been a team of them, to launch their initial assault. Who knew what they were likely to do next, after their first highly successful attempt to take over the world, as it were.

Not one person in a position of power gave any thought to the possibility that Gina Malakh had in actual fact been the next messiah, and that this was her way of sending her final message to the world. It was far too bizarre an idea to even contemplate.

Many people believed the date the event occurred — September eleven — was significant, and that terrorists, now labelled cyber-terrorists, had once again struck. This time their blow was being directed at one of the core values of society — freedom of speech. A voice advocating peace, love and tolerance had been silenced forever.

21.
Responsibility

Order was slowly being restored to the Internet. The first website was back up and running before the FBI had finished interviewing those who had been in the studio when the shooting had occurred.

Webmasters and IT people around the world were called into work, or logged on from home in the early hours of the morning, frantically restoring backups and wondering what security vulnerability had enabled this to happen. The call for better security resulted in global conferences and workshops for years to come, though many argued there was no vulnerability that could allow what had happened to happen. But the fact was that it did, though not the way they’d imagined.

As more sites were restored, similar questions were being posted everywhere: Who’s behind the killing of Gina Malakh? Is she really dead? What the fuck happened? There were lots of theories, but no answers.

There were even the usual weirdos claiming responsibility not only for Gina’s death, but the hijacking of the World Wide Web. Each and every post was scrutinised by the authorities to try and find the culprits of both deeds. The culprit behind the latter would never be found, as it was Gina herself who had set in motion the takedown of the Web, and she was no longer here for anyone to question, never mind suspect.

One small group continually posted information on Gina’s death, claiming responsibility. The authorities traced the origins of some of the messages, but were always too late to apprehend anyone. Each post was made from a different location at a different time, though signed off in the same way. Internet cafes were used for most of the posts and payment was made in cash. There were always at least a dozen people at the cafes involved, so whoever was leaving the messages was able to blend in and not attract attention. This group was also thought to be responsible for the video, and the attack on the World Wide Web.

As soon as the false messiah, Gina Malakh, was made known to us, we knew we had to bring her down. The messiah would never be a woman. All women are sinners. Only a pure male soul could be the messiah. We will know him when he comes.

It became apparent early on that this would be a difficult task to accomplish. We could never pin the bitch down to one location long enough, and even if we were able to do so, no one seemed to know what she looked like, until sketches from those she’d corrupted started appearing on the Net. Hospitals, hospices and parks were favourite haunts of hers, but we didn’t have the numbers to monitor every single location around the world. So we waited for the right opportunity.

Without Natalie we would not have been able to accomplish our mission of disposing of the harlot who was really an agent of the devil, sent to create disharmony, discord and hate among the more unfortunate people of society.

We wish to claim responsibility for freeing the world from the grip of something so evil that our petty wars pale significantly by comparison. We’re not after thanks, for we know those already corrupted by the slut will not be grateful. That is our lot, the lot of the truly righteous, and we’ll gladly carry the burden on our shoulders if it means we are rid of the pretender.

If you doubt we are the ones responsible for this deed, let me explain how this feat was accomplished, so there can be no doubt.

When it was announced Natalie would be coming out of retirement to interview the usurper on live television, we knew that we had been presented with the opportunity we had been praying for. One security guard was paid handsomely for his assistance in setting this up, and another agreed to help after his family had been taken hostage. This may seem harsh to many, but in the war against evil we must use every weapon at our disposal.

The part the security guards played was crucial, for they taped the weapons used to kill the whore behind six seats in the back row, and marked them as reserved. They were then part of the team of three that swept the seating area prior to the audience being screened and admitted, and ostensibly chose to sweep the upper area. Naturally it was found to be clear. Once the screening of audience members was complete, it was only a matter of waiting until the interview was at a close, and the blasphemer was dead. We had hoped Natalie or the audience would pick her to pieces before we took her life, showing her for what she really was, but it seems that she had everyone but our own under her thrall.

We are not sorry for what we have done, though we do mourn the passing of six good men, each of them voluntarily sacrificing themselves for the betterment of mankind. The world is a better place for it. Now all we have to do is wait for the second coming of the Son of God, though we will not hesitate to act again if another false messiah presents themselves to the world.

Believers of the Second Coming of the Son of God.

The Book of Helena Part III

22.
Outpouring of Sorrow

I heard a cry in my head. It was such a forlorn sound I knew it had to be Gina. I’d tried many times to get through to her during the past few months, even sending her emails that were eventually returned as being undeliverable, yet I had to try again. Okay, so I was being pig-headed as usual, but Gina’s cry cut through to my soul. I could tell she was hurting. I was sitting on the garden swing when I heard her cry out. From the corner of my eye I noticed the rainbow was no more. My heart sank. This could not be good.

Come to me, Gina.

Nothing.

Come to me, Gina Malakh.

Nothing.

Damn it, come to me, Regina Malakh!

Gina’s body appeared on the ground in front of me, a bloody mess. Danny was visiting Michael and may not have heard Gina’s cry. Maybe she’d only directed it at me, or it was something to do with the mother-daughter bond we shared. I didn’t know, and at that moment I didn’t care. All I cared about was my baby.

I dropped to my knees beside Gina’s body. Her lips were blue and she wasn’t breathing. Her body was covered in wounds that wouldn’t heal. I detected a number of bullets still lodged within her body. I extracted them and tried to heal her, the way Danny had healed me many times before. It wasn’t something I’d had much experience with, healing others, and nothing seemed to be happening.

“
Danizriel,
” I screamed, summoning him back to me.

Danny appeared on Gina’s other side. He was surprised, but not shocked, as I had been, to see her like this.

“
Heal her,
” I demanded. “She can’t or won’t do it herself and I’m no good at it. You
have
to help her.”

Danny took my hands into his.

“She’s gone, Helena,” Danny said softly.

“
No.
She can’t be. She was
supposed
to return to us.”

“She has,” Danny said.

“She didn’t return. I summoned her here. Didn’t you hear her cry out?”

“No.”

“Danny, it was a
pitiful
sound,” I sobbed. “I knew she was hurt, but this, this can’t be happening.”

Danny leaned over Gina’s body and rested his forehead on mine.

“I’m sorry, my love,” he said. “Our child is being admitted to heaven, even as we speak.”

“Then we have to go now before it’s too late, and bring her
back.
”

“Helena, only He
can send her back now.”

“Then ask Him to send her back, Danny. We were meant to be
happy
. Living without Gina will
not
make me happy.”

“I can’t ask Him to do anything, Helena. I’ve had my audience with Him. It’s unlikely I would be granted another.”

“
Please, Danny. I’m begging you. Try,
” I wailed.

Danny sat back and looked from me to Gina. I could tell from his expression he thought it would do no good, but I also knew his love for both of us was so great he’d try anything. He could not deny my request. He nodded, leaned forward and kissed me briefly on the lips, before standing up and walking away.

I gathered Gina into my arms and kissed her forehead, rocking her back and forth slowly and singing lullabies, as if she were only asleep. After a time I stopped singing and rocking her, but held onto her as though my love and strength would sustain her body until her soul returned.

“My baby. My sweet, beautiful, innocent baby. You never hurt anybody and yet
they
hurt you. I told you what happened to the last messiah, but no one ever listens to me. I should have clipped your wings myself and grounded you.
I should have kept you safe.
”

For the first time since before Gina was born I
felt
my eyes change, and knew they had turned a fiery red. Her death was triggering something within me, yet I didn’t care. Nothing mattered, save Gina. The tears of blood flowed freely from my eyes, until Gina’s hair became a bright and angry red.