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The infirmary, like almost all the rooms in Heaven, was made in sterile white colors, as was most of the furniture there. Through the windows, which had corrugated panels instead of glass, diffused light from the many corridors of Heaven passed. At the time of the first battle between Michael and Lucifer, most of the hospital beds were occupied by wounded soldiers of one of the opposing sides. It was here that the Rit Zien did their direct work, helping the maimed or ending their torment forever. However, now, after the fall that occurred a few years ago, the number of angels began to decrease annually. There was less and less noise in the Sky corridors, and the remaining warriors had a heavy burden to restore the former greatness of Heaven, not allowing it to fall on the heads of humanity.
In such a troubled time, there was only one place occupied in the infirmary itself. The old metal-spring bed, like the others, was made up with a snow-white sheet, and a body lay on top of it. It had been motionless for quite some time, it seemed to have no life in it anymore. However, one day, the silence of the room was interrupted by a deep breath. "What happened to me?" flashed through the only patient's mind as his strength gradually returned, as did the memories of the last years of his life. Long tortures and torments in the captivity of the Prince of Hell, liberation, revenge on the enemies, a journey to an alternate world, and ... death at the hands of his brother. More precisely, another version of the native brother. At this moment, he instantly opened his eyes, abruptly taking a sitting position. Because of this, his vision was initially blurred until the light shades of the environment became familiar to the eyes.
"Where am I?" the man muttered, looking around, his fingers gripping the edges of the bed tightly. "Is this Heaven?"
"I'm glad you've finally come to your senses, Gabriel," the doors suddenly opened and a blonde woman with short hair entered the room. "We've almost given up hope of that."
"Naomi?" His eyes narrowed, Gabe decided to clarify, his brain was still just recovering from waking up, and all his actions were somewhat sluggish. "What's going on here? Why am I here?"
"The answer to the first question will be very difficult" she explained and straightened her severe gray jacket. "But the answer to the second one will be quite simple. You're here to help us save Heaven from total collapse. This place is powered by the energy of a small handful of angels, but it won't last long. Heaven needs an archangel."
"Yeah," he drawled, now looking more consciously from the other woman to the few pieces of furniture. "I've already heard about your plight."
"Not yours, but ours," Naomi corrected, stopping a few meters away from him. "Don't forget, you're one of us."
"I wish I could forget it," Gabriel murmured, sighing. "How did I get here? I was in an alternate world where I was killed by a sadistic version of my older brother."
The infirmary was silent for about ten seconds, and no one dared to break it, as if they were afraid of something.
"It was a dangerous operation," the woman began from afar, remembering the plan she had planned. "We weren't sure we could do it, but there was no other way. After hearing from Castiel about what happened on the apocalyptic Earth, we had the idea to try to bring you back from the dead. While the Shadow that dominates the Void was busy searching for the recently deceased Nephilim, I and a couple of trusted angels attempted to find you in the Empty and bring you here."
"Do you think there's anything I can do to help you with the Celestial problem?"
"We don't think, we know. The angels' powers won't last long. Sooner or later, we will burn out like light bulbs, then billions of billions of souls will fall on the Earth, plunging everything into chaos. We can't let that happen, we need you."
Silence again. Everyone was preoccupied with their thoughts. Gabe still couldn't believe that after so many centuries of hiding and faking his death, he was back in his native walls. Even though he had already adapted quite well to life among humans, being here in Heaven seemed like the right thing to do. Something inside him told him to accept Naomi's offer, but another part of him was afraid of what might follow.
The bureaucracy had never been a pleasure to him, and it had been mostly Michael and Raphael who had done it before. However, given the difficult times, with his consent, the younger of the archangels can bear a serious burden and a great responsibility. This was exactly what Gabriel feared, for fear of letting down not only his fellow humans but all of humanity. If something goes wrong, everyone will blame him for the mistake, and this is not easy to stand. You need to have the courage to stand up to the critics and the discontented and be able to adequately respond to them.
"I don't think I'm the best candidate for leadership," Gabe finally said, getting out of bed and taking a few steps toward the door, unable to even look at seraphim. "I think you've wasted your time and energy bringing me back from the Empty."
"We don't have much to choose from," Naomi said, following him with her eyes, but she wasn't in a hurry to stop him. "We thought that any archangel could come to this place, but it turned out not to be so… It takes a long time to explain, but I can say with confidence that you are our only hope. Please help your home, help your family."
"My family won't want my help," archangel said without turning to her.
"You're wrong, Gabriel," another female voice suddenly chimed in, instantly drawing attention to itself. "If we didn't want to, we wouldn't be involved in your resurrection."
"Do you want to be run by some loser, Dumas?" he asked, meeting her gaze and inadvertently meeting the eyes of the others standing behind her.
"We don't think you're a loser," said one of the angels named Zuriel, who, like the others, had not ventured inside the room.
"Well, you should, because I am."
"If you agree, you can regain your self-confidence and participate in the rebuilding of Heaven," Naomi insisted, drawing attention back to herself. "Who better than an archangel to take his place on the throne in the absence of God? After a couple of feuds, it became more than obvious: ordinary angels are not meant to rule, we are just soldiers."
"But you seem to be doing quite well in the leadership role," Gabe chuckled, noticing a certain fear in the eyes of the others.
"I'm willing to give up this position to you if you accept it."
Gabriel didn't know what to do. On the one hand, there was self-doubt and fear of not living up to their expectations, and on the other, an understanding of the hopelessness of the situation. If he refuses, sooner or later the walls of Heaven will collapse, and he will continue to live, knowing that he did not put any effort to prevent this. But if he still agrees to the terms... Then there will be an opportunity to save everyone by fulfilling their duty and proving their ability to cope with the assigned responsibility. Gabriel knew deep down that he needed to prove it not to anyone out there, but himself first. He will no longer be considered the most infantile of brothers, who are only interested in the entertainment of any kind. Yes, he needs to start with this. Then angels will begin to believe in him too. They had already taken the first step - had brought him back from the dead, and it was time to return the favor.
"I take it I have no choice but to agree, do I?" Gabe asked, steeling himself.
"We all hope that you will accept our offer," Naomi replied, glancing briefly at the other angels gathered outside the infirmary.
"Okay," he finally said, taking a deep breath. He would not have been able to forgive himself for another escape during a difficult period for the Heavens. "I accept your offer. Where do we start, fellas?"