Fallen Angels 1 - Prologue One

*****

The scantily clad amazon pierced the air with her war cry and vaulted high, closing the space between herself and her adversary. The battle was swift and bloody, and soon the ugly little man lay dying in a spreading pool of his own gore. She wiped her sword on one of the few remaining dry spots on his tunic and turned to her companion, who smiled in unabashed awe at the swift precision of her mentor. "Hurry and untie the princess so we can be off!"

"Why would anyone print, let alone read, this tripe?" Jayna turned the offending paperback over in her hands. 'Battle Priestess Lesbo - Over 4 Million Copies In Print!' "Ah, I see," she shook her head ruefully, "the more things change, the more they stay the same." She tossed the book onto a small pile of similarly rejected reading material, then pulled another from a paper bag on the sofa beside her. "Mental note to self:" she murmured, "Don't ever buy another five-dollar grab bag at the used book store."

*****

Aquarius glared down at them. He was Tezcatlipoca and a God. He had nothing to fear from these puny mortals. Certainly they had slowed his progress, but that was nothing more than a temporary miscalculation on his part. It would not happen again. His black laughter bubbled to the surface. He would kill them all. All save the winged one. He wanted her beaten, broken, in chains at his feet. His hatred for these arrogant creatures rose to a fever pitch and...

He sat up suddenly, more than a bit disoriented. He had been dreaming, certainly, but this place wasn't right. He had been in the Hair & Hippo. That was the last thing he remembered. Where was he now and how had he gotten here? Some of the furniture was vaguely familiar but the room surrounding him was not one he had ever seen before, and what was this that he was sitting in, a gigantic fish tank?

Jayna sat on a couch across the room from him with her legs drawn up under herself. She had a book in her hands and was frowning slightly. Once he recognized her he realized that he wasn't in any immediate danger and could let his guard down a bit. Now if he could only get his heartbeat under control. "You look lovely in that light." She twitched in surprise, dropping the book.

"Don't scare me like that!" she shrieked. She took a deep breath to compose herself. "Although I am glad to see you back among the living." She instinctively gazed to where his voice was emanating, quickly realizing that he was completely naked. She looked away, embarrassed and began searching for her lost book. "And happy that you rescued me from this horrible book." She snatched it from the floor and tossed it aside with the other rejects. "I wonder why they put a dragon on the cover. There isn't a single dragon in it. It's just a stupid romance novel."

Aquarius raised himself higher in the tank to better see what was lying on the table. "Hey, Battle Priestess Lesbo!" he cried, noticing that particular book. "It must be new. I haven't read that one yet." Jayna stared at him in amazement, one eyebrow raised.

"You mean you actually read that..." she searched for the proper term, "dung?"

"Heh, it's good for a few laughs, and all of that lesbian innuendo is good for..." he shrugged and made a point of looking around the room. "It looks like you did some major redecorating, very nice."

"More than you realize. I bought a new building and moved the shop after the mess Tez, the Raiders, and the Sentinels made of the old neighborhood." She tried to keep her gaze directly at his eyes.

"I want to hear all about it later. But for now I'd like to know how I got here and how long have I been out of it? Last thing I remember, I was fighting a GOD."

"You were for all of maybe 60 seconds. Then Tlaloc blew you into hundreds of tiny bits. Everyone assumed that you were dead."

"Everyone except you, I take it." He smiled at her and shifted into a more comfortable position. Jayna sat for a few moments, choosing her words carefully.

"After the fight was more or less over I took Bishop and Rydgen to the hospital. As far as I know Bishop is still in a coma. Ry is, well Ry. He was back on his feet in no time. I went back to the rubble of the bar after dark to see if there was anything worth salvaging, and since I had my glasses on I could see little puddles of you all over the place. I went back home, got a turkey baster and a bucket, and did the best I could at gathering up what I could find. Then I went out and bought that tank, ran the muck through a filtering pitcher then poured what was left in there. I called in a lot of favors, but no one seemed to know what I should do with you. I just filled the tank up with spring water and waited.

"You did great. I've never felt this good after getting hurt that badly. I'll have to get myself one of these. All right, how long have I been out?"

"A little over 3 weeks, and you can have it if you want. It doesn't really go with the décor."

Aqua stood up and threw his leg over the side of the tank. Jayna was happily surprised when she noticed that he wasn't dripping water all over her oriental carpet. "3 weeks? Oh, God. My email box is going to be jammed, voice mail too. I hope I don't lose too many contracts over this. Would it be too much trouble for me to get something to eat? I'm starving!"

Jayna sincerely hoped that she wasn't blushing. "Not really. I haven't had dinner yet myself, but maybe we should find you something to wear first..."

Fallen Angels 1 - Prologue Part Two

Early February 1999 - before the events of Vixens

*****

Azangel raised her head sleepily, looking at the 'window' of her current home, the so-called 'Sentinel Sanctum'. The 'window' - a video screen Superion had recently installed in her room - showed the outside of the lair twenty-four hours a day. Currently, the sun was just starting to brighten the horizon. She had a few minutes before she had to be on J Street, since the Zen dimension's sunrise took place a little bit before J Street's.

She hated to be late. She owed Quetzalcoatl that much at least.

The Sanctum was a lot like her former home, with bare walls, cold floors and no windows. She hadn't yet added anything to her room other than the video screen, much to Twinkle's chagrin. Their resident bimbo had tried to drag her shopping on several occasions, but so far she'd managed to avoid that particular horror. One shopping excursion with Patience and Artemis had been enough to convince her that once was enough.

She sighed and rolled out of bed, bare feet hitting the floor, giving her a chill, and waking her up quickly. She pulled a loose shirt and a skirt on, then found her sandals. Pulling them on she grabbed her teleportation band and helmet, putting neither on just yet. As she left the room she reached down and grabbed the duffel bag sitting there.

Padding silently down the hallway in the soft-soled sandals, she stopped momentarily outside Sil's door. The Oan Sentinel had yet to return from his abrupt excursion into space, and she was slightly worried about him. She hoped he was all right, and also hoped he would understand her decision when he eventually returned.

She strapped the small band onto her wrist, slid the helmet on, and headed towards the main hall, stopping again outside Superion's room, just long enough to tape a small folded note to the door.

She entered the huge chamber, and was about to pass by the large table in the center when a voice issued from one of the chairs. "Where are you going at this time of morning?" She nearly jumped out of her skin before wheeling around to confront the mysterious speaker. "And why are you carrying a bag?"

David sat, unmoving, in the darkened chamber, looking eerily ghostlike. Dressed in black (as usual), the only parts of him visible in the murky light were his face and his hands, which were clasped under his chin. "You scared the life out of me..." she muttered.

He grinned at her, but didn't move. "Well?"

"You aren't my keeper." She whispered. "If you MUST know I was heading to J Street."

"I know, you go every morning around this time."

She opened her mouth to ask him how he knew that but decided against it.

"Whatever it is, why not just tell Superion and stop sneaking around? Stealth isn't your strong suit anyway. Got a boyfriend or something, and don't want us to know?"

"Boyfriend? Um, no, it's a religious ceremony..." She stuttered, blushing at his comment.

"Just tell him. He won't care, as long as you aren't sacrificing babies at daybreak." He pushed his chair out from the table and stood. "You aren't, are you?"

"Don't be silly. Of course not. That's Tlaloc, not Quetz."

"Well, anyway, later." He smirked, turning and heading back towards their rooms.

Quetz he's weird, but at least he didn't push the question about the bag.

She hurried from the room to the outside of the lair. As soon as the door slid shut quietly behind her, she punched a few buttons on the band and vanished from sight.

*****

Azangel finished her daily ritual and picked up the helmet from the small table it sat atop. She was on the roof of the building that had been erected at the former H&H's site, the JSS's 'public face' on J Street. She already felt a certain amount of relief at being away from the lair. There was something inherently evil in and around the Sanctum that she couldn't put a finger on. It wasn't just that it had been Zen Reaper's headquarters, it was something else...

She now understood completely about Rydgen, and his decision to leave. She considered dropping by his apartment and saying hello, but she wasn't sure she would be able to find it. Besides, if she was going to cut her ties with the JSS...

She started to turn away from the rising sun, when she was hit by a distinct feeling - she knew she was being watched. "David, if you followed me..." She muttered as she turned.

"You'll do what?" David sat on the far ledge of the roof, arms crossed, one leg dangling lazily over the side.

"Yell at you most likely." She scowled at him. "Why'd you follow me?"

"I read your note."

"That was meant for Superion, not you."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." He paused, looking her over. "You're quitting because you don't want to fail the Sentinels like you think you failed the Foundation. Right?"

"No. I'm leaving the Sentinels before any more of them leave me."

"Sil will be back soon, I bet."

"I didn't mean him." She paused. "We've lost so many people. Missing, dead, injured..."

"So you had bad luck." David looked at Azangel with the most serious expression he could muster. "If you're leaving, do you want company?"

"No, I don't."

"Sure you do."

"Just leave me alone."

"You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do."

"When I originally found the JSS I was looking for you. Remember?" When she nodded to him he continued. "I still don't know why. I do know that I seem...calmer...around you somehow. And if you're leaving, I don't know...I can't explain..." He paused for several long seconds, searching his mind for the right words. "I just think things are going to start going downhill..." He fell silent, his gray eyes boring holes through her.

"Your kicked-puppy look isn't going to work on me." She laughed. David continued staring, looking up at her through shaggy bangs. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt for a little while. But when I tell you to go..."

"I'll go."

She shifted nervously from foot to foot. "There's one thing we both need to do if we're quitting the JSS." She caught his confused expression and pulled off her teleportation band. "Give me yours. We're on the roof of the J Street JSS building. I'm turning them in at the desk and then...well, that's it."

He complied woodenly, handing her the wristband. Then he suddenly sat upright on the ledge, pulled his other leg around to hang over the roof, and smiled strangely. "Race you down!" He shouted before dropping off the five-story building. She rushed forward, mouth hanging open, ready to leap after him, and stopped. Halfway down, David kicked away from the building, twisting to kick away from the building beside the one she stood on. He flipped in midair, bounced off the lid of the Dumpster below, and hopped to the ground.

He looked up at her, gave a quick half-bow, and shouted "You lose!"

Why do I think this is a mistake...? She unfolded her wings, gliding down to the street level and landing next to David.

*****

"Superion had already contacted them, and told them to look for me at the front desk." Azangel said, stuffing a small wad of bills into her pocket. "I don't know how long this will last, but it's better than nothing - which is what I had before."

"So now what?"

"I have no idea. Let's just go for a walk and see what happens."

Fallen Angels 1 - Prologue Part Three

A short time after the events of Vixens:

*****

J Street branch of LaborFinders - Inside:

"Name?"

"Ciela Jarras"

"Age?"

"Twenty-six."

"What kind of job are you looking for with us?"

"Any, I guess."

"Any special skills?"

"I speak Náhuatl, Spanish, and English."

"That's no help, J Street translates all languages for everyone, automatically."

"I'm the Champion of Quetzalcoatl for this age."

"That's not gonna look good on a resume. No one knows who Ket-zal-kot-al is."

"Oh."

"Anything else?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Can you type?"

"Type what?"

"Secretarial, out. How about running a cash register?"

"How fast does it run?"

"Heh, you're joking aren't you?"

"..."

"Uh, ok...guess not...that's out. Delivering mail. Can you drive?"

"I usually walk, or fly everywhere I go..."

"I'll take that as a no. *sigh* You aren't making this easy. Computers... Do you know HTML?"

"Who's HTML?"

"Have you EVER held any sort of job before???? Do you have ANY sort of useful training?"

"I was raised in a cult, the only thing I was ever trained to do was be a vessel for Quetzalcoatl upon his return to the earth realm."

"Listen, miss, I don't think you're qualified for any openings we have here. Come back later once you've had a job - any job."

"How am I supposed to get a job if no-one will hire me?"

"That's your problem, not mine. NEXT!"

*****

Outside:

"Well?"

"Don't ask. Just don't ask. Maybe YOU should get a job, David."

"Yeah right. I'm dead. I think that's gonna make things a bit hard."

"You still might have better luck."

"At least until I go crazy and try to kill someone..."

"Oh, good point. Now what?"

"I saw a sign a couple blocks that way. Want to try there?"

"Can't hurt. What did the sign say?"

"Something about looking for out of work superheroes? It's the little gray building on the left."

*****

Inside:

"Uh, I'm here looking for a job..."

"Sure, we'll hire you."

"That's it? No interview? No questions? No nothing?"

"Well, there's not a lot to ask. You gotta costume, right?"

"Uh...yes..."

"Is it revealing? Tight?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Leather?"

"No, it's armored, with a kind of half-skirt. Why???"

"Well, the guys in here kinda go for the superhero chicks."

"Go for?"

"Yeah, well, I know it's kinky, but what the hey."

"Kinky?"

"Well, some guys, y'know...get off on stuff like that."

"I'm afraid I don't follow you..."

"This is a strip joint, little lady, didn't you know?"

"...DAVID!!!!!!!!!"

*****

Outside, seconds later:

"If you weren't dead already I'd kill you."

"I didn't know! It's not like there was a sign or anything!!!!! And stop hitting me!"

"WHY SHOULD I?"

"Good question."

**sigh** "I knew I should have gone with Sil."

"Hm. So you've said, but I don't see you lasting too long in outer space. So now what?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"I don't know, it seemed like the thing to do. What about S.."

"No, I'd much rather not, if it's all the same to you. I just left, I'm not going to go crawling back."

"Go to Ry?"

"No. Just no. Besides, I don't know where he lives."

"Can you think of anyone?"

"Nope."

"I think you have a problem then. How much money do you have left?"

"Not enough."

"Hungry?"

"Ravenous. Looks like Chinese take-out again."

"Aren't you sick of it yet?"

"Cheapest thing available. It's food, isn't it?"

"Guess so."

"There you go with your two-word answers. You were downright chatty earlier, got a full sentence out of you!"

"Huh. Funny."

"Quetz, you're annoying..."

"Sorry."

*****

Jimmy Lee's - several blocks later:

"That's a small bag."

"Thanks for pointing that out, Davey."

"David."

"I know. Want some?"

"You know I don't eat."

"More for me then!"

"You're being silly."

"It's the lack of food getting to my brain."

"Crazy."

"Hungry. Hey, Jimmy stuffed more cookies in here than you can shake a stick at. Maybe he's worried about your health?"

"We should tell him..."

"No way, kemosabe, I'm eating them. Free food is free food."

"There's a note, too."

"What's it say?"

"Stop stuffing your face and you could see for yourself."

"I think I like you better quiet."

"It says: 'Hi Az! Long time no see. I've been thinking about you lately and wondered if you would meet me someplace to catch up. How about The Fallen Angels nightclub, later tonight? Jayna.' "

"Jayna? Woah. There's a name I haven't heard in a while..."

"You've got soy sauce on your chin."

"Did I mention I hate you?"

"Yes. Going?"

"Yep. You are too."

"Oh CRAP."

"Cheer up, it could be worse!"

"How could it be worse?"

"Ok, point taken. But you're going with me..."

"You're so smart, tell me, how do we find this 'club'?"

"Looks like there's a map on the back of the note. Give it here!"

"Crap."

"You said that already."

"I hate you."

"That's my line, David..."

Fallen Angels 1 - Chapter One

"Oh, this is just loads of fun." She brushed an inquisitive hand off her leg. "If you touch me again I'll break your arm." I'm going to kill this moron if he doesn't quit touching me. Where the hell is she?

"You could try...and it might be fun for both of us..." Came his whispered reply. The 'gentleman' who was currently pushing his luck with Az's self-control had a thick English accent that was worsened due to the number of free drinks he'd been given by admiring females in the club. Why he was harassing her was beyond her grasp. He finally looked across the room, turned to Ciela and winked. "I'm going to go over there, luv. I hope you don't mind." 'Romeo' muttered before getting up and drunkenly sauntering over to a woman at the bar. She was wearing a low-cut, red sequined gown that served to enhance her more than ample cleavage. As he approached, she flipped her hair behind her back and began twirling a stray lock around her manicured fingers.

Azangel shrugged. At least he'll leave me alone now. She glanced around the club and sighed. Several of the patrons, she noticed, were paler than she was, and none of these people were drinking anything. She considered this very odd, but couldn't put a finger on why. She didn't much care, either. Two other 'gentlemen' besides 'Romeo' had offered her drinks, and after she'd turned them down, they had alternately stared at her for long periods of time and ignored her. Which was fine with her, as long as they kept their distance she wouldn't have to talk to them.

Where the hell is Jayna? She asked me to meet her here...! I HATE this crap!

"I've been watching this beautiful woman since she walked in..."When a pair of tall glasses appeared magically in front of her, she glanced up at the source of the voice and snapped, "Not interested, thanks..." She paused mid-sentence, recognizing the face, even though it had changed a bit since she'd last seen it. "Aquarius? We thought you were dea..." She jumped up and wrapped both arms around his neck, hugging, and surprising him.

"So it is you. From this reception, it looks like I should die more often."

"Oh, please don't. How did you...?"

"Long story. I'll tell you later, maybe over drinks and candlelight dinner?" He stopped, giving her the once-over. "I'm not the only one here with surprises. What happened to your wings? You really look great."

"It's an even longer story. Quetz fixed them up, and my...ah...skin problem as well."

"Too bad, I liked the blue, it looked good on you. Listen, I think you should know - those guys who were trying to buy you drinks, the woman with your friend at the bar? They aren't human."

"He's NOT my friend!" She blurted emphatically. "And what do you mean, they aren't human?"

"They're vampires. You know, crypt-kickers?" When she didn't respond, he continued."...creatures of the night, Nosferatu, bloodsucking leeches with fangs, Dracula's children... About half the 'people' in the bar are." He glanced around. "Ok, more like a third. I wouldn't start a fight in here, though, considering you don't have your helmet...did you come by yourself?"

"Not quite. See the guy who looks like he should be a vampire...hiding in the corner? He's been following me around since I quit the JSS. Sort of like the puppy dog I never had." She almost laughed, looking over at David, who was indeed pressed up against one corner, away from the bustling dance floor, but keeping his former teammate in sight. David shook his head emphatically as Az gestured for him to come over to the table.

"I'm hurt. Wounded, even." Aqua mocked, grabbing at his chest in a grand exaggerated movement. "Your buddy looks like a reject from the black leather lagoon."

This time she did laugh. "He's not much of a people person, if you couldn't tell."

"Yeah, looks that way. So are you gonna help out that moron who was hitting on you? You didn't seem too pleased with his affections. Waiting for me, were you?"

"As far as I'm concerned, the idiot can become the main course...but I suppose I should say something to him before he becomes an appetizer." She halfway grinned at Aquarius. "Oh and Aqua, I AM wearing the helmet. Every time I go anywhere near anyone who has ever been in the JSS I seem to end up in a fight."

"Helmet? I don't see no steenking helmet. Where is it?" He glanced up and down again. "Don't tell me..."

"No, don't be sick!!" She pointed out a thin band of metal wrapped around her forehead at the hairline. "The helmet and I had a little chat. It's willing to stay...'inconspicuous' once in a while." She grinned at Aquarius. "Not necessarily a bad thing, mind you...the 'starfish head' look is out by all accounts."

"So who's the reject from 'Return of the Living Dead'?" He asked, changing subjects.

She laughed again. "Keep it up wise-ass. Keep it up."

"If I keep it up will I get some?"

"Er...no." She was a bit flustered. "Zombie-boy's name is David. He's ok once you get used to the two word sentences, moody silences, and strange bursts of uncontrolled anger." She laughed. "Now let me go interrupt Romeo over there..."

"Of course."