Darkness.

    The air was still thick with dust, and Brackett desperately tried to reach one of his backup pieces while being dangled by his throat. Suddenly, he was lowered to eye level with whatever had him in that crushing grip, and he could make out two things... A set of glowing red eyes, and a toothy smile that spoke volumes about his impending fate.
    "W-what the hell are you?" Brackett wheezed.
    "Here," it replied. "Just like you asked. Happy?"

    "No...," breathed one of the Italians as the camera panned onto the face of Brackett. He turned to the Japanese standing next to him, who was also staring into a handheld TV. "Is that not the man WE hired to slay the Dark Angel?"
    The Japanese nodded slowly, equally aghast. "Yes, though I don't recall any provisions for taking our children hostage in the original contract..."
    "Wow, are you two guys ever STUPID," announced Susan, third Apostle of the Dark Angel. "What did you THINK they were going to do to bring out the Angel? Take out an ad in the personals?"
    "Have a care, woman," growled the Italian.
    "Oh?" Susan replied. "I think you forget who's in the driver's seat here... See, all these people will probably be a smidge put off that these yahoos that have been holding guns on their kids for the last hour or two are on your payroll..."
    "What do you want?" grimaced the Japanese. "To keep that quiet, I mean..."
    "Nothing," Susan replied. "The way I see it, it was no small task that brought things to this. The Angel is actualizing God's plan to create a new order on earth. An era of peace and cooperation. The fabled Golden Age. To that end, God sent the Angel much as He sent His Son two thousand years ago... So you see, you did what was needed - although you thought you knew the reasons why, there was truly a higher power at work in those machinations that you were NOT aware of."
    "Huh?" gaped the Italian.
    "Sure," nodded Al Smith as he walked up. "If you guys hadn't hired some pro assassins to try and stop the Angel, then they wouldn't have occupied the daycare to draw him out, and the people wouldn't have come together over it. Assuming you didn't pay them in advance, you're not even going to lose what it cost to hire them."
    "How do you mean?" asked the Japanese.
    "Think about it...," smiled Susan. "Assuming you were deluded enough that you thought they're going to be able to stop him, you couldn't STILL think they were going to do anything with him all pissed off at them. Well, except get torn limb from limb..."
    "What the hell -is- this?" stammered the Italian. "You nutcases think that that psycho killer was sent by GOD? That's ridiculous!"
    "No more ridiculous than sending a carpenter, nah mean?" replied Al. "Though I think the book says folks thought HE was pretty crazy, too."

    "The defense rests," smiled Megan wryly. "No pun intended, of course. Poor dear, I guess she's not accustomed to being on the receiving end of a bad patch..."
    "Aside from Capp passing out, Gamma, we're progressing pretty well," remarked Simon. "I only wish we had some idea of the situation out there."
    "We've got enough to deal with as it is, Command," sighed Megan. "How's the rest going?"
    "Well, we were just about to bypass the third mercury trip," said Rafe impatiently. "Before that last episode anyway..."
    "That reminds me," Simon said. "Delta, what's the situation at your point?"
    "The party guests are arriving as we speak, Command," said Henri. "As of this moment, they remain blissfully ignorant of 'Plan Angel'. We've explained our presence as a security measure, what with the celebrities and all, and that seems to have placated the University brass..."
    "Thank God," said Simon. "The last thing I need is that battleaxe dean gnawing on my skull."
    "Understood, Command," smiled Henri.
    "Say, that's nice and all," broke in Dr. Wolfe, "but some of us are waiting for Step 213-A."
    "Sorry, X-Ray," apologized Simon. "Bravo, if you would?"
    "Certainly, Command," replied Rafe.

    "Now to business," smiled Bobo. "You have threatened and frightened children in an attempt to draw us out. This is not permitted, as children are never to be so used. That you have used them in such a way as is not permitted, you shall be punished..."
    "Then what?" asked Blair. "What comes after punishment?"
    "Burial," replied Bobo with a smile. "Heh."
    "He's going to KILL us?" demanded Yuri.
    "Yes," replied Bobo. "As painfully as we possibly can, and when you consider our diverse skill and inventive brain, well, you can tell that it's going to be something... SPECIAL."
    "Ellison, you can't let him do that!" Brackett gasped. "You're a cop for Chrissakes!"
    Ellison lowered his head, "I can't stop him," he whispered sadly. "Even if I wanted to..."
    Yuri's and Brackett's faces fell. "At least give us a fighting chance!" Brackett wheezed.
    Bobo took on a look of solemn thought before pronouncing, "Nah." He then drew back his fist to hammer Brackett, but Blair grabbed his arm. Bobo turned his head slowly to stare into the face of Sandburg; who flinched, yet held fast. "Little Brother, why do you seek to stay our hand? Are these men not evil?"
    "Yes," whispered Blair.
    "And should evil be punished?"
    "Yes."
    "Then the question is... WHY? Why do you, knowing as you do, STILL seek to impede us?"
    "I don't know," croaked Sandburg.
    "I do," broke in Ellison. "It's not in his nature. He can't make himself believe that anyone is beyond redemption... He can't accept your way, Fiendish. Not now... Not ever."
    Bobo stared coldly at Ellison, then returned his gaze to Blair. "Is this true, Little Brother?"
    Blair shuddered, "I... I don't know WHAT is true anymore... But you can't just kill these men..."
    Bobo smiled, "SURE we can. However, since you seem to think that they can redeem themselves, we shall give them the opportunity to do so. Will that assuage your tender heart?"
    Blair nodded. "Yes, so let's tie them up and throw them in jail, okay?"
    "No."
    "But you said...," Blair stammered.
    "We said they would have the opportunity to redeem themselves. We said NOTHING about jail."
    "What the hell ARE you saying?" Brackett coughed.
    "Simple, my little friends... The path to redemption is fraught with hazards. Tribulation. Hardship. We will, in order to placate Little Brother, allow you two evil men to strive to redemption. Personally, we think it's too far away for such as you..."
    "Where?" asked Yuri. "Where is this place that is too far away?"
    "Past US," Bobo replied.
    "What are you saying, Fiendish?" Ellison asked.
    "Simple enough even for YOU, Shaman," Bobo sighed. "In days of yore, when men wronged each other, there was a process... Divine Right."
    "Trial by COMBAT!?" Blair gasped. "But... that's BARBARIC!"
    "Sez you," Bobo sneered. "They asked for a fighting chance, and you have won it for them. You should be pleased. WE certainly are. Heh."
    "Let me get this right," Brackett said. "You want to fight me and my partner..."
    "Correct."
    "And if we win, we go free?" Yuri continued.
    "Also correct."
    "Fiendish!" Ellison coughed. "You don't know what you're asking! These men are professional assassins! They're deadly dangerous ONE on one, let alone TWO on one."
    "Stop, you'll scare us," Bobo sniffed.
    "And to just arbitrarily decide that if they win they can just walk? That's a lot to ask," Blair mused. "There's a BUNCH of really angry people out there that wanna see these guys swing."
    "They pledged that they would not involve themselves until after our death," Bobo shrugged. "And that we were not to be considered dead until such time as we pronounced it ourselves."
    "And what makes you think they'll honor such a thing?" Yuri demanded. "They could very well just mow us down when we step outside..."
    "They won't," Bobo sighed. "They are fully aware of our dealings here, and accept them."
    "How do you know?" Brackett asked.
    Bobo jerked a thumb over his shoulder to Jeff standing there with the camera, then said, "If anyone does not accept this, let them fire a weapon into the air now." Fiendish then pantomimed an exaggerated listening stance, with a hand to his ear. There was only silence, and after a few seconds he turned to the assassins again. "Well, gentlemen? Are the terms acceptable?"
    Yuri and Brackett exchanged glances, and smiled. "Your funeral," Brackett smirked.
    "Yes, isn't it?" Bobo replied. "Little Brother, you and the Shaman escort these two outside, and we shall follow. There are matters to attend to before we mete out punishment. That is, assuming you can HANDLE it? Do note that we will be SORELY wroth if they happen to 'run away'."
    "S-sure," Blair nodded.
    "Let's go," Ellison said. Yuri snatched free and straightened his shirt.
    "I do not know why you would give up your advantage, 'Angel'," he said levelly. "But I shall not be so generous as to return the favor. Know that I will collect the bounty on your head when this is done."
    "WE will collect it, you mean," Brackett corrected.
    "Of course," Yuri said wryly. "My English is sometimes not so very good. WE shall collect it..."
    "Don't worry," Bobo replied. "We'll make sure you BOTH get everything that's coming to you. Heh."

    "That's not exactly comforting information," grumbled Simon as he closed his cellphone. "We've got bad news and REALLY bad news, people... Bad news, we have a verified sighting of the Angel at King Daycare. REALLY bad news, he's got about forty thousand disgruntled citizens behind him - armed to the teeth."
    "Who called that in?" asked Taggart.
    "The chief," sighed Simon.
    "And how did he find out all that, Command?" asked Rafe.
    "On the fuckin' TV, of all things," spat Simon bitterly. "The Angel's been on the air for the last hour and change, and stated in no uncertain terms that if the camera stops then the bombs go off..."
    "So, okay," sighed Dr. Wolfe, "that's at least TWO things we know for sure. Now, all we have to do is make sure these bombs are disarmed beforehand, right? How much time do we have?"
    "Forty minutes," seethed Simon. "Then we'll be SURROUNDED by Angels... LITERALLY."
    "Well, then let's get to brass tacks, Command," replied Meggan. "Ahem. Step 359-K, using needlenose pliers, gently remove the pin marked 'HB' as shown in illustration 359-K-2... Got it, all?"
    "We copy, Gamma. Proceed... We might just be able to pull this out of our ass after all," said Simon wearily.

    "They don't have a chance, do they?" asked the Italian.
    Susan shook her head. "Nope. They're pretty badass and all, but the Angel is totally out of their league. He can beat them with one hand tied behind his back."
    "Then why give them the opportunity to fight for their freedom? They can't win, so it's pointless..."
    "WE know that. THEY don't. But they're at least showing guts enough to try," Susan replied solemnly.
    "It's part of the lesson," Al continued. "You never know what you can't defeat unless you fight it, nah mean? They're bad and all, and plus they think the Angel is just hype from y'all that was shook when he massacred all us s'posed t'be Kings of the City a few days back. So they figure they can take him..."
    "So, what's the lesson here?" queried the Japanese.
    "Those two men are enemies, yet they've put that aside to fight a common foe," broke in the First Apostle with her flat monotone. "If such animals as would seize children at gunpoint can do such a thing, how can good people like yourselves do less?"

    "I can't," protested Mary Phillips. "These children are my responsibility!"
    "Your responsibility is to see that they learn, is it not?" countered Bobo. "This is all we ask."
    "No. I have to get them out of here... Get them to safety."
    "But Ms. Phillips," protested Jane, "That's the Angel... He said he wouldn't let anyone hurt us."
    "Yeah!" added Connie. "Just like he said he would save us from those badguys."
    "Children!" broke in Mary. "There is no way that that man is a real angel!"
    "Then... What IS he?" asked Sean.
    "I... I don't know," admitted Mary sheepishly.
    "Well, is he not an angel just because you don't know what he is? Or is it because there really aren't any angels?" queried Carol innocently.
    "Clever girl," smiled Bobo; patting the child gently on the head before turning to Mary again. "We agree that children must be protected from harm, Ms. Phillips, else we would not have come to their rescue. But they are also the children of many of the darker elements in this city, and so must be enlightened to the price of walking that dark path. And not just them, mind you... the WORLD must know. And we shall teach them..."
    "T-teach the world?" stammered Mary, flummoxed. "We? What do you mean?"
    "Don't you feel it?" asked Bobo. "There is a greater power at work here than any of us... We seek to restore the correct order, and everyone has played their part - most without even knowing it. But it is simply the first step. All within the sound of our voice... All who bear witness to the Message, both here and at home. We all must do our parts to spread the Message. We all must continue the process, until we have forged the brighter day we have always aspired to... Together."

    "So, it's decided," Brackett said confidently. "We attack him together as a team, and once we've killed him, we split the bounty evenly."
    "Da. No matter HOW powerful he is, no one can possibly withstand our combined efforts. As long as Ellison and his... friend... do not interfere."
    Jim held up his hands. "I have NO intention of helping that crazy fuck."
    Blair snorted, "Like he'd need it."
    Jim stared at Blair icily. "Besides, we're covered under the same pact he made with the crowd surrounding us. We can't lift a hand against either of you. The mob would tear us all to shreds... Of course, I wouldn't be so confident in your shoes..."
    "What do you mean?" asked Brackett.
    "Remember when the wall exploded? He did that..."
    "So?" sneered Brackett. "I can set a concussion charge in my sleep that could knock a similar hole in a wall..."
    "Maybe so, but he didn't use one. He -PUNCHED- through that wall."
    Brackett and Yuri stopped in their tracks. "T-that is... not p-possible!" insisted Yuri.
    "That's what -I- said," Ellison sighed. "Before he DID it."
    "The only thing that bothers me is how," Blair mused. "How could he develop such an abstract utilization of the Sentinel ability so very quickly, and ALONE?"
    "Wait a SECOND!" interrupted Brackett. "There's TWO people like you, Ellison?"
    "That monster is NOTHING like me," Ellison seethed. "But it DOES have the same enhanced senses I do. Except his are MUCH more highly developed. And when you add in that he went through even more training than all four of us together, as well as being tougher than a dollar steak and stronger than a gorilla... Well, I wouldn't be either of you two for all the world."
    "So, assuming all you say is true, and not some poor attempt to intimidate us," Yuri said. "Why not kill us when it had a chance?"
    "No SPORT," Blair stated sadly. "Bobo's like some sort of predatory beast, living for the hunt. He THRIVES on challenge. And the worse the odds the better he likes it."
    "That's just what Kelso said." Jim replied. "Fiendish completed SIXTY missions DESIGNED to kill him."
    "Hey!" Blair said, bubbling from the epiphany. "That could explain why he's so much farther along than you. Against a constant danger to his life, he had to hone his abilities to a razor's edge. Necessity is the mother of invention, right?"
    "Did you say... BOBO?" Brackett asked, ashen with shock. "I thought that was just a load of crap. Boogeyman stories to shake the rookies. There really WAS a BOBO Project?"
    "Yep, and it's coming out to say hello," Jim said. "And GOODBYE. Neither of you could beat ME, and he's done stuff I never even DREAMED possible."
    Blair pouted. "With no guide. No help at all."
    "Is that a shot at me or you?" demanded Jim bitterly.
    "Both," sighed Blair. "Some help I've been to you, Big Guy... Bobo's right. There's so much more he could teach you than I -ever- could. Christ, I'm supposed to KNOW about all these ancient civilizations, and he actually went me three better by APPLYING that knowledge for REAL results. He was right about that too... Knowledge isn't power unless it can be USED. I never realized that until too late... Too late to stop him. Too late to even HELP stop him. Too late for anything... I thought I was buying you time, but it was all a game to him, and he won."
    "He hasn't won yet," Ellison stated stubbornly.

    "He's not... GOING to... Escape... Judgement... THIS time." panted the Good Soldier, nearly exhausted from his arduous trek to his vantage point far above the gathering throng. He meticulously checked his sights again. Fiendish would be out soon, and when he did he could finally put an end to his evil once and for all. The Good Soldier wiped the sweat of his effort from his forehead, and smiled. There wasn't going to be a second chance at this shot, but he was one of the best sharpshooters in his class. He wouldn't NEED a second chance. He checked his hip, where he holstered the Walther PPK he brought to finish himself off after sending Fiendish to Hell. Then, the scales would finally be balanced... He knew when he took the mission that it was suicide. But rather than wait for the huddled masses to come tear him apart for assassinating their sick savior, he was going to do it himself.
    "Soon, it will all be over," whispered Jack Kelso. "This pleases me..."