Chapter Three: The Thief

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Chapter Three: The Thief

            When they landed Abby wasted no time as she hailed a taxi and went to one of the top hotels facing Central Park. Dean was shocked at the hotel choice, it had to be thousands a night. Abby shrugged. "I am a powerful being that without the world would literally stop turning."

"You don't believe in being humble, do you?" Dean asked as they went up to the top floor.

"If you got it, you flaunt it. Or at least create a mask that only shows extreme pride and confidence. It is the only way to survive in the world." Abby closed her eyes. "To show weakness is like cutting yourself inside a pig pen full of starving pigs."

            Dean shook his head. “You surprise me, lady.”

            “I exist to surprise. Call me Abby, Dean.” Abby opened the suite. She looked at Dean and made a choice. “Look, I am not a good honest person like you Dean. Most people aren’t, to be honest. I am all that is good and evil in this world. I am both light and dark. I am balance. Yes, there is a heaven, there is a hell, and souls go to both. There are angels. There are demons. There are things that you can’t even imagine that exist within the very realm I have created. Does the one you call God run heaven? No. Michael used to run heaven, he…” Abby sighed and shook her head. “The same with Lucifer, he used to run hell. I will explain more at another time. But I want you to remember I will do things you with hate. There are also times I will leave and come back…” She paused, as she tried to think about how to explain how she acted when she would come back from her duties. “Different is the best word to explain it.” She then smiled, it was weak and forced but a smile. “Get some rest Dean. Tomorrow we find the next on the list. Tomorrow we find Joseph, and see if he passed or will pass his test.” With that, she went into her room leaving Dean to his thoughts. She slid down the wall facing the window and pulled her knees to her chest. The pain of the loss of so many still causing her life force, her soul, to bleed; she rubbed her chest. She knew time would dull the pain. But since she lost her first human she also had taken the death of her creations hard. She mourned for each one. She just knew how to function through the pain. She let the tears fall; she couldn’t stop them if she tried. She had her face buried in her knees and hadn’t noticed that Dean had entered to room until he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Dean? Did you need something?”

            Dean shook his head. “I just realized that being immortal that is balance must be hell on your heart and soul.” He slid down next to her. “Don’t worry Abby; we will protect the world…” He gave her a cocky smirk. “After all, you already recruited the best.”

            Abby was shocked into laughing. “Thank you, Dean. Now go get some rest. I wasn’t kidding when I stated we have a long day ahead of us.”

            Dean stood and squeezed her shoulder. “You will see Abby, we won’t fail.” With that, Dean went to do as she suggested.

            Abby smiled. He really would be one of the best Keepers. She stood and made her way to the bed before just falling on it, face first, fully clothed, within moments she was asleep. The events of the last couple days catching up with her; and her exhausted body demanding rest.

            The next day, after sleeping the day before away, Abby and Dean were out hunting through the streets of New York. The list kept bouncing addresses, meaning that Joseph was on the move or with as many souls in the city the magic of the large ley line, that ran under the city, was having issues filtering his soul out of the millions that walked the streets of New York.

            They had been at it since dawn and it was now coming upon midday. Dean was frustrated. “Screw this!” He moved to hit himself in the leg just on encounter his cell phone. He perked up. He took it out and started typing on it. “I am going to try a search on Joey!” he explained. After an hour Dean let out a triumphant yell. “Got him!” He wrote down the address and handed it to her; it was to a high rise they passed a few times.

            Abby looked at the smartphone. For as long as she had been on this Earth, she really didn’t know much about their technology, their sciences, their beliefs, she knew. But their technology, no. “Why didn’t you think of this before?” Not accusing, just curiosity filled her tone.

            “Not used to it.” Dean shrugged as he stuck the phone back in his pocket. “Between the Marines and the farm, I didn’t have a need.” He explained as they walked to the building. He got there and he ran his down all the buttons and one of the people he disturbed buzzed them into the building. Dean looked excited that it worked. “I saw that in a movie; can’t believe it actually worked.”

            Abby laughed as she pressed the button on the elevator for the top floor. “Most people just want to stop the buzzing. I mean this security is decades old; with all the advancements I am sure they think there are other safeguards in place.”

            Dean snorted. “People are too dependent on technology.”

            Abby nodded as they walked down the hall. Half way down the hall Abby stopped. Her eyes went wide. There were two spots flowing in front of her eyes, one was very sick, dying. She ran to the apartment and broke down the door. She normally didn’t interfere in the life and death of mortals, but the soul dying had a fate she had yet to fulfill. Abby was pushing the man out of the way and laying her hands upon the little girl. She had to be only about five years old. Abby winced as her powers told her what was wrong. Cancer. Created by Lucifer himself. He was the oldest or the dark triplets, just as Michael was the oldest of the light triplets. Abby heard Dean keeping ahold of the man as she laid her hands on the little girl’s chest. She closed her eyes. She dropped her spells making her look human. She grew to about twelve foot tall, her wings ripped her shirt as they came out and a glow of gold surrounded them, the wings themselves were huge, at least six foot each and there were four sets of two wings. She ignored the gasps as she poured her healing magic, her light part of her life force, into the little girl. She destroyed the cancer in the little girl’s body and healed her body and mind. She pulled her magic back and pulled her wings back and shrunk. Her shirt was ruined with her wings came out. She looked down at the little girl. The only side effect would be she would live to at least be one hundred years old. She turned around and rubbed the back of her neck. “Hi…” She stated.

            Joseph knelt by his daughter’s bed begging a god he didn’t know if he even believed in to save his daughter. To spare her life. He would do anything, anything that was needed to just allow his baby to grow up. The only good thing that had come out of his mess five years ago with that person that was called her mother. He had done so many bad things and he was sure he was in hell as he had to watch is child waste away. For three years he did any and all jobs to come his way, even those he didn’t agree with, just so he could pay for his daughter’s treatments. She was his light. His light in his black soul. After all from runner to dealer to thief isn’t the life of a good honest man and now his daughter was paying the price for his sins. “Please, God, spare Adanya. I will do anything. Please, God, please.” Just then he heard his door being broke down. Before he knew what was going on a woman, in jeans and a long sleeve tee shirt, was pushing him towards a muscular blue eyed man, he was dangerous Joseph knew this, he could tell by the hardness, the ice, of those clear blue eyes. He went to say something to this man that had the high and tight haircut, to tell him to get out. He had to protect his daughter, even in her last moments.  That is when he saw a glowing come from the woman. His eyes went wide as before his eyes the woman turned into an angel and a glow went over his daughter. He stared at the woman when she rubbed the back of her neck after she stood up to face him. He couldn’t help but blink. All the bad he had done in his life and someone listened. This angel saved his child. “Thank you.” He whispered.  He moved to see his daughter sleeping peacefully for the first time in three years. “Who are you?”

            Dean laughed. “Dude, you are Joseph McKinley?”

            “Yeah, I am Joseph.” Joseph was confused.

“Dude you are in for a helluva ride,” Dean stated.

Abby rolled her eyes; she switched her view on and looked at the man’s soul. She nodded. He wasn’t honest, but he was loyal and a good man. A thief, but he only did what he needed to for his child. “Well, you see Joseph I came to see you because you have been chosen to protect the Earth…” Abby stated and Joseph’s eyes went wide then rolled into the back of his head as he fell to the ground. “Well, that could have gone better,” Abby stated as Dean started laughing.

Joesph gave a groan when he came too. "Man, that was a helluva dream." He said to himself as he looked at the clock and frowned. He had taken a nap when his daughter was dying? The dream had seemed real. Was it? Had his prayers been answered and his daughter's life spared? He moved and went into his living room; there he saw the man that had been with the angel. "Where is the angel?" He asked as he kept his shock down that an angel and a man broke into his house and healed his daughter.

Dean smirked. "Getting a makeover from your daughter. She woke about five minutes after I and Abs got you to your room. Well, more like after I dragged your dead weight ass to your room. And Adanya thought the angel needed to play Princess with her."

"My daughter is playing dress up with an angel?"

Dean laughed, "more like our creator."

Joseph sank into a chair. "She is God?"

Dean shook his head. "No, it seems the mortal realm, in which we live, was a gift to God from his nine angels, his first angels." Dean sat down the book he had gone to buy after making sure Abby and the child would be fine.

Joseph saw the book, he picked it up. "A book of Angels?"

"Touching upon the names of the Angels; I am trying to figure out which one she is."

Joseph nodded and flipped through the book. "So I have been chosen to save the world?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, we have been chosen. A Marine Farmer and a Genius Tech Thief. And we are two of the ten that will be chosen. Makes you wonder out of the saints and billions of people in this world, what did we do to have been chosen and tested."

"Tested?"

"Yes, and we passed our tests without even knowing it."

"Don't get me wrong but..." Joseph paused, "you know my name, but what is yours and the angel's?"

"Dean Cooper and the person we owe our existence to is Abby."

"Abby? Abby is the name she chose to walk the Earth with?"

"Abigail Elyondottir."

"Why?" Joseph smiled as he heard his daughter laughing.

"My guess is Abby is connected to her true name somehow and her last name means Daughter of God Most High."

"I would have never have known that. Did she tell you that?"

"No. My specialty so to say is myths, cultures, religions, names, cryptology, etcetera. It was my obsessions when I was a child."

"A genius becomes a Marine Farm Boy?"

"My duty was to my country and my family. I couldn't afford college. And can you talk, a genius who is a thief?"

"Touché." Joseph sat back, "As I was saying, I don't want you taking this the wrong way, but I can't just leave my daughter. I want to help protect and save this world. But what about my child?"

Abby came in carrying Adanya at that moment. "I have had Keepers before with children, there are protected houses and a grand school and I have the best caretakers and nannies money can buy. All tested and thoroughly checked. You see my school is one of the top boarding schools in the world. But parents can come and stay at any time with their children."

Joseph thought about it. "Wait you started Saint Christopher's School? It is almost impossible to get in there, are they all chosen?"

"No, children are tested and allowed in if they pass, and it isn't all intellectual either. Their souls do play a role as well. I know that Danny here was to get an invite soon. As she has a grand destiny before her."

Joseph took a breath. He wanted everything for his daughter that he never had; an education, a way to be an honest woman. And he owed this angel. She would have his loyalty. His penance would be to protect this world for his daughter and to repay the angel that had mercy and release his daughter from her untimely death and an early grave. Though he was sure she would have been awarded in death. he was selfish to want more time with his daughter, to watch her grow up, get married, and be the woman that would be a light to the world. A light to be the world he never could be in his life. He looked at Abby. "Angel, you got me. Let's save this spinning ball of amorality."

Abby raised an eyebrow but didn't contradict him. "Let's get Danny to the school and registered. After that, we go and get a Protector since I have a feeling with two keepers I am going need some help keeping you both out of trouble." Abby smiled. "After all, I will need help wrangling in a Marine and a Thief." She laughed as she walked into Danny's room to get her packed for her next stop on her journey and the first on the road to fulfilling her destiny.

Abby smiled as they boarded the private jet. The first time, when they left Iowa, she hadn't had time to set up a private jet; but with Danny packing she had time to make the needed calls and set it up. Now just a plane ride to South Dakota and she and her two Keepers could be on their way.

Joseph was mostly focusing on spending these last moments with his daughter. Dean was reading the books he had picked up at the bookstore not far from the apartment. Abby was using her, admittedly, limited knowledge to email her financial advisors and lawyers to set up funding and accounts for her new Keepers.

When they landed it was late so they booked a hotel and spent the night before dropping Danny off the next morning at St. Christopher's.

After a touching goodbye Abby got Joseph and Dean some food and coffee before settling them on the plane towards the next spot on their journey.

Joseph and Dean watched her as hewn through the list and watched as she closed her eyes then crossed out some of the names before looking up at them. "So where are we going, Angel?"

"Yeah, Abs, who are we going to go get?" Dean asked.

"George Noble, 35: Coronado, CA."