Hello, Who is this?

45) New Day

Riley opened her eyes to see boots near her face. Instinctively, she scooted away a couple inches before remembering she was still attached to the support pole. Looking up, she found herself looking at a scarred version of Lucifer's face and a bad shoulder. 

"I take it you are the Archangel?"

Michael looked down at the woman laying on her side as she assessed him. She wasn't sizing him up the way that he had expected her to, more just getting a feel for him and it put him on edge that she wasn't looking for a way out.

"I am. My name is Michael, Riley, and I want to take you away from here and introduce you to some soon to be friends of yours."

"Are they going to hurt me? Am I to be another punching bag in their training exercises?" Riley asked quietly, almost defeatedly. 

Michael again, found himself furrowing his brow. She wasn't making threats or begging for her freedom. She wasn't trying to escape, nor was she groveling and telling him how merciful he was being for not harming her. 

"That depends on you my dear. For now, no, they won't. However, if you act up, I have no qualms in allowing them to use you for whatever practice they feel they may need. Do you understand?"

Riley nodded and moved to a kneeling position. "Would you ask Rumlow if I may get up and moving yet or are we to be staying here longer?"

"I think I may move you to my personal living quarters to get to know you better before going anywhere else. I need to know why you don't ask the typical questions and why you aren't at all like I was expecting. Please, my dear, stand up and come this way mortal."

Rumlow came down the steps to see the one and only Archangel undoing Riley's restraints and preparing for a fight that never came. He stayed in the shadows watching how the Archangel moved closer to her and the way Riley tried not to cringe. It was obvious she was uncomfortable but didn't back down either. Rumlow was impressed with how well she was handling herself until he remembered that was why he might die this time. His smirk dropped as he waited for her to throw him under the bus and his awaited fate. Instead, she stood and stepped to the side of the pillar, giving the idea of stepping closer while still not making herself completely vulnerable. 

"What is it you want me for Archangel? I am not powerful or magic. I am just a super soldier who failed to obtain all of the strength of others. I am strong but not nearly the strength of the Winter Soldier or Captain America."

Michael tilted his head, waiting to see what she would say next. When it was clear she was waiting for him, he stepped closer and ran a hand down her cheek. The action was exploratory in nature, almost clinical rather than endearing but it made him want to touch her again. She was alluring and he smiled at her surprised eyes. 

"You are a gift from my father. One to unite the fractured heroes of the Earth. He thought that you would be kept a secret by not making you stand out in regards to your physical strength or magic powers. It is your presence and nature that draws those with power to you. Have you honestly not noticed? Your mates, their friends, your own friends, my brother, all of them are protective of you. You weren't killed by a faulty serum. That was what caught my attention. You survived what others did not, even when others of them had special abilities of their own. Yet, there you were, surviving everything thrown your way. I checked in on you, never allowing you to see me so that if you did escape, it wouldn't be my face you feared. I mean, as it was, without knowing me, you ran straight to my brother. He may think I don't know but I do. Let me ask, did you two ever..? Call it curiosity."

Riley found herself trying to avoid his eyes because while they had never had sex, she had used Lucifer to keep her mates from finding her. Now though, since Michael had brought up the memory, she shifted and remembered that she had the tracker in her arm still. She only hoped that one of her mates would remember that too. She had no intention of staying with her creepy stalker any longer than necessary. Clearing her throat, she looked at his shoulder and answered, not able to meet his eyes. The eyes that were the same as her best friend but colder.

"He and I never slept together. He had his mates and I was waiting for my own."

"Oh! So it wasn't you that was on top of him just over a month ago? Grinding and moaning against him? I mean, your mates really not know how to pleasure a woman if you climbed into bed with the literal devil. Poor little Riley, maybe we will see that those needs are met accordingly at some point. For now, it is time to move."

Rumlow stepped forward and undid the chains that kept her restrained to the pillar. She nodded at him before taking a step from both men. She knew it was stupid and she wasn't planning on fighting or running, she just wanted space from them. Holding her wrists, she didn't move again, simply maintained the space that she had established, until Michael began to step closer and closer to her. Continuing to step away from him, her back was soon against the wall. She knew that she was no match for an angel and instead kept her head down and wrists held against her chest, huddling into herself. 

Michael tsked a couple times before gently lifting her chin. "Child, you have nothing to fear from me for now. You are the exact thing I need to make my plan complete. You will stand by my side as we bring about a fresh start for the world. A start in which there is no concern about race, wealth, or religion. There will be no debate over which is better. No more war or strife. A world in which all equally look to us for guidance and security. Tell me, is that so bad?"

Riley sighed and pretended she was talking to her best friend instead of his homicidal twin. "I get why that would be a good idea in theory but not in practice. One of the best parts of being on Earth is the ability to believe what you choose to. Do some go too far and try to pressure others to see their way, yes. Do others stand up to them and push back? Yes. There are a lot of things wrong in the world but that doesn't mean nothing is right. It means that we are fighting to better the world all the time. Who are we to say what is right or wrong for everyone. There are different walks of life for everybody. Don't make this mistake, please Michael. Be the bigger person and see this for the power trip it is."

Michael watched her face as she grew passionate about the topic, she gained confidence and looked him dead in the eye. She would be strong enough to balance him in time and he still wasn't sure he wanted that yet. Instead of answering, he nodded and released her chin. "Come along my pet. It is time we moved to another house. Rumlow, I will send coordinates once she and I are settled. Do me a favor and don't die. I may need you to help her in the future."

Then they were gone. Rumlow sat on the ground and thought over the discussion the two had shared. Was Riley right? Maybe the world didn't need a complete restart. He sat for a long time, thinking over what had been said and what side he would choose when Riley made whatever move she had already planned. He knew she wasn't one to sit back and do nothing. She wasn't waiting to be saved, she would have already began planning her escape by now. The only question was, would she be alone?