The Morningstar Brigade

Epilogue

Epilogue

FAUSTUS

After the Siege

Brigade High-Security Containment, Eden

"I'll visit, Faustus. As often as I can. I promise," Uriel said softly, putting his hands over his brother's. "This is temporary. I know it isn't easy, but the Brigade-"

Faustus put up a hand to halt Uriel's apologies. "It's ok, Uriel. I understand." He looked around his cell. "This is more than I would have hoped for. They have every reason not to trust me. I still don't fully trust me." He offered a hopeful smile. "So I'll earn that trust myself. The right way. I'll find some way to make up for all the pain that I caused."

"They don't hate you. You do know that, right?" Uriel insisted, squeezing Faustus' hand. "They know it wasn't you. Not really, anyway. That was... someone else. Someone who went away. Now you're here."

"I'm supposed to be your big brother, remember?" Faustus said with a light chuckle. "I may not trust me, but I do trust you, Uriel." He scratched the back of his head, trying to figure out the right way to broach what he wanted to ask more than anything. "What comes next? What happens now?"

Uriel crossed his arms and leaned back. "Next?" he mused, still trying to fully figure out what that would mean for himself. "Next, we help Eden rebuild. Take care of people. Feed the hungry, look after those in need. Put lives back together, including our own. We'll do what the Brigade was meant to do. And when he's got his plan ready, we'll work with Solomon and build a new transporter." Uriel gripped Faustus' shoulder firmly. "Daken's stronger than all of us put together. We're going to get back to Earth, and he's going to sitting in a lounge chair with a stupid grin on his face asking what took us so long when we do."

"Ok," Faustus said, trying to believe his own words. "You're right. We'll get him back. He'll be fine. Let me know if you need anything."

"I will."

Kat stepped out of the shadows, nodding to Faustus and waving Uriel back. "It's time, Uriel. We've got to go. They need us."

"Absolutely, Apostle," Uriel called back to her, just before turning back to the cell. "I'll see you tomorrow." He gave Faustus' shoulder one last brotherly squeeze, then turned and walked back into the darkness with Kat as the mechanisms of Faustus' cell began to clang together.

Faustus sat in silence, watching the shadows cast by his cage and others in the dim light. Almost reflexively, he looked down at his palm. Hands that had bridged worlds and shattered warriors were now utterly inert. The power that had once raced through them was gone. He quietly wondered if sending the Nephilim back to Earth had been the last of his abilities; the final drop of dark power left inside him. Something inside him wondered if there was anything left. Something needed to know.

"Go on," a voice cooed. "Try it. What could it hurt?"

Faustus looked up with a start, whipping his head from side to side to try to find the source of the words. He swallowed hard as he gazed out to see a second shadow in addition to his outlined by the dim lights. It stood just behind his right shoulder.

"I mean, you're not going to die," it pursued. "The last time you used your abilities to help people. You saved hundreds, maybe thousands of lives. And what if you could travel between worlds again? You could just skip all this machine nonsense and go get Daken yourself. You want to be a hero, be trusted? Be forgiven? That's the way to do it. Not sitting around waiting for charity visits."

"I see you!" Faustus yelled, spinning around only to find the rear of his cell completely empty. He sighed, rubbed his head, then turned back toward the bars.

"Boo!" a figure shouted, jumping out in front of him and jabbing his shoulders.

Faustus recoiled backwards, falling out of his chair and scrambling up against the rusted iron wall as the shadow closed. "Who are you? How are you here?"
"We've got to nip this timid thing in the bud right away. You used to have some nerve, where did that all go? Where's that scrappy kid who cut his way out of Sheol? Can't get anything done like this." Stepping into the dim light of the cage, Faustus saw a perfect mirror image of himself staring back. He was without the network of stitched-together skin his terrified counterpart possessed and wore impeccably tailored Brigade garb, but in every other respect he was identical. "What was the question again? Who am I? Honestly, by now you'd think I would have a better answer for that one," the doppelganger admitted, scratching his chin. "But it doesn't really matter. I'll figure out something poetic." He studied his twin. "Your name is Faust, right?"

"Faustus," he corrected, some of his backbone returning. "Not Faust."

The copycat rolled his eyes at this revision. "Right, right." He let out a low whistle as the name's history hit him. "That's a wicked sense of humor your parents had. But it is just about perfect for you." He tapped the side of his head as inspiration struck. "You can call me Mephistopheles."

Faustus stood and faced down Mephistopheles. "So what do you want? What are you?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mephistopheles said, putting his hands up defensively. "No need to go from zero to tough guy like that. You'll give a guy whiplash. All I want is to help you out." He reached out slowly, taking Faustus' hand. "Go on, open it."

Faustus hesitated.

"Come on, you're the one who wanted to know. You really like the idea of Daken wandering around Earth?" Mephistopheles said, raising his eyebrows. "We're just seeing if it still works. Relax."

Faustus relented, opening his hand and focusing on the center of his palm. After a moment of concentration, a small onyx ember kicked to life. He shifted under its cool burn. He had already begun to forget what it had felt like.

"There you go, champ. One step closer to setting everything right with the world. Baby steps," his double applauded insincerely. "I can already tell we're going to be good friends."

Faustus smothered the flame and bore a cold stare into Mephistopheles' eager, grinning eyes. "You never told me what you are."

"Me?" he said with a snicker as he laced his hands behind his head comfortably and turned away. He began to lean back, and then fell back into Faustus' very body. The shade's form slipped into his flesh like a crashing wave drawing back into the ocean before a flood. "You know what I am. I'm a wish come true."

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Thank you so much for reading! I'd love to hear your feedback if you finish, I'm constantly tweaking and working to improve the piece!

- J.C. Wells