Chapter Text
25 September 2049
Twenty three year old law student A.Z. Fell sat at his desk, his almost white-blond head cradled in his hands trying to ignore his Tomebook IV. The ethics assignment from Professor Young was still staring at him, waiting for him to think of something. To have one good idea. It was moments like this, that he missed his cat, Jane. About now the calico would have curled up in his lap with her motor going. At least his gran liked the cat.
He still had two months to write Young’s paper. His other assignments for the week were done or almost done. He’d even finished his brief on Simons vs the Crown an hour ago.
He jumped as the door slammed open. “Hello,” the tall red-headed student said as he entered with a flourish. “I’m Tony Crowley. I’m finally here.” The stranger looked around and took another bite of the red apple he was holding. “You must be A.Z. I’m bloody exhausted.”
“I can see that. I mean I can see you are here and you do look exhausted.” A.Z. stood to help his one-week-late roommate bring his bags in.
“ A.Z. What kind of name is that?”
“One my parents picked. How bad was it?”
Tony tossed the apple core into the trash bin, sat on his bed and leaned against the wall. “Shitty. Hurricane was an understatement. It rained and rained, then our astronomy team couldn’t get out because of a mudslide. The villagers who took us in were great.” Tony glanced around the room. “I suppose I should tell you I’m gay. I had one bloody roommate run out of the room when he found out. You going to run?”
A.Z. shrugged. “No. Welcome, I’m A.Z. Fell. Second year law. Speaking of full disclosure, I sleepwalk and have nightmares.”
“Oh. I have the occasional nightmare too. Anthony Crowley, working on my Masters in quantum astronomy. The doctor says they are stress induced.”
“Hmm, mine says something similar. The brain is a strange and complex organ, though I wonder why I am always running through blaringly white halls. You’d think they’d be about whatever is causing the stress.”
“I’m always falling in mine. Like you, I wonder why they aren’t about my stress.”
“Speaking of stressors, I have this essay to finish.” Or rather start.
“Essays suck. I’d rather be writing a report about Schreiner’s Principles of Space-Time.”
“No idea what that is, but it sounds more interesting than writing how you would handle being asked to do something you consider unethical by your boss. It’s the only paper, so it has to be something more than I quit.”
“That sounds like Professor Young’s ethics essay. It’s legendary.”
“It is. Young lectures once a week. Comparing and contrasting the laws of the African Consortium and the European Union is easier.”
Tony chuckled. “Anything besides arguing with your boss while he is ordering a nuclear missile strike?”
“I thought of that, but I suspect he’s read too many papers about assassinating the man who ordered the bombing of Washington D.C.” By his own goons, at least that’s what history said. The Russians still maintained the information was classified, but it was rumored to have been more than the guards’ response to the destruction of Moscow and their families.
“Go surprising and dramatic. Be Bard like.”
“Surprising and dramatic? I don’t know: an angel standing against Heaven dramatic?”
Tony chuckled. “I like it. The biblical flood maybe? I can describe the aftermath of a flood for you.” He closed his eyes. “I still smell it. Does it have to be factual, or can you tell a story?” A.Z. quickly glanced through Young’s class syllabus.
“It doesn’t say. An angel sent by Heaven, but only allowed to monitor the events of the Flood, not allowed to save anyone, not allowed to do good?” A.Z. closed his eyes. “Hmmm. I did enjoy creative writing in school, but gran said I was not going to be an author. She wants me to have a real job.”
“A real job? In law?”
“Yes.” He shrugged. “She would have settled for Political Science.”
“Politics is not a science,” Tony snorted. “The gravitational inequality across the event horizon of a Black Hole, now that is science.”
A.Z. shook his head, his mind already plotting how an angel could circumnavigate Heaven’s orders. Something else was needed, someone else. A foil for this angel.
You okay if I use the shower?” Tony’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Sure, go ahead. It takes a while for the water to heat up.” His thoughts returned to the essay or as it was becoming, a story. No, he’d leave the foil out, even though the idea of a thin red-haired demon was appealing.
Too appealing.
A.Z. watched his new roommate quickly throw some stuff in the chest of drawers. “I’ll deal with all this later,” Tony muttered. He grabbed a few things and disappeared in the bathroom.
There was a shout from the bathroom, A.Z. bit back a smile. “I warned you the water would be cold.”