Leo didn't understand. Not that he doubted the man; that somehow didn't seem possible. But an angel? The guy looked normal! Well, almost. There was something strange about him. An aura? Nah, angels don't have auras; that's some stupid New Age crap. In any case, there was something about him.
"Did you understand me, Leo?" said "Leonardo, the Angel."
"Err, no."
The angel-creature smiled slightly. "I thought not. You don't look as if you understand. Most people don't. Now, you have heard about angels, right?"
Leo nodded dumbly.
"Good. Then you know who my boss is?"
"You mean, uhm, God? Or whatever you call him? Or her? It?"
"Whatever. This gender thing isn't really that important. Not names, either. If you're used to saying "God" and "he", that's okay."
"I see", Leo said, nodding.
"Really? Do you remember what you said just before I arrived?"
What had he said? Leo wasn't quite sure, but he felt pretty certain he hadn't summoned anybody.
"No..."
"You said you wanted vengeance, Leo."
He nodded his head furiously, trying not to seem stupid in front of this creature, whatever it might be.
"And I'm here because we want it, too."
This was something Leo certainly did not understand.
"You want vengeance, too? And, er, I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"
"O, sancta simplicitas!" cried the other Leonardo. "Look, I'm an angel, God is my boss, and my business is divine retribution. Now do you understand?"
Divine retribution? But that was medieval, wasn't it?
"No, it's not."
Leo started. He hadn't meant to speak his thoughts out loud.
"Don't worry. You didn't say it. I read your mind."
Oh, fucking hell!
"And less of that, please. I am a member of a divine order, you know. We're not too keen on profanities of that kind."
Leo sank back in the chair, baffled. What was safe to have in his head in front of this person?
"Lots of things", said Leo the angel. "But for now, maybe it's easiest if you just listen to me for a while."
Leo nodded again. Best not to speak until spoken to.
"As I said," started the angel (Leo no longer doubted that the man was what he said) "I am in the business of divine retribution. It's a business that's very much alive, even if you don't hear much about it in this day and age. People are much more sceptical nowadays than they used to be." The angel sighed and shook his head.
"Anyway, that's your mission, if you accept it: To be our instrument of vengeance, and to exact retribution on Bishop Franklin J. Flanagan. Yes, I see you're jumping in your chair. He's a bishop now, and his burning ambition is to be a cardinal. I'm sorry to say, he has good chances of making it, unless he's stopped."
"But...", said Leo.
"Yes?"
"I mean, why? How? Why now? Why me?"
The angel smiled.
"Well, Leo. The answers to your questions are quite simple.
We want him stopped because he's been abusing people too long. If he'd messed about with other people's money, somebody would probably have found him out long ago. But he's into power over the weak and the defenseless, and for that purpose, money isn't so important. You'll find out how and when. You'll be guided. But it'll be soon.
As for why now, that's the easiest part. We chose now because now we have a potential instrument. You. And that's the answer to your last question as well. We chose you because you said you wanted it."
"But what's gonna happen to him?"
"He has two options. Either he seeks forgiveness of a sincere heart, from God, his victims and their families and loved ones. Or else...he dies and goes to hell. Oh, yes, there is a hell. It's not quite the way people imagined it in the Middle Ages, but it exists. But you don't want to know about hell. Now, do you want to take the job?"
Leo nodded. He did want it; he was sure now. "I do."
"Good. Then I'm going to give you your weapon. Stand up and take off your shirt."
Leo did as he was told. The angel got up, too, and stood right in front of him. He reached out with his hands and put them on Leo's chest. Leo could feel an intense, burning sensation in the region of his heart. It lasted for what seemed like a few seconds, then it was over. He looked down, and saw he had something like a tattoo, but he couldn't make out what it was, since it was quite small.
"This is the mark of the divine avenger. It's a flaming sword, and it will strike fear into your victim. Also, it will tell you what to do.And now, some words of advice."
Leo put his shirt back on and sat down, ready for instructions on his mission.
"I'm not going to tell you how to go about the job. As I said, you will receive your guidance. But you need advice about your own life, Leo."
His life? But his life was going as well as could be expected. His writing career was prosperous, the past behind him. What advice did he need?
"That's what you think. But there's more coming. For one thing, this mission you have just taken on will be over in only a few days. And even before that, life will have made you an offer you can't refuse, not if you have any sense. Make sure you don't refuse it. By tomorrow, you'll know what I mean. I'll be back."
With that, Leonardo the angel bent down, gave Leo a kiss on both cheeks, and was gone.
This story is copyrighted by me, einhard, February 2001.
Any comments? You can mail me at: einhard@excite.com