Two roads diverge

"Have something you'd like to say?" Gray asked the angel in a teasing tone.

"I.." she began but could not finish.

Gray was surprised she was still standing. She clearly was not one of heaven's best, given how she had wandered into a trap like a blind bear, but most cannon fodder like this couldn't handle a shot like the one he had given her.

"Is this your first mission down here, darling?" Gray inquired.

"Noooo..." escaped Alyona's lips, "Third, thii- oh no."

She spun around, her shoulders slapping onto the brick as she desperately fought the temptation to fondle herself.

"Huh. Well, let me just say that you're doing very well. You might even be in line for a promotion if you can pull this off. On the other hand, though, that sounds like a lot of hard work. You could just give up and let me take over. That would be the prudent choice, I think. No more thinking, just satisfaction. Desire. Pleasure. All the things they never let you touch."

"Pleasure?"

The angel was staring into space, her mind fading. Gray smiled as the lighting in the room began to shift. Blues and reds lost their intensity, fading into shades of grey. The Big Guy didn't like watching his tools fail, especially not in the human realm.

Alyona's drooping eyelids fluttered as she, too, realized what was happening.

"No," she pleaded weakly to the ceiling, "don't turn your back, I am not done!"

Gray could not contain his grin.

"It's too late, sweet summer child. The Light has left you. Won't you come with me to a place where you're wanted?"