Natasha grabbed Semila's arm and tugged at her. 'He's gone Semila,' she shouted. 'We need to get to the portal! Now!' She pulled at Sem's wrist and dragged her away from the burning pool and from Shank.

'I'm sorry my friend,' Sem whispered. She let herself be dragged away, stumbling to her feet. The portal towered in front of them, blue-ish and in constant motion. All they had to do was jump through. 'How do we do it?' Sem asked. 'How do we know where to go?' Her eyes remained fixed on Shank's hulking form stirring and rising from the floor. More stone flank demons gathered at his side. Better armoured with better weapons, and bigger.

'Fuck! Nat, if you're gonna do something now is the time!' Sem shouted as the evil group stalked forwards. Natasha looked back and smiled. 'They are no worry to us angel, I need thirty seconds.'

Sem took a deep breath and strode forward, intent on giving the succubus what she wanted. The demons stopped in their tracks, even Shank stopped. Sem smiled. 'That's right fuckers, you're dealing with a real fucked off angel now!' Veins stuck out on her forehead as she shouted and banged her chest.

Shank and the demons took a step back.

'That's right you ugly fuckers, start fucking running!' She watched them, confused at the hoard's actions. She was going to shout more obscenities at them but she noticed they weren't looking at her. Oh shit. With a horrid foreboding, she glanced over her shoulder just in time to see a ball so black it seemed to suck in the world hurtling in her direction. Her breath caught as it sailed over her head and came to rest on the ground between herself and Shank.

The ball shimmered wwith dark energy that rippled the atmosphere around it, and out walked a man. A man! In Hell, and not in one of the torture cells! 'What the fuck...'

He wasn't particularly big. He wore jeans, trainers, and ash-grey hooded top which he had pulled over his head. Who was he? What the hell was he doing here, and how did he fly through the air like that? And what in tarnation was that black energy hovering around him?

He didn't turn to Sem, but he spoke in a calm and educated manner. 'Natasha, don't use the portal. There are things I need help with. You know what you need to do. Sem, you must follow Natasha. Do as she says. I will deal with this.' Flicking his hand in the air, a smaller black sphere which seemed to contain a storm appeared and hovered above it.

The strangest feeling of familiarity washed over her senses, something like Dé Ja Vu, but she couldn't quite place it.

Shank's voice boomed in the cavern. 'You will deal with us? You will fucking deal with us? I will eat your fucking heart!' He spat and pointed his flaming sword at the strange man.

'I haven't got a heart,' Semila heard the man reply in a low growl.

In a blur of movement, the man's hands shot forth many black spheres. The demons dropped like stones or exploded into a thousand pieces as the spheres touched their skin. Some ran, some ducked, but all the spheres found their targets. Shank soon stood alone.

Sem's eyes almost popped out of her head. 'What the fuck?' she half whispered.

'Angel, we have to go.' Natasha spun Sem around. The cave wall seemed to shimmer in front of them. 'This is the place,' Natasha said smiling, 'and now is the time, one two three!' Natasha jumped, dragging Sem through with her.

Sem managed the briefest of looks back into the cavern as she was dragged through the shimmering rock face. Shank had his fire blade up, running at the strange, dark man, and behind them the portal stood proud and arrogant. Shit! She was supposed to go through there.

Lights, colours, g-forces like she had never known, then they were spat out, rolling across a hospital's lawn like newspaper in the wind.

'Well, that was fun,' Natasha said and pushed herself up to a sitting position.

'No it fucking wasn't.' Sem still lay on the ground, face down in the grass.

Natasha shrugged her shoulders. 'Maybe fun was the wrong word. Different may be a better description.' She held her hand out to Sem who took it and was hauled to her feet.

'Twelve is dead.' The sorrow kicked into her angel heart.

The succubus nodded. 'Yes I believe he is, but he was a Sentinel. They were created to serve and die at their master's will. We cannot mourn a creature who fulfilled more of his destiny than intended.'

Natasha looked around, the sun shone down on them from a blue sky, hot and simmering. The pleasant smells of summer were all around them. A bee buzzed close by where a bed of fully-bloomed flowers trembled in a slight breeze and settled again. 'So this is the mortal world. I must say, I do like it already.'

Sem dusted herself off. 'Yeah, well don't get used to it. The mortal plane is off limits to devils you must know that. Being so nonchalant about the death of our friend shows what kind of being you are Natasha.' She took a deep breath to take stock of the situation.

A profound sadness seemed to emanate from the succubus as she digested the angel's words. 'I can change,' Natasha whispered. 'I can change. I know I can.' She turned and looked Sem in the eyes, no magic wafted from her as she spoke. 'I switch off to get the job done Semila, just as you will too one day.'

Sem raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips. 'The fuck I will, I am an angel,' she said and banged her chest. 'Born to protect and serve for the good of mankind. I will never abandon them. Ever.'

Natasha smiled. 'You say that with confidence angel, but I know one day you will not heed the cries of the dying.' She took a step closer. 'You will run on, not heeding children's cries, not heeding the injured, and why?' Natasha's face changed from its usual nice, almost unreadable expression to one of anger. 'To get the job done...that's why!'

Sem shrugged and clenched her jaw. 'It will never fucking happen.'

The succubus took a deep breath to calm herself. 'We must get a few things done. The Dark One will be waiting, keeping the time rift open for us. Come.' She walked off to find the entrance.

'Wait,' said Sem, looking Natasha up and down. 'That was the Dark One you speak of? He seemed familiar to me...not evil either. That is who you follow? And what the fuck were those black spheres?'

'I will tell all as we walk Semila. Come now, we must hurry.'

Sem got shoulder to shoulder with her. 'Okay I'm listening.'

'Yes,' Natasha said, 'he is the Dark One that I follow, and he is an altogether different type of evil. The spheres are dark matter, the Dark One can control it. It can create or destroy at his will. No creature in the abyss can match him. Not one.'

Sem nodded. 'For once I believe you succubus. He took down all of Shank's warriors in seconds. Had I not seen it with my own fucking eyes, I wouldn't have believed it.'

Natasha laughed as she walked. 'I have seen him do more than that angel, much more.'

Semila was about to ask what Natasha had seen him do, but they arrived at the hospital's revolving doors.

'Right,' Natasha said, 'we need to aid in one or two things and get back to the rift as soon as possible. No time for dallying. Are you getting me angel?'

'I'm right here Natasha, I'm not going any-fucking-where.'

Natasha patted Sem on the shoulder. 'That's the spirit. I must say Semila, I'm liking you more each passing minute, I really am.'

Sem slapped her hand away. 'Like I give a fuck.'

Natasha walked through the hospital's revolving door, giving off a slight smile. If she had looked back Natasha would have seem a small smile on Sem's face too.

As Sem walked through the revolving door a wave of pain hit her, an almost tangible sensation to the angel. Suffering, helplessness, kindness, she could feel it all. She took a deep breath and looked around for Natasha, her gaze rested on a nurse looking at a newspaper. 'Natasha?' Sem asked.

'Yes, do you like it?' she said as she spun around.

'How the fuck?' Sem said as she shook her head. Walking away, Natasha tutted and dropped the newspaper to the floor. 'Think little angel, think.'

Sem jogged after her. 'The fucking Sheen, yes?'

Natasha smiled. 'Yes, it's the Sheen. Now, have a look at the plans on the wall there, see if you can find intensive care.' Sem turned to the wall to study the map. In the same moment a man appeared out of nowhere and fell, sprawled at Natasha's feet.

She looked down. 'Are you alright, sir? You took quite a fall there; you shouldn't run in the corridors, not when patients are around.'

The man stood up, straightened his top, and mumbled an apology. Natasha smiled as he made his way down the corridor.

'Nope, not a fucking clue,' Sem said as she turned. 'It would be easier to find honest men in Hell than to use this map system.' Semila glanced down the corridor as the man turned the corner and disappeared out of view. She was about to say something, but shook her head instead.

'Ward two, room seven,' Natasha said. Together they sped down the corridor.

Sem kept pace. 'How the fuck do you know that?'

'As I have said earlier Semila, I know more of John Finnie than I care to divulge. But we are not getting the photo you need in this time-period. There is a person I need to speak to here, then we can be gone.'

They made their way towards intensive care guided by Natasha, who strangely seemed to know the way. At the main reception desk four doctors appeared to be studying charts against the wall.

Natasha stopped. 'Look angel, what do you see?'

Sem looked around, observing the sterile, white room. The only thing to see was the doctors. 'I see the doctors', she said. 'That is all.'

'Oh little angel, you have so much to learn about your powers. Here' --she kissed Sem on the forehead-- 'now what do you see?'

Sem's eyes widened. 'Fuck me sideways! Two of the doctors are demons!'

Natasha nodded. 'Yes, and they will detect me if I come any closer, probably my stunning good looks.' Saying this, she swept her hair behind her ear, and Sem had to swallow the sudden desire she felt for the damn succubus. Again. 'You have to lure them away,' Natasha said, 'kill them if you need to I don't care, but they must not know you are here to help John or they will alert others. Is that clear?'

Gritting her teeth, she summoned her knife and tucked it into her belt. 'Like fucking crystal. Besides, I really fucking hate demons.'

'Good,' said Natasha, 'I'll meet you back at the rift.'

There was a commotion as a bed carrying a sick boy was wheeled past them. 'Move please,' said a nurse in a rather firm tone. Both Sem and Natasha moved. Semila smiled as an idea sprang to mind. She moved to the side of the bed, keeping pace, holding the child's hand, and praying. She gave a slight smile as she noticed both demon doctors looking straight at her.

(part 1 of 2) continued in next section.