The land was warm and lush and green, there was an inland sea with many boats on it, sheep grazing on plain, and nearby a walled city alive with noise and color. "I don't believe it, it's so beautiful, I thought this place was all desert."

"It will be tomorrow," Mother said. "Come on, we've got nearly 22 hours till the bomb hits, let's see if Sodom has any junk worth saving."

When they came to the city's gate, they had already dressed in the proper fashion; loose robes, with lightweight cloaks draped over and girdled, and for Mother, a veil to cover her hair. They said they were travelers from the west, and that they would only stay the night, they had gold, so if there was an inn they would stay there, otherwise they hoped they could camp inside the safe walls of the city. They were welcomed in, and given the name of a very honest innkeeper, or so it was they were told.

But since they were lying about the money, they didn't worry too much about any innkeepers honest or not. They went directly to the public market. "Let me know if you sense two Angels about, I want to know when they arrive," Mother whispered.

"Sure," said Morpheus. He skipped about excitedly, "this place is great, why are they going to destroy it?"

"No good reason, the Angels are involved in another of their power struggles, Tristopher causing trouble most likely, Eros perhaps. It's not like it's a big military target, it'll probably just be made an example of, or a misfire, or something like that. I wouldn't really know, Murph."

"Do you think it's really wicked?" Morpheus whispered as he picked up some dates.

"Wicked? Laughter. We'll see," said Mother.

Morpheus caught the eyes of the keeper of the fruit stall. He smiled. And the man stared dull-eyed. "To you, nothing, here, take a basket for your fruit."

Morpheus laughed. He loved when he didn't have to pay for things. "And some of these too, what are these?"

"Fresh plums, take some."

Morpheus gathered fruit into the basket, then just walked away with it.

"Morpheus, what I had in mind was looking about the city for things that shouldn't have been lost, some books maybe, some very exquisite jewelry, artworks...."

"Sure, we can find that stuff," said Morpheus when he wasn't sucking at the plum in his hand.

"Laughter."

They walked about the market all morning, collecting trinkets, speaking to people. They were invited to accept the hospitality of a young woman named Rahab, whom they had bargained with a vender on the part of for some flour. They went with her through the narrow streets between houses, stepping over sewage and the straw that had been thrown over it. Rahab let them into her house. She had shelves full of clay vessels, some brightly painted.

Rahab served them bread, cheese, and wine. Morpheus told her she could keep the fruit he had bought, in exchange. They sat about eating and drinking, and talking. Rahab said that she lived alone with her brother, their parents were dead. "My mother died in childbirth when Mika was born," Rahab said, "When the war came, my father joined the army of King Bera. He was slain. When the armies came through here, we barely managed to survive, we were only children then. Mika and I stayed together though, there was not money for me to be married properly, and Mika does not know much about those sort of things. He never married himself. As you see, we have managed to make a home here, I sell my pottery, and Mika raises sheep and sells the wool to the local spinners. He is with his flock now. At sunset, he should be back in the city."

Rahab let them stay in her house through the afternoon, while she worked. Mother was very interested in the pots she had made. She asked if there were other good craftspeople in the city. Rahab had looked about to say something, then looked downward. "Well, of course, we have all kinds," she said, "What do you need?"

"Oh, nothing, I was just curious to know more about Sodom."

Rahab sat down at her potter's wheel, a thing that spun as long as she kept stepping on the pedal at her foot. She took a hunk of damp clay from a table and put it on the wheel, she placed on the table in its place a very wet lump of clay from a large barrel. She worked at the piece of clay on her wheel, smoothing edges with wet hands, creating a hollow at the top as she spun.

Rahab mentioned something they hadn't heard before. "The festival tonight should be nice, Mika made me a dress to wear," she said.

"Festival?" asked Mother.

"He made a dress?" Morpheus asked.

"There's nothing dishonorable about that!" Rahab said, "it is a beautiful dress, and I can't make my own clothes, my fingers do not know what to do with needle and thread in them! There is only Mika and I, someone has to do the sewing."

Morpheus laughed. "Please, I wouldn't wish to insult my host, I think it's a very important thing to do."

Rahab smiled. "You do?"

"Laughter," said Mother, "I'm sure that he does."

Rahab put her vase out to dry and washed her hands quickly. "I want to show you something, please come into our other room, it will be all right."

They both followed Rahab into her other room, it was divided in two parts by a curtain, each had a low narrow bed with an intricate quilt in it. There were several tables and trunks, there was one mirror of polished silver hanging on the wall of the larger part. The plaster walls were covered in charcoal drawings and several tables had small statues standing on them.

"You made all this?" Mother asked very softly.

"Mika sewed these quilts, and he did all these drawings. We have never had much paper in the house, but sometimes he draws into sheets of wet clay, or as with the walls, on plaster. That is what he does all day to pass the time: draws in the dirt."

"And the statues?"

"Yes, I made them." She went to a table in the small part of the room, the one that was hers. There was the head and torso of a woman made of red clay. It seemed to be Rahab.

Mother appeared to cry. She appeared to go down on her knees. She sobbed.

"Oh, what is wrong?" Rahab asked, opening her arms.

"No," said Morpheus firmly, "Don't touch her, let me." He bent down at Mother's side and circled his arms about her.

"What is it?"

"She is crying because these things are so beautiful and...she fears that they will never be seen."

"Things have been hard in this land since the war, there are a few people who buy these things from us. It is enough that you like them. Let me give you something we made."

"I would appreciate it more than you could ever know," said Mother quietly.

"This statue I showed you, it is yours. Please. I am sure that if you stay and meet Mika he will want to give you a gift too. I do like you. Please stay and come to the festival with us."

Mother stood up then, Morpheus moving up with her. She nodded slowly. "That would be a pleasure."

Rahab said that she usually took a short nap, but she did not want to offend them, or leave them without a hostess. "You sleep on the roof!" Mother said suddenly.

"Why, yes, when it is hot like this we always sleep under a canopy on the roof to catch the breeze."

"Then we can all go up there, and lay out, and we won't try to sleep, but if we do then it will be all right, we'll all be there together."

And so they went up and napped on the roof. It was very nice, like sun bathing, only the canopy kept out the harsh rays. Every so often a breeze would come by and cool their bodies. It was nice. And sitting up just slightly the house was tall enough to provide a splendid view of the plain.

Morpheus and Opium were helping Rahab prepare dinner, when Mika came home. Mother was watching the meat in the stew, stirring every so often. Morpheus was slicing cheese. He almost cut his finger. In some way, Mika reminded him of Julien, it wasn't just knowing he sewed and drew pictures, it was seeing him, a Julien painted in dark neutral colors.

"I didn't know we were to have company," Mika said.

"Mika, these are my new friends, they saved me quite a bit of money in the market today, I asked them to come to the festival with us...there is more to tell, but...they come from a land very far west, this is Opium and her brother Morpheus."

Mika nodded, walked into his house slowly. He went to wash his hands and face and then he went into the other room and changed his robe.

They sat to dinner then, Mother, as before, only pretending to eat as Morpheus quickly snatched food from her plate. Morpheus looked at his mother, she said nothing. He looked at Rahab, she blew across her bowl of stew. He looked at Mika, "If I may say, it's a fine robe you put on, I hope you didn't dress especially for us."

"No."

Morpheus wanted to laugh, but he felt Mother's eyes burning into his head.

"Mika," said his sister, "Opium and Morpheus are collectors of art. They were very moved by your drawings-"

"What?"

"I showed them. Mika...please, they have been with me all day, they are my friends."

"Well, if you don't mind women, who are guests in your house, speaking too much, let me say that I know it must have been very hard growing up here. I admire you and Rahab. When she showed me that you were both artists, I felt sad that you do not live better, sad that your work will not be seen, because you have this talent in you!"

Mika laughed. "I am not a very good host. My sister is happier than I have seen her in a long time. Why should I be moved to anger? It is good you like what we do. I will even let you have a piece."

Mother smiled. "Thank you. You can be sure your work will be appreciated where I will take it."

"Rahab, you mentioned the festival, what's it like?" Morpheus asked.

"It is an old harvest time celebration honoring the gods of the earth. It is not a religious celebration, a local-" Morpheus could feel Angels nearby- "festival only. We all dress in our fanciest clothing and go out onto the street and have fun and games and dancing."

Morpheus looked at his mother in such a way that she knew he had sensed the Angels.

They got ready for the festival. Rahab's dress was thin and white, slit up both legs and cutting just under the arms, but over this a robe of sheer fabric in delicate pleats was worn, closed under a wide bronze girdle, with neck and arms decked in bronze jewelry. Mika had made a sort of kilt made of large panels of different colors and put this on. They painted their faces then. Opium and Morpheus made to do the same, but already Mother had black lips and dark shadow over her eyes. Morpheus chose the color silver for his makeup sure everyone would wonder how he'd done it. They went out onto the streets together.

"They are not far away," Morpheus whispered to his mother. She just nodded, then put on a smile. Morpheus slipped an arm about Mika's waist.

As they came to the market place, they met a flow of Human traffic moving along, there was no escape from the alley they stood in but to launch themselves into the press of the crowd. "I'll be all right," Mother shouted, "go on."

Morpheus pulled Mika into the crowd. The traffic thinned only a little, as they moved from the houses. There was music playing, everyone was dancing, singing, shouting. Strangers ran about kissing each other. Women and men were scantly clad. From the houses, women poured wine out their windows into waiting mouths.

Mika laughed.

"What is it?" Morpheus asked.

"Look at them teasing Lot. He won't come out, he won't even give wine and cake to people who pass his door during the festival."

"Why?"

"Oh, because he's a foreigner I suppose. He says the festival worships gods that offend his god. In all the years he has lived in Sodom and flocked his sheep where I flock mine, he has never said a kind word to me."

Morpheus laughed and turned away.

Mika didn't follow right away and so Morpheus turned back. For one moment the street was filled with a blinding light. People screamed. "Lot's house!" They were saying, "The foreigner has got emissaries from the land that invaded us in the war in his house, he won't take part in our festival and now they play some trick on us!"

Morpheus looked down at Mika, who was holding his hands over his eyes. He laughed. "Trick or Treat!" He saw Zerachiel glare at him from the window of Lot's house.

"Let's go over this way," Mika said. His eyes were open but he still blinked quickly. They made their way through the crowd, toward the bigger houses. In this part of the city, there was a dedicated dance area, people did not just mill around looking for sweets. Music came from everywhere, it became noise, except at the biggest house, the house of the king. Morpheus and Mika danced their way there.

The king's house had steps before it, and musicians had stepped above the crowd to play together on them. From the windows of the house, its servants threw cakes out over the crowd, and coins. And among the musicians Opium stood dancing slowly and singing in her high clear voice. Rahab was near the steps dancing.

"That's your sister singing on the steps of our king's house!" Mika said. "She is an amazing woman."

"Yeah, she is."

Morpheus was kissed. He turned slowly and saw smiling Mika. "Oh! It's tradition."

Morpheus kissed him back.

Mika danced close, squeezed Morpheus' arm. Morpheus kissed him again. A glancing look, and then they embraced each other as they danced, lips dragging along throats and collarbones, ears and jaws, and every so often they kissed full on the mouth.

Morpheus saw Rahab follow with her eyes, when they left. She smiled.

Mika stood in the small basin letting Morpheus sponge water over his body, letting Morpheus kiss him. "You are going to leave, this will never happen again," Mika said.

"Ssssh."

Morpheus stood and they were both clean, naked.

Mika tried to talk again.

Morpheus raised his hand to his mouth, zipped it, locked it, threw away the key. But Mika didn't understand this gesture, he raised his hand to Morpheus' lips. Morpheus kissed his fingertips and smiled. He pulled Mika into the bed after him.

It felt so good to share himself with another body again, and to do it in something nearly love. It wasn't Julien, exactly, but Morpheus believed he was making things better for Mika, as much as Mika was making things better for him. Julien would have to understand; it wasn't as if he hadn't had lovers besides Morpheus: one high-school boyfriend, Cary and Athen, a small number of one-night stands.

Sometime in the night, Morpheus raised his eyes and saw his mother looking at him. She warned him silently that they better be gone by dawn, then followed Rahab through the room to the roof.

Just before dawn, Mother came down into the room. She gathered their things together, slowly if they were heavy. When everything had been gathered into one pile, she called to Morpheus.

He got up from the bed and stood looking down at Mika.

"We've got to go...unless you want to find out if that body will survive a nuclear blast..."

Morpheus picked up Mika's colorful kilt and held it to his chest. He called to Mika, wings sprouting from his back as he did.

Mika looked up sleepily.

"Look at me," Morpheus said, "In just a minute, you will fall back to sleep, and you just won't wake up, ever, but look at me now, see me before you fall asleep."

Mika gazed at Morpheus mutely.

Morpheus dropped sleep from his wing into Mika's eyes, and backed away from him. He stepped close to Mother and they disappeared.

They went to Eden. A little farther ahead in time, but there were still Angels on Earth, living there. This was their last city, not in the same place as the original home of the gods, not as splendid as that Eden had been. It was a simple walled city, with buildings in a broad range of styles. It was their last Haven, the only refuge Angels or their children had against the rising power of the Humans. They were waiting.

Opium and Morpheus arrived relatively close to the end. There was already talk of going over to a new world, talk of leaving Earth behind forever. There was a new age being ushered in, they wouldn't be around for the wars this one brought. Humans knew very well by now how to wage their own wars, they'd had very good teachers.

And yet, in Eden, things were peaceful. Every being to enter the gate had sworn to lay aside differences, while in the city's walls. The House of the Satans stood opposite the House of the Archangels, and everyone knew that the Satans were no longer merely officers of the military, these were the fallen ones, the seceders. The Archangels had a new military under their own command, to keep the peace.

Like the buildings, clothing came in all styles. Raziel and Absidus might arrive together, Nike high-tops and baggy rayon clothing on one, stiletto heels in red vinyl and tunic dress on the other. Every so often, someone would come out onto the street wearing earspools and feathers; others would appear in starched kilts and elaborate headdresses. Togas were coming into fashion along with voluminous gowns shaped by jeweled broaches.

Opium and Morpheus did not stand out terribly in Doc Marten's or fishnet shirts by Tripp. If Mother appeared in Betsy Johnson, some Angel would be wearing a knock-off within hours.

They shared a room in The House of Night, which was across a courtyard from the House of Lilith, and across the avenue from The House of the Seraphim. It was Jibril who pointed out that the Vampyre Shade and his son Athen were in Eden, living in the very same house. Standing in the laboratory that belonged to Gabriel, Jibril pointed out the figure of an Angel on the street below, one dressed in gold lame carrying a black-haired child. "That's Athen, he's got six years now," Jibril said. And the Angel? "With Israfel. He's tutoring Athen in music."

Jibril had three bodies lain out on tables, alive, after a fashion. Morpheus looked at them, hard. "I have seen them! All three of them, I have seen them all somewhere! The woman is Joy, but I can't place the others just yet."

"Yes, I'm making Joy," Jibril said. "Gabriel helped me to grow them, and now they are almost ready."

"For what? I don't understand."

Jibril's spidery hands moved over the body of one of the two men, it was covered in a paper sheet to its neck. "Well, my idea was to make Joy. Gabriel herself sent Hope into the world, but in fulfilling his programming, he will have to leave. Granted Joy will not be the great talent that he is, but Gabriel does this for a living, so to say, and gene manipulation and cloning are just things I know from Nightmares...in any case, my point is: Joy will not leave, she will never be completely forgotten."

Morpheus nodded. "And who are the others?"

"This one is her twin brother, I split them myself. Of course I then changed his sex to male, and once he'd begun to develop I gave him a different program of course. His name is Misery."

"Mandy!" Morpheus said, "That's where I've seen him! He was in New York with Joy...I mean at the same time. He was this rich sort of criminal or artist who sometimes felt like helping the Halfangels, when they were fighting humans."

"Yes, he isn't programmed to turn against his maker's kind. Tell me more...."

"I didn't know him, I just heard things, or saw him when scrying. He had this long string of ex-lovers who were dead or very unhappy, it was said he actually took pride in manipulating them."

Jibril smiled, as he lifted a device from Misery's eyes. "He's made to do that. I'm pleased."

"I know that I have seen the other one, but he looks just like so many boys I have seen, tall, slender, and blonde."

"I just made him. I think I'm going to name him Daniel."

Morpheus shook his head. "Why Daniel? I mean, Why not name him what he is?"

"Well...because I think his name should be Daniel. Or, Joseph? No, Daniel. I rather like the way it sounds: Daniel. And besides, he had no grand function. I'm sending him out into the world to push and pull the other two. It is Joy's nature to give herself to many people, but always to search for one that will need her more than all the others, it's likewise Misery's nature to move from victim to victim looking for one that he can make into a particularly terrible piece of art. So I send Daniel out, the hare, and then the foxes after him. It's Daniel's nature to run. It's his nature to want, to be curious, but to run once he knows what's waiting there."

"And they all chase each other around the world? Forever?"

"Yes."

"What's the point?"

"Well I had this idea for Joy, and then they sort of came to me...."

"But you don't have some plan? Some great thing they are going to do for humankind?" Morpheus asked.

"No."

Morpheus laughed.

"But it's having an idea and making it, that's important."

"To see the image take shape?"

"Yes!"

"Jibril, when you make Opium do you think it will be the same? There will really be no point?"

"There will be a girl seemingly touched by all three of these beings here. She seems, like Angels do, she may split, only because she's Human she'll be two minds in one body. Moved by her, I make a body. Inspired by her, I become pregnant with the thought: Opium Tripp Smith; her body the very mirror image of the girl. Then I conceive the rest: the black eyes, the ability to see into people, the talent to manipulate image, to see and make song and picture. The reason she is made is to save the girl, but in saving her, we have to leave her."

Jibril left Eden to take his three creations down to the lowland where Humans traveled by caravans. He sent them off into the world in different directions.

Time came when the Angels were preparing to leave. Raziel packed up his library and observatory, Gabriel packed away her biology lab. The Seraphim chose the instruments they would take along, and crying destroyed the rest. They couldn't leave these advanced devices and constructions for Humans to find, that had been their mistake, giving Humans too much too quickly. The sad thing was that the memory of recent wars would probably keep most from ever revealing a thing to Humans again.

Raphael and Michael had been out, and came into the city long enough to ask Zerachiel if she understood what she was to do according to their plan. She knew, of course, all to well. Raziel and Gabriel left, without telling the other Archangels, having as usual an agenda of their own that included revealing mysteries to Humans. They slipped through the gate, speaking to each other of their friend John Mark. Michael and Raphael left again soon after them. The rest of the Archangels: Raguel, Uriel, Remiel, Zerachiel, Caziel all went about the city, making sure the other Angels had properly disposed of or packed away their belongings.

Jibril came to Opium and Morpheus. "Leave Eden before us. I know that you will find you way over if you want to join us, but leave now so I don't worry that another city will be destroyed with you in it."

And so they took just a few trinkets away with them and went to Jerusalem. As it happened, they came to a private garden in the evening and entered it. They were sitting in a tree when he came into the garden with three friends, two of whom were young and looked like brothers. He stood with them a little while, looking fearful and anxious. One of the brothers laid his hands on their teacher to comfort him. His teacher only pressed the hands away. He smiled weakly at the boy, "John," he said and then sighed, "My soul is sorrowful to the point of death."

The boy looked stricken and went pale.

"Wait here for me, stay awake, there is nothing else you can do for me now."

Morpheus sat with gaping mouth as the teacher came through the trees, closer to them. "That's Jesus?"

"Yesua, actually...I think. Be quiet," Mother told him.

Jesus walked past them, a strong man obviously, and a Jew, but his skin was brighter than most, his hair and eyes just slightly radiant because Gabriel had made him part Angel. He stood surrounded by thicket on every side, in a small clearing, and two Angels came to him from the other side of the garden. They were Michael and Raphael, and Michael was disguised as a Roman soldier.

"Put his disciples to sleep," said Mother, and Morpheus caused the three men to sleep.

The Angels bowed their heads to Jesus then. "Yesua Messiah, it is for this great purpose we have waited for the one with the talent, it is for all our good that you will open the doorway. Do you feel strong enough? Is there any last thing we can do for you?"

Jesus fell to the ground. He cried something softly to the ground and then, "If you would take this cup from me...but let it be as you would have it, not as I would have it."

"You will be with us soon, but we must fly, have strength," said Raphael. And then they rose into the air, unfurling their wings, and ascended higher.

Jesus called after them quietly, "Hurry, fly, to the city, I cannot do anything until you reach it."

Jesus got up then, nervous, and went back to his friends. They were asleep. "Simon! Are you asleep? Had you not the strength to stay awake one hour? Pray that you are not made to sleep again, the spirit is willing but the body is weak."

Jesus went back to the thicket, wondering perhaps if his guardians had time to get back to the appointed place.

Once again he went to look on his friends, but they were not even able to answer.

And so Jesus went back to the thicket again and went down on his knees. Morpheus was still in the tree with his mother, and she held a finger before her lips. Everything was silent.

The Angels had waited till they saw the birth of one with the talent to hold open a doorway to another world wide enough, and long enough, for them all to cross over. It had little if anything to do with sins. But, this feat was draining him, as moving objects through space drained Mother. Jesus was is such anguish, determined to hold open the door, that capillaries in his skin burst under the stress, blood came from his pores like sweat and his own salt sweat stung him, and yet he pushed himself on.

Jesus looked about to fall. Morpheus wondered if Helen had looked like this, a much lesser talent, willing open the doors of the menagerie. She had died in the process. He had not been able to help Helen.

Morpheus slipped from the tree branch and caught Jesus in his arms, as he was about to hit the ground. He remained there, supporting the talent until Jesus just let go and collapsed. Morpheus slipped away quietly. Mother was no longer in the tree, but stood waiting. They walked to another part of the garden where they watched, until they saw Jesus carried away by the Chief Priest's posse.

They saw a young man dressed only in his bedsheet running after the guards. "Teacher, Teacher!" he cried. One of the guards grabbed him then, but he ran away naked.

Mother laughed, briefly. "That there was Gabriel's friend," she said.

Several days passed, and they stayed in Jerusalem. They knew that Jesus would be crucified, and walked to Golgotha on the appointed day, mixing in with the crowd. They saw Jesus fall under the weight of the cross beam he carried on his shoulders. Some women near him cried, and he spoke to them. Then, one woman ran from the crowd, and taking the veil from her own head, used it to wipe Jesus' face of sweat and blood.

Guards came and pushed her back into the crowd, but Morpheus had seen her face clearly. "That was Joy!" he said.

When he looked at his mother, she was smiling.