Gabe felt like he was experiencing everything a second out of time, he felt slow. An instant after Gabe reached Semyon’s position the Deadman was already gone, bounding down the hall, reacting to something Gabe was only mildly aware of. There was a flash in the corner of his vision, firey light splashing over the dark corridor and room far off. Gabe sprinted behind Semyon down the hall, he was able to catch up and maintain close proximity despite the Deadman’s head-start. Needless to say, the two humanoid gun-totters were late to the party. A white wolf, as bright as the sun, bounded into a shade gate just as the two came down the last flight of stairs. Gabe stood back as he watched the aftermath unfold. People were crying, people were broken, people were dead. Gabe felt a sudden rupture in his chest, like a heart-cord being plucked. It was a pang of sadness, and then disappointment. His Majesty allowed this to happen, one of his agents was in the vicinity and he still allowed this to happen. Gabe felt the closeness already and he could see the inscrutability of a god, from the perspective of a human. If this is what it felt like to merely attend a terrible event, Gabe could only imagine the pain and desperation of those party to it. Of course, Gabe had felt something like that once. 

When Gabriel was called from his frolicking, drawn from the verdant sandy hills of his Majesties domain into the grand icy stonework of his palace. When Gabe was told his connection to paradise would be severed, perhaps never to be seen again, at least not in any time that was worth waiting for, Gabe felt what might be considered ontological [i]loss[/i]. When he was tossed into the freezing portal, and gently rested on earth, as if he’d always been there, and he no longer felt the immanent presence of his lord, Gabe [i]grieved[/i]. 

But, this was different. The angel followed slowly behind Semyon, he stood next to the men he knew to be Bain & Hoyle, and they demonstrated their close friendship now, as one tried to save the other. Gabe didn’t really know how to approach but he felt like he should, at the very least, announce his presence. Gabe awkwardly shuffled his feet for a few moments then cleared his throat. 

“Mr. Bain, sir, Gabriel Lykis, reporting for duty.” Gabriel saluted for a moment then relaxed his body. He looked at the gate and figured he should get going. “Gouh—hmm—Good-luck, sir.” And with that awkward display Gabriel was enveloped by the gate, swallowed into the stringy insides of the ether and then spit out on the other side. 

Gabe couldn’t tell where they were, he was zapped uncomfortably close to the man who seemed to be giving all of the orders—Atticus, if Gabe remembered his debriefing with Jerusha correctly. A few paces away Gabe could make out Semyon’s form. The Deadman made inquiries and Gabe spoke up, feeling that was preferable to standing quietly in the dark. 

“I imagine they had something of value, something dangerous. That’s why we were retreating, right? Well, I can’t speak to what the object was or why the wolf needed it, but if I’m right about what these shade gates are capable of, we don’t have much time. Am I right?” Gabe found a comfortable stone platform to sit on, and did. He faced the two love birds and opened his palm to them, inviting their input.