An offer

[Jensen James]

It wasn't as bad as Jensen expected. In fact, Tony was blessedly easy-handed with his suspicion. He had a right to it, too, and after the bipolar-like swing between their last conversation and the present one, he was practically a Saint. Really, Jensen did walk right into that one.

He downed more coffee in long, full gulps. He needed the caffeine, but the heat of the drink didn't seem to take the chill off his bones. Not too surprising.

He pat his lips dry, and placed the napkin back on his lap. At least keeping up manners offset some of the broodishness of his demeanor. Or so he hoped.

"I know,"
he agreed and reluctantly thought back to some of the more recent histories of apocalpyse cries. Even as a small boy he remembered the panic zipping through Wichita Falls. He remembered the family glued to the news, and he remembered not understanding what it all meant. Entire cities washed away? Volcanoes spilling their insides? Earthquakes crumbling mountains? It had been grounds for the apocalypse indeed. Hell did kind of open up on earth, but it soon became obvious the other prophecies had not yet been fulfilled. Not until now.

"There's a multitude of Christian prophecies literally unfolding right now, but more than that, a friend of mine, a linguist and archeologist, uncovered a prophecy that predates the Biblical prophets by thousands of years but yet mimicks it nearly word for word. Have you ever heard of 'Apollyon'?"
He asked, seeking the connection he knew to be in Tony. It was the same that coursed through him. They knew the future in their hearts if they dared look upon it. "The question is what do we do now?"

[Tony Soloyov]

Tony tapped a finger on the underside of the table once more as he processed the information. Yet another surprise. A linguist and archaeologist?

It explained his visits to the University, but he had not expected such a discovery. He was not exactly sure what ripples would be felt if it was legitimate - terror of the world's impending doom aside. In fact, he was in entirely uncharted territory.

"Apollyon?"
he tested the name as if the repetition would give him insight. "No, I have not heard of it."


Tony's brow furrowed. He did not like being so completely blind to something potentially earth-shaking. "I don't know," he said to Jensen's final question.

What to do indeed. It was bizarre, he was actually seriously considering the man's words, crazy as they sounded. Yet...he could not ignore the inconsistencies and abnormalities that had been gradually growing. It would be extremely hard to juggle both this and his other plans at once, reckless even.

"Knowledge is power, as they say,"
he continued after a moments thought, his finger drumming rapidly now. "I know nothing about ancient prophecies, but perhaps we could work together, Mr. James,"
he said the name quietly and with a kind inflection to avert Jensen's potential panic. "Don't worry, I have no interest in your past."
His mouth twisted into a wry grin. "You are speaking to a dead man, after all."


"But hat is beside the point, I can explain if you wish later. You are a man of God. You know the Bible in-side-out. I have ways of obtaining information, perhaps together we could attempt to identify these prophecies."


So...He had committed himself to something foolish, that would most likely be nothing but hot air.

The thought made him smile. He was nothing if not bold, was he not? And a man who had lost everything had nothing to lose.

[Jensen James]

Gladness struck Jensen's heart with that Tony agreed to help, but the joy was dampened by the thought that by their mere association the man would be placed in additional danger.

Confusion tensed Jensen's brow, though, upon mention of speaking with a dead man, but the cryptic description was waved away, and Jensen did not wish to intrude more than he already was. "I wouldn't say I know the Bible inside-and-out, but I have devoted my life to its study, and I would devote the rest of my life to nothing else if I may."
He took a long drink of coffee, and took a determined breath. "If you will allow me to explain the prophecy of Apollyon, perhaps you will then see what we are up against."
Dread crossed his heart, but so also did faith. He would hold nothing back.

"While on the island of Patmos, the Apostle John penned the vision as shown to him by God that we now know as the Book of Revelation.

"There are several key figures described in the text. There are seven churches and seven angels and as each sounds a trumpet, another Seal of God is broken and another plague is released upon the earth. At the sounding of the fifth trumpet, a fallen angel whom has in his possession a key to the Bottomless Pit, unlocks the Abyss releases what has been held within since the beginning of the Age: fearsome monsters with powers to inflict torture and pain upon mankind. They are warriors of majestic power that cut through anything that stands against them, and the angel, Apollyon, is their king.

"The 'King of the Bottomless pit' he is called. In Hebrew the angel's name is Abaddon, and in the Greek, he is called Apollyon, meaning Destroyer. Abaddon has a rich tradition in the Old Testament Scriptures. It is used as the name of the place of the dead in Proverbs, Job, and Psalms. It is also used as a poetic parallel to Sheol in Job and Proverbs; to death in Job 28; and to the grave in Psalms 88. It's kind of like referencing Greek God Hades as both a place and the name of the god himself.

"It is from this Abyss opened by the fallen angel Apollyon, that The Beast will also arise of whose Mark Apollyon will also bear. He will not be revealed until the proper time, but when he is, the mystery of his presence will be realized, and he will herald the End. With Apollyon's help, the Beast, the Antichrist, will be over a kingdom which stretches across the world.
"

He then showed Tony a map of the world. CCD territory was clearly outlined Dominance by Dominance. An eerie chill overcame Jensen's voice. That kingdom had to be the CCD. Although the Custody stretched across two of five continents, what other explanation was there?

"Some scholars believe Apollyon and the Antichrist are the same man, but I do not. Especially now that these tablets were discovered by John Smith; Greek tablets that predate the Apostle John by thousands of years, and found on the other side of the world. They mention Apollyon distinctly. No, I believe they are two men."
If the Ascendancy was Apollyon, Jensen dared not imagine the terror of the near-future during the Antichrist's reign.

His voice fell, near to shaking, as he quoted scripture from memory. "The Beast will have seven heads; seven parts, and for each part will dwell a king. Seven kings in total, but the fifth will fall.... Revelation 17:9.'"


He fixed Tony with a knowing glance and continued, voice tight as his eyes. "One of the seven heads takes a mortal wound, and the Beast appears to be conquered, but is not after all. He arises more fearsome than ever."
His stomach swayed sick. He did not have to tell Tony there were seven Dominances, each ruled by a kingly Patron. Nor did he need explain the news of the uprising within DV - the Fifth Dominance.

"They will ask, 'who is like the Beast? That it is possible to make war with him?'"
He shook his head.

Lord help him, but Jensen descended into rambling now. He could speak for hours nonstop on the subject, but it would be speaking in circles of speculation. He was sure of one thing, however. The identity of Apollyon was clear. However it was strange that the one to herald the End was once an Angel of the Lord. Fallen angels are beautiful and deceptive creatures. Lucifer, for instance, means Light of God, and is said to be the most beautiful of all creation.

Jensen believed it. He felt like he was standing at the edge of the Abyss and looking in, but from the darkness arose the war cries of the creatures clamoring at their chains until their release was realized. To say he felt overwhelmed was the understatement of the century.

[Tony Soloyov]

It was an enthralling experience, Tony could admit. He understood how Jensen James - this timid, self-depreciating man - had become something of a celebrity among the Christian community - or, one of them. Tony had only the vaguest knowledge of what Jensen talked about, but the man had a way of speaking just so; allowing an unfamiliar mind to grasp the concept with relative ease.

Tony leaned forward almost involuntarily to catch every word, each one seeming as important as the one before it. It was all he could do just to absorb the information. It was so foreign he had no chance to think beyond establishing what the words meant, never mind what they translated to from the metaphorical sense.

Finally however, Tony was able to understand Jensen; very well indeed. Politics of the Custody was a matter of child's play -almost literally- to him. The insinuations were not unnoticed.

Well, fuck me...

Tony could not hide his surprise and concern. It was one thing to be told the end was coming - quite another to be sitting in the middle of the Destroyer's lap.

It was then Jensen's other words came back to him like pieces of a puzzle. "Who - or what - then, is 'the Beast'? It seems that Apollyon is the harbinger."
The terms flowed awkwardly off of his tongue. "If I understand you correctly, the Beast is something worse?"
He lowered his voice to almost a whisper. "What could be worse than half the world in the hands of a fallen angel?"


The Ascendancy was most assuredly the greatest power in the world, and he was but a glorified messenger?

The thought did not sit well with Tony. The CCD and the machine of bureaucracy he understood, and could play the game of politics with the best of them, but Jensen's words hinted at something darker, primordial.

"They will ask, 'who is like the Beast? That it is possible to make war with him?'

Who indeed?
Edited by Tony Soloyov, Feb 11 2014, 08:18 PM.

[Jensen James]

[[sorry have to go all religulous on yah, but JJ does that sometimes. heh.]]

There was no one discernable moment when the flip happened. But it happened, and it came so easily. He could almost hear his voice change. He'd sat a little taller. His hands moved like they itched to make more grandiose gestures than the space at the table allowed. The rhythm was bone deep that he hadn't realized how narrow a scope he'd been speaking until Tony had to ask for clarification. Jensen had been so wrapped up in his own perspective he'd made assumptions that he shouldn't have. And you know what happens when you make assumptions...

The epiphany flushed his cheeks with a fresh dose of embarrassment. Jessika claimed she fell a little bit more in love with him the every time she saw him blush. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't difficult to make a fourteen year old Jensen lose all composure.

"I'm so sorry, Tony. This has dominated my mind every waking moment. Even in my dreams.."
, that last was said with a certain amount of amazement in his voice.

"The Beast refers to the Antichrist."
As soon as he said it, Jensen regretted leading his answer as he had. He waved a hand, pausing himself into restarting more than interrupting anything Tony might have to say. "Please allow me..."
If speaking of Revelation returned him to his days at the pulpit, explaining Christ and the Anti Christ was going to torque him straight back into what he'd spent his life preparing to become. In theory anyway.

"When God created the heavens and the earth, so also did He create mankind. At the moment of our creation though, He yearned to have a relationship with us, but He knew that our love was baseless without the free will to reject Him. This led to the inherent sin of mankind and the possibility for His angels to fall from grace."
A sadness collected shadows on his face, but Jensen steadied himself with a drink of coffee. The liquid no longer curled steam as it had. It was growing chillier by the minute.

"But God is Holy. This means he cannot, by his very nature, accept the souls of sinned man into his kingdom. So to eradicate our sins, a sacrifice must be made. In the Old Covenant, the Jews, his adorned people, appointed consecrated priests to sacrifice a perfect lamb every year to atone for their sin. Every time the Isrealities faltered in their duty, the nation crumbled into slavery or demise. That is the essence of the Old Testament, which represents the Old Covenant God made with his chosen, Abraham, the Father of all the tribes of Isreal."


A source of pride.. No. A source of wonder soon overcame Jensen's tale. The miracle of the Lord's everlasting plan swelled him with awe and Faith. It was not his duty to make a man believe, nor even understand. Only the insight of God could conquer man's rejection of Him.

He took to the edge of his seat, meeting Tony as though in the middle of the table. Jensen ached with all his soul to explain every last measure of significance of the Gospels, but although Tony had been gracefully attentive, he didn't want to overwhelm the man nor seem pressuring for his acceptance.

"But in Jesus, conceived by the virgin Mary, God himself came to the earth, lived a sinless life, and died blameless and innocent of any crime and sin as the Lamb for the whole world. This is the New Covenant that God made with us so that all souls, not only those of the Isrealities, may know Him. Christ paid the sacrifice for us.

"I explain this because to understand the Beast, you must understand what Christ represents. He is the Son of God; God made flesh. The Beast is also called the Anti Christ. This man will carry out not the Will of God, but the first and greatest of all the Fallen Angels, Lucifer. Satan."


Jensen took great care to lower his voice. The CCD didn't condemn all words spoken against the Ascendancy, but he didn't wish to try his luck when they started referring to the man as companion to the Antichrist. He leaned in.

"It's predestined, Tony. The Antichrist will have his hand over the whole of the world. Battle comes, and it will turn bloody, awful, and terrifying before it's all over. We have to live through it. Every single person in this cafe will live through it. My children will have to live through it."
That terrified him, but Jensen set his jaw and continued.

"We are going to be in the crossfire no matter what we do or no matter where we run. So while until my days in this world are done, I want to protect those whom I can and fight for what is right though I do not know how to fight nor even how to be a protector, but I believe God brought our paths together for a purpose, Tony."


Despite the morbid future, Jensen tried to smile. Even if it was a grim one.


Edited by Jensen James, Feb 12 2014, 09:16 AM.

[Tony Soloyov]

Jensen's explanation was interesting to say the least. So the Beast would carry out the will of Satan? What exactly was the will of Satan? He had no idea, but he doubted it was good, and that was enough for him.

He also wondered what the text that pre-dated the Bible meant, was it confirmation of the Bible or its undoing? Did it speak of the same God or proved it was copied material; a borrowed addition from an earlier era?

Of course, Tony did not ask Jensen. He had no wish to question the man's faith. It amounted to the same thing, if they were true - death and destruction - and he would not destroy anyone's spirit because of it; it would be needed.

He gave Jensen an encouraging smile to match the man's doubtful one. "I won't lie, I am not sure I believe that the source of all evil will wreak havoc upon the world,"
his tone took the edge off any traces of ridicule the words may have implied. "But the world is a dangerous place for us right now, and there is no harm in preparation, eh?"


Tony gave Jensen a friendly clap on the shoulder, then his lips turned down. "Are you sure you are ready? It will mean I must teach you how to kill as well as heal. I won't tell you how to use that knowledge, but it will be essential - possibly the difference between life and death, not just for yourself, but your family."

[Jensen James]

Tony could have been so much harsher. Jensen was amazed yet again at the man's open-mindedness. Tony really was a good man, and Jensen had to believe they'd met for a purpose. Tony continued to astound Jensen, who in turn continued to be surprised by the depth of the man's sincerity. It was mesmerizing to think about. In the way that he could stare across the ocean only to be surprised that waves continually followed one right after the other.

But in those waves, Jensen realized they were crested with selfishness. He hung his head, tempted by shame to scramble away with his embarrassment. Here he'd sought Tony for the man's help, spoke of apocalyptic dread, and never once considered what he may do to serve Tony's needs.

Tony had done nothing but try to help Jensen see past his own darkness and never asked for a thing in return. He'd find a way to repay the man. A friend like this was worth the effort.

By the time he was clapped on the shoulder, things felt lighter between them as though a heavy smoke just cleared the room. He still lacked a definitive goal, but at least there was someone willing to find it together. He hadn't known the weight of loneliness until it seemed to be lifted.

"I don't think I will ever be ready for this,"
he replied. He'd said as much shortly before Jessika gave birth to their first son.

Tony's suggestion made him shake his head. Not from discomfort, but from uncompromising conviction. He lowered his voice, but any sharpness with which he locked upon Tony was dulled by sadness. "I won't kill anyone though. Even if it means my life."
Or my family's. Or that was the intention. Jensen had already done that once before and for the least noble reason anyone could justify. Hiking the trail of theoretical possibilities could quickly get a man lost in what if's, but even if he were face to face with the Antichrist himself, Jensen didn't want to take the man's life. He needed to restore life, not take it away.

But he wasn't going to be a doormat either. He hoped Tony's understanding extended to Jensen's convictions. He'd been around Moscow long enough to know men of the city were cut throat, and it had been a hard lesson for Jensen to learn how to survive here. But he stuck to his guns. Figuratively anyway. "I will fight for life though. I'll defend. I'll run into the fire. I'll rescue. But I won't take life to do so."


This was the one thing he wouldn't negotiate.

[Tony Soloyov]

Jensen's honesty was admirable.

"Fair enough, I won't make you,"
Tony replied, although he did not know if that would last when the fire and brimstone began to fall. Still, he wouldn't press him. He would find out in his own time.

Tony plucked a napkin from the table and produced an old fashioned ink pen from his pocket, writing down his address and sliding it across to Jensen.

"It is decided then. Meet me there this time next week. Find out anything you can and come prepared,"
his smile was as bright as his eyes. "We shall find out if we have what it takes to protect the world."


(ooc: Sorry for the abrupt really busy with both characters)

[Jensen James]

Jensen accepted the napkin with a twinge of nostalgia. By the address alone, he vaguely knew the area of Moscow, but was unfamilar with the specifics.

When he looked up, a gleeful grin split Tony's face. A severe contrast to the morbid words of doom he described.

Jensen grimaced, but agreed none the less. "Thank you,"
and finished the rest of his coffee.

[[not a problem!]]