Abraham and Gideon materialized onto the platform. Gideon dropped to his knees and pounded his fists onto the marble floor, cracking it from the pressure. He growled and screamed at the injustice, as if the betrayal was too much to take. Abraham had to hand it to the reaper. Considering what he'd just been forced to witness, he was surprised that Micah and his little witch was still breathing. The whole debacle was hard to watch. "I'm sorry I had to show you that, Gideon. I really am. I wish it wasn't true. But I had to show you. You had to know the truth and know this isn't me being some kinda asshole. I told you that he was up to something. Now we know."

Gideon got to his feet, heaving air that didn't quite exist. "You're damn right we do," He paced away from him. "We have to tell Azrael immediately before this gets outta hand."

"It's already out of hand," Abraham replied. "Do you really think that Micah will protect the souls we salvage now? He's sleeping with the fucking enemy."

"Azrael will not stand for this."

Abraham watched the reaper escalate in anger, his eyes dark and unyielding. "You're right. He would destroy Micah. And the witch, and anyone who he even thinks was involved, including us. Do you feel that what he's done is deserving of obliteration?

Gideon's icy eyes grew more frigid. "Micah had a choice just like all of us. He made his decision to become a traitor to the cause and his duty as a reaper. And his choice sadly affects other reapers just trying to get by. So yes, he's made. his. choice."

The reaper's words gave Abraham a shiver. He really didn't want to be on the receiving end on whatever Gideon wanted to do to The Pale Rider. Betrayal never sat well with him, but he was thankful he didn't let his fury rat them out. He needed an army to settle this once and for all. "I agree. But the others deserve to know it's not their fault. Just like you know now."

"You're right."

The tension in Grand Central held over like thick fog and it appeared that every other reaper was either pissed, confused or silent. As they crossed past the platform, Abraham frowned at the clusters of reapers and handlers, as if order had given way to some sort of quiet chaos. It wasn't too hard to figure out what was happening. Suspicion was getting around and reapers were getting anxious. It wasn't hard to find Essence, Victor and the others, who like most huddled in a group milling their own rumors and drawn conclusions. They needed answers, which was why Abraham had to give it to them.

Seeing Gideon with him, Essence moved over to let them in the circle and greet them. "Hey Gideon. Hey Abe."

Gideon's face was as flat as the horizon and just as vague. "Hi."

"What's the matter?," Victor asked with concern. "Did Azarael lay into you over the lost soul?"

The mere mention of it forced Gideon's lips to pinch together as if to hold back impending doom. "No, but there's something even more terrible going on right now that you need to be privy to."

All of them tuned in and nodded. 

"What's up?," Victor asked. "If the look on your face has anything to do with it, I can't even imagine."

"No. You can't." Abraham replied. His eyes surveyed the handler's booths and didn't see Saffron at her station before he continued. "What we're about to tell you cannot leave this circle. At least not now. It'll cause bedlam. Swear it."

A unified response of "I swear" rumbled through the circle. All eyes were on Abraham now.

Abraham continued. "I went on assignment to claim a soul and saw an altercation between Micah and a man. He was protecting the witch."

"What?", Victor yelped.

Abraham met the eyes of every one of them. "Micah's turned."

The group exploded in shock and disbelief until Gideon's voice rose above them all. "I didn't want to believe it either. But Abe came and asked me to come with him to earth to witness something under the promise that no matter what I saw, I would not react in any way." He bawled his fists until his knuckles crackled. "And then, I saw with my own eyes that Abe was right. Micah has turned on us. He's not stopping the soul stealing. He's down there with that fucking necromancer playing house."

Essence shook her head. "The Pale Rider's compromised? That can't be."

Gideon nodded. "It's the truth. He's so human now he didn't even sense our presence in their bedroom!"

"What?!", the group erupted.

Essence held up her hand, her eyes wide and bewildered. "Wait a minute. He's having sex?"

Bolanos, a younger reaper, dipped his head. "If that's true, then he's truly fallen. Probably almost human now."

Dumbfounded, Essence shrugged. "Maybe that's why he's doing this? How many of us are grounded for that long? Obviously it seriously fucks us up. Maybe he's confused? Getting human emotions is probably messing him all up. Let's get him outta there and bring him back here."

Gideon frowned at her. "You think he's really gonna leave her? He probably thinks he's in love but either she's using him and he's too far gone to notice or he's in on it and doesn't give a shit. In either case, we're the ones getting screwed and if he's letting her resurrect souls, we're all in deep shit because Azarael won't care."

Victor looked around, keeping an eye on eavesdroppers. "I don't know. Micah is one of us. He's been around since the beginning, but you make it sound as if he's unredeemable."

Abraham crossed his arms, trying not to pounce on Victor's sympathetic drivel. "If Azarael gets word, he probably will be. What we have to do is take care of this ourselves."

Essence scoffed. "What, are you talking about an intervention? Dear Pale Rider, stop banging that witch and get back to work?"

Abraham turned to her. "It's like you said, if he's all wrapped up in that cesspool of human emotion, he's not going to understand reason. We tried that. Gideon was there when the witch took is assigned soul and Micah did nothing."

Gideon nodded, his face twisted in anger. "He made me trust him that he was going to take care of it. Yeah, that was a load of crap. The lying started there, at the very beginning. I don't think we can trust him. Not now. I don't know if I ever could again."

Victor didn't like where this was going. It felt a lot like mutiny and though he wasn't the fondest of Micah, he did respect him. "Then what do you suggest? Take him by force? He's stronger than all of us. I'm sure that will go over well."

Abraham leaned in towards them. "You forget. The longer you stay down on the mortal coil, the more human you become. The less powerful you stay. If he couldn't even sense us watching him, he's nowhere near as strong as he was as a reaper. Taking him is not the hard part."

"Then what is?" Victor asked.

There was a long pause before Abraham finally shared the hard truth. "We have to clean up his mess."

Victor's eyes widened. "You mean..."

Essence glared at Abraham with disdain. "You know he won't stand for that. Not in his state."

Gideon crossed his arms. "I don't give a shit. And he won't be able to stop us anyhow."

Abraham gently placed his hand on Gideon's shoulder as a means to comfort him. "I need to know if you're all in. If we do this, we do it together. It'll protect us, our brethern and even Micah from a fate worse than death. If he's not strong enough to do the job, we need to finish it." He extended his hand. "Are we in agreement?"

Bolanos frowned. "What if Azareal finds out?"

Abraham spoke with the confidence of a prizefighter. "We're be revered for doing our job and protecting the others. Micah has made his bed. If Azareal finds out, it'll be his demise. All we can do is try to bring him back. In a couple of years, if he's lucky, he'll be back to his old reaper self and forget all about her." He sensed some of their hesitance. "We have to do this guys, or else The Pale Rider won't be the only one facing the wrath of Azrael. Now, are you in?"

One by one, each of them stacked their hands and recited, "With His light."

Victor looked around. "What do we do now?"

Abraham's voice darkened with sinister reverence. "Talk to your handlers and extend your assignment for another day with provisions. We have to pay a witch a visit."

***