The Fox Hole

Chapter 23: White Wings and Weird Plants

– Gabriel –

Gabriel walked up to her brother's throne at the pinnacle of Heaven, the place where the light was brightest and no shadows existed. It was a place that would be overwhelming for mortal eyes, but for angels, it was perfection. They thrived in the light, feeling its warmth fill every part of their being.

"Hello, eldest brother," Gabriel said with a soft smile.

Michael returned her smile, but there was a weariness in his eyes. He had just spent hours answering millions of backed-up prayers that flooded Heaven's system. Unlike their father, who had once effortlessly managed such tasks, it took a toll on Michael. No one really knew how much it wore him down, as the only Archangel with golden wings and the only one able to sit on Heaven's throne, Michael's true strength was a mystery even to his siblings. But seeing him so tired made Gabriel worry. She hesitated, not wanting to bring him more bad news, but they needed to stay informed. And maybe it wasn't bad news, just… concerning.

"Is something wrong, Gabriel?" Michael asked.

"I wouldn't say wrong," Gabriel said, pausing for a moment before continuing. "We've confirmed reports that the Maous have officially allied with the yokai faction in Japan. And there's more—there are rumors of powerful, unknown beings showing up in Kyoto frequently."

Michael frowned, his brow furrowing as he spoke. "They haven't done anything hostile, have they? It's not unusual for different factions and pantheons to hide their true power. But do we know why they've allied with the Devils?"

Gabriel tilted her head slightly. "Did you not hear about it? Rias Gremory is engaged to Yasaka's son now. There was a duel in the Underworld for her hand between him and Riser Phenex. Let's just say Riser didn't put up much of a fight. Haru, Yasaka's son, is an ultimate-class yokai and made sure everyone knew it," Gabriel said with a small smirk. She couldn't help but feel a flicker of old memories rush back—memories of the Great War and the Devils she had purged from existence. She pushed the thoughts away quickly. That wasn't who she was anymore. Heaven didn't need its sword now, it needed peace, and that was a role she gladly filled.

"It's been a few years since I've visited Kyoto," Gabriel said, more to herself than to Michael. "Do you think I should go, brother?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Michael said. "If only to make sure nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Our world has reached a tentative peace, and we need to maintain that balance." He leaned back into the throne and closed his eyes. Within seconds, he was asleep, his breathing deep and even.

Gabriel's expression softened as she watched him, concern etched into her features. He was bearing the weight of Heaven alone, and it showed more with each passing day. With one last glance, she teleported away, reappearing on Earth, ready to visit Kyoto and see for herself what was brewing there.

– Haru –

I was chilling behind the counter, listening to the satisfying sizzle of bacon as it cooked in the pan. The aroma filled the restaurant, and I couldn't help but grin. Bacon had a way of making everything better, and my fox ears flicked at the sound of the fat popping. It was practically music to a chef's ears.

"I love BLTs…" Alice said, her eyes glued to the pan like it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. I chuckled when I noticed she was practically drooling. "It's been so long since I've had one."

"You can eat whatever you want now," I told her with a reassuring smile. She deserved this, a moment to enjoy something simple after all the chaos she'd been through.

"Exactly," Enri chimed in from behind the counter, nodding along. She was here for another cooking lesson, learning while I prepped lunch for Alice. She watched intently as I worked, trying to memorize every step.

Alice still hadn't figured out what she wanted to do until The Fox Hole connected back to her world. I'd told her she could do whatever she wanted, and so far, she'd been hanging around, unofficially acting as a guard. Not that I actually needed one, but I wasn't complaining. She was definitely nice to have around if only as eye candy, and yeah, I'd noticed how the whole zombie apocalypse thing had kept her in incredible shape. Those toned legs and that shapely ass didn't come from sitting around, that was for sure….

I plated the steaming BLT, adding a side of chips before sliding it across the counter to Alice. She dug in immediately, making little noises of satisfaction with each bite that made Enri giggle. I smirked and went back to what I was doing, flipping a few more strips of bacon to show Enri.

"Why do you use different types of oils for different foods?" Enri asked, watching my movements like a hawk. Her honest curiosity always made these lessons more interesting.

"Good question," I said, glancing at her. "Different oils have different smoke points and flavors. Some, like olive oil, add richness, but it burns fast. Others, like vegetable oil, are neutral and can handle higher heat. It's all about what you're cooking and what you want the final dish to taste like."

Enri nodded, taking notes on a little pad that I'd gifted her. She was writing in a language I couldn't understand at all of course. Seriously, what letter was [] supposed to be?

I had noticed something interesting about my restaurant over the past few weeks. Everyone who came here spoke and understood each other's native languages. I remember that not happening when we had only connected to a few dimensions. I wondered if the Goddess responsible for all of this had simply forgotten about that at first and later corrected it without saying anything.

Bonk.

A small scroll dropped onto my head out of nowhere. I reached up, chuckling as I grabbed it. Enri's eyes widened, her curiosity piqued as I unrolled the little piece of paper.

"I don't make mistakes…"

The words were scrawled neatly on the scroll. I couldn't help but grin. "Is the all-powerful goddess a bit of a tsundere?" I said, half-joking as I folded the scroll.

Bonk.

Another scroll landed right on top of my head. I didn't even bother unrolling it, I already knew it probably had some snarky response.

"What's that?" Alice asked, pausing mid-bite, her eyes flicking from the scrolls to me. "They just popped up out of nowhere."

I leaned on the counter. "These? They're from an extradimensional goddess. She's the reason my restaurant can connect to other dimensions. Never met her, though," Haru added.

Alice raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me there's some all-powerful goddess out there, and she's the reason your restaurant is basically a magical travel hub? And she just... drops scrolls on your head?"

"Pretty much," I said while shrugging. "I've been wondering when I'm going to meet her face-to-face."

A small slip of paper landed on the counter in front of me this time. I picked it up and read the single word written on it: 

"Soon…"

I raised my eyebrows and let out a small laugh. "Well, I guess that answers that."

Alice shook her head as she muttered something about how nothing surprised her anymore. She was learning how to adapt quickly. 

Enri simply giggled and said "she would like to meet this goddess and personally thank her for sending Lord Haru to save her village."

I placed the scrolls and the note in my pocket space. Yasaka would definitely want to look at them later. At the very least, she'd get a kick out of them.

…

Lieutenant Alenko burst through the front door, looking like he'd just seen hell itself. I raised an eyebrow, surprised. Alenko never showed up here willingly. I was pretty sure he hated me, especially since Shepard couldn't resist flirting with me every time she stopped by. The guy's unspoken feelings for her were as obvious as the sky was blue.

"Hey there, Lieutenant Alenko. You look flustered," I said, leaning casually against the counter.

The door slammed shut behind him as he walked in, a grimace on his face. Alice's hand instinctively reached for the space rifle she kept propped up against the counter, her eyes narrowing as she watched him. 

I waved her off. I doubted he was here to start anything with me.

"We need help," Alenko said, sounding urgent. "Shepard isn't responding to comms, and the Normandy is surrounded by these weird green zombie-plant creatures. And if that wasn't enough, the entire population of Feros suddenly went rabid and started shooting at us! It was like they were under mind control or something. We retreated back into the ship and were under quarantine…"

Enri's eyes went wide with fear. I reached out and gently patted her head, giving her a reassuring smile. "It's always zombies," I muttered under my breath. "Alright, I'll go out there and help." I said. I made sure to ask Alenko who was with Shepard on her mission and who was still on the normandy. The lieutenant told me that she had taken everyone except for him and a new Asari crewmember they recently recruited named Liara. She still didn't know about Haru's restaurant–the door was located in the bottom of the ship which she had yet to visit.

"Am I interrupting something? I can sense a lot of tension in this room," a woman said suddenly.

My eyes widened. I hadn't sensed anyone coming into the restaurant, which was rare. Only a few beings could mask themselves that well. But there was no mistaking who stood before us now. She was someone everyone from my world knew: the messenger of Heaven, Lady Gabriel. Her father had given her the ability to bypass any barrier, locked door, or ward as long as her intentions were peaceful.

"Lady Gabriel. What a surprise," I said, giving a small bow. "I wasn't expecting a visit from one of the Archangels of Heaven. Is this an official visit between Heaven and the yokai faction?"

"Archangel?" Lieutenant Alenko exclaimed, turning to look at her. His eyes widened, and his face turned beet red. He started stuttering, which was a pretty typical reaction when most men were in Gabriel's presence.

I was glad I wasn't one of those people who lost their composure. Years of being around my mother, Yasaka, who was said to be the second most beautiful woman in the world, had made me immune to that kind of awe. 

Mostly…

Gabriel smiled warmly at everyone in the restaurant. Her eyes lingered on Alice for a moment. "Are you aware that you are sick, my dear? It's a virus I've never seen. Would you like me to purge your affliction?"

"What?" Alice said, looking stunned. "You can cure the T-virus?" She shook her head rapidly. "Um… no thank you. I want to be cured one day, but not before I get my revenge against Umbrella Corp."

Gabriel tilted her head and gave Alice a sad smile. "I can sense the tremendous pain in you. I cannot condone your quest for revenge, but it is not my place to change your mind. Father bestowed free will upon all of mankind."

"Um… right…" Alice muttered, still looking like she couldn't believe she was talking to the actual Gabriel.

Gabriel turned back to me and said, "I'm just stopping by for a visit. It has been a while since I visited my friend Yasaka and her adorable children. You've grown up so much, Haru-kun! And you're quite handsome now. I'm glad."

I felt a small blush creep up my neck, which I tried to fight off. I knew Gabriel wasn't flirting—it wasn't in her nature—but her words had this way of making you feel like the most special person in the world.

"Thank you, Lady Gabriel," I said.

"I'm glad you fulfilled your dream as well. This restaurant feels warm and homey, almost like a tiny slice of Heaven," she added. She glanced at the door and then back at me. "Am I keeping you from something? It looked like you were heading out."

I rubbed the back of my head, trying to keep my nerves in check. "Yeah… I need to check on a friend of mine on an alien planet and help fight off some green alien plant zombies."

Gabriel's eyes widened, and she tilted her head. "What…?" 

…

Of course, she decided to follow along…

"This is an actual spaceship!" Gabriel said, looking around the bridge with wide eyes. The Normandy's crew members stared at her, their expressions ranging from shock to complete confusion. The highest-ranking officer stepped forward, his face a mix of annoyance and bewilderment.

"What is the meaning of this, Lieutenant Alenko? Why are you letting even more aliens aboard our ship while Commander Shepard isn't here?" XO Presley snapped, his eyes darting from me to Gabriel.

Gabriel turned to him, calm as ever. "Hello there. I am not an alien. My name is Gabriel, and I'm an angel." The moment she introduced herself with a warm smile, even Presley's stern demeanor faltered. His jaw dropped a little, and I could see the disbelief in his eyes.

"She's the Archangel Gabriel, to be precise," Alenko added, shifting nervously. I could tell he was still wrapping his head around the whole situation.

Presley blinked a few times, looking like he was on the verge of passing out. "I have absolutely no idea what's going on right now," he muttered before stumbling over to an empty chair and collapsing into it, rubbing his temples as if trying to ward off a headache. He looked like he was having an existential crisis, so we left him alone as we moved toward the front of the ship.

Gabriel's eyes darted around, taking in every detail with an expression of pure wonder. "I wasn't aware that humans had advanced to the point where they already had starships. When did that happen?" she asked, turning to me.

"It's a long story," I said. "The short version is that we're in a different dimension right now, one where it's hundreds of years in the future."

Gabriel nodded thoughtfully, putting a finger to her lip. "I suppose that explains it." And that was pretty much the end of her questions. She'd been around longer than most beings in existence, and I had no doubt she'd learned to just go with the flow at some point in her life.

"If you two are done talking, there are still a bunch of zombies and mind-controlled humans trying to tear their way into the Normandy," Alenko reminded us. He pointed at one of the monitors, which displayed the security feed from outside the ship. The docking bay was swarming with grotesque plant-zombie hybrids and armed humans. They were doing their best to break into the ship, using makeshift tools and firearms.

The hull was thick, and it would take a lot more than blunt force and low-caliber weapons to breach it. But we obviously weren't going to sit around and wait for that to happen

Before we could move out, Gabriel walked over to the pilot's seat. Joker spun his chair around, eyes widening as he took in the sight of her. "Uh, hi," he said, clearly at a loss for words. "I'm Joker. Best pilot in the entire galaxy."

Gabriel leaned in, studying him. "Did you know that you're sick, Joker?"

He stiffened, a defensive look crossing his face. "Yeah, I know. Brittle bone disease. Had it my whole life. But it's never stopped me from being the best damn pilot out there!" he declared before his eyes suddenly widened, and he fumbled for an apology. "Uh, sorry for s-swearing, ma'am. Oh my god, I've been an atheist my whole life… Is this really happening right now? What kind of mission did I sign up for?"

Gabriel giggled softly and touched a single fingertip to his forehead. "Salvation is offered to all, Joker, whether they believe or not."

A flash of light filled the bridge, making Alenko and me turn our heads. When the light faded, I looked back at Joker. He was staring at his hands, patting himself down like he couldn't believe what just happened. He did look healthier. There was more color in his cheeks, and his frame seemed a bit sturdier, like he'd gained some muscle in an instant.

"What… what did you do?" Joker asked, his voice was trembling.

Gabriel smiled. "I healed you of your brittle bone disease."

Joker's mouth opened and closed a few times, and then a wide grin broke across his face. "Holy shit." He glanced at Gabriel, eyes full of disbelief and gratitude. "Sorry again for the swearing, but… holy shit!"

"Ashley is going to lose her mind that she missed out on this," Alenko muttered before ushering the Archangel and myself towards the airlock. 

"Now equalizing interior pressure with external atmosphere."

The second the door opened, we were greeted by a barrage of gunfire. Lieutenant Alenko's shields flickered, absorbing most of the hits, while I instinctively stepped in front of Lady Gabriel. I doubted she needed protection, but it was more of a reflex. The bullets stung as they ricocheted off my skin—guns from this future world had a hell of a lot more power than the ones back home.

A couple of those weird green zombies charged at me, their movements jerky and unnatural. I flicked my hand in their direction, sending a series of blue foxfire balls their way. They ignited on impact, flames roaring to life and turning them into ash as they screamed. Brutal, but necessary.

Meanwhile, the mind-controlled humans kept firing. The gunfire didn't stop because, of course, guns in this universe seemed to have infinite ammo. It was starting to get on my nerves. I gritted my teeth and charged forward. Moving in a blur, I reached the first man and ripped the rifle from his hands, I then headbutted him hard enough to make him slump unconscious. I grabbed the pistol from a nearby woman and punched her across the jaw—not enough to break anything, but with just enough force to knock her out cold. One by one, I disarmed and knocked out each shooter in the spaceport, leaving them slumped on the ground.

Once the chaos settled, Alenko stepped out, his eyes scanning the unconscious bodies. He started collecting their weapons in case the humans woke up again.

Gabriel walked over to the first man I had taken down. She placed a gentle hand on his nose, and I watched as the broken bone healed under her touch. Then she put her finger to his temple and closed her eyes, her brow knitting slightly as she focused. "Hmm," Gabriel said. "This man seems to be infected with spores I've never seen before in all of Father's creation…"

I asked Gabriel if she could purge the spores from the humans' bodies, and she just smiled at me and said, "Of course." One by one, she moved between the unconscious colonists in the spaceport, placing her fingers on their temples and closing her eyes as a gentle glow passed between her and each person. 

Alenko muttered that there were still a bunch of colonists at Zhu's Hope who needed help, but we'd have to get to them next. Right now, I wanted to know more about where these spores came from. The thought of Shepard, Wrex, and the rest of their crew being infected gnawed at me. We needed answers, fast.

We woke up the first man I had knocked out. He blinked, looking disoriented as he pushed himself to his feet. His eyes darted around before landing on me, and I saw the shock in his expression as he took in my fox ears and tails. Then he turned and saw Gabriel, her pristine white wings glowing faintly behind her. His jaw dropped.

"What the hell is going on?" he mumbled.

Before I could say anything, Alenko stepped forward. "We're the ones asking questions here," he said, crossing his arms. "Every single person on this colony has been under some kind of mind control. What the hell is going on?"

The man looked nervous, glancing at the pile of knocked-out colonists and the chaos surrounding us. "I'm not supposed to talk about it. It's company secrets! I could lose my job."

"Your job?" Alenko snapped, gesturing around at the shattered remains of the spaceport. "Feros is done for. The Geth have destroyed almost everything, and now there's a zombie bio-weapon turning people into mindless puppets. No one's going to settle here again. I wouldn't be surprised if the Council declares Feros off-limits after Commander Shepard makes her report."

The man's face fell, his shoulders slumping as he realized Alenko was right. "Okay, okay, you've made your point," he said bitterly. "They called it the Thorian. I only saw it once, but it's some kind of giant plant creature. It can take control of people with its spores. The corporation here was studying its mind control properties to see if they could profit from them."

I exchanged a glance with Alenko, who looked just as pissed off as I felt. Studying a mind-controlling plant monster for profit? Of course, that was exactly the kind of greed that got people killed—and worse.

"Where is this thing?" I asked, taking a step closer. The man swallowed hard.

"Underneath the colony. There's a hidden facility beneath Zhu's Hope. That's where they were keeping it contained," he said.

"Not well enough," Alenko muttered, already checking his gear.

Gabriel touched the man's arm gently, and he visibly relaxed. "You are free from its control now. Stay safe."

He nodded, eyes filled with gratitude and confusion as he sat down on the ground, trying to process everything.

We made our way towards the center of Zhu's hope. Alenko still looked upset though before he spoke. "We found the cause of the outbreak, but the commander is still missing. She headed down the nearest highway, an area that should be teaming with Geth and hasn't replied back to any comm hails."

I was a bit worried about Shepard as well. She was a badass soldier with future tech and powers, but Alenko made it sound like she was up against an army of evil robots. Even with Wrex at her side, I still wanted to check on her. I made the offer to go after her. 

"I would like to speak with this Thorian," Gabriel said. "I can sense it now that we are getting closer. It is an old soul…a very old soul. I would hate for such a being to need to be destroyed. Maybe I can come to peaceful terms with it?"

"I'll go with you," Alenko said to her while sending me a sudden bitter glare. "Don't go acting like some big damn hero when you rescue Shepard! Don't forget that without me you wouldn't have even known she was in trouble." And with that said, he stormed off.

"This day has certainly turned out far more interesting than I expected. We'll talk a lot when we meet up again later, Haru-kun!" Gabriel said cheerfully, giving me a small wave as she followed after the upset Alenko. 

Meanwhile I followed the directions I'd been given. Wondering if I was about to have to fight my way through an army of robots?

XXX

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