Angelo (a.k.a Azrael- Anjo da Morte)
1957.
A demon Sword from the future angel-jacks the identity of his own
past infrastructure (that of Roddy Sullivan, a 7 year-old
resident of New York City) after the collapse of critical
infrastructure in 1978 warps him into the past. He is a Tempter;
angel as far as the god-machine knows, and demon otherwise. He
gives true allegiance to neither god-machine nor rebel but feigns
alligience with both when it suits his ends. He has a younger
brother Danica Sullivan and a sister Alison whom he gradually
courts into demonic pacts. Over the next six decades they become
Covers for a growing ring of demons.
1960.
The South-American small time arms dealer Angelo is set up
by the god-machine as infrastrucure for a Psychopomp. This Cover
"Azrael" is assumed by the Psychopomp in accord with his duty to
infiltrate libraries and snatch books.
1965. "Azrael" starts upon a gradual descent, reading and then
collecting his own cache of books within a NYC skyscraper. He
spends the next four decades secretly adding to this collection,
evading the discovery of the god-machine.
1977
An exile Integrator joins Rodrick's ring.
1978
The exile's Cover, Carah, marries "Rodrick Sullivan" becoming
"Carah Sullivan".
The Psychopomp (known as "Angelo" or his codename "Azrael") is
tracked down by one of Rodrick's Covers and his journey to
demondom is complete. To his surprise, his persuer apparently
"falls", and offers protection in the form of a Cover as
Rodrick's infant child, Rodrick Sullivan II. His cover Angelo
blown, he wholeheartedly accepts, unaware of Rodrick I's
duplicity. As an infant, all of "Angelo's" angelic/demonic
memories are repressed and he is raised, isolated from society
within the towering library he built for himself, as "Rodrick
Sullivan II," unaware of his demonic nature.
Raised alone with "Carah Sullivan", his exile “mother,” and his
"brother" Joel (also sheltered within the private California
library), "Rodrick II" was afflicted by persistant amnesia to
keep his true nature from him by his Destroyer "father" (Rodrick
Sullivan Sr.) and the other demons of their ring. He only
rediscovered his true demonic nature in his late twenties. More
recently, he discovered further betrayal after the destruction of
his exile "mother," and "uncle," (demon "Danica Sullivan") by
said Destroyer. Desperately searching for escape and trying to
warn the remaining member of his ring (demon "Alison") without
blowing his cover.
2005
Twenty seven years after "Rodrick II" adopts the Cover, he
is beset by schizoaffective disorder. Rediscovering his true
nature through hollucinations, he regains some memories and
embeds.
2020
Some 15+ later, his "mother Carah" and "uncle Danica" are
destroyed by the sword on behalf of the god-machine. Alison is
next on his list.
Present
The tower, and its ten-thousand books, was my whole world.
My schooling, self-taught. There were no classes or teachers.
My recall was perfect so I need never study. I merely trusted
that life would provide as it always had. I never iamgined I
would need to escape the only world I ever knew.
Every day I would meander through the bookshelves, reading. The
endless shelves. And at their edges, the windows. Why could I
press my hands upon them and imagine what it would be like to be
one of the ants scurrying far below, but never join them? Why
was I here, and they, there? One pane of glass seperating us,
but we might as well have been on different worlds. I knew from
the books I read that my predicament was odd. But I had no
answers and my world no exit. I could only conjecture.
Obviously I had no friends; family was my only company and with
the exception of my brother Joel, they visited rarely.
You might think that having a perfect memory would mean you
wouldn't have to worry about making mistakes, but all I remember
from my "mother" was criticism- never praise- and my "father"
absent. She raised us to fail, my brother and I. Until my
brother vanished, and then it was I alone.
But my "father" doesn't exactly get a parent of the year award,
either. He wants me and everyone I know dead.
A demon Sword from the future angel-jacks the identity of his own
past infrastructure (that of Roddy Sullivan, a 7 year-old
resident of New York City) after the collapse of critical
infrastructure in 1978 warps him into the past. He is a Tempter;
angel as far as the god-machine knows, and demon otherwise. He
gives true allegiance to neither god-machine nor rebel but feigns
alligience with both when it suits his ends. He has a younger
brother Danica Sullivan and a sister Alison whom he gradually
courts into demonic pacts. Over the next six decades they become
Covers for a growing ring of demons.
1960.
The South-American small time arms dealer Angelo is set up
by the god-machine as infrastrucure for a Psychopomp. This Cover
"Azrael" is assumed by the Psychopomp in accord with his duty to
infiltrate libraries and snatch books.
1965. "Azrael" starts upon a gradual descent, reading and then
collecting his own cache of books within a NYC skyscraper. He
spends the next four decades secretly adding to this collection,
evading the discovery of the god-machine.
1977
An exile Integrator joins Rodrick's ring.
1978
The exile's Cover, Carah, marries "Rodrick Sullivan" becoming
"Carah Sullivan".
The Psychopomp (known as "Angelo" or his codename "Azrael") is
tracked down by one of Rodrick's Covers and his journey to
demondom is complete. To his surprise, his persuer apparently
"falls", and offers protection in the form of a Cover as
Rodrick's infant child, Rodrick Sullivan II. His cover Angelo
blown, he wholeheartedly accepts, unaware of Rodrick I's
duplicity. As an infant, all of "Angelo's" angelic/demonic
memories are repressed and he is raised, isolated from society
within the towering library he built for himself, as "Rodrick
Sullivan II," unaware of his demonic nature.
Raised alone with "Carah Sullivan", his exile “mother,” and his
"brother" Joel (also sheltered within the private California
library), "Rodrick II" was afflicted by persistant amnesia to
keep his true nature from him by his Destroyer "father" (Rodrick
Sullivan Sr.) and the other demons of their ring. He only
rediscovered his true demonic nature in his late twenties. More
recently, he discovered further betrayal after the destruction of
his exile "mother," and "uncle," (demon "Danica Sullivan") by
said Destroyer. Desperately searching for escape and trying to
warn the remaining member of his ring (demon "Alison") without
blowing his cover.
2005
Twenty seven years after "Rodrick II" adopts the Cover, he
is beset by schizoaffective disorder. Rediscovering his true
nature through hollucinations, he regains some memories and
embeds.
2020
Some 15+ later, his "mother Carah" and "uncle Danica" are
destroyed by the sword on behalf of the god-machine. Alison is
next on his list.
Present
The tower, and its ten-thousand books, was my whole world.
My schooling, self-taught. There were no classes or teachers.
My recall was perfect so I need never study. I merely trusted
that life would provide as it always had. I never iamgined I
would need to escape the only world I ever knew.
Every day I would meander through the bookshelves, reading. The
endless shelves. And at their edges, the windows. Why could I
press my hands upon them and imagine what it would be like to be
one of the ants scurrying far below, but never join them? Why
was I here, and they, there? One pane of glass seperating us,
but we might as well have been on different worlds. I knew from
the books I read that my predicament was odd. But I had no
answers and my world no exit. I could only conjecture.
Obviously I had no friends; family was my only company and with
the exception of my brother Joel, they visited rarely.
You might think that having a perfect memory would mean you
wouldn't have to worry about making mistakes, but all I remember
from my "mother" was criticism- never praise- and my "father"
absent. She raised us to fail, my brother and I. Until my
brother vanished, and then it was I alone.
But my "father" doesn't exactly get a parent of the year award,
either. He wants me and everyone I know dead.