The Rescue of Jane Francis

The Abduction



The room was empty, but he'd been told she'd be there. Where else could she be? Michael felt a bead of sweat run down his neck, and his heart was racing. He knew this wasn't his fault, but he also knew that it would be his responsibility to find her. He needed to hurry back and tell the boss the dreadful news. This wasn't going to go down well at all. The boss was eager to meet her and had been talking of little else for days. He'd described her in glowing terms, using words like outstanding, magnificent and breathtaking.



He took the elevator to the top floor where a maid, who merely raised her eyebrows, met him. Usually the maid would accompany Michael and the new arrival to a luxurious suite where the Senior Council would welcome them. Today the maid said she'd something to take care of. A likely story thought Michael, wishing he'd something else to do, as well.



As he approached the suite, he paused, before entering the room. "She wasn't there, are you sure she was ready? She was a battler after all."



"I can assure you that she was ready. At least ten witnesses and the BBC news confirmed her passing. Did you check everywhere?"



"Of course I did! I hung around and looked for her, but she wasn't there. Oh wait, I never checked under the sink or down the toilet."



"Don't be flippant, Lord Michael."



Michael regretted his petulant outburst, but he was tense and knew what was coming next.



"So, what do you intend to do about this?"



There you go, thought Michael. This isn't your fault, there's nothing you could have done, but you've got to fix it.



"Do we know where she is? This has never happened before. I don't know where to start."



At that moment, there was a knock at the door, and one of the Intelligence Officers entered the room.



"My Highness, Lords; I have some news."



"Jane Francis's birth name was Jane Molinari. She was born in Kenya to Italian parents. They moved to England after the murder of three immigrant families by the Kabila Rouge, a local terrorist organisation. They changed their surname to Francis in 1935 after they discovered Jane shared her name with an Italian terrorist. This wasn't just a co-incidence; they had the same Great Grandfather."



"Okay, this is very interesting but can you get to the point please?"



"They died at exactly the same time, and there was a mix up. The wrong Jane was brought to our waiting room. When Lord Gabriel realised who it was, he arranged transportation to her rightful destination."



The atmosphere in the room was now one of disbelief.



"They died at exactly the same time? Were they together or something?"



"No they were thousands of miles apart. Jane Molinari died very suddenly of a heart attack at almost the same moment as Jane Francis."



"This seems like a very unlikely coincidence. Does this seem suspicious to anyone else?"



Michael looked worried. "Surely you can't think someone carried out a Divine Passing?"



"Pardon?"



"A Divine Passing is when an Angel causes a mortal's death. This was forbidden in the Celestial Treaty. As far as we know, this hasn't happened since the Treaty, but it's a possibility."



"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"



"I'm afraid so. They have Jane Francis."



"What are they after? Why would they do this?"



The officer left the room to take a phone call. He returned moments later. "A Dark Angel named Damian has just made contact. If we want Jane Francis, we'll have to renegotiate the Treaty. He also wants a seat on the Senior Council."



A fist was slammed down. "We won't negotiate!"



The Life and Death of Jane Francis



News about the death of Jane Francis spread like wildfire across Europe, the United States and the Middle East. She had been described as a modern day Saint for all the work she had done in the Middle East. Her primary role had been to help find a resolution in the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. She also spent time in Iran where she encouraged talks with the other Arab nations. She was one of the few people openly welcomed into all three countries.



Jane had lived an extraordinary life. At the start of World War Two, she joined the Secret Intelligence Service. She was fluent in French, German and Italian, and the British commanders were quick to recognise her potential. In 1942, she was sent to France as a spy, where she assumed the identity of an Italian living in Paris. The French Resistance provided her with forged papers and prepared her for arrival by making sure the Germans heard rumours of her Nazi sympathies. The local German Commander gave her a job in the regional office where she worked as liaison between the army and the locals. It wasn't long before her beauty and intelligence led to visits from several senior officers. One in particular took a shine to her, and they started a relationship. She was now privy to high-level intelligence, which was handed over to a contact in the Resistance who transmitted it to the British headquarters.



Her life as a spy ended abruptly when the Gestapo captured her contact. They subjected the young man to a horrific beating and he finally gave them information about Jane, just before being shot in the head. Jane was arrested that night and transported to the Gestapo headquarters in Berlin.



While there she was a victim of rape and brutal torture. Throughout her ordeal, she was planning her escape. She convinced one of the guards that she was attracted to him and he began making midnight visits. One night she cut his throat and placed the body in her bed. She knew a German professor who lived nearby. He was one of many Germans who despised the Nazis. She climbed onto the roof and made her way to his building.



Once there, she contacted the French Resistance who supplied papers and planned her escape. She made it to Berlin Central Station where she was to catch a train to Bremen. Unfortunately, a German officer recognised her and approached her. The Resistance had instructed an operative to shadow her and he acted swiftly, shooting the German officer dead from close range. The operative was captured and killed. No one noticed the unassuming young lady boarding the train. She never forgot the two brave young men who lost their lives while helping her.



After the war, she attended Oxford University and studied the language, politics and customs of the Arab nations. She spent the next fifty years working to try and bring peace and stability to the Middle East.



She died after having a stroke during a visit to Palestine. For once the Palestinians and Israelis were united in their grief. She was 87 years old.



Hell's Prisoner



Jane was led down a narrow tunnel into a dark cavern where the only light came from the lava flowing down the walls and fires burning randomly all over the floor. The Warden stopped to show her a head and torso of a prisoner who had tried to escape. He had been violently gored on a spike above an exit. It was a chilling warning. He was not dead. There was no death down here. He was going to spend eternity like that.



She looked up for a glint of light and saw two vile creatures flying above her, watching her. The Warden informed her that two Pteragoyles would guard her. They were terrifying, with massive claws, hooked beaks, disfigured bodies and razor sharp wings.



Jane was kept away from the other prisoners and thrown in a pit. The smell of sulphur mixed with rotting flesh filled her nostrils, and she was violently sick. The heat was not just uncomfortable it was painful, and her eyes were stinging so badly it was difficult to focus clearly. This was not the worst thing though. The noise was unbearable. Inmates wailed as they were driven insane by the painful memories they were being forced to relive again and again. Jane kept seeing the face of the German soldier, all doe eyed and loving, just before she cut his throat. There was also the shrill screeching of the Pteragoyles. It reminded Jane of chalk being scraped slowly down a blackboard.



Despite everything, Jane had already started to think about escaping and had memorised the way out. The only problem would be getting past the Pteragoyles and the Wardens.



A Heavenly Plan



Michael held a meeting with his elite Intelligence officers to try and formulate a plan.



"We can't break in to rescue her. We need to use contacts. Do you have any thoughts on who we should use?"



They had meticulously scrutinised the central database searching for borderline cases. They offered them another life on Earth in exchange for help or information.



"I have a couple of people in mind. A US Marine named John Quinn. He was Special Forces strategic division and will remain calm when the pressure is on."



"He sounds perfect. Who's the other person?"



"The other is Paul Rainier. A high level negotiator with a talent for getting what he wants. I have an issue with this one though. He killed an entire family while driving under the influence of alcohol. You need to make the decision."



"My priority is rescuing Jane Francis. If you think we need him, then he's in."



Escape from Hell



John Quinn met Paul Rainier next to the Lava fall. They had to be discreet to avoid the attentions of the Pteragoyles.



"All done," whispered Paul. "I've had a few quiet words. Give it five minutes and things will liven up."



Paul had been stirring up trouble between some of the prisoners and moments later a fight started. The Pteragoyles started screeching loudly and swooping down to restore calm.



John raced to the pit and threw down a piece of old rope for Jane to climb. In no time at all she was out, and they were making their way to the exit, which was manned by Paul. "I told the guard he needed to go and sort out the fight, I convinced him that I'd make sure no one got past me. We don't have long."



They made their way to the labyrinth of tunnels. Paul stopped in his tracks. "How the hell are we supposed to know which one?"



John had managed to obtain information from a Warden. "It's the fourth one from the left. Let's go."



He started to run towards the tunnel but was stopped in his tracks by Jane who grabbed his arm.



"On my way down here I remember looking to my right and seeing four tunnels. It's the fifth one."



They ran towards the fifth tunnel, but the Warden had got back to his post and alerted a Pteragoyle that something was wrong, and it gave chase. John saw a shadow appear over them and waited as it grew, holding his nerve, until at the last second he spun round and hammered a stake through its neck. It let out a horrific scream that was almost deafening.



"I think they're onto us," shouted John as he grabbed some dynamite.



John raced after Paul and Jane urging them to speed up. Pteragoyles and Wardens were giving chase and starting to catch up.



"We just need to make it to that bend ahead. I'm going to blow up the tunnel."



Paul was now dragging Jane who was exhausted due to the heat and lack of food. John sent them ahead as he planted the dynamite in the wall. He lit the fuse and sprinted for cover.



A massive explosion followed, and there was smoke and debris everywhere. Once the smoke cleared Paul checked it had collapsed and was horrified to see that two bits of timber had fell awkwardly and were holding the ceiling up. He could see the wardens making their way towards them.



"I've done some unforgivable things, and this is my redemption." Paul stood under the timber and using all his strength he dislodged them causing the ceiling to collapse on top of him.



John grabbed hold of Jane who was tearful. "No time for that. We have to keep going and make sure his bravery counts for something."



Jane was visibly struggling so John threw her over his shoulder. They turned the next corner, and John was stopped in his tracks.



"It's a dead end! I thought you said..."



"Keep going to the end of the tunnel, I'm sure there's a ladder'"



They reached the end of the tunnel where it was pitch black. John felt around and found nothing.



"Let me climb on your shoulders. I'm sure this is the way."



John pushed Jane as high as he could and suddenly heard a scraping noise as an old metal ladder was pulled down. Jane went first, allowing John to guard the rear. After ten minutes, they saw a glint of light. This gave them a tremendous boost and they climbed even faster towards the light. Jane clambered out first and gasped. John was close behind and was pulling himself up when a staff hammered into his chest, sending him flying across the room, crashing into a wall.



Standing over them stood Damian, the dark Angel. "You really thought I'd let you escape? I have plans for you Jane. I will grant you your wish of a lifetime in Heaven but only if I get what I want."



Damian then turned his attention back to John. "As for you, I will use you as an example of what happens to traitors."



John felt his throat tighten, and his eyes bulged as he was strangled from across the room. Just as he was about to pass out the grip loosened. "That was a little taster. You'll really know what suffering is when we get back."



He was about to summon his henchmen when he heard a voice he did not recognise. "You need to come with us. You are under arrest for committing the criminal act of Divine passing."



Damian tried to spin round but couldn't move. He glanced nervously over his shoulder and was faced with Michael, Lord Edward and twenty angels. His henchmen had been captured and were on their knees begging for mercy.



"What are you going to do if you find me guilty? Send me to Hell?" mocked Damian.



"Oh we've done better than that. We've already spread the word that you contacted us, requesting our help to overthrow the Dark Ministry. There are some very unhappy people who would like a word with you."



Jane appeared thoughtful. "Paul Rainier was captured whilst aiding my escape. He'll be tortured in the most horrific manner. His act of sacrifice and bravery deserves better. Can we strike a deal; Damian for Paul Rainier?"



"Paul Rainier is small fry to the Ministry. I'll do the deal. It won't be a problem."



An hour later Paul arrived in shackles with blood dripping from a multitude of lacerations.



Damian was handed over to the Ministry guards. He was begging for mercy and calling Michael a liar. As he was dragged through the door, a Pteragoyle forced open his mouth and ripped out his tongue. Mercy was the last thing he was getting.



Heaven, at Last



Lord Edward stepped forward and told Paul and John to say their goodbyes. "As promised you've earned a second chance due to your bravery in the rescue of Jane. You'll be born again on Earth. Don't mess this opportunity up."



Jane watched as the process of cleansing John and Paul's souls began, before getting in the elevator.



When she reached the top floor, an attendant welcomed her and asked if he could fetch her anything. Jane looked around and was totally amazed by her extravagant new surroundings. "Miss Francis, I will take you to the bathing area where you can freshen up. There are some people who are extremely excited about meeting you."



Jane was led to an opulent Roman style bathroom. A waterfall was filling a marble bath with crystal clear water. Jane turned one of the gold taps and the water became warm. She stepped under the waterfall and felt thoroughly cleansed, before being blown dry by a warm wind. She was handed a pair of white slippers and a cashmere dressing grown.



Michael took Jane's arm and escorted her to the Suite. The Senior Council applauded as she entered. Michael directed her to a tall figure dressed in white. Jane fell to the ground and received a blessing. She burst into tears as she was helped to her feet.



"You are an incredibly brave woman, and I'm honoured to have you with us."



Jane marvelled at the luxury and elegance of the room. She gazed out of the French doors at the towering mountains, magnificent waterfalls and bright blue sky. For the first time in a while, she allowed herself to relax.



Two Little Miracles



Nine months later, a young woman who had been told she couldn't have children, gave birth to twin boys. The local press called them the miracle babies.