The pearly gates stood before me though they weren’t nearly as impressive as the name implied. In fact, the pearly gates was a fairly ordinary looking door at the main entrance of Heaven, the same door I’d come through when Rebecca first brought me here.

It was a little strange to realize that even though I’d been kept in Heaven during my transformation so I couldn’t accidentally infect anyone else, this door had been unlocked from the inside the entire time. I could have technically walked right out the door at any time I really wanted to, especially when my new sisters had been off on their mission. Of course, there was no way I would have allowed myself to do so when there was a chance I could have accidentally infected someone else with the harkon virus.

At the moment, I was finally safe enough to leave Heaven but I found myself hesitant to do so. It wasn’t fear of infecting anyone else that made me hesitate this time but of what other people would think when they saw me. After all, I no longer looked anything like I had when I first came here just a few days ago.

“Don’t worry,” Rebecca told me with a reassuring smile. “The three of us will be with you.”

Nicole reached out and touched my hair, which was pulled back into a pony tail exactly like hers and Rebecca’s. “We’ll need to get your hair taken care of soon too,” Nicole said pleasantly. “I mean, it just grew so you’ll need it trimmed and styled.”

“But not today,” Dani told her. “Monica already has enough to deal with right now. Don’t push her to get prettied up before she’s ready for it.”

Rebecca reached out and touched my arm, saying, “Today, we’re just going to show you around, take you to the doctor, and have you meet our boss.”

I nodded at that and then joked, “Would his name happen to be Charlie?”

“We haven’t heard that one before,” Dani responded with a roll of her eyes.

I looked at my new sisters, all of whom were dressed in their black uniforms. I was wearing one too, so along with my hair being pulled in my pony tail as well, that would keep most people from being able to tell me apart from Nicole and Rebecca. Only Dani stood out, thanks to her shorter blonde hair.

“Don’t get so nervous,” Nicole said, giving me a sisterly hug.

Nicole’s hug did comfort me a little, though I couldn’t quite understand why. What I did know was that I hadn’t known Rebecca, Nicole, or Dani for very long but I still felt oddly close to them. Perhaps it was because they’d all been changed by the virus the same way I had and we shared a common experience. Perhaps it was because we now all shared the same DNA and my own body now instinctively recognized them as my sisters. And perhaps, this was all just part of the change in perceptions that Dani had warned me about. What I did know as that having them here beside me made me feel better.

A moment later, we left the relative privacy of Heaven and entered the larger base. The three of us walked back towards the building where I’d first been quarantined, before Rebecca had brought me to Heaven. I was still a little nervous at the idea of going back there, but I tried not to show it. After all, I was sure the others wouldn’t let me get locked up in quarantine like that again.

When we entered the medical building, several people in uniforms stared at us with curious expressions. I could almost hear them asking, “Which of you is the new one?” However, they didn’t say anything aloud.

“Hey Felix,” Rebecca abruptly called out to one guard who stood there looked back and forth between us the same way the others had.

I remembered Felix as one of the guards that had kept an eye on me when I’d been locked up in quarantine. He’d been professional and hadn’t done anything beyond standing guard at the door, but I still disliked him on general principal.

Felix looked back at Rebecca and said, “Rebecca,” though his tone held a note of question in it until she nodded.

“You’ve met my new sister Monica,” Rebecca said, though she didn’t gesture to me in any way so Felix glanced back and forth between Nicole and me. The uncertain look on his face was pretty funny, until Nicole giggled and gave herself away.

Once we left Felix, Dani commented, “For the first couple years after our change, we kept the same hairstyles and did that kind of thing all the time.”

“That was a lot of fun,” Nicole mused.

“This is where our doctor is located,” Rebecca said, gesturing to a heavy looking door and scowling. “I HATE coming here.”

“Is that why you didn’t come here for your broken arm?” I asked, giving her a look of disapproval.

Rebecca hesitated a moment before letting out a sigh. “You know how I was sick growing up?” When I nodded at that, she continued, “Let’s just say I’ve seen more than enough of doctors and hospitals to last me the rest of my life.”

Half a minute later, I was introduced to Dr. Merrit, the doctor who looked after Angel Squad. He was an elderly man with white hair and well-tanned skin, as well as a pair of thick glasses. I immediately recognized him as the main doctor who’d examined me when I was in quarantine, as well as the one who’d come to check on me in Heaven when the others were away on their mission.

“This is our new sister Monica,” Rebecca introduced me, putting an emphasis on my name.

Dr. Merrit gave me a cold look that made me feel like I was a bug under a microscope. Then he looked at Rebecca. “Angel subject prime…”

“My name is Rebecca,” she reminded him coldly.

The doctor didn’t seem to pay attention to her and immediately his computer and looked over some files. “Subject one…two…three… Angel subject four.” Then he entered something into his computer before turning his attention to me. “Subject four, please come with me. The rest of you wait.”

I scowled in annoyance, definitely seeing why the others didn’t like him. Still, I followed him as he led me to the examination room, which was much like any other examination room except there were various pieces of equipment that were obviously meant for infectious patients, including double airtight doors with a decontamination chamber between them. Fortunately, he didn’t make me go through the decontamination process, though he did put on latex gloves and filter mask over his nose and mouth.

Dr. Merrit immediately began his examination, taking a blood sample and repeating many of the tests he’d given me before and giving me a few more. It was extremely embarrassing and uncomfortable, especially with the way he was treating me. He didn’t speak to me other than to give me directions and he didn’t seem to care about my feelings or discomfort in the least.

“We’re done here,” Dr. Merrit stated, not bothering to tell me what he’d found.

“That was horrible,” I blurted out to Rebecca when I was done. Thankfully, Dr. Merrit hadn’t insisted on doing anything like a gynecology exam, but it still felt humiliating and invasive. I felt like I was about to start crying.

Nicole immediately gave me a hug, exclaiming, “It’s over now.”

“That is why we don’t like coming here,” Dani said, giving me a sympathetic look. “That asshole doesn’t have any bedside manner at all.”

As an EMT, I’ve met a lot of doctors while bringing in patients, some of which could be real assholes. I’d never met any of them as bad as Dr. Merrit. “What’s wrong with that guy?”

“Several things,” Rebecca answered grimly.

“He thinks we should all be locked up in permanent quarantine,” Dani said with a deep scowl. “He’s afraid we’ll end up starting an angel epidemic.”

“He’s a viral researcher, not a medical doctor,” Rebecca explained with a sigh. “He’s pissed because the laws won’t let him actually work on a cure for the harkon virus and this is the closest he can get.”

Dani nodded at that, then added, “He stays here because as s soon as the law changes, he’ll be in the perfect position to begin his research. I mean, he’ll have access to us and as well as samples from all the demons we take out.”

“That bites,” I muttered.

“Well, at least we’re done with him for today,” Rebecca told me, putting an arm around my shoulder. “Come on, we’ll introduce you to Charlie and then we’ll go to lunch.”

After this, we went to another building which seemed to be the command center and administration building. Rebecca brought me straight through to an office where a blonde woman in uniform sat behind a desk.

“This is our new sister Monica,” Rebecca introduced me again.

“Hi,” the woman said, giving me a broad smile. “So you’re the one who saved Nicole’s butt…”

“This is her,” Nicole responded proudly, putting an arm around my shoulder.

“This is Lieutenant Hannah Ellison,” Rebecca introduced me to the blonde, smiling as she did so. “She makes sure all the paperwork is filled out and that everything in the unit runs smoothly.”

“Well, I try,” Hannah responded, obviously pleased by the compliment.

I looked at Rebecca, Nicole, and Dani, realizing that their uniforms were not only completely different from the military uniforms that everyone else wore, but that I didn’t see any rank either. “What rank are you guys?” I asked curiously.

“Technically, we’re civilians,” Rebecca answered me with a wry smile. “We’re outside the normal chain of command.”

“It’s political,” Nicole responded with a roll of her eyes.

Dani nodded agreement before adding, “What isn’t?”

Rebecca chuckled faintly and said, “We answer directly to Colonel Roberts, who is in charge of the first DSU…Demon Suppression Unit.”

“Charlie,” Dani added with a faint smirk, then quickly added, “Just don’t let him hear you call him that.”

Hannah watched this exchange, then looked at me and said, “Rebecca called you Monica. Is this the new name you want to use?”

I nodded self-consciously at that. “Yeah.”

“Then I’ll get it into your paperwork,” Hannah told me pleasantly. “And I’ll need you to fill out a few things.” Then her expression turned sympathetic and she said, “I’m sorry about your circumstances, but I do hope you come to like it here. There are some good people in this unit.” She looked to Rebecca, Nicole and Dani, adding, “And you’ve got some good ladies to help you out.”

After this, I filled out some of the paperwork that Hannah gave me while she and Rebecca talked. From what I could see, it looked like they were good friends, which made me relax a little. Until now, the only people who’d been friendly to me had been my new sisters so I’d begun to fear that everyone in this unit hated us for being infected. For one of the few times in my life, I was quite happy to be proven wrong.

Once I was finished with the paperwork, Hannah told me, “Colonel Roberts has been expecting you. His office is the one on the right.” She pointed down the hallway. Then as my sisters began getting up, she added, “Only Monica right now.”

“Good luck,” Rebecca told me with a faint smile.

“Don’t worry,” Dani teased. “He doesn’t bite…much.”

I went down the hallway Hannah had indicated and immediately found the office, which was marked by a name plaque on the door that read ‘Col. Carl Roberts’. The door was open so I stepped into the doorway and nervously glanced around the moderately cluttered office before looking at the man behind the desk.

Colonel Roberts was a stocky man with hair that had once been dark but which was now heavily peppered with gray. He had somewhat rough features with a nose that looked like it had been broken in the past but hadn’t healed completely straight. And when he looked up at me, there was strong intensity in his eyes that made me nervous.

“So you’re the new angel,” he said as he stood up.

“Not by choice,” I responded.

“I would imagine not,” he mused, holding out his hand. “I’m Colonel Roberts.”

I shook his hand, a little startled that he’d offer to shake hands with me without seeming to have any fear of infection. Of course, I knew that with the medicine I’d been taking, I was perfectly safe for this kind of contact but I hadn’t expected him to accept that. Then again, he probably knew a lot more about the angels than I did.

“I call myself Monica now,” I introduced myself a little awkwardly.

“Very well…Monica,” he said, sitting back down and gesturing for me to do the same. “I imagine you have some questions.”

“I think my new sisters answered most of them,” I responded, not sure what to say to this man.

Colonel Roberts nodded at that. “I must apologize for the necessity of our security precautions and what they mean for you.”

“You mean faking my death?” I asked him grimly. “Making me leave my family and never seeing them again?” Then I snorted, “And keeping me here whether I want to be or not?”

“Among others,” he agreed calmly.

I glared at him for a moment before letting out a sigh and reluctantly admitting, “I don’t like it…but I understand.”

Colonel Roberts nodded again. “I know that this is nothing you could have imagined when you helped Nicole. I know it’s not fair, but unfortunately, life isn’t fair.” He paused to look me in the eyes as he added, “It isn’t fair that normal people turn into demons and kill their own friends and families. It isn’t fair that this unit has to hunt down and eliminate monsters who are just as much victims as those they kill. Unfortunately, this is life.”

“And what about me?” I asked quietly.

“The harkon virus may have taken away your old life and any form of normalcy,” Colonel Roberts told me. “But it did leave you with some gifts as well. You are one of only four people on the planet who can get close enough to fight the demons without fear of being infected by them. This makes you a highly valuable asset.”

“Why not infect some of your soldiers then?” I asked him. “I’m sure you could get at least some volunteers.”

Colonel Roberts shook his head and said, “We have had a few volunteers, but I’m afraid that it isn’t that simple. Intentionally infecting someone with the harkon virus would be a deliberate violate of international law. In fact, just using Angel Squad comes close to crossing the line. That’s why they are not officially part of the military and why they are used exclusively for dealing with demons.”

I stared at Colonel Roberts for a moment before quietly saying, “I can’t do it…” I shook my head, remembering the demon who killed Dom right in front of me. The very thought was enough to make the fear come back. “I can’t fight those things…”

“Maybe not,” Colonel Roberts told me, looking a little disappointed. “But Angel Squad could still use someone a little more friendly to them in the medical department.”

“I could do that,” I agreed, glad that I’d be able to do something to help out my sisters. Maybe if I was there instead of Dr. Merrit, my sisters might be willing to get medical help when they needed it.