9640/Angels and Archivists and Cheshires-

Angels and Archivists and Cheshires-
Date of Scene:	15 January 2022
Location:	Bullpen - Daily Planet Building
Synopsis:	It is now time for The Archivist to tell his tale in an exclusive interview with the Daily Planet. Terry O'Neil, reporting.
Cast of Characters:	Terry O'Neil, Jonathan Sims
Tinyplot:	Path of Glory

---

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Well," Terry says, indicating the comfy chair opposite him in the interview room, "Just make yourself comfortable and we can start whenever you're ready. When you're ready, just press the button the remote, and the camera," he gestures to the camera, mounted on the tripod, "will start recording. Any time you need to stop or pause, just hit the button."

The Cheshire cat sits back on his chair. An assortment of water bottles, soda cans and fruit juices have been provided for their comfort, and the room is suitably sober, but with cozy lighting.

He takes a breath, "Ready to roll?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon's wearing a black turtleneck and a charcoal blazer--he's determined to not look like a G-Man in this--and fidgets with the remote for a moment. Huffs out a breath. "I've never done this before," he admits. "Just a bit nervous, putting myself out there. But... saving the universe and all, I suppose I'll wind up on camera eventually, right?" He frowns, for a moment. He's just about to shred any hope he might have had of privacy in this whole business, and he's generally a private person. But the case they're presenting needs to be laid out, so...

    He adjusts his glasses, looks to the camera, and presses the button on the remote. "I am Dr. Jonathan Sims, the Archivist, and I am Field Commander for SHIELD in the defense of Manhattan against the army of angels currently occupying St. Patrick's Cathedral." A glance to Terry, briefly.

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry nods reassuringly- one does get used to being in the public eye, even if some are more accustomed to the attention than others. Privacy is often one of the prices that are paid in the process of saving the world, ufortunately.

The Cheshire cat nods after Jonathan's introduction. Taking his cue from it, he asks, "Doctor Sims, you say you're an Archivist- what does that consist of?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon chuckles. "Ahh, well, I say I am /the/ Archivist. It's a title more than a profession. The position goes back thousands of years, at least to pre-dynastic Egypt, and is passed down through family lines. I am the curator of the Archive, a mystical and physical repository of knowledge and magical artifacts. I do this in service to the gods of ancient Egypt--specifically Thoth and Ma'at--in part to preserve that knowledge and keep it safe. But... the original purpose of the position was to aid the gods in judging the souls of those who did not die in the normal course of events. To... keep a check on power, one might say. The information I gather was originally meant to judge the worthiness of those we encountered, to weigh their hearts against the feather of Ma'at."

    He shifts a bit in his seat, frowns. "That's how I got involved in this business in the first place. I was brought in as a consultant on the Papal Killings, in part because I am one of those meant to keep a check on something like an angel running about killing mortals." A pause, and then he adds, with a smile, "And also because I do have training as a forensic psychiatrist."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"I spoke to another individual involved in the Papal Killings. As I understand it, that event was the catalyst that brought Michael into this world. Now that an angel /has/ come to our world and is intending to kill mortals, you stated that you are organizing the defense against them. Doctor Sims, what chances do mortals stand against angels? Some people who hew to the biblical texts might consider it a lost cause."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon sighs heavily. "People have already died," he says quietly. "I... would ask anyone remaining in Manhattan to come to Grand Central Station as soon as possible. We can provide shelter and defense there. If you need assistance, contact us, we're sending out patrols."

    He straightens his shoulders. "That being said? There's already been work done, by others, to reduce the effectiveness of the normal angelic defenses. Normal people and normal ordinance /can/ hurt angels." He gestures with one hand. "We saw it on the 6th... Batman fighting Michael directly."

    He looks right into the camera, then. "Even so, the higher ranks of angels can be difficult even for those with superpowers to fight. I would /not/ suggest anyone without training get it in their heads to try to take these beings on by themselves."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
The Cheshire nods, "Doctor Sims, Saint Michael spoke of cleansing and liberation for those who accept god's will- that is, the will he said he has come to dispense."

He shifts in his seat, "However, one of the survivors informed me that those whom the angel had... passed judgement on, murdered, that their souls had not actually passed on. That they were bound to their places of martyrdom for eternity unless released by another source... which is not a liberation but an eternal condemnation. Even for crimes as petty as lying and shoplifting. Do you think Michael is being outwardly deceitful?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    There's a moment where Jon's jaw tenses and he looks... past the camera, sort of, his eyes going unfocused. Then he focuses back on the camera and says, "I cannot say why Michael bound those souls to the places they died. It may well be that he knew we would come along and release them--which we did. I will say that to my knowledge he cannot /directly/, deliberately lie--but as with all things, the truth is probably somewhere between his view of the world and that of those who disagree with him."

    He frowns thoughtfully. "Michael did say that he came to offer liberation /for those who accept/. And that's... a common enough view of the world. That 'unity' means being rid of disagreements, that salvation or forgiveness is only for the people we like and agree with. I would say that we should be focused on /harmony/. On melding disaparate voices and viewpoints into something greater than the sum of its parts."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Unity being something not too dissimilar to what happened to those influenced by the angels, I gather? We have descritions of an overwhelming... feeling that overcome those influenced by the angels. To the point that they no longer seem to be in their right minds and will do anything for the influencing angels..." He steeples his fingers, "But that type of unity is forced. Making many voices into a singular voice. Your take is different."

"Would you say that those currently engaged in the defense against the angelic invasion are more representative of the harmonious approach?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "I would hope so," Jon says with a smile. "We, ahh... we disgaree, quite often. We fight, even, sometimes. But we're all working toward the same goal, even if we might put different words to that goal. I would say 'we are fighting to defend Gaea, Mother Earth.' Another might say they're fighting to protect Manhattan, or to preserve free will, or because they vehemently dislike anything that smacks of a Christian milieu." He smirks, briefly.

    "To that point--we have some quite devout Christians and Jews among our ranks, who see very much that the messages in the Bible are, ultimately, not those Michael espouses. It... is difficult for them, as I know it must be difficult for many of your readers and watchers, to see beings that they are told are messengers of God, meant to defend them from evil, participating in these acts."

    He hesitates a moment, then says, "But that's... the point, really, the ultimate... underlying message that I have. We can disagree on many things, but often we agree more than we think we do. If we... stop, and listen to others, try to see things from their perspective, everyone benefits." He chuckles. "I'll admit I have to work on that myself, but we are none of us perfect. Not even Saint Michael."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"Some say they are fighting to preserve free will- that put me in mind of something that has been nagging away at me. When I interviewed him, Michael denied that he was here to erase or impede free will."

The cat shifts, and takes a sip from his water, "but when I spoke to a survivor, the description she gave me of how Michael operated on her sounded very much like that is what he did. That overwhelming influence. She certainly would not have crucified herself under her own free will without his influence."

"How can this contradiction be explained? Especially if we take the assumption as true that someone such as Michael cannot lie."

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon frowns. "It could be that his definition of 'free will' is different than ours. But... the interactions we had with Michael when he was possessing a human were... tainted by that human's perception of what an angel should be. And it's also possible that his plans have changed. I cannot say, for certain."

    He sighs. "The trouble with dealing with a being that cannot lie is that one must remember that an untruth and a lie are not the same thing. Michael is saying to us what he /believes/ to be true--but what he believes, and what you believe, and what I believe, may all be /different/ things. After all--what /is/ free will? We are all of us governed by our upbringings, our bodies, our deep-seated beliefs. Your gut microbiome has an enormous influence over your day-to-day decisions and you probably don't even think about it. If free will is the ability to choose without any outside influences... then no one has free will at all. If it is the ability to choose with only the most natural influences, then Michael means to restrict it. If it is the ability to choose, at all, regardless of influence? If that is Michael's view, then no... he's not going to restrict 'free will' at all."

    He sighs. "The /truth/, however, is that there is a terrible imbalance in the universe, that others are suffering for it, and that the imbalance must be rectified. On that, Michael and I agree--our universe /cannot/ be allowed to simply go on as it has been. Where we differ is on how to rectify that problem. Michael wants to wipe the slate clean and start over--I want to fix the problem, whatever it is, and allow those living in the universe to continue as they are."

    He shifts slightly. "Regardless of whether 'free will' is in play or not--to re-set the universe, even should it mean recycling every soul here, is to erase countless lives. Trillions? Quadrillions?" He shakes his head. "In the context of a multiverse, perhaps that's not even that many. But there is almost no way that things wind up precisely as they are again. Even should we be reborn, we would be /different/. And there's no guarantee of that. That is reason enough for me to fight. To preserve the people I care about, the world I care about, to give it a chance to flourish and thrive, as messy and complicated as it is."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
"It /is/ strange that it feels as if we are being punished by a mistake of the builder, instead of the builder taking responsibility," Terry muses. Op-edding a little? Perhaps. But only a little.

"Those who are working with you towards this goal- there are many who have powers and extraordinary abilities. But there are also many who do not- what can those who want to help do?"

Now there's an interesting thought: by not asking Michael the same question, is he being biased and only allowing one side to reach out to potential adherents?

Well, yes. But fuck you, Mister Journalistic Ethics Rules Lawyer, considering that one side wants to actively end the universe as it is, it may not be the 'fair and balanced' thing to do, but it is the /right/ thing to do.

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Firstly, everyone can... be kinder to one another. Be thoughtful. Help a neighbor, help a friend, help a stranger." Jon smiles. "Which is, of course, the... general platitude, yes? But it applies. Specifically, donations to the refugees of the evacuation would be more than welcomed. I know that Gotham has opened their doors, and I am... eternally grateful to the people of that good city, for taking in the people of my home." He takes a moment, clearing his throat, maybe blinking back tears? "We are fighting for the Mother of Life, and She would like us to be kind to each other, from all I've gathered from the Amazons I've spoken to. Within reason, of course."

    A pause, and then he adds, "...Which brings me to... if someone wants to fight? We are organizing a civilian militia; people can contact SHIELD or myself for more information. Anyone with powers can do the same, or work through their own teams if they're on one. But I would add that this /is/ a war. It is dangerous, and deadly. And it is, in many ways, a holding action. The ultimate solution to this problem will not be to defeat Michael with military prowess; /that/ is simply defending ourselves against /his/ solution to this problem. Our solution will have to be something in the realm of understanding and compassion."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry nods quietly, "It is a sobering thought: At this moment, every person on the planet is in this together. Not to mention the universe." A thought occurs to him- one that he will have to explore off-camera. "Are you at liberty to discuss what SHIELD is doing as part of the resistance effort?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    "Within limits of operational security, yes," Jon says with a smile. "SHIELD is providing much of the logistics for this operation; it was a SHIELD asset who secured Grand Central Station for us, and offered it as a base. SHIELD has been ensuring the evacuation went smoothly, providing supplies and ordinance, and many of those doing the fighting are SHIELD agents. I wouldn't say this is a SHIELD operation--it's the Justice League Dark that's at the forefront, but it's a joint effort in many ways. The JLD is doing the mystical heavy lifting, SHIELD is covering the physical and tactical side of things, other groups such as the Titans have offered ideas and support."

    He shifts a little. "I went to Chief Carter about ensuring Manhattan was evacuated, back in December, and that put SHIELD at the center of this matter. As an extra-governmental agency, focused on defending the world at large, and one that originally came out of the last major global conflict, the Second World War... we're particularly suited to responding to this kind of situation." He smiles. "I've been grateful for the support of the Chief and my fellow agents... but of course, unfortunately, I can't go into the details."

Terry O'Neil has posed:
Terry nods, "Of course, Doctor Sims. At this point, I think the global... universal situation is becoming clearer to our audience. We can only hope that the message is received with the seriousness and consideration it deserves."

"Is there anything else you would like to add before we conclude?"

Jonathan Sims has posed:
    Jon hesitates, and looks right at the camera. "We're going to do this," he says, "but we cannot do it alone. We focus, sometimes, too much, on individuals and heroes, waiting for someone to save us. I did not wind up in this position because I waited for someone else to face down Michael, or save the day--I wound up where I am because I stepped up to a challenge with which I was presented. I encourage everyone seeing this to do the same. Large changes can start small, and they need /all/ of us to work together."

    He seems to grow a little more confident, saying this. "So perhaps you cannot come to Manhattan--help the refugees, donate to the defense, or just help your neighbors and friends to make a better world. Take responsibility for your situation, for your actions. Think about how you can contribute, even if it's only a little. This position I'm in, being Gaea's Champion... it was not foreordained. There were many others who could have stepped up and proven themselves, and possibly been chosen. That tells me that there are /many/ people out there who have the power to change the world. Quite possibly any of us."

    He smiles, then. "There's a saying that 'everyone is the hero of their own story.' So... maybe you're not the hero of this story. Don't sit around waiting for one to come by. Step out and be your own hero. And... to the people with me, fighting alongside me, the other heroes of this story? And the ones who have yet to step up and join us? Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I couldn't do this alone. Thank you to /everyone/ watching this, even if that's all you're doing. Knowing you're out there, knowing you care... it helps, enormously."