• Tall trees trunk-bound with cylindrical steel barriers sat in clusters under a pure blue, water-like sky with puffs of clouds spotted over its expanse. Cryptic brick roads ran between the trees, adorned with ancient designs and lampposts with strange shaped lights. The path led to a hugely built circular area resembling a cul-de-sac. People were there, causing uproar over something they were surrounding.
    Mainly women were there, all dressed in outfits that gave off an angelic vibe. The few men that were present had on helmets with wide visors and uniforms that resembled armor. They were inspecting the wreckage: a giant fallen antenna-like machine lay cracked in numerous places on the ground. It seemed to give off a visible energy that everyone stayed cautious of. The men started using strange instruments and machines that read, scanned, and collected data on the antenna.
    A woman stood off to the side, watching the officers’ every move. She wore shades, so most of her facial expression was hidden. Her hair was dark and unusually long, almost past her knees. Her clothing gave her a dark but in-charge appearance: black fingerless gloves, a dark-colored top with flowing white sleeves, white silk pants with black designs that resembled the Yin and Yang, and a sword carried on her back in a decorative blade sheath. But her most stunning feature was how much more magnificent her wings were compared to others. They flapped at a slow and graceful pace, unhindered by wind. She was an Arc Angel.
    Another angel descended from the sky swiftly, her wings kicking up gusts that startled and dispersed the crowd of curious angels. The Arc Angel approached her after her landing.
    “Claudia,” she spoke. “You’re just in time. Are any other Commanders from the Active Wings Unit en route?”
    “They all have prior engagements, Ino. I came to investigate,” Claudia replied.
    “Well, these officers are making headway. All that’s left is to find the cause of the crash.”
    An officer arose and approached Claudia and Ino. His uniform bore numerous medals and badges, obviously meaning he was of higher rank than the other officers.
    “Level 3 Commander of the Active Wings Unit, the repairs were a success. The E-antenna should be up and operational in a matter of seconds. Please fill out this file.” He handed her a folder with documents inside.
    The E-antenna suddenly discharged, sending out a wave of sparks, before levitating back to the top of its pillar. It then gave off a glow, signaling that it was active once again.
    “Well, that’s that,” Claudia said. “I’d better get back to base and—“
    A small pager-like device beeped loudly on Claudia’s waist. She grabbed it and pushed a button on its side, producing a holographic projection of the words “NEW KEEPER RECRUITING FILE”. Claudia shut off the device, stunned at the message.
    “A Keeper Recruiting file?” Ino asked. The officers around them didn’t say anything.
    “This might be an error in response to the E-antenna going back online. I have to go see about this,” Claudia stated. Her wings started to flap at a steady pace as she rose from the ground and took off into the sky.
    Claudia flew a short distance to a dome-shaped facility hidden between a large group of trees. A door at the facility’s base opened before Claudia landed in front of it, allowing her to go in immediately.
    Claudia walked in to see a brightly-colored and large room with unusual and sophisticated technology built all over the place. Female angels manned computers with transparent color-tinted monitors and keyboards, all surrounding one towering main system. It appeared to be made of a crystalline substance, spiraling upwards in many tendrils with a space at its center occupied by a spherical light. The structure vibrated every few seconds and seemed to provide all power to the building. Claudia walked in further.
    She walked down a short flight of stairs and approached the angel on the computer closest to her. She wore short, forest green hair, had bright green eyes, and the same outfit that all the other angels wore: a long-sleeve one-piece outfit with a unique insignia on each one. Her outfit had a green tint that blended with the white fabric. A nametag on her upper chest read “Nyomi, #86”.
    “Number eighty-six,” Claudia started, “bring up all incoming alerts over the past half hour.”
    “Bringing up all reported alerts over the past half hour,” Nyomi said, typing vigorously into her clear keyboard. The screen was blanketed with opening windows suddenly. Nyomi used her mouse to click into one of the pages, bringing forth a screen with the words “PASS CODE” and a typing bar next to it.
    “Only Commanders Level 3 and above are allowed to access this information. A verification of your status is needed—“
    “I am Claudia, Level 3 Commander of the Active Wings Unit,” Claudia interrupted. “Get me in now.”
    “…Well, don’t tell me. I need your Status Card for your code.”
    Claudia handed Nyomi a laminated card with her picture on it, along with her name, rank, level, unit, and a fourteen-digit numeral code. Nyomi typed the code into the computer and pressed a circular button on her keyboard.
    The screen changed into one with hundreds of files aligned in columns. A bar in the lower left corner said “New Alerts (1)”; Nyomi clicked on it. Suddenly a screen crossed over the monitor that materialized into actual existence and slid upwards, floating over the original computer screen. Nyomi turned to Claudia and said, “Only one file has been reported. It’s a touch screen, so knock yourself out.”
    “I know what this is, Number eighty-six,” Claudia snapped. She reached onto the levitating screen and tapped on the tab that said “New Alerts (1)”. It opened and blank screen appeared, empty and blue with the exception of the words “Keeper Recruiting” in the top left corner. Claudia tapped on that.
    Another page opened, revealing a message with a tab that could be opened. Claudia read the message out loud:
    The Holy Council has been watching the Earth for as long as it’s been in existence. We divine beings believe in human ingenuity and try to preserve it as best as we can. This message is to be read by a Commander of worthy rank and of any unit to recruit an angel as a human’s Keeper. The subject and a list of eligible angels are in the file included. Make wise decisions.
    --The NexuRealm Holy Council
    “I don’t understand…” Claudia said. “It’s been over a century since we’ve sent a Keeper to Earth. Something’s up…”
    “Well, Commander, I don’t know what exactly is going on,” Nyomi started, “but when we rebooted the system after the E-antenna for this network reactivated, this was here. Our systems filter bugs with 100 percent accuracy and we have no reports on bugs in the system or in this message.” Nyomi handed Claudia her card back. “Obviously, this is no error.”
    Claudia shifted. She pushed the add-on in the message and saw a picture of a young man pop up onto the screen, along with personal information. Nyomi laughed.
    “Ha, this guy’s five-foot-four,” she joked. Claudia just stared.
    “That’s strange, there’s only one suggested angel… this is really weird,” she said.
    “Her name’s Clarissa… hang on,” Nyomi said as she typed in the name in a search engine on the monitor. “Okay, she’s eighteen, apparently one of the nicer angels, and the bearer of the Bell of Emotion.”
    Claudia grasped a bell hanging from her necklace, still skeptical. “You know what, fine. Fine. I’m putting my rank as Commander on the line, but whatever. Number eighty-six, prep this girl for descent. Or do whatever it is you do to send angels to Earth.”
    “Yes ma’am,” Nyomi answered. She typed in a command, pressed the round button, and pushed a button on her headset. A mic slid out of it and Nyomi spoke into it, “Attention angels. A Keeper Recruiting message has been confirmed in the NexuRealm Information Processing Center. We need the owner of the Bell of Emotion to report to Heaven’s Plain for further instructions. Send.”
    Claudia asked, “So that’s it?” Nyomi nodded.
    “Well, okay then. Get ready for the surprise of your human life, mister, uh… Warren Misoto.” Claudia then turned to leave.