28th January

13:43 GMT -5

"So…"

Linda/Noriel sits across from me in the interview room. She's not completely unresponsive, but she isn't looking at me. Her hair is currently blonde, but her facial structure isn't exactly that of either Linda or Noriel.

"We caught Buzz, and he will be facing charges of some kind. Valeria got away, but we've destroyed or acquired all of her assets in Virginia. All the members of Buzz's cult whom we've identified are now in custody."

"What do you want me to say?"

"I don't know." I sit back. "Given what Buzz has done to your mind, we can't charge you with anything. How about..? We start with a name."

"I am not Noriel."

"True."

"I remember flying through the towers of the Silver City. I remember hearing all of Creation come into being as a harmonious crescendo. I remember the very first exothermic reaction. I remember the sacred joy of it all, and now I feel… Nothing."

"I'm-."

No. No. Now is not the time to question the validity of the beliefs of the angels. She's having a hard enough time of it without me kicking metaphorical sand in her face.

"And… What about Linda Danvers?"

"She is.. why I feel nothing. Every.. time that I remember something, I remember it as filtered through her. Her contemptuous bile.. taints… Every thought and action."

"Extra-tainted because she was a fairly hateful person, or just normal human not-being-an-angel levels of taint?"

She looks up very slightly, her eyes meeting mine.

"Do not make light of this."

"I'm not making light of it. I know that -to an angel- the normal human way of thinking about things is… Repulsive. But all I know of Noriel is her participation in Asmodel's putsch and her attempt to kill me, so… Those memories? I'm sceptical of their value. I don't think her existence was anything like as good as you appear to be implying that you do. Frankly, I'd say that not being either Noriel or Linda is a positive thing."

Her head comes up. "What would you know of it?"

"I went to Hell disguised as a demon once. Satanus set a trap for me which infused me with demonic magic until I effectively became a demon. It altered the way I thought about a lot of stuff." I shrug. "Didn't bother me at the time, because that then was how I thought about things. Hasn't really bothered me since…" I hesitate. "Except some things I said to my girlfriend, which were true for demon-me but not for normal-me, and for which I promptly apologised." Hm. "Do you believe yourself to be Noriel?"

"Factually, I am not."

"People often believe things that they can't prove with evidence. I've got a pile of hate-mail concerning some of the patently untrue things people believe about angels. Some people honestly believe the world to be flat, that fossils were made by the First of the Fallen to lure people away from the truth of Genesis… I knew a girl who honestly believed that leaving food in a tin in the fridge would cause it to become poisonous." I shrug. "If you want to be mostly-Noriel, that's fine. Treat Linda's perspective as an exposure to human vice you couldn't have gotten any other way and work to overcome it just as your kind encourage humans to overcome their vices. If you want to be mostly-Linda but with an added awareness of the wonders that the universe contains, that good and honest people do exist, that's fine too. Or if you want to forget them both and live your own life… Well, I'd encourage that."

"Neither Noriel nor Linda were good at handling doubt."

"Most people aren't. I didn't used to be."

"How did you learn?"

"Ironically, communion with a spirit greater than my own. But given that you as you have been alive for less than an hour, it would be unreasonable to expect you to make any radical decisions about your fundamental nature quite this quickly."

She turns her head, taking in the various parts of the room. "What is to happen next?"

"We'd like you to give a full deposition on Linda's activities. I personally would quite like one on Noriel's activities as well, so I have something to send to the angel fanzealots when they next accuse me of lying about what happened in the Silver City, but we're in America so I have to tell you that you aren't obliged to bear witness against yourself."

"It would not precisely be bearing witness against myself."

"American law hasn't yet had to adapt to permanent mental overwrites. But if you don't mind?"

"I have Noriel's perspective on her crimes. What would you have me tell you?"

"What was with the Superman costume?"

"I believe that at some point she intended to attempt to implicate Kara Zor-El in her crimes."

"Why? I mean, for a start, Kara can't create flames. And she's never been to Virginia. And she actually doesn't like using her exotic abilities."

"In reality, Linda knew nothing of her. In her head, she had already decided that she already knew everything that she needed to. Kara Zor-El was new to the Earth, but already had the interest of the entire world. She had the affection of the world's most powerful superhero-"

I cough quietly. Though I suppose that Kara and I do have a friendly relationship.

"-and a well paid job despite not having any Earth qualifications."

"And she was hurting herself with a radioactive rock because she wants to deny that any of it is happening because everyone she knew and loved died when Krypton exploded."

"As I said, Linda knew nothing of the real her. To her, it seemed entirely believable that someone in her position might give form to their vices out of the limelight. She also role-played as Kara during her lewd encounters with Buzz."

Yes, I suppose that would be one of her kinks.

"I can detail-."

"I don't need to know exactly what she and Buzz got-."

"No, not-. Not that. Their crimes. I am happy to put everything in writing… Though my memory is fallible."

"Thank you." I take a pad of paper out of subspace, along with a pen. "But -aside from that- what do you want to do?"

"Live a good life, die without committing suicide and… Not return to the Silver City, but go there."

"You are-."

I'd like to try to sell her on the other options she has as a human. Or point out that humans who go to the Silver City aren't supposed to stay there. But this isn't the time, and I doubt that my credibility with her is all that great.

"I meant in the short term. Where do you want to live? What do you wish to do with regard to employment?"

"I assume that I still have Linda's apartment. I still have her skills as a sculptor, though my inspiration comes from a less ghoulish source."

"But you also have Noriel's understanding of fire magic. Don't you?"

"Yes."

"Because I know some people who would consider that highly valuable. And since I imagine that Noriel used theurgy for just about everything, you might.. like doing something that neither of them did for a while. While you settle into… You know, existing."

"That is an.. interesting offer. Though I am a little suspicious. You have no fondness for either of my… Component parts."

"Because… Without wishing to sound hackneyed, we're all more than a sum of our parts. And I barely know the sum of you at all. How about it?"