Angel of Mercy was a novella published by Thebes Publishing. It was originally an email-only subscriber exclusive for ordering a three book bundle from the Erimem series. The novella was written in three parts, each by a different author, and each part was released on a separate date. Due to requests for a print copy of the book, it was eventually made available for print-on-demand on Amazon on 15 November 2015.

Publisher's summary[]

A trip into the near future takes Erimem, Andy and Helena to a newly built city in England where the rule of law has been set aside for the twin rules of gangs and ratings.

Everything in the city is observed by TV cameras, including the struggle by a woman named Angela, the city's Angel of Mercy, to protect and feed the most vulnerable.

Erimem and her friends find themselves caught in the deadly ongoing conflict between Angela and a gang led by a man named Razor, a gang that is ready to kill anyone in their path... including the time travellers.

Plot[]

Andy Hansen and Erimem convince Helena to join them on their latest trip to the future, something they hope will show if society has improved. They arrive in a lawless and ransacked urban wasteland, pursued by a gang of marauders under the command of the biker Razor. Narrowly saved by a local aid worker, Angela, they're taken to a hidden refuge for the poor and starving.

They learn "the City" was built decades ago after a future British government decided everyone had to 'pay their way' and forced anyone without work - the unemployed and homeless, the mentally ill, immigrants, and unwanted criminals - to live there. The City's events are broadcast 24/7 as a reality show, with inhabitants getting extra food for helping ratings and celebrities making money (causing some people to want to enter the city). Razor's brutal acts see him rewarded with food and equipment, while Angela is inadvertently a famous 'hero' called the Angel of Mercy. Erimem and her friends are disgusted to learn the people outside allow this to happen.

When Razor strays off his territory and threatens to burn a cafe full of people, Erimem intervenes. She forces his gang to depart by dropping molotov cocktails on them; Andy and Helena join in, but Angela freezes and doesn't. A TV crew arrives at the same time as the ambulance and callously searches for 'interesting' victims. To Andy's surprise, Angela claims credit for the fight and gets herself an audience approval boost that triggers a food drop; she later tells Erimem that if a newcomer got the credit, it wouldn't be enough to get food for her neighbourhood.

Erimem stays in the timezone to ensure Razor doesn't take the food in revenge. Diversionary methods are used to confuse him about where the food is coming and the vans are dispersed across the area so each has a better chance of making it. Razor's gang attacks their van, however, capturing Angela and almost killing Erimem, Andy, and Helena. The event is a ratings sensation and Erimem correctly predicts Angela is alive so Razor can make a show of it; he informs the media of the exact time and location he will kill her, proving he rules the City. When the media arrives at the shelter, Erirem uses them to broadcast her own message that if Razor kills Angela, she will kill him in turn; thus ensuring he will definitely stick to his stated time and place, rather than be seen by the public to have his mind changed by her threat.

Erimem and her friends are able to hack the reporter's network, learning where Razor's gang is and being able to listen in on them - which is where they learn Razor and Angela have been working together to boost each other's reputation as 'villain' and 'hero', and she will 'escape' while he still shows his strength by massacring the civilian audience. To undo this plan, they 'rescue' Angela and trick her into going to Beaton Square where Erimem has the footage broadcast to the masses, discrediting both leaders and proving the TV network knew about it. The time travellers depart as the angry crowd revolts, potentially killing Razor and Angela in their wrath,

Characters[]

• Erimem
• Andy Hansen
• Helena
• Ibrahim Hadmani
• Angela
• Razor
• Denise

Worldbuilding[]

• Andy watches remastered episodes of Star Trek on YouTube.
• Andy uses Firefox on her laptop.
• Andy compares the City to Mad Max crossed with the anti-Thatcher riots of the early 1980s.
• Andy makes a disparaging reference to the "government we're lumbered with" when told the future government "decided that everyone in the country had to pay their way", refering to the Tory/Lib Dem coalition government's austerity policies.
• After travelling back from the future, Helena refuses to watch Big Brother, and advises Ibrahim to do the same.

Notes[]

• The date isn't specified but between "fifty and seventy" years in the future (2065 to 2085). The City was constructed "decades ago".
• The City's location is never confirm, just that it was built around a former mill town in the north. One part is called Ruby Square, another Beaton Square.
• Cars are all electric at this point in time.
• While Andy tries to avoid hitting people during the firebombing, Helena aims directly for the bikers and possibly kills one.

Continuity[]

• Andy recalls visiting Actium and Stalingrad during bad weather. (PROSE: The Last Pharaoh, The Beast of Stalingrad)
• This is Helena's first travel in time.
• Andy wonders if this future is fixed or can be changed, hoping it's the latter.

External links[]

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