Were, he caught himself. Sitting atop Liberty’s torch, Lyren stared out upon the New York City skyline. The inevitability of what was to come loomed over him like a plague. It sickened his heart to know what was to happen to these people.

     “Dwelling on the tragedies of man will do you more harm than good, my friend,” a familiar voice spoke from behind him. Azriel stood defiantly against the wind that swept across Ellis Island, his long silver hair lashing against his bare face.

     Lyren barely looked up, his eyes still transfixed on the two towers. “Amazing aren’t they? It’s hard to believe that a mass of metal could inspire such emotion, such....” His voice broke and it was a long time before either spoke.

     Breaking the silence that had fallen, Azriel stepped forward and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Your mandate is to chronicle all that has befallen man since the dawn of their existence, yet I find you here. One day, relived through your eyes.”

     Before the other could reply, a giant plane appeared through the morning haze. Banking slightly, the Boeing 767 streaked across the sky towards the north tower. The few that happened to be looking skyward stared awestruck, not quite sure what they were seeing.

     “No!” Lyren said, coming to his feet. Instantly, the howl of the wind subsided and all was still. Below, the waves ceased to crash, their once tumultuous waters now eerily crystalline. One moment frozen in time, a snapshot of what was.

     An instant later, the guardians were walking through the crowded New York streets. Weaving their way through the mass of unseeing citizens, listening to the thoughts of the people. “How their thoughts would soon change,” Lyren said to himself as he stared at the iron bird up above.

     “You can’t do this Lyren. Changing what was is forbidden, no matter how evil the deed.” Before Azriel could finish, they had left the streets and now stood center aisle aboard the plane.

     A cold wave of fear and despair bombards the angels as they reach out to the people aboard the airplane. Their fearful eyes hide behind clenched fists. The passengers know what is coming. Some cry, their tears frozen halfway down their cheek. Others pray, or try to distance themselves from what is happening, and some just sit in shocked silence. Few have accepted their fate, though deep down they know it to be sealed.

     Lyren stops, looking down at a wide-eyed little girl. She isn’t scared, only confused and curious. Locks of curly brown hair hide her intense blue eyes and flushed red cheeks. Her mother’s arms wrap protectively around her, trying to keep her safe. She is fighting free, desperate to look over the seat in front of her.

     “So brave at such a young age,” Lyren says quietly kneeling down to kiss her forehead. He knew her in an instant. Bold and fiercely inquisitive, she holds the potential for greatness. Her greatness, unfortunately, will never be realized. Not here.

     “You mistake her naiveté for bravery. She does not know to be scared,” replies the other.

     “You have been away from humanity for too long. She is the greatest part of them. She is forgiveness. She is hope,” Lyren says, his thoughts on the past. “You are right about one thing. We cannot change the past. If it had not happened here, it would have happened eventually. The lessons learned this day will be invaluable in the years to come. The human spirit will not be so easily vanquished. Its relentless fire will survive. So with a heavy heart, I must allow this atrocity to continue.”

     Appearing once again on the streets below, the guardian glances skyward as life is breathed back into the world. The sounds of beeping horns and ringing cell phones permeate the silence. The pedestrians that litter the sidewalk resume their journey, oblivious to what had just transpired.

     A second later, a thunderous boom brings all eyes skyward. Chunks of burning debris fly from the gaping crater that has been dug into the north tower. Flames licked hungrily at steel and flesh alike as a huge mushroom-shaped cloud of fire and smoke billow out of the void.