Chapter 51
The one who withdraws himself
From the remembrance of the Merciful,
We appoint for him a Satan
To be a companion to him.
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Qur'an Az-Zukhruf 43:36
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Earth: April 11, 2003
Najaf, Iraq
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“My whole life I’ve looked down on him,” Azrael said. “And now I find out there’s more to the story than I was told.”
Elisabeth threw a batch of surgical implements into the sterilizer and slammed the door, turning the oven timer to the appropriate time to decontaminate things. The way things had been going lately, the chances of actually finishing the sterilization cycle before the next batch of wounded arrived was slim to none. She grabbed one of the gallons of bleach Corporal Till’s men had purchased from a local street-vendor and placed it next to a bucket. Just in case. The rush t
