Baylahn: A Supernatural Action Adventure Opera (War Of The Angels Book 3)

by Michael Todd

  Pandora snorted. “You have no idea.”

  Everyone looked at Pandora. “Oh, I mean, we got this, Doc. No need to worry. Do you happen to have a bomb shelter in this building?”

  Katie stepped forward. “Okay, tell us what we are working with here.”

  Alice rubbed her hands together and gently tapped on a box in front of her. “We started out with a case of explosives. We weren’t sure exactly what you would be facing or how you would be handling it, but we figured it was always good to have one of these just in case.”

  Juntto nodded with a grunt. “I like how you think. Blow shit up, ask questions after.”

  Katie giggled. “That might be difficult, Juntto.”

  Pandora elbowed him. “Shoot first, ask questions later is the saying. When you blow someone up, they are in pieces. You can’t really ask questions… Oh, never mind.”

  Katie looked at Alice. “Sounds good. What else?”

  Alice lifted a spear and tossed it up and down in her hand. “We have a lightweight spear, and we got in contact with Joshua and he helped us get a Juntto-sized machine gun over here for the muscle.”

  Juntto smiled, rubbing his hand over the gun. “Exactly what I need.”

  Dr. Thorough nervously pushed his glasses up and glanced at Katie. “We were under the assumption that you and Pandora would be using your own weapons.”

  Pandora nodded, slapping her partner on the back hard. “Yep, you bet your balls she will. She wouldn’t think of using anything else. She is kind of obsessed with them.”

  Alice chuckled and continued, handing over a small zippered case. “In there are several vials. We figured you could bring back samples of Baylahn’s body. You know, in case you have time to collect them. They would be really helpful for research.”

  Pandora scoffed. “We’re going to be worried about enough as it is, and now you want me to play amateur biologist?”

  Katie snarled at Pandora and smiled at Alice, taking the case. “Ignore her. She’s having one of her out-of-body moments and doesn’t know how to be nice. We’ll do our best to bring back samples of the thing if we can get close enough to do it. We don’t know what we are walking or swimming into here.”

  Alice smiled. “Last we have atmospheric suits. They are similar to what you used in hell but repurposed for high pressure. They include oxygen tanks, which will allow you a short amount of time in the water if there is an emergency. One for Juntto, one for Katie, and one for Pandora. Do you need one, Pandora?”

  Pandora shrugged, and Alice handed it to her. “Well, just in case. And here is the fourth for Ashton.”

  Katie shook her head. “Wait, who’s Ashton?”

  Dr. Thorough looked at the three of them. “He’s your driver. I mean, none of you can operate a submarine, can you?”

  Katie shook her head. “Not me. Never even been in one before.”

  Pandora thought about it for a second. “No. Not something I ever tried in any of the thousands of years I’ve been alive.”

  Juntto put up his finger. “You know, I played this Navy game where I was a wizard with the driving. I took that submarine down like a pro. I swerved and swished through the water, chasing down the Soviets. Those bastards got what they deserved.”

  He looked up from the table and blinked, realizing that everyone was staring at him. He chuckled nervously. “I guess that might not be the same thing. Maybe that example was a bit ridiculous.”

  Katie turned to Alice, groaning. “You guys aren’t coming with us?”

  Dr. Thorough shook his head nervously. “Oh, no. We will be monitoring what we can from here, but there is no room for all our equipment there and transporting it would take us weeks of preparation. We did what we could from here, and we will be rooting for you.”

  Katie, Pandora, and Juntto gathered their things and thanked the scientists, then Katie opened a portal and they stepped through. Katie turned back, seeing the concerned look on Alice’s face as the portal slammed shut. She knew this mission was more than she had ever taken on before, but that wasn’t going to stop her.

  Juntto growled. “Gross!”

  Pandora picked up her boot and smashed it down. Underneath her foot was a roach the size of a small dog. Its guts squirted everywhere and she laughed. Juntto grabbed his mouth and made a gagging noise.

  Pandora furrowed her brow. “Really? You can behead someone or fight them to the death, but you can’t take bug guts?”

  Katie laughed and opened another portal. “Come on, assholes. Let’s get out of here before its momma shows up.”

  Juntto was the first through the portal.

  Korbin looked at the section of wall in front of him. He counted the studs, the nuts, the bolts, and every piece of metal, then put his pen to the checklist and marked them off for the third time. They did three major checks on the walls to make sure that everything was as it should be. The building was done, and all the corrections had been made. This would be Korbin’s final survey of the Taiwanese fort.

  Calvin walked beside him. “How is everything looking?”

  Korbin took a deep breath and nodded, looking up the wall. “This is my last stretch. We already checked all the guns, the turrets, and the systems. The tech is running smoothly and has connected to the other locations already. We kicked ass out here.”

  Calvin let out a deep breath. “That’s excellent. It feels good to do this and leave the place a little safer, you know?”

  Korbin smiled. “It does. It was not something I thought I would get this much satisfaction out of when I accepted the job.”

  Calvin rolled his shoulders. “So, what’s next?”

  Korbin looked at his watch. “Well, when this is done, I can hand off the report to the government officials and jet out of here. I want to move on to the next base as soon as possible. The quicker I get there, the faster we can get these protections up. That will be fewer lives at stake when there is another incursion.”

  Calvin looked off in the distance. “You know, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d kind of like to head home for a little while. You know, with my girl being pregnant and everything. I feel like I left her out there to handle it all on her own. And she has a doctor’s appointment soon, so I will be able to see my little human on the screen and all that.”

  Korbin patted him on the back. “That’s absolutely fine with me. I want you to be there for your little person as much as you need or feel you want to be. You are under no obligation to do any of this.”

  Calvin shrugged. “I know, but it’s been my whole life, so I have to do it. I am learning to determine the important things, you know?”

  One of the guards called down in English, “Korbin, we have a man approaching the gate.”

  Korbin put his clipboard down, and he and Calvin climbed the tower. They looked down at the man, who was dressed in tattered layers and had his hood pulled over his face. Korbin glanced at Calvin nervously. The man reached up and pushed his hood back, then looked up at them. His eyes were bright red; he was infected.

  Korbin got on the comm. “All soldiers to your battle stations stat. This is not a drill. Hold fire until you get word from me.”

  An alarm went off and the troops exited the buildings, making their way to the perimeters. Korbin had a bad feeling and wondered if the city was already under attack. Luckily for them, they had completed the entire fort. He climbed back down the ladder and grabbed a gun, holding it to his chest.

  Korbin nodded at Calvin. “I’m going to go out and see what he wants. You direct the troops if anything goes down.”

  Calvin put his hand on Korbin’s shoulder. “Be careful, and don’t hesitate to blow his fucking head right off his motherfucking shoulders.”

  Korbin chuckled as he walked toward the main gate, passing through the smaller bolted door to the side. He pointed his gun at the guy, who put his hands up immediately and said in English, “I mean no harm. I swear.”

  Korbin narrowed his eyes. “What are you doing here, then? I can se
e you’re infected.”

  The guy nodded, throwing his bag down. “I don’t have much training, but I am Damned. I came here because I was told there were mercenaries here. I want to help. I can control my demon, and he helps me be stronger.”

  Korbin looked at him for a second. “Put your hands in the air and don’t move. I’m going to pat you down.”

  Korbin went to the guy and realized he was younger than he thought. He searched him quickly and put his gun down. “You want to help, huh?”

  The kid nodded. “I do. I am twenty-three, and I’ve been infected for two years. Out here it isn’t as easy to find people who will let a Damned help.”

  Korbin looked him up and down. “Can you fight?”

  The kid shrugged. “A little.”

  Korbin got on his comm. “Relax, soldiers. He is Damned, and he’s come to help. I’m going to test him.”

  Korbin bounced back and forth, stretching his shoulders. “All right, let’s see what you got.”

  The kid took off his jacket and positioned himself, ready to strike. He ran forward without thought, jumping and swiping his leg at Korbin. Korbin moved to the side, the kid’s fist barely missing his jaw. Korbin chuckled as the kid landed, putting his hands up. “Nice—the element of ‘I give no shits.’”

  They sparred back and forth, Korbin not taking any hits. As the kid swung again, Korbin swiped his leg, knocking him onto his back. Korbin followed it up, dropping to one knee and slamming his fist downward. He stopped inches from the kid’s face and smiled. The kid’s eyes were as big as saucers.

  Korbin stood and put his hand out, helping the kid to his feet. “You’ve got balls, at least. You are going to need training, but I think with the proper kind you could do some damage out there. Have you shot any weapons?”

  The kid nodded, glancing over as Calvin walked toward him. Korbin chuckled. “Kid wants to help.”

  Calvin stared at him with a straight face. “Needs training or he’ll be eaten alive.”

  The kid looked at the two. “Does that mean you’ll let me in?”

  Calvin and Korbin exchanged glances and shrugged. Korbin picked up his gun. “Why not? I’ll talk to the Taiwanese government about getting a special Damned unit here. I mean, it worked for Brock in the States. Why not here?”

  Calvin agreed. “If it gives the place more protection, I don’t see how it could hurt. Though I have to say, I won’t be the one doing the training. I like it here, but that Dragon Juice just about killed me two nights ago.”

  Korbin laughed loudly, waving to the kid to follow him inside. They looked over their shoulders at him as he hurried behind. “Hope you have thick skin, bro. Welcome to the world of the Damned.”

  6

  Juntto turned the handle and walked into the apartment as quietly as he could. Angie was sitting on the couch, wrapped in a light gray blanket with her fuzzy hat and matching slippers. Juntto smiled, trying to tiptoe across the floor.

  Angie was playing a video game, moving back and forth with the character as she pressed the buttons. “Don’t think I don’t know you are behind me, weirdo.”

  She turned her head and smiled widely at him. Juntto chuckled and hurried to the couch, plowing into her. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed his face on her soft blanket. “I want Hygge, but I have to work.”

  Angie giggled and hugged him back. “It’s not going anywhere. It will feel that much better when you get back from your mission.”

  Juntto sighed and looked down at her. “You are my Hygge, too.”

  Angie grinned. “Ditto, Big Blue.”

  Juntto chuckled and sat up, slapping his hands on his legs. “Big-time mission this time.”

  Angie kept a calm face, trying to hide her worry. “I figured, since you came back to say goodbye. What is the deal? Big demon coming to town? Another trip to the fiery hellscape?”

  Juntto shook his head. “Not this time. I am going to seek out another Leviathan.”

  Angie turned toward him, not used to the worry on his face. She could feel it seeping into her stomach. “It’s all going to be okay.”

  Juntto brushed a lock of hair out of her face. “Are you worried?”

  Angie shrugged. “A bit, but that’s because I care about you. I’ll go play games with my team. That’ll take my mind off of things.”

  Juntto smiled and kissed her on the cheek. “Don’t run off without me.”

  Angie forced a big grin. “Never. I’ll be Hygge and waiting for you when you come back.”

  The armory was loud, pushing out ammo as fast as it could for the ever-increasing orders it received. The military needed weapons and ammo, the civilian sides needed it, and the small mercenary groups around the globe did as well. They were running an international company in one small hidden location. At the back, in one of the small soundproof rooms, Brock and Stephanie stood, talking to Joshua.

  Joshua looked down at the dozen or so orders on the table in front of him. “We are working as fast as we can and trying to prioritize everything. Right now, I am focused on shipping special metal weapons to the new forts in Romania, Germany, and Taiwan. They need them to fortify what they have created.”

  Stephanie crossed her arms. “That’s good. That will not only help the military but the civilians inside of those walls as well. It wouldn’t do any good to have just a wall there. They need to be able to defend the bases at all costs. I am assuming that Korbin had a hand in the ordering.”

  Joshua nodded. “Yeah. He walked the government through the basic ordering guide and showed them how to place it with us. From there it will be up to them to keep up with orders and know when to increase the arsenal if necessary. We also have an agreement that all new weapons be offered to these locations at the same time the US military is offered them. That will allow them to keep up with the technology. They know we try to design weapons based on the changing tactics of the demons.”

  Brock rolled his shoulders. “Good. The more they are with the times, the better off we’ll be when we go in to help them. It will be like having an army there already, so we can help instead of having to carry the entire load.”

  There was a cracking sound and a portal opened in the corner of the room. Both Stephanie and Brock put their hands on their weapons, but dropped them as Katie hopped through. “Hey, guys, sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. Still not sure I am landing in the right place when I open the portals. I was aiming for the base, but this turned out even better.”

  Stephanie chuckled. “It’s like stepping into the future. You are traveling like a sci-fi movie.”

  Katie smiled, closing the portal behind her as some sort of animal shrieked. “Yeah, except I never know where I am going to end up.”

  Brock smiled at her. “What brings you home?”

  Katie cleared her throat. “I actually came to talk to you.”

  Stephanie looked at Joshua. “Why don’t we all take five? Joshua, you thirsty? Let’s grab a soda from the main building.”

  Joshua looked at her, then Brock and Katie, then Stephanie again before it clicked. “Oh. Uh, yeah, sure. I could use a soda right now. Or coffee.”

  Stephanie put her arm around Joshua and led him out the door. She looked back at Katie and winked. Katie put her hands out and stared into Brock’s eyes. There was a moment of silence and intensity, then Katie cleared her throat. “Why don’t we take a walk around the base?”

  Brock clapped his hands. “That sounds perfect.”

  He led her out of the armory, chuckling as the girls yelled greetings to Katie. When they got outside and the noise of the armory had disappeared, he shook his head. “You’re like a celebrity everywhere you go. Those girls really look up to you and believe in what we are doing here.”

  Katie looked back at the armory. “I’m glad, at least about the believing part. It gives us all a bit more motivation when we care about what we’re doing.”

  They slowly walked away from the soldiers in training and out toward the airfield, staying nex
t to each other. There was barely anyone on that side of the base, and Katie wanted it to be quiet while she spoke to Brock. As they approached the helipad, Pandora sniffed. You should bone really quick before we have to go track down the Leviathan. You could use the old pickup line of not knowing if you’ll be back.

  Katie put her finger up to Brock for a moment. You mind if I have some privacy?

  Pandora groaned. Fine.

  She pulled herself out of Katie and flipped her hair back, looking Brock up and down. I didn’t want to be involved in this weird awkwardness anyway. If you need me, I’ll be out there molesting soldiers. With their permission, of course.

  Katie chuckled and watched as Pandora sauntered off, zeroing in on a group of guys close to the armory. She turned back to Brock and smiled. “Sorry. I really didn’t want my inner monologue going while I was trying to talk to you.”

  Brock smiled and took her hand. “It’s all right. It’s nice to have privacy, although I can’t get rid of my demon that easily.”

  Katie grimaced. “Sorry.”

  Brock shook his head. “Don’t apologize. I still get to do what I love, which is weird to say since there was a time when I seriously thought playing music and shagging groupies was what I loved. Anyway, what’s up?”

  Katie took a deep breath. “We’re leaving on a mission, and there is a very good chance that I won’t be able to reach you from where we’re going.”

  Brock lifted an eyebrow. “This sounds like one of those excuses guys give when they don’t want to call a girl.”

  Katie laughed and shook her head. “No, not at all. I’m serious. We are taking a submarine, so there won’t be any signal.”

  Brock paused and tilted his head. “I’m not going to ask about that. I will say, though, you have my attention. What can I do to make it easier? Do you need me to come?”

  Katie shook her head. “No. Actually, I was hoping you would stay and guard the base. I mean, it’s obvious that Stephanie and the soldiers have taken a shine to you and your team. I don’t want to ask too much from you, and you can always feel free to say no…I…”