by Phil Maxey
I was trying to keep up with all the new information.
Fortacan looked at the tall guy. “And what is it you want for helping us stop the end of the world? Hmm?”
Salazar entered the room, which felt smaller by his presence, his eyes not leaving the old man. “You and I go way back. You tried to kill me, I you. We both failed and agreed a truce.”
Fortacan nodded.
“And now I hear from Alyssa of what has been happening lately. You are in a whole world of trouble old man. Mostly it would seem because of—” His head swung around to me. “— You, demon.”
“Hey, I was minding my business in an alley, in a very sought after spot—”
The vampire which looked as if he belonged in a rock band sneered and looked back to the professor. “We will help keep you alive, and retrieve what you have lost. But in return you have to agree that the Praesidium will leave us alone.”
“I do not speak for Fletcher,” said Fortacan.
“Those are my terms.” The vamp turned and walked back outside.
“Let me know when you go back on tour!” I shouted after him. Not the best of quips. He kept on walking, leaving with the two others.
Fortacan looked scornfully at Alyssa. “What?” she said. “You were almost killed, and this shit is way more than what we have dealt with before! The Octavian company—”
“Media Enterprises—” I interrupted.
“Whatever! They are dealing with dark magic. Their basement was full of sacrifices. Galons of human blood and we were attacked by a drude! I thought they died out two-hundred years ago!”
Fortacan let out a long breath, then nodded. “I know. You were right to find help, but dear, you can’t trust him. He’s just as likely to find the seal and then do a deal with them, than to give it back to us. His soul is as black as those we are fighting against.”
Alyssa nodded, but I could tell she didn’t agree.
Fortacan looked at me. “You.”
“Me?”
“You need to learn what it means to be a demon.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
After Fortacan exchanged a few messages on his phone with the lawyer, Fletcher, I was dispatched to the Bronx, and had been standing for thirty minutes inside a cavernous mostly empty warehouse. My patience was wearing thin. The sun had come up five hours ago, after Alyssa had returned home to the bunker, and I was feeling fatigue creeping over me. I wasn’t allowed any rest though as the professor thought it was more important I meet a guy called Hadrian Knott, whoever that was.
I heard a car engine outside, various doors open, then I was hit in the head with a two-by-four. The wooden board broke on impact, and the effect was little more than to get my attention, but I still turned around angrily.
“Och, this one’s going to be tough,” said a bearded middle-aged man with a Scottish accent. He wore a black military uniform, with various weapons hanging from it. He walked forward and looked up at me. “Did ya not hear me enter from the door behind ya?”
“Umm, yeah of course I did! Who the hell are you?”
“So yeh just wanted to be hit in the head for fun then? If I had been one of your kind you’d probably be on the ground right now wondering were ya eyeball had gotten to.” He walked a few paces away before turning back. I wondered what was about to hit me next. “I’m Hadrian Knott, friends call me Knotty, so you’ll be calling me Mr. Knott. Fletcher told me to get you into some kind of shape to stop you from getting you bottom spanked, which seems to happen frequently from what I’m told?”
“Well… no, that’s not exactly true, I—”
A handgun of some kind was pointing directly at my forehead. He squinted. “Now, how is it an old man like me can draw my gun and blow your demon brains out, when you can move as quick as a flash?”
“I thought we were just talking here!”
He holstered his weapon while grumbling. “A dullard demon, great.” Then looked back at me. “You were a rich kid right? Life came easy, then a vamp infects you and makes you a paranormal, you lose everything, and to make matters worse another bunch of demons are trying to kill you. Your life sucks!” He burst out laughing. I stood wondering when he would stop, but he continued.
“Screw this.” I started to walk away.
“No, no… wait. I’m just joshing with ya. I’ve been paid to do a job, so I’m going to turn you into the meanest, scariest demon this side of the Hudson… Or I fail and you die a horrible death. Which honestly wouldn’t be the worst of outcomes seeing you’re a demon.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But they say you’re not evil. Which is rare, but does happen. So first things first. Do you know what your are?”
“Yes! Demon, got it the first hundred times.”
“No, I mean, do ya know what variety of demon you are? Because they come in lots of different flavors.”
I thought he was ‘joshing’ with me.
“Each foul beast has their own peculiarities.” He could see I had no idea. “Och, well, you’re not very smart so we can rule out a fae—”
“Fae?”
“— You’re not coming on to me so that rules out succubus and incubus, you don’t smell like a shape changer and you’re not a vamp…” He walked closer to me. “Hmm… Well, hopefully we’ll find out as we train. First let’s test your strength.”
Grabbing hold of my shoulders he shuffled me about ten-feet to my right. “What you doing?” I said.
“Oh, no need to fret! Just stay right there.”
“Okay…”
He walked away, moving further and further until he reached the other side of the parking lot sized space. “Ready?” he shouted, although he didn’t need to.
“Yup. What am I—” I heard the rush of wind and looked up at a large metal rectangle about to crash onto my head, and instinctively raised my hands to catch the shipping container. The weight vibrated through my bones, as if I was being squashed in a vice.
“You’re doing well, keep holding it!” The crazy Scotsman shouted.
“How… long—” The fifteen-foot container wobbled, as I struggled to keep it held aloft. There was something moving inside it. “What’s inside this—”
“Okay let it go!”
I tossed it to the side. It landed causing a mini earthquake and dust fell from high above. Something solid slammed into the inside of it, causing it to shift a few inches and I stepped back. “What’s inside it?” I shouted again across the large space, but Knott was no longer there. I slowly traced the sound of his footsteps rising until I spotted him on a walkway some twenty feet above. He wasn’t alone. Other similarly dressed, but younger men were now running along the metal gantry. Another bang reverberated through the metal walls and I moved further away from whatever was trying to get out.
“You should prepare yourself!”
“For what?”
A large tear opened up on the long side of the container as if it was made of tinfoil, and a claw appeared in the gap. The soldiers all pointed their assault rifles down, not at me, but at the thing about to break free.
I started walking backwards. “What… is… happening…”
“This is a test!” I think he waved a paper notebook in the air, but I was too focused on the hole that was getting larger and the scaled arms that were emerging. A roar rang out and I tried to understand what lesson I would learn from being torn apart by a monster.
“Remember, gargoyles are called lesser demons for a reason! You got this lad!”
“That doesn’t look like a—” As I realized I really didn’t know what a gargoyle looked like in the real world, a shearing and warping of steel and rivets filled the air and a dark brown creature the size of a car exploded onto the concrete.
“Wings…” The word fell from my mouth, as what could only be described as a giant bat with the physique of a lion staggered around, then looked at me and roared again. Saliva drained from its jaws.
I turned and ran towards the exit, covering the distance in a second, then
howled in pain on touching the obviously silver handle that wasn’t there when I arrived. I looked back at the thing slowly creeping forward, using its wings as front legs.
“There’s no way out lad! Just fight the thing!”
“Fight! I don’t know how to f—”
Beating wings the width of two trucks propelled the thing towards me, its fangs repeatedly snapping closed. It slammed into the wall and door, but I had already shifted to the side, neatly avoiding the impact. It twisted its neck and growled.
“You sure this is a garg—” A horned wing swung in my direction, which I only avoided at the last second, ducking and then swung my own fist at the head of the thing, which was like hitting concrete. “Oww…” I just had time to cry out before the its tail grabbed hold of my foot and pulled me to the floor.
It reared up above me, claws ready to slice and dice, when a series of pops sounded off. Instead of becoming sushi the greater danger was of being crushed for the second time, as the creature’s torso hovered in the air, teetering in my direction.
I rolled to the side just as it landed, the ground shaking a little. I looked at the reptilian torso with darts hanging from it, and slowly got back to my feet. “That’s…. not what’s on the side of churches!” I shouted to whoever would listen. “I thought they were smaller…”
The sound of metal clanging heralded Knott coming back down to ground level. Those under his command ran ahead and started to haul the large sleeping creature back to the shipping container.
“How’d I do?” I said, feeling a slight tinge of pride.
“Terrible!” He slapped me on my back, then walked away. “Same time, tomorrow. Try not to die before then. I only get paid if ya complete the lessons!”
*****
“The gargoyle didn’t kill you then?” said Alyssa.
I was back in the bunker.
She walked into the living area, wearing just a long white shirt, which wasn’t long enough. I could hear my heart rate increasing but hers was disappointingly stable. I pretended not to notice her as she slumped in the leather chair opposite. In her hand was a pot of ice cream.
“Nope, I took care of it.”
“Sure…”
“How do you know about that thing, anyway?”
“Knotty’s lessons always start the same way.”
I leaned forward slightly. “So you know what happens next?”
She smiled. “Absolutely, and no I’m not telling you… other than, it won’t be pleasant.”
I sat back. “Great… I never was much for school.”
“You went to school?” Before I could reply, she scooped a large spoon of ice cream and dropped it slowly into her mouth. I wondered if she knew the effect she was having on me. She continued. “We need you to not get regularly knocked unconscious. A few lessons with Knotty might stop that from happening.”
“How long have you known him?”
“We go back to my change. He and Fortacan were what stopped me from becoming something… worse.”
We both heard the footsteps in the long tunnel outside the front door, but I got to it before she did. I looked through the spyhole to a glow from a flashlight on the other side, Fortacan and the tall red head lawyer helping him along the way.
“It’s the professor.”
There was only a single knock before I pulled the bolts back, then realized I hadn’t got the key for the lock. Alyssa pushed to me to the side and slid her key in and pulled the old door towards her. She then promptly rushed forward and threw her arms around the old man, who grimaced and smiled at the same time.
“Easy there, I’m still not a hundred percent.”
“You’re not even fifty percent,” said Fletcher.
Alyssa took over the lawyer’s chores and helped Fortacan inside and into the chair I was just sat in, while Fletcher sat opposite.
“Wait right there,” said Alyssa. “And I’ll get you your favorite tea!”
“There will be time for tea later, right now we need to discuss our predicament,” said Fortacan.
She turned and kneeled in front of him, while I leaned up against a nearby bookshelf.
“How was your first training session?” said Fletcher with a smirk.
“Good. I enjoyed it.” Her smirk left as quickly as it appeared.
“Save your bickering for when the forces of evil are not about to break a seal!” said the professor angrily, then placed his finger to the bandage still around the back of his head. He looked at Alyssa. “Have you heard anymore from Salazar?”
“I’m going to visit him later.”
“I’ll go with you,” I said.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she continued.
“It’s a good idea,” said Fortacan without explaining why. He didn’t need to, but Alyssa frowned anyway. “Fletcher has men stationed amongst the old walls and rooms in the building above us, in case those from Octavian deem it important to pay us a visit.” He looked around his subterranean home. “But I need to increase the wards.”
A rumbling of anger flowed across me. “Let them try…”
“Ha, one lesson and he’s already a hardened warrior!” said Fletcher.
I looked at her and her sarcasm dissolved once again. “Where are you with getting me my company back?”
“I thought you wasn’t bothered if we succeeded or not?”
“If I can take control of my company, there’s a lot I can do with the assets it has. I can protect us.”
“I’ve already filled with the court that you are claiming that you are Mr. Sebastian Hell-Lock and that you want the death notice that has been applied to you, struck from the records. That’s the first step. If they fight it, which of course they will, they will want to examine you with their own doctors, which we cannot allow to happen.”
“Why not?” I asked stupidly.
“Because as I understand it from the professor, the old you minus your memories, is completely gone, down to the DNA, which was altered by the paranormal virus which infected you.”
“Virus?”
“It’s not a virus,” said Alyssa. “It’s the void.”
She briefly raised her hand. “Whatever it is that changed you, just believe me when I say if their doctors compare any old DNA from who you used to be, with the… thing you are now, there will not be a match and the case will be over before it has begun.”
“Then…”
“I am going to find medical experts to argue that you became extremely ill with a disease that changed your DNA and appearance, making their tests pointless.”
It actually sounded a good plan.
“Is that even a thing?” said Alyssa.
Fletcher frowned. “It’s up to me and my team to make it so. The problem is we don’t have long. The takeover is being voted on at the end of the week, if it goes through then we will only have a few weeks before it’s finalized.”
Alyssa looked at the lawyer with the mischievous expression I was beginning to enjoy too much. “Perhaps one or two of the board members go missing?”
Fletcher raised one perfectly manicured eyebrow. “That would help. But harming them—”
“I’m not going to eat them!”
“— would not. We would need to just keep them out of the way for a few days, while we can get the court process going, then I will try to get an injunction to delay the vote.” She looked around. “Do you have rooms here to keep a few people?”
Fortacan nodded. “Yes, but we would need your people to guard them.”
“Of course.”
“Hold on,” I said. “We’re not seriously talking about kidnapping people?”
Fletcher showed surprise. “The demon objects?”
“Yeah, the demon objects! How’s it going to help to kidnap people?”
Alyssa rolled her eyes, while Fortacan shifted in his chair. “Nobody wants to do that, Sebastian,” he said. “But if you want your company returned to you…”
I remained silent
. If our foes were backed by a corporation, we needed the same. “No harm comes to anyone. That’s the rule.” I could tell Fletcher resisted raising another eyebrow.
Fortacan nodded. “Also, we only have one week to reclaim the seal and if they do manage to gain access to this bunker and take the book, they may be able to find others…”
I frowned. We were backed into a corner. “How are we getting my seal back?”
The professor looked at the lawyer. “We could use your contacts in locating it. That would be a start.”
She nodded and stood. Alyssa did the same and went to leave. “You and the demon here need to come with me.” Both of our expressions showed surprise, then I remembered and swore. “You have an appointment at the fifth precinct.” She looked me up and down. “Do you have a suit?”
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
She shook her head. “Well, if your plan is to look like criminal, nothing.” She patted me on my shoulder. “We’ll get you something before we go to the station.” She looked at Alyssa. “I presume you have more clothes to wear?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
I looked at the mirror in the clothing store. A stranger in a dark-gray suit looked back at me.
“You like?” said a man half my size.
Fletcher answered for me. “It’s perfect Chang. We’ll take it. Charge it to the company account.”
“You come back if you want alterations, okay?” he said to me. I nodded. The man smiled and hurried away between reams of sheets of material.
“For a demon, you don’t look… unpleasant.” It was the first time the lawyer had said something positive to me.
“Thanks.”
She turned towards the exit and I walked with her. “So you’re in charge of a group of para-military dudes—”
“And dudettes,” she said.
“— Right, and they do what exactly?”
She pulled the front door open and the cool evening air washed over us. “Protect. Remember what I told you to say to the detectives.”
