by Michael Todd
Katie rolled her eyes and slapped Pandora’s arm. “Pan! We are in a government building.”
Pandora raised an eyebrow. “And I am an angel of God, but you don’t see that stopping me from thinking about the giant ride of pleasure way back in the day.”
The junior lawyers behind them were all crowded together, slowly inching their way toward Katie. They were listening hard to what they were saying and snickering to one another. The two girls rolled their eyes and packed up, leaving the Council Room. The guys, though, were more than interested in Pandora’s “giant ride of pleasure.”
They started to eye her, whispering to one another. “Did you see the one with the red hair? She likes lawyers.”
“Yeah, and from what I’ve heard, she likes dick a lot. Lucky for her, we are both.”
Another one of the guys chuckled. “Yeah, but she probably gets whoever she wants. We are junior lawyers on the losing side, and our boss just turned to dust.”
One of them shrugged. “Maybe she will feel sorry for us and give us a little motivation to keep going, if you know what I mean.”
They went back and forth, eyeing her body and cackling. “So, what do you guys think? Do you think that any of us has a chance with her?”
They all looked at each other and chuckled. “No way. She’s one badass bitch and wouldn’t even give us the time of day.”
As Pandora walked past, she paused, looking over her shoulder at them and throwing them a wink.
Katie stood staring out the cold windows of her bedroom at the condo. The snow was picking up speed, but she knew that when she left there, she was going to a much warmer place. A snowflake drifted down and stuck to the window, which magnified the complexity of its shape. Katie leaned in closer, watching the ice begin to melt around it.
She sighed and turned back to her bed, where her things were laid out next to her duffel bag. She picked up a tank top and folded it tightly, sticking it inside her bag. They were going to head out shortly to the base in Nevada to make final plans for hell.
Pandora yawned. So, today turned out a hell of a lot better than we originally thought it would.
Katie smiled as she tucked Tom and Harry into her bag. That it did. Not only did we get ourselves off the hook and shine the light where it belonged, we made good with General Brushwood. We can finally get back to kicking demon ass without worrying about all the complications, and we’ll have military support again.
Well, I think General Brushwood was on that side of things all along. I don’t think he wanted to continue without you. I could see the glimmer in his eye as soon as you took the stand. He knew what you were up to.
Katie chuckled. After this long together, he knows my every move. Normally that would be a bad thing, but I think we proved to each other that having each other’s backs is in both our interests.
“Hey!” Angie’s voice called from the doorway.
Katie looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Hey there, warrior princess.”
Angie chuckled and walked to the bed, picking up a sweater and folding it. “I never understood why you took all these regular clothes wherever you went. I barely see you in anything other than what you are wearing now or your pajamas.”
Katie shrugged. “I guess I’m hoping for a miracle. One day, I will have a full day in regular clothes.”
Angie halfway laughed. “By then, you will be way out of fashion. But hey, if you wait long enough, this stuff makes its way back around.”
They stood there folding the rest quietly. Katie peered at Angie, who looked morose and uninterested. Katie reached out and put her hand on Angie’s, stopping her mid-fold. “What’s going on? I have seen you every day now for a couple of years, and you look completely out of it. Was it the fight?”
Angie put the shirt in the bag and sat down on the bed. “No. I mean, by now I’m used to seeing people die. Though I have to admit, those were some badass theatrical legends. But by the end of it, I could barely stand. I don’t feel like a warrior.”
Pandora cleared her throat. I got this.
Pandora stepped out of Katie and stumbled forward, pulling down her tight top. She flipped her hair out of her face and turned to Angie. “Yes, I know. That was graceful as fuck.”
Angie looked surprised. “Wow, what did I do to get the great Pandora to come out?”
Katie smirked as she looked down at her things. “Trust me, she’s not that great.”
Pandora ignored Katie’s comments and walked over to stand in front of Angie. “Come here. Stand up.”
Angie stood up reluctantly and faced Pandora. Pandora put her hands on Angie’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “You don’t have to be a warrior in the same way Juntto is. You can be champions in different ways.”
Angie tried to look at the floor, but Pandora pushed her chin up. “I know, but you should see the way Juntto looked at that woman from DDF when she was fighting. He looked at her with honor and pride, and he looked at me with pity. I don’t want him to look at me with pity. I want him to be proud to stand beside me—especially in a battle.”
Pandora chuckled. “Well, first off, you won’t have to worry about him looking at Red. She is going to be locked up for a long time. Secondly, she isn’t that tough. One punch from me and that bitch was on the floor. Third, he looks at you with caring, not pity. He looks at her the same way he would look at any dude warrior. There just aren’t that many out there.”
Angie shook her head. Pandora pursed her lips. “Listen, you shouldn’t push Juntto to play video games or compete in tournaments. And you shouldn’t push yourself to fight demons. When you do that, both of you are unhappy, and you could fucking die. That would put an entirely new wrench in your love affair. I’ve seen demons and angels, but ghosts? That’s Damian’s thing, and he is far from here. I can promise you it wouldn’t be any fun. Just be you and let him be him. That’s how you fell in love with each other.”
Angie gave Pandora a small smile and nodded. “You’re right. I get it. Thanks, Pandora.”
Just then, Juntto walked into the room dressed like John Marston from Red Dead Redemption. He had longer brown hair with a silver streak in the front, a large-billed hat, and bullets strapped across his chest. He walked bowlegged with his thumbs clipped in his tan leather pants, his cowboy boots thunking on the floor.
They all lifted their eyebrows, and Katie chuckled. “Where you going, Tex?”
Angie giggled. “He’s John Marston.”
Juntto pointed at Angie and nodded. “That’s right, little lady. And I’m going with you, Katie. I need to be useful. To feel useful.”
He walked over to Angie and tilted her head back, kissing her lips. “Thank you for reminding me.”
Pandora jumped back inside Katie, and she slung the duffel over her shoulder. “All right, then let’s get a move on. We’ll see you soon, Angie.”
Angie stood back, smiling as Juntto and Katie walked through the portal.
Dr. Thorough stood next to Alice, tapping his fingers together. Katie and Pandora walked through the office doors in the base in Nevada and smiled. Katie put her arms out and gave Alice a hug, then put her hand out to the doctor. “Thank you so much for coming out here so close to the holidays.”
Alice shrugged. “He doesn’t celebrate. He has a scientist's brain.”
Katie tilted her head at the doctor. “Even after the proven existence of angels?”
The doctor chuckled. “Show me God, and I will put up seven trees next year.”
Pandora laughed. “What about Lucifer? That might be a lot easier, considering our plans.”
Thorough’s face fell. “What plans?”
Alice chuckled and leaned in. “I think they’re going back to hell.”
Katie nodded. “That’s right. We are headed back there, and soon. As soon as we can work it out.”
Alice wrinkled her nose. “We’ve been told you can’t get through.”
Pandora sighed. “Yes, but Katie and I are pretty posi
tive that if we put our powers together, with the little bit of demon I have left in me, we should be able to open a portal.”
Thorough cleared his throat, looking at Katie. “What do you need from us?”
Katie pulled out one of the old suits and handed it over. “We need new suits—ones that can withstand the heat of Hell. These were good, but with all the new research we’ve done, I was hoping to come up with something a little stronger and more resistant.”
The doctor’s eyes lit up, and he pulled out a blueprint of a suit. “That shouldn’t be an issue. I had a feeling you would eventually need them, so I have been working on one. The only thing is, you’ll have to keep those wings tucked into them. Without you having a demon, you’ll have to wear a suit too, and probably you as well, Pandora. No flying in hell.”
Katie nodded. “Don’t think that will be a problem. Just let me know what you need. We want to get going ASAP.”
Just then, the comm sounded on Katie’s office phone. It was Joshua. “Katie, you there?”
Katie pressed the button. “I am. What’s up, dude?”
Joshua laughed. “Can you come down to the armory? I want to show you something. Juntto is already here.”
Katie looked at the doctor, who nodded. “Yep. Be right down.”
Katie and Pandora left the doctor and Alice to their work and headed out through the blowing desert sand to the armory. When they arrived, they found Joshua and Juntto in one of the soundproof glass-fronted rooms. Joshua looked excited. “When you told me about your plan, I figured you probably would be back for more, so I took the liberty of building two more of the hell-bombs.”
Katie looked down at the bombs on the table. “You know me all too well.”
Juntto clapped his hands together. “This will be epic. I can use my Juntto-sized weapons to really lay waste to those bastards.”
Joshua put up his hand. “Sorry, buddy. The heat of Hell might melt them. Unfortunately, no Juntto-sized weapons this time around, but I’m working on some for you.”
Katie patted Juntto on the shoulder. “It’s okay. I think the adrenaline and feeling of revenge will get you going. I know it will work for me. They tried to turn humanity against us.”
Pandora nodded. “I guess they forgot who they are fucking with.”
24
The crowd of soldiers and warriors stood on the ledge of the lava-ridden horizon of hell. Dark stone covered the landscape as far as the eye could see, and the bodies of demons lay in their own black blood. The heat waves pushed across the expansive dimension, but the soldiers were fit and suited, protecting them from the dangers of hell. They held guns, grenades, swords, and daggers, all glimmering from the special metal they were constructed of. This metal was not only lethal to the demons but carefully formulated to withstand the detrimental waves of death that Hell imposed on anything from another dimension. It was the only place that couldn’t be traveled by just anyone.
Even under those strict parameters, Katie and her team had found a way to breach the impossible circumstances that they had been given long before that day. The research had been key, leading up to the events rapidly unfolding in front of them. Even with these improvements, though, the men and women were exhausted and pretty badly beaten up. Their spirits were still in the fight, though.
Katie and Pandora stood above them, their suits perfectly tailored to their bodies. Their helmets fit snugly, and they were able to communicate through built-in comms. A small digital screen ran across the side of each helmet, giving them the temperatures, conditions, and stats for their bodies. To the left was a sensor system that alerted them to any new droves of demons heading their way. It wasn’t perfect, but it definitely helped them keep from being surprised. Then again, nothing down there surprised them.
Juntto, now in his frost giant form, stomped over wearing his own specially-made suit. It was larger than all the rest but functioned the same way. He was without Juntto-sized weapons but had found his niche in the battle, using his strong body to thrash through the demons, tossing them into the line of fire or pulling them limb from limb.
One of the soldiers yelled into the open comm. “Incoming! This looks like a small one.”
Everyone turned as a lighter group of demons came rolling toward them. The soldiers opened fire, sending bullets whizzing toward the demons. Puffs of ash and body parts flew into the air, creating a plume.
Katie twisted the bombs into the notches drilled in the stone. She looked at all three of them. The first was painted with the face of baby Jesus, the second with Moses, and the third with Gabriel’s visage. That one was courtesy of Pandora, of course. “I just want to see his head explode.”
Katie snickered. “I don’t know how happy they will be with our artistic efforts, but at least we are doing our jobs.”
Pandora rolled her eyes. “It’s not like we have a choice. The angel powers are pulsing through us like a virus.”
“So this is what we it’s like down here?” General Brushwood stepped forward in his suit, putting his hands on his hips.
He looked out over the cliff at the rivers of lava running thick through the cracks. Katie nodded. “This is it. This is hell. Doesn’t really get much more exciting that we know of.”
Pandora laughed. “Not in the least.”
The general turned to Katie. “Thanks for the suit. I had to see it just once, and now I never want to set eyes on this place again. Thank you for deciding to work with the Army again.”
Katie smiled, programming her remote. “If we want an Army to continue to work with, we better all get the hell out of Dodge.”
The general jumped slightly and hurried after them as they climbed down to the lower level. Katie and Pandora stood in front of everyone, closing their eyes and using what powers they had left to open a portal back to the base. Their hands scratched through the air, pulling the rift wide and tall.
When it was all the way open, Katie and Pandora stepped to the side, nodding at the general as he passed through. The soldiers marched quickly and in sequence through the rift, knowing they had to get out as fast as possible. For the first time ever, the entire mission was going exactly as planned. There wasn’t a doubt in Katie’s mind, either. She had come there for a reason, and she was watching her revenge unfold right before her eyes.
When the last of the soldiers were through, Juntto clomped by, giving Pandora a hard high five. She stumbled back slightly and grimaced at the sting in her hand. Katie chuckled, lifting the remote. “Let’s arm these bitches.”
Pandora put her hand out. “You can do the honors.”
Katie pressed in the code and hit the green button, pausing as the counter began to move down from thirty seconds. She nodded and stepped through the portal onto the base. Pandora put one leg through and looked back at Hell. Her eyes shifted back and forth, and she laughed to herself. There wasn’t a bit of sadness in her. “Goodbye and good riddance, you batshit-crazy fucktards.”
As she stepped through, the bombs exploded and the portal snapped shut hard behind her.
Pandora and Katie walked up to the crowd of people standing outside her condo holding signs of admiration. They yelled out thank you and words of praise as the two walked through. They were both covered in sweat from the trip to hell, and Pandora carried two dozen donuts in her hands. She stopped and shook two of the people’s hands as Katie stood in the open doorway.
Katie laughed at Pandora, who was obviously starting to get used to the praise. Pandora walked through the door in front of Katie, who was smirking at her. “What? My adoring fans have been waiting all day in the snow.”
Katie chuckled, following her to the elevator. “I thought you hated them?”
Pandora stepped in the elevator. She pressed the button after Katie stepped in and shrugged. “Who doesn’t need a little love now and then, right? I mean, God forbid you get any from the opposite sex.”
Katie wrinkled her forehead. “Actually, I think God does forbid it.”
&nbs
p; Pandora rolled her eyes. “He forbids using mixed thread in a dress in the bible too, but you don’t see him smiting Kim Kardashian.”
They rode the rest of the way up in silence and made it into the condo. Katie put some of the donuts into the warmer and Pandora sat down at the counter. Katie took down some plates and leaned against the counter, waiting for the donuts. “So, it seems your demonic powers are almost gone. Are you still upset about it?”
Pandora sighed and put her chin in her hand. “Not really, no. Actually, I’m starting not to mind at all. They were overrated, and I think I only freaked because I couldn’t use them. I’ll be a badass angel if that’s what it takes.”
Katie smiled and put three donuts on each plate. She sat down at the breakfast bar and slid Pandora’s plate over to her. “It would only hold six donuts at a time.”
Pandora bit into one, holding her mouth open because it was so hot. She took a sip of the milk, ignoring Katie’s laughter. “Hey, where’s Angie?”
Katie looked around curiously. “Huh. I don’t know. She didn’t tell me she was going out. Maybe she just went Christmas shopping or something. It’s just us.”
Pandora glanced at her and put her arm up in the air, calling down her black and silver armor. “Flying practice?”
Katie smirked, calling her armor down as well. “I’ll beat you there.”
Pandora laughed and walked over to the window, opening it wide. “Like hell, you will.”
She jumped out, and Katie laughed, diving out the open window behind her. The two raced as fast as they could between the buildings, turning the corners tightly and laughing loudly as they went. Below, there were droves of late-night Christmas shoppers, stopping and pointing up at the angels as they passed overhead.
A little girl no older than nine pointed up and tugged on her mother’s jacket. “Momma, I want angel dolls for Christmas. The ones with swords and armor!”
