80 Proof Hex_Deckland Cain 2

by D Michael Bartsch

  Carl looked at me. I shrugged. He nodded and headed out, giving White the stink eye before pulling back the privacy curtain. As he left, I could see the rear end of a heavily armored vehicle. I was back in the warehouse. They just had a privacy curtain set up around my bed to make it look a little homier. I’m sure I would have felt a major draft if I hadn’t been high as a kite.

  “I need you to debrief me on exactly what happened. After you and Mr. McQuillen entered the parking garage, we lost contact with you. Something happened with our internal comms. I had no visuals and by the time my ground assets reached your position, you were gone. If you’re saying that Agent Petran was helping him, that would explain how that happened.”

  I nodded. “Yea. Al figured out who she was months ago. She’s been working both sides for him ever since.”

  “I wouldn’t have thought it possible. All of our field agents undergo an intensive psychological examination every week. If someone was hiding something from me, I should have known about it.”

  “Yea well you got bamboozled, cause she was there wearing robes and a skull necklace. She looked like the cover girl for Cultist Quarterly.”

  White took a sip of his coffee, blowing on it lightly before he did.

  “This is an alarming development. Though, it does explain how Mr. McQuillen and Mr. Dunn stayed ahead of us for so long.” He took another sip, sitting down in a chair beside the bed. “It’s my own fault. I’d thought our security tight enough to trust without verification. After all, it wouldn’t work on you. That should have been a sign that it alone isn’t as foolproof as I believed.”

  My interest pricked at the last part. “What do you mean it wouldn’t work on me?” I asked. “You use magic to screen your people?”

  He nodded. “We have an artifact in our possession that can detect falsehoods. We use it in combination with professional psychiatric screening.”

  “There are ways around everything,” I said. “Al is a serious badass. I mean, next level hoodoo. He summoned an Archangel and almost killed him.”

  I heard shouting from somewhere behind the curtain. I looked in the general direction, trying to make out what it was. It sounded like it was coming from either outside or the upstairs office area. White turned to look over his shoulder. He seemed completely disinterested. He shook his head. I noticed then what I took for disinterest was veiled annoyance that was creeping its way out.

  “Speaking of.” He said.

  “Sounds like someone is upset.”

  White nodded. “Indeed.” He drank some of his coffee and set the mug down on the table beside the bed. “I’m afraid our recovery of you was not as simple as I would have cared for.”

  “Meaning?”

  “When we lost communication with you, we waited five minutes before going inside the building. Standard procedure.” He added that in for my benefit. I’d given him the you-waited-five-minutes-to-come-get-me-you-asshole-face.

  “I had my team search the garage and surrounding areas. We’re still not sure how they got you out, but it was clear that you’d both vanished. From there, I kept all of the teams on standby, searching within a hundred mile radius for any anomalies. I had helicopters and planes in the air within ten minutes. A satellite was redirected as well.”

  Damn. That sounded expensive.

  “At approximately one-hundred hours yesterday morning, we detected a massive heat signature. A visible pillar of fire was seen by at least two dozen witnesses from up to fifty miles away. The flames originated in the desert about a sixty miles southeast of the city and reached over a quarter mile high. We’ve intercepted photos, tweets, and videos of the event. My techs have been busy all night flooding the internet with articles and hoaxes around the globe of large fiery pillars.”

  “Sounds about right,” I said, feeling justified in my general paranoia.

  “Disinformation is one of our greatest weapons in the internet age. Suppressing every video and photo of major events is becoming damn near impossible now that everyone has a portable camera with them at all times. Instead, we aim to discredit sources and redirect traffic to our own content. We own dozens of domains and have thousands of bots that post content wherever we need.”

  Big brother indeed.

  “How long did it take you to get to me?” I asked.

  “Once the pillar was detected, we were on scene in under twenty minutes. You were found, along with the remains of several corpses that we have yet to identify.”

  “The Owens family,” I said. “Couple other Vampires I didn’t recognize.”

  “You knew them?”

  “Of them.”

  He nodded. “My men also encountered a Level Five Interdimensional Being.”

  “Level Five Interdimensional Being? You mean Raphael?”

  White look at me cautiously.

  I stared back. “Raphael, The Archangel of Justice. Steward of the Earth and member of the Angelic Council.”

  Still nothing.

  “Tall guy, pale skin, red hair, and a giant stick up his ass. Ring any bells?”

  White raised a hand. “Forgive me, Mr. Cain. I have been in this business for a long time, and this is the first time that I or anyone I have ever heard of has encountered a Level Five entity.”

  “You can say, Angel. It won’t kill you, I promise.”

  “I’m afraid we have no direct proof of what the entity was. Though, Captain Wallace’s report did state that the entity claimed to be Raphael, Archangel of the Lord.”

  “Was he getting ready to take my head off when you showed up?” I asked. “I assume he’d already ghosted Alastair and was moving on to me by then.”

  “There was no sign of Mr. McQuillien, Mr. Dunn, or Ms. Petran on scene. Other than the bodies, and the entity, you were the only person present.”

  That wasn’t good. Had Alastair gotten away? I had a hard time believing any human being could tangle with an Archangel and live. It wasn’t the way it was supposed to work. Though, from what I’d seen of him if someone could, it probably was him.

  “What did Raphael say when Wallace put me on the chopper?” I asked.

  “Captain Wallace did state that the entity ordered them to leave you for judgment.”

  I snorted. “Of course he did. What a prick. You know I saved his ass like five minutes before you guys got there.”

  White raised his hand again to shush me. “The entity did not try and stop Captain Wallace, nor did it interact directly with any of the other men, even when questioned.”

  I nodded. “That’s cause he can’t. It’s against the rules. Wallace was probably the first one out of the chopper wasn’t he?”

  White nodded.

  “That’ll do it. He couldn’t address anyone else. The only reason he could do anything to Al was because he posed a direct threat to him and he needed to defend himself. Outside of that, direct interference is a no-no. Hell, even being seen by mortals is enough to be considered direct interference. He’s probably going to get ripped a new asshole when he gets back to the council.”

  I smiled at the thought of that. Served the prick right.

  White leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Who are you, Mr. Stearns? Who are you really?”

  “No one,” I said. “And I’d like to keep it that way.”

  “That could pose a problem.”

  “Why’s that?” I tried to sit up a little more. Not that I could do much to defend myself while I was handcuffed to the damn bed.

  “You’ve been unconscious for,” he checked his watch, “just under twenty-three hours. Within twelve hours of your retrieval, someone claiming to be the First Knight of the Venatori arrived at this facility. A facility that I’d like to point out is supposed to be classified at the highest level.

  Despite that, this man not only knew about you and this facility, he was also here before you were even out of surgery. He claims your name is Deckland Cain and that you are wanted by the Venatori. He demands you be turned over to him
.”

  I wasn’t listening anymore. The First Knight of the Venatori. The most powerful hunter among supercharged badass killers. Strengthened by a bond with an Angel and driven to seek out and destroy anything resembling evil. It was my worst nightmare come true.

  Raphael had been bad enough, but I still don’t think he would have technically been allowed to kill me. I didn’t pose a direct threat to his life. He was one to bend the rules, but not break them. The Venatori, on the other hand, weren’t bound by the rules of Angels. They were the human face and murdering hands of Heaven, here to do the dirty work.

  “Did he give a name?” I croaked, barely able to make my vocal cords work.

  “Gabriel.”

  I felt a cold chill shiver up my arms. The muscles of my neck spasmed. My mind drifted at the name, back to thoughts of being thrown in chains and pulled in front of the Angelic council. I remembered the eyes of the man who’d found me next to Elena’s body, seeing his concern turn to hate as he realized what I’d done, how I’d sold my soul. Gabriel, First Hunter of the Venatori, my brother.

  “Know him?” White asked.

  I shook my head, trying to bring myself back. “What?”

  “Do you know him?” He asked.

  I looked at him, searching his face for something. I couldn’t say what it was, but I needed to find it. “Long time ago.”

  “He is demanding that we release you into his custody for immediate extradition back to Vatican City. He’s been very forward about his expectations of cooperation.”

  “Sounds like the same guy,” I said. “And?”

  He shifted in his chair, leaning back to get comfortable. “That’s entirely up to you, Mr. Stearns. Or is it Mr. Cain?”

  “Cain,” I said.

  “Very well. That is entirely up to you, Mr. Cain.”

  “Meaning?”

  White folded his hands in his lap, crossing his legs. “As of this moment, you’re a private citizen, albeit one with questionable paperwork. You’ve committed a series of felonies, and you’ve been suspected of mingling with Vampires and Necromancers.

  The United States of America doesn’t take kindly to people with those types of associations. If we can send you off with the Catholic Ninjas, it’s a win-win in terms of building favor with an influential group in the eternal war against evil. It also helps us get rid of someone who’s a drain on society.

  “However, that being said, if you were to agree to join my team, well then you wouldn’t be just another private citizen. You’d be an operative within the BUI who recently came back from an undercover operation, one that saved the life of a creature claiming to be an Archangel. If that were the case, well, we don’t leave our men behind, and we sure as hell don’t hand them over for a job well done.”

  There it was. I felt the walls closing in around me again. It didn’t seem to matter where I went or what I did, in the end, I was a magnet for damned if you do, damned if you don’t decisions.

  I could either let myself get handed over to the Venatori for execution or worse, another trip to the Void. If I didn’t want that, I could agree to sign up with White and his band of merry death commandos. Despite what he said, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be a touchy-feely brotherhood. I was still useful to him right now. He was curious about me and saw ways to use me. That meant he’d keep me around. As soon as I’d run my course though, I had no questions that he’d sell me out to the Venatori or anyone else who came asking.

  “And Carl?” I asked.

  “Mr. Rodriguez appears to be a rather upstanding citizen. He knows more than I would like, but if he were to agree to swear to secrecy under penalty of death, I believe we could comfortably say that he would be able to return to normal life. Though, if we surrender you to the Venatori, there is a chance they may take an interest in him as well.”

  Carl could go home, away from all of this. He could go somewhere and not have to worry about me coming in and almost getting him arrested or killed. He could go back to saving people who needed saving instead of wasting his time on lost causes like me.

  “I want it in writing. Carl walks. He gets to go back to his normal life. I come with you. Whatever you want, I’ll do it.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not how it works. You have to make a choice right now. You either help me help you, or you leave with the Venatori. Mr. Rodriguez will be responsible for his own decisions.”

  I had a vision of me jumping out of the bed and strangling White, taking one of the handcuffs and wrapping it around his neck, twisting until tan skin bulged between the links of chain.

  “I’ll do it,” I said.

  “Do what?”

  I tried to keep the murder out of my eyes. “I’ll join up, enlist, whatever you want to call it.”

  “Splendid.” He bounced up to his feet, picking up the coffee cup. “I’ll go inform our guest that he can either vacate the facility or be buried in it. After that, I think the two of us need to have a nice long chat. I still need to be debriefed about everything happening, and you still need to tell me exactly who and what you are.”

  With that, he walked out, the privacy curtain fluttering as he pushed through it, leaving me alone. I watched the curtain for a minute, trying to imagine what he was about to say to Gabriel, and the blow out that it might cause. I smiled at the thought of Gabriel having to leave empty-handed. The smile didn’t last long though. I’d just signed up with a shadowy government organization. One that didn’t give a shit about me or anything except taking what they could get.

  Carl walked back in a minute later. He looked concerned as he crossed back to the chair and sat down.

  “What he say?” Carl asked.

  “He,” I said, not sure how to say it. “He offered me a deal, join up or be given over the Venatori.”

  “That’s not much of a deal. You chose to join up right?”

  I nodded.

  “Good. I was thinking of doing the same.”

  “Carl!” I said, cutting him off. “This is your chance to get out of all of this. White said that if you agree to stay quiet about everything, they can let you get back to your life. You could go back to living without having to worry about who or what is coming to kill you, without me there to screw everything up for you.”

  Carl looked at me. I couldn’t tell what was behind his eyes. I wanted it to be rage, but I couldn’t help but think it was sympathy, which was a thousand times worse.

  “Did you ever think that maybe I don’t want to go back?” He asked. “Did you ever think that I can’t go back, knowing what I know. Knowing what’s out there, how can I do nothing about it? How can I sit back and let other people, people like you, defend all of us while I do nothing.”

  To be honest, I hadn’t given much thought to what Carl actually wanted. I just assumed that he’d want to go back to living a normal life. I was a little surprised that he didn’t.

  “And if White doesn’t let you stay?” I asked.

  “He will.”

  I squinted in confusion. “How do you know?”

  Carl shrugged. “He already offered to let me stay on if I want to. Not sure what I’d be doing exactly, but something inside the day to day operations. I wouldn’t be part of the Response Team.”

  “Huh,” I said. “I guess I hadn’t thought about a desk job was a thing in Demon Hunting, but I guess this place is loaded with people who’ve never seen the sun.”

  “Hey now,” Carl said. “I’m gonna be one those people.”

  I smiled and reached out my hand as far as the handcuffs would let me. Carl shook his head, smiling as he did it, and shook my hand.

  We’d been through a lot together, and I had to admit going into something with Carl at my side was a hell of a lot more comforting than the thought of riding off on my own. Part of me still wished that he would take the out, get away from all of this while he could. I could see it in his eyes though that he wouldn’t. He was determined, and nothing I could say would stop him. Hell, I’m pretty sure a
nything I said would just drive him further into the set jaw stubbornness that he got about things.

  “Partners?” Carl asked.

  “Partners.”

  Epilouge

  Six months later I was walking into a fancy hotel in Chicago. I’d spent three weeks chasing down leads about some upstart warlock who had decided to set up shop and feed children to a Namahage. Not sure what his end game was, but you know, these people don’t tend to be well adjusted.

  We’d gotten a call in the morning that someone had information for us about the warlock and a possible location on the Namahage. They’d said they would only speak to me. I was supposed to meet them at the Langham Hotel.

  I got out of the SUV, nodding to Frost. She’d elected to drive me over. She and Carl and been hitting it off, and while nothing was official, I was pretty sure they’d been necking in the hallways when no one was looking. I was determined to catch them in the act.

  She rolled down the window as I closed the door. “I’ll be up the block. Call when you’re ready for pick up.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I unbuttoned the top button of my cheap black suit jacket. White insisted that I wear one. I’ll admit, I liked it more than I wanted to let on. The only problem was that White refused to let me wear my fanny pack with it. What he didn’t know was I just didn’t put it on until I got into the field. Reaching into my jacket, I undid the strap keeping my fanny held up by my shoulder. I slung it around my waist and clicked it into place, tightening the strap. It was black on black, and from a distance, you could even tell I had it on in the first place.

  Along with my fanny, I had a Glock 20 in a shoulder rig, a Ruger LCP in an ankle holster, a Smith and Wesson .357 snubby in my fanny pack, my collapsible baton, and various knives in my pockets. Say what you want about the government, but damn they had nice toys. I also didn’t have to pay for any of it.

  God bless America. Land of the free, home of the well-armed.

  Walking into the lobby, I asked the concierge which way the bar was. He pointed me in the right direction. I thanked him and started walking. When I got in, I kept my eyes open. They hadn’t really told me what to look for. I’d just been told to show up. That was nerve-wracking and annoying. I didn’t know who or what I was looking for.