by Michael Todd
Tears streamed down Stephanie’s face as she giggled, the private memories between her and Korbin flooding back to her. It was like finding herself all over again, and this time everything made so much more sense. Katie leaned over and hugged her tightly. She set her chin on Stephanie’s shoulder. “I’m sorry those memories were lost until now.”
Stephanie leaned her head against Katie’s. “Don’t be sorry. I understand why, now.”
A gentle knock came on the door, after it creaked open, Timothy flounced into the room. He stopped in his tracks and looked at Stephanie and Katie, face full of concern. Stephanie laughed and jumped up, then threw her arms around Timothy. “I need one of those girls days out so badly right now.”
Timothy leaned back and looked her in the face, confused at first, but then excited. “My baby is back!”
Katie smiled and stood up. “I’ll go get Korbin set up.”
She brushed past Calvin, who was standing in the doorway. He had been behind Timothy the whole time, and could see that the memories were back. “If you give me a minute, I’ll come with you. I want to see you give the old man his game back.”
Pandora sniffed. Well, that was fucking heartwarming. Now the old man and his broad can remember everything. I guess it’s better than having to explain something to them every five seconds.
Katie grinned. You really know how to make a moment special, don’t you?
Hey, remember that I’m a demon. We don’t come with a mushy side.
Katie was about to disagree with her when her phone rang. She looked down at it and saw the general’s number on the screen. “General Brushwood, what’s going on?”
The general cleared his throat. “You know how I told you that the Navy was tracking the Leviathan?”
Katie nodded her head. “I do. How’s that going?”
After a deep sigh and a few moments of contemplation, the general finally told her. “There was a submarine in the Mediterranean. They found the beast, but the beast found them, too. Pandora was right—firing conventional torpedoes at that thing is like throwing stones at a steel box. They didn’t do a damn thing. In the end, the sub was lost with all hands. It was tragic and we’re mourning the loss of those sailors.”
“Jesus, did they even do her any harm?” Katie asked.
The general didn’t want to say it because he knew Pandora had already told him. “A little, but not enough to keep her from turning on them. Do you have any ideas? Well, I guess does Pandora have any ideas on how to take her down?”
Pandora took over Katie’s voice. She was getting better at switching back and forth with her. “First you find it, then you make it go where you have any kind of chance of surviving. It’s preferable that you go somewhere that you can assure the least amount of casualties. Then you kill it.”
“But how do you find it? The Navy, and not just the US but all the navies of all the major powers, are working this angle.” The general groaned with exhaustion.
Pandora was trying to remember what she knew about the Leviathan from her time in hell. “But, the issue is in the sea. It has an advantage we know about there. Tiamat is intelligent, and knows the demon language.” She brightened. “Hey, what about smack talking her?”
The general went quiet, then scoffed. “You want to piss off a giant dragon monster by talking smack to her? I’ll have to get back to you on that.”
Katie took back over before Pandora could get smart with the general. “I know it sounds crazy, General, but think about what Pandora said. We’re not saying you should talk smack to the Leviathan for no reason, but if it’s intelligent, maybe it’s hunting something. Maybe it’s hunting us, me or Pandora. Taunting it might be our only way to get it out of the ocean so that we have a chance of fighting it.”
The general still wasn’t sold. “I’ll work on it. It just seems like a crazy idea, you have to understand that.”
Katie sat quietly for a moment but knew there was no time to waste, even in the wake of disaster. “General, make the plans and we’ll be there. We will take her down. I promise.”
Katie and the general hung up. She closed her eyes and shook her head. I’m not sure he thinks that is the best way to handle this problem.
Pandora forced a chuckle. It’s Tiamat. There is no best way to handle that bitch.
Down deep in the bowels of hell, Moloch and Baal didn’t seem to have a care in the world. They sat in Moloch’s office with their feet propped up on the table, munching on the day’s catch of baby bunnies. Moloch reached out and grabbed a bunny by the ears, holding it over his mouth and dropping it inside with a crunch. Baal ate them a little bit more neatly, holding one by his fluffy tail and taking off the head first.
Moloch grabbed the remote, clicking on the television to watch the human news report. “I’m so glad they got American cable down here. It makes keeping up with the humans a lot easier.”
Baal nodded with a full mouth. “I also like that show, what’s it called? With the dad, his weird friend, and his four daughters.”
Moloch laughed. “Oh yes, Full House. I hear there’s a new one out.”
“No shit,” Baal exclaimed, chunks of bunny and fur flying from his open mouth.
“Oh, oh, shh! The news in on, and it looks like our baby has made headlines,” Moloch bragged. He sat up and put his terrible chin in his twisted hands, captivated.
On the screen, a newscaster was playing several different YouTube videos from the attack on the Mediterranean beach town. The two demons laughed wildly as they watched the Leviathan destroying the town through a shaky lens. The news had blacked out some of the carnage, which pissed Moloch off, but he was just happy to see that the Leviathan had done her job.
The reporter came back onto the screen, her face white. “This is a special report by News Seven. The same creature that can be seen in these YouTube videos, the instigator of the Mediterranean beach carnage, has struck again. Reports are flooding in that the monster has destroyed an American submarine. From what the military is saying, all hands were lost.”
Moloch and Baal looked at each other and fist bumped, having gotten exactly what they wanted out of the Leviathan. “Well, it seems that Tiamat was worth all that trouble it took to get her there.”
Baal nodded and fist-bumped him again. “You know, I think the fist bump is probably the best method the humans ever created of displaying happiness. Fuck all that hugging and crying and shit. Everybody should be fist bumping.”
Moloch took a deep breath and stood up from his chair, nodding at Baal. “I agree. Now, I think we should talk about Katie and her recent antics here in hell. Any thoughts on why she would have demon-napped those two idiots? I mean, there are plenty of demons on Earth. Why come all the way to hell to do it?”
Baal shrugged his shoulders. “I haven’t figured it out yet. And nobody else seems to know anything about those two, besides the fact that they worked well together, and they were kind of trouble. I’ve tried talking to Lucifer, but he’s been busy.”
Moloch rapped his fists on the windowsill as he gazed out over the lava pits of hell. “I don’t like this. I don’t know what she’s up to, but with Pandora being such a conniving backstabbing bitch, I can only imagine it’s going to be something big.”
Baal rolled his eyes and put a lid on the bunnies. “Not to mention that it’s probably going to bite us in the dick before we figure it out.”
Moloch shook his finger at the demon. “We need to go talk to Tiamat. She’s our best chance on Earth right now. We failed to get the weapons, so we’re just going to have to go another route. With Katie and Pandora out there, I’m thinking it’s going to be very difficult to get our hands on that ammunition or the ammunition maker, for that matter. We need to see if the Leviathan will go to New York for us.”
Baal laughed loudly. “They probably won’t even notice her with all the monsters running around that shithole.”
Chapter Twenty
The guards and the mercenaries worked dilig
ently on the base, trying to get it back in order and ready themselves for whatever would come next. Between having Katie back on base and having Korbin and Stephanie there, everyone was in a good mood. They had no doubt in their minds that they could handle whatever hell threw at them.
“These bastards aren’t going to get away with this a second time. They already destroyed one of my bases, and now they’ve come for this one. I’d like to see them come back now that I have my memories. I have something to give them,” Korbin snarled.
Calvin looked at him, curious. “What’s that?”
Korbin put up his fist. “My fist up their fucking asses.”
Calvin laughed. “Calm down, old man. I don’t think you actually want to put your fist up their asses. You don’t know where those demons have been.”
Everyone chuckled, but Korbin kept a straight face just like he always had in the past. Now that he could remember all the heartbreak and struggle he had been through, he was even more pissed. Everyone there believed they had the situation under control. That they could face anything that came their way and take it down, just like they had on the base the day before.
Katie walked into the room and pulled the phone to the center of the table. “I’ve got the general on the line, and I’m going to put him on speaker.”
Everyone gathered around the table and Katie pressed the intercom button. “Go ahead, General. We are all here.”
The general was in the same kind of mood—ready to do some work, kill a few demons, and get everyone to safety. “Korbin, Stephanie it’s good to hear that you’re back. Now, I’ve got some orders. You’re going to have a metric fuck-ton of boots on the ground as we wrap up your base and move you. We need to get everything secure and safe. I don’t want you guys to worry about that. Focus your attention on important things. The demons know where you are, and they know where your weaponry is. The secret’s out, and unfortunately, that means you can’t stay, at least not right now.”
Korbin pounded his fist into his hand. “This is bullshit. How do they keep finding us? There had to be somebody on the inside. As far as I know, no one but you and our team knew where we were located and that the weapons were here.”
The general sighed. “Unfortunately, I’m sure there is a leak. But there has been a leak for a long time if you think about it. Nothing goes easy here, especially when you’re dealing with politicians and demons—some of which are wrapped up in one annoying package. We can worry about that later, though. For now, my men are on their way. They’re ready to get going.”
Katie cut in. “General, what can we do to help? Should I stay out here with the team and escort them to wherever they’re going?”
The general chuckled. “Unless you would like to help the movers, I suggest leaving.”
Katie smirked. “I think I’ve done enough moving in my day. I’ll let you guys handle it.”
Calvin offered, “I’m gonna stay here with Korbin to get him up to speed. There’s a lot of things he’s missed since he’s been gone, and I want him to be on the right page. Before everything gets packed up, I think we should start going through it. On top of that, I want to be here and watch as they are moving these things. I want to make sure that we can trust everyone. After that, I’ll meet you in New York.”
“I’ve made sure that all these boots have been vetted, but Calvin, you’re right. Someone should be there just to keep an eye on things. Obviously, we can’t trust everyone,” the general admitted.
Katie took a deep breath and looked around her. She didn’t believe that they were going to have to move yet again. She was glad that she had already taken up residence in New York and had a place for everyone. Otherwise, she might just go crazy trying to get everyone situated all over again. “All right, general, you know how to get hold of me. I’m going to make some arrangements and then head to New York. Thank you for sending the troops.”
“Absolutely, Katie. You guys are our hope for the future, but you don’t have to do it alone.” The general was honest and kind. Everyone could tell that he had changed over the years.
Katie hung up the phone and looked at the others. She was sad that she was going to be away from them for a little while. She had gotten used to having her family back, but things needed to get done. There was a Leviathan trying to kill everyone. “Timothy, if you could call the plane to pick me up I would appreciate it.”
Timothy nodded and collected his things. Calvin chuckled, then eyed her suspiciously. “You mean you’re not going to fly back to New York with those wings?”
Katie rolled her eyes and slapped Calvin on the back of the head. “Don’t be jealous. I know it was no surprise that I had an angel in me. This is just one of the perks.”
Calvin leaned back and laughed loudly. “I think it’s less of a shock that you have a demon in you. I feel like the angels made a mistake. Who gives majestic wings and sweet shining armor to a demon like Pandora?”
Pandora growled. Watch it. I can still control your dick.
“Sí, mamá, te lo haré saber. Sí, estoy comiendo. De acuerdo, hablaré contigo más tarde. Te quiero. Adiós.” The young college kid hung up the phone and looked at his roommate, embarrassed.
“Aw, Chrissy, your mama misses you?” his roommate teased.
“I’m still in Spain, but she acts like I’ve moved to the moon. It’s college! She had eighteen years to prepare for this.” Chris shook his head and laughed.
Both the guys plopped down on a futon in the small common area of their dorm. Manuel grabbed the remote and clicked on the television, not paying attention to what was on the screen. “Chris, you gotta cut your mom some slack. You’re her baby. Trust me, after a while she’ll be glad to have some quiet in the house.”
Chris opened a bag of chips and popped a Dorito in his mouth. “I guess. Or she’ll just haunt me for the rest of my life.”
Manuel laughed and nodded at the television. “What’s this?”
Chris shrugged his shoulders. “Looks like they made some kind of new Godzilla movie. I didn’t hear anything about this at theaters. It looks like there’s a lot of money in it.”
Manuel leaned forward, entranced by what was going on. “I didn’t hear anything about it either. Damn! Look at those special effects.”
Chris tipped the bag of Doritos into his mouth and spoke, spraying crumbs. “I know, right? The actors are so real. And it looks like it was filmed right on the coast of Spain. Crazy that I didn’t hear anything about it.”
“Dude, watch the extras in the background. You would think they all went to Juilliard or something. That must’ve cost the producers a fortune.”
Chris knocked cheese dust from his hands. “Man, can you imagine? Getting cast as an extra in a movie where you could make rent just by running from nothing. They put the CGI dude in later. Seriously, I need to start going out on casting calls or something. I need some extra cash.”
Manuel looked at him sideways. “Please, your mother sends you money all the time. Besides, you’re not an actor. Aren’t you going to school for animation?”
Chris nodded his head. “Yeah, but I’ll do anything to get my foot in the door. Though I’m pretty sure it took a thousand people a million hours to animate that giant monster. It’s so lifelike. You can see all the muscles moving in its legs as it stomps around. They even made sure to put the blood on the ground wherever it smashes somebody with its tail. That’s some crazy shit. One day, my name will be on the credits for a movie like this. Some real James Cameron shit.”
They sat there watching as Tiamat attacked the coast of Spain, ripping through the boats at the shore and demolishing building after building. It was the same result as the Mediterranean beach town, only this was larger with a lot more carnage. Every time a building collapsed or a body was ripped in half the guys would grimace, but then high five each other. They still could not believe how lifelike it looked.
Manuel picked up the remote and clicked on the guide, trying to find the name of the movie.
“It’s not listed here. The guide says it’s the news, and this doesn’t even have anything listed in the spot. I think it’s crazy they have something this bloody on one of the regular channels anyway.”
Chris grabbed a bag of Cheetos and went to town. “It’s a new era, baby. They are letting all kinds of stuff on regular channels now. Before you know it, we’ll flip on channel five at three o’clock in the afternoon and there will be porn.”
Manuel chuckled and tossed the television remote at Chris. “Man, you wish. Like you don’t get enough porn. I’m always nervous to walk in here. I have to prepare myself to see all kinds of crazy shit you pull up off the Internet.”
Chris’s face went serious. “Hey, I’m just studying the human form.”
Manuel barked a laugh. “If you are so worried about studying the human form, maybe you should stop watching porn and go out on a date.”
“Oh, shit! That monster just crashed through the building and grabbed those poor fucks right out of their seats. That’s like a million hours of rendering just right there.” Chris pointed at the television, marveling at the magic of modern technology.
Just then there was a knock on the door and Manuel rose. He kept his eyes glued to the television as he walked over and answered it. One of his friends rushed in, sweating and out of breath. “Are you guys watching the attack on Spain? It’s fucking crazy, right? First demons, and now monsters coming out of the ocean and just demolishing shit!”
Manuel and Chris eyed each other for a moment and glanced back at the television as the monster grabbed three people off the ground. Blood sprayed as the monster ripped their heads off. On screen, the monster’s claws were stained red.
Chris swallowed hard and put the bag of Cheetos back down. He stared at the cheese dust coating his hands, staining them orange.
“Anyway, I just want to let you guys know that classes are canceled for the rest of the afternoon because of this,” the kid mumbled, and backed out the door.
