by Michael Todd
“I mean, seriously?” Eric asked, looking Katie in the eyes. “What was I supposed to do in that situation? It has been scientifically proven that females have the ability to warp men’s minds. It’s biological; like, born and bred into you girls to do that to us.”
“Well, you do have a point.” Katie smiled and patted him on the arm. “You definitely have a point.”
Chapter 13
Katie looked out the plane’s window after Ella had fallen asleep with her headphones in and music blaring. Damian was several seats back, working on a sermon for the next time he led a service at the church he had gotten involved with. There was a silence in the plane that she wasn’t used to, and though she could have used a little extra shut eye, she wasn’t tired—not in the least.
What do you think T’Chezz is doing right now? Katie asked Pandora. Like, right in this moment in the fiery pits of hell.
I dunno, Pandora grumped. Probably torturing a soul or commanding his minions or taking a shit or something.
You guys take shits? Katie asked.
No, she admitted, but it was something a human would understand.
I meant, what are his plans for the future? Katie rolled her eyes. For us, for Earth, for the humans. Trying to figure out his next move is really our only choice right now, and you know him the best. We can’t allow him to get his forces back together. I saw the size of his leg and I don’t think I’m ready take it out, much less his whole body. Dude was huge! Unless you have any better ideas?
I should have just taken care of him when I thought about it decades ago. Pandora sighed. That would have been the simplest thing for me to do. I guess I could possibly work up some plans; something that would create a weapon that would destroy him.
That’s what I’m talkin’ about, Katie exclaimed. Let’s think about how to end this, not just prolong the fight.
You do realize that if I create a weapon that can destroy him, I will eventually be destroyed by it as well, Pandora pointed out. I don’t like the sound of that.
We can all be destroyed, Pandora, Katie admitted. At some point the question isn’t whether it is demon versus human. It’s about who are you closest to. It has to be who deserves to be here, not what species you are—if you can consider demons a species. I know it sounds romantic in theory, but we humans have been fighting about that very thing amongst ourselves forever.
And how far have you gotten? she asked. You still kill people over the color of their skin. I would have no chance.
Well, I can’t argue with you, but I would fight for you, Katie told her. And throw your ashes somewhere pretty when you were evaporated.
Right. She chuckled. Like the city dump.
It’s on the list, Katie agreed.
You know what I need to do? Pandora sounded excited. I need to start a bucket list, and on that list I will put having sex this high in the air.
It’s called the mile-high club. Katie snickered. Many people have joined the mile-high club.
I’m sure you haven’t, prude. Pandora scoffed. Though I have to say, I’m impressed there is already a name for it. You humans really are just simple carnal creatures.
Right, but you understand that it’s not just an opportunity to see how many different places you can have sex, right? Katie asked.
I mean, what else would it be? Pandora asked. It’s a sex bucket list. There are a whole lot of places on this planet I wanna get it on.
Yeah, but who with? Katie asked.
Whoever! Pandora laughed. Whoever I fancy at that moment.
But there is so much more to sex than what you are trying to do, Katie disagreed.
Oh, no…not the romance thing again. Pandora sighed.
I’m serious, Katie continued. It’s about love. About being together in a way you aren’t with most people. It’s a connection, something that draws two people together, and a way for them to bond on a very intimate level. Love is amazing, and it makes sex that much better. I have had sex with someone I loved and someone I didn’t, and the times with the person I loved were so much better. It was not only sensual, but it was freeing. I felt completely comfortable opening myself up to him. It’s a feeling you can’t put on a bucket list, that’s for sure.
Love? Pandora laughed. Have you seen what demons are made of, Katie? Have you noticed any ingredients even remotely like love on the list?
I think I have, Katie insisted. I think when you aren’t looking, you let the secret out every once in a while.
Pandora chuckled. Girl, whatever you are smoking, thank Ella for me.
Stephanie and Joshua were standing on the sandy road in front of the old base. The sun was high in the sky. Suddenly a bunch of eighteen wheelers rolled over the hill, blowing their horns and heading right for the compound.
Behind them were hot rods, jacked-up cars, and motorcycles, everyone looking more than a bit out of place. Back at the old house Stephanie had made some connections with the gang members in the area.
She had gone straight over there when she found out what needed to happen, and offered cash money for anyone who would help with some “real labor.”
The guys were more than happy to oblige, so they grabbed their friends and headed for the base. Stephanie stood in the center of the road holding a large stick in the air, wielding it like a conductor’s baton. She was happy to have the company, happy to get the boys some cash, and really happy to get everything out of there before the military official was set to arrive. She knew it would be tight, but she wasn’t going to give up.
Calvin stood to the side and watched as everyone parked and jumped out of—or off—their vehicles and gathered around Stephanie. She gave them all instructions about what had to happen, and sent them on their way to get the work done. She slapped the guys on the ass with her stick as they went past her, moving them in the right direction and putting a little pep in their step.
At first Calvin thought they were giving her hell, but after a while he realized they were playing around with her like she was with them. They all had an incredible amount of respect for the woman, and he figured it wasn’t the first time that she had helped them out in one way or another.
The guys from the trucks operated the cranes, getting the heavy machines out of the building and into the beds of the semis.
The rest of the gang members and the ladies who were there to help were able to get most of the machinery out of the place and onto the trucks by midnight.
They hauled ass in and out of that building, impressing Calvin and making Stephanie very happy. When they were done, she handed each of them an envelope and gave them the address of where to drop the stuff.
While Stephanie took care of the guys Joshua slipped away, wandering back into the building and down the stairs.
The place was empty; no sign that he had even been there. The cabinet that had housed the weapons was gone, as was the equipment, and even his bed and desk. He felt sad, like he had been uprooted.
It had been the first time he had felt comfortable since his parents were alive. Stephanie came up to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind, resting her chin on them.
“Don’t be sad,” she told him. “This was just a building. This isn’t your past, present, or future. All the girls, all the dreams, and everything else is on those trucks, barreling down the freeway and heading straight for your future.” She stood back and walked around to face him. “I won’t lie, this was a really great start. It was a way to get the business off the ground and give you a place to lay your head, but you were just in junior high here. Let’s take you up a notch to high school, and when you get on your feet there, we’ll boost you all the way to college.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Joshua said reluctantly. “I think I feel good about the future. What happened here will always be in my head, but I am ready to start fresh. Move forward, you know?”
“Me too, darlin’,” Stephanie responded. “And you did really good here.”
“Oh, and
speaking of the future…” Joshua began. “I am going to talk to Katie and the others, and I think they are going to be really excited. I was looking some stuff up the other day on the dark web, and I came across a site that sold guns and such. I almost didn’t go to the site, but then I realized they might have what I need, and after about two hours of scrolling through their stuff I found these machines. They are made of a special super-strong and super-durable metal, and I think that they might be perfect machines to help create the 9mm bullets I promised Katie.”
“That is fantastic,” Stephanie exclaimed, putting her arm around his shoulder. “I think she will be very happy, and that is something we really need.”
The two walked out of the building, shutting the lights off for the last time.
Korbin stood at the window watching the semis drive down the road. He had to give it to Stephanie; when she was given a task, she didn’t give up until she accomplished it. He wasn’t too sure of who she’d managed to hire, but she knew the importance of what they were doing so she had his trust.
He watched Joshua and Stephanie disappear back into the building, then went into the kitchen, grabbed a water, and headed back down to his office.
Once inside he plopped down in his chair and opened his drawers. Nothing remained that could incriminate him in any way. They knew what the place was for, but he had cleaned everything else out, including any paper trail. He clicked on his screen and waited for it to load, figuring he might as well clear out his email too. He probably had some emails to answer anyway, so he could kill two birds with one stone.
When the email had loaded he opened the first, a message from the higher-ups double-checking that everything was ready for the next day’s visitors. Korbin sighed and wrote back, wishing they had a little more trust and faith in him. It was the part of the job he hated the most, smiling and placating the people with the checkbook. They were private citizens and he knew very little about them, but they ran the show and he had a job to do. He told them he had taken care of everything, being vague in his descriptions to keep the email safe just in case. He clicked Send and scrolled to the next, slightly nervous at seeing a familiar email address. It was his contact with the DEA; the agent who had covered his tracks not too long ago.
Korbin,
I hope this is finding you well. This came across my desk early this morning and I wanted to know if they belong to you? Find the videos attached.
Your friend at the DEA office
Korbin winced, rubbing his hands over his face before opening the attachments. There were three videos attached to the email and he slowly pulled each of them up, watching each from beginning to end. The first was of an active-shooter situation in a bank, which rolled into two very familiar faces walking inside.
Katie and Damian were saving the damn day.
The time stamp put it on the exact date they had been in LA, trying to be inconspicuous and hiding from the team leaders. The next video picked up just as Katie grabbed the butt of the gun and lifted the robber off his feet. Damian was in the foreground beating the hell out of another guy, then hitting him over the head with a metal pole.
The last video took the cake. It showed Katie throwing a knife into the last shooter’s arm.
Korbin replayed the last video a second time and sighed, leaning back and shaking his head. He had told them to go and relax, not become the superheroes of LA while they were there.
When Damian had told him that they had helped the police with a bank robbery call he had assumed it was with tactics, not by disarming the assholes.
“Helping where they weren’t supposed to,” Korbin muttered.
As if he didn’t have enough on his plate, he now had to worry about whether the videos had the potential to out Katie and Damian. Sure, the cops wouldn’t know they were looking at demons, but their operation was black ops. It was under the radar, and they just might have shown themselves in the light.
Only a select group of people knew about them, which would make the videos very confusing to a judge who wasn’t in the loop. They looked like crazed vigilantes who had rolled into a bank and saved the day by annihilating three criminals. No matter how many lives they had saved, they hadn’t had his approval to do something like that.
Korbin sincerely wanted to kill them or rip them a new asshole, but they were already on their way to New York.
All he could hope was that the tapes got swept under the rug and they kept their noses clean while they were in the Big Apple. National incidents were not what the higher-ups needed to keep the whole thing going, nor would they appreciate “rogue” team members running around town saving everything that squealed.
Korbin pulled the email back up and began typing, letting the DEA agent know that the LAPD had requested they tell them when the team was in town in case they needed help.
He let her know he hadn’t authorized it, and that he could not afford for his two best operatives to be implicated in the event. It needed to stay hush hush. He didn’t know if it was something she could help him with, but he had to give it his best shot.
Then he skipped down a few lines and asked the most important question, not knowing if he really wanted the answer.
“Are these videos available to the public?”
Chapter 14
Katie, Damian, and Ella looked out the window as the jet pulled into a private hangar; the same one Ella had been picked up from. They gathered their stuff, and Katie ignored Ella’s loud sighs. She was just going to have to get used to it; there were no two ways about that. When they climbed out of the plane there was a tall guy wearing all black and leaning against the back of the SUV. He straightened as soon as the jet’s door opened and walked toward them.
“Hi,” he said, shaking all their hands. “I’m Isaac, the team second. John sent me to pick you guys up and bring you back to the base on the main island. Is there anything you guys need before we get there?”
“No, thanks.” Katie smiled and elbowed Ella before she could speak.
“All right,” he said, opening the back. “You can put your luggage in here, and we will get you set up back at base.”
“Sounds good,” Damian told him. “Thank you for taking us on such short notice.”
“No problem at all,” Isaac assured him. “Seems to be the name of the game in this business.”
“Yeah.” Damian shrugged.
“So how are you, Ella?” Isaac asked as he helped her into the SUV.
“Oh, just peachy. Just freaking peachy,” she replied.
He chuckled. “I’m glad to see you still have your spark.”
Once everyone had gotten into the vehicle, Isaac pulled out and made his way toward the City. Katie sat up front with him, watching as the buildings got taller and closer together. She had never been to New York besides the last fly-in, so it was exciting to see how it really looked. There were people and stores everywhere, and the taxis were just like the ones in the movies. They passed the entrance to Central Park and Katie smiled, watching the people rollerblading in the dry ice-skating rink. She had always wanted to go to New York in the winter time to see the lights, the trees, the snow, and the festivities. She watched all these movies at Christmastime, and that was how she pictured Christmas in the rest of the world.
Growing up near Las Vegas was a drag when it came to winters. The coldest it normally got during the day was fifty, and it only reached freezing about one week out of every year. They got snow and you could watch it fall, but it always melted before it hit the ground. She had never seen a white Christmas in person, and the Santa in a t-shirt just wasn’t the same as the warm red suit to her.
Even in the warm weather, though, New York was a sight to see. Part of her wished that she would get the chance to stay there longer and really do some exploring.
She thought she would love walking around big cities and getting lost in the architecture, the sounds, and the amazing food. Well, the food part was Pandora, but would still make the experience that m
uch better. She hoped she had a chance someday.
“So, you described the base like it wasn’t the only one?” Katie asked.
Isaac smiled. “Yeah. We, uh…we actually have three bases in New York City alone. Or near it, at least. We have the one we are going to, which is here on the island, we have one on the other side over the bridge, and then we have one in New Jersey. Jersey City, to be exact.”
“Why so many?” Katie asked. “Is this a serious stomping ground for demons?”
“Well, yeah, for smaller ones, and the covens here are fruitful for sure, but the traffic is the biggest problem,” he explained. “It can take three hours to get through the tunnels sometimes. We had to spread out to be able to tackle the whole place. We have a larger team than most—twenty-one spots. It sounds like a lot to everyone, but I personally think it should be bigger than that. If you think about it, there are multiple fire departments in each area of the city, and they are full too. We should have just as many bases, but the higher-ups think that would cause too much noise.”
“Right.” Katie frowned. “I knew you guys covered a lot of territory, but I had no idea you had basically three teams in one.”
Katie turned and looked back at Damian, wondering if they should have gotten more weapons. He didn’t read her mind like she had hoped, just stared back at her blankly.
“Why did this not come up in meetings?” Katie asked. “I didn’t know that New York had the equivalent of three teams just in the City.”
“Yeah,” Damian admitted. “I mean, I knew that. I guess it just never came up.” He shrugged. “I didn’t even think about it.”
“I suppose it’s a good thing you have that many,” Katie agreed, turning back around. “I mean, it would be nuts to take care of this city with just seven team members.”
