by Michael Todd
“What do you have, soldier?” his superior asked when he got to the desk.
“It looks like an incursion, probably upper northwest corner of Utah,” the soldier pointed out. “There is a ton of activity over there. I’m not sure I’ve seen that many demons in one place on our map before.”
“We need to put out an APD,” the colonel directed. “Whitestaff?”
“Yes, sir?” The soldier stood up and saluted.
“I want you to put out an All Points Demon alert to the entire western area and the main command,” the colonel instructed. “We need our teams and the private teams to know about this one. I know the military teams would struggle to get all those suckers.”
“Yes, sir,” Whitestaff replied, sitting back down.
He started to type frantically, sending the alert to each corner of the map. Details were scarce, but they couldn’t just let this one go by. The colonel opened the small black box on his desk and put the key in, turning on the switch. It was a signal to all commands to let them know a call was coming in. The mercenary teams didn’t have that technology, but the colonel knew they monitored the military feeds for action. It was always in the back of their minds that their troops just weren’t equipped well enough for the massive increase in demon incursions.
It wasn’t long before the colonel’s phone rang, and the general was on the other end. He sounded put out but concerned, and the colonel hated giving him bad news. It was unavoidable though, and he had known that from the moment the soldier caught the surge. Another call and another round of dead or infected soldiers, and that was just during simple calls.
“What’s going on?” the general asked. “What is this APD about this time?”
“General, sir, there has been a massive surge detected in Utah, sir,” the colonel explained.
“What is the target?”
“We don’t know the exact target, sir,” the colonel replied. “The specs have been sent to your laptop. Unfortunately the energy transfer was heavy but short, so we were unable to get a direct fix.”
“All right.” The general sounded annoyed. “Then how big is the area?”
“We have narrowed it to a ten mile by ten-mile area, sir.” The colonel flinched, staring up at the large screen in the front of the room that displayed the map.
“That’s a hundred fucking square miles,” the general replied angrily. “We’d be better equipped to try and hit a fly’s dick with a dart while it was in flight than to find the demons in an area of that size.”
“Yes, sir,” the colonel responded. “We are working on narrowing it down.”
“Do it, and call me when you have a better idea,” he directed. “We don’t need our troops just wandering the fuck around out there. That’s how mistakes are made and soldiers get killed.”
“Yes, sir.” The colonel winced as the general hung the phone up angrily.
He stood there looking around the building. Everyone was working as fast as they could. The general just didn’t understand that their equipment wasn’t nearly as capable as it needed to be. They had only militarized demon hunting in the last decade, and tracking them was a lot different than tracking human enemies. There was no heat-seeker to find the bastards, and there was no way they could move as fast as the larger demons.
The battle already felt lost, but he hoped somewhere out there the mercenaries were tracking closer.
Chapter 9
“I thought Vegas was hot,” Stephanie said fanning herself. “Arizona is like Nevada on steroids.”
“I like it.” Katie smiled, looking up at the sun and taking in her Vitamin D. “I hate being cold. I feel like Korbin keeps the base at twelve below zero, so anytime I can heat up these bones I’m going to take it.”
“You think Ella will be different?” Stephanie asked, watching the planes landing and taking off. “I mean, obviously she’ll be different, but I am hoping that whole bratty bitch phase has ended.”
“I think she will be Ella,” Katie mused. “And if that includes bratty bitch, we will just have to take it in stride.”
“Then expect me to try and knock it out of her,” Stephanie commented.
Just then the door to the hangar opened and Charlotte walked in, looking rested, trendy, and way different from the underground rat Katie had originally met when she was first infected. She waved and walked over, giving Katie a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. She nodded at Stephanie.
“We are still waiting for one more, right?” Charlotte asked.
“Yeah. Her name is Ella. She’s pretty green but she works in New York, so she should have some good skills,” Katie explained.
“She was kind of a pet to us.” Stephanie sighed. “She came in wild and wooly, I can tell you that much.”
“So did I.” Katie laughed. “So did you, actually. It’s not about the way we came into this world. It’s about what we will do to avoid being taken out of it, and Ella has that on lockdown.”
With those words the front of the hanger slowly slid open, revealing a slick jet on the other side.
The jet came to a stop, and the crew prepared the stairs for deplaning. Katie watched with bated breath as Ella appeared, long black hair cascading down her back, a tight black tank top, and those ripped black jeans with worn-out boots. She was exactly as Katie remembered her.
“Hey, bitches.” She smiled and put her arms up as she descended the stairs. “I’m baaaack.”
“And a sight for sore eyes,” Stephanie said, hugging her tightly as soon as she reached the bottom.
“So what’s up?” Ella smiled, looking at Charlotte. “You must be the spy.”
Charlotte laughed. “More like an investigator than a spy.”
“Right.” Ella chuckled. “Well, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Ella.”
“Charlotte,” she replied. “Glad to have you on the team for this.”
“All right, let’s get to our next spot.” Katie led the women out of the hangar and into a secured building.
They climbed the steps to the roof and stepped out onto a helicopter pad. Ella and Charlotte’s jaws dropped as they stared at the chopper Korbin had sent for them to use. Ella pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of the bird, quickly sending the message she had open.
“Who are you texting?” Stephanie asked patronizingly. “Hopefully not a civilian; this is top-secret.”
“No civilians.” Ella smiled. “I’m showing my boss John the bird. I bet we get a helicopter inside a month now. You know how competitive he can be, especially when it comes to his fucking toys.”
They climbed into the helicopter and put on their headphones so they could talk.
Ella talked about the last couple of months: the training she had gone through, and how absolutely ready she was for the mission. When that was done, Charlotte brought them up to speed on the details.
“We are going to a spa event in Phoenix,” Charlotte explained. “From what I’ve learned, all the women will be untarnished. The goal of the demons is to get in there and change every human they can. They are obviously building an army of some sort. If we can successfully infiltrate it, we can get rid of the demons and save as many human lives as possible. Once that’s done, we can squeeze some info out of the demons who directed the whole thing.”
“Sounds good,” Katie replied. “But just to clarify, we don’t know the exact location yet, how big the incursion is going to be, or even the type of operation we are in?”
“Right,” Charlotte replied. “Think of it this way: it’s good practice for those harder situations.”
“Yeah.” Katie scoffed and looked out the window. “Just what I need in my life…more surprises.”
Do you know anything about this operation? Katie asked.
Don’t have a clue. The Los Angeles one I had heard about in really early planning sessions at a round-table meeting. It was T’Chezz’s deal, so I ignored a lot of the info.
Katie stared at the ground below them and listened as the girls talked.
They were flying much lower than the jet did, but that crazy chopper soared through the air like a car; even smoother. They would be at their check-in point in no time. Then it was just getting settled in, because like most reconnaissance missions, they were going to have to be glued in one place.
“Are you’re ready to kick some more ass?” Stephanie asked Katie, grabbing her attention.
“Yeah.” Katie turned back to the ladies. “But this time you cannot dress anyone up. No tutus, I mean it. We don’t need the press coverage.”
“That was you?” Ella pointed to Stephanie and then Katie. “We all heard about a politician in a bar, and how two team members went through de-demonizing the lot, leaving one of the guys tied to the pool table wearing a tutu and cradling two pool balls between his legs.”
“That was her.” Katie pointed at Stephanie. “I just stood back and watched the carnage. It was like being in a movie, watching as the main character went nuts. I was definitely impressed, then I caught the politician and chaos ensued.”
“You guys are nuts.” Ella laughed, shaking her head and turning to the window.
“You have no idea,” Katie whispered to herself.
The general raised his weapon and fired six shots at the demon running toward him, which fell before it reached him and turned to dust. He was in the middle of a two-team takedown in Texas, kicking demon ass and taking some names as well.
He had been in the service for a very long time, but still had the aim and fury he’d had when he’d served in the Sandbox. Just then three demons burst through the doorway and the general fired in their direction. He hit two of them and realized he was out of ammo.
The other fire team lit them up. Probably forty rounds hit three bodies before they stayed down.
“Goddamn it,” he grumbled, ducking behind a table and pulling out another clip.
His phone rang and he growled, pulling it out and holding it to his ear with his shoulder. It really wasn’t the best time for a chat, but he knew that the colonel was supposed to be calling him back with news on the APD that they had put out without much information behind it. He cleared his throat and pushed the clip into his gun.
“Colonel, what did you find out?” he asked.
“It’s a clean-and-sanitize operation, General,” the colonel called. “We have a one-mile radius now, and there are two teams on their way out there as we speak.”
“Good. I… Hold on a sec.”
The general could hear a demon sniffing around behind him, so he grabbed the phone with his left hand and spun to fire three bullets into the demon’s skull. It shrieked so he shot it once more, watching it finally fall. He nodded and put the phone back to his ear, waiting for the demon to turn to dust before continuing.
“Sorry about that, Colonel. We are just wrapping up the incursion out here in Texas,” the general explained.
“No problem, sir,” the colonel replied.
“So two teams are on their way out there,” the general repeated. “Do any of the mercenaries know about this?”
“Not that I am aware of, but they are not required to check in with us,” the colonel replied. “As far as I know they don’t have any teams in that area, so I am hoping our men can get in and take care of it before they can mobilize.”
The general’s backup nodded; everything was clear.
“Right.” The general stood up. “Just remember: you can think of them as a powerful tool. It’s not a competition. If you need their help, have the lead officer on the incursion call some of them in for back up. We all fight for the same cause. We just are a little bit more structured.”
“Understood,” the colonel replied.
“Call me whenever you have an update,” the general ordered. “I have a bit more here, then I’ll be heading back to my quarters at the base here. I’ll be available on my cell.”
“Yes, sir,” the colonel replied, and terminated the call.
The general shoved his phone into the inside pocket of his jacket and left the building. He looked around outside, watching the medic giving care to some of the wounded.
Nobody had been killed. Nobody had been infected and it seemed all the demons had been disposed of, so the general counted it as a successful venture.
Just as he was about to turn toward his car, a demon crashed through the door of the building. The general sighed and pulled his gun back out, waiting for the demon to get into range as it ran toward him.
The beast was hit by three different shooters simultaneously.
“Dumbfuck,” he mumbled, pulling his trigger twice. The demon hit the ground face-forward and slid up the walkway until his claws were in front of the general’s shoes.
He watched as the beast burst into ash in front of him, then turned his attention to the gun in his hand, feeling the warmth of the barrel on his skin. He shook his head and shoved it back in the holster, clipping the snap over the top.
“We need better fucking weapons,” he grumbled to himself.
“General, are you all right?” the lead team officer asked, putting his hand on the general’s shoulder. “We saw what was going on from the sick bay area. We appreciate you guys traveling out here. It really lifts the troops’ spirits.” He nodded to the pile of ash in front of the general. “It helps to see you inside, sir.”
“What kind of leader would I be if I stood on the sidelines?” the general asked. “I have to get my hands dirty in order to fully understand what our soldiers are going through; our strengths and weaknesses, and everything in between. Besides, it keeps me young and on my toes.”
“I’m sure it does.” The officer smiled. “Why don’t you come and get some chow with us? It’s nothing special, but I’m sure they would love that.”
“I would, but there is another incursion going on and I have to get back to the base to get up to date on the intel.” The general smiled. “Tell your men they did good work today. They made me proud.”
“Of course.” The officer nodded as the general turned toward his car.
The truth was he didn’t give a shit about eating with them, nor did he want to be subjected to “chow.” He did need to get back for the information, but mostly he wanted to get back to his normal work instead of fighting in the fields. He took two steps toward the car, but stopped when he heard the colonel call out to the teams.
“All right, Team Two! Load up. we have bodies to get out of there,” he yelled.
The general turned around, confused. “Colonel, I thought that there were no casualties?”
“No military casualties,” the colonel confirmed. “However, there were civilians in there when the incursion began. Some were turned and are unsavable. Others were demon lunch. There were fifty-two civilian casualties in the back quarters of the building.”
The general nodded, angry at what he had just heard. The driver opened the door for him and the general climbed in, rubbing his hands together.
When the driver shut the door, he stared out the window at the soldiers carrying stretchers and body bags inside the building. He pulled out his phone and called Colonel Jehovivich.
“General,” she answered. “How did the incursion go?”
“We got them all, and there were no military casualties,” he told her. “But the civilian casualties were very high.”
“I’m sorry to hear that sir,” she replied. “At least you were able to neutralize the threat.”
“Yes,” he mumbled. “Still, I don’t want casualties. It just feeds them.”
“Understood, sir,” Jehovivich responded quietly.
“We need more information on those mercenary blades. I’m afraid the time for niceties has passed. We are losing people right and left, and if our soldiers aren’t as well equipped physically to handle the demons, then we need something to help us lower these casualties.”
“I will look into it right away,” she told him.
“Good. I will call you from the base when I get back.”
“Yes sir,” she replied,
hanging up.
He put his phone in his lap and nodded to the driver, who slowly pulled away from the building and off the property. The general watched the Texas scenery from his window, thinking about the incursion in Texas and the one in Utah.
He wondered how many fatalities they would sustain, and he wondered if they weren’t possibly going about everything all wrong. What he needed was time with Katie, the demon hunter who’d had something to do with the incursion at Korbin’s base.
He knew there was more to her than what he was being told, but what it could be he didn’t know.
Sometime later they pulled into the base and parked, and the driver helped the general out of the car. He was exhausted, but he wouldn’t sleep until he got news of the Utah event.
There were lives at stake in that game, and the demons were taking everything they could. It was no longer good enough to kill a demon. They had to start thinking about long-term survival.
He needed better weapons, and he needed them yesterday. He wasn’t sure if the mercs’ blades were the key to stopping this surge of demons; he needed to find out more.
These battles had reached the point of survival of the fittest, and he did not like where his side sat on that scale.
Chapter 10
Stephanie, Katie, Charlotte, and Ella had been at the retreat for three days. They went to the classes, taking turns watching for any sign of the demons.
Katie was in pure hell, never having bought into the tranquility bullshit.
There was constant “calming music” in the background, even in their rooms, and barely anyone spoke outside their quarters.
Katie told Stephanie that she needed to be the one talking with Korbin unless something very operation-specific came up. Stephanie wasn’t sure why, but didn’t question it.
That evening after dinner and their meditation, Stephanie grabbed her phone.
“Awwww, you aren’t supposed to have that phone,” Ella teased. “One of the yogis might just sentence you to a yoga lesson and meditation session if you aren’t careful.”
