by Michael Todd
I wouldn’t put it past you, Katie mumbled.
Pandora sighed. “Obviously you’re aware that Katie has an angel sword. So, to do this correctly, we would have to fly onto Tiamat’s body while others kept her busy. We would cut the bitch with that angelic sword, then shove the bomb into her. I know you’re thinking this sounds like a real shit-show. I agree, and I’m not even done yet. After that, we would leave before the bomb explodes. I can promise you, I will be sorely pissed off if we’re still on the damn thing when it blows. Riding a tidal wave of flesh and bones is not my idea of a good time anymore.”
The general guffawed. “For some reason, I just imagined that—except it was like that picture where the woman is riding a shark with an automatic rifle and a Rambo scarf around her head.”
Pandora smirked. “Just be glad that Tiamat isn’t actually like Godzilla. I’m not sure how to combat laser beams coming out of a giant lizard’s mouth. That’s not my forte.”
17
The beeping of the sonar from the intel room echoed inside the submarine’s cabin as it slowly crept through the water. The crew kept quiet. This was their first encounter with a giant sea monster, and they were all on edge. The captain of the sub walked cautiously back and forth within the tight space. They had been tracking this beast for hundreds of miles and had yet to get a solid signal.
An alarm went off, and one of the sailors jumped up. “Captain, I think we found the dragon, or whatever it is! The sonar shows it swimming very deep about a hundred meters ahead of us.”
The captain pointed to one of the other sailors. “Get the general on the line. And Smith, full speed ahead! We’re going to chase this thing down. Ready the torpedoes!”
The sailors went to work, scrambling around the small intel room. They were speeding up the sub while trying to aim the torpedoes at what they assumed was the demon. Whatever it was, it was massive, and it was swimming ahead of them deep beneath the dark water. An alarm sounded again throughout the sub, and one of the sailors scrambled to the intercom. “Battle stations, battle stations! All hands to your posts. This is not a drill! Drop your cocks and grab your socks!”
The captain walked over to the station where FC2 Smith was putting in the coordinates for the torpedoes. “How’s it looking?”
The fire controlman looked at the captain and took a deep breath. “We’re going to get as close as we can, sir. This thing is moving fast, but we’re moving right along with it.”
The captain patted him on the shoulder. “Wait for my word.”
One of the seamen held up the phone. “I have the general on the line for you.”
The captain went over and took the phone. “General Brushwood. We have the beast in our sights, and we have the torpedoes aimed. Do you want us to fire?”
The general thought for a moment. “Until I know our other plan is in place, we’re going to continue as instructed. Fire at will.”
The captain nodded and handed the phone back to the seaman, going back over to Smith. “Do you have a lock?”
“I do.”
The captain looked around for a moment. “Fire.”
Smith clicked a switch and pressed the button, and the sub rumbled as it fired twin torpedoes. They watched the sonar carefully as the torpedoes got closer to the beast, finally making contact. The Leviathan let out a roar that could be heard for hundreds of miles. The sonar engineer screamed, ripped off his headphones, and gripped his head. The shockwave rocked the submarine. The crew held on silently as they watched the beast slow.
Smith smiled at the captain. “I think we got it, sir. It’s slowing down, and it seems to be sinking lower.”
The captain clapped the fire controlman on the back and pumped his fist in the air. “That’s how we do it in the Navy!”
Everyone in the room cheered loudly, congratulating each other on a job well done. Smith stayed at his seat, watching the sonar. As the cheers died he stood up, his eyes wide. “Captain?”
The captain turned and immediately the smile fell from his face. It was obvious from the look in Smith’s eyes that something had gone wrong. “What is it?”
FC2 Smith shook his head. “I don’t think we got it, sir. It has changed course, and it’s heading straight for us.”
The captain scrambled to the sonar screen. He shouted, “Stop celebrating, you bastards! Fire!”
The submarine fired at the beast, but it only sent the monster off track for a moment. Silt and dirt clouded the water. They reversed engines and began to slow down, just in case there was the chance of an impact. The captain was at a loss for what to do. They had launched their torpedoes, but nothing seemed to break the hard, scaled skin of the Leviathan.
The captain ran over and grabbed the phone. “General, it didn’t do any good. It’s coming straight at us. We fired all of our torpedoes, and it’s still coming—and now it’s picking up speed. I’m not sure what else to do. I’m turning the sub at this very moment to avoid running headfirst into it, but we need backup, and we need it now.”
The general sent an emergency message over the government’s email server. He wasn’t ready to get off the phone with the captain, not when they were facing the beast head-on. “I’m sorry, captain, I’ll send backup as fast as I can. How close?”
The captain growled at Smith, “How long?”
Smith dropped his hands to his sides and shook with fear. “Three hundred feet and closing sir. It has shifted and is heading for our starboard side. Given the size of it, I don’t see how we will make it out of this.”
Before the captain could say anything, the general intervened. “Your crew was brave and strong. Thank you for putting your necks on the line for us. We won’t forget it.”
The captain put his hand over his lips and stared at the young men on his crew. “It was an honor serving with you, general.”
The captain hung up and turned to his men. He put a hand on Smith’s shoulder and watched the sonar. The gap between the Leviathan and ship closed, and the beast roared.
Smith felt the roar in the pit of his stomach as much as he heard it. Giant claws ripped into the submarine as though it was made of tinfoil, and the crew panicked as water rushed in. The last thing Smith saw was a dark-green hooked claw that pierced his stomach and pinned him to the deck. He held onto the claw and the claw held onto him as the Leviathan pulled the submarine and her crew into the depths of the ocean.
Katie was sitting on the roof contemplating the meaning of life when her captive demons began to growl. She pointed a warning finger at them but looked to see what they saw.
Behind her on the roof, Korbin and Stephanie stood waiting for her. Stephanie smiled. “Everything okay?”
Katie shrugged. “Is anything ever okay in the life of a mercenary? I guess that’s not really helpful when you’re trying to decide whether to be a Damned, is it?”
Korbin laughed. “It’s fine. We know it’s not all sunshine and butterflies, and if we didn’t know before today, those stitches are definitely proof. Anyway, we’re in agreement that we don’t want to sit out the fight. We can’t just let these demons run the world. We can’t watch innocent people die, knowing that we could have done something to help them. We were in this fight for a long time before, and we plan on being in this fight for a long time to come. We want to do it.”
The three of them turned to the demons. They were standing there scowling, with the rope around their necks.
Vol scoffed and crossed his boil-covered arms over his chest. “Just because they want it doesn’t mean we do. You can’t just tell us to jump into a human. How could you even make us do that?”
Duri obviously agreed. She was glaring at Stephanie with her beady red eyes. “You think that because you’re human, you can just decide what happens to us? That’s bullshit. You can’t make me get inside her. I’m not going to be some human’s lackey. I’m not Lilith, and I won’t be happy living in a meatsack on Earth.”
Katie snarled at them, but she realized that they h
ad a point. She had never thought about the process of putting a demon into someone. Every time a human was Damned, the demon was ready. The human might not have had a choice, but the demon was always ready. Not these two fools. These demons could live on Earth for quite a while, even without nourishment or protection. They weren’t like the old demons, who would die within seconds if they weren’t inside a body.
Katie reached out to Pandora. So, maybe there is something wrong with our plan. Do you have any idea how to put these demons into Stephanie and Korbin? I mean, it has to be possible, right? We can keep them inside once they’re there.
Pandora was stumped. Take them out, sure. But put them in? Nothing.
Stephanie and Korbin stared at Katie. They knew she was having a conversation with Pandora. Pandora chuckled and readied herself. Sorry, it’s my turn. I forget they can’t hear me.
Pandora took Katie’s body over and glared at the demons, who flinched and held onto each other. They didn’t want to give in to the humans, but at the same time they didn’t want to feel Lilith’s wrath. They had heard stories about her when she was in hell—the kind of stories you told your demon children to get them to respect the stronger demons. The only thing they found solace in was the fact that they were on Earth and Pandora was inside a human’s body. Kind of.
If it was a choice between dealing with Lilith or infecting Korbin and Stephanie, maybe getting a new meat suit was their best shot.
“I don’t want these fucks getting the wrong idea.” Pandora tugged on the demon’s leash. “Let’s get inside and get this show on the road.”
When the three mercs and two demons came back inside, Calvin and Timothy had a sudden urge to be elsewhere. They backed out of the room and shut the door behind them. Sure, they were already possessed, but the last thing they wanted was an extra demon. As they left the room, they shooed away all the guards standing outside. Infecting one of them was low on their list as well.
Pandora let go of the leash, since there was no place the demons could go where she couldn’t catch them. They stumbled back and struggled to free themselves from the rope, and when they finally did, they snarled at the mercs.
“Cut the shit, fuckwads.” Pandora pointed her finger at the two of them. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking of jumping into the wrong person, aren’t you? Let me just set this straight right now. If you try to go into the wrong person, I can promise you that the pain I’m about to cause you will feel like a massage. You will beg me for pain like what you’re about to feel if you try to screw with me, or either one of them.”
The two demons looked at each other. “What pain?”
Pandora gave Korbin and Stephanie each a kind smile. “You might want to turn around for this. I don’t think you actually want to hear it. You would be shocked at how wimpy demons can be when they’re being tortured. They’re almost worse than humans. I have to give it to humans, they have pretty thick skin—although I don’t mean that literally. Humans are basically wrapped in tissue paper. Anything cuts right through them, but they can take a lot of shit and keep their mouth closed. Whoever is torturing them doesn’t even get the satisfaction of their screams. It always made me laugh, the way they’d grit their teeth and struggle to stay conscious, but they still wouldn’t scream! Half the time I would let the human go just because they were good sports.”
Korbin and Stephanie looked at one another, then silently faced the wall. Stephanie plugged her ears with her fingers for good measure.
Calvin, Timothy, and the grizzled guard stood outside the door, discussing repairs to be made to the production building. The battle-hardened guard flinched as a piercing scream rang out from inside of the room. They could hear Pandora cackling wildly. The other demon joined in, howling in pain.
The grizzled guard moved to open the door, but Calvin caught his arm. “Nah, best to wait this one out.” Calvin pressed his ear to the door. He heard the soft growl of Pandora’s voice. “Yep, Momma still got it!”
Calvin covered his mouth and laughed. The grizzled guard just stared at him with an appalled look on his face. Timothy looked down at his fingernails and yawned, leaning against the wall. “Trust me, she can do a lot more damage than that. She’s one hard bitch.”
Calvin nodded and glanced at the guard. “He’s right. She may be on our side, but she would peel the skin right off of a human if they were fucking with us.”
The grizzled guard stood there for a moment without saying a word, deeply troubled by all this. He began to speak, but couldn’t find the words. He sketched a salute to Calvin and walked away.
Several moments of screaming were followed by several moments of silence. The door opened, and Katie motioned for Calvin and Timothy to come into the room. They walked inside to find Korbin and Stephanie curled up on stretchers, completely passed out.
Katie cracked her fingers. “Pandora made them go in, but you know how it is with the whole ‘being infected’ thing. They pass out when they go in, and they pass out when they come out. Stephanie and Korbin were no different.”
Calvin nudged Timothy with his elbow. “Well, we can’t leave them sleeping here. We’ll put them back in their room so they can get some rest before being welcomed back to the world of the Damned. I’m curious to see what these demons can do with them. They’re already two nasty people in a fight.”
Timothy struggled to pick up Stephanie. “I thought they both were Damned before. Isn’t that where their powers came from?”
Katie moved a piece of hair out of Stephanie’s peaceful face. “Sure they were Damned before, but as far as I know neither of their demons did much for them. I don’t know a lot about Korbin’s demon, but Stephanie’s was pretty useless. She helped when Stephanie was injured, but the rest of it was all Mamacita.”
Timothy looked down at Stephanie, surprised. “Damn! I’m gonna have to give her some mad props when she wakes up. I thought all that kung fu shit was her demon. Come to find out, she was my little martial artist with a high-class sense of fashion.”
Calvin grunted as he put Korbin over his shoulder. “Korbin’s demon was useless. I’m stoked to see what he’ll be like after this.”
18
After Timothy and Calvin had disappeared around the corner to Korbin’s room, Katie made her way to the elevator. She stretched her arms over her head and then crossed them. She suddenly realized that her armor had disappeared again. She had been so busy dealing with the general and the demons that she hadn’t even noticed. At least it wasn’t a shock to her system anymore.
The elevator doors opened, and she walked out into the destruction that was her base. The wind had died and the sun had gone behind the horizon, making for a nice warm evening. If it weren’t for the toppled buildings and broken cement blocks, it would’ve been a really beautiful night to walk around the base. It was almost hard to believe that just an hour before there had been hundreds of demons flooding through a giant portal right outside the compound.
Joshua, who was sweeping the area outside of the production building, nodded to her. She smiled and waved back, but rather than talk with him she walked to the landing pad, near the scene of the portal. She stood out in the sand and ash and stared at the sky, wondering where Gabriel actually came from.
“Hey, Gabriel. If you’re up there. I could really use a talk with you. Things have gotten a little bit crazy, as you probably know, and I’m not sure which way to turn,” Katie pleaded.” So, if you can hear me, I’d love it if you would just pop down here for a moment. I’ll let you get back to your angel stuff pretty quickly.” Katie kept her eyes on the sky as she shuffled along what had been the killing field.
Katie sighed at the stars. She had figured he wouldn’t show. He had never told her how to contact him if she needed him, just randomly showed up at the oddest times and handed her halfway useful information. This was the first time she was calling him for help.
Pandora scoffed. Apparently, angels don’t come when you need them. They only come
when they want to be creepy or dole out useless information. I can understand why they don’t come down every time a human fucks up and asks for help. They would never be able to get their angelic butts back up to wherever they go. You’re a big deal, though. Let’s be fucking real here. You would think he could take a break from doing whatever he’s doing, you know? Put aside washing feet or getting some hot angel-on-angel action or whatever, and come down when you call.
“You’re right, Pandora. She is a big deal,” a heavenly voice announced from behind them.
Katie spun to see Gabriel standing there. She was absolutely shocked that he had actually come. She had half-expected to go back to her room and then wait two weeks before he made an entrance. Pandora was just pissed, figuring he did it just to show her up or something.
Katie didn’t let Pandora come forward. She had a script she wanted to stick to. “Gabriel, thanks for coming. I hope I didn’t interrupt you, but something serious is going on. A Leviathan, Tiamat, has surfaced. Not only did it destroy a town, but it’s somewhere out in the ocean wreaking havoc on anyone who tries to take it down. Pandora told me I’m pretty much the only one who can deal with it.”
Gabriel inclined his head thoughtfully, and put his hands together as if in prayer. His long white hair whipped behind him in the gentle breeze. “I’m aware of the Leviathan. It’s a nasty business. I was wondering when they were going to call on you for help. The humans don’t really stand a chance against this beast. We were already discussing whether we would have to send out a team of angels. I told them to hold off. I figured you were going to call me eventually.”
Pandora grumbled. You could have just flown down when Tiamat tap-danced all over that city, but I digress.
Gabriel smirked, letting Katie know that he heard her demon. Katie cleared her throat uncomfortably and shifted her feet. “I don’t know that a sword, some armor, and a pair of wings will hurt this thing. It’s so big that if I make a wrong move, it just steps on me. I’m toe-jam.”