As Evil Does

by P. S. Power

  There was a pleasant gasp then. It was very nearly sexual.

  “Right! She’ll need to learn how to control herself, her powers… Full sexual instruction. Does she have time to go to school for that?” The words were a little diffident, at the end.

  Keeley laughed.

  “Nope. She’s already running two jobs and that battle camp. True, things will settle down for her in a year or two, even given all of that. I’m getting her some magic, so she won’t have to sleep, as it is. So far, I think she has all night free, once we do that, except for when she’s actually at that camp. They don’t allow sex there.” It was a rule, even if some of their people had a hard time with it. All Bat Shifters were pretty much sex addicts, for instance.

  Horse Shifters were as well, though they were rarer than Bats were.

  They also had animal types that were prudish, with most of the Shifters being more or less like regular Humans, as far as their needs that way.

  Judy took a deep breath.

  “That sounds horrible. Maybe… We shouldn’t let Karen go? Six weeks without anything that way is too much to ask of anyone!” There was passion in her voice. The kind that spoke of actual worry.

  Keeley grinned, then winked at Karen, who’d turned to look at her, for some reason.

  “She’ll live. Her needs are high, but nothing she can’t master for a few weeks. That’s my take on it. If she had a mentor, then that person would be in charge of such things, of course.” That wasn’t even good leading, as far as thoughts went. Judy had to see what she was doing.

  Then she spoke, confirming that she got it.

  “I can do that. We should meet, Karen and I. How do I set that up?”

  Keeley didn’t really have to think very hard about how to make that happen.

  “Are you close to L.A.?”

  That was where the woman was living, unless she’d scrambled away after the terror attack, a few days before. Which wasn’t a horrible idea, even if not really needed. It had been a few bad people acting on their own, not an organized group trying to kill anyone that was too different.

  There was no hesitation in the words that came.

  “I have a house here, so, about thirty minutes from the city, if traffic isn’t too bad?”

  Glancing at Karen, she shrugged.

  “Can you meet her at Don Holmstrum’s office? I think the idea is to get Kait to bring her in, so that she, Kaitlyn, can visit with Donald. That’s at four.” Keeley would be there herself, but it would mean more if she wasn’t going around delivering people the whole time.

  Plus, after a while, they’d probably accept that it was all their own idea, if they had to do enough that way. Otherwise they’d keep thinking that some Demon made them do it. It was going to be harder with Karen already, because she was clearly not being given a choice in anything. That felt right, but after a moment, Keeley rolled her eyes.

  “Sorry, Karen. I just started bossing you around and not giving you a choice in anything. What do you think about all of this? You can just say no, if you want. If nothing else you really should get with Judy and have her mentor you. The Alede are a lot like you are now, and have plans and tricks for things that could help you. That’s advice though, not an order. I don’t have a right to do anything like that. I mean, I’m not paying you or anything.” The girl also wasn’t her slave, though that didn’t get mentioned.

  She turned, little white bag filled with assorted wrappers from various food items already.

  After a moment, staring with rather big blue eyes, things that were actually larger than Humans were able to have naturally, though not so much that it looked off, Karen nodded.

  “That sounds good. Actually. I don’t know if I can do the job you want me to. I mean, I suppose I can learn how to type and all that, but two jobs will take up most of my time. That, plus all these lessons is… A lot. It’s a little overwhelming?” She didn’t seem certain of that last part.

  Due to the fact, Keeley realized, that the woman didn't want to insult her. It was clear that Keels was helping her out, and had done miracles for her before. The new shape, the all metal one, was cool, in a science fiction type way. A super robot made of living metal. The girl that had done the work for her on that part had been nice about it as well. They’d talked a bit, and it was clear that the real goal had been about making sure she survived the night.

  At first, she hadn’t thought it was all real, until she’d had to fight that killer Vampire. That part had been oddly hard. She didn't need to breathe, or hadn’t in her new form, which was strange as well, so when she tried to move as fast as she could, there was no sense that she needed to stop, at all. The issue at the time had been that she’d barely been able to even see the other being, he was moving so fast. Pinned in place, her grip hard to shake off, but still just a blur in front of her face mask.

  Even though that form didn't have eyes, it had still looked like it, to her perspective.

  All of it was a thing that this woman, Keeley, had done for her. That kind of indicated they were friends, more or less. Now she was trying to help get her set up with a cushy Hollywood job and even doing things like setting up martial arts lessons and other things, like the stuff with Judy.

  Saying no, out of laziness, would be ungrateful. She just wasn’t certain she could keep up with it all. Taking a deep breath, the hot woman nodded.

  “Thanks. Both of you. I’ll try to get that thing with Kaitlyn set up? I don’t know how to do that, really. I mean, I get the sex part. She’s an Alede and I know where a man who likes sex is, so that won’t be a problem. Line walking is a big deal. Ed, my boss at work, told me that I need to avoid that kind of thing, unless it was an emergency that was worth taking the rest of my life to pay for. Like last night, when Bey needed help.”

  Keeley shrugged at that one.

  “That isn’t wrong if you’re paying for it. Go and explain everything to her and I bet that works out for you. If not, then start calling the other line walkers you know? I bet Zack would do it for a reasonable exchange of sex, even. Not that you really need to do that, I bet. Really, you should probably make a move there, even if you don’t need to abuse his line walking skills. He likes that kind of thing and a lot of people are afraid of him. Even if that’s silly. I mean, clearly, he was never really a Greater Demon at all.” The words echoed in her head for some reason.

  Even if she didn't know why, at the moment. They didn't really sound like her own thoughts, even though it felt innately true, at the moment.

  Judy made a soft, considering, noise.

  “Hmm? He wasn’t? I mean, everyone knew that he was the one Demon you could trust, more or less. Not that you’re… Well, no, as a Greater Demon, you were the one that everyone freaked out about, so I guess you were always a Demon?” She didn't gasp at the end. It was just a statement.

  Tilting her head side to side, Keeley made a face.

  “You know, that’s not wrong, is it? Still, my point is that people should be nicer to Zack. He’s pretty much just a business man. A fairly cute one that isn’t hung up on things like you being a man part of the time, Karen.” She paused then and shrugged. “You either, Judy. Still, you have that thing with Will happening, right? You and Merisy?” That had been set up, but then Keeley had left the idea alone.

  It wasn’t her place to force anyone into a relationship.

  “That’s still being planned, I think? I’ve talked to them both about it, on the phone. I should go there, and see them. I just haven’t had a reason. I’m just reading movie scripts, this week. I’ll be giving a pass on them all, most likely. Still, Reality Wars is only going to be shooting for about half a year and there’s no reason I can’t be in more than one thing at a time, if the schedules work out.” For some reason she sounded a bit defensive then, as if Keeley were going to insist that she only pay attention to the one project.

  Which made sense, if Keeley were secretly still a Greater Demon and the project was hers. Neither was true. Sh
e’d helped move the show along, but that was all. The real work was being done by other people. Mainly Krista Hall and the casting directors, at the point in the project they were just then. The problem there was that most of those people were still working on other active projects.

  So she grinned and nodded.

  “You know, that sounds right to me? You should do something really different. Otherwise your portfolio of work will be a bit too action and science fantasy oriented. You should chat with Donald about that, if you’re going to be there anyway?”

  The man had ideas and fingers in a whole lot of pies, after all. He was known as a bit of a creep, sure. He also had landed hit after hit for nearly thirty years. A thing not lost on Judy Swan, the actress. She was in the industry after all and had even worked with Donald before. Then, to her, a man like that asking to have sex was just being polite.

  “That’s an idea! He’s really good that way. Thanks, Keeley. Tell Karen I look forward to meeting her! Bye.”

  There was a soft click, and a corresponding one on her end. Then Keeley looked at the room and nodded.

  “I’ll help you with this. If it was cleaner, we’d be having sex right now, but no, instead we need to remove the fetid odor of rot. How do you live with that?” It was pretty bad. She could block it out, but she doubted that Karen really could. Being able to put up with things like that was a sign of an unbalanced mind.

  The other girl just blew a raspberry and kept working.

  Chapter seven

  She didn’t spend her day on Karen, of course. The truth of the matter there was that the girl, or boy, or even large metal humanoid, was barely interesting enough to keep her occupied for a few minutes at a time. At least if she wasn’t going to use magic to enforce feeling a certain way in that regard. Keeley was working to let herself actually be who, and what, she was now. That meant powering through the early portion of the day feeling slightly annoyed with the current project.

  It was actually a relief to get into the office that morning. She showed up at eight, making certain she had the needed camera equipment, with a better than decent audio set up, so that Cynthia Remark could be heard and shown in the best light. She had some of those as well, set up inside Don’s office, before he even got there. About ten minutes before nine she made up a large mug of coffee for the man, resting it on his desk. That way it would cool to the best temperature for drinking, just as he walked in.

  At least if he showed up at the right time. He should, given everything. He was a slave after all and really wasn’t bad at his job, even without that. Still, traffic was a thing and he was the boss, so if he wanted to get in at a different time occasionally, that was up to him.

  The man walked in at five after, smiling at her. There was even a polite wave, which was kind of him, considering she wasn’t really looking like his type at the moment. He, like most men, preferred his women to be under forty. She looked to be in her sixties again, though her hair was a bit more professionally kept that day. She hadn’t had to work on the fly as much, so she looked a bit better, over all.

  “Morning, Linda. How are you doing so far?” He actually seemed to mean it, so she grinned at him.

  “Doing well, Mr. Holmstrum. I set up the gear for Cynthia Remark. She should be in at ten. Coffee is on your desk already. At four today we should be having the new girl in to see if she can fit here. Also, you have an appointment with Kaitlyn Swanson at the same time.” She didn’t say more than that, but the man, standing in his office door, nodded.

  His face was polite. Not really impressed.

  “Swanson… She’s in RW, isn’t she?” The man spoke as if the new secretary should know things like that off the top of her head.

  “Reality Wars? I think so. She’s coming in for sex though, today, if I have that right. An Alede. I had to look that up last night, a succubus? She’s Judy Swan’s granddaughter. I couldn’t find much on her, though, as far as acting credits. She’s a line walker, in real life and linked to the Coalition of Nations. Essentially their second or third in command, I think. That was a bit unclear.” She was trying to make it seem like she’d actually done research for her job.

  Which wasn’t how secretaries worked in Hollywood, most days. Then, it was clear that Linda wasn’t an ordinary secretary.

  A thing that Don seemed to get, without placing her as Keeley in disguise. To him it seemed like, in her sixties or not, the new gal was bucking for a promotion. Probably looking to take Steve Moore’s old job as his direct assistant. After a moment, thinking about what she’d just said, he nodded.

  “Good work. You set up a gal to come in for sex?” That was different, really.

  She shook her head. Even if it was literally the truth.

  “No, that would be the new girl we’re trying out, who managed to get that going. Technically she’s a shape shifter, I think. I called her current place of employment to find out about her. She’s also a man, named Kevin Lester. The other day a group of ex-demons granted her the power to turn into a giant metal monster, as well. As a woman she goes by Karen Lester. Keeley Thomson did the work on that, originally. Trans, instead of it being something else.”

  That got a slow nod, from the man.

  “Takes all sorts. Plus, if Keels did the work, you know that it’s good. A secretary though, not coming in as an actress or actor?”

  Linda nodded, a bit primly.

  “That’s right. There was no indication that she thinks of herself as an actress. I didn’t get pictures or anything either. I called, but that…”

  The man nodded, walked into his office and came back half a minute later with a cup of black coffee, sweetened with real sugar, in his right hand. The mug was a strong brown color, instead of something more delicate seeming. It was hand thrown and unique seeming, without being overstated.

  “Sure. Sure. I get that one. We have Remark in at ten, you said?”

  She’d said that, but nodded.

  “That’s the plan. I sent the script over yesterday, fairly early. We should get Steve Moore to do a walk by, when she gets in.”

  Don tilted his head a bit at that.

  “What’s the plan there. I was thinking of handling this one myself. Do you see something I’m missing?” Again, the words were just a question, instead of being dark or showing hurt feelings.

  Linda smiled then.

  “I ran into Keeley Thomson after you left yesterday. She suggested that we have Cynthia and Steve date, for the PR aspect of things. Steven is younger, but rising in the world and fit looking. We might need to dress him up a bit. Do some makeup, possibly? Remark is famous and attractive. We should be able to get them in the tabloids, without too much work, given all of that.”

  Instead of seeming put off by the idea, Don just took a sip of coffee.

  “That’s different. Normally we’d see if she’d like to date some other talent. Not bad. Plus, I don’t want to piss off Keels. She pulled my bacon from the fire yesterday, fixing Nickels up for me. That would have cost millions, otherwise. So, if she wants us to pimp out our boy, then we’ll do it. Can you set that up, do you think? With Steve, I mean? I’m sure that Cynthia will get the idea, if we bring it up correctly.” Why that was, the man didn’t mention.

  Probably because telling his new secretary, especially a temp, that he used to have the actress on the casting couch was a bit crude. Even for him. That Cynthia had openly mentioned that part of things the day before was, of course, a subtle form of blackmail. She probably hadn’t even meant it that way, of course. The climate had shifted and she needed a job, so had pointed out that she could, at need, do the whole thing where she tried to take Donald down for his past actions.

  Which, given everything, would probably work.

  Linda had inadvertently short circuited that part of things, setting Cynthia up with a real shot, before she could even mention that she had some good blackmail material over Donald. A person could have a problem with things like that. Keeley wouldn’t of course. Using
the tools you had simply made sense to her. You didn’t survive as a Greater Demon without being willing to use everything you had.

  Then again, when the tide shifted suddenly and a potentially major role was inside her grasp, Remark had been smart enough to shift with it, turning her past with Don into merely a thing. A time spent together, instead of a dark event that had scarred her for life.

  Her boss of the day had escaped into the back room, with Linda moving behind her desk, using the computer there for a bit, since no one bothered to call or interrupt. The mornings were the slow portion of the day at the office. She had that from Joan’s memories. Most places were slower at that time, but a lot of Hollywood and the entertainment industry didn’t wake up until well after noon. That shifted the work hours for the entire industry. The money men had to be up early in the morning though, since bankers did that kind of thing. A producer like Holmstrum was tied to different worlds that way. It meant he often had to put in twelve-hour days or even longer.

  Which, in turn, meant that Karen wasn’t a good fit for the job. Not unless she left her valuable position at the yogurt shop. Working for a Producer was a bit more prestigious, of course. On the other hand, her staying on at her current position would put the strange being in a good place to keep an eye on the comings and goings of several different communities.

  Keeley had to figure she’d be of more use there. Loosely monitoring different groups for Keeley. A thing that everyone involved would understand, no doubt. The trick there was that Keels didn’t really need to spy on anyone. She could get the information she needed far more directly, after all. There was, when she thought about it, no particular reason for her to set up Karen doing anything. Not that she knew about.

  Squinting a bit, she recalled that Troy had been the one to get her to change Karen in the first place. At the time there had been some kind of message to her. A thing that she’d almost missed. Frowning a bit, she pulled her cell phone and dialed the man directly.