Portals in Time 1

by Michael Beals

  Dore squinted at Steel and pursed his lips. “He looks harmless enough.”

  “Looks can be deceiving, especially in Hell.”

  She studied Steel’s appearance. He was wearing a tweed jacket with chinos and lace-up brogues. His hair was on the long side, giving him the air of a college professor, or even an actor. Somewhere in his early forties, not that that seemed to mean anything in Hell, he was clean-shaven and vaguely handsome.

  She glanced at Giselle. “Maybe we should just go up to him and introduce ourselves. If the demon’s a cop, he’ll probably make himself scarce. I don’t imagine cops would want to be seen talking to a known fixer.”

  “No, they wouldn’t, and Steel wouldn’t want to be seen talking to a cop.”

  Kat stood. “Okay, then let’s do it. I’m tired of waiting.”

  Giving Dore a meaningful look until he stood, she made her way through the crowds of clubbers. Steel didn’t see her until she was standing there staring at him, and he almost jumped.

  “Excuse me. Sorry to disturb you. Are you Jonathan Steel?”

  Steel’s gazed flitted to Dore, then to Giselle. The trio had clearly startled him. Maybe the demon really was a cop. Nevertheless, he managed an easy smile and ran a hand through his hair. “Who’s asking?”

  “My name’s Kat Wolfram. I can’t explain while you’ve got company, but I need your help.”

  Steel’s gaze drifted to Dore again, then settled on Giselle. Raising his eyebrows, he chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip and looked at Kat. “You’re new here, aren’t you?”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “Well,” he said, laconically, “You’ve got one of the best guides in New York City in tow. I’m not sure if even I could better that.”

  Giselle glared at him. “How do you know I’m a guide?”

  He gave her a look of feigned disbelief. “You’re one of the hottest chicks on the circuit. I’d have to be blind.” He paused to take a sip from his drink. “Plus, you obviously know who I am. Who else but a high-level guide would know a thing like that? It’s not like I advertise.”

  The demon was looking suddenly nervous, stood and put on his coat, but made the mistake of stepping into the glow of a spotlight. He must have been just shy of eight feet tall, was unusually ugly, and some clubbers stared at him in awe.

  “We’ll discuss this later,” he growled. “I’ll call you.”

  Steel nodded and waggled a hand as the demon faded into the smoky gloom, and Kat got the distinct feeling that he really was a cop, perhaps a detective in plain clothes, who didn’t want to be seen talking to Steel. When he’d gone, she and Giselle took a seat at Steel’s table, but Dore remained standing. Judging from the look on his face, he didn’t like Steel much.

  “Who was your friend?” she asked casually. “He looks like a cop.”

  “Why?” Steel countered. “Do cops worry you?”

  “They’re not the nicest of lizards... Can I get you a drink?”

  Steel laughed, displaying a dazzling row of perfect Hollywood teeth. “Why, am I going to need one.”

  She cocked her head as if considering the question. Steel was already playing why games. “You might. I’ve been given a tough job, and it might scare you.”

  “I thought you were new here. Why would anyone give you such a difficult job the moment you arrived?”

  “Because I’ve led a very violent life, and now I’m in Hell. My employers needed someone, with my special talents, who isn’t afraid of getting their hands dirty.” Kat grabbed Steel by the collar bringing him close to her where their noses almost bumped. “Would you like to see what that means?”

  Steel gazed at her. He didn’t seem in the least bit fazed. “Well, I guess I can always say no.”

  Kat let go of Steel. “It’s not that kind of question.”

  Steel laughed again. He seemed to be good at laughing, but maybe it was just an act. “Well, if it isn’t merely a yes or no question, perhaps I should order another drink.

  As Steel gave his order to a passing waitress, Kat let the seconds tick by. Steel seemed set on making a joke out of this. She may as well jump in at the deep end. There was always the possibility that he didn’t know the answer to her question, although, given his underworld connections, she doubted it.

  “Would it strain our budding friendship to ask, and I say this reservedly, how much you know about people escaping from Hell?”

  This time Steel frowned, but then he squinted at her. “Now that’s a tricky question, and one that’s very dangerous to ask… and even more dangerous to answer…”

  “But I assume you know about it. You are a fixer, after all.”

  For the first time since they’d met, Steel showed signs of irritability. “Lady, I don’t even know you. You haven’t even told me what your job is, or who you work for.”

  “Let’s just say I work for the right people. And it’s completely confidential.”

  “So you say. I didn’t die yesterday.”

  “No, I’m sure you didn’t. What is this? Your… second… third visit?”

  “Fourth. I started as a politician.”

  Kat laughed. “Well, that makes sense. No wonder you ended up here.” She paused to give him time. “So do you know anything about it?”

  “I’ve heard rumors.”

  “Bullshit!” she snapped, deciding that a little sharpness wouldn’t go amiss. “You’ve heard more than rumors. I just got here, and I already know that people are escaping into the past.”

  “Is that so?” he remarked, with forced composure.

  Kat stared at the man. He was being a smartass and didn’t care if she knew. She’d made him nervous, but she needed to scare him, and then gain his trust. “Mr. Steel, I know exactly what you are, and so do the people I work for. I could make life extremely uncomfortable for you if you don’t cooperate. Next time you meet a rogue cop on the sly, the Elites would be waiting for you.” She paused to let her words sink in. Steel wasn’t stupid. Everything he did was a calculated risk. “Then again, I can also guarantee my discretion.”

  Steel seemed to think about it for a moment. “Yeah, well, I guess discretion is always valuable.” But then he smiled and cocked his head. “Then again, so is information. What exactly are you offering for whatever knowledge I might have?”

  This time it was Kat’s turn to laugh. “Oh, I’m sure I could afford you, but believe me, you wouldn’t want to be paid by the people I work for. If anyone found out, it would ruin your reputation. Let’s just say that I’m a useful person for you to know. I have serious leverage, the kind of leverage you might need if you’re going to go on working with demons.”

  “And she’s not kidding, mate,” Dore remarked.

  Knocking back the rest of his whiskey, and placing it on the tray, when the waitress arrived with more drinks, Steel leaned back in his chair. “Okay. Then perhaps you’ll tell me who you work for.”

  “It’s not a question of who I work for, although you probably wouldn’t like that either. It’s a question of who employs them, and trust me, that would scare the shit out of you.”

  Steel frowned, but he had also gone pale. Kat had finally said just enough to scare him. “So, what exactly do you want to know? I have no direct connections to escapees. No one comes to me if they want to escape. It’s extremely secret. I know a little about the jump-off points, but that’s about all.”

  “Well then, tell me what you do know.”

  “Sure. I’ve been asked to get people out to the mines, but that’s where it ends.”

  Kat felt a small twinge of excitement. “So you know the people who run the mines? I mean, the bosses.”

  Steel looked around, warily, but the nearest people were twenty feet away, and busy arguing about something. “I occasionally have a drink with them when they’re on R&R. What exactly are you looking for?”

  “I need to visit the mines without anyone knowing who I am. I also need Giselle, and Dore to come with me.”
r />   “No one’s allowed anywhere near the mines without judicial authority.”

  “Really? I thought it was like the Wild West out there.”

  Steel pulled a face. “It is, but the whole area’s fenced off, and it’s heavily patrolled by demons, which is the other thing, there aren’t many women out there. You’d stand out like a sore thumb.”

  “I don’t want to move there. I’m just visiting. There must be a way.”

  Steel shook his head. “The only way you could do it is with fake documents, which is why only rich people can afford it.”

  A surge of electricity coursed through Kat’s veins. “Rich people? What are you saying? That rich people visit the mines? Why would they do that?”

  Steel began chewing on his upper lip, frantically looking for a way out of his unwitting faux pas. “I just… heard about it.”

  “Let me get this right,” Kat said, pressing home her advantage. “Rich people pay for documents to get them into the mines?” She gave Steel a sly smile. “I guess I don’t need to ask why they’d do that.”

  Steel didn’t answer. He just stared at her.

  “Fine. You’d rather not explain. But you can do that… arrange fake documents?” When Steel just gave her a worried look, she said, “Okay. I’ll take it as a leap of faith. So what will this cost me?”

  At that moment, there was a commotion at the bar. Someone who’d probably drunk too much started yelling his head off. A crowd gathered, someone threw a punch, a man with a straggly beard punched him back. More people yelling, a bottle was raised, coming down on someone’s head, shattered glass flying everywhere. The naked dancer shrieked and disappeared through curtains at the back of the stage. There were screams of pain and anger and more punches. It was turning into a brawl, overturned chairs skittering across the floor. Demons wearing baggy suits began to appear, and were soon doing their own punching, but with significantly superior strength.

  It took five minutes for the demons to restore order, by which time Kat had almost forgotten her last question.

  “Well, that was fun,” she remarked, picking up Steel’s whiskey, and gulping it down. “Is that what it’s like at the mines?”

  “Worse,” Steel replied. “At the mines, they shoot each other. Even the demons cut up rough. There’s a demon at West Fork who's known as Rostock. You might want to keep an eye out for him if you’re taking Mr. Dore with you.”

  “Sergeant Major Dore,” Dore corrected him.

  “So,” Kat continued. “What will it cost me?”

  Steel gazed at her for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually, he said, “Well, since money’s not a good idea, I’d like something that’s… well, impossible… even for me. But if you can do it, I can get you into the mines.”

  She glanced at Giselle and was surprised to find her beautiful young guide frowning at her. She wasn’t happy about something. Deciding not to pursue it at this point, she turned back to Steel. “As what? Who would we be?”

  Steel shrugged. “How about a film producer looking for a location?”

  Kat’s jaw dropped. “You have film producers in Hell?”

  “Sure we do. Horror films are all the rage. You might want to drop by your local theater. It’s quite an experience.”

  “Wow!” she exclaimed. “Hollywood in Hell. Who’d of thought?” She looked at Giselle again. This time she was shaking her head. Something was definitely wrong. “Giselle? Are you okay?”

  “It’s not important. I’ll tell you later.”

  She turned to Steel again. “Sounds good to me. A film producer would be perfect. So what do you want that’s so er… difficult?”

  Steel wrinkled his eyes. It was obviously a thorny request. “I want to go home… for a week.”

  “Home?” Kat repeated. “Where is home, exactly?”

  “I mean back to Earth. Where I was before I was killed.” He shrugged. “I want a one-week holiday.”

  Kat didn’t understand. She asked Steel, “why don’t you just escape with the rest?”

  Steel just shrugged, “their trip is one way only. I like my life in Hell. I want to return. I just want a little holiday to visit my old life.”

  She glanced at Giselle again. This time her guide was slowly nodding. She’d known what Steel was going to ask. “Is that going to be a problem?”

  Giselle gave an expansive but slightly hopeless gesture. “I don’t know, Kat. You were the one who spoke to Hadd…” Stopping herself just in time, she winced. “Talk to Pernass. See what he says.”

  “Well, that’s one hell of a request. I’ll see what I can do, although I’m not sure if miracles are allowed in Hell.”

  Promising to get back to Steel, they returned to the apartment.

  The Elites had never approved an escape; it broke every rule in the book.

  “If they send people looking for escapees,” Kat argued. “and if this is to find out how people are escaping, surely the end justifies the means.”

  “Kat, Steel just wants a holiday. I’ve won a lot of Brownie points in the last hundred years, but they’ve never let me go back.”

  “What, not even for a day.”

  “Not even an hour. I have to wait until I’m reincarnated.”

  Kat gave her a sympathetic smile. “Would you come back if they let you escape into the past?” When Giselle stared at her and then shook her head, she said, “Maybe they know that.”

  “But I deserve a break, and who’s to say if Steel will come back?”

  Kat put an arm around Giselle. “Hey, look at it this way, this is an important mission. If we play our cards right, maybe we can all get back to our old lives. Even Hades must see the benefit of give and take. Don’t worry about it. If I can’t get anywhere with my stepfather, I’ll talk to Persephone.”

  When Kat had changed back into her Elites uniform, they left the apartment and headed for the Chrysler Building. It had stopped raining, and fluffy white clouds now scudded across the sky; their mirrored images surreally reflected in the glass-clad skyscrapers. It was hard to believe they were in Hell. Even Dore looked like his old self. He had finally bought a matching gray jacket and pants, a bizarrely mismatched check waistcoat, and a black fedora. It wasn’t his usual military-style, but it seemed to fit the mood he was in.

  Taking the elevator to the 16th floor again, Kat suggested to Dore that it might be an idea if he removes his hat before entering Pernass’s office. Dore was carrying two handguns in a shoulder holster and looked more like an aggressive private eye, or a mobster from the forties than an ex-army Sergeant. The least he could do was remove his hat.

  When they entered Pernass’s office, the Oberführer barely glanced at Dore, more entranced by Kat in her new uniform.

  “Got in Himmel, Katelyn! You could have warned me. I’ve never seen you look so… scary. Will all three of you have to dress like that?”

  She glanced at Giselle, who was wearing a very fetching summer dress. “I don’t know, you’re the boss, but I wouldn’t advise it.” She grinned. “Jock obviously likes looking like a gangster, and Giselle would look silly in what I’m wearing. On top of that, with your permission, we’re going to the mines tomorrow, and they can’t know we’re from the Elites. We’ll be going there as film producers.”

  Pernass straightened in his seat. “You managed to find Jonathan Steel?”

  “We did, and he’s prepared to help, but you won’t like what he’s asking for.”

  Pernass’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, my God. You were a problem in Egypt, a nightmare in the Libyan desert, and you almost killed my beloved Führer,” he joked. “What have you done this time?”

  Even now, it was hard to predict what Pernass was going to say about Steel’s request. It was certainly unusual, if not downright outrageous, but then, Pernass could be pretty outrageous himself if it was necessary. She had considered being diplomatic, but what was the point? She was here now. She may as well come straight out with it.

  “I haven’t done anything yet.
It’s on hold until you agree. But you’ll need to do more than just agree. You’ll have to get permission as well.” She laughed. “and you’re new here.”

  “God Almighty, Katelyn, stop beating about the bush. What does Steel want?”

  “Steel wants a holiday from Hell, and I’m sure you can imagine what that means.”

  Pernass’s eyes widened. “He wants to escape? But that’s exactly what we’re trying to stop.”

  “No escape. It’s only for a week.”

  “A week?” Pernass barked. “He won’t get a day. He’ll be lucky if he gets a few hours, and even that’s extremely questionable. Hades is trying to stem the flow, not authorize it. What if he doesn’t come back?”

  “It’s only a means to an end,” she argued. “If Steel can get us into the mines…”

  “But I can get you into the mines!” he roared. “I send people there all the time.”

  “Not without all the fanfare you can’t. We won’t be prisoners, and if we go in as Elites, they’ll clam up tighter than a Scotsman’s wallet…” Kat glanced over at Dore and said, “No offense.”

  “Can I say something?” Giselle cut in.

  Pernass glared at her. “Young lady, you’re a guide, not an authority on how the Elites work.”

  “Actually, I used to work for the Elites, and I’m not a young lady, although that’s very sweet of you. I’ve been here for a couple of hundred years.”

  Pernass stared at her, noticeably shocked.

  “It’s not a problem. If you’re worried about Steel not coming back, Dore, and I can go with him.”

  “You’re not serious. You’re an irreplaceable guide, and I wouldn’t trust Sergeant Dore as far as I can throw him.”

  “Father, be reasonable. Hades sent me to the Elites to stop the flow of escapees. He knows it’s not going to be easy. I’m sure if you explain the situation with Steel, he’ll agree.”

  “He might well do,” Pernass quavered, “but I’ve got to ask him.”

  Kat shrugged. “Don’t be such a wimp, father. Tell Hades you’re with me, and this is what I’ve come up with. You were Hitler’s closest confident and right-hand man. If you could manipulate that monster, you can certainly negotiate with the Devil.”