by Michael Todd
Pandora immediately dove into Katie and she toppled backward, catching herself. Her mind was weak, and so was her body. For a moment she didn’t even know where to go, too afraid to even take a step forward since she feared it wouldn’t be real. All she could do was stare down at her shaking hands and wait, hoping that at any moment she would snap out of it.
Across the sandy ground, Stephanie and Korbin walked outside, laughing about a movie they’d just watched. Stephanie glanced at Korbin as they walked out of the building. “From now on, every time a helicopter comes to rescue us, I’m screaming, ‘Get to the choppa!’”
Korbin laughed and walked forward, running right into Stephanie’s back. She had stopped, the smile fading from her lips. “Is that Katie?”
Korbin squinted. “It looks like it.”
Stephanie shook her head and started to jog. “What happened to her?”
Both of them ran full speed to where she was, slowing down as they approached. Korbin walked forward and put his hands on her shoulders. She gasped, jumping in fright and looking up at him. He stared at her fearful face, feeling her body trembling. “Come here.”
Korbin pulled her into a tight hug, looking at Stephanie in concern. Whispering into her ear, Korbin tried to pull her out of it. “Katie, what happened? Pandora, are you in there?”
Katie’s body began to shake harder, so he could tell that she was inside of Katie, and in about the same shape. Korbin looked at Stephanie. “Go get Brock. I’ll carry her to her room.”
Stephanie nodded and took off in the other direction, heading for the training area. Korbin leaned down and picked Katie up, cradling her in his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder and stared into the distance as they walked slowly across the sandy base toward the main barracks. When he reached the building, Calvin opened the door and paused, looking at Korbin and down at Katie.
Korbin gave him a concerned look and he stepped to the side, letting him carry her through and following them. They walked up the stairs and down the hall to her room. Calvin flipped on the lights and sat on the edge of the bed as Korbin laid her down. Immediately she curled into a ball and began to shiver.
Calvin grabbed her blanket, pulling it up and over her shoulders. He rubbed his hand over her hair, shaking his head. “What in the world could have done this to her?”
Korbin looked very concerned. “I have no idea.”
Stephanie and Brock walked quickly into the room. As soon as Brock saw her, he slowed down, looking up at Korbin and then back at her. He sat on the edge of the bed and the rest of them left, closing the door behind them. Katie sat up and looked Brock in the eyes, tears finally escaping and cascading down her cheeks. She collapsed in his arms, sobbing.
Brock rubbed the back of her head. “What’s wrong?”
She sniffed, shaking her head. “Let’s just be together for a minute; just for a minute.”
Calvin walked back outside, trying to shake his shock from seeing Katie like that. The plane carrying Sofia was landing on the runway in the far corner of the base. The last thing he wanted to do was freak her out. She needed to stay calm and cool while she was pregnant. They already had so many things going on that they couldn’t control.
He picked up his pace and trotted toward the runway. The plane came to a stop and turned, facing the other direction. Calvin grabbed the set of stairs and rolled them up to the door as it opened. He put the brakes on and stood at the bottom, forcing a big smile as Sofia stepped into the doorway. She had several things in her hands, including two coffees and a box of what looked like pastries.
She carefully came down the steps, Calvin meeting her halfway and taking her things from her. She put her hands on his face and kissed him softly. Calvin grinned, looking down at her tummy. It had grown a lot, and he thought about his words before he said them. “Our baby is getting so strong. You look absolutely radiant.”
Sofia grinned. “Your mother taught you well, my love. You always know exactly what to say.”
When they got to the bottom, she took one of the coffees and sipped it. “Oh, do you have bacon?”
Calvin lifted an eyebrow. “If we don’t, we’ll make sure to get some.”
Sofia let out a deep breath of relief. “Oh, good. Because I have been having the worst cravings lately. It started with bacon, and that has seriously not gone away. I had to portion myself out bacon for each day, or I would cook an entire package and eat the whole thing in ten minutes.”
Calvin smiled. “Even non-pregnant people do that because, well, bacon is amazing.”
Sofia giggled. “Then it started including apple fritters and Vietnamese coffee. I tried to make my own fritters, you know, to save money and so I didn’t feel like such a hippo going in there every day, but that didn’t work. So, I started blaming it on you, saying you requested them a dozen at a time.”
Calvin laughed. “Okay. So, when I go back to San Diego, where am I not going?”
Sofia smiled. “I always get them from Rose Donuts. Of course, if I’m not in San Diego, I will have to make do and get them from wherever I can. I am not that picky, but I probably will complain.”
Calvin juggled the coffee, looking at her with a grin. “Well, you have the right to complain about anything you want to. You are growing an entire human inside you right now. I would be blowing people up.”
Sofia shrugged. “Sometimes I get testy, but it’s mostly when I’m hungry…or horny. Then I’ll snap at people for pretty much nothing. You will see my Mexican sass come out really fast. I remind myself of my abuela. She would be proud; I take no shit from anyone.”
Calvin blinked, slightly worried. “I need to make sure to feed you, and I mean that both ways, no matter whether you are hungry or horny. We don’t need the wild woman coming out in you.”
Sofia looked at the box in his hands. “Well, I made sure to eat enough to at least be pleasant when I got here. I brought a box of apple fritters and two coffees. One is for you, of course. I am obviously trying to control my caffeine intake since I have a little bean in there. I love him, and I love my heritage, but what I don’t need is a Mexican jumping bean. My stomach only stretches so damn far.”
Calvin glanced down at the box and then at Sofia. “Just a warning. Pandora is partial to Krispy Kreme, but I’d keep these away from her just the same.”
Sofia furrowed her brow. “I like Pandora a lot, but let me just tell you… Let that angel come up here and try to take my fritters and I’ll… I don’t know what I’ll do, but it will hurt. Se arranca el cabello por las raíces y la patea en la entrepierna, probablemente.”
Calvin laughed as he pulled the door to the barracks open and let her walk in before him. “You are so adorable when you get mad and start speed-talking in Spanish.”
Sofia laughed. “Until it is aimed at you. Then you won’t think it’s so funny or cute, for that matter.”
They stopped in the center landing halfway up to let Sofia catch her breath. Calvin leaned over and kissed her forehead. “You are my wife. I am pretty sure there will be some point in the next sixty years that you will be that livid with me, and when it comes, I will take it in stride.”
Sofia grinned. “You’d better.”
They headed the rest of the way upstairs and into the dining hall, which was mostly empty. Sofia lowered herself into a chair and Calvin grabbed some napkins. Over coffee and fritters, Calvin knew it was the perfect time to talk to her. “So, I had a long conversation with Korbin on our way here from Paris.”
Sofia nodded, chewing a huge bite of fritter. Calvin chuckled. “And we have worked it out so that I will be staying here at the base from now on.”
Sofia swallowed hard and looked at him lovingly, tears forming in her eyes. “Damn hormones. I cry over everything. A bird looked at me the other day and I burst into tears.”
Calvin reached out, smiling, and took her hands. “We are having a baby. A beautiful baby. I cannot wait to hold that sweet angel, and I want to be here for the rest of this p
regnancy. I have left you alone for far too long, and it is not okay.”
Sofia shrugged, smirking. “Gave me time to spend with all my other lovers.”
Calvin laughed, shaking his head. “You are going to drive me crazy for the rest of my life. I am a very lucky man.”
Sofia giggled. “Okay, so what are you going to do around here? Train? Go to incursions?”
Calvin took a deep breath and leaned back. “We haven’t fully discussed that yet, but a new Leviathan has woken up. It is causing a lot of problems out in Texas right now. We are going to need to track this thing so that we can stop it. Apparently, Katie had a run in with it today, and let’s just say, she’s curled into a ball in Brock’s lap right now.”
Sofia stuck out her bottom lip. “Poor Katie. I have never seen her not be tough.”
Calvin sighed. “Me either, which means this thing is rough.”
Sofia bit the inside of her cheek and narrowed her eyes. “This actually is very interesting to me. I shifted my major in school and have been studying genetics.”
Calvin was surprised. “Wow. That’s amazing. I don’t know why I am surprised, though. You are incredibly intelligent, and can do anything you put your mind to.”
Sofia smiled. “I would actually love to help in whatever way that I can. This would be an excellent opportunity to get some lab time in, maybe gain some experience in the new world of genetics.”
Calvin thought about it for a moment, wanting to make sure that whatever he put her into, she would be safe. He tapped his finger on his lips. “Actually, I think that would be an excellent idea. This world is new to all of us, so we don’t have a lot of people who are capable of doing or assisting in the research. And I would love to see you get involved in this with us. You are already part of the family, and I know it drives you crazy having nothing to do out here.”
Sofia rolled her eyes. “Boy, does it ever. Everyone else is work, work, work, and I’m over here bored out of my mind, being infected by demons, eating off other people’s plates, and walking around in my nightgown.”
Calvin laughed, shaking his head. “That has passed. No one even brings it up…much.”
Sofia laughed. “Oh, well, I had two other beings in my body at once. I was not responsible for my actions. Anyways, who could I help with this stuff?”
Calvin thought about it for a second. “We got our top minds working on it, but there was a doctor who helped Juntto. His name was Dr. Ozu. He’s literally the closest thing we have to an expert on Leviathans or alien creatures in general.”
Sofia bit her fritter and held it in the air, tapping it to Calvin’s. “Sign me up, doc!”
Katie’s room was completely silent; Pandora had huddled up inside her without a word. She lay in Brock’s lap as he stroked her hair, leaning up against the headboard. She held her hands tightly together in front of her lips and stared out into the room, lost in her thought. Brock’s attention and the caring of the others had warmed her on the inside, and she was beginning to feel better again. Still shaky, but better than she had been.
She lifted up out of Brock’s lap and rolled her shoulders back, wiping the tears from her cheeks. Katie leaned her head back and took a deep breath through her nose, slowly letting it out of her mouth. When she opened her eyes, Brock was looking at her with a kind and caring face.
Katie smiled, shaking her head. “I’m sorry I folded like that.”
Brock reached out and took her hand. “Are you kidding me? Do not ever apologize for being a living, breathing creature on this planet. You don’t always have to be tough. I am here for you, no matter what.”
Katie rubbed her hand over his and let out a deep breath. “I came face to face with the new Leviathan. He is probably the worst so far. He has this ability to mess with your mind. One minute I was soaring toward him with my sword at the ready, and the next, I was stuck in a nightmare. He made my worst nightmare come to life, at least in my head. It was like, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t save anyone. They were all dying at my hands.”
Katie’s voice cracked, and Brock stroked her hand. “Shhhh. Just take a deep breath. One thing at a time. It wasn’t real, and you are here with me now. Take your time.”
Katie swallowed hard and nodded. She took a deep breath and continued, “I thought that buildings were falling down around me. I raced for this family, but just as I was about to pull the little girl out, the building fell on her. Then there was an old man, and I had him; I was holding on to him high up in the air, but his hand slipped and he fell. He fell into the dust and debris and I couldn’t see him anymore.”
Brock furrowed his brow. “That must have been an absolutely terrible dream.”
Katie nodded. “It was. No matter how hard I tried, even with all the power I have in me, I couldn’t save them. It was the worst thing I have ever felt or experienced in my life. I can’t even imagine what the other people were seeing. And the people that died stuck in their dreams…”
Katie looked down at the bed, trying to push out the sick feeling in her belly. Brock reached over and put his finger under her chin, pushing it up. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her cheek, pulling her hand into his lap. “Let me tell you something about yourself that you never think about. You have saved and helped many people on this planet since you became a Damned. Thousands and thousands, possibly millions of people, are alive because of the work you have done. You have eradicated a huge portion of the super-huge, super-dangerous demons. You have literally walked through hell to save people in this world. Some saw it directly, and others saw it indirectly.”
Pandora cleared her throat. I hate to be mushy and all, but the dude has a point.
Katie smiled, putting her head back down. Then you have to know it’s true for you, too.
Brock leaned back with a grin on his face. “All the bad stuff, all those fears? They are all just in your head. You may not think about them often, but they are always there. We all have them. Some are more personal, while others, like you, worry about not being able to save the world. In my opinion, that makes you one hell of a person, and absolutely earning those wings as an angel.”
Katie grinned at him, feeling better just because of his words. He leaned in, lifting her chin. “Even without your wings, you are my sassy, bitchy angel.”
Katie laughed loudly, and Brock kissed her lips.
13
It was a clear but brisk day in New York. All of the sidewalks were dry, but there were still large piles of snow from the shoveling and plowing on the roads. The temperatures had stayed in the low thirties and even gone down into the teens, and the wind chill factor was awful. It was one of the colder winters in New York, but that didn’t stop the people from coming out and going about their normal routines. Angie had even been able to convince Juntto to get out from beneath the furry Hygge blanket and take a walk around the city with her.
Of course, it wouldn’t be New York, or Juntto for that matter, if the conversation wasn’t revolving around food. On this particular day, pizza was the topic of discussion. Angie held Juntto’s hand, swinging it back and forth. He had morphed into a normal regular-looking guy with dark hair, a beard, and dimples.
Angie looked at the sign for a pizza place and nodded. “See? The New York Slice. That’s what I’m talking about. I don’t know how you can be a true pizza lover and not love that huge slice of pie. It’s as big as your fucking head. Or mine, at least. Yours can get quite big.”
Juntto gave Angie a deadpan stare. “Funny. But I have to disagree. I like to sit down in front of those really thick, big, and bulky pizzas. You know, the kind that weighs like ten pounds and you almost have to eat it with a fork?”
He snapped his fingers, looking up as he tried to remember the name for it. “It’s uh…uh…oh! Chicago-style pizza! Thick crust, sauce piled on top, and cheese that goes right down to the dough. Throw a little sausage on that bad boy and you will have me forever.”
Angie rolled her eyes. “But you li
ve in New York. And what good is pizza if you can’t pick it up in your hands and have the grease run down your wrists? One paper plate is never enough to hold the sucker. It just falls apart when you are trying to eat the thing. Might as well wrap a tissue around it.”
Juntto shook his head. “But you can eat a large Chicago-style and not be hungry for three days! You eat the New York slice and boom, twenty minutes later you’re in line for a hoagie. Chicago all the way!”
Angie leaned her head back and growled. “But it’s not even pizza! It’s a doughy cheese pie.”
Juntto shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t care how you classify it here in New York. The point of the matter is, it’s fucking delicious down to the last melty, cheesy bite. In fact, I want one right now. But of course, we’re in New York, so that does me no good.”
Angie laughed and shook her head. “You are adorable. So, I’ve been thinking about some things.”
Juntto glanced down with a raised eyebrow. “This isn’t one of those Dear John moments, is it? ‘It’s not you, it’s me?’”
Angie chuckled. “No, not at all. This is about me and my future. When Katie found me and pulled me out of my situation, she gave me the chance to really prove to myself that I could do anything. I have been handling her day-to-day matters since before she even bought the condo. It’s been fun and great, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything in the world.”
Juntto nodded. “So what’s the issue?”
Angie shrugged. “There’s no issue, exactly, but things have changed and evolved. With Katie out of pocket more often, I have a bit more free time. Actually, I would calculate it as a lot more free time.”
Juntto sighed. “I would love more free time. Just wrap me up, stick a slice of Chicago-style pizza in my pie hole, and hand me the remote. Oh, and of course, I want you by my side.”
Angie snorted. “Gee, thanks. I’m not complaining about the free time. I just ran out of hobbies to try. So, I was thinking about getting a side job. I mean, it’s not for the money. Katie pays me a ton of money. In fact, I could retire right now and never need or want for anything. It’s more about filling my time with things that fulfill me. Make me feel like I am being true to myself. Something I would really enjoy.”