by Alex Siegel
Robertson left.
Diana began to open the envelope.
"Save that for later," Stony said.
"But it's official? I'm a government secret agent now?"
"Yeah, sure. Welcome to the club."
Stony faced the computers. Six desktop machines sat on desks with ergonomic chairs. The setup looked very professional, but it was overkill. Neither he nor his teammates had any fondness or affinity for computers.
Stony logged into a computer and started the test program. "You have an hour," he told Diana. "The questions cover general knowledge and intelligence. Don't worry if you have trouble. You can't fail. This is just for assessment purposes."
She sat down and began to read the first question.
Stony and Mia moved to the far side of the room. She had a very irritated expression.
"What's wrong?" Stony whispered.
"When you were showing Diana how to shoot, you got very... intimate."
"I was just helping her get into the right position."
"You were practically fondling her," Mia whispered angrily.
"You're overreacting."
"Am I? You've been extremely friendly to her. I can't remember you being this nice with other recruits."
"She needs a lot of help," he mumbled. "All this is new to her. What are you saying? There is nothing going on between us. She's just...."
"What? Beautiful? Gorgeous? Smoking hot?"
"Calm down. She is a very attractive woman, and I'm a man. An instinctive reaction is natural, but I'll get over it. You're my one and only."
Mia glared.
"I love you." Stony smiled and tried to kiss her, but she turned away.
"Just so we're clear," she hissed, "if you mess around with her, I'll break that bitch's legs. Then I'll break your legs for good measure. With a sledgehammer. I'm a very vindictive woman, but you know that."
"Don't worry. Relax."
She continued to fume. He decided to drop the subject. It was impossible to talk to her when she was in such a foul mood, but he had to admit she had a point. Jealousy could ruin the dynamics of the team. He would have to be very careful around Diana in the future.
For the next hour, the only sound was Diana typing.
She finally announced, "I'm done!"
Stony walked over to read her score. The total was 136. He grunted.
"Is that good?" Diana said.
Mia smirked. "Better than what he got."
"What about you?"
Mia's smirk vanished. "Our scores are... comparable. You're beautiful, talented, and smart. You got it all going on, girl."
"Thank you." Diana smiled.
"Do you want to her to take another test, Stony?"
Stony shrugged. "Seems like enough tests for now. Let's visit Kane before dinner."
Mia looked down at her white sweat suit. "Not dressed like this. He's in the base hospital. We need to wear respectable clothes."
"Am I coming with you?" Diana said.
"You have to. We're responsible for watching you. I guess you'll have to pull another outfit out of the costume closet."
* * *
Stony, Mia, and Diana walked out of headquarters. They were wearing blue suits appropriate for ordinary PEA agents. The members of the third division didn't like to advertise that they were exceptional.
A setting sun made high clouds glow orange. A steady breeze had forced most of the birds along the shore to stay on the ground. They squawked as they walked across mud and marsh.
Diana looked around. "What is this place? Some kind of military base?"
"Schonenberg Air Force Base," Stony said. "The PEA occupies a corner, which is convenient when we need to get somewhere in a hurry. It's like living in an airport."
"And the military provides additional security," Mia said.
Diana looked back at the tall, gray headquarters building. "I guess security is important."
"Damn right," Stony said. "The forces of evil hate us, and once in a while, they attack."
"I thought Rathanael protected us."
"The angel isn't perfect. We have to protect ourselves, too." He pointed to the top of the headquarters building. "There are snipers on the roof. Automatic defenses are buried in the ground. They're always adding new wrinkles to the security."
Her gaze swept the flat, open space that surrounded headquarters. "I don't see a parking lot. Where are the cars?"
"Too easy to hide a bomb in a car. Private vehicles aren't permitted around here. We always take a shuttle, or we walk if we're not in a hurry."
They started walking towards a parked shuttlebus, but then Diana stopped and looked around with a fearful expression.
"What's wrong?" Mia said.
"I just realized that we're leaving headquarters, leaving Rathanael. Forneus might come after me!"
"You have Rathanael's mark. You're safe."
"And the second division is running spiritual interference," Stony said. "Forneus is trapped in Hell. Come on."
A blue and white shuttlebus was waiting in its usual spot. They hurried over to it.
"Base hospital, please," Stony said to the driver.
He, Mia, and Diana climbed aboard and sat down. The driver started the engine and pulled away.
After a couple of minutes of driving through marsh, the shuttlebus reached the core of Schonenberg Air Force Base. About fifty buildings were made of bricks, glass, cement, and steel. The roads formed a strict grid aligned with nearby runways. Stony recognized the commissary, the chapel, the post office, and the recreation center. Men and women wore a mix of military uniforms, some plain blue and others with a subdued camouflage pattern.
He glanced at Diana to make sure she was just enjoying the ride. He reminded himself that her new loyalties were still untested. Less than a day ago, she had tried to kill him. Taking her out of headquarters was a risk. If she intended to cause trouble, she might see this little trip as an opportunity.
She was just looking out the window though. After watching her for a moment, he noticed Mia glaring at him. He quickly turned away.
I've changed so much, Stony thought.
Before joining the PEA, he had been a truly evil man. That Stony would've dumped Mia and seduced Diana without a second thought. After all, Diana was younger and prettier, and that was reason enough. Fighting temptation and remaining faithful to Mia took effort, but he knew he was a better man for it.
The shuttlebus parked in front of a four-story, brick building. Some of the people coming and going were dressed as nurses or doctors.
Stony, Mia, and Diana left the shuttle. They asked questions until they found their way to Kane's hospital room.
Stony entered the room with a confident, professional demeanor. He hid his sadness to keep Kane from feeling even worse.
The big man was lying flat on a hospital bed with his injured leg elevated. Instead of a cast, a framework of pins held the leg in place. The stainless-steel pins went through his flesh. His skin normally had plenty of color, but now it was pale. Seeing Kane in such poor shape hit Stony like a slap on the face. The room smelled like rotten meat, but Stony knew that was Kane's natural odor.
Kane raised his head. "Hey!" he said weakly. "Good to see you guys. Looks like I'll be out of commission longer than I expected."
Stony walked over and patted Kane gently on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Just rest. We'll save a few bad guys for you to beat up when you're healthy."
"Yes," Mia said. "Don't feel guilty just because you can't help the team for a while. It's not your fault."
"Wait a sec." Kane looked past Stony. "Is that the girl we caught last night?"
Diana came forward. "Hi. I'm Diana. They told me your name is Kane." She sniffed the air and wrinkled her nose.
Kane gave her a suspicious stare.
"She was initiated this morning," Stony said. "She hasn't caused any trouble so far."
Kane didn't appear reassured.
"What happened to
you?" Diana said. "How did you break your leg?"
"A lion attacked us in your house."
She gasped. "Peaches did this?"
"Who is Peaches?" Kane said.
"The name of my pet lion."
"I didn't get his name. Too busy fighting for my life."
"What happened to Peaches?" Diana bit her lip.
"We shot him, of course."
Her face lost a shade of color, and she looked like she might cry.
"That beast killed Ace!" Kane said. "And almost killed me!"
"He was just doing what Orcus ordered him to do. Peaches was a big, cuddly pussycat. He didn't deserve to die."
Kane turned to Stony. "Is she serious?"
"I expect so," Stony said. "Orcus is a master of animal magic, and she was his apprentice. A fondness for animals probably goes with the territory."
"Speaking of animals," Diana said, "what happened to the rest of the pets in the house?"
"I'm not sure, but I expect they were destroyed."
"What?! Why?"
"There was a chance they were infected with black magic," he said.
"They were," she said, "but that doesn't mean you had to kill every one!"
"What was the alternative? Build a special zoo for spiritual quarantine? Have the priests perform hundreds of cleansing rituals? That's not practical."
Diana rubbed her temples, and a tear rolled down her cheek. She grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. Everybody else gave her a few minutes to calm down.
"When I first saw you," Kane said after she had recovered, "you were a cat."
She raised her right hand, and it transformed into a big cat's paw. "That's right."
"Cool trick."
"What can you do?"
"I make things rot," he said.
"That sounds more disgusting than useful."
"A little of both. Are we any closer to catching Orcus?"
Stony shook his head. "The director has deployed hundreds of field teams, but the search has turned up nothing so far."
"Damn," Kane said. "Do you think he might break down and ask the FBI for help this time?"
"Not unless the apocalypse is imminent. Orcus will make a mistake and get caught. It always happens. No need to panic."
Kane frowned.
"But that's not your problem anymore," Stony said. "You focus on getting healthy. Do what the doctors tell you."
"Damned doctors! They keep sticking needles and pins in me."
Stony glanced at Kane's broken leg. "I'm sure it's for the best. It's dinnertime for us. You need anything?"
"No." Kane sighed. "I'm good... sort of."
"We'll visit tomorrow if we can."
Stony, Mia, and Diana left the hospital room.
"Poor Peaches," Diana said sadly as they walked down the corridor.
Stony remembered the lion clobbering him and didn't feel any sympathy.
She looked up and down the hall nervously.
"Still worried about Forneus coming to get you?" he said.
Diana nodded while biting her lip.
"When we get back to headquarters, I want to show you something that will make you feel safer."
Chapter Seven
"It's beautiful!" Diana said. "I love all the candles."
Stony and Mia ushered Diana into the "cathedral" on the seventh floor of headquarters. The second division did its most important work here.
Marble columns and arches reached up to a fifteen-foot ceiling. Marvelously crafted statues of saints stood along the walls like ever-watchful guards. The clothes on the statues looked like real cloth even though they were made of textured stone. Symbols representing the divine from many different religions decorated the walls. Racks of white candles provided most of the light. Incense smoke lightly scented the air.
Around forty priests, nuns, and monks were praying. They sat on circular pews built around a central altar. A white flame burned continuously above the altar, supplied by a concealed source of flammable gas. The prayer was in Latin, but everybody spoke the words clearly and in perfect harmony, as if singing a song.
"As long as they keep praying," Stony whispered, "Forneus will be trapped in Hell, unable to hurt you or help Orcus."
"You're sure?" Diana said.
He nodded. "Rathanael personally selected every member of the second division. They have exceptional faith and spiritual purity. He also taught them special prayers for combating demons. They are as important to the PEA as we are."
"I was always taught that the Devil is stronger than God."
"If that were true, I'd be dead a hundred times over. I'm sure I'm on Satan's hit list."
"You've been here a long time?" she said.
"Seems like an entire lifetime," Stony said, "but I have a lot of sins to atone for. I still have a long way to go. I did some very nasty shit before I joined the PEA."
"You're seeking redemption."
"It's worth a shot," he said.
"Why is God using former evil to fight evil?"
"I don't know. Maybe to rub His superiority in the Devil's face? If we can be saved, anybody can. Or maybe it's because some jobs require people who are willing to get their hands very dirty."
One priest stood up and approached Stony, Mia, and Diana. The priest wore a black shirt, black pants, and a white collar. A gold crucifix hung from his neck. He had short gray hair and a neatly trimmed gray beard. Glasses with thin rims were perched on his nose.
"What are you doing here?" the priest said in a hostile voice.
"That's a nice way to greet another agent," Stony said. "Diana, this is Father Sullins. Father, this is the newest member of the third division."
Diana offered her hand, but Sullins just curled his lip.
"Are you an abomination like the others?" he said. "Do you have unholy powers?"
Her face transformed into the face of a cat. "You could say that," she said in a feline lisp.
He clenched his jaw. "Get out of here."
"Why? We're just looking." She became a normal woman again.
"This is our sanctuary, a place of pure light and goodness." Sullins nodded towards the people who were praying. "All of us have followed the highest calling our entire life. Our faith in the Lord is our armor. Prayer is our weapon. Your soul is a cesspool of corruption. You have no business here." He glanced at Stony and Mia. "None of you do."
"I thought we were on the same team," Diana said.
"We have shared goals. Otherwise, we have absolutely nothing in common. You are creatures of evil, only recently converted to good... barely. We've been on the right side our entire lives."
"And I thought humility was a virtue," Diana quipped. "Rathanael recruited us. Your opinion isn't as important."
Stony smirked. Nice one, he thought.
"Let's just go," Mia said. "We're clearly not appreciated here."
She, Stony, and Diana left the room.
"What's next?" Diana said.
"Dinner, relaxation," Stony said. "The official start of your training is tomorrow. We'll take tonight off. We have a home theater upstairs. Maybe we'll see a movie."
She smiled. "I get a night off? Wow. I haven't had a chance to just relax and have fun for years. When I was with Orcus, I worked constantly. Somebody always needed to be fed, and cages needed to be cleaned. And then there were all the rituals."
"Well, around here, we make time for fun." Mia gave him a warning stare. "But not too much fun," he added lamely.
* * *
A ringing phone woke Stony from a deep sleep. He groped around until he found the phone on his nightstand, and he answered the call.
"What?" he grunted.
"This is Director Robertson. I want you and Mia to fly to Breaux Bridge, Louisiana."
"Never heard of it."
"A massacre occurred there last night," Robertson said. "Actually, three separate massacres, but all very similar and close together. An unknown party raided farms and left nobody alive. A total of fourteen mu
rder victims. Whole families were killed."
"Sounds bad, but why does the PEA care?"
"Pit bulls were being raised on the farms for dog-fighting purposes. All the dogs are missing. Somebody unchained them and took them away. What is particularly interesting is how the victims died. Dogs mauled them to death."
"As if the dogs were under control and used as weapons," Stony said.
"Exactly."
"But Mia and I aren't crime scene investigators. Why are you sending us?"
"You might notice something the real investigators miss," Robertson said. "To be frank, it was Rathanael's idea. The angel wants you and Mia out of the house more, so to speak."
"Why, sir?"
"It's a test. He wants to know if you're capable of operating in polite society without reverting to your old, bad habits. Part of your long journey from darkness to light. I'm doubtful, but he made the call."
"OK," Stony said. "I'll try not to disappoint him."
"A plane will be waiting by the time you get to the runway. Wear clothes that won't attract attention. Keep a low profile. No need to tell our agents who you are."
"What if they figure it out on their own?"
"Just don't make a scene," Robertson said. "Oh, and police are also investigating, real police, so watch what you say."
"Got it," Stony said. "Bye." He hung up.
"What was that about?" Mia said in a sleepy voice. "What time is it?"
"Time to get up. We're going to Louisiana. I'll explain as we get dressed."
* * *
Stony knocked on the door of Diana's apartment. The door opened, but he saw Veronica standing there instead of Diana. Veronica must have watched Diana through the night.
"Mia and I are flying to Louisiana," Stony said.
"Orcus was found?" Veronica said hopefully.
"Not quite, but we might have a lead. We're leaving immediately. You and Brian will be responsible for Diana."
She furrowed her brow and frowned.
"Start her training while we're gone," Stony said, "and don't beat her up just because you're still mad about Ace. Treat her with the respect you would show any teammate."
Veronica sighed. "I'll try. She's asleep. Do you want to wake her up so you can say goodbye?"