by Michael Todd
“We are professionals.” Brad sighed. “We are scientists, but we’re the ones who aren’t invited to the party. We are the kids that get the swirlies in the bathroom, not the girl.”
“I get it,” Katie said. “I didn’t mean to offend. We know how it feels to be outcasts.”
“Yeah,” Joyce said, smiling kindly but wondering what this attractive woman could possibly know about being an outcast.
Damian pulled the conversation back on track. “Anyway, I’m sorry I couldn’t have helped you more with your research. Trust me, I want to help where I can. This kind of stuff, though—it’s dangerous, and the deal is, I gotta follow the instructions my bosses give. The first thing we have to do coming into a place like this is clean out the house. We can’t help anyone or anything if the house isn’t clear. There is no sense in trying to help you if something is hunting me. We have to secure the perimeter just like the cops have to do at a crime scene before they enter.”
“Understandable.” Joyce pushed another camera to the junk pile.
“Once that’s done, we will help anyone who is down,” Damian continued. “When we get to that point, we want to save lives. We do everything we can to make sure that the people walk out with their souls intact, and if at all possible, without sharing their bodies with demons. We know how that is, since we live that life every single day. It’s not only our job, it’s our life and you guys just so happened to be in line for saving.”
“How about her?” Emma asked, nodding to Katie. “Did she help?”
“Katie?” Damian asked, glancing over at her. “Nah, this was her first time dealing with spirits, so she was under my orders to stay by the door. She was here merely to observe. We make it a habit to never go anywhere without backup, no matter how easy the task is.”
“We have the same rule,” Joyce said, slapping Brad on the shoulder. “Anyway, thank you for everything. We should be heading out. It’s been a long day, and I could definitely use a hot cup of coffee and a shower while Brad and Emma attempt to figure out what the hell happened to all our equipment. Thanks for coming as fast as you did. You guys might just have saved our lives.”
“You’re welcome,” Damian said.
Katie and Damian watched as the ghost-hunting team packed up the last bits of failed equipment and headed out of the house. When they heard the door shut at the front they both let out a deep breath, glad that they had gotten through that explanation successfully. Damian shook his head and walked over to Katie, slapping her on the shoulder.
“I don’t know about you,” he looked around the house one last time, “but I could definitely use a drink, and this time it needs to be stronger than tea or stout. It is definitely a whiskey night.”
“I’m not sure if I am happy to hide my powers or irritated by it,” Katie told him. “I mean, they are my powers, like it or not. On top of that, by hiding them I totally just lost out on the spiff a demon at that level would have paid. I’m gonna be broke for the rest of my life if I keep doing it this way. I’ll be that fighter who is always there kicking ass, but can’t afford a cab home from the bar. How much is that thing worth, anyway?”
“Twenty-five thousand,” Damian answered, a lopsided grin on his face. “He was worth twenty-five.”
“Holy shit!” Katie threw up her hands. “I’m glad normal everyday people don’t know how much this job pays. We would have the ‘rare’ swarming us, begging for jobs.”
“Except that if you are a rare, you either die or get changed,” Damian explained. “There really aren’t a lot of choices. A mortal human coming in of their own accord, they are making a decision that will affect the rest of their mortal lives.”
“True,” Katie said. “Welcome to the sucky life: we either die or get exorcised. There is no other viable choice.”
“Exactly,” he said. “Anyway, don’t worry about the money. I don’t actually need that twenty-five thousand. When they give it to me, I’ll just pass it on over to you—no big deal. That wasn’t why I took the job anyway, and you are the one who got beat up in the whole ordeal. It’s fair.”
She shook her head and made a face. “Yeah, but you are the one who brought us here. Take the call, lead the call,” Katie argued. “I wouldn’t feel right accepting that money, especially since you are the brains behind the deal. I’m just the brawn.”
“No.” Damian was emphatic. “That is your money. I couldn’t accept it, knowing I spent the entire time hiding behind an old couch that smelled like mildew.” He surreptitiously wiped his hand on his pants again. “Besides, I was suckered in that situation by believing the ghost hunters. I don’t know a human or Damned who could have taken that demon on their own. If not for you, I’d be dead.”
Damian almost stopped and turned away, but he didn’t. He paused for a minute, looking her up and down. There was something on his face… A smirk maybe—something Katie hadn’t seen from him before.
“When I say you…” He leaned in and said softly, “I mean both of you.”
Told you I’m a big deal, Pandora said, preening herself. Even human men can’t resist me.
“Thank you.” Katie smiled at Damian. “We accept.”
There was a pause. A moment of understanding, something that suggested to her that everything was going to be okay between her and everyone else despite her strange and unique powers.
They left the house and headed over to the pub to grab a drink. She actually had a beer rather than tea, and some dinner.
They didn’t talk about the day or her powers or the team. They just hung out, and for the first time in a while Katie felt like a person again—which was crazy considering her rather unique experience a short while ago.
Sometimes people forgot the restorative powers of a good meal.
Damian could tell Katie was on the edge, that she needed someone to show her that everything was going to be okay.
He knew that whatever was going on with her and her power was strange. It was unique, and probably something that needed to be reported, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. While he knew it could be dangerous, he also knew that it might be the thing that the team—and the world, for that matter—had been waiting for. She was special; there was no doubt about it.
When they were done eating, they sat laughing and talking, slowly sipping their drinks until the phone rang.
Damian picked it up with a sigh.
“Hey, Damian.” Derek was on the line. “Supposed to let you know that Korbin called a meeting. He wants everyone back ASAP.”
“All right.” Damian nodded, smiling at Katie. “We’ll pay, then we will be on our way.”
He hung up the phone and looked at her for a moment. “Duty calls.”
Chapter Seven
“All right, team,” Korbin told the six in front of him. “First,” he nodded to three of them, “I’d like to thank Katie, Damian, and Derek for holding down the fort today while we were gone.”
Everyone clapped, and Katie and Damian exchanged a quick glance. Derek noticed but kept it to himself, nodding at the others in appreciation for the recognition. Then Korbin continued, ready to get the new guys in and comfortable.
“So, we are welcoming two new team members to our little family,” he said. “To start things off, this is Eric to my right. Eric, do you want to tell us about yourself? Your specialties, and anything else you think we should know?”
“Sure,” Eric said, standing up. “Well, I’m medical, special-teams trained. I know everyone is wondering, so I’ll just say it: I am not infected by anything. I am a volunteer for life or until I am Damned, which I don’t count on happening.”
“Why did you decide to volunteer?” Damian asked the question Katie had on her lips.
“I was on a four-man team: me, Anthony, Keith, and Bobby out in the sands, doing routine hut-to-hut or house-to-house checks—whatever you want to call it. We walked right into a coven; some guys, Damned. Not very experienced, but strong. It was a serious FUBAR, like nothing I h
ad engaged in before. Bobby and Keith were killed, pulled limb from limb right in front of Anthony and me by red-eyed sonsabitches. I can still hear the cries in my head. Anthony, well, he got Damned, but the demon was strong and Anthony was tired. It took over his body before anyone knew what to think. When the black ops team got there, there was nothing left of him anymore, so they put him down like a fucking wild dog.” He shook his head. “In fact, I’ve seen animals put down in a more humane manner. The black ops team had no idea what they were looking at, but I knew. I knew what kind of sick dark creatures were lurking, and that was something that would never go away.”
“So you decided to dedicate your life to it?” Derek asked. “I mean, this is the rest of your life you’re talking about here.”
“I’ve been read in on the conditions on more than one occasion,” Eric agreed. “I’m pissed, and not just about my team…for every human who has ever gone through this. I’m pissed that Anthony will either be forgotten or remembered only as some psycho. I’m pissed that there is a dark entity out there, something that makes being human extremely risky, and I want to help do something about it.”
He paused for a moment and scratched his jaw before continuing, “Look, I know that to you guys I probably look insane. You had no choice, and you do your best to make your time here worth something. Then this crazy-ass guy runs in like he’s Rambo, but that’s not how I think about myself. I want some retribution for my friends, and I want the world to be a safer place for the rest of the people out there. I’m not looking to take anything over or be a hot shot. Just show me where to go, who to heal, and who to kill.”
“Fair enough,” Derek said, nodding his head.
“Thank you, Eric.” Korbin turned to his left. “And our other new recruit is Jeremy.”
“Hey, everyone.” Jeremy said. “Name’s Jeremy. I am now ex-FBI. No one really knows the story of what happened, though people like to talk.” He allowed himself a tiny shrug. “I was on a sting operation, something we had prepared for over the last several months, but little did I know the sting was actually on us. We had been investigating a cult with terrorist ties, one we thought was planning some kind of huge attack on our soil. We weren’t wrong: they were planning an attack, just not the kind we were accustomed to dealing with. When we got there it was like a horror movie. Innocent people, demons—everything you think you’ll never see outside of the theatre.” He licked his lips. “It’s crazy to walk in expecting one thing and end up seeing something completely different, especially when you are talking demons, blood, and guts. Anyway, in the beginning there were six of us on the operation. Two of the guys sustained some minor injuries, two were killed—and I mean brutally killed—and then there were the two of us who were infected. I was the first, and my partner Henderson was the second.”
Katie noticed he just kept plowing through his story; accustomed to giving debriefs, she suspected. “He is in the hospital on life support. He’s expected to live for the moment, but I don’t foresee any huge future for him. He was the only family I had. That was six weeks ago—six really long confusing weeks ago. I was still in the hospital when Amy, one of the team leads, came out and talked to me and recruited me. I was on board. If I can help stop this, even one demon at a time, then I can’t turn my back.”
“I understand your feelings,” Katie replied. “I’m definitely glad to have you both on the team. It’s been a rough month or two for us with our losses, but we are ready to move forward. So, welcome to the team. I like to believe we are family, not just teammates, so we hope you learn to love it like I do.” She wrinkled her nose. “With fewer socks lying about the place.”
When the meeting was over everyone moved into the living area, getting comfortable and relaxing for the rest of the evening.
Everyone wanted the newbies to feel like they were at home, especially since it was going to be home for the foreseeable future.
Damian had just sat down on the couch to relax his aching muscles when Korbin walked into the room.
“Damian,” Korbin said. “Can I see you in the office for a debrief on the house issue from today?”
“Yep.” Damian sighed, grunting as he pulled himself back up from the couch.
He glanced at Katie and nodded before heading for the office.
Katie watched until he was inside with the door shut. She wasn’t sure what he was going to tell Korbin, but she wanted to be prepared for anything—especially after the insane day they’d just had. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what was going to be said and what Korbin would believe. He was not a stupid man, but he did trust Damian. Katie would hate to see that trust wounded, but Damian had been right and she hadn’t seen it until she was around the others. It would be too much for them at this point.
“Hey, Katie,” Calvin called from the front of the area. “You got another box from Amazon.”
“Nice,” Katie said, her attention brought back to the living area.
No, Pandora said. I’m watching the game show.
We can put it on in my room, Katie said to Pandora.
Can we record it? she asked. This is a really good one, so I don’t want to miss a thing.
Sure, whatever, Katie said, shaking her head and pressing the Record button on the DVR.
Derek raised his eyebrow at her.
“I like game shows,” she said, sticking out her tongue. “I’ll be in my room if anyone needs me. I’m exhausted.”
“All right, see you in the morning.” Derek waved as he grabbed the remote, ready to change the channel as soon as she was out of earshot.
MacGyver reruns were on.
Jeremy and Derek sat quietly in the room as Katie made her way down the hallway, disappearing into her bedroom and shutting the door. Derek could tell there was apprehension on the new guys’ part about having a woman on the team.
He’d had the same apprehensions when he’d first gotten there, but he understood the logistics of it—and the reality of Katie.
“So let me ask you,” Jeremy asked, turning his head back. “Is it really true about women on the teams and how they are considered the glue?”
Derek looked at him and smiled but didn’t say anything at first.
“I know that women are in more combat-related positions these days,” Jeremy allowed. “But I just struggle to see the reality of Katie holding the team together like glue, you know? Maybe because I don’t know her, but also because women in the field… I mean, outside of this world there are plenty of leaders in that group, but they are usually the tough cops—the ones you don’t want to fuck with. Katie seems like a nice girl. A normal girl, not the kind who would bind things together.”
“Maybe on most teams they are the glue,” Derek said, eyeing Jeremy. “Our lady is granite, but with a heart.”
“You know granite can be cracked,” Jeremy responded.
“That’s true enough.” Derek paused the show. “Granite can be cracked because it’s real. It’s firm and solid, just like Katie. She is the base of the formation, the part that takes the most weight and the most heat, and though it cracks, it doesn’t buckle under pressure. You’ll learn very quickly how this whole thing works, but just remember that it’s our job to make sure that she isn’t the only one taking the hits. If she goes down we all do, in a way, and I think you will understand that better as we go. Right now, what’s most important for you to remember is that she will have your back whether you have hers or not—and no one here fucks around with that. We make sure she is taken care of. Trust us, the bigger picture…it’ll come to you.”
“You look a little beat-up,” Korbin said, closing the door behind Damian.
“It was definitely a trying operation,” Damian said. “Nothing we couldn’t handle, though. It is taken care of and cleaned up.”
“Right,” he said, walking over and sitting down in his chair. “I read that in your report. You know, me and you, we’ve always made a good team. We trust each other, and can be honest with each other.” K
orbin eyed Damian. “And I’m going to be honest with you right now: that report sounds like complete bullshit. It might appease the higher-ups, but I know you are holding something back from me. I want to know what happened at that house—and no bullshit, Damian. The truth, no matter what it is.”
Damian walked to the window in the office that looked over the pit where training was held. The room below was dark and still, but in the morning it would be filled. Vibrant—and Katie would be a huge part of that. He knew Korbin wanted the truth, but it wasn’t the time for that yet.
“Do you remember when I first got here?” Damian asked, glancing back at Korbin. “We had a whole conversation about my beliefs and your lack thereof. You told me that when it came to working together you would understand why I did certain things, because though we think differently, our hearts were in the right place.”
Korbin grunted. “I remember that.”
Damian turned all the way around to face Korbin. “Today was an interesting day, something I didn’t see coming and no one else would really understand unless they were there to see it for themselves,” Damian said. “I’m afraid that if I described it to you, it might be taken the wrong way and innocent people might be hurt. Katie was an important part of today’s kill and exorcism, so you are right—that part of the report is bullshit.”
Korbin nodded. “Figured she hadn’t just sat by, obeying your command to stay by the front door.
Damian shrugged, allowing a small smile to play on his face. “I’m not going to go into details. I’m going to rely on that trust that you said you had for me. Just know that you are going to have to make some decisions in the future that are hard, and that I will be there for you, supporting you through it all.”
“You are always full of damn riddles,” Korbin grumped. “At least tell me who these choices will involve.”
“I think you know.” Damian smiled.
“Katie,” Korbin said with a sigh. “Six ways an angel, six ways a devil, and one complete enigma wrapped up in a riddle.”