by Michael Todd
Angie marched up the stairs and onto the street, pride beginning to overtake the fear, then got to work. The street was crowded with wounded, and she bent down in front of the pregnant woman and spoke a few words to her. Grabbing gauze and disinfectant from the case next to the medic now on site, she smiled at the woman and started patching her up.
Below, Juntto went to town.
Katie lay flat on the roof of the building adjacent to the subway, watching everything progress. She didn’t want them to know she was there, but she couldn’t just leave it to chance. There were too many lives at stake to leave Juntto to his own devices.
Pandora scoffed. I still don’t know why you ding-dong-ditched Brock like that. He was ready for round-freaking-three. I don’t think I’ve ever been in your body and had a round-fucking-three before. This is being handled. You should have handled that back there.
Katie narrowed her eyes, watching Angie patch people up. She could hear Juntto in the subway below, making karate sounds like he had seen in the movies.
Pandora growled to get Katie’s attention. I am not done discussing this. You should have trusted your minion Angie to handle this. Why even send them out here if you’re going to throw away a perfectly good dick just to lie on top of a building and watch from a distance?
Katie rolled her eyes. We’ve had two explosions already. I’m not letting Juntto out without a leash. I trust his fealty, but that doesn’t mean I trust him as a person or frost giant or Leviathan or whatever he is.
Pandora was confused. Then why not go down there and help him kick demon ass? After walking away mid-sex I have plenty of aggression simmering inside me. I could go down there right now and send some demons spiraling back to the pits of hell.
I don’t want Juntto to know I don’t trust him. The more he thinks he is part of the team, and the more he becomes obsessed with our Western culture, the more likely it is that he will not even think about bolting, Katie explained.
Pandora scoffed. He will always think of bolting, but that doesn’t mean he will do it.
And when he proves that to me, I will be more than happy to not sit on a building and watch him from afar. Until then, though, I am going to keep my eye out. Also, think about it this way: he could hurt Angie, and then where would you be with your donut obsession?
Pandora sniffed. You have reduced me to a food whore. Nonetheless, you are right about Angie. Keep her the hell safe. I am not getting up every morning and walking all the way to Krispy Kreme. And it’s not likely we will find another human who is as good at her job as she is. Ugh, you still shouldn’t have run out on Brock. He had it ready for you. There wasn’t even foreplay needed, which I love. Just straight to business.
Katie kept her eyes glued to the subway entrance. Can you take your horniness somewhere else? I’m trying to watch out for our Viking Leviathan, thanks.
After an hour, everyone was still at the subway entrance. The line of cops stared down at the staircase waiting for this mystery help—or anyone at all—to appear.
Angie stood off to the side and leaned against the railing of the staircase. She heard shuffling, then footsteps, and finally Juntto stepped into the light. He still wore his dark sunglasses, although his shirt and pants were both ripped and stained beyond repair. Angie waved her hand at the cops, and they put down their weapons. Once he was at street level, a team rushed down to make sure no one needed help.
The chief stepped in front of Juntto and put out his hand. “Good job down there. We were told to stand back while you finished up. Please tell Katie we appreciate her sending someone of your caliber.”
Juntto looked at Angie, and she nodded at the chief. Juntto stuck out his hand and shook the cop’s. “No problem. I like to fight.”
The chief looked at him strangely for a moment. “You know, you remind me of someone.”
One of the other cops came up shaking his finger. “Yeah, me too. I know, I know! You look like Jean-Claude Van Damme from Bloodsport. You have different hair and stuff, but wow, you’re almost a spitting image.”
Juntto nodded proudly. “Yes, and I can do the kick.”
The guys stood back and watched excitedly as Juntto kicked his leg all the way up to his shoulder. If there had been someone behind him, he would have kicked them in the face. The guys all laughed and cheered; Juntto had found his audience. They watching him pull different karate moves, expertly making the exact noises from the film. Angie just rolled her eyes.
When they were done, they all wanted to shake Juntto’s hand. He obliged them. As they walked away, Juntto turned to Angie. “I did okay?”
Angie nodded. “You did great. You tore your pants, but great nonetheless.”
Juntto’s head snapped down, and he ran his hand across the tear. He clenched his fist and kicked the railing, knocking it off the half-wall, then picked up a piece of debris and threw it at the half-wall, crumbling it where it stood.
Angie jumped up and down and waved her hands frantically. “Calm down, Hulk. We can get you another pair. Not to mention, we ordered a pair in every color. The company will be paid for your efforts, so it doesn’t come out of your salary. You are reimbursed for anything you may destroy during a battle, at least your personal items.”
Juntto followed Angie up the stairs. “You said I would be getting a salary, right? I would like to know what to expect so I can plan my expenses.”
Angie furrowed her brow. “What expenses?”
Juntto shrugged. “You know, new clothes when I want them, food, alcohol—the important things.”
Angie sighed and kept leading him away from the subway. “Come on, Claude. We can talk about all that with your leader.”
5
Angie opened the door to Juntto’s condo and stepped to one side, letting him enter first. She went in behind him and shut the door. When she turned around, she ran right into his back. “Damn, why are you just standing there?”
He put his arms out, staring at all the boxes piled around the room. “What is all this? Someone has broken in.”
Angie put her bag down on the counter. “Usually when someone breaks in they take stuff, they don’t leave things.”
Juntto shook his finger. “Makes sense. So, we have a kind thief on our hands. Very interesting.”
Angie sighed, walked to the boxes, popped one open, and pulled out a shirt. “These are your clothes, Juntto. The stores have people who deliver them to your house when you purchase either online or you buy enough from their store to warrant it.”
Juntto slapped his leg. “That’s crafty. I find this type of slavery is acceptable, don’t you think? As long as we don’t call it slavery, I mean.”
Angie rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t already have a bigger dick for an ex-boyfriend, you would rank right up there.”
“So, you have already accepted worse than me? I’m an eligible bachelor. I have conquered many lands.”
Angie put up her hand; she would not allow him to continue. “No! I’ve raised my expectations since meeting Katie.”
Juntto pouted. “That’s sad to hear. It seems that most people who are around Katie and Lilith are proud and strong. Must be something to do with Lilith’s wicked powers.”
Angie opened another of the boxes and threw Juntto a new pair of pants. “No, we are just secure in the power we hold, whether we are plain old humans or Damned with wings like Katie. On top of that, we call Lilith ‘Pandora.’ You might want to learn to do the same.”
Juntto laid the pants down on the table next to him and dropped his current pair to the floor. Angie covered her eyes and looked away. “Oh, holy hell. I bought you fucking boxers. Let me just make it another rule that you can’t go walking around naked in front of anyone.”
Avoiding looking at him, she rummaged around in the box until she found a package of boxers and threw them in his general direction. “And you are responsible for washing your own clothes, especially if you’re letting the boys dangle in there.”
Juntto curled h
is lip and pulled on the boxers and pants. “There, sensitive human, you don’t have to gaze at my magnificent body any longer. Is that better, Your Grace?”
Angie opened one eye just to make sure. “Better. And don’t be snide. Human women—well, most human women—are not fond of being bombarded by swinging dick. They usually call that sexual harassment, or even assault.”
Juntto tilted his head. “Where do I find the women who don’t mind it?”
Angie barked laughter. “Usually between Murray Hill and Midtown, but you have to pay them.”
Juntto gasped. “Pay? For sex? Juntto would never.”
Angie put her hands on her hips. “Stop talking in the third person. It’s weird.”
Juntto moved some of the boxes around and opened one of the smaller ones. He pulled out a laptop and turned it over and over, looking at it strangely. “What is this metal box?”
Angie walked over excitedly and took it from him. “This is your laptop. It’s the new Windows Alienware 17—strongest gaming laptop under five grand on the market. Of course, it will allow you to do other things, but this is exactly why I got it.”
She put it on the table and plugged it in, sitting down in front of it. Juntto reached out to touch the screen, but Angie slapped his hand away. She turned it on and leaned back in the chair excitedly. “This has Windows 10 Home on it, overclocked GPU and CPU, NVIDIA GeForce graphics cards, and Intel Core processors. Not only that, but it’s also made to be compatible with VR.”
Juntto looked around the room. “What is VR?”
Angie looked up at him. “Virtual reality. You can be completely immersed in the game, although we would need other hardware for that. We can talk about that in the future. The keyboard lights up, you can adjust your controls, and it will play almost any game out there. Oh man, this is beautiful.”
Juntto ran his hand over his chin. “This makes me think of a me-me I saw. Find someone who looks at you like Angie looks at this Alienware device.”
Angie nodded. “Damn right. And it’s funny too because it’s called ‘Alienware,’ and well, you are an alien.”
Juntto just stared at her as she cracked up laughing. “So now you will teach me these role-playing games?”
Angie logged onto the internet. “I’ll teach you enough to get going, but you’ll have to figure out the rest just like any other newbie. I want you to learn how to play games where you become the emperor. It turns out emperoring sucks.”
Juntto slammed his hand on the table, startling Angie. “I refuse to believe it! That is just some lie to keep me distracted. Emperors are widely respected; they are loved by all. They drink from golden chalices in their high castles and listen to the sweet music played by their servants.”
Angie stared at him for a moment before turning back to the computer and laughing loudly. “Try again, Viking. They are inundated by political choices, demonized throughout the modern world, and assassination attempts are an hourly occurrence. You would have to be a really great ruler for the country not to plan some sort of coup. Especially if you strolled in and stole the country from the current ruler.”
“But that is where the respect comes from. You conquer, you win, and you rule your people with an iron fist,” he argued.
Angie pulled up a game on the screen. “Yeah, you’re in for a surprise. Okay, sit down. Let me give you the rundown.”
Brock’s team piled out of the SUV and started down the street for the next club. Turner, Eddie, and Sean each had girls on their arms. Turner looked at his date with a charming smile. “You know, when we were in hell, all I could think about was getting back so I could find the girl I was supposed to be with, then there you were standing at the bar of that club. It was almost like it was meant to be.”
The girl clutched his arm, buying his bullshit as her ankles shook walking in her stilettos and short skirt.
Eddie looked deep into his date’s heavily made-up eyes. “Baby, I went through hell to find you.”
She snorted. “You were on your way to the bathroom at the last bar.”
“Shit. You’re right. But I did wait in line to buy you an apple martini.”
His date nodded and wrapped herself around his arm. The other guys were walking with their dates up to the door of a new club. The doorman recognized the guys and nodded, opening the VIP ropes. The girls were all impressed, and they led the way, giggling as they ran in front of the guys. Turner and the other two put their arms over each other’s shoulders as they stepped into the multilevel club, the music throbbing in their ears.
“This is the life,” Sean exclaimed.
Turner scoffed. “I know, right. And to think these mercs get to do this every day.”
Eddie mused, “Makes you think twice about reenlistment. I mean, if you can go out in the civilian world and live like kings, why settle for barracks and cold chow?”
Turner shrugged. “Because we have contracts, and we’re the only ones in the military capable of what we do. We may not have the money like Katie, but we have the fame and each other. I don’t mind serving my country with the military. One day I’ll get a pretty decent retirement package.”
“If you don’t die,” Eddie pointed out.
“Don’t you let me die, motherfucker.”
The guys walked up to the bar and ordered a round of drinks. The girls stood to the side whispering and giggling, enjoying the attention the guys brought them. The team was still just as famous as the first time they had been there. Even with Brock staying behind at the condos, they were able to get into the clubs. It made Turner feel a little better about always getting shown up by him.
Turner raised his glass to the other two. “To slaying demons, taking really hot steps through hell—”
Sean continued, “To spraying bullets, dropping demons where they stand—”
“And to always walking out alive and ready for the next round of action,” Eddie finished. “Life is one round on the course, and we make the very best of that shit.”
“Hear, hear,” the three of them chorused, clinking glasses and taking their shots.
They grabbed their dates, pulling them onto the dance floor. It was the boys’ night out, something they had earned through brimstone and fire. They were determined to enjoy every second of it.
The base looked completely different than it had when the team had first moved in. They had upped the perimeter safety precautions, although they were invisible to the naked eye, buried as they were beneath the dirt. The landscape no longer looked like an old military ghost town, but a vibrant and budding military playground.
The main armory building had been redone and fortified so that Joshua could get back to work on ammo and other devices. They had used so many of them between going down to hell and the incursions on land that one huge breakout could leave them almost completely undefended. That was the first and most important project completed.
Earth movers and machines crawled over the grounds, digging and making construction possible all over the place. Teams of military personnel sent over by the general were crowded around several locations. Korbin and his team had given them a detailed plan; every aspect of the compound was to be built to their exact specifications.
Timothy was tasked with making sure the computer system for the new construction was done to his standards. He stood in a hard hat, glowering at a group of workers.
“You have to watch where you dig. Those lines cost hundreds of dollars each,” Timothy yelled.
Joshua walked over and put his hand on Tim’s shoulder. “Take a deep breath, my man. You’re going to have a heart attack out here, and I have no idea what outfit you want to be buried in.”
Timothy let out a deep breath and laughed. “I just don’t want to have to do this more than once. If these lines and cables aren’t done right and they get sealed in, it is going to be one hefty bill to fix the mistake. Ain’t nobody wanna call Momma Angel and tell her we got to re-dig an entire building. Nope. Not me.”
Josh
ua laughed. “No, but it’s better than you stroking out on the dirt.”
Timothy crossed his arms, one hand over his mouth. “Is it? I don’t know. Then I would get some rest. The other way around and I would be listening to red devil angel woman lose her shit. Maybe just a mild stroke would get the point across. You know, have everyone worried, and then I make a miraculous comeback and wear fashionable pajamas in the hospital?”
Joshua shook his head. “Nope. Sorry, buddy, not okay. Besides, we need you for security purposes. Not a damn person in this building would be able to figure out the system you have set up. Korbin would just press a bunch of buttons, and Calvin would say fuck it and run out with his guns. Stephanie would do better. She might be able to reconnect our cable.”
Timothy sighed. “You’re right. I need to do my shit. Okay, putting on a calm face right now. I swear I might just get in there and dig it myself.” He snugged his hard hat down and strutted up to the diggers. He waved a hand at the foreman. “Dear, may we have a chat?”
Joshua chuckled and turned back toward the armory. “Glad to see nothing has changed.”
The soft sound of piano and strings played in the background as Calvin reached across the table and took his girl’s hands in his. He beamed at Maria, glad to be back in her orbit. It had been a long flight and an even longer explanation as to why he still had burns healing on his forearms. Finally, though, he had calmed her down enough to get her out to dinner.
“It looks like you have a fan club.” She laughed, glancing at several tables with people pointing at him.
Calvin smiled abashedly. “People are strange. I’m just a warrior like the rest of them.”
Maria leaned in closer. “You are not like the rest of them. You are the bravest man I know. You just walked through hell for God’s sake.”
Calvin shrugged. “With several other very brave men and women. We will continue to do what we promised to when we decided to join the merc teams.”