Demon Inc (The Mike Rawlins Series Book 2)

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “No worries on that score, but I may have to. Sorry about this guys. It’s gloves and long sleeved shirts from now on. I’m a menace. I’m going to find out how to control this!”

  “We’re just glad it doesn’t include the same gender or anyone with the same DNA. That would be major bad,” Stan said, as he turned to follow Jerry back to the Toyota. “Best walk around in a semicircle to your car while we get out of the parking lot.”

  “Will do.” Mike walked away from the parking lot and stayed fifty yards away until he saw Jerry’s Toyota go by and out of the parking lot. He hunched his shoulders against the chill, and the feeling of dread. With his head down he trudged toward his Chevy. Mike had left out telling his friends about how different he had felt during his encounter with Gail. The darkness was gaining more than a foothold.

  * * *

  Joanie came into the lab, seeing Denny working in front of the main computer station. Screens were flashing by nearly faster than Joanie could follow them. Janis had just texted her about Mike’s predicament on her now private line. “How’s it coming, master? Your Igor awaits her directions.”

  Denny chuckled without looking up. “I’m doing exceptionally well. I isolated a frequency given off by not only the portal when it’s open, but also the Haunts. It explains why laser charging the holy water increases the deadliness to Haunts so effectively. That’s led me to not only a bandwidth for our lasers that will annihilate them with even the slightest contact, it’s a frequency I can pull off the cell towers in the area. I can constantly narrow the area of infection by triangulating off the cell towers without the companies even being aware of the intrusion, because there’s nothing out there being used at the bandwidth I’ll be searching for.”

  “That’s great! Janis sent me a text about our other problem. Mike and Gail nearly coupled in the parking lot after an accidental touch. You did hear Arroyo won, right?”

  Denny jumped up, grabbing Joanie. “That’s the other breakthrough I found I think will help Mike control his power.”

  “It’s a curse not a power.”

  “Says you. Mike can also cause a Haunt to vacate a human with a touch. We don’t want that to stop.” Denny pulled her over to where he had ectoplasm residue stored. He held up a bottle with the label of Colloidal Silver. “This is a 100 parts per million solution of Colloidal Silver. Watch this.”

  Denny took an eyedropper to get a small amount of Colloidal Silver liquid. He then added two drops to a spray bottle marked holy water. After shaking it up, Denny sprayed one time down on the Haunt residue. It disappeared. He picked up the lab cup formerly holding the residue and handed it to Joanie.

  “Denny, that’s incredible! When you add it to our tanks of holy water it will not only kill Haunts, it’ll vaporize them.”

  “That’s the plan, my lovely Igor.”

  Joanie wrapped her arms around Denny’s neck, kissing him with what at first was supposed to be a congratulatory kiss. It escalated instantly into a no holds barred, moaning entanglement of limbs, tongues, and frantic movement of released desire. Steve’s loud clearing of the throat shocked the two teens into an awkward parting.

  “Mike’s here, kids.”

  Mike chuckled, having watched with Steve for a moment silently. “You two ready to go home? Steve has to pick up Gail at our house, Sis. We had an accidental touching incident I’m sure Janis has already spread like wildfire. I explained to Steve we were rescued by our friends, but this means he’ll have to pick Gail up at our house.”

  “Sorry,” Denny stated once he could talk again. “Mike, I have something that will help you with your touch control.”

  Mike nearly ran over, jerking on Denny’s arm. “Don’t joke about this, Den!”

  Denny smiled. He explained the breakthroughs he’d made and then demonstrated again with his spray bottle on another ectoplasm cup. Mike and Steve’s reactions were that of stunned jubilance. They both congratulated their young genius effusively, but Denny waved them to silence. “No… that’s only part of it. I think if you take just a tablespoon of this Colloidal Silver a week, Mike, it will give you control over the Haunt pheromone that causes your touch to be so overwhelming. Silver doesn’t leave the body quickly so you won’t need to take it all the time.”

  “You are the man!” Mike shook the grinning Denny by the shoulders happily. “Money and favors are just not enough for something like this. You can have Joanie, but don’t tell my folks.”

  “Mike!” Joanie squealed, punching her brother in the shoulder, while everyone else laughed. “Not funny.”

  “I don’t know, Sis, it looked like he owned you already when Steve and I walked in.” Mike fought off the attacking Joanie for a moment before something dawned in his head. He grabbed his Sister’s wrists. “Hold on there, champ. Denny, do you think maybe that’s what makes Demon so lethal? Maybe his blood carries more silver content. They wouldn’t check that at the Vet’s. Of course Farfel has refused to be taken to the Vet since shortly after he joined us.”

  “Maybe he’ll let me take a blood sample,” Denny said. “I’ll take my kit.”

  “What started you down this silver trail? I thought only iron affected the Haunts.”

  “Hey, we’re taking our info from ‘Supernatural’ reruns and legend, Mike. That worked out okay for you and the Mike-pike, but it got me thinking about silver as a catalyst in our spray. I tried it and it worked.”

  “Like Coach Larkin told me tonight, don’t argue with success. You’ve blasted into the turning point, Den.”

  “The problem will be trying out the solution on a human guinea pig with your touch problem,” Steve pointed out. He grinned. “I’m sure my Daughter will volunteer, but I want Demon there to counteract any unforeseen failure.”

  “I’ll make sure the experiment is well guarded with back up from D, Sir. We better get going. Could I take the Silver now, Denny?”

  “Sure, but I doubt it will be instantly affective.” Denny fetched a glass of water and added a tablespoon of Colloidal Silver solution to it.

  Mike took the glass and downed the concoction without hesitation. “Let’s go. Farfel will want to rake me over the coals over my accidental connection with Gail, so I’d like to get that over with.”

  “This new telepathy thing between you and Demon opens a whole new world of the oddly insane,” Steve remarked, following the teens out.

  “Yep… that about sums it up, Mr. Corbett.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Fight Night

  Mike had no sooner made it into the entryway with Steve, Denny, and Joanie than Demon bounded down the stairs with Laura and Gail behind him. Dan and Jenny were bumped apart by the enthusiastic Demon.

  “Here he is folks, Mr. Irresistible. How’s it hangin’ there, Don Juan de Dempsey?”

  “Shut up, Farfel,” Mike said, forgetting he was admitting Demon had sent him another sarcastic zinger. When he looked up from Demon, everyone was smiling in anticipation of his translation. Mike sighed and repeated it, noting he would have to bone up on his own telepathic transfers. He was relieved Stan, Jerry, Connie, and Janis had already left.

  “Thanks for sending me the Gail-Gram. Lucky for you I’m here to counteract your thoughtless pursuits.” When Mike pretended nothing was said, Demon went into a comical stance with right foreleg pointed directly at Mike, and left back leg up and balanced to the rear.

  “You zonked him, didn’t you, D?” Gail asked. When she received an answering nod, she turned on Mike who shrugged and translated to much laughter. Even Laura, who had been less than thrilled when the afflicted Gail had been brought in for Demon’s cure giggled. Then it was a hands on hips, angry glare, directed at the now innocently sitting canine. “A Gail-Gram… really?”

  “Save it for your diary, Holy Grail, or the next time you’re in heat, they’ll have to get you spayed, sweetie, because wonder dog will be incommunicado.”

  That busted Mike up. He waved off his parents, Denny, Joanie, and Laura. Gail’s m
outh tightened as she and Demon locked eyes. “Give it up, Mike. I want to hear what Farfel has to say.”

  “This is it though! I have to take Denny home, and I want D to come with us so we can explain the new breakthroughs Denny came up with.” Mike repeated Demon’s adlib to much hilarity, including Gail.

  “C’mon, Holy Grail. Let’s get home before your Mom sends out a search party,” Steve said. “I’ll have to say, this is the most fun, excitement, and danger I ever thought to experience in a lifetime, Dan.”

  “That sums it up for me and Jen too, Steve. Goodnight. Right to sleep tonight, Holy Grail.”

  Gail froze at the doorway, turning to growl impressively before following her Dad out.

  “That was just mean, Farfel,” Jenny said, still suppressing laughter.

  “Let’s go, D, before you and my Mom start in on each other,” Mike directed, going through the door without looking back.

  Joanie gave Denny a quick hug before he followed Mike and held the door for Demon, who looked back at Jenny mischievously.

  “Don’t even dream about it, Farfel,” Jenny warned.

  “Arf!”

  * * *

  Mike and Denny waited their turn for the weigh-in. Their coaches, Derek Patterson and Carl Jenkins, waited with them. After the Santana debacle before the last fight, and the news Mike’s opponent Ira Fenton had a manager, Carl had suggested he and Derek attend the weigh-in with Mike. Also being a little on the paranoid side, Dan had asked Carl to request the board allow Demon to attend the informal pre-fight ceremony. Carl had readily agreed, wanting to meet the canine superhero from all the videos on YouTube. A late arrival, Ira Fenton and his manager hurried past the waiting fighters to sign in. Ira waved at Mike as he hurried past.

  “Hey Mike, nice entourage, buddy.”

  Mike chuckled and saluted. “Thanks, Ira. You know how it is. I have to keep up appearances for my fans.”

  Fenton laughed, nodding and following his manager over to the desk with the check-in sheet. Mike glanced down at Demon, seeing his hackles rise and Demon’s body drop down to a defensive, all out guard stance. Mike knelt next to him.

  “He’s carrying a Haunt, Mikey. Don’t give us away.”

  Mike stroked Demon’s head, pasting a smile on his face as he patted the dog’s side. With all his will power, Mike focused only on his thoughts. “How about the manager?”

  “Good, Mikey… very good,” Demon complimented Mike’s communication. “The manager’s clean. Your opponent doesn’t even know he’s carrying a Haunt. There’s no way to tell how it managed to get in. Whatever you do, don’t shake hands and experiment with Denny’s fix yet. We don’t want a portal opening up right here. You should have experimented with Moby Preggo before we came over here or called up the Holy Grail for a test run.”

  Mike grabbed his mouth with both hands, his shoulders heaving in a desperate suppression of laughter only Denny noticed. “Let’s get through this, D, and we’ll plot out our course of action later. It might be good for our cover if you assumed a more normal doggy stance, Farfel.”

  “Noted, but when and if we achieve some down time after this cataclysmic event, you and I are going to have a heated discussion over your damn Mom’s nickname she plastered on me.”

  “For whatever good it will do… I’m there, buddy,” Mike acknowledged. “Sooner or later you’re going to have to get used to the fact you have a cool nickname. You seemed to take my naming you Demon okay.”

  Demon sat up, flexing one foreleg and then the other. “Let’s see… Demon… Farfel… Demon… Farfel. If you have to figure out the lack of enthusiasm for Farfel, I need a new sidekick.”

  Mike snorted in amusement, straightening up next to Denny. “Fenton’s carrying a Haunt, Den. Put your game face on. We’re in shit city again.”

  All traces of amusement fled Denny’s face from watching the interaction between Demon and Mike. “Okay… okay… let me think. You can control it, Mike. I’m absolutely sure the Colloidal Silver will help you keep from launching a Haunt portal. It may be distracting, but you can do it. We have to make sure Demon’s here though.”

  “He’s right about that, Mikey. We’ll have to launch the rest of the team to Fenton’s home. I hate to say it, but you may need Holy Grail to step up and get in your corner while Den leads an all weapons charged investigation of Fenton’s abode.”

  “Why don’t we just say screw it and I back out of this fight,” Mike reasoned. “We can take care of Fenton and whatever infestation he’s caused later.”

  Demon stared up at Mike with a look that made Mike feel like he was a two year old. He carefully projected his answering comment. “Okay, what am I missing?”

  “We have the element of surprise, Dempsey. The originator is always the main Haunt. You have to clean Fenton’s clock with me ready to chomp the Haunt right in the ring. Forget what other people think about it, and let’s concentrate on what needs to happen. Denny can lead the foray into Fenton’s place to find out what he’s into, and his solution to your touch problem will work, but it will take concentration, just as now when you’re communicating with me without speaking. Step up, Sissy!”

  Mike grinned. “On it, boss.”

  With the entire conversation between Demon and Mike in silence, Denny had only the looks on his human and canine partners’ faces to decipher what was going on. “Do we have a plan?”

  “Not anything we’d like, Den, but yeah, we have a plan. We’ll have to skip any of Stan and Jerry’s game. We’ll get in touch with Janis, life or death parameters. There’s no reason for the boys to know about what’s going down until after the game. You’ll be in charge of the prep work. As Farfel pointed out to me, we have the element of surprise. I have to take on Fenton, even if it means a Haunt killing in the ring by Demon. You have to handle Fenton’s place, and anything his Haunt has cooking, including portals.”

  “Tell Denny with his Colloidal Silver content in the holy water, he doesn’t have to worry about Haunts sticking through the portal. He’ll vaporize it with his new mix.”

  “Yes!” Mike pumped his fist. “D says don’t worry about the Haunts with their butts hanging out in the portal. Your new mix will mangle it.”

  “He… he has a sense of this because of what I showed him and the blood test?”

  “That would be a yes, Einstein.”

  “D says yes. He knows you’re on the right thing, Den. Let’s play this weigh-in out and plot the rest the best we can. D thinks I need Holy… I mean Gail to take your place with my Dad, so you’re free to lead the assault.”

  Denny’s eyes widened. “I don’t know, Mike… I…I mean-”

  “Step up, Sissy, is what Demon told me when I started tap dancing.”

  “Eh… what the hell… I was on top for a little while. I’ll have to make sure I go out with a bang.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” Mike put an arm around Denny’s shoulders. “Let’s just get us some, Den. We’ll let the details work themselves out after the plan gets put in place. So, how do I command my touch to not launch a Haunt out of Fenton until we’re ready?”

  “I don’t have a clue, Sissy.”

  Demon began a snorting, shoulder shrugging indication of amusement. Jenkins and Patterson looked at Demon uneasily.

  “Hey, Mike, is your Dog okay?”

  “He’s fine, Mr. Jenkins,” Mike replied.

  “You’re up, Mike,” Patterson said, pointing at the weigh-in point.

  Mike waved at Fenton, who was walking past with his manager from the sign in desk. “See you tonight, Ira.”

  Fenton smiled. “You bet, Mike.”

  “Maybe we can get you a date, Mikey.”

  “Not now,” Mike projected, maintaining his smile. “What are my chances of taking on an opponent with a piggybacking Haunt?”

  “Slim and none, but that’s how come we pay you the big bucks.”

  “Shut up, Farfel.”

  * * *

  Denny had prepared everything in rec
ord time with Mike’s help at Demon Inc, adding a healthy dose of Colloidal Silver to their individual holy water tanks and storage tank. He also injected it into every shotgun shell load. When he finished preparations, Laura texted Janis and Connie at the game to leave for Demon Inc immediately after it ended. She left texts for Stan and Jerry to head for Fenton’s address after the game, but not to hurry. Mike told her Fenton would not be leaving for the fight until around five o’clock.

  Joanie worked on finding out where Fenton’s girlfriend was. They knew her name, Sandra Avaloz. Denny had hacked the rental property information already to find out the names on the rental agreements with stunning ease. Even Laura seemed surprised at how quickly Denny managed to retrieve the information they needed. They were hoping Avaloz wouldn’t be with Fenton at the fight, but that hope died as Joanie called Fenton’s cell-phone number just after five o’clock, using her blocking software. When Fenton answered, Joanie asked to speak with Avaloz. She could hear car noises.

  “Sure, hold on.”

  “Hello.”

  “Hi Sandy, this is Connie Marin from DirecTv. We wanted to explain a new promotion we have this month for new customers. It involves-”

  “We already have DTV,” Avaloz interrupted with only a slight annoying tone.

  “Oh… I’m very sorry to have interrupted your day. Thank you for using DirecTv and have a wonderful day.”

  Avaloz clicked off without a goodbye. Joanie looked up at Mike. “Sorry, bro, she’s in the car with Fenton, and probably on her way to the fight.”

  Demon sat next to Mike. “She’s a Haunt, Mike. I’m telling you she couldn’t be sharing the condo with Fenton and not be, unless she’s blind and stupid.”

  “Sorry D,” Mike said out loud. “D predicted Avaloz was Haunt infested. It was me thinking maybe not, mostly because we’ll have to take them both out at the fight. That won’t be pretty. I’m thinking the only sure way is if I beat Avaloz, I can then expel him and leap out of the ring to expel the one in Avaloz. I’ll need Gail to pass me my pike on the way out. Good Lord, this is going to be rough.”