Demon at War (The Mike Rawlins Series Book 3)

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “It’s just a theory right now. I don’t think the Haunts are interested in just causing chaos anymore.”

  “We think they want to make us into their slaves,” Mike continued for Denny. “When they have invaded a world before, they turn it into something like that hellhole we see through the portals we’ve closed down. I’ve been over there with D. Even the Haunts don’t want it. They’ve evolved all right. They’ve realized after laying waste to countless worlds they still end up with shit in the end.”

  “They want more.” Denny met the grim looks from his friends with his own. “Our theory is they want to ride us like ponies until we expire. They’ll keep a human herd ready to pick out a new pony whenever they need a change. They’re using us as a testing ground for perfecting an ability to body-hop at will without waiting for an idiot with a Ouija Board to ask them in. They know enough about us now that if they keep the operation small in a confined area like ours, by the time we figure out we’re in trouble, it’ll be too late.”

  “D believes it’s the main reason they haven’t begun ripping everyone apart. They’d slice and dice our Demon Inc crew like we got thrown into a wood chipper though,” Mike concluded. “Anyway, that’s the state of the union address at Demon Inc. How did things go with SyFy, Mr. Corbett?”

  “It’s Steve to all of you, even the one that influences my daughter, the Holy Grail, to wear clothes better left to turning tricks on East 12th in Oakland.”

  “Dad!” Gail cried out as everyone enjoyed the sarcastic remark, accompanied by Demon’s snorting approval of Steve’s humorous upbraiding of his daughter.

  “Anyway,” Steve went on after a moment, “my contact producer at SyFy was none too pleased with whoever leaked the details to the press that led to the headlines in the papers this morning. She admitted they have had meetings about how to promo our upcoming Halloween Special, but the attempt at putting Mike as the face of Demon Inc was not authorized. I reminded her our other specials broke viewing records for them with a team concept. Since this Haunt thing is far beyond our reality show concept, I didn’t know for sure how you wanted to handle the publicity angle from now on.”

  “I trust Mike with my life,” Janis stated, eliciting adamant agreement from the rest of Demon Inc. “I could care less about how they push the publicity express train. He’d never screw us over no matter how many front page pictures of him carrying damsels in distress to safety come out in the papers, right Captain Darkness?”

  “Exactly right, Brandy. I know we need the money for our operations, but no way I’m letting them hack Demon Inc apart with their star ploys. Counting Demon, and our team, we’re the only ones in the world with combat experience against the Haunts.”

  “We’ll have Demon put you down like a rabid skunk if you ever mind swipe any of us though, right D,” Jerry warned, drawing an ‘Arf’ from Demon and laughter from the others.

  “It’s almost time for the news,” Steve said. “My producer contact said they loved the first hand video of the parking lot encounter today Denny edited for them, because since Demon Inc is private property, the only permission they needed to play it was ours. They’re going to do it right after our news plays locally. Let’s get our food and settle down to watch it.”

  “Turkey sandwich okay with you D,” Mike asked his canine partner, moving with his friends out of the room.

  “Yeah, CD, and get me another beer too.”

  Mike chuckled and repeated Demon’s answer.

  “Oh no you don’t,” Janis countered, pointing back at Demon. “Do not give this lush anymore to drink. I heard he’s fallen asleep in his food bowl three nights in a row.”

  “Someone with a little concern for you ought to take your food bowl away, Brandy,” Demon speared into Mike’s head.

  Demon watched his friends walking out with Janis shaking Mike, trying to pry out of him what was said. Finally when he did, Janis’s mouth dropped open and she launched back toward the room with a laughing Jerry harnessing her, arms flailing. Demon immediately did a moonwalk complete with paw wave, which provoked a second attempt at attack by Janis. Demon dropped down, snorting with satisfaction.

  * * *

  Thayer’s interview came on only a quarter of the way through the eight o’clock news segment on the news only cable channel. Mike was surprised they broadcast the interview in its entirety. The news anchors played it off as something between a UFO sighting and reality show gimmick, but when asked about it, Thayer said she had every intention of taking Mike up on his offer of viewing his claims first hand. The others watched it while munching contentedly on their dinners. When it was over though, Mike noticed everyone in the restaurant glancing back at their meeting room with furtive looks of something between shock and fear.

  “I don’t think the first outing of a dimensional invasion by monsters is being received very well,” Laura said. “It’s pretty quiet out there.”

  “It has to start somewhere,” Connie replied. “We can’t do this underground while everyone traipses around in their normal lives without a care in the world. A nice response to the interview would be a mass burning of Ouija Boards and spell books.”

  “Yeah, that’ll happen,” Stan said. “Even with the world in danger, they’d be calling anything like that censorship, overreaction, anti-wiccan, and anti-devil. In a week’s time the ACLU would be creating a rights group branch for the Haunts.”

  “Man, I wish I could disagree with my Toad brother here, but he’s exactly right,” Jerry continued. “People are nuts and common sense is deader than pet rocks and parachute pants.”

  “If Thayer goes along on the next incursion, I doubt the public will be able to ignore it,” Steve said. “Denny did a great job editing last night’s portal closing and Mike’s exorcising the Haunts from those kids. I sent it on to SyFy right away. I got excited calls from them for an hour afterward. They want to approach the kids and their parents first for permission to air it. If they can’t get that, they plan on blurring their identities and doing it anyway.”

  “What did they think of me leaving in HG’s attitude adjustments,” Denny asked.

  Steve sighed and shrugged. “They loved it, of course. I, as HG’s parent, might have hoped for a more humane response to the infected teens than my daughter treated them to. Those two ringleaders, Clarissa and Sandy, really steamed me too. I’m still not sure they got the message of how close they came to causing a massive incursion. If that Sandy hadn’t approached you at school Mike, God only knows what might have happened. Thankfully, Denny has the early warning system functioning now for even partial rifts. Anyhow, our benefactors at SyFy are completely on board. I explained they need to work with the FBI if the crossover attack works out. I promised they would be the only ones to get video from the other side during Mike and Demon’s experimental incursion.”

  “I think I was very businesslike in my dealings with those-”

  “Easy, HG, we’re on your side,” Connie broke in. “You should have heard Brandy. The diva was going to let a Haunt eat one of the FBI agents just to get them on board.”

  Janis gasped and then giggled. “Was not.”

  “Oh, you so thought about it,” Connie pressed her. “I saw it in your face, girlfriend.”

  “Okay, maybe the thought crossed my mind. They were giving us that condescending crapolla about ‘we got guns sweetheart’. Aunty Em and I blew a Haunt away seconds before the poor little G-men got eaten. I’d say, considering the circumstances, all of us acted with restraint and good sense. Mike held that damn Haunt in a choke hold until the FBI guys begged him to kill it. We made an impression, and that’s what last night was about.”

  Jim the manager ducked in the door. “SyFy is running the parking lot face off.”

  Everyone turned to the screen. They watched with anger as Laura got mobbed without an escape path, and then with high amusement as Demon shut down the bullying press as only he could. Janis was pumping her fist through Demon’s cornering of the newsman on h
is Lincoln. She then dropped down to hug her verbal nemesis with excited affection.

  “Good Lord, I love this damn dog. You are the best!”

  “Arf!” Demon leaned into Janis with appreciation.

  “They’ll be ecstatic with the response they’ll get from that clip,” Steve stated with enthusiasm. “Janis is right as rain. D played that to perfection, without going overboard.”

  “Oh listen there Stevie, I would have went medieval on their butts so fast they’d have been cryin’ for their mammas in seconds.”

  “Oh yeah!” Mike repeated Demon’s observation, eliciting much laughter.

  “Duly noted,” Steve replied. “In any case, that simply tripled our fan base, because everyone is sick of those media nitwits harassing people. I forgot to tell you they’ve decided to air the Halloween Special Sunday night. I’ve seen the promos and they are incredible - Haunt slashes, spike kills through the head, and D ripping one’s throat out. With this latest publicity, there’s no limit on what our numbers might reach for this telecast. What it means to us is that many more people aware of this threat.”

  “Hey,” Stan said, pointing back into the restaurant. “There’s Officer Travers hustling through the restaurant.”

  “This is bad,” Demon had already leaped up, noticed Travers, and messaged Mike.

  Travers burst into their room in full uniform. “Dan Rawlins told me you all were here and I didn’t want to plead this over the phone. We need you all… please! We went to a domestic disturbance complaint at a multi-family place on Dutton. Tom went to the door with me backing him up. They shot through the door, wounding him in what looked like his shoulder. I fell back, the door opened, and they dragged him inside before I could intercept them! You have to help me! I was ordered off scene by the hostage negotiators. I think this is a Haunt thing!”

  Denny had been scanning his notebook computer during the last part of Travers’ statement. When Mike looked back at him, Denny shook his head in the negative.

  “It’s not Haunts,” Mike said apologetically. “We have a portal early warning system in effect now. There’s no Haunt activity showing on our monitor. The first thing the Haunts do now if they get into a person is open a portal. It’s possible for them to inhabit spirits already there in the building, but they couldn’t do what you describe.”

  Travers’ features went from a mask of intensity to shattered hope in seconds. “Shit! They’ll kill Tom in there. If it’s not Haunts then I think we walked into a crack-house situation with some drug deal gone bad. There were a lot of people in there when the door opened. I…I should have fired! I was so afraid of hitting Tom, I-”

  “Maybe I can help, Tom,” Mike broke in. “Denny, get Navarone on the phone. She’s the only one I could possibly get to help me into a position where I can help Tom.”

  “On it,” Denny replied. “Coming on the network now, Mike. Here.”

  Mike took the iPad, hearing Navarone’s voice. “This is Mike Rawlins. We have a hostage situation I believe I can help with. There’s an officer down. Tom Huang who you met during the Kinsler girl’s abduction has been shot and taken prisoner. Can you help me get into the situation?”

  “The FBI can’t just stomp into a local police matter, Rawlins. What the hell could you do anyway even if I can get you into it?”

  “I can turn that little matter of me carrying you helplessly from an ambush into an FBI collaboration that will have you looking really good.”

  Navarone’s voice was full of condescending disbelief. “I’d be putting my career on the line for what, some mystical convergence?”

  “You walk to that door with me, and we will get the wounded officer out of there. You will take all the credit. I don’t even want to be remembered as being on scene.”

  “I’m in Oakland. Give me the address.”

  “We’ll do better. Denny will upload it and directions to your phone,” Mike replied.

  “Fine. Do it, but this better not be some kind of a-”

  “It’s not, Agent Navarone! We’ll see you there.” When she disconnected without another word, Mike had Travers give Denny the address on Dutton, which he uploaded with directions to Navarone. “D, are you sober enough to back me up?”

  “Damn right!” Demon was at his side instantly. “Tell me the plan in the car, Cap.”

  “You got it,” Mike replied silently, turning to his friends. “I have my wire on with video. Denny can track me the whole way if you want to stay here until I see if I can help.”

  “We’ll be here, Mikey,” Stan said. “I wish we could help.”

  “Yeah, me too, brother.” Before he could follow Travers out, Gail rushed into his arms. Their kiss drew a head-butt from Demon. Mike pushed Gail to arms’ length. “I’ll talk to you later.”

  “You better,” Gail replied.

  * * *

  Travers drove with siren and lights on all the way. Mike explained his plan to Demon.

  “I don’t know, Cap. How the hell can you focus through the closed door?”

  “I didn’t take the Colloidal Silver. I’m feelin’ the burn, D. Plan B is I’ll bust the door down before Navarone can stop me, and we scurry in there and save Tom before any of us get shot.”

  “Plan B sucks.”

  Mike grinned back at Demon. “Yeah, I know.”

  “Wait a second, Cap. How do you plan on explaining our miraculous operation to Navarone? Oh… oh you no good, dirty… you’re going to mind wipe her.”

  “You never used to be this touchy-feely, Farfel. I’m so sorry what I have to do damages your sensibilities.”

  “You’re right. Do her. We don’t have time for a politically correct save tonight with everything on our plate. Try to control your impulses, Cap. We don’t want her doing press interviews drooling at the mouth with her eyes crossed after the op.”

  “Duly noted.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Getting Busy

  Agent Navarone watched Travers’ police cruiser arrive with lights flashing, but running silent. Her lips tightened into a slash, watching Rawlins and his damn dog exit the squad car. Travers spotted her right away, wearing the Kevlar vest with an FBI logo. She split off from the other police officers, having identified herself, and taken over the operation by claiming it was a Homeland Security matter. The morning headlines had put her in a deep hole professionally. Navarone believed only something extraordinary would get her out of the toilet. She carried another FBI vest in her hands. As Travers ran in front of her, she motioned for him to stay quiet.

  “I know your partner’s in there. You know Rawlins and his dog. God only knows how they pull off some of the crap they’ve done. He promised me we can get your partner out. I believe him. Do you?”

  Travers glanced back at Mike and Demon as they ran up. “I’d trust these two with my life. If there’s any way on earth to get Tom out alive, they’ll get it done. Get to it. I’ll run interference for you with my people. I’m sure they gave you shit for what they think is a hostile takeover by the feds. Let me handle that.”

  Travers’ complete trust in Rawlins threw her off stride for a moment. She wondered for not just the first time since meeting with Rawlins how he managed to garner such trust. Navarone handed the vest to Mike. “Thank you, Officer. We’ll do our best.”

  “May I speak to you alone for a moment, Agent Navarone?”

  Now what, Navarone thought, gesturing for Mike to follow her. “Okay, but if we’re going to get this done, it’s going to have to be quick.”

  Suddenly, a sense of euphoria flowed through her. Even her shoulder wound pain eased to nothing. Navarone smiled. I feel confident this is going to get me back on track, she thought, as vague but reassuring threads of what she should do began seeping into her subconscious. Mike will know how we need to proceed. I just need to back his play. Navarone looked at Mike unwaveringly as he donned the FBI vest. “What do we need to do, Mike?”

  “I need you to get one of those things they call flash-bangs.
We’ll need a squad of officers hanging back, willing to move at your command when we get Tom out. We’ll go to the door of the apartment where they’re holding Tom. They will bring Tom to the door without any action on our part. I’ll grab Tom. Demon will yank the perp out who is standing behind him. You’ll immediately throw a flash-bang into the room. I will close the door while our backups move in next to us, ready to take control of the room. I’ll find out if there are any other innocents in the room from the guy Demon yanks out.”

  Navarone listened, her heart beating faster in anticipation. “That is a great plan, Mike! I want Travers leading the backup squad. Let me handle it from here.”

  “Of course,” Mike replied.

  Navarone jogged over to Travers. “Here’s how we’ll do it. Me, Mike, and Demon will front the door and the perps will bring Tom out. I’ll throw a flash-bang and you will lead a squad in after we question one of them as to innocents who might be trapped in there too. I know you’re confused, but we have it covered. Get me a flash-bang and let’s do this.”

  Although stunned to even have a part in the rescue, Travers embraced his orders with passion. He had a flash-bang in Navarone’s hands inside of five minutes, along with a tactical unit ready to roll with them. This will be exactly what I need, Navarone thought with absolute confidence. She turned to Mike and Demon with a smile.

  “Ready to do this?”

  “Yes Ma’am,” Mike answered without hesitation. “Lead the way to the room.”

  Navarone jogged down the long walkway leading to a set of stairs. Travers kept the tactical unit well behind the agent, Mike, and Demon, halting them at Navarone’s signal. Her complete control of the situation and confident leadership had everyone following her lead. When she reached the doorway to the apartment, Navarone grinned with anticipation as exactly what their positions should be raced into her head.

  “I’ll stay over here, Mike. You and Demon take position at the door opening. When they bring out Tom, you grab him, and Demon snatches one of the perps following. I’ll throw the flash-bang and slam the door.”