by Michael Todd
Pandora pushed through Katie’s voice. “This really isn’t the time to go down that path. Very long story and makes little sense until you’ve seen what hell can be like for real.”
Katie put out her arms. “Uh, we’re living it right now. Here we are, lava rock and all. Flowing streams of death as far as the eye can see. Sulfur clouds hanging low in the sky and no source of specific light, but it’s not pitch black.”
“Alloy interlaces,” the doctor called out excitedly.
Calvin and Katie looked back at the doctor. He was laughing wildly, and Katie and Calvin just looked at each other, unsure of what that even meant. Calvin ventured a guess. “I have alloy rims on my car.”
Katie pursed her lips and patted Calvin on the back. “I don’t think he’s referring to rims, but good try.”
Calvin nodded. “Yeah, I have no idea. Failed freshman science. Was never very good at that stuff.”
“It’s all right. You tried.”
They moved to the outcropping. A black stone wall was behind them, to their right was a stack of fallen boulders. To their left, the stone ended in a jagged cliff. A hundred feet below the cliff was flowing molten rock.
Katie watched the team set up a new perimeter. A good place for a fallback position.
Or a last stand.
Calvin squinted at the river of lava, then stepped back. “What do you think would happen to this place if all the demons were killed?”
Pandora pushed forward and laughed. “Honey, hell will always be here. You gotta have a place for lost souls. It’s not about destroying hell. It’s about controlling it and putting the fear of God back in these bastards. Believe it or not, they used to have it.”
Katie rubbed her chest and grimaced, looking quickly at Calvin.
He saw her face. “You okay? Look like you have heartburn.”
Katie came forward, wincing. “My heart does feel like it’s on fire.
That’s not what it is. It’s a warning.
“Shit. Get ready. Something’s coming.”
19
Katie groaned, her legs wobbled, and Calvin had to catch her before she fell. She could feel the strength of the approaching demons permeating the air like a bad smell. Calvin stood her up and looked concerned.
Brock ran up and took Katie’s hand, waiting for her orders. She looked at him, her eyes changing from red to ice-blue and back. “Three demons are coming from the east. They’re…big. Tell your men.” Calvin and Katie ran to protect the doctor.
Brock sprinted back to his team. “We’re gonna have contact! You see those boulders? We’re going to set up there and keep watch through the cracks. As soon as the demons approach, Turner and I take point. Cover us. I mean, shower them with bullets. We don’t want them to slip past the rock and get between the doctor and us, so our shots have to be precise.”
The guys listened carefully and got low, making their way to the boulders. Their guns were at the ready. Brock carefully peered through the crack in the rock. Just as Katie had sensed, three large demons were lumbering toward them, obviously on their trail.
Brock put his hand up to the others with a closed fist, waiting for the perfect moment. Turner crouched near one of the boulders, ready to move. Tattoos got low, lying on the ground and tracking the demons. The other team member steadied his rifle on a boulder.
The demons snorted as they approached. One seemed to sense something, and all three of them dashed toward the boulders.
Brock shouted, “Go!”
He jumped out from behind the boulders as Turner jumped on top of one. The entire team opened fire, sights aimed directly at the beasts’ heads.
The demons roared with anger and raised their hands. Bits of demon flesh flew in the air as bullets bit into their arms and hands. One snarled and leaped straight for the boulders. Tattoos aimed carefully from his spot on the ground.
He gulped in hot air, then slowly let the breath out of his lungs. His finger eased around the trigger. The shot snapped the demon’s head back. The beast fell to the ground, hissing and gurgling before he disintegrated into ash.
Another demon was quicker, he dodged around the boulders and managed to get behind the team. Brock moved fast, firing intensely. The last team member spun around and fired wildly. The demon seemed confused; he was suddenly under a barrage of bullets. He tried to escape, but he tripped over his own feet. He yelped as he fell backward over the ledge and into the lava pits below.
Brock looked at his teammate and grinned. “That’s two! One last scaly sonofabitch, boys!”
Turner was blasting the last demon with his weapon, but he couldn’t manage a headshot. The demon got close enough to grab the barrel of Turner’s weapon and push it away. Suddenly the beast was hissing in Turner’s face.
Tattoos flew out of nowhere, landing on the demon’s back. He pressed the barrel of his sidearm to the beast’s head and pulled the trigger before it could react. “Night-night, fucker.”
The demon whimpered and blew apart into a cloud of dust, dropping the tattooed soldier to the ground. Turner put out his arms and caught him, backpedaled, and landed hard on the boulders.
Turner stood and helped Tattoos up. “That was badass. And now you know how it feels to be covered in ash. Not fun.”
Back up on top of the ledge, the doctor and Alice were working really hard, trying to get everything they needed. Alice was shocked at all the information coming in. “I’ve gotten so much data. This place is more like Mars than Earth, except we can breathe.”
The doctor laughed. “And there’s no vacuum. Look at the soil toxicity levels. In reality, there should be liquid under these rocks. A sea of just radioactive materials.”
Alice walked to the cart and looked down at one of the machines. The lights were blinking rapidly, and no readings were coming out. “The spectro-sensor for hydration atmosphere levels isn’t working. I’ll open it and see if I can’t figure out what is wrong.”
She grabbed one of the screwdrivers and lifted off the lid. A plume of steam rose from under the cover. Everything was coated in steam and water. She grabbed a rag off the cart and began pulling pieces off and wiping them down. They needed that machine to tell them about the weather patterns in hell throughout the year, whatever a year was in hell.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck. If we don’t get this right, we could send the troops in on a day when acid rain falls. We could have a bunch of humans fucking melting on their way to a major battle.” Alice was slightly panicked, but she was working hard on getting the machine fixed.
The doctor continued to scan the data, adjusting dials as they went. Katie jogged up to him, clapped her hands to get his attention. “Doctor, things are starting to heat up. How much time do you need?”
He flipped through the findings. “Uh…uh, we need at least twenty-five more minutes. We are running very important tests, here. Can’t rush good information.”
Katie wasn’t expecting so long. “Shit. Okay.”
“This information will help us armor troops in the future. It’s crucial.”
“We’ll do our best, but move your asses. Demons are coming, and it won’t be long until they know exactly where we are.”
Katie turned to tell the others and stopped as Brock and his team jogged up to her. Katie could see the redness of his teammate’s eyes, not their normal demon pupils. “All right, guys, the doctor is running a vital test that will help our troops come back here and fight. We need to buy him twenty-five minutes if we can. I know you’re tired and your bodies are rejecting this, but we can do this.”
Calvin tapped Katie’s glass helmet. “You okay?”
She laughed. “I’m fine. It’s like a vacation in here compared to the last time. We need to come up with a defensive network right now. We can probably turn all this information into battle tactics when we come back.”
Brock put up his hand. “The guys and I were talking. The suits are keeping us alive, but they’re not great for fighting. Dexterity is terrible. They sti
ck to your skin like rubber when you move and inhibit your range of motion, and we all know one moment of hesitation against these bastards can mean the difference between life and death.”
Katie pointed at the guys. “The right button on your helmet is to change comm channels. The one below that records a diary of sorts. I want you all to individually start recording your private thoughts on how to change these suits into something you would feel comfortable going into combat with. Give me everything you can think of. Need to pee but can’t? Tell me. Everything. If there’s a situation where we need to live in these suits for days, what is that going to do to us? You might technically be able to breathe out there, but you won’t last thirty seconds. You need to think of this the same way the astronauts do their suits. It’s our lifeline. Only assume we’re fighting aliens on their home planet.”
Pandora thought about it for a second. I’m going to communicate with their demons.
Is that a good idea?
Sure. They can help you. They keep their humans alive by fixing problems from the inside out. Want people to stay cool or function better? Their demons are the ones to ask.
Okay, give it a shot.
Hiedar ud gazaer, assholes. La raph qae qoht.
There was a flurry of demonic conversation, then Pandora spoke using Katie’s voice. “We are doing what we can to amp up your metabolisms, lower your hydration needs, and recycle your waste more efficiently. We’ll try to keep you going, and keep you from having to deal with things like taking a shit in the suit. It’s imperative we keep the inner workings tip-top so you can function without struggling.”
Calvin whispered to Katie, “What does she mean by that?”
Katie shrugged, “As long as they keep us all alive, I’m good with it. We can figure out the details later.”
The demon inside the tattooed soldier spoke to Pandora. I remember something from the old days that may be useful.
Pandora was a bit nervous, considering they all remembered her horrible past, but listened anyway. The demon actually had a good idea. So, there is a modification of an early spell that will basically amp up all the inner workings of the human body and allow it to work with minimal fuel, minimal hydration, and minimal sleep. It’s like steroids for them. They’re jacked—stronger, faster, and more in tune with everything around them.
Pandora nodded excitedly. Yes, yes, I remember that spell. But it takes a lot of focus by the demon. They have to pretty much do it while simultaneously healing from battle. Here, hold that thought. I’m going to try it on Katie. She’s indestructible.
Katie perked up, hearing her name. You’re gonna try what on who?
Pandora laughed. Just chill. This will be a good thing. I hope.
Shit. Just be careful.
Why don’t we move away from the team for a second?
What? Why?
Just a precaution.
Katie walked over to the boulders, away from the rest of the team. Don’t make me explode or something. Please.
No promises.
Pandora centered herself inside Katie and pulled on the energy of hell. Zhael ya mhael oth xuihg ya ednardhy. Duzz ya chords oth yeild ya banks. Yiz suzor's xaeges lizz laent aer siks, minimal needs oz ya qiza goes xes. Aerja zes zdazz lizz xnaot ya cycle, sending ya xaeges xoyt qae cycle.
An electric shock zipped around inside Katie, moving from one part of her body to the others. Katie’s hair stood up straight on her arms, and her legs went weak. She grunted and dropped to her knees. Calvin ran up and grabbed her under the arm. “Are you all right?”
Katie shook her head and slowly stood back up, feeling refreshed, awake, and stronger than ever. She looked at Calvin with wild eyes. “Holy shit. Pandora just did some sort of crazy spell on me, and now I feel like Neo at the end of the first Matrix. The part where he flexes space and time.” Katie dashed up the boulders, flipped off them, and ran back to the rest of the crew.
Shit, yeah. I’m a fuckin’ ninja.
Pandora laughed. YES! All right, demon friends. It worked. Get to work on your guys, and don’t fuck up the words. I don’t want to have to explain that mess.
Katie opened and closed her fists, feeling the power in her. Why have you not done this from the beginning? I feel like I could fight for days.
Pandora cleared her throat uncomfortably. Well, we don’t really know what will happen when we take you off the juice after prolonged use.
Are we talking hangover or something worse?
Let’s say hangover for now. I figured it was the only thing that would keep the team going in this climate. The guys were already about to drop. The only thing I can’t do is help the humans.
Hopefully, this is the last time we’ll bring any normal humans to hell. Once the R&D is done, they’ll be Earth-side.
They glanced at the doctor and Alice, who were moving quickly around the space. The machines were ticking and spitting out reports. The doctor was organizing the data as Alice started to pack up all the tools and pieces they no longer needed. It was obvious that she was done with the place, and as soon as the experiment was complete, she wanted to rock and roll right out of there. Her time in hell was just about over. She was sure of that.
Katie ran around the crew and flipped over the carts like she was superhuman. She stopped with a skid in front of the doctor. “How’s it going?”
He glanced at her, and she saw he wasn’t doing so well. The conditions starting to wear on him. His face was drawn, and his eyes were watery and bloodshot. “We have eight minutes left on the experiment. As soon as it’s done, we unplug and run.”
Katie nodded and started to turn away. “Good.”
The doctor suddenly grabbed her arm. “The problem is, I’ve just acquired radar capability through one of my programs.”
Katie didn’t understand. “That’s a good thing, right?”
He turned the screen toward her. “You see those large dots? I’m tracking a group of demons not that far over the mountain to the…uh…to the…”
Katie looked up and around. “Oh shit, you can’t tell direction here because there’s no sun.”
Alice yelled, “And don’t even think of a compass. The metal in these rocks will just make the needle spin. This is not a place you can easily tell direction in. It’s more a maps kind of place.”
Pandora pushed forward and cut in. “It’s never totally dark here, but there’s no light source like you’re thinking. It’s not like Earth, with that big star looming overhead warming up the place.”
Katie shook her head, pressing the record button on her helmet. “We are going to need a way to figure out where things are. We need to map as much of the terrain as possible. We don’t need to get lost out here. It’s not really the place I want to wander around in for eternity. We need drones for surveillance and perimeter patrol. I’m not going to become a fucking cartographer in hell.”
The doctor coughed dryly. “You’re going to need sonar detectors, and heat screeners that can withstand these types of temperatures. You want to be able to see the demons coming at all times, and this is a really good way to do it. I’m not sure how your comms work between dimensions, but if we can figure that out, you can have an IT guy on the other side manning drone feeds and detecting dangerous heat levels.”
Katie nodded and repeated the information into her recording device. She looked at Alice. “Do you have any idea how the metal on those carts is handling the heat?”
Alice looked at the metal cart simmering below her. “It’s not touchable without thick gloves, but it’s not melting either. I’m not sure it will keep its strength for more than a few more hours. The bullets you guys brought, whatever metal this is? They’re not reacting to the heat at all.”
Pandora rolled her eyes. “Great. The metal we need to keep things stable also happens to be the metal that can do damage to the mercs. We’re going to need some damn good gloves to touch shit like that.”
The doctor cleared his throat nervously. “Whatever direct
ion is actually north or east, it doesn’t really matter at this point. The demons seem to be coming toward us, and they’re closing quickly. They look to be very large, and given their speed, they are either demonic gazelles or they take very long strides.”
Katie took her conversation with Pandora inside. Uh, you don’t have demon gazelles, do you?
Pandora chuckled. No, just big-ass demons.
That’s what I thought.
Man your stations, chick. This shit is about to get real.
Katie and Brock exchanged glances. Without asking, he knew what was coming. He yelled, “All right boys, drop your cocks and grab your socks! Showtime!”
20
The general paced the floor. He was a bundle of nerves, and his chest was tight. He reached up and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. He wanted to be on the base receiving firsthand knowledge of the mission, but he had to keep everything else on the up and up while Katie was in hell with her team.
“Fuck this. I need an update,” he growled, heading to his desk.
He dialed his contact number to the commander in Research and Development. “Commander, it’s General Brushwood. I’m anxiously awaiting any news right now. It’s been a while, and I thought they would be back by now.”
The commander sighed. “I did too, but I don’t have anything to report.”
Suddenly a flash of light blinded the commander for a moment. A portal opened just outside the building, in the open air. “Hold on, General. Someone is coming through.”
The commander set the phone down and walked to the door. Doctor Thorough, Alice, and two of the carts came bursting through. The portal immediately shut hard behind them. They stumbled forward, pulling their masks off and bending over to take in great gulps of air. Steam rose off everything.
The doctor sat down hard on the floor. “Oh, my. It really is quite a bit cooler here than it is in hell.
Alice stumbled to the commander, and he grabbed her arm to support her. “Commander, Katie and the rest of the team aren’t coming back, sir.”