by J. B. Thomas
Grace threw an angry look at Ivan, still hanging from the beam. ‘What have you done?’ She grabbed Joe’s shoulders and turned him around.
One furious blue eye glared at her through a smear of red paint. She knew he’d rather have been tasered than this.
She exploded into laughter. ‘You should see your face!’
Ivan jumped down, threw the paintball gun on a table and grabbed a towel. ‘Here.’ He threw it to Joe and studied his face for a few seconds. ‘You’re angry, aren’t you?’
Joe clenched his teeth as he wiped the paint away.
‘You don’t want to let that anger control you, Joe.’
‘You don’t know what it’s like.’
‘Oh, you think?’ Ivan lifted his shirt and turned around slowly. A row of faded scars lay across his torso and back. ‘In Spetsnaz, part of the training is to see how much pain each recruit can take. Either you learn to control your emotional responses, or you’re out. When I joined up I was dangerously angry. But I learned to manage that. I don’t recommend their methods – but I want you to realise that I understand where you’re coming from.’
He pulled his shirt down and thumped Joe on the back. ‘Don’t feel ashamed. Either of you. This lesson will make you stronger. You must learn to control your emotions. Curb your arrogance. Remember: no matter how potent your gift is, you must be able to think calmly. You’ll learn how to do this. Now, come with me.’
They approached a table wedged beneath one of the tall windows that lined the corridor. A group of mercenaries was clustered around it. To her discomfort, Grace noticed Maya sitting among them.
Maya looked up. ‘You!’ Red, swollen eyes darted between Grace and Joe. ‘Who the hell do you think you are?’ She stepped over the chair and lunged across.
Ivan took hold of her arms. ‘Steady, Maya.’
She looked up at him, pleading. ‘They ran off, like two stupid, selfish children! And now Armin is dead . . .’
‘It is not their fault,’ said Ivan. He gave her a kind but firm stare. ‘They are not to blame.’
‘That is true.’ Maya rubbed the tears away and lifted her chin. ‘You are.’
Malcolm stepped towards Maya. ‘Let her go, Ivan.’
‘Stand aside, Penbury.’
Trembling, Maya stared up at Ivan. ‘He was so eager to prove himself to you after you put him on night duty. He was too tired to handle this mission!’
‘It wasn’t a matter of fatigue; the whole team was killed. Nobody is to blame but the bad guys.’
‘He only volunteered because he wanted you to respect him.’ She gave him a scornful glare. ‘You! Like you matter that much!’ She jerked forward and spat on his shirt.
Someone gasped, the air became even more charged with tension.
But Ivan didn’t waver. His voice was calm, his eyes compassionate. ‘He always had my respect. And now it’s greater than ever.’
‘At my expense.’ Maya slumped. ‘Let me go.’
Malcolm released Maya, who turned and sat down at the table again. He stepped closer to Ivan. ‘Anyway, why aren’t these two under suspension?’
Ivan stiffened at his tone. ‘It’s not your concern, Penbury.’
‘Yes, it is my concern.’ Malcolm pointed at Grace. ‘They snuck out of here to go God knows where; she used her mind powers to mess around with Brutus’s head. Now we find out they’re not being suspended!’
Ivan’s voice was quiet but threatening. ‘You’re forgetting your place.’
‘As your second-in-charge?’ Malcolm threw up his hands. ‘Oh, but then again – that’s not the case. No, I’ve been usurped by our Ferryman here.’
His words echoed off the walls. A crowd of onlookers formed a loose circle around the scene.
Grace gave Joe a surprised look. ‘Really?’
‘For some reason, the powers-that-be have decided Joe should step in.’ Malcolm smiled. ‘No – I’m just a lowly team member, asking the same question everyone else is.’
‘Either way, you’re my subordinate and you will obey my instructions,’ Ivan said. ‘Back off.’
‘It’s all right,’ Joe said. He held Malcolm’s stare. ‘You just weren’t good enough for a leadership position. At least, your father didn’t seem to think so.’
Malcolm sprung towards Joe. ‘You prick, you!’
‘Enough!’ Ivan’s voice boomed down the corridor. He stepped between the two boys. ‘Both of you. Back away.’ He watched as Malcolm moved backwards reluctantly.
Ivan cast an angry stare around the group. Grace found herself shrinking back, along with most of the watching crowd. She reached over, grabbing Joe’s sleeve. ‘Leave it!’
Ivan turned to Joe. ‘Back off, I told you.’
With furious eyes pinned on Malcolm, Joe stepped back. ‘Fine.’ He raised his hands. ‘I didn’t start this crap.’
‘We’re not finished, Callahan.’ Malcolm kicked over a chair and stalked away.
* * *
GRACE’S HEART WAS still hammering as she and Joe followed Ivan to the end of the hallway, past groups of faces: some shocked, others accusing.
Ivan yanked open the door and nodded for Grace and Joe to go in first.
‘You both all right?’
‘Yes.’ Grace looked at Joe. ‘You calm?’
He shrugged. ‘Take a better man than him to bring me down.’ He grinned at Ivan. ‘Weapons?’
Ivan picked up a yellow and black gun. ‘Taser shotgun. You’re familiar with its effects, Grace.’
Grace cradled the gun. It was lighter than she’d expected. Her finger twitched, and she felt a thrill at the prospect of pulling the trigger.
‘Gimme.’ Joe snatched the gun from Grace. ‘Dance.’ He aimed at her feet.
Grace frowned. ‘You don’t know what you’re doing, you idiot.’
‘See this?’ Ivan pointed to a picture on the wall. It was of a clay pot, cut open down the middle to reveal the inside. It was half full of purple liquid, and two copper cylinders ran down the centre. ‘Our predecessors – the first sarsareh mercenaries in Mesopotamia – harnessed electricity to disable demon energy. This was known as a Baghdad Battery.’
He smiled. ‘Of course, we have made some advances in weaponry since then. You may have heard of the scientist Nikola Tesla? He wanted to create a shield for the entire planet. His idea was to broadcast a protective shroud of electricity, flowing freely about the Earth’s atmosphere; effectively guarding us from demon energy.’
‘That’d be awesome,’ said Grace.
Ivan nodded. ‘A bonus would have been free electricity for the people. However, his capitalist banker realised there was no profit in this and shut the project down.’
He shrugged. ‘Ah, such is life. Okay. Protective clothing. Both of you take your shoes off.’ Ivan tapped in a security code and a sliding door opened. He pulled out what looked like two shiny wetsuits.
‘Smart suits. The fluid inside the skin of the suit becomes a form of body armour when subjected to a magnetic field, which the suit generates itself.’ He beckoned for them to come closer. Ivan pressed one up against Grace’s body. ‘That looks like a good fit, actually.’
He passed Joe a suit. Grace lifted her leg to step inside.
‘Hold on, Grace.’ Ivan walked over and took the suit from her. ‘You need to strip off first.’
She searched his face; there was no hint of a smile or even any embarrassment on his part. Her mouth fell open. ‘Oh . . .’
‘You don’t have to be naked – just take off your pants and t-shirt. If it makes you feel any better, you can go into the change room.’ He pointed to a door in the corner.
Grace stepped inside and shut the door. She hung her t-shirt and pants on a hook and slid inside the suit, surprised by how easily it fit
. No zips or velcro. The fabric stretched over her body but seemed to mould to her shape after she’d pulled it on.
‘Comfy.’
Ivan turned back as Grace walked out of the changing room. ‘Good.’ He gave her an approving once-over. ‘Fits well.’
She blushed; his eyes had lingered around her waist and hips.
Ivan turned and opened another cupboard.
Grace looked sideways at Joe. ‘I bet those other mer- cenaries won’t have anything this good,’ she whispered.
‘He’s a billionaire, Grace. I’m sure their home base has a lot more tech.’
‘You’re not thinking of seeing them again, are you?’
Joe shrugged. ‘Maybe.’
‘I don’t think –’
‘Pay attention, Grace.’ Joe nodded at Ivan, who was lifting a black shotgun from the cupboard. He pushed it into Grace’s hands. ‘Here.’ He stood close behind her and lay his hands over hers, adjusting her hold.
She held her breath.
‘The Maul IV. Rapid fire, double barrel, twelve gauge shotgun with harpoon attachment. This will be your weapon. Specially designed. Ever fired a gun before?’
She glanced back into his eyes. His hands were still over hers, the heat from his body close to her back. She gulped. ‘No.’
‘Usually, we take down a demon by using three stages of attack. First, we hit him with a combined taser and neurotoxin bullet. The taser shocks him, disabling the demonic energy. That way he can’t use telepathy or telekinesis. The neurotoxin puts him to sleep within seconds. Then we bring him to Renfield. Of course, some demons are very fast or very strong. I’ve seen them resist the neurotoxins before. The demons are evolving. There are times when we even have to resort to hand-to-hand fighting.’
‘Nobody can say you’re not committed,’ said Grace. ‘I mean, if you have to go through all that.’
Joe grinned. ‘Am I going to put a lot of people out of work?’
Ivan shrugged. ‘Probably not. We will just have to change the way we do things. You will always need a strong rank of bodyguards around you.’ He looked at Grace. ‘And your sister here will be able to use her power to influence leaders and decision makers into taking the right choices. The sarsareh have many roles to play in society, you know.’
Ivan led them into a large room. On the far wall stood a row of dummies. He flicked on the lights. ‘Seth’s been very busy getting this ready for you both.’ He hit a switch and one of the dummies began to float across the room, suspended by a large metal hook. ‘This is a silicone dummy. You’re going to practise on this before you try to harpoon a real demon.’
‘Let’s go!’ Joe said.
Grace tilted her head. ‘So, does this mean we can go on missions soon?’
‘Perhaps. Right now, my concern is that you master your skills and that you are never defenceless against a demon attack. Hence, the suit.’
‘Well, it feels good,’ Grace said. ‘Better than going out in jeans and a t-shirt.’
‘Yes, just a little bit.’ With a hint of a smile, Ivan took another shotgun from the cupboard and passed it to Joe.
‘Cool,’ said Joe. He aimed the gun at the dummy.
Ivan nodded. ‘Hit it.’
Joe fired. There was a whipping sound; the dummy jolted backward. It swung back and forth, its chest impaled by a silver x-shaped claw.
‘Yeah!’ Joe whistled. ‘What a shot.’ He gave Grace a triumphant grin.
‘That’s your harpoon,’ Ivan said. ‘As you can see, it drives straight through the torso and doubles back in a cross shape, impaling your target.’ A long silver cord connected the harpoon to the gun.
‘That alone won’t kill a demon. But, if you were to aim the gun at a rift and fire again, the cord would detach and hurl the demon inside at high speed. The harpoon is strong; its cord is made of diamond wire.’
Joe aimed to the left and fired a second time.
The dummy tore away from the ceiling, hit the ground and rolled a few times, finally coming to rest on its back.
‘Cool!’ said Joe.
Ivan nodded at Grace. ‘Your turn.’ She lifted her gun and took aim but froze as Ivan stood close behind her again. The heat of his breath on her neck; her hands wobbled in unison with her knees.
Ivan slid his hands over hers and helped her take aim. ‘Ready?’
She pulled the trigger, heard the diamond cord whoosh through the air and only registered movement as the harpoon slammed into the second dummy.
‘Whoa. That was fast.’
Exhilarated, she fired again. The dummy broke away and slammed to the ground.
‘Ha! Mine went further than yours.’
‘We’ll see about that.’ Joe lunged over and yanked the gun away. ‘Best out of five.’
* * *
JOE WATCHED IVAN put the weapon back in the cabinet. ‘Rematch,’ he said.
Smiling, Grace shook her head. ‘I won, fair and square.’ With Ivan’s help, of course – at least for the first two shots. Her hands tingled at the memory of his fingers pressed against hers.
Joe looked at Ivan. ‘When are we going on a real mission?’
‘Within the month.’ Ivan locked the cabinet and turned around. ‘For that to happen, you’ll both need intensive training. We intend for you two to work in a team. Ultimately, we’d like to see Grace at such a level that she won’t need the harpoon gun; that she can use her telepathy to compel the demon to enter a rift. Are you prepared to listen to me so that I can help you?’
‘Of course!’ Grace said. She bit her lip, embarrassed by the gushing in her voice.
Joe nodded.
Grace followed Ivan back into the corridor. ‘How can we practise that, though? Dummies don’t fight back.’
Ivan grinned. ‘No, they don’t.’ He closed the door. ‘Well, you’re in the right place. We have several demons in custody – many of whom are telepathic. Are you ready to show us what you’re capable of?’
‘WELL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.’ Grace stared into her reflection. No-nonsense hair, pulled back in a bun. Steely look in the eyes. Shoulders squared, chin up. ‘Licenced to kill.’ Her mouth turned up at the little joke, but her stomach knotted with apprehension.
She turned her arm sideways, admiring the new crest on her t-shirt: the psychic’s eye sitting on top of the red spear. Ivan’s way of telling her she was one of them now. Not just a telepath but a mercenary, too.
Or, she would be. After this, her first mission. She swallowed, wincing at the needling sensation, a razor blade down her throat. Her head felt full, she battled dizziness. She coughed into a tissue and threw it away in a hurry.
Why, oh why did she have to get sick now?
And why not during the month before? The past four weeks had been nothing more than a long role-playing exercise – she’d never been in real danger with Ivan ready at her side, his gun trained on whichever demon she was ‘fighting’.
Her first victim was incredibly easy.
‘This individual has confessed to several acts of shocking violence, including disfigurement, stabbings, and murder.’ Ivan had looked up from the file and nodded. ‘Just remember – don’t underestimate him. He has physical strength and speed on his side.’
True – but a weakling against her power of suggestion. Lay on the floor, arms above your head, face-down. It had only taken her seconds to control him.
The telepaths were another matter.
The first one . . . standing in the middle of the room, staring at Grace; she’d counted to ten, trying to compel him to walk to the back wall. Eleven . . . twelve . . . then, a memory wash-out. Next, her hands were pressed against cold stone. Her forehead ached, as though she’d been smashing it against something . . . she looked at the wall and the stamp of blood she’d left there.
/> There’d been a thump as the demon collapsed in a convulsive fit, mouth contorted in a silent scream as Ivan pummelled him with neurotoxin bullets.
Her cheeks burning, Grace had shaken her head. ‘I didn’t even feel him take over me.’ She’d reached up and touched the tender swelling on her forehead.
Ivan had taken her by the shoulders; his voice calm, reassuring. ‘Don’t waste time on self-doubt. You’ve learned something here. We’re here to back you up. See how important the weapons are, Grace? They inhibit the demonic power and give you a chance to take control of the mind. It’s called being prepared. Taking no chances. Although, eventually you won’t need taser back-up. You’re going to learn to hit them quickly, before they even know you’re there.’
And then, yesterday.
The morbid high of it all. Controlling the demon, compelling him to walk towards Joe’s rift, into the dark, cloudy death and whatever else waited there.
It made her shiver.
She stared at the stranger in the mirror and imagined what it would be like if none of this had happened. What would she be doing today?
Dinner with Mum, Dad and Joe?
Her first legal glass of champagne?
Her gaze fell on the water park photo. Two best friends with sunburnt noses, broad grins and messy hair at the most innocent time of their lives. She sighed. ‘You’re probably better off where you are, Allie. There are monsters out here.’
She drew three long breaths and made her way towards the conference room.
* * *
JOE SLUMPED BACK in his seat, arms folded. Lucius’s voice was a low hum in the background, punctuated by occasional questions from Diana.
His mind rolled back to that night in the City. His lips on Haures’s neck . . . the warm feel of her body pressed against him.
‘Joe!’ Ivan passed him a file. ‘You need to read this.’
Joe cringed as he turned the pages, remembering what Mammon had said about paperwork and boring meetings. ‘The whole thing?’
Diana looked up. ‘It’s important, Joe.’