Penny looked…proud, “Okay, but stay back because this guy is a real squirter, and it wasn’t easy getting those clothes on you to begin with.”
“You dressed me? Thank you.”
“Well, it wasn’t easy. You’d think it would be like putting on doll clothes or dressing yourself, but you were unconscious. So you were all floppy, and I’d get an arm in one sleeve, and then I’d fight to get your other arm in. Every time I got your shirt almost on you, I had to stop and start over because your other arm was getting bent at funny angles. It was frustrating, but I couldn’t just leave you like that. I’m just sorry that I couldn’t stay with you until you woke up, but Grim said we needed to get started interrogating this asshole as soon as possible.”
“Well, please don’t hurt Jes. If it wasn’t for her, then I’d be dead right now. She saved me. Maybe a little later than I’d have liked, but the important part is that she did save me. That has to count for something.” I said.
Grim looked up, and smiled coldly, “It’s why she’s just in the corner. When we got caught up to you, she was in the fetal position looking like ground beef. This guy really stomped the crap out of her. So we figured she’d tried to step in and put a stop to it. We aren’t going to hurt her…at least nothing that won’t heal after Penny takes a nibble, but at the same time, she might have something useful. So we put her in the corner and make her listen to Sam’s screams. It might leave her with a few nightmares, but she’s getting off pretty easy. If she tells us what she knows, then maybe I’ll let you and Penny drag her into another room so she won’t have to hear anymore.”
Wow, the man really knew where to twist the knife. Jes started blubbering and began telling us everything. “Sam was ordered to kill you. He talks like he’s a bigwig, but he’s just a peon with delusions of grandeur. He received our instructions by text, but we never met the person in charge.”
“I’m assuming that whole story about your family is complete bullshit. So why’d you switch sides?” Grim said with an almost clinical disinterest as he examined Sam’s wounds.
“Yeah, I lied. The general was supposed to take Penny out, but she proved a lot tougher than anyone realized. I was originally supposed to try and comfort you, and then in the process of comforting you, seduce you away from the others so that Sam could have his way with you. He was going to steal your life energy and use it to impregnate one of the others. Of course, that plan had to change when Penny survived. So I was ordered to help him lure Penny and you away, and then after Sam finished with you, the rest would drop like flies. So I put on a skunk outfit, because it was suggested that it would draw her right to me. Frankly, I didn’t think it would work, and you can imagine my surprise when she pops up right beside me. That’s one weird fetish your girlfriend has.”
“It’s not a fetish. I just think skunks are cute, okay?” Penny snapped.
“Whatever, but you were on to me from the start. So we couldn’t go after you through me, and since you and your boyfriend are practically joined at the hip, Sam decided we should go after easier prey. He went after DD at the opening ceremonies because she looked like an easy hit while he was waiting on an opportunity to get to the rest of you. Fortunately, Niki found them before he could get her in a position to really amp up his pheromones. He decided on concentrating all of his efforts on DD after watching you and your boyfriend slaughter the werewolves. I think he knew that even if we got one of you alone, either of you would be too much for us. Niki and Danika are a fairly devoted couple, and while they both look like they might be interested in playing around, the opportunity just wouldn’t be there. The werewolf would have torn us apart, and there was no way they’d ever allow either of themselves to be alone with one of us intimately. They are both clearly a package deal. I’m still surprised that you didn’t realize what he was immediately.”
“I haven’t been at my best recently.” Penny growled.
“Yeah, you looked like you’d been starving yourself for a while now, but I can tell you’ve been eating a little more recently. Well, Sam decided that the only one of you that was easy picking was DD. So we worked together to separate her from the rest of you. We were working one angle, but the person in charge decided to try and thin the herd a bit. I know they had you poisoned, and they lured you to Katy’s house by killing the girl. Somehow they made her walk out in front of a bus. When you got there, they had the dullahans waiting. Thankfully, you survived, and from what I heard, you whipped up on them pretty well, but I can’t figure out why you’d go after the village. It just seems like an unnecessary risk.”
Grim answered, “They use illusion, and with everything coming at us from all sides, the last thing we needed was those little bastards screwing with our heads, as well. So we attacked hoping to get a little more information if we were lucky, but also to knock them on their ass so hard that it’d buy us a couple of days before they could regroup and come back at us again.”
“That’s…actually brilliant. Plus, it has the added benefit of letting the others blow off steam. The dullahans are dangerous when they can trick you, but without the element of surprise, they are pretty pathetic. I’d tip my hat to you, sir, if my hands weren’t tied, and of course if I owned a hat.” Jes was looking at Grim with a newly found appreciation. “Well, after you survived the dullahans, Sam was desperate. Time was ticking away, and you wouldn’t stay here forever. Our window to attack was closing, and so Sam sent a message to our leader asking for some additional help.”
“Legion.” I spat, and Grim’s eyes snapped to me.
“What?” He growled.
“Legion. I ran into him tonight. He looks different than when we saw him in the sanitarium. It’s definitely him, but somehow in another body.”
“What happened?” Concern etched onto Grim’s face.
“We…danced. I didn’t realize it was him until later. When I did, he made me an offer. If I just walked away, then I’d be safe. Then he scared me a bit, but that was pretty much it. Then Sam stepped in, and I thought he was there to save me. I found out later that it was just part of Sam’s trap.” As I talked about it, the memory of everything that had happened sent a freezing fear through my veins, but I did my best not to cry. Grim and Penny needed me to be strong right now. The worst thing I could do would be to start sobbing and distract them from their interrogation.
Jes continued, “We were real surprised that Legion was sent to help. He’s a freaking legend. Surely he’s got bigger fish to fry than you guys…no disrespect to you, but what are the odds a major player like that is just hanging around?”
“I think you’d be surprised.” Grim said darkly.
“Well, either way you really must have pissed a lot of people off by coming out because he was all in. He went after DD, scaring her right into Sam’s trap.”
“So why did you switch sides?” Penny asked.
“Do you have any idea what the lifespan is for a cambion after we reach sexual maturity?” Jes asked.
“No, and I don’t particularly care.” Penny said dismissively.
“Yeah, well I do. It’s less than three months. The cubus bring us into the world so that at a later date they can breed with us to create another cubus. I’ve been useful enough that Sam’s kept me around for a long time, but Sam’s been eyeing me more and more recently. It was just a matter of time before he decided to finally breed with me. I couldn’t escape him. No cambion can hide from their maker. The only chance I had was to bide my time and hope that I’d have a chance to kill him before he could destroy me. That chance never came, but what did come was…you. The Darkness is terrified that you people are going to bring back the old days when people feared monsters and demons, and when magic was seen as a tool that could be used for good or wielded for evil.”
“It sounds like you’re talking about the time of the Inquisition, or the Salem witch trials. Hell, I’d side with the Darkness before I’d want something like that to happen. That was a really fucked up time in our history,
and I sure as hell wouldn’t want to go back. Janine is a victim of those times. They trumped up that she was a witch, and then burned her at the stake to cover everything up. If that’s what they think we are trying to do, well then, fuck that. I’d quit and drop off the face of the planet before I went that route. Shit…how would I ever be able to face Janine?”
I was certain that Grimmy meant every word he said. He just gets this look on his face, where you know he’s done with all the games, and at that point he’s dealing with cold, hard facts. He probably would just step away from all the money and fame if he thought it would lead to something like that, and I realized that Penny, Janine, Danika, and Niki would, as well. I, on the other hand couldn’t say that. I wanted to provide for my sisters, and unless they all got a scholarship, then college wouldn’t be free. If I was going to be honest with myself, I didn’t share their convictions. They made decisions and stuck by them. They all shared a strong faith that they tried to let guide those decisions. I…dabbled in faith. I had enough to not be embarrassed when it was my turn to pray at the dinner table, but actually relying on it as something to lead me? That wasn’t something I was willing to do, and I realized at that moment I really didn’t have any faith. I had convenience.
I could say prayers at dinner because it was more convenient for me to be part of the group than go my own way. I could nod and lead the prayer, but not really mean it. Until last night I couldn’t tell you the last time I really prayed, and even last night I think it’s safe to say I wasn’t praying to anything specific. I was just praying to a general notion. Something was God, and I was talking to that something, or at least trying to. I know Grim talked about Jesus, and maybe he is God, but I still had trouble accepting that the man that told us to love one another was the same God that once told his people to slaughter the Amalekites. To kill every man woman and child sure didn’t sound much like love your neighbor as yourself.
So here I was paying lip service to a God I didn’t understand, and pretending to be a Christian like all my friends. Even Katy believed in Jesus; she just also believed in all her witchcraft stuff. I didn’t understand any of that, either. The thought that you could manipulate the forces of the universe in order to make things happen confused, and scared me because if you could do that, then what is the point of science? Why waste all that time learning about aerodynamics in order to build a plane when you could snap your fingers and create a flying broom, or carpet? Why learn about technology if you can fling out some magic and create things from…nothing. It made all my hard work in college pointless, and because I couldn’t actually explain any of it scientifically, I tried to keep it out of sight and out of mind as best I could.
“No, no, no, they loved the inquisition. That did the Darkness more good than anything because it became something humans think about and cringe. They don’t want to look for a witch in this world because when a person thinks of a witch, they think of Salem, and the Inquisition, and immediately people try to dismiss the thought of witches, because it makes them feel uncomfortable. People act like just the mere thought of witchcraft would turn a town of normally rational people into a screaming horde of torch wielding maniacs. They act like people will suddenly go crazy and start slaughtering witches right and left as they find them, and if they can’t find them, they’ll turn on each other.” Jes said.
“Well, they did it before, and you know the old saying. People that forget their history are doomed to repeat it.” Grim said darkly.
“Yeah, but who do you think was behind all that? Don’t get me wrong; it’s not like people needed much manipulating to get them to give in to their hate. I mean, you basically just go to a few people in power, point someone out that they already may have some slight issue with, and start whispering how they are vaguely a little different and then let their imaginations take over. Given time and opportunity, many people eventually assume the worst. Get enough of them together and you end up with a kingdom or a religious group doing something truly awful. Then all you have to do is start appealing to the greed and prejudice of the rest of the people, and then they become the fuel for the fire. The leaders kill a witch because they think it somehow protects their people. It shocks the locals, but then they start looking around, thinking that if their neighbor wasn’t around anymore, then they could have their beautifully plowed field, or better access to water. Maybe they were just a little weird or inconvenient to be around. They realize all they have to do is make an accusation, and then they’ll be able to get what they want and now you have the inquisition raging across Europe, or the Salem witch trials. It’s an old trick, but the sad thing is that it works almost every time.” Jes explained everything as though it was just obvious.
“How do you know all this?” I asked.
Jes shrugged, “If you’re going to intentionally spread a lie, you have to know what the truth is first. So any member of the Darkness gets taught this.”
“So, basically you decided to switch teams because you were about to be turned into a cubus baby factory?” Grim’s eyes were practically burning holes through her. There was something going on with him. There was something forming in his head. That was obvious.
“Yeah, I mean the enemy of my enemy is my friend, right? Just think about it. I know how they think, and I know a lot of the players. I’d be useful to you. So it is a mutually beneficial relationship. I give insight into what they do, and how they operate.” Jes’ sounded completely reasonable.
Grim was stone faced, “So, what do you get out of it?”
“I get protection. Just by talking about this I’m signing my death warrant, but I don’t really have an option right now. Sam was going to breed me eventually, and you are my only chance to stay alive. I don’t want to die. So by helping you, I’m helping myself. I won’t last for long out there after today. I need your help, and I think you probably need mine.”
“The problem is that you think it’s just that simple. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The only problem with that thinking is that sometimes the enemy of your enemy might just be another enemy.” Grim laughed coldly, and I felt my stomach start to get queasy. I know that look on his face, and nothing good was going to come from that.
Grim turned back to Sam, “Well, it seems like she told us everything. Now the real question is whether you can top that?”
“Go fuck yourself!” Sam spat.
Grim chuckled and gave the man a pat on the head, “Oh buddy, if I could do that I’d probably never leave home.” When Sam didn’t respond Grim shrugged and continued, “Well, let’s see if I can sweeten the pot for you. Your girl over there spilled her guts, and she was planning on killing you. Come to think of it, if she hadn’t conked you on the noggin, then you’d have given DD the old three pump chump and been on your way before we ever showed up. I bet you’d like to get a little revenge for that…wouldn’t you.”
“Oh, you have no idea.” Sam’s voice was oozing hate with every word.
“I’ll tell you what.” Grim walked back over to Jes, grabbed her chair, and spun her around so that she was facing Sam. “We both know that I’m going to kill you before this is over, so you’re smart enough to know that I’d be lying if I said I’d let you go. The girl…well she saved DD so that earned her a reprieve. I won’t kill her, but maybe if I’m properly persuaded I might do something so that she’ll remember you for the rest of her life. Tell me something I don’t know that might be a little useful. Tell me something that this girl left out, and I’ll let you pick something on her for me to break.”
“You don’t really think I’ll fall for that?” Sam glared at Grim.
“What? A down payment is in order, I see. So how about I give you a pinky as a token of trust?” Grim reached down. Jes clenched her fist. “Open your hand, or I break the arm. Then I break the pinky.”
Jes opened her hand, she was hyperventilating. Her eyes were wide and scared. Suddenly, I heard a loud pop, and Jes howled in agony. Oh my God! When Grim turned back around
Jes’ pinky was folded over backwards. It was already swelling. I felt my stomach lurch a little, but I was able to fight off the urge to vomit. I wanted to step in and stop it, but I looked into Grim’s cold eyes and I froze like a deer on the highway. A part of me was afraid that if I tried to step in that I’d be next.
“So…if you want me to break something, then give me something useful.” Grim smiled.
Sam exhaled in frustration, “Oh I wish I could, but the girl left my cupboard bare. I have nothing left to give you. At least she didn’t get away completely unscathed. I just wish I had something so that she could get a little more of what she deserves.”
Grim shrugged, “You’ve got nothing? Come on, you have to have at least some thoughts about what’s going on.”
“Nothing, but I wish I did. Hearing that little bitch scream again would send me to the grave with a smile on my face.”
“Well, how about this. I still have some questions, and for every question you answer…I’ll break a finger.” I was really creeped out by how casual Grim’s tone was.
“Deal.” Sam sounded happy, or at least as happy as a person that had been mangled up pretty good could sound. It was a last chance to get a pound of flesh from Jes before dying, and he was foaming at the mouth for the opportunity.
“It’s a safe bet that neither of you know who you are working for, but why?”
Sam shrugged, “The higher ups usually keep quiet. They work from the shadows. That way if someone gets caught, you can’t follow the trail back. I know everyone below me, and a lot of my peers, but the only time you get to know about someone above you is when there is no way around it. Since the inventions of e-mail and text messaging, we almost never see or hear from someone above us. We just get messages telling us what to do, and either we do it or they kill us and give our job to someone else.”
Midnight Squad: The Ties That Bind Page 43