by Michael Todd
Pandora sighed. Oh boy, here it comes.
“I know this isn’t going to make you happy, but I have to ask you to go to New York.”
Are you fucking kidding me? Pandora immediately started bitching. There’s nothing but Dunkin’ Donuts in New York City! It is the barren wasteland of donuts. There’s not even a good old McDonald’s on every corner, much less the evil Chick-fil-A! I’m going to have to eat shitty donuts and even shittier chicken nuggets. I swear to God this man hates me.
“I can’t hear her, but I feel like Pandora isn’t happy.”
Katie chuckled. “Yeah, well, ‘tis life, I suppose.”
“We have you booked at the Stewart Hotel. I specifically picked this for Pandora, since it’s one block away from Madison Square Garden.”
Great. I can take in a show with my shitty donuts.
“And,” the general continued, “underneath Madison Square Garden is a Krispy Kreme donut place, which also happens to be right next to one pretty good pizza shop.”
I…well… Okay, I can be bought. Let’s hit the road, bitch. The Big Apple awaits!
I’m going to stick with the humor of this situation and not worry about how easy it is for your ass to be bribed.
“Sounds good, sir,” Katie responded. “Does that mean I’ll get to see how Ella’s doing while I’m there? It’s been a while—Incursion Day, actually—since I’ve seen her.”
“I wish, but unfortunately Ella has gone down to Texas to handle some business. She seems to be kind of in the same boat as you right now, a bounty-hunter-for-hire thing.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that. I figured she was with the team. What about Eric?”
“He went with her. The two seem to make a pretty good team, and the truth is, there seems to be more money in the for-hire business right now than with the teams. She still helps them whenever they need her, but the two of them are jet-setting wherever the contracts take them.”
“Huh. Well, I hope they’re doing well. I’ll head to New York soon. I’d like to have a little time in Las Vegas if that’s okay.”
“Sure, take what you need, so long as it isn’t too long. Reboot. Let me know when you’re leaving, and we’ll get the transportation set up for you.”
“Thanks, General.”
“No, thank you, Katie. And thank you for suffering through the lack of donuts, Pandora.”
Whatever, Pandora grumped.
“She said no problem,” Katie lied. “We’ll talk soon.”
She hung up the phone and glanced at Calvin. A little time in the big city never hurt anyone. Well, it did, but Katie knew that if the general had asked, it was definitely important.
3
Katie ducked and opened the front passenger door of the chopper to climb in. They were on their way back to the base in Vegas, having been in Los Angeles for two weeks before the LAPD had asked for their help.
Calvin was already sitting in the cockpit with his headphones on, running through the pre-flight checklist. He was pretty good at flying the bird, but was never truly comfortable with it. Still, Katie insisted he pilot whenever possible, just in case she had to do a swan dive into some demon situation below.
She buckled her belt and gave him a thumbs-up, then placed the headphones on her head and sat back as the chopper took off from the helipad and they rose to the correct altitude. Katie knew to give Calvin his space while he took off. It was his adjustment time; the period he got comfortable with the bird.
They had enjoyed LA. Not only was it a great place for some relaxation and fun, it was also teeming with demons. They always had something to do out there, some demon to exorcise or demolish, and there was definitely room to make money whether independently or on-call. It was, however, time for them to be getting out of the field again. Get some training done, and just touch base with their people back home.
Once in the air and moving toward home, Calvin leaned back in his seat and let out a deep sigh. “I can’t even tell you how ready I am for this vacation. I still say it’s not nearly long enough after years of servitude in demon slaying, but I’ll take whatever I can get.”
Katie smiled. “Sure, sure. We know you just want to get away from us.”
Calvin let out a deep laugh. “Sorry, but you mess up my dude mojo. I can’t seem to get a date around you.”
Pandora cackled inside Katie’s head. God, I’m so bad. Oldest demon trick in the book—a little sleight of hand.
Katie frowned. What are you talking about?
I’m the one keeping the chicks away from him, she revealed.
Katie hung her head. Oh, goodie. That’s not gonna start a war with me in the middle.
Hey, if I’m not getting any dick, he’s not getting any wet flower.
Calvin glanced at Katie, who was grimacing. “What? Tell me! What’s she saying?”
“Ugh.” Katie rolled her eyes and leaned her head back. “Apparently, Pandora has somehow been working the women, not allowing you to get any relationship squeeze.”
Calvin did a double-take, unsure of whether to laugh or be pissed. Finally, he settled in-between on something even sweeter…revenge. “I got you, Pandora. Don’t worry. Somehow, some way, I will get you back for that.”
Pandora took over Katie’s voice for a moment with a deep cackle. “Bring it, Sweet Cheeks. I’ve been playing practical jokes for millennia.”
Katie and Calvin both laughed and relaxed the rest of the way home. When they arrived, Katie couldn’t help feeling relieved to be back at the base; to finally be home after the long trip. Everything looked to be on the up and up. Guards scattered as the chopper blades blew around the sand, all the buildings were tightly locked down, and everything else was tucked neatly underground.
They pulled their stuff out of the chopper and moved toward the elevator. After riding down to the main living quarters Katie put her bags down in the hall and climbed back into the elevator, and Calvin gave her a questioning look.
She pushed the unlock button. “I wanna go check on the guys. We’ve been gone for a while.”
“Gotcha.” Calvin nodded. “All right, I’m gonna go to my room and get cleaned up and ready for my trip. I’ll catch up with you before I leave.”
Katie smiled and released the door. “You’d better.”
Katie chuckled as Calvin walked off with a spring in his step. She took the elevator down another level and made her way to the IT room. She slowed, hearing Timothy laughing as she approached. As she rounded the corner, Joshua and Timothy both looked up with big smiles on their faces.
“Hey, boss, you’ve returned!” Joshua stepped over to give Katie a hug.
“It’s about time,” Timothy teased. “We thought all the fabulousness of LA had reeled you right in. We were waiting to see you on a preview for some big Hollywood movie.”
“Yeah, right. Pandora would become the biggest prima donna ever.” Katie laughed. “One of those celebrities who demanded there be a bowl of only green M&Ms in her dressing room and four shirtless massage therapists on call at all times.” Everyone laughed.
What’s the problem with that? I fail to see the humor in such a normal request.
Katie rolled one of the office chairs toward them and sat down. “So, what’s going on with you guys?”
Timothy shrugged. “Not too much. Joshua just came down to keep me company. I’ve been a little lonely without Stephanie around. I actually want to talk to people now, can you imagine that?”
Katie smiled and patted his shoulder. “I was like that at first. I just kept to myself and didn’t really embrace my new life too much. That was why I thought you’d come round eventually. I know you’re not new to being Damned, but you’re new to being part of a family.” She smiled proudly at him. “You know, you’re doing a great job down here. You’ve become a valued member of the team, as well as the group. Honestly, our time out in the field fighting demons is probably what’s changed your attitude. The bonds we form in war are strong.”
Timothy
looked at her quizzically.
Katie grinned. “You missed us!”
Timothy nodded and chuckled. “Sweetie, you’re so right. I’ve spent so long hiding behind my screens that I forgot how it felt to be connected to people. Stephanie changed that. Well, you all did. I have a whole new outlook now.”
“There’s nothing more life-affirming than facing down the demons inside you, taking them to the ground, and rising victorious.”
“And living to tell the story,” Joshua added. “You should have seen me when I first got here. My Asperger’s didn’t help, and I was afraid of anything that moved. Now I have friends and a family; a good life and people I enjoy being around. I don’t find the need to isolate myself anymore. You all make me feel safe enough to be myself.”
Katie nodded at Joshua, proud of how far he’d come. It made her think about Stephanie, who’d had a lot to do with Joshua’s blossoming, as she had with Timothy’s. Stephanie had always had a way of getting people to come out of their shells without them even noticing it had happened.
She bit her lip and looked at Timothy. “Do you want to head out again? Maybe go see the sights like you did when the rules changed? Promise I won’t pull a Korbin on you and send a tail.”
Katie chuckled at her recollection of the first time she had gone out on her own. Korbin had sent one of her teammates out to follow her “inconspicuously.”
How much more awkward could it get with a new teammate than having to explain why they’d found you in front of a porn shop having an argument with your demon about going inside?
Timothy shook his head. “No, I don’t think I want to do that just yet. I’m working on it, though. I love it here, really, and I don’t mind staying around. I have my duties, and you guys are all based here. If I have to be somewhere, I’m happy it’s this place.”
“You don’t have to be here anymore. You know that.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, looking at the computers. “But where would I go? What would I do? Back to my mother’s basement? Waste my time hacking into things just to prove to myself that I can do it? After getting a taste of a different life here, that would never fulfill me. Besides, I made a promise to myself: I’m going to start trying to go out and see a few things. Enjoy Las Vegas. God knows things change quickly in this lifestyle. I never know where I’ll be from one month to the next.”
Katie nodded. She saw a look pass between Joshua and Timothy and narrowed her eyes, wondering what the two of them were communicating. Timothy squirmed in his seat, his hands clenched in his lap. She raised an eyebrow. “Spill it.”
Timothy took a deep breath. “I was kind of hoping Pandora could maybe have a little talk with my incubus. The last time she put him in his place, I was able to at least have one night out without him forcing women down my throat. I’d be happier about going out if I knew I could be around women without him making it really awkward and uncomfortable. I don’t trust him, but I know if he has the fear of Pandora in him he’ll behave.”
Katie pressed her lips together and shook her head sadly. “As much as I want to say yes, I think you need to come to an agreement with your demon. Maybe figure out some sort of quid pro quo. It is still your body and you make the choices, and your demon has to understand that.”
Timothy sighed and pushed out of his chair. “He’s impossible. It will be ten years before I leave this base again.”
Katie could sense his frustration and disappointment. She felt bad for him, but she stuck to her guns. Timothy needed to take control of his life and his demon. She couldn’t do that for him.
The IT guy walked toward the door, then turned back. “I’m gonna do a walk-and-talk with this bitch; show him how much of a Queen B I can really be.”
He shrugged and headed for the door, the faraway look on his face telling Katie that he was already talking to his incubus in his head.
Timothy might play a big game on the outside, but on the inside, it was more of a negotiation. He was trying to figure out a way that they could both get what they wanted.
Okay, I’m listening. What’s it gonna take for us to make this livable?
Oh, I don’t know… How about some hot, sweaty, nasty sex with a few hot Vegas showgirls?
Yeah, no. Not happening. There has to be a middle ground here. You don’t own me, sweetheart. You can delude yourself that you have power over me all you like, but I’ve resisted your takeover attempts every single time. I rule this dick, not you. I have the power to put it wherever I choose.
And I have the power to make it wet spaghetti any time it goes somewhere I don’t want it to.
Okay, but you still don’t get what you want, sister.
Ugh, his demon groaned. We may be able to come to an agreement, but you better bring all your cards to the table because I will not be giving in easily to your flamboyant ass.
Katie laughed as Timothy disappeared around the corner with a look of indignation on his face. Joshua chuckled. “I told him he had to figure it out too. Hey, do you want to check out the factory? The girls are over there, and I’m sure they’d love to see you.”
Katie grinned and got up from her chair. “Yep, that was my next stop after here.”
Katie and Joshua took the elevator to the ground floor and covered their faces against the ever-present sand that blew across the empty cement platform. They moved across the grounds to the building across the drive. Katie was hit by a wall of noise when they opened the door. It took her a moment to adjust to the sheer volume of sound coming from the machinery within.
She clamped her hands over her ears. “You should get ear defenders for in here. It’s so loud.”
Timothy handed her a pair of earplugs and nodded. “Already on top of that, thanks to Rose.”
Joshua pointed out the stockpiled ammunition as they walked through the factory; the crates of bullets in the back, as well as the new shipments of military-grade special weapons like grenades, smoke bombs, and new missile prototypes they had been working on. Katie could tell she had left the place in the right hands. Joshua never skipped a beat. The orders were being separated out by the women on his team, who were all rocking their uniform of jeans, boots, and tight black collared shirts. Katie smiled, appreciating how Joshua had taken the initiative to make it a real work environment for them.
“Hi, Katie,” the women shouted. A few waved with their clipboards, but they didn’t stop working.
Katie beamed and waved back. She had only just realized how much she had actually missed everyone while she was gone, despite her earlier words to Timothy. She’d known the girls a lot longer than she had known him, after all. She’d seen them grow from escorts with no hope of leaving the life of sex-for-money into working women with the power to shape their own lives. Katie felt proud. Stephanie’s legacy was helping them achieve that, and she would continue to honor that legacy as long as she drew breath.
They walked back to Joshua’s desk, and he opened the order log. “We are at max capacity on orders right now, but General Brushwood has just informed me that more machines will be made available for our use. That means we’ll probably be upping the production rate here soon. There’s an influx of new soldiers in the military as well, so he’ll be able to send over more help.”
“Very good.” Katie nodded. “You really are doing an amazing job, Joshua. Thank you.”
Joshua smiled, letting Katie know without words that he appreciated her too. His life there was actually a life. He no longer lived in a van, going from show to show with his tools. He actually had a place to call home.
Katie wished he really knew how important he was to her life and her business, and she hoped that over time she would be able to show him. She smiled and laid a gentle hand on his arm for a moment. “All right, I’m gonna head back to my room and get some rest. You know where to find me if you need me.”
“You got it, boss lady.”
Katie smiled again and left the armory. She stepped out into the hot desert sun and closed her eyes, tak
ing in the warmth for a moment. The sound of oncoming military vehicles forced her to open them again, and she waved at the half-dozen muscle-bound military boys who were passing her.
They waved back, all checking her out as they went by.
It’s about time we got some hotties on the base, Pandora purred. I wonder how many of them I could seduce at once?
Let’s try zero, k? They work for the general, and we don’t need that getting back to him.
You are literally no fun. Zero. None.
Katie laughed and shook her head. She headed back to the elevator and went down to the living quarters, where she grabbed a bottle of water and bag of chips out of the kitchen before collecting her bags and lugging them down to her room.
She was in the master suite now, the one that had been Korbin’s. She’d wanted more space and had the run of the base, so she’d figured, why not? She’d paid the girls to paint it and picked out more feminine décor, and settled into her new place.
She tossed most of her bags to the floor and set the main one on the dresser. She pulled out a pair of specially made huge-assed pistols from it, and a slow smile came over her face as she looked them over.
She had gotten them back from the maker in LA a week before, and couldn’t wait to give them a try. However, she just wanted to chill right now, so she slid them into her underwear drawer—careful not to put them on Pandora’s precious bras—and grabbed her bankbooks from the desk.
It had been a while since she’d updated her finances, so she plopped down on her bed and opened her laptop. She went to her bank account and began transcribing the deposits and withdrawals into her ledger.
She had several accounts at that point for tax purposes, so she liked to keep one big heavy ledger so she knew where her assets really stood. When she was done, she sat back and shook her head.
Damn, I’m rich. Like, stinking, rolling in it like Scrooge McDuck rich.
I don’t know who that is, but wealth is a good thing, right?
Katie wrinkled her nose. Yes and no. Every penny that’s in here is watched by the damn government. If I want to do anything or buy anything, they know. It’s like they have a magnifying glass on me.