by Michael Todd
Brushwood gritted his teeth as the participants murmured. “She is one of our informants, yes, but that should not be a surprise. We all were informed about the mercenaries’ situations.”
The asshole continued, “What we don’t understand is why you haven’t captured her yet. She is stronger than the others and able to allow her demon to take hold but not lose herself. She needs to be studied. If we can figure out what makes her tick we may be able to replicate it.”
Another one spoke up. “I agree. We could create a mercenary army or a military of supercharged soldiers capable of taking down any demon who came to this planet. We could save humanity with powers like that.”
“At what expense?” Brushwood replied with irritation. “Katie has been and continues to be the biggest asset we have. It is generally a rule that you don’t turn on your assets, especially when they can bite your hand off.”
The one who spoke last waved a hand. “Doesn’t matter. If she is in this to win the war, she should be happy to turn herself over to us. I think this committee has waited long enough and given her enough leeway. We command you to take her into custody and have her brought to the International Alien Research Institute for further study.”
Brushwood chuckled dryly. He stood up and put his palms flat on the table. “The answer is an emphatic NO, plain and simple. Why? Because it’s an idiotic command. You may as well tell me to capture the sun. You need to stick that idea up your asses, then try and shit me out something better.”
The general clicked the disconnect button and hung up on the group.
Chapter Two
Katie drove through the busy streets of Los Angeles, her torn jeans and hoodie feeling like pajamas compared to her normal black spandex.
She had even opted for a pair of Nikes she had bought six months before despite Pandora’s protests.
Pandora believed that one should always look her best and had really never understood how women ended up in tennis shoes, much less the boots Katie wore.
She had at least stopped giving her shit about those after kicking ass in Katie’s body and figuring out that they were comfortable and made her look pretty badass at the same time.
I’m so excited about our weekend, Pandora cooed. Time away from the base, no sand in your mouth, and lots of sunshine.
Katie ignored her excitement, checking out all the mud and sand caked on her Raptor in the side mirror. I need to wash the truck. She’s starting to collect dirt from every state.
I think that can wait until after you do that for me and the body I’m stuck in.
Katie chuckled and slowed the truck as it approached the Four Seasons Los Angeles and parked in the reservation area to check in. The phone rang as she was reaching for her bag. She smiled when she saw Calvin’s name on the screen, already missing her family.
She answered quickly. “Hey, there. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, just checking on you and with you.”
“I’m good. Just pulled up to the hotel. About to check in.”
“How long did you say you would be gone for?”
“Three days,” she reminded him. “It’s Friday now, in case you didn’t know, and I am coming back Monday morning. You regret being left alone with the kids already? You are the Number Two, and as I recall you wanted it that way.”
“No.” He laughed. “Not yet, at least. The guards the general sent over to protect the base got here right after you left. We had a tactical meeting, and now everyone is set up in their positions. They will be working around the clock. Split shifts, of course. I had some racks set up in one of the empty rooms so they have a place to rest or a place to be sent if something happens.”
“Good thinking. I guess we have to get used to the fact that our secret isn’t very secret anymore.”
“I guess. It’s funny, I always thought it sucked to be caught up in this. Now that people know we exist, I want to go back to being incognito.”
“I’m just glad the government put the kibosh on media coverage. The last thing I need is to have to explain to my mother why one, I’m alive, two, I’m possessed, and three, why her life is in danger and she has to leave her home and join our underground society of misfits.”
“Agreed.” Calvin sighed. “Eric just left here about twenty minutes ago to head to New York.”
“Good. I hugged him goodbye and gave him my blessing before I left. I think this will be good for him. He always wanted something a bit more than dirt and lights.”
Calvin laughed, “You mean a bit more...”
“Shhh,” Katie interrupted. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. “Don’t need to say it. I don’t need to know.”
Calvin chuckled and sat back in Korbin’s old office chair with the phone to his ear. He felt weird being in there, but Katie had insisted he use it when she was gone. It was too much trouble to move everything to another area. Still, he felt like Korbin’s ghost was right over his shoulder—and Korbin wasn’t even dead. He was living the dream life with his new wife, ex-Damned Stephanie.
Neither of them had any recollection of their past with the team.
Katie continued, “With the lack of worldwide strictures even though countries are being forced to deal with infected on an almost-daily basis, many aren’t choosing to just kill the demons outright anymore. R&D funding has exploded, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“You know their souls are gone. The human part is like a Halloween costume.”
“I know.” Katie sighed. “I’m just glad that the violence and riots have mostly stopped. People may have freaked out at first, but they finally just dealt with it. I guess we have the terrorists to thank for getting us accustomed to bad shit happening anytime and anywhere.”
Calvin grunted. “I was pretty impressed that they didn’t burn any of the cities down. Humans have a tendency to go nuts when shit like this happens. At least, you white folks do. The black folks were all up in the churches, boarding up their windows, and stocking up on food. I know my mama’s probably cooking something delicious right now.”
“Food solves all the problems. At least for me.”
Hell yes, it does! Pandora piped in.
“Hell yeah, it does.” Calvin chuckled.
Hey!
“But anyway, we haven’t spotted anything substantial around the base today. There were a couple of confused non-possessed, but they were turned away. The rest has been wildlife, but they were all up in the air. The sergeant I met this morning says the animals sense the evil before anyone else, so they are preparing.”
Katie looked around while she spoke. “Kind of wish I was a gopher or something, hiding in the woods.”
“Gophers live in the ground. Didn’t you get a college education?”
Katie laughed and stretched her arms over her head. “All right, if that’s it I wanna get checked into the hotel so I can start relaxing. Call me if anything goes down, okay? You know how to reach me.”
“Aye, aye, Captain,” Calvin replied before hanging up.
Katie tossed her phone back into her purse and stared at the cement wall in front of her. She had come to LA for a vacation, but she knew that in the current climate she might only get a few hours in before some sort of crisis popped up. At least she would get that, which was more than she had seen in months.
She got out of the truck and chips of mud fell to the ground when she shut the door. An older couple who walked out of the hotel just then looked at Katie with disgust. She let a little red flash in her eyes and snickered when the frightened couple scurried off.
Katie opened the back passenger door and picked up her duffel bag from the seat. The sound of clinking metal forced her to hesitate; she’d forgotten that she’d put her guns in there.
“Shit.” She groaned, also remembering that she should have called the LAPD when she’d arrived in town. It might be a vacation, but she still had to be available in case anything crazy went down. The only thing about that was, she knew they would t
ake full advantage of having a mercenary—especially a powerful one like Katie—at their disposal.
Katie pulled her phone back out of her purse and dialed the number, looking around to make sure no one was listening. “Hi, This is Katie Maddison. I need to speak to the head of the LAPDF, please. Sure, I’ll hold.”
“This is Captain Ashmore.”
“Nice to speak to you, Captain Ashmore. This is Katie of Katie’s Killers.”
She could almost see him straighten up in his chair. “Oh, yes. How are you?”
“I’m good. I just wanted to let you know I would be in Los Angeles until Monday morning on a working vacation, so feel free to call me if there is anything you need my help with.”
“Oh, wonderful! Well, for your vacation’s sake I hope it all stays quiet.”
Katie snorted. “Yeah, me too, but the odds are not usually in my favor.”
The captain laughed and let her know he would call if she were needed. She hung up and tucked the phone back in her purse, then picked up her duffel and headed for the front doors. Two smartly-dressed doormen opened them and smiled at Katie as she walked into the grand entry. The gray and black marble of the checkerboard floor sparkled, and the statue in the center of the lobby reminded Katie in part of the crumbling buildings around the old base. She smiled to herself and went to check in at the front desk, thanking the receptionist but declining the offer of someone to take her bags.
What floor are we on?
Katie smiled and hit the top-floor button. The top floor, because I booked us one of the Superior King Suites. I told you, this is a weekend of pampering.
Mmmm. That’s all very well, but there had better be donuts.
Katie laughed as the elevator door opened and lugged her bag down the hall to their room.
She blew out a deep breath when she saw the suite. The door had opened into a beautifully-appointed sitting room and the furniture was all streamlined, whites and grays predominating. She glanced quickly at the dining area to her right and made a beeline for the double doors leading to the bedroom.
The bedroom was everything Katie had hoped, and most importantly there was a beautifully appointed king-sized bed in the middle of the room. She dropped her bag on the floor and jumped onto it face-first, groaning as she rolled over on the fluffy counterpane and waving her arms and legs up and down, making a bedspread angel.
I have to say you did good, kid. You did good.
Thank you! Katie laughed and rolled to the edge of the bed to look around. On the dresser was a basket of soaps, perfumes, masks, and everything else they would need to pamper the hell out of themselves.
She eyed the bath salts and grabbed them on her dash into the gold marble bathroom. She leaned her head against the doorframe and stared in wonder at the oversized tub with all its jets.
Katie sighed. Now I know what heaven looks like.
Next she inspected all the extras on her bathroom counter. There was an evening cucumber mask, a morning lavender one, and shampoo, conditioner, and a hair mask. She picked up the conditioner and oohed.
Caviar Shampoo, giving you the most luxury for your hair. Seriously, this is like another world.
About damn time you took care of your hair. Your split ends are starting to make your hair look like dreadlocks.
Hey, I’m busy saving the world. I don’t have time for three-hour hair maintenance.
Or anything else, Pandora muttered.
Katie walked back into the sitting area and perused the complementary loose-leaf tea, coffee, and snacks left on top of the wet bar. She smiled at the big pink box on the table, and Pandora gasped and started to giggle.
Donuts! Who’s a good little human, huh?
That’s what makes me a good human? Making sure my pain-in-the-ass literal other half has donuts at her disposal? If I had known that would make life a lot easier...just saying.
Feed me, Seymour! I’m starving!
Katie shook her head and sat down to open the lid and pick out one of the cream-filled donuts. She put her feet up on the other chair, relaxing for the first time in a very long time.
She knew she might only get a few hours or maybe a day, but she would have at least a little peace and quiet and get some serious pampering done while she was there. The way the place was laid out was so peaceful she considered doing an overhaul of her room when she got back.
You are the boss, after all, Pandora pointed out.
Shiiit, everyone should have a room update. You need a sanctuary to go back to after a long day of kicking ass and breaking necks.
Preach it, sister. Oh, and I thought I’d bring this up while we are out here… I think it’s time for new Italian bras. The ones you got before have long since been pushed to the back of the dresser.
Seriously, it’s your fault. And if you dare to push these bad girls up any farther, I will find the cheapest bras ever and wear them all the time.
Hot fuckin’ damn. Pandora whistled as she stared at Katie in the mirror. That was the perfect choice for a dress. You’re welcome.
Hey, I picked this out myself.
Semantics.
Katie’s reflection was almost unrecognizable. The normally tough badass chick with the shit-kicking boots was gone, and in her place was a sexy and curvaceous woman. Her dress fit her like a glove, black spandex hugging her curves and clinging to her thighs. She pushed her long hair back over her shoulder and leaned forward, running a finger along her bottom lip to check her lip-gloss.
Now the shoes, Pandora squealed.
Katie glanced down at the black velvet ankle booties with their six-inch spiked heels and swallowed hard. Even before she had become who she was now, she had rarely put on anything other than flip-flops or tennis shoes. She hadn’t been unfashionable, but she’d never had a reason to wear heels—not even to her graduation.
I’m going to kill myself in those.
Nooo, that’s why I picked out the booties. They are much easier to walk in than the pumps. Besides, it will give you a sexy strut.
Or I’ll look like I have a lame leg...
Katie slipped on the booties and zipped them up the sides, then grabbed her bag from the bed and practiced walking around the room for a moment. She was surprised at how comfortable they actually were—for six-inch death traps, at least.
She left the hotel and grabbed a cab to a bar two blocks over. She had been told by the driver that it was low key—chill, even—but when she arrived there was a mob of people milling around on the patio outside.
“So much for low key,” she told the driver as she paid him.
“That?” He chuckled. “That is low-key for LA. Have fun!”
Katie took the receipt and climbed out after a nod to the driver. She could feel all eyes on her as she strutted up to the front and showed the doorman her fake-but-real ID. He nodded and opened the door to allow her inside and she blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the dim interior.
Inside was just as crowded.
There were people at all of the tables, and all but one seat at the bar was occupied.
She crossed the barroom, conscious of the clacking of her heels on the hardwood floor, and sat down in the empty seat with her back near the wall. The bartender came over and set a napkin down in front of her with a smile.
“What will it be?”
Do not order tea. Think vacation.
Katie smiled. “I’ll have a Woodford and diet, please.”
“Well, hello there!” A guy was walking toward at Katie.
She turned around in her seat and glared, narrowing her eyes as the douchebag approached her. He was the typical bar skeeze, wearing a ridiculously dated black button-up with a poorly-appliquéd dragon on the back, faded jeans, and military boots that he clearly thought were cool.
His presumptuous smile faded when Pandora flashed red over Katie’s eyes, just enough for him to take notice. He put his hands up and backed away, then grabbed his beer from his table and headed out to the patio.
She looked around the room at all the people. She was glad that even after the secret of the demons had been revealed, people still went out, saw their friends, and carried on almost like they had before.
However, there was an air of nervousness hanging over the crowd, and Katie knew it wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.
About an hour and three drinks later, two guys walked into the bar. One was tall with huge muscles, wearing a fitted blue flannel button-up and jeans. The other guy was medium height and had a strong chest. He was wearing a black t-shirt, jeans, and Chuck Taylors. Pandora sniffed the air and looked through Katie at the two of them.
Well, hot damn. I could lick the sweat right off his washboard abs. And look, there’s even a spare for when we break the first one…
Ew! Katie chuckled, but she couldn’t deny they were pretty damn hot.
They walked up to the bar and ordered, scanning the crowd as they waited for the bartender to bring their drinks. Katie looked away as their eyes zeroed in on her. She turned toward the bar and sipped her drink, pointedly not noticing their interest.
The guys smiled and moved to her end of the bar, the one in the black shirt standing between Katie and the wall, and the other on the other side.
She smiled at them. “Hello, boys.”
The guy in plaid grinned disarmingly. “Hi! I’m Chase, and that’s my buddy Chris.”
She let her eyes linger on their tight shirts for a moment before meeting their expectant stares. “Nice to meet you. Both of you. I’m Katie.”
The bar continued to get more crowded, and no one was paying the least bit of attention to the three of them in the corner. Katie was coming to the end of her fourth drink. She was wrapped up in answering Chris’ question and didn’t notice Chase pull something out of his back pocket.
Katie—
Pandora had sniffed it out too late. Chase stuck a small needle into Katie’s neck, injecting her with a fast-acting muscle relaxant. He caught her as she fell, turning his back to the crowd to disguise the movement.