by Michael Todd
Hey, I’m still reveling in my semi-victory.
“This is Katie. I’d like to speak to the general, please.”
“The general is in a meeting right now. This is his assistant. Can I help you with something?”
“Oh, well, I guess I can ask you, and if you don’t know, I can call back later. My partner Calvin is about to leave for vacation, and I was calling to make sure he had the authority to get on an international flight. Figured it was better to call now and ask than wait until he was in line.”
“If you could hold for just a moment, I’ll get the answer for you.”
“Sure.”
Katie was slightly annoyed that she had to talk to one of the general’s underlings—not because she was too good for it, but because it meant she would probably get the runaround.
The lower-level staff never quite knew how to work with Katie. They were either too nervous to give her a straight answer or too green to understand she wasn’t one of the bad guys. Either way, it was almost always a pain in the ass.
The assistant picked the phone up again. “Are you still there?” she asked Katie.
“Yep.”
“Oh, good. The general said that Calvin is authorized to get on that flight.”
“Excellent.”
“However, if you could hold on just a moment, the general will be right on the line. He wants to speak to you himself.”
“Oh, uh, yeah, sure.”
He never interrupts a meeting unless it’s important, Pandora remarked.
I was just thinking that.
Several moments later, the general picked up. “Hey, Katie. Thanks for holding.”
“No problem.”
“Yes, Calvin can go, but unfortunately, you cannot.”
“Okay,” she replied slowly. “Why have I been grounded?”
“Think about it. You have the equivalent of a nuclear bomb inside you. It’s not an internal order. None of the airlines want to risk their planes. We have no problem with you flying, it’s a public issue. It’s all very new to them.”
“I understand.” She sighed. “So it’s not that I can’t leave the country, but rather that I’m limited to my personal resources?”
“Precisely,” he replied. “Can I call you a bit later? If that is all, of course. I have a boardroom of testy officers waiting for my return.”
“Of course. Thank you, General.”
They hung up, and Katie sat back on her bed, slightly deflated. Well, this pours cold water over my plans for future trips.
You’re just going to have to get your own transport. It’s not like you can’t afford it.
True, and I guess I could use the company plane in the meantime. I just don’t like the feeling that I’m being followed. You know damn well there are more bugs on our plane than in the whole country of Zimbabwe.
Truth. Pandora chuckled.
Just then, Calvin came in from the hall, singing. He stopped in Katie’s doorway. “I came to say goodbye, my dear. I’m off to a tropical paradise to bask in the glory of a month-long vacation.”
Katie laughed and got up from the bed to wrap her arms around him. “I’m gonna be lost without you.”
“Nah, you got P-Dog to keep you company. Besides, how much trouble can you get in while I’m gone?”
Pandora snickered. Is that a rhetorical question or is he testing me?
Katie chuckled and nodded. “Go! Enjoy the sun, the sea, and the women, not necessarily in that order. Just don’t forget to come back!”
“We shall see.” He winked. “I’ll see you fools in a month!”
He walked back toward the elevator, singing Copacabana at the top of his lungs. Timothy turned the corner from the other direction and stopped right outside Katie’s door.
He cupped his hands around his mouth. “That’s about a club in New York City, not South America, you unwashed heathen!”
Calvin waved back and turned the corner, carrying his luggage, with a towel already over his shoulder. The elevator doors shut, cutting off his singing.
Timothy shook his head and walked away mumbling, “Neanderthal.”
Katie shook her head, amused, and walked over to shut her bedroom door. She emptied the dirty clothes out of her suitcases and began to pack for New York. The whole time she was packing she ran through different ideas on just what she was going to do to make some more money.
Money the government couldn’t see her spend.
Chapter Four
Katie sat back on the plane and looked out the window as they took off from the base’s newly-renovated runway.
She was taking the corporate jet, since it was easier than taking a military or commercial flight. She wanted some privacy; to escape the stares and the whispers that happened whenever she was in public anywhere.
Besides, with the general’s news that her travel was being restricted, she wasn’t sure she would even be welcome on domestic flights.
Once the plane had reached cruising altitude, she pulled out her laptop and connected to its Wi-Fi. She wondered for a second why she didn’t take this jet everywhere, then remembered how much it cost to fuel it and hire the staff.
She was rolling in money, but she wasn’t Bill Gates—at least not yet.
Katie pulled up the website for the Stewart Hotel and a map of the surrounding area. She wasn’t sure how long she would be there or even what she would be doing, so she figured she might as well check it out ahead of time and get herself familiar with the area in which she would be staying.
Our hotel is catty-corner to Madison Square Garden, so we can take in some concerts while we’re there. Also, it’s not too far from Times Square, so we can go there easily for food and shopping. It’s not really a bad location.
So why did they stick us there? You know those government types. They would put us in a hostel if they could get away with it. Pandora was skeptical.
I believe it has to do with the fact that there’s a Krispy Kreme practically right across the street, and they know how picky you are.
They don’t know I’m that picky, she scoffed. According to Google maps, there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts even closer. It’s connected right to the damn hotel.
Yes, but the Stewart Hotel has little kitchens in the suites. Apparently, we can grab donuts and take them back there. The website says that they have microwave oven drawers.
What the hell is a “microwave oven drawer?”
Katie shrugged. Apparently, it’s a microwave oven where you push a button and the drawer opens. You just lay your food in there, close it, and it microwaves it. Nifty, huh?
Pandora sighed. I suppose it will do. Now, what are the options for us getting more money?
I guess I could go out on more individual raids, rake in the cash for those demons.
You could always sell your body. You already sold your soul.
Hey! I still have my soul. You may be wrapped tightly around it right now, but that can be changed.
Pandora chuckled. With as popular as you’ve gotten, most if not all those men would pay a pretty penny to sleep with you—not to mention the boatloads extra they would pay to sleep with me.
No. The answer is no. Unequivocally, no. I think I’ll just start pulling cash from my account. Of course, I can’t pull it all at once, or the government will make waves.
Wish we had thought of this back in Vegas. We could have just gambled and won.
Only if we wanted to spend time making a lot of small bets. For the larger ones, the government still knows you won.
Ugh, assholes! What happened to a woman’s right to shop?
Speaking of shopping…
Katie pulled up a list of the different shops and boutiques near the hotel. She figured if she was going to be in the best shopping place in the country with money in her pocket, she might as well get some new clothes.
There was the small question of what the hell she wanted to buy. She had been draped in black spandex for so long that she wasn’t sure she even k
new what her style was anymore.
Pandora chuckled. This is going to be fun!
Lucero folded his arms over his chest, staring out of the conference room window at New York City. He was thin, almost fragile looking, but those looks were definitely deceiving.
Lucero was the head of the unnamed terrorist organization which was funded by the demons. He led with ruthlessness, and was responsible for some of the most lavish displays of chaos the world had seen since Incursion Day.
Lucero waited impatiently on the thirtieth floor of the office complex for the last of the seven American leaders to enter the room and take a seat.
He knew the humans were nervous around him, especially with his red, beady eyes glaring down at them. Lucero liked the fear in their eyes, but he also knew he needed to keep that at a minimum.
He had a job for them, one that would restart the chaos in the cities.
When the last of the seven were seated, Lucero glanced around the large mahogany table at their nervous faces. “Thank you for coming. Each of you was picked for your bravery, your loyalty to the demon cause, and your resourceful nature. You have been patiently waiting for months for a call, and I’m pleased to let you know this is that call.”
Several of the leaders shifted nervously in their seats, unsure what to expect. Most of them were there not because they believed in the cause, but because they wanted to reap the personal benefits of helping the organization.
Lucero didn’t care what their motivation was. It was almost better that way. Personal greed was one of the most common motivators. The organization really didn’t care what their reasoning was as long as they remained loyal and completed their assigned tasks.
“Each of you will be responsible for personally finding sacrificial vessels to use as demon hosts. These individuals must be strong enough to survive possession, but not so strong that they can reject the demon. Anyone loyal to the cause is, of course, a preferred option, but in reality, it doesn’t really matter. If they aren’t a supporter, the demon will quickly change that for them. Once these sacrifices accept their demons, they will then go out into your respective cities and allow the demon to completely take over, causing a catastrophic terrorist event.”
“And what about after that event? Will we be able to control those demons afterward?”
Lucero scoffed. “Those who follow the right way will be able to overcome the demons at the end of the day. It is a good way of finding out who is really loyal.”
Uneasy looks passed between the leaders, and they began to wonder if they had gotten themselves in over their heads. At that point, though, it really didn’t matter.
It was done. The decision had been made, and they were committed to finding the vessels no matter the cost to them or the people of their cities.
Of course, none of them said a word, too entrenched in their personal greed, and too terrified of Lucero to question his authority.
Lucero’s impassive face revealed none of his internal snickering. He knew exactly what kind of effect he had on these people. He could feel their fear in his bones, and it satisfied him like a good meal. He was going to get what he was after, and when he did, he would smash pathetic humans like these.
Until then, they were his puppets to command.
Calvin got a glimpse of the beautiful scenery as his plane touched down at the Cabo San Lucas airport.
The plane rolled to a stop on the runway. The staff opened the doors and set up to unload. The passengers had to collect their carry-ons and head down the stairs to catch a bus to the main airport itself. It wasn’t ideal, especially since Calvin was ready to relax.
“Talk about old-fashioned. You’d think they would get with the times,” he grumbled to himself. He climbed onto the bus and took a seat near the back.
When the bus was loaded it pulled off the runway and onto a small paved road on the side. They were pretty far from the airport, so Calvin leaned back and took in the scenery.
When they reached the airport, he was met by a half-mile line of people that twisted throughout the large room, ending all the way over near the exit doors.
Over a dozen border patrol officers were stationed by the doors, working to get people through the line and into Cabo.
Calvin tensed at the thought of waiting in the long line. If I end up in Hell when I die, this is exactly what they’re going to do to me for eternity.
He looked around as the line shuffled slowly forward. He heard babies crying, the nervous chatter of parents trying to organize their families, and husbands and wives bickering about passports and luggage.
It was all the things that would usually irritate the hell out of him at an airport, but this time, being on vacation, he sat back and enjoyed the normalcy he had long since forgotten.
He was alive, which was a feat for someone in his profession, he wasn’t on a mission or having to kill anyone, and he was looking forward to getting to the resort. It was a change of pace that he quickly let himself acclimate to.
Not even the large group of bros bothered him. Calvin even chuckled at the wrestling match they began from the sheer boredom of waiting.
When Calvin reached the front of the line, he handed over his passport and set down his luggage. The agent looked him up and down and motioned to his sunglasses. “Please remove those. Thank you.”
Immediately, Calvin felt the tension rise. His chest tightened as he prepared himself to have an issue. He pulled down his glasses and showed the border guard the flash of red that moved over his pupils.
The guard lifted an eyebrow and opened his passport, reading the information inside. The fold denoted him as being one of the Damned and listed Katie’s Killers as his place of employment.
The agent slowly looked up at him with an awestruck expression. “Congratulations, you kick many demon’s asses back to hell!”
Calvin was shocked a moment, then smiled and pulled his glasses back up, nodding at the guy in thanks as he took his passport back.
The guy leaned in and whispered, “Is Katie as pretty as on television?”
Calvin pulled his glasses down a little more and winked. “Even prettier.”
He left the swooning border guard and went to fetch his suitcase from the carousel, ready to get his relaxation on.
Before he could even get out to the main doors, he was inundated with people waving their hands in his face and offering him a cab.
He had heard several warnings about the cab drivers out here and really didn’t feel like kicking anyone’s ass that morning, so he waved them off and headed outside to hail his own transport.
There was a line of them waiting outside, so he picked the one that looked the most reputable and climbed into the back seat, putting his luggage in after him. “The Pueblo Bonito Pacifica in Cabo, please.”
“Right away, señor.”
As they drove along, Calvin stared out the window. He couldn’t miss the vast difference just a few blocks made out there. There was a sharp contrast between the some of the neighborhoods with peeling homes and poorly-maintained dirt roads and the others with their pristine exteriors and manicured lawns.
Children played in both areas, the only difference being that some were barefoot and wearing worn clothes and others looked no different than children back home in the suburbs in the States. It warmed Calvin’s heart to see that they all laughed as they played, regardless of their location.
The drive to the Pacifica took about forty-five minutes, so he sat back and relaxed, pulling out his passport to show at the two checkpoints along their route when they entered Pueblo Bonito.
Safety was a huge concern here, just as it was everywhere else in the world. When they finally crested the last rolling hill, the vista took his breath away. The ocean twinkled about half a mile below, an azure jewel set in golden sand. The water was the bluest he had ever seen, and even from there he could see the rough, rolling white caps of the waves.
When he arrived at the hotel, he paid the driver and handed
his luggage to the attendants. He checked in at the front with a beautiful dark-skinned woman whose nametag read Yvonne. Between the lush yet earthy décor of the adults-only hotel and the beautiful women walking around, he felt like he was already in paradise.
Yvonne eyed Calvin appreciatively. “Welcome. We have you in one of our most luxurious suites. Would you like to purchase our all-you-can-eat option for your stay?”
“That would be fantastic,” he replied, ready to chow down.
She held out a plastic band and secured it around his wrist. “You can use this at any of our Pebble Beach hotels, as well as Couples and Lucas.”
They’re going to lose money on us, his demon piped up.
Calvin had to keep his snicker in check as Yvonne handed over his keys.
Yvonne smiled coyly. “Enjoy your stay…and don’t hesitate to let me know if you need anything.”
“Thank you.” He returned her smile and headed for Suite 1652, the attendant with his luggage following him.
Everything was stone: the walls, the floors, and even the countertops inside his suite. He hadn’t stayed in luxury like this in a long time—if ever—and he couldn’t have been happier. After the attendant was gone, he picked up the pamphlet for the hotel and sat down on the edge of his very soft bed.
Let’s see. What do we have here? Hot tubs on the bottom floor outside. Okay, I can get down with that. Two pools with night service—very nice. I wonder why you would swim in the pool when the ocean is right there, though?
Sharks, his demon replied. Nasty bastards, sharp teeth.
Ah, no. It says right here swimming isn’t advised due to strong undertows.
At least the view is one of a kind.
I know, right? I haven’t seen anything like this in my whole life. It’s fucking beautiful.
So, what’s the plan? Swim? Party? Buffet? What are we going to do first?
I planned on just chillin’ here, maybe getting some room service. Tomorrow, we can go out to Cabo and take in the local scenery.