by Michael Todd
Katie sat down on the roof of the building and dangled her feet over the edge. She held a long rope that had been tied around the necks of each of the demons. Pandora had threatened them, and they now seemed resigned to their fate. She was waiting for Korbin and Stephanie to finish their talk and let her know what they wanted to do. She had a feeling that they would want to be on the team, but she had to leave it up to them this time. There would be no more surprises from her. They would make the choices when it came to their life together.
Katie’s phone buzzed in her pocket and she pointed a finger at Duri, then Vol. “Not a word.” She picked up her phone. “Not. One. Word.”
It was the general, and she knew that it had something to do with what had just happened. The last thing she wanted to do was to explain why she was holding two demons. She glowered at them again and pressed the answer button. “General, how are you?”
“Unfortunately, even though I’m celebrating your win, not as well as I would like to be. There’s been another attack,” the general explained.
“Was it bad? Why didn’t you call me?”
The general smirked and waited for her to calm down. “Well, you were kind of in the middle of something. A Leviathan came up from the Mediterranean Sea. He completely devastated a town within fifteen minutes, then disappeared back into the ocean. We’ve been able to track him on and off. I’m calling because I need a bunch of metal for torpedoes or missiles, or both.”
Pandora was listening closely. Do you mind if I take over? I need to ask him something specific.
Sure, just let me tell him.
Katie knew that it wasn’t the general’s favorite thing to talk to Pandora, but she seemed to think it was important. “Pandora wants to speak with you about this. I think she would be the better person to speak with.”
The general nodded. “I agree.”
Katie closed her eyes as Pandora took over her body. “General. Leviathans aren’t demons as you know them. The metal, even though it is special, probably won’t hurt them. So, on the plus side, your regular weapons can be used.”
The general groaned. “And what’s the downside?”
“Their height. Their scales, which are very tough. I don’t know what it will take. They are flame- and heat-resistant too, or at least mostly. It would require a heat hotter than hell’s to take them down. Let me ask you this,—which Leviathan is it?” Pandora was slightly fearful of the answer.
The general was annoyed. “How many are there?”
Pandora bit her lip and thought about that. “Seven.”
The general closed his eyes and held the phone away, covering the receiver for a moment. “Motherfucking, sonofabitch, bastard demon scum. Fucking with every goddamn thing. If I get ahold of this fucking thing I’m gonna shove that torpedo right up his asshole and press the button my own goddamn self.”
He let out a deep breath and panted for a moment, then centered himself and put the phone back to his ear. “I’m back.”
Pandora tried to hide a laugh. “Feel better?”
“Yes. Yes, I do. As far as the Leviathan is concerned, from what I saw on the video and what the eyewitnesses have said, he was huge. Taller than any of the buildings he took down, including the resorts. He was scaled, with a long, jagged tail, and apparently he looks like Godzilla. Or she looks like Mrs. Godzilla, or whatever. There was no confirmation on the genitals.”
Pandora made a crooked smile with Katie’s lips. “That would be a vagina. Her name is Tiamat, and she’s a bit of a pain in the puss. I’d suggest bombing the fuck out of her and then salting the ground. Barring that, got any angels around? No? Dude, you are royally fucked.”
Katie gave a fake cough. Did you forget that we are an angel?
No, we aren’t. We are an angel-human-demon hybrid. We are a fucked-up triad at best, but certainly NOT an angel. Besides, you’ve got quite a ways to go before you start cracking skulls like an angel. I’ve seen them in action.
The general thought about it for a moment, not realizing that Katie and Pandora were having a conversation. “Can you break her skin?”
Pandora brought her attention back to the general. “Probably. Angel swords will open it readily enough.”
Katie got excited. Ha! Ask him if they have any smaller bombs? Something that packs a big punch in a tiny case?
Pandora’s eye twitched, but she relayed the question. He paused for a moment, slightly confused. “A small bomb? What for?” The general audibly gasped. “You don’t want to…insert the bomb into this female monster, do you?” He sounded pretty alarmed.
Pandora was silent for a moment, then screamed laughter into the phone. “Teddy Roosevelt on a bicycle, General! Nobody’s inserting anything, you sick bastard.”
I wouldn’t put it past you, Katie mumbled.
Pandora sighed. “Obviously you’re aware that Katie has an angel sword. So, to do this correctly, we would have to fly onto Tiamat’s body while others kept her busy. We would cut the bitch with that angelic sword, then shove the bomb into her. I know you’re thinking this sounds like a real shit-show. I agree, and I’m not even done yet. After that, we would leave before the bomb explodes. I can promise you, I will be sorely pissed off if we’re still on the damn thing when it blows. Riding a tidal wave of flesh and bones is not my idea of a good time anymore.”
The general guffawed. “For some reason, I just imagined that—except it was like that picture where the woman is riding a shark with an automatic rifle and a Rambo scarf around her head.”
Pandora smirked. “Just be glad that Tiamat isn’t actually like Godzilla. I’m not sure how to combat laser beams coming out of a giant lizard’s mouth. That’s not my forte.”
Chapter Seventeen
The beeping of the sonar from the intel room echoed inside the submarine’s cabin as it slowly crept through the water. The crew kept quiet. This was their first encounter with a giant sea monster, and they were all on edge. The captain of the sub walked cautiously back and forth within the tight space. They had been tracking this beast for hundreds of miles and had yet to get a solid signal.
An alarm went off, and one of the sailors jumped up. “Captain, I think we found the dragon, or whatever it is! The sonar shows it swimming very deep about a hundred meters ahead of us.”
The captain pointed to one of the other sailors. “Get the general on the line. And Smith, full speed ahead! We’re going to chase this thing down. Ready the torpedoes!”
The sailors went to work, scrambling around the small intel room. They were speeding up the sub while trying to aim the torpedoes at what they assumed was the demon. Whatever it was, it was massive, and it was swimming ahead of them deep beneath the dark water. An alarm sounded again throughout the sub, and one of the sailors scrambled to the intercom. “Battle stations, battle stations! All hands to your posts. This is not a drill! Drop your cocks and grab your socks!”
The captain walked over to the station where FC2 Smith was putting in the coordinates for the torpedoes. “How’s it looking?”
The fire controlman looked at the captain and took a deep breath. “We’re going to get as close as we can, sir. This thing is moving fast, but we’re moving right along with it.”
The captain patted him on the shoulder. “Wait for my word.”
One of the seamen held up the phone. “I have the general on the line for you.”
The captain went over and took the phone. “General Brushwood. We have the beast in our sights, and we have the torpedoes aimed. Do you want us to fire?”
The general thought for a moment. “Until I know our other plan is in place, we’re going to continue as instructed. Fire at will.”
The captain nodded and handed the phone back to the seaman, going back over to Smith. “Do you have a lock?”
“I do.”
The captain looked around for a moment. “Fire.”
Smith clicked a switch and pressed the button, and the sub rumbled as it fired twin torpedoes. They watche
d the sonar carefully as the torpedoes got closer to the beast, finally making contact. The Leviathan let out a roar that could be heard for hundreds of miles. The sonar engineer screamed, ripped off his headphones, and gripped his head. The shockwave rocked the submarine. The crew held on silently as they watched the beast slow.
Smith smiled at the captain. “I think we got it, sir. It’s slowing down, and it seems to be sinking lower.”
The captain clapped the fire controlman on the back and pumped his fist in the air. “That’s how we do it in the Navy!”
Everyone in the room cheered loudly, congratulating each other on a job well done. Smith stayed at his seat, watching the sonar. As the cheers died he stood up, his eyes wide. “Captain?”
The captain turned and immediately the smile fell from his face. It was obvious from the look in Smith’s eyes that something had gone wrong. “What is it?”
FC2 Smith shook his head. “I don’t think we got it, sir. It has changed course, and it’s heading straight for us.”
The captain scrambled to the sonar screen. He shouted, “Stop celebrating, you bastards! Fire!”
The submarine fired at the beast, but it only sent the monster off track for a moment. Silt and dirt clouded the water. They reversed engines and began to slow down, just in case there was the chance of an impact. The captain was at a loss for what to do. They had launched their torpedoes, but nothing seemed to break the hard, scaled skin of the Leviathan.
The captain ran over and grabbed the phone. “General, it didn’t do any good. It’s coming straight at us. We fired all of our torpedoes, and it’s still coming—and now it’s picking up speed. I’m not sure what else to do. I’m turning the sub at this very moment to avoid running headfirst into it, but we need backup, and we need it now.”
The general sent an emergency message over the government’s email server. He wasn’t ready to get off the phone with the captain, not when they were facing the beast head-on. “I’m sorry, captain, I’ll send backup as fast as I can. How close?”
The captain growled at Smith, “How long?”
Smith dropped his hands to his sides and shook with fear. “Three hundred feet and closing sir. It has shifted and is heading for our starboard side. Given the size of it, I don’t see how we will make it out of this.”
Before the captain could say anything, the general intervened. “Your crew was brave and strong. Thank you for putting your necks on the line for us. We won’t forget it.”
The captain put his hand over his lips and stared at the young men on his crew. “It was an honor serving with you, general.”
The captain hung up and turned to his men. He put a hand on Smith’s shoulder and watched the sonar. The gap between the Leviathan and ship closed, and the beast roared.
Smith felt the roar in the pit of his stomach as much as he heard it. Giant claws ripped into the submarine as though it was made of tinfoil, and the crew panicked as water rushed in. The last thing Smith saw was a dark-green hooked claw that pierced his stomach and pinned him to the deck. He held onto the claw and the claw held onto him as the Leviathan pulled the submarine and her crew into the depths of the ocean.
Katie was sitting on the roof contemplating the meaning of life when her captive demons began to growl. She pointed a warning finger at them but looked to see what they saw.
Behind her on the roof, Korbin and Stephanie stood waiting for her. Stephanie smiled. “Everything okay?”
Katie shrugged. “Is anything ever okay in the life of a mercenary? I guess that’s not really helpful when you’re trying to decide whether to be a Damned, is it?”
Korbin laughed. “It’s fine. We know it’s not all sunshine and butterflies, and if we didn’t know before today, those stitches are definitely proof. Anyway, we’re in agreement that we don’t want to sit out the fight. We can’t just let these demons run the world. We can’t watch innocent people die, knowing that we could have done something to help them. We were in this fight for a long time before, and we plan on being in this fight for a long time to come. We want to do it.”
The three of them turned to the demons. They were standing there scowling, with the rope around their necks.
Vol scoffed and crossed his boil-covered arms over his chest. “Just because they want it doesn’t mean we do. You can’t just tell us to jump into a human. How could you even make us do that?”
Duri obviously agreed. She was glaring at Stephanie with her beady red eyes. “You think that because you’re human, you can just decide what happens to us? That’s bullshit. You can’t make me get inside her. I’m not going to be some human’s lackey. I’m not Lilith, and I won’t be happy living in a meatsack on Earth.”
Katie snarled at them, but she realized that they had a point. She had never thought about the process of putting a demon into someone. Every time a human was Damned, the demon was ready. The human might not have had a choice, but the demon was always ready. Not these two fools. These demons could live on Earth for quite a while, even without nourishment or protection. They weren’t like the old demons, who would die within seconds if they weren’t inside a body.
Katie reached out to Pandora. So, maybe there is something wrong with our plan. Do you have any idea how to put these demons into Stephanie and Korbin? I mean, it has to be possible, right? We can keep them inside once they’re there.
Pandora was stumped. Take them out, sure. But put them in? Nothing.
Stephanie and Korbin stared at Katie. They knew she was having a conversation with Pandora. Pandora chuckled and readied herself. Sorry, it’s my turn. I forget they can’t hear me.
Pandora took Katie’s body over and glared at the demons, who flinched and held onto each other. They didn’t want to give in to the humans, but at the same time they didn’t want to feel Lilith’s wrath. They had heard stories about her when she was in hell—the kind of stories you told your demon children to get them to respect the stronger demons. The only thing they found solace in was the fact that they were on Earth and Pandora was inside a human’s body. Kind of.
If it was a choice between dealing with Lilith or infecting Korbin and Stephanie, maybe getting a new meat suit was their best shot.
“I don’t want these fucks getting the wrong idea.” Pandora tugged on the demon’s leash. “Let’s get inside and get this show on the road.”
When the three mercs and two demons came back inside, Calvin and Timothy had a sudden urge to be elsewhere. They backed out of the room and shut the door behind them. Sure, they were already possessed, but the last thing they wanted was an extra demon. As they left the room, they shooed away all the guards standing outside. Infecting one of them was low on their list as well.
Pandora let go of the leash, since there was no place the demons could go where she couldn’t catch them. They stumbled back and struggled to free themselves from the rope, and when they finally did, they snarled at the mercs.
“Cut the shit, fuckwads.” Pandora pointed her finger at the two of them. “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking of jumping into the wrong person, aren’t you? Let me just set this straight right now. If you try to go into the wrong person, I can promise you that the pain I’m about to cause you will feel like a massage. You will beg me for pain like what you’re about to feel if you try to screw with me, or either one of them.”
The two demons looked at each other. “What pain?”
Pandora gave Korbin and Stephanie each a kind smile. “You might want to turn around for this. I don’t think you actually want to hear it. You would be shocked at how wimpy demons can be when they’re being tortured. They’re almost worse than humans. I have to give it to humans, they have pretty thick skin—although I don’t mean that literally. Humans are basically wrapped in tissue paper. Anything cuts right through them, but they can take a lot of shit and keep their mouth closed. Whoever is torturing them doesn’t even get the satisfaction of their screams. It always made me laugh, the way they’d grit their teeth and strug
gle to stay conscious, but they still wouldn’t scream! Half the time I would let the human go just because they were good sports.”
Korbin and Stephanie looked at one another, then silently faced the wall. Stephanie plugged her ears with her fingers for good measure.
Calvin, Timothy, and the grizzled guard stood outside the door, discussing repairs to be made to the production building. The battle-hardened guard flinched as a piercing scream rang out from inside of the room. They could hear Pandora cackling wildly. The other demon joined in, howling in pain.
The grizzled guard moved to open the door, but Calvin caught his arm. “Nah, best to wait this one out.” Calvin pressed his ear to the door. He heard the soft growl of Pandora’s voice. “Yep, Momma still got it!”
Calvin covered his mouth and laughed. The grizzled guard just stared at him with an appalled look on his face. Timothy looked down at his fingernails and yawned, leaning against the wall. “Trust me, she can do a lot more damage than that. She’s one hard bitch.”
Calvin nodded and glanced at the guard. “He’s right. She may be on our side, but she would peel the skin right off of a human if they were fucking with us.”
The grizzled guard stood there for a moment without saying a word, deeply troubled by all this. He began to speak, but couldn’t find the words. He sketched a salute to Calvin and walked away.
Several moments of screaming were followed by several moments of silence. The door opened, and Katie motioned for Calvin and Timothy to come into the room. They walked inside to find Korbin and Stephanie curled up on stretchers, completely passed out.
Katie cracked her fingers. “Pandora made them go in, but you know how it is with the whole ‘being infected’ thing. They pass out when they go in, and they pass out when they come out. Stephanie and Korbin were no different.”
Calvin nudged Timothy with his elbow. “Well, we can’t leave them sleeping here. We’ll put them back in their room so they can get some rest before being welcomed back to the world of the Damned. I’m curious to see what these demons can do with them. They’re already two nasty people in a fight.”