Nick was pretty sure he led a normal married life of routine, and he did, until his wife, Jennifer, learns she can push him out of his comfort zone with a little 'hands-on' encouragement.
Krux led me through hospital corridors full of a mix of demons, devils, and souls - some were patients, some staff, and all very organized. Other than the eclectic collection of body-types, skin tones, and random number of limbs, the place had that same frenetic-yet-focused feel of most busy hospitals I’d been in. Bureaucracy blended with function all mixed together as white lab coats, suits and ties, and professional skirts.
I stood out like a sore thumb or an outcast from one of those medieval historical re-enactment groups as I pushed past them all. The armored breastplate and feathered kilt felt all the more primitive as compared to the security stationed at the glass doors which exited to a landing platform. They stood there complete with modern body armor and elegant-yet-nasty rifle-sized blasters packing a punch orders of magnitude higher than the agent’s pistol. While the demons among them only had five to six souls suffering at their cores, their equipment likely made up for the lack of raw potential and then some.
Boston police were waiting for them at the gate when they landed. There had been an awkward stand-off while Diego called the DPA to confirm that the detectives were actually on assignment as opposed to being there due to possible unseen influence from mind-controlling angels.
Assurances were received and soon Isaiah and the wizard were delivered to a brick police precinct sitting alongside a narrow Boston street. Being Californian all Isaiah could think of as they were ushered past the windowed doors facing the rear parking lot was that a single earthquake could level the entire structure. Given the number of brick buildings they’d passed on the drive there, the entire city had better hope against such seismic events.
Cali agreed with the plan within a week, but there were a lot of security concerns that needed to be addressed. Cali was an official superhero and although I didn't want to be paranoid, considering the bugs I found in my clothes when I re-birthed Celeste, I worried that Cali would be closely monitored to try and track Josie.
We delayed dinner while Steven organised a stretch limo to take us to the campground. With a subtle hint from me, Steven decided to leave the adventure to us girls. I was worried about how the girls would react to any male presence. This led to discussing with Joy what kind of orphanage we wanted to create. Joy said that there would be no problem taking in these four girls, but if this was going to be an ongoing project, we would need to set up an orphanage.
Isaiah’s head thrummed as if someone was using it instead of a kodo drum. As much as he wanted to blame the shifting pressure from the passing storm, he knew the pain wasn’t due to an external cause.
He sat in a small conference room, bare except for a large monitor on one wall sitting in front of a simple four-legged table. Around it were six of those plastic office chairs which usually last for maybe six months before the adjustment lift and tilt mechanisms snapped. Indeed one had already been shoved aside to a corner, its mesh backing listing at an odd angle. Staring at it he decided that whomever in finance was responsible for such cheapness should be cursed to use nothing but. Certainly not whatever luxury leather chair likely adorned their own office.
Meeting Hannah wasn't as difficult as I worried it would be. I knew what school she was going to so I just waited with the other parents for the usual school pick up. I called out 'Jannah' which was the first keyword to get her attention. She was met by two bodyguards and I had to wait for her to convince them before she could approach.
Hannah had explained to me how telepaths normally talked to each other. It was essentially a version of shouting and listening, so I set my telepathic mind division to listening to her mind and mentally shouted 'Hello'
Author note:
In Chapter 30 there are unpleasant scenes referring to child abuse, but the details are not mentioned to keep only the idea present. It is about rescuing them, rather than the event and dealing punishment to the perps. If this is something you don't want to read I completely understand and I would suggest you skip the chapter. Why is it there? Because I would love a world where someone was able to stop it and punish the offenders.
Stacy didn't join me for two weeks. I suspect one week was for the funeral and one week was to get her emotions under control. She thought the love of her life had died. I was sure she still cared for me, but spending two months with me after Celeste had just died was probably the last thing she wanted to do. After a week and a half, I was beginning to think she wouldn't be coming.
Although I had used my needing to work out my future as an excuse to justify my absence, there was an element of truth to it. The more successful I was, the more likely criminals would target me to prevent me from catching them. I needed to balance my desire to help and save lives with the danger doing so involved.
Saying goodbye after the funeral was difficult, but the trip to Miami was quick and easy. I was on good terms with Cole, the Superhero League teleporter and he agreed to drop me off and pick me up when I was ready. I think he felt sorry for me after my time in Washington. He also told me that he would be speaking to his superiors and if I was willing to work again, he hoped to arrange superhero bodyguards.
I was an emotional mess when I returned home. Based on my experience with Kalie, I had twenty-three days before I would give birth to Jordan. That meant in a week I would be the equivalent of almost three months pregnant. Around that time my belly would begin to show signs and up until then there would be other signs like increased hunger, restlessness when sleeping and more emotional generally.
“So no thoughts about babies in her mind?” I asked Jordan. It didn't make sense to me, according to my records, Chris Heaven had given birth to a baby daughter a little more than a month ago.
“No, sir. She said she had a daughter and granddaughter. Maybe the granddaughter is the baby?” Jordan suggested.
We soon arrived at the church.
There were already a few cars in the parking lot and people were kinda milling around outside as we all walked in through the back door.
Jordan let me stay in her apartment for the night since for whatever reason she had two bedrooms. She lent me a nightie and we put my clothes for a wash and dry ready for tomorrow. It did mean no panties for the night. That wasn't a big deal except I knew Jordan was reading my thoughts and when a movement or accidental action reminded me, I could see Jordan blush. I may even have paid attention and allowed my thoughts to wander in that direction to get a rise out of her.
I watched Stacy stride purposefully towards the slimebag, while Jordan phoned the police and explained the situation. They would need an ambulance as well. That woman was not looking in a good way.
“I'm surprised you didn't notice before I pointed it out,” I commented to Jordan.
“Like every telepath, you learn to treat the thoughts like white noise and ignore it. It's easier with more people about you. I'm glad it doesn't bother you.”
The eyes of a hundred kneeling demons were upon me. The fight had chewed up a lot of terrain and we’d moved within field-goal distance of the crowd before it was done. As much as I wanted to just fall over and lie there in the dirt that was not an option. Instead I slowly forced myself up. Thighs, calves, and even pinky toes protested, sending agony up every available nerve to decry the idiocy of such an action.
I couldn’t afford to show weakness. Not here. Not now. By the rules of the duel I couldn’t be immediately challenged by anyone else but that didn’t matter.
The soul-sucking bastards needed to fear me. Or else they would never accept my commands.
After Susan had left we discussed what we were going to do. I think Talia was conflicted because she had emotionally committed to having Kalie cloned and all that might entail. That meant, if I was unable to cope, that dream would be gone. I thought she was brave to agree in the first place. In a private session with Susan, Susan suggested that it was a bigger deal than I had even imagined. Talia would have to give up or admit that the Kalie lying in the hospital bed was never coming home.
Ruth and Lucy's ballet rehearsals dominate the week. Thursday evening is their dress rehearsal, and they perform Friday and Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.
Lucy and Ruth continue to visit Bikini Beach. A photo-shoot takes place Friday morning.
I wasn't quite sure what to think. I had no doubts that both Chris and Talia believed that Chris was going to be transformed and my experience with them never suggested any mental instability. If it wasn't for the clear evidence of superpowers in the world generally and seeing a much younger Chris turn up at my door I would have had him committed. As it was I was beginning to believe it was going to happen.
Outside the tent where Vance slept peacefully, Yaria was setting up a tall tripod-mounted bronze spyglass. Hank and Twitch were inside with Ruyia preparing lunch from the not-as-small-as-it-looks tent’s well-stocked larder. After I’d grabbed the wrong ingredients for a third time Twitch had pushed me gently aside and taken over as Ruyia’s assistant, much to Hank’s amusement.
Hey, I never claimed to be a chef and furthermore the spices and herbs available in Hell were completely different from anything on Earth. Having spent most of my time living off hard tack from the back of a wagon it’s not my fault I didn’t know the difference between a ‘kyrish root’ and a ‘draxo leaf’. My wife had done all the cooking in our house before cancer stole her away, after that there was a lot of frozen pizzas, tuna, and sloppy joes.
There was no light bulb moment that I was ready for my power to reach the next level, it was just when I looked again at the foreign virus DNA that was incorporating itself into Chris DNA and wanted to change it, my gift agreed with me. It wasn't as simple as just deleting it, my DNA needed certain base pairs to be in certain points or the complex DNA folding that occurred on a macro and micro level would go wrong. My understanding was sufficient to change the sequencing to nonsense whilst keeping the overall structure.
I sat in the waiting room thinking while trying to remain calm. The world had changed so much since my youth. I was nearing seventy now and was probably the oldest client to ever approach 'The Catalyst' as she liked to be called. I almost snorted at the ridiculousness of the world.
We found what was left of the captain lying in the corridor leading from her quarters to the main cavern. The walls gave evidence to a fierce and moving battle, deep chunks of rock had been ripped from the walls with stony fragments scattered everywhere. Her caved-in head, spine, and most of her ribcage were all that remained. They had stripped her clean: armor and boots, soul orbs and meat, all had been taken. Only bloody bones and small scraps of muscle and tendon remained.
Just like they had done to Biff outside and all the other guards.
The most annoying thing about hunting demons is the smell. The one in front of me naturally yielded no exception.
Green ichor of a most aromatic sort spurted generously from the stumps of the several tentacles I’d just managed to shorten, the foul mess splattering the walls of ice and rock around us as well as my best (and only) cloak. The vapors assaulting my sanity were, shall we say, worse than a raw sewage overflow from a center for the treatment of Crohn’s disease. FEMA would have posted signs declaring the bespoiled canyon a superfund site before themselves evacuating in a bureaucratic rush.
Hell. Gehenna. Sheol. By many names have the shadow realms lurking below been known. Having lost her niece and been blown past those horned gates of eternal damnation, the newest-born angel Jordan Emrys finds herself trying to carve out a quiet existence amidst demons and the damned spirits upon which they feed. Because it’s over, it’s done, and she must now accept the sorrows of this cruelly fated end.
But back on Earth the fanatical sorcerer who instigated her transformation endeavors to recruit those whom he believes can achieve the impossible: the saving of her soul. For despite Jordan’s beliefs, he knows that her destiny in the light is far from complete.
Indeed from his perspective it has only just begun.
“It will be hard if thou is a girl named Richard me thinks”, Okami said with a smile, “ ye must choose a more apt name and also whether ye accept Inari's choice or that of the mages.”
“Madam,Circe and Mr Magi,” The woman,s voice was musical and she finally turned to Richard, “ Sir Madam and little one I am called Okami and it is my pleasure to meet you all”
To say that Circe and Merlin were shocked would be an understatement, why would Inari's handmaiden be here?..........
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.