Hidden Demon, page 13
part #1 of Altered Demons Series
"Us?" Ko said.
"No, domestic terror cells. Created by former military, police, scientists, and others turned traitors. They've been launching attacks against politicians and organizations that support the advancing world order. They call themselves The Light Keepers."
"Why? What do they want?" Dee said.
"A cleansing? Enlightenment? A return to Eden? Who might predict what mad men desire? But the 'what' is less important than the 'how' from what I can tell. Can't stop the chaos and assassination attempts without knowing their methods. Luckily, StareFace tracked something across its enhanced network. They fired their powerful EMP, but our Level-4 systems stayed up and we got a hit."
"I thought Level-4 was theoretical, until I saw the devices for myself," Dee said.
"No kidding. Still wondering how you got a pair, but yes, Level-4, EMP-hardened devices tied into the StareFace grid do exist. Even a nuke blast can't disable them."
Stingray bypassed devices Dee concluded. StareFace had to be extra-governmental, not NSA or CIA sanctioned, which meant it lacked oversight. Dark money funneled for a surveillance state moonshot. Lack of control and highly illegal made for a nasty mix.
"StareFace correlates intent and predicts outcomes," Butler continued. "Those devices are merely another input, and only we see everything that happens through them. You didn't hear the overtones when you used it, right? When you called your friend?"
Dee's eyes narrowed as Butler said, "Play it!"
The President's voice resonated over concealed speakers.
"You both failed. Again. It's all gone sideways. I have a lot on my plate, new house, school for the kids... you know how it is when you change jobs. We won't speak again, ex-agent Johnson... but we will always have Tokyo."
The recording stopped.
"He didn't sound happy cutting you two off like that."
Dee glared at Butler. Silent monitoring on his own devices seemed rudimentary. Broad implementation beyond his own equipment could be imminent, and if the wrong groups reverse engineered the technology? The massive threat of enhanced communications monitoring by enemies sent a shiver through her.
Butler slid the translucent digital tablet toward her. She took it and read the screen: Isabel Ortiz Case File.
"I know what you've been doing for him. Playing FBI dress up. Shaking down citizens without proper authority. Unsanctioned incursions with private military contractors. And no, just because a president ordered it doesn't make it legal! Sadly, no one can prosecute a sitting president, at least not one as popular as Freeman. But you two traitors? Hell, your boxes with bars are steps away. And when I find out who handed you my devices, well, they can join the party."
"So, Sean, why don't you make us the designated dopes and move on? You've done it before."
"Oh, I could burn you again, but frying Mercer would be more appetizing."
"Knox?"
"He's the one pulling the strings, and you know the puppets," Butler said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Seems he has the whole damn state working for him. I need off-book assets on American soil and frankly, nobody's knocking at the door for you two."
"And what do we get out of this?" Dee said.
"I'm sure we can find something other than a cell for agents of your caliber," Butler said, rubbing the tabletop as he leaned in. "I may even have knowledge of a couple cozy assignments on an island in the Pacific. Benefits. Housing on the beach. A crappy government car. Sorry… can't have everything. Seizing Knox's assets would be a substantial windfall. We would cooperate with the incoming administration for blanket pardons of any, uh, errors. But before we proceed, I need to believe you both are with me on this."
Dee smirked as her old boss pointed at them.
"With you? You hung us out like laundry in a snowstorm. I might prefer the cell."
"Granted, our recent past isn't great." Dee scoffed as he continued. "But this is bigger than us. Our country is going against a well-funded terrorist group—the one I just saved you from. We need your loyalties more than ever. Even the President would agree if you two were on speaking terms."
Dee glanced at the tablet in her hands, then turned to Ko.
"Maybe it is better than a cell. You with me?"
"Better together," Ko said.
Dee put down the digital device and grabbed her thumb, dislocating it as both men watched. She slid her hand out of the handcuffs. Butler raised his eyebrows and Ko cocked his head at her simple escape.
"What, can't you guys do that?" Dee said, grimacing as she fixed the joint. Ko cracked his knuckles as she tapped the device. Dee flipped through pictures, stopping to read notes along the way.
"After the Ortiz attack," Butler said, "StareFace tracked this demon thing to the tunnels under the Mercer mansion."
"What is it?" Ko asked.
"We can't discern. It's big. It's armored. Entry and egress for the creature happens here," Butler said, pointing to a photo. "People go through a different entrance. Some enter of their own free will. Others, not so much."
Dee swiped to another photo. The aging shed with a box truck parked nearby. They had missed something on their first raid. She sighed as she showed it to Ko. He frowned, shaking his head.
"A whole mansion, and they go gopher style?"
"StareFace can't see below ground, but the radios on those red clamshells work just fine," Butler said. "Send in the tech!"
A door to the room opened as another figure emerged from the shadows. The supposed teenage girl who had handed them the devices outside the Ortiz home. Ko and Dee remained stoic as Butler gestured to her.
"Mika Hinode is our chief technical consultant from the DC office. She can show you how to tap into StareFace with the clamshells and use them underground to enable monitor mode so we can prosecute these traitors. Just call out anything you see along the way. We have a mobile safe house a few clicks away from the mansion."
"How did you manage that so quickly?" Dee said.
"We've been watching this group for a while. Though only a small number seem involved, I have official teams on standby once you secure Knox. We need him alive. Prepare well for the underground."
"What exactly is under the mansion?" Ko asked.
Butler cracked a faint smile.
"That's for you to find out."
Chapter 27
P
astor Jimmy treaded through the forest at the edge of the Mercer Mansion grounds. A moonlit sky brightened the path as boots snapping twigs mingled with ancient gravels crunching. Uneven steps on the forest floor matched the beer in his hand. He swigged the last sip before tossing it into the tree line.
Where the bottle landed, deep breaths bolstered a low growl from the shadows.
Jimmy opened a red clamshell mobile device. Tapping it with his finger, two dots appeared on the screen with a directional arrow. It pointed him straight ahead.
He pulled a photo out of his pocket and looked at it. A woman. Someone from his past. He stumbled, catching himself. He inhaled through clenched teeth as he stood once more.
A branch cracked in the night under the evergreens. He turned, but only blackness met his squinting eyes. He stepped faster. Almost there.
***
The door slammed and locked behind Ko and Dee. Lights flickered on quickly as they glanced around the safe house. Surveillance monitors activated with a time-stamped security feed. Lethal and non-lethal weapons filled the space. Ko marched to a corner where sniper rifles lined the wall. He touched the corrugated metal interior.
"Two converted shipping containers connected?" Ko said.
"Probably. Plentiful. Easy to carry in and out. Doublewides for all your black ops needs," Dee said as she swapped her old outerwear for better tactical gear.
She added a sidearm and grabbed nearby night vision goggles. A Department of Defense label read 'Level-4.'
"More Level-4 gear. Yo!" Dee called out.
Ko glanced her way as she threw it to him, and he snatched it from midair. They both wore the night vision systems, pressing buttons as they familiarized themselves.
A large bin filled with little green balls intrigued Dee. She picked it up, inspecting the label closely. A light bulb icon stamped on the side. She threw it and it stuck to the entry door, lighting up like a glow stick.
"Well, that's neat," Dee said.
Ko strapped a 1911 and holster to his thigh.
"That's a firefly. Chem-light made in Japan, like me," Ko winked before snatching a fifty-caliber rifle and racking the carrier bolt.
"A little overkill, don't you think?" Dee said.
Ko shrugged as his eyes landed on a lit table nearby. He put down the rifle and approached a sheathed sword next to a fresh bag of peanuts and a note. Grabbing the katana, he scrutinized it before reading the message.
Tokyo sends its regards—Butler
"Aiko, my little one returns," Ko said.
Dee chuckled a bit, shaking her head as she loaded a submachine gun magazine.
"What? I've not seen it since Tokyo."
"No, I'm happy for you. Truly. I know you really like your little sword," Dee said. Her giggles turned to laughs and tears of joy. Ko broke into a grin, slapping his knee. They bumped fists, hugging like old war buddies. As they broke their embrace, Dee wiped tears from her eyes and caught her breath.
"It's good to be me around you, Ko."
"Good to still have you."
A banging sound at the safe house door disrupted their brief fun. Exchanging a nervous glance as they drew their sidearms. Dee reviewed the security feed. She nodded toward Ko as she opened the door.
Pastor Jimmy's face already contorted by grief and booze. He spoke with a drunken slur.
"They killed my wife, now they're going to kill me. They gonna kill me dead."
Tears fell onto the photo as he handed it to her.
Dee glanced at it, then back at Jimmy.
"How did you find us, Jimmy?" Dee said as her gaze darted around the area.
"Knox always knows how to find us. I stole it to find you."
Jimmy held up his own red clamshell device for all to see. The trio stood as statues.
"Play to stay, that's what Knox wants. And I don't want to play no more," Jimmy said, growing more animated. "I know things, stuff he doesn't want me to know. I need out. I can help. Let me help!"
Dee nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, okay. You can help put him away. Get in here."
As the agents holstered their weapons and before Jimmy could enter, the lights blew. Emergency red flood lights activated. A gallop echoed as they flipped down their night vision. Dee reached for Jimmy. But the demon found him first, latching onto the Pastor with massive metal jaws as she jumped back. The beast glowed green in her vision, slinging him around and slamming him into the metal door frame edges repeatedly. Limbs severed, flying off the body in different directions, a leg landing with a thud inside the room. The demon tossed the lifeless body aside, turning its horrid gaze to Dee. A guttural growl reverberated inside the metal box as the creature lunged, slamming into the metal doorway. The frame bulged inward, jolting the safe house like a car wreck. Metal jaws snapped, blood dripping as it flailed and roared against the accidental steel trap.
They drew their sidearms, releasing a storm of small arms fire. Bullets bounced off the creature as it raged, clawing for entry.
Dee grimaced, snatching a nearby automatic rifle and squeezing off an entire clip into the demon until the tip glowed orange. Even so, it inched through the doorway, bending metal with each massive squirm. Her head throbbed in time with her elevated heartbeat as she went to one knee. The beast plunged into the makeshift safe house. She felt its pain.
Ko aimed over the sights of his giant sniper rifle as he yelled.
"Akujin!"
The creature glanced his way.
"Sayonara."
"Ko, wait!"
He pulled the trigger. Like a bomb, the percussive wave filled the room, rippling through her torso. The massive metal slug escaped the muzzle as hot gasses and flame spewed from the barrel. The recoil blew Ko back into the wall. Dee fell, ears ringing. Impact. The bullet grazed the armored headgear, scattering shield fragments before deflecting into the night.
The demon moved slower, shaking its head and offering a paltry growl as it stumbled toward Dee. Closer. Only steps away. She gaped in awe as she yanked the backup revolver from her ankle holster, targeting it from her fetal position. Her hand shook as she felt its anger and suffering, but also conflict. She thought for a moment it could sense her, too, until the gauntleted arm lifted to strike. Armor retracted from under the shoulder as thick, brown fur became visible. The mighty, reinforced arm reached its apex, ready to finish her.
A flash of metal as Ko swept in, swinging katana first into the exposed shoulder of the creature. Fur filled the air as the demon recoiled on hind legs. Ko sliced the belly three times. The demon repaid him with a massive swipe upward from the good arm. Ko crashed into the metal ceiling, his limp body following gravity down. His head bounced as his body impacted the floor. Ko laid still.
The demon's life force pooled on the floor as it stood on only three legs. Retreating toward the doorway, it exited the room and limp trotted away. Dee recovered, rushing to the side of her partner. She took his hand.
"Ko, no, what did you do?"
Ko bled from his chest through the tactical gear. His face swelling as arms and legs lay broken in the wrong positions. He turned to her, offering a painful smile as he gasped for air.
"Is okay. We're a very big deal."
"Better together. Remember?"
Ko exhaled his last, his head turning away from her. She grabbed his shoulders, shaking him.
"You hear me? Better together. Better together. Better…"
Her voice trailed off as she wept over his broken body. She placed her hands upon Ko's head and nodded, bowing for a moment of silence. Her facial muscles contorted around teary eyes. She screamed at the ceiling in agony and rage. Angry breaths fueled her before she rose from her departed friend.
As she stood, her eyes landed on the unopened bag of peanuts. She stared at them quietly with a wrinkled brow as her fingers formed a fist at her side. Her eye twitched.
"Anger may not control me, but it rules the night."
She opened her red clamshell device with blood-stained hands, tapping into StareFace as the technician had shown her.
Many graphs displayed on screen, and she clicked a spike in activity. She clicked again to a live satellite image. People entered the shed at the Mercer Mansion. Her face steeled as veins pulsed in her neck.
She dialed Butler. She spoke with a steady voice. Calm. Too calm.
"Director? Yes, it's me. No, the demon attacked. Ko is gone. Yes, moments ago."
Dee glimpsed the katana.
"No, sir. No backup needed."
She disconnected the phone and seized the sword. She turned the blade, studying it in the crimson light.
"Time to make my own mess."
Chapter 28
Kintaro Interlude Two
A
fter years of training, Kintaro carried his own long sword on his back. He fought great battles with Master Miyamoto at his side, eventually becoming the powerful warrior known as Sakata Kintoki. Though they had vanquished menacing foes together throughout the land, he remained Kintaro in his own heart and mind. And Kintaro always kept his promises.
With his master aging, the time had come to take his mother to the mountaintop and recruit his own warriors, as he had promised those many years ago. Yet a recent threat prevented him from this task. A brutal ogre had risen from a lingering slumber, making the top of the mountain—his future home—unsafe.
The massive tyrant ripped ancient trees from the ground with gnarled bare hands, throwing them at houses as it screeched in otherworldly tongues. When it yearned for meat, it ate animals from farms and slapped flocks of birds from the sky. Carcasses littered the forest. The poisoned excretions of the creature blighted the viridian landscape with yellowish brown death that fouled the air for days. As the abomination disrespected both nature and humanity, the mission to end it became essential.
Kintaro devised a plan to draw the creature out. With horsemeat being its favorite, volunteer riders on stallions would speed by the lair, luring it into the forest. There, in the relative protection of the enormous trees, he and his master would corner it to strike a final blow.
When the day arrived, a hoofed horde thundered by the cavern where the ogre lived. Unable to ignore such a bountiful feast, it emerged with great speed, pursuing them closely as they entered the tree line. As it got closer, the right moment approached. Miyamoto shrugged off his cloak, revealing himself as the rear rider. Leaping from his horse, he turned on the beast, attacking it with a flurry of katana slashes. He steadied himself with his second, smaller sword, burying it in hardened flesh as he traversed the creature. Though his attacks did not kill, they slowed the beast until it halted under the correct tree. The one Kintaro occupied. Dropping from a tall branch, he used gravity and skill as he plunged his own sword deep into the head of the creature, twisting it with all his might. The ogre fell with a thud that reverberated through the forest.
The plan had worked, but at significant cost. When the beast fell, the corpse crushed Miyamoto. Kintaro slashed at the carcass over and over in a mad fury. But try as he might, the helpless warrior could not flay enough thick flesh to reach his master in time. The onetime sword keeper had suffocated, giving his life so the people were finally safe. Kintaro and his aging mother did not forget his sacrifice as they sat on their porch with their animal friends, living in peace for the rest of their days.
Chapter 29
A
shadow ran through the fields of the Mercer Mansion leading to the shed. The movement quickened, as if driven by an unseen hand. The specter stopped. It was Dee on a mission, camouflage paint covering her face. A tactical helmet and mandible guard enclosed her head. Full black assault gear encased her, dotted by the red clamshell tethered to her left shoulder.
"No, domestic terror cells. Created by former military, police, scientists, and others turned traitors. They've been launching attacks against politicians and organizations that support the advancing world order. They call themselves The Light Keepers."
"Why? What do they want?" Dee said.
"A cleansing? Enlightenment? A return to Eden? Who might predict what mad men desire? But the 'what' is less important than the 'how' from what I can tell. Can't stop the chaos and assassination attempts without knowing their methods. Luckily, StareFace tracked something across its enhanced network. They fired their powerful EMP, but our Level-4 systems stayed up and we got a hit."
"I thought Level-4 was theoretical, until I saw the devices for myself," Dee said.
"No kidding. Still wondering how you got a pair, but yes, Level-4, EMP-hardened devices tied into the StareFace grid do exist. Even a nuke blast can't disable them."
Stingray bypassed devices Dee concluded. StareFace had to be extra-governmental, not NSA or CIA sanctioned, which meant it lacked oversight. Dark money funneled for a surveillance state moonshot. Lack of control and highly illegal made for a nasty mix.
"StareFace correlates intent and predicts outcomes," Butler continued. "Those devices are merely another input, and only we see everything that happens through them. You didn't hear the overtones when you used it, right? When you called your friend?"
Dee's eyes narrowed as Butler said, "Play it!"
The President's voice resonated over concealed speakers.
"You both failed. Again. It's all gone sideways. I have a lot on my plate, new house, school for the kids... you know how it is when you change jobs. We won't speak again, ex-agent Johnson... but we will always have Tokyo."
The recording stopped.
"He didn't sound happy cutting you two off like that."
Dee glared at Butler. Silent monitoring on his own devices seemed rudimentary. Broad implementation beyond his own equipment could be imminent, and if the wrong groups reverse engineered the technology? The massive threat of enhanced communications monitoring by enemies sent a shiver through her.
Butler slid the translucent digital tablet toward her. She took it and read the screen: Isabel Ortiz Case File.
"I know what you've been doing for him. Playing FBI dress up. Shaking down citizens without proper authority. Unsanctioned incursions with private military contractors. And no, just because a president ordered it doesn't make it legal! Sadly, no one can prosecute a sitting president, at least not one as popular as Freeman. But you two traitors? Hell, your boxes with bars are steps away. And when I find out who handed you my devices, well, they can join the party."
"So, Sean, why don't you make us the designated dopes and move on? You've done it before."
"Oh, I could burn you again, but frying Mercer would be more appetizing."
"Knox?"
"He's the one pulling the strings, and you know the puppets," Butler said, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Seems he has the whole damn state working for him. I need off-book assets on American soil and frankly, nobody's knocking at the door for you two."
"And what do we get out of this?" Dee said.
"I'm sure we can find something other than a cell for agents of your caliber," Butler said, rubbing the tabletop as he leaned in. "I may even have knowledge of a couple cozy assignments on an island in the Pacific. Benefits. Housing on the beach. A crappy government car. Sorry… can't have everything. Seizing Knox's assets would be a substantial windfall. We would cooperate with the incoming administration for blanket pardons of any, uh, errors. But before we proceed, I need to believe you both are with me on this."
Dee smirked as her old boss pointed at them.
"With you? You hung us out like laundry in a snowstorm. I might prefer the cell."
"Granted, our recent past isn't great." Dee scoffed as he continued. "But this is bigger than us. Our country is going against a well-funded terrorist group—the one I just saved you from. We need your loyalties more than ever. Even the President would agree if you two were on speaking terms."
Dee glanced at the tablet in her hands, then turned to Ko.
"Maybe it is better than a cell. You with me?"
"Better together," Ko said.
Dee put down the digital device and grabbed her thumb, dislocating it as both men watched. She slid her hand out of the handcuffs. Butler raised his eyebrows and Ko cocked his head at her simple escape.
"What, can't you guys do that?" Dee said, grimacing as she fixed the joint. Ko cracked his knuckles as she tapped the device. Dee flipped through pictures, stopping to read notes along the way.
"After the Ortiz attack," Butler said, "StareFace tracked this demon thing to the tunnels under the Mercer mansion."
"What is it?" Ko asked.
"We can't discern. It's big. It's armored. Entry and egress for the creature happens here," Butler said, pointing to a photo. "People go through a different entrance. Some enter of their own free will. Others, not so much."
Dee swiped to another photo. The aging shed with a box truck parked nearby. They had missed something on their first raid. She sighed as she showed it to Ko. He frowned, shaking his head.
"A whole mansion, and they go gopher style?"
"StareFace can't see below ground, but the radios on those red clamshells work just fine," Butler said. "Send in the tech!"
A door to the room opened as another figure emerged from the shadows. The supposed teenage girl who had handed them the devices outside the Ortiz home. Ko and Dee remained stoic as Butler gestured to her.
"Mika Hinode is our chief technical consultant from the DC office. She can show you how to tap into StareFace with the clamshells and use them underground to enable monitor mode so we can prosecute these traitors. Just call out anything you see along the way. We have a mobile safe house a few clicks away from the mansion."
"How did you manage that so quickly?" Dee said.
"We've been watching this group for a while. Though only a small number seem involved, I have official teams on standby once you secure Knox. We need him alive. Prepare well for the underground."
"What exactly is under the mansion?" Ko asked.
Butler cracked a faint smile.
"That's for you to find out."
Chapter 27
P
astor Jimmy treaded through the forest at the edge of the Mercer Mansion grounds. A moonlit sky brightened the path as boots snapping twigs mingled with ancient gravels crunching. Uneven steps on the forest floor matched the beer in his hand. He swigged the last sip before tossing it into the tree line.
Where the bottle landed, deep breaths bolstered a low growl from the shadows.
Jimmy opened a red clamshell mobile device. Tapping it with his finger, two dots appeared on the screen with a directional arrow. It pointed him straight ahead.
He pulled a photo out of his pocket and looked at it. A woman. Someone from his past. He stumbled, catching himself. He inhaled through clenched teeth as he stood once more.
A branch cracked in the night under the evergreens. He turned, but only blackness met his squinting eyes. He stepped faster. Almost there.
***
The door slammed and locked behind Ko and Dee. Lights flickered on quickly as they glanced around the safe house. Surveillance monitors activated with a time-stamped security feed. Lethal and non-lethal weapons filled the space. Ko marched to a corner where sniper rifles lined the wall. He touched the corrugated metal interior.
"Two converted shipping containers connected?" Ko said.
"Probably. Plentiful. Easy to carry in and out. Doublewides for all your black ops needs," Dee said as she swapped her old outerwear for better tactical gear.
She added a sidearm and grabbed nearby night vision goggles. A Department of Defense label read 'Level-4.'
"More Level-4 gear. Yo!" Dee called out.
Ko glanced her way as she threw it to him, and he snatched it from midair. They both wore the night vision systems, pressing buttons as they familiarized themselves.
A large bin filled with little green balls intrigued Dee. She picked it up, inspecting the label closely. A light bulb icon stamped on the side. She threw it and it stuck to the entry door, lighting up like a glow stick.
"Well, that's neat," Dee said.
Ko strapped a 1911 and holster to his thigh.
"That's a firefly. Chem-light made in Japan, like me," Ko winked before snatching a fifty-caliber rifle and racking the carrier bolt.
"A little overkill, don't you think?" Dee said.
Ko shrugged as his eyes landed on a lit table nearby. He put down the rifle and approached a sheathed sword next to a fresh bag of peanuts and a note. Grabbing the katana, he scrutinized it before reading the message.
Tokyo sends its regards—Butler
"Aiko, my little one returns," Ko said.
Dee chuckled a bit, shaking her head as she loaded a submachine gun magazine.
"What? I've not seen it since Tokyo."
"No, I'm happy for you. Truly. I know you really like your little sword," Dee said. Her giggles turned to laughs and tears of joy. Ko broke into a grin, slapping his knee. They bumped fists, hugging like old war buddies. As they broke their embrace, Dee wiped tears from her eyes and caught her breath.
"It's good to be me around you, Ko."
"Good to still have you."
A banging sound at the safe house door disrupted their brief fun. Exchanging a nervous glance as they drew their sidearms. Dee reviewed the security feed. She nodded toward Ko as she opened the door.
Pastor Jimmy's face already contorted by grief and booze. He spoke with a drunken slur.
"They killed my wife, now they're going to kill me. They gonna kill me dead."
Tears fell onto the photo as he handed it to her.
Dee glanced at it, then back at Jimmy.
"How did you find us, Jimmy?" Dee said as her gaze darted around the area.
"Knox always knows how to find us. I stole it to find you."
Jimmy held up his own red clamshell device for all to see. The trio stood as statues.
"Play to stay, that's what Knox wants. And I don't want to play no more," Jimmy said, growing more animated. "I know things, stuff he doesn't want me to know. I need out. I can help. Let me help!"
Dee nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, okay. You can help put him away. Get in here."
As the agents holstered their weapons and before Jimmy could enter, the lights blew. Emergency red flood lights activated. A gallop echoed as they flipped down their night vision. Dee reached for Jimmy. But the demon found him first, latching onto the Pastor with massive metal jaws as she jumped back. The beast glowed green in her vision, slinging him around and slamming him into the metal door frame edges repeatedly. Limbs severed, flying off the body in different directions, a leg landing with a thud inside the room. The demon tossed the lifeless body aside, turning its horrid gaze to Dee. A guttural growl reverberated inside the metal box as the creature lunged, slamming into the metal doorway. The frame bulged inward, jolting the safe house like a car wreck. Metal jaws snapped, blood dripping as it flailed and roared against the accidental steel trap.
They drew their sidearms, releasing a storm of small arms fire. Bullets bounced off the creature as it raged, clawing for entry.
Dee grimaced, snatching a nearby automatic rifle and squeezing off an entire clip into the demon until the tip glowed orange. Even so, it inched through the doorway, bending metal with each massive squirm. Her head throbbed in time with her elevated heartbeat as she went to one knee. The beast plunged into the makeshift safe house. She felt its pain.
Ko aimed over the sights of his giant sniper rifle as he yelled.
"Akujin!"
The creature glanced his way.
"Sayonara."
"Ko, wait!"
He pulled the trigger. Like a bomb, the percussive wave filled the room, rippling through her torso. The massive metal slug escaped the muzzle as hot gasses and flame spewed from the barrel. The recoil blew Ko back into the wall. Dee fell, ears ringing. Impact. The bullet grazed the armored headgear, scattering shield fragments before deflecting into the night.
The demon moved slower, shaking its head and offering a paltry growl as it stumbled toward Dee. Closer. Only steps away. She gaped in awe as she yanked the backup revolver from her ankle holster, targeting it from her fetal position. Her hand shook as she felt its anger and suffering, but also conflict. She thought for a moment it could sense her, too, until the gauntleted arm lifted to strike. Armor retracted from under the shoulder as thick, brown fur became visible. The mighty, reinforced arm reached its apex, ready to finish her.
A flash of metal as Ko swept in, swinging katana first into the exposed shoulder of the creature. Fur filled the air as the demon recoiled on hind legs. Ko sliced the belly three times. The demon repaid him with a massive swipe upward from the good arm. Ko crashed into the metal ceiling, his limp body following gravity down. His head bounced as his body impacted the floor. Ko laid still.
The demon's life force pooled on the floor as it stood on only three legs. Retreating toward the doorway, it exited the room and limp trotted away. Dee recovered, rushing to the side of her partner. She took his hand.
"Ko, no, what did you do?"
Ko bled from his chest through the tactical gear. His face swelling as arms and legs lay broken in the wrong positions. He turned to her, offering a painful smile as he gasped for air.
"Is okay. We're a very big deal."
"Better together. Remember?"
Ko exhaled his last, his head turning away from her. She grabbed his shoulders, shaking him.
"You hear me? Better together. Better together. Better…"
Her voice trailed off as she wept over his broken body. She placed her hands upon Ko's head and nodded, bowing for a moment of silence. Her facial muscles contorted around teary eyes. She screamed at the ceiling in agony and rage. Angry breaths fueled her before she rose from her departed friend.
As she stood, her eyes landed on the unopened bag of peanuts. She stared at them quietly with a wrinkled brow as her fingers formed a fist at her side. Her eye twitched.
"Anger may not control me, but it rules the night."
She opened her red clamshell device with blood-stained hands, tapping into StareFace as the technician had shown her.
Many graphs displayed on screen, and she clicked a spike in activity. She clicked again to a live satellite image. People entered the shed at the Mercer Mansion. Her face steeled as veins pulsed in her neck.
She dialed Butler. She spoke with a steady voice. Calm. Too calm.
"Director? Yes, it's me. No, the demon attacked. Ko is gone. Yes, moments ago."
Dee glimpsed the katana.
"No, sir. No backup needed."
She disconnected the phone and seized the sword. She turned the blade, studying it in the crimson light.
"Time to make my own mess."
Chapter 28
Kintaro Interlude Two
A
fter years of training, Kintaro carried his own long sword on his back. He fought great battles with Master Miyamoto at his side, eventually becoming the powerful warrior known as Sakata Kintoki. Though they had vanquished menacing foes together throughout the land, he remained Kintaro in his own heart and mind. And Kintaro always kept his promises.
With his master aging, the time had come to take his mother to the mountaintop and recruit his own warriors, as he had promised those many years ago. Yet a recent threat prevented him from this task. A brutal ogre had risen from a lingering slumber, making the top of the mountain—his future home—unsafe.
The massive tyrant ripped ancient trees from the ground with gnarled bare hands, throwing them at houses as it screeched in otherworldly tongues. When it yearned for meat, it ate animals from farms and slapped flocks of birds from the sky. Carcasses littered the forest. The poisoned excretions of the creature blighted the viridian landscape with yellowish brown death that fouled the air for days. As the abomination disrespected both nature and humanity, the mission to end it became essential.
Kintaro devised a plan to draw the creature out. With horsemeat being its favorite, volunteer riders on stallions would speed by the lair, luring it into the forest. There, in the relative protection of the enormous trees, he and his master would corner it to strike a final blow.
When the day arrived, a hoofed horde thundered by the cavern where the ogre lived. Unable to ignore such a bountiful feast, it emerged with great speed, pursuing them closely as they entered the tree line. As it got closer, the right moment approached. Miyamoto shrugged off his cloak, revealing himself as the rear rider. Leaping from his horse, he turned on the beast, attacking it with a flurry of katana slashes. He steadied himself with his second, smaller sword, burying it in hardened flesh as he traversed the creature. Though his attacks did not kill, they slowed the beast until it halted under the correct tree. The one Kintaro occupied. Dropping from a tall branch, he used gravity and skill as he plunged his own sword deep into the head of the creature, twisting it with all his might. The ogre fell with a thud that reverberated through the forest.
The plan had worked, but at significant cost. When the beast fell, the corpse crushed Miyamoto. Kintaro slashed at the carcass over and over in a mad fury. But try as he might, the helpless warrior could not flay enough thick flesh to reach his master in time. The onetime sword keeper had suffocated, giving his life so the people were finally safe. Kintaro and his aging mother did not forget his sacrifice as they sat on their porch with their animal friends, living in peace for the rest of their days.
Chapter 29
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shadow ran through the fields of the Mercer Mansion leading to the shed. The movement quickened, as if driven by an unseen hand. The specter stopped. It was Dee on a mission, camouflage paint covering her face. A tactical helmet and mandible guard enclosed her head. Full black assault gear encased her, dotted by the red clamshell tethered to her left shoulder.
