Apocalypse Cult (Gray Spear Society) (10 page)

He shook his head. "I don't like this. When I was a cop, we used to fight over jurisdiction with the state police, county, and the feds. Politics and bragging rights always got in the way of good police work. Sounds like you're the same way."

"No, you don't understand." She gave him a serious look. "I'm trying to limit casualties. We are creatures of death, and anybody who crosses our path gets killed. Talk to Ethel. Maybe she can explain it to you. Just take me back to your apartment building so I can get my car. I want to go home and sleep while I still have a few hours left. You'll stay in a guest room in headquarters until we find a safe place for you to live."

* * *

Aaron walked into the same small, white room that he had entered earlier that day. Jack still sat behind the bulletproof glass, light shining from his bald head.
Does he ever sleep?
Aaron wondered.

"Back so soon, sir?" Jack said with a smile. "You just can't stay away. You should ask Yvonne to put some ice on that face before the swelling gets any worse. Maybe some ointment, too."

"I'll do that," Aaron said.

Jack pressed a button and the door buzzed. Aaron went through.

Ethel met him in the hallway beyond. "Did you get any dinner?"

"No," Aaron said.

"I already asked Yvonne to reheat some leftovers for you."

They walked through the facility and arrived at the kitchen. Yvonne was scooping lasagna into a bowl, and she acknowledged Aaron with a nod. She was a small, thin woman with curly blond hair. She wore a gray dress, almost the same color as the walls, and white tennis shoes. Her small nose was slightly bent, as if it had been broken at some point. She had a timid posture, a stark contrast to Ethel, who projected confidence at all times.

While the lasagna was heating in a microwave oven, Yvonne put ice in a towel and held it against Aaron's face. She had a very gentle touch.

"That feels great," he said. "Thanks."

She flashed a hesitant smile.

He turned to Ethel. "Frank and Caroline Waters were kidnapped by the cult. We need to rescue them."

"When there is a convenient opportunity to do so," Ethel said, "we will. Don't get distracted from the mission."

"Marina gave me the same answer."

"Good. And you need to start addressing me as ma'am. I'm your superior officer."

"Yes, ma'am," he said.

Yvonne served him the lasagna, and the aroma suggested he was in for a treat. The rich, cheesy flavor of the first bite confirmed his expectation. The noodles were tender without being soft, and there was just the right amount of tomato sauce.

"Delicious," he said. "Yvonne, did you make this?"

Yvonne nodded. "Thank you." She smiled a bit longer this time.

Ethel just stood and watched Aaron.

"Why can't we tell the police that the cult kidnapped the Waters, ma'am?" he said.

"Because God doesn't like outsiders handling His dirty laundry."

"I don't understand."

Ethel leaned forward. "You will."

"Marina said we're creatures of death."

"We're unnatural. Toxic. When normal people come into our world, they die."

He didn't believe her, but he wasn't going to argue with those dark eyes. He took another bite of lasagna.

"As long as you're going to watch me eat," he said, "it would be nice if you told me a little about yourself. I don't even know your last name, ma'am."

She furrowed her brow. "I've been a member of the Society for twenty-eight years."

"What were you before?"

"Before the Gray Spear Society? That was a long time ago." She sighed. "The Army trained me to be a combat medic. After I left the military, I spent several years in the Peace Corps. They sent me to Africa to work in medical clinics. I almost died of malaria a couple of times, so I decided to come home to Chicago, where mosquitoes die in the winter. I became a nurse in an emergency room."

"How did the Spears find you?" he asked.

"One day a man with gunshot wounds came in, and I saved his life. We talked. After he recovered, he offered me the best job ever."

"I bet you've seen some things."

"Finish your dinner," she said. "You have a long day tomorrow with an early start."

He finished the delicious pasta.

She showed him to the guest quarters. The large room had a full-sized bed, a dresser, and a free-standing wardrobe. There was a bathroom in the back, which already had clean towels. He dropped his heavy suitcase on the tile floor.

"Good night." She closed the door.

Chapter Seven

"Is everybody ready?" Victor whispered.

Aaron and Marina nodded, although in Aaron's case, it was grudgingly. He still disagreed strongly with the plan.

Like his colleagues, he wore full combat gear, including a Kevlar helmet and high grade body armor. He held a Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle with a suppressor and an oversized magazine. Eight extra magazines were on a belt strapped across his chest. Holsters on each hip held matching Beretta 9mm pistols. Smoke and tear gas canisters were stuffed into pockets on his vest. The gray and black camouflage scheme was the same as the other night though.

Victor had wanted even more firepower, so he had a combat shotgun on his back. With his huge frame and freakish muscles, he looked like a comic book character. Aaron couldn't help but feel a little intimidated.

"Are we really sure this is the best way?" he whispered.

"Just follow the plan," Victor replied. "Hit them hard, grab Simon, and get out."

Aaron, Victor, and Marina were quietly approaching the front gate of the cult compound. They wore night vision goggles. The sun would rise in a half-hour, and it was still dark.

They crept forward a few more yards and stopped behind some bushes.

Aaron peered between the leaves. He expected to see guards in front of the impressive steel gate, but there was nobody in sight. Stranger still, the gate hung open.

Cautiously, he stood up. "Where are they?"

"I don't know," Marina said, "but don't relax. Let's go in."

The three of them stayed low and quiet as they entered the compound. The lights were off everywhere and no guards patrolled the grounds. The only sound was the soft buzz of insects in the forest.

"We have to search the place," Victor said.

They went through the wooden buildings one at a time. They found just a few pieces of old furniture and some loose trash. The cult had moved out entirely. Finally, the team stopped near the temple in the center. Morning had come, and they didn't need their goggles anymore.

Aaron couldn't contain his relief. "I guess we won't commit mass murder today," he said. "Darn it."

"Don't be so pleased," Marina said coldly. "This mission just got harder, and the longer it takes, the more people will die."

"Why is that?"

"God's enemies always play dirty. We have to find these jokers fast."

Aaron didn't really believe "God's enemies" had any part in this, but he kept his doubts to himself. Perhaps he would change his mind when he had more evidence.

"Then we need to do some investigating," he said. "I have reliable sources in the city."

"I have contacts, too," Marina said. "We'll stick together since this is your first mission, and you need supervision. Victor?"

"I prefer to work alone," Victor said. "I know some places in town where I can get answers if I ask questions the right away." He cracked his scarred knuckles.

* * *

On the way back to the city, they stopped by a department store, where Marina bought Aaron more clothing. She wanted to make sure he had everything he might need for undercover work. By the time she was done piling up pants, shirts, and shoes, the bill totaled two thousand dollars, but she didn't blink. She paid for everything with a gold credit card that didn't have her real name on it.

"Is that card stolen?" he asked as they left the store together.

"No," she said. Both of them carried a shopping bag in each hand, and she was struggling with her share of the heavy load. "It's attached to one of my cover identities."

"Who pays it off?"

"The Society, of course. Business expenses."

"Do you have a limit?"

She shook her head. "No hard limit. We just have to keep a low profile. No extravagant purchases that might attract attention."

"What about expense reports?" he said. "Approval forms?"

"Ethel checks the bank statements. She'll tell you if she doesn't like what she sees."

He smiled. This was sounding like a good deal.

"Don't worry about money," she said. "Just spend what you need to spend. As long as you can justify it, you'll never have a problem."

"But where does the money come from?"

"That part is a bit mysterious. Maybe Ethel can tell you."

They were using a brown van as transportation for this mission. Aaron made sure nobody was looking when he opened the rear doors. Inside were all the illegal weapons they had taken to the cult encampment. He and Marina added the bags of new clothes to the pile.

"We should get this gear back to headquarters," he said. "What if a cop gets curious about what's in the van?"

"Let's do some legwork first. I want to have good news to report before I see Ethel again. You pick the first destination. Where are we going? What should we wear?"

"Lincoln Park, just north of downtown. Very casual."

She climbed into the van.

"You're changing here?"

She pointed to a gray suitcase. "I always bring plenty of undercover outfits, just in case." She closed the doors.

He waited outside the van, smiling at shoppers as they walked past. The sun was brutal, and the air was thick with humidity. He hated summers in Chicago much more than the winters. When it was cold, he could wear more or less clothing as needed to make himself comfortable, but heat like today was just miserable.

Marina came out of the van wearing blue jeans and a plain white shirt with short sleeves. The jeans did very nice things to her already shapely backside, and a snug belt enhanced the effect.

A few odd bulges showed where weapons were hidden. He was learning that
legionnaires
were always well armed, especially when on a mission. It was a policy he liked a lot. He had two guns concealed under his own clothes, and Marina had told him even that was insufficient.

He took his turn inside the van. Moving within the cramped and crowded space tested his flexibility. He put on a pair of blue slacks that he found among his new clothes. He was already wearing a green polo shirt, and he decided to keep it. He emerged back into the sunlight.

"What sort of place are we going to?" Marina said.

"A bookstore."

"To buy a book?"

"Not exactly." He shook his head.

* * *

Big John's Adult Books and Novelties was tucked away in an alley off of Lincoln Avenue. The sign was just visible from the sidewalk, easily missed if one didn't look in the right direction. Black paint covered all the windows.

"A sex shop?" Marina said.

Aaron's face grew warm. "No better place to find dirt."

They went inside the store. Most of the shelf space was given over to videos, not books, and they were categorized by topic. Chicago was a sophisticated city. The topics covered the whole spectrum of human sexuality and included a few that even he found disturbing. There were also plenty of "novelties," which generally required batteries, ample lubrication, or both. The air smelled faintly of bleach.

Aaron ignored the items on display, and he walked past the coin operated video booths. He led Marina through a door marked "EMPLOYEES ONLY" in the back. They climbed a flight of stairs.

There was an office on the second floor, and across from it, a tiny apartment. The door to the apartment was wide open.
I'm lucky
, Aaron thought.
She's available right now.
He entered the apartment without knocking. Inside he found a skinny woman in pink lingerie sitting on a king sized bed. Her long red hair was obviously a cheap wig. She immediately stood and closed the door behind him and Marina.

"Aaron!" the woman said with a smile. "It's been months! I thought maybe you forgot about Candy."

"I could never forget you."

"Who's the chick?" Candy looked at Marina. "Will this be a threesome? I'll have to charge extra."

"We're here on business," Aaron said quickly.

"So am I," Candy replied.

"Not
that
kind of business. I'm looking for information."

"You still a private dick?"

"That's right." He nodded.

"Well, questions cost money, too. I don't do nothin' for free."

Marina took a wad of cash from her pocket and peeled off two twenties. Candy used her finger to signal for more, so Marina doubled the payment, and this sum seemed to satisfy the prostitute.

"The Church of One Soul," Aaron said. "Ever hear of them?"

"No." Candy shook her head.

"Freaky guys in green robes with green tattoos on their faces."

"Oh, yeah! They give out pamphlets on street corners. I seen them around. Always talking about a guy named Simon."

"That's right." He smiled. "What else can you tell me?"

"Hmm." She squeezed her eyes shut, revealing an abundance of purple eye shadow. "They deal on the side. Better than begging for money, I guess." She winked.

"Drugs? What kind?"

"Horse."

Heroin
, Aaron thought.

"Problem is," Candy added, "the local businessmen don't like no competition. Street corners are private property. But them green freaks are hard to push out."

"They fight back?"

"Old school. They come at night and take people away, nice and quiet. No dead bodies for the cops to find."

He glanced at Marina to see how she was reacting. Her expression was entirely calm and detached, as if this kind of thing was just another day at the office for her.

"Do you remember anything else?" he said to Candy. "It's important."

"Why?"

"If you want to take a turn asking questions, then give some money back."