Demon Accords 6: Forced Ascent (25 page)

“That’s pretty much right,” I answered.

“Who hires you?  To banish these demons?” she asked.

“Well, mostly, it’s been the US government.”

“The same government that you say is now trying to kill you?”

“Yup.”

“Why?”

“Why did they hire us or why are they trying to kill us?” I asked.

“Both,” she said after considering the choices.

“Well, we cleared up a few gates for the NYPD, and then Oracle, which is a relatively unknown branch of the government, hired us to clear up a bunch more. But the Administration and I have never had a very cordial relationship.  After New Hampshire, they wanted to control me.  They wanted to use my goddaughter as a hostage.  I told them that wasn’t possible anymore.”

“Wow, you said so many interesting things just now that I hardly know where to start,” she said, drawing a deep breath.  “Okay, I’ve written about Oracle on my blog.  So we’ll circle back to them.  You mentioned that the Garth administration has known you for a while?”

“Chris has done numerous… jobs, you might call them, for the President,” Tanya said, leaning forward.  “He handled some national security threats that were too dangerous for normal resources.  But the President has always feared him.  They would like to harness him and use them as their own weapon.”

“So you’ve worked for the President, but he distrusts your power.  You mentioned New Hampshire.  The only noteworthy event there recent was the asteroid.  Is that what you’re referring to?”

I looked at Tanya and she nodded.  “Yes.  A rogue terrorist element kidnapped my goddaughter.  They wanted my attention.  They got it.”

Brystol studied me for a moment before speaking.  “You’ve been very charming and even funny so far.  But things just got real, didn’t they?”

“Harming my people makes it super real, Brystol.  Taking an eight-year-old girl from her parents to use as a bargaining chip is unconscionable.”

“I happened to be in Owls Head Park the day that happened, Chris.  It was, to this day, the single most violent scene I have ever witnessed.  You and your bear-wolf fought and killed over twenty men that day, am I right?”

“Yes.  And later that day, we killed many more.  They had Ton…. Oops, almost said her name.  They held my goddaughter in an old missile silo in New Hampshire.  We, ‘Sos, Tanya, and I, cleaned it out and brought her home, along with some other kids and hostages.”

“And what did you do after they were out, Chris?  What did you do to the base?”

“I sent a message, Brystol.  A ten ton message from above.”

“You’re claiming you have the ability to rain asteroids from above?”

I studied her for a moment, not sure how to answer.  “It sounds crazy when you say it like that, Brystol, so maybe I won’t admit anything of the sort.”

She looked disappointed.  “But what about the Tomahawk missile that should have vaporized the Pine Barrens?”

“What are you looking for, Brystol?  Can I interfere with technology?  Yes.”

“What about the satellite that crashed into the ocean at the same spot the missile was launched from?”

“Another message, Brystol.  Some people are hard of hearing,” I said.

“So you can crash missiles and rain down asteroids and satellites from above.  We’ve seen you peel open a tank with your hands.  Why shouldn’t the government and the people as a whole be afraid of you?”

“It wasn’t a tank, just an armored vehicle, but to your question, I don’t know if I have the answer.  Maybe they should, maybe that’s entirely rational.  I doubt myself much of the time, so I don’t think I can plead an iron-clad case,” I said.

Tanya interrupted.  “In all likelihood, he’s right. 
He
can’t plead his own case.  That’s what we’re here for.”

“That’s great, Tanya. Let’s hear from the people that know him best,” Brystol said.

“My Chosen is, if you couldn’t tell, a very humble man.  One who, as he just admitted, is filled with self-doubt.  He doubts his worth, he doubts his place in the scheme of things, and he often wonders why he must lead the life he leads.  And yet he gets up every day and continues on.  He leads us into sites of demonic possession and open gates to Hell, every damn day.  And he keeps helping even when he shouldn’t.  When his assets are frozen by the government that asked for his help, when he’s attacked not only by the demons he fights but by the people he fights for, he still keeps going.”

“Assets?  Let’s talk about that for a moment.  A source inside the federal government told me that you got paid a pretty healthy amount of money to close each gate.  Is that true?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Mostly because I insisted,” Tanya said. “He is liable to give away his services, but it seemed that the people that caused much of this problem should pay for it.”

“And they froze it?” Brystol asked.

“Well, Chris’s account, yes.  But most of the money already went to charity,” Tanya said.

I looked at her, eyebrows raised.

“You said to give most of it away, so I did.  It went to a number of animal sanctuaries and food pantries,” Tanya said, shrugging. “The rest was invested, which the feds have frozen.”

“She has a head for figures,” I explained to Brystol.

“Yes, the Demidova business empire, which turns out to be run by vampires.  How does that work, Tanya?”

“My… mother is very old and very good at business.  The rest is a matter of time… you’ve heard of compound interest?”

“So the whole immortal thing is true?  What about losing your soul and all that?” Brystol asked.

I interrupted.  “They don’t lose their souls.  Most of them
think
they do, but they don’t.”

“And how do you know that, Chris?”

“Because I can see souls.  It’s a necessary gift for a demon hunter.  And vampires have them.”

“So vampirism doesn’t cost you your soul?”

“Not unless you chose to lose it.  It’s the same for everyone.  We have free will.  We get to choose our actions.  Actions are, more than anything else, what matters as far as your soul is concerned.”

“Important information from a man who can see souls, exorcise demons, fight like an avenging angel, and can call down retribution from Heaven.  What else are you here to tell us?”

“I don’t think I’m
here
to tell anyone much of anything, Brystol.  Don’t make me out to be some kind of religious icon.  I’m not.  I’m a soldier, that’s all.”

“Don’t you have any words at all for my listeners?”

“Yeah, stay inside on Halloween and keep the kids home.  Practice whatever form of religion or spiritual exercise brings you comfort.  Ring your house with salt and iron.  If you own a gun and know how to use it, keep it loaded and close at hand.  Be ready as if a storm was coming.  You know, have water, food, blankets, lights, and first aid supplies.  And stay behind good thresholds.”

“Thresholds? As in door thresholds?”

“Yes.  The old bit about vampires not being able to enter a home unless invited?  That wasn’t vampires, it was demons.  And it’s true.  A dwelling that is truly a home, where families live and grow, have a threshold that has power.  Don’t invite in strangers unless you are certain of them,” I said.

“Line the entries with salt: doors and windows.  And get a good shotgun,” Stacia threw in.  “And don’t trust the government… they’re
not
here to help you.”

“Well, okay.  So a storm is coming?”

“Yeah, of sorts.  Unless we can stop it,” I said.

“And that’s if the government doesn’t stop
you
,” Brystol replied. “I’m struggling to see how you and your merry band are actually terrorists.”

“Well, Brystol, it turns out that if you drop an orbital object on US soil and decimate a portion of the forest, you meet the definition,” Lydia quipped.

“Ah, the Girl Friday speaks.  Lydia, tell us about your role in all this.”

“I can actually live with the Girl Friday moniker if, by Girl Friday, you mean the ass-kicking, ultra-efficient and beautiful organizer of this little charade,” Lydia replied smoothly.

“You’re the glue that holds it all together?” Brystol asked.  The rest of us were all nodding.

“She is my oldest friend, my teacher, protector, counselor, and confidant.  I would be adrift at sea without Lydia,” Tanya said, smiling at the small vampire.

“See, when you interact like this, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that you’re, in fact, vampires.  Predators of humans,” Brystol said, causing an immediate shift in mood.

“Well, that’s because we’re all people, Brystol.  And people are complex, multifaceted creatures,” I said.

“Wow, boy toy, big words,” Lydia quipped before Brystol could speak.

“I’ll explain them to you later,” I replied.

“See, that right there.  It’s more like a family interaction than two very dangerous people arguing,” Brystol said.

“We do squabble, if that is the right word.  But you’re right.  We’re dangerous… very dangerous,” I said.

“You threatened to kill police and federal agents, Chris.  Did you mean it?”

“Yes, Brystol, I did.  They poisoned my mate, then tried to shoot us.  There is a limit, and I had reached it.  I don’t want to harm soldiers and cops just doing their jobs, but when their job is to kill me or mine, the gloves come off.  I’m not a nice guy, Brystol, not really.  I’m tainted with evil and while I fight it every day, make no mistake, it’s there, like an unexploded stick of dynamite.”

“You know, when you say stuff like that, you make the President’s case for him,” she said.

“Yeah, well, he’s not entirely wrong.  I have a temper.  I have a mission—a purpose in life.  My mandate is from a higher power, and so I have to do what I have to do.  That sounds crazy… the whole mission from God defense.  So I don’t really expect anyone to buy it.  I’m not sure I would, if it were me sitting home watching this.  But at the end of the day, or in our case, the night, it doesn’t matter.  We have to fight.  Our goal is to avoid the US government while we do so, but if we’re pressed in a corner, we’ll do what we have to.”

“Any other words for the audience before we wrap this up?”

“Well, I expect the Secret Service to follow up on Brianna Duclair.  I would advise them to treat her like they would treat me.  She’s utterly dangerous and much more ruthless than I.  In fact, their best bet would be to point me in her direction and stay out of the way.”

“Once again, volunteering to step up to the breach.  There you have it.  Our interview with vampires and others.  A chance for you, the watcher, to judge for yourself, if Chris Gordon, Tanya Demidova, and their companions are this nation’s highest threat or best chance.  I’m Brystol Chatterjee and I expect you won’t be hearing from me for a while.  No doubt I’ll face some tough questioning by the Man, so good-bye for now.”

Chapter 21

Brystol’s crew was fast. We wrapped the interview up just before ten and they had it edited, auctioned, and sold before the eleven o’clock news.  ABC won the bid and played it in its entirety.  I hated it.  Can’t stand looking at myself in video.

“Do I really look like that?” I asked.

“Actually, you look worse in real life.  You’re ugly and nobody likes you,” Lydia said.

“Hurtful words.  But that’s to be expected from a small, bitter person such as yourself,” I replied.

“Shhh!  Trying to listen here,” Stacia said, the others nodding in agreement.

The clip finished and we all sat back.  We were in another cheap motel room, those being the only real option for us to watch television without being recognized or, in the girls’ case, hit on.

“Not too shabby,” Stacia said, when the program shifted back to the anchors.  For their part, the seasoned news staff seemed rather stunned by the interview.

“I don’t know, Jacob… I mean, I watched the President’s speech and all, but after that, I’m having a hard time picturing them as the Nation’s biggest threat.”

“I agree, Sonya. After all, they aren’t pitching a cause.  They’re just trying to carry on with this mission of stopping these horrific creatures.  And according to viewer emails, there are new videos popping up on the web, videos showing that group in previous engagements with these so-called demons and usually with federal agents right there watching.”

“He’s right. Chester just released a whole slew of material to the Internet,” Tanya said, looking at an Android tablet that was hooked into the motel’s Wi-Fi.  It was a new purchase and she was looking at the same stuff that literally millions of others were, so there was nothing to alert any cyber watchers out there.

We watched the anchors’ reaction for a few more minutes before Lydia turned the volume down.

“Okay, that looks successful.  If nothing else, it will leave people undecided and it should push the feds into at least talking to Brianna,” Lydia said.

“Oh, it’s better than that.  You guys don’t realize how powerful that’s gonna be.  People are going to eat it up.  The President, whose ratings and popularity are in the dumps, is much less believable than that earnest, highly attractive group of heroes we just watched on the news.  You wait and see,” Stacia said.