Demonic Designs (To Absolve the Fallen) (49 page)

“I think,” Abbie said, drawing the class back to attention, “what you are referring to is called the Oedipus Complex.
 
What else is psychology besides ‘crackpot theories’ and talking to shrinks?”

Tim said, “It’s what we use to try to understand crazy people.”

Abbie smiled.
 
“The point is that we all have different understandings of what psychology is.
 
It means different things to different people.
 
Most of how we conceptualize psychology is based, largely, off of what we learn from the media—from entertainment.
 
Psychology, simply put, is the study of the workings of the brain as well as human and animal behaviors and development.
 
All too often, we think of psychology as a tool for understanding differences among people, when, in fact, psychology is a method by which we can better understand all people.
 
That is to say that psychology is, in many ways, more descriptive than prescriptive.”

Abbie paused for a moment and then added, “Let’s talk about what psychology
isn’t
.
 
Psychology is not the sum of one man’s work—for instance, Sigmund Freud.
 
No psychological tenet can be applied to all people; therefore, no one person is completely predictable.
 
But, we can rest relatively assured that most people exhibit many similar traits.
 
Psychology is also not a series of guesses.
 
Like other sciences, psychology thrives on a method of hypothesizing, testing, observation, retesting, and, finally, discovery.
 
Application of psychological principles does not come about until a great deal of research has been done.

“The answers you have given me are indicative of misconceptions that many people have.
 
I plan to work some of those misconceptions out of your system very quickly.”
 
Abbie checked a watch on her wrist.
 
“For our next meeting, you need to read the first chapter in your text book.
 
I have been known to give pop quizzes, so it would benefit you to be prepared.
 
We will continue to discuss what psychology is and is not on Thursday.”

Within seconds of her finishing that sentence, the bell rang.
 
The students, very much exhausted by Abbie, shuffled out of the room and headed to their next assigned rooms.
 
Abbie looked at Alex and smiled.

“Thomas, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” he responded.

“Would you be so kind as to accompany me to my office?
 
There are some things I could use some help with.
 
There are a few boxes I need to drag out to my car, and you look like a strapping young lad.”

Alex blushed.

When they got to Abbie’s office, she shut the door behind them and pulled out a strange-looking metal wand.

“It should let me know if there are any bugs in the room,” she explained.
 
After she seemed confident that there were none, she sat down at her desk.
 
“I do that every time I walk into this damned room.
 
Since Patheus popped in here, I can’t feel overly-confident with my privacy.
 
Have a drink, won’t you?”

She pulled out a soda from the refrigerator by her desk.
 
Alex sat down at the table and popped the can open.

She moved the mouse on the computer to take it out of sleep mode and said, “Matt was needed elsewhere, so Liz asked me if I could watch over you for a few hours.
 
I told her I would be delighted.”

“Was there a problem?” Alex asked.

“I don’t know,” Abbie replied.
 
“Generally, they don’t give me any information unless I’m needed for something.
 
In this case, I suppose I wasn’t.
 
I’m actually relieved; I have a lot to do, anyway.”

“Am I in your way?
 
I’m sure I would be all right at the apartment.”

“No, you’re fine.
 
Besides, you are my most important project at the moment.
 
I have no intention of letting you out of my sight until I’m sure you’ll be safe.
 
And there aren’t that many people I trust with the task of keeping you safe.
 
Matt, though, does a good job.”

Alex looked out of Abbie’s window for answers.
 
“I just wish I knew what he’s doing.”

***

“Sir?”

“Yes,” Patheus responded, looking up from his desk.

“Something’s wrong,” his personal secretary explained, peevishly.

“Get to the point,” Patheus growled.

The woman fidgeted with some papers in her hands.
 
“Did you liquidate some of the offshore accounts?”

“Of course I didn’t.
 
Why?”

She looked around the room, as if there would be someone else who might be able to answer the question.
 
“Well, three of them are gone.
 
The bank just contacted me, asking if we were displeased with the service.”

Patheus sighed.
 
“How much did we lose?”

“A little under seventy million,” the secretary whispered.

“What happened to it?” Patheus asked, patiently.
 

Then, the phone began to ring.
 
The woman stood and looked at Patheus for guidance.
 
He looked to her desk, just outside of his office and looked back to her.
 
Finally, he motioned with his hand to get the phone.
 
She walked briskly out the door.
 
She was speaking quietly to whoever was on the other end, and, frankly, Patheus didn’t care.
 
He had to find out what had happened to that money.

His secretary rushed back into the room.
 
“Sir, there’s a problem in Chicago.”

***

Jeremiah watched as six men repelled from a helicopter onto the roof of a mansion.
 
The two men on the ground, next to the door, were scrambling.
 
They pointed their handguns into the sky in hopes of bringing down the helicopter.

“Do it,” Jeremiah commanded.

Two men with sniper rifles took simultaneous shots.
 
Jeremiah’s keen eyes saw the two guards at the door fall in unison.

“Very nice,” the demon noted.
 
“Now, Matt, you’re going to take the second wave in through the back door.
 
Be very careful.
 
I can sense them; therefore, they can sense us.
 
Make a sweep toward the front door; we’ll meet halfway.”
 
Jeremiah pointed to the green shirt on one of the elite gunmen who were crouched next to him.
 
“Remember, the good guys are wearing green shirts.
 
We need to make sure that there isn’t any friendly fire going on.”

“Okay,” Matt agreed as he signaled the five men who were with him to follow closely.
 
They stayed low to the ground, with guns drawn, and they made their way around the side of the house.

Jeremiah, Dylan, and two armed men waited until Matt and his crew vanished out of sight.
 
Then, they began walking toward the front door.

“You know, Jeremiah,” Dylan said, “I’m really more of a lover than a fighter.”

Jeremiah laughed.
 
“You shouldn’t need to do any fighting, and I plan to leave you at the front door until I’m sure that everyone who is carrying a gun in that house is on my payroll.
 
Still, you might be helpful when we get to the demons.
 
There are three of them, and one of them is a very old and cranky demon.
 
He and I go way back.
 
So, I know what he’ll do when Metatron inevitably calls in backup.”

“He’ll cause us problems,” Dylan finished.
 
“And, if Elizabeth hadn’t called, you would have gone after this bastard by yourself?”

“Of course not,” Jeremiah responded.
 
“I had you, too.”

Dylan rolled his eyes.
 
“Great.
 
And how would the two of us have managed three demons and a house full of security?”

“I admit, it would have been difficult, but it all worked out, so we don’t have to worry about it.”

“Well, if it’s all the same to you, I’m going to keep worrying.”

At this point, the four of them had made it to the front door, and they heard gunfire inside.

“You wait here,” Jeremiah told Dylan.
 
“I’ll be back to get you in a few minutes.”

“And if the demons come out here looking for a way out while you’re in there?”

Jeremiah laughed.
 
“Keep them occupied.”

Jeremiah pulled out two handguns and kicked in the door.
 
Immediately, he and the other two gunmen saw armed guards running toward them.
 
Between Jeremiah’s uncanny accuracy and his guards’ automatic weapons, the group of soldiers fell rapidly.
 
Jeremiah stepped over the bodies, and the two men with him followed.
 
They walked into a hallway, and, from around a corner, three men with sub-machine guns made an entrance.
 
Jeremiah gunned them down before his escorts even had a chance to react.

“Throw a grenade down that hallway,” Jeremiah instructed as they approached the junction that those three guards had just come out of.

The man did as he was told.
 
The three of them ran past the hallway, and, seconds later, there was an explosion, followed by screams of agony.

“Got ‘em,” Jeremiah observed.
 
“We should finish them off to make sure no one follows us.”

They walked back to the hallway and stepped inside, firing at will.
 
There
were
two people still standing, but that was soon taken care of.
 
After that short gunfight, the three of them took a few seconds to kill anyone who was only wounded.
 
One guy begged for his life.

Jeremiah knelt beside him and informed him, “It’s better this way,” before he snapped the man’s neck.
 
“Now,” Jeremiah explained, looking to his guards, “judging from the gunfire, I think our rendezvous point is close.
 
We need to meet up with Matt’s group directly.
 
Follow me.”

It didn’t take them long to find Matt’s contingent.
 
They were in the kitchen, being held back by several men with automatic weapons.
 
But, as Jeremiah and his escorts came up behind Matt’s adversaries, those who had Matt and his men trapped behind different appliances, dodging bullets, soon found themselves in a crossfire.
 
The shooting stopped after about five seconds, and Jeremiah made his way, over the fallen, to Matt.

“I left Dylan outside.
 
I need to go back for him.
 
Try to clean up the rest of this floor.
 
It seems the demons are hiding somewhere on a higher level.
 
We’ll have to find them, but don’t do any searching until I get back.”

“I understand,” Matt said.
 
“I’ve lost two.”

“Well, you can have mine.
 
Try not to get them killed.
 
These guys don’t come cheap.
 
Speaking of...where are the men from the roof?”

“I don’t know,” Matt answered.
 
“They were supposed to work the upper levels but I haven’t seen them or heard any gunfire.”

Jeremiah rolled his eyes.
 
“Well, I have a pretty good idea where they are, or at least, what condition they’re in.
 
Stay on
this
level.”
 
With that, he went back the way he came.