"It opens a portal all right, but the magic is weak and unrefined. It's only stable enough to bring one Demon over at a shot. That's if it doesn’t collapse while he's coming through. Which, by the way, happens 99% of the time. Even if they do manage to bring one over, the little boogers are so whacked out they almost always kill the summoner before the spell is complete. Then, poof, bye-bye Demon, hello dead guy. At least most of the time. Professor says there's no guarantee that one might slip through, but the odds are pretty small. If they keep this kind of shit up we won’t need to find them. We can just sit back and watch as they wipe themselves out."

  "That's good news," I said, offering him a thumbs up. "I still want you to keep on top of it though. Either these folks are scraping the bottom of the barrel or they're grasping at straws. Either way, they're still dangerous. Worst case, we wouldn’t want any civilians getting hurt when they do go poof."

  "No worries, LT," Roberto replied. "Cox says the magic is so dirty it might as well shoot up a flare when it hits the aether. He's polishing up a spell to give us a warning if one pops up as we speak. I'll push it out to my guys when I get it. Shouldn’t be a problem. Oh, hey? What did you need anyway?"

  "I'm going to be tied up for a few days," I said, rolling my eyes. "Someone's had a change of heart. All of a sudden the Feds have decided they want me working with them on that church thing."

  "No shit," he said, tilting his head back and laughing. "Haven't they figured out we don’t play well together? Whose bright idea was that?"

  "You'd have to ask the Sheriff for that one," I replied, unable to tell him everything that was really going on. "Anyway, I need you and Mal to split the duty and work twelve twelves till this gig is over. I'll be working crazy hours myself so you know the drill. Page me if something you think I need to know comes up. I'm probably gonna bring you guys in on it at some point, so be ready to join in the fun."

  "Oh, joy," he replied, still chuckling. "But you got it, LT."

  "All right, Roberto," I said, heading for the doorway. "Let Mal know what's up. You guys stay safe."

  ****

  "What did the Druid say?" Charlie asked as I walked toward the door.

  "He admitted it," I replied, going into the house and tossing my keys on the counter. "Said he was trying to set up the priest I spoke to. Claims he was only after the Knights. It was supposed to all be over before we got there. He even said it was our fault for being early. He didn’t expect me to be so worked up over it. I think he was more upset that I would consider dealing with Knights fairly in the first place."

  "And the girl?"

  "You're going to love this," I said, stripping off my guns and vest as I walked down the hall. I tossed them on my bed and then went back into the kitchen. "I was supposed to just slit her throat and dump her body somewhere."

  "What kind of a world is this?" Charlie asked as I shook my head and made a pot of coffee. "Is there no honor here?"

  "Oh, it gets better." I proceeded to tell him about Robert's file that O'Malley had tossed at me. "I mean, I don't claim to be a Saint, far from it, and I knew this Robert was different. That was obvious from the way people acted around him. But his body count is insane, and the worst thing is, that's what everybody expects of him. He can kill anyone and nobody can even question him about it. Anytime, anywhere. He's even got a frigging get out of jail free card! These Fae, they're running the place exactly like the old Gods did. They don’t give a shit about anything except themselves and Robert's just one of their henchmen. If Gaea's teaching me a lesson she's accomplished that, but if she's looking for something else… I have no idea what it can be. Even changing Robert won’t accomplish anything. They'll just promote someone else into his job to do the same.

  "Charlie, I tell you… I'm at a loss… I have no clue what to do next." I said, rummaging through the cabinet, finally eyeing a cup that boasted a picture of Audie Murphy in combat gear, of all things. I filled it with what had brewed and then moved over to the couch and plopped down. "Biggest problem I see at the moment is that O'Malley is starting to notice the difference between the two of us. Which means I have to be less like me and more like him if I want to keep this up. If he starts thinking Robert's a liability he'll make him retire and I have to believe we need Robert's position and access to stay in the loop. That's the source of his power here. But I'm not sure I can do that. There's so many things I don’t know about him or his background and every time I turn around something new pops up."

  "You can only do the best you can," Charlie said, laying his big head on my lap. "Gaea can expect nothing else from you."

  "Yeah, maybe," I agreed. "But I don't know if that's enough to satisfy her." I sat up a minute later, taking a sip of coffee as I rubbed the big dog's head. "All right, this pity party is getting us nowhere. O'Malley might be an asshole but he's right. I gotta get my head in the game. So what's our worst-case scenario? I fail and we're stuck here? I've given that a lot of thought and I'm thinking Jamaica. A sandy beach doesn't sound that bad, does it? Gaea's also made it pretty clear I can die here. But we can deal with that. We've busted out of Hades before; we can do it again. Right? So what's left? Lemme see... I guess we can start by looking at what we do have. First, there's the Keres. I'm still working on that one but…"

  ****

  "Lieutenant Hoskins," Samson said as she led me into her office. "I apologize for the mess. As you can see, I'm just moving in, but thank you for coming."

  "My pleasure, Special Agent," I said, skirting a few boxes that were still on the floor before taking a seat in front of her desk. "And please, no apologies are necessary, especially since I'm probably part of the reason you're not settled in yet. Although I would prefer it if you'd call me Robert, at least when I'm not under investigation."

  "Really?" she asked, taking a seat at her desk and picking up a folder. "From your file I expected you to want to remain formal when dealing with outside agencies. Was that inaccurate?"

  "You can’t believe everything you read, Special Agent," I replied, crossing my legs and putting on my Robert from this world hat. "Why just this morning I was reading a recent translation of the Book of Enoch. It was a new take on the actions of a certain Fallen Angel by the name of Samyaza. You've heard of him I presume?"

  "Point taken, Lieu… Robert," she said, tossing the file back on her desk. "You've done your research, as have I. You can call me Rox, although I prefer Roxana in public. Anything but Roxy."

  "Okay, Rox," I said, glad to have that out of the way. Of course, I hadn’t had to do any research. I knew from the Samson in my own world that she was a Nephilim and descended from the leader of the Grigori. "So why am I here? I seem to recall being specifically told that the EAB wanted nothing to do with me on this op. Why the change of heart?"

  "Let me cut to the chase, Robert," she said, placing her hands on the desk as she leaned forward. "Contrary to what you said last night, your agency and the EAB have never been close. Considering the entities we deal with, that surprises me. But, when one factors in your method of operation, I can see why we have our differences. I am not a fool, Robert. I know Nevada has its own idiosyncrasies. This is the only place in the world where the Fae and other creatures, not to mention Angels and Demons, coexist with one another on a daily basis without a war breaking out. That said, unlike my predecessor, I don't have to like you to know that no one else understands these entities better than you do. But that's not all of it. You're here for the same reason I am."

  "Do tell," I said, fascinated by the fact that she actually appeared to understand what we were up against here. "And what would that be?"

  "You might as well know," she said. "Although I have no idea why, the facilitator of this conference changed her stance and notified us yesterday that they wanted you involved. We didn't have a choice, it's that simple."

  "Ouch," I said, uncrossing my legs. "That had to hurt."

  "I wouldn't know," she said, dismissively. "I wasn't assigned to this case until after my predecessor was removed. I was in Phoenix when he had his problems here. Hence the reason for being assigned to your incident last night. I was spending the night in Bullhead City. Staying with a friend before I had to report here."

  "Really?" I replied, somewhat surprised. "I would have thought your family's history with the Fallen Angel would have made you the natural choice to be in charge of this op from the beginning." I was talking about the long-standing rumor that during the fall of the Grigori, it was Rael herself who'd spirited Samyaza's offspring away, saving the young Nephilim from the fate of his brethren.

  "You seem to know a lot about my family history," she said, sounding irritated. "And I wasn't aware you'd been briefed on as much of this operation as you seem to have been."

  "I wouldn't get too worked up about it," I said, chuckling. "As to the Grigori? Anyone can put the pieces together if they have access to the right history books. But as far as anyone telling me State secrets, I don't have to be included in meetings to know what's going on in my own backyard. A Fallen Angel can't just waltz into Vegas without me hearing something about it."

  "I'll try to remember that," she said. "But just so you're aware, the EAB doesn’t assign agents based on their family associations. Far from it as a matter of fact. But like you, I was requested."

  "Then we're in this boat together," I said. "I can work with that. So now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, why don’t you tell me what you need from me."

  She spent the next hour going over the basics of the operation. Contrary to popular belief, there had been contact between the Church and the minions from Hell over the centuries, and not just over the fight for Souls. If what she said was true, Armageddon itself had been avoided once or twice thanks to conferences such as these. While this one was nothing quite as exciting, it was still incumbent on both sides to ensure the other's safety. That was the reason Rael had chosen Vegas as the site. This was neutral ground and neither side could say it had an advantage here.

  Rael had made a deal with Meredith Milagre to use one of their properties for the location under the guise of a private party. No surprise there. Like I've said before, she was the most powerful Fae in the State, not to mention that she had an army of her own she could call on. Anyway, the meeting was to be held at their private golf course in Jean, Nevada. It was a secure site, and thanks to its location in almost the middle of nowhere, the high level of security needed wouldn't attract too much attention, or at least that was the idea. Bottom line was that Rael now wanted all three entities here to work with the delegations.

  Roxana Samson had high hopes that this wouldn’t turn out to be a too many bosses, not enough peons kind of thing, but I had my doubts. The Church and the Devil had their own bodyguards, while three other separate groups were tasked with protecting the route and securing the location of the conference. To quote Roberto's comment this morning, Oh, joy! Still, the Captain had made it clear he wanted this to go off without a hitch, so I'd play nice and do what I was told. Anyway, for what it's worth, it seems that Samson and I had come to an understanding, and after another 30 minutes of boring details, she called it a day.

  "That's the basics," she said, tossing down the folder she'd been reviewing while she spoke. "Our people will sweep the route several times and handle security of the caravan to the site. Both agencies will be manning fixed posts and roving units and the Neptune is responsible for the grounds until the conference is over, although we will have representatives there as well. Security at the actual rooms the meeting is taking place at will be handled by us and Rael. That includes me as well."

  "Sounds like you have it covered," I replied, getting up from my chair. "But we should go out to the site on Monday morning. I know your people and the Neptune's will sweep it, but I'd like to get a hands-on look at the route and site. It's been a while since I've been out that way. I'll even drive if that works for you."

  "Good idea," she replied, standing and stretching. "I'm not as familiar with the area as you are. It'll be good to see things from a local perspective." She looked down at her watch. "I'm so used to having a smartphone I keep forgetting to check the time. When are they going to bring this place into the twentieth century?"

  "First person to figure that out will make a fortune," I replied, chuckling. "You think wearing a watch takes some getting used to, just wait till you turn on the computer."

  "Ugh," she replied. "I've already had the pleasure. Did you know I have to check out a special car now that I'm assigned here? Apparently, we have an entire fleet used only in Nevada. They say it's going to take me a month to figure out how everything works."

  "Make sure to ask for an Omega. They're the only ones that make a police version with damping fields that offer some protection against black magic. Almost as good as an armored car if you make a wrong turn and get ambushed."

  "Thank you. I'll be sure to specify one when I go to check it out." She sat back down and picked up the handset of her phone, shaking her head as she remembered that it had a cord and rotary dial. "I'm supposed to go to the Downtown Neptune for a meet and greet with their head of security, Michael Bunker. He's our counterpart there. You should come with me. Might be good for the three of us to meet before we get started. I'll call him, but I'm sure he won’t mind. He was disappointed that your agency's involvement in the planning stages was so limited before today."

  "I imagine he was," I said, smiling. I might as well kill two birds with one stone and meet the Michael from this world. Having a third person with us the first time I met him wouldn't hurt either. "Michael and I go way back."

  Chapter 9

  We met up with Michael at the security desk in the Casino of the Downtown Neptune. After being introduced to Samson and greeting me like an old friend, we followed him into his office for some small talk. Business-related for the most part, and then he invited us to dine with him at one of the Neptune's smaller steakhouses. After a delicious meal of steak and lobster, the waiter brought the bill. Before she could react, Michael picked it up.

  "Don’t even say it," he said, handing her a separate check. "I wouldn't want your bosses in DC to think I was trying to bribe you." He pointed his thumb in my direction. "This guy's money, however, is no good. Not just because Mrs. Milagre loves the bastard, although I can’t for the life of me understand why, but more so because we've been friends since we were kids." He waved at one of the waiters. A minute later, he brought a bottle of wine to the table and filled three glasses. "Now that that's out of the way and we're off the clock, this one's on me."

  "So you've been friends for a long time, have you?" Roxana noted, taking the offered glass. "How did you two meet?"

  "What? He didn’t tell you?" Michael replied, wagging a finger at me.

  "Come on, Michael," I said, swirling the wine in my glass. "I'm sure she's not interested in our sad, boring old stories."

  "Hah!" he said, looking over at her. "Boring, never! Sad… well… maybe. But tell me the truth, I'll bet you a dollar to a donut that all you know about him is the negative stuff. Am I right?" He waved his hand, shaking her off. "No, I know you won’t answer. But I'm sure it's true. So, what do you say? You want to hear some real stories about our friend Robert here? The real Robert, not the ones in all the fairy tales they spread about him."

  "Michael," I said, secretly hoping he would continue. "I don’t think that's…"

  "Yes," Roxana said, putting her hand over my wrist. "I believe I would like to hear a little bit more about your lifelong friend here."

  "Fine," I said, looking over at him as I rolled my eyes. "But try and keep the bullshit to a reasonable level."

  "Oh, don’t worry, Robby," he said, chuckling at the use of the name. "I won’t tell her how we're both orphans and you used to invite me for dinner on holidays because my foster parents were such cheap sons of bitches." He paused to look over at her. "His grandmother was a Saint, by the way. She used to pack him an extra sandwich for lunch just so I'd have something to eat. She even coached him on how to offer it to me so I wouldn’t feel bad."

  He went on like that for about 10 minutes, concluding by telling a story about me getting kicked out of school for beating up two guys that were picking on a girl because she had a birthmark that covered half of her face. A story that was eerily familiar to an incident that had occurred back home. Only that one had involved Jay instead of me. Weird, but I wasn't quite sure if that meant anything.

  "So you see," Michael said, continuing. "Don't believe all that bullshit about him being a hard ass. He doesn’t show it much but he's really a nice guy down deep."

  "I'll take your word on that," she said, glancing over at me as she took another sip of wine. "But I'll have to disagree with you about him not being a hard ass. He proved that on his own the first time we met."

  "Oh, Robert," Michael said, looking me in the eyes. "You've been holding out on me."

  "What can I say?" I replied, nodding my head toward Roxana. "Got myself involved in a little firefight last night across the border. Ended up having to take out a Mage and a couple of his Demons. She was the EAB agent that handled the call. Stupid of me if you must know. I wasn't even supposed to be there. Took a wrong turn and drove right into the middle of it like some rookie."

  "He's being modest," she said, now watching Michael as she spoke. "He walked into a mercenary hit team on a job. He was the only one still standing when we arrived. I'd say he was lucky. The Mage and his team had quite the reputation. At least from what I've been told."

  "Only one Mage and a few Demons?" Michael asked, raising his eyebrows and chuckling again. "He didn’t need luck for that. Let me tell you another little story about our friend here.

  "Robert and I both joined the army right after college and served together in Vietnam. Back in '86, or maybe it was '87, we were assigned to an MSU together. That's a Magic Suppression Unit. The two of us and a couple of other Warriors, we played babysitters for the talent. Don’t get me wrong, we had a good mix of Fae and human Magicians, both Mages, and Wizards with the occasional Demon thrown in for good measure. Good guys and gals, but they weren't real military. They were drafted in because of their skill in magic but they needed Warriors like us to keep them alive in the bush. We spent our time chasing our counterparts on the other side. Kind of a secret war, but not much of one for us since we were in the middle of it. We were based out of Long Binh, although that didn’t mean anything. We seldom got any downtime, so we pretty much operated out of small villages across the region instead. By this time, fighting was going on all over the country. But we actually spent most of our time in Laos and Cambodia, following our guys as they fought the NVA up and down the trail.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20