01 - Torn Asunder

Protected By The Damned

Killing Is My Business >>

Katie Maddison never wanted to learn how to kick a demon's ass, all she was doing was helping a fellow university student with his Chem homework. She just trusted people too much. Now, she will be the new weapon in a war she had no idea existed with warriors wielding both weapons and supernatural abilities. Demon Hunters, Demon Fighters ... Known as The Damned. People possessed by Demons, but still remaining in control of their bodies. One of the most powerful Demon's in Hell can't defeat his sister, so he sets her up to be sacrificed and killed. The only problem? The human she possesses retained her sanity and together they might be a catalyst to change the future of the war. If they can stay alive and learn how to share one body, that is. Now, a millennium old Demon who has no morals is stuck with a hard-headed young woman, who has her own ideas regarding what her future will be. Together, they work out a truce, of sorts. Until the Demon gets hooked on soap operas, game shows and changing Katie's body without permission. Then All Hell Breaks Loose.

KATIE’S WELCOME

PBTD 01/1 Because she was a good kid, and wanted to help Trevor with his Chem stuff, Katie agreed to go with him to a local bar, to tutor him over beer and pizza. After he roofied her, he took her to his coven meeting, where she awoke, tied upright to a pillar, awaiting the Coven’s rituals. After a ceremony, and a huge fight with the coven being destroyed (including a Level 4 succubus and another huge demon), by the six mercs, Katie was rescued, with Pandora now in her head. (See Locations, [[Coven Meeting, Sacrificed

PBTD 01/2 KATIE'S EVALUATION Katie is taken to the group's headquarters, to be evaluated (See Groups, Korbin's Killers) and educated. (See Creatures, Demons).

PBTD 01/3 THE LIFE OF THE DAMNED Korbin shows her around the Base, a very large house (Nevada desert, Las Vegas in the distance). Other's rooms (Damien's), the Library, the Kitchen, and her room, on the fifth floor, where she will have to stay for awhile. ( See Korbin's Killers - Home Base) Her choices? As a Damned, you have only three real options.” “Death is one, but that one we try to stay away from for obvious reasons.” “There’s also conscription into the teams, and,third “research, But you wouldn’t be doing the research. You would be have research performed on you.There is exorcism, too, but I don’t want to talk about that unless it’s a viable option. Right now we just don’t know enough.” Whether she liked it or not she was stuck there, and it was a hell of a lot better than being dead or a lab rat. Katie thought about how the Killers had fought earlier that day. They had been like an army, jumping higher than she had ever seen anyone jump, and wielding weapons that she had never even held in her hands.Could she keep up? Death might be the only choice, because there was no fucking way she was going to become a guinea pig.

KATIE JOINS THE TEAM PBTD01/4

Katie was tired of the white dress, so chose some black spandex stuff from the closet of her room. Looked good on her. Pandora approved. They have their first GO-around on power. I’ll go right out and get a big bag of Cheetos just to piss you off. You do, and you’ll regret it. I don’t think you even know how to make me regret it. Her legs wobbled and she fell to her knees, clasping her hands in front of her. She had no control over what she was doing. We’ll finish this conversation later.

Katie and Pandora: The jokes she could ignore, the snide comments about humans she could ignore, but she was losing her mind dealing with Pandora’s sexual proclivities. She was disgusting, and the idea of sharing her body with someone like that made the revulsion that much worse. She wanted to just shut her out of her brain.

Katie meets with her new team: You are going to sit down with the leader of your new team and go through some preliminary questions and such,” he said. “They want to get a handle on who you are, what you are capable of, and where you need the most training.” Meets Calvin Turnbuckle, coach and team trainer. Martial Arts? Defensive Skills? No, Competitive Volleyball! A rough, tough team activity.

PBTD 01/5

Team Training: Katie trained for days, from sunup to sundown. It was strenuous and challenging, and pushed her to the edge every single time. Her team was supportive, though, rooting for her every step of the way.She began to feel better about herself - stronger, leaner, and ready to kick some serious ass. Like a lean bad-ass!

Then a call came in and Pandora spoke up! Well, if it isn’t the fucking female Rambo, Pandora said. Don’t be jealous, Pandy. I’ll let your friends know you said hello. ’t get too much of a big head. I’d like to keep this body a little bit longer. Katie smiled.

Katie's first call. Paired with Garrett and Calvin. The rest with Korbin.Two teams. There’s a small outbreak and roundup at the junkyard on Forty-seventh and Prim. We’re going to break into two teams.” He nodded. “Katie and Garrett, you’re with Calvin. The rest of you are with me. I want this clean and quick, and no casualties. It was like going out for her first volleyball game—only the ball could kill. Plan: There are three demons in this yard. My team will take the east half, and Calvin, your team take the West. We’ll mark it when a demon is caught so you know where you stand. Emergencies are 911 on the speaker, with location. If you’re unable to shout, throw up your flare.Calvin told them, I’ll go left, and the two of you go right,” he said. “Any sign, call it out. And be careful out there. Katie nodded and crouched as she and Garrett made their way down the aisles to the right. There was no light in the junkyard, and her vision was still a bit off-kilter. This is Garrett in the northeast corner,” he whispered. “We got one, and it’s big.

KATIE'S FIRST CALL

PBTD 01/6 Before she could even think, she and Garrett were battling a Level-Five demon into submission. The other team killed the other two. The demon they had captured would be put into research. Katie could not see the human there. He had been overwhelmed. Th team goes back home, celebrates, gets payed off (Katie made $5000) and as Korbin remarked, “We live hard, we earn much, and we spend it quickly because tomorrow we might be dead.”

Katie sees Damian leaving, and goes with him to a small Irish bar he likes to visit. She and Damian talk about being demon hunters, that Garrett doesn't fit her stereotype of one, and Damian asks her if she does? Damian says that he feels that her basic need to help individuals, each hurting person, is what will finally get her killed in the future. And if that same attitude doesn't get Korbin killed, it will be the responsibility he feels for EVERY person fighting demons that will do it. After much discussion, Katie's attitude toward the world changes. She no longer thought of the world as a safe haven; a place where people fulfilled their dreams, lived their lives, and died old and happy. To her it was now a battleground—a place where the dark corners, locked closets, and shadowed undersides of beds were truly places to be feared. The boogeyman might not be exactly what she had thought when she was as a kid, but he existed. There were thousands—more than that, really—lurking and looking for their next victim. If the demons could walk freely it would be one thing. You could face your enemy, recognize him. But this was silent, hidden beneath the faces that you looked at every day. No one was off-limits to these creatures, and the ending for most would be death. If God were real, this was how she imagined the apocalypse beginning, and now she was part of a group hellbent on doing everything they could to stop it. Perhaps it was futile, and maybe it was naïve to think she could change a fucking thing. She had seen those demons in action and she wouldn’t just stand by and let it happen to people like Garrett or Calvin. People with lives. People with love in their hearts.

That was the moment Katie decided to become a killer.

PBTD 01/7 Breakfast: Washington DC had taken down 7 demons, and saved a thirteen year old boy from being Damned. New York saw a dark day.” He looked around, “They lost three members last night in a raid in the Bronx. They managed to apprehend four Damned—all too far gone for the teams—but the rest were killed. Bittersweet victory.” If it can happen to a team like New York, it can sure as hell happen to us,”Daniel said.“You are right about that,” Korbin said. “That’s why you train, so train fucking harder, Daniel. We work as a team, and we always take the safe route when we are out there hunting. I would rather watch a demon get away than my team fall.” Long discussion on team camaraderie, moving to a new team, staying where they are, kinds of people they are, and then there are -

The Volunteers: A select group of morons who have their freedom but choose to give it up,” Daniel grumbled. A few highly testosteroned people who know too much and want a chance in the ring,” Garret answered.“Someone with too much pain looking for a way out,” Armani answered.“I thought you could only fight a demon successfully if you had a demon yourself,” Katie said.“Usually,” Korbin replied. “But there are a select few out there who think what we do is sexy; glamorous in some way. They volunteer to be on a team until death or Damned.” And they knew of one who did, and had not yet become infected. Katie thinks of her old life. Yes, she DOES miss it - but this is it for now, and this is what is's going to be. OK to look back, but keep it in its place.

SECOND CALL PBTD 01/8 Training, again!: Calvin and Katie are the last ones off of the lap track. takes Katie into the Weapons Training Hall, and introduces her to all sorts of things, standard and non-standard. The first section was having to do with knife-throwing, Armani's favorite weapon, and it was stocked with what looked like every kind of knife ever made. There were four dummies at different ranges, each bearing white bullseyes in the appropriate kill zones. They'd get to those later. These are what you'll train on first Calvin said, stepping to the side to reveal a table covered with guns. (See Weapons - Korbin's Killers Weapons Room)

As Katie and Calvin were examining many of the items, red alarm sounded, a real call, not a drill. Meet at Terminal A, the Airport, where they were met with a souped-up G5, which has the engines of a fighter and the luxuries of a living room. Katie shared a row with Armani, and learned of his background.

From the front of the plane, Korbin told them what he knew of the call.This is a little different than normal. There are a bunch of religious nuts out here—some Damned, some not—welcoming the end of the Earth like this is something to celebrate. There are also quite a few demons out here. We’re going to have to split up, pull them away from the civilians, get an understanding of whether they can be saved or not, and then do our jobs. There is supposed to be a coven of Damned just outside the event, conjuring as many demons as they can and sending them into the bodies close by. Kind of a mass exodus, if you will.

PBTD 01/9 The Plan: We’re going to split up. Katie and Damian with me, everyone else with Calvin,” Korbin said. “Once we reach the protests, we’ll figure out the best places to sit and lure these creatures to us. We’ll never find all of them if we search. Calvin’s team, I want you to seek out the hive—the ones doing the conjuring—and stop them by any means necessary. This is a big one, gang. One for the record books, but at the same time it’s dangerous. Keep your eyes open and your ears perked, and don’t trust anyone but your team. Remember how sneaky your own demon can be.” He stressed the next three words. “Play. It. Safe.” When plane landed, and all got into van, Korbin brought out his bait for the demons, to lure them away from the action. McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. all demons LOVE them! Armani talked to them, a short speech he had prepared, and they were ALL ready for battle! Katie's part: Korbin on the first floor, Katie on the second, Damian on the third. Put out Nuggets as you wish, try to capture demons for research, but kill if it's to save yourselves. Katie meets a demon, tries to fight him with swords, is bested, overwhelmed. Saved by Korbin, who shoots it.

PBTD 01/10

All three go to help others with the coven. Another building, more demons. Katie kills one (cut off head), went to help Armani battle his two. Helps Armani kill one of his, kills another one of her own. Is tricked by a female, asking for help, goes over, is slashed deeply on her arm before she kills it. Garrett sews her up, seeing that it seeming to heal already, and they all go back. Katie got $14,000 for this activity, and felt badly for getting paid to take lives. Damian helps her understand it. A Damned who attacks another person like that—willfully and knowingly—is called a ‘rabid.’ Just like a dog that is foaming at the mouth,” he touched his head with a finger, “their minds are no longer there. They have a sickness, one that demands blood and fights for revenge, not for survival. With someone like that, you can only kill them or capture them for research. The less empathy there is in the world, the stronger the demons grow,” he told her. “When the day comes that we lose our empathy, that is the day you know we’ve stopped fighting. We’ve stopped trying to preserve our futures.” He shrugged. “We are just pawns in the game at that point, and we will either die or let our demons take us over.”

RELAXATION PBTD 01/11, 12 Katie's Day: Katie votes for some retail therapy, and enjoys some new tops, pants, shoes and lingerie. Also sends money to Mom. Then Pandora sees a sex shop across from the Mall. Pandora can control Katie's legs enough to embarrass her, making a scene on the street, so Katie goes, gives Pandora her sex fix, then sees Derek outside of the shop, looking at her. He was following her! Korbin had asked him to follow her, protect her against whatever. Katie accepts that he is tasked, and allows (requires) that he go with her into every shop, and look at every item. The also have a long talk on men's sexual preferences. When ready to start home, they see a robbery in a convenience store. Two younger men, masks. Katie takes it upon herself to right that wrong, leaving them beaten for the cops to find, before they start towards home again.

PBTD 01/13 Training again. This time Katie's in for jujitsu, and she doesn't know the first thing about it, so she is VERY sore from being downed by the time she's finished. Pandora won't help, as she says this is something Katie needs to know. Derek is suspicious, though, because he saw her use MUCH more power with the guys on the street than she has here.

Damian, Derek, Armani, Calvin, and Korbin talk about it, and realize that it’s her demon. I can see it in her eyes when we talk. She is a lot more than she is pretending to be. Whatever demon is inside her gives her an edge. It no longer waits idly by for a chance to pounce. It’s almost like they have a relationship of some sort, a bond that isn’t the demon taking over or anything like that.” He weighed his next words carefully. “It’s almost as if the demon is helping her, giving her body power, but also her mind.

Damian spoke up as Garrett joined them. “One thing I’ve learned about Katie is that her heart is her greatest strength and her greatest challenge. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to find out that she had opened up to her demon in some way, and that her demon has done the same.”“That’s impossible. These demons have no empathy or ability to care.”For the ones we have researched that’s true, but we have never seen what one of the Seventy-Two will do if given a human that is twice its match.” So she is special. If this is true, then it’s even more imperative we support her integration into her new life, and help her not make a stupid mistake out there. We need her alive and strong and working beside her demon, not for it. She just might be our super-anchor, guys.”

PBTD 01/14 Katie's Evening: Calvin, Derek, Damian, Armani and Katie (make-up, new clothes!) go out to the movies, as a team. Time off, have fun, bond! A three-girl group (Amy, Janine and Terry) watched them get out of the SUV, and determined that it would be their goal to have men who were "10s" fawning over them some day. When the movie was over, that all went out to a bar, and met Korbin there. Everyone in there looked hard, like they had rolled right out of a demon incursion. The place smelled like old booze and stale popcorn, but there was something comfortable about it for people like Korbin and the gang.Katie starts to talk to Pandora about the movie. Korbin notices she's not with the group any more, and wonders if he should to worry.

PBTD 01/15 The Library: Every day, and almost every way she is trying to learn, researching in the library now. She had just found some information on the 72. She and Pandora had discussed the different levels of demons, and she wanted to get a good grasp on what was in the library before she started talking about it She had even made Damian change his way of thinking about some demon lore. Part of why she was doing all this studying was to learn, but the other part was for appearances. She needed to prove that some of the information Pandora was providing—the stuff she really shouldn’t know—was in the library. She wanted to be in a place where she no longer had to rely on Pandora, just in case she found herself fighting her for control of her body and mind. Discusses TV show South Park with Pandora. Goes back to the library, finds Garrett there, hiding his need to see his family, trying not to look at their Facebook pages, almost succeeding. Katie looks for him, tells him all the good news. Leaves out a few other details.

PBTD 01/16 Garrett: Katie talks to Pandora, asks her what it would take to rid Garrett of his demon. Pandora says to just lure the demon into her body, and she'll snap its neck and kill it in a moment. Katie would have to get Korbin and Damian's permission, and will try to do so. (See Creatures: Demons - How to Kill )

01/17 Katie has a second problem - how to get Garrett back to his wife and kids all in one piece. She talks to Damian, asking that he take her request to Korbin - that she be allowed to take the demon into her, so that her demon will kill it. Damian agrees to do so.

THE BIG EVENT PBTD 01/17 Seattle: Korbin calls an evening meeting. "I just got some new intel from our Seattle operation that one of our most populated areas will be hit with a big event, possibly the biggest we have seen. They’ve narrowed the area down to the western United States.” This might mean pulling resources from all over the country and putting together a large-scale battle plan. It could also be a spur-of-the-moment thing we fly into and just go balls-deep trying to get our resources pinned down. This means we need to be prepared, not freaking out. Not on edge, just prepared like we are for any other call.” Korbin nodded. “Agreed. Focus on your training, but don’t get hurt by it. Build up your tolerances, and make sure you get enough sleep at night to always be rested. Work on Endurance as a primary. If this thing is a war-type setting, we could be fighting for days. Work with weapons and defensive tactics, and then everything else after that.

PBTD 01/18, 19, 20

Departure: Predawn alert, gather, battle ready, in the pit. Korbon speaks. "The event has been spotted, and we are going to be the first and probably only team to make it there in time. It’s happening in the desert somewhere west of Las Vegas. There is a commune out there, only they aren’t your normal hippies. These are Damned, and demon-taken people plotting a huge summoning. We will fly in, neutralize what we find, and dispose of whatever we need to. They are reporting hostages; innocents who have not yet been Damned. Those people need to be rescued and gotten to safety. Calvin and I will focus on the rescue effort while the rest of you go in full force—no holding back. Let’s load into the choppers and get on this.” Three fully-stocked helicopters waiting, Garrett piloting one of them.

At the Commune: Six demons, a portion of the total, had wholly possessed the bodies of their humans and now ran wildly around, killing the people of the commune, as buildings simmered and burned in the early morning light. Elias, head of the Damned, has a plan to conquer the humans there (he was SURE the demon killers did not know of this attack), transfer demons to their bodies, go to Las Vegas, capture more, blend in with human race, destroy humans. (See Creatures, Damned). The first part was accomplished - demons were killing and feeding on humans, but before Elias could start the second part, Korbin's Killers shows up, kills Elias, and begins the clean-up a the commune. Korbin and team land, go among humans to settle them as others of team kill off other demons. The fuckers had to be stopped, no matter what.

Calvin was charged with getting the surviving humans to safety. He had to get these people away from the compound and out to the highway where the California sector of their organization was meeting them with safe transport. Everyone stays close together,” he called, moving to the head of the group. “Follow me. If anyone needs help, call out. I’ll get you to safety.”There was more tragedy here than Calvin had witnessed in his entire career. They pushed through the gates of the commune and out onto the road leading to the highway. As they reached a turn in the road, Calvin stopped and stared at a man with no red ring in his eye. He wore a white lab coat over an expensive suit, and had his hands in his pockets. The man demanded that their people stay at the commune, and pulled a gun on Calvin to enforce that command. Calvin shot him, and hung his head. He’d had to kill his own kind, a man who had been Damned by nothing more than his own fear.

Derek had gone to an old barn, and was crawling towards a screaming horse, which a demon was feasting on. The demon had heard him, crawled up onto a roof beam, and dropped down on Derek, carrying him to the floor. Derek managed to grasp a hoe and, using it like a quarterstaff, killed the demon, saying, “I. Will. Not. Die. Here. You. Ugly. Piece. Of. Rotted. Flesh.”

Garrett found a little girl, crouched against a building, and asked where her parents were. she pointed to them, impaled on the pointed top of a fountain. He takes the girl to safety, and goes off to help others.

Katie chased down one of the Damned. She had hoped the woman wasn’t too far gone, but when she turned the corner and watched a dagger fly past inches from her face and stick into the wall next to her, she knew the woman wasn’t going to be saved. Katie just stood there for a minute, dazed by the scene. There were bodies everywhere, and the woman was standing among them. She killed her, then went looking for more demons, finding one sneaking up on Garrett, who was bandaging a human. Pandora shouted out a word to draw the demon's attention to Katie, and Katie killed it, saving Garrett.

Armani claimed the last demon and a human who sympathized with the demon. After almost being killed himself, Armani kills the human leader, who taunts him with his last breathe, telling him that the leader's demon had known Armani's girlfriend. Armani saw red. He wouldn’t let this beast walk away again; this was the moment he would get his revenge.He almost did, knifing the demon, but the demon got his claws into Armani's belly, ripping it out. Armani fell. Korbin came and killed the demon.

After the battle: Garrett tried to save Armani - the team rushed him to the hospital, Garrett blaming himself for not helping Armani sooner, getting to him sooner, etc. Katie spoke to him. Now you have to stop this. You can’t beat yourself up. Do you understand me?” Katie approached Damian. “Damian,” she said quietly into his ear, “I want to set Garrett free. Now. Here in the hospital. When Armani dies, he will be officially broken. “Katie.” He shuddered. “How can we lose another?” After looking at Katie, and thinking about what she had done and who she is, he agreed to talk to Korbin immediately, to obtain his permission to try to release Garrett from his demon.

GARRETT'S RELEASE PBTD 01/21 Permission Granted: Korbin granted Katie permission to release and kill Garrett's demon. Korbin takes Katie, Garrett and Damian , Calvin and Derek to an unused hospital room. Korbin tells Garrett, “Damian can pull the demon out and give him to me and my demon will destroy him.” “Thank you,” he said. “I know I won’t remember you in my mind (mind will be wiped, and "explanations" given), but when I die one day, old and gray, my soul will remember.” Katie walked over to the table on the right, climbing up and nodding at Korbin. She had to be strapped down. Korbin takes Calvin and Derek into the hallway, and gives them instructions. “You are not to let anyone into this room, and if Katie comes out of that room before I do, shoot her. We don’t know what could happen, and you shoot to kill. If you don’t, we might unleash something on this world that no one has ever seen before.”

PBTD 01/22 The Process: Damian said. “I’m going to use an invocation to pull the demon out of Garrett’s body. Now, everyone in this room has a demon, so the only option is for the demon to double up inside of one of us. He is going to be looking for the best spot with the least restrictions. So I’m going to need you (Katie) to be as prepared as humanly possible to accept the demon so that he doesn’t come running after either of us. Neither of our demons will kick this one’s ass, and combining that one with one of ours could be catastrophic. This demon needs to go to you, no questions asked.” Turning to Garrett. “When the exorcism is complete, you won’t have any memories from when the demon was in your body. You will feel like you just left the fire at the hotel. These last months will be gone. Just know that when you feel like someone is thinking about you out there somewhere, someone is. Damian begins his ritual, the demon is freed, and because Pandora minimizes herself, the demon chooses Katie in which to reside. Pandora kills him, and sends him to Hell, proving herself to be one of the 72. (Calvin and Derek, in the hall, had, while all of this was going on, received news that Armani had not survived, and had had an easy passing. (See Technology, Exorcism for details.)

PBTD 01/23

The Release: Korbin calls for the men to come into the room. Calvin and Derek do so, telling them of Armani's passing. “You and Derek can come into the room now. Garrett will be awakening soon. He has been exorcised, and will need tending. You and Derek are in charge of that. I want his family notified as soon as possible. They have lived in grief and sadness for too long. Today a family will be reunited and a man brought back from the dead.” Garrett awakens, and it was so, Garrett being told that he had been in a coma (as an unidentified person) for 6 months while his burns healed. He was taken to his own room, and attention turned to Katie. Damian "sensed" that she was again with only one demon, and that she was well. Katie awakened, was asked how she felt. “Like there was a bar fight in my body."Pandora?" Katie thought. "Are You all right?" "I feel like you do," she whimpered." All I want is a nice hot bath." "Did you cast him out?" "I sure as hell did," she said. "He had the audacity to try to make a grab. Let me just say he will never be able to do that again. It’s hard to grab things with no hands." "That’s my girl. Katie chuckled. Always looking out for women’s rights"

AFTERWARDS

PBTD 01/24

Two weeks later, Korbin and Damian take Katie to a local park. There was Garrett, entering the park with his wife and two boys. There was a sparkle in his eyes, a renewed sense of self, and all the good that Katie had seen in him. One of the boys was on Garrett’s shoulders, and his wife held his hand tightly. Korbin stepped forward and looked at the wrapper in Garrett’s hand. Sure enough, it bore the name of his uncle’s hotdog restaurant. He had never thought that tidbit would stay in his memory. It took everything Korbin had not to cry, too. And he was happy to have her on his team, even if she wouldn't tell him any secrets about Pandora.

One month later: Quarterly Team Celebration, in honor of deeds done and persons lost. Also, in this one, many persons from other teams who had fought with them. Katie reads the eulogy she had written shortly after the Battle at the Commune. (See end of this section).

PBTD 01/25

With all relaxing in the Common Room, Delivery bell rings, and a package appears for Katie from Italy. She wouldn't tell them what was in it,m because it was her pay-back thank-you to Pandora for all of her work with Garrett. Katie told her, "I just want to take a minute and tell you how much it meant to me personally that you kept your side of the bargain. I know that was hard for you. It’s not in your nature, and I know you really don’t like me. I know you have no love, or empathy, or excitement except for clothes and men, but you should be proud that you saved a man’s life. That you gave him the ability to be with his family, which is something we all want but may never have again. Making a difference is seriously one of the best feelings ever. And I think that no matter how spicy you are, somewhere deep down inside that dark nothingness you are proud of yourself. And if I’m completely wrong, I am still proud of you." Katie unwrapped the package, and laid on the bed a dozen hand-stitched, expensive, and sexy-as-hell lingerie bras. Katie and Pandora have quite a talk about self and relationships, at which point an alarm bell rings Incursions call! As Katie suits up, she put on one of the new bras, and receive the comment from Pandora, "I knew you would cave." Killing demons and slaying fashion every step of the damn way.

KATIE'S EULOGY

“We are the chosen.

The infected,

battling our demons night and day.

Protecting the uninformed from reality.

We fight where the stupid meet the clueless to perform the asinine for our teammates every day.

We are cops, military, special forces, and SWAT,

medical techs, priests, and clergy.

We are the dimensional derelicts,

the legion, the host, the forgotten.

The feared.

The sheep can sleep at night because we don’t.

We fight for humanity—yours—and for our own.

We are the Damned, and death is our enemy,

our escape,

and our tribute.”

.

.