02 - No Quarter

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The rules have changed. Now the Damned can go on vacation, and even hook up. Without Pandora near him, can Calvin get a little action in Cabo? Unfortunately, the general has a different demand of Katie coming from a whole industry. Requested to be in New York, Katie is working a side job or two. Her mercenary skills are useful, and profitable, for other types of hard jobs. And this time, the Damned can help a child. There will be hell to pay when Katie and Pandora come calling, with no quarter for the demons.

WOTD 02/1 Katie, Calvin and LAPD were on an event at the night club Pecher (meaning ‘To Sin’ in French), looking for demons to destroy. Katie and Pandora , to scare them out, Calvin to take on any who escaped out the back, and the police to save whomever they could, and clean up the rest. Katie walked to the front of the line, flashed a “demon finger at the doorman, and he let her through the VIP gate.

Katie entered the main room, pleased with the number of demons around, and began approaching various groups of men, flashing her red eyes as they saw her, upon which they quickly made their way to one of the doors, where they were accosted by those there to do so. Pandora is enjoying all of this immensely, drawn to the sexual adoration of the men. Katie looked for the way to upstairs, found it, and accosted the guard at the foot of the stairs. Katie clutched him in his most vulnerable spot, intimidating hm, knocked him out and propped him up at his table.

Upstairs, on of the infected couldn’t see her any more, and was upset, because, having seen her on the dance floor, he had had plans to take and use Katie.

She assessed the group, three mid-level demons, and one getting there. They sent a woman for the guard, and Katie killed her (no way to save her) before entering the room. She entered, shot and killed one man, pinned another to a table with a knife through his hand, then went after Bailor, the third one.

WOTD 02/2 Bailor ran down the stairs, onto the dance floor, taking a woman hostage to stop Katie, hiding behind her body as he dragged her toward the door. Katie plans to knock his gun from his hand with a knife, doing so, and Bailor ran for the back door. Calvin took him, disappointing Katie, and they all started to go home. The PD would take care of all of the demons they had collected, and Katie would extract the bullet she had taken (growing demon nails for digging and extracting, Pandora dulling the pain). Calvin and Katie almost leave, when the phone rings. General Anderson on the line.

Checking in. Times are changing. While there sure are a lot more battles, none of the big ones are in major cities—at least for the moment. That’s why I still need you guys and the teams to be working in the cities to keep the demons out, so they don’t create larger infestations within the populace.” “It’s important to keep the progress we’ve already made in mind. We’re definitely getting to them, though, big chunks at a time. For once, I saw more savable infected than not tonight. It makes me feel like we’re doing something right.” The General is asking her to go to New York (Pandora starts screaming!), booking you into the Stewart Hotel, but Madison Square Gardens, Krispy Kreme donuts, and a good pizza place close by. Ella? She seems to be kind of in the same boat as you right now, a bounty-hunter-for-hire thing. Eric went with her. The two seem to make a pretty good team, and the truth is, there seems to be more money in the for-hire business right now than with the teams. She still helps them whenever they need her, but the two of them are jet-setting wherever the contracts take them.” Katie knew that if the General had asked for her, it was definitely important.

WOTD 02/3 On their way back to Las Vegas, Calvin piloting, in case Katie had to make a quick dive. LA lucrative, but time to head home, get some training done, and touch base with their people. Calvin is looking forward to a vacation. “I can’t even tell you how ready I am for this vacation. you mess up my dude mojo. I can’t seem to get a date around you.” “Apparently, Pandora has somehow been working the women, not allowing you to get any relationship squeeze.”

“I got you, Pandora. Don’t worry. Somehow, some way, I will get you back for that, ”Calvin said, planning to get revenge somehow. Pandora dosesn’t seem to be scared.

Back at the base, everything looked to be on the up and up. Katie visited Timothy and Joshua, who had missed her and Pandora. She complimented Timothy. You’re doing a great job down here. You’ve become a valued member of the team, as well as the group. That was true. He had a whole new outlook now, but was not yet ready to “go out and see the sights”. And Joshua felt the same way. “I don’t find the need to isolate myself anymore. You all make me feel safe enough to be myself.” Timothy had a request. “I was kind of hoping Pandora could maybe have a little talk with my incubus. If he has the fear of Pandora in him he’ll behave.” Katie said no, telling Timothy that he had to learn to control his own demon. She couldn’t do that for him. She saw him trying to negotiate with his demon.

Katie and Joshua go to the factory next, to check in with the girls. They waved, as did she. She had missed them. “We are at max capacity on orders right now, but General Brushwood has just informed me that more machines will be made available for our use. That means we’ll probably be upping the production rate here soon. “Very good.” Katie nodded. “You really are doing an amazing job, Joshua. Thank you.”

Katie went to her apartment – the Master Suite which had been Korbin’s. She had wanted more space. She unpacked, then started to catch up by looking at her bankbooks. Damn, I’m rich. Like, stinking, rolling in it like Scrooge McDuck rich. Back when I was a nobody—just a lonely student playing volleyball—they didn’t care. Now they’ll be trying to work out my intentions from my purchases. Pandora put in her two cents, all sexually oriented. Right now, though, I need to figure out what to take with me to the Big Apple, and no, a double-sided cock ring did not make the list. Katie learns that Calvin is permitted to fly on public transportation, buy she is not – like an atom bomb in the air – public awareness. Has to use private transport. Katie began to think of how she could make some more money, Money the government couldn’t see her spend.

WOTD 02/4 Katie flies to New York, on the corporate jet. Thought about the cost – she wasn’t Bill Gates Yet! She reviewed the area around her hotel. Donuts and pizza. Then she starts to think about making more money. Pandora chimes in with her usual suggestions. With as popular as you’ve gotten, most if not all those men would pay a pretty penny to sleep with you—not to mention the boatloads extra they would pay to sleep with me. Pandora and Katie decide to go shopping in New York, but she had been draped in black spandex for so long that she wasn’t sure she even knew what her style was anymore.

Calvin flies to Cabo San Lucas, and enjoys all of the disadvantages of being normal! He was alive, which was a feat for someone in his profession, he wasn’t on a mission or having to kill anyone, and he was looking forward to getting to the resort. It was a change of pace that he quickly let himself acclimate to. Passing through customs was no problem, so he picked up a cab. “The Pueblo Bonito Pacifica in Cabo, please.” Safety was a huge concern here, just as it was everywhere else in the world. When they finally crested the last rolling hill, the vista took his breath away. The ocean twinkled about half a mile below, and the water was the bluest he had ever seen, and even from there he could see the rough, rolling white caps of the waves. Arriving at the hotel, he checked in with Yvonne, feeling like he was already in paradise. He headed for Suite 1652. Everything was stone: the walls, the floors, and even the countertops inside his suite. He hadn’t stayed in luxury like this in a long time—if ever—and he couldn’t have been happier. So, what’s the plan? Swim? Party? Buffet? What are we going to do first? At first he was going to just lounge in his room, but then he looked out the window and saw the pool. There were a dozen or more very luscious women around the pool. He decided that maybe he’d go for a swim !

WOTD 02/5 The Groups

Matt, Brandon, Dillon, and David were off from school after a long Friday. They were the kids of middle-upper class families, expectations high, results minimal—just enough for them to still go out on the weekend and party it up with their friends. Matt drummed his hands on the table, bobbing his head up and down, and Brandon reached across and held down his hands, tired of hearing his drumming. Dillon winked at one of the girls across the way. David ate his Fritos quietly, just listening to the guys talk. Ever since he had become infected, he felt set apart from the other guys. The four of them had been friends since kindergarten so they still kept him in the group, but he just wasn’t feeling the bond anymore. As far as dating was concerned, he was pretty much looking at a dry life. None of the girls would even give him a second glance when they saw the flash of red in his eyes. He wasn’t invited to any of the week-end parties, either. Cynthia said that since I got this damn demon in me, she was scared to let me come over there. The demon doesn’t even talk. It just sits there. It’s everyone else who has the problem. They act like I’ve got some sort of disease. No one likes me anymore, and my friends’ parents’ say I can’t come to parties or be around them. They act like I’m contagious or something. Everywhere I go, my eyes are a dead giveaway. Everyone treats me like normal until they see that red flash, then all of a sudden I’m a pariah. . The world is going to hell, and I’m stuck right in the middle of it. The worst thing of all is, I have no one there with me—it’s just me and my damn demon.”

The Rapid Reactionary Force was interesting. When the siren blared they got their shit together, teamed up, and were out the door within twenty minutes. The whole point of his sector of the military was that they were able to buy the military time to load their shit in and get there. That, or help the cops when the incursion wasn’t big enough to call out all the forces. They were like the mercenary teams for the United States government, the main differences being that they were not trained nearly as well as the others, and their freedom was not their own.

“Rutger here is telling us about his imaginary girlfriend back home in Boise.” “She’s not imaginary. We’ve been together since middle school, and one day, when this demon shit is gone and we’re both back to normal, I’m gonna marry her.”

Brock told them of his problem with his succubus. She’s strictly-dickly, loves herself some sausage. She only drives stick. She keeps insisting that Brock have sex with men, and he’s not homosexual, so he’s not once slept with anyone since being infected through the game Mirror, Mirror. A couple of them stifled snickers, but the rest of them were Sorry Central for poor Brock. Just then the alarm went off, and they suited up.

Katie and Pandora arrived at the Stewart Hotel, checked in, went to their room,1928, and investigated its conveniences.

One closet could accommodate her entire wardrobe, including what was at home. An expansive bedroom with its own bathroom. The colors were light and earth-toned, and the bed looked like it was made out of clouds. The bathroom was small but all marble, a sleek and shimmery design that screamed luxury and pampering. A plush living room, with floor-to-ceiling windows. Here’s the microwave. Katie pulled out the drawer and looked at the dials. Things for heating, things for toasting, and then there was the full-power cooking capability. She opened out the lid and mentally noted how many donuts would fit.

Eight, Pandora answered before she could finish her calculations. Krispy Kreme? Excellent! We can reheat those babies without leaving the room.

WOTD 02/6 Katie and Pandora go to the Krispy Kreme shop, and pig out.

Calvin Explores Cabo. Cabo was a beautiful mixture of the past and the modern. Vibrant colors peppered the buildings, and brightly-dressed people thronged the streets. Canopies shaded almost every doorway. Behind Calvin was the inlet.. Farther down the block was a street market. The street itself looked as if it had been redone recently, but the sidewalks were a maze of holes and missing chunks. All along the roads were taco stands, and the aroma wafting around him was heavenly. His demon decided that they were his new favorite food. When the sun disappeared, it was time to go out and party. He started with Cabo Wabo. He hadn’t been out like this in a very long time, so he was kind of rediscovering himself. The Rooftop Lounge at the Cape was next, then the Blue Marlin Ibiza. The place was filled with nearly-naked women dancing and laughing and having fun up and down the walkways around the lighted pool. A girl named Patricia picked him up, wondering just how big black men really were, and before the night was over she found out.

WOTD 02/7 Katie has eaten a few donuts, and has a sugar rush, so decides to go for a walk. She couldn’t go ten or fifteen steps without hearing a siren somewhere in the distance. It was New York, and she couldn’t expect anything less from the city that never sleeps. Pandora kept giving her a synopsis of the people they met- infected, not infected, old mob-family head, she is, he isn’t. Then she felt someone with a strong demon close by. Katie didn’t say a word, just turned down the next block and headed in the direction the feeling was flowing from like someone had turned on an inner demon GPS system for her. She went into a clothing store, looked around, and found her demon, a young girl somewhere around eighteen with several layers of clothes hung over her arm. The girl was tall and slender, with long naturally-red hair and bright green eyes. However, from the constant red glow of her pupils, Katie could tell the demon had gotten its clutches deep into the girl. She could sense that the girl had almost lost control of the situation; the demon was right below the surface, just waiting to take the reins. Katie and Pandora agreed that something had to be done immediately, or the girl would be lost, so they did, each working their magic. Pandora shows herself as Lilith, and the demon backed off. Katie pulled it out of the girl and killed it. They wanted her autograph, and the woman behind the counter had recorded it, so it was going to go public. Katie and Pandora had a fan club.

Katie went back to the hotel, but it was too late for dinner, so she and Pandora ate some more donuts.

Brock and his group arrive as the incursion was happening, land, and rush over to the commanding Officer. “Welcome to a new kind of hell, boys,” the CO shouted, laughing loudly as a medic attempted to patch a bleeding tear in his shoulder. “For those of you don’t know me, I’m General Triphorn, and I’ll be your tour guide through this fun-house. Welcome to Georgetown, Mississippi, just a shit-click away from Jackson, where the demons rage and the help arrives just in time to watch you kiss your ass goodbye. Triphorn bounced on his feet as he paced back and forth. “Here’s the deal, boys… The demons have taken over that ranch behind us, but they were caught before they could chow down and move on. They’d been eating the cows in the main barn—the one over there in the center with all the bullet holes. We’ve penned them in there, and are attacking in waves. These little bastards are not very strong, but they are fast and shifty. The farmer who owns the property made the call. She walked in on them and then took off across the field. She was able to get a 911 call off before the bastards tore her to pieces and hung her torso from the weather vane on top of the barn for show, so I figured we’ll surround the bastards and show them some serious theatrics. That’s where you boys come in, with your quick action. I want those sonsabitches lit up like the Fourth of July. I want to see their demon balls flying through the air before they unceremoniously turn to dust. Do you understand?” Brock checked everything, and saw, beside the barn, the large portal the demons had used to come to Earth. The military had surrounded the barn, and had been able to position their men around the portal as well. Bullets flew everywhere as they killed the last few demons coming out. It didn’t look like any more would emerge from the portal, but they couldn’t know for sure. The demon rushed out of the barn, one coming directly at Brock, who killed it with his knife. The troop destroyed the remaining demons, none of them getting back to the portal, which closed with the usual cloud of foul-smelling wind over the field.

WOTD 02/8 Gabriel, the unknown stranger-angel, visited Katie in her room. Pandora wasn’t pleased. You just get this white-glowy silver-haired freak out of our room. He’s starting to get creepy with his constant patient smile. He was here to tell her one thing. “There are entities in New York City who are planning to use demons as terrorist devices. Find them.” Pandora snarked, Just like an angel, giving you a sixteenth of the puzzle and then buggering off. I told you angels were assholes.

Katie tries to figure out what to do. How are they going to use demons in terror attacks, and how am I supposed to stop it when I don’t even know where to start? Tell the cops, suggested Pandora. Katie ranted at Pandora as she continued to clean up the donut mess from the night before. After Gabriel left, and she had showered, they went to the shop and bought three dozen more, with lots of milk, Katie hoping they would last for a few days at least.

Calvin enjoyed his night, and found a note on the pillow the next morning, hoping he’d enjoy his stay in Cabo. She’d made him a one-night stand, and he decided it wasn’t such a bad thing.

WOTD 02/9 Katie goes to the local precinct, checks in, and gives them all her contact info, as she considers herself on call when she’s in town. Pandora is rating all of the men as to their sexual attractiveness, and even Katie admits that she’s becoming more interested.

Katie and Pandora continue to cruise the city, and suddenly Katie senses something just wasn’t right again, emanating from her chest and seeping into her bones. She was drawn to a building farther down the block. Katie checks with Pandora, who doesn’t feel anything at all. Katie find the building, a tenement, gets inside, and follows the trail to the source, on the third floor. Suddenly there was a loud clatter followed by yelling and the crash of breaking glass. Katie rushed to the third door on the left, pounded on the door, and the man answering it sneered at her. Katie saw a young light-brown-skinned woman huddled on the floor against the hallway wall with her face in her hands. She spied the bruises peppering the woman’s beautiful skin, marring her hands and arms and neck. There was a burn mark on her right arm that looked like it couldn’t be any older than a couple of days, the skin puckered angrily around the wound. Katie's eyes went red, and she burst into the apartment.

WOTD 02/10 Katie and Pandora fight the man, eventually beating him almost senseless, then knocking him out. They take the woman with them, as Katie has an appointment with some of the detectives, Detectives Travers and Schultz, to give them more info on demons.

Travers and Schultz are responsible for finding the evil infected, not those who are infected but still okay. We are wondering if there are ways to do that without causing a scene? I know it seems like a stupid question, but when lives are on the line, the last thing we need is mass panic.” Katie has nothing specific to share, but will work with them, to see what’s going on.

Katie meets Angie at the clothing store, and they decide that Katie might want her own place here in NY, with a room for Angie, so they go apartment hunting, maybe a condo near Central Park.

WOTD 02/11 Katie, Angie and Iris go apartment/condo shopping, iris showing Katie three that might be acceptable, with all amenities fully explained. (See Characters, Iris)

WOTD 02/12 In Cabo, Calvin meets a well-known author, Russel Blake, author of the Jet Series, whose books he had read while in the Marines. They go to lunch together at The Office (Calvin has fish tacos), discuss tequila and women. Calvin gets an intro to the drug lords’ “buffets” (you can tell by the matching diamond bracelets), and the body guards. Not as many demon-infected here as in US, but probably some.

Katie rents Angie a room at the Stewart on the same floor as hers, as close as possible. Decides Angie will be working for her, so should understand what she’s getting into. Recommends she research Katie's Killers on the internet. She saw Angie onto the elevator and turned toward the front door. There was a reason she had found Angie, a reason she felt the need to take care of her, and a reason that all of it had fallen into place so easily. She just hoped that reason came to light soon. And Katie goes off to help the NYPD.

WOTD 02/13 They meet in Traver’s office, and they talk about the evening’s activities. This is at Lavo Nightclub on East Fifty-eighth Street. It’s a swanky combined restaurant and club that’s a notorious hangout for our more affluent Italian…businessmen. Anyway, there’s been a serious influx of red eyes in the joint, and the owner actually reached out to us and asked us to help. He’s losing business because they’re the first ones in and the last ones out. He knows it’s only a matter of time until someone takes it too far. We’ll be working directly with the Nineteenth Precinct. I would suggest you use stun guns, since the demons won’t be strong enough to help their human hosts. Then you can cuff ‘em and stuff ‘em.’” “Once you’ve caught the demons who are actively trying to run and hide—they’re the ones who have a strong grip on their human hosts—you can send them off and get help for the humans who still have a chance. We want to save as many lives as we can, and more often than not these low-level demons are more like hitchhikers than tenants. They can be removed.” “If we kill everyone who’s infected we’re doing the demons’ job for them, so we want to save as many humans as we can—not just rock up and start shooting.”

The event went as planned, and Katie goes back to the hotel, going to the Computer room to see what Angie had come up with. Angie had done her research and apologized for doubting her. Angie had also come up with ideas on furniture, and hiring an interior decorator to help out. Katie went for it all, then they went upstairs and went to bed.

WOTD 02/14 In Cabo, Calvin went back to the Ibiza to dance, and discovered that one of the “buffet” ladies might not want to be on that table. He followed the group when they left, and witnessed another group pull up, shoot the guards, and try to abduct the unwilling one. Calvin dove in, taking guns from the don guards, and, looking for the woman, saw her fighting with the other men, throwing her head back and crunching his nose. A fighter, that one! He killed enough of the guards for them to run, and they did, hiding in an alley. Her name was Sofia, and she chose to go with him on his offer of help. They called a cab, and went back to his hotel, the Pacifica, where he packed, and they left, to go to Sofia’s house in the area, to pick up her passport.

WOTD 02/15 Katie, Pandora and Angie interview three different interior designers (Debbie, Theresa, and Sarah ) for their new condo, each with a different sense. The first seemed a little uncomfortable with Katie, the others OK. . It had been like speed-dating for interior designers. Katie took Angie to a computer store, buying her a MacBook to keep track of things. While there, Angie’s old boyfriend comes up, sees Katie, gives them the finger, and leaves. Angie hoped it would be the last time she ever saw him.

Calvin and Sofia arrive in the area of her home. She describes the house to him, and where the passport would be, also the guards, and the fact that Manuel (wife and children) had gotten the house for her. Calvin managed to knock out both guards, enter the house, get whet he needed, and get back to the cab just as a carful of guards drove up to the front gate. Calvin and Sofia took off in their cab.

WOTD 02/16 They head for the US border, at Todos Santos, 1300 miles away. Manuel was known over all of Mexico, and would be looking for them, so they had to take the possibly safest way they could. They rented a car, Sofia changed her appearance (cut and dyed her hair, dressed in t shirts, shorts, and they drove towards the border.

Katie and Angie meet the next morning, to decide on the decorator, and to start one or five new businesses. Name? Undecided. Between Pandora and Katie, nothing came up that they could both stomach, so – will wait for it to happen. Angie to get the designers’ quotes by the end of the day, get yourself a phone, and see if you can find out where all the donut shops are within a five-mile radius of the new place.

Katie dressed in her demon attack outfit, and went looking for the area in which she had the sensations, before. Katie started feeling the tightness in her chest (Pandora still felt nothing), and directed the cab to pull over. She entered the first building, but felt no surge. She left the building and continued her search, going from one messed-up run-down building to the next, seeking the disturbance she had felt before. She knew there was trouble nearby. It was calling to her. The crazy thing was, she could no longer tell whether she would be facing a demon or just an evil human. Her new powers were a little confusing, but she knew that whatever was happening to her, there was a reason behind it.

WOTD 02/17 As she walked deeper into the neighborhood, the ambiance began to change. She heard languages other than English and a tang of spice lingered in the air, making her mouth water. She’d entered the part of town where the Middle Eastern community was situated. It was actually a lot more comfortable than the gang area, but she knew something was creeping up on her. Something in the wind that told her she was in the right place. It was an eerie feeling, and too elusive to pin down. She picked up her pace as the burning turned into a tugging sensation like a homing beacon searching out its other half. She turned right, then left, and then right again, following the intense feeling in her chest. She knew she was on the right track, but she didn’t know just how much longer it would actually take to reach the source. Turning a corner, she stopped dead in her tracks. She was facing a large mosque set back off the road. Arabic writing was colorfully painted across the front of the building, and children played happily on the playground. The feeling in her chest was pulling her directly to the mosque. She had been given a task, and no matter how much she didn’t like it, she had to see it through.

The Imam was helping the young man accept the demon. “You will need to clear your mind and open up to let the demon enter you. Do not fight him. Remember, this is your destiny, and you will find your place in heaven.” Then Katie walked in, saying “You have been duly Judged for dealing directly with demons. Your sentence is death. ”The young man came at her with a knife. Katie grabbed his hand before he could strike her. Katie cleaned the mosque of eight humans who were going to use infected humans like bombs, to kill in Times Square. After she was done, she called Schultz and Travers to come and take care of it. They did, and she walked out.

Manuel vows vengeance on Calvin and Sofia, sending pictures of Calvin toi the border, setting his men to take Sofia, so he could take care of her as he wished.

WOTD 02/18 Katie walks back to the Stewart, changes, and goes out for Italian for lunch. Couldn’t find Angie, so went by herself.

Calvin and Sofia pull off to a rest stop, to get a little sleep, begin talking. Sofia tells him about her background. As does Calvin, about his. They go to sleep, ready for a long drive tomorrow.

Another leader of the no-named movement, in Brooklyn, meets with three volunteers, ready to accept the demons, to now take down the President of the US. Times Square has been cancelled, and the Mosque destruction has cancelled that effort.

WOTD 02/19 The General calls Calvin, having heard that he was being sought by two of the biggest drug lords in Mexico. Calvin tells him that he had acquired one of their prize possessions.“Well, be aware, son, that your face is plastered all over the border on their side. So, when you get there, you’re going to have a firefight of mass proportions. Do you want us to be ready to pull you out of there?”“I’ll make sure the woman is safe, but I’m coming through that border.”

“I’ll let my friends on the border know to stay out of the way.” The general chuckled. “Don’t kill anyone who doesn’t need killing.”“I won’t kill anyone who doesn’t try to kill me first,” Calvin replied. And Calvin calls Katie.Calvin describes the situation, and Katie immediately responds, “All right, so we need to get the woman across the border safely, correct?” “Yes, please, and her name is Sofia.”“I will send the corporate jet to pick her up. I’m assuming you’re determined to face and destroy these guys.”“You are correct.” “Okay, I’ll call you back with the location where the jet will be landing. Hopefully, it can get to you outside of a main airport.” “Sounds good. Thank you, Katie.”

Calvin and Sofia talk it out, and Sofia realizes that Manuel and his friend are outclassed, and will die.“So, does that mean you’re onboard with this plan? I told you I would get you over the border safely, even if that means in a corporate jet high above the clouds.” She knew it was her only option, so she agreed. Calvin helps Sofia onto the company jet, and tells her he’ll see her on the other side of the border. She hopes so.

Iris calls Katie, telling her the owners of the condo have upped the price. Katie tells her to wait a week, the offer them 25% less that the original offer. Iris thinks she’s crazy, but will do it. She tells Angie to give the decorators 48 more hours for their estimates, and goes across the street to talk the detectives. They are in a fuss, as the President will be coming to NY, and they all have areas to cover. Katie asks what route he will be on, and learning he will be coming through Times Square, tells them to war the detectives not to shoot her.

WOTD 02/20 Angie sees Katie armored and suited up, and asks why. It’s a bit of a special occasion. The President is coming to town today, and I think it’s a good opportunity for those who want to be evil to do evil things.” This was the perfect opportunity for the demons to cause some chaos. Katie asked Schultz for a couple of support personnel, to meet her downstairs. She warned Angie to not go to Times Square, to watch it on TV, and they should all be done in a couple of days. Also, have the designer ready to purchase furniture at a reduced price. All strange to Angie!

Katie met with Jenkins and Roberts, her support. They discussed plans. They asked her where the demons might come from. . “I personally think they’ll come infected and then carry out their attack among the crowd, but I can’t be certain. If that’s the case, I need to be able to get to them as fast as possible before any civilians are injured or killed. It’s easy to go down, but it’s a lot harder to go up, so I think getting higher in the building is going to be the best bet. If they come from a building, great. If they’re on the street, I can also get to them pretty quickly.” “How will we know who’s who? The streets will be packed.”“A mixture of my gut and their beady red eyes.” Katie smiled. “Trust me, we won’t miss the bastards, wherever they come from.” And Katie commented that she could sure use a pair of wings. When she left with the PD., Gabriel materialized from the shadows with a smile on his face. He nodded and clapped his hands, disappearing in a flash of light.

Gabriel shows up at Krispy Kreme donuts, where they are eating pizza and donuts before the next days action. Gabriel comments the he had taken Katie’s request up to his boss, and it had been granted. Katie doesn’t remember requesting anything from higher beings, so Gabriel gives her a clue. “The next time you find yourself fairly high up, have faith and jump.” Katie orders two dozen donuts to go, so they’ll have some for their morning repast. Pandora approves.

Calvin checks into a motel just ten miles from the border, and prepares for tomorrows activities. He promises Marty that if he will help, Calvin will see that he has a whole raft of tacos before they leave. He was taking a page out of Katie’s How to Negotiate with Your Demon book of tricks. He had seen her do it a million times with Pandora and a box of donuts. For his demon, all it took was the golden promise of tacos.

Brock’s group was tired. They all had dark circles under their eyes, their bodies were sore from combat, and their racks were calling their names. The rest of the platoon was still out finishing up some sort of assignment for the higher-ups. Suddenly, everyone jumped to attention as the captain marched through the front door.“At ease, boys,” he told them, waving them off with the folder he was carrying. “You’ve made the error of showing us that you’re more than capable soldiers. For your crimes, you have been assigned to advanced training. Suit up and meet in the center courtyard in fifteen minutes. There will be three helicopters waiting for you. It’s been a pleasure serving with you men. Good luck out there, and stay alive.”

“I knew we shouldn’t have been such badasses in the last beat-down. Now we gotta get accustomed to everything all over again,” one of the guys grumbled. They had no choice, though. They were the best of the best. When they’d gone out to that incursion they had proven their abilities, and they had definitely been noticed. Brock lined up with his group and headed out of the barracks. In the dark distance were three lit-up helicopters waiting especially for them. Several other teams were standing by to board, having been chosen as well. This wasn’t a game anymore. They had moved up into the big leagues.

WOTD 02/21 Katie was awakened by a policeman at her door, at six A.M. the next morning. The rookie smiled nervously and held out a couple of badges on lanyards. “Good morning, ma’am. This is your special security badge for the event. It will allow you to move along the parade route freely. Otherwise, they’ll stop you every five feet. The second one is a weapons permit. It will let the Secret Service and the others know you have the right to fire your weapon if needed. That one comes in really handy after you’ve fired your weapon, so don’t lose it. Katie goes to dress for the occasion, slipping the lanyards over her head. When she was done, she twisted her torso from left to right to make sure she had a good range of motion going on around all the weaponry. She was locked and loaded, but she didn’t want to be overloaded. What good would all those weapons do if she couldn’t turn her body to grab one? When she was sure she was set, she threw on her black coat, leaving it unbuttoned. If anyone did pay attention to her, it would look like she was wearing fatigues under the coat. It was perfect, and she would blend in nicely—at least until the bastard demons decided to show up. Then she would unveil her badassery.

Katie and Pandora talk about the American political system (Pandora’s opinions), and the stupidity of humans (Pandora’s opinions) But they both agree that it would be chaotic if he were killed.

Calvin returns the car, finds a public restroom, and dresses in his fighting gear with the weapons Katie had sent, ready for the attack.

The men lined up in the lower level of a parking garage not far from Times Square. Each of them was simply dressed in a t-shirt with the President’s face on the front, a distasteful ruse to disguise them in the crowd. It wouldn’t matter what they wore, once their demons took over. There were no special weapons, detonators, or bombs to conceal. Just the human sacrifices, followers of Allah, who had been chosen to deliver that punishment. The portal opened, the first demon emerged, and among screams and convulsions took over the first human in line. The other men were transformed one by one. .As the last man accepted his demon, the portal snapped shut and the room went pitch-dark.

Air Force One landed at Kennedy. The President had arrived, and the Secret Service took over.

Katie awaited trouble, talking to Detective Lowrey on the third floor of a building overlooking times Square, ready for trouble.

WOTD 02/22 The President was snug in his limo, in the motorcade into Times Square, although he had planned to stand up through the sunroof when they stopped for a moment in the center of Times Square. It was easy to believe that if the President was out on the streets, there mustn’t be anything to worry about. It was a blind faith that was shortly to be tested. Up ahead in Times Square, the terrorists set up in their assigned spots and waited patiently for the moment they would turn.

Katie notice a terrorist in the crowd (feeling it was about to go crazy)and ran downstairs to find him, but missed. The terrorists had arranged a distraction for her, and a ten-foot demon was running through the crown, killing, clawing, and tearing up people. Navigating the press of the masses was almost an impossible feat, leaving a very tasty human buffet laid out in front of the pissed-off demon. The demon cornered a group of schoolchildren against a wall, and was just ready to attack them when its head exploded. Then another demon appeared, twice the size. Katie shot at it, which did nothing but irritate it, so she went in with her quarterstaff, the “old-fashioned” way. She did, finishing him off with two shots from her special pistols, Tom and Harry.

The third demon was a fifty footer. Katie gave it to Pandora to take out.

WOTD 02/23 Calvin meets Manuel at the Border, with Manuel’s men lined up, ready to take him down. He gave Calvin a choice, easy or hard? Calvin shot two of his men dead, not ever taking his eyes off Manuel. Manuel walked behind his men, and gave the signal to fire. Thy all kept firing, and Calvin kept ducking and firing, killing as he rolled and dodged. Alejandro, the other drug lord, also gave him the same option. Calvin shot him, continuing to shoot everyone until there was only one left, who wanted to fight with fists, which Calvin did, downing him. Then Manuel shot him in his knees, but Marty dulled the pain so that Calvin could subdue him and take him into the USA, where he was wanted on many counts. Calvin and Sofia go to each other, embracing.

WOTD 02/24 Newscasts were blaring out all over the country, showing the disaster at Times Square, showing the two demons as piles of ashes, and no camera on the third, as it had thrown a car door towards the reporters, crashing the equipment. Another camera picked up, showing Katie (Pandora, actually) pulling the third demon off of a building behind where the President was standing. Pandora and the demon start to climb, Pandora reaching the roof before the demon, waiting for him. Pandora battles, him, finally kills him with the Quarterstaff blades to his chest. The demon lost his balance, and fell off of the roof, threatening the people below. But just as he fell below the fourth floor, it turned to ashes, covering those below with ashes instead of dead demon. Katie, back again, looked over the edge of the roof. Pandora hoped the President had shit his pants, as the prize for all of her hard work that day.

WOTD 02/25 Calvin calls Katie, lets her know he will be gone for another week, getting to know A local in San Diego. Katie invites him to the condo in New York when they are there, and plenty of work when they get back to Las Vegas.

The General calls, telling her to relax, complimenting her, and reminding her about the news helicopters and pictures, and that she might just want to move inside. She and the NYPD did. The NYPD were having fun remembering the more noteworthy parts of the fight (the demon pulling bullet out of its butt). After the sun had gone down, the detectives and officers headed down to the bottom of the broken building and came out the front doors, but Katie was nowhere to be seen. Instead, they carried seven empty pizza boxes and five empty Krispy Kreme containers. The reporters asked the olice for statements, and they all said, “The mission, though brutal, was a success.” So all the reporters could tell the cameras was, “Katie is safe, but we don’t know where she is. Perhaps she grew wings and flew off.”

Katie stood at the edge of the building, having just received a call from the owners of the condo that they would accept her price. Pandora was nervous, as Katie was close to the edge, and Pandora couldn’t fix “smashed”. She called Angie, telling her they had gotten the condo for Katie’s offered price, and that she had all three decorator’s proposals ready for her, one of them special, if you liked dragons.

Katie started running towards the edge of the building, Pandora screaming. But Katie finally understood what Gabriel had said. When she was halfway down the building, giant wings sprang from her back and spread out wide, stopping her plummet and lifting her on the air. Katie put her hands out and opened her eyes, laughing excitedly. Pandora was flabbergasted at her angel’s wings. So, Falcon. Pandora chuckled. What are we going to do now? We saved the city and the President and decided to start a new business. I know you have something else up your sleeve. I think now I’m looking for the right man. I didn’t say a man for forever. I just need a man for right now.

Pandora’d had a feeling all along that there was something angelic about Katie, but it took her a while to admit it to herself. The Queen of the Damned, stuck in an angel body, what kind of weird shit had she ended up involved in? The thought made her laugh, and she hollered as Katie swooped about ten more blocks and landed on the empty sidewalk. Katie folded her wings and reached for the front door, smiling as she swung it open and disappeared inside.