01 - Resurrection Of The Damned

War of the Damned

No Quarter >>

The War of the Damned is upon us, so be careful who you follow. It might be the last decision you ever make. Three months ago there was a demon invasion. Due to that, the world has been dealing with changes in just who the enemy really is. While old rules are thrown aside. The mercenary named Katie (or KatieDora by some) is trying to take a much-needed vacation. Unfortunately, both friends and foes want her in the worst possible way. Katie's Killers are facing a new reality, one where they are needed more because the world's eyes have just been uncovered. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to get up in the morning.

Times are changing, both for the demons and for the humans. Humanity plays its usual dirty tricks on the private merc demon fighters, and Katie, and Katie's Killers, adjust accordingly.

Chapter General Introduction, overview, orientation to book to come

Review of Insurrection Day, existence of trained infected demon fighters, and the creation of the Church of the Benevolent Alien Overlords, a 501 © 3 organization (See Groups). Allen Avers, the Texas Attorney General had his own words for the group. The members of the Church of the Benevolent Alien Overlords are nothing more than, and you can quote me, fucking idiots for wanting to follow demons.”

General Brushwood inundated by requests for information. his military branch was still a rumor. Nothing had been confirmed, and most people laughed it off as some sort of conspiracy. Brushwood thought they would be wise to keep the public out of their business. Meeting of world leaders, for information only. Re current Phoenix incursion: we have no credible information that would lead us to think that the same demon who was behind the Phoenix Incursion was behind Incursion Day, at least not at this time. None of the insider information that has been gathered over the last two years names Lucifer as a participant in any of the battles. Why isn’t she being studied for replication? Katie has been and continues to be the biggest asset we have. I think this committee has waited long enough and given her enough leeway. We command you to take her into custody and have her brought to the International Alien Research Institute for further study.” “The answer is an emphatic NO, plain and simple. It’s an idiotic command. You need to stick that idea up your asses, then try and shit me out something better.”

Chapter Two Katie Takes a Break

Katie and Pandora vacationing at Four Seasons, Los Angeles , for three days. Call from Calvin. Guards sent by General all set up, no media coverage allowed, and Katie’s Mother coming to base for protection. R&D funding has exploded. I guess we have the terrorists to thank for getting us accustomed to bad shit happening anytime and anywhere. We haven’t spotted anything substantial around the base today. She had come to LA for a vacation, but she knew that in the current climate she might only get a few hours in before some sort of crisis popped up.

She remembered that she should have called the LAPD when she’d arrived in town, so she did so, talking to Captain Ashmore. The hotel is described in full detail, with all extras and accessories. Katie dresses for dinner, including six-inch high-heeled booties. Katie goes to a local restaurant, with bar/. Sits against wall, orders a Woodford and diet. Katie looked around, and noticed that there was an air of nervousness hanging over the crowd, and Katie knew it wasn’t going to go away anytime soon. Katie was approached by two muscle-men, Chase and Chris, and, before she could react, they had injected her with a fast-acting muscle relaxant, then carried her out as if she were a drunk needing help. Put her in a van, and drove off.

Chapter Three Katie's Kidnapping

It was obvious they knew who Katie was. This wasn’t just some random kidnapping. Katie starts to talk, getting out of it, stronger. As Chris is tying her up, Pandora punched through his chest and tore out his heart. Chase heard the noise, stopped the van, came to the back, saw Pandora, and started running. Called his boss for orders. “Don’t die!” Then he feels Moloch’s hand on his throat, and is ordered to head back to their base. Pandora/Katie continued the chase, and found Moloch’s signs. They continued, and found Chase hanging from a rusted hook from the alley wall, with another demon’s signs on him. (Pandora refused to say the name.) It looked like someone had shoved a red-hot poker into his chest and then slowly pulled it back out. The smell was rancid; like burning hair but worse. His demon must have been weak, since when they completely possessed a person they typically turned to dust when killed. This one had changed back fully to the human host and the demon had been sent back to the depths of hell, if it hadn’t been completely eradicated by whoever had killed the host. Pandora switched back to Katie, and they called the LAPD to pick up the two dead bodies. The switch had gotten easier each time, and with practice she was now able to see everything from the inside, just as Pandora did with her. They could also communicate, which was helpful since Katie had to report on any incursion she was a part of. It was hard to report on an op when she’d been in blackout mode the entire time.

Chapter Four More Vacation Time with the Ghost Busters

Katie gets back to the hotel, buys a change of clothes in the boutique, changes, goes upstairs, hearing rumors of hotel being haunted on fourteenth floor. Katie needs to hunt down the rumors before she goes to bed.

Calvin and Damian talk at the base, don’t know what they would do without Katie. Damian declines an invitation to go out to eat, as has to go to a meeting at the Church. I haven’t had any big meetings with them since that church was ransacked by demons. I know they have some words for me. I’m better than I was before, and the church knows who has my back. They won’t do anything stupid.” Will take his demon-killing cross with him. Better safe than sorry!

Katie goes to her floor, and indeed finds a spirit there, temperature chilled her to the bone! Katie meets the ghost, a woman who killed her husband (cheating), the other woman, then herself. Trapped there, where she had killed herself. Katie took her by the hand, and told her that she could be at peace now, and it was time for her to go, and she did. Katie thanked Pandora for doing that, and Pandora said that she had done nothing, that Katie had done it. Katie will think about it after she wakes up.

Chapter Five Moloch, Damian

Moloch was livid about the Earth disaster. Thought it was fool-proof, then Katie and Pandora showed up, ruined it all, and now he was paying the price for it. Baal invited him to enjoy a hamster snack (he’s munching on kittens) and to stop worrying. T’Chezz is really dead – can’t be found, not anywhere in Hell. Lucifer couldn’t find him, either. Baal left, and Moloch meandered through the halls, thinking about everything that had happened during the Incursion. Moloch found T’Chezz’s absence extremely perplexing. From the beginning of time, when the angels had fallen from heaven, it had been set up so that no one but an angel could kill a demon. That included Lucifer, since he was the original fallen angel. And T’Chezz was dead, killed by Pandora. It just didn’t make any sense.

Damian goes to the Church meeting with Bishop Ellsworth, Bishop Carter, and Michael, a priest, who had a hard time believing a man of God could take anyone’s life, demon or not, and didn’t trust Damian. Bishop Ellsworth smiled kindly at Damian. They had treated him as somewhat of a pariah since his infection. Sometimes he felt that since he was Damned he had developed a gift for talking to people about the Faith. It wasn’t what he had expected after having a demon inside of him, but he wasn’t going to complain. The Bishops invite him to leave the mercenaries (the rules have changed from the top), after the Incursion, and lead the civilian public. Good to have a priest with a demon inside of him. “Of course, Bishop. I will pray about it. The Lord will show me the right path.”

Pandora wakens Katie (dreaming about angels) early to go with her to get the promised do-nuts. Katie sees a shop , Broomsticks & Occultus, and enters, asking for a book on angels. Pandora is getting nervous. Katie was determined to figure out her dream and whatever secret was being kept from her. The angels were her first clue.

Chapter Six Another Incursion, helps LAPD

Back at the hotel, Katie wondered if the ghost lady would go to Heaven or to Hell. She might have become a tough-as-nails warrior, but there were still some things about the afterlife that she wanted to keep a mystery. Katie didn’t think it was something that she would ever find out, at least not in the life she was living now. Katie starts to read the angel book, and receives a call from Captain Ashmore. An incursion, can she help? They’ll pick her up.

I told you that a vacation was a stupid idea unless you went out of the country. I’m not safe anywhere, but oh well. This is the job I signed up for. I didn’t sign up for this, but it’s better than reading books about angels. (Pandora does NOT want Katie reading about angels!) Katie picked up by LAPDF, police, demon force, something Katie thought she would never see. Get to helicopter, plagiarized civilian/military. Skulls painted on copter represent large demons they’ve taken down, not all. The men earned her expect, going in to fight forces against which they had no special protection. Pandora should learn to respect them, too. Katie had already made up her mind to protect these fighters the best she could. It was her duty as a hunter.

The copter lands, and Katie goes to headquarters, looking at a map of the area, with a large black box drawn on it, the portal. Demons are pouring out of it and splitting off into the two valleys. The canyon is right over the edge of this second valley area. We need to drive them away from the canyon. It offers a direct route to the city, and once in there, it will be hard to take them out without mass casualties. The LAPD have about 100 men, a small group but mighty. None of the police damned. Two larger demons, lots of smaller ones. The police back her up, after being warned by Ashmore not to shoot Katie.

Chapter Seven

Katie realized she was the only demon fighter there, so made do. Got the message that Moloch wanted to talk to her. Too many demons to kill. Pandora startled one, who was killed by Katie as he stared at her in shock. Pandora tells her to keep firing at the portal. If she hits enough demons, they will stop coming through. A BIG demon comes at Katie, who readies her Staff, and welcomes him, stops him so cops can shoot him in the head. The second BIG one comes at her, and with the help of a special rocket from the Chief, they kill it. The third, the largest one, comes out. Five LAPD officers surround him, giving him his perimeter. He has nothing to lose, as he was locked out of Hell, something that had never happened before.

Chapter Eight Chik-Fil-A, and Katie in Danger

Katie and Pandora agree to kill this last one, then go back to vacationing. They do so, with the help of the special team, and Katie starts to clean up her weapons. She had never seen them so dirty, not in any fight she had ever been in. One of the five walked up to her, “We thought you might be hungry, ”and handed over a bag of Chick-Fil-A. Pandora had never had them before, and was delirious! He saw the smirk on Katie’s face and asked, “What’s up?”

“My demon has never had Chick-Fil-A before and it is blowing her mind.” “That’s ironic.”. Why?

“Because Chick-Fil-A is one of those Christian fast food joints that are based on the love of Jesus. They even close on Sundays for a ‘day of rest.’”Damnnnn! Part of me wants to hurl, Pandora said as Katie took another bite. But the other part of me can’t stop wanting them. Pandora’s conflicted emotions were tough for her that afternoon.

Brushwood has just read a memo that hints at danger to Katie’s life. He calls the Base, talks to Barrow, and tells him,I need your men to add a very important duty to their ever-growing list. I need them to protect Katie at all costs.”“Is everything all right, sir?” “No, and until I get to the bottom of it her life is in danger. I want you to understand this very clearly: you cannot assume that just because they wear our uniform they support her.” “Jesus, we have a war going on, and people on the inside are trying to sabotage us?” “Exactly. There is someone, or a group of someones, attempting to carry out several plans to abduct Katie. The intel does not specify where the threat is coming from exactly, but with some research I know I’ll be able to find out. Until then, I need her to be under watchful eyes at all times. I know she is currently on vacation, but she will be back soon. I will make sure to give her a heads up as well, but this is imperative.” “I understand, General. Do you think you could spare twenty more men to send over here? This base is large, and I’m afraid if I sacrifice these men and shift them to protective duty we will leave holes in the perimeter.” “Okay, I understand, but if we don’t have extra guards, it is imperative that she be told what is going on. She needs to know that there are issues and plots afoot in the political arena that threaten her very independence. If she is aware of what’s going on, she can add to the protection.”

“Here’s what I want you to do: I want you to let Katie know the issue without letting her know the whole story. She should be told that she is in danger, and she will take it more to heart if it comes from you.” “I can do that, sir,” he replied. Timothy sat in the IT room, remembering his time in battle. He had done well, but when he got back the nightmares had started. Instead of focusing on his job he was plagued with visions of the fallen soldiers, constantly remembering how terrifying it had been. Barrow comes to him, and asks him to look for information. “A source, undocumented of course, leads me to believe that you should be looking for specific information regarding Katie that....well, might or might not be encrypted on military channels.” Hacking into encrypted military files was highly illegal, especially by the mercenary team. Barrow had just gotten off the phone with the general, which meant this order was coming from the top of the chain of command. And Timothy starts looking.

Chapter Nine Details

Katie is in a bar with the LAPD, reviewing their exploits and the worth of the special weapons. They weren’t afraid of her, even when her eyes went red. She was having more of a normal life than she usually had away from Base. Pandora actually let her sleep in the next morning, to 8:37 AM.

Calvin and Damian talking about Katie, from Day One. For now I’m kind of enjoying sitting back and watching the evolution, to be honest with you. She has one hell of a demon inside her, but I’ve always had this feeling that she has more powers than we know. There’s something different about our girl. She has a gift, although I don’t know what it is or where it came from.”

Calvin wonders what the Church meeting was about. Damian told him (Church wants him to return to Church activities – demon-infected priest!), and that he didn’t know what to do. “Before Katie, I would’ve told Korbin that I needed to do this for my church. Now? Well, now I feel like I would be stiffing Katie. Abandoning her in her time in need.” Calvin reassures him that whatever he decides, Katie would understand and support him.

Chapter Ten Brock

Brock had made a choice. He still wanted to be something big. When the war came, he was given that opportunity. A special branch of the military was created into which they only accepted those who were infected, and they used the training to strengthen both the soldier and the soldier’s connection to his or her demon. “Today, we are starting with the communications class. you will need to establish direct contact with your demon. Remember, you are the human and this is your body. Do not let your demon defile that by taking control. What do we do to demons who take over their human counterparts, soldiers? ”We mutilate and eradicate, Drill Sergeant!” They are to command their demons to beef up their bodies, push-ups and mile runs. Brock’s demon agrees, if he will go out more with the boys, and agree to not say Jesus. “To nine more weeks of hell...” they toasted. They had no idea what they would be getting into.

Katie at the El Capitan, watching a classic movie. Pandora notices three people in the audience who have little demons in them. Katie having fun with Pandora, surprising to her.

Chapter Eleven Background Info on Demons

Katie and Pandora, on the way back to the base, stop off at the old base, and Katie goes to the roof, asking Pandora if she wanted to come out a bit. Pandora is suspicious, and is hesitant. Katie didn’t want to feel like a prison guard, only letting her out when things got rough.

Did you know I was human many, many thousands of years ago? I thought you were born and raised a demon in South Hell. No, I was a pure-blooded human, and because of that, I can tell that there is more to you than meets the eye. It’s almost like you were specially chosen to be there that night and be sacrificed to me. What do you mean? Katie, you are doing things no human should be able to do. There is only one reasonable explanation for that, and it scares the ever-loving shit out of me if I am honest. Katie was puzzled. She had never thought there might be something special about her. I’ve never heard of any special beings. It’s only been explained as angels and demons and humans. Nor would you have. Way back in time—I’m talking way back—there were more than just angels and demons and humans. There were those who had human natures and for all intents and purposes played the part, but they were a mixture of all three. Technically, I was told your type would never exist again. I can’t help but wonder... Katie wondered, also.

On the way back, they stopped in Spurlock’s gun shop, wondering how the ammunition was going. She found that the weapons companies were making “specialty weapons” for the specialty bullets (they couldn’t break the metals code!), and were charging double for them. Katie asks Pandora, ”What are people supposed to do if they don’t have the money to buy weapons and ammo? Is there another way to kill these things?” There are a few religious ceremonies that can help since they transfer energy through faith. But faith too fake nowadays. Humans always preach that they aren’t like us, but so many of them are. They just can’t admit it. Sometimes it feels good to be bad. Katie and Pandora were so immersed in conversation they never noticed the cars that followed them. Who they were and what they wanted was obvious, and with Katie immersed in the conversation it was only a matter of time before she found out.

Chapter Twelve The Ghostbusters

Katie sees the tail, knows it’s for her, and turns off into the desert, turning on her 4-wheel drive, and losing them in the sand.

Damian meets with Ghostbusters, John, Janine and Landon. Abandoned hotel, the Vegas Dive Hotel, seven suicides two months ago, ghosts still there. This hotel is scheduled to be completely demolished and hauled off , and the workers can’t get anywhere near it without something crazy happening. They can’t take it down until the ghosts are gone. They are messing everything up.” Damian exorcises three of them, but the other four are stubborn, and Damian calls KatieDora for help. Katie will be there in thirty minutes (Call came in after she had lost the tail).

Chapter Thirteen KatieDora

Calvin enjoyed having Katie to joke with again. Katie was on the way home, and Calvin had called her. She was on her way to help Damian, and she told him so. Damian and KatieDora go into hotel, watched by an unknown (to them) tail. Katie seemed to know what would work with the ghosts (not weapons!), and asked Damian to keep them away so that they would not attack (cross, and Latin exorcisms) , while she prepared herself, raising her hands in the air, her eyes bright red, and chanted. “Angelis altitudinem dirigat requiem eorum illis. Abierunt spiritus ab hoc loco non receperint vos diutius.” The spirits continued to twist and writhe, but now golden wisps of light shot from their backs and heads. It almost looked as if they had wings and halos. Suddenly all four stopped, stretching out their arms and dropping their heads to the side. “My God, they are mimicking the Lord Jesus on the cross.” Aw, fucking shit! Pandora moaned. I’ve only seen this once, and now twice. Fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck! The brightness around the ghosts increased until you could no longer distinguish them. Damian looked away, covering his eyes, and after the light had dissipated he gazed in wonder, finding them all gone and a lightness moving over the old hotel. Katie seems to feel someone there, but then nothing, while Pandora knows who it is.

Timothy had found the military encryption, and what Barrows had tipped him off about. There was an entire network, and they had painted a bullseye right between Katie’s eyes. Now not only did they have to worry about demons hunting them down, but their own people as well. Timothy alerted Calvin who was VERY upset!

Chapter Fourteen Catching Up Kill or Capture?

Katie knows times have changed, and that she has, too. Damian and Katie go out to Bar (Torn Asunder?) and talk about old times. Katie tells him of all that happened on her vacation, and Damian still doesn’t know what he’s going to do.

Timothy and Calvin read the info Timothy has found. “It seems a group with members in both the political and military structures are discussing whether to kill or capture Katie and Pandora. Which is interesting, because I’m pretty sure they are going to have a damn hard time trying to accomplish that one.” Calvin goes to Barrow, who knows about it. They just hope they can protect her.

Katie visits Joshua, staffs all fixed (blades bent, stuck), then to office to see Calvin, who wants to talk to her about something.

Chapter Fifteen The Alert, Jehovivich, Capture at the Base

General Brushwood has the data in hand, lacking only the names of the people/department who had put out a capture or kill on Katie, sending out a platoon to do so, the order coming from outside his command. He sends Jehovivich to Katie, personally to inform her, then to call him with any plans Katie comes up with. The Colonel calls Katie, requesting permission to land at the base and give her personal information. Katie grants it.Colonel tells Katie a platoon is on its way, now, to kill or capture her, outside of ‘ orders. Questions her decision to fire on innocent military personnel who are just following orders. Both of them were right, but Katie wouldn’t allow her base to get into a shoot-out with the military. Damian just sat and listened. In order to gather any more intel than they already had she would need to enter the devil’s lair. Katie decided to “allow Pandora to take over since she is stronger than I am and can heal me three times faster if she is in control. The colonel will hand me over, vouching that it is me. From there we will play it by ear, but Pandora and I look enough alike that unless it’s someone I have served with they won’t know the difference. I not only trust Pandora with my life, but I also trust her with the lives of all those I love.”

Chapter Sixteen

Jehovivich calls the General, telling him of Katie’s plan, Damian tells Katie how would like to go and participate in the new Church activities, which she approves, Jehovivich comes back, and watches Pandora takes over.

The platoon is coming in, in three airships. Will fire on base before base has range, will capture Katie.

Katie calls ship, and demands that no firepower be used on base. She will come peacefully only if that is honored.Jehovivich will escort her to their planes, with only two men picked by them as guards. Warrant Officer Riggs agrees, and they land, being met with fully armed Base people, including the Colonel, coming from a place of strength in this meeting.

Chapter Seventeen

Riggs meets with Katie, fully armed, and tries to disarm her. Jehovivich warns him on pain of death not to try to do that. Riggs isn’t sure what to do. He couldn’t transport an armed prisoner, and he definitely couldn’t allow her to walk into the base strapped to the gills with weapons. Calvin steps forwards. If we hear she is being threatened, that she has been harmed, or that her health has declined in any way while she is in your care, we will come for her. And when we come, we will take down each and every one of you first.” Riggs nodded and looked back at the colonel. “I have to call this in and get permission to transport her armed.” Lieutenant Colonel Wilson said, “Let her bring them. What is one person going to do when we have five hundred here at the base pointing weapons at her? Better to do it here than out there where we will probably lose our choppers and our men. Besides, out there she has all that support, but in here it’s just her. I promise you she won’t be so tough without her buddies standing behind her. “And Sergeant, have a group of men load up on the special ammo and send them to the intake room outside the hangar. We will be ready and waiting for the little sweetheart when she gets here.” Those aligned with the colonel knew that he wasn’t going to let her out of there alive.

Pandora/Katie allowed them to be cuffed, as she wanted to make sure she and Katie got to the base and in front of whoever had put out the order to have her brought in. Once she was there, she didn’t care who stood in her way.

She wouldn’t be giving Katie to them peacefully, if at all.As they watched her take off, Calvin headed to IT, to get Timothy to hack into their system, so they could at least watch.Calvin knew that if anything happened to them he would take his anger out on that entire damn base, even if he died doing it. Nobody messed with family.

Chapter Eighteen

Pandora syncs with Katie, so that she can see and hear all that is going on. I won’t let anything happen to you, Katie. I just want you to know that. If I have to storm the gates of heaven to put your spirit up there? I guess it will be on my list of things to do. Thanks, P. That means a lot.

Katie’s unknown tail watched the copters arrive at the military base (Ghost Busters incident), then disappeared, knowing Katie had it under control. Pandora senses him as she gets off the copter, but then it’s gone again. Pandora sensed an essence in the air; something she had felt before, but it had been hundreds if not thousands of years.

At the Base, Damian is drinking, Joshua is sitting quietly awaiting word of Katie, Calvin and Timothy are in the IT room, Timothy frustrated at not being able to hack their system. Then he does, and they see a room was full of soldiers, all armed and at the ready. In the center was the commanding officer of the base, standing at ease. In the corner of the screen they could see Pandora walking into the center, staring at the people around her. Pandora winked at them.

Chapter Nineteen Lieutenant Colonel Wilson and General Brushwood

The hangar was large, but with Lieutenant Colonel Wilson standing in the center surrounded by at least eighty men armed with automatic weapons, the space was almost claustrophobic.

First, I am going to need you to lose those weapons... Now.” Pandora smiled and tapped her fingers against her pistols, turning her head right to the left and shaking her finger at the two men moving toward her. “I don’t really think that would be in your best interests,” Pandora called. “In fact, I think that might be completely against your best interests. “If you believe that you and these hundred extra assholes with bullets scare me you are vastly mistaken, Colonel. I came here in good faith, and you have already destroyed that. The way I see it, you have two choices. Either we have a conversation like two mature adults, or I just say fuck it and blow this place the fuck up. It’s your choice, really. Which one will it be?”

If I give the order, both of you will die right here on this hangar bay floor in a pool of blood.”

“And what exactly does that prove? That you are this big hero who can shoot a defenseless person? The Colonel lists many of the incidents where she had killed demons, enraging their fellows so they had killed soldiers, where then Katie had killed them all.

“Wait, wait, wait. You’ve just now proven with your listing of my greatest achievements that I am one of the good guys. That I fight on the same side and protect men like these on the battlefield. So if I’m a good guy, what are you?” Several of the men looked at each other, realizing that what ‘Katie’ was saying was true. Their own colonel had just admitted that she had been an important part of the fighting. She simply did it because it was what needed to be done.

“Does the general even know what you’re doing? Because I spoke to Colonel Jehovivich, who works directly for the general, and she is positive that he didn’t give this order.”

“Silence! I am your commanding officer and you will obey me without question. I am the proper chain of command.” When I give a command, you can be sure that it came from the correct person, and you NEVER defy your superior officer. This order came from a person above the general. My orders came from the top!”

“Moloch? Because I don’t think Moloch has the authority to tell these men what to do. I’m just saying. If you want to instill trust in them, you might want to at least follow your own rules. A hell demon isn’t exactly in the chain of command—unless things have drastically changed.”

“There is a group of nations, the US included, that are working toward killing and/or capturing demons for research and development. Without this program we would be nowhere in this war, still sniveling in our dirt-covered boots while we let the mercenaries come in and clean up the mess.”

“But aren’t these men soldiers of the United States Army? They aren’t soldiers of the International Army or the League of Nations Army, they are representatives of this country. Why would they take orders from someone who is taking orders from an international group? The General, General Brushwood, United States Army, is their leader.”

Three helicopters landed, and the Colonel backed up, waiting. Pandora winked. Got ya!

Chapter Twenty

General Brushwood stepped out of the main helicopter, four soldiers armed with M16s following behind him. His eyes showed his mood; he was absolutely livid at the whole situation. He commanded the room, not out of fear, but because every person, young and old, respected the hell out of him.

Wilson said, “You may be higher-ranking than me, but it would be in your best interests to show me a bit of respect. I run this operation, not you. Your orders get carried out, but I am the one who puts them into motion. You are washed up, just clinging to the last bit of your career.”

“Do you want to drop your weapon and be taken into custody, or do you wish to challenge my authority and be tried for working with a foreign power?” At which point, an alarm came over the speaker system, notifying them of an incursion, NOT A DRILL !

The colonel shot Pandora, the General knocked him down, and all watched as Pandora turned two fingers into claws, and pulled out the billet, healing Katie’s body very quickly. As Pandora said, “She’s not like other girls.” They switched back, so Katie was now looking at the Colonel. Katie clapped her hands. She looked around, catching everyone’s attention before calling out, her voice reverberating off the metal walls. “I understand we have some demon’s asses to kick! LET’S DO THIS!” The General knocked out the Colonel, who went to the brig, and Brushwood and Katie promised each other to get to the bottom of whatever was happening.

Chapter Twenty-One The Newest Incursion - Moloch

Katie called her IT room, checking in with the group. “I miss fighting with you guys. Anything I should know before I go running head-first into this thing?” “Actually, yeah. There is a really large transfer gate, bigger even than the one during Incursion Day. Suffice it to say, we should be expecting a shit-ton of those scaly bastards.” This is gonna be one bitch of an incursion.

As they approached the site, looked out over the scene. The gate was massive, sitting just atop the ridge. There were troops on the ground already with their weapons aimed at the opening, waiting for the demons to emerge. The gate finally coalesced into existence. Droves of demons began pouring out, running straight into a hailstorm of bullets.

To Katie’s right was a row of Gatling guns firing live rounds, wasting the front row of beasts. Small arms fire infested the air, every soldier on the ground blasting their weapon at the emerging horde. An explosion rocked the ground beneath Katie’s feet and she ducked, looking to her right. A soldier stood with two others, reloading his rocket launcher to send out another deafening blast. They were pulverizing the enemy, but not for long. Katie stared in amazement at the demons. They had weapons—human weapons—and they were using them to strike at the military.

"Lilith, come talk to me. We can solve this like civilized demons." What did he want? I don’t know. He either wants me to be a good little demon and kiss his ass or at least come back and stop being such a pain in the ass, neither of which I have any plans to do.

Suddenly the ground started shaking again, but not because of explosions this time. She turned and looked, then looked a little higher. A fifteen-foot-tall demon strode towards the helicopters. This bitch was hers.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Calvin and Damian arrive at the scene, and Calvin executes 30 demons before he stops counting, with an empty pistol in his hand. Damian counted to forty-three, so far.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Katie battles the fifteen-foot demon, helped by the army and a missile that shot off part of his shoulder and an arm. Invincible? No, Pandora says, . He’s just a tough sonofabitch with a warrior’s soul. Pandora told her to take him down, so she did, beheading him with her demon claws. Calvin, Katie and Damian made a good three-person team, mowing down demons, saving soldiers, wreaking havoc wherever they landed. Katie with her demon claws, Calvin with swords and pistols, and Damian with his cross. Moloch gets into their head again, and Katie goes after him. Pandora freaks out, as she knows Katie is no match for Moloch.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Moloch was ready for Katie. He could grab Katie and kill her, either freeing Pandora or sending her plunging back to the depths of hell where she belonged. In either case, she would be out of his way and he could move on with his plan to take over the Earth. Moloch would get his reward, standing at Lucifer’s side after becoming his most trusted advisor. The things he could do with that power were unimaginable. Moloch closed the portal just as Katie stood in front of it. Pandora comments, I knew he would see it too, Pandora whispered. It’s a blessing and a curse that he knows. You have a battle to win. The hard part is over, now it’s just taking care of the demons left behind. They are stunned by their abandonment and will be easy to kill. I’m not letting this go, Pandora. If I am some kind of angel, fine, but no more of the secrecy after this battle. I can’t continue to wonder what the hell I am.

She and Calvin cleaned up the last of the demons with Calvin spinning her around, like a kid‘s airplane spin, while she sliced off heads with her demon claws. Katie wondered, “Will we ever see peace?” “Even if we kill every last demon we will never truly see peace,” Damian replied. “We are humans, and we have a tendency to royally screw things up when they are good. Earth is a place of turmoil and fighting. Right now we fight the demons, but tomorrow? Who knows?”

One thing had come out perfectly for Katie; both of her teammates were alive and unscathed. Damian could go on to his future with the Church and Calvin could stay with her to build a strong new team to battle future demons.

“When did we get a new chopper?” Katie asked, realizing that they had one again after the last one had been knocked out of the sky. “Consider it a parting gift.” Damian smiled.

Chapter Twenty-Five Final Decisions

Back to popcorn and the soaps. Calvin, Damian, Katie, Joshua and Timothy, laughing and talking, booing the screen, talking about predictions for each character. They let out a collective awww, and huddled together for a group hug. It was exactly what Katie loved about her life the most—her family.

“So, what’s your plan?” Damian asked. “You gonna rebuild this team?”“I thought about it.” Katie sighed. “But with everyone joining the military and the rules changing, I think it’s time we changed with it. I decided that Calvin and I are going to be roaming troubleshooters. We’ll be harder to pin down that way.” “I’ll keep Timothy here, basing the IT out of this place and we’ll get him some more work to keep him busy. And of course, Joshua will be here running the business, making weapons and such. He has taught the girls how to take orders and fill them. Joshua learned how to balance the books from Stephanie, and everything else can be done remotely. “We will be back from time to time,” Katie continued. “But we won’t tell anyone when. We will come and go as we please.”

Pandora had finally gotten around to filling Katie in on her back-ground history, and Katie told the others. “Well, it seems that a few thousand years ago there was a large battle, and supposedly the last of my kind were destroyed. Apparently, someone got their history fucked up though because the demons hadn’t killed all of the Nephilim. Seems that Pandora thinks that somewhere in my genealogy I might have an angel as an ancestor. She says that explains why she is able to connect with me.” The General will see that they get to Israel.

Katie stood watching Korbin and Stephanie before she left, and suddenly the mysterious man stood in front of her. She didn’t actually recognize him but felt as if she had known someone like him all her life. “You don’t have to travel to Israel. I’ve come to you.”Sonofabitch. That motherfucker, sneaking around in the fucking shadows, not calling out. He could get that white-haired angel smile smacked right off his face. I don’t know why my life is like this. Seriously, I am living in the fucking Twilight Zone. Angels, nice humans… It makes me seriously want to puke. I would if I had my own body

“I take it Lilith wants to say something?’

I’ll tell him something, hell yeah. Let me have your body, I’ll tell this beefcake exactly how I feel. He will be in shock and awe that his angel ears are being desecrated by the mighty Lilith. I did not sign up for this. I just wanted a good time. Come to Earth, party it up, meet some men, go wild, but noooo… Here I am with these freaks.

Katie smirked. “She says hello, and she’s happy to see you again.” “My dear,” he chided, chuckling, “you lie just as well as she does."