Demon VII Read online

  Alisha grinned at her partner Manny, as they entered the warehouse. “Meaning Rayden got port-holed after D ripped his throat out?”

  “We like the version where Demon took down Rayden and disappeared without a trace.”

  “Wow… you vacuumed the blood too, huh?”

  “Without a trace,” Mike stuck to his original plotline.

  Manny pointed at Baby Groot. “I see you have Mongo entertaining.”

  “I soothed them and Mongo’s entertaining while they get clean. Look, we can be anything you want us to be. We can be called the FBI Paranormal Unit or whatever you want, but if you need to get some credit for returning these people to their homes, some manner of paranormal explanation will go with it.”

  Alisha gestured at Baby Groot. “That is the cutest monster of all time. Let’s do this.”

  Two hours later, with Mongo continuing to entertain both the victims and FBI agents, buses drove away the victims to be debriefed and returned home. The happy hostages thanked and hugged their saviors profusely, leaving the disbelieving and stunned agents with the fact something extraordinary freed them. Having Baby Groot prancing around made denying it an act of stupidity. The Demon Inc team did personal introductions with the agents, allowing them to see the slightly doctored video recordings. Sandy then demonstrated a portal opening into the Radalia dimension with Mike’s shielding. The monsters ripping at the shield had some of the FBI agents running for the exit. Sandy shut it down.

  “Good Lord in heaven… you kids are the real thing,” one of the agents stated, named Chet Houser. “Does this mean the Satanist didn’t really get away?”

  “I can neither confirm nor deny that statement, Sir,” Mike answered. “I can tell you for certain Rayden Kirk will never kidnap another person for torture and death. You will, I’m sure, raid his personal properties under this fictitious name of Kirk Enterprises. A nest of his acolytes located in San Jose will be something to keep an eye on. Alisha has the address of his holdings down there. The computer gear confiscated out of the office will possibly show the names of other victims we were too late to help.”

  “Good enough.” Houser shook Mike’s hand. “Do you take precautions not to let the military or CIA know about the scope of what your group can do?”

  “I’ve made sure they know,” Alisha answered for Mike. “Demon Inc has a weapon nothing on earth can stop except for Mike. If anything, threatening happens to one of them, hell on earth follows. I think you and your crew can leave now. If we have any further questions, I’ll contact you directly, Mike.”

  “Thank you. We’ll be at the center.” Mike walked away, gesturing for his crew to follow. Baby Groot hopped aboard Demon for the trip to their waiting van, with the others close behind.

  “Can you control that crew, Boss,” Houser asked.

  “No one can control that group. I have hope in a couple of years, after all the SyFy and YouTube exposure, they will be accepted as an American phenomena, so powerful, even the government leaves them alone.”

  Startled, Houser asked, “you believe they can be used as a weapon with just the mention of their group to world leaders threatening the United States.”

  Alisha smiled. “I can neither confirm nor deny that statement, Chet.”

  “Damn… well, okay then.”

  * * *

  Grant had entered the warehouse with the FBI team after locking the Demon Inc van. He walked out with the crew, holding tightly to Gail’s hand. “You all were incredible. I watched on the monitor inside the van.”

  “I’m sorry you were stuck out there so long.”

  “Are you kidding, Mike? Being a part of saving those people from monsters is indescribable. Did the FBI accept the ending?”

  “They didn’t have much choice, GT,” Demon answered. “With Mongo traipsing around as Groot, and Sack opening a portal to hell, they understand we’re not cartoons on a Saturday morning kids’ show.”

  “I learned what Alisha and the FBI plan to accept. They also intend to pass the word around amongst the military and CIA types,” Mike admitted.

  “I am Groot!”

  “Mongo says bad Ripper,” Demon translated from Groot language, amusing the others.

  “I needed to make sure no Middle Earth talk went on after we left. I have a channel into Alisha since the time she threatened us with Middle Earth. I don’t abuse the connection. Everyone but Mongo can be shot or blown up.”

  “Mike’s right,” Stan stated. “If he can get a warning, after an operation, that we may be in danger from frightened government types, not using the power endangers us. For one, I’m glad we went through all we did here, but I’m also happy Mike knows whether the government plans to drop us all down a missile silo, or not.”

  Mike waited until Grant drove away from the scene before confirming what he learned. “Alisha believes if Demon Inc continues for a couple years, eventually we’ll be accepted in the world as a dangerous uncontrollable weapon, with parts so powerful it would be suicide to mess with either us or America.”

  The long silent contemplation of Mike’s revelation seemed appropriate to him. “I am Groot,” broke the silence as Mongo straightened from Demon’s back.

  “Mongo says it’s party time,” Demon added.

  “I’m a little dense,” Gail said. “What exactly does that mean?”

  “It means we become so dangerously famous in the future, enemies of the nation, and criminals, will be hesitant to do anything we might take exception to,” Mike answered. “Alisha thinks it possible Demon Inc could become a deterrent to an untold number of threats.”

  “This Rayden episode will certainly work to illustrate Alisha’s thoughts,” Connie said.

  “I hope she can find a way for the FBI to take credit for this,” Janis replied. “Maybe they don’t want to get credit for this. It does help to establish the FBI as our handlers at least.”

  “That’s a good way of addressing our relationship with them,” Denny said. “It gives the impression they can direct our actions.”

  “If we could give Alisha the home invasion gang in one piece, they could take credit along with the Sheriff’s Department,” Jerry suggested. “I know it depends if we can take them alive. I know we normals don’t do well against people with guns. We can work on weapons and tactics where we could contribute in those situations.”

  “I am working in the lab on some weapons projects,” Denny replied. “We already have the body armor and head gear capable of stopping even bullets, but we’re a team trained to fight monsters who don’t use guns. People die in combat. If we go against armed monsters, we need to use our heads and allow our paranormal superman to lead.”

  “I am Groot,” Mongo said in the quiet questioning tone, as in the movie, when pointing at the death button, instead of the five-minute delay button on a planet killing bomb.

  “Mongo says he’ll take the first hit,” Demon interpreted comically. “Let’s calm down and take a moment to celebrate, rather than visit the hypothetical land of defeat.”

  “D’s right,” Mike said. “We’ll go case by case. If we need to intercede against a gang like the MS-13 bunch, we’ll hit them hard and Sandy will vacuum them into our bad guy burial dimension. I admit it. I’m thinking since it’s only nine o’clock, anyone who wants to celebrate with the paranormals at Demon Inc can do so and stay over.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Gail agreed. “I’m sick of fighting this paranormal wave. We saved a lot of people. My dad thinks this group is the Holy Grail. He wouldn’t quit no matter what I decided to do. Even my boyfriend wants to be part of it.”

  “Thank you,” Grant waved from the driver’s seat. “Yes… I’d like to celebrate.”

  Gail giggled. “That’s because you don’t know about the Demon Inc morals clause. It’s enforced 24/7 by Mongo and Demon.”

  “Oh.”

  Grant’s one word acknowledgement drew humorous amusement from everyone.

  When they were within a mile of Demon Inc,
Laura called Mike. “Loretta Kincaid arrived at the gate five minutes ago. Joanie stopped me from opening the gate for her. She says Kincaid teaches English at the high school, but was Haunt possessed along with her friend, Mary Ansel… your Mary Ansel. I’d forgotten all about that episode. Joanie reminded me we don’t have any paranormals here.”

  “Joanie’s right. Never let anyone into Demon Inc, outside of our crew, when Demon, Mongo and I aren’t there. We’re minutes away. Tell her to hold on and I’ll discuss anything she has a problem with in a short moment.”

  “Will do, Mike.”

  “Do you think Ms. Kincaid’s possessed again, Mike,” Denny asked.

  “More likely she’s here to rake me over the coals because of her friend, Mary,” Mike replied. “Since Mary left of her own accord, I don’t know why I would be a target. We’ll know soon.”

  “Invite her in, Ripper. Mongo will set our beverages and snacks out while you and Denny meet with her. Mongo has a recipe for deviled eggs he wants to try out on us. We’ll order pizzas too.”

  “I am Groot!”

  “Mongo wants to sip a couple while he makes the deviled eggs,” Demon again interpreted.

  Mike grinned. He pointed at Baby Groot. “You will say something if Demon misinterprets your message, right?”

  Baby Groot saluted with a big smile, causing amused havoc inside the van.

  As Grant neared the gate, a young brown-haired woman straightened from the Acura hood she sat against. She wore a black, thigh length dress with a slit up the side to nearly her waist. The balmy, high seventies temperature at past nine at night, intermittently normal for Northern California in October, made it possible for her not to need a jacket over the spaghetti strapped black dress, allowing vast amounts of Loretta’s body to be viewed. She smiled while folding arms over chest at the van’s approach.

  The Muttley snicker reverberated on Mike’s forged network. “Did someone order a hooker? I think we can rule out Haunt or any other type possession. If I had to guess, I’d say it was Ripper possession.”

  Mike looked around at the smiling faces of his companions with consternation. “I’m a little dull after today’s adventures. Can anyone stop smiling like enlightened loons and tell me what this appearance by an English teacher at the high school means?”

  Demon ruled on the subject as the front gate opened. “Go out there and invite her in. If I need to explain it, you need to go talk to mommy and daddy about the facts of life.”

  Demon’s underlying meaning knifed Mike to the core as his companions enjoyed Demon’s proclamation. “I get it. Thanks for being so subtle about it, Bluto.”

  Mike pointed at Gail. “After this, I don’t want any talk from you about my altering perception, ‘Unholy Grail’. If I ever did or contemplated what you accuse me of, this instance of Ripper abuse would never happen.”

  Gail needed to wait a few moments while enjoying the scene before answering. “I believe you. Go on out and invite her in. That will absolutely prove it to me, because I can tell one thing: she ain’t going away, and I know you didn’t bring her here.”

  Mike exited the van. “Maybe that’s worth this thread of despair.”

  Mike waved as he walked toward Loretta Kincaid. “Hi, Ms. Kincaid. My associate, Laura Fahrenbach, mentioned you wanted to speak with me. You have my sister Joanie and other associate, Denny Stossle in your English class. I know we met under bad conditions with a Haunt inside you we had to extract. Are you okay? How can I help you?”

  “Mary told me she broke up with you.”

  Mike gestured Grant around him. This would not progress well. “Uh… yeah… she decided my abilities and strangeness were a little too much for her. There were no hard feelings or problems. She asked, because of my wounds and mutations, if I could become a type of Haunt. I told her I didn’t know.”

  “She told me all of that, and explained what’s happened to you because of the wounds. Mary wanted to talk with someone today. We’re close friends. You know that. I told her she was a fool to walk away.”

  Sensing a deepening black hole of problems, he didn’t want, Mike immediately came to Mary’s defense. “I care for Mary. I understand exactly what she was afraid of - getting involved with a student at the high school she worked at, who could become a danger or albatross around her neck. I figured Mary wanted a more stable family relationship.”

  Loretta grasped his arm, shuddering because of her previous connection with Mike. “Call me Loretta. Invite me in and we’ll talk this out.”

  “No offense… Loretta… but there really isn’t anything to talk out. I didn’t tell Mary to leave. She left on her own. We have a group celebration in the works happening right now I want to be a part of, so please, let’s get together another day.” Mike began wondering if he’d need to juice her.

  “Invite me in, Mike. I won’t make you crazy or screw with your friends. I know you did what I’ve heard termed as juicing to me, because I had a Haunt inside my head. I realize a small tantalizing thread may still be inside me from that occurrence, but I want to find out by getting to know you. I never approached you because of Mary dreaming over you. When I saw the revulsion she felt, over your latest mutation and admission, I came over to see you. Invite me in.”

  Having inadvertently left everyone on his network, Mike clenched his fists hearing the stifled amusement. He knew what was coming. “Wait one.”

  “Bring her in, big dog,” Demon told him. “She’s playing you off the rebound. Will you be receiving the English lesson in your room?”

  “Do I need to watch my pronouns if Ms. Kincaid comes in,” Joanie added.

  “I am Groot.”

  Loretta peered closer into Mike’s face. “Is there something going on in your head?”

  “I forgot to turn off the inner networking with my friends. They’re holding me up to ridicule because I’m cluelessly literal.”

  “You have the power to mentally connect remotely with your crew inside the building? That’s incredible.”

  Mike added her to the network in time to hear his friends on line requesting Loretta’s help on the alphabet, past/present/future tense, sentence structure – all with a threaded in ‘I am Groot’ between remarks.”

  Loretta grabbed her head. “I…I can hear them.”

  “They can hear you too. Let’s ride inside with your car. You’ve met my friends before, except for Grant Thorvald, Nazer Rahal, and Tom Metger. Sandy Albertson, you know from school. They weren’t with me during your trouble with Haunts. My brother paranormal, Mongo, had not joined us yet either at that time.”

  “I am Groot.”

  Loretta chuckled as she drove her car to the front entrance with Mike in the passenger seat. “Mary told me all about your strange group, I think to warn me away.”

  “She probably hoped to keep you away from trouble and danger.” Mike opened the door for her while Denny closed the front gate.

  Demon, with Baby Groot on his back, met them inside. Mongo stood, waving. “I am Groot.”

  “Oh my God! I loved that movie!” Loretta crouched down to the same level as Baby Groot. “Hi, Demon. Mongo is so cute as Groot!”

  “He’s showing off for you.” Demon glanced down at Loretta’s slit in her already short dress. “Nice outfit. Did you go commando?”

  Loretta straightened, shaming Demon as Mary described Mongo doing it. “Bad Bluto!”

  The Muttley snicker sounded. “You’re okay, kid. Follow us.”

  Inside the entertainment room, the Demon Inc crew awaited their guest. Loretta surprised them by knowing each person’s name from their brief but deadly encounter in the past. Mike introduced Nazer, Grant, little Mike, and Tom. After greetings, and fawning over little Mike, Loretta marveled at the entertainment room. The beverage and snack table held liquor, an ice bucket, veggie plates, hot and cold snacks, and a cooler with beer and soda. Denny handed Mike his shot glass.

  “Would you like a taste, Ms. Kincaid,” Mongo asked politely, having chang
ed into his human form. He held out a shot glass for her. “We are toasting a day in which we saved many lives.”

  She accepted it. “Thank you, Mongo.”

  “God bless us, everyone,” Mongo said solemnly, quoting Tiny Tim from his favorite Christmas movie.

  After everyone sipped from their beverage of choice, Loretta asked, “what did you do today, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “I’ll show you, Ms. Kincaid,” Denny said, filling the big screen with the vivid, uncut version of the attack on Rayden Kirk’s warehouse.

  Loretta clutched Mike’s arm as she gulped down the rest of her shot during the battle between Mike and the golem. “Slime demons and a golem? I saw the Hebrew letters on the thing’s forehead.”

  “We wanted to question Rayden about creating the golem, but I needed to chomp him,” Demon explained. “He was an unknown entity, so he needed to go to hell in person, first thing.”

  “I thought golems could only be stopped by their creator,” Loretta replied.

  “When Ripper cuts with the darkness blade, it slices through anything,” Demon replied. “Add Sad Sack to the mix creating portals to hell underneath the target, and that’s all folks.”

  “Sad Sack?”

  “That’s my nickname at Demon Inc, Ms. Kincaid,” Sandy answered.

  “Please call me Loretta away from school. Denny helped save my life. Most of you were there when Mary and I decided to play with the Haunts. I remember now. Mary told me about the nicknames. They just call you Sack, right?”

  “Yes. Did you come to see Mike, or did you have a problem for Demon Inc?”

  Loretta blushed. Mongo refilled everyone’s beverages. “A bit of both – Mary told me your team can find anything. Someone burglarized my apartment two nights ago. They… took everything, including a… DVD of… ah-”

  “Spit it out, kid,” Demon told her. “We may have a little fun at your expense, but what happens in Demon Inc Central, stays in Demon Inc Central.”