Chapter 1: The most important job you’ll ever have.
Chapter Text
Time moves funny in hell, that much was sure. Mike couldn’t seem to grasp how much time had passed since he had been posted here. But, despite how much time had passed, or not passed, he was the FNG on the base, the new kid. A moniker that was likely to remain until the next poor bastard got killed in battle doing something heroic.
Still, despite not really knowing just how much time had passed, he figured it must have been at least a couple of months since he came here, and he was settling into a rhythm of sorts. Funnily enough, being part of a heaven task force in hell was actually one of the most informal postings he ever had. Seems God expected you to guard this portal, do extraction missions and train. But besides that? There weren't really a lot of restrictions as many other armies around the world would have. While this base had what one would expect of a military base: Armoury, fences around it, guard towers, canteen and barracks (Which were much bigger and better than any barracks he had ever seen), it carried signs of being modified throughout time.
Hell, which was much more tame that Mike had ever expected, followed Earth in its development. Seems like sinners brought pieces of home with them when they died, and when hell changes, so does the base to accommodate. But it wasn’t just in regards to military installations, entertainment centers, upgrades to the central kitchen, Laundromat, you name it, there is a chance this base has it. Mike suspects half the reason is to also keep people in the base. While they are allowed to leave the base when they have leave (And wander hell if they so chose), they must be back on their post by the time their leave is up. Desertion is in breach of contract, and any breach of their contract with heaven will… You guessed it, forfeit their last chance at salvation.
Oh yeah, and those extraction missions? That seems to be the entire reason why there even is a portal to heaven in the first place. Apparently, between death and going to the afterlife, even the most paragon of mankind can risk somehow being snatched up and pulled into hell by demons. Fortunately for them, their extraction force exists, so every now and then, they get orders from heaven to find this person pulled into hell, and extract them back to heaven.
While living on this base they had built around the portal is nice and all, and guard duty is hardly the worst thing he has ever done, Mike really does yearn for the chance to join the extraction team. Some excitement… It’s partly what he used to live for, back when he was… well alive. But so far, he had been excited just by speaking to his fellow soldiers. Seems like this battalion has been built up ever since Jesus walked the earth, the first man to get chance… or be assigned this posting, as they like say, was a Roman centurion named Augustus Flavian who had grown a conscience in the last moments of his life, and protected a congregation of Christians against his fellow Romans. To be, effectively, around for almost 2000 years was a real head scratcher to Mike, not that he had spent much time speaking with Augustus. The Roman was still stoic, not much for casual conversation. Kept mostly to himself in his free time, but he did lead one of the extraction teams (the best one). But luckily for Mike, others were willing to engage in conversation.
Like Robert Rowland, who was fast-tracking to becoming his best friend here. Robert had also been a paratrooper, he died during the battle of the Bulge, dropping over a brother-in-arms when a grenade was thrown at them, saved the man's life, but lost his own in the bargain. But, he was always in high spirits, eternally grateful for the chance he has gotten. He had been the one to be his welcome committee, filling him in on all the jobs he would be doing, and what future jobs might be available, depending on how well he does. Having a friend like him was a life-saver, managed to make a few friends as well due to Robert in the few months he had been in hell.
The alarm clock rang out, its annoying ringtone instantly waking Mike up, making him shoot up in bed. One thing you get to learn while in the military, it’s that it only gets worse if you stay in bed a little longer, might as well get up the moment it starts. The same discipline seemed to have never been drilled into his bunkmate. “You plan on getting up today?” Mike asked as he stretched out.
“Relax dude, it’s my rest day.” Declan Cambbell had been one of those hippie types who got drafted for the Vietnam war, kept his entire style loose, and in any other military force than the Heaven task force they were a part of, it would have been unacceptable. He was the type to wear a peace symbol on his jacket, anti-war slogans on his helmet… The type shown in all Vietnam war movies ever made. That’s another thing that puzzled Mike when he had been dropped off here, mostly everyone kept their equipment from when they were alive. Not that God was cheap or anything (Can an all knowing and all powerful being that created the universe even be cheap?), any military equipment you wanted, all you had to do was fill in a requisition order and it would be delivered, more like spit out, of the portal. A lot of people were more comfortable sticking to the equipment and weapons they used when they lived.
“Well, enjoy it. I’ll see you tomorrow at the common?”
“Sure thing dude.” Declan groaned as he switched sides on the bed, turning his back to Mike, who simply shook his head and chuckled. Well, time to hit the showers and get ready for the day.
He greeted the men who passed him by in the halls as he made his way to the showers. There weren’t many women on the base, but there were a few. Not that women couldn’t die as heroically as men, most of the world had simply decided for a long time that women shouldn’t fight, so those who were here tended to be those who fought during extreme times of need. They had their own barrack on the other side of the base.
Taking a quick shower, and then changing into his military rags, he finally exited the barracks, to make his way towards the mess area for some,breakfast. But before that, he met Logan McGhee, Scottish man, killed in the first world war, guiding a group of children, who for some reason had never evacuated the farmhouse they stayed at, to safety. He was a lot of fun to be around though.
“Morning lad, you slept well?”
“Yeah, as good as one can in hell.” It always seemed like your dreams were muddled when you slept in hell. Robert had told him it had something to do with the fact that they were still… well alive to some degree. While they did not age anymore or get sick, they could still be killed by trauma. And if they did, God would judge their soul, and send it to where it is destined based on how well they have performed. So there was a chance you’d end up with the demons you defend the portal from.
“You’ll get used to it lad. Scuttlebutt says we’re gonna get front gate guard duty today.”
“No doubt as interesting as last time.”
“Aye lad, it is boring. If rumors are true though, you got me as company. Not bad, eh?” McGhee laughed as he slapped Mike on the shoulder.
“As long as you leave your bagpipes in your bunk. I can’t stand that music.” Mike grinned.
“Watch your tongue lad, I shall not have some yankee mock our music.” Logan’s face switched to serious on a dime. Mike looked back at him, almost nervous his attempt at humor had just burned a bridge.
“Look, I’m-”
“Got ya!” He laughed, a full belly laugh.
“You fucker.” Mike began to laugh with him.
“Should have seen your face! HA, priceless!”
“Just get your fat highland ass going” Mike tried to switch to a more serious tone, but it was clear he wasn’t as skilled as Logan in that regard.
“Sure lad, sure” Logan remarked as they continued on. “Oh, and by the way… You coming to football tomorrow? Lads are having a game.”
“Actual football or that thing you Europeans love to play?” Mike looked back at Logan and asked.
“You yanks call it soccer, but its proper name is football. Are ya’ coming or not?” Logan asked back.
“Nah. Me, Cambbell and Fritz were going to have a pool game.” Mike excused himself. Logan shook his head as they finally entered the mess area.
“Let us hope Mathieu made some proper food today, none of the French fancy stuff.”
“Say what you will about Mathieu, but he serves the best food I ever tasted… At least in a military context. Understandable that you don’t enjoy it though”
“Eh, what’s that supposed to mean?” Logan stopped up and asked, but Mike just kept going with a smile.
So, here he was again. Duty at the front gate. Stand here for two hours, be relieved from your post by the guard roster for 4 hours, to rest, and then back again for two hours. Rinse and repeat for the next 24 hours until the next guard team would relieve them. Then it is four days of either rest, training or different assignments, depending on what base leadership commanded. It was evening now, the day had been uneventful, as far as he knew. He was at the tail end of his two hour shift, getting ready for four hours in the guard house in about 40 minutes.
But for now, he had to listen to Logan go on and on about some old story while keeping his eyes peeled on the horizon. Mike hadn’t fired his gun since he came here, besides the shooting range of course. There had been no attempts to breach the perimeter of the base on his watch during his time here, but there had been a few attempts when he was off duty though.
He knew he shouldn’t wish for the excitement of an attempt at a breach of the base, but he had always loved the adrenaline in his veins when things turned to shit. Things were probably… getting a bit too normal. When he came home from his first tour, he quickly realized he had lost the ability to adjust to life at home. He was military for life, quite literal now though.
“-Oh, you should have seen how he squealed when he saw what he had done to his clothes…” Seems like Logan was finishing up another story, Mike looked over at the scot with a sideway look. “Heard the lads on south gate duty last night had an attempt at a breach.”
Now Mike fully looked over at Logan. “I didn’t hear any gunshots?”
“It was Mendez and Blackburn. Both are from the medieval times, so they carry swords. Probably why you didn’t hear it.”
“And the man in the guard tower?”
“That jap guy… What is his name again?” Logan snapped his fingers trying to remember.
“The Samurai guy? Don’t those guys fight with katanas?” Mike was the first to admit he didn’t know much about the way the Samurai fought, he had only seen them depicted in popular media, and besides: he had never said two words to the guy.
“I think they fight with all kinds of weapons. Anyway, he nailed one of the imps with an arrow, and Mendez and Blackburn killed two more. One got away though. Hopefully he will spread the word for others to not try their luck.” Logan explained as he adjusted his grip on his Lee-enfield.
“Christ. How come it’s always on other people’s shifts that kind of thing happens?” Mike complained, but seemingly it was aimed at no one.
“Don’t be so quick to wish for battle lad. Those creatures can be vicious.” Logan reminded him. Mike knew the scot was right, but still, he couldn’t shake it.
“Don’t you ever feel like it’s weird just how… normal things are here in hell?” Mike turned and asked, still frustrated.
“Everyone feels that way when they get here, lad. They expect fire lakes, the smell of sulfur, the sounds of screaming from the torture of sinners. Then they see it’s pretty the same as the surface, just with more violence, sex and whatnot.”
“I mean, for Christ's sake they have an entire city built.” Mike gestured out to the horizon. The base, and the portal, was located on a hill outside of the city, by the very edge of the ring of pride. But they could clearly see the city from their base, with the crimson sky as the backdrop. While it felt normal here, there were still many indicators it wasn’t earth. While the red sky was the biggest one, and the demons roaming the street working nine to fives, the temperature was always… uncomfortable, either just a tad bit too warm… Or too humid. Stuff like your shoelaces coming undone, your lighter not working sometimes. Things which are minor inconveniences in contrast to the torturing he figured was going on in hell.
“Look lad, I can’t explain why things are the way that they are. I figure even the padre in our church can’t truly answer why it is the way it is. It simply is. Now, we have a job to do, focus on that. If you want, you can go into the city on the next leave and ask the locals.” Logan tried to comfort him, putting an almost fatherly hand on Mike's shoulder.
“Right, and get my head ripped off by some sinner who is bitter about being placed here.” Mike tried to joke.
“Yeah, doesn’t seem to bother Karl though. He still goes into the city every time he has leave. Just make sure you come back again.” Logan reminded him. Mike wasn’t sure though. Why bother? They had everything here. But then again, if he craved excitement…
“Disciple 4. This is overlord. Do you copy? Over.” The sound of their radio interrupted them. Mike pressed the button down on his radio.
“This is Disciple four. Go ahead overlord. Over.” Mike said. Command tended to check in every 10 minutes.
“Requesting status report. Over.”
“Everything is clear, overlord. Visibility 100%. No attempts at breaches detected. Over.” There were a few seconds of silence on the radio. Probably the man on the other side writing down the report.
“Copy that Disciple 4. Butcher 2 is moving on assignment in two minutes. Clear the road for trucks passing through. How copy? Over.”
“Solid copy, overlord. Over.” Mike gestured to the roadblock, and Logan nodded as he walked over to it.
“Good. Report if need arises. Overlord out.” And with that, Mike went to help Logan with moving the roadblock so the extraction team could move through. Looks like some poor sap was in for a rescue, which was undoubtedly a relief for them. Mike wondered if they would be back quickly.
Seeing the armoured convey come through and speed off into the city really made Mike wish he was with them. But before he could ever be considered for the extraction team, he would need specialized training. He had already applied for the role, alongside at least 50 other men still waiting. They quickly closed up behind them.
“You know, sometimes I wonder why they even have us guard this place. Considering the automated defences in place if they ever breach the wall.” Mike thought out loud. “Who even knows if demons can use the portal? They might get instantly killed if they tried.”
“It’s possible. But you have your orders lad. Best stick to them. Could be worse if you ask me.”
“Yeah…”
“Anyways… How about another story? See, my uncle went to sea-”
Mike mentally drowned out whatever story Logan was coming up with next. He liked the guy, but damn it could get tiring to listen to. Mike tried to focus on the job at hand. Keeping his eye training on the horizon if anyone tried anything. But no demons ever really came close to this place, usually staying outside of a mile diameter around the base. Still, it wouldn’t hurt if one just-
“Disciple 4. This is overwatch 4. Please copy. Over.” The radio came to life again. Overwatch was their watch tower just above them on the wall. The man currently occupying that position today was Fritz. A good man, even if a lot of people gave him sideways glances. He had been a German soldier during world war two. But all soldiers posted to this base were brothers in arms, after all, they had all died doing the same thing…
“Overwatch. We copy, go ahead. Over.”
“That rock, two hundred yards North. Looks like there might be a Hotel Delta there. Can you check it out? Over.” Fritz ordered, even though it sounded like a request. Mike quickly brought out his binoculars to see, and true enough. Someone was sitting there. Looked like a hell hound.
“Solid copy. I’ll check it out.”
“Understood Disciple 4. I will provide cover if things escalate. Overwatch out.”
“I’m going down to check it out, if you hear a commotion, come quickly.” Mike turned to Logan and ordered.
“Understood lad. Be careful, you never know what they might try and do. You sure you want to do this on your own?” Logan asked with a concerned look in his eye.
“I got it under control-” Mike turned in the direction of the rock. “I hope.” He almost whispered. But he could feel his heart beginning to pound faster. Finally, something is happening.
“Be safe. Shout and I’ll come running.” Logan reassured Mike as he began to walk towards the rock. Mike held up a thumbs up as he continued.
It was time to find out just what this hellhound was up to.
Chapter 2: The meeting
Notes:
Thanks for the attention on the first chapter! Had this chapter ready to go. Next one might take a few days to complete.
Feel free to offer criticism, offer improvements and the likes!
Chapter Text
Walking along the uneven ground, trying to navigate all the bigger rocks on the ground that could provide cover for anyone attempting to reach the base if they took a stealthier approach. Keeping his M4 in a semi-ready stance as he slowly walks towards the rock in question. He can see the hellhound much more clearly now. A female, style looks very goth, long grey hair, not bad looking-
Christ, what the hell are you thinking Fitzpatrick? Mike reprimanded himself. He had a job to do. Ascertain the threat, and if possible, get them to leave the one mile perimeter without issue. He moved with steady steps, trying to get his heart rate under control. This is the most excitement he has had since he was killed back on earth.
He could see her ears perk up in response to the sound of his footsteps, but she did not turn to face him. Who the fuck do she think she is? Mike thought bitterly. There was nothing he hated more than not being taken seriously when he meant to. But that’s when he noticed the empty wine bottles on the ground. Christ, how long has she been there? He would need a word with Fritz on his power of perception when he was done here.
“Ma’am? I’m sorry, but you’re in a-”
“Go. Away.” She spoke coldly. Her voice dripping with venom, he could almost hear her growl with her teeth showing. Another bottle fell from her hands, and onto the ground.
“So this is where the youth of today go to get drunk?” He picked up an empty bottle off the ground to examine it. “Hmmm, good year.” He lied, before throwing the bottle away again.
“I told you, leave me alo-”
“Yeah, I heard what you said. Doesn’t change the circumstances though.” She finally turned to look at him. Yup, she truly was a hellhound, but everything paled in comparison to her eyes, red eyes. They were almost urging him to go on. Some part of him said those were beautiful eyes. “You’re close enough to the base to be considered a potential threat. So, what’s your story, Mrs….?”
“Came here because I heard no one comes around these parts. Wanted to be alone with my thoughts. Seems I now know why no one comes here. Dickheads patrol the place apparently." She replied, still with the same tone as before, mockingly almost, but there was a hint of… Sadness, or melancholy maybe. Either she was a good liar, or she really did have something to think about.
In return, Mike lowered his rifle fully, letting it rest by its trap on his front plate as he rested his arms on it. “What’s your name?” He asked, trying to change his tone to something more caring. He didn’t really know why he’s trying to bother with this.
“Why do you care?” She asked, still venom in her voice, like she rejected this supposed mockery he was performing on her. It was the million dollar question though.
“I don’t know.” He remarked after a period of silence. “Technically my only job currently is to see if you intend to breach the base-” Mike pointed behind him towards the base. “-And to escort you off the premises once I have established you are not a threat, at gunpoint if need be. But-”
“Get to the point.” How rude
“Something compels me to speak. Like-... Shit, I don’t know, like it’s the right thing to do.” Mike finally said. Vague as it may be. “Let me go first then. I’m Mike Fitzpatrick. Corporal now, but I used to be a sergeant before.” Mike finally pulled down the scarf covering his face, and removed the dust goggles that covered his eyes. “Nice to meet you.”
“But you’re… human?” Her voice had changed from harsh to puzzled in a heartbeat. He could see how her eyes were looking him over like crazy, trying to figure out this newest mystery. She clearly tries to take in his features, no doubt the big nasty scar he had over his right eye drew attention. Another quirk they had, scars sustained in those moments up to the death were kept, and could never fade.
“Last I checked.” He smiled. Adjusted his stance a bit.
“But I thought you were a sinner?” It was like he could see the gears tick in her head, attempting to connect the dots.
“Aren’t all humans sinners?” He asked with a raised eyebrow, somewhat confused. He had to admit, he never spent much time in church during his time alive, so he was a bit hazy on details… That reminded him that the base had its own church, and maybe it was time to frequent it more, given that the whole goddamn thing about religion was proven to be real.
“Not what I meant, dickhead.” She rolled her eyes, her tone annoyed.
“Then what did you mean?” He asked. It was actually a good chance to uncover some stuff. Apparently there was a difference in appearance between humans and sinners? So few people ventured outside the base, so no one really knew how things worked in hell. They always had their own little corner, and if it weren't for the extraction mission, they’d hardly ever leave the comfort of their fort.
She sighed, long and heavy. “How long have you been in hell?” She then inquired.
“A couple of months, at least I think so. Time is… funny here.” He remarked, feeling the need to stretch out all of a sudden. “Haven’t been more than a mile from the base yet.”
She rubbed her temples in annoyance, then let out another sigh. “When sinners die, and get sent to hell. They take different forms. Maybe in relation to their sin, maybe in relation to how they died. Either way… They don’t look like humans anymore. But you do…”
“We all do here-” Once again gesturing to the base “We are not exactly like the others in hell, or so I have been told. We’re still mortal… Despite being killed back on earth. We have accepted a contract with heaven, hence why we are different.” He tried to explain it as best as it was explained to him. She looked him over for a moment, as if trying to figure out if he was bullshitting her.
“Huh…. Not like I care anyway.” She dug up a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, but quickly groaned once she realized it was empty. When she looked back up at Mike, she saw him standing there, hand reached out, with a pack of cigarettes in his palm.
“Bad habit I can’t seem to shake.” He smiled as he offered her one. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of the gesture. Until finally, she took a cigarette from the pack, and then studied it for a moment.
“Lucky strike huh?” She asked. Never heard about the brand. Before bringing the cigarette to her lips.
“It’s toasted” Mike said with a grin as he threw his lighter to her, she caught it with one hand. A zippo lighter, she once again studied it. A blue circle against a red background. The letters AA spelt inside the blue circle. Above, it said AIRBORNE, beneath it the circle, words spelt out DEATH FROM ABOVE. She lit the cigarette.
“Thanks… I guess.” She did still look a bit puzzled by the gesture, but took a long drag of her cigarette before giving the lighter back to Mike, who lit up a cigarette of his own.
“So… You never told me your name.” Mike then pointed out. She studied the human as she took another drag of the cigarette, exhaling the smoke through her noise. Clearly a debate was happening in her head, questioning if should give up her name. But, in the end, telling this stranger her name in exchange for a cigarette was a favorable deal.
“Loona.” She sighed, looking away from him and towards the city.
Mike tasted the name on his tongue. “Loona” He whispered. It was a good name, he decided. He wasn’t sure why he liked it. Despite his whisper, she clearly heard him, the way those ears perk up is a nice indicator. Which also made Mike wonder if her tail would wag if she was happy. Though he doubted she would enjoy that question at the moment. “Well, Loona. What’s got you down and out?”
“It’s nothing” she dismissed, almost before he had even finished his question. But her demeanor betrayed any words she could utter. Which made some part of Mike realize he had to pursue this subject.
“You wouldn’t be sitting on the front porch of a military base, drinking shitty wine and smoking cigarettes if it was nothing.” Mike pointed out. Getting a bit closer to the hellhound and sat down on the rock. She clearly wasn’t expecting it, and she was trying to determine her response before Mike spoke up again. “So, I’ll ask again. Loona, what’s bothering you?”
She was silent for a good long bit, and he didn’t push her into anything more, figuring she needed to do it in her own time. They smoked in silence. “Just… Life I guess?” She finally admitted. She tried to be nonchalant. “Mostly about my… Dad.” She took the last drag of her cigarette before flicking the cigarette bud off into the distance. Mike might have complained about littering, but this was hell after all. Mike gestured for her to go on. “Just… urgh…” She buried her head in her hands, or paws… Or whatever the correct terminology for hellhounds was. “I don’t know if he cares. It’s like-” The words were definitely a struggle for her to vocalize, or maybe just get in order. “I mean, he adopted me and he got me a job working for him, and he tries but… It just always comes out wrong!” She vented. “We had another fight, just before I got here.” She confessed.
Mike hummed in acknowledgement. Adjusting his rifle to be more comfortable in his lap. “Shit. I don’t know why I bother telling you this. Look at me, first jarhead offers me a cigarette and I start telling my life story.” She sighed. Mike put a hand on her shoulder. She growled and he quickly took it off again, muttering a quick sorry. Making a mental note not to assume just how friendly they were with each other.
“I’d bet dollars to doughnuts your life story is much more than just that.” He smiled. “Parents are always a hassle to figure out. Do they care or not? When I was just a kid, my parents were my entire world. Then… when I became a teenager, I hated them. Thought they were the cringest people in the world, purely there to embarrass me. Then…” Mike took a deep breath. “When I’m 15, my dad passes, car crash. And then I wish I had spent more time with him. Hearing his stories and whatnot. Just one last chance to go fishing with him… Parents aren’t perfect, it’s a hard thing to realize that, and some parents are down right cruel, but most of them try their best” When he looked over at her, she was paying attention, much more than she ever had prior in this conversation of theirs. “Anyway. I’m sure things are different on your end, and I wouldn’t want to assume anything. But just because people have trouble showing it, doesn’t mean they don’t care about you.” Mike thought about going all out, doing some attempt at psychoanalysis, but he had to remind himself that he didn’t even take a course in it when he was in school, and no one cares for an amateur armchair psychologist.
“Maybe.” She muttered quietly. She brought the bottle of wine to her lips, and took a healthy swig. She looking over at Mike, continuing drinking while Mike just smiled. She finally parted her lips from the bottle, rolled her eyes, sighed and offered it to Mike.
“Appreciate the offer, but I’m gonna have to take a rain check on it. I’m not allowed to be under the influence while on guard duty.” He chuckled. “Don’t stop on my account though.” She gave him a look that clearly said wasn’t going to. Mike wondered just how much she intended to drink, not that he would reprimand her for it, he was just as likely to drink when the occasion called for it. Just too bad guard duty wasn’t such an occasion.
“So, how did you die?” She asked after taking another large gulp of the wine. Her attempt at small talk was interesting, but maybe this was a common way to speak to people.
Mike sighed. The memory of his death was still fresh in his mind, he suspected it always would be. There was always something to be said about trauma, either it sticks with you for life, or you forget about it, mind literally shutting it out. Guess he was stuck with the memory. “Afghanistan. About a week before we were meant to pull out of the country. Convoy was ambushed. RPG round straight into the side of the humvee. I’m thrown from the side, and then I try to help the others out of the car… Then the taliban that is hiding out on the hillside gets the kill shot on me while I’m trying to rescue the last one.” He summarized. He figured she wouldn’t be that interested. “Small act compared to some of the others. You should hear their stories.” He looked at her and smiled. He suspected some people were hesitant to share their story of death, but on the base, they all shared their stories with each other, built trust that way.
“So what, you did something good in life and now you get to guard some stick in the ground?” Crude version, but not inaccurate. He laughed a bit at that.
“Yeah, pretty much. Officially it’s called the Covenant of lost soldiers. We all call the contract through. Serve until judgement day. That kind of jazz. Base’s official name is Fort Redux” Mike explained. He looked over at Loona again. “What about you? What’s your story.”
“I was born here, idiot.” She quickly pointed out. Now it was Mike’s turn to roll his eyes.
“Yeah, I realize that. I mean, what do you do here? Got a job?”
“I do.” She deliberately didn’t celebrate. Which he chose to respect. No need to push her too far. Those teeth did look sharp enough to rip a man’s throat out.
“Is it fun? Out there.” He nodded his head towards the city.
“There are some good clubs and bars.” She answered. “Why? You thinking of going?”
“I got leave in a few days. Almost none of us ever leave the base, but we are allowed to if we want. Just as long as we can make it back to curfew. Been thinking about going out to check it out for an evening.”
“You want me to be your guide?” She sounded almost disgusted by the thought.
“Nah, no need to waste your time being a tour guide for the new kid on the block. Just give me some recommendations, and I can check it out for myself.” Mike chuckled. “That way, you can also ensure I’m staying away from the spot you are currently at. I can tell you think I’m cringy” He laughed. She huffed in, what could be considered, amusement.
“Huh. Alright. I can text you the names of a few places that are pretty cool. What’s your number?”
“Already asking for my number? This is going better than expected.” He chuckled to himself. He thought it was a pretty good joke, but one look at Loona told him he was alone in this assessment.
She growled. “Don’t push your luck, dickhead.” He chose to heed that advice.
“Anyway. I don’t have a phone.” He confessed nonchalantly. Clearly, by the way Loona was looking at him, she did not share the sentiment that it was so casual to not own a phone.
“The fuck do you mean you don’t have one?”
“Haven’t gotten around to ask God almighty for a new one yet.” He joked, but it was at least half true. That, and he figured there probably wasn’t much need for a phone down here. Turns out he was wrong. He did have a phone when he was alive, but between all the deployments he was on, he never really used it much. Not at lot of signal in the mountains of Afghanistan.
She groaned in annoyance. “You got anything to write on?” She then asked, after giving her temples a furious rubbing. He handed her a notepad, and a pen that he always kept on him. She scribbled some numbers on it, and promptly handed it back to him with a huff. “My number. When you get a phone, text me and I’ll send you places of interest.”
“Thanks.” He smiled as he looked down on the note.
“Whatever.” She responded, turning her attention back to her bottle, which must have been close to finished now. Christ, this girl can drink. “So, what’s the deal with this base anyway? Just an excuse for you to play soldiers and ride around town killing demons?” Her question caught him off guard.
“You mean you don’t know?” He was confused. He figured every demon was aware of what was inside the base. That’s why they always tried to get in, right? Attempt to go through the portal to heaven and cause as much mayhem as possible.
“All I ever heard is that you dicks keep to yourself, then once in a while you take a ride out in your armored cars, kill some demons, then head home. Then when the friends and family of those that were killed get angry, they try to assault the base, you kill them and throw them in the sea. How am I doing?” Seems like everyone in the base operated on a different worldview than the rest of hell. Christ, how could he have been so blind? Of course, none of these demons have ever seen the portal, and they don’t go around advertising it. So obviously, the people that attack the base are just angry people looking for vengeance for their loved ones.
For just a moment, Mike thought about telling about the portal, but he chose against it. Still, the extractions were no secret, as far as he knew. “Well, for starters, we don’t go around killing random demons, or sinners for that matter. We extract people who are destined for heaven, but have been pulled down here by dark forces.” He explained.
The way she looked at him, like she couldn’t quite believe it. It made Mike wonder why more demons don’t try and storm the base. Kill the people that they perceive to be killing their friends and family. Maybe they had just given up on the idea after too many failed attempts, so the killing just became another part of hell. It raised another question as well. While the extraction team had the greenlight to shoot and kill demons, sinners or whatever if they got in the way, they didn’t go out of their way to kill. So just how many residents of hell did they kill on their field trips?
“I have never heard about boring goodie two shoes being pulled into hell.” She pointed out. He had no idea if it was common knowledge or not. Didn’t change the facts of the matter. He had seen those poor souls as they were unloaded from the armored car and sent into the portal. The amount of relief on their faces was immeasurable. “Figured heaven would have angels on that job, not washed up soldiers.” While the comment might have been rude, her tone carried a more sarcastic.
“By all accounts, God could snap his fingers and they would be transported straight to heaven. I figure it’s just they needed a job to give us, so we could earn our salvation. So, what’s better than to stick us here on a base, and give us assignments to guard and extract.” He theorized. It was just that, a theory. Maybe there was some theologian explanation for it. “Also, Washed up soldiers? Fuck you.” He tried to pretend to be hurt, but from the small smile on her face, she didn’t believe his bullshit one bit. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.
“So what’s-” She was interrupted by his radio going off.
“The hell’s going on lad? We sent you to clear off some mutt and you spent over 20 minutes talking with her!” Clearly Logan did not appreciate Mike’s attempt to clear off the intruder. “Over.” Logan added, making Mike laugh. The Scot still wasn’t used to the radio etiquette they had introduced.
“I am clearing her off. Over.” Mike reaffirmed.
“By what? Getting her life story? You’re lucky I convinced Fritz to not report you, you goddamn daff bastard. Just get her out of there and report back!” Followed by a moment of silence. “Over.”
“Copy that. Out.” And with that, he turned his attention back to Loona. Who was clearly enjoying watching Mike getting chewed out over the radio.
“uh oh, someone is in trouble.” She had almost the look of a sister that had gotten her brother in trouble with their parents.
“Whatever. Best you leave now. The next shift that comes on in a few minutes is a lot more trigger happy. In fact, I would take this spot off your favorite places to drink list.” Mike recommended. She stood up, and only then did he notice just how tall she was. “Christ on the cross. What the hell do they feed you?” He laughed. She was almost as tall as him, and he was the tallest soldier on base.
“I’m done anyway.” She threw her last bottle on the ground. Making Mike sigh at the litter. “Good luck on your field trip.” She smiled. And with that, she took off. He waved her goodbye, but she just gave him the finger.
“See you around, Loona.” He remarked. Watching her walk off into the distance. And with that, Mike went back to the gate. The furious look in Logan’s eyes was clear enough to see when he walked up, as soon as he joined his friend at the gate, Logan smacked Mike on the back of his head. Not too effective, considering the helmet Mike was wearing, but still, he played into it. “Ouch”
“You better start thinking clearly, son.” Logan lectured. “You got a job to do. Not mess around with the local population.”
“Sorry.One thing led to another, and I suppose it was just interesting to see the other perspective.” Mike remarked. But before he could continue, the next shift came out to relieve them. They spent some time recounting the events of the day, and mercifully, Logan didn’t snitch on him. While they took off their equipment in the guard house, the extraction team came back. Some poor sod was about to finally get where they were supposed to go.
Mike threw himself on the sofa. Hoping to get a nap before his next shift started in four hours.
Chapter 3: Out on the town
Notes:
Turns out I was able to get this one done in a timely manner. Let me know what you think!
Next one will probably take a few days to a week to complete.
Chapter Text
A few days later, his leave finally came up. The last few times he had a few days of leave, he had just spent it on the base. Either by playing sports with the others, drinking with the others, or doing some other activity. Hell, they even had a playstation in their common area. But today? He was finally about to embark on the journey to see hell… Or at least some parts of the pride ring.
“You’re goddamn crazy kid.” Robert remarked as they walked back from shooting practice. “Walking into literal hell? What do you expect to find there?” Clearly Robert didn’t approve of the plan.
“It’ll be fine, Robert. I’m going with Karl.” Mike tried to assure him.
“Christ kid, you gonna go paint pictures with that Swedish mook?” Robert laughed. “You don’t strike me as the… erh… artistic type.”
“I’m not gonna paint pictures with Karl. We’re just walking into the city together. I think he has plans to paint some lake somewhere. I’m gonna go around, see the sights and find some good bar somewhere to have a couple of drinks. You’re welcome to come along if you want.” Mike smiled.
“Thanks but no thanks. Unlike you, I actually like being alive.” Robert laughed.
“We’re not technically alive, at least not by any definition they would use back on Earth.” Mike retorted with a smile.
“Don’t get coy with me, pal. You know what I mean. One of these demon bitches might decide it’s time to see what your grey matter looks like plastered upon a drywall.” There was some seriousness in Robert’s voice. He had heard the stories, there used to be a Spanish guy on the base, one who had been a conquistador in his previous life, lived in the 16th or 17th century. Well, he was a brave soul, liked to drink with the local hell population. Until someone decided that he was cheating in a card game, they shot him dead on the spot. Scared the living hell out of everyone on base, making most of them clam up and deciding to never leave. And that was over a 100 years ago.
“I’ll be sure to avoid places with drywall.” Mike laughed, but Robert clearly didn’t feel so light about the situation. “Take it easy, I’ll be careful.” Mike promised with a pad on Robert’s back. Robert had become his closest friend here, even though Robert had died just about 48 years prior to his birth. They were the only two paratroopers on the base after all.
“Well, if you change your mind. The boys are holding a baseball game tonight.”
“Don’t remind me. Would love to, but I want to at least see the sights once. So… See you tomorrow?” Mike asked, and Robert quickly gave a nod. And with that, they parted ways. Mike went into the barracks, and then into his room, where he found Declan playing on a guitar, trying his hardest to get a melody right. He stopped, and looked up at Mike.
“What’s up dude?” He asked, a slight smile on his face.
“Not much. How about you? Which song are you trying to replicate?” Mike asked back, gesturing to the guitar while taking a seat on his bed. It had been ages since Mike had last touched a guitar, he used to love playing them. But there was hardly ever any time when he was in the service.
“I’m good.” He remarked, then turned his attention to the guitar in his hands “Not trying to replicate anything, just want to try my hand at making music. Never bothered before.”
“What compelled you to start now? I mean, you’ve been here, what? 50-something years?” Mike inquired as he was taking off his boots.
“I don’t know man. Feels like the air is changing, or something.” Declan remarked as he set the guitar down.
“You been on that devil’s lettuce again?”
“You know it dude.” He laughed, picking up the small box besides his bed that was filled with weed, and then Declan went about rolling a new joint for himself. Weed was fine by the base’s standards, under the same regulations as alcohol. As long as you were sober for your assignments, you were allowed to cut loose in that regard. Not that Mike messed around much with that. He had tried it once many years ago, in high school, and it had been a bad trip. “Little birdie told me you plan on taking a stroll outside?” Declan asked as he continued his work.
“That’s true. You want to come along?” Mike asked, hoping for a drinking partner.
“Tempting, but nah. I’m good, man. You have fun though.”
“Thanks” Mike smiled as he stood up, and began to change into some more civilian clothing. He hoped it would be enough to sort of mask him. Obviously, Loona had told him humans were not a common sight, nigh on extinct in hell, considering sinners transformed into… other things… apparently. Some dark jeans, a black shirt and chelsea boots. He slipped on his watch and checked himself in the mirror, applied deodorant, some perfume and made sure his short hair sat at least somewhat nice. He had a nice five-o’clock shadow, and for a brief moment he considered if he should grow it out more. He was as ready as he was going to be. “See you tomorrow.”
“You got it man. Stay safe.”
“Here is your money.” Karl said as he handed the cash in an envelope to Mike, who eagerly accepted it. Karl had been a soldier 300 years prior, marching with his king through Russia, until he was killed. Staying behind to ensure his comrades could make the escape from hussars. His passion had always been painting, and he was one of the few men who still ventured outside of the base. He wasn’t a bad kid, a bit weird sometimes, but a good feller none-the-less.
“Thank you, Karl. Mighty kind of you to lend me this. I’ll get you back shortly.” Mike promised him as he pocketed the envelope.
“You have better. This is what I made from the last month of selling my paintings. But… How do you plan on making money to pay me back?” Karl asked confused, scratching his head. Then he went about getting his bag filled with painting supplies over his shoulder. If there was something that was limited on the base, it was the space they had for themselves. They shared rooms, and for personal effect just one chest that wasn’t even that big. So Karl was forced to either throw his paintings out, or attempt to sell them. And it seems he had luck in selling them.
“I’ll figure it out. If all else fails, I can shine your shoes and carry your bag for a month?” Mike asked with a smile. Karl chuckled at it.
“Did you bring a gun?” Karl then asked.
“Yup! Colt 1911, plus two mags. Should be enough to let me escape and get back to the base if need be… Hopefully.” Mike remarked, quickly flashing the gun, alongside the shoulder holster it was neatly sitting in.
“I also keep one with me, just in case.” Karl showed a gun from the inside of his jacket. “Let’s go then.” Karl began to walk towards the gate, Mike quickly followed. The guards at the gate house opened the gate for them, and the men on guard duty outside guard nodded as they passed them.
“Have fun you degenerates!" one of the guards called out as they went past him.
“You know we will, James!” Mike called back. As they continued on, they walked mostly in silence towards the city. It was quite a walk, and it made Mike wish they had at least one car on the base for use on their leave. But with how few people actually went off base, it was clear it was something they didn’t bother acquiring, and asking for one would probably fall on deaf ears. Not that mattered, no one ever took harm going for a little hike.
As they walked, Mike took in the sights of the city. It could be any major city in the US. Besides the demons of course, but there were buildings, power lines, food trucks, you name it. “You-… erh… Ever have any trouble when you walk into the city?” He asked. Karl looked over at him, pondered for a moment.
“Almost never. There was one time 30 years ago some-… what are they called? Imp? tried to hold me up and rob me.” Karl recounted plainly in his, rather, goofy Swedish accent.
“Since you are still alive, assume it didn’t go too well for the imp?” Mike inquired as they continued on. Demons did stop and look in their direction, but none did any more than that.
“Correct. I shot him.” The way Karl said it so… causally made Mike reconsider how dangerous he was. Goes to show you should never underestimate someone based on their size, even though he was only 5’7, but granted that wasn’t his fault. People were just shorter back then.
“You’re ice cold, Karl. Remind me to never get on your bad side.” He laughed. Karl smiled in response as they continued on. “So what was it that you wanted to paint? A lake?”
“Yes, out by that big castle owned by… I think they are called Ars Goetia. I think there is a good vantage point where I can see it clearly without trespassing.” Karl answered. Mike hummed in response. But just about then, he spotted what he had been looking for, an electronic store. It seemed like this was a nice enough neighbourhood, so he didn’t expect to get scammed, but one could never know.
While there weren’t a lot of restrictions on going off the base when on your leave, one of the few ones he remembered from his contract was that they were under no circumstances to aggravate the local population. Self defense was fine, but going around shooting a shopkeeper for scamming him probably didn’t fall under that clause. “This is my stop Karl.” Mike said as he stopped up in front of the store.
“This store? I thought you were going to a bar?” Karl asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“I will, afterwards.” He said as he looked back at Karl. “See you back at base?”
“Of course. Remember to not overdo your drinking. You must be back by noon tomorrow.” Karl reminded him. Adjusted his shoulder bag.
“Yes mom. I got it.” Mike laughed as Karl shook his head in annoyance. They then said their goodbyes, and Karl went away to find his spot for painting. Mike turned his attention back to the store. It seemed to be in order as he went inside. No one was there besides the clerk at the counter, who only greeted him lazily, not even looking up from the magazine he was reading. As far as he could tell, it was a demon of some kind. Probably an imp. He would have to read up on what kinds of demons inhabited hell, He wouldn’t want to offend anyone.
The store had a pretty good selection, TVs, gaming consoles, laptops, tablets, and in the class counter, of course: Phones. Bingo, just what he was looking for. But, none of these brands were familiar to him. Dreadful, he would have to enlist the help of the clerk. “Hey, which brand is best?”
“Price and quality are one in the same.” He remarked, uninterested in a potential customer. Mike looked closer at the names and price tags. Some of these looked like bad puns on real world brands, just substituted certain letters or words with hell or sin. He sighed, how original. Well, time to pick out one. Sinsung or Serpent. Well, he had been an avid user of Samsung in the previous life, so why deviate from that? “I’ll have this one.” Mike requested as he tapped on the glass to indicate which one. Finally, the imp looked up, and it made Mike wish he could have taken a picture of the look of absolute bewilderment on the face of the imp. The gasp that went along with it really hammered it home.
“You’re- You’re-”
“Human, yes. Now, if you wouldn’t mind?” Mike requested. He figured this would happen, considering Loona’s reaction the other day.
“But how? Why? Where?” the question flew out at lighting speeds.
“Really not in the mood. So, could we please get on with this purchase?” He really wasn’t in the mood for the whole song and dance routine. the imp’s look had turned to amazement instead of bewilderment, but he gave a nod, and unlocked the glass case in the counter, and pulled out the phone. “You got a prepaid sim card as well?” Mike then requested.
“Yes, of course. How many hours and data do you want?”
“Just give me the best one.” Mike turned around to look at the store again as the imp went about collecting the sim card for him. The imp was even nice enough to set in the new card for him, not that it would have been a problem for Mike to do it himself. Then came the matter of the money to be used on this. The amount totaled half of what he had on him, which currently was the extent of his fortune. But, it was the price he had to pay for it. He hoped Loona could provide some good places to check out, otherwise he would chuck this phone at her the next time he saw her, if he ever saw her again. “Hey… Can I charge the phone here?”
“Erh-....” The imp thought about it. Clearly this wasn’t his store, he was just employed here. So he had determine in his mind whether or not his boss would get mad at him for providing this service. “Sure. Right over there.” He pointed to a socket on the wall, Mike thanked him, and went there to begin charging. “So… Since you are waiting anyway… What is your deal?” The imp asked.
“Are humans really that strange of an occurrence down here?”
“Duh!” The imp played the part of an annoying teenage girl so well. “Of course we don’t see humans down here.”
“Right now, I’m getting a phone so I can text an acquaintance. Then I’m gonna take in the sights, get a few drinks and then head back. Normally, I’m in hell to do my job. Nothing more, nothing less.” He explained. He realizes he shouldn’t go around shouting that he is from the fort that murders demons. Despite the fact that murdering isn’t their primary business, this imp didn’t know that, and he’d rather not risk a witch hunt in the streets. “Does that satisfy you?”
Please say yes. “For now, I guess. Just expect the same from anyone you encounter down here” The imp did seem to lose interest. There was enough power on the phone for Mike to power it up. Quickly running through the settings, getting it all set up. Though, while setting up the phone, he noticed something. It gave the year as 2025, but that couldn’t be right? He died in August 2021? He looked at his phone for more than a long moment, trying to determine just what the hell was going on. He wondered if he had been on the back burner for four years before they assigned him here, maybe debated if he deserved the chance or not… Or maybe he had been in a coma for the duration? He wasn’t sure… Hell, maybe time really moved that way down here.
There were no calendars on the base. They had TVs that could take both channels from Hell and Earth, but the news was never on. One reason was that no one could agree on what news channel should be on if need be, hell just between the Americans on the base there were fierce debate if it should be Fox News or CNN. and a second reason was that there was a broad agreement that Earth would move on without them, and they shouldn’t bother themselves with what happens there anymore.
He pulled out the piece of notepad Loona had written her number down on a few days ago. Time to see if she gave him the right number.
The day at I.M.P had been busy. Despite Stolas mostly taking over secretary duties at the office, and Loona helping out more on hits, there seemed to be a never-ending amount of work these days. All that being said, playing solitaire was getting boring, and the clock was so close to hitting five. She didn’t have any plans, it was a normal Tuesday night, but she could feel her throat crying out for something to drink. She checked her phone, and saw she had a text from an unknown sender.
UNKNOWN NUMBER: “Hey, it’s Mike. You know, the soldier from the Fort. I hope you took my advice to heart and stay clear of the base from now on. But, since I haven’t seen your head mounted on the common area wall, I’d suspect you are alright. Anyhow, I was hoping to cash in on that list of fine establishments to visit.”
Huh, she did remember giving him her number for this exact purpose, but she had mostly forgotten about it. She had been more hung up on the things he said about the fort. She had done research on it (googled it), and it seems no one could agree on what exactly the base was for. She hadn’t asked around the office, and she wasn’t going to. It was only going to lead to questions she didn’t want to answer.
She thought about giving him some bad locations, just for the heck of it. Not dangerous places, just the most boring ones. It would be funny to see it on sinagram if he got into some trouble, but… she hated to admit it, but it wasn't completely terrible talking to him on the outskirts of his base. The least she could do was provide good locations. She saved his contact as Mike (idiot)
She began to text him back. “idk. Hunting ground is good. Alright vibe and cheap beers.” She sent him the address then put the phone down and turned her attention back to the computer again. It didn’t take long before a new message came back, she quickly checked her phone again.
Mike: “Thanks, I’ll check it out.” It was a quick response, just as she was about to shrug it off and lay the phone down, a new message ticked in. “I realize I might have blown you off the other day when I said I didn’t need a guide. I didn’t mean it like that, I would like a drinking buddy, if you want?”
“As long as u pay for the drinks.”
“Hah. You got it.” was the quick response.
She gave a slight smile, at least it was something to do for the night, and her wallet was looking thin this month. Turning her gaze to the watch, it seemed like now was as good a time to leave as any. “c u in 30” She texted, and then gathered her things.
“Where are you going Loona?” Moxxie asked with worry laced in his voice.
“For a drink.” She replied. “See you tomorrow.”
“But what about all this paperwork? Blitz said-”
“Then deal with it, fatso.” She smirked as she closed the door. She knew just the look on Moxxie’s face at the moment. Priceless. She guessed it was time to see if the drinks at hunting ground were still up to par, it didn't hurt that they were free tonight for her. She pondered how many she could squeeze out of him.
Chapter 4: Hunting ground
Notes:
Thanks for the attention on this story so far!
Managed to write this in two days, but given that I was sick for those two days, don't expect this fast turn around for the next chapters.
Chapter Text
”c u in 30” He read her text again. After checking the address she had sent him, it was only a 10 minutes walk away. Not too bad. He was happy to have a drinking buddy, and she was the closest thing he had to a friend on the outside. Hopefully they could talk on more normal terms than they did on the outskirts of the base a few days ago. Giving some more time for his phone to charge, he installed a few apps that seemed useful. He still couldn’t get over how just about everything seemed to be a mock version of what you’d find on Earth.
“Thanks for the charge!” Mike called out as he left the store. The IMP was still in disbelief about him as he walked out. He wondered if the imp was busy posting on social media about what he had seen. Regardless, he was going to have to get used to it, but at the same time, also avoid too much attention, unlikely as it might seem.
He had to remind himself not to get too comfortable here. Danger could be anywhere, even just the way these demons drove their cars was hazardous to any pedestrian who chose to go for a stroll. It was kind of fun, just sightseeing the city, but he realized he couldn’t stay too long here, he had a place to be. Just before rounding a corner, he heard singing. Being completely confused, he peeked around the corner to see just what was making that ruckus. Turns out it wasn’t just singing, it was a full-on musical happening right in the middle of the street. Did he stumble upon a film set? But wouldn’t there be roadblocks?
He must have missed at least half of their performance, but it seemed to be some joyful musical about… Someone finally getting a boyfriend or something. He wasn’t sure. He passed the street as quietly as he could, as to not ensure any uncomfortable confrontations. Satisfied he had not spoiled their performance, but finally turned onto the street where the bar was located. Hunting ground was the name. Seemed to very much be a hellhound exclusive place. but the sign on the front very kindly stated that all were welcome here. Time to see if humans are included in that.
Opening the door, and he had to admit: Loona was right. This was a cozy place, nothing too fancy, and not overcrowded. Though, if his phone’s calendar was to be believed, this was a normal Tuesday. So it was probably unlikely that it would be filled now, probably not until the weekend. Only different types of hellhounds populated the bar, reminding Mike of those furry conventions that they used to hold back on Earth. He had never seen the appeal, but to each their own. Still, granted that these were actual hellhounds, it was still weird seeing living and breathing… well… dogs, or wolves.
It was time to get the first round. As far as he could see, Loona hadn’t shown up yet. So he walked up to the bar, and ordered two beers. Like the imp at the electronic store, this hellhound was busy on her phone, before she turned her attention to their new customer. While her jaw didn’t hit the counter quite like the imp, the look in her eyes was clearly puzzled. She never stopped staring, even as she popped the cap of two beer bottles and handed it to him. He waited for her to announce a price, but she remained in a quiet study state. “So…. They’re free?” He asked with a smile. The bartender finally shook herself out of her shellshock.
“Oh, no. 10 bucks.” She requested. He groaned as he fished up the cash to pay her. She rang him up on the teller. He threw a couple of loose dollars into the tip jar on the counter, getting a confused thanks in return, and then picked up his drinks. He looked around and found a free spot in the corner.
Sitting down, he noticed the ashtray on the table. Thank god laws from Earth don’t necessary translate down here. He quickly lit up a lucky for himself, exhaled some smoke and then took a sip of his beer. He nearly spit it out again. “Christ, this is some strong stuff.” He muttered to himself. Seems like people in hell enjoyed a more potent drink, or at least hellhounds did. They didn’t sell earth brands here, which made him wonder why. There was no copyright law to evade here, well maybe for other companies in hell, but between dimensions? No way. Still, he could deal with stronger drinks, he just didn’t expect it.
There was a pretty big screen on the wall, showing some sport, which had most of the male patrons glued to it. It suited him just fine, no reason to make a fuss here. He pulled out his phone, and decided to read up a bit on hell, since he had the chance. It was still a few minutes until Loona was due, unless she was delayed, or had simply let him on. Christ, he hoped that wasn’t the case. She seemed sincere enough when she promised to give him locations, so he trusted she hadn’t played some prank on him and sent him into a den of lowlifes and scum.
Given the situation, he decided to check on what creatures were in hell. The search engine spit out a long list, an entire hierarchy of where people fell in hell. From the demon lords, icons of the sins to sinners, imps and hellhounds. Seems like imps and hellhounds ranked at the very bottom, and the very treated like second hand citizens as a result. Not that he should be surprised, if humans were so likely to either enslave or oppress people, then why would their demonic counterparts be any different?
Looked over at the bar, it was clear that the bartender was still looking in his direction every now and then. Seemingly texted someone on her phone. He just hoped she wasn’t summoning some mob to beat the shit out of him. But, she didn’t look hateful at all. Still, it was rather hot in here, so he ditched the jacket, took off his shoulder holster, and rolled up his shirt sleeves, exposing his forearm tattoos, relics of a life spent in the military. He smiled as he saw them. Comfort, in a weird way, he was glad he got to keep them. He placed his shoulder holster by his jacket, concealed, but within arms reach if need be. Still keeping his eyes on the phone, he read further on how things ticked down in hell.
Loona was making her way to the bar, when she received a text. She took out her phone, and saw it was from Betty, the bartender she knew from hunting ground. It was a simple text, informed Loona that she surely wasn’t going to believe this. A human was in their bar, not a sinner, a human. A small smile crept up on her lips as she replied with a simple “I know”. She continued on her walk, looking forward to the beverage that was owed to her.
It took only a few more moments before she reached the place. Opening the door, it was clear that it wasn’t a busy night, which suited her fine. Looking around the establishment, it didn’t take but a moment for her to spot him in the corner, smoking a cigarette and scrolling on his new phone. She threw a greeting towards Betty, before making her way over to him. She didn’t miss the look of bewilderment from Betty as Loona made her way towards Mike. She threw himself into the seat, Mike looked up and smiled.
“Sup idiot?” She asked, quickly taking the beer and downed half in record time. Now it was his turn to be amazed.
“Not too bad. Glad you could come. I forgot how depressing it is to sit in a bar for yourself.” He laughed, still trying to recover from that little stunt she just pulled. He ashed his cigarette in the ashtray.
“How was the sightseeing tour? As good as on Earth?” She inquired, switching to nursing her beer instead. He chuckled.
“It’s different, I’ll grant you that. But not better, slightly worse in a lot of ways. But, I’m surprised at how much of a functional society it is. I expected more… Fire and brimstone, I guess. How is it living here?” He turned the question back to her.
“Not bad. It has everything I need.” She leaned back in her seat. “Earth always felt more… clean. But the people are mostly the same.”
“You’ve been to Earth?” He asked, sitting up more straight in his seat. This was interesting. But from the look on her, she wasn’t supposed to tell she had been on Earth. A lot like him then, secrets to keep.
“Well… yes. Part of my work. Lots of demons go to earth all the time.” She answered.
“I mean… Yeah. I always heard about idiots trying to summon demons, and demons haunting locations and whatnot. I… dunno, just always thought it was bullshit, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given that heaven and hell was proven to be real.” He admitted. He hadn’t even thought about that angle before, but it made sense. One brick fell in place on the jigsaw puzzle, five more followed close by.
“Some demons need to get to Earth to survive. Like succubus. The place I work for… also has a need to travel to Earth.” She explained, switching a bit uncomfortably in her seat.
“Where do you work?” He inquired, mostly out of curiosity.
“As a secretary for I.M.P. My dad runs the company.”
He laughed. “Clever abbreviation. What does it stand for?” He asked as he took the beer to his lips and took a healthy gulp.
“Immediate Murder Professionals.” She said casually. He nearly choked on the strong beer. Then quickly looking at her once he had sort of recovered.
“What?” He coughed a bit, wiping off the beer that spilled on his face. She clearly didn’t see the problem.
“Yeah, we kill people. What’s the big deal? You run around killing people as well.” She defended herself.
“First off: It’s not the same, and you know it.” He pointed out. “And second: Do you go to Earth to kill people? How the hell is that allowed?” He asked, mostly concerned. Demons going to earth and killing people? She sighed in response, like it was an annoying question from a child. Mike could see that Loona really had an attitude problem to some degree. Did she go out of her way to be unlikable?
“We don’t kill random people. Sinners sent to hell can, if they want, contract us to take out anyone they desire on earth. Usually it’s other bad guys. And it’s not like we haven’t had issues. The court of Satan decided that it was a grave transgression that we used a grimoire to travel back and forth from Earth.” She laid it out.
“Can’t wrap my head around that. Seems like the type of thing God would have shut down already.”
“That old man doesn’t care what happens down here. I’m surprised he even hired you losers to stand guard all day, and then ride around in an armored car playing heroic soldiers. Exorcists used to come down every now and then, and purge sinners. But that stopped some time ago.” She could be a real bitch, she wondered if she had many friends, or if everyone spoke that way down here. “I can’t see the difference between my job and yours.”
He rubbed his temples so hard he was afraid he might make holes on either side. “What I tell you now, must be kept between the two of us. You can’t go around sharing it.” With those words, she suddenly paid full attention, which made Mike aware that this entire conversation had been boring for her so far. “Like I said before. The main reason why we are down here, is to ensure the faithful and good people who are destined for heaven, get to heaven, and that might mean killing those who imprison them. So yeah, we’ll have to crack a few eggs to make an omelet. But these demons and sinners could simply choose not to try and catch souls that do not belong to them.” That was pretty much what he had told her before, so she was losing interest again. “On the base, we have a portal to heaven. Whenever demons and sinners come knocking on the front gates, we assume they are there to try and break in, and take their chances with the portal.”
Somehow, that got her attention again. She looked at him in disbelief. “A portal? To Heaven?”
“Does that surprise you?” He asked back, and she pondered for a moment.
“I guess not. Just figured it would be common knowledge. Most sinners would give up everything they own to try their luck on such a portal… But can demons and sinners even pass through it?” She then inquired. He had wondered the very same thing.
“I don’t know. As far as I am aware, no one has ever gotten close. I don’t think us soldiers can pass through it, considering that it would be in breach of contract.”
There was a rather long period of silence, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable. Just, nice silence. She was a hard nut to crack in most ways, but despite how bitchy she could be, she still decided to come here and chat, even if it was for the free drinks. And with that, Mike stood up, and went for more beers. It didn't take but a moment for him to return. She muttered a thanks as she received the new one. He took out a new cigarette from his pack, and after putting it between his lips, he looked at Loona, who was literally doing puppy eyes asking for one as well. He sighed as offered the pack to her, which she gladly accepted.
“So, is it fun running around and killing demons?” She asked as she lit her cigarette with her own lighter this time. Mike did the same. He huffed a small laugh after exhaling the smoke.
“I’m still the new guy on campus. So far, my only responsibilities are guard duty, and training.” He remarked, then picked up his beer for a sip.
“Ha! You really are a loser!” She laughed. He rolled his eyes at her.
“Oh yeah, and being the secretary for a murder inc is so much better?” He fired back.
It was her turn to roll her eyes. “Fuck you.” She said, topping it off by giving him the finger. He chuckled.
“But if you think I want to stay in the same position for… what might as well be eternity, then you are mistaken. I applied for the extraction team. Hopefully, one day, I might ride around in those armored cars, playing soldiers.” Low key mocking her voice when she had said it.
“Dickhead.” She quickly said. He smiled and took another sip of his beer. “So, that’s your plan? Being an escort for lost idiots?”
“Pretty much. What’s your plan then, miss perfect? Run paperwork for your dad’s company until the end of time? By the way, how are things between you two?” He realized instantly that he fucked up big time. The look on her face was of hatred. He had struck a sore spot, and he should have known. After all, she had spent an evening sitting on a rock outside of a military base thinking about it. Christ Fitzpatrick, you really fucked up this time. “Hey, I didn’t mean-”
“Don’t talk to me.” She replied as she got up from her seat at lightning speed. He was desperate for this to not be the end. Regardless of all, she was the first outsider friend he had made here. He quickly gathered his things and ran after her, he had only just gotten his shoulder holster and jacket on by the time he reached the door, and he managed to stop her.
“Jesus, listen: I’m fucking sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to pour salt on any wounds. My mouth ran faster than my brain and-”
“Yeah, that much is clear.” Her voice was laced with contempt. He couldn’t blame her.
“I misjudged where we stood. Thought I could shoot the shit, but instead I-... Well, I guess I overstepped. I’m sorry, okay?” He was sincere, for what it was worth. She thought about it for a moment, whether or not she should, or even could, forgive him. He had no right to judge her. He was only here different because he did one good thing in life. “Look, besides my army buddies, you are actually the first real friend I made in a long time that wasn’t a grunt. Hell, even before I died. I don’t want to screw it up so quickly.”
“Oh yeah? That maybe you should-”
“HEY IT’S HIM!” A voice proclaimed from behind them. Mike realized they had been talking semi-loudly on a public street. Not actually keeping a low profile as he should. Both that, and some of them hell-spawns that saw him today probably talking with their friends about what they saw. “Think you can come here and partake of hell? You fucker, you kill our brothers!” It was a group of sinners, he counted five. So, everything that he had been warned about was about to come true.
“Easy guys. I’m not looking for a brawl.” He tried to deescalate the situation. Clearly it wasn’t working.
“You must think you’re real slick going out here, after all that your kind does.” One sinner stepped forward and spat, quite literally, at his feet. He looked over at Loona, but she wasn’t there. Figures, but he couldn’t blame her. This wasn’t her fight. Well, it was time to do or die. Self-defense was alright, afterall.
He put the gunslingers of old to shame with the speed of which he got his 1911 out. He got two of them, before the last three forced him behind cover on the side of the bar. He wondered if hell had a police force that would show up, and if he even would want that if there was. Still, he was far from out of the woods yet.
Firing a few more times, he could hear at least two bodies drop, and he figured he had gotten them all, but just in case, he began to reload his pistol. Seems he jumped the gun on that, the last sinner jumped at him from around the corner, and pinned him to the ground. He didn’t have time to react before the sinner’s hands were on his throat, pressing down. He had limited time. There was still a bullet in the chamber, but of course his gun was just out of reach. He tried desperately to reach it anyway. His second death would certainly be one of humiliation, given that this sinner was over a foot shorter than himself.
Just then, the sinner was dragged from him by his feet. He gulped in the air, coughing as he took his pistol and got it ready. He saw Loona slam the sinner into the wall, and when given the chance, he took the shot. Boom, right through the head. He looked over at Loona, who looked unsure on what to say.
“Hey.. thanks.” He said as he got up.
“Whatever…” She replied, checking herself for any blood. “Is that an angelic weapon?” She then asked, pointing to his gun.
“I think they said they were blessed. Otherwise they would be useless against those who dwell in hell.” He recounted as best he could. “Why?”
“Oh, no reason. You’re not a bad shot though, even if you could do with a lesson in checking your corners.” She remarked nonchalantly.
“Yeah? I’ll keep that in mind.” He dusted himself off, then put his gun back in his holster. “I guess I’d better make my way back. I got some explaining to do, and I’d rather not poke the bear anymore than I have to….” He said, then turned to her again. “-But… Thanks, again. And while I would understand if you’d never want to see this ugly mug again, I hope you will still talk to me?”
“You do have an ugly mug… But I guess I don’t hate you that much.” There was a moment of silence between them. A silent understanding he hoped. “Have fun on your way back.”
“I will.”
Chapter 5: New assignment
Chapter Text
“WAY TO GO MARONE!” Mike called out as Folco Marone shot the most perfect home run so far in the game. He stood up and cheered from the makeshift bleachers they had built long ago. Looking at them, it was clear they were long overdue for a makeover, but alas, no one really wanted to step forward and be the one to suggest base leadership to replace them. The baseball field was located outside the base on the east side, given that the base inside the base was already tight. They would have to expand it at some point. It would probably be about the 100th time the base has been expanded or upgraded since it was first founded. Sometimes Mike wondered how it had looked back in the day, as far as he understood, it was little more than a tent for Augustus when he first accepted the assignment here.
It had been over a month and a half since his venture into imp city, and just as long since he had been called to stand at attention and be chewed out by his superiors for creating a situation that could have ended badly, and which almost certainly further souring the already strained relationship between the base and the residents of hell. But, in the end, it was ruled as self defense, and he had leave taken from him for two months. Not too bad all things considered. Though Loona seemed to have had a long laugh about it when he had texted her after the fact, said it served him right. He had allowed her a victory lap, but it didn’t take long before they settled in some daily banter between each other. He quite enjoyed the outside perspective. “Cough it up Rowland.” Mike demanded as he held his hand out.
Robert groaned in displeasure as he handed Mike a pack of cigarettes.”He just got lucky, is all.” Robert remarked as he settled back. “Don’t get used to it, kid.” He warned.
Mike laughed. “He’d make a good red sox, if we were back on earth.” Mike commented, and Robert shot him a sideway glance.
“Sure, he’d fit right in with those panties. Yankees are better any day of the goddamn week.” One of the few gripes that still persisted, rivals in geography. Mike was Massachusetts born and bred, while Robert was from the Bronx in New York. That, and the difference in culture in regards to the time they lived. There really was a huge difference between America in the 1940’s, and America in the present day.
“Keep coping, my man.” Mike laughed as he took a lucky strike from the pack he had just earned fair and square. Mike quickly lit it up with his lighter, exhaling the smoke as he turned his attention back to the game. He figured he had to sign himself up for the baseball club soon enough, looked fun enough, but he hadn’t played since middle school. Just before he was about to bring out his phone and gloat to Loona, he was interrupted by the arrival of Logan.
“Afternoon lads. How are ye holding up?” He asked as he took a seat.
“Not too shabby.” Mike replied, Robert sighed to show he didn’t agree. Logan chuckled as he settled into the seat. But before they could start any conversation, they heard the sound of the armored cars starting up. Two of them sped off the base, off to extract some poor bastard. “I feel like the rate of extraction has gone up over the last month.” Mike commented.
“Yer not wrong, lad. I think we went from two to three times a week, to at least one time daily now.” Logan agreed, looking towards the convoy of two vehicles as he sped through the road to the city, soon to join with the traffic. Given what Mike had seen during his venture into the city, they probably blended right in with the way people drove here in hell. “Can I bum a fag?” Logan asked, referring to the cigarette pack. Mike laughed, he would never get used to that.
"Courtesy of Mr. Rowland.” Mike smiled as he handed the pack to Logan.
“Yeah yeah, don’t let it get to your head, kid. It’s big enough already.” Robert flipped him off.
“Oh, how kind of you Robert.” Logan said with a thumbs up, before fishing out a cigarette, and lighting it up with a match, before handing the pack back to Mike.
“So, are spikes in the rate of abductions normal?” Mike then asked, taking another drag of his cigarette.
“Depends, there have been periods of increased activity over the years. Not really what concerns me to be honest, I think it’s rather more concerning that the lost souls that we extract seem to be alone when we find them.” Robert said.
“What do you mean?” Mike inquired. He had heard no such things.
“Fritz said the ones they saved were alone, no demons around when they arrived to rescue them. Apparently the souls claim that there were some demons there then were pulled in, but they performed some chant and quickly left. I… dunno, seems like a conspiracy. Or maybe just some demons trying out their magic, without sticking around to see the consequences.” Robert explained.
“Ay, who knows lad.” Logan shrugged. “As long as we can keep up with the extractions, then there is no need to worry, even if we have to pull double shifts to cover the extract teams.” Logan reassured Mike with a pad on his back. He wasn’t that worried, at least not yet. Even if what Robert explained could very well end up being serious in due time. For now, he was a grunt, mostly on guard duty. His opinion didn’t matter much anyhow.
Before they could say anymore, they noticed Augustus walked up to them. Still wearing his, what they would call, enhanced roman armor. Given that he preferred his sword and shield, his armor had been blessed as well, to ensure he wasn’t cut down by the first bullet fired in his direction. All of them quickly got up, and saluted the centurion. There was no requirement to do so, but most of the people on the base offered their respect to the oldest one there. By all accounts, the founder of the base. “Ave.” Augustus greeted. All of them greeted him back, being sure to add a sir at the end of the sentence.
“I thought you were out with the extraction team, sir?” Mike asked.
“Butcher 2 is out there now. I suspect we shall soon be called on for another extraction though.”
“So you’re here to see the game?” Robert then inquired, gesturing out to the field where a dozen players were still playing. Augustus casually observed it for a small moment, before turning back to them again.
“No. I could never understand this sport. I have tried to introduce chariot racing, but none wish to join me in setting it up.” Augtustus remarked, and it was hard to determine if he was truthful or not. Always seemed like he had the same resting… well, people called it resting bitch face. Although Mike would never point such a thing out to the centurion, lest he be strung up and crucified. “I am here to fetch you, corporal Fitzpatrick.” Augtustus said as he looked over at Mike.
Fetch him? For what? Was all Mike could think. He had already gotten his punishment for what he did. Was there more the leadership wished to add? Or had he missed something? “Yes sir.” Mike said as he got up, ashed his cigarette and followed the Roman. He said his goodbyes to Logan and Robert as he walked off. They walked through the east gate back into the base, passing by the barracks and armory, before finally entering the command building. A place few people casually entered, overlord was based here, alongside the fort commander and most of the senior leadership.
The current commander was once a Prince of Hungary, truly noble: In both the good and the bad ways. Proud, steadfast, stubborn. His name was Vladislaus, though he assured everyone he wasn’t Vladislaus the second… Even though Mike had no idea who that even was. Anyhow, if relating to Robert or Logan was hard at times, relating at all to Vladislaus was nigh on impossible. Vladislaus had died fighting the Ottomans. He had defied orders and standard conduct to save his army, then died making a final stand with a few soldiers as the rest escaped.
But, there were two other high ranking commanders: Colonel Walter Jenkins, a US army colonel that had died in the 1950’s. The most interesting thing was that he was the only one Mike knew of that had died not in combat, but instead saving everyone he could after a car crash in Korea, refusing to be attended to before everyone else was… Yeah, that costed him his life. The other one was the only one on the base who hadn’t been in the military, he had been a police man from Mexico, serving with the federal police, saved a whole bunch of children during a raid on a cartel base. His name was Carlos Alvarado, and from the few times Mike had spoken with him, he had been a kind man and understanding man, with a good sense of humor as well.
Mike sometimes wondered if they had risen the ranks because they were different in those regards. All of them were good leaders, even if Vladislaus had more or less made himself camp commander, everyone kept accepting his authority because it had been running more or less smoothly under his tenure. Mike took a deep breath as he stepped into the office of the camp commander, finding Vladislaus seated at the desk, Jenkins looked out the window and Carlos standing right beside Vladislaus.
“Corporal Fitzpatrick?” Vladislaus asked, looking up at Mike.
“Yes sire!” Mike stood at firm attention, feeling his spine might snap. Gracefully enough, Vladislaus had lowered himself from being addressed as his royal highness to just sire now. Maybe it was a bit easier, but one still had to remember to still address him correctly.
Vladislaus just hummed as he wrote something down in a big log book. There was a great bit of awkward silence as Mike continued to stand at attention. He stopped writing, tapping his pen against the book and seemed to think for a moment. Then he went back to writing again.
“We have you listed as a potential candidate for the extraction team. You have volunteered for it, correct?” Vladislaus inquired.
“Yes sire!” Mike was quick to reply. Silently hoping he was about to hear the news he was craving, and at the same time wondering if he was going to be allowed to stand at ease any time soon. Given that Vladislaus was being silent for a long time, Jenkins finally took the hint and began speaking.
“We’ve had an abnormal amount of abductions in the past weeks. To keep pace, we are putting together a new team-”
“A temporary team!” Vladislaus clarified with a raised finger. “This is an overblown reaction, but since I have been strong-armed into this by my colleagues, we are putting a new team together. Only a small one. You and four others.”
“Like Vladislaus says, it’s only until it calms down again, so don’t expect it to last forever. We’ve had increased periods of abductions before, so it usually blows over.” Jenkins reaffirmed.
“Heaven sent us your record. You seem like a good soldier, and a good enough squad leader. So that’s why we are giving you this chance, hermano.” Carlos said. "Augustus and I will train you for the next week, alongside the 4 other members that we will choose.” He then added.
“Yes. We will send further orders for you in the coming days. Meeting adjourned. You are dismissed… Sergeant” Vladislaus said, with the smallest hint of a smile on his face, but it was impossible to hide the smile on Mike’s face on what he had just been told. He said his thanks as he was escorted back out, and even Augustus shook his hand and congratulated him.
Could this day get any better? He thought, only to feel his phone vibrate. He took it out, and saw a text from Loona.
“Still in trouble with daddy?” It was so textbook her.
“Nah, I think I’m finally coming out of the dog house. You’ll never guess what just happened.” He texted back, and he didn’t need to wait but a moment for her to reply.
“Don’t have to. I guess u will tell me.”
“You’re no fun.” He wrote back with a smile.
“Whatever. U gonna tell me or what?”
“Still got about two weeks left in the dog house, hah, get it? Dog house because you’re… well you know.”
“Go fuck urself.” Was the reply. Sure, she didn’t appreciate the dog jokes, but if she felt like poking him, then he’d be sure to poke right back.
“Anyway. I was just told they’ll make a new extraction team, and I’ll be squad leader. So it looks like I’m moving up in the world.”
“Sounds boring as fuck.”
“Christ, you are relentless.”
“U’re just jealous old man.”
“I’M NOT OLD!”
Still, somehow, he enjoyed their banter.
She loved ragebating Mike. It was so easy, just a few words and she could get him real mad. In some ways, just like Moxxie. It had been a hectic day, but another hour and they could close up. Blitzo, Moxxie and Millie were on their final run of the day. Some dick who had earned themselves a hit because they were lucky. Yup, that’s what the briefing said. Apparently this guy had always been lucky.
“Anyhow, how is work on your end?” Mike had asked over text.
“Boring rn. Dad is on a mission.”
“What kind of mission? Or is that confidential?”
“Just some loser who got a contract on his head. Not worth talking about.” She put her phone down and turned her attention to the computer screen. Just then, Stolas walked in, contemplating on some paper work. Moxxie must have been at least a little happy there was someone around who enjoyed reading the paperwork. She really couldn’t be fucked to even take a look at it.
Come to think of it, Stolas might just be well informed enough to know about the fort. She internally debated herself for over a minute whether she should ask or not, and just how she should phrase it if she did. She still wasn’t totally sure about him, with him being with her dad and all, but he was… well, kind enough.
“Hey… Stolas?” She finally asked.
“Hmmm, yes dear?” He asked back, looking up from the paperwork. His posh accent did grind her nerves at times, but she refrained from saying anything this time.
“Do you know anything about those dorks out on the military base at the edge of town?”
He hummed. “You mean Fort Redux?” So he did know about it.
“Yes, that’s the one. Those people who roll around and kill demons.”
“Ah, common misconception. While yes, they do sometimes kill the residents here, their job is… as far as I have read, to extract souls not meant for hell.” Stolas explained, which lined up pretty well with what Mike had told her. Which she guessed made him less of a bullshitter than she had imagined. “Pretty much the only presence heaven has in hell. I believe the men who guard the fort are all chosen by some merit of redemption. All quite fascinating, too bad I heard all of them are dull, so serious.” Stolas explained. “Why do you ask.”
“Just feel like I seen thodr cars of theirs driving around more often. No one seems to know anything about them… Can you really pull people into hell that are meant for heaven?” Loona asked, sure Mike had said that was a thing, but she had never heard any mention of it before him.
“Hmmm? Oh yes. The spell is quite simple really. I think I even had it written down in one of my grimoires back at the estate-” And with the mention of his estate, Stolas’ expression turned on a dime. He still wasn’t over what had happened, mostly about his daughters. Loona understood the pain, especially the pain that Octavia must have been feeling as well. “-Anyway. I have never performed it, because I know I would have been due a visit from the soldiers from the Fort if I did. But plenty of apprentices or novices in the field of magic try it out without regard for the consequences. The spell itself was leaked from Lucifer's own book of magic over 2000 years ago by one of his own apprentices.”
“What happened to the apprentice?” She asked curiously.
“I am not sure… The only thing I read was that he was cast out as punishment, but the story reports nothing more than that.” Stolas replied with a shrug. Clearly he didn’t care too much for the story, and Loona suspected there probably wasn’t much more to the story anyway. But it did made Loona wander.
“Any idea on how they know where the person doing the spell is?”
“Angelic magic no doubt. They probably get their information from heaven. Not that it matters, unless you plan on performing the spell?”
“What? No! I couldn’t care less to be honest.” She half-lied. Stolas’ expression clearly read as him not really believing her, but before he could confront her on the fact, the portal from Earth opened up, and out came Blitzo, Moxxie and Millie.
“By satan’s hairy asshole! How can anyone be that lucky!” Blitzo complained. All of them looked a mess, but injured… just… Messed up.
“Oh dear! What happened?” Stolas quickly went up to his lover to comfort the poor imp. Pulling him into a hug that Blitzo clearly wasn’t in the mood for.
“That dickless asshole just kept on escaping our attempts on his pathetic life. I try and snipe him, he stops and picks up a coin from the street at that exact moment! Millie try and get him from behind with a knife, someone opens their car door in just that moment, boom, knocks her down on her ass. Moxxie even tried dropping a piano on him, and he gets a call just then, and walks in the other direction!” Blitzo groaned loudly, getting out of Stolas’ grasp and slumps down.
Loona laughs at his misfortune. Sounds too funny not to, she only quiets it down to a chuckle when she gets the side eye glance from her dad. “So, how did you kill him?”
“Oh you’ll never believe it, sugar.”Millie starts as she walks over to the desk. “Just as we are formulating a new plan, a man drops a plain old banana peel from his third story window. Our target trips and falls into traffic.” She snickered.
“Guess he wasn’t that lucky after all.” Loona laughed again, but calmed herself before Blitzo would get angry again. She quickly updated the contract from on-going to completed in the files on the computer. And with that, the day was done. Time to head home once Blizo had cooled off. So, in the meantime, she fished out her phone again.
“Looking forward to a week of hardcore training, so I might be difficult to reach in the meantime.” Mike had texted her earlier. She thought about whether or not she should invite him to the party Beelzebub had planned. Urg… She didn’t even know why was debating it, she should just go alone. Then again… Last time it didn't pan out too well.
“When do u have leave again?” She quickly typed out and sent. She had hardly put the phone down before she had her reply.
“If I stay on the straight and narrow, two weeks. Why do you ask?”
“There is a party I am planning to go to. I’ll send u details.”
Chapter 6: First mission
Notes:
Finally got this one done. Hope all of you enjoy it!
Let me know your thoughts!
Chapter Text
Standing by the doorway, Mike readied his shotgun. He looked to his squad members, who all nodded. Time to put this show on the road he thought as he shot the hinges off the door with two well placed shots. And with that, his squad stormed into the room, quickly disposing of the paper targets, except for one that is, the one they came to save.
“Excellent work amigos!” Carlos praised them over the speakers. “Now show me your defensive formation for if another group attacks you while securing your target!” He quickly ordered. They did as trained, gathering together in a close circle around the VIP. Another good job was heard over the speakers. And just like that, their final exam was over.
It had been almost two weeks of training. Most of it text book extraction stuff, clearing rooms and close quarters fighting. He had hoped he would have been able to pick his squad, but they had been picked for him. Not that he minded too much in the end though, they were all good at their job, and they seemed in good enough spirits, and they were able to take a joke. That counted for a lot more than one might think. You’ll have to trust the man that has your six, and being friendly is a good start.
Vasily, Tomasz, Eyup and Max. Russian, Polish, Turkish and Austrian respectively. If one knew anything about history, that was a dangerous combination, but these men have had a long time to settle their differences, and they had all died during different periods in history. Mike gave them all a pad on the back and told them it was a job nicely done.
Carlos walked out to greet them in the training area. He was smiling, and shook the hand of all of them. “Nice work guys. I dare say you are ready for duty.” The Mexican smiled, the joyous kind that would make everyone else smile purely based on that, nevermind the message that they were now ready for action.
“I concur. I figure a small squad like yours will be perfect for the easier extractions. In and out within five minutes.” Augustus appeared and agreed. Mike was really looking forward to field work, besides the sinners that had tried to kill him outside of hunting ground, there had been no excitement in his time here. And… well, something inside him wanted to help the people in need as well. He had never really felt it before his convoy was hit in Afghanistan, not the burning desire he has now.
“For the first few missions, you’ll have Augustus with you. Just so he can show you the robes, and make sure everything goes smoothly.” Carlos instructed. Augustus looked over at them and gave a slight nod. This was fine, it was welcomed in fact.“Before I forgot. Here are your new patches.” Carlos handed them a set of patches to be put on their uniform. A skull with rays of light protruding out of it, angelic almost. They were now Butcher 3. “If that’s all, then take a stroll over to the garage and see the new ride we picked up for your team. Benjamin and Zhan are working on it.” Carlos dismissed them. Mike gave a smile and a nod, and thanked Carlos and Augustus for the training they had received.
Saying his farewell to his team mates, he went off to the garage. It was only a short walk to the dedicated building, finding Benjamin and Zhan inside, working on a vehicle he was all too familiar with. It looked a lot like the RG-33 they had back when he was deployed, obviously updated with more armour plating and a new paintjob to boot. Maybe if he had been driving one of those the day he died, things would have been different… But alas, one could never be sure of such things.
“She’s a beast, ain’t she?” Benjamin laughed as he saw Mike walk into the shop.
“You got that right. Always wanted to take one of those for a spin.” Mike replied, still looking at the mighty war beast in awe.
“Well, now’s your chance, guvna. Are you the designated driver?” He asked as he put the massive hood down.
“No sir. That would be Vasily. I heard he spent plenty of time driving trucks in Chechnya. Figured it would be more up his alley.”
“Well, she specced to take on pretty much all kind of small arms fire, she’s mine resistant and should be able to take a hit or two from an RPG. She’s specced to 450 hp, and can ram through a reinforced wall or parked cars no problem. There’s almost nothing that can stop her.”
“How fast can she drive?” Mike asked as he opened the driver side door. While they probably had a much bigger budget than any army on earth, given that Heaven was their benefactor, there was still some room for improvement. Not in the hardware department mind you, but leather seats would go a long way.
“About 70 mph, give or take.” Benjamin washed his dirty hands in the sink, then wiped them clean with a rag. “I guarantee you: nothing gonna stop you.” He smiled.
“That’s nice to hear.” Mike said as he closed the door again, and hopped down from the side step. “The keys are in the ignition?”
“Yup. She’s ready to go whenever you lads get called on a mission.” Benjamin promised. “Oh, and congratulations on your promotion as well.” He offered his newly washed hand for a handshake, one Mike eagerly accepted.
“Thanks man. Been a long time coming.”
“Not as long as some others have waited. I wonder if your little field trip was the test they needed, to see if someone came along that actually had the bollocks to step up.” Benjamin theorized. “What do you think, Zhen?” He asked his co-worker, who finally rolled out from under the RG-33.
“I think you talk too much, English man.” He quickly muttered, before rolling back under the truck. Benjamin laughed.
“Anyway, run along. You should probably get your weapons and armor sorted by the armory.” Benjamin suggested, sending Mike off on his way. Mike smiled as he heard the two mechanics arguing loudly over something as he walked off. These place was full of characters, and sometimes it felt like the servicemen had been chosen based on having every single outlook on life, instead of the heroic act all of them had performed in their last moments in life.
So, armory it was. Also maintained by a set of characters. Might as well get some high quality gear for the extraction missions that were sure to come, especially if the current rate kept on going. Mike still couldn’t get what Robert had said out of his head, and he was eager to see if it was true.
“Evening Jan.” Mike greeted as he walked into the heavily fortified building. The man on the other side of the metal bars was a Dutch man, a bit weird, but a lovely man none-the-less. He just had a habit of saying the weirdest shit. Always made Mike wonder if he had fried his brain taking drugs like the Dutch are known for.
“Ah, Fitzpatrick! How are you?” Jan asked as he put down the book he was reading. “Talk of the town is that you are now a part of the extraction team!” He excitedly remarked. “You know, I once applied for the program. Didn’t make the cut.” He said.
“Yeah, just got the patch.” Mike padded his upper arm to show the new patch. Jan let out a low whistle. “Anyway, I’m here to look at some hardware.” He said, and somehow Mike hoped he was going to get treated like that Keanu Reeves movie with the weapon dealer scene.
“Tell me what you need.” Jan said as he sat himself by the computer. Probably ready order the supplies.
“I’ll stick with my M4 as main service weapon. But how about an upgrade for the shotgun?” He asked. Jan typed in some stuff on the computer, and then went into the back to look. He came back not a minute later with a brand new shotgun.
“Benelli M4. Most excellent.” He said as he handed it to Mike through the little open window in the metal bars. Mike tested its grip in his hands. He took aim to test the sights, and generally went through all the steps. It felt good, and he gave Jan a nod. “Good. What else?”
“New pistol. The SIG is nice and all, but do we have anything else?” Mike asked, and Jan hummed as he looked something up on the computer again. Once again, setting off and returning in a short moment.
“Modern 1911. 45 acp, with double stack mag. Giving you 14 rounds with incredible stopping power. Ain’t no demon escaping judgement with this. Here, have a new holster as well.” Jan handed him both the pistol and holster. Once again, Mike tested it out. It felt good. “And new body armor as well. Should give you even more protection out in the field.” Jan fished out some new equipment and handed it to Mike, who accepted it all with a smile.
“Mind if I try out the weapons on the range?” Mike requested. Jan nodded and unlocked the door to the in-door range. Stepping inside, Mike was in for some fun.
Loona did her best to ignore her dad’s knocks on her door. They had an argument that morning about her going out in a couple days, and the excessive use of nicknames he was using to try and coat her out of her room certainly wasn’t helping. She knew he loved her, that much was obvious, but… It just felt like he was so overbearing with his love.
Not that it mattered now, she was trying to coordinate her and her friend's trip to Beelzebub’s grand party in a few days. It was gonna be crazy, and almost certainly a good time. She knew Vortex, Gigi and Russ would be there, and she knew it was always a good time with them around.
A notification on her phone reminded of the other person she had invited. Mike, the soldier boy from the fort. He had sent her a text. She still didn’t quite know how to place him. He could be a real asshole, but also pretty fun to chat with. Or maybe she just thought he’s whole situation was interesting and wanted to know more. A group of souls bound to serve and protect some stupid fort.
She opened the message, it was a picture of a shooting range with some guns laid out on the table. “Got some new toys.” He added with a text. She rolled her eyes, of course he would think that was cool.
“Booooring.” She wrote back, adding a yawning emoji. She had seen better hardware long ago. Say what you will about her dad, but he was well stocked with weapons.
“Well excuse me! Can’t have shit nowadays.” She knew it was a sarcastic tone he employed for it. “Oh, check this out.” He sent a photo of a patch, a skull with light rays coming out of it. It was nicely made.
She simply replied with “u joined the choir?”
He sent back a rolling eyes emoji. “I passed my final exam. Officially on the extraction team now. So you might see me out and about on the town more often now.” She wondered if she would one day read about an ambush on that extract team, and he would be dead. The idea made her more sad that she thought it would.
“good for u.” Was the quick reply from Loona. Obviously she didn’t want to vent any of these thoughts, especially over text. “u still up for the party?” Was the subject she was more interested in.
“Sure. I got 24 hours leave in 2 days, so I should be ready. Still haven’t had a crazy night out yet, will this party be sick?”
“u bet your ugly ass it will be. Beelzebub hosts the best parties. will probably be too much for u.” She smiled as she typed. He was no doubt a light weight.
“Wait and see party girl.” He wrote. Oh yeah, it was gonna be fun to drink him under the table. She wondered what kind of trouble she could get him into.
Mike test fired both of the new guns he had just received. They worked like a charm, and there was something comforting about just letting loose at the range, especially when you didn’t have your CO screaming in your ear. It was almost easy to forget the outside world, to forget he was actually in hell.
Hell. It was still hard to wrap his head around it some days. Despite the revelation that he had been dead about four years already, everything had felt like it was natural even. Everyone is a crying mess when they finally get sent here, well most people usually. The idea of losing everyone and everything is a hard thing to stomach, but Mike guessed that since all soldiers posted to the base had gone through it, they were some of the best help around for it. They need when to give you space, and when to talk. There were hardly any taboo subjects with most of the soldiers. Sure, some of them preferred the quiet solitude, to just do your job and not make friends. It was a valid outlook and a reminder that despite sharing similar demises, all of them were still different. Still people.
His thoughts began to drift to this party Loona had invited him to. Last time had just been the two of them in that bar, but now it was some big event, which this Beelzebub hosted pretty regularly. The sin of gluttony. He hadn’t mentioned the party to anyone else on the base, mostly because he was pretty sure it would get him exiled if he did. He supposed a party hosted by the icon of gluttony would be pretty sick, all things considered. Loona of course couldn’t guarantee his safety, and there would be sinners at the party, so it was possible that he might be attacked, but as far as he could read on hell’s version of the internet, trouble was generally frowned upon at these parties.
Still, he was looking forward to spending time in person with Loona. He wondered if the friends she mentioned would be nice to be around as well. Only time would tell. Mike made his way back into Jan’s shop, wherein Mike praised both of the choices that Jan had picked out for him. Jan smiled at the praise, and as Jan began to go on about some story with absolutely no relevance to what they had just talked about, Mike’s eyes lingered over the gold lined box behind the bars.
He always wondered what was inside it. It must be some sort of weapon, otherwise it wouldn’t be in the armory, but what exactly was it? The box looked old, ancient craftsmanship, but clearly skilled hands had done it. It had been the subject of speculation amongst the troops for some time, yet none of them had mustered up the courage to actually ask…. It just seemed like… one shouldn’t inquire about it.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by the beeping of his radio. Already? He thought. No time like the present for a field trial of his new equipment he guessed. Excusing himself from the riveting story Jan was currently telling, Mike put on his new equipment in record time, stormed out of the door to meet his team at their new vehicle. Obviously Augustus was the first one there, patiently waiting for the rest of them. The rest of the squad were there within a few minutes, also dolled up like they were rolling into Fallujah, not that where they were going was any better.
“Extract mission. Here is the briefing.” Augustus handed over a dossier, and Mike quickly skimmed through it. Female, about 26 years of age. There was a picture of her, she was a pretty little thing, blonde hair, blue eyes, short. She looked almost angelic. Her name was Alise. Time to see if they could get her out of here before she became too traumatized by hell. They all settled themselves into the RG-33, and then Vasily sped off, quickly passing through the gate and towards the city.
He could already feel the adrenaline rushing through his veins. He could hardly sit still. They knew very little about the place they were going, which was usually the case, unless you were a veteran of the extraction team, they tended to have seen it all. The place was a warehouse district. It would be interesting to see if they would encounter hostiles or not. It was hard enduring the wait as Vasily drove without regard for the traffic laws, but from what Mike had seen, very few in hell really cared all that much about the traffic laws anyway.
About ten minutes later, they arrived at the dodgy warehouse district, they all had a homing beacon in their personal radio to help find the lost soul. They drove right up to the marked building, Vasily stayed with the truck as the rest of them rushed out, weapons in hand, and formed a line on both sides of the door. Mike locked eyes with Augustus, who gave him a nod, and with that, Mike shot the hinges off the door. Eyup chugged a flashbang through the doorway. Hearing the loud bang, they all rushed inside as per their training.
What they saw was the circle the sinners had used to hijack the poor girl from her trip to heaven, they were standing around her, knives in hand. They had apparently been cutting her up, torturing her. All for the grand crime of not being a bad person. It didn’t take but a moment for them to kill all the sinners. Mike immediately attended to Alise.
“Confirm your name.” Mike requested as he took out his medkit. Another nice perk of being part of Heaven’s task force in hell, was the medical supplies they had. They didn’t miss anything, and the stims they offered were great. They could heal any wounds within just a few days after injection.
“What?” The poor girl was tear stricken, barely able to let the words out. He rubbed a spot on her upper arm, then injected her.
“Your name, miss?” He asked again.
“Alise Bennett.” She replied weakly. Even though she had only been in hell for about 20 minutes, lord knows it’s more than enough time to be emotionally scared forever.
“You’re safe now.” Mike reassured her as he finished the injection. He could instantly see the effects begin to take hold, and she seemed to calm down a bit. “Overlord. This is Butcher 3. VIP secured. Moving to extract. Over.” He said into his radio, not bothering to wait for a response as he turned his attention back to her. “Can you walk?” He asked, and to her credit, she tried to rise up, but the cuts on her leg still didn’t agree with her. Seems like this called for a carry. He picked her in a bridal carry pose. When he looked over at Augustus, he saw the Roman burning a book, then throwing it on the ground. He assumed it was the grimoire the sinners had used to perform the ritual to pull this poor girl into hell. “Tomasz, Eyup and Max. Tight formation, we’re moving out.” He ordered.
In and out within 10 minutes. 30 minutes from the call had been received at base. Not too bad if he had to say so himself. But all of that paled in comparison to the look of relief on Alise’s face as they drove her back to base. Obviously she hadn’t even gotten over the fact that she had died, in a car crash none-the-less, then she found herself in hell. Must have seemed like a real shitty eternity she had ahead of her, but being told that she was destined for heaven had at least put her mind somewhat at ease. He couldn’t help but smile as he saw Augustus escort her to the portal back at the base.
Almost made him wish he had helped more people when he was alive. But he was paying the price for all he had done in life now. At least he had this chance to help others now.
Chapter 7: The Party
Notes:
Took a little while (Blame my mates for getting me to play minecraft with them), but here it is!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Two days later, and three extraction missions later, his leave finally came up. The missions had been touch and go, but had all gone well. So far, he hadn’t seen what Robert had described yet, that the souls were alone when they came to get them. All of them had been accompanied by some sinners. But what really puzzled him was how so many sinners got their hands on this spell, it almost seemed like it was common knowledge in hell at this point.
The fort’s leadership couldn’t be fucked to look further into things. That wasn’t their job, better to focus on what they had been tasked with: Just extracting the souls that needed extraction and guard the portal that would get them to their final destination. Maybe he shouldn’t bother thinking too much about the implications of it. It probably all stemmed from some sinner that had shared the spell on hell’s internet, and then everyone that was remotely interested in magic wanted to try it. In a few months the rate of lost souls would probably drop again.
He was getting ready in his room, Declan once again strumming away on his guitar, still chasing that tune only he would know. It reminded Mike of his brother, he was the same way. Always loved to play guitar, even taught Mike to play it. For a long moment, Mike contemplated whether he should ask Declan if he could try his guitar. Figuring that he might as well. He asked Delcan if he could see if his fingers still remembered the tunes he had learned. Declan just smiled and handed the guitar to him.
It had been so long since the last time he had a guitar in his hands, running his fingers along the strings the happy memories came back though. Memories of simpler times. He thought about what to play for a moment, but it didn’t take him long to realize just what he should be playing. He tuned the guitar slightly, to get just the right tune. God, it had been a while, it was hard to remember the chords, but he needed to try anyway.
He began to strum the song Maybe Baby. Messing it up a few times along the way, but overall getting the song right. A smile began to form on his face as he remembered all the good times with his brother, playing guitar, or the times as a teenager he was sure just playing the guitar would get him plenty of tail, though the success rate was never that great in high school.
“Maybe, baby, I'll have you. Maybe, baby, you'll be true. Maybe, baby, I'll have you for me.” His voice was little more than whisper as he strummed along. But when he looked over at Declan, he could see he was bobbing his head along to the song, even silently singing along to the song. It made Mike’s smile even bigger as he continued along. By the time he was done, both of them were grinning.
“Jesus Mike. You never told me you could play guitar like that!” Declan proclaimed joyfully.
“Yeah… Well, it’s been a while.”
“You ought to play some more. I love Buddy Holly, used to listen to him everyday when I was younger. I was devastated when he died.” Sometimes it was hard to remember the man serving besides you could be from widely different times. Declan had actually been a kid when Buddy was alive. What a time that must have been. Mike had always loved Buddy’s music above all else.
“Yeah. Died too young.” Mike muttered with a quiet moment, as if to respect the dead singer. He prayed silently that he made it to heaven. After a long moment, he stood up, and handed the guitar back to Declan. “Thanks bro. But I gotta get going.” Mike said as he put on his jacket.
“Have fun at the party man. Tell me about when you get back.” Declan said as he laid back on his bed, strumming on his guitar, picking up where he left. Searching for that tune that would tie it all together.
Mike checked his shoulder holster again to see if he remembered his gun. He did, thank god. One couldn’t be too careful after last time. Now he was ready to catch a cab to this party Loona had been yapping about. No way he was walking into the city, he was gonna paint himself like a giant bullseye if he did. Nah, he still had some more money left over that he borrowed from Karl (And he was more than mindful that the deadline for paying the man back was fast approaching. He would have to find some way to repay the Swede).
He hadn’t stepped more than a few steps outside the barracks before he was greeted by Robert who was walking the other way. “You look awful happy today son. What’s with the get up? Don’t tell me you’re”
“yup. Heading into town once more.” Mike replied with a smile.
“That a fact? After what happened last time? You ought to have your goddamn head examined." Robert chuckled, but he clearly meant it.
“Can’t stay away.” Mike laughed to brush it off.
“Yeah. Well don’t count on me to come to your rescue if you find yourself in a pinch.” Robert reminded him. Mike just chuckled, he didn’t expect anyone to come to his aid if need be. That was one of the conditions for wandering off base.
“Hey you two!” A voice called out from across the road. Both of them looked over to see the fort’s two engineers busying themselves with some project by the building that hosted the portal. Both Robert and himself were looking at the engineers confused. “Yeah. Rowland and Fitzpatrick. Come on over!” David Burch called out. He had been part of the US army corps of engineers when he was alive, but had died during Operation Iraqi Freedom. The other man working on whatever they were doing was Victor Jacquet, a Frenchman who had died in one of the colonial wars in the 1960’s that the French were so fond of doing.
Well, given that they had been summoned, there was no choice but to obey. So they quickly made their way over to the arguably most important building on the base. He had never been inside, so he had never actually seen the portal with his own two eyes, but he had seen all of the lost souls being escorted inside to get into the building. It was a building made of reinforced concrete, pretty much a bunker. Made to withstand most explosives.
“What are you guys up to?” Mike asked as he saw them installing what looked a whole lot like the same type of automated turrets they had at the front gates.
“Just finished up this newest piece of security. Mind giving me a hand?” David asked as he was screwing in some panels on the wall. Mike and Robert both shrugged their shoulders at the same time, and decided to help out. So they held up another panel while David got it screwed in.
“What’s with the extra security?” Robert asked as both of them held up the panel that was going to power the turret on the right side.
“Word came down from Heaven that they wanted to beef up the security. Said it was too lax, given the recent hike in abductions.” David explained, before putting his tongue out as he screwed in the screws needed to secure it all together. “CO was about to blow a casket. Said they were overreacting. But what do I know? If heaven wants this thing installed, then I’m more than happy to oblige.” David told them as he finished up what he was doing. “What did I tell you, Frenchie? Always easier when you have a pair of dumb grunts to hold it up for you.” David laughed as he stepped back to inspect the handiwork.
“Merde. You dumb Americans are all the same.” Victor muttered as he continued work on his section on the right side of the door. It made Mike wonder though: If Heaven was concerned about the spike in cases, then why wasn’t base leadership? This was troubling. But he had no time to think further on it, he had a party to get to.
“Yeah whatever” David brushed off his co-worker. He then turned and looked at Mike. “What’s with the civie clothes?” He asked.
“Going out. But I’ll be back by tomorrow.” Mike promised. David just laughed him off, Mike rolled his eyes as he said his goodbyes to all the men and made his way towards the gate. He hoped this party was gonna be fun. He had traded any leave he would have the next two months to ensure he was free tonight.
Loona always hated waiting in line. Especially at an event like this. Besides, she would have been inside if it wasn’t for the fact that she was waiting for the idiot Mike to appear. She didn’t know what part of her still wanted to be the tour guide for him, but there was definitely something that called on her to give him a chance.
Well, she probably shouldn’t worry too much. Beelzebub’s parties were usually pretty welcoming, and there were plenty of things to do anyway. But she was desperate to get inside, she had even put on her red dress she wore last time. Her make-up had been done up perfectly, despite the fact that she kept checking it. She wasn’t sure what reason her subconscious had to drive her to be perfect tonight, but she feared she might know. Urgh, she didn’t want to think about it.
She suddenly saw her friends Gigi and Russ finally arrive at the venue. Saved by the bell, at least her companions could keep her company while she waited for Mike. She just hoped no one would be freaking out over Mike being human and all.
“Hey girlfriend!” Both of them greeted as they joined Loona by the line waiting to get in.
“Hey.” She drew a little smile on her lips. She was glad to have met the two of them. They always had fun together. She could hear the music coming from inside, no doubt Beelzebub was giving a music number to the hundreds of fans she had gathered inside. “Nice outfits.” She complimented her friends, who both blushed and eagerly returned the compliment.
They began to gossip about different things for a while, until both Gigi and Russ finally looked over at Loona and asked why they weren’t in line to get inside. They were burning daylight (More like moon light, all things considered). Loona sighed as she explained they were waiting for another one of her friends.
“Oh, who is it? Someone we know?” Gigi asked.
“Erh… I doubt it. He’s human…” Loona replied truthfully, but both of them looked at her with a weird expression.
“So… A sinner? Aren’t they locked to the pride ring?” Russ asked confused.
“Didn’t even know they let sinners into this place.” Gigi added.
“No he’s not a sinner per say, he’s… Urg… you’ll see.” Loona finally gave up and just said. Easier for them to see than for her to explain it, and she wouldn’t have to wait long. A cab drove up to the place, parking by the curb, and out came Mike. She wasn’t sure if Mike had expected some sort of celebrity welcome by the crowd, but all he got was silence and stares from those who did actually notice him. Lonna could quickly see the gossip begin to spread throughout the line. “What’s up dork?” She asked as Mike finally joined them by the line.
“Not much. You alright?” Mike asked her, before noticing the two friends she brought along. “Hey. I’m Mike. Nice to meet you.” But he was only greeted by silence by the two as they stared at him. “Are they mute or something?” He asked Loona after a good long awkward moment of silence.
“You do realize you still are human, idiot. Obviously people are gonna stare. Gigi and Russ, this is Mike. Some idiot I know and whom I promise to drag along tonight. Mike, this is Gigi and Russ, my best friends.” Loona did the quick introduction, and it seemed to snap Gigi and Russ out of their puzzlement. Loona figured that since she was cool with it, then it must not be as crazy as it looked. They had never heard of a sinner that retained their human form to this degree. They gave their formal introductions
“Where did you meet this guy?” Gigi asked.
“Don’t worry about it, let’s just head inside.” Loona shushed her. Tired of answering questions. She really didn’t want to spend this night doing just that.
It didn’t take too long for them to get inside, especially after she dropped Tex a message that they were there. The place was packed with demons, so it seemed like it was gonna be another success for Beelzebub. People were busying themselves drinking and playing all sorts of fucked up drinking games. They didn’t have to walk far before Tex was there to greet them. Loona frantically tried to fix mistakes that only she could see in her makeup, setting her hair just right.
“Eyyy! Loona! How are you!” He gave her a fistbump. She awkwardly accepted it. “Gigi, Russ. Pleasure as always. Wait…. who’s this guy” Vortex looked up and down at Mike, trying to scope him out.
“Mike Fitzpatrick. Nice to meet you.” He held his hand out, but Tex just kept staring at him for another long moment. Making Mike internally sigh. But finally he gave Mike his hand.
“Nice to meet you bro. Damn, Beelzebub is gonna get a kick out of this. You’re not a normal sinner, are you?” He gave a smile in return as he asked.
“No sir.” Mike chuckled. “If you can keep a secret, I’m actually from Fort Redux. The military base on the edge of town.” Mike explained in a low voice.
“You got some balls coming here then. Might wanna keep that to yourself pal.” Vortex advised, before turning to Loona and her friends. “Hope y’all enjoy the party.” Vortex announced as he disappeared from sight.
“Quite a character. Friend of yours?” Mike asked Loona.
“Yeah… he is.” She replied while rubbing his paws together. “Listen, I’m gonna check this place out. I trust I don’t need to hold your hand the entire time?”
“Oh, I’ll find some fun things to do. Don’t worry about me, we can link up later.” Mike said with a thumbs up.
Beelzebub was giving another great concert, and Loona was enjoying listening to it. Her friends were dancing the night away on the dance floor, already finding other hellhounds to hook up with for the night, no doubt. There was only one hellhound she was interested in though.
She knew it was wrong to still long after Tex, especially after seeing that he was together with Beelzebub, and Beelzebub was nothing if not possessive of what was hers. Not that Beelzebub was a bad demon, quite the opposite actually, she was one of the few to give a chance to hellhounds, imps and all the others on the lower end of hell’s hierarchy. Her parties were probably some of the most inclusive in all of hell.
Still, she had told herself that she was going to enjoy herself tonight, so she had quickly stocked up on drinks. Quickly downing drink after drink, it tasted sweet, but had quite the kick. Loona was glad to see they didn’t skimp on the drinks. Looking around the room again, she spotted Mike at a beer pong table, surrounded by sinners as he duelled against a hellhound. From where she was standing, it looked very much like he was losing. Not that she cared, he was bound to make a fool of himself tonight. She just hoped she would be there to see it happen.
But, her attention was due on the stage, where Beelzebub finished off a music number with huge fireworks. She enjoyed seeing it all unfold, and took another sip of her drink. Although the next song started, she was dragged onto the dance floor by her friends. Tonight was going to be good. She knew it. She wasn’t going to let it become sour, she was determined. She danced the night away, her movement flowed like silk. She knew it was turning the eyes of most people there.
The night was progressing nicely, and she had a nice buzz going. It was time to let loose on this party. She went from section to section, either waiting or joining in on the activities. She did shots with her friends. She lost count of time, but at some point she found Mike in an arm wrestling competition between sinners. This time he was doing far better, looks like he was up pretty far in the rankings. She pondered if she should place a bet, but went against it. But before she could continue on to the next thing, she was cornered by Beelzebub and Vortex.
“Heeey Loona. Long time no see!” Beelzebub’s voice was sickeningly sweet. “How’s the old man? Never seen an imp drink like that!”
“He’s… good.” She replied. She hadn’t really said a word to her dad in the last few days. “Nice party by the way.” Loona was quick to add.
“Oh yeah, it’s crazy as dick! Just the way I like it. Speaking off: I never had a soldier from the Fort at one of my parties. Where did you pick him up?”
“The… Fort?”
“Smartass, eh? Well, I’ll make sure no one starts any trouble, but maybe be more careful where you bring someone like next time? Plenty of demons to take down a man like that.” Beelzebub suggested as she laced her fingers along Loona’s shoulder. Loona was going to brush off her comment. She knew Mike could at least somewhat handle himself, and it was always his choice to come to these events. He knows the risks.
“Imma head to the drinks table. You ladies want anything?” Tex asked the both of them. They both shook their heads.
“I’ll catch up with you babe.” She said as she gave a kiss on Tex's cheek. Loona caught what was going on. Beelzebub read her like an open book, the kiss was a warning for her, but if she didn’t catch that, Beelzebub was going to make sure she gets the message. She leaned in and whispered in Loona’s ear.
“Back away from him, girl. He’s mine. Stop staring at him.” Message received. Loud and clear. She needed some fresh air, so she quickly disappeared from the wider party, and found her way to the rooftop. There were a few people up there, but there was a section of the roof more or less vacant. She could get a little fresh air, and think things over. She texted her dad, asking him to come pick her up. She couldn’t deal with this.
She didn’t know why her heart continued to ache. Vortex was nice, and good looking, and everything else she thought she wanted, but he was off the market. She had to accept it, but why was it so hard to do just that? It was like a part of her wanted to continue this fruitless pursuit until the end of time… But she had to pinch herself and remind herself that Vortex was happy where he was, and she really didn’t want to invoke the wrath of Beelzebub by fucking with her.
Her life was a mess. She had few friends to speak of, and her love life was a total failure. She had a fucked up childhood. Most people looked at her like a lost cause, someone that would never amount to anything in hell’s society. Having her mind assault her like this… was almost enough to drive her to tears. Why was the only question she wanted to ask. Why did it all turn out like this? She never meant for it to turn out like this.
“You alright?” She was pulled out of his thoughts by the unmistakable sound of a dork approaching. Just what she needed, for this idiot to come and try to talk to her. Throw her a pity party or something.
“I’m fine.” She lied through her teeth. Hoping her tone would be enough to scare him off for now.
“You need to talk.” Mike remarked. SHe heard him take a seat in one of those little shitty plastic chairs on the roof, from the sound of things he put on the ground, he had brought a few things along. “Dip your beak?” He asked, and she finally turned around. He had brought two six packs of beers with him, which signaled to her that he wasn’t going anywhere just yet, but that wasn’t all, he had brought a guitar with him?
“Where did you get that?” Loona asked as she pointed to the guitar. He looked down at it, and looked back at her with a smile. Running his fingers across it.
“Went exploring when I wanted to find you. One of the rooms had this in it, I’m just borrowing it for a moment. Hope no one minds” He took it into his lap, and began to tune it. “Saw you with that big wolf and his girlfriend. Didn’t look like a happy exchange to me.” He remarked casually. So he came here to gloat? To rub salt in the wound? “You like that wolf, don’t you?” Mike then asked.
Loona walked over and took a beer from the six pack, opened it, downed it, all in under ten seconds. Mike let out a low whistle. “What’s it to you?” She finally asked, her tone was as standoffish as she could make it.
“Reminds me of myself to be honest. That type of one-sided love.” Mike finally said after a few moments. “You’ve had a crush on him for a while?”
She rubbed his temples so hard, she might just burn holes into her skull. She didn’t even know why she even debated whether or not she should humor him. It concerned her how fast they had become friends, although Loona was always more likely to refer to him as just an acquaintance. “Yes. So what? you had a lady you couldn’t get once?” She snapped back.
"High School. Anno 2009. A young Fitzpatrick falls in love with the popular girl. Name of Melissa. Captain of the cheerleading team, and there was young Fitzpatrick, tall but built like a twig and hardly anything going for him. I know it sounds cliche. You can imagine the outcome.” Mike explained calmly despite her outburst.
“Just how old are you?” She asked. He finally looked her straight in the eyes.
“29, or at least I was 29. Guess I’m 33 now.” He answered as he stopped tuning the guitar and sat up a bit more straight, before taking a beer from the six pack, popping it open and taking a sip.
“What do you mean you guess?”
“Well. I was under the impression I had only been down here a few months. Pretty sure I died in august 2021. Then when I buy this new phone, so I can get bar recommendations from a certain hellhound I know, I get hit with the fact that we are already in 2025.” He was a bit somber as he recounted it. “But don’t you worry, I am gonna look 29 forever.” He smiled.
She ignored his comment. “So what, you spent four years in a coma or something?”
“No idea. I think there are three possible explanations: One is that time passed so slowly down here in relation to earth. Second is that I was in a coma for about four years before they pulled the plug, and third: Heaven spent 4 four debating if I was worthy of this chance.” He theorized. She just continued to stare at him. “Not that it matters. The point is that I know how you feel right now.” he finally said.
“Your shitty high school romance can’t compare to all the shit I have been through.” She snapped again. He hummed, and she began to pace around. “Spent years as an orphan, my dad is too overbearing, I got a shitty job at his firm just to please him, and ironically it’s probably the only place that would hire me anyway, I fumble all social interactions and I’m in live with a man who doesn’t like me that way!” She listed all the reasons, going through it all. “My life is a mess.” She finally relented after a few minutes. He had given her space, not interrupted her little routine. He gave a minute or so to cool off.
“It’s a hard thing to accept. Choice and consequences. Everything is a result of choices people make.” Mike finally said. “You were an orphan?” He asked, she nodded, but didn’t elaborate, and he didn’t push her. “My choices led me here. I was a shitty person all my life. I don’t even know what drove me to do the one good act that led me here. You are standoffish, you got a bone to pick with this place that fucked you over, and all the people that think they are better than you. You brush off reality with sarcasm" He continued, taking a break to drink another sip of his beer. “Bad choices have been made that impacted you. But you have agency to choose how you react to it.” He explained.
She wasn’t sure what to say to be honest. Seeing her silent, Mike decided to push on. “I always said that I was just wired up wrong whenever I did something shitty, and I knew it was shitty. Just said it was how I am, how I was made. But that’s not true. I chose all of it. I chose the wrong road every time. I burned all bridges in my life, and I seriously thought it was for the best. That my only choice was to move forward. I made my bed, and now I lie in it. But you?” He took a sip of his beer, and she felt annoyed that he had decided to pause now. “I don’t think you are a bad person. You had shitty things happen to you, but you chose to react to it poorly.” It hit deeper than she ever thought it would. “And when it comes to love. You need to decide what to do here. Clearly Vortex is happy in this relationship he’s got going on. You need to decide if you want to continue to have your heart broken, and potentially lose his friendship, or if you want to step back and reevaluate. Like I said, I know how it is.”
There was a long silence between them, but it wasn’t awkward. It was nice, like he had said his piece, and she was processing it. The more she thought about it, the more she found that she couldn’t argue against it. She hated that he was right. He began to pick at the string on the guitar. “Let’s see if Buddy Holly doesn’t have a song for this.” He said as he began to strum away.
“Crying. Waiting. Hoping, you’ll come back. I just can’t seem to get you off my mind.” Mike began to sing as he played. He always loved that song from Buddy. One of the last songs Buddy made before he died. He played along, and she listened intensely, and found herself enjoying this little private concert he was giving her. It only took two minutes before the song ended. He put the guitar away, and took another beer. Once again, some silence between them.
“That was… nice.” She finally conceded.
“Heh, thanks. I always loved Buddy. My dad gave me a record of him when I was-” He paused to think. “Around 7 or so. My brother taught me to play the guitar. I’m glad I still remember….” He reminisced about the old times. But talking about his brother also unwillingly brought a tear to his eye. “Christ, I hope he’s ok.” He finally said.
“Did you also burn your bridges with him?” She asked, flipping this over on him now. He took another sip, and wiped away another small tear forming.
“Of all the bridges I burned. He is the one I regret the most. Before I died, I hadn’t talked with him for over six years when I died.”
“Younger or older brother?”
“Older brother. His name was Riley. I was the unreasonable one. Thought he was failing in life, I disrespected him and his new girlfriend at the time. Thought he was going to turn out as a bum if he didn’t get a real job. My brother was the polar opposite of me. A real good man, who cared for others. Always stopped to help others if they needed it. Helped me all the time, and I just called him an idiot in return” Mike thought back to all the times he had arguing with his brother over stupid shit. “I don’t know if Riley or my mother mourned me when I died. I guess I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t. There is a reason I was destined for hell.”
“Did hell change you this much?” Loona asked. Mike had been a dork during this whole time, but not necessarily what she would call a bad man.
“I guess death can change your perspective. That’s not to say I didn’t do good things every now and then, but generally I was just an asshole. The only reason why I joined the 82nd was to prove that I could. That I was strong, that the world was wrong about me, that I was owed respect. By all accounts, when our convoy was ambushed, I should have run back to the other vehicle and stayed in cover to protect my own ass. But I didn’t.”
Loona finally took a seat in the shitty plastic chair beside him. He handed her another beer, which she eagerly partook in. “So… How did you die? I mean, you said your convoy was ambushed, but what happened?”
He sat in silence for a moment. Contemplating the events of that day, the events that would forever be burned into his mind. The day had started out so simple, despite the heretic nature of the last days the US army had in Afghanistan. “It was a pretty routine mission. Securing the perimeters about 20 clicks outside of Kabul. It was a pretty big convoy, about five armored humvees. I was riding shotgun, tasking with navigation. We were at the very front of the convoy. Trying along a mountain side, on a very small road. RPG round hits us, and about a dozen talibans open fire on us.” He sighed as he recalled it all.
“A bit like what you do now?” She interjected. He looked at her with a deadpan emotion that showed he didn’t agree, but wasn’t going to argue.
"Evacuation of Afghanistan was in full swing. All of it was falling apart, we were just buying time. I must have been out of it for a minute or so. The RPG had hit the front right wheel arch, but the car was catching on fire, must’ve ruptured the oil pan. My first instinct was to get out of the car, run back to the others, and fight back, but as I checked the other guys… They were all knocked out. I looked at them: Brody, Dominic and Sean. All of them had loving girlfriends at home. Brody and Dominic both had kids at home, I believe Brody’s kid was only a year old. I just looked at them and-” He stopped himself, he stood up, walked over to the railing on the edge of the roof, and started out over the rooftops of this cursed place. “I realized those kids will lose their fathers if I didn’t do something.” He finally admitted. “I had never in my life felt that need to save others quite like I did there.” He added, finally turning around and looked back at Loona. “I saved Brody first, then Dominic. When I went back for Sean, I was shot about half-way there. Two shots right in the back.” He padded himself on the back to show where it more or less was. “I hope to God Sean made it out of there.” And with that, he treated himself to a cigarette, Loona didn’t even need to ask before he offered her one as well.
“I’m… sorry.” She offered her meagre sympathy. She knew it wasn’t much.
“No need. My choices led me here. Now I have to pay for them.” He quickly retorted while giving light to his cigarette. She did the same to hers. “But if there is anything to take away from this, it’s this: Your choices matter. You have agency and don’t try to punish the world for what it did to you. Choices and consequences.” He summed it up. “And… shit, I didn’t mean to lecture you or anything. It’s my opinion. Your life is yours to improve, and your choices do matter… But if you ever need advice, I’m happy to share if I can.”
Silence fell between them as she tried to study his face for any hints of deceit. She always assumed the worst in people, but at least Mike had been upfront of what kind of person he used to be. The jury was still out on whether or not he had changed, or if he just acted that way because the whole religion thing was proven true. “I’m guessing you didn’t get that scar helping a little old lady over the street.” She didn’t know why she chose to ask about the mean looking scar running over his left eye. Made him look tougher than he actually was, she knew that much.
He laughed at her comment. “No, kinda wish it was some dumb story. Like falling down the stairs or some shit. No, it was shrapnel. The RPG kicked up a piece through the dash in the car. My head must have been angled at just the right angle for me to receive this lovely scar. Had I sat a bit differently, it might have gone into my eye and killed me. Back at the Fort, we call these death scars.”
“Death scars?” She asked puzzled.
“Yeah. Any injuries you receive just before death, you keep for all of eternity. They never heal or fade. The two bullet holes that killed me are still there, just as scars. Funnily enough, limbs blown off are restored, but only sort of…” The continued puzzled look she gave him told him to go on. “My friend, Robert, had his left leg blown off when he died. He still has the leg now, and it looks normal enough, but if you look at it for a while… Then you see it-” He waved his hand around, trying to find the right word. “It’s almost like it’s glitching, not truly what it should be.” That was the best way he could describe it.
“So it doesn’t get you a lot of ladies?” She teased with a smile. Mike was at least relieved to see her settle into a more chippy mood.
“Afraid not. Not that it matters anyway.” He remarked as he took another drag of his cigarette.
“What? You don’t get a lot of pussy on the base? Or dick if that’s more your style.” She was being playful about it, not mean.”Don’t tell me you’re an incel” She gasped fakely. .
“Officially fornication is frowned upon, and would be in breach of contract. Even if I liked some of the few women on the base that way, I would lose this last chance I have if I acted upon it. But, for your information, I did have quite a bit of luck with the ladies after I finished jump school” He explained with a chuckle. “Funnily enough, there are no restrictions against finding someone on the outside, but somehow I doubt base leadership would look kindly to me dating a demon.” He laughed. Loona did wonder a few times during their conversation if he was just trying to get her to forget about her crush on Vortex just so he could shoot his shot, but it seemed like he respected her, and only saw her as a friend. It was nice to know he helped her because he was genuine. Before they could continue this heartfelt conversation, she received a text from her dad. She had completely forgotten that she had written to him to pick her up.
“Fuck… It’s my dad. I gotta go.” She exclaimed as she stood, and began marching towards the roof access. “Hey… Thanks for the talk.” She turned back to say. He gave her a wave and a smile as she disappeared back into the building. She wondered where their friendship would take them. She hoped… She hoped he would stay her friend, she hoped she wouldn’t fuck it up. She had a lot of things to think about when she got home.
Notes:
The Buddy Holly songs used if anyone wants to listen to them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IITcZ92w37I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh_MIdI2Vi4
Chapter 8: Average day
Chapter Text
It had been about two months since the party, and things had been progressing as one might expect. Loona and Mike continued to text just about everyday, and given that he hadn’t had any leave for the past few months, that had been the extent of their social interactions. He thoroughly enjoyed texting and talking with her, even though she was the queen of sass. Sure, it could drive him nuts, but she did provide an interesting point of view, alongside letting him in on just how things worked in hell.
But, it has been a busy two months. Despite their CO’s adamant insistence that this would blow over any day now, it simply didn’t. If anything, it has truly gone far off the rails now. They were up to 7 to 10 extractions a day now, and it was beginning to worry Mike. Something was clearly wrong here, and he wasn’t the only one asking questions. He was just wondering if Heaven even cared that much. Sure, they had ordered them to beef up security, but other than that, nothing else had been sanctioned.
But honestly that was all small stuff compared to the even more troubling trend. More and more pure souls who were meant for heaven, were completely alone when recused. This mirrored what Robert had told him over two months ago. Normally at least a couple of sinners or demons were there when they pulled up to the site, and normally these hellspawns were completely unaware that pulling a soul destined for heaven down to hell could have consequences. But it was eerie finding these souls alone. They were usually in shock when they found them, so getting information out of them was hard, but this was the common story: They are pulled down to hell, a group of scary looking demons are there, they perform a chant, extract some sort of sample via a syringe, and then fuck off. Something bigger must be brewing: Those demons weren’t your average run-of-the-mill ‘let me try out this cool magic trick I just found on the internet’ demons magicians that one would often run into on these types of missions.
Mike and his team busted down another door. This time it was in what most would have called a low income apartment block. At least most demons and sinners looked the other way when a squad of heavily armed soldiers rolled through their hallways and knocked down the door to their neighbour. What greeted the soldiers on the other side of the door was the same thing again. A pure soul bound to a table, no demons or sinners in sight. The apartment looked vacated as well, like no one had lived here for some time. They made sure to clear every room before confirming what they already knew.
“Tomasz, Max. Stand guard at the door, make sure no one enters.” Mike ordered, both nodded their heads and did as ordered. “Eyup, give me a hand with this one.” Mike turned to the turk and ordered as he pulled out his knife to cut off the cut off the ropes holding the soul down. “Relax, you’re safe now.” Mike assured the man, who was visibly shaken by what had happened to him.
“Name and age?” Eyup asked. It was vital for them to confirm it was the right person they were helping. Though Mike hadn’t yet experienced it to be the wrong one. The man, who was in his late 60’ties. confirmed who he was, through a powerful stutter. Mike asked the man about what happened as he finished up freeing the man. Obviously, the man didn’t know where to start, from dying, being thrown into hell, and to being the captive of demons straight out of his literal worst nightmare. But once he got to the meat of the story, it was clear enough: Same thing again. He was brought here as he died, then bound as they chanted some magic stuff, then they pulled a sample from him, and then left. Mike really didn’t know what to make of it, except that he didn’t like it.
Regardless, they still had a job to do. This man was bound for heaven, so seeing as he could still walk, they escorted him through the down-ridden apartment building, trying their best to shield him from nosy on-lookers before getting to the truck parked on the street. Mike couldn’t shake his feelings that something big was brewing as they were driving back to base. He figured that at some point, base leadership has to recognize that this isn’t something that will just blow over, this is the prelude to something big. But for now, he would act under orders.
The whole extraction business, while still exciting, was very much the same thing over and over again. He wasn’t bored, and he actually had found that just helping these people was reward enough. Funny how things have turned out. He wouldn’t have been caught dead doing things just because they felt right when he was alive. It felt good… It felt right… It felt… Liberating.
Escorting the man out of the truck once they were back at the base. Quickly making their way to the concrete bunker that housed the portal. At the door, he instructed the man to go straight and into the portal when he saw it. As the man did as asked, and walked to his great here-after. The man had been Brazilian in life, and it made Mike ponder on how all people could understand each other in the afterlife. He wondered how all of that worked. Either the tale of the tower of Babel was true in real life, or Hell was designed for all people to understand each other. Maybe he didn’t need to understand it, he was hardly a theologian.
“Nice work boys. Let’s dress down, get something to eat. We’ll reconvene afterwards, if there are no more urgent extract missions, then we can turn in for the night. Butcher 1 has the night watch.” Mike told his team mates, who smiled and nodded in agreement. His team was clearly battered after 3 extraction missions today. The other two extraction team had likewise been busy.
“How you doing?” Robert asked as he came up to him. Mike stretched out as he began to take off his plate carrier.
“Eh, not too bad. Same old, I guess.” Mike remarked as they began to walk over to his locker, where he kept his equipment. “Wanna go see what Mathieu has cooked up?”
“Heard rumors that it was sloppy joes today.” Robert said in a fake whisper, as to not alert everyone at once. Mike’s head instantly snapped towards Robert, his attention fully on him now.
“You gotta be kidding? I fucking love sloppy joes.” A guilty pleasure of his. Mathieu was an excellent chef in all regards, but because Mathieu was so passionate about cooking, it almost meant that he tended to experiment with recipes a lot. Sometimes with mixed results. Combine that with the fact that Mike was a red-blooded American, and sometimes the dishes could become a little too foreign for his taste.
“Well, let’s go see.” Robert suggested. A suggestion that Mike was more than on board with. After storing all his equipment in his locker, they began to head over there. “So, what’s the news on the souls?” Robert then asked, forcing Mike to once again open up that can of worms in his brain.
“Well… If you’d ask the opinion of some grunt, which you just did, then I think there is something afoot. Seems like… I dunno. It’s like what you said, it feels like a conspiracy. You’d think base leadership would do something about it.” Mike finally said, and it was nice to really share his opinion with someone.
“Yeah, well, if rumors are to be believed. Those mooks have been having their asses chewed out by Heaven as well. Apparently Heaven is concerned about this development. But our CO is convinced it will blow over soon.” Robert shared, in hushed tones as well, because it was likely that sharing such rumors could warrant a serious reprimand from camp leadership. Not that it mattered in the end though.
“Lads! You heading to mess?” They heard Logan call out as he came towards them.
“You know it scottie. You coming as well?” Mike asked back.
“You know it. It better be good, I’m starving.” Logan replied, rubbing his stomach as to hammer home the point. Mike smiled as the trio made their way towards the mess area. Time to get some good grub, felt warranted as well. The place wasn’t as packed, the major evening rush for supper hadn’t started yet. Stepping inside, there were about a dozen men eating, alongside the half dozen or so kitchen staff that worked the kitchen. Picking up their tray, they quickly got served their sloppy joe, alongside fries, salad and all the other goodies they had to offer. Then it was just a matter of picking a table.
Being hungry soldiers, they all dug in quickly, little was said between them as they wolfed down on the meal in front of them, and, compliments to Mathieu, the head chef, he had outdone himself, or maybe Mike was just so hungry that just about anything would have tasted good.
“Still enjoying being a hero and all?” Logan asked as they were just about finished with the meal. Mike wiped his mouth with a napkin before answering.
“Sure, it’s great. Though not for the reasons I suspected.”
“How so?”
“Well, I have to be honest: I signed up mostly because it seemed like more excitement in the normal day-to-day life we have here… But I now actually enjoy helping these people, even if it’s without reward.” Mike confessed. Both Logan and Robert nodded to signal they understood.
“I guess the prospect of an eternity of service can change folk, huh?” Robert remarked after shallowing his last bite.
“I guess.” Mike chuckled. But before they could start talking, his radio went off. Another extraction mission required his attention. He groaned as he apologized to his buddies. It was a never ending wild fire these days. But someone needed his help and… It felt good having someone need his help, and then actually helping. Much like when firemen are called to a fire, they rushed to get their equipment and meet up at the truck before speeding off. Mike wondered what they would find this time.
Another busy day at I.M.P was in full swing. It was coming to a close now, but they had been through 5 assassinations just this afternoon. The crystal that Stolas had gifted Blitzo had been put to good use these past few months. Loona was also glad that she was allowed to join these missions more often, it sure beats sitting on the computer all day. Though that being said, some of these targets… It didn’t seem like they really deserved it. Not that her opinion on this subject really mattered.
Just as she was finishing filing her nails down, sitting with her resting bitch face to ensure no one bothered her. Moxxie and Stolas were looking over some paperwork, not that she really cared. Millie and Blitzo were entertaining themselves by having a friendly game of knife throwing, friendly being debatable, given how competitive Blitzo could be. That was always one of the advantages to being a hellhound, the acute sense of awareness given to her by her sense of hearing and smell. She could always tell what was going on in the office, even if her eyes were glued elsewhere. Just then, she heard the door open, she hardly looked up, couldn’t really care less about the sob story she was about to hear from some random sinner on why they just had to kill someone. As long as they had the means to pay, nothing else really mattered.
“Greetings. Is this the esteemed office of Immediate Murder Professionals?” He asked, the voice sounded off, even taking into consideration how sinners tended to change when they got down here, but she had heard plenty of weird people before.
She sighed. “Yes.” She answered plainly, “Which asshole can we murder for you today?” Loona then said, putting her nail filer down and getting ready to type the details into the computer.
“My master has entrusted me with this list.” The man put down a scroll on the table. “My master would like to commission a contract for 15 people who must be killed.” Loona finally looked up at the man, and saw only a figure standing there in a full cloak with a hood over his head. Only the lower part of his pale face was visible, showing a toothy grin as she looked at him. It was unusual, most of their contracts were for a single person, sometimes a handful. 15 at once was out of the ordinary, but they had done bigger contracts before. “My master will pay handsomely for a speedy turnaround on this. If we are satisfied, we will commission this valuable firm again.” The man spoke in a weird way, formal but off-putting. Something just didn’t seem right, for a moment Loona actually thought about denying the contract, but before any just hasteful action could be taken, Blitzo was there.
“You got it pal! We’ll get those bitches ASAP! We appreciate your business!" Blitzo was overly enthusiastic about this contract, and for a good reason. By their standard rate, this could be a great payday for them.
“Excellent.” Once again, the man grinned so much, Loona was half concerned it would tear his face apart. “We will pay the standard fee, plus another 15% commission for a contract satisfied well.” The man informed, and Loona could sense just how excited her dad was about this. “I bid thee farewell. I will be by tomorrow to inquire about the progress.” The man bowed, and left.
“FUCK YES!” Blitzo exclaimed as he threw his fist in the air. “Oh, this is gonna be great! Write the details down Loonie!” Blitzo then ordered with a snap. Loona just shrugged her shoulders and got on with it. The scroll looked like it was falling apart, decayed almost to the point that it could fall apart if she handled it wrong. It was almost like it was ancient. The names were nothing special, and the details listed under each name placed all targets close to each other, so it wasn’t a hard contract. None of them really had any form of security, and there were no restrictions on how they killed them. “This could be big! If we catch a whale of this size, then we're gonna reach the top!” Blitzo smiled. “Moxxie! How is that paperwork coming along?”
“Actually, I could use your opinion on-”
“Don’t care that much pal!” Blitzo said as he went into his office. Looks like it was gonna be almost an all-nighter, because there was no way Blitzo was gonna let this simmer, he was gonna jump on this right away. A minute or so later, he came out with his weapons, just to wait for Loona to finish writing it up. He looked over her shoulder at the details of the job, and smiled as he saw how simple it was. This was almost too good to be true. “Let’s go fuckheads!” Was the battlecry when they had written it all up on the computer. Loona sighed as she went with them, leaving the office to Stolas to handle while they were gone.
Loona wasn’t sure what their client and his supposed master had against these people they had to take out. All of them seemed like average people, even good people by some metric. At least good enough that Loona was sure they weren’t going to hell for eternity. Obviously she could never have all the details of the lives they lived, but they seemed decent at least. She knew she had to shut those thoughts up if she was going to continue working for I.M.P.
Getting back, it was clear Blitzo was over the moon at the prospect of getting paid for this job tomorrow, and it was a great time-versus-profit payoff. They had done the job in just about four hours, and Loona was ready to head home and get some sleep now. “I’m telling you Loony Toony, this will be the big break we have been waiting for!” Blitzo had proclaimed proudly as they drove home in the van. She just groaned at the use of the nickname. She knew her paycheck wouldn’t increase with more revenue flowing into the company. Getting home, she really wasn’t in the mood for any more of the antics of her dad, so she quickly headed to her room to settle down for the night. The moment she had thrown herself on the bed, a message ticked in on her phone.
With another groan, she opened her phone to see a photo and text from Mike. It was him holding up his right hand, which very clearly had the hallmark of bitemarks from an imp on them. The text read:
Mike: “Getting bit by a demon won’t turn me into one, right?”
She snickered at his misfortune.
Loona: “LOL, guess u have to use your other hand to jerk off from now on.”
She teased, smiling as she sent the text. It took a minute or so for a reply to tick in.
Mike: “Don’t know why I hoped for sympathy… Nevermind, just got a stim shot, so I should be back to normal within a day or so. You should have seen the amount of imps holding the most recent target, all hired by some sinner. Some little fucker bit me just as we were leaving with the target. The bitch hid behind a crate the entire time, just to strike just at the end.”
Loona: “Sounds rough.” She faked her concern, and she knew that he knew it was fake.
Mike: “Don’t worry, I can handle it. Good day at work?”
Loona: “Busy. Just landed new client. Gotta be a lot of work.”
Mike: “Too bad for you. Anyway, I got leave next month again. Wanna do something?”
Loona: “It really depends on what it is.”
Mike: “Let me brainstorm a bit then, I’ll get back to you with some suggestions. Goodnight.”
She replied with Goodnight as well. Putting her phone down, she couldn't help but just stare into the ceiling. She was still thinking about what happened at the party a few months ago. It was probably the only reason why she even still tolerated him. He was great for bouncing things off on. If he found something fun to do, maybe she might join, if she had the time.
Maybe, maybe, maybe.
Chapter 9: Advice
Notes:
Sorry about the wait guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter. We should be getting in some action in the coming chapters.
Chapter Text
Another month, and things were getting dangerously close to normal around here. Hell felt normal now. Granted, Mike had it easier than 90 percent of the population of hell, even disregarding the salvation promised at the end if he does a good job. The rate of extractions had more or less stabilized itself now, hovering around 12-15 a day. Quite a lot, but it hasn't increased in some time now. There was some solace in that, at least. But it didn’t change that fact that it was much more normal than it used to be when he first got here.
And with that, it reminded him that he had already been here for the better part of eight months now. It felt both weird, but somehow he had settled into the rhythm that most other soldiers here had. Whether he realized it or not, he was settling in for the long haul, and long it certainly would be. Who knows when God decides to launch judgement day, except God himself of course. Which is why he had started to pick up the bible again, and go to church. This base, which was the only bastion of heaven in hell, probably had the only bibles and church in hell as well, at least those dedicated to Christ. If nothing else, God was his employer now, and Mike had always laughed off the bible as nonsense when he was alive. Maybe it was time to look at it with this new found perspective.
Mike was brought back to reality by the snapping of fingers right in front of his face. He blinked a few times before looking at the source, Robert. “You still there?” Robert asked with a chuckle.
“Oh yeah. Sorry about that, just been thinking a lot lately.”
“Must be hard for you: Thinking that much.” Logan laughed, causing Robert to join in on the laughter. Mike groaned at the poor attempt at humor. Just another few hours, and he’d have 24 hour leave, he still hadn’t come up with a good idea for where he and Loona could meet up. He would have to do a bigger search on his phone on what was available in the city.
“Yeah, laugh it up.” Mike said, but he couldn’t suppress the smile that formed on his lips. “It’s good you’ll have fun to laugh about while you schmucks do guard duty.” Mike fired back.
“Uh, don’t remind me.” Robert remarked, leaning against the wall. “Probably gonna be another boring shift.”
“Oh, that reminds me. Forgot to ask: How’s the hand?” Logan then asked, referring to the unfortunate injury Mike had gotten about a month prior. Mike flexed his right hand, and even the scars had faded now. The medicine that they got from Heaven was truly divine, pun not intended.
“Not bad. The stims work wonders.” Mike answered as he stretched out a bit. “That’s one thing that’s going to be more frequent considering the new job I have. Injuries are now bound to happen.”
“Yeah, well, you chose it kid. So I better not hear you complaining about it.” Robert remarked, Mike chuckled and agreed with him. He wouldn’t complain. “Anyway, we’re off. You have a good one.” And with that, they walked off, probably to get something to eat before their shift started. Mike decided he might as well head to barracks, maybe get a nap before he was off. Declan wasn’t there, he was off getting his equipment for his shift on guard duty. It was truly funny to think about how things worked in regards to their jobs. While a majority had guard duty, there were other roles to fill, like food prep, the medical staff, the handymen and anything else that was needed to have this base operate at peak efficiency. This whole place ran like a well oiled machine. When he first got here, with him still being a mess and trying to figure out just what the hell had happened to him, he had thought about applying for a more utilitarian job at the base. He wasn’t bad when it came to working with his hands. But in the end, he decided not to.
He still thought about just walking up to the command building, demand a meeting and tell them all about how they should take what’s happening more seriously. He always wanted to tell them other things: Like how they should try and reach out to Hell’s population to try and quell some of the rumors that were circulating about this place, make sinners and demons understand what actually went on in this base. He knew there were already agreements in place with the powers that be in hell. The icons of sins were all aware of what truly happened at the base, and Hell’s law enforcement were informed not to respond to reports to them whenever they were out in the street doing their extractions.
He decided to climb into bed, and instantly got his phone out. He had to check his use of this phone, it felt dangerously addicting, he had actually been more or less fine without a phone for the first few months he had been here. But he pushed those thoughts away, there was a good reason for going on his phone this time. Trying to see what local attractions, sights, activities that the pride ring offered. For a moment, he wondered if maybe he should check out the other rings. Loona had mentioned that sinners were more or less confined to the pride ring, but the other places held cool stuff as well, and he wasn’t a sinner in the same regards as the others stuck in hell. But in the end, he decided against it, considering the fact that he would have to find transportation if he was actually going to any other ring. Crossing that off the list, he searched up what was happening around hell.
Even just the pride ring had a lot of stuff to do. Say what you will about hell, but it was far from boring in just about all regards. There was always something going on. He considered the bars in the area, but he felt like he wasn’t really in the mood for that. There had to be something good around here somewhere. That’s when it hit him: Maybe she’d be up for a walk in nature? There were some to the west of the base. Granted, it could hardly compare to Earth’s nature, there weren’t even really any trees. It was just red cliffs more or less, but a chance to get away from the city might do them both some good.
He looked up the place on his phone. Nice enough, he’d swing by a liquor store first and pick up some beer for them to take with them, if indeed she was up for it. Before he committed to anything, he might as well ask her if she’d be up for it. He opened the messenger app on his phone. It was honestly half-depressing how the only contact he had was Loona. He hadn’t bothered to get the contact info on any of the sinners or hellhounds he partied with at Beelzebub’s party. Not that it cut him that deep, he had plenty of friendships at the base, she was just the only one outside of his day-to-day that he spoke with.
Mike: “Yo. Still up for tonight?” He closed the app as he researched the cliffs, looking at the reviews on their knock-off version of google. People loved to complain even more here in hell than back up on earth, and that was really saying something. But, it seems it was more or less what was expected, a nice little retreat outside of the busy city. A few minutes passed by before he got an answer.
Loona: “Really depends on what u have in mind. Better be good.”
He smiled, it was just like her to make such an ultimatum. Well, he hoped it would be good, but here goes nothing.
Mike: “Up for a walk in nature?” He typed out and sent, followed by another text “Not to worry, I will provide alcohol. Heard there was a nice place out near the base. A nice little hike, and then we’ll find some place to sit down and enjoy some beers.” He promised.
Loona: “Free beers is the only thing that sounds good about that plan… But ok. Text me the location.” He pumped his fist into the air in a celebratory manner. He then realized he was looking forward to this for another reason: He wanted an opinion on what to do. Should he confront base leadership and demand action? Or just be a good worker bee and continue as he has thus far. He wasn’t exactly sure why he wanted her opinion on it, maybe it was just because he already knew the general opinion on the Fort. Despite her bratty - sometimes even bitchy - nature, he still very much enjoyed the banter between them, and she could provide an outside perspective.
It didn't matter which way you cut it, they were isolated here. He saw the way random bypassers looked at them whenever they were extracting some poor soul. It was utter contempt or hatred. The soldiers stationed here presented a God that had turned his back on all sinners and demons alike. It didn't matter if they had chosen their place here, they were Heaven’s task force in hell. They were the enemy of these people. Sometimes, he wondered why Hell hadn’t banded together and stormed the gates of the Fort, eliminating the soldiers stationed here. If enough demons did it, they could do it. It would be a bloody battle. Mike guessed it was their luck that hell was so fractured in opinions, most of the hell spawn just wanted to live their life, not die in battle.
He took some time to relax on the bed. Might as well get some shut eye for an hour or two. He fell asleep pretty quickly, which was a relief. The dreams one has in hell are never easy to explain. They often either feel like fever dreams, or just plain up confusing. Didn’t take away from your sleep, one was almost always well rested. His dream this time was hard to discern, something about long corridors with doors leading to nowhere, something chasing him. Not a full on nightmare, but close enough. He is awakened by the sound of his alarm an hour later. Rubbing his eyes and getting off the bed, he’d best be off.
Though he had hardly walked out the door before he was in conversation again. Their native plumber, an Aussie named Bruce, was walking down the hallway just as Mike came out.
“Hey mate! You headin’ out?” Bruce had asked with a big smile. He was a nice enough guy, but Mike really suspected the guy had a few screws loose. No one should be that joyous about fixing pipes and working in shit. The dude literally sounded like he had won the lottery whenever he fixed a drainage. He was also a metal worker and all-around handyman, serving multiple purposes at once.
“You know it. Gonna take a walk in what Hell considers nature. What about you? Got a blockage somewhere?”
“Yup! Sink in the communal bathroom is a complete dog’s breakfast. I figure a few tugs with me plunger oughta get it flowing again. If not, I got the jet on standby!” The complete joy with which Bruce spoke, was enough to make everyone around him smile.
“Well, you have fun then.” Mike chuckled as he padded the man on the back.
“Of course. No place I’d rather be!” Any other person in that situation, and Mike would have guessed that they were sarcastic, but Bruce meant that 100 percent. And with that, they parted ways. Mike went out of the barracks, and made his way towards the gate. There, he was let out without issue, and once again, he was on the other side. Obviously he had his gun on him. Given how much more the extract team was out in the town extracting souls, there was bound to be more of hell’s population that were willing to pick a fight with him if they figured out where he was from.
First stop, he had found a liquor store on Hell’s version of google. He had enough money to get some pretty good stuff. It was only a short walk, but the amount of stuff that happened on that sort of walk was unbelievable, at least it would have been if he hadn’t been here as long as he had. This whole place switched between being a cartoon, and then being the worst place imaginable. It was sometimes even fun to observe, just the pure chaos that always unfolded here. He had heard the other rings were worse, but Pride had a bit of everything.
Opening the door to the liquor store, Mike was greeted to the bloody sight of an imp dead on the floor, guts spilled all over the otherwise clean floor, the back walls and ceiling covered in blood. The sinner behind the register holding a smoking shotgun in his hands. The sight didn’t even surprise Mike. The imp had probably tried to rob the place and faced the consequences of it.
The sinner behind the register just put on a fake smile when he noticed Mike, and quickly put the shotgun behind his back, as if to hide it, or seem more innocent. “Don’t mind the mess. I’ll get it sorted ASAP!” The man promised. Mike simply nodded and began to go down one of the five aisles of the store to find what he was looking forward to. Whiskey and beers, which had been his favorite since when he first started drinking at the ripe old age of 18. Those first few years sucked, having to have someone older than him buy alcohol for him. But luckily those years flew by with his own time in boot camp and the first deployment. By the time he was 21, whenever he was on leave, his time was spent more or less in a drunken haze. Those were the days.
Looking at all the different brands, clearly this place was well stocked. He knew almost none of the brands, given that none of them were available back on Earth, so it’s a matter of guessing. Putting the whiskey off for now, he went to the coolers in the back to pick out some beers. Hellhound IPA sounded nice, so he took 2 six packs, then went back to the hardcore stuff. His fingers traced a line across the shelves, reading the labels of several of them. It was hard to determine which ones were best, given they all promised the same things. Finally, he landed on one that branded itself as an Irish whiskey, and given his Irish heritage, he figured he had to try it. His mind briefly wondered if Irish sinners had banded together to make a distillery here in hell. With his alcohol in hand, he went to the counter to pay for it all. Another employee had come out to sweep the imp remains into a bin he had brought along. Mike shrugged it off. It was just so normal down here. He placed his items on the counter, as the sinner rang up his stuff, he looked at Mike with raised eye brows, and he just knew what was going to happen, he was going to ask-
“Say, where are you from, friend? You look normal, totally human. Not like the rest of us.”
“Just put the stuff in the bag dude.” Mike requested, which surprisingly, the sinner did. Mike paid for all of it, and then left the store. Treating himself to a cigarette when he was outside, he decided to begin the trek towards the start zone of the short hike they were going on. This place was cursed, quite literally it seemed.
At the start point, he settled down to wait for Loona. She still had 10 minutes before the agreed meet up time, so he wouldn’t message her and ask her where she was. Lord knows he hated when people did that to him. Instead, he simply took in the red-ish cliffs that they would walk through later on. It was quite pleasing to look at, despite it all. Though he preferred green over red any day of the week. There was a small rock he could sit down on, he fished out his phone to take a picture of the place. Might as well get something for memories sake.
He seriously considered digging into a beer now, but held off against it. He would wait with the alcohol for when they found a nice spot. He wondered if Loona would even enjoy a hike. So far, the only thing they have done together is drinking in pubs and going to a big ass party. Time for a shake-up.
He had to wait almost 20 minutes before Loona actually showed up, and as expected, she made no apology for being late. Not that he cared that much. “What’s up loser?” She greeted in her usual tone and he was accustomed to it now. He smiled. She was wearing her usual outfit: Dark blue-ish top, held up by a pentagram over her shoulders. It was almost laughable how much Hell leaned into its symbols. She was also wearing her black shorts, with the moon thing imprinted on them. He had to ask what the deal was with that someday. Obviously, she never left home without her black leggings and black fingerless gloves. Not to mention the choker she wore as well. She must really love this outfit, and Mike pictured a closet filled with rowes upon rowes of the same outfit.
“Not too bad. Got the good stuff.” Mike replied, holding up the bag, she snatched it out of his hand in one swift motion, most likely to inspect it, and she did. She didn’t look pleased, nor displeased, just indifferent. Despite his plan for them to not start drinking until they reached the midway point, she had already popped the cap off a beer, and half-way downed it before he could stop her. He could only sigh in response.
With that, they began their track through the pride ring’s version of nature. They walked and talked, and conversation flowed pretty well. He asked about the boom in business I.M.P was having, and she complained about the workload, but on the other hand, she was glad to not be bored all the time. In turn, he talked about the stagnation of the hike they had been experiencing in lost souls, but how it was still very worrisome. She found the subject more interesting than he had expected, but not that he was complaining. Before they knew it, they had reached a nice overlook area, where they could see most of the different cities that made up the pride ring, pentagram city, imp city, cannibal city and what not. Mike was familiar with all of them at this point.
They began to dig into their beers, and after both of them downing a couple of them, he figured he might as well get her opinion on the whole matter. “Have you ever… thought about going to your dad about the direction of the company?” He had hoped to phase it in a way that could tie back to her own work, to put it into perspective so to speak.
“What do you mean?” She asks back with a raised eyebrow.
“You know, if you don’t like how things are run, or if there is an issue you think the company should focus on?” He clarified his question, and he could instantly see that she was deep in thought, even though she tried to appear indifferent about it. Clearly this had unlocked some sort of memory that she was debating on in her head.
“Yeah, I have thought about it.” She finally answered. Mike did a slow nod, then turned to look out towards the horizon. Clearly she had seen things in her line of work that had made her question things.
“The rate of extraction has gone up a lot in the last few months. Recently it has stabilized again, but it’s almost ten times as much as when I first arrived.” He finally told her. She just looked at him weirdly.
“And? We’ve had a hell of a spike at work as well, at least ever since sinsmas.”
“Sinsmas?” Mike then asked, completely going away from the original subject. “You mean Christmas?”
She almost looked like she had a bad case of chills for a moment, then she straightened herself out. “No, Sinsmas.” Mike just shrugged it off. It wasn’t relevant.
“Anyway. The base leadership believes it will blow over. I think something bad is going on, and it won’t improve until we do something… So what I’m asking is…” Mike took a moment to figure out the best way to phrase it. “Should I go demand action? Or should I stay as a good soldier and just follow orders.”
She thought about it for a good long while, keeping her gaze on imp city. He could sense the internal battle in her mind. It must have been a good minute before any response came. “I guess you should do what I always wanted to do… Be your own person. You told me your choices matter. This must be the time for you to choose.” So she flipped it back on him, telling him to practice what he preached. Well, staying as a soldier that just followed orders was a choice as well, but it wasn’t what he wanted to do. He wanted to help those in need, and the way was to investigate what the hell was going on.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by Loona as she took the whiskey out of the bag. She uncapped it, and sniffed it just like a dog. It was almost adorable to look at, Mike couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, which earned him the meanest side eyes he had gotten in months from her. “Thank you. I guess I know what to do.” He said, she just shrugged it off, back to her normal ‘Cool Loona’ again, and then she took a hearty swig of the whiskey, before offering it back to Mike.
The future is uncertain, but he would play a part in it.
Chapter 10: Inquisitor
Notes:
Took some time, but he's another chapter. Hope you'll like it! As always, let me know what you think!
Chapter Text
Their little hike had been fun. They got a bit drunk, and they managed to finish all the beers and whiskey. Christ, that woman can drink. But in the end they managed to make their way back. Mike appreciated her company, and he had to admit, she was growing on him in ways he couldn’t quite describe. He had never seen himself as a furry, and he was worried being attracted to an anthro hell hound was dangerous close to being Zoophilia, or something of the kind. It was a strange feeling. He had liked several women over the years, even been in a few relationships, but something just felt different about this attraction.
Despite all of that, he was going to be true to his word, he had demanded a meeting with base leadership the very next day. Only to be stonewalled for over a week. Despite his attempts to march into the office of the base commander, he was always turned away at the door. He was beginning to harbor thoughts of deserting the base to look into things himself, but before any such drastic measures could be taken, he was finally called in for a meeting. But it did prove one thing: He hadn’t really thought too much about how he wanted to say the things he had on heart. It was a bit like walking into an exam in high school, some nerves firing up, making him second-guess if he should even do it.
Deciding that he had to go through with this, he stepped into the concrete building that was the command center for the Fort. This issue was too big to ignore any longer, and he was going to, at the very least, give a piece of his mind. There was a very high chance the trio of leaders would simply tell him to piss off, but he would regret it if he didn’t at least try. He should have expected that they would let him wait, sitting on that shitty bench for almost 30 minutes before they finally called him in.
The feeling in the room was tense, Vladislaus was seated at his desk, scribbling something on a notepad. Walter was looking out the window, staring at the soldiers performing the day-to-day activities. Carlos was busying himself by reading some folder marked as classified. “Take a seat, Sgt. Fitzpatrick.” Vladislaus ordered, and Mike did as requested, pulled the seat out and sat down. It felt a bit like sitting in front of the principal of a school, but he braved through it, he had been in tougher situations. “I understand you wanted a meeting based on the rate of extractions?” Vladislaus continued, both looking and sounding very tired. It made Mike think that Vladislaus probably hasn’t slept much the past few weeks.
“Yes sire. I believe the rate of extractions are increasing due to something that is brewing here in hell. I strongly advise that we start investigating this, post-haste.” Mike said, trying to sound as sure of it as possible.
It was clear from the look on Vladislaus’s face that he didn’t agree with this assessment. That was to be expected, even when Mike had finally joined the extraction team, Vladislaus had dragged his feet on the matter, claiming that it was all an overblown reaction. “And what do you base this on, sergeant?” Vladislaus requested to know.
“When I first got here, we had maybe 3 to 5 extractions a week. I don’t know what it used to be before I arrived, but from what I gathered, that was more or less normal. Then a few months later, it started to climb, and now it’s just ridiculous. I mean, we are talking upwards of 7-10 extractions a day. Something fishy is going on.” Mike tried to look to the two other men in the room for backup, but was met with only silence. He could hear Vladislaus sigh, and it made Mike roll his eyes in response.
“Both you and heaven are getting yourself worked up over something trivial. Some peasant shared the black magic trick to everyone, and now every lowlife wants to try their hand at kidnapping poor souls going to heaven. I don’t see the need for some wild goose chase." Vladislaus explained it all away. Why was he so opposed to the whole thing?
“Sire, respectfully. While I know that the rate of kidnapped souls has more or less stabilized at the current levels, if things pick up again, then there won’t be enough men at this base to keep up.” Mike tried to argue, but was shot down pretty quickly.
“We’ll train our men until we have no more, and then we will ask heaven for advice only then. Regardless, if we start poking even more into hell, they will start turning against us fully, banding together with torches and pitchforks and marching on the Fort. I will not allow that!” Vladislaus proclaimed, slamming his fist down on the table to hammer home the fact.
“Brushing aside the fact that investigation could spare a lot of lost bound heaven a lot of trauma, heaven is sure to take full notice soon.” Mike was playing fast and loose right now. He was pushing his own grace right now. Even though this battalion of lost soldiers operated with much less regulations and hierarchy discipline than other armies, there were still things that base leadership expected you to adhere to. If he continued on this path, he was probably gonna be punished somehow. If he had been in such a situation before he died, he would have packed it now, and gone with what the leadership said, in fact, he would have never ended up in this situation anyway, not unless it was for his career advancement. Yet, something must have changed since he came down here, because he felt a burning desire to actually help people now.
“Heaven is already taken notice. They are asking questions that I can’t answer. But heaven will agree with my decision.”
“But-”
“That will be all, sergeant! I can’t spare the manpower!” Vladislaus stood up promptly, looking down at Mike. He could see the annoyment in Vladislaus’ eyes, just on the edge of becoming hatred. All things were lined up for this to have been a massive failure for Mike, at least until the second-in-command, Walter, finally spoke up.
“Sire, if I may?”
Vladislaus sat back down, and gestured with his hand for Walter to continue. Walter cleared his throat. “Clearly, Mike feels very passionate about this, and we all agree that the hike in abductions is abnormal, even Heaven. I am well aware of the manpower restrictions we have, so I propose the following: Make Mike an inquisitor.”
Everyone’s eyes snapped to Walter in an instant, trying to determine if they heard correctly. Mike was more or less confused. Inquisitor, wasn’t that something Spanish did at some point? Was all he could think about. None were more puzzled than Vladislaus though. “Are you raving mad, Walter?” He finally asked, after a good minute of silence.
“No sire. But I believe this is the best solution for all sides. Give Mike the resources he needs, and then he can go investigate the threat.”
“As far as I know. No one has ever been made an inquisitor, and that would acquire Heaven’s approval, even I can’t give that seal.” Vladislaus tried to argue against it, almost desperate to not do anything hastily in this regard.
“I am sure Heaven will see the need, sire. Mike is not alone in his assessments, several of the soldiers stationed on this fort harbor the same feelings. This would also show that you care what they feel.”
“CHRIST’S SAKE! FINE!” Vladislaus finally relented. He hunched himself over his table, his hands rubbing his temples. “I will contact heaven.” He said after a few seconds of contemplating. “I will send for all of you when I get an answer.” And with that, the meeting was dismissed.
Mike never suspected that Walter would come to his assistance like this, but Mike would hazard a guess that it wasn’t out of camaraderie. Walter was probably of the opinion that this was a problem that needed to be dealt with, and this was the best way to see it through. Never-the-less, Mike was still nervous. He still had no idea what an inquisitor was even supposed to do. Were they simply gonna let him loose? Tell him to go on and solve it all? He didn’t have any experience solving mysteries like this.
To say Bltizo was happy would be an understatement. Ever since they got their so-called shadow client, they had made pretty good money. Loona was still stuck with an icky feeling about all of it. While she had been pretty good at separating her feelings from the work she did, most of the people they killed for this client seemed like normal day-to-day folk who were all good people. It called her mind back to when they had to kill that man, who seemed like the paragon of virtue.
It was a hard thing to balance sometimes, and the whole speech Mike had made about choices had made her wonder about just what she wanted to do in life. To some degree, she had loyalty to her father, after all, he was the reason she was where she was in life. On the other side, killing good people just felt wrong to her. She knew some of the others had no issue with it, but there was just something underneath her skin that irked her in this regard.
Trying to push these thoughts away for now, she pulled out her phone to check the latest things going. Doom scrolling reels was one of her few joys besides alcohol and sarcasm. Trying to scroll through the average brainrot and ads, there didn’t really seem to be much really worth looking at today, at least that was her assumption until she stumbled upon a what was seemingly a sinner influencer. That in of itself wasn’t interesting, these idiots were a dime a dozen here in hell. But what was interesting was the thing they were pushing: It was set-up in the usual fashion, filmed from a phone, followed by those annoying dances they always did, but the caption caught her attention. “Try this new spell if you are into sorcery!”, and what followed was the sinner describing the spell Mike had told her about. A spell to take recently dead people on their way to heaven, and pull them into hell.
If nothing else, it proved that Mike wasn’t a liar, not that she really had suspected as much. She had thought he might be a bit of a hothead who probably exaggerated a lot of his stories. During one night, while she couldn’t sleep, she had searched up on the details she remembered he had said about his former occupation. She had recalled the inscription on his zippo lighter, the number 82 and the logo. Turns out, he was a paratrooper back on Earth. She had read up on them, and on the stereotypes. They were like vegans, you could also be sure that they would tell you that they were paratroopers, regardless of whether you wanted to know this or not. Also, the internet said that they had a symbiotic relationship with strippers. But, he didn’t seem like that, especially after spending so much time with him. He was funny, even kind at times. He could match her wit, and he seemed to care for her as a friend. She could even catch herself fantasizing about maybe even something mor- No, she stopped herself. There was no way she liked a human, some soldier who considered himself above the rest of hell. Even though he looked handsome sometimes, and- No, she stood up to distract herself from the thoughts. Damn tail! Stop wagging!
She had spoken quite a bit with him -mostly over text- for the past few months. While they were vastly different in many ways, some things connected them. While Mike liked that old loser music, he apparently liked all kinds of music, including the stuff she liked. They only got in on the subject after she had mentioned listening to a new band. So they had been sharing bands, and complimenting or criticizing the music.
But, she turned her attention back to her phone. The video itself felt wrong, and she knew there was no way this sinner had come up with this spell themselves. The idea of bringing lost souls to hell was trending the hell’s underbelly, would-be wizards and witches probably felt powerful if they performed this spell. Too bad this influencer neglected to mention the consequences of performing it. A squad of soldiers knocking down your door, shooting you dead and extracting the lost soul you just pulled into hell. She felt uneasy watching it, clearly this spell wasn’t like any other she had seen done before.
She decided that she was going to get more information from the one person who probably knew about this: Stolas. The boyfriend of her dad. She still wasn’t sure where she had him, and how their relationship was. But she tolerated him, mostly because she knew her dad cared about him. “Stolas?” She asked, and she saw the bird perk up, his eyes instantly looked at her.
“Yes, my dear Loona?” He asked back, standing up to match her. She showed her phone to him, where he began to watch the reel.
“Know anything about this?”
He watched intensely. until the video finished. Then he nodded. “Ah, I believe you already asked about this a few months ago, yes?” She nodded, and he continued. “The spell of Alkolar. Named after its creator. I have never performed it, and I can’t help but notice this person forgot the important details of those soldiers who tend to come and kill you afterwards.”
“Yes… I-” She stopped herself. Unsure if she should disclose that she knew a soldier from the Fort, but looking at Stolas, she had already said enough to pique his interest. “I know one of those soldiers. A dickhead named Mike, but he’s cool enough, I guess. He said that they are experiencing a lot more of these spells than before.”
“Oh how wonderful! I always wanted to converse with those from the Fort. You simply must introduce us at some point!” He said excitedly. She rolled her eyes though. “I heard that this spell tends to leak to the general population every 200 years or so. Hence why they created that Fort in the first place. I always wanted to see the inside of it. The most closed-off place in all of hell.” Stolas stopped to ponder. “Just how severe is this current increase in extractions?” He then asked, and she tried to recall what Mike had said.
“About 10 or more a day, I think he said.” She answered.
“Hmmm, that is concerning. I believe I had the spell back at my estate, but alas, I can’t go back to get it any time soon…” That reminded Stolas of that whole situation, that he was still upset about, but she knew that ultimately, it was the right decision. “Anyway, I can’t quite recall the specifics of the spell. But I believe it involved creating a custom pentagram on the ground, with the inscriptions of Alkolar. Then a chant, with a touch of magic. As far as I recall anyway. Not that it matters, I strongly advise against trying it.” Stolas explained and warned. She nodded, she knew it was the right call. She hoped the situation would resolve itself. She wanted to go have fun with Mike again.
Maybe she should text him.
The next day, he had been called to the portal. He was confused as to why they wanted to meet him here? He stood outside the concrete bunker that housed the portal that was the main reason why they had a fortress here. He had never been inside, but it seemed like that would change today. He met the trio of leaders outside, all of them looked uneasy, but none more than Vladislaus.
“Good morning sergeant. Hope you’re ready.” Vladislaus greeted, looking like he hadn’t slept since yesterday.
“Always, sire.” If this would help the situation, then he would do all he could. It didn't matter what laid ahead. Vladislaus looked to the others, who nodded to him, he then gestured for them to step inside.
Inside the concrete bunker, it was pretty minimal. Icons of saints and archangels don the walls, inscriptions above them in a language he didn’t quite recognize, but might have been old Greek? All of these paled in comparison to the portal. A large thing, with bluísh light. You couldn’t see through it. But the main thing that perplexed him was the atmosphere in the room: It was peaceful, like the type of inner peace everyone would strive for. The feeling got more intense the closer he got to the portal. It was awe inspiring, like he wasn’t quite worthy of it.
“Step on through, sergeant.” Vladislaus ordered as he gestured to the portal. Mike’s eyes snapped to his CO in an instant.
“What?” He asked, confused. Clearly he didn’t hear that right. There was no way he was going to heaven, was there?
“I managed to get a meeting with one of the angels. They wanted to speak with the soldier that raised the concern, and only that soldier. You will be met by an angel when you arrive.” Vladislaus explained with a sigh. “Go on.” He then ordered. Well, an order was an order. He took a deep breath as he looked at the portal, and began to take small unsure steps towards it. When he got close enough, he looked back to confirm this was what they wanted, and all three of them nodded to him. He looked back, and reached out. When his hand made contact with the portal, the feeling of peace completely enveloped him. He stepped through.
Light, pure glorious light. That was what awaited him on the other side. He stood at the pearly gates. An angel sat at a podium, an open book before him. “Welcome! Might I ask your name, sir?”
Mike didn’t answer him at first. He was too busy looking at what was going on here. It was just… nice. Delightful even. Finally, he snapped out of it. “Sergeant Mike Fitzpatrick, sir.” He finally replied, and the angel looked him up.
It was nervewrecking to watch the angel flick through the pages. It took an entire minute, but eventually the angel spoke up again. “Ah, there you are! I see you are scheduled for a meeting with one of our representatives. And you are a part of our task force in hell. Thanks for your service soldier!” The wide smile the angel gave was almost unnerving. “Anyhow, head on through. You’ll be met on the other side!” And with that, the gates opened.
He stepped through it. Taking note of it all. It was strange. It was like a big city, but instead of the dirty and violent version hell had. It was clean, white and pure. Everyone looked happy, and content. It was nice, but if he ever went to Heaven, he wanted his own little corner, surrounded by nature and mountains. Some small cabin by a lake. That would be his heaven. But this wasn’t half bad.
“Sergeant Fitzpatrick?” A voice called out, and he swung around to see another angel. Male, taller than him. Clean shaved, slick back blonde hair.
“Yes sir?” Mike replied.
“Come with me.” The angel ordered. Mike did as requested, and followed the man into a tall building. Everyone looked to have been constructed with quality in mind, a far cry from hell. What a place. It didn't take long before they reached a meeting room, where he was told to sit down. Another angel, a female this time, was also there. Long curly blonde hair, beautiful in all ways. He took a seat, and saw the mountains of paperwork the angels were working on.
“Nice to meet you! I’m Alyssia. This is my co-worker Issac. It’s so nice to meet you!” Alyssia introduced them. Mike smiled and said it was a pleasure to meet them.
“You were the one that was concerned about the rate of souls pulled into hell?” Issac asked.
“Yes sir.” Mike nodded.
“I will be frank with you, Sergeant. We share your opinion that this is an issue. Your CO has shared that manpower is an issue, and has only offered you up. Do you believe you can solve this crisis? The people who have been briefly in hell are very traumatized when they finally get here, and we wish to avoid this in the future.” Alyssia laid out the cards.
“I will do everything in my power to solve this, and the demons or sinners who are behind it will be brought to justice. I promise to exhaust every avenue.”
The two angels looked at each other, Issac shrugged, but Alyssia had a giant smile. “Then we pronounce you inquisitor of Heaven’s task force in hell! Your sole purpose from now on is to solve the current crisis of lost souls. Once this task has been completed, further evaluations will be considered. Please extend your hand.” Mike simply obeyed the order, and when Alyssia held his hand, she put her other hand on the top of his right hand. Suddenly, his hand got hot, then it began to burn. It felt like acid was poured on it. He tried to bite the pain, but it was a hard battle. Maybe ten seconds later, she lifted her hand, and the feeling instantly vanished.
He studied his hand. “You have been branded with the inquisitor’s seal. It will grant you privileges of heaven, and hell’s law enforcement are bound to respect it. Wear it well, inquisitor. All resources you need in your endeavor will be made available to you. Happy hunting.” Alyssia excitedly explained. Mike saw that it was indeed a seal, a circle with inscription all over it. Once again in a language he did not know.
No sooner had they given him the seal, before he was escorted back to the gate, and asked to go back through the portal. This whole situation was hard to grasp, but it was a good purpose none-the-less. He had gotten what he asked for, just not in the way he had imagined. Now laid the biggest task of his life ahead of him. This was going to be tough.
Chapter 11: First clues
Chapter Text
It all felt so sudden. Going from a normal grunt to a more elevated position. But this wasn’t some pencil pusher desk job he was walking into. As far as he had been told, the job of inquisitor was more or less a glorified form of detective. The seal on his hand was his badge, to flash whenever he needed to show authority. This had been a crazy ride so far, and there was no indication that the brakes were gonna come on anytime soon.
That left the issue of where to start. He had spent so much time preaching that something should be done about this problem, and very little time thinking about how to actually do it. He had one arm tied behind his back with the restriction of it being only him investigating. No extra manpower could be spared, and as such, it fell to him alone. Still, he couldn’t complain. He wanted this, the desire to actually help. It was a strange feeling. He used to be so selfish back when he was alive, only ever caring about himself. If nothing else, he guessed this was proof that everyone could change, sometimes it just needed some radical thing to happen to them to do it.
“Hey kid! Heard you’ve been promoted?” A voice called out from behind, which Mike instantly recognized as Robert. Mike turned around to face him, and saw he was accompanied by Logan as well.
“You heard right, old man. I’m apparently an inquisitor now!” Mike replied with a smile. Robert let out a low whistle, and Logan smiled.
“Guess it goes to show one thing! Be annoying, and eventually you’ll either get what you want, or you’ll get court-martialed.” Robert laughed, in which Logan joined him. Mike couldn’t help but chuckle along. It was true enough. Nothing would have been done if he hadn’t been a persistent pest to the leadership of the base. “My bad luck though. I was volunteered to lead your former extraction team. Training starts tomorrow.” Robert said with a sigh. Mike knew Robert didn’t want to go on those adventures. He preferred the guard duty and other assignments he had around the base.
“Huh… Hey, sorry Robert. Didn’t mean for you to pick up my slack.” Mike replied. He meant it, he hadn’t even thought about what would happen once he got his way. Perhaps he wasn’t as much of a changed man as he thought. Somehow, he had hoped that either someone more competent would have taken care of the investigation, or maybe he and his extraction team would have been reassigned to handle it. Foolish wishful thinking.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle it. Just solve this thing quickly, alright?”
“I’ll try.” Mike promised.
“You’ll get it done, lad. I know you will.” Logan smiled as he gave Mike a pad on the shoulder. Mike gave a slight smile in return.
“Thanks, you old bastard.” Mike laughed. Both Logan and Robert laughed in return as well. “Anyhow, I gotta go get new equipment. Heaven claims I got something akin to a blank cheque to ensure this gets solved. You believe that?”
“Make sure to get some cool shit then. You’ll never get a chance like this again kid.” Robert suggested, Mike gave a thumbs up as he walked off. They all gave their farewells. He was glad for the friends he had made on this base. Like a giant band of brothers. On the way to the armory, he gave some thought to another instruction he had gotten: Don’t rock the boat. Its meaning? Don’t crave a bloody path through hell to find the answers. It was a fragile peace the Fort enjoyed with hell, and it was best to not cause too much trouble. Mike was worried violence might not be avoidable. He had no idea what lay ahead.
Jan was the one on duty once again today as well. Bopping his head to some tunes coming out of some record player as he enjoyed a cigarette. He perked up when he saw Mike enter. “Ah, Fitzpatrick! How are you? I heard that they made you some sort of investigator?” Jan asked excitedly.
“I’m good.” Mike said as he closed the door behind him, and walked up to the counter. “And yeah. They made me an inquisitor. Pretty much just told me to fix the problem.” Mike explained. “And in that regard, I need some gear.” Mike then said. Jan nodded along.
“Of course! Name what you need. I received a notice to give you almost anything you asked for.” Jan said, MIke promptly handed over a list he had made during breakfast. A few things were listed: MP5, large bowie knife, USP with a silencer, SR-25 and a couple of other things. Jan hummed as he began to find the things requested. Mike looked around again, and it didn’t take long before his eyes landed on the golden chest in the corner, the same one he had wondered about before. He was still unsure of it, of what it contained.
“Say… What’s in the gold chest?” Mike finally worked up the courage to ask. Jan stopped what he was doing, and his gaze turned to the chest.
“I don’t exactly know, to be honest.” The dutchman answered, and it was clear it was an honest response. “According to the catalog in my computer, it’s something called a divine weapon, it’s followed by a warning that states it must not be used unless the very existence of the Fort and the portal is a risk. Besides that, it says nothing about it. I’m… Scared to look inside, to be honest.” Jan did sound nervous just then, and Mike was kind of relieved that someone else felt the same way. So it was a weapon of some sort, dangerous enough that it should stay locked up, unless the situation was so dire that they were all at risk of dying. “Anyhow, enough of that. Here are your items!” Jan said as he put all the stuff on the counter. Mike began to inspect it, but before he could really get into it, Jan began to put other items on the counter as well. “Heaven sent a command to give you this as well. They even left a note. I haven’t read it, promise!”
The stuff he put on the counter was all armor. Armor for the forearms, upper arms, thighs and lower legs. But the thing that stood out the most was the mask. It was a bullet-proof face mask. He had seen them before, and he kind of always wanted one. It was cool in all ways, dehumanizing in some ways: A black mask, with cut-outs for the eyes, but otherwise no human features. He picked up the note, and read it.
“Dear Inquisitor.
Please find these armor sets for your use. May they serve you well on your quest. Remember: The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. You will light the beacon in hell for all lost souls. Many will seek your death for your actions, this armor shall protect you. The holy weapons included are to be reserved for emergencies. The hell spawn fear them, and will bow to their whims.”
Armor wasn’t the only thing they had included. A small box, which he opened, contained a crucifix necklace, and a plain old crucifix made of wood, much like the one exorcists would use, he guessed.
What a heart warming message. But they were right. The plate carrier he had probably wouldn’t cut it for the coming quest. He didn’t know just what kind of surprises were waiting for him out there, so might as well be prepared for everything.
“Also, they didn’t ask me to include this, but I figured you might want it.” Jan said as he put a piece of armor for the crouch. Mike chuckled as he picked it up.
“Thanks man. This is even more useful than the bullet-proof mask.” Mike joked, at least it was a half joke. He had no desire to have his man bits blown off. He began to equip all of the armor, just to test it out.
“You got any idea of where to start?” Jan then asked excitedly. Somehow, Mike thought that Jan was probably a bit cooped up inside this armory, so he probably wanted to know just how exciting this adventure might be for Mike.
“I have an idea, but we’ll see just how good it’ll be.” While Mike didn’t exactly have a good step-by-step plan lined up, he did have an idea. This was all about the strange encounter that happened about 20-30 percent of the time they did the extractions. Those times when they missed the demons that had pulled the poor souls into hell, and instead only found the soul tied up. The problem was their slow reaction time. From when they get the call, to when they actually arrive on site, it can be somewhere between 20 to 30 minutes. But, if he was already in the city, waiting, then he might have a chance to catch the bastards in the act as soon as the call came in. That was the idea anyway. But he needed another piece of equipment for this, something that Jan didn’t stock. Saying his goodbyes to the dutchman, Mike made his way out with his new equipment. and towards the mechanic shop.
“Where’s me bastard wrench run off to?`” was the first thing Mike heard as he entered the shop. He saw Benjamin looking around the shop, presumably for the said wrench. “Oh hey, Fitzpatrick. How are you?” Benjamin smiled as he noticed Mike.
“Not too bad. Here to get myself a car.” Mike requested as he leaned against one of the armored trucks Benjamin and Zhan were working on.
“Oh? What kind?” Benjamin asked as he continued searching for his tool.
“SUV or pick-up truck would be nice. SUV is preferable, just so no passer-by helps themselves to the arsenal I’m going to store in the trunk. Something that moves quickly and is powerful.” Mike explained.
“I see.” Benjamin stopped, walked over to a drawer and pulled out a catalog, before promptly handing it to Mike. “Take your pick.”
Mike flipped through the pages of different trucks. There was a nice enough selection of different ones to choose from. He had a hard time choosing, but in the end, he chose a Chevrolet suburban. His uncle had one of those, and he remembered it being pretty good. “This one right here.” Mike tapped the photo on the page. Benjamin came over and took a look.
“Hmmm, nice choice. Need any modifications?”
“Glad you asked.” Mike smiled. “Armor plating, bullet-proof windows, reinforced front-end of the car and a more powerful engine. Think you can get it done?”
“Hang on a tick. It’s gonna take a day to get all of that installed. Come back tomorrow, and we’ll get it sorted.” Benjamin said. Mike groaned internally. He was eager to get started on his quest, but without a good vehicle, it wouldn’t work. He knew better than to rush the two of them.
“Alright, I’ll be back this time tomorrow.”
Loona was busying herself scrolling on her phone. She was in her human disguise outside of a church. Their target was a church-goer, and yet another seemingly decent soul. She still struggled with her thoughts, but her loyalty to her father and her need for the cash her job pulled in was enough to push those thoughts away for now.
They were still doing work for this shadow client. What exactly their endgame was, Loona didn’t know. She assumed these targets were picked out for a reason, but she wasn’t quite sure what it was. But, all that aside, her current job was to distract the target while Moxxie lined up a shot.
“Hey!” She called out when she saw the target approaching the church. God, he looked just like the man they killed just after sinsmas. She had never been as hesitant to kill someone as that guy. Pure hearted, it was a rare thing to encounter in hell. Her entire upbringing had left her with a cynical view of both hell, and the world. Hard thing, having that shattered. While she didn’t know if this guy they were going to kill was the same, she was already having second thoughts.
“How can I help you, young lady?” The man asked as he went up to her, with a beaming smile. He was dressed in his Sunday best. He was an older guy, maybe in his fifties, heavily receding hairline, grey beard, the whole works.
“When is the sermon taking place?” She asked as a lie. She just needed to keep him here for a few more moments. She could hear the instructions Moxxie was asking her to do over her ear piece. She never liked taking directions from that guy, but alas, they had to split up for this job. Her dad and Millie were on another job right now, killing someone only a few miles from where they were. They would meet up again after it was all said and done.
“I got him in my sights, Loona! Just a few more seconds!” Moxxie proclaimed over the comms. She sighed as the man happily explained the sermon times to her. She wished she was somewhere else. Doing some other boring 9-5 job, or even just some job that didn’t involve stuff like this. She never had a problem with killing people who had it coming, but this was different.
She heard the bullet cut through the air, before it plastered the man’s brain all over the church doors. The body dropped like a bag of potatoes. At least he didn’t suffer, it was doubtful he even heard the shot that killed him. A pool of blood quickly formed where the man’s head used to be. That was her cue to bolt. She could hear the other church-goers scream when they went outside to see the sight. She hated hearing that.
She was fast as she ran away from the church. Quickly putting more than a mile between her and the bloody crime scene. All of them met up at the designated site. Her dad and Millie were both covered in blood and guts, which was pretty on par with how they usually operated. The dry-cleaning bill had to be enormous, which she would know for sure if she ever cared to do the paperwork her dad assigned to her. Much easier to just pass it on to Moxxie.
Her dad opened the portal, and forced all of them back into hell. She could breathe a sigh of relief with being back home. Still, her thoughts had been so muddled recently, and this dilemma was really going hard on her. So much so, that the question she asked her dad came out without her even noticing it.
“Hey dad?”
“Yes Loonypoo?” Her dad was too busy reloading his revolver to look at her, but she asked her question either way.
“Do we really have to keep doing this guy’s contracts? Just seems like… I don’t know- Like these people don’t deserve it.” She was surprised that she voiced her thoughts like this. But that cat was out of the bag now.
“We need the money, Loony Toony. By Satan’s asscrack, This guy pays through the nose for these jobs. We might even get a better apartment if this keeps up!” Her father justified it. While she knew her father wasn’t completely heartless, it was hard to see it sometimes.
“But… We could take other jobs. Jobs that involve assholes who actually deserve it.” She protested.
“Not enough money if we just do the freelance stuff. We need a money whale like the one we just hooked in! Think of it all!” Blitzo threw his arms out to empathize the point.
“But-”
“No buts, young lady! This is the course we are going on!”
She deflated. There was no point in arguing with him. She was going to have to decide how to deal with this soon. Her own moral dilemma was only going to bother her more and more. But for now, she was stuck here.
She wondered what Mike was doing.
“Here’s your car, guvna.” Benjamin pulled the rug off the truck. Mike let out a low whistle as he inspected what they had done. This SUV was beefed up like nothing else he had ever seen. This thing was closer to a tank!
“Fucking nicely done!” Mike finally let out. Benjamin tossed him the keys, which Mike caught. This thing was going to make his job way easier. Good thing about working for Heaven, they had deep pockets.
“Yeah, me and Zhan pulled an all-nighter to get this done. So you owe us a favor!” Benjamin exclaimed as he gave Mike a pad on the back.
“Sure, just name it.” Mike promised nonchalantly. He opened the door to inspect the inside, and it still had that new car smell. It still looked comfortable inside. He was giddy, this was going to be good. “Anyway. I have stalled enough for now. Gotta get this show on this road.” Mike said as he began to load his stuff into the trunk.
Benjamin and Zhan both said their farewells, and finally went to get some rest after all the work they had done through the night. Those two were life savers, and he knew he owed them big time. He would have to think of something nice to get them. But that was a problem for future Mike. His quest could finally begin. After loading all the weapons, ammunition and the likes into the trunk, he finally placed himself behind the wheel. He let out a heavy breath as he gripped the wheel. He just got a feel for it. His hand carefully inserted the key into the ignition and turned it. The truck roared to life, its massive V8 engine humming. He turned on the military radio installed into the truck, and put the truck into gear. He rolled out of the mechanic shop, and towards the gate. He knew the moment he drove past the gate, this mission would finally begin. He was excited, and more than that, he felt good doing this righteous quest.
20 minutes later, he was parked on one of the main streets of imp city. With the radio turned on, it was just a matter of waiting before a call came through. Then keep trying until he caught the elusive sons-of-bitches that they never seemed to catch. Speed was the name of the game here. Catch the bastards before they have a chance to escape.
8 hours later, he was once again behind the wheel of his SUV. Smoking a cigarette as he contemplated on his progress so far. He had been to six different locations that were called in close enough to him that he was there within minutes of the call coming through, but they were just your average run-of-the-mill novices that had heard about the spell on heææ’s version of tiktok, which was probably called sintok or some stupid bullshit like that.
Hell felt like a cartoonish consumer-focused culture version of earth. Granted, America was capitalist with a capital C, but it had nothing on hell. The play on words for every brand, everything named after something either demon- or sin related. Even the street he was currently parked on - Main Sloth Avenue. The car radio softly played 50’s rock and roll songs from his playlist as he took the last drag of his cigarette, and threw it out of the window.
He sighed as he leaned further back into his seat. If he didn’t get something soon, he would have to retire back to the base for the day. As if by divine intervention, his service radio came to life in just that moment.
“Attention Raptor-1. Pure soul in need of extraction. Location: 31 Satan boulevard. Please confirm. Over” Mike instantly grabbed the receiver and clicked on the speak button.
“This is Raptor-1. Solid copy. Moving to Target location. Over.” He put the receiver back and once again put the truck into gear and sped off, cutting off several other cars in the process. He could hear a confirmation message from the radio as he sped down the street, turning a corner and within a minute, he was at the location.
Another run-down shitty apartment building. The location updated to his personal little tablet told him which floor and room he had to go to. Quickly arming himself with his MP5, and getting his mask on, he stepped out of the truck, and made his way into the building. While all the new armour he had gotten was far better at protecting him than anything he had before, he still shouldn’t allow himself to be comfortable or lazy in his work. His joints were still weak points, and a well placed grenade could kill him all the same. Best not to get overwhelmed. But, for taking on a couple of nobodies by himself? It was more than good enough.
Storming up the flight of stairs- because of course the elevator was out of service- He finally got to the apartment in question. He could hear chanting from inside, and he grew excited at the prospect of finally getting the culprits. Maybe it was as simple as once he was done with these, the problem would cease… But something told him that wasn’t the case.
He placed an explosive device to the door, and took cover by the side. Within seconds, the door was blown straight off its hinges. Flying into the apartment and knocking one sinner to the wall. Mike stormed inside, and his aim moved by instinct. One, two, three, four, five persons down. Sinners and imps alike. By pure luck, he managed to only wound the one that seemed to be the one to lead the group. He was going to have some fun, but first thing first: He untied the poor terrified soul strapped to the table. The man was American, middleaged, receding hairline, grey beard. He gave an order for the man to stay where he was until back-up arrived. The man, though clearly shaken to his core, nodded in agreement.
Now, for the main event. Mike went over to the imp dressed in dark robes. The imp laid on the ground, trying to clutch the wound in his shoulder as best he could. He could hear the little bastard whimpering in pain. Mike pressed his boot on top of the hand clutching the wound, the little demon cried out in pain. “WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?” He finally let out. Mike pulled off his glove to show off his seal. He had no idea if the little fucker would even know what it meant.
The way the Imp’s eyes widened in horror told him everything. “Let me go you fuck!” The imp cried out as he tried with all his might to force his way up. Mike responded by pressing down harder, pushing the imp back on the ground, with more yelps of pain being heard.
“Start talking, you little shit!” Mike ordered.
“I’m dead if I talk!” The imp managed to say through his painful expressions.
“You’re dead if you don’t. Who’s running the show? You?” Mike demanded to know. The imp thought about the circumstances, the consequences of talking or not talking. “I don’t have all fucking day!” Mike clarified. The pain was more than a powerful motivator, he could see the imp relenting.
“Fuck! Listen: I was hired by some sinner named Jeff. Said the money was easy and the big boss was never around to ride us. Go to some place quiet. Perform this ritual. Once the human comes through, perform the sacred chant, extract some blood and then leave within ten minutes. That’s all I know, I swear!” The imp desperately responded, but his words sounded genuine enough. This was just a paycheck to him.
“Where is this Jeff?” Mike asked.
“Never met him in person. I was hired over the web. Here, take my phone.” The imp fished out his phone from his pocket in the robe.
“Code?”
“6969!”
Of course… Mike thought as he unlocked it. He went to the messages and found the contact info for this Jeff character. Mike put the phone in one of his many pouches on his plate carrier, then leaned down. “If I find out you’re not telling the truth, then I’m gonna track you down and kill you.” Mike promised. The imp felt Mike stab him with something, and he saw with horror that it was a tracker.
“I swear it’s the truth! Are you gonna let me go now?”
“Run along then.” Mike finally relented after taking his foot off the little shit. He scuttled away like a bug. Mike sighed as he looked around at the apartment again. What a shitshow. Obviously whoever was doing this was prepared enough, but they hired outside help to do it. It was going to be tough to track someone down with just a phone number, but maybe he knew just the people who could help him.
The extraction team finally came through the door. He gave them a smile.
Chapter 12: Help
Notes:
Sorry about the wait guys. Been busy recently. Hope all of you are keeping well!
As always, let me know what you think!
Chapter Text
Jeff was a weird name for a master villain running some sort of scheme by pulling pure souls into hell. Mike was quick to judge that he probably wasn’t the mastermind, but currently he was the only link in this case. The imp he had interrogated was just manual labor to do this, which meant they needed plenty of those samples they were collecting. Whatever was brewing, it was big. This Jeff guy was probably running a lot of teams.
Mike was back at the base. His comrades cheered on how he had finally caught someone in the act. They were all relieved that something was being done about the problem. Mike was still frustrated though, and had spent the better part of the night trying to track the number of this Jeff character. He was no tech wizard. Sure, he had fiddled around with computers back in high school, and was probably considered at least tech literate at that point, but over 12 years spent in the army had forced him to give up on following the trends in the tech industry. That said, even if he was a tech guru, there was no telling if he’d be able to track this person down at all. Hell, while similar, was still another dimension with its own weird inner workings, even when it came to tech.
The wall besides his bunk had become one of those conspiracy walls, or at least the beginning of one. For now, it was just the imp and Jeff, highlighted by a question mark. Declan had come over to look at the progress.
“Geez dude. Got a long road ahead, huh?”
“You don’t say.” Mike sighed. “I have no idea how deep this rabbit hole goes. For all I know, it has ties to the higher echelons in hell. Or could be as simple as it ends with Jeff.” Mike tapped the name on the wall.
“It’s too bad the higher-ups didn’t give you a whole team for this. Does seem like something you need at least a few people for. To get some fresh ideas, if nothing else.” Declan remarked casually. Mike had thought the exact same thing, but in that moment, another thought pierced his mind. The leadership at the base had not given him any manpower from the base to solve this, but they hadn’t mentioned that he couldn’t outsource some of the work.
“That’s the ticket, Declan!” Mike exclaimed with joy.
“Huh?” Declan looked so confused in that moment. Mike laughed.
“I’ll just get some outside help!”
It took a moment for Declan to decode what he had just heard. Mike was seriously considering that maybe Declan’s mental faculties had taken a toll after 60 years of weed use. “Wait a minute, you want to hire demons and stuff to help you?”
“Yup! That’s the only way to get this show on the road.”
“But which demon would help us? Soldiers hired by heaven to guard a portal, and kill demons who mess with pure souls.” Declan asked, and it was true enough. Most demons would never entertain such an offer.
“I think I might know some.” Mike smiled. It was a stretch, but he hoped he could coax Loona, and the company she worked for, into helping him. Obviously, most demons don’t do favors, so he would have to get some money for them. Lucky for him, Heaven has deep pockets. He just has to ask. He said his goodbyes to Declan, who still wasn’t fully on board with what he was going to do.
A quick trip over to Jan in the armory, Mike walked through the door and greeted the dutchman. “Jan. I need money.”
Jan looked up from his book at Mike. “Really? Going to buy weapons from my competitors in hell?” Jan asked with a laugh. Mike couldn’t help but smile.
“Hardly. No one offers as good customer service as you do.” Mike retorted. “I need more hands on deck for this, and since his lordship doesn’t want to provide me with it, then I’ll have to get it elsewhere. Can you get me some cash? 50.000 to start would be good.” Mike requested as he leaned on the iron bars that separated the waiting room from the stock room.
“Glad it’s not my money.” Jan remarked as he began to type stuff in on his computer. No more than a few seconds later, a flash of light burst on the bench, and in its wake was a duffel bag. Jan picked it up, and handed it to Mike. Opening up the bag, Mike saw it was filled to the brim with soulcoins, hell’s currency. Mike couldn’t help but smile, he had never had 50.000 in cash between his hands before. “Don’t spend it all in one place.” Jan warned with a grin.
“No promises.” Mike replied as he closed up the duffle bag and picked it up. It was heavy.
Another day, another dollar for Loona. Those days where there was nothing to do all day seems like a lifetime ago now. IMP was finally making money, and her dad was even paying Moxxie and Millie now. If things kept up like this, then they might finally be able to get nicer things in life. Maybe she might even be able to move out of her dad’s apartment.
But that was for future Loona to worry about. Current Loona had to content with writing the report of their last mission. Paperwork… She hated it, which was a challenge given her title was actually secretary of the company. But for the past few months she had been on more hits than ever before. She had put her feelings about it to the side for now, and tried not to think about it. But she knew it would come back to haunt her soon enough.
She heard the jingle of the bell attached to the door. Fuck, she hated that fucking bell. And in came some person clothed in a big black cloak, and wearing some sort of a mask. Great, another edgelord… where the hell do these people come from? Loona thought to herself, she sighed as she prepared for the same old speech she always had to give when they came looking for a hit. “Hello, welcome to I.M.P. Where we take your request seriously. Who can we murder for you today?” She said the little speech with as little enthusiasm as possible, she didn’t even look at the person as she loaded up the program on her computer to write down the details.
“Nice place you got here” Her eyes widened immediately, her attention snapped to the man. She knew that voice.
“MIKE?” It came out louder than she had wished for, but luckily none of the others in the office turned to see what was going on. “What the hell are you doing here? Get out!” She demanded. She couldn’t have him coming here, her dad hated those righteous types. She didn’t even know what kind of freak-out he would have if he learned Mike came from the Fort.
“Hey! I came for help, just let me explain!”
“Don’t care! We’re too busy, we can’t help you.” She stood up, walked over to Mike and began to usher him out. “And you can’t ever come around here again.” She was being harsh, but she had to be to get the point across.
“Loony… Is that a customer?” She heard her father ask from the other side of the office. She stopped in her tracks. She sighed as she turned around to face him.
“....Yeah? But we’re too busy with the freak to take on other work right now…” Loona tried to agree. She could already see it wasn’t working on her father.
“Well if that Dufflebag he is carrying is filled with what I think it is filled with, then I am at least happy to hear which asshole he wants killed.” Her dad walked up to them, and slightly pushed Loona off Mike, and gestured for Mike to follow him. Mike shot a quick look to Loona, and just gave a shrug before following her father. She groaned loudly as she watched them head into her dad’s office.
But she did kind of want to hear what Mike actually needed help with. Was it that whole thing with abductions that he had been drooling on for months now? He did say he was going to confront his leadership about it. So, with all that in mind, she marched herself into her dad's office as well.
“So tell me, which asshole do you want me to brutally murder?” Her dad said with a massive shit-eating grin.
“I don’t need you to kill anyone, I need you to track someone down.” Mike clarified.
“Ah… Well, we’re usually not in the business of tracking someone down. Murder is quite literally our middle name, you know.” Blitzo was a bit disappointed at having to turn away a customer, but she could see Mike beginning to open the dufflebag to show the contents.
“I have 10k reasons why you might expand your business activities.” Mike suggested with a smirk. Her dad’s eyes quite literally transformed into dollar signs for a quick second, before returning to normal again. But, in an instant, her dad’s demeanor changed from excited to hard to get.
“I don’t know. 10K is pretty low. How about 20k?” Blitzo suggested instead, giving a sly look.
“15K.” Mike said, and the tone in his voice meant that it was final. Her dad jumped up on his desk, held his hand out, Mike looked at it for a second, letting Blitzo awkwardly stand there for a second with his eyes closed, big smile on his lips, hand held out. Mike finally shook it.
“Great! Now that we got that settled. Which cocksucker do you want found? And what info do you have on them?” And just like that, her dad had taken on the job. They already had their hands full, but her dad was always eager to prove himself.
“His name is Jeff. All I have is his phone number.” Mike pulled out a piece of paper with the number written on it.
“That’s all?” Blitzo had a confused look on his face. “Just very little to go off on. Sure you don’t know more about this asshole?”
“As far as I know, he’s a sinner. He’s apparently recruiting imps, sinners and the likes to do some jobs for him. I’m doing an investigation, but I-... Well, I need help locating this guy.” Mike replied with a sigh. “Can you help or not?”
“Sure sure… MOXXIE! GET YOUR FAT ASS IN HERE!”
And as if a puff of smoke appeared, Moxxie was there. “Sir, I have to object. I am not-”
“Yeah yeah whatever. Help this guy locate some dickhead. Quickly now. Time is money” Blitzo ordered with a clap of his hands.
“....Yes sir.” Moxxie sighed. “Please, follow me sir.” He then turned and requested. Mike picked up his dufflebag and prepared to follow the little imp, but was stopped by Blitzo clearing his throat. When Mike turned to look at Blitzo, he saw the imp gesturing for Mike to give him the money. Mike chuckled as he zipped open the bag, and fished out about 7 and a half grand, which he dropped on the table.
“Half now, half on completion.” Mike clarified. He knew it was the best way to hold leverage over someone you needed something from.
“Fine.” Blitzo sank down in his seat with a sigh.
And with that, Mike was free to go with Moxxie. Loona also prepared to go with them, but she was stopped by her dad. She was preparing herself for whatever accusation her dad would throw at her. “That guy… You know him, right?”
She took a moment to compose herself, then fully turned her attention to her father. “I do.”
“So, he’s not a sinner right? Then what exactly is he? Looks like a regular human to me, but that should be impossible”
“He’s… Well, different in that regard… I guess?” Loona tried to dodge, but her dad kept staring at her intensely for a very long second.
“Not that it matters. His money is as good as any other schmuck’s.” Her dad’s mood instantly changed to a jolly one as he kicked his feet up on the table, licked his finger and began to count the money Mike had given him. She sighed as she went out of her dad’s office, and saw Mike standing by Moxxie’s desk. Answering whatever questions the imp had for him. She decided she needed answers, so she stormed over there, and yanked Mike along by his arm.
“Let me borrow him for just a sec!” She requested, but Moxxie was too busy looking stuff up on his computer, he even had his little tongue sticking slightly out as he concentrated on the task at hand, so she assumed he never even heard her. She all but dragged Mike to the corner of the room. “What the fuck is going on?” She then demanded to know.
“Just calm down, and let me explain.” He tried to keep the tone more hushed. He realized that the situation was volatile. She had explained enough about her father for him to understand he had to walk on eggshells. “You know I told you I was finally gonna man up and demand that the leadership take the issue of abductions seriously?” He asked, and she quickly nodded, then gestured for him to go on. “Well, they did. Turns out their idea of solving the problem is just making the guy complaining about it a detective. They made me an inquisitor."
“What the fuck is an inquisitor?” She then asked. While he had heard of them before, it seemed like Loona hadn’t, the bane of being young.
“The term refers to someone asking questions. But in reality I’m a detective. I’m the lead investigator of the curious case of these weird abductions we have seen recently. But the problem is… I’m the only one investigating. I managed to stop a group of them in the act, and one of them gave me the name… Jeff.” He sighed as he paused for a minute. “Now, if I was still the same asshole I was before I died, then I would have been too proud to ever admit I needed help. I would have banged my head against the wall until something happened. At least this time… I am wise enough to know when I need help.” He said. There was something profound in that, Loona decided. That being said, there were still concerns.
“So what? You’re gonna hire us to do it all for you?” She then asked, still with an annoyed tone.
“For now I just need to know where I can find this… Jeff guy. If I need further help after that… Then I’ll guess I’ll have to swing by again. Probably with a bigger bag of money.” Mike smiled. “Look, I’m sorry if this puts you in a bad spot Loona. But you’re the only one I can… Well, the only one outside of the base I trust enough with this. If you say these guys-” Mike gestured towards Moxxie, Millie and Stolas. “-Are good at what they do. Then I trust you. and I need your help here.” Mike all but pleaded.
He had no way of knowing just what raging storm there currently was in Loona’s head. She had never been so conflicted before. Hell, she liked Mike. He was a good friend, and to some degree, she wanted to help him with this quest of his… But there were so many things to consider. It’s a dangerous game, and he was likely to burn himself, or bring harm to them. Fuck… Why did she have to harbor morality deep in her?
“What’s with the get-up anyway?” She asked as she gestured to the cloak and mask he was wearing.
“Oh. It’s just that I’m gearing multiple weapons, and armor to rival a medieval lord.” Mike threw open his robe to reveal the plate carrier, MP5 and various armor pieces. “Figured the robe would make it easy to move through the city without drawing too much attention. As for the mask…” Mike took it off, and tugged down his ski mask to reveal his face. Loona caught herself pulling just the slightest smile, but she quickly hid it away. “Protection as well.”
“Excuse me?” She turned her attention to Stolas, who had somehow creeped up on them. “Are you, per chance, Michael the soldier?” He then asked. Loona rolled her eyes. She remembered that Stolas had wanted to converse with Mike when she had mentioned him before. Damn it…
“It’s Inquestor now, but yes. I’m Mike.”
“Oh how wonderful!” Stolas proclaimed. “I have always wanted to meet a soldier from Fort Redux. The material I had in my library on the matter was so sparse! I’m Stolas Goetia. Princ-... Former Prince.” All could sense the aura of sadness in his voice. It was clear he would never really get over his exile.
“... Goetia…” Mike muttered. He had heard it before. “So that estate… That’s yours?” Mike asked.
“Not anymore… I’m afraid.” Loona knew digging further into this would just make Stolas more sad. Luckily, Stolas himself changed the subject. “Nevermind that. I have always wondered, what was kept at the base? It must be some sort of artifact? I was always told that the soldier’s presence was two-fold. One for recuse, and another to guard something. What are you guarding?”
Mike looked at the bird intensely. He was unsure of what actual Stolas wanted with this information. “Classified, for now at least. If I know I can trust all of you in the future, then maybe I can share it.” Mike replied.
“Ah…. I see…” Stolas was disappointed. “It’s purely for academic curiosity, I assure you. I do not plan anything foul. But I hope to learn more about the Fort regardless!” Stolas turned on a dime, back to a more jolly mood.
“Well, if the information I get from Moxxie is any good, then we’ll see how much free time I’ll have to answer questions. No promises though.”
“Oh, are you looking into the spell of Alkolar? Loona mentioned that was the main thing you had issues with”
“... Spell of Alkolar?” Mike asked confused.
“Alkolar is the one who made spell that can bring pure souls into hell. This is the reason you soldiers perform extractions, correct?” Stolas looked puzzled at Mike’s bewilderment.
“Who is Alkolar?” Mike then asked, urgency in his voice.
“He was a fallen angel. He rebelled alongside Lucifer. Although, as far as I read, he grew to regret his exile from Heaven. Not because he wished to repent or anything like that, he just wanted to get back in. So he began to try and create a spell that would carry him to Heaven. In his pursuit, he created the spell that brings pure souls in transit to heaven down to hell. I heard it was a failed attempt to reverse the process, but we shall probably never know.”
“And where is this Alkolar?” Mike asked desperately. Loona could see hope in his eyes. Perhaps he could get all the answers here and now.
“Dead probably. No one has heard of him in a long time. I always assume either angels smited him for what he was trying to do, or the rulers of hell punished him for bringing too much attention. Who knows?” Stolas shrugged his shoulders like it was no big deal. Mike tried to hold in rage at being so close, yet so far. Jeff was still his best lead at the moment, but at least it did fill in some history.
“Did you know about this?” Mike asked as he turned to Loona. She shrugged as well. “Next time, please bring something like this to my attention ASAP, if you’d be so kind.” The tone was more harsh than Mike had intended. It was meant as more of just a request, but the wrath that had haunted him in his previous life was beginning to boil again. He needed to relax. “I’ll-... I’ll be back guys.” Mike remarked as he began to leave, but before he could, Loona grabbed his wrist. Despite it being a bit forceful, her touch had some sort of calming effect on him, like he was grounded in reality again.
“Mike… About what you said earlier…” Loona was being quiet, the look in her eyes was honest. “We’ll help you, of course. If nothing else, I will-... I will help you.” She promised. The anger that was boiling inside of him instantly vanished. He took a moment to soak it all in.
“I-.... Thank you Loona. It means a lot. I hope to not involve you guys too much, this is my cross to bear when it comes to the risky stuff.” Mike promised in return, but he was eternally grateful, Loona could tell.
“Uhm… Excuse me, mr. Fitzpatrick?” Mike turned to see the little imp known as Moxxie standing before them. It was clear that Moxxie knew it was an emotional moment he was interrupting, but he handed Mike a file, which Mike promptly opened up.
“Took some time. I had to call in a favor, but I think I managed to track him down. Jeff Hegler. Sinner. Records list him as unemployed. But I did find an address tied to his name. I hope this is satisfactory.” Moxxie beamed as big of a smile as he could.
“Thank you, Moxxie. This is handy. I’ll go check it out, and this is good info, then I’ll be back with the remaining sum of the money.” Mike promised, he looked over at Loona. “I’ll talk to you later, alright?” She nodded as he began to leave, just as he opened the door, he stared back at another figure. Clad in a black robe as well, only the lower part of his face visible, but the part that was visible was disgusting. Almost rotting.
“Good afternoon.” The man spoke with bloody teeth.
Mike huffed as he walked past him, pushing him out of the way. The man in the robes sneered at Mike as he left. “Fucking creep.” Mike muttered under his breath as he disappeared down the hallway. The man stepped inside the office, clutching a new list of names.