Heaven’s Rejects - Episode 2

Episode 2 – “Clean Up”

Previously:

That had to be the worst mission I'd been on.  That includes the incident in Port au Prince.  We failed to bring back the book, Pro Daemonium Accersito.  An actual demon is summoned by a teenaged girl out for petty revenge.  And the librarian is half-succubus. 

That wasn't too bad, that last mission.  No one got hurt.  Much.  We kept everything under control.  Sorta.  And we know where the book is if we ever need it.  Maybe.  Oh, hey, right, the librarian was helpful and kinda cute.  Though being half-succubus, that comes with the territory.  Um, we didn't destroy the entire library, just the Special Collections Room?

That was an interesting day, to say the least.  Who knew that the book's errata was out there?  I got to see an old friend, though, and the girl responsible is working to pay for damages, whatever insurance doesn't cover.  But the library is going to be closed until the repairs are done.  Now what do I do?


Now:
The Chief looked up as Nadia, Ian, and the camera crew entered his office.  "Good.  Everything squared away?"

"Look, Chief," Nadia started as she sat down, "this isn't going to work."

"I saw the footage, Ms Wallach.  Other than everything that went wrong on your part, it looked to be working to me."  The Chief turned his attention to Ian.  "Going to add anything?"

"No, sir," Ian said.

"Good.  For a mission where you didn't retrieve the objective, it worked out for the best at the end.  But I did see an area where you two are lacking."

Nadia crossed her legs, the denim of her jeans swishing.  "I don't think we were missing anything except proper information that the local team should have determined when they first got there.  But, well, hard to admonish them now, seeing that they're scattered around Des Moines."

"That's why I'm adding an extra body on your team, someone who can get that information."  The Chief pressed the intercom button on his landline.  "You can send her in."  Behind the Chief, a door slid open.  Nadia and Ian recognized who walked through.

"Chief, tell me your joking."  Nadia stared at the newcomer.  "Right?  Right?"

Ian smiled.  "I didn't think we'd see you so soon."

Demona waved.  "Hi."

-**-

This is going to be so fun.  The way the Chief explained it to me, what I am is an expert on individual demons.  All I need to do is tell Nadia and Ian what I know about them and how to get them to leave without bloodshed.  I like Nadia and Ian.  They're intense, but look at what they do for a living.  Definitely more stressful than dealing with people who aren't trying to kill you.  I'm sure Nadia and I are going to get along great!

What did I ever do to the Chief to make him hate me this much?  We shouldn't be taking her into the field.  She's half demon!  Half succubus!  We don't know what she can do to us.  What if she seduces Ian to turn him against me?  Or tries to seduce everyone?  Do you know what happens when you sleep with a succubus?  There's a reason why the French call it le petit mort.

Was not expecting to see Demona again.  She seems nice.  I hope we didn't get her fired from her job.  But having someone else around makes for a change of pace.  Someone who doesn't dress all in black with black accents.  Someone who dresses up.  Someone who wears sweaters, ones that-- er, can that be cut?

-**-

Nadia arrived to see Ian trying to arrange his collection of swords, staves, and firearms into the back of the minivan.  "We're leaving soon," she reminded him.

"I know.  There's just not enough space in this van for my gear."  Ian removed the flooring from the van's cargo area.  "Look at this.  How am I supposed to fit the zweihander in here?"

Nadia took a look at the stowage area.  "How did you fit it into your Mini?  That sword's bigger than your car."

"Maybe if I could have a week with the van, I could get it figured out."

"We don't have a week.  And the Chief said you picked up our orders."

Ian fished a brown envelope out of his coat pocket.  "Yeah.  I haven't read it yet."

"Here's hoping we go somewhere civilized this time."

Ian looked around.  "Mind not saying that in front of Demona.  That was her home we went to."

Nadai glared at Ian.  "She's gotten to you already?"

"Demona's a decent kid, okay?  You can't judge people by their parents."

"Her parent is a sex demon."

Demona coughed quietly as she entered the motor pool.  "Temptation demon, thank you very much.  And my father is human."

Nadia rolled her eyes before turning around to face Demona.  "So you're telling me that you don''t suck the soul out of a partner when you have sex?"

"Isn't that a little personal to ask?"  Demona's cheeks flushed red.  "Or is that part of your training, to be rude?"

"What do you want?"

"I was going to see if anyone wanted something for the trip.  A coffee, a snack, things like that."

"Oh."  Nadia blinked.  "I'm good."

"Yeah, the coffee's too good here."  Ian set down a machine pistol.  "I wouldn't mind a toasted bagel.  Pumpernickel if they have it, sesame seed if they don't."

Demona smiled warmly.  "What about them?"  She hooked a thumb at the camera crew.

"We're not supposed to notice them," Nadia said.

"They still might want something."

"Then go ask them yourself."

Demona shrugged, then walked over to the crew, taking care to stay on the edge of the shot.

Ian picked up his pistol again.  "You're being rough again."

"That's my job, Ian.  Like yours is to get your crap in the van.  Just dump it in already."

"Do you remember what happened to Victor when he 'just dumped it in already' in Sussex?  He was lucky that he was in England.  I'd hate to see how many SWAT teams would come out because of what I have here."

Nadia sighed.  "Just where are we going?  Please tell me that we're going somewhere that has decent food.  I miss proper lox and bagels."

Ian opened the brown envelope.  He pulled out the orders and read through them.  "We are to pick up an investigation where the previous team failed."

"You have to be kidding."

"Nope.  We're following up on Team Six's investigation.  The Chief thinks Edward found something there, or he wouldn't have gone full pyro."

Nadia slumped.  "What have I ever done to the Chief to make him hate me this much?"

-**-

Okay, got the weapons in.  It's not the best way, but an old hockey bag hides the swords and guns well enough, as long as I don't need them right away.  And they're not in plain view.  The zweihander, well, I hope I won't need it.  And Demona found me a pumpernickel bagel.  Happy Ian is Happy.

Road trip!  On my first outing, too!  No paperwork, no filing books, no permission slips.  This is going to be fun!

Ugh!  This coffee is awful.  Why did we stop here?

You still owe me a coffee.  Alright, we have a complete rookie with us, going to a city with an active supernatural crisis, after the previous team blew not only their cover but themselves up, leaving us starting several squares behind the starting block.  This will not go well, mark my words.  We lose more agents this way.

-**-

Nadia steered the minivan into a small motel on the outskirts of Des Moines.  Once the van came to a stop, Demona opened her door and jumped out, an arm across her stomach.  Ian was the second to get out of the van, giving the former librarian a look of concern.  Nadia put the van into park and shut off the engine.

"I shouldn't have had that coffee," Demona said.  "My stomach feels like it's on strike."

"That was a nice stiff coffee."  Nadia smirked.

"I'll get us checked in," Ian said.  "Two rooms or one?"

"Three."  Nadia pointed at the camera crew.

"Three it is."  Ian entered the motel's office.

Demona groaned.  "I don't think I can make it."

"It was just coffee."

"I've had coffee.  That was nothing like coffee.  What did they do, filter it through the garbage disposal?"

"You've never had truck stop coffee before?"

"Do I look like I drive a truck?"

Nadia regarded Demona from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.  "Nah.  You look like you drive a Prius."

Demona scowled.  "I have a Civic.  A used Civic.  I don't make enough to even dream of a used Prius.  Youth librarians don't get paid that much in their first years."

"That was your choice.  If you knew how bad the pay was, why go in the career?"

"I love books.  Have you ever read anything that just swept you up and took you away to another world?"

"Yes.  But that's what happens when you read the wrong spell in the wrong book."

Demona's eyes widened.  "That's not what I meant!"

Ian returned from the office.  "I managed to get three rooms together, but on the second floor."  He tossed a set of keys to the camera crew.  "Here's yours.  Demona, I have a set for you.  You'll have your own room for now, but we might expand into it.  Nadia and I have the adjoining room.  WiFi's free, and the instructions are in the room."

Nadia got back in the van.  She drove it down to the parking lot, stopping near the stairs up to the second floor.  Demona followed Ian, letting him lead the way to the rooms.  Ian unlocked the young woman's door before passing her the key.  Demona thanked him, closed the door, then ran to the tiny hotel room's bathroom.  She stood over the toilet, not sure what path the rebellious coffee would take.  Her stomach rumbled.  Demona prayed that the coffee wasn't going to erupt from inside through a new hole.

She wasn't sure how long before her stomach stopped clenching, but it felt far longer than it was.  Demona washed up, then returned to the main room.  The bed took up most of the floor space, with covers that looked washed but also nearing retirement age.  Demona fell back on the bed.  She stared up at the ceiling, itself yellow from age and possibly smoke from before the bans against smoking came into law.  The rest after being in a van for over five hours, even with a quick stop at a truck stop, came as a relief.  Demona stretched, first her left leg, then her right, arching each leg to work out kinks.

Feeling better, she got up.  Her luggage was still in the van and Nadia had the keys.  Demona also wanted to contribute, despite her lack of experience.  She could still research.  If she learned anything at university, it was how to research.  Demona grabbed her room key, went outside and knocked on the neighbouring door.  "Hi!" she said when Ian opened the door.  "I need to get my stuff out of the van."

Ian turned to Nadia, who just tossed the van's keys in his general direction.  "Here.  We're still getting set up ourselves.  We'll get a late dinner but don't wait for us."

"Okay.  I was going to just check the local news sites.  Is there anything I should be looking for?"

Nadia snorted.  "As if the local news is going to say, 'Three vampires killed in massive explosion, film at eleven.'"

"I can read between the lines.  Unexplained explosions will keep people's attention.  No one likes the idea of their home being made of explodium."

"Let her help, Nadia," Ian said.  "An extra set of eyes and I know how much you hate reading newspapers."

"Fine.  Knock yourself out, Demona.  Have fun."

Ian shook his head.  "Ignore her.  Any help you can provide is appreciated, at least by me."

Demona gave Ian a quick hug.  "Thanks."  She dashed off.

-**-

I don't think Nadia likes me.  I'll have to just work harder so she sees that I'm useful.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  It took me a month to figure out what being a youth librarian really meant.  I'll even show her what good coffee tastes like.

She's going to get us killed.  She's a bookworm, not a field agent.  She's going to hesitate and get in the way.  Ian should've let me deal with her back in Iowa City.

Yeah, this isn't going to be an easy mission.  Nadia has a thing when it comes to demons.  It's personal with her.  And I've never run into a half-demon before.  I'll try to keep Demona out of the way.  Poor girl has no idea what she's in for.


-**-

Ian sat down on the bed.  "Ease up on her."

"She's a hazard."

"Because of her mother?"

Nadia's head snapped up.  "No, because she's a rookie.  Because she has zero experience dealing with the supernatural."

"Other than that demon at her library."

"That was a fluke, okay?  Or are you going to count on her knowing every bleeding demon we run across?"

Ian held up his hands in surrender.  "Yes, that was a fluke.  Who knew?  But Demona isn't a complete rookie."

"What does she know about fighting the soldiers of Hell?"

"She worked in customer service.  I think she has an idea of how bad things get.  Besides, we can leave her behind when we have to fight.  I don't want to see her hurt."

"Her hurt?  What about us?  Damnit, Ian, quit being a schmuck.  At the end of this, I want us to be able to walk away."

"We will."

"Just like Team Six."

"You're the one who called Edward a walking disaster."

Nadia clenched her fists.  "This isn't getting us anywhere.  I'm going to try a reading,  If you need the bathroom, now's your chance."

"I'm good.  And Nadia?"

"Yeah?"

"I get it.  I really do.  Just give Demona a chance, okay?"

Nadia shrugged out of her black leather jacket, revealing the plain black t-shirt underneath.  "One chance."  She grabbed a bag of crystals and salts and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

-**-

Yeah, things aren't going smooth right now.  Too many unknowns.  The worst of it is that we're starting from the beginning.  So Nadia's on edge and Demona is a wild card for her.  We'll make it.  We just have to survive the first twenty-four hours.


-**-

Demona looked up from her laptop when a knock came from the main door.  She scrambled off the bed to answer the door.  "Ian!  Hi!  I wasn't expecting you.  Is Nadia with you?"

"She's busy with her research."

"Oh, cool!  I was just doing that, too."  Demona stepped aside.  "Come in!"

Ian stepped in.  "I've got the camera crew with me."

Demona gave the crew space to get in and set up.  She returned to the bed, picking up her laptop.  "These rooms are really small."

"It's me.  I tend to do that to rooms."  Ian reached up to touch the ceiling, his arm not even outstretched.  "So, find anything?"

"I'm not sure."  Demona bit her lower lip as she thought.  "I mean, I found the initial news stories about the explosion, how the police arson squad is investigating, that it happened at three in the morning, and all that.  But that's it.  Maybe a couple of follow up stories, mostly on the extent of the damage.  And the warehouse district was recently part of a massive remodel.  Millions of dollars of damage.  Mind blowing."

"Wait, remodel?  What is the district now?"

Demona pulled up the relevant page on her browser.  "Let me see.  Ah, here it is.  Looks like it's now an entertainment district, with bars and such."

"Explosion at three in the morning."  Ian reached over to a stack of pamphlets, grabbing one at random.  He read the front panel.  "This is for a restaurant with attached bar.  Bar hours end at two a.m."  Ian picked up a second pamphlet.  "This one, too.  So, bars close at two in the morning.  Any mention of fatalities or missing people?"

Demona checked her notes, then went back to the news stories on her laptop.  "Nothing about bodies found, but the police were going to use dogs to sniff out parts."  The young woman blanched.  "That doesn't sound good."

"It isn't."  Ian sat on the bed, the only place available in the cramped hotel room.  "That might be a place to start."

"You're going to sniff for body parts?"

"Er, no, not that.  I mean, check out where the explosion happened.  Can you find blueprints and maps for the area?  Maybe Team Six found a hidden nest of something."

"Sure."  Demona typed in a search parameter.  "What do you think it is?"

"That was my next question for you."  Ian smiled.  "Can you think of any demon who would nest here?"

Demona shrugged.  "Most of the ones I know have a place of their own.  They don't need to nest.  That's more for lesser demons, like imps and other pests."

"Imps are pests?"

"Oh, yeah.  They get everywhere, constantly shrieking.  They're like rats crossed with geese.  I don't know why people would think they'd be good familiars."  Demona shuddered.  "Mon's always complaining about them in the spring.  Mating season for imps.  You would not believe the mess they leave behind."

Ian blinked as he processed the information.  "Okay, then.  But you don't know of any demon here?"

"Tad was the first one I've seen in months.  The others were just passing through and dropping off messages from Mom.  She means well, but she's not really maternal.  Ah, got the blueprints."  Demona turned the laptop around to let Ian and the camera crew get a look.  "I also found photos of the district when there were warehouses there."

"And blueprints for those?"

"Nothing online.  They might be at City Hall.  I could go tomorrow and dig in the archives."

Ian nodded.  "Good idea.  For now, it's time for dinner.  We'll eat before we check the remains of the buildings."

-**-

We don't have much, but we have a start.  At some point, we'll have to find where Team Six was staying.  Maybe they left notes behind.  Demona was a busy bee, though.  Without her, we wouldn't have a start.  Something is going on here.

Rookie's luck.  And it's not much.  Okay, more than me, but even there I found out something.  If I can't read crystals, there's one of two things going on.  One, I'm doing it wrong.  Not bleeding likely, not for a simple reading even using the hotel's bathtub.  Two, I'm being blocked.  If the blocking is competent, it's done so that I can't see anything unusual.  This time?  No readings on Team Six at all, not on their location, where they were last, any links out of the city, nothing.  It's like someone tossed a smoke grenade to hide everything.

-**-

With dinner being Chinese take out and eaten in the van, the investigators drove around Des Moines, getting an idea of how the city was laid out.  As the sun set, Nadia steered the minivan in the direction of the old warehouse district.  Traffic grew light as they got closer to the district.  Detours and roadblocks manned by police officers prevented Nadia from driving closer.  She found a place to park the van.  "Okay, we're on foot.  We're not going to split up.  I don't want anyone getting lost here.  Ian, dress light for this.  Too many cops around."

Ian walked to the back of the van.  He picked out a semi-automatic pistol, the Spanish smallsword, and a pair of batons.  Each weapon got tucked in under the folds of his long coat.  "That should do.  If I need something heavier, we leave."

"This is investigation only."  Nadia looked down the street at the police roadblock.  "Getting past him will be interesting.  Say, Demona, how are you at seducing innocent men?"

Demona scowled.  "Really?"

"Normally, I'd send Ian."

Ian rolled his eyes.  "She's joking, Demona."  He looked at the buildings around.  "There's an apartment over there that looks like it opens to where we need."  He pointed at a four storey walkup.

"Perfect.  We just need to get in."

Demona eyed Nadia.  "You're not thinking of breaking in, are you?"

"We need through.  But, no, breaking and entering just creates police entanglements."  Nadia reached into her inside jacket pocket and pulled out two ID wallets.  "Me and Ian are now with the water department."

"And me?"

"I wasn't expecting you.  Ask the Chief for fake ID if you want it."

"You're going to leave me behind."

"I wish."  Nadia glanced at the camera crew.  "But, if anyone asks, you're with them.  Reality TV is weird these days.  No one will question a camera crew following us around."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Ian muttered.  He took his ID from Nadia.  "I'll do the talking, okay?"

Nadia smiled.  "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ian led the way to the apartment.  He pressed the intercom button, trying to ring the first person in the list on the door.  A woman's voice answered.  "Water department, ma'am," Ian said.  "We need in.  Emergency."

"Water department?  I didn't call you."

"No, ma'am, you didn't.  We're trying to find a leak that's threatening to become a sinkhole."

"There's no sinkhole here."

"Not yet, there isn't.  Look, it's your home, not mine.  I don't care if it disappears into a sinkhole, but my boss wants this found before his wife divorces him for being late yet again, so let me in or not, your choice."  After a few moments, the door buzzed and the lock clicked open.  Ian opened the door for the others.  "Let's go."

Nadia took the lead into the building, working out the way to the rear entrance.  No one came out to harass them, no one even noticed the group going through the building.  They exited to a parking lot, a street just on the other side of a cement wall.  After a quick look, Nadia said, "Well, that sucks.  No rear gate.  We climb."  She took a running start at the wall.  A leap brought her hands and arms to the top of the wall.  She pulled herself up and over.

"I can't climb that," Demona said.  "I dropped phys. ed. for a library spare as soon as I could in high school.  Watching sports leaves me fatigued."

"I've got you."  Ian walked over to the wall.  "I'll lift you over and you can jump down.  It can't be far.  Nadia hasn't screamed in pain."

From the other side of the wall, Nadia called, "I can still hear you."

"Love you, too, Nadia."  Ian held out his arms.  "Ready, Demona?"

"I guess."  Demona joined Ian.  Without warning, Ian scopped her up and deposited her seated on top of the cement wall.  The young woman looked over on the other side.  Nadia paced below her.  Demona swung her legs over, then dropped off the wall, landing in a crouch.  She straightened up with a, "Ta-daa!"

"And a two from the Russian judge," Nadia said.  "Ian, get a move on!"

"We're coming!"  The next to come over were the two-person camera crew.  Ian brought up the rear, vaulting over the wall without effort.  On landing, he checked his stash of weapons, making sure they were still secure.  "Which way?"

"Further in," Nadia said.  "If we see a roadblock, we've gone too far."  She led the way through the streets of the district.

WIth the roads blocked, there were no sounds of life.  No traffic, no one talking, no one else on the street.  Demona hurried to keep a couple of steps behind Ian.  "Where is everyone?"

"Evacuated, I guess," Ian said.  "Your news sites said the police don't have a cause yet."  He sniffed the air.  "No gas leaks."

"That's good, right?"

"It means we can use fire if we have to."

Demona backed away from Ian.  "I hope we don't have to."

Nadia held up a hand to stop the group.  "There's ground zero.  Damn.  There's a police presence here, too."

"What now?" Demona asked.

"We go around.  Let's see how big a mess Team Six left us."  Nadia set off again.  "Keep an eye out for anything that's odd."

Demona stared at Nadia's back.  "And just how will I know if something is odd?"

"Use your imagination."

Ian put his arm around Demona's shoulder.  "You'll get a feel for it.  You're from Iowa.  Look for something that doesn't look like it comes from here, like a take-out carton from a fast food joint that doesn't exist here."

"You're the local colour, sweetcheeks," Nadia said.  "You should know better than us."

"I don't get to come to Des Moines that often."  Demona kicked at the ground.  "If I have the time, I prefer going to Chicago.  So much more there, you know?"

Nadia sighed.  "Yeah, I know."

The group kept their distance from the police near the centre of the damage from the explosion.  They looked into the shadows, checking for anything that might have been missed by the local forensics teams.  Nothing, though, stood out.  Demona pointed out the lack of animals around, but was ignored by Nadia with the explanation that explosions tend to scare small furry animals away.  After two full circuits, the team began the trek back to the van.

-**-

That's typical in the early investigations.  We look around, see what there is, and find, or, here, don't find anything relevant.  It's just the start.  It takes police detectives months to get a case ready for an arrest.  For me and Nadia, unless it's a situation in progress like up in Iowa City, we have to be thorough.  Then we get to blast things!

I wish I knew what I was doing.  I'm new, right?  What am I supposed to look for?  Can anyone tell me that?  If this was a library, I'd be able to spot what was wrong in a moment.  This?  This is Where's Waldo? except no one's telling me what Waldo looks like.  Hmm?  Do I think a demon is involved?  I doubt it.  What's in all this destruction for them?  Okay, I know of a few - by reputation only - who are into vast swaths of destruction, but they like to do it where they get the credit, not tornadoes.

The new girl wasn't of any use.  But, it wasn't a complete waste of my time.  I picked up some debris, so I might be able to figure out what happened and why.  I'll need time alone, though.  I can't be interrupted.  I'll have Ian take the kid out to find where Team Six was holing up.

-**-

Next Week:

This is so exciting, working with everyone.  I'll have to be at my best.

The teaming metropolis of Des Moines.  Be still my beating heart.

Finally spending a day with someone that doesn't make Wednesday Addams look like a cheerleader by comparison.