part0014

The pizza was good, but it just wasn’t Chicago pizza, nor was it enough for their enhanced caloric needs. That was okay though, well it would be if they weren’t stuck in that room for much longer. They’d been waiting for several hours. At least they’d been escorted to the restrooms about an hour ago, or things would’ve gotten ugly.

The thing was, she’d seen the fear and uncertainty on a lot of faces in the halls. They were other, nonhuman, and obviously dangerous. She hoped that was about ignorance more than anything else, Grant and Jessica didn’t do so badly that way, but they’d already been believers. Before they’d hidden after the church’s atrocities in thirteen hundreds, people grew up used to the idea of the supernatural races. Just then, they would need to get used to the idea, in a world of atheists and men and women who eschewed religion and worshipped at the altar of science, they’d be loath to believe in the supernatural, God, Satan, heaven, and hell.

Not all certainly, but many. Point was, people tended to go into denial when things didn’t match their subjective world view, and what they thought they knew was the truth. Sometimes, violent denial.

Over the last few hours, the forty-seven soul eaters and two shifter rogues hadn’t moved yet, but night was on the way and it was only a matter of time. She hadn’t felt the fallen either. She considered how many of the soul eaters they could have taken out before sundown, and she hoped staying in this room and waiting on the humans before acting would be worth it. It was an ugly thought, but there’d be a price in blood from their delay.

Jacob asked, “Angel still hiding?”

She nodded, “That, or hopping around the planet and recruiting for his or her plan.”

Carl said, “That’s not scary or anything.”

Meri quipped, “Don’t worry Carl, I’ll protect you.”

Jacob sighed, “It’s a good point, we can’t even assume the warlock that summoned him is actually in DC.”

The door swung open, and Jessica and Grant walked in.

Grant cleared his throat, “I think we can. Or at least, we can be sure the fallen was summoned here. There’s an apartment complex with hundreds of dead on the south side, not three blocks from where the witches and angel were holed up. Place is a damned crater. That kind of power, why doesn’t it just destroy us.”

She replied, “They hate humanity, and want you to suffer before you die. They want to watch you panic and tear down your own civilization before they hunt you down like animals. They’d also get a kick out of it if you turned on your own protectors.”

Jessica frowned, “Blunt.”

She shrugged, “Truth. Think about what a soul eater does. Slowly consumes life force while terrorizing their victims. They were the first to be created, not exactly marvels of efficiency when it comes to killing on a grand scale. They were designed to terrorize and cause panic. The warlocks are a different story, and so are the minor demons, but this powerful fallen will want to savor things. Of course, that’s both horrific and a good thing, in that it gives us time to take him down under the hope of minimizing the destruction.”

She added reluctantly, “The truth is though, this is a new game for the other side, and we can’t be sure what the fallen angel’s plans are. Outside what you mentioned of course, otherwise it would be on a blatant path of destruction.”

Grant cleared his throat, “Let’s go find out then. The politicians are deciding what to do permanently. I think the prevailing idea right now is to recruit you all into an agency. The government doesn’t like being in the dark, or out of control.”

Based on his emotions, she took that to mean there were other far darker ideas, such as hunting them all down, or locking them up. Still, she wouldn’t panic until the time came, and only the eight of them were identified for the moment.

Grant continued, “For now, the president realizes there is a clear and present danger in the capital, and he’s ordered that we work with you and keep an eye on things. You are also not to speak to the press, we’ll handle that. The president is planning a speech on prime time tonight.”

She wasn’t sure she liked that last part, but as long as the president didn’t lie she didn’t see a problem with it. It might even be better that way, since the people would trust him more than strangers and nonhuman strangers at that. Maybe there’d be less panic.

Jacob asked, “You said let’s go find out?”

Jessica nodded, “We’re assigned to go with your team, sort of like liaisons, you said there were many others the fallen had recruited?”

Jacob grunted, “Alright. Jace, take Cinna to the hotel, the rest of us are going hunting.”

They all stood, and then followed the two agents out of the door and down the hall. It didn’t take her long to realize they weren’t heading for the front door, probably to avoid the press. There was an extended van outside, the two agents took the front seats, while the six of them piled into the back. Cinna and Jace walked a short way down the sidewalk, and then hailed a cab.

Grant asked, “Where are we headed?”

She said, “There are three of them nearby. We need to get closer before I can be exact. Just head west, I’ll tell you where to turn.”

Grant looked at Jacob.

Jacob said, “I lead the team, but she leads us to them, just follow her directions.”

Grant nodded, started the van, and pulled out into the traffic.

The sun slipped behind the horizon, and the city lights lit up the streets as she led the team toward a group of three soul eaters. She assumed at least one was older, and the other two were his or her blood children. It was only about five minutes later when they pulled up to a motel right next to a strip mall that had a bar in it.

She said, “They were staying in the motel, but I think they’re in the bar and grill now. I’ll be sure when we get closer.”

Carl asked, “You’re not sure?”

She nodded, “They’re here, but for all I know they’re chowing down in the Subway next door, I just know they aren’t in the motel anymore. It’s a little early for a large crowd in the pub, and there’s only a handful of humans around them. The life-web just isn’t that exact.”

They piled out of the van, and they walked in that direction.

She sighed, “Try to relax Grant, or they’ll feel us coming a mile away. Soul eaters are empathic.”

For all she knew they were already in their empathy range, she kept hers relatively short, but knew her aura could go way past the thirty feet she kept it at.

Grant gave her an annoyed look, and she let it pass.

It would also be different with humans there and not covering it up. Normally they’d put the human witnesses out, and then erase their short-term memories. Although, it wasn’t entirely unnatural to her, she’d only been doing that for a month or so, she had thousands of years of memories of not covering things up in the past, but that was a different world. It’d be very different for the rest of them though.

She felt them as they got onto the sidewalk.

“They’re having subs for dinner.”

No doubt humans were the next meal on the soul eater’s agenda, in the bar next door, but she didn’t bother saying so.

Jacob cleared his throat, “You two come in last.”

Neither Grant or Jessica looked happy with that, but they did it.

The six of them walked into Subway, followed by the two agents.

The three soul eaters ate a table in the corner. There were two humans eating as well, along with three employees behind the counter and three more humans ordering. The soul eaters were all male, and they appeared in their early twenties. She could tell they were tense and ready for a fight, but they projected an easy and relaxed vibe.

The six of them walked over there, and they stood there a moment with the two agents behind them.

One of the soul eaters smiled widely, “Well, imagine that.”

Jacob growled, “Imagine what?”

He shrugged expansively, “The demon was right, coming out, and already you haven’t just attacked us.”

She snorted, “Coming out has nothing to do with it, you’d already be dead if we didn’t need information on where the fallen is.”

The soul eater sneered at her, “Shut your hole. The adults are talking, women just don’t know their place anymore, it’s a sad state of affairs.”

She suppressed her annoyance, and then grabbed Jessica’s arm when the woman went for her gun.

Jacob growled, “The demon’s plans, what are they? Or are you three just flunkies?”

He snorted, “Nice try, I’m not that vain. That said, this is his plan.”

Jacob tilted his head, “His plan?”

He nodded, clearly delighted, “You didn’t even know he was a male fallen? Asmodai, by the way, not that knowing that will help you at all. He’s a chip off the old block, Samael’s son.”

Jacob sighed, “Good to know, but it’s clear you don’t know the big picture.”

He frowned, “I just told you, this is his plan. The humans are sheep, and now that they know of us and the war, you can’t hunt us anymore, without proof.”

She snorted, “Is that what you believe?”

She shifted her speed, and she pulled on her soul eater speed as hard as she could, as she whipped out a throwing dagger and released it in one smooth practiced motion. It should be smooth, since she’d been doing it for thousands of years. The dagger flew across the ten feet separating them, and slammed hilt deep into one of their chests. Even at her speed, he was able to partially dodge, but the blade caused enough pain to distract while an aural whip snapped out and into his chest, and the soul eater failed to eat her spell before it stopped his heart.

Grant gasped, and she felt Jessica tense, but neither of them said anything. As for the other humans, Allison was blurring their minds with a spell, none of them had noticed the execution taking place just a few feet away, nor were they even hearing their conversation. Not a coverup exactly, but so they wouldn’t panic.

Jacob chuckled, “The only reason you’re alive is for information, is that clear now?”

Carl shook his head in mock sadness, “I think they’re nothing but puppets in the Asmodai’s play. Maybe he just fed them that line of bullshit, and they don’t know the real plan. Let’s just kill them, maybe the next ones will know something, or at least be smarter.”

The other two soul eaters were frozen, obviously stuck between fight or flight. There were six of them, and three to one odds was nothing to sneer at.

He cleared his throat, “It’s still early, but you know it will happen.”

Jacob snorted, “Tell us the real plan, or fight.”

“I need one alive.”

Fear slammed into her, and the two soul eaters made a run for it. It would have been enough, if they’d all merely flinched. Soul eaters were very fast, but she’d been ready for it, as had the rest of them.

Jacob lunged forward and to the side, his fist exploded forward and the soul eater dodged enough so it only grazed his head. Still, that was enough to knock him off course, and he ran into the next table and he went over and fell to the floor on the other side.

Carl, Meri, and Daniel blocked the other one, and blood flew as their daggers went to work.

She and Jacob circled the table, and Jacob stomped on the soul eater’s chest, while she kicked him in the head.

The soul eater twisted and tried to block with his arms, but he was only partially successful.

She kicked him in the head again, right behind his ear, and he went out like a light.

Grant and Jessica looked a bit shocked, as if it was finally really sinking in, what they did to keep human’s safe, and how horrifically violent it all was. They weren’t here to put someone under arrest, or put them behind bars, they were hunting sadistic evil predators who embraced their demonic sides.

She cast another spell, this time a web reactive spell, and dug into his mind. Since he was unconscious, he wouldn’t be eating her spell, or trying to drain her life force.

She frowned, “It’s as he said. Asmodai recruited them, said they were to bring the war into the light to panic humans. He also believes the humans won’t see it as a real war, and will insist on rights for them, but I think that’s just a screen. The demon obviously doesn’t want all his little pawns knowing the real plan. Their orders were simple, take their prey in this city, and don’t clean up afterwards.”

She killed the spell, leaned down, and twisted his head violently. The crack of bone and cartilage rang out, and his body stilled.

Jacob said, “Then all of them don’t know.”

She nodded, “Probably not. The warlock might know, but the soul eater had no idea where the summoner was. Still, it’s worth seeing if he gave differing cover stories and orders out, we might be able to piece together a puzzle. Or maybe not.”

Jacob tilted his head, “Asmodai, is he…”

Lily smirked, “No, he’s pure angel, not part human, and obviously not my son. That part of the legend is wrong. Asmodai is a ruler, which is one rank lower than the top, below archangel, so we got that right. He’s also the demon of wrath.”

Jacob nodded, “So we should question more of them.”

She shrugged, “Why not? Even if it doesn’t help, we have to hunt them down anyway. I suggest we stick together to take out the groups, and then split into two teams for the singles.”

Jacob turned to Grant, “Normally we only hunt one at a time. This is new for all of us. How do you want to handle the bodies? Usually we just… made them disappear in various ways. We’re new at this not covering it up thing.”

Grant said, “I can have my agents pick them up, why aren’t the people in here upset, or running away, or calling the cops?”

Allison raised her hands, “Guilty. They can’t really perceive us right now. Or at least, they think those three guys are still eating, and we’re chatting about nothing interesting. I’m not trying to cover it up, not really, just avoiding a panic.”

Jessica sighed, “That kind of thing can’t go on anymore. People will panic more when they find out a witch can mess with their minds so easily. I’m sure regardless of the overall plan the politicians come up with, that will be a part of it.”

She nodded, “We expect new rules of engagement. Well, not the killing the evil predators of humanity part, but the hiding things part. But… right now things are still uncertain that way.”

Grant was already on the phone, and he called for body bags and a coroner’s van.

Jessica sighed, “And if that does change, if he’s right and some idiot decides they have human rights, and that they deserve a trial. They are half human are they not, and citizens of this nation?”

She shrugged, “I get that standard, and it’s a good one. Except, we aren’t fully human, you couldn’t hold us in jail, and we could influence a trial. Not that we would, but the soul eaters most certainly would. They’re also addicted to cruelty and the head rush of feeding on life force, will you provide them meals? We also know who’s guilty, and who isn’t. There is no doubt, no need for a jury of peers or a judge or lawyers to learn the truth.”

Jessica nodded, “I get that, and even agree. But… some won’t, and I don’t make the rules. It’s asking a lot, you’re essentially asking for a license to kill, and for us to blindly trust it won’t be abused to cover up a murder, or something of that nature.”

Jacob frowned, “We’re not human, and we never kill humans, or police human criminals. You’re looking at it from a human point of view, we don’t murder our own, and we only go after the evil and depraved murderers.”

Jessica sighed, “Prove it. That’s the problem, people will want proof, not high-minded ideals and promises. I believe you, but like I said that may not matter. We’ll see what the politicians make of it.”

She sighed. Yeah, it wasn’t an easy thing. She got it though, the humans may not be able to look at it objectively, they were different and needed different rules, but humans saw most things subjectively, and might make absurd demands based on their civilization and culture. She’d find it hard to blame them for it even if they did, the right to a trial was very important in America.

Hopefully they’d figure something out both the human government and they could deal with, or more specifically, that the council could swallow. Otherwise, they’d melt away and disappear, and known to exist or not, the hunting teams would take out the enemy from the shadows. It would make their job harder, but not impossible. Their calling was to protect humanity, that was it. There was nothing in there about humanity liking it or not. Hell, she knew they’d do it from off the grid if they had to. It would suck, but they would do it.

They could no more give up hunting down evil, than a twisted and sadistic soul eater could give up their addiction to torturing humans and consuming human life force. It was built into their very beings.