False Gods Read online

  “Hey!” Xavier yelled out.

  TJ peered over the edge of the cooler. “I’m up here, boss.”

  Xavier shook his head. “Get down here, NOW!”

  TJ muttered to himself and quickly policed up his stuff and stored it away for next time. Getting down was as interesting as getting up. The enormous cooling units were in rows along the walls. There was a three to four-foot space between units. The walls were curved at the bottom allowing more space for potential repair access.

  One of his many disciplines was Parkour. With just the right amount of speed and directionality, TJ could bounce between walls forcing his way to the top. Down was much easier.

  Xavier watched his renegade operative bounce down the walls like a toy and mumbled curses to himself. “You are in so much trouble, TJ.”

  “Why? They’re just refrigeration units. Me being up there doesn’t even impact them.” TJ pointed out to his boss.

  Speaking slowly, Xavier tried to get his point across. “This section is Zeta Twelve. The Zeta areas aren’t on any of the maps or base diagrams. They are some of the most secure and protected areas in this base.”

  TJ waved his hands. “Three guards? They have more than that at the door in the factory upstairs. How is that secure?”

  Xavier cleared his throat and licked his lips. “Zeta Twelve is behind all three of those walls over there. It is where ARCANE stores biological samples and experiments. Not everything we do is just a bug hunt.”

  TJ looked at the plain grey walls and frowned. “Biological? … Are there… are there people over there?”

  “No idea. I’m not cleared to know any more than that, and now I have to report this conversation. Don’t be surprised when internal review crawls up inside of you when we get back from the mission. This is about as serious as it gets, TJ,” Xavier explained.

  “How did they even know I was here?”

  Xavier chuckled, “Technology rules the world. I had the computer search for you and boom! Here you were. We have a briefing, let’s go.”

  Chapter 2

  The man standing at the front of the room was much older than anyone else here. His name was Michael Best. All tactical, operational, and internal operations were either created or vetted by his department at Arcane. His eyes flicked to one-side, tracking as Team Wood slipped into the room at the last minute. A frown formed on his face as his deep brown eyes connected with those of Commander Cedar’s.

  “As I was saying before we were interrupted,” Best commented looking directly at Xavier’s table. “This mission is a Category Nine and has priority over any other operations.”

  Xavier looked around the room in shock. He made eye contact with half the team leaders present. Each gave him a wide-eyed nod. It was finally here. The one situation every team both dreaded and were waiting for. Invasion.

  “I know all of you are thinking of aliens at this very moment. Forget it. We have an active Demon infestation in Sicily,” Best stated.

  Team Leader Peter Kooper stood and addressed the podium. “Michael, we eat those for breakfast. Why a Cat Nine? My team took and closed the hole before eliminating all the remaining threats the last time an idiot opened a hole. Those don’t require all of us!”

  Michael scowled at the room. “If you will let me finish. This infestation has the potential to start the second Demon War. Less than a week ago Swiss Guard operatives working in conjunction with the American FBI, Roman Intelligence, and MI7 uncovered the location of the Strega base. It’s suspected that the Missionaries of Death are also present at the location. This is the same spot where a demon was recently filmed by a news team.”

  The large screen to the right of the podium lit up with the now impossible-to-find video of a bat-winged demon flying above an unknown countryside. Many in the room leaned forward to study it.

  There was nothing new shown, but the picture quality was much better than that which had been seen on the idiot box. Michael Best cleared his throat and spoke. “As you can see, we procured the original footage. Zeta Section has confirmed that it is a Demon Bat such as those seen during the last war.”

  “The Swiss Guard sent in a team to survey the location of the Strega and the town of Montemaggiore Belsito. Only one scout survived to report back.” Michael paused to allow that information to sink in with the teams. ARCANE supported five teams. Each had a specific function within the organization. Four of them were sitting in the room staring at him.

  “Montemaggiore Belsito is currently overrun. We skimmed this footage from American and Italian satellite systems. As you can see, there are at least three to four hundred Demonic entities of various strength besieging the basilica. Less than an hour after this footage was shot, the presumed humans inside succumbed to the Demons. The scout didn’t witness the final fall. He was diverted at our request toward the presumed site of entry. The lair of the Strega. We hope to reestablish contact with him soon.” Michael pointed out as the video played on all of the large screens.

  “How did we miss this?” Xavier raised his voice and almost shouted.

  Michael Best’s eyes flashed in the spotlight aimed at him. “We were blocked. As you know, our foresight team is one of the best available, but they aren’t perfect. They can be wrong at times. The Strega avoided detection for more than a century here. Even the local church thought the monastery was a real one. It’s possible there is some sort of protection over the entire valley. We really won’t know until one of you penetrates the perimeter. But action needs to be taken and soon. That many Demons, even assuming that what we see is all there is, could overrun much of Italy and force their way north.”

  Xavier looked around the room again. The three other teams were huddled up discussing the information. Very few were still listening to the speaker. “Backup for the mission?”

  “The Italians have a fleet in the area. Military units in Palermo and most of the coastal cities are mobilizing as quickly as they can. Members of the worlds anti-paranormal forces are preparing, but their governments are slow to act on this.” Michael explained as he brought up information on multiple screens. Unit strengths could be seen as well as preparedness. The Italian fleet was shown steaming toward Sicily.

  Xavier ran his hand over the small beard he allowed himself to have. His keen eyes scanned the available information. Xavier looked away from Michael and turned to his own team. They were watching him, not the others or the screens. Xavier’s eyes flicked back toward Michael. “What’s the mission?”

  “Local insertion. Every team will play a part in this one. Finding the hole and closing it is your team’s objective, Xavier. Team Barrel is your backup, but your Mages possess the most experience with something like this. Teams Green, Blue, and Omega will tackle the Demons already loose. I’ve been promised air force and naval support.” Michael pulled up another screen showing insertion points and estimated strengths.

  “Fifteen of us against three hundred Demons? Is command insane?” Albert Waters, the Team Blue leader spoke up.

  “You and the others will get every unit and resource we can dig up for you. We are all that stands in the path of this invasion, and we are running out of time. Transports are being readied even as I speak to you. This could mean the death of millions if we don’t act now.” Michael glared at the team leader.

  Waters held up his hands in protest. “No need to get testy. We just don’t want to throw our lives away for nothing here. Do we have any intelligence on what they raised?”

  Michael frowned and looked at his notes. “What was reported were Imps, Demon Bats, and a few Demonic captains. To summon this many requires an Earl at least. The first recon planes are supposed to be over the town in twenty minutes. We’ll know more then.”

  “In twenty minutes, we’ll be in the air. Correct?” Waters asked.

  “Yes. This meeting was to get you organized. This is life or death, people. Command is calling in all teams. Only the Conception Point team is exempt.”

  Xavier looked u
p in surprise. Cutting off Waters, he asked a question. “What happens if everything goes south? Does command have a backup to the backup?”

  Michael visibly winced. “If everything goes to hell, literally, we’ve been promised support by the FBI Magical Division. The Witch should be able to close the hole at least. It shouldn’t come to that though. The amount of military that we control should alleviate that situation.”

  “You hope so. Fine. My team and I will prepare ourselves.” Xavier nodded toward the rear doors. Victoria, Hamilton, and the others stood and marched out of the room. Xavier frowned at his brothers-in-arms, “Don’t all get up at once.”

  “Dying in a senseless battle isn’t what I signed on for,” Albert replied to him. “My team and I need to discuss this some more.”

  Michael surreptitiously touched a button on the underside of the podium he stood in front of. “Team Green. What about you? Are you joining this battle?”

  Jean Pantalone stared at the table in front of her. She and her team usually only secured the scene when one of the others needed assistance. Being the newest team meant their training was at the lowest point. Her Mages were both Class Ones. She tried to confront the eyes of the Mages. None would even meet her eyes. “I’m sorry to say we aren’t, Michael. We just aren’t strong enough.”

  Michael’s expression changed completely. “So much for the expensive training and time we’ve put into your teams. Such is fate then.”

  Albert frowned as he studied Michael. “Fate, sir?”

  “Free will is an illusion. You forget yourselves.” With practiced ease, Michael removed a gas mask from a compartment inside the podium and quickly donned it.

  Both reluctant teams jumped up in shock. Several members ran for the doors, but the gas that was now apparent caused them to fall over gasping for breath. Michael stepped down off the platform and watched each of them succumb to the knockout gas. “When you wake you will find yourselves out of our organization. Please try to remember that this is a mercy. It could have been Sarin or VX.”

  With a final look of disgust, the operational commander turned and left the room. There was very little time to do anything, and now they were at half strength to do so.

  >>

  “What happens if they don’t come with us? Can we even take on that many Demons and live?” Victoria asked Xavier as the team jogged toward the armory. Robert was practically running.

  “It’s what we signed on for. If there is a hole, it has to be closed no matter the cost. You know what happened last time. It’s what started this organization. There used to be three other countries in Europe before the last invasion. Everyone forgets about Austria and Poland. We’ve been there before. Remember that hole we found in Mexico?” Xavier asked. Robert was already inside the armory when they reached it.

  “That was a different circumstance. We found maybe twenty Imps in that basement. Only a tiny hole was open that time. To release Demons as seen in that video would require something much bigger than that.” Hamilton slid a customized 1911 pistol into his belt holster. The Mage had his own locker in the armory.

  “Isn’t one of the tenets of your religion a statement that ... size matters not? I seem to recall you spouting that one more than once.” Xavier opened up his own locker. Swiftly, he donned a fighting vest and body armor. A .50 caliber pistol slid into his left-hand holster with a custom Bowie knife on his right. There was no such thing as standardization for any of the teams.

  Hamilton pulled out a Roman-style Gladius and checked the edge with his thumb. “You have a point. Get me there, and I will do my best to close the portal.”

  Victoria was the only woman on the team, but she paid them no mind as she slipped into her armored flight suit. It resembled the catsuit worn by several Hollywood mavens. Throwing knives were her weapon of choice, and she promptly filled her pockets with them. “Robert, have my swords been sharpened?”

  “Of course. Your sais are sharpened as well. Check the grips on them. I found a new supplier of grip tape. They should be easier to hold on to.” Robert answered as he opened the largest locker in the room. As armorer for the team, he used his access to find a great many toys for his own use.

  TJ slouched against the door as the team armed themselves. Contrary to orders, he’d picked up his weapons earlier for training purposes. The butterfly swords on his hips were more important to him than the pistols he packed. “Why did you flinch when Michael mention the FBI as a backup, Xavier?”

  The team leader unracked his Saiga shotgun and loaded a drum magazine. “The Magical Division has changed in recent years. They have a Witch in charge of it now. She’s of both the Blackmore and Shinigami lines.”

  Hamilton stopped loading ammunition into his go bag and looked up in surprise. “She’s from both lines? I don’t remember that in the briefing report!”

  Xavier waved at the ceiling. “They know upstairs. She could be one of the most powerful Witches on the planet. We’re not sure what she inherited from her father. Some things are better left out of low priority reports. Trust me on this.”

  “Who are the Shinigary?” Victoria asked.

  “Shinigami. The word means ‘death’ in Japanese. They are the most powerful Witch Clan from that part of the world. It is suspected that all four clans of the Yakuza and the Korean Kkangpae are subservient to them. Nobody knows for sure. Undercover agents are speedily discovered and lost. One of the…” Hamilton paused as if searching for something. “... organizations I once represented suspect them of infiltrating into the United States through California.”

  Xavier made a mental note to update Hamilton’s file. There was little to no information about the human Mage’s past beyond the previous five years. It was as if he popped into existence fully grown.

  “Can she close a portal?” TJ asked.

  “Maybe. Intelligence section lost track of her for three days last summer. We track her and her family very carefully. When she reappeared, there was confidence in her actions that had not been seen before, as well as higher power levels. She stopped a Demonic threat in her second year at the FBI Academy. The Bs seem to think she could do it,” Xavier replied.

  “The Bs? What do those scary chicks have to do with the Witch?” Robert shouldered a rifle of an unknown configuration along with a hefty-looking pack.

  “Observation. I’ve said too much. Just forget the last few minutes.” Xavier raised his arm looking at his watch. “We need to go.”

  >>

  Two large transport planes sat on the Indian Springs field. They were spooling up their engines when Team Wood stepped out of ARCANE’s topside building. All pretenses of security and secrecy were being ignored. A Demon incursion topped everything.

  “Team Blue won’t be joining you, Xavier.” Michael Best spoke to the team as they boarded.

  Xavier shook his head. “How many bailed?”

  “Both Blue and Green. Omega will have to handle the town alone backed up by the Italian military. Delta has promised to help infiltrate the monastery, but I cannot make any promises here. President Talbot’s reluctant for some reason. He had a meeting with the VP, and half our support dried up. He’s taking an isolationist stance that is troubling.” Michael informed Xavier.

  The team leader waved his team aboard the aircraft. “If we find ourselves flapping in the breeze on this one, I’m not going to be very happy, Michael. You better tell both Right and Left that. If the Demons don’t kill us, I will come for them.”

  Michael held up his hands in protest. “I’ve got my best people on it. You will have a backup if I have to enlist Madeline and Bs to do it.”

  “Please just find us, someone. Don’t forget to tell the Italians that regular rifle bullets only piss them off. They need to either bless them or use silver.” Xavier grabbed the door handles and pulled himself into the aircraft.

  “We’ll have it in hand by the time you land. Take care and may the Gods go with you.” Michael closed the door to the aircraft and wait
ed for the green light to signal the door was sealed. He stepped back as the pilot gunned the engine sending the plane down the runway.

  “Can they do it?” Mr. Right asked Michael.

  “You supervised their training. What do you think?” Michael asked his boss.

  “They are the best we have short of Omega. I have the auxiliary units coming in, but the earliest we can send help is twelve hours. Only Team Alpha is closer, but they have to stay in Glastonbury. If that portal is opened… Well, you know.” Mr. Right explained.

  “Has there been any signs of activity there?” Michael asked as the two men walked back to main headquarters.

  “No. The English have their best people along with two covens of Witches watching over Stonehenge. They won’t involve themselves with us, but if something nasty comes through, they will certainly help defend. Our Alpha leader has a good rapport with the SAS prime.” Mr. Right explained. The building was on high alert as they entered. Guards rarely seen up until now were covering every entrance and exit.

  “And the others?” Michael opened the door to his office and motioned to his liquor cabinet.

  Mr. Right shook his head no. Now was not the time to get sloshed. “Protection of the Garden is out of our hands, but we did send a message to the Coven there. Whether Marcella responds or not is up in the air. Phnom Kulen is guarded just as well. Part of my suggestions to the White House was to triple the protection in California. Whether they do it or not…” He waggled his hand back and forth.

  Michael sank into his office chair and watched his boss pace. “The Italians are going to get their ass handed to them aren’t they?”

  Mr. Right looked at the world map on the wall. “They have a strong military. Stronger than most in the region. But Germany was at the height of its buildup when the Prince entered our world, and their forces were destroyed. We’re setting up a nuclear option if the teams fail.”

  “Will that work? I thought the tests were inconclusive that Demonic entities could be killed with nuclear bombs,” Michael exclaimed.