A Despair of Demons (Travelers, Book 1) (22 page)

Back on the main stairway, two demons raced toward them, and Liv felt naked
with no weapons. T36 grouped together to meet the attack, but the demons
ignored them and raced past.

Liv grinned, adrenaline making her euphoric. They couldn’t have asked for a
better diversion to distract the demons from their escape.

They reached the main floor at a dead run. Where before the cavernous mess
hall had been empty, it was now a hive of bustling activity. Every visible
demon dropped what it was doing and screamed at the escapees, racing toward
them with their unnerving speed.

Connor yelled, “Safe World on mark, one-two-three-mark!”

Liv exhaled and dissolved. She staggered to a stop as she blinked her eyes
open. She was high above the world, looking out at the red sand plain that
spread for miles in every direction. They were atop the tiger rock.

“Let’s get down,” Connor said, “and get the hell out of here.”

Ben coughed raggedly. “Pun definitely intended.”

Connor smiled grimly and started toward the path that led down the cliff
face.

Liv eyed Jordan’s pallor and the grimace of pain that kept his eyes mostly
shut. The liar had said he was fine. She was about to ask him exactly what was
wrong, but had to leap to catch him just before he tripped off the cliff top.
“Connor, not yet.”

“We could have demons on our asses any second here.”

He looked back, saw that Liv was the only thing holding Jordan on his feet,
and signaled the others to stop. Liv hoped the demons didn’t show, because
their combined weaponry looked to be two throwing knives—Gin handed a
knife to Trent and kept another as they spread out to cover the team.

“Where’d this come from?” Trent asked.

“One for them to find, one to keep. I thought everybody knew that rule.”

Trent smiled. “I do now.”

Connor walked silently to Jordan, who was now hissing in pain with every
breath, his left hand held tight to his right shoulder. “Jordan?”

“I think it’s just dislocated.”

“Can you walk down?”

“Feels like somebody stuck a foot-long knife through it. I can hardly
breathe.” He kept his eyes squeezed shut and the words were strangled through
his clenched teeth.

“You want me to pop it back in?” Connor asked, in the tone he would have used
if he was in his own kitchen, grabbing another beer at halftime and asking if
Jordan wanted one too.

Jordan matched his tone. “Yeah, could you?”

Connor stepped around Jordan and stood behind him, inspecting the shoulder.
“It’s definitely dislocated.” He pulled Jordan’s arm away from his body and
slowly swung it forward and back. Jordan groaned, eyes fluttering as he swayed
on his feet and almost took Liv off hers.

“Connor!” Liv warned as she tried to take more of Jordan’s weight and keep
him upright.

Connor ignored her, focusing on Jordan’s face. “It doesn’t feel like
anything’s broken. I don’t think it’s torn. It’s really going to hurt.”

Jordan nodded, eyes still tightly closed. “I know. It really fucking hurts
now.”

“You’re going to have to relax.”

“Yup, know that too. Give me a minute.”

Jordan opened his eyes, zeroing in on Liv. He lowered his hands to his
sides, hissing again as he straightened his right arm. He took a slow,
deliberate breath, grimaced, forced his hands open, and took another.

“Okay,” he said. With his shoulders relaxed, Liv could see the misshapen
bulge of dislocated bone.

Connor looked at Liv. “Hold him.”

Liv swallowed hard and glanced at her teammates guarding the perimeter. Apparently,
none of them wanted to volunteer.
 

She took a deep breath, stepped behind Jordan, and locked an arm in front of
each shoulder. Jordan relaxed even more as she pressed up against him, and
leaned back against her slightly. She stretched up with him as he drew a deep
breath, and she breathed in too. Cologne and sweat and male all mixed together
to form the scent she loved, the scent of him.

Connor gripped Jordan’s right arm. “Ready?”

Jordan nodded again. Liv squeezed her eyes shut so she wouldn’t anticipate,
tense up, and make Jordan tense up too.

Connor said, “On three, okay? One…two…”

He snapped into motion, both rotating and pulling Jordan’s arm.

Jordan stiffened, pulling Liv forward. There was a
pop
as the shoulder snapped back into place. “I thought you said on
three!” he snarled through his teeth as he took a step forward. Liv let him go.

He turned to her and Connor. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” Connor waved a hand airily.

Jordan rolled the shoulder forward and back. “Still hurts, but I should be
fine as long as I don’t have to wrestle anyone.”

“Try to hold it still or it’ll pop out again. Move out.”

The team trooped down the cliff face to the scummy green puddle below, and
Connor gave the order for Home World.

Liv opened her eyes on jungle. Connor arrived immediately, looked around,
and called the SM with their location.

“We’re going to need weapons recovery too,” Connor said.

Although there was only silence from the radio, Liv was sure the operator
had sighed. “Yes sir.”

“Con,” Jordan said. “The grenade didn’t disappear when the demon threw it
away. That’s how I burnt them.”

“Ah, that’s disturbing.”

“Woolfe dropped some kind of device on the carpet when I stabbed him,” Liv
remembered.

“So?”

“So, they kept us from Traveling. Maybe it affected our stuff too?”

Connor shook his head. “That is so not cool. I don’t suppose you got the
device?”

She shook her head. “It wouldn’t have come with us anyway.”

*
         
*
         
*

Back at the base, Liv followed her team as they filed into the briefing
room. General Mace took in their battered appearance from his seat at the head
of the table. “Are you all okay?”

“Jordan almost had his arm ripped off,” Connor said, “but the rest of us are
just punctured and bruised.”

Ben grinned. “You should see the other guys.”

“So your mission was successful?” the general asked.

Connor smiled. “Surprisingly so.”

“Can we spare some time before a full debrief?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then you’d better get down to Medical first. All of you.”

“One thing first, sir.”

General Mace looked expectantly at Liv.

“Did the recovery team find our gear?”

“I imagine so. Each piece has a locator beacon. Why?”

“We were trapped in Hell, held there, and some of our gear was too.”

He rose to his feet. “I’ll find out. We’ll debrief in half an hour.”

The team rose from their seats and trooped down to Medical. Liv’s wound was
disinfected and bandaged. Jordan was forced to lie on the bed next to hers
while they examined his arm, then wheeled him down to radiology for a CT scan.

When they wheeled him back into the bay next to hers, she asked, “Are you
okay?”

“Fine,” he said.

She watched with a smile as the medical put a sling on his arm and lectured
him. It was nice to see someone else at their mercy for once. “You’d better
take it easy, wear this sling for at least a week, and get yourself to the
physical therapist for rehabilitation. I’ll set up some appointments. Now I’ll
just give you something for the pain.”

Jordan raised his left hand. “No. I’m fine. I don’t want any of that
injectable crap, it makes me loopy.”

“Well you at least need some anti-inflammatories. Here’s some ibuprofen.”

“Fine.”

Connor walked in. “You okay?”

“Fine. They say I’ll just have some bruising. You got it back in without
further damage. Although Dr. Brown wanted me to pass along the message that
she’s the doctor and would appreciate if you wouldn’t attempt to do her job. I
reminded her you
are
a field medic.”

Connor smiled. “Thanks. Glad you’re cleared. Let’s go.”

Liv jumped off the bed, and Jordan sat up more slowly.

Connor clasped Jordan’s good left hand, pulled him to his feet, and led Liv
and Jordan out the door. Ben, Gin, and Trent were already waiting in the white
lobby.

“All clear?” Connor asked.

Gin gave a half-hearted salute. “Yessir.”

General Mace was waiting when they got back to the briefing room. “Well,
Commander? Woolfe is neutralized?”

“Yes, sir.” Connor launched into the story, and they spent the next hour
going over the mission in detail. Connor finished by saying, “We’ll have to
monitor the situation to make sure that it works like we thought, but we may
have actually saved not only our world, but all the others that the demons have
been raiding.”

General Mace frowned. “You shouldn’t have killed him. He’d have been
instrumental in changing the demons’ objective.”

Connor’s eyes were just a little more wintry than usual. “It was necessary.”

The general searched his gaze, then nodded. “So what about Woolfe’s
anti-Traveling device? You have no ideas?”

Trent and Liv both shook their heads when his questioning gaze landed on
them.

“Sorry sir,” Liv said. “All I know is it prevented Travel of us and at least
some of our gear.”

“Speaking of which. Your gear was recovered. The brain ray is depleted.”

“But there was a charge left! I didn’t fire them all.”

Gin scowled. “Demons probably pawed everything. Tough luck.”

Liv nodded. Now she’d have to try and get cartridges made again. Without a
specific mission, she bet she’d have better luck getting the Air Force to buy
her a new Jaguar.

General Mace said, “Well done, T36. You’re dismissed. Go get cleaned up, and
then you’re all on well-earned leave for the weekend.”

To Liv,
clean
sounded like a
magical word. She felt like she’d been rolling in a garbage heap, and she could
still smell burning demon in her clothes and hair.

She had just emerged from the locker room, her hair still wet from the
shower, when she heard over the comm: “
T36
to the briefing room. Repeat, T36 to the briefing room.”

She turned back to the locker room where the roar of a blow dryer drowned
out all other sounds. When her shouts received no response, she walked over to
Gin where she stood with her head down, drying masses of golden curls, and
tapped her on the shoulder.

Gin stood up so fast she almost overbalanced, then turned off the dryer when
she saw it was Liv. “Now what?” Her voice echoed in the sudden silence.

“We’ve been ordered to the briefing room.”

Gin rolled her eyes, but stuffed her hair dryer in her locker, slathered
some goo on her hands, and ran it into her hair as she followed Liv out the
door.

When they arrived in the briefing room, the guys were already there. General
Mace stood at the head of the table, his expression grim.

Liv asked, “Sir, what’s going on?”

“I just received word that the headquarters of Innerstellar Technologies is
under attack. By demons. I’m sorry to delay your leave, but you’re the closest
thing I have to demon experts. I need you there.”

Liv’s mouth dropped open.

Jordan and Ben both said, “What?” in identical tones of outraged disbelief.

Connor asked, “Where’s the headquarters?”

“Denver.” At her teammates’ surprised looks, Liv explained, “They tried to
recruit me out of school.”

“Have you been there?” Connor asked.

“Yeah, they gave me the whole guided tour. Granted, it was a few years ago,
but I still remember the layout.” She was already digging into her photographic
memory.

“’Course you do.” Connor turned to General Mace. “Do we know when the
building was taken?”

“No. Based on communications, our best guess is several hours ago. The
general public still doesn’t know.”

“Then how do we know?” Trent asked.

“The head of the company is holed up in there somewhere. He managed to get a
distress signal out.”

Liv’s hand jerked on her water glass. She hadn’t expected to encounter
Nathan ever again. She sure didn’t want to go rescue him now. She considered
raising the possibility of just leaving him there, then gave a small sigh. No,
General Mace probably wouldn’t go for that.

Well, you faced Woolfe today and won. Why
not Nathan too?

“Isn’t the place swarming with cops?” Connor asked.

General Mace said, “No. The distress signal was sent directly to the
Department of Defense.”

“That makes sense,” Liv said. “Nathan Blank has numerous Defense Department
contracts, and I’m sure he’s working on a lot of things he would rather the
civilian public—even police and SWAT—not know about.”

“How do you know all this?” Jordan asked from her left.

Liv stared straight ahead. “I used to date Nathan. Back when we were the
only two Travelers in MIT’s grad program.”

Connor said, “So what can you tell us about him?”

Liv glanced at Jordan’s impassive expression and turned her eyes back to
Connor. “I ran into an old friend in Mai Tai who works for his company. She
practically gloated about all the technology they were stealing from other
worlds. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve sent people to Hell. After all, the
demons had to get their advancements from somewhere.”

Trent glared at the table. “Then it wasn’t us who brought them to Home
World.”

General Mace said, “Regardless of what brought them here, we have to stop
them from getting a foothold in our world.”

Connor nodded. “Agreed. We know one way to kill them now. Wildfyre was…
effective in Hell.”

“Although it kind of wreaked havoc on the décor,” Ben said.

“You’ll go to Innerstellar Technologies,” General Mace said. “Your primary
mission is to determine whether the demons have stolen any research, and to
recover it if necessary. Then retake the building without alerting the general
public. Secondary mission is to rescue Blank and any workers being held in the
building along with him.”

“At eight o’clock on Friday night?” Ben asked.

“You’re at work at eight o’clock on Friday night,” Liv pointed out.

“Good point.”

Connor glanced at his watch and sighed. “Jenny’s going to kill me.”

“Why?” Trent asked.

“I’m missing her play. Opening night. It’s a very big deal.”

“It is a big deal,” Gin said. “She’s the niece with the blue hair?”

“It’s red now. To match her costume.”

“Sorry, Commander.” General Mace looked sympathetic. “I’m sure she’ll
understand.”

Connor shook his head. “Yeah.”

General Mace asked, “What do you need?”

Connor refocused on the mission. “We have to get in undetected. The demons
must have figured out the building’s security, so we’ll have to find a way to
bypass it.”

Gin smiled. “I’m on that like blind on mice. But as for stolen research? If
they have something to copy files to, by the time we’re in, they’ll probably
have already brought the information back to Hell.”

General Mace smiled grimly. “You’re Travelers. Get it back.”

Liv sighed inwardly. Back to Hell. Damn, but she’d have been happy never
going there again.

Connor nodded. “Let’s make some plans. I’m assuming the DoD sent along some
blueprints and security information?”

“And a list of employees who signed in to work this morning.” General Mace
gestured to the door and a DEPOT employee dressed in Air Force blues appeared
carrying several large scrolls and bound manuals.

“The materials you requested, sir.” He dropped everything onto the
conference table.

“Thank you, Airman. That will be all.” The airman saluted and left.

Gin spread everything out and looked over the papers. “Sketchy security
information,” she complained.

Ben slapped her on the shoulder. “Gives you something to do, Karelli.”

Liv eyed Jordan as he bent over the blueprints, and wondered if she should
mention his injury as a possible reason to disqualify him from joining them.

“Dr. Jameson. Your input will be appreciated in the planning stages, but you
will not be accompanying your team on this mission.”

Jordan lifted his head and glared at General Mace with such venom that Liv
was glad she had said nothing.

“Why not? Sir?”

He gestured to the sling. “You should be resting that shoulder.”

“Sir, I’m fine. Look, I don’t even need the stupid sling.” He ripped the
strap up over his head and dropped the sling to the floor. “It’s just a little
stiff. I took pain meds—ibuprofen, nothing stronger,” he said when the
general opened his mouth to protest.

“You will be a liability to your team and to the mission.”

“We’ve done more with far worse injuries! I ran to escape Hell while it was
actually dislocated. I’m fine!”

Connor, still looking over the blueprints with no apparent interest in the
conversation, said, “Sir, I don’t think we have a choice. I need him.”

“Why?” General Mace asked.

“Because he’s the only one who speaks the demons’ language. He knows their culture.
He’s a scientist trained in multiple disciplines. He might be invaluable to
recovering stolen files.” As General Mace raised his eyebrows, Connor
continued, “Plus, he’s a hell of a good shot.”

Jordan gave Connor a surprised smile.

General Mace looked from Connor to Jordan. “All right, it’s your mission. Just
take it easy on that arm.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want zero presence, folks. In and out. Recover any stolen research,
neutralize the demons, and find the missing employees.”

“Piece of cake,” Trent said dubiously.

“Mmmm, cake.” Ben licked his lips. “Do you think—”

“No,” Liv, Trent, and Connor said at the same time.

“I’ll leave you to it.” General Mace strode out of the room.

Gin and Trent laid out the detailed blueprints of the building and an
employee roster next to the sketchy security system details. The team studied
everything and began to formulate a plan.

*
         
*
         
*

Two hours later, the SM hovered over the roof of Innerstellar Technologies.
Connor figured this entrance gave them the best chance for surprise.

After all, the demons would assume they’d be able to see an aircraft.

One by one, the team dropped to the roof and ran for cover. The darkness
swallowed them without a trace.

When Liv jumped out last, the SM silently sped off to land on a neighboring
building’s roof. General Mace had appropriated the landing pad for the night so
the SM could wait for them.

Liv arrived at Innerstellar’s roof entrance to find Gin already hacking the
lock with her laptop while Connor and Trent covered the doorway.

After a minute of frantic typing and a couple of choice curses from Gin, Ben
asked, “Can you get us in?”

Gin snarled, “Do I bother you when you’re doing whatever bullshit you do in
the cockpit of a plane? If we just wanted to break down the door, we’d let you
do it, Flyboy. We need stealth, and I need quiet.”

Ben pretended to zip his mouth shut and lock it.

Finally, Gin sat back. “I’m through. This system is amazing—I’m in the
security center.”

“Where are they?” Connor asked.

Gin’s fingers raced over the keyboard and she frowned. “I can’t get into the
visual system from here.” More clicking of keys, and her frown turned to a
frustrated snarl.

Connor asked, “How many?”

“Didn’t I just say I can’t get in?”

More speed-typing, and she growled at her computer. “We need to get to the
main control room. There’s a positional lock. I can’t hack it from here.”

“All right. You and Ben get there, then we’ll get rid of the demons and
search for the missing employees.”

Ben snorted. “Easy.”

“Get us through the door,” Connor said to Gin.

“Already did.” She grinned as the door next to them
thunked
.

Connor pulled it open, and they went through by twos onto a deserted stair
landing.

When Jordan shut the door behind them, Connor said, “Ben and Gin, get down
to five. Get us the system. I want movements, numbers, attempts and successes
or failures to access the computers, security setup, everything. I assume they
won’t see us moving, Gin?”

“Nope. They’re blind, and they don’t even know it.”

“Good,” Connor said. “Liv and Jordan, start here and work down floor by
floor. Look for evidence of stolen technology, tampering, broken locks, or
workers. Trent and I will start in the lobby and work our way up to you. Do not
alert them to our presence.”

Connor started down the stairs and motioned to the door at the bottom of the
flight.

Gin was already pulling out her laptop’s connecting wires. “Give me a
second.”

She plugged into the lock and commenced frantic screen tapping interspersed
with typing. A minute later, she said, “I have this floor.”

Connor nodded, motioned Liv and Jordan through the door, turned the corner
to the next flight and continued down the staircase.

“Sir, we’re on twenty.”

Connor stopped two steps down and turned. “Yes, Ben, I know.”

“It’s been a long day. I’d really rather take the elevator.”

Connor turned to Gin. “Won’t they see it moving?”

Gin rolled her eyes. “Have you not repeatedly witnessed my highly astounding
talent? I’ll get you an invisible elevator.”

Connor frowned at Ben but came back up to the door. At his signal, Trent
opened it and they went through fast. “Clear.”

Liv stepped into a shadowy hallway lined with glass doors. Most of the
offices had windows on the hall, through which Liv saw lake-sized desks and
plush antique chairs.

Ben stepped up to a window and peered inside just as a demon stepped out of
a doorway halfway down the hall. Connor instantly motioned the team back to the
stairwell, but the demon didn’t look their way. It stopped in the hallway and
swirled into nothing.

Ben stepped back as the rest of the team gaped.

Gin closed her mouth with a snap. “They’re Traveling?”

“From a twenty-story building?” Liv asked.

“How?” Trent asked.

“To where?” Gin asked.

“There must be a matching building in another world,” Jordan said. “It’s the
only explanation.”

“They built a twenty-story building in Hell?” Trent asked.

“I assume it was Hell,” Jordan agreed.

“They’ve been planning this for a while,” Ben said.

Connor grinned. “Kinda makes me want to take a look over there.”

Trent grinned back.

“Change of plan,” Connor said. “Trent and I are going to Hell. Everyone
else, same instructions. Watch your backs. You can’t clear rooms if they can
Travel in behind you.”

“What if the other building’s not in Hell?” Jordan asked.

Connor looked at him for a second and said, “Right. We’ll head down a few
levels, give ourselves a chance to break a fall.”

Gin said, “I can disable the security surrounding the elevators, but I can’t
get the floor cameras without physically going to each floor. Stay on this
floor or they’ll see you,” she said to Liv and Jordan. “We’ll get the cameras
down from main control and then radio you.”

“When that’s done,” Connor said, “you’d better get back up here and help in
the labs. There’s no point in trying to trap them between you if they can Travel
from any floor.” He headed for the elevator, and Trent, Ben, and Gin followed.

*
         
*
         
*

Gin and Ben stood alone in the elevator. Connor and Trent had already gotten
off on level seven.

Ben pulled his sidearm and Gin did the same. They stood at either side of
the door with their backs to the elevator wall. A
ding
announced their arrival on five, and when the doors opened,
they turned as one and leapt out into the hallway.

Two surprised demons stood guarding the elevator doors. Both took shots to
the head and chest as Ben and Gin opened fire.

“Now what?” Gin shouted.

Ben already had a wildfyre grenade ready. He hit the release button and
lobbed it at the nearest demon, who batted it with a hand. The grenade exploded
into flame as the demon swiped it, setting its hand instantly ablaze.

The demon stumbled back into its comrade, turning them both to living
torches. The first demon ran straight at Ben and Gin, who dived out of the way.
It leapt into the elevator behind them and the doors closed.

The other demon dissolved out of existence, taking the wildfyre with it.

Crashes and bangs came from the elevator, along with squealing-pig screams, then
a
thud
, and silence.

Gin got to her feet, still eyeing the silent elevator with suspicion. “I
can’t believe you didn’t set the whole building on fire.”

“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?”

“Because you are the luckiest son of a bitch alive. What if they had run
into us?”

Ben shrugged. “We’d have Traveled to ditch the fyre and popped right back.
And don’t talk about my mama like that.”