Termination Demon General Praetor Kharan turned to the soldier Demon behind him. “What do you want?” he asked, the words ripping out in a harsh, alienist voice.
The soldier flinched slightly. “The Supreme Aoran requests your presence in the Main Room, Master.”
“What for?”
“I know not, Master.”
Kharan rolled his red, unblinking eyes. “You are dismissed, soldier.”
The messenger gratefully scurried off.
Kharan turned to the right and waved a gloved hand near the wall. A door opened and he stepped into the passage beyond it.
When he entered the Main Room, the Aoran turned, the hooded face toward Kharan.
“Good to see you, General,” the Aoran said in a neutral voice. “I’m glad you came so quickly. I have a job for you/”
Kharan bowed his head. “Yes, Master?”
“Two of my followers lost heart,” the Aoran said. “I need you to deal with them.” A gloved hand swept toward two people, a young man and a young woman. “Here. Now.”
Kharan flexed his long, clawed fingers and pulled off his gloves. “Yes, Master,” he replied, grinning in anticipation. He walked toward the man.
The woman looked at the figure, avoiding his face, fright in her eyes.
The man straightened and glanced at the woman.
“Dory, whatever happens,” he whispered, “I’ll never forget you.”
“Nor I, Damon,” Dory whispered back. “Wherever I go after this life, I’ll always remember you.”
In his anticipation to kill the pair, Kharan failed to hear the words. He swept down on Damon.
No sound escaped from Damon as the Demon cut him down and turned to Dory.
A shrill scream erupted from her mouth as Kharan’s claws cut into her. She fell limply to the ground.
Kharan put his claws to his mouth and whistled a harsh, high-pitched whistle.
In less than a minute, four Demon soldiers had assembled.
“Take these two and dispose of them far away,” he rapped out swiftly. “Make sure they are dead. Ntraex!”
One soldier stepped forward. “Master?”
“You are to make sure death checks are performed,” Kharan ordered. “You are responsible…and dead if this is not done and confirmed. Do you understand?”
Ntraex bowed his head in acknowledgment. “Yes, Master.”
The Aoran watched the soldiers heft the bodies of the traitorous followers and leave the room. “If only all my soldiers were as loyal as yours, Kharan.”
“They have special punishments awaiting them if orders are not carried out,” Kharan said in a flat tone. The thrill of downing two lowly humans was already gone. “They set good lessons for all the others.”
The Aoran smiled behind the hood. “I agree.”
“I am going to go now and check on the rest of the men, Kharan said as he started toward the door.”
The Aoran stood. “Kharan.”
Kharan stopped and turned.” Yes?”
“You’re in charge for awhile. I’m going down south to meet with one of my most important men on some very confidential business,” the Aoran said. “You can handle it, can’t you?”
“Yes, Master.” Kharan grinned eagerly behind his hood. What a good day! He thought to himself.
“You are dismissed immediately to your new duties.” The Aoran stood. “I should be back in a day or two. If not, contact me and I will update you on what is going on.”
Kharan left the room, pleased that he had been picked as temporary leader in the Aoran’s absence, put not puffed up so that he got haughty and proud. He knew his job was tough.
Jack looked up as the door to the relaxing room of the hideout opened, and Jackie strolled in. A young woman who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties was close on her heels.
“Jackie, please go. We need privacy.” Jack waved a curious Jackie out of the room.
The young woman sat. “Hi, Jack,” she said brightly.
“What do you need, Tirolean?” Jack asked.
“The leader has disappeared,” Tirolean said, as her face grew disturbed. “No one knows where the Aoran is.”
“Leaders of great disturbances often disappear when they need some peace or a private meeting with someone,” Jack assured her. “The Aoran has not been caught, trust me. I was informed that our great leader had an important meeting to attend.”
Tirolean’s worried face eased a bit. “I’m glad that she wasn’t caught.”
“No one can catch our leader,” Jack said confidently. “Do you have any more news for me? Any orders that you may have overheard that our leader wants us to know?”
“The Aoran wants us to attack in three days, a little bit sooner than usual,” Tirolean explained. “I was the only one our leader confided this to, and I was ordered to pass the news on to the other leaders the Aoran indicated to us.” She looked at Jack anxiously. “Are you really sure that this whole scheme will work?”
“I’m positive it will.” Jack punched his fist into his other hand. “It has been going better than expected, and that’s always a good sign. The bad spies can be weeded out easily, if there are any, and we work only at night, camouflaged, and we have our spies at work. We will succeed, I can feel it!”
Tirolean stood and paced. “Then I’m glad I joined. If I had known that it wouldn’t work, I would not have come to be in this group.”
Jack smiled. “You might have been killed otherwise.”
Tirolean whirled on him. ”I might have died anyway!”
“It’s not as likely.” Jack kept smiling.
Tirolean glanced at him, detecting a hint of something in his voice that she thought shouldn’t be there. “Shut up! It could happen to anyone!” She narrowed her eyes. “And stop talking like that, because I know you won’t shut up…no matter how much I yell at you.”
“Calm down, Tir.” Jack kept smiling. “Look, you won’t die, and you can’t die….” He trailed off.
“You….cut……that….talk….out,” Tirolean hissed. “The Aoran does not allow such words.”
“The Aoran doesn’t need to know.” Jack lessened his smile, but it was still there, just a trace. “And I was just kidding. I don’t have any tenderness in me, anyways.”
“Good,” Tirolean said, but she still looked wary.
Jack stood. “How is our leader doing?”
“Fine,” Tirolean said coolly before switching to another subject. “An apprentice should be arriving soon.”
“The name of this apprentice?” Jack settled back into a chair.
“Dallas Sutherland is his name,” Tirolean replied. “Extremely fanatical, his father was a criminal before he was captured and killed after kidnapping the daughter and son of a famous Italian government figure. He wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and avenge him.”
“What was his father’s name?” Jack inquired.
“Attior Sutherland,” Tirolean said. “Assassin, kidnapper, notorious for using the best machine guns for killing his victims, or impaling them on stakes.”
“He would have been good on this team had he not been caught.” Jack sat thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “How old is his son?”
“Nineteen.”
Jack leapt to his feet. “That’s too young! He is way too young! Tir, why can’t we have anyone older?”
“Aoran’s decree.” Tirolean folded her arms and stared at him pointedly.
Jack pursed his lips and fell silent. After a few minutes, he spoke.
“OK. I guess I have no choice but to take him. When is he arriving?”
“Anytime now. I was barely able to beat him. I passed him in the woods. He was napping the time away. Why, I know not, but he should be here soon.” Tirolean grinned.
Jack jumped slightly as someone knocked on the door loudly. He did not recognize the knock, so he assumed that it had to be-
The door burst open and a young man strode in.
-Dallas Sutherland.
“Jack Warren?” he asked.
Jack stood. “You are Dallas Sutherland?”
“Yes.”
“My new apprentice, eh? Well, I think I’m going to enjoy training you, Dallas,” Jack said, although his tone betrayed nothing of the words he had just said.
Tirolean hurried to the door. “I’ll be leaving now,” she said. “See you later, Jack.”
Jack watched her go out, and then turned to Dallas. “I’m assuming that you have received a little bit of training, right?”
“Some, but I don’t need much. I was taught much by my dad.” Dallas folded his arms.
“I’m required to review what you have learned. It’s for your own good,” Jack stated firmly. “I have to do it.”
Dallas shrugged. “Whatever.”
He followed Jack out of the room and down the hall to a room that said ‘Grey Room’ on the door.
Jack stepped outside.
Jackie had been standing down the hall, waiting for Jack to come out.
“Jack,” she said as she hurried toward him, “I have some bad news.”
Jack shot her a quick look that said, Tell me later.
“It’s bad, Jack,” Jackie said urgently.
“Okay, fine, what is it?” Jack said impatiently.
“Clyde Weston went over the top,” Jackie said, a concerned look on her face. “After his job was over, he went out with several of our collective group dressed as policeman to chase down the girl who has been giving us trouble and several of her friends.” She paused to catch her breath. “And they’ve figured out that they aren’t really policeman. Clyde has blown our cover.” She hesitated.
“Keep going,” Jack ordered.
“And they have a prisoner.”
Jess pushed CJ and DJ to the back of the cave. “Get out!” she hissed.
Jesse was already at the back of the cave, getting the back entrance open. “Get out! Hurry!” he told them as they sped past.
The policemen charged after them, yelling, “Stop! Stop!”
“By no means will we stop,” Jess muttered to herself, urging Kerry and the boys on.
Out of the cave, they started charging through the forest beyond. CJ and DJ were at the front, with Kerry and Jess right behind them and Ryan and Jesse forming the rearguard.
The policemen were hot on their trail. The two in front pulled out their gun, and started shooting.
Kerry ran faster, her breath coming out in great gasps.
Jess chanced a look back. “Jesse, look out!” she screamed.
One policeman had aimed at Jesse. He pulled the trigger.
Suddenly, Jesse wasn’t behind Kerry anymore.
Jess pushed Kerry to keep running. “We can’t do anything,” she said in a low voice. “Jesse can take care of himself…not that I’m trying to be mean or anything…and that’s if he’s still alive.”
“We can only hope,” Kerry murmured, her heart sinking.
Jess whispered to her, “See those vines ahead?”
“Yeah,” Kerry whispered back.
“I hope you’re more athletic than you look-“ Jess began.
Kerry glared at her.
“OK, OK!” Jess protested. “Well, we’ll be swinging our way out of this.
“Charge!” Ryan yelled.
Kerry ran for a vine, watching all the others do so, and then copying them. She grabbed the vine and leapt, throwing a quick glance behind them to see how close their pursuers were.
“Kerry, look out!” CJ yelled.
Kerry’s head whipped around and she saw what he had warned her about.
For the second time in a day’s time, Kerry was out to the world.
-->