I checked the edge on my blade, sharp as ever. My revolver was next, loaded with a mix of rounds for whatever waited on the other side. I'd scratched her name into the side of the barrel. I spun the cylinder and snapped it closed.
Lucy
went back into her holster on my hip.
Over a million soldiers, I was about to command north of a million soldiers between Demons and Angels. The respective House Heads would handle the minutiae, but the buck stopped with me.
We'd split the forces, the bulk of my army would head for the besieged cities of Earth with their leadership, Eligor would act as my go-between.
The rest were coming with me.
Dad watched me work with something unreadable in his eyes.
"You're going to get through this," he whispered.
"Glad one of us thinks so...Take care of them, Pop," I whispered back.
"You know I will, boy. Now... show 'em where you live."
I nodded, "All day, old man."
He huffed but smiled.
I turned and stopped halfway, looking back at him for a moment before wrapping him in a hug, our armor gently knocking together with a metal on metal rasp.
"I love you, Dad."
He held me tight for a long moment.
"I love you too, boy. Proud of you."
And I didn't have time to appreciate just how long I'd waited to hear those words from him.
I sniffed a bit, nodding into his shoulder, "Thanks, pop."
Another hand landed on my shoulder; I knew it was Mom before I looked up into her smiling eyes, she couldn't quite camouflage the fear there, but her voice was strong.
"Go get 'em, baby."
I slipped out of Dad's embrace and leaned in, pressing my forehead to hers; Jen popped into my peripherals and wound her arms around me. I reached up and grabbed her forearm with a gloved hand.
"It's been a ride, big brother." My badass baby sister whispered in my ear.
"And it isn't over," I whispered back.
I don't know how long we stood there like that, feeding off each other, letting all the things that didn't need to be said pass between us, until Ari stepped up.
"It's time, Boss."
I nodded, gave my girls a squeeze, and stepped back, wiping the tears from my eyes and shooting them a smile full of a strength I wasn't sure I had.
"Time to go be heroes."
Mom broke down first. Jen held her up, Dad offered a small wave.
I stepped into the portal with Ari and Jo at my side, our staging area fading away...
*********************************************
Times Square was deserted; ash floated through the air like a grim mockery of snow.
New York was burning, the skyline a mishmash of broken buildings and plumes of oily black smoke, specks darted here and there, every so often, one would pull into a dive and disappear, before a scream echoed through the deserted streets.
Gunfire barked, and a jet roared overhead, banking hard as rogue Angels chased it down.
"Ari," I whispered, my eyes following the F-35 as it jinked desperately.
"On it, Boss."
She blasted off, cracking the pavement and streaking toward the two assholes like a rocket. The flashes of steel and abbreviated screams told the tale. The jet tore off, unharmed.
Ari landed in front of us, wiping blood off her sword.
"That'd be them done." She finished with a grin.
I nodded, and we started walking; the defensive line was only a few blocks away. We could hear them now, fighting for their lives.
"AMMO! AMMO!"
"ALL UNITS FIRE AT WILL!"
I hooked down the next street, and chaos greeted me.
Marines, Army, NYPD, National Guard, Civilians with guns.
Belial wasn't making exceptions, and neither were we, it seemed.
A Marine with an AT4 fired a desperate shot that knocked a hulking Angel into and through a bodega; he stepped out seconds later, smoking and shaking off the rubble, striding toward the panicked kid with murder in his eyes.
I hit the Marine at a run, knocking him to the pavement, drawing my revolver, and letting my wings flare, loving the recognition in the Angel's eyes.
"Abomination," He growled, drawing his sword.
I shot him through the heart without a word, drawing my own blade and closing the gap, slicing his head off before he could rise. His body burned as I turned back to the downed Marine.
"Where's the CP?"
He was shaking, pale, terrified, but he raised a hand and pointed at a tent just ahead of us.
I nodded and offered him a fang-filled smile. "Thanks, Lance Corporal, the cavalry's here. Ari? Give them some room. Jo? Signal the rest; tell them to follow us in."
Jo saluted and blasted off, moving with the speed I'd come to expect. Ari grinned and winked before breaking into a jog that became a sprint, leaping over an overturned MRAP and joining the fight, cutting down traitors where she found them.
I kept walking, heading for the Command Post.
Time to make the introductions.
Officers and enlisted guys ran around, barking orders; the security cordon was heavy; I'd expect nothing less.
"HEY FUCKER! HANDS!"
There it was.
I spread my hands wide, the Army Sergeant stared at me down the barrel of his M4, his whole squad likewise, waiting for the word to turn me into Swiss cheese.
And I realized my wings were still out and about for all the world to see.
Whoops.
"Sarge, I need to see your CO. Right fucking now."
He blinked, "Who are you?"
"I'm the Devil, like the actual Devil. I'm not with these assholes, I'm trying to stop them, and we have no fucking time to sit down and figure it out. I need to talk to your CO."
His face twisted into a snarl, "My ass, give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your head off-"
"Mandy..." I answered and watched the color drain out of his face, "She's pregnant, you know. It's not her jerk-off husband's either. Me and that dude are gonna have some face time, talk about the things he likes to do to women for a few thousand years or so...Dan...." I used his name, smiling a little, "I'm here to help, and I need to talk to whoever is in charge of this shit show."
To his credit, the shock only lasted for a second, a dopey smile blooming on his face despite the raging fight just a few hundred yards off.
"She's pregnant?"
I nodded, "Baby girl. Gonna give me a hand here?"
He shook it off, "Stay right there, don't move, I'll...I'll get someone."
His guys watched him hustle off, I glanced at a Specialist, and he already had a hand up.
"Don't even, I don't need my browser history out there."
I grinned, "Plenty of people are into that shit, Ray, no harm no foul."
Now his buddies had their eyes on him, and I snorted a little as the Sergeant came striding up with an Officer at his side, A full-bird Colonel.
"The fuck is this?" He growled.
"Colonel? I'm here to solve your problem." I waved at the steadily advancing offensive line, feeling the presence of my soldiers as they poured into Earth by the hundreds of thousands.
"What?" He looked more and more confused.
I smiled as the ground started to shake.
"Stand by... you're gonna like this."
Jo crashed down next to me, and all eyes were on her blaze white wings and silver armor. A couple of guys fell to their knees, muttering prayers...
I guess she felt like the real deal.
"Here they come." She whispered, and I followed her gaze.
Our combined army darkened the sky, blasting through the smoke on the wing, more marched along the destroyed streets, charging towards us.
I shrugged out of my jacket, revealing jet black armor, and drew my sword just as Ari came bounding up covered in blood and grime.
"Needed that." She chuckled.
I inclined my head at the stunned assembly, "Gents, stand fast; we'll take it from here."
In two long strides, I blasted off and joined my troops, racing into the fight against horrified traitors who'd been expecting a turkey shoot.
How wrong they'd been.
*********************************************
The fight lasted the better part of two days. But we pushed them back, clearing some breathing room for the beleaguered soldiers and civvies.
Now I stood in the TOC with General Officers from every US Military branch.
The man on the VTC needed no introduction.
"Mister President, if it hasn't been made abundantly clear by now. I am on your side."
The leader of the free world looked haggard, beat down...I could sympathize
"And you have to understand that I need more than that; my own advisors can't tell me what just hit us."
"The Apocalypse," I answered matter of factly, "The opposition leader is a Demon named Belial," My teeth ground together, "He killed the Queen of Hell and kicked off this little war of his, the goal is the death of every man, woman, and child on Earth. This isn't a war; it's genocide."
"Why?"
"Because everything in the Bible is true, souls of the faithful go to Heaven, souls of the damned go to Hell, it's where the respective realms draw their power. If he can send enough people to the realm he holds sway over, and even my people can't tell me what we're up against, he will become the most powerful being in existence." I spread my hands wide, "We cannot allow that to happen."
After a moment, he nodded, blowing out a sigh.
"We're on shaky ground here, but I have no choice. The bulk of these things are concentrating on Jerusalem; they're looking for something, our intel can't tell us what."
"Then leave it to us."
He nodded again, looking hopeful, "A multinational force is there, trying to hold him back. That's where you start...just fucking stop them, Mister Miller."
I drew up to my full height, letting my wings flare a little, "I will. Count on it."
I flashed a glance at Ari, and she nodded.
"I'll get them together, Boss."
"We move out immediately; time to squash this."
She saluted me and hustled out of the tent; I followed close behind. In a blasted Central Park, the staging area was alive; civilians were streaming in by the thousands, being triaged by ragged military medical personnel. More than a few of the wounded watched me with wary eyes. Some looked downright hateful.
Then I heard crying, soft, barely there.
I turned a corner, and the kids...one screamed when she saw me, and a Marine sergeant ran up, holding out his hands to stop me. His expression was beyond broken.
"Sir, I'm sorry, these kids are...they're alone."
The pain of it almost knocked me to my knees.
Orphans.
Belial made these babies, and God knew how many others, orphans.
They were all hurt somehow or another, little bodies scored by bloody wounds. They stared at me, but more at the sword, I had at my side.
