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Chapter01, Part2

Deviation Actions

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  "I think Walker is coming to," a voice spoke as Demetri began to lift his chin.

  "I told Sheila not to hit him with the dart," a second voice came. "Kid weighs less than one-fifty soaking wet and then she went and kicked him in the stomach. You weren't joking, Markess, the boy can take a punch. "

   Demetri's neck hesitated as he opened his eyes, a weight slowing its progress. He lifted a hand to his temple as he began to sit up, praying that the dull throbbing which had started there would go away. After a moment, Demetri realized that the throbbing wasn't just in his head but traveling through his butt and up his spine as well. Something tight lay across his lap and Demetri was vaguely reminded of when he was younger and his mother would tighten the car seat to the point he couldn't move. There was a pronounced pause as Demetri's vision slid cautiously into focus, his hand barely held in his peripheral vision by a shaking arm… Somehow, he had come into possession of a pair of gloves; expensive, black leather ones with touch-sensitive fingertips. Easily military-grade.

  "The hell-?" he managed as he blinked away the last cobwebs from his brain and looked up. A jarring impact coming as something around his head dropped over his eyes and hit the bridge of his nose.

  "Anderson-Samson bulletproof helmet," a new, female voice spoke and Demetri slowly pushed the weight that dropped in front of his eyes up so he could see. "Congratulations, Mr. Walker, you've made it to the second phase of your interview."

  "That voice," Demetri managed as he shifted and allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room.

   Sitting across from Demetri was a woman in a black suit, her skirt featuring a slit that went to mid-thigh. Her hair was pulled into a bun and a pair of glasses were perched on the tip of her nose; she looked as severe as a schoolmarm, but with a strange twist of lethal beauty which made it hard to look away. Demetri recognized her instantly, "You're the lady that interviewed me for the job."

  "Yes," she answered. "You may call me 'Rook'. I strongly recommend keeping that helmet on Mr. Walker. The helmet is mandatory for your 'test', as is the rest of your survival gear."

   At this, Demetri looked down and paled. His suit and dress shoes were gone, replaced by a black uniform covered with pockets and bandoliers and empty holsters. Some parts were more armored than others and Demetri vaguely wondered what was strong enough to require double padding in the crotch area.

   Rook continued as if he hadn't looked away. "As for the gloves, well…you may remove them if you wish."

  "What is all of this?" Demetri managed as he looked around and realized that the room was moving. "What 'second phase' are you talking about, and where the hell are we going, lady?"

   Something moved out of the corner of Demetri's eye and he jerked back – understandably skittish after a day of getting his ass kicked left and right – just in time to avoid getting smashed in the side of the face with something that appeared to be made out of rock. Rook smiled faintly, her eyes watching as Demetri realized that the two of them were not alone. A grating noise emitted as a shape leaned forward, the scant light oozing over its rocky hide with hesitation, as if the creature's ugliness were a deterrent. The gargoyle growled at Demetri as it withdrew its fist, leaving a sizeable dent in the metal wall.

  "You'll have to forgive Agent Markess," Rook began as she smoothed an invisible wrinkle from her skirt. "He has a bit of a personal stake in your success, Mr. Walker. In fact, he was the one who gave us the go ahead to let you into the second round of interviews."

   A wave of nausea passed over Demetri as he remembered the gargoyle he thought was moving when he left Roche's place – it had been moving – and now it was staring him down.  Rook continued as if nothing had happened. "We are currently in a helicopter heading for a secure location called 'Crimson City'."

  "Isn't that the ghost town?" Demetri hedged as he tried to swallow the bile rising in his throat and couldn't. There were nasty rumors that something had slain the inhabitants fifteen years ago and no one had been there since. Well, no one with a pulse anyway. "A-am I going to die?"

   Markess seemed to appreciate how quickly the boy had been cowed because he answered after an approving glance from Rook. "If you're smart and your reaction is good, then you will live to see another night. There is little time to fully explain, so for now I recommend you rest and listen to what Madame Rook has to say."

  "You are currently dressed in the practice uniform of the Black Knights," Rook began softly with a slight motion. "I do apologize for the tranquilizer, but it seemed to Sheila that you needed a rest after the incident with Roche."

   Demetri sighed as he looked down, fingering the material of his new uniform with a combination of reverence and reservation. "But you said it was a security post, Miss Rook," he hedged as he shrank away from Markess.

  "It still is," Rook continued as she pressed a button on the wall and a holographic screen appeared on the wall to her right. The screen began to flash images of people sectioning off alleys and taking notes at crime scenes. "The Black Knights aren't just monster wranglers and killers. We are actually in charge of keeping the peace of all Gromhyrria as the ultimate security force. Governments give us free reign because they aren't equipped to handle supernatural activities in mass numbers.

  "Unfortunately, we've encountered a recent boom in supernatural activity and it has cost us some good men and women. Ten last week and fifteen the month before."

   Rook leaned forward, her hands folding in her lap as she finished. "So the time has come for us to seek new blood…and we are desperate Mr. Walker."

  I guess so if you're willing to kidnap me, Demetri thought as he turned his head to study the window and noted nothing but clouds and inky black. "What will we be doing there?"

  "Hunting, Mr. Walker…and perhaps for a time being hunted." She paused as his face stiffened, looking through the window with an obvious lack of concern. "You and the rest of the applicants will be fully debriefed when we land. But in the meantime, I recommend getting some rest and deciding whether or not you want to leave the gloves on. They're heat-resistant and can withstand bites up to five thousand pounds per square inch, you know."

                                                         *   *   *   *   *

   The big-bellied helicopter approached Crimson City roughly ten minutes later with Rook, Markess and Demetri in a state of silent acceptance. In Demetri's mind it was better to die trying to get a job than living through the experience and not getting paid, or worse, still being stuck under Roche's thumb. Of course there was no guarantee that it would get better under the Black Knights-

  But it's better to die trying, right? Demetri thought as the helicopter circled around a makeshift air field on the southern side of the city. It alighted expertly and taxied to a location close to four other massive aircraft, the propellers slowly going silent.

   Markess was the first to exit with a slight hop; his claws digging into the tarmac as he looked around to make sure the area was secure. Several agents ran over, their heads ducked low against the dying turbulence of the propellers as they made it to Markess' position. A brief moment of talking came and Markess gave a nod, reaching back to wave Rook and Demetri forward.

  "We're the last ones to arrive," Markess announced as Demetri tottered from the helicopter and dropped to his knees. "Lord Bishop is eager to begin. Straighten up there, Walker."

  "Uh-huh," Demetri answered as he forced himself not to crawl to the rest of the group. Flying was fine, landings would give him problems.

   There were nine other people who made it to the second round, seven men and two women; all of them looked as if they had trained for a situation like this at least a couple of years in advance. Demetri quietly stood at the end of the line, trying to ignore the leers he was receiving. It was quite difficult, though the appearance of a knight carrying a briefcase caught his attention.

   A pair of dull clicks came as the brief case opened and a projector inside flickered and spat out an image. The image was of a severe man that appeared to be missing an ear and had a patch covering a scarred eye, though it was hard to tell much else as the image had been intentionally scrambled. Demetri guessed he was fifty or sixty, but when he spoke it was with a voice that was strong and demanded respect.

  "Greetings my second-round applicants," the man began though the slight shudder that passed though the line proved they didn't believe in the warm greeting. "You may address me as 'Bishop' and I am the head administrator of the Black Knights."

   A few curses came from down the line and Demetri arched a brow; apparently the others hadn't been informed this was for the Knights like he had been and he opted to pull his helmet down to hide a slight smirk.

   On the screen, Bishop arched his scarred brow and continued while a map suddenly replaced his face. "Your primary exercise is as follows: an escape zone has been set on a rooftop at the corner of Golden Oak and Goldenrod. You must reach this location and set off the green flare in your assigned pack to signal that you have finished."

  It can't be that easy, Demetri thought as he crossed his arms and studied the map. Crimson City appeared to have a lot of dead-end alleyways, or alleys that could only be escaped from by using escape ladders on the side of the buildings.

  "Which brings me to the secondary exercise," Bishop continued as the screen changed again, from the map to the image of a massive cage where something was pacing inside. "Have any of you ever seen a warg?"

   There were a few shakes of the head and a couple of steps back as the camera angle shifted and the group found themselves staring at a wolf-like face with saber teeth and horns.  A snarl came from the creature as it hunched and leapt, revealing a flash of something that looked like claws before the camera's image abruptly cut – the sign that it had been destroyed.

  "Not very friendly, is it?" Bishop stated flatly as Demetri began to shake his head in disbelief. "Fifteen minutes into the activity, we will release this warg into the city. The secondary exercise is to kill this creature. You will all be provided with firearms on a time release. Madame Rook, if you would be so kind as to show them the weapons and take over."

  "Of course," Rook spoke from the darkness, her voice silk compared to the steel of Bishop's.

   Rook calmly walked past the group, ignoring the pale faces and horrified looks as she stopped in front of a steel container and pressed a few buttons on the cover. A loud hiss came as a vacuum seal opened to bare a smorgasbord of rifles, handguns and munitions that Demetri had never seen before – and that included the video games he had played throughout his childhood. Judging from the reactions of the other applicants, the holiday season had come early.

  "From left to right, we have rifles with laser sights, dual-barreled handguns, flash, stun and sound grenades, and the munitions for the weapons. Additionally, we have add-on visors for the helmets, which will receive transmissions and allow you night-vision capabilities." She paused to study the looks and noted that Demetri no longer looked scared, but he wasn't eager either. He seemed to be studying the weapons and hanging onto her every word. "I understand that several of you are mercenaries or were military, but I recommend that you only load what you will be comfortable using and carrying. If there are any weapons here you are uncomfortable with, ask your nearest knight for assistance.

  "You will be given ten minutes to prep before being set loose into the city," she finished. "Are there any questions?"

   Demetri timidly raised his hand and Rook pointed at him. "I-if we don't make it…," he hedged.

  "Your families will receive a large check from a mysterious insurance company that assumes no responsibility for whatever events led to your unfortunate demise," Rook concluded without emotion.

  I can live with that, Demetri thought as he put his hand down and sighed.

   Rook gave a nod and turned away, her hands behind her back. "Begin your final preparations, please."
So, as promised, here's the second half of the first chapter. Poor Demetri seems to be getting in over his head rather quickly...

Much action to come in the second chapter, which will be the last deviation in November.

All characters and related concepts (c) :iconimerei:
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