this transmission, for these are dangerous days."
As the group quieted and settled down to listen to Father Patrick, his mental voice entered Carlos and Damali.
I saw this coming, the elderly cleric murmured into their minds. This is why, no matter how disillusioned I became on that airplane when we were all together before, I also knew the time was so close. Near death will bring clarity for a man of my years, and I wanted to be a part of this final battle... if I walked away, I would not be able to assist with resources that my organization, for better or worse, can assist you with. You have no idea how much I would have given to be with you at that historic battle against Cain. But I had to go with God's will, not my own, and put my ego and disillusionment behind me for those who will carry on beyond me. Do you understand?
Yes, Damali murmured, closing her eyes. We finally get it... and when you come, there's, uh, something I have to show you.
I've missed you, Father...seriously , Carlos said, releasing a hard sigh. Will be good to have you back with us, side by side again.
I've missed you both, too, and wished I could have been there to anoint the dead and dying on the battlefield... there is so much team healing to be done. I have prayed over your spirits that they may be given respite and never broken. If just for a little while. Both Neterus nodded as though Father Patrick could see through the phone. When he said
"Good, now let us go in prayer," Carlos and Damali smiled as their eyes slid shut.
"Bless you, Father, Imam, Rabbi, revered Monk," Marlene said as the prayer ended.
"Ashe."
Collective "good-byes" rang out and once the room was quiet, Damali clicked off the speakerphone, her gaze going around the beat-down team. She surveyed their ragged condition as did every woman in the room.
"We kicked their asses," Carlos said with a slow-dawning, lopsided smile. Shabazz and Rider pounded his fist, and then Mike did, too, with his left, uninjured hand.
"We stomped dey asses good, y'all," Mike said, a sheep ish grin peeking out on his dirty face.
"Shot the shit out of 'em," Rider said, shaking his head and raking his fingers through his hair. "But one of 'em was sweet on our boy - was a shame to kill him; he was kinda cute." The male Guardians burst out laughing as Carlos play fully shoved Rider in the arm.
"This old warhorse did a vamp snatch on an incoming that was so freakin' lovely, I had to laugh - just gripped her up by the throat," Carlos said, miming the incident, and then glanced at Tara. "Slammed her ass down on the bar, and said, 'Not in the throat, bitch.' I thought I would lose it up in that piece, just bust out laughing and break character from that shit. Rider, man, where you learn that, holmes? You saw her coming like you had three-sixty!"
"No, you the one who's crazy, man," Shabazz said, taking center stage with a wide-legged stance. "This insane brother goes running - by himself - a half-mile into pitch blackness. My locks are standing up and shit because I can feel sure death slithering down the walls, bats inching along deciding to attack or not, 'cause they figure, his bold ass must have been called by Lilith."
Shabazz held the room for ransom, reliving the tale like a camp counselor telling spooky campfire stories. "So, I'm like lighting wall torches for dude from where I'm at, hitting it
with tactical blue charge and making shit back up 'til we can get some brothers in there and cover him. Me and J.L. are hauling ass trying to catch up with him, when we skid to a halt because this huge-ass hydra, head the size of a VW, uncoils from under Lilith's bed."
"Her regular lay," Carlos said, shaking his head. 'The bitch is twisted. Literally." Shabazz and J.L. slapped him five, then pounded his fist, and burst out laughing, ignoring the stunned female faces in the room.
"Nasty," Carlos stated with a shudder and making a face. "Snakes all in girlfriend's bed. I don't know how Dante or Cain dealt." He shivered and shook it off, causing another round of raucous male jeers and laughter.
"But C-los blew they asses up, yo. It was too crazy!" Jose slapped J.L. five.
"What about the damned dogs - shit..." J.L. said, beginning to walk in a circle.
"She had pit bulls?" Damali asked, her voice awed as she watched the post-battle, comedown hype sweep the male members of the team.
"Lord have mercy," Marlene murmured, glancing at the younger women's shell-shocked expressions.
Tara was standing stone still with her hand pressed over her heart, while Krissy and Jasmine hugged each other. Marjorie's hands were clasped tightly before her, as her focus ricocheted from one storyteller to the next, then she suddenly began folding and unfolding her hands. Juanita was pacing, and she would stop every few seconds to gape, and then start pacing again. Inez was leaning against the table, one leg jumping like she had to pee. Heather stood still, slack-jawed, hugging herself. Damali could feel the pressure in the room building like a thick barometric shift. These brothers had no idea...
"Aw, man, yeah, they had Hell dogs, boo," Carlos said, laughing, oblivious to the growing distress in the room. "But my man, J.L. his ass was on fire - dayum that brother was flykicking bullshit out of the air, stunning it dead aim. You go, boy!" Carlos play-boxed with J.L., who did quick dips and pivots, not allowing him to land a blow.
"No, Mike was the crazy one - strongest mofo on the planet," J.L. said, laughing and shaking his head. "I've never seen nothing like it! Just hurled a hay-maker, all the way up from Mississippi into a Harpies funnel, and stunned the little bastards so the brothers could pop 'em on the ground. That was insane, dude!"
"Hey ... I tries," Mike said, grinning and flexing his fist, which was cut to the bone. "Just need a few stitches, or Berkfield's juice, and I'm good."
"Everybody lost it - on fire, I'll tell you what was on fire," Berkfield said, shaking his head. "Was when Jose and Dan were up on casino tables, blowing away vamps like lunatics, chips flipping from bullets. It was beautiful. You shoulda been there," he added with wide-eyed wonder. "The place was like a whole golden idol freakfest - absolutely outrageous - and that was just her bedroom. Can you imagine what it was like, for real, back in those days with whole cities teeming with demons 'til the Almighty just nuked entire areas?"
"It was over the top, D," Carlos said, agreeing with Berkfield. "Even for vamps." Berkfield rubbed a hand over his bald scalp and shivered with disgust. "I now understand the biblical flood concept." He looked at Bobby with pride. "Thanks for pulling your old man up out of a canine lunge. You shoulda seen it. This old man is proud." Then he looked at Dan. "I gotta hand it to you, too, Danny boy. You can kick demon ass with the best of 'em. My respect - damn, you shoulda seen these two work with Jose."
"Naw, dad," Bobby said, slightly embarrassed from the compliment. "None of the ladies needed to see any of that. Man!"