Storyteller
New member
Music was the culture of a people and like a window into what they valued, the pace at which they moved, and numerous other things. In the moment Calvin competed with Jax for control of the stereo which jumped between Kid Rock and country music. The people who worshiped Calvin seemed to fluctuate between fast and dirty and lyrics about a series of everything bad happening at once. Which given his day that tracked.
“I know you have things in the works and I want to know what. They have a friend of mine.” Calvin wasn’t ready to admit his folly in telling Lexi about the otherside that existed. Of course Lorlei had been close to revealing all when she whispered of creative endeavors with inception and the Matrix. Of course the humans hadn’t caught on, it had only increased their feverish worship to the digital pantheon.
Lennox, Lorlei’s brother, consumed mankind whole with his control over the humans deep dive into the virtual worlds. “I may have fucked up, bigger than the inception and Matrix.” Calvin leaned with the turns of the car feeling the engine purr and the air rolling over its smooth surfaces. Subconsciously stroked the door frame increasing the idle and shift.
“Sure, Calvin,” Jax said, gripping the seat with one hand and the door grip with the other. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re a better driver than Tally, but just take it easy.”
Swallowing hard, Jax thought back to the planning session on his jet that wasn’t too long ago, but thanks to a near-death experience, he could hardly recall the details like he normally could. Still, since it was his plan, he knew the broad strokes at least, even if he himself was about to have one.
“We sent someone low-tech to retrieve her, since we’re pretty sure Fritz must be involved and we’re worried he’ll put some funny ideas into the heads of these new gods. Tally picked him. Houston Police, Texas Ranger, FBI. Tally forged some papers so now he thinks he’s with the NSA. Or maybe he is. I dunno, it’s Tally.”
Jax glanced at Calvin to gauge his reaction before he continued.
“I wanted to cut Fritz off from his network here, so I kidnapped the Regent. He’s a big deal underground. He helped Fritz pull off the Lexington job. Acts as a go-between. Can get word across the state and up into Kentucky as fast as we can send an email. But also he gave Fritz a safe house after the job, kept him out of the heat. Anyway, I took the Regent to Fritz’s local chapter and made him watch. Burned it down. Salted the earth. Told him to get Fritz the message. I’m sure he did. I hear he uses rats or something.
“We set up a base at the Fairmont Nashville after getting them back on the grid. They gave us the run of the place, but the penthouse is big enough for what we need. When I left, the party was just starting.
“Oh, the Board checked in. The twins are coming. Tell me more about how you fucked things up.”
Calvin nodded, foot pressing down the accelerator to just within the capabilities of the car to make a turn upcoming. A smile parted his lips barely visible from within the thick beard. “ It would make sense that Fritz was in the middle of the mess. The god had been a scourge upon the car designs of the 60s and 70s. Especially the 1970 AMC Gremlin. “Should have sent one of the minors with him. The one who oversaw elevators and escalators?”
Not that they would listen to Calvin, his worshipers were notoriously anti technology ironically, and not unironically some believed that the devil lived in it. “Oh good, Zuri.” Most of his people tended to worship at her feet as well. “I still think the sherman tank was our finest work.” He was stalling on going into the details of his missteps.
“It’s a story old as time really. God falls for girl, teaches girl about racing and bikes, competitions occur. God tells her who he really is and why she should be cheering for him. Cops are called. They make up. They fight. They makeup, she runs away and joins a cult for the old gods of Greece. He saves girl, but now needs to remove the tether of another god from her soul. I think that about sums it up. Cliche, I know, but the heart wants what the heart wants. Truly she’s remarkable for a mortal, I must get her back.”
“Calvin, for fuck’s sake,” Jax gritted his teeth as they took a corner entirely too fast. Maybe Calvin wasn’t a better driver than Tally. At least she could see around every corner through security cameras. “This is why you never tell them you’re a god OF something. Just tell them you’re a god, and they’ll chalk it up to a fragile male ego.”
“Tally thinks this guy we got will deliver. At least she says she thinks that. Sometimes I think she just delights in playing people against each other and watching who wins. I’m a little more skeptical, but I figure after burning all Fritz’ bridges in town, where is he gonna go? Probably back to the hills of eastern Kentucky to be with his people, but we’ll hear if he crosses any of the national guard lines. So what’s he got left? We’ll get him, so all there is to do now is relax and rest while Creed is keeping him from doing the same. When he turns up, we’ll send out some goons and get your girl back. Maybe even lock up Fritz for good, if we play our hand right.
“He really fucked up this time. It’s like he shut down Nashville with no plan and no exit strategy. Just a poke in our eye for old time’s sake. But I guess Fritz is like that sometimes.” Jax saw another turn coming up, so he tried to look anywhere else. For a moment, he thought he saw something in the rearview. “Hey, avoid downtown. The Regent’s guns almost took me out. I honestly didn’t think they’d be so pissed after I brought him back alive and everything.”
“Fuck’s sake Jax. We can’t afford be fighten each other right now. See if you can reach them and make peace. This model wasn’t intended for combat zones. It can stop on a dime and do pin hair turns but it's not armored.” Other things were in the works for that. Not to mention the thought of the beauty taking more damage than she already had was a crime against his kind.
“Try to reach them right now, I mean it. Just cause you think less of some of us doesn’t mean you get to play favorites in times of crisis.
“Reach the Regent?” Jax twisted up his face and leaned forward towards Calvin to emphasize his feelings. “Sure, Calvin, if you’ll just pull over and swing by the nearest dumpster, I’ll go dive and find a rat, then I’ll write on it, oh we’ll need a sharpie too if you don’t already have one – I’ll write SORRY REGENT on the side and we can wait for it to scurry off and tell him.”
Jax huffed and once again thought he saw something in the corner of the rearview. “Best I can do is get the squad together and pay him a visit, but you have to get me back to the hotel for that. Just avoid downtown for now.”
“Keep up the sass, and I’ll tell you like any woman, I will pull this car over and leave your ass on the side of the road.” The car purred louder as he downshifted for another curve, as the tail twisted around before straightening. “I’d have gone with a pigeon , at least it's an airborne rat.”
“Ugh,” Jax grumbled. “Tally?”
The radio cut abruptly over to a dead channel and Tally’s voice softly faded in over the static.
“Sup?” She asked. “Oh, hey Calvin. I thought for a moment Jax got better at driving.”
“Haha,” Jax replied, clearly unamused. “Look, do you know anyone other than Fritz who has made contact with the Regent?”
“Sure,” Tally said simply.
“Anyone still living?”
“A couple.”
“Anyone who would play messenger for us.”
“Not really.”
“That’s not a no,” Jax pointed out.
“These are like Fritz’s people. They don’t like tech, so they don’t like us.”
“Still not a no.”
“Well,” Tally hesitated. “There’s a guy. He’s cool with the Regent. Cool with everyone, really. Cool with us, even.”
“So why is he a: not really?”
“Well, he’s hard to see.”
“You know how persuasive I can be.”
“Yeah, I know how persuasive you think you can be. But it’s really your money doing the persuading. He’s not about that. You’ll have to actually talk your way in.”
Jax looked at Calvin.
“Wanna try talking our way in?”
“Eh, I can try. Usually let my fists or wheels do the talking.” A heavy exhale managed to escape as he recalled his earlier words to Jax. They couldn't afford the infighting. “Am I still going to the hotel or somewhere else?” It was nice to hear from Tally even if she was a little bit of an attention seeker and too much of the flash floof.
“I’ll give you the address,” Tally said. “It’s not far from you.”
In the ass end of an industrial zone in south Nashville, next to an old rail bridge, there was a road down which every day thundered thousands of long-haul trucks, either reaching their destination, or just having departed. The trucks parked up against warehouses on either side of the road and carried most everything that ever flowed through Nashville. Even what came in by rail or plane usually stopped by these warehouses. At the end of the road was a water treatment plant, severely underfunded and understaffed. In recent years they’d even had to scale back their operating budget, despite Nashville’s growing numbers. They’d put an old concrete building up for sale. Once it housed the offices of hundreds of members of the public service, proud to oversee the waterworks directly. But a series of “efficiencies” meant that it was no longer needed, as they consolidated the jobs with other cities across the state.
Surprisingly, the building was sold almost as soon as they put it up for sale. The windows were filled in that completed the concrete facade in an almost soviet-style brutalism. And from Monday to Thursday, every week, it sat empty except for cleaning staff. By all accounts, the perfect neighbor in this area that bustled during the 9-5. But at 6 in the evening on Friday nights, when the last trucks rolled out, a new crowd rolled in. The young and the artsy. Tourists from Berlin. Rich people from everywhere. Nobody had seen an ad for the place. It wasn’t even clear what its name was. But everyone heard from someone who heard from someone else who’d been inside. It was a club. The club. In fact, it was several clubs, depending on what kind of club the patron wanted.
This was the building up to which Jax and Calvin’s Koeningsegg rolled up. Past a street full on either side with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bugattis, and every other car that anyone wanted to show off. There was a line set up, twisting back and forth between temporary barriers. A line of people who were so deeply unimpressed by yet another fancy car that most didn’t even look up.
“I think this is the place,” Jax said.
“It is,” Tally replied. “Good luck. I’ll park the car if you two want to get out and try to talk your way in.”
“Good taste in cars,” Calvin whispered as he looked at the rows of expensive power. “Ain’t dressed for this crowd.” For a moment his form seemed to shimmer from the tight blue jeans, and snug t-shirt to a simple pair of dress pants and button up shirt that matched the car. The hair and beard slicked from the wind blown disheveled look of before. “Alright, that’s better.”
Calvin tucked one hand in a pocket as he climbed out to assess the state of things. They didn’t seem to draw any overt attention. Rich people were an odd bunch, they liked to pretend to be poor. He’d rather have had plush carpets and thick chairs. Waiting for Jax to join his side. “Let’s do this.”
“It’s like it’s his first warehouse party,” Jax told the radio, assuming Tally was still listening. He ran his hands through his hair, leaving it with a rainbow tint that glowed under black lights. When he stepped out of the car, he was wearing big black boots, tight leather pants, and a neon green fishnet halter top. “Just like my last rave.”
Jax was about to close the door, before he remembered. He dove back in and grabbed something from the glove box before closing the door and watching the car drive itself away. He stuff the macguffin into his pocket, just in case. The tightness of his pants left nothing to the imagination about what it was.
“You taking the lead, or shall I?”
“After you, sparkles. Top would look better if you had tits, just saying.” Calvin could only shake his head as they walked towards the warehouse. Reminding himself that they needed allies. Especially after he’d been forced from his last host.
“Maybe,” Jax shrugged as they very overtly skipped the huge line and went straight for the front door, where he was expecting to find someone they could convince. “Depends on what the bouncer is into. Some people are all over this tight bod.”
“Names.” A male who appeared to be in his mid thirties with a physique that was no stranger to a gym though apparently not fond of machines that worked his lower half asked.
“Jax Nova and Calvin Lastname,” Jax said confidently, waving his hand dismissively as if to say “no need to look for us on a list, you can see us on the news every week,” which would have been cooler if he didn’t proceed to say it explicitly.
“Wasn’t gonna. Just part of the script. Ratio of dicks to tits is in favor of dicks tonight so no entrance allowed. Balance and all that.”
“Ah, but see,” Jax smiled and leaned forward. “I’m the only reason any lights are on in Nashville right now, so…”
“Yeah? That must mean you have a special invitation?” The bouncer questioned though he waved in two women who may or may not have been wearing flesh tone clothes.
“Yeah,” Jax leaned back, feeling like he was getting somewhere. He quickly recalled the name that Tally had given them. “Dio wants to see us.”
“I just like fast things. Women, cars, and it's all about the chase. I’ve won a few things. Could get you tickets to some stuff. I’m a big name in Bristol.” A hand slipped into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet flush with cash. Only idiots trusted the government with their money. In this regard he agreed with his people. Far safer in the mattress or a mayonnaise jar in the backyard.
The cash in hand caused the bouncer to snap as if the proverbial lightbulb came on. “I do seem to remember Dio mentioning he was waiting on some folks…Right this way gentleman.” He was courteous enough to even hold the door after he unhooked the red rope. “And if women aren’t the only fast things you like, you know the magic price.”
Jax let his eyes flicker between the bouncer and Calvin as they narrowed, wondering if the bouncer was insinuating something more than a cash transaction. But then he shrugged, realizing that whatever was going on between those two wasn’t any of his business, so he slipped through the door.
Calvin sorted out four one hundred dollar bills, holding back some if he needed to buy his way out of Tally’s wonderland. The men in leather jockstraps with suspenders raised an eyebrow and he added another hundred for good measure. “I believe the saying is ass, grass, or cash.” He had to yell the statement over the pounding of the music. The individuals in attendance seemed oblivious to the curfew that had been set or the act of terrorism that had occurred.
The entrance hallways was much wider than the doorway. Not quite big enough to be a dancefloor in its own right, but big enough to allow bodies to flow in and out without crashing into each other. The hall itself was dark enough that only bright or reflective surfaces were visible, and on either side there were rooms that were even darker. A lightshow on the dance floor at the end of the hall occasionally lit up rooms, just for a moment, enough for Jax to get a glimpse at the writhing bodies in the alcoves. Everywhere he looked, Jax saw moving lips, but the throbbing beat of the music made it impossible to hear any words.
When they made it to the dancefloor, Jax found himself surrounded by young people dressed in bright clothes of every color. At one end of the floor, a DJ span records on a raised dais while lasers bounced off impeccably reflective mirror walls, making the space look like it was infinite in every direction.
Jax followed the light show as it shot upwards to a glass ceiling far above, through which he could see nubile bodies dressed in white or nothing at all, dancing to what seemed like a different beat. As the bodies moved, he saw that the ceiling above them contained the word HEAVEN in bright white neon.
With an idea of what he might see, Jax finally looked down and felt a sudden surge of vertigo as he discovered that the floor was glass and looking down, he could see a third dance floor far below. Below, the dress code was strictly black and either leather or latex as people danced on a floor that spelled out HELL in bright red letters.
Turning back to Calvin, Jax carefully mouthed the words DIO, then HEAVEN OR HELL, hoping he could read his lips.
Outside, for the first time since the club’s opening, everyone in the line looked up, for none had ever seen an undead cowboy riding a fire-breathing horse with a twink before. Creed stared back at the partygoers, but when he didn’t see the red glow he associated with a false idol, he groaned. Ker stopped just short of the bouncer and turned sideways while Creed carefully helped Gabby down before stepping down himself.
Creed gave the bouncer a once-over and weighed the chances that he might do something if he simply walked past him, before pulling out a folded letter and handing it to the top-heavy man.
“NSA,” Creed growled. “Going in.”
The fuck was he to tell a guy with half a face no? He was going to have to talk to his dealer about whatever was being put in their weed. “Looks like you’re on the list.”
Creed took the letter back and walked past him, while Gabby followed, grinning up at the big man and skipping along behind him, obviously pleased beyond measure at how the evening was going. Ker snorted impatiently and slowly clip-clopped around the bouncer, until she was looking over his shoulder, quietly huffing her disapproval at everyone he considered letting in.
Olivia quietly stood in line outside Midgard, the only nightclub in Nashville that was worth waiting for. Charlotte, who was currently standing next to her and hopping from one foot to the other to try and keep her bare legs awake, had argued they should show up at 6, when they opened the doors. But Olivia knew that the first few hours at any nightclub, even Midgard, were lethargic and slow, as the party beast took some time to wake up and get into the rhythm, so they were better to rest up, pre-drink, and show up closer to midnight. Olivia also wanted to go to Helheim first, whereas Charlotte preferred Asgard. Neither of them had been to either the top floor nor the bottom of the club, but last week they got in for the first time and they saw what kind of aesthetic was required to level up, so to speak. They compromised, and Olivia got to pick when, and Charlotte got to pick where. At least where first.
Consequently, rather than her favorite bedroom attire consisting of a black leather bikini with strategically placed metal studs and her shiniest fuck-off knee-high boots, she wore a simple wrap top and a white skirt that swished just right when she moved her hips. Into both, she’d sewn a silver hem that she was hoping would glitter in the club lights. Of course, Charlotte was a bit of a casual when it came to costumes, so Olivia helped her put together something similar from her own wardrobe, albeit without the silver hems. Finally, while Charlotte was satisfied with simple sandals to go for more of a greek aesthetic, Olivia had a pair of silver heels with straps that wrapped around her calves in a double-helix that she thought were absolutely fire.
They’d both grabbed little angel wings from a cheap costume they’d found at Spirit of Halloween. But since Charlotte got to pick the outfits, her wings were currently being crushed under the backpack they’d filled with bottles of water, phone chargers, some protein bars, some adderall Charlotte scored from her roommate, and their leather outfits for later. And in Olivia’s case, she’d added a helmet (foraged from her Malenia cosplay, but resprayed in silver instead of gold), and a dragon slayer spear.
Olivia had thought her outfit was amazing, considering she’d scrounged it together in a week, that was until they showed up and discovered that the club had completely rebranded itself and had more of a heaven and hell theme going on. Thankfully, their valkyries looked close enough to pass as angels, but it irked Olivia that now Charlotte looked more appropriate for the theme. Plus, was it still called Midgard? What kind of place rebrands with no notice? And it hadn’t even been open that long. As far as she could tell, nobody had heard of it before about a month ago.
Regardless, they had just reached the start of the line and were trying to shift around to keep the blood flowing under all their exposed skin in the chilly autumn air, while simultaneously trying to cultivate the kind of blasé expressions that were most likely to get them past the highly-selective bouncer. When a couple of white guys strolled up and talked their way in with an obvious exchange of money, Olivia felt doubly peeved. She knew better than to raise a fuss about it though, since they were so close to getting in, she didn’t want to risk it. Besides, more than enough people yelled and grumbled from farther back, and nothing they had to say seemed to have any effect on the bouncer.
Not long after the two bastards got in, Olivia was pretending to ignore the bouncer when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw his expression change for the first time tonight. Following his sightline, Olivia gasped when she saw a legit skeletal cowboy roll up on a fire horse. Olivia gave up trying to be neutral and did her best to get a closer look. Even close up, his costume was impeccable. He, or whomever he’d paid, was clearly an absolute master in the craft. It was too bad about his girlfriend, who just wore a fluffy sweater and looked like a lesbian sheep.
It seemed fair enough to Olivia that the guy with the amazing costume got in, but it made her even more frustrated because he was clearly headed for hell. Would he still be there when they were done in heaven? Olivia gave Charlotte a sidelong glance and wondered if she would forgive her if she immediately changed and went to hell. Probably not. But if she at least stayed in heaven for a dance or two, she could probably slip away while someone was hitting on Charlotte.
Finally, they were beckoned over by the bouncer and waved inside. The cowboy’s horse, who had obviously stayed outside, huffed at them. Olivia paused for a moment and wondered how the fire effect on its hooves worked, and how it so realistically seemed to snort smoke out of its nostrils. However it was done, the effect was magical. She almost wished the horse could come inside and party it up in hell.
Once inside, Charlotte was overcome with excitement and grabbed Olivia’s hand, leading her through the tragically aesthetically unaligned crowds of the middle level, until they nearly crashed into the two rich white guys who seemed to be having some kind of quarrel about where to go. Typical, Olivia thought, as she tugged Charlotte away from the dead end that the two men had created, backtracking to a fork, and then proceeding forward again. They reached the Cowboy and his honestly too-young-looking girlfriend. Again, Olivia paused and tried to look for the edges of the prosthetic on his face. The Cowboy turned his gaze in her direction, but just seemed to look straight through her. Fucking typical, she grumbled to herself. All the best leather daddies are gay, she thought as Charlotte once again took charge and pulled her towards the stairs leading up to heaven. Olivia made the briefest of eye contact with the Cowboy’s girlfriend and suddenly wondered if he was actually a boyfriend.
Charlotte practically dragged Olivia past the queue that was waiting for the elevator. This wasn’t their first time, and they knew it didn’t go all the way up. Instead, they walked to an empty corner to one side of the DJ and slipped into the Stairway to Heaven. Eight full flights of stairs were grueling at the best of times, but they were murder in heels. But Olivia was determined to make it all the way to heaven with her calves still tied up, after all the time she’d taken to tie them.
They reached the top floor and took a minute to catch their breath before stepping into the pearly gates, where a big guy in a white toga was providing additional security to the most exclusive club-within-a-club. To call him “big” was drastically underselling his size. He had the exact proportions of a standard doorway, 6’8” tall, 2.5 feet wide, and from this angle, Olivia couldn’t accurately gauge his girth, but her best estimate was very.
“Have you been good girls?”
“We sure have, sir,” Charlotte said excitedly.
“Lemme see that bag.”
Charlotte handed it over and he searched it, but not thoroughly enough to find the Adderall. Would he care? Would that have been enough to disqualify them? Olivia wasn’t sure, but she never found out, because he handed it back to Olivia and stepped aside to let them in.
Once they were past the bubble of silence and through the gates, the choral-flavored EDM beat washed over them. Finally, they were in! Olivia couldn’t help but be excited. She’d never made it this far. Everyone inside had roughly the same kind of thing going on that she and Charlotte had, although Olivia couldn’t help but think her spear and helmet drew a few interested looks. Which was great, except almost everyone upstairs was a woman. Was this a lesbian club?
I’m going to get a drink, Olivia yelled, but there was no way Charlotte could hear her. Plus, she was already grinding up against people on the dance floor. With a sigh, she slung the pack over her shoulder and started looking for the bar.
Calvin’s eyes shifted between the floors and was reminded of Tron. The race of the future on bikes in a glass stadium, sighing happily he was returned by the thump of music and gyration of bodies. A bushy eyebrow arched as he read Jax’s lips, heaven or hell?
Again he looked up and down at the nude bodies or mostly nude and assumed that he was referring to the black and white aesthetic that humans referenced with their afterlife. It was strange to think that his followers subscribed heavily to this and thought they would be in the white. Yet he had a feeling that he’d find more of his followers down in the black.
For the sake of ironic entertainment Calvin pointed up with a single finger. Plus this fucked over Jax’s aesthetic choice. “Are you sure that Dio is here and we aren’t being messed with?” Calvin had to yell over the music.
Jax nodded at the upwards-pointing finger and then squinted as he tried desperately to read Calvin’s lips. “Are you sure” was easy enough, and “here,” was the only other word he caught. Jax spent a moment thinking about how best to summarize what he wanted to say.
Well, it’s Tally, so there’s certainly a strong chance that she’s just fucking with us. But usually she leads us to whatever we want, just in the way that’s most interesting for her. So probably Dio is here, but she probably neglected to tell us about easier people to get in touch with, or easy ways to find Dio, or maybe an alternate route to getting a message to the Regent.
In the end, Jax gave a confident thumbs-up, and turned back to the dance floor, trying to figure out how to get up. He saw a huge group of people in white waiting for an elevator, but then a couple of girls dressed as angels walked right past them. It was easy enough to visually follow a girl with an eight-foot spear as she crossed the room and disappeared into a fire exit with a little illuminated picture of a set of stairs. Jax waved for Calvin to follow him as he followed the girls through the door and up the stairs, being careful to keep a respectable distance behind them.
So much for getting information out of Jax, it was like your typical family get together that happened every five years at a bicentennial randomly chosen in the world. At least there they would fake a UFO sighting or something interesting would occur. Calvin followed through the crowd and up the stairs. The music took an artistic edge the higher they climbed.
Certainly more instrumental but merged with technology. Less thumping and more flow. It certainly wasn’t the hits of the eighties that Calvin had helped spear head but it wasn’t bad. The lighting was whites and blues and they both stood out in the sea of white and silver attire. A woman wrapped a white feather boa around Jax and tried to pull him onto the dance floor as if he were an exotic cow.
“Jax, we don’t have time for this.” Calvin growled as he watched Jax being roped into the sea. A chocolate chip in the sea of vanilla. At least he was easy to find. “Where is the VIP lounge?” Calvin had a woman with angel wings by the arm and pulled close so she could hear his voice.
With the extra cash in his pocket, the bouncer strongly considered turning in his resignation because nowhere in his job description did it say he was responsible for monitoring fire equipped horses. Clubs were a dime a dozen. He’d bounce back. On the other hand, the possibility of another bribe additional admission fee coming his way gave him the motivation to stay. That was until a both over and underdressed woman with a golden snake wrapped around a staff appeared out of nowhere. “Sorry. Gotta match the aesthetic.”
Rather than answering, she looked to her staff. The bouncer thought the snake was an accessory, but he jumped back when it hissed at him. “Exception to every rule.”
For the first time tonight, the fiery horse Ker gave someone, Order in particular, a polite little nod instead of huffing disapprovingly.
“Thank you.” With the threat subdued, the staff’s protector simmered down, but before Order entered returned the faithful steed’s nod. “I’ll send your master out soon.” It was as the saying went. Great minds thought alike seeing as Creed was somewhere nearby, but he was not her immediate concern. Somewhere in the mass of humans were Jax and Calvin which proved that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
While Order appreciated what looked to be a clear division between the masses, the debauchery reminded her of the times where humans, drunk off the nectar of gods, lost all inhibition. It was best for her not to linger amidst the chaos. She would transport the two gods to their proper place and move to the next part of her plan. Although if memory served her correctly, which it always did, two more deities cohabited within the space. They could all be collected in one fell swoop unless the two embodiments of mayhem and havoc disrupted her scheme. Creed and Gabby stood out like sore thumbs. Ignoring them would have been a valid course of action, but Order could not physically be in two places at once. To leave them to their own devices knowing Creed’s mission was to disrupt Order, was unwise.
With the decision made, her approach wasn’t without issue. The crowd did not immediately part for her, but when her snake bared its fangs, they were more willing to give her space. “Creed, Gabby. We were not meant to meet again so soon. Leave this place.”
Gabby gave Order a wave, then nudged Creed with her elbow. When he didn’t immediately turn, she started tugging on his sleeve with increasing force, until he looked down, and then up again when he saw Order.
You again? He mouthed, unable to project his gravelly voice loud enough to actually be heard. Unless Fritz is here, I don’t have time for you yet.
“She wants us to leave,” Gabby said.
Creed looked down at Gabby, surprised that he could understand what s/he said. Then he looked around and realized that he could clearly see what everyone was saying, as long as he could see their lips moving.
Well that’s new, he pointed out.
“Hey,” Gabby snapped their fingers in front of his face. “Focus, big guy. I think she wants to fight you now.”
What? Creed turned to Order. I thought we weren’t going to fight until after I got Fritz?
“If I wished to fight, I would not have ordered you to leave. The Staff of Order would have devoured you on the spot.” Order corrected. To emphasize her point, she pointed her staff towards the door. “I am here to restore order. I ask that you not interfere.” If asking did not work, then she supposed they would once again be at an impasse. A confrontation was out of the question. If she were unwilling to risk Gabby’s life, she certainly would not put an entire club in danger of nonexistence. They were creeping closer and closer to her final option of banishing Creed to her home until loose ends were tied.
In an attempt to dissuade his interest in the place, Order added, “Your Fritz is not here.”
Creed shot Gabby a disapproving look when he realized that s/he was just trying to instigate a fight. But since it wasn’t meaningfully different from how he normally looked, s/he just smiled back at him. Somehow, Gabby’s gap toothed smile gave him an idea.
That’s fair, he groaned and used a hand to soothe his aching throat by rubbing it gently. There was entirely too much talking going on for his taste. We’ll leave.
“No!” Gabby wailed and collapsed against him, pulling on his overcoat. “We just got here. I’ve only ever read about places like this, and now you want to go?”
Breaking Gabby’s heart, Creed tsked at Order. How about we stay, but out of your way?
Gabby’s pitiful display did little to move Order as evidenced by the way her face remained unmoved. “Gabby’s heart will heal.” She guaranteed them both though she wished she felt the same reassurance. Creed’s compliance came far too easily for a man with such faith in his god. “Are you a man of honor, Creed?” She asked with a tilt of her head. Her hand tightened around her staff when two intoxicated humans bumped into back to back in their haste to get to their next destination. “I am losing my patience, and I cannot promise to be rational if your words are a ploy.”
Of course I’m a man of honor, Creed stood up a little straighter, honestly feeling offended, even if it had been a ploy. You pick up or down, we’ll go the other way. Never the twain shall meet. Swear to God, I’ll stay out of your way.
“Oh! Oh! I wanna go down!” Gabby looked down through the glass floor at all the muscular bodies tied up every which way with black leather and bathed in red light. Gabby bit her lip and started daydreaming.
Naw, it’s only fair if we let Order pick, Creed shook his head. In truth, he hoped they wouldn’t have to go to hell, since the only way he could tell a false idol was from their red outline, which was useless in red lighting. Up to you, Order.
“If your intentions are to stay out of my way, it does not matter if we travel together or not.” Order mused as she followed Gabby’s line of vision down. There was one deity below which left three on the upper floors. “Seeing as Gabby’s heart suffered so much before, it’s only fair that we go below. Come.”
Although Order was the one to issue to the order, she turned away from the direction she came but paused as she wondered how to traverse down.
Gabby bounced with excitement at Order’s words, and was quick to jump in when she hesitated.
“Oh don’t worry, I know how to get to hell,” Gabby pointed at a pair of thin, young men in leather shackles and collars with chains connecting them both together. They each carefully carried a silver serving tray of drinks balanced on their head. Behind them, a hairy muscular man with (presumably) prosthetic demon’s horns followed them, occasionally tugging on their leashes. The three of them made a b-line to an unmarked doorway on the opposite side of the DJ from the Stairway to Heaven. “Let’s follow them.”
Creed narrowed his eyes at Order, but didn’t say anything. Biding his time, he simply nodded and let Order lead the way.
With the memories of generations at her disposal, not much took Order off guard, but she did find herself staring at the three men. She truly was out of touch with mortals if servitude had returned to society. A consequence of Chaos growing influence most likely. “Against my better judgment, yes.”
The knob on the doorway was warm to the touch, and a noticeable wave of heat hit her squarely in the face. She estimated that it had to be close to 80 degrees (26) inside. No doubt to add to the illusion of entering hell. The steps were made of gray cement with a single yellow line down the center of each. Alternating strobes of red and black lights illuminated the narrow space.
With her free hand, she fanned herself as they stepped lower. It did not get hotter, but by the time they reached yet another doorway, her dress was stained with a few moisture droplets. However, it was nothing compared to the sweaty mass of people gyrating to the pounding music. Each person they passed seemed to wear less than the last. Tiny scraps of fabrics were the only thing preventing full sexual gratification and instead limiting people to twerking and thrusting which was considered dancing in modern times.
“Whew,” Creed breathed heavily in the sudden heat, though he appreciated the reprieve from the acoustic onslaught of the music upstairs. “It’s like summer back home in Texas.”
“I don’t mind it,” Gabby bounced along happily. “I’ve always…”
“Good,” Creed interjected as he pulled off his overcoat, and carefully draped it over Gabby, who suddenly looked shocked. She looked double-shocked when he took off the shirt he was wearing underneath, clearly exposing the section of his ribs where all the skin had been burned off. As evidenced by the part of his torso where he still had skin, Creed had once been very fit. Not as heavily muscled as many of the demons, devils, and muscle daddies they were passing, but he had clearly-cut abs and well-defined pecs. A tattoo of a list of names written in tiny black letters wound its way up his one arm that still had any skin on it from his wrist all the way to his pectoral muscle. “Hold onto these until I need them, or someone else does.”
Gabby just looked up at him and nodded as they followed behind Order. Creed let his hands hang from his holsters and did his best to hide the face that one of his guns was missing. With his shirt off, he suddenly felt like he could more easily disappear himself in the crowd of bodies, which was useful as he scanned the walls for a fire alarm.
Hell, Creed thought to himself. If I can see what they’re saying at any distance, I can hang back as far as I like. With that thought, he broke off and made for the corner of the bar that was closest to where Order and Gabby were walking. He kept his eyes on them, watching Gabby pull his coat on, stuff his shirt into one pocket, and something else into the other before buttoning it up. The bottom of the coat dragged on the floor since s/he was so much smaller than Creed, and when s/he popped up the collar, it almost completely covered their face.
Good, Creed thought. If bullets start flying, at least I won’t have to worry about Gabby.
Creed pulled up a stool and rapped the knuckles of his skeletal hand on the counter.
“What’ll you have, sir?” Creed was surprised to find that he could hear the bartender behind the counter perfectly. In fact, someone seemed to have turned down the volume on the music the moment he walked up to the bar.
“Got sotol?”
“Sorry, sir, the kitchen is closed at this hour.”
Creed sighed.
“Mezcal.”
Creed heard a glass being filled behind him.
“Courtesy of the gentleman next to you, sir.”
Creed reached into the wallet in his back pocket and pulled out a bill without looking, pressing it against the counter before picking up the drink.
“Tell him no thanks.”
“Tell me yourself, hot stuff,” spoke a new voice next to his ear. He felt a hand slipping his money into the waist of his pants. With his free hand, Creed grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted it forcefully in a practiced motion, while using one foot to trip the man. Once the man was face-down on the ground with his arm twisted painfully behind himself, Creed pressed one foot against his shoulder blade and took a sip of his drink. The man under his boot made some vocalizations, but not the ones Creed had been expecting.
“I think he likes it,” yet another voice said. “I think he’s saying step on me harder, daddy!”
“Stolas?”
“I’m flattered that you remember me.”
“What do you want?”
“Can’t I just be here to enjoy myself?”
“No.”
“I’m hurt, Creed.”
“I’m working.”
“Looks to me like you’re getting your little buddy to do the work while you supervise and get a drink.”
“It’s not like that.”
“What’s it like, Creed? Did you get offended when a pretty lady insinuated you were anything but honorable, and now you’re looking for a loophole so you can technically keep your promise to stay out of her way while also scratching another name off your arm? Are you hoping she’ll be impressed by how clever you are?”
“Not like that either.”
“On the one hand, I’m impressed. It’s just what I would have done,” Stolas said as he walked in front of Creed, who ducked his head to one side and then the other to keep his eyes on Order and Gabby. As he came into sight, he was the same guy Creed had seen earlier at the crossroads. But as he passed across his vision, his appearance morphed into a red-skinned man with a crown of horns, then his features shifted again and became more feminine, and then finally completed the transition into a woman who looked similar enough to be Order’s sister, except that half of her face was gone just like his own. “On the other, if I’d known you were so easy to manipulate, maybe you wouldn’t be half under Michael’s thumb.”
“Not under anyone’s thumb.”
“Creed, you have no idea what kind of arena you stepped into the moment you agreed to our deal. One way or another, when your deal is done, you will be a pawn for him or me,” Stolas explained as Creed took another sip. “And now, whether purposefully or not, Order has put her own thumb on the scale. If she doesn’t want you killing gods or if she makes you question your scruples about killing an innocent like her, then she may have inadvertently tipped you in my favor, for which I’ll have to thank her properly later. But however you want to lay it out, someone’s making you their bitch, Creed.”
“Hmm.”
“Even before the deal, Tally was playing you. Or what was it? Talbot? Agent Talbot?”
“That was a job.”
“Sure it was, Creed. Your job was to hunt down a narcoleptic girl, a private eye, and a guy who didn’t know what millenia he was living in because they supposedly cut the power to all of Nashville.”
“Fritz cut the power.”
“But you weren’t supposed to go after Fritz, were you? You had explicit instructions to leave him and bring in the others, didn’t you? If you brought him in any way, that would’ve been against the rules.”
“I–”
“Would you have followed Tally’s rules? I don’t think so. I can tell you wouldn’t like it being Tally’s or Michael’s or Order’s bitch. They have too many rules. You aren’t a rule-follower, Creed. You love quests, and the more tragic the better. I don’t have rules, Creed. And I have plenty of tragic quests for you to sink your teeth into.”
“No, thanks.”
“You don’t have to decide now, Creed,” Stolas said, and traced a skeletal finger across his charred cheekbone. “Just keep me in mind. Something tells me you’ll need someone’s help sooner or later. And Michael isn’t exactly the hands-on type.”
And then Stolas was gone.
And then Creed took a long, slow sip of his drink. Stolas was right, but there was one way Creed saw to get out of the mess he’d gotten himself into. It came to him even as Stolas was still speaking. Creed didn’t like how easily it came to him, because it was contrary to a big part of how he saw himself. He had all the tools he needed to unchain himself. But then what would he do?
And the man under Creed’s boot came in his pants.
Olivia picked up the chalice of ruby-red liquid from the bartop and inspected it suspiciously.
“What the hell is kykeon?”
“They used to use it for rituals in Greek mystery cults,” the bartender replied unhelpfully with a knowing smile.
Olivia turned and gave a half-hearted smile as she raised the glass to the older woman with blonde hair in the white toga who had apparently paid for her drink. If the woman hadn’t had such a predatory look in her eye, Olivia might have been tempted to thank her, but instead she deftly slipped back into the crowd.
Sipping at the drink, she found that it wasn’t bad, but wasn’t what she would have picked for herself. It tasted like a very bright and bubbly rosé wine, with a strange subdued flavor that reminded her mostly closely of cheese, but not in a bad way.
Suddenly, Olivia almost jumped out of her skin as a tatted-up redhead hipster grabbed her arm and yelled at her. When she got over her moment of fright, she almost tossed the drink in his face, but then looked around the crowd. The only other guy she could see was a skinny guy with black hair wearing a bright green fishnet halter top. With all of her other options considered, she shrugged her way out of his grip and then took his hand in hers, and led him towards the wall opposite from the DJ and lightshow.
There was a curtained-off area with a little velvet rope hanging between two stanchions, beside which there was another bouncer who could have been cloned from the one outside of heaven. Approximately the size of a door and looked like he weighed as much as a Prius.
“Can we get into the VIP?” Olivia asked him and then fluttered her eyelashes. Internally, she was surprised to find that she could hear herself talk here. She realized she could hear herself at the bar too. She wondered what kind of technology the club used to make that happen. Maybe just perfectly tuned acoustics.
“Are you VIPs?” The bouncer turned to Calvin and gave him an upwards nod, as if to say sup?
Apparently the woman he had snagged wasn’t accustomed to being swooped up based on the incredulous look she gave him. When she dropped her hand into his, he looked back at Jax now entwined by two boas. It seemed that he was going to have to figure this out on his own. Typical. The young woman did have a mysterious air, and the dark eyes held a level of attitude that he didn’t think he’d gotten to experience yet.
Calvin allowed her to speak first while eyeing the bouncer. At least he was a mortal, he returned the nod while keeping the woman’s hand locked in his. “Yes.” He was a god after all. “Just need to meet up with Dio.”
“Dio?” The bouncer shook his head. “Go to hell.”
“That’s rude,” Olivia said, her face twisting into a frump. Then she realized what he meant. “Oh, he means that Dio is down in hell, not up here in heaven.”
“Wait!” A voice from within the VIP lounge yelled out. “I know that voice!”
Out from between the curtains and over the velvet rope bounded a muscle-bound guy with blonde hair, who honestly could have passed for Fabio in the right light. He was wearing nothing except an exceedingly short white kilt, sandals, and an airline captain’s hat. The fact that he was wearing nothing under his kilt was made evident when he bounded over the velvet rope, and when Olivia was doing her best to look anywhere else, she noticed that his nipples were pierced with little airplane propellers. She couldn’t help but wonder if they could spin as she stared at them.
“Calvin!” The man yelled. “Bro! I didn’t know you liked to party! Here, let me get you a drink!”
“Ace! Brother! See you’re free balling it. Now the question of how many spins does it take? Bet I can get to take off before you!” He gave him a grin, Calvin was slightly older than Ace which he didn’t hesitate to remind him of. Now they just needed Links, their oldest brother, and Astrid, their baby sister. “How have you been?” Calvin let go of the woman to pull Ace into a tight bear hug and pounded him on the back.
“Saw your new luxury line, nice. Though Astrid is branching into tourism.” Calvin hadn’t expected a familiar face and couldn’t wipe away the smile. It eased some of the tension of the day. “Did you lose any planes today?”
Olivia watched as the two men hugged and wondered to herself if it was uncomfortable to hug when you had pierced nipples.
“Never been better,” Ace beamed. “Well, that’s not true. It was better when Concordes were flying, but hey - there’s a new company in the US trying to bring back supersonic passenger flights, so that’s cool. And you know flying is the safest way to get anywhere. How many people die every day in car crashes?
“Anyway, you looking for Dio? He’s in Hell. I could take you there, if you want.” Ace finally turned his attention to Olivia. “Oh hey babe,” he said and then took her recently-discarded hand in one of his, while using his other to take off his captain’s hat so he could bow down and kiss her hand. “M’lday, would you like to accompany us to hell?”
“Oh, I…” Olivia started, obviously squeamish about the kiss on her hand, but then she remembered how quickly Charlotte had abandoned her. “Actually, yes.”
Olivia thrust her drink into Ace’s hand, disappeared behind the curtain with her backpack, then almost immediately reappeared, wearing leather straps that tied up her body in a shibari-style harness, but also covered her nipples and crotch. Sadly, her fuck-off leather boots wouldn’t fit in her backpack, so she’d had to settle for simple black heels. But she did have room for a riding crop, which she used to smack Ace’s hand after she retrieved her drink.
“Let’s go, boys!”
“Seems we find women like our toys, fast.” Calvin wasn’t upset to see Ace relinquished to the job of drink caddy. Though it seemed like a bad idea to mix mortals into their affairs. Well more than they had already been. Calvin had to admit that hell was more of his aesthetic than heaven when he saw the leather. Add a black bomber jacket and she would have been on to something. Just the jacket and some heels. He got chills just thinking about it.
“Seems like she’s telling you to look but don’t touch Ace.” Calvin hadn’t been swatted after all. “Jax is here as well, he was captured by feather boas.” As they began to maneuver through the glass estate reminiscent of thirteen ghosts he cut his eyes to the side. “Seriously, how have you been with the events of today? I’ve seen first hand that our old cousins are likely back in town.” He hoped that Ace would pick up on what he was trying to tell him.
Ace chuckled and rubbed his hand, seemingly incapable of taking offense at anything. “Just the way I like ‘em, bro! Turbulent.” Ace let out a full-on gut laugh as he started leading the both of them around the dance floor back to the stairwell. Without warning, he swooped into the mess of bodies, but then swooped out again, practically dragging the much smaller Jax by his green fishnet top.
“Aww, come on,” Jax groaned. “You just can’t stand the thought of me getting any. Oh, hi Ace.”
“Hey Jax,” Ace replied before turning back to Calvin. “This is the first I’ve heard about our cousins. I’ve been holed up in this club since….actually, I’m not sure when. What day is it?”
Ace opened the door to the stairwell and slipped inside with Jax. When Olivia opened the door to follow them, she was surprised to see that they’d both changed into leather outfits. Ace had kept his captain’s hat, but now had matching cuffs and leather shorts. Jax, meanwhile, had basically the same outfit but now it was all black. And when she squinted, Olivia could swear he was wearing eyeliner.
Calvin eyed the line of scantily clad but refused to alter his attire. Well that was bad news. “It’s Thursday.” They never did get around to renaming the weeks. Probably just one more way that the old gods were gradually being fed. “This is why Astrid is passing you by.”
“Come on Jax, Dio is in hell, apparently.” The click of heels on the glass was somehow relaxing. Not that Calvin was prone to having anxious nerves. As they descended down the lighting grew darker, glow in the dark melded with the occasional flash of red and green. Bodies seemed to flash in and out with the darker lighting. A writhing mass that bordered on a mellow mash pit. Calvin held out an arm to guide the lovely woman towards their ultimate goal.
“So you and Dio buds now? Seems like an odd pair. You realize the problem with our cousins being out. Jax just got Nashville back up and running from the black out. Seems the cult stumbled across information they never should have found.”
“Dio and me?” Ace asked with a shrug. “I guess. I haven’t known him for very long. But everyone’s talking about him like he’s suddenly their best bud. They say he’s got the best drinks, which is saying something here.
“No shit? Nashville was down? Power never went out here. I guess they have a generator or something. Wait, whose cult are we talking about here?” Ace looked confused and leaned in close to Calvin, exposing to his brother the smell of every kind of alcohol. “Does Dio have a cult? I guess it could explain why he’s everyone’s friend. Maybe he’s the god of wine or something.”
“I know you have things in the works and I want to know what. They have a friend of mine.” Calvin wasn’t ready to admit his folly in telling Lexi about the otherside that existed. Of course Lorlei had been close to revealing all when she whispered of creative endeavors with inception and the Matrix. Of course the humans hadn’t caught on, it had only increased their feverish worship to the digital pantheon.
Lennox, Lorlei’s brother, consumed mankind whole with his control over the humans deep dive into the virtual worlds. “I may have fucked up, bigger than the inception and Matrix.” Calvin leaned with the turns of the car feeling the engine purr and the air rolling over its smooth surfaces. Subconsciously stroked the door frame increasing the idle and shift.
“Sure, Calvin,” Jax said, gripping the seat with one hand and the door grip with the other. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re a better driver than Tally, but just take it easy.”
Swallowing hard, Jax thought back to the planning session on his jet that wasn’t too long ago, but thanks to a near-death experience, he could hardly recall the details like he normally could. Still, since it was his plan, he knew the broad strokes at least, even if he himself was about to have one.
“We sent someone low-tech to retrieve her, since we’re pretty sure Fritz must be involved and we’re worried he’ll put some funny ideas into the heads of these new gods. Tally picked him. Houston Police, Texas Ranger, FBI. Tally forged some papers so now he thinks he’s with the NSA. Or maybe he is. I dunno, it’s Tally.”
Jax glanced at Calvin to gauge his reaction before he continued.
“I wanted to cut Fritz off from his network here, so I kidnapped the Regent. He’s a big deal underground. He helped Fritz pull off the Lexington job. Acts as a go-between. Can get word across the state and up into Kentucky as fast as we can send an email. But also he gave Fritz a safe house after the job, kept him out of the heat. Anyway, I took the Regent to Fritz’s local chapter and made him watch. Burned it down. Salted the earth. Told him to get Fritz the message. I’m sure he did. I hear he uses rats or something.
“We set up a base at the Fairmont Nashville after getting them back on the grid. They gave us the run of the place, but the penthouse is big enough for what we need. When I left, the party was just starting.
“Oh, the Board checked in. The twins are coming. Tell me more about how you fucked things up.”
Calvin nodded, foot pressing down the accelerator to just within the capabilities of the car to make a turn upcoming. A smile parted his lips barely visible from within the thick beard. “ It would make sense that Fritz was in the middle of the mess. The god had been a scourge upon the car designs of the 60s and 70s. Especially the 1970 AMC Gremlin. “Should have sent one of the minors with him. The one who oversaw elevators and escalators?”
Not that they would listen to Calvin, his worshipers were notoriously anti technology ironically, and not unironically some believed that the devil lived in it. “Oh good, Zuri.” Most of his people tended to worship at her feet as well. “I still think the sherman tank was our finest work.” He was stalling on going into the details of his missteps.
“It’s a story old as time really. God falls for girl, teaches girl about racing and bikes, competitions occur. God tells her who he really is and why she should be cheering for him. Cops are called. They make up. They fight. They makeup, she runs away and joins a cult for the old gods of Greece. He saves girl, but now needs to remove the tether of another god from her soul. I think that about sums it up. Cliche, I know, but the heart wants what the heart wants. Truly she’s remarkable for a mortal, I must get her back.”
“Calvin, for fuck’s sake,” Jax gritted his teeth as they took a corner entirely too fast. Maybe Calvin wasn’t a better driver than Tally. At least she could see around every corner through security cameras. “This is why you never tell them you’re a god OF something. Just tell them you’re a god, and they’ll chalk it up to a fragile male ego.”
“Tally thinks this guy we got will deliver. At least she says she thinks that. Sometimes I think she just delights in playing people against each other and watching who wins. I’m a little more skeptical, but I figure after burning all Fritz’ bridges in town, where is he gonna go? Probably back to the hills of eastern Kentucky to be with his people, but we’ll hear if he crosses any of the national guard lines. So what’s he got left? We’ll get him, so all there is to do now is relax and rest while Creed is keeping him from doing the same. When he turns up, we’ll send out some goons and get your girl back. Maybe even lock up Fritz for good, if we play our hand right.
“He really fucked up this time. It’s like he shut down Nashville with no plan and no exit strategy. Just a poke in our eye for old time’s sake. But I guess Fritz is like that sometimes.” Jax saw another turn coming up, so he tried to look anywhere else. For a moment, he thought he saw something in the rearview. “Hey, avoid downtown. The Regent’s guns almost took me out. I honestly didn’t think they’d be so pissed after I brought him back alive and everything.”
“Fuck’s sake Jax. We can’t afford be fighten each other right now. See if you can reach them and make peace. This model wasn’t intended for combat zones. It can stop on a dime and do pin hair turns but it's not armored.” Other things were in the works for that. Not to mention the thought of the beauty taking more damage than she already had was a crime against his kind.
“Try to reach them right now, I mean it. Just cause you think less of some of us doesn’t mean you get to play favorites in times of crisis.
“Reach the Regent?” Jax twisted up his face and leaned forward towards Calvin to emphasize his feelings. “Sure, Calvin, if you’ll just pull over and swing by the nearest dumpster, I’ll go dive and find a rat, then I’ll write on it, oh we’ll need a sharpie too if you don’t already have one – I’ll write SORRY REGENT on the side and we can wait for it to scurry off and tell him.”
Jax huffed and once again thought he saw something in the corner of the rearview. “Best I can do is get the squad together and pay him a visit, but you have to get me back to the hotel for that. Just avoid downtown for now.”
“Keep up the sass, and I’ll tell you like any woman, I will pull this car over and leave your ass on the side of the road.” The car purred louder as he downshifted for another curve, as the tail twisted around before straightening. “I’d have gone with a pigeon , at least it's an airborne rat.”
“Ugh,” Jax grumbled. “Tally?”
The radio cut abruptly over to a dead channel and Tally’s voice softly faded in over the static.
“Sup?” She asked. “Oh, hey Calvin. I thought for a moment Jax got better at driving.”
“Haha,” Jax replied, clearly unamused. “Look, do you know anyone other than Fritz who has made contact with the Regent?”
“Sure,” Tally said simply.
“Anyone still living?”
“A couple.”
“Anyone who would play messenger for us.”
“Not really.”
“That’s not a no,” Jax pointed out.
“These are like Fritz’s people. They don’t like tech, so they don’t like us.”
“Still not a no.”
“Well,” Tally hesitated. “There’s a guy. He’s cool with the Regent. Cool with everyone, really. Cool with us, even.”
“So why is he a: not really?”
“Well, he’s hard to see.”
“You know how persuasive I can be.”
“Yeah, I know how persuasive you think you can be. But it’s really your money doing the persuading. He’s not about that. You’ll have to actually talk your way in.”
Jax looked at Calvin.
“Wanna try talking our way in?”
“Eh, I can try. Usually let my fists or wheels do the talking.” A heavy exhale managed to escape as he recalled his earlier words to Jax. They couldn't afford the infighting. “Am I still going to the hotel or somewhere else?” It was nice to hear from Tally even if she was a little bit of an attention seeker and too much of the flash floof.
“I’ll give you the address,” Tally said. “It’s not far from you.”
In the ass end of an industrial zone in south Nashville, next to an old rail bridge, there was a road down which every day thundered thousands of long-haul trucks, either reaching their destination, or just having departed. The trucks parked up against warehouses on either side of the road and carried most everything that ever flowed through Nashville. Even what came in by rail or plane usually stopped by these warehouses. At the end of the road was a water treatment plant, severely underfunded and understaffed. In recent years they’d even had to scale back their operating budget, despite Nashville’s growing numbers. They’d put an old concrete building up for sale. Once it housed the offices of hundreds of members of the public service, proud to oversee the waterworks directly. But a series of “efficiencies” meant that it was no longer needed, as they consolidated the jobs with other cities across the state.
Surprisingly, the building was sold almost as soon as they put it up for sale. The windows were filled in that completed the concrete facade in an almost soviet-style brutalism. And from Monday to Thursday, every week, it sat empty except for cleaning staff. By all accounts, the perfect neighbor in this area that bustled during the 9-5. But at 6 in the evening on Friday nights, when the last trucks rolled out, a new crowd rolled in. The young and the artsy. Tourists from Berlin. Rich people from everywhere. Nobody had seen an ad for the place. It wasn’t even clear what its name was. But everyone heard from someone who heard from someone else who’d been inside. It was a club. The club. In fact, it was several clubs, depending on what kind of club the patron wanted.
This was the building up to which Jax and Calvin’s Koeningsegg rolled up. Past a street full on either side with Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Bugattis, and every other car that anyone wanted to show off. There was a line set up, twisting back and forth between temporary barriers. A line of people who were so deeply unimpressed by yet another fancy car that most didn’t even look up.
“I think this is the place,” Jax said.
“It is,” Tally replied. “Good luck. I’ll park the car if you two want to get out and try to talk your way in.”
“Good taste in cars,” Calvin whispered as he looked at the rows of expensive power. “Ain’t dressed for this crowd.” For a moment his form seemed to shimmer from the tight blue jeans, and snug t-shirt to a simple pair of dress pants and button up shirt that matched the car. The hair and beard slicked from the wind blown disheveled look of before. “Alright, that’s better.”
Calvin tucked one hand in a pocket as he climbed out to assess the state of things. They didn’t seem to draw any overt attention. Rich people were an odd bunch, they liked to pretend to be poor. He’d rather have had plush carpets and thick chairs. Waiting for Jax to join his side. “Let’s do this.”
“It’s like it’s his first warehouse party,” Jax told the radio, assuming Tally was still listening. He ran his hands through his hair, leaving it with a rainbow tint that glowed under black lights. When he stepped out of the car, he was wearing big black boots, tight leather pants, and a neon green fishnet halter top. “Just like my last rave.”
Jax was about to close the door, before he remembered. He dove back in and grabbed something from the glove box before closing the door and watching the car drive itself away. He stuff the macguffin into his pocket, just in case. The tightness of his pants left nothing to the imagination about what it was.
“You taking the lead, or shall I?”
“After you, sparkles. Top would look better if you had tits, just saying.” Calvin could only shake his head as they walked towards the warehouse. Reminding himself that they needed allies. Especially after he’d been forced from his last host.
“Maybe,” Jax shrugged as they very overtly skipped the huge line and went straight for the front door, where he was expecting to find someone they could convince. “Depends on what the bouncer is into. Some people are all over this tight bod.”
“Names.” A male who appeared to be in his mid thirties with a physique that was no stranger to a gym though apparently not fond of machines that worked his lower half asked.
“Jax Nova and Calvin Lastname,” Jax said confidently, waving his hand dismissively as if to say “no need to look for us on a list, you can see us on the news every week,” which would have been cooler if he didn’t proceed to say it explicitly.
“Wasn’t gonna. Just part of the script. Ratio of dicks to tits is in favor of dicks tonight so no entrance allowed. Balance and all that.”
“Ah, but see,” Jax smiled and leaned forward. “I’m the only reason any lights are on in Nashville right now, so…”
“Yeah? That must mean you have a special invitation?” The bouncer questioned though he waved in two women who may or may not have been wearing flesh tone clothes.
“Yeah,” Jax leaned back, feeling like he was getting somewhere. He quickly recalled the name that Tally had given them. “Dio wants to see us.”
“I just like fast things. Women, cars, and it's all about the chase. I’ve won a few things. Could get you tickets to some stuff. I’m a big name in Bristol.” A hand slipped into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet flush with cash. Only idiots trusted the government with their money. In this regard he agreed with his people. Far safer in the mattress or a mayonnaise jar in the backyard.
The cash in hand caused the bouncer to snap as if the proverbial lightbulb came on. “I do seem to remember Dio mentioning he was waiting on some folks…Right this way gentleman.” He was courteous enough to even hold the door after he unhooked the red rope. “And if women aren’t the only fast things you like, you know the magic price.”
Jax let his eyes flicker between the bouncer and Calvin as they narrowed, wondering if the bouncer was insinuating something more than a cash transaction. But then he shrugged, realizing that whatever was going on between those two wasn’t any of his business, so he slipped through the door.
Calvin sorted out four one hundred dollar bills, holding back some if he needed to buy his way out of Tally’s wonderland. The men in leather jockstraps with suspenders raised an eyebrow and he added another hundred for good measure. “I believe the saying is ass, grass, or cash.” He had to yell the statement over the pounding of the music. The individuals in attendance seemed oblivious to the curfew that had been set or the act of terrorism that had occurred.
The entrance hallways was much wider than the doorway. Not quite big enough to be a dancefloor in its own right, but big enough to allow bodies to flow in and out without crashing into each other. The hall itself was dark enough that only bright or reflective surfaces were visible, and on either side there were rooms that were even darker. A lightshow on the dance floor at the end of the hall occasionally lit up rooms, just for a moment, enough for Jax to get a glimpse at the writhing bodies in the alcoves. Everywhere he looked, Jax saw moving lips, but the throbbing beat of the music made it impossible to hear any words.
When they made it to the dancefloor, Jax found himself surrounded by young people dressed in bright clothes of every color. At one end of the floor, a DJ span records on a raised dais while lasers bounced off impeccably reflective mirror walls, making the space look like it was infinite in every direction.
Jax followed the light show as it shot upwards to a glass ceiling far above, through which he could see nubile bodies dressed in white or nothing at all, dancing to what seemed like a different beat. As the bodies moved, he saw that the ceiling above them contained the word HEAVEN in bright white neon.
With an idea of what he might see, Jax finally looked down and felt a sudden surge of vertigo as he discovered that the floor was glass and looking down, he could see a third dance floor far below. Below, the dress code was strictly black and either leather or latex as people danced on a floor that spelled out HELL in bright red letters.
Turning back to Calvin, Jax carefully mouthed the words DIO, then HEAVEN OR HELL, hoping he could read his lips.
Outside, for the first time since the club’s opening, everyone in the line looked up, for none had ever seen an undead cowboy riding a fire-breathing horse with a twink before. Creed stared back at the partygoers, but when he didn’t see the red glow he associated with a false idol, he groaned. Ker stopped just short of the bouncer and turned sideways while Creed carefully helped Gabby down before stepping down himself.
Creed gave the bouncer a once-over and weighed the chances that he might do something if he simply walked past him, before pulling out a folded letter and handing it to the top-heavy man.
“NSA,” Creed growled. “Going in.”
The fuck was he to tell a guy with half a face no? He was going to have to talk to his dealer about whatever was being put in their weed. “Looks like you’re on the list.”
Creed took the letter back and walked past him, while Gabby followed, grinning up at the big man and skipping along behind him, obviously pleased beyond measure at how the evening was going. Ker snorted impatiently and slowly clip-clopped around the bouncer, until she was looking over his shoulder, quietly huffing her disapproval at everyone he considered letting in.
Olivia quietly stood in line outside Midgard, the only nightclub in Nashville that was worth waiting for. Charlotte, who was currently standing next to her and hopping from one foot to the other to try and keep her bare legs awake, had argued they should show up at 6, when they opened the doors. But Olivia knew that the first few hours at any nightclub, even Midgard, were lethargic and slow, as the party beast took some time to wake up and get into the rhythm, so they were better to rest up, pre-drink, and show up closer to midnight. Olivia also wanted to go to Helheim first, whereas Charlotte preferred Asgard. Neither of them had been to either the top floor nor the bottom of the club, but last week they got in for the first time and they saw what kind of aesthetic was required to level up, so to speak. They compromised, and Olivia got to pick when, and Charlotte got to pick where. At least where first.
Consequently, rather than her favorite bedroom attire consisting of a black leather bikini with strategically placed metal studs and her shiniest fuck-off knee-high boots, she wore a simple wrap top and a white skirt that swished just right when she moved her hips. Into both, she’d sewn a silver hem that she was hoping would glitter in the club lights. Of course, Charlotte was a bit of a casual when it came to costumes, so Olivia helped her put together something similar from her own wardrobe, albeit without the silver hems. Finally, while Charlotte was satisfied with simple sandals to go for more of a greek aesthetic, Olivia had a pair of silver heels with straps that wrapped around her calves in a double-helix that she thought were absolutely fire.
They’d both grabbed little angel wings from a cheap costume they’d found at Spirit of Halloween. But since Charlotte got to pick the outfits, her wings were currently being crushed under the backpack they’d filled with bottles of water, phone chargers, some protein bars, some adderall Charlotte scored from her roommate, and their leather outfits for later. And in Olivia’s case, she’d added a helmet (foraged from her Malenia cosplay, but resprayed in silver instead of gold), and a dragon slayer spear.
Olivia had thought her outfit was amazing, considering she’d scrounged it together in a week, that was until they showed up and discovered that the club had completely rebranded itself and had more of a heaven and hell theme going on. Thankfully, their valkyries looked close enough to pass as angels, but it irked Olivia that now Charlotte looked more appropriate for the theme. Plus, was it still called Midgard? What kind of place rebrands with no notice? And it hadn’t even been open that long. As far as she could tell, nobody had heard of it before about a month ago.
Regardless, they had just reached the start of the line and were trying to shift around to keep the blood flowing under all their exposed skin in the chilly autumn air, while simultaneously trying to cultivate the kind of blasé expressions that were most likely to get them past the highly-selective bouncer. When a couple of white guys strolled up and talked their way in with an obvious exchange of money, Olivia felt doubly peeved. She knew better than to raise a fuss about it though, since they were so close to getting in, she didn’t want to risk it. Besides, more than enough people yelled and grumbled from farther back, and nothing they had to say seemed to have any effect on the bouncer.
Not long after the two bastards got in, Olivia was pretending to ignore the bouncer when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw his expression change for the first time tonight. Following his sightline, Olivia gasped when she saw a legit skeletal cowboy roll up on a fire horse. Olivia gave up trying to be neutral and did her best to get a closer look. Even close up, his costume was impeccable. He, or whomever he’d paid, was clearly an absolute master in the craft. It was too bad about his girlfriend, who just wore a fluffy sweater and looked like a lesbian sheep.
It seemed fair enough to Olivia that the guy with the amazing costume got in, but it made her even more frustrated because he was clearly headed for hell. Would he still be there when they were done in heaven? Olivia gave Charlotte a sidelong glance and wondered if she would forgive her if she immediately changed and went to hell. Probably not. But if she at least stayed in heaven for a dance or two, she could probably slip away while someone was hitting on Charlotte.
Finally, they were beckoned over by the bouncer and waved inside. The cowboy’s horse, who had obviously stayed outside, huffed at them. Olivia paused for a moment and wondered how the fire effect on its hooves worked, and how it so realistically seemed to snort smoke out of its nostrils. However it was done, the effect was magical. She almost wished the horse could come inside and party it up in hell.
Once inside, Charlotte was overcome with excitement and grabbed Olivia’s hand, leading her through the tragically aesthetically unaligned crowds of the middle level, until they nearly crashed into the two rich white guys who seemed to be having some kind of quarrel about where to go. Typical, Olivia thought, as she tugged Charlotte away from the dead end that the two men had created, backtracking to a fork, and then proceeding forward again. They reached the Cowboy and his honestly too-young-looking girlfriend. Again, Olivia paused and tried to look for the edges of the prosthetic on his face. The Cowboy turned his gaze in her direction, but just seemed to look straight through her. Fucking typical, she grumbled to herself. All the best leather daddies are gay, she thought as Charlotte once again took charge and pulled her towards the stairs leading up to heaven. Olivia made the briefest of eye contact with the Cowboy’s girlfriend and suddenly wondered if he was actually a boyfriend.
Charlotte practically dragged Olivia past the queue that was waiting for the elevator. This wasn’t their first time, and they knew it didn’t go all the way up. Instead, they walked to an empty corner to one side of the DJ and slipped into the Stairway to Heaven. Eight full flights of stairs were grueling at the best of times, but they were murder in heels. But Olivia was determined to make it all the way to heaven with her calves still tied up, after all the time she’d taken to tie them.
They reached the top floor and took a minute to catch their breath before stepping into the pearly gates, where a big guy in a white toga was providing additional security to the most exclusive club-within-a-club. To call him “big” was drastically underselling his size. He had the exact proportions of a standard doorway, 6’8” tall, 2.5 feet wide, and from this angle, Olivia couldn’t accurately gauge his girth, but her best estimate was very.
“Have you been good girls?”
“We sure have, sir,” Charlotte said excitedly.
“Lemme see that bag.”
Charlotte handed it over and he searched it, but not thoroughly enough to find the Adderall. Would he care? Would that have been enough to disqualify them? Olivia wasn’t sure, but she never found out, because he handed it back to Olivia and stepped aside to let them in.
Once they were past the bubble of silence and through the gates, the choral-flavored EDM beat washed over them. Finally, they were in! Olivia couldn’t help but be excited. She’d never made it this far. Everyone inside had roughly the same kind of thing going on that she and Charlotte had, although Olivia couldn’t help but think her spear and helmet drew a few interested looks. Which was great, except almost everyone upstairs was a woman. Was this a lesbian club?
I’m going to get a drink, Olivia yelled, but there was no way Charlotte could hear her. Plus, she was already grinding up against people on the dance floor. With a sigh, she slung the pack over her shoulder and started looking for the bar.
Calvin’s eyes shifted between the floors and was reminded of Tron. The race of the future on bikes in a glass stadium, sighing happily he was returned by the thump of music and gyration of bodies. A bushy eyebrow arched as he read Jax’s lips, heaven or hell?
Again he looked up and down at the nude bodies or mostly nude and assumed that he was referring to the black and white aesthetic that humans referenced with their afterlife. It was strange to think that his followers subscribed heavily to this and thought they would be in the white. Yet he had a feeling that he’d find more of his followers down in the black.
For the sake of ironic entertainment Calvin pointed up with a single finger. Plus this fucked over Jax’s aesthetic choice. “Are you sure that Dio is here and we aren’t being messed with?” Calvin had to yell over the music.
Jax nodded at the upwards-pointing finger and then squinted as he tried desperately to read Calvin’s lips. “Are you sure” was easy enough, and “here,” was the only other word he caught. Jax spent a moment thinking about how best to summarize what he wanted to say.
Well, it’s Tally, so there’s certainly a strong chance that she’s just fucking with us. But usually she leads us to whatever we want, just in the way that’s most interesting for her. So probably Dio is here, but she probably neglected to tell us about easier people to get in touch with, or easy ways to find Dio, or maybe an alternate route to getting a message to the Regent.
In the end, Jax gave a confident thumbs-up, and turned back to the dance floor, trying to figure out how to get up. He saw a huge group of people in white waiting for an elevator, but then a couple of girls dressed as angels walked right past them. It was easy enough to visually follow a girl with an eight-foot spear as she crossed the room and disappeared into a fire exit with a little illuminated picture of a set of stairs. Jax waved for Calvin to follow him as he followed the girls through the door and up the stairs, being careful to keep a respectable distance behind them.
So much for getting information out of Jax, it was like your typical family get together that happened every five years at a bicentennial randomly chosen in the world. At least there they would fake a UFO sighting or something interesting would occur. Calvin followed through the crowd and up the stairs. The music took an artistic edge the higher they climbed.
Certainly more instrumental but merged with technology. Less thumping and more flow. It certainly wasn’t the hits of the eighties that Calvin had helped spear head but it wasn’t bad. The lighting was whites and blues and they both stood out in the sea of white and silver attire. A woman wrapped a white feather boa around Jax and tried to pull him onto the dance floor as if he were an exotic cow.
“Jax, we don’t have time for this.” Calvin growled as he watched Jax being roped into the sea. A chocolate chip in the sea of vanilla. At least he was easy to find. “Where is the VIP lounge?” Calvin had a woman with angel wings by the arm and pulled close so she could hear his voice.
With the extra cash in his pocket, the bouncer strongly considered turning in his resignation because nowhere in his job description did it say he was responsible for monitoring fire equipped horses. Clubs were a dime a dozen. He’d bounce back. On the other hand, the possibility of another bribe additional admission fee coming his way gave him the motivation to stay. That was until a both over and underdressed woman with a golden snake wrapped around a staff appeared out of nowhere. “Sorry. Gotta match the aesthetic.”
Rather than answering, she looked to her staff. The bouncer thought the snake was an accessory, but he jumped back when it hissed at him. “Exception to every rule.”
For the first time tonight, the fiery horse Ker gave someone, Order in particular, a polite little nod instead of huffing disapprovingly.
“Thank you.” With the threat subdued, the staff’s protector simmered down, but before Order entered returned the faithful steed’s nod. “I’ll send your master out soon.” It was as the saying went. Great minds thought alike seeing as Creed was somewhere nearby, but he was not her immediate concern. Somewhere in the mass of humans were Jax and Calvin which proved that the more things changed, the more they stayed the same.
While Order appreciated what looked to be a clear division between the masses, the debauchery reminded her of the times where humans, drunk off the nectar of gods, lost all inhibition. It was best for her not to linger amidst the chaos. She would transport the two gods to their proper place and move to the next part of her plan. Although if memory served her correctly, which it always did, two more deities cohabited within the space. They could all be collected in one fell swoop unless the two embodiments of mayhem and havoc disrupted her scheme. Creed and Gabby stood out like sore thumbs. Ignoring them would have been a valid course of action, but Order could not physically be in two places at once. To leave them to their own devices knowing Creed’s mission was to disrupt Order, was unwise.
With the decision made, her approach wasn’t without issue. The crowd did not immediately part for her, but when her snake bared its fangs, they were more willing to give her space. “Creed, Gabby. We were not meant to meet again so soon. Leave this place.”
Gabby gave Order a wave, then nudged Creed with her elbow. When he didn’t immediately turn, she started tugging on his sleeve with increasing force, until he looked down, and then up again when he saw Order.
You again? He mouthed, unable to project his gravelly voice loud enough to actually be heard. Unless Fritz is here, I don’t have time for you yet.
“She wants us to leave,” Gabby said.
Creed looked down at Gabby, surprised that he could understand what s/he said. Then he looked around and realized that he could clearly see what everyone was saying, as long as he could see their lips moving.
Well that’s new, he pointed out.
“Hey,” Gabby snapped their fingers in front of his face. “Focus, big guy. I think she wants to fight you now.”
What? Creed turned to Order. I thought we weren’t going to fight until after I got Fritz?
“If I wished to fight, I would not have ordered you to leave. The Staff of Order would have devoured you on the spot.” Order corrected. To emphasize her point, she pointed her staff towards the door. “I am here to restore order. I ask that you not interfere.” If asking did not work, then she supposed they would once again be at an impasse. A confrontation was out of the question. If she were unwilling to risk Gabby’s life, she certainly would not put an entire club in danger of nonexistence. They were creeping closer and closer to her final option of banishing Creed to her home until loose ends were tied.
In an attempt to dissuade his interest in the place, Order added, “Your Fritz is not here.”
Creed shot Gabby a disapproving look when he realized that s/he was just trying to instigate a fight. But since it wasn’t meaningfully different from how he normally looked, s/he just smiled back at him. Somehow, Gabby’s gap toothed smile gave him an idea.
That’s fair, he groaned and used a hand to soothe his aching throat by rubbing it gently. There was entirely too much talking going on for his taste. We’ll leave.
“No!” Gabby wailed and collapsed against him, pulling on his overcoat. “We just got here. I’ve only ever read about places like this, and now you want to go?”
Breaking Gabby’s heart, Creed tsked at Order. How about we stay, but out of your way?
Gabby’s pitiful display did little to move Order as evidenced by the way her face remained unmoved. “Gabby’s heart will heal.” She guaranteed them both though she wished she felt the same reassurance. Creed’s compliance came far too easily for a man with such faith in his god. “Are you a man of honor, Creed?” She asked with a tilt of her head. Her hand tightened around her staff when two intoxicated humans bumped into back to back in their haste to get to their next destination. “I am losing my patience, and I cannot promise to be rational if your words are a ploy.”
Of course I’m a man of honor, Creed stood up a little straighter, honestly feeling offended, even if it had been a ploy. You pick up or down, we’ll go the other way. Never the twain shall meet. Swear to God, I’ll stay out of your way.
“Oh! Oh! I wanna go down!” Gabby looked down through the glass floor at all the muscular bodies tied up every which way with black leather and bathed in red light. Gabby bit her lip and started daydreaming.
Naw, it’s only fair if we let Order pick, Creed shook his head. In truth, he hoped they wouldn’t have to go to hell, since the only way he could tell a false idol was from their red outline, which was useless in red lighting. Up to you, Order.
“If your intentions are to stay out of my way, it does not matter if we travel together or not.” Order mused as she followed Gabby’s line of vision down. There was one deity below which left three on the upper floors. “Seeing as Gabby’s heart suffered so much before, it’s only fair that we go below. Come.”
Although Order was the one to issue to the order, she turned away from the direction she came but paused as she wondered how to traverse down.
Gabby bounced with excitement at Order’s words, and was quick to jump in when she hesitated.
“Oh don’t worry, I know how to get to hell,” Gabby pointed at a pair of thin, young men in leather shackles and collars with chains connecting them both together. They each carefully carried a silver serving tray of drinks balanced on their head. Behind them, a hairy muscular man with (presumably) prosthetic demon’s horns followed them, occasionally tugging on their leashes. The three of them made a b-line to an unmarked doorway on the opposite side of the DJ from the Stairway to Heaven. “Let’s follow them.”
Creed narrowed his eyes at Order, but didn’t say anything. Biding his time, he simply nodded and let Order lead the way.
With the memories of generations at her disposal, not much took Order off guard, but she did find herself staring at the three men. She truly was out of touch with mortals if servitude had returned to society. A consequence of Chaos growing influence most likely. “Against my better judgment, yes.”
The knob on the doorway was warm to the touch, and a noticeable wave of heat hit her squarely in the face. She estimated that it had to be close to 80 degrees (26) inside. No doubt to add to the illusion of entering hell. The steps were made of gray cement with a single yellow line down the center of each. Alternating strobes of red and black lights illuminated the narrow space.
With her free hand, she fanned herself as they stepped lower. It did not get hotter, but by the time they reached yet another doorway, her dress was stained with a few moisture droplets. However, it was nothing compared to the sweaty mass of people gyrating to the pounding music. Each person they passed seemed to wear less than the last. Tiny scraps of fabrics were the only thing preventing full sexual gratification and instead limiting people to twerking and thrusting which was considered dancing in modern times.
“Whew,” Creed breathed heavily in the sudden heat, though he appreciated the reprieve from the acoustic onslaught of the music upstairs. “It’s like summer back home in Texas.”
“I don’t mind it,” Gabby bounced along happily. “I’ve always…”
“Good,” Creed interjected as he pulled off his overcoat, and carefully draped it over Gabby, who suddenly looked shocked. She looked double-shocked when he took off the shirt he was wearing underneath, clearly exposing the section of his ribs where all the skin had been burned off. As evidenced by the part of his torso where he still had skin, Creed had once been very fit. Not as heavily muscled as many of the demons, devils, and muscle daddies they were passing, but he had clearly-cut abs and well-defined pecs. A tattoo of a list of names written in tiny black letters wound its way up his one arm that still had any skin on it from his wrist all the way to his pectoral muscle. “Hold onto these until I need them, or someone else does.”
Gabby just looked up at him and nodded as they followed behind Order. Creed let his hands hang from his holsters and did his best to hide the face that one of his guns was missing. With his shirt off, he suddenly felt like he could more easily disappear himself in the crowd of bodies, which was useful as he scanned the walls for a fire alarm.
Hell, Creed thought to himself. If I can see what they’re saying at any distance, I can hang back as far as I like. With that thought, he broke off and made for the corner of the bar that was closest to where Order and Gabby were walking. He kept his eyes on them, watching Gabby pull his coat on, stuff his shirt into one pocket, and something else into the other before buttoning it up. The bottom of the coat dragged on the floor since s/he was so much smaller than Creed, and when s/he popped up the collar, it almost completely covered their face.
Good, Creed thought. If bullets start flying, at least I won’t have to worry about Gabby.
Creed pulled up a stool and rapped the knuckles of his skeletal hand on the counter.
“What’ll you have, sir?” Creed was surprised to find that he could hear the bartender behind the counter perfectly. In fact, someone seemed to have turned down the volume on the music the moment he walked up to the bar.
“Got sotol?”
“Sorry, sir, the kitchen is closed at this hour.”
Creed sighed.
“Mezcal.”
Creed heard a glass being filled behind him.
“Courtesy of the gentleman next to you, sir.”
Creed reached into the wallet in his back pocket and pulled out a bill without looking, pressing it against the counter before picking up the drink.
“Tell him no thanks.”
“Tell me yourself, hot stuff,” spoke a new voice next to his ear. He felt a hand slipping his money into the waist of his pants. With his free hand, Creed grabbed the man’s wrist and twisted it forcefully in a practiced motion, while using one foot to trip the man. Once the man was face-down on the ground with his arm twisted painfully behind himself, Creed pressed one foot against his shoulder blade and took a sip of his drink. The man under his boot made some vocalizations, but not the ones Creed had been expecting.
“I think he likes it,” yet another voice said. “I think he’s saying step on me harder, daddy!”
“Stolas?”
“I’m flattered that you remember me.”
“What do you want?”
“Can’t I just be here to enjoy myself?”
“No.”
“I’m hurt, Creed.”
“I’m working.”
“Looks to me like you’re getting your little buddy to do the work while you supervise and get a drink.”
“It’s not like that.”
“What’s it like, Creed? Did you get offended when a pretty lady insinuated you were anything but honorable, and now you’re looking for a loophole so you can technically keep your promise to stay out of her way while also scratching another name off your arm? Are you hoping she’ll be impressed by how clever you are?”
“Not like that either.”
“On the one hand, I’m impressed. It’s just what I would have done,” Stolas said as he walked in front of Creed, who ducked his head to one side and then the other to keep his eyes on Order and Gabby. As he came into sight, he was the same guy Creed had seen earlier at the crossroads. But as he passed across his vision, his appearance morphed into a red-skinned man with a crown of horns, then his features shifted again and became more feminine, and then finally completed the transition into a woman who looked similar enough to be Order’s sister, except that half of her face was gone just like his own. “On the other, if I’d known you were so easy to manipulate, maybe you wouldn’t be half under Michael’s thumb.”
“Not under anyone’s thumb.”
“Creed, you have no idea what kind of arena you stepped into the moment you agreed to our deal. One way or another, when your deal is done, you will be a pawn for him or me,” Stolas explained as Creed took another sip. “And now, whether purposefully or not, Order has put her own thumb on the scale. If she doesn’t want you killing gods or if she makes you question your scruples about killing an innocent like her, then she may have inadvertently tipped you in my favor, for which I’ll have to thank her properly later. But however you want to lay it out, someone’s making you their bitch, Creed.”
“Hmm.”
“Even before the deal, Tally was playing you. Or what was it? Talbot? Agent Talbot?”
“That was a job.”
“Sure it was, Creed. Your job was to hunt down a narcoleptic girl, a private eye, and a guy who didn’t know what millenia he was living in because they supposedly cut the power to all of Nashville.”
“Fritz cut the power.”
“But you weren’t supposed to go after Fritz, were you? You had explicit instructions to leave him and bring in the others, didn’t you? If you brought him in any way, that would’ve been against the rules.”
“I–”
“Would you have followed Tally’s rules? I don’t think so. I can tell you wouldn’t like it being Tally’s or Michael’s or Order’s bitch. They have too many rules. You aren’t a rule-follower, Creed. You love quests, and the more tragic the better. I don’t have rules, Creed. And I have plenty of tragic quests for you to sink your teeth into.”
“No, thanks.”
“You don’t have to decide now, Creed,” Stolas said, and traced a skeletal finger across his charred cheekbone. “Just keep me in mind. Something tells me you’ll need someone’s help sooner or later. And Michael isn’t exactly the hands-on type.”
And then Stolas was gone.
And then Creed took a long, slow sip of his drink. Stolas was right, but there was one way Creed saw to get out of the mess he’d gotten himself into. It came to him even as Stolas was still speaking. Creed didn’t like how easily it came to him, because it was contrary to a big part of how he saw himself. He had all the tools he needed to unchain himself. But then what would he do?
And the man under Creed’s boot came in his pants.
Olivia picked up the chalice of ruby-red liquid from the bartop and inspected it suspiciously.
“What the hell is kykeon?”
“They used to use it for rituals in Greek mystery cults,” the bartender replied unhelpfully with a knowing smile.
Olivia turned and gave a half-hearted smile as she raised the glass to the older woman with blonde hair in the white toga who had apparently paid for her drink. If the woman hadn’t had such a predatory look in her eye, Olivia might have been tempted to thank her, but instead she deftly slipped back into the crowd.
Sipping at the drink, she found that it wasn’t bad, but wasn’t what she would have picked for herself. It tasted like a very bright and bubbly rosé wine, with a strange subdued flavor that reminded her mostly closely of cheese, but not in a bad way.
Suddenly, Olivia almost jumped out of her skin as a tatted-up redhead hipster grabbed her arm and yelled at her. When she got over her moment of fright, she almost tossed the drink in his face, but then looked around the crowd. The only other guy she could see was a skinny guy with black hair wearing a bright green fishnet halter top. With all of her other options considered, she shrugged her way out of his grip and then took his hand in hers, and led him towards the wall opposite from the DJ and lightshow.
There was a curtained-off area with a little velvet rope hanging between two stanchions, beside which there was another bouncer who could have been cloned from the one outside of heaven. Approximately the size of a door and looked like he weighed as much as a Prius.
“Can we get into the VIP?” Olivia asked him and then fluttered her eyelashes. Internally, she was surprised to find that she could hear herself talk here. She realized she could hear herself at the bar too. She wondered what kind of technology the club used to make that happen. Maybe just perfectly tuned acoustics.
“Are you VIPs?” The bouncer turned to Calvin and gave him an upwards nod, as if to say sup?
Apparently the woman he had snagged wasn’t accustomed to being swooped up based on the incredulous look she gave him. When she dropped her hand into his, he looked back at Jax now entwined by two boas. It seemed that he was going to have to figure this out on his own. Typical. The young woman did have a mysterious air, and the dark eyes held a level of attitude that he didn’t think he’d gotten to experience yet.
Calvin allowed her to speak first while eyeing the bouncer. At least he was a mortal, he returned the nod while keeping the woman’s hand locked in his. “Yes.” He was a god after all. “Just need to meet up with Dio.”
“Dio?” The bouncer shook his head. “Go to hell.”
“That’s rude,” Olivia said, her face twisting into a frump. Then she realized what he meant. “Oh, he means that Dio is down in hell, not up here in heaven.”
“Wait!” A voice from within the VIP lounge yelled out. “I know that voice!”
Out from between the curtains and over the velvet rope bounded a muscle-bound guy with blonde hair, who honestly could have passed for Fabio in the right light. He was wearing nothing except an exceedingly short white kilt, sandals, and an airline captain’s hat. The fact that he was wearing nothing under his kilt was made evident when he bounded over the velvet rope, and when Olivia was doing her best to look anywhere else, she noticed that his nipples were pierced with little airplane propellers. She couldn’t help but wonder if they could spin as she stared at them.
“Calvin!” The man yelled. “Bro! I didn’t know you liked to party! Here, let me get you a drink!”
“Ace! Brother! See you’re free balling it. Now the question of how many spins does it take? Bet I can get to take off before you!” He gave him a grin, Calvin was slightly older than Ace which he didn’t hesitate to remind him of. Now they just needed Links, their oldest brother, and Astrid, their baby sister. “How have you been?” Calvin let go of the woman to pull Ace into a tight bear hug and pounded him on the back.
“Saw your new luxury line, nice. Though Astrid is branching into tourism.” Calvin hadn’t expected a familiar face and couldn’t wipe away the smile. It eased some of the tension of the day. “Did you lose any planes today?”
Olivia watched as the two men hugged and wondered to herself if it was uncomfortable to hug when you had pierced nipples.
“Never been better,” Ace beamed. “Well, that’s not true. It was better when Concordes were flying, but hey - there’s a new company in the US trying to bring back supersonic passenger flights, so that’s cool. And you know flying is the safest way to get anywhere. How many people die every day in car crashes?
“Anyway, you looking for Dio? He’s in Hell. I could take you there, if you want.” Ace finally turned his attention to Olivia. “Oh hey babe,” he said and then took her recently-discarded hand in one of his, while using his other to take off his captain’s hat so he could bow down and kiss her hand. “M’lday, would you like to accompany us to hell?”
“Oh, I…” Olivia started, obviously squeamish about the kiss on her hand, but then she remembered how quickly Charlotte had abandoned her. “Actually, yes.”
Olivia thrust her drink into Ace’s hand, disappeared behind the curtain with her backpack, then almost immediately reappeared, wearing leather straps that tied up her body in a shibari-style harness, but also covered her nipples and crotch. Sadly, her fuck-off leather boots wouldn’t fit in her backpack, so she’d had to settle for simple black heels. But she did have room for a riding crop, which she used to smack Ace’s hand after she retrieved her drink.
“Let’s go, boys!”
“Seems we find women like our toys, fast.” Calvin wasn’t upset to see Ace relinquished to the job of drink caddy. Though it seemed like a bad idea to mix mortals into their affairs. Well more than they had already been. Calvin had to admit that hell was more of his aesthetic than heaven when he saw the leather. Add a black bomber jacket and she would have been on to something. Just the jacket and some heels. He got chills just thinking about it.
“Seems like she’s telling you to look but don’t touch Ace.” Calvin hadn’t been swatted after all. “Jax is here as well, he was captured by feather boas.” As they began to maneuver through the glass estate reminiscent of thirteen ghosts he cut his eyes to the side. “Seriously, how have you been with the events of today? I’ve seen first hand that our old cousins are likely back in town.” He hoped that Ace would pick up on what he was trying to tell him.
Ace chuckled and rubbed his hand, seemingly incapable of taking offense at anything. “Just the way I like ‘em, bro! Turbulent.” Ace let out a full-on gut laugh as he started leading the both of them around the dance floor back to the stairwell. Without warning, he swooped into the mess of bodies, but then swooped out again, practically dragging the much smaller Jax by his green fishnet top.
“Aww, come on,” Jax groaned. “You just can’t stand the thought of me getting any. Oh, hi Ace.”
“Hey Jax,” Ace replied before turning back to Calvin. “This is the first I’ve heard about our cousins. I’ve been holed up in this club since….actually, I’m not sure when. What day is it?”
Ace opened the door to the stairwell and slipped inside with Jax. When Olivia opened the door to follow them, she was surprised to see that they’d both changed into leather outfits. Ace had kept his captain’s hat, but now had matching cuffs and leather shorts. Jax, meanwhile, had basically the same outfit but now it was all black. And when she squinted, Olivia could swear he was wearing eyeliner.
Calvin eyed the line of scantily clad but refused to alter his attire. Well that was bad news. “It’s Thursday.” They never did get around to renaming the weeks. Probably just one more way that the old gods were gradually being fed. “This is why Astrid is passing you by.”
“Come on Jax, Dio is in hell, apparently.” The click of heels on the glass was somehow relaxing. Not that Calvin was prone to having anxious nerves. As they descended down the lighting grew darker, glow in the dark melded with the occasional flash of red and green. Bodies seemed to flash in and out with the darker lighting. A writhing mass that bordered on a mellow mash pit. Calvin held out an arm to guide the lovely woman towards their ultimate goal.
“So you and Dio buds now? Seems like an odd pair. You realize the problem with our cousins being out. Jax just got Nashville back up and running from the black out. Seems the cult stumbled across information they never should have found.”
“Dio and me?” Ace asked with a shrug. “I guess. I haven’t known him for very long. But everyone’s talking about him like he’s suddenly their best bud. They say he’s got the best drinks, which is saying something here.
“No shit? Nashville was down? Power never went out here. I guess they have a generator or something. Wait, whose cult are we talking about here?” Ace looked confused and leaned in close to Calvin, exposing to his brother the smell of every kind of alcohol. “Does Dio have a cult? I guess it could explain why he’s everyone’s friend. Maybe he’s the god of wine or something.”
