I don’t know how long we spend walking. It’s hard to tell underground. At some point the combat angel leading the way stops and presses on the wall, revealing a small panel that she slides to the side. She directs me through the opening and shoves the boy through after me. The chamber behind it is small, barely big enough for 3 people to fit inside, and slightly warmer than the tunnel we just left. She follows us in before sealing the entrance. “Blondie, there’s a button on the wall behind you. Push it.” I can't say I love being referred to so impersonally, but I'm in no position to complain. Instead, I do as I'm told, turning around and pushing a small button set into the wall. As soon as I do, a soft orange light begins to glow from the ceiling. The pale woman leans back against the wall, conspicuously placing her body directly on the panel that we entered through. “Alright. Now, you.” She points at the kid. “I'm guessing you were sent to pick this package up. Who hired you?”
He looks away, sitting down on the floor and wrapping his arms around his knees. I decide to take a seat myself. My legs are getting pretty sore. “I don't really know anything about my employer,” he says curtly.
“Do you know what’s in the box?”
He shakes his head. “I don’t ask questions. I need the money too much.” Sure sounds like my neighborhood. Everyone around here seems desperate for a paycheck. Those of us with homes can barely pay rent, those without can barely afford food. None of us really have the option of being too picky, or curious, about our employers.
Her gaze stays fixed on him for a moment, then she nods. “Fair enough. Well, I don't think I'm gonna be able to let you finish that delivery.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Because I've seen what's in the box. It's filled to the brim with doll cores.”
“Doll cores?” I interject. “That whole box?" Shit, there must be hundreds of them. Who needs that many? What would they even do with them?
The combat angel glances over at me as if she’d only just remembered I was there. “Yeah, whole thing. I don't like it.”
“Sorry, but what’s the big deal?” The kid asks. “There are lots of dolls around, what’s so special about a box full of cores?”
“Usually they’re made to order,” I reply. “You need a core, you make a core. Having a stockpile this big is weird in itself, let alone moving it around like this.”
He doesn’t look any less confused, but he doesn’t press it. “Well, I think we’ve established I don’t know anything about it, so, can I just go?” He stares pointedly at the pale woman, who doesn’t move from her seat against the door.
“Not an option. Can’t have you talking about this with your mob buddies, even with what little you know. You’re stickin’ with me until this shit’s sorted out.”
“Wh- No, I can’t do that. Listen, I promise I’ve got no loyalty to the shitbags I work for, I never liked them anyway. I just need to get back out there and find a new job.”
“Doesn’t matter how loyal you are, you’ve seen me and you know what I was there for. I know how demons operate, kid.”
“Wh– demons?”
“Yeah, demons. The ones who run the mob you’re working for. I had to deal with a few of ‘em to get this package.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You really don’t know who you’re working for, do you? Demons are the ones who do the gods’ dirty work.”
“Look, I’m not really religious, so-”
“Not those kinds of gods, the people at the top of our society. The ones who make the decisions.”
“What?”
My gaze is fixed on the kid's face. Does he really not know about the gods? About the reason why I'm stuck where I am, why my life is the way it is? It doesn't seem possible. Everyone's at least sort of aware of the gods. Their organizations aren't the most transparent in the world, but it's not really feasible to keep something that big under wraps, so they don't really try. Where's this kid been living, that he doesn't even have a vague idea of them?
More pressingly, the other angel's not doing much to explain things. The kid's just getting confused and scared, so I decide to cut in. “Look, let’s start with the basics. The people who run things in this world are called gods. There are a bunch of them, and they all have different ideas about how things should be run, so they fight a lot over influence.”
“Wait, is that who I’ve been working for all this time? A god?” the kid interjects.
“Er… Certainly not directly. But, probably indirectly? Most people do, aside from independent witches. And some people are a little more directly tied into a god’s power structure. Like me, for example. I’m an angel, which just means I got hired to work for a god, and she’s a combat angel.” I gesture to the woman in front of the entrance. “That means her job is fighting for one of them, as part of a standing army.”
“Well, it used to be,” she replies testily.
I… don't know how to respond to that, so I just move on. “I hear they’ve got demons and combat demons to handle their dirty work, but I’ve never seen one. I guess you have, miss…?” I shoot her a questioning glance.
“Victoria, and yeah. The package was guarded by three combat demons with enchanted weapons. Bit of a pain in the ass.”
The kid still looks pretty dumbfounded, which is pretty fair. I don't really know what to do with enchanted weapons being a 'bit of a pain in the ass,’ either. After a moment, he asks, "So… where are these gods from, exactly?"
"Oh, um… most of them probably started out as witches."
His eyes widen. "Wait, really? How does a witch become a god?"
"By getting powerful enough. Once you’ve figured out enough magic it’s pretty easy to turn that into social power. Uhm… why don’t you already know this stuff? It’s pretty common knowledge.”
“Well… I’ve kinda been living on the streets? Nobody's really gone out of their way to teach me anything, and I've never really bothered to worry about who was on top while I’ve been at the bottom.”
I guess that makes sense, but it still feels surreal. “So angels and such just… never came up, huh?”
“Yeah. By the way, uh, the angel thing… is that why you glow?”
I blink. “Glow? I… I don’t.”
“Yeah you do, the space around you is a little lighter.”
The combat angel, Victoria I guess, speaks up. “He can’t see your halo, just the glow from it.”
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“Oh! Right right right, one sec.” I forgot regular humans can’t see my halo unless I show it to them. It’s been a while since I really spent time with any of them. Or anyone, come to think of it. I've been pretty isolated for a while. I close my eyes and concentrate for a moment, willing my halo into view.
After a moment, the kid asks, “How do both of you do that? It looks a lot more convincing than any illusion spell I’ve ever seen.”
“What? Oh, it’s uh, not a spell, it’s actually there. Look, you can touch it if you want.” I lean forward, lowering my head toward him, and watch as he reaches out and places a finger against my halo. I can see a ring of gold light reflected in each of his widening eyes. “It’s a control device, keeps me loyal. Every angel has one, and from what I hear demons have horns that do the same thing.” He runs a finger along the inner edge of the halo, utterly captivated by it. Come to think of it, that was kind of a lot to just dump on a kid who's already in a pretty stressful situation. Hell, we don't even know each other's names. Probably should've started with that. “I’m Alice by the way,” I offer, straightening up.
He nods. “Jackie.” There’s a brief silence during which he continues to stare at my halo, before suddenly turning toward Victoria. “So, uh… How long are you planning on keeping me here, exactly?” he asks.
“Until I figure out what’s going on. Worrying about who might be after my head is only gonna make the whole thing harder, so you’re both staying put right here until I’m done. Well, maybe not right here. This little room isn’t really suitable for a long-term stay. We’ll figure something out.”
I feel a familiar tug at the edge of my mind as I’m faced with the prospect of being away from my life for an extended period. "I don't think I can do that," I inform my captor.
"Well, you don't really have a choice." She crosses her arms over her chest.
"No, I mean… I don't think I'm gonna be able to. I’ve got obligations, necessities to attend to. Duties."
"We've already established that you're no match for me physically, so I’m not sure what you can really do about it."
I suppose she’s right about that, but the restless feeling at the back of my mind doesn’t go away. If she won’t let me go, and I can’t fight past her, I’ll have to wait for an opportunity to slip away while she’s otherwise occupied. Victoria fixes me with a steely gaze. She can probably guess what I’m thinking right now. The two of us glare at each other, and the tense silence continues for a few moments before Jackie decides to break it. “So… If I can help you with this investigation of yours, I can get back out there sooner?”
“No," Victoria replies, still staring me down. "I work alone. And what would I need some snot-nosed kid’s help for, anyway?”
“Well… I know a witch.”
She finally takes her eyes off me, turning toward Jackie. “An independent one? Here in the city?”
“Yeah, couple blocks south of the warehouse you were robbing. Fairly big house for the area, she gives out food.”
"Hmm. Doesn't sound like any witch I know."
"Yeah, she's… a little different. I think she'll want to help, though. You both seem pretty worried about this stuff, and I'm sure she’ll know more about it than I do.”
“Of course she will.” She falls silent for a moment, resting her chin on her hand. “Alright. I’ve got no leads on this, might as well ask someone who knows what they’re talking about. If I get us close to her place via these tunnels, can you lead the way topside?”
“Yeah, shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Let’s go, then.” She turns toward the entrance, then glances back over her shoulder. “You better not be planning anything, kid, I guarantee no one you know can take me.” With that final warning, Victoria pulls the panel covering the entrance to the side, beckoning the two of us out into the tunnel before shutting it again behind us. She silently turns and leads us back the way we came.
As we make our way down the dark tunnel, I find it impossible not to think about how to go about getting out of this situation. My best opportunity will probably come when Victoria goes to sleep, but I don't know when that'll be. I've heard rumors that combat angels don't need to sleep at all. Not from any particularly trustworthy source, but that doesn't mean it can't be true. Still, I don't think my chances will be good as long as she's awake. Best to bide my time.
Eventually we come to a stop at another manhole cover. After popping her head up out of it to check if anyone is around, Victoria motions us out into the night air. It’s dark now, not many people are still out and about.
As it turns out, Victoria got us pretty damn close to our destination. We're not following Jackie for long before he walks up to the front door of a large house and knocks. A few moments later some shuffling can be heard from inside, and then the door opens to reveal a short, pleasantly plump woman wearing large, circular glasses. She looks to be in her thirties, dark skinned with long, black hair that reaches her waist. Between her intricate earrings, the delicate chains and pendants draped around her neck, and her rather stylish blouse and skirt, I’m beginning to feel a tad underdressed in comparison. Of course, that’s hardly my fault, I wasn’t expecting to get kidnapped and taken to meet the local witch. She blinks in surprise, glancing at me and Victoria before fixing her gaze on the boy who brought us here. “... Jackie? What are you doing here so late?”
“Hey Penny. Sorry to bother you like this, some stuff came up.” He gestures to the two of us.
“I… who are these people?”
“Alice and Victoria. We could use some help.”
She frowns, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. “... Alright, come on in. Want some tea?”
“Nah, we’ll be fine," Jackie replies.
“Er, actually,” I chime in, “some tea sounds pretty nice right about now.” With my nerves so shot from the day I've had, anything that helps me relax a little is an unalloyed good. Penny nods and opens the door wider to let us in. We take seats around the table as she puts the kettle on.
The dining room she's led us into is quite spacious, with soft, pleasant lighting. From here I can see a hallway with a number of doorways shooting off from it, including a staircase leading up and one leading down. I could swear I also see a quick flash of a short figure peeking out from one of the further doorways, but it's too far away and too brief to be sure.
“So, what exactly is it that you need a witch for?” Penny asks, drawing my attention back to the room I'm sitting in.
Victoria opens the package and pulls out one of the cores. “There are hundreds of these in this box. I’m no witch, but even I know that’s weird.”
Penny grimaces. “Hundreds? Let me take a look.” Victoria slides the package toward her, lid open, and Penny begins examining the cores inside. “Well… These are clearly not all made by the same witch. But I couldn’t begin to imagine why someone would need this many, even a group of someones.”
“No guesses? None at all?” Victoria presses.
“Nope. Where’d you get ‘em?”
“Stole ‘em from some demons. I was hired anonymously to grab 'em and drop 'em off somewhere else, and I don’t trust it.”
“I see.” She chews her lower lip, deep in thought. The kettle starts whistling, and it seems to startle her out of her stupor. She pours some tea in a cup, and puts it on the table in front of me. "So how exactly did Jackie get involved in all this?"
He looks away sheepishly, fidgeting with the hem of his tank top. "The job I had to leave for earlier was to deliver that package. Victoria got there before me, I ran into her on the way out."
"Hmm. I hope the next job you find is safer." There isn't even a hint of an edge in the witch's tone, but he seems to shrink down into his chair as she turns her attention to me. "And what about you, dear? You're shining so bright, I can't imagine you're spending your time around the likes of her willingly," she says, nodding toward Victoria.
"Er, wrong place at the wrong time. I saw her and Jackie leaving a warehouse, and she didn't like having been seen."
She nods, returning to her thoughts. I awkwardly sip at my tea and glance around the table. Victoria remains impassive as she waits to hear more, Jackie looks like he'd rather be anywhere else. I can certainly relate. When I've nearly finished my cup, Penny speaks again. "This is all very concerning, honestly. Whatever a bunch of demons could want with this many cores, it can't be good for anyone else. Victoria, if you're set on figuring out what's going on with this whole business, then I'll offer my assistance. I can't just let it be."
"What exactly are you offering? All I really came here for was a second opinion on the things, and I've already got that."
"I'm a witch, dear, there's more to us than information. It's been a while since I've had to do any field work, but I haven't forgotten any of the spells I used back then.”
Victoria thinks this over for a minute, then nods. "I suppose I’m not in a position to turn down a helping hand."
“Alright then. It’s very late, so I suggest we all get some rest, and figure out a plan of action in the morning.”
“I’m not sure that’s-”
“You won’t find a safer place for it than here. This house is more fortified than it looks, and there’s plenty of space.” Victoria looks as if she might argue back for a moment, but decides against it. “First 3 doors on the right should be empty." With that, Penny walks off and disappears up the staircase.
As we walk toward the rooms she indicated, Victoria fixes me in her gaze. "So you're thinking about taking off in the middle of the night, right?" Wait, how did she-
My thoughts are interrupted by the blow that knocks me unconscious.