Paradise Hacked (First Circle Club Book 2) (43 page)
Read Paradise Hacked (First Circle Club Book 2) Online
Authors: Alex Siegel
"You're babbling."
The face appeared sad. It faded into darkness.
Harlow was left alone.
He screamed in rage, but nobody heard. He tried to lash out, but he had no hands.
* * *
Virgil and Lisa walked up to a sandwich shop with a white and yellow sign. The shop was part of a suburban strip mall. Virgil glanced over his shoulder to make sure nobody was following, and then he and Lisa entered.
The brightly lit interior had cheerful yellow walls. Plastic tables were bolted to the floor with four fixed chairs around each. A teenage girl with violet lipstick stood behind the cash register.
Alfred, Sara, Mei, Cat, and Kyle were sitting in the corner. Virgil didn't see any sign of injury, although Alfred's clothes had dirt stains. Virgil and Lisa joined the group.
"How did it go?" Alfred said.
"The mission is over. I can't say much more while Cat and Kyle are here, so let's talk about them first." Virgil looked at the couple in question. "Do you have any idea what you'll do next? I'm afraid you can't just hang around with us."
They were sitting close together and holding hands. Virgil hadn't said anything about it, but he had noticed the growing fondness between them.
"I don't feel like my soul is really clean yet," Cat said.
"It's not," Virgil said. "That process will take years. You just took your first step."
"Is there another mission coming?"
He shrugged. "Possibly. I'll call if I need you again. It may be a while."
"Oh."
He looked at Kyle. "Captain, our management, uh, intervened. You can probably go back to serving in the Army as if nothing had happened. Nobody will remember you as a traitor."
"How is that possible?" Kyle said.
"Call it a miracle and leave it at that."
Kyle raised his eyebrows. "I like these miracle things. Very convenient."
"Don't go back," Cat pleaded. "Stay with me."
He looked at her. "And do what?"
"Travel. See interesting places and meet interesting people. I have money, lots of money, enough to keep us very comfortable for years."
"I don't know," he said. "Going on a permanent vacation seems kind of lazy. I'm not nearly old enough to retire."
"I need you with me, or I'll go back to my old ways."
They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment.
"OK," Kyle said, "but we won't just have fun. You're going to pay back the money you stole, and if that's not possible, then you'll find good deeds you can do for your victims. You're going to polish up your soul, one smudge at a time."
"Sure, as long as we do it together. Can we start now?"
"Let's go. I'm done with the military anyway. Too many commanders like Knox out there."
They stood up.
"Wait," Virgil said. "I must caution both of you one last time. You're in possession of forbidden knowledge. Don't whisper a word of it to anybody else, or there will be Hell to pay, and Heaven, too. And make sure I know how to reach you in an emergency. Once you get settled, send a note to Li and Li's Electronics Boutique. I want to thank both of you for your assistance. You made a big difference. Have fun together."
"It's been an honor and a privilege working with all of you," Kyle said. "Truly a life-changing experience. Bye."
He and Cat left the sandwich shop still holding hands.
"What happened at the park?" Sara said.
Virgil summarized the battle and the conversation with Barachiel. Lisa added her story about fighting with Dr. Harlow on the way to Heaven.
Sara furrowed her brow. "I can't believe Barachiel was happy with the way things turned out. The angel is still under some kind of influence."
"Could it be God?" Lisa said.
"I doubt it. The Lord has no need to be so sneaky. It has to be a very powerful angel, one with an axe to grind."
"Or a demon. Or both. Somebody was definitely messing with Hell during the previous mission."
Sara nodded slowly.
"We won't figure this out right now," Virgil said, "and having another conversation with Barachiel or Mammon won't help. We'll just have to wait for the next problem to crop up. Maybe the hidden troublemakers will finally show themselves. In the meantime, let's go home."
* * *
Virgil looked up at the gigantic body of Mammon. The demon was wearing a jet black suit made of some shiny material, but rotting food smeared across its chest ruined the appearance of being well-dressed. Massive blobs of fat jiggled and swayed with each unsteady step. Mammon's small feet seemed ridiculously inadequate. Blue flames shot from its eye sockets.
"Five minutes," the demon grumbled. "If you don't come out by then, I'm coming in after you."
Virgil nodded. "I understand. Thank you."
Mammon pushed open a huge stone door, making a grinding noise. Virgil left a dark, smoky passage and entered a chamber.
Mr. Li was sitting at a black iron workbench. He had a small mountain of Chinese cookies on his left and countless slips of paper on his right. He was inserting the papers into the cookies with tweezers. After each cookie was done, he dropped it into a tube.
It took a moment for him to realize he wasn't alone. Finally, he looked up from his work. "Virgil! What are you doing here? Limbo is for dead people. Did you die?"
"I've been dead for a long time," Virgil said.
"I'm sorry. But how did you get in here? Only demons can visit me."
"I pulled a few strings. I was owed a favor in exchange for services rendered. How are you doing?"
Mr. Li looked at the pile of cookies. "They have me stuffing fortune cookies."
"That's not bad. There are worse fates."
"It's so boring and lonely."
"I bet." Virgil walked around the workbench and put his mouth next to Mr. Li's ear. "You shouldn't be stuck here," Virgil whispered. "You never went through Final Judgement. A terrible injustice was done to you."
Mr. Li's eyes widened.
"I don't know how," Virgil said, "but some day, I'll get you out. I owe that much to your daughter."
"You'll get in a lot of trouble."
"That's nothing new for me."
"Virgil!" Mammon roared from outside the chamber. "It's time!"
"That wasn't five minutes," Virgil muttered. "Have faith and hope. You will not be forgotten. I will knock down the vaults of Hell if that's what it takes."
"Virgil!" Mammon roared again.
"Bye." Virgil quickly left the chamber. He met the demon in the smoky passage and said, "How is the interrogation of Colonel Knox going?"
"He's worthless. He believes he was chasing aliens. It seems Harlow was the only one who knew the truth, and until his soul reappears, the mystery will remain. It's time for you to go back to Earth. The First Circle Club may be called into action at any time."
Mammon clapped its hands, and both of them vanished.
THE END
To be continued in... GAMBLING DEMONS.
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