Chapter 34: Esprit de corpse

“Thanks for bearing with me,” said James, shoving the phone back in his pocket. “Let’s get to the details. First off, I’d like to introduce Serenity. She’s a Supplicant Level 1, and I’d not be standing here today without her.”

Serenity stepped forward and waved, her smile brazen even as she flushed.

“We’re both going to be heading up the Crimson Hydra crew. I’ve been told the smart guys behind this operation have organized us into teams of nine, three teams per triad named after some kind of monster. Once I quit yapping at you, I want you all to get up and find each other -”

“Actually,” said Cindy, stepping tentatively onto the stage and taking the mike, “we’ve got signs stuck up on the walls for each triad, so simply look for your monster poster, and there you’ll find the others who have been assigned to your groups.”

James took the microphone back, bemused. “Well all right. Looks like the DRC is on top of this stuff. Let’s meet up with our teams, then I’ll come back to the stage and call the highest ranked Crimson team members to come talk about how we’re going to implement this attack plan of ours. Clear? Oh, and there’s gonna be pizza.”

Some half-hearted cheers sounded at this last announcement, and James turned off the mike and descended to where Jessica, Cindy, and Richard stood.

“Thanks for that, Cindy,” said James. “You’ve done a great job here. I really appreciate it.”

“Oh, say nothing of it, I’m an old hand when it comes to these kinds of shindigs.” She beamed at him. “I had to stop myself from setting up a merch room and gaming tables.”

“James, great to meet you,” said Richard, stepping forward to pump James’s hand. “I’m the nerd’s that’s gonna weaponize everything for you. Richard Stokes, former coder, current monomaniac when it comes to everything demon apocalypse.”

“Good to meet you,” said James, unable to resist smiling. “Thanks as well.”

“Don’t thank me. This is all really basic thus far. Without being able to see what powers and challenges are coming down the road, it’s hard to do more than educated guessing. Once we have a clearer picture as to the third Benedictions and whatever the Miracles prove to be, I’ll be able to give better insight.”

“Great. Well.” James handed the mike to Jessica. “We’re going to go meet with Crimson Hydra. Serenity?”

“Right with you, boss man.”

They joined the slow flow of foot traffic that was walking along the ballroom walls, reading the signs till they found their own. Basilisk, Mothman, Bigfoot, Cockatrice, Wyvern… Hydra.

A crowd had already gathered, and James saw that everyone was wearing a color-coded lanyard with their name and team prominently displayed on the laminated card.

Nothing surprised him anymore.

“Hey everybody,” said James, and the twenty-five or so individuals all turned to stare at him with frank curiosity. “How about we break into our nine-man teams, get to know each other a bit, then gather as a triad? Sound good?”

People nodded, and the crowd separated into three smaller groups.

James rubbed his palms on his hips and joined the group wearing crimson tags. He felt awkward, unsure of himself suddenly, knowing he had to continue taking the lead, but already feeling worn out by the constant attention.

Crimson Hydra was… diverse.

One guy looked like a wilderness survival expert dressed in a crisp tailored suit, mid-30’s, his hair bound back in a rough ponytail, beard growing up his cheeks like James, but clean and ruggedly handsome with a self-contained and commanding air.

He stepped up and extended his hand. “Bjørn Larsen, CFO of CovenantWealth, but now simply Mendicant Level 5 with the Bless Benediction. Thanks for your video. Going Aura early made a huge difference.”

“Good to meet you, Bjørn.”

A vibrantly healthy and muscular lady with short blonde hair and a square jaw raised her hand to give the group a small wave. “Joanna Masters, professional CrossFit competitor and owner of Masters Dojo in Queens. Mendicant Level 6, and I went Shield of Faith.”

It was becoming clear that half the group was confident and out-going, while the rest were hanging back, hesitant, or simply quiet.

Another of the obviously confident types raised her hand, a matte-black rifle slung over her back. Her long black hair was braided, and if she looked less obviously muscular than Joanna, she still looked fit and hardy.

“Becca Locklear, I work for Aegis Private Security. We provided security for Indian Point Energy Center, the nuclear facility in Westchester County, till the army took over. I kept my Bushmaster XM-15, however, and together we’ve put a dent in the Nemeses’ ranks.” Her smile was mirthless. “Mendicant Level 9, Smite specialty.”

James managed nod, but his mind was reeling. A CFO, a private security specialist, and a professional CrossFit/martial arts studio owner? How the hell was he supposed to lead these people?

Still, if life on the streets had taught him one thing, it was how to keep a stoic expression.

The final one of the obviously confident types looked pure army, from his buzz cut to this thick neck, direct stare, and fatigues. He wore a pistol on each hip, and had another impressive looking rifle held in the same muzzle-down position James had seen other soldiers use. He couldn’t have been more than twenty-five, but his gaze was clear and his shirt strained at the shoulders. “Jason Webster, medically discharged from the army after two years of being screwed around by the review board. Mendicant Level 6, focus on Bless.”

James could almost hear the sir that Jason swallowed at the last second.

Becca Locklear eyed Jason up and down. “You look fit to me, soldier. What they discharge you for?”

Jason’s expression didn’t change, but something about his eyes tightened. “Four months into my deployment to Camp Shorabak in Afghanistan I touched a wrench to a positive connection on a chopper that was supposed to be good to go. The electric shock blew me across the hangar. When I woke up they told me I was having upwards of 20,000 extra heartbeats a day. I was sent to cardiologists here in the US for a couple of years, but finally the board gave up. They promoted me to E-5 and discharged me.”

Serenity frowned. “That mean you’re liable for a heart attack?”

“Hasn’t happened yet, ma’am.”

“Good to have you here, Jason,” said James. “Sorry about your heart.”

“Won’t be a problem, sir.”

That left three other people in their group, none of which were eager to speak up. Finally a young man in a varsity letterman jacket with striking blue eyes and black hair shaved almost to the scalp spoke up, giving James an up-nod and stepping forward.

“Denzel Brown. I help - helped - my father run his grocery store up in Harlem. Mendicant Level 5, Shield of Faith. Good to meet y’all.”

“Denzel.”

The next guy looked around the group warily. He was a high school kid, eyes hooded and encircled by dark shadows, as if he’d not slept in a week, and his hair was frizzy and formed a black cloud around his head. Striking cheekbones, pursed lips, and a deadpan stare, he wore a large black hoody and jeans.

“Yadriel Sanchez,” he said. “Mendicant Level 8. Bless.”

“Level 8?” Joanna beamed at him. “That’s awesome. What was your approach?”

The CrossFit lady was Yadriel’s opposite in every way. Where she was tanned, vibrant, her skin glowing, her body muscular and toned, he was angular, pale, his skin ashen, his energy so muted he looked sullen.

“Aura, like Mr. James here recommended.” Yadriel shrugged his shoulders and stepped back, averting his eyes. “Just been walking around ashing demons since this went down.”

Joanna’s smile subsided but didn’t go away altogether. “Really impressive.”

Her compliment seemed to mean nothing to Yadriel, who stared at the ground.

James turned to the last member of Crimson Hydra. Of everyone present she’d had the greatest impact on him, her presence powerful, everything about her raw and intense, almost feral. She looked like she’d been living on the streets for years, but if that was the case, she was exactly the kind of person folks like him would have given wide berth. Her caramel blonde hair was thick and long, coarse and with strands curling before her striking face, which was lined and weathered, her nose strong, her brow furrowed, and her eyes - damn.

Her irises were of the palest blue and rimmed in thick black, so that her gaze went beyond piercing and seemed instead to be otherworldly. Maybe in a different life she would have been striking attractive, but in this one she had all the poise and presence of a wolf, and though she stood amongst the others she seemed on some level to stand alone.

“Sarah,” she said softly, accent strange though James couldn’t place it. “Supplicant Level 1. Shield of Faith, Circle of Protection.”

Becca Locklear looked Sarah up and down. “You’re Supplicant 1?”

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Sarah didn’t move, though her eyes flickered over to take in the dark-haired warrior. She frowned and then very obviously chose not to answer.

“Good to have you, Sarah.” Frankly it was a miracle she’d shown up, he realized, and pushing her could easily drive her away. “So we’ve got a good spread going. Me, Serenity, and Becca here with Smite; Jason, Bjørn, and Yadriel with Bless; and Sarah, Joanna, and Denzel with Shield of Faith. Sarah, how big can your circle get?”

The homeless lady rubbed at her jawline. “About three yards a side.”

“Big enough for all of us,” said James. “Which means we’ll keep you in the center. The Smiters will take the front line. Does Bless stack?”

“It does,” said Bjørn, his voice calm, rich, confident. “The limiting factor is one’s Arete, though I’m sure we all have enough to cover our group.”

“So that’s a +6 bonus to all physical stats going in. Great.” He rubbed at the back of his neck, aware of them all staring at him. “The Nemesis 2’s are resistant to normal bullets, so Serenity and Becca will be doing most of the damage, while I protect our front from anything that gets too close. Shields, you reinforce Sarah’s circle, and Blessers, you support us with regular firepower. Sound good?”

Joanna smiled warmly. “That’s roughly what Richard outlined, yes, though he suggested Shields could use their ability for crowd control, funneling demons to where we want them and protecting our flanks.”

“Like baffle plates for herding swine,” said Denzel abruptly, then just as abruptly closed his mouth.

“Yeah,” chuckled James. “Just like that. We’ll move in slowly, around two or three triads per block, and kill everything that we find.”

The Crimson Hydra crew nodded, and James felt his brow prickle with sweat.

Serenity clapped her hands. “Awesome, great chat, everyone. Hail Hydra.”

Yadriel smirked.

“All right, let’s meet the Ivory and Ebon folks, and then I’m going to circle round with the other Crimson leaders,” said James, ready to transition, doubts assailing him.

The three teams gathered, and James introduced himself again, listened as everyone spoke their name, rank, and Benediction, and then repeated the rough plan.

Should he try for some kind of inspirational message? He already felt like an imposter, so he decided not to. He never felt more relief than when Cindy announced from the stage that the pizza had arrived.

“You’re doing great,” said Serenity, taking his arm as they moved toward the stage. “Seriously.”

“I feel like an idiot.” He kept his voice to a low rasp. “What the fuck am I doing, trying to lead these people into a fight? I’m good at finding places the wind can’t get to when you need to sleep, not fighting demons.”

“Au contraire,” said Serenity. “You’re literally certified as a bad ass. We both are. You see that many other Supplicants around here? What’s that? You don’t? And oh, you want to ask the Blair Witch to lead out group? No? Then suck it up and quit whining.”

James chuckled. “That what I’m doing?”

“Yeah.” They stopped before the stage. “Look, the way I see it? You don’t need to be Napoleon here. It’s more like you’re hosting a bowling party. You’re responsible for getting to people to show up and move to their own lanes, and then you just focus on scoring your own strikes, and they’ll do the same thing.”

“I’m not sure I agree with you on that one.” He stared out over the crowd which was massing before the two hundred pizza boxes that a crew of dazed looking delivery guys were carting in. “But given that’s about as much as I can do, I’ll take it.”

“Atta boy.” She punched him lightly on the arm. “I mean, what it comes down to is, are you a glass half-full or demons are going to eat all out faces kinda guy?”

James frowned.

“Don’t answer that close to a microphone,” Serenity said.

Jessica emerged from the crowd, her hair artfully disheveled, her office-wear somehow looking sharp and crisp despite her having worked through the night. “How did it go?”

“As well as it could have,” said James. “I feel like they expected more from me, but I’m all out of rabbits to pull out of my hat.”

“Fortunately there’s pizza,” said Jessica. “It’s amazing how people of every walk of life respond to free melted cheese and pepperoni. We’re just shy of midday. I suggest you meet with Richard, who’ll review his proposed plan of attack with you, and then share that intel with the team leaders before heading out. And don’t forget, Serenity, I have a small surprise for you.”

“Oh, I’ve not forgotten.” Serenity did a tiny clap that consisted of just tapping her fingertips together. “I’m so excited. I’ve never owned a tank before.”

“It’s not a tank.”

“A minigun, then.”

“It’s not a minigun.”

Serenity’s face fell. “One of those Rambo machine guns?”

Jessica glared at her. “Maybe I’ll find someone else to give it to, then.”

Serenity sighed dramatically. “No, it’s fine. I’ll take whatever you’ve found. Thanks.”

“Anyway.” Jessica turned back to James. “Ready for Richard?”

“Sure. But, ah, how much should we rely on this guy for battle plans?” James rubbed the back of his head. “He’s a freelance coder, right? Not an actual military tactician.”

“To put it succinctly,” said Jessica, “he’s the best tactician we’ve got. You should talk to him.”

“Right, yeah, sounds good.” James turned again to survey the milling crowd. No matter whom he looked at they were all scarfing down their slices eagerly. “I’m just… yeah. A little overwhelmed by the reality of all this.”

“That’s a logical emotional response. A week ago you were homeless, and now you are the leader of the DRC and Crimson Hydra. If that didn’t give you emotional whiplash, I’d deem you a sociopath. But stick with it. You gave a very good speech, have good people supporting you, and everybody here has proven themselves capable of defending themselves and killing demons hundreds of times over. If it’s of any comfort, you are a figure head as much as you are an active leader; your presence is what makes this department viable, and the sight of you is what keeps all these strangers in this room.”

“That and the pizza,” said Serenity.

“Yes. But James.” Jessica reached out and touched his wrist. “You are doing a fantastic job. I’m being sincere. And I genuinely believe that the thousand people in this room can clear a demon symbol, after which their confidence and esprit de corpse will only improve.”

“Esprit de corpse?” asked Serenity. “Like, spirit of a dead body?”

“De corpse,” said Jessica, frowning at her. “No. Like the guiding spirit of a cohesive military unit.”

“Oh god, finally,” said Serenity, grinning. “You’re absolutely right. Love it. Keep using that.”

Jessica frowned at her again, then dismissed her. “Everything is going according to plan. In forty-five minutes we’ll be heading out, and events will take their course.”

“We believe in you, tiger,” said Serenity, and hip-checked him.

James stood up straighter. “Got it. All right. I’m done doubting. Where’s Richard?”

Jessica smiled. “Waiting for you. Let’s go talk battle plans.”

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