He was told to meet with them in the middle of the forest. A secluded and secured area to discuss the unexplainable and the impossible. Neshoba didn’t know why he was called out there. He suspected it would be a monster he had to hunt, but that wouldn’t make sense. Typically, he would be handed the details. To be sent out to meet the contractor in person was unorthodox.

  However, even the most peculiar meetings had a purpose at the end of the day. He figured the mission he was about to be given required a level of secrecy. Unusual for him as he was used to the Order giving him every relevant information to look over. Yet, there was something, a possible threat or mystery which required Neshoba’s set of skills.

  There was no point in wearing a suit or armour. A few minutes ago, he heard the familiar crack and boom from the sky. It was clear that the forces of Heaven had arrived on the planet, and if he had to guess, would also be at the meeting location. He had no idea how to battle against angelic horrifica, so trying to appear confident would be unwise. Depending on the House, suicidal. So, he preferred to go there for something comfortable. A T-shirt and jeans would do.

  A soldier of the Order Militant came out from behind a tree and aimed his N7 Battle Rifle at the agent. ‘Halt! Who goes there?’

  Neshoba raised his hands in a lazy fashion. However, he was surprised to see a member of a different Order operating in the area. No one was going in, not when they had it locked down.

  ‘Neshoba Keys, Boot Trackers Unit, Butterfly Legion.’

  The soldier lowered his rifle. ‘Why the hell are you wearing that?’

  ‘It feels good to wear,’ Neshoba sarcastically replied before the soldier escorted him to their meeting location.

  In the middle of the forest, outside of civilization to rot was a bunker swarmed by multiple different factions. An underground containment facility with its large concrete door shattered all over the ground. There was a strange scent in the air. Something, or someone, was inside that facility which caught everyone’s attention. For better, and for worse.

  Ten representatives of the Kingdoms of Hell, the pale demon among them was a Lucarian Knight with their crossbow and donning steel vest. Angels from the House of Michael walked alongside the demons. Of course, members of the Order investigate the area, but they weren’t bothering keeping the peace between the two adversaries. Instead, they kept track of who got in and out of the containment facility. Something was wrong. Neshoba could sense it. If demons and angels were being civil, it meant something spooked them.

  He eavesdropped on a few conversations to get a bigger picture as to why he was there. However, he got nothing of value. All they were talking about was how something was alive after so many years. They speculated and theorised how one could even survive with no food, water, or air for 75 years. Neshoba also realised they had already searched every part of the bunker, which could mean they were there far longer than the Order got word of the discovery, or the facility was tiny.

  ‘Operator Keys.’ Nethanael Gay said from behind. ‘It is good to see you here. I’ll be the one to brief you on your mission.’

  Neshoba shook his hand, glad to see a familiar face. However, he never expected a senior agent of Order Diplomatics to be the one to brief him instead of his representative. ‘Pleasure is mine. So what is the problem?’

  Gay gestured to him to follow. ‘I assume you are aware of some famous past members of the Order. Elizabeth cul Bun of the Order Horrifica, Ivo Kuzmin of the Order Discovery, and Peter Butterfly, one of the forefathers of the Order. All of them are instrumental in our history, doing good to humanity and advancing our cause. Even when their deeds were never rewarded and we never take an active measure to preserve their legacy. They still live in the hearts of many Olympians and those who wish to know the Order’s finest moments.’

  ‘What does this have to do with me?’

  ‘Every good deed is met with horror.’ Gay waved for a member of the Order Militant to come to him and stand guard at the facility’s entrance. ‘No one is allowed inside.’ He ordered the guard with a gruff voice.

  As the two headed deeper into the bunker, Gay tapped his ring finger on a faded sign. Containment facility Alpha, under it, was the MODOC logo. ‘With every great member of the Order, we have those who carry marks of shame. Yes, they may have defended humanity, but the methods they chose to employ… well, let’s just say they are rotten to the core.’

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  Neshoba remembered when MODOC was declared a rogue agency and was stomped out for foolishly deciding to go their own way and branch out from the Order. There were no details about why the Order decided to fight a war against their puppet agencies and later replaced it with the American Society of the Paranormal. Or ASP for short. The only thing certain about MODOC was the agency was destroyed as soon as the conflict started.

  ‘If we are talking about history, I need a lot more than that.’ Neshoba replied. ‘MODOC was dismantled in the 80s and none of its members should even be alive anymore. But we are not talking about them, are we?’

  ‘No, I asked for you because of what they left here.’ Gay replied before walking to the end of a hundred metre long corridor to a single room with a steel blue door. ‘The target was one of our own.’

  This isn’t a typical hunt. Neshoba frowned before entering the room. All over the walls, carved into concrete and steel, were a list of hundreds of names. The putrid odour flooded his nose. Strangely, the smell reminded him of his time in rural Bangladesh. His hair beads softly hummed the closer he got to the pile of dried skin at the corner of the room. Curious, Neshoba kneeled down to touch it.

  In an instant, a vision flooded his mind. A reptilian creature, hunched over and naked, rambled while their index finger bled. The bone exposed as it violently etched names on the walls. The creature hissed, its lips curled in a snarl while tears rolled down its cheeks. It arched its back like a cat and exposed the spine as it pierced its thin green scales. They were shedding, and it was painful. However, through the pain, only one thing was on its mind. Revenge.

  Neshoba retracted his hand from the dried skin, having enough information from the vision. ‘You want me to find Johnson Abernu?’

  ‘Jackson Abernu,’ Gay corrected before handing Neshoba a document. ‘Now you understand the seriousness of this operation.’

  ‘Not like I have a choice in the matter.’ He replied before taking the document. ‘I thought MODOC executed the reptile?’

  ‘Partly true. Jackson retired, and the organisation took it upon themselves to kill him. We spent resources trying to recover his body, well, more accurately trying to find it. However, we came off short. Originally, we assumed they cremated the corpse. If only that was the case.’

  ‘How do we know he is alive?’

  ‘We don’t. Could be a possessed corpse.’ Gay bitterly admitted. ‘But is or isn’t, it doesn’t matter. That is why I need you to find him. He is extremely dangerous and needs to be terminated at all costs.’

  Neshoba flicked through the document, skimming every file to try any keywords. However, all he got was the bare minimum. Just a list of weapons and martial arts Jackson was proficient in, his doctorate, and a light description of what he looked like. Great, talk about fighting ghosts. Neshoba thought to himself before handing the file back to Gay.

  ‘Anything else I need to know?’

  ‘Yes, there is one thing.’ Gay clicked his fingers to conjure a small flame under the document to destroy it. ‘Don’t expect mercy from him, and never hold back.’

  ‘In that case, everything is clear. I’ll report back if I find anything.’

  Before Neshoba could leave, Gay called out to him. ‘I also took the liberties to provide you with an information broker. Courtesy of the Order Diplomatics. She’ll get in contact with you and be your eyes and ears from now on. I also ensured you’ll have a new vehicle, arsenal, and additional information to track down your target. Once you leave this facility, the council will expect the best from you.’

  ‘I never disappoint.’

  ‘You are dealing with a highly dangerous individual and you are regarded as the best candidate to hunt down and neutralise them. Jackson knows secrets and information that can topple entire continents. Say what you want, but keep this in mind. No one can afford you to be a disappointment.’