ã€ŠThe Unseen Warã€‹


 1.1 Madam Adlersflçœ‰gel

    It was while Paul was driving to work, part of his everyday commute, that his world was torn from his hands. He had stopped at a stop sign when a car pile drove into the passenger side of his car. In the moments leading up to the crash, Paul experienced the most intense rush of adrenaline he had ever had. As the adrenaline rushed through his veins, he was seeing things so slow it seemed like snapshots of still framed photos. In the car speeding towards him was a man that looked as if he had been out drinking all night before getting into his car. He had an intense look on his face like he was intentionally speeding right towards another car. The last thing Paul remembered before his world went black was the look of utter terror on the man''s face right before impact.

    Paul woke in a dark van with a well-dressed man at his side. He had an intense look on his face that did not look friendly at all. As he turned to talk, Paul was surprised to see the side of the man''s face riddled with deep scars. They were not the clean scars like those obtained from a clean cut. They were gnarled scars that left his face full of high ridges and deep valleys as if strips of flesh had been removed from his face.

    ¡°You are going to feel a bit sore for a while.¡± The man said in a scary calm voice. ¡°You were in a car accident, and we scooped you from the car wreck before EMS arrived on scene. We had been following you when a car sped into the side of your vehicle. Drivers these days, they have no respect for other people.¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­. the wreck!¡± said Paul, maintaining as much cool as he could muster. ¡°Why would you take me from the scene, and¡­¡­. following me? Please let me out, I would like to go back and make sure everything is put in order.¡±

    ¡°I am afraid that is simply not an option. You are going to be coming with me. I am under strict orders.¡± The man said In a more commanding tone.

    ¡°I need to go back now! I am not willing to go anywhere with you!¡± Paul said trying to choke out fear.

    ¡°YOU HAVE NO CHOICE!¡± The man screamed. He proceeded to pull a silenced handgun from his side and put it right in Paul¡¯s face. ¡°You had your chance to do this the easy way, now you will do it at gun point.¡±

    ¡°H-had my chance? I only asked once; please tell me what we are doing. I have a family to go back to. Please tell me what you want from me.¡± Paul stammered his entire body shaking in fear. The adrenaline now coursing through his veins again caused time to slow slightly. His mind was racing trying to figure a way out of the situation.

    The man began to talk in a frustrated slur of words. Paul had to work hard to focus on what he was saying.

    ¡°There will be time to ask questions, but now you will shut your mouth. I have had enough useless talk.¡± And with those last words, the Man stopped talking and pulled the gun away slightly, while keeping it carefully pointed at Paul.

    Paul thought as hard as he could, time seemed to be standing still as his mind raced through the possible routes of escape. No route of escape presented itself to him; he was in a hopeless situation. He began to race through his life trying to figure why someone would want to have him abducted. He once had gambling debts, but those had been paid long ago. In college, he had played sports and not had much time to get into any real trouble. There was no logical reason for him to be abducted.

    After what seemed like about six hours, the van began to slow. They were in a field with only a single large barn in sight. The extreme flat terrain told him that they were somewhere in Eastern Montana, far from anything resembling the mountainous terrain from their starting destination in Colorado.

    ¡°Let''s go, and don¡¯t try anything dumb. It is about twenty miles to the next town.¡± With that, the man stuck the gun in his back and made him walk towards the massive barn.

    The side door on the barn flew open and a man of very small stature came running out. In an excited and stuttering squeaky voice, he said, ¡°A-a-gent 2 m-madam A is v-very u-upset with you.¡±

    The little man disappeared with as much haste as he had appeared. The man in the suit, Agent 2 Paul thought he was called, was visibly upset at the brief appearance of the little man.

    ¡°Get inside and don¡¯t say a word.¡± Agent 2 said jabbing the muzzle of the gun sharply into Paul¡¯s sore ribs, his frustration was very apparent.

    Upon entering the barn, Paul expected the dim lighting and slightly musty smell of most barns. He was met with quite a different scene inside this barn. The barn was very well lit and had a concrete floor that looked to be kept in perfect condition. The first thing that met the eye was the giant cargo plane that sat neatly in the middle of the barn. The plane was gigantic and nearly touched the top of the barn. The wings looked to be resting against the walls at the tips. To the back corner of the barn was another door. The short man was just disappearing into that door as the door behind them slammed closed.

    ¡°Go through the door back there and sit in the chair to your right as you enter.¡± Agent 2 said, clearly trying to control his anger. ¡°Madam A will be waiting for you. I would suggest you not say a word until spoken to.¡±

    Agent 2 escorted Paul to the door and disappeared into a small room nearby. Paul stood contemplating what to do for the next few seconds, as he began to feel the adrenaline pumping through his body. He could run for it, maybe make it outside, but then what? He did not know what to expect behind this door, maybe he could take this woman and use her as a hostage to get out. Even Agent 2 seemed to fear her, or at least, respected her very much. Paul decided to go through with this plan to turn the tables and capture his captor.

    Upon entering the room, Paul was surprised to see the woman sitting behind the desk. He expected to find a well-dressed woman with a very commanding presence, but instead he found himself looking at a very odd young woman. She was about average height, and must have weighed about 130 lbs by Paul¡¯s calculations. She did not even look up from the desk as Paul entered. Her hair was tied up directly on top of her head with what looked like a shred of a flower patterned tapestry from the 60¡¯s. Her hair was falling like a fountain all around her head, In the front, she had tucked it behind her ears to leave her face exposed. On the bridge of her nose sat a thick framed pair of blue glasses. She wore a turtle neck shirt that was hot pink and slightly baggy around her body.

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    ¡°Sit, I will be with you momentarily.¡± The odd woman said in a voice so calm and soothing that Paul thought for a moment that he could have been at a doctor''s office, or bank.

    Paul sat and started to observe the room that was as odd as the woman sitting in it. Each wall had been painted a different color, red, yellow, blue, and Green. On the walls were many paintings that all carried the same unique style. It looked as if someone had created magnificent landscapes, using only bright colors. Paul almost forgot his situation as he gazed into each painting even recognizing the mountain ranges in some of them.

    ¡°They are magnificent aren¡¯t they? My name is Madam Adlersfl¨¹gel, but call me Madam A.¡± the woman said now standing a few feet from Paul.

    Paul almost fell out of his seat as he had not seen her get up to come across the room. He stood, and began to re-run his plan through his mind. Now was the moment to act, and he knew he must do it quickly. The familiar adrenaline came rushing into his veins and time began to slow. He lurched forward to grab Madam A¡¯s wrists and try to subdue her, but as he shot forward she was gone. He felt a gentle push from behind that was enough to topple him forward onto the floor.

    ¡°I really had hoped that we could do things a bit more civil than this, but I suppose Agent 2 ruined that chance.¡± She said now behind him.

    Paul looked up at this strange woman wide eyed, ¡°How¡­..you were right in front-¡±

    ¡°How is not important, why is the important part of this situation,¡± She said in a voice as calm as ever. ¡°Now get up and sit back down, we have matters to discuss.¡±

    As Paul got up from the floor, he noticed that Madam A was back in her chair in the blink of an eye. He thought his mind must have played a trick on him, what he saw was not possible.

    Picking himself off the floor, Paul mumbled ¡°How¡­ you move faster than I can even think.¡±

    ¡°Yes, in a way I am moving very fast, and no, not faster than you can think.¡± Madam A said calmly. ¡°You are the only other person in the world that can think as fast as I move, and I believe you can move this fast as well.¡±

    Paul almost let out a full blown laugh but tried coughing to cover it as up he said, ¡°You must be mistaken, I am just a normal person. I have a normal life with a normal family, one that I would really like to go back to.¡± Despite Paul¡¯s best effort, he just about started to cry.

    ¡°I know full well that you are capable of moving fast, I have been watching you with very careful scrutiny. It has been years of watching and evaluating, measuring your speed in high-stress moments.¡± Madam A said with a giddy type excitement in her voice. ¡°Think of your days playing college football, how do you think you seemed to get through piles of tacklers with ease. The NFL recruited you, but you turned them down. You wanted to study science and become a neural surgeon. They called you a fool and said you could have been the best running back to ever play the game. I know how you think, it was simply too easy, you wanted a challenge in life.¡±

    ¡°How long have you been ¡­Studying me?¡± Paul almost shouted in an attempt to suppress the emotion now welling up inside of him.

    ¡°It has been at least ten years now and that is why I am so upset with Agent 2.¡± She seemed to just be remembering that she was upset with someone as the words came out of her mouth.

    Leaning forward Madam A spoke into a microphone that Paul had only just now noticed.

    ¡°Cromwell! Please come to my office,¡± Her voice echoed across the entire barn as she spoke. ¡°We have an urgent matter to discuss.¡± She finished and looked at me as if I was supposed to have something to say.

    ¡°Why have you taken me away from my family?¡± Paul asked taking care to not add the frustration he felt into his voice.

    ¡°You are being recruited to help fight a war, one that has been going on far longer than you and I have existed.¡± Madam A spoke as if everyone should know this as a fact. ¡°It is a war that not all people see, mostly because they do not want to see it. More important than the lack of people seeing this war is the fact that you are going to be right in the center of it. You are being sought after by both sides of this war. I am not the only one that has been observing you. There has been another group observing you, one that will exploit your weakness and make it look appealing to you. In the end, the other group will use you and then kill you.¡± She finished just as the little man from outside appeared.

    ¡°Cromwell, please prepare the plane for a flight, it will be a short training flight. We will not be in the air for more than a few hours I would guess.¡± Madam A added hastily.

    ¡°Yes mam, I will start the preparations right away.¡± Cromwell was halfway out the door before all the words had ever even left his mouth.

    Paul was very frustrated with the lack of answers he was getting. He stood waiting for madam A to make a move. He realized that she had no intention of making a move when she turned her back to him and began to gaze at a painting as if it were a window. Paul stood gathering his remaining courage to make a last attempt to leave.

    ¡°If I am so important to this war that you say is going on, then why have I never heard of this war? More important why is it that you have all of a sudden decided now was the time to pull me into it? Ten years ago, when you started watching me, I would have taken this as a grand opportunity. You waited too long, I am settled into a career now and have a family that I love very much. Either kill me or let me walk out and leave me alone.¡± With that, Paul opened the door and walked out.

    Paul had only gotten two steps into the barn before he felt a sharp sting in the side of his neck. He tried his best to turn his head and see who had hit him, but his eyes fell closed and his world went dark.

 1.2 In Flight Training

    Paul awoke to a thunderous roar that seemed to be engulfing him. The light was blindingly bright as he struggled to keep his eyes open. The gentle bouncing and a breeze blowing through his disheveled hair told him that he was on the cargo plane from the barn. He shifted his well-toned body to try and see who else was on the plane. He saw Agent 2 in a suit with a gun in his hand, it reminded him of his situation, he was this man¡¯s prisoner.

    He moved slowly and methodically to try and see who else was on the plane without letting anyone notice he had regained consciousness.

    ¡°I see you have awoken my dear Paul.¡± Madam A¡¯s voice came softly from behind Paul. ¡°There was a change of plans, and we are going on a mission. You will have to learn on the¡­. well fly.¡± She finished seeming pleased with her pun.

    Paul sat up and instantly regretted that decision, whatever had knocked him unconscious made him feel extremely groggy and slightly sick. The side of his neck felt like he had been punched full force by a professional boxer.

    ¡°What did you do to me?¡± Paul croaked struggling to find his voice. ¡°I feel like I got run over by a truck.¡±

    ¡°You were shot with a tranquilizer dart. You can thank Agent 2 for that nice sore neck you have.¡± Madam A said with a sideways glare at Agent 2. ¡°He is a fairly new recruit to Ph¨®teinos.¡±

    ¡°Ph¨®teinos? I do not even know what that is.¡± Paul mumbled while rubbing his neck. ¡°You guys have the wrong person; I don¡¯t know what you expect me to do for you. I don¡¯t have money, nor does anyone I know have money to pay you for my release. You say I am in the middle of some kind of war, but I live a normal boring life. Just let me go home, please, just let me go home.¡±

    From the Shadows in the back of the plane, a deep gruff voice startled Paul. ¡°You will see the light in this situation soon enough. Ph¨®teinos is the name of our group of warriors, though we are less a group of warriors and more a small group of specialized agents. The name is Greek for Intense light, Our first members originated from Greece and thought the name would be fitting for the group fighting¡­.¡±The voice was cut short by a sharp look from Madam A

    ¡°If you are going to talk, you need to come out of the shadows and engage in conversation face to face,¡± Madam A said in an almost parent like way. ¡°We all know talking face to face helps you keep from rambling on too much.¡±

    Paul was straining his eyes to try and see what the man, who was well hidden in the shadows looked like. He was more surprised by the person than he was with the mysterious voice as the man behind the voice stepped out into the light. His massive form was silhouetted against the dark shadows from which he just stepped. The man was by all standards a giant, standing at just over seven feet tall he must have weighed three hundred pounds. He was very muscular but had some sort of weird gadget strapped to his right arm.

    ¡°Hi, my name is Hans, and I am sorry for speaking from the shadows,¡± Hans said as took two steps and covered the ten-foot span that separated them. ¡°I am still a little gun shy from my past experiences with¡­. people.¡±

    Paul was almost surprised that his emotion towards this giant man was not fear. The man possessed a gentle demeanor that helped take the edge off his gigantic form. Paul looked at the gadget on the man¡¯s arm and realized that it was a makeshift prosthetic hand. He soon realized that he was staring at this odd contraption.

    ¡°I lost my hand the day that Madam A rescued me from the clutches of the Shedim¡­our enemy.¡± Hans whispered gazing longingly at the makeshift prosthetic made from wood and what looked like nylon string.

    Paul was confused on so many levels but was feeling less like a prisoner, and more like part of a weird team.

    ¡°What do you expect from me?¡± Paul said hoping that he could maybe accomplish something by trying to do what they asked.

    ¡°We need you to be committed to helping us fight the Shedim, and be willing to make sacrifices for the good of the world as we know it.¡± Madam A said with her motherly voice again. ¡°The Shedim is an intensely evil force that is led by a single evil overlord. Some follow him out of fear, others do not even know that are doing his bidding. More on the enemy later, but for now it is time to train you how to use your adrenaline to help you.¡±

    ¡°Use my adrenaline?¡± Paul said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. ¡°Everyone has adrenaline, so why couldn¡¯t you recruit someone else?¡±

    Madam A stood and walked to the rear cargo door, she grabbed a mic off the wall and spoke something inaudible to the rest of the people on the plane.

    ¡°Hans, I need you back here please.¡± Madam A said as the rear cargo door began to open.

    Hans walked to Madam A and got down to one knee so she could look him in the face to talk to him. She spoke into his ear and it looked as though they had a small argument. In the end, Madam A seemed to come out on top of the argument.

    Hans walked over to Paul looking like he was really upset about something.

    ¡°Paul, please understand that this is not personal at all. I really like you, and hope we can be friends.¡± As Hans finished talking, he grabbed Paul¡¯s ankle and lifted him in one smooth swipe. Paul hung suspended upside down in this giant man¡¯s hand.

    ¡°HEY! What are you doing to me?¡± Paul screamed as Hans walked towards the open cargo door. ¡°I agreed to work with you, why are you throwing me out.¡±

    Hans ignored Paul¡¯s struggling and protests as he lumbered towards the door.

    ¡°Go ahead and do it,¡± Madam A said convincingly. ¡°Give him a big toss¡­..¡±

    Hans gave Paul a somewhat labored toss towards the open door.

    Paul felt his adrenaline once again begin to pump through his veins as he started flying out the open cargo door. Time was moving slower than it had ever moved during one of his adrenaline rushes.

    ¡°See, you are allowing time to slow as you are flying towards your death.¡± Madam A¡¯s voice broke into Paul¡¯s slowed thoughts. ¡°You now have to choose to move in this slowed state of time. Turn your head and look at me now.¡±

    Paul was surprised, even through the fear that gripped his heart, that he was hearing Madam A¡¯s voice. He began to believe in that moment that he could indeed do something that most people could not. He tried to move his head and was surprised it came as easy as when he was not in a slowed state of time.

    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Paul questioned, forgetting for a moment that he was still flying through the air.

    ¡°You ask too many questions; let¡¯s get you safe first, lesson one safe first question later.¡± Madam A said leaving no room for discussion on the matter.

    Reality returned and Paul began to panic, he spun and twisted in midair trying to stop himself from flying out the air born plane.

    ¡°WHAT DO I DO?¡± Paul shouted as he frantically spun this way and that way.

    ¡°Lesson 2 is never panic. Always always stay calm and find your way of escape. Reach back, and grab Hans¡¯s arm. Your momentum will pull him forward a step, but he will remain safe and you will be back to safety.¡± Madam A spoke quickly but remained perfectly calm.

    Paul did as she said, and found himself being pulled back into normal time as he felt like he would be safe. Then in a flash, he was hanging from Hans¡¯s arm out the back of the plane.

    He realized that he was still in extreme danger and found himself again in a slowed state of time for a second time in just a few seconds of real time. He remembered lesson 2 and did not panic. He saw the edge of the cargo door just a foot below him. He grabbed it, and pulled himself in and ran back into the plane.

    Hans let out a little screech that no one thought would come from a man that size.

    ¡°Whoa¡­what happened?¡± Hans shouted in fear as he stumbled back into the plane. ¡°Where is Paul? Please tell me he isn¡¯t falling to his death.¡±

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    ¡°I am right here,¡± Paul said completely stunned by what he had just done. ¡°I didn¡¯t fall.¡±

    Madam A was on the mic again. ¡°You can go ahead and close the cargo door, Cromwell.¡± She said over the dull roar of air and engines that was filling the plane.

    Paul walked to a seat at the side of the plane and sat down. He was trying to process what had just happened. He mumbled to himself, trying to justify how this was possible.

    ¡°Paul, you have been given a gift.¡± Madam A said trying to calm Paul down a bit.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I want this gift, I am not even sure any of this is real,¡± Paul said in utter disbelief of what had just happened.

    ¡°I reacted the same way the first time Paul.¡± Madam A said sitting next to him. ¡°I thought that I had gone off the deep end. I have always liked being unique, and everyone looked at me as the weird girl. But the first time that I experienced what I call the slow state, well I thought I was making up things in my head and believing them.¡±

    ¡°Who tried to throw you from a plane?¡± Paul shot back out of anger.

    ¡°I did not have the luxury of someone helping me the first time,¡± Madam A said slightly irritated. ¡°I had to choose to move, and will myself to not freak out. I was at a concert when a man walked in with a gun. He took aim at my best friend and pulled the trigger. The moment the gun fired I found myself in the slow state. I could see the bullet moving one inch at a time. I stood frozen, just watching until I realized my friend was going to die. I screamed and was surprised that my voice rang out like time was not slow. I began to look around and realized everyone else was still frozen in place. I took a step forward, then another, and then I ran to the bullet in the air. I reached up to grab it, but it was like trying to move a thousand pound rock. I freaked out, I ran to the man who shot the gun and began to hit him in the face. I hit him maybe ten times and then sunk to the ground. I turned just in time to watch the bullet penetrate my friend¡¯s chest. It hit its mark, right into her heart, and I had to watch it happen one inch at a time. I could have saved her had I kept my cool, I could have pushed her out of the way. I could have put something in front of her to stop the bullet. When normal time returned, the gunman fell to the ground unconscious from the ten blows he received so quickly that it felt like ten punches in one. My friend lay dead, and I just sat sobbing on the ground.¡±

    Paul looked at Madam A and saw the tears now pouring from her eyes. He for the first time since being brought to her, felt compassion for her. He sat stunned by her story, but still struggling with his own battle of understanding. He figured now was the time to ask questions, and he had a great deal of them.

    ¡°I am sorry that you lost your friend Madam A. That must have been terrible, I can¡¯t even imagine,¡± Paul said with sincere compassion in his voice. ¡°I have lots of questions, can I please get answers?¡±

    ¡°I will answer the best that I can,¡± Madam answered now frantically drying her tears with her sleeve.

    ¡°Biggest question I have, when I can go back to my family,¡± Paul said with a great deal of hope in his voice.

    ¡°As soon as this mission is over, we will discuss logistics and then take you back to your family.¡± Madam A said without hesitation.

    Paul breathed a sigh of relief as his fear of never seeing his family again was relieved.

    ¡°What does this mission involve?¡± Paul said with nervousness apparent in his voice.

    ¡°There is a man that has been serving the Shedim, and he is about to be tortured and executed for failing to complete a mission. We are going to rescue him, and do our best to bring him into the light. He may have some incredible information that would be extremely helpful to us,¡± Madam A said as she stood. ¡°You can ask a few more questions later, but for now, we only have a few more hours to teach you what took me years to learn.¡±

    ¡°No, I have more questions, so many more questions. Like, what is this war even about? Who is the leader of the other side? Why have I never heard of this war?¡± Paul blurted out the questions fast enough that no one could stop him.

    ¡°Paul, A man¡¯s life hangs in the balance, and you can be a huge asset to saving him. We can talk about all of this another time. For now, we have more pressing matters to attend too.¡± Madam A said as she instantly moved in front of Paul. ¡°I am going to do my best to help you control what throws you into the slow state. Stand up and walk into the middle of the cargo area.¡±

    As Paul began to stand Madam A shoved him back into his seat. He looked at her surprised and slightly flustered at the rude gesture.

    ¡°Hey, why did you do that?¡± Paul said irritated.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do what I asked?¡± Madam A said clearly amused with the situation.

    Paul slid to the side and stood quickly, but as he took a step he found his shoes were tied together as he fell flat on his face.

    ¡°You are going to have to do better than that Paul.¡° Madam A snickered at Paul.

    Paul stood and was ready to scream at Madam A, but was not able to get words out before she was talking again.

    ¡°Now that you are furious, take all your anger and focus on forcing yourself into the slow state.¡± Madam A said so fast that Paul almost had to ask her to say it again.

    Paul tried to force his mind into the slow state and felt it start to kick in, but it was a millisecond of changed feeling before things were back to normal.

    ¡°I tried, but I couldn¡¯t get it to stay slow,¡± Paul said angrily, realizing she had played him to get an outburst of anger.

    ¡°But you got it to start?¡± Madam A said seemingly pleased with that fact. ¡°Good, now try to do it without any rise of emotion.¡±

    After about an hour of non-stop trying, Paul was able to enter into the slow state only when his heart rate was elevated. He could only remain in the slow state long enough to take three or four steps was all.

    ¡°Good I think that you will be able to do everything we need from you for this mission.¡± Madam A said as she again in an instant sat next to Paul. ¡°You need to rest for the next hour or so. Rest your mind and your body, the slow state takes a toll on you at first. Your body is not used to moving this fast yet, and you will get sore muscles and some nasty headaches.¡±

    Paul was glad to be able to rest for the first time in he didn¡¯t know how long. He found a cot right behind the cockpit and plopped down tiredly. He pulled a picture of his wife out of his wallet and gazed longingly at it. Within just a few moments he began to drift off into a peaceful sleep.

    ¡°Paul! Wake up, wake up!¡± The frantic voice of Hans shook Paul quickly out of his slumber.

    ¡°Wha- what is going on?¡± Paul stammered as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

    ¡°Madam A just received word that our target was moved, and it is time to go now!¡± Hans said hurriedly ¡°Get up and get back to Madam A, she is at the cargo door.

    Paul ran to the cargo door and found it opened with Madam A standing right at the edge of the door. The ground was a few feet away and whizzing by in a fast blur.

    ¡°Grab my hand and Jump now!¡± Madam A shouted, ¡°I will instruct you what to do in the slow state.¡± And with that Madam A grabbed Paul¡¯s hand and forced him to Jump out of the moving plane.

    <hr />

    Feel free to tell me what you think! There are currently five more chapters waiting to be posted. They are on my website if you care to read there instead. ( www.polemossite.wordpress.com</a> ) I will be posting them here as I have time, but a new chapter will post every Monday at the website.

    Please let me know what you think or what you would like to see. I am open to ssuggestions, I write for you the reader after alll! :)

 1.B.1 (Bonus) The Nest

    Malak strode down the long tunnel at the entrance of the abandoned mine, irritated that they had to be at the bottom of this forsaken rat hole. Unlike many of his demonic cohorts, he rather liked being in the real world far above. He still preferred to go out in the dark rather than into the revealing light of day.

    Reaching the elevator at the end of the tunnel, Malak felt the familiar weight of fear start to overcome his being. He welcomed it with a gentle sigh, knowing that it was fear that gave him so much power. The elevator dropped to the bottom of this pit, so low that no wondering human scum would ever dare go so deep. They felt the fear radiating from this hole, and it caused them to run away.

    Once the elevator stopped Malak stepped out into an open atrium of sorts. Tunnels went off in all directions, but they all ended in the same place, the massive opening caused by the cave-in that shut this mine down. Malak shed his human form as he walked down the nearest tunnel, passing other little demons as he went. Each demon he passed refused to look at Malak as he was the highest ranked demon.

    Malak¡¯s appearance was magnificent, his body covered in blue scales that seemed to glow with fire. Though mostly human in form, his face had multiple ridges that emitted a blood red glow. Instead of a nose, he had two horizontal slits that opened while breathing. His eyes shined green as he strode through the dark, but when the light was present they were black as tar.

    ¡°Malak, the master is calling for you in his chamber,¡± A small no name ugly little demon screeched as he ran down the tunnel.

    Malak chose not to speak to any of these no name, small reputation demons. They had every opportunity to grow in the art of deception, but most of them refused to take control of the humans. They would tempt and cause some to fall, but they would not dare get into their mind. They feared failure, Rejection, weak pathetic little excuses for demons in Malak¡¯s opinion.

    Malak entered into the massive cave-in site, known as the nest, and breathed the death stained air into his nostril slits. All other demons in the site instantly stopped what they were doing and watched as Malak strode to the nest. It was a sight to behold as the tens of thousands of demons all stared at him, watching as he approached the throne room gateway. It was in a far corner of the nest, it was an area he and he alone dared even go near with invitation. Inside was the master, the one who directed each demon into his next mission. Each mission came with a price and failure was not an option. Failure would only bring suffering at the master¡¯s hand.

    Malak, as his name in Hebrew meant, was a messenger. He brought news that he was eager to deliver, knowing it would cause much suffering.

    Entering the portal to the master¡¯s throne, Malak fell to his face and whispered in his growl of a voice. ¡°The capture of Paul¡­has failed, your servant Molter has failed you. He chose not to possess the fool of a human he used, and the pathetic human failed to seize or kill Paul. The Photen¨®s now has him, and have taken him to some location unknown to us right now. I have eyes and ears worldwide; we are waiting for one of our own to spot him.¡±

    The room was silent for a good deal of time before the master¡¯s anger became apparent. The master as always sat on his throne of fire, leaving the master undetectable even to Malak¡¯s keen eyes.

    The very room itself began to shake intensely and the very air seemed to be on fire as the masters voice spoke right into Malak¡¯s thoughts. ¡°BRING Molter to ME, he WILL taste the AGONY of failure!¡± the master screamed into Malak¡¯s thoughts so loud he thought his head would burst.

    ¡°Yes Master, I will bring him right away,¡± Malak said as he turned to go back into the nest.

    ¡°Malak¡­. have the human that failed to capture Paul tortured in every physical way possible. When he is near death, have him brought here to me,¡± the masters¡¯ voice whispered in a gut-wrenching and terrifying tone.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°As you wish, master, I will do anything you command,¡± Malak said with a sense of great accomplishment in his voice.

    Malak exited the master¡¯s throne room back into the human realms. As he entered into the nest, he realized that every demon in existence had heard the voice of the master in their head as well. Every demon was stirring with excitement at the news of a human being tortured and brought to see the master.

    The last human to have that done, though no one other than the demons knew, had been Adolf Hitler. The victories for evil that ensued were felt by the entire world. The wake of those actions still shook the human world today. Entire families denouncing their precious light, generations of people refusing to believe in anything other than human power to overcome evil.

    The demons all applauded Malak as he walked into the nest. Malak strode through with head held high, and his blue fired scales glowing with pride at having the task of delivering such evil. He had gained dark wings of black smoke that he showed off as he walked.

    Molter, also an elegantly colored demon, ran into the nest with his head hung low. He knew that he was about to experience pain like he had not felt in centuries. His fire barely showed under his yellow scales, having been extinguished by shame. He hesitated before going into the throne room, and for good reason.

    Every demon including Malak stared at the black entrance to the throne room. Within moments of entering the throne room, Molter was thrown back out. He came out screaming in agony, as his entire body had been stripped of its scale and fire.

    Molter sat moaning in a pile on the floor, his skin like that of a human, and no fire to behold at all. His rank had been stripped, and his demonic honor had been obliterated.

    ¡°That will teach you to fail our master.¡± Malak touted from the entrance to the nest. ¡°I assume you have been reassigned?¡±

    Molter looked up from the floor and angrily shouted. ¡°Yes, I have been assigned to church duty!¡±

    The roar of laughing from the nest grew to a roar that must have caused an earthquake. Demons of all ranks hailed insults at Molter.

    The demons knew their place by the amount of beauty they were allowed to possess. The beauty could be given by the master alone as a reward for accomplishing varying degrees of evil deeds. Molter now sat as the ugliest of all forms to a demon, human.

    Church was the most feared and unwanted task a demon could have. The light was overwhelming, it was less about destroying lives, and more about limiting the power of the light to change lives.

    Malak walked out of the nest, leaving the stripped form of Molter behind. It was time for him to find and deliver the human to be tortured before he brought him to the master.

    Exiting the cave, Malak spread his black wings and flew high into the midnight air. He laughed as he thought of the speed that his new gift had given him.

    ¡°I am unstoppable!¡± Malak screamed as he swooped down on the human whom Molter had failed to use effectively.

    Malak didn¡¯t even change form as he swooped down and grabbed the man by the leg with his tail. The man screamed all the way to the location he was to be tortured. Malak¡¯s laughter could be heard even above the man¡¯s feeble cries for help as they soared through the air.

    <hr />

    As always, let me know what you thought. Every now and then I will be doing these bonus episodes, always written from the evil side of the story. If you like these episodes, there are plenty more to come.

    If you like the bonus episodes, there are more at my site for The Unseen War</a>.  I post these episodes as goals are met over on my site.

 1.3 The Impossible Mission

    Paul instantly went into the slow state as he was jerked from the plane. He looked down at the ground and realized it was still moving, even in the slow state.

    ¡°The ground is still moving and I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± Paul said maintaining as much calm as he could.

    ¡°You need to hit the ground running,¡± Madam A shouted.¡±It is going to feel like you are running with a heavy pack on your back.¡±

    Paul hit the ground and started running as fast as he could make his legs move. The moment his foot made contact with the ground, he realized that he underestimated the sense of weight Madam A had referred to. He almost collapsed but managed to keep his feet, mostly due to his career as a football player. He felt time pulling him back into the real speed of the world. It didn¡¯t take too long before he realized he was still moving faster than he wanted to be going.  As real-time hit him, he tripped and went head over heals three full times before coming to rest with his face on the ground.

    ¡°Oh yea, you need to make sure you slow to a reasonable pace as the slow state dissipates,¡± Madam A said apologetically.

    Paul stood and brushed the sand off as best he could. His hands were bleeding and had bits of sand stuck in the bloodied spots. His back and chest were on fire and he moved gently to avoid letting his pants touch his knees.

    ¡°That was a rough landing, but I think my bigger concern is why we jumped from a moving plane,¡± Paul shot at Madam A with a look to match the frustration in his voice.

    ¡°We have been tracking the movements of the man who hit you in your car. We are pretty sure that he was acting under orders from one of the leaders of the Shedim. That means he was trying to get to you before we could talk to you,¡± Madam A said expecting Paul to understand.

    ¡°That still didn¡¯t answer my question of why we had to jump from a moving plane,¡± Paul said intrigued by what Madam A had just said about the man in the car.

    ¡°He was not being taken willingly, Malak took him, in demon form and everything. Malak is a messenger of evil but also one of the most ruthless of all the demons. Even the demons have rules, and not being seen by most humans is one of them. They plan to kill him and we are going to rescue him,¡± Madam A said matter of factly.

    ¡°No, there is no chance I am going to be a part of helping the man responsible for almost killing me in a car wreck,¡± Paul said crossing his arms waiting for Madam A to argue with him.

    ¡°Well, I am not going to make you go and rescue him but I am going to be going with or without you. The demons do not just shoot their victims, they torture them as much mentally as they do physically.¡± Madam A said as tears began to well up in her eyes. ¡°The other fact of the matter is that everyone of one of the members of Photen¨®s at one point was used by the Shadim to do something evil. Well, every member but you and me that is.¡±.

    ¡°Agent 2¡¯s face, that happened to him because the Shadim punished him for making a mistake?¡± Paul asked realizing that he was moved with compassion for the man they were about to rescue.

    ¡°Yes, Agent 2 was the man that shot and killed my best friend. His mission was to kill me, but he thought my friend was me. After my friend was killed I tracked him to an abandoned house. When I got to him, there was a demon torturing him. I couldn¡¯t stand watching him be tortured, so I rescued him,¡± Madam A finished and started walking to a nearby road.

    Paul watched her as she strode with purpose towards the road. Inside he was fighting the urge to turn and walk the other way. After a good thirty seconds of trying to decide what to do, Paul unfolded his arms and ran to catch up with Madam A.

    ¡°You decided to come help after all?¡± Madam A asked without a hint of surprise in her voice.

    ¡°I am not sure I want to help, but I don¡¯t have much choice. I have no Idea where I am, nor do I have a way to get back to my family without you,¡± Paul said doing his best to cover up the truth. The truth was that he had decided that he could not let a man die a terrible death no matter what he had done.

    ¡°You will be returned to your family as soon as we are done with this mission,¡± Madam A said, ¡± first we need to find someone to talk to.¡±

    As if in response to Madam A¡¯s comment a truck came racing towards them with a great trail of dust billowing up behind it. Paul thought the truck must be a good two miles out yet and probably had no idea that there were people out in this desert. He realized that he didn¡¯t even know if they were still in the United States.

    ¡°Where are we Madam A?¡± Paul asked the simple question hoping for a straight answer.

    ¡°We are in the Chihuahuan desert,¡± Madam A said hurriedly as the trucked neared them.

    Madam A began to wave her hand in the air as if swatting at invisible bugs. Paul knew she was trying to flag the truck down, but he figured with that crazy waving she probably would scare them away.

    ¡°Stop, you look like a crazy person waving your hand about like that,¡± Paul said reaching up and pulling her arms down. ¡°Try getting them by doing this.¡± Paul finished as he put his arm up and waved gently like he was calling in a taxi. The truck stopped and out of the passenger side hopped Cromwell.

    ¡°You guys look like you could use a ride, why don¡¯t you hop in,¡± Cromwell said cheerily as he held the door open for Madam A.

    Cromwell climbed up the side of the truck, using the wheel as a step, and offered his hand to Paul. Paul took it and sat across from Cromwell on a bench that was built on the side of the truck bed.

    It took about twenty minutes to get to a tiny little town that seemed to just pop right out of the sand as they got close to it.  There were a gas station and a post office next to each other on the outside edge of town. After the post office was a small restaurant and some houses. The town could have been out of one of those old west movies Paul¡¯s grandfather used to watch, dirt roads through town and all.

    Paul almost slid off the bench as the truck came to an abrupt stop at the gas station. Out of the drivers side of the truck, a young woman that was about twenty jumped out. Paul noticed that she was in work clothes and had grease all over her. She looked as though she had been working on old cars all day.

    ¡°I will take a look at your plane in the morning, In the mean time I will try to find a place for you all to stay for the night.¡± The young girl said as she headed for the gas station.

    ¡°We can all find a place on the plane, besides we may be out late tonight.¡± Madam A called after her.

    ¡°If that is what you want to do, that is fine by me, just be careful out there. There are rumors going around town of some creature flying around. One person even said the creature was carrying a man,¡± The young woman said with thick sarcasm in her voice. ¡°All these ghost stories are hogwash if you ask me.¡±

    Paul wasn¡¯t sure he believed these ghost stories either. It had only been a day since he was taken from his car and he was trying to gather his sense of what was real.

    ¡°Thank you for your help with everything; is the diner down the road open for food right now?¡± Madam A asked politely.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.¡°Miss Angie keeps that place open for the ranchers to come and grab a bite. It is open sun-up until Ten each night. Tell her Tosha sent you, she is skeptical about strangers these days.¡± The girl said seemingly excited that they were interested in the little diner.

    Paul and the strange group he was keeping company with headed towards the diner to eat. As they neared the front of the small diner a truck came flying down the street.  The truck slid sideways, throwing up a giant dust cloud as it came to a stop at the diner.

    A man in his late forties jumped out of the truck in a hurry. He ran into the diner not seeming to notice the group of strangers watching the commotion.

    Paul, Madam A, and Cromwell hurried into the diner to see what all the commotion was about.

    Upon entering the diner, Paul noticed that Agent 2 and Hans were already at a table in the back corner. They were looking wide-eyed at the man that had just run into the diner. Paul was surprised to see the number of people in the diner as he mad his way in the door.

    ¡°I was out by the old church when I heard the screams for help. I ran inside and saw a.. a demon torturing a man,¡± The man said trembling as he spoke.

    There was a buzz of questions and conversation that filled the diner as the man finished speaking. Madam A was in deep thought and looked as though she had a plan brewing in her head.

    ¡°Please quiet down everyone!¡± Madam A shouted as she climbed up onto a nearby table. ¡°I have a plan, please settle down so we can discuss it with you.¡±

    The entire diner went completely silent in an instant. It was quite a scene with Madam A on a table in the middle of the room, all the people just staring at her like she was mad.

    Madam A pushed her thick blue framed glasses up her nose as she before she said, ¡°We are here for this very reason, to go and rescue the man held captive by this demon.¡±

    Paul looked around the room at the group of hard working desert dwellers and almost laughed at their complete shock at what was going on.

    ¡°We are going to go out and take care of this, you shouldn¡¯t have to worry about it ever again,¡± Madam A finished awkwardly.

    An older lady behind the counter said, ¡°I don¡¯t care what you do, but you better get off my table right now.¡±

    Madam A nodded her head as she slid down the table, ¡± Yes miss Angie, I am sorry for standing on your furniture.¡± Madam A looked genuinely sorry for her action and added as an afterthought, ¡°Tosha sent us your way, we just didn¡¯t expect to find this commotion.¡±

    The next few minutes were filled with tons of questions being hurled at Madam A about who she was and why she was here. Paul and the others sat in the corner booth watching as madam A did her best to explain who they all were. In the end, the town¡¯s people decided that they were not going to have anything to do with any missions to go rescue the man. Most of the people in the diner figured the man who brought the news had been hallucinating due to the heat, that man even thought that was maybe the case. Madam A motioned to the others to follower her. They all did so somewhat begrudgingly due to wanting to sit and eat a bit of food.

    Once outside Madam A said, ¡°Paul, you and Hans go to the gas station and try to find Tosha. We are going to go back into the diner and gather some information on where this abandoned church is located.¡±

    ¡± Yes mam, are we going to need a ride out there?¡± Hans said eager to please Madam A.

    ¡°Yes, that is why I am sending you out that way Hans,¡± Madam A said with a chuckle.

    Paul and Hans got to the gas station just in time to find Tosha locking up for the light.

    ¡°Tosha, can we get a ride to the old church building?¡± Paul asked as they were still a ways off, so as to not startle her.

    Tosha looked up with a smile and said,¡±First thing in the morning, I would be glad to take you out there. The old church is not a place I care to go in the dark.  I would say it will take a good fifteen minutes to get there and we only have about that much good light left.¡±

    ¡°We really need to get out there, right now, a man¡¯s life is in danger,¡± Hans threw out hoping to change her mind.

    ¡°Who¡¯s life is in danger?¡± Tosha said quickly out of concern.

    Hans quickly responded, ¡°It isn¡¯t anyone you know, It is a man that was brought out here by-¡±

    ¡°He was brought out here by a friend to visit the old run down church. He broke a leg and Madam A has medical training,¡± Paul lied to not sound as crazy as Hans was about to sound.

    ¡°Oh, well let¡¯s get the truck and get going,¡± Tosha said as she started running towards the truck.

    ¡°Paul, we don¡¯t lie to get people to do what we want them to do, that is wrong,¡± Hans said with a concerned look on his face.

    ¡°You think she would have helped us if she knew we were going to fight a demon to save a man being tortured?¡± Paul shot back at Hans.

    Madam A and the rest of the crew showed up right as Tosha pulled up with the truck.

    ¡°Everyone pile in, let¡¯s get rolling,¡± Tosha said with urgency in her voice.

    Everyone piled in the back but Madam A, she rode in the front with Tosha. It was a bumpy fifteen minutes in the back of the truck as they drove a hardly visible road into the desert.  Just as the light started to fade a small building on a hill appeared along the horizon.

    As they got close to the broken down stucco building, Paul noticed a fire burning inside the old ruins. The Cross on the top of the church was silhouetted against the orange sky as they came to a halt.

    Everyone piled out faster than they had piled in and paul could feel his heart beating fast in anticipation of whatever was going to happen.

    ¡°Paul, you and I will go first,¡± Madam A whispered as she moved past him.

    Paul followed close behind her, ready for anything at this point. As they got close enough to see through the window, A human like form appeared in the window. Though human in form, this demon had scales that glowed blue, and eyes of bright green.

    Paul entered the slow state immediately and wanted to run away, but Madam A stopped him by saying, ¡°Do not run, that demon can move almost as fast as we can.¡±

    ¡°You are right¡­¡± the demon said walking out of the doorway under the cross. ¡°I am almost as fast as you. I may not be able to catch you Adlersfl¨¹gel, but you have arrived too late.¡±

    The demon raised a limp body full of burns every but his face. He seemed to be breathing but was obviously unconscious. Paul recognized the man as the one who crashed into him.

    ¡°Nooooo!¡± Madam A shouted as she shot forward in a blur towards the demon.

    Madam A was indeed too slow as the demon spread his black wings and launched into the air. In a matter of a few tenths of a second, the demon was disappearing over the horizon with his victim.

    <hr />

    Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, there will be more to come later today. Another chapter and maybe a bonus chapter if there is interest?

 1.4 New Recruit

    Paul came out of the slow state just as Madam A collapsed on the ground in tears. The others had just come to a stop near the front of the abandoned church.

    ¡°We didn¡¯t get him in time,¡± madam a sobbed, ¡°If we would have been a few minutes faster we could have saved him from this horrible fate.¡±

    Madam A sat sobbing while the others exchanged looks of having missed all the action, again. Paul was still trying to wrap his head around what he had just witnessed. He had seen a man who was tortured beyond anything he even could have imagined. The tortured man was not the thing that stuck in his mind the most. The demon staring him as if seeing right into his soul is what stuck in pauls mind the most.

    Paul was still trying to wrap his head around what he had just witnessed. He had seen a man who was tortured beyond anything he even could have imagined. The man was not the thing that stuck in his mind the most, the demon staring him as if seeing right into his soul is what stuck in pauls mind the most.

    ¡°Well, I will be the one to ask,¡± Hans said, ¡°what happened?¡±

    Madam A looked at paul and said, ¡°You tell him, I just can¡¯t do it.¡±

    Paul explained to the others what had happened in the brief moments after exiting the truck. As Paul talked he noticed that Tosha seemed unsurprised by the fact that they hadn¡¯t really been helping a man with a broken leg.

    ¡°So let me get a few things sorted out here,¡± Tosha said, ¡°You are telling me that in the time it took me to run from the truck to the front of the church all that happened?¡±

    Paul shrugged his should and nodded at her, ¡°Yea, that¡¯s pretty much what I am saying, I am still trying to sort it out too.¡±

    Madam a stood seeming to have collected her emotions. She hardly even looked at anyone as they all walked back to the truck.

    ¡°Paul, you are doing great,¡± Agent 2 said from behind Paul, ¡°Do not take Madam A¡¯s emotion as a sign of failure.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t feel like she was upset with me for failing,¡± Paul said uncertainly, ¡°We didn¡¯t even have time to change how things happened.¡±

    Agent 2 smiled at Paul, ¡°Just making sure, Madam A gets a little emotional sometimes and I didn¡¯t want you to take it personally.¡±

    Paul stood for a few seconds trying to understand the sudden change of treatment from Agent 2. It was the first words that had been directed at Paul as a human instead of a prisoner. Paul jumped into the truck and sat in silence as they drove back to the gas station.

    Upon arriving at the gas station, Tosha asked paul to meet her in the gas station for a minute. Paul looked at Madam A reluctant to go with her and Madam A nodded as if he was supposed to go ahead and go with her.

    Paul followed Tosha at a distance trying to avoid standing at the door awkwardly as she unlocked it. Paul had arrived just in time to follow her into the small gas station.

    Once they entered the gas station, they went through a small door at the back corner of the neatly organized shopping area.

    After going through the door, Paul realized he was in a mechanics garage. In the middle of the garage sat what looked like a 30¡¯s or 40¡¯s car that was being restored. The entire garage was extremely organized, each tool hung in a spot with a white outline of its shape.

    ¡°Have a seat,¡± Tosha said sliding a chair towards Paul,¡± I want to show you something.¡± Tosha grabbed a newspaper off the bench and handed it to paul.

    ¡±Check out the headline, and then please tell me what you are doing out in the middle of nowhere hunting a man held captive by a demon.¡± Tosha almost shouted.

    ¡°We were not hunting that man, we were trying to save  him,¡± Paul said as he a looked down at the newspaper.

    Paul saw his own face and the face of the man they were trying to rescue plastered all over the front page of the paper. The article went into details on different theory¡¯s as to what had happened to the two men who¡¯s cars were crashed in an intersection, but they were nowhere to be found.

    ¡°That is you on the front of the paper,¡± Tosha said,¡±But you are far from the location of the crash and are traveling with a group of insane strangers.¡±

    Paul was trying to figure out where he was going to start to explain the last day and a half to Tosha.

    ¡°I was taken from that wreck involuntarily, but now I am with them by choice.¡± Paul started, ¡°After the mission they promised to take me back to my family.¡±

    ¡°The mission was to go save a man captured by demons  in the old church?¡± Tosha asked with a large dose of sarcasm.

    ¡°Why do you say that as if nothing happened at the church?¡± Paul asked taken back by her sarcasm.

    ¡°Nothing happened out there, We got out of the truck, ran to the church, and Madam A had a meltdown.¡± Tosha said, ¡°The only thing that is weird is how you and Madam A got to the church so fast.¡±

    Paul could feel his heart beating extremely fast as he felt anger rising up in him. He tried to enter the slow state, and to his surprise, it came easily. He went to the tool wall and re-arranged all the tools. He allowed himself to come out of the slow state when he had found a place right behind Tosha.

    ¡°If you think it was all crazy talk and nothing happened, then how did I get behind you and rearrange your tools already,¡± Paul said.

    Tosha spun around and let out a little yelp, ¡°How did you get behind me?¡±

    Paul noticed Tosha¡¯s eyes dart to the tool board with tools all out of order.

    ¡°You still think that nothing happened at the church?¡± Paul said smugly.

    ¡°This is not possible¡­..¡±

    That¡¯s what I said,¡± Paul interrupted, ¡°But let me save you the trouble, you are not dreaming and this is all really happening.¡±

    Paul stood from the chair he was sitting in and started heading for the door.

    ¡°Wait, I have way more questions to discuss with you,¡± Tosh said frantically.

    ¡°Yup, so do I Tosha,¡± Paul said as he entered the gas station and headed towards the others outside.

    ¡°Madam  A, I am ready to go see my family now,¡± Paul said

    Madam A looked up from the seat she had found near the front of the gas station.

    ¡°We can not leave until Tosha has fixed the prop motor on the plane.¡± Madam A said as she dried up tears that seemed to still be flowing.

    ¡°I am not going to fix your plane until I get some straight answers from you,¡± Tosha said realizing she had some leverage.

    ¡°I will have a talk with you while paul and the other go to the diner to have some food,¡± Madam A said as a hint to Paul and the others.

    The others  headed for diner and paul followed without hesitation, he didn¡¯t remember the last time he had eaten.

    The diner was uneventful, and for that, Paul was very thankful. He and the others ate mostly in silence before heading back to the gas station.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Tosha was already working on the plane when they arrived and Madam A was nowhere to be found.

    ¡°Where did Madam A go?¡± Paul asked Tosha.

    ¡°She said something about going to talk to the messenger of Ph¨®tenos,¡± Tosha said, ¡°We should be ready to go in about an hour I would say. There was just some sand sucked into the motor during landing.¡±

    Agent 2 looked agitated and said, ¡°You mean we will be ready, not you?¡±

    ¡°Madam A invited me to Join your group,¡± Tosha said, ¡°I love this place but it is time for me to move on and be a part of something bigger than this town.¡±

    Agent 2 looked flustered and went up the metal stairs disappearing into the plane. Everyone but Paul entered into the plane having a similar reaction to Tosha joining Ph¨®tenos.

    ¡°What is their issue with me?¡± Tosha said flustered by the reaction.

    ¡°I am not sure, this is all new to me too, although Agent 2 was not friendly to me to start with either. The first time I met him, he put a gun in my face and forced me to go with him¡­He also shot me with a tranquilizer dart,¡± Paul  tried to assure Tosha.

    Tosha was true to her word and had the plane ready to go in an hour.  She also ran to the few close friends she had and said her goodbyes. She left her gas station to a man who had helped her run it for years.

    Madam A told Paul that it would be a couple days to get him back to his hometown. They would have to fly back to the barn in Montana and take him back by car. She said they would develop a plan so that he was not just getting out of a random car in front of his house. Paul decided he would not call his family before showing up so that he did not have to explain the wild and crazy events of the past couple days over the phone.

    The next few hours of the plane ride were quiet as everyone slept while Cromwell and Madam A took turns flying the plane to their destination in eastern Montana.

    When Paul woke the next morning, he was the only one still on the plane. From the lack of roaring engines, he figured they were back in Montana.

    Paul was right, he exited the plane in the barn he remembered so well. The last time he had been in this barn, he still felt as though he were a prisoner.

    ¡°Good Morning,¡± Came Han¡¯s voice, ¡°You were so sound asleep when we landed early this morning, that we just let you sleep right where you had plopped down.¡±

    Paul spotted Han¡¯s leaning against a doorway on the back wall of the barn.

    Hans smiled, ¡± There is breakfast right through here, follow me.¡±

    Paul followed and was surprised to find a good sized living space beyond the door.  At one side of the space sat a giant oval table  with everyone around it.

    ¡°Glad you could join us for breakfast,¡± Tosha said with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Ya, I guess I am too,¡± Paul said.

    Paul found a seat at the table and loaded up a plate of eggs, bacon, and an odd looking fruit he had never seen before.

    ¡°That fruit is is called Jabuticaba, it is very healthy and similar to a grape.¡± Madam A said having noticed Pauls uneasy look at the fruit he had taken.

    Madam A reached for a remote and turned the news on a tv mounted to the wall across the room.

    ¡°There has been another tragic event in Northern Colorado today,¡± The female reporter said with a gloomy look on her face, ¡°There was a house fire that ended the lives of three people inside. We are told that this fire was arson, and the person responsible has not apprehended at his time.¡±

    The news turned to a live feed of the burned wreckage of a once beautiful house. Paul¡¯s heart stopped as he realized that the home on the TV was his home.

    ¡°We are told that this was the home and family of one of the missing men from a few days ago.¡± The reporter finished the story with a sigh.

    Paul felt like he was drowning in emotion that he did not know how to feel or process. He just learned that the family he so desperately longed to return to was gone forever.

    Paul¡¯s heart was beating fast and the world around him seemed like voices underwater; he did not know how to process the stream of emotions that were flooding through him.

    ¡°Paul, we are going to have to work through this together,¡± Madam A¡¯s voice cut through the fog a little, ¡°You have entered the slow state.¡±

    Paul looked up and realized he had indeed entered into the slow state, but did not even remember it happening.

    ¡°I know this is unfathomably hard for you right now,¡± Madam A continued, ¡°But you are going to have to force yourself to calm down. You can get stuck in the slow state for too long, it will start to make you go crazy.¡±

    Paul just looked at Madam A with tear stained eyes; he started to resent her for taking him from his family.

    ¡°You took me from my family,¡± Paul yelled, ¡°I could have saved them; they wouldn¡¯t have had to die.¡±

    ¡°Paul, you have to stop going there in your mind,¡± Madam A said calmly, ¡°I was stuck in the slow state for three days of normal time when my friend died. I was angry at myself, angry at everyone who could have stopped us from going to the event we were at. It felt like years of time had passed before I came out of the slow state. When I did come out of it, I almost died of exhaustion and it took me months to mentally reconnect to the world. Do not play the blame game; it will keep you as a prisoner in this state until you either move past the anger or die of exhaustion.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I want to die, everything I love is gone,¡± Paul sobbed, ¡°I have nothing to go back to, my family is gone, my home is gone, and I have no reason to go on in this world.¡±

    ¡°That is a lie!¡± Madam A said, ¡°The world needs you Paul, there is an uprising that is happening in the Shedim. I have talked with Michael and he told me to start gearing up for an uprising like the world has not seen in many years.¡±

    ¡°I do not care about any of this,¡± Paul shot at Madam A, ¡°I just want to go bury my family and try to move on in life somehow.¡±

    Paul got up and headed for the door, but Madam A stood and tried to stop him.

    ¡°Paul, can you give me one more chance to convince you of your importance to Photen¨®s?¡± Madam A pleaded.

    Paul paused in the doorway and nodded his head, ¡°You can try your best, but there is nothing that is going to change my mind. I am done with trying to figure out what is going on in this crazy group you call Phontin¨®s.¡±

    ¡°Follow me, we are going to go see Michael the archangel,¡± Madam A said with a visible sparkle in her eye.

    <hr />

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 1.B.2 (Bonus) The Making of a Villian

    Jasper awoke as his body hit the ground after being dropped from the grasp of Malak¡¯s tail.

    ¡°You can walk,¡± Growled Malak, ¡°or I can drag you?¡±

    Jasper whimpered as he stood, his body was covered in blisters from the severe burning that had taken place in the old church. His clothes touched the burns causing them to burn even more severely, but being dragged would be excruciating.

    Jasper thought about his time as a cop, never had he experienced anything as horrible as what he had gone through in the old church.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± Malak whispered,¡± And don¡¯t try to run, you will not be able to outrun me.¡±

    Jasper followed like an obedient puppy who had been abused. He knew he would not be able to outrun this creature that had stripped every bit of humanity from him.

    They walked down a long tunnel, one that Malak seemed to have traveled a lot by the speed he walked in the utter dark. Jasper followed, whimpering as he went. His feet were bare and burned, he could feel the blisters opening and the sand burned like the hot iron that had caused the wounds.

    Jasper stood next to this beautifully terrifying demon on an elevator that rushed towards the bottom of a mine shaft.  There was a tangible sense of fear, one that Jasper imagined he could actually see. It was as if a black fog surrounded his entire existence, he wanted nothing more than to be back in the light of the world far above.

    The elevator slowed to a screeching halt and the door opened into a very dimly lit opening with a hand full of tunnels going in different direction.

    Jasper was met with a smell he recognized due to his work in law enforcement, it was the undeniable smell of death. The pungent smell seemed to be a part of the air flow that drafted from tunnels before him.

    Malak strode right into the tunnel straight ahead of them, and Jasper followed. This tunnel seemed to be rather short compared to the tunnel before the elevator. The end came abruptly and the tunnel opened into a giant hole under the earth. The hole was riddled with bits of partially cleared rubble from a massive mining cave in.

    Jasper winced as Malak shoved him out into the open area. Through the dim light of mining lanterns, he saw tens of thousands of green glowing eyes staring at him.

    ¡°There is a human in our presence¡­.how delightful!¡± a voice nearby screeched.

    ¡°Silence!¡± Malak growled in the direction of the voice, ¡± The Master will decide this human¡¯s fate, no one will talk to him until he has decided what to do with him.¡±

    Malak wrapped his tail around Jasper¡¯s midsection and lifted him off the ground. Jasper screamed out in agony as his burned body was nearly crushed by the tail.  The room filled with a roar of laughter as Malak tossed him into a dark hole in the wall.

    Jasper landed in an entirely different realm than that from wich he had just been throw. The lighting was not from any source that Jasper could see, but it was an eerie red glow.

    ¡°Welcome to my world Jasper,¡± A voice cut right into Jaspers thoughts, ¡°We have lots to discuss.¡±

    ¡°wh-who are you?¡± Jaspers whispered faintly, ¡± what is this place?¡±

    ¡°I am the one and only,¡± the voice paused, ¡°Lucifer, though you may know me by satan or the devil.¡±

    Lucifer walked out from behind a throne of sorts in the middle of the room. He was magnificent and beautiful beyond anything Jasper had seen before. His form was the same as Malak, except that he had skin that shone like brilliant crystal. Under that crystal was a fire burning deep red. His face, also crystal in appearance, had a deep blue tint to it. His eyes seemed to be deep purple gems that glowed from within. Upon his head sat a cown of fire that seemed to be a part of him.

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    ¡°Don¡¯t look so surprised at my glorious appearance,¡± Lucifer spoke into Jaspers thoughts, ¡°Have you never read the bible? There is the bit about me being the most beautiful of all the angels.¡±

    Jasper was fighting to follow the words of Lucifer through the intense pain of the burns he had suffered. His eyes struggled to focus, and he thought for a brief moment that he may lose consciousness again.

    ¡°Lets cut to the chase, I want to give you an incredible amount of power.¡± Lucifer said, ¡°I want to give you everything you want and allow you to rule over the world. In exchange for that, you will do what I tell you once that power has been established.¡±

    Lucifer walked to Jasper and lifted him off the ground without touching him. He looked him up and down before causing all of his blisters to burst. Jasper cried out in agony as he fought the darkness that was now closing in on him.

    ¡°I will do it!¡± Screamed Jasper, ¡°Whatever you want I will do it.¡±

    The moment the words left his mouth, the pain ceased entirely. He looked and realized the burns were gone, he did not even have scars to show for the intense pain he had suffered.

    ¡°That is the answer I was looking for,¡± Lucifer said, ¡± Now let¡¯s get started. You go back to your life, and we will make sure your world gets incredibly better than it ever was.¡±

    ¡°Just like that?¡± Jasper said with more confidence than he had felt in years.

    ¡°Ya, just like that.¡± Lucifer said,¡±See you even feel the confidence right now. Go home, enjoy the publicity of having been captured by local gang members to escape and bring them down. Between you and me that is what happened. We will make sure it looks like that is what happened. Expect me to be in touch. Maybe, it will be much less... painful next time.¡±

    Jasper looked around to see if anyone else was in the room with him before he said, ¡°I would really like to have my wife back. Can you make that happen?¡±

    ¡°Raising people from the dead is not something I will be doing,¡± Lucifer said, ¡°But you will have your pick of the ladies I assure you. Now be gone and send Malak in after you leave.¡±

    Jasper was propelled through the black hole in the wall and to his surprise found himself sitting in his own home. Malak appeared out of thin air right before him.

    ¡°what happened?¡± Malak screamed, ¡°Why are you here in your own home?¡±

    ¡°I work for your boss now,¡± Jasper said with surprising authority,¡± He is asking for you.¡±

    Malak strode out of the house without another word and Jasper strode to his liquor cabinet to pour a scotch.

    <hr />

    Please share your thoughts on this chapter. These bonus episodes have been very fun to write, and I hope to write many more.  Please head on over to The Unseen war''s Home Page</a> and check out the rest of the story. There will be more bonus episodes as goals are met over there.

 1.5 Vendetta

    Paul knew that madam A was not kidding, but still he doubted very much he was actually going to see Michael the archangel. His heart still had not slowed even a little, and he wondered how he was going to make it through the heartache that now seemed to consume him.

    ¡°Follow me,¡± Madam A said walking into the barn.

    ¡°After you show me Michael, will you just leave me alone?¡± Paul said.

    Madam A did not answer Paul, instead she just strode outside and turned to face him.

    ¡°Here is where this is going to get tricky,¡± Madam A said, ¡°You are going to have to pray in faith for this to work.¡±

    Paul shook his head, ¡°You expect me to pray in faith for something after what has happened to my family?¡±

    Paul could feel the anger rising within him and tears welled up in his eyes.  Before he could stop himself, he was screaming at the top of his lungs.

    ¡°It is your fault!¡± Paul shouted through the tears, ¡°You took me from my family, none of this would have happened if it wasn¡¯t for you!¡±

    Madam A allowed Paul to finish before she continued like nothing had happened.

    ¡°Paul, close your eyes and pray for God to allow you to see Michael,¡± She said, ¡°Like this¡­God, please allow me to meet with Michael.¡±

    As soon as she had prayed the words, Madam A was nowhere to be seen. Paul was torn between leaving right then and trying to find a way to see Michael.

    ¡°God, please allow me to meet with Michael,¡± Paul mumbled half-heartedly.

    Paul was unsurprised when nothing happened and decided now was a good time to start walking towards the nearest town. Paul spun around to leave and almost jumped out of his skin when a young man appeared before him.

    The young man was clothed like nothing Paul had ever seen. He had on many layers of cloth, each of a vibrant and bright color. Some of the colors Paul could not even explain. The man himself was almost glowing in appearance, it was as if the sun was reflecting off of his skin.

    ¡°You expect anything to happen when you pray like that?¡± The man said, ¡°I am Gabriel and I have a message for you. If you want to go see Michael, you are going to have to pray with faith, not with a half-hearted mumbled prayer.¡±

    The man was gone in an instant and Paul was left standing wide-eyed and stunned beyond words. He was not sure he could process the overload of events that had happened in the past few days, and this was about to send him over the edge.

    Paul sat on the ground and tried to decide what to do. He wanted to just run away from everything and pretend none of this happened. But in the end, he decided to try to pray one more time with real faith.

    Paul closed his eyes before he prayed, and when he had finished he felt the most intense rush of wind he had ever felt. The wind came from every direction and he felt he was going to be crushed. The wind stopped, and Paul could smell a freshness in the air he had never experienced.

    ¡°About time you made it here,¡± Paul heard Madam A¡¯s voice.

    Paul opened his eyes and instantly regretted it immediately. The Brightness of the place he was now in was more intense than he had anticipated. He closed his eyes again but the flash had caused him to still see a bright spot even behind closed eyelids.

    ¡°Your eyes will adjust to the intensity of the light,¡± A gentle voice cut into his thoughts, ¡°While that is happening, I will talk to you in this manner. Once your eyes have adjusted we will talk face to face. My name is Michael, I am a protector of sorts and I am going to be working with you to take down a brand new threat in the Shedim.¡±

    Paul felt a sense of peace he had not felt maybe ever, but in his mind, he had a sense of guilt for not being sad still over the death of his family.

    Paul¡¯s eyes adjusted slowly to the light. When he finally could open his eyes, the beauty he was beholding took his breath away.

    They were standing on top of a hill that overlooked a great valley with a river running down the middle. Beyond the valley was a magnificent mountain range that stretched as far as Paul could see. This scene would have been beautiful on earth, but in this place, the colors were much different.

    Water was more of a sapphire blue, with Gold and silver shining through it as if lighting the very bed of the river. The trees all had flower blooms, but each was mixed three colors per tree. Color was everywhere, even the rocks had color shining through as if a brightly lit gem was shining through a gray shell. There was even a waterfall across the valley that was putting off a rainbow with colors Paul had never seen before.

    ¡°It is wonderful isn¡¯t it?¡± Madam A¡¯s voice came from behind Paul.

    Paul turned around and with wide eyes asked, ¡°What is this place?¡±

    ¡°It is called M¨¦si Omorfi¨¢s,¡± Madam A replied, ¡°But I just call it M¨¦si. The name means middle beauty in Greek.¡±

    Paul noticed another young man standing close by, from the side Paul thought it was Gabrial again until he turned towards them.

    Paul turned his head and closed his eyes, it seemed to be common to look at things and be blinded by the light.

    ¡°Will I get used to looking at you too?¡± Paul asked.

    ¡°If you get used to looking at me, it means you have died.¡± Michael answered, ¡°You are seeing a fading reflection of God¡¯s glory on my face. Enough talk about these things, we have business to discuss. The Shedim are going to be using Jasper, the man you tried to rescue, to set up an earthly kingdom.¡±

    ¡°He was burned so badly, He will not live, I am sure of it.¡±  Paul Interrupted.

    ¡°The power of the Shedim is greater than you know Paul,¡± Continued Michael, ¡°We must stop him at all cost, even if killing him is the only option. Lucifer himself has been in contact with Jasper, which is very bad for all of humanity. It is time to grow our group into a functioning army, start recruiting Madam A.¡±

    Paul felt like he should be keeping notes as Michael rushed through their strategic plan of how to take down most of the Shedim.

    ¡°Paul, remember to look forward, your past is going to haunt you if you do not. When you return so will the pain.¡± Michael seemed to be finished and walked a good deal away.

    Paul felt the rushing wind and knew it was time to go back to earth. He struggled to step toward Michael, but in an instant, he was standing on earth in front of the barn again.

    The grief he had momentarily had a reprieve from, now felt even heavier than before as it descended upon him.

    ¡°Are you ready to fight with us now?¡± Madam A asked.

    ¡°Let me take care of a few things first, then I will fight with you,¡± Paul said through fresh tears.

    Paul wanted to bury his family, but he also wanted to find the arson responsible for killing his family. He decided it would be best to not tell Madam A his full plan, she would most assuredly stop him.

    Paul followed Madam A back inside and tried his hardest to shove his emotion deep within himself.  When they entered the eating room again, Paul remembered that they were still in the slow state.  Everyone was standing now but they had only maybe moved a few feet.

    ¡°Paul you have to will yourself to exit the slow state this time,¡± Madam A said, ¡°When you enter from extreme sadness, you must force yourself to exit. Lastly, while you are emotionally supercharged, you must make a conscious effort to remain in normal time.¡±

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    Paul sighed and forced himself to relax a bit before trying to force himself into normal time.

    ¡°Paul and Madam A,¡± Tosha shouted, ¡°we were just about to go looking for you. Agent 2 told me that the burned home was yours¡­.I am very sorry for your loss.¡±

    Tosh ran to Paul and hugged him around the middle. Much to Paul¡¯s surprise he didn¡¯t even mind that she was hugging him. Usually, he would have felt awkward but after the events of the past few days, he doubted he would ever really be the same.

    Agent 2 agreed to drive Paul to his home and they started to make arrangements for that to happen.  Meanwhile, Paul sat and went over in his head how he would go about finding the man who burned his home down, killing his family. He also thought about what he would do to him once he had him.

    ¡°We are ready to go,¡± Agent 2 said, ¡°It will be late evening when we arrive, there is already a hotel for you to stay in.¡±

    The others wished him well, as they headed for the same van he arrived in.

    ¡°Paul, when you decide what you intend to do, just go have a visit with Michael. He will tell you exactly what you need to do, we will be moving to a larger facility while you are gone.¡± Madam A said hurriedly.

    The ride home was very long and Paul struggled with going in and out of the slow state as they drove. Paul let Agent 2 drive because he was sure he would have crashed.

    Once they arrived back in Colorado Agent 2 was brief and left Paul at the hotel to check in.

    ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± Agent 2 asked.

    ¡°No, I am ok, thank you for the ride. I will see you again in a few weeks I would imagine.¡± Paul said with a half-hearted smile towards Agent 2.

    Paul went to his room and lay down on the bed before allowing his emotion to come back. He was sure he had gone back into the slow state, but he didn¡¯t even care.

    Once Paul had calmed down, he wrote a list of places to check cameras. He would start with one¡¯s that covered his street, first his neighbor¡¯s security camera¡¯s that covered bits of his property.

    He went to his window to see if cars were moving in real time and he was a little surprised when they were. He had expected to have to force himself to exit the slow state. He decided that it was time to go and check his bank accounts and see what was left, if anything. He also wanted to buy a weapon of some sort he figured it may come in useful.

    Once Paul found a computer, he logged onto his online bank account and was extremely surprised. In his account was a very large sum of money, one he had not expected to see. Half a million dollars sat waiting for him.

    Paul decided to go and pull about ten thousand, just in case he was unable to access his accounts for any length of time. He pulled up the nearest bank, it was only two blocks away. Paul logged off of his account and stood to leave.

    ¡°Sir, please keep your hands where I can see them,¡± A uniformed officer told Paul as he stood, ¡°You are under arrest.¡±

    Paul forced himself to remain calm so as to not enter the slow state. He did as he was told and put his hands up.

    ¡°What am I under arrest for sir?¡± Paul said.

    ¡°You are under arrest for arson,¡± The officer said as he prepared to handcuff Paul.

    Paul entered into the slow state and handcuffed the officer to the computer desk. He wrote a note to the officer saying he was sorry for handcuffing him to the desk and headed for the door of the hotel.

    On the tv in the lobby, the frozen image caught Paul¡¯s eye. There was the same image of his own burned home with a bold headline that read, ¡®New evidence links husband to the arson of his own home.¡¯

    Paul just stared at the screen in disbelief, he now understood why the officer had been there to arrest him. The question still remained, how is it that he was being linked to the arson of his home and murder of his family?

    Paul decided that it didn¡¯t change the way he was going to approach the situation. He was still going to go to the bank and withdraw money.  He was still going to find the real culprit behind the arson of his home, he was going to make him pay for what he did.

    Paul made it to the bank near the hotel and willed himself to exit the slow state; it had been an odd experience walking down a busy street that was mostly frozen in time.

    The first thing He did once he entered the bank was to look for any sign of a TV with the news about him on it. To his relief, there was no tv in the bank.

    He approached the teller and told her his account number. He had decided on the walk over that a car would be helpful, so he asked for sixty thousand dollars out of his account.

    The teller looked at him and back at the computer screen, ¡°I am going to need your I.D. sir, I am sorry for your loss.¡±

    The teller must have seen the stunned look on Paul¡¯s face because she hurriedly explained that she had seen the money had come from a life insurance policy. He remembered that he had a special insurance that would pay out if he was missing for more than two days, but would have to be repaid if he was found.

    The teller went into the safe behind the counter to get the cash he had asked for and returned with a few large stacks of bills.

    ¡°I am sorry sir but my manager said the most we can give in cash at one time is thirty thousand.¡± The teller said with a polite smile.

    ¡°That will be fine, thank you,¡± Paul said surprised by how large a stack of bills thirty thousand dollars was.

    Paul stuffed the bills in all the pockets he had and decided it was time to go and buy some new clothes. He figured he would have to buy a backpack to more easily conceal the massive amount of cash he was carrying.

    Paul strode out of the bank and spotted a used car dealership across the street. He figured he could hurry in there and buy a car, which would allow him to move more freely about the town.

    A half hour later Paul was driving out of the dealership with an almost new ford focus. He would have preferred a nice truck, but he figured this would do for now.

    Paul went to a few clothing stores and bought enough clothes to last him a week or so without changing, he also had stopped at a custom blade dealer and bought a katana. He figured it would be best to have a blade as a weapon, in the slow state it would take to long for a gun to do its work.

    ¡°Alright mystery arson, it is time to track you down,¡± Paul said out loud as he drove towards his neighbor¡¯s house to look at the footage of the night his home was burned down.

    He had effectively forced the sad emotions out of his mind, all that remained was a deep hunger for revenge. He had forgotten everything about the Ph¨®tenos for now. His only mission was to find and torture the man responsible for killing his family.

    <hr />

    ***

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