5th May
19:35 GMT +4
Mister Crandal's invisibility doesn't do anything to cover up the orange glow of my environmental shield, so I have to remove the rings. As ever, this makes me feel slightly nervous. Playing Goldeneye taught me the distinct difference between invisibility and invincibility. Still, the kinetic belt, phasing and wards work just fine and I don't think there's anything around here that can easily get through them. Phased, I don't even cause a ripple in the air as I fly fast as I can through the manor wall, over the gardens at the edge of the party and through the wall of the house itself.
Roy's visit earlier gave us the chance to compare the actual structure of the house with the architect's plans. A few minor changes -a panic room and a small armoury- rather than anything that screams 'supervillain'. But then this is supposed to be his home. He owns fortified places elsewhere. This is where he comes to be 'normal'.
Says something about my life that I can consider ex-Soviet general politicians 'normal'.
I fly through a living room and a corridor before heading
down. There's really only one place that The Demon Constantine could be without risking getting spotted by either guests or staff not in the know, and that's the storage cellar. Not sure what they usually keep in there. Not wine, there's a separate wine cellar and the two aren't connected so it can't be room to expand. Though it was a bit odd when Roy mentioned it, but since it was empty he didn't bother bugging it. Rather than risk flying through a warded wall a la migh fight with Kanto I emerge in the stone-walled corridor immediately in front of the door. No obvious security. Perhaps because he didn't want to risk any record being made. No matter.
I phase in and become visible. And
this is where trusting my equipment becomes a thing. I'm not risking using a construct on the door, not after that Devil Jizz user managed to feed on my power, but this is still heavy power armour. I lumber at the door and smash it inwards.
Ethereally burning sand marks out an arcane circle on the floor and floats up in a rotating pattern above it. Looking through it I see… I'm assuming it's some part of hell, because it certainly isn't the other side of the room. The flame around the grains is orange-violet and somehow insubstantial and if I knew more about demonology that would probably mean something to me. I have the rings take a picture of the design and then have them block my awareness of its specifics. Just in case.
"…mundus-."
The Demon Constantinestops chanting and waving his arms the moment the door flies past. His head jerks around and spots me. There's a brief moment of disbelief, then his head tilts slightly to his left. "Oh, fuck right off
aghh!"
I retarget my railgun at his other kneecap and fire again.
"G
AH!"
The whirling vortex flares fractionally as he falls. If I had the Ace with me I'd put a round through
that as well… But if I had the Ace with me the I'd shoot The Demon Constantine. I settle for shooting the edge of the design with a Mage Slayer round. In response the sand whirs faster and faster, gradually stripping the design from the floor.
The Demon's right hand is under his coat as I grip him with a series of construct clamps.
"No.
" His coat is probably more projection than coat so I don't bother trying to put it into subspace.
Disintegrate.
"Me fuckin' ciggies!"
I stride around the room and lean down, grabbing him with a filament and hauling him up. I then backhand him across the face, knocking his head to the side.
"Shut up. Who have you got in Max Mercury?
"
"I dunno what you're fuckin' talking about! I thought we were mates!"
"You didn't change your eyes back.
"
His face stills for a moment. "Oh." And then falls slightly. "Fuck."
Taking the binding chains out of subspace takes more power than I really want to spend, but the new generation sort of cuts out when not in contact with the Earth's arcane fields and so isn't
quite as bad. Convenient thing about speedsters is that any fight with them is over one way or another before power requirements start to matter. Another flash of disintegration takes care of the rest of the Demon's faux clothing and then I apply the chain's clamps to his waist, neck, arms and legs.
"Bit much for a first date, innit?"
"I can get the Ace of Winchesters if you prefer. Last time of asking: who or what is in Max Mercury?
"
"Nah, nah mate. You got it all wrong! This is just a-"
Brand.
"-bit a'-." There's a flare of orange and he throws his head back. "Aoh-ho-
hoa!"
"I'm not sure how long this takes for a Demon like you. Or if you can recover afterwards like a Human would. But I do have a reasonable idea of how to come out ahead when dealing with a Constantine.
" I clench my right fist and the constructs around his naked body force his head back up. A glowing orange symbol is trying to form on his forehead, but just before it can fully come together there's a flicker of something and is fades again.
"Protections bound to your body. Obviously not the Seal of Solomon that John has. Won't last indefinitely. Look, the game's up. Whatever you and Satanus-.
"
"He… SaYs It… SaTuRn… Us."
I take a Mage Slayer round out of subspace and shove it into the hole I shot in his right knee. He grits his teeth as it goes it. The damage hasn't exactly regenerated, but it's far less than a baseline Human would have received and is less than it was when I first fired.
"I'm not sure if you actually feel pain, but that will continue to drain you of power. Whatever you had planned here isn't going to happen. The best result you can get is the one which irritates me
least.
"
"Though it was… Gah! Fucking…
Blaze!"
I take another Mage Slayer out.
"It wasn't. I normally don't go in for this whole… Jack Bauer thing. But
you disgust me…
" I nod.
"Just enough, Demon.
"
"Oh, an' Demons aren't really
people, is that it?"
"No, they're people.
Very bad people. Take you for instance. The only decent Human quality John gave you was his love for Kit Ryan and I
know you haven't tried contacting her. And since you have actually become a Demon rather than just being one damned soul among the multitudes you must have willingly bonded with the stuff of Hell-.
"
"
You have no fucking idea what I've been through!" The skin on his face is starting to
flake away like burning paper, revealing the canker beneath. "
And another-!" I muzzle him. "
Mmm!"
"I listen to bad guys in the hope that it might help them become better. You can't, and since you won't talk I'll just wait until the brand takes hold.
" I activate my armour's internal communications.
"Orange Lantern to team. The Demon Constantine is secure. Rocket, are you able to put a kinetic bubble around Max Mercury and drag him into the sky?
"
"Ye-ah, but it'll be kinda obvious."
Might be better just to wait until the party winds down a bit… General Kerimov isn't really
our problem. Just dealing with the demonic side would be enough to call this part of the mission a success…
"Tempest, Aquagirl, could you exorcise Max Mercury?
"
"Ah… How much time to we have?"
Garth doesn't sound anywhere near certain.
"No idea.
"
"We can pick at the binding spells, but flat out exorcisms usually need the mage to channel massive amounts of power. We'd need him in a prepared environment-."
"Oh El, something's happening to Max!"
I change my visual mode back to the drone camera and see Max stagger and fall, his head elongating as horns sprout from his forehead.
"Rocket, go.
"
