Prologue
July, 1947Roswell, New Mexico
Beatrix St. Clair unscrewed the top of her canteen and thirstily drank the water as her Jeep began to slow and turned onto the access road for Roswell Army Air Field. The blonde, svelte, twenty-four year old Catholic was a veteran of the Second World War, having served in the Office of Strategic Services' Special Projects branch on a secret task force dedicated to investigating and thwarting the Nazi's projects into the occult. Beatrix had played a role in the task force's Operation Exorcism, where she and other OSS agents had parachuted behind enemy lines to assassinate German SS officers who had been plotting to channel the dark arts to turn the tides of war. When General William Donovan, the former head of the OSS, had personally summoned her to Roswell, years after the OSS had been dissolved, Beatrix had had a very bad feeling.
As a young girl, Beatrix had her first experiences with the supernatural. Every night after her mother laid her down to sleep and turned off the lights, Beatrix could see a spectral sentry pacing outside her door, a feminine being made of ghostly white light. When she described what she had seen to her mother, the elder St. Clair had responded with a wink and told her it was her guardian angel. Beatrix was never afraid of this entity, and as she grew older she no longer noticed it.
When she was fourteen, a class project about genealogy had revealed that Beatrix's lineage could be traced back to Salem, Massachusetts, where her family had settled after immigrating from Scotland. Salem was infamous for the Witch Trials that occurred in the late 1600s, and Beatrix had been very interested in the history surrounding them. This sparked an interest in the supernatural, and when she began to attend a Catholic university, Beatrix had studied demonology.
In 1942, Beatrix was nineteen years old and the world she grew up with was quickly descending into chaos as the United States joined the war. One night, Beatrix was approached by a man who introduced himself as an OSS agent. He had an invitation for the young demonologist, a position on the anti-Nazi Special Projects task force, codenamed Revelation. She had been overjoyed and readily accepted the job, but even her wartime experiences could not prepare her for what she was about to see today.
The Jeep passed a gauntlet of armed guards and came to a stop outside a large hangar. Two military policemen, their fingers hovering near the triggers of their M3 submachine guns, checked over Beatrix's ID and quickly escorted her towards the hangar. She was brought into an office, where a stone-faced Army Air Force general waited.
General Maxwell Spiers bowed his head to the newcomer and gestured for her to take a seat. The aging general had first got his love for aviation when he volunteered to fly balloon busting missions during World War I. As a colonel in World War II, he had been shot down while flying a bombing mission over Germany, being held prisoner in a Stalag Luft camp until he and other inmates had staged a daring escape.
Spiers rummaged through Beatrix's dossier and flashed her a smile. "I am General Spiers. Thank you for coming on such short notice, Miss St. Clair."
Beatrix returned the smile. "I am honored to meet you, sir."
"From your files I see that you had an interest in the occult, were a member of Project Revelation, and participated in Operation Exorcist. Tell me, Miss St. Clair, what is your attraction to demonology?" Spiers asked.
"It started when I first learned about my heritage," Beatrix said. "My family lived through the Salem Witch Trials. I was raised Catholic, so my interests in witchcraft and my faith in God led me to the Bible. The more I read of them, the more fascinating they became. They could use incredible powers and abilities, yet God could nullify anything they did. He could even command them into the abyss. I was really intrigued by the tale of Jesus when He ventured to Gadarenes."
Spiers nodded. "'My name is Legion, for we are many.'"
Beatrix grinned. "Indeed. What I found really interesting about those scriptures was that Jesus cast out these demons into a herd of swine, which they had begged Him to let them possess, and the herd then immediately rushed down and drowned themselves in the sea. I just found that quite puzzling, that they would immediately kill themselves."
Spiers leaned back in his chair and drummed his fingers on the table. There was a twinkle in his emerald-green eyes. "In all your experiences with the supernatural, have you ever encountered a demon?"
Beatrix shook her head. "No, sir. Not to the best of my knowledge, but I suppose it is possible."
Spiers stood and slipped on his officer's cap. "Well, Miss St. Clair, I'm afraid that is about to change. Follow me, please."
Beatrix felt a great sense of dread mixed with excitement as the general led her through the office and into the hangar. An army chaplain and several officers stood warily next to a woman that was bound to a chair. As she neared, Beatrix could see that a circle of salt surrounded the chair. A chill ran up her spine as she heard a raspy voice greet her. "Hello, Trixie. How nice of you to come all this way to see us."
Beatrix shuddered and Spiers put his hand on her shoulder as he guided her to the front of the chair. The woman was Hispanic and in her thirties, and she looked up at Beatrix with a smirk. As Beatrix stared at the woman, the woman's eyes began to glow red and her lips curled up into a perverse grin.
Beatrix felt her stomach knot up and she looked away from the woman. Spiers patted her on the back. "This is apparently a demon that calls herself Melial. During a fierce thunderstorm a week ago, some sort of craft exploded in the air. A local farmer found the remains, which were made of a strange alloy, and it would appear that the craft's pilot, our guest here, found the farmer's wife."
Beatrix turned back and gazed at the woman in awe. She believed demons were real, the Bible told her so, but it was still surreal. She knew now why General Donovan had called for her, but wasn't certain what role she was supposed to play. Her mind began to race as she thought of the possibilities the demon presented. "Wait a second, sir, the demon was flying an aircraft?"
Spiers nodded. "During the war, our pilots frequently encountered unidentified flying objects which appeared as balls of fire, which we called 'foo fighters.' It would appear they were in fact demonic in nature."
The woman possessed by Melial cackled. "'Tis a good thing the war ended so soon. My brethren, what you mortals deemed 'gremlins,' did so enjoy watching your metal birds explode!"
Spiers glared at the woman, then turned back to Beatrix. "Father Larson had been preparing to exorcise the demon, when she pleaded with him to let her stay a while longer. Melial claims to be an angel and that she has a message for us. According to her, the demons gave us the knowledge required for the atomic bombs, in an attempt to wipe out humanity."
The woman smirked. "'Tis true, 'tis true. The message I bring is a warning of things to come. If your kind does not act soon, my brethren will succeed in their plans and you mortals will be no more."
Beatrix worriedly looked at Father Larson. "Does she speak the truth?"
Father Larson grimly nodded. "I am afraid so, child."
"We were performing some enhanced interrogations on the subject, her story remained consistent," Spiers said.
Beatrix turned back towards the woman and found herself looking at her own mother. She gasped and jumped back in shock. "Wh-what?"
"Poor Trixie," the woman cooed. "Forgotten your lessons so soon? You know we have the powers to assume any form we wish." Her mother's form faded into that of President Harry Truman's. "Think upon my brethren's plan for your destruction, and see what little hope you have, Trixie. There is a way to stop all of this, but you will need to trust me."
Beatrix's face paled as Spiers led her from the hangar, Melial's laughter echoing in her mind. Outside in the sun, Beatrix shivered despite the heat. Spiers gave her a comforting hug. "I felt the same way when I first encountered her. Personally, I'm not sure if we should believe the words of what appears to be a demon, especially since she claims to be an angel. However, I've got a gut feeling that it does speak truth. We do have a plan in mind to try and counter whatever it is they may be planning, though."
"What are you going to do?" Beatrix asked. She kept hearing the demon's voice saying 'Trixie' in her mind. It troubled her that it not only knew who she was, but had chosen to call her the same nickname her father did.
Spiers pulled a folded sheet of paper out of his coat pocket and handed it to Beatrix. She unfolded it and her eyes were drawn to the words TOP SECRET and FOR EYES ONLY stamped across the top in red ink. The paper detailed an idea called Project Vigilance, which called for a team to be assembled that would be tasked with running anti-demonic black ops. It listed her name as a candidate for the director.
Beatrix re-read the paper then nodded at Spiers. She could feel in her heart that this was something important, something she was meant to do. She folded the paper and slipped it into her pocket. "I will do it."
Spiers smiled warmly. "Splendid! General Donovan has already been campaigning to give you an official cover to work under. With any luck, Congress will have it ready for the president to sign soon."
Spiers and Beatrix headed back into the hangar after she had collected herself. Beatrix strode over to the woman and stood in front of her with her arms crossed. "You claim to be an angel? You certainly appear to be a demon to me, seeing how you are currently possessing a woman."
"Your books, Trixie, remember what you have learned about fallen angels," the woman replied. "Remember just what it was that caused some of my brethren to be cast from Heaven."
"Some of them fell for refusing to obey God's desire that mankind be treated with respect. Some fell for providing forbidden knowledge to mortals," Beatrix said.
"And some fell willingly," the woman replied with a smirk. "It is also the latter reasoning you provided that I cast myself from Heaven."
"What knowledge do you wish to bestow?" Spiers demanded.
The woman jerked back her head in an attempt to beckon Beatrix closer. "Let me whisper in your ear. The wisdom I possess is for you only, Trixie. I mean you no harm."
Beatrix glanced at the others in the room. She knew demons were not to be trusted. On the other hand, she *was* looking at a real live demon before her. She shrugged and bent down, putting her ear near the woman's mouth.
The woman began to whisper in a language that Beatrix had never heard before, the ancient tongue of the angels. Despite not being able to comprehend the sounds, Beatrix found herself slowly understanding what she was being told. Her eyes began to go wide as the woman concluded telling the secret.
Beatrix felt the hair raise on the back of her neck and the woman butted her with her head, knocking Beatrix away as a lightning bolt tore down through the roof of the hangar and impacted on the woman. A constant stream of energy coursed over the woman's body and the gathered crowd watched in terror as a winged figure - the true form of Melial - rose from the woman's body, the lightning continued to pour over Melial, leaving the woman unharmed.
Melial did not look like any angel they had seen as portrayed by the classic artists. Her upper body was like that of a human with ruddy flesh, but her fur-covered legs were like that of a goat and ended in hooves. She had large wings of ebony feathers as well as a prehensile tail. She had a mane of white hair and a pair of horns jutted out from near the crown of her head.
The stench of burned flesh and feathers permeated the air as the divine lightning ravaged Melial's wings. The onlookers clasped their hands over their ears as Melial screamed in agony as her wings were ripped apart. A few seconds later, the lightning dissipated and the now-fallen angel slumped to the ground, smoke pouring from the charred remains of her wings.
Father Larson made the sign of the cross on himself as he stared at Melial. "Mother of God..."
The fear that Beatrix felt had disappeared and she rushed to the side of Melial. She felt an odd attraction to the fallen angel and began running her hands over Melial's body, gingerly touching her fur, her face, her tail, and her horns. Confident that what she was seeing was real, Beatrix knelt and stared at the remains of Melial's wings.
Melial tried to rise, but collapsed with a moan. Tears fell down Melial's cheeks as Beatrix helped her sit up. Beatrix clasped her hands and looked into the red eyes that had terrified her moments before. There was no longer any fear, merely sorrow. "You did this for us?" Beatrix asked.
Melial nodded and winced in pain. "Yes... They must be stopped."
Spiers had his M1911 drawn as he slowly approached Melial. He pointed the gun at her bare chest. "What did you tell her?"
Beatrix gently reached out and pulled on his arm, lowering the gun. "She told me about a method for travelling through time."
Spiers holstered his pistol. "Time travel? That's impossible, isn't it?"
Beatrix held up an ebony feather and let it drop, watching as it slowly drifted to the floor. "After what we just saw, I think just about anything is possible."
***
One of the branches of the budding intelligence agency was the Special Activities Division, which was responsible for covert operations, known as 'special activities.' The SAD was further divided into the Political Action Group, which dealt with covert political action, and the Special Operations Group, which was responsible for the collection of intelligence in hostile areas, and all high threat military or intelligence operations with which the U.S. government did not wish to be overtly associated.
Within the SOG, Beatrix St. Clair's Project Vigilance was born. Working under the name Task Force Epsilon, Beatrix soon found herself fighting a never-ending, covert war waged throughout history against the demonic forces of corruption that sought to destroy the world.
Taken from the Epistles of John, the CIA's motto was perhaps especially poignant for Project Vigilance and the terrible secrets of demons and a coming Apocalypse that they were sworn to thwart - "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
Chapter 1
Groom Lake, Nevada
Beatrix St. Clair fingered a silver crucifix that dangled from her necklace as she made her way through the corridors of Section Six, the headquarters of Project Vigilance. Codenamed 'Eden,' Section Six was a massive underground complex built beneath the Area 51 facility at Groom Lake, Nevada. Work on Section Six had begun in 1955, using the construction of the Groom Lake test facility as its official cover. As time progressed it had become the most secure, and classified, location in the world. Technological advancements over the years had allowed Section Six to be completely self-sustained, a veritable metropolis.
The operatives of Section Six were the best of the best, period, and had been recruited throughout time to assist in the war against the demons. Nearly all of the finest minds the world had ever seen had been gathered at Section Six, giving Project Vigilance an unheard of pool of talent. Legendary figures such as King Richard the Lionheart, Socrates, Sir Isaac Newton, Geronimo, or Nikola Tesla, to name but a few, could be found at Section Six, creating a historian's dream, or nightmare, depending.
However, the most interesting recruits were those from the damaged timelines and alternate universes the demons had created. These operatives, nicknamed EDBs, for Extra Dimensional Beings, generally came imbued with supernatural powers. With abilities ranging from superhuman strength to being able to cast bonafide magical spells, the EDBs were a powerful tool in the war against the demons, which, for the most part, Project Vigilance was winning.
The Book of Revelation had prophesized that in the end the forces of good shall triumph over the forces of evil, and all those that served evil will suffer God's wrath. Unfortunately, that only served to entice the demons into doing whatever they could to circumvent their fate. It was hard to blame them. Nobody likes to lose, after all, but one demon in particular outright refused to accept what fate held for him in the future - Belial, the Angel of Darkness.
For reasons known only to Him, God had granted Belial his own personal horde of six-hundred and sixty-six angels of destruction. Conspiring with his infernal brethren, Belial planned to avoid divine retribution by sending his legions of demons throughout history in order to disrupt the timeline, in hopes of altering it so that he and the other demons would be victorious during the final battle. As with most things demonic, there was an ulterior motive to this plan as well - to inflict as much suffering as possible on humanity. It was for this reason that Melial (no relation to the treacherous Belial, besides both being angels) had fallen from Heaven in order to provide humanity with the secrets of time travel.
The secret knowledge of time travel had allowed Beatrix and all the other members of Project Vigilance to live for centuries, impervious to aging. They were humanity's first, and only, line of defense against the chronal manipulations of Belial's demons. Armed with high-tech equipment, some with supernatural abilities, and the power of Christ, they had proven to be a thorn in Belial's side. So far, they had been successful in decimating legions of lesser demons, and had destroyed one-hundred and ninety-one of Belial's angels of destruction.
Beatrix had selected the year 2777 as the year to base their operations from. While they could conceivably operate from any time they wished, this year was of extreme importance as it marked the beginning of the Apocalypse. One need only visit Section Six's Inspiration Room to see what it was they were fighting for, as it hosted a plethora of view screens that displayed the ravaged world on the surface. The sun had become as black as sackcloth of hair, while the moon was blood-red. A constant rain of hail and fire, mingled with blood, fell upon the world and destroyed a third of the trees and grass. A falling star named Wormwood had crashed down from the heavens and poisoned much of the Earth's water sources, making a third of the rivers and springs toxic. A tremendous earthquake had shifted every mountain and island. A third of the hours of day and night passed in total darkness with nary a light. A great, burning, mountainous object had fallen from the skies into the ocean, annihilating a third of all the ships and the creatures that dwelled in the depths. The air was clouded with smoke from Hell itself.
The survivors of these disasters were hounded by living entities. The four horsemen of Death, Conquest, War, and Famine that had started the Apocalypse continued to hunt down victims. The souls of martyrs, clothed in white robes, roamed the land, thirsting for vengeance. From the depths of Hell came a massive swarm of armored, humanoid locusts with tails of scorpions and teeth like lions'. The locust demons patrolled the world looking for unrighteous souls to claim. Angels led a great army of two-hundred million horsemen that ravaged the world and killed a third of mankind by usage of plagues - fire, smoke, and brimstone. Those people that survived fled to caves in the mountains, where they begged for the mountains and rocks to hide them and save them from the wrath of God.
All of this had been foretold in the Book of Revelation, but there was one problem: it was meant to occur five-thousand years later in 7777. The demons' actions had triggered an early Apocalypse, giving them the last laugh they longed for by depriving humanity of five-thousand years of existence. Billions of lives, gone, just like that.
However, if the brave men and women of Project Vigilance could defeat the meddlesome demons, everything would be restored to normal. It was an almost overwhelming feeling to know that they were all fighting to save countless lives and thousands of years of history, innovations, discoveries, and all the other things that made life interesting.
As Beatrix passed by the Inspiration Room she frowned at the images and said a quick prayer. The apocalyptic scenes of suffering and death broke her heart, but she knew, one day, they would be gone, and that gave her hope. She continued onwards to a small lounge and sat on a comfy chair. As soon as she sat down, a holographic image of a waiter, one of Section Six's artificial intelligence, appeared next to her.
"Hello, Director!" the AI joyfully exclaimed. "Do you require any-"
The AI's image shimmered and became that of Melial. The fallen angel had been allowed to possess Section Six's computer systems, rather than a living being, and she frequently possessed the facility's AIs. Given free range over how she appeared, Melial had opted to present herself with a more angelic, and human, appearance. A golden halo of light surrounded her head, her flesh was more naturally hued, and her hooved goat legs were hidden beneath a beautiful white dress. She refused to remove her horns and tail, however, and was always proud to display the charred remnants of her wings whenever new recruits questioned the presence of a demon among their ranks.
Melial leapt onto Beatrix's lap and cooed, "Behold, they have discovered a new flashpoint."
Melial referred to the Section Six psychics, which were able to 'see' the demons' attacks on the timeline. In the 1970s the CIA had developed the Stargate Project to investigate psychic phenomena, with special interest in 'remote viewing,' which was the ability to psychically see future events and information. When a demonic disturbance had resulted in a timeline where humanity was gifted with tremendous psychic powers, that timeline's Stargate members had foreseen the arrival of the Project Vigilance taskforce, and had volunteered their services. The Stargate team served as Section Six's eyes and ears, providing actionable intelligence on the demons, wherever, and whenever, they appeared.
"Are any of the angels involved?" Beatrix asked.
"Indeed. 'Tis the angel of destruction called Shariel," Melial answered.
"Always nice when they come out to play. Where and when is she?"
Melial held out her palm and a holographic image of the dwarf planet Pluto appeared. Pluto had been colonized in the early 2400s by entrepreneurs seeking to mine for any valuable minerals in the planet's core. They were inspired by the 2398 reclamation of Earth's own Antarctica, and repurposed the technology used to reclaim the icy continent in order to carve a swath through Pluto's ice and reach the core. Revolutionary force field technology was used to project a protective bubble around the mining operation, creating not only a breathable atmosphere but also the ability to raise the temperatures inside the force field, providing a sanctuary from Pluto's frigid climate.
In 2442, the mining operation came to an end and a wealthy investor purchased their facilities on Pluto, eventually transforming it into the Lowell Resort. Named after Percival Lowell, the man whose search for a possible ninth planet ('Planet X' as he dubbed it) eventually led to the discovery of Pluto, the Lowell Resort had been designed to look like an ancient Greek city, with heavy influence from mythology. The resort featured a Mount Olympus, beautiful temples to the Greek gods, and even had its own Underworld, which had been created using the old mines.
"As you can see, their target is Pluto, in August, 2448," Melial explained. "According to what Stargate could see, the demons will slaughter every last living soul in the place."
Beatrix idly waved her hand through the hologram as she tried to remember anything that may have occurred in that year, not that it would necessarily matter due to the chaotic nature of demon-affected timelines. She motioned for Melial to continue.
"This year was the grand opening of the Lowell Resort, Trixie. Nearly everybody who was somebody was there," Melial explained. "Our analysts have already gathered a list of VIPs that attended the opening."
Melial waved her hand and a long list of names appeared in the air in front of Beatrix. Beatrix scanned the names and frowned. Several high ranking Space Exploration Agency employees were listed, as well as a slew of politicians, businessmen, celebrities, and royalty. Beatrix reached out and tapped each name. As she touched the holographic names, an analysis of the negative impacts that would occur if the individual met an early demise appeared in the air.
Beatrix leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Alright then. Looks like the buggers can cause some pretty serious damage. You've assembled our response team, I presume?"
Melial nodded.
Beatrix pulled back her sleeve, exposing a high-tech bracer that Beatrix held out for Melial to possess. Melial wrapped her holographic tail around the device and her image disappeared, replaced with a much smaller hologram that projected from the bracer.
Melial looked up at Beatrix. "Ready for transportation to the briefing room?"
Beatrix nodded and closed her eyes as the brightly glowing light of the teleporter shrouded her. When she opened her eyes a few seconds later she found herself in one of Section Six's briefing rooms. A 3D representation of the Lowell Resort was projected above a large conference table, and view screens displayed blue prints, personnel lists, and other data that the Section Six intelligence analysts had collected. She smiled and nodded at the four men and women seated at the table, which were some of her oldest friends and most reliable agents. "Hello, folks. Has Melial briefed you on the situation?"
"Yes, Director St. Clair," answered a dapper man in his fifties with salt-and-pepper hair and a well-trimmed moustache. Codenamed 'Nine,' Captain George Clark was a normal human and one of the earliest recruits to Project Vigilance. Nine had been a Royal Air Force pilot that flew Avro Lancasters on night bombing missions during World War II. On multiple missions he had personally witnessed the 'foo fighter' demonic fireball phenomena, and even endeavored to shoot one down one night, to no avail.
After the war, due to his detailed reports on the foo fighters he was recruited to Britain's Security Service, Military Intelligence, Section 5 (MI5) as part of a secret department established to investigate paranormal activity in Britain. Operating with a partner, Nine was primarily tasked with questioning witnesses of UFO sightings. Their work was highly classified and thus they would only identify themselves with their Security Service badges and their assigned agency codenames, Nine and Ten.
In 1964 there was an incident where large humanoid beings in spacesuits, demons, appeared at the Woomera Test Range in Australia, causing a Blue Streak missile test to be aborted. Disturbingly, one of these same spacesuited figures appeared in a photograph taken in Cumbria, England. The photographer, a man named Templeton, claimed that the figure was not present when he took the photo and brought it to the police to have a look at. After examinations, the police declared there was nothing suspicious about it. The local newspaper picked up the story and within hours it had spread worldwide.
Australian authorities immediately identified the spaceman as being identical to those who interrupted the Blue Streak test, and Nine and Ten were soon called to duty. They picked up Templeton and had him direct them to the location of his photo. After going through a barrage of routine questions, Templeton continually insisted that the figure was not there that day and only showed in the photo.
Ten, an Irishman with a fiery temper and little patience, became annoyed and persuaded Nine to leave. As they drove off, the same spacesuited being appeared in front of their car and lifted it from the ground. The being, in actuality a Project Vigilance shapeshifting operative, pulled the terrified agents from the car and set them before him. Morphing back to his natural form, the shapeshifter explained what the spacesuited beings, and foo fighters, really were and both agents agreed to join Project Vigilance. Well known for the colorful tales about his experiences as a bomber pilot, as well as essentially being one of Britain's 'Men in Black,' Nine is one of the most respected operatives at Section Six and acts as a mentor for new operatives.
"I've always wanted to go to the Lowell Resort, but not like this," a raven-haired woman sadly said. Codenamed 'Ghost,' Ruxandra Vãduva was an EDB and the best assassin and infiltrator at Section Six. Ghost came from an alternate universe Romania in the 1930s where the demons had assisted the Nazis with the development of weapons of mass destruction infused with infernal power. In this altered timeline, Germany gave the world a choice - submit to her will, or suffer. A brutal war was waged against Germany by the brave, if a tad foolhardy, alliance against her, resulting in widespread radiation throughout the world as Germany rained demonic destruction on her foes. The survivors were imbued with the demonic energy unleashed by the bombs, and the lucky few that survived that found themselves mutated and able to control strange powers.
In Ghost's case, she was able to 'phase' matter to another plane of existence. Objects or beings phased in this way could observe the normal world, but were rendered completely invisible. Because of her power, Ghost was one of the very few operatives that was able to volunteer on their own volition, due to the secretive nature of Project Vigilance. Project Vigilance fielded a team of historians, affectionately called the Janitors, who were responsible for cleaning up the timeline. After the demons had been defeated in Ghost's timeline and the Janitors had arrived, Ghost used her power to sneak into their equipment and was smuggled back to Section Six.
Beatrix had taken an instant liking to the young woman, pleased with Ghost's moxie. It had taken Ghost quite a while to fully master her new power, but she had developed from the embarrassed mutant known for accidentally phasing out her own clothes to one of Project Vigilance's most dangerous agents. Ghost had personally accounted for fifteen confirmed kills against the angels of destruction, with countless lesser demons under her belt.
Beatrix beamed a smile at Ghost. "It would be nice to go under more pleasant circumstances, for sure. But, hey, at least you'll get to see it."
Ghost laughed. "I suppose so, remind me to thank this Shariel before we smoke her."
"Hah. If I have my way, you will not get a chance, Ghost. These demons will wish they were back in Hell once I am through with them," a teenage Asian girl smugly said. Codenamed 'Frost,' Ma Renxian was an EDB born in 181 AD to a Chinese warlord in a demonically-altered timeline. Frost's dormant power of cryokinesis (the ability to control and generate ice) became active when she was 14. Frost was forced to flee into the countryside after she accidentally destroyed much of her village's crops with a sudden blizzard and the villagers declared her a witch.
Alone, confused, and distraught, young Renxian tried to drown herself in a lake, which fortunately merely froze over at her touch, much to her chagrin. A Project Vigilance strike force eventually found the troubled teen while investigating the strange weather patterns in the area and brought her back to Section Six. Kept in isolation until she learned to control her powers, Frost bonded with Melial, who she affectionately calls her 'other mother,' something Melial is quite proud of.
"What's our orders, Tricks?" a muscular man asked, using Beatrix's lackluster codename. Codenamed 'Merlin,' Sergeant Reiner Falkenrath was the 'youngest' of the assembled operatives, having been born in 2512. Merlin was an EDB capable of casting magical spells, although his brawny build did not bring his namesake to mind. Before being recruited to Task Force Epsilon, Merlin was a member of the elite German counter-terrorism and special operations unit Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (Border Police Group 9), or GSG 9. When a demonic invasion was scourging the European continent, Merlin's unit was called into action. The gift of magic the demons had inadvertently granted the humanity in his timeline helped them hold their own and they relentlessly pursued the panicked demons, ultimately resulting in a final battle through the streets of Brussels, Belgium. Merlin's skill with both magic and technology during the Battle of Brussels impressed the Project Vigilance members, with Beatrix herself personally inviting him to join them.
"As usual we'll try our SOP. We'll be going in first, see if we can identify the angel and lop the head off the snake," Beatrix said. Their standard operating procedure consisted of 'de-feathering' missions, as they were known, and were Project Vigilance's preferred method of attack against the demons. De-feathering missions entailed small wetwork teams that would try to eliminate the demonic HVTs (high value targets), which were almost always the angels of destruction as they were the demons' generals. Once the angels of destruction were dealt with, the remaining lesser demons could, usually, be easily subdued.
Beatrix pointed towards Mount Olympus on the 3D projection. "Merlin, I want you up here with a sniper rifle. You should be able to hit just about anything in the resort from up there. Nine, Frost, you'll cover the northern side of the resort. Ghost, you're with me at the southern end. When we find the angel, we'll call for reinforcements if needed and take her out. Any concerns?"
The operatives shook their heads.
"Splendid," Beatrix said. "Melly, wardrobe, please."
Each operative held their wrists up and pulled back their sleeves, displaying high-tech bracers on their forearms, just like Beatrix's. Melial's projection wiggled her fingers and the bracers began to hum as the computer uploaded data onto them. A few seconds later they emitted an audible *click* and the humming ceased. Their bracers had just received their covers for the mission, providing identities consistent for the location and year in question. As long as they kept their bracers on, anyone that did not have access to the Section Six tech would see and hear them as whomever their covers were. Even their actions were camouflaged, for instance an operative aiming a weapon might be seen as a man looking at his PDA. It was even powerful enough to fool some of the demons, but close scrutiny would allow them to see past the illusion.
Beatrix read over her cover, a Lowell Resort groundskeeper, then said to Melial, "Melly, armory, please."
Weapon racks appeared on the walls of the briefing room, containing armaments from throughout history. From swords and muskets to laser rifles and plasma cannons, almost every weapon ever imagined was available. Each weapon was blessed with holy water in order to give them tremendous stopping power against demons.
Merlin eagerly selected a Khanduras Arms Piercing Shot Rifle (PSR). The semi-automatic PSR fired powerful rounds with massive material penetration capabilities. It featured an x-ray scope (to facilitate the PSR's penetrative qualities), a 30-round magazine, a 535 rounds per minute fire rate, and an effective range of 2200 meters. With the capability to shoot through almost anything, it was a very well-liked rifle at Section Six.
The other operatives selected customized Wildhammer Limited Kingslayer carbines. The select-fire Kingslayer was chambered in 5.7x28mm and featured a 50-round magazine, a 950 rounds per minute fire rate, and an effective range of 600 meters. Section Six's Kingslayers were fully loaded with Picatinny rails, laser sights, suppressors, underbarrel grenade launchers, and a high-tech variable zoom scope which allowed for precise shots and could also detect lingering heat signatures through materials at up to 25 meters. Because it had been designed for counter-terrorism and VIP protection, the Kingslayer featured impressive accuracy and control characteristics, which made it a favorite at Section Six.
For a sidearm, each operative favored the Fordragon Manufacturing's M51D/SOCOM. Designed for usage by special operations groups, the M51D has an integrated sound suppressor and muzzle brake. Firing special 12.7x40mm rounds from a 12-round magazine, the semi-automatic M51D had an effective range of 50 meters. It was the preferred sidearm for Project Vigilance's operatives due to its built in suppressor, low recoil, high stopping power, and dead-on accuracy.
Beatrix carried an ornate golden box over to the table and flipped open the lid. Inside were a dozen sheathed daggers in the style of Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knives. Specially produced at Section Six, Beatrix had selected the design because she had used the original fighting knives during her time with the OSS in WW II. With their 7 inch, double-edged blade, the fighting knives could be used to thrust or slash. The unassuming knives were Project Vigilance's ultimate weapon. Each one contained a tiny sliver of the Holy Lance that was used to pierce the body of Jesus Christ as he hung on the cross. The tiniest prick would forcibly expel a demon from a possessed person, and wounds they inflicted to fully manifested demons almost always resulted in instantaneous death.
Each operative attached one of the knives to their utility belts. After they checked their equipment and all gave Melial the thumbs up, Melial teleported the five operatives to Section Six's time travel chamber where Melial was waiting for them in her true form. Rings of enormous, rune-engraved standing stones dotted the cavernous time chamber. The stones were components of Melial's time travel secret. When the proper words were said and a ritual was completed, a portal would open, delivering whomever entered into the time and location stated during the ritual.
Melial sauntered over and asked Beatrix, "Ready, Trixie?"
Beatrix nodded her consent and shivered as Melial possessed her. Whenever Beatrix went out on a mission, the fallen angel always came with her to protect her and grant her her own supernatural abilities. While possessed, Beatrix gained the ability to speak and understand any language, had greatly enhanced strength, gained the power of teleportation, she could learn all there was to know about a person with one look, and she was capable of laying on of hands, healing even the most grievous of injuries. Unlike demonic possession, Beatrix retained full control of her body, which provided a peculiar sensation for Beatrix as she was able to feel Melial's presence within her.
The operatives stood at the ready inside a circle of the rune-engraved stones. A Native American man wearing a lab coat winked at them and began to speak in the tongue of the angels as he began the ritual. Beatrix had eventually convinced Melial to gift the time travel knowledge to six other Project Vigilance members, and one was required to remain at Section Six at all times, just in case something were to happen to the others out in the field. The air began to fill with acrid smoke as the runes on the stones began to smolder as they reacted to the man's words.
As the ritual progressed, the five operative closed their eyes and bowed their heads. They began to whisper the King James Bibles' Psalm 115:1 in a tradition gleaned from the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon - better known as the Order of the Knights Templar - as the portal, a swirling vortex of bright energy, opened before them. With one last check of their equipment, they waved farewell and stepped towards the portal, still whispering, "Non nobis, non nobis, Domine, sed nomini tuo da gloriam..."
Chapter 2
The Lowell Resort, Pluto
