A Brief Moment of Insanity Ch. 09

"I like you Mike." She said after she had licked me clean. "Can I hang out with you?"

"You can do whatever you little heart desires," I replied still panting from the mind blowing orgasm I had just had.

"OH Goodie," she squealed.

By the time we reached the top of the stairs she had reverted to her mundane form. While no one actually said anything there were quite a few smiles and back slaps the rest of the evening. I felt like I had been indoctrinated into an exclusive club, a very exclusive club. I returned upstairs to find Nick and the twins working the bar. He was all smiles and the twins were filling the tip jar at epic speed. I walked around the room to see if anyone needed anything. The conversations were wide and varied as the people.

"They grab this guy, he's a cleric or something or other," Jon was regaling Nick, Kat, Warren and Willow. "With the active camouflage it looks like he just disappears. They haul his ass like two thousand feet up and shove him out the jump jet, splat. There must have been twenty thousand people watching the whole thing unfold. Technology isn't it wonderful?"

I remembered that it had been all over the news last year. It was a Muslim cleric that had disappeared and then fell to his death seconds later from midair. They had called him a heretic and cursed his name on the spot. It hadn't been an act of god it was people working for Jon. Oh man, if they ever found out what had really happened. No act of god only technology that is pretty damn profound.

I grabbed empties and returned to the bar. I smiled when two of the Asian women approached the bar. The one I had helped escort in earlier the other I hadn't met yet.

"Hey Shu, what can I get you and your friend?" I asked.

"Oh she isn't my friend," Shu replied. "She is a friend and companion of Louis. Her name is..."

"Everybody just calls me Little Moriarty," the blue eyed Thai said cutting off Shu. "But you can pour me a dirty martini with three olives."

"Sure thing sweet cheeks," I said and fixed her drink. "Shu are you thirsty?"

"I'll have a bottle of water," she replied.

"This is a party, a celebration live a little," Moriarty urged her with a loud slap on the ass. "Wow girl that is some booty you've got on you!"

"Thank you, I think," Shu replied uncertainly.

I handed the Thai her drink and fished out a water bottle for Shu. I liked her. She was so simple and unrefined, almost childlike. How she fit into this group was a mystery. Suddenly the bar fell silent and I looked around. I saw her standing outside near the front door. What the hell? I walked around and up to the door. She was very attractive woman around mid-twenties wearing a black bustier, dark jeans with her long silvery white hair down and hanging past her bottom.

"Can I help you," I asked through the glass and I heard a few chuckles.

"Invite me in," she replied smiling.

"Oh for Christ's sake mom just come in already," Jon said which caused most of the people around to bust out laughing.

"Not until HE invites me in," she said pouting.

"Please come in," I said as I opened the door for her.

"He's a gentleman," the woman said indicating me with a movement of her head. "You are a party pooper."

"You are Jon's mom?" I asked and she nodded. "Wow, talk about great genes." She offered me a better look at her ass as she began to mingle. I wondered if she thought I said jeans instead of genes.

A few others trickled in as the night progressed. I had to dump out the tip jar twice. I did find a few coins and at first I thought they were a joke until I took a better look at them. One had to be an old Roman coin and I suspected Louis had put it in there. The other strange one was an old silver coin that had Hebrew markings on one side and a head in profile on the other. I put those in the safe to be looked at later. I wrapped the loose bills together in stacks and tossed the coins in after.

More food arrived but this time it looked more like a catered affair than a party at a bar. Once the tables were laid out I saw some familiar faces at the door. When did the female bouncer show up? She was arguing with off duty cops about letting them in, yikes! I went out and did damage control. I tried to explain about the private party when Ian appeared. He had been my father's old partner but was now the chief of police.

"Ian, hey what are you doing here?"

"I retired," he said with a look that screamed involuntary retirement. "I thought I would look up a few old friends and..." His voice fell off and he went pale. "Is that Jon? Jon Masters you old son of a... that can't be right he must be in is seventies by now. Mike, who the hell is that?"

"It's him," I said and opened the door to let Ian and the others in.

"Jon fucking Masters," Ian said as he shook hands with the other.

"Ian O'Malley," Jon replied. "You look good."

"Not as good as you," Ian replied looking around. "...Holy shit, Nick Shaw who the hell died and brought you guys together?"

"It's a long story Ian," Jon said.

"Ian, haven't seen you in a few," Nick said walking up and shaking the chief's hand. "I heard a few hours ago. I'm sorry. Have a drink on me, you and your men."

"Thanks Nick, how is your family?" Ian asked as I served him and the other police officers.

"Take a look," Nick said gesturing for Kat and Petra to come over. "You remember my sister Kat and my mom."

I watched the reunion and the party seemed revitalized by the new blood. I left Colleen in charge long enough to run the dish washer for the glassware. What a weird vibe in the air. It's like the quiet before the storm. As if in response a series of gunshots rang out from the front. There was return fire from outside as well as from within the tavern. I raced in squatting and low to the ground. Colleen was behind the bar. Her left shoulder a bloody ruin and she was panting as her color paled.

"Goddamn it girl don't do this to me," I growled. "Do not go into shock! Someone call 911!"

There were screams within and without the bar. It sounded like a fucking war. I reached for 'peacekeeper' the sawed off shotgun beneath the bar. Colleen touched my hand and when I looked up she shook her head just before her eyes went white. I mean the iris, the pupil all of it went white.

"Leave it to the professionals," she said weakly as the color returned to her eyes. "My brother will end them. Stay with me."

A loud popping sound forced me to wince. It felt like my ears had popped and I worked my jaw to try and pop them again. I took a clean bar towel and placed it over Colleen's wound and applied pressure. Warren was suddenly next to me. He looked at her and frowned.

"She's lost a lot of blood," He said. "I'll take care of it."

"What the hell does that mean? Have you called an ambulance?"

"No need," Warren said and laid his hand on her shoulder and I felt a sudden burst of heat. "There that ought to take care of things. You can remove the towel Mike."

I did so reluctantly and when I did her dress was still bloodied but the flesh beneath was unharmed. What the holy hell? How did he do that? I looked over at Warren and he just smiled. He went to check on the others to see if they were injured. I helped Colleen into a seated position with her back to the wall. She was still hurt but in no danger of dying. I tried to ask her and she just shrugged.

"If I were you I'd just chalk it up to a miracle and leave it at that. It's what I do."

"You've been shot before?" I asked and she smiled and shook her head.

"No, but I've seen a lot of weird shit. It's been a long strange trip and it just gets worse from here on." Colleen said frowning. "Tonight was supposed to be the last quiet night of our lives. We didn't even reach midnight."

"What is going on?" I asked and she put on a very thoughtful expression.

"Mike, sell the bar and move to the highest point above sea level that you can find. Trust me and in a few years you'll thank me."

"Global warming huh..." I said and she nodded.

More gunshots hit the interior of the bar and I clamped my eyes shut and screamed. Suddenly she was in my lap with her arms around me. Her lips were by my ear telling me over and over again that she had me, poor petite Colleen held me like I was made of glass. I wrapped my arms around her and felt like a coward. I wanted to say how sorry I was but it seemed unnecessary.

There was more gunfire and another sound, a strange and unusual sound. I looked into what was left of the bar's mirror and my mouth fell open again. Gabrielle stood there out in the open as if tempting fate. She had one hand up with the palm out the other was down and to her side. A sudden pain behind my eyes forced me to blink. I gasped when my vision cleared. There was the stunning redhead but this time there was a shimmering shield like force in front of her radiating from her outstretched hand and in the other a sword like shape of crackling energy.

The Inquisitor thrust the blade in a stabbing motion and lightning leapt from the tip and lashed out at the unseen foes. I was going bat shit crazy, had to be. People can't do these sorts of things. I looked at Colleen and she still clung to me tightly. I placed a protective arm around her and prayed. Please god let me survive this so I can fuck the living shit out of this gorgeous young lady, amen!

The bar shook like there had been a small earthquake. I heard the rattle of glass and with it the end of the gunfire. I opened my eyes and was looking Colleen in the eyes. There were tears in her eyes and I kissed her. She kissed me back before we disentangled ourselves. I stood up and nearly fell over. The apartment building across the street was gone. Standing in the middle of the blazing rubble was Jon Masters. His face was lit by the multiple fires surrounding him. The expression on his face was unholy and I was glad he was on our side.

Something loomed behind him. It was an impossible thing that moved and flowed like living ink. I tried to call out a warning but he seemed to sense its presence. I watched in horror as the thing enveloped him. Jon just disappeared. What followed both haunts me and gives me supreme hope. Gabrielle raised her open hand palm facing outwards; a pulse of sun bright energy sprung from it and struck the spot where Jon had been standing. The light erased the shadow thing. Jon just smiled grimly and turned to face the other things. I grabbed peacekeeper and pumped the action. I thumbed off the safety and waited.

"Jon wants to know if you are insured," Carol said from behind one of the overturned tables.

"Of course I am... wait why?"

"Everybody," Carol and Colleen screamed in twin speech. "Get behind Warren!"

I dropped the shotgun and scooped Colleen into my arms. I got behind Warren next to Carol. I was about to ask what was going to happen when it happened. The light blazed into existence like a thousand suns. I braved the light and peered over the table. There standing with his arms stretched wide was Warren. Between his arms was some sort of intricate web spun with red and blue lines of energy. This web acted as some kind of shield protecting him and everyone behind him.

There were a few that stood on their own. There was Loki's dad and of course Loki herself as well as Louis and Gabrielle. The rest of us were hunkered down tight. The source of the light was Jon. It seemed to well up from inside of him. I could see it pouring out of his eyes, mouth and even his skin. This must be that weird shit Colleen was talking about.

The light died and with it every last one of those shadowy things. They must be extremely sensitive to it for it to burn them to ash like it did. Carol had leaned close and like her sister the color had drained from her eyes. A moment later the color returned and she clung to me even tighter. I asked her if she were okay and she nodded.

"Harlem... 1985," Ian said from behind another one of the tables.

"Ian?" I asked.

"It was down in Harlem back in 1985... Jon saved us from the same goddamn things. Me and your dad, if it hadn't been for Jon we would've been swallowed up by those things. I am done. I am heading for Florida and... what?"

He saw the expressions of the others and shrugged. I told him I was selling the bar or in this case taking the insurance money and moving to Colorado. The wail of sirens filled the air. Ian got to his feet and already had a spin on things. I looked around at the damage and wanted to cry, again. The bar was still standing by some miracle but the damage was extreme and extensive. I decided it was time to look around at the damage to the bar.

"Are you going to be okay," I asked Colleen.

"Yeah, Carol will look out for me," she replied. "And we will look out for you."

"Yes we will," Carol added with a wicked smile.

"Stay here, I'll be right back." I said.

So I fished out my backpack from behind the bar. There on its side but still intact was the tip jar. I unscrewed the lid and dumped its contents into the backpack. I unlocked the safe and took out the papers, the cash I had put into stacks and reached for the rare coins. I picked up the Roman coin and dropped it in but when I looked for the silver one I couldn't find it. The safe was empty but the coin was gone.

"I lost a coin," I said and everyone looked at me and then at Precious. "What's going on?"

"Precious," Louis glared at her. "What did you do?"

"Oops," Precious said as she looked in her purse. "I think I accidently gave the bartender the wrong coin."

"Wrong coin, what do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Have you touched anyone," Precious asked and I looked over at the twins.

They both smiled and giggled. Jon strolled in and informed everyone that emergency forces were on the way. Then he saw the strange expressions on everyone faces. Precious told him about the coin and the succubus locked inside of it. She explained how a single touch from the host could enslave an individual until released. Jon started laughing.

"Mike's a stand up sort of guy," Jon said. "Hell they might actually enjoy it."

"So when their eyes went white..." I began and everyone nodded. "Oh hell, I don't want to enslave anybody. That's just not right."

'You want me to release them,' the seductive voice whispered in my thoughts.

'You are that succubus they mentioned,' I thought. 'What the hell is a succubus?'

'I am a fallen angel, a demon of lust and desire,' she whispered again. 'Do you really want me to release them?'

'Yes, right fucking now,' I ordered and the twins blinked and frowned.

"What happened," Carol asked angrily.

She and Colleen were told what had occurred and why. They both glared at Precious. I apologized and told them it wouldn't happen again. The demon laughed in my head. I grumbled and began to pick through the rubble. I looked around at the walls and all the pictures that had been destroyed by the light that Jon had produced. Many of those were irreplaceable and I felt my heart sink again.

"I'm sorry Mike," Jon said.

"No, you did what you had to. You saved lives just like all these fine men and women. You are a hero."

"Hardly," he replied. "But I appreciate your understanding."

I was about the say something else when I was thrown to the ground by some unseen force. A second later there was the sound of impact and a flash of brilliant light. The front of the bar was wrecked and the compression wave from the object had shattered the mirror behind the bar.

Everyone gathered around the impact crater. I looked down at the thing that had done so much damage. I was expecting to see a meteorite or a fallen satellite. Instead, there hovering just above the bottom of the crater were two objects. The first was a ring of dark non-reflective material, a few inches from it was what looked like a crescent shaped bracelet made of the same alloy. Everyone turned to look at Loki.

"You think I plucked some crazy alien artifact from deep space and dropped it here?" She said smiling brilliantly. "I didn't"

"I would have sensed that," Odin said standing up for his daughter.

"For once she isn't responsible," Jon said. "There is a reason I chose this location and this date for the Ragnarok party."

Everyone looked from Jon to the crater. Nick was the first to try and remove the artifacts from the pit. He failed even with the help of his A.I. Everyone except for a select few tried to retrieve the items. I patted Warren on the back and told him to give it a try but he shook his head.

"I don't need that kind of burden. I have enough on my plate. Why don't you try Mike?"

I looked over at Jon and he had a very uncomfortable look on his face. I shrugged and stepped into the strangely cool crater. This thing had fallen from orbit or even further beyond and yet the crater and the artifacts were room temperature. I sat down and pondered it. Was this some sort of Excalibur moment? I had watched everyone try. Hell, even the ladies had given it a try. They had tried either the ring or the bracelet. I shrugged and grabbed both of them at the same time. I lifted them up with ease.

I climbed out of the pit and walked over to Jon. I offered the items to him to find a proper owner. But when I opened my hand to give them up there was nothing there. It must have been an illusion or something. That's when everyone pointed at my left hand. I cringed as I looked over and saw the ring on my finger and the bracelet around my wrist. However, there was no longer a gap in the metal.

"Are you fucking kidding me," I said and glared at Jon.

"It was supposed to be Warren not you," he replied. "The time line has taken a left turn somewhere."

"What the hell is this thing on my wrist and hand Jon?"

"I don't know," he replied and there was a collective gasp all around us.

"Fucking great," I growled. "Do you know who made it?"

"Yes, they were called the Anunnaki."

Louis collapsed and the sound of his head hitting the hard wood floor was sickening. He began to shake as if in the grip of a seizure. Gabrielle tried to race to his side but Warren snatched her up as if she weighed nothing. Warren warned everyone to keep away from him. A loose circle formed about thirty feet from the thrashing body of Louis.

"Warren, what the hell is going on," she asked.

"The inevitable," he replied.

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"You know better than anyone here. You've been lying to yourselves. You believed he could hold onto his humanity for forever. I am sorry Gabrielle."

There was a darkening in the air around Louis now. Precious was whispering some kind of litany over and over. The mass of tentacles burst from his body and completely absorbed what little was left of Louis. The thing pulsated as the pseudopods constantly moved and shifted as it appeared to probe its environment.

"Gabbie... oh Gabbie I am so damn sorry..." Louis' voice piped out of inhuman organic tubes.

"Louis, stay with me Louis," she howled knowing what was about to happen.

"I can't my love," the thing that had been Louis replied. "I have done too much to be forgiven. I have too many sins upon my heavy heart. Farewell Gabrielle and forgive me if you can. The Black Sun calls and I must answer."

It moved and as it did so it seemed to dissolve into the empty air. I looked at Jon and Warren. What the FUCK had just happened? What happened to Louis? What did he mean by forgiveness? Jon passed his hand and three holographic screens appeared in the air and every gasped. The footage was horrifying and now we knew.

"Breaking news, multiple attacks all over the world," the newscaster said her face ashen. "We have footage taken from cellphones we apologize for the quality of the images. Here the rift above the Vatican, another over the Wailing Wall, yet another over Mecca. Please note the footage is quite shocking and not for young children."