* This story originally appeared in DC2 Showcase Volume I, Issue #’s 1-3.[/I]
PART ONE:“Welcome to Hollywood baby,” the man said. People were passing him on the sidewalk where he sat on the ground, leaning up against a Sundollars Coffee house on Hollywood Boulevard. “This is where dreams come true.”
As Dan Cassidy approached Sundollars, he smiled and shook his head.
Good ol’ Lincoln Perry, Dan thought as he came up to the man. Lincoln claimed to be a famous movie actor from a forgotten era that Dan runs into now and then on the Boulavard. He claimed that they practically built Hollywood around him and that he’s been alive so long he has power to see things others can’t see. Dan’s not sure what to believe but he has spent many hours just listening to the man talk about the likes of Harold Loydd, Oscar Micheaux, and Paul Robeson.
“Dan Cassidy,” Lincoln said as he looked up at Dan and smiled.
“Watch it Lincoln,” Dan squated down next to the man and leaned in close. “How are the tourists gonna buy the blind thing if they see you calling me out like that?”
“Ahh doesn’t matter. They see a poor old black man on the street with dark glasses on and a hat turned up in front of him, hell they just throw money in and walk away or ignore me as they stroll on by.”
“So your not out here begging for money today?”
“I never beg Dan my boy. I used to be a millionaire you know? I’m out here strictly for the en-ter-tain-ment,” Lincoln stated as Dan sat down next to him.
“And what entertainment might that be?”
“I’ve been getting a kick out of watching tourists come from all over looking for the famous Hollywood Boulevard and watching the looks on their faces when they discover that the Hollywood they always imagined, doesn’t exist. They wander around aimlessly for awhile and then head a few miles west to Beverly Hills.”
“And that’s entertainment?”
“That’s a close as your gonna get in Hollywood these days,” The old man smiled as he pulled down his glasses enough to look Dan in the eyes. “So what brings you to these parts?”
“A few friends of mine went and saw
The Lion King at the
Pantages down the street. I had a meeting with my agent and said I would meet them here for coffee when the show got out.”
“Your agent huh?” Lincoln said sarcastically.
“I know what your going to say and you can stop right there. I haven’t worked steady in almost three months now. My body can’t handle the kind of stunt work that’s available these days. You don’t understand. Hollywood just isn’t the same anymore. That’s why I want to try acting again. Arie seems to think…”
“Are you gonna sit here and tell me that Hollywood isn’t the same any more? Hollywood hasn’t been the same twice!”
“You know what I mean Lincoln. I spent all that time and money trying to get Blue Devil off the ground with Marla and then the financial group pulls the plug on the deal. Now I have thousands of dollars tied up in a suit for a character that has no movie.”
“Can I share something with you I over heard Marilyn Monroe say once?” Lincoln asked as he took off his sunglass glasses.
“I used to think as I looked at the Hollywood night, there must be thousands of girls sitting alone like me, dreaming of becoming a movie star. But I’m not going to worry about them. I’m dreaming the hardest.”“Are you freakin’ kidding me?” Dan laughed. He began to stand back up but was stopped when Lincoln reached out and grabbed hold of his arm.
“I have seen things Daniel Patrick Cassidy. Things that no one else cares to look for. I have seen your future and big things are heading your way. Catch up to your dreams before it’s too late.”
Dan sat there for a second before he stood up and patted the man on the shoulder. “Thank you Lincoln. I needed that.”
“ I know you did,” he smiled up as Dan looked out and saw as his friends approached. “Now drop a five spot into the hat and I will tell you about the alien space ship that landed near the hills the other night. Seems like a lot of weird things have been happening lately around here.”
“Yes they have my friend, but lets make it another time ok?” Dan said as he dropped a five-dollar bill into Lincolns hat.
“Suit yourself. I’m not going anywhere yet…welcome to Hollywood baby! This is where dreams come true!” Lincoln once again shouted at the people that walked by.
Cassidy stood up and went inside Sundollars. He paused before going to the counter when he felt his cell phone buzz in his pocket. He reached down pulling it and then answering it.
“Hello Marla.”
“How much do you love me?” she sang through the phone.
“Why?” Dan responded cautiously.
“It’s back on.”
“What is?”
“Blue Devil the movie is back on!”
“What? How? I thought the production company pulled out on the deal?”
“Well, lets just say…I made a different deal.”
*****************
Somewhere else…[/I]
A dark figure entered a dimly lit room. He walked over and slowly sat down in a chair. He took a deep breath before he reached over and picked up the glass on the table next to him. He took a sip of his drink as another figure entered the room.
“Trouble?” he spoke as he walked over and stood next to the man in the chair. “That took longer then expected.”
“There is nothing to concern yourself with. The FBI agent will no longer be expressing any interest in us for the foreseeable future.”
“They got closer then previous encounters.”
“Do I defect a hint worry in your voice old friend?”
“Worry it is not,” he snarled up at the man in the chair. “You know as well as I do that things continue to accelerate at an alarming rate. We must be ready to…”
“It has already begun, Merlin. The third stage is upon us.”
“How can you be certain?”
“Events are already unfolding in Hollywood California,” the man in the chair said. “It is time to gather the others.”
“And then?”
“Then we wait as Danial Cassidy is introduced to his true destiny.”
*****************
PART TWO:Dan Cassidy began to stir from a sound sleep. He rubbed his eyes and forehead as he tried to recall what happened last night. There was drinking, celebrating, and…he couldn’t remember what all happened.
“Oh my God!” Dan whispered as he looked over and saw the woman lying next to him in bed, asleep. It was one of his roommates, Janelle. That was not a good sign.
She began to stir, so Dan quickly and quietly slid out of the bed. He tiptoed to the bathroom and shut the door. What was he thinking? He life was finally going in the right direction. Principle filming on the Blue Devil movie was just a few weeks away and he didn’t need any complications. Alcohol or no alcohol, sleeping with Janelle was a complication.
Dan shared a four-bedroom house with three other people including Janelle. Janie, as everyone called her moved in about four months ago. Last year she appeared on a reality television program and was instantly a fan favorite. In the end, she didn’t win the competition and when a new season of the show began, Janie was on her way to being forgotten as a new crop of instant stars quickly were consumed by the viewing public.
Janie was bound and determined to survive past her fifteen minutes of fame. She moved out to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. She quickly found that Hollywood wasn’t waiting for her with open arms. She continued to struggle but was determined to break in. She was a sweet kid just past the age of twenty-two. Dan liked her a lot but he knew better then to let last night happen. He couldn’t afford to move out if things were to get ugly between them. He had sunk every last cent he had into the creation of the Blue Devil suit. The producer on the film, Marla Bloom, promised him a check to cover some living expenses but that was weeks away and she didn’t have a good track record of keeping promises as of late.
Dan quickly jumped in the shower in hopes that Janelle would slip out while he was in there, avoiding any awkward morning after confrontation. When he was finished, he slowly opened the door and found that she was indeed gone. With a smile of relief on his face he dressed and headed down stairs.
“Morning Dan,” Colby said as Dan walked into the kitchen. “Coffee’s on in case you need it.”
Colby was a script doctor or, as he liked to refer to himself, a hatchet man. Colby was hired by movie and television studios to take scripts they’d purchased and beef them up. Sometimes he just cleaned up dialogue, trimmed the fluff, or rewrote entire scenes. He never got onscreen credit but he claimed to have worked on hundreds of scripts that had been made into movies over the past eight years. His favorite pick-up line,
‘Did you see that one scene in that one movie? I wrote that.’ The ironic thing about Colby’s profession is that he’s yet to get one of his own scripts sold to the studio’s there for eluding the big payday he’s been dreaming of since moving out here from New York.
“Rough night last night,” Colby said as more of a statement then a question.
“Don’t start on me this morning,” Dan stated as he sat down at the breakfast nook with a cup of coffee.
“Hey how long have we been roommates, three, four years? All I am saying was I told you it was a bad idea having her move in here. One of us was bound to sleep with her,” Colby laughed as he typed away at his laptop.
“Yeah, well I always thought it would have been you using one of your cheesy lines like, ‘Hey have you seen
Titanic or the elevator scene in
Jerry Maguire?”
“Well it’s a good thing that Karisa wasn’t here last night as well. Who knows, you might have ended up sleeping with her because you certainly had as much to drink as I did,” Dan replied.
“True but I have the one thing you lack my friend, and that’s control. Plus Karisa pays one forth of the rent on this place and we can’t afford it on our own until you hit it big with your movie.”
“Your telling me the only reason you haven’t slept with Karisa yet is because you’re afraid to lose the extra rent money? I see how you look at her. You’re just afraid she will shoot you down.”
“Shoot me down? Listen, the only thing worse then sleeping with a soap star in Hollywood…is sleeping with a reality TV chick who can’t even get on a soap!”
“Your funny but it definitely was a mistake,” Dan said, sipping his coffee unaware that Janelle was standing in the doorway behind them.
“You’re both pigs and have no room to talk. Either of you!” she announced as she came into the room.
“Oops,” Colby muttered under his breath.
“Especially you, Dan. How dare you judge me just because you finally have work thanks to that desperate wench from that B-movie studio!”
Taken aback, Dan stood up to face her. “What was the last gig you had, Janie, other then an appearance on that god awful reality series on MTV about a bunch of superhero wannabes, the Power Company?”
“It was
Powers Inc. and it paid quiet well thank you very much!”
“How well did it pay when you didn’t do anything more then do cut intros to the actual people on the show?”
“It was a sweet job! I got an all expense paid trip to tropical paradise.”
“Kooeykooeykooey? Didn’t that island come alive and try to eat everyone?” Colby stated like it was nothing.
“I worked on a killer tan there and made plenty of contacts in the industry.”
“And how many of those contacts have called you back? That’s right, none! Unless to count the skin mag that wants you to show off your tan lines in a five page pictorial! Well trust me I seen ‘em and they would be disappointed!”
“Why you no talent son-of-a…”
“That’s enough out of both of you,” Colby stood up and quickly moved in between them.
Janelle grunted and then stepped away. “You know what’s funny about the whole thing Dan? Blue Devil may turn out to be the biggest movie of the summer next year but it won’t do squat for your career! You know why, because no one even knows or cares who played Yoda or Chewbacca. They were just freaks in a suit, just like you will be,” Janelle turned to Colby who was trying not to laugh. “What’s so funny?” she snapped.
He thought about it for a moment and then decided to tell her anyways, “Yoda was a puppet.”
“Isn’t everyone in Hollywood?” she said before storming off.
*****************
Two weeks later...[/I]
Dan Cassidy sat in lot number five in one of the newest motion picture studios, twenty miles south of Hollywood.
“Marla this is simply amazing,” he said as he extended is arms outward. “Did you know that there are over twenty-two acres of land here to play with?”
“Yes I do,” She said standing across from him with her arms folded, “but I can’t tell whether you’re impressed or surprised.”
“Honestly? A little of both! When you said you got a new deal I never pictured it would be with Verner Brother studios! My God Marla this is the big time here!”
“Well don’t get your pretty new blue costume in a bunch. I never said that the deal was with both brothers,” she said as Dan stopped what he was doing and stood up. “The brothers split up so we only got the backing of one of them.”
“Please tell me it isn’t Jock.”
“It’s Jock.”
“Damn it Marla! None of us are getting paid now. That tightwad blow hard isn’t interested in making movies, only money! It was his brother Harvey that made their company the name it is in the industry today.”
“Well he broke away from his brother to make movies so and we got a deal alright? Besides that isn’t the worst news your going to hear today.”
“Sharon Scott backed out?” Dan said nervously.
“No your little girlfriend didn’t back out. But Jock decided that he couldn’t back the movie with a no name in the lead role.”
“So I am out?” Dan screamed.
“No you’re not exactly out but you will be stuck in that suit of yours for quiet awhile. You see, you still get to play the part of Blue Devil but only from inside the suit. Jock made the call and brought in Wayne Tarrant as the lead.”
“Are you freaking kidding me? This is ridiculous!” Dan said as he began to walk away. It’s like my worst day in High school all over again!”
Dan looked up and a beautiful blonde woman in a stunning white sundress, stood directly in front of him, “hello Dan.”
“Hello Sharon,” he said as is demeanor completely changed. “I…I didn’t expect you for another couple of hours. The principle photographer isn’t here yet to do our test shots and…”
“I wanted to talk to you first before we got started and there wasn’t time,” she said softly as she came right up to him and kissed him on the lips. “I am sorry about everything between us before. Things just got crazy you know?”
“I know that you became a Hollywood starlet and kinda lost my number,” Dan said unable to pull away from her.
“Well, it’s been a long five months and I was hoping since we’re going to work together that maybe we could…start over?” she pouted her lips and pressed herself up against him again.
“You know I can’t resist you when you do that,” he said cracking a smile. “But I will be in the suit longer then I expected. Besides with Tarrant here I…”
“Forget about Tarrant. And as for the suit…” she said as she teased the top button of his shirt. “I will wait till you’re out of it and then pounce you! GGRRR!”
Dan stood there and smiled. This was one complication he could certainly live with!
*****************
Two hours later…Norm Paxton, the director of photography looked through his camera as Dan stood there against a backdrop in the Blue Devil Suit.
“Now turn and face the camera and point the trident up in the air. After that I wanna get a couple of shots with you and Sharon together,” Norm yelled and pointed as he looked through the camera lens.
Dan had spent day and night working on this suit for months. This was going to be his biggest break not only as an actor but he also planned on revolutionizing the special effects and stunt person industry with this suit. A unique blend of latex and kevlar, the suit was designed to imitate nearly all the special effects needed with little to no GCI touchup work needed in postproduction.
Now here he stood trapped inside the suit that would become nothing more then a prop once the
star of the movie arrived on the set in a few days. He continued to sulk and barely noticed Marla frantically running toward him.
“Dan! Dan! It’s all gone wrong,” she yelled as she ran up to him.
“Marla you’re messing up the test shot,” he yelled back, motioning her away.
“Forget about that! You have to understand! I was a little drunk and a lot desperate! I never expected it was real! It was Wayne’s idea and I thought he was joking! Said we could ask a favor and when it was granted we would finally be rich and famous,” Marla continued franticly.
“Wait! When were you and Wayne? What favor from whom? Marla I really don’t…”
“There’s no more time we have to leave now! It’s Nebiros! He’s real and he’s going to kill us all!”
“What the hell is a Neb…” Dan began to say before Marla screamed at the dark shadow that suddenly appeared from above them. Dan looked up just in time to be driven to the ground by the large monster that landed on him. The monster looked around the set and smiled.
“Did one of you little pastries ring the dinner bell cause it’s…
FEEDIN’ TIME!”
*****************
PART THREE:It was just like the sixth grade all over again Dan Cassidy recalled. His parents had divorced a few years before and his mother struggled to support them while working two fulltime jobs. He didn’t realize it at the time but she sacrificed a lot to send him on a two-week summer camp with his school when he was twelve. He had never been more excited to go anywhere in his entire life, which made his mothers sacrifice all the more worth it in her eyes. What he didn’t tell her was that he had just watched
Friday the Thirteenth on videocassette at his best friends house the previous weekend. He was certain that his mother would not have approved him watching
Jason Voorhees slash and kill unsuspecting camp goers. But it made him and his best friend David all that more interested in going to Camp
Mishkincohn.
All thoughts of cool killers in hockey masks were quickly gone when Michelle Zeppelzauer waved at him on the first full day at camp. He had secretly been in love with Michelle since the third grade but she had never expressed any interest in him until just then. But one wave was all it took to bring all of those unrequited feelings to the surface. He was consumed with the idea that she might like him! Why else would she wave at him? For days he tried to find the courage to go speak with her. It was announced that there would be a dance at the end of the week at the main hall. It was there that he would make his move. That Friday evening was certain to be a magical night.
The evening began like a scene out of a John Hughes movie. The boys were on one side of the room and the girls on the other. There was an orchestrated group dance that was meant to break the ice for a room full of awkward preadolescent teens. The girls quickly formed a circle in the center of the hall and the boys lined up to form a circle on the outside. The music began and the girls and boys began a hand-clapping dance that if Dan would have been paying attention he would have realized that it was nothing more then a pop music version of patty cake. After a short time the girls would take a step to the left and repeat the clapping with the next boy. Dan became anxious with each turn bringing Michelle one person closer to him. This was the chance he had been looking for.
Just as Michelle was one person away from Dan, the music changed and the circles broke up. Dan watched as the boys and girls began to pair off. He looked over at Michelle and she saw him and smiled.
‘Find me’ He saw her mouth in his direction.
Twenty minutes had passed and Dan found his legs had finally mustered the courage to begin the long trek toward where Michelle was standing with a few of her friends in the corner of the hall. He didn’t take his eyes off her as he moved in closer. She stood there in a beautiful red dress that had more sparkles then Dan could count. He wasn’t paying attention when he bumped into one of his classmates, Paul. He looked up at the intimidating boy and muttered sorry. He kept going until he stood about three feet from Michelle. She looked up at him and smiled. Dan stood there trying to find those five elusive words,
would you like to dance?He opened his mouth to speak when he saw a few of the girls begin to giggle and the look on Michelle’s face changed to that of disappointment. Dan stood there unaware as Paul now stood behind him as he raised a book over Dan and struck the top of his head with a mighty
whap![/I] Dan felt the blow as his brave legs quickly collapsed beneath him. Everything went black and he was knocked out as one thought lingered in his head.
Why would someone have such a large book at a dance…*****************
Nebiros towered over Daniel Patrick Cassidy who just seconds ago was driven to the ground by the monster. Marla Bloom, Sharon Scott, and Norm Paxton stood there seemingly unable to move as Nebiros eyed them curiously.
“Which of you called me to this place?” he spoke as he stepped over Dan Cassidy barely giving him a glance as he continued to eye his potential victims, less then ten feet in front of him.
“What is going on Marla?” Norm Paxton, the principle photographer, uttered as he began to slowly take a step backward. “This thing! What the hell is this thing?”
“Hell?” Nebiros growled. “Hell is where you will all spend your final days…as you slowly digest in my stomach,” an unearthly sound came from the creature as he began to laugh.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” Marla began to cry as she tripped and fell onto her backside. “It wasn’t supposed to be real!”
Sharon who had remained silent up to this point began to scream as the large bulky creature made his move toward her. She closed her eyes as Nebiros opened his large mouth to reveal hundreds of sharp teeth and long slithering tongue. There was a large thud as the creature fell face first on the ground just inches away from the trembling Sharon. She opened her eyes to see Dan Cassidy in the Blue Devil suit holding his trident into the back of the creature.
“Who brings a book to a dance?” Dan said as he reached up to adjust the headpiece on his custom.
“Dan!” Sharon yelled as she realized what had just happened. She jumped up as Dan pulled the trident out of Nebiros back and stepped over him.
“Dan I…” Marla began to say as Norm reached down to help her up.
“I don’t care right now Marla. Lets get out of here before this thing wakes up,” Dan said as he grabbed hold of Sharon arm and the group began to move quickly toward the exit of the movie lot. Dan hurt all over and was mad and confused. But his only concern right now was getting as much distance between them and whatever that creature was back there.
The ground beneath him rumbled and Cassidy turned as Nebiros stomped toward him. Marla and Sharon were already through the doorway and Norm paused and looked back at Dan.
“Go!” he ordered Norm. “Get them as far away from here as possible!” Without hesitation Norm took off and Dan closed the door behind him. He turned and with trident in hand stood there as Nebiros stopped and looked over at Cassidy.
“I was unaware that there would be another here looking to feast, little blue…devil.”
It was then that Dan finally realized that he was still in the Blue Devil suit. Was it possible that this creature thought that he was a real demon?
“You came here to feed?” he yelled through the voice amplifier in his mask. “I found the humans first. You will just have to go back where you came from now.”
“It doesn’t work like that brother. This you must know,” Nebiros stated. “I was called here by one of the humans and I won’t leave until I have fed on her bones.”
He must have been referring to Marla. What did she do? Dan slowly began to put the pieces together. Just a short while ago Marla causally let him know that it would be Wayne Tarrant in the lead role of the Blue Devil movie and the only work he would see on the picture would be from this suit that he wore. But then she came running onto the set, disrupting some still shots claiming that it all went wrong. She and Wayne were together and…My God! Did they call this creature up in hopes that he would grant wishes like a genie? Dan wasn’t aware that such creatures existed outside of the Saturday afternoon matinees. He did know that he had to find a way to get rid of him then he was going to find Wayne Tarrant and kill him!
*****************
“I can’t allow you to bring harm to the humans here,” Dan once again yelled trying to take advantage of the voice amplifier in the suit. He hoped that the creature would continue to believe he was the real deal and leave. He stared down the creature making the meanest face he could from inside the mask as he tried to keep himself from shaking with fear. Was the creature laughing at him? It appeared so.
“Little brother I tire of this. Do you truly not know who I am? I am Nebiros ruler of a vast empire in the dark world. In times past, the pathetic humans would worship me as their dark God and sacrifice their virgins onto my alter. I would in turn grant what they yearned for the most and led their armies in conquest over their enemies. I grew most powerful until I ruled the entire dark world. You will be wise to step aside little demon and let me pass. I will not ask again.”
Daniel Cassidy felt his skin crawl as the creature began to move toward him. He had to make sure that Marla and the others had time to get far enough away from here. He would hold his ground as long as possible and hope for the best. Maybe then Superman or Green Lantern would stop this Nebiros once he left the movie lot. This big ugly can’t be worse then the creatures they fight on a daily basis!
As the creature moved closer Dan gripped his trident and took a deep breath in hopes that it wouldn’t be his last. “Bring your worst,” he uttered.
Nebiros grunted and his eyes began to glow a bright orange. Dan felt the heat of hell itself as the fire blasted from Nebrios’s eyes and engulfed him. He fell to the ground unable to move and was surprised at what was quickly happening to him. It felt like someone had dropped him into a swimming pool fully dressed. The latex and kevlar in the suit began to crawl into Dan's skin. Everything came alive at once. The pain made Dan want to scream but he was unable to make a sound. As the pain began to subside he was unable to tell where the Blue Devil suit ended and he began.
Nebiros once again stepped over Dan Cassidy. He spoke as he continued past Dan who lay still on the ground, “I have removed any power you had on this earthly plane, little demon. Go home to lick your wounds aware of how generous I was to you on this day.”
Dan slowly stood up and began to laugh hysterically which forced Nebiros to turn around.
“You laugh at me? I grant you a boon and let you live and you unwisely laugh at me,” Nebiros growled as he reached out and picked up Cassidy by the neck and lifted him off the ground.
His laughter subsided a bit, as he looked Nebrios in the eye, “for an all powerful, all knowing demon you sure are pretty dumb! You couldn’t even tell I was just a human in a funny rubber suit. Whatever to did had no effect on me!” Dan pulled himself away from Nebrios with ease and dropped down to the ground.
Nebiros looked at him curiously, “but if you aren’t a demon then why would you dress in the attire of a blue rogue?”
Dan reached over and picked up his fallen trident. “It’s the magic of Hollywood baby! The place where a mouse can be king and nothing is ever what it seems!”
It appeared that Nebiros was completely stunned. Dan’s body felt heavy and he tingled like every muscle in his body was going to rip through the suit. The idea of fighting a real life demon on a movie set seemed crazy to him just a short while ago suddenly seemed as natural to him as the suit did now! Adrenaline rushed through his veins and he decided to try something crazy while the demon stood there dumbfounded. He raised the trident in the air and began to shout, “demon, I reverse the ahh…spell that brought you here and cast you back to the depths of hell never to return!” With that he slammed the point of the trident down into the ground in front of him.
“Little human! This has been amusing to say the least but now I think I will feast on your flesh before I go after…” Nebiros stopped as the ground beneath him began to open up. He screamed as he fell through. A moment later he was gone and the portal vanished.
Dan walked over to where Nebiros stood just moments ago. He poked at the ground with his trident a few times and began to laugh, “I’ll be damned! It worked!”
*****************
Epilogue ONE:The Underworld…[/I]
Nebiros stopped screaming when he hit the ground with a thud. He slowly raised his head up when he heard a voice speak from the throne in front of him.
“Such screaming from the…how did you put it? Ah yes, Nebiros ruler of a vast empire in the dark world.”
“Many apologies my Lord. You know how I get when I am around humans. I wasn’t aware that you were watching.”
“You weren’t aware of many things it seems. You weren’t aware that you were dealing with a human and inadvertently empowered him with energy that didn’t belong to you,”
the demon prince spoke as he looked down onto the trembling Nebrios.
“I am sorry my lord. Allow me a chance to redeem myself.”
“No. You have done enough damage for one day. And as for being sorry…yes you will be very sorry, as will Daniel Cassidy. Leave me now.”
“As you wish Lord Neron Caesar.”
*****************
Epilogue TWO:Wintergate Mansion, Washington, D.C.[/I]
Baron Winters stood in front of the fireplace and watched the flames dance across the kindling. His longtime companion, Merlin walked into the room and stood alongside of him.
“The denizens of hell are now aware of our friend Daniel Cassidy’s new place in the world, even if he hasn’t fully grasped it yet. But he will soon enough,” Baron spoke as he continued to stare into the flames.
“The others are in the other room sir. Shall I announce that you will see them now?”
“By all means, show them in.”
A brief moment later, four individuals found there way into the room. One of them spoke as they entered and saw Baron Winters standing with his back to them, “someone want to tell me what the hell we are doing here?”
Baron Winters turned around to address them, “ladies and gentlemen, collectively you are four of the five individuals that make up the new Night Force.”
“Night Force? What the hell are we suppose to do,” another of them asked.
Baron smiled as he spoke, “what will you do? Die trying to save the world of course.”
