Down To Hell
REBEL
Arch wasn’t wrong to say that all the old farts meddling in who can love whom and how supes can express that, but it just underlines the fact that we may be more ‘evolved’ than humans in some senses, but in others?
We’re identical. Our elders thought they could pass down edicts that would control normal instincts to preserve their power, and it didn’t fucking work.
In fact, it only made a bigger mess that required this intricate system to fix the problem they caused with their bigotry.
Absolutely ridiculous, when you really think about—all these abandoned kids all over the planet because beings didn’t want anyone to know they broke the law that now has to protect the products of that criminality.
Protecting those kids is what Guardians do, and Rogue and I will eventually be called to ours.
I think it’s a noble calling—much better than random-ass jobs people do just for a paycheck.
However, that will not be relevant at all if all this garbage leads to a multi-realm war.
I’d put hard cash on a lot of these fuckers who are in the evil factions being from the same families and groups that enacted those stupid-ass laws.
It’s always the jackasses who want to tell everyone how they should live that are crawling around in the muck to get their way.
“Reb? Are you getting out of the car or do you live there now?”
I blink at Rogue’s teasing, realizing that I’ve been sitting here like a fool while I pondered. “I’m coming. Just got lost in thought for a moment.”
“It’s easy to do when the world is exploding every damn time we turn around,” she says with a wink. “But I figured you wouldn’t want to miss throwing your weight around as we discuss this shit inside.”
Hopping out, I follow my step-sis into the house my friends and I claimed as our own before we even knew we were building a home that needed to include her.
It does now, which improves it a thousandfold, but I think Angelo should figure out how to buy it from Luca before that ownership becomes an issue.
It didn’t matter as much prior to finding out who he’s aligning with, but now it definitely does.
We can always move, but I find myself oddly attached to the ‘first time’ memories we’ve recently created here.
Who knew a bit of happiness would bring out the simp in me? I sure as fuck didn’t.
Rogue deactivates the security quickly, yanking the door open and stalking inside as Archie and I trail behind.
I hear D and the others pull into the drive as we head for the living room and the door closes, which lifts a weight off my chest. I know they aren’t likely to have been stopped, but the amount of shit going down every time we’re separated is making me paranoid.
I know we can’t stay together all the time; it’s not logistically possible.
But the uptick in bullshit happening to our fam when we’re not in force isn’t a coincidence.
I just don’t know why we’re the ones who keep stepping in it.
“I’m going up to change,” Archie says as he does an about-face. “I know I did at the arena, but I can’t shake off the disgusting feeling of those dickheads interrogating me. I have to swap clothes or something. It’s making my skin crawl.”
Once he’s up the stairs, Rogue gives me a worried look. “Archie’s more sensitive than us, Reb. So are D and Javi. We have to join with Angelo to protect them—this constant assault will harden them, and I don’t want that.”
“Me neither, sis,” I reply with a sigh. “They’re not innocent, but they’ve all been kept from the real harshness the three of us have seen in our work.
But I also know that we may not preserve that innocence forever with the current atmosphere.
Damon has learned more about his dad’s perversions and crooked dealings in this past month than Ang ever wanted him to.
Arch and Javi are going to be exposed to bad things despite their parents doing their damnedest to keep them na?ve. We can’t control that.”
She snorts and tugs her hair out of the scrunchie. “We don’t have to speed it up, either.”
“True, but not telling them things will leave them vulnerable.” I tilt my head as I shrug.
“Today was one of those moments, and you know it. Archie felt safe in the arena because he had less knowledge of the world than he should. He thought being in a public place where well-known athletes practice and the team has security would be fine if he was escorted. You and I know from experience that nowhere is safe depending on who and what is out to get you.”
“Stop being so smart, damn it.”
I chuckle as I kick off my shoes and head for my chair, flopping into it. “I know; it’s not my forte. But we all need to be smarter right now because we have no idea what framing, killing, or kidnapping a bunch of sports stars gets anyone. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Could these be test runs?”
We both look over at the entryway to the living room where the rest of our family stands. Damon was the one who spoke, and that doesn’t surprise me at all. His mind is constantly whirring like a supercomputer, and he sees patterns no one else does.
Rogue beams at him proudly as she nods. “I think it’s possible. If there are teams being built to hit more important folks—higher in the food chain—they could practice on celebs.”
“It could be about sports gambling,” Angelo says. “The Stuhlls run it here in Bay City, but they could partner with sister organizations across the country to fix games.”
“Also possible,” I muse as they join us. “Merra has long wanted to take her show on the road to conquer more cities like the human mobs did.”
Javier snorts. “Reb, you know as well as the rest of us that Vegas was a fairytale. Supes have owned that town since it was built. We just let the humans spin their tales.”
“Yeah, but they did spread across the nation in other ways—and not just the Omerta ones. Many mobs have criss-crossed the US over the years, just different from what the masses think.” I frown, considering another possibility.
“It also could be completely unrelated to this mess. Chaos theory and all—especially if Hell is putting pressure on demons to broker more deals to feed the coffers because of those Games you guys were talking about.”
Angelo leans forward, his forearms on his knees as he grins.
“Hell is always pressuring brokers for more deals, man. The Games don’t need that cheddar to run.
However, the royals like having as much debt as possible in case they need to mobilize for some reason.
Being worried that a new coup will follow this iteration as it did the last is a damn good reason to up quotas. ”
“Of course, it could be all of that,” Archie says as he pads in, freshly washed and changed yet again.
“Hell could be pressuring the sales folk, which leads to the evil rebels upping their test phase, and part of that is people like Merra pushing to expand their territories. Like, it could all be a giant spider web of doom, man.”
Damn, he’s on point today.
“It very well could be,” Angelo says thoughtfully.
“Usually the simplest stuff is the answer, but with all those factions and special guests meeting at the Apalachin? It allows groups to mingle and create more complex interconnected plots. We don’t know what the fuckers on the stage discussed in their weird portal meeting.
That could have been one big project management session. ”
Rogue sprawls out on the floor on her back, looking up at the ceiling in annoyance. “That’s just fucking great. There’s no way we can figure out what all these assholes are doing simultaneously, especially across nine goddamn realms.”
“But we have friends who might help,” Javier offers.
“The group from State U and the demon royals aren’t fully in the ‘trust circle’,but I got the impression that they aren’t crazy about the idea of multi-realm warfare.
I wonder if D could work with whoever does tech for their groups to create some sort of… hub… that we can share info in?”
Damon scratches his chin as he considers it.
“I’d need their help to build it. It has to be available here and in Hell, possibly other places as well, and it needs to be magically and physically secure.
We can’t put a damn thing on it until we've crash-tested damn near every kind of attack. Otherwise, we’re all risking more than just bad PR.
With the right eyes on our shit, we could be executed for treason or speed up the whole ‘Project Multiverse’ bullshit these asswads are planning. ”
“Execution would be less painful if so,” Angelo mutters. “There is no world in which Luca or Darkstar should be in charge of enormous masses of beings—be it Hell or here. That’s a recipe for disaster I can’t even contemplate.”
“You guys never mentioned that guy,” Rogue says as she lolls her head over to look at the twins. “You just used to disappear for summers and come back looking older and pissier.”
I chuckle at the accuracy of her remark.
Angelo and Damon attending Discordia was never a topic their friends could broach, but we could see the changes in them when they returned after each span of time they were gone.
“She’s right, dude. You guys hated that place with a passion, but we know nothing about it. ”
“What’s to know?” Damon says with a shrug. “It’s an all-male college for demons in Hell that accepts all the royals and rich kids. There’s a sister school for the women—Brimstone Academy—and a reform school for the ones whose parents can’t control them.”
Rogue frowns at him. “Where do the non-rich, non-criminal demons go to college?”
Angelo shrugs. “Blackmoor, Izaulrelts, or if they’re really unlucky, Zexrerarth. They’re all over Hell, and usually the demons from the area stay within their lands. No one really pays attention to those schools, though.”
I arch a brow. “Has it not occurred to you that the ‘poor demon’ schools are probably very fertile grounds for recruiting? I imagine this Darkstar guy wouldn’t go himself, but I bet he has people on his payroll finding the right teens and younger demons who are easily manipulated and angry at their station.
That’s sort of how rebellions work, Ang. ”
He blinks, then looks at Damon, who shrugs.
“I guess I didn’t consider it at all—which means you’re probably spot on, Reb.
D and I aren’t even into that ‘who's richer/more powerful’ BS that most of the demons at Discordia are. We stayed away from politics and kept our heads down so we could graduate as fast as possible and be back here full time. But our classmates? They were absolutely consumed by wealth, ties to the court, and all that shit.”
“No one gives a shit about the ‘working class’ of Hell at all unless they’re failing at their jobs,” Damon adds. “They’re not, like, punished for existing like humans here seem determined to do. But they’re also not really given opportunities to change their station.”
“Which means they’re ripe for plucking by the right megalomaniacal asshat like your old Headmaster, hmm?” Rogue says as she sits up. “I mean, the guy looked like he dropped out of a stupid fantasy movie where the villain runs a school and abuses the students. He reeked of dictator-wannabe.”
“Yeah, that’s old Lucian in a nutshell,” Angelo says with a sigh.
“And Luca’s not much better, so the two of them very likely have some pissed off-lower-demon-to-rebel pipeline set up.
I don’t know how we’re going to confirm that, though.
The royals can’t go anywhere near the places you’d need to, in order to figure that out.
They’re far too recognizable, and they’d be in a lot of danger.
Plus, they probably had to get a pass approved to come to this meeting. It burned a lot of capital, I bet.”
“But they’re rich, right?” Javi says. “They’ve got more.”
“Not money capital. Political capital,” Damon corrects him.
“Most demons don’t come here but for work and such, and the royals never come to the surface.
I’d bet the prince had to ask Daddy for permission.
Funny if you think about it, but that probably cost him something dearly to get.
So no, I doubt they can work out going to the main areas in Hell where the commoners live. ”
“Great. Then how do we figure out if that’s what your dad and his bestie are doing?” I ask.
Angelo sighs, looking extremely unhappy. “We’ll have to go there ourselves. D and I can come and go as we please now that we've graduated. We can bring guests.”
A trip to Hell wasn’t on my bingo card this year, either, but it’s not exactly been a picnic so far, anyway.