A nine-story building consisting of several interconnected towers appeared to John and Cхandy. A cab with them drove into the guest parking, having dropped them right into the swarming crowd.
The channel ran its daily life: cars replaced each other in the parking, broadcasters’ vehicles stood in a row, having been ready to dive into events. Having gone inside, they noticed the hall floor decorated with a logo of a man soaring in the clouds. Given the specifics of the channel, the subtext was clear to everyone. They were met by two employees: a middle-aged guy and a girl. John looked around in search of something unusual. Candy followed his suit.
“Good afternoon. Are you John Constantine?” the girl asked him.
“Yes.”
“Come this way. I’m Victor. Are you looking for someone?” He noticed his looking gaze.
“No. Everything’s fine.”
“I’m Demi. Lemme give you a tour.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Candy. It’ll be very kind of you.”
“There’s just only one request. Turn in your phones and tablets at a security checkpoint.”
“No problem.”
“John, they have no right,” she added in order not to fail. “I have personal data, photos, and videos there,” her claims looked quite natural now.
“Don’t worry, so; nothing will happen to them.”
Reluctantly, Candy gave her a phone. John was impassive and gave his one without regrets. Victor pointed John to an elevator. They lifted several floors in silence. He cut off all attempts of Victor to speak with him, having kept the distance. Having left on the fourth floor, they passed along a corridor to one of the doors. Compared to the hall, there was much fewer staff.
Having entered a reception, he saw an Angelic half-breed with whom he talked on the phone and who was the director’s assistant. Under the gaze of Constantine, she began to feel out of place.
“Good day, John.”
“Do you know me?”
“You’re a very popular person… between some special kind of “people.” Sometimes you’re even shown on TV. I’m Mary.”
“There’s no peace at all from some “journalists”,” he made a serve.
“I do understand you. I can only guess who he is,” she smiled, having made it clear that she had caught it. “Tea… coffee?”
“No, thanks. I’ve been fed up with all of this.”
It sounded convincing in two senses at once.
“Victor. You may be free. John, a channel director Rick and his right-hand man on information policy and public relations, Megan are waiting for you.”
Mary got up from the table and went to John. At that moment, she’s accidentally grazed papers from a table. John rushed in her direction to help collect them.
“Don’t worry. I’m fine.” When he approached, she added in a whisper. “The answers to your questions are at the minus third level, if you know the code…”
John whispered the first three characters. She nodded to him, having shown that everything was right.
“Candy, on the first one. Get ready to save her. You have ten minutes to go.”
Gabriel convened a meeting with the intel department and security services to discuss one issue that had been haunting her since the exiling of the Angel from Candy’s body.
“Thank you for your efficiency. Everyone knows about the case of Candy. I’ve decided to restore the Eve project.” She resolutely conveyed her point of view to the present.
“We don’t have so many resources.”
“We won’t manage the whole world, tens of thousands of people.”
“First things first,” Gabriel reassured them. “Mediums, for today, are the most valuable resource. It’s not for me to tell you about this. The program was curtailed only because the half-breeds were no longer a clear threat to them. Light and Darkness are too weak to sustain another Great Game…”
“… but has everything changed?”
“Yes, it has. We urgently need to audit the situation. Candy could only be the first robin. She’s been on the list.”
“So she has been so close to turning LA into ruins.”
“Right. It was no coincidence that she was preselected. It only means that “they” gained access to the database.”
“Who the hell are these mysterious “they”?”
“I have speculations, but I’ll wait for John to return. In a matter of minutes, the attack on Suicide Channel will begin. I’m sure that this will allow us to see the whole picture of what’s going on.”
“What’s up with Balthazar? He was a “part” of the project.”
“I’m going to call him right now,” she’s making a call. “Hi, Balthazar.”
“Gab… what brings you here?”
“The line is secured? There are no extra ears, right?”
“Everything’s fine. Get to the point.”
“The protocols of Eve’s program are back in charge.”
“Is everything so serious?”
“Just a hunch… but before facts are gathered, I’m not going to leave their fate to chance.”
“Do you have someone on Council?” Balthazar asked.
“Even if I have, then what? You said that they’re marginals.”
“I’ve been wrong. Now everything’s wise serious. According to your answer, you’ve got nothing.”
“Hmmm…”
“I’ve noticed that there is so much order and sequence in their actions,” Balthazar said, having measuring and pondering the events that were taking place. After a pause, he continued. “They even have gone out to my state-level people with offers.”
“If they could identify them correctly…”
“… means that someone has done this work for them.”
“So… are you in?” Gabriel summed up.
“Yes, definitely, I am. I’ll commission an audit of the situation.”
“For old times’ sake…”
“Ha-ha-ha. After all that was between us, you’re saying that.”
“Do it for me,” she emphasized, “first of all. Check everything, and after an hour, go check the inspectors. There’s a reason why I’m asking you. I have lost my influence on the world, even in the USA. I really hope that you’ll close this gap.”
“That’s for sure.”
“My power is barely enough for LA now.”
“If something starts, it will be decided here.”
“Where’s Constantine…” she began.
“… there will be Armageddon,” he finished.
“Thanks. Have a good one!”
“See ya!”
The call was over.
John went into the office, where he was clearly waited. Two half-breeds appeared before him: Rick was a Demon; Megan was an Angel. They smiled warmly at Constantine, and he, in turn, had no illusions about who Megan is. Unlike Rick, a threat emanated from her. It was hard to say where it came from: from her sizzling gaze or from her body, which was a killing machine. “well… yeah. I see how you get in touch with the public.” Having looked at her, John experienced the same feelings that he got when he’s seen Gabriel for the first time but controlled himself.
“Come in, John, take a seat. Want something?” Rick invited him, having shown who’s in charge.
“No, thanks.”
He examined the office furnishings with undisguised interest in search of clues. There were posters on the wall. Particular attention was drawn to a figurine of a dancing girl holding the globe in her open palm, staying on the table. There was a mural on the whole wall with a soaring girl behind Rick. John looked at her and, haven’t seen anything special, looked away. Wherein, the feeling of dissatisfaction didn’t leave him. “Something’s wrong here. There must be something else.”
“What’s your question to us?”
John leaned on the window.
“Don’t you think you have gone too far? Suicide Channel, what’s the nonsense.”
“We run completely legal business.”
“John, we won the courts of all instances,” Megan added. “People want this. Our shows beat all the ratings on Letflix.”
“Don’t try to take the conversation aside. There are always desperate people in society who decide to commit suicide. But, strangely enough, most of the suicides are followers of various churches like Short Way. They’re seriously convinced that if they jump from a cliff in the name of Jesus, they’ll go to Heaven.”
“They believe in that…”
John lifted a chair from the floor and threw it in a big way against the wall, having knocked down a jug of flowers, which fell and broke with ringing, having flown to pieces.
“Damn it! We all know that it’s not so. If they walk in the labyrinth of faith, but we do know! We know the truth!”
Such a temper surprised Megan. Rick, however, remained calm on his face.
“Nothing personal just business,” he spread his hands.
“People have a demand, and it, in turn, creates a supply. A few days ago, in LA, there was a procession of Short Way and their followers in support of us. So… all attacks are groundless.”
“Ma’am, the phones are within reach of their PCs and Wi-Fi,” Sarah reported.
“We good?” Gabriel asked coolly.
“Yes, but there’s one con. Apparently, the phones were seized from them.”
“Will we have time to get into their network before devices are destroyed?”
“It’ll take a few minutes. If they identify the source earlier, it’ll be a failure.”
The ringtone rang. Balthazar was clearly alarmed.
“We’ve got a problem Gab!”
He was not like himself in this state.
“What happened? Damn… no…” she began guessing.
“Yes. My people are sending bad news.”
“They disappeared?”
“Something like that. They’re simply not there. Relatives, neighbors, and employees say about the same thing: a business trip, vacation, etc. Social networks are without updates.”
“It sucks. Help us with Suicide Channel.”
“Yes. What’s exactly?”
“Make a distracting attack on their site. Win for us a few minutes.”
Balthazar leaned back in his chair and typed something into a messenger. Shortly, he received an answer.
“Start in five minutes.”
“Thanks.”
Demi led Candy on a tour of the studio. First of all, they went to the Hall of Fame. It was a large gallery where paintings, posters, various installations were located, and statuettes of various awards shone behind the glass. Demi spoke incessantly and with undisguised admiration of both the award-winning employees and the most famous suicides.
Having finished with the “museum,” they headed to an observation deck. As soon as they entered the hall, ending with a platform, Candy was struck by what she’s experienced. “I’ve been here. When, why… I don’t remember… Hmmm… but I have to.” At some point, another detail of the interior was reflected in her memory, and a wave of fear instinctively forced her to gather up. Pop-up memories, one by one, didn’t bode well for her. “I’ve been prepared, but for what?” She was getting worse: her legs were jelly, and her head was dizzy. She stepped aside and put a hand on the wall, so as not to fall in the middle of the corridor, and then sat down on a sofa.
“Candy, Candy,” Demi shouted, having tried to break through the veil that covered her, “are you sick?”
“Yes. Something like … dizzy … Can I …?”
“Water?” Candy nodded. “Be right back. Sit here, don’t go anywhere. I’ll bring you everything.”
“Find John …”
“Damn it all! You guys keep back something!”
“They’re trying to hide something from me. The answers should be around here,” he thought. John threw up his hands in front of him and set the fists together.
“Show me what’s hidden!” Years passed, and John’s skills improved, having become impeccable and gained new opportunities. Now John could see not only what was hidden, but also visual images of communication, both people and half-breeds.
The result that he saw wasn’t surprising him at all: the mural behind Megan has undergone significant changes. In the darkness that wrapped everyone from the spell, it glowed with a brand new pattern. There was an ascending girl. She was almost completely covered by the light coming from her. “I’ve already seen this picture somewhere just a few days ago.” After that, it changed, and through the luminosity of the girl, the contours of Angels began appearing until she was completely dissolved. The nearest ones started to approach.
“How dare you?”
Megan’s phone rang. A call instead of a usual chat message for her meant that something out of the ordinary happened. After hearing a short monologue, she cried out:
“Rick! We’re attacked! Server and site.”
“Fuck!”
“Our meeting is over,” John went out without waiting for an answer.
“Rick, what to do?”
They rushed to their laptops to control the defense activities. After giving the necessary instructions, they came to their senses in several minutes.
“John’s seen clearly superfluous. He must be stopped,” Megan said with pressure.
Rick froze in indecision. On the one hand, John understood everything, and something needs to be done with this, but on the other, they cannot kill him because there are conditions under which he and Megan are allowed to stay on Earth.
“You don’t have to kill him. May he stay with us as a hostage as a guarantee that everyone else won’t get in the way.”
“Gab will send for him. It’ll be a massacre.”
“We’ll have time to take him to a safe place.”
“Any luck?”
“We got some intel.”
After a short analysis, a report was sent to her messenger. Having read, Gabriel immediately made several orders.
“I hope John, you can get out. I’ll do my best,” she talked out loud, more in order to calm herself.
She was making a call.
“Angela, we’re fucked. It’s time to act. Help us to pull him out.”
“Affirmative!” She answered sharply and hung up.
Gabriel contacted her second in command.
“John is up shit creek.”
“It’s so predicted.”
“Send four special operations forces to meet him!”
“We’ve got just only five groups! Isn’t it too much? Moreover, some of our people took up the Eve project.”
“Holy fuck! Do everything you can!” She turned to scream. “We must not lose John and Candy, just as an army cannot lose its banner. Intel said we’re ten steps behind.”
“The groups are on their way, ma’am. Worry not, we’ll manage it, ma’am.”
John ran out into the corridor. Having seen a stairs sign, he coursed straight there. In seconds, he was on the first floor, where Demi found him.
“John!”
“Where’s Candy?”
“Follow me.”
Having run through the central hall, he, out of the corner of his eye, noticed that the guards blocked the doors and asked everyone to remain calm and stay in their places. He found out Candy sitting on the sofa and gradually recovering.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, almost… I’m alright.”
“So… You good, right? I have to run. Wait for permission from the secure,” Demi went, having left them alone.
As soon as she disappeared around the corner, Candy glared at John and took his hand.
“I’ve been here! They did something with me,” she said perplexedly, having tried to put the picture together.
“I already know. Details later. Go! We have no time!”
“Where?”
“Way down.”
They ran down the stairs three floors. Having entered the third floor, he opened a door with a long corridor behind.
“You sure?”
“No! All other ways have already been locked.”
They ran without stopping for several minutes. Shouts of guards sounded behind them who had been sent by Megan. Such a turn of events significantly added strength to them. If the corridor itself was lit rather dimly, then the appearance of bright light in front gave hope.
“It’s a door. There must be a way out!” Candy shouted joyfully.
They ran up to the door with an electronic combination lock. The light pierced through opaque glass. Candy grabbed a doorknob and yanked herself hard, but the door didn’t give in.
“Locked! Hmmmm…” She began whining.
“It doesn’t look like a way out, but coming back is not an option. We’re going to check the code now.”
“You don’t know for sure?”
The noise of the running guards was getting closer. John calmly walked over to the wanly lit panel and pressed a single button. A screen lit up brighter, having prompted him to enter the code in an appearing field.
“Hm …”
“What’s wrong?”
“There are nine characters in the code, and there are just: one, two, three, four, five spots.”
He entered the first five characters, which were numbers. Candy tugged at the handle again, but the door didn’t give up.
“This is the end! The code is wrong.”
There was still a piece of code that included “fdvf4” characters. The panel suggested entering only numbers and no letters. Candy, having lost her temper, started pounding on the door with arms and legs.
“Open up! Damage!” Having focused on her left foot, she struck with her right, but to no avail.
“Beep-beep. Parameters have been entered correctly. Continue typing,” was heard from the speakers.
One of the previously invisible bulbs lit up in green. A cropped version of the alphabet appeared on the panel, sufficient to enter the remaining piece of code. By the sounds of the chase running after them, it became clear that they had less than twenty seconds. Chase’s sounds forced Candy to panic more, having risen blood pressure and pulsing by blood in the temples.
“The code has been entered correctly. Select an access level.” The second light came on.
Four numbers appeared on the screen: “4, 2, 5, 7”.
“They do things backward.”
Selecting “4”, the last light came on. The system greeted him with a clicked lock and an opening door. Candy pulled the doorknob and was instantly blinded by the brightness of the light. They ran inside and closed the door behind. Lighting eloquently said that most likely, it was a laboratory or something like that.
“We’ve got about ten minutes, no more. We have to figure out what’s happening here and look for a way out.”
John was surprised to hear no reaction from Candy. Having turned around, he saw her sitting on the floor.
“Whatta …”
“I’ve been here. I’m beginning to remember. They… they kidnapped us…” she said in fragments of phrases. “Yes. I’ve watched or read something… and as if under hypnosis. They… took me from the street… I don’t remember… and I was brought here.”
“I see. What for? Did they do experiments on you?”
“No… I dunno for sure… I don’t remember.”
“No time for it! I’m sure Gab will help with the memories. Give me your hand! Follow me!”
“Have you taken them?”
“Not yet. They ran to the service floors.”
“It won’t take much time,” Megan answered confidently.
“We’ve got some problems!”
“Fuck me! What else happened?” She said with a click on the word else.
“They owned us having stolen Eve’s project data,” Rick said.
“Fucking Jesus! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I told you that you had to finish them and then get down to business,” she ran her hands over the face.
“It won’t help them anyway…”
“… but it will add nerves to us.”
She looked at the message.
“Rick, troubles!”
“What da fuck?”
“Yes. John and Candy are inside.”
“Fuck! Holy Fuck! Fucking John!”
“Fuck me!”
“Get down? We cannot pass without your code,” the guard in charge asked them.
“Yes. On my way! We’re obliged to find moles and kill,” Megan added, having recovered herself.
“First, we must move everyone to a safe place.”
“Plan B, right?”
“Yes. Take care of John while I’m searching for a mole.”
“Block all entrances and exits,” Megan commanded.
The BWC pharm’s operational groups met several crews of Angela on the way to Suicide Channel. She immediately contacted the squad leader.
“Do you know where to meet John?”
“Yes, follow us at a safe distance.”
“We will cordon off the entire perimeter so that we can enter right behind you.”
Gabriel’s group moved along an overpass that bordered Suicide Channel. After waiting for the moment when there’ll be no traffic on the oncoming lanes, the group maneuvered, having taken it sharply to the left. Hummers began to demolish the barriers dividing the lanes and with them the barriers in front of the fence net. The oncoming stream braked sharply, having seen such a turn of events, creating several accidents. Angela’s crews turned on red-blue “chandeliers” and followed them, parked right behind the fence net. The group continued paving the way, having demolished everything on its path. Having approached buildings that formed an emergency exit, they jumped out of the cars and formed a protective perimeter.
“Cut off the door!”
The object defenders appeared almost immediately. A skirmish began between them using guns, riffles, and grenade launchers. Angela understood the hint and called for SWAT.
“We’re attacked by BWC pharm motherfuckers. We shoot back,” Megan informed Rick.
“Cops?”
“Already here.”
“Fuck off o’clock! Just what’s the fuck they need! Don’t let them in!”
“Evacuate Eve’s participants,” Megan gave a command in the voice channel. “Give no mercy to Gab’s units.”
John and Candy came to the first door and went inside. The room was a semicircle. What they saw was really impressive. Half-naked mediums soared in the air in a vertical position, having been connected to the sensors. Analysis of their state in endless streams was displayed on the screen. John picked the list of “participants” from a wall.
“I see. Now everything falls into place.”
“We must save them.”
“They’re not here. A simple shutdown won’t return them. They just die.”
“But John …”
“No. We ran out of time. We look into other rooms and get out of here. They’ll come for us soon.”
There was the same picture with only one difference. One person was missing. John picked up a checklist.
“It’s your place. Do you recognize it?”
“Like in a daze.”
John grabbed Candy’s status card, and without wasting time, they ran out, heading forward. The deeper they went, the more turns and corridors they met. A system through the speakers greeted Megan. It could only mean that they’re already here. At some point, it became clear that they were lost.
“Let’s check different corridors,” Candy suggested.
In one of the branches was heard the rumble from the fall of something bulky on the floor.
“John! We’re from Gab!”
“Where are you?”
“Go to the voice!”
“Hold them!” There was a shout behind them. Having run outside, they jumped into the car under the whistle of bullets. The corridor was filled with automatic bursts.
“Boss, what to do? Chase ‘em?”
“No. There’ll be SWAT from all over the state. Start loading sections and proceeding with an immediate evacuation.”
“Yes, ma’am! Everyone, leave the lab!”
“Let them leave. We’ll pretend to be victims. We have no reason to arrange a shootout with the cops.”
“We met John and Candy. Let’s get out here,” the group leader reported to the voice channel.
“Well done!” Gabriel was delighted.
SWAT tried unsuccessfully to get through the traffic jam formed on the overpass, but an annoying helicopter didn’t want to lag behind. City traffic jams didn’t leave hope for an opportunity to hide from its field of vision. Sooner or later, the pursuit should have ended with blocking and capturing.
“This mall! Drive down to the parking lot!” The team leader ordered.
Having completed the maneuver, they crashed several cars and, having broken the barrier, drove down. Having gone down to the fifth floor of the parking lot, they stopped.
“Get out of cars! Follow me! Go-go-go!”
The lead pointed to a door that led to underground communications. Having approached it, he swiped a card through a card reader: it opened silently. The group was overwhelmed by the smell of sewage, but only Candy grimaced. After everyone entered, an engineer of the group ruined the lock, which allowed them to buy time. Having made sure that everything was in order, the leader took out a flashlight and led the group.
“What’ll happen to cars?” Candy asked.
There were sounds of explosions behind.
“No harm is done. Don’t worry,” then he added, “go! In half an hour, they’ll take us away.”
Chapter 12. The first contact Chapter 14. The Story Of Rick. Megan Met Rick