On my way back from the department store, my arms filled to muscular protest with clothes and various items like 'better' shampoo, hair conditioner, hair detangler (I mean, seriously, wtf? You spray crap on hair so it won't tangle?) and a box of something my mind was avoiding naming for my own mental health, Karen turned pensive and serious.

"Got a surprise for you."

"A good one I hope, not sure I'm up for another."

"Yep; your transfer went out the moment you passed inspection today; you are now officially a noob of the Anti-Demon Task force. You'll have to come back here every other weekend to continue your training, including our version of ROTC courses...sort of a delayed basic for you. And likely the other weekends will be the ADTF version of SWAT training, so you'll be really busy...."

"Karen; where am I being transferred."

"Your home town. We lost one of our demon hunters two days ago, and we didn't know any of what we learned today. So...I kind of put in transfer papers with the colonel's permission; We were both very sure you'd pass with no problems."

"It's OK, I can handle it. I mean, I don't have to deal with anyone there I don't want to, right?"

She offered a small, sickly smile.

"Right. And I'll be there! It's my rotation to help them again after all."

"they that short handed?"

"Well attrition happens, and we usually don't get many people; most go to the front. Truth told, we'd be driving back already if not for this morning. We think your demon is plotting something, though that is pretty much natural for them."

"So do I, you get no arguments there. It was quite the relief to hear him forced to admit he couldn't control me."

"For all of us. If he's telling the truth, he's quite the weapon; we could use him."

my angry reply was interrupted.

"Well well well, if it isn't Melvina! How's it going, little girl? Did you go to buy dollies?"

Justin. Again.

I turned to see him lurking behind the doorway we had just entered through in his new black robe, obviously laying in wait. Disgust painted his features with a broad brush.

"you sick little...."

And then a large fist came from nowhere as I blinked, slamming into Justin's jaw with a loud crack.

"Lieutenant Bell, you will not. EVER. say anything derogatory about the cost another Summoner paid to tame a demon in the ritual. Am I clear, 'Stumpy'?"

The speaker revealed itself as Terrance Jones, also robed and with his cowl up so that he seemed a part of the shadows he had stepped from. Justin shook his head clear as I zero'd in on something.

"Stumpy? that's a new one."

Justin went beet red, fury rolling off him in waves.

"Get him to tell you, if he will. It's his new squad nick name...the tradition is to pick something fitting. Since this morning, 'Stumpy' fits him."

"I don't get it, he's not short..."

"Squad leader Jones, you hit me. I'll see you court martialed for that!"

"Try it lieutenant Bell, and we will see what the colonel says when I tell him why. Think you'll get out unscathed when I tell him you're harassing a fellow officer over her price? Captain, what are the rules about discrimination again?"

Karen spoke up loud and clear, eyes hard as flinty jade.

"The rules are none will be tolerated, for any reason. you're dismissed Lieutenant Bell...leave before it's sergeant Bell."

He threw a sloppy salute and left without another word. For my part as he turned to me I saluted Terrance, now my superior officer.

"sir!"

"Oh stop that, we both know you should have my job. I came by after being informed of your hasty transfer...I was told the captain had you outside for some reason...."

A quick glance at the shopping bags, at Karen, and he gave a shudder. A sentiment I heartily agreed with.

"Anyway I just wanted you to know, you're still a member of my squad unless formally reassigned; we will be doing basic here, I've been informed you'll be joining us when possible. So come to me if you need anything...Snow White."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"your squad nickname; I just decided. You'll be Snow White." I sighed.

"Well I'm certainly white enough; guessing no one has given you yours yet?"

I could feel his grin through the cowl.

"No, no one has dared."

"Well I dare...Clay."

"Clay?"

"Yep, Cassius Clay...he was pretty good with his fists too."

"A moniker I could learn to live up to I guess. You win."

Karen cleared her throat.

"Guess I'm on a time table; see you later sir."

"Yes...later soldier."

Karen glanced at me as she led us away.

"We are indeed on a rather rigid time table; got to get you settled in by tonight. Guess maybe I should scrounge up seven dwarfs?"

"Can it, captain. You'll have to do."

"I'm as tall as you are."

"perhaps, but you have a most excellent dwarven beard."

She punched me in the arm as I smiled. Point to me.

*****************************************************************

Packing up actually took a bit longer than I expected, mainly because Karen insisted on giving the place a thorough cleaning and resetting the floor. She told me I'd understand when I had to move with no prior notice a few more times. Pointing out that I already had been forced to move with no notice twice didn't seem to impress her.

We left the place redolent of bleach and cleanser, and now had a total of six full boxes of crap that I'd somehow collected over the months, if you included the food I'd got from the fridge and cupboards. No way to carry it all in one trip...and I did not want to make multiple trips.

"Captain, I really don't think I want to make 3 or 4 trips carrying this crap. I mean 2 boxes full of hardbound books!"

"I agree, so what are you asking me?"

"Could you look the other way a minute while I bend a rule?"

"Um, which one?"

"Well I suddenly feel my life is being threatened. Grex, veni huc!"

A swirl of smoke and Grex was there, on one knee before me. A choking noise alerted me to the fact that Karen's mouth was open.

"...What?"

"You just summoned your demon without any blood, or an athame! you didn't use his mark or anything!"

Oh, right. In order to summon I was supposed to use a ritual dagger to pierce my mark and bleed a bit while calling on Grex. But I didn't have one.

"...I'm sorry?"

"How did you do that?"

"I just knew I could. I knew if I called he would answer."

"Quite so master; I am your servant, I now live to serve."

Karen's jaw hit the floor (metaphorically).

"but, you...and he...."

"don't worry so much about it Karen. It's a plus."

As she nodded, eyes glazed, I turned to Grex.

"Now servant, you have a very important task to perform."

"Yes master? Who do I kill in your glorious name?"

"Back pain Grex, back pain. Carry those boxes and follow us."

He looked at the boxes, and looked at me. And looked at the boxes, and looked back at me.

"Master, that's simply cruel. I approve."

"Glad you do...now chop chop, we're wasting time."

He held out his hand and traced a rune in the air which shrank the boxes just as Karen was beginning to collect herself, picking them all up and placing them in his coat pocket as Karen's eyes widened again.

"Spacial magics? You have access to those?"

"In a limited fashion yes."

"and you answered me without being forced..."

"No, I answered for my master; you simply heard it. She needs to know what I am capable of."

"right right, this is all fascinating, but we have a long drive ahead of us. So let's go!"

I tugged Karen out of the room and left the key in the lock, lugging her down the hall while Grex followed behind us.

It was good to have him back. Comforting.

*************************************************************************************

The ride back home was uneventful, each of us rather lost in our own worlds. Grex stuck around to watch for ambushes, so Thor didn't need to be summoned; just as well, I don't think they would have gotten along...though I was tempted to ask Thor what he knew of Grex. That would have to be done when Grex wasn't listening though.

It was just under two hours later, nearing 3pm when we pulled into the parking lot of the building laughingly nick named 'The Warlock historia' by the high school kids in my home town. Sort of the almost witty thing high school kids think of often.

The building in question was a simple eight story apartment building, the oldest in the city at one hundred and forty years. The actual name was 'The Wampler'...named after Efram Wampler, the man who designed and made the place. It was luxury apartment living back in the day, modeled after the large deluxe places in Chicago and New York.

I'd only been in it once, following my father as a child. I no longer remember exactly why we went here. But I still remember the building clearly; brass fixtures, genuine oak trim and accents stained a dark brown, and statues of copper, bronze and stone everywhere the eye could gaze. Truth was bit different than memory however.

The wood accents and molding were still there, as were the brass fixtures. The glass air tubes meant to carry mail to all the apartments were even still there, I could see them going up as I crossed the lobby behind Karen. There was even an old style elevator, the kind with the cage door and lever, that belhops used to be hired for. There was an abundance of plant life throughout, and the fountain complete with cherubs still merrily spitting away, was the obvious centerpiece.

Looking with an adult's eye however revealed this grand lady's glory to be well past its' prime. The brass was tarnished, with only a few bright patches to show any effort at all had been made in it's care, the glass of the tubes was cracked, the elevator was out of order, the wood had been splintered in more than a few spots due to who knows what, and the fountain ran sluggishly and showed signs of leakage.

But the worst was the elevator was currently out of order. We reached the front desk as I took it all in, and stopped in front of a man I judged to be in his 40's, with no hair on his head, eyebrows that I might have sworn were caterpillars crawling across his face, and a large build just beginning to run totally towards fat. He seemed to be one of those genuinely jolly types however, smiling broadly as he spotted us.

"Ahh Karen, welcome back, and this is our new recruit ehh?"

"I'm Maeve Numens, nice to meet you."

"Brock Bowie, no relation to David. How was your trip?"

"Uneventful,' Karen responded. 'so where do we put our noob?"

"Well there are a few spots open...."

"You will place my master in your largest, best maintained accommodations."

"Oh I will, demon? And who might you be?"

"His name is Grex, just ignore him."

He didn't. He instead walked right up to Grex and looked him over.

"Your summon is a lord?" He finally concluded.

"Yes, a duke."

"Makes sense, lords are all pretty much high maintenance. I bet he feels that if he has to server you, we should all treat you as royalty?"

Grex nodded while my eyes widened. This wasn't exactly something I had counted on, and I could see the repercussions of such a mind set from here. I'd hate to have the entire building against me.

"Maybe, but..."

He turned to me with a smile.

"No worries, we have just the place for you. Eighth floor though. Room number 806; Sorry about the elevator, it's being worked on as we speak."

I hung my head.

"No problem sir. I'll leave you to it."

Karen grabbed my arm, whispering.

"Come on, it's not that bad, the eight floor has the nicest biggest apartments in the place, it's pretty much standard policy to put those with powerful demons up there. The general himself keeps one of the suites here, room 802."

"Where do you stay while here?"

"Room 714. And don't worry about the elevator, the staff here aren't military, but they are quiet stable and do their jobs well. My bet is it'll be repaired tomorrow."

"But for now, stairs. No big, I can do stairs."

"Fair warning, we have furniture move up here and put together; the last tenant took theirs with them."

"Well since Grex wanted us in the largest apartment in the building...he can do all the heavy lifting; right Grex?"

His smile was predatory and not at all abashed.

"As you command, my master."

"Anyway,' continued Karen with one of her trademark eye rolls, 'There is a definite hierarchy among summoners. Those with strong demons are usually near or at the top of it. Some of those in this building are a bit prickly about such things, so be careful. Little sabotages aren't above our kind, no matter how dedicated we are."

"Good to know, can I opt out of playing that game?"

"Nope; you're right in your suspicion, you're already playing it. However, Brock wasn't setting you up so much as trying to keep the peace. He and his staff are civilian contractors put in a very difficult position by the government. The things he has seen...would probably even give me pause."

"How so? thought we weren't supposed to show off in front of civilians?"

"Most of the summoners in the city...are housed here. Only ones with special dispensation from the top brass in Washington get out of living arrangements like this one. Where is the one place you normally feel free to let your hair down?"

"Home, of course, I see what you're driving at."

With all the summoners here, laughing, relaxing, clowning around, settling petty disputes with each other in petty ways...being human in all it's glory, it wouldn't be odd to see civilians throughout the building getting caught in the cross fire.

"All that said of course, there has never been a demon attack, demon let loose, or terrorist attack on this building or anyone in it, and the summoner community as a whole are quite proud of that."

"Wow...not even a demented summoner?"

"Not even that; most of them just simply leave and go nuts somewhere else. Same with Halo; they won't dare attack us head on. Though that could be because this town is strictly small potatoes."

"I'll take what I can get."

We started up the steps. The strangely deserted steps.

"Place seems almost empty. The lobby at least had a few people."

"Those were mostly our plain clothes guards. Military always watches. But yeah, kinda quiet for a Friday, even if most of us would still be at work. I don't know."

We passed a few people on the stairs;a man, then two women, then two more men. They waved, we waved. Only one of the men wore a robe, the rest were in plain clothes and chatting amiable with each other; even the man that was alone. We marched on and they didn't even glance at me twice...though I felt their eyes on me the moment I passed them. Hopefully my imagination. I didn't show any of the signs of being new blood, I didn't think. Grex had kept the boxes small and in his pocket.

"Karen, does everyone know each other here?"

"Yeah we pretty much all do. Only a few hundred of us ever here, though we have some people who roam alot, like me."

"Good to know. So they did know that something was up."

"Yep! We all do, every time. After all, you're replacing someone. Everyone knows when we're short...and then we see a new face. Obvious conclusion is obvious."

That's kind of terrible in it's way. New face means someone you know, and possibly cared for, just died.

We made it upstairs without incident, and soon found ourselves walking down a hallway with peeling, yellowed wallpaper and brass light fixtures throwing small puddles of light in the gloom. The door to my new home was old, dried, and felt brittle. The key took a few tries for the lock to disengage, and the door swung open with a creak to reveal a hallway.

The hallway had a short entryway, was narrow, and the kitchen to the left, through an open threshold. The living room was empty, large, and the carpet a grungy grey that I wasn't sure was it's natural color. Beyond that was another room, in much the same state. The door to the left of this room had the bathroom, an immaculately white tiled affair with an honest to god claw footed bathtub and more brass.

To round out the place were two bedrooms, both large and of course empty. Every room save the bathroom had a skylight, and the den (?) and bedrooms had large windows. The entire place was a bit chilly and absolutely redolent of cigarette smoke.

Grex summed it all up in one sentence.

"This will not do."

"Well we're stuck here because of your words Grex, so you might as well deal."

"Not what I meant my master. You are uncomfortable here."

The suave look he shot me bothered me. It was almost like he...cared whether I was comfortable? What game was he playing?

He opened the window in the den and looked outwards. Then he stood there, hands out, as if beseeching something. It took me some time to notice, but I stared agape as the little granules of black started to swirl out of the carpet, walls, and ceiling and gather around his hands. In less than 5 minutes there was a cloud of collected dirt and grime so thick even pigpen from peanuts would be amazed.

Then it got even thicker.

The air was clear and smelled of the end of summer, the carpets were a rich cream color, and the other surfaces all sparkled by the time he chucked the warped twin balls of pure black corruption out of the window. He nodded in satisfaction while I gathered myself.

"Neat trick."

"Thank you. I trust the air is now more to your liking?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Um, you didn't hit anyone with that mess you tossed outside, did you?"

"Only the Trash receptacle placed under this very domicile."

I looked, spotting the blackened dumpster easily. I made a show of clapping my hands.

"Well that was easy. So what do we do about furniture?"

"The standard stuff is all waiting in boxes downstairs, in the basement. It should have your name on it. I had the outlet store deliver them anyway. Bed, chairs, tables, couches, desk, television, stereo, computer...."

"That sounds like entirely too much walking back and forth."

"I'll handle it master. It will only take me one trip. You don't need to trouble yourself."

"But won't you need help putting it all together? I mean it's supposed to all be in pieces."

"I can read the instructions. I'm not stupid master."

I looked at Karen and shrugged.

"No hurting anyone, in any way, for any reason. Just get the furniture, and bring it back here, and put it together. Don't cause any trouble."

He bowed and left. Karen looked uneasy.

"Relax Karen, he can't do anything. My orders are absolute on that score."

"You're right, and it's not like hes the only demon left with the run of the place while their summoner sits at ease. So, there is this killer coffee shop in the lobby; want to go taste their house blend?"

"Sure, beats staring at the walls."

***************************************************************

The coffee was better than expected, and the mood was light as we once again traveled up the stairs. I was a bit concerned, having lost track of time and spent over an hour just chatting about what I could expect as a new member of the summoners corps in general, and the ADTF specifically. Many Horror stories of hazing and practical jokes, as well as lighter anecdotes crossed Karen's lips. She had seen almost everything it seemed.

I tried my door and it was locked. So I pulled my key out and opened it.

"Didn't expect you to lock the door Grex, afraid of something?"

Getting my first good at the front room I gaped.

While the lighting was still bright, somehow it no longer seemed enough. The couch was black, large, and overstuffed, The table was also black, and ornately carved. With skulls across the legs and images of various demons interacting on its surface. There were pictures on the wall, of distant crags and rather tortured looking landscapes. The television looked normal, a large lcd display hung upon the wall. The entertainment center under it however, was black and carved with murals of some kind.

I breezed through the den to see mostly empty dark maple shelves with elegant scroll-work and a black glass desk, seemingly held up by dragons or something similar.

I found Grex in my bedroom, putting the finishing touches on a four post? canopied? bed. humanoid birdlike demons, carved so well they seemed alive, formed the posts, with their wings curling around the bed to form the canopy, draped in dark purple silk. The vanity looked like it was formed wholesale from dead, brackish vines holding a polished steel mirror, and the walk in closet seemed to be hollowed out ogres with handles one of their hands, opening away from each other to reveal my clothes.

"Welcome back master."

My eye twitched. I could feel it, and it had never done that before. I turned to Karen.

"I don't suppose...."

"No, none of this is standard, we normally get the cheap IKEA stuff, like you find anywhere."

I turned to Grex. He raised an eyebrow.

"Really master, you're unhappy? You are so hard to please. Here I am, slaving away, putting your furniture together in the best possible way, and you don't like it? I'm saddened."

"So what happened to the furniture I sent you to get?"

"This is it. You did not specify how I had to construct it, just that I had to construct it. You really should be more clear."

"Undo this."

"I cannot. To construct furniture again in a different fashion would require more raw materials."

Karen shook her head. Dammit.

Grex walked up as I looked around.

"Relax master, every piece is crafted well, and is designed for your best comfort. I take my job seriously. Try the bed for an example."

I looked at him, dubious...then sat down on the bed. It was actually as advertised. I went fully horizontal; I could lose myself in this.

"Ha, guessing by the look of bliss, I'm guessing Grex wasn't lying?"

"Yeah this is nice. Try it."

She did, and shook her head.

"Not my type of mattress. If this thing has a sleep number, it's not mine. It's kind of close, certainly comfy; but not my style."

I got back up regretfully.

"Well can't sleep yet anyway, got too much to learn."

"And I have to get back to apartment...I still need to clean it after three months."

"Alright, so tomorrow? I assume you're taking me to where I need to go?"

"Sure, I can...We are both headed there. It's just the main station; that's where all SWAT and ADTF agents start out."

She left and I turned to Grex, who was waiting expectantly.

"OK let's get started."

****************************************************

(tbc)