Legacy 116: Birds of a Phoenix Feather
Xxx
San Francisco, 2001.
In a small cubicle in an office building, twenty-eight year old John Henson was working late on a report for his boss. It was the third night that week he was working late. As he checked his phone, he noticed six missed calls from his girlfriend. They were supposed to have a date night, but John had to finish this report in time if he ever wanted to get promoted. She would have to wait, as she did not matter as much as his career. That was the only thing keeping him going at the moment, the dream that he would one day be at the top of the food chain. He was about to finish the report when suddenly his computer crashed.
"No, no, you have got to be kidding me." John called out. "Come on, you worthless piece of trash."
John angrily slammed on the computer, but it didn't help. All the work he had done this evening was probably gone. If he did not finish in time, he would be fired and his dream was over. He got up to grab a cup of coffee, though he stopped when he felt a slight tremble in the building. He initially thought it was an earthquake, though he quickly realized it was something else when flames rose up in front of him. A creature with blue skin and horns appeared before him. John screamed and fell back on the floor.
"Good evening, John Henson." The creature said.
"Who? What are you?" John asked scared.
"A businessman like yourself." The creature replied. "Or more accurately, a business demon."
"This isn't real. This has to be a practical joke." John said.
"No, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity." The demon corrected him. "I have seen you, John, and your potential. You can achieve great things with the right help."
"What do you mean?" John asked.
"I'm an investor of sorts." The demon replied. "I can offer you the means to make your dreams come true in exchange for a price."
"What price?" John asked.
"Your immortal soul." The demon said in a deep voice, causing flames to briefly appear in his eyes. "In thirty years, I will come to collect, but in that time, you will become more successful that you could have ever dreamed."
"Thirty years?" John repeated.
"Time enough to build your career, start a family, live life to the fullest." The demon said. "Make the deal and you will find that every decision you make shall lead to success. You can start your own business and rise to the top of the chain."
"Alright." John replied. "I accept."
The demon smiled and held out his hand, causing a parchment and a quill to appear in flames. John hesitated for a moment. The demon frightened him, but he did not believe in souls anyway. Besides, he wouldn't have to worry about it for another thirty years. This was the opportunity he needed to make something of himself. He grabbed the quill and signed on the dotted line. Once he had signed, the parchment disappeared.
"Smart choice." The demon said. "Allow me to introduce my assistant."
The demon snapped his finger and a young woman appeared through a whirl of wind. She was a beautiful brunette with a slender figure in a revealing gold silk gown.
"This is Karliah, an oracle." The demon explained. "She will serve you when you seek advice concerning the future. Use her powers wisely."
"A pleasure to meet you." Karliah said.
"You can see the future?" John asked.
"To an extent." Karliah replied. "Not everything is set in stone. Every action can cause it to change."
"We must leave now, but you can summon Karliah whenever you wish by calling her name." The demon said. "We, John, shall not meet again until it is time for me to collect your soul."
The demon disappeared through flames and Karliah followed him through a gust of wind. John fell down in a desk chair. Had he really just sold his soul to the devil, or was it all a stress-induced dream and would he soon wake up? He slapped and pinched himself to make sure he was awake. It was real, which meant that all his hard work would finally pay off. He would finally achieve his dream and live the life he had always wanted.
Xxx
San Francisco, 2029.
In a penthouse office, fifty-six year old John Henson was working late on a business deal. While he was still making long nights, everything else had changed. He was now the owner and CEO of Henson Holdings, his own multi-million dollar company that had international dealings. After his deal with the devil that fateful night, he was one of the richest men in the city. From the outside, it looked like he had everything he could ever desire. However, time was starting to catch up to him. Twenty-eight years had passed, meaning that he only had two years left before his soul would be claimed by the blue horned demon.
To become successful, he had done things that could never see the light of day. Those things had taken a toll. His wife had died years ago because of him and his son was practically a stranger. In an effort to get closer to his son, he had offered him a job. He wanted to groom his son to take over the company, so that all his sacrifices would have meaning. His phone buzzed and John saw his son was calling. He had forgotten that he had organized a party for the employees to celebrate a recent merger. As the CEO, he was expected to make an appearance.
"Theo." John said as he answered the phone. "I'm sorry. Something came up at the office. You do the speech instead of me."
John ended the call and resumed working. He knew his son would be disappointed, but this couldn't wait. Their biggest competition, Wahlstrom International, was trying to poach a client they could not afford to lose. He didn't care about the money, but the company would lose face, which John felt was unacceptable.
"May I be seen?" A sultry voice asked.
"Of course." John replied.
A small whirlwind formed before him and Karliah appeared, wearing a blue dress. Aside from a change in clothes, she had not changed at all in the past decades, the perks of immortality. She had proven to be a valuable asset over the years, though he had always been careful not to overuse her abilities.
"Working late as usual, I see." Karliah noted as she sat on the desk. "You should really start enjoying life a bit more, John. It's over before you know it."
"I'm perfectly aware of how much time I have left." John remarked slightly annoyed. "Why are you here?"
"I saw something you should know." Karliah replied. "Someone is making a move against you. Your son is in danger."
"What?" John asked worried. "Tell me."
"It seems you're not the only one in the business world relying on demonic assistance." Karliah said. "I foresaw an attack on your son by demons."
"Who is it? Can you stop them?" John asked.
"I have not been able to see the one responsible yet, but I'm working on it." Karliah replied. "Meanwhile, I called in a favor and sent someone to protect him."
"I have to go there." John said as he rose from his chair.
"No, you'll only put yourself in danger." Karliah replied. "That might be exactly what they want. You have to trust me on this. I have it handled."
John hesitated, but eventually sat back down in his chair. The oracle was right, he could not endanger himself or the company. He would just have to trust her, as he had done many times in the past.
Xxx
Across the city, Penny Halliwell was standing behind the bar of P3, pouring champagne glasses. She was dressed in a black top with a silver vest and leather pants. The club was filled with suits, as a company called Henson Holdings had hired the club as a venue for a cooperate party. It was good business and Penny really needed the money, as things were not going as well as she had hoped. The last couple of weeks had been hard on the club and she was barely getting by. Running a successful nightclub was not as easy as she had first expected. On top of everything, Dominik had called in sick, leaving her short one bartender. She needed tonight to be a success.
"The table in the corner wants another bottle." Faye said as she stepped behind the bar.
"Got it, can you manage the bar while I restock the fridge?" Penny asked.
"Yeah, sure." Faye replied. "Things are pretty hectic. These suits know how to party."
"Well, I would do the same if the boss was paying." Penny remarked.
"Oh my god!" Faye called out as she grabbed Penny's arms. "Penny, a total hunk is coming this way."
Penny looked over her shoulder. When she saw the hunk Faye was referring to, she realized she wasn't kidding. The guy was absolutely gorgeous, tall and muscular, with olive skin and dark brown hair. He wore an expensive suit that showed off his physique. Penny quickly reminded herself to be professional and walked over to him.
"Hi, can I get you anything?" Penny asked.
"Yeah, I'm looking for the manager, Penny." The hunk replied. "We spoke on the phone."
"I'm Penny." Penny said. "Wait, you booked the club? You're Mr. Henson?"
Penny was shocked, as she had expected a boring businessman with a receding hairline to be the one throwing the party. This guy did not seem old enough to be in charge of a such a huge company, as he only appeared a little older than Penny herself.
"Were you expecting someone else?" The hunk remarked with a smile, obviously picking up on her surprise. "Mr. Henson is my father. I'm Theo."
"Sorry." Penny quickly said. "I guess I shouldn't judge a book by its shiny cover."
"Thanks. To be honest, you're not what I expected either." Theo said. "You run this club?"
"It's an old family business." Penny said. "But I am the manager, yes."
"Impressive, must take a lot of hard work." Theo noted. "Just so you know, I only got this job because my dad owns the company. I just started working there."
"And already in charge of the party planning?" Penny remarked. "Nice work."
"Stick by what you know, right?" Theo replied. "Actually, the party was my idea. Everyone worked hard on the merger and I figured everyone deserved a night out."
"You'll make a good boss." Penny said. "So what can I do for you?"
"My father was supposed to give a speech to thank everyone for their hard work, but he is stuck at the office as usual." Theo said with some distain. "Can you turn down the music and get me a microphone so I can thank them instead?"
"Of course." Penny said.
Theo smiled as Penny offered him a microphone and their hands touched for a lingering moment. As he headed to the stage, Penny signaled the DJ to turn down the music. At the same time, Faye appeared next to her.
"You should go for it." Faye said. "He's obviously into you."
"I can't hook up with a client." Penny replied. "I have to stay professional."
"Well, once the party is over, he's no longer a client." Faye remarked with a wink. "If you don't go after him, I will."
"Weren't you crushing on my cousin a little while ago?" Penny replied.
"Yeah, but that ship has obviously sailed in a different direction." Faye said. "I'm serious, if you're not making a move on that man candy, I'll sink my teeth into him."
"Just get back to work." Penny replied laughing. "That table in the corner still needs a new bottle."
Faye rolled her eyes as she grabbed a bottle and headed out. Penny resumed her own work and starting refilling the fridge behind the bar. When the music stopped, the club cheered as Theo took the stage. Penny stopped for a moment to listen in.
"I hope everyone is having a good time." Theo said. "My father was supposed to appear to say a few words, but you all know him. The work is never done. In his place, I just wanted to thank you all for your hard work on the merger."
The employees clapped and cheered as Theo went on to talk about the merger and used all kinds of business terms that Penny didn't quite understand. She instead looked at the crowd and suddenly got a bad feeling. She could faintly hear whispers in the back of her mind. It was her telepathy picking up on something. She closed her eyes and focused on the words.
"Once he leaves the club, we strike." A telepathic voice spoke. "Theo Henson shall not survive this party."
Penny opened her eyes in shock, someone was planning on killing Theo. She looked around to identify the one with the murderous thoughts, but there were too many people. It could be any of them. The thoughts were so evil that they almost felt demonic. She knew she had to do something to save Theo. She looked at the stage and saw he had just finished his speech. He reached into his pocket for his phone and headed for the stairs.
"Crap, he's leaving." Penny said.
"Well, go get him." Faye remarked as she returned to the bar. "I got things covered."
"That's not what I…" Penny started to argue. "Actually, never mind."
Penny grabbed her things and quickly ran after Theo as he was leaving the club. Once she was outside, she briefly lost sight of him and tried to find him using her powers.
"I can't believe he didn't show up." Theo's thoughts sounded.
Penny followed the thoughts and found Theo standing next to an expensive-looking sports car. He was on the phone with someone.
"Theo!" Penny called out.
"I'll have to call you back." Theo said on the phone and he turned to Penny. "Hey, is something wrong? Something about the bill?"
"No, I'm not here about that." Penny replied. "I don't have time to explain, but you're in danger."
"What are you talking about?" Theo asked surprised.
Before Penny had a chance to respond, a man in a suit stepped out from the shadows. Penny recognized him from the party. He held out his hand and formed a fireball, which he threw at Theo. Penny quickly grabbed him and pulled him down, causing the fireball to miss and explode against the car. The man, or actually demon, started to circle around.
"What the hell?" Theo called out.
"Stay down." Penny ordered.
"We've got interference." The demon said in an earpiece.
At that moment, three more suited demons appeared through a shimmer. When all four formed fireballs, Penny realized she was horribly outnumbered. The only way out was to run, though before she could, one of the demons exploded in flames. Penny looked up and saw a young woman in black leather standing behind the demon, wielding an athame. She had a strange mark on her left wrist, shaped like a bird.
xxx
