Here we are: Chapter twenty.

I was listening to "My Immortal" by Evanescence when writing the first part. So if it seems a bit reflective in a sad way, blame the song!

Also, when I wrote most of the rest of this, I was at work hiding in the back from a tornado with about fifty other employees and upside of seventy customers and people who lived around seeking shelter. Some prayed, others chatted and called home to warn their families, others took naps, and I wrote about Demon Chase. Priorities, right? Nothing happened to us - if you ignore us having to battle flooding fire doors - but now I have a story to tell. :D Still love tornado season!

Be ready for a dozen and one references to the song "War" by Poets of the Fall in the next chapter or two. It's had quite a hand in inspiring this part.

Thanks for your reviews. :3 Or just reading. Always fun.

Moonlit: I would say see Chase for short and awesome, but he's actually normal height.

DisneyXDGirl: Well, before we get all angry, let's remind ourselves what Douglas has done to the family before, which would lead Donald to doing what he felt was necessary to keep everyone safe and out of trouble. He doesn't know where Chase picked up his skills. Douglas seems like an obvious culprit in something like that. That being said, I'll let you smack anyone you want as much as you want for $20. ;)

Guest: I want to tell you SO BAD...But I can't. :(

gg180000: Nah. Just Chase's. Poor guy's hearing is a disadvantage at times.

AllAmericanSlurp: "Wait, it is?! I stared at it for hours! Am I gonna die?!"

StealthySerpentineShadows: Oly's hot-to-trot with her rhinestone-dotted wings. :P

Vampire Girl: Demon Chase is a sarcastic bastard. :3

Anyways, let's get on with it! Mr. Davenport, fire away!

"Zara doesn't own Lab Rats or anything you recognize. If you don't recognize it, it's probably hers."

"Feel it coming in the air. Hear the screams from everywhere. I'm addicted to the thrill. It's a dangerous love affair. Can't be scared when it goes down. Got a problem, tell me now. Only thing that's on my mind is who's gonna run this town tonight..."

Jay-Z (Featuring Rihanna and Kanye West), "Run This Town (Explicit)"

"...When I thought that I fought this war alone, you were there by my side on the front line..."

Poets of the Fall, "War"

Chapter Twenty - At the Sound of the Horn...

Chase

The next morning broke to an ominous fog. It was beyond dismal. Worse, everyone seemed down themselves. The air was thick with apprehension as we readied ourselves to walk head first into a trap. It seemed foolish, but what could we do? We had to shut Lovett's plan down.

Whatever he was planning, that is. We were still quite iffy on the details.

It was a strange feeling, cutting holes in my mission suit to let my wings and tail hang freely. Hell, it was strange just wearing it again. Especially when Adam and Bree weren't wearing theirs. They were expected to attend a formal event, after all, so they had to look the part. Adam had an instant advantage over Bree on that front; his classy tuxedo would be easier to move in than her slimming red dress. It rested just above her knees to allow her more ease if she needed to run. She forfeited heels for flats in pursuit of much the same goal.

Honestly, once Adam managed not to strangle himself with his red tie, they both looked very good. It was almost like we were going to a school dance for the first time again, even if their styles were minimalist in comparison. Bree didn't even bother with much jewelry. Just a pair of small diamond earrings and the bead I'd given her - hopefully, she kept it with her; I'd gotten Douglas to help me charm it to possibly provide an advantage to the family when she figured it out (we couldn't tell her that we messed with it; she would get rid of it immediately) - on a piece of twine around her right wrist.

God, that dance felt like it happened a lifetime ago. So much had changed since then, when we had nothing more to worry about than the occasional mission and keeping our bionics a secret. Before we even knew about Krane. Before we even knew about Douglas.

How time had changed us all.

"Where are you going to be, Chase?" Bree asked while she examined herself in one of the Lab's mirrors.

I snapped out of my reminiscing and cracked my neck. "Here and there. Before the ceremony starts, I'm going to be scouring the place with Oly. Once Lovett starts, though, we'll be in that room with you. You probably won't see us, but we'll be there."

"Yahn's staying with us, right?" Adam asked anxiously even though he knew that Yahn would indeed be near him and the others at all times.

Adam needed to speak more. Just saying. His voice was beautiful.

I nodded at him. "Right."

"And Douglas will be...?" Bree inquired further.

"Around," I answered. "He'll be around, working for any advantage we can get." It was the third time they had asked about mine and Douglas' side of the plan. We were the covert part of the operation, so our roles weren't perfectly defined like everyone else's. Theirs were easy: Stay on your toes and be ready to either flee or spring into action. Against what, though, we were still unsure. It made vigilance hard - I mean, what the hell were we supposed to be looking for? - but we would cross that bridge when we got there.

Adam nodded and cracked his neck. "Who's ready?"

"I am," Bree answered immediately.

It kind of stung that Adam was taking the lead, to be honest. However, in my absence, someone had to. I decided to let it slide.

Just this once.

"Let's do this," I answered, flexing my fingers a bit in the black gloves that I wore to acquaint myself once more with the feeling. It was like a second skin.

I know what you're thinking: "But Chase, you wear second skins all the time when you change forms, don't you?"

Yes, but gloves are different. They just are.

Mr. Davenport and Leo entered the Lab, both dressed in business suits. I wondered briefly why Adam wasn't wearing one, but decided not to ask. Who cared, really?

Leo handed Bree a small com' set. It was designed to fit discreetly in her ear, but she still brushed her hair to hide the ear it was in. Throw in a small flower clip to hold back the other side of her hair, and she was good to go. Mr. Davenport was wrestling Adam's onto his tie, where it could be accessed both by Adam and Yahn.

Because who else would the imp stick around, right? Even hidden, Yahn was likely to cling to Adam.

Leo caught my attention again when he held a com' set out to me. I smiled and took it, placing it in my left ear. As it wasn't designed for cat-eared people to wear, it took a bit of work, but I finally got it situated. As Leo put his on, Mr. Davenport pressed a hand to his ear. "Mic' check."

His voice buzzed over the speaker in my ear. "Got it," I answered into my microphone even though we were in the same room.

"Heard ya," Adam confirmed.

"Good here," Bree said.

"You sound really weird over a com' set," Leo teased.

"Kid's right," I heard Douglas respond from somewhere upstairs.

"I hate this thing already," I heard Oly growl.

"It's not that bad," Tasha said.

"Then we're as ready as we can get," Mr. Davenport said, ignoring the random commentary we'd started to check that everyone was online. "Everyone stick together and watch your backs. We're walking into unknown territory."

The only response to that disheartening warning came from Douglas, who sounded uncharacteristically serious now. "Good luck, and Gods help us all."

The building itself was a grand piece of architecture. The white building stood tall and proud, columns supporting the roof on the sides while the center rose above the rest to form a domed rooftop with a spire pointing straight up in the air. A building much like every other government building, but it seemed to give off a glow of majesty that impressed.

At least, it did from outside the black wrought-iron fence where Douglas, Oly and I were crouched. We'd been dropped off far from the entrance gate to allow us to maintain an element of surprise. I was relieved to find that Douglas hadn't worn a suit - such things were hard to sneak in - but he had donned a formal white button up collared shirt with a dark blue tie and khaki slacks to keep from sticking out too much. If we ended up going through mud, I was going to laugh so hard that I might jeopardize the mission.

We used the fog to our advantage as I used my molecularkenesis to create a gap in the fence large enough for Douglas to sneak through. Oly and I could just fly in, after all. Douglas couldn't. You know, humans and their limitations. What could you do?

I replaced the bars I'd messed up before nodding at Douglas, who pressed a finger to his earpiece. "We're in. Chase and Oly will scout out the more secluded areas inside. I'll be searching the places I can get access to."

"Don't get caught," was Davenport's response.

Douglas rolled his eyes. "It's like you don't even know me, Donnie."

Mr. Davenport didn't respond, and Oly started snickering. "You won't get caught. You're just casually found, right?"

I rolled my eyes this time while Douglas thumped her nose. As she rubbed it, he nodded at a side door. It appeared to lead into a kitchen area when it opened. "That's your ride, guys," he said quietly. He then hesitated before resting a hand on my shoulder. "Stay safe."

I nodded. "But if I'm caught, I'm giving your bitch-ass up."

"Deal," Douglas responded with a smile, knowing full well that I was joking. "See you guys on the other side." With thar, he patted my shoulder before seeming to melt into some bushes. It was a good thing he had finally taken some Tylenol, or all the sneaking would take its toll on his chest.

As for Oly and I, we became that most fearsome of creatures - the mighty housefly - and checked the planes. With no sign of demons or shields, we hovered around the side door and darted in when it was open. There wasn't much in there - stainless steel appliances, random chefs running around, so on - so we took our leave and found ourselves in a hallway. It had tan walls and brown mottled carpet, but was otherwise unimpressive for such a building.

I was disappointed in the architects, honestly.

While reports that nothing suspicious was happening came in regularly from the com' set, Oly flew into me as some demented way of getting my attention. "You go that way," she buzzed, gesturing towards one end of the hall with her front leg, "and I'll go the other." With that, she flitted off in her designated direction.

Constantly filtering through the planes, I flew through the first door and around an office. Nothing. So I went to the second one. Still nothing. Same with the third. And fourth. All the way down to the last one, where I had to stop.

There was a lot of residual energy coming from within.

Noting no traps, I turned into smoke and casually drifted under the door. I didn't see anything, but I could tell that something powerful had been in there recently. Though its signature was different from Azazel's Bane, it still made my essence tingle.

Whatever had been kept there was likely what Lovett planned to use in his plan.

I drifted out of the room and resumed my form as a gnat before flying rapidly towards Oly. She was leaving an office when I finally caught her. "Lovett has something powerful that isn't Azazel's Bane!" I buzzed excitedly.

"What is it?"

Well...damn it. "I don't know," I answered. "It was gone when I got there."

"Then we have to get to Lovett before he uses it!" Oly exclaimed. "To the main room!" She took off at an incredible speed - for a gnat - before I could say anything, so I just flew after her. We flitted into an entrance hall of sorts - where we flew gracefully over a few people's heads - and through some heavy wooden doors into the main chamber, passing a woman who was asking summoners to dismiss their demons to prevent distraction. Most complied while the few who refused had weak imps following them around. Useless creatures.

Anyways, the room was filled with rows of folding chairs before a small stage and had an extremely high ceiling, which allowed Oly and I to ascend above everyone and avoid the prying eyes of imps. As I looked down to locate my family - they had taken seats around the front of the crowd because Mr. Davenport didn't get dressed up not to be seen - Douglas - who had successfully positioned himself in the back - and possibly Krane - who was M.I.A. - I noted that the floor was thick, clear glass with red carpet beneath. I would have admired it if I wasn't focused on the podium on stage. An extremely intricate Summoner's Circle was situated discreetly behind it.

Let me educate the masses here: The more detailed and complicated the circles, the more powerful the demon that was being summoned. And this circle made mine look like kindergarden artwork in comparison.

I touched my little gnat leg to my shrunken com' set. "There's a Summoner's Circle on stage," I informed everyone. "Extremely detailed."

Before anyone could answer me, though, Lovett - Azazel's Bane around his neck - stepped out from behind the stage curtains and took his place at the podium.

Dead in the center of the circle.

I filtered through the planes and saw Jasper at plane six. He was drifting behind Lovett as a bee, thankfully oblivious to us. At least, he was for now.

Once the crowd grew silent, Lovett began to speak. "On behalf of the Mission Creek City Council, I would like to welcome you to the opening of the new Mission Creek City Hall!" Applause came from below us, but I wasn't really paying attention. Oly and I were both trying to locate the Summoner's Circle's counterpart. "Allow me to direct you attention to the ceiling for a moment," Lovett continued. Thank god Jasper didn't look up like everyone else. "See how the architects made it rise to an absolutely perfect dome? They did a fantastic job!" As another round of polite applause sounded, Oly gestured wildly towards the glass floor. Beneath it, the red carpet was being slowly pulled back while everyone was distracted.

I gasped as much as a gnat could. Encompassing the entire room was the missing Summoning Circle. I watched as the doors leading out closed quietly, no doubt to keep the people inside.

Well, shit was going to hit multiple fans. "Look beneath you!" Oly hissed into her com' set.

Both the Davenport group and Douglas glanced down. Where my family was confused, though, Douglas quietly replied, "A Summoning Circle beneath the carpet. Touché, Lovett."

"Stop fan girling!" I huffed.

I was sure someone would have responded - whether it was to agree, tell us to keep it civil, or make a snarky remark - but Lovett suddenly banged his open palm down on the podium with a wicked smile. Everyone suddenly focused on him, murmuring and a bit confused at his bold action. He stood up straighter. "It's a shame that all this hard work will be ruined so soon, isn't it?" He pulled a bronze horn - spiraled and curved; not unlike a mountain ram's - out of his jacket, causing the ruby of Azazel's Bane to catch the light for a second. "At least you won't be around to see the ruins. Aren't you lucky?"

"That's a Call!" Yahn exclaimed over the com' set. "It's for -"

"Meet Joraed!" Lovett unknowingly finished before he blew the horn, its sound like a deep wail of despair echoing all around.

About ten feet above Oly and I, a black, swirling portal split the air, its gravity immense, forcing Oly and I to flee to a safer location farther away so that we weren't sucked in.

Because Calls were special, one-use-only devices for quick summoning. What would have taken Lovett five minutes of chanting took a split second with the Call.

A massive demon - a good fifteen feet tall and almost transparent, like it was made of glass - slowly clawed its way through the portal and into reality, landing on the glass floor with enough force to crack it, missing my family and Douglas, but killing several people it did step on.

Joraed had arrived.

The stunned crowed suddenly understood the situation. Several screams sounded as chaos was born, made up of people scrambling for the doors or the corners of the room, hoping to be spared. Yet in the middle of this, over the com' set, Douglas simply stated, "And we're fucked."

Cliffhanger, bitches!

I truly am evil. :3 I should make this a profession.

Anywho, remember to review. Or don't Seriously, it doesn't matter. :3

And enjoy.

*Bows and exits*