the DIMO(N) facility had been found but embarrassed that so obvious a security breach had taken so long to spot. It was her clothes that should have given her away, the loose blouse buttoned up around her neck, the long skirt. A young woman these days simply did not dress that way unless she had some specific reason, like particular kinds of religious belief. That wasn’t why she had become a suspect. She’d been trapped by the oldest of all investigative techniques, information leaked to various people with subtle differences that identified the recipients. Then, when the net had started to close, everything else had dropped into place. A fundamentalist family, a preacher for a father, it had all made sense.
“Hey Kamikaze, we’ve got some help with the interrogation.” Sith lifted up his eyebrows. The nickname had come from a time long ago when he was a newly-qualified agent and the Bureau had staged a raid on a bar that had been identified as the headquarters of a multi-state drug smuggling ring. For some reason unknown even to himself, he’d tied a Japanese hachimaki around his forehead before the team had broken in. Whatever the reason, the name had stuck. “Lugasharmanaska, this is Agent-in-Charge ‘Kamizaze’ Sith. The suspect is the interrogation room.”
“Pleased to meet you Luga. I enjoy your television show. Is it true nobody can lie to a succubus?”
Luga laughed and shook her head. “That was thought up by the show publicists.”
“Oh well, I guess the powers that be think your pheremones will get us some co-operation. It’s good of you to help us out”
“I was here anyway, Agent Sith, so it was not a matter of difficulty for me. I think that is what they hope yes. If not, perhaps the presence of a daemon from hell will scare her? I understand she was very religious?”
“She wore this.” Sith held out a crucifix and was interested to note that Luga didn’t shy away from it or cover her eyes. Another legend busted. “After The Message, to keep wearing that, yes I’d say she was religious. That’s why she sold us out.”
Inside the room, Kathryn Branch was terrified of what might happen. Her father should have been at Waco years before but had been delayed on his trip to the community and hadn’t been there when the FBI had assaulted the building. Ever since that day, she’d been brought up to fear and hate the Federal agencies her father had held responsible for all the deaths. Then, The Message had come and she and her family had laid down and waited to die as ordered. Only, the Archangel Michael himself had come down and picked her up, explaining that she had been chosen for a very special mission, to watch over the humans who were Left Behind. He had explained to her that she had become part of a very special group of humans chosen for this role, ones who were exempt from the ruling of universal damnation. And so she had become one of the group, reporting back what she had found out. Then she had been drafted and assigned to DIMO(N) and her services had become of even greater value.
She looked up and saw to men from the FBI and a third figure, a tall woman with a dead white skin and small red horns pushing through her hair. Branch recognized her immediately, the succubus that had a new career as a television star. The grim words ran through her mind ‘you can’t lie to a succubus.’ She found herself realizing that Luga was actually quite attractive, then understood that its evil was already corrupting her.
“You are Kathryn Branch?” One of the FBI men spoke quite gently. Branch shook her head, she might not be able to lie with a succubus present but she could say nothing. It took an effort because she had this continued urge to please the daemon in front of her.
Five hours later, she had, with great effort, managed to continue her refusal to speak. Maintaining silence had taken every bit of strength she had but it had been worth it to see the frustration on the faces of the two FBI men. The daemon just stared at her, emotionless, unblinking, evil.
“We’re not going to get much out of her.” Sith eventually sighed, “we can carry on tomorrow.”
Luga stared at the girl. “I’m hungry.”
“So am I. There’s some nice restaurants in town.”
“No, I’m hungry now. They look nice.” Luga pointed at Kathryn Branch’s breasts.
“Luga, you can’t!” Sith was horrified.
“You can’t stop me. I’m stronger and faster than you and it takes a lot of bullets to kill us. And I’m hungry now.” Luga reached out and ripped open Branch’s blouse, then grabbed one of her breasts. She pulled it, stretching it out and opened her mouth exposing her fangs just a few inches from her supposed snack.
“Get her away from me!” Branch panicked, screaming the words, mixed out with weeping and fear. “Get that hell-spawn away from me. I’ll tell you anything, just don’t let her….”
Luga stepped away and grinned at the two stunned FBI men. “There you are. You humans are so afraid of being eaten. Of course, you can’t use her confession in court. Call me back if there are any more problems with her.”
Kathryn Branch was already babbling out a long list of the people she had contacted in her espionage ring. As she left, Luga stopped and patted her on the head. “Kathryn, fangs for the mammaries.”
Chapter Thirty
Eastern District Federal Court, Raleigh, North Carolina
“Your honor, this is the most outrageous infringement – no, your Honor, infringement is too mild a word – the most outrageous flouting of my client’s constitutional rights that it has even been my misfortune to encounter. Miss Branch was denied legal representation… .. “
“Objection! Your honor, the defendant made no request for legal representation, in fact she made no statement at all until her final breakdown.”
“Sustained. Strike the reference to the defendant being denied legal representation.”
“My client was also drugged and threatened with sexual assault and mutilation at the hands of a cannibalistic….”
“Objection! Miss Sharmanaska is not a human being therefore the accusation of cannibalism is contrary to fact. In any case, as the videotape records of the interrogation clearly show, the defendant was never threatened or hurt in any way. Nor was she deliberately drugged. At this point, we believe it would clarify matters greatly if the court was to watch these videotapes. We believe they clearly refute the statements made by the defense.
Judge Candlass looked at the courtroom, the federal attorney prosecuting the case, the FBI agents who had made the interrogation and the succubus who had assisted them. His eyes were drawn to Lugasharmanaska, noting the yellow eyes with slit pupils set in darkly-shadowed sockets, the dead white skin of the face and hands, changing to the shiny black of the rest of her body, the red horns emerging from the pinkish hair. She was, he thought, quite charming. Then he shook himself. “Very well, we will watch the videotape. How long is it?”
“Five hours and five minutes your Honor.” The judge winced.
“Your Honor, the defense is prepared to stipulate that my client said nothing for the first five hours. The essential part of the tape is the last five minutes. We would be agreeable to showing just the first ten minutes of the tape to prove my client made no incriminating statements and the last ten to show the court the despicable assault upon her constitutional rights.”
“That sounds reasonable.” The judge spoke with relief. “Clerk of the Court, please show the tape in the manner described.”
Up on the television screen, the grainy image showed Kathryn Branch refusing to answer the questions put to her. The two FBI agents couldn’t even get her to confirm her name or any other personal details. She just sat their, ignoring their increasingly-irritable questioning. Throughout the whole procedure, Lugasharmanska just sat there, emotionless and unblinking, her yellow eyes fixed on Branch. Eventually the Agent-in-Charge turned to his assistant.
“We’re not going to get much out of her.” Sith eventually sighed, “we can carry on tomorrow.”
Luga stared at the girl. “I’m hungry.”
“So am I. There’s some nice restaurants in town.”
“No, I’m hungry now. They look nice.” Luga pointed at Kathryn Branch’s breasts.
“Luga, you can’t!” Sith was horrified.
Lugasharmanska turned slightly and the videocamera picked up her winking at Sith. Then she turned back to Banch and stared at her again. Branch went white, her eyes widening in fear, then she suddenly collapsed across the table, sobbing in fear. “Get her away from me!” Branch panicked, screaming the words, mixed out with weeping
