Into The Dark Read online

Page 29

 

  Eyes: Mismatched—one brown (normal eye) and one blue (believed to allow subject to see into the spiritual world)

  Butterfly tattoo: Upper left shoulder, front of chest

  Other distinguishing marks: Face and body are covered in scars. Subject emits an odor of roses presumed to be linked to his demon.

  Preferred weapon: Knives. Beware poisoned tips.

  Demon culpability: Death is ultimately responsible for deciding which souls ascend to heaven and which are ushered to Hell. It’s believed that the subject uses his bias against the Hunters not only to kill their bodies, but to unfairly ensure that their souls never make it to heaven.

  Notable background: Subject is believed to have disfigured his own face and body centuries ago in a fit of rage, indicating an unstable temperament and a harmful nature. Subject can travel outside his body and has been known to transport himself from one location to the next faster than the eye can see, making him a unique threat.

  Achilles heel: Two of note. The first, when subject’s…soul, if that’s what it is, leaves his body, that body is left vulnerable. That might be the perfect time to strike. Second, subject seems to have grown attached to Anya, minor Greek goddess of Anarchy. Also noteworthy: Anya is believed to have been bound by a curse herself, possibly hampering her powers. Recon team to investigate further in the hopes of exploiting the knowledge for the greater good.

  Objectives: Take a divide-and-conquer approach by separating subject from the minor goddess of Anarchy so subject will suffer. If we can kill the goddess, forcing Death to separate soul from body, he will be most vulnerable. Note: The minor goddess has a penchant for petty theft, incendiary behavior and general insubordination. Following a recent confrontation in Chicago, she has been deemed a nemesis of the angel Galen and thus her permanent capture is of particular interest to the Hunters.

  Reyes

  (BUDAPEST CONTINGENT)

  Demon: Pain

  Height: 6'5''

  Hair: Dark brown

  Eyes: Brown

  Butterfly tattoo: Chest and neck

  Other distinguishing marks: Deeply tanned skin; frequently sports scabs caused by self-mutilation

  Preferred weapon: Daggers; sword; guns

  Demon culpability: Physical pain and suffering throughout the ages are attributed to this demon’s acts of random cruelty.

  Notable background: Subject has been witnessed going to excruciating lengths to cause himself pain. Jumping off rooftops and cutting his flesh are among his pastimes.

  Achilles heel: Subject formed an attachment to human female Danika Ford following her kidnapping at the hands of fellow Lord Aeron. I personally did my utmost to recruit Danika to our cause, even convincing her to stage her own (second) kidnapping so the demons would rescue her and unwittingly bring a spy into their midst. The woman showed tremendous potential but was ultimately seduced by the dark side and aligned her loyalties with the Lords. I count her defection as a personal failure.

  Objectives: Separate subject from Danika. Imprison him until Pandora’s box can be found. Demonstrate to Danika the consequences of choosing the wrong allegiance in battle.

  Paris

  (BUDAPEST CONTINGENT)

  Demon: Promiscuity

  Height: 6'8''

  Hair: Varying shades of brown and black

  Eyes: Blue

  Butterfly tattoo: Lower back

  Other distinguishing marks: Subject is widely regarded as the most physically appealing of all the Lords.

  Preferred weapon: Sword

  Demon culpability: Out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and infidelity all can be laid at Promiscuity’s doorstep.

  Notable background: Subject weakens without frequent physical release and cannot have sexual relations with the same woman twice. Subject has been known to seek out male partners as a last resort if no women are available, though he does not appear to enjoy such forays.

  Achilles heel: While imprisoned in Hunters’ research facility in Athens, subject formed a fascinating bond with the late female Hunter Sienna Blackstone (R. I. P. ) and managed to overcome his demon’s aversion to repeated sexual contact with the same woman. Since his untimely escape to Budapest, he has been reported to be relying heavily on ambrosia to regulate his moods and get him through the day.

  Objectives: Exploit subject’s dependence on ambrosia if possible. Perhaps even arrange for him to receive a tainted batch. Dangle the promise of information about Sienna in order to lure him back to Athens facility for further testing.

  Aeron

  (BUDAPEST CONTINGENT)

  Demon: Wrath

  Height: 6'6''

  Hair: Military-cropped, brown

  Eyes: Violet

  Butterfly tattoo: Middle of back

  Other distinguishing marks: A pair of black gossamer wings hidden by slits in his back when not in use. Face and body are covered with tattoos of war scenes, weaponry and the demon’s victims. Two eyebrow rings.

  Preferred weapon: Subject does not discriminate and embraces any weapon at his disposal.

  Demon culpability: Wrath ostensibly preys only on victims it considers deserving of punishment. However, this pretense of meting out “justice” is clearly the demon’s twisted attempt to rationalize its killing sprees and evil deeds so it can continue to cause harm without consequences.

  Notable background: Subject was taken over by bloodlust due to a curse of unknown origins and nearly killed human female Danika Ford in addition to her maternal grandmother, mother and older sister. Though the bloodlust seems to have passed, subject continues to be considered a menace to society.

  Achilles heel: Subject views himself as godlike and humans as fragile and beneath him; however, his current determination to repay his fellow demon Paris for deeds unknown might prove a weak spot to be exploited. Subject is also devoted to the female demon minion Legion and has sworn to protect her from harm. Additionally, subject appears to be having apparent hallucinations that an invisible presence is spying on him.

  Objective: Use subject’s devotion to fellow Lords and the minion Legion against him. Recon team is also determining ways to turn his hallucinations to the Hunters’ advantage.

  Torin

  (BUDAPEST CONTINGENT)

  Demon: Disease

  Height: 6'5''

  Hair: White, shoulder-length

  Eyes: Green

  Butterfly tattoo: Stomach

  Other distinguishing marks: Always wears long black gloves

  Preferred weapon: As subject is confined to the Budapest fortress he has dubbed “the House of the Damned,” he does not generally use weapons but is believed to have gun and sword training.

  Demon culpability: Disease is responsible for at least two known plagues that resulted in thousands of casualties. This demon is also at the root of cancer deaths and all additional pestilence, most recently the dreaded Swine Flu pandemic.

  Notable background: Subject is unable to touch another living being skin-to-skin without infecting it with disease; subject wears protective clothing at all times and maintains his distance from others to prevent such an occurrence. Subject chooses to hide in the Lords’ fortress rather than accept the public blame he deserves for the illnesses he continues to cause, despite his “attempts” to keep the world “safe. ”

  Achilles heel: Subject’s battle skills have likely diminished due to his confinement. He could be the weak link of the Lords and vulnerable to capture. A suspected relationship with female Lord Cameo has distracted the subject, and could also be used to Hunters’ advantage.

  Objectives: Exploit the subject’s unique vulnerabilities and use this weakest link to take down the rest of the Lords. If we could somehow arrange for subject to touch the other Lords, they would not be killed, but they would never again be able to touch their loved ones without killing them. Such a realization might just cause the
m to turn themselves in.

  Sabin

  (LEADER OF THE GREECE CONTINGENT)

  Demon: Doubt

  Height: 6'7''

  Hair: Brown

  Eyes: Gold-brown

  Butterfly tattoo: Right ribcage and waist

  Other distinguishing marks: Wears a necklace believed to be a gift to him from his deceased friend, Baden, demon of Distrust, the Hunters’ first victim.

  Preferred weapon: Subject used to rely on knives, guns, throwing stars et al, but now, like the coward he is, he prefers to hide behind his Harpy bride for protection.

  Demon culpability: The vilest of all demons whispers insecurities into the ears of anyone within reach and causes crippling, at times life-threatening self-doubt. This demon and the despicable creature who houses it are directly responsible for the suicide of my beloved wife, Darla, eleven years ago.

  Notable background: I find it impossible to write objectively about my most deeply hated foe. This monster who calls himself a man seduced my faithful wife away from me with false promises and dirty lies and coaxed her to betray my secrets. When he’d gotten what he needed from her, he let his demon go to work, and the next thing I knew, my wife had slashed her wrists.

  Achilles Heel: His single-minded devotion to Gwendolyn the Timid, his Harpy wife. Due to recent complications at our Chicago training facility, we are uncertain as to the extent to which we might be able to use her against him. But sometimes it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

  Objectives: Secretly, without Galen’s knowledge, separate subject from his wife. Seduce her, as subject likes to seduce other men’s wives, and arrange for subject to find her dead, bleeding body.

  Gideon

  (GREECE CONTINGENT)

  Demon: Lies

  Height: 6'3''

  Hair: Dyed Blue

  Eyes: Blue, kohl-rimmed

  Butterfly tattoo: Right thigh

  Other distinguishing marks: Multiple piercings and general Goth appearance

  Preferred weapon: All of them. Subject seems to have no specific preference, using whatever is nearby.

  Demon culpability: Lies has infiltrated politics worldwide, resulting in false promises from world leaders and the disintegration of modern society.

  Notable background: Subject is unable to tell the truth without experiencing terrible pain. My forefathers were able to capture and contain subject for a prolonged period of time and, in the course of limb-regeneration experiments, removed subject’s feet. Unfortunately, subject ultimately escaped with the aid of his demon cohorts and both his feet have since grown back. The feet we removed, however, we are still in possession of. We exacted revenge in Chicago recently with the removal of both subject’s hands, but again were unable to contain him for long. We now have the removed hands, as well.