Summon Lyght (15 page)

"
What you mean, you'll get him?" The only thing Tyler really knew about gangs was that they were seriously bad news. And he had no desire to learn more. He'd seen a few things during his grandfather's street life lessons, enough for him to be absolutely certain he wanted nothing to do with gangs.

He looked up at Tyler.
"For our mission." Francis leaned back in his chair and tossed his head, moving the red bangs away from his right eye. "I've been thinking. My dad and Dorn and Toren plan to do exactly as the enemy is doing, only for good, but they haven't really figured out how to do it effectively with gangs and the kids susceptible to them. I have. The demons take young kids and use them for their perversions. We're going to take them and use them for good." Francis pointed at the screen. "And this one is not only ripe for picking, but he's going to help me get valuable information we need."

"
How you figure?"

"
That one's secretly under the protection of the leader of the female gang. That's the kind of leverage we can use, maybe even get his protector on our side. She's rough but she's individualistic." He sat back with his hands clasped behind his head, staring at the screen. "I've been following their activity for a few weeks and have some pretty solid links into major demonic activity. If we hit their gang, we handicap a demonic cell. It may not be much, but it buys us time until all the Brotherhood of War come to put a final end to their scheme."

This was all news to Tyler and he didn
't know which question to get out first. "Brotherhood of War?"

Francis turned his chair to face Tyler completely, his eyes lit with reverent excitement.
"Those are the twelve Archangel Warriors in the Brotherhood of War. And trust me when I say they put the bad in badass. They are entering Earth one at a time and forming special warriors that can legally fight the demon hierarchy without causing more of a mess. But they can't engage in actual war against them until all twelve warriors are formed and united as one. Meanwhile," Francis gestured with a thumb to the screen, "we disrupt their disruptions."

Tyler shook his head in sheer awe.
"And your
dad
is one of these dudes?"

Francis didn
't hide his pride. "I know, right? He is one
bad-ass
mother." Francis mouthed the last words, his face flush with awe.

"
Wow, that's frickn awesome dude." Tyler pulled the stool near the desk and sat. "What did you mean by disrupt their disruptions?"

"
The bad guys are trying to destroy humankind before it's time."

"
How?"

Francis turned to his computer, brought up a world map and pointed to it.
"See all the dots?" He looked at Tyler. "Every color stands for something. Red for murder, blue for prostitution, green for pedophilia, yellow is for drugs."

Tyler wowed silently at the map with its heavy patches of solid black covering vast areas.
"What's the black for?"

"
False religion. It's black because it's the most dangerous."

"
Whoa. Guess that's a good color for it. You know I'm…I'm Christian, right?" It seemed a little lame after he said it, but he had to make sure they knew.

Francis gave him a one sided smile.
"I did know."

Tyler eyed him.
"Does it…does it show? I mean how can you tell?"

"
You glow."

Tyler
's eyes widened. "I glow?" Great. Just what he always wanted to do.

Francis chuckled.
"All that belong to the Redeemer of Man glow with his spirit."

"
Wow," Tyler whispered. That made sense. "What color?"

"
White."

Tyler laughed a little, still awed.
"Should have known." He shrugged and turned his attention to the screen. "What's the plan? Have you worked out how to get those guys?"

"
Well…" Francis crossed his slender arms over his chest. "I haven't figured that out yet.

Chapter Fifteen

"
Figured what out?"

Tyler jerked to the deep voice and yelped. A huge blue dragon stood there, high as the ceiling. The thing
's icy pale blue eyes squinted at Francis. "Maybe you should figure out when to tell us you learned how to take on human qualities?"

Francis sighed and Tyler turned to see why and jumped in surprise. Francis was red. Not just red, but a sort of clear, almost glowing red. Like a ruby. 
"Wow."

"
This is my true form." Francis shrugged like he'd been caught doing something illegal that he didn't consider wrong.

"
You called?"

Tyler wheeled toward the new voice. A slender woman stood in the door. She looked like liquid metal in a human-shaped container. The silvery metal swirled and flowed but also held solid form, sort of resembling a female Silver Surfer.

"I called you," the dragon grumbled. "I knew Francis was up to something. Just look at him."

"
Look at what?"

"
Show her Francis." The dragon's command left no room for argument.

Francis sighed again and suddenly appeared as the boy Tyler had first met.

The metal lady gasped. "How did you do that?"

He shrugged.
"When I think of being human, it just happens. Have you tried it?"

The dragon snorted.
"Of course we haven't tried it! Why in the Universes would we consider—"

The metal woman
's burst of laughter interrupted him and drew their attention again. She stood there as a blonde haired beautiful teenage girl. In a soft yellow dress that fit her perfectly. "Oh my
heaven!
" She turned clear blue eyes to Tyler and Francis.

Tyler finally dragged some air in past the sucker-punch to the gut feeling just looking at her gave him. Could anything so absolutely perfect actually exist?

"See?" Francis pointed.

"
Maxwell, try it!" The girl turned to the dragon, trembling with excitement.

"
I will not."

"
Pleeeeeeease? For me?"

The giant dragon snarled and sniffed. Tyler guessed it was kind of flustered.
"Peggy, I'm clearly not—"

"
Just try!"

"
Oh for crying out loud. Fine."

They all watched as those giant clear eyes rolled up in annoyed concentration. The result that followed caused a ruckus of laughter.

"You did it!" She clapped. "Except…" She angled her head, peering behind him.

The tall lean young man with ice-blue eyes and black hair to his shoulders scowled at the long slender tail curled on the floor behind him.
"I told you I couldn't."

"
You can practice! And we won't have to
hide!
Oh this is fantastic, I'm so tired of hiding, Maxwell!" She ran over and embraced him.

"
Whatever possessed you to think of this?" The dragon man scowled at Francis.

"
Whatever possessed us
not
to think of it?"

"
I'm with him." The girl, Peggy, pointed at Francis. "He's right. Absolutely and positively."

Maxwell rolled his eyes.
"You likely have been wanting to be a woman just so you can shop."

She gasped as though she hadn
't considered but definitely had dreamed. She hugged herself and spun around. "I could just
think
of whatever I want."

"
Ummm, no, you can't. At least not away from the compound. No powers, remember?" Francis frowned and Tyler imagined it was from the effort to keep his voice stern.

Her pretty blue eyes widened.
"Oh right." Then she smiled and Tyler was sure it was the prettiest smile he'd ever seen. "I'll just have to change before I leave." She turned her gaze directly to him and his breath caught in his throat. "What do you think? Do you think I'm pretty?"

The shameless question brought flames to his cheeks. Were his thoughts that plain?
"I…" He didn't dare want to offend her. His pride would have to suffer. "You're um… beautiful… actually."

She gasped and clapped as though she
'd won the Miss America contest. In Tyler's mind, she had. More like the Miss Universe.

"
There, it's gone." Maxwell turned, presenting his backside. He was dressed like that guy in that movie…what was his name? Sherlock Holmes. Oh yeah, Dr. Watson. Even had his accent.

Peggy covered her mouth and looked at Francis.
"Does Kassern know?"

Francis gave a tiny wince, so that was a negative.

Maxwell walked around like his legs felt funny, mumbling about strange fashions all while inspecting and straightening his clothes. "What is this made out of, anyway?" He sniffed and raised his brows. "Well that's a plus. My aquamarine properties are imbedded in the threads."

"
When do you plan to tell Kassern?" Peggy asked.

"
Well…I was hoping we might all…announce it together?"

"
I don't know what the big secret is," Maxwell mumbled. "We're in human form. Why would either of you suspect that is forbidden or sacrilegious? We change forms all the time." Maxwell perched carefully on the couch arm and met first Peggy's gaze then Francis'. "Well we are. This is a war. There is nothing to feel guilty about." He glanced at them back and forth. "Right?"

"
Right, right," they both answered quickly.

"
Unless…" Peggy fidgeted with her nails while rocking on her bare heels.

Maxwell snorted.
"I don't think you wanting to be a woman will be held against you."

"
But don't you wonder?" Francis sounded curious.

"
Wonder what?" Maxwell stood and leaned against the couch as though he couldn't seem to find a comfortable way to sit.

"
Why it's so easy. To change into this form, I mean."

"
Oh." Peggy's tone said that was on the bottom of her need to know list. She held up her hand and admired her nails that turned different colors all by themselves. "I didn't really think about it."

"
Of course you didn't." Maxwell curled his lip a little then turned away to clear his expression.

She dropped her hand.
"What is that supposed to mean?"

Maxwell raised both hands.
"Now don't take that tone. I don't want to fight."

"
Sure you do."

"
Surely I don't."

She let both hands flop down to her side.
"You know I hate when you call me stupid."

Maxwell gasped and looked at Francis.
"Did I call her stupid?"

"
Don't drag me into this." Francis paled a little, as if he dreaded listening to something they'd been through a thousand times.

Maxwell turned to Tyler. But all Tyler saw was the pain behind Peggy
's anger. "You didn't say it outright but…I heard it."

Peggy gave a loud
ha
and pointed at Maxwell. "Finally, somebody who isn't afraid to stand up to the great and powerful dog-eared baboon dragon!"

Ouch.

"Well thank you for that, young man." Maxwell crossed his arms and glared at Tyler.

Tyler didn
't appreciate the young reference. "You're quite welcome, mister." Smarty-pants, he wanted to add, but then a weird
clickety clack
out in the hall caught his attention.

"
Lyght said I'd…"

All eyes turned to the door where a giant
scorpion
maneuvered massive pincers through the door one at a time before following with the rest of its body.

"
Sorry, I thought I heard…"

Tyler couldn
't decide whether the giant talking scorpion was terrifying or hilarious. And the thing was clear! Well, not totally, but it was made of something whitish that was darn near clear—stone? He literally looked like a giant diamond scorpion. No other way to describe him. Which was In. Sane.

"
It's us, Robert." Maxwell gave a little finger waggling wave.

Peggy returned to her original metal form and ran to the scorpion
's side and hugged it. Maxwell changed as well, only his dragon was half the size he had been before. "Greetings Robert. How goes your journey thus far on this strange planet?"

"
Just like the human weather man predicted. Cloudy with a chance of freak thunderstorms. All in the span of a few hours." The scorpion nodded at Tyler. "Hello again."

Tyler looked around to see if there was somebody else behind him.
"We've met?"

"
Demon, two o'clock. Run."

Tyler gasped at the replay of the voice he
'd heard in his head at Miya's house just before he saw that creature. "That was you?"

The scorpion nodded again.
"Lyght had me on ba—uh, bodyguard duty." The scorpion turned with a faint clatter of multi-jointed legs to look at Peggy and Maxwell full on. "How did you do that?"

Peggy seemed to know exactly what he meant and blurted,
"We just
think
it! And it's
so
easy! Try it! Go on, please, please,
please
."

He held up a pincer
"Stop. I need to acclimate before I attempt that trick. I'm exhausted." He moved fully into the room with more clattering joints and plopped himself to the floor in what looked like a carefully coordinated routine despite sounding like a sack of broken glass.

Reality pricked at Tyler
's mind and he blinked, feeling like he was stuck in a dream that was really more nightmare.

"
You okay?"

Tyler looked at Francis. Francis the ruby man-boy.
"I'm…just kinda weirded out." He looked at Peggy. And Maxwell. And Robert the scorpion. "I only ever see humans."

The three of them suddenly resumed their human form, looks of concern on their faces. Tyler stared around at them, confused.
"I'm okay, it's just…"

"
You don't look very okay." Maxwell bent a little and peered at him closely.

The back of his neck suddenly prickled and sent an uncomfortable chill down his back. Tyler raised one hand to rub at the annoying sensation but froze with it halfway up. His entire forearm shook and trembled. Oh. He stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Are you going to be sick?" Peggy rushed over and stroked his cheek.

"
Please, don't…" Tyler didn't know what to say without looking like an idiot or offending her.

She pulled her hand back.
"Do I repulse you?" She sniffed her hand. "Do I smell?" She turned to Francis, worried.

He shook his head.
"It's not you."

"
I can do black hair." Her hair changed to black licorice. "Or red. How about short?" Her hair changed again. "What about lavender? Oh! Magenta!" She went through several colors and styles until Tyler felt responsible for the crayon show.

"
Stop!" Tyler said. "You're perfect the way you were. Trust me." He turned to Francis. "Tell her."

"
You're perfect to him."

"
Not to me," Tyler corrected.

"
Not to you?" she asked.

Tyler
's mouth hung open at how badly the whole thing was going. "Yes to me. To everybody."

"
To you." Maxwell smiled a little.

"
Yes, that's true." Of course Francis agreed with Maxwell.

"
To you?" Hope filled Peggy's clear blue eyes as though being perfect to him was suddenly the most important thing. And Tyler was ready to consent to anything just to get out of the spotlight.

"
Yes. To me."

"
I'm perfect to you?"

Was she really going to make him say it again? He looked at Francis, desperate, but the red dude only chuckled and raised his hands, no help.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Tyler met her beautiful gaze head on and bit the bullet. "You are."

"
Perfect to you?" She raised an eyebrow in question, insisting he be clearer.

"
You are perfect to me. Very perfect. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen up close." Oh crap. Well, at least his Gramps would be proud of him for manning up.

She giggled, leaned in, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you." Then she spun away, and danced to some unheard tune in her head. Maybe the Cinderella theme song, whatever that was, all while Tyler's mind zeroed in on the spot where her lips had touched his skin. It still tingled and he couldn't stop his hand from going to the spot.