Yue

 28th January

13:25 GMT -5

"Orange Lantern to Aquagirl."

…

Nothing. Damn it. Ring, show me.

"Buzz, are you talking about Carol Bowen?"

"Yeah, that's it. No idea why she picked it. Valeria's a lovely name."

The image appears in my mind, Fort Pickett… More or less as it should be. I don't know exactly what the arrangements the camp commandant made for our occupation were, but nothing.. particularly strikes me as strange about the soldiers' placement. And we didn't study the metaphysiques of her staff in any detail because Triskele was the greater threat and preparing for her required our magician's full attention. They could be disguised succubae using Devil Jizz as a disguise, humans looking for demonhood…

"Orange Lantern to team. We've captured and interrogated Buzz. He's admitted several crimes but says that the Devil Jizz was being produced by Carol Bowen, who he claims is a succubus. I am unable to contact Doctor Fate or Aquagirl. Aqualad, orders?"

"What is the status of Fort Pickett?"

"Doesn't look like anything is out of the ordinary. However, several demons have demonstrated ways to defy my scans."

"Time is of the essence. Take Cornwall Boy and perform reconnaissance. Inform us when you know more."

"Confirmed."

I fly rapidly down, depositing Buzz as I reach ground level.

"Cheers, mate. I'll be-."

"You want to stay right here."

"-staying right here." He looks around. "Never really took the time to smell the roses."

I fly back up to Robert.

"Ready?"

He nods, and the sky flickers as we transition to fifty metres from the front entrance of the base. While I could have brought us to the middle, defensive wards work best with established boundaries and there are all sorts of things a two thousand year old succubus could have set up. Still not seeing anything odd.

"Cornwall? Are you getting anything?"

He drops to the ground, looking towards the entrance gate. "Someone's using magic over there, and some of it feels like demon." He sounds a little despondent. "I can't… Really…"

Because he's not a thaumaturgist, and his great grandfather has mostly been teaching him how to use his abilities rather than teaching him magic theory. And I'm asking him for something a pure magician could do easily but which he can't.

"Fine. Let's-."

Rounds patter off my environmental shield and Robert blurs away from me as a volley pings off the road where he was standing a second before! The soldiers at the gateway are kneeling and firing at us. Good accuracy, but they're only using mundane automatic rifles.

"Soldiers attacking us."

I generate construct armour and fly at them, Robert following me a heartbeat later. The soldiers recognise that their shots are doing nothing to me and switch to him, but all that happens as their rounds hit home is that a thin film of metal begins to spread across his chest. Ward Against Metal is a remarkably useful spell in the modern era.

One bright spark has the idea of throwing a grenade our way, so I catch it and defuse it before it can risk hurting them. Honestly, that suggests to me that whatever enchantment is directing them has done a number on their combat skills. In an open environment the fragments the grenade throws out strike with less force than a volley from a rifle. I stop just before them, construct filaments flashing out and stunning them, taking hold of them as they fall and depositing them safely on the ground.

"Cornwall, can you confirm that they're under demonic influence?"

More shots strike my construct armour, and I raise a construct barrier to prevent deflections and near-misses hitting the soldiers on the ground.

Robert kneels and puts his hands on a soldier's head. "Yes, definitely demon."

"Orange Lantern to Angelica. Demonic incursion in progress in Virginia. Are you anywhere near a zeta tube?"

"Yes, I'm on the Watchtower. What sort-?"

"Two thousand year old ex-human succubus, her assistants and numerous mind controlled soldiers. Creating zeta tube construct now."

"Recognised, Angelica, Two Seven."

She steps out, wings flared and white/golden light radiating from her wings. "Be cleansed."

The incoming fire falls off immediately, soldiers who had been sprinting towards us stumbling and blinking in confusion. Right, good. Ring, where is-?

There's a yellow-gold flare of light from the barracks area, and a large purple-skinned demon is sent flying through the wall of one of the housing structures! Mister Quinn in full Doctor Fate mode follows up, a rain of ankhs flying from a golden disk floating just in front of his right hand biting into its skin! I generate railgun constructs and load mageslayers while Robert sprints towards the demon as it struggles to regain its feet. I'd guess that we're looking at Valeria, but we can confirm that once she's down.

Mister Quinn spreads his arms wide, causing two golden disks to appear above the demoness. She gets her feet under her, just in time for a golden chain to drop down from each disk and wrap themselves around her arms and upper torso.

"In the name of Order, I bind you!"

Mister Quinn's got that. What can I do? Ring, locate the other people being held here.

In a building-. Ah. I'm going to assume that she was siphoning power from them. Sex under the influence of demon magic… Neither they nor their partners appear in any physical danger, so I can leave that to a professional trauma counsellor. Where was the power going? Don't know. Ring, locate demonic sigils-.

I fly at speed to the canteen, pulling the wall out of the way to give me space while I examine the drawing on the floor. Tula unsteadily walks towards it, sigils of water forming as she tries to do.. something.

"Aquagirl?"

"She already left. I'm… Trying to-." She sags, shaking her head. "No. She's gone."

I fly closer. "Are you injured? Did she entrance you?"

She nods. "It was.. subtle. I thought they were just being.. helpful. Friendly. Then she was all I could think about."

I look behind me, to where the demoness… No, the human woman who was presumably enhanced by Devil Jizz, slumps in Mister Quinn's chains. The receptionist.

"Where did she go?"

"Back.. to Hell, I think. She had me draw.. this while she was working on the others. Doctor Fate-."

"He's physically fine."

I sigh in frustration. I think we can forget about prosecuting anyone, except some of Buzz's cultists. Any competent defence lawyer would point out that if Valeria could control Doctor Fate then none of her other employees stood a chance. And we couldn't use truth compulsion -even if it was admissible- because they probably don't know how much control of themselves they had.

"Angelica is on-site. Have her check you over for any lingering magic, then head back to the Mountain." She nods. "I've got to go and check up on Ms Danvers."