Acteon Syndicate

Chapter 6: Aristotle and Inise

"Where are we?" Allis asked as they exited the tunnel. A river ran from the tunnel exit into a dark cave.
"We need to talk." Annalee frowned and gripped Allis's arm.
"Uh oh. She's giving you the 'I'm in charge' look." Diomedes looked at Annalee. "Fine, I'll get the key."
"You could have gotten yourself killed!" Annalee yelled. "I told you to run, not dive in the water."
Allis rolled her eyes. "Aristotle thought it was a good idea."
"I don't give a shit as to what Aristotle thinks!" Annalee screamed. "Shut up, Aristotle. Yes, you got us out, I do appreciate you. Yes! I'm pissed!" Annalee turned back to Allis. "You are vital to our mission. We're almost home free, then you'll learn everything, Allis. And whether or not you realise it, I care about you a lot. You are my best friend, have been for years. I need to keep you safe. Stay by me or by Diomedes, understood?"
"I'm sorry, Annalee."
"Another thing, when we're in the field, I'm Uli, not Annalee."
"Uli! We're ready!" Diomedes called.
"Inise." Uli said as the cave lit up, illuminating a door. Diomedes pushed a key through the hole and turned it. Uli pulled open the door, revealing a large room. "Welcome to Ground Zero."

"Welcome home, team." A voice echoed through the room. The door closed behind Allis and she took it all in. The walls were stone, with ladders reaching the second and third levels. The same metal grates in the tunnel jut out like balconies on the higher levels. Diomedes jumped up, grabbed onto the grade and swung himself over the railing.
"Here, I am Annalee. First floor is weapons and training." She explained. "Second floor is where we sleep."
"That's all nice, Ann, but I need to know what's going on." Allis said.
Annalee started up the ladder. "All in time. First we need to go to the third floor."
"What's on the third floor?" Allis asked as she climbed.
"Aristotle."

The third floor was made of the same stone throughout the large room. Covering the walls were large screens of various shapes and sizes. Some flashed numbers, others flashed colors, pictures, what looked to be footage from a security camera. At the center of the whirlwind of information, a young man, a bit older than Allis, moved back and forth, typing on various keyboards, while he danced back and forth in an office chair on wheels. He had brown hair and blue eyes. He wore golden colored headphones around his neck. He pushed his goggles into his hair and turned to face Allis and Annalee. "'Sup."
Allis stepped forward. "I'm-"
"Inise. It means innocent. Your birth name is Allisaria Marie Grant, Marie after your grandmother. You prefer Allis, over Allisaria, and your father's name is Hadley."
"You must be Aristotle."
"Sure am. Though you can call me Rand."
Annalee leaned onto the railing. "Rand is in charge of all the math and science of our operations. We are a special team, one of many, that assists in keeping the peace on Earth."
"Keeping the peace?"
Rand tapped a few keys and many different creatures, each more horrifying than the last, appeared on a screen. "These are Ebony Demons. You've met a Hell Shadow. They hide and flourish in darkness. Defeated with guns. The Ebony Demon you met in the tunnel was a Gutling. You've got the Blood Howlers that only comes out at night." He pointed to a wolf-like creature that looked as if it were made entirely of blood. That's just the tip of the tower, you've got millions more."
"Rand knows every detail on every Ebony Demon." Diomedes said as he climbed the ladder. "I'm the tank of our little team. I do a lot of the leg work. Annalee, or Uli, in the field, is our leader."
Allis moved closer to the screens. "So Ebony Demons have subcategories? Why have code names at all?"
"Yes, many subcategories, just as with animals. You call them animals, then you have mammals and amphibians." Rand explained. "Then it goes even farther. Lions, tigers, snakes, frogs, spiders. The list goes on and on. It's no different with Ebony Demons."
The leader of the Ebony Demons, Mister Ebony himself, is looking to take over Earth and enslave humans using his demons. Recently, we tracked Ebony's movements to a cave in the North Pole." Rand tapped a few more keys and brought security camera footage on the screens as Annalee explained. "He found the Topaz Insignia, an ancient artifact used to travel through time."
Diomedes cut in. "It gives him the power to destroy the entire human race and change everything. But, it requires the blood of the innocent to do so."
"I'm the innocent. That's what the Hell Shadow said." Allis looked around. "Why?"
"Your mother was one of us. You are the first child born without taking on the responsibility." Rand explained. "You are Inise, innocent."
"Inise." Allis repeated. "The innocent."

A/N Above picture is of Aristotle/Rand