╲⠀╲⠀╲             ╲
⠀⠀╲⠀╲⠀☆ ⠀          ╲ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀☆⠀ ╲⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀   ★
⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀★

𝟬𝟮. 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗚𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦
"ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ᴅᴇꜱᴘᴀɪʀ, ɪ ʀᴇᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʀᴜᴛʜ ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ᴡᴏɴ. ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴛʏʀᴀɴᴛꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴜʀᴅᴇʀᴇʀꜱ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀ ᴛɪᴍᴇ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴄᴀɴ ꜱᴇᴇᴍ ɪɴᴠɪɴᴄɪʙʟᴇ, ʙᴜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ ꜰᴀʟʟ. ᴛʜɪɴᴋ ᴏꜰ ɪᴛ — ᴀʟᴡᴀʏꜱ."
ᴍᴀʜᴀᴛᴍᴀ ɢᴀɴᴅʜɪ...

WITH THE NINE GATHERED CANDIDATES ALL IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM beginning to eat the dinner provided to them, Addison waits anxiously at one end of the large oak table for the imminent arrival of Captain O'Brien. He has a plate with some food half-heartedly piled onto it but he can't seem to want to touch it right now. His appetite is lost. Looking out at the bright faces of some of the younger candidates like Tara, Valeria, and Diora made the growing anxiety within him feel... more. It gave the anxiety substance. It made its deepest and darkest fears real.

Before, when Nessa was leading the team, they were all a tight-knit group. Hellbound had ten members only, each person skilled enough to show any of these rookies up in a heartbeat. Their group had become a family.

Hellbound was created many years ago but for the last five, it was run by Nessa. And he'd been there from the start with her, his best friend and his first love. They'd recruited friends from all over. Aidan and Fergal, the dastardly twins from Ireland with unmatched wit and connections to demonologists. Haddox from the UK who specialized in holy war. Helga from Germany, their techie. Raychelle from Brooklyn, James from Queens, Myra and Dezzi outta New Orleans. All muscle, all different skill sets and weapon specialties. It really was the dream team.

And they were all dead now.

All because of Addison's failure.

What if the same thing happened to this team?

He just didn't understand how Captain Kovacs or Captain O'Brien could place him in charge of Hellbound, why didn't they want to fire him and leave him to rot in his own misery? How could they be so sure he wouldn't lead them to ruin again? What if he did?

That ball of anxiety grows. It becomes worrisome, angry, fearful. It becomes more, more, more. It begins to take form, growing a face. And Addison can't really stop it. He doesn't know how. He tries the breathing techniques his therapist taught him, breathing deeply in and out, but it feels like a bandaid on the source of the problem.

A bandaid that works. For now.

Asmodeus' blood-red eyes fade from his mind.

He watches Jason with some level of interest, seeing how he begins to interact with the others in the group. Jason seems to already have taken the role of caretaker over them, making sure everyone is eating something and all their glasses are full. He carefully avoids Oakley in particular as everyone talks quietly amongst themselves, trying to learn about the others, but he still ensures the rather uptight Oakley is still fed by getting his fair share of dinner. Other than that, Addison can tell there's something off there.

Addison then turns his eyes to Ezra who must be the quietest member of the group, not particularly engaging in conversation with anyone. He sits off to the side, alone at the edge of the table picking with little interest at some casserole. Then they lock eyes and Addison knows he's doing the same thing; listening and learning. Ezra nods to him and tears his eyes away. Here in the well-lit conference room Addison can now make out the detail of a disfiguring scar that separates Ezra's head from his neck. It looks gruesome and there is no effort made on Ezra's part to cover it up.

Interesting, Addison thinks. I wonder what made that. Or who.

Tommy suddenly laughs then at something Nova's just said, the two are sitting next to each other and there's a redness to the back of Nova's neck and cheeks that makes Addison wonder what comment he just missed.

Valeria is sitting next to them, quiet for a moment before pitching in a soft word. She had a lovely smile but it looked unfamiliar on her face, probably something she didn't often do. Addison could begin to tell he was going to worry about her in the future, a lot. When he interviewed her, he could feel the tension beneath every word and action in Valeria's being; there was a storm brewing there and it would have to be kept in check unless they wanted it to consume them all.

Losing one's parents wasn't easy, after all. Addison knew what that was like just as she did, not once but twice. He couldn't imagine going through that pain more than once. Once was enough and it had devastated him. The car accident took both his fathers in one fell swoop.

Addison looks to Ishaan next to him, busy texting away on his mobile phone with a spoon hanging out of his mouth. He seems so unbothered by the others around him, immersed in whatever he was saying to whoever, fingers flying over the little keyboard on the screen. It only takes Addison a moment to come to the conclusion that it's probably his sister Arya on the receiving end. No doubt giving the good news.

He sighs and looks down at his plate again. As good as the food looks, he's not sure if he can manage to really eat anything. So, like most mealtimes in Addison's recent life, he pushes away the plate without taking a single bite and follows in Ishaan's path. He pulls out his phone just as it buzzes with a new text from none other than the Captain herself.

It reads, How many?

Nine, he texts back. You?

Five, including your brother.

Addison tries to not be upset about it every time he's reminded that his stubborn ass brother, Cody, is now going to be working on a team with him. He loves Cody and that's precisely the problem. If something does end up happening to the new team, Cody is the last person that Addison wants to potentially get hurt or have to clean up the aftermath if something happens to him! They were close. They'd always been close, ever since their parents adopted Cody into the family.

With that twinge of anger and fear, he slides the phone into his pocket again.

Those were pretty common emotions with him nowadays.

Right on cue with her usual timing, the door to the conference room opens and in strides Kiara O'Brien in all her stunning beauty and fearsome stature. She's wearing a sharp black pantsuit with a pistol clear on her right hip, black hair practically flowing like a waterfall down her back in little ringlets. It's mesmerizing to watch as the curls bounce when she moves. She walks directly towards Addison because she's the kind of boss that gets right to business and everyone's eyes are on her.

She gives him her charming smile, well aware the candidates are all scrambling to pick their jaws up off the floor at her entrance. Except for Addison and Jason, that is.

"Sergeant," Kiara holds out a hand for them to shake. They do and her grip is firm. "My apologies for being a few minutes behind. I would like to introduce you all to the rest of the team."

"Captain," he nods. "It's okay. Just glad you're here."

Kiara turns to the rest of the room as five more people enter in a single file. She announces their names as they line up at the front of the conference room.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Sergeant Cody Kang-Walsh. He'll be heading the HID for you techies."

Addison's brother holds his head high as he moves to stand beside Kiara. He's wearing a blue suit and tie and he's clearly polished his black shoes, you could practically use them as a mirror, they were that shiny. They exchange a quick smile before he turns his eyes away to the next team member to be introduced.

"Specialist Livia Stewart. She's our resident inventor, gadgeteer, and tinkerer. We keep her busy making new weapons, so if you've got problems, you find her. She fixes things."

Livia stands beside Cody now, significantly shorter than him. She has her shorter brown hair in two separate Dutch braids, a bright smile on her face. Her eyes scan the other people in the room almost excitedly. There's an innocence to her.

"Next up is Specialist Sasha Huntley." Kiara smiles. "She's my head of intel, I take good care of my girl and you all better do the same. She works hard and often alone."

Sasha looks at no one when she enters, eyes trained blankly ahead as she moves to stand next to Livia with her hands behind her back. Her mind seems to be in another place at the moment. She's wearing all black garb, an outfit she can easily move around in, with black boots that suspiciously sound steel-toed. Her entire vibe felt dangerous but then again that was her line of work. Danger, from the shadows. From people. From monsters. She seemed to thrive in it.

"I'd like everyone to meet Professor Grayson Parker, we've pulled him from the college to be a source of knowledge for us. He teaches demonology and he has worked in forensics, so I'll leave it up to you, Addison," Kiara locks eyes with him. "On where to place him and where to utilize his brain. Welcome to the SSB, Professor."

"Thank you!" Grayson gives a little wave to everyone in the room, a bright smile on his face. He walks with a bounce in his step and he moves to stand beside Sasha. He's kind of dorky looking with these wire-framed glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose but he's also got a pretty face and nice brown hair that looks like he frequently runs his fingers through it. To top it off, the man's wearing a warm brown cardigan that hangs from his lithe figure.

Kiara nods to the professor and glances across the sea of faces present as the last candidate enters the room, a wariness to her features that wasn't present before. She was trying to be careful.

"The last member I present you with is Cosmo Erikkson... half-demon looking to turn his life around."

And everyone's eyes are on Cosmo, observing every little surface detail about him from the horns protruding at the top of his head to his rundown sneakers with dirt all over them. He certainly appears as nervous as everyone else, hiding his hands in the sleeves of his blue sweater that's fraying at the hem as his eyes dart over each individual before the next. The room was deathly silent. He stops a few feet away from Grayson, beside himself.

Addison looks over the faces of the candidates, measuring their reactions in an instant.

Fear. Distrust. Skepticism. Anger?

But when Addison looks at Cosmo, he doesn't see the bad things that he's witnessed time and again from full-blooded demons. He doesn't see Asmodeus' eyes. He doesn't feel much fear at all, in fact Addison feels sympathy for the struggles he's sure that Cosmo has had to face in the past on account of his half-blood status. He can see the human side of him. The part that makes him just like everyone else.

Addison rises. Eyes follow him as he walks right up to Cosmo.

He knows what he has to do as their leader. To set an example for them all.

And so he extends a hand.

"Welcome to Hellbound, Cosmo," Addison tries to give the man a small smile. He keeps his voice gentle. "You'll work directly with me, okay?"

Cosmo hesitantly shakes his hand, grip surprisingly firm. "Yes- yes sir."

Kiara clears her throat, breaking the tension of the room. "Now that everyone has been introduced, I'll jump into the brief we have for you all about our current climate and mission. Everyone grab seats and more food, this is going to take a minute."

Addison moves back to his seat and gestures for Cosmo to sit beside him, next to Ishaan who is staring hard at Cosmo with no small level of interest. When Kiara addresses the room again, he turns his eyes away.

"For everyone sitting in this room, save Sergeant Walsh, Lieutenant Drake and those pulled from our other departments, welcome to the Supernatural Security Bureau. More importantly, welcome to Team Hellbound. Our top mission is to locate the Demon King Asmodeus and return him to Hell. Consider him on our Most Wanted list, there are others we will undoubtedly punish along the way, but he is the top priority."

Kiara puts a hand on her hip.

"You all have unique skill sets and valuable experiences that, together, will make you a good team. I don't expect you all to be friends but you will get along. Is that understood?" she rakes a sharp gaze over the room, daring someone to argue with her. When nobody does, she continues. "Good. We don't have time for petty fights or arguments with each other. You get paid to send demons back to Hell, so do it. As I'm sure some of you are aware, reports of lower-ranking demons causing all manner of mischief are being reported in the area. When Asmodeus is near, things tend to go haywire."

Addison briefly speaks up. "He incites violence by tampering with the emotions of others including his own kind. He can make you scared. He can make you angry. He can drive you to insanity. Other demons aren't even immune."

Kiara nods. "We have methods to reduce his influence that you'll all be taught very soon, but make no mistake: he is in control almost anywhere he goes. The things you'll see... the things you'll do... they're all him. We've been fighting with Asmodeus for years. Even when we put him away, he might stay down for a couple centuries but he always comes back. Nobody knows how or why or what his endgame is, but it is the responsibility of the SSB to handle anything Asmodeus-related."

Across the table, Addison catches Jason's eyes and holds them for a moment. A mutual understanding passes between them.

They were going to do whatever it takes.

"This time, it feels bigger. Whatever he's doing finally feels like the game is just beginning. So goodnight and good luck." Kiara O'Brien gives a firm nod to the room, then exits without so much as a glance behind her.

Their work is cut out for them.

Lacey's Note:
There it is, everyone is finally introduced! I hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter, I apologize for it taking so long for me to finally finish but hey at least it's here. I was trying to write another fic and it was frustrating me soooo I ended up working on this and have ended it in a spot I think is okay.

Characters introduced this chapter: Sasha, Livia, Cosmo, Grayson, and Cody.