Teo and Calder arrived at the base of the monument to find Colonel Ching and the Tuen Twins preparing for the coming of Chango. The duo took cover on the opposite side of the base of spire. Calder pulled out a round metal ball from her rucksack and placed it on the ground. She then took out a tablet, pressed a button the screen and the metal ball came to life.  The sides of the ball separated from the main body forming two wheels. A small panel slid to the side and revealed a tiny night vision camera and microphone in the center of the ball. Calder turned the camera on Teo and his image appeared on her screen. Calder then guided the little ball around the building until it reached the opposite side, where she spotted several Daedalus agents. Calder brought the little ball to stop near some potted plants. From there the two Project 40 agents had a clear view of Daedalus team.  They saw Lei wearing the black Daedalus possession suit. The circuit lines at Lei’s feet were illuminated and the light rose steadily up his calves. Teo and Calder looked at each other. “It’s begun,” said Teo. “He’s made contact.”

“Looks like these Daedalus bastards are already winning at the game possession,” said Calder.

Lie was in a deep meditative trance. A low chant emanated from his mouth. His sister Xia, waived incense around Lei using her free hand to keep the sticks from crumbling in the wind. Colonel Ching observed the ritual while a Daedalus guard fought to keep an umbrella over him.

The Colonel pulled out a set of binoculars from his leather coat. He examined the approaching clouds. Calder pulled out her own binoculars from her ruck and handed them to Teo. The professor peaked around the building and looked at the approaching storm. In the distance, giant grey clouds blanketed the sky. Lightning flashed within a cyclone at the center of the storm. The dark clouds were about half a mile a way but Teo saw Chango floating in the sky. The god’s appearance was straight out of Teo’s textbooks on the Yoruba religion, where Chango was described as a young man, with black African features.  He wore a red sarong and carried two large axes. One axe flashed with lighting while the other rattled with thunder.

The storm continued to make its way through the city of Santiago. Anything that did not bend or cede to its strength was forced out of the way. Trees were knocked down; cars rolled over; people hit the ground. “I thought hurricanes got weaker when they made land fall,” said Teo.

“They do,” said Calder. She wiped the screen on her pad with her forearm, pushed a button and atmospheric readings appeared on the screen. “That thing is registering as category 3 storm on Saffir-Simpson scale. That’s not normal. It has to be Chango. He must be fueling it.” The rain intensified and another series of lighting flashes and thunder rolls rocked the duo. “It’s show time doc,” said Calder. “Lie’s suit is already filling up with Chango’s energy. Time for us to get in the game.” Calder held out the dark ball containing Teo’s Daedalus suit. Teo starred at the figure in the dark clouds. Legend said that Chango eyes glowed with fire and his voice boomed like explosions. Teo was not sure he wanted to meet such an individual.

“What’s wrong?” asked Calder.

“Oshun called human being ant’s who interfering in the affairs of giants.”

“Ants can be powerful creatures doc. Haven’t you ever read ‘Leiningen Versus the Ants?’”

“That story didn’t turn out so well for the ants.”

“Fine then, you’re Flik from, ‘A Bug’s life.’ Those ants had a better ending.”

“Never heard of it,” said Teo.

Calder shook her head. “Let’s just say those ants had a better ending.” She continued to hold out the ball. Teo took off his soaked lucky jacket.  He rolled it up, kissed it, and laid it on the ground in front of him. He then took the ball from Calder. He let out a deep breath and placed the ball on his chest. The ball changed from solid to liquid, enveloping Teo’s body from his head to his toes. Teo heard the Daedalus suit hum with electricity as the silver circuit lines connected to one another and continue to flow to the chakra points. When the suit completed its transformation, Teo gave Calder the thumbs up.

Calder went to work.  She placed the display pad on the ground and reached in her bag for several more little round drones. Using her the remote control on her pad, she rolled each one out in a half circle to form a perimeter from where she could keep an eye out for any approaching guards. She pulled her MP5 from her back to her chest and nodded at Teo.

The professor closed his eyes. He began breathing rhythmically adding a low chant of his own. Soon he no longer felt the rain on his face or the wind on his body. The world darkened and Teo awoke in nothing. The light from his soul was dim and pale. His spiritual image was an inverse of his physical self. His brown skin and black Daedalus suit were a pale luminescence, while the circuit lines shined dark as midnight.

Teo floated through the spirit searching for Chango and Lei. He came upon two additional white lights in the distance, one large the other small. He headed in their direction. On the way, Teo saw a group of spirits swirling in the nothingness like a school of fish in the ocean. He tries to ask them for directions but they scatter before he reaches them. Teo found that odd. Spirits always gravitated towards him. Now they avoided him. He wondered if his encounter with Oshun had anything do with it.

As he got closer to the lights Teo could make out their forms. Lei’s spiritual form was similar to Teo’s.  Lei orbited the mountainous mystical form of Chango, who was a tall as an apartment building and glowed as bright as the morning sun. He possessed the muscular physique of an Olympic track sprinter. He wore a white sarong around his waist and a fiery crown in his head. In his hand were his twin battleaxes, which he used to direct the storm the way a conductor used a baton.

CHANGO VERSES THE ANTS
PART 2

Teo arrived as Lei was siphoning off bits of Chango’s energy. The energy made Lei shine as bright as a small star in the night sky. The large god occasionally took notice of the smaller light hovering around its edge and swatted at it alike some bothersome mosquito. Yet, Lei avoided Chango’s blow and kept draining the god.

Teo approached the two beings but kept some distance from them. His own light was not as bright as the other two so they did not notice him. Teo began absorbing Chango into himself. Instantly, he felt the warm return of his connection to the universe.  Once again Teo saw and heard everything at once. He lived lifetimes in seconds and spent a lifetime in a single moment. He heard the ocean speak and the wind laugh. He felt the joy of a young bird taking flight for the first time and the agony of a leaf as it separated from its branch and landed on a cold patch ground.

Through his connection with Chango, Teo saw Calder back in the real world. She still crouched by his body’s side. Her thoughts were open to him. He sensed her struggle to focus on the mission while she pushed away desire ask to Teo to let her speak with Mac once more. She wanted to close her eyes and pretend he was there, to hold him close and kiss him. Teo also felt Calder’s dread. It was on a mission like this one, chasing this very same god that Mac had died. Teo realized Calder would rather be damned to hell a hundred times than to lose another partner. He saw her in the real world as she picked up her display pad and zoomed in with the drone’s camera on Colonel Ching and the twins. Teo sensed Calder’s burning hot anger. She held all of Daedalus responsible for Mac’s death and she wanted to them to pay.

Teo wanted to return to his body and comfort her. Yet he pushed those thoughts away. He had a job to do and it was the only thing standing between him and his old life. He trusted Calder not to give into her pain and do something that would get them both killed. Teo turned his attention back to Chango and Lie. Even in the spirit world, the young’s Asian’s Daedalus circuit lines showed his progress. They now shined brightly from his feet to his hips. Teo and began drawing more of Chango’s energy. At that moment, Lei noticed the flow of energy going from the god to Teo. The young Asian used mystical pings on Teo to try and find his location in the physical realm. Teo used some of the energy he had taken from Chango to create a magical barrier to block several of them but a few got through. Lei knew where they were.

Teo felt the young Asian send a message to his sister Xia. “We are not alone,” he said in Chinese. “The professor and agent Calder are nearby.” The colonel pulled out his QSZ-92, from his shoulder holster. He touched a communications device in his ear that looked like a hearing aid and began barking orders at his men.

“Search the area for the professor and the woman agent. Kill them both on sight.”

“Song Bu wants the doctor alive,” said Xia.

“Bu is not here. And we will not need the professor, once your brother succeeds.”

After seeing Lei’s trick, Teo decided to perform one of his own. He focused on his body and a part of his consciousness returned to it. “Calder they know we’re here.”

“No shit doctor,” whispered Calder. She dropped down on to her belly to avoid being seen.

“I’m cutting my connection to Chango. We need to get out of here,” said Teo.  

“No. Keep going. I’ll distract them. Once you have the god we can take care of all these bastards.”

Teo was about to protest but Calder already had her data pad in hand. Daedalus agentsx headed up the hill in an organized sweep using two man teams. Calder sent one of her rolling drones out to meet the first group. The grass was short but tall enough to hide the little ball until it was almost underneath the foot of the lead Daedalus men. Calder waited until the agents almost stepped on the drone before detonating it. The force of the explosion sent both men flying in the air. They fell on their backs three feet away and were knocked out cold. She sent the next drone in search of another group. She found a team taking cover on the ground several feet from where the first two men landed. Calder rolled the drone between agents and detonated it. The men were unconscious before they fell back on the ground. Calder about to send out the next drone when the shooting began.

CHANGO VERSES THE ANTS
PART 3

At a furious pace, Teo and Lei drew more of Chango’s essence into themselves. As they leeched Chango’s energy, the god’s aura dimmed. Chango lashed out at the two mediums. He hurled bolts of electricity and struck them. The currents ran through Teo’s soul and made him thrash with the shock. His consciousness seared with pain and he considered cutting his connection to Chango. However, Lei’s Icarus suit was already illuminated up to his waist. Teo’s suit was only lit up to his knees. Teo feared what would happen to him and to Calder if Lei and Daedalus Corporation managed to posses Chango before Teo did.

Through his connection with Chango, Teo could see events in the physical world. He saw Calder was in trouble. She had used up her drone balls and was in a standoff with Colonel Ching and Lei’s twin sister, Xia. Backup Daedalus guards were running up the hill on the other side of the monument. Soon Calder would be under siege from all sides.

Teo wanted to warn Calder but Chango hit with another round of electricity. Both men howled with pain.  Teo sensed Chango exploring his mind. Teo tried to keep the god at bay but his attention was split between the possession and keeping track of Calder, who in order to avoid being overrun, had shot out a nearby window and jumped inside the monument.

The split in Teo’s attention allowed Chango to read the young professor’s thoughts. The god laughed. “You should go save your woman before they kill her,” said Chango.

“She’s not my woman,” cried Teo.

“Oh no, then what is this?” asked Chango.