Chapter 13: Agent Orange

Major Tự Đức Phang exposed to Agent Orange

Read Chapter 13 of Lord Trump the Undead about Agent Orange, who is on the trail of the noncorporeal Fred Trump, is sprinkled with toxic Rosanne Barr ashes.

Agent Orange stands in the rain with his back to the membrane, looking casual. He takes a reading on the communication device in his wristwatch, as if checking the time. He nods, shrugs, makes a moue, as if ruing the late hour.

Not a noncorporeal within a click and a half.

Trump Hater intelligence has determined that Fred Trump spirited the Undead through this very portal.

It’s hard as hell to track a noncorporeal, but the lads and lasses in intelligence have their ways.

In one smooth movement he turns, pushes on the membrane, and passes through.

Bright sun. A lake. Sparkles on the water.

Agent Orange takes a new reading.

Noncorporeals!

He gets his umbrella up just as an almost-invisible hand sprinkles grandmother ashes over his head. Blocks most of them. The ones that get past the umbrella burn — and glow.

His cover is blown.

He runs into the lake.

There’s a membrane down here somewhere. Agent Orange swims and checks his communication device.

He’s holding his breath. He’s not like the Undead. He doesn’t have gills.

He finds the membrane and pushes through.

Dry land. Agent Orange sucks in air.

His wrist communicator has good news: no noncorporeals have followed him through.

The bad news is that in his passage through the lake he has picked up four leeches.

One of them could be the Spicer.

He slips off his trousers, burns the leeches off one at a time, and interrogates them.

They all claim to be ordinary leeches. They claim to know nothing. Sure.

He pulls out his Wangensteen. It’s wet but still functional.

Three die without talking. The fourth dies with a shriek that the Wangensteen translates on its screen as BA’AL HAS THE SPICER.

Damn.

He calls it in.

Back in the rain, Agent Magenta finds grandmother ashes on the membrane. She transmits a live image.

Most likely intelligence will find traces of Agent Orange on the ashes.

This membrane is dead to them until they’ve analyzed the ashes and assessed the threat.

She will need to find another way through.

Fred Trump is bad enough. Ba’al’s a whole other kettle of bullshit.

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