‘She’s next then,’ Mercy replied. ‘Where is she?’
‘You’re about three hundred metres from her. Uh, thirty degrees off north from you. She has a squad of six around her, all in modern combat gear.’
Mercy’s lips pursed. ‘Six… Might make it difficult.’
‘Maybe. They’re all going to be more difficult from now on. You locate her and I’ll see if I can’t even the odds a little.’
‘Are you going to–’
‘I can’t let you have all the fun.’
~~~
Lilith was in her element; burning men down with a callous glee was what she loved most, aside from torture. She was currently retreating, very slowly, so she was using her AK-47 more than her chain. She was not subtle in its use. She fired long bursts of bullets which transformed into flames as they left the barrel. It was wasteful of ammo, but it had a suppressive effect and her targets’ uniforms had a tendency to catch fire when she hit them. She was enjoying that, even if the order to return to the bunker was annoying her.
There was no point in rallying around The Damned. There was no way anyone could get to him. That was her reasoning, because she had not been told what had happened to Dajjal. She knew someone had killed him and Azazel. She had felt their deaths just like they all had. But she did not know the circumstances of those deaths and so was taking her time getting back to a defensive position, which was not a mistake she would be making again.
She was firing at a squad of enemy soldiers who were annoyingly keeping their heads down when something dropped past her face. She just had time to look down before that grenade and its two companions exploded. The trio of blast waves smashed into her like a freight train, pulverising her body from front, back, and directly below. She was tossed, tumbling, into the air, landing in a crumpled, bloody heap outside the trench she had been standing in.
Mercy appeared in the space she had left and looked around at the crumpled forms of her squad. Her blade lashed out to finish off one who seemed to have fared better than his companions, but there was little for her to do.
‘I think you overdid the evening of odds,’ she said.
‘Maybe a little,’ Joe replied. ‘She’s a Titan, you should check on her.’
Putting a foot on a board which was holding the side of the trench up, Mercy pushed up, grabbed the harness Lilith was wearing, and used it to pull the woman’s body back into the trench. It made a squishing sort of sound as it landed.
‘Uh, no,’ Mercy said for Joe’s benefit. ‘I don’t think I need to check any more than a quick look. She looks like she was put through a meat grinder.’
‘Never underestimate the air force’s ability to apply too much ordnance to a situation. Now you just have to get Iblis and Sakhr.’
‘Right. That should be a pain in the ass.’
~~~
Sakhr, it turned out, was both easy and not. He was on guard outside the command room when she located him. Appearing out of nowhere, she put eight rounds into his chest. He was on his way down, pushed back against the wall by the repeated impacts before falling to the ground, but the bastard was not only still breathing, but still moving.
He was hurting; his words came out through gritted teeth. ‘You’ll regret that, little Titan.’ His jet-black eyes glared at her as he started to push to his feet.
Mercy closed the distance, against advice, her blade springing into life as she dropped her PDW to hang on its sling. The beam cut into his skull and this time his eyes rolled back and he went down, but he was still breathing. She slashed at him again, and again, and his chest stilled. She could see brain matter through the hole in his skull, and it had still taken several blows to drop him.
And that was when his compatriot rushed out through the busted door to help him. Iblis looked like he was in pain; the shared injury thing had to be affecting him. Hopefully it was also affecting The Damned, though he was an even bigger damage sponge than his two subordinate Juggernauts.
His fist was glowing as he swung at Mercy. Getting hit by that was probably going to end her. It would certainly bounce her down the corridor like a cannonball if it worked the same way as her own force punch. Luckily, his swing went wild, probably because he was hurting badly. Trying a different tactic, Mercy swung her blade down on his over-extended right arm. She saw it flare against his barrier and then melt through his skin and the muscle beneath. Apparently, the pain got to him because he continued moving forward, but now in a ballistic arc. His body crashed to the ground and Mercy turned, driving her blade upward through the base of his skull and out through the top. Ripping it free in a manner she hoped would do as much damage as possible, she turned, expecting to see The Damned coming at her…
There was no one there and she frowned. What was keeping him? Unless…
Walking over to the doorway, she looked into the room, pulling her head back before the four men with assault rifles could register that she was there. The quick look had been enough with her accelerated time frame. The Damned was down. The damage passed through from his Anathema had got to him. Then again, if he was being guarded, he was alive and that would not do.
The guards were not Juggernauts, and they had not learned from what she had done to Dajjal, apparently. Taking out her pistol, she teleported behind them and fired four times. Four men died instantly before they were even aware of what was happening, their internal organs reduced to nothing.
As the bodies fell, Mercy stepped over to their fallen leader, crouching down beside him. Up close he was even uglier than she had thought. His eyes were bloodshot and grey, his skin wrinkled like it had been affected by a geological event. His smell was not exactly pleasing either. Despite serious misgivings, she slapped him. That got no response, so she tried again, harder. Her palm stung. It was like hitting a wall. However, this time his eyes flickered open.
‘You’re awake,’ Mercy said, keeping her voice slow to be sure he understood. ‘Good. Faith Richard sends her regards.’ She placed her hand over one of his grey eyes and activated her blade. His body jerked violently for a second and then became still. She checked his pulse and, after several seconds, decided that there was nothing there. ‘I wonder if I should take your head back or something.’
‘I don’t believe President Richard is the type to want trophies.’ Mercy whirled around at the sound of the voice, but she was still alone in the command room. ‘Besides, it would probably take too long to cut through that neck, even with a blade like yours.’
The voice was familiar and also wrong. It was almost like it was inside her head. ‘Nick?’
‘You did well, Mercy. Exactly as I wished.’
‘As you… wished? Where are you?’
‘With The Damned gone, the remaining Damned Ones will turn to the man who has helped them so much in the past few weeks. The powers I developed fifty years ago don’t lend themselves to killing someone like that mountain of muscle. I was not entirely sure that you could do it.’
‘You helped– Nick, what’s going on? You didn’t become a–’
‘Joe can fly, Sophia can create, you can destroy. I can read and influence minds. I can project my mind kilometres from my body. I discovered Hart’s plan to use the Damned Ones to take over here and I turned it to my own advantage. I’ll have minions, as befits a god. The disruption here will eliminate my competition.’
Mercy turned again, trying to locate the source of the voice. ‘We’re not gods, Nick. We’re just–’
‘You have no idea of your potential, Mercy. I’m going to give you a hint of it.’ There was a slight pause. It was almost like he was psyching himself up for something. ‘Before I do… Don’t trust Waveguide. They’re not what they seem to be.’
‘Nick…’
‘Goodbye, Mercy. I’m sure we’ll meet again in time.’ Nick appeared directly in front of her, holding a large-calibre automatic pistol right over her heart. His eyes were glowing a dull red with black behind it, red veins threaded over his face and neck. He pull
ed the trigger three times before Mercy could stop him and she died…
Mercy sat bolt upright, pulling in a lungful of air as though she had just risen from the depths. Except she had not; she had just risen from the dead. She knew she had died. There had been pain, horrible pain. Her heart had been torn apart by three nine-millimetre bullets. There were three holes in her blouse, blood around the torn fabric. Her back probably looked worse. She had died. And now she was alive again.
‘“You have no idea of your potential, Mercy. I’m going to give you a hint of it.”’ Nick had known. Nick had betrayed them.
Mercy got to her feet to leave. The only pain in her heart now was the pain of Nick’s betrayal.
Epilogue
New York Authority, 12th June 2152.
‘Maybe ten percent of their forces managed to escape Indian Point,’ Mercy said. ‘Joe tracked them back to Hartford, but it looks like they’re just joining an exodus. All the Damned Ones are preparing to leave.’
‘Under Doctor Harris’s direction?’ Faith asked.
‘That we don’t know. He said he was going to take over, but Joe hasn’t seen him up there. We can’t definitely say that Nick’s running things.’ There was a bitter taste in Mercy’s mouth whenever she spoke of Nick Harris. She was not entirely sure whether that was due to him setting her up to kill The Damned, or because he had shot her, or because she was not dead. ‘As for not seeing him, well, I couldn’t see him when he was standing right in front of me. Until he wanted me to, I guess.’
‘That kind of power… There have always been stories about Titans able to manipulate people’s minds, but they were always just scary stories. I’ve never met one who could–’
‘That you know of,’ Mercy said flatly. ‘Nick was able to hide his abilities from all of us.’ She shook her head. ‘Anyway, the reactor is back online, The Damned is dead along with his Anathema, the Damned Ones are in disarray and, apparently, planning to leave the area. Overall, it’s a victory.’
‘It’s going to take time to rebuild Security.’
‘While you’re at it, you should expand your force. The Damned Ones were able to muster enough people that they could have marched in here if they’d wanted. I’m not saying they could have really taken over, but they could have made a real mess. If someone more organised decided that they wanted this place, Security would never be able to stop them.’
Faith sighed. ‘I’m aware. I need to find a replacement for Hart and then we’ll see what we can do. I don’t suppose you would–’
‘I’m not a soldier, Faith. I was a pilot in the Marines and you don’t have an air force.’
‘Aside from Joe.’
‘Aside from Joe, and he’s still planning to fly to Europe.’
Faith gave a small grimace. ‘I don’t think he’s going to like what he finds there.’
‘No,’ Mercy said. ‘No, I don’t think he will.’
~~~
‘So, we’re changing the sleeping arrangements,’ Sophia said.
‘Oh?’ Mercy asked in reply. She was a little wary. Joe and Sophia had asked her to return to the apartment building and she thought they might be planning some form of reconciliation, but she did not wish to hope too much.
‘Yes. I’m moving in with Joe,’ Sophia said, and Mercy’s heart sank. ‘Until he leaves, anyway, and then I thought I’d join you on Pallas. Frankly, it’ll be more comfortable there. I don’t know why we moved into these rooms.’
‘Because,’ Joe said, ‘the four of us would’ve been sharing the same space designed for short, planetary missions. If it’s just you two, I think you’ll manage.’
‘I kind of thought you didn’t want to be near me,’ Mercy said.
‘We talked it over. It wasn’t your fault we got stuck.’
‘And we couldn’t have got back home in time to be any use to anyone anyway,’ Sophia added. ‘I can repair things, but I have limits. I can’t repair the world. Besides, with what Nick’s done…’
‘We can’t even be sure he was telling the truth,’ Joe said. ‘He’s the one who made the link between your ability and our time in stasis. It’s quite possible that he lied to drive a wedge between us.’
‘I guess,’ Mercy said. She did not believe it. She doubted Joe believed it. They all knew that it probably had been Mercy’s power which had trapped them in time, but if denying the truth helped, Mercy was not going to argue. It possibly was true that Nick had been trying to split the group. ‘Next time I see him, I’ll ask him. Right before I put a few bullets in his chest.’
‘You think he’s out there, with the Damned Ones.’
‘I think he’s out there and up to something. He thinks he’s a god. I don’t think he’ll be satisfied with a cult of followers like the Damned Ones. No, he’s up to something, I just don’t know what that is.’
North Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard.
Lilith drew in a shuddering breath and opened her eyes. She looked confused. Then again, returning from the dead was likely to be a confusing thing to do. Nick fervently hoped that he would never need to find out about it first-hand.
‘It’s done,’ the other woman in the little room said. She was on the young side of middle age, at least to look at. She was a Healer, one of very few Healers who could do what she had just done: bring the dead back to life.
‘And you’ve already received your payment,’ Nick said. ‘A substantial one.’
‘I’m aware. Take her and go. I want nothing to do with the Damned Ones.’ Without waiting for a reply, the woman turned and left, leaving Nick and the rejuvenated Lilith alone.
‘I… died,’ Lilith said.
‘And I arranged for you to be brought back,’ Nick said. He stepped closer and put his hand on her shoulder. ‘I’m sorry, I couldn’t save the others.’
‘Damiano? He’s–’
‘Colonel Garner did an impressive job of ensuring that he would not be revivable. The only reason I could save you is that you were killed by more conventional weapons.’
‘That woman… I’ll kill her for this.’
‘I’m sure you will. However, we have people to lead and preparations to make.’ Nick smiled his most reassuring smile. ‘You want to be sure you can end her when the time comes, don’t you?’
‘I can do it! I just need–’
‘She’s powerful, Lilith. I shot her three times through the heart and she’s still walking around. We need more if we’re to eliminate her. Luckily, I believe I know where to get what we need. I’ve started the process. The Damned Ones are on the move.’
‘Where to?’ She swung her legs off the table she had been lying on and got to her feet. She felt stiff, but that was fading. Death, it seemed, was not for her just yet.
‘West. We’re going to find Waveguide’s headquarters. They have what we need to rule this world, Lilith. Now all we have to do is take it.’
###
About the Author
I was born in the vicinity of Hadrian's Wall so perhaps a bit of history rubbed off. Ancient history obviously, and border history, right on the edge of the Empire. I always preferred the Dark Ages anyway; there’s so much more room for imagination when people aren’t writing down every last detail. So my idea of a good fantasy novel involved dirt and leather, not shining plate armour and Hollywood-medieval manners. The same applies to my sci-fi, really; I prefer gritty over shiny.
Oddly, then, one of the first fantasy novels I remember reading was The Dark Is Rising, by Susan Cooper (later made into a terrible juvenile movie). These days we would call Cooper’s series Young Adult Contemporary Fantasy and looking back on it, it influenced me a lot. It has that mix of modern day life, hidden history, and magic which failed to hit popular culture until the early days of Buffy and Anne Rice. Of course, Cooper’s characters spend their time around places I could actually visit in Cornwall, and South East England, and mid-Wales. In fact, when I went to university in Aberystwyth, it was partially because some of Cooper’s books were set a few m
iles to the north around Tywyn.
I got into writing through roleplaying, however, so my early work was related to the kind of roleplaying game I was interested in. I wrote science fiction when I was playing Traveller. I wrote “high fantasy” when I was playing Dungeons & Dragons. I wrote a lot of superhero fiction when I was playing City of Heroes. I still love the idea of a modern world with magic in it and I’ve been trying to write a novel based on this for a long time. As with any form of expression, practice is the key and I can look back on all the aborted attempts at books, and the more successful short stories, as steps along the path to the Thaumatology Series.
Recently I took the big step of quitting my day job and taking up full-time writing. My favourite authors are Terry Pratchett, Susan Cooper, J.D. Robb, and Kim Harrison. Kim’s Hollows books were what finally spurred me to publish something, even if the trail to here came by way of Susan, back in school, several decades ago.
For More Information
Take a look at the Witches and Ray-guns blog: http://witchesandrayguns.wordpress.com
Links to book vendors and other information can be found there, along with a view on what I’m up to and when it might happen.
Other Books by this Author
The Thaumatology Series
Thaumatology 101
Demon’s Moon
Legacy
Dragon’s Blood
Disturbia
Hammer of Witches
Eagle’s Shadow
Ancient
Dragonfall
The Other Side of Hell
For Whom the Wedding Bells Toll
Vengeance
Anthologies in the Thaumatology Universe
Tales from High Towers’ Study
Tales from the Dubh Linn
The Aneka Jansen Books
Steel Beneath The Skin
The Cold Steel Mind
Steel Heart
The Winter War
The Greatest Heights of Honour
The Lowest Depths of Shame
Hope
Titans Page 18
