Lords of Kobol - Prelude: Of Gods and Titans
Page 56
"Cronus."
"Yes." Arcas placed his elbows on the table, clasped his hands and leaned forward. "Through my intel network, I have confirmed that Cronus returned to Tiberia some years ago. He has also, somehow, regained favor with the Caesar and has been in regular contact with many of the other Titans."
"You suspect a conspiracy?" Ares asked.
"I do."
Dione shook her head. "Did our subversion campaigns cause this?"
Arcas shrugged. "It can't be discounted. In fact, I would guess 'yes.'"
Beep. The Olympians turned and looked at the screen showing the plans of the Institute and the pulsing green dots. Beep, beep. Two dots disappeared. Beep. Another. Beep, beep, beep. Three more.
"Oh no," Hera said as she stood.
The others began to stand, too, some pushing their rolling chairs far behind them. Poseidon grunted, "What is that?"
Hera shook her head and Leto said, "A dampening field? A jammer?"
As they gawked, the remainder of the dots vanished. Their signals were gone. Polemos pursed his lips and blew air through them, creating a low whistle. "We need to get out of here."
The silent thrumming of a gyrocraft became noticeable. They looked toward the window and saw a large military ship move into view. Ares screamed, "Out!"
Glass shattered and bullets ripped into the room. The Olympians scattered to the walls and were clamoring toward the two exits. Ares pulled Polemos down and against the wall. Ersa crawled toward them with a large bullet wound in her leg. Polemos held it tightly before the outer wall exploded.
Bricks and steel fell upon them as part of the building gave way. The three Psilons left in the room were huddled under part of the wall when the gyrocraft rose and lowered ropes to what remained of the floor. Ares peered out from under the broken paneling and watched several large, muscular men leap down and run toward the hallway. The beating of the air caused by the rotors placed pressure on the small debris shelter. A chunk fell off and caught the attention of one of the intruders. He turned and looked through the billowing dust. He smiled when he saw Ersa propped against the wall.
Agrius did not see Ares. When the giant got nearer, Ares jumped up using the collapsed paneling as a shield and drove it against the attacker. He fell back but braced his foot against the side of the conference table. Ares kicked at his knee and he dropped, but he landed a punch to Ares' side. Zeus' son stumbled away and dropped the shield. So strong …
Polemos ran toward the man now. He kicked him in the face and then turned to punch his jaw. The attacker was too quick. He caught Polemos' arm and spun him around, pulling his head lower and then against Agrius' chest. The giant wrapped his arms underneath Polemos' neck and the Olympian was staring at the ceiling, knowing what was next.
Ares grabbed a standing bronze-colored lamp from the wall and ran toward Agrius. The attacker flexed his arms and Ares could hear the snap of Polemos' neck. Before he dropped the body, the heavy base of the lamp connected with Agrius' face, spraying teeth and blood into the air. He stumbled toward the gaping hole that had been the wall of the room and Ares spun again, roared, and swung the lamp against the side of his head. Agrius tried to regain his balance, but Ares leapt up and planted both feet against his chest, kicking Agrius from the room. He fell six storeys and crunched on the sidewalk.
When Ares turned, he saw another invader run into the room. Thoas was smaller but she seemed faster. Sure enough, she dodged Ares' swinging of the lamp deftly and landed a serious blow to the Olympian's back. Ares fell to one knee and heard Thoas come behind him. Without looking, he jabbed the lamp backward. The fixture hit Thoas in the face and gave Ares time to stand. He turned and pressed the bronze shaft of the lamp against Thoas, pushing her toward the conference table.
Thoas pushed back but Ares had momentum and leverage on his side. As the invader fell onto the tabletop, she said, "You can't stop me."
Ares didn't answer. He leaned forward and raised his knee before firmly planting it on Thoas' stomach. She grimaced and her grip on the lamp weakened. Ares pushed it down and the shaft mashed her throat. Thoas began to flail and her mouth contorted as wide open as it could. Her eyes bulged and Ares pressed even harder. When he heard the snap of the hyoid bone, Ares smiled. Thoas gargled loudly one last time and then went still.
He counted to ten. Ares stood and tossed the lamp aside. After it clattered away, he realized that the gyrocraft was no longer nearby. The thumping of its rotors was gone and the blue sky visible through the destroyed ceiling was clear. Ares lifted Thoas and carried her body to the outer wall. He threw it down toward Agrius and didn't bother to see it land.
"He's alive!" Ersa said.
Ares ran to her side and knelt by Polemos' head. His eyes were wide and his breathing was shallow and quick. Ares nodded and said, "Can you watch over him?"
Ersa looked at her leg which had been tied with part of a shirt. "Yes."
"We have to get him to medical." He stood and began to run away. Ares looked down at them and said, "Stay here and keep quiet. Everything will be fine."
Several Olympians ran down the stairwell. When they reached the first sublevel, a few peeled off and entered the upper labs. Hephaestus watched Arcas and the others go and pondered going with them.
Aphrodite pulled on his arm. "We have to split up."
He nodded and they continued down the steps as doors were kicked open far above. The invaders were leaping entire flights at once, causing the Psilons to increase their speed. On the second sublevel, Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Eryx, and Athena ran into the door while Hera, Hades, and Hermes continued to descend.
When Hephaestus and the others emerged in the laboratory level, they hesitated and looked side-to-side, trying to decide which way to go. Almost immediately, the door was kicked open and three of the invaders entered. Eryx was nearest Aphrodite and he pulled her into a lab, locking the heavy door behind them. Athena moved toward the vehicle workshop while Hephaestus stared at the closed door, worried for his wife.
"Come on!" Athena yelled. One of the attackers was kicking the locked door, but two others chased them.
Hephaestus managed to close the door just in time and Athena slid the locking bolts up into the frame and down into the concrete floor. As the giants outside banged on the doors, Athena and Hephaestus ran into the middle of the workshop. "There are plenty of tools here," Hephaestus said. "Plenty we can use as weapons."
Metal rent at the door and Athena saw fingers beginning to pull the panels apart. "Grab whatever you can," she said.
Hephaestus ran to the skeleton of the shuttle they had been building. He crouched low and moved slowly under the golden wings of the ship when the doors finally gave way and the intruders entered. Hephaestus reached around a support strut, lifted a large hammer from a toolbox, and watched their legs as they stalked about.
Athena pressed her body against a metal column and stared ahead. Her eyes followed the contours of an engine as it dangled from a collection of chains. She inhaled deeply and quickly before mashing her eyes closed. I'm not ready to fight, she thought. I'm not ready to die.
Feet stepped lightly and nearer to Hephaestus. He wriggled his fingers around the grip of the hammer and prepared himself to lunge into the open. When the feet were near enough, he moved forward and brought the head down onto the black shoe.
He rolled out from under the wing and stood. He drew back and got ready to swing again when he saw that the attacker was a woman. He hesitated. Mimas did not. Her foot landed squarely in the center of Hephaestus' chest, knocking him several meters back and sending a cascade of boxes to the floor.
"I know you're over there," Enceladus said to Athena. "Come out. I'll make it quick."
She pressed her eyelids closed again. She envisioned herself running for the far wall where there was an exit. Too far. There were heavy tools on the table next to the engine. I don't know how to fight. She opened h
er eyes slowly and looked straight ahead. On the other side of the dangling chains, she saw the large garage doors and the exit. It was far, but there was a chance.
She ran.
Mimas lifted Hephaestus by his left arm in a very awkward fashion. He kicked his legs and cried out. She smiled and said, "This will hurt quite a bit." With a jerk, she moved his arm even further back and it broke loudly. Hephaestus screamed and collapsed to the concrete floor. He shivered and stared at the bloody white bone that protruded near his elbow.
He ground his teeth and looked at Mimas. She was leisurely walking toward a tool chest when he decided to tackle her. Hephaestus tried his best to quiet the pain and he ran as quickly as he could. Mimas heard his steps and turned. Almost effortlessly, the tall woman grabbed his injured arm when he got near and spun it around. Hephaestus spun with it and fell to the floor, sliding under part of the shuttle's unfinished wing. He moaned and nearly passed out from the pain, but he could definitely hear her laughing.
Athena was barely through the chains when Enceladus tackled her. They fell and slid on the floor toward a metal barrel. He stood immediately and pulled the cylinder down onto her. Grease began to slough out and Enceladus stepped around it. Athena, though, scooped up a handful and slapped it into his eyes when he leaned over her. He jumped away and Athena took off running