The Unbelievable Mr Brownstone Omnibus 3

by Michael Anderle

Shay looked up. “Right now? You just got back last night from helping me on the tomb raid.”

  “Yeah.” James frowned. “I don’t like the look of this guy. They say he can get into people’s heads.”

  “Did you need my help? If it’s a level five, it might require the engagement jewelry and tachi combo to help you out.”

  James shook his head. “Not right away. I’ve got to check on some shit first. I have no idea where the asshole even is.”

  Shay nodded. “All right, but call me if you need my help.”

  Shit, both Peyton and Heather are on vacation. How am I gonna track this guy down easily? Guess it’s time to pay the man a visit.

  Several heads turned as James threw open the door to the Black Sun and entered. He took a few steps inside, lingering by a table just to see the gang member there twitch a little.

  Good. I’ll respect this place’s neutrality, but I want all you assholes to remember I’m around.

  James headed to Tyler at the bar and gestured at the hall leading to Tyler’s office. “We need to talk. Now.”

  The information broker’s face tightened, and he leaned over to whisper something to the other bartender. The young woman, a new hire, nodded quickly.

  James didn’t wait before heading into the hallway. He leaned against the wall by the door to Tyler’s office.

  The information broker turned the corner with a deep frown. He threw open the door to his office and stomped in, his face red and pinched with anger.

  “You can’t just come into my place and snap your fingers, Brownstone,” Tyler bitched as he dropped into his desk chair. “It makes me look bad. It makes me look like a pussy. Yeah, yeah, you could kick me to the moon, but you don’t need to disrespect me in my own place.”

  “Sorry.” James entered the office and closed the door. “This is high-priority and I’m down some resources, so I need your help to take care of a bounty.”

  “What could be such a high priority…” Tyler made a face. “It’s Lyle Lassom, isn’t it? I knew the minute I saw that bounty notice that you’d be rushing right after the little hypnofreak.”

  James crossed his arms. “Don’t tell me you don’t know where he is. Everybody’s been talking about how you’ve picked up a lot of the slack from the Eyes. Fuck, some people even say I killed the Eyes for you just so you could do that.”

  Tyler sighed. “Here’s the problem. You know how it is. If it’s a low-level bounty, that’s one thing, but me giving up information on a level-five bounty is asking for them to come after me, and this guy’s even scarier than you.”

  “Scarier than me?” James growled.

  “Yes! Did you read the information in the bounty notice? He was nothing just a couple of weeks ago, and he’s already a level five. He can make someone kill themselves by just telling them to do it. This guy finds out I helped you and comes here, I’m dead, and he’ll probably make me do the killing. Or he’ll make me hurt my employees or Maria.” Tyler grimaced. “The PDA’s all over this too, but they can’t track him directly because of something related to the necklace he uses for his power.”

  “I didn’t ask if someone else could track him. I asked if you knew where he was.” James frowned. “And if this fucker’s so dangerous, that’s all the more reason to give him up. Every minute he’s free, he can mindfuck someone new. I’m gonna find him eventually one way or another. This way, you help me ensure he’s not fucking more people over in the meantime.”

  Tyler stared at James like he was an idiot. “You haven’t thought this through, have you?”

  “Yeah, I have. Step one, find the guy. Step two, kick the guy through a window. Step three, collect the bounty.”

  Tyler groaned. “Here’s the problem, Brownstone. You’re the toughest badass in America. No one’s going to question that, and I’ve made a lot of money with my ‘always bet on Brownstone’ policy, but this is one enemy who isn’t tough. You can’t beat him by being the tougher guy.” He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Don’t you get it? He’s not a badass. He controls people’s minds. If I send you to this guy and he takes over your mind, what happens, huh? You think of that? What if he sends you downtown and tells you to kill everyone you possibly can?”

  James grunted. “Everything you’re telling me only makes me want to take him down more, and I’m not so easy to mind control. I’ve fought these things called despair bugs that get in your head, and I beat them.”

  Tyler scoffed. “So, I’m supposed to risk Los Angeles—and my damned life, by the way—because you’re cocky enough to think you can win against this guy? There’s being strong-willed, and then there’s magic. Did you read about the wizards in Providence? Two powerful wizards and he had them kill each other with their powers. That means the magic’s not limited to simple actions or whatever. He’ll get in your head, Brownstone.”

  “I’ve also got anti-magic deflectors.” James frowned. “And how is it risking your life?”

  “The first thing the guy will probably ask you is, ‘Who told you where I am?’” Tyler threw up his hands in frustration. “Not only do I not want Lassom showing up and telling me to literally fuck myself before I kill myself, the word on the street is that the guy’s already snagged some major magical talent as bodyguards. And that’s not even the worst part.”

  “What’s the worst part?” James asked.

  Tyler narrowed his eyes. “You haven’t checked in with the cops yet on this, have you?”

  “No, I came straight here. I need to find the guy before I can think about how I’m gonna take him down.”

  “Lassom’s been moving around a lot, but he’s worried about the cops and the feds, so from what I’ve heard, he’s grabbed tons of random-ass people off the street and used his mind control on them to turn them into security. They’re human shields to slow down the cops.” Tyler rubbed his temples. “You see what I’m getting at, Brownstone? You can’t solve this the way you solve everything else. You can’t just storm in there and punch most of them through the wall and gun down the others. You can’t win against this guy because you can’t even get near him. To win against someone like this, you’d need a backup brain.”

  “Or I could use an anti-magic deflector and finish him quickly.”

  “And if you lose the deflector? What then?”

  “I’ve got other tricks.” James lowered his arms to his sides. “If we wait too long on this it’s only going to get worse. He already blew up half a block. What if he decides it’s funny to mind-control a SWAT team? No, fuck this guy. Give him up, and I’ll handle him.”

  Tyler sneered. “Do you think everyone’s still going to like you after they find out you killed a bunch of innocent people who were mind-controlled? Do you think the cops will? Because that’s what you’re talking about here, Brownstone. You’re talking about taking on a man who mostly is using innocent people to protect himself. If you’re not damn careful, you’ll end up killing someone innocent.”

  James grunted. As much as he hated to admit it, Tyler had a point. The Brownstone strategy typically relied on overwhelming physical force to either directly defeat an enemy or awe them into submission. He’d beaten the balaur by charging in and cutting it open, and the Zmeu through brutal direct attacks. Those kinds of tactics in the current situation would leave him with a higher innocent body count than the bounty already had.

  “All I have to do is not kill everyone.” James scratched his chin. “I can do that.”

  “Can you not kill everyone when a bunch of people are trying to kill you?” Tyler shook his head. “Including magicals? Sit this one out, Brownstone. Let the government handle it.”

  James chuckled. “No, I won’t wait. I’ve got a plan, and it’ll help make sure that no innocent people get seriously hurt, but the plan requires you to tell me where Lassom is.”

  “Maybe I don’t know. It’s not like he called me up and introduced himself.”

  The men locked eyes. Tyler gritted his teeth, his hands pressed so h
ard to his desk his knuckles turned white.

  “Fine.” Tyler yanked out his phone and tapped in a text to James. “I’ve just sent you the address. The guy’s latest digs are in some office he stole from a bunch of lawyers. Normally, I’d say it was poetic justice, but this Lassom guy freaks me out almost as much as the Eyes. At least the Eyes had the excuse of being a batshit-crazy gnome. This guy is just some punk who got his hands on power.”

  James’ phone buzzed a few seconds later and he gave Tyler a tight smile. “Well, I killed the Eyes, so there’s no reason I can’t take down Lassom, too. Thanks, Tyler.” He stood and texted Shay.

  Gonna need you. I’ll call you in 15 minutes to explain the details. Have to make a few other calls first to set some shit up.

  24

  James stepped out the back door of the Brownstone building to take a look at the gathered field employees. His black-suited bounty hunters were all geared up in bulletproof vests and the primary equipment they’d need for the job: stun rifles, stun rods, and sonic grenades. Everyone also had a handgun with anti-magic bullets that they were to use only if there was no other choice. It wasn’t every Brownstone Agency bounty hunter, since a small team, including Trey and Victoria, were still in Vegas, but it was every other man or woman who wasn’t sick.

  Damn. I do have an army.

  There were anti-magic deflectors available for only half the bounty hunters, so they had been broken into teams of one bounty hunter with a deflector and another without. The deflector team members were to monitor each other in case someone showed signs of mind control, and the personnel without a deflector wouldn’t be sweeping deep into the target building.

  If James’ plan worked, the only people going very far into the building would be him and Shay.

  We’ve got the people and the coordination. Lassom has that charm, but he was just a piece-of-shit nobody before, which means he doesn’t know how to use his magic to its maximum potential. We can win this and make sure that asshole rots in a cell where he has no control.

  Shay leaned against the wall near the door, her arms crossed and a nonchalant look on her face. She had her defensive artifacts ready, and a stun rifle slung over her shoulder, but no sword. Her gnome-crafted knives and gun were in their sheaths and holster on her tactical vest, but James hoped they would only have to come out at the end.

  Maria stepped in front of the gathered crowd. “Listen up. James has the location of this Lyle Lassom, and initial drone recon suggests a heavy armed presence inside the building. We can’t assume that anyone we encounter is doing so freely so this will be a non-lethal sweep, just like we’ve done before. Consider all those criminals you didn’t care about practice for these civilians.”

  James grunted and stood beside Maria. “From what my informant has told me, there will be high-level threats present. Don’t bother with them if you encounter them. You leave them to me. Concentrate on taking everyone else down without killing them. We’re going in force to end this shit quickly and ensure Lassom doesn’t get away.”

  “AET has been contacted,” Maria explained. “They will be coordinating their efforts with ours.”

  “The cops are letting a bunch of bounty hunters take point?” Lachlan asked, shaking his head. “That’s new shit.”

  “Not really.” Maria shrugged. “When Brownstone took down the Harriken, it was a similar situation. Sometimes a bounty hunter might have better resources. Besides, in this case, the AET doesn’t have enough personnel to successfully secure the location on their own, especially when the main group of enemy gunmen might really be innocent civilians.”

  Ethan frowned from the crowd. “Not a lot of AET, but what about SWAT or just regular cops?”

  Maria shook her head. “It’s too dangerous to send in regular SWAT or officers since they’ll be vulnerable to Lassom’s magic. The AET are the only cops in the department with access to anti-magic deflectors. They send in a SWAT team, that SWAT team will open fire on other cops a few moments later. I’m being blunt. There’s no fucking way the Chief of Police will allow any situation that looks like it might end in blue-on-blue fatalities, and he’s got our agency to help ensure that doesn’t happen.” She cut through the air with her hand. “Don’t let the civilians being involved part freak you out. This is simple shit, people. We’ve breached and cleared with complete non-lethal clearance before even without James, and this time, we have him with us.”

  James nodded once.

  She scoffed. “There’s a reason that level fours and fives avoid this city, and that reason is James Brownstone. Today we’re going to send a message to every piece-of-shit high-level threat in this country that it’s not just James Brownstone they have to be afraid of, but every single bounty hunter in his agency.

  “Now, let’s go take down a level five.”

  The bounty hunters roared their approval.

  Shay grinned. “I’m starting to let myself get excited.”

  Multiple AET drones flew overhead, focused on the exterior of the two-story office building. A small AET strike team was on standby in a helicopter in case Lassom ran. The other AET forces were deployed along the back of the office building to seal the exits. James and his team stomped toward the front door as soon as the police were in position.

  The intimidating black-suited army of the Brownstone Agency marched in lockstep, their stun rifles in hand and their faces set in grim determination.

  In truth, James wasn’t going to make much money on the bounty. Spreading it around to almost the entire agency meant the relative value for each individual was low, and he was kicking in for bonuses out of his pocket on top of that, but he couldn’t stand by while someone like Lyle Lassom was fucking with his city.

  Most criminals were parasites, and good parasites knew not to kill the host. Lassom wasn’t a parasite. He was a cancer who would spread unless he was excised right now.

  Moderate adaptation potential, Whispy Doom estimated

  James had bonded the symbiont before arrival. The more James thought about what Lyle had done—stripping away people’s free will and making them do horrible things—the more pissed he got. Even Satan gave people a choice. The little prick needed to pay, but still, the boiling rage that only came with direct threats to his family didn’t wash through James.

  Is there enough power for advanced transformation? James asked.

  Limited alternative power available for advanced transformation, Whispy responded. Sustained operation may not be possible.

  So there it was. There wasn’t enough background magic in a normal Earth city to freely borrow power for his most powerful mode, but it was still good to know he could call it on command for a short period if needed.

  For the moment, though, he was relying on his amulet’s basic hardening, interface, and regeneration capabilities. Lassom might not be tough, but if he had deadly wizards with him, things might get challenging.

  Shay frowned and held up the clear crystal hanging around her neck. “This should be interesting.” Her wearing of the anti-magic deflectors precluded the use of her defensive artifacts, but she had them on in case she needed to ditch the deflector. “I’ve never liked these things. I prefer to go on offense with my own shit.”

  “I know how you feel.” James ran his fingers over his own deflector. He’d never before used one in his entire career, always trusting in his amulet, but this was one time he couldn’t be sure Whispy would offer enough protection. It wasn’t a matter of armor or hardening his skin, but his mind and soul.

  The deflector wouldn’t interfere with Whispy, given that he wasn’t a magic artifact, but it felt strange.

  “This Lassom fucker is going down,” James growled. He tromped toward the reception area where dozens of men and women held guns and waited, their eyes glassy. “Not a big surprise, but he saw us coming,” he shouted. “Let me get their attention, and then you all follow up when I make a few opportunities.”

  “Ready up!” Maria shouted.

  The b
ounty hunters disengaged the safeties on their stun rifles. Several glanced down at the sonic grenades clipped to their tactical vests.

  Hiding behind people makes you a pussy, Lassom. You made a big mistake by coming to Los Angeles.

  James marched toward the front door with a deep scowl on his face. None of the people inside fired at him. He stopped before opening the door and stared at a man in a Vegas Raiders t-Shirt standing right behind one of the windows forming the outer walls of the office. The mind-controlled Raiders fan held a shotgun.

  Given their faces, everyone inside was a victim of Lyle Lassom.

  Yes, you can use force to solve every problem. You just have to know where to apply it.

  “Let’s do this shit,” James shouted. He charged toward the window, screaming a war cry at the top of his lungs.

  None of the people inside moved or reacted until James crashed through the window. Shattered glass shot everywhere and the people inside opened fire, the simultaneous volley deafening. A swarm of bullets pelted him, stinging and bouncing to the ground, where they formed a pile around him.

  Near maximum adaptation previously achieved against attack type, Whispy reported, his excitement waning.

  James tossed four sonic grenades in rapid succession. People groaned and collapsed following the characteristic whine. It didn’t matter if they were mind-controlled, their bodies still functioned normally.

  The bounty hunter grabbed the shotgun from the Raiders fan and rushed over to the other windows. He swung it like a club, smashing the window before rushing to the next to do the same. Soon, glass coated the ground, and the Brownstone Army had a clear line of fire for the stun rifles. As useful as the weapons were, the energy would dissipate when striking glass.

  Additional glassy-eyed people with guns ran down the hallway to open fire on James.

  The bounty hunters rushed forward, opening fire, a near-blue wall of energy surging on either side of James and downing the other men and women in the lobby. The mind-controlled security turned toward Brownstone’s people, but it was too late; person after person fell. It took less than a minute to stun every single person in the lobby, as well as the arriving reinforcements.