by M. R. Forbes
“This is it,” Lorix said, turning back to look at him. His clicks were deep and loud and echoed in the tunnel. He had a bit of saliva on the side of his face, and the way his body was drooping told Olus he was on the verge of exhaustion. “We’ll make a light support one meter up, and then I’ll boost you to it. I’ll push you through, and then we’re going to seal the tunnel. You’ll be on your own.”
“Roger,” Olus said. “I can’t thank you enough for your help with this.”
“Any friend of the Watchers is a friend of ours,” Lorix replied. “The Grace of the One be with you.”
“And with you,” Olus replied, hoping that was an acceptable response.
It seemed to be. The Plixians returned to their work, bunching together and reaching upward with their forelimbs, scraping at the top of the chamber more slowly.
“Can’t you go faster?” Olus asked.
“The vibrations will give us away,” Lorix said, pausing. “It won’t take long. Fifteen minutes.”
“Understood.”
He waited behind them, trying to control his patience. He would hate to have come this far to have her get away from them now.
“Killshot,” Pahaliah said.
“Pali, what is it?” Olus replied. Was Lorenti on the move?
“I’m not sure. I’ve been watching the restaurant, but I’ve noticed that there are three groups of pedestrians that have walked past at least three times in the last hour.”
“Nephilim?”
“It could be. Lorenti may have more guards than she realizes.”
“Roger. I’m almost ready to make my move. Is Lorenti’s car still out front?”
“Affirmative.”
“Good. When I give you the word, you need to secure it. I’ll be joining you shortly.”
“What about the extra guards?”
“Try not to draw attention to yourself until I give you the mark. If the Nephilim pin us down, we’re going to be fragged.”
“Roger. I’ll take care of it.”
“That’s the spirit. Mann out.”
Olus looked back to Lorix and his crew. He felt a sudden round of unease wash across him. Thraven was watching Lorenti closely, which meant the Gloritant suspected Olus was watching her as well. It was going to increase the difficulty level more than he liked, but there was nothing he could do about it.
He knew when the Plixians had reached the surface because they stopped digging and began packing the solid compound in a web across the top of the tunnel. Then Lorix lowered himself toward Olus.
“We’re ready,” he said.
Olus nodded. “Pahaliah, get in position, wait for my mark.”
“Roger.”
Olus climbed onto Lorix’ back, and the Plixian positioned itself to lift him toward the top of the passage. A second Plixian joined them, lifting his forelimbs to the compound, ready to break through.
“Let’s do it,” Olus said.
The second Plixian jumped up, pushing against the surface, shoving his way through, climbing the side of the tunnel with his hind legs. He burst out, clearing the space around him. Olus heard shouts of surprise from above, and then he was being propelled into the space between the forelimbs and the thorax, slipped into the opening and up into the kitchen.
He reached to the holsters beneath his jacket, drawing both of his sidearms as he ascended into the restaurant.
Cooks and waiters screamed and ducked aside as Olus jumped away from the hole and through the door leading out to the restaurant floor. He could feel the Blood of the Shard pulsing beneath his skin, giving him energy and strength.
A number of patrons screamed and stood as he appeared, while a second group reacted to him by drawing weapons of their own. The glasses Olus wore helped pick out those targets, and he adjusted his aim, firing on them without hesitation, splitting his shots to his left and right simultaneously. Two bullets, two kills, as a pair of holes sprouted in the heads of the guards closest to him. Two more rounds and two more dropped.
“Pali, now,” he said.
“Roger.”
He scanned the floor for Lorenti. His skin tingled on his left side, and he ducked just in time to avoid a shooter he hadn’t seen there. He turned on his knee, firing between the legs of a screaming woman and hitting the gunman in the chest, knocking him back. He pivoted to the other side, locating another target and shooting, knocking them down as well.
“Frag,” he said under his breath. Where was she?
A door opened on the north side, a handful of guards he recognized pouring out. There. He smiled, rushing toward them, dropping to his knees, grabbing a civilian who was in the way and dragging her down as bullets poured overhead. He spun her out of the way, bouncing to his feet and firing, hitting the first guard. Lorenti and her husband were trying to get out between them.
He turned his attention to the door. There was a commotion there, a pair of civilians who were trying to push past the evacuating diners to get into the restaurant.
Not civilians. He watched as they changed shape, their bodies altering into something much more fearsome. Pahaliah had told him about the Goreshin, but it was the first time he had seen them for himself. He needed to speed this up.
“I’ve got the car,” Pahaliah reported.
“Did anyone see you?” he asked.
“Negative. I’m in the clear.”
“Good work. Lay low. I’ll be there in a minute. Traffic is heavier than I assumed.”
He ducked as a heavy fist came in toward his head from his right, turning and firing into the attacker’s chest. Something hit him from behind, knocking him forward. He rotated as he fell, cursing at the sight of the Goreshin. Where the frag? He realized then that it was the first guard he had shot. She was better protected than he expected.
He dropped one of his guns, drawing the Uin from his pocket and getting to his feet. “Come on, you fragger,” he said.
The Goreshin pounced at him. He rushed forward, sliding beneath and past. Lorenti was in front of him, close to the exit. Did they know her car was compromised?
He kept running toward them. Another guard turned to face him, beginning to change once he was out of sight of the Councilwoman. Did she even know what was protecting her? He didn’t slow, emptying his magazine into the Goreshin’s face. It wouldn’t kill it, but it would slow it down.
People were still trying to get out of the restaurant, thrown aside by Lorenti’s remaining guards to clear a path for her. Olus could see her back now. She wasn’t looking his way. She didn’t even seem concerned. Her husband did. He made eye contact, his face frightened. Olus smiled, leaping toward them on the strength of the Gift. He grabbed the husband, putting the Uin to his neck.
“Nel,” he said, loudly enough to get her attention.
She stopped moving, turning her head. Her eyes widened when she saw the blade against her husband’s throat.
“Olus, wait,” she said. “You wouldn’t.”
He pressed the Uin a little harder against the neck, just enough to draw a thin line of blood. “I’ve had a bad month,” Olus replied. “Call off your dogs, or he dies.”
Lorenti’s eyes shifted to the guards. They had their guns pointed at Olus.
“Drop them,” Lorenti said. “Now.”
The guards looked at her, and then at one another. For a moment, Olus wasn’t sure they would listen to her. Not now.
They didn’t. They fired, sending round after round into her husband and through. Olus felt the bullets biting against his jacket, a couple of them making it to his flesh. He let go of Mr. Lorenti while Councilwoman Lorenti screamed.
“No. What are you doing?”
They grabbed her arms, trying to pull her away. Olus surged toward them just as a claw came down on his shoulder. He looked back at the same time Lorix landed on the Goreshin, pinning it beneath his massive legs, reaching down and snapping its neck with his powerful forelimbs.
The guards had gotten Lorenti out of the restaurant and into
the street. He followed behind them, finding them headed for Lorenti’s car. They opened the door and threw the woman inside. At the same time, the front door beside them opened. Pahaliah slipped out of it, a Uin in each hand. She cut off the first guard’s head before he knew she was there. The second came at her, hitting her hard in the chest and knocking her back.
Then Olus was on him, Uin flashing in the surrounding light as he slashed the hand off the guard before twisting in the air and kicking him hard in the face. His neck snapped from the impact, his body tumbling over until he landed on his back. Olus dropped on top of him, slicing cleanly through his neck.
He stood up. There was a crowd around them, onlookers watching with strangely sick interest after having escaped from inside. He heard sirens closing in, and spotted a police drone dropping from above.
Pahaliah was on the ground next to the car. He bent down and picked her up, moving her back into the vehicle and sliding in beside her. He closed the door, sparing a glance back at Lorenti. She was dazed and in tears.
“This is the NYPD,” someone said to him through the vehicle’s comm. “Remain where you are.”
“I’ve got Councilwoman Lorenti on board,” Olus replied. “There was an attempt on her life. Her husband is dead. I need to get her to safety. Emergency code four-two-seven-nine-one-eight.”
“Code confirmed. Please report within twenty-four hours.”
“Affirmative,” Olus said. He started the vehicle, lifting it into the first lane of traffic and then shifting over to the emergency lane. Being the former Director of the OSI certainly had its benefits, and it would take the NYPD at least an hour to figure out they had been tricked.
He planned to be long gone with the Councilwoman by then.
30
“Where are we?” Councilwoman Lorenti asked as Olus landed the car. She had been silent for most of the hour-long duration of the ride, even while she had been crying.
Olus looked back at her. Her eyes were red, her face puffy. At the same time, she was wearing an angry, defiant expression. Targeted toward him or Thraven? He wasn’t sure just yet.
“Safe house. Fortunately for us, the only two other OSI operatives who know about this one are already dead. Excuse me a moment while I disable the tracking services.”
Lorenti looked out the window at the small cottage. They were in northern New York state, up in the mountains. The cottage was surrounded by trees, and once he got the car’s locator services offline and moved it under the canopy, they would be impossible to find.
“Olus?” Pahaliah said beside him.
She had been awake for a while but hadn’t spoken. Her ribs were broken, he was sure of it. He knew he could heal them with the Blood somehow once he had a minute.
“Relax.”
He plugged his SoC into the car’s computer, quickly unlocking it and navigating to the tracking service. He turned it off and unplugged. Then he eased the car forward, pulling it behind the cottage and under the trees.
“Bruce is dead,” Lorenti said. “They killed him. Why?”
“We’ll get to that, Nel,” Olus said. “If you want revenge, I can help you with that.”
“I want answers, damn it,” she replied sharply. “He’s dead because of you. Because you attacked me. Why? What the hell happened to you, Captain?”
“I see you’re recovering nicely,” Olus said. “Give me a minute.”
He turned to Pahaliah, shifting to lean over her. He reached down to the connectors holding her seraphsuit closed and began unfastening them.
“Are you flirting with me?” Pahaliah asked.
“Funny,” Olus replied. He slid his hand beneath the material, moving it toward the swelling on her left side, having to run it beneath her breast to reach it.
“Captain,” Pahaliah said, forcing a smile through the pain.
He ignored her, reaching out with the Gift.
“What are you doing?” Lorenti asked. “Olus?”
He ignored her, too. His hand grew warm, and he could feel the swelling beneath it start to subside.
“That’s nice,” Pahaliah said.
It took less than a minute. He pulled his hand away, opening the door and climbing out of the car. The effort left him feeling a little bit weak, but he wasn’t about to show it. “Nel, get out.”
Pahaliah was already climbing out on the other side. The rear door opened and Lorenti stumbled out. She took three steps, fell to her knees, and vomited. When she was done, she picked herself up, adjusted her dress, and stared at him defiantly.
“I want to know what’s going on. Everything.”
“Good. Me too.”
Olus started walking toward the cottage. Both women followed him without acknowledging one another.
He opened the door, holding it for them. They all entered. The cottage was simply decorated with sofas and chairs. An entertainment terminal sat in the corner.
“Have a seat,” Olus said. “I’ll get you some water.”
He moved to the adjacent kitchen. It was well-stocked with enough nutrients to keep someone comfortable for almost a year. He had never had to hide anyone here nearly that long, but it was good to be prepared. He pulled a handful of water containers and food bars from the shelves and brought them back, distributing them to the others.
“Pali, there’s a bed back there if you want to rest.”
“I’m fine,” she replied.
Olus nodded, sitting opposite Councilwoman Lorenti.
“I’ll give you the short version. I know the CEO of Tridium has been blackmailing you in exchange for your vote on the Council. They’re aiming to start an all-out war with the Outworlds. That can’t happen.”
“What?” Lorenti said. “My husband is dead because of the vote tomorrow? You came after me why? For what reason? My ballot won’t change anything.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You aren’t the only politician Thraven has in his pocket. He has just enough to get the legislation passed and to forward his agenda. One that will lead to the end of humanity as we know it.”
“That’s a bit of hyperbole, isn’t it, Olus? Who is Thraven?”
“The puppet master, pulling all of your strings,” Olus replied. “A powerful force. A dark force. You thought your guards worked for you. They worked for him. They killed Bruce because they didn’t want me to get to you.”
“Over my vote.”
She didn’t believe him. He could understand why not. He was skirting around the details. He didn’t have time to go into the whole backstory.
“You don’t understand what the vote means. With the power to run the Republic military, he can start tearing both the Republic and Outworlds apart while he moves in and starts taking planets. Entire populations left undefended by the Council’s orders. Orders that are coming from him as he completes his master plan.”
“Which is?”
“To enslave the galaxy, and go to war with a God.”
“What?”
Olus opened his jacket. He had two bullet holes in his shirt. “Do you see this, Nel? I was shot. Twice.”
He unbuttoned the shirt and spread it aside, revealing the smooth flesh beneath.
“What the hell?” Lorenti said. “How?”
“Did you really think I went rogue against the Republic?” Olus asked. “Me, of all people? Did you really think I killed those people at the museum?”
“The evidence -”
“Planted. Manipulated. Controlled. All of it, from Thraven’s hand. He’s been planning this for years. The casualties are in the thousands. You can add Bruce to that list.”
“For my vote,” she repeated.
“Without your vote, the resolution won’t pass. It will take Thraven time to move it back into place. Time that our side needs to work against him.”
“There are others working against him?”
“Yes. The fugitives from Hell? I set them loose to find the Fire and the Brimstone, which Thraven stole, not the Outworld Governance. He ha
s them under his thumb, too. Half of the galaxy already. They’re working against him. They’re out there fighting him, right now.”
“Fugitives from Hell? Military convicts of the worst order? You have to be joking.”
“I wish I were joking. Damn it, Nel. You know me. We’ve worked together for a long time. Thraven killed Iti. Did you know that? The accident? It was no accident.”
She put her head in her hands. “Olus, I don’t know what you want from me. You attacked me. You were going to kidnap me. You’re a wanted criminal. A terrorist. Bruce is dead. My bodyguards shot him. And now you’re telling me there’s what? An evil overlord trying to take over the galaxy? Is that right?”
“That’s exactly right.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“That doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Do you know a man named Davis?”
Her face turned to stone at the name. “Yes. He was the one who showed me the video they took of me. Illegally recorded, I might add. I wasn’t doing anything illegal. So what if I like to play around? So what if I like to experiment? I’m an adult, and Bruce was okay with it. We had an agreement.”
“I don’t care,” Olus said. “But your constituents would. That’s why you went in with the blackmail.”
“They were asking me to vote on the same lines I would have voted anyway. It was a much better option.”
“I know your record. You wouldn’t have moved a military agenda.”
“No. So I shifted on that issue. I have a reputation that I spent decades building, and they were ready to destroy it with one stupid recording. None of the measures were passing anyway.”
“Until a few months ago.”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t notice that others were shifting, too?”
“I did, but I couldn’t exactly question them on it and ask them if they had dirt too, could I?”
“Which is what Thraven was counting on. Davis is one of his. You aren’t the only one he set up.”
