Ragnarock

by Stephen Kenson

  "Danke, Herr Talon." Brackhaus stepped up into the cabin, followed by Talon. He pulled the door closed, and the helicopter began to rise into the air. The Eurocar backed away slowly, then turned and drove out of the vacant lot, leaving Hammer and Val alone, to be swallowed up by the shadows.

  * * *

  The chopper rose up high over the buildings below, then turned and headed back on a course for the Ruhr River and the heart of Essen. From the faint radio chatter coming from the cockpit, Talon could tell that, this time, they were following a pre-filed flight plan with Essen air traffic control. He briefly wondered how Saeder-Krupp would explain a flight coming from the middle of an abandoned area with no heliport, then decided that S-K probably didn't have to explain much of anything in Germany, if it chose not to.

  Brackhaus sat near the cockpit, quietly composed, making no effort at conversation. For most of the flight, they rode in silence, Talon and Boom sitting together and the unconscious Dr. Goronay in the back of the chopper.

  Eventually, the massive Saeder-Krupp Ruhr arcology building came into sight. Even from kilometers away, it was an impressive sight. Rising like an ancient medieval castle above the smaller buildings surrounding it, the arcology was more than two hundred stories tall, and covered almost ten square city blocks, rising up like a truncated pyramid. The sides of the building were covered in black macroglass, giving the whole structure a glossy black surface that gleamed wetly in the city lights of Essen. Along the top of the building glowed the Saeder-Krupp name and logo, a reclining black dragon against a neon-red background. Lights glimmered from the numerous landing pads placed at different levels, and spotlights cast shimmering cones of illumination along the building's sides and from the roof.

  Though not quite as large as the ill-fated Renraku arcology in Seattle, the S-K arcology still housed nearly seventy thousand employees and their families, like a small, self-contained city. It was completed sometime in 2058, Talon recalled, having seen a trideo broadcast of the dedication ceremonies. He recalled the corporate commentators mentioning how Saeder-Krupp had managed to finish their arcology project before Renraku completed theirs, even though S-K began more than a year later. A definite public relations coup for the megacorp.

  As the Stallion banked toward the arcology, Boom leaned in close to Talon and spoke softly. "So, chummer, have you ever met a dragon?"

  "Yeah," Talon said, "but it wasn't a very friendly meeting. The dragon had . . . issues."

  "The only one I ever met was Dunkelzahn." Boom said, glancing out the window. "He's the one who really got me started in the shadow-biz in Boston. Saw something other than muscle in me, I guess. Showed me I could be more than that. Nice guy."

  Somehow Talon didn't think the same could be said of Lofwyr. Still, he hoped this experience with a dragon would be more like Boom's than his own had been.

  The arcology loomed to fill Talon's entire field of vision as the helicopter came in on its final approach. They touched down gently on one of the rooftop helipads, the others already occupied by corporate helos and tilt-rotor aircraft to convey S-K personnel to various points throughout the plex. As they landed, Dr. Goronay stirred and moaned slightly. Boom took the doctor's arm and shook it gently.

  "Wakey, wakey." he said.

  Goronay stirred and opened his eyes. He looked over at Boom and Talon in confusion and muttered something in Russian. Talon didn't speak it, and didn't have a Russian language chip on him.

  "Wake up, Doctor." he said firmly. "We'll carry you if we have to, but it would be better if you can walk."

  "Where . . . ?" Goronay began.

  "Saeder-Krupp HQ." Talon said. "We have some business to conclude here."

  If Goronay was concerned over the prospect of being forcibly brought back into the presence of his patrons, he certainly didn't show it. In fact, the doctor seemed somewhat befuddled, but he offered no resistance and did what he was told.

  Brackhaus opened the door of the helicopter and stepped down, waiting for Talon, Boom, and Goronay to do the same. The doctor was a touch unsteady on his feet, but managed to get his bearings with a little help from Boom. Then Brackhaus led them to a bank of elevators on the rooftop. Taking a credstick from his pocket, he slotted it into the port next to one of the elevators. A light immediately went on over the port and the elevator doors slid open smoothly.

  "Gentlemen." he said with a wave. They all stepped into the elevator, followed by Brackhaus. Talon noticed there were no visible controls. As soon as the doors closed, Brackhaus said "executive level." and the elevator began to move quickly. It slowed and came to a stop with a gentle bump, and the doors opened again to reveal a long corridor lined with doors. The walls were a pale cream color and the hallway was carpeted in deep burgundy, with dark wood trim. Talon was willing to bet it was real wood, too, not synthetic. Everything in the place, from the doors to the brass fittings and nameplates to the faint spicy scent of herbal air freshener, spoke of power and wealth. This was where the real high-rollers of the world's most powerful megacorp operated.

  Talon was quite certain that they were being scanned by an infinite array of state-of-the-art sensors as they walked down the corridor. He itched to use his astral senses to check out the place, but he resisted the urge. Any use of his magical abilities might bring a sudden and brutal response from the unseen S-K security forces. Instead, Talon did his very best to keep himself looking as calm and unthreatening as possible.

  The corridor ended and opened up into a pleasant reception area. Talon had lived in smaller apartments than the room, which was spacious, with one wall to the left made up of macroglass windows that afforded a spectacular view of the Ruhr River and the city sprawling more than two hundred stories below. Two other walls were the same cream color as the hallway, while the wall opposite where they entered was paneled in dark finished wood. A number of couches and small end tables were placed precisely around the room, and there was a set of bronze double-doors set into the wood-paneled wall. They were each carved with the image of a dragon coiled atop an ornate ledge, so that the two dragons faced each other.

  Talon smiled to himself, thinking Lofwyr was nothing if not stylish.

  Sitting to the right of the doors was a curved desk that blended in with the decor. Coming around from behind it was a striking human woman dressed in a sharp business pants suit of dark blue, with a short jacket and a lighter blue blouse. A belt of silver disks encircled her slim waist, and she wore tasteful silver earrings. Her hair was ash-blond, pulled back from her face into a pony tail, and perfectly coifed. Talon noticed that her eyes matched the color of her blouse and that her smile was almost perfectly white. For some reason he couldn't explain, he found himself reminded of a predator baring its fangs when he saw her smile. Perhaps it was the dark-uniformed security guards flanking either side of the hall through which they entered.

  "Hello." she said. "I'm Karen Montejac, the President's personal assistant. I must ask you to surrender your weapons."

  Talon and Boom glanced at each other, then Talon reached, slowly, under his coat and withdrew his Ares Viper. He made a careful show of removing the clip from the weapon before handing it over to Montejac. Boom did the same with his Predator. One of the guards waved a hand-held scanner over Boom from head to foot.

  "He's clean." the guard said. He did the same over Talon, pausing at his waist.

  "I'm afraid you must surrender all your weapons, sir." Montejac said in a firm tone, her gaze falling on the jeweled dagger hilt barely visible beneath his coat.

  "No." Talon said, quietly.

  "Excuse me?"

  "Talon, give them the bloody dagger!" Boom hissed under his breath.

  "No." Talon repeated. "I won't surrender my mageblade." His gun was one thing, that was protocol, but Talonclaw was more than just a weapon, it was bonded to Talon magically, almost a part of him. He'd worked a long time to make it, to enchant it as an embodiment of his will and his magical power. He wouldn't surrender it easily. Besides, w
hat did they think he would do with it in Lofwyr's presence? Even a mageblade was of little use against the power of a great dragon.

  "Sir." Montejac began, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Then she stopped and cocked her head, as if listening to a voice no one else could hear. She nodded, almost unconsciously, and turned back to Talon and the others.

  "You may enter." she said. "He is expecting you."

  Talon swallowed and nodded. Brackhaus stepped forward and pushed open the bronzed doors, allowing Talon, Boom, and Goronay to enter, followed closely by the unobtrusive security guards.

  Dominating the room was the sprawling body of the great golden dragon, making Talon feel quite small and insignificant in comparison. As he stood looking at the shimmering, awesome shape of Lofwyr, he heard a voice speaking in his mind.

  "Welcome, Talon. I've been looking forward to this meeting."

  13

  The "corner office" of the Saeder-Krupp arcology was a vast room by necessity. One could easily have landed a mid-sized VTOL inside it, with plenty of space to maneuver. In fact, in many ways it less resembled an office than a hangar, or perhaps a cavernous den where a dragon would feel more at home.

  Two adjoining walls were floor-to-ceiling armored macroglass, with adjustable tint and opacity, currently set to provide a clear view of the Ruhr River and the light-dappled cityscape of the surrounding megaplex. Beyond them was a broad balcony of shaped ferrocrete that provided an area large enough for a small aircraft—or a large dragon—to take off and land. Talon suspected that the macroglass walls retracted to allow the dragon a means of entry and exit, since there was no way he could fit through even the wide double doors leading in from the reception area.

  The wall in which those doors were set was of pale stone, carved with elaborate bas-reliefs that looked medieval in style. No noble knights slaying dragons on them, however. They could very well have been authentic, looted from some castle or other ruin in Europe during the work of the Restoration. The floor was a seamless slab of dark marble, smooth and cool, although the air in the room was fairly warm.

  The wall off to the right of the doors drew the most interest. The entire surface was covered with a sensitive film of ruthenium polymers, turning the whole wall into a giant trideo screen. On that screen were dozens of different "windows" showing video footage, computer graphics, and scrolling lists of text and numbers. Talon recognized a couple of major international news channels, along with the stock indices for Tokyo, London, and Boston. The rest was just a meaningless jumble of sounds and images overlapping, too much information at once for his senses to make heads or tails out of it.

  In the midst of the room, lying curled up like a giant house cat, was by far the largest dragon Talon had ever seen. Not that he'd seen many. Most people gladly went their whole lives never getting any closer to an actual dragon than on the trideo. Talon had met only one other during his years in the shadows, and that creature was a child compared to the majestic shape he saw before him. It wasn't until he looked on Lofwyr, resting in his own lair, that Talon understood where the term "great dragon" came from.

  Even curled up like he was, bat-like wings furled tightly against his back, back spines lying flat, with his sharp, reptilian head close to the floor, Lofwyr was huge. The dragon's golden scales shimmered in the light coming from the upper corners of the room as his sides heaved slowly, in and out, like great bellows. The air was filled with the dry, musty scent of a reptile house. Talon was reminded of a lizard, sunning itself on a rock, as he saw Lofwyr bathed in the glow of the track lighting from above.

  As Talon, Boom, and their escort entered the room, the dragon raised up his head and forelimbs and stretched, another catlike gesture, spreading his wings so the tips brushed up against the far walls of the room. One look from Lofwyr's golden eyes reminded Talon that this was no mere lizard, but a creature of formidable intelligence, who single-handedly controlled the world's largest megacorp.

  " Welcome, Talon, I've been looking forward to meeting you." Lofwyr said. The dragon's mouth did not move, nor did Talon hear any sound. Instead, Lofwyr's voice spoke directly into his mind. It was similar to the way in which he and Aracos communicated, only that bond was deeper and more personal. Talon felt none of the same warmth or friendship in Lofwyr's thought-voice nor, he suspected, could he shut out the dragon's words, had he wanted to. He found the sensation profoundly disturbing, but did his best to suppress any outward sign of it.

  "And I see you’ve brought the wayward Dr. Goronay. Greetings, Doctor. I've followed your career with some interest."

  Goronay seemed to have come out of his stupor upon seeing Lofwyr and now shrank back from the dragon's glittering gaze. It occurred to Talon that when Lofwyr had awakened some fifty years ago, Goronay was only a child and Talon and his friends had yet to be born. How long had the great dragon slumbered before that time, and how long had he lived before entering his long sleep preceding the birth of the Sixth World? The sheer weight of Lofwyr's experience, all that the dragon had seen and done, was like a palpable aura surrounding him. Little wonder he commanded such respect, his fearsome physical qualities aside.

  "You have also brought the crystal?" the dragon said. Talon suddenly realized he'd been standing like an idiot with his mouth hanging open the entire time Lofwyr was speaking. He felt the dragon's attention on him as he recovered and nodded quickly.

  "Yes." he said. "Yes, we have." He reached into the shoulder bag he carried and withdrew the rosy-colored crystal, which gleamed in the light.

  "Excellent." the dragon's thought-voice hissed through his mind. "Brackhaus, guards, leave us."

  Mr. Brackhaus gave a short bow, then he and the security guards silently withdrew, pulling the doors shut behind them. They closed with a thunk that echoed in the cavernous space.

  "Bring the crystal to me." Lofwyr said in Talon's mind. Talon found himself moving to obey before he even thought about it. He went forward until the great dragon towered overhead, only about three more paces away. He could see the armored scales ripple with every breath, every slight movement.

  "Place it there." Lofwyr said, and Talon carefully set the crystal heart on the marble floor, then backed away from it. Lofwyr's wedge-shaped head dipped down, hovering over the crystal. In the back of his mind, Talon heard strange, alien words whispering as the dragon shifted his neck to look at the crystal from different angles, the golden eyes narrowing, looking at things beyond the range of human vision. Lofwyr's features were completely unreadable, at least to anyone other than another dragon. Finally, he raised his head again and turned to look at his three visitors.

  "Now then, Doctor," he said in a purring tone of thought, "perhaps you would care to explain why you murdered one of your own students to remove this bauble?"

  Goronay's face had gone ashen, and sweat broke out on his brow. Talon certainly didn't envy him at that moment.

  "I . . . I . . ," he stammered, "I don't know . . . that is to say, I'm not completely sure, but . . ."

  There was a mental sigh from Lofwyr as the doctor continued to stammer and stumble over his words. The poor man looked close to a collapse.

  "Very well. I can see I shall have to follow a more expedient path." Lofwyr's eyes narrowed and focused on Dr. Goronay. The old archeologist stood paralyzed, trapped in the dragon's gaze like a terrified sparrow confronting a cobra. His own eyes widened and his mouth opened, but only strangled, meaningless noises emerged. Both Talon and Boom flinched at the treatment Lofwyr was giving their prisoner. Part of Talon was tempted to use his astral senses to see what it was Lofwyr was doing, but his own good sense told him it was best not to interfere in the dragon's business.

  Suddenly, Dr. Goronay threw his head back and gave a terrible cry, whether of pain or anger, Talon couldn't tell. The doctor grabbed his balding head with his right hand and pointed his left at Lofwyr, forefinger extended in accusation.

  "Monster! Defiler!" he shouted. "You will not break me! I am a true servant of the gods!
Death!" he cried. "Death to all tyrants!"

  As Goronay spoke, the rosy crystal on the floor in front of Lofwyr began to glow brightly. Talon looked quickly from the crystal to the golden dragon looming overhead.

  "Lofwyr . . ." he started to call out. Then, an arc of pinkish lightning exploded from the crystal, striking the great dragon in the chest. Caught off guard by the sudden energy surge, Lofwyr threw back his head and roared in pain, a sound that seemed to shake the entire room. Talon had never heard anything so terrible as the dragon's pain-laden roar. Lofwyr's entire body was awash in arcs of energy, from his head to the tips of his outstretched wings and tail. Goronay was still babbling and shouting taunts and insults at the dragon as Lofwyr began to thrash his head and tail in pain.

  "Talon, look out!" Boom yelled. He grabbed Talon and pulled him back and down as the dragon slammed his tail into one of the macroglass windows, which were designed to withstand the impact of a rocket launcher. It shattered on impact, sending shards flying across the room.

  Goronay was laughing like a madman, practically gibbering. "Yes! Yes!" he shouted. "Now you will pay! Now you will feel the suffering you have inflicted on others! The judgment of the gods is upon you, serpent! The twilight of the gods is upon us all!" The old archeologist was almost dancing with glee.

  Gods, Talon thought, he's completely insane.

  Lofwyr thrashed his head forward, opened his massive jaws with a roar and loosed a gout of flames that engulfed Goronay. The doctor's laughter turned into a scream that was quickly drowned out by the roar of the flames. The room began to fill with acrid smoke and the horrible smell of roasting flesh as Goronay was incinerated by the blast. Talon, lying some four meters away, could feel the terrible heat of the flames, like the backwash of a rocket, as Goronay's remains collapsed to the floor.

  However, the death of the mad archeologist did nothing to stop the assault of the crystalline artifact on the great dragon. The crimson glow around Lofwyr intensified, bolts of energy coruscating over his scaly hide, a blinding beam of radiance arcing between his chest and the crystal on the floor. The dragon appeared helpless to strike out at the crystal, or to do anything else to end his torment. The glow was growing brighter and brighter, until it was painful to look at. Talon glanced up from the floor and, for a moment, locked eyes with the great dragon. The pain he saw reflected in Lofwyr's gaze was dizzying, as was the choking smoke and the heat of the lingering flames in the room. Talon felt almost faint and closed his eyes tightly against the sight of it. The sound of the dragon's cries echoed in his mind.