by J. C. Diem
Loki sent another wave of raw power at the angel, but the blue beam went wide when a bullet tore through the Oracle’s leg and she jerked in reaction. A second shot rang out and the were-eagle screeched in pain. Her talons sprang open and she dropped him.
Violet surged forward and caught hold of Loki by his ankle. Avoiding his sword when he swung it at her, she flew over the field of portals. Spying one that was different from the rest, she swept down low.
Hanging upside down, Loki knew what the angel was going to do even before she carried him towards the portals. Most of them were tuned to Asgard, so he didn’t fight it as she sped towards them. His plan had fallen apart, but he would be able to turn things around. When he was back on his home world, he would be able to come out on top once more. He could free his kin and take Asgard back. He could use the portals to rescue Odin and his army. Instead of being reviled, he would be celebrated as a hero. Better yet, he could leave Odin and his warriors to rot and rule Asgard himself. That idea appealed to him much more.
Violet wanted Loki to suffer for what he’d done to Lexi’s world. She wasn’t about to give him the chance to worm his way out of his punishment. Instead of aiming for a portal that reflected the beautiful golden towers of Asgard, she veered towards one that showed the icy plains of Jötunheim.
Seeing the home of the Frost Giants appear directly beneath him, Loki shouted in denial, but it was already too late. The angel released him and he fell head-first through the magical doorway.
Violet hovered over the portal and watched as Loki landed on his feet on a lake of ice. A gigantic frosty palace lay in the distance. Already, flaming torches were appearing as they became aware that an invader had appeared on their world. He would face their wrath and she doubted even he could talk his way out of this predicament.
With Loki now gone, Lexi knew it was no longer necessary for the rest of the squad to sit on the sidelines. She gave her zombies a mental command and four of them broke off from the battle. They sank beneath the ground and returned moments later with her father, Kala, Flynn and Sabine in tow. Mark and Ava spotted them and hurried over so the entire group was together.
“Can you make us shift?” Kala said to Lexi. “I really want to rip some Grimgorg faces off.”
Her father and Flynn nodded their agreement with the plan, so Lexi triggered their change. In seconds, their clothes were torn apart as they took on their wereforms. Sabine’s appearance also changed. Her clothes magically disappeared and her body elongated as she took on her lamia form. Lexi and Reece were the only ones who decided not to transform.
With Loki gone, the Oracle was freed from his influence. She shrieked in anger that he’d held her mind captive and dived at the green aliens. Snatching two of them into the air, she squeezed until she felt something pop inside their bodies then let them go. Bleeding internally, they fell towards the portals. They landed awkwardly and smashed half a dozen of the devices rather than falling through them as Loki had. It set off a chain reaction and the other doorways began to explode.
Seeing their only means of escape being destroyed, King Rho shouted at his shamans to do something. Thinking fast, his magic users yanked several rows of the portals free. The rest splintered into shards, leaving them with only a narrow window to get out of this debacle alive.
Rho turned to assess his chances of winning just as the zombies suddenly sank into the ground. They returned moments later with thousands of shapeshifters in tow. If that wasn’t bad enough, raggedy looking humans were tearing his soldiers to pieces with their bare hands. Filthy and with matted hair, fangs had sprouted inside their mouths. One grabbed hold of a shaman and bit into his neck. She drank deeply, then grimaced as purple blood ran down the sides of her mouth. A swipe of her hand decapitated the Grimgorg in apparent affront at how horrible he’d tasted.
Human soldiers were firing their guns nonstop. The gigantic black dog was tearing into his warriors with savage, hollow growls. Neither weapons, nor magic could harm the thing. There were too many magical creatures on this planet. Rho wasn’t willing to put his entire race at risk. It was time to abandon this dangerous venture and return to Asgard. He would have to be content with ruling Loki’s home world.
~~~
Chapter Forty-Four
~~~ Lexi’s World ~~~
Fierce joy swept through Lexi when she saw King Rho order his remaining troops to retreat. Natalie and Violet had done it. They’d defeated Loki and had banished him from her world. The human soldiers, zombies, vampires and shifters had decimated the Grimgorg army. Now the survivors were fleeing and her version of Earth would be safe again.
Remembering they would need a way to reach the next dimension, Nat grabbed hold of a Grimgorg shaman before they could all flee. She stared into his disturbing yellow eyes until he fell became enthralled. Seconds later, his kin released their spells that was keeping the dome in place. It shimmered, then disappeared.
Realizing the invaders were leaving, Colonel Ortiz called off the attack. There was no point in continuing the slaughter and adding to the number of corpses they would need to dispose of. He’d lost some men and women, but not as many as he’d expected. The zombies, vampires and shifters were efficient killing machines. Maybe a bit too efficient for his liking.
He’d seen the footage of the attack on Los Angeles a couple of years ago and he was aware that Agent Alexis Levine was a shapeshifter. She’d saved their world once before and she was now back to rescue them again. He almost wished she’d changed into her werewolf form along with the rest of the shifters. She was as mesmerizing as she was frightening when she took on her bestial form.
Surrounded by supernatural monsters and armed humans, Rho urged his remaining magicians and warriors to leap through the portals. He’d learned his lesson and he wasn’t going to make the mistake of invading another planet again. When his people were all safely on Asgard, he began to chant.
Nat trotted over to Lexi and her friends with her bamboozled shaman in tow. “I figured we’d need a shaman to help us get to the next dimension,” she said. Finished his chant, King Rho leapt into the doorway just before they exploded. “Damn it!” she exclaimed. “How are we going to get to Violet’s world now?”
“Through one of these,” Violet replied as she landed next to them. She gently set two linked portals down on the ground. Rho’s shamans weren’t the only ones who had saved some doorways from being destroyed. She’d torn these ones free moments before the rest had exploded.
“Nice work,” Lexi said to them both. “You girls really came through for me.” She hugged Violet and felt comforted by her holy wings. Reaching out, she pulled Nat into the hug as well.
Feeling slightly awkward, Violet endured the three-way embrace for a few seconds before she pulled away. Several paws stroked her feathers and she turned to see she was surrounded by shifters. A werelion with a dark brown mane slunk over and rubbed against her, purring loudly.
“Felix,” Lexi said in a warning tone.
Nat sniggered and Violet joined her. With a disdainful sniff at being reprimanded, Felix sauntered over to his rex. Cole endured a lick on the face from his cousin while he stared at Kala forlornly.
In her cougar form, Kala was an amazing sight. Philip was just as impressive, but it was Flynn and Sabine that most of the soldiers stared at. Flynn’s long forked tongue tested the air for threats and his hood was flared behind his head. Far smaller than her mate, Sabine looked a bit like him, but she had a human head and torso. Apart from his chest and arms, Flynn was all snake.
Violet shuddered when she remembered seeing him spitting venom on his enemies. Their faces had melted off with bubbling screams. She was glad he was on their side. Even with her strange and wonderful abilities, she wouldn’t want to face him in a battle.
“Well, it looks like we have the means to head to our next destination,” Nat said. She looked around for Fate and was utterly unsurprised when she materialized.
“Once again, you have done well,
” Fate said to her warriors in a hollow voice. “You have vanquished your enemies and you have saved this planet.”
“I guess we’ll be heading to my world now,” Violet said as she made her wings disappear. She was glad to be heading home, but she dreaded what would happen once she arrived. While she didn’t shy from battle, her world was still recovering from its previous ordeal.
“That is correct,” Fate replied. Her coal-black hair stirred and reached for the young woman. To her credit, Violet didn’t flinch away. The strands hovered near her, but they didn’t quite touch her. It took nerves of steel to withstand Fate’s strangeness and these three women were the strongest she’d ever chosen. “You must leave soon,” she informed them. “Things are progressing quickly on the Alpha World. I fear that Loki has made choices that will result in the doom of everyone in the universe.”
“Everyone except the people on our worlds, right?” Nat said uneasily. Fate turned her head slightly, but her face was too shadowed to make out her expression. When she didn’t answer, all three of her champions realized their dimensions weren’t out of danger yet. They needed to make their way to the Alpha World. Once they finally found it, they would have to somehow persuade Loki to choose a different path without letting him know they existed.
With a sigh, Lexi turned to Reece. It was time to say goodbye again, but first they had to help the shifters transform back. It wasn’t even close to the full moon yet and it wasn’t natural for them to be in their beast forms. Shouldering her sniper rifle, she took Reece’s hands and they mentally reached out to their kin. Touching their minds, they flipped a mental switch to force them back into their human bodies.
Five thousand beasts instantly became human again. Covered in the purple gore of their enemies, they weren’t at all ashamed about being naked. Philip moved to stand in front of Kala and Cole resolutely looked away. With their enemies gone, the vampires had become as still as statues again. At Lexi’s mental command, her zombies began transporting the vamps back to where they’d found them. Her final order was for them to return to their resting places when they were done.
Nat turned to the heavily bamboozled shaman. “I want you to tune a portal to another version of this world.” Staring obediently into one of the portals, it shimmered and the vision changed from Asgard to Las Vegas. It was nighttime there as well and it showed no signs of an invasion. “Now, change the other portal to the planet where Odin and his warriors were banished,” she commanded. He obeyed and a different image appeared on the surface of the second doorway. Far below, the Asgardians had made a structure out of rocks. They were a different band from the last group they’d seen, but they were following the same pattern. “Once we’ve gone through that portal, take it to Odin,” Nat said to the shaman. “Tune it to Asgard and help him and his warriors get back home.” The sorcerer nodded in understanding.
She wished she’d thought of this plan when they’d been on her world instead of getting the shaman to build two extra portals. She guessed the delay had all been part of Fate’s plan. Since they had to leave in a hurry this time, she’d been allowed to figure out how to use only two portals.
Lexi took a few seconds to disassemble her rifle and to stash it in her backpack. She kissed Reece long and hard, then said goodbye to her father and friends. She’d brought a backpack full of ammo for her rifle and her Beretta this time. Something had told her she would need her rifle and she knew to trust her instincts.
Mark hugged her last and planted a kiss on her temple. “We’re going to miss you, Agent Levine,” he said. “Come back to us in one piece.”
“I will,” Lexi vowed. She knew it would only get harder to leave the longer she delayed, so she swept her eyes across her friends and family a final time. They were all miserable that she had to go, but they knew it was necessary. Turning her back, she headed for the portal and leaped through it.
Nat and Violet waved at everyone, then followed Lexi. They’d faced Loki twice and had managed to defeat him both times. They could only hope that they could repeat the act again once they reached Violet’s world. Fate had warned them it would be increasingly difficult. This battle had definitely been harder than their last one.
Gulping down her trepidation, Violet was the last one through the portal. While she couldn’t wait to see Nathan and her friends again, she was worried about the horrors her version of Loki was going to rain down on her world.
~~~
Chapter Forty-Five
~~~ Alpha World ~~~
Shoved from behind by a Grimgorg warrior, Bianca staggered forward a few steps. She slammed into a collared man and managed to catch her balance before she could fall. Surrounded by docile men and women, she shuffled up a ramp and into a transport ship.
They huddled together as they left Dallas and headed for the Viltaran mothership. Several ships had landed in the main hold to offload their cargo. She kept her head down, glad she was short for the first time in her life. With luck, no one would notice that she wasn’t wearing a collar.
The humans were kept in small, separate groups as they were herded along a wide black hallway. Bianca was numb from almost being turned into confetti by the explosion, then being discarded by Loki. She’d actually begun to believe that he cared about her, in his own strange way. It had just become apparent that she’d been kidding herself. Whatever small entertainment she’d given him meant nothing and he’d tossed her aside without a second thought.
How long would it be before she was discovered by her captors and was collared? Once Earth had been conquered, she would be sent to another world. Since she hadn’t been converted into a clone, she would serve another purpose other than becoming a foot soldier. Best-case scenario, she would become a breeder to create more troops. She didn’t even want to contemplate what the worst-case scenario might be.
At the end of the hallway, they reached an intersection and were herded to the left. She glanced backwards to see the next group heading right. Her group was taken to a door and it opened to a small cell. There were no beds, food, water or even a bathroom. Thanks to Loki, she was aware of what she was about to endure once she became locked in this cell.
Squeezing inside, they were soon joined by more and more people until it was crowded. There was no room to sit or lie down. The captives stood there silently, too stupefied by the spell to even worry about their fate.
Hours passed and Bianca’s stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten. Her bladder was throbbing in pain. A few of her fellow inmates had given in to the urge to relieve themselves and the smell was already overpowering. She knew she would have to succumb to her bodily needs sooner or later, but she preferred it to be much later.
By what she judged to be the next morning, everyone had relieved themselves, including her. The stench was abominable and it was almost enough to drive away her growing hunger. Too tired and heartsick to cry, she’d worked her way to the corner and had slid to the ground. She sat with her head resting on her knees, seeking the dubious peace of sleep when a sound roused her. Heads turned as a panel in the wall opened at shin height. Objects began dropping into a trough that had just been revealed.
An electronic voice sounded over invisible speakers, speaking English. “Eat,” it ordered. She recognized it to be one of the Viltaran robots.
Obeying the droid, the captives each took a turn to shuffle forward and grab some food. It was raw meat, but they were beyond the ability to complain. Picking the bones clean, blood ran down their chins to stain their clothing. Most of them tossed the bones back into the trough when they were done. A few dropped them to the floor.
Pushing herself to her feet, Bianca had a very bad feeling about the meal. She worked her way over to the trough and looked down. At first, she could only make out a jumble of red flesh and white bones. She picked up a hunk of meat and turned it over to see some skin was still attached to it. Her brow furrowed when she saw a pattern of some kind. Her mind didn’t want to recognize it, but her eyes could
n’t lie. It was an intricate tattoo of a flower, which meant the meat had once belonged to a human.
Glad her stomach was already empty, Bianca dropped the flesh back into the trough and dry reached. Working her way back to the corner, she sank to the ground and put her forehead back on her knees and held herself tightly. Despair began to overwhelm her. She silently vowed that she would rather starve than be reduced to being a cannibal.
~~~
Chapter Forty-Six
~~~ Alpha World ~~~
As the days passed, Loki’s sense of guilt increased. He would never admit it out loud, but he missed Bianca’s company. She’d been annoying for the most part, with her tendency to cry and snap at him, but at least she’d been able to keep him fed. He had no idea how to prepare food and was loathe to perform such a menial task.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t have discarded Bianca,” Fate said from right behind him, guessing the reason for his moroseness.
He was slumped on the couch with his feet up on the table. His lack of energy was alarming and he deduced that his unexpected visitor was the cause of it. “Ah,” he said with a sour glance over his shoulder. “I wondered when you would turn up to harangue me about her.”
“I am not here to lecture you, Loki.”
He didn’t like the direct stare that she was giving him and turned away to face the TV. “Why are you here then?” he asked disinterestedly.
“You have failed the task that I gave you.”
Her reply sent an unwelcome pang through him. “Bianca is dead then?” He kept his tone as indifferent as possible.
