Heroes Lost and Found

by Sheryl Nantus

  “It’s over, it’s over, it’s over,” she whimpered, her eyes closed.

  I covered her face with my hand. I didn’t have any words left for what was about to happen, nothing to offer to make our exit memorable. All I could do was keep her from staring into her killer’s face and having that as her last memory.

  A low whine came from the suit as Dykovski stopped advancing. He smiled as he looked down on us.

  “Welcome back to the fold, Wind Witch.” His hand landed on the wristband, inputting another trio of numbers. “I’m in a bit of a hurry, so let’s get this over with. Dillon, consider this your termination notice as a Guardian.”

  “Go,” I yelped as Hunter’s arms went around me, pulling me and Rachael into his embrace. “Get out of here. Go.”

  “Never.” His lips brushed my left temple. “Fight alone, die alone. I don’t want you to ever be alone again.”

  “How adorable.” Dykovski sneered. “And a waste of your last breath.”

  He slapped the button on his console.

  I cringed and closed my eyes, bracing myself against the horrible deaths about to happen.

  Silence. But only for a second.

  A roaring started up, the flamethrower renewing its attack. But the strangest sound I’d ever heard wrapped itself around us, rising in intensity from a low buzzing to a high-pitched drone.

  Dykovski yelled, the panicked scream forcing my eyes open. I blinked in astonishment, not sure what I was looking at.

  A flowing wall of flying insects stood between us and the power-armored man, hundreds or maybe thousands of bees, wasps and other insects. Just as quickly as one would fall from the concentrated flames, another would fill the spot, the swarm effectively blocking Dykovski’s attack. Heat waves raced over us, increasing the temperature several degrees, but we were still alive even as a stack of tiny bodies rose in front of us, the charred remains growing by the second.

  “That’s not going to last forever,” I rasped.

  “Doesn’t have to.” Peter’s voice came from behind me, joined by a loud, roaring inhuman sound.

  A large furry wall interrupted my vision, the intense animal smell driving me deeper into Hunter’s embrace.

  One of two black bears rose on his hind feet and bellowed, the long, off-white claws reaching out towards the living wall and the power armor behind it. The second shuffled from side to side before moving forward on all four paws beside its partner. Each of them had to weigh hundreds of pounds, maybe a thousand between the pair.

  Dykovski took one step back and then another as the insect wall moved towards him, the loud humming rising in intensity. The flamethrower coughed once before falling silent, either from lack of fuel or lack of nerve on Dykovski’s part to continue the fight against our animal allies. Whether it was the danger of a hundred stings or a concentrated attack by the bears, it was enough to force him back.

  The grinding of gears grew as Dykovski retreated under the continued assault. I waited for the ominous thump of the goop gun or the hiss of the flamethrower starting back up again, but there was nothing. Either he had a conscience about killing innocent animals or limited ammunition and couldn’t afford to waste it on bears and bugs.

  I guessed the latter.

  The bears moved forward with the wall of insects, pushing Dykovski back around the corner. I could barely make out the swearing and cursing under the buzzing and the noise but knew the ex-Guardian couldn’t be happy.

  Peter knelt beside me, sweat dripping off his nose and looking like he’d just run a marathon. “You guys okay?” His hand dropped down to stroke Rachael’s long blonde hair, trying to soothe the trembling woman.

  “We’re good,” Hunter answered before I could.

  “It’s okay,” Peter whispered to Rachael. “It’s okay.”

  She opened her eyes, tears flowing freely.

  Peter smiled, putting all of his charm and personality into a twitch of his mouth. Rachael returned it with a second of hesitation, the timid smile growing as she maintained eye contact.

  He rose, standing tall in his black uniform. “You three stay down. We’ll clean this up.” The strength in his voice washed over us, making me feel like a proud parent watching her son at graduation.

  The ground shook with a violent shudder, the vibrations rocking us from side to side. I brushed off Hunter’s grip and forced myself to stand, moving forward on shaky feet towards the corner and where Dykovski had been.

  A short hop over the low wall of dead insects and I was near the turn in the hallway. Behind me Hunter yelled something but I didn’t catch it, all of my focus set on charging up and getting ready to continue the fight. There was no way I was going to allow the animals to finish the job and incapacitate or kill Dykovski.

  Booming thunder came from around the corner, a strangely familiar sound. I grabbed the edge of the wall and pulled myself around.

  One of the bears roared as smoke billowed out of the power armor’s oversized feet, the white exhaust rolling outwards. The wave of flying bugs wavered under the assault while the bears hesitated, unwilling to move forward into this unknown danger.

  Slowly, agonizingly, Dykovski rose. His head smashed into the ceiling within seconds, the thick metal shell absorbing the impact as a clear Plexiglas mask slipped down to protect his face. Large hunks of concrete and soil fell away as the armored man burst through the top of the hallway and out of the underground bunker.

  A metallic scream signaled the final retreat as the jets kicked in full, and he shot out of sight, the boots kicking fire as he ascended.

  Bright sunlight charged in from above, blinding me with its intensity. I staggered back under the fresh assault and felt a strong pair of arms wrap around me again.

  The first bear let out a whiny snort and dropped to all fours, looking at Peter. His partner spun around and around, seemingly lost as to what to do. The mass of insects dissipated within seconds out the hole, leaving behind hundreds of tiny corpses in their wake.

  “He’s gone,” Hunter snarled. “Peter, we have a trace on him?”

  Peter nodded. “Tucked a bee up under his collar. Saw it in a movie once. We’ll know exactly where he’s going now.” The animal telepath looked at me and smiled. “Missed you, Jo.”

  “Thanks,” I sputtered. Hunter half-carried, half-dragged me away from the gaping hole and the bears.

  “Give him a minute to do his magic with the animals,” Hunter offered. “I don’t know about you but I always worry they’re going to want a snack after helping out and not wait for Peter’s guidance.”

  I gave a weak chuckle. “Yes, that could be a problem.”

  The two bears lumbered around the corner, sniffed at us for a paralyzing second of fear on our part and kept going back towards the entrance.

  Peter followed, rubbing his nose. “Damn. I think I’m allergic to bears.” He sneezed.

  Hot Foot groaned, oblivious to the bobcat still perched on his chest.

  The feline yowled, and the two bears moved into position on each side of the speedster, swaying as they glared at the super.

  He stopped moving.

  Peter knelt by Rachael and helped her to her feet. “Bet the boys outside have something to take that off.” He rapped the hard black plastic shackles. “Sort of kinky, if you ask me. Saw something like that in this shop once. I tell you, I didn’t even think about it but…” His voice went to a whisper as he continued to talk, his arm around her shoulders.

  Rachael giggled and allowed Peter to lead her away, still listening to his story.

  I looked back where Steve sat on the floor, trying to calm the shocked Thrasher. The shattered remains of the super’s right hand lay nearby. I suspected if and when he changed back to flesh, it’d be a sudden and bloody amputation.

  Steve caught my eye and nodded before turning his attention back to the injured man.

  Hunter turned me around so I faced him. “I’m not sure whether to kiss you or toss you over my knee and spank you for a
ll the worry you’ve caused me,” he murmured.

  “Kiss first, kink later.” I burrowed into his neck, wallowing in his body heat. “And I’d love a hot bath.”

  “I’ll take care of you.” He stripped off his jacket and placed it on my shoulders.

  I shivered, feeling the warmth from the soft lining surge on my bare skin.

  “Let’s get you out of here.” He turned back the way they’d come in. I tightened my grip on his arm.

  “No. Wait.” I looked behind me. “Not yet.”

  He frowned. “Outrager’s got a clean-up team outside waiting. Not to mention paramedics.” He put a strong emphasis on the last word.

  I paused, torn between what I needed to do and what I wanted to do.

  My pride decided to step up and be heard, having been ignored for several hours.

  “Please say there’s no media outside.” I struggled to stand, settling on a compromise of holding on to his waist for dear life. “Don’t want them to get a shot of me like this.”

  He shook his head. “No media, at least not as far as I know. Came only with some Agency resources and kept that under wraps. Besides, anyone says anything or dares to take a picture and I’ll rip their throats out.” His fingers clenched and unclenched on my skin, pressing on fresh bruises.

  “There’s something we have to do first.” I struggled to find the words, exhausted beyond my limits. “He was one of our own, one of us. We can’t leave him there, alone.”

  Hunter looked at me for a second, confused, until he clicked in to what I was saying in my own wiped-out way. He nodded and unclipped a small radio unit from his belt. “We need a medical team in here, please. Bring a body bag and stretcher.”

  As we waited I stroked the back of my neck, wincing as I felt the injection site. “What was that?”

  “Jessie’s newest toy.” He pried my hand free and moved it over to his neck, rubbing it over the same raised bump. “He realized that we were playing with fire with portable jammers, too easy to lose either accidentally or intentionally. As soon as you lost yours he started working on a microchip. Just like the ones they use to track animals.”

  “I’m not loving the reference.” I jabbed a thumb back at Steve, who was still standing guard over the near-hysterical Thrasher. “He went for it? I know it’s not Agency tech, but he hates this sort of stuff. Too easy for someone to use and abuse it.”

  “He also wanted to survive this encounter.” Hunter stopped, nudging a shattered jammer where it lay on the floor. “I guessed Dykovski would want to figure out how he didn’t get your plug codes last time and wouldn’t stop until he found a way around the jammer. This way it’s a permanent solution. No one will ever have a chance to try and take them again.”

  “Total security?” I wasn’t sure if I heard it right. “No more jammers? No more worrying?”

  “Jessie says it’s not a hundred percent guaranteed, but it’s a lot better than worrying about having chains yanked off and Agency tech hunting us down.”

  “But he got our codes.” I could feel myself beginning to break down, the burst of energy replaced with sheer exhaustion. “He still got the codes.”

  “The chip nullifies any transmissions. Don’t ask me how, that’s Jessie’s area. What it means is that from now on even if someone got our codes and activated them, nothing would happen.”

  I let my breath out in a low whisper. “Freedom. Total freedom.”

  “And you’re alive to enjoy it.” Hunter drew me in, tucking me into his chest. “I wasn’t sure if you’d still be alive when we got here.” His face was damp against my neck as he sighed. “We registered a blip on the line. Jessie didn’t want to say anything definite, but we suspected it was a plug going off, and all I could think was you’d finally shot your mouth off too many times.”

  I laughed and pulled him up for a kiss, tangling my fingers in his blond hair. “Is this your way of telling me to shut up?”

  “No.” He gave a wistful smile. “I’ve given up on trying to tell you what to do. At least in the field when you won’t listen.” A mischievous smirk replaced the smile. “Now in bed, well, that’s another thing.”

  I rolled my eyes as the medical teams came into view, bumping and dragging the stretcher down the hall. They warily worked their way around the two bears, Hot Foot still lying on the floor and paralyzed with fear. The bobcat let out a loud yawn.

  One pair of paramedics stopped at Steve and Thrasher, the second pair continuing to join us. They didn’t even blink at the oddities around them.

  I resisted the urge to hop on the stretcher myself. Instead I gripped the railing and led the medical team down the hall in a compromise, leaning as much as I could on the metal frame.

  It took a minute to orient myself, but after that it was a short walk to get to the location.

  “In there, please.” I stopped in front of the room. A spasm went through my stomach, the nausea building. I put my hand over my mouth and coughed, forcing the queasiness down.

  The first medic opened the door. He turned back to his partner, a momentary shock flashing between the two men. Within seconds they moved in, stoic expressions replacing any other emotion.

  I stumbled inside the door and leaned on the wall as they approached Kit’s body.

  “Jo.” Hunter took my arm none too gently and turned me away from the ghoulish scene. “You need to get some medical attention yourself. They’ll take care of him, he’ll be fine.”

  “He’s dead, Hunter. He’s definitely not fine.” I swiped at my nose. Flakes of dried blood dotted the top of my hand. “Bastard was as crazy as it gets in the end. Told me he deserved the jammer ’cause he was an Alpha and I was nothing.”

  “You’re not nothing, Jo Tanis.” Hunter looked over my shoulder towards the paramedics, the two men maneuvering the corpse into the bag and onto the stretcher. “If I have to tell you that again, I’m going to carry you out of here over my shoulder and let the media get pictures of that sweet, kissable ass of yours.”

  I forced a smile, the effort taking almost all of my remaining strength. He tugged at my arm again.

  “Come on. Let’s get you checked over. We still have Dykovski to worry about.”

  “Yes, yes we do.” I rubbed my eyes. “I owe him for what happened here.”

  The stretcher rose with a squeak and a bang as it locked into place, the dead super hidden from sight in the black plastic bag. The medics moved it by us in silence, leaving us in the room.

  Hunter stared at the cage. It sat in the center of the room, the dried pool of blood nearby. Without Kit’s body it seemed larger, dominating the space.

  The single word came out in a primeval, masculine growl. “No.”

  I could see the rage building, his jaw tensing, his teeth grinding. It didn’t take a mind reader to see what he imagined happening to me.

  Now it was my turn to pull him out of the room. “Let’s go.”

  “He didn’t… He didn’t…” Hunter stuttered. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

  I knew what type of hurt he was asking about. He’d seen the bruises, the split lip and the dried blood.

  He wasn’t talking about any of those assaults.

  “No, he didn’t.” I touched his face, quieting the trembling in his lips. “He didn’t. I’m fine. Now I need a hot bath and a whole lot of loving. Then we’re going to hunt Dykovski down and make him pay.”

  Outrager met us at the front of the bunker, his fingers twisted around a computer tablet as he barked orders at the agents running by. His eyes widened as he took in my appearance. I’m sure I didn’t look ready for my poster shoot, with Hunter’s jacket hanging off my shoulders and my lack of other clothing, not to mention a new slew of bumps and bruises.

  His lips moved for a second without any words. Maybe it was a prayer, maybe a curse, I didn’t know. He glanced away, his gaze fixed on the cement walkway under our feet.

  Outrager cleared his throat as we stood there, his face flushed.

 
“I’m sorry, Jo,” he said. “I had no idea. We had no idea.” He looked at Hunter. “We’ve got the mobile command center parked over by the ambulances. I can only assume Jessie’s having a great old time hotwiring everything inside. He hasn’t come out for hours.”

  Hunter gave a sharp laugh, leading me past the Agency representative. “All we need is a stack of sandwiches and a few dozen painkillers.”

  “Ooh.” My stomach gave an answering growl as I stumbled into the sunlight. “Now you’re talking.”

  I put one hand up over my eyes, using the floppy jacket sleeve to cut out most of the sunlight. Around us men in military fatigues charged in, none of them carrying weapons.

  “Agency men,” Hunter explained. “They’re going to lock the cache down after they clear it.”

  I blinked at the number of black SUVs and ambulances lined up for parade. “What did you do?”

  Hunter lifted his hand, catching the attention of a female paramedic waiting by one of the ambulances. She grabbed her bag and ran towards us.

  “It’s a long story and I’ll tell you when you clear medical. In a nutshell, we tracked Kit’s plug going off, raided and searched all the caches within a five-hundred-mile radius and got very little sleep in the past day.” He pointed at the woman. “Come with us on the bus, please. I want a full physical on her, top to bottom. And I don’t want to do it out here in front of everyone.”

  I spotted Harris sitting on the bumper of an empty ambulance, shaking his head from side to side. He appeared like he was coming off a week-long bender and had woken up minus a kidney.

  Steve waved a hand and shouted over to Harris from a nearby ambulance, still occupied with Thrasher. Harris smiled and staggered over to the strongman. Dust clouds rose from his feet as he plodded along.

  Thrasher lay on the stretcher, strapped down with an IV set in his uninjured arm. His face was pale as the paramedics bandaged the stub where his hand used to be. He watched as Steve gave Harris a tight hug, lifting the smaller man off the ground.

  Steve said something funny enough to send all three men into chuckles and laughs, Thrasher joining in with a nervous look at Harris.