by Barry Reese
“There’s no need for that,” he stammered. “Really.”
“Where are your friends?”
“They left over an hour ago. I was supposed to pack up a few things and join them. I happened to see you from my window. You looked ill.”
“So you decided to come over and see if I needed help?”
“I know it sounds insane,” he admitted. “But I’m in over my head and I want out. Even if it meant risking death, I had to take the chance of talking to you. That’s why I climbed up the fire escape.”
Gravedigger stared into his eyes but saw no signs of deception. All she saw was naked fear. She released him and took a step back. “You were obsessed with Pandora. She’s walking around, living and breathing. So tell me why you aren’t still with her.”
“Last night terrified me. Until then, I still thought of this as an opportunity to learn from her. But she used Potter’s device to drive those people to ruin and the whole thing’s driven Tamaki insane! What he’s planning… It’s nothing I want to be involved in! I’d rather go back to prison!”
“What is he planning?”
“Prof. Potter’s created this machine that projects emotional thought-waves. Pandora is channeling the Seven Deadly Sins through it. That’s what she did last night – she was only supposed to do it to one person but instead it worked over multiple city blocks. They think it’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
Gravedigger waited, sensing that Craig was going to continue without any prompting. The man was pacing now, nervously chattering away.
“They’re going to set up across the street from The White House. Pandora is going to call upon The Sins and use them to bind the President and everyone around them to her will. They’re going to love her so much that they’d gladly die for her. And then they’re going to take over America without firing a single shot! It’s going to be a bloodless coup.”
“How many men are with them?”
“Not many. Hiroshi said they weren’t needed. He’s so confident now… I don’t think he survived last night unscathed. I mean, he was always a little bit crazy, you don’t talk about becoming Emperor without being off your rocker. Now, though, it’s different. I think he saw the same horrible things everyone else did but… I think he liked it.”
“Across the street from The White House?”
“Yes. At a place called The Blair House. It was built back in 1824. It’s beautiful. Federal Style building. I’ve heard the government might even buy it at some point so they can use it for visiting dignitaries4.”
“You’re babbling. Keep to the point.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Craig stopped pacing and looked at her. “We might be too late. They could start at any moment. They may have already started. How would we know?”
“So you’re saying that the President could be under her control right now?”
“Yes.”
Gravedigger nodded. She raised her blade and held it level with Craig’s chest. “You helped unleash Pandora upon us.”
Craig swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I know. And I knew you might have to do this. It’s okay.” He lowered his head and took a deep breath. “I let a lot of people down over the years. I always had a bad habit of picking the wrong women, you know? And Pandora… she was the worst I ever chose.” He started to look up, obviously about to say something else, but the words were forever silenced.
Gravedigger’s sword struck into the side of his neck, cutting through bone and sinew. His head flew up into the air, flipping over several times, before disappearing over the lip of the roof.
Down below, a woman began screaming as Craig’s decapitated head struck the ground.
Gravedigger was already on the move.
Chapter X: Carnage at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Hiroshi Tamaki stared out the window, his eyes fixed on The White House. He was in the front room of one of the Blair House’s many subdivided living areas. Behind him, Prof. Potter was nervously preparing the ETD for use. The old man was obviously having second thoughts about his role in all of this but Hiroshi wasn’t worried about his loyalty. Potter had seen enough to know what would happen if he balked.
Pandora stepped up beside him and Hiroshi smiled. Their lovemaking had been intense and violent. His lower lip was still swollen from where she’d bitten it and he could see a few bruises on her neck and arms.
“It is smaller than I expected,” she said and Hiroshi chuckled in response.
“That, my love, is practically a castle to these Americans. The White House is the representation of all that they love in their leaders. It’s not just a center of government. It’s where the President and his family live, work and play.”
Pandora nodded but it was obvious that she’d already moved past any discussion about The White House’s merits. She placed a hand on the sword that was buckled at her hip. “I feel… uneasy,” she admitted.
“Why?”
“I’m not sure.” Pandora looked at him with Locke’s features but he’d long since stopped seeing his former employee in her face. The cast of the features, the deeper voice, the hard stare of the eyes; all of those were far different than Locke. “Things seem positioned so well for us that I can’t foresee how we could be stopped but I can’t stop thinking about that woman at Hendry Hall.”
“The Gravedigger,” Hiroshi said. The way he drew out the words made it clear that he held venom for their mutual foe. “I knew it was a gamble using her to find out the information I wanted but in the end, it won’t come back to bite us.”
“That’s what you hope.”
“Yes. But as you said, victory is within our grasp. Once we have control of the President, she won’t be able to get anywhere near us. We’ll outlaw vigilantes like her and Lazarus Gray. We’ll generate fear in the entire country so that the populace will hunt them down for us and rip them to shreds!”
Pandora recoiled slightly. Though her body had responded easily enough to his advances, she knew that Hiroshi was being driven by the very things that she had sworn to destroy: the Seven Deadly Sins were firmly driving his so-called mission. Given that she now had access to the ETD, did she even need him? The device gave her the ability to control mass numbers of people. She could begin a process of slowly breeding out the evil from their souls. Each generation would need to be culled, selecting only those who seemed pure enough to pass on their traits to the next. There would be numerous deaths, especially at first, but ultimately humanity could be restored to its pristine state.
“You’re thinking of something important, aren’t you?” Hiroshi teased, taking her hand. “Tell me. We should share all of our triumphs and failures.”
She was saved from lying about the nature of her thoughts when Potter moved forward. “It is ready.”
Hiroshi frowned at the interruption but quickly shifted his expression. Putting an arm around Potter’s shoulders, the would-be Emperor said, “You have done so well, Professor. I hope you realize that in the new world order, you will be treated like royalty! All of your scientific pursuits will be funded to the best of my ability.”
Potter donned a shaky smile. “Thank you, Mr. Tamaki. I know you’ve been aware that I have had my doubts as of late but ultimately I appreciate what you’ve done for me. You gave me the opportunity to see unfettered science at work. It’s given me a new dedication to what’s truly important.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Hiroshi gave the old man a gentle push towards the door. “Now, if you could please go check on Doctor Craig, I would appreciate it. I fear he may have gotten lost.”
When Potter was gone, Hiroshi turned back to Pandora, who was already holding the ETD headset.
“I suppose it’s time to end this,” she said.
“No.” Hiroshi shook his head. “This isn’t the end. This is only the beginning.”
PROFESSOR POTTER STEPPED out of Blair House and exhaled. He was obviously a nervous wreck but he seemed to be quite happy to be free of the confines of the House. He
looked both ways and then hurried towards a brown-colored sedan.
Gravedigger watched him from the shadows. She allowed him to drive away, knowing that he would be picked up by one of the others before he rounded the corner.
After her conversation with Craig, she’d thrown a coat on over her uniform and found a pharmacy that had a phone for public use. A quick call had alerted the rest of her team and brought them to Pennsylvania Avenue.
Cedric and Li were parked at the end of the street and Gravedigger saw them pull out into traffic just behind Potter’s retreating automobile.
Mitchell and Mortimer were across the street pretending to be tourists. They joined the milling crowds gawking at The White House but both of them kept turning wary eyes towards Blair House. Their hands were set deep into the pockets of their coats, where they held pistols at the ready.
All of them knew that they were not to interfere with Gravedigger’s work unless they were either called to do so or the situation seemed to demand it. When it came time to find the authors of death and destruction, Gravedigger wanted the opportunity to handle things herself. It wasn’t that she wanted to snag any imagined glory, of course, but it was her soul that was to be judged so she took it as her responsibility to make sure that justice was meted out to the guilty.
Gravedigger emerged from the gloom, her sword gripped tightly in her left hand. Her right fist was clenched, ready to fire her crossbow bolt as needed. A few people on the street noticed her and gasped but there were no screams.
Not yet.
PANDORA WAS JUST about to slip the headset into place when the door was kicked in with a loud clatter. She whirled about just in time to see Gravedigger stride into the room. The masked woman pointed her wrist-mounted crossbow at the closest of Hiroshi’s men and fired. The bolt embedded itself in the man’s throat and he fell to the floor, the finger of his gun hand twitching spasmodically. He fired wildly, wounding one of his compatriots in the thigh.
Gravedigger ended both of their suffering by decapitating them in a blur of motion.
Before even Hiroshi, he of the lightning fast reflexes, could respond, Gravedigger had quite literally disarmed two more men. Their limbs hit the carpet, blood spraying from the stumps of their arms.
Hiroshi gave a roar that sounded more put-upon than angry. This was meant to be the moment of his coronation, after all, and Pandora knew how badly he lusted after it. The Japanese man drew his sword and was about to throw himself at Gravedigger when Pandora’s words gave him pause.
Pandora kept her voice level but it carried such power that both Gravedigger and Hiroshi responded to it. “Stop this,” she hissed.
Hiroshi glanced quickly at her, trying to keep his attention on Gravedigger. “Put on the headset, my love. Use it to make her our slave!”
“No.” Pandora tossed the headset onto the table next to the ETD. She drew her sword and smiled, looking more genuinely happy than Hiroshi had ever seen her. “I will settle this the proper way. When she’s dead, we can take care of the President.”
“I command you!” Hiroshi bellowed and in his sudden anger at having his directives ignored, he took his eye off the deadly woman before him.
Gravedigger struck, whipping her sword towards Hiroshi. He detected the motion, automatically twisting away from her, but it was still a terrible blow. While his life had been saved, his body had been grievously wounded. The blade had struck his midsection, tearing open a vivid gash that leaked copious amounts of blood.
Hiroshi dropped his sword and grabbed hold of his stomach with both hands. He could feel his intestines falling forward and he struggled to keep them in place. “No… This can’t happen,” he whispered. He coughed, nearly losing hold of his insides as he did so, and tiny dots of blood suddenly spraying over his lips.
Pandora wasn’t concerned. Though she had yet to make up her mind about whether or not she should cut Hiroshi loose, his injuries at present were not so bad that he couldn’t be saved. She had learned many healing arts over the centuries and what she couldn’t repair, she was willing to bet that the marvels of modern science could. Thus, she said nothing as Hiroshi fell to his knees and began a slow, bloody crawl towards her.
Gravedigger dropped into a fighting crouch, sword at the ready. “You’ve lived a very long time,” the masked woman said. “Are you really sure you want to die today?”
Pandora attacked, having learned long ago that wasting words only expended precious energy during battle.
The two women’s blades clanged together, forming a symphony of violent music. Again and again they parried and thrust, each time blocked by the actions of the other.
Like mirror versions of one another, Pandora and Gravedigger seemed to sense the moves of their opponent. For several moments, neither of them scored a hit on the other, and the only sounds to be heard were their harsh breathing and the metallic ringing of their blades.
It was finally Pandora that made the first mistake. Her body, though quite fit, was not used to this kind of exertions. The muscles that had once belonged to Locke were aching and her body was coated in a fine sheen of sweat.
She took a step back, lost her footing, and suddenly found herself unable to block the next sweep of Gravedigger’s sword. The blade dug into her right shoulder, sending a shock of pain through her entire body. Though she was used to discomfort, the body itself was not, and she felt it seize up in response.
Gravedigger, sensing her opponent’s weakness, drove her blade straight against Pandora’s torso. The blade passed through a section of her waist but missed anything vital. Even so, Pandora was now in serious trouble.
Relishing the adrenaline that was flowing through her and temporarily numbing the worst of the pain, Pandora struck back with an elbow that caught Gravedigger on the chin. Fighting with extra passion born of her knowledge that she was near defeat, Pandora managed to drive Gravedigger back a few steps. She then whirled and ran towards the rear exit, knowing that it would open on a small parking garage where Hiroshi’s private car was parked.
GRAVEDIGGER SAW PANDORA fleeing and took off after her. By the time she sprinted into the garage, she saw that the gate had been opened. The car was still there, prompting her to wonder if Pandora’s unfamiliarity with modern technology prevented her from driving.
Droplets of blood on the ground allowed Gravedigger to follow Pandora’s path, however. The immortal had fled through the gate and from there had vanished into a hailed taxi.
Cursing under her breath, Gravedigger returned to the interior of Blair House, intending to finish off the injured men within. She came to an abrupt halt when she came face-to-face with Hiroshi, however.
The once handsome Japanese man was on his feet, his intestines hanging loose from his ruined midsection. He was near death, a glassy stare having settled into his eyes. Atop his head, however, was the strange headset that went with Potter’s device.
“I’m not strong enough to use this the way Pandora would have,” he wheezed. “But I bet I’ll be able to hurt you… badly.” He grinned, showing bloodstained teeth. “I hope this kills you, you bitch!” A fine mist of blood accompanied each word.
Tensing herself for whatever was about to come, Gravedigger raised her crossbow. She never fired it, however, as Hiroshi activated the device before she could activate the wrist controls.
Rather than projecting his psychic force, the ETD merely sparked and then burst into flame. The feedback ran straight into the headset, frying Hiroshi’s head. His flesh peeled away from the skull and the smell of cooked skin made Gravedigger retch.
Professor Potter had indeed remembered what was truly important, just as he’d told Hiroshi. His sabotage had also been the reason he’d been more than glad to be dismissed before the machine’s activation.
Gravedigger stood in the room, surrounded by death, for a long moment before she began to plan her own escape. Though shots had been fired, she doubted anyone had heard them over the steady din of traffic and voices. Nevertheless,
she had no desire to remain here for any longer than was necessary.
Pandora had escaped but her allies were all defeated, their plans in ruins. Gravedigger supposed that she’d have to consider this day to be a victory but until her Other was defeated once and for all, it would be hard to feel that way.
PANDORA SAGGED BACK in the rear of the taxi, hissing as she flexed her injured shoulder. She was bleeding a good bit, even though she’d torn the bottom of her skirt and tied the cloth tightly around her wounds in a failed attempt at staunching the flow.
“Lady, you sure you don’t want me to take you the hospital?”
Pandora saw the cabbie had twisted his body around and was eyeing her with open concern. “I’d prefer it if you kept your eyes on the road.”
“Whatever you say,” he muttered, turning away. “But I’m gonna have to charge you extra for ruining the seats.”
“I will pay whatever you ask,” she said, making the mental decision to learn how to drive as soon as possible. Until she was able to do that, she was forced to make use of fools like these. The man’s mind and soul were awash with Sin. She could sense Lust, Greed and Sloth warring for dominion over him.
“So where to? It’s your dime but I can’t keep driving around aimlessly forever.”
“The airport.”
“Will do.”
Pandora closed her eyes, allowing her strained body to gain some respite by sleeping. Her dreams were troubled, filled not only with visions of her own mistake in releasing the demons but her inability to defeat Gravedigger. She burned with shame over abandoning Hiroshi even though she claimed to have no real feelings for him.
When the car came to a stop, she sat up and slipped from the back of the car. The cabbie got out, too, watching her closely. She fumbled with a wad of money that Hiroshi had given her, shoving a handful of it into the driver’s hand. It was obviously too much but she didn’t care. She just wanted him gone.
