by James Axler
“She looked even better than that,” the Nagah prince said with a shrug. “Those curves are...”
“I don’t need to know that,” Kane answered.
He extended both hands, and the Sin Eaters appeared again, blazing thunder on a scale they’d never have been capable of in reality. The ground around the void witch shook, divots of earth and clouds of dirt exploding skyward as Kane’s wrath-made will struck out at her. She squirmed now, on the receiving end of sound and fury, though unlike the Shakespearian quote, this signified Kane’s resistance to all the manhandling he’d been through. All the games and illusions thrown at him were now his ammunition, the fuel for his fire, which flowed like lava oozing from the earth where he’d wounded it.
Molten red magma bubbled, shaking off sparks of yellow, making the grounded void witch step back, again and again. When the flaming earth blood touched one foot, her entire leg would flare, lit with a wreath of fire and pain, causing her to scream even more loudly, twisting as Kane continued hammering at her. Soon, he’d carved an entire lake of fire about her, and she stood on a central island, surrounded by seething lava.
Kane held his fire, seeing her contained.
“You’re not going to kill it?” Durga asked.
“First you called her a ‘her,’ and now an ‘it’? Make up your mind,” Kane said.
Durga rolled his eyes and formed a rocket launcher. “Her. It. Semantics. It’s been trying to kill us. Why not finish the thing off?”
Kane looked at the creature, trapped, held at bay by a molten magma moat. “You’re kidding, right? We’ve got it trapped. Now let’s...”
“Let’s what?” Durga asked.
“The tethers. They’re gone,” Kane said. “There’s no reason for us to be here anymore. We could just wake up.”
“If it were that easy, we’d be gone right now,” Durga countered. “Kill the bitch, or I will.”
Kane grimaced. “No.”
Durga pointed the rocket launcher at the ground. It was the same one Kane had seen carried by Durga’s father in the memorial at the center of the Nagah city. “What?”
“No. I’ve got her beaten. She has no control over me,” Kane told him. “You want to kill her, it’s up to you.”
“I already did my part. I caused her grievous injury. I severed her arm.”
“With my help,” Kane answered.
Durga grimaced in turn and opened fire, hurtling a spear of metal and thunder at her. The end result, however, was a fading phantasm that merely disappeared in a puff of smoke. “See? I can’t touch her anymore. But you can!”
“That does not make any sense,” Kane grumbled.
“We’ve severed most of her link to us. It’s up to you to finish the job,” the cobra man urged. “And that means finishing off the enemy on this plane.”
Kane looked back to the void witch. He remembered his rough treatment at her hands. He remembered every torture, agonies that had been stretched over seeming years, across every inch of his body, and he was enraged enough to want to take revenge on that But he noticed the way she held herself, limbs curled protectively. She was trapped. Helpless.
Kane walked to the edge of the lake of fire. “What do I call you?”
The void witch seemed to shrink at his approach.
What?
“What should I call you? Because ‘hey you’ is rude, and ‘void thing’ is kind of impersonal,” Kane said.
She’d decreased in height. Now she was only about twelve feet tall. She had more room on the crumbling islet, but that was fading quickly. Already her feet, dainty in relation to her other proportions, were getting closer to the edge.
You may call me “the queen.”
Kane shrugged. “So why are we still here? What are you waiting for?”
She looked down at the flaming lake.
“Don’t give me that. You can get away. This is a place built by imagination, thought,” he said. To demonstrate his point, he began walking forward, and a bridge unrolled under his feet, each step meeting with its solid surface as he moved across the magma lake. “You could fly. You could stretch. You could do anything you wanted. What the hell?”
The queen looked down at him, then shrank to match him in height. Features, sensual and full-lipped, were now visible.
“Don’t!” Durga spit.
Silence! You rule me not!
The Nagah prince lowered his hand, but his amber eyes glared in hatred at Kane as he stood face-to-face with the queen.
Her eyes glimmered like black glass, light playing on them, drawing Kane in just a little deeper. You would spare me out of curiosity?
“And because you stopped fighting,” he answered. “However, if you don’t want me to spare you...”
The queen’s luscious lips turned up in a smile. Perhaps I chose the wrong one as lover.
Durga’s ire was intense enough that Kane could feel its heat, even past the moat of lava behind him.
“Behave, Prince,” Kane said aloud, not even bothering to look back at him. “I’m talking with real royalty here.”
“You...”
The queen tilted her head, and Durga’s complaints were stifled.
“You seduced him. You tortured me. You wanted to see which would show more mercy, didn’t you?” Kane asked.
She nodded.
“Any particular reason? Maybe because you’re a prisoner somewhere on this continent?” he asked.
What makes you believe that?
“You sound like someone else I met. Another prisoner. This one was at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, and he’d been imprisoned by Enlil, as well,” Kane answered.
Those glassy eyes narrowed, full lips pursed. You know your enemies and friends well.
“Don’t tell Baptiste, but I actually pay attention when she starts sharing legends,” Kane answered. “This is where Solomon had his mines. This was the end of the world, where he’d chased demons and imprisoned them. You’re one of those demons.”
The queen stroked her hand across his chest. This time, no bitter cold bit through his armor, frosting his skin. Indeed, she seemed much warmer. Gentler.
Enlil was a jealous god.
“Is. He’s still around, though we’ve taken the piss out of him,” Kane responded.
And you’d spare me?
“There is no real reason to fight. Let me go, and we never have to cross each other’s path again,” Kane replied.
She tilted her head.
“That’s not going to work for you,” Kane stated.
I am a prisoner. You are correct. Come find me, and I shall shower upon you the gifts of the heavens.
“I don’t do the servant thing,” he said.
She stepped back, but stopped as her heels touched the edge of her islet. One more step and she’d be swimming in magma. Her smile had turned to a frown.
“So that’s why Durga came here,” Kane said. “He wanted to walk again. To be whole. He wanted some power back, too.”
“You think you know me?” the Nagah prince asked.
Kane turned. “Your coconspirator. But she wasn’t quite satisfied with you, was she? Or maybe she needed more.”
Her hand touched Kane’s cheek. She was still in seduction mode, though. Her palm was warm, not bitter and frosty. I need someone strong enough to break my tomb. And you’ve got a special edge, Kane.
He frowned, looking at her.
She was smiling now.
“Nehushtan,” Kane replied.
She nodded.
“The same weapon that imprisoned you,” he added.
We could do amazing things together. You could take the Earth and return it to a golden age.
“With you as an all-powerful goddess,” Kane he murmured. He shoo
k his head.
Arrogant worm, she spat with a sneer.
Kane stepped back, onto the bridge he’d formed in this mental landscape. “Pick your battles, girl,” he growled.
The magma suddenly erupted around them. She grew in stature, lunging forward, but thick tongues of burning lava arose between them. Even as the queen reached out, she released a screech of agony and rage. The sky crackled again, but her power was weakening.
She tried to escape, but a tidal wave, a wall of magma, rose behind her.
“You brought the fight to my mind,” Kane said. “You know exactly how to end this, too!”
The queen snapped her gaze toward him.
“You know...”
* * *
“...WHAT TO DO!” Kane yelled as he sat up suddenly.
“Good grief!” Nathan spit, at the Cerberus explorer’s sudden awakening.
Durga’s eyes opened, as well, but he didn’t sit up right away. Rather, he seemed to be taking inventory of himself.
Kane threw his legs over the side of the table, resting his elbows on his knees and letting his head hang. “Nathan?”
“Kane,” the young African responded.
“How long have I been out?”
“About twelve hours,” he answered.
Kane blinked, wiping the crust from his eyes.
“It felt longer,” Durga said. Kane looked back over his shoulder and saw that the Nagah prince was gingerly lowering himself from the table.
Durga closed his eyes as his feet touched the cool concrete floor of the conference room. As most Nagah, he was barefoot, though the scales on the soles of his feet were as durable as any shoe leather. Kane could see how the man’s fused toes flexed against the floor. A smile crossed his reptilian lips.
“You don’t know how good it is to have feeling in your feet,” Durga said. “After all of—”
“Don’t push it, snake face,” Kane grunted, letting his gaze settle to the floor between his knees.
Durga glared at him. “You’d...”
“You’re the one who let Queenie into my skull, Durga,” Kane snapped. “You let her torture me. Where are the others, Nate?”
“Grant took an interphaser to meet up with Brigid,” Nathan replied.
“And where’s Baptiste?” Kane asked, sitting up a little straighter. It was she who’d broken through his coma. Who’d summoned her anam chara from his unnatural slumber, helping him to fight back to the surface, back to consciousness.
“An outside force used the Threshold to transport her into the middle of the jungle,” Nathan explained. “She’s all right. If anything, she’s out of the way of the kongamato assault. Domi and Edwards are with her, too.”
Kane stood up quickly, and he saw the Threshold, the gemlike artifact, sitting in the corner of the conference room. “Grant wants me to follow, using that.”
“Yes,” Nathan said. “Actually, he wants you and Durga to go directly to the cloning facility.”
Kane turned to the Nagah. “Cloning facility. In another redoubt?”
Nathan nodded.
Kane took a deep breath. “Catch me up in a hundred words or less.”
They heard the sound of automatic weapons rattling through the doorway. Another explosion shook the floor.
“The kongamato are at the gates. The redoubt doors have been hacked and they’re open. Grant says the warlord that Thurpa spoke of is still on the hunt. He wants you and Durga to hit the clone facilities, and find the main control center, maybe turn them off.”
Kane nodded. “Grab your rifle and Nehushtan. You’ve probably been sitting on the sidelines long enough.”
Nathan’s face brightened into a smile.
Kane addressed Durga. “You can operate the Threshold?”
“It’s how we got here,” the Nagah prince replied. “And I remember where the clone vats are.”
Kane nodded. “What about the control element?”
Durga frowned. “I wish I knew. Makoba was taking care of it, but someone robbed it from him.”
“You’re certain it was stolen?” Kane asked.
Durga’s eyes narrowed. “The millennialists aren’t stupid enough to screw themselves.”
“No. But Makoba is a local. Was he the one who set up your meeting with Gamal?” Kane inquired.
“That son of a bitch,” Durga snarled. “I’ll need some guns.”
Kane pointed to a table in the back. “You can borrow my Copperhead and spare magazines.”
He retrieved his Sin Eater, strapping the hydraulic holster to his forearm. The folding machine pistol was a comforting weight on him; his arm felt complete again. A mental command, a twitch of a muscle and the deadly weapon slapped his palm, his straight finger the only thing preventing the gun from firing instantly.
“You do realize that you’re going to need a lot more than just a glorified Glock,” Durga said.
Kane felt his jaw, and aside from stubble, was acutely aware that he was without his Commtact plate. He found it next to where the Sin Eater and its holster had lain. “I’ve done well enough before.”
“This isn’t the psychic plane, where that thing shoots out thunderbolts and meteors,” Durga pressed.
“If we need more, I’ll improvise,” he growled. He picked up his belt of grenades and tied it about his waist. Thankfully, he was still in his shadow suit, which was akin to a second skin.
“Grant,” he called, placing his Commtact on his jaw. “Read me?”
“About time your sleepy ass woke up,” his friend grumbled.
“Oh, be quiet. How much have you had to complain about me in the past week?” Kane returned.
Grant chuckled. “If I wasn’t sneaking up on an army of muties and African militiamen, I’d get out my diary and read off the last three pages.”
“What’s the news on that?” Kane asked.
“I’m looking at easily two hundred men. The kongamato are ignoring them, and there’s one guy on the flatbed of a large truck. He’s sitting on a throne, and he’s wearing a headpiece that’s a hell of a lot more clunky than Erica’s SQUID controller,” Grant replied. “Kongamato are dropping down, accepting satchel charges from the militiamen, and flying toward the redoubt.”
“What’s your plan?” Kane asked.
“Throw grens and shoot anything still standing,” Grant told him.
Lomon jogged through the door. He reeked of gun smoke, and he had a fresh bandage on his neck where shrapnel had struck him. Despite his disheveled appearance, he remained straight and tall, and seemed unsurprised to find Kane and Durga walking around. He had with him a familiar duffel—Grant’s war bag. “Sela was right. You’re awake. Grant said you’d need this.”
Kane smiled, clasping the man’s hand in thanks. “Grant’s in position to supply you with some relief,” he said. “How bad is it here?”
Lomon shook his head. “The kongamato have been bombing the entrance. My people are hurting badly. Nine dead. A dozen wounded. One of our light machine guns is out of commission because the barrel cooked off.”
Durga nodded. “So it’s up to us to pull your asses out of the fire. Are you ready to jump, Kane?”
Lomon blinked. “You’re the one who put us in the fire, making deals with Gamal, awakening the kongamato....”
The Nagah prince sneered. “Spare me your indignation.”
Kane gritted his teeth, looking at Durga, then turned back to Lomon. “We’re going to take the artifact that brought us here and head to where the kongamato were born. Grant’s going to take out their commander in the field.”
Durga held the Threshold aloft. “Quit this room, unless you wish to abandon your men.”
Lomon shook his head. “I’ll leave that to you, Durga.”
He l
owered the artifact. “You’ll try my patience now, human?”
Kane snapped his fingers. “Focus here! The kongamato will tear you in half while you’re in a pissing contest with Lomon!”
Durga raised the great jewel once more. “I shall prove myself the superior, human. Then we can discuss your attitude.”
Kane snapped his fingers again. “How much longer can you hold out, Lomon?”
“We’ll hold this line to our last man. Every beast that falls here is one less to threaten Zambia,” he answered.
“I’ll make sure no more die,” Kane responded.
Durga closed his eyes, tilting his head back. Energy crackled about the jewel, then plasma fog began enveloping him, Kane and Nathan Longa.
“Good luck,” Lomon called.
Kane nodded even as the Threshold took him through a wormhole. “We’ll need it.”
Chapter 22
Grant wished that he had Kane by his side, but at least the man was up and about, communicating with him over the Commtact, and working as part of his plan. Later, they could discuss the entity that had interfered with Durga and him, figure out what it was.
Right now, however, Grant had split the Cerberus warriors. He and Brigid Baptiste were crouched in the long grass, after slipping as close to Gamal and his truck throne as possible. Nearer now, and with the benefit of their shadow suit optics, both of them could see that Gamal’s apparently relaxed posture was not due to overconfidence. He was connected to a console of computer equipment on the truck, and the throne actually provided him with an elevated position from which to observe the kongamato as they swept down on the Victoria Falls redoubt.
“The computer picks up Gamal’s mental impulses and translates them into radio signals. Those signals are then broadcast to the mutants,” Brigid explained, her voice low, but amplified through the Commtact on his jaw. “He also appears to be in conversation.”
“Any idea who?” Grant asked.
“An invisible someone,” Brigid said. “I’m not a gambler....”
“Except when playing cards,” he returned.
“I’m card counting,” she replied. “No gamble whatsoever.”
“So Gamal is shacked up with the entity that’s been hacking the redoubt, arranged for the stolen mind control device, and maybe was the one who waylaid Kane and Durga,” Grant concluded.
