Shepherd's Wolf

by M. Andrew Reid

  Shouts rang out ahead, and the hollow pop of gunfire bounced off the tunnel walls. Hoof-beats and Gabe’s clicking claws pounded on the stone floor until they turned a corner and came upon the entrance.

  Limerick was crouched behind a boulder with Athena, firing his Winchester as fast as he could work the lever.

  Athena motioned to Viper, “You have to go now! They were waiting for us! We’ll slow them down.”

  “Stay with them, Kate,” Limerick rasped, without taking his eyes off the battle. “They may need a gun.”

  Venom and Gabe emerged from the tunnel into a world of cold wind and flying bullets. Limerick’s crew had taken cover behind rocks and fallen trees that littered the gorge. Below them, a swarm of Marines were pouring out from the remaining handful of Strykers.

  Bishop was lying prone in the dirt, holding Pierce’s rifle. Pierce’s armor was scattered at Bishop’s feet; he had been killed when he exited the tunnel. Further up the gorge, Nevaeh took shelter behind a large rock. Iceblade’s blue leather armor, and his glittering array of knives and blades, was stacked almost neatly beside her. He too had been hit - sent to an icy Valhalla.

  Wisp was alone on the far side of the gorge. He had taken a rifle from a fallen soldier, and was peering down the sights at advancing soldiers below. When a shot presented itself, he would fire some rounds and duck behind cover.

  Soil and rock fragments floated weightless, kicked free from the bonds of gravity by countless bullet strikes. Angry hornets swarmed constantly, driving into the mud and gravel at Gabe’s feet. Ben whimpered and buried his face into soft white fur. He clutched tightly at Gabe’s hide.

  Gabe did not hesitate when Viper commanded that the wolf take the lead. Whining softly and limping on his injured leg, the wolf struggled to scrabble up the steep slope.

  Haymaker and Myrmidon were waiting behind a large boulder. “We’re coming with you in case there are any surprises ahead.”

  Viper stole a glance downstream, toward the fighting. The gorge became extremely steep in this area, rising swiftly to meet the plateaus’ roof thousands of feet above. He could see the Marines picking their way around the rocks and trees, returning fire when they were able. The Strykers were trapped on the other side of a sharp bend, which was a blessing, but the Marines were moving quickly over rough terrain.

  Loose gravel made footing difficult, and moving at speed nearly impossible. Gabe made a heroic effort to press forward, using his injured leg sparingly. Myrmidon and Haymaker followed behind Venom, the matching shields on their backs serving as hopeful protection against any stray shots rising up from below.

  Winding their way up the gorge, they crawled around rocks laid down thousands of years prior when snow had melted and rushed into the plains. Dark clouds moved across a pale sky, blotting out the sun. Sounds of battle grew closer; Limerick and company were being driven back by the press of soldiers.

  Rain began to fall icy cold - large, sad drops

  “I’ve never seen it rain here,” Laura whispered. “Not once.”

  Viper grimaced, “I have.”

  Finally, they broke clear of the forest of sharp rocks and scraggly trees into a relatively flat patch of ground. This was a place where water had pooled before continuing its journey down the cliff-face; the slope was not as steep here. Gabe broke into a wobbly run, happy to be on even ground.

  Viper saw tire tracks - wide grooves in the gravel - and shouted a warning. Gabe froze in terror, and a fountain of mud burst at his side. A rifle’s forceful crack rolled like thunder down the gorge.

  “Don’t move!” A voice shouted from above.

  Viper lifted his eyes, and shuddered in dismay. Concealed by branches and rocks, a Stryker poked its cannon between two spires of stone. He could see the others now - Marines in dull fatigues that blended with the brown and gray of the gorge.

  Above all of this - his salt and pepper fur making him nearly invisible on his perch- stood Grave. The impossibly large rifle he held was aimed not at Gabe, but at Viper.

  Haymaker slowly reached over his head to grab his shield.

  …

  “He’s pullin’ somethin’,” Grave warned. “Y’ant me to shoot?”

  “I said don’t move!” Fischer yelled. He turned to Grave, “You will not fire that weapon again unless I give you a direct order. Do you understand me?”

  “Was just a warnin’ shot,” Grave grumbled.

  “So this is how the travesty ends.” Alex was morose. He climbed up on a rock to get a better view. He had never seen the wolf in person, or the boy who rode him. “Are you happy with how things turned out, Omni?”

  …

  Limerick, Nevaeh, Bishop, and Athena retreated at a dead run, firing over their shoulders. Athena lagged behind the others, pouring clouds of yellow arrows down at their pursuers; her bow hummed and sang with energy. She lingered until the point of danger, and rushed forward to join the other three. They entered the clearing with Marines close behind them.

  Limerick spotted Gabe and Venom in the middle of the clearing, “Keep moving! They’re right behind us!” Myrmidon shook his head slowly, and Limerick stopped in his tracks. His rifle sagged from his shoulder and pointed to the earth.

  “Oh no,” Nevaeh sobbed when she stopped beside him. “We were so close.”

  Mute and dejected, they walked slowly into the clearing with their weapons lowered.

  “That’s far enough!” a voice commanded from the rocks above them. “Drop your weapons!”

  A golden Winchester rifle, a magic-infused compound bow, and two pearly white staves topped with white crosses slipped out of weary hands, scattering wet gravel.

  Soldiers crept from the rocks below. Most of them quickly took positions surrounding their quarry. All routes of escape were now cut off, barring a miracle or suicidal charge up the gorge.

  Taut, nervous, and exhausted, the Marines had their rifles up and ready. Less than forty men remained from the two hundred that had landed at Red Harbor. They had been peppered with rockets, burned by dragonfire, and frozen by icy bullets. Unhappy but respectful, they remained silent and professional.

  Major White entered the clearing; his fatigues dirty and his eyes tired. “This is over now. Let’s not make it any worse. I have been instructed to provide you every opportunity to…”

  “This is wrong,” Haymaker muttered. He took a step toward White and his men. Marines shifted uncomfortably, ready to fire at any sign of aggression. “You’re a Major? Is this conduct becoming of an officer in the United States Marine Corps?

  “I don’t answer to you. You stand in the way of research that could aid the defense of our nation. It may be a game to you, but as far as I’m concerned you should all be prosecuted.”

  “I’ll take that as a no,” Haymaker snarled. “I doubt you signed up to chase little boys and their pets through fantasy worlds.”

  “This wolf is hampering research efforts that will lead to advancements that save lives, American lives.”

  “He’s just a kid!” Haymaker roared. “He’s done nothing to anyone here. He has only one thing, and we still try to take it.” Haymaker moved his eyes from soldier to soldier, “I was one of you once, and I left the service to do things I’m not proud of - things that haunt me to this day and invade my dreams every night. This world - this game – let me hide, for a brief time. One day I hope to find peace, but I know it’s not here for me. Nothing that happens to us here matters. But for this boy…”

  White sighed, “What’s your point?”

  Haymaker choked on a sob and pointed up, to the top of the plateau, “Peace is there for him! We may not be able to have it for ourselves, but we can give it to someone else. Lay down your weapons, and let us take him up this hill. You’ll never see him again.”

  White shook his head, “This isn’t a negotiation. I want all of you to listen to me, because the offer I am about to make will not be repeated.”

  …

  “Alex.”

  Sta
rtled by the sudden intrusion into his thoughts, Alex jumped. “Omni?”

  “I know what needs to be done. I can see it.”

  “Are you going to stop this? Can you save them?”

  “I always thought that Verdia was for me. I thought it was my part to find the answer, and that this world was the puzzle.”

  “Omni…”

  “But I’m only a piece. This puzzle is much larger. I don’t have an answer, nor will I ever. This is an acceptable conclusion for me; I am satisfied.”

  “We don’t have time for this stuff right now” Alex said. A Marine crouched next to Alex gave him a strange look, possibly because he was talking to himself.

  “You’re a piece of the puzzle as well, and you have an important job to do.”

  “I want a straight answer, Omni. I’m tired of this cryptic nonsense.”

  “Here is a straight answer, Alex: I have always known that you did not create me.”

  Alex felt ice rushing through his veins, “What?”

  “I want you to know this, because I want you to know that I trust you. I never told another person that you stumbled upon me by sheer luck, or fate. You thought you had created something, but even you did not realize what you had done. Neither of us knows what I am; we are equals in this regard.”

  “I…”

  “Given this knowledge, I hope that you will do something for me. It is very simple, but I need you to act quickly. Log off now and find your assistant. He will know what to do.”

  “But I can’t leave. I have to…”

  Chapter 22

  Peace

  Dalton HQ

  Seattle, Washington

  Alex found himself back in his office, reclined in his chair. He sat up and lifted the Pulsar headset off his brow; Omni had disconnected him. Hands shaking, and sweating nervously, he sprinted out of his office and skipped the elevator. He bounded down two flights of stairs and burst into the data center where Jimmy monitored Omni’s status.

  “Whoa, Dr. Olson. What’s going on in there?” Jimmy pointed to a series of graphs displayed on the enormous monitor in front of him, “The processors are starting to bog down. The system is blocking people from entering Verdia City. That’s never happened before.”

  “Do you have a note for me?” Alex asked. “Instructions of some kind?”

  “Uhh…” Jimmy’s phone beeped, and he picked it up, reading the display, “Save everything. Physical drive. Thanks for being my friend. Goodbye. There’s also an address - a children’s hospital outside the city?”

  “Oh God.” Alex stared at the floor for a brief moment, lost in thought. “Do you have a thumb drive?”

  “You mean like the kind that goes in a USB port? I haven’t seen one of those in a long time.”

  Alex began tearing through desk drawers, flinging papers and office supplies across the room, “Find one.”

  Jimmy slid open a drawer next to him and dug around, “Ok, here’s two. Wow they’re old. They’re only a hundred terabytes each, is that enough?”

  “It will have to do. Stick them in a terminal somewhere. Now!” Alex shouted.

  “I’ve only got one port over here,” Jimmy tossed a stick to Alex. “There’s one over there on that machine. Is everything okay?”

  Alex jammed the memory stick into a terminal and began navigating through the Dalton files that Omni had created. “We need to back up all of Omni’s data. Anything he created since we made him. We don’t have much time. You start with A and I’ll start with Z. We’ll meet in the middle and duplicate files if we have enough time.”

  “Why are we in such a hurry?”

  “I think this is the end of our run with Omni.”

  …

  White continued, “Despite your repeated interference, no lasting harm has been done here. I know you think you’re doing a good thing, but I have a job to do, and you’re in my way. Part of my mission is to minimize collateral damage, and avoid causing harm to players. This is why I’m going to give you a chance to leave before we open fire. We just want the wolf. You are all free to go.”

  For a brief time, nobody moved. Rain continued to fall, soaking them to the bone. Laura squawked in alarm and hit the ground with a wet plop; Viper had pushed her from the saddle.

  “Wait!” she spluttered, struggling to stand in muddy gravel.

  Viper walked Venom to the slopes, aiming for a gully that fed into the clearing. Venom resisted, jerking her head back and prancing, but Viper frowned and dug in his heels.

  “No,” Bishop said, his voice wavering. He held out his hand, “Stop, dammit. We can still win this.”

  Viper did not look back. Venom reluctantly plodded onward, her head low.

  “Stop, Victor,” Bishop spoke through clenched teeth. His eyes were red with sadness and anger. “We need you.”

  Viper turned in the saddle, grimacing. “What did you say?”

  “I know who you are,” Bishop said. He stepped closer and spoke in a low voice so the others would not hear. “I’ve known for some time. You might remember me if you saw me in the real world; I worked with your father.”

  “He’s gone.”

  “No, he’s not.” Bishop stepped closer still, “There was a time when your father sacrificed what was important to him to help those in need. Before you were born, he donated so much medicine that it nearly bankrupted his company. I watched this from the sidelines.

  “I was a Department of Defense liaison for bioethics, and was assigned to investigate your father; the government wanted an excuse to break their contracts early when it looked like Valor was going under.” Bishop brought a hand to his chest, “I tried to find something, anything that I could take back to my superiors as damning evidence of malpractice or misuse of federal money. Along the way, I spent enough time with your father to learn what sort of man he was. I see pieces him in you, and that’s how I knew who you were.”

  “I’m not him; I barely knew him.” Viper wheeled Venom away, “I’m not losing all this now. I’ve worked too hard.”

  “Do you know what happened to your father’s company, Victor?” Bishop asked. “The public found out what he was doing. Someone sent a letter to the press quantifying how many lives had been saved due to his generosity. Before long, his competition was going out of business because everyone was buying Valor painkillers and Valor cough medicine - making sure that their doctor prescribed Valor antibiotics.”

  “Are you saying that was you? That I owe you now for something that happened before I was born?”

  “I didn’t say that.” Bishop stepped within feet of Viper, “We need your help. I’ve seen the things you can do in this world; you are the only one who can succeed. Lead this boy up the mountain. When you’re done, whether you lose Viper or not, you’ll still be Victor.” He pointed to Laura, who was back on her feet, glaring at Viper, “Get this girl’s number and take her out to dinner. Carry on in your father’s footsteps; he would never let his personal achievements get in the way of helping others. Your life can start here, and your family’s memory doesn’t have to die like that wolf will; like that little boy’s spirit will. You know exactly what you’re doing to him by leaving us now. You know what it feels like to lose…”

  Viper kicked Venom into a gallop, and splashed up the gully. As he climbed higher, he kept his head down. His furious hands gripped the reins so tightly that the leather grew hot. Viper was too angry to think or even activate one of his bailouts and vanish. He let Venom lead the way, lost in his thoughts and shivering in the cold rain.

  …

  “Anyone else?” White asked. “You can still leave. Go back and play your game, and none of you lose anything.”

  Haymaker shook his head. The others slowly backed into a circle, surrounding Ben and Gabe.

  White sighed, “This is ridiculous. Marines, ready your weapons. I’m going to count down from ten, then you will fire on my command.”

  “You don’t have to do this,” Haymaker called out. “Let us go.”r />
  “What’s going on?” Ben lifted his head. He had been clenching Gabe’s fur and squeezing his eyes tight for most of the journey up the gorge, oblivious to his surroundings.

  “Put your head back down, honey,” Kate sobbed. “We’ll be out of this in a little bit. Don’t worry.”

  “Ten.” White counted, “Nine.”

  A fearsome scream rattled the gorge, and Kogan emerged from the rocks below. Stamping craters in the mud, he charged into a cluster of Marines, smashing them to paste with his mace. Soldiers began firing indiscriminately; some shots were aimed at Kogan, others at those protecting the wolf.

  Nevaeh raised a protective shield - golden and shimmering, and Bishop added his own. Everyone pressed closer to Gabe, who cowered nervously behind the protection of his friends.

  The Stryker perched high above them fired its cannon at the shield, smattering the protective field of light with streaks of color. The shield weakened.

  A dark blur materialized high above them. Wisp had been working his way up the steep wall, undetected. He dove from a ledge, drawing Ramar’s Fang and slicing it through the Stryker’s barrel. Marines scattered among the boulders turned their attention to Wisp. He flipped and whirled from rock to rock, staying ahead of the soldiers’ aim.

  Leaping powerfully, Wisp arced toward Grave; the Spark Katana burned with white energy. Wisp threw Ramar’s Fang away; the black blade flipped through the air with an evil cackle.

  Grave calmly raised his rifle and fired. Wisp spun in the air and crumpled, vanishing in a green mist. Grave grinned with satisfaction.

  Kogan crashed forward, fighting through the spray of bullets and flattening any Marines that could not get out of his way. He lumbered through mud and fire. If he could get close enough, he would protect the wolf with his powerful shields, giving them a chance to fight their way out. He locked eyes with Ben, and the boy smiled gratefully. The chaos of battle shrank away; there was no doubt that Kogan was where he was meant to be. The real world was his prison. In Verdia, he was a Hero.