by Jacob Holo
“Her accent sounds German,” Nicole said.
“That’s because she is German.”
“Who are they?” Amy asked.
“The Krieg cousins. They’re both tau guards.”
“Their last name is the German word for war?” Nicole asked.
Daniel gave her a shocked look. “It is?”
“You didn’t know?” Nicole asked.
“No, I didn’t know. I don’t speak German. Huh, how appropriate.”
The phone rattled again.
“Okay, Daniel. I am here vit Rüdiger,” Melanie said.
“Daniel, we were just trying to raise someone when you called,” Rüdiger said. “No one’s answering. Were you attacked as well?” To Nicole’s surprise, he spoke with a faint British accent.
“Yeah, we barely escaped alive,” Daniel said. “There were three sentinels over class ten. I think one of them was a fifteen.”
“We’ve had similar problems, though it sounds like you had worse. Who’s with you?”
“Nicole and Amy Taylor.”
“Nicole? You mean the kinetic everyone’s been talking about?”
“Yeah, that’s the one,” Daniel said. “She’s still green, but she learns fast. Where are you right now?”
“We just escaped the Detroit safe house. We’re somewhere in the city’s suburbs right now. I think we’re the only two to make it out alive. How about you?”
“Ahhh, hold on. Nicole, hold the phone.”
Nicole took it and watched Daniel blur. He came back into focus, huffed out a few tired breaths, and took the phone back.
“We’re in Michigan on I-75, mile marker 3.”
“Same state, then,” Rüdiger said.
“What were you doing in Detroit?”
“Running an errand for Shoko. She had us delivering some new swords and crossbows. You were my last stop before heading back to Chronopolis.”
Daniel’s lip curled up in disgust. “You’re the guard with my new sword.”
“Of course. Shoko wanted me to deliver a special message.”
Daniel clicked the phone’s speaker off, rolled his eyes, and said, “God, what an ass. Even in a crisis, he’s an ass.”
“What’s this about?” Nicole asked.
“Never mind.” Daniel clicked the speaker back on. “All right, Rüdi. We should probably meet as soon as possible and head back to Chronopolis. I take it you received the summons?”
“Yes.”
“How about we meet at the Detroit Metro Airport? Can you make it there?”
“That won’t be a problem. We’ll find a ride and head there. Melanie has her tablet, so we can book the next available flight to Europe on the way.”
“Sounds good. We’ll see you there.”
Daniel closed the phone and pocketed it.
“So Chronopolis is in Europe?” Nicole asked.
“Actually it’s close to Europe. It’s not the easiest thing to explain. You’ll see it when we get there. That is if the two of you want to come along. You can choose not to come if that’s really what you want.”
Nicole put her hands on her hips. “As opposed to what? Hitchhiking all the way back to Massachusetts just so that swarm of reavers can kill me in my sleep? What kind of choice is that?”
Daniel shrugged. “I didn’t say it was a good choice, just that there was one.”
“You’re leaving us?” Amy asked.
“No, he is not!” Nicole said.
“Only if you want me to leave,” Daniel said.
“Well, as far as I’m concerned we don’t have a choice,” Nicole said. “We’re staying right by you until whatever is going on gets sorted out. And if there’s some place we can go with more tau guards, then I say we head there.”
Amy nodded enthusiastically.
Daniel smiled. “Good! Then we agree. By the way, do you have your passports?”
“Yeah, I think so,” Nicole said. She took out her wallet. “Yeah, it’s still here. I never took it out of my wallet after Russia. Amy?”
“Same here. Mine’s in my coat pocket.”
“Good luck there,” Daniel said. “You’ll need them for customs.”
“I’d be a little more concerned about getting to the airport if I was you,” Nicole said.
“That won’t be a problem,” Daniel said. “Wait here. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Daniel vanished.
Nicole sighed. “I really hate it when he does that.”
“Where did he go?”
“Into a time freeze, I think.” Nicole threw up her arms. “Heck if I know.” She rubbed her hands together, blew hot air into them, and sat down on the guard rail.
Ten minutes ticked by.
Amy shouldered her crossbow, fired it at a tree, and missed. She loaded three more bolts and hit the tree with two.
“You know, this is easier than you’d think,” Amy said, loading another bolt.
“Uh huh. Just don’t point that thing at me.”
“I won’t. Geez!”
Another ten minutes passed before a cherry red sports car pulled off the freeway and stopped on the shoulder in front of her. The driver switched off his high beams. Nicole may not have known much about cars, but she knew a Chevy Corvette when she saw one. She walked over to the passenger door.
Daniel lowered the window. He smiled and waved.
“Did you steal this car?” Nicole asked. It even had that new car smell.
“The correct term is ‘repurposed’. Come on. Get in.”
Chapter 8
Hive Lord
“Got them!” Daniel said. “Three tickets to Frankfurt, Germany. Here you go. It’s a window seat.”
“Thanks,” Nicole said. She took another look around Detroit Metro Airport’s McNamara Terminal. Everything looked crisp and new, with sterile white tiles and glass walls leading the eye up to a high ceiling. Even at this early morning hour, dozens of people moved about the baggage check-in and ticket counters.
“What do I have?” Amy asked.
Daniel pulled another ticket out of his coat and eyeballed it.
“Middle of the row,” he said, handing it over.
“What? Why does Nicole get the window seat?”
“I don’t know,” Daniel said with a shrug. “I like her better, I guess.”
Amy’s mouth flopped open like a fish’s. She stared at Daniel, speechless, but he didn’t seem to notice. Or maybe he was ignoring her. Nicole couldn’t tell. Either way, it took effort not to smirk.
“And I’ll take this,” Daniel said. He picked up the backpack holding Amy’s collapsible crossbow.
Nicole frowned at the backpack.
“And before you ask, yes I did pay for it,” Daniel said.
“Oh,” Nicole said. “Well, that’s good.”
“You go on ahead through security,” Daniel said. “I’ll meet you on the other side.”
“I take it you’re skipping security,” Nicole said.
He leaned close and whispered, “Well, I am carrying a sword, several throwing knives, and a crossbow. Metal detectors and cavity searches are not my friends.”
Daniel winked and walked off to the nearest men’s restroom.
Nicole turned to Amy. “Shall we?”
“I guess.”
Nicole and Amy made their way through security and took one of four escalators down to the terminal’s main floor. A few shops on either side gave way to another open area with a black marble fountain spraying dozens of water streamers into the air. The terminal stretched out to either side, perpendicular to the check-in and security areas, making the whole building feel like a large T. Tall windows overlooked the tarmac while a bright red monorail one floor up ferried passengers back and forth.
“So,” Amy said in front of the fountain.
“So,” Nicole said.
“We’re in a lot of trouble.”
“Yup.”
Amy sat on the fountain’s edge, limbs slack. Nicole joined her.
“
We’re going to die,” Amy said.
“You don’t know that.”
“No? Did you see those things? What chance do we have against monsters like that?”
“We managed to make it this far.”
“Barely!” Amy said. “Face it. They’re going to find us again, and they’re going to kill us!”
“We’ve got Daniel on our side. We’ll make it.”
“How can you be so confident?” Amy asked, eyes tearing up. “I’ve never been so afraid in my entire life!”
Slowly, Nicole put her arm around Amy. “Me too.”
Amy sniffled. “Really?”
“Yeah, really. I’m thinking the same things you are.”
“Then why isn’t it bothering you?”
“It is.” Nicole gave Amy’s shoulders a squeeze. “It is.”
“This is so unfair.”
“I know.”
“I should be at home right now, sleeping in.”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” Amy asked.
“For not telling you about this when it happened to me.”
“Well, I did the same thing.”
“True, but I had Daniel with me. I knew it was real. Maybe I should have paid more attention to how you were acting.”
“Maybe,” Amy said. “Where is he, by the way?”
“Skipping security.”
“How is he doing that?”
“No idea.”
“Well, at least he seems dependable,” Amy said.
“Yeah.”
“A little odd, though.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, you could do worse for your first boyfriend.”
“What?” Nicole asked. “You think he’s what?”
“I’m just saying,” Amy said. She still had tear trails on her cheeks, but at least she was smiling now.
“He’s not my boyfriend!”
“You could have fooled me.”
“I just met the guy! I hardly know him!”
“Oh, you’re such a shut in. It’s not a big deal.”
“Yes, it is a big deal! A very big deal! Listen to me. He’s not my boyfriend!”
“If you say so.”
“Look, Amy—”
“Shh! Here he comes.”
Nicole clapped her jaw shut. Amy wiped under her eyes with a sleeve.
Daniel walked over to the fountain, backpack slung behind his shoulder.
“What took you so long?” Amy asked.
“I walked by our gate to see if Rüdi and Melanie had shown up.” Daniel set the backpack down at Amy’s feet.
“Have they?” Nicole asked.
“Nope,” Daniel said. “Late and unreliable as usual. Well, one of them anyway. Melanie is okay. Nicole, are you feeling all right?”
“Yes,” Nicole said. She could feel the heat coming off her cheeks. “Why?”
“It’s just that your face is really red.”
“I’m okay. It’s just…” Nicole thought fast and, regrettably, said the first thing to come to her mind. “I’m having lady problems.”
Daniel took a step back. “Oh, okay. Wow. Forget I asked.”
“Which gate do we have?” Amy asked.
“Gate six. It’s to the left. Come on.”
Daniel led the way to their gate. They took a series of long moving walkways down the terminal.
Amy shook her head. “Lady problems, huh?”
“Shut up! I had to think fast!” Nicole whispered. “This is all your fault.”
When they arrived, the gate already had an impressive crowd. Around a hundred people sat in the rows of metal benches outside the gate.
“Do you see them?” Nicole asked.
“No. Well, we are about half an hour early. Maybe they had trouble getting here. Anyway, I need some coffee. Do you want any?”
“Actually, I could use coffee and breakfast. Amy?”
“Yeah, I could probably keep something down.”
“All right then,” Daniel said.
They walked to a McDonalds near the gate. Daniel ordered a large coffee, and Nicole ordered a small coffee and two sausage biscuits, one for Amy. They sat down at a circular table near the back of the restaurant.
Daniel took out his cell phone and dialed numbers in between sips.
“No luck?” Nicole asked, halfway through her biscuit.
“No. I’m beginning to agree with you. Maybe everyone got hit at the same time. If so, then this was an amazingly well-coordinated attack.”
“Are they really that smart?” Amy asked.
“Oh yes. Don’t ever let their looks fool you. The smaller ones might not be all that bright, but the big ones are just as intelligent as humans. Maybe smarter.”
“They might be smarter?” Amy asked.
“I suppose it depends on the human,” Daniel said. “Are we talking Stephen Hawking or Billy Bob the drug-using high school drop out? Just remember, they may be monsters, but they’re damn smart monsters.”
Daniel chugged his coffee, leaving him with a brown mustache. He wiped it off with his sleeve. Nicole chose to ignore it this time.
Lighting throughout the terminal dimmed and flickered off.
“What the—”
* * *
Time stopped.
“—hell?” Daniel said. “Ah, man. This can’t be good. They killed the lights!”
Gloom from an overcast morning filtered in through the windows, casting the terminal into patches of light and shadow. Daniel stood up and drew his sword. With his free hand, he guzzled the rest of his coffee and chucked the cup over a shoulder.
“Oh no,” Amy muttered. “No-no-no-no-no-no-no.”
“How’d they kill the lights?” Nicole asked. Her heart felt like it would pound out of her chest. “Whatever happened to the buns not touching each other?”
“Reavers can get closer to the real world than we can get to reaverspace,” Daniel said. He stepped into the open and checked down both sides of the terminal. He could have been talking about the weather, for all the urgency in his voice. “They don’t do this often, though. Probably takes a lot of effort. I wonder where the incoming power lines are. I bet that’s where we’ll find them.”
Daniel pulled out his two-handed compass. One hand didn’t move at all. The other swung around wildly.
“Not good,” Daniel said.
“Does it always do that?” Nicole asked.
“Only when there are lots of contacts or they’re really close. I think they’re small, though.”
“Are you sure about that? Because I clearly remember—”
“No, I’m not sure,” Daniel said. “Be on guard. Here. Take these.”
Nicole took two of his knives.
“Amy,” Daniel said. He grabbed Amy’s shoulder and shook her. “Hey, Amy!”
“W-w-what?”
“Get your crossbow out!”
“B-but—”
“Now!”
Amy sprang into action as if Daniel had smacked her behind. She fumbled with the backpack’s zipper and pulled out the collapsed crossbow and quiver. She unfolded the weapon, drew the string back with a crank assist in the stock, and set the bolt.
“There, that’s better,” Daniel said. “Now be careful where you aim that thing. Only point it at something you intend to shoot, which means not me and not Nicole. Never point it at us.”
“R-right.”
“Are there any tunnels nearby we can escape through?” Nicole asked.
“Not that I know of, but the reavers might have made new ones. If so, they’re probably occupied. I wouldn’t want to use them unless we had no choice.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound like a good idea,” Nicole said.
“We’ll try heading back to the main hub. Keep a sharp eye and try to stay out of the shadows.”
Daniel ran to the nearest window.
Nicole sprinted after him and whispered, “Easier said than done. The place is half shadows. Amy?”
“
Coming,” Amy whispered. She slung the backpack over a shoulder and ran to the window. It wasn’t exactly a graceful run, Nicole thought, but it got the job done. At least short bursts of speed weren’t a problem for her.
The group crept forward, weaving their way through occasional knots of people and staying close to the windows when possible.
… zziieegh… zziieegh…
“Oh, God!” Amy whispered. “What was that?”
“I heard it too,” Nicole whispered. “It sounds small.”
“Yeah, but I doubt it’s alone,” Daniel whispered. “Stay close.”
Halfway to the water fountain at the center of the terminal, Nicole spotted a glimmer of red light moving across the ceiling.
“There,” Nicole whispered.
“I see it,” Daniel said. He drew a knife from his coat and tossed it with pinpoint accuracy. The reddish light plummeted to the ground near a loading gate’s desk. It bounced off the receptionist’s head and landed. Daniel walked over.
The impaled creature looked like a metal hornet with a body as long as Nicole’s hand. It had a two inch stinger, transparent wings, and a single red eye.
Daniel growled in disgust and crushed the thing under his boot. Pus spurted out the sides. He pulled his knife out and flicked it to the side.
“Hornets,” he said. “That means a hive lord is nearby.”
“What’s a hive lord?” Nicole asked.
“Imagine the biggest, ugliest spider you’ve ever seen with a body the size of a car.”
“Okay…”
“Now fill its abdomen with giant hornets.”
“That’s not good.”
“No, it isn’t,” Daniel said. “The hornet swarm can be very difficult to deal with, especially without a pyro. Damn, I wish Rüdi were here. By the way, don’t tell him I said that.”
“My lips are sealed,” Nicole said.
“So what should we do?” Amy asked.
“Keep your eyes on the walls and ceiling.”
Nicole heard distant buzzing and metallic scratching. The sound echoed in the cavernous terminal.
“Where’s it coming from?” Daniel said, craning his neck and scanning the ceiling.
Something moved in the corner of Nicole’s eye.
“Daniel, get away from the gate!”
Hornets flew through the gate’s open double doors in a thick swarm of slender bodies and glowing eyes. Daniel held his ground and spun his sword like a propeller blade, cleaving any hornets that came at him from the front. The corpses splattered across the floor, hissing and smoking.
