He fell, landing on the rooftop of one of the skyscrapers. As he stood, he heard a faint sound coming from nearby. He spun, firing a volley of blasts. Blindside’s infrared form was a blur of warm colors in his cybernetic eye. And then, she was gone. Gunsmith scanned the roof, trying to get a bead on her.
“Thought you were dead, Roque,” he said.
He picked up something else. An energy signature. Gunsmith spun on his heel and raised his weapons just as electricity coursed through his armor. The sudden influx of power caused his joints to spasm and he grimaced as he fell to the ground.
A woman lowered from the sky, also wearing a similar suit of armor to Blindside’s. Except this one could generate electricity. Spark grinned beneath her helmet as she continued to pump the lightning into Gunsmith’s suit.
“The Hellhounds are still out there, Ellis,” she said. “Thought you were supposed to be on our side now.”
Spark cut off the electricity and a moment later, the entire roof shook with a massive boom. The tremor knocked Gunsmith off his feet and he looked up to see a man donned in a massive, tank-like suit of armor.
“Bruiser, you survived, too.”
“We all did.” A new voice.
Gunsmith got to his knees and saw two others had joined the crowd. One had cold air floating off his armor and the other was surrounded by a forcefield. All five of the Hellhounds, alive and well. In the past few years, with all the information he’d fed to the Analyst, everything he’d dug up, Gunsmith had never found any trace that the Hellhounds program was still in effect.
“You’re not getting away that easy, Ellis,” said Blindside. “Did you really think after we learned you were running around with Asano and Hastings that we wouldn’t come after you? We’ve been onto you for some time, now.”
“Thought I was pretty good at covering my tracks,” said Gunsmith. “Tell me, what gave me away? I mean, you are going to kill me. What’s the harm in letting me know?”
“Do I look like a Bond villain?” asked Blindside.
“Fine, so you won’t tell me,” said Gunsmith. “But I’ve got something to tell you.”
“What’s that?” asked Bruiser, slamming his knuckles together.
“I didn’t come alone.”
Simultaneously, the Hellhounds’ scanners warned them of a new presence. Overhead, the invisibility cloak over the Vanguardian jump-ship was dropped and they could see it clear as day. Four blue energy signatures appeared all around them, signatures that quickly formed into Sharkskin, Shift, Cache, and Tuwa.
Gunsmith stood and raised his guns. “Took you guys long enough.”
“Had to wait until they confirmed your innocence, boss,” said Sharkskin.
“Been a while since you called me that.”
Sharkskin flashed a grin full of massive, pointed teeth. “This is gonna be just like the good old days.”
Cache opened the fight by tackling Spark to the ground. She grabbed his arms and channeled her electricity into his body. Cache just chuckled as the crimson glow around his eyes became even brighter. She was shocked at the effect and he blasted her in the face with her own power, re-channeled through his palm.
Bruiser charged at him, but Shift’s tentacles wrapped around his legs, pulling with all her might and dropping him face-down. Cache directed the absorbed energy into his muscles and grabbed Bruiser by his jetpack. He swung with all his might, hurling the tank-like Hellhound down to the streets below.
“I’ll make sure he’s down for the count.” Cache channeled energy through his hands, using it to propel him right up into the air, pushing himself in the direction of Bruiser.
Shift had other problems to worry about as Zero’s forcefield spike shot right at her. She manipulated her molecules to create a hole in the center of her body that the spike harmlessly passed through. Zero retracted the spike and she reformed. He pounced at her, raising his arm and bringing it down in a wide arc. The forcefield around his extended palm formed a massive blade that he brought down like a sword.
She raised her arms, her hands growing larger and taking on a stronger density. Shift caught the blade between her palms. Her fingers wrapped around it and she pulled hard, yanking Zero right to her. Shift transformed her fist into a hammer and slammed it into his head.
Sharkskin moved like a gray blur of lighting, darting across the roof as he avoided Coldsnap’s ice blasts. He came within striking range and grabbed hold of Coldsnap’s gauntlet. Sharkskin bit down on the gauntlet, the material beginning to give way under the power of his powerful jaws. Coldsnap started to scream when he felt his arm being crushed.
“Get off!” He placed a hand on Sharkskin and blasted him at point-blank range.
Sharkskin grunted and let go, looking at his arm and seeing the mark of frostbite. He charged, but Coldsnap blasted him again, encasing him in ice. Sharkskin flexed his muscles beneath the ice, cracks starting to form in the surface. Coldsnap tried to replace them as quickly as they formed, but Sharkskin’s strength wouldn’t give up.
The entire ground rumbled and Coldsnap stumbled. Tuwa stood nearby, energy flowing from her hands into the roof. Coldsnap began to panic. “You idiot, you’ll bring this whole building down!”
“Then it seems we’ve got a game of chicken, doesn’t it?” she asked.
Coldsnap hesitated, not sure if she was being serious. And that was all the time Sharkskin needed to breath through the ice. He grabbed Coldsnap from behind. Powerful fingers tore into the armor, rendering it useless.
Blindside was the only one left and she and Gunsmith continued to exchange weapons fire. Him using his guns and she used the blasters built into her gauntlets. Gunsmith fired a few more volleys at her and activated his jetpack. He flew into the air, Blindside following him.
Gunsmith shut down the jetpack and plummeted, grabbing hold of Blindside as he fell. She grappled, struggling to shake him loose. Her jetpack wasn’t powerful enough to hold two people aloft and the two of them fell towards the street below.
“You’re insane, you’ll kill us both!” she screamed.
“No.” Gunsmith slapped a hand on her back and then released her. He activated his jetpack and flew as fast as he could away from her.
Blindside righted herself and flew after him in pursuit. But she didn’t realize that he’d attached an explosive disc to her back. The red lights on it blinked rapidly. Faster and faster until…
Boom!
Gunsmith returned to the roof with the rest of the team. Cache had returned as well, landing back on the surface. The team all exchanged glances between each other, with Tuwa refusing to even look at Gunsmith.
“Guess that settles it.” Sharkskin slapped a friendly hand on Gunsmith’s shoulder. “You’re one of us again, Jimmy.”
Gunsmith smiled and patted his friend’s hand. “Good to be back.”
“And Bradshaw?” asked Shift.
Gunsmith nodded. “I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that I found out where Talon and Ink are being held. It’s a research facility located on an island off the coast of Washington state.”
“And what’s the bad news?” asked Cache.
“The bad news is this facility is the site of Proximo’s highest priority project. There’s something called the Codex. I don’t know what it is, but my guess is it isn’t good.”
“And you think Vicky and Reina are being used for this Codex?” asked Shift.
“Seems like it. But what’s worse is who’s in charge.” Gunsmith took a breath and his face conveyed sympathy towards both Shift and Sharkskin for the life of their daughter. “It’s run by Erik Azarov. And it’s one of the most highly secure facilities Proximo has.”
CHAPTER 10
All eyes in receiving turned to look at the two women who entered. Talon held Ink by her arm and Ink kept her shackled hands low. The large room was filled with technicians and only a few Cerberus guards. One of those technicians approached them.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“There’s an issue with her inhibitor,” said Talon.
The technician furrowed his brow. “What kind of an issue?”
“Been giving me headaches,” said Ink.
“Pain’s so bad, she collapsed during work duty. Can you take a look at it?”
The technician sighed and gestured over to a row of metal chairs. Talon remembered them from when they were brought in. Specials were restrained in those chairs as the inhibitors were affixed to the back of their necks. She pulled Talon over towards them and sat her down in the chair. With the push of a button on her gauntlet, Talon released the shackles. But before Ink could do anything, the chair’s own restraints activated, locking around her body.
Talon walked over to the console where the technician began his procedure. She heard the machinery come to life and glanced over her shoulder. Devices emerged from the housings on the chair, sliding in through the hole at the headrest where the inhibitor was accessed. The robotic arms latched onto the inhibitor, linking it to the console.
The rest of the technicians and the guards were going about their business. They evidently had more important things to worry about. That would make things easier for Talon. She looked at the monitor when she heard the technician speak.
“This is odd. You sure she was telling the truth?” he asked.
“Why?” asked Talon.
“The computer says the inhibitor is functioning just fine. See?”
Talon looked at the monitor and saw the status of the device was normal. But she was more interested in the commands, particularly the one that read DEACTIVATE. She reached for her armored leg, quietly drawing the shock-baton.
“She might have been faking it to get out of work deta—AGH!”
Talon removed the shock-baton from the technician’s side and he collapsed. But his scream alerted the other technicians, and the two guards that now came towards her. Talon quickly hit the command for deactivate and drew the second shock-baton, stepping closer to face off against the two guards.
They didn’t bother asking questions. The first thrust forward with his baton. Talon tried to pivot to avoid it, but she wasn’t used to the Gunsmith armor and her movements were far more sluggish than usual. The baton grazed her chestplate as she dodged. She deflected the next strike with one baton and jammed the other in the guard’s chest. The armor protected him from the worst of it, but still forced him to take a breather.
The second guard swung his baton, trying to slam it on Talon’s head. She brought hers up and the two weapons connected, their tips crackling with electricity. Talon tried to strike with her other weapon, but the guard blocked that one as well. With both her weapons pinned, the guard kicked her in the abdomen and she was thrown back.
The guard took a few steps forward when something wrapped around his body. He looked down and saw a glowing, ethereal snake coiled around his body. Its head slithered around to face him and hissed right in his face.
Ink was still restrained to the chair, but now her powers were back. The other guard ran for the console. Ink looked down at her arm and another tattoo peeled off her skin, this one of a sword. It grew larger and flew through the air, running right through the Gunsmith and pinning him to the wall.
“Get me outta here so we can take care of your inhibitor, too,” said Ink.
Talon nodded and returned to the console. Ink summoned her lion next and it bound over to the technicians, huddling them in a corner and roaring at them. The technicians remained perfectly still, afraid to do or say anything.
“Just be cool,” said Ink. “You don’t give us any trouble, you’ll walk outta here alive.”
The restraints receded into the chair and Ink climbed off. She looked at Talon, who was stripping off the armor components. Once they were gone, Talon sat in the chair next. Ink took her place at the console to and entered in the commands to deactivate her inhibitor.
Once the process was finished, the two women quickly knocked out the technicians, leaving their unconscious bodies behind. They crossed from reception into the attached hangar and saw their pick of Cerberus transports to use in order to get out.
And that was when they heard the sound of clapping. They looked deeper into the hangar and saw a figure emerging from the shadows, a large smile plastered over his bearded face. Talon’s wings sprouted and her fingers elongated and sharpened while Ink’s tattoos glowed brightly on her skin.
“Very impressive escape attempt,” said Azarov. “But unfortunately for you, it was not enough.”
“You think you’re gonna stop us, old man?” asked Ink. “I’d like to see you try.”
Azarov gave a snicker that sent a chill down both their spines. He unbuttoned the white jacket and pulled it off, letting it drop to the floor. The pale flesh of his torso was surprisingly well-defined, yet also lined with scars. And the muscles beneath his skin moved, slithering like snakes. Claws broke free from the tips of his fingers, growing longer and larger and his entire body started to gain immense bulk.
Ink and Talon watched his transformation, fear beginning to take hold of their hearts. And by the time it was over, Azarov stood changed before them, the monstrous result of one madman’s self-experimentation.
“You will not leave this place alive, my children,” he said, his voice deep.
“We’ll see about that.” Talon launched herself from the ground, her wings shooting her towards Azarov with her claws outstretched. But when she attempted a slash as she flew by, she found her fingers just scraped against his skin. He grabbed her leg and pulled her back, slamming her hard on the ground.
Ink was in the process of summoning her own menagerie of creatures, but Azarov moved extremely fast for someone so large. In a flash, he was behind her, his claws tearing into her back. Ink screamed soundlessly as she fell forward and hit the ground. She tried to get up but was hit with a stunning realization: she couldn’t.
Azarov stood over both of them, cackling as his body began to shrink back down. “You are my children now. And this is your new home."
EPILOGUE
Chronos stood in his armor, looking around him at the other members of the Red Fist who stood by his side. They were all at attention in a massive hall and standing on a stage in front of them was the Khagan, dressed in armor and prepared for war. Zephyr stood by his side, her helmet hiding her expressions from all.
The Khagan gestured to the large monitor and it activated. It was a map of a small island off the coast of Washington. As he pointed to it, he turned his head to address his followers.
“This is our target,” he said. “Proximo and Cerberus run this island, it is where they conduct their experiments. This is where we will find the secret of the Codex. It is where we will find the traitorous Azarov.
“For years, the Red Fist has remained in the shadows. We have bided our time patiently, stood by and watched as the alien scourge infested our planet, imprisoning our people. And now, we wait no more. Now is the time to strike.”
He drew the sword sheathed by his side and held it straight up into the air.
“This is the time for revenge! For retribution! Tonight, the Red Fist rises once more!”
Fists shot into the air, the soldiers screaming their agreement. Chronos watched them, a smile beginning to appear on his face. He’d agreed to join the Red Fist on this mission and in exchange, the Khagan would help him find the tachyon generator he needed to repair his armor. If they could accomplish that, it would mean they had an opportunity to change the future.
He raised his fist as well and joined in their exuberance.
18 - RETURN OF THE RED FIST
CHAPTER 1
Erik Azarov watched with a dispassionate eye as the Cerberus guards dragged Ink and Talon into his laboratory. They quickly shoved the two specials back into the pods they’d been held in previously. After Azarov thwarted their escape, they were refitted with inhibitors and brought back down.
General Callus stood in the room as well, hands clasped behi
nd his back and standing up straight as he watched the scene unfold. With the would-be escapees successfully restrained, Callus gave a nod of acknowledgment to the guards.
“Thank you. Return to your posts.”
The guards gave the Kotharian salute and filed out of the room. Once the door closed behind them, Callus shook his head. “I hate that damn salute. Friggin’ aliens.”
“You might want to mind your words, General,” said Azarov. “After all, you never know who could be listening.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He stepped closer to the two pods, staring through the forcefields that kept Talon and Ink from escaping. “Pretty clever, Asano. Playing possum like that.” He rubbed his face where she’d hit him during her escape. “My jaw still stings. You hit pretty hard for a teenage girl.”
“Let me outta this thing and try your luck with a full-grown woman,” said Ink.
Callus scoffed. “Think I’ll pass, but thanks all the same. The pair of you have been a real nuisance since you arrived. But now that we’ve extracted the data we need, we really have no further use for you. It’s clear you won’t cooperate with the attempt to locate the missing Chronos, so you’re leaving me with no choice.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Talon.
Callus looked at the Russian scientist. “It means I’m leaving you in the very capable hands of Dr. Azarov here.” Callus turned his gaze on the two women again and gave a parting grin. “I wish I could stay and watch, but something tells me what the good Doctor has planned for you will make it difficult to keep down my lunch.”
“Such a pity, General.” A twisted smile stretched across Azarov’s pale, scarred face. “I was looking forward to testing the limits of their abilities with you by my side. I really wanted to show you just how creative I’ve become over the decades.”
“I’ll take a raincheck on that, Doc.” Callus pulled back his sleeve to check the time on his smartwatch. “I have another facility—and another prisoner—to check in on.”
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