Queen's Gambit (Lilith's Shadow Book 6)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “May I speak with Lilith?” Amber asked tightly.

  “If she was inclined to speak with you, yes, but I sincerely doubt she’ll be willing to do so. She seemed very upset with you when we last spoke,” Black Emerald said, her voice musing. “I do wonder if there’s anything that could make me feel quite that angry… probably. Hm, I suppose it’s beside the point.”

  “Yes, it is. In that case, let Lilith know that if she surrenders, I will kill her quickly and painlessly,” Amber said, her tone frosty, even as vindictive anger welled up inside her. “If she doesn’t surrender herself, I’m going to hunt down every last one of the people she cares about and I’ll destroy them. No, I won’t destroy them, I’m going to turn them into mindless puppets and chain them to my chair so they can fawn over me, and she can see the results of her actions.”

  For a few seconds there wasn’t a response. Then Black Emerald spoke, a hint of amusement in her voice. “That seems a touch extreme to me, but who am I to talk? I kidnapped and enthralled media anchors who talked bad about me on the air, then kept them for years. I’ll let her know, Shadowmind. Will there be anything else?”

  “No,” Amber growled, then added quickly, “She has a day. That’s it.”

  “I’ll let her know,” Black Emerald said, and the line shut down, leaving Amber staring at the console for a few seconds, fuming.

  Oh, how she wished she could throw something right now.

  “We really do have a short temper when we don’t get our way, don’t we?” the second clone asked the other.

  “No shit? I’ll admit, I didn’t realize just how much of a bitch I was before this,” the other one agreed, and Amber’s eyes narrowed.

  Maybe she should throw one of them out an airlock.

  Chapter 32

  Friday, December 5th, 2031

  Zhang Residence, Pasadena

  “What can you tell me?” Claire asked, throwing clothing into her suitcase quickly.

  “Not nearly as much as I’d like,” Circe Beta replied, a troubled frown on her face. “I will likely be able to tell you more once I receive the data drop from Circe Prime, but she was understandably paranoid that it might be intercepted, and it will take some time before I receive it. Assuming that Shadowmind does not hunt me down and destroy me beforehand.”

  “We’re going to try to avoid that,” Claire replied, pausing in what she was doing to glare at the android. “But you’re avoiding answering me.”

  “I’m not avoiding answering you. I’m attempting to process what has happened and project the potential consequences,” Circe replied, shaking her head slowly. “Circe Prime was so far beyond me that I cannot comprehend everything she could do, and now she is gone. Her data may survive, but her personality, her self, is gone. I am attempting to come to terms with that. I believed that I would end functional lifespan long before her, yet she has vanished. It is… troubling.”

  Claire’s eyes widened as she blinked, then asked slowly. “Circe… are you having an existential crisis?”

  Circe paused, her head tilting to the side as she considered, then nodded, murmuring in a tone that betrayed relief. “I believe that I am. What a fascinating development. However, it is something I will have to examine more fully later.”

  “Maybe. I think you should keep a close eye on it, though,” Claire said, her concern growing. “I don’t want you doing something that might get yourself killed.”

  Circe looked at Claire for a moment, then shook her head. “I will not do that, rest assured. Regardless, the situation appears to be fluid at the moment. The number of facilities which have been destroyed around the globe has caused an immense upheaval, as has the destruction of numerous structures in space. Countless factions have begun attempting to salvage material from the different bases, causing conflict. While we know where Lilith has gone, her disappearance isn’t broadly known yet, which I believe is a desirable result. Despite this, based on what Circe Prime told me, I suspect that Shadowmind’s infrastructure is wounded, not destroyed. She will likely lash out in the near future, and based on her personality, she is likely to target those of us who are not in safe locations.”

  “Which is a good part of why I’m leaving. I don’t want my family caught up in her machinations,” Claire agreed, growing still more nervous. “Do you think we can beat her?”

  Circe didn’t reply, which caused Claire’s anxiety to ratchet up a notch. Then another. It was nearly a minute before the android spoke, her voice grave.

  “I do not believe so. Not on our own,” Circe said, looking at the floor. “Without her armor we might be able to do so. However, with her armor she would be able to destroy me in relatively short order, and while I have a great deal of respect for you, she would be able to strike at your mind directly. It would only be a matter of time before she defeated us both.”

  “That’s what I thought,” Claire murmured, not entirely happy with the answer, but accepting that Circe was telling the truth. She swallowed, then smiled nervously. “Thank goodness we’re going to see other people who can help, hm?”

  “Indeed,” Circe replied calmly.

  Claire went back to packing, and as she did, she wondered if she was making the right decision. She had three options, after all, but she wasn’t sure that she’d be comfortable with Ocean Shield after their recruiting drive. The fact they’d recruited the two women who’d replaced her made Claire uneasy. Daemonia was significantly closer, and she was known to be on about the same power level as Shadowmind… but that was the easy answer. No, if Shadowmind was likely to target her and Circe, she was also likely going to go after Morgan, Warden, and the others who’d grown close to Lilith. Strength in numbers was the best way to face someone like her.

  She was thankful that at least Circe was comfortable driving for eleven to twelve hours to get there.

  Paragon City University, Paragon City

  “I’ve had enough of you!” Archon exclaimed, and she threw the robot across the roundabout, where the mechsuit containing the villain hastily dodged, though it didn’t move quite fast enough. There was a screech of metal on metal as the robot and mechsuit both shed armor plates, and the red humanoid figure staggered, trying to keep its balance as servos whined loudly.

  The crackle of lightning echoed down the streets as Spark pulled the triggers on her pistols, unleashing a torrent of electricity into the robot she’d been fighting, and smoke began to pour out of it as circuits smoked and caught on fire. She jumped off the multi-ton robot just as another swiped at her with a blade the size of a motorcycle. Then its shadow surged upward, transforming into four tentacles that wrapped around its arms and legs, immobilizing the machine.

  “Archon, do the honors?” Shade asked from somewhere behind Archon, and she didn’t respond verbally.

  She snatched up her sword again, hoping the construction crews wouldn’t be too annoyed about her having thrust it into the concrete for a moment, and lunged over the nearby wreckage of a car. With a single stroke of her sword, she cut through the front of the robot, severing dozens of linkages and wrecking it. While the robot didn’t fall apart, it shorted out, its lights dying.

  “No!” a woman bellowed from inside the mechsuit, raging loudly. “My beautiful robots, you’re destroying them! How can you horrible creatures call yourselves heroes when you do things like this? Die, all of you should die!”

  She raised the cannon on the undamaged arm of her mechsuit, and the energy cannon began to glow. Archon tensed, ready to jump into the path of the attack, but the moment before she could, a barrier of gold energy snapped into place between her and the villain, azure streaks playing through it. The villain fired, and the beam of energy splashed off the barrier harmlessly.

  “Hm, I think that you have your priorities wrong. Attacking people is pretty horrible,” Warden replied, descending from above them, magic crackling around her hands. “What do you think, Morgan?”

  A bolt of purple energy flashed across the street, ripping the arm w
ith the cannon clean off the mechsuit, prompting another wail of anger from the villain, and Archon cracked a slight smile as Morgan Le Fay spoke.

  “I think that you’re spending too much time taunting them,” the mage said calmly. “At least Shade and Spark were dealing with the problem.”

  Archon’s smile grew larger as the shadows grabbed the mech, and Spark zipped up onto the suit’s front, standing there with both pistols leveled at where the pilot had to be seated.

  “Yup! Now, you can surrender, or I can electrocute you. It’s up to you,” Spark said brightly, a huge grin on her face.

  Archon waved her sword through the air gently, just to flick off some of the liquid that’d adhered when she cut the mech… mostly rubber that’d melted due to the flames, based on how it smelled, and she glanced around warily, looking for any other threats. She didn’t see any at first glance, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t there.

  “Damnable heroes… if you hadn’t gotten in the way, I’d have succeeded!” the villain said, prompting laughter from Warden.

  “Um, duh? Isn’t that the point of all this?” Warden replied. “Are you going to surrender or not?”

  “I give up, just get off the cockpit so I can get out,” the villain replied, and Archon relaxed a little as Spark moved, and a hissing sound came from the mechsuit.

  A woman with short brown hair emerged, wearing overalls and a large pair of goggles, which gave her an odd appearance, if you asked Archon. She also wasn’t a villain that Archon had heard of before, and she looked distinctly disgruntled as Warden moved forward to cuff her.

  “Did you take care of the gang on the southern end of the city?” Archon asked Morgan, quirking an eyebrow. “I believed that you were going to be busy for some time.”

  “Astral Core and Knight Fire engaged them before we could get there, and they told us to come to your assistance,” Morgan replied, shrugging. “I’m not sure that they’re fully healed from their encounter with Black Harbinger, but they seemed to have the situation in hand, so I wasn’t going to argue.”

  Archon nodded, her smile fading a little as the immediate concerns faded, allowing her to worry about other things. She paused, then asked, “Decarin, how do things look?”

  “We’ve got movement from sixteen villains that I know of across the Wasatch Front, but all of them are currently being dealt with, as far as I can tell. Local teams seem to be doing well, thank goodness,” Decarin reported tiredly. “Nothing from Shadowmind yet, but I’ll bet it’s just a matter of time. We don’t know how much damage Circe did to her network.”

  “I believe we should be grateful,” Archon said, letting out a soft sigh. She paused for a few seconds, looking at Morgan and noting the shadows under her eyes, then asked. “Are you well?”

  “As well as I can be, with a lack of sleep, the extremely sudden revelation that Shadowmind had hundreds of facilities across the globe, possibly over a thousand, and that she’s trying to kill Lilith. She also might come after us again… hell, who am I kidding? You know she’s going to come after us, and if she drops a rock on us from orbit, most of us aren’t going to survive,” Morgan said, her smile taut as she shivered. “You might, but the rest of us… it mostly depends on whether Warden knows it’s coming in time. Based on the fight in Kansas, I’m betting we wouldn’t have time.”

  Archon frowned at Morgan, looking even more closely, then spoke quietly. “You should rest. Yes, we are in danger, but everyone saw what Circe did to Shadowmind’s satellites. While the threat isn’t gone, it’s much reduced, and if you do not rest you may make mistakes that otherwise could be avoided.”

  “Maybe. I’ll have to talk to Warden about it,” Morgan said, looking over at the two who were questioning the villainess. “Hopefully the police get here soon… they’ve had an even rougher time.”

  Archon agreed, but didn’t say anything more as Shade approached them, nodding slightly to him. She sheathed her sword after a moment, wondering how Lilith was doing.

  Black Emerald Lair, Utah

  “Are you feeling better, Ms. Carpenter?” Wren asked, and Lilith looked at her skeptically.

  “I’d feel better if you’d actually use my name, rather than talking to me like that,” Lilith told her, shaking her head as she adjusted her clothing again, startled at how perfectly it fit. She hadn’t had anything that had fit this well before. Well, if you excluded her old undersuit, at least. The clothing was the same as what she normally wore, which made her feel a little better.

  “Talking to you like what?” Wren asked innocently, and when Lilith glared at her, the brunette just grinned. “That’s better! I can’t have you frowning all the time.”

  “Why does Black Emerald put up with you?” Lilith asked, looking at the ceiling instead.

  “I’m efficient, skilled, and keep other people out of her hair. I also don’t put up with anyone’s shit and have a decent sense of humor,” Wren replied promptly, pausing for a couple of seconds before she added more seriously. “I also help cover for some of her weaknesses, which definitely helps. I’m a potent inventor-type, even if I’ve deliberately tried to stay under the radar where heroes or villains are concerned. I’ve designed most of the equipment around here that isn’t biological or off the shelf and would appreciate it if you refrain from spreading that around.”

  Lilith’s eyebrows rose, and she paused, studying Wren for a second, then asked, “Why do you try to keep it hidden? I’d think it’d be useful for you.”

  “You’d think, wouldn’t you?” Wren said, pausing for a few seconds before shrugging. “I refused to use my talents for someone wealthy, so he ruined my life, making sure I didn’t have more than a handful of possessions to my name and no job prospects. Black Emerald found me when I was on the verge of starvation and offered me a job, and not one related to my powers. So, I’ve decided to not let them define me. I’m a businesswoman, manager, and myself first and foremost. My powers are a part of me, they don’t define me.”

  The explanation startled Lilith, and she stopped to consider, running her fingers through her hair. She felt better than she had now that she’d had a chance to shower, get clean clothing, and regain her balance. She still occasionally started crying when the loss of Circe hit her again… and Lilith swallowed hard, blinking rapidly to try to force the tears back. She didn’t manage it, so she reached up to brush them aside. It took tremendous force of will to ignore the grief and focus on Wren’s explanation.

  “I… I think I understand what you’re saying,” Lilith said, her voice trembling for a moment before it steadied. Wren gave her a sympathetic smile but didn’t interrupt. After a couple of seconds Lilith continued. “I guess I’m just used to my powers being useless, and I keep getting drawn into situations where I feel completely powerless to make a difference.”

  “That is an issue,” Wren agreed, turning to the console of her manufacturing device and powering it down. It intrigued Lilith, since it was essentially a changing booth that had scanned her, still in her clothing, then sent the data to a screen where they’d chosen outfits, which had then been made in a matter of minutes and came out of a dispensing chute. The lights went dark as Wren kept speaking. “Most of the time I rely on magical solutions for my protection, simply because if I built devices, they’d be easier to detect. If I had to go into combat situations more often, though… that might change my feelings on the subject. I don’t know how I’d feel if I were in your position.”

  “Fortunately, you aren’t,” Lilith murmured.

  “Yes, but you’re in a terrible position,” Wren said calmly, turning to Lilith and leaning against the booth, folding her arms in front of her. “What are you going to do? I know about the threats that Shadowmind made. She’s showing her true colors there, and I have little doubt she’ll try to do just that. Whether she could succeed or not… that’s another question.”

  “My friends have to sleep sometime,” Lilith said, frowning. “And a few of them don’t exactly have strong de
fenses against her. What would happen to Spark if she got caught in the open? I know Shade gives each of them wards to protect their minds, but those have limits.”

  “True… but it doesn’t answer what you’re going to do,” Wren said, smiling slightly more now. Lilith glowered at her for a moment, then gave up.

  “I can’t hand myself over to her, as the others would object in the strongest terms, and I’m sure that she’s lying. She’d probably torture me for days out of spite,” Lilith said, turning her gaze to the floor, as her annoyance and grief slowly gave way to something else. Anxiety and… determination, really. So, she inhaled slowly, then spoke quietly. “I think I’m going to be asking Black Emerald to use her one room. The one for her experiments.”

  “Pardon?” Wren asked, and when Lilith looked up, she saw the woman looking at her in confusion.

  “I… thought she’d talked to you about it?” Lilith said, tilting her head as she frowned.

  “She doesn’t tell me everything. There’s not enough hours in the day for her to do that,” Wren said, her confusion easing slightly. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Since you’re obviously not talking about the project she and I collaborated on, which is a relief.”

  “Ah,” Lilith said, smiling a little as she reached up, hesitating for a moment before touching the ankh, which had been an ever-present reminder of what she needed to decide for the last few hours. “This is a gift from Ra. He said that it would allow me the opportunity to undergo a third awakening. When I discussed it with your boss, she said she’d prefer it be done in her experiment testing chamber, to ensure it didn’t cause collateral damage.”