by Chris Fox
We’re on our way. Just give me a minute to grab Liz. Blair replied.
He concentrated for a moment, using the Ark to locate Liz. She was down in the training ring, where she spent almost all of her time. The ring displayed locales just like a holodeck, though so far as he knew the things it created were real. In this case, it had created a maze of black stone. Liz was prowling through it, golden sword extended. She wasn’t shadow-walking, which was probably some new form of training.
Liz. He thought at her. She rolled backwards, disappearing into darkness before he’d even completed the thought. That didn’t sever the connection though. She could still hear him. I’m going to light walk to Angel Island. There’s an attack and Jordan needs us.
“Acknowledged,” she replied aloud, emerging from the shadows once more. The ring wavered around her, stone walls disappearing.
Blair willed the energy in the Ark to coalesce around each of them. It was more difficult than when he’d used it to transport them into the Ark after the battle with Irakesh, because he and Liz were in different locations. That was a good thing though. He’d been pushing his shaping, in the same way Liz pushed her combat abilities. They both had demons to battle, and each was atoning in their own way.
The world vibrated around him, then beautiful, clear light flooded the room. There was a moment of weightlessness, and then he was simply elsewhere. He stood near the summit of Angel Island, Liz next to him in human form. She wore skin-tight black yoga pants and a matching tank top. Her hair was done up in the customary pony tail, a look he very much liked.
They’d appeared in a ring of rocks that had been erected for just this purpose. Blair still wasn’t sure what would happen if they materialized in the same space someone else was occupying, so it seemed safest to designate an area they’d light walk to.
“Sit rep,” Liz barked, stepping from the ring of stones. The golden blade of her sword rested casually against one shoulder as she approached Jordan. He towered over her, but if she was intimidated she didn’t show it.
“Nine hostiles. One heavy,” Jordan said, turning to point to the dock. “Eight smaller ones that seem like full deathless. Like your brother, basically. The larger one might be like the giant we fought in the hangar back in Panama, I don’t know yet. They’ve stopped attack for now. Looks like they’re talking with Trevor.”
Blair didn’t like Jordan’s tone, but he understood it. Jordan and Trevor didn’t trust each other, and that was made worse when a force of hostile deathless stopped their attack to have a little chat with Trevor. What the hell were they talking about? He peered down at the dock, noting the cluster of deathless around the larger, hairy figure. Trevor hovered above them, using the green cloud of energy he’d learned from Irakesh.
At least two dozen figures writhed on the ground, injured refugees no one was going to help. The militia was massing on the far side of a hill, under Yuri’s direction. Blair turned to face Jordan. “If Yuri assaults those deathless, the whole militia will probably be slaughtered. We need to get down there.”
“We’ll blur,” Liz said, tone hard. “Blair, I’ll ride your shadow. When we get there, take down the smaller ones first. That will minimize the number of hostiles that can attack our people. Blair, see if you can use the Ark to deal with the larger one.”
She didn’t wait for a response, instead shifting to wolf form even as she slid into his shadow. He had a brief impression of a massive auburn creature, then she’d vanished entirely.
“Get your game face on,” Jordan rumbled, already shifting into a tall, blonde-furred male. Blair followed suit, ignoring the brief pain as bones snapped and re-arranged to make room for his larger wolf-form.
Jordan blurred toward the docks, hopping down hillsides and over trees. Blair matched his pace, kicking up a cloud of dust that spun lazily in the air around him as the world slowed. They bounded toward the dock, crossing the quarter mile in a dozen hops. It was difficult to measure time while blurring, but Blair guessed no more than five or six seconds passed.
The commander barreled into the first deathless, an Indian woman in the tattered remains of a Fitbit T-shirt. She started to spin, but Jordan was far faster. He clamped his hands around her head, twisting with a sudden jerk. An awful crack echoed over the water, but the commander wasn’t done. He twisted further, the muscles in his arms bunching as he gave another jerk. The woman’s head came off with a pop, spraying desiccated gore into the air as her body collapsed to the sandy shore.
The other deathless spun to face the Commander, none noticing Blair where he crouched a few dozen paces away. Blair waited, turning his attention toward the larger figure. It was a fucking gorilla, probably liberated from the San Francisco zoo. He focused on the putrid green eyes, summoning his energy as he prepared to shape. He doubted it had anything like the mental defenses Irakesh had used, which meant he could probably bend its will fairly easily.
He was dimly aware of Liz appearing behind another one of the deathless. Her blade pierced its chest, lifting the man into the air. He twitched and flailed as pulses of sickly green light flowed down the blade. Blair didn’t know how much strength Liz gained when she drank someone’s essence, but even having done it just a few times she was clearly stronger than she’d been when she first changed.
Focus, Ka-Dun. His beast rumbled. Deal with the bestial deathless before it endangers your pack.
So Blair did. He envisioned a dagger of pure mental energy, thrusting it into the gorilla’s neck at the base of the skull. It slid past the creature’s defenses with little effort, and just like that the world vanished. He appeared in the thing’s mind, immediately noting the differences between it and a human. Instead of the vast complex of neural connections he was used to, there was a more primitive network of thoughts. They were more primal, more focused on feeding to the exclusion of all else. This thing was a peerless predator, well-equipped to feed and grow stronger in this insane new world.
Blair’s consciousness swelled to fill the beast, and suddenly he could see through its eyes. He flexed its fingers experimentally, tasting the air with enormous nostrils as he observed the world around. Only a few moments had passed, and the combat flowed around the gorilla’s feet. Trevor had returned to the fray, grappling with one of the larger deathless. Jordan battled two more, a pair of women that were comically short, but devilishly fast. These two knew how to blur, even if some of the others didn’t.
Three of the remaining deathless were bounding up over the hill. At first Blair feared they were fleeing, but then he realized they were heading for the militia. The crack of gunfire sounded around them, and the deathless saw a threat they could deal with. Blair forced the gorilla to lumber after them, crushing the spine of a deathless as the beast split the gathering evening with a thunderous roar.
The remaining deathless spun to face the gorilla, clearly confused. They scattered as it charged them, nimbly dodging as the beast launched a few clumsy swipes. The creature was large and powerful, but ungainly. He couldn’t catch the deathless, but it might be able to keep them occupied.
Ka-Dun, be wary. Something stirs within the Ark.
That was all the warning Blair had. He was dimly aware of something stirring within the Ark’s deepest systems, and then enormous power flowed through the entire structure. The bay was lit like noon, as a trio of clear white pulses blasted into the sky. The energy draw made him dizzy, and Blair lost hold over the gorilla’s mind as he caught himself against a stunted tree. He felt weaker than he had in months, and a dozen alarms competed for his attention as systems failed all over the Ark. What the hell had just happened?
He tried to focus, tried to make sense of the conflicting demands the structure placed on his consciousness. Blair was barely aware of the approaching roar. He could feel the ground shaking as heavy footfalls sent up puffs of dust. His vision focused in time to see the gorilla, its putrid gaze focused hatefully on him as it approached.
“Oh crap,” Blair said, staggering be
hind a larger tree. He wanted to blur, to leap away with the agility his form normally granted. But he couldn’t. His body was sluggish, his mind thick as molasses. It pissed him off. Why the hell couldn’t he ever get a straightforward fight? He was supposed to have the Ark on his side, not have it hamstring him at a critical moment. It wasn’t fucking fair.
He cringed as a giant, hairy fist snapped the tree into splinters and continued into his gut. Ribs shattered as he was launched skyward, tumbling end over end into the dirt a good fifty feet away.
“Oww,” Blair said, struggling to regain his footing. The gorilla was already charging again.
Chapter 3- Hesitation
Liz stumbled forward, staggered by the blow from behind. Claws ruptured her kidney, hot pokers jabbing into her again and again. She gritted her teeth, rolling onto her back to see her attacker.
The man standing above her had been an athlete in life, maybe a boxer or football player, judging by the broad shoulders. He had long, stringy, black hair, with a thick beard to match.
“Not so tough, are you, little puppy?” he growled, eyes flaring toxic green as his grin widened.
Liz considered a witty response, but settled on kicking a spray of gravel into his face. He winced, knocking the stones away. That bought her a moment, which she used to swing her sword in a low, tight arc. It hummed through the air, meeting brief resistance as it sliced through both his legs just below the knees.
She rolled to her feet, planting the blade in his chest, and willed the weapon to drink his essence, bracing herself for the cold shock as the pulses of light flowed up the weapon and into her. Each one was like a shot of espresso, bringing strength and clarity, along with a small portion of the host’s memories.
The latter were troubling, but she shrugged them off. She needed to focus on the combat. Being a female werewolf meant she was the only combatant on the field without the ability to blur. She was strong and she was stealthy, but she was also the slowest one here.
“Liz!” Jordan roared from somewhere off to her right. “The militia’s in trouble. They need immediate support.”
She glanced in the direction he was pointing, up the hill to a cluster of rocks just off the path. About a dozen men and women had taken shelter there, and were firing their weapons into a trio of deathless.
Those deathless appeared unfazed by the assault, and all the militia had accomplished was drawing attention to themselves. She watched in horror as a deathless bounded into their ranks, disemboweling a woman with a wicked slash. It snatched up her rifle, and brought the stock down on the man next to her. His skull cracked in a spray of blood, and he collapsed onto the ground next to his companion.
Liz was about to charge, but the ground began to shake. She darted a glance to her right, noting the massive undead gorilla charging at Blair. She’d expected him to have already dealt with it, but he wasn’t even looking in the creature’s direction
He was focused on the Ark, and a moment later she understood why. The entire surface glowed white hot, then a burst of light shot from the tip into the sky. Another followed, then a third. Liz had no idea what they were, but she was more concerned about their affect on Blair.
He collapsed into the dirt, trying to pull himself to his feet as the gorilla approached. The creature shattered the tree he was sheltering behind, sending him flying through the air. Blair’s silver fur was matted with dust and blood, and he didn’t rise. She knew the blow hadn’t been enough to kill him, but he was clearly in serious trouble.
“Liz,” Jordan roared again. She darted another glance his way. He was squaring off against two more deathless, who were driving him steadily backwards toward the water. “The militia. Now! People are dying.”
She looked their way again. The trio of deathless assaulting them had done hideous damage. Over half the militia was down, and the rest were fleeing. Liz steeled herself, committing to the decision. She slipped into the shadows, charging the closest deathless.
It was completely unprepared as she launched a two handed swipe at its neck. Her blade sheared through bone and flesh, severing its head in a spray of gore. The creature’s headless body tumbled to the ground, but Liz was already cloaked in shadow once more.
The second deathless had noticed the fate of its companion, and was spinning slowly in an attempt to find her. It apparently hadn’t learned to command the shadows, or it would already be hiding. That was good, because as long as it was looking for her it wasn’t killing militia.
Liz bounded after the third deathless, who was chasing down a teen with an old carbine. The deathless blurred, darting forward and ramming a fist through the girl’s back. The carbine tumbled to the ground in a clatter, and the deathless gave a cackle any Disney villain would have envied.
Liz saw red, baring her fangs as she leapt into the air. She came down on the deathless’s back, crushing its spine and grinding in into the concrete. She drove her sword through its throat, pinning it to the ground as she leaned in close.
“I hope the last thing you feel is the same terror you inflicted on that poor kid,” she growled. Then she twisted the blade, and drank the deathless’s essence.
She rose to look for her final opponent, but it had fled back into the water. It disappeared from sight, wisely fleeing from her wrath. Liz turned to face Jordan, but either he’d dispatched his foes, or they too had fled. He’d already moved to assist Blair, who’d regained his footing and was dodging clumsy strikes from the gorilla.
Liz cloaked herself in shadow, sprinting up the hill in Blair’s direction. By the time she arrived, Jordan had already entered the fight. He darted in close, disemboweling the gorilla with wickedly sharp claws, then dancing backwards when it tried to retaliate. The blow didn’t faze the creature, but it did keep its attention.
She used the moment to launch herself into the air, timing her strike with all the precision she’d earned through dozens of hours of practice in the ring. Her blade came down on the gorilla’s skull, splitting it cleanly in half and continuing down the spine. The blow continued all the way through the beast’s body, which collapsed into two separate piles. The right half twitched once, then lay still.
“Blair, are you all right?” she asked, moving to his side. He looked dazed, his gaze glassy and unfocused even in wolf form.
“I think so,” he said, cradling his head with one furry hand. “Something’s happening with the Ark. Systems are failing all over. We need to get inside and find out what the hell is happening.”
“What the hell were you thinking?” Jordan snapped, grabbing her shoulder. He spun her to face him, and she let him. She was far stronger in wolf-form, but she didn’t resist. “You’re a battlefield commander. You can’t afford to hesitate, Liz. Out here you aren’t Blair’s girlfriend. You aren’t a woman, or a friend. You’re a leader. People died back there, people you could have saved. You came up with the plan. Next time, you need to goddamn follow it.”
“I know,” she said, gritting her teeth. She wanted to yell at him, to say that Blair had needed her. But Jordan was right. Blair had been fine, and her hesitation had cost lives.
Chapter 4- Escape
Steve sat up abruptly, cocking his head. Something thrummed through the Ark, deep and powerful. None of the driblets of information he’d pilfered from the Mother’s sleeping mind suggested a cause, but he sensed it was unusual. What was Blair up to?
He rose from the bronzed bench, peering through the crackling blue energy net between him and freedom. Nothing stirred, not even the air. His companion hadn’t moved; the white garbed deathless sat motionless on the bench on the far side of the cell.
His dark skin suggested Nubian ancestry, something that tugged at the anthropologist in Steve. Perhaps his kind had been the ancestors of the Africans who had given rise to ancient Egypt, and its rival, the mighty Nubia. Of course those descendants lacked the putrid green eyes and razored fangs that revealed just what kind of predator Irakesh was.
“If we go,” Steve
said, breaking the silence for the first time in nearly two days, “we go now.”
“Now?” Irakesh answered, uncoiling languidly. He rose from the bench, folding his arms as he peered at Steve. His expression was unreadable, probably a survival trait in the world he’d grown up in. “For thirteen days I have railed at you to keep your promise. We could light walk from this cell at any time, yet you’ve whined about caution and the right time. What has finally caused your cowardice to ebb?”
Steve took a long, slow breath, schooling his features to conceal the surge of rage. Those had come often since his change, a legacy of the beast within him. “I can see why you lost, Irakesh. Why a half trained Ka-Dun that I manipulated easily was able to best you.”
Irakesh staggered backwards as if struck. He caught himself on the wall, mouth working as if seeking the right insult to hurl. Then he straightened, jaw clicking shut. “I will not allow you to bait me again. They caught you just as easily, if you remember.”
“Yes,” Steve smiled, knowing he was about to win another verbal sparring match. “But I came away from the encounter with an access key. I achieved my goal of becoming an Ark Lord. Did you?”
Irakesh blurred, crossing the cell in the space between heartbeats. Steve could have matched his blur, but chose to conserve his energy. Let the deathless grandstand. A fist connected with his jaw, sending a jolt of pain through his face as he was hurled back into the wall.
Kill him, Ka-Dun. Why suffer such an affront from this wretch? You could tear him apart. He has nowhere to flee. His beast roared, its outrage clear.
Steve didn’t answer directly. He didn’t need to. The beast could hear his thoughts, and it knew why he didn’t fight back, why he affected the posture of a beaten dog as he rose to his feet. It knew why he hadn’t killed Irakesh, though he could have taken the deathless unaware days ago.
