by Ken Lange
He screams and does his best to struggle, but he simply isn’t strong enough to resist. I drag him to the nearest room, kick the door open, and force him into a chair in front of a desk. “Afternoon, Robert. I was thinking we could have a word.”
He clenches his fists and his cheeks burn crimson. “What the fuck are you doing here, Warden?”
Leaning against the wall, I say, “Maybe I wasn’t clear. I’d like to have a word with you.”
He sneers. “Then you should’ve called. Or at the very least knocked on the front door.”
I chuckle. “Would you have let me in?”
He snorts. “Hell no.”
I gesture at myself and then him. “And that’s why we’re in the position we’re in now.”
Robert rubs his neck. “Yeah, well, what the fuck do you want?”
I smile. “That’s easy. Where’s Ethan?”
His expression falters. “What? Ah…”
I hold up my hand to stop him. “Let’s skip the denials. I know you know where he is. And before you think you’ve got any options, you should know that the Baron and a bunch of wraiths are dead. It wouldn’t take much for me to add you to that list.”
He shakes his head and rubs his hands over his face. “Christ, man, you’re an idiot.” Raising his gaze to mine, he smiles. “I knew you were dumb, but this takes the cake. You haven’t got a goddamn clue what’s going on around you, and I, for one, find it hilarious.” He leans back in his chair and flips me the bird. “I’m sure you don’t realize it, but Ethan’s going to kill you, your family, and everyone you’ve ever loved.” He points at himself. “It’ll be way worse if you hurt me. Your only option is to give up now and accept your fate.”
I lean over and peer into his eyes. “Are you high?”
Robert sneers. “Get off me, asshole. You’re only making this harder on yourself. What do you think is going to happen to that daughter of yours when Ethan finds out about this?”
Slapping my hand against his chest, I growl. “Do you have a goddamn death wish?” Punching him in the gut, I say, “If I had to guess, you’ve missed the memo, so let me spell things out for you.” I backhand him across the face. “The Baron and a whole lot of others are dead.” I smack his other cheek. “That ugly little hammer your boss uses to kill folks belongs to me now.” Fixing my gaze onto his, I say, “You’re on the losing team and I’m ticking off one win after another.”
He finally catches his breath, and the smugness is gone from his face. “That’s a temporary thing. You’ve only won a battle, the war has yet to start…but I promise you that’s about to change.”
I remove my hand and stand up. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Sweat pops up along his hairline. “We’ve got plans for this world and you’re not a part of it.” His voice steadies. “Ethan’s a god and you’re what? Some souped-up metahuman? It won’t be long before he wipes you off the map. Then the others will join us in eliminating any remaining resistance. It’s only a matter of time now.”
I roll my eyes. “Please. He’s a fucking parasite who played mad scientist with Carcinus for too many years. He’s no more a god than I am.”
He lets out a nervous laugh. “Fuck you, man. You’re nothing compared to him. Ethan’s got real power. He has the ability to create life where there was none.”
“Come again?”
Confidence sounds in his voice. “You don’t know, do you?”
I shrug. “Obviously not. So why not enlighten me?”
He leans forward in his chair. “How do you think the Geist are made? We kill the host then Ethan channels his power through them and three days later, poof, life. Can you do that, big man?”
So, that’s how they managed it. What a bunch of cruel assholes. Stealing one person’s life to give their body to something else. “No, I can’t. Nor would I want to. What you’re describing is perverse.”
Robert chuckles. “No, what I’m describing is the work of a god.”
Yeah, this guy drank the Kool-Aid hard. “Robert, I’m only going to ask you once more. After that, things will get considerably harder for you.”
He sneers at me. “I think I’ll take my chances.”
Pushing to the side, he drops to the ground just as a deafening roar cuts through the air and the side of the house vanishes. As the back wall falls away, it reveals the biggest Jörmungandr I’ve ever seen. There’s a buildup of power in the back of its mouth as it jerks back once more. I dive through the open door and roll to the side as green ichor pours out behind me. It’s all I can do to avoid the stuff as it eats away at the marble floor and anything else it touches.
Guess the jig is up. I get to my feet and take off at a run, doing my best to avoid any of the toxic goo. About halfway down, the stairs groan and creak just before giving out. They collapse to the floor below, taking me along for the ride. My shields protect me from any debris, but it still takes me several seconds to dig myself free. There’s a massive crack upstairs, and it’s time for me to go. I’m barely through the front door when the second floor collapses, sending a whoosh of air through the opening.
A car engine blares to life. It revs as tires squeal and the metal gates burst open with Robert behind the wheel of his black SUV. He grins, flips me off, and floors it, backing into the street where he brakes hard. Turning the wheel, he guns it again, headed toward Airline.
For Christ’s sake.
The giant worm is nowhere to be seen as I contact Mir. “Track that vehicle. I want to know where it winds up.”
I barely get an acknowledgment before he’s gone.
Walking back to the car, I call Baptist to let him know that he’ll need to secure the house and have his people search for anything that might give us a clue to Ethan’s whereabouts. While this could be considered a loss, there’s a chance, with Mir’s help, I can turn it into a win.
Robert is loyal to a fault, so now that he’s been discovered, he’ll eventually return to Ethan for new marching orders. I’m hoping he’ll lead me right where I need to go.
Chapter 25
It’s been a rough few hours in the infirmary. Kira’s condition hasn’t changed since they took her off life support. I haven’t got the faintest what to do next. All I can do is hope she wakes up soon.
I move over to my desk and sit. Leaning back in my chair, I yawn. This is the last place I want to be, but there’s a ton of work to be done. Nicholas and Justine can only do so much on their own.
A flash of white rushes through my office windows to blind me. The moment my vision is back, I hurry over to the glass and peer up at the sky. Massive black and gray clouds move in out of the east, quickly blotting out the last vestiges of light. Winds whip through the street below, tearing at the leaves of the ancient oaks. In a matter of seconds, heavy droplets of water fall. Lightning dances between the clouds and thunder ripples through the cityscape. Unlike the other storms I’ve seen recently, this one has a swirling mass of energy that’s made of grays, browns, and something akin to molten lava.
It doesn’t take long before it stations itself overhead. A moment later, something hits the roof hard enough to rattle the building. Several liquor bottles tumble to the floor, and I’m forced to hold onto the window frame to keep from joining them.
Pushing off, I grab the LP-12 then bolt out the door. Thirteen flights of stairs later, I’m on the roof, where I’m greeted by Zao Jun and a host of monks dressed in a wide array of colored tunics that match the vortex overhead.
Jogging over to him, I wipe the rain out of my face. “What the hell is going on?”
He shakes his head. “Wait.” Turning to the others, he raises his arms. “It is time.”
The moment I step toward the monks, Zao Jun moves his hand in my direction and I’m knocked back onto my ass. “For your own safety, please stay back.”
Climbing back to my feet, I dust myself off. “Okay, I get it. Stay put.”
He nods and raises his arms once more. A dozen feet away,
the monks form a circle, take a knee, and begin to chant. Whatever they’re saying is lost in the rising winds. A few seconds later, the swirling mass of energy above spreads out to leave an empty spot in the center. I mean that there’s nothing. It’s as if they’ve created some sort of void in space and time. There’s a strange humming inside my head then a bolt of liquid gold energy shoots out to land in the center of the monks. When the light dies away, a huge crate is sitting there.
I’m not sure if it was the light show or the weird energy coming off the portal, but I’ve got an immense headache, similar to the one last month but less intense.
Half the monks bow their heads and say something I can’t make out just before they and the container vanish. Or teleport, if the energy trail they’ve left behind is any indication. While I can’t pinpoint exactly where they are, I can guess. The streaks of color move about two-thirds of the way down, which places them somewhere near lab eighteen. The other monks remain where they are as strands of green and brown lights stretch between them.
I gesture at Zao Jun. “Is it all right if I move now?”
He wipes some water out of his eyes as he nods. “Yes. My apologies for this intrusion. I hadn’t intended to be back this soon, but Xiwangmu wanted this moved here immediately.” Pointing at the door, he asks, “Mind if we speak on our way down?”
Glancing back at the others, I ask, “What about them?”
He cuts his eyes at the others and shrugs. “They’ll be down shortly.”
I motion at the door. “By all means then.”
The moment we’re inside, Zao Jun frowns. “I’m not sure why she moved up the schedule, all I can tell you is that she felt it was important.”
I roll my shoulders. “Ah…Kira and Nora have been handling everything up to this point so I’m clueless. If you wouldn’t mind backing up a bit and giving me the Cliffs Notes version, I’d be very grateful.”
He stops short. “Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Waving his hand around in a circle, he says, “This was all supposed to take place when Xiwangmu arrived. But due to reasons known only to herself, she’s chosen to send the Dan and a contingent of monks to guard it until she arrives.”
I blink. “It’s an egg?”
He wobbles his hand from side to side. “Yes, but not in the way you’re thinking. Or maybe it is, I can’t say. All I know is that things have been set in motion now that cannot be stopped and Xiwangmu will be here sooner rather than later.”
“But it’s an egg.”
His expression goes flat. “Yes, it is. Before you ask anything further, understand it isn’t my place to tell you. The Queen Mother’s the only one with the answers you seek.”
Pushing my curiosity aside, I sigh. “Fine. For now, let’s go check on the others.”
The rest of the trip down to the sixth floor is made in silence. Apparently, Justine has issued Zao Jun his own keycard and pin code as he’s the one leading this expedition. Eventually, we make our way to the far side of the building, where he unlocks the final door. The crate is in the center of the room and the monks have spaced themselves evenly around it.
Zao Jun hurries across the room to inspect the massive box. He steps back and smiles. “Good, it wasn’t damaged in transport.”
As I step toward the circle, two monks jump up and put their hands on me. Glancing down, I turn my head to each of them. “You sure about this?”
One of the men is about to respond when Zao Jun touches their shoulders. “It’s fine. He’s welcome to inspect the crate if he wishes.” His gaze meets my own. “But under no circumstances are you to touch it or try to open it. Is that understood?”
I pause. “Really?”
He nods. “Yes. If that’s a problem, you know where the exit is. And before you get upset, these are the guidelines set forth by Xiwangmu herself. If you were to go against her wishes, it’d be considered a grievous insult to her, her honor, and her authority. As such, all of us would be put to death for allowing such an incident to occur and it would be on you to find a way to make things right.”
What a crock. She just doesn’t want me peeking inside and she’s using traditional laws to ensure I don’t. That’s a shit move. “The terms are agreeable.”
He gestures at the crate. “Then please come.”
I haven’t the foggiest idea what the wooden crate is lined with, but it’s preventing me from getting any sort of accurate reading about what’s inside. But the closer I get to it, the more my head hurts and the stronger the buzzing inside my skull becomes.
Whatever the contents are, they’re slightly taller than I am. Egg-shaped. Shocking, I know. And they give off a muted golden glow. The wood on the outside appears to be extremely ancient…so much so that some of it has petrified. Which means she’s kept this buried for thousands of years and has only recently dug it out. There are still bits of clay and dirt stuck in the crevices.
Stepping back, I sigh. “When will Xiwangmu be arriving?”
Zao Jun shrugs. “I’m not sure. But if you’re going to force me to guess, within the next twelve to twenty-four months.”
I blink. “And she thought it necessary to send this along now? Isn’t this whole transport thing happening a bit early?”
He hangs his head and holds his hands out to either side. “It’s not my place to question her wishes.”
This is the type of crap that drove me crazy when I was there. Everyone around the woman always speaks in circles. Not only that, but when you really want to know something, they always have a convenient excuse about how it’s not their place to tell you. Prime example is sitting right in front of me.
I grimace. “Any chance she’s got a phone?”
He smiles. “She does. Why do you ask?”
I pull out one of my cards and hand it to him. “Why don’t you have her call me? Or better yet, give me her number and I’ll call her myself.”
Zao Jun tucks the card into his pocket and snickers. “I’ll relay the message. That’s the best I can do.”
Resisting the urge to throttle the man, I say, “Thank you. Is there anything you need in the meantime?”
He glances around the room and shakes his head. “I think we’re good.”
Of course they are. “Okay then. I’ll leave you to it.”
He smiles. “Thank you. Have a wonderful evening.”
After stepping into the hall, I decide to stop at lab eighteen to check on Mir and Pete. This isn’t exactly a huge sacrifice on my part as I’ve got to pass it on my way up to the apartment anyway, but they don’t need to know that. If I’m lucky, they’ll have something useful, or at the very least interesting, to keep my mind off Zao Jun, his merry bunch of monks, and a box with an egg in it.
My phone beeps with a message. I push the icon, and several photos flood into view, courtesy of Captain Baptist. The pictures are what’s left of Ethan’s place. There’s a massive chunk missing in the back middle of the house and everything from the roofline down is rubble.
But that’s not the fun part. That comes in the form of the enormous hole where the pool used to be. If I were to hazard a guess, that’s where the Jörmungandr came from. Mind you, that’s not exactly difficult to deduce as there’s an immense trail the exact width of the thing leading to the back of the house. All that’s left now is this weird squarish U-shaped building that’s in danger of collapsing.
As usual, the universe has a way of screwing me over. The room I’d chosen to hold Robert in was his—or someone’s—office. But since it was ground zero for the green acid spittle, it and all its contents are gone. The computer, external drives, and his phone are worthless bits of slag.
On the upside, the UCD has a warrant out for his arrest that makes sense to the rest of law enforcement as they’re going after him for numerous narcotic charges. At the far end of the house, they found the motherload of drug busts. There was an ass-load of meth, several bricks of cocaine, and heroin. While it doesn’t help us track Robert, it would allow the NOPD, JPSO, Louisiana S
tate Police, and any other law enforcement agencies to put him on the most-wanted posters. At this point, it’s only a matter of time before he turns up.
Last update I had from Mir was that he’d lost the man when he left the city. But the moment he returns, we’ll know.
Normally, Mir’s a lot more talkative when tracking someone, but not so much today. I’m guessing that whatever he’s doing with Pete is taking up a lot of his time and resources. Then again, it might be whatever’s ringing in my head and across the Nexus.
As I approach, the door slides open. Inside, Mir’s the only one home.
“Where’s Pete?”
He sighs. “He claims he needs to eat. Things were just getting interesting and he starts whining about not eating today and needing something or his blood sugar’s going to be out of whack.”
I gesture at the samples on the counter. “So, he’s found something?”
He wobbles his hand back and forth. “I found something…but if he hadn’t brought it here, we wouldn’t have discovered it.”
The corners of my lips twitch up. “You guys can fight over credit later. For now, tell me what we’ve got.”
He pops across the room. “I’m not a hundred percent sure. We’re still working on getting a true reading, but it’s my guess they’re nanites. Not quite the same as the ones you found in Kira, but very similar.”
Not a good sign. “How close are we talking? Like the Idunn in Nicholas and me different or more so?”
He leans against the counter. “I’d say more. Almost as if they’re related but extremely distantly. The nanites you found in Kira are highly refined to the point of being on par with the Idunn.” Gesturing at a nearby cabinet, he frowns. “These are far more rudimentary. Don’t get me wrong, they’re thousands of years more advanced than anything this world has to offer, but they leave a lot to be desired in the end.”
I crack my knuckles. “Okay, what’s got you so excited about them then?”
A big smile crosses his lips. “Because, unlike the Idunn, these remain active even without a host.” He points at the same cabinet again. “We had to lock them up because they tried to escape down the drain earlier.”
