by Barry Reese
* * *
The Man of Destiny knew that his Furies were dying but he could not save them. He had to put his priorities in order and the most important thing—the thing he had promised his beloved he would do—was to drive a stake through the heart of The Allies.
As soon as he’d witnessed the detonation in the air, he’d known what was going to happen. Talented young Elsa Mayen was dead and The Furies would have to delay The Peregrine so that Sun Koh could begin the final phase of his plan. Ever since Käthe had told Sun Koh that the American vigilante was searching for him, the Heir to Atlantis had begun studying all that he could find on The Peregrine. He had tapped the minds of all three of The Furies, plus Grin, and had pieced together what he believed was an accurate portrayal of his enemy. Like himself, The Peregrine was a master of multiple disciplines, foremost amongst them being all manner of hand-to-hand combat and mechanical engineering. He believed that The Peregrine was, in so many ways, his opposite number… it would be fitting that such a man would rise up now, when Sun Koh’s victory was so close at hand. Sun firmly believed that a man could be judged not just by the quality of his friends but also by the skills of his enemies. Great men eventually found great opponents for it was in the defeating of such foes that true growth was attained.
And so Sun had asked Käthe and the others to deal with The Peregrine. They had seemed excited by the task and he knew that all three considered the fact that The Peregrine was still alive as a personal slight to their prowess. Perhaps, he mused, they would find a way to defeat him. They had, after all, captured The Peregrine once before… but somehow, Sun didn’t believe that likely. Götterdämmerung had come and there was no turning back—The Peregrine would know this and would come fully prepared to fight his way to Sun Koh.
The Solar Cannon had fired its first deadly burst into the air and Sun Koh had felt a sense of great elation. The Peregrine was going to be too late… Washington was going to burn. Even if The Peregrine had somehow managed to warn the residents of the great city—and that seemed very likely, since The Peregrine had inexplicably managed to trace them to this location—there would be no time for everyone to be evacuated. Thousands were going to die and The White House would smolder in ruins.
After Sun Koh had attacked the cannon to the amplification device, he threw the switch that caused it to hum to life. The Solar Cannon’s ray then shot high into the air, ionizing the upper atmosphere until a solid sheet of white light came crashing back down. It tore into Pennsylvania Avenue, ripping up asphalt and steel, destroying cars that had been left behind on the city streets and eradicating fences and yards. Benson had been good to his word about rushing people away from the major tourist spots. Right now, men, women and children were huddled together in various shelters, having been told of a possible Fifth Columnist attack on the heart of Washington, D.C. Not everyone had been pushed to the shelters and the screams of the dying could be heard, even over the crashing din of the solar attack.
Sun Koh made sure that the Solar Cannon was locked in place and he pushed hard on a switch that would ensure that it continued to fire even though no one was directing it. He stepped back from the Solar Cannon and flexed his mighty muscles, rolling his head around in a circle. “They were good women,” he said aloud, speaking in fluent English. “When the war was over, I would have found them good men for breeding purposes… if I had not chosen that honor for myself. Even the Oriental and the Gypsy could have added strong bodies to the Aryan cause. I shall make sure that they are never forgotten.”
The Peregrine stood nearby, a pistol in each hand. “Turn off that machine. Now.”
Sun turned to face The Peregrine, a coolly confident smile on his lips. “No. I shall not do that.”
The Peregrine pointed both guns at the Solar Cannon and fired. The explosive shells ricocheted off the Cannon, flying in all directions. Sparks flew wherever they touched the weapon but aside from a few scratches, they did nothing to damage the machine.
“Did you really think I’d build an inferior device? There is only way to stop the Solar Cannon.” He gestured towards the controls located at the back of the unit. “You have to go through me.”
The Peregrine pointed the smoking barrels of his guns at Sun Koh. “Then that’s what I’ll do.”
“You won’t shoot me.”
“What makes you think that?” The Peregrine asked, cocking both pistols.
“Because both you and I need to settle this. We need to know who is truly the stronger and more deadly.”
“I’m not going to let people die while we thump our chests. Turn off the Solar Cannon or I’ll see if you’re as bulletproof as that weapon of yours.”
Sun Koh’s smile faltered a tiny bit and he shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps I misjudged you. I think you mean what you say… but something has kept you from shooting me, so I think my words have some truth to them.” Koh reached over and turned off the Solar Cannon, stopping the deadly beam that had destroyed nearly half a city block, reducing it to rubble. “I will reactivate it once you are dead,” the Aryan superman declared.
The Peregrine lowered his guns and holstered them, quickly discarding the long coat he usually wore. This left him in his shirt, tie and slacks. He pulled off the gloves that covered each hand and tossed them to the ground. He would have kept his promise, shooting Sun Koh in cold blood if he’d had to. But he was glad it had gone this way… just as Sun had said, there was a part of him that relished this.
The Peregrine had faced “opposite numbers” before but never quite like this. Even though The Warlike Manchu had found a man whose back-story mirrored Max’s own and had trained him to be the murderous Shinigami, The Peregrine had never truly felt that he’d encountered his true reflection. And The Warlike Manchu deserved a special sort of hate on Max’s part… but they were as different as they were alike.
But Sun Koh… as his father had pointed out, there was something deeper at work here. It was truly the clash not just of two men but also of two ideologies: the power of the self-made man versus the theory of eugenics. Which was, in the end, the correct path to follow?
“No weapons,” Sun Koh said, reaching behind his back to retrieve a dagger he’d kept in the waistband of his pants. He held up the blade and then flung it aside. The Peregrine nodded and undid the set of holsters that held his guns. They, along with The Knife of Elohim, were set in the grass.
“One of us is going to die,” The Peregrine said. “Are you sure you don’t want to rethink this? You’re brilliant… there’s so much we could accomplish together. We could end this war and find a way to build a lasting peace.”
“You’re to be commended for making me such an offer… but you know as well as I that alliance between us would be doomed from the start. We are fundamentally different and there is no enduring union that can be forged. Let us dispense with falsehoods. You and I both know that we have waited for this from the moment we heard of the other. You have chased me halfway round this globe. And now we shall see who is the greater man.”
The Peregrine sighed, dropping into a fighting stance. Sun Koh mimicked the pose exactly and both men gave the other a silent nod, reflecting that they appreciated the skill and grace the other possessed. Then, without preamble, they rushed towards one another. Birds took off from nearby trees and the ground itself seemed to shake. Two of the deadliest men ever birthed in this or any other world were now locked in mortal combat.
The Peregrine caught Sun on the side of the head with an open-fist blow and almost simultaneously the Aryan jammed an elbow into The Peregrine’s ribcage. Both men were silent as they exchanged more blows: The Peregrine ran a fist under Sun’s chin and followed with backhand that sent spittle and a bit of blood spraying from the Atlantean’s mouth. Sun was just as precise with his own attacks: he hit The Peregrine with the strongest blow to the midsection that The Peregrine had ever felt, making Max wonder for several breathless seconds if the force of the impact had actually stopped his heart. Then the b
lood began flowing again, pounding in his ears. Sun had also kicked with the heel of his boot, catching The Peregrine in the left knee, causing it to buckle long enough for Sun to shove The Peregrine onto his back. The advantage was short-lived, however, as The Peregrine managed to spring back up with a gymnastic move that would have wowed any Olympic judge in history.
The Peregrine then barely ducked out of the way of another powerful roundhouse from Sun Koh and he reached up to grab the slightly larger man’s arm. He used Sun’s own momentum to carry him forward, flipping him hard to the ground. The vigilante then slammed his foot down, hoping to crush Koh’s windpipe. But the Atlantean threw up his hands in time, catching The Peregrine’s foot and giving it a terrible twist. The snapping of bone echoed in the clearing and The Peregrine cried out for the first time since the battle had begun. He pulled free of Koh’s grip but found piercing pain shooting through his entire leg whenever he tried to put weight on it. Sun rose almost leisurely, well aware of how badly hurt his enemy was now.
“Do you wish to yield? I will make your death quick and painless if you do.”
The Peregrine resisted the urge to spit in the other man’s face. “I thought we were dropping the lies,” Max responded. “If I did give up, you’d make an example out of me… my death would be something the Nazis back home would be talking about for years.”
Sun nodded, spreading his hands out wide in an apologetic gesture. “You are right, my friend. I suppose I felt obligated to play the part. Still,” he said, gesturing to The Peregrine’s injured foot. “You are no match for me now.”
“Even with one leg, I can still beat you.”
Sun appeared impressed by The Peregrine’s resolve. “I would expect nothing less of you,” he said with obvious respect. “Even though you were on the wrong side, we will remember your name in the days to come, as well. You are a symbol of our ultimate nemesis.”
The Peregrine gritted his teeth as Sun Koh came at him again, moving so fast that he seemed almost a blur. The Peregrine managed to block a blow to his head but quickly realized his error: the headshot was simply meant to disguise Sun’s true intent. Even as The Peregrine threw his arms up in protection, Sun was whipping his leg behind his foe’s, taking him off his feet. Max landed hard on his side and he was grateful that his injured ankle ended up on top of the other foot and not the other way around.
Sun threw himself towards The Peregrine, slamming his knee into The Peregrine’s ankle. The pain that shot through Max’s body was enough to cause him to temporarily black out. Even though it only lasted a few seconds, it was enough to put him into dire straits. When he was regained his focus, he saw that Sun was now crouching on his chest, knees holding his shoulders to the ground. Sun reached out and gripped the sides of The Peregrine’s head. Max had a sudden vision of Käthe’s final moment, when her own neck had been snapped.
“She said she loved you,” The Peregrine blurted out.
Sun paused. “What are you saying?”
Max kept his eyes fixed on Sun Koh’s face but was sure that he recognized where he’d landed. He couldn’t risk looking to make sure but if he was right, he might have found his salvation. “The blonde. The German. She said she loved you right before she died.”
“Her name was Käthe. She was a good woman. The Aryan ideal.”
“That didn’t save her life,” The Peregrine pointed out. “She was the vision of your Fuehrer’s perfect race, wasn’t she? Blonde, blue-eyed, physically fit but in the end, she died just like any other woman would: with the memory of her lover foremost in her mind.”
“What are you getting at? Are you simply stalling for time?”
“Just thought it was interesting.” The Peregrine stretched out his hand while he was talking, his fingers moving through the grass. “Did you love her, too?”
Sun hesitated, seemingly unable to resist answering. He seemed strangely troubled by the discussion of Käthe’s death. Max assumed it was because he’d cared for the girl… but the truth was that Sun was simply tired of death. He had seen too many good men and women die in his name and it was beginning to create chinks in the armor of his self-assurance. “There was only one woman I ever loved… and she is gone.”
The Peregrine’s fingers curled around the hilt of The Knife of Elohim and he suddenly brought the blade up high, jamming it into Sun Koh’s neck. Blood spurted in a thick gush and the Atlantean fell off his enemy, his face twisted in agony. The blade burned those of evil intent and right now it was causing the flesh around the wound to sizzle and turn black. As Max scrambled to his feet, gasping in pain, Sun Koh reached up and yanked the blade free, hurling it away.
“You cheated,” Sun muttered, holding one hand against his neck. The blood was flowing copiously and Max knew he’d hit something vital. “No weapons,” Sun reminded him. With each word, more blood was pumped out from his throat and specks of the crimson fluid appeared on his lips.
“I prefer to think of it as good old-fashioned ingenuity.” The Peregrine reached out and caught Sun Koh by the collar of his shirt. He dragged the Aryan towards the bank of the river, forcing the man to his knees. Each step was agony for Max but he knew how close he was to ending it and this drove him forward with renewed energy. “It’s still not too late, Sun. I really did mean what I said earlier. We could help each other. Will you consider it?”
The Heir to Atlantis looked at him and gave a curt shake of his head. He said something but his words were lost in the garble of blood that came pouring forth with the effort to speak. Max thought he was saying something about finding his friends again but he wasn’t sure… and in the end, it didn’t matter.
The Peregrine shoved Sun Koh’s head into the water. He held him down firmly, holding on despite the thrashing that ensued. The struggle was very brief, however, as Sun had lost too much blood to maintain his strength.
After about five minutes, The Peregrine pulled Sun free of the water. The man’s eyes were wide open but glassy and there were no signs of life about him. The Peregrine hobbled over to pick up his weapons and then returned to the corpse. In his line of work, he’d seen people revived from worse than this… and so he took the further precaution of putting a bullet into Sun’s head.
When that deed was done, The Peregrine closed his eyes, intending to take a moment to catch his strength. Before he knew it, he had slipped into unconsciousness, his body tumbling over onto Sun’s. They lay like that, one atop the other, until Evelyn finally came looking for them.
CHAPTER XIV
All Hail the King
“I’m comin’! No need to get your horses all slathered up!” The housekeeper at the Davies Plantation was an old woman named Nettie, whose skin was so leathery that it looked like parchment stretched taut over her bones. Despite her age, her eyes burned with a keen intelligence—had she been born in another place and time, this Negro woman could have achieved wonderful things. As it was, she was a beloved member of the household and as dear to both Max and Evelyn as their own mothers.
Another knock came from the front door and Nettie uttered an oath that would have shocked her preacher. As it was, she opened the door with a lovely smile on her face, giving no clue as to the annoyance she was feeling. “What can I do for you today?” she asked sweetly.
The grim expression on the face that awaited her momentarily caused her to gasp aloud. She’d met Benson before but every time she looked into the fiery depths of his eyes, she was reminded of her own mortality. “I’m here to see your employer.”
“Mr. Davies, he’s not feeling very well.”
“He’s well enough to see me. Please tell him that I’m here.”
Nettie stepped back and allowed Benson in, showing him to the study. Normally, she would have offered a guest some iced tea but in this case, she just wanted to be away from the man as quickly as possible.
Benson sat ramrod straight in his chair, his eyes never moving from the fixed spot he stared at: he was looking at a painting on the wall, showing Max,
his wife and their son, only months after little William’s birth. If the image sparked any memory of Benson’s own lost family, his eyes betrayed nothing.
When Max entered the room alone, he was alone and dressed in a button-down white shirt and slacks. He moved as though his entire body ached but what caught Benson’s attention the most was the weariness he saw in the other man’s eyes. “Your housekeeper said you were unwell. I apologize for disturbing you.”
“I’m sure you wouldn’t be here if it weren’t important.”
“That’s true. Your heroism has been noted at the highest levels. If not for you, the death toll could have been much greater and the entire affair could have derailed the Allied war effort. The President wishes me to personally extend his thanks.”
Max sat down and smiled. “And what else?”
Benson’s eyes flashed. “Where is the Solar Cannon?”
“Oh, that.”
“Yes. That.”
“I don’t think anyone should have something like that. It’s too dangerous.”
“That’s not really for you to decide.”
“Actually, it is. I was the one there with it and I knew your men were coming. I had to decide if I was okay with that… and I wasn’t.”
“We’re at war, Max. A weapon like the Solar Cannon could help us win it sooner.”
Max leaned forward, lowering his voice. He was one of the few on the planet who was not intimidated by Benson’s gaze. “A lot of people would die, horribly. I know about the bombs that we’re developing and I’m not sure how I feel about those either… but I do know that I saw this thing at work and it was awful. I trust you, Benson… I really do. But I don’t trust everyone you work for. The Axis powers have to be defeated but it doesn’t mean we have to use the tools of the devil to do it.”
