Teller of Lies (Gray Spear Society Book 13)

by Alex Siegel

  "OK. Bye." Hanley hung up and dialed Min Ho.

  "Sir?" the hacker said.

  "The enemy is using an aerial drone."

  "Moffett Field has equipment I can use to locate it. I'll hack into their systems."

  "Great. We should've had a drone of our own. Bye." Hanley put his phone away.

  He was dripping wet from his swim in the Bay, but his wet suit was keeping the chill off. It appeared he would have to fight in it.

  Katie hung up her phone.

  "How is Yang?"

  "Alive," she said. "It was a truck bomb. The explosion almost wiped him out, but God intervened."

  Hanley raised his eyebrows. "Nice."

  "Yang sounded very grateful."

  "I can imagine. Let's get to work."

  Both legionnaires drew their guns and ran forward.

  * * *

  Marina shook her head. A titanic explosion had knocked her to the ground and had stunned her. Still feeling a little dizzy, she climbed to her feet.

  She was in the parking lot in front of the community center. Lots of people were on the ground, but she didn't see any blood. She guessed most would survive. The explosion had happened near the entrance of the parking lot, dangerously close to the crowd. Car alarms were wailing all around.

  Marina looked at the community center. The windows were blown out, but she didn't see any obvious structural damage. It had been a hell of a blast.

  Ethel emerged from the building. Marina instantly dodged behind a car and peeked over the hood. It appeared Ethel hadn't seen her.

  Ethel ran towards where the explosion had occurred with an anxious expression on her face. She was moving at supernatural speed even though witnesses could see her. Marina wondered if there had been casualties after all.

  A huge man with a gray beard lumbered along behind Ethel. He was built solid from the neck down as only a veteran legionnaire could be. Marina guessed he was the legate's new bodyguard, Boreas. The whites of his eyes had an odd blue tint, and Marina knew his gift had something to do with cold.

  Ethel was running south towards Sunnyvale. Marina clearly couldn't go that way, so she headed east instead. With one final glance over her shoulder, she sprinted away.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Yang saw the legate approach. Her legs were just a blur, and she seemed to be flying more than running. The best sprinter in the world wasn't nearly as fast. And she's old now, he thought. What was she like when she was younger?

  The legate skidded to a stop. "What happened?" She wasn't even breathing hard.

  "A truck bomb, ma'am," Yang said. "It was headed for the community center, and I had to stop it. I used the machine gun."

  She looked at the destruction around them. The whole area had been flattened and scorched.

  "Why are you still alive?"

  "God saved me," he said.

  She smiled. "You really must be one of us."

  "You believe me, ma'am?"

  "Of course."

  Boreas caught up to them. His running pace was normal, and he leaned over to catch his breath.

  Yang paused. "I was told you speak to God often, ma'am."

  "We have regular meetings," the legate said.

  "What does He talk to you about?"

  "Mostly my mistakes. Listen, just because He saved you, don't assume it will happen again. You're not immortal. If you get lazy or arrogant, the Lord will let you die. Do you understand?"

  He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

  "Are you sure?" Her frightening eyes drilled icy holes into his soul.

  "Absolutely, ma'am. I know how one mistake can be your last in a war."

  "Good. Don't forget."

  The legate abruptly looked left with a flick of her head. Yang and Boreas turned in the same direction. Five men were emerging from behind some distant bushes, and they had assault rifles in their hands. They were wearing the same kind of headsets that Yang had seen on the SAS operatives. The men were dressed as civilians but had a military bearing. They jogged towards the Spears.

  "Don't move," one of the men said. He led the rest of the group.

  "Are you the Guardians of the Pit?" Ethel said.

  "You've heard of us?"

  "Yes. I'll give you one chance to throw down your weapons and beg for mercy. You might still be useful to me."

  The leader sneered. "Never, but I'll make the same offer to you."

  "Ma'am," Boreas said, "do we need to keep one for interrogation?"

  "No time for that," the legate said. "There will be opportunities to collect prisoners later."

  Yang saw Boreas' eyes darken until they were the color of a winter sky. The Guardians gasped and collapsed. They twitched violently for a short while and then became still.

  "What the hell?" Yang said.

  "Come on," the legate said. "The girl is safe, but we need to find Marina."

  She ran off. Yang and Boreas did their best to follow.

  * * *

  Gunfire made Ipo turn so hard the car slid sideways. Bullets rattled off the windows and doors. The Rover was armored, but that didn't make it invulnerable. A lucky round might still find a gap and puncture something important. It was best to go the other way.

  Olivia screeched in fear.

  Ipo stomped on the accelerator and headed north. The enemy was herding him like a sheep. They could track his movements using the damn drone, so he couldn't escape by just being evasive. He had tried every direction and had run into resistance every time.

  He took out his phone and dialed with one hand.

  "Yes?" Hanley answered.

  "Where the hell are you?" Ipo said.

  "Looking for enemies to kill."

  "You're doing a shitty job. They have me driving in circles."

  "It's a big park," Hanley said, "and we're on foot."

  "I'm going to head west along the shore. Make a hole I can punch through."

  "Got it. Give us a few minutes to get there."

  Ipo gritted his teeth. "You have two minutes." He put away his phone.

  He glanced at the rearview mirror. Olivia was cowering in the back seat.

  "We'll be OK," he told her. "I promise."

  * * *

  Hanley and Katie were sprinting as hard as they could. The shore of the San Francisco Bay was on their right, and the waters were darkening in the light of the setting sun.

  Hanley kept his hands out and his palms forward. He was hoping to hear the enemy in time to avoid being shot at. He and Katie just had thin vests underneath their wetsuits, and they had no cover to hide behind. They were running at full speed into a possible ambush with hardly any protection.

  The legionnaires did have certain advantages though. God's breath was burning fiercely in Hanley's gut, and extra strength and stamina infused his muscles. The rest of the world was lethargic in comparison. He glanced back and saw Katie matching him step for step. She had an insane grin on her face.

  Hanley heard voices up ahead, and his gift allowed him to instantly determine the source. The enemy was hiding in a narrow water channel. He pointed, and Katie nodded.

  He took a fragmentation grenade from his utility belt, pulled the pin, and tossed it while on the run. It was a great throw. An instant later, men in civilian clothes started popping out of the channel and scattering.

  Hanley grabbed a sidearm and threw himself onto the dirt. Katie landed beside him, and both legionnaires opened fire. They had already killed a few when the grenade exploded, and a fragment whistled past Hanley's head.

  Ipo roared past them in his green Rover, saluting as he went by. The car drove straight into the channel, plowed through the water, and climbed the other side. The wheels sprayed dirt as it sped away.

  A few survivors tried to shoot at the departing vehicle. Hanley and Katie used the opportunity to squeeze off some nice headshots, and the battle was quickly over.

  They remained on their bellies and kept their eyes open.

  "That was fun," she said. "It's too b
ad Marina wasn't here to see us."

  "Yeah," he said. "I hope she's OK."

  She just sighed, and he didn't have anything to add.

  * * *

  "Incompetent idiots!" Vulture roared with rage. "Those so-called Guardians couldn't guard a pile of dog shit! They can't even stop one fucking car!"

  None of the console operators responded, and the command and control room was very quiet. He stomped around for a moment, unable to control himself. Then he grabbed a mug full of coffee and hurled it against a wall. The shattering sound failed to appease him.

  Vulture turned back to the wall monitor showing the aerial surveillance feed. The drone was still following the green Rover. No units were in position to intercept the vehicle, but at least he knew where it was. He watched it reach the wide streets of Sunnyvale and continue towards the north.

  The feed abruptly cut out. Words on the screen read, "Signal Lost."

  "What happened?" Vulture said.

  Some of the operators began to frantically type. He tapped his foot impatiently.

  "Interference," one man said. "It's being jammed."

  "From where? By who?"

  "Unknown, sir, but we can't break through."

  Vulture put his face in his hands. The day had started with enormous promise but had ended in disaster. The mission goals were further out of reach than ever. He had no idea what his next step was. The Society had almost certainly rescued the girl, and he would have to kill them to get to her, if he could even find them. Locating a Society cell was a task that bordered on impossible.

  "Tell every squad to withdraw in an orderly manner," he said in a gloomy tone. "Let's start conserving our resources while we still have some left."

  He sat on a metal chair, and his shoulders slumped with depression.

  * * *

  Ipo's phone rang. He glanced at it and saw Min Ho's code number.

  Ipo put the phone to his ear. "Yes?"

  "I hacked the drone, sir," Min Ho said. "I forced it to crash into the Bay."

  "Fantastic! Make sure there are no more."

  "Already on it, sir. I'm searching the skies with radars in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Hayward. So far, all clear. I'll let you know immediately if that changes."

  "Thanks," Ipo said. "Great job as usual. What's going on with the police?"

  "Jia is still holding them off."

  "Good. Bye." He hung up.

  He allowed himself to relax. He was driving through back streets in an attempt to move as quickly as possible. It was rush hour in the Bay Area, and the highways had become giant parking lots. To avoid getting stopped by traffic, he had to use creative routes, and even so it would take at least an hour to get home.

  "It looks like we're going to make it," he told Olivia.

  "Thank you for saving me," she said in a sweet voice.

  "You're welcome."

  "Where are you taking me?"

  "Back to our headquarters," he said, "where you'll be completely safe. You'll also meet a very special young man who is eager to see you."

  "Wesley?"

  "Marina told you about him?"

  "She called herself Sheila," Olivia said. "What's wrong with her? She kept talking about King Edward."

  "The enemy damaged her mind, but we can fix it. We just need to get her home, and then everything will be back to normal."

  "I hope so. I like her."

  Ipo smiled. "So do I. Don't worry. Marina will be fine. She's the ultimate survivor."

  * * *

  Marina was running across open ground. The lack of cover was very annoying, but she couldn't do anything about it. She had to hope speed would compensate for lack of stealth. Getting away from Ethel was the most important thing.

  She spotted six men with assault rifles running ahead of her. They were wearing civilian clothes but had the same military headsets as the others. Clearly, they had been sent to kill Olivia, but they seemed more interested in escaping now, and Marina wasn't surprised. The Society generally caused that reaction in people.

  She decided it was time to find out whether Vulture and King Edward were the same man. She had to know the truth even if it killed her. At this point, death was preferable to the nightmare of her life.

  "Hey!" she yelled. "Stop! I want to talk to you!"

  The men glanced back. Marina sprinted hard to catch up to them.

  "Are you Guardians of the Pit?" she said between breaths.

  The men reacted with surprised expressions. They finally stopped and looked at her blankly. Marina realized they didn't recognize her in her disguise.

  "You know about us?" the leader said.

  "Yes. I also heard you get your orders from a man named Vulture. I want you to use those fancy headsets to communicate with him. Send a message that Sheila wants to talk to King Edward."

  "Huh? What does that mean?"

  "You heard me," Marina said. "Sheila wants to talk to King Edward. Those exact words. He'll understand."

  The men spoke to each other quietly. Then the leader used his headset to send the message, and he listened to the response. After a minute, his eyes widened.

  "He wants to talk to you," the Guardian said.

  "Who?" Marina said.

  "King Edward, I guess."

  He handed his headset to her. She knew it had an explosive charge, but she slipped it over her head anyway.

  "Sheila?" a man said through the radio. She immediately recognized the deep, rich voice.

  "Edward?" Marina said excitedly. "Is it really you?"

  "Yes, darling. I'm so glad I finally reached you. I've been trying to make contact for so long."

  "Oh, Edward, it's been awful!"

  "I'm sure," Edward said, "but your trial is over. We can be together again. Uh, by the way, where is that adorable, little Olivia?"

  "She's gone. Taken away."

  "Do you happen to know where?"

  She paused. "I might."

  "Can you tell me?"

  Marina was shivering, and her brain felt like it was on fire. She didn't understand why he cared so much about Olivia. Marina didn't want to talk about that brat.

  "Never mind, dearest," Edward said after a moment. "Come to me now. You can entertain me with the wild tale of your adventures. I want to hear every last detail of what you've been up to."

  "Yes! That sounds great."

  "My men will bring you to me. You won't resist, will you?"

  "Of course not," she said. "Why would I cause trouble? I'll cooperate fully. Being with you is a dream come true. Ever since I saw you on the yacht, I haven't thought about anything else."

  "Wonderful. Give the radio back to my man."

  Marina returned the headset to the leader of the Guardians. He listened for a moment and then asked her to disarm. She willingly tossed all her guns onto the ground. For the first time in days, she felt like the world was on her side. Once she was with Edward, everything would make sense. She could forget about the Gray Spear Society.

  She kept her thin knives and lock picks though. It was possible she was mistaken.

  The Guardians formed a circle around her with their rifles in hand. They patted her down but didn't find her hidden weapons. She didn't understand why they were being so cautious.

  The whole group jogged off together.

  * * *

  Hanley heard distant sirens, a lot of them.

  "The police are here," he said. "I was hoping the hackers could keep them away a little longer."

  "That was probably asking too much," Katie said. "We'd better hook up with the legate before the cops swarm this place."

  They had been searching for Marina but had found only retreating squads of Guardians instead. Hanley's gift had allowed him to hear the enemy well in advance of seeing them. He and Katie had avoided engagements because finding Marina had seemed more important.

  He took out his phone and used the locator app. Yang was represented by a green icon, while the legate and her bodyguard were black
.

  Hanley pointed to the east. "This way."

  He and Katie ran.

  Despite all the exercise, he still felt full of energy. Marina had taught him how to use God's breath for a boost whenever he grew tired, and he was in great shape to begin with. He could've run a marathon without difficulty.

  The legionnaires found the rest of the team in a wooden shed. Hanley peeked inside and was shocked at the sight. Blood had sprayed everywhere, painting the walls and ceiling. The shed contained baseball equipment such as bats and pads, and all of it was stained.

  The legate was standing in the middle of the shed. She had a silver-plated machete in each hand, and fresh blood was dripping from the edges. Six men wearing headsets were on the ground around her feet. They had suffered truly horrifying wounds, and one victim was fully decapitated. Hanley was astonished that the legate had the speed and strength to do such a thing.

  One man moaned. Somehow, he was still alive.

  "Get their headsets off!" Hanley said. "Those things are explosive."

  The legate was suddenly a blur of motion. She whipped off the headsets and threw them out of the shed. She returned to stand over the lone survivor. The sharp tip of one of her machetes was pressed against his throat.

  "Talk," she said in a low voice.

  The man swallowed. "Never! You're the Devil!"

  Hanley understood how he might make that mistake. Between her unnatural eyes and the thin film of darkness that clung to her skin, the legate certainly had a demonic appearance. Blood had spattered her clothes everywhere. Her weapons were silver and red instruments of horror.

  "Do you have a name?" she said.

  "Gabriel. I command the Guardians, and I have no fear of you, Lucifer."

  She raised her eyebrows. "If you're their commander, why were you cowering in this shed instead of leading them in battle? And when I came in here, you hid behind the others."

  "Well, I... It's just that..." Gabriel swallowed.

  "I honestly don't care. We're looking for a woman. Perhaps you saw her wandering around? She's dressed like a man in a blue suit. Light brown skin."

  The description surprised Hanley. He hadn't seen Marina's disguise.

  Gabriel's wounds were not actually as dangerous as they had appeared at first. The legate had sliced his tendons and joints like an orthopedic surgeon, crippling him, but she had avoided the arteries. He was effectively paralyzed but wouldn't die anytime soon. Hanley was impressed.