Unborn

by Daniel Gage

  But this time, she went with her favorites. They fired armor-piercing incendiary rounds; they would penetrate almost any body armor at short range, and ignite on contact. Whoever came up those stairs wouldn’t be leaving under their own power.

  Sloane took position behind an AC unit just as the rooftop door burst open. She had no idea how many there were, but hushed whispers told her at least two or three were present. The fog took the charge out of their step, and Sloane could hear their footsteps scrape along the uneven surface.

  “What the hell is this?” one of them asked.

  And that was all Sloane needed.

  She fired toward the voice, and the shot connected. The fire shone through the fog, and the man screamed as his chest ignited. He collapsed, and gradually, his cries faded.

  Two rifles rang out as Sloane ducked behind the AC unit. Their shots were blind, but some still broke through her metal cover. Her body armor was enough to stop the rounds, but it meant Sloane had to move.

  Using her good leg, Sloane dove away and landed prone on her stomach. She rolled and aimed toward the flashes of gunfire and pulled the trigger on her own weapon. The second shell fired, hitting the gunman in the side of his stomach. His screams lasted longer.

  Sloane dug into her pockets for more shells and reloaded her pistol as the third gunman locked on her target. They both fired at the same time, and Sloane’s shot connected.

  Unfortunately, so did one of his.

  Sloane’s left arm went numb with pain, and immediately, blood started to pour. She swore and pushed herself up, and fighting through the pain, she hobbled to the rooftop door. Her wound required immediate attention, the fog would take several minutes to clear, and the other snipers were still out there.

  “Sorry, Emma,” she whispered. “Good luck.”

  **********

  The rumbling grew closer, and Emma’s dread grew.

  Within moments, they would be surrounded on both sides, and with the amount of firepower the dealers had, their cover would soon be nothing but garbage.

  It was over. She had failed, and soon, it would be at the expense of her life and the lives of Olivier and his men.

  “Wait, I know that sound,” Olivier said. “The prince has—it’s an old gasoline car!”

  At first, it did nothing to ease Emma’s sense of impending doom, until the car swerved onto the road, and Emma got a good look at the vehicle and its driver.

  “He’s here,” Emma whispered, and something started to form deep in her chest. The feeling of hope, that things just might be okay.

  The second thing that occurred to her was what Cam was planning to do.

  “Get out of the way!” she shouted. “He’s coming through!”

  Modern SUVs were largely plastic, with small, electric engines. They couldn’t generate enough momentum to cause much damage, which was by design. But the car Cam was driving was pure steel, with a large, aggressive source of power. It could smash through the dealer-planted barricades, and maybe even take some shots from the mounted gun.

  Emma, Olivier, and his surviving gunmen leapt to their feet and ran, giving Cam a wide berth.

  And he did exactly what Emma expected.

  The car and its driver smashed through the barricades, and either sent the dealer’s hired guns scattering, or they met with Cam’s front bumper. Despite the impact and sudden smoke and steam coming from the engine, Cam didn’t stop. Not even when the mounted gunner took aim and opened fire.

  Cam was prepared, however. He drove in a skid around the armored vehicle, and the gunman had difficulty tracking the fast car. It wouldn’t take long until he did, and Cam only had so much mobility left. He had seconds, at best, until he was vulnerable.

  Emma didn’t waste that time.

  She dropped her rifle and sprinted toward the fallen rocket launcher. She snatched it up with a single hand before sliding to a stop, and wasted no time taking aim. It was heavier than she remembered, so she dropped to one knee to stabilize the shot.

  It had to count; they wouldn’t get another one.

  Cam took another slide, but the bullets were almost on him. The car’s metal might take a few shots, and if the glass was bulletproof it could hold for maybe a couple seconds.

  She could nitpick the shot all day, but she didn’t have that luxury.

  Emma fired, and the rocket soared.

  It missed the mounted gun, but the shot was still effective as the rocket struck the vehicle itself, and it erupted into a ball of flame.

  “Great shot!” Olivier cheered over the radio.

  Cam’s car slid to a stop, but the dealers’ gunmen were ready, and taking aim at the car. Olivier’s men were still recovering from dodging the car, and all Emma had was her sidearm.

  But the dealers’ men weren’t ready for Cam.

  The car door flew open, and Cam leapt out, avoiding a hail of metal that would have been his end. Instead, he returned fire, pulling the trigger twice while coming out of a roll and catching the nearest gunman center mass.

  Cam didn’t stop there.

  He got to his feet and ran toward Emma’s position, but after a few steps, he hit the ground in a slide. Bullets flew inches over his head and landed harmlessly in the ground, and Cam again shot back and took the shooter out of the equation.

  Emma drew her gun and fired, laying down support for Cam. Her shots weren’t nearly as effective as his were, but they still forced the dealers’ shooters to react. That gave Cam the opportunity to get back to his feet and finish his run, topping the impressive feat with a dive over the barricade.

  “Miss me?” he asked with a wry grin.

  “Way to be late for the party,” Emma replied with a similar gesture, until she saw he was bleeding. “What happened? Are you hit?”

  “Just a graze,” he said. “Seeing bullet trajectories doesn’t mean I’m always able to dodge them.”

  Olivier had pulled his binoculars from his pack and started surveying the scene. Cam gave them a brief respite from the fighting while the dealers’ gunmen regrouped.

  “There are a few people in the building at the base,” Olivier reported. “Seems they’re waiting on the elevator. One at the top, seems he’s waiting for something.”

  “Cover us,” Emma said. “We’ve got to get inside and stop them.”

  “Then get moving,” Olivier ordered. “Their men are coming around.”

  Emma needed no additional encouragement. She vaulted over the barricade, Cam at her heels. Olivier barked an order over their comms, and within seconds, rifle-fire was covering their charge.

  It felt a lot longer than it should have, but in less than a minute, Cam and Emma burst through the door of the glorified gift shop at the base of the tower.

  She expected to be shot before reaching the door, or at least fired upon. But they made it without being impeded, or even being attacked. It was almost as if …

  … as if they were counting on it.

  Once inside, it was like she was someplace else. The noise, the insanity of the battle raging outside, didn’t exist here. No, it was only her and Cam.

  Along with Dealer X, two other dealers, and Leonard being hurried into the elevator.

  “Hold it!” Emma shouted as she raised her gun. “It’s over!”

  Only Leonard looked panicked as the elevator doors closed.

  “For you, yes,” Dealer X said. “Sorry, Emma Jennings, you’re too late.”

  Emma was a bundle of rage and defeat. She wanted to charge, to take down the dealers, even though she knew the odds were against them. But the other part of her watched in terror as the elevator ascended, carrying Leonard to the top, along with his Shift.

  “Our offer still stands, Cameron,” Dealer X continued. “Just take your, ah, friend’s gun and set it on the ground.”

  Emma glanced at her partner, whose face was unreadable. It was as solid as stone, and she couldn’t tell if he was actually considering the offer, or was as angry as she was.

  �
��Emma,” he finally said after a few seconds. “I’m sorry about this.”

  Her eyes widened as he raised his gun, but he swiftly turned and fired at Dealer X and his two sidekicks.

  “Go for the stairs!” he cried as Dealer X took two shots square in the chest, and his minions quickly dove for cover. “I’ve got this!”

  She ran as fast as her legs would let her, and she didn’t look back.

  CHAPTER 35

  Emma dashed up the stairs without a word, and for that, Cam was thankful.

  If she spoke, it may have slowed her down. She had a mission to finish, and time was everything.

  But he didn’t expect to walk out of here alive. He had a difficult enough time against Dealer X last time, and even then, Cam had the element of surprise, on top of the strike team putting dozens of bullets into the dealer’s body, weakening him.

  Now, the dealer was nearly at full strength, and had more assistance.

  Cam calmly ejected the spent magazine and replaced it with one of his precious remaining ones, and with only two magazines left, he had to be careful. Every shot had to count.

  This time, he would have to rely almost fully on his new skills, his enhanced strength and speed, to even match Dealer X. And if the other dealers were like him, and were Unborns with abilities …

  Shit, he thought. Way to plan things through, idiot.

  But surviving the encounter wasn’t the game. Surviving long enough was.

  The dealers who vaulted over the railings slowly came to his flanks, and with a grunt, Dealer X pushed himself to his feet.

  “That was a mistake, Cameron,” Dealer X said with a groan. “What was your endgame with that? Try to get close and stop the Shift?”

  “I was just trying to make sure you didn’t kill us before we saw you,” Cam said. “Anything else was a bonus.”

  “You almost had me,” Dealer X said. “Too bad you’ll have to die.”

  Cam aimed his gun at the dealer. “You say that like you can kill me. Last time, I seem to remember you were the one who ran.”

  “Everyone’s abilities have their limits,” Dealer X said. “I take it you haven’t hit yours. It’s a bit of a surprise the first time. But now, instead of just me, you’ll get to deal with my fellow dealers and Unborns. And their unique skills.”

  Dealer X turned and started toward the stairs, but Cam fired a bullet straight into his back. The dealer jerked and grunted, but otherwise didn’t show any discomfort.

  “I’d hang around if I were you,” Cam said.

  “Fine,” Dealer X said with a sigh. “The dealer helping Leonard can handle Miss Jennings on his own.”

  Dealer X looked at his two companions, and nodded to each.

  “Kill him.”

  Then all hell broke loose.

  Where there was darkness and shadows, Cam suddenly had to deal with fire and heat. One of the dealers’ hands erupted into flames as he charged, and the second one simply vanished from sight. And, to make his point heard, Dealer X leapt forward as blades appeared in his hands in an attempt to impale Cam where he stood.

  Cam jumped back, his ability kicking in before his feet left the ground. He aimed at Dealer X and fired, but the bullets did little to alter his descent. Dealer X crashed into the spot Cam had been, landing in a crouch.

  Zeke charged, reaching back for a burning haymaker. Cam aimed center mass, but as he pulled the trigger, something hit him square in the jaw. His vision went white, then black, and for a brief second, Cam feared he was going to lose consciousness.

  Cam staggered to a knee and threw himself from the fiery dealer, and as he slid along the tile, he realized his gun had been lost from his grip.

  He nearly leapt to his feet, but saw the two dealers had backed off their assault, and the third reappeared.

  “What’s this, fire and invisibility?” Cam asked as he wiped the blood from his mouth. “I thought Zeke was just fireproof.”

  “He is,” Dealer X said. “Show him, Zeke.”

  With a wide grin, Zeke turned up his hands to reveal two tubes snaking down his forearms. “Fuel from a pack feeds the flames,” he explained. “And being fireproof gives a new meaning to playing with fire.”

  “Like I said, you don’t stand a chance, Cameron,” Dealer X said.

  “Then stop holding back,” Cam snarled.

  The third dealer vanished again as Dealer X and Zeke charged.

  Dealer X was first, but before his blades found Cam’s chest, he saw the attack’s trajectory and reacted. Cam avoided the main force of the blow, but the razor-sharp knife still pierced his forearm through his jacket. However, the pain was a secondary concern as Dealer X flew past, leaving Cam exposed to the fire-wielder.

  A burning fist was pulled back for another haymaker, but this time, Cam was ready. He ducked under and shot forward, catching the fire-wielding dealer in a tackle around the waist. Inside his reach, Cam countered with a series of elbows to the torso and head, yet still, Zeke’s grip found Cam.

  Fire surged along his jacket’s sleeve, but Cam refused to be deterred. He reached back and struck the fire-wielder square in the nose, and the dealer’s eyes lost focus.

  Cam prepared for another strike, one that should put the dealer down, but an invisible force grabbed his arm and shoulder and twisted him off the fire-wielder. The invisible dealer pivoted and performed a shoulder-throw, sending Cam sliding across the floor again.

  But this time, the dealers didn’t allow Cam the chance to recover.

  Cam looked up just in time to see Dealer X diving down at him, and barely rolled out of the way in time. Had he not reacted at that moment, he would have been impaled on the man’s blades.

  Instead, he got the opportunity to counter with a kick to Dealer X’s side. The blow had strength, but the dealer had experience. Instead of being sent to the ground, Dealer X rolled with the strike, using the momentum to get back to his feet.

  Cam backpedaled as he stood, shaking his still-smoldering jacket off. Despite the cold, his arm burned, and he all but forgot about the cut on his other forearm.

  Zeke slowly stood, and Dealer X seemed to again appraise the situation. The third dealer took a moment, but he again faded into sight near his companions.

  “That’s a neat trick,” Cam said. “Turning invisible. How do you keep your clothes and still vanish? That never works in the movies.”

  “This ain’t the movies,” the invisible dealer said. “I can bend light around me. It’s almost a parlor trick, but it’s mine.”

  “Good for you,” Cam said as he took a fighting stance.

  Again, Dealer X and the fire-wielding dealer charged as the third vanished from view, but Cam was ready this time.

  Dealer X lunged, but Cam sidestepped and kicked out his leg with all his force. There was a loud pop as he struck the dealer’s knee, and he crumpled to the cold tile.

  Continuing his movement, he easily dodged the huge punch thrown by the fire-wielder. Avoiding the burning hands, Cam trapped the extended arm by the elbow, but despite his effort, he still felt his shoulder and back become singed.

  Cam carried the pain as he forced Zeke to the ground and worked to apply as much force as possible, but the dealer was strong and fought Cam for every inch.

  But it wasn’t his goal to snap the dealer’s arm, at least not yet. Cam dug deep, and his ability triggered, and he could feel the angles, feel the paths various actions could take, even for something he couldn’t see.

  Cam could feel the air move around him, the soft taps on the tile. He couldn’t see the strike, but he could sense it, hear it coming toward the side of his head.

  And moving as fast as possible, faster than he ever had before, Cam reacted. He abandoned the prone fire-wielder and grabbed for the invisible dealer’s strike, both of his hands finding the dealer’s wrist.

  His fingers dug into unseen flesh, and with every fiber of strength he could find, Cam twisted the arm up and down as he stood and turned, bringing what he hoped was hi
s opponent’s upper arm onto his shoulder.

  Bone and sinew snapped, and a scream pierced the room.

  Time seemed to crawl around him, but Cam moved fast. The invisible dealer couldn’t maintain his parlor trick, and he stumbled back, his jaw slack as he stared at his mangled arm.

  He had to press the attack, and he could already see Zeke starting to recover. His peripheral vision didn’t see Dealer X, but Cam knew he had to be close.

  But that didn’t matter. All Cam hoped to do was finish at least one dealer before he fell, to give Emma the best chance to stop the Shift, and maybe even escape with her life.

  Cam charged, his hands outstretched. The once-invisible dealer saw it coming, but couldn’t react fast enough.

  His arms locked around the man’s throat, and Cam squeezed with everything he had until a loud crack echoed and the dealer’s body went limp.

  Cam roared.

  It was a primal sound, and it wasn’t something he had planned on doing. It just happened, but Cam didn’t regret it. He was facing insurmountable odds, and one of his three foes was dead at his feet.

  As time resumed, Cam watched as the fire-wielder stood, rage burning along with his hands. The flames that danced on his skin grew, the tendrils threatening to ignite his clothes.

  But Dealer X stood there, seeming to only watch the exchange.

  “Not bad, Cameron,” Dealer X said. “You continue to impress. But tell me, how do you feel now?”

  Having a moment to catch his breath seemed like a good thing, but almost as if on cue, Cam felt light-headed and nearly lost his footing. He watched his opponents through increasingly blurry vision, and he began to fear he would lose consciousness again.

  “You’re pushing your body too far,” Dealer X said. “I’ll be surprised if you don’t pass out in the next few minutes. Is it still working, your ability? Or if you die to my friend here, he and the man you just killed were very … close.”

  Cam didn’t care what Dealer X was hinting at, nor did he want to waste any effort thinking about anything that wasn’t related to his and Emma’s survival.