Judging from the total destruction, yet lack of Fenrir or Aesir troops, the place had been hit early in the conflict. Bolts of lightning erupted from Pridament’s hammer at the nose of the plane. Debris either blasted away or vaporized.
“The runway looks to be in pretty good condition,” Marie said. “Pretty surprising considering the craters everywhere else.”
“This was always supposed to be Katsuro’s escape route. They were probably instructed to maintain its integrity. Still, if that’s the case, why aren’t they here? You’d think they would keep it secured.”
“Maybe they had to withdraw to support the other forces?” Marie offered.
Jason leaned forward and knocked on the window, getting Pridament’s attention.
He gave Pridament a questioning thumbs up. Are we ok?
Pridament stood straight, scanning the landscape around them. He looked back at Jason, shrugged, but motioned they should continue straight ahead and lift off. He threw his arm holding Mjolner forward, lifting off into the sky, as though the weight of the hammer carried him off his feet.
“Punch it, Marie. Let’s get out of here.”
She pushed a few buttons. The engines revved. She leaned the wheel forward, pushing them down the runway. Each foot they gained speed until finally lifting off into the sky. Jason craned his neck out the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of the battle.
But it looked like the battle had ended.
Had they lost or won? From here, there was no way of knowing. All that mattered was no one was shooting at them.
“Just follow Pridament,” Jason instructed Marie. “He’ll lead us to where we need to go.”
“And then we get some down time?”
She sounded hopeful, maybe bordering on desperation.
Jason hated the thought of disappointing her—maybe disappointing them all. They’d each had their share of trauma today. Perhaps taking some time to regroup, and reflect, might be the only thing to keep them together in the days ahead.
“Yeah,” he finally answered. “Then we get some down time.”
Even though the words left his mouth, he found them hard to believe. How much down time could exist in these battered and bleeding worlds?
PART TWO
Homecoming
1
Reunion
Jason tugged his hood further down and pulled the cloak tighter around his body.
While Asgard’s flat plains were at first enthralling, he now found their sameness boring. Lacking hills and other geographic features, the wind whipped along without a break, gaining speed and dropping in temperature with every mile. Reaching these northern areas, the cold and speed reduced the carpets of green grass to straw in the best places. Dead, barren ground, covered the not-so-best places.
Caelum hovered over a shortwave radio, headphones pressed against his head. He was entranced, like the machine was spouting religion.
“The Aesir are bombing South Sector Five,” he said.
Brandt shook his head.
“Damn. That’s the third subjugation assault this month. Woten’s upping the pace.”
“Because he knows he has us by the throat,” Marie said.
Caelum pulled the headphones off and clicked the power switch on the radio. He stuffed the gear in his pack.
“It seems wrong, just sitting out in the middle of this field, staring at a Bifrost fragment, when those people need help. We don’t even know for sure if it leads to our Earth.”
“Are you saying you don’t trust her?” Jason asked. “Because I’m risking our lives on her say so.”
Caelum put on his pack and got to his feet.
“I’m just saying we’ve spent seven years on this planet, and I don’t think we’re any further ahead. How many more people will we listen to die? How many more will we actually see? I’m tired of never moving forward.”
Jason tore a piece of the dead earth and chucked it violently.
“You know that’s why we’re here,” he said. “Right now, we barely have an army. And the army we have can hardly stand.”
“We could just stay home and forget this place,” Brandt said, his arms folded tight across his chest. He stared at the Bifrost fragment stone faced.
The words hung in the air unopposed—even considered.
“I won’t stop you if that’s what you want,” Jason said. It came out so weak, he wondered if they’d heard. If any of the three did, none said so.
After another minute of silence passed, Brandt groaned, stretching his arms up and behind his head.
“Whatever. At least we know the assholes on this planet.” He nodded toward the Bifrost. “Who knows what they’re like over there.”
“Still, a way home,” Marie said. “I’d given up hope of ever finding one.”
“Is it home anymore?” Jason asked. “I think any idea of home stopped existing the second we entered that bleed through.”
“My parents might still be alive,” Caelum said.
Jason moved to him, placing his hand on his shoulder. He worried Caelum might shrug it off, but he didn’t even flinch.
“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “I sided with Fenrir because Katsuro sacrificed himself for us. I just thought we could help them while we searched for a way home—a way back to the people…we left. After the first two years, this just became my life. Sometimes I forget maybe you guys aren’t like that. I’ll say it again, I won’t stop anyone who wants to stay there.”
Caelum shook his head. “No. We chose to join Fenrir too. And it wasn’t because you forced us or guilted us—it was because it seemed right. We’re just as bad as Woten if we abandon these people now.”
Marie and Brandt both wore weak smiles, but nodded their agreement.
“Do you think Woten even knows about this fragment?” Marie asked.
“Probably,” Jason said, “There was the rumor Woten had operatives on Earth. I wouldn’t be surprised if they used this fragment.”
“So…” Marie turned her head, scoping out the area. “Where are the guards? Woten wouldn’t leave a way onto Asgard unprotected.”
“No, he wouldn’t. Maybe that’s the handiwork of our benefactor,” Jason replied. “Which means we’ve got a short window of opportunity. When those guards fail to check in, this place will be crawling with Einherjar.”
“Which begs the question, why are we still waiting?” Caelum asked.
“That would be my fault,” a newcomer’s voice said. “And no, Woten doesn’t know about this particular fragment. It wouldn’t be very helpful for our return trip if he did.”
She’d appeared out of nowhere. Jason had been staring at the Bifrost remnant the whole time, so she hadn’t come through there. And nothing but flat land surrounded them—they would’ve seen her coming from miles away.
“Adrastia,” Jason acknowledged. “I was starting to worry you’d ditched us.” He nodded toward the fragment. “So this is one even Woten doesn’t know about? So the rumors of him having operatives on Midgard are false?”
“I didn’t say that. I just said he didn’t know about this one. I had to make sure we’d be able to get back without a fight, didn’t I? Besides, when have Valkyries or Einherjar needed Bifrost fragments to travel between worlds?”
The little time Jason spent with Adrastia in Ansuz, she’d been Alice. Seven years dulled his memory of her features, but from what little he recalled, she looked identical. He couldn’t say the same for themselves. None of them were gifted with immortality—or if they were, it hadn’t kicked in.
Adrastia even wore an outfit reminiscent of their old Suture uniforms. The remaining members of Ansuz tried to keep the suits in workable condition. Too many battles left them in tatters. They now wore the stiff camouflaged uniform all members of Fenrir wore—little more than fabric and a Kevlar-like vest to protect them against normal ordinance and Veil weaponry. Jason wondered if the old Suture bunker was still in one piece. Would there still be supplies? Maybe they could find better arm
or and weapons.
Not that it would matter, given the current state of their troops.
Everything hinged on this mission.
All they had to do was help Adrastia get what she wanted.
Her appearance in the Fenrir bunker five days ago was the first on Asgard since she’d plunged into the Veil with Cain. Seven years passed without a sign of either. But there were other worlds where a person could hide.
“I have a favor to ask you,” she’d said. “And in return, I will put you closer to obtaining Takeda’s Solution.”
“And if we refuse?” Jason asked.
He still recalled Brandt’s look of shock, and maybe even a little fear.
In the years following their escape from Valhalla, the others told Jason what happened in the bleed through during the event known as the Cataclysm. Adrastia saved them and demonstrated a power equal to any Anunnaki they’d seen. He guessed Brandt worried his flippant behavior might bring Adrastia’s wrath on them.
He didn’t care.
Fenrir was fighting a losing battle, against the same foes she supposedly opposed. If she was so strong, where had she been? Why not help them? And regardless of her actions in saving the other members of Ansuz, she’d sold he and Gwynn out to the Valkyries.
“Then I will leave and do it myself. Meaning any hope of obtaining Takeda’s Solution will elude you.”
Her mouth looked serene, but her eyes challenged him.
She knows exactly what our situation is, Jason thought, there’s no way I could turn down even a chance at getting Takeda’s Solution.
“Fine,” he answered. “We’ll help you.”
“Good.”
Her face slid too easily into a friendly smile.
Yes, she knew things would go her way from the start.
As she laid out her plans, Jason felt a growing sense of anticipation and enthusiasm from his team—a return to Earth. Well, their Earth. All worlds concerning them were an Earth at some time, or another. Though this earth was only Asgard, and their’s was more commonly referred to as Midgard.
After the Cataclysm, Woten sent the Valkyries into the Veil to investigate. They reported of the trillions of alternate realities once existing, only nine remained. Based on their cursory observations of those worlds, Woten and his lieutenants assigned a name from the Norse cosmology to each.
That information, and news of Takeda’s Solution, were some of the last Fenrir received from their spies inside Valhalla. Jason didn’t know if they were imprisoned, dead, or just unable to communicate.
Fenrir’s assault on Valhalla caused an upsurge in security. Jason feared Woten possessed someone who could discover the true intentions of everyone in his service. No, he was positive Woten had her. It explained the missing spies and the illness affecting Fenrir’s non-Anunnaki.
Adrastia said, “We should go,” bringing Jason’s thoughts back to the present.
Jason gripped her arm, preventing her from leaving through the Bifrost.
Each of the other members of Ansuz took a quick, panicked, intake of air.
“Before we go, tell me why you came to us. You said you’d do this yourself—and based on what the others tell me, you could. So why? Why involve us at all?”
Her expression remained serene and unreadable.
“Truthfully,” she hesitated, “I don’t need you. The wards Osiris placed around Egypt are laughable. I could pass in and out before his forces notice. Which is why we’re going to Egypt, not Chicago. But I also know you need Takeda’s Solution. I can’t just obtain it for you, you’ll need to get it through more…conventional means. That’s why you’re coming. If everything goes as planned, it should accomplish both things.”
“But why? Why care if we need the Solution?”
Her lips quivered for a moment, then turned up in the slightest of smiles.
“Because I chose sides when I decided to save your friends.” She nodded toward Brandt, Caelum, and Marie. “We need to destroy Woten, which can’t happen unless you have the Solution. Is that good enough?”
Jason released her arm.
“Good enough. For now.”
He looked over Adrastia’s shoulder to Marie.
“Double time it through. Scope it out and report back.”
She didn’t respond, just disappeared.
Less than a minute later, she returned.
“The Bifrost comes out in a housing development. It looks abandoned. There’s plenty of cover. No hostiles anywhere in sight.”
“Is that your doing?” Jason asked Adrastia.
She nodded.
“As we discussed, your world has been seized by the Pantheon of old gods who used to be Suture. Osiris rules over Egypt. He owes me a favor.”
“How big a favor could he owe you?” Brandt asked. “I mean, he’s just letting us waltz onto his home turf.”
Adrastia gave Brandt a hard look.
“You tell me, Brandt. What do you owe me for saving your life?”
Brandt gave a nervous chuckle.
“Yeah, uh, sure. Ok. I get it.”
“Still,” Adrastia continued, “we should move. His hospitality will only last so long. And we need to be in position before his betrayal sets in motion.”
“We’re counting on betrayal to get what we need,” Jason said. “Are you sure it’ll happen if he owes you so much?”
“Oh, have no fear, it’ll come.”
They entered the Bifrost, coming out in the development Marie mentioned.
Skeletal house frames, bleached bones left in the sun for many years, cast odd shadows and evoked a sense of hopelessness in Jason. Someone started building these houses because they thought there would be people to buy them. Piles of brick, wood, and rotted drywall dotted the site. Had they believed they’d resume? Were the decision makers for this development gone? This place, like the world Adrastia described, was in limbo, caught between life and death.
“We should be in Al Burj, about an hour drive east of our destination,” Adrastia said. “Now we see how much Osiris intends to keep his end of the bargain. There should be a car outside the gates with plates bearing Osiris’ brand. A black box in the car emits a clearance signal to any patrols. Between the plates and signal, no one should stop us. At least, that’s the idea.”
They weaved their way through the buildings, abandoned supplies, and seven years of detritus toward the gate. A barbed wire fence with signs warning it was electrified, enclosed the area. Jason turned to inspect the development again. This time, he saw it with different eyes. One building near the Bifrost looked only half completed, but concrete reinforced its outer wall. The piles of building supplies weren’t just haphazardly placed around the site. Their positions were strategic for cover, or as projectiles with properly placed explosives. Everything was either a defensive position or a weapon against someone coming through the Bifrost. This wasn’t limbo, this was hell for any invaders from Asgard.
“Road’s clear,” Caelum reported.
They each drew sparingly on the Veil and launched themselves over the fence.
“Shit,” Brandt cursed as a set of headlights came into view. “This time of night, it has to be a patrol.”
“Everyone, huddle close,” Adrastia instructed.
Jason’s instinct was to resist. But Caelum, Brandt, and Marie didn’t hesitate at all. They huddled close to Adrastia as though she were the only heat in an ice storm. Jason took a resigned breath and joined them.
They stood on the sidewalk, completely in the open. Every muscle in Jason’s body tensed, readying to spring into battle.
But the military Humvee drove past, not even rotating the roof mounted spotlight in their direction.
No one spoke until the vehicle turned a corner three blocks down.
Jason wasn’t even sure when he’d last taken a breath.
“How the hell did that happen?” Jason kept his voice to a harsh whisper.
Adrastia shrugged.
“It’s one of my gi
fts—people see me the way I want them to, even if it means they don’t see me at all. Huddled close like that, I was able to spread the effect a bit. Now, if Osiris kept his word, there should be a garage just over…” She scanned the block with an outstretched finger. “There!”
They followed her across the road and down an alley where the edge of a garage door had been just visible from their position at the gate.
Jason stepped forward and drew on the Veil, unlocking the door.
Brandt gave a low whistle.
“That’s a pretty expensive looking ride.”
Jason had to admit, the low-slung, sleek four-door, did look impressive, and expensive. All markings kind or make had been stripped off. The only break in the car’s glossy black surface was the plates—gold, marked with the style crown Osiris wore in hieroglyphs.
“It’s going to be a little cramped with five of us,” Marie said.
“Oh, come on Marie,” Brandt said, “we’ve been in tighter positions.”
Adrastia stepped between the two of them.
“Marie is driving, and I’ll be riding shotgun. Hope you boys don’t mind being cozy.”
Brandt shrugged.
“I’m good as long as I get a window seat.”
They maintained their speed at an even pace with the posted limits east along the coast.
“I can’t believe we’re going through all this trouble for some files off the internet,” Brandt said. “Remember the good old days where just about every computer, phone, and game console got you logged on?”
“Those days are done,” Adrastia replied. “From what I’ve been able to tell, they pulled the plug on the net shortly after the Cataclysm. Ignorance makes people easier to control. People depended on computers and the net so much, they submitted to rule quickly when they were lost. So few of them knew how to live without.”
“So how do you know the files you want will still be intact?” Jason asked.
Adrastia didn’t answer immediately, just stared out the window at the world passing.
“I don’t,” she finally answered. “At least, not for certain. But I do know Osiris. Information is power. There’s no way he would allow something so valuable to be destroyed or tampered with. I imagine access is heavily restricted, but owning so much valuable and unique information would be too much of a bragging point for him to let go.”
Resonance 4th Edits - Bleeding Worlds Bk 3 Page 5
