The Americans: Apex Trilogy, Book 2

by Jake Bible

  Chapter Nine

  Mr. Stone crouched on the river bank, holding his throbbing head in his hands as Reginald watched the last of the three Spiders slip into the Thames.

  “You alright, Mr. Stone?” Reginald asked, glancing back at his partner. “Can I get you an aspirin?”

  Mr. Stone grinned despite his discomfort. “Yes, Reginald, please. And could you put that aspirin at the bottom of a nice bottle of gin?”

  “I believe that can be…” Reginald trailed off as the night sky was lit by a brilliant flash, then followed by the undeniable signature mushroom cloud and fireball of a nuclear detonation far off in the distance. “Sweet God, Stone. They actually did it!”

  Mr. Stone got to his feet and turned towards the spectacle in the sky. “It’s a brave new world now, Reginald.” He winced and closed his eyes. “Ugh, too bright. How about that aspirin?”

  ***

  “What is that?” Melissa asked, watching the far off mushroom cloud illuminate the night sky.

  Billy emerged from the boat’s cabin as Beth helped Heather to her feet. The two Ghosts exchanged a worried glance and Billy stepped back into the cabin to check the holocast.

  “That’s nuclear,” Heather said.

  “What?” Beth asked, shocked. “From where?”

  “The American BOP in Suffolk,” Billy said, his face drawn. “It’s all over the holos. They’re saying religious extremists have targeted American bases all over Europe.”

  “What?” Heather cried. “All of them?”

  Billy nodded gravely.

  “What does that mean?” Melissa asked, her voice that of a normal scared seventeen-year-old and not the Ghost in training. “Are they all dead? Are we alone?”

  “Don’t know yet,” Billy answered. “Reports are still sketchy. There’s a chance the Russian base survived.”

  “That’s good,” Heather said. “If any base survived, I’m glad it’s Russia. That’ll help us a lot.”

  “That’s good? THAT’S GOOD?” Melissa roared. “HOW THE FUCK IS THAT GOOD?”

  Heather pushed Beth aside and got right in Melissa’s face. “Calm the fuck down Mel! This is not the time to freak out! This is the time you gear down and show what you are made of! You want to be a Ghost? You want me to activate you? Then take a deep breath and grow a fucking pair!”

  Melissa withered under the tongue lashing and her eyes began to well with tears.

  “Don’t you dare fucking cry!” Heather shouted, poking Melissa in the chest. “Don’t you fucking dare!”

  Melissa took several deep breaths, forcing herself to get it together. “Sorry.”

  “You fucking should be,” Heather said, sitting heavily on the deck of the boat.

  “Are you, um, we really alone?” Beth asked.

  “No, I doubt it,” Heather replied. “There are plenty of Ghosts on assignment. Not to mention FCUs out in the field. We aren’t alone. We’re just divided.”

  “Which means the conquer part is coming fast,” Billy said, leaning against the cabin door. “It wasn’t extremists. Had to be LOM.”

  “Why?” Melissa asked. “Why would the LOM want to destroy us?”

  “Now who’s being dense?” Beth said. “No Americans, no force strong enough to stop them.”

  “Stop them from what, though,” Heather mused. She patted the case. “You think it has to do with this?” She looked over at Beth. “And her?”

  Billy shrugged. “No way to say. The good side is everywhere we go it’s going to be complete chaos. Easy to hide and not get noticed in chaos.”

  “I hope so,” Heather sighed.

  ***

  “Your Highness?” Sasha Vernakova, steward to Prince Alexander Tartarov, the next in line to the Russian throne, barked loudly. “Prince Alexander?”

  The young prince stirred, but did not wake. His head lay face down on his writing desk, drool pooled about his cheek and nose. Discarded vodka bottles littered the floor and the distinct smell of vomit and excrement permeated the chambers.

  Sasha sniffed the air and frowned. “You’ve shat yourself again.”

  The steward tried not to gag as he hefted the unconscious prince over his shoulders and carried him towards the bathroom. Alexander let loose a voluminous belch and the sound of liquid splashing onto the marble floors made Sasha grimace.

  “I swear to God, Alexander,” Sasha growled. “If you just vomited down my back I will personally drown you in the canal.”

  Sasha dumped the prince quite unceremoniously, and fully clothed, into the ornate bathtub and turned both handles to full, then stepped back. Within seconds Alexander began to stir then struggle, finally kicking and thrashing as the water splashed about him.

  “What the hell, Sasha?” Alexander shouted. “I’ve ordered you over and over not to do this!”

  “And I, Your Highness, have told you over and over that you need to stop being a fucking drunk piece of shit,” Sahsa said boldly, shoving the prince back into the tub each time he attempted to pull himself out. “You are going to stay in there until you are washed, rinsed and clean. You have a meeting with VIPs in an hour. I know it’s late, but it appears there has been some trouble with the Americans that may concern us all. Reports are incomplete, but I do hope to have more information soon. Remember how tenuous your place here in Amsterdam is? You don’t have many options, especially with your current state of exile. You need to be ready for this meeting.”

  Alexander wiped the water from his face and glared at his steward. “I could kill you right now for your insolence, you know that, don’t you?”

  “Then who would get the shit stains out of your britches?” Sasha said, walking out of the steamy bathroom.

  “I’d find someone!” Alexander shouted after Sasha. “There are plenty of people that would jump at the privilege to lick my ass clean!” The prince slowly, and painfully due to the now raging headache he had, began to undress, tossing his soiled clothes onto the tiled floor. “Plenty of people…”

  ***

  “What’s special about Russia?” Beth asked Heather as she settled down on the deck next to her while Melissa and Billy scoured the holocasts trying to find as much information as possible on the attacks and the status of the Americans.

  “The Russian throne is held by Her Highness, Empress Natalya Tartarov,” Heather began. “Her mother was American, full-blooded and quite the Ghost in her day.”

  “American? I never heard that,” Beth said.

  “Yes, well, she died when Natalya was three and the twin princes, Alexander and Vasily, were only infants,” Heather replied. “The Emperor was devastated and believed it was a conspiracy. He forbade any mention of his children’s birthright, lest it bring violence towards them. It’s been all but forgotten now.”

  “So why is it good?” Beth pressed. “Surely the Empress would want to distance herself as much as possible from the Americans considering all that is happening.”

  “The Empress might, yes. But the princes?” Heather grinned. “They are a different story. They are fully trained Ghosts. Their American DNA gave them the birthright and their mother chose for them to be altered in vitro so they could have full BC manipulation. She didn’t with Natalya and that has always gotten under the Empress’s skin.”

  ***

  Prince Vasily flung open the great doors to the royal court and stormed towards the massive meeting table that had been placed in the center while the Cabinet convened.

  “Vasily!” Empress Natalya exclaimed, standing and extending her hands. “Thank you for joining us. I know it is short notice, but considering the circumstances…”

  The slap came hard and fast and most in the room had no idea what had happened until the royal guard tackled the prince and pinned him to the marble floor.

  “You fucking bitch!” Vasily shouted. “How could you?”

  The Empress pressed her hand against her cheek as a red welt formed in the shape of Vasily’s hand. “Would you all excuse us, please?” she order
ed in a very calm, very cold voice. “My brother and I need to speak alone.”

  The Cabinet members stood and bowed, exiting as quickly as possible.

  “Everyone!” Natalya shouted, glaring at the guards. Reluctantly they left their posts, closing the doors behind them.

  Vasily pushed himself to his feet, rolling his neck and rubbing his arms where the guards had grabbed him. He stood a good foot above his sister, but the look on her face instantly reminded him who was in power. “I apologize, sister. My emotions got the better of me.”

  “I should say they did!” she hissed. “In front of the Cabinet? What were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking why my sister had lied to me,” Vasily said, venom returning to his voice. “Why she had promised to protect the Americans here on Russian soil, but I still receive word that the American base has been destroyed and that not a single FCU can be accounted for.” Vasily stepped closer, but made no sudden moves, well aware that they were being watched on security holo. “You knew all along the LOMSD was going to wipe them out and you did nothing. American blood, our blood, is on your hands!”

  The Empress took her seat and waved at the prince dismissively. “You’re a dreamer, Vas. You always have been.” She poured a glass of water, sipping leisurely from it. “I always thought that twins were opposites. But, between you and Alex, Russia has enough dreams to last a life time.”

  “Please don’t compare me to that drunkard,” Vasily spat. “He left us and has no rights in this court. I stayed to help you secure our place when Father died! You should have shown me more respect!”

  Natalya set the water glass down, her eyes as cold as a frozen Russian winter. “Respect, Vas? Respect? Did the Americans show us respect when St. Petersburg was besieged by General Korkov’s forces? Did the Americans show us respect when we pleaded for their intervention to help alleviate the suffering as hundreds of thousands died from starvation while the general feasted on his countryside spoils? Did the Americans respect us when we finally defeated Korkov and we asked for assistance in rebuilding the Empire?”

  “No, of course not,” Vasily said. “But, that is not their place. They are to remain a neutral force throughout—”

  “Damn their neutrality!” Natalya roared. “My husband died because of their neutrality! My one true love! Do you understand what that means in royal circles, Vas? Do you understand how rare it is to find love with someone worthy of our class? It is near impossible! And they let that love die!” The Empress stomped to the wide windows looking out into the night, her hands gesturing widely. “They respect nothing but their own survival! Well, now they get all the respect they deserve! Now they get to truly survive!”

  Prince Vasily stared at his sister for a moment, waiting for her to calm down. Once she had regained her composure he crossed to her, taking her hands in his. “Many of those men and women were my friends, Nat. You know how closely I have worked with the Americans. How long I have trained with them, making sure that our American blood was never in doubt or went to waste. All I needed was the truth, Nat. That’s all. I would have mourned their loss, but I never would have gone against you. You should have told me.”

  The Empress pulled her hands free. “Yes, well, that would have presented certain problems in and of itself, wouldn’t it?” She activated her com. “Bring him in.”

  The great doors opened and two guards dragged in a beaten and bloodied young man. Vasily gasped. “Nat? What have you done?”

  “What needed to be done, dear brother,” the Empress sneered. “Protect Mother Russia from its enemies.”

  As the guards tossed the man to the floor, and were dismissed by the Empress, Vasily rushed across the room, kneeling quickly and taking the man’s head into his lap. “Peter? Peter, can you hear me?”

  Peter’s face was a mass of bruises and cuts, some looking to have healed and reopened. Both eyes were swollen shut, one appeared to almost be deflated behind the purple lid. “Why, Nat? WHY?” Vasily shouted, grief stricken.

  “I needed to know how much pillow talk happens between you and your American boy,” the Empress scowled. “And judging by what he finally told us, you two talk a lot. Is the sex really that good, Vas? So good you would betray State secrets to an outsider? And an American no less!”

  Vasily struggled to keep his calm, struggled to not let his sister get the best of him. He kissed his lover’s forehead and carefully let Peter’s head settle onto the tile. Getting to his feet, he straightened his uniform, wiped at his eyes and walked slowly to the table. “What do you want from me, Natalya?”

  “Nothing,” she said with a wicked smile. “I want nothing of you. It’s Alex that I need.”

  Vasily frowned. “Alex? Why?”

  “Don’t be naive, Vasily,” Natalya scolded. “You know Alexander has, well, certain abilities with biochrome design that could make him very valuable if they became common knowledge.”

  Vasily just glared.

  The Empress sighed and continued. “I have been begging him for weeks to come home and he refuses. He never has cared for me much, really, but you, Vas, well, you are his other half. He’d do anything for you.”

  The doors opened once again and Vasily turned to see Mikhail Malikev, the warden of the royal prison, flanked by a dozen guards. The prince’s eyes went wide in disbelief and he spun on his sister. “You’re mad! You can’t imprison me!”

  “I can. I will, then I’ll tell Alex,” Natalya sneered. “And he’ll come to save his brother. Save him from the evil, evil big sister that never understood him.” She snapped her fingers and before Vasily could move, he was hit with 10,000 volts from the guards’ stun pistols, dropping him to the floor in a twitching heap. “Don’t do any permanent damage, Mikhail. Just superficial enough to bring my brother running.”

  Warden Malikev nodded and followed behind his guards as they carried the prince away.

  “Call the Cabinet members back,” the Empress said into her com. “We still have much work to do.”

  Chapter Ten

  Both Billy and Melissa could feel their presence before the sensors began to warn of their proximity.

  “Fucking Spiders,” Billy growled. “Those motherfucking LOM sons of bitches.”

  Melissa dashed from the cabin, but seeing Heather peering out into the night water, she knew her aunt could feel them too.

  “How far away?” Heather asked, straining her senses to see if she could pick up anything. “They’re pretty close, huh?”

  “We’ve got maybe ten minutes at the most,” Billy called from the cabin. “Hang on!”

  Heather and the girls barely had time to grab onto something before Billy pushed the throttle to full.

  “This thing better be as fast as you say it is!” Heather shouted.

  “It is! Except I didn’t think we’d be running from Spiders!” he shouted back. “I’m heading straight for the shore! We’re only half a kilometer from the Netherlands’ coastline!”

  Beth turned towards the direction the boat was heading and could see the twinkling of lights from a small harbor. In a moment they passed the first buoy.

  “Doesn’t that mean the water is shallow?” she yelled, leaning inside the cabin. “What about the boat?”

  “Don’t worry!” Billy grinned. “I’ve flattened the hull! We’re skimming right now!”

  Heather grabbed a spotlight, shining it behind her, searching the water for signs of the Spiders. “If they come from below, we’re fucked!”

  “Great! This is just fucking great!” Melissa complained. “Just toss the case overboard! That’s what they want, right? It’ll save us all!”

  Heather reared on her niece. “This is why I haven’t activated you!” she shouted. “I have a mission! And I will complete that mission! Until you understand the importance of that, you’ll never be an active Ghost!” Heather thought she saw something cutting through the wake. “There! They’re almost on us, Billy!”

  “We’re at full throttle already!” Bi
lly watched the harbor grow closer. He saw several docks they could pull up to, but the time it would take to keep from crashing was time they didn’t have. His eyes found a small beach straight ahead. “We’re going to have to do a rolling tumble!”

  “Shit,” Heather cursed under her breath. “Fine. You win, Melissa.”

  “What? But you just said…?” Melissa stuttered.

  “I know what I fucking said! Do you want to be activated or not goddamn it?!?”

  Melissa’s face split into a huge grin. “Yes! Of course! Yes!”

  Heather grabbed her by the arms and leaned in close, her lips touching Melissa’s ear. “It’ll be over in less than a minute, but you have to be strong. Remember everything I taught you. Center yourself, find your gift, but don’t let go or you’re lost forever.”

  Heather felt Melissa nod and she took a deep breath, said a silent prayer, then whispered, “Perfect posies prance one time. Imperfect posies can eat shit and die.”

  Instantly Melissa’s eyes rolled up into her head and she collapsed to the deck.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Beth called. “Is she having a seizure?”

  Heather held up her hand and Beth went quiet.

  “Come on, girl. Fight it,” Heather said. “You can do this.”

  Melissa’s face contorted into a rictus of pain, then went slack.

  “Is she…?” Beth asked.

  “Shhh!” Heather ordered, her eyes never leaving her niece’s face.

  Melissa rolled over suddenly and vomited onto the deck. She shook her head, and with Beth and Heather’s help, got to her feet.

  “You okay?” Heather asked cautiously.

  “Yeah,” Melissa responded. “I’m fine. I’m great actually.”

  Heather waited for a moment. “Well?”

  Melissa looked at her hands, then grabbed onto the side of the boat. “I’m ready.”

  “Good,” Heather nodded. “I have Beth. I should be able to keep her from getting hurt. You’ll have to take your lumps on your own.”

  Melissa nodded and looked towards the beach.