by Unknown
Wong looked at him, then Jonathan. “We should have a visual on them in a moment. I’ve got twenty seekers looking for them throughout the city.�
Jonathan looked back toward the yard near one of the shattered Mechs. A patch of the lawn still smoldered—the remains of the Nemesis creature imprinted in char and ashes. Jay came up beside him and sighed, putting his hand on Jonathan’s shoulder. “At least that’s one problem taken care of, right?�
Jonathan took a long moment to consider it. “Somehow, I’m not so sure.�
“What do you mean?� Jay motioned to the scorch mark. “He couldn’t survive that.�
“I know…� Jonathan couldn’t quite figure out what was bothering him about the situation with Nemesis. “It’s just that when I fought him in the house, he seemed different…more feral…less the calculated psychopath we’ve all come to love.� Jonathan walked toward the smoldering pile of black ash. Jay followed him. A team of emergency workers managed to pry open the damaged cockpit of the nearby Mech, in order to get the pilot out—the one that had toasted Nemesis. “What are you thinking, Jonathan?�
“Trenton hid under the van when we left the Halo Tech plaza with Stokes. He tossed us down the driveway in the van, but he wasn’t after us. He ran for the house, for Margot.�
Jay’s expression grew panicked. “But why would he want her?�
“He was hiding under the van, listening all that time…Stokes was rambling on about her being like him. When I went inside, I found Nemesis oozing all over her.�
Jay looked like he might explode any moment with frustration.
Jonathan continued. “When I came in and confronted him, Nemesis tossed her away, but it didn’t act the way Trenton normally did. I didn’t think anything about it at the time, but what if he managed to do more than just attack her?�
Jay was on the verge of tears. The idea that the Nemesis creature might have done something to his daughter ate at his very soul.
Agent Wong piped in from one of the police trucks on the scene. “Gentlemen, I believe we’ve got them!�
Jonathan and Jay rushed to the truck where Agent Wong worked to fine tune the reception on the seeker reporting visual contact. On the video monitor, an explosion rocked through a crowded street.
Pedestrians ran screaming for cover. Cars soared through the air, on fire. A shattered fire hydrant sprayed water over the street. The seeker zoomed in on one of the targets.
Samuel Stokes barely evaded a burning family sized sedan, flying through the air towards him. With a swipe of his arm, he redirected the huge missile into a nearby building lobby, shattering its costly glass façade.
When the seeker zoomed in on the other target, they saw little Margot in the middle of the street—wrecked, abandoned cars all around her. She was laughing. With a twirl of her small arms, she caused two more abandoned cars to levitate, hurling them toward Stokes.
Jay stood there watching his daughter on the monitor, his mouth agape. “I can’t believe it.� He looked into Jonathan’s eyes. “She’s never manifested her power, not like this.�
Jonathan took another look at the monitor, at the little girl tossing burning cars at Samuel Stokes with her mind, keeping the young man on the run and apparently having the time of her life doing so. “Jay, I don’t think that’s Margot doing it.�
Jay looked again, this time at the girl’s face, as the seeker zoomed in further. The gaunt expression, the devious smile, and lethargic eyes. “She looks possessed, or something.�
Jonathan and Jay stared at one another, sharing the same horrible epiphany again. “Nemesis!�
Agent Wong stared at them in disbelief. “What are you two saying…that creature is still alive?�
Jonathan looked at him. “Not just alive, Mr. Wong, he’s somehow controlling the girl, using her power. He’s mutated in the past. This may be another transformation he’s trying to go through in order to gain the girl’s power.�
Agent Wong almost laughed—almost. “Wait, wait…are you saying your daughter has these psychic abilities like Samuel Stokes?�
Jay tried to hold back his frustration. “Margot was a product of the Halo Project, only indirectly. Her parents were some of Sarkov’s initial case studies. Margot was born to them before they died from the experiments. She’s never shown the same abilities before today.�
Jonathan watched the destructive scene playing out on the monitor. “Well, Nemesis has certainly been able to tap into her potential in a big way. Stokes is barely holding on. She’s really trying to kill him.�
“He’s not trying to do the same to her?� Jay said. “Stokes said all he wanted to do was protect Margot from the rest of us.�
They both looked at Wong. “We’ve got to stop this before Stokes gets killed,� Jonathan said.
Jay looked at his friend and smiled. “After what he’s put you through, I’m surprised to hear you say that.�
“Really?�
Jay reconsidered. “I guess not. After all, I put you through all kinds of stuff when I was a kid, and you still looked out for me.
Jonathan turned to Agent Wong. “What do you have that might stop those two?�
HALLOWED_GROUND
18 DEVASTATION
Police officers in riot gear, and other specialized equipment, swarmed around their mobile base of operations as Jonathan followed Agent Wong to the back of a large, tractor trailer truck. Wong opened the rear door with a pass key, motioning for them to follow him in.
The three of them passed through a secure, stainless steel code door. Beyond the door, stood what appeared to be a military command center with all manner of high tech monitoring equipment and several personnel running it.
Agent Wong went to one of the monitoring stations where a tech sat, controlling more seeker cameras. “What have you got, Steve?� Wong asked.
“I’d say, the fight of the century…this is unbelievable!� Steve said, enthusiastically.
Agent Wong cleared his throat forcefully. “Let’s keep it by the book, Steve.�
“Uh, yes, sir. The girl still has Stokes on the run. I think he must be trying to wear her down, or something. He throws attacks at her, but nothing lethal.�
Jay watched the monitors, concern etched across his middle-aged face. “Let’s hope he keeps it that way.� He looked at Jonathan. “There’s no telling what he’ll do if he feels desperate. He might just give up this whole protect the innocent girl thing, and go for the kill.� His own words appeared to visibly unsettle him.
Agent Wong piped in. “We’re going to try not to let it come to that, Dr. Young.�
Jay appeared skeptical. “Yeah, how?�
Agent Wong pointed back to one of the video monitors where at least fifty police officers in SWAT uniforms had prepared for battle. “I’ve got these officers going in with tranquilizers. Hopefully they can put Stokes and the girl down before this gets even more out of control. They’re sharpshooters.�
It was Jonathan’s turn to appear skeptical. “Somehow, I don’t picture Nemesis allowing those officers to do anything. He’ll kill them, as sure as you’re sending them in there.�
Agent Wong tried not to take the criticism personally. “Well, it’s just one possibility. I’ve got something else to show you, gentlemen.� He escorted them beyond the recon station, into the front of the compartment.
Beyond a stainless steel partition, sat an oversized metal chair. It looked like so
me robot suspended in a state of explosion.
Jonathan eyed the monstrosity carefully. “What is it?�
Jay stepped past him, providing the answer. “It’s a stealth battle suit—top secret government project.�
Wong frowned at Jay. “Which leaves me wondering how you know anything about it, Dr. Young?�
Jay continued to look the battle suit over. “I’m still a government contractor, Daniel. I have friends in high places—eyes and ears.�
Wong smiled wanly. “Remind me to get their names and addresses later.�
Jonathan moved closer, giving the suit a cursory examination of his own. “What can it do?�
Wong smiled. “For starters, it enhances the strength of the wearer by five times. On an ordinary man that’s pretty good, but on you it would be incredible, Mr. Hallowed.
Jonathan looked up at Jay and then to Agent Wong. “What makes you say that?�
Wong grinned deviously at Jay. “I’ve got eyes and ears in high places myself.�
“Any offensive weapons besides the strength enhancement?� Jay asked.
Wong pointed to what appeared to be metal gloves which surrounded the wearer’s hands. “Two Omega Six charge packs power these electrostatic guns located in the fingertips of each glove. The voltage is selective, meaning you could set them to simply stun an individual, or go all the way to barbecuing them.�
Jay looked up. He wasn’t laughing.
Wong continued. “Of course, your goal is to try and incapacitate them, not kill them.�
“Me?� Jonathan asked.
Wong looked confused. “Well, from what Dr. Young was telling me on the way over here, I just assumed…�
Jay caught Jonathan by the shoulders. “I wouldn’t ask this of you if it wasn’t my daughter on the line, Jonathan. It’s just that you’re the best qualified candidate.�
“Jay, I’ve never used a suit like this before.�
“The suit is easy enough…the problem is the punishment you may have to endure.� Jay seemed ashamed for even suggesting it now.
Jonathan smiled, patting his shoulder. “Of course, you’re right, Jay.� Jonathan knew the truth. He could take more punishment in a fight than any of the police officers could. He would stand a much better chance of delivering a stunning blast without getting killed in the process. It seemed the only viable option available.
He started toward the chair. Jay caught him by the shoulder. “Jonathan, if you don’t want to do this…I mean, with your body still on full burn and everything, it could kill you just from using your strength and healing too much.�
“Nonsense,� Jonathan said. “This is your daughter. She needs you. No matter what happens, my time is short. Maybe this is why the Lord has kept me kicking this long…so I could help get your daughter back from Trenton.� He turned to Wong. “Now, show me how to get into this thing, so I can get out there.�
•
Samuel hurled another kinetic blast at Margot, as she mentally pushed aside several cars blocking her way on the street. She deflected the force of Samuel’s attack, allowing it to barrel into a parked vehicle, crushing it like a soda can.
“You’ll have to do better than that, Stokes!� she said.
Samuel hovered away from her, as she advanced down Vineyard Avenue. Pedestrians had taken shelter from the battle raging in the streets, abandoning their vehicles for the sake of their lives.
Samuel wasn’t sure how to regain control of the girl. He hadn’t been expecting such a fight out of her. She was giving him a run for his money. Only his greater experience with these abilities had saved his life, so far. No matter what, he still had no desire to destroy the girl. He had wanted so badly to free her, to protect her from scientists like Dr. Young and protect her from the fate dished out to his Halo Project siblings. Everything had gone terribly wrong.
A line of police officers entered the area carrying rifles. Samuel noticed them first. Tranquilizers. He thought, for a moment, to stop them from interfering, but with Margot out of control, he reconsidered. Maybe if he distracted her they could get a shot and take her down. Then he could retrieve her and try to help her.
He had no idea how he might remove the creature possessing her mind, but he knew for her sake he had to try. “Margot, fight that thing inside of you! Don’t let it have its way with your mind!� he called.
The girl seemed to falter for a moment, struggling again as she had before. The moment was short lived. Several more parked cars flew into the air toward Samuel. He seized them, forcing her to push against him for control of the vehicles floating over the street between them.
The sharpshooters took aim from positions behind Margot. When they had her in their sights, they fired the tranquilizers. Margot released the vehicles and spun on the officers, shielding herself from the projectiles. With a blast of her mind, the tranquilizer cartridges shattered in flight.
A shadow bore down upon her as she turned again to face Samuel. The vehicles she had released during their mental struggle hurtled back down upon her position. There was no time to stop them.
Margot launched herself away as the cars came crashing down where she had been standing. One of the vehicles exploded. The shockwave sent her tumbling across the pavement. When she stood, cuts and scrapes covered her small body. A vicious leer appeared on her face again. “Not nice to hurt little girls, Samuel!�
Samuel watched her on the street below, pouring her energies into something he couldn’t see yet. He hovered nearly thirty feet off the ground—something he realized would tax his own energies and put him at a disadvantage.
Margot squeezed her eyes shut, then screamed at the top of her lungs. The building to Samuel’s right exploded, showering his body in concrete, steel, and glass debris. The building looked like a giant had taken a huge bite right out of the side.
Samuel fell to the street, barely able to shield himself from the debris pushing him down with it. The shower of metal and stone cascaded to the pavement, smashing into more abandoned cars. Several exploded, releasing orange fire balls in the midst of the gray cloud of concrete dust.
HALLOWED_GROUND
19 TAG TEAM
Jonathan watched the battle unfold below him. He inched closer to the edge of the building to better judge his target. Margot suddenly screamed in fury on the street below. Samuel hovered nearby some thirty feet in the air, but still below Jonathan’s perch.
Jonathan watched in astonishment as the glass panes on the building near Samuel shimmered, vibrating. Then a huge portion of that same side of the building burst outward, covering Samuel in a maelstrom of debris. The whole mess hit the street below, right in the middle of an abandoned traffic jam.
Jonathan stood up, judging the distance. He backed over the rooftop, then ran as hard as he could toward the edge of the building. He knew it would take everything he had to reach Margot.
He ran to the edge of the building, leaping away from it, wearing the exoskeleton Agent Wong had given him. Jonathan sailed through the air out over the battleground below. The suit felt a little heavy, but its micro-hydraulics more than made up for the instability. Jonathan assumed a normal man would not have been able to get this kind of jump out of the suit.
Gravity overtook the force Jonathan had expended. He plummeted toward the street, and Margot standing upon it. Jonathan charged the weapon system, feeling a slight, tingling hum course through the gloves. Agent Wong had told him the electrodes contained in the helmet would allow him to use thought in order to discharge the gloves and control the current. All suit parameters, as well as his own visual information, displayed upon the inside of the helmet visor.
With a t
hought, the display zoomed in on Margot’s face as she stood relishing a seeming victory over Samuel Stokes. He had not yet emerged from the pile of rubble. Jonathan noticed the facial expression and was reminded of Trenton during some of their own exchanges so many years ago, before cryonics brought them to this time. Margot turned her head skyward and saw him. Jonathan aimed one of the gloves, watching the onscreen targeting icon zero in on the little girl.
An invisible force battered him inside the suit, knocking him away like a bothersome gnat. Jonathan flew away backwards, tumbling until he hit something solid. He smashed through the concrete wall of the building he had just leaped from.
Jonathan heard people screaming around him as he tumbled through the building, striking obstacles. He came to rest inside the office cubby of a terrified woman with disheveled blonde hair. She looked aghast, her red framed spectacles sitting askew on her face.
She had managed to grab the keyboard to her desktop computer, before Jonathan and his exoskeleton pummeled it into oblivion. The woman looked like she wanted to scream. Jonathan extricated himself from the destroyed desk. He lurched through the office, full of wide-eyed employees, following his own path of destruction back the way he had come. He waved at a few along the way. “How ya doin?�
When he came to the hole in the building, he found Margot staring at the pile of rubble she had laid on top of Samuel. The debris parted as Samuel lifted himself out, levitating above the smoldering pile of wreckage. He was injured, but holding his own.
Jonathan wondered if he would now have to fight them both. He put a bead on Margot, locking on target. The display beeped inside his helmet, telling him the girl was too far away. He would have to get closer—perhaps with her attention drawn to Samuel.
Jonathan stood, darting back through the office building. Shocked employees stumbled out of his way as he made for the elevator. This would be his shortest way down to the street level. The indicator lit up for his floor and dinged. The double doors opened, and Jonathan climbed inside the car with his exo-suit as a frightened security guard spilled out of the car, carrying a fire extinguisher. “Excuse me,� Jonathan said. The guard only looked at him with his mouth hanging open.
