The Veil: Corruption (HASEA CHRONICLES BOOK 2)

by Stuart Meczes

  “You won’t have to. That’s our job,” I replied.

  The doors opened into the underground compound. It was heaving with Guardians. Huntmasters were shouting orders at their teams as they all piled into cars and Jeeps. Others emerged from the elevators, battered and bloody. The limousine was waiting, with Agent Noble behind the wheel. We helped slide Alex and Faru into the idling car. Danny and Aran climbed in after them, followed by the Guardians whose sole job was to oversee the merge.

  I pointed to my Ferrari nearby. “Delagio and Grey, you take that.” I threw them the keys. They nodded and ran to the car. “Sophia, you go with Scarlett and Hollie in the Range Rover. Keys are inside.”

  “Okay.”

  I stood at the limo door and cleared my throat.

  “Everybody listen to me,” I said into the coms, and the room fell silent. “This is Huntmaster De Luca. We are heading for Black Dawn, which is stationed at Tilbury Dock. The covert route out of here will take us most of the way. Our destination is outpost Atlantis. Those who don’t know where it is, it doesn’t matter. Just follow the tunnel and then those who do.”

  I pressed a hand to the roof of the limo. “We need a convoy covering this car. Alexander and Sage Faru are inside. Yeth’s Army…these elite soldiers are here for one purpose. To take Alex. I know some of you are probably wondering why we are risking our lives to save him after the things he has done, but you don’t know the full story. I need you to trust me. If this Yeth creature gets his hands on Alex, Earth will be under the greatest threat it has ever faced. So you need to forget your issues and do what Guardians do. Protect.”

  The silence rang out as loud as a siren in the compound. Then there were nods and sounds of agreement. Guardians dove into cars and onto bikes until there were ninety-two rumbling vehicles. The sound was like a god clearing its throat.

  “I need forty cars ahead and forty behind. Bikes, you stay around the limo and anywhere else there is space. Stay with your teams. I have no doubt Yeth’s Army will try and follow us. This is it. If we fail now, it’s over. Do whatever you have to.”

  I jumped into the limo and watched as a stream of cars revved around us and drove towards a hidden panel in the wall. It opened up and one by one they headed inside. At that moment I heard gunshots and turned to see reams of Yeth’s Army spill into the compound.

  “Go!”

  Agent Noble shoved the car into gear and joined the queue. Delagio joined behind, followed by Scarlett in the 4x4, so close that we were practically bumper-to-bumper. The rest followed close behind. I could hear the ping of bullets hitting metal. Guardians leaned out of the windows, firing shots at the advancing elite. Out the back window I saw a carful of Guardians wrenched from their vehicle and executed.

  I turned back and closed my eyes.

  The tunnel swallowed us. The road sloped downwards, and we entered the route that weaved around the Nexus. The walls were dark, and the only light came from orange lights fixed to the walls. I pressed a button below a monitor and was presented with the view from the driver’s perspective. It was a murky orange blur. All the cars were driving way over a hundred; I could feel the speed in my stomach as we moved. If one crashed, we’d all crash. I would have felt slightly better having a Guardian drive, but Agent Noble knew the car like the back of his hand, and he was a damn good driver.

  I glanced at Alex. He was lying face up on Sage Faru’s lap. The Sage had his hands still firmly pressed against my soulmate’s temples. Every so often Alex’s head would flinch and he would mumble as if he were trapped in some kind of horrible nightmare. Which he probably is.

  The convoy drove for twenty miles before the path sloped back upwards. My heart had been slamming against my chest the entire journey. I had no idea if the elite knew about the hidden route – they seemed to know pretty much everything. If they did, they could be waiting for us. But I saw a light appear at the end of the tunnel, and the first cars spilled out without incident.

  We burst into daylight and onto a tarmac road that ran towards a set of looming electric fences. They opened up and the first cars of the convoy fed onto a motorway that ran alongside the Thames on one side. The cars broke into three rows, covering all lanes and overtaking civilian traffic to hold formation. I watched as shocked drivers stared, open mouthed, as we all whipped past at over a hundred and fifty miles an hour.

  Then I heard the sound of helicopters.

  A voice burst into my ear, and the words sent a chill running through my body. My worst fears had been realised.

  “They’re here.”

  I buzzed down the window and leaned out. Beyond the sea of speeding cars and bikes, I could see the armoured vehicles on the horizon, racing down the motorway towards us. Something whirred overhead, and I looked up in time to see a helicopter sweep over the treetops before it released a hail of gunfire that burst the tyres of the leading car. I watched in horror as it flipped into the air and landed on its roof, screaming down the road.

  I gripped the seat as all the cars in front veered out the way of the wreckage. Agent Noble swore loudly and jerked the wheel to the right, narrowly missing a group of bikes.

  “Concentrate fire on the helicopter!” I yelled into the coms. There were loud cracks as the Guardians unloaded everything they had into the machine. Danny and Aran leaned out of the windows, firing their own guns. The helicopter banked away. It re-appeared on the left side of the limo, cockpit facing us. Its guns were still whirring, and with a high pitched whine, it unleashed a shower of bullets into the limo. Aran and Danny shrank back as the projectiles burst through the window, hitting the opposite side and smashing the drinks on the cabinet. It carried on firing, the rounds ricocheting off the bulletproof exterior. Then the guns whirred as it ran out of ammo. I knew it wouldn’t be long before it was reloaded.

  “Simon, open the sunroof!” I shouted, and the panel slid back. I stood up and aimed my gun, firing a series of bullets at the windshield. The masked pilot maneuvered the helicopter from side to side, and the shots went wild. Every Guardian in range fired at the helicopter. The reinforced glass started to crack, and then the whole windshield fell out of its frame, bouncing off the roof of a nearby Audi and ricocheting through the trees and into the water beyond. I heard more buzzing and out of the corner of my eye saw another trio of helicopters appear from the waterline on the opposite side. I loaded a clip of Banshee rounds into the gun, grit my teeth and aimed again.

  Keep calm.

  I squeezed the trigger. The bullet lodged into the pilot’s chest. They abandoned the controls and clutched at the robes around the wound. Another elite tried to take over, but was too late. The helicopter dove forward, sweeping overhead and colliding with one of the others in a grinding scream of conflicting blades. There was a loud boom, and both crashed onto the opposite carriageway, causing cars to slam on their breaks or skid out the way. There was a blaze of gunshots from behind, and I saw that the armoured vehicles had drawn close enough to fire. There were at least fifty of them.

  “Back rows fire at the vehicles! Front and side, helicopters!” I commanded and gunshots thundered in every direction.

  The remaining two helicopters appeared overhead, and I saw ropes being thrown down from inside. Before anyone could stop me, I pulled myself onto the limo roof. The wind billowed at my face, and I had to crouch down to keep myself steady.

  “They are too close to shoot down! Anyone who can fly, take out the pilots!” I shouted into coms.

  Windows buzzed down and a dozen Guardians pulled themselves out their cars and unfurled their wings, taking to the skies. Among them was Iralia. She stamped down onto the roof next to me.

  “Thought you could use the help.”

  “I thought you’d evacuated!”

  “To hell with that.”

  Three elite slammed down onto the car roof. I rammed my boot into the nearest one’s stomach and it flew right off of the car and under the wheels of a nearby Jeep. Above, the flying Guardians dive-bombed the he
licopters and scrambled with those on-board. The two remaining elite ran at us. I dived and rolled, taking out the legs of one. It flipped over and landed on its back. I drew a blade and stabbed it down into its throat so hard it cut through the roof. Gurgling, the elite grabbed for my leg, but I stamped my foot onto the wound, and that was that.

  Iralia was dodging her opponent’s attack. They swiped a blade at her, but she used her colossal wings to jump backwards, and every attack missed. Then she spun around, swiping hard with a wing. It smacked the elite with the strength of a baseball bat, and it flew screaming into the central reservation. I saw a Pixie with broken wings fall from above, holding onto the pilot. Iralia flew off the car and caught her, letting the pilot be finished by the wheels of the following cars. She set her down safely on the roof of a Land Rover. The helicopter dipped backwards and disappeared over the treeline. A few seconds there was a shuddering boom and a flash of orange beyond the trees.

  A knife sunk into my shoulder blade. Dizzying pain bloomed in my back as I tumbled forward. My only thought as I lay on the roof was how cold the metal felt against my face. With trembling hands, I forced myself into a sitting position. An elite was standing above me. I didn’t know where it had come from, and it didn’t matter. It was about to kill me.

  That was until a bladed bo staff stuck into its leg. A distinctly female scream burst from the elite’s lips. She collapsed to the roof and wailed in agony. I saw Danny’s top half emerge above the sunroof, holding Penance. He dragged the elite towards him and then crushed the staff against her windpipe. She struggled, hands clawing at the weapon, but Danny’s face was one of grim determination. Soon she was gone. He blinked down at the body, as if surprised by what he’d done. A second later, Iralia landed back on the roof and picked up dead elite, flying off and throwing her into the trees. When she returned, she crouched down next to me and helped carry me towards the sunroof.

  Together she and Danny eased me back into the limo. My wound was throbbing; the blade had penetrated my Umbra skin, the most sensitive part of my body. I could barely think straight. Lying on the long seat at the side of the limo, I could hear Aran, Iralia, and Danny discussing the options.

  “The knife needs to be removed and a booster injected directly into the wound for maximum recovery,” stated Aran.

  “Won’t that hurt?”

  “Yes.”

  “Right, okay.”

  I felt immense pain as Danny pulled the blade from my shoulder. It was soon eclipsed by the agony of Aran slamming an injector into my skin. White spots appeared in my eyes, and I skirted unconsciousness. But soon I felt the booster do its work, and I was well enough to stand again. Through the window I saw the final helicopter appear and line up for a direct attack. The Guardians were still struggling with the elite on board.

  An idea so obvious occurred to me that I was shocked I hadn’t thought of it before. “All Kinesists concentrate your efforts on that helicopter. Everyone else, get the hell away from it!”

  Delagio’s voice joined others in my ear. “On it.” I watched through the back window as Grey took the wheel, whilst the Kinesist climbed out of the window and onto his own roof. Down the convoy, other Guardians did the same. Delagio extended his arms and almost instantly the helicopter started to shudder. The attached Guardians spiralled away as it began to erratically tilt from side to side. Delagio’s teeth were clamped together, and his neck tendons were thick with effort. Then he clapped his hands together. Down the line, the others copied. The helicopter crumpled into itself like a ball of paper. The crushed machine dropped like a stone, hitting the ground and rolling into the trees. Delagio let out a high-pitched whoop down the coms.

  “Well done, Kinesists.”

  I was interrupted by a frantic voice in my ear. “Huntmaster De Luca, this is Omega. There are too many back here. We need immediate support!”

  “We have to help them,” I said. “Come on.” I turned to the Guardians watching Faru and Alex. “Keep them safe.” They nodded.

  Doing my best to ignore the throb in my shoulder, I climbed back onto the roof, followed by Danny, Aran, and Iralia. At the back, I could see sparks as bullets continued to plough into the back row. The Army convoy was right on them. I lifted the bracelet. “Sophia, Hollie, you need to get onto the roof of your cars. Delagio, wait for me.”

  There were sounds of agreement in my ear. “Everyone else, keep your cars steady!”

  Here we go.

  I sprinted down the limo and jumped from the limo to the Ferrari. Landing on the windscreen with a thud, I dropped to one knee. Delagio was crouched on the roof. He had a small trail of blood seeping from his nose but didn’t seem bothered by it.

  “You ready for this?”

  He grinned. “Aint ah always?”

  We jumped to the Range Rover as the others vaulted onto the cars behind. As we made the next leap, Delagio staggered and almost fell, but I caught his arm and pulled him back to safety. We kept leapfrogging from car to car, working our way to the back of the convoy. A series of bullets shuddered past me, and I dropped into a crouch. “Keep low!” I shouted. We kept moving.

  The cars at the back were in bad shape. A series of bullet holes had eaten away at the boots and some back wheels had been reduced to rims, sending sparks trailing along the tarmac. Guardians were doing their best to stem the flow of fire by taking shots at the gunners themselves. But there were too many vehicles, and Yeth’s Army had better weapons.

  “Del, take out that front truck!” I said, pointing towards the leading Jeep covered in splashes of red paint with a gatling gun attached to the top. The shooter had been killed; their body slumped over with one hand still wrapped around the trigger. Dodging a wild spray of bullets, Delagio wrenched out both hands. The truck screeched to a halt, causing a segment of the elite’s convoy to hammer into it. The driver was ejected through the windscreen and landed on a car beyond ours. The Guardian behind the wheel veered to the right and the elite’s body rolled onto the motorway.

  “That’s why you should always wear a seatbelt,” wisecracked Delagio.

  “Orion, do what you can,” I said into coms.

  My team started firing bullets, aiming for the drivers and gunners. Sophia knelt down and whispered an incantation. Danny held onto her, driving his body into her back as she enhanced her pyromancy. An immense stream of flames erupted from her hands and set the nearest truck on fire. She lurched backwards, but Danny kept them both upright. The elite on the truck became living torches. They abandoned the truck, some jumping to nearby vehicles and spreading the flames.

  But others jumped for us.

  They landed on the back row of cars and marched forward while pumping their guns as if they didn’t realise they were burning alive. Delagio swore as a bullet grazed his neck. Hollie loaded up her bow and in quick succession fired into the advancing torches. The materials of the arrows didn’t matter at this point; the sheer impact cleared them off the cars like windscreen wipers on bugs. Grey and Aran popped off those who remained before they could reach us. At the same time, Sophia fired a series of well-placed shots and took out a few gunners aiming for us.

  The flaming truck flared up as the fire reached the fuel tank. It lurched violently to the side and flipped over, sliding along the motorway in a shower of hissing sparks. The rest of the trucks split into a V, avoiding the destroyed vehicles, and then reformed again like a closing zip.

  A blue BMW at the back of our convoy had caught on fire. The three Guardians inside abandoned it, jumping to adjacent cars. The flaming car slowed down and then exploded, narrowly missing the vehicles behind, which had to steer around it. It gave me an idea.

  “We can’t take them out,” I said. “There’s too many.”

  “So what do we do?” said Del.

  “We stop them from chasing us.”

  I turned to the car behind me and went to speak but saw Sophia point wide-eyed. Without looking, I rolled over the side of the car and tried to grip the side, but I
slipped. A hand shot out and held onto me. Above, a flurry of bullets thudded along the roof all the way down the column of cars.

  Merda, that was close. Only then I realised the Guardian had their hand through my legs and was holding me up via my backside. I glanced down and saw Troy looking awkwardly back at me.

  “Sorry, I thought you were going to fall.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  He helped push me back onto the roof.

  “Listen,” I said into coms. “Back four rows, I want you to jam your accelerators and then evacuate!”

  I jumped back to where the rest of Orion were stood.

  “What’s the plan?” came Sophia’s voice.

  “We’re going to create an impenetrable wall,” I replied.

  I waited until the Guardians had evacuated their cars, and we all helped them climb onto others. I held out a hand for a Chosen from Cerberus, but a smatter of bullets pumped into his body, and he fell to the side, rolling off the car and vanishing.

  “Shit!” I screamed. I am going to hunt down and kill every last one of you sons of bitches.

  The empty cars with jammed accelerators smacked into those in front. That was my queue. “Everyone, speed up!” I shouted into coms. I felt the surge as Troy’s car hit maximum speed, and I had to steady myself. “Anyone who can hit them, shoot the last four rows of cars. Aim for the fuel tanks.” I turned to Sophia. I could see that the spell had aged her once again. “Are you okay to use your normal pyromancy?”

  “Yes.”

  She moved forward and unleashed a stream of flames onto the empty cars, aiming them from side to side like a flamethrower. The rest of us fired as many shots as we could, emptying our clips, changing them, and starting all over. The cars became wrecks.

  And then they exploded.

  Some overturned, bouncing like rugby balls down the motorway, others slewed sideways and smashed into the central reservation. A flaming Porsche slowed, and a burning Jeep smashed into it, mounting the boot. The locked cars spun in a wild circle, sending fire spewing out the sides. Together, all of the cars made a wall of fire. The front of the army convoy couldn’t avoid the burning cars and crashed right into them. Down the line, I watched as a dozens of the trucks all ploughed into each other, causing a domino effect that ended in the mother of all pileups. Those further down had no choice but to slam on their brakes. I watched as they climbed out of their vehicles and stared at us as we broke away. I stood up straight and raised a middle finger.