The Deathless Quadrilogy

by Chris Fox

“Do you see those cables?” Trevor whispered. A row of thick black tubes snaked from the three-story building near the center of camp and into the pyramid. “That’s probably how they’re keeping the place lit and under surveillance. Cut that and the whole place goes dark, giving you the advantage once you’re inside. If you’re quick, you can probably reach this central chamber of yours before the people inside even know what’s going on.”

  “I’ll remember that,” Blair said, filing it away for later. The frigid wind howled up the ridge and ruffled his hair. His teeth chattered audibly, but he resisted the urge to shift. That would take energy, and he wanted to husband his strength. “How many soldiers do you think are in those bunkers?”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Trevor said, raising his voice to compete with the wind. “If you’re discovered and those troops come into play, it’s over. They’ve got enough ordnance down there to wipe us all out. We’ll do some damage, but they’ll overwhelm us.”

  “Lovely. That means our only choice is waking the Mother and hoping she can help. Otherwise this is going to be a real short rescue,” Blair said, glancing back at the others. They waited a little way down the ridge, a tight knot of dark forms blending with the scattered rocks. The group was surrounded by over a dozen smaller shadows, the larger dogs who’d accompanied Adolpho.

  Liz was nowhere to be found, of course. She’d attempted to teach the other females her trick with the shadows, but they hadn’t taken as readily to it. Either they were still mastering the ability, or they were just not as comfortable using it as Liz was.

  “You’re not going to make it inside without being seen,” Trevor said, rifle scope slowly scanning the camp. “You can probably make it to the outer buildings, but the pyramid is well lit and out in the open. You might be able to blur inside, but there’s a good chance you’ll be seen. Maybe you can send the girls in? They can use that shadow trick.”

  “That doesn’t help,” Blair called back as he continued to scan the camp. “I have to be the one. Only I can wake the Mother, and I’m not even sure what I have to do to accomplish it. They’ve got to get me inside. I’ve got an idea about that, though.”

  “Idea?” Came Liz-wolf’s low, guttural voice. She couldn’t be more than a foot or two away, but Blair saw nothing. Smelled nothing. Damn, that was creepy.

  “You remember I told you that Ahiga did a mindshare with me at the end?” Blair asked, turning to face the patch of night her voice had originated from. “I saw his memories. One of them was crossing the border into San Diego. He was right there, and we never knew it. A guy in a ‘Niners shirt, right ahead of us in line. He changed his face, his scent, everything.”

  “That’s brilliant,” Trevor said, finally looking up from the scope. He had a dark-green hat on, with a clip that attached it to the collar of his jacket and kept it from blowing away. “You can pick off one of the soldiers and take his place.”

  “I can take care of that part,” Liz said, an ominous growl thrumming deep within her chest. “I’ll take Elmira with me. Cyntia and Adolpho can stay here with Trevor. If things go south, your attack should catch them off guard so we can get away. Blair, blur your way down to that patch of boulders there, behind that big mound of dirt. Once we have the uniform, we’ll bring it to you, and the three of us can head down to wake the Mother.”

  How comfortable she was giving orders amazed Blair. And how comfortable the group seemed taking them. No one questioned Liz, accepting her leadership as a matter of course. Was that some supernatural werewolf trick, or just good sense?

  “I’ll take a vantage on this ridge,” Trevor said, pointing at the base of the cliff below. “I’m going to send Adolpho and Cyntia down there to the base, in the shadows. You werewolf types can scale that cliff, so if you do make it out in a hurry, you can come back this way. I doubt Mohn will expect that. We’ll keep it clear until you can reach it.”

  “I’ll inform the others,” Liz rumbled, her form suddenly appearing as she loped down the ridge.

  “I’ll come to terms with the whole werewolf thing, but I will never get used to how she does that,” Trevor said, shaking his head.

  Blair shrugged out of his jacket and removed his shirt and pants. By the time he had his underwear off, he knew he must be turning blue.

  “I’m going to make for those rocks,” Blair said, voice deepening as he shifted. His senses sharpened still further. Most notably, he detected the scents of the soldiers below. They reeked of complacency, though a few bore the sharp tang of wariness. Those would be the ones who’d actually fought a werewolf and knew exactly what they were facing.

  “Good luck, Blair. If we don’t survive, I just wanted to say you’ve become a real friend, man,” Trevor said, clasping Blair’s forearm. “Even if you do look like Chewbacca and shed all over my Rover.”

  Blair gave a low chuckle that was, thankfully, masked by the wind. Then he released his friend’s hand, crouching atop the ridge-line. “You’re a hell of a guy, Trevor. And you know what? Garland isn’t the only one who thinks your sister’s hot.” Then he blurred, hopping from boulder to boulder as he picked a path down the mountainside. The feat would have paralyzed him with fear a couple months ago, but now he found it exhilarating. He knew his limits now, and this trek was trivial.

  He landed in a small puff of dirt, turning to gaze back up the mountainside several hundred meters above. Trevor was shaking his head but looked like he was laughing. Blair grinned like an idiot. Maybe it was the adrenaline or just the fact that he was finally doing something, but he’d never felt more alive, more confident.

  He peered over the lip of the dirt mound he’d sheltered behind. The camp was quiet save for a few soldiers moving between structures. They moved with purpose, heads bent to whatever tasks they’d been assigned. That boded well. They weren’t paying much attention. Blair shifted his gaze to the pyramid, scanning the narrow entrance. A pair of guards waited outside, bored but alert.

  “Hot sister, huh?” Liz rumbled, materializing from the shadows next to him. She was close enough to have taken his throat had she wanted to. That made her wolfish grin all the more unsettling.

  “You heard that?” Blair said, trying not to appear disturbed by her sudden appearance.

  “No, Trevor totally ratted you out,” Liz said, giving a decidedly ominous giggle. Elmira appeared next to her, ending the moment. Liz turned to her. “Follow me. We’ll head to the western edge of camp and pick off a soldier, ideally someone who looks like they have some rank. I’ll carry the body back. You cover me.”

  Elmira’s fur blended into the night even without the shadows. Only her amber eyes gave her away. “Let us move swiftly. I do not like being so close to this many enemies. If we are discovered, it will go badly for us.”

  The pair disappeared, leaving Blair with nothing but time. He glanced back up the ridge. Locating the barrel of Trevor’s rifle took several moments, and Blair only achieved that because he had heightened senses and knew where to look. It was the only sign of Trevor’s location, which would prove very valuable if things went awry. He dropped his gaze to the base of the cliff, scanning for Adolpho and Cyntia.

  Adolpho crouched behind a boulder, shielding him from nearby buildings. Blair wished he’d had time to teach Adolpho a few more things, especially the ability to blur. Maybe if he survived the coming battle. From the sound of it, he’d be needed for the imminent apocalypse. His pack was still trapped up on the ridge. They could circle down eventually, but that would take a while.

  Cyntia appeared to have mastered the shadows, because there was no sign of her. He felt better having her guard Adolpho and Trevor. Females were truly frightening, weak blood or no. If the three of them could avoid detection, they’d make a hell of a distraction if, and when, Blair was trying to exit the pyramid with the Mother.

  He turned his attention to the closest building, a flash of movement having pulled his gaze. A single black-clad soldier had stepped into the shadows, unzipped his fly, and begun to re
lieve himself against a rock. It was a monumentally poor decision. Fanged death materialized from the shadows, clamping a furry hand around his mouth to smother his scream. In one sharp jerk, his neck snapped. Then both werewolf and soldier disappeared into the shadows. Liz could extend her cloak to others? That was new.

  Blair held his breath, praying no one would notice the soldier’s disappearance. Long moments later Liz and Elmira appeared at the base of the mound. He scrambled down to crouch next to them, waiting as Liz stripped the man’s clothing.

  “I’m not sure how well it will fit. He’s taller than you,” she said in a low voice as she unbuckled his belt and yanked his pants free.

  “I can reshape my body to be the right height,” Blair said, certain he could do it even as he uttered the words. The beast spoke to him less of late, but he also had more thoughts that were not his own.

  We have truly merged, Ka-Dun. I will always be separate, but less so the longer we are together.

  Blair began pulling on the uniform, shifting back to human form as he did. The pants were definitely too long and the shirt too narrow for his newly muscled shoulders. He concentrated, drawing on the beast’s knowledge as he willed his body to change. His legs grew longer, and his shoulders narrowed, enough that the uniform fit tolerably well. Then he studied the dead soldier’s face, willing his cheeks and nose to match. The process was painful, but they snapped into the desired position.

  “How do I look?” he asked, turning to face the hulking werewolves.

  “That’s amazing,” Elmira said. It was the first time Blair had seen a shocked expression on a werewolf’s face.

  “If that doesn’t fool them, I don’t know what will,” Liz said. She turned to face the pyramid. “Just walk slowly to the entrance. We’ll be right next to you the entire time.”

  71

  Infiltrated

  Jordan ducked out of Ops and into the brisk night air. It was a welcome relief after he’d spent hours poring over reports in the stuffy confines of the hastily erected building. Mohn had given him everything he’d asked for, a full company of soldiers, all the proper ordnance, and ten suits of the new X-12 power armor. It was enough firepower to topple a government, but would it be enough to keep this place safe from a sea of rampaging werewolves? Maybe in the short term. About half of the material was already on-site, and the rest would arrive over the next few days.

  “Commander,” Yuri’s synthesized voice called from his X-12. He stood some thirty feet away, breaking from his patrol to trot over to Jordan. He’d really taken to the armor and wore it almost everywhere. “Have you heard Mohn scuttlebutt? Is mothballing every site except this one.”

  Jordan was surprised word had already made it to the line troops, but then, rumors always moved faster than command anticipated they would. He fell into step with the Russian. “You didn’t hear it from me, but we’ve lost the war. Mohn is pulling back to Syracuse, setting up their own little kingdom.”

  “What about us?” Yuri asked, unreadable beneath his faceplate.

  “We’re the last line of defense. If the werewolves wake the woman inside, Command believes she’ll unleash devastation that will make what we’re currently facing look like a bad Monday at the office,” Jordan confided. They wound around a hastily constructed Quonset hut housing one of the new divisions.

  “Smells like stalling tactic, Commander,” Yuri said, giving Jordan a sidelong look. “What’s real play?”

  “They’re going to nuke the pyramid. The package arrives in two days. All we have to do is hold off until…” He trailed off, staring at the pyramid.

  “Sir?” Yuri asked, turning to see what Jordan was staring at.

  “I gave strict instructions that no one was to be given access to the pyramid,” he said, pointing at a soldier being challenged by the guards. “Who the fuck is that, and why are they trying to gain access?”

  “Will check,” Yuri said, taking a step closer to the pyramid. “Gate Guard One, is Yuri. Request confirmation. Who is visitor?”

  There was no immediate answer. The figure was admitted to the pyramid, disappearing into the tunnel as both guards returned to a state of relaxed vigilance.

  “Don’t like this. Why no answering?” Yuri asked.

  “Because that wasn’t a soldier they just admitted. I want you to assemble every X-12 as quietly as possible,” Jordan ordered, cursing himself for only stationing two guards at the entrance. He didn’t know what trick Smith had just pulled, but he knew without a doubt it was Smith. He must have fooled the man’s eyes, somehow. “We’ll rendezvous at the tunnel entrance in five minutes. Go.”

  Yuri was already moving, sprinting toward the barracks. Jordan trotted toward the new armory, where the suits were housed. He’d be needed in this fight. “Ops, this is Jordan. Notify the guards inside the central chamber that they’re about to have company.”

  “Roger that, sir,” an unfamiliar voice answered. They’d shuffled quite a few personnel, and he’d had no time to learn their names.

  Jordan strode through the black plastic door, making for the stall containing his power armor. The little setup really was ingenious. Each piece of armor was attached to robotic arms along the inner walls of the stall. There was just enough room for a person to squeeze inside. He did so, stabbing a red button near eye level. It flared to life, and the stall began to whir.

  The robotic arms aligned each piece of armor, snapping them together first around his legs and then his chest. He extended his arms, allowing the stall to do its work. The helmet came last, settling over his head and snapping into place with a sharp hiss as it sealed the environment within.

  The new HUD R&D had installed came to life, giving him a wealth of information. Battery charge was at eighty-seven percent. All four missiles were loaded. No damage had been detected, although a small yellow alert near the bottom of the screen claimed that the seal on the right knee was in need of maintenance.

  Jordan stepped from the stall, moving for the rack of rifles on the far wall. He drew one of the J-9s, the latest weapon Mohn had sent. It fired high velocity .338 rounds, something command called a Black Lotus. They weren’t as devastating as the .50 calibers, but he could squeeze off thirty to a clip with minimal recoil, and anything he hit generally stayed down.

  Soldiers began filing in behind him, moving into their assigned stalls with practiced precision. He strode past them, exiting the bunker and waiting outside, where he had a better view of the pyramid. There was nothing to see, at least not outside. If he wanted better intel, he’d have to ask Ops for a direct feed. The request might distract them at a critical moment, so he waited impatiently for the squad to assemble.

  They emerged one after another, filing into two neat rows of four behind him. Yuri’s X-12 already waited at the tunnel entrance. Jordan turned to the squad. “Let’s move like we have a purpose, people. We get in and take down the intruders, no matter the cost. Collateral damage is authorized. Do whatever it takes to eliminate the enemy.”

  72

  Jedi Mind Tricks

  “Halt, soldier,” one of the guards barked, snapping his rifle to his shoulder. The barrel was aimed at Blair’s chest. The second soldier mirrored the motion. “You know you’re not supposed to be here. What the hell are you doing away from your post?”

  Blair briefly considered his options. If he tried to lie his way past the guards, they would see through his bluff almost immediately. If he killed them, the rest of the camp would be on him in seconds.

  “Wait,” the second soldier said suspiciously, taking a step closer and aiming his rifle at Blair’s chest. “Is that blood on your uniform?”

  Blair had only a moment to act before things spiraled out of control. But what to do?

  Force your will upon them, Ka-Dun. Make them accept your words. I will guide you.

  Blair took a deep breath and just went with it.

  “That’s the blood of the last grunt who gave me this kind of lip,” Blair growled, forcing authorit
y he didn’t feel. He stepped up to the first soldier’s barrel, allowing the weapon to poke him in the chest. Energy moved within him, infusing his next words with something. He knew the name of exactly one officer here, and he hoped it was the right one. “Commander Jordan ordered me down to the central chamber to inspect the cabling. We’ve lost two monitors, and he doesn’t like the blind spot. You’re going to let me past, and you aren’t going to give me any more grief about it. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” both men assented in unison, lowering their rifles as they snapped to attention. They stepped aside, clearing a path into the pyramid.

  Blair blinked for a moment. Could it have been that easy? Guess he was due for a break. He hoped his luck would hold for the rest of the trip down.

  He advanced past them, down the tunnel that, given how tight the corners were, he guessed may have been bored into the rock with a laser. His heart thundered as he strode away half expecting them to turn and shout at him to stop. They didn’t. He made it to the massive doors, which stood open to the night. The black cables snaked past them, and he briefly considered severing them. Not yet.

  Blair entered the pyramid for the first time since his brief taste of death. This was a wholly different experience. When he gazed at the hieroglyphs covering the walls, he understood them as if he were reading English. If only he had the time for study. What knowledge must they contain?

  “Did you just Jedi mind trick those guards?” Liz rumbled from the shadows, softly to avoid being detected by the cameras or the guards he’d just bluffed. “Wait till Trevor hears about this. He’s going to crack up.”

  “We weren’t the droids they were looking for,” Blair said, forcing a smile.

  Blair wished he shared her enthusiasm. Now that he was finally confronted with the reality of the situation, he was terrified. What sort of opposition would they face reaching the Mother? It couldn’t be as easy as what they’d encountered thus far. Would they be able to escape? Could he even wake the Mother at all? So many unknowns.