by Jaxon Reed
They stood in an arc with the egg coffin and the menhir’s base to their backs.
Carefully, from his perch in a tree 300 meters away, a French sniper held his breath and squeezed the trigger of his rifle.
The suppressor at the end of the barrel let loose a soft fffft!
A special bullet, designed just for this moment and supplied to the French Legionnaires ahead of time, plunked into the first fae on the left, sending his blood splattering.
The other fae watched him collapse.
Inside his chest the bullet had mushroomed from the impact, revealing an iron core. He began to die, a slow and agonizing death.
Ffft! Fffft! Ffft! Fft! Fffft!
A hail of iron bullets from dozens of snipers took the rest of them out, their spells evaporating as iron cores punctured vital organs, slapping into heads and necks.
The first one hit lay on the ground, its life rapidly fading as he watched the others fall.
With his last breath he whispered, “My brothers . . .”
Black slits appeared, blacker than the field’s surrounding gloom, as scores of fae stepped into the world.
Booker ran out from a behind a tree and emptied a large sack full of smart iron homing balls. They floated up and away, expanding in size and seeking out targets.
The nearest fae cast a microburst of wind at him, knocking him over. Booker scrambled back to his feet, then jumped into the air, bullets and iron balls swarming around him.
A blue-green slit appeared on top of the largest stone and Toya stepped out. She reached into a bag and tossed smart nets into the air, one after the other. Three fae went down immediately before the others noticed and started avoiding them.
Buster came shambling out of the trees like Frankenstein’s monster, arms stretched out and moaning. The fae immediately attacked him and he went down, but it was a pyrrhic victory. They found themselves targeted by all the smart iron in the vicinity. A dozen fae quickly fell.
On the other side of the field, the Walker stepped out from behind a tree and threw every spike, javelin and spear he had, about 40 different weapons.
They separated into multiple sharp pieces. Like the spheres and the nets they flew around, searching for targets.
But already, the fae jumped into hyper speed, looking for their own opportunities to strike. Several flitted over to the snipers at the site’s periphery.
Blue-green slits appeared behind the soldiers, and they dove through, their doorways closing before the fae could follow.
Martin, a tall blonde artificial man Tiff kept in her closet for back rubs, charged a fae with his sword, distracting it long enough that several soldiers got away. It turned on Martin in fury, destroying the construct with force spells.
Three fae managed to race after their prey through doorways.
They stopped, dropping out of hyper speed, suddenly in a new location. Here, it was also dark. Much darker than the field.
“Where are we?” one said.
His eyes grew round and he coughed. Then his strength left him, draining away like water.
He stumbled, then fell. The other two dropped beside him, just as suddenly weak.
One of the soldiers flipped an electric switch and the tunnel they were in lit up in a yellow glow. The fae lay on a black floor. The walls and ceiling around them were also black, streaked with dark red.
The soldier smiled at the writhing figures on the floor.
“Welcome to Alsace,” he said. “You are in an iron mine.”
He nodded to the other two soldiers nearby. They carefully set their sniper rifles aside, and drew iron blades from scabbards at their belts.
-+-
“Snipers are gone,” Jason said. “Heads up everybody. They’ll start sending us to parts unknown.”
Niko and Toya heard him. They fought side by side, spikes twirling.
A black slit yawned open behind them and a force spell sent a burst of air at them, knocking them backward.
They stumbled into the new reality and the slit snapped shut.
Both women paused in the new world, weapons ready. Beside them a tall and undamaged black obelisk stretched high into the sky.
Six black slits appeared and the fae waiting for them jumped out, slinging spells.
But nets dropped on them immediately, constricting movement and quickly shrinking until they could no longer move at all.
All six fell to the ground, struggling.
Niko smiled as three old men and three younger ones came out of their hiding spots and walked up to the women and the captured fae.
One of them said, “Your computer was right. This was a good place to be.”
“She’s pretty good at making predictions,” Toya said. “Thanks for the help.”
She drew an iron dagger from her belt and handed it to him hilt first.
“Would you like the honor?”
The old man’s eyes lit up.
He turned to his son standing beside him and said, “Hold it with me.”
The younger man nodded, and together they approached the nearest fae, knife held high.
-+-
Booker fought with two iron swords, pressing forward relentlessly.
Fae after fae charged him at hyper speed, but the iron from his undersuit and the swinging swords kept them away.
Four fell back and cast spells of air and energy.
The wind blew him backward. He made a motion with his hand and iron nets flew toward his opponents.
One of them hit its mark, wrapping up the unlucky target. The other three slipped away, regrouping at a distance and casting more spells.
Booker ignored them and took another step toward the egg-like container.
He was running short on time. He called all the smart iron in the area to his location.
Hundreds of knives, spikes, spears and nets rushed toward him. Other fae realized in an instant what was happening. They converged at the base of the menhir, trying to stop him.
The air swarmed with smart iron projectiles, all seeking targets. Nine more fae went down, spurting blood or wrapped up in netting.
But they all focused on Booker, casting spells. One sucked away the earth beneath him, and a giant hole yawned open in the ground.
But Darius was ready for it. He stepped into flight, hovering above the chasm instead of falling in.
He drifted forward, swords blurring, knocking aside spells and fae, never losing sight of the black egg coffin.
The fae intensified their attacks. They threw more and more spells at him while dodging iron and nets.
He grit his teeth and muttered, “Almost . . . there . . .”
The coffin loomed ahead, just a few feet away, when its time in this world began running out. It wavered, growing less material, preparing to drift back into the ether.
“No!”
With a final grunt of effort, backed by all his willpower, Booker lunged on top of the big black egg.
He gripped it tight as both he and the coffin winked out of sight.
12
The Walker bent down and raised his fist, clenching an iron dagger.
A fae, bound up in a net said, “Wait! You don’t know anything! I can—”
Thunk!
Jason slammed the dagger into the side of the creature’s forehead, waited a moment, then pulled it out.
He smiled, wiping clear blood on the grass and said, “I fell for that ‘higher knowledge’ ruse centuries ago. You don’t know anything I need to know.”
He sighed and stood up straight, looking out at the field littered with gray corpses. It was dark now, but a full moon provided plenty of light.
Buster and Martin were already gone, Cait having retrieved their bodies.
Several Legionnaires walked around, some looking shell-shocked. Fae bodies were strewn everywhere. Some of the fae had been killed by snipers. The gunmen now examined their remains out of morbid curiosity. They appeared completely alien to the men.
While most o
f the soldiers walked around in the moonlight, a small handful remained hidden and ready to fire at new targets just in case any appeared. But no more fae threatened the area.
Toya and Niko roved among the corpses carrying backpacks full of artificial microbes. They sprinkled powder over bodies and bloodstains. The microbes went to work, disintegrating any evidence the fae had ever existed.
Rick and Nancy gathered up weapons and nets, storing things in bags then shoving them into the Wildflower Room through open doors.
Nancy made a mental command, calling all smart iron objects to fly toward her. When a pile collected, Rick helped her shove them into bags, then pushed them back into Headquarters.
More doorways appeared as men came back from various locations. Some traveled many kilometers from other sites in France and elsewhere. Others stepped across from alternate worlds, from places preselected in case they were needed.
In half an hour all the corpses were gone, turned into dust by artificial microbes. All the weapons were collected and sent back.
Sergeants began herding soldiers back to the military transports. One by one, each man accounted for, the trucks fired up their engines and left.
On their way back to base Cait would wipe their memories, replacing them with bland recollections of a forgettable day spent performing dull field exercises.
The Fighters were last to leave, congregating around Jason and his group.
Louie walked up, leaning on a cane, and shook Rick’s hand, then Jason’s and the ladies’.
He said, “Thank you for letting us be a part of this.”
The Walker said, “Absolutely. Thank you for your help. We needed the numbers you gave us. Cait won’t wipe your memories, but I doubt anyone would believe you anyway, if you told them.”
“We’re used to that,” Louie said. “Besides, we don’t talk much about the fae, except amongst ourselves.”
Many in the group nodded.
Nancy gave Louie a hug, and everyone headed back to the tour bus.
As it pulled out of the parking lot, Jason turned his attention to Angela. She smiled back at him and the others.
She said, “I didn’t do much. But, thanks for letting me be here.”
“You did plenty, Angela,” Nancy said, giving her a hug, too. “I saw you stab a fae with pike.”
Rick said, “You fought the Nazis years ago. And you put up with us in that little cottage for months on end. We thought you might like to see the conclusion to our activities on your world.”
Angela said, “I will be forever grateful. And, I hope my memories stay intact too, if possible.”
Jason said, “If you get bored in the afterlife, look us up. We might have a few stray fae out there that will still need to be rounded up after you get there.”
Angela smiled, then stepped through a blue-green doorway leading back to her back yard in Hutto, Texas.
When she was gone, everyone looked at one other.
The Walker sighed.
He said, “Well, we killed more of them than I expected. That’s good. But, we lost Darius and we didn’t get Tiff back. Where are they, Cait?”
Cait’s voice came into everyone’s head simultaneously.
“I am not seeing them on any alternates.”
“That’s odd. Well, there can’t be too many of those left without monitors. We’ll have to get to work on that. Let us know the minute you find them. Darius probably needs some help, wherever he is.”
-+-
Booker felt the world grow firmer. Nothingness vanished, replaced by air, warmth and light.
He took a deep breath, sucking it in from his place on top of the egg. He looked around at his surroundings.
He seemed to be in a clearing. Light filtered through, diffused by heavy clouds.
Hulking nearby, a black obelisk stood tall and straight.
Awkwardly, he slid down off the container until his feet touched the ground. He felt along the edges of the big egg, trying to find a latch. But the surface was smooth.
“Cait? Cait, can you hear me?”
Nothing came back in his implant.
He frowned and said, “How many of these alternates are left with no monitors?”
He knocked on the egg. It seemed hollow, but the material absorbed the sound of his knuckles rapping on the surface.
“There has to be a way to open it,” he said, renewing his inspection of the exterior.
He looked around on the ground and found a rock, roughly the size and shape of a pancake.
He picked it up and swung it, striking the egg.
Clunk!
Nothing happened.
He swung it again, and again, hitting the surface over and over.
“Foolish, foolish man.”
He froze, his blood chilling at the sound of the unexpected voice, seemingly from nowhere.
Booker turned around, slowly.
Fading into sight, growing less ephemeral each second, a slightly larger than normal fae appeared.
The creature stared at him, expressionless. His large black eyes and small slash of a mouth carried no emotion.
The fae said, “Foolish men. You’re always so passionate. Filled with emotions like love and hate. So easy to manipulate.”
Reflexively, Booker reached into a pocket and pulled out a spike, his last remaining iron weapon.
Instantly it lengthened, turning into a six foot long spear.
The old fae glanced at it, and a look of contempt crossed its otherwise blank face.
“I have lived far too long to be taken down by the likes of you.”
He disappeared.
Booker crouched, trying to look everywhere at once.
To his right, a huge blast of pure energy rolled over him.
He ducked, but the iron undersuit deflected the spell easily.
Booker flicked his wrist, and the spike broke into six pieces. Each one became a homing missile. They flew out and about, looking for a target.
Another blast came, this time from his left.
The spell washed over him, but now the spikes had something to go on. Three raced for the invisible fae while the others darted around looking for a teleportation spell, hyper speed movement or additional targets.
One of the spikes nicked the creature in the shoulder, spilling blood.
“ARRRGH!”
Phoom!
A huge burst of air exploded, sending the spikes flying away and throwing Booker back against the egg.
“I’ve had enough,” the fae said materializing nearby. He reached out a hand and cast an incredibly powerful spell.
Hot white light shot out like lightning.
Booker jumped to his left and rolled. The bolt slammed into the ground where he had stood.
Zzzzzzap! Zzzzzap! Zzzzzzap!
Booker scrambled and dodged, the bolts barely missing him, huge plumes of dirt sprouting up where they hit.
Inspiration struck.
He turned and raced back to the egg as the fae lined up his hand again.
Booker jumped, a running leap toward the shiny black container.
Zzzzzzap!
QUABOOM!
The bolt slammed into the egg.
A circle of yellow energy burst out from the coffin, all its spells releasing at once in a huge explosion. The force of it caught Booker midair, sending him flailing away head over heels.
It blew the fae backward too, killing him instantly.
The force of the egg’s blast slammed into the base of the giant stone monolith. It cracked, a loud stony sound ripping the air.
The edge tilted away from the egg.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the obelisk leaned over.
Then it toppled in a rush, breaking into the three more pieces as it pummeled the ground with a loud rumble of falling rock.
Booker landed hard and tumbled, the force of the blast dissipating as he rolled. He stopped on his back, stunned.
He shook his head and stood up. He saw the egg and raced back to
it.
The explosion cracked it open. He pulled aside chunks of black ceramic-like material, now void of magic, enlarging the hole.
Inside, in a dark pool of water, Tiff fluttered her eyes open.
She squinted in the unaccustomed light, liquid pouring out of her ears and nose.
“Wha. . .? Where . . .? Darius?”
“I’m here. I’m here.”
He ripped off more chunks, reached in and gently pulled her up and out of the water.
Booker carried her in his arms off to one side. Water dripped from her and she started shaking in the open air.
He set her down gently on the ground, and took his shirt off, wrapping it tightly around her.
Then he hugged her, lending his body warmth as she shivered.
A slit of blue-green light appeared, rapidly growing wider. A breeze carrying the scent of grass and wildflowers wafted through. Jason stepped out and smiled at the couple.
He knelt down and touched Tiff’s wet hair, lightly.
She shivered, looking up at him, and said, “Hi.”
“Hi. Glad you’re back with us, Tiff.”
Cait walked out, carrying blankets. She gave them to Jason, who in turn gave them to Booker. He wrapped Tiff up and gently helped her to her feet.
“Where are we?” Booker said, tossing another blanket around his bare chest. “I thought we had most of the alternates set up with monitors now, but I guess this one doesn’t have any?”
“You could say that,” Jason said, grimacing.
“Why?” Tiff said, walking stiffly toward the door to the Wildflower Room.
Jason said, “It took us two weeks of searching until we finally figured out where you were.”
Tiff and Darius stopped before going through the doorway.
Booker said. “Okay. For us it’s just been a few minutes. Or, for me anyway. But I give up, where are we?”
“This is Original Earth.”
They looked back at the now tumbled and broken menhir.
“In France, I take it?” Booker said.
“Yup. This is the original Le Grand Menhir Brisé. At least now we know how it got broken. Presumably that magical blast sent out shockwaves to all the alternates.”
They stared at the fresh broken stone, a slight breeze blowing the dust away.