by L J Branch
“Yes…Julia, now!” Roderick ordered as he snapped his head back up. Gone was the hazel in his eyes and in its place was an electric purple. Black pooled in the whites of his eyes as he activated shadow synch. June’s eyes widened in alarm when Julia’s image vanished from inside the sphere only for the assassin to appear next to June. Julia glared at June with bright purple eyes, an ornate dagger clenched tightly in her hand that was covered in Roderick’s presence. In an instant, the dagger was buried up to the hilt inside June, pierced between her ribs. June lurched forward as blood spilled from her lips while her shield shattered like glass. “It doesn’t take much to shatter a mage’s shield, does it? If the weak spot is hit with sufficient force, the entire thing goes down rather easily.”
“You let me release the anchor…why?” June questioned as a look of morbid fascination covered her face.
“Information,” Roderick answered easily. “No matter how strong Morgana’s servant was, she still lost in the end due to information. Information is the greatest weapon in any war, and it’s why you’re dying now. Julia has been tailing you for a lot longer than you knew, waiting until she could identify your shield’s weak point. Then when the time was right, she allowed herself to be ‘caught’. The loss of the Circle’s anchor is indeed a tragedy, but we have three more and it was worth it in the grand scheme of things. Now that we know who is once more our enemy and what assets need the most protecting,” Roderick said with a smirk as Julia twisted the dagger. “So, let me be the first to thank you for your aid.”
“The trap I laid for you ended up being a trap for me…your reputation does not do you enough justice, Your Majesty,” June said weakly as she glared at him. “Let me bless you with some more information before I go, since you find it so precious. My death? Is only the beginning to your suffering,” June said darkly as she raised her staff at Vivi. “Obsessio!” June shouted with her last breath. A purple bolt of magic immediately blasted from the staff, right at the enforcer. Before the blast could connect, the gem on Vivi’s buckle glimmered and a ring of orange presence erupted from around Vivi’s body and intercepted the spell. The resulting explosion made Vivi cough as June fell lifelessly from the tree. A tense silence followed June’s failed attack on Vivi as the thieves’ shadow synch ended. Eventually Julia simply sat on the branch and swung her legs as she smiled down at them.
“I almost forgot how much fun working with you was, Roderick,” Julia mused before she gazed down at Vivi. “If it isn’t my old flame, did you miss me, love?” Julia asked playfully and if looks could kill, Vivi’s glare would have reduced Julia to ashes.
“You…”
“…will both settle this later,” Roderick ordered as he stepped in between them. “Right now, we have one more of those siblings to kill before the night is over. Stay focused so we can avenge our children,” Roderick said as he began to walk away. “I’ll request some Dolls to clean this mess up,” the two women glanced at each other briefly one last time before they followed their boss. Roderick was right, their children came first.
CHAPTER 19: The Prosperity Industries Job
Silicon Valley, Prosperity Industries
“Minerva, help me out,” Alice said quietly when she spotted a guard that blocked the entrance of the server room. “Get me his info.”
“Right away!” Minerva said before Alice’s contact lenses began to shift while various data was displayed in her field of vision. Alice watched in satisfaction as she saw the guard’s name and personal information. Alice quickly called a number she saw below his name and the guard was startled when his phone began to ring. The moment he pulled his phone out, Alice chose that moment to attack. Alice moved quickly and slammed a stun-gun into the side of his neck that took him down instantly. Alice looted his keycard and used it to enter the server room.
“Finally, we made it in,” Alice said as she dragged his body into the room.
“Query, why did we have to come to the server directly?”
“Because although you’re superior to Athena, it has had more time to evolve than you have. Athena can fend off any attack I can think of except for a direct one on her servers, an attack from the inside. Athena can make endless changes to its software but it is still limited by its hardware,” Alice said as she pulled off her cross and plugged it into the server. “Nothin’ is invincible, if you can’t attack it from the outside then attack it from the inside,” Alice said as she glanced around the room, and noted the gold “A” emblem on the monitors. “Athena’s not online, you’re going to destroy it and take its place. Transfer any information you find about P.I. and all of its business partners to the Wonderland servers.”
“Creator, when the upload begins, I will be unavailable and you will be compromised. Query, what is your plan of escape?”
“You let me worry about that, darlin. When I leave, seal this door and begin the upload,” Alice ordered as she made her way to the door. Nearly as soon as she stepped out of the room, alarms began to ring loudly throughout the building as the door behind her slammed shut. This was all the warning Alice needed before she made her escape.
* * *
“Alarms?” Lilia wondered as she aimed her staff at a sleeping Faith. A stream of healing energy released from the staff and covered the younger woman with a golden glow.
“Must be thieves. After what happened to their Princess, they will kill you both if they make it here,” Xavier muttered. “Damn I can’t afford to be wasting my magic on them, how much more time do you need?”
“At least an hour.” Lilia said with a grimace. “She was worse than I thought.”
“Shit,” Xavier said before he shook his head. “Doesn’t matter, right now you and Faith’s safety is what matters most.”
“Or perhaps, just Faith’s,” Lilia said quietly. “I have a spell that can transfer my life force to her. I can save her right now. My hands aren’t clean when it comes to this, I helped August-”
“Anything wrong you’ve done was to protect your family,” Xavier interrupted. “You don’t get to die for trying to do the right thing. Just wait here, believe in me,” Xavier pleaded which made Lilia frown as she seemed to search his eyes for something. For a moment, she no longer saw her younger brother but rather their father. Her heart clenched painfully as she forced herself to nod.
“Just be safe,” Lilia said as she hugged him tightly.
* * *
Visibly exhausted, Alice made her way down the numerous flights of stairs in an attempt to make it back to the ground level. When Alice spotted security on the stairs, she pulled a collapsible baton from her satchel and hit one of the guards over his head with it. Alice quickly snatched his handgun from its holster and took aim at the second guard. Before he could react, Alice shot him in his vest which knocked him off balance and made him crash down the steps. Tiredly Alice made her way down the stairs as the guard struggled to reach his weapon. Just as he grabbed his side-arm, Alice kicked it out of his hand and knocked him out with a well-placed kick to the head.
“Holy shit,” Alice gasped out as she weakly opened the door to the main lobby. Nearly as soon as she stepped through the door a large man quickly grabbed her. He lifted her up with ease as he ran toward a pillar. Alice panicked and tried to hit him with her stun gun only to find him unaffected by it. Pain exploded in Alice’s head when he slammed her back against a pillar with enough force to crack the marble. Alice groaned when he released her and slid down to the ground as he stood above her. Alice cursed when she saw a faint glow in his eyes and noted his almost lifeless demeanor. It was clear that this guard was not human. Just as he prepared to bring an end to her, his head suddenly exploded much to Alice’s surprise. She watched incredulously as she saw a small crystal in the remnants of his head before it shattered, reducing the man to rubble.
“What the hell are you doing here, Stone?” Diamond asked softly as she stepped from the shadows and made her way to the injured hacker. Though her mod-suit covered most of her body
, and she now sported a silky bob cut, Alice recognized that golden gaze instantly.
“Oh, you know me, always searching for a new hobby,” Alice joked despite her pain.
“Here, drink,” Diamond ordered as she handed Alice her flask. Alice pulled down her mask to take a sip of the nectar and shuddered when she felt her wounds stitch themselves back together. “I’ll admit it, part of me never expected you to actually use that mask.”
“Hey, it serves its purpose,” Alice said as Diamond helped her to her feet. “Damn it,” Alice muttered as dozens of guards entered the scene.
“Get down,” Diamond ordered as she stepped in front of Alice while both of her handguns formed in her palms. Diamond began to shoot down her opposition with deadly precision. Whether they were human or golem, Diamond showed them no mercy. Even shots Alice could swear Diamond missed exploded from the shadows and took down the security guards from impossible angles. Suddenly a few guards aimed at Alice and Diamond immediately jumped in front of her and shielded Alice with her body. “Are you okay?” Diamond asked when the gunfire died down. The sound of bullets hitting the floor echoed throughout the silent lobby as flattened bullets fell harmlessly off of Diamond’s body.
“Yeah.”
“Good. I’m going to go…”
“…yeah go do you.” Alice said as she scurried off to take cover while Diamond went on the offensive. Within moments, Diamond eliminated the rest of the security in the lobby. Alice was relieved but she couldn’t help but feel as if it were too easy. That feeling was soon proven correct when a massive fissure formed in the floor which Alice would have fallen into if she hadn’t jumped to the side at the last moment. The sound of a galloping horse was all the warning Alice had before the familiar form of the Dullahan sprung out from the fissure. Its horse landed on the ground with enough force to be felt by all those in the lobby. It raised its golden head at Diamond, its golden visor releasing an all too familiar light. “Watch out!” Alice shouted as the massive servant released a crimson beam of pure magic at Diamond who hadn’t turned around. Instead, she simply threw her guns to the side, as a black blur intercepted the Dullahan’s attack.
“This thing again?” Jack asked as presence crackled along the length of his gauntlet as Arondight absorbed all of the energy. When the attack ended Jack formed a frozen spear of ice in his left hand and raised it high. Jack threw it across the lobby and watched in satisfaction as it pierced the golden servant through its chest with ease. The ice spread rapidly and effectively turned the servant into a frozen statue. Diamond glanced back at the statue approvingly as its frozen helmet fell from its grasp and bounced toward Alice.
“You’re late.”
“Fashionably late,” Jack corrected. Diamond rolled her eyes while the severed head of the servant began to glow red, prepared to explode with the small amount of power it had left. “You know me, I have to make an entrance, unlike a certain girl we both know who’s always late to the party.”
“Uh…guys…” Alice trailed off as she tried to get away from the head. However, before it could explode, Kat rushed into the scene from behind Alice and kicked the head toward the frozen statue. Upon impact, both exploded and sent small crystals of ice flying harmlessly throughout the lobby. This was the sight that Xavier teleported into as the thieves bickered amongst themselves.
“First off, how can I be late to the party when it doesn’t even start until I show up?” Kat asked as she placed a hand on her hip. “Secondly, that is how you make an entrance, Jack.”
“Whatever,” Jack said as Kat turned to face Alice. It was only then when their eyes met that time seemed to come to a standstill. To say there was a lot Alice wanted to say would have been an understatement. The fact that Kat, and even Jack, were alive and there before her was almost too much for the hacker to handle. She wanted to say something, but when she started to do so, Xavier spoke first.
“Jack!? You’re alive!” Xavier exclaimed, unable to believe his eyes. The sound of Xavier’s voice seemed to flip a switch within Kat as she suddenly placed a finger over Alice’s lips.
“Hold that thought,” Kat said quietly before she quite literally vanished before Alice’s eyes. It was an eerie feeling for Alice because she knew Kat hadn’t moved, she could still feel her finger on her lips which meant that her lover had become invisible. When she felt Kat move, Alice had no idea what to expect from her. That said, when Kat suddenly reappeared in front of Xavier and kicked him into a wall, Alice realized that she probably should have expected something like that. “You son of a bitch!” Kat snapped as her whip formed more than eager to interrupt the would-be family reunion as she prepared to fight the surprised Xavier. When Kat swung her whip back, green presence coursed along its length while its serrated blades cut through the floor.
“Wait! We don’t have to fight! We want the same thing!” Xavier said urgently. “You want to bring down, August, right? I want the same thing!”
“Explain,” Diamond said coldly.
“Excuse me!?” Kat asked incredulously, surprised Diamond would even speak to the mage. In response, Diamond held up her hand to silence her as she clearly wanted to hear what Xavier had to say.
“He’s gone too far. I know the truth, everything he’s done. He’s the reason you lost your mother. He’s why Jack and I lost our parents, and now he’s endangering our sisters!” Xavier explained, his anger evident. “He started this war!”
“I know.”
“Then you see that we have a common goal. We can work together and stop him!”
“No,” Diamond said bluntly. “I’m afraid you can’t be trusted.”
“I understand your hesitancy, but you can’t defeat him alone,” Xavier tried to persuade her. “Do you even have a plan?”
“I do.”
“You do?” Jack and Kat asked their boss simultaneously.
“But surely this plan of yours can work better if I were to join you.”
“It would,” Diamond admitted. “But the risk is too great. You didn’t know it was us, you came down here to fight thieves. You’re protecting August’s ritual which means you are still under his control.”
“I came here to fight thieves, not to protect his ritual but to protect my sisters who August has trapped here,” Xavier explained. “If it were anyone else, they would not show them mercy. Not after everything that has happened in this war. However, you all I can talk to. We can work together. We can save them and stop August,” Xavier said as he turned to face Jack. “Your mother’s poison has spread and Lilia is doing her best to keep it at bay. When Lilia finishes Faith’s treatment we can face down August without any reservations.”
“Faith?” Jack said, momentarily lost in thought. “Bloody hell it’s been over ten years, she’s still kicking?”
“How long will this treatment take, Magnus?” Diamond asked after she felt Jack’s relief.
“Roughly an hour.”
“That’s far too long, August will be done and gone by then,” Diamond said as Xavier shook his head.
“We have no choice, we cannot risk their safety!”
“Look at the big picture, Magnus. You’re close to your sisters, I get it, you care about family. A lot more families are going to be destroyed if August gets control over a new Knights’ Order,” Diamond said firmly. “Your sisters mean the world to you, but my entire Guild is at risk. Their lives aren’t worth it. We may never get a chance like this again,” Diamond said before she turned to Jack. “Please, talk some sense into your brother,” Diamond said only to pause when she noticed Jack disappeared. “Frost?” Diamond asked again as she looked around for her missing bandmate. Diamond grimaced when she turned to Kat only to see that both she and Alice were just as confused about Jack’s sudden disappearance. “Juventas, help me,” Diamond muttered, clearly annoyed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose.
* * *
“Sorry, Xavier, but he needs to be stopped. We can’t waste any more time on this,” Lilia said quietly, a g
rim resolve on her face as she aimed her staff at Faith. “Hopefully, I can be a better person in the next life.”
“Why wait that long?” a voice asked and Lilia looked up to find Jack at the entrance of the room. Lilia frowned as she aimed her staff at him, prepared to defend her sister from the intruder. Jack chuckled and let his mask dissolve so that he could put Lilia at ease.
“Jack…” Lilia said breathlessly. “I thought you were dead! How did you get here!?”
“As if August could take me down,” Jack said cheekily as he gave her a wink. “As for how I got here, all I had to do was feel around a bit for your magic. It’s gotten powerful, but it still has the same warm feeling it did when we were children. I must say though, that serious expression, I would have never pictured you wearing that,” Jack said as he made his way to her and wiped her tears away.
“Look who’s talking, since when do you smile?” Lilia asked before she frowned and grasped his gauntlet gently. “And what the hell happened to your arm?”
“It was the price I had to pay to be here,” Jack said dismissively. “A small price compared to whatever the hell you were just about to do,” Jack said quietly as he looked down at the slumbering Faith and brushed some of her hair away from her face. “What are you doing, Lily? Didn’t you once tell me that us bastards have to stick together?”
“Jack...I…” Lilia started before stopping. “I have no choice, there aren’t any more options. The poison has spread too far.”
“You’re wrong, but I can’t fault you, the most obvious options tend to be the most overlooked,” Jack said as he pulled out his flask. Lilia said nothing as he leaned over the table and nudged Faith awake.