“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
“So you think you have everything figured out, huh?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at me. “You think your eighteen years on this planet is enough to tell you how everything works.”
“More than you.”
The guard chuckled, shaking his head. “You have some real stones; I’ll give you that. I've got a wife and three kids. I do this so I can keep a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs. It’s a good job.”
“I suppose if you don’t mind working for a sociopath.”
“Please. If I thought for a second that Drake was a crook, I’d haul him down to the police myself.”
“Drake’s creating a virus,” I blurted out. I didn’t know what it was about this guy, but I found myself trusting him. He didn’t get off on the power like the rest of Olympus security. He was calm, relaxed, and willing to listen to someone instead of threatening them. Something about him screamed that he was an honest man, a decent person.
“I’ve heard about that, its gene therapy. He's developing a new type of medicine."
“It’s not medicine. He’s killing people.”
“Why?” he scoffed, shaking his head at me.
“I’m not sure yet.” The guard pulled on his earlobe, his hand trailing down to scratch the day old stubble on his chin.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
He shook his head. “I’ve heard some gossip, but nothing like that.”
“You’re the head of security, check it out for yourself. Why do you think I broke in? I needed to get access to your servers and maybe get some proof.”
“I guess you didn’t find any.”
I moved so my back impeded the view of the other guards and held up the flash drive.
“Look at this for five minutes. If you’re not convinced, I’ll turn myself into the police,” I whispered.
The doors to the elevator dinged, opening up to a large office. The guard’s lips pursed as he grabbed my arm and led me inside.
“Why don’t you guys take your break? Get some coffee and donuts for me.”
“But Drake said…” they protested, glancing around in confusion.
“Drake told me she needed to see him, and I'm taking her there. She’s a five foot nothing, teenage girl. I think I can handle her.”
The guards disappeared as the doors closed. The guard reached into a pouch in his armor and retrieved a small black tablet.
“I wasn’t aware those were standard equipment.”
“We need them to monitor security equipment. Cameras, motion detectors, alarms and such.”
“Can’t you do that from the security office?”
“Sure, but sitting on my butt staring at a computer screen all day makes it difficult to do my job. You’re putting some serious faith in me by giving me this.”
“My friend has a copy. If anything happens to me, she can get it to the right people.”
“Smart.” He inserted the flash drive into the tablet and opened its contents. “I swear to God, if you screw me on this, we’re going to have problems.”
“I’m not.”
“Yeah, sure. Name’s Frank, by the way.”
He motioned me into the office, and I my eyes went wide at the sight. The room was more like a dojo, or a monument to war than a proper workspace. The floor was bamboo, and each step sent out a distinct knock that echoed across the office. Podiums stood every few feet, each one displaying weapons of every kind imaginable. They gleamed in the bright light, reflecting my image as I passed each one. Slits were visible in segments in the walls, and I felt the cold rush of air flowing from them as I walked over.
A balcony was on the far side of the room, and a man in an expensive suit gazed out over it, a glass of bright red wine in his hand. He sat in a throne-like chair and watched over the city, a satisfied grin plastered on his face. He unbuttoned his jacket, standing as he grabbed a gleaming gold walking stick.
“Good afternoon,” he stated, walking over to me. “My name is Daniel Drake. Do you know why I summoned you?”
“No idea.”
“I’m going to offer you a job, Miss Alexander.”
“Shove it. Why are you creating a virus?”
He chuckled. “You’re well-informed.”
“You created a virus, and you’re pulling people off the street to test it. You're killing people.”
“Yes and no, Miss Alexander. I am creating a virus, and there have been a few casualties testing it, but they are not people off the street.”
“So what, you’re killing particular people? Why?”
“Have you ever looked at this city? Most of the people here are lemmings, eager to fall off whatever cliff I tell them. They follow the celebrities I tell them to, form their opinions from the news programs I make, and go to the jobs I create for them. They are nothing, Miss Alexander,” he hissed, his voice dripping with contempt. “Most of the people in this city exist to elevate the unique. The skilled, the brilliant, and the talented. Even the so-called athletes here are pathetic. They’re content to hunt down fake zombies, board fake pirate ships, and live a fake life instead of forging their lives into something of worth.”
“The zombie-fest players that went missing…” I exclaimed, staring up at him in horror as I put the pieces together.
“They will be the first of a new breed. Soldiers meant for the coming war. Those gamers are content to be mindless drones, so I will make them drones that are worth something.” He stood up, spinning toward the city and holding out his hands in a grand gesture. “Imagine it, if you will. An army of the fastest, strongest, and toughest of this city. Beings stronger than any human.”
“How are you going to transform a few gamers into an army?”
“My virus will change them. They’ll no longer be the pathetic infants they once were. They will be powerful creatures, strong enough to rip a car in half, tough enough to shrug off bullets, unbeatable, unstoppable. An army that will obey my every command. Yours too, if you take my offer.”
“What the hell makes you think I’ll take that offer?”
“Because once I’ve tested the first batch to my satisfaction, I’m going to unleash the virus on this city. In a matter of weeks, there will be two groups of people: those I have transformed into my army and their food.”
“You’re serious,” Frank stated, his jaw dropping.
“Yes, Mister Wilkins, I am,” Drake replied.
“You’re insane. Do you have any idea how many people are going to die if you do this?”
“Tens of thousands,” he stated, brushing a stray piece of lint from his suit. “Hundreds of thousands if I can manage it.”
Drake’s pistol was out in a flash, and he aimed at Drake’s forehead. Drake chuckled at the gesture, glancing down at Frank as if he was an obstinate child.
“I can’t let you do that,” Frank stated, holding the weapon steady as he glared at Drake.
“I’m speaking to Miss Alexander, Mister Wilkins. It’s rude to interrupt.”
“You’re going to get your ass on the ground, tell me where you’re storing this virus of yours, and tell me how to destroy it.”
“If I don’t?”
“Then I’ll stop you.”
Drake laughed. “What makes you think you can?”
The weapon fired, causing seven miniature explosions. Each shot sent daggers stabbing through my ears, and I winced in pain. Each bullet arched toward Drake’s smirking face. A sudden force seemed to grip each one, causing them to stop mid air inches from his face.
“Any more interruptions?” he asked, gesturing at Frank. The pistol flew through the air, skidding to a stop at Drake’s feet. “Good, this will go better without any interruptions.”
“This is all Bond villain of you,” I interrupted. “With you’re telling us your evil plan and all, but what the hell do you want from me?”
“It’s simple; I need two items from you. I need your mother’s research and the bloodstone. I’d like them both. Please.”
“If I refuse?”
“Oh, that would be ill-advised.” The hidden doors in the walls opened, and Pyrus emerged. His sword caressed Laurie’s neck as he strode closer. The two walked inside, glee burning in Pyrus’ eyes.
“Pyrus. Long time. Taking more hostages I see.” I gave him a confident smirk, despite the screaming in my head. With a flick of his wrist, Laurie would wind up bleeding to death on the ground. I watched every step he took, my fingers reaching for the sword on my back.
“I find this entire thing distasteful,” the mercenary grumbled. “I plan on painting the walls with Drake’s blood the instant he pays me.”
“Charming,” Drake returned. “All I have to do is give the word, and your friend will die a slow, painful death.”
“You do realize I have no idea where my mom hid her research and don’t know what a bloodstone is, right?”
“I find that impossible to believe.”
“Gee, how did I know you were going to say that? Laurie," I asked, turning to her. "Did you make that phone call?” She nodded as tears flowed down her face. She trembled in Pyrus’ vice-like grip.
“Great, give me a second,” I said, motioning Frank to the side of the room.
“Listen. I need your help.”
“I take it giving the guy what he wants isn’t an option?”
“Not as such.”
“Alright, I hope you have a plan.”
“I’m sure I can take down Captain Steroids over there if you can keep Drake busy.”
“How sure?”
“He kicked my ass the last time we fought.”
“Great. That’s fantastic,” he muttered, letting out a long, slow breath.
“Do you have any better ideas?”
“Do I have any better ideas about taking down a sword-wielding maniac and a guy who juggles bullets with his mind? No, no I don’t. Do you have any backup?”
“If Laurie made the call, and traffic was light, then they should be downstairs in fifteen minutes. They’d have to cut their way through about fifty stories of guards and office workers. It could get real pointless, real fast.”
“Excuse me,” Drake stated, narrowing his eyes at the two of us. “Am I interrupting something important?”
“Don’t be stupid, of course I’m not going to help you,” I snapped at him. “Give me a second!”
Drake stared in shock as I glanced back toward Frank.
“On my signal I want you to run for the balcony and jump off,” I instructed, pointing in its direction.
“You expect me to jump off a balcony that’s fifty stories off the ground. Are you insane?”
“Relax, you’ll be fine.”
“I want to go on record as saying this is the most reckless plan I’ve ever been a part of.”
“Then you need to get to know me better. So,” I stated, unsheathing my sword and letting it gleam in the bright light of the office. “Do you want to play around with Laurie, or do you want an actual challenge.”
“You take great risks with your friend’s life,” Pyrus rumbled, his voice echoing off the walls. “I could end her life on a whim.”
“You could do that. Of course, if you do, then you’re proving yourself to be the same coward as Drake over there.”
Pyrus tossed Laurie to the side, grinning with anticipation as he marched toward me. “Well come on then, girl. Let’s see if you can earn your death.”
Chapter 14
The room erupted into chaos. Frank’s rifle fired, spitting out a series of miniature explosions. Glass shattered, and displays flew everywhere. Blasts of force shredded everything they touched. With each hit, the drywall exploded, and chunks of plaster fell from the ceiling. The sprinklers, twisted by the unleashed violence, managed to go off. Before long the deluge drenched the office in water that streamed up to my ankles.
And I was in heaven.
Each shard of glass, each hunk of wood and every twisted piece of metal was a weapon in my hands. I dodged and spun away from each attack, hurling glass like makeshift shuriken. Each one cut a narrow line into the mercenary’s skin, causing blood to flow into the flooded floor. He howled in rage as he barreled toward me.
“Stop dancing and fight like a man!” he bellowed, hurling himself in a blind tackle. I leaped over him with ease. Ripper’s training ran through my mind with every action. Each strike was something covered in an earlier lesson, each attack something I drilled against a dozen times before. I jumped off his back and leaped up to the exposed catwalk of the ceiling, giving an impish grin as I winked at him.
“Where’s the fun in that?” I mocked as he glared up at me.
“I’ll kill you for this, girl.”
“You’ll kill me for this? What did I do to you before?”
He growled and tore a hunk of rebar from the wall. The makeshift weapon jabbed like a spear, striking at me again and again. Each time I rolled away, dodging his attacks.
“Was this what you expected when you went to work today?” I shouted over at Frank, who growled as he dodged Drake's attacks. He used the debris as makeshift cover, diving to avoid the attacks. The force that streamed from Drake’s hands shredded each one.
“No, we save this excitement for the weekends!” he shouted, firing at Drake. Each bullet shot toward its target, then swerved away at the last second.
“Not having any luck over there, are we?”
Frank pointed to the side, and I rolled out of the way as Pyrus hurled a massive block that struck the ceiling. The end clipped me, causing me to shout as the flesh ripped from my shoulder. A loud pop echoed as my shoulder dislocated. I tumbled to the ground, giving a worried glance as Pyrus barreled toward me.
“Doesn’t seem like you’re having any luck either.”
“Want to switch?” I asked. I grit my teeth as my shoulder shifted back into place, pain surging through me with every movement.
“Sure, I’ll take down King Kong if you want a few rounds with Merlin over there.”
Frank snapped the weapon back onto his chest and grinned as he saw a gleaming black shotgun laying on the floor. He grabbed a pile of munitions and strolled over to where Pyrus stood. The mercenary howled, the spear leveled at Frank’s chest as he charged. A shotgun blast rang out, and countless miniature balls collided into Pyrus’ skin. He fell back, unhurt as the shot bounced off his skin. The gun blared, again and again, each shot driving him back toward the open elevator. The final blast pushed him into the open door, and he grinned with glee as the weapon let out an empty click.
“You’re out,” he snarled, moving toward Frank.
“Shut up,” Frank said in response. “Hold this for me, would ya?”
He rolled a grenade into the elevator and slammed his fist into the controls. The doors closed as a deafening explosion rocked the office.
“Lancelot looking fucker thinks he can come into my office and mess with me,” he said, staring down at the devastated elevator shaft.
“You happened to have grenades lying around,” I asked, jumping between blasts.
“I didn’t, but some moron decided to bring live grenades i
nto his office. I warned him they would cause problems.”
“Whatever. Get Laurie out.”
“I can’t, security has an alert that something was happening. With that explosion, every security officer in the building is going to come up those stairs.”
“How many?”
“Two hundred, maybe two fifty depending on if the guys decided to eat out or not.”
“Hold them off!”
“Hold them…I have one clip, a knife, and my hopes and dreams. How the hell do you plan on me holding them off?”
“I don’t know, improvise!”
Frank gave me an irritated glare, and I hurled myself across the room, crashing into Drake. We rolled across the wet floor, and he yanked a gleaming steel saber from his cane.
“You could have been a queen,” he snarled at me. “I would have given you power beyond imagining, and you spat it back in my face.”
“It seemed the thing to do,” I quipped.
“I’m going to kill everyone you’ve ever loved. One by one I will make them beg and scream for mercy as I peel the flesh from their bones.”
“Wow, you have anger issues. Has anyone ever told you that?” We dueled, spinning and dancing through the pile of rubble that remained of Drake’s office. The noise seemed to fade away, and the shrieking pain vanished as I focused on Drake. He raised his hand, causing shards of glass and stone to come flying through the air at his command. I dodged each projectile as he howled in frustration.
“Huh, I owe my dad an apology,” I said, grinning as I snatched each piece of glass out of the air. I grimaced in pain at the shallow cuts caused by the debris. “I guess those gymnastics classes weren’t a waste of time.” I kicked Drake, sending him reeling. He flew through the air, managing to grip on the side of the building. He stared up at me, helpless.
“I suppose you’re going to kill me, bitch,” he spat.
I hesitated. One blow from my sword, one stomp of my boot, and the threat to the town and my family would be over. Plus, he called me a bitch, and I don’t like that word. I stared down at him, victorious, my blade inches from his fingers. In that instant, I saw my mom’s face scowling down at me. I’d be no better than Drake, another monster who killed in cold blood. I sheathed my sword and sneered down at him, moving away from him to focus on Laurie.
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