Fisher And The Bears

by T Hodden

  *

  Ginger grinned broadly as he pressed the buttons in the dash of the fire engine that set the red lights flashing and the siren sounding. He had needed to use some improvised levers to drive the big red truck down the street, then to block the road. A few other cars had been parked either side of it as a makeshift barricade.

  Dad nodded from his vantage point as he turned to the residents. “Look, we will block them here and buy you as much time as we can. Get driving and don't look back. Just head for the nearest town and scatter.”

  “He is right.” Seraphine said. “Flee. My brothers and sisters do not care for your lives and with luck will be too preoccupied to chase you down.”

  The demon-tainted residents of the town, and those for whom the taint was so watered down by time it was lost, fled in a convoy, driving for the edge of town, as a small squad of bears drew the Overwatch into a fight by pelting any of the guards they could see with beanbags, bags of flour and water balloons. As the Overwatch gave furious chase towards the blockade Ted and Tiger were setting out a hose.

  “Now, hold on tight.” Tiger warned. “And ease on the pressure, because if you just go full blast-”

  “Incoming!” Ginger warned in a cry as he spotted the Overwatch closing in.

  “Time for somebody to cool off.” Ted said, as he span the lever on the end of the hose to full. Dad joined them on the hose before it sent them flying, instead helping to aim the sudden jet at the nearest Overwatch.

  “Knock them down.” Ankh said as she emerged from the side street to surprise the Overwatch, slamming her palms into the armour so hard she dented the metal and sent them flying. “I will keep them down.”

  Overhead Osiris screeched with unrestrained fury.

  “I can over the sky.” Seraphine yelled over the rush of water, snapping the pistol from her holster and firing off a burst of fire that drove Osiris into cover. The winged warrior did not remain there for long. His armour glinted sharply as he took to the sky once more (only slightly marred by the residue of duct tape) and swooped down sharply. He first tried to score a raking blow on Ankh, but she flipped herself out of the way and tried to help Seraphine find cover. But the part of his mind that ran purely on instinct predicted this and Osiris adjusted his flight to snatch Seraphine by her shoulders and lift her sharply into the sky.

  He was not prepared for the bear. It was the rust coloured bear who had been in the cab of the fire engine. He had pulled open his jacket to reveal a bright red tee shirt with an orange flame emblem on the chest. The bear had jammed a helmet over his ears and was shouting something about a Ginger Flame. He landed on the back of Osiris, one paw clinging tightly to the shoulder pad, the other holding a pocket knife.

  “Ginger no!” Seraphine tried to say as Osris rose high over the town. He span and rolled to try and shake the bear free. He had his hands full wrestling Seraphine. Ginger grinned.

  “So this strap for the gauntlets right?” Ginger asked, slicing through a strap on Osiris's arm with a quick sawing motion. It made the bird like warrior cry out as the armoured glove fell from his left arm and he lost half his grip on Seraphine. She braced herself as Ginger swung himself around and relieved Osiris of his other gauntlet. Seraphine dropped onto a rooftop with a roll and took careful aim at the flying warrior who was desperately groping for the hitch hiker on his back. Seraphine held her breath and pulled the trigger.

  A shower of feathers exploded from one wing as Osiris and his passenger spiralled away. Seraphine was torn for a moment between giving chase or helping at the blockade.

  “I am the GINGER FLAME!” Shouted the bear that was tumbling street wards.

  Seraphine glanced back to the blockade. The Overwatch had remembered they had pistols and were in the cover of alleyways peppering the truck with gunfire. The bears were now behind the blockade, falling back to the buildings. She hated having to choose, but crossed the rooftops until she was behind the Overwatch. Ankh had climbed a fire escape was about to launch an ambush. She paused until Seraphine joined her. She gave a smile of anticipation.

  Seraphine drew her sword and settled her nerves and steeled herself. When she moved it was in a lightning fast strike her brothers and sisters were unprepared for.

  *

  Osiris peeled himself from the floor. He had broken through the ceiling over an otherwise brightly lit forecourt. There were pumps that spewed crude chemical fuels into the bellies of cars and trucks. One had been knocked over as he had crashed. He clawed his way up to his knees. The stench of petrol made his throat feel raw. The puddle of fuel reflected the lights of the store in a rainbow of colours. The puddle in which he knelt, entangled in the remnants of a petrol pump.

  The bear, the Ginger Flame was stood over him. Behind his helmet he was grinning. In his hand he had flicked open his pocket knife to the Flaming-Torch tool. He was holding it without shaking or any sign of nerves.

  “So the way I see it, if somewhere out there, there is a Creator, a God, an authority on all things and you are truly doing his work, he should be watching pretty close right now.” All the humour and joy, all the light and charm vanished from his smile. “Would he intervene to see his will done? Or would you enter the next life knowing that this was his will. An explosion. At the paws of a humble little bear?”

  “You are bluffing. You are no murderer.” Osiris said. “You do not have the stomach to cleanse the world. You can not fool me.”

  “Clever bird like you? It would take a miracle.” Ginger said. He flicked the switch on his knife. The small torch crackled. “Cleanse.” Click. “With.” Click.

  “Wait.” Osiris squawked. “Please. I... Surrender.”

  Ginger held out his other paw to show Osiris the flints from his torch. He popped them back into the tool on his knife. He chuckled.

  “So I got a miracle.” He tilted his head. “What does that say about your game eh?” He popped the knife in his pocket and brandished some duct tape. “Any chance you can get your boys to stand down?”

  Osiris snarled. “And if I was bluffing?” He demanded, reaching for one of the loose cables in the wreckage of the pump. It sparked and crackled. “I am willing to meet my creator and know I do so with out regret. Are you?”

  Ginger gulped.

  Osiris jammed the sparking cable into the petrol. It did nothing. He frowned and tried again, once more bracing himself for oblivion. But nothing happened. In a fury he drove the cable into the puddle. The cable stopped sparking.

  “Thank you kindly mister Singularity sir.” Ginger whispered.

  “What are you?” Osiris asked, as Ginger bound his clawed hands in tape and dragged his prisoner clear of the petrol station. When they were down the street a way the petrol station exploded in a sphere of white and orange flame, sending wreckage and smoke in all directions.

  “I am the Ginger Flame!” Ginger roared.

  “The Singularity protects you?” Osiris was ashamed. “Why does he betray us?”

  “Maybe he grew up and realised that floods, plagues and mass murder is just plain wrong?” Ginger shrugged. “Perhaps he doesn't like you using his name as an excuse. Kind of goes against the idea of peace, love and good will to all message that he is meant to stand for.” Ginger wagged a paw. “Blimey, isn't it meant to be the Devil who does all the naughty stuff?”

  “I am no vessel of the Darkness.” Osiris snapped. He looked at the raging inferno and to the bear that he had tried to cremate in the puddle of fuel. “Am I?” He asked sadly.

  Ginger wasn't sure how to answer.

  “Maybe you need to decide that for yourself. Quite quickly.” Ginger said. “That is what Fish would say.”

  Osiris nodded. “All units stand down and pull back.” He whispered to his helmet. “We are warriors of the Singularity. We fight for honour, not mindless slaughter. Let the citizens of this town flee to sanctuary. Remember who we are.”

  *

  Seraphine heard the order in her helmet. She could see the confusion in the
warriors she had been trying to subdue. Some withdrew, some were lost to their rage. Ankh must have sensed something too. She shot Seraphine a look.

  “You heard Osiris brothers.” Seraphine snapped. “These bears defend the retreat of civilians. Would you really betray our code so easily? You were drawn to this fight by harmless pranks and you seek bloody revenge? Why?”

  “For Azrael.” One of the Overwatch said. “You were deaf to his cries. You should never have been on this mission.”

  “Azrael?” Seraphine felt the tremble in her voice. “That is not possible.”

  *

  Sylas held a crystal ball in one hand as he leant on a grave marker and watched the chaos unfold.

  “Bears.” He muttered. “You just can't plan around bears.” He frowned and gestured for the crystal ball to enlarge the image of the bears, under the fire truck sniping at the Overwatch with a high powered hose. “Tiger.” He seemed confused. “I thought she went with him.” Realisation dawned. “But I would have felt it if he returned. I must have. I monitored the Veil.”

  Did you monitor the portals through which Amduscias weighed his influence upon this town from the realm in which he was imprisoned? The Skein asked from within the casket.

  “The what?” Sylas frowned. “No. I could find no such doorways. No!”

  The question is if Mister King could find them.

  “Overwatch. King is in the town. Find him. Bring him to me.” Sylas spat the order. “Alive.” He growled the word with venom. “Soon my friend. Soon you will burn with a fury that will sate you for an eternity.” He forced himself to look away from the casket. He waved the remaining guards away to search the town. “Come on Fish. I'm alone now. Time for you to show yourself.”

  *

  “He's alone.” I said, peering out of the window of the church into the yard. “Time for me to show myself.” I was leaning on the side. Barely able to stand. I felt pretty rotten for a number of reasons. For a start I knew this was going to end so badly when I told Doreen to trust me. Whatever happened to me she would end up where she was meant to be, but I am fairly sure she would never forgive me. I also felt rotten because I was running a fever and shivering my way out of my skin. My body kept feeling too weak to stand and the world kept lurching around.

  Doreen. I could not bring her here. Not for this. There was me. The sword. Gwyn and Polly. Doreen had her own job to do if this was going to work. Gwyn and Polly were arguing over the sheet music for the organ.

  “It should be something heroic for a showdown.” Gwyn said. “Look, this one is March of the Gladiators, which sounds pretty exciting.”

  “No music.” I repeated. “Just turn on the flood lights.”

  Polly slammed the circuit breakers for the outside lights. The Graveyard was suddenly illuminated in a sharp and sterile neon light. Gwyn ignored me and cooed as he saw one of the sheets of music hidden at the back of the pile. “I have no idea why the church would have this, but I like their style!” He declared, furiously pulling valves and priming the organ. His paws fell on the keys with a flourish.

  “Come on.” I said to the sword. “Let's get this over with.” I kicked open the doors to the yard and stepped into the light.

  *

  Doreen stood at the town limits and looked down at the magic circle by her feet. She had a can of white spray paint in her right hand, and in her left a sheet of paper on which I had drawn the runes she needed to paint over, and the runes she needed to use.

  “Okay Fish,” she said quietly, “you better not be giving me this as make work.”

  “Of course he is.” The voice behind her said kindly. “It is the job that will pretty much keep you as far from him as possible.” The King of the Other-World said in a gentle Celtic tone. “But it is also the most important job. It will save lives and it needs a soul as strong as his to work.”

  “All his strength, everything he lost, was spent on me wasn't it?” Doreen asked.

  “You went where there is meant to be no returning from.” The Grey King said.

  “He is going to die tonight?” Doreen asked. “That was your plan. For him to give everything he has to the Skein to tame it?” She felt cold anger fill her. “Is that it?”

  “It was my plan.” The Grey King smiled. “I prefer his plan.”

  “Have I let him walk to his death?” Doreen demanded. “Because I am all for saving the world, and I have never pretended that is not a risk, but-” She looked startled. “Seeing me torn away from him was the most terrible thing I can imagine him enduring. Is that what he wishes to spare me?”

  “No.” The Grey King said, taking the can from her and spraying new runes on the magic circle, they began to glow with power. “He is afraid of what you will see him do.”

  Doreen opened her mouth to say something. She closed it again.

  “The residents of the town are free. All that is left in there are bears, traitors, and Fisher.” The Grey King checked a pocket watch. “We have to be ready before the bears retreat.”

  Doreen nodded. The world depended on her.

  *

  “Time to fall back.” Tiger shouted. “Out of the circle.”

  Ted nodded as they left the hose pumping and crawled out the far side of the truck. Dad, Seraphine, Ankh, and Osiris were already overseeing an exodus of bears towards the edge of town. Dad was looking worried, but Ginger was not giving him time to think. He was hopping from foot to foot in a panic.

  “Time is up.” Dad yelled. “Everybody out.”

  His words were answered by an ursine stampede. Osiris did not move. He checked the ammunition in his pistol and put one hand on his sword.

  “We have to go.” Seraphine barked at him. “Move it soldier!”

  “You have to go.” Osiris said. “I... Did this. Keeping them within the circle is my responsibility.”

  “Do not be a fool.” Seraphine growled. “There are enough warriors still loyal to Skein to overwhelm us.”

  “And you will escort our friends out of here.” Ankh said, standing beside Osiris. “We will hold the line.”

  As the first of the Overwatch spilled over the barricade of cars and trucks Seraphine ran after the bears, dragging Dad with her. She did not look back as the sounds of battle flooded through the street and she lost sight of Osiris and Ankh in the maelstrom of combat.

  *

  Doreen stood by the side of the road as the evacuation commenced. The bears flowed out as a tide, with the Overwatch close on their heels. As soon as Dad was across the line he sprinted to Doreen.

  “Power up the circle! Trap them in!” Dad shouted.

  “No wait.” Seraphine was flushed and at the edge of exhaustion. “Osiris and Ankh covered our retreat. We have to give them time to get clear.”

  Dad glared at the approaching Overwatch.

  “They were very brave.” He said solemnly. “We can't let their loss count for nothing.” He doffed his beanie hat. “I am so very sorry.”

  Fate chose that moment to prove him wrong. Osiris could barely fly with his injured wing, but through supreme effort he swooped above the horde, Ankh in his arms. Her body limp and unmoving.

  “She refused to back down until she could no longer stand.” He explained. “She lives but barely.”

  “Power up the circle.” Dad said.

  “Fish will be alone. He will-” Doreen whispered.

  “If you step in that circle when I activate it,” The Grey King said, “you will be exorcised too. He did not bring you back so you could throw your existence away. Trust him.”

  Doreen nodded and muttered the rite to power up the circle.

  *

  Sylas clutched at his head and howled as I approached. For a second he shuddered, then he stood.

  “Oh very clever. You had the ghost change the circle around the town? Now we are all trapped in here?” He asked.

  “Overwatch aren't of this world. They can be exorcised. I think between them all the bears can manage it.” I said. The sword wa
s at my side. I held the handle and steadied myself on it. “So, is there any chance I can persuade you to stand down?”

  “None.” Sylas seemed confused. “The genie is out the bottle. The Skein is powering up. You either help me give the Skein the power it needs to complete the mission I have given it, or you refuse and I unleash it on the general population. Untold thousands and millions, or a meagre handful needed for my coup. Which weighs easiest on your shoulders?” He swallowed. “Why did I tell you that?”

  I showed him the facet of the singularity I had hidden under my coat.

  “Who do you want to die?” I asked.

  “My father. His direct associates. All his agents who are pawns on his boards. The members of the Overwatch who will resist me.” Sylas smiled. “Not so many is it? A few thousand at most.”

  “I was not asking you.” I snapped. I looked towards the casket. The thing that had once been a warrior called Azrael of the Overwatch that was now called the Skein. “Who is it you wish to kill?”

  The casket opened and a silver mist rolled out towards me.

  *

  “He was called Azrael.” The Grey King was sat in the middle of the road, staring into the ranks of Overwatch that had found themselves trapped on the other side of the barrier. “He was cast from the Order for his brutality and his punishment was to have his desire for blood become his entire being. To be the ultimate weapon of the Singularity. And of course, to live with every drop his spilled forever in his memory. Never to fade or to be forgotten. But by the time whispers of his tale reached Earth they were broken, fogged, misunderstood. The man who would rise and see all evil cast off the Earth and all doers of evil punished, instead of the monster who will eat the souls of everybody who is considered undesirable. They took the myth, that had become a noble thing of light and hope and they built an order around it. They idolised it and for a time it could influence them. They thought they were working towards a moment of goodness, but they had entwined their fates to thing of shadows and grief.” He looked at Doreen. “I did what was required to set the Order on a path of redemption, so when the child of their prophecy was born he would not fulfil their ambitions. I am so very sorry.”