Typhoon of Steel

by Marshall Miller

  “Abby–san, no!” the samurai said in Japanese. “Remember our training. Control. Do not let this anger control you. Control it.”

  Abigail stopped pushing, began to shake. Sergeant Rolf and others arrived, went to the black Sergeant, saw it was too late. She was beyond help.

  “You!” Abigail yelled at Malcolm. “Someday you will face Final Judgement. Explain to Jesus Christ and God why you killed an innocent. Explain that.” She turned in Ichiro’s grasp, whispered in Japanese, “I am in control now. I need to get out from the sight of this horrible fool.”

  Ichiro kissed her on the forehead, then released her. She walked, then bounded up the metal stairs.

  “Sergeant Knudsen. We need to get this…man here up on deck and secured.”

  “Yes Sir.”

  “One minute,” interrupted Ichiro. He grabbed the injured Malcolm Carter and pulled him over to the corpse of Porsche. “What color is that blood? Red, yes?”

  Ichiro pulled his tanto knife and in one quick motion, slit a finger.

  “See? Red blood also.” He reached over and pulled Torbin’s bloody knuckles up to the former Mayor’s face “See? Red blood also.”

  He put his face inches from Malcolm. “We all bleed red, no matter our skin color. I thought, you, of anyone, would realize all of us here with red blood are in this together. Baka.” Ichiro turned from the now silent Malcolm and ran up the stairs to find Abigail.

  “Torbin Bender!” Andrew’s voice vibrated and shook the trawler. “We must leave. Now.”

  “Shit,” said Torbin. Everything had been forgotten in the death and violence.

  “Sergeant Knudsen. Mr. Crater is in your hands.”

  “Yes Sir,” said the huge twin of Rolf. Within moments, he was almost carrying the black man up the stairs to the day room and kitchen area. As Gunnar set him down, most of the women and children moved away from him. They had heard what had happened.

  Torbin met Abigail and Ichiro on the deck below the hovering Falcon.

  “Here,” he handed Abigail her lever action Marlin. He had Malcolm’s Sig Sauer in his belt, his 44 Magnum pistol still in his shoulder holster. Ichiro had recovered his bow and arrows.

  “Are we good?” He asked.

  “Yes, big brother,” replied Abigail. “With you, we are always good.”

  “Okay. Andrew and duty call.”

  Torbin looked skyward and the underside of the Falcon opened. In a moment, the three were whisked aboard the Falcon and out of sight by metallic tentacles. The Falcon was gone in a blink of the eye.

  “I hope the Colonel knows what he is doing.” SSgt. Wall said from the wheel house.

  “I believe he does, my friend.” Bjorn Heyerdahl said. “If anyone does, he does. Now, Helmsman, let us get underway before more Krakens show up. We need to get the women and children to safety.”

  “Aye aye, Sir.”

  The Falcon sped across Georgia, down to and across the Florida Panhandle and across the Gulf toward Key West.

  “This is smooth and fast,” said Ichiro the fighter pilot. “Maybe I could pilot a Falcon someday.”

  “That may be arranged, if all goes well in the next sixty minutes of so.”

  “If not?” Abigail asked.

  “Then we and the Earth may be in for more pain and destruction, if this fool the Wizard has his way.”

  “Nice to know that Tschaaa Lords can be as stupid and childish as humans,” said Torbin.

  “Has that ever in doubt, Torbin Bender?”

  “Hm. I guess you have a point, Andrew. Which then begs the question how they defeated us so quickly.”

  “Surprise and stealth initially. Then through pure terror perpetrated by Tschaaa and Kraken. And sometimes by my fellow cyborgs.”

  Torbin flashed a feral grin. “Terror? They ain’t seen nothing yet. They have now have awakened the sleeping dragon.”

  Andrew seemed to communicate silently through some sort of uplink.

  “Something unusual is going on near Key West. I will pull in near the Marathon Airport where they are holding the Director’s wives and children, as well as others imprisoned. Their plans for them are not nice.”

  “Just put us down fast, on the move Andrew. We’ll do the rest.”

  “Thank you, Torbin. The thought of innocent children being harmed at this date is no longer acceptable. Which is one of the reasons why I helped institute this revolution in thought, and helped the breeders. Eating anyone’s young offspring is nauseating.”

  “Well, I guess beef veal cutlets are off the menu.”

  “You will soon grow them in a vat. Just wait.”

  The Falcon went low and seemed to slow. “The ramp will open, you three will have to leap out and roll as if you have just come in on a parachute.”

  Torbin looked at Abigail and Ichiro. “Ready, my brother and sister?”

  “We are always ready, by your side, Torbin.” Answered Abigail. “The Lord is with us this day. I feel it.”

  “Yea, though we walk through the Valley of Death, we shall fear no Evil,” said the Marine. “For we are the biggest, meanest badass people in the valley.”

  Ichiro flashed a large grin. “As we used to say, banzai!”

  The center ramp began to drop, and the three immediately went to it. They began sliding down it as Andrew yelled, “Now!” The craft came to an almost stop several feet from the ground. The three warriors dropped off the ramp and rolled as the Falcon then accelerated straight up.

  With practiced ease the three formed a loose triangle and began to move toward the Marathon Airport, Andrew had dropped them some fifty yard from the southeast corner. They made their way past a couple of old maintenance buildings and a rusting small hangar.

  “There,” whispered Ichiro. “There is a wire cage up on that grass taxiway. It contains people and children.”

  “Sharp pilot’s eyes, Ichiro. Okay, Abigail, right. Ichiro, left. I’m up the middle.”

  No sooner than he had said that then four ghillie suited individuals popped up from the long uncut grass and brush surrounding the rarely used airport.

  “Freeze, motherfuckers!” A voice called out.

  A voice broadcast from an airport sound system. “Bring them to me. We were expecting them.”

  The four Krakens relieved the three of their firearms and marched them, hands on heads, up the airfield toward what seemed to be some seated figures near the large cage, the lengthening shadows of sunset making identification difficult. Torbin cursed himself for allowing them to be caught so flat-footed. He had come to assume all Krakens were poorly trained beasts. He was wrong.

  Torbin saw the cage had been made from sections of chain link fence, and formed a complete box around some very upset children inside. He heard a loud female voice screaming from the north side of the cage area and looked over. The screamer was Kat Monroe, chained with two other women by their throats to heavy cement blocks, hands tied behind them..

  “You motherfuckers had better not hurt my kids!” She screamed. “I’ll cut your nuts off with a dull razor blade, stuff them down your throats!.” She was so focused screaming at the seated individuals that she did not even notice Torbin. He looked at whom she was screaming and now recognized Reverend Kray and Talbot, seated, with several very large individuals standing around as security.

  Kat kept screaming even after a female Kraken slapped her hard across her face. “Shut up—you’re giving us all headaches.”

  Kat lunged at the Kraken, but was stopped short by the dog chain attached to her throat. “I’m going to kill you, bitch!”

  Mary bumped her back. “Just wait, Kat. Adam will come. I know it.”

  Reverend Kray stood up and addressed the approaching captives.

  “Ah, Torbin Bender. We meet at last. With the Samurai and Avenging Angel we have heard so much about. I assumed you would be much more… difficult.”

  “The day is not over yet, Rev. Although I must admit, I underestimated the skillsets of your people.” The sle
nder, black haired Reverend, who some said resembled a human vulture smiled broadly.

  “Yes. These people were hand- picked. Those who failed to meet my standards were…eliminated, shall we say. But come closer, let us converse as civilized humans while we still may.”

  Torbin snorted. “Civilized humans do not eat each other. At least not in any civilization I know of.”

  “Ah, Colonel Bender. You forget the Mayans and the Aztecs, who were reported to have eaten the hearts of enemy warriors after sacrificing them. They were considered civilized for their time.”

  “That was then, this is now. “Abigail broke into the conversation.

  “Ah, the Avenging Angel speaks. Bring her closer. I wish to see the person whose file is so interesting.”

  Ichiro growled a bit as she was shoved forward, hands still on top of her head. She glanced at him as if to say, “Don’t” and was walked toward the Reverend by a guard. He rose from his large padded chair that had somehow been brought to the Airport.

  “Careful, Sir,” warned Talbot. “She has teeth.”

  Reverend Kray snorted. ”Yes, I read your report, Talbot. However, she knows that her husband will be shot first should she try anything, don’t you, my dear?”

  Abigail spat on the grass. “You blaspheme the idea of a Reverend. You are a monster who eats little children. You will pay for this on Judgement Day.”

  Kray laughed. “Judgment Day? With your God? Hardly. I think H.P. Lovecraft had it correct. There are Elder Gods who existed well before your Christ and his Father. The Kraken is their symbol. The Tschaaa were their Chosen Ones.”

  He sighed. “But they were so easily corrupted on this planet. So it is time for I, the most Reverend, to show them the correct way to worship, to live. Which is what I and the Lord Wizard are about to do.”

  “By killing people with rocks from space, as well as Tschaaa? Insane.”

  Reverend Kray frowned at Abigail. “Let’s not be rude, my dear.”

  Kat chose that moment to yell again. “They’re going to kill you, asshole. I can feel it.”

  Reverend turned angrily to Talbot. “Shut her up. Now. I am tired of her mouth.”

  Sarah Fassbinder yelled out. “You sick bastard. I hope you choke on your next meal.”

  “Her also. We do not really need them.”

  “The Wages of Sin is Death, Evil One.” Abigail hissed at Kray.

  “I think, all you young women need some lessons in manners.” Kray looked at the Kraken holding Abigail. “Strip her of her clothes. Maybe without her vestments, she will not be so ready to talk back to her elders.”

  Ichiro began to curse in Japanese. One of the Kraken guards jabbed his assault rifle barrel into the Samurai’s face. “Shut you hole, slant eye.”

  The Kraken holding Abigail slung his rifle, and started to unstrap her body armor.

  There was a blur, a thwack, and a broad tipped arrow seemed as if by magic to impale the throat of the Kraken. It happened so fast, that time itself seemed to slow. Then the Kraken, eyes bulging, grabbed the arrow shaft as he toppled over. Another arrow impaled the throat of one of the Krakens guarding Torbin. And all hell broke loose. Abigail was a blur as she closed with Kray and rode him to the ground, thumbs gouging his eyes. Talbot and the Krakens standing around were conflicted in what to do, there being arrows coming from the lengthening shadows of sunset, as well as the problem of hitting Kray if they started shooting. Talbot moved up to help Kray as the others just stared into the woods.

  The Kraken with the barrel in Ichiro’s face discovered the mistake of getting this close and personal with a Jujutsu expert, as his rifle was wrestled away from him. The Kraken was quick and managed to pull the trigger, a short burst missing Ichiro’s face as the New Samurai crushed the man’s trachea with an edge of the hand blow. The burst struck the last Kraken guarding Torbin in the body armor underneath the ghillie camouflage. As the Kraken stumbled back from the shock, Torbin leapt on him. The Marine broke the man’s nose and jaw, then ripped his rifle from his grasp. A quick turn around and Torbin shot the Kraken between the eyes.

  As Talbot started to pull his knife to stab Abigail and not risk a bullet penetrating and striking Kray, Abigail let loose of the screaming Kray and caught Talbot’s knife hand in a painful wrist lock. A quick twist and Talbot screamed as well as his wrist was broken. As the Kraken second in command tried to break free of Abigail’s grasp in order to get his rifle into play, Abigail closed with him and headbutted his nose, breaking it. Talbot fell back. Another arrow impaled one of the Krakens near the Reverend, and the remaining two Krakens began to shoot wildly into the brush and shadows of the northern side of the airport. Several other Krakens who were guarding the vehicles in the parking lot about a block away came running, yelling, asking what was going on. Torbin used the now dead Kraken’s rifle to begin firing on the approaching men, as well as at the two remaining guards for the Reverend.

  Three low brown streaks came bursting out of the shadows behind the Krakens, slamming into the unsuspecting armed personnel. The Black Masked Curs bit and ripped, wild shots missing them in the pandemonium. As Kat screamed at the sights of revenge, she felt a presence behind her. The bonds on her hands were cut, and a huge double bladed axe parted the chain at the cement block.

  “Get them,” Dogman growled in her ear. Kat screamed and leapt at the nearest of the two female guards near them, both distracted and confused by the attack. They were armed only with cattle prods, Reverend Kray not wanting the chance of accidental death of the women until he said so.

  Kat hit the dishwater blonde in a linebacker rush, knocking the cattle prod from her grasp. The remaining female Kraken turned to shock Kat and was hit by a flying tackle from Mary, followed by Sarah. Kat screamed incoherently and began to beat the guard she straddled to a bloody pulp before she wrapped the remaining length of chain from her neck restraint around the Kraken as a garrote, pulling it as tight as she could.

  Dogman, in painted camouflage straight out of the original Conan movie and a jock strap, nothing more, advanced toward the Krakens his dogs were attacking. One Kraken who was still armed and functioning, kneeled to aim his rifle at him. Max the Mastiff chomped his entire head in his jaws, as he finally caught up with the quicker Curs. The massive jaws crushed the man’s head like a walnut in a nutcracker. As Abigail began to beat Talbot to a bloody pulp, Reverend Kray somehow got to his feet, half-blinded. He pulled a pistol from underneath his suit coat. “I’ll kill you all! You…” His screaming rant was cut short forever by Dogman’s thrown battle ax, as it clove his skull. The body toppled over, and laid still. Dogman continued on toward his dogs. Ichiro stepped up and, with his recovered katana, decapitated two of the Krakens the dogs were mauling, causing both Curs to both leap back in surprise as blood began to spurt form the now headless necks. The third Kraken died from a ripped out throat.

  All of the enemy was now down, dead, or dying. Torbin heard feral screaming and rushed to where Kat and the other captive women were. Sarah was clawing the face of the female guard to bloody ruin as Mary broke the woman’s fingers to tear the cattle prod form her grasp. But it was Kat who Torbin went to first.

  “Kat. Stop. It’s Torbin. She’s dead. You’re cutting her head off with that chain. Kat.” He grabbed his brother’s former fiancée. She looked up at him with wild eyes, covered in blood.

  “T, T, Torbin. It’s you.” Then she looked at the chain in her hands, realizing what she done. She scrambled to her feet, and looked at the remains of the body.

  “I told you I would kill you, you bitch.” Then Kat began to cry, grabbed and held onto Torbin.

  The Marine heard a clanging and smashing noise, turned and saw a figure at the cage of children, breaking the lock with a Norse battle ax. It took a moment to recognize Brynhildr, as well camouflaged as Dogman, with her hair dyed black but with some light clothes on.

  “Come. Little ones. A cage is not for children. It is for evil creatures such as Krakens.”

 
; The sound of the children crying for their “mommies” broke the spell of Sarah, Mary and Kat. They stopped their rampage and ran to the children.

  Brynhildr walked up to Torbin, a small smile on her face.

  “I see you had some…difficulties.”

  “Where in all that is holy did you come from?”

  “A certain Commissioner of Law Enforcement thought a couple of undercover agents in Key West might be of help during the Conference of the Lords. We were trying to reach the Director, but, well, we heard they had captive children here.”

  Dogman walked up with all four of his dogs in tow.

  “Some Krakens had a roadblock preventing Conch Republicans from entering here.”

  “What happened to them?” Torbin asked.

  “They feed the fishes in a nearby inlet.”

  Torbin laughed. Then he grabbed, hugged and kissed Brynhildr.

  “Please. Colonel. We are both married.”

  “And I for one would be dead right now if not for you, and this large piece of manhood, Dogman, here. So, I think that warrants hugs and kisses.”

  Dogman frowned at Torbin. “Stop with Brynhildr.”

  This caused Torbin to laugh more.

  Abigail came up, hugged her cousin, and her uncle. “I knew you would always be there.”

  “Of course,” said Dogman. “We are family.”

  “Your black hair looks nice on you.”

  “Yes? Maybe I will surprise Rolf with it.”

  “Talbot is still somewhat alive, Torbin. If you wish to speak to him.”

  Torbin started to turn, then stopped. “I don’t know what he could add. Kill him.”

  “No, Torbin. I am not an executioner.” Abigail looked into his eyes, and Torbin realized what she said. He let out a big sigh.

  “You’re right. No need to turn into Krakens to defeat them. Alright. We’ll let the locals take care of him. I don’t see him running anywhere fast.”

  “I broke the foot you shot him in, so that is very true.”

  Ichiro came over, began to hand over all their recovered weapons. Then he bowed low to Brynhildr and Dogman.

  “You saved my wife and I. I can never repay you.”