With eyes bigger than saucers, Sam said, “Tell me you didn’t lose him.”
“I did.” Guppy’s chin was in his chest. “I’ve lost them all. Sam, I’ve got to go in there. They need all the help that they can get.” He spat blood out on the blacktop.
“Your ribs are busted. You aren’t going anywhere. The best way for you to help is from here. Just hack that system. You can do it.”
He let out a painful sigh. “Okay, I’ll keep going. Just keep your eyes open.”
There was a loud whoosh sound. The parking lot lit up from a plume of flame before turning black again.
Sam and Guppy peeked around from behind the cover of a van. There were two men dressed in full suits of body armor. One held a machine gun and a flamethrower, the other an assault rifle. The one with the flamethrower was Mack Black, the man Smoke had disguised himself as. There was no missing the buzz cut and caterpillar moustache. The other had a helmet that looked like a welder’s mask. A blast of flame roared out of the thrower, licking the pavement like dragon’s breath.
Mack Black called out, “I’m here for a marshmallow roast, but I’m all out of marshmallows. I’ll take some volunteers instead.”
CHAPTER 23
The minotaur’s momentum didn’t stop until Smoke was driven into a concrete wall back-first. “Miss me?” the minotaur said in the voice of the man, Mason Crowe. With burly arms wrapped around Smoke’s back, the minotaur power-drove him into the wall again. “I missed you, Smoke!”
Under normal circumstances, Smoke was certain his body wouldn’t have held up. His ribs, even if he had a sweetheart suit on, would have been crushed. It was his shifter form that held him together.
“Mason, I’ll be honest. I did miss you.” He kissed the nose of the bull man’s face.
Mason’s eyes lit up. His rock-hard body loosened.
Smoke’s thumbs jammed into Mason’s eyes.
The minotaur dropped Smoke. He let out a bullish bellow. His hooved feet clawed at the floor.
Smoke scrambled away. He made it into the next room only to find himself face to face with Oliver again. A gun barrel was pointed right at Smoke’s chest. He sprang to the side, avoiding the spray of bullets, and grabbed a hardback book from the shelf. He flung the book at Oliver’s eyes.
The dead man mad at the living didn’t flinch. The book bounced harmlessly off his lantern-jawed face, but it gave Smoke enough time to dodge another hail of gunfire and slip out the office door.
“You can run, but you can’t hide, Smoke. Our eyes are everywhere.” Oliver started whistling. He hustled out into the hall.
Smoke was huddled down at floor level. As soon as Oliver entered the hall, he struck. With a fierce slash, the knife in his hand cut through the man’s elbow. The gun he carried fell. Smoke snatched it up.
“Look what you’ve done. You idiot! You cut off my arm. That will take some doing to repair!” Oliver snaked a bowie knife out of a sheath strapped to his back. “So, you want to fight the old way. Let’s do it, Smoke. You like a challenge, don’t you?”
“No, I think I’ll just shoot you in the face with your own gun. Just like I did your brother.”
“You wouldn’t do that. You’re a brawler, not a co—”
Smoke squeezed the trigger. Bullets ripped through Oliver’s face. Brass cartridges fell to the floor. Oliver Raton’s body crumbled. “No, I’m not a co-worker.”
The minotaur charged out of the room, trampling Oliver with his hooves.
Smoke sprinted down the hallway. He ran as fast as he ever had. Looking over his shoulder, he realized Mason Crowe was gaining. The huge man must have weighed half a ton. He moved like a minivan.
Smoke hooked his fingernails on the corner of another turn in the hallway, pulled himself around, then pressed his back into the wall. He fully expected the minotaur to skid into the turn. Instead, the corner wall that Smoke shielded himself with exploded. Mason Crowe ran right over the top of him.
Mason grabbed Smoke up in his short, stocky arms. He slung him into the walls. “You fool. I’ve trampled so many, I know every trick in the book. You thought to slip me? An insult!” He flung Smoke into another wall. He lifted one of his hooves over Smoke’s head. “I’ll crush your head like an egg.” Mason stomped.
Flat on his back, Smoke wriggled away.
But Mason’s quick hands proved to be formidable. His thick, plucky fingers grabbed Smoke by the feet, and then the minotaur spun around, knocking Smoke’s head into the walls.
When Mason let go, Smoke hit the floor and slid. When he stopped, his bell was ringing. He shook his head while fighting to stand.
Smoke had fought about every shifter. None of them was as brawny as Mason Crowe. The minotaur was layers of animal brawn and muscle. The legendary beast would give the giants a fit. Strength for strength, Smoke wasn’t a match for the horn-headed man. Yet, his own unique abilities stormed inside him.
“What’s the matter, Smoke? Are you getting tired so soon?” Mason clapped his hands. “I’m full of all kinds of energy, brother.”
“Don’t call me brother.”
“Okay, sister then.”
Smoke took in a lungful of air and let out an ear-splitting shriek.
Mason covered his big ears. The neckless monster shook his head like bees swarmed his head.
Still letting out the piercing sound, Smoke drew his sword.
Mason started ramming into the walls, yelling, “Stop it! Make it stop! Please!”
Smoke stopped screaming.
Mason froze.
With careful aim, Smoke slid the blade between the brute’s vertebrae.
The minotaur fell like a tree, crashing through linoleum tiles to the subflooring.
Smoke sighed. If he had sweat to wipe, he would have brushed it. “Bats don’t sweat.”
There was a click overhead.
“John Smoke, that was delightful. Our viewership on Deathflix is pleased,” Kane said. “You have proved to be one of our greatest adversaries yet. But remember, we are still here, and have always been here, so you can’t win. The only way to win is to join.”
Smoke stared into the camera mounted where the wall met the ceiling. His reflection was in the lenses. His face was that of an animal becoming unhinged. The more he fought, the wilder he became. “Kane, I’m going to kill you today.”
“Kill me? Hardly. I’ve faced foes far more challenging than you. For example, I vanquished Mason the Minotaur with my own bare hands. I didn’t need some shiny little sword. Believe me, it took a lot for me to earn his loyalty. So, how do you expect to beat me when you can’t even beat him?”
Behind him, Smoke heard Mason rising back to his feet. The bull man said, “Round two.”
CHAPTER 24
Frank wore a grey suit that loosely fit over his body. Leaning over Rich, he nudged the deader aside, and then his fingers went to work on the keyboard. A small smile creased his face as the images on the screens shifted. He had brought back the live feed. Rich and Sherry began toggling through different images on the screens. The compound was big, but after a few minutes, life resumed in the hallways. In one of them was Cort fighting for his life against a horde of deaders in the generator room.
Sid’s eyes scanned the pictures on the screens. She needed a glimpse of Smoke. Instead, another image popped up. There were flames in the parking lot. The van they rolled in on was on fire. She didn’t see any signs of Guppy or Sam. She wriggled in her bonds. Groaned behind the tape. It was hard to breathe. It was the worst asthma attack she’d had in a long time.
Frank turned. With a concerned look, he said, “You don’t look so well. Perhaps all of this excitement is making your condition worse. Rich, Sherry, take down those images for now.”
The screens shifted from the camera views to a satellite view above the facility. Sid could still see the top of the building and the parking lot. The van was burning, but it was too hard to see anything else that was going on.
Frank gave the monitors a
quick glance before facing her anew. “Isn’t it amazing? On this level, everything is so tangible and immediate. Face to face, the world is in chronic turmoil, but from high above it looks so peaceful. The images are so miniscule. People are ants or something much smaller. They don’t seem so important, do they?” He nodded his chin. “No, they aren’t important. We are not important, only a speck in the cosmic winds.”
“You believe what you believe,” she said. “I know what I’m fighting for is important.”
“What you are attempting won’t change anything if you are successful. It’s all in vain.” Frank half sat on the edge of a desk. “That’s why you should embrace the life we live, Sidney. We enjoy the game of life.”
“You pervert it.”
“According to who? Who’s to say what man is or is not? Who’s really in charge?”
“Jesus.”
Frank’s chin dipped toward the floor, and he sighed. The rhythmic keystrokes of Rich and Sherry typing skipped a beat then resumed. “An awful lot of people in this world disagree with you. I for one.”
“That’s too bad.” Keep him talking. “Given the condemning nature of my situation, Frank, why don’t you enlighten me as to who is really in charge? I’ve spent time with Kane. I know he’s not the one in charge. He’s a big part of the Drake, but he’s not the Drake.”
“No, Kane is not the head of the organization. The Drake is global and has many facets and forms. What we do is just a portion of the Drake’s dealings, though we are the most unique and formidable facet. Most of the Drake, if you dig deep enough, is men and women just like you, content in their mortality. Bankers, brokers, doctors, scientists, lawyers, and so on. We do the dirty work for them. Our mission? Poisoning the leadership of this country from the inside out. We’ve been quite successful, aside from a few setbacks. Like the clones. I have to admit, that was an impressive act of valor that made Kane’s head spin around.”
Sid cut in. “There was a computer there. A pyramid. That entire operation was otherworldly.”
“Oh yes, but not otherworldly. You see, the Drake are great scholars of antiquities. They employ many archeologists and fund notable museums and preservation societies. So much of the ancient world is buried, a world not so different from the one we live in today. Men in ancient times were not so primitive as the schoolbooks taught people to believe. But many crafts were lost in the sludge of time.
“The Egyptians and Babylonians were highly advanced. Think about it: the pyramids, giant stones cut with laser-guided precision. There are slabs of granite hollowed out in perfected angles that are too big for men to move without great machines. The Drake sought answers to such things, and they found them. The important thing is that they”—Frank made air quotes— “control the information.
“Governments, like this one, are too busy making problems for themselves, rather than trying to solve them. The Drake is a contractor that takes the burden out of government hands. Then, they control these artifacts that common men can’t understand. One of them was discovered in a crypt centuries ago. There was a range of large hills, beautiful sights, in Venezuela. Three of them coming together and covered in lush vegetation. Lo and behold, after a thousand years of neglect it was discovered that pyramids were buried underneath. They were lined up exactly as the great ones in Giza. But”—he held up a finger—“smaller. However, they were undisturbed. They hadn’t been ransacked by centuries of looters. The Drake was at the right place at the right time on that occasion. Perhaps that’s what Khonshu the Moon God awaited. Inside were technologies more advanced than what men could imagine for his time. They brought us to where we are today. It took centuries to decipher it. These computers, smart phones, it all comes from that. Hitler’s secret bunker had a trove of this advanced technology too, but the U.S. government, because of the weaponry, secured that.”
“So that’s how you make deaders and shifters? They’re mummies?”
“No, that’s all baloney. But, yes, the process of reanimation came from those ancient people. The ability to change into shifters as well. It’s a mix of biochemistry, DNA alteration, and powers that we still don’t fully grasp yet. We just trust the teachings of Khonshu. Have you ever seen those pictures in history books of Egyptians with heads like dogs and birds?”
“A man’s face on the body of a lion, like the sphinx.”
“All reality a long time ago.” Frank rubbed his saggy cheek. “Think about it, people are living longer as we slowly integrate these ancient teachings into the modern world. But at the same time, we can’t let there be too many people. So, we’ve created war, disease, famine. At some point, the world will be perfect and run by the likes of us. You could still be a part of that.”
“Part of a syndicate that decides who lives and who dies?” She wheezed. “I think I’ll pass. So, Kane is the most powerful shifter? He has a direct connection with Khonshu?”
“Kane is the father of the shifters. As for Khonshu, no one has seen him since his crypt was opened. I’d say you being with Kane is as close as you’ll ever be. Rich, Sherry, go ahead and pull up the screens. Let’s see if any of Sid’s allies are still breathing.”
New images popped up. Sid gasped.
CHAPTER 25
Mack Black blowtorched the van. Sam and Guppy ran for cover. Bullets blasted into the pavement at their feet. Putting their hands in the air, they came to a stop. “Is this it, honey? The end of the road for Guppy and Sam?”
“If it is, it’s the best road I’ve ever ridden on,” he said with labored breath. “I love you, Sam.”
“I love you too.”
Mack Black called out to them. “Turn around. I always enjoy seeing the faces of the people I’m about to put it to.” His beady eyes blossomed. “Oh my, I’ve never roasted such a dish.” Eyes on Sam, he sprayed some flames in the air. “And I thought this flamethrower was hot. It’s got nothing on you, babe. I’m having second thoughts about this kill. Maybe Kane will let me save you.”
“In your dreams, creep,” she said.
“Oh, I can certainly promise you that, but there’s nothing quite like the real thing.”
Guppy took a step forward. Bullets chewed up the ground before his feet. The man in the welder mask said in muffled words, “One more step and you’ll die from bleeding feet.”
“Get on your knees, the both of you,” Mack said. “Hands on your heads.”
Sam and Guppy complied.
“My, my, my, I certainly do have a situation here. A tough decision. I hate to go against Kane’s orders — or Frank’s, for that matter. But I can’t make much sense of killing someone so beautiful.” He pointed the flaming gun barrel at Guppy. “As for you, anvil-face, killing you isn’t much of a problem. I’ve put down dogs uglier than you before.”
The body of the man in the welder mask heaved with chuckles.
“But I can’t stand to see such a pretty lady cry. Tell me, gorgeous, you won’t cry when I kill him, will you? Even the pretty ones make ugly when they cry.”
“I’m not promising anything. After all, he is my husband.”
“You and him? You’ve got to be kidding me. Heh-heh-heh. He must have a big wallet, or something else. That makes little sense to me.”
“Hey, I’m not so bad, especially compared to the likes of you.”
“Oh, ho-ho, ole brick face is taking it personal. Listen, I’ll take good care of your lady.” Mack winked. “Real good care of her. But now I have to do what I have to do.”
“No, wait,” Sam said. “Let me at least say goodbye to my husband.”
“Of course, of course, go right ahead. I’m a decent man.”
Walking on her knees, Sam butted up against Guppy. She kissed him full on the mouth.
“No! None of that now! I’m okay with words, not lips,” Mack said.
The other man cracked off a shot.
Sam broke off the kiss. She said to Guppy, “That really is a nice suit you’ll be wearing to your funeral. Make good use of it.”<
br />
Guppy started to say, “Huh?” but his mouth was full of something Sam had given him with her kiss. He bit down on a super vitamin and swallowed it whole. Not a second passed before he felt like a new man, spry as a stag. He nodded at his wife. “Thanks for everything, baby.” He fastened his eyes on Mack. “Listen, mister, at least let me die standing on my feet. It’s all I ask. It’s a family thing.”
Sam started to sob.
“Fine, fine, stand. I just want to roast the dinner so that I can get to dessert.”
Guppy took one knee off the ground and planted his foot.
“Slowly now, blockhead.”
“My ribs are already busted up, so I’m not one to move very fast. The arthritis doesn’t help much either.” Guppy groaned, even though there was a spring of new life swelling inside. The stinging pain of his ribs was gone. The spring in his legs was back. “By the way, mister,” Guppy said, “that flamethrower you’re carrying, I noticed it’s got a leak.”
“Oh, and I’m supposed to look now?”
“No, I’ll check it out for you.” Guppy sprang at the man. Flames engulfed his body. He passed right through the scorching heat, colliding with the man’s body. He yanked the flamethrower’s handle from Mack’s strong grip. He pointed it at the other man, squeezed the trigger. Flames spewed out, covering the man in the welder mask in flames.
The man stood in his spot. Burning in his armor, he let out a spray of bullets.
Guppy held the flamethrower hose on the man.
The bullets went astray as the man started screaming.
Mack jumped Guppy. He was strong, but right now, Guppy was far stronger.
Guppy drove his elbow into the man’s face. The jawbone gave. “Don’t ever talk to my wife like that again.” With a few more punches, Mack Black was out cold. He stripped the flamethrower harness from the man’s back.
Sam grabbed him and kissed him. “That was awesome! Where are you going?”
The Supernatural Bounty Hunter Files: Special Edition Fantasy Bundle, Books 6 thru 10 (Smoke Special Edition Book 2) Page 58