I knelt to check my fallen comrades and their melted weapons.
Gunfire reverberated farther down the hallway. Electric jolts tickled my tongue. A moment later, intense blue-light flashed. The sound of automatic gunfire echoed.
Gael and I pressed on. Two corridors broke from the main tunnel a hundred feet farther in, one left and one right. I poked my head around the corner to look right, while Gael did the same on the left.
“Single closed door, about thirty feet down,” I said, glancing over my shoulder at Gael.
“Short hall. Door as well. Open, though.”
I kept my eyes on the closed door, and met her on her side of the hall. “Go.”
Gael scurried to the door. I followed, covering the rear.
The steel door was breached. The frame twisted and scorch marks marred the paint.
The room was dark.
I watched the hall while Gael shone her flashlight through the opening.
“Boxes and barrels, looks like food. When did the Baptists start storing food like the Mormons?” Gael asked rhetorically.
“If you’re going to take over the world, ya’ still gotta eat.” I replied.
Gael pushed past me. “Back to the other door.”
I tried to open it—locked. “I can pop the lock?” I asked.
Gael was standing at my back. “How fast?”
“Very.” I pulled out my lock-pick kit and went to work.
A few seconds later, I felt the cylinder move, and turned the handle.
Boxes and crates, stacked high against the walls, greeted me as I peaked inside. A quick inspection verified what I suspected: Tesla stuff. Crazy, mad scientist Tesla stuff. They reminded me of the crates stacked near the elevator in the lab.
“Can you make it so they can’t get in?” Gael asked.
I turned the inside locking-button and pulled the door closed. Then inserted one of the picks in the key hole, and broke the tip off.
Gunfire continued to echo down the main hallway, mixed with a noticeable zapping-buzz. A blue aurora began to fill every nook and cranny.
I took position at the intersection and motioned Gael to follow. The pop-pop was growing more insistent.
Gael and I seemed to hit a groove. I no longer felt the need to follow her. My little voice was chugging along, and ‘Proud Mary’ kept rollin’ in my brain.
I pointed my rifle tip forward and paced the steps to the distant door. The corridor was ten feet wide and the closer I came, I could see the doorway spanned the full width of the hall.
Iron pillars supported a massive entry. I could say it was reminiscent of the submarine door in the lab, but that wouldn’t do it justice. The darn thing was massive and made from forged iron. Copper cables emerged from either wall and were riveted to iron support columns and lintel.
The central seam of the two-section door was scorched and warped. I could see through, but the space was too small for us to enter. Several empty magazines and lots of spent shell casing littered the floor.
Blue-electricity buzzed around the frame. I could feel the current deep in my bones. Ozone tickled my nostrils.
The body of a man with his fez dislodged lay face down next to the wall. I used my foot to rotate the head. Jackson from the security office stared at me with a lifeless expression. Tough break dude. You picked the wrong team and got clobbered with a stupid stick.
I wiped sweat from my eyes and shot a cool guy wink at Gael. “You feeling lucky?”
A toothy smile accentuated her reply. “Always.”
“On three?”
“Three,” Gael planted a frontal kick to the door. The hinges groaned. She kicked again.
Blue washed over us, making my hair stand on end.
I pushed past Gael and entered what I hoped was the last bastion. My rifle was high on my shoulder, muzzle front.
A colorful lightning bolt streaked across the room and struck me in the chest. My teeth chattered and a couple of fillings popped free. I felt the brass-box on my waist vibrate and grow warm against my skin. Several blue-fez guards poked their heads around wooden crates aiming ray guns at me.
In the center of the large hundred-foot square room, was a squat-looking pyramid. The iron and copper construct stood ten feet tall. Coils of wire wrapped a central core. It discharged bolts of lightning twenty-feet into the air. A central antenna protruded from the concrete ceiling, nearly touching a sphere at the pyramid’s top. Errant tendrils of lightning chased along the ceiling of the cavern.
Pop-pop-pop—Gael fired her Uzi.
I dove for cover behind some chairs.
Gael deftly stepped behind the thick iron door. She was shaking her head at me.
Idiot, was the obvious unspoken word on her tongue.
Time slowed. I decided to name the pyramid Bob.
Bob was angry. Bob was mad at everybody, me, Gael, and the blue-fez boys. Electric Mary was nowhere to be seen, but I had a feeling Bob was ticked at her too. Hell demanded a debt be paid, and Bob was here to collect.
I rolled to my back, pointed my rifle at the crates, and sent a few shots down range. The lightning coming at me paused. I crawled farther into the room.
The pyramid was circled by a couple hundred chairs. On the wall opposite of where I entered, was another doorway similar to the first. It was closed, and barricaded with a pile of chairs and statuary.
Gunfire erupted from the far side of the room, near the dais. Wood splinters erupted from the fez-boy’s crates. Half-dozen commandos were hunkered down behind their own collection of chairs and other furniture.
I waved.
Gael fired another burst.
The commandos charged from their cover and pressed the attack from the far side of the room. I joined the fray and sent a magazine of lead into the jumble of boxes and bodies.
It was over in thirty seconds. Easy like. The commandos reached the crates and dispatched or zip-tied the last of the fez-boys.
I stood up and walked over to the commandos. “Hey guys. How’s it going?”
A mean looking woman stared me down. Her muscles were the size of watermelons, veins rippled along her neck. The look in her eyes made my knees want to turn my feet the other direction and run away.
“You must be Ironstone. Where’s Valkyrie?” Watermelon girl asked.
I flipped my thumb over my shoulder.
Gael was still in position. Shifting her glance down the hall we’d entered.
Watermelon left and went to chat with Gael. I took the opportunity to poke around.
A twisted version of a Cathedral was my best description for the cavern. Statuary and urns lined the walls. Cheap plastic flowers hung at every sconce. Suspended over the dais was a wooden-cross. A copper lectern stood on the dais, partially blocking a crudely carved rendition of Jesus lying in Mary’s arms.
Nestled within the carving was the outline of a door.
I stepped closer.
Bob buzzed behind me.
The doorway cracks leaked blue light.
“Here she comes.” I raised my rifle.
The door exploded.
Mother Mary blew into the room like a velvet hurricane. Her blue robes twisted and undulated with electrical power. She was visibly slippery. Her feet glided inches above the floor.
My chest throbbed and sparks made my eyelashes tingle. The pounding was no longer my heart. Some electric hand grabbed me from within. My rifle began to glow red causing my hands to cook. I heard myself scream from the outside in as I released the weapon.
Ten men dressed in blue-velvet jumpsuits with matching fezzes followed Mary through the door. Ten ray guns gleamed bright and shiny. Professor Meeks entered last, eyes glowing blue and carrying a long, curved sword. No way, a sword at a gun fight, this was awesome. Meeks was cool in a bad guy sort of way.
Mary pointed her hand at me. “I shall smite the wicked.”
My feet left the floor. Up I went, backwards toward the giant pyramid and the lightning boiling between the orb a
nd antenna.
A cadence of gunfire erupted. Not the pop-pop of Gael’s Uzi, but a deep chunk-chunk-chunk and throaty growl of an automatic beast.
The unseen hand spun and twisted me in the air.
Watermelon girl was firing a big honkin’ gun. I forgot about my impending collision with the pyramid. Scores of bullets screamed from the belt-fed beauty, laying waste to the jumpsuit army. The remaining few dove for cover.
Mary kept one hand pointed at me and aimed a boney finger at Watermelon. “I am the chosen, keeper of the lightning. Praise the power of God and bow to his guidance.”
Sparks shot from Mary’s hand, wrapping Gael and Watermelon in a swirling vortex. Their weapons glowed. Belt-rigs flashed colorful lights. The vortex clamped tighter.
Around me, chairs began to burn.
The gripping hand released me. I fell, landing in a heap at the base of the pyramid. My ankle popped, sending a new form of shock up my leg. I held my breath and wiped tears from my eyes.
Watermelon and Gael released their weapons.
“Hey, you. Yea, you. The crazy women in the bathrobe!” I drew Holly and fired a full magazine. White plumes of boiling lead struck Mary’s robes, and slid harmlessly to the floor.
The pain in my hands was intense. Blisters were forming.
Mary drilled her gaze at me. My vision was filled with the lightning. The electric fence was nowhere close to this experience. Muscles stiffened as I screamed unheard words. The brass box on my hip vibrated and scorched my skin.
More gunfire echoed through the room. Commando troops kept firing. A pool of lead bubbled at Mary’s feet.
Kettledrums pounded my skull.
Slowly, my vision returned. And as I lay on the floor, Meeks strode forward, limbering his shoulders. Sparks danced along the length of his blade.
Mary’s voice amplified the chamber. “My daughter told me of you. You are the man who walks with Satan, and strikes down women of the church.”
There it was. She brought up the shooting a church girl thing. I was ticked.
I rose to my knees. “Your precious girl was a psychotic killer. She’s demon spawn, just like you.”
I could sense the pyramid chuckle. Energy pulsated, lightning crackled from the orb into Electric Mary.
Gael and Watermelon twisted and screamed inside their vortex.
Mary waved her arms in sweeping gestures. Lightning shot from her hands and rippled from chair to vase. Several commandos burst into flames. Her face tightened, her aurora brightened.
The death ray pulsed.
Pushing past the pain, I fumbled to reload Holly. Another magazine of bullets slammed into the floating nightmare. My heart sank as I watched more lead pool and bubble at Mary’s feet.
“I have seen the righteousness, and forsaken the moral decline of our nation.” Mary floated higher into the air. Blue-velvet robes fluttered in an unseen breeze. “I speak for the Wise Men. You are a sinner. You must honor our Savior.”
Holly wasn’t doing me any good. I put her back in the holster, drew the ray gun, and crawled behind an overturned vase. “You sound like a broken record. Better get some new material. I’ve heard this sermon before.” Fizz, pop—the ray gun fired its beam.
The colorful bolt of energy struck Mary. She screamed. Gael and Watermelon collapsed to the floor, the gripping vortex dissipated.
Watermelon was quick to act. She drew a sidearm, and fired at the remaining jumpsuits. “Move forward. Suppression fire. Move now.”
The commandos alternated their shooting, forcing the jumpsuits to seek new cover.
Mary’s face lost all emotion. “Behold the Savior’s sword draws near.” Her gaze shifted to Watermelon. Blue lightning leapt from her fingers, striking the woman.
Watermelon flew into a stack of chairs.
Meeks was nearly on them.
Gael struggled to her feet.
Mary’s hands drew small circles in the air. A shimmering web danced before her.
I fired the ray gun. A glowing red spot formed where the bolt struck.
The death ray crackled.
Mary smiled. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning of your end.” Her fingers pointed at me.
My world went blue. The brass box burned.
I was out of options.
My heart sank.
Through watery eyes I watched Gael pulled a forearm-length broom handle from inside her jacket. Twisting her wrist, she unfolded a wicked looking blade longer than two of my hand lengths.
Meeks shouted an unheard challenge and lunged at Gael.
I fired the ray gun. The red stain evaporated.
Mary’s unseen hand reached across the void. My chest tightened. Again, I rose into the air. The orb drew nearer, bolts of energy danced.
Tesla’s undulating beast inhaled, pulling me inward.
I removed my belt-rig and shoved it into the glowing center of the death ray. Steam rose from my hand. The pain was beyond anything I ever experienced.
Deep in the core of the Tesla’s spawn, red tendrils began to choke the blue aurora.
Mary howled. Rivulets of blue bled like water from her robes to the floor. More chairs burst into flames. Red sparks flashed from the pyramid’s orb and competed with the blue-lightning dancing between Mother Mary and Tesla’s invention.
I landed with a crash.
Gael batted Meeks’ sword aside and stepped into some crazy pose with her blade held high. It was Kung Fu Cinema deep in bowels of the earth. This was beyond awesome. We’d reached epic.
Watermelon rose to her feet. I waved my arms to get her attention and shouted. “Bring me your belt-rig.”
The huge woman ripped the belt from her waist and tossed it to me.
I quickly snatched up the rig and shoved it into the core, ignoring the pain.
Pockets of red grew larger deep.
Mary screamed.
Watermelon ran to support her troops.
Fighting the pain, I drew my ray gun, and stuck it in the the death ray. A high-pitch hum began to emanate. Red lines grew like vines.
Gunfire continued to rock the room. Watermelon and her troops rushed the remaining guards.
Mary fell to her knees. An ungodly howl scalded her words. “They worshipped the power of the beast.” Her hand rose.
Pale-blue sparks fizzled.
My knees went weak.
I was still breathing. Alive. My leather jacket stank like scorched flesh. My eyebrows were a goner.
The death ray’s whine pierced
Mary’s scream clawed my soul.
Gael’s clear voice chanted far in the distance of my consciousness.
An explosion rocked the room. I turned to see the orb launch upward and slam into the ceiling. Cracks formed. Chunks of concrete and earth tumbled to the ground.
Mary shuddered and convulsed. Her howling became clearer. “…the cowardly, the vile, and the immoral will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.”
She raised her hands. Sparks and flashes of lightning raced skyward.
Chunks of ceiling and earth fell. I could see the night sky.
A singing-hum rose from Gael. It was the tune she always sang. The smoother her voice, the harder she fought. Fluid, relaxed, mesmerizing.
Their duel was beautiful in a morbid way. Steel clashed as Meeks worked his height against a shorter opponent.
I stumbled over to Watermelon. “Get all the ray guns and put them in the core of the pyramid, the belt-rigs too.”
She nodded.
Mary continued to howl. Her eyes fixed on me.
Meeks and Gael were locked wrist-to-wrist.
I couldn’t help, my hands were useless. I feared my partner would get skewered by an old man with a glowing sword.
The death ray boiled with energy. The room roared with flames.
“Everybody out!” I ordered over the dizzying noise. “Now!”
Watermelon’s command voice resonated. “Finish your task, and rally at the door.�
�
Gael sidestepped Meeks. The man stumbled forward. She danced a flurry of cuts and stabs.
Meeks was sliced and diced.
She lashed out with a booted-foot and sent Meeks crashing to the floor.
I stumbled over and leaned on a chair. “The truck by the small house. It has a fuel tank. We need to drive it through the hole in the roof. I can’t go, my hands are shot.”
A twinkle started to form in Gael’s eyes. “Do you have the keys?”
“They’re most likely in it. If not, have the commandos push it down the slope.”
“Can you make it out on your own?” Gael asked.
I nodded. “Yeah. Go. I’ll make it.”
She took off like a rabbit, Watermelon with her. The commandos carried their dead.
The death ray rumbled. Red lightning and sparks surged in all directions.
Using my hip, I closed the door as much as I could. I shuffled along. The walking made the pain in my ankle less pronounced. I waited where the intersecting corridors met.
Someone needed to make certain Mother Tesla didn’t escape.
A minute passed, and then three.
The hallway shook followed by a thundering boom.
It was done. The hypocrisy of my salvation stirred childhood memories of fiery sermons.
My footsteps scraped the wooden steps as I climbed back to the surface.
I was alone.
Last man out.
My adventure started with a collapsing building. It was going to end with a collapsing bunker. Justice in the most primal sense of the word.
I reached the surface and made my way through the small barn.
The dead guy in the blue-fez was still slumped in the corner.
I had to check. The opportunity was too good.
Sure enough, a shiny ray gun was strapped to his hip.
**
You know in the old movies where the hero rode his horse off into the sunset? Gael and I didn’t do that.
It was still before dawn when we made it out of the catacombs. But boy, the fire was pretty. Lots of orange flames with black smoky edges billowed from the hole in the ground. I like a good fire, and the conflagration made up for the lack of a sunset. Orange is orange I figured.
Gael and I walked up the gravel driveway toward the prearranged extraction point. I could hear heavy trucks rumbling in the distance along with the woop, woop, woop of a helicopter.
Rye Ironstone: Mother Tesla's Death Ray Page 11