Homecoming

by Heath Stallcup

  He quickly placed the wrist band on his arm then placed a hand over his brother’s head. Tapping the stone on the wrist band, he chanted the incantation and pressed as Horith’s body evaporated into the mist. “Good travels, brother.”

  21

  Mitchell slid to a stop at the group of security forces bunched together near the stairwell. “What’s the hold up?”

  An angry staff sergeant turned and responded through gritted teeth, “They’re covering the exits. Nobody can get through without being ripped to shreds.”

  Mark pushed in next to Mitchell. “How many have we lost?”

  “No idea, Major. If I were to guess, I’d say all of them that bolted through the doors before we realized what the hell was going on.”

  Matt clenched his jaw then glanced to the side. “Has anybody tried the elevators?”

  “They shut down when we went to emergency power, sir.”

  Mitchell looked to Tufo. “The emergency override.”

  “I’m on it.” Mark took off at full speed down the hallway.

  “Colonel, the elevators come out right next to the stairwell. It’s still in the kill zone.”

  “We can use it as a distraction if nothing else. I don’t guess anybody has tried their cell phones?”

  “Without the coms, the Wi-Fi isn’t working so cells are useless down here.” The staff sergeant slapped the concrete wall, “Too thick.”

  Mitchell groaned and waited for Tufo to return. It had already seemed like too long, but shortly the man rounded the corner and gave him a thumbs-up. Mitchell grabbed the staff sergeant and pushed the button for the elevator. “We’re going to be the distraction.”

  “Negative, sir, not you. You’re a high value asset.”

  “I’m not.” Mark pushed past Matt and entered the opening doors.

  “The hell you say!” Matt was already pushing past the staff sergeant as Mark stepped up onto the hand rails and began pushing the access hatch open. “What are you doing?”

  Mark turned and gave him a lopsided grin. “I may volunteer to be a distraction, but I’m not going to throw myself into a wall of hot lead to do it.” He hooked a thumb up over his shoulder to the top of the elevator. “We ride up there and pray that they’re stupid enough to step close enough to inspect it when the doors open. We can plug them through the access. Meanwhile, you stage troops at the door and have them ready to bolt to some kind of cover.”

  The staff sergeant nodded behind the colonel. “This might work better if we ran both elevators at the same time, sir.”

  Mitchell shook his head at Mark. “This isn’t a good idea, Mark. You don’t have the…”

  “Time is wasting, Matt.” Mark stared at his CO and waited for the man to make an executive decision.

  Matt squared his shoulders then turned to the staff sergeant. “Prepare your people and make it happen.”

  “Yes, sir.” The staff sergeant took off running while yelling into his radio.

  Matt stepped closer to the elevator and motioned to Mark. “We have security specialists who can do this.”

  Mark snorted and shook his head. “You’ll have to drag me out of here, buddy. I haven’t seen any real action in so long…” He stared off down the hallway and watched the security forces prepare the other elevator. “Look, Matt, I need to do this.”

  Mitchell ground his teeth so hard he knew the men in the stairwell could hear it. He grabbed the closest security specialist and pulled him close. “You! Cover his six. Nothing happens to the XO, you read me, soldier?”

  “Roger that, sir.” Matt nodded then pushed the man into the elevator with Tufo.

  Mark looked down from the top of the elevator and shook his head. “There’s room for me in here, but if you expect me to pull your heavy ass up here, you better shed some of that gear.” He shot the man a wink.

  “Greene, Kowalski!” The security specialist waved over two more men and began hoisting them up into the overhead of the car. “Keep the XO safe.”

  “Ready on the east side.” Reported through the security radios.

  Kowalski pulled his own radio. “Ready on the west side. Let’s do this.”

  Personnel pressed the button for topside then stepped out of the elevators. Watching the doors shut, Mitchell whispered a silent prayer for all of the men.

  *****

  Jack rolled in the soft sand and came up firing. Small wisps of dirt and sand puffed up around him as weapons fire erupted around him again. With another dive and roll he came up behind the stone wall surrounding the castle and quickly changed magazines. “Where the hell are these guys coming from?”

  Azrael landed softly beside him, pieces of bloody meat hanging from his claw like hands. “One of the boats circled the island and they are attacking from both sides at once.” He grabbed Jack and leapt to the side of the watchtower just as the spot they both had been standing in erupted in heavy weapons fire. “That infernal machine must be stopped.” He pointed to the helicopter hovering above.

  Jack wiped the sweat from his face and stared at the machine, the lights from it attempting to blind him. “I can’t get a bead on the shooter. Those lights are just too…” his voice trailed off as he finally caught a glimpse of the man within the belly of the beast.

  A shrill whistle from above caught Azrael’s attention. “I am being called. Be careful, Chief Jack.” With a push from his legs and large beats of his wings, he was gone.

  Jack stepped out from the cover of the tower to see if he could get a better look at the shooter. He couldn’t believe what his eyes just told his brain. It looked like Apollo, but…

  Jack saw the three gargoyles circle the craft then one dove under the rotary blade and grasped the landing strut. With a great heave and a push, he pulled the helicopter off balance, tilting it to the side. In a flash Azrael glided into the front of the machine and sunk his toenails into the metal skin of the nose. He drew back his arm and punched through the acrylic, grabbing the pilot by his harness and ripping him out. He dangled the broken body away from the machine for a moment before tossing it up and into the blades of the craft.

  As the chopper tilted and began its rapid descent, Azrael pushed off and caught wind, rising up and away from the inevitable crash. He barely caught sight of another human leaping from the machine before it collided with the ground. He debated for just a moment before allowing others to deal with him. The machine was disabled and that was his goal.

  Grimlock lifted the remains of the craft and threw it out over the water before the fires could spread to the surrounding plant life. There was enough to deal with without having to deal with fire as well.

  Jack slowly stepped out from the base of the tower and stared at the large man wiping sand from his face. He watched as Apollo pulled a pistol from his thigh holster and began marching across the sandy beach toward the castle proper. Jack stepped out and made his presence known. “Apollo?”

  Apollo quickly turned and glared at the man who was once his best friend. “You,” the venom in his voice was unmistakable.

  “Apollo, what the hell is going on?” Jack asked, the wind knocked from his sails. “Why would you do this?”

  “You traitorous son of a bitch.” Apollo tried to run in the soft sand, his intention plain.

  “Why?” Jack asked, slowly backing.

  “You never told me about Maria, you bastard. You should have told me about her and Hank!” Apollo jumped in the air and swung at his head. Jack ducked and rolled away from the larger man.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” He was honestly confused and was still trying to come to terms with why his friend would attack and try to kill them after all they had been through.

  “You knew!” Apollo swung and connected a glancing blow with Jack’s shoulder, spinning him. “You knew she was fucking the Padre and you didn’t tell me!” He attempted a flying kick that Jack avoided by leaping face first into the sand.

  “Apollo, I have no idea what you’re talking about!”
Jack rolled to the side just as Apollo brought a heavy booted foot down.

  “Don’t try to lie to me, you little skinny bastard!” Another stomp would have crushed Jack’s chest had he not caught his foot. Jack strained to hold the larger man’s weight then pushed for all he was worth, throwing Apollo off balance and backwards.

  “I swear to God, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Jack flipped back to avoid Apollo’s flying foot then did a kick up to land on his feet. “This is stupid, Apollo! If I had known anything about Maria and the Padre, I would have told you.”

  Apollo froze and literally growled at him. “You wanted me to stay focused on the mission. You couldn’t risk me being distracted.”

  “Bullshit!” Jack dropped his hands and pointed at the man. “You were my friend. Brothers first! Always!” The glare that Jack shot at Apollo shook the larger man. For the first time since Sheridan came to him with the revelation of Maria and Hank, he questioned everything.

  Apollo shook his head slowly. “No, no, this isn’t right. You had to know.”

  “I didn’t dammit. If I did, I would have said something—”

  “You KNEW!” Apollo screamed, catching Jack off guard. “You had to.” His jaw trembled and his eyes threatened to cry as he considered what he’d done. He felt his knees weaken and the fight left him as he realized what he had done.

  He was the traitor. He had turned against his own people. He gave Sheridan’s men intel that would help them take down the teams. He had drawn out detailed plans. He told them everything. Everything.

  Jack stepped closer and shook his head, “Apollo, I have no idea who planted this shit in your head, but—”

  “Sheridan,” his voice was hoarse, his throat dry as he considered the consequences. Traitors deserve a traitor’s death.

  “Sheridan?” Jack couldn’t be sure he heard correctly. “From Team One? That Sheridan?”

  Apollo nodded as his legs trembled and his knees went out from under him, sinking his large body in the sand. “He showed me video of them.” His eyes rose and met Jack’s. “Marshall knew…he caught them.”

  Jack stepped closer his shoulders slumped. “Oh, God…buddy. Sheridan is a snake. You can’t believe anything he says. He’s supposed to be in witness protection. It was part of the deal for turning in those who hired him to kill Thorn.”

  Apollo lowered his face and sobbed. “I killed them, Chief. It’s all my fault.”

  Mueller ran up from behind Apollo and slid to a stop. “The attackers are coming back for another hit! They’ve taken out most of the Lycans!”

  Jack growled deep in his throat and fought the desire to shift. He stared down at Apollo then up to Mueller. “Get him out of here. I’ll deal with them.”

  *****

  Mick lifted Laura upright as she reached out and caught herself on the side of the airplane. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was barely a whisper as she tried to catch her breath. “Did you say that they’re under attack?”

  “We pulled stills from a satellite, Ms. Youngblood. They are indeed.” Pablo lifted his arm and allowed her to scroll through images on his ruggedized PDA. “We haven’t been able to identify any of the attackers. They aren’t wearing uniforms.”

  “Wait…” Jennifer pushed her way forward and reached for Pablo’s arm. “You said that…”

  Pablo pulled his arm away rudely, interrupting her. “This is classified material.”

  Laura reached out gently and took his arm. “She’s with me, Pablo. Besides, she sounded like she may know what’s going on.” Her expectant eyes met Jennifer’s.

  “It was something my father said before we left.” She shrugged and glanced away. “He said that they were preparing to attack the people responsible for taking me.”

  Laura felt her chest tighten. “Oh, no.”

  “Who is this man?” Pablo questioned. “Does he have such resources?”

  Mick stepped forward, “Walter Simmons. Based out of Belize.”

  Pablo nodded. “There are rumors that he harbors werewolves.”

  Jennifer quickly turned to stare at Laura who gave her a subtle shake of her head. “He has a lot of financial resources.” Laura stepped forward and wrapped her arm through Pablo’s. “Can you escort us to our quarters? We’re all exhausted and I’d like a chance to try to reach my people.”

  “Their communications are down, Ms. Youngblood.”

  “But maybe a cell phone is working. Or a hard line to someone else at the base and they can send support?”

  Pablo nodded and motioned them to a waiting truck. “We’ll get you settled and then I’ll see to getting you to a phone.”

  “Thank you.”

  *****

  Kalen slipped back out from the anywhere near Jack. “Horith is gone,” his voice wavered as he spoke.

  Jack slid to a stop and stared at the elf. “He’s dead? Oh no…I’m so sorry, Kalen.”

  “Not dead. At least, not yet.” He lowered his eyes, his jaw ticking. “A wolf has done great damage to him. I sent him to the Wyldwood.”

  “Sent him?”

  “Through the ether. If he can be saved, it will be the Wyldwood.”

  Jack inhaled deeply and clasped the Greater Elf by the shoulder. “My prayers go with him.”

  “How goes the battle?”

  Jack turned back and pointed, “They’re circling back this direction. I have no idea where the gargoyles are or the gnomes.” He stared Kalen in the eye. “I understand if you want to drop out. This isn’t your fight.”

  Kalen scowled at the man. “Hold your tongue, Chief Jack. Your battle is my battle.” He pulled his bow and nocked another arrow. “To battle.”

  “To battle.” Jack took off at a dead run and rounded the edge of the castle. He was tackled by a wolf that immediately yelped with the piercing of an arrow in its ribs.

  The pair rolled and Jack pushed the creature away just to see it disappear into the dark sky. Jack stared upward and watched as two pieces fell behind him. He could barely see the shape of Grimlock gliding through the sky, diving for another. “Found the gargoyles!”

  “Be alert!” Kalen fired another arrow and Jack ducked as another wolf leapt over his head. “They’re everywhere.”

  Gnat came alongside Kalen wiping blood from his axe. “Bartholomew has fallen.” He didn’t look up at the elf before diving into battle once again.

  “Did he say…” Jack began before another wolf appeared from nowhere.

  It launched itself at Kalen from the rear. Jack jumped toward the pair, shifting in midair, and intercepted the wolf. The two great beasts hit the ground in a mass of slashing teeth and claws. Kalen dropped to a knee and took aim. He wasn’t sure which beast was who until he realized, all of the wolves they had battled so far were great hair covered animals. Of these two, only one was hair covered. The other wore a battle suit with armor. Kalen smiled as he aimed his arrow and let it loose.

  The arrow wasn’t silver plated, but it was enough of a distraction that Jack removed the creature’s heart while it slapped at the stick stinging its haunches. He shifted back to human, his body suit hanging looser around his shoulders and legs. “Thanks.”

  “Be grateful you wore your armor.” Kalen advanced into the fray again.

  Jack watched the warrior elf and shook his head. “A simple, ‘you’re welcome’ would have sufficed.”

  “Wolf!” a voice called.

  Jack stiffened until he realized that he was being called. He looked around and saw the gnome, Kissum near his feet. “What?”

  “Throw me into the battle.” The little gnome squatted and prepared for flight.

  “Throw you?”

  He looked up at Jack and nodded. “They won’t expect it. An air attack.”

  “The gargoyles are attacking from the air. I think they might expect it.”

  The gnome stiffened and glared at the much larger man. “They’re expecting gargoyles from the air. They’re NOT expecting a gnome. Now throw me, damn you, before
I chop you down to size!”

  Jack hiked a brow at the mouthy little runt. “Fine. One fighting football, coming right up.” He reached down and grabbed Kissum by his tunic. “Thank you for flying Fur Air. Enjoy the trip!” He hefted the smaller creature for all he was worth and watched as the gnome went head over tea kettle, landing directly into the middle of the fray.

  “Let’s kick names and take ass…”

  *****

  Rufus pulled open the safe door and reached inside. “Check the hallways,” he snapped at Paul as he pulled the weapon out and switched it on. He watched the meter on the side as it slowly climbed up to a full charge.

  “They’re clear. But we might want to hurry. There’s some serious noise downstairs.” Paul clung to the doorway, his eyes wide.

  “Get behind me. Anything that presents itself becomes extinct.” Rufus hefted the heavy stainless steel weapon to his shoulder and peeped through the site glass.

  “For the love of all that is holy, be careful where you aim that thing.” Paul kept a hand on Rufus’ back as they worked their way down the hallway.

  Gunfire from the base of the stairs drew Rufus’ attention and he leaned over the edge of the railing. Gus Tracy was on one knee and firing around the corner down the lower floor hallway. Jimmy Wallace was on the opposite wall in a standing position and covering his team mate. Rufus leaned back. “Jack’s friends are defending the lower level hallway.”

  “We could work our way outside.” Paul really didn’t like the idea and actually hoped Rufus would veto it, but instead he watched his brother nod and began working his way down the stairs.

  Gus glanced upward, his weapon sweeping the stairs then falling back to the hallway when he saw the two vampires. “We got you covered here,” he stated as he fired down the hallway again. “They’re concentrated on the other end. I wish I knew where these sons of bitches were coming from.”

  “I saw some boats approaching but seriously, how many people can fit in those things?” Jimmy asked.