They burst into Purdue's bedroom. Had he been in there sleeping in that bed, he would have been riddled with bullets. He wouldn't have been able to even begin to defend himself. He would have been dead almost instantly and never have stood a chance.
He'd accumulated a number of enemies of the years. Jealous thrill-seekers. Angry associates. Relic guardians. And of course, secret societies like his frequent enemy, the Order of the Black Sun. Something like this wasn't their usual style, though. It was too visible and too loud for a shadow organization like them.
It was similar, however, to one of their subdivisions, the Eclipsed. He'd only recently encountered them and saw how openly violent they could be. But their leader had been killed, defeated in a cave in England. Maybe the Eclipsed wanted revenge for their fallen master. Was this their retribution? Break into his home and murder him?
As the thought crossed his mind, his gaze caught a familiar looking face on the screens. It was a bit pixelated, but he recognized the dark hair and the business suit.
But that couldn't be right.
“Charles, zoom in. Camera four.”
Charles pressed a few keys and the fourth monitor's camera zoomed in on the familiar figure. It was even blurrier trying to zoom in, but through that distortion, it sure looked like the face Purdue was familiar with—but it was impossible to tell for sure. The blurry figure was directing the legion of armed soldiers from a radio in his hand.
“Sir.”
Purdue pulled his attention away from camera four and followed Charles' finger. He was pointing at the left most monitor, which was now displaying camera ten—the camera positioned just over the vault door.
A handful of gunmen were coming down the stairs to the cellar and came across the vault's thick, massive door.
They were just outside the room, but Purdue wasn't worried about them. They could never get in. It was reinforced, built to withstand the most powerful of explosions. The entire room had been walled with just as durable of protection. His collection was stored in a giant treasure chest that was impossible to open.
The only problem was that the front door was the only possibility of escape. When they constructed it, Charles suggested a secret escape hatch; some way out if the front door wasn't a possibility. But Purdue refused to have one installed. Another way out would mean there was another way for his enemies to get in.
No. There was only one way in and one way out. It would be a stalemate.
The room was designed for a long stay and contained entire stores of rations that could last them years. He doubted these men outside had years to waste trying to break down the door. If it came down to it, they could outlast the invaders. They could win this siege.
The two gunmen in the basement looked over the door, very clearly agitated by the great, big obstacle in their way. They held up their communicators and he watched the familiar looking man on camera four respond to his own. The man then rushed down the hall and as he passed each camera, Purdue watched him walk across multiple screens. It gave him a chance to get a much better look at him.
It wasn't his imagination. It wasn't a trick of the camera.
It was really Julian Corvus.
At least one part of Mama May's prophecy had actually come to pass. She said that a dead man was following Purdue, and here he was like a predator on the hunt. He may have brushed off her claims since then, but he knew now that it wasn't hyperbole. It wasn't some ominous bit of fiction to scare him or make him paranoid.
A dead man was following him—and the dead man she was talking about was one of the people who scared Purdue the most.
On the monitors, he could see the rest of the invaders all responding to the call and congregating. They moved down the basement stairs to the vault door. Julian was standing at the front of the crowd, examining the door.
“Turn camera ten's audio on,” Purdue said.
Charles flipped a switch and they could hear the invaders speaking to one another. As Julian spoke to his troops, even his voice sounded exactly the same as Purdue remembered. He hoped maybe it was just someone who looked like him and his voice would calm his worries, but there was no such luck.
It was a good time to speak with one of the literal ghosts of his past.
Purdue pressed down a button on the microphone and leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the screen. He spoke into the mic and heard his voice surround the soldiers on camera ten.
“You're looking good for a dead man.”
Julian took a step back, away from the vault door. He glanced around until he saw the camera mounted above him.
Even through the screen, Purdue felt a chill when Julian's cold eyes looked through the camera lens. A small smile formed on the man's face.
“Mr. Purdue.” Julian spoke with the same fake professionalism that he always spoke with and addressed Purdue with the same proper name that he used to. “I have a proposal for you. You in there? Come out. We need to speak.”
“Come out there? So, you can kill me? Doesn't seem smart, does it?”
“It's only fair. You and your friends killed me.”
“Did we?” Purdue said, trying not to sound as afraid as he was. “Doesn't look like it. So why don't you and your Eclipsed pals get out of my house?”
“Oh, these aren't just the Eclipsed, Mr. Purdue. We've moved past such segregation. I have command of every member of the Order of the Black Sun. These are just the order's best enforcers.”
Purdue took his hand off the microphone. There was no way Julian could be telling the truth. The Eclipsed were practically a rogue sect. They would have been excommunicated if the Black Sun wasn't so afraid of their reprisal. The leaders of the order would never let Julian take control. They would never let that happen.
But maybe they hadn't let anything happen. Julian might have just taken it.
Overthrowing the order wasn't possible ... but Julian being alive wasn't supposed to be possible either. Yet, here he was.
Purdue turned the microphone back on. “You expect me to believe you're running the circus now? You? The biggest freak in the menagerie?”
“Believe what you want. I am the undisputed leader now, as I should always have been. Shepherding the Black Sun into a new era.”
“You already sang me that song once. I really don't need to hear it again.”
“Even so, you should know about the first directive I've implemented. It concerns you. We are getting our adversaries out of the way. Taking back what's ours.”
“There's nothing here that's yours. Just things I beat you to.”
“Don't draw this out, Mr. Purdue. Open up. We'll get in eventually. We just want to collect our belongings, clean the slate, and be on our way.”
“You're welcome to come in. Might take you a few centuries.”
“If that's your decision ... we have plenty of ways to get you out of there.”
Julian waved his arm and a group of men with blowtorches ran past him. They started their attempt to break through the door as sparks flew through the air. It would never work. The door was far too thick.
Still, it seemed like too simple of a try for Julian. He was far more calculating than that. Blowtorches couldn't be one of the ways of getting them out that he had mentioned.
Purdue picked up the phone and dialed for Dr. Nina Gould. There were a few rings before it went to voicemail.
“Oh, come on. Don't be dodging me. Pick up the phone. Call me back. It's important.”
Immediately after, he called Sam Cleave and was relieved when his colleague answered. “Really? Another quest already, Purdue?”
“I'm afraid the quest has come to me this time. Julian Corvus is quite literally knocking on my door as we speak.”
“What are you on about? He's dead.”
Purdue was staring at him on the screen. “Evidently not.”
“Well, what then?” Sam's worry crackled through the phone. “You want me to come over there and fight a dead man?”
“No,” Purd
ue said. “No, you find some place safe to put yourself. Julian is apparently controlling all of the Black Sun now ... and said they're going after his enemies. I imagine you're on that list.”
“Great,” Sam said, swearing under his breath. “What about Nina? If I'm on his hit list, she definitely will be.”
“I've tried her. She didn't pick up.”
“The authorities have been alerted,” Charles muttered from the keyboard.
17
BATTERING RAMS
Julian barked some more orders to his minions at the door before he walked back to the ground floor of the house, glancing at each camera as he passed, like he was signaling for his viewers to follow him. He went into Purdue's study, where one of his trucks had planted itself. He picked up a chair that had been knocked over in the crash and put it in front of that room's camera. He sat down in the chair and started waving at the camera lens.
Purdue wanted to just ignore him; let him sit there for a while.
He knew that this calm confidence of Julian's would only last as long as he was in control. He remembered how he could erupt into manic violence the moment something didn't go his way. That Julian would come out soon enough, when he realized he was never going to get into that vault.
Finally, Purdue turned on the mic for the camera in the study.
“What are you doing?”
“I wanted to have ourselves another chat, Mr. Purdue. And I wouldn't been able to hear you with all of that racket my men are making trying to get in.”
“I barely hear it,” Purdue said. “Like gentle raindrops on the window. Might even lull me to sleep. Like I said, they're going to have a hell of a tough time with that door.”
“Not a problem,” Julian said. “We have far more powerful battering rams on the way.”
“Well they'll have to be made of something real strong to get through that door.”
“Oh, they are,” Julian glanced toward the door of the room he was in. “In fact, here's one now.”
In the background of the image on the screen, three silhouettes came into view from the hallway. Purdue could have seen them earlier if he wasn't so focused on Julian's screen.
The shapes came into focus. To Purdue's surprise, he knew all three of them.
Sasha. Julian's subordinate, enforcer, and all around unpleasant human being. Purdue hoped he'd never have to see her again. The universe just couldn't let him have that one apparently.
Limping next to her was a short man with a walking stick and another face Purdue never really wanted to see again. Galen Fitzgerald. Another rich man jealous of Purdue's greater success. He used to profess to being Purdue's close friend but that was never the case. The last time they spoke, Purdue had made that abundantly clear to the Irishman.
And the third was Nina—in handcuffs—just as Purdue had feared.
She was the battering ram. The tool Julian hoped he could use to get that door open.
“I believe you are well acquainted with everyone here.”
“There's no need for this shit,” Purdue said.
“Of course, there is. I need to get that door open. You're not cooperating. So, I brought help.”
“And you're going to what? Kill them unless I do as I'm told? Start with Galen then.”
Galen shuffled forward, pointing his cane at the camera. “I'm not a hostage you bastard! I'm a part of the Black Sun now!”
Purdue let out a laugh. He didn't mean for it to be so loud, but he was glad it was. It echoed through the microphone and out the speakers to the room they were in. It might as well have rebounded all around the house, and Galen's face reddened with anger when the laughter surrounded him.
Purdue contained his laugh and leaned into the microphone. “You can't be serious. Is the Black Sun really so down and out these days that they are pulling up recruits from the bottom of the barrel? Or is it that your brain didn't come back to life with the rest of you, Julian? You still haven't told me how you managed your escape from death.”
Galen opened his mouth to speak, obviously insulted by how little Purdue seemed to care about his change in allegiances. He was about to start throwing a tantrum when Julian raised a hand to silence him before he could even begin.
“You want to know all about my miraculous resurrection, do you? Come on out. I'll be happy to tell you all about it.”
“It was the spear!” Nina shouted at the camera. “The Spear of Destiny brought him back!”
Sasha smacked the back of her hand against Nina's face, knocking her to the floor.
“Well that's unfortunate,” Julian said. “It would have been so much better to hear it first from me. Dr. Gould just has to spoil everything, I suppose.”
“The Spear of Destiny...” Purdue thought back to Julian's death. The spear that was supposed to have the power of Christ himself inside of it. They should have been wearier of the legends before putting it into Julian's body. Then again, they didn't have much choice at the time. It was do or die, and Nina chose the former. “Well at least I know you're not a ghost. That would have made you tough to deal with. You could have walked right through my door if that were the case. So, you want me dead, and everything I have ever collected. That's it, aye?”
“Yes,” Julian said. “Just taking back what should have been ours if you hadn't intervened and gotten to them first.”
“Kicked your Black Sun asses, you mean. You can just say it like it is. No need to pretend like it didn't happen. We're all friends here, aye? Nina killing you with the Jesus spear brought you back to life. So, the way I figure it, you should be thanking her, not holding her hostage. She did you a favor by using that one.”
“I'm sure it was intentional.” Julian grabbed Nina by the arm and heaved her off the floor. She tried to take a swing at him with her elbow, but he blocked it and got her in a head lock, pulling out a knife and holding it to her throat. “Here is how we're going to go about this, Mr. Purdue. You come out. Right now. Or I kill Dr. Gould.”
“Aw, come on,” Purdue said. “Isn't this a bit too elementary for you, Julian? You going to twirl your mustache and laugh while you're at it? We both know you're not going to kill her.”
“No? Would be proper for me to kill my killer.”
Julian was staring directly into the camera to the point that Purdue felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. It was like Julian could see him perfectly clearly. There was no camera or monitor between them. They were face to face, somehow.
Julian tightened his grip on Nina's throat and pushed the blade's tip into her neck’s skin, drawing blood. Nina winced but didn't cry out. She kept calm and looked straight at the camera. She yelled, “Don't open you open that door, David. I'll kill you if you do! They will take everything!”
“You can open it now and yes, like she said, we will take everything,” Julian said. “Or you can wait for me to kill her and we'll eventually get in anyway. So, we can just take everything or we can take everything and add Dr. Gould's to the losses. It is entirely your decision, Mr. Purdue, but the decision has to be made. Now.”
“Then the answer is no.”
The look on Julian's face almost made it all worth it. He was caught completely off-guard, not only by the decision, but by the abruptness of it. “No?”
“Correct. I said no,” Purdue said in a matter of fact way over the microphone. “This door is not opening, you stupid bastard. Not for you. Not even if it means Nina dies. Sorry, love.”
Nina was smiling, almost on the verge of laughter, despite the knife at her throat. Julian looked from Nina to the camera in confusion, utterly flabbergasted by Purdue's choice.
Purdue made it look like a simple decision ... but it wasn't. He didn't want Nina to die, and he certainly didn't want it to be because of a choice that he made. But he and Nina had known each other for some time and both of them understood that stopping the Order of the Black Sun was important enough to die for. If it came down to it, both of them were willing to give their lives to keep that in
sane secret society at bay.
He was just sorry that it had to end up this way. He watched the monitor intently, trying to mentally prepare himself for Nina's death, but apparently, Julian Corvus had other plans for her.
Julian grimaced and then pushed Nina away. He tossed his knife away and started clapping.
“You actually surprised me, Mr. Purdue,” Julian said. “And here I thought you were as predictable as could be, but you were willing to let her die to hold on to all your precious trophies. Not exactly selfless, are you?”
“Never claimed to be,” Purdue said.
“Even so,” Julian continued. “You didn't mind having her blood on your hands. Her death haunting you for the rest of your days stuck in that room in there. How do you justify that to yourself? Or to her? How do you feel knowing you’re expendable in his eyes, Dr. Gould?”
“Great,” Nina said. “It's what I would have done too.”
Julian's attention lingered on her for a moment and he snickered under his breath. “This is becoming something of a nuisance, as you can imagine. This was supposed to be a simple operation. Get in. Take everything we want. Get out. But you...” He pointed at the camera, right through the screen at Purdue. “But you just have to keep making things difficult to the very end.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” Purdue said. “I sure hope threatening Nina wasn't your master plan. You've got to have a better trump card than that.”
“You will find that I can be full of surprises,” Julian said. “Mr. Gerard! Mr. Jean-Luc Gerard. Haitian-born. Proud and productive resident of the great city of New Orleans. I know you're in there with him. And I know why you're working with him. However, I'm afraid the check Mr. Purdue made you is going to bounce. He's about to run into some very unfortunate financial difficulties.”
Purdue turned to Jean, who was looking at the monitor curiously and then to Purdue with a raised brow. Purdue shook his head, ready to reaffirm that the money was good. Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to even speak before Julian was addressing them again.
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