He nodded and stepped back.
I saw the world slow as I shot forward, north, toward the Gate. As I neared the hulking ruins of Gasper's tanks, I let the rage out.
It came with a howl of fury that didn't quite sound human, and power surged from the Source as I Pulled. I blasted the wreckage in front of me and tore at it with my hands, ripping and tearing metal as power flowed through me.
I have to say, I lost myself for a little while as I became the rage. When I found myself standing directly in front of the spot where the Gate had been, the plains behind me were afire and the wreckage of the tanks was scattered in much smaller pieces across a good half mile of fiery grassland.
I stood there a long time, wishing for the Gate to open. I wanted to kill them, I wanted to destroy their world, I wanted them to come at me now. I don't know how to fight these assassins, I know how to kill Kresh.
"Come on!" I screamed at the empty air, "Bring it to me!"
But there was no answer and the Gate remained closed. My friend remained dead, and the war would continue without him.
"One day, I'll step through into your world, you bastards," I said softly, "and when I do you'll learn what Rash'Tor'Ri truly means. I swear it."
"Son?" a voice rumbled from behind me, "Are you alright?"
I turned to find Kharl standing behind me with a whole squad of his new Jaeghernauts. Daphne Cavanaugh stood directly behind him and the twenty of them stood in a v formation, ready for battle.
"I will be," I said sadly, "I needed to vent a little."
Daphne looked at me with one eyebrow raised. She looked back at the burning grassland and the scattered hunks of metal.
"A little?" she asked, "I don't think I want to see a lot."
"I don't either," I said softly, "Believe me, I don't either."
We walked toward the base and Kharl strode beside me, "You wanna talk about it?"
"The Shak'Tar got Luis, Dad," I said, "This has to stop. But I don't know how to make it stop. I need a target. If they can give me a target, I'll end it, but I need the target."
"I see," he said, "It's hard to lose friends, Son. I know, I've lost a great many in the last hundred years. It doesn't get any easier as you get older. And it shouldn't ever get easier. The only thing I can say is that we'll avenge him and when these Shak'Tar are located, we'll all stand beside you and we'll call up hell from below. We'll destroy them just as we'll destroy their masters."
"Amen to that," Daphne said from my other side, "And when you get ready to step through that Gate into their world, we'll be right there with you. One day we'll bring those bastards down."
"Thanks," I said. It was the only thing I could think of to answer that. I knew that the Guard would follow me into the abyss if I chose to go there. I don't really understand why they are all willing to do such, but I know they are.
We met Ric and Prada about halfway back.
"Get me Duke, Ric," I said, "I need details about these Shak'Tar. I may be able to give some insight as to how they think since we share the same blood."
"I already called him," Ric returned, "He's on his way. Be here by tomorrow morning."
"Good man," I said, "Sorry if I flew off earlier. I needed..."
"No explanations needed, Boss," he said, "although you need a new desk and some walls repaired in your office. Probably easier to just move to another office."
"I guess I shouldn't take bad news inside,"
"Probably a safe bet," Prada said.
Chapter 23
"Tell me how Luis died," I said to the man who sat in a chair across the desk from me in my new office.
Jim Duke looked at me a moment, "You knew Ramirez, personally, didn't you?"
The knot formed in my chest again, "He was my friend."
He nodded and said, "He actually wasn't even the target. The target was a Russian Mage named Sergei Ivanof. He is the head of the Russian Academy. The whole hit team was destroyed but your man was killed in the fray."
I nodded.
"The attack occurred close to the Academy and their initial action was much like they used in China. They did something that scrambled the brains of all the Mages and Guards in a certain area and walked in with some heavy bore pistols to unload into the unconscious forms."
"Only, they hadn't planned on Ramirez," Duke said, "He had been out late and was returning at just the right moment to intervene. He ran in at that crazy speed you guys have, and fried all of the Shak'Tar except one who was close enough to slam Ramirez with the telepathic attack. Ramirez was shot seven times by this man but the Shak'Tar was also picked off by one of the initial Mages who was still alive. It was short and ugly but your man saved seven of the ten in the initial group and killed almost a complete hit squad of the Shak'Tar."
At least Luis hadn't gone down easy. I could easily see him intervening in an attack as well. Everything rang true about the whole scenario, but it still called forth the rage in me when I thought about it.
"I need to know where these guys are based, Jim," I said, "Have we gotten any closer to finding the bastards?"
"A little," he said. "They're based over in Europe or possibly the Middle East. I'm narrowing down the choices but it's still an immense amount of territory to search. We're pretty certain they have to come into the country from outside to do their hits here. The ones in Europe always seem to happen before the ones here, and we figure it is a matter of travel time."
"You have no idea how much I want those fuckers," I said with a snarl. "Is there anything I can do to help you? I have the same Demon blood in my veins. I honestly don't know if I could help with how they think, I was raised completely different than they were. The only commonality is the Demon blood."
"Actually, they think more like someone in my line of work would," he answered, "That's how we've stopped several attacks already. We anticipate and meet their teams. Their telepathy doesn't affect a sniper who is several hundred yards away from them and, I'll be honest, some of them are just plain sloppy."
"How so?"
"A lot of the teams rely on the telepathy too much," he explained, "They project to people around them somehow. People just don't notice they're there. But, like I said, a sniper who is several hundred yards away can pick them out with ease. But, as with any force, there are also some that are very good. These use positions like we would and the telepathy is a secondary skill which they use very well."
"I would say those are much harder to interfere with," I said.
"All too true," he said with a nod, "Sadly, my Russian teams were too late. I'm truly sorry about your friend."
"I'm not trying to place blame on you or your teams, Jim," I said, "You guys are doing wonders already, but I just want you to know that I'll help in any way I can. If you need me to look at a group you suspect, I can tell by sight if they are Demonblood. Just contact me if you need me to actually look and see."
"I hadn't really thought of that," he said, "How close do you need to be to see their Souls?"
"Maybe a mile if I'm in a plane looking down," I answered, "Maybe more. I haven't really experimented with that so much."
"I'll definitely keep that in mind," he said, "It would be quite useful at times."
"Call me with any updates," I said as Jim stood up to go, "and as long as they aren't launching a full blown attack like last year, I should be available to do some distance spying for you."
"Will do," he said as he turned and exited my office.
Part of me still hurt at the loss of Luis but I was also proud of the man. He'd taken out the hit squad before he went down. I also know that it's how he would have liked to go out if he had to go. Swinging with both fists in the act of saving others.
I truly dreaded the fact that I would have to tell his family about his death. He'd had three sisters still living and a whole slew of nephews and nieces. It would be a sad day when I flew down to Florida to tell them. It's not something I wanted to say over the phone. Family deserves more than an imper
sonal call.
***
The base in Kansas was growing rapidly. When the government actually backed us we could move at a greater speed than before. The first shield was up around the first facility out by the gate and the second facility was in the beginning stages. There was a great deal of construction equipment working twenty four hours a day digging the great big hole that would house a concrete and steel bunker.
There were independent power supplies to each facility in addition to the buried cables that brought in the primary source of power. Ventilation had been an issue when we had begun this project. My shields would sever any tunnels that weren't buried very deep.
When I had sunk the shield into the earth to anchor it, there had been a couple of incidents where my shields had crossed ventilation shafts and cut them off. It wasn't too hard to fix, I just had to actually enter the shafts until I reached a spot where I could see the shield across the shaft. When I had reached that point, I had opened a hole in the shield to allow the air to pass.
I have learned that my Soullord skills allow me to fiddle with almost any flows of the Source. Shields literally are putty in my hands. The first time I had realized this was when I ripped a hole in the shield surrounding Kevin Graves. I had just reached out with my mind and changed the flows of a shield tied directly to the Source.
At the time I hadn't really thought much about it, but the implications were truly astounding. If I can manipulate any flows of the Source, there aren't many things I couldn't do to a person's Soul if I chose to do so. That is terrifying to someone who is constantly fighting a monster that lives inside them, and is always trying to claw its way out.
This day, by some stroke of fortune had left me with some free time, and I was about to use that free time to go into Wichita, and find some quiet restaurant where I could try to relax for a few minutes and enjoy a good meal. Rictor and Prada were both working with Kharl and I seemed to have the time completely to myself.
I walked out toward the area where they kept the vehicles. It seems that we have to be a bit more formal now that we are constantly in contact with the US National Guard. I don't just go jump in one of the SUV's and drive out. I have to sign for one and pick it up at the Carpool.
"What can I do for you, Sir?" asked the woman who had Carpool duty for the day.
"I just need a car for a few hours to go into Wichita," I said, "I haven't signed one out before and have no idea how I'm supposed to go about it."
"Not very complicated, Sir," she returned, "I just need the tag number of the vehicle you want to sign out and your signature. Sometimes an ID is required but everyone knows who you are so it won't be required."
"Ok," I said, "I guess I just need a car or a pick-up or something."
"Will you be needing a driver, Sir?"
"I don't guess so," I said and chuckled, "Those come standard with the vehicles?"
She smiled and answered, "Yes, Sir."
"Nah, I'll drive myself," I said.
"Alright," she said and pointed to a spot on the form, "Sign here and you can take the truck over there."
She pointed to her right at a black Humvee. I'd never driven one of these yet. It might be fun.
I signed on the line and smiled, "Thanks."
She handed me a set of keys and I walked over to climb into the driver's seat.
I drove out of the garage and something was just tickling my awareness, but I paid it no notice. I exited the compound that had been erected at the former college in Hillsboro.
As I turned down the highway toward Wichita, I heard a voice from the seat behind me, "Mr. Rourke, you are a hard man to find alone."
Chapter twenty four
I looked into the mirror to see a man staring at me from the back seat. Both hands were held up in my sight. I opened my inner sight and slammed on the brakes. Before the man could even move I was out the door, which flew across the road to slam into the side of a building. His door was ripped off the hinges, and my other hand was gripping him by the front of his black uniform.
What I'd seen when I truly looked was one of the Shak'Tar, or someone who had the Demon blood, at the least.
As the Humvee rolled onward, I stood holding the man off the ground in front of me.
I'll say this for him, he didn't panic. He held his hands out with the palms up, and I could see the nervousness in his aura.
"I see how you killed thirty Shak'Tar, now," he said.
This statement confirmed his status as Shak'Tar.
"Give me one reason it shouldn't be thirty-one," I growled with my rage beginning to claw its way forward.
His eyes widened as he felt the buildup inside me, "You're a Bloodborn?"
"And you're Shak'Tar," I said as I beat the rage down some.
"I have information you need," he said, "I came to seek asylum."
Not many things can blindside me because of the abilities I have to see into the Soul, but this was the last thing I had expected. I want to hate them all, but now I find that some of them are not the evil that they represent, and it was like a slap to the face.
"Asylum…" I muttered, "You want protection?"
"More like an Alliance, Mr. Rourke," he said. "I could talk so much easier without the hand to my throat."
I slowly set the man down on his own feet and let him loose. I needed to see what he had to say, at the least.
I watched his Soul closely, "So talk."
"I belong to an organization that I wish to part ways with," he said.
"Shak'Tar," I returned.
"It seems you know more than is suspected. I was going to approach that exceptionally good security consultant you have, but what I have is very time-sensitive."
"Then you should spit it out," I said.
"Recently," he said, "a full Company of Shak'Tar arrived and were sent after a target here in the United States. A full company is one hundred men. The only high priority/high risk target I am aware of is you. I came to warn you."
"Where are they?"
"That's the problem, they're not here. Do you know who else would be considered this high a priority target?"
I felt a hole form in my chest and my face went white as a sheet.
"You do know."
I said one word as I launched myself back toward the base, "Lyrica."
I grabbed my phone from my pocket and punched the first speed dial.
"Yeah, Boss?"
"Drop everything! Get to the plane, we have to go to Montana, now!"
"Yes, Sir!" he didn't ask why or anything. That's Ric.
I ran straight for the airstrip where the Soulguard jet always sat, prepared for take-off at a moment's notice. We kept pilots on duty at all times for just such occasions.
Rictor, Prada, Kharl, and Daphne Cavanaugh all reached the jet at the same time as I did. We all piled into the jet. And the engines began to whine.
"Now! Now!" I yelled to the pilots, "Go! Fuck clearance! Montana at the fastest this heap will fly!"
The pilot didn't hesitate, slamming forward on the throttle. The plane jumped forward before the door had even shut all the way. I may have been projecting my desperation toward them all, because I turned toward the others and their faces were as pale as mine.
Kharl grabbed my shoulders, worry rolling through his aura, "What is it?!"
There were tears in my eyes, "They're going to kill my Angel!"
I was barely in control of what I was feeling and it was projecting to the others as I paced the length of the plane for the longest two hours of my entire life. I've come face to face with what I fear the most. What if I never got to hear that musical laughter again? What if I never got to see her emerald green eyes, glowing with life, again? What if?
As we neared The Academy, I opened my Sight to scan the ground miles below us. The communications to the Academy had been cut off. We'd been trying to contact them since leaving Kansas to no avail.
Then I saw her Soul and my heart soared. She was alive! But I also saw the
ugly Souls down below us and they were so close to where she was. The terror swept through me again as I thought we would be there just in time to see her die.
I ripped the seat I had placed my hands on in half as I looked groundward.
Ric placed his hand on my shoulder. He'd felt the hope and the terror I was feeling.
"Boss?"
I saw her approaching the ugly Souls below us. I could imagine what was happening. She was running like she always does, and they lay in wait for her.
I think something broke inside me in that moment. I looked at the pilot.
"Will this thing fly with the door open?"
"Yes, Sir, but you can't just open it like..."
CRASH!
I kicked the damn thing off and grabbed Rictors shirt front, "Don't follow me!"
I dove out the door.
Wind buffeted me, and I spun around and around for a moment as I got myself oriented again. I spread my arms and legs to get myself into position. I looked down and focused on the Soul below that blazed like the sun. Then I turned myself and dove straight down toward her.
I hadn't asked how high we were but it couldn't have been more than three miles. But it seemed like it took forever as the world slowed and my focus was achieved.
I could see the whole thing play out from far above them. I could see the Shak'Tar close in from all around her. Farther out I could see a portal form and Demons began to pour through it.
At that moment, she felt the Demons and opened her sight. Her Soul rippled with the attacks from the Shak'Tar. Emotions flooded across her aura and her mind wasn't able to cope. She didn't have a Lash like I do. But, by God, she is a Soullord and there is a reason they sent a hundred of the bastards to kill her.
As she began to crumple I saw her Soul Blaze as she did something I have never seen before. She reached out with her mind and ripped the life out of the area around her.
The area within five hundred feet of her died. The grass, trees, insects, animals, and fifty-seven humans that had called themselves Shak'Tar.
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