Ringer and Eddie had ventured outside the warehouse turned high-tech base and stood in an alleyway across the street from it, looking at the nondescript building. A pile of cigarette butts littered the street at Ringer’s feet as he lit up a fresh one. Eddie was puffing on a thick, fragrant cigar.
“It’s hard to believe we’ve survived all we have,” Eddie commented. “If you hadn’t come along, Ringer, we might all be dead already.”
Ringer shook his head. “I doubt that. It wasn’t until I showed up that Mavet actually came after you guys. You could argue that my presence is what led that bastard to go on the offensive.”
The psycho-porter shrugged. “Would have happened sooner or later, anyway. You can’t blame yourself for things that aren’t your fault. Look at how many lives you’ve saved here since joining up, Ringer.”
“And how many have I failed to save?” Ringer said, his voice pained and filled with a deep sadness.
“Mercy’s been gone a long time now, kid,” Eddie pointed out. “You need to let that stuff go.”
“If I’d been there…” Ringer started.
“But you weren’t. You can’t change that, Ringer. Bad things happen in life. Doesn’t matter who you are, life finds a way of tearing out your heart,” Eddie said.
Ringer took a long drag from his cigarette. Its end glowed orange in the dim illumination of the streetlights.
“Hard to believe it’s all coming to an end.” Eddie flicked ashes from his cigar onto the street. “This time tomorrow night, we’ll be knee-deep in vampires and giving Mavet and his cronies the payback they deserve.”
“You really think we can take him, Eddie?” Ringer asked.
“We have to, don’t we?” Eddie shrugged. “There ain’t no one else who can. Jimi’s made it clear he isn’t going to step in and rid the Earth of him.”
“The Mothman has his reasons for that, Eddie.” Ringer frowned.
“Still, with his kind of muscle…” the psycho-porter sighed.
Both of them were silent for a moment before Ringer finally spoke again.
“Sometimes, Eddie, I get the feeling that it all comes down to me,” Ringer told him.
“You could be right about that, Ringer,” Eddie replied. “You’re the biggest gun we have in our arsenal.”
“Thanks, man. That really makes me feel better.” Ringer chuckled darkly.
“Just call ‘em as I see ‘em.” The psycho-porter laughed.
“What about Katherine?” Ringer asked. “Have you heard if she’s going with us or not?”
“Not sure if Donald’s made up his mind on that, but I would damn well like to see him try to stop her. The woman’s whole life has been leading up to tomorrow night, Ringer. Ain’t no way in Hell she’s staying here when we head out to finish Mavet,” Eddie said.
“You’re right about that.” Ringer tossed the butt of his finished cigarette into the pile at his feet, grinding it out with the bottom of his shoe. “It’s more than just saving the world to her. It’s personal.”
“Isn’t it personal for all of us at this point, Ringer?” Eddie pointed at the base across the street from where they stood. “Name one person over there out of our core staff that hasn’t lost someone they care about because of Mavet, just one. Every one of us wants that bastard dead and burning in hell.”
“I hear you, man.” Ringer nodded. “I just hope we can pull it off.”
“Have some faith, kid.” Eddie smiled and slugged the telekinetic on the shoulder.
* * * * *
Chapter 19
Tonya looked up from cleaning her new pistol as a knock sounded on the door of her quarters. She’d put her new weapon through its paces earlier on the firing range, getting used to the feel of it, and wanted to be sure it was a hundred percent for what was coming.
Her back ached as Tonya rose to her feet, placing the slide of the pistol she’d been cleaning on the desk next to her. The medical staff, such as it was, had done their best for her, but only time would heal the wounds the shrapnel from the door had left in her. It made her miss Mercy. The psycho-metabolist had always healed everyone so quickly, with nothing but her will, that it wasn’t until after her death that any of them had realized just how good they’d had it with her around.
“Come in,” Tonya said.
The door of her quarters swung inward as Katherine entered. There were no wounds on her. Being a half vampire had its advantages. Tonya tried not to be jealous.
“Hey,” Katherine said, “I thought I’d check in and make sure you were okay.”
“I’ve had better years,” Tonya joked, a slight grin spreading her lips, “but that’s not really why you’re here, is it?”
“Telepaths,” Tonya heard Katherine mutter under her breath.
“I’ll try not to take that as an insult,” Tonya replied. “I don’t need to be a telepath, though, to see that something’s on your mind, Katherine. Spit it out.”
“I just wanted to say thank you for helping me get my crap back together,” Katherine told her sincerely.
“You’re more than welcome. This company needs you,” Tonya said.
“May I?” Katherine asked, gesturing at Tonya’s bunk. There were no other chairs in the room aside from the one Tonya was standing next to.
Tonya nodded, and Katherine took a seat on the edge of the bed.
“Look, I know I’m still not one hundred percent,” Katherine said.
“And you’re worried about Mavet taking control of you when we go in tomorrow night,” Tonya ventured.
“Exactly,” Katherine admitted. “Is there any way you can make sure he won’t be able to?”
“You mean other than driving a stake through your heart?” Tonya asked with a smile.
Katherine glared at her, and Tonya regretted her attempt at levity. She could see Katherine was deadly serious.
“Yeah, other than that,” Katherine said gruffly.
Tonya walked over and took a seat on the edge of the bed next to her.
“Katherine, you’re half vampire. You’ve always had a great deal of psychic potential you’ve tapped into. Sure, you’ve had people like me teach you the basics of protecting yourself, but you’ve never gone beyond that.” Tonya paused. “Maybe it’s time you did.”
“What are you saying, Tonya? You think I have some kind of latent power like Ringer just hiding in my head waiting for me to dig deep enough to get at it?” Katherine was shocked.
“Not exactly,” Tonya explained. “We know that all vampires are, to some extent, telepathic. Your fear of becoming less and less human by embracing the vampire part of you has prevented you from using that power to any real degree. What I’m suggesting is that we find a way for you to use it now.”
“Don’t you think it’s a little bit late to start learning? I mean, we’re going after Mavet tomorrow night,” Katherine reminded the telepath.
Tonya shook her head. “I’m not saying learn how to use it, Katherine. I’m saying let me use it for you.”
“What does that mean?” Katherine snapped, feeling frustrated.
“Like I said, all vampires are telepathic. It’s just part of what they are. I’m suggesting that you let me into your mind again and allow me to turn on your natural vampiric psychic shield for you. I can not only turn it on, but if we’re lucky, I can enhance it while I’m in there,” Tonya told her.
“You can really do that?” Katherine asked in disbelief.
“I can,” Tonya nodded, “but you have to be willing to let me inside your head again.”
“If that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes,” Katherine agreed. “Besides, you’ve already seen what’s in my head. I have nothing to hide from you.”
Tonya reached over to place a hand on Katherine’s shoulder in a comforting manner. “I have to warn you, though, this is going to hurt like hell.”
“I can take it,” Katherine said. “If it’ll keep Mavet out of my head, I can take just about anything.”
“Okay then,” Tonya told her. “Open your mind to me and let’s get it done.”
Katherine did her best to relax and lower her natural mental shield by sheer force of will. She felt Tonya slip into her mind. A second later, Katherine screamed. Her cry echoed off the walls of the telepath’s tight quarters. It felt like Tonya was doing brain surgery with no anesthesia. Katherine’s entire body went rigid, her muscles tensing up. Her knuckles went even whiter than their normal paleness from clutching the edge of the mattress they were sitting on. Had it been metal she was grasping, it would have squealed and bent. Katherine’s eyes rolled up in her head to show only the whites as her body began to shake and tremble. Then as abruptly as it had begun, it was over. Katherine toppled from the bed, crashing onto the floor. When she woke up, Tonya was still sitting on the bed staring down at her.
“It’s done,” Tonya said, “At least as well as it can be. If Mavet tries to take control of you, he’ll have a hell of time doing it.”
“Thank you,” Katherine said in a weak and exhausted voice.
“Donald believes you and Ringer are our best shots at stopping Mavet. What I did, I did for all of us, Katherine. Maybe the whole world, too,” Tonya answered.
“I know.” Katherine nodded as Tonya offered her a hand up.
“Ow,” Tonya made a face, rubbing at her back when Katherine was on her feet.
“You going to be okay with that back?” Katherine asked, concerned.
“Not all of us can heal like you,” Tonya replied, sounding a bit defensive about her condition. “But there’s nothing for it. We need every single one of us tomorrow night. Even Richard is going back out in the field. If that guy can manage it, so can I.”
“Right,” Katherine said, not pressing the issue. “I have to go see Donald about tomorrow night, but really, thank you again.”
Tonya nodded and watched Katherine head out the door. When she was gone, Tonya returned to getting her new pistol ready for the coming battle.
* * * * *
Chapter 20
Donald stood in the base’s command center. It was quiet now, but it would soon be frantic with activity. He’d come there to try to tap into his power and get a glimpse of what lay ahead. The future remained indistinct, though—it was murky and unreadable. It had been difficult taking over Psi-Mechs, Inc. when his mother had been captured by Mavet’s minions. Ringer had refused to step up to the job, leaving him to carry on in his mother’s place.
Emotions were a tough thing for Donald. They were confusing and incomprehensible for the most part. When he did feel them, they were either too intense or too slight. Right now, Donald felt like a terrible failure, despite having kept the company together in his mother’s absence. The others respected him, and a few perhaps even looked up to him after his battle with the psi-power stealing worm creature. He’d proven himself in the field; he could be a force as deadly as a pilot inside a Psi-mech suit when it came to melee combat. That didn’t matter. Attrition had taken its toll on the company since he took over as head.
The argument could be made that it was just the state of things, given the circumstances, and that no one could have prevented it. To the young precog, though, often being able to know what was coming, Donald felt as if he should have done better. Their final battle with Mavet was approaching, and what did they have to enter it with? No mercs, only a handful of functional Psi-mechs, two of the company’s core psychics wounded, and his mother…who was a risk they’d be forced to take through no fault of her own. The odds were not in their favor, but if they failed, the world and all of humanity would go down with them.
“Working late, boss?” a voice called to him from the entrance to the command center.
Richard entered, looking nervous. The phase-shifter was almost fully recovered from his injuries. He’d proven himself during the time Katherine Grimm had been away. While his power wasn’t as devastating as Ringer’s, or as useful as Tonya’s, it was not to be dismissed. Many a time, Richard’s intervention had saved the lives of his teammates. Richard was not, nor would he ever truly be, a warrior, but his heart was certainly in the war against the darkness threatening to consume the world, or he’d never have stayed on after the battle in Alaska.
“No,” Donald answered, saying nothing more.
“I couldn’t sleep either,” Richard said. “Tomorrow night’s the big one.”
Donald cocked an eyebrow at the phase-shifter.
When Donald continued to remain silent, Richard asked, “You think we’re ready for it?”
“We are as prepared as we can be,” Donald replied.
Richard shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “I heard that Hank, Scott, and the crew have managed to get six mechs online for the battle and are really trying to get a seventh combat ready, too.”
“We will have only six Psi-mechs,” Donald said.
“Uh…okay.” Richard stared at Donald. “You saw that, huh? I mean with your power, right?”
“Yes,” Donald answered.
“What else have you seen in our future?” Richard pestered him.
“Nothing of great import.” Donald turned to look at the sea of monitors that lined the forward wall of the command center. Most of them were currently offline, as there was no team in the field at the moment. “The future is proving…unreadable.”
“And that’s why you can’t sleep either, right? It must be hard knowing you should be able to see what’s coming but can’t,” Richard commented.
“What will be, will be.” Donald shrugged and swung around to face Richard. “I’m sorry, but I’ve had no vision with which to quell your fears, Richard.”
“Gotta ya, boss man,” Richard said. “I understand. Tell me this, though, will you be going with us to North Carolina?”
“I will.” Donald nodded. “We will need everyone in the battle if we’re to have any sort of chance at overcoming Mavet’s forces.”
“Good.” Richard smiled. “Having you there will make me feel a lot better. We all saw what you did to the worm creature.”
“Richard…I came here to be alone and find my center, perhaps force a glimpse of the future. If you have nothing important to report, I would ask that you leave me to my meditations.” Donald was trying to be as polite as he could but got the impression from Richard’s sudden change in expression that he’d failed.
“I understand, Donald,” Richard told him. “I’ll leave you to it then, boss.”
As Donald watched Richard depart, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Richard’s life was near its end. It was a cloud of darkness that hovered over most of those around him these days. Yet there was nothing he could do about it, and there was no backing out of the battle that lay ahead. Too much depended on its outcome. Donald could only hope that at least some of them survived what was to come.
* * * * *
Chapter 21
Scott and his pilots met for a quick briefing less than an hour before showtime. Heather, Melissa, Tim, Zach, and Mina were all gathered around the table Scott stood in front of. He activated a holographic display of the mountain and the area around it, where Hank believed Mavet to be holed up.
“This is where we’re going, folks,” Scott told them. “As far as Hank’s scans can pick up, there are two entrances into the extensive system of caves that run through the place. One is up here.” Scott pointed at an opening near the mountain’s peak. “We believe this is what the vampires use to come and go. There will no doubt be guards in place to defend it, as well as whatever entering and exiting traffic may be occurring when we drop in. The other entrance is down here on the mountain’s other side.” Scott indicated the area. “We’re not sure of this entrance’s purpose. It certainly appears less traveled than the other. You can bet there will be at least some kind of defense for it, though. Donald’s plan is for us to take on the main door. Eddie will port us directly onto the ledge outside of it, and we’ll fight our way into the mountain from there. We’ll be the diversion as usual, drawing fire wh
ile the psychics do their job taking the battle to Mavet. This time, however, it’s important that we push as hard as we can through the mountain’s defenders, killing everything in our path. Our ultimate goal will be to join up with the psychics in the mountain’s main chamber area, which Hank believes is Mavet’s throne room, temple, or whatever you want to call it, because if the psychics fail to eliminate Mavet, the job falls to us.”
“How many vamps are we expecting to run into?” Tim asked.
“We don’t have any numbers on what to expect,” Scott admitted. “This is supposed to be Mavet’s home turf, though, so we can expect the numbers to be high, and many of the vamps we encounter will be full masters.”
“You know there are only six of us, right?” Melissa frowned.
“We can do this,” Scott told her. “This is what we’ve all trained for. Every mission each of us has been on has led to this night. We have to do this, because if we don’t, folks, the world dies.”
“No pressure, eh?” Zach asked.
“Can we expect more than just vampires waiting for us in there?” Mina asked.
Scott nodded. “The demon Nazar who attacked Ms. Grimm here in this base might be among the vampires’ ranks if Mavet has discovered his failure and summoned him back. We can also expect a few dark mages scattered in with vampires, too. Their leader, Elick, escaped the team led by Ms. Bellmore in Florida. It’s almost certain he’ll be there. Thus, I wouldn’t rule out zombies being present as well. They shouldn’t be a problem, though.”
“Scott, I’m going to have to repeat what Melissa brought up earlier,” Heather said. “There are only six of us. How are we supposed to push through all that?”
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