by David Welch
“What occasions a call?” Lenka asked. “You take a risk contacting a person like me.”
“It is worth the risk. I have news you may find useful,” she said.
“Oh, you do?” said Lenka, not buying it.
“One of the images you showed me, of the woman you claim is Hera. I said she looked familiar, remember?”
“Yes,” Lenka replied.
“I remembered. She is CEO of Silver Streak Sports Inc. It is a Connecticut-based company. I hired a private investigator to tail her,” Chloe said.
“You have?” said Lenka.
“Yes. She and the one you said is Zeus are heading west. They left West Virginia this morning,” said Chloe.
Lenka sat straight up in his seat, his breath coming quick. It hurt, but he didn’t care. Excitement flushed through him.
“And this investigator is following them now?” he asked.
“Yes. Can you arrange an ambush?”
“Yes,” Lenka said. “Send us his location, and which way he’s traveling. We will be there.”
“Good. You are doing a great thing for the Earth, Mr. Sidorov.”
“Well,” Lenka said sarcastically, “we must all do our part.”
If Chloe sensed the sarcasm, she didn’t let on. Lenka figured his accent must’ve hidden it enough.
“Yes,” said Chloe, “we must. Is there anything else you need?”
“No, we have all we need,” Lenka replied.
He hung up the phone and looked to his people. A smile formed on his face.
“Load up the cars. We have them.”
East of Sweet Springs, Missouri
It was day three of their cross-country relocation, and they were in Missouri. They drove along Interstate 70, past pleasant green farms separated from each other by strips of forest. Behind Zeus, Bane slept in his car seat. Melika’s face was glued to the window, as it always was. She was an insatiably curious young girl, and never wanted to miss anything. Even just seeing the world as it rolled by fascinated her. But right now her eyes were mostly shut, and not seeing much of anything as she snoozed away.
“You want to switch off?” Keilana said from the passenger seat. “Let me drive for a bit?”
“I’m good for another hour or two,” Zeus said.
Keilana smiled, and squeezed his free hand.
“So, how do we tell the kids about all this?” she wondered out loud.
“I don’t know,” Zeus said. “Bane is too young to really understand, and also too little to remember. Meli is the challenge.”
He sighed.
“It’s all right, Z,” Keilana said. “You made it quite clear this could happen when I met you. I’m not mad.”
“We shouldn’t have to uproot our lives at a moment’s notice,” Zeus replied. “Especially yours.”
“The price I pay for a perfect husband,” she said, kissing his cheek.
“I’m not perfect,” he replied sullenly.
“You’re as close to it as I’ve ever seen,” she said. “All that trial and error, I bet. Who else in this world has it as figured out as you do?”
“Hades did,” he replied. “Never had a messy breakup. Not one. All his marriages were long and happy.”
“Well, he’s not here,” she said. “And if he were, I probably wouldn’t love him anyway.”
“ ’Cause you believe love is ‘quirky,’ ” Zeus said. “You and Arty both…”
“Well, isn’t it? Before I met you, I thought I’d meet either a man or a woman, and settle down,” she said. “Instead I meet an immortal man and woman, and settle down. Who’d’a thunk it?”
“You are one of a kind.” Zeus smiled. Keilana kissed his cheek again.
He drove on. In the back Hera was tapping away on a tablet, no doubt looking over figures from one of her businesses. Always the pragmatic one of the family, Hera had earned more fortunes in her lifetime than any twenty millionaires taken at random. She had a knack for organizing and streamlining, which had led to her pretty much bankrolling the remaining immortals. Zeus had no idea exactly how much she was worth, given that the funds were under numerous aliases and dozens of shell corporations, but knew it to be at least ten figures. His eyes drifted to the rearview mirror again and again, to take in the image of his love, looking all focused.
It was while looking at his wife that he noticed the SUVs. There were three of them. They were black, and slowly making their way up, passing cars to get near him. He thought it strange, but figured they were just caravanning. That was until they drew behind him. Despite their tinted windshields, he could make out the forms of men with weapons in their hands, military-style rifles.
“Shit,” he said.
He jammed on the accelerator. They jerked forward, startling Keilana and Hera.
“What is it?” Keilana asked, concerned. “What’s going on?”
“Hera, get the kids down. Lenka’s found us,” Zeus barked.
Two of the SUVs broke, speeding up, trying to get on each side of him. Zeus swerved left, into the fast lane, cutting off one of the SUVs. It was a two-lane highway, so the SUV dropped back, alongside another.
Bane started bawling as he was rudely awoken by the maneuver. Hera reached over to his seat, unstrapping the boy. She whispered soothing words as she put him on the floor, below the seat. Nearby a confused Melika, also ripped from sleep, stared anxiously about. Hera motioned her down.
“Meli, I need you to make sure Bane stays down,” she said calmly. “You too. Keep your heads under the seat, okay?”
Meli nodded, fear in her eyes. Hera grabbed a blanket from the back and threw it over the children, tucking it around them to provide some cushioning.
In the front, Keilana dug through the glove box. She removed an M9 pistol from the space. She slid the pistol into Zeus’ pocket, then retrieved another pistol for herself.
“Ready,” she said, breathing quickly.
“Hold on,” Zeus replied.
He jerked hard right, cutting off the other car trying to get beside him. His rear bumper clipped the front of the car, bashing the metal in. But the black SUV held its position, dropping back only slightly. He saw a man maneuver an AR-15 rifle out the passenger window, trying to aim it at him.
“Hera!” Zeus said. “You ready?”
Hera had slipped behind the backseat, wedging herself between their bags. She had in her hands an AA-12 shotgun. It was the semiautomatic version available to civilians, but it was still a magnificent weapon.
“Drop the window!” she said.
With a flip of a switch, the rear window began to descend. Behind them the pursuer’s rifle barked. Rounds chewed into the frame of the car, spattering the back of it with fire.
Then came the roar. Hera let loose, opening up on the enemy’s windshield point-blank with twelve-gauge slugs. The tinted glass shattered as the rounds hit, the driver jerking back in his seat as his body was torn apart. He slumped forward, dead. The gunman dropped his rifle, which clattered onto the highway. He dove for the wheel, keeping the vehicle from careening off the road. But with a dead man at the wheel, he couldn’t get to the pedals. The SUV slowed, falling behind.
The vehicle behind it accelerated toward Zeus’ car. Zeus was already red-lining his own vehicle, so the enemy closed slowly. It pulled up alongside the other enemy SUV, the two black vehicles taking up the whole of the highway behind him.
Then they shot forward, splitting. One went for the left lane, the other for the shoulder of the right lane. Again they were trying to get on each side of him. Windows opened, the barrels of guns extending, firing.
“Heads down!” Hera yelled, throwing herself on top of the children.
They ducked down, Zeus going as low as he could. Rounds ripped into the vehicle’s sides. Sparks flew. The children screamed in terror. Zeus stomped on t
he brake.
The car lurched, skidding, the wheels squealing in protest as the brakes clamped down. They went from ninety to nearly motionless in seconds, the enemy shooting ahead of them.
Then he stomped on the accelerator, pulling behind one of the black SUVs. The enemy was braking, just as Zeus accelerated toward him.
“Kei, shoot out that fucker’s tires!” Zeus snapped.
But he got no response. He glanced over, seeing Keilana slumped low in the seat, her right side soaked in red. She held her gun weakly in her left hand, vainly pressing at the wound with her right. Cold dread ran through Zeus. He didn’t need to look twice to realize the extent of her injuries. A person couldn’t lose that much blood and hope to survive.
“Hera!” he snapped.
She leapt up from her spot over the children, smashed out the back window, and snaked her body out of the car. The shotgun barked, its round ripping into the passenger-side rear wheel. The tire exploded, dropping the back corner of the SUV to the ground. Sparks flew and it skidded out of control, swerving sharply.
Zeus sawed the wheel right, barely missing the skidding SUV. Hera yelped and grasped the window frame, holding on for dear life. Zeus’ car shot forward, past the other SUV, which had switched lanes so it could get a shot at him.
Hera clambered back in just as they sped past. Zeus ducked, and the enemy opened fire, spattering the driver’s side with rounds. The bullets tore into the metal. Luckily the rounds of the AR-15, while great on flesh, didn’t always have the mass to punch through layers of metal. He pulled away from the SUV, unhurt. To his right, Keilana moaned, coughing blood.
“We have to get her to a hospital—”
Hera was cut off by a terrible sight. Ahead of them, two black SUVs emerged from the median, having hidden on a service road between the two lanes of the interstate. Zeus went from facing only one car full of nut-jobs to being completely boxed in.
To make matters worse, the first SUV, whose driver Hera had killed, was coming on quickly behind them, rejoining the fight.
“Give me some cover!” Zeus said. He scanned the area, seeing an exit a half mile ahead. One of the black SUVs drove up the ramp, slowing to block it. He didn’t care. As Hera blasted away at the cars behind them, he swerved onto the ramp.
“Get in!” he shouted.
Hera ducked in, mere seconds before he swerved to the side of the ramp, slamming the side of his car against the guard rails. Sparks flew and metal squealed as he barreled past the SUV. The driver’s-side mirror smashed into the stopped SUV, the metal of the enemy’s vehicle crunching against his. But momentum drove him forward, and he broke clear.
Pulling back to the center of the ramp, he swerved onto a country road, heading north. Behind him, the enemy fought to untangle themselves. One SUV had overshot the ramp, and was backtracking. The other two were choked up behind the SUV that had stopped on the off-ramp, which was only now getting going. Zeus gained precious seconds.
Zipping past farms, he spotted a side road and turned onto it. He passed a “Dead End” sign. At first he cursed it, thinking he’d just made their escape incalculably harder. But then an idea formed, and he grinned in anticipation. Pavement became dirt as he drove on. He knew he was throwing up enough dust that Lenka’s people would be able to follow him, but he had an idea.
“Love, I need you to take the wheel,” Zeus said, unfastening his seat belt.
Hera crawled over, getting her hands on the wheel. Zeus slowed the car, and Hera steered it around a broad curve, just sharp enough to obscure them from the view of anybody following. Grabbing Keilana’s gun, Zeus opened the door on the driver’s side.
“Remember to roll,” was all Hera said, the car dropping down to fifteen miles per hour.
He leapt. The car shook as Hera slid into the seat, then it pulled away, continuing down the road. Zeus hit the ground hard, rolling toward a ditch on the side of the road. He slammed up against the far side of the ditch, pain lancing through his ribs. He figured he’d cracked a few, but didn’t care. Adrenaline flowing, he scampered into a nearby island of forest, just moments before the first of two black SUVs shot down the road.
He hid only for a moment, waiting until they were past. They he took off through the forest, paralleling the road as he ran. The road went for maybe a hundred yards farther. Gunfire filled the air. The roar of his wife’s shotgun mixed with the lighter pops of the AR-15s. He heard a man scream, then more shotgun blasts. Under it all he could barely make out the cries of his terrified children, hopefully still tucked low inside the car.
He came up to the end of the road. The two black SUVs had stopped, four men getting out of each. In front of them Hera had spun the SUV around, flung open the driver’s-side door, and taken up position behind it. As he reached the edge of the wood he saw her pop up, blasting a man as he attempted to advance on her position. The force of the slug sent the man flying backward. He landed in the dirt, already dead, not even having had the chance to scream.
Six, Zeus thought, bringing his pistol up.
He cut loose with practiced aim. He fired; a man went down, shot through the back. In a heartbeat he moved to the next, catching him between the shoulders. He moved to a third, this one having enough time to turn around. Zeus locked on the man’s head, and pulled the trigger.
The man went down, squeezing the trigger of his weapon as he went, sending rounds into the air. The other three turned, bringing their guns to bear. Zeus ducked behind a nearby oak tree, the wide trunks eating up rounds as the enemy fired. Splinters flew in every direction.
Behind him the shotgun roared, and one of the other guns went silent. The shooting paused for a moment as the enemy, caught in crossfire, tried to decide what to do. The moment was all Zeus needed. He spun from behind the tree in a crouch, putting two rounds into one of the enemy. The man went down, caught in the gut, clutching at his stomach and screaming. The last moved to fire, but his head exploded, courtesy of Hera’s shotgun.
Zeus moved from the forest. The man he’d gut-shot was still alive, babbling in Russian. Zeus didn’t hesitate. He held his pistol over the man’s head and squeezed. The figure went still. Zeus started to move, but paused. Crouching low, he rifled through the man’s pockets, pulling out his wallet. Inside was cash and IDs, no doubt faked. But even a fake ID could lead somewhere. He pocketed it.
His children cried. Zeus leapt up and rushed forward to the SUV. It was shot to hell, black smoke rising from the engine. Hera emerged from behind the driver’s-side door, and threw her arms around him. He captured her in a hug, lifting her clear off her feet, tears flowing. For a moment neither could speak.
“There was another one . . .” Hera finally said. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know,” Zeus said. “Maybe he broke off.”
They looked down the road, guns ready. No new SUV appeared.
“Keilana,” Hera said.
Putting Hera down, Zeus rushed to the passenger seat. He wrenched the door open—
And stared down at the motionless form of his wife. She lay unmoving, eyes glassy and staring off into space. His hand tightened around the butt of his pistol, a growing wave of grief and rage pushing its way through him.
“Zeus,” Hera said, putting a hand on his arm. “Zeus, please. We have to get out of here. We have to get the kids out of here.”
He didn’t move. Tears streamed from his eyes. All he could hear were the cries of the kids.
“Don’t let them see,” he said quietly. “Put the blanket over her.”
Hera nodded, opening the back and pulling the blanket from the children. She tossed it over the ruined form of their mother. Zeus pocketed his gun and moved to the back. Melika was hunched over Bane, hugging the little boy to her body with all her strength. Zeus pulled her from Bane, lifting her into his arms. Hera grabbed Bane, cooing to the hysterical child to try to calm him down.
> “Their cars are intact,” Zeus said.
“Make sure to destroy the GPS,” Hera said. “They could track us.”
They moved to one of the black SUVs. Hera put the kids into the back, strapping them in tight since they had no car seats. Zeus pulled his gun, and shot point-blank into the built-in GPS console. The system sparked and went dead. Hera darted back to their ruined car, grabbing the bags. As she tossed them in, Zeus moved behind the wheel. The key was still in the ignition.
“All set,” Hera said, sliding into the passenger seat.
“Where’s Mommy?” Melika wailed.
Zeus paused, his fingers on the key, unable to turn it.
“We can’t bring her with us,” Hera said to Zeus in their original language. “I know you want to, but we have to go. The police will be here any minute, if Lenka’s people aren’t.”
“I know,” he said, bringing the car to life. “I know.”
His voice went cold with the final words. He drove the SUV down the dirt road, away from the scene.
15
Big Sur, California
They’d left left Colorado yesterday. They probably could have done the trip in one day if they had to, but the long hours of driving had taken their toll. Des actually felt a little disappointed about that. Back in college he’d thought nothing of ten hours straight behind the wheel. Plenty of ‘epic’ road trips had involved just that. Now his back hurt just thinking about it. And he was only twenty-nine! He hated to imagine what his thirties might entail.
So they’d found an out-of-the-way motel just over the California line and put up for the night, sleeping in shifts, later than they expected. They’d spent the morning driving down the coast before turning onto a long driveway that wound its way up a long slope to the house.