by CM Raymond
“Where’s Hannah?”
Hadley gave him a weird look. “That’s even harder to explain than the giant red Kurtherian.”
Fear crossed Parker’s eyes. “Is she OK?”
“Yes. I mean, I think so. I’m not really sure about the mechanics of it all, but we should know soon enough.”
Parker opened his mouth to ask more, but suddenly a booming laugh echoed across the field.
Karl saw the mystic go white at the sound.
“Uh oh,” the rearick said. “Looks like those bastards brought cavalry of their own.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
When the Laughing Queen pushed through the Rift Parker’s blood ran cold. He hadn’t really known what to expect, but the creature before him was not it.
She was hideous.
Like Lilith, Laughter had taken on the attributes of a Hyrrheim. Her flesh was red, and she had a thick mane of wild black hair with large gnarled horns sticking through.
But that was where the similarities ended.
Lilith, despite the odd monster part here or there, was a female through and through.
Laughter was something else—something grotesque. At first he assumed she was riding something, but as she neared he realized it was a part of her body. Her bottom half almost dragged along the ground like a squat horse with its four legs bent at odd angles, but her torso was largely human and stood tall.
Although her four legs were short, her arms were long and muscular—almost to the point of being bloated—and she had jagged bones sticking out of her forearms.
Her jaw extended forward and was almost hound-like, similar to some of the Skrima they had fought.
“Bloody hell,” Karl said as he stared at the monstrosity. “No wonder she’s such a dick. I’d be pissed off too if I looked like that.”
Parker looked down at the rearick, then back toward Laughter. “I don’t know, Karl, there is a bit of a resemblance.”
He rolled his eyes. “Aye. If ye squint, she looks a little like me butthole.”
“Come on,” Hadley said. His face was pale and there was no humor in his eyes. “We should be with the others.”
Parker saw Ezekiel and Lilith standing together between Laughter and the rest of the army. Parker and the others moved toward them, and Vitali and Laurel did too.
“Well, well, well,” Laughter said. Her voice was a low gurgle. “It seems you’ve found a body. I’m glad to see that I won’t have to kill you for being an abomination. Instead I can just kill you for fun.”
Lilith crossed her arms, unrattled by the threat. “And I’m glad to see that your outside so perfectly matches your corrupt interior.”
Laughter cackled, and then clucked her tongue. “These humans have addled your brain if you think insulting my appearance will hurt me. Aesthetics mean nothing when you have the power I do. In fact, I made this body myself. It took years to get it just right, breeding those pitiful creatures on Hyrrheim until they were worthy of me.”
Lilith looked around and opened her arms wide. “But to what end, Laughter? Your invasion failed. They couldn’t even make it past a fraction of the strength this world has to offer.”
Laughter opened her jaws wide and made good on her name once again. The sound was jarring, almost more distorted than her body.
“You think this was my entire army? This was nothing. I only wanted to draw you out. Even now my generals are preparing for the true invasion. Everywhere your humans make their homes, my forces will rain down death and destruction. There will be a cleansing like this world has never seen. It will make their World’s Worst Day Ever look like a child’s birthday party. And when I’m done, I’ll take the few pitiful survivors and do the work you should have been doing all along. I will find their true potential and make them into a planet full of perfectly enhanced servants.”
“They’ll never serve you,” Lilith said. “Never. You have no idea what these people have been through, what strength courses through their blood. Even now, heroes all over the world stand ready to defy you. And they will defy you, to their last breath if need be. There is no scenario where you will come out as ruler of this world. You will always be nothing more than a pest, a disease. And if we can’t stop you here, then one day very soon a hero will rise and put an end to your madness.”
Laughter stomped her feet in anger, then looked at the warriors beside Lilith. “Look at you, standing there like idiots. Are you going to let this bitch speak for you? Does she speak for your whole damned world?”
Parker opened his mouth to respond, but a voice cut him off.
“No, but I do.” It was loud and strong and clear, and although he had never heard it before he recognized it immediately.
It was her voice.
Parker turned around and nearly fainted when he saw her.
Hannah was floating just off the ground, her hair flowing behind her gracefully. Even though Parker had known her his whole life, he still did a double-take to confirm that she was real.
She was...different.
She stood taller somehow, not just in height but in stature—as if she were nobly born. She carried herself like she owned everything around her.
Parker knew that whatever they had done to save Lilith had taken a toll on her, but instead of looking tired she was radiant, as if she hadn’t even broken a sweat.
Her feet touched the ground softly, and Team Triple-B parted as she walked through them. Her eyes were glowing more fiercely than Parker had ever seen.
“So,” Laughter’s harsh voice continued, “are you this human queen I’ve been hearing so much about?”
Hannah tilted her head to the side as if she were thinking. “No, but let’s just say I’m holding the throne until she returns. And I think I’m speaking with her authority and in total agreement with all Irth when I tell you you’re not wanted here.”
Laughter sneered, but Parker could clearly see that she was a little shaken.
“I’m not leaving, you bitch. Not until I’ve killed my old friend.”
Hannah smiled. “Then you’re in for a world of hurt, since she’s under my protection.”
Laughter roared, and Parker watched in horror as she reached behind her and let a long ball and chain drop to the ground. With her massive arms she whipped it above her head, then launched it right at Lilith.
Lilith raised her hands to defend herself, but there was no need. Moving faster than Parker would have thought possible, Hannah dove forward. She grabbed the massive chain out of the air, spun, and flung it back toward Laughter.
It crashed into her, sending her sprawling on the ground.
Laughter cried out in a loud voice, and a new wave of Skrima pushed through the Rift to charge toward them.
Hannah looked back at her team and smiled. “You all OK if I join the fight?”
Parker gripped his spear tightly. “Just lead the way, Captain.”
****
Gregory tightened the last bolt on the outside of the tech and stepped back to inspect his work. The crystals from Heema were far more powerful than any amphoralds he’d ever encountered, and his heart beat faster thinking about their capabilities and what exactly might happen if he had reassembled the satellite incorrectly or gotten any of his estimates wrong. His mind raced as he methodically went through the series of manipulations he had done.
“It’s right,” Aysa yelled from behind his shoulder. “Stop thinking and start shooting!” She looked upward, watching the flying Skrima circle overhead. “I think those things are hungry.”
Gregory held up a finger, going over a few more steps of the process. “I think—”
“Get down,” Aysa shouted, and she hit the ground just as a Skrim dove out of the sky directly at them.
Gregory spun, then froze. The massive red beast’s giant talons sped toward him. It was over. His life tried to flash before his eyes, but he only got to age five.
Just before the beast grabbed him, a roar like no other he had ever heard cut through
the sounds of the war below and then the Skrim was gone, ripped away as if the hand of an ancient god had plucked it from its course.
Still in shock, Gregory looked up at his attacker, which was jerking its body in every direction, and then he saw his savior. Sal roared again, pulling the Skrim skyward in his sharp claws. As he beat his wings, Sal sped for the other monsters. No less than a dozen of them circled together over New Romanov, each taking a turn dive-bombing the city and inducing terror by their attacks.
The dragon pulled hard with his right wing and twisted into a sharp turn, and at the apex of his revolution he released his captive and sent it flying toward the group. It screamed into the Archangelsk sky as it and the group collided, and then all of the Skrima plummeted toward the ground.
“Hell yeah, Sal!” Gregory yelled when the dragon had landed on the ledge next to him and Aysa. He scratched Sal under the chin as he had seen Hannah do a thousand times before. “You saved my life.”
Sal rubbed his head on Gregory’s side and then nodded toward the tech, telling him to get back to work. The engineer ran over to the satellite and flicked a switch on its side, then turned a dial up as far as it would go. The device gave a sudden shake and then let out a purr as it came to life, settling into a constant hum like the amphorald-powered core on the Unlawful.
“Gregory!” Aysa called, pointing at some Skrima who were coming in their direction.
“It needs another minute. Doesn’t have the power yet,” he yelled in response.
“Yeah, not sure if we have a minute.” Aysa raised the shield that was connected to her handless arm and spun her bolas with her right.
Sal roared again, then took three quick strides and leapt into the air with his wings beating madly.
The giant dragon intercepted the first Skrim in mid-flight, grabbing the thing by its torso with his talons as his teeth sank into the thick hide of its neck. Sal pulled with massive brute strength, ripping the beasts jugular open, and with blood dripping from his mouth he cut right and engaged another.
Gregory looked down at the technology as it continued to power up.
I hope you’re out there, Hannah, he thought, because we’re almost ready.
****
Hannah’s body moved with a speed and grace it had never known. It was like every muscle was perfectly in tune with her will, and they possessed a strength she never had before. But it was more than just that—her mind was also racing, but somehow perfectly clear in its assessments. She saw the Skrima fighting with her friends. She saw danger, and also the quickest way to deal with it. She saw everything all at once.
It was exhilarating.
A Skrim launched toward her and she deftly sidestepped it. It turned, hoping to tear her open with its claws, but she was ready for that. She caught the thing’s arm, then twisted. With a loud snap, its elbow bent the other direction. A large bloody bone stuck out through the skin on its forearm, and as she pushed its arm toward its chest the bone acted like a blade and cut the beast to its core.
The Skrim fell to the ground choking on its own blood.
Although still outnumbering the humans, it was immediately clear to everyone that the Skrima were outgunned. Even Hadley got in on the fight, swinging a sword almost like he knew how to use it.
She surveyed the battlefield and quickly found her mark.
There, near the Rift, a wounded six-limbed creature crawled pitifully.
Hannah spread her arms out in front of her and used her magic to pull a large stone from the ground. She reshaped it into a long thin spear, then took aim and let it fly.
From a hundred yards out, it was a perfect shot.
Another Skrim charged her, but she blew it wide-open with a blast of fire. Then she walked toward the Rift.
Laughter’s broken body was pinned to the ground. She was still trying to crawl, but not making any progress.
Hannah leaned near her face. “Well, I hope you enjoyed your vacation on Irth, but unfortunately it’s time for you to leave permanently. We don’t take kindly to douche nuggets like you here.”
Laughter tried to spit, but couldn’t find the strength. “It doesn’t matter,” she said. “I’ve already set plans in motion, plans you can’t stop. Killing me changes nothing.”
Hannah opened her mouth to respond, but a voice rang in her ears.
I hope you’re out there, Hannah, because we’re almost ready.
She smiled and said, “Maybe not, but it will certainly make me feel better.” She grabbed Laughter’s grotesque body, and the Kurtherian screamed as Hannah lifted her upward without removing the spear.
Hannah held the body high. She could feel it wriggling, but she managed to hang on.
OK, Gregory, time to slam the door shut.
A second passed where nothing happened, then a yellow light, harder to look at than the sun, shone forth from New Romanov. It was blinding—a pure force of energy—and it dropped everyone to their knees.
Everyone except Hannah.
She held Laughter at just the right angle so that the beam of light passed through her, instantly vaporizing the hideous beast.
Laughter didn’t even have time to scream before she was wiped from existence.
The light crashed into the darkness that was the Rift and filled it like putty filling a crack. Hannah watched it for a second, confident that it had done its job.
It had. The Rift was finally closed.
Grade-A work, Gregory.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Karl rambled on about his exploits on the battlefield, and, for once Aysa truly didn’t mind listening to his tall tales—the rearick’s exaggerations were as good as ever. She swirled the strong wine around the bottom of her glass. The post-asskicking meal had become a BBB tradition, and the laughter, food, and drink almost made up for the soreness she would feel the next morning.
“This is more like it,” Vitali said with a smile. “I prefer this to fighting.”
“Only when you earn it,” Aysa said, then downed her glass. “And you did.” She wrapped her long fingers around the pitcher and refilled it.
Lilith sat across the table from Aysa. Her strong red body sat with a perfect posture that looked impossibly unnatural, but what really struck the girl was the way that the Oracle moved her hand awkwardly around on the wineglass as if trying to solve a puzzle.
Aysa scooped up her own, letting the stem slide between her fingers to cradle the goblet in her palm. “Um, Lilith?” she called across the table. The Oracle looked up and Aysa raised the glass, demonstrating the proper way to handle glassware to the smartest entity she would ever meet. “Does someone have a drinking problem?”
The others laughed as Lilith rearranged her hand to mimic Aysa’s. She smiled and shrugged. “You spend a hundred lifetimes in a box and then tell me just how easy everything is.”
Aysa tilted the rim of her glass toward the female and passed a wink across the table. She drew the goblet back to her lips, tilted it all the way up, and returned it to the table empty. “I plan on drinking enough tonight that I’ll forget more than just how to hold a glass!”
Laughter filled the room again. Karl slammed his meaty palm on the table, shaking everything on it, and eyed Lilith. “Scheisse, seeing ye in the heat o’ battle makes me think yer lyin’. Ye was all fight, that’s fer sure, like it was the most natural thing ye’d ever done!”
“That’s because she’s a female,” Olaf said. “Fighting comes naturally to them.”
“Damn right it does,” Mika said with a smile.
As they fell back into their various conversations around the table, Aysa walked the perimeter to make sure there wasn’t an empty glass. When she rounded the last corner she found herself looking down at Hadley, the only one not yammering about the battle. He was still, with a serene smile on his face as if he were lost in meditation, but his eyes were their normal hue.
“You all right?” Aysa asked.
He just sat there as if she didn’t exist.
; “Shit! Hadley, you in there?” she yelled.
His head snapped toward her, eyes still closed. When he opened them he hissed, “You have not defeated me, imbeciles…” His voice drew out the “s” for far too long.
Aysa reached for her bolas, but Hadley snatched her wrist before she could draw them. He raised his eyebrows. “Gotcha!”
She pulled away her hand and slapped him across the back of the head. “You’re a sonofabitch ass-stankin’ douche cannon!” Her face was stern for a second, and then it twisted into a wicked smile just before the laughter overtook her. “I hate you.”
“And I you, my dear.” He raised his goblet and she filled it. After a sip, he shook his head. “But since you asked, I’ve never been better. Might still have some Laughter residue rolling around between the ears, but Hannah said she’d work that out.”
“Good. Maybe she can give you a full-on lobotomy while she’s at it.” She set down the pitcher and gave his back a little rub. “Honestly, I’m glad to hear it. I was so worried about you.” Her fingers worked their way up his neck and then slowly twisted and turned in his hair. She paused and looked around the room, making sure no one was looking. Leaning toward his ear, she whispered, “Maybe later, if you’re interested, we could go back to your room and work out some other things.”
Hadley’s eyes grew wide. “Really?”
“Gotcha!” she yelled, then danced away as Hadley threw a string of vulgarities in her direction.
****
Hannah squeezed Parker’s hand and looked into his eyes. The full moon caught them at just the right angle to send a chill up her spine. Life on the streets had been the seed of their relationship, and saving Irth had made it grow. And now, standing outside the residence in New Romanov, all she wanted to do was run away with him, and him alone.
“Ready to go in?” she asked. Her stomach turned, but she wasn’t sure if it was nerves or the fact that she had become the host for the lifeblood of the most powerful woman to ever walk Irth. Maybe it was both.
“Almost.” He looked her up and down, then swallowed hard. A thick grin spread across his face, and it quickly turned into a fool’s laugh. “But I’ve got some unfinished business to attend to.”