The video stopped playing, and we didn’t say anything for a few moments.
“Uhhh, fuck,” Zea finally whispered. “What are we going to do?”
The women all turned to me, and I felt the weight of Queen’s Hat press against my shoulders. Heading to the station was going to play right into this fucker’s hand, but not going would mean that he’d kill a bunch of innocent people.
And eventually, he’d make it to Juliette.
“You can’t go now,” Kasta said.
“I agree.” Paula nodded urgently. “Give Zea some time to hack the harbor, then we can move Persephone and bring the big drones into play.”
“That will be twenty minutes,” I said as I looked at Zea.
“Yeah,” she sighed. “Or longer.”
“He will kill twenty more people,” Eve said.
“I don’t want to sound like a bitch,” Zea said, “but if I had to choose between twenty people I didn’t know, and you two, I think you all know who I’m choosing.” Paula and Kasta both nodded at Zea’s words.
“Twenty people with families,” I said with a sigh. “They’ll have kids.”
“Or they could be single and assholes! Just let me finish what I’m working on!” Zea’s voice was a plea, but I found myself staring into Eve’s red eyes. She didn’t need to talk to me telepathically, we already knew each other’s thoughts.
We would do whatever we could to help people.
“Madalena, give Paula and Kasta the drone controls,” I said.
“Yes, my lord,” she replied as she pulled the devices out of her packs.
“No,” Zea said. “Come on. Don’t do this. Just wait.”
“You three stay here,” I said to the blonde women. “As soon as Persephone has moved to a dock in Harbor B, you bring those drones and back us up.”
“Just wait,” Zea pleaded again, but it was evident from the expression on her face that she knew she wouldn’t convince us.
“What are you planning on doing?” Paula asked as she took the controls from Madalena.
“Eve, Madalena, and I are going to go to the station,” I said as I pulled my shotgun off the Prime Valkyrie's back.
“And surrender?” Kasta asked.
“No,” I replied as I felt the tiger began to shift through my spine. I welcomed the shift, and the pain, and the rage as he took over my body. “We are going to kill all of these Black Heart assholes.”
Chapter 6
“Okay, you are clear outside,” Kasta’s voice came through Eve, Madalena, and my transponders as we descended in the elevator.
“Good,” I growled and then opened my tiger-man jaws to flex the muscles. After I had changed, we’d thrown on our weapons and then ran back into the elevator. I was carrying my twin pistols, massive revolver, and my shotgun. Eve wore one of the smaller pistols holstered on her narrow waist but held one of Madalena’s pulse rifles in her hand.
“Make a sharp left when you exit our building and run to the end of the alley there,” Kasta continued. “The next street looks clear of mercenaries, but some citizens are walking around. I’m guessing you don’t want them to see you as a tiger-man.”
“Doesn’t matter,” I growled as I pulled my revolver out of my chest holster and inspected it to make sure it was loaded.
“Well, then just run I suppose,” she said with a laugh. “I’ve got my drones in the air again. I’m sending the one with the transponder to the other side of the district, and most of their feet on the street and all of their drones are following.”
“Got it,” I said. Then the elevator stopped, the doors opened, and I led Eve and Madalena out of the building and into the side alley.
We sprinted to the end of the alley, but I did check the corner before I dashed out into the street. Citizens were walking, and I waited for a group to walk by before I ran behind them. It only took me a few seconds to spring across the street, and I didn’t hear anyone scream. I waited for Madalena and Eve to reach me, and then we continued deeper into the alley.
“Two more streets and then you can make a right in the alley,” Kasta said. “Hold up before you cross the next one. There is a group of mercenaries on it. They are to your right and facing away from your position, but I think they might walk away.”
“We don’t have a lot of time,” I said.
“I know, Handsome,” Kasta said. “But they’ll know you are coming if you kill a bunch of the fuckers right now. Give it ten seconds.”
Eve, Madalena, and I waited at the corner for a few moments, and then Kasta gave us the clear to run across the next street. I actually did hear a scream when I ran across this time, but the shout came from the far left, and I estimated that whoever had seen us was a good hundred meters away.
“One more street,” Kasta said. “As soon as you cross this next one, there will be an alleyway running parallel. You’ll have to jump a fence, then make a right, and then take the path to the station.”
“Got it,” I said as we ran down toward the next street.
“Huh,” Kasta said. “Hold up.”
“What?” I stopped at the edge of the alley, and the two women accompanying me crouched behind me.
“I didn’t have eyes on the train. A large group of mercenaries is heading to the security station from the platform. They are carrying real weapons, not riot guns.”
“How many do you see?” Eve asked.
“Forty-six,” Kasta groaned. “They might not be heading to the police station, but that is where I am betting.
“How soon do you think they will get there?” I asked.
“They are about a kilometer away. You’ll get there first. But you know that road, it is wide open. If you run into the front door of the station, they are probably all going to see you.
“Killing them is the best option,” Madalena said.
“I did say there were forty-six of them,” Kasta snickered.
“We don’t want to get pinched inside of the station,” Madalena said.
“No,” I replied. “We actually do. Let’s run.” I dashed across the street, and the women followed me before they could ask what my plan was.
We reached the other alley and came up to the wall Kasta talked about. It was about four meters tall, but Madalena performed an easy wall-run and flipped over it without any visible effort. I had to cradle Eve’s feet in my hand and lift her up so she could grab onto the high ledge. As soon as she made it over, I easily leapt up and threw myself onto the other side.
“What is your plan?” Madalena asked me as soon as I landed.
“We must save the men and women inside of the jails,” Eve said. “Once they are freed, they can help defend against the mercenaries outside.”
“I see,” Madalena said as she looked to me. I could feel a bit of the jealousy that she felt toward Eve even though the warrior woman’s face was void of emotion.
“You three better keep moving,” Kasta reminded, and we started to run again.
“How much farther?” I asked when we ran for another half minute.
“It’s up ahead,” the android said. “There are four men out front now. They are carrying riot shotguns, but you saw the video footage, the men inside are carrying rifles, shotguns, and pistols that fire real bullets.”
“Zea, are you going to be able to help us navigate the inside of the station?” I asked as we approached the end of the alley. I could see the side wall of the station another hundred meters after the lane ended, and I prepared myself for battle.
“No,” Zea huffed. “Unless you want me to stop hacking this harbor system. I’m almost done.”
“Can I do it?” Kasta asked the hacker.
“Ummm. I can put up the video feeds, and you can toggle through them. That’s the best I can do.”
“I’ll take it,” Kasta said. “Adam, I’ll do my best to let you know what is coming up ahead.”
“Thanks,” I replied. Then I turned to the two women and readied my shotgun.
“Madalena
and I are up front,” I said. “Eve, you are in the back.”
The two beautiful women nodded at me. Eve’s eyes glowed a bright red, and Madalena’s armor started to glow blue as it flowed across her chest, arms, and neck. I waited a few seconds for it to get mostly in place, and then I sprinted out from the alley and toward the police station where Juliette was being held prisoner.
The alley where I came out faced the side wall of the station, so I had to angle to my right and wrap around the front. The four men standing there carried their riot guns in a relaxed position, and I managed to surprise the first one by sending a shotgun slug hammering through his face. His skull disappeared with a spray of red skull dust, and I twisted my shotgun toward the next man before his eyes could even open with surprise.
My weapon made the familiar, almost loving, kick in my grip, and my second slug left a crater in the chest of the second mercenary. It also left a crater in the wall behind him, and the other two men moved to point their guns at me.
Twin streams of pulse rifle fire flared from behind me and filled each of the men with bullets, and they died before they could scream.
I made a hard left and pointed my shotgun at the mercenaries sitting past the glass doors behind the reception table. There were six of them pulling their weapons, but then I squeeze the trigger of my shotgun, and the glass shattered into a thousand or so pieces of crystal.
I plowed through the doorway after my slugs and spun around the room while I held down the trigger of my weapon.
The mercenary behind the lobby flew back into the wall when my slug punched through his armor. The man next to him died when my next slug ground his skull into microscopic fragments of bone. The mercenary by the door managed to twist his rifle toward me, but I stepped to the side while my weapon barked, and my slug drove through his chest armor like a train would plow through a taco stand. His shot missed, and my second slug followed the first into his chest.
Rifles coughed bullets, shotguns barked slugs, and pulse rifles screamed, but nothing managed to hit me as I spun around the room and searched for my next target.
There was another man on the right holding a shotgun, and his weapon fired a half-second before I could pull my trigger. The impact against my shoulder spun my left arm around, but I focused on ending this fucker, let go of the front stock of my shotgun, and pulled the trigger of my weapon while I held it one-handed. The slug flew true to my half-assed aim, and it lifted the man off the ground when it mule-kicked him in the gut.
Then I spun with the momentum from the man’s blast and whipped my weapon around to target the rest of the fuckers in the room. They were already dead though; dozens of energy bullets had needled through their armor and killed them instantly.
“Clear,” I growled as I checked my left shoulder. My armor took the hit like a champ, and the only evidence there was of any damage was a scuff mark on the plate and a bruise that was about to finish healing.
Madalena and Eve stepped through the broken glass entrance and into the lobby while I moved to the door leading back into the station. I stood to the side of it and then motioned for them to glance back out into the street.
“They are taking up firing positions,” Madalena said as she gestured for Eve to stand over by me so she wasn’t in the line of fire. The vampire complied quickly and then raised four fingers as she pointed to the door.
“Kasta?” I whispered.
“Eve’s right. Four past the door. They are at the end of the hallway peering out from the rooms with rifles. There are two on each side. Also, the alarm has sounded, and more of the mercenaries are coming to the front area.
“I will push through,” Madalena said as she moved to stand next to us. “You two can fire upon the mercenaries outside.”
“No,” I said. “You keep your eye on the rear. I’ll take the four past here. We need to push inside.”
“You do not have armor on your head,” Madalena objected, but I’d already flung the door open, and leaned around the corner with my shotgun out.
I will help.
Eve’s voice entered my mind as soon as I brought my shotgun sight on the first mercenary. The man ducked around one of the side doorways with a rifle pointed at me. He went to fire, but his gun twisted to the side when his bullets left the muzzle. I took my shot quickly and then ducked back around the corner before the other three shooters could get a bead on me. I didn’t see my slug kill the first man, but I knew my aim had been true.
And my shotgun rounds pretty much killed everything while the beast screamed.
Bullets rained out from the hallway, so Eve and I took a cautious step to the side to avoid an unlucky bullet. I turned my eyes to Madalena and saw the woman pointing her rifle out toward the main street of Queen’s Hat. She hadn’t started shooting yet, but I knew from her emotions that she was waiting for the right opportunity to fire.
They are reloading.
Eve’s prompt made me spin out from around the corner and risk another shot at the men. I rapidly feathered my furry finger over the trigger and sent a sustained burst of metal down the hallway. The next closest Black Heart mercenary caught a slug in the face, and his blood exploded across the corridor like a canister of spray paint.
The other two shooters ducked behind their doorway edges when my slugs sped down the hallway. If I were smart, I’d step back around the corner again and wait for another opportunity to pick one off. I didn’t have the time for tactics though, and I had a psychic space witch vampire backing me up, so I charged down the hallway while I sprayed slugs in the direction of the two mercenaries.
The man at the far end of the hallway seemed to sense that I was running toward him, and he spun out despite my shots slamming into the walls where he took cover. He froze with his rifle pointed slightly away from me, and I read the terror in his eyes right before my slug caved the armor on his chest in.
Got him. Four more coming to your left where the remaining mercenary hides.
I dove forward and spun to my left while I was in midair. My shotgun hadn’t stopped firing for the last ten seconds, and I knew my drum was almost out of ammo. I saw the remaining shooter and four more running some twenty meters down this corner past him where Eve said they would be. My shotgun punched a slug through the closest man’s shoulder while I fell, and a second hunk of metal from my weapon tore a dinner plate sized chunk from his center while he spun.
Another slug flew down toward the four men coming toward me, but the shot was a bit off and tore into the wall a few centimeters away from the point-man of the new group.
My ammo drum was empty.
I landed on my right side and yanked my left pistol free of its holster while the four men tried to aim their weapons at me. My pistols were heavy duty service side-arms, but their bullets were still much smaller than what my revolver carried, and my three shots bounced off the mercenary’s armor before the fourth caught him in the eye socket of his helmet.
The three remaining men opened fire with their weapons, but instead of aiming at me, they twisted their rifles to the sides and hosed each other. As the bullets ripped through them, they let out screams of anguished betrayal. It was apparent that Eve had saved my ass again, and I wondered how many more times she could either freeze or manipulate our opponents into shooting each other.
I am not yet tired, but I would prefer to use my magic as little as possible in case of emergency. It takes you much less energy to squeeze your trigger finger than it does for me to force them to shoot each other.
“Got it,” I growled as I flipped up to my feet and holstered my left pistol. I put a fresh drum in my shotgun as I ran past Eve and toward the lobby.
“Madalena?” I asked as I poked my head out of the hallway. I hadn’t heard her shoot yet, but I could still feel her presence.
“They are taking up position outside of the station. Some are circling around. Is there another entrance?”
“In the back, but it is a loading bay and locked down,” Kasta explain
ed through our transponder.
“That would have been good to know before we started,” Madalena growled.
“Hey, I’m kind of new at this shit,” the android huffed.
“You are doing a great job,” I said. “We’d all be dead if not for you.”
“I agree with Adam,” Eve said.
“I apologize,” Madalena quickly said. “I am not--” the rest of the Prime Valkyrie’s words were lost when she opened fire with her pulse rifle. There were screams outside in the distance, and I was confident she’d either killed or critically injured her target.
Madalena didn’t seem to miss when she fired her weapon.
“Hold this entrance,” I said to the brunette after she let off her trigger. “Eve and I will clear the rest of the station.”
Madalena nodded, but I could feel her disappointment swirl. Then I felt her get angry at herself for being disappointed. She knew that she was the best one in our trio for the task I assigned her; she just wanted to be beside me.
Her emotions continued to swirl and radiate out from her while she opened fire again, and I had to close my eyes and take a deep breath to keep from getting caught up in her. Then I felt Eve’s hand pull on my armored bicep, and I turned to the beautiful vampire. Eve knew my mind, and she smiled at me before she nodded back toward the interior of the station.
Then I ran back through the hallway.
Three coming from the direction you are facing. Five from the second hallway on your left. Many coming up from the levels below, and even more coming down from the upper levels.
The fact that Eve was using terms like “many” and “even more” might have caused a normal man a bit of fear, but the monster in my soul just screamed with joy. It was looking forward to killing these fucks. It wanted to hear their screams. It wanted to see their blood. It wanted to gorge on their terror.
It wanted to save the redheaded woman and lay claim to her.
I tried to ignore the last emotion, but it was probably the most potent motivator the tiger in my soul felt. I didn’t think Juliette was my woman, but the monster sure as hell did, and he was angry that some fucker was keeping her from me.
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