The Peregrine Omnibus Volume One

by Barry Reese

  The stranger was quick, however, leaning back to use Angel’s bulk against him. The former prizefighter tumbled over, landing hard on his back.

  “Hold it!” a familiar voice yelled from the doorway and Angel peered up to see the eerily garbed Moon Man entering. “It’s my fault, Angel! I should have come in first. These folks are on our side!”

  Angel accepted the Moon Man’s help back up to his feet, gazing suspiciously at the masked figure and the stunning beauty that had also entered the room. “Who’s the dame?” he asked, finding her somewhat familiar in appearance.

  “Evelyn Gould,” Steve whispered. “And the gentleman is the Peregrine!”

  “The Peregrine!” Angel parroted. “But, boss, isn’t he on your trail?”

  “We’ve made our peace,” the Moon Man replied. “For the good of the city, we’re going to unite in our attempts to track down Lycos.”

  “You don’t live here, do you?” Evelyn asked, looking at the ramshackle surroundings.

  “No. This is just a safe house for Angel and I to meet,” the Moon Man replied. He felt strangely embarrassed about the place, which he’d never been before. “Angel, have you heard anything on the newswire or the police band?”

  Angel shrugged, looking somewhat bashfully at Evelyn. “I’ve seen your pictures, miss. You looked especially nice in that one about Atlantis and—”

  “Angel…” the Moon Man prompted.

  “Sorry, boss. No, I ain’t heard nothin’ except for the police telling everybody to be on alert. And they say they’re running a search on this Lycos character.”

  “I’ve beat them to it,” Max said. “On the way over I contacted some friends of mine in a group called the Nova Alliance. One of them—a nice chap named Lamont—gave me the full rundown on Lycos.”

  “How did you manage to contact them?” the Moon Man asked. “Short-wave radio?”

  “A specially modified version,” the Peregrine explained. He produced a small boxy apparatus with a pair of rabbit-ear antenna on top. “Allows everyone on the same wavelength to stay in touch.”

  “Well, don’t keep us in suspense!” Angel exclaimed. “What did you find out?”

  “The professor’s first name is Travis. Apparently, he used to work for Schlessinger Chemicals, a large firm based out of Maryland—they’ve recently become the source of a government investigation into their dealings with certain European nations. Part of the concerns the Feds have is that Schlessinger has apparently been working on chemical weaponry. One of the higher-ups on their projects was Prof. Lycos. Two years ago, Lycos was involved in a terrible explosion—resulted in the deaths of nearly twenty people and over $1,000 in damages. Lycos was hospitalized for quite some time and the treating physicians described his mental condition as worsening daily. Schlessinger didn’t want any scandals involving one of their top scientists being institutionalized so they paid his way out onto the streets… from there, things get a bit fuzzier, but it seems that Lycos continued his work on his chemical weapon. He performed a few hits for the mob while testing its properties and eventually collected a criminal gang of his own.”

  “Seems like small potatoes to hold up Great City,” the Moon Man offered. “He could make a lot more going overseas to visit the Axis.”

  “He’s insane, remember?” Evelyn reminded them. “So we’re headed off to the airfield then?”

  “I think that’s the wisest course of action,” Max agreed. “Do you need to check in with the station?” he asked Steve.

  “I’ll give them a brief call and then I’ll check on Sue. After I do that, I’m ready to go.”

  Angel leaned over to the Moon Man, whispering “What airfield is he talking about?”

  “There had to be a place nearby where that zeppelin of the professor’s could have been housed. The old abandoned airfield is the only answer. There’s even a house on the property!”

  “How long before dawn?” Evelyn asked.

  Angel checked his pocket watch, smiling at her shyly. “Three hours or so, Miss.”

  “Let’s not waste any more time, then.” Evelyn stood up, her eyes moving from the Moon Man to her dramatically garbed husband. “What a pair the two of you make!”

  The Moon Man nodded to the Peregrine. “It’s going to be an honor,” he said.

  “Same here,” Max responded.

  Together, the four heroes moved out of the building. Lurking in their near future was a confrontation with a lunatic and none of them took this lightly but there was an undeniable bounce in their steps as they descended the stairs. It was all too rare that men and women of a heroic bent met others of similar nature… but today was one of those days.

  CHAPTER XII

  The Dark Man

  Lycos sat down on the small cot in his private quarters, anger flaring through him. He’d thought for certain his plan would work—how could it not? Unlike many other cities, there were no costumed vigilantes in this area to interfere with his scheme: nowhere to be found where the likes of the Spider, the Shadow, G-8 and his Battle Aces or the arrogant Doc Savage. No, in Great City, there was only the Moon Man… another criminal like Lycos himself.

  But then had come the Peregrine, flying north from his Atlanta home. Why had the man come here? Had one of the men in Lycos’ gang tipped off the vigilante? Was it Smitty?

  “Paranoia runs deep in you, doesn’t it?”

  Lycos jerked his head up, his hands going to his face. His mask was still there, thankfully. He took it off only rarely and never in front of strangers. But who had spoken? The voice belonged to no one he knew. “Who’s there?” he asked into the darkness.

  A figure emerged, barely discernible in the gloom. He wore a dark suit and had a dark cast to his skin, like that of an Egyptian. His hair came to a small widow’s peak on his forehead and eyes that seemed as old as time stared out from under a thick brow. “I am called by many names, Professor. But the one I favor most frequently is Nyarlathotep.”

  “Your name… sounds oddly familiar to me.”

  “Have you wandered alone on a moonlit street in the dead of winter, when all around feels cold and dead? The wind blows softly, rustling the multicolored leaves at your feet and you could almost swear that the rats lurking just beyond your vision are talking, gibbering… that is my name they speak. Your ears hear it, though your brain denies it.”

  Lycos swallowed hard. “How did you get past my men?”

  “Only those who choose to see me may do so.” Nyarlathotep moved forward, kneeling before the professor’s cot. “An enemy of mine—the Peregrine—comes for you tonight.”

  “He knows where I am?” Lycos asked, alarmed.

  “He comes with the Moon Man at his side,” the stranger continued, ignoring the question. “I can help you prepare for him. I can help you… in many ways. But you have to give me something in return.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing that you’ll need, I assure you.” Nyarlathotep reached for the professor’s hand, clutching with his own. Lycos shivered at the touch, for it was as cold as the grave. “All I require… is your soul.”

  Lycos stared into the ancient eyes, seeing doorways to places and times undreamt of. Whatever war was going on between the masters that this stranger served and those who directed the Peregrine was far greater than any concerns that Lycos might have had… but the war had come to Lycos nonetheless. “After I kill the Peregrine,” Lycos muttered, so entranced by the man’s gaze that he gave no thought at all to the fact that the Moon Man—a criminal by all accounts—was traveling with the vigilante. “What happens then?”

  “You use the powers I’m going to give you to do whatever you please,” Nyarlathotep replied. “Do as thou wilt,” he chuckled. “Do you want it, Travis? Do you want what I have to offer?”

  “Yes,” Lycos replied. “Give me the power to take what I want.”

  Nyarlathotep smiled, channeling a wild sort of magic into the scientist. The pain was intense and caused Lycos to howl like a wounded an
imal… “Welcome to servitude, Prof. Lycos,” Nyarlathotep whispered.

  CHAPTER XIII

  Words of Strength and Loss

  The setting was the same as it had been the last few times Max had visited his father: that of a snow-covered mountain in the deepest reaches of Tibet. It was here that the series of events that had culminated in the opening of Lucifer’s Cage had begun… and for some reason it had come to symbolize the slowly thawing relationship between father and son.

  Warren Davies sat outside the small temple that dominated the mountaintop, dressed in the same clothes he’d worn the night he’d died. Like his son, Warren was an intensely handsome man with dark wavy hair and a penetrating gaze. He stared out into the field of white, watching silently as his son approached. Though this place was merely an astral projection, he noted with interest that his son was dressed not as Max Davies, but rather as the nocturnal avenger known as the Peregrine.

  “Son,” Warren said. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “I need help.”

  “Of course you do. It’s not like you stop by for small talk, is it?”

  The Peregrine frowned at his father’s words, feeling the sting of truth in them. “Why should I treat you with kindness? You pushed me into being something that I might not have been otherwise.”

  “Don’t all fathers do that? Besides, you’ve turned out well. If you hadn’t been the Peregrine, you never would have found Evelyn.”

  “I want to talk about the last vision you sent me.”

  Warren gestured for his son to sit in the snow. “Take a load off.”

  Max hesitated but then relented, sitting down heavily a few feet from the ghostly apparition. “My hand hurt like hell in the vision. Why? There’s nothing supernatural about this Lycos…”

  “There was nothing supernatural about Lycos,” his father corrected him. “I’ve seen things… vague and hazy, as usual… that indicate that the Dark Man is working against you.”

  A chill ran down Max’s spine. Nyarlathotep… dark messenger of the chaos gods who lurked just beyond the psyche of modern man. He had been the power behind a madman named Darkholme some years back and had then played a role in the Lucifer’s Cage affair, though it had been behind the scenes. He had taken a more direct involvement in the so-called Kingdom of Blood adventure, going so far as to “mark” the Peregrine so that all his agents would sense the hero’s approach. “Why does he think I’m so important?”

  “It’s just the way things work. You’re aware of him. You’ve interfered with his plan… that makes you a threat. He doesn’t like mortals who cross his paths and don’t run away screaming. That makes him feel weak… and it threatens his place in the hierarchy around him. His masters aren’t very forgiving of failure.”

  “Do you have any suggestions about how to deal with him?”

  The elder Davies paused before responding. When he finally did speak, his voice had an odd tone to it that Max had never heard before. “Focus on your love for Evelyn. In the end, it’s love that keeps the whole world spinning ’round.”

  “Are you all right?” Max asked, concerned despite his usual anger towards his father.

  “You won’t be able to come here again… at least not to see me.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because my time is nearly up… I was able to keep my spirit tethered to you for a very long period but nothing is forever.” Warren Davies reached out and put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “It’s time for the Peregrine—and Max Davies—to stand on his own two feet.”

  “The visions…”

  “Will continue, I’m sorry to say. All I’ve done is opened your mind to something that’s far greater than my power. You’re attuned to a radio wave of sorts—one that’s not audible to most people. But some are able to tap into it and use it as a warning system or sorts. That’s what you have now. My last gift to you, I suppose.”

  Max found himself unable to speak for a moment. For so long he’d harbored ill will towards his father for having turned him into a killing machine… but now he was faced with the fact that he was about to lose his father for a second time. He was surprised by how much it hurt. “There must be some way to save you…”

  “There’s nothing to save,” Warren replied with a laugh. “I’m not going off to the inferno, you know, though I don’t blame you if that’s what you were expecting. What comes next isn’t going to be so bad… but it does mean that you and I won’t be able to talk for awhile.”

  “I… really don’t know what to say.”

  Warren’s normally stern expression melted into a mask of compassion. “I am sorry for the pain that you had to suffer through. But I really think it’s worth it when you think of all the lives you’ve saved. My death seemed so meaningless but it’s not that way at all… not as long as you’re alive and well.”

  “I love you,” Max blurted out. He felt embarrassed to say it, but for a moment it was like the little child who’d watched his father die was back again.

  “I love you, too.” Warren took his hand away and stared out into the horizon. “I think this will be the last time you face Nyarlathotep, son. I can tell you that much. Win or lose, it’s going to end.”

  “But I can’t kill something like him… can I? He’s virtually a God.”

  “That is not dead which can eternal lie—for o’er strange eons even death may die…”

  “You’re talking crazy,” Max replied.

  “It’s an old saying—it applies to the masters Nyarlathotep serves, but it might apply here as well. Nyarlathotep inhabits a physical form… one that can be destroyed. It would be a long, long time before it could reform. He wouldn’t return until long after your lifetime was over.”

  “When do you have to leave?” Max asked, returning to the previous subject.

  “That’s up to you. When you go away… I will, too.”

  Max remained where he was, silent. Taking a deep breath, he said “Well, I guess we should have ourselves a long talk then, shouldn’t we?”

  Warren nodded, his eyes growing moist. “I think we should. I really, really do.”

  CHAPTER XIV

  The Proposal

  Sue opened her eyes, feeling a great weight in her chest. Every breath hurt like the dickens but it was still better than how it had felt just a few hours before. Through the gloom of her hospital room, she could make out a familiar shape seated nearby, watching her closely. “Steve?” she asked, her voice reduced to nothing more than a whisper.

  “It’s me, honey.” Steve moved his seat closer so that he could take Sue’s hand in his. “I talked to your dad a few minutes ago… he’s worried sick about you.”

  “Have you caught that Lycos person yet?”

  “No,” he laughed. “I can’t believe you’re more concerned with that than with your father’s worry.”

  “Daddy’s a grown man and he’s got more experience handling stress than you or I will hopefully ever have.” Her beautiful blue eyes fixed on his. “So you haven’t caught him?”

  “No, but I’m working on it. We’re about to take a trip out to the madman’s base. Hopefully things will go smoothly once we’re there.”

  “Angel’s going with you?”

  “I’m going with the Peregrine and his wife.”

  “The Peregrine?”

  “A vigilante from down South. He’s here to capture the Moon Man, but I’ve convinced him that there are bigger fish to be fried.”

  “What about after Lycos is captured? Will he turn on you then?”

  “I think I can trust him. He’s a lot like me… and seeing him with his wife made me realize something.”

  Sue felt her heart speed along like a locomotive. Something in Steve’s voice made her feel weak in the knees. “Yes?”

  “Let’s not wait any longer… as soon as I’m done with this, let’s get married!”

  “Oh, Steve!” Sue leaned forward in her bed and embraced her beloved. “Nothing in this world would make me happ
ier!”

  “Good… tomorrow we’ll tell your father that we’re going to set a date.” The happy couple kissed before Steve pulled away. “I have to go.”

  “Be careful,” she whispered. The weight in her chest seemed to have lifted, leaving her feeling like she was floating through space.

  Steve nodded briskly, moving out into the hallway before she could see the tears of happiness in his eyes. Once he’d made it downstairs and on to the street, he saw that Angel was waiting with the roadster.

  “What did she say, boss?” Angel asked, wearing a knowing grin.

  “You’re talking to a soon to be married man, Angel. No more waiting around for us.”

  “I knew it!” the big man exclaimed. He pulled a shocked Steve into a tight embrace before stepping back in embarrassment. “I mean… congratulations, boss.”

  “Thanks, Angel. You’re a good friend.” Steve ran a hand through his hair and lowered his voice. “That’s why I want you as my best man at the wedding.”

  The shock that registered on Angel’s face was almost comical. “But… people will ask questions! Like how a top of the line cop like you knows a palooka like me!”

  “Let them ask the questions. I’ll come up with the answers.” Steve put a hand on Angel’s shoulder. “Will you do it for me?”

  “Of course I will. Be an honor.”

  “Good. Then let’s go stop this Lycos, shall we?”

  CHAPTER XV

  Lair of Evil

  Smitty tried to avoid the professor’s gaze as much as possible. Though the man’s gas mask hid most of his features, the blazing eyes of Lycos could be seen clearly enough. They now pulsed with a madness unlike any that Smitty had seen before. “Boss? If those guys are comin’, shouldn’t we be doing something? Like… running away? Or at least getting the Gasping Death ready to use on them?”