Fighting through the pain, Sullivan flared his Power again. He didn't want to fall through the bottom of the dirigible. Madi must have realized the same thing, and together they slowed, but still trying to kill each other. The bottom of the hydrogen chamber barely impeded them, and then they were rebounding through more materials-aluminum, steel, copper, and finally wood. Sullivan threw his hand out and caught hold of something as Madi tore free and kept falling. His brother crashed through one last darkened floor, highlighted in a circle of sudden light but shrinking away. Madi flared his Power before impact and landed in a heap far below.
He'd ended up in some giant wooden room. There were other people down there, and a circle of curiosity was closing in on Madi's fallen form. Sullivan let go and followed. He landed in a crouch, boards splintering, reaching for the rifle slung on his back, but it was gone, torn free from its sling somewhere above. He reached instead for his pistol, and luckily it was still in its flap holster.
The Iron Guard came up off the floor, snarling. Sullivan was able to crank off four rounds before Madi threw a backhand that would have taken the arm off a normal man. The.45 went flying away. Sullivan stepped back, shaking his stinging arm.
Four holes began to drizzle blood down the front of Madi's torn robe. His brother stopped, looking around, realizing where he was. "Well, I'll be damned. Ain't this appropriate."
The room was huge and mostly bare, probably some sort of training room. The walls were glass, and beyond them was nothing but darkness. The floor was polished hardwood. He turned slowly. There was a mess of Imperium in this room, dressed in black uniforms with red accents and a big red sash. All of them were pointing guns at Sullivan, except for the ones that were ready to destroy him with the ice crystals collecting down their arms, or the jagged bones twisting between their hands, or the electricity cracking in their eye sockets, or the floating objects that they'd telekinetically picked up with their minds… He was in a room full of Iron Guards.
"Well… shit," Sullivan said.
"Ahem," someone gave a polite cough, and both he and Madi turned at the same time.
"Chairman!" Madi exclaimed, sounding embarrassed, just like back when Dad used to catch the oldest Sullivan brother doing something bad, like torturing animals or setting fires. He dropped to his knees. "Forgive the intrusion."
Heinrich was nowhere to be seen. Delilah was picking herself off the ground from where she'd crashed through the railing hard enough to break every bone in her body. So it was up to him. Daniel Garrett had hit the fallen Iron Guard with everything he had. He punched him in the face until he felt his knuckles break, and then he'd tried kicking him, but the huge Iron Guard slowly got up from the grating anyway. Dan stepped back, shaking his stinging hands.
The Iron Guard twisted his head and he could hear the vertebrae pop. His little black eyes were far too small for the size of his head, and they zeroed right in on Dan. The sumo growled.
"Sure you don't want to talk this over?" Dan asked. The bridge shook as the Iron Guard lumbered at him. Guess not.
Delilah shoulder-checked him out of the way. "Pick on somebody your own size!" The two Brutes crashed together; one dead, one alive; one huge, one tiny; but both of them very angry. They stood toe to toe, hammering each other.
Dan landed on his side with a grunt. The Iron Guard hit Delilah so hard that he felt the vibrations travel down her body and through the floor, but she didn't budge. Delilah responded by putting one hand on his shoulder, shoving herself into the air, and bringing her elbow down in the center of the sumo's head with a blow that could have killed an elephant. That staggered him a bit.
"Get the device!" Delilah screamed. "I'll hold fatty!"
Struggling to his feet, he saw Delilah throw a backhand at the Iron Guard's head, but he was too fast, too martially skilled, and he caught her arm while simultaneously bringing his other hand around. Delilah's forearm shattered, bone visibly ripping through the flesh. Dan gasped at the horrific wound. Delilah stepped back, looked down at the jagged bones sticking out of her forearm and the delicate hand dangling uselessly from the skin and tendons. No blood came out. "Move your ass, Garrett!" she ordered as she stepped forward, ducked under the Iron Guard's swing, and drove the bone shard into the sumo's vast belly.
Dan heard the Iron Guard gasp as the bones penetrated his body, but was too busy running for engineering to look back. A hand appeared over the edge of the railing. Heinrich! He was alive and pulling himself up. He didn't dare stop to help his friend. He could feel the air humming with the Tesla device's energy.
The lights were no longer red. He was in the engineering section. He jumped over the dead bodies of the Imperials he'd murdered and the pile of twisted bones and smoking fat that had been their Torch. There was a single man standing in his way, wearing the same red and black robes as the other Iron Guards, but this one wasn't nearly as physically intimidating. Skinny and ratlike, this had to be the Lazarus. He was blocking the steel door. Dan could feel the Geo-Tel on the other side.
But then the Lazarus moved a scabbard around in front of his body and drew a sword. His English was perfect. "I am not the warrior my brothers are, but I am more than a match for the likes of you." He tossed the scabbard away and lifted the blade in both hands. The eviscerated bodies were starting to move, groaning and whimpering on the floor as they came to. Even the ashen pile of bones was stirring. The dead soldiers began to cry out in agony.
The Lazarus hissed. "I am Hiroyasu of the Iron Guard, and my magic is based in suffering."
There was a grey flash as Heinrich surged past. Hiroyasu swung the sword through the blur. Heinrich rematerialized, blocking the weapon before it could come back up. "Suffering?" Heinrich asked, grabbing the surprised Iron Guard by the robe. "I'll show you suffering." Then the Fade spun him around, both of them going grey as they sailed into the wall.
Heinrich totally disappeared, but he must have let go of Hiroyasu partway through. The Iron Guard re-formed, solid, but his body had fused with the metal. The left half of his body and his head were still visible, but his flesh had become one with the bulkhead. Hiroyasu began to scream, incoherent with pain.
There was a clicking as the door unlocked from the other side. Heinrich held it open for Dan. The Fade saw the thrashing Iron Guard and admired his work. "That was for Delilah. Hurry." Dan stepped through after him, noticing that the Iron Guard's other arm and leg were flailing madly on this side. They ran down the hall. "Think we can use guns in here?" Heinrich asked.
They were surrounded by solid walls and away from the heaving bags. "Probably." Dan pulled the.45 from his belt.
"About damn time," Heinrich answered as a Luger appeared from inside his coat.
They reached the last door, both of them automatically taking up positions on either side. They'd worked together for a long time. There was a round glass window, and when he risked a glance through, he could see a strange device crackling with electricity sitting in the middle of a table. That's it. There were a bunch of men in long black coats surrounding it. He tried the latch. Locked.
Heinrich nodded, knowing what to do. He Faded, but as he did so, two Shadow Guard appeared, took the Geo-Tel between them, and Traveled it away.
Faye woke up, groaning. She felt nauseous.
"Hold still, you lost a lot of blood," Francis told her. She looked down. Her pant leg had been torn off, and her calf had been wrapped in a bandage. It really hurt.
There was more gunfire. She checked her head map. The Tokugawa was in chaos. Grimnoir and pirates were spread all over the big ship. The pirates were headed this way, being chased by Imperium. Some of her friends were in the middle of the ship, looking for the big, evil, magic superbomb, but it had just Traveled to the very bottom.
She was having a hard time seeing down there. At first she thought it was because of the blood loss making her silly-headed, but then she realized that the black fogginess came from the Chairman. His Power was so big that everything around it was cast in sh
adow, but the big, evil, magic superbomb was dragging so much Power up out of the middle of the world that it illuminated even him. Somehow she knew they only had minutes. The illumination showed that a couple of her friends were down there, surrounded by Iron Guards.
But there was something else. The Power wasn't just being attracted to Tesla's invention. There was another spot in the middle of the ship. It was glowing too. She concentrated harder, trying to figure out what was going on, and that's when she realized exactly what was happening.
She smacked her hands onto both sides of Francis' face. "We've got to get everyone out of here fast as we can!" She let go and tried to get up.
"Stay still, you're in no shape to move."
"No, you don't understand. It isn't what anyone thought it was! Everyone is wrong! The Chairman is wrong! We've got to go. I've got to bring everyone onto the Tempest."
"What? Don't move. You're still bleeding from-'
"Aarrggh! You are such a boy! You know I see the world different than everybody else. Listen, do you trust me or not?"
Francis was perplexed. "Yeah, I guess."
"Then get a bucket and fill it with nails and broken glass and anything else you can use to stab people with your brain, and get that blimp in the air. We've only got minutes."
He nodded. She could see it in his eyes. He didn't have a clue what she was talking about, but God bless him, Francis actually trusted her. She kissed him on the cheek and Traveled before she could see his reaction.
Chairman Okubo Tokugawa was sitting cross-legged on a simple mat, watching the brothers curiously. Jane was standing a few feet away in a white kimono, flanked between two robed Iron Guards. "Sullivan?" she asked in surprise.
"You okay, Jane?" he asked. She nodded. She sure didn't look okay. Poor thing was scared to death. "Don't worry. Dan's here. We'll get you home."
The Chairman spoke. "Rise, First Iron Guard." Madi jumped to his feet with superhuman speed.
"Sir, Grimnoir threaten the Geo-Tel," Madi said quickly, much more worried about that than the bullets lodged in his chest.
The Chairman nodded politely, as if to say, tell me something I don't already know, stupid. "I am aware. I have been watching. I dispatched Shadow Guards to retrieve it. They will Travel back here shortly."
"Well, if it ain't Mr. Fancy-Pants," Sullivan said. "What're you doing down here? Hiding?"
The Chairman studied him carefully. He was wearing a simple, comfortable robe, and his feet were bare. "As I said, I have been watching. This is a most interesting time for me, Mr. Sullivan. If I so desired I could send my personal bodyguard up and your friends would be dead in seconds, or perhaps I could just destroy you all myself."
"Then why don't you, big shot?"
"Because I am bored," he answered truthfully. "I have been alive for a very long time. I have lived for over a hundred years. I was born the youngest son of a minor samurai lord. My home was destroyed in a revolution, my family put to the sword, and I became ronin. I had seen my share of conflict by the time the Power came to me. Together we learned how magic could interact with mankind. Since that day I have traveled the world. I have learned its secrets. I have seen the heights and depths of magic. I have been to every land. Spoken every tongue. Learned everything. Fought every war. Led men into battle and killed legions with my own hands. I've lain with ten thousand women and sired a thousand sons. I sculpt nations as other men sculpt clay. I have traveled beyond our world and seen the others. I have spoken with the Power face to face as we speak now. I have seen the terrible being the Power fled from and I have protected our world from it in battle beyond your mortal comprehension. There is nothing truly new to me."
Sullivan could sense he was telling the truth. If the Chairman was anything, he was perfectly straightforward. "So, we're an interesting diversion?"
"Yes. I could kill you all with a thought. The Geo-Tel was never in danger. My plan will be fulfilled." As he said, that two black-clad ninjas Traveled in, holding a strange device between them. It sparked and buzzed with energy and Sullivan could feel the magic in the room distort toward it. "It was only a matter of time. But you and your people interest me, Mr. Sullivan. Your strengths, your flaws, your hates, your desires, your loves and dreams. You are one of the most powerful natural Actives ever born. Your young Traveling friend is even stronger, though she does not realize it yet. We should stand as one, united for what is to come, yet instead you will fight me to the end. Such purity of struggle is bitter, yet beautiful in its way. I wrote a poem about it. Would you like to hear it?"
"I'd rather slit my own wrists."
"Fair enough." The Chairman turned back to Madi. "I am disappointed in you, First Iron Guard. Were it not for my preparation, the Geo-Tel would have been lost to the Grimnoir. And not only that, but it would have been lost to the forces of a man that you had thought you'd killed."
Madi bowed deeply. "Forgive me, Chairman. I can make it right."
Sullivan was surprised just how much genuine devotion there was in his brother's words. At least he'd finally found something that he could truly love.
"Very well. How much longer until the firing?" the Chairman asked absently.
A man in a long black coat answered. "Approximately ten minutes, sir."
The Chairman nodded. "Very well, First Iron Guard Madi. You may redeem yourself."
Madi bowed his head quickly, then moved to the side, shrugging out of his robe. All he was wearing now were a pair of very baggy black pants. Madi's torso was covered in kanji scars. Nearly every inch of him had been burned, and every one of those made him more dangerous. He shouted something in Japanese, and a moment later another Iron Guard hurried forward with two swords, one made of wood, and one made of killing steel.
Sullivan knew what was happening. He removed the tattered remains of his coat and canvas vest and tossed the rags on the floor.
Madi smiled. "Let's go then, little brother." He picked up the steel katana, swinging it back and forth so quickly that the air whistled, then he tossed it gently through the air. Sullivan caught it by the hilt. Madi grinned as he took up the wooden sword, testing its balance. "I'm literally thirteen times the man you are. Figure I'd keep it fair."
The Chairman nodded, appreciating this act of chivalry. Jane looked like she was about to puke. The Geo-Tel was steaming along behind five Iron Guards and two ninjas. The Chairman saw where Sullivan's eyes had wandered, and he shook his head softly. "I would not allow you to stop me… but I will not meddle in your family business. Carry on."
Madi was limbering up. His body was thick with muscle. Sullivan had seen him tear through hard men like they were nothing, and that was before he had been magically augmented and trained. Sullivan held up the unfamiliar sword. "I don't exactly know how to use one of these things…"
"You'll figure it out pretty quick," Madi said. "You always was the smart one."
"Not always," he muttered. Sullivan was the youngest. Jimmy had been the smart one growing up, until he'd been struck with a bad fever that had nearly killed him and had left his mind feeble. After their daddy had died, he'd stepped up, trying to take care of his mother and his dimwit brother, while the oldest, Matthew, had done nothing but cause trouble. He'd been a bully, a thief, a jerk, and was only happy when everyone else had been scared of him. Sullivan watched the light reflect down the razor edge of the sword. "Hell, we should've done this a long time ago."
"That's the spirit," Madi said.
Sullivan raised the sword. "I'm gonna cut you in half."
Madi grinned savagely. "Reckon you could try that and see how it works out for ya."
"Begin," the Chairman ordered.
They met in the middle. The Iron Guards formed a circle around them. Sullivan swung as fast as he could, the blade driven by his vast strength. Madi moved out of the way easily. He cracked Sullivan hard on the shoulder with the wooden sword. "Try harder," he said.
"Go to hell," Sullivan snarled, hurling his Power, trying to make Madi fal
l toward him. Their magic clashed, neutralizing each others' forces. The swords met, and then they were face to ruined face, and Sullivan was staring into that dead white eye. Madi grabbed him by the arm and used some movement to duck and hurl Sullivan over his hip. He hit the ground hard, but was already coming up when the wooden sword nailed him in the ribs. He gasped.
They went back and forth. Every time he tried his Power, Madi came back with an equal amount. The Iron Guard was stronger, faster, and had more skill. The wooden sword swept in low and hit him in the leg, and even with his long-magically hardened bones, he felt the fracture. Distracted, he wasn't as fast, and Madi's Power dropped him backwards where he hit the floor and skidded away. On his knees, he swung the sword, but Madi easily leapt over it, and drove the wooden weapon through his shoulder.
Sullivan screamed, and Madi used one foot to shove him off the end of the wooden sword. Blood sprayed freely. He tried to rise, but Madi kicked him in the face. He rolled onto his back, and drove the sword upward, feeling it pierce flesh.
Madi paused, looking at the sword driven into his ribs. He stepped back as it slid cleanly out. "Nice shot, Jake." Then he shattered the wooden sword over Jake's skull.
Sullivan was crawling away, blood pouring out of his shoulder and head. The scar on his chest was channeling Healing magic, but not near fast enough to keep up with this. Madi tossed the broken hilt away and it clattered across the floor. "You idiot! You fucking idiot. I told you. I told you. I'm the strongest there is. I beat you with a bokken! You ain't done yet. Get up! Get UP!"
He rose, shaking. Madi punched him across the room. He collided with two Iron Guards, taking them all down in a heap.
Madi wasn't satisfied. He needed more. He looked to the Chairman, who was sitting there, showing no emotion. "This ain't good enough." Madi ran toward Jane, grabbed her by the hair and pulled her across the room. She cried out in pain. "Fix him! Now, damn it. I ain't done yet!"
Sullivan crawled off the Iron Guards. Madi shoved Jane down next to him. He could feel the warmth of her hands on his head. The hole in his shoulder closed. Somehow he knew that his skull was visible through the top of his head, but the skin pulled together and the blood quit flowing. He got back to his feet and picked up the sword.
Hard Magic gc-1 Page 40