“Let me go!” She tried to pull loose, but Venom held her in a vise grip.
He drew her close to him. A smile pulled across his lips as he glanced at the Stone Tor held. He whispered, “Of course, I can save you from this pain, if you join me.”
Raptor could smell a touch of mint on his breath with each word he whispered. “What? Never!” The very idea he would threaten to use the Stone of Power on her disgusted her. Raptor wrinkled her nose and swallowed the bitter taste building up in her mouth.
“You and I would make a great team. We could control Earth. Make it better. Humanity needs us.”
Raptor sneered at Venom.
“Hear me out,” he said. “You owe me that at least.” He stroked a strand of her hair between his fingers.
She knew she owed him nothing, but if he wanted to explain his plan to her, then she could play along. “Fine,” she spit out the word. “Just get off me.”
Venom released his arm from around her body but kept a hand clasped around one of her wrists. Raptor turned to face him. Venom stood with his feet spread out, trying to relax, but his shoulders betrayed him. They were tense, and the grip on her wrist was too tight.
Raptor grinned internally. Venom was expecting her to punch him. For a moment, she considered confirming his fears and socking him right in the jaw, but then he would likely not tell her his plans.
“You know there is a planet—” he started, but Raptor cut in.
“I know you think there’s one.”
Venom believed an earth-sized planet floated between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort cloud, waiting to enter the solar system and destroy Earth—another planet-sized Quester Stone. The Kuiper Belt encompassed any object out past the orbit of Neptune, including comets and dwarf planets, such as Pluto. Comets from the Kupier Belt could take up to two hundred years to reach the inner solar system.
The Oort cloud was even farther out, and comets from it could take hundreds of thousands of years to orbit around the sun.
If a large planet did orbit beyond the Kuiper belt, the Keepers would notice it long before it reached Earth. They would have decades, possibly centuries to react, but Venom seemed to believe the threat was imminent. It had not been the main point of contention between them, but it had not helped matters either.
Venom’s upper lip twitched into a snarl on one side. “It does not change the fact that Earth’s humans are in trouble. Every time a chance for improvement arises, they reject it. They have to be dragged, kicking and screaming, into change. Humans need to unite before a threat comes if they are to stand a chance of stopping it.”
“Earth doesn’t want us doing that. Humanity must lead itself.”
“Earth does not understand humanity. It does not see how lost they are.” Venom stomped his foot like an impatient child. Raptor could see him fighting to control his temper.
He swallowed hard as his expression softened. “Imagine how many lives we could save. The Keepers could use their powers for good.”
“It doesn’t need to understand. That’s why it created Keepers—to protect humans. We fight for the planet, because that’s what it wants, and what we do is for the good of humanity.” Using her free hand, she jabbed a finger at Venom. His offensive words that she did not care for humans burned in her ears.
“No, you don’t. You gallivant off to other worlds and fight battles that don’t involve you. You clean up the pandemonium caused by alien Quester Stones.” Venom’s body tightened, his hand keeping a firm hold of her wrist.
Raptor shifted her weight, clenching her fists in frustration. “And look at what you’re doing. You know what we’re up against with this shift. You need to give me the Stone of Power, and you need to let me go.”
Venom chuckled. “I have faith you will figure out a way to handle it. The Stone of Power is far too dangerous for you.”
“And it’s not for you?” Her eyes bulged out, wondering if Venom was implying more. “Are you its Quester?”
“No!” Venom snapped, jerking his head back. “Do you think I have forgotten what that thing is? What it is capable of?”
Raptor leaned back from him. His wounded expression made it clear he was not under its influence. Earth hated the Stone too much and would never tolerate Venom with it.
“No, I suppose not,” Raptor answered in a soft tone.
Venom reached down and grabbed her other hand, drawing her closer to him. “Join me. Let us put this world right. You are Earth’s herald. All you have to do is stand before the world and speak, they will hear you and unite under our banner.”
“Not on your life,” Raptor snarled. She twisted her arms out to the side but could not wrench free. She decided to play upon his anger instead. If she could get him to fight her, she might get another chance to escape. She leaned in close to him. “Earth rejected you, and I will never join you. You’re no better than pond scum. A bottom-feeding hagfish trying to slime its way to the top.”
Small, angry fires lit his eyes. He flung her away from him into the wall beside the door. She hit with a thud and crashed to the ground. Certain he would approach her, Raptor remained motionless.
Venom reached down to hoist her up. As he did, she kicked up, connecting with his chest. Reeling backwards, Venom muttered a curse at her. Raptor spun around and made a leap for the door. She needed to get far enough away to contact Mouse again, but Venom regained his balance and lunged for her. Catching her by the arm, he twisted it behind her back before she could break free.
Raptor cried in pain and stopped fighting. Her plan fell apart, and the longer the fight drew out, the more energy she lost. She did not have the strength left to change forms.
He gave her a lopsided smile. “Good.” Venom did not loosen his grip on her arm.
Raptor turned her head to the side and tried to free herself. This sent another wave of pain through her. “Let me go,” she whispered.
Venom smirked. “No.” He lifted her off the ground and pinned her against the wall facing away from him. He used his free hand to check her pockets.
“Ah, you and Godlin went to Tenebris.” He pulled the Stone of Fire from her pocket.
Raptor tensed up and tried to twist around. Venom had helped them hide the Stone of Power in Tenebris. He knew about her and Godlin’s ability to use the Stone of Fire to reach the dimension.
Pulling her back by the arm, Venom slammed her forcefully into the wall, rattling her teeth.
“Venom, please.” The taste of blood filled her mouth, as she had bitten the inside of her cheek.
Ignoring Raptor, he placed the Stone into one of his own pockets.
“Two for the price of one. Or should I say three?” Venom reached to her neck and found a thin gold chain, which he pulled free from under her shirt. A large key of tarnished gold hung on the end with a small opal set into the middle of its handle. It shimmered green, red, and yellow, depending on how one twisted it.
Raptor went ashen. Her head twisted to the side as she watched him. Venom let her go as she turned around to face him. She pressed her back into the wall and reached up, as if to take the key, but hesitated. The key gently swayed back and forth, Venom dangling it in front of her face.
He smirked and then dropped the key.
Raptor snatched it out of the air and wrapped both of her hands around it.
Sneering, Venom asked, “Did you think I didn’t know—that I had not figured out you were a Quester?”
Raptor said nothing. She possessed the Stone of Past, and the Keepers needed it. The main ability of the Stone allowed her to recall her own memories with perfect clarity. Raptor had kept it a secret from the Keepers for years. After she had exiled Venom, she told the others about it. She had no idea how Venom had figured out the truth.
He leaned in close, reaching for the key. “Perhaps I should just take it also.”
“No!” Raptor pulled away from him.
Venom slammed his hands into the wall on either side of her head. She flinched and froze, sq
ueezing her eyes shut. He was a lot stronger than she remembered. She slipped the key under her shirt again and lowered her hands to her side but clenched them into fists in case he attacked her.
“Pity, I expected more from you.” A tight, forced smile pulled on his lips. “Tor, the Stone, if you would.” Venom held out a hand.
He giggled and ran up to Venom with the Stone clutched close to his body. Venom reached out and Tor dropped it into his waiting hand.
With her last chance to escape, Raptor ducked her head and lunged toward Venom’s chest. However, he got his hands up before she could knock him down, and he threw her back into the wall. She had lost too much energy, and Venom had proved himself more formidable than she had expected, even without his powers. She was trapped, tired, and out of options.
A temporary surrender could buy her the time she needed to recover. After that long speech Venom had given her about uniting humanity, Raptor knew he would not kill her.
When she woke up in two hours, she would attack him at full strength. Even if Earth would not let her kill Venom, she would pummel his face into the ground for this.
Grabbing her by the wrist, Venom lifted her arm over her head and held her against the wall. “You only brought this on yourself.” He then pressed the Stone against her breast, just over her heart.
Raptor gritted her teeth as a fire coursed through her veins. She could feel the Stone pulling out the last bits of her energy. The pain overwhelmed her. Raptor cried out one last time for Venom to stop, but he did not. The world spun and darkness consumed her as she fell into a death-like sleep.
* * * * * *
Venom dropped the Quester Stone of Power just as Raptor collapsed. It fell to the floor and slid a few feet away. He scooped Raptor up, carried her to the sofa, and sat down with her, drawing her in close until her body rested against him.
Rubbing his chest where she had connected a solid blow, Venom gave a groan. It had been a long time since someone had hit him that hard. “Tor, get the Stone and put it on my desk.”
Tor did as ordered.
Venom kept his attention on Raptor, speaking as if she could hear him. “I remember when you joined. You were young and innocent, as I had once been. I hoped to watch you grow and flourish under my guidance.”
When he first met her, he had thought her too unpredictable and reckless. In time, he had seen through her flaws to her strengths. When Raptor saw a problem, she threw herself into it completely until she found a solution. She was flexible, more so than him, and would change her mind if presented with good evidence.
He frowned, studying her face. A dark bruise had formed along her jawline, right where she had hit the wall the hardest. He let out a sigh, sorry for what he had done, but it had been necessary.
The mission was simple: build new Keepers—Keepers that could replace the current ones if something happened to them or if they became too reckless for their own good.
He had found five subjects already—all of them powerful Questers with talents that rivaled the Keepers’. They were not exact replacements, but they came close enough. Venom had no idea what the Keepers would do if they discovered them—possibly kill them or even recruit them. Either way, he would lose them. He needed time to prepare and groom them; they were not ready to face off against the real Keepers. It would take months, maybe years, to complete their training.
Venom had hoped he would remain unnoticed for a few months longer and avoid all of this, but the dimensional shift meant the Keepers were snooping around Earth. They would have uncovered Venom and his plans, no matter how carefully he had trod.
Letting out a slow breath, Venom asked Tor, “How was that for playing a villain?”
Tor had the idea of Venom revealing himself to the Keepers before they discovered him and to keep them off balance for as long as possible. It meant acting as if he was a sociopath, but if it kept the Keepers from learning the truth, then it was worth it.
Grinning, Tor shot a pair of thumbs-up at Venom. He was a creature from another dimension, doing its best to mimic a human.
Years ago, Venom and some of the other Keepers went on a mission to explore a dimension known as the Labyrinth of Horror. The Quester Stone of Daring resided there inside a section of the maze known as the City. A plant entity controlled the City, and Tor had been its captive. Venom saved Tor, and ever since, he had been completely loyal.
He shifted his attention to Raptor. She did not appear to be breathing, but she would recover. It would take a lot more to kill her, but he had no intention of doing so. He simply wanted to wound her pride and frighten her. She would then relay that fear to the other Keepers. He needed them to believe that he posed a real threat to them, so they would not look any deeper into his motives.
If he could keep them distracted, then he would have time to help his new “Keepers” become stronger. But there was another complication to consider. Venom knew he could never turn one of them into Earth’s herald. Even though the planet stubbornly refused to listen to reason, he needed it on his side. The best way to do that was to manipulate Raptor into joining him.
He knew he could not persuade her to join willingly, but if he could make his own Keepers better heroes and bring order to the world, then humans would turn to him. That would ensure that Raptor would join him. Then he could guide her toward wiser plans.
If that failed, he would get control the old-fashioned way—by force. He did not want to resort to that, but he knew that Raptor would sacrifice herself if it meant saving the other Keepers. If he targeted them, he could get to her.
Either way, she led the Keepers too aggressively—charging into situations without thinking, lashing out at people when she became angry, or other similar behaviors—and she needed him to balance her out.
Venom blamed himself for it. When he and the others had uncovered the truth of other dimensions, he knew they needed to expand their numbers. He begged Earth for help. It agreed, but then it selected Raptor as its new herald, and he lost the power to communicate with it to a younger, brasher version of himself.
Everything had been going along well until Raptor and Dynamos created that damned retrovirus, amplifying not just their abilities but their personalities as well. They changed, becoming the embodiment of their strongest persona.
With Raptor, it was anger. It often got the better of her, causing her to act impulsively at times. Venom had tried to act as a voice of reason in her life, to temper her, but she often ignored his advice. She had almost killed herself and the other Keepers on several occasions, managing to escape by sheer luck.
Venom knew her belligerence would get him into trouble, if he was careless. When she woke up, their fight would start again, and she would be at full strength. The resulting battle would be long, bloody, and leave behind unintended casualties.
He had to send Raptor back to the Keepers, along with the Stone of Fire and the Stone of Past. If they meant to save Earth, they would need as many of the Stones as they could get. Venom knew he could get away with keeping the Stone of Power. It would slow the Keepers down, but the world would not end. Walker could substitute herself for the Stone and restore things to normal.
However, Raptor had hinted things might take a turn for the worse with the shifts. He might have been reading too much into it, but if the Keepers came for the Stone of Power again, then he would have to give it to them. He would not sacrifice the planet for his plans.
Everything he had done—releasing a dimensional monster, kidnapping Raptor, and taking the Stone of Power—all had been because he had run out of time.
He stood up, lifting Raptor in his arms. “Come,” he said to Tor. “We have a message to deliver, and she will be our messenger.”
Chapter Eight
A sensation moved across Andrew’s body, traveling all the way down to his feet. It felt as if his left arm was superimposed on his right, even though that was impossible.
The world snapped back to normal a split second later, and he stumb
led out of the dimensional portal onto solid ground.
He opened his eyes and found himself in a room with stark white walls. On the floor at his feet were four concentric rings carved into the ground, like a giant bull’s-eye. A steel doorway broke the monotony of white on the far wall and next to it sat a desk with a laptop computer.
Godlin towered before the doorway, blocking the exit. He had one hand lifted to his ear and spoke to someone. Andrew had missed the first half of the conversation, but Godlin started to speak louder. “Get everyone to the meeting room.” He paused, listening. “Yes.” Another pause. “It’s bad, Mouse. I’ll be there in a moment.”
He lowered his hand and turned to Andrew and Christine. “I’m sorry about that.”
“What just happened, and what was that thing that took Raptor?” Andrew asked. Christine shifted nervously beside him, her arms crossed in front of her chest.
“We teleported to the base. Don’t worry, we’re not in another dimension. As for the monster, it’s nothing good. I need to talk to the other Keepers,” he said, motioning to the doorway. “And then we’ll figure out what to do with you two.”
“Just send us back,” Christine said.
Godlin peered down at Christine. “It’s too dangerous right now. Be patient.”
“What about everyone else there?” she asked. “I’m worried about them.”
“Me too. What if it goes after our friends or our families?” Andrew said.
“We’re going to do what we can. Follow me.” Godlin pushed a button to the side of the door, causing it to slide open with a soft hushing sound. Andrew and Christine went past him into a hallway. Godlin punched another button, closing the door behind them.
He led them a short distance down the hallway to another steel door and stopped in front of it. “Stay here. Don’t go snooping. This place isn’t safe, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Christine glared at Godlin but stayed silent.
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