Queen's Gambit (Lilith's Shadow Book 6)

by Benjamin Medrano

  “Message sent, Mistress,” Circe replied.

  “Excellent,” Amber murmured, drumming the armrest as she thought, then tapped a few keys, bringing up the readings of the Destruction Corps attack force.

  If nothing else, she could always learn from what they were doing and how the heroes responded to it.

  Guardian Compound, Paragon City

  Lilith eased off the pedal, and the sewing machine slowed down, then came to a stop. She moved her foot, then leaned in to examine the fabric closer.

  The stitching was much more even than what she’d managed with her costume for Halloween, Lilith noted with satisfaction, and the fabric hadn’t been damaged, either. She’d followed the pattern almost perfectly, and it was very close to what she’d been going for, since she’d gotten some advice on how to adjust the design to fit her more precisely.

  “Only, oh, two months late,” Lilith murmured, shaking her head as amusement welled up inside her.

  She almost had the shawl complete, and next were the glimmering, see-through sections she needed to add to the dress itself. Still, it was progress, and that made her happy. Much as Emily, Gina, Rachel, and Tania calming down did. Fortunately, Claire hadn’t stepped into the middle of things yet, though—

  Lilith’s phone buzzed, and she sighed, setting her project aside, then picked up the phone to check it, wondering who it was this time. It was probably Astral Core, wondering if she’d make it to the meeting tomorrow. Then she saw the name on the lock screen, and Lilith’s amusement evaporated instantly. Amber’s name could do that. So, she unlocked the phone to check it, wondering why Amber was contacting her now.

  Meet me at Eden Manor within the hour. If you are not there, I will drop a KEW on Memphis. If you bring anyone with you, I will drop a KEW on Dallas. If you let them follow you, I’ll drop a KEW on San Francisco. If you attempt to warn anyone of my promises, I will drop fifty KEWs across America as a start. Be there. Or don’t be there and suffer the consequences.

  Lilith’s breath caught in her throat, and she felt like she couldn’t do anything for a few seconds, just staring at the message in absolute horror. The fact that Amber could make threats like that… it shocked her, somehow. Eventually she managed to breathe again, and she reached out to turn off the sewing machine, then stood up.

  It was startlingly easy to grab her jacket and walk out into the hallway, despite the daze that’d washed over her. If she was going to go to the Manor, there were several things she needed to do, she realized, and Lilith inhaled slowly, trying to make herself focus. This was… fear, maybe? Lilith hadn’t ever felt anything quite like it before, and she found herself leaning against the wall for a moment.

  “Focus,” Lilith told herself, inhaling sharply, then she pushed off the wall, heading for Tania’s room. She knocked and waited, swallowing hard as she did so.

  The door opened after a few seconds, revealing Tania in a fluffy white bathrobe, one customized to her wings, and the heroine began to smile, then paused as she saw the expression on Lilith’s face.

  “Lilith? What’s wrong?” Tania asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

  “Amber,” Lilith said simply, and started to turn the phone toward Tania, then realized the screen had locked. She unlocked it again, her fingers not trembling anymore, but the heroine watched in concern, especially as she turned it toward her.

  “What… oh,” Tania said, her expression turning thunderous with rage, and Lilith saw her wings flex slightly, while the tendons in her neck tightened for a moment, then relaxed. Tania inhaled slowly, then looked up at Lilith. “What are you going to do? Aren’t you worried about the last part?”

  “No, I’m not. Knowing her, she means that I can’t warn people in those cities to evacuate, not you. After all, if I don’t talk to all of you, how can I keep you from following me?” Lilith asked, giving Tania a nervous smile, that part of her that had felt like it was on the verge of breaking growing a little steadier. “As for what I’m going to do… do I have a choice? I can’t let tens of thousands of people die because of me. Or hundreds of thousands… or millions.”

  “It wouldn’t be your fault. She’s the one who’d do it,” Tania retorted instantly, then paused before admitting. “Though I approve of your decision. I just wish… never mind, we don’t have time. Go tell Shade, he’s in the control room. He’ll get Spark back here to tell her. I’m going to get dressed and wake Dec up. If something happens, we’ll get there to help you within minutes.”

  “Alright,” Lilith said, and on impulse she embraced Tania, hugging her tightly. The other heroine returned the hug, her strength carefully controlled so she didn’t crush Lilith. After a moment she whispered, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” Tania said, smiling as she pulled away, then turned away from the door, rushing off to the side without fully closing it.

  Lilith hesitated for only a moment, then turned and headed downstairs. She skipped the elevator, instead taking the stairs down far more rapidly, before bursting into the hallway. Lilith was mostly glad that no one was around to see her since it’d probably raise suspicion. She continued down the hall toward the team’s command center and pressed the call button, since she didn’t have access. She’d been offered access, but had refused, which was… inconvenient at the moment.

  After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing Shade with his hood down. The man looked at her curiously, frowning as he asked, “Lilith? What’s wrong?”

  “Amber. She’s demanding I meet with her and threatening to level cities if I don’t follow her directions,” Lilith said, keeping her words short and focused as she unlocked her phone again, turning it so he could read it. While he read, she continued, “Tania is getting ready, and is going to wake up Dec once she’s done. She said that you could call Emily back to let her know so that we don’t prompt a strike. She said that she’d be ready to support if things went wrong.”

  “Right. Holy… she’s insane!” Shade said, biting back a swear word as he finished reading, looking at Lilith curiously, then he asked. “Why does she want you? Do you know?”

  “Not a clue,” Lilith replied, smiling at him tautly. “And I think we’ve known she was insane for a long time. The main question is what we do about it… but at least she didn’t tell me to come unarmed. Not that it’ll do much good if she shows up in armor, but I’m going to be as well-protected as I can be.”

  “Alright. Well… I’d say to take a mic with you so we could listen in, but I know her well enough that I doubt she’d allow it,” Shade said, grimacing as he offered a hand. “Good luck, I’ll try to have things ready here with the others.”

  “Thank you,” Lilith said, shaking his hand as she realized that she’d allowed herself to do things out of order, she was so out of sorts. Her armor was in her room. So, she smiled slightly, adding, “I’d better go.”

  “Yeah,” Shade said, and stepped back into the command center, the door sliding shut as she heard him trigger the comm. “Hey Spark? Could you—”

  Lilith turned and jogged back up the stairs, taking them almost as fast as she had coming down, and turned to her room sharply, getting there in far less time than she normally took. Fortunately, she’d gotten an armor rack of her own, so the armor was right there, along with her narc pistol and narc rifle. She debated on the rifle for only a moment, then decided against it. No, instead Lilith started putting on her armor quickly. It was heavy due to the shielding system she’d built into it, but she thought it was well worth the time she’d spent on it. It would look somewhat intimidating to most people, with the black and silver coloring, plus how it was oddly bulkier-looking than her power armor had been, but it didn’t matter that much. If it kept her from dying, that was the important part.

  In short order she was finished, and Lilith stood, feeling slightly more secure in the armor… and now she just needed to get moving. Lilith desperately hoped that traffic would cooperate today. She didn’t want to be late, and she didn’t have as much time
as she’d like.

  Chapter 23

  Thursday, December 4th, 2031

  Guardian Compound, Paragon City

  “She threatened what?” Spark demanded, and Archon winced slightly at the note of outrage in the smaller woman’s voice. Many notes, if she was being honest, since Spark usually wasn’t one to moderate herself.

  “To drop kinetic energy weapons on several cities if Lilith didn’t arrive on time, was followed, or brought anyone with her. Or to drop fifty of them across the country if Lilith attempted to warn anyone of what was coming,” Shade replied shortly, frowning at Spark. “The last worries me, but since we haven’t seen any reports of orbital weapons firing, Shadowmind might not have realized we were warned.”

  “Or Lilith was right, and she was specifically meaning public warnings,” Archon interjected, her arms folded. “Regardless, this is a terrible situation for all of us. Our hands are largely tied. Yes, I could likely survive a KEW, but I’d have to be in the way to stop it, and that isn’t likely to happen. They’re too fast.”

  “Fine, fine! What can we do?” Spark demanded, looking between them irritably. “I don’t like letting Lilith visit that psychotic bitch on her own.”

  “I don’t think any of us do,” Decarin said, covering a yawn, then shook his head slowly. “The base defenses are as good as they can be, under the circumstances. The jet is fueled and ready for flight at a moment’s notice, so I think the only thing we can do is be ready to react the moment something goes wrong. According to my trackers, Lilith’s about halfway to the manor.”

  “Spark and I can be there slightly faster if we skip the jet,” Archon said softly, glancing at Spark as she added, “Perhaps you can go back out on patrol? Don’t move in that direction, but if you were somewhat closer to the city center, you’d be marginally closer.”

  “True!” Spark said, grinning abruptly as she drew her pistols so fast that she looked like a blur, examining them, then holstered them again. “Any objections?”

  “Not from me but be careful. I wouldn’t put it past Shadowmind to attack if we even hint we’re going to follow Lilith,” Shade said grimly. “Now, let’s get moving.”

  “Right!” Spark said and shot out the doors like a lightning bolt.

  Archon watched her go, then sighed, murmuring, “I wish we all had an excuse to get into position like that.”

  “Entirely agreed,” Shade said, pausing for a couple of seconds, then smiled mirthlessly. “Though I have to say… if nothing else, once word of this gets out, I’m pretty sure that a lot of the people who have doubts about Lilith are going to reconsider.”

  “You have far more faith in people than I do,” Decarin retorted, prompting Archon to chuckle, but even that was weak.

  She was too worried about Lilith.

  Lower Bay, New York Waters

  “Sensor traces approaching detection threshold, sir!” a legionnaire reported, and Admiral Apocalypse nodded, a cold smile on her face as she flipped a coin.

  “Understood. Threats?” she asked.

  Instead of the legionnaire, it was Ensign Exterminator who replied, fiddling with his power suit, which filled out his normally thin frame.

  “Not detecting anything big. A single destroyer is going to be in the way, but I doubt it’ll scratch your paint,” he said, glancing up with a grin. “I thought we’d run into more resistance.”

  “We aren’t attacking a major naval base, so of course there isn’t going to be much in our way. I’m more surprised there’s even a destroyer,” Apocalypse said, flipping the coin again and snatching it out of the air. “Guns, I want you to take the very tip of the spire off the top of the Empire State Building in our opening salvo. Hit the Marine Reserve building, too.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” the legionnaire replied in her soft voice.

  “Good. CP, how’re you and the troops doing?” Admiral Apocalypse asked, looking at the facing of the coin with a frown. It was tails up, which wasn’t a good sign. Some of the other leaders of Destruction Corps sometimes thought she was superstitious, but her caution had kept her alive so far.

  “Ready to wreak havoc, just give us the chance,” Corporal Punishment replied eagerly. “Think we’ll get the chance to put Flicker in the ground this time?”

  “Heroes have far too much luck, I wouldn’t count on it. I’m sure he’ll give you the chance, though,” Admiral Apocalypse said, considering for a moment more, then shrugged. “Anyway, we’ll open fire five minutes from… mark. Make your move then.”

  At her mark, Admiral Apocalypse hit a key to start the countdown timer.

  “Got it. Let’s wreck their city,” Corporal Punishment replied, then the line cut.

  Admiral Apocalypse just sat back in her chair, staring through the windows at the city lights as she wondered what had her on edge. She felt like she was being watched.

  Arrogance, Low Earth Orbit

  “The battleship is almost to where the locals can detect it. I have to wonder, why did they build something like that? It’s a battleship. They’re obsolete,” a clone said, looking at the sensors in confusion. “I mean, I know they’re all imbeciles, but I’d expect at least Da Vinci to realize that all he did was make a bigger target for other people to smash.”

  “Not to mention it being planetside,” another clone chimed in. “I think it’d make for good target practice. It’d be nice to blow something up, since Lilith is following instructions.”

  “Heh. Not that she had much choice, with how much she’s taken after heroes,” Amber said, smiling coldly. “As for the battleship, well, let’s see what it can do. Once it has fired a few shots feel free to destroy it. And even mock them a little if you want to. I need to go to my meeting.”

  Amber stood, amused by the looks of excitement that washed over the faces of the different clones.

  “Oh, yes, I’m going to have—” the clone at tactical began, only for the one at communications to interrupt.

  “Oh, no you don’t! I’m on comms, so you can sit there and pretend to be a potted plant, for all I care. I’m going to threaten them!” the other clone said, rubbing her hands together. “Yes, time to turn the corps into a corpse.”

  “Says the pansy who only gets to talk,” the tactical clone retorted, to the other’s obvious anger.

  “Now see here, you mis-sequenced, inferior tank-scum, I’m—”

  The door slid shut, and Amber laughed, grinning to herself at how all of her clones spent so much time fighting with and insulting one another. Oh, she knew they hated her just as much as they hated each other, if not even more, but it amused her anyway. She was too much more powerful than them, so they couldn’t do anything to her. If they teamed up, they might be able to do something, but that would require some of them to put themselves at risk, and she was far too selfish for any copy of her to do that.

  So instead, they’d fume, scheme, and try to come up with ways for each of them to supplant Amber in the end. Not that they’d manage it, but it was fun to watch them scurry around.

  Amber hummed happily to herself as she headed for the teleporter. Now, Lilith would either join her, or things would go exceedingly poorly for her so-called daughter. It was time to deal with her mistakes.

  Lower Bay, New York Waters

  Brilliant bolts of blue-white energy erupted across the bay, impacting several points along the shoreline, then detonated violently. One bolt lanced through the evening sky, removing the tip of the Empire State Building with pinpoint accuracy before taking a chunk out of the skyscraper behind it.

  Sirens began to wail only moments later, and Admiral Apocalypse laughed, watching the destruction as Devastator unleashed its fire on the city. In only minutes the destroyer had come around from its position farther inland, but that was too late. Devastator had already moved far enough to bring the ship into the line of fire, and she smiled, savoring the moment before she spoke.

  “Target the destroyer,” Admiral Apocalypse said, and paused as the guns stopped shredding
the waterfront to retarget. Then she spoke, her voice a purr. “Fire.”

  The bolts of ravening energy hit the military ship almost instantly. Its hull managed to deflect a couple of bolts, but not all of them. The remainder blasted into the ship’s hull with devastating effect, and it lurched, beginning to sag to starboard. The guns fired a couple more times, and she watched sailors begin abandoning ship, then nodded.

  “Good enough. Return to the bombardment plans,” she ordered, settling back in her chair. “I want the authorities to be on the run—”

  Admiral Apocalypse was nearly thrown out of her chair as Devastator descended a foot abruptly, the shields flashing bright white as they blocked an attack from above. Waves extended in every direction as the ship bobbed upward after the impact ended.

  “What the hell was that?” Admiral Apocalypse demanded, hearing a sound like thunder from above.

  “Unknown, sir! Attack appears to have come from above. Not detecting any aircraft within sensor range!” the tactical officer reported, her voice now frantic. “Shields are at seventy-nine percent integrity.”

  “Incoming transmission, sir!” the comm officer said.

  “Put it on,” Admiral Apocalypse snapped, regaining her poise.

  An image appeared on the screen in front of her, causing Admiral Apocalypse’s blood to run cold. A familiar-looking blonde woman with piercing blue eyes was looking at her, a self-satisfied smile on her face. Shadowmind, Admiral Apocalypse knew. She was thankful that it wasn’t a two-way transmission, but only for a moment.

  “Destruction Corps, I see that you’re attacking New York City. How fortunate for me,” Shadowmind said, pronouncing ‘Corps’ as ‘Corpse’, and taking obvious relish in doing so. “It just so happens that I needed to get some target practice in, since I don’t have much experience shooting down into a gravity well. I do adore your little toy boat, but I’m afraid that I’m going to be putting it on the bay floor in… two minutes and counting. If I were you, I’d abandon ship. On the other hand, that would require all of you to have two brain cells to rub together.”