by Al K. Line
"Does everyone know what they've got to do?" There were murmurs of agreement, a little bickering, but it seemed like we were good to go.
"Steve, you and your guys go first. Do your thing, then wait for Beast to play his part, then you go for it, and don't hold back. I want that building full of screams, understand?"
"Gotcha."
"Sisiminimus, you be ready the moment you see people running scared from inside."
"Don't patronize me," he grumbled, pulling what looked like half a boiled egg from a filthy pocket and stuffing it into his mouth.
I took a step away as rotten egg odor hit, and turned to Valera and Nohr. "You guys, you're with Sisiminimus, and I'm relying on you."
"This is going to be such fun," said Nohr.
"Such fun," agreed Valera.
"You bet it is."
"Vicky," I said slowly, regretting it already, "you're with me."
"Really? Yes!" Vicky punched the air then did her awful mom-dance, rolling her arms over each other and wiggling her hips.
"Stop it, you look like a doll in cheap clothes having a seizure." Vicky gave me the finger—so unladylike—then continued.
With a sigh, and knowing it would all go to shit at some point, but with no other choice, I said, "Let's go."
Vicky and I watched as they dispersed into the crowd, making their way closer to Cerberus HQ and the scene of what was to be the biggest crime ever committed in the magical underworld.
"Do you think they'll do it?" asked Vicky.
"You mean follow instructions, do as I asked, and succeed?"
"Of course."
"Not a bloody chance."
As if on cue, the screaming started. I raised an eyebrow and stared at Vicky. "Fuck, I expected them to last longer than that before they screwed up."
People ran past screaming about rabid wild animals running amok, dogs and badgers and the like, even a hyena, and it was confirmed. Steve and his Wild Ones, and they got the name for a very good reason, had got carried away as I knew they would and were already causing chaos.
It didn't matter, it was part of the plan, just not a part they were privy too. When they get excited they're prone to change in an instant, and this was something way more epic than any of them were used to.
"Come on, let's go watch the show."
"But they're dangerous," said Vicky.
"I know, but they should be at the building by now so we're safe."
I dragged Vicky through the crowds, some running away, most unaware of what was happening and still converging on Cerberus HQ to protest about the government spooks inside doing a deal with Europe meaning everyone would only be allowed to buy vacuum cleaners below a certain power. Sadly, and I kid you not, we didn't even have to make that one up.
Yeah, the world was already about as screwed up as it could possibly be. Fact is always stranger than fiction.
Close Encounters
It was absolute mayhem outside the building. The road was packed with protesters, some shouting through megaphones, rallying their supporters, other groups seemingly having just decided it was a good excuse to go raid their wardrobes for old fancy dress outfits. Everyone was jumbled together even though there were at least five separate protests supposedly happening, each trying to raise their banners high, gain the steps to the building so they'd get a prime spot on TV as camera crews jostled and announcers tried not to look freaked out as everything descended into a multicolored, chaotic carnival.
Wild animals roamed, snapping at the backs of people, doing no real damage but coming close, but as Vicky and I made it to the steps the animals all converged halfway up and Steve, currently a fat badger rippling with muscle, stiff bristles raised as the blood lust gathered strength, charged headlong into the building through the open doors.
We waited for several minutes while the rest of the citizens working inside rushed out in a panic, just the stragglers who'd been loath to leave their work. We could hear the screams and the cries; I hoped the shifters weren't hurting anyone. Steve had promised me that the guys he had were professionals, had the rare ability to control the wildness to a degree, and would only kill if attacked directly.
There were a few suited men and smartly dressed women loitering at the bottom of the steps. Maybe spooks, maybe Cerberus, maybe both. These would be the low-level grunts, nobody with any real power. The big players, along with the Hounds, would either stand their ground or have exited by other, more discreet routes.
On cue, Beast ascended, his presence ensuring people moved out of his way no matter how crowded it was. The fact three diminutive wizards trailed in his wake didn't hurt either. The stench of Sisiminimus was sufficient to clear a wide path on its own.
They ignored us as they marched up and into the building, acting like they belonged but looking out of place. We didn't do tweed, we did oversized gym wear or long brown wizard cloaks complete with hoods and staffs. No matter, all the tech was on the fritz so nobody was recording this, nobody could. This was something Valera and Nohr were expert at, having grown increasingly paranoid about technology over the years, and wanting to ensure their lives remained private. They could easily shroud their presence from anyone who was observing, including those close to them, the radius extending some thirty or forty feet like a blank spot of blurriness.
Vicky and I fell into line behind this unlikely posse, gagging and urging as we were downwind from Sisiminimus. But we followed regardless, went right into the building and headed straight for the screams.
I'd laid out the floor plan as best I could, pieced together from footage we'd obtained from the lobby and what we'd seen when we'd entered last time. It was hard to believe we'd actually been invited, before our rather hurried escape after things went to shit through no fault of our own.
I shouted directions as we got closer to Beast, and soon we were at the inner part of the building. I recognized the door that led to the inner quadrant where there was a large lawn and space for a helicopter to land.
As the shifters came and went, the accessible halls and rooms cleared so no citizens were inside, we sped up and made our way slowly but surely through the inner sanctum of Cerberus itself.
It didn't take long for the Hounds to appear. It took even less time for them to be disposed of. In fact, it was a competition to see who could get to them first. No sooner had we turned a corner and a Hound appeared, gun raised or fist coming straight at someone's head, then either a dog, badger, or whatnot would attack, Beast would simply smash them aside and break their skull, or Sisiminimus would cackle and blast them with one miniature weapon or another, of which he seemed to have an endless supply. Even Valera and Nohr got caught up in the violence, performing the occasional zap with a staff.
I didn't have to lift a finger, which made a nice change.
We made good progress, descending though the levels with hardly a hiccup, the most worrying part being stuck in an elevator, squashed in tight because of Beast's size and with the red, bloodthirsty eyes of our wild companions staring at me like they wanted some Hat for a snack.
Down at warehouse level, we jostled our way out of the final elevator, and boy was it a relief. My throat burned, my eyes streamed, and the nausea rose as we paused in the plain hallway.
This was it, we were so close now, and if this continued to go like it had then we were actually going to do this thing, succeed against all the odds. Now it was time to put the guys into action, to do what they'd come here for, so I went over the rest of the plan one more time even as everyone grumbled and the Wild Ones paced around excitedly, a very effective, and deadly, lookout team, and why they were so valuable to this operation.
"Okay, let's go." I strode down the corridor, coattails flapping, hair flowing behind me, wand in hand, feeling awesome and dangerous and itching for a fight.
I was followed by Beast, lumbering and sweaty, then three wizards of vast experience. A pack of wild animals darted to and fro, checking the coast was clear as we closed in on the ware
house and all the goodies it contained.
Wizard paradise awaited.
Doors Schmoors
I focused, as the last thing I wanted to do was get lost at this point, but I needn't have worried as the Wild Ones led the way, running off then returning moments later, bloodied and baying, the bodies they'd attacked a sure sign we were heading in the right direction.
Down corridors, around corners, and then, without fanfare, we were there. I stopped and held up a hand to signal everyone should do the same.
"Time to change back, Steve," I said to him and his pack. The badger nodded and did as we'd agreed.
As he cracked and the fur receded while he was on all fours, Beast pulled out a small bag with Steve's name on it and he took it, dressing gratefully in the clothes each shifter had in reserve.
The others were loath to change, to return to human form, and I understood the reasoning but this wasn't the plan, not what we'd agreed on.
"Tell them to do it," I said to Steve, annoyed as now wasn't the time to have them running about. We had to focus, be controlled, as what came next was the hardest part of all.
"You heard the man, time to—" Steve ducked as gunfire echoed in the corridor.
Valera threw up a shield and the translucent, almost jelly-like substance caught the bullets and slowed them until they dropped to the ground after squeezing slowly through the other side. But the animals were unstoppable. With lightning-fast reflexes, they darted after the Hounds, three men with machine guns standing cockily side by side in the corridor, firing continuously.
As I warned, Steve's pack were the sacrificial lambs in all this, their own fault but it was sad nonetheless, and they were mown down like the animals they currently were. The three creatures spasmed as the bullets ripped through their small bodies and skidded down the corridor leaving a slick, smeared trail of blood in their wake.
What pissed me off more than anything else, was that as the body of a mangy dog bumped into the leg of a Hound, he glanced down at it almost casually, sneered, then rested his boot on it and continued to fire. Such contempt for life was unforgivable. These dickheads were meant to be so concerned with all our futures that they kept the wonders of the world hidden away. Hypocrites.
Anger getting the better of me, I whispered into Valera's ear. He nodded then grinned at me.
"Wait here," I told everyone else. Valera and I advanced, the bullets still coming up short when they hit the shield. The closer we got, the faster the bullets came, though, and by the time we were five feet away, they were zipping through the plasma at a worrying rate.
"Now," I said quietly, and fair play to Valera, he dropped the shield without hesitation, although he did also drop to the ground himself, just as I'd told him to.
My wand burst into life, angry and deathly white as it fizzed like a sparkler on bonfire night, but a helluva lot more deadly. I shunted anger combined with will into this most precious wood, and as my hand arced right to left death was the result as a scythe of pure energy sliced through Hounds and cut them clean in half.
If you've never seen a body cleaved in two then don't go seeking such a sight, it gets messy. Guts and organs slumped from the top halves, blood spurted from the stumps, and then the bodies collapsed.
"Let's get this door open," I shouted as we ran back to the group. I nodded at Beast and he grunted in reply then joined me several feet away from the nondescript door that led to the scrubbing room and then to the warehouse itself.
I could have gone down the magic route, but I wasn't sure what would happen if I blasted the door off and the effects of the scrubbers escaped into the corridor, what I could only think of as some kind of decompression chamber. After Nathan's demise within the warehouse, there was also a very distinct possibility that the security had been beefed up and other nasty surprises awaited, so best save the magic for if, or when, it was needed and not risk harm unnecessarily. Last time I was here, when I'd melted the door this one replaced, the scrubbers had been disabled. I knew I wouldn't be so lucky this time.
Beast took a step forward as the rest of us took a hurried step away. He pushed his huge fingertips into the cracks around either side of the door and pushed deep, forcing the exterior wood to splinter under the pressure. Once his meaty fingers were up to the first knuckle, he tensed and simply yanked. The plain white wooden door snapped off with a crack. He threw it aside and puffed out his chest as he squared off against the steel, immensely thick and sealed tight so there were no magical leaks to get out of control, no scrubbers playing havoc with magic out in the corridor.
But we could all feel the magical emanations the scrubbers barely controlled, residues of magic that had built in the air for decades if not hundreds of years. Lingering, faint yet now part of the fabric of the building itself.
The door looked impossibly solid, and I wondered if we'd be better off letting Vicky try working her own unique brand of technical magic to try to get us in, but she'd been dubious about it, said that from what she'd seen the system was too complex for her to handle in a reasonable time period, so brute strength it was.
Beast stared at the door long and hard, as if weighing up an opponent, and then he slid his right leg back and with his not inconsiderable weight and immense power, he drove forward with his fist, pushing all his might into it. The steel thudded dully, dented but holding firm, so with a grunt he repeated the action over and over.
As the sweat ran down his bunched back muscles and he tensed, the muscles like knots of rope, every fiber visible, Beast took a different approach and began shouldering the steel.
Over and over, harder and harder, punching, battering, ramming, kicking, and just running straight at it, he assaulted the steel until every inch was covered in dents. The steel itself was unbreakable, that was the point, but it was put there, and held in place, and the damage was becoming evident. Around the door, cracks began to appear in the wall. Dust fell after each assault as the plaster and mortar fell away.
Then the wall disintegrated in earnest and long lengths of steel embedded in the wall became visible. Beast grabbed one and bent it like it was made of rubber, then methodically worked through several more until finally, with a monumental effort, he pulled hard on two rods, bending them back towards us in the corridor, and the whole doorway yanked away and fell with a loud clatter to the floor.
"Now you've just got to do the other one," I said with a smile as Beast turned to our applause.
His shoulders hunched as if in defeat, but then he raised his head and looked at me with his gentle eyes and said, "This is what I call a workout." His grin widened as he stepped into the scrubbing corridor. White light intensified and a humming grew louder.
The scrubbers were activated, negating any magic, but they hadn't been prepared for Beast. With an almighty roar, him somehow knowing where the scrubbers originated, he slammed into the wall and smashed right through the block work. He reached into a dark hole and sparks flew and things hissed then the lights went out and the humming ceased.
"That's a serious design flaw," I noted to Vicky, who ignored me and just stared at Beast in mute wonder as he went to work on the other door. I didn't have the heart to tell him I could blast it now, he was happy in his work.
But whatever he'd done to the first door, or maybe the scrubbers, must have short-circuited the wiring, and after a few hard knocks the door hissed. He jumped back, surprisingly agile for such a monster of a guy, and the door slid open, revealing the darkness of the unlit warehouse.
"Time to get what we came for," I said happily as we all joined Beast.
Everyone chattered at once, excited, and probably surprised we'd made it this far. I know I was.
"Be careful, there's a bloody big drop," I warned, as the lights flickered into life. "I'll go first, don't want anyone else getting killed."
Nobody argued, and I shuffled forward cautiously, stepped through the doorway, and stared out at the vastness of the warehouse.
All I could say was, "Uh
-oh."
I Hate Him
Everyone crowded in behind me and we walked forward to the railing, unbelieving. I knew in my heart that what I was looking at, or what I wasn't looking at, was no trick, no Cerberus magic. This was real.
The enormous warehouse was empty. The endless racks were bare, the lights stark, shining on a polished concrete floor with nothing to see but tape and packing material.
And one more thing. Beneath us, staring up, dressed in a smart tweed suit, hair freshly cut, back ramrod straight, was Carmichael.
He smiled at me, then winked. Then he stepped backward through a rectangular portal and was gone. The portal snapped shut behind him and we were left alone in an empty warehouse.
"I despise that man."
A Depressing Exit
I was too stunned to do anything but get us out of there as fast as possible. We retraced our steps, fled as though being chased. The place was deserted. Nobody tried to stop us, shoot at us, or even look our way. Back up at ground level there were people returning to the building. Men and women in smart suits, others dressed casually, all of them looking annoyed at their work being interrupted. Security guards were in the lobby, checking people's credentials, but nobody paid us any mind as we left after Valera raised his veil again and we were nothing but a whisper, ghosts in a broken machine.
Outside, we stood at the entrance at the top of the steps and watched the protesters slowly disperse, their actions having finally been curtailed by a large police presence. There were lines of them across the street, erecting barriers and marshaling those who refused to leave into vans or frogmarching them to the other side of the barriers where some jeered and shouted but most shrugged their shoulders and made their way home or to the pub to discuss their activity.