by T. G. Ayer
Everyone froze for a moment, then all hell broke loose. Fake Derek rushed backward, tipping his chair over as he spun to face Fen and Real Derek.
I spent precious seconds being shocked before I launched into the air and grabbed Gungnir, from the sheath on my back. I shook the spear open and closed in on the impostor. We had to capture him before he escaped or we'd have no idea who he was, or who he worked for.
As I pointed the end of the spear at him he spun around, grabbed it and pulled me towards him. The momentum forced me to glide to him so fast that I didn't have time to avoid crashing right into him. The impact knocked him on his back and I ended up pinning him down.
I shifted the spear, aiming the vicious point at his neck, when he grabbed Gungnir, pulling hard and twisting hard right. He twisted his body in the same direction, and I couldn't do anything more than roll with it.
His technique scared me a little, not because of his smarts, but more because of the power behind his thrust. I surged into the air and hovered above him as he turned to face Derek and Fen.
Fen stepped closer, beginning his transformation, his forehead flattening, nose lengthening and jaw becoming more canine than human.
The change also sparked an increase in his size, making him formidable as well as frightening. His lips lifted and he growled before rushing at Fake Derek.
But, in response, the impostor didn't avoid Fen. Instead he reached out and grabbed Fen by the shoulders, keeping his hands and body clear of the dangerous canines. Then he shoved Fen aside, the strength of the pull sending him stumbling to one side.
I gritted my teeth. He was clearing a path to the door, but I didn't intend for him to leave or to hurt the real Derek, who despite being a warrior was not a seasoned fighter. His weapons of choice were his hacking and programming skills, not the use of his fists.
Landing in front of Derek, I shoved him out the door. "Get help."
Then I turned my head to confront the impostor. I narrowed my eyes, assessed my situation and decided I needed the upper hand in terms of weaponry. This Derek looked like he'd be fully capable of de-arming me if he so chose.
Even the thought made me both sick and angry. To acknowledge my opponent's skills was a good way to begin a fight, but I didn't like that the chips seemed to be falling on his side in terms of what skills he'd shown us already.
I tossed Gungnir into my left hand and drew my sword with my right. With sword and spear aimed at the impostor, I was ready for a fight. With fury surging through me, I had to remind myself not to kill the creep.
Behind him, Fen grew larger, not making a sound as his muscles bulked and his head lengthened to become more fully a wolf and much less a man.
I sprang at the impostor, lunging and stabbing at him but each time he just batted away the sword or swiped easily at the spear. It seemed like he knew exactly what I was thinking, exactly what I was about to do.
And I didn't like it one bit.
The faster I attacked, the quicker he was to avoid the blow, jumping and twisting this way and that. And the more he got away the angrier I became.
If ever I knew the term seeing red was true, it was in that moment. He'd bested us by infiltrating our team, he'd been on the inside, knew exactly what we knew, and now he was fighting on our turf, and looking like he'd win if I didn't pull out all the stops.
I flew forward, aiming the sword at his midsection but he curved his back out of the path of the blade, then twisted on his heel to face Fen. He crouched, avoiding a swiping paw, but I gave a silent whoop when I saw claws scrape skin and let drops of blood loose.
At least Fen had landed a blow. Something I'd been unable to do. I gritted my teeth and swung my sword again but the impostor twisted around and smacked the blade off course. I growled my fury and lunged again, aiming blow after blow with him, crossing most of the empty space between us.
Then. Without warning, he began to laugh.
More infuriating than his laughter was the fact that in all this time of fighting he hadn't uttered a single word.
Then he exploded in a cloud of small black feathers.
The last thing I saw of him was a pair of gleaming black raven eyes in a human face. Then the man was gone and an oily black raven emerged from the swirling cloud of feathers and black dust.
As he headed for the doorway, a group of warriors thundered up from each side of the passage attempting to block its exit.
But the bird just sailed over them, easily escaping without even a scratch on his odious little bird body. And the last thing I heard was the echo of cackling laughter coming down the hall.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Loki.
I stared at Fen as he transformed back into human form, his body growing smaller, losing muscle and bulk, his face shrinking and shortening, jaw going from canine to human in what looked like a painful process.
He didn't even flinch as he changed, and when he finally stared at me with human eyes, they were filled with fury.
"How the hell did he get inside our defenses?" I asked, furious that the Trickster god had managed to get through all the magical blocks we'd placed on Asgard's entrances.
"He certainly knows how to do it without tripping up the wards." Fens tone was disgusted. And I could understand why. He'd been the one to oversee all the spells and wards that had been put in place to protect our realm.
"Are we ever going to be able to keep him out?" I snapped, knowing it may piss Fen off but I didn't care. Being bested by Loki on home turf is not something that sat well with me.
But Fen didn't take my tone to heart. Guess he understood my frustrations considering he shared them.
"We will need Vanya to help reinstate the wards. Maybe she can find out how he got in," said Fen rubbing his forehead as he paced back and forth.
I sighed. "He could have been coming and going for as long as he wanted. God knows how much Loki already knows about our plans."
"He probably knows everything you told me," said Derek from the doorway. "Or rather, everything you thought you were telling me but told him instead. I was a bit confused when I was summoned to Fen's hall today. I had no idea why I was supposed to be there. So I'm guessing someone gave my doppelgänger the rest of the information."
I nodded, turning to Fen who stood beside Loki's abandoned computer on the table. "Do we know who said what to Loki? Did we provide a lot of information to the team members or were they just told to arrive here on time."
Fen glanced at me and shook his head, "Minimal information was given. Only you, Thor and I knew the full details of where we were going and what the mission was." Fen rubbed his chin. "The warriors were told it was a covert op, highly classified and that we had no idea how long we'd be so to gear up for a long trip, just in case."
Derek shook his head. "Well, all I got told was to meet here, so I definitely missed the rest."
My hands closed into fists at my side as I tried to control a rising bout of fury at Loki. "We need to prepare just in case. With him turning into birds or any kind of animal, he could have heard all the details and we'd be walking straight into a trap the moment we land."
Fen nodded but his eyes swirled black and gray, in much the same way as Loki's did. "We have doubled the manpower. At least we can try and cover our backs a little better if we have to fight off an army of Jotunn."
"Let's get at least a dozen Valkyries. They can provide the glamor for the additional warriors." I felt better knowing we would have extra fighting power along, but Fen's expression distracted me.
He stood still, staring at the laptop that Loki had left behind. The longer he stared the more concerned I got.
"Fen?" I asked, now also staring at the laptop too. "What is it?"
"I thought I heard something.""
From the laptop?" I asked.
He nodded then looked up at me. The moment he met my eyes I realized what he may have heard.
"Get out of the room. Now," I screamed and followed the warriors as they rushed f
or the door.
The room exploded just as I passed over the threshold. I hit the floor hard and felt someone land on top of me just as the explosion ripped into the passage, so loud that for a moment I couldn't hear a thing.
Rubble fell around me and I covered my head until I felt it stop. I raised my head and at the same time the body that had landed on top of me moved.
Fen.
He'd covered me to protect me from the full force of the blast. Ulfr were incredibly powerful creatures, almost immune to death, and thankfully he'd been there for me. I glanced along the corridor and saw that most of the warriors were fine, sitting up and holding heads or arms, looking a little dazed. More warriors were running up the corridor in our direction as Fen's hall emptied.
Aimee and Joshua stood on the other side of the crumpled heap of warriors, shocked expressions on their ashen faces.
"What the hell was that?" asked Aimee, her voice cracking.
"Couldn't have been a quake. Sounded like an explosion." Joshua put a finger in his ear and rubbed hard. I knew how he felt. My ears were still ringing.
My right ear felt sore and as I raised my finger to it, I said, "It was a bomb. Courtesy of our special friend, Loki."
When my fingers came away stained with blood, Aimee gasped. "What happened? Are you hurt?" She looked like she was about to trample the group of warriors who were rising, slowly shaking off the effects of the blast-wave.
I held up my unstained hand. "No, I'm good. It's probably just a burst eardrum, nothing serious."
Aimee snorted. "Knowing you it'll be brain fluid and you'll pass it off as nothing serious."
Joshua grinned and then was unable to hold in the laughter. From the cough that Fen let out beside me, it seemed he too was having a laugh at my expense.
I shook my head and got to my feet, wiping my bloody fingers off on my pants. The leather trousers was convenient for many things, strenuous activity, warmth and now as a towel. At this point, I was past caring.
"We have to get going." I glanced at Fen.
He nodded at Joshua and Aimee. "You both come with me." Then he glanced at the four warriors dusting themselves off. "You lot too. I need you to round up a few more warriors and you need to do it fast and quietly. In fact, keep your mouths shut." He was already halfway to the door to his hall when he glanced back, looking annoyed. Everyone, including Joshua and Aimee scrambled down the passage to get their instructions, leaving me by myself, with time to get nice and pissed off with myself.
Why hadn't I seen it?
When "Derek" had given me the details of Loki's location why hadn't I felt that something was wrong? Was I getting ahead of myself too much? Not paying enough attention to the subtle things?
I shook my head. That way led to problems.
Now was not the time to be second guessing ourselves.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Making a fist, I headed to Fen's hall, pausing inside the door beside Myst. Awarded to me by Freya, she'd become my second in command, making sure that all my instructions were carried out while I was on a mission.
This time, though, it looked like she'd geared up and was ready to leave.
Nudging her in the ribs, I asked, "Where do you think you're going?"
She turned her dark head and I could see one dark eyebrow curve. "This time I am not going to be left behind." Her tone emanated determination, something I didn't want to shut down instantly.
"So who's going to do my heavy lifting here while I'm busy in Asgard ripping out Loki's lungs?"
She snorted. "I think Asgard is too busy recovering from the quake to care what instructions we leave behind."
She was probably right about that.
I looked at her, my eyes going from the top of her ebony head, to her crimson dress and minimal armor, to the cute little toes peeking out of her leather sandals.
"What are you looking at me like that for?" Her sky-blue eyes narrowed as she glared at me. Any minute now she'd be putting her hands on her hips.
"You planning on coming to Midgard like that?" I asked dryly.
She glanced down at her clothing and almost unshod feet, then shifted her gaze to my armor, leather pants, and leather boots. "Mmhh," was all she said.
I chuckled and said, "Best change, then?"
She shook her head too, her eyes still narrowed and focused on me. "I do not trust you. You are likely to leave without me the moment I set foot out of that door." She pointed at the threshold through which half a dozen warriors now walked.
I wanted to laugh. She had me pegged. Instead I suppressed a sighed.
"Busted," said Joshua in my ear as he passed me on his way out.
I strode to the mantelpiece where Fen had neglected to light a fire. Considering the tumultuous day we'd had, I didn't blame him. Reaching for the bell that would summon a Huldra, I rang it, glad we wouldn't need to wait too long before one arrived. Moments later, a fox-tailed, cheery-smiled Huldra arrived. I whispered my instructions and she nodded, her eyes sparkling with delight. She seemed to enjoy the conspiratorial nature of my request and left with a slight curtsy and a serious expression on her face.
Myst closed in on me, her eyes, watching me, still saying she didn't trust me. "What is going on?"
I hid my smile. "If you don't mind changing in a half broken room," I pointed at the hole blasted in the wall between Fen's office and mine, and continued, "your clothing and armor will be here shortly."
Myst nodded, her cheeks flushing as she stared at me, a little stunned. "Thank you, Bryn. I did not expect you to be so thoughtful." The moment the words left her lips she put her hand to her mouth and said, "I am sorry. That came out wrong. I just meant you are so busy and then you take time out to take care of my needs..." She fell silent and I just laughed and pointed a finger at her.
"Nothing that you wouldn't do for me, right?" I said. It wasn't a question either. I knew she'd do whatever she had to to help me if I needed it and from her vigorous nodding it was confirmed.
The room soon filled up with summoned Valkyrie, Ulfr and einherjar, we were almost ready to leave.
We outlined the plan to the gathered group of two dozen warriors, pointing out stations for each group of three; one einherjar, one Valkyrie and one Ulfr, the strongest grouping we could devise.
A team of twelve would enter the Oval office directly, a second dozen to wait outside the building, not far from where the Bifrost landed.
We needed the support team nearby in case something went wrong.
Fen handed a small earwig to Joshua, who he'd put in charge of the backup team. "That will give you an ear into what's going on inside the room. If you hear anything go haywire come straight in, no waiting around."
"No code-word?" Joshua asked.
Fen looked over at me, a question in his eyes. "Code word is Raven," I said softly. That drew a few unamused snorts from around the room, especially those warriors who'd just witnessed Loki's oh-so-stunning transformation. I looked around the room at the warriors. "A-team, stay alert. You see a Jotunn or Loki, or anything fishy, I don't care if it's a freaking black feather, you say the code word. This could be . . . no, it very likely is a trap, so be on your guard at all times."
Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a Huldra hovering at the doorway. Waving her in, I pointed at Myst.
As they both left, Derek came to stand beside me. "I have something for you," he said, his eyes shining with excitement. He grinned widely and his emotions were infectious.
Failing to squelch my laughter, I said. "What is it, Derek? Don't keep me in suspense."
He held out his hand. In his palm sat a white jellylike substance. "This, I call Icebreaker."
I raised my eyebrows at the gloopy mess. "I take it Icebreaker breaks ice?"
"Not exactly. This substance is soft and squidgy now, but when it comes into contact with glass, it'll turn into ice and shatter the glass within seconds."
Impressed, I pursed my lips and nodded. "Great. I hope it'll c
ome in handy. I'd like to see it in action."
Derek nodded absently, looking over at his laptop as if the sight of it would conjure the words he was looking for. "I studied the plans you gave Fenrir. I'm hoping you won't need it but if the President engages the emergency safe then you might."
"Emergency safe?" I frowned. Another thing to complicate the mission.
"Yes, it's a large bulletproof glass box that rises from beneath the floor of the Oval Office. It will enclose the big man in a safe zone, about 15 foot square, just large enough to surround him and his desk. It's said to be impenetrable and only deactivated if the Prez presses the button, which I might add is fingerprint coded." He raised an impressed eyebrow and I wasn't sure if he was proud of himself for knowing about the technology or of the tech itself.
"It just gets better and better," I said dryly, taking the blob from Derek's palm. I tried to bounce it in my own hand. An action that made the poor guy so nervous that his hands shot out to grab the blob from me. "So this stuff will shatter impenetrable bulletproof glass?"
"Yup. Up to ten inches thick." He held it for a moment before placing it my hand with tremendous care. He closed my fingers slowly over the mass and said, "Any thicker and Icebreaker will implode."
"I'm not sure I want to know how that works," I said shaking my head, but ensuring I took great care with Derek's gelatinous creation.
Derek nodded as if he was okay with my lack of interest in the nitty-gritty of how Icebreaker works. "Keep it safe," he said before turning to head back to his laptop. He didn't get far before he glanced over his shoulder, his nervous gaze flitting from my face to my hand.
I shook my head and tucked the Icebreaker into my pocket as Myst walked into the room, tugging her leather jacket down at her waist, her black wings shimmering with blue sparkling lights. She fidgeted in her modern garments and I frowned as a hard knot burgeoned in my gut.
As Myst drew alongside me, I asked, "Have you ever been to Midgard?"