The Unbelievable Mr Brownstone Omnibus

by Michael Anderle

  Everyone leaned forward.

  “An elf friend was nice enough to get this image for us.” He gestured toward it and tapped different large letters. “You all know your teams. The government and my elf friend have confirmed there are more than a few people at the site, but we don’t know anything about the inside. At least one Council member has been confirmed to be there, an elf named Crazak. If he’s there, the others probably are too.” He frowned. “Just like the government can’t bomb the fuck out of the place, because of the shield we’re not going to be able to do any funny drone tricks. Make sure that when you get off this plane, you have all your gear and you have double-checked your damned potions. Don’t waste your anti-magic bullets on regular targets.

  “Remember Lieutenant Hall’s briefing about the anti-magic deflectors. If they get too dark, you need to pull back. The only people dying today will be the Council and their lackeys.” He turned off the display. “We don’t know how many monsters or soldiers the Council have left. We’ve picked off a lot of places and grabbed some artifacts, but this will be their last stand, and they will fight like cornered animals. So watch each other’s fucking backs, and make sure that every last Council motherfucker goes to meet their maker. Understood?”

  The men all cheered.

  Shay smiled. With an army like this, how could they lose?

  22

  Whispy Doom was thrilled about the upcoming battle, and he refused to not make that very clear to James.

  Kill strong enemies. Adapt. Grow stronger. Reach advanced transformation. Full capabilities yet to be unlocked.

  James grunted. Yeah. Lots of killing coming soon. I don’t give a shit about my full capabilities there, Coach.

  Coach is incorrect designation.

  He glanced over his shoulder. All his men plus Maria and Shay walked behind him. Air Force trucks had brought them to the edge of the Council’s defenses. He wasn’t sure how they knew but assumed the PDA was involved.

  He didn’t care that much about the Council’s defenses, other than that they prevented Heather and Peyton from backing them up with drones. From what the military had told him, there were no conventional transmissions going in or out of the invisible dome surrounding the Council facility. There would be no fancy communications tech this time.

  Comes to boots on the ground in the end. Always does when you really need to get shit done.

  The main buildings were already in sight. The battle that had started weeks ago was now just minutes from continuing.

  Fucking Council. Should have known better than to pick a fight with the United States of America and me.

  Trey jogged up to James’ side. Instead of his signature suit, he, like all the men, was clad head to toe in a black tactical outfit complete with kneepads, combat boots, and a helmet.

  They weren’t going after bounties. They were fighting a war, and they needed to dress accordingly.

  They do look pretty badass.

  James chuckled. He wasn’t wearing anything special other than one of his shabby gray coats. This time he just wanted the additional pocket space for more death-dealing goodies. His tactical harness and belt couldn’t hold enough grenades. He patted the rocket launcher slung over his shoulder, his “door key,” as he thought of it.

  “Any last-minute word from the military?” Trey asked.

  James nodded. “They told me the Council pulled all its forces inside, so they know we’re coming. I never figured we could surprise them anyway. I like it better this way. I want them to sweat.”

  Trey frowned. “And you’re sure they’re not running? Hate to get all dressed up for the prom only to find out it was canceled.”

  “No, the PDA assured me they’ve got that covered.” James shrugged. “Some specialist helped them, but they wouldn’t tell me. I didn’t care that much, so I didn’t press them on it.”

  A knowing look crossed Shay’s face, but she didn’t say anything.

  Do I even want to know? Whatever. We’re here, and we’ll kick ass. Answers can come later if we need them.

  James slowed as the mountain path gave way to concrete. The Council hadn’t even bothered with a fence. He wasn’t sure if that was confidence or arrogance.

  He pointed to a large central building. “From what I was told, the Council’s men are in there. We’ll stick to the earlier plan. I’m gonna knock on their door to get their attention with Shay’s and Lieutenant Hall’s help. The other two teams should hit the sides and sweep toward the center. Pincer-attack shit. I’m sure Royce would be proud.”

  The Brownstone Army advanced along the concrete, no one saying a thing. The crystals of their anti-magic deflectors bounced lightly against their chest armor. At Royce’s suggestion, James had decided against bulletproof vests to focus on armor with more resistance to stabbing and slashing. They expected monsters and magic, not gunslingers.

  Although every man carried a holstered pistol, they moved toward the building with loaded and ready assault rifles. A few men, like James, were also lugging RPGs or rocket launchers. Shay was the only person with a sword belt, but all the men at least had a single knife, if not two.

  James halted about twenty yards from the front of the building. Two massive metal doors stood there, decorated with two halves of an elaborate crest made up of concentric circles and upside-down triangles.

  This magical shit? Guess we’ll see if it can take a rocket.

  “Teams spread out,” James bellowed.

  Trey and half the bounty hunters rushed toward one side of the building. Shorty led the other half toward the opposite side.

  Insufficient power for advanced transformation, Whispy Doom rattled inside James’ mind.

  I don’t need that shit yet.

  Killing enemies with normal weapons insufficient for growth.

  Sometimes kicking ass the old-fashioned way is good enough, and I don’t like what it does to my head to get to sufficient power.

  Sufficient power is necessary for advanced transformation.

  Fuck off, Coach.

  James pulled the rocket launcher off his shoulder and lined it up with the front door. “Here’s a present, motherfuckers.”

  The rocket hissed away from the launcher and smashed into the front door, blowing shrapnel into the air. Smoke and flames covered the doors, and after a few seconds, they fell to the ground with a hollow booming thud.

  Blasts from both sides of the building followed a few seconds later, along with the shouts of the men.

  Let’s do this shit.

  James pulled out his rifle and charged with a bellow.

  Shay and Maria rushed after him, their rifles ready.

  The trio hit the doorway and pushed through the smoke to find dozens of four-armed Zains waiting, snapping their teeth and twitching their claws with murder in their eyes

  Insufficient power for advanced transformation.

  Shut the fuck up. I don’t need that shit for these assholes.

  James didn’t fire the rifle. Instead, he grabbed a frag grenade and chucked it into the mass of waiting killers. Shay grinned and copied his strategy, but Maria opened fire.

  The monsters charged, the grenades exploding in their midst. One fell to a tight burst of bullets to the head. James kept throwing grenades while Maria kept flinging bullets into the monsters, a grim smile on her face.

  Payback, huh?

  The growls of men, explosions, and gunfire echoed down the hall from either side. The Brownstone Army was fully engaged with the enemy.

  Several Zains closed on James. He whipped out his Ka-Bar and dodged to the left of the charging mob, his heart rate speeding up.

  Maria snorted. “Seriously, Brownstone?” She kept spewing bullets to the right, while Shay took more careful shots at creatures in the center of the horde.

  Despite the cop’s snort, she had to stab a closing Zain when her rifle ran dry with a monster a yard away.

  She pulled out the knife and eyed it. “Nice.”

  A monster
slashed at James, its claws stinging but leaving only a small scratch. The bounty hunter’s coat and shirt took more damage than he did.

  James slammed his knife into a Zain’s head and yanked it out. The creature fell to the ground, its blood spurting into the air. He kicked another creature back a few yards before spinning to stab a new one in the neck. He followed up by planting his knife through its eye.

  Whispy Doom’s thoughts took on a more harried quality. Kill lesser enemies and advance. Find stronger enemies. Kill and adapt. Insufficient power for advanced transformation. Full transformation potential has been readied.

  Shut the fuck up and let me do my thing.

  The Zain swarm shifted direction, with most now rushing toward James. Maria kept firing and reloading, dropping monster after monster. Shay managed to nail the back line with more grenades, but she didn’t have that many left.

  They’d winnowed the dozens of monsters down to a single dozen.

  James let out a roar and pulled out a second knife, then charged the advancing Zains and slashed and stabbed. The desperate beasts clawed and bit with wild abandon, but the lake of blood forming on the floor wasn’t from James Brownstone, who had only scratches.

  A final Zain tried to tackle the bounty hunter, and he slammed his elbow down on its neck with a loud thud and crunch. It fell to the ground but kept raking his legs with its claws, so he sheathed his knives and pulled out his .45 instead of his rifle. He aimed it at the creature’s head and emptied the gun into it until nothing remained.

  James booted the rest of the Zain, and it tumbled through the air before landing with a soft, squishy thud on a pile of four-armed bodies.

  The bounty hunter stared at the dead creatures and gritted his teeth, dark feelings from Shay’s kidnapping returning.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” James roared. “Bad-ass Council, huh? You sent me a bunch of piece-of-shit monsters that couldn’t take down an LA street gang made up of thirteen-year-olds?” He pounded his chest. “You came into my city. Killed people there. Kidnapped my friends and girlfriend. Why don’t you pussies actually come out and fight me?”

  Yes, the amulet hissed. Increase power for advanced transformation.

  Shay pointed toward a hall leading deep into the building. “We’re going to have to dig them out. I don’t think just taunting them is gonna work.”

  Maria inspected her weapon. “We should wait for the other teams. Don’t want to get flanked and surrounded.”

  James let out a low growl. He didn’t want to kill peons. He wanted the bosses’ heads.

  Fight stronger enemies for maximum adaptation.

  Fuck that. I don’t give a shit about what you want. I just want to make the Council pay for thinking they can do whatever the fuck they want in LA and the country.

  Then increase power for advanced transformation. Insufficient power.

  James grunted and resisted the urge to run straight down the hall. Gunfire and shouts still came from both sides.

  “Getting there in terms of power,” he mumbled.

  Shay looked at him. “What?”

  “Don’t worry about it. Just having an argument with myself.”

  Trey wiped some Zain blood off his face. “Fuck. What if these bastards have demon gonorrhea or some shit? Gonna have to get shots for the rest of my life.”

  Glad I didn’t wear a suit to this shit.

  “Just don’t swallow,” Manuel yelled. He put a few rounds into one of the remaining monsters, which stumbled to the ground and rolled a few feet from its momentum. The bounty hunter’s concentrated fire blew several of its limbs off.

  Tough, but not as tough as our boss.

  The bounty hunters looked at the tangle of limbs and bodies. T.J. had taken a nasty scratch to his side but was already back up and operational with the help of a painkiller.

  “These ain’t that freaky,” Isaiah commented. He kicked a dead Zain. “Not compared to the shit Staff Sergeant was making us see.”

  Trey grinned. “That’s the point. If we had done this shit a few weeks ago, we would have all been freaked out and these bastards would have torn our throats out. Maybe you won’t bitch so much next time James and Staff Sergeant give us special training.”

  He narrowed his eyes at shadows moving along a far wall and whipped up his rifle.

  Six men with wands turned the corner.

  The bounty hunters opened fire. A shield around the wizards flashed when they were hit, and the bullets bounced to the ground, crushed.

  A few of the wizards grinned.

  You ain’t won yet, motherfuckers.

  “Fall back,” Trey shouted. He pulled out a grenade and threw it. “Flashbang in.”

  He turned away, waited for the explosion, and then snapped his attention back to the enemies. The wizards weren’t swaying or clutching their eyes.

  They looked straight ahead and raised their wands. Green and red bolts blasted toward the bounty hunters, missing several, but one nailing Manuel. He screamed and fell to the ground.

  Shit.

  A red bolt slammed into an invisible shield around Trey, its energy spreading and thinning over the shell until it disappeared.

  He glanced down at the locket hanging underneath the still clear anti-magic deflector.

  Thanks, Zoe.

  “Switch mags!” he ordered. “And light those motherfuckers up!”

  The men all ejected their conventional rounds and slapped in anti-magic rounds. Another volley from the wizards knocked two more bounty hunters to the ground. The scent of burnt nylon and cotton poplin filled the hallway.

  Damn you, wizard motherfuckers. You ain’t all that.

  Trey brought up his reloaded rifle and switched to full auto. “Eat this, bitches!” He held the trigger down and swept the weapon back and forth.

  The smug look on the wizards’ faces disappeared as the bounty hunters’ bullets pierced their shields and ripped into their bodies. The six wizards jerked, struggling to stay upright. Several fell against the wall clutching their wounds, blood pouring from them.

  “Ain’t so tough now, are you, bitches?” Trey’s clip ran dry, and he nodded to the other bounty hunters. “Finish those bitches off.”

  Daryl, Kevin, and Charles advanced in front of him, squeezing off single shots that cut through their enemies. Without their shields, the wizards would have been killed by the first volley, but their magic didn’t save them from the enchanted bullets now shredding them.

  Their perforated bodies fell to the ground.

  Trey threw his rifle over his shoulder and rushed to Manuel. The large hole in his shirt and singed skin didn’t look promising.

  Damn it.

  The man sat up with a groan and shook his head. “It felt more like getting hit with a stun rifle.” He glanced down at his anti-magic deflector, which was now murky brown in color. “Guess this shit saved my life.”

  Trey grinned. “At least they didn’t shoot you in the dick.”

  The other wounded men sat up, looking a little pale but not injured. Their anti-magic deflectors were also darkened.

  “Come on,” Trey shouted. “We need to go hook up with the big man’s team.”

  23

  James grunted as Trey’s team rushed into the main room. Shorty’s showed up less than thirty seconds later. Several men had been shot or wounded, judging by the burns and holes in their clothes along with darkened deflectors, and a few were bloody, but no one looked seriously injured.

  The guys are being smart about their deflectors and healing potions.

  “Any trouble?” he asked.

  “Just those Zains and some wizard bitches,” Trey explained. “But we’re alive and they ain’t, so you know how that shit went down.”

  Shorty snorted. “We didn’t even get no monsters on our side. Just a bunch of wizards and fuckers with this explodin’ rock shit. What’s up with that?”

  Shay shook her head and wiped the blood off her face. “Don’t get too cocky. This was just a t
est. They’re using disposable forces to judge our strength and make us run through our supplies. It’s only gonna get harder from here.”

  Shorty shrugged. “Fine by me. Bring me a dragon so I can kill it and become Sir Shorty the Dragon slayer.”

  The men laughed.

  Shay and Maria smirked.

  “Let’s get going,” James shouted. “There are still far too many fuckers who aren’t us and are still breathing around here.”

  The Brownstone Army jogged down the hall, already a bloody mess, even if that blood was mostly from their enemies. They hit a three-way intersection with no additional foes in sight.

  Fucking Council. Just stop being pussies, already.

  James frowned and pointed to his left and then his right. “Brownstone Agency, go left. Shay and Lieutenant Hall, you go right. I’ll go forward. If you get into trouble, send someone for me, and I’ll back you up.”

  Shay eyed him. “You’re going by yourself? You think that’s a good idea?”

  He grunted. “I can handle myself.”

  Find enemy, the amulet whispered. Increase power for advanced transformation.

  Maria and Shay exchanged looks, and both rolled their eyes.

  I don’t have time to debate if you think this is a big dick thing. Just fucking listen to me.

  The women didn’t say anything, just jogged to the side corridor.

  “Thank you,” he mumbled under his breath.

  Trey gave a little grin and led his men to the opposite side.

  James pulled down his rifle and charged forward.

  Good. This way, if I need to lose it, there’s no chance I’ll hurt any of my people.

  He grunted.

  I’m coming for you, Council.

  Shay hurried down the seemingly endless and featureless hall.

  What was that?

  She jerked to a stop and flattened herself against the wall. Maria didn’t question her and mirrored her movements.