by Ken Lange
I blink. “Really?”
He nods. “Yes. Which means they’re cognizant on their own. I have no idea what they were looking for or where they thought they were going, but they clearly had a plan.”
I frown. “That doesn’t bode well.”
Mir shrugs. “Probably not. But I’ve had most of them moved to a cryo-unit downstairs.”
Arching an eyebrow, I ask, “You trusted Pete enough to move them on his own?”
He chuckles. “He’s trustworthy enough, but we were busy. I actually stopped Zadock and asked him to do it.”
I furrow my brow. “He’s on leave. Why was he here?”
Mir frowns. “From what he said, he’d just spoken to Rick about extending his time off to the maximum. Something about family issues and having to settle his mother’s affairs.”
I nod. “I see. I’ll talk to Rick later to get the details.”
“Probably not a bad idea.” He thumbs over his shoulder. “Now about that delivery from Xiwangmu?”
Annoyance flashes through me. “What about it?”
He grimaces. “You had more luck than I did trying to discern the contents. The building’s internal sensors were less than helpful. I’ll be reviewing the data you gathered and combining it with what little I have to see if anything turns up. If it doesn’t, we’re going to have to wait for her to tell us what’s inside.”
“Guess you’re right.” I rub my forehead. “Hey, what’s up with all the buzzing? Is that you?”
He gives me a curious look. “What buzzing?”
I point at my head. “You can’t hear that?”
His form wavers for a moment then settles. “Oh…that. It’s so faint I hadn’t realized it was there.”
Pressing my fingers against my ear, I grumble. “Seriously? This shit is super annoying.”
He leans to either side of me to get a good look at my ears. “I’ll check on it but, to be honest, I haven’t a clue what’s causing it. It’s almost as if there’s a faulty connection, but that’s not possible.”
I perk up at the news. “Wait, you think it could be Kira?”
His expression falters. “I don’t see how. For now, I’ll see what I can do to make things more bearable for you.”
A half second later, the tone changes but that’s it. “Nope, still there.”
Mir nods. “Better or worse?”
I pause. “Better. I think.”
He grins. “I’ll keep working on it.”
Chapter 26
June 8th
It’s a little after three, and I’m on my way up to the roof. While I’d rather be back in bed with Justine getting some much-needed rest, an unusual energy flare pulled me out of a deep sleep. It’s been growing in intensity over the last half hour, which means I have to check it out, especially considering how things have been going lately.
I’m barely two steps out when Mir appears next to me. “What’s going on?”
I shrug. “No idea, I was hoping you’d know something.”
He frowns. “Guess we’ll figure it out together.”
Before I can open my mouth again, the scent of spicy vanilla wafts past me on the breeze, quickly followed by a sweet earthy aroma that’s mixed with perhaps a dozen other odors. Turning my head, I stop in my tracks, and my mouth drops open.
The spot where Zao Jun summoned the crate has turned into a twenty-foot circular patch of green. There are orchids, chrysanthemums, and peonies along with dozens of other exotic plants. Several benches surround the focal point: the fantastic rock garden at its center. Around the outer edge are eight red, lacquered posts that hold up a clay-tile, octagonal roof. It’s breathtaking.
The pulsating energy that woke me has settled into a steady rhythm now as it cycles through the colors of last night’s storm. This is Xiwangmu’s work, but I haven’t the foggiest idea why, or even how, it happened.
I’m about halfway to the pavilion when the rooftop door squeaks open. Turning, I find Nicholas making his way out.
I raise my hand in greeting. “Morning. What’s got you up so early?”
He glances down at his watch. “Oh, ah…haven’t been to bed yet.”
“Just coming up for some fresh air?”
He shakes his head. “Nope, I came for you.”
I gesture at the pavilion. “And I’m here for this.”
He blinks. “What in the hell?”
That’s one way of putting it. “Seems to be a gift from Xiwangmu.”
Nicholas is unable to take his eyes off the pavilion and his voice drops to a near whisper. “Wow, this is amazing.”
“That it is.” I make my way over to the nearest bench. “Come, sit, and tell me what’s on your mind.”
At that, he tears his gaze away from the structure and nods. “Ah…all right. It’s about Kira.”
I freeze. “She okay?”
Sitting on the bench, he says, “There’s no real change in her vitals since our last talk, but—”
My voice hardens. “But what?”
Nicholas leans forward, placing his elbows on his knees. “I don’t know. She’s not coming around and there have been…oddities.”
I take a deep breath. “Okay, you’re going to need to get to a point or, at the very least, explain yourself a bit better because right now, you’re giving me a stroke.”
He pulls air through his lips. “She’s hovering just below consciousness, but no matter what we try, we can’t make her wake up.”
I close my hand and all my knuckles crack. “Right…and?”
His aura flares, and he pales. “When the monks arrived last night, Kira flatlined for a moment.”
My breath catches in my throat. “And I’m just now hearing about this?”
He winces. “That’s my doing. I wanted to make sure she was completely stable before telling you.”
That arrogant sonofabitch…if he weren’t my brother, I’d probably kill the guy. Doing my best to maintain calm, I say, “Do me a favor and don’t try to decide what I should and shouldn’t know in the future.”
Nicholas nods. “Okay.”
I gesture for him to continue. “So…what happened?”
He shrugs. “I can’t explain it. Her body glowed golden then her vitals came to a complete and utter stop. A few seconds later, she started to convulse, and this formed around her neck.” He takes a delicate gold chain with a tiny jagged sapphire out of his pocket and hands it to me. “The moment I touched it, it slipped off her neck and fell to the bed. That’s when she returned to her coma-like state.”
When the chain falls into my hand, the Idunn in it transform into a liquid that spreads out into my palm before quickly being absorbed. The sapphire doesn’t have an energy signature of any sort and it’s unusually cold to the touch. A moment later, it vanishes too, except this time I didn’t absorb it; it simply ceased to exist.
I frown. “Ah, that’s fucked up.”
Mir moves to stand next to me. “I couldn’t agree more.”
Glancing up at him, I ask, “You caught that?”
He nods. “I did, and the Idunn that have been returned to you are active again.” Holding up a hand, he says, “They don’t have any information that’ll help us wake Kira, nor were they able to analyze the foreign nanites.”
Nicholas glances between us. “Foreign nanites?”
Sighing, I say, “When I scanned her, I found that a new type of nanite had been introduced into her system. I believe they were in the blood in the IV bag.”
He frowns. “So, this isn’t some mutated form of the Idunn? Because that’s what I thought when you brought it up the other day.”
“No. Sorry I wasn’t clearer.” Scratching the back of my head, I say, “To make things worse, I believe blood magic was used to activate these invaders.”
He looks as if he’s about to puke. “That’s awful.”
Mir sits cross-legged on the grass. “It is.”
Nicholas wipes sweat off his forehead. “I don’t know what e
lse I can do to help her. I’m feeling pretty useless.”
That makes two of us. “Yeah, me too. All we can do is wait and see what happens next.”
He grimaces. “That’s a shit option.”
When I get to my feet, lightning arcs through the sky. “Tell me about it.”
Mir glances between me and the sky that’s suddenly churning with clouds. “I may have some information that’ll help us understand how the necklace was created.”
Forcing calm, I say, “I’m listening.”
The fragment of sapphire was a small piece of the eye Mjölnir destroyed, which likely entered her system when she cut her finger. Within the crystal itself were the last vestiges of Kvasir’s masterplan—the shutdown codes for the Idunn that’d been meant to erase me and allow him to take my place. Now that it’s gone, so are the codes. But it’s too late for Kira as they caused the Idunn in her to go dormant, letting this new nanite take hold.
My body trembles, and I go weak in the knees as darkness tinges the outer edges of my vision. On the verge of passing out, I sit. “Is there any way to reverse this?”
Mir shrugs. “I’ve got no idea, but at least now we know why they turned off. All we have to do is figure out how to turn them on again and that’ll give Kira a fighting chance.”
Nicholas sighs. “Christ, this is so fucked up.”
It takes every ounce of my willpower to simply nod. When I’m finally able to speak, it comes out more like a whisper. “Yeah, it is.”
Nicholas glances over at me. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
The three of us sit in silence for a long time then Mir clears his throat. “This won’t help Kira, but it will give you something to do.”
I cut my eyes at him. “What’s that?”
He chews on his lower lip. “Robert’s back in town. He’s driving a new vehicle, but I’ve been able to trace him to an office on the second floor of Jax Brewery.”
“Uh-huh.”
His voice tenses. “I’m not sure why he’s there, but I’ve reviewed the footage from the cameras in the area going back three weeks. No one’s come or gone in all that time. So, there’s a good chance Ethan isn’t there, which means Robert’s just running scared.”
It takes me a minute to push down the overwhelming depression that’s threatening to overtake me. “Good, this will hopefully get me one step closer to wrapping up this Ethan situation. After he’s dealt with, I can dedicate myself to Kira’s recovery.”
Nicholas gets to his feet. “Want help?”
I shake my head. “No, I need you to be here for Kira. I feel better knowing that she’s protected.”
He nods. “All right. Just get this over with quickly. There’s still a slim chance she’ll wake up without the Idunn’s help, and if that happens, we’ll need you here.”
“Count on it.”
With that, we make our way downstairs. Nicholas peels off at the top floor to get some much-needed rest. I continue to my office. There are a few things that need researching before I go after Robert. Walking in blind today could get me killed, and I’d like to be ready for whatever comes my way, because if he takes off again, he might disappear for good.
That’s a risk I’m not willing to take.
Chapter 27
It’s a little after ten by the time I find a parking spot by the MCC—or what’s left of it, anyway. The bright blue sky in the background really highlights just how much the building’s shifted over the last few days. Nathan’s construction crew is sweating bullets due to the heat and the round-the-clock work they’re doing to save the building. And even with all that, there’s no guarantee that it’ll work.
If it were up to me, they’d be demoing the place.
I’m not sure why Nathan and the others are putting in so much freaking effort since they’re not returning to use it. As it stands, they’ve acquired two buildings in the CBD between S. Rampart and Baronne. Above ground, they’re separated by O’Keefe, but below, a series of tunnels connects them. Plus, they both come with three sublevels that can be easily expanded. Overall, it’s a great location, yet they’re still wasting money here.
To each their own, I suppose.
I’m able to avoid most of the foot traffic on Decatur by cutting up the side street that leads up to a nearby parking lot. From there, I follow the railroad tracks down to Jax’s Brewery. The great thing about being up here next to the tracks is that it puts me on the walkway that services everything from the second floor up. Rounding the corner, I spot the office door Robert disappeared into late last night. While Mir is positive Ethan isn’t here, the whole place has a weird grayish aura to it. At least it’s not the oozing black thing like the funeral home. Then again, this building is much larger.
The door, however, seems a bit more ominous. There’s a black mist seeping out around the cracks. That can’t be good. I’d love to peek through the windows but there’s scaffolding in front of them covered in plastic sheeting. Not at all suspicious.
I test the knob and it’s unlocked. That’s a little too convenient for my tastes, but it is what it is.
Inside, the plastic sheeting blocks my view of everything past the first four feet. At this point, I’m one hundred percent certain Robert isn’t alone. From what I can gather, there’s one human—probably Robert—at least a dozen wraiths, possibly some Geist, two Jörmungandr, and a more powerful reading much like the Baron’s—most likely Ethan.
Great, it appears the whole family is in. Unholstering one of the LP-12s, I step through the slit in the plastic.
Ethan sits atop a throne of bones with the two giant worms to either side of him. The assembled wraiths are ancient and quietly lined up against the back wall in the shadows. The moment I’m through, Ethan turns to Robert, who’s standing to his right, and slaps him so hard that it sends him to the floor.
His expression is a combination of anger, hatred, and disgust as he glares at the man. “Now do you believe me? You should never have come here.” He holds a hand out in my direction. “I’ll deal with you in a moment.”
Robert squirms on the floor before trying to crawl away. Ethan grabs his leg and pulls him back.
Screw this.
Lifting the weapon, I fire off a round at each of the worms. The pulse of energy tears through their outer shell, causing a viscous black fluid to leak out. They freeze then the spectrum of their aura changes and they dive through the cement floor, leaving twin holes in their wake.
Ethan releases Robert and lets loose with a deafening wail of fury. “How dare you?”
I flip him the bird. “Fuck off already.”
Before the words are completely out of my mouth, the Geist and other wraiths dart across the room. I run through the next seven rounds a lot faster than I’d like. Lightning wraps around me as I step forward to meet the onslaught. I extend my hand, and Draupnir transforms itself. Just as the first wraith gets near enough to cleave in two, it darts to one side to reveal Ethan standing at the end of the room wearing a malevolent smile.
He lifts an M-32 grenade launcher in my direction then pulls the trigger in rapid succession, sending six high-powered explosive slugs zipping across the distance. The first one explodes when it hits the shields protecting my face and the concussion tears the LP-12 out of my hand. A second blast catches me near the throat and lifts me slightly off the ground, driving me back into the nearest wall hard enough to leave a divot. The following four pound against my chest and abdomen. Each of the explosions reverberate through the floor, ceiling, and outside wall, which shatters and turns to rubble behind me.
There’s a godawful wail from the wraiths.
If I were a smart man, I’d run away right now. But…I’ve got work to do.
As I move forward, I unholster my pistol and fire into the concrete right in front of a group of three wraiths. The bullet hits the floor and splinters, sending several smaller pieces of shrapnel out in its wake to punch tiny holes through each of them. The
wraiths glow slightly then cease to exist as their remains mix with the rest of the dust filling the room. That, however, doesn’t keep another group from sweeping around to my left.
My breath catches in my throat as they tear gashes through the armor, my flesh, and along my ribs. My knees want to buckle as blood runs down my side. Lifting the pistol, I fire off several rounds, turning them to dust.
Fluid fills my lungs, causing me to cough and choke. I stumble forward into an empty bit of room, only to have a wraith jut out of the ceiling while another springs up from the floor behind me. The one above me slices through the skin on the back of my skull. It pushes down, rending the flesh around my neck before digging its claws into the top of my shoulders. Not to be outdone, its counterpart rips through my boots and slices through my calves and thighs. Then, to make things that much more of a party, it sinks its talons into my kidneys.
I fire one round at the ceiling and another at my feet. I’m rewarded by being left suddenly off balance as my legs give out and I fall hard to the floor on my injured side. It’s difficult to breathe, I hurt, my muscles are spasming, and everything feels heavier than it should.
Dozens of hands come out of the floor to either side of me and hold me in place. Their nails slowly dig in. Agony shoots through me as they punch hundreds of holes in my flesh. Screaming, I force charged plasma through my shields, severing their hold on me and leaving a bunch of them maimed for good measure. But I can’t maintain the charge any longer, and it fades away.
One of them shoves its entire arm through my back and out my chest, and I scream, or try to. My lungs seize up and it comes out more like a wet ack. Angling its claws to rip out my heart, it pulls downward. Not knowing what else to do, I shoot it. It turns to ash a second later, but I can’t breathe, and the gun clatters out of my hand and onto the floor, just out of reach.
Ethan stands over me with a sneer on his face. “After we finish with you, we’re going to collect my hammer. While we’re there, I’ll find that daughter of yours and tear her to pieces. My only regret is that you won’t be there to see it.” He pauses. “What, no witty retort?”