The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two

by Barry Reese

  “I mean you no harm. It’s only me… Makeeda” She gestured towards the man who remained out of sight. “This is Daniel.”

  Max couldn’t hide his astonishment. He looked at both of the women with him. “That’s them - the people that the Claws team went with… and the one that the fake Mr. Dee was pursuing.”

  “Odd coincidence that we should end up here,” Evelyn said. The expression on her face made it clear that she didn’t find such a “coincidence” to be very likely at all.

  Makeeda looked at them and smiled softly. She looked fairly serene, as if being reunited with Daniel had restored her sense of equilibrium. “The ancients who came here did so because of the swamp’s special nature. There are numerous portals here, and Daniel can sense them. We knew you were coming through right here.”

  Eva moved forward through the water, her eyes locked on the figure in the shadows. She was close enough now to discern some of the details and her face twisted in disgust. “That’s Daniel Cummings? That’s what immortality does to you?”

  The Peregrine looked over and saw Cummings shamble into view, his arms hanging in front of him, giving him a gait not unlike that of an ape, with his back arched behind him.

  Makeeda sounded annoyed. “He’s been changed physically, but he’s still Daniel inside. I’m going to be helping him. I think I can get him back to something that’s more like a semblance of his old self, at least in terms of how he acts and talks. But until then I’m going to help him safeguard these portals… not all the ancients died, despite what Breen said. Some of them fled through these and sometimes things come out, things that are much more frightening than the three of you.”

  Evelyn was the first to seize upon an important facet of what Makeeda was saying, linking it to something that Eobard had said before they had left. “There are other portals here… that can send us home? Or to wherever the Claws are?”

  Cummings answered her before Makeeda could do so, his slow voice filled with emotion. “Yes. And… I… think that… I can… send you… where they… are.”

  “Did they tell you where they were going?”

  “No… but… the portals… they speak… to me.”

  The Peregrine nodded, having guessed that Cummings’s evolved senses somehow interacted with the portals’ connection to the World of Shadow, altering his perception. Cummings had sensed that Max and his companions would be coming here, and now he could sense where they needed to go to find the Claws team. “Evelyn, if Cummings can send you to the portal nearest our home, I want you to go with him. Check on the kids.”

  “I can… send… her… home,” Cummings confirmed.

  Evelyn hesitated, not wanting to leave Max to face Dee and Nyarlathotep alone, but also knowing that one of them needed to be with William and Emma. “You better come back to me in one piece,” she warned. Leaning forward, she kissed him on the lips and they held each other in the moonlight.

  When they parted, it was Eva’s turn to speak. The lovely brunette had discarded her heavy cold weather gear, leaving her dressed once more in provocative fashion. Evelyn frowned at the woman’s cleavage and resisted the urge to turn her husband’s head in another direction. “What about me, Herr Davies? Are you planning to turn me over to the authorities?” Before Max could answer, Eva raised her pistol and pointed it at the Peregrine’s face. “Or are we going to agree to part as friends?”

  With a normal woman, the Peregrine would have gambled at this point, hoping that his own reflexes would be so superior to his opponent’s that he could knock her gun askew before she fired… but with Eva’s abilities, he knew he wouldn’t be able to pull that off. “Are you planning to run back to Mr. Dee?” he asked. “Because I think you’re a fool if you think you still have a place with the Reich.”

  Eva shrugged her shoulders, but for the first time that Evelyn had seen, she looked a bit uncertain and vulnerable. “I don’t know what I’ll do… but it will be my own life to lead. Not Dee’s.”

  The Peregrine took his wife’s hand and led her away, towards Cummings. “Then good luck, Eva. I hope we don’t face one another as enemies anytime soon.”

  Eva watched them disappear into the night. She finally lowered her weapon and took a deep breath, wondering what she should do next.

  With a frustrated sigh, she began a slow march out of the swampland.

  CHAPTER XVII

  The Devil’s House

  Mr. Dee stood in front of a roaring fireplace, hands clasped behind his back. He felt flush with newfound power, his abilities having been amplified by Nyarlathotep. Dee could sense the rain falling outside, each drop splashing against the ground with hungry need. The air inside the Berghof was thick with the smell of cooking food, as the home’s staff hurried to prepare a meal for their soon-to-be-arriving master. Dee had called the Fuehrer as soon as they had arrived, informing him that at long last the OFP had succeeded in gaining the kind of power that could turn the tide of war.

  Nyarlathotep appeared at Dee’s side, having moved so silently that not even Dee’s newly enhanced senses had detected him. “Not a single word about overthrowing your Fuehrer?”

  Dee looked at him in surprise. “It is one thing for you to ask me to swear allegiance to you above all, but I am not ready to actively plot against the Fuehrer!” Seeing the sudden flash of fire in his master’s eyes, Dee quickly amended his declaration. “Unless you ask me to, of course.”

  “I told you I don’t care about Hitler’s little schemes. They’re just a tiny blip on the greater picture. But most men who have my blessing would quickly grow too power-hungry to think about serving others. They’d want to know if I could help them kill their leaders and take their power for themselves. But you… you seem content to be a lap dog. Why is that?”

  Dee bristled at the insult but held his anger in check. “The Fuehrer is a great man and I believe in the principles of the Reich.”

  “The superiority of the Aryan race?”

  “Amongst other things, yes.”

  Nyarlathotep looked into the flickering flames and Dee followed his gaze. Among the embers of the fireplace, the faces of men and women locked in mortal torment began to slowly take form. “The man who thought he was you, your servant bound to the fire demon, he believed in Hitler, too, but he thought him flawed. I see flaws in the Reich itself. Mankind finds every little difference amongst themselves and seeks to use those things for the purposes of hate and control. The cosmic joke of it all is that the color of your skin, the genetic line to which you belong… none of it matters. You are like insects, with lives that are so brief as to be just a flicker in the eye of a god. And what do you do with these short lifespans? You wage war and call each other names.”

  Dee was growing uncomfortable with these words and couldn’t hide it any longer. “You think the Reich is a waste of time? That it won’t last?”

  “Nothing lasts, Dee. Nothing.” Nyarlathotep’s voice lowered an octave. “For instance, our peace and quiet is about to conclude. We have visitors.”

  Dee glanced around quickly, seeing nothing. More importantly, he heard nothing. The kitchen staff had grown quiet and the murmuring of voices that had filled the Berghof since their arrival had been stilled. He was about to comment on this when a burst of pain sliced through his brain. It felt like a railway spike had just been shoved into his skull, and Dee found himself screaming in agony, blood spurting from his nose in a sudden rush, soaking the interior of his metal mask. He fell forward, almost into the fire, but managed to catch himself against the brick façade of the fireplace.

  Nyarlathotep turned slowly to face the sole entrance into the room. The first one of their enemies to enter was a massive individual, dressed in an ill-fitting shirt and slacks. Nyarlathotep sensed the man’s uniqueness immediately, as Frankestein’s creation was an interesting amalgam of life and death, all wrapped up in one package.

  As Vincent strode purposefully towards Nyarlathotep, the rest of the Claws team came quickly behind. Revenant hel
d a pistol in each hand, her eyes flicking quickly around the room, making certain that there were no surprises lurking for them. At the rear came Catalyst and Esper, hands clasped at first, though they quickly moved away from one another. The mage stared at Nyarlathotep, his occult senses warning him that this battle could go very poorly for the Claws team.

  Nyarlathotep held up a hand, warding them away. He looked almost handsome in the firelight, though his sensuality was laced with danger. “So… the Peregrine has formed his own little army, has he? I can’t say that I’m not impressed. The high mage of this era… a telepath… a creature forged from the dead… and a pretty girl in a tight suit. Quite a fearsome force.”

  Revenant could hear the sarcasm in the man’s voice, but she was too intent on her task to care. She had helped incapacitate all the guards and housekeeping staff, but she’d made the tactical decision to not burst into this room with guns blazing. Aside from neutralizing Dee for the moment, she wanted to see if this whole thing could be solved through rational discussion. Failing that, she was more than ready to kick some ass.

  “Where’s the Peregrine?” she asked, her weapons trained on the mysterious dark-garbed man.

  “He’s not here.”

  “Where is he?”

  Nyarlathotep smiled as Dee grunted again. “I wish you’d stop that,” he said, looking directly at Rachel. “Mr. Dee is a friend of mine, and I would so much like to see him in action right now.”

  Without even moving a muscle, Nyarlathotep launched a searing attack at Rachel. Her mind was suddenly filled with the overpowering image of Azathoth, the mad god who dances endlessly at the center of the universe. She saw his massive impossibility, his insanity, and his unending thirst for suffering.

  Esper fell backwards, her eyes rolling up into her head and a white foam rising from her lips. Catalyst caught her, helping her down as she began to thrash about.

  “Sally!” he yelled, and Revenant knew what he was asking.

  Stifling a sigh, she gave a nod to both Nathaniel and to Vincent. She’d wanted to find out Max’s location, but she’d known it was a long shot that Nyarlathotep would tell them. She opened fire on Nyarlathotep, her bullets ripping through him. He jerked back and forth but no blood rose from the wounds and he only laughed maniacally.

  Dee, meanwhile, was recovering quickly. With Rachel no longer attacking his mind, he was ready and willing to enter the fray. He chose Vincent as his first target, for the big man was about to charge into Nyarlathotep. Dee channeled his disintegration beams into the creature’s body and Vincent was knocked backwards, his face contorting in pain. He felt his body breaking apart from the inside out and for a moment he feared that this was the end… and he found himself uncharacteristically clinging to life. For so long, he’d dreamed of the cold dark embrace of death, but now that it presented itself, he could only think of Sally and his new friends.

  Vincent roared and lashed out in the direction of Dee. One of his flailing fists caught the Nazi under the chin and shattered the man’s jaw, knocking him so hard that Dee’s feet left the ground and he flew over a nearby couch. The bottom half of Dee’s metal face covering was crumpled now, revealing a bit of the features beneath. Dee’s skin was a burned mess, a horrid display that mirrored his soul.

  Catalyst focused his attention on Nyarlathotep, calling upon the most powerful spells he knew. He tried to banish the demon but watched in mute horror as the spell dissipated harmlessly before the man’s own protective wards. Nathaniel then began trying to drain Nyarlathotep’s shields and experienced mild success. Though Nathaniel was still a novice, he had had the basic skills to become the greatest mage of his era, and that power was enough to daunt even Nyarlathotep.

  Esper suddenly felt her body begin to recover as Nyarlathotep’s hold over her was shattered. She took a brief second to collect herself before looking over at Dee, who was beginning to rise. The man’s mouth was dripping blood and he was in obvious pain from Vincent’s blow, but he was eyeing Vincent with malice as the big man moved towards him again.

  “Die,” Rachel hissed between clenched teeth. “Die.” Esper focused her fury on the Nazi, sending as powerful a mental blast as she had ever done before. She did not dread killing the way that Sally did, but neither did she enjoy it. But she was convinced that death was the best thing that could be done for men like Dee and Nyarlathotep.

  Dee staggered as he felt the mental assault once more. He turned his burning gaze upon Rachel. Though most of his face was still hidden behind the mangled iron mask, Rachel could see his burned lips twisting into an expression of grim vengeance. It was at this moment that Rachel projected her killing beam into Dee’s mind.

  Though most considered Rachel to be the weaker of the married duo, her power was quite considerable. As the Catalyst’s mate, she had to be strong enough to stand at his side and deal with the horrors that were a daily fact of life to a high mage. It was that strength of will that made her mental powers so deadly, and when they were used with deadly intent, they were breathtaking to behold.

  The diabolical Mr. Dee froze in place as the attack struck him and his entire head vibrated with power. In a split second, he realized that his dreams of servitude to the Reich had gained him nothing. Nyarlathotep had warned him that nothing lasted forever, and Dee knew that was true, for his schemes would now be forgotten and his name would be one of a long list of fallen agents of the OFP.

  Mr. Dee’s skull exploded in a thousand shards of metal and bone.

  Vincent jerked as the gore splashed against his skin. He looked quickly at Esper, who seemed shocked by her own actions. The big man laughed heartily and turned back towards Nyarlathotep, glad to see that Rachel had the toughness to do what needed to be done.

  Nyarlathotep, meanwhile, was beginning to wilt under Catalyst’s assault. Revenant was continuing to fill him with bullets and the last few had actually drawn blood and caused him great pain. As his ability to heal himself was compromised, his physical body came into real danger of being killed… again. It had been humiliating enough when the Peregrine had destroyed him… to die again, at the hands of these children… that would reduce him in the eyes of those whom he served.

  Nyarlathotep roared in anger, summoning most of his remaining power to teleport himself to safety. One second, he was backed up against the fireplace, groaning pain, the next he was standing in a mountain clearing. Nyarlathotep leaned over, hands on his knees, and vomited, blood mixing with his bile.

  “I take it you haven’t gotten back your full power yet?”

  Nyarlathotep froze in place, slowly raising his head to see a familiar figure watching him. “How did you get back from the World of Shadows?”

  The Peregrine smiled coldly. “I called in a favor from an old friend.”

  Nyarlathotep stood up tall, trying to intimidate the vigilante. The attempt failed. Max Davies had seen his own father gunned down before him, he’d wandered into the deepest pits of hell and come back alive… and he’d personally brought down Nyarlathotep once before. He felt no terror when confronted with this servant of the dark gods.

  The Peregrine drew out the Knife of Elohim, a weapon once soaked in the blood of Christ. It was the same blade that had once ended Nyarlathotep’s before. “It must be awful to come back from the dead just so you can get put back down again.”

  Nyarlathotep hissed like a cat and his face changed dramatically. As he opened his mouth, his teeth seemed sharper and longer than before and his eyes narrowed to black slits. “You are nothing special, Max Davies, though you like to think you are. You’re going to end up cold and alone, with all you love dead around you…”

  “Shut up,” the Peregrine snapped. “We’ve been through this once before, you and I. Let’s just get this thing done.”

  * * *

  Adolf Hitler walked silently through the halls of his home, his attendants following at his heels, looking nervous.

  Outside the Berghof, they had found the guards, all of them unconscious
—some appeared to have had their heads bashed in, others looked like they were merely sleeping. In the kitchen, the staff had been felled where they stood. A pot of boiling water had been left unattended, its contents spilling out over the stove and onto the floor.

  The living room was the worst, though. The remains of Mr. Dee were found there, the walls and furniture spotted with gore. It looked like a bomb had detonated inside his skull. The walls of the room were riddled with bullet holes.

  Of Nyarlathotep, there was no sign.

  Adolf Hitler made little clucking sounds and shook his head as he moved around Dee’s body. He’d had such high hopes that Dee could salvage the remains of the Occult Forces Project… but like everyone else around the Fuehrer, he had proven to be a failure.

  The men and women who watched the Fuehrer expected him to launch into angry tirade at this point. He had traveled from Berlin to meet this servant of the gods, the one who would win the war for the Axis Powers. Faced with such disappointment, Hitler’s rage was frequently terrifying to behold.

  But most disturbingly, the leader of the German people merely sat down wearily in a chair… and said nothing.

  CHAPTER XVIII

  Endings and Beginnings

  “You killed him again?” Evelyn asked, rubbing salve into a nasty wound on her husband’s shoulder. They were alone in their bedroom, the kids having been put to bed. Nettie was still up, cleaning downstairs, but otherwise the house was quiet.

  Max grimaced as Evelyn continued applying the medicine. “Yes. But it wasn’t easy.”

  “It never is, is it?”

  Max laughed a little too loudly and Evelyn shushed him. Max turned to face her. “It’s going to be nice having them around.”

  “Who?”