by K. A. Lange
"You have a few things I would like returned." Holding up her cane as if I should know what she was on about.
It suddenly occurred to me that she wanted the nanites Nicholas now claimed as his own. I couldn't help myself as a smile danced its way across my mouth. "About that..." Forcing my will through Gungnir it took its true shape, hungering to be wielded in battle. It pulsed with a life of its own healing my wounds. "I think I'm going to have to refuse your oh so subtle request."
This time when she bolted across the room at me I was able to keep up blocking the blow meant for my skull. Sparks rained down between us as our weapons clashed against one another.
Suddenly I felt an explosion rock the building as she quickly retreated several yards away. It didn’t take me long to understand what had happened. Nicholas, though still alive, lay several rooms away and buried under newly fallen debris from an exploded landmine. Who the hell uses landmines inside a building?
She sneered as she spoke. "How unlike you to bring a guest along. You know, that was very rude of you as the invitation was for you alone!" Shrugging she made a hmmp noise as confusion set in. "I guess Smith was right about you after all, but this isn’t the way it's supposed to happen."
I hadn't a clue as to what she meant but guessed that this was about the only opportunity I would have in the way of a surprise attack. Swiping Gungnir through the air an arch of pure white energy slammed across her chest lifting her off the floor before slapping her against the exposed metal I beams.
Even running at top speed I felt clumsy and slow compared to Gullveig, though it was fast enough to get me to her before she had time to recover. Holding Gungnir lengthwise in both hands I slammed her hard enough against the beam for it to groan as it gave ever so slightly.
I followed it with a vicious uppercut with the glowing green counterweight. A nasty cut bloomed to life just under her eye. Blood flowed freely from the cut down her left cheek and for the first time I saw fear in her eyes.
“I guess that wasn’t supposed to happen either.”
Time slowed to a crawl for me as our bodies sped across the room at each other. Part of me registered the fact that we were moving faster that what should’ve been possible, but the part of me that was connected to Gungnir told me this was my natural state. Spinning Gungnir I slashed across her midsection with the glowing sapphire tip in the hopes of ending this quickly but she was faster than I’d anticipated. Sidestepping my attack I was only able to graze her right ribs with barely a flesh wound.
She gave me a hard sidekick to the chest lifting me several feet off the ground, but with my heightened senses and added agility I kept myself righted and landed on my feet none the worse for wear. Forcing my will through the spear as I built up momentum I slammed the hilt into the floor sending a shockwave through the room, knocking her off her feet. Things were finally evening out or so I thought.
Gullveig rolled to her feet and sent a wave of the same inky darkness I’d seen Smith use earlier across room at just about chest level. I dove to the side allowing her precious seconds to right herself while I scrambled out of harms way. She continued to press her advantage, hitting me with a beachball sized fireball. Slammed against my shields it carried me across the room and through the weakened wall.
And there it was again! That nagging feeling I was fighting out of my depth. So yippee for me! Dragging myself back to my feet and pissed off as hell, I now wanted my pound of flesh. Gungnir pulsed, urging me back into battle as it hungered to be used for the purpose for which it was created. O.D.I.N. was working overtime as I calculated the percentage of success of various attacks, all of which were less than dismal. I quickly checked on Nicholas who was still immobile and apparently unconscious. The only promising news was the fact he would probably live to see another day. I wasn’t as confident about that as far as I was concerned. Even with the nitrous Gungnir supplied I was clearly out of practice and Gullveig knew it.
“It’s hard to believe you were once the most feared being in the known universe.” She sneered. She stalked around the room waiting for that perfect moment to put me down. “It’s a shame really!”
“What’s that?” I couldn’t help myself. She clearly knew something I didn’t.
She stopped as joy crossed her face. “You really don’t remember do you?” She bit her lip as she eyed me closely. Something about the gesture was familiar to me but I couldn’t place why with my jumbled memories.
“That wasn’t an answer!” I growled.
“No, I guess it wasn’t. It’s a shame you will never realize your potential.” Her expression softened as she let her guard down just for a moment. “We could change things, you and I.”
Confusion set in as I wondered what she was talking about. “How’s that?”
“We could work together and rule this world. The power is well within our grasp.”
Holy shit she actually sounded serious. “I think we have very different views on how we live our lives.”
Sadness seemed to embrace her suddenly as her face bespoke of ancient pains. “It wasn’t always that way you know.”
What the hell was she talking about? “That’s the second time you’ve referred to the fact that we were once close.”
She stood there with sorrow in her eyes and her voice trembled with old hurts. “I’m like you now! With this body I won’t age and we can be together again.”
Ever have that creep factor set into your bones? You know when you’ve met crazy and its gone way off the deep end. Well I was feeling like I passed that mark several miles ago and now I was in a whole new fully developed world of insanity.
“So... You think because you won’t age now that we can just pick up wherever it was that we left off?” I really needed to sit down and do some hard thinking because if I ever dated this type of crazy I sure as hell didn’t remember it. “You might want to jog my memory a little because you’re just not ringing a bell!”
Okay that pissed her off.
She sped across the room and even with the additional speed I was barely able to deflect her attack as she raked the cane across my right cheek leaving deep gouges from my forehead to my jawline, blinding me in the process. I felt pain as she drove her fist into my throat causing me to sputter as I gasped for air. Struggling to keep conscious I swung Gungnir catching Gullveig hard on the left arm, hearing a very satisfactory snap of breaking bone. She fell to the floor grasping at her broken limb before taking her revenge.
She kicked out with her left foot and caught me in my ribs, snapping three of them like twigs. She rolled atop me driving her knee into my broken rib cage, forcing broken bones through my lung. Gungnir shrunk to the size of a short sword as I drove it through her shields and deep into her abdomen. Grabbing Gungnir she twisted it free of my grip and carelessly flung it aside.
“You haven’t won anything by destroying this body!” Each word cost her as she struggled with the pain. “Thanks to you there are several viable hosts just outside.” She spit in my face before driving one of the talon-like claws of the cane through my shoulder. “But you... You will die here today and I will build an empire with the L.O.K.I.”
No matter how much I wanted to object, I couldn’t even breath. Between her weight on my chest and my lungs filling with fluids I was dying. I had failed and there was nothing I could do to stop her and her master plan. My god she had involved the L.O.K.I. and it wouldn't be long before Jormungandr would devour this world and there was nothing I could do to stop the beast. I finally managed one word but it cost me as I choked on my own blood. “Why?”
“You really don’t remember... even now you are clueless.” She leaned forward licking the blood off my chin and giving me a sly wink. “It’s your own fault you know. I was dying and you refused to help so I went in search of a cure so we could be together.” She coughed as she gasped for air. “The L.O.K.I. were so anxious to help me and until just a few years ago I had no idea why, but now, now I know!”
The last part
came out just a little deranged. As I lay there drowning in my own blood and very near death I wasn’t terrified but could only feel concern for the safety of my daughter. I’d lost contact with her via the Nexus and I feared she’d never know how much I loved her.
Gullveig slapped the butt of her cane against my jaw breaking it in several places as she sneered. “All hail the Allfath...”
Suddenly I watched the glowing sapphire tip of Gungnir protrude through Gullveig’s forehead creating a third gruesome eye showering me in her blood.
“Get the hell off my father you twisted psychotic bitch!” Kira screamed flinging Gullveig’s corpse to one side with barely a twitch. She kept her focus on the broken form of Gullveig waiting for the noxious true form of the witch to appear as she tried to escape her fate. Kira was too fast for her as she slashed through the blackness destroying the creature once and for all.
More than a small part of me was proud of her for destroying the beast but another part of me knew that the price she would ultimately pay was high. Kira had never killed anyone before. She had always managed to bring her targets to justice alive. Now she was safe and sound and there was nothing left to threaten her. I could now go in peace. Perhaps the L.O.K.I. would move on now that their interloper had been terminated.
Kira knelt beside me with tears running down her face. “Please, you’ve got to stay with me!”
It hurt me more than I’d expected to see her in such distress. For the first time in her life I wasn’t able to give her what she wanted most. Darkness closed in on me no matter how much I fought against it. Finally I resigned myself to the will of the gods and left my fate in their hands. Suddenly there was mostly silence except in the distance I could hear a group of men arguing. I couldn’t make out what they we saying but they all sounded angry about something. Their voices rolled over me with the power of many oceans in a language I couldn’t comprehend. For the first time in nearly three thousand years I felt insignificant by comparison. Theirs was the power to create worlds or to turn the universe inside out on a whim. These were the Gods, with a capital G!
Taking a knee I awaited their judgement for the man I’d been. I didn’t hold out much hope that I was going anywhere nice.
“Oh, and why is that?” Turning around I found Hustahli standing there. He wasn’t the same being I’d encountered two hundred years ago let alone two days ago. Today he was a being of pure energy, power radiating from him like warmth from the sun.
Ashamed I bowed my head as my life replayed itself before my eyes. “I’ve fought, killed, and in general have not been a very nice person.”
The glowing form of Hustahli faded, replaced by the familiar avatar I’d come to know. “And you’ve done this to save those around you from a fate sometimes worse than death.” He stepped before me and put a gentle hand under my chin, lifting my eyes to meet his. “Isn't it about time someone stood between you and the darkness?”
My body ached as I drew a ragged breath. Kira fell back from me with relief as Hustahli stood over us. His power filled the room, healing my wounds and destroying the broken form of Gullveig. “All is as it should be my child!”
I rolled over and took a knee. “Thank you my Lord!”
A gentle smile crossed his face as he looked at me kindly. “Calling me father will do...”
Father? What? “I’m sorry what?”
“There isn’t time my child, but know this Starborn, your time is coming.” And just like that he was gone.
The far door burst open as Nicholas stumbled through looking a little worse for wear but would survive. Kira contacted Gregory giving him the all clear. Nicholas grabbed Gullveig’s cane in frustration. That was probably not wise as the nanites worked their magic instantly turning themselves into a liquid form and being absorbed by their long lost master. He fell clutching his skull, convulsing. Kira dropped her phone as she rushed over to help, though there was little that she could do at this point. His vitals returned to normal shortly thereafter and he went still. Hopefully he’d recover given time. I could hear Gregory and his men trudging their way through the battered hallway. I didn’t even try to fight the darkness as it overtook me once more.
Chapter 30
The next few days passed quickly as I healed. I’d suffered multiple injuries during my encounter with Gullveig, the nastiest of which were the wounds to the right side of my face. Whatever Hustahli had done saved my eye, even though it was turning an interesting shade of translucent blue with a single dot of polished hardened steel. The powers she had possessed prevented the Nexus from performing its regular duties, which meant I would be left with some pretty nasty scars.
Kira and I were speaking about everything except what had transpired that day between myself and Smith, or her and Gullveig for that matter. As I have said there is no hope for redemption for those who live as I do. My only concern is that my daughter will find a better way. It is my duty to ensure that she is never forced to make the choices I have, and I feel that I have already failed her in that respect when she killed Gullveig. It is a hard lesson to learn that sometimes you are forced to become the monster to save those you love.
Kira had taken the liberty of scheduling an appointment with the architect and construction company to refurbish four of the condos on the fifteenth floor which would soon be my new residence. After the recent events involving the L.O.K.I. I had given up hope of calling anyplace home. I feared things were going to get hairy sooner than later. But Kira did not. Whatever Mir had detected at the dilapidated grounds just northeast of the park were now gone. The festering septic tank that had once been a pool was now empty and whatever it contained had left. I knew that it was only a matter of time before whatever it was came back around.
With all that was happening I thought it would be best for me to move into the apartment early to be closer to work and to keep an eye on some of the more sensitive projects. Standing there looking out the window of my new unfinished apartment I let my mind wonder to what Gullveig had meant about why the L.O.K.I. had helped her. The real question was why the L.O.K.I. had saved her and turned her into the monster she’d become.
Mir’s reflection suddenly appeared in the window but I remained silent. “A penny for your thoughts, sire?”
That made me smile until I studied his reflection a little harder. His expression never changed as he stood there waiting for me to put the pieces together. The scars across the right side of his face matched my new scars almost exactly and our eyes...
“What the hell?” Turning I tried to catch Mir by the arm forgetting for a moment he was merely a projection in my minds eye. “Mir?”
Mir sighed as he stalked away from me as he hung his head. “I wasn’t sure until after your encounter with the witch.”
“How in the hell can’t you be sure?” Anger rose in me as the realization came to me that Gullveig had been right about some things after all. “You have all my memories! You are me!”
“You don’t understand.” He paced around the empty apartment. “There’s so much that was and still is concealed from me.”
Anger boiled up inside of me as my mind raced. “Concealed by who?”
“You, or perhaps some force greater than us.” His answer was simple and so powerful it caused me to rock backwards as if hit by gale force winds. “You hid this and so much more away.” Mir’s cheeks burned crimson as he stormed towards me. “But I can piece parts of it together and so can you!”
Nicholas’s face flashed before my eyes and I realized that it was his hand on the end of Gullveig’s cane, and that one day she would kill him and sever his right hand as a trophy. My anger evaporated almost instantly as I stammered. “We can change the course of things if we can foresee our mistakes.”
“Have you given it any thought that this isn’t the first time we have tried the manipulate the time and that’s why you’ve blocked those memories?” Mir looked about as confused as I felt. “The real question should be how did we get lost in time?”
Thinking about it made my head hurt but Mir, or should I say I, was right. How had we gotten lost in time 2800 years ago? Did we travel from the past or the future, or both? Why here and now? Was this a second chance or was this how it all started in the first place? My soul felt empty, and for the first time I didn’t know how or where to begin but I knew someone who did. Hustahli had saved me for a reason. He had said I had much to do and miles to go before I could rest, but no matter how often I called out for Hustahli he had yet to show.
Tony Costa announced to the city that through the diligent work of the NOPD they were able to capture the serial killer known as Creepy George. If Tony kept this up he would one day be in line for the job of police commissioner but I was sure that would be several years down the road. Gregory in conjunction with Special Agent in Charge Anderson made a joint announcement that Agent Smith was killed in a shootout involving the persons responsible for the death of Helena Summers and Dr. Galvez. It was all tied up in a nice neat little package with only one downside. Smith was hailed as a hero to the general public. Anderson was conerned of a public relations nightmare, and with all the unrest over the last few weeks it was best to just let it go.
In the days that followed I found myself spending more and more time with Mir as we tried to formulate a plan to best deal with the L.O.K.I.. We now knew that it wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ the L.O.K.I. would come but rather ‘when’ they would come for us. We found traces of their presence in the old pool in New Orleans East and armed with new information we were able to devise a tracking system. In time we would hopefully be able to track and destroy them before they became a threat.
For now I will continue my fight as I always have. To stand somewhere between the light and dark to shield those under my protection. I am Viktor Engle Warden and if you have darkness in your heart you should make peace with whatever god you believe because I’m coming for you...