A rustle of wind beside me drew my attention, and I turned to see John standing there quite unexpectedly. More movement accompanied him and I saw that James, TJ, and Titus had caught up to us as well.
John watched the pair of gods as they approached the Esquiline Hill.
“They’re like a pair of Godzillas rampaging through Tokyo,” he said.
“Tell me about it,” I answered, having considered the comparison myself.
John turned to me. “Wait, you know about Godzilla?”
“Sure,” I said, unable to tear my eyes off of the destruction left in the wake of Romulus and Remus. “The series is one of the best bits of entertainment to come out of Japan. It’s actually an interesting allegory on the Middle East’s post-nuclear development, and how the dangers all their testing in the Indian Oce…”
“I still can’t believe you used to watch that trash,” Archer mumbled, and I immediately felt my face blush when John glanced at me for further clarification, but all I could do was look at him and smile guiltily. It wasn’t too often that evidence of my prior relationship with Archer surfaced, but when it did, it was certainly awkward.
Luckily, John’s favorite wingman, James, interrupted. “Why are we still standing here? Shouldn’t we be doing something? I mean… I don’t know what, but, something?”
“This wasn’t exactly part of the plan,” TJ said, picking up the cue to talk about something else.
“Unfortunately,” Marcus said from in front of us, his voice completely neutral and his attention mesmerized as he surveyed the carnage, “our plans rarely develop as we intend.”
“Yeah, no shit,” John said as the pair of gods crashed through another building, blowing a hole the size of a small crater in its façade.
And to think, Tim had planned this whole mission on the presupposition that he actually had a real plan for once.
***
I wanted to risk a glance at Helena as I watched Romulus and Remus emerge from the building they’d just crashed into, opening up another large hole in the side of it, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the spectacle. It was like watching a train wreck, or, perhaps more aptly, one of the better Godzilla movies, like the one where he’d fought that bad guy with three heads. The scene was almost too unbelievable to believe, but a sniper had to place a lot of trust in his eyes, and my eyes were as wide open and observant as they’d ever been.
Our plan had gone completely to shit, as per usual, although we had accomplished one of our primary objectives, which was to pit Romulus and Remus against each other. We’d hoped their brawl would have gone down at the wedding venue, not through the streets of Rome, but I’d take anything right now and would have no problem categorizing that particular accomplishment in the “objective completed” column.
So far, it was the only one.
Merlin was still a no show, as was the red orb, and I hadn’t a clue how to find either.
My radio cackled to life in my ear.
“Sniper-1, please advise. How should we proceed?”
The voice was Archer’s and I glanced down at the radio in my hand, at a loss for words. Since arriving in Rome, it was in times like these that I usually crumpled under pressure, no idea what to do or how to improvise, usually having to rely on someone else for inspiration or luck to save us. I wasn’t proud of it, but it’s how I’d operated recently thanks to all the bullshit I’d placed on my shoulders, and it was still a wonder why anyone would ever follow me into combat or listen to a single thing I had to say anymore.
But not this time.
That Jacob was as gone.
I would salvage this operation. I had to.
“Rescue-Actual, Sniper-1. Pursue with caution. Contain them and corral them back to the venue and wait for my arrival.”
“Can you repeat that, Sniper-1? Did you say… corral them?”
“Affirmative. Fire on them. Your bullets will only cause minimal damage but you should be able to maneuver them back to the venue.”
“Uh…” Archer said and I couldn’t help but smile, imagining his usually nonplussed face twisted in utter confusion. But to his credit, his voice came back strong and professional. “Will comply, Sniper-1. Out.”
I nodded to the air and spoke through the radio again.
“Extraction-Actual, you’d better get down there with Georgia and do what you can to help.”
“Copy, Sniper-1,” Bordeaux said. “Moving out.”
I nodded again, feeling myself hit my groove as I parsed out orders, and I hit the PTT button one last time.
“Eagle Eye, do what you can to watch their backs. I have a visual on a number of Praetorians scrambling on their position.”
“Copy,” Cuyler responded, succinct as always.
Finally, I allowed myself the pleasure of looking at Helena, who stood beside me, her rifle at her feet, her eyes full of concern and locked onto mine.
“That goes for you too,” I said. “Watch our backs.”
“You’re leaving,” she said, the statement clearly not a question.
I stepped toward her. “I have to, Helena. I can’t explain it, but I know I have to get down there. I have to find Merlin and get the orbs like he promised. Then I have to take care of this. I know we planned for you to come with me, but considering the situation, you have to be here. We can’t risk one of the others just for my sake. You have to cover them.”
“How can you say that, Jacob?” She asked, her voice almost defeated. “After everything we’ve been through. After all our discussions of trust and loyalty and never leaving one another again… why do you keep leaving me?” She paused, but I didn’t say anything because I could tell she had more to say. After a moment, she sighed and balled her hands into fists. “And why do I keep letting you?”
I hobbled over to her, wanting to kiss the hell out of her as explosions and sword fights and Godzillas rampaged in the background, silhouetting us and giving the audience one heck of a dramatic moment before I rushed off to save the day… or die trying. But, like so much today, it didn’t feel right, and I didn’t think it was what Helena would have wanted either. Instead, I simply stood before her and wrapped my arms around her tightly, while she did the same. I held her and she held me, and I allowed myself the pleasure of enjoying this one, peaceful moment before the end.
After a moment she pulled away and kissed me before grabbing my collar with her hands and jerking me backward. “Don’t get yourself killed, Jacob. We haven’t grown old together yet.”
I leaned in and kissed her again. “It’s life at the nursing home for us, Helena. Together. I promise.”
She smiled slightly and let go of me so that she could pick up her rifle. I watched her for a moment as she set up again, but when she noticed I hadn’t yet left, she turned to look at me.
“Well, what are you waiting for?” She asked. “Go save the universe.”
I smiled at her. “I love you, Helena.”
“I love you too, Jacob,” she said as she turned back to her scope. “Now go before I tie you to the wall.”
I hopped to the side of the room and grabbed my crutch, using it to help me bound down the steps that led me to the abandoned house’s main level. Finding the exit quickly, I rushed from the building as quickly as I could manage with nothing but my radio, my combat knife, and my trusty pistol with half a magazine worth of ammunition. It wasn’t much of an arsenal, and I didn’t even have my MOLLE vest, but it would have to do. Equipment and gear would just slow me down and tire me, which I assumed would be something I would have to deal with sooner than normal due to my condition, but as I rushed through the streets of Rome, the foreknowledge that combat soon awaited, adrenaline coursed through my body like I hadn’t felt in a long time.
I hadn’t needed adrenaline when under the orb’s influence. It had offered me its own particular brand of energy and sustenance. It had been a potent brew but it was nothing like the familiar and energizing rush I felt now. It supercharged my muscles, and I…
I skidded to a halt, nearly tipping over myself before I planted the crutch into the ground like a stake to keep me upright. My body had reacted on its own, because my mind was still wondering why my internal monologue had been cut unusually short. It wasn’t until I pulled myself upright and composed myself that I realized I’d stopped so that I wouldn’t have plowed into Merlin, who stood in the middle of the road as though waiting for me.
I looked around, taking in the screaming civilians and random Praetorian who ran in every direction. The city had erupted into chaos, but here Merlin stood as though he’d expected me to be here the entire time. He wore fancier clothing that I’d yet seen him in, almost like he’d been planning to attend a… well, a wedding.
I rolled my eyes and took in a breath.
“Fancy meeting you here,” I remarked offhandedly.
“You didn’t wait for Romulus, Jacob,” he said calmly. “I told you not to shoot him. I was just about to make my grand entrance.”
“Blame Agrippina,” I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice. “Seems everyone wants to kill her today.”
“And this is why time travel isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” Merlin said with a sigh. “Something’s always bound to go differently.”
I looked at him quizzically, completely at a loss concerning what he’d just said, but then he held up a bag which had a pair of bulges at its bottom, and the thought left my mind as I reached for it.
“No need to ask what’s in here,” I said as I took the bag and slung it over my shoulder.
“No need indeed,” Merlin commented. “Now go. Find Remus and enact your plan, but make sure Romulus remains. He has his own role to play still.”
I turned to leave but then second guessed myself and faced Merlin again.
“You know…” I started, unable to keep the anger out of my voice. “I simply can’t understand why someone who constantly denies the existence of fate, destiny, divine providence, or the very idea that history can be changed by tampering in the past would say something like that! Just what kind of role does he have to play?!”
Merlin shrugged. “He’s my son, Jacob. I have no desire to see his legacy, as made evident to me by you, lost to him.”
“Tell that to Remus.”
“Remus has earned his fate,” Merlin stated. “Do not allow the same to befall the one innocent in all this.”
I snarled at his continued use of non-answers. “Maybe when all this is over you’ll actually tell me something worth hearing.”
He smiled. “Probably not.”
“Yeah, right,” I said as I turned again to rush off to war, but then another thought stopped me again. “If you really are their father, able to use the orbs just like they can, why do you need me at all?”
He shook his head. “Jacob, I can only use the blue orb. The red orb is as beyond my ability to control as the blue orb is for Agrippina to wield.”
“How the fuck is that possible?” I asked, completely ready to drop kick this man.
“I do not understand why it is not obvious to you,” Merlin said, opening his arms. “Why is it not clear to you that it was a genetic marker from my wife that provides access to the red orb?”
I blinked, shocked. “Let me guess,” I said. “Guinevere. Wait, no. Morgan le Fay.”
He smiled. “Very clever, but you know Merlin has yet to even encounter those individuals… if they even exist at all.”
I snarled again in frustration. “So where is she? Why can’t she help?”
Merlin’s smile turned immediately into a frown, and he looked crestfallen. “My wife has been gone for many years, Jacob. More than you can possibly guess.”
I looked up at him but the expression on my face didn’t quite match the apology I was about to deliver. “Sorry, Merlin. I guess I’ll go save the universe now.”
“Please do, Jacob,” he said. Finally, I took off again, preparing to pull up my radio and ask for directions, but I almost stumbled again when I heard Merlin say behind me, “And make me proud.”
I remembered him saying that once before, and like in that instance, I felt a growing sense of determination well up in my chest. For whatever reason, I had every intention of doing just that. I wanted to save the universe. I wanted to make him proud.
I just had to figure out how the hell I was going to do it.
***
TJ, Archer, and I crashed through row after row of well-trimmed, waist high hedges that lined the perimeter of a once lovely garden that now resembled a war zone rather than a place of serene leisure. I lifted my arms to cover my face as I encountered a much higher shrubbery, but hadn’t been prepared for the razor sharp thorns dotting its branches, and winced and grunted as I felt my arms ripped apart. They weren’t much more than nicks and cuts that would probably heal on their own, but they were still painful.
I glanced to my left and saw TJ plow into a particularly razor endowed branch, his face emerging with a dozen tiny gouges. He barely even reacted, but when he noticed my attention, he turned to me and uttered without any pain in his voice, “Ow.”
“Tell me ab…”
I was cut off by the sound of Archer firing his pistol ahead of us as we emerged from the brush, and I looked up to see Romulus and Remus continuing their destructive clash. Now that we were closer to them, I could see them in more detail, although it was still nearly impossible to keep up. They moved so quickly, far, far faster than was humanly possible. The moved so fast that outsiders looking in could only see a blur of motion, but from their perspective, it must have seemed as though it was the world that had slowed down around them.
Romulus still had his chain as a weapon but despite their near identical stature, Remus was clearly older thanks to his stay in his time-bending prison and was quite probably stronger. However they were matched, I was rarely ever able to actually see the random punch or momentary grapple, or even the swift kicks that could have knocked over buildings – and did on occasion. The only time I was ever able to really see anything specifically was when one brother would gain the upper hand for a moment and throw the other off of him to land through a wall or pulverize another human that got in the way. The battle would slow down momentarily but even the act of catching up to each other was a blur. In fact, the only thing keeping us within range of them as they rampaged through the city was that they were, in fact, engaged with each other.
TJ noticed Archer’s intermittent blasts of fire as well and joined in, firing four bullets slowly, but then Archer waved him off and raised his radio.
“In position, Santino?”
“Santino can’t come to the phone right now,” I heard James say through Archer’s radio. “He’s still a wee miffed that you stole his girl.”
“I am not, I…”
I could hear John’s voice come through the radio weakly as well but then Archer squeezed the transmit button and cut him off. He shook his head with a clenched jaw and turned to me. “What do you see in that clown? I mean… what?”
I shrugged. “I like clowns.”
He shook his head and pulled the radio back to his mouth. “In position, Wang?”
“Aye,” James replied. “We pulled ahead of them and are now directly east of their position.”
“Lay it on them then. Drive them west.”
“Yes, sir!” He said with far too much enthusiasm, and I could hear John complaining indistinctly in the background again.
John hadn’t been happy when Archer had somehow managed to inherit command of everyone on the ground, and James, of course, had to take advantage. No one was really sure how it had happened, but I certainly couldn’t complain. Once Archer had received Jacob’s orders to corral the twins back to the wedding venue, he’d immediately split the group into smaller teams. John, James, and Titus had been sent east, Gaius and Marcus west where they’d hopefully linked up with Jeanne and Georgia, while TJ, Archer and I had taken the middle route to drive them south.
Everyone had responded immediate
ly to his orders, odd and reassuring at the same time, but then as soon as he had finished issuing orders, Archer had yanked the pistol out of TJ’s hip holster and thrust it into my hands.
“You’ve learned how to use this, right?” He’d asked.
“Yes,” I’d responded.
He’d nodded and said. “Don’t hesitate should you need to use it, Diana.”
I’d looked at it for a moment while everyone vanished out of sight, but then had to rush to catch up to TJ and Archer as they too had taken off to follow Jacob’s orders. I still wasn’t sure I could in fact use the weapon should I need to use it. I didn’t even know when I could justify needing to use it. So far, I hadn’t even shot at Romulus or Remus even though I knew the bullets would practically bounce off them, if I was even able to hit them at all.
I still wasn’t sure what I was capable of.
Just then a hail of gunfire to my left erupted like pinpoint pricks of thunder going off in rapid succession, and I could see John, James, and Titus approaching from the east, their weapons drawn and firing continuously as they advanced on the twins. Remus reacted first, throwing up a hand to protect his face, while Romulus took advantage and dived at his brother once again, renewing hostilities. I couldn’t see what wounds were sustained by either twin, if any, but the action seemed to have the desired effect as Romulus and Remus shifted course, heading in a westerly direction.
A strong hand landed on my shoulder and I looked to my left to see TJ staring at me, using his other hand to direct my attention to the right. “Come on, Artie,” he said, Archer already heading out. “We need to peel out and link up with Bordeaux and Brewster.”
I nodded as I started to move, no longer sure if I had any actual control over my actions. I wanted to run away and find safety but I couldn’t deny that this was all kind of… fun. I didn’t feel in direct danger at the moment, and our success at maneuvering Romulus and Remus was uplifting. I couldn’t deny the thrill anymore, but when I finally looked up, I saw Archer place his rifle against his shoulder and shoot a pair of bullets in the direction we were heading. It wasn’t until I ran past where he’d fired from that I saw a pair of dead Praetorians on the ground, a pair of men who couldn’t possibly have much idea of what was happening, but had died nonetheless.
Praetorian Series [4] All Roads Lead to Rome Page 43