Blood Hunter

by Debra Jess

  The Shield appeared amused rather than worried, even as he pulled out his own handgun and pointed it toward the ground. "You're getting better. You pulled the gun into your hands instead of to the ground."

  At this range Scott couldn't miss, even as he realized that the Shield would have his barriers in place. Had he pulled the rifle through the Shield's barriers?

  "No, you didn't. My shield wasn't raised then. It is now. Grab the handgun."

  Scott knew he was telegraphing his thoughts through body language. But how the hell did you control yourself so as not to give away your thoughts?

  The Shield raised his handgun. "Grab it!"

  Scott lowered the rifle. He focused on the handgun and tried to pull.

  Nothing happened.

  Scott turned to look for Hannah, but she was still talking to Juan. T-CASS zipped about the ship, helping to unload the containers holding the bodies. Overhead, Alek and Evan used an air cushion to raise one of the larger containers, the one that held part of the mutant Alt who had attacked Hannah.

  Other T-CASS members helped from the sidelines, their colorful uniforms making them easy to find. Everything was peaceful. Everyone worked in unison, like they were supposed to. McNamara was busy shaking hands.

  "Grab the damn gun!"

  Scott turned back to the Shield to snap at him that he couldn't do it.

  The Shield sighed, then raised his gun and fired at Scott.

  Scott ducked. What the hell?

  Shouts rained down from the roof. The shot had drawn the attention of the SWAT team topside. It wouldn't take them long to locate the source of the gunshot. They'd be all over him in a minute.

  "Grab the damn gun."

  Below, panic sent both sets of dignitaries running in opposite directions, Thunder City for the parking lot and Star Haven back toward the ship.

  Hannah would be in the middle of the Thunder City group heading toward the parking lot, but he couldn't see her.

  The Shield didn't appear concerned, forcing Scott to choose between detaining him for the cops and praying the police would believe his story, or running down four flights of stairs into the crowd to look for Hannah.

  No choice. Hannah came first. Always. He lowered the rifle and turned to run back inside the building.

  The explosion rocked the building, knocking Scott into the door before he could open it. A cloud of debris smacked into either Alek or Evan, whichever one was closest to the ship, sending the black-clad body tumbling into the fiery explosion. From the back end of the cargo ship, a mushroom of black smoke rose in the air. The entire ship listed to one side as a wave of water hit the boardwalk, sweeping some of the Star Haven delegation into the Bay.

  Scott froze in agony. He could do nothing from where he stood, so far away. His brother, he didn't even know which one, could be dead and he could do nothing from up here.

  Hannah! Evan! Alek! He searched the crowed below, knowing one of his brothers was burning on the ship. He needed to pull them out of there.

  "Don't you do it!"

  Scott ignored the Shield, desperate to find Hannah and his brothers.

  "Scott, listen to me. You don't know which brother fell. You risk pulling the wrong one. T-CASS will find him."

  Scott heard, but couldn't process the words. He couldn't see them. Any of them. Where was Catherine? Where was Thomas?

  The crowd scattered as more T-CASS teams converged on the danger.

  "Back up!"

  "What?"

  The Shield stepped backed to the farthest end of his deck, then ran toward Scott. Scott realized what the Shield intended to do and pulled back, just as the Shield's foot hit the railing and propelled him over to Scott's deck. He landed with a light thump.

  "Give me back the gun."

  "Why? So you can shoot Hannah?"

  "Don't be a jackass. My shot was a warning to get everyone off the boardwalk."

  "You knew this was going to happen?"

  "I made an educated guess. Give me the gun or I'll take it from you, and your arm with it."

  "My brother is burning. Hannah is getting trampled."

  From inside the building he could hear SWAT checking all of the offices on this floor. He had a minute, maybe less, to get this situation under control.

  The Shield grabbed the rifle and yanked but Scott couldn't unclench his fingers. He couldn't let the rifle go. "Fine. Keep the gun. I'll get us back to ground level."

  "Did you know about the bomb? Did you know what the anti-Alts were going to do?"

  The Shield reached around the rifle and grabbed Scott's arm, ignoring Scott's question. "If SWAT catches us with that gun, you will be arrested and you won't be able to help Hannah or your brother. Now follow me."

  The Shield slipped a leg over the railing. The door to the office that led to the observation deck rattled. Scott had jammed the lock, but cops would have no problems kicking the door down. He had no choice. For Hannah, he lowered the gun and followed the Shield over the railing.

  The Shield slipped his arm around Scott's waist. "Jump."

  The fall awakened the sick, twisted sensation of free-falling to his death when he’d hit the hospital roof two weeks ago. The memory hurt more than the sudden jarring sensation of hitting concrete four stories below.

  Instead of releasing him to fall, though, the Shield tightened his grip around Scott, waiting until he recovered his senses. He hadn't died. He was upright and unhurt.

  "Do exactly what I tell you to do."

  His life flashing before his eyes for the second time in his life had turned Scott into a puppet. Still clutching the rifle, he followed the Shield, blind to everything except what was right in front him.

  They stayed behind the scaffolding until they reached the northeast corner of the building. The Shield stopped, peeked around. "Shit."

  "What?"

  The Shield pulled back from the corner. "The explosion was just a diversion. This part I didn't anticipate."

  Before he could say anything else, automatic gunfire erupted from the parking lot.

  "Set an explosion on the ship, kill as many Alts as possible, drive the survivors to the parking lot. The stragglers would be caught between the explosion and the death squad heading from the harbor entrance. They didn't count on us firing first, warning people away from the ship. They won't be expecting this crowd."

  "T-CASS — "

  "Half jumped into the Bay to save the ones who fell in. The rest are trying to save the ship's crew and protect the delegation." The screams reached a fever pitch.

  Hannah!

  "Grey, listen to me."

  Scott looked at the Shield, still unsure of his agenda. "We have one goal: Keep McNamara and Hannah alive. Understand?"

  "Now you want to keep her alive? You were ready to assassinate her five minutes ago."

  "And I still will if you don't do exactly as I say for the next five minutes. No joke, Grey. She will die if you don't follow me."

  He spared a thought for his brothers, Alek and Evan as he followed, not sure if he was rescuing Hannah or helping this man kill her.

  Hannah could barely hear the screams over the blood rushing in her ears. Hot wood burned under her cheek, her breath harsh under the weight of McNamara on top of her, the box holding Roger's ashes crushed under her chest.

  "Doctor McNamara?" Oh, God, what if he was dead? She didn't want to roll over and find out. The members of the delegation were running around her, and security was running toward her. Either would trample her underfoot if she couldn't get up and run herself.

  Hannah pushed up onto her knees to shove McNamara off of her. Over her shoulder, a black cloud billowed upwards. Shouts echoed from all directions. In the sky, she could see only one Blackwood twin struggling to keep the largest container from falling onto the crowd. Where was the other? She couldn't see above the crowd stampeding around her.

  McNamara came to his senses. A break in the crowd gave him the opportunity to yank her to a standing position and pus
h her to jog ahead of him, putting distance between her and the burning ship.

  "Where's the Shield?" she yelled, her voice muted by the ringing in her ears.

  "He said he was taking the high ground. He's got eyes on us. We should be okay, but we need to get back to the car."

  Sirens started to wail, and more T-CASS teams dashed past her. Some jumped into the water. Others soared into the air as the boat tilted with a harsh screech of metal against metal. More smoke made her eyes water. The crowd ahead of them blurred into a mass of color and panic. More gunfire erupted. The crowd ahead of them surged backwards.

  "Ow, ow, ow!" A huge guy carrying a news camera stepped on her sneakers, crushing her toes. McNamara pulled her closer to the warehouse wall and away from the stream of bodies.

  The Shield rounded the corner, arms pumping. He saw them. Next thing she knew, he had grabbed her and pushed her against Scott, who crushed her to his chest with one hand. In the other, he carried a rifle.

  He'd been right and she'd been wrong. She should have listened to him. Hannah closed her eyes, a thousand apologies ready to spill if only he wouldn't let her go.

  "Behind me." The Shield motioned with his handgun. "I can shield all of you, but you have to stay close together! There are gunmen in the parking lot."

  Scott tucked her head under his chin. Sharp bits of wood, metal, and blood rained down from above.

  "Alek? Evan?" she stuttered.

  "I don't know." Scott's grip on her shoulders tightened.

  A bullet winged overhead. The crack of wood splintering tucked her even closer to Scott as the debris landed about two inches from her face, then bounced to the ground.

  So that's what the Shield meant by "shield." The flying debris couldn't touch her, at least as long as she stayed pressed against Scott.

  "Come on!" The Shield motioned them forward, away from the building. "Hannah's one of the targets. We have to move."

  Hannah didn't want to leave Scott's arms. Instead, she matched his stride, keeping her head low as they made their way around the building to the parking lot. McNamara staggered beside her. Was he hurt? She didn't see any blood. She didn't have time to take a closer look. The Shield led them toward the nearest row of cars. McNamara stumbled into her again.

  "Keep your heads down! Get behind the SUV!" The Shield pointed to the second row, and a red SUV parked between two pickup trucks.

  The Shield motioned for Scott to watch their backs. "I'll drive. You use the rifle," he ordered.

  "Lean on me." She reached for McNamara. She was the only choice if he was going to make it to the car.

  They shuffled as fast as they could. McNamara favored his right ankle. Nothing she could do about it now. They had almost made it to the SUV when another bullet whizzed by her head, bounced off the Shield's shield, and punctured the SUV's window. The glass shards sprayed the Shield, covering both of them. More gun shots followed. This time Hannah pulled McNamara behind her until they crouched next to a tire.

  "How bad is it?" Hannah reached for McNamara's ankle. She only wanted to look at the damage, but McNamara knocked her hand away.

  "Not here," he said, but before she could correct him, he pulled her into his arms as another barrage of bullets fired in the background. "It's nothing serious. We'll worry about it later."

  He lied. He was hurt. At least he didn't deny he was hurt at all. Should she risk bloodsurfing? She could outmaneuver McNamara if she had to. Could a bullet hit her if she was inside his body? No, McNamara was right. Not here, not now. No matter how fast she was, she would be putting them both at greater risk.

  In the meantime, Scott fired the rifle while the Shield used his handgun to fire back. They worked in sync, the Shield firing until he’d spent his magazine, then pulling back while Scott fired the rifle. They created a wall of gunfire around her and McNamara, but she couldn't see how many terrorists they hit.

  "What's happening?" she shouted. More gunfire spat past the SUV before Scott could answer. Instead, he rounded the corner of the SUV to start firing again.

  The Shield swung around the opposite side. He released a spent magazine from his gun and slapped in a new one, while Scott continued to fire.

  Scott pulled back. "I'm out."

  Hannah assumed he meant bullets for the rifle. He reached into his jacket. She knew he always carried at least two hand guns with him.

  "There are four heading in this direction, two from the south, two from the east," the Shield shouted to Scott. "The car is three rows back, fifth car from the end. Silver Cadillac. I can extend my shield in all directions but you need to stay within six feet of me for maximum effect. You cannot shoot through my shields if I cover your whole body. Wait until I tell you to shoot and I'll uncover your hands and the gun."

  Scott slipped the rifle over his shoulder. "I'll take the east."

  The Shield nodded, his handgun and sunglasses still in place. "On three...two...one...Go...Go...Go!"

  This time, Hannah helped pull McNamara to his feet. With Scott and the Shield flanking them, a steady stream of bullets firing from their guns, they made their way three rows back, five cars from the end. Sparks flew as the bullets hit metal. Hannah kept her eyes forward, so she wouldn't trip with McNamara leaning one her, but she could hear the Shield shout at Scott every ten or fifteen steps, telling him to fire.

  The return fire became erratic, slower, as if there were fewer gunmen firing at them, but Hannah didn't dare turn around to check. They made it to the car. McNamara fumbled with the keys from his pocket, until Hannah grabbed them and clicked the fob to open the doors. By the time she had shoved McNamara through the back door, the Shield had made his way around their group to take out the last attacker on Scott's side. He grabbed the keys from Hannah's hand before she could protest.

  "You, get in the back with McNamara." He pointed at Scott. "You, get in the passenger side."

  By now, cars had started to clog both the exit and entrance lanes. Horns honked and everyone yelled. The Shield slammed the driver's side door closed just as Scott did the same on the passenger side. Sitting next to Hannah, McNamara pushed her head down into her lap as he leaned forward over his own.

  The Cadillac jerked backward as the Shield pulled out of the space. Then it slammed forward with tires squealing in protest. Hannah reached up to pull McNamara's hand off her head. She needed something secure to hold. He squeezed her hand, his head bent low close to hers. His breath pulsed against her cheek.

  "We've got company!" the Shield shouted again.

  "Stay down," Scott ordered from up front.

  The car swerved, sending her body into the door. Branches scraped along the car's sides, scratching it. She suspected the Shield was making his own exit from the parking lot. Scott rolled down the window from his side.

  "Not yet!" the Shield called.

  "I don't see them," Scott said.

  "You will. Ambush once we hit the asphalt. Hang on!"

  The car spun a nausea-inducing one hundred eighty degrees, then sped faster. McNamara groaned.

  "I see them!" Scott shouted this time.

  "Not yet. I'll get you closer."

  Closer? Wasn't the Shield supposed to keep them as far away from the terrorists as possible?

  "Fire!"

  Scott did, and kept firing even as the car hit what was either a pot hole or a speed bump. Either way, Hannah's head hit the door despite her crouched position.

  "Got two, maybe three," Scott said.

  The Shield didn't reply and he didn't slow down. Seconds ticked by.

  "I don't think they're following us." Scott rolled up the window and looked back at both her and McNamara. "Are you okay?"

  Hannah could only nod, her heart beating too fast for her to speak.

  Another minute passed before she could sit up and talk. "What about the others? Evan and Alek...Spritz? Highlight?"

  Scott leaned against the head-rest and rubbed his neck. "I don't know. I saw one of the twins fall into the middle of the
blast. I don't know which one. I was going to translocate him out, but I don't know which one to pull."

  Fall into the blast? "Can you call Thomas? He must know if they're okay or not."

  Scott pulled his phone from his pocket.

  "Do not use my name," the Shield said. Hannah peeked between the seats. The Shield didn't even have to take his sunglass-covered eyes off the road to let everyone know there would be consequences if he wasn't obeyed. "Do not tell them you are with me. That's an order."

  Scott said nothing. With his thumb he speed dialed a number, then activated the speakerphone. "T-CASS dispatch."

  "This is Scott Grey. I have Hannah Quinn and Doctor Russell McNamara with me. We've evacuated from the harbor area. We're fine."

  "What is your current location and where are you headed?"

  In the background, Hannah could hear lots of voices. Thomas's worker bees must be fielding hundreds of calls at this point.

  McNamara squeezed her hand again and said, "Harbor Regional. I can bring Hannah to my office. It's as safe a place as any. We'll have access to my computer. We can follow the news reports."

  Scott repeated the information in case dispatch couldn't hear McNamara.

  "Acknowledged, Scott Grey," the tinny voice replied. "I'll let Hack-Man know you've evac'd and are on your way to the hospital with no reported injuries."

  "Can you give me a status update on the harbor situation?" Scott asked. "Can you tell me if Rumble and Roar made it out of there?"

  A slight pause. "I have no further information to give you at this time, Scott Grey."

  It could mean anything, Hannah told herself. Scott was probably telling himself the same lie. "Thank you, dispatch. Please have Hack-Man call me directly at his earliest convenience."

  He disconnected the line. Hannah pulled her hand away from McNamara's to reach around the seat. Scott grabbed her hand. They held each other despite the gloves for the rest of the ride to the hospital.

  11

  Scott didn't want to let go of Hannah, but when the Shield swerved into McNamara's spot at top speed and stomped on the brake, the Cadillac jerked forward and Hannah's hand slipped out of his. Thank heavens for reserved parking.