Gods and Men- The Hank Boyd Omnibus, page 55
part #1 of Gods and Men Series
I don’t get to see her turn, though. Susan steps in front of me, cutting off my view of Nicole’s Baywatch impression. I grit my teeth and stand on shaky legs, but my enemy has underestimated me a little. Yes, my body may be weakened without the aid of the priest’s power, but my will is stronger than theirs all put together. I will die right here if it means protecting Nicole. The knowledge that I can go all out if I deem it necessary brings me strength and my body ceases to tremble.
I stand straight and smile.
“My body may be frail at times, but I fight for a greater cause than destruction.”
His eyebrows raise, waiting for me to continue.
“I fight for preservation. I fight with my soul—my heart.”
I kneel again, but not in weakness. I place my hands under the shallow water and close my eyes. This is going to hurt like hell and will definitely cause me to lose consciousness.
Come on Nicole…
I breathe in deep and push like I’m trying to lift the sky above me like the Titan, Atlas, did. His duty was a sentence to a life of agony and torment. I welcome the weight of the world, understanding that I’m the only one that can handle it.
Now.
My hands explode into white-hot flames, and they shoot outward, eating the seawater as it goes. Every last ounce of the stuff is turned to steam within a city block, permanently disarming my adversary.
Fire versus water. The thought warbles through my mind as my eyes begin to blacken. Fire won this battle. I look up through my foggy vision and see Susan, still alive and carefully standing on the hood of a half-melted SUV. His skin is covered in ash, and he has an almost frightened look on his face.
Then, my arms fail, and I fall face first onto the charred street.
Fire may have prevailed here today—winning this battle, but we may have very well just lost the war.
12
South Beach, Miami, Florida
A screeching sound wakes me from my impromptu nap, causing me to flail a little. I may have even yelped like a startled puppy, but immediately bury the humiliating memory. It’s like when you wake up while you dream of falling and have that mini-panic attack. Your arms grab for the closest thing, whether it’s your pillow, a glass of water, or even the person lying next to you. Either way, you’re scared shitless, thinking you’re going to plummet to the ground and die.
Except, this isn’t a nightmare… I really am going to die this time.
The roar of what sounds like another wave coming in grows louder as I look up, prepared to meet my maker head on. But instead of meeting him head-on, Susan meets head-on with the front end of our SUV.
Nicole slams the speeding, reinforced vehicle into the Atlantean. His vulnerability is now apparent. When there isn’t any water close by, he’s weaker, borderline defenseless. Unfortunately, knowing how this type operates, I’m willing to bet that not only will he survive the impact, but he’ll walk away unscathed. Probably won’t even bleed. He didn’t after I pile drove him into a palm tree after all. A lesser man would’ve been knocked out, maybe even killed.
Where’s Arnold when you need him?
“If…it bleeds,” I say, woozy, “we can…kill it.”
Even my normally above-average Austrian accent comes out garbled, sounding like an angry drunken Irishman instead.
Susan gets thrown over the Honda I hit earlier and lands somewhere beyond it with a thwap. Seeing an opportunity to escape alive, I try to lift myself off the ground, but only get to my hands and knees before being pulled down again.
I hear the telltale sound of a car door opening and feet stomping towards me. A pair of familiar boots appears in front of my face as I’m quickly manhandled off the ground and to my feet. I stumble but am thankfully caught by my extraordinarily strong girlfriend.
“Come on, Hank. Let’s get out of here while we can.”
“Please, do,” I say, my head spinning from exertion. I feel desiccated, starved, and horribly drunk. Come to think of it, the last thing I had was beer, so it makes sense. Either way, I’m completely drained and need time to recover... It’s time we may not have.
She helps me into the front passenger seat and I all but fall in, dragging myself the rest of the way. I hear the clomping of my borrowed boots as she then rounds the front of the SUV, rushing to the driver’s side.
“Nice kicks,” I say, trying to smile. It doesn’t work, though. Instead, I just fold in on myself and squeeze my eyes tight, trying my best to ward off an onsetting migraine.
“Not exactly my style, but they served their purpose.”
I watch as she flicks them off, puts the V8 into gear, and shoves the pedal down to the floor with her bare foot. Thankfully, the road is emptier than usual and the midweek afternoon traffic is light. She easily swerves in-and-out of the few wrecks, avoiding everything in our path.
Hardly able to move, I flip down the overhead vanity mirror and angle it so I can see what’s left of our friend. Susan is on his back and not moving. It’s impossible to tell from this distance if he’s breathing either.
“Get off this road,” I say, closing my eyes again. “Get us away from the coast.”
Without acknowledging me, Nicole quickly turns left, taking us farther inland. I try to reach Kane and Olivia, but neither one answers. Ben doesn’t either.
“Hank, thank God.” Todd does, however. “Are you guys okay?”
“We’re headed to the nearest airport, have something there waiting for us. Private jet. Hush, hush. Get us back to D.C. pronto.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Todd says.
“Why?” I ask.
“What makes you think they won’t try to hit us here again?” he asks. “They’ve seen our hand now. I know there isn’t much that can go up against two Vipers, but that was designed to go toe-to-toe with a human enemy, using modern tech. We need a more secure location, something pretty well off the grid.”
“Safe house?” Nicole asks.
“I think it’s our safest bet,” Todd replies, on the same page.
I don’t answer. I’m not happy about going there.
“Hank?” Todd asks, weary.
“I’m here, Q,” I say, using his callsign. “I agree, but I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I, my friend, but I think it’s our best option right now. We have all the necessary equipment already on location and ready to rock. All we’ll have to do is get there and plug ENVY in.”
“Okay, do it,” I say, trying to sit straighter. “Keep trying to get a hold of the others and arrange their transportation. Ben’s way out of the way, so we’ll have to operate with the assumption that he’s not coming home.”
“Will do, Hank. Stay safe.”
And with that Todd disconnects, no doubt already starting on his duties to bring everyone back alive.
The safe house...
It’s a place I never thought I’d have to go again. Not only was it a literal lion’s den—wolf den, actually—but it’s right smack in the middle of a small suburban town. The last thing I want to do is bring this fight there. But like Todd said, they know our response in D.C. We’ll be sitting out in the open.
“Fish in a barrel,” I mumble to myself.
“What?”
I look over to Nicole and see a welt on her forehead and a scrape on her chin.
“It’s fine,” she says, seeing me staring. “Road rash from when you tackled me.”
“Sorry.” I groan and sit up, the nausea subsiding enough to function. Now, instead of feeling like a beat-to-hell drunk, I only feel beat to hell. My head has cleared a little too, making it easier to see, not having to squint to keep my headache from worsening.
“Why sorry?” she asks.
“For the chin,” I say reaching out. I tilt her face just enough for me to get a better look at it, but not enough to force her eyes from the road.
“You saved my life three times in the matter of a few minutes,” she replies, her eyes flicking to mine for a second. “I should be the one to thank you.”
“You can later.”
She slaps my shoulder.
“I meant a beer and an ice pack!” I yelp, cowering away.
She just laughs, shaking her head.
We ride in silence for a couple of minutes, zigzagging from street to street while still heading north.
“You saved me too, you know,” I say, breaking the stillness.
“Well,” she says, shrugging, “technically the Jeep saved you. Not me.”
“What about when you almost showed the guy your assets?” I smile, trying to coax her into a tease fest Kane would be proud of.
She ignores me, however, not taking the bait.
I look back to the road ahead and watch as several police cars and ambulances, blow by us, no doubt headed to Ocean Drive.
“Who the hell are these people?” I ask myself aloud.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Nicole asks me back.
My silence answers for me. I have no idea what she means.
“My children will rise soon, and be led by the worst of them.” I know where she’s going with this, but I’m not sure if it’s connected or not. “From under the ruins, they will come, at the beginning.”
I don’t want to admit it, but… “I think you’re right.” I then tell her what Susan said.
“So it is her kids?” she says, fully believing her own hypothesis.
“Looks like it.”
“Do you think this guy was the worst of them like the warning suggests?” I ask.
“I don’t think so,” she replies. “He felt like more of a soldier—a pawn.”
As much as she trusts my judgment, I trust hers.
I breathe in deep, running the possibilities through my head. I don’t like any of them, and instead of tiring myself worse, I just recline my seat a little and close my eyes.
“I gotta get some rest,” I say. “Think we can make it to northern Georgia by tomorrow?”
I peek over and see her nod. “So we’re skipping the airport?”
Now it’s my turn to nod. “Better safe than sorry. Stopping now doesn’t’ seem like a good idea. May as well keep going and not loiter for too long. I’d like to take full advantage of this head start.”
She nods again as I close my eyes and think of the rest of my team. Then, I recall something that Susan said.
If only you knew your potential…
* * *
Susanoo laid still as his body healed. His eyes were closed, reluctantly taking the opportunity to contact the others. The last time he’d spoken to them they were beginning their individual assaults on the additional members of Boyd’s team.
“Phoenix, report,” he said sternly.
“These two have proved…elusive…but I have them where I want them, Susanoo.”
“When?”
“Soon, brother. Very soon.”
He mentally smiled towards his sister. Phoenix had never let him down. Neither had Anu for that matter. Then, there was Terra… She was the most inexperienced of the four, having less drive than they did. She was extremely powerful—the most powerful if she so chose, but lacked the will to fully use her gifts.
“Terra.”
“Yes, brother?” she replied, nervously.
“Report.”
He heard only silence in their communication, instantly telling him she had failed.
Disappointing…
“I send you after the weakest of them all, and you can’t even take care of him. He isn’t even a soldier.”
“He had help, Su—”
“Excuses!” He let the berating sting a while longer. Then he spoke again. “Don’t let it happen again.”
“I won’t…”
He quickly cut the communication and tried Anu.
“Anu, report.”
Nothing.
“Anu, I said report.”
Still nothing.
“Anu!”
He sighed.
Anu had been known to go rogue on occasion, focusing wholly on his task. Of the power they wielded, his was the most difficult to control. While the natural power of the Earth’s land and oceans were the most devastating of what the planet could offer, the sky itself took the deepest of concentration to manipulate. It wasn’t that Anu didn’t want to speak, it’s that he couldn’t while summoning it. Any lapse in focus could mean terrible things for him and his prey.
It was, indeed, a primal force to be reckoned with.
The older man, Fehr, didn’t stand a chance.
His eyes opened to a bright and clear south Florida sun, but before he could even contemplate enjoying the view, he wailed in agony and fear. His back arched and he clawed at the ground, kicking his legs in protest. Susanoo’s mental intrusions carried none of what he felt now—nor did the other Judge’s. This was a far stronger force invading his mind, piercing its depths like a hot poker.
“You have failed,” the hiss-like voice said, scraping down his spine, making his skin crawl.
“No, my lord,” Susanoo croaked, his body still locked in terror, “I have only been delayed.”
“Fool!”
The voice boomed through the Judge’s consciousness, threatening to tear away his very existence. Susanoo screamed for the master to stop, begging for mercy and another chance, but all he did was laugh.
“You’re weak, Susanoo. If I wasn’t resigned to using you and your siblings, I would have destroyed you all centuries ago.”
His body was released, and the attack on his mind lessened. Susanoo breathed in deep.
“Phoenix and Anu may have better success with their weaker prey,” he quickly added, desperately trying to ward off another cerebral invasion. “Boyd is much more powerful than we realized. If he were to unlock his true potential and—”
“Don’t tell me about power!”
Susanoo’s body writhed again, lifting a foot off the ground before being violently slammed back down, cracking the asphalt beneath. The master laughed again at his torment.
“It’s ‘your’ job to make sure he makes it to the tower ‘before’ he comes to that conclusion, while he’s still unsure of himself. It’s only a matter of time now. I do not care what condition he is in or if he is willing or not. We—you—must succeed.”
Susanoo would like nothing more than to bury a fist right into the master’s face and cease his mocking tone. It had been years since he had forcefully entered his mind. It was a dangerous way to begin a communication. It’s why he and the other Judge’s would send a pulse first. Then, they would allow entrance and reduce the risk of harming each other.
The master fears no such thing.
“It is my responsibility—one I plan on following through with,” Susanoo replied. “We—I—will be successful.”
He was about to add “I promise” to the end, but refrained. Susanoo would make no such claim. If they did fail in acquiring their prize, then the consequences would be even that much ghastlier.
“See that you don’t fail me again…” The voice started to fade as the master began letting go. “Remember one more thing, my judger of man… You may be strong enough to resist me, but the others are not.”
Susanoo’s breath caught.
“Fail me again, and you alone will be responsible for your family’s deaths. I will personally discontinue their existences.”
13
Typhoon Lagoon
Orlando, Florida
Kane and Olivia skirted around the northern end of the waterpark’s main walkway, following its circuitous route around the central wave pool. They ran as fast as their slipping feet, and wounded bodies would let them. No running! It’s what countless lifeguards used to tell him when he was younger. Then, they’d see the massively oversized youth that Kane was and back down. He wouldn’t have picked a fight with them, though, they were just doing their jobs. No, he just liked to watch grown-ass-men squirm under the gaze of a two-hundred-pound teenager.
“Merde!” Olivia shouted, hobbling as she ran. “That girl had a head like stone. I almost broke my leg.”
A few steps in front of her, Kane slowed and reached a catcher’s mitt-sized hand out. He then took the much smaller woman, lifting her like she weighed nothing, and slung her across his back. She clutched her arms around his throat, careful not to choke him, and then wrapped her legs around his waist, locking ankles, wincing as she applied pressure to the badly bruised shin bone.
“Are you okay?” she asked, bouncing up and down as he barely slowed.
“You kidding?” he said. “You remember Brooks?”
She did. He was Kane’s former Ranger teammate, turned traitor. He was one of the reasons Dr. Boyd, her mentor, died that day.
“Of course, I do,” she said, snapping harder than she intended.
He didn’t hear it, though. “I had to carry his ass like this for a couple miles once. Jerkoff was clipped by around, right in the foot. It was barely a scratch, but he was slowing us down.”
“Okay,” she said, “I just wasn’t—”
“Brooks wasn’t much lighter than me, Belle,” he said, snorting out a laugh as he ran. “You’re about as heavy as my pack from boot camp!”
She kissed the side of his face. “You really know how to make a girl feel good about herself, don’t you?”
Kane shrugged and smiled. “It’s a gift.”
“Look out!”
Kane barely had time to react to Olivia’s warning, when a palm tree fell in front of them. He tried to skid to a stop, but couldn’t. The ground was just too slick for his bare feet to find proper traction. So instead, he took the added forward momentum and leapt the still smoldering palm, landing on the other side. His legs buckled a little as he landed, twisting his knee hard.
They both went down, crashing into a pile of large inner tubes. Luckily, they had been passing one of the numerous entrances to the park’s immense lazy river. It followed the walkway, all the way around.
They sat up in unison, Kane having to look over the yellow inner tube resting on his shoulders. He imagined he looked exactly like the Coke bottle ring toss game from a carnival. What he saw only made him wish for a weapon even more than before. It was her.
