Savior (The Savior Series Book 1) (18 page)

35. PARDON THE INTERUPTION

FOUR OF THE STRANGERS THAT STOOD BEFORE US WERE carrying assault rifles, but none of them were aiming at us. I could tell that the fifth Stranger that stood the closest to us was probably the one calling the shots. Instead of the typical black body armor and plain white mask, he wore a dark brown, full-length duster coat over jet-black body armor along with a red Greek Comedy Mask and a black cowboy hat that was slightly tipped forward. Instead of an assault rifle, he had a gigantic magnum revolver holstered on his right hip.

None of them were aiming their guns, so I tried to soften my posture as the Stranger wearing the red mask tipped his hat and nodded at Howie.

“Evenin’, gentlemen,” he said with a thick southern accent.

“Hello, Charlie. I didn’t realize you were stopping by tonight,” Howie replied.

“Well, I happened to be in the neighborhood, and I figured it wouldn’t hurt much if I dropped in. So how’s everything comin' along, Hoss? You take care of that pesky virus yet?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah, we're actually almost done. I just need to install the hardware, and it should be smooth sailing from there.”

“Is that a fact?” Charlie asked, mockingly. “Well, I'm afraid that equipment's gonna have to wait, Hoss. You see, the big wigs just arrived upstairs, and there's one in particular who wants to make your acquaintance. Now I don't want to go and spoil the surprise, but I
suspect
he doesn't want to be waitin' all night.”

It smelled like a trap. For all we knew, they had captured and killed Jason and were luring us to our deaths as well. But I didn't know that for sure. He was obviously implying that The Suspect was on the premises and, if he was, then I would gladly go quietly to him if it meant that I would get the chance to wrap my hands around his neck.

I gave Howie a subtle nod as he glanced at me for guidance.

“Certainly. We wouldn't dream of keeping him waiting,” Howie finally replied.

“Alright then. After you fine gentlemen,” Charlie said gesturing toward the exit. As I headed toward the exit I could tell he was smiling beneath the sinister smirk of the Greek Comedy mask that he wore upon his face.

THE BAD FEELING I HAD BECAME A LOT WORSE AS WE exited the elevator on the roof and I noticed that The Suspect was nowhere in sight. The moon had risen high in the cloudless night sky as Howie and I proceeded forward with Charlie and his fellow Strangers just a few feet behind us. They still had not yet aimed their weapons at us, but it still felt like we were being led away at gunpoint.

“That's far enough,” Charlie said as we reached the center of the roof.

I stiffened as I anticipated an imminent attack. I wondered if they would shoot us in the backs like cowards or line us up execution style.

“What’s going on here, Charlie?” Howie demanded without facing him.

“You tell me, Hoss,” Charlie replied from behind us. The hints of humor and sarcasm that I detected in his voice earlier had vanished. Playtime was apparently over.

“I'm not sure what you mean,” Howie replied, convincingly.

“Where's Bravo?” Charlie demanded.

Howie and I stood in silence as The Strangers walked in front of us and finally aimed their rifles at us. A tremor shot down my spine as I thought of Howie. I suddenly wished that I had his mind in order to calculate my odds of taking them all out before they got a shot off.

“Bravo is standing right beside me. What’s the meaning of this, Charlie?” Howie asked. He was hiding his fear well, but I could tell that he was still afraid. I kept telling myself that he didn’t need to be scared. Whatever they were planning probably didn’t account for the fact that I was strong enough to hoist a 6000-pound truck above my head.

“You think you're pretty smart, don't ya, Hoss?” Charlie mocked.

“No, I’m just having trouble understanding what’s going on here. I was brought in to do a specific job and whatever this is, isn't helping,” Howie retorted.

“Well I reckon I should clear thangs up for ya, Hoss. You see, you're not the only wiz kid on the block now, partner. Some of your former comrades were excited to have a valued asset like yourself decide to come out of retirement, but The Suspect figured the timin’ of it was a little too odd for his likin’. Now, Bravo was supposed to bring you back here, that much is true. But you weren't supposed to actually to be alive when you got here, Hoss.”

“Enough talk,” I snapped. “I'm only gonna give you one chance to walk away from this! If you leave now-”

With almost unnatural speed, Charlie had drawn his pistol and aimed it at my head before I finished my sentence. My heart rate tripled as I stared down the barrel of the silver Magnum revolver.

“I'm sorry, Hoss, did I break your concentration?” Charlie asked, smugly.

“Hardly,” I growled.

“That mouthful of sass is fixin’ to get you a mouthful of lead, boy. This ain't no peashooter, Hoss. If I squeeze this trigger once, you can kiss that melon goodbye. Now, I expect the next thing outta that mouth of yours to be the whereabouts of Bravo.”

The sight of Charlie’s enormous pistol was making me nervous, but I was relieved that he was aiming at me instead of Howie. I wasn’t sure how my dense molecular composition would deal with a gunshot, but I hoped it would hold up similar to when that mugger tried to stab me and his knife broke on my skin.

“What's it gonna be, Princess?” Charlie asked.

I suddenly grabbed Howie by the back of his collar before any of them could react. I figured he would be pretty sore in the morning, but getting him out of the way was the only way that I could really cut loose.

I hurled Howie’s body over the group of Strangers and leapt into action just as they turned to see where he had landed.

Charlie slithered away as I caught the closest Stranger with a devastating right hook to the back of his head. I flattened the next two Strangers with vicious right and left hooks before the first one had even hit the floor. I heard a thundering gunshot just as I pummeled the last one to the floor. Before I could dive away, something slammed hard against my left shoulder with so much force that I was instantly knocked off my feet. Charlie stood fifteen feet away from the battle, brandishing his smoking gun when the dust settled.

The bullet didn’t break the skin but the pain was excruciating. It felt like someone had just driven a semi-truck into my arm. Just as Charlie aimed the smoking hand cannon at my head, a sudden dark blur appeared and forced him to leap backward before he could fire another shot.

For a moment I forgot about the pain throbbing in my left shoulder as I noticed Jason standing between Charlie and me aiming one of the Stranger’s M16s at Charlie. The joy of knowing that he wasn't dead was enough to keep the pain in my shoulder at bay long enough for me to pull myself to my feet.

“Drop it, dirt bag!”
Jason ordered as his long headband fluttered in the cool night air.

“You know what the funny thing is? I was just about to say the same thing to you, Hoss!” Charlie replied.

“If you think that six-shooter can stand up to an M16, you’re kidding yourself. Don’t be stupid, Charlie. I don't want to have to shoot you, but if you don't lower your weapon, that's exactly what's going to happen!”
Jason's rifle was aimed for Charlie's chest. I had no idea if Jason had ever held a gun before then, but he sure seemed to be a natural.

I balled my fists as I prepared for the impending firefight. The pain in my left shoulder was still throbbing to the tune of my overactive heartbeat, but I had to ignore it. I was worried about Jason. Not only was Charlie quick enough to hit me while I was moving in overdrive, but if his revolver packed enough punch to cause me that much pain, I didn’t want to think about what it would do to Jason.

“Last chance, buddy. You’ve got five seconds,”
Jason said firmly.

Jason and I both flinched as Charlie quickly placed his pistol back in its holster in less time than it took for us to draw a single breath. It was obvious that he could have gotten off a shot if he had wanted to and it bothered me that I didn’t know why he chose not to.

“All right, Hoss,” Charlie finally said. “Suit yourself. But just know that I was gonna go easy on you. Now, just in case you forgot, the elevator is that way,” he said as he pointed to the elevator behind us.

My stomach did a summersault as I glanced at the elevator. Jason had seen it too. We both looked at each other as we realized that we had just laid eyes on the last thing either of us wanted to see in that moment.

36. GAME CHANGER

THE GAME HAD CHANGED. MY HEART SANK DEEPER INTO my chest as the group of Strangers blocking the elevator parted and Tango, the shortest but by far the deadliest of The Strangers, emerged from the pack.

He only stood about 5’7” yet his muscle-bound frame made him considerably more physically imposing than any of his comrades. From the waist down, he wore the same black combat gear as his fellow Strangers, but the only thing he wore on his insanely muscular upper body was the white tape that was wrapped around his forearms and hands and two swords that were strapped across his back. I recognized his long dreadlocks and the ivory and black half-face masquerade mask that only covered the upper right side of his face from the picture that Howie had shown us.

Still holding the assault rifle, Jason took a step toward Tango and the ten Strangers that now blocked our path to the elevator.

“We were just leaving. We still have Bravo in custody, but we’re willing to return him so long as you allow us to leave peacefully,”
Jason stated, firmly.

Tango chuckled but did not reply.

“Is there something funny?” I demanded.

“I didn’t come here to talk,” Tango barked. “If you want off this roof that’s fine; the elevator is right there. Just know you’re gonna have to go through me to get to it. Now, if you want to save the boys here the trouble of mopping up after I’m done, I’ll also give you an opportunity to jump.” His voice was a lot deeper and raspier than I thought it would be.

“He ain’t usually that nice, Hoss! You’d better listen to him!” Charlie yelled from behind us.

“You think I’m afraid of one guy?!” I asked, as I glared at him over my shoulder.

“You clearly don’t realize what you’ve stepped in, do ya, Hoss? Well I’ll tell you, you’re about five seconds away from gettin’ a chunk torn out of you big enough to clog a drain, boy!” Charlie quipped to his comrades’ delight.

Is this guy serious?
I thought. Howie had warned us about Tango’s fighting abilities, but I couldn’t believe the extent of their arrogance. Did they really think we would jump off the roof of a building in order to avoid fighting them?

“Are you all gonna talk us to death, or are you and your men gonna make a move?!” I shouted at Tango. My stomach dropped as I completed my sentence. It felt like I had just poked a sleeping tiger, but I couldn’t help but react. That self-assurance on his face and the idiotic ramblings of Charlie were really pissing me off.

“The boys are sitting this one out, pal. Like I said, you’ve got two choices. You can either try to go through me, or you can make it easier on yourselves and take me up on my other offer.”

“You’re the only one going off of this roof if you don’t stand aside,” I growled.

“That’s pretty tough talk for a dead man,” Tango retorted.

“I’m not dead yet!” I barked.

“You’re right. My watch is about five minutes fast.” Laughter erupted from Charlie and the Strangers that surrounded Tango. As the blistering anger boiled inside of me, I balled my fists and was about to attack when I felt Jason’s hand fall onto my shoulder.

“This doesn’t have to get ugly,” he said while facing Tango.

“It’s too late for small talk, Hoss!” Charlie shouted. “You boys are already dead and you don’t even know it!”

“I don’t think you realize who you’re talking to!” I bellowed as I whipped around and glared at Charlie.

“Well by God, Hoss. Enlighten me why don’t cha? I’ve been dying to know who’s hiding behind that Bravo mask.”

“Reaper, don’t!”
Jason yelled.

Too late. I had already ripped Bravo’s mask from my face and tossed it aside. The crowd of Strangers released a collective gasp as they recognized the skull-faced ski mask that I had worn the night I saved that woman from the mugger. They had all either seen it on the news or on the internet, which meant they all knew what I could do.

“Well I’ll be, dog. You really do exist. And here I thought those videos were fake!” Charlie exclaimed. “That does explain how that arm of yours is still attached to your body. But I’ll tell you what, Hoss, all that fancy stuff you can do ain’t gonna amount to a hill of beans against that man. If I were you, I’d jump.”

I had heard enough. The entire rooftop was left in slow motion as I turned and rocketed toward Tango with a devastating right hand cocked behind me. He was completely motionless as I zoomed toward him at sixty miles per hour.

I flung my right-handed haymaker at his face. To my surprise, my fist hit absolutely nothing as Tango quickly sidestepped the attack and kicked me hard in the back, causing my momentum to nearly carry me off the roof. The rage within me increased as I struggled to regain my balance. That smug smile was still plastered across his face as I turned to face him.

“Reaper, wait!”
Jason shouted. But it was too late. I was already zipping toward Tango once more by the time he had finished his sentence. Tango sidestepped my attack with even more ease, which sent me flying toward Jason and Charlie, who scrambled out of the way before I collided with them.

My 800-pound body threatened to cave the roof in as I lost my balance and fell. Charlie and the crowd of Stranger spectators erupted into laughter once again at my expense.

“I suggest you stay down!” Tango howled as his men cheered him on.

“Listen to him, Hoss! He ain’t gonna tell you again!” Charlie yelled from the crowd.

A sharp pain shot through my left shoulder as I attempted to stand.

“I’ve got you,”
Jason said as he kneeled beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“I’ve got this! I don’t need any help!” I shouted as I slammed my hands against the roof below me. Jason took a step back and discarded the assault rifle that he was carrying as I pulled myself to my feet.

I tried to focus on my rage and forget about the fire burning pain in my left shoulder.

“We have to be strategic about this, Reaper,”
Jason said quietly.

“I don’t need help!”

“Reaper, don’t be stupid!”
Jason hissed.

“I said, I’ve got this!” I yelled.

“Not from where I’m standing, pal,” Tango said. “This fight was over before it even started because you tipped your hand when you showed me that mask. There’s a small chance you could have caught me off guard with that speed of yours if you hadn’t shown me who you really are. Now that I know, you’re kidding yourself if you think you can cover thirty feet faster than the time it takes me to move a few inches to the left or right.”

“He’s right, Reaper. He’s using your speed and momentum against you. We have to do this together,”
Jason insisted.

I don’t know what made me angrier: the fact that Tango was right or that fact that I needed Jason’s help to take him on. He was just a man, and I was supposed to be something more. I was supposed to be special.

I nodded at Jason and slowly started toward Tango. Jason’s long headband fluttered in the wind as he quickly joined my approach and moved alongside me with cat-like grace. Tango smiled as he folded his massive arms across his chest and looked past me as we approached him. A tremor shot down my spine as I realized that he wasn’t looking behind me. He was staring at my injured left shoulder because I had been favoring it without even realizing it. I fought the urge to wince in pain as I quickly straightened my posture, but it was too late. He had already noticed my weakness.

I maneuvered my way to his right as Jason slid to his left, and the crowd of Strangers formed a circle around us.

“You’re up, Ace,” I whispered.

Jason nodded and cautiously advanced toward Tango. It almost felt like I was throwing him to the wolves, but I needed him to distract Tango long enough for me to get a good shot in. He was quick enough to elude my attacks but I doubted that Tango was tough enough to withstand one of my punches if I was actually able to land one.

As Jason neared, Tango suddenly lashed out at me, taking me by surprise. I was astounded by how quickly he was upon me. He hit me twice in the face and three times in the gut before I could even react. Luckily, he didn’t know how dense my body was when he threw the punches. They didn’t hurt, but I could tell that if I were normal, I would have been incapacitated.

I threw a wild right backhand and missed as he quickly dodged to my right. He swiftly ducked Jason’s incoming roundhouse and threw him into me, causing us both to stumble backward.

Jason promptly charged him again, but he was almost instantly floored by a devastating three-punch combination from Tango.

That was the first time I had ever seen Jason on the losing end of a fight. Before that moment, Jason was the best hand to hand combatant I had ever laid eyes on, but I had just witnessed Tango put him on his back without even breaking a sweat. For the first time that night, I began to wonder if we could actually win.

I sprang into action as Tango prepared to stomp Jason. Tango gracefully leapt away as I attempted to grab him. I quickly whipped around to try again, but to my surprise, Tango had vanished.

The fire in my left shoulder erupted and engulfed the entire left side of my body, bringing me to my knees. Tango had maneuvered his way behind me and delivered a crushing roundhouse kick to my injured left shoulder, further dislocating it. Jason sprang to his feet as Tango delivered a crushing, spinning heel kick to my head.

I felt that one. He had to have realized how dense my body was and adjusted accordingly because that kick was delivered with enough force to shatter concrete.

I was slipping out of consciousness as my face slammed against the floor. The only thing that kept me from passing out was the sound of Jason getting absolutely hammered by Tango.

Get up!
I thought!
Get up; he needs you! He’s going to kill him!

I slammed my right hand against the roof beneath me and turned myself toward the fight.

Jason was concentrating his efforts on defense but his will was fading fast as Tango’s relentless barrage of punches and kicks continued to rain.

“Come on, kid! Aren’t you gonna throw a punch!” Tango roared as he broke through Jason’s defense and delivered a stiff left jab to his face, sending him stumbling backward.

I tried to pull myself to my feet but collapsed due to the pain in my left shoulder. Tango unleashed another combination of lightning fast punches, but Jason did well to block them all. They were both astonishingly fast, but Tango was simply stronger and much more vicious. He took more risks but was always able to dodge and deliver a devastating counterattack whenever Jason threw a punch.

“Come on, Ace!” I shouted.

“Yeah, come on, Ace! Keep beatin’ his fists with your face!” Charlie mocked.

As I glared at Charlie, I was shocked to see that The Strangers near him were now holding Howie at gunpoint. The terror in Howie’s eyes matched the desperation that I heard in Jason’s voice through my ear piece as Tango’s unyielding attacks bore down on him. As I looked from Howie to Jason, I felt powerless to save either of them.

Get up!
I shouted to myself. I bit my lip as Tango finally hammered Jason to the floor and quickly grabbed his head and pulled him into a sleeper hold. As he tightened his grip around Jason’s neck, my heart rate doubled. I knew that if I didn’t intervene, Jason was going to die.

The extra adrenaline provided by Jason nearing the brink of death gave me the strength to launch myself into the air with my right arm. I twisted in midair and landed hard on my left side. A deafening scream escaped my lips as a piercing pain shot through the entire left side of my body. It hurt like hell, but I had accomplished my goal. Though my shoulder was in even more pain at that point, it was now back in its socket, which allowed me to pull myself to my feet.

An icy chill shot down my spine as I zoomed toward Tango just as he prepared to snap Jason’s neck. The rooftop seemed to be frozen in time as I rocketed through the space that separated me from him. Despite my speed, I could tell that Tango was somehow still able to track my movements. Before I could land the wild jab that I threw at his chest, he released Jason and leaped to the left, causing my momentum to carry me past them.

Jason rolled to Tango’s right as I whipped around and charged him again. My approach was slower and more controlled this time, but Tango still managed to evade my punch by sliding to his right just in the knick of time. He never even saw it coming. Jason had fired a vicious right hook at the same time that I rushed Tango. By dodging my attack, he had stepped right into Jason’s leaping power shot.

The entire roof fell silent as Tango stumbled backward, barely able to keep his footing. Before he could recover, Jason pounced and connected a ferocious five-punch combination, knocking him to the deck with the last blow. The crowd of Stranger’s released a collective gasp as they watched their greatest fighter go down for the first time ever. Jason leapt backward as Tango quickly unsheathed the two swords strapped to his back. Tango sprang to his feet as Jason slowly and deliberately unsheathed the katana at his waist. The slender blade of Jason’s sword seemed to emanate a diffused glow as the moonlight shone against it.

They lashed out at each other as quickly as two bolts of lightning. To my surprise, it was Jason who was now the aggressor. As their steel blades clashed, I could tell that something about Ace’s sword was giving him the edge.