Specters: A Monster Squad Novel - 8 (21 page)

Mark shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. You may end up facing this thing day or night. Just keep your eyes peeled for any kind of natural cave system.” He dismissed the squad and sent them to their waiting chopper. He worked his way toward the OPCOM when Dom and Marshall intercepted him. “Major, we need you to green light an op for us.”

Mark stared at the large Italian standing before him. “What op might that be?”

“We want to back up Phoenix when he hits the Devil and Miss Jones. I really think he should have an extra set of operators on the ground if she’s supposed to have hundreds of demons with her.” Dom elbowed Marshall who stood taller.

“If nothing else, we can provide support.”

Mark lowered his eyes and shook his head slowly. “According to Jack, it’s supposed to be the Junior Rangers, only.”

“We know that, sir. But maybe you could tell him that you insist?” Dom was reaching and he knew it. “Just…I dunno, tell him that if he’s going to be basing his group out of here, we need assets on the ground, too.”

Mark stared down the hall toward Mitchell’s door. “Clear it with the old man and you have my blessing.”

Dom broke into a toothy grin. “Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Jack’s liable to kick your can all the way back here even if the CO says yes.”

*****

Rufus stood near the open door of the hangar, the twilight warning him not to leave the shadows just yet. He listened intently on his satellite phone while it rang. When the voice on the other end answered he turned deeper into the shadow and glanced about to ensure it was safe to speak.

“I got your text. Are you certain it is ready?”

“We tested this one. Twice. After what happened with the last one…I can only apologize Monsieur Thorn. You were adamant about receiving it so soon, it couldn’t be tested and…”

“As long as this one works.” Rufus held his hand to the phone to prevent his voice from carrying. “It is still selective in its operation?”

“If you mean it will only kill what you aim it at, yes. Of that we are certain.”

Rufus shuddered as he tried to imagine how the device had been tested. “I’ll take your word for it. I’ll be sending my man to pick it up. No need to ship this one. Just make sure that it is properly cased.”

“Already taken care of, sir.”

Rufus quickly pressed the end call button then dialed Viktor. When the man answered Rufus didn’t allow him time to speak. “I need you to pick up a package in Austria.”

“They have finished already?”

Rufus fought the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “And it has been tested. There will be no repeat
accidents
.”

“Might I suggest that we
not
bring it the hunters? If they caught wind…”

Rufus nodded solemnly. “Agreed. Leave it on the plane. Contact me when you are close, and I shall meet you at the airport.”

“We’ll be taking the fight to her?”

Rufus glanced toward the stairwell leading to where Jack and his team of warriors were set up. “We will be taking the fight to someone, but I am not yet sure to whom.”

*****

Little John boarded the transport and strapped in. He tucked his rucksack beneath his seat and kicked it under tightly with the heel of his boot.

“Yo, boss, you ever face a Winnebago before?”

“Wendigo. And no.”

“Yeah, well Winnebago rolls off the tongue easier.” Little John checked his weapon safe then stowed it beside him. He watched Spalding strap in across from him. “You think this thing is as bad ass as the major thinks it is?”

Spanky shrugged. “I haven’t met a monster yet that was warm and cuddly. From what the spotter said, a lot of hikers have gone missing up there.”

John glanced about and watched the other hunters prepare for takeoff. Their demeanor seemed relaxed and uncaring for the most part. He hooked his thumb toward them and nudged Spanky. “Just another day at the office for these characters.”

“No sense getting twitchy ‘til you have to. Learn to relax until you have to tighten the sphincter.” Spanky gave him a quick wink.

John blew out a nervous breath and tried to relax his shoulders. “Easier said than done. If this thing is anything like what the XO sent to our PDAs?”

“Every monster has its weakness. If not silver, then it’s something else. I haven’t met anything yet that a good beheading and a big fire couldn’t kill.”

John stared at a spot in the wall, his mind elsewhere. “I pray you’re right.”

“Look, Sullivan, this thing eats so it probably breathes. If it breathes or bleeds, it can be killed. Don’t get wound up over it. We’ll probably get boots down, run into it and find out it’s nothing big. Hell, we may even find the missing spotter and find out his cell was busted. There’s no telling.”

John nodded absently. “I suppose you’re right. I just have this creepy feeling.”

“Why’s that? Because they think that these things were once human? So were vamps and wolves. Hell, just about everything out there that we hunt was once human.” Spanky snorted and shook his head. “Doesn’t say much for human nature when we can be turned into a monster so easy, does it?”

“There but by the grace of God go I.” His voice was barely a whisper above the engines spinning up.

“Yeah, well, just remember…we’re the good guys.” Spanky slapped the man on the back of the shoulder then settled back, his eyes closed for the ride.

John stared at his hands, his mind wondering,
Are we? Are we really?

*****

Bigby watched as the team loaded into a truck then pulled away from the hangar toward the airstrip. He eased around the edge of the window sill and focused tightly on the hangar. The setting sun threw shadows across the different openings and he couldn’t make out what was within.

“Looks like some of them are leaving. Probably out to hunt some unsuspecting werewolf.” He cast a quick glance toward Mick. “Or werecat.”

Mick didn’t take the bait. He kept his eyes focused on the tips of his boots. “You going to wait until they return to do your thing or do you plan to gas the other two-thirds while these are away?”

Bigby smiled at the disdain in his voice. “I’m not sure yet. First things first. I need to put eyes on those air inlets.”

“They’re on the back side of the hangar. You’ll have to actually leave here to find them.”

“Aye, and I intend to.” He put the caps back on the binoculars and set them aside. “I just need to wait for it to get a little bit darker.”

Mick snorted. “Just walk up like you own the place. You did it with me, and look at how that worked out.”

Bigby squatted next to the man and tilted his head, studying him in the growing darkness. “These men aren’t pussies like you are. They actually put up a fight.”

Mick turned hateful eyes to him. “So take the fight to them. Face them like a man.”

Big smiled and Mick felt a lump form in his throat. It wasn’t a happy smile.

“If it were one on one, I’d do just that, mate. But these boys are trained killers. Just like me. Unlike some people, I know when the odds aren’t in my favor.”

Bigby reached across the man and plucked a protein bar from his stack. He ripped it open and bit off a chunk. “I’ll be taking the fight to them, but not until the time is right.”

“Gassing a group of people when they aren’t expecting it isn’t taking the fight to them. It’s cowardly and you know it.”

Bigby refused to be baited. “Maybe. But I see it as a way to even the odds.”

“How is poisoning the whole group evening the odds?” Mick sat up straighter and stared at the man.

Bibgy swallowed the bite he had in his mouth and sat down on the floor across from Mick. “If I had a missile, I’d use it. If I had an army, I’d use it. Since I don’t have either of those weapons, I’ll use my head. And my head tells me to gas them all and then go through and sink a round into their skulls while they’re twitching on the ground.” He bit off another chunk of the protein bar then tossed the rest aside. “We came at these buggars with an army once. They sent ‘em packing with their tails between their legs. Then they hunted us down and they took out that army. That leaves just me.”

“So rather than admit defeat, you’re going to poison the whole lot of them?”

Bigby nodded. “Every last one. Right down to the little shits whose only job is to sweep the floors and empty the bins. If they’re part of that operation, they die. Plain and simple.”

Mick exhaled hard and settled back against the wall. “It’s still wrong. I’m no
warrior
like you claim, but even I know that.”

“One of these days you’ll care about something enough that you’ll be willing to put your life on the line for it.” He stood and stretched. “When that happens, you’ll understand why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

Mick watched the man stroll across the empty workspace but his mind was wrapped around Jennifer. She didn’t deserve to die because this maniac wanted the rest of them dead.

Care about something enough to put his life on the line for it?
He thought of Jennifer again and swallowed hard. He found himself standing, his fists clenched as he watched Bigby stare through the binoculars again.

In his mind he was moving toward the man, his body shifting, preparing to rip him apart. In reality, he sat back down and stared at his hands.

*****

Lilith stood along the upper railing and stared down at her demon army as they began grouping into battalions. She smiled to herself as fully two-thirds of her people had already found their way to her once more.

“Very soon the rest will arrive.” Samael hovered nearby, his body hidden in the shadows. “We can arrange transport once they are assembled.”

Lilith turned slowly on him, her eyes questioning. “Tell me, lover, why don’t the demons simply possess the bodies of the hunters and bring me what is mine?”

Samael sighed and placed a hand on her hip. “The hunters have been warded from possession. I cannot tell if it is a spell or talisman, but your demons cannot physically inhabit their bodies.”

“A shame. It would be pleasing if I could retrieve what is mine and simply have my demons cut the hunters throats before departing.”

“As soon as we realized who we were facing, the demons attempted. It was…painful to say the least.” Lilith gave him a quizzical stare and he continued, “The warding burned them. Much like silver to a vampire. The hunters never even realized what was happening but the demons who volunteered? They will not soon forget.”

“Interesting.” She turned back to observe her troops once more. “And can we discover the source of the warding?”

“Perhaps once we have attacked and decimated their force. We could leave one or two alive and question them.”

“And if they don’t know or are unwilling to share this information?”

Samael smiled. “Then we shall bury them alive in the rubble of their stronghold.”

Lilith smiled and stepped close enough to kiss her fallen angel. “You’re starting to sound more like your brother.”

Samael snorted, “You have no idea.”

*****

Jameson walked through the newly constructed halls and heard his own footsteps echo off of the walls. The structure appeared nearly abandoned but he knew that was intentional. He strode to the stairwell door and pulled it open just as Ingram stepped out.

“I was just coming to escort you in.” He gave Jameson a puzzled look.

“I have a copy of the schematics, remember?” He held the door for Ingram and waited while he slowly turned and began to make his way back down the stairs. “How long until the operation begins?”

“The drone just verified that they are assembling and preparing to move. The Titans will be in place in a matter of moments.”

“They won’t begin without us?” Jameson waited while Robert punched the codes into the door to the operations room.

“Negative. They are in stand-by mode waiting for the order to go.”

Jameson took his seat and waited while the small handful of technicians prepared their consoles. Ingram walked slowly behind each one and pointed to the large flat screen mounted above each station. “Communications. Satellite Imagery. Air Support. Life Support.”

Jameson’s brow furrowed. “Life Support?”

“They monitor the vitals of the Titans via their interactive armor. If anything goes south, we’ll get a report here in real time.”

“How do you mean, ‘goes south’?”

Ingram shook his head as he sat beside Jameson. “If they incur any battle damage, it’s reported here. We monitor their heart rate, adrenaline and cortisol levels, blood pressure…the works.”

Jameson hiked a brow. “And it’s all read through their armor?”

“Yup. We can even feed their heads-up displays there. Or we can switch to a helmet camera and see things as they do. It’s quite remarkable.”