Specters: A Monster Squad Novel - 8 (27 page)

Evan shook his head slightly. “I’m afraid I’m still not following you.”

Tufo leaned in closer and practically growled in his ear, “Tell me it will go away.”

Evan shrugged nervously. “I honestly have no idea.” He pulled Mark’s hand closer and studied his fingers. “I mean, I’m assuming it’s a fight-or-flight response but…I have no idea.”

“So, you’re saying it might be like a hybrid erection?”

Evan sighed. “No, Major, I’m saying I simply don’t know. Maybe you’re evolving. Turning into something…else.”

“Like hell!” Mark averted his eyes and pulled Evan even further into the depths of the OPCOM as the techs and officers gave him a curious look.

Tufo waved his hands under Doc’s nose. “Make it go away.”

Evan gave him a droll stare. “Like the unwanted erection? Have you tried cold water?”

“Not funny, Doc.”

“I’m not trying to be. And why are you acting like you need to hide this? Everybody that you work with knows that you were infected with both…”

“Because other than
this
I look pretty much normal.”

“That’s a matter of opinion.”

“Don’t push my buttons, Doc. I think I could filet you with these.” He waved them in his face again. “And, good lord! How am I supposed to pick my nose with these?”

“You heal very rapidly, you know.” Evan tried not to smile. He failed.

“You’re not helping.” Mark turned and wished there was more room in the OPCOM so he could pace or throw furniture or do something else destructive.

“My question is,” Evan cleared his throat and tried to keep his composure. “How will you wipe your bottom without shredding your cheeks?”

Mark exhaled hard and fought the urge to run a claw-like nail across the vampire’s throat. He was really afraid that Mitchell might get butthurt if he harmed his favorite blood sucker.

“Go away, Doctor. If I wanted lame jokes, I could have told Phoenix about this. Or Laura. Or…hell, any of the operators.”

“Major, I’m sorry. All I can tell you at this point is what we already know. Your blood tests from this morning were exactly the same as all of the others. Either this is a response to the battle or you’re evolving. Only time will tell.”

“What if I grow fangs or a tail or, or, or…”

“Calm yourself, Major.” Doctor Peters patted his shoulder and slowly walked him back to the command chair. “Finish your operation here if you must or call in Colonel Mitchell to take over and we can go to the lab and run more tests.”

“No more needles.” Mark slumped into the chair and glared at the screens. “Go on, Doc. It’s about to start here, and I need to be ready.”

“Sir, they’re about to breach.”

“Very well.” He regained his composure and squared his shoulders. “Doc, stick around just in case anything else pops up.”

“Like a second unwanted erection?”

Heads turned and curious stares came from nearly everyone in the OPCOM. Mark groaned and shook his head. “Strike that comment from the hardcopy.”

“Stricken, sir.”

“Doc, just sit down, shut up, and keep your eyes open,” he groaned as he watched Jack and his team approach the front doors. Tufo sat up straight and stared at the doc. “Erections? Oh, my God. Doc…how the hell will I…I mean with these?”

“Sir! They’ve breached!”

*****

Rufus sat patiently in the shadows and waited. When the roll up door opened, he looked away and waited while the Mercedes pulled in before he stood and dusted himself off.

The rear door opened as he approached and Viktor stepped out. “It is good to see you again. I was afraid you wouldn’t make it.”

“
Oui
, I had my own doubts. I fear that bridge is burned now.” Rufus slid into the back seat and waited while Viktor slid back in and shut the door. He reached over and pulled the small curtains that covered the windows then tapped on the glass separating them from the driver. “I take it you had no problem picking up the package?”

“No. They met me at the airport. We touched down, they handed me the case, claimed the instructions were inside. We left and came straight here.”

Rufus smiled. “Excellent. Did you inspect it?”

“No. I thought it best to leave that for you.”

“We shall have to test the device beforehand then.” Rufus leaned back in the seat and exhaled deeply. He tried not to think about the task at hand, but his mind kept racing back to it. He glanced to Viktor who stared through a sliver of tinted glass between the drawn curtains.

“Do you think we shall succeed?”

Viktor turned from the windows and gave a slight shake of his head. “I do not know. It is a bold plan, taking on the council with so few.”

“Your people need not be involved. You know that.”

Viktor nodded and turned his attention back out the window. “I know. But I fear I must insist. Even with the wolves we are so few and I fear that it won’t be enough.”

“They need only to distract the guards enough to allow us within. Unless they’ve increased security since our last meeting, we should be good on our own.”

Viktor pulled his cell phone and checked his messages. “The wolves are assembled at the staging area.” He clicked his phone shut and sat up straighter. “We should be arriving shortly. Within a few short hours, your edict will no longer be an issue.”

“We have to ensure that all members are present. Otherwise, this will be a wasted effort.”

*****

“You seem deep in thought,” Little John had to yell to be heard over the drone of the engines.

“You might say that,” Spalding responded in his ear. “I’m still spun up over Apollo.”

“With any luck, we can get back quick and you can hunt for the shooter again.”

Spalding shook his head. “Trail’s too cold. We’re gonna have to wait for him to pop up and make himself known.”

“Don’t let it distract you, bro. If this thing is as nasty as the major lets on, you’re gonna have to be on your toes.” He punched Spalding in the arm light heartedly.

Darren nodded. “No worries. My head’s on tight. You stay frosty out there, too. These things are quick and nasty.”

“I dug through the database. I’m not seeing much more than what the XO sent with us. Are they that rare?”

Darren shrugged. “No idea. All I know is what you’ve got. They’re fast, they’re cranky, and they’re lethal.”

Sullivan leaned back and stared at this PDA. “I hate to say this, but I almost wish I had some of the freaks from Thompson’s team with us.”

“You mean like your sister?” Darren gave him a sideways glance.

Sullivan opened his mouth to argue then quickly shut it. He nodded slowly. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

“Do you think they’re better fighters than us, Little John?”

Sullivan shook his head. “No, sir. But I tend to worry about Brooke. Maybe if she were with me, I could keep her safe.”

“You do realize that she’s your
older
sister, right? She’s been doing this since you were…what? Ten?”

“Yeah, yeah, rub it in.” Sullivan grimaced. “I can’t help it, boss. She still looks like a kid to me.”

“The advantages to not aging, I suppose.” Darren shook his head. “You know, I see Thorn and I think to myself, ‘I’ve got socks older than this kid’ but then I remember that he’s centuries old and it just floors me. Can you imagine living that long?”

“Are you kidding? In our line of work?” Sullivan laughed. “I thought our life expectancy was just short of two years?”

Darren shrugged. “I dunno. Something like that.” He leaned back and closed his eyes, doing his best to shut the idea out of his head. “Every day you wake up not dead is a gift. Enjoy it.”

“Copy that, boss.”

*****

  Bigby shot around the corner of the office building and made for the maintenance buildings on the opposite side of the block. He hoped that whoever he’d seen coming for him was stupid enough to search the building he’d been set up in first.

He slid in the loose gravel and fell into the ditch beside the road, his head popping up to check for anybody following; his rifle to his shoulder and his eyes scanning the darkness for forms advancing on his position.

“Fooking cats.” He switched on his IR and checked for warm bodies. “I knew there was a reason I hated the fuzzy bastards.”

Satisfied that the trail was clear, he slipped down the slope and made his way across to the empty maintenance buildings. Thankfully these facilities weren’t a twenty-four hour operation. He listened intently at the doors, ensured that no lights were on, then circled the building while looking for any windows that might be open. He found one on the second floor and slung his rifle over his shoulder.

With a three step leap, he jumped and grasped the bottom of the window then hauled himself up and through the open second story opening. He sat crouched in the darkness and listened, ensuring that nobody was inside before dropping to the concrete floor below.

The smell of oil and metal shavings overpowered his senses. He knew this had to be some kind of fabrication shop. He also knew that they’d be open at the crack of dawn, and he’d have to make his getaway long before the first base personnel arrived for work.

Leave it to a cat to screw up his plans.

Big sat alone in the dark and tried to plan his next steps. Could the werecat have somehow warned the hunters of his plans before he expired? He really didn’t think so. It looked like a clean shot through the chest. Should have exploded his heart and lungs with that one round.

Still…he couldn’t be positive. What if the hairball had somehow spilled the beans? Bigby desperately wanted to kick over something. Perhaps tear something up. Destroy something. But he didn’t want to leave any evidence that he had been here either.

He ground his teeth and stifled a scream.

“That fooking cat!” he whispered through gritted teeth. “I knew I should have cut his throat the moment I saw him.” Big clenched his fists and shook them in the air. “That fooker had it bad for Simmons’ daughter. I knew he’d be trouble.”

Bigby stopped and did his best to control his breathing. “Well, I don’t have to worry about him alerting anybody to my position any longer.” He marched to the rear of the building and sat down at the rear windows. He stared across the emptiness toward the vacant office building. He could see lights reflecting against the numerous windows and he knew that Mitchell’s men were combing the building floor by floor.

“Very soon, Colonel. Very soon.”

*****

Lilith bellowed with anger as Samael lifted her into his massive arms and made for the rear of the warehouse. “My army!”

“Leave them to fight the battle. We must keep you safe to win the war!” He spun around, using his massive body to shield her from the attackers.

He felt the sting of the angelic metal as it bit his hide, burying itself deep within his flesh. He roared with pain and hot blood spewed from the wounds as he leapt into the air and attempted to take flight.

Just as he got air under him, the gargoyle crashed through the ceiling, his mighty hammer barely missing Samael’s skull as he passed by.

Samael tucked and fell from the air, hitting the ground and rolling away from the attackers. He used his arms and wings to envelope Lilith, protecting her from both the impact and the attacker’s weapons. When he came to rest at the base of a support post, he unfurled his wings and set her on the ground, her legs still shaky from the landing. “Go, quickly! Get to safety!”

“Not without you, my prince!” She tugged at his arm and tried to drag him with her.

“I will come to you once the enemy is vanquished! Now GO!” He shoved her further back and away from the fight just as the gargoyle swooped low, tackling him, the pair rolling away and into the shadows.

Lilith turned hesitantly and began to run. She chanced a look over her shoulder and saw the Nephilim and a woman in black burst through the lines of her demons. For the first time since her resurrection she knew fear and her speed increased.

She ran for all that she was worth and soon came to the back wall of the warehouse. She groped in the darkness looking for an escape. She knew there had to be an opening here somewhere.

Lilith glanced back over her shoulder and saw the giant Nephilim closing on her and she panicked. She began to claw at the rough metal surface of the wall. She inhaled sharply to scream just as Samael and the gargoyle struck the wall, exploding the metal outward.

Without looking back, she leapt through the opening and into the night. She looked up and saw her beloved Samael grasp the gargoyle by the throat, his arm drawn back to strike him just as the gargoyle brought his angelic hammer up and over in a double handed strike to the top of the Fallen One’s head.

Samael staggered, his grip loosening, as he dropped the gargoyle. The light skinned, winged beast wasted no time as he hefted the hammer and swung with all of his might. Another mighty blow to the side of the Fallen One’s head sent him reeling. Blood flew from his nose and mouth before he slid to a stop in the moist ground beside Lilith.