Now, Earth
Bennett realized that it was a trap as soon as the lights went on.
The cleared out junkyard was bathed in light. There were no shadows. Wherever he looked he was only greeted by the harsh, bright glare.
The chain link fence was tall, but nothing he couldn’t climb. Except he realized that the weredogs weren’t going to give him the opportunity.
The pack entered the yard right on his heels and spread out to surround him.
Bennett had been herded like a sheep to the slaughter.
The big, white dog transformed right before Bennett’s eyes to reveal a muscular man, blond haired and blue eyed. The transformation looked painful.
Bennett locked eyes to keep his from straying downward. The man was naked.
“Alright, bro. We had a good run. It was nice exercise, but you’re trapped. So, just come along quietly and you don’t have to get hurt.”
The terrier and the Akita snarled and growled as they inched toward Bennett. The retriever actually sat on hit’s haunches and regarded him with a goofy grin.
“I highly doubt that,” Bennett said.
“Like I said before. We’re just going to ask you some questions. Although from what you’ve been doing… well, it’s your own fault for trying to undermine the good thing we’ve got here.”
“You’ve no idea do you? What the cult and the fish people are doing?” Bennett saw a glimmer of hope. “I can show you if you just—”
“Uh huh. Not going to happen. That’s exactly what someone in your position would try. We’re not stupid.”
“I swear. I’ve got the information right here.” Bennett unslung the backpack and placed it on the ground in front of him. “You have to watch the video.” He was okay with losing the pack. He had some of the information on a flash drive along with the all important video.
It was a long shot. They watch the video and let him go or he uses it as a distraction to get away. Either worked.
“They said you’d try something like this.”
“Just take a look. What do you have to lose? Don’t you want to know the kind of people you’re following? Evil doesn’t even begin to describe them,” Bennett pleaded.
“That’s funny coming from a vampire. I gave you a chance to come along nicely. The bosses want you alive and from what I’ve seen as long as we give you a little bit of blood you’ll survive just fine.”
The pack transformed.
They did it with surprising quickness. They didn’t give Bennett any time to react. In just seconds large, bipedal half-human, half-dog forms stood around him.
Bennett looked up at their maws filled with sharp teeth. He looked down at the deadly claws at the ends of their fingers.
I should’ve learned how to fight, Bennett thought.
There was a short flurry of violence and it was over.
Bennett had a faint memory of jaws clamping over his lower leg and tearing it right off. Of a powerful grip pulling his arm off at the elbow. Of sharp claws tearing his stomach open.
He was dimly aware of car horns blaring along with the squeal of tires on the asphalt. Of automatic weapons fire accompanied by the sound of magic spells flying.
The weredogs snarled and barked in anger, while men and women yelled and screamed.
Bennett barely felt the spray of gravel from the truck that skidded to a stop within a few feet of him. Hands grab him and his body parts and roughly threw them all into the bed before the vehicle lurched and sent gravel flying before it shot out of the junkyard and onto the street like a rocket.
Bennett saw several other cars and trucks scattering in all directions as the weredogs in their monstrous, bipedal forms gave chase.
That last thing he remembered before losing consciousness was the angry barking that echoed into the night.
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“Be careful,” Remy warned.
“Oh please. Our kids are super powered and Nila’s going to be there. No one or thing is going to mess with us,” Megan said.
“Who are you and what’ve you done with my real wife?”
“Ha ha. Very funny.”
“I’m concerned about you going across the river.”
“The state government isn’t going to do anything. They’re trying to recruit Nila and probably our kids.”
“I’m not concerned about them. I’m concerned about the fishmen cult. It’s been three months and we haven’t heard anything from Bennett.”
Megan frowned. “Yes and don’t forget your promise.”
“I know, but I don’t feel right just doing nothing. I—”
“You didn’t make him go. He volunteered.”
“Still feel responsible. He’s in trouble and we’re doing nothing. Don’t we owe it to him? He went on the mission for this community.”
“We doesn’t necessarily mean you. The council or the watch should be responsible. He went at their request.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Except they’re too scared to send anyone else,” Remy sighed. “And I can’t go for the obvious reason that it’d probably give the cult exactly what they want.”
Megan checked her watch. “We can talk about this later. I’m meeting with the girls at Nila’s place. I have to leave now or I’ll be late.” She kissed Remy.
“Have fun,” Remy smiled. “Be careful.”
Old Town or Old Sac was the historic riverfront district with buildings dating back to the Gold Rush era. It was home to several museums, eateries and other attractions, even a riverboat hotel. It had been one of the main focuses for revitalization by the reestablished state government.
People craved a sense of normalcy, a return to the familiar after the chaos and deaths of the first few years after the spires appeared.
They took Old Town back from the monsters. Cleared the encounter challenge it had become. Businesses slowly returned over the years, mostly eateries. Instead of dollars they traded in Universal Points and barter.
The museums had remained shuttered without anyone qualified or willing to operate them.
That was the reason for the girls’ outing.
The railroad museum was Nila’s old place of work. She was the curator before the world was upended. Now the government had reached out. They were interested in reopening the museum and Nila was the highest level employee left. The thought that she’d likely never know what had happened to her coworkers made her sad.
Nila knew that they really wanted her back on their payroll for her physical abilities and not her curatorial skills and experience. However, she decided to humor them by at least inspecting the museum. She’d thought about it often over the past seven years. She was afraid of what she might find after so long without any maintenance. She shuddered at the thought of monsters getting their dirty claws on the artifacts.
Megan had roped Nila into taking her and the kids along for a nice day off enjoying the rebuilt riverfront. They planned to eat lots of bad, yet tasty things. Most importantly to Megan there would be no training or fighting. It was to be a normal day as most days were before the spires.
Nila was fine with that. She took them on a brief tour of the museum before they parted ways and she could focus on inspecting the various artifacts while the Cruces enjoyed the riverfront.
There was a lot of built-up dust and dead insects, but thankfully there was no damage to the artifacts, not that she could see at a cursory glance. She was surprised that there wasn’t any bat guano or dead bats inside. She wondered if the gremlins had something to do with that.
Nila climbed into the seat of a giant locomotive engine. She walked through a dining car. The sleeping car was still, but she could almost feel it shaking underneath her feet in a simulation of a moving train like it would’ve in better days.
The golden rail spike wasn’t in its display case. She’d have to go downstairs to check if it was still there.
The nostalgia reminded her of what she had lost over the years. The people missing in her life.
She climbed the stairs to reach her office. She found it dusty, but untouched. The papers on her desk just as she left them so long ago. She felt a lump in her throat.
Nila had second thoughts about outright rejecting the state government’s offer of her old job back. Remembering history was important, more so under the current state of the world. She was the most qualified to run this museum. Perhaps she would stay on just long enough to show others how to take care of the artifacts.
Nila’s thoughts were interrupted by the screams from outside.
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“Isn’t it nice not to have to fight and train all day?”
“Yeah, mom,” Tessa rolled her eyes. Notably she clearly enjoyed the pineapple Dole Whip in her hands.
“We’re lucky that they can still make these,” Megan said.
“Spires’ magic, mom. As long as you have ownership of the store it can keep making what it used to make. That’s what dad says,” Veronica said.
“I know, Vee. Which is why it’s lucky.” Megan beamed at her two daughters. Their first actual family outing in years. She wished Remy could’ve been with them, but he had responsibilities. She consoled herself with the knowledge that now that they knew it was safe to come to Old Town they could make it a regular thing and he could join a future outing. “What do you guys want for lunch?”
“Mom… it’s weird that we’re eating dessert first?” Veronica said.
“Not really,” Tessa smirked. “Mom just misses sweets.”
“I didn’t see you turn it down,” Megan arched a brow.
Tessa shrugged. “What? I can admit I like this stuff. No big deal.”
“Can I get a banana split next?”
“After lunch, honey,” Megan said.
“What about burgers? Or fish and chips. I think I saw that place opening up when we were coming from the museum,” Tessa said.
“Vote!” Veronica raised her hand. “I choose burgers!”
“Fish and chips,” Tessa sighed.
The Cruces siblings turned to their mother.
Megan raised her left hand. “Fish and chips.” She then deliberately raised her right hand. “Then burgers.”
“Yay!” Veronica smiled.
Tessa merely rolled her eyes.
Megan was as happy as she had been in a long time.
That lasted up until they left the fish and chips place and were halfway to the burger place.
That was when the screaming began.
The river roiled as dozens of fishmen emerged and charged up the bank.
There were a lot of people enjoying the riverfront since it was a nice day. There were only a few dedicated guards.
It was a massacre.
The guards fought with magic and Skills.
The fishmen were too strong and plentiful.
The guards died quickly.
Some of the regular people had their own Skills and magic. They fought back. The men were killed, while the women were—.
“Mom, what’re the fishmen doing?” Veronica’s voice was small.
“I don’t know, hon. Just stay behind me,” Megan said.
Tessa narrowed her eyes. The fishmen were slapping some kind of jellyfish-looking thing over the womens’ faces and carrying them back to the river. “They’re only taking the women.” She pulled out a bolt from the pouch at her belt. She pointed it at a fishman, but there were too many people running in her direction. She cursed. “I can’t get a clear shot. I’m going on the roof. Vee, get mom back to Aunt Nila in the museum.” She ran to the nearby building and jumped up with ease.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Tessa, get back here!”
“C’mon, mom.”
Veronica tugged on Megan’s arm. She tried to resist, but her daughter had super strength. Slowly, but surely Veronica pulled her toward the museum.
Tessa spared them a glance. They were moving too slow. The crowd was already overtaking them, which meant that the fishmen would be on them soon. She was young, but she wasn’t naive. She knew that they were taking the women for a reason and it definitely wasn’t a good one.
“Screw you, fishy bastards!” Tessa yelled.
Several looked up at her and gave her good targets.
Tessa magnetically accelerated the bolt from her hand at several times the speed of sound. A fishman’s head exploded along with the loud boom that made everyone flinch.
Tessa dealt two-fisted death. Nuts and bolts went flying from each hand. The fishmen’s tough scales were paper to her power.
The difficult and constant practices with her dad paid off.
“Oh sh—!”
Tessa rolled back as bone-like javelins barely missed her. She was pressed flat on the roof out of sight, so she took the moment to take assess the situation. To her left she saw the mass of people running away. To the right she saw groups of fishmen running toward the river with their captives. The rest of them were out of view down on the street. Whether they were looking for more victims or she had successfully drawn their attention remained to be seen.
Tessa wished that she hadn’t left her kanabo in the car. All she had was a pouch of nuts, bolts and ball bearings. Stupid mom not letting her bring a weapon. She even had to leave her knife.
Tessa watched a group of fishmen stab fleeing people with their bone spears and tooth swords. She partially rose to take aim before she was forced to drop back down to avoid the javelins. She was pinned down while a group of fishmen caught up to her mother and sister.
A fishman threw a javelin at Megan.
Superhuman Veronica pulled her mother back and slapped the javelin aside.
The fishmen gaped in shock. That was unexpected.
“You stupid fish faces!” Veronica growled. She pointed a finger gun at them. “Bye, brains!”
The five fishmen stood too close together. It made it easy for Veronica to hit them all with a brain-scrambling electronic pulse.
Veronica pulled out a small knife from somewhere.
“Vee!” Megan shouted. “I said no weapons.”
“But mom,” Veronica whined, “they’re evil and I have to kill them or they’ll hurt more people.” She pointed the knife at the fishmen, who spasmed on the ground like flopping fish.
Megan was horrified at the words coming out of her daughter’s mouth. She didn’t know what to say.
The sound of broken glass saved her, as something came flying out of the museum’s window.
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Nila’s first thought when she heard the screams was her weapons and armor in the car. She ran for the stairs only to run into two fishmen.
It was a question as to which party was more surprised.
One of the fishmen reacted first. It reached out and tried to grab Nila.
She swatted its hands aside and kicked it under the chin.
The fishman went flying back down the stairs. The second fishman ducked under and charged up the stairs to hit Nila right in the stomach in a perfect tackle.
Nila ended up on her back with the fishman straddling her with its full weight. It was a lot heavier than it looked. Her eyes widened as the fishman pulled out a jellyfish and pressed it toward her face.
Nila grabbed its wrist to stop it.
The two struggled. Neither could gain an advantage.
The fishman tried to add its free hand to the contest.
Nila grabbed it before it could. She shifted her grip to dig her fingers into the webbing between its fingers.
The fishman let out a high-pitched screech.
Nila winced, but it worked. The fishman was distracted. She bucked it off and rolled it over so that she was on top. She didn’t waste any time. She dug her fingers into the fishman’s gills on both sides of its head and neck. She viciously tore out chunks.
The fishman gaped and thrashed. Its eyes wide with fear.
It surprised Nila that she recognized it. It was a very human look. It was easier to think of it as a monster, but evidence pointed to sapience. She didn’t know how to feel about that.
The thought hit her hard, but not as hard as the blow to the back of her head from the remaining fishman.
Nila pitched forward, but the fishman grabbed her.
Its cold, scaly arm wrapped tightly under her chin and squeezed.
Nila choked.
The fishman’s other arm tried to press the jellyfish to her face. She grabbed its arm and kept it away by bare inches.
They were really insistent on getting that thing on her face. Nila wasn’t going to let that happen. She was a fighter, a warrior. She had spent years fighting and killing monsters. She trained with superhumans and people with Skills and magic. She wasn’t going to let herself fall to a bunch of stinky fishmen. She still had too many things to look forward to.
Nila’s vision started to go black. She grabbed the jellyfish thing with her free hand. She fully expected to feel stinging pain, but was pleasantly surprised when it only felt slimy and cool to the touch. She tore it free from the fishman’s hand.
The move surprised it.
Nila felt its choke hold loosen a fraction. She pulled her head forward then slammed it back hard.
The fishman relinquished its grip as it staggered on wobbly legs.
Nila stepped in and dug a pair of hooks into its sides.
The fishman reacted with pain.
Nila pulled down on the back of its neck and kneed it in the face. Its sharp teeth cut through her pants and into her skin, judging by the stinging pain.
Nila kept her grip on the fishman, spun it around and sent it flying out the window. She quickly grabbed the dead fishman’s tooth sword. She took a deep breath and jumped out of the broken window.
Nila bent her knees as she landed to absorb the three story fall.
The fishman hadn’t had the same opportunity. Its legs were broken.
Nila walked up to it and stabbed it in the throat. Not much difference between killing one and killing two. From the looks of it she was going to add to that number. There were fishmen all over Old Town. Dozens of dead human bodies were everywhere. A glance further down the street saw fishmen carrying people with jellyfish things over their face to the river.
Veronica had a knife in her hand and was arguing with Megan.
Nila guessed what it was about when she noticed the handful of fishmen flopping around in front of the Cruces. She strode over without slowing. “I’ll take care of them.” She stabbed each of the fishmen.
Veronica was chagrined. Megan looked grateful, then ashamed.
“You guys take cover in one of the buildings, but be careful. There might be more fishmen,” Nila said.
She didn’t wait for a response. She didn’t have her shield, so she hoisted up one of the dead fishmen and held it in front of her as she sprinted toward the large group of fishmen that had pinned Tessa on top of the ticket station.
Bone javelins struck the fishman corpse and skipped of the ground near her feet. Fortunately she was a small woman and the corpse was big enough to shield most of her.
Tessa took advantage of the distraction and showered the fishmen with ball bearings at faster than bullet speeds.
“Get back with your mom and sister!”
Tessa looked like she was going to argue, but the glare Nila shot her way was enough for the teen to jump off the roof and head back toward the museum.
Nila plowed into the group of fishmen. Truth be told Tessa had already done much of the crucial work. It’s like they were hit with the world’s most powerful shotgun. They were riddled with ball bearings. Some were already dead. As for the rest, they were too injured to put up much of a fight.
Nila sent them to join the rest of the their kind in death.
“Nila!”
Megan’s voice.
Nila spun around.
There were more fishmen climbing out of the river close to the museum. They were already near the train tracks about fifty yards or so away from where Megan and Veronica were taking shelter along with a few dozen people.
Tessa was nowhere in sight and Nila was too far away to do anything.
Veronica stepped in front of her mother and the other people. To everyone’s horror she sprinted right for the charging fishmen.
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Now, Threnosh World
“Senior Commander Saldin Flats 326, my team is ready to perform the operation. We only need our forces to perform an offensive feint to draw the bulk of the enemy army away from their forward base,” Caretaker said.
“The 3rd Legion as they call themselves.” The senior commander studied the holographic projections occupying the space in the center of the command center’s main briefing room. “And this feint, an attack that appears to be committed, but is not truly. It will be difficult for the soldiers to withdraw if the enemy reaches close combat range. The cragants are deceptively fast for their size. We will suffer loses.”
“As I have included in projections.”
“I am concerned with a specific aspect of your plan.”
“Please specify.”
“You include yourself in the direct assault on their command staff. A commander does not put themselves in direct combat.”
“As I have outlined. My trueskin’s abilities will be critical in increasing the probability of a successful operation.” Caretaker had expected the query.
“I was unable to find flaw with your assessment. Conceded.”
“To your initial concern in regards to loses. The majority of my team will be with your forces.” Caretaker didn’t like it, but their teammates had agreed. They were willing to use their presence to sway the senior commander toward acceptance. “They will mitigate the number of casualties.”
“I note that you are only 73.19 percent certain that this operation will produce the desired results.” Senior Commander Saldin Flats 326 didn’t give any indications on whether they were going to accept or reject Caretaker’s plan.
“My plan serves multiple purposes. Not the least of which is as a test for the future operation targeting the hierophant. I intend to gather data whether we succeed or not that will be put to use,” Caretaker said. “A successful strike will throw the legion protecting the enemy’s northern sector into disarray. It will open an avenue for strikes into the hierophant’s sector. Even an unsuccessful strike will force the other legions to tighten up their defenses, which will give us time and space to reclaim more fabrication facilities and to produce more combat drones.” They decided that if the senior commander requested a percentage they would give them the highest number out of all the projections.
Senior Commander Saldin Flats 326 studied Caretaker’s plans for the next thirty-three minutes and thirteen seconds in complete silence. Caretaker stood still the entire time. They barely even blinked. Until finally the senior commander waved away the holographic projections.
“I grant my approval for your plan. We will commence on your word.”
“I request one day to make final preparations,” Caretaker said.
“Granted. You are dismissed.”
Caretaker saluted and departed the command center. They had actually convinced the senior commander. They had only given themselves a less than forty percent chance of success. It boded well for the actual operation. For the odds of total success weren’t high.
Caretaker brought the entire team together back at their segregated, smaller base within the larger Threnosh base.
“The operation has received the senior commander’s approval. I have already synchronized the countdown in all of your internal timers. Shira is in position for their role. Volkharion, you may deploy your drones to the locations we have selected. As for the rest of you. You are released from all other duties. Take your final preparations. See to your equipment. Ensure that your trueskins will be at their best. You all know how important this task is to our future goals.”
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Now, Threnosh World
“You recall the rules of this?”
“Yeah, yeah, no telepathy, just telekinesis,” Cal frowned.
His brother’s voice was robotic. Remy was looking directly at him with unblinking eyes. It was as if his presence wasn’t being acknowledged.
“Then we shall begin.” Remy swept his arm toward Cal.
Cal heard them before he saw them. Tiny metal shards that buzzed like flying insects and reflected the harsh white glare of the lights above the combat arena. The mass was shaped like a spear as it shot straight at him. He created a telekinetic shield in front of him at the speed of thought.
The shards splattered against the invisible shield with a wet-sounding impact.
“Jeez, man! Are you forgetting that this is just practice?”
Remy ignored Cal. His brother raised his other hand. Another mass of buzzing shards flew forth. This time it snaked out wide to the left.
Cal lazily raised another shield.
The mass stopped and split at the last moment. Only a handful of the tiny shards hit the shield.
Cal blinked. For a moment they reminded him of bugs hitting a windshield.
The distraction was costly.
The split mass had gone around the shield on the left and the right.
Cal’s ears were assaulted by the angry buzz as the shards struck and stung his unclothed upper body over a hundred times in seconds.
He waved his arms around him wildly in an attempt to ward of the cloud that had engulfed him. The pain was more surprising than anything else. As was discovering that he was shirtless. That didn’t seem right.
He glance at his brother.
Remy hadn’t moved from his spot at the other end of the arena. Cal saw more tiny shards emerging out of his brother’s skin to join the growing cloud that was beginning to obscure him from sight.
“What the hell?”
That was definitely not right.
Cal grasped at the thread and tried to pull, but it slipped out his reach as a soft humming song enfolded him. He tried to shake the music from his head. The stinging shards were momentarily forgotten.
The more he pushed back the stronger the resistance. He found it easier to just go along with it.
Your opponent is in front of you.
“Huh?”
Words in his head. No. That wasn’t quite right.
Cal couldn’t see Remy through the cloud and the voice had seemed to come from all around him.
The harsh glare of the white lights on the arena ceiling hurt his eyes even more than the buzzing shards seeking purchase. Cal swatted a hand across his face for a momentary respite, which he followed by releasing a burst of telekinetic force in all directions.
He shook the confusion he felt. He was done messing around. He had an opponent to defeat and his brother was being a dick by going serious. He’d have to teach Remy a little lesson.
The music in his head hit a triumphant sounding note. Cal didn’t register it. He was too busy on the attack.
Cal ran right into the thickest part of the buzzing cloud. The sound filled his ears as his exposed skin was bit and stung. He pushed out another burst of telekinesis in all directions to give himself a respite.
The cloud reformed around him in a second. He pushed it away again.
He had lost sight of his brother, so he aimed for where the cloud of metal looked the most densely packed. It would’ve simplified things if he had used his telepathy to locate his brother, but he had agreed to refrain for the exercise.
He figured that he was on the right track considering the haste at which the densest part of the metal cloud was slowly moving away from him.
He wondered if maintaining control of so many tiny metallic particles was taxing on Remy. His brother should’ve been capable of moving much faster.
Cal decided he’d just ask after he woke his brother up.
He closed on Remy and sent out a battering ram of telekinetic force into the thickest part of the metal cloud. It blew everything away like a big rig plowing into a swarm of gnats.
Cal sprinted into the space he had created.
Remy was revealed as he staggered back from the invisible force.
Cal rammed his shoulder right into his brother’s chest and sent him tumbling across the arena floor’s cold metallic surface.
“Boom goes the dynamite!” Cal crowed. Then he noticed his brother’s broken and bloody body. “What? I didn’t mean— You should’ve been able to handle that.”
Remy’s limbs were bent in the wrong directions. Purplish blood leaked from his mouth and the many holes along his bare arms and legs. Metal shards caught the light as they hovered around him like flies on a dying animal.
“Wait… purple?”
The image flickered in Cal’s vision.
His brother one moment. Then something else the next.
Before Cal could latch on to it a harsh, broken instrument sound brought him to his knees in pain.
The last thing he felt was many hands lifting him up and carry him away.
Back to oblivion he went.