Now, Earth
“I can’t see shit,” Jake said. “Dude, I should’ve gotten that night vision spell,” he muttered.
“You can just… do that?” the teenager only known as Eyes said.
“I’m a Techmage. I’ve got a broader selection than regular Mages. I think it’s cause of the tech part. I can buy spell program language from the spires’ marketplace and then program them into my devices for use. Mix of the flashy stuff, like lightning bolts and mundane stuff like night vision. My guess is that the spires are translating what our devices are capable of into spells. There’s stuff like directional hearing enhancement.”
“Gates!” Detective Ordonez hissed.
“Shit.” The whites of Jake’s eyes widened in the darkness. He turned to Eyes. “Sorry, dude, opsec,” he shrugged.
“I get it,” Eyes said.
“Hey… so, I heard you’re pretty tight with Bennett,” Jake began.
“Yeah, totally,” Eyes brightened. “You know, I was the one that found him first and brought him into the Resistance,” he smiled proudly.
Jake nodded. “Cool, cool… I remember him from a few years back. We were on this task force hunting for a serial killer monster. Me, the detective, Bennett, this super powered badass… uh… Nila’s boyfriend. She’s the woman with super strength and shit like that.”
“The tall Asian lady?”
“Nah, the short one.”
“Right, yeah, I remember her from the planning session at Agent Bratt’s place, man I wish I had super strength,” Eyes sighed.
“Anyways, it was the four of us plus Flo…” Jake fell silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Whatever… we found the monster and beat it.”
“Must’ve been tough if it took Bennett and this super powered dude,” Eyes said.
“That’s just it. Bennett didn’t do much fighting. I don’t remember him being a dangerous badass. I thought he was more of a stealthy tracker type.”
“No way! You saw what he did in the sewers!” Eyes said.
“Exactly! Totally surprised me.”
“I guess he must’ve changed since you last saw him.”
“True that,” Jake nodded.
“My class sucks,” Eyes pouted.
Jake raised a brow. “You think so? We’re sitting in a dark apartment over a thousand yards from city hall with a bunch of trees in the way. Sun’s almost down and we’re counting on you to see what’s going on over there.”
“I’m just a lame Lookout, anyone can do what I can if they had the right optics gear,” Eyes said.
“Yeah, but then they’d have to carry around binoculars, night vision goggles and other stuff.”
“Hey? Do you think… do you think that you could sell me one of your spell phone things? I’m willing to pay.”
Jake shook his head. “Sorry, bro, no can do. They only work for me.”
Eyes sighed. “I just need some kind of offensive ability so that I can take on stronger monsters and mutant animals so that I can get points.”
“Guns? With your eyesight enhancements you should be a great shot.”
“Agent Bratt says I’m more valuable doing surveillance… so, no guns for me.”
Jake eyed the slight young man. “Go melee. Plenty of bludgeoning or chopping weapons you can get at any hardware or sporting goods store. Might want to work out for a year and get someone to teach you how to fight.”
“I—”
“Quiet,” Detective Ordonez hissed again.
“Sorry, my bad,” Jake said sheepishly as he tried to use his huge body to block Eyes from the detective’s sight. The kid didn’t need to attract the detective’s wrath.
The sun continued its flight to the west until it completely disappeared.
Jake watched Detective Ordonez out of the corner of his eye. The darkness of the abandoned apartment living room was mitigated by the clear night sky. There was more than enough moon and star light for normal human vision.
The detective stared at the distant city hall with laser-focused intensity. She reminded Jake of an eagle he had seen at the zoo back in better days. Her eyes blinked about as much as the raptor’s had.
Jake had no doubt that the detective was drawing on her Skills for some important purpose that she, as usual, hadn’t seen fit to clue him in on.
“Kid, tell me what you see,” Detective Ordonez said flatly.
“Um…” Eyes cleared his throat. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
“Uh… okay,” Eyes hesitantly peeked his head up the window just enough for a clear look. Well, clear, was a bit of misnomer. It was dark and there was a thick copse of trees in the way. “There are guards at all the doors that I can see. Some guards are patrolling around the building. I can also see people walking inside the building, er… I mean I can see them when they walk past the windows.”
“Details,” Detective Ordonez demanded.
“Um… they have weapons,” Eyes shrugged.
Jake winced.
Detective Ordonez eyed Eyes like something she had accidentally stepped on at the dog park. “I was told that you had performed surveillance on city hall on many occasions.”
“Yeah?” Eyes kept his attention on city hall. He knew better than to look over at the detective.
“Then do you notice anything out of the ordinary in the way the guards are acting? Their numbers? Postings?” Detective Ordonez sounded like she was chewing gravel.
Jake silently urged Eyes to get this right. He felt bad for the kid. The detective was a hardass at the best of times. Being stuck behind enemy lines after losing a huge chunk of your fellow fighters on an operation that you were leading would darken anyone’s mood. He knew that was eating away at the detective.
“I-I think it’s the same as most of the other times,” Eyes said after a few seconds.
“You think? I need you to know.”
Eyes thought it over and nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure they’re business as usual. Maybe more guards and more heavily armed cause of the asskicking we gave them yesterday.”
“That doesn’t sound like normal,” Jake muttered.
Detective Ordonez ground her teeth, but didn’t say anything.
“Yeah, actually… definitely more heavily defended than normal,” Eyes said.
Swing and a miss. Jake resisted the urge to laugh. The detective must be really annoyed with the poor kid now. Poor bastard.
Something scratched at Jake’s combat boots. It took him a moment to notice the soft sound.
Detective Ordonez looked down. “The signal.”
“Huh?” Jake followed her gaze down to his foot. He promptly jumped back with a yelp.
The cat-sized rat stared at him with dark, beady eyes. Entirely without concern, the animal climbed up to the window sill and pointed straight to city hall like a pointer dog.
“Bennett’s about to move. Gates, let’s get going,” Detective Ordonez said. “You—” she glared at Eyes.
“I know what I’m supposed to do,” Eyes frowned. “Hide, but if we lose than it doesn’t really matter what I do. The cult will track me down eventually.”
“We’re not going to lose,” Detective Ordonez said.
“Jeez. Who thinks to use such a creepy ass signal?” Jake muttered.
All around city hall, rats alerted the scattered groups of fighters, soldiers from Sacramento and Resistance members.
Their time had come.
----------------------------------------
“Rats!” Rupert squealed.
Barry cursed his lack of a weapon as the rats seemed to come out of the shadow under the only door into the conference room. He was closest in his haste to grab his guns just outside, which meant that the rats got to him first. They swarmed around and up his legs, teeth biting into the tough fabric of his tactical pants. He stomped and kicked for all he was worth as the rats kept pouring from the shadows.
The rest of swarm split off into three other groups and headed for the other council members.
“We’re under attack!”
“No shit, Barry,” Mitch sneered.
“Some help would be nice,” Barry’s voice rose in panic despite his best efforts. Dozens of rats clambered up his legs and got close to his most vital area. He slapped and punched away at them and earned a respite at the cost of scratches and bites on his hands and fingers.
“You’re the one that refused the Deep Azure’s gifts,” Mitch smiled mirthlessly. “You could’ve been the master of your own fate. Instead you have your hand out.”
The rats swarmed up Mitch’s legs. Unlike Barry, he wore expensive bespoke suit pants made before the apocalypse. The middle-aged man, at least in appearance, sighed. “This was custom tailored,” he said in a resigned tone.
“Mitch we don’t have time for your bullshit!” Cordelia had leapt up onto the table along with Rupert, who had somehow gotten his fat bulk up to place her between him and the rats.
“Rodents… unusually large,” Rupert whispered, haunted.
Mitch laughed. Sharp spines suddenly burst out of his pant legs. All of the rats on him died wriggling like speared fish. “Some do seem larger than normal.”
“Quit posing you jackass and help Barry!” Cordelia snapped as she slashed a leaping rat with a long, thin knife that she seemed to produce out of nowhere.
“Rupert, I’d like to note that I’m filing a censure on Cordelia for sneaking a weapon into our Sanctum. A strict violation of our most holiest of holies,” Mitch said lightly.
“Seconded,” Rupert squealed as the rats pressed in on Cordelia.
“Oh… you fat sack of crap. This knife is the only thing keeping them from snacking on you like you were a pig on a spit. You want that? Huh? All that fat on you. Probably like bacon to them!” Cordelia roared as she desperately slashed and stabbed at the rats.
“Damn you all!” Barry roared as the rats had climbed up his body, almost up to his vulnerable neck and face.
“Fine,” Mitch said. “Behold the glorious gifts of the Deep Azure!” he intoned. “Try not to move. Wouldn’t want to hit any of you… accidentally, of course.”
Mitch’s expensive suit burst as dozens of tentacles erupted from his upper body and arms. They lashed wildly in every direction, killing rats with every strike. It was almost miraculous that none of the other people were so much as scratched.
It grated, but Barry did as Mitch had asked. He didn’t want to give the bastard any excuses.
The rats were practically wiped off of Barry’s body as Mitch’s tentacles whipped through the air with loud cracks as the tips broke the sound barrier.
The sounds were booming in the enclosed space.
They were almost enough to drown out the screams coming from just outside the door.
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The men and women didn’t see Bennett coming.
Truly, it wasn’t fair to them. They knew what they were about when it came to fighting. They had survived years battling monsters and other people after all. Hardened killers one and all, with magic, Skills and darker gifts.
Maybe if they saw him coming or had just a few seconds of warning.
Bennett moved swiftly through city hall’s interior. He scythed mercilessly through the patrolling guards, dipping in and out of the shadows with barely a whisper of sound to slice throats with his blade-like nails.
He suddenly reached his destination. It had taken less time than he had realized. He wiped at the wetness on his lips.
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Unsettled.
He didn’t exactly remember when he had used his fangs.
Yet, he felt full. He instinctively felt the blood within his body that powered his abilities was full. There should’ve been less. The cost of traveling through shadow, moving, fighting and sending hundreds of rats through the shadows to attack the council.
Blood called to him. People were just beyond the next door. All he had to do was cross the wide open space.
A memory filled his mind.
Years ago. He had clung to a shadowed corner and watched as—
No!
He didn’t want to remember that particular memory.
What was done to those people by the fishmen as the cult’s high ranking members stood and watched.
Bennett knew that he was no better than them. He, too, did nothing in his cowardice. Though at the time he had rationalized it as sticking to his mission.
Yet, here he stood, back in the same place that haunted his dreamless sleep for years.
It was on that night that he had his eyes opened.
He was a monster, just like the cult, the scions and the Deep Azure that they worshiped.
An animal sound escaped from Bennett’s lips.
What better being to put monsters down than another monster?
They had to be stopped. Too many had already been sacrificed.
Bennett crossed the wide floor in a flash. He entered the shadow on front of the door and exited on the other side.
He hadn’t planned on exiting immediately.
He noticed the reason in an instant.
Bright lights filled the hallway leading to the room where he knew that the cult’s inner council met.
Bennett raised an arm to shield his eyes from the glare. It actually hurt his eyes. He had gotten too used to living in darkness.
Gunfire barked out in a controlled staccato.
Bennett hissed as the bullets struck his body. The pain, as it had been since the spires had changed him, was muted. In truth it was more uncomfortable rather than painful.
“Wha—” Bennett’s words were forgotten as the bullets started to burn. Smoke rose from the bullet wounds as Bennett’s flesh started to sizzle. He screamed. A sound of pure animal pain.
“Holy shit! It actually worked!” the woman said.
“Not fast enough,” the man grunted. “He’s not dropping and I’ve got only got two more bursts in my mag.”
“Damn it! Cause I’m out. We should’ve had more of this special ammo made.”
The man kept his sights trained on Bennett. “Barry didn’t think silver bullets would actually work on this guy, thought it was a waste of our Gunsmiths’ time.”
Bennett couldn’t think through the pain. The bullets were like molten metal in his veins.
Remove them! the rational part of him screamed.
And so, that’s what he did. He clawed the dozen or so rounds out of his chest and arms.
Relief was instantaneous, though the wounds were slow to heal.
Bennett was ravenous now.
“Oh shit! Shoot him! Shoot him!” the woman swapped out her pistol’s magazine. This time with standard rounds. Useless.
The man squeezed the trigger as Bennett dashed across the brilliant white lights in the hallway.
Bennett was too close and too fast.
None of the silver bullets found their mark.
The woman turned and ran for the door.
Bennett slashed the man’s throat open and turned it into a bloody geyser as he dashed by.
The woman turned and screamed while opening fire.
A lucky bullet struck Bennett in the forehead, but failed to penetrate his skull.
The woman pleaded for her life, but Bennett was beyond reason. He didn’t know it, but the silver bullets had been oh so close to killing him.
All he knew in the moment was that he needed blood.
Bennett bit deep into the woman’s throat, silencing her cries.
Tears streamed down her face as all that she ever was and hoped to be ran through her thoughts, flickering like pictures as they vanished one by one, forever.
With satiation came clarity and Bennett was horrified at what he had done.
“I’m a monster,” he whispered.
“That you are,” a woman stood in front of the door at the end of the hallway.
Bennett recognized her and the strange dark blue robe that she wore. He kept his red eyes on her face. He felt that staring too long at the swirling surface of the robe would lead him to a deep and dark place. Even worse than what he already was.
“You are Laura?”
“I have no obligation to you, monster. You aren’t worthy of a formal greeting. That is preserved for thinking beings.”
“Yes, that’s your name. You’re in charge of the cult.” Venom was laced through Bennett’s words.
“Hypocrite!” Laura snapped. “You speak with such disdain, while your mouth is stained with my devoted follower’s blood.”
“What was her name?” Bennett looked down at the woman on the floor. Her eyes stared up into the harsh glare of the white lights in the ceiling. Her throat was a red ruin. Blood had leaked down to the floor to form an obscene mockery of a ribbon around her neck.
“What do you care?” Laura sneered.
“Follower, you called her a follower. You didn’t say her name. She’s just another employee to you, right? A resource to be used for your benefit.”
“Well, that’s ironic considering you just fed on Denise’s blood to heal yourself. So, which one of us is the real monster?”
Bennett looked down at Denise one last time. He committed her face to memory. “Both,” he said softly, “we are both monsters.”
Sounds of struggle came through the door behind Laura.
Agent Bratt’s intelligence gathering efforts had revealed that the cult’s inner council had taken to calling the city hall conference room the Sanctum.
“I’m a monster?” Laura scoffed. “Are you blind or just willfully ignorant? You’ve spent years skulking in our sewers. Surely, you’ve seen how we, the Scions of the Deep Azure, have provided safe and happy lives for every willing person in the city. They are safe, happy and fulfilled. Plentiful food for everyone. A comfortable home for all. No one goes hungry, no homeless.” Her voice rose. “The Deep Azure is the greatest thing that has happened to us! Through it, our lives have never been better! True agency is in reach for all! They just have to grasp it.”
Delusions of grandeur.
“I’ve seen the evil that you hide from the rest of them. I know what you let the scions do to people. Tell me. Did those people have agency?” Bennett’s smile was feral. All sharp fangs and malice. He tapped a sharp nail to his temple. “I saw it. I remember. There was no agency. Just scared young people, brutalized by fishmen.”
“Scions!” Laura ground out. “You will address them by their chosen designation. As to what you speak off… sacrifices must be made.”
“And what sacrifices have you made for your position?”
“Enough!” Laura snapped. “I will not be talked down to and judged by you, a bloodsucking monster.”
“Well, it takes one to know one. I noticed you referred to yourself as a ‘thinking being’. Curious that. Why not say ‘person’ or ‘human’? Could it be that you and your cult aren’t? Not anymore. Fleshcraft, I’ve seen it, felt it, tasted it. And let me tell you, I may not be human anymore, but neither are you.”
Bennett blurred toward Laura.
“Protect me oh great god of the deep!” Laura threw her hands up as her robe billowed and undulated in an impossible way.
Bennett didn’t know what hit him.
A great pillar of water, as hard and strong as stone, erupted out of the robe and struck Bennett straight on.
He flew up and back at an angle as if launched from a cannon.
Wood, plaster and glass shattered in his passing as he flew out of city hall and across several city blocks to crash through an abandoned movie theater.
Laura staggered, but she fought the urged to collapse. The direct touch of the Deep Azure on her soul wasn’t light. It left its mark and would weigh on her for days if not weeks. Unfortunately for her this was not the time to rest. She opened the door to the conference room to find everyone intact, surrounded by hundred of dead rats in varying states of destruction.
“Laura, thank the Deep Azure you’re okay. I was just about to come to your aid,” Mitch said with all the sincerity of a disappointed serpent.
“I’m sure you were,” Laura said with just as much feigned sincerity. Appearances were important for a woman in her position after all. She straightened. It wouldn’t do to appear weak in such a perilous time. “We must gather our forces and make for Alcatraz immediately.”
“Wait, why?” Barry said.
Laura eyed the big man. He was in the roughest shape. His clothing was torn and she saw bites and scratches on every exposed part of flesh, not even his face was spared. Well, what were a few more scars for the man with plenty already? Nothing, Laura decided. It was Barry’s fault for refusing the Deep Azure’s more progressive gifts. Perhaps it was time to retire him from the council. She only kept him around because the bulk of their lower level fighters had more loyalty to him than the rest of the council. And they had proved themselves mostly useless over the last several days.
They needed stronger people. Ones that fully embraced what the Deep Azure had to offer. Only those had shown the ability to at least keep up with more powerful individuals, like the Cruces and the Chen woman.
“They will go for Remy Cruces,” Laura said.
“But they’re attacking us!” Cordelia gestured at the rat corpses everywhere. “This is the vampire’s doing.”
“He has been dealt with,” Laura said with satisfaction. “Through me, the Deep Azure dealt him a powerful blow.”
“So, he’s dead?” Cordelia frowned.
“We sent him flying.”
“Then you’re not sure. He could be back at any time,” Cordelia said.
Laura smiled. “Then all the more reason to head to the island without delay. The bay will shelter us.”
“What are you talking about?” Barry growled. “We’re under attack right here! Right now! That vampire got all the way to you, which meant he went through my men and women patrolling inside. We don’t even know what the force disposition we’re facing is. I heard gunfire from outside the building.”
“I’m with Laura. We’re vulnerable here. The island is our safest location,” Mitch said.
“What about the other council members?” Rupert said.
“We’ll call them on our way, plenty of boats to go around,” Mitch shrugged.
“I make no demands on you,” Laura began, “as is our way, you have the autonomy to make your own decisions. However, I will proceed to the island.”
“I’m staying with my people.” Barry didn’t hesitate. He left the room and grabbed his guns and axe from the table next to the door. He briefly stopped over the bodies of his fighters to close their eyes and place a coin over each.
“I need to check on Chance and Scott. If this is a targeted attack then they might be in danger,” Cordelia said as she too left.
“I’m with you, Laura,” Mitch said. “I’m ready to lend my power to the Deep Azure.”
Laura inclined her head.
“Me too,” Rupert piped up.
Laura smiled. Mitch was useful in a fight, Rupert less so, but he was large-bodied. Perfect to hide behind.
The trio picked up an a small escort from Barry’s fighters as they departed city hall through a rear exit. From the sounds of it there was fierce fighting taking place at the front of the building.
Laura smiled beatifically on the whole drive to the dock where the cult kept their boats. It took longer than she had wanted due to the need to take a circuitous route to ward against covert pursuit.
It was wiped from her face by the sudden spike in her head just as they reached their destination.
On either side of her in the SUV’s back seat, Mitch and Rupert both doubled over and clutched their heads.
“They dare—” Laura hissed. The pain brought tears to her eyes. “They dare set foot in the Deep Azure’s place.”
“What’re you talking about?” Mitch scowled. The obsequious mask slipped for a moment.
“The tunnels! They’re in the tunnels!” Laura hated how shrill her voice became. She couldn’t help it. The tunnels were only for the scions to step foot in. It was forbidden to her. Her! The Deep Azure’s Grand—.
Come to me, come to my altar.
The words in her head brought another spike of pain.
“What happened? Are you okay?”
Laura ignored Mitch’s fake concern.
Despite the pain, she knew nothing but pure and true joy.
The Deep Azure had directly spoken to her. Thrice now. Each time had filled her with a sense of complete purpose. It was all she didn’t know she had been missing in her life.
Yes! Laura thought with all her devotion.
Her god needed her.
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Now, Threnosh World
Cal slowly raised a hand and pointed a finger down towards the tunnel exit.
Mother Madrigal and the rest of her corrupted children stood in the way.
“Salamander, you sure you can take Gyxdor?” Cal said.
“Affirmative, Honor.”
“Good luck.” Cal sent a powerful mass of telekinetic force across the entire tunnel circumference. It was unavoidable.
Everyone was flattened. Not even Mother Madrigal was able to remain standing. Cal cut it off before it could reach the combat drones the team had dropped off close to the exit.
Salamander burst into flight with unfurled wings and powerful thrusters in their boots and back.
Gyxdor had his back turned as he rose to his feet.
Salamander struck hard and fast and half pushed, half carried Gyxdor all the way down toward the tunnel exit.
Cal lost sight of them as Mother Madrigal rose up to block the outside light with her cloak opened up like wings.
“Honor, you’re wounds,” Frequency said as they took an unfamiliar device from one of the experimental weapons squad soldiers and quickly sprayed it over Cal’s raw red, skinless left side upper body.
The pain was soothed and dwindled to a weird prickling sensation.
“What is this?” Cal sniffed at the gel-like liquid. “Healing pod goo?”
“Drega Tali came up with the idea recently. With some modifications they were able to modify the same material in the medical pod to create a portable and viscous substance that serves the same functions.”
“Will the skin grow back?”
“No, it is not as effective as full immersion. It will slow further degradation, block pain and start the healing process. Unfortunately, your wounds will remain for this engagement.”
“Huh? Well, it’s not hurting so bad anymore. So… I’ll take it,” Cal said. “Alright, while Salamander keeps Gyxdor busy we’ll need to thin the herd down before we can isolate and kill Mother Madrigal. Have the drones focus their fire on the corrupted. We’ll use them as shields once they run out of ammo. Make it hard for any corrupted that survive to make it through to us.” He glanced back at the transport. “We’ll back up as we shoot. Use the transport to retreat if necessary. How much ammo does its projectile weapons have?”
“Pilot,” Frequency spoke into the comms, “what is the status of ammunition supply for rear arced weaponry?”
No answer.
Cal carefully reached out with his mind.
Nothing.
There was a void around him.
He didn’t want to use too much of his power and overextend himself. He needed to keep his mind protected from Mother Madrigal. Even with Frequency’s disruption of the Mother’s ability he didn’t want to risk falling under her influence again.
The transports lights suddenly went dark as it powered down.
Cal cursed. “PJ15, you two,” he pointed at the experimental weapons squad soldiers, “check it out. We need the transport operational. Be careful.”
“Acknowledged,” PJ15 said as they and two soldiers strode up the transport’s back ramp.
The corrupted, the ones not broken and dead, finally picked themselves up off the ground and shook off the impact of Cal’s telekinetic force. They roared as one and charged forward.
Combat drones engaged their projectile weapons in response.
Cal needed a way to protect Frequency and the two remaining soldiers from being swarmed. They weren’t front line fighters. If he didn’t have to face Mother Madrigal he could tank for them and control the battlefield to allow them to attack without worrying about getting into close combat.
Cal looked around the cavernous tunnel. There was no place to take cover, just smooth, metallic walls. A thought crossed his mind. He remembered. In his desperation he had been able to use his telekinesis to push Zeyt’s acidic substance from his body by somehow moving their molecules separately from his own.
“Frequency, soldiers, I’m going to create cover for you,” Cal raised a hand toward the closest side of the curved wall.