Savior Part 2: Son of Eden (The Savior Series) (16 page)

They were less than a few inches away from clashing when the thundering sound of Charlie’s revolver suddenly rang out from near the entrance. The bullet ripped out of the barrel of Charlie’s smoking handgun and tore its way across the room in an instant—whizzing through the countless pieces of debris and poker chips that had been thrown into the air by The Greater’s grenade. As always, Charlie’s aim was true, and his bullet slammed into The Greater’s fist, knocking him off balance just before he could decimate Tango into nothing.

The Greater fell to the floor due to the force of the gunshot and a brilliant blue explosion erupted all around him as his smoldering fist slammed into the floor beneath him. Tango was blown backward by the powerful shockwave of blue energy that had emerged from within the fireball and spread outward in all directions.

Moments later, he crashed hard to the floor a few feet away from where I had landed after The Greater’s grenade had thrown me into the air. My now corroded armor was still smoking as I lay face down on the floor, still writhing in pain as I fought to maintain my consciousness. Tango was lying motionless on the floor a few feet away from me and his back was riddled with severe burns and open wounds that were no doubt a result of the attack that The Greater had just unleashed. If he could dish out that kind of damage without even getting a direct hit I shuttered to think of what would happened if he had hit Tango head on.

The tail of Charlie’s duster coat fluttered behind him as he rushed over to take his place between us as the Anokian prince pulled himself to his feet.

Charlie quickly emptied the remaining bullets from his gun and let them drop to the floor as he popped in six more bullets then aimed his hand cannon at The Greater’s head just as he was about to step toward us.

“Red light, Hoss,” Charlie quickly commanded, causing The Greater to pause within his tracks as he and Charlie locked eyes. Charlie’s bullet had not broken the skin on The Greater’s left hand, however a deep bruise was clearly visible in the area where the bullet had struck him.

“You would dare oppose me with so puny a weapon?” The Greater fumed as he glared into Charlie’s eyes.

“I tell ya what, Hoss—you take one more step and I guarantee I’ll turn your tater into a side of mash before your foot even hits the ground,” Charlie quipped as he thumbed the hammer of his revolver down. “You see, I know what you’re thinkin’. You’re thinkin’ this ol’ big iron ain’t got what it takes to punch through that thick skin of yours. But I’ll tell you one thing, Hoss—you’d better make sure you’re ready to meet your maker if you’re thinkin’ about headin’ this way.”

“Your projectiles cannot even break my skin,
earthling
,” The Greater boasted as he held his bruised left fist forward in order to prove his point.

“You willin’ to bet your life on that, Hoss? Now I don’t know if you noticed but I just popped a fresh six into this ol’ Fat Lady and these bad boys are what we earthlings like to call
armor piercin’
.”

“You don’t have nearly enough ammunition to take me down,” The Greater growled as the light within his eyes intensified.

“Now see, you’re worried about the wrong thing, Hoss. It ain’t the bullets that’s gone getcha. I had these boys tipped with a lil bit of that sweet neurotoxin that your kind don’t take too kindly to. I don’t reckon it’ll take more than one of ‘em to get enough of that stuff into your system to put you right on your backside.”

“You’re bluffing,” The Greater said as the soft blue energy slowly emerged from the skin on his forearm and engulfed his entire left fist once again.

“If you think I’m bluffin’ then take your chances, Hoss!” Charlie insisted without missing a beat. “But you should know that my chances are a hell of a lot better than yours. I got six bullets in this here gun and I only need to plug you once—and I don’t know if anybody’s ever told ya, Hoss, but I don’t miss,” Charlie growled through gritted teeth. His eyes were cold and focused as he kept the extra long barrel of The Fat Lady trained on The Greater’s head. I would have normally expected him to throw in some silly “Charlie-ism” but he was all business in that moment.

My heartbeat echoed in my ears as The Greater’s eyes glowed even brighter and the fiery energy that surrounded his fist intensified as a cool wind blew in from outside through the holes that were left after the explosion. Charlie’s black hat flew off of his head and his long duster coat flickered violently in the wind behind him—but his eyes remained focused on The Greater and his aim stayed as steady as ever.

After seeing what he could do first hand, I had no doubt that The Greater possessed enough power to kill us all but I also knew that Charlie’s hands were quick enough to squeeze off multiple shots before The Greater had had a chance to attack. With that in mind I should have been more confident in our chances—but the only thing that troubled me was the fact that I was almost certain that Charlie was bluffing.

LUCKILY FOR US, IT WAS THE GREATER WHO BLINKED FIRST. I breathed a sigh of relief as the glow in his eyes finally subsided and the energy that had engulfed his fist and forearm dissipated as he took a small step backward. He and Charlie silently glared at each other for another few seconds as I struggled to finally climb to my feet. Charlie maintained his aim but he didn’t fire as The Greater turned and leapt thirty feet into the air and dashed away as soon as he hit the ground.

“Ace to reinforcements! The Greater is headed your way!” I yelled hoping that my communicator was still working. I clenched my fists out of frustration after nearly thirty seconds went by without a single reply. “Dammit!” I grumbled as I looked over to Charlie who was kneeling over Tango and checking his pulse. “Are your comms working?” I asked as I walked over to join him.

“No,” Charlie replied without looking up at me. “I’m pretty sure they got fried when that son-of-a-gun started the light show.”

“How is he?” I asked as I glanced down at Tango.

“He’ll be fine,” Charlie answered as he stood and flared the collar of his coat. “If he didn’t die after that whoopin’ I put on him when he found out that I told you about his eye, he sure as hell ain’t gonna let that chump kill him.”

“I hope you’re right,” I said solemnly as I glanced down at the charred skin on the back of Tango’s mangled body. “Wait a second!” I exclaimed as I looked at Charlie in bewilderment. “So you’re saying
you
won the fight?!”

“Sure did,” Charlie said as he placed his cowboy hat back on his head and popped a toothpick in his mouth.

“But Tango said
he
won.”

“Well all I remember is me slappin’ the spit out of his mouth and then whoopin’ his butt for droolin' in front of me,” Charlie quipped as he shifted his toothpick to the other side of his mouth. I chuckled at Charlie’s remark for a bit but winced in pain as a sharp stabbing sensation suddenly resonated throughout the small area on my right side where I had landed after the grenade explosion.

“You two were made for each other,” I said to Charlie as the two of us kneeled and threw Tango’s arms over our shoulders. “How’d you guys meet anyway? I’ve always wondered that,” I continued as we lifted Tango from the ground and started toward the exit.

“It’s a funny story, really. Especially the part where I shot him in his eye,” Charlie grinned.

“Wait a second! You’re the reason Tango can’t see out of his right eye?”

“Yup,” Charlie answered without skipping a beat.

“You’re joking,” I said skeptically.

“True story, Hoss. It all started out as a good old fashioned bar fight ‘til he started hoppin’ around with all that ninja stuff you fellers like to do. He popped me pretty good a couple times so I figured I’d see what he could do after I dotted his eye.”

“I don’t believe you,” I admitted as I looked over to him.

“Suit yourself, Hoss,” Charlie said, nonchalantly.

“That’s some poker face you’ve got there, Charlie,” I admitted, still not sure if he was joking or not. “Speaking of poker, were those really armor piercing bullets or were you just bluffing back there?” I asked as we continued toward the exit.

“I don’t show my cards, Hoss,” Charlie said with a wink.

“You were bluffing, weren’t you?” I insisted.

“I won the hand, Hoss. That’s all that matters, ain’t it? And as far as I’m concerned you can consider that lil’ bet of ours from a couple years ago settled,” he replied.

I silently nodded out of respect as I realized the gravity of his words. Two years ago, when Charlie was still working for The Strangers, he and I had decided to settle a fight by giving him a chance to shoot me in the chest. The stakes were simple. If he shot me, he won. If he missed or if I deflected the bullet with my sword he was supposed to shoot himself in the face with his last bullet. Obviously he had backed out on his part of the deal but in the end I was glad that he did. If he had gone through with killing himself back then, he wouldn’t have been alive to save Tango and me from dying at the hands of The Greater. I was thankful for his intervention but I couldn’t help but feel that we had simply gotten lucky. Relying on chance means you’re not in control and not being in control always bothered me. What bothered me the most was that the more I replayed the fight with The Greater in my head, the more convinced I became that there was no way that we could defeat him.

AREA 51

(SOUTHERN NEVEDA)

- LATER THAT NIGHT

MY PULSE WAS STILL THROBBING IN MY TEMPLE AS I APPROACHED the unmarked entrance to Area 51 on foot.
What did Howie mean when he said that Monica was in trouble?
I thought as I took a deep breath and entered the seemingly unassuming warehouse. My heart was racing and my lungs were on fire by the time I stepped into the elevator at the back of the warehouse and began my descent—this was partially a result of me having just covered a distance of nearly 250 miles on foot in less than an hour but it was mainly because of the apprehension that I detected in Howie’s voice as he asked for me to meet him at 51.

I nervously tapped my fingers on a nearby rail as the elevator descended farther into the earth.
How could I have been so stupid?
I thought as my mind lingered back to Audrey. I had planned a romantic getaway of sorts for her and me and had consequently been hundreds of miles out of town when The Strangers launched an attack on a casino in Vegas. I initially thought of putting our trip on hold and storming back to Vegas to help out once I saw the reports online but, against my better judgment, I convinced myself that Ace and the rest of Wells’ team could take care of it without me. Apparently I was wrong—and to make matters worse, Howie’s phone call made it seem like the attack in Vegas had somehow involved Monica.

Audrey didn’t take it too hard when I ended up cutting our trip short in order to zip back to Area 51. I felt terrible about having to disappoint her like that but I felt even worse about the possibility of having let Monica fall into harm’s way while I was out spending time with another girl.

My palms grew sweaty with anxiety as I exited the elevator on the bottom floor of the subterranean facility. Wells had thousands of these secret buildings placed throughout the country and though I was quite familiar with many of his top-secret black sites, I still hated every second that I spent in them. It always felt like I was being watched at every turn. Even when I used the restroom it felt like some secret surveillance camera was stashed away watching my every move.

As I turned a corner and hurried through the automatic double doors, I could already hear the clamoring of what sounded like a sizable group meeting in the conference room at the end of the hallway. I noticed an obviously worried Director Wells seated at the end of the large oak conference table in the center of the room as I quietly walked in. As soon as they noticed my presence, every person in the room instantly grew quiet as they looked from Director Wells to me. Ezekiel, The Elder and the Joint Chiefs of Staff sat to Wells’ immediate right and to his left sat a team of his closest advisors as well as Ace and Howie. A twenty-man security detail for the Joint Chiefs lined both sides of the well-lit room as I took my place at the end of the table. It had been almost a year and a half since the last time Wells had met with the Joint Chiefs in person. Their last face-to-face meeting was held right after the start of the Stranger Acquisition therefore the very sight of them let me know that the stakes were likely much higher than I had anticipated.

“Now that Reaper has arrived we can officially begin,” Wells said as the men all straightened their posture and turned their attention back to him.

“Begin what?” I asked.

“In light of the Las Vegas incident I thought it would be a good idea to get us all under the same roof—”

“You said this was about Monica,” I interrupted, while glancing from Wells to Howie.

“Reaper, there has been an unfortunate development with the Las Vegas situation. Ms. Stripling was…
involved.
However, I assure you that we are working toward finding a solution,” Wells carefully replied.

“What do you mean, she was
involved
? Monica’s in Florida! How does Vegas have anything to do with her?” I demanded as I narrowed my eyes at Wells.

“She’s not in Florida, Reaper,” Wells said flatly.

“Then where is she?” I asked, as my heartbeat quickened and blood rushed to my face.

“Like I said, the situation is being monitored closely, but we—”

“Where is she?!” I growled, clenching my powerful fists as I glared at him from the opposite end of the table. Out of the corners of my eyes I noticed Ace stand and watch my every move as I waited for Director Wells to answer.

“She was captured by The Righteous,” Howie finally interjected.

“Th-The Righteous
?
How is that even possible?! How does The Righteous even know about her?!” I asked, not wanting to believe a word of what I had just heard.

“It’s my fault,” Howie admitted while hanging his head in shame. The room fell silent as I stood there and watched him struggle to maintain eye contact with me.

My head was spinning at 1000 miles an hour as my mind struggled to comprehend the devastating news that I had just heard. I had failed. I had taken myself completely out of Monica’s life for the specific purpose of keeping her away from the danger that was sure to follow me once I joined Wells’ crusade against The Righteous—but in that moment, I realized that doing so was the biggest mistake that I could have possibly made. I should have stayed and protected her instead of running away and hoping that the danger would follow me instead of her.

Several moments of uneasy silence passed as I struggled to maintain my composure. My fists trembled as the veins in my forehead bulged and throbbed to the tune of my heartbeat, and it became abundantly clear that I was dangerously close to blowing my lid. Even Ace looked nervous as he and the other guests at the table watched me in silence as I panted and heaved in huge breaths of air in order to slow my heart rate.

“I’m sorry, Reaper,” Howie finally said. “I shouldn’t have involved her but I didn’t think I had a choice.”

“You didn’t think you had a
choice
?! Are you freaking kidding me?!” I snapped. “How could you do something like this to her, Howie? How could you do this to
me?!”
I asked.

“If you’re concerned about her physical well being then you can rest assured that she’ll be fine,” Wells interjected. “They won’t hurt her, Reaper. They
need
her.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I hissed.

“I’m just giving you the facts, sport,” Wells said flatly.

“This is your fault,” I snapped. “I don’t give a damn what Howie says. I know that you’re somehow behind this, and you’d better hope that we find her quickly or you won’t like what happens next.”

“Don’t threaten me, boy,” Wells said darkly.

“What are you gonna do,
gas me?
I guarantee I’ll snap your neck before you have a chance,” I barked.

“Reaper, calm down!” Ace ordered.

“No,
you
calm down!” I snapped at him. “As far as I’m concerned you’re just as responsible as they are! You don’t think I know you’ve all been keeping me in the dark? If Monica was involved I should have been there! Someone should have told me what was going on! You had no right to put her in danger and you damn sure had no right to risk her life without telling me about it! Now, someone had better tell me what happened and what we’re going to do to get her back—and I want the truth,” I said firmly as I glared at Wells. “
You got that
?!”

Wells simply nodded in agreement and he, Ace, and Howie proceeded to recap the events that led to Monica’s capture. Apparently Howie had secretly asked Monica to meet with The Righteous in an effort to uncover additional information as to his plans for Earth but Howie didn’t know that Wells had been monitoring their communications. When he found out about the impending meeting with The Righteous, Wells had Ace lead a team that was supposed to intercept them but apparently things didn’t go as planned.

I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at Howie as they spilled the details of their monumental catastrophe. I was still pissed at Wells and Ace too but I couldn’t shake the feeling of utter betrayal when it came to Howie. I would have never thought that I was even capable of feeling that level of anger toward him, but for the first time in my life I found myself mad enough to actually cause him physical harm. In fact, I was furious enough to lay waste to that entire room, but I knew that wouldn’t bring Monica back. The burning hatred that I had fought so hard to bury was compelling me to destroy them all, but I kept quiet and forced myself to remain calm because at the end of the day I knew I would need them all in order to save her.

“So what now? How do we find her?” I asked.

“I’m working on it,” Howie offered. “The Righteous is an expert at covering his tracks so it’s not going to be easy, but I promise you that I won’t stop until we find her.”

“Look, I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings here,” one of the officials seated near Wells started, “but there’s a lot more on the table here than just some girl.”

I clenched my fists and peered across the table as I realized that the tall grey-haired man that had spoken out of turn was none other than the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Simon Montgomery. His disregard of Monica’s situation angered me so much that I wanted to zoom over and literally rip his head from his shoulders; however, I ultimately found the strength to somehow keep my cool.

“I take it you’re referring to the impending arrival of the Anokian fleet,” Wells replied to Secretary Montgomery.

“Indeed, I am,” Secretary Montgomery said as the rest of the room silently watched on.

“While I certainly understand your concern, Mr. Secretary, I can assure you that this organization is prepared to deal with the Anokians,” Wells boasted.

“Well, I would sure as hell be interested to know what your exact plan of action is, Director. Given the stakes, I’m sure you’ll understand if I’m not willing to simply take your word for it,” Secretary Montgomery retorted.

I leaned back in my chair and watched as Wells and Secretary Montgomery silently sized each other up. It was always interesting to watch Wells interact with high ranking government officials. As far as we knew, he technically only had to answer to the President but he still needed to maintain solid relationships with all the top brass in order to maintain the vast level of influence that he had grown accustomed to wielding. Given the high level relationships that he had to secretly maintain as well as the overall scope and scale of his operation, Wells often seemed like more of a politician than the director of a top-secret national defense organization.

“The plan is simple,” Wells finally said as he sat up straighter in his chair. “Simple but effective if carried out to the letter. My organization has recruited The Reaper in order to challenge The Righteous for the Anokian crown. Once Reaper defeats The Righteous and assumes control of the Anokian Empire he will order a full retreat and effectively end the war in Andromeda.”

“That’s an interesting plan,” Secretary Montgomery replied. “But I’ll be honest with you, Wells, I don’t give a rat’s ass about the Andromeda Galaxy. The only thing I’m concerned about is whether or not your organization has the ability to keep America safe if the Anokian fleet reaches Earth before you can carry out your little plan.”

“You have to consider the big picture, Simon. The safety of the Earth is certainly one of our primary objectives but the main goal is to put an end to this war for good. Everything that has transpired here is a direct result of the war in Andromeda. It’s imperative that we end the war there because that’s the only way that we can truly guarantee the safety of this planet. My goal has always been to cure the disease—not to simply treat the symptoms,” Wells insisted.

“What makes you so certain that this plan of yours will work? How in the hell is The Reaper supposed to challenge The Righteous when you can’t even find him? God knows you’ve been trying for damn near twenty years now,” Secretary Montgomery grumbled.

“We didn’t have Howie Vargas back then,” Wells said firmly.

“So is that it then?” asked a salt and pepper haired military official who sat near the end of the table a few seats down from Wells. This was General Frank Thompson, another of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and from the look on his face he wasn’t completely sold on Wells’ plan either. “Our entire country’s safety is dependent on this
kid
finding The Righteous and then hoping the alien kid can beat him in a fist fight?”

“Who in the hell are you calling an alien, grandpa?” I snarled while leaning forward in my chair.

“You shut your mouth, boy,” General Thompson snapped while thrusting his index finger in my direction. “If it were up to me you’d be somewhere on a dissection table with your guts flapping out of your chest!” he hissed, turning his nose up as he glared at me.

I had no idea how to react to such a hate filled statement and I was at a complete loss for words when Howie came to my rescue.

“Now, wait just a minute!” Howie angrily interjected.

“No, you wait a minute, boy! Unlike him, I would expect you to be smart enough to realize who you’re talking to,” General Thompson growled.

“I don’t care who you are. You have no right to talk to him that way. Reaper was born on American soil just like you and he’s just as American as anyone in this room,” Howie insisted while glancing at me.