Savior Part 2: Son of Eden (The Savior Series) (28 page)

IT WAS HARD FOR ME TO KEEP UP WITH REAPER AS WE worked our way up to the loadin’ hangar. Between that blazin’ speed and unnatural strength of his, he had just about taken out every Stranger that we had come up against. By the time we found ourselves just down the hall from the main hangar I had really only had a chance to use The Fat Lady about three times. To be honest, I kinda felt like I was holdin’ ol’ Reaper back. He was obviously runnin’ a hell of a lot slower than he normally would in order for me to keep up and I couldn’t help but feel that he would’ve already been inside the hangar by now if it wasn’t for me.

I gritted my teeth and dug harder as we stormed around another corner and the entrance to the main hangar finally came into view. I ignored the fire in my lungs and kept my stride as Reaper shot down the hall like a bat outta hell and barreled right through the reinforced steel door as if it were nothin’ more than a pile of straw. A large black semi truck with a light grey trailer along with about thirty black SUVs all sped away from the hangar just as Reaper stormed into the docks.

I was still halfway down the hall but that was plenty close enough to see the crowd of M16 totin’ Strangers that had fanned out to block The Reaper after the convoy of trucks sped away. I stopped dead in my tracks and whipped out the heavily modified .44 magnum revolver from my hip and ripped off six shots before any of the Strangers had even had a chance to fire. Each shot hit its mark and six of the thirty Strangers that stood in front of The Reaper hit the deck faster than a knife fight in a phone booth. The ones that were still standin’ fired away as I took off down the hall but it didn’t take long for ‘em to realize that against ol’ Reaper their bullets were about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. I hauled my butt the rest of the way down the hall as fast as I could but by the time I made it into the hangar ol’ Reaper had already tore into the rest of them suckers like a stray dog on a plate of slop.

I was just about to holster The Fat Lady when I heard even more footsteps approachin’ from just around the corner and down the hall.

“Looks like we got company, Hoss! And one of ‘em is about as tall as a country mile!” I yelled to Reaper as I took cover on the right side of the entrance as twelve more Strangers emerged at the end of the long hallway and made their way towards the hangar. I popped open my revolver and loaded a fresh six into the cylinder then peeked my head around the corner and eyed the approachin’ group of Strangers—particularly the one who was damn near seven feet tall and who looked like he was strong enough to bench press this entire buildin’.

“Is that what I think it is, Echo?”
Reaper asked as he zoomed over and joined me.

“Yep. That’s another Anokian. They seem to be mixed in with the Stranger units. Ace and Tango are fighting one as well down in Wells’ office as we speak.”

“Fine, I’ll take the big one, Charlie,”
Reaper declared as he cracked his knuckles while the group of Strangers barreled towards us.

“Why don’t you leave this mess to ol’ Charlie, Hoss? One of us should be gettin’ after that semi-truck that just left and the last time I checked you’re a hell of a lot faster than I am,” I urged.

“I can’t leave you to 12 on 1 odds,” Reaper insisted.

I leaned around the corner and quickly ripped off six shots with my revolver and dropped six of the approachin’ Strangers before they even knew what hit ‘em.

“Looks like 6 on 1 to me, Hoss. Now git the hell outta here and git after that truck, ya hear?! This ain’t nothin’ ol’ Charlie and The Fat Lady can’t’ handle,” I said as I reloaded my handgun.

“He’s right, Reaper. If you want to stop them from getting away with the interstellar communicator you need to take off now. They just pulled the semi onto the freeway,”
Echo said as the approachin’ Strangers opened fire from down the hall.

“
Are you sure you can handle this?”
Reaper asked, while glancing from me to the exit.

“Just as sure as the pope is catholic! Now git on out of here, boy!” I yelled before poppin’ around the corner and droppin’ two more of The Strangers with my revolver. Reaper had already high tailed it on outta there by the time I ducked back around the corner and ran farther into the hanger as the big son of a gun and the three smaller Strangers pushed their way through the entrance.

Luckily, I was able to find some solid cover about twenty feet away and I waited until I heard ‘em reloadin’ then I popped out again and ripped off four more shots. Three of the four bad guys dropped dead as my bullets slammed into their supposedly bulletproof helmets and turned their pumpkins into mush. My mud brown duster coat fluttered in the wind that blew in through the open hangar doors as I silently stood with the smokin’ barrel of the Fat Lady still held in front of me. There was only one of ‘em left standin’ at that point and I’ll be dog if that sucker wasn’t damn near three times as big as I was.

“I’ve regained control of the building, Charlie. I’m shutting off all access to the hangar so you shouldn’t have anymore company for now,”
Echo said as I reloaded my hand cannon.

“Welp, I guess it’s just you and me now, Hoss,” I smirked as I thumbed down the hammer of my revolver and let one rip just as the mountain of a man rushed toward me.

27. AND THE WINNER IS…

ACE:

HOWIE WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT ABOUT THE ANOKIANS’ endurance. Tango and I had been pressing the massive soldier in Wells’ office with all our might but he still wasn’t showing any signs of wearing down. To make matters worse our attacks didn’t seem to have very much of an effect on him but luckily we had been quick enough to evade most of his powerful attacks as well. As the fight wore on we eventually adjusted our strategy and attacked him from opposite sides in order to try to catch him off guard.

The Anokian soldier and I clashed swords in the center of the room as Tango slipped around to his right. As Tango prepared to attack, the humongous warrior suddenly whipped around with astonishing speed and furiously swung his massive left fist for Tango’s head. Luckily, Tango had anticipated the attack and he easily ducked beneath the blow and countered with a vicious, leaping uppercut that sent the Anokian stumbling back toward me. I leapt into action and prepared to execute a nerve attack to the right side of the Anokian’s neck but before I could deliver the blow he regained his balance much quicker than I had anticipated and clubbed me hard to the floor with his right hand. I was seeing stars as my face slammed against the cracked marble floor. The Anokian raised his giant buster sword and swung it downward to chop me in half but fortunately Tango darted in and kicked against the blade of the massive sword which threw the Anokian off balance and allowed Tango to also deliver a powerful left hook to the Anokian’s face as he kicked off of the Anokian’s blade.

My head was still ringing as I leapt to my feet just as the Anokian regained his balance. He raised his giant sword once again as Tango bounced on his toes in front of him. I struck out toward them just as the Anokian thrust the sword at Tango. I flipped high into the air as Tango gracefully leapt to the left and avoided the Anokian’s sword thrust. I landed onto the Anokian’s outstretched sword and quickly darted across the massive blade and kicked him in the face before he had a chance to react.

“Now, Tango!” I yelled as I hit the floor and sliced through the Anokian’s legs at the knees as I dove between them. I popped up to my feet behind him and swept my sword upward just as Tango delivered a leaping superman punch to the Anokian’s face. His body toppled from his severed legs and Tango’s haymaker knocked the rest of him into my already sweeping sword which sliced through the top third of his body, and separated his head, neck and shoulders from the rest of him.

“I believe that gives me 151,”
I said firmly, as blood and guts rained down around me and the Anokian’s body fell apart and collapsed to the floor.

“I should get some of the credit for that one,” Tango grumbled as he walked over to join me.

“What are you talking about?! That was totally my kill!”
I protested.

“Quit squabbling and help get this freaking door opened, will ya?”
Director Wells suddenly barked over the radio.

“I’m unlocking it now, Wells,”
Howie replied as Tango and I rushed to the battered Anokian-Steel door of Wells’ safe room.

It took a little elbow grease, but once Howie unlocked the door we were able to pry it open and free Director Wells and the Anokian defector, Ezekiel, The Elder who had also hidden in Wells’ safe room during the siege of Area 51.

“How did this happen?”
I asked as I approached Director Wells.

“The Strangers got the drop on us. Somehow Alias was able to access our wormhole generator and before we knew it the entire facility was overrun by Strangers,” Wells grumbled. “Echo, I need a status report!”

“I’ve regained control of the buildings and locked down the entire facility. The remaining Strangers are completely trapped at this point. I can gas them if you want.”

“Do it,” Wells ordered coldly.

“Done,”
Howie replied. “Also, it looks like The Strangers have taken the Guardian as well as one of the interstellar communicators. I’m not getting any readings as to the current whereabouts of the Guardian but Reaper is in hot pursuit of the Stranger convoy that has the communicator. Also, Charlie is still in the main hanger in combat with an Anokian soldier.”

“We need to get to the moon base,” Wells said as he stroked his chin and stared into the space before him.

“I’m going after Reaper,”
I insisted.

“Fine, but whatever you do, make sure he doesn’t get captured. Do you understand me?” Wells said ominously.

“I understand. Echo, I need a bike,”
I said firmly.

“There’s one in the main hangar. You may want to hurry because it looks like Charlie could use some help,”
Howie instructed.

“I’m on it!”
I replied.
“Tango, you stay with Wells and make sure he and The Elder make it to the moon base. I’ll finish up here.”
Tango nodded without a word as I sprinted away and raced toward the main hangar.

CHARLIE AND THE ANOKIAN SOLDIER HAD BEEN BUSY. Debris and overturned equipment and vehicles lay strewn across the entire hangar and in the center of the chaos Charlie and the much larger Anokian stood glaring at each other from a few feet away. Charlie gritted his teeth as he held his massive revolver in his right hand but his left arm dangled awkwardly by his side and it was obvious that the arm was in a lot of pain by the way he was favoring it.

The Anokian was clad in all-black body armor but he was missing his helmet and his face was riddled with dark red circular bruises, no doubt a courtesy of Charlie’s revolver. Their skin was so dense that even a gun as powerful as Charlie’s hand cannon wasn’t able to penetrate without the use of armor piercing rounds, but the anger that burned in the Anokian’s eyes let me know that the countless bruises left by Charlie’s bullets were not without a certain amount of pain.

“Well look what the cat dragged in! I’ll tell ya, Ace, you might as well be a blister, Hoss!” Charlie quipped, without taking his eyes off of the Anokian who was preparing to pounce.

“What do you mean?” I asked, as I stealthily crept toward the Anokian with my right hand on the handle of the sword on my hip.

“Hell, look at ya! You don’t show up until all the work’s all done! Just like a dadgum blister, Hoss!” Charlie smirked, with his eyes still locked on the Anokian.

“That’s cute, Charlie. Real cute. Is everything alright here?” I asked as I continued my approach.

“Stop right there human!” the Anokian barked in an extremely deep voice as he pointed a large high-tech pistol at me.

“Ain’t nothin’ I can’t handle, Hoss. Hell, as a matter of fact, I was just getting ready to knock a pop knot on this son of a gun’s head big enough to need its own umbilical cord,” Charlie joked. I greeted Charlie’s quip with a measured chuckle but I remained silent as the standoff continued.

“Throw down your weapon, human, or else I will fire upon your comrade,” the Anokian ordered Charlie as he aggressively gestured his alien pistol at me.

“You might as well had asked me to push a watermelon through a garden hose, Hoss! Ain’t no way in hell I’m lettin’ go of my big iron,” Charlie said firmly.

“Do not test me, human! If you do not comply your comrade
will
suffer the consequences of your decision! Now give up your weapon! I will not ask again,” the Anokian growled.

“I’m sorry, Hoss, but me and this ol’ girl have been through way too much for me to just give her up like that. I tell ya what though, I ain’t so stingy with the bullets. You just let me know where you want ‘em and I’ll make sure you git every last one of ‘em!”

“You speak as though I should fear that puny piece of scrap metal,” the Anokian mocked. My heartbeat quickened as Charlie’s eyes narrowed and he tightened his grip on the revolver.

“You wanna run that by me one more time now, Hoss?” Charlie growled.

“I said—”

Before the Anokian could repeat his sentence, Charlie whipped his hand cannon forward and blasted two deafening shots at the Anokian’s mouth. The Anokian gagged and spat blood as he clutched at his throat with one hand while stumbling backward. I unsheathed my sword and sprang into action as Charlie quickly opened the cylinder of his revolver then held it between his teeth as he used his only good arm to withdraw a speed reloader with six fresh bullets.

I leapt toward the Anokian soldier with my sword held high overhead but my heart skipped a beat when I saw that he had regained his balance and was aiming his sophisticated pistol at me while I sailed through the air. I instinctively swept my sword downward as the thundering gunshot rang out but as the high-tech pistol in the Anokian’s hand shattered into a thousand pieces I suddenly realized that it was Charlie who had fired the shot. Charlie thumbed down the hammer of his revolver once more as the Anokian turned and glared at him.

A resounding boom filled the room as Charlie thrust his hand forward as he squeezed the trigger just as I lashed out with my katana. The Anokian’s pulsating jugular called out to my blade’s edge as Charlie’s whistling bullet sped toward his hate-filled eyes. The Anokian’s left eye exploded into a mass of crimson pulp as the bullet slammed into it just before my blade disappeared into his flesh and reemerged in a bloody instant. Charlie stood motionless with his smoking hand cannon still thrust before him as the Anokian’s blood dripped from the blade of my outstretched sword. A fountain of blood gushed from his wounded right eye as the Anokian finally fell to his knees beside me. His face twisted in horror as he opened his mouth to scream but the life within his uninjured eye suddenly vanished as blood trickled from the mortal wound in his neck then spurted out in all directions.

I shook the blood from my sword as his head toppled to the floor followed closely by the rest of his lifeless body. Charlie wiped a bit of blood from his mouth then spat as he eyed the Anokian’s corpse then looked down to his injured left arm.

“I guess them eyes ain’t quite as tough as that skin or theirs, huh?” he asked rhetorically, as he effortlessly spun his revolver on his fingers then whipped it back in the holster on his right hip.

“I guess not,” I said as I sheathed my sword and stared at his injured left arm. I was about to continue the conversation with Charlie but instead I quickly started to look around the hangar for a bike as soon as I remembered that I was supposed to be going after Reaper.

“You know, Hoss, I think if we tried that little bet of ours again I think I’d git ya this time around,” Charlie smirked as I searched through the rubble for a bike.

“Sure thing,
Hoss
”
I mocked as I spotted a black sports motorcycle beneath a nearby pile of rubble.

“You didn’t see how I just pegged that sucker in the eyeball?!” Charlie continued as I removed the bike from beneath the rubble and quickly hopped on.

“Echo, I need you to start this bike and get me Reaper’s location, ASAP,” I ordered as I tightened my long headband.

“There you go,”
Howie confirmed over the radio as the bike’s engine roared to life and the hangar doors remotely retracted into the ceiling.

“So what do ya say, Hoss?” Charlie asked once more as the bike purred under me and the wind blew in from outside causing my headband and his long duster coat to flicker in unison.

“I’ll tell you what, Charlie…” I said as I revved the engine of the bike and prepared to speed away. “If we make it through this thing without the world being destroyed—maybe you’ll get your shot.”

Charlie smiled and tipped his black cowboy hat as I revved the bike’s engine and zoomed away.