“Angel’s going with you?”
“I’m going with the Peregrine and his wife.”
“The Peregrine?”
“A vigilante from down South. He’s here to capture the Moon Man, but I’ve convinced him that there are bigger fish to be fried.”
“What about after Lycos is captured? Will he turn on you then?”
“I think I can trust him. He’s a lot like me… and seeing him with his wife made me realize something.”
Sue felt her heart speed along like a locomotive. Something in Steve’s voice made her feel weak in the knees. “Yes?”
“Let’s not wait any longer… as soon as I’m done with this, let’s get married!”
“Oh, Steve!” Sue leaned forward in her bed and embraced her beloved. “Nothing in this world would make me happier!”
“Good… tomorrow we’ll tell your father that we’re going to set a date.” The happy couple kissed before Steve pulled away. “I have to go.”
“Be careful,” she whispered. The weight in her chest seemed to have lifted, leaving her feeling like she was floating through space.
Steve nodded briskly, moving out into the hallway before she could see the tears of happiness in his eyes. Once he’d made it downstairs and on to the street, he saw that Angel was waiting with the roadster.
“What did she say, boss?” Angel asked, wearing a knowing grin.
“You’re talking to a soon to be married man, Angel. No more waiting around for us.”
“I knew it!” the big man exclaimed. He pulled a shocked Steve into a tight embrace before stepping back in embarrassment. “I mean… congratulations, boss.”
“Thanks, Angel. You’re a good friend.” Steve ran a hand through his hair and lowered his voice. “That’s why I want you as my best man at the wedding.”
The shock that registered on Angel’s face was almost comical. “But… people will ask questions! Like how a top of the line cop like you knows a palooka like me!”
“Let them ask the questions. I’ll come up with the answers.” Steve put a hand on Angel’s shoulder. “Will you do it for me?”
“Of course I will. Be an honor.”
“Good. Then let’s go stop this Lycos, shall we?”
CHAPTER XV
Lair of Evil
Smitty tried to avoid the professor’s gaze as much as possible. Though the man’s gas mask hid most of his features, the blazing eyes of Lycos could be seen clearly enough. They now pulsed with a madness unlike any that Smitty had seen before. “Boss? If those guys are comin’, shouldn’t we be doing something? Like… running away? Or at least getting the Gasping Death ready to use on them?”
Lycos stood in the front room of the house, watching the airfield from the window. “There’s no need for such preparations. We’re ready now.”
“But…”
Lycos raised his left hand, gesturing dramatically. A cloud of thick gray smoke momentarily appeared in his palm, swirling like a miniature hurricane. “Do you know what this is?”
“No,” Smitty replied, a cold chill running down the length of his spine.
“It’s the Gasping Death. I made it. I carry it inside me now and I can project it outwards whenever I want.”
“How are you able to do that stuff?” Smitty asked, hoping that it would prove to be some new invention of the professor’s. Somehow he knew that wouldn’t be the case… but the thought of magic, for that’s what it appeared to be, was almost too much for the crook’s fragile mind to bear.
“I’m not the same man I was before,” Lycos said. “I have new friends now. Powerful friends. And they’ve promised me even more power if I kill the man who’s traveling with the Moon Man. So we’re not going to run away, Smitty. We’re going to wait for the Peregrine to show himself and then we’re going to kill him.”
“So this isn’t about the money anymore?”
The professor laughed coldly. “No. It’s not about the money anymore.” He looked over at Smitty, his eyes narrowing to dark points behind his mask. “Is that a problem?”
“Of course not, boss. Not at all.”
Lycos whipped his head around, sniffing at the air. “They’re here.”
“But I didn’t hear anything…”
“That’s because there’s nothing to hear, simpleton!” Lycos strode towards the interior of the house. “Keep them busy, Smitty. If you get lucky and manage to kill one of them, there’ll be a bonus for you!”
Smitty watched his master retreat from the scene, swallowing hard to choke down the fear that now gripped him. He couldn’t betray the professor—not if he wanted to live—but he harbored doubts about his ability to hold off the Moon Man and the Peregrine. He drew a small automatic from the interior of his jacket and checked the number of bullets it held.
I shoulda listened to my momma
, he mused,
and became a furniture mover like Uncle Sal.
* * *
“Amazing vehicle,” Steve said as he stepped out of the Peregrine’s specially modified roadster. “It purrs like a kitten!”
“Makes it easy to sneak up on my enemies,” the Peregrine agreed. “If you like, I’ll do some work on your own car and give it the same abilities. You’ll be able to get a hundred miles to a gallon, too.”
“Incredible,” the Moon Man murmured. He was glad that his face was hidden behind the Argus glass because he was feeling woefully out of his depth. The Peregrine was a master of several disciplines…
Reign in the low self-esteem
, he reminded himself.
You’re a highly decorated police officer and you’re marrying the most beautiful girl in Great City. You have plenty to be proud of.
The Moon Man put up a hand to stop Angel in his tracks. “I want you to stay with the car,” the Moon Man said. He’d held off on giving his friends this last order because he’d known what the reaction was going to be. Before Angel could bluster out a response, Steve leaned closer and whispered, “If something happens to me, I want you to look out for Sue.”
Angel hesitated, warring between his natural desire to take part in the conflict and his loyalty to Steve. Finally, he relented, muttering under his breath. He moved to stand on the other side of the vehicle, trying in vain to look like he wasn’t disappointed.
Evelyn and Max were a few feet away, looking over the debris-strewn airfield. Evelyn reached up to make sure that her own mask was still in place. “When we get a chance, love, I need to speak to you about something.”
“What is it?”
“Now’s not the time.” Evelyn gave him a soft smile that made Max’s heart skip a beat. “Trust me. It’s nothing terrible.”
The Peregrine accepted her words at face value. He did trust her… with all his heart. “Too bad McKenzie’s not here,” he said, changing the subject. “He’d love this.”
Evelyn laughed, thinking about their enthusiastic friend back home. “Next time, we’ll make sure he comes along.”
The Moon Man’s approach made the young lovers pause. Though the Argus Glass, the vigilante said “I think we should get a move on.”
The Peregrine murmured an agreement, leading his wife and his new friend through the shadows. A house, boarded up and showing no signs of recent use, lay a short distance away. The trio had reached it in no time, splitting up so that the Peregrine ascended the front steps while his partners each went to a separate side of the house to check for a means inside. To Max’s surprise, the front door swung open at his approach. Keeping his voice low, he barked “Forget about sneaking around back! The door’s open!”
The Moon Man peered around the side of the house. “A trap?” he hissed.
“No doubt,” Max answered. “But if they’ve worked this hard to set something up, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.” As soon as the others were at his side, the Peregrine entered the building, prepared for the worst.
CHAPTER XVI
The Devil’s Snare
“Look out!” the Moon Man yelled as the trio stepped into the foyer. The Peregrine looked around quickly, spotting a gunman peering around the corner of the next room. The fellow fired his revolver at Evelyn, but the nimble actress threw herself to the side as soon as the Moon Man had spoken. The gun blast narrowly missed her, tearing a chunk out of the front door instead.
The Peregrine sprang into action. He jumped for their attacker, knocking the man to the floor and sending his pistol flying away. The Peregrine backhanded the gunman harshly, eliciting a cry of pain from the man. “Where’s Lycos?” the Peregrine demanded.
“Upstairs,” Smitty coughed. “Please… I thought we were just in it for the cash! But he’s changed and… I don’t want any part of this anymore!”
The Moon Man stepped forward, holding out a pair of police issue handcuffs. “I’ll truss him up,” he offered. “You two go on ahead and I’ll catch up.”
Evelyn followed her husband up the stairs, glancing around in confusion. “What do you think that meant? ‘He’s changed.’”
“I talked to my father,” Max answered. “He said that Lycos had become a servant of Nyarlathotep. He also told me I wouldn’t be seeing him again.”
“What? My god, Max, I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Max whispered, but the words lacked conviction. He was sorry, too.
Sounds of movement up ahead made them both pause and the Peregrine gestured for her to arm her own pistol. Like his, it was modified so that it could unleash a steady torrent of bullets without need of reloading.
From inside one of the bedrooms a voice rang out. Its tone was taunting and full of scorn. “Mr. Davies. That is you, isn’t it? You’ve become quite the nuisance as of late. My employer says you’ve taken to sticking your nose into situations that do not concern you… and I quite agree. Great City was going to be mine—and then you had to take a vacation!”
The Peregrine paused outside the door and then spun inside, scanning quickly for his opponent. He directed his gun at the professor, who stood calmly in the center of the room. He wore a brown trench coat and a gas mask that hid his face. Tendrils of gas moved about the professor’s legs and arms, coiling about his limbs like trained snakes.
The room contained only a small cot and one open window, but the place smelled like a tomb. Something about the place made Max’s hand ache terribly.
“You shouldn’t have listened to Nyarlathotep, Lycos.” Max glanced at Evelyn, who moved to stand near him. “You’ll never be anything to him except a tool, one to be used and discarded at his whim!”
“That’s a chance I’ll have to take, Mr. Davies. You see, not all of us are lucky enough to have a private fortune, a beautiful wife and heavenly powers. Some of us have lost things… opportunities, our appearance, even our soul! All Nyarlathotep did was give me the power that should have been mine to begin with!” To prove his point, the madman pointed both hands at his enemies. The Gasping Death solution that roiled about him was like a living thing and it responded to his command. The gas rocketed through the air, wrapping around both the Peregrine and Evelyn’s heads. They wore small breathing devices that were pushed high into their nostrils but the demonic gas seemed to push and pull at the plugs, hoping to gain access to their victims’ lungs.
Evelyn tried to ignore the cloud enveloping her. She squinted and made out the slim form of Lycos, walking towards them with obvious glee. She kicked her leg high, catching the villain under the chin with the heel of her foot. The blow caught him off-guards and he tumbled backwards, his head smashing against the wall. The living gas broke off its attack in confusion, no longer having the professor’s consciousness directing it.
The Peregrine moved forward, trying to capitalize on his wife’s success. He grabbed hold of the professor’s gas mask, hoping to pull him to the floor, but the aged leather straps gave way and the mask tumbled free in the hero’s hand.
The Moon Man entered just as Lycos’ face came into view. The professor’s face was misshapen and almost inhuman. His nose had been pushed to the side so that the left nostril appeared to have melted into the skin of his face. The bottom of his chin had partially sloughed away, leaving white to shine through. The man’s eyes were the worst, though: they appeared to be popping out of their sockets, each fleshy orb looked heavily bloodshot and crazed.
“Good lord,” the Moon Man gasped.
His words caught the professor’s attention, for the villain suddenly threw his hands up over his face and staggered back. “Stop looking at me!” Lycos screeched. Evelyn tried to grab hold of the flailing arms, but Lycos knocked her hands away. He lost his footing and careened towards the open window. Before any of the heroes could reach him, the professor had tumbled out into space. He screamed as he flew through the air, landing hard in the grass below. From the way his neck tilted dangerously to one side, the Peregrine knew that one thing was certain: Professor Lycos and the Gasping Death were threats no more.
CHAPTER XVII
Final Battle!
“Great City’s a nice place, but I wouldn’t want to live here.” Evelyn squeezed her husband’s hand as they sat together in the back of the First United Church of God. Stephen Thatcher looked handsome and proper in his tuxedo, standing at the front of the church. Angel was there, serving as his best man, but Gill McEwen was the one who caught Evelyn’s eye. The father of the bride looked proud as could be, even as he handed off his daughter’s hand to his future son-in-law.
“I agree. I’m looking to getting back,” Max murmured. “Heard from McKenzie. Says he wants me to look into a new mystery back in Atlanta.”
“Wonderful,” Evelyn said, cracking a grin.
“You know… you never told me what it was you wanted to talk about before we fought Lycos.”
“Oh…” Evelyn paused, wondering if now would be the right time to bring it up. She elected to do so, keeping in mind how busy they both were. Who knew when they’d have the opportunity to really talk things through? As everyone in the church watched the long-awaited wedding, she leaned close to her husband and said, “Well, you and I are going to be pare—”
Max stood up, his face a mask of fury. “Evelyn. Wait here.”
“But…”
Max moved towards the rear of the church, stepping out into the late afternoon light. He hated to run out on Evelyn when she was obviously telling him something important but he’d been expecting something like this… his father had said a final battle was coming with Nyarlathotep and yet the ancient killer hadn’t been present during the confrontation with Lycos.