Crossfire (Book 1) (The Omega Group) (18 page)

There were eight people standing in front of her of varying
heights, builds, ages and races. The only commonality among them was the look
of pure evil in their eyes. The one on her far left she recognized immediately
as a Kakodaemon, but the others were unknown to her, although she was pretty sure
which one of them was responsible for hosing her down. He stood two over from
the Kako. His skin, if it could be called that, looked almost gelatinous and
hung loosely over his too skinny frame. Every movement made it jiggle like the
surface of a pond after being pierced by a rock. His hands hung loosely by his
sides and still had a steady stream of water pouring out of them.

Gross!

Mirissa’s study of the newcomers was cut short when the wall
she’d been leaning against disappeared from behind her. Daedric’s removal of
his force field caused her to fall backward and, yet again, hit the back of her
head. She closed her eyes as the pain splintered her already aching brain.

If there was one thing that would make her headache worse,
it would be the smug look of satisfaction on Daedric’s face as he gazed down on
her. She decided to keep her eyes closed and forego that particular pleasure.
Then she heard his voice.

“I see you’ve met my associates.”

Mirissa?

Mirissa found herself floating in a sea of black. She felt
odd, disconnected, as though there was something she was forgetting, but she
had no idea what it was. Perhaps she would remember after getting some sleep.

Mirissa. Can you hear me?

Who was talking to her? And why couldn’t she open her eyes
to see?

Mirissa, I can’t hold this connection for very long. You
are in grave danger. You must wake up before the transfer is complete.

Transfer? What transfer?
Who is this? And where am I?

My name is Artemis and you are still in Daedric’s home.
Your powers are severely drained so we have little time left. You must wake up,
Mirissa.

Mirissa felt warm and comfortable floating in this dream.
Waking up was just about the last thing she wanted to do.
I just need a few more
minutes to get my strength back.
She could feel the pull of desperately
needed sleep and it was consuming her.
Just a few more minutes. I promise.

NO! Mirissa, you are not simply tired right now. You are
being drained of all of your powers. Daedric is using a succubus to transfer
your powers to him. You must wake up before it is too late. It won’t be long
now.

There’s that name again. Daedric. Something was nagging at
her from the back of her mind, but she couldn’t focus on it long enough to
understand what it was. It was like trying to remember the details of a dream
after waking up in the morning. They were just out of reach, and the more she
tried to remember them, the farther out of reach they got.

Call on your ring, Mirissa. It will help you. Do it now.

Her ring. Yes, she remembered her ring. It was beautiful.
The diamonds and emeralds shimmered when the light struck it. But it was more
than that, wasn’t it?

Hurry, Mirissa!

The ring was a gift. A gift from… her mother. Yes. That was
it. The ring was her Amazon ring. Mirissa used every last bit of her strength
to focus on her ring. She knew that if she could just make the connection
things would become clear again.
Please.

The tingle began in her right hand, then swiftly moved up to
encompass her arm. She was no longer floating but rather lying on something
hard. As she struggled to open her eyes, the memories of the past two days
flooded in. Her mother, the Omega Group, her father—and Daedric.

Mirissa bolted upright. She was on a long billiards table. A
man, one of the eight people she’d seen in Daedric’s game room before passing
out, held her left arm in a vise-like grip. She could feel her powers flowing
out of her where they touched. His other hand was on Daedric’s shoulder.

He’s the succubus. He’s taking my powers from me and
giving them to Daedric.

The look on Daedric’s face as he stood beside her—one of
pure elation—confirmed her thoughts.

Oh, hell no!

Mirissa tried in vain to wrench her arm free. She was too
weak. The succubus’s grip didn’t give one bit and her powers continued to flow
out of her. She used her right hand to throw a punch, but there was no strength
behind it and the blow simply glanced off his shoulder.

Blackness was threatening to envelop her once again. She was
losing consciousness. Her time had run out. With one final effort she extended
her ring’s blade and drove it toward the succubus’s neck.

The last thing Mirissa saw before the darkness took her was
her blade sailing past its target, never making contact.

“Now!” Myrine screamed.

Myrine watched as Orano fired an energy ball at the
succubus’s back. An instant after it made contact, both Mirissa and Daedric
convulsed as though they’d been hit by a fifty-thousand-volt Taser. Then all
three of them fell limp.

Myrine wanted to run to her daughter’s side—to hold her hand
and say another prayer that she would be all right—but that would have to wait.
Right now, Mirissa’s best chance was for Myrine to do her job.

“Beck, cover them.”

Beck put a protective force field around Mirissa and another
one around Daedric, although the second was for their protection, not his.
“Already done. Go get ‘em, boss.”

With a quick nod, Myrine turned to survey the room. In mere
seconds, she took in the entire scene. The rest of her team, along with
Commander Pierce’s, were in a battle that was quickly escalating to epic
proportions. The SEALs were taking on Daedric’s human army and each member of
the Omega Group was fighting head-to-head with a member of Daedric’s
preternatural army. It was unfolding exactly as they planned it. Once Julian
was able to identify each of the eight passengers on that plane, it became a
simple matter of proper pairing.

Asteria was in the midst of high speed hand-to-hand combat
with the Kakodaemon. He was staying near the back of the room to keep out of
the sunlight’s reach. After almost three years of watching her fight as part of
the Omega Group, Myrine knew the Kako would fall sooner rather than later,
whether from the sunlight or Asteria’s blade.

Han flew through the air at his opponent in a move that
would have made Bruce Lee proud. His foot connected with the Droxian’s nose and
the resulting crack could be heard at even Myrine’s distance. A broken nose
wouldn’t be enough to put the beast down, but it was a good start. A Droxian’s
greatest attribute was his exceptional strength, easily equal to that of four
human men, but that wouldn’t help him in a fight against an opponent that he
couldn’t hit, like Han.

Orano’s battle with the Hydram, unlike the others, was being
waged at a distance. He was using energy balls to deflect the water being
blasted at him by the Hydram, creating small openings that allowed him to send
a bit of energy directly at his chest. A few more openings, Myrine thought, and
that fight would be over.

Ken was faring a little worse against his rival, the
Curtona. She was a small woman, barely reaching five feet in height, but each
of her ten fingernails were six-inch long, razor sharp, blades, and she knew
how to wield them. Sparks were flying as Ken swung his steel baton in a figure
eight pattern, deflecting her blades just before they took a slice out of him.
Her speed and agility, though, were proving too great for Ken to parry and
Jackie joined in to even the odds. Now, with both Omega agents working in
tandem, Myrine felt confident the Curtona would be defeated.

Phoenix was on the stage at the far end of the room,
expertly wielding his staff. Although he appeared to be alone, doing some sort
of choreographed exhibition, Myrine knew better. He was in the midst of battle.
His opponent, a Daikori, was currently invisible to the human eye. This ability
gave the Daikori the upper hand in virtually every altercation they found
themselves in. Unless, of course, their adversary didn’t rely solely on his
human eyesight. The bird that Phoenix was now sharing his consciousness with
was perched on a light fixture a few feet above him, allowing him to see the
Daikori through its unique eyes. Light and color variations that no human could
see, were as clear as day to birds, and so was the Daikori.

That, however, was where the perfect pairings ended. The
last two enemies, a Siren and a Goura, had abilities that no one on Myrine’s
team could easily undermine. Strength in numbers would be their only chance.

Carter, still suffering from the only partially healed
injury caused by Grainger’s bullet, was unable to shift into his wolf form, but
could use some of his wolf attributes. Greco, a fierce warrior trained in
Tritonia, was in peak condition. As was Myrine.

The three of them stood an arm’s width apart from each other
as they squared off against their adversaries. They each wore rubber earplugs
that were custom formed to fit their ears in order to block out as much of the
Siren’s call as possible. Although the plugs helped, the ultra-sonic waves
emanating from the Siren’s mouth were still wreaking havoc on their systems.
The nausea and general discomfort it caused was disorienting, but Myrine new
that was a minor irritant compared to the damage it would cause at full
strength.

Carter was focused on the Siren, as he had few defensive
capabilities aside from his auditory powers. With his wolf claws extended, the
closest he could come to shifting right now, he launched an attack. The
earplugs were of less help to him than they were to Myrine or Greco due to his
wolf’s acute hearing, but Myrine knew the animal in him wouldn’t give up. His
job was to keep the Siren busy long enough for another team member to finish
with their opponent and take over for him. He charged forward, every step
increasing the strength of the sonic waves that were assaulting him.

Myrine could see the increasing pain etched on his face as
he closed the gap to his adversary. He’d been well aware of what he would be
going to be up against and volunteered for the job anyway. But Myrine knew that
he wouldn’t be able to last very long.

Turning her focus on the Goura, she joined Greco’s offense
as he lunged, blade extended. The dermal armor the Goura possessed was almost
impenetrable, making their blades about as useful as a child’s toy. They
weren’t, however, trying to stab him. Rather they were playing the same game as
Carter. Keep him busy and stay in one piece long enough for reinforcements to
become available. The second part of that plan, staying in one piece, was
proving more difficult.

Although the organic metal skin the Goura used as protection
was a great defensive weapon, it was also very helpful in offense. Getting hit
by him was like receiving a blow from a lead pipe—as Greco was apparently
finding out.

Mirissa awoke to the now familiar sounds of battle. As she
opened her eyes she took in the scene surrounding her. There were dozens of
people—some human and some not, some friends, some foes—fighting in small
groups.

When had they arrived?

She felt strong, although she knew she shouldn’t have. Did
the succubus give her powers back? Did she somehow regenerate while she was
unconscious? Either way, it didn’t matter. She was strong and she could fight,
and that was exactly what she was going to do.

She jumped off the billiards table to join the fray, only to
bounce off an invisible shield.

Not this time, Beck.

Her blade was still extended so she jammed it into the force
field that was separating her from everyone else. The
Pop!
was almost
instant and the barrier disappeared. She could just make out the angry words
spouting from Beck behind her as she ran toward an obviously injured Greco.

The beast he was fighting shimmered in the morning sunlight
and she understood why as soon as she put herself between him and Greco. His
fist felt like a bowling ball when it hit her shoulder. If not for her ring’s
protective snake, she felt sure her bones would have been pulverized. That
metallic beast was not to be underestimated.

Before she could launch her own counterattack, Mirissa was
brought to her knees as an incredible pressure erupted in her eardrums. The
pain was excruciating. She instinctively covered her ears with the palms of her
hands as she searched for its source.

There!

Carter was on the floor, blood pouring from his shoulder,
and her mother was using her body to shield him from his attacker. The man was
about an inch shorter than Mirissa and slender, but not in a healthy way. He
must have broken off his attack on Carter when he saw her, as he was now
staring directly at her with his mouth open in an “O” shape.

Mirissa’s head felt like it was going to explode and the
dizziness and nausea were overwhelming. Unable to react, she watched as her
mother leapt off Carter and, in one graceful move, drove her blade deep into
the attacker’s gut.

The pain in Mirissa ears died instantly and relief washed
over her. Myrine ripped some sort of rubber out of her ears and ran over to embrace
her. Although the hug was welcome, it was also short-lived. There were still
many creatures that needed to be put down.

They both rose from the floor and started toward the metal
man. Mirissa flung him against the wall with a flick of her wrist and reveled
in the resounding thud, but it didn’t do much good. His armor easily protected
him and he came at her with a vengeance, ready to pummel her.

Three feet in front of her, he stopped short, his face a
mask of pain. He slammed his hands to his ears as the blood started trickling
out. Mirissa turned to see Greco sitting on the floor with his mouth open. He’d
dragged the succubus over to the almost dead man that her mother had stabbed
and forced him to transfer the auditory power to him. Myrine held her blade to
the succubus’s throat to ensure he complied.

The metallic skin of her assailant must have amplified the
effects of the acoustic weapon because when she turned back around, Mirissa
found him lying motionless on the floor.

Two down.

Mirissa strode to the center of the room with her mother and
Greco slightly behind and to her left and right. Carter trailed behind Greco,
and Asteria, after finishing off her Kakodaemon, fell in behind Myrine. It
occurred to Mirissa that this was the destiny she was told about.

Here. Now.

Only a day ago, the awesome responsibility that came with
this destiny felt like an enormous weight she didn’t think she could bear.
Today, it filled her with strength. Today, she was the Amazon—the woman—she’d
always dreamt of being.

“Let’s finish this,” Mirissa said.

With that, they dispersed throughout the room to assist the
other members of their group. Their reinforcements made quick work of
dispatching the remains of Daedric’s preternatural army. Mirissa joined the
five SEALs in cleaning up the last of his human soldiers. Hammerhead, the
youngest, watched slack-jawed as she held a dozen men to the wall with her
powers while the rest of the team secured their hands and feet with zip ties.

When everyone was secure, Mirissa turned to survey the
carnage. Surprisingly, other than the Kakodaemon and a few human soldiers, the
majority of their foes were alive. They were beaten, and secured by the Omega
agents, but alive. She knew that the same wouldn’t have been true if the battle
had gone the other way. Daedric would have gleefully killed every last one of
them.

With that thought, Mirissa turned to where Daedric stood,
still encased in Beck’s shield. He was flailing his arms around in a misguided
attempt to break through the invisible force field, only to have the energy
bounce back on him. Even his teleporting powers were contained. The fury in his
eyes seemed to grow exponentially as he settled his gaze on hers.

If looks could kill,
Mirissa mused. Then again, with
everything she’d seen over the last couple of days, she wouldn’t have been
surprised if somewhere in the world a creature existed that could do exactly
that.

With morbid curiosity, like when drivers slow down to look
at a car wreck on the freeway, Mirissa found herself walking toward him. He
looked almost frail in comparison to the arrogant demi-god she’d met earlier.
His eyes, now sunken into his skull, had large dark bags under them and more
than a few new wrinkles lined his face.

“Mirissa?”

Mirissa swung around at the familiar voice and saw Myrick
walking toward them from the back yard. With one arm he supported Blackjack,
who was gingerly holding his left arm to his chest. On his other side was her
father. All were dripping wet.

With an energy he didn’t look like he possessed at the
moment, Steve tore away from Myrick and ran to Mirissa, grabbing hold of her as
though his life depended on it.

Myrick gave one of his signature grins and said, “You might
want to dial down the power a bit next time, lass. I found these two a quarter
mile into the river.”

“How did you know?” Mirissa asked.

Myrine smiled with pride that only a mother could. “Grainger
called me after you helped him and his wife escape. He saw what you did, so
when we came here, Myrick went for a swim.”

Without warning, a flash of intense light filled the room.
Everyone, including Daedric, shielded their eyes as best they could to keep
from being blinded. Then, as quickly as it had come, the light disappeared and
the room was once again as it was—with one exception.

Next to Daedric’s temporary prison, there now stood an
enormous man. He was easily six and a half feet tall with long wavy black hair
that fell to his broad shoulders. He wore a white tunic that draped over one
shoulder and fell to just above his knees, belted at the waist with a
shimmering gold tie. Every inch of his body was covered in perfectly sculpted
muscles, as though an artist had rendered him in stone then magically brought
him to life.

Glorious. That was the word that came to Mirissa’s mind. The
room went silent as everyone stared in awe at this newcomer. He was captivating
in ways that Mirissa couldn’t even begin to explain.

The awe she felt was quickly changing to fear as she took in
the anger emanating from the stranger’s eyes. When he spoke, his voice was a
low rumble that reverberated through the room.

“Do not think you have won here. I can slaughter each of you
with nothing more than a thought. I am…”

Another blinding flash of light filled the space and
interrupted what was sure to be a nasty monologue. When it dissipated, it left
another newcomer. This time, however, Mirissa new exactly who it was. As did
her mother, Asteria, and Greco.

Artemis.

She stood only two inches taller than Mirissa, but commanded
a powerful force that made Mirissa feel tiny in comparison. She wore the same
tunic as her statue on Tritonia, but, unlike that statue, her long red hair
flowed freely down to her waist, and she held no bow.

“Ares,” Artemis said with a voice that resonated with the
power of a god, “this is not your fight. You cannot interfere. Daedric has
lost.”

“NO!” Ares bellowed, and the house shook. After a raised
eyebrow from Artemis, he lowered his voice to a less destructive level. “I have
plans for him.”

Ares glanced at a now smiling Daedric. In the blink of an
eye he’d gone from defeat to victory, and he seemed to be enjoying the twist
immensely. Mirissa could almost see the arrogance bleeding back into him. He
opened his mouth to speak but before any words came out, Ares interrupted.

“I will deal with you later.”

The look of satisfaction that spread across Daedric’s face
was replaced by one of fear a moment before he disappeared from inside the
force field.

Mirissa lunged forward screaming, “What have you done? Where
is he?”

Artemis stopped her in her tracks with a firm hand on her
shoulder and spoke calmly. “There are some battles you cannot win, Mirissa.
This is one of them.” She then turned to her half-brother and in a much sterner
voice said, “You have what you came for. Now leave. And, brother? Remember that
I am always watching.”

Another flash of light and Ares was gone, but not before he
let loose a small burst of energy that knocked Mirissa, once again, on her
butt.

Jerk!

Artemis reached her hand down to help her up, and the moment
they touched Mirissa could feel the awesome power. When she was on her feet she
looked up at the goddess that had created their race and thought she saw
amusement in her eyes.

“You have done well, Mirissa,” Artemis began. “As have your
friends and family. My brother is obstinate, but fear not. Whatever plans he
has, we will deal with them when the time comes. For now, enjoy your victory.
And enjoy Daedric’s parting gift to you.”

One last flash of light and Artemis was gone.

Parting gift?