Incident 27 (11 page)

“Is
chronology really so important?” Arcturus said.

“To
me, it’s everything. What you do last is all that matters.”

Arcturus
scoffed at her. “And what about Ev? He joined the Academy and now has gone
rogue, just like me. By your logic, he’s the same as me.”

She
crossed her arms defiantly. “He’s nothing like you. I’ve looked into his eyes
and seen nothing but goodness. But
your
eyes…they’re different. Clouded.
Hard to read.”

“Hmph.
If Ev’s willing to go along with me, then doesn’t that mean he has to share the
responsibility?”

“That’s
why I’m here,” she said. “I’ll share the responsibility along with him. I told
you—the last thing you do is what matters in the end. This won’t be the last
thing Ev does. He’ll come back to his senses pretty soon, and he’ll have the
rest of his life to do good.”

“Isn’t
it the same for me, then?”

She
shook her head sadly. “No. You’re going to get yourself killed. I’ll protect Ev,
but I won’t lift a finger to save you.”

“Well,
then it’s a good thing I don’t need your ‘protection’. Frankly, I think you’ve
gotten a little full of yourself. You kill a few refghasts and you think
yourself more capable than everyone else. Don’t get cocky just because Belial
took you under his wing.”

She
leapt to her feet. “I’m not cocky, you—!”

“Enough!”
Ev said. “I want the two of you to promise me—no more fighting.”

There
was silence for a moment. Then Arcturus said, “Fine. For you, Ev, I’ll tolerate
this…friend of yours.”

Maya
set back down. “All right. But I want
you
to make a promise to
me
,
Ev.”

“What
is it?”

“Promise
that once we put the last piece into the Ark, you’ll walk away from all this.”

“I
promise. I mean, we’ll have created the perfect world, so I won’t need to do
anything else.”

She
exhaled lightly and smiled. “Well, I guess I can’t ask for any more than that.”

Ev
couldn’t help but admire the strong woman she had become. When they first met,
she was so nervous she could barely speak a sentence to him. But now, she was
assertive, she was protective, and he was glad to have her by his side. He just
hoped she and Arcturus wouldn’t end up killing each other.

Chapter VIII

The
next morning, Arcturus showed them the crates he kept behind the Ark, pressed up against the wall of the cave. He opened them to reveal a cache of weapons.

Ev
picked up an assault rifle. “What’s the deal with these?”

“Yeah,”
Maya said. “It’s not like they’ll work on gods. The entire Murnau Defense Force
couldn’t do a thing against the Nephilim in Stiftung.”

Arcturus
cradled a rifle with grenade launcher attachment in his arms. “This is a
special occasion.”

“What
do you mean?” Ev said.

“The
place we’re going to be breaking into is very different than House #4. It’s a
secure facility filled with Zero Grade’s latest technological advances.”

“What
technological advances? What are you talking about?” Maya said.

He
explained, “Based on your time with them, you probably think they intend to
achieve their goals solely through brute force and trickery. That was Belial’s
strategy, at least. In reality, they’ve invested untold resources into
developing advanced technology. Case in point: the God Dampener.”

Ev
and Maya said simultaneously, “The
what?
”

“An
energy field that cancels out god-powers. Once you’re inside it, you’ve got no
enhanced strength, speed, telepathy, flight or any other abilities you’ve been
enjoying. In other words, you’ll just be ordinary humans.”

Maya
turned to Ev. “We can’t do this! If that thing’s real, I’ll have no way of
protecting you in there.”

But
Arcturus said, “Relax. That’s why we have the guns. Everyone else in the
facility will be under the same handicap. Zero Grade doesn’t want any
super-powered fights breaking out down there; it might destroy their research.”

“I
don’t care! Ev, I don’t know about you, but I have
zero
experience using
guns.”

Ev
felt the unfamiliar weapon in his hands. “She’s got a point. I’ve never fired a
gun in my life. Even my dad didn’t use them. He just used his fists.”

Arcturus
wiggled a finger in front of them. “Ah, but these are no ordinary guns. I
crafted them myself. Conjuring was always my specialty, you see. I designed
them to be completely recoilless, and the bullets hone in on their targets.
Just point it at the enemy and watch them go down.”

Maya
shook her head. “This is still a very bad idea.”

Ev
lifted the rifle to his shoulder and looked through the scope. He swept the
cave with it. “I don’t know. I kinda like it. It feels like the first-person
shooters me and Jaysin play in the dorm. You’re amazing, Arcturus. I can’t
conjure to save my life.”

“Ev,
we’re talking about
killing
people. The Ev I know wouldn’t be OK with
that.”

“Arcturus
said it best. They’re the enemy. And in case you’ve forgotten, I’ve killed
before.”

Arcturus
said to her, “I think there’s something you haven’t considered. Why is Zero Grade
investing so much in advanced technology?”

“Well…I
don’t know.”

“They’re
not content to rattle sabers with the Academy for all eternity. Sooner or later
they will strike. They’re preparing for war.”

She
argued, “If that’s the case, we should tell the Academy where this facility is.
We should have backup.”

“Forget
it,” Arcturus said. “I didn’t make enough weapons for all of them. And even if
I did, I’m not about to ask for
their
help. They kicked me out without a
second thought. They’re just as bad as Zero Grade. But if you want to help
them, come along with us and watch our backs as we bring down the facility.
Might as well destroy their research while we’re down there.”

“Well,
I don’t know…”

“War
is coming, Maya Brünhart. Help us minimize the casualties. I might not look
like it, but I hate unnecessary deaths.”

She
took a deep inhale and exhale. “Fine. But once we put the last…thing…in the Ark, Ev’s part in this is done.”

Arcturus
made a grand gesture of bowing to her. “You have my word.”

* * *

The
Awesome Three journeyed to the site of the destroyed house in the Tru Republic. With all the god-energy still swirling about the place like mild radiation,
it wasn’t hard to find.

Men
and women in stylish suits combed the area, seemingly intent on turning over
every possible piece of debris to find clues.

“What
do you think happened here?” Jorg said.

“Upstart
gods, looking for glory, or perhaps sanity lost, never to be found,” was Relm’s
lyrical response.

“Those
seem like good explanations,” Priscilia said. “Perhaps the traitors were
looking to make a name for themselves, or maybe they’ve just gone mad.”

Jorg
snickered. “Turncoats are always weak-minded.” They walked over to where an
authoritative-looking man was overseeing the operation. “Excuse us.”

The
man turned around and did a double take. “Who are you? This is private
property, not a sporting event. Go gawk somewhere else.”

“We’re
here about the bounty,” Jorg said.

“And
what bounty would that be?”

“The
bounty for the heads of our mutual enemies,” Priscilia said.

He
raised his sunglasses to get a better look at the trio. “Are you Zero Grade? I
don’t recognize you.”

“Let’s
just say we’re looking to improve our lot in life,” Jorg said.

“Peasants
today, kings tomorrow, the cycle of life,” Relm said.

The
man stared at him. “What the hell’s wrong with him?”

Jorg
shrugged. “He’s just like that.”

“Hmph.
I think I’ve figured you out. You’re with the Academy, aren’t you?” They looked
away, reluctant to respond. “Normally I’d capture and interrogate you to find
out the location of the Academy. We can’t question exiles about it because
Bethos and his lackeys wipe the location from your mind when they kick you out.
But this is your lucky day. If you’re serious about joining up with us and
haven’t been banished by the Academy yet, go get the heads of our enemies.”

“What
exactly did they do?” Jorg said. “It’s not that I need to know. I’m just
curious.”

He
motioned to the disaster area all around them. “Just look at this place. We had
a real nice house here. But then Ev Bannen came in with Arcturus Reich—he’s the
other guy we want—and they absolutely destroyed the place. And look,” he said,
indicating the plethora of filled body bags. “They didn’t spare anyone. You
ever hear of Poseidon?”

They
nodded. “He was the god of the sea. A real legend,” Priscilia said.

“Now
he’s a corpse, all because of two lunatics. Not even Bethos would condone such
a thing.”

“Don’t
worry; we’ll get them,” Jorg said.

They
turned around to leave. The man said, “You’d better watch yourselves. If they
can kill a veteran like Poseidon, they’re not to be underestimated.”

Jorg
waved him off. “We will.”

Once
they were out of earshot of him, Priscilia said, “Relm, take us through this.
What happened?”

Relm’s
deductive abilities were second to none. While they had been talking with the
man from Zero Grade, he had been busily recreating the crime scene, as it were.
He could trace the flow of god-energy to figure out every action that had taken
place. “A mighty tempest, unleashed by forces arrogant and intelligent, the
house consumed from within.”

Jorg
looked at him expectantly. “And…?”

Relm
adjusted his glasses. “The proud god, contending with novices unpredictable,
his power commandeered.”

Priscilia
chuckled. “So, in other words, Poseidon got cocky because he was up against
what he took to be rank amateurs.”

“And
he unleashed his powers inside the house. Bannen and this Arcturus guy figured
out how to use that against him. It’s not hard to see how. A lot of things can
go wrong for you in a situation like that.”

“Perhaps
Posdeidon got complacent in recent centuries,” she suggested.

“It
doesn’t matter. Now, then. Priscilia, it’s time for you to bring
your
talents to the table.”

* * *

The
Awesome Three had originally teamed up, not simply because of their grades, but
because each of them had a unique ability that complemented one another.
Priscilia happened to be the best tracker anyone had ever seen. She could
follow even the faintest trace of god-energy back to its source.

This
was how they ended up at this strange rock formation roughly a hundred
kilometers from the destroyed house in a remote forest.

When
they arrived, she said almost immediately, “There’s an illusion in place.”

They
walked forward and quickly hit a shimmering wall. Going through it, they
discovered a cave with the remains of a fire inside. “Looks like we’re too
late,” Jorg said.

“The
bounty, though pursued, remains elusive—who can say for how long?”

“It
doesn’t matter,” Priscilia said. “I can find them no matter where they went.
The energy trail leads south, so let’s head that way.”

And
so they pursued their quarry even farther into the country.

* * *

Adlo
was the capital of the Tru Republic and by far its largest city. Originally a
farming settlement centuries ago, it had grown into an economic powerhouse in
the center of the continent.

The
North District was the oldest part of the city, and Adlo only became more
sophisticated the farther south one went. This particular area, while not
technologically advanced in the least, was still a popular tourist destination.
A fifty-foot-tall wooden windmill greeted visitors arriving from the northern
farmlands. Farmers still worked diligently to cultivate their fields and reap
their harvests. Potatoes were a popular staple of the country.

A
massive stone wall surrounded Adlo, a throwback to earlier times when barbarian
hordes roamed the land and defenses were needed. Nowadays, it was more
decorative than anything else, but residents still took pride in it.

Further
south, into the Central District, the dirt roads gave way to cobblestone streets,
and the buildings went from wood to mortar. They rose in height as well. Also,
gas lamps replaced torches for lighting.

Only
once you were in the South District did the city’s modern infrastructure reveal
itself. The cobblestone streets became concrete, and the buildings rose into
the sky with the aid of steel. Every modern amenity could be found here, from
wi-fi to the latest caffeinated beverages dispensed by vending machines that
took credit cards.

Visitors
often asked why the rest of the city didn’t get with the program. As if turns
out, Adloans took great pride in their history and didn’t want to mess with it.
In fact, eighty percent of tourists come here to step back in time to centuries
past.

But
on this day, a certain trio skipped the history lesson and headed straight for
the South District carrying duffel bags full of weapons that were
illegal…pretty much anywhere.

Their
destination on this day? McCormack Technologies Incorporated. This mammoth building
lay in the heart of the South District, and its diamond-shaped skyscraper could
be seen anywhere in the city.