Rogue

  The few that made it that far were subjected to more thrashing from the bear and a flurry of fists and feet from a compact whirling cyclone that appeared to the bear’s right. Flesh yielded, armor cracked, bones snapped with every blow, and the panic that had begun in the front now became a general alarm. A third attacker then darted through their midst—dealing damage, knocking weapons from their hands, upending the wounded—but it moved so quickly they couldn’t even see it. That doubled their already widespread terror, rendering the few who remained upright too shaken to function, many of them dropping to their knees.

  Will slowed down long enough to let the last two who were still standing see him—both reacted as if a phantom had just appeared—before Nick leaped in to knock them out with a roundhouse kick. Then both Will and Nick stepped calmly off the platform and stood behind the bear.

  Thirty motionless, groaning bodies—armor shredded, weapons broken—piled around the elevator floor.

  A few moments later they heard the gears engage and the platform climbed out of sight. Nick pretended to push a button, “operating” the elevator.

  “Ding. Next stop, third floor,” said Nick. “Sporting goods, patio furniture, and ladies’ lingerie. Buh-bye.”

  Nick waved at the rising platform.

  “DON’T GET COCKY,” growled Jericho. “NEXT TIME WON’T BE SO EASY.”

  “Coach, why so hangry all the time? Does somebody need a snack?”

  “I’ll be right back,” said Will.

  He sprinted back down the corridor to the other room. Elise had edged a few steps closer to the gem, still pounding her sound stream into the corner of the jewel, her face drenched in sweat, bracing her body against her mounting fatigue.

  Her sound beam had opened a tiny crack at the lower left corner of the jewel, and a continuous cloud of dust billowed out from the contact point. Ajay had positioned himself right next to it, watching the beam work through his glasses.

  How much longer? Will asked Ajay.

  Can you buy us a couple more minutes?

  I guess we’ll have to.

  Moments later, Will rejoined Nick and Jericho, who were both looking up the shaft.

  “Something’s going on up there,” said Nick. “You can hear ’em moving stuff around.”

  “Probably removing the bodies,” said Will.

  “IT’S COMING DOWN,” said Jericho as he heard the gears engage again.

  “What do we do this time?” asked Nick.

  “Step back a little farther,” said Will. “We can’t surprise ’em anymore. Let’s see what they come back at us with.”

  They retreated farther into the darkness of the passage and waited. Will blinked on the Grid and looked up. Plenty of heat signatures on board again, riding toward them, but a lot more variety in their shapes and sizes, most of them big. And they were bringing their own light source this time; it lit up the whole platform with a ripe glow.

  “They’re sending monsters,” whispered Will. “Wait till we get a look at them; then I’ll give the word.”

  They waited ten long seconds before the platform sank into view. Full of close to twenty monsters this time, unarmored, but they didn’t look like they needed any; these were dark and scaly creatures, reptilian in some major part of their makeup. Two of the biggest and ugliest of them—giant toad-faced men, is how Will described them in the brief moment he had to look at them—stood right in the middle and up front and appeared to be on fire. Then Will realized they were somehow lit from within, and a few moments after they touched down, both unhinged their enormous jaws and each belched out a fireball the size of a bale of hay directly at where they were standing.

  Reacting instantly, Will focused hard, ramped up the power that shot up his spine into his mind, and instantly projected out a thick, transparent thought-form shield, just in time to cover the entire opening of the passage.

  The fireballs hit the shield and exploded on contact; a few licks of flames leaked out around the edges, heating up the passageway around them, but the majority of the blast blew back into the elevator, setting most of the monsters on fire.

  Will struggled to hold up the shield, as many of the minions on fire hurled themselves at it, issuing a cacophony of horrific howls and screams. Will felt the shield weakening, and the two fire-toad creatures opened their jaws and expelled another volley of flame. Once again the fireballs hit the shield, set the rest of the monsters who were clawing at it ablaze, and burned the ones that were already lightly toasted to a crisp. Will slowly sank to his knees, nearly overcome by the effort—and the stench of all those burning bodies—but he kept the shield intact for a few more moments.

  The platform began to rise again, with all the monsters now consumed in flames turning their wrath on the fire-toad men that had ignited them, a hellish vision of mayhem.

  “Now there’s something I’m not gonna forget very soon,” said Nick, watching the burning mass.

  “I’LL SAY THIS,” said Jericho. “TACTICAL GENIUSES THEY’RE NOT.”

  As soon as the elevator was out of sight, Will sank to his hands and knees, gasping for breath.

  “You okay, buddy?” asked Nick, kneeling down beside Will.

  Will nodded, still unable to speak.

  Are you there yet? he sent out to Ajay.

  You might want to come back here for this part, Ajay replied. And bring the boys.

  Will dragged himself to his feet. He’d have to walk back this time.

  “They need us,” he said.

  Nick took Will by the arm and helped him along, while the bear loped ahead. By the time they reached the back room, the crack in the jewel had spread into a fissure that snaked out and up the entire left side. Will put his glasses back on; inside, Dave hadn’t moved a muscle, still frozen in the same position.

  Elise looked like she was on her last legs, shaking and pale, soaked in sweat, but still pounding her sound beam onto Ajay’s target. The process generated enough energy and friction that the whole jewel was now throwing off an enormous amount of heat; the entire chamber felt at least ten degrees hotter than when they’d arrived. It was also a whole lot louder, the beam and the jewel giving off an eerie, high-pitched, piercing vibration that assailed their senses. Ajay stuck earplugs in his ears, examined the jewel all around the crack, sweat dripping down his face, and then squinted back at Will through his dark glasses.

  We’re getting closer, he sent. But I don’t know how much longer she can keep this up.

  Is Dave going to cook in that thing?

  You’ve got me there. As you said, it’s difficult to know how anything we do to it might affect a ghost physically.

  Will wanted to suggest that he take a whack at it, but he was still holding on to his knees, trying to catch his breath. He didn’t feel any stronger at the moment than Elise looked.

  I’m trying to remember…, Will sent to Ajay. Isn’t there a point in cutting a gem where it’s weakened enough that you can split it with a single blow?

  Yes, it’s called cleaving, but they use computers and 3-D modeling for that now. It’s tremendously complex, particularly with larger stones, and you usually need a diamond to cut a diamond—

  But we have you, sent Will, and then he looked over at Nick and Jericho. And them.

  Ajay hesitated for just a moment. I’ve got an idea.

  He stood up and moved toward Elise, avoiding the beam, waving his arms at her. She was so intent on her job that she didn’t see him until he was standing right beside her and yelling.

  “You can stop now! YOU CAN STOP NOW!”

  When she didn’t react, Will sent her a thought: Hold up. We’ll take it from here.

  That got through to her. She slowly lowered her arms, cut off the sound beam, lost her balance, and fell backward, and Will was right there to catch her. The tone from the jewel slowly rang out, echoing around the chamber.

  Elise looked exhausted and dazed, near tears. “I didn’t do it. I couldn’t do it.”

  “You did
great,” said Will, kneeling beside her. “Ajay will take it from here.”

  “Get this armor off me. I’m burning up.”

  He unfastened the back of her chest piece and she peeled it off and tossed it away, along with the arm guards. He gave her a drink from his canteen and she drained it empty, then sank back into him. She felt small in his arms, reduced by the effort she’d spent. She nestled into him, for once accepting the comfort he was only too glad to offer. He didn’t want to let go of her.

  Ajay was huddling with Nick and the bear on the other side of the room. They were asking questions; then they both nodded in agreement. They started across the room, while Ajay moved in to take another close look at the jewel, where smoke and dust were still rising from the fracture they’d widened.

  “Somebody needs to listen for the elevator,” said Will, almost absentmindedly.

  “Okay,” she said, looking up at him without even a glance toward the passageway. She turned, reached up, and touched his face tenderly.

  “You look tired,” she said.

  “You look…tired, too.”

  Ajay cleared his throat, and they both looked up; neither had noticed he was now standing right next to them.

  “Terribly sorry to interrupt,” he said kindly, “but I think you might want to ease back a few feet. In case this works. Or in case it doesn’t.”

  Will lifted Elise to her feet and they helped each other to the entrance of the passageway. Will listened for the sound of the elevator but didn’t hear anything.

  He turned back and saw that, across the room, Nick was strapping on a second larger helmet, on top of the one he was already wearing. The bear was pacing back and forth restlessly, working himself up into some kind of agitated state.

  “What are they going to do?” asked Will.

  Once the helmet was secured, Nick gave Ajay a thumbs-up. Ajay returned it.

  “You’ll see,” said Ajay.

  Ajay stepped away from them and directed his red laser dot at a point in the middle of the fracture.

  Nick and the bear spotted the target, looked at each other, and nodded. Nick ran back to the far end of the room, while the bear sat on his haunches about halfway between Nick and the gemstone. Then Nick sprinted forward, leaped up, and turned a somersault like he was vaulting over a pommel horse just as he reached the bear, who reared onto his hind legs, put both paws on Nick, and whipped him toward the jewel, which added a turbo boost to his momentum. Now traveling through the air at a tremendous amount of speed, Nick stuck his arms at his sides and lowered his chin.

  Nick slammed into the jewel headfirst, right at the target, a human missile. A cloud of dust exploded around him, and Nick appeared, cartwheeling out of the top of it, and then he crashed into the wall behind the jewel.

  The others hurried forward, Ajay taking the lead. They waved away the smoke and saw that the fracture looked about the same size as before; the gem was still intact.

  “Did we get it?” asked Nick.

  “Not quite,” said Ajay.

  Nick climbed to his feet, a little wobbly. He unstrapped the top helmet and stared at it; the entire crown had been smashed in.

  “Whoa,” said Nick. “Good thing I was wearing two.”

  “Now what do we do?” asked Elise.

  “WANT US TO TRY AGAIN?” asked the bear.

  “You might want to ask me first,” said Nick.

  Before anyone else could respond, they heard a loud constant ringing from somewhere inside the gem, and as they watched, small spidery lines spread out from where Nick had crashed into the central fracture, spreading quickly in every direction all around the stone. The cracks deepened, the ringing intensified, and the rock began to crumble, small chunks falling away, then larger ones, disintegrating before their eyes, until with a final bell-like peal, the whole mass of the gemstone dropped to the ground and shattered.

  Dave was left lying flat on his back in the smoking debris, and the moment he made contact with the air, he reverted from angelic form to the more or less human biker appearance that Will had always known him in: military boots, leather pants, air-force flight jacket, and shades. He didn’t move at all and he didn’t appear to be breathing, but then Will couldn’t recall if he’d ever noticed Dave breathing, or if he even needed to.

  “So is he still dead?” asked Nick, staggering in behind them. “Or is he like really dead?”

  Nick pushed past them and leaned down to take a closer look. Dave’s shades suddenly tilted down his nose, and he looked right up at Nick with his spooky pale eyes.

  “Why don’t you poke me with your boot and find out, Jasper?” croaked Dave.

  Nick fell backward onto his rear end. Will dropped down on his knees next to Dave.

  “For crying out loud, you scared the crap out of us,” said Will.

  “That was the last thing on my mind, I assure you,” said Dave.

  Will offered a hand to help him up.

  “Not so fast, mate,” said Dave, still not moving any part of his body. “Machinery’s not quite up to speed. Don’t have both hands on the wheel just yet.” Then he spotted Elise and it seemed to perk him up. “Ah, you brought one of your buttercups with you. Always was partial to brunettes myself. How’s tricks, kitty cat?”

  “News flash—it’s not the sixties anymore, Rip Van Winkle,” said Elise, bristling. “And I’m not a kitty cat.”

  “How long have you been in that thing?” asked Will.

  “No idea,” said Dave.

  “How’d they catch you?” asked Will. “I thought they couldn’t see you.”

  “They used some kind of beast that could track me. Weeks on end. Cornered, outnumbered, outgunned. I flashed into Wayfarer form for a final stand but the last thing I remember was reaching for my sword; then it was lights-out. Thanks for springing me.”

  “We estimate that you’ve been trapped here for at least five months, Earth time,” said Ajay, creeping in for a closer look. “Will organized this expedition into the Never-Was to find you.”

  “I remember you. You’re the smart one,” said Dave.

  “The pleasure is entirely mine, sir,” said Ajay with a modest bow.

  Then Dave looked past Ajay: “Say, mate, what’s up with the bear?”

  “He’s my track coach. Usually. Coach Jericho.”

  “He’s a shaman,” said Ajay.

  “Never a dull moment. How’s it goin’, mate?”

  The bear raised a huge paw in silent greeting. Dave nodded his head slightly, the first movement he’d made.

  “Can he talk?” whispered Dave.

  “WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY?”

  Dave grinned. “Now that’s what I love about this job; you see something new every day.”

  “This…is…awesome,” said Nick in a hushed voice.

  “Are you going to be all right?” asked Elise.

  “To be honest, love, I haven’t felt this badly used since my chopper went down,” said Dave. “ ’Course, that was with the whole weight of the chassis pinning me to the turf, although I didn’t feel it for long, as I expired within moments.”

  “So you are dead,” said Nick.

  “And come to think on it, all things considered, I feel slightly better than that. A bit of feeling starting to creep back to the extremities.” Dave started to slightly wiggle the fingers of his left hand. “How much time have we got?”

  “Not long,” said Will.

  “What’s the situation?”

  “Not great.”

  “The Makers have constructed a portal device the size of the Lincoln Tunnel,” said Ajay. “And it’s about to come online.”

  “And that invasion force you spotted is parked right outside the walls,” said Elise.

  “That’s seriously bad news,” said Dave.

  “So what should we do about it?” asked Will, taking out the Carver. “That’s what we need to know from you, because I could use this and spring us all out of here. We’d be right back at the Center.”
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  “And wouldn’t that give you sufficient time, then, Mr. Dave, sir, to alert the Hierarchy?” asked Ajay optimistically. “So they could swoop in and put an end to all this?”

  “Timing might work, or it might not,” said Dave, “but this ain’t the sort of mission you cut corners on, kids. Where is this portal gizmo?”

  “Eastern side of the compound,” said Will.

  “Your instincts were good, Will,” said Dave. “Take that target out and we’ll set them back years, maybe even for good. I’m halfway back on my feet; just give me a couple more minutes here—”

  “Did anyone else just hear the elevator?” asked Elise, looking up alertly.

  Will turned to the passageway. He hadn’t heard the elevator, but when he blinked on the Grid, he picked up a small solitary figure moving steadily down the hallway toward them. Then he heard footsteps.

  “Somebody’s here,” he said.

  Everyone but Dave jumped to their feet and readied themselves for a fight. Jericho padded toward the passageway to block the way in, but before he got there, someone walked a few steps into the room and stopped.

  “I’m not here to hurt anyone,” said Brooke, holding up her hands, looking directly at Will.

  “Tell that to the sofa you murdered,” said Nick.

  “DON’T YOU TAKE ANOTHER STEP!”

  The bear reared up on its haunches and roared right in Brooke’s face. She didn’t even flinch.

  “Dude, do not let her touch you!” shouted Nick.

  “Ah, it’s the blond dolly,” said Dave. “I was about to ask you where she was.”

  Will turned to tell Dave to keep quiet—and realized that he was no longer visible. Then he heard Dave’s voice in his head again.

  “It’s all aces, mate—she can’t see or hear me,” said Dave. “Seems I’ve still got a touch of the old whiz-bang. If you can handle Miss Congeniality for a sec, I’ll be back to full strength in a few shakes.”