Monster Hunter Siege-eARC

“So long, Bassus.”

  * * *

  I got in another jet lag power nap, this time in a medical clinic’s waiting room. Between airplanes, car rides, and weird situations I was getting really good at getting all my necessary sleep in chairs. It was hell on your back though.

  Holly woke me up by tossing a magazine at me from across the room.

  Reaching for my gun that wasn’t there, I snorted awake, and recognized where I was. “Hey!”

  “Don’t get offended. Like I’m going to go over and shake the giant buffed guy who once sucker punched a Navy SEAL for surprising him awake.”

  I stretched. We were the only ones in the waiting room. “That time I hit Sam was because I was in some mystical prophecy coma battling the Cursed One.”

  “Oh, like I can tell the difference.”

  “I was having a seizure that time!”

  “That’s what you normally look like, twitchy.” Holly shrugged. “I don’t know how Julie sleeps in the same bed as you.”

  “She does complain I’m a compulsive blanket stealer.”

  “I’ll bet. Anyways, Rothman can talk now.”

  It was a small town clinic. It didn’t feel particularly foreign. Nobody even looked at us funny as we walked down the hall. Thankfully since Holly had her luggage she’d been able to change out of the clothing that had been soaked with blood. “How’re the others?”

  “They’ll all be fine. Your Roman dude kicked the living crap out of them. Broken bones, head injuries, and lots of bruises, but only the one was serious. Blood loss would have gotten him if we hadn’t found him when we did, but he’ll be okay. Though he’s going to have to stay off that leg for a while.”

  “Man, everybody should have an Orc on call.”

  “I’ll suggest franchising to Gretchen when we get back.” Holly stopped in front of one of the doorways. There was a patient in the bed, but I couldn’t see him because a nurse was in the way. “He’s in here. Oh, that thing you were telling me about where the Roman grabbed him by the head?”

  “Like a ventriloquist’s dummy.”

  “You know that’s not how ventriloquism works right? No, I mean that rattled him good. He’s pretty freaked out. And where the bone fingers touched, severe frost bite.”

  “Nasty.” That made me glad Bassus had decided to slow down and wave the peace flag. The nurse gave us a smile as she walked past.

  I hardly recognized him with all the bandages on his head now, but I was pretty certain it was the same man we’d rescued earlier. “Dr. Rothman. I’m Owen Pitt. This is Holly Newcastle. We’re with MHI.”

  He gave us a very tired nod. “Please, come in.” We walked up to the bed. “First of all, thank you for helping save us.”

  “No problem. How’re you feeling?”

  “Scrambled. In addition to the knock on the head, I’ve never been possessed before. My associate, David, went to get coffee. I think he’s still very mad at me.”

  I couldn’t blame Gerecht for being torqued. “Well, you did kind of raise the dead.”

  “That was a mistake. I did not mean to…” He must have noticed that we both thought he was full of shit, and gave a resigned sigh. “Perhaps a little, but I only wanted to speak with him. I only wanted information. I thought I could control it. The old scrolls gave no indication that he would physically manifest in our world. That was most unexpected.”

  “That’s the thing about magic,” Holly said. “It never works the way we think it will, and it always has a cost. I’ve got a friend, her dad was about the smartest guy ever, and he thought he could figure it out like any other kind of technology. He nearly let the Old Ones invade Alabama.”

  “Ray Shackleford.” Rothman sounded tired and resigned. “Yes. I’m aware. A cautionary tale, but this wasn’t like that at all.”

  “Of course not.” I put one hand on Holly’s wrist to cut her off. I wasn’t about to get self-righteous over the topic. Since I had a supposedly magic ring in my pocket that would make me a bit of a hypocrite. “We came all this way because Rigby at the VHI said you’ve been working on something we’re very interested in.”

  “Yes, of course. The Nightmare Realm. There could only be one reason you want to know about that awful place. You’ve found a way in.” He waited for me to nod. “Good. You know about my son?”

  “He was one of the MIA after the Last Dragon.”

  “Everyone tells me he’s certainly dead, but Ari is a survivor. He’s found a way.”

  “We’ve both been into the Nightmare Realm. It lives up to the name,” Holly said. “I don’t want you to get any false hopes.”

  “No. You don’t understand. I would know if he was gone. I would feel it. Years ago, when Ari was just a boy, I was in working in America, and my family was here, there was a suicide bombing on a bus. Many were killed. I was notified that my son was among them. Only I knew he had made it somehow. I felt it. It wasn’t denial, I just knew. Sure enough, he survived, barely, but survive he did. And I feel the same thing now. I would know if he’s gone. I would know! And until then, I will do everything in my power to bring him home!”

  Holly and I shared a glance. She looked as uncertain as I felt. It was one thing to get your hopes up, but this man was going to kill himself trying regardless. I turned back to him. “Listen, we’ve got a good source of information who is telling us seven of the missing are still alive.”

  “We don’t know their identities though,” Holly cautioned. “Your son might be one of them, or he might not. We just don’t know.”

  “He is,” Rothman stated. “He is!” That was probably the first positive reinforcement he’d gotten since the incident. Tears began rolling from his eyes. “Any help I can give, it is yours. I remember what Sextus Bassus said. You’re going there. I searched everywhere, but you’ve found a way, haven’t you? I must know, is it a fixed Place of Power or have you found a way to tear a temporary rift?”

  “Fixed. I’m pretty sure that if we found a way to tear another crazy hole like that Alp did in Las Vegas the MCB would exterminate us all.”

  “Excellent. Fixed is predictable. There are rules for fixed. Do you still have the ring?”

  “I do.”

  “Keep it safe. The gate Bassus used was destroyed thousands of years ago, but I knew that when I did find another one, I’d still need a way to get back. All the tales say it is a treacherous land, constantly shifting. Time and space function differently there. Men have entered, been inside for what felt like a day, and came out years later. Or they’ve spent months inside and returned to Earth where only a few hours had passed. It will do everything it can to confuse you, to keep you forever.”

  “We made it out before.”

  “You only dipped a toe into the water, and then snatched it back out. You could do that because you still existed in both worlds simultaneously. That is how a rift works. If they’ve been swept deeper inside the realm, you will have to leave the safety of the anchor point and venture after them. Bassus faced the same problem, so the empire’s greatest mystics created that ring for him. It is like a compass with two points, one toward the hero’s goal, and the other back toward what he loves the most. If I couldn’t find it, I hoped to recreate their methods and make my own. In those days cosmic powers were more likely to take an interest and provide assistance. But like so many of the ancient things, their ways are lost to us now.”

  “Considering the opening portals and raising the dead bits when we start screwing around in that stuff, I’m not entirely convinced that’s such a loss,” Holly said.

  “You don’t understand, Ms. Newcastle. I’m one of the world’s premier experts on the subject, and I only have a child’s knowledge. We are dilettantes. Hobbyists. The odds of me being able to recreate that ring are a million to one, and I would likely die in the process. However I was still willing to try. What I’m getting at is that we are not good at this, unless we receive help from an outside force. The little incantation I did in the tomb of Bassus was a despera
te plea, nothing more. It shouldn’t have worked at all, but it did.” He stared right at me with thankful tear filled eyes. “Because you were near. I did not just speak Bassus’ words, I had his thoughts. This meeting was the will of a higher power. This was destined.”

  He said that like it was a big revelation, and seemed a little deflated when I seemed unmoved. “Okay.”

  “No, really.”

  “This isn’t my first rodeo with the Chosen One bit, Doc.”

  “It’s like his hobby,” Holly said.

  “Regardless, you alone are the only man who can bring my son back, and for that I am so thankful.”

  That took a second to click. “Hang on. What do you mean, alone?”

  CHAPTER 10

  I had a couple of days between getting back from Israel, before I had to leave for the training camp. This mission would be a long one, so this would my last chance to see Julie for several months. I loved my job, but this time I was dreading leaving. I’ll be honest, it was tough. Forty eight hours isn’t a whole lot of time when you know that’s potentially all you’ve got left with the woman you love.

  Much of the house was still trashed—thanks a lot, stupid Franks—but Julie had sent the contractors away so we could have some privacy. With most of MHI’s senior leadership working on the upcoming big job, Julie was pretty much running the corporate office by herself, so she was still on call. However, she had left explicit instructions that if anything happened while she was gone to handle it without her. If her phone rang there had better at least be a Godzilla equivalent monster rampaging through a major city or there would be hell to pay.

  The job was turning out to be even bigger than I’d first thought, and now I knew about potential complications that I was scared to even mention to Julie because I didn’t want to worry her needlessly. Troubles were piling up, from crazy things like evil demigods to relatively normal things like an ailing parent. But for two days we just forgot about the business, upcoming challenges, and all the other crap we had to worry about, and instead just enjoyed each other’s company.

  It was awesome.

  On the last night we were lying in bed together in the dark and quiet. The window was open, the curtains moving in the breeze. It was a nice night just beneath a sheet. We’d stayed up way too late. Julie was still snuggled up against me, her head resting on my chest, while I absently ran my fingers down her naked back.

  This was more than I ever hoped for, more than I deserved. I was in love, but not just that but I liked Julie. I’d been lucky enough to marry the person I would have wanted to hang out with anyway. She was my partner. We were in it to win it, together. Team us. Life was good, and worth fighting for.

  “What’s on your mind?” she asked.

  “It’s nothing. Go back to sleep.”

  “You might as well tell me. I can tell when something’s bugging you. You breathe differently when you’re being thoughtful.”

  I couldn’t hide much from her. “I was thinking, this moment, right here. It’s perfect. This is why I’ve got to make it back.”

  “You made it almost the whole weekend before you got all pensive and philosophical on me. That’s pretty good for you. Are you worried?”

  “Not really,” I lied. “Are you?”

  “Not at all.” She was lying too. We both had a little laugh at that. “Oooh. Hang on.” She rolled onto her back, grabbed my hand, and placed it flat on her abdomen. “Feel.”

  I waited several seconds. “I can’t feel—“ then it moved. There was just this little flutter against my palm. It was tiny. “Whoa.”

  “We made that.” I could see Julie’s smile in the dark. “Pretty badass, huh?”

  Somehow that little kick brightened my whole world. I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. “Our little dude is going to be super strong.”

  “Just like his father.”

  Now it was my turn to grin like an idiot. “When I said it was perfect a minute ago, I didn’t realize it could still get better. I love you more than anything. You’re brilliant and beautiful, and I’m going to miss you so much.”

  “You get so cheesy sometimes. Owen, honey, you’re going to win and you’re going to come back to me so you can be a good dad to this kickass super baby. Nothing, whether it’s man or monster, is going to stand in our way.”

  We kissed for a long time.

  * * *

  It probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Earl Harbinger already owned several thousand acres of Alaskan wilderness. As much as Earl didn’t like to talk finances, that man certainly understood how compound interest worked, been alive long enough to take advantage of it, and had been around when land was cheap. I’d learned over the years that he’d accumulated property all over the place, under quite a few different names. I had asked Earl about all his real estate once. He’d said that the reason he liked buying land was that they weren’t making any more of it.

  Holly leaned past me to see out the window. “This place is desolate.”

  I thought it was kind of pretty in a rugged sort of way. There were mountains, ocean, trees, and snow. And ice. And then more snow. Which was funny, since it was spring everywhere else.

  Trip—who was not by nature a cold weather kind of guy to begin with—shuddered.

  The little cargo plane rolled to a stop. There was an actual decent asphalt runway, and there were even a few prefab buildings that didn’t look too crappy. Though I’d been told that most of us would be sleeping in what were basically shipping containers. The pilot killed the engines. I opened the door. Earl and Milo were already waiting for us.

  “Welcome to the Monster Hunter International Cold Weather Training Facility,” Earl said proudly as we climbed out of the cargo plane. “Or Camp Frostbite, as some of us with more delicate ladylike constitutions have taken to calling it.”

  “Earl wouldn’t let Boone name it Camp Numb Nuts,” Milo explained.

  There was a strong wind coming in off the ocean. The air was crisp. Which was a nice way of saying it felt like getting punched in the testicles by Frosty the Snowman. I could see why Boone had wanted to name the new training center that way.

  “How was Israel?” Earl asked.

  “Warm,” answered Trip.

  “Successful.” I had a magic ring, the help of another expert, and I think I was best buds with a dead Roman. “I’ll catch you up as soon as we’re somewhere safe to talk.”

  Earl gave an exaggerated look around the miles of wilderness. “I think we’re okay.”

  “I mean—”

  “I know what you mean, Z. Don’t worry about ghosts. I’ve got that covered. I took care of a Chenoo outbreak in this neck of the woods fifty years ago. Hell of a thing, but my daddy taught me how to deal with Stone Coats when I was young. After that, me and the local Stone Coat came to an arrangement.”

  “I don’t know what any of those things are.”

  “Indian earth spirits,” Trip said, “that turn people into cannibal monsters.”

  There really were a lot of nasty things to keep up with in our line of work. “Oh…They sound like great neighbors.”

  “Ah, they ain’t so bad once you get to know them. They’re basically grumpy old bastards who just want these damned kids to stay off their lawn. So I blocked off access to their sacred valley, and bought up all the land around it. I just left an offering and told them we’d be moving up here for a spell so they won’t curse us. They were appreciative of the gesture. If any of Asag’s minions come poking around, ghostly or not, the local spirits will chase them off for us. Now grab your crap and follow me.”

  We were all bundled up in cold weather gear. Trip was from sunny Florida. Holly grew up in Las Vegas, and neither had my insulating bulk. They both looked absolutely miserable already, which was funny since Trip was usually the team’s optimist.

  “Don’t look so glum. You kids should be glad winter lasts eight months up here. We’ll be on our way to Russia by the time the mosquitos get really bad.
”

  Our target was covered in ice year round. D-Day was scheduled for the warmest time of the year, but we didn’t know how long our operation was going to end up staying. If we were still there when it got cold, resupply would be a bitch. Just surviving in those conditions was tough, let alone remaining in fighting shape. Severny Island was a long way from Alabama. Plus, many of the other company’s Hunters had never operated in an environment that cold. So Earl had decided to move most of our force to the new training center until D-Day. We needed the space and it would give us a chance to acclimatize to a similar environment for a few months and learn new survival skills.

  I heard the other Hunters before I saw them because there was a constant stream of gunfire coming from the nearby hills. I’d seen Milo’s invoices. We were shipping practice ammo up here by the pallet. We walked/crunched around the corner of a prefab, and I was surprised to see how busy the place was. There were Hunters everywhere.

  Other than the aforementioned shooters, there were a few other groups, including a bunch of folks doing PT and pumping iron. It actually looked like a prison yard with all the outdoor weight benches. A giant tent served as the kitchen. A couple of the shipping containers were being used as class rooms. Men were moving supplies by pickup and four wheeler. There had to be a few hundred people living here already.

  “Impressive, huh? Julie’s been shaking the trees, which is tough considering she can’t come right out and tell them over the phone what’s going on.”

  Getting the face to face meetings was one reason I’d been spending so much time traveling lately. Just one of the perks to being the mission’s XO. Julie got us in the door with her name and the family rep, shared hatred of the demon who was massacring people all over the world motivated them, and a shot at a percentage of a world ending PUFF sealed the deal.

  “As of this morning we’re at four hundred and fifty Hunters from nine different companies.” Earl pointed at where a bulldozer and a backhoe were working. “As soon as that crew gets the next set of facilities in, we’ll have another three hundred volunteers on the way up. Flights and boats have been coming in nonstop. They’re kicking in men, materiel, and money. I’ve been impressed by how much support we’re getting for this mission.”