You'd think the rest of the mob would have wised up at their leader’s death, but the rubes only got bolder, rushing us like lemmings on their way to the sea.
Poddar was the first to meet them, and boy did I pity those goons who stood in the way of him rescuing his missing dame. The Prince had pulled a retractable rod from his flogger while the goon was talking, and attached it to his kukri. One of the goons went down howling and clutching a ruined hand. Poddar leaped into the mob with the bladed staff twirling.
Goons screamed.
Another rube shrieked as he went down. A German Shepard had joined the party, seizing the goon in a spot which looked mighty uncomfortable. It had been so bizarre a night I didn’t even give a second thought over a killer mutt on the loose. I turned away as the screams got higher, though. Some things are too awful to see, even when done to a goon.
"Thatta girl, Stinker!” Charged rounds exploded around where the Cowboy knelt at the rotting terrace, but he picked off goons with his bean shooters in an almost bored matter. "I swear, the way Poddar was talking I thought you were in some real trouble. If this is all we have to deal with, getting his darling gal back should be a piece o’ cake."
"Just make sure to keep at least one conscious," I called over my shoulder.
"Where are you going?"
"I got a synoid to catch.”
I was pretty upset at Hunter for taking off on me. After all, the whole point of coming that deep in the Docks was to collect him for a bit of gun support. I’d seen him walk toward the back of the house during that unfortunate hallucination sequence. I circled around and peered in the stretch of fog that masked his back yard.
“Hunter? You back here? We need to talk. I wasn’t finished with you yet… ”
You'd think a man could take a break, but one of the goons followed me around the corner. I didn't even see him until he tried to plug me. The bio-gun exploded in his hand instead.
That was the main reason why I stuck to old school handguns. Bio-guns were prone to overheat unexpectedly. Made sense. Equipment charged by the user’s living energy has to negotiate the fluctuating adrenaline levels. Which means unless you have nerves of steel, the weapon can become unbalanced pretty quickly. Supposedly the real darb models have stabilizers, but I don’t trust them either. Labcoats never get anything right.
He screamed and grabbed his ruined hand, but I wasn’t exactly in the mood for sympathy.
"Not exactly the gig you signed up for was it?” I put the Mean Ol’ Broad to his egg so he could feel how cold her kiss was. He clammed up instantly.
"That's better. Now maybe you'd better tell me what you poorly trained killer monks are doing in Hunter Valentino's yard. You're real lucky he stepped out, or the pain you're in now would be like sunshine on a leprechaun's ass compared to what he'd do. Now, spill."
"I am a loyal Specter and disciple of the New Man." Tears streaked his cheeks. "All enemies of the New Man will burn before the Next Day comes, it has been foretold!"
"Yeah, yeah.” It was pretty clear I wasn’t gonna learn anything from a delusional goon. "Save it for someone who cares.”
I clubbed him across the temple for general principle. The sounds of gunfire and screams had ended, so I figured my new friends were finished playing around. I rounded the corner.
And stopped cold.
The stiffs on Hunter's lawn were expected, but what I didn't expect was Rob and Poddar lying at the feet of a goon in a black flogger and hat. Stinker lay across Rob's chest as though she sought to shield him at the end. I couldn't tell if they were dead or unconscious, but at that point I was more concerned about my own welfare.
The man raised his head. "I know you."
Only I knew he wasn't really a man. He seemed more shadow than solid and his eyes shone like polished ball bearings. His voice was garbled; jawing as if chewing on a mouthful of marbles.
"Well, that makes one of us.” I appreciated the fact he had bothered to bump gums for a bit. That gave me the chance to pull the Mean Ol' Broad and fire all seven rounds.
Things got real screwy at that point. Either the air turned to jelly, or the slugs actually slowed down and froze in midair. Either way, they fell uselessly at his feet.
Then the electric hornets attacked my brain.
That’s how it felt, anyway. Only a hundred times worse. I dropped to my knees, and I gotta admit I probably screamed a little. There’s an excuse for unmanliness when you’re stabbed by a million jagged needles repeatedly right in the brain.
"Where is the leg?” The inhuman spoke casually, as if he weren't killing me without moving.
"I'm… not… telling you… jack!" I barely managed to gasp out the words. Which probably wasn't worth the effort, since the pain increased. Big time.
I thought about Angel and all the other dames I'd done wrong in my past. I felt bad because I was gonna die without ever getting the chance to tell them I loved 'em all.
The pain suddenly stopped just as I was eating the dirt. It didn't taste great, but it was a lot better than dying. I looked up and hazily saw the shadow man looking uncertainly my direction.
"What… what are you?"
"I was about to ask the same question." Hunter Valentino looked eerily similar to the shadow man as he stood calmly beside me. Only Hunter was, you know, more human.
Seems he was on familiar terms, too. "You were always good with deception, weren’t you? It won’t work on me."
The inhuman clutched his coat and stepped back warily. "This cannot be. Whatever you are, you are not enough to stop what has begun. You will see. You will see!"
His shriek startled roosted crows, which burst out of the surrounding trees. The transformer on the Tesla unit behind him exploded, shooting sparks across my vision. When I could finally see grainy blurs of reality, the shadow man was gone. The air was filled with rain and the harsh caws of crows.
"You made a mess of my yard.” Hunter looked around. "I was only gone a few minutes."
"Hey, you should be thanking me. Bury these goons, and you might have a lawn next year.” Hunter helped me rise groggily to my feet. My head felt like a piñata after being battered by a troupe of greedy rugrats. "About time you showed up.”
“My alarms detected intruders a few blocks away. By the time I arrived at the point of intrusion, they had already moved on. I had no idea they’d be foolish enough to attack my residence.”
“The two of you have a history I should know about? What was that thing, and how could he do that freaky mind trick?"
Hunter seemed uncharacteristically uncertain. "Something that should not exist. You must go to the Fortress. Ask to see the Savant. He is the one who holds the key."
"The Savant, eh? Just great, Hunter. Do you ever answer a straight question? And whaddya mean by the key, anyway?” I looked where the inhuman goon had disappeared. "And what in the actual hell was that thing?"
"Who’s the new guy?” Rob and Poddar had gotten to their feet, but they looked about as miserable as I felt. The Cowboy carried Stinker in his arms. She seemed a bit weak, but not much worse for the wear. Not that I cared. I hate mutts.
“Hunter Valentino. An old friend of mine.”
Hunter ignored them as he glanced around. I would have pegged him as uneasy, but that label can’t really be associated with synoids. “You’ll have to excuse my rudeness, but this encounter has raised questions even I don’t have answers to. I’ll have to do some investigating on my own. Remember — see the Savant at the Fortress. You’ll get at least some of the answers you’re looking for.”