She pushed herself up in time to see an armored figure land on the street with so much force that the surface splintered. For a bewildering second, she thought it was Vigil. But the armor was completely different — some sort of exoskeletal frame over sleek, gleaming segmented plate. The sinister appearance was completed by a hooded cloak that partially concealed a mask fashioned into a gleaming silver skull.
He glanced down at her, eyes hidden in the deep sockets of his ghoulish helmet. She couldn't shake the feeling that he knew exactly who she was and weighed his options accordingly. Her hand strayed toward the pistol holstered on her leg. He pointed a long-barreled handgun at her, shaking a scolding finger.
"Bad move."
The blaster fired three times. The rounds struck like heavy punches to her chest, knocking her on her back. As she writhed and struggled to breathe, the skull-masked man strode past, cut through Janus' cuffs with a shoulder-mounted laser, and hauled him to his feet. Through her haze of pain, Ronnie faintly heard Janus speak.
"Was that necessary? You could have killed me."
The other man responded in a cold, mechanical voice. "You're lucky I came for you at all."
"You had to. I'm the only one equipped to harness the aberrant fields."
"Which is the only reason you're still alive."
Their voices faded. Ronnie scrabbled on her back, gritting her teeth from the unbearable fire that blazed across her torso. Ripping free of her armored vest, she clutched her chest, stifling a sob when her fingers came away red with blood. Her pulse pounded in her ears, and she was hot. So hot. Sweat slicked her face and dampened her clothes; her throat was parched as desert sand. Her vision filmed over, turning the view of heat-hazed buildings into rippling shades of red that darkened with every quivery breath. The last thing she heard was sirens and the sound of approaching vehicles before everything went black.
Chapter 17: Alliances
The portable hangar was located in the worst area of Brickland, converted from an elevator house on the roof of one of the many abandoned tenement buildings in the area. The cramped unit was usually reserved for Vigil alone, but necessity forced him to temporarily shelter Spitfire and one especially unwelcome guest.
Heretic leaned against the wall, arms folded as he scanned the hangar. With his face enveloped by his helmet, there was no way to read his expression. His cavernous voice echoed in the room. "I would never have guessed you had a safe house here."
Spitfire sat on the workbench, legs dangling as she glowered with narrowed eyes. "That's the point, yo. You lucky we let you come in."
"I didn't ask. I was invited."
Vigil looked up from his inspection of the weapons locker. "Only because the entire District is swamped with RCE units."
"Why do you care?"
"I don't. But we share a common enemy and need to put our differences aside."
"You're the one who interrupted when I had things handled."
"You were fighting cops."
"Only because they were in the way of me killing Janus."
"Yeah, that was a bad idea, too."
"According to you."
"According to me because I'm looking at the bigger picture. Janus might be a mastermind, but Diabolis won't die if he does. New leadership will rise, and it'll be business as usual. I want to take them all out, not just one."
Heretic paced the floor, tunic fluttering with his agitated steps. "That's a… bold strategy."
Spitfire smirked. "Yeah, bet you wish you thought of it first."
Vigil waved her off, looking at Heretic. "We need to pool our resources and intel. Work together to bring not just Janus but the entire Diabolis organization down. They're the ghost syndicate, involved in everything but accountable to no one. It all comes down to Styx, whatever that is. Eight Baller told me it was some kind of cult. Whoever they are, he was terrified. Said they were fixated on death or something."
Heretic stopped in mid-stride. "Not death. Immortality."
"What? In Greek myth, Styx is the river to the underworld."
"Yes. But it also possessed miraculous powers. Like when Achilles' mother dipped him in the waters as a child. He became an invulnerable warrior soon after."
"Well, except for his heel."
"Only because it was the only part not immersed. His mother held him by the heel."
Spitfire frowned. "What's the mythology lesson got to do with Janus?"
Heretic turned to her. "His goal is the same. But instead of a mythical river, he's using psionic energy to accomplish his evil designs."
Vigil paused in the act of holstering a neothermic handgun. "Psionic energy? So that's what Mister Sister meant."
"Who?"
"A Diabolis lieutenant. She said the Amnesia wasn't the point. It was the power of the mind."
"Exactly. Janus leads a cult of very powerful people who want the only thing they don't possess: immortality. They are obsessed with the study of aberrant fields, believing them to be the key to their pursuit of godhood."
Vigil felt his chest tighten. "Aberrant fields."
Spitfire gave him a quizzical glance. "What's that?"
Easing onto a metal stool, he stared into the distance as the memories flicked across his mind. "It's what broke the world. It gave Imperials their powers. It tore holes in reality. And ultimately, it caused the Cataclysm. Cutting out the confusing stuff, it was psionic power amplified by a form of fusion. When it didn't kill people by the billions, it granted a select few unimaginable powers."
Her eyes widened. "And this dude wants to try to copy that?"
"Now you understand the severity of the situation," Heretic said. "Janus is on the cusp of harvesting the energy he thinks will grant him powers beyond anything seen since the Imperial age. His followers will probably replicate the process if successful, creating an entire race of abominations. And you stopped me from killing him when I had a chance."
Vigil stood, folding his arms. "No regrets. Killing him won't stop his people from pushing forward. We need to take them all down. There has to be an endgame, otherwise what's the point?"
Incognito buzzed over the com. "I have bad news, Vigil. The RCE transport was taken out. Janus is in the wind."
Vigil glanced at Heretic and walked a few steps away, lowering his voice. "What about… the officers?"
"You mean Captain Banks? I don't know. It just happened, so everything is static right now. But you can't worry about her right now, Vigil."
"Damned if I can't."
"You're not her guardian angel. Besides, she has that big robot partner watching her back."
"He wasn't enough last time."
"Nothing is ever enough, Vigil. But with Janus on the lam, there's a lot more at risk if what Heretic says is true."
"You were listening?"
"I'm always listening. Least I can do in my position. Now, it's your turn. So listen when I tell you that you can't go looking for your lady friend. She's fine, or she's not. Either way, you're too late to do anything about it."
Vigil's fist clenched. "Damn it."
"I'm trying to figure out what happened and where Janus might have gone. I'll get back to you."
The call ended. Vigil stood in place, mind working furiously. But Incognito was right. The hit already happened, and there wasn't anything he could do for Ronnie at the moment.
Spitfire gave him a concerned stare. "Yo, everything okay?"
Heretic stepped closer. "Let me guess: Janus escaped."
Vigil nodded.
"As I predicted. He's too valuable an asset for Diabolis to lose. Now, we're back to square one. He could be anywhere by now."
"It's not where he is; it's where he's going. And I think I have an idea."
Opening a holographic screen on his g-span, he pointed at the mapping display. "I directed a pair of sweepers to map the Leverich building earlier. They discovered and accessed a recessed portion of the basement with an elevator that goes miles under the city. I think that's where Janus was headed. My sweepers went offline, but not before a final transmission. There's some kind of massive system of chambers and tunnels that don't show up on any current records. The Styx experiment will probably take place there."