Crossfire (Book 1) (The Omega Group) Page 17

  Asteria was in the midst of high speed hand-to-hand combat with the Kakodaemon. He was staying near the back of the room to keep out of the sunlight’s reach. After almost three years of watching her fight as part of the Omega Group, Myrine knew the Kako would fall sooner rather than later, whether from the sunlight or Asteria’s blade.

  Han flew through the air at his opponent in a move that would have made Bruce Lee proud. His foot connected with the Droxian’s nose and the resulting crack could be heard at even Myrine’s distance. A broken nose wouldn’t be enough to put the beast down, but it was a good start. A Droxian’s greatest attribute was his exceptional strength, easily equal to that of four human men, but that wouldn’t help him in a fight against an opponent that he couldn’t hit, like Han.

  Orano’s battle with the Hydram, unlike the others, was being waged at a distance. He was using energy balls to deflect the water being blasted at him by the Hydram, creating small openings that allowed him to send a bit of energy directly at his chest. A few more openings, Myrine thought, and that fight would be over.

  Ken was faring a little worse against his rival, the Curtona. She was a small woman, barely reaching five feet in height, but each of her ten fingernails were six-inch long, razor sharp, blades, and she knew how to wield them. Sparks were flying as Ken swung his steel baton in a figure eight pattern, deflecting her blades just before they took a slice out of him. Her speed and agility, though, were proving too great for Ken to parry and Jackie joined in to even the odds. Now, with both Omega agents working in tandem, Myrine felt confident the Curtona would be defeated.

  Phoenix was on the stage at the far end of the room, expertly wielding his staff. Although he appeared to be alone, doing some sort of choreographed exhibition, Myrine knew better. He was in the midst of battle. His opponent, a Daikori, was currently invisible to the human eye. This ability gave the Daikori the upper hand in virtually every altercation they found themselves in. Unless, of course, their adversary didn’t rely solely on his human eyesight. The bird that Phoenix was now sharing his consciousness with was perched on a light fixture a few feet above him, allowing him to see the Daikori through its unique eyes. Light and color variations that no human could see, were as clear as day to birds, and so was the Daikori.

  That, however, was where the perfect pairings ended. The last two enemies, a Siren and a Goura, had abilities that no one on Myrine’s team could easily undermine. Strength in numbers would be their only chance.

  Carter, still suffering from the only partially healed injury caused by Grainger’s bullet, was unable to shift into his wolf form, but could use some of his wolf attributes. Greco, a fierce warrior trained in Tritonia, was in peak condition. As was Myrine.

  The three of them stood an arm’s width apart from each other as they squared off against their adversaries. They each wore rubber earplugs that were custom formed to fit their ears in order to block out as much of the Siren’s call as possible. Although the plugs helped, the ultra-sonic waves emanating from the Siren’s mouth were still wreaking havoc on their systems. The nausea and general discomfort it caused was disorienting, but Myrine new that was a minor irritant compared to the damage it would cause at full strength.

  Carter was focused on the Siren, as he had few defensive capabilities aside from his auditory powers. With his wolf claws extended, the closest he could come to shifting right now, he launched an attack. The earplugs were of less help to him than they were to Myrine or Greco due to his wolf’s acute hearing, but Myrine knew the animal in him wouldn’t give up. His job was to keep the Siren busy long enough for another team member to finish with their opponent and take over for him. He charged forward, every step increasing the strength of the sonic waves that were assaulting him.

  Myrine could see the increasing pain etched on his face as he closed the gap to his adversary. He’d been well aware of what he would be going to be up against and volunteered for the job anyway. But Myrine knew that he wouldn’t be able to last very long.

  Turning her focus on the Goura, she joined Greco’s offense as he lunged, blade extended. The dermal armor the Goura possessed was almost impenetrable, making their blades about as useful as a child’s toy. They weren’t, however, trying to stab him. Rather they were playing the same game as Carter. Keep him busy and stay in one piece long enough for reinforcements to become available. The second part of that plan, staying in one piece, was proving more difficult.

  Although the organic metal skin the Goura used as protection was a great defensive weapon, it was also very helpful in offense. Getting hit by him was like receiving a blow from a lead pipe—as Greco was apparently finding out.

  Chapter 40

  Mirissa awoke to the now familiar sounds of battle. As she opened her eyes she took in the scene surrounding her. There were dozens of people—some human and some not, some friends, some foes—fighting in small groups.

  When had they arrived?

  She felt strong, although she knew she shouldn’t have. Did the succubus give her powers back? Did she somehow regenerate while she was unconscious? Either way, it didn’t matter. She was strong and she could fight, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

  She jumped off the billiards table to join the fray, only to bounce off an invisible shield.

  Not this time, Beck.

  Her blade was still extended so she jammed it into the force field that was separating her from everyone else. The Pop! was almost instant and the barrier disappeared. She could just make out the angry words spouting from Beck behind her as she ran toward an obviously injured Greco.

  The beast he was fighting shimmered in the morning sunlight and she understood why as soon as she put herself between him and Greco. His fist felt like a bowling ball when it hit her shoulder. If not for her ring’s protective snake, she felt sure her bones would have been pulverized. That metallic beast was not to be underestimated.

  Before she could launch her own counterattack, Mirissa was brought to her knees as an incredible pressure erupted in her eardrums. The pain was excruciating. She instinctively covered her ears with the palms of her hands as she searched for its source.

  There!

  Carter was on the floor, blood pouring from his shoulder, and her mother was using her body to shield him from his attacker. The man was about an inch shorter than Mirissa and slender, but not in a healthy way. He must have broken off his attack on Carter when he saw her, as he was now staring directly at her with his mouth open in an “O” shape.

  Mirissa’s head felt like it was going to explode and the dizziness and nausea were overwhelming. Unable to react, she watched as her mother leapt off Carter and, in one graceful move, drove her blade deep into the attacker’s gut.

  The pain in Mirissa ears died instantly and relief washed over her. Myrine ripped some sort of rubber out of her ears and ran over to embrace her. Although the hug was welcome, it was also short-lived. There were still many creatures that needed to be put down.

  They both rose from the floor and started toward the metal man. Mirissa flung him against the wall with a flick of her wrist and reveled in the resounding thud, but it didn’t do much good. His armor easily protected him and he came at her with a vengeance, ready to pummel her.

  Three feet in front of her, he stopped short, his face a mask of pain. He slammed his hands to his ears as the blood started trickling out. Mirissa turned to see Greco sitting on the floor with his mouth open. He’d dragged the succubus over to the almost dead man that her mother had stabbed and forced him to transfer the auditory power to him. Myrine held her blade to the succubus’s throat to ensure he complied.

  The metallic skin of her assailant must have amplified the effects of the acoustic weapon because when she turned back around, Mirissa found him lying motionless on the floor.

  Two down.

  Mirissa strode to the center of the room with her mother and Greco slightly behind and to her left and right. Carter trailed behind Greco, and Asteria, after finishi
ng off her Kakodaemon, fell in behind Myrine. It occurred to Mirissa that this was the destiny she was told about.

  Here. Now.

  Only a day ago, the awesome responsibility that came with this destiny felt like an enormous weight she didn’t think she could bear. Today, it filled her with strength. Today, she was the Amazon—the woman—she’d always dreamt of being.

  “Let’s finish this,” Mirissa said.

  With that, they dispersed throughout the room to assist the other members of their group. Their reinforcements made quick work of dispatching the remains of Daedric’s preternatural army. Mirissa joined the five SEALs in cleaning up the last of his human soldiers. Hammerhead, the youngest, watched slack-jawed as she held a dozen men to the wall with her powers while the rest of the team secured their hands and feet with zip ties.

  When everyone was secure, Mirissa turned to survey the carnage. Surprisingly, other than the Kakodaemon and a few human soldiers, the majority of their foes were alive. They were beaten, and secured by the Omega agents, but alive. She knew that the same wouldn’t have been true if the battle had gone the other way. Daedric would have gleefully killed every last one of them.

  With that thought, Mirissa turned to where Daedric stood, still encased in Beck’s shield. He was flailing his arms around in a misguided attempt to break through the invisible force field, only to have the energy bounce back on him. Even his teleporting powers were contained. The fury in his eyes seemed to grow exponentially as he settled his gaze on hers.

  If looks could kill, Mirissa mused. Then again, with everything she’d seen over the last couple of days, she wouldn’t have been surprised if somewhere in the world a creature existed that could do exactly that.

  With morbid curiosity, like when drivers slow down to look at a car wreck on the freeway, Mirissa found herself walking toward him. He looked almost frail in comparison to the arrogant demi-god she’d met earlier. His eyes, now sunken into his skull, had large dark bags under them and more than a few new wrinkles lined his face.

  “Mirissa?”

  Mirissa swung around at the familiar voice and saw Myrick walking toward them from the back yard. With one arm he supported Blackjack, who was gingerly holding his left arm to his chest. On his other side was her father. All were dripping wet.

  With an energy he didn’t look like he possessed at the moment, Steve tore away from Myrick and ran to Mirissa, grabbing hold of her as though his life depended on it.

  Myrick gave one of his signature grins and said, “You might want to dial down the power a bit next time, lass. I found these two a quarter mile into the river.”

  “How did you know?” Mirissa asked.

  Myrine smiled with pride that only a mother could. “Grainger called me after you helped him and his wife escape. He saw what you did, so when we came here, Myrick went for a swim.”

  Without warning, a flash of intense light filled the room. Everyone, including Daedric, shielded their eyes as best they could to keep from being blinded. Then, as quickly as it had come, the light disappeared and the room was once again as it was—with one exception.

  Next to Daedric’s temporary prison, there now stood an enormous man. He was easily six and a half feet tall with long wavy black hair that fell to his broad shoulders. He wore a white tunic that draped over one shoulder and fell to just above his knees, belted at the waist with a shimmering gold tie. Every inch of his body was covered in perfectly sculpted muscles, as though an artist had rendered him in stone then magically brought him to life.

  Glorious. That was the word that came to Mirissa’s mind. The room went silent as everyone stared in awe at this newcomer. He was captivating in ways that Mirissa couldn’t even begin to explain.

  The awe she felt was quickly changing to fear as she took in the anger emanating from the stranger’s eyes. When he spoke, his voice was a low rumble that reverberated through the room.

  “Do not think you have won here. I can slaughter each of you with nothing more than a thought. I am…”

  Another blinding flash of light filled the space and interrupted what was sure to be a nasty monologue. When it dissipated, it left another newcomer. This time, however, Mirissa new exactly who it was. As did her mother, Asteria, and Greco.

  Artemis.

  She stood only two inches taller than Mirissa, but commanded a powerful force that made Mirissa feel tiny in comparison. She wore the same tunic as her statue on Tritonia, but, unlike that statue, her long red hair flowed freely down to her waist, and she held no bow.

  “Ares,” Artemis said with a voice that resonated with the power of a god, “this is not your fight. You cannot interfere. Daedric has lost.”

  “NO!” Ares bellowed, and the house shook. After a raised eyebrow from Artemis, he lowered his voice to a less destructive level. “I have plans for him.”

  Ares glanced at a now smiling Daedric. In the blink of an eye he’d gone from defeat to victory, and he seemed to be enjoying the twist immensely. Mirissa could almost see the arrogance bleeding back into him. He opened his mouth to speak but before any words came out, Ares interrupted.

  “I will deal with you later.”

  The look of satisfaction that spread across Daedric’s face was replaced by one of fear a moment before he disappeared from inside the force field.

  Mirissa lunged forward screaming, “What have you done? Where is he?”

  Artemis stopped her in her tracks with a firm hand on her shoulder and spoke calmly. “There are some battles you cannot win, Mirissa. This is one of them.” She then turned to her half-brother and in a much sterner voice said, “You have what you came for. Now leave. And, brother? Remember that I am always watching.”

  Another flash of light and Ares was gone, but not before he let loose a small burst of energy that knocked Mirissa, once again, on her butt.

  Jerk!

  Artemis reached her hand down to help her up, and the moment they touched Mirissa could feel the awesome power. When she was on her feet she looked up at the goddess that had created their race and thought she saw amusement in her eyes.

  “You have done well, Mirissa,” Artemis began. “As have your friends and family. My brother is obstinate, but fear not. Whatever plans he has, we will deal with them when the time comes. For now, enjoy your victory. And enjoy Daedric’s parting gift to you.”

  One last flash of light and Artemis was gone.

  Parting gift?

  Chapter 41

  Myrine woke up feeling refreshed after the first good night’s sleep she’d had in years. Her head was resting on her husband’s chest as her fingers trailed lazy circles across his ribs. The early morning Jacksonville sun was peeking through the sheers and lending a golden hue to the room.

  It just doesn’t get any better than this.

  The last few days were some of the most difficult she’d faced since starting the Omega Group, mainly because the safety of her family had been at stake, but they’d made it. They’d come out on top.

  Sort of. There were still a few loose ends that needed to be taken care of. The most important one being the world’s oil supply.

  Director Finley personally came to the house on Ortega yesterday to supervise the transfer of Daedric’s preternaturals. They, along with Beck and a medic, were loaded onto a chinook helicopter that was outfitted with special restraint seating for transporting prisoners. The restraints were the backup plan only. Beck was responsible for containment. The medic had already tended to the wounds of the siren, but needed to wait for the Goura to retract his dermal armor before he could examine and treat him. So, he went along for the ride.

  By now, Myrine figured, all seven of them would be securely locked away in Finley’s basement. It wasn’t, of course, the Director’s actual basement, but the nickname had stuck. It was an underground facility outside of Atlanta that was built for the sole purpose of housing and interrogating prisoners that no standard prison could ever hope to contain. The technology behind it was a mix of state-o
f-the-art security systems designed and built by humans that even Julian looked up to, and preternatural security measures put together by the best nonhuman technicians in the world. It was impenetrable.

  Once the helicopter took off and the cleanup crew was doing their job, Director Finley took Myrine aside to update her. The news wasn’t good.

  Every oil facility that Daedric’s group had targeted was almost completely destroyed. At best, they were looking at a year before any of them could be back up and running. Even then, the volume of oil they could produce would be only a fraction of what it was for many years to come.

  The world was in for a rough time.

  Receiving that news almost made Myrine forget about her other loose end. Almost. When she told the Director why Daedric wasn’t among the prisoners, she’d expected him to blow up, but he didn’t. He simply took it in stride as he always did when faced with less than satisfactory reports. Perhaps the introduction of actual gods into the scene made him more understanding of their loss. Or, perhaps, he’d just seen so much over his long tenure as Director that nothing surprised him anymore.

  Either way, Myrine knew that he would be stewing over Ares’s plans for Daedric. She would be doing the same thing.

  For now, she intended to enjoy every second of her time with her family. For one full day, maybe even more, the rest of the world could wait. She’d earned this time—spent twelve years earning it—and she planned to make the most of it.

  “Mom?”

  With a jerk, Myrine turned toward her daughter’s voice. “How long have you been standing there?”

  “I don’t know. I was down in the kitchen and then…” Mirissa looked confused.

  “Then what, sweetheart?” Myrine asked. She gently shook Steve awake.

  “I don’t know. I was in the kitchen, then I was here. How did I get here? I don’t even remember leaving the kitchen.”