Chapter 23: Nemesis 2

Chapter 23: Nemesis 2

They rolled out in the hummer, four in the back, Mancini and Singh up front. The roads werent always passable, but Singh didnt let that stop him. Theyd bounce right up onto the sidewalk, bust through trashcans, scrape past vehicles, force a path.

Huffman stared out over the tailgate with bleak eyes, her mouth a thin line, her gun held tight. James knew to respect anothers grief. He skipped the small talk.

Delvecchio kept adjusting his shit. Checking the ammo pockets in his vest, tapping his radio, a little dance of his fingers over his night vision goggles folded up on the front of his helmet, touching each piece of gear that seemed to soothe him.

Everybody had their rituals.

Serenity rocked and swayed beside him, face blank as she stared out at nothing, Sigs out and resting on her lap, fully loaded, an army vest on, more mags in the front pockets.

Whered you get that? James asked.

Hmm? She glanced down at the green vest. Victorias Secret.

Pretty hot, said James, deadpan.

She eyed him. It is when its all I wear.

They rolled on. The city had grown quiet. A fevered anticipation hung in the air. Everybody knew the First Wave of Nemesis 2 was about to hit. Folks were hunkering. Sirens werent quite as ubiquitous anymore. Maybe theyd burned out from overuse. Occasionally they passed a patrol out on foot, either soldiers or citizens, armed and looking to level, to bring a little rough justice to the streets, to redress the balance as best they could.

Occasionally the patrols gazed into the back of the hummer as they drove by and saluted.

James gave them a two-finger salute back, and each time wished them well.

Night had truly fallen by the time theyd reached their old kill zone warehouse. They drove through the open gates, Singh diplomatically opting to not use the hole where hed busted out last time. They leaped out once he parked in the back again, and James looked around.

Hints of black ash, blubbery piles of black goo where gremlins were rapidly decomposing.

Huh, said Delvecchio. I thought the bodies would stink more.

He was right. They gave off a metallic scent, like overheated frying pans, acrid and bitter, but it was slight.

Thank god for small mercies, said Mancini. Lets clear the warehouse.

James and Serenity let the fire team do their thing. They ran to the rear exit, Huffman arced around the open door, rifle raised, and when she gained the far side, she simply said, Clear.

Mancini entered and crossed out of sight to cover the dead zones, and then a moment later the rest of the team entered.

All clear, Delvecchio called.

The warehouse lights were still on, stark and harsh white. The huge floor was covered in ash and gremlin corpses. As outside, most had already collapsed on themselves, devolving into rubbery shit encased in brittle scales. Not slick, weirdly enough, but more tarry, like a mixture between stepping on chicken bones and melting blacktop.

Lets clear the far side, wrap around, and then set up, said Mancini, leading the way with his rifle raised.

The fire team did as commanded, efficiently, quickly, with practiced ease. It was too easy to imagine them clearing homes in Afghanistan, working their way through buildings, learning to operate as a team.

James and Serenity moved to a spot along the left wall, perhaps twenty yards north of the exit out the back. With no way to know on which side the Nemesis 2s would appear, it was best to have a wall behind them and the exit close but not so close a demon could burst through it and surprise them.

Finally, she breathed. Want to make a bet on what itll look like?

Sure, said James. What do you think?

Im thinking the mean uncle to Nemesis 1. Serenity turned slowly; eyes narrowed. Eight feet tall, scaled, with arms like a gorilla.

Nice. Im thinking something completely different. Maybe James tried to imagine. Maybe some kind of dog. Like the demon dogs from Ghostbusters.

Very nice. Serenity nodded approvingly. Good visuals, too. Fast, powerful bite. Those would fuck shit up.

Lets hope Im wrong, then.

The fire team returned. Singh was carrying a black case and moved to the walls of the warehouse where he started affixing wireless cameras at head height.

Mancini walked up, tense but calm. All right. Lets review one last time. Were assuming well all be able to see the Nemesis 2, but its possible only you two will as members of the First Wave. Soon as they appear, call out whether you see it or not. Well immediately know if we four are going to help. If we cant see them, well cluster around Singh to benefit from his expanded aura and react as best we can.

Nods all around.

Assuming we can see it, well stay clustered together and try to drop them from a distance. Singh, James, and Serenity lets keep your auras as overlapped as possible for maximum efficiency. Consensus is that Nemesis 2 will have higher immunity to auras, but theres a chance three combined will still knock them out.N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.

More nods.

Delvecchio, youre our heavy hitter. Smite up and put the first one down with your SAW. The four of us will focus fire on the second Nemesis. James, hold back and see if we cant handle them with that alone. If one of them manages to close, step in and skillet the fuck out of them.

Roger, said James.

Stay calm, be mindful of each others field of fire, and lets show them who these fuckers are messing with. Mancini made eye contact with Delvecchio, Huffman, and then Singh as the grenadier walked up.

Cant wait, said Serenity.

If I give the command to evacuate, we move along the wall toward the rear exit, Mancini said pointedly. Best if we keep our rear covered. If thats not possible, just do your best to get out.

Grim nods.

We got this. Mancini looked about the group once more. We ready?

Then he remembered there were supposed to be two of them.

Serenity screamed, started firing her Sigs of to their hard right.

The second Nemesis 2 had coalesced fifteen yards along the wall, identical to the first, its mask utterly malefic, its chitinous body gleaming, its legs flexing as it crouched.

Serenitys Smite-enhanced shots punched deep into its chest, bambambambam-

The Nemesis 2 leaped.

Same leaping speed as the gremlin, its spindly legs propelling it forward with less of an arc so that it came at them like a hurled spear, a hellish cannon shot. Huffman, next to James, swung her M4 around and opened fire.

But her M4s ammo didnt seem to do much, and though Serenitys shots tore deep the Nemesis 2 was coming in too fast, its pincers opened wide to reveal scythe-like blades on both insides.

This was his moment.

James shouted and lunged forward, activating Smite as he went. His skillet burst into gray flame, and then his whole body incandesced as the Nemesis 2 entered his Rank 5 aura.

It didnt ash.

James had known it wouldnt, but he still felt a shock. Instead, its black body began to turn gray, its chitin warping, but James had only a second to appreciate this before he swung his skillet, aiming for both limbs as they came at him in the hopes of smacking them aside.

He had the explosive strength, but not the hand-to-eye coordination; he batted one limb aside, shattered it, but the second closed around his waist, slicing deep into his gut.

Someone was shouting. The Nemesis 2 tried to lift him up, but its withered limb shattered, releasing James, who, pumped to the gills with adrenaline, lunged forward and slammed his skillet into the creatures head.

The aura washed over the demon completely, his Smite-enhanced skillet shattered the mask, and the fight went out of the demon. It sagged, legs splaying out wide, its abdomen sinking to the ground as its outer surface ashed.

Your rank is now Supplicant 1

You may select a Benediction:

Dark Vision | Sacred Strike | Deadeye

Your choice of Benediction is your second step

in determining your class.

You have 5 unspent points.

James staggered back, blood pouring down his legs. The wound was terrible and he felt the strength go out of his legs. He sank, a voice clinically listing everything that was wrong with him.

Its verdict was clear.

It was a mortal wound.

Serenity was shouting, several guns were still unloading into the demon, but James ignored it all.

All right, he whispered, heat flooding up his throat, his mouth filling with the taste of copper. Its fine. Its fine.

He summoned his stats. Looked at his Aeviternum and triggered one.

It was like stepping out of a sandstorm of red-hot iron fillings into a Hawaiian waterfall. Cool, soothing energy flooded his body, washed away the pain, the deep sucking sense of wrongness that was consuming him like a black hole shoved into his gut. His blood ceased pumping out over his hands, he felt a distant prickling as flesh and organs reknit themselves, then his skin sealed over, and it was done.

He was completely healed.

It had taken less than a second.

The others all went silent. Even the guns ceased barking.

Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit, Serenity whispered like it was some kind of mantra. James? Her eyes were wide as fucking saucers. James. Youre all right. She laughed, her voice tinged with hysteria, and raked her hair out of her face, smearing some of his blood across her brow. Aeviternum?

Aevi-fucking-ternum, he agreed with a rueful grin. Sorry about the scare. I think its time I retired the skillet.

Woo! Delvecchio raised his SAW. Level! Better than sex, bay-bee! Get some!

Mancini crouched down beside James, his expression furious. Im sorry. This is on me. Amateur mistake. We should have had eyes on our flanks. Youre all right?

James climbed to his feet. Better than all right. I feel like I just returned from a spa.

Only then did he turn to consider the Nemesis 2s. They both lay still, splayed out, bodies shattered by the high velocity rounds and blunt force trauma to the head.

The expressions on their masks, where they were still visible, remained the same.

Dark, amused, cruel, masterful.

Delvecchios grin slowly died.

Shit, said Huffman, staring at the demons. We are all so fucked.