Savior Part 2: Son of Eden (The Savior Series) Page 14

  “Got time for an update?” Wells asked.

  “Yeah, we’re getting our butts kicked! Monica got captured and Charlie is probably Texas Toast!” I shouted.

  “What about the target?” Wells asked as our helicopter neared the last turn before we reached the front of the casino.

  “The Greater has The Righteous and Monica in his custody but Tango and I are in pursuit as we speak,” I confirmed.

  “Can you catch him?” Wells asked.

  “I’ll do my best but I could sure use Reaper right now!” I admitted.

  “That’s a negative, Ace. We can’t use the gas if Reaper is present and I’d also like to keep this one off the books,” Wells responded.

  “You freaking idiots!” Howie’s unmistakable voice suddenly cut into the conversation over the radio.

  “Echo?! This line is supposed to be secure!” Wells exclaimed.

  “And this wasn’t supposed to be an op! What in the hell are you guys doing?!” Howie fumed.

  “What’s it look like, Echo? I’m trying to take down the most powerful terrorist on the face of the planet. If you’re pissed about me taking advantage of the vital intelligence that you failed to share then you might as well get over it because I think by now you should know that I don’t give a damn about your temper tantrums,” Wells snarled. “Now, if you’re still inside that building I need to know what you can see. Someone’s blocking us from accessing the security camera feed so I’m going to assume that’s you since there aren’t many people alive who can keep my guys from getting in,” he continued.

  “The Greater and the rest of his squad are making their way down to the first floor,” Howie said begrudgingly. “We still have assets in place on the ground but there’s a ton of Stranger resistance down there too and I’m not sure how much longer our boys can hold them off.”

  “How long before they reach the first floor?” I asked.

  “They just did,” Howie replied.

  “Dammit! Alright, we’re on the way, Echo, just hang in there and keep your head down!” I ordered as our helicopter cleared the last corner and Tango unleashed a firestorm of rockets onto the Stranger troops that were blocking the front entrance of the casino. The Stranger mercenaries scurried for their lives as the ensuing explosions hurled their large black SUVs several feet into the air as our helicopter sped toward the front entrance.

  Tango and I both leapt from the helicopter a few seconds before it collided with the front of the casino. A sweltering ball of metal, glass and fire consumed the front of the building as Tango and I both tucked and rolled, safely landing several feet away from the crash.

  “12 o’clock!” Tango shouted as we darted forward into the casino. I looked ahead as I ran and spotted three assault rifle-wielding Strangers fifteen feet away and closing as we stormed further into the building. In a flash, I unsheathed the sword at my hip and deflected all of their bullets just as Tango leapt high into the air above me. Still in stride, I hit the deck, feet first, and slid forward across the slick floor of the casino lobby as Tango sailed over the heads of the three Strangers. Bullets from their second round of gun fire zipped just over my outstretched body as I swept my sword in a circle just as I slid between the middle Stranger’s legs.

  The three Strangers all stiffened and dropped their guns to the floor as Tango landed behind them and sliced through their necks in a single motion. Blood spurted outward in all directions as their severed heads and legs fell from their bodies and the three of them suddenly collapsed to the floor.

  I quickly leapt to my feet as another group of armed Strangers rushed towards us. Tango and I readied our swords and rushed forward into the fray as The Strangers opened fire at us. We both whipped our swords about with astonishing speed and deflected every bullet that was fired at us as we tore our way through the sea of Strangers with reckless abandon. Working as a cohesive unit, Tango and I disposed of wave after wave of Strangers as we pushed our way deeper into the devastated building.

  “Ace, you’re almost there! The boys have them surrounded on the game floor down the hall!” Howie advised over the radio as Tango and I dashed toward the casino’s main game room.

  “Perfect!” I replied while my long headband flickered in the air behind me as I ran even harder.

  IT LOOKED LIKE A TORNADO HAD TORN THROUGH THE game room by the time Tango and I stormed into the entrance. Bullet holes, dead bodies and several small fires littered the surroundings as Tango and I approached the center of the room. A squad of twenty of my men had surrounded The Greater and his squad of six Anokian soldiers in the middle of the game floor and it looked as though another battle was about to commence at any second. The Greater still held The Righteous and Monica over his shoulders, therefore my troops were only prepared to use their melee weapons against the Anokians so as to ensure the safety of Monica. Though the sweet smell of the gaseous neurotoxin that my troops were using to weaken the Anokians filled the air I still knew that my men were overmatched without me and Tango in the mix.

  “Looks like we’re right on time,” Tango chimed as he flexed his massive forearms while tightening his grip on his tactical ninja swords.

  “Easy guys,” I cautioned as my men watched in anxious silence as The Greater handed Monica and The Righteous to two of the Anokian soldiers that flanked him.

  “Get them out of here, brothers, and be sure to protect them with your lives!” The Greater boomed to his towering soldiers. “I will deal with the rest of them,” he continued as he turned his attention back to us and glared at the men that surrounded him.

  “Wait!” I shouted as one of my men lunged toward The Greater with his electrified bo staff held before him—but it was already too late. The Greater’s bright blue eyes smoldered as he hammered the much smaller agent to the floor with a single blow just as the rest of my troops moved to intervene. Tango and I dashed after the fleeing Anokian soldiers that were attempting to escape with The Righteous and Monica, but before we could cut them off The Greater, having already defeated the twenty men that had surrounded him, leapt in front of us and cut us off just as the Anokians stormed out of the exits.

  My mind was telling me to take evasive action in order to continue my pursuit of the fleeing Anokian soldiers but my gut told me that there was no way for us to pass without going through him.

  The echoes of countless explosions and automatic gunfire filled the room as our reinforcements arrived and clashed with the Stranger forces on the outside of the building. My heartbeat raced as Tango and I stared into the fiery blue eyes of the gigantic Anokian prince that stood before us. The long hooded cloak that he wore around his broad shoulders was white enough to make even snow look grey. His cloak along with locks of his shoulder length hair, flowed within the wind that surrounded us as his piercing blue eyes dared us to advance toward him.

  “You ready for this?” Tango asked as he raised his swords before him.

  “You bet I am! Let’s get busy!” I said firmly as I gripped my sword with two hands and twisted the handle. Bright blue bolts of electricity engulfed the blade of my sword as Tango and I maneuvered our way to either side of The Greater. As I approached, I could tell that his armor was comprised of the rare metallic element that Wells had often referred to as “Anokian-Steel.” It was only found on the moons that orbited Eden, and by all accounts, it was the hardest and most durable substance in all the known universe. Luckily for me, my sword was also coated with a razor thin layer of the priceless element. This made my blade considerably heavier than that of a conventional sword, however it also allowed me to sharpen it so finely that I could slice right through any Anokian-Steel surface that wasn’t reinforced.

  Tango and I lashed out at him at the same time but, to my surprise, The Greater was much quicker than I expected him to be. He quickly maneuvered away from our blades and fired a devastating right hook that could have easily killed Tango if he hadn’t been able to duck it in the nick of time. Though he had managed to narrowly escape the wou
ld-be death blow, Tango had been forced to drop his swords as he evaded the punch. He pulled his head to the left and dodged another earth-shattering punch from The Greater and then countered with a fierce uppercut that knocked The Greater’s half-faced gasmask from his face. Tango’s uppercut could have easily incapacitated a normal man but, unfortunately for us, the punch seemed to have little to no effect on The Greater. I tried to ambush him from behind with my sword but he side stepped my attack and flung me into Tango in a single motion, knocking us both to the floor and causing me to drop my sword in the process.

  I thought about going for my sword, which lay on the floor a few meters away, but The Greater was upon us before I had a chance to make my move. Tango and I both tucked and rolled out of the path of The Greater’s attack just as his hand slammed into the floor were we had been and decimated it into rubble.

  In a flash, Tango sprang into the air and landed a powerful spin kick to the side of The Greater’s head just as I zipped in and executed a swift single leg take down from the floor beneath him. I sprang to my feet as quickly as I could as The Greater toppled to the floor beside me. Staying true to his aggressive style, Tango drop kicked him in the face as soon as he attempted to pull himself to his feet. The Greater frantically reached toward Tango in an attempted to grab him before he could scurry away but Tango managed to land another kick to his face before The Greater could get a hold of him. I darted towards my sword as Tango leapt to his feet once again and continued to pelt The Greater in the face with a vicious series of kicks. I had almost reached my sword when The Greater quickly evaded one of Tango’s kicks and used his cloak to entangle his leg.

  The Greater hurled Tango’s entire body into me before I could retrieve my sword, and we crashed to the floor in pain as he stood and charged towards us. Tango and I sprang to our feet and prepared to strike as The Greater bounded towards us. I slipped to the left and Tango dodged to The Greater’s right just before he lowered his shoulder and attempted to ram us. He was met by two stiff punches to his face as soon as he whipped around to face us. He stumbled backward a bit but he was seemingly unfazed by the attack. Still, Tango and I pressed onward, delivering as many combinations of punches and kicks as we could as we continued to attack The Greater from opposite sides.

  I narrowly slipped by his outstretched arm when he finally decided to return fire with a massive right cross that could have taken my head off. Luckily, I was able to use that opening in his defense to deliver three hard jabs to the vulnerable cluster of nerves that resided in the necks of all Anokians. His right arm went completely limp as soon as I executed my attack.

  With his right arm still dangling beside him, The Greater rushed forward in an attempt to grab me with his left hand. I ducked under The Greater’s outstretched hand and slipped away beneath a nearby blackjack table as he stumbled forward. I remember my heart pounding furiously as The Greater tossed a cylindrical device, the size of a twelve ounce can of soda, beneath the table that I had dove under. I had never seen that type of device before but I knew that in all likelihood the device was some kind of Anokian grenade. I remember seeing Tango streaking toward The Greater with his swords held high above his head as the Anokian grenade bounced to the floor. Razor sharp ten-foot wires sprang from the grenade and extended after me just as I scrambled to my feet and scampered from beneath the table. As I sped away from the grenade’s metallic tentacles, The Greater whipped around and faced Tango just as he was leaping into the air. A massive directional blast exploded from the grenade behind him and spread out in the opposite direction as it traveled along the wires that were trying desperately to impale me. My entire body, along with thousands of casino chips and rubble, were thrown high into the air as the explosion consumed a significant portion of the room.

  The subtle bluish glow that burned within The Greater’s focused eyes suddenly intensified and cascaded outward as he set his sights on the leaping Tango. Dust and thousands of raining casino chips filled the air as Tango sailed toward him. Bright blue flame-like energy suddenly emerged from The Greater’s fist and engulfed his left hand and forearm as he prepared to decimate the approaching Tango. The fiery blue energy that surrounded The Greater’s fists had completely disintegrated the virtually indestructible Anokian-Steel armor that once covered his left arm. Tango was an incredibly resilient fighter but there was no doubt that he didn’t stand a chance at surviving the impending attack.

  They were less than a few inches away from clashing when the thundering sound of Charlie’s revolver suddenly rang out from near the entrance. The bullet ripped out of the barrel of Charlie’s smoking handgun and tore its way across the room in an instant—whizzing through the countless pieces of debris and poker chips that had been thrown into the air by The Greater’s grenade. As always, Charlie’s aim was true, and his bullet slammed into The Greater’s fist, knocking him off balance just before he could decimate Tango into nothing.

  The Greater fell to the floor due to the force of the gunshot and a brilliant blue explosion erupted all around him as his smoldering fist slammed into the floor beneath him. Tango was blown backward by the powerful shockwave of blue energy that had emerged from within the fireball and spread outward in all directions.

  Moments later, he crashed hard to the floor a few feet away from where I had landed after The Greater’s grenade had thrown me into the air. My now corroded armor was still smoking as I lay face down on the floor, still writhing in pain as I fought to maintain my consciousness. Tango was lying motionless on the floor a few feet away from me and his back was riddled with severe burns and open wounds that were no doubt a result of the attack that The Greater had just unleashed. If he could dish out that kind of damage without even getting a direct hit I shuttered to think of what would happened if he had hit Tango head on.

  The tail of Charlie’s duster coat fluttered behind him as he rushed over to take his place between us as the Anokian prince pulled himself to his feet.

  Charlie quickly emptied the remaining bullets from his gun and let them drop to the floor as he popped in six more bullets then aimed his hand cannon at The Greater’s head just as he was about to step toward us.

  “Red light, Hoss,” Charlie quickly commanded, causing The Greater to pause within his tracks as he and Charlie locked eyes. Charlie’s bullet had not broken the skin on The Greater’s left hand, however a deep bruise was clearly visible in the area where the bullet had struck him.

  “You would dare oppose me with so puny a weapon?” The Greater fumed as he glared into Charlie’s eyes.

  “I tell ya what, Hoss—you take one more step and I guarantee I’ll turn your tater into a side of mash before your foot even hits the ground,” Charlie quipped as he thumbed the hammer of his revolver down. “You see, I know what you’re thinkin’. You’re thinkin’ this ol’ big iron ain’t got what it takes to punch through that thick skin of yours. But I’ll tell you one thing, Hoss—you’d better make sure you’re ready to meet your maker if you’re thinkin’ about headin’ this way.”

  “Your projectiles cannot even break my skin, earthling,” The Greater boasted as he held his bruised left fist forward in order to prove his point.

  “You willin’ to bet your life on that, Hoss? Now I don’t know if you noticed but I just popped a fresh six into this ol’ Fat Lady and these bad boys are what we earthlings like to call armor piercin’.”

  “You don’t have nearly enough ammunition to take me down,” The Greater growled as the light within his eyes intensified.

  “Now see, you’re worried about the wrong thing, Hoss. It ain’t the bullets that’s gone getcha. I had these boys tipped with a lil bit of that sweet neurotoxin that your kind don’t take too kindly to. I don’t reckon it’ll take more than one of ‘em to get enough of that stuff into your system to put you right on your backside.”

  “You’re bluffing,” The Greater said as the soft blue energy slowly emerged from the skin on his forearm and engulfed his entire left fist once again.

>   “If you think I’m bluffin’ then take your chances, Hoss!” Charlie insisted without missing a beat. “But you should know that my chances are a hell of a lot better than yours. I got six bullets in this here gun and I only need to plug you once—and I don’t know if anybody’s ever told ya, Hoss, but I don’t miss,” Charlie growled through gritted teeth. His eyes were cold and focused as he kept the extra long barrel of The Fat Lady trained on The Greater’s head. I would have normally expected him to throw in some silly “Charlie-ism” but he was all business in that moment.

  My heartbeat echoed in my ears as The Greater’s eyes glowed even brighter and the fiery energy that surrounded his fist intensified as a cool wind blew in from outside through the holes that were left after the explosion. Charlie’s black hat flew off of his head and his long duster coat flickered violently in the wind behind him—but his eyes remained focused on The Greater and his aim stayed as steady as ever.

  After seeing what he could do first hand, I had no doubt that The Greater possessed enough power to kill us all but I also knew that Charlie’s hands were quick enough to squeeze off multiple shots before The Greater had had a chance to attack. With that in mind I should have been more confident in our chances—but the only thing that troubled me was the fact that I was almost certain that Charlie was bluffing.

  LUCKILY FOR US, IT WAS THE GREATER WHO BLINKED FIRST. I breathed a sigh of relief as the glow in his eyes finally subsided and the energy that had engulfed his fist and forearm dissipated as he took a small step backward. He and Charlie silently glared at each other for another few seconds as I struggled to finally climb to my feet. Charlie maintained his aim but he didn’t fire as The Greater turned and leapt thirty feet into the air and dashed away as soon as he hit the ground.