After. After the storm.
As the lift lowered me below the city, I started to feel the tale-tell prickle in the palms of my hands and soles of my feet. My stomach clenched. The lift came to a stop at the station, the gears overhead activating to open the doors.
On a normal day, the small tram station would be lit with gaslamps, the metal trams waiting for their riders.
But not today.
All the lights had been extinguished, and the device box to activate the tram had been smashed.
Not good.
I stayed inside the lift and debated what to do. I could just close the gate and head back up. Or…
I lowered my goggles and activated the night vision.
My senses awakened. I breathed slowly, steadily. There was someone or something not far away. Pulling my pistol, I narrowed my gaze and glanced around.
There was a strange growl, and a moment later, I spotted a pair of flashing eyes emerge from the tunnel. A beast barreled toward me. I stood frozen, staring at the monster. The creature advancing on me was mostly lion but had lizard-like scales and a menacing scorpion tail. Its face, however, was disturbingly human in its features. I had never seen anything like it.
And, of course, I was still standing in the lift carriage.
And, of course, it was headed straight toward me.
“Hell’s bells.”
I quickly timed the beast’s movements. There was no way I could get out of the lift in time. I jumped and grabbed the pipes overhead, swinging myself up over the creature, and out onto the platform. The monster smashed head-first into the back of the lift.
I spun to face the beast. Pulling my pistol, I shot at the creature. My aim was true, but not lethal. Angered, the beast turned and pounced at me. It was incredibly fast. I quickly dashed out of the way as the monster struck at me with its tail. I dodged the strike just in time. Snarling, the creature swiped at me. I pulled my dagger and struck at the monster. My blade connected, slicing the creature, but it merely growled at me.
Dammit, what was this thing that nothing seemed to have much effect on it?
Hedging my bets, I pulled the star metal dagger. I turned and advanced on the monster, surprising it. It paused a moment then reared up on its hind legs as it prepared to launch an attack once more.
But when it did so, I struck, plunging the dagger into the beast’s chest.
The monster shrieked then stiffened. A moment later, it fell over dead.
I pulled the dagger from the monster’s body. A gush of blood came along with it, soaking my boots.
“Dammit.”
Gripping the faerie dagger tightly, I went to the edge of the platform and jumped down onto the tracks. Pulling my pistol, I set off into the darkened tunnel toward headquarters.
Chapter 18: What Perseus Knew
I had just reached the line marker where another station‘s tram joined the main track when I heard the roar of a monster much like the one I had just killed. Everywhere was dark. All of the lamps along the line had been extinguished. I tried to track the sound of the monster in the darkness. Through my optic, I saw its shadow bounding down the ramp toward me.
I pulled the faerie dagger and made ready, but then a cold wind blew, and I heard something that sounded distinctly like…wings.
The monster yelped, and I watched in amazement as something lifted it into the air.
The beast made a strangled whining sound then dropped.
The wind whirled around me, a blur of black. A moment later, a figure stood before me. It was the vampire, Constantine.
“I almost killed you,” I said, lowering my weapon.
The fang chuckled lightly. “You’ll find that hard to do.”
“What are you doing here?”
“The same as you, Agent Louvel.”
I raised an eyebrow at him.
“Agent Rose was headed to headquarters. I went after her only to find—”
“Lion-sized problems.”
“Not lions. Manticores, Agent Louvel. Haven’t you studied your mythological beasts?”
“Apparently, not well enough.”
“Perhaps you’re spending too much time making an in-depth study of the lupine kind.”
I smirked. “You’re one to talk. I’d be happy to trade innuendos with you, but I strongly suspect we’re needed in that direction,” I said, pointing down the line.
The vampire inclined his head then paused. “I could get us there a little faster if you were willing to trust me.”
“Last I remember, we called things even. This will throw off the balance, won’t it?
“I just saved your life. I’d say the balance is already tilted, wouldn’t you?”
“I already killed a manticore on my own, thank you very much.”
“You can walk if you like. I think I killed all the other manticores on this tram line, but that doesn’t ensure there aren’t more. Shall I go ahead and see if your colleagues are still alive?”
Annoying vampire. I didn’t want to get mixed up with him again, but my heart was seized with worry. Harper. Edwin.
“Okay. Fine. So, what should I do?”
A split second later, the vampire was standing behind me. “Just try to relax,” he said then gripped me around the waist. “You don’t get motion sick, do you?”
Before I could answer, he blasted into the air with such outrageous speed that I could barely keep my wits about me. We shot down the tunnel. As we went, I saw that all of the stations had gone dim. A few moments later, we arrived at the tram station situated just below headquarters. With a whoosh, the vampire alighted and set me down.
It took me a moment to catch my breath.
Everything was eerily silent.
There was a massive smear of blood on the floor. The lift carriage was missing.
“Stairs?” I asked, pointing.
Constantine frowned as he stared at the lift shaft then cursed…in Latin.
Moving quickly, he grabbed me by the waist once more then we flew up the lift shaft to the nearest floor which housed Artifacts and Archives and Tech. The door to the shaft was open. The vampire alighted just inside.
This time, I almost threw up.
I swallowed hard then looked all around.
Everything was dark. There was an alarm ringing throughout the building.
The vampire stilled, his eyes shimmering silver in the darkness. “Aurora isn’t here. I’m going up to the next level. Would you like…”
I shook my head. “No.”
He nodded, and without another word, disappeared into the dark shaft once more.
I pulled the faerie dagger and my pistol and headed off in the direction of Artifacts and Archives. Headquarters was a repository for information. All that paperwork meant that headquarters had lots of records but not much in the way of security. Most Red Capes were field agents. If someone attacked headquarters, they would find little resistance. Everyone would have been vulnerable.
I turned the corner to discover my first body.
The lights in the corridor leading to archives were only half-extinguished. A junior agent, someone I recognized only by her face, lay slumped on the floor in a puddle of blood. Kneeling, I checked for a pulse.
Nothing.
Anger boiled up in me.
Gripping the dagger hard, I rushed down the hallway. When I reached the end, I saw the lamps in the Artifacts room glowing. Inside, I heard someone cursing under their breath and the sound of crates being pushed to the floor.
I slid close to the door and listened.
From what I could hear, there was only one person in the room. But who? If it was Melwas, I needed to be ready.