Birth of the Alliance (24 page)

The image of his great-grandfather appeared in his mind, at a mere twenty-two years of age. Will had only seen a few photographs of the man, where the man held Will’s newborn father. His great-grandfather had died not long after the picture had been taken; dying before he’d reached fifty years of age. He wondered what the man would think about the fact that his great-grandson was nearing a Methuselah-like age. Or, that said child was watching him this very day.

With the man’s face in his mind, Will directed the entirety of his healing nanos into the man’s body, and then directed half of his allotment of general nanos to form an invisible exoskeleton around the man. That second skin had protected Will and others from sword thrusts and beatings, and Will hoped it would suffice to deflect shrapnel.
OK, he should be protected now. Stay safe, Hope.

In the distance, he could just make out the sound of aircraft engines. He felt a chill. The attack was about to commence in earnest.

Will!
Adam’s voice rang in his telepathic ears.
The Hunters are here. They’re flocking toward the U.S.S. Pennsylvania. Who’s in there using Energy?

It was the worst possible time for his enemies to make an appearance; their presence would limit Hope’s options for protecting herself and his great-grandfather.
It’s Hope. She’s on the ship, protecting a very important human, and she’s going to need to keep using Energy to make sure he survives. Do you hear the planes?

A pause.
I do.
The concern in Adam’s voice was evident.

Those planes are going to drop bombs all over the Harbor, sinking or damaging a huge number of ships. The U.S.S. Pennsylvania will take a direct hit. Can you somehow distract the Hunters so that Hope can get the human out of harm’s way?

Not sure, Will. I’m in one of the barracks right now, and it’s emptying out quickly. I think the soldiers here have heard the engines as well because they’re running out of here quickly. Maybe I can draw the Hunters’ attention here.

It wasn’t ideal, but they didn’t have many options.
OK, try that. I’ll start heading that way to help distract them, but I’ll need to travel there on foot.

Understood
, Adam replied.

Will set off at a jog, his focus and calm a dramatic contrast to the unfolding chaos around him. The soldiers and sailors outside were watching the sky now, well aware of the noise, and more than a few were beginning to realize that the approaching planes weren’t friendly. The ground began to rumble, and sirens sounded. Will’s sensitive nose detected a rise in the fear levels around him, evidenced by the rapidly increasing levels of perspiration. Men began running in all directions, spilling out of barracks and buildings, many still pulling on clothes after the sirens sounded the alarm.

The first bombs started to drop from the sky just as Will reached the barracks. He entered, on high alert for any Energy presence, wary of the possibility that the Hunters might appear at any moment. He sensed nothing inside, and a quick visual scan revealed no sign of his friendly target.
Adam! Where are you?

They weren’t coming after me, Will. They know who I am; my presence here wouldn’t be that surprising to them. They’re not going to pay attention to a supposedly loyal Aliomenti when a strong, unknown talent is out there. I’m headed toward the Pennsylvania now to try to intercept them before they find Hope.

Will’s insides chilled once more. They’d made it a point to prevent the Hunters from seeing and registering Hope’s presence until now, and he had no interest in having that streak interrupted. Not now, not when bombs were exploding around them, when Will’s own ancestor was in danger.

If they won’t be baited by your Energy, then we’ll have to use mine.
Will dropped his Energy Shield, letting bits of Energy escape his body and seep into the surroundings. The leakage wouldn’t hurt him or drain him to an unhealthy degree, but it should be sufficient to attract the attention of Porthos, and lure the Hunters to him and away from Hope.

Nice try, Will
. Porthos’ sneer came through his telepathic message.
We’ll deal with you later. We’re tracking one of your people, one who’s been giving off some serious Energy. We’re going to have a… friendly chat with that person.
The threatening laughter came through, piercing Will like a dagger.

Will roared. They were going after Hope. And they meant to hurt her.

He raced outside. The bombs were falling in rapid fashion now, and smoke from the burning ships watered his eyes, assaulting his nose with the smell of melting metal. The screams of terror and physical agony rose all around him, drowned out by the ground-shaking explosions as bombs found their targets. He sprinted for the dry dock, where the
Pennsylvania
rested, seeing even from a distance that the ship was in flames. He knew, without checking, that Hope was fine, but he had no read on whether his great-grandfather had survived. Perhaps his own continued existence proved that Hope had succeeded in her efforts to get the man to safety. He remembered that his general nanos each possessed a camera and microphone. He slowed just enough to view the images they transmitted to his mind, and the nanos interfacing with his brain assembled the transmissions to a single image like a television screen. The young man Hope had protected was swimming in the water of the Harbor, comfortably away from where the bombs continued to fall. Will ordered the nanos surrounding his great-grandfather to keep the man afloat; even if the man lost consciousness, he wouldn’t drown.

Now he needed to find Hope.

He took a step closer to the burning battleship and then froze.

The Hunters emerged from the
Pennsylvania
and headed for the dock, holding between them a slender figure wearing a hooded cloak. Hope's dark hair, part of the visage she wore in public, poked outside the hood. Aramis led the way down the plank to the dock, apparently convinced that the woman they’d captured was no threat to escape. If anyone had bothered paying attention as death rained down around them, they’d suspect that the Hunters had rescued a woman from the burning ship, covering her with a blanket to protect her from further harm from flying embers.

Will reached the dock just as the Hunters stepped on to the sturdy structure. The sailors parted before the Hunters, permitting the men and their captive to pass while failing to notice their very presence.

Porthos noticed Will and stopped moving as a sneer formed on his face. “Will! So nice to see you! Is this a
friend
of yours?” He shook Hope roughly as a look of recognition crossed his face. “Hey! I recognize her now. This is that human woman, the swordfighter, who had to protect you all those years ago, isn’t it? She seems to have developed into quite an Energy user since then.”

“Careful, Porthos,” Will snarled. “She might stab you while you’re running your mouth.”

“I rather doubt it,” Porthos replied. “But I must confess that I’m still a bit… offended at the outcome of that little fight all those years ago. You see, she had more weapons than I did…”

“There were two of you and one of her,” Will snapped out, continuing to advance on the group.

“…and that just doesn’t seem like a fair fight,” Porthos finished, ignoring Will. “Since she had one sword more than I, and one sword more than Athos, we'll reverse the odds this time.” Aramis stepped forward and seized her, and Will watched Hope experience the agony of the Damper, feeling the lifetime worth of Energy she’d generated crushed out of her. She sagged to the ground.

“Such a shame to waste so great a talent,” Athos said. “But her Energy skills condemn her as a recipient of Energy skill and knowledge through unlawful means. She learned it from you, didn’t she? She didn’t go to The Leader for that all-important information.”

“You do know the human penalty for being found in violation of an Oath, don’t you?” Aramis face was smug. Unconcerned about demonstrating his Energy abilities among the humans—who between the bombs, explosions, fires, smoke, and screams had enough to occupy their attention—he elevated Hope to a standing position, never breaking his contact with her. Porthos and Athos drew short swords from sheaths on their belts, the same swords they’d use to attack Will nine decades hence, and moved toward Hope, who looked to be nearly unconscious.

“No!” Will screamed. All caution was lost. He hurled his remaining nanos at Aramis, knocking the man aside, freeing Hope from the ravages of the Damper. Hope fell to the dock with a thud. She tried to move, tried to find the Energy to teleport, but her Energy stores needed more time to regenerate, and she struggled in her efforts to protect herself. Will teleported the last ten yards to her side and threw up a shield of nanos and Energy, diving atop her weakened form just as the two Hunters plunged their weapons toward her prone body.

Will started to turn, started to look up. He expected to see looks of surprise on the faces of the Hunters, stunned at their failed efforts to stab Hope. Instead, he felt something warm fall on him, something sticky. The warm substance dripped onto his cheek, and rolled down his face toward his nose and mouth. He smelled and tasted the iron and salt as he realized the nature of the substance dripping on him. Will twisted up and away from Hope and looked in the direction of the Hunters.

Their swords had penetrated Adam’s torso clear through. His blood dripped on the dock, and Will instinctively rolled Hope away from the blades, not trusting that Adam would continue standing upright and preventing the sharp points from continuing their killing arcs toward her.

The Hunters ripped their swords away. Adam fell heavily to the dock.

“You?” Athos shouted, his tone a mixture of anger and disbelief. Adam managed to crawl to his knees. "
You’re
the traitor? The Leader knew someone in his upper echelon was leaking secrets to Stark, but… you? You’d sacrifice your own life to aid this mere woman?”

“I… just… did, didn’t I?” Adam whispered. His teeth gritted together as he spoke, his voice full of obvious agony.

“Why?” Athos snarled. “Why did you betray us?” He whirled his bloodied sword around for another blow, and his fellow Hunters turned toward Hope and Will once more, similarly readying their weapons.

“Enough!” Will screamed. Subtlety no longer mattered; the Hunters had found them, the humans were too occupied with the falling bombs and sinking ships to notice anything he might do. He wrapped the Hunters in his Energy and teleported them all ninety miles away, dropping them in the middle of the ocean far from land. He knew they’d survive, though he didn’t much care about that detail at the moment.

He faced Hope, who was struggling to her feet. “I'm fine,” she snapped, standing and shaking herself. Her tone was strong once more. “We need to help Adam.”

Adam’s face was pale from the shock and blood loss. He looked at Hope, gazing deeply into her eyes, pausing for a moment before he spoke with some difficulty. “That man… that human man… he needs your help. Go… go to him.”

“But…”

“Go!” Adam's voice held the forcefulness of desperation.

Hope’s eyes filled with tears. She bent down, kissed Adam on the top of his head, and teleported away.

“We need to get you back to headquarters,” Will said. “My tools… they're gone right now, but if we can—”

“No, Will,” Adam whispered. “It’s too late for me, and I doubt even your little healing machines would help.” At Will’s look of surprise, he gave a weak smile. “Yes, I know about them. But they aren’t… important now. Now… you need to listen.”

“But—”

“No,” Adam said, louder this time. “I have little time left, and you must hear what I will tell you before… I… can no longer talk.”

Will opened his mouth to protest once more, but only nodded.

“First, you must take these.” Adam reached inside his shirt and pulled out a chain worn around his neck, a chain Will had never before noticed. At the end of the chain were small tubes, formed of a material Will couldn’t identify. Adam struggled and pulled the chain off his neck and handed it to Will. “Do
not
lose these.
Ever
. Guard them… with… your very life if… it comes to that. If you… if you lose them, your life won’t… be worth living… anyway.”

Will could only nod, baffled as to the meaning of the words. He put the chain around his neck and tucked the chain and the tubes inside his own shirt.

“Second, you must find… Eva… and tell her… what has happened… to me.”

Will blinked. “But… I haven’t seen Eva in centuries.”

Adam took several steadying breaths, clearly struggling to keep his eyes open. “She lives. Find her. It’s… the most… important thing… you can do. Even… more important… than your… research.”

Will nodded, his mind numb with the messages and Adam’s continued fade into the abyss. “I'll find her.”

“And… Will… you must promise me… promise me…”

“What?” Will asked. “What do you want me to promise?”

Adam’s eyes closed, and he took several rasping breaths, his skin pale and clammy to the touch.

“Adam?”

Adam’s eyes shot open, and he seized Will's shirt. “Promise me… that… you’ll… you’ll protect… him.”

Will blinked. “Who, Adam? Who do you want me to protect?”