Dane Curse (23 page)

Chapter 43

I leapt out of the car as soon as we arrived at the Mountains. The streets were bare save for a small group of people on the other side of the block, and two men guarding the tower’s entrance. Everywhere was dark except for Ultar Tower, which was completely illuminated from top to bottom. Even from street level it looked spectacular. It was hard to imagine that anything pumping out that many terawatts of beauty could house so much darkness inside.

Lynx said, “Are you ready?”

“Yeah, you?”

“Almost. I got to muster the troops.”

Lynx walked across the street, while I headed over to the main entrance where the two guards stood. I’d seen their faces before. One had a scar. The other had a look that said he thinks life’s an adventure.

“Hey Dane, what’s the ruckus?”

“Temper,” I said. “Rush.”

The kid smiled. “Must be something really, really big, getting us out here at this time of night, at the foot of the Mountains. Exciting times, right?”

“I prefer the dull ones,” Temper said.

“Not me.” He had on a smile as big as the door he was guarding. “I got a feeling about tonight. It’s going to be epic.”

“Well, I hope it’ll be over soon,” I said, “and I’m going to do my best to see that it is, so don’t blink. Even someone who moves as fast as you might miss it.”

Rush practically vanished, appearing on my other side with an arm around me. “That’s highly unlikely.”

“Quit kidding around.” Temper pulled him back into place. “So what’s up, why are we here?”

“You mean you don’t know?” I asked.

Temper shook his head. “I was told to get my hide down to the Mountains and push every reg as far away as I could.”

“What about you, speedy?”

“Same thing. Door duty at Ultar, lickety-split.”

I nodded. Lynx was playing it close to the vest. “We’re doing some work tonight is all.”

“Don’t jerk me around,” Temper said, “you know what I can do.”

“How do you mean?”

“Mostly I push people’s emotions one way or another, but I can feel them too. And out there,” he said pointing at Lynx and her crew, “out there are some pretty intense emotions.”

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll go find out.”

I left the pair to join my lady. As I got close to her I said, “Is this everyone?”

“You think we need more?” Lynx said.

I looked at the group she’d assembled. “No, this’ll work.”

That was an understatement. The names that were attached to the assembled men and women were the kind that sang out. There was Cadre who could transform into swarms of bugs, the living darkness Bump-in-the-night, and Warbeast whose body could morph into all kinds of weapons. For those keeping score it was the last three remaining members of the Sindicate Board.

Behind them stood my friend from Henchmen’s Franky Legend, his giant doorman Hate, and good old Hoarfrost. In this company they were the second stringers, but to be honest each was my equal.

“Ok,” Lynx said, “you can justify this any way you want, but what we’re doing tonight is mutiny, pure and simple, and you all know the reason why. My father’s decisions these past few weeks have been the foolish hubris of a madman that will lead to our destruction, and if you’re here now then you agree. We’ve tried to deal with him, but the time for talk has passed. Dad… Lynchpin has to go, peacefully if possible, but if he puts up a fight, well, that’s fine too because either way tonight his reign comes to an end.”

All I saw were smiles and nods.

Warbeast stepped forward, and with a voice like a tank engine said, “We’re behind you Lynx. Let’s do this thing.”

“Alright then.” She turned to the tower. “Time to say hi to Dad.”

Lynx walked towards the entrance, and the rest of us fell in behind her. I cozied up next to Hoarfrost and said, “Hey, funny seeing you here.”

She looked at me sideways. “Hey blunt skull.”

“So did you piece any of this together yourself, or did Lynx have to spell it out for you?”

“About Lynchpin? I got there on my own.”

“When?”

“Eventually.”

“You didn’t buy into the Mindgame fiction? Not even for a minute?” I said.

“Lynchpin said there might be some people at the party I’d be interested in, and asked me to look into Mindgame specifically. The brain boy seemed solid at the time, but then they found him stiff and still, and it was pretty clear he was a patsy.”

“And the MAGMAs? The Black Bleach? You got all that on your own, too?” I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear her say it.

She sighed, and looked at her feet. “No. I had no idea how Lynchpin did it. Or who his partners were. Lynx filled me in. That was… impressive work.”

I waved her compliment away. “It was nothing really, for an experienced PI. So what’s in the bag?” I motioned to the tote she had slung on her shoulder.

“Just your standard nullifier to soften the old man up. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Hoarfrost skipped ahead and sidled up next to Lynx.

I went to follow, but a hand pulled me back.

“For a guy who doesn’t work for the Sindicate I see you at a lot of our functions.”

“Going where the job takes me, Franky.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. What we’re doing here tonight needs doing bad, and I’ll team with anybody who can help,” I said. “You may not understand the soul’s inexorable yearning for justice, but that’s my stock in trade.”

“Justice.” Franky laughed. “Who am I to argue? Just try not to get killed. When things get hairy up there, get behind Hate.”

“Won’t that make you jealous?”

Franky mumbled something I didn’t catch. We had reached the front door. As I walked through it Temper gave me a small nod that said ‘be careful.’

I returned one of my own that said ‘I will’.

#

The lobby of Ultar Tower is the largest room in the city. Some think that’s because it’s the width of the entire block, but the real reason is because of its height. I looked up. Nothing but air stood between me and the forty-fourth floor. Nothing, that is, but the echo of our footsteps, and a massive staircase that corkscrewed around the inner walls all the way up to the ceiling.

It looked like one brutal climb, but I’d never know because we were going directly to Lynchpin’s office via the executive elevator. Lynx led us there with the kind of long smooth strides that made it look like she owned the building, and considering the firepower she was dragging in her wake, she kind of did.

We filed into the elevator. Lynx waved her ID in front of the scanner, and pressed the button. Both doors slid shut, and we launched up like a rocket. I watched the numbers on the display. They were counting by quick, but not quick enough. I knew what was waiting for us at the top of this ride, but the only thing I could feel in my gut was blood and fire. I couldn’t wait to get started.

Then a chime sounded.

We’d reached the eighty-eighth floor. Penthouse level.

The doors opened. All eight of us stepped out into the waiting room. Everything was as I remembered, only darker, and this time Church Mouse was there. I remembered him from the party. He stood in front of the door to Lynchpin’s office and said, “You’re running late.”

Lynx nodded. “Can he hear us?”

“No.” He motioned to the hand he held against the door. “I’m suppressing all vibrations, no sounds can penetrate. We can speak freely.”

“Good. Are you ready?”

He smiled. “Sure. All I have to do is keep this shut. You got the hard part.”

“Then we’ll knock three times when we’re done.”

Church Mouse shook his head. “Those vibrations can’t come through either. Better to call.”

“Of course.” Lynx turned to us. “Prepare yourselves.”

I pulled my guns as the rest geared up. Warbeast’s hands both transformed into cannons. Bump-in-the-night started to emit inky tendrils from beneath his cloak. Cadre’s skin crawled like bugs under a sheet. And Franky’s hair and hands burst into black flames. Behind them the living Biogradium bubbled from Hate’s pores, forming a silver, metal barrier over his flesh, and Hoarfrost completely encased herself in a thin sheet of ice spikes, with a black nullifier that looked like an iron rod in her hand.

Church Mouse stepped aside and opened the door.

We walked in to find Lynchpin leaning over the desk, his back to us. Skip was next to him. Lynx stood in front, with me and Hoarfrost backing her up. Behind us was Warbeast, Cadre, and Bump with Franky and Hate in the rear.

With a click the door sealed shut behind us.

The time had come.

Chapter 44

Lynchpin turned around. “What’s the meaning of this?”

Lynx extended her hands. “You know.” Power rolled down her arms like heat rising off summer asphalt. It pushed out towards Lynchpin, and the furniture between them burst into splinters. The old man got his hands up at the last second, and the wave broke around him and Skip like they were standing in a protective sphere.

“Treachery!” He lashed out, sending a similar wave back at us.

It broke around Lynx, but hit the rest of us with the power of a typhoon. We flew into the back wall like tenpins.

“Regroup!” Lynx yelled.

Lynchpin sent a second wave. Lynx stopped this one entirely.

I got to my feet and aimed Lois.

“You too, Dane?” he said.

“Yeah me too, you lousy-” An invisible force yanked the gun from my hand as an oak end table caught me in the chest. I cursed and fell to the carpet. I didn’t know where Lois landed, but Rico was still in my hand. I started firing at Lynchpin. The bullets flew straight, but halfway there they froze, and dropped to the ground. “Nuts.”

Lynx sent another force wave at Lynchpin. He barely flinched as he deflected it around himself. Skip wasn’t so lucky this time. The attack flung him against the far window.

“Let’s go,” Lynx cried. “Engage!”

Cadre was the first to move. His body morphed into thick swarm of red locusts. It twisted through the air. With a wave of his hand Lynchpin slammed the plague into the bookcase. Cadre fell to the ground, dazed, once again flesh and blood.

Lynx turned around. “Warbeast, now!”

“Is this all you can muster?” With his TK Lynchpin lifted the desk into the air. It split in two, and he thrust both halves towards us.

Warbeast blasted them to ash with his arm cannons. “Nope.”

I looked back. Franky and Hate were on their feet, but Bump-in-the-night had vanished. Hoarfrost was lying against the wall. She was unconscious. The weapon she brought was nowhere to be seen. Lynx moved to help. Lynchpin sent a marble bust flying her way. I dove forward. Grabbing Lynx, I pulled her in tight, and the statue bounced off my spine.

“Thanks,” Lynx said. “Watch out!” She pulled me aside as a wall of dark flames rolled by. It came from Franky’s hands. He pushed it across the room, and the roiling black fire completely eclipsed Lynchpin. The heat was immense. My overcoat started to char and smoke. I slipped it off, and covered Lynx with my body.

“Hate,” Franky cried over the roar of the flames, “now!”

Hate joined his mentor. The silver Biogradium slid to his arms forming twin lances. He thrust each into the flames. Once. Twice. On the third pass I heard an impact.

Warbeast joined in with both cannons spitting fully automatic fire. Their shockwaves sent tremors though the room, and blasted the floor-to-ceiling windows into the night. Cold wind rushed into the office. Papers and smoke swirled in the air. The aquarium exploded sending water across the carpet and over the ledge as the fish died on the floor.

“Get off me,” Lynx said, and pushed me away. She took a half step towards Hoarfrost, but then turned and added her power to the assault. I looked back at Frosty. She was stirring, so I took the ground next to Lynx. I couldn’t see Lynchpin inside the chaos so I aimed for its center and emptied Rico’s clip. When I spent every shell I replaced the magazine and kept shooting. The room boiled over with our fire and anger.

Lynchpin was done for.

“Enough!” Lynx said.

We obeyed, and the room went still.

The other side of the office was filled with smoke. It slowly cleared through the broken windows, revealing the destruction. The carpet was blackened. Above it the ceiling was cracked. In the corner, face down and covered in soot, lay Skip.

And in the middle of it all stood Lynchpin.

He was untouched.

“Enough indeed.” Lynchpin raised a hand sending Franky hurtling towards the back wall fast enough to snap his spine. Hate leapt up at the last moment, catching his friend, and taking most of the impact himself.

Then Lynchpin turned to me. It looked like he pulled down on an invisible rope. I dodged to the left, barely avoiding the large portion of ceiling that crashed down like an avalanche. When I came to stop I aimed Rico. An invisible force struck my chest. I flew backwards, landing hard next to Franky, sans pistol.

Then Warbeast, bless his soul, stepped between me and Lynchpin. He began firing with both his arm cannons. “Come and die, old man!”

“You first.” Lynchpin pointed, and the weapons that comprised Warbeast’s arms crumpled and pulled free from his body. He screamed, horrible and high-pitched, then fell to his knees. Green liquid poured from the stumps below his elbows.

Lynchpin twisted his hand in the air, and Warbeast’s spine peeled free from his body. He folded over, falling to the floor, lifeless.

One down.

A few feet away stood Lynx. She pushed both her arms out, and sent another wave of power. It stopped long before it reached Lynchpin. Then Cadre circled around, and charged forward. Lynchpin turned towards him, and lifted his free hand. Cadre jerked up by the neck. He hung there twisting, clawing at his throat. It looked as if he was held by an invisible noose.

Then Lynchpin, with a small flick of the wrist, snapped Cadre’s neck, and threw him out the window. That made two.

From the floor an inky darkness rose. It surrounded Lynchpin, and for the first time there was fear in his eyes. “You neutered us.” The voice was cold. “Made us businessmen!” Out of the fog stepped Bump-in-the-night. He lashed out with a right cross. Its impact sent a tremor through the room, but the strike just glanced off Lynchpin. Then Bump threw an uppercut. It hit just as hard, but Lynchpin was unmoved.

“You disappoint,” Lynchpin said. “Your father-”

“My father would kill you if he was here!” Bump struck with both fists. A TK shield stopped them a paper’s width from Lynchpin’s head.

“But your father isn’t here.” The crime boss raised his hand, freezing his enemy. Then, with the flick of a finger, Lynchpin ripped Bump in two. Straight down the middle. “And now neither are you.”

And that was three.

Lynx used her TK to tear out a large chunk of wall. She flung it at her old man.

With one hand Lynchpin swatted it aside. With a wave of the other he knocked Lynx back. I dove to her. She flew past me, just out of reach. As I landed on the ground her body hit the wall with a loud crunch.

Things were going worse than expected, but from my spot I saw salvation—Lois. My Kapowitzer was pinned beneath some rubble just a few feet away. I scrambled towards her. But a wall of black fire cut me off.

Franky had regained his footing. Dark flames poured from his hands.

But I had to reach Lois. I got low, and crawled under the fire. Searing pain bit my back. I tried to ignore it. But it got worse as I inched forward. Then I got a finger on Lois. Wrapping my hand around the grip I pulled back just as Hate joined in, swinging razor sharp cables around the room.

Getting to one knee I switched the safety off and aimed. “Die already!”

Lynchpin looked at me. “Not tonight.” He swept both arms toward the windows. It felt like an invisible tidal wave flowed through the room, relentlessly pushing everyone and everything towards the ledge. I fell face down, and slid backwards. I could either grab on to the floor or hold on to my gun. I made my choice. Dropping Lois I dug both hands through the carpeting and into the cement beneath it. The move locked me to the ground tight, just a few feet from the edge.

I glanced back. Lois was sliding past my hips. With my left foot I trapped her against the floor. A large chunk of coral struck my face. It glanced to the side, then disappeared out the window. Leather bound books rolled over my back. One of them struck Lois. She slipped out from under my foot and, almost in slow motion, slid away. First her barrel went over the ledge. Then she pitched forward. But her trigger guard caught a bit of protruding glass and she stopped, half hanging outside on a forty-five degree angle. She wasn’t going to fall, but now she was way out of reach.

I turned back to the melee. Hate had dug a pair of Biogradium claws into the ground, and they acted as an anchor. Franky was right beneath him, holding on tight. Hoarfrost was awake in the back, crouching low. She had her feet frozen to the ground. It was holding her steady even as the rest of the office furniture, torn carpeting, broken wood, and smashed paintings slid out the window.

Lynx was the only one still standing, but she twisted under her dad’s power. It looked like a massive weight pressed down on her from above. She fell to one knee. “Now!” she cried.

“What?” I yelled to her. I didn’t know what that meant. What could I do now? What could any of us do?

She looked back. “Now! Do it now!”

I wanted to help. I pulled myself towards her. And the floor I was dug into came loose. I slid back towards the open window and certain doom. My feet were first to go. Then my hips were outside, too. Driving my hands down as hard as I could I dug all ten of my fingers knuckle deep into the cement floor. It was just in time. With my lower half dangling I scrambled against the building’s face, looking for a foothold. The smooth glass offered none. Lois was a few feet away. Still holding on tight, still out of reach.

The sofa I first met Lynchpin on slid over me and fell to the street. Then something big and wet smacked me in the face.

It was one of Warbeast’s arms.

The firing mechanism was hanging off the bone like a tendon. With one hand I picked it up, and pointed it at Lynchpin. Smoke and ruin spun around him. I could just see his outline.

I exhaled, and focused. Then I fired.

Bright yellow light erupted from Warbeast’s stump. And the power that pushed me towards certain death let up. Those bits of swirling destruction in the air fell to the ground, and everything was suddenly peaceful and still.

I threw one leg back in, then the other, and got to my feet.

It was over. I looked around. Lynx, Franky and Hate were staring at Lynchpin. He was still standing. Only now he used a shaky hand to cover the cauterized wound I had just put in him.