Demigods (31 page)

She could not have heard  Mirage speak to the mind of Ryan, telling him to meet her down in the lobby, nor was she allowed to see the door opening as he left, but she didn’t have to. She could easily detect the shifting of air as he did, and it was not at all difficult to hear his heartbeat leave the room. What remained was only an illusion of her prey, but now was not the time to pursue him. That time, however, would be coming soon, for she was content with seeing a distance put between the two.

“How long do you think you can protect him, princess?” Viper asked with a devious grin, as Mirage took a defensive posture in front of her. “You know that I am relentless.”

“Not to mention, a bit over confident,” Mirage replied.

“It isn’t too late to join me,” Viper said as she took a seat in the chair nearest her. “Imagine what we could accomplish together.”

Mirage remained where she was, unmoved.

“Our objectives are far too different for that.”

“I’ll give you a moment to think about it,” Viper said as she straightened her long, blonde hair, and for a moment, they simply stared at one another.

Finally, Viper felt that a sufficient amount of time had passed, and she stood to her feet once more.

“Bet I can reach him first,” she said with a smile, before leaping backwards, head first out the window, and the expression of surprise mixed with fear upon the witch’s face was simply priceless.

Landing effortlessly on the sidewalk below, she quickly entered the hotel lobby, and reached the elevator door a split second before it opened.

“Hello, love,” she said as she stared up at him, and before he could so much as flinch, she firmly placed her foot upon his jaw, and rendered him unconscious. Now, the game could truly begin.

“Peregrine, this is ground control. Please respond.”

Static ensued, for the weather was not permitting. The storm that seemed to roll in from the Pacific was unexpected, and hindered much, yet an answer came, nonetheless.

“Copy, ground control. Please continue.”

Corporal Jenkins pecked at his keys for a moment, from his secluded base on the ground, before his reply.

“The weather patterns are erratic,” he continued, “and they are really messing with my readings. I don’t know how this is going to react, up in the needle.”

“Just stay your course, corporal,” came the reply.

Stay his course he did, for that was all that he could do, and the corporal hoped that it would be enough. His task was vital, for he was the one with many eyes. There were cameras all around the base of the Space Needle, and plenty in the observatory as well. Add those to the ones in the elevator, the stairs, and the main lobby, and he had eyes everywhere, except for in the restaurant itself. If she was coming, he would likely be the first one to spot her.

Jenkins could see Bulldog and Grapes making their way stealthily around the base of the structure. It wasn’t that they were not well concealed, but the cameras saw everything, even it the darkest of shadows. They were as unaware of what trap had been set in the restaurant, as he was. It was a need to know basis, and it was imperative that they not know, for the target had unnatural ways of extracting information.

“Everything looks quiet,” they heard the Corporal say in their ear pieces, but that hardly let them feel any less on edge. There were ghosts and monsters out there, so to speak, and they needed to proceed with extreme caution.

Meanwhile, two men patrolled the observatory, occasionally scanning the city below, with night vision goggles. Corporal Jenkins had no idea who they were, though each of them carried a high powered, sniper riffle, and he thought it unusual that neither one of them had a spotter. Not a typical thing for a military operation, and he wondered if each of them was pulling double duty.

More unusual than that, however, were the three security guards. One was stationed inside of the elevator, and two were in the main lobby, and they didn’t act like military at all, but it wasn’t his place to question how the operation was to be run.

*            *            *

They called him Peregrine, for his reputation was as deadly as the falcon it came from. He was Colonel Mallory, and he sat quietly in the dining area of the Space needle, while sipping on bourbon, none too fond of the situation that he had found himself in. It was a moment of convenience, as he looked across the table, at a man he had once done business with, and though he owed him a favor, the circumstances were both bitter and sweet.

The man was Anthony Mastro, the one true Don of Seattle, and he was not the company that he would have normally chosen, but the situation was unavoidable. Not only had he assisted the Colonel in unloading some unsavory cargo, confiscated in Afghanistan, but the favor Anthony requested had to do with a high priority to the U.S. military, as well. A promotion might even be in order.

To the Colonel’s left stood two of his most trusted Captains. They were the finest that the Delta units had to offer, and their gear made them an intimidating presence. With black uniforms, and faces painted for war, they carried a truckload of weaponry. Surely, they knew how to use them quite well.

To his right stood two of Anthony’s men, and though they chose a less conspicuous attire, they were still intimidating. Made more to blend in, their weapons were well hidden behind their suits, but just as deadly, and the look in their eyes made it clear, that there was some military knowledge there, as well.

“You look troubled, old friend,” Anthony stated.

“Friendship is not a part of our relationship,” the Colonel replied, before sipping on his drink once more. “It feels like I’ve made a deal with the devil.”

Anthony took a sip of his scotch, before his next response.

“I don’t claim to be an angel, but I am hardly the devil.”

“I believe that he was referring to me,” Viper replied, as she walked in from the kitchen, with a plate of appetizing, stuffed mushrooms. “I am the one he has trouble digesting.”

“And I am not so certain that you are the lesser of two evils,” the Colonel added, without looking up at her.

She set the plate on the table. They were baby bellas, stuffed with tenderloin tips and caramelized onions, draped with a roasted garlic béarnaise, but hardly did Colonel Mallory notice them. Anthony, on the other hand, treated them like finger food, despite the fact that they were hardly so.

“I am no different than an enhanced version of the men that you have guarding you,” she spoke in a gentle tone. “The true enemy is the one that can steal every secret you have, right out of your own mind, without you ever even knowing it.”

Certainly, Colonel Mallory thought there was much logic to this statement, but the man hanging by a harness, outside of a removed window, left a bitter taste in his mouth. This is why the mushrooms had no appeal to him. This was where his heart drew the line. Captain Pierce was one of them, and the others were not, but circumstances created… difficulties.

“Consider him a fishing lure,” she continued, as she planted her hands on the table. “You use one to catch a fish, but when it is over, you do not throw away the lure.”

She was lying, of course, for Captain Pierce was her primary target, yet she chose to hold true to her promise of making the witch watch him die. Perhaps she would even be so torn by the loss, knowing that other humans helped her do such a thing, that she would join her. Together they would be unstoppable.

“Why is he unconscious then?”

“That witch used the power that you gave her, to make him believe that he loves her,” she said with a bit of frustration. “Can’t you see what we are dealing with?”

“I can,” Anthony replied, before stuffing another mushroom into his face.

“If she gets in here, and survives,” Viper went on, “she will know everything that you have done with this man.”

This is what made him complacent. This was the only reason that he didn’t leave right now, and if he had his way, he would see them both die tonight. His men had such orders, and he only hoped that they were up to the task, for he was much older than they were. Viper’s effect on him was far less than theirs, but he trusted their training, and he prayed for the best.

*            *            *

“Ground control to ground units. I am seeing multiple targets converging on site.”

“Copy that, ground control,” came Bulldog’s reply.

“Not seeing anything,” Grapes responded.

“Keep your eyes open,” the Colonel added.

It was a tense moment. One that everyone was expecting, yet certainly uncertain how to deal with. She was a freak of science, and the fear factor was intensified.

“If you see multiple targets,” Viper added over the com, “then it means that she is near you. She is manipulating your mind! Stand ready!”

The Colonel and Anthony stayed where they were. They were kings, not pawns, and a mere look set things into motion, with those who were assigned to them. Too bad that the queen is the most powerful piece on the chess board.

“If she has control of his mind,” Viper stated calmly, “then our intelligence has been compromised, if not for the fact that I have set up secondary surveillance in the kitchen.”

Viper began to pace, anxious for the encounter, and the four bodyguards positioned themselves, in strategic locations around the elevator. Something would be happening soon, and they were all to stand at the ready.

“What do you think our chances are?” Anthony asked, before devouring yet another one of the delectable, stuffed mushrooms.

“Pretty good,” the Colonel replied, “considering that she isn’t the one who has been killing people. These are different circumstances, however.”

Anthony leaned back, a little curious.

“How so?”

Finally, the Colonel decided to taste the appetizer, before answering the question. He found slight delight upon the look in Anthony’s eyes. It was the look of uncertainty, and until now, he had only expressed confidence. The bite was astoundingly good, so he prolonged the moment. Right up until he thought that Anthony might speak again.

“The man that is hanging out there, is believed to be Mirage's lover,” he stated, “and the woman that you put your trust in, not only intends to kill him, but has killed a few of her friends already.”

Anthony sat still for a moment, and stopped chewing, to ponder upon such a statement, until, finally, he mumbled with a mouthful.

“Is she that good?”

The Colonel ate another, before he gave the answer that would truly give Anthony worry.

“Mirage was designed to conquer small governments,” he replied, “and we think that she is more powerful than we first believed, which is the very reason that I am here.”

He delighted in the even greater look of worry upon the Mafia Don’s face, but he hadn’t even begun to tell him the truth about Viper.

*            *            *

“How the hell am I supposed to coordinate things down here, if she’s in my freakin’ head?”

“Stay calm, Jenkins,” Grapes replied, too nervous to follow protocol. “She can’t stop us all.”

“Amen to that,” came Bulldog’s reply.

“I’m still seeing people everywhere,” Corporal Jenkins shouted nervously. “I can’t do this with her in my head!”

“Just stay calm!”

There was a brief moment of silence, before Corporal Jenkins spoke into the com once more.

They’re all gone,” he gasped. “They all just vanished.”

His tone was one more of questioning, than it was actually a statement. They had been briefed on what Viper was capable of, and the four men on the ground believed that she was the one that they were waiting for. Obviously, there was more to this than they had been told, and the three Marines on the ground began to question everything, if only to themselves.

The two assassins on the observation deck scanned the grounds below, not seeing a thing. They knew what to expect, and understood that Mirage was out there, somewhere, but nothing presented itself. She was a ghost, and worry began to consume them, as well.

“She’s on the observation deck!” Jenkins shouted. “I swear, I just saw her moving up there!”

“The witch came in from the top,” Viper mumbled to herself, though it hadn’t gone unnoticed.

“We need to move you out of here, Colonel,” one of his security officers stated, with great authority. “This location has been compromised.”

Anthony would have thought that his men would have said the same, yet each of them turned their weapons upon the Colonels Marines, and dropped them where they stood. This, of course, left him a little confused, since he gave no such order. Viper’s next action, however, made his mind very clear, as to what was happening.

Without warning, she thrust a metal spike into the top of his head, and then pushed him face down, upon the table, where the Colonel still sat.

“I didn’t bring you along for your help, Colonel,” she snarled at him, eye to eye, before standing back up, and walking away. “I brought you to see that I am now the Don of the Mastro Family, and that your favors now belong to me.”

Viper could easily sense his rage. It was in his heartbeat, and in his breathing, but he remained in his place. She understood that his response would come in such a way, but she cared not. He would also comply, for it wasn’t only his honor that depended on it. It was for the lives of his wife and children, not to mention his grandchildren, that he was concerned about. He had made a deal with the devil, though only understood now, how evil the devil actually was.

“Now, get over it,” she snarled, without looking back.

“Sky one!“ Jenkins shouted into the com. “She’s right behind you!”

The man turned, just in time to see a spider, the size of a large dog, leap at him. He had no time to pull the trigger on his pistol, before it was knocked away, and the large arachnid began pecking towards his face. What a horrible way to die.

Being deathly afraid of spiders, all that the assassin could do now, was to flail his arms wildly, trying with every attempt, to get the creature off of him. He rolled to one side, and was thankful to find his feet for a moment, but once again it was upon him.

As he fell to the ground, he tried to turn himself, in an attempt to throw the spider away. It worked for a moment, but the spider was much too quick for him. All that was left for him now, was the unconsciousness brought on by such a great fear.

“Sky two, your man is down,” Jenkins called out. “I have no idea what happened, but you had better prepare yourself. No line of sight, at the moment.”

Quietly, Grapes crept up alongside of Bulldog, and nearly made him piss his pants.

“I don’t think that this is an approved operation.”

“Dude, get off of me,” Bulldog shouted, having nearly turned his weapon upon his own friend. “What are you talking about?”

“I’m serious,“ Grapes continued. “This doesn’t smell like wine.”