Chapter 97 - Titan's Hands
Chapter Text
Cal swore as he saw the top of Eiffel's Tower twist and fall. The amount of power in that one strike was orders of magnitude higher than he had ever seen. It looked like an optical-type but how would they get that kind of power? He flew closer but more cautiously. Scanning the skies, he tried to ignore the sparks coming from the torn power cables that had been severed by the attack. The many lights that festooned the Tower were substantially still lit up but several rows were flickering and every few seconds a light would explode as water entered the damaged structure.
There he is! High above, he spotted the attacker. He was a bit shocked to see an American uniform. An older design but clear even from this distance. The attacker's rifle was still slung and Cal spotted the fading glow from his hand.
Cal had never killed anyone. He had never even tried to shoot anyone except in training but he didn't hesitate. There were hundreds, maybe thousands, of people behind him and his task was clear. He put everything he could into the strongest artillery spell he could cast, only saving enough to power a sniper spell to steady his aim. He even dropped his shield so he focused on this one shot. He ignored the rain that could now pelt his body as the spell powered
He's not moving, not even a shield... is he waiting for something? Nevermind, this is good... steady... steady... The spell was made to destroy armored bunkers, destroy buildings, or obliterate tanks. Even a near miss would be devastating so he wanted to make the first attack count.
Now!
Fast as thought, the empowered bullet streaked toward the distant person and, a brief moment later, a titanic explosion rocked the skies! All of Chicago to its very borders could observe the explosion, if not for the storm that had already driven them indoors!
Cal wiped the rain from his eyes as the smoke and mist dissipated from his target. Did I get him? Even if it was an illusion, that was an artillery spell! If he was anywhere nearby... Finally the mist cleared to reveal that the soldier was still there! Only this slightest glow of his shield gave any indication he was even affected by the attack. "Fuck, what kind of monster is that? He must be a named."
He glanced around quickly to see if anyone else was coming. In that fraction of a second, the person was almost in his face! His shield popped up instinctively, a result of long training but even that wasn't able to stop the bayonet that skewered him through the torso. As he slid off the blade he saw that attacker was a woman whose face was a mask of hatred. As he tumbled away through the storm wracked skies, he thought weakly, ...Gisela, I don't think I'll make our date..., before the world went dark.
* * *
The harsh buzzing sound was sickeningly familiar to Tanya. She didn't even have to look to know Mary was destroying something. She's starting early... how unhinged has she become?! Almost against her will she glanced over and saw the top of the tower falling, the severed ends of the metal glowing hot from the energies used.
She didn't let that stop her movement, however. "Keep moving! We need to get closer to the building before she finds us!" The thudding of their footsteps and splashing on the wet ground was barely audible over the driving rain and the thunder.
"We'll get set up as quickly as possible but remember... run, no, exit the building when you are done." They were fifty yards from the building when an explosion they couldn't ignore occurred nearly overhead!
Red cursed reflexively. "What the hell was that!"
They could see the aftermath of the explosion high in the sky but were interrupted by their commander when they slowed down to see what happened. "Keep moving! That was a Unified States artillery spell at max power. That won't even mess up her hair!" Of all them, she was the only one that didn't bother to look up.
Shaken, but with firm resolve, the raced into the building, not waiting to see the aftermath of the conflict above.
Suddenly out of the rain, they looked around the warehouse. The building was slated for demolition but was currently being used to house construction materials that were sensitive to the weather. She scanned the area quickly and nodded. "Hop to it... every second counts when she's trying to raze the consulate to the ground! I can give you maybe sixty seconds." She headed back out into the rain and flew into the sky.
Her ability to spot small details was still as good as every; some people were flying lower down but she could see they were non-combatants and discounted them with a glance. No, the only person of note was hovering over the severely damaged tower that had been a beacon to all of Chicago. Mary wasn't trying to hide and apparently was just going to keep destroying things until Tanya came out.
So she came out.
The contrast between the two couldn't be greater. Excepting the the gentle ruby glow from her stylish calf-high boots and her cane, Tanya looked like a businesswoman wearing a sky-blue dress that just covered the tops of her boots. A long line of sunflower-colored buttons led up the front to her high collar and the outfit was topped off with a small cap, also in blue, with neatly stitched flowers in silver.
Opposite her was a grimy uniform, obviously out of date and far from its last washing. There were stains, tears and it was so oversized it hung on her body like a loose, shabby skin. She was clutching an orb in her left hand and it was glowing through hairline cracks in its casing.
"Mary Sioux. I believe you are out of uniform, because I doubt you have the right to use the one you are wearing." She cocked her head to one side. "Or any uniform? Rumor has it that the Unified States finally got tired of your insubordination and discharged you. Tell me, did you even wait a full minute after being dishonorably discharged before you decided to race across the country to assassinate me?"
"Y-y-you bitch! I'm going to kill you!!" She held up her orb but it started to rattle dangerously, not able to handle the energies going through it. Before it could overload, she managed to wrestle it back under control while Tanya watched, a look of amusement on her face.
"Pathetic. You were a horrible soldier, Sioux, a terrible person, and a burden wherever you went. You know what your Named designation is? Maddog. Intel says commanders kept pushing your from theater to theater, hoping you could take me out before you did too much damage to your allies." She smirked. "It's funny. My kill count is probably higher by a good twenty of so mages that you blasted out of existence and they foisted onto my record because they didn't want to admit you were at fault? How many was it, Mary?"
Mary felt like a there was an irritating, piercing whine drilling into her head the more Degurechaff spoke. She struggled to refute even a little but somehow couldn't form any words. What was wrong here? N-no, it wasn't me! Not me!
"That's just the mages! How about those sorry bastards in the trenches, looking up with hope when they saw you arrive?" She laughed! "Only you brought death instead! What a joke, hmm? Hundreds, no THOUSANDS of men vaporized because you are just some pathetic brat with more power than brains, more power than sense, more power than the simple morals that even five year old possesses!"
"No! I couldn't have... I didn't!" The shrieking in her mind was like all those dead soldiers coming for her at last. She tried to ignore them for months, stifle their their memory with exhaustion and even alcohol but they. Always. Came. Back! Help me, God, help me PLEASE!
"Tell me, Miss Sioux. To those men, to their widows, to their children, who's the real Devil? WHO IS IT?!" She sneered with contempt, looking down on Mary figuratively and literally. "You know, you are just like your father. He didn't care about justice, or protecting his homeland or his family, either. He just wanted to kill a little girl because of his pride. Aren't you. Exactly. The. SAME!"
Exploding orb or not, she had to stop that horrible voice, the keening wail in her head but, just before she was going to trigger the final strike, she stopped. She felt a presence in her mind clutch her will. In the past, the power of the Holy Spirit had filled her, empowered her but now? Now there was an alien thing that raised her hand and pulled power from her to attack the taunting Germanian!
Tanya dodged the second she saw Mary's arm move and the buzzing beam missed her by inches, hot plasma tearing apart the air in its path. Damn! I almost had her... an exploding orb would have gutted that nuisance! Some instinct caused her to go up without warning and another beam went through the space she had just left. Whatever is going on, it's too dangerous. Plan B it is!
Meanwhile, a tiny part of Mary was screaming where no one could hear her as her body chased after the other woman. The reins of control that had been there for years, unnoticed, were being pulled and the most of her just felt the joy of servitude! "Time to die, monster!" Hatred and passion mixed in her and she poured into every attack!
The Ace was dodging the deadly beams... but just barely. Their power was lower but Mary's normal haphazard aim seemingly stabilized, making it nearly impossible to continue like this. Uncharacteristically against Mary, Tanya had been staying high so that the woman's attacks flew upward as if challenging the lightning flashing all around them. Unexpectedly, she turned on a dime and raced straight toward Sioux! A wicked grin was on her face and a she held a glowing sword pointed at the Legadonian!
Startled, Mary threw her hands in front of her face and then... nothing. She looked around wildly and saw Tanya far below, almost hidden from sight due to the rain but made visible by her glowing boots. She was dodging through an empty field, sheets of standing water thrown aloft by her passing!
"Hold on, bitch!" She raced after that the fleeing Germanian, barely gaining on her but still behind due to her late start. A few furious attacks missed by a large margin, just leaving smoking holes in the ground. She narrowed her eyes as her target vanished inside the warehouse.
Normally she'd just level the building, but warehouses are mostly air. She could poke dozens of holes in it without doing any real damage. No, she needed to go so she could make sure that the Devil met her end here. Now.
She smiled with a wild, wide-eyed expression. "I have to see her die. I need to see her die!"
The warehouse was darkened. The power was off, or at least the lights were. There were few windows and the open doors let in only the dimmest illumination from the outside. Even the flashes of lightning only lit things briefly and made things seem even darker afterward.
Mary flew through the warehouse, eager to see her nemesis and end this. She could tell Degurechaff didn't have a combat orb and there would be no better time. No soldiers, no defenses... just one. Little. Hit. Just one! She wanted to move faster but the darkened piles filled the building with deep shadows and dangerous corners.
Wait! She spotted the telltale glow of Degurechaff's boots around the corner. "You can't run, you fucking bitch! Never again!" She wove between the closely packed crates and heavy machinery, using the faint light of her own shield to guide her. Almost there!
There she was! Sioux stopped short as Tanya was just standing there, smirking. "We've danced for too long. Let's end this now, eh?" Her cane glowed with energy and Mary deduced it was like a mage blade on a bayonet. The Germanian hero pointed the cane and said, "Your move."
Without saying a word, Mary released a blast as large as the one that cut the top off of Eiffel's Tower! Her orb shattered and she was momentarily blinded by the light of that explosion. "You must think I'm stupid! Why would I fight on your terms?"
Just then, two massive hydraulic pistons crashed through the boxes on either side of her pinning her between them! They couldn't quite crack her shield but they immobilized her handily. If she dropped her shield to move, they could crush her easily but she lacked the power to struggled out immediately. Then she heard it... a low laugh.
"Why yes, I do think you're stupid." Degurechaff floated calmly in the tube of destruction caused by the Legadonian's last attack, framed neatly by the hole in the wall, completely unharmed. "You were stupid when you lived and you'll die the same way. Goodbye, Sioux. I hope I don't see you in the next life." She vanished then as if she had never been there.
"An illusion..." the young woman said with despair, almost dropping the shield that kept her alive. Rousing herself for a final effort, Mary strained with all her might! She could still resist the mounting pressure of the hydraulics, even without an orb, but she was well and truly stuck! Then she saw it... all those crates. On each, in bold red letters were the words: Warnung! Dynamit! A hasty hodgepodge of bright wires were inserted into them and clusters led out of sight. Like a snake of fire, she saw tiny explosions race through the cords toward her and then...
An earth-shattering BOOM! rocked the building, rivaling all previous ones that night!
* * *
[Several minutes ago]
Tanya found time to grouse about the situation even as she was preparing to handle it. Long practice with foiled plans had developed this skill (both handling and grousing though she kept the latter to herself.)
Plan A to get her to blow herself up failed, unfortunately. Hiding won't work, she'll just tear the consulate apart. My new shields aren't up to the task and I can't count on the Americans to deal with their own messes. Hopefully, Plan B will work better.
She rushed into the warehouse and saw that the Knights had set everything up in the bare two minutes she had managed to buy for them. Must give them bonuses and more vacation time.
For the first time since they met, Tanya had a chance to confront Mary with proper preparation. Months, even years of brainstorming on how to confront her all came from careful observation of her abilities. What they had discovered was that she was very one-track. When she used an orb, she could do two things at once, pretty much to the exclusion of everything else. Without it, it was theorized that she could only do one thing with any proficiency.
The researcher had pulled together all orb recordings and eyewitness accounts of the American wild card. "She is driven by emotion. Tremendous natural skill and power, yes, but zero subtlety or flexibility. When she taps into her higher levels, she loses..."
"She loses even the slightest bit of flexibility." Tanya nodded. "If necessary, we might be able to use this." But, before any plans could be enacted, the war had ended. She never thought they would be of use but here she was.
The massive hydraulic equipment had been set up by the knights, covered by empty crates. They waited out of sight because there was no way to power the braces except through their own abilities. Having seen what she could do, they knew that even their vaunted armor couldn't survive a single blow!
The Colonel had told them, "When she fires off her blast, activate the presses at full speed and lock them. Then get out of here so I can set off the explosives." She shook her head. "Such a waste of materiel, but better than letting that lunatic run around."
Tanya watched from a shadowy corner while she had her illusory double lead the Legadonian on a merry chase through the warehouse until she was placed in the perfect spot. Some meaningless blather ensued to trigger the woman to release her last good blast and break her fractured orb! The huge steel braces, propelled by the mage-powered hydraulic presses, slammed together like the hands of a titan! Only the potent shield kept them from meeting in the middle, but they continued to strain against it as the Knights moved quickly to the hole in the wall per orders.
The illusory Tanya had a detonator in her hand with dozens of detonating cords coming from the box. She muttered under her breath as she triggered it, "Thirty seconds and go!" The illusion dropped as the former Colonel raced toward the exit. She glanced back just before leaving the building and spotted something in the corner.
What the hell?!?! "Knights, to me!" She raced to the corner, whirled and shot a mage blast behind her before whirling around and raising her shield just before the explosion obliterated the building!
Chapter 98 - Truth or Consequences
Mary coughed and struggled to her feet, shocked that she had the ability to do so. Her memory was fuzzy but she remembered being well and truly fucked. Trapped and surrounded by high explosives without any way to escape. Why am I still alive? Only a miracle could have saved me.
She shook her head. It hadn't felt like that, though. In the past, she had felt His hand on her, guiding her, empowering her. But that feeling of the Divine had been gone for a long time. The comforting surety of purpose, of rightness had vanished one day and nothing she did, no prayers or pleading had brought it back.
Maybe killing the Devil would do it?
The rain and a breeze started to clear out the dust from the collapsed building and the explosion. What she saw didn't make any sense. All the walls behind her were blown out but the ones in front were substantially intact. Given the quantity of explosives, everything should be gone. So what's going on, then?
She walked toward the intact part of the building, taking care not to stumble on the rubble, as the last of the smoke and dust were finally washed away. She stopped, stunned by what she saw!
A corner of the warehouse was entirely intact and relatively unharmed. There were five very colorful metal men facing her with their shields arranged in a solid wall of defense. She didn't know who they were or where they came from, but she had to guess that her prey was behind them.
"Move or die," she said simply, her gravelly voice commanded.
The red one said simply. "That's not going to happen."
His voice had a hated Germanian accent but it reminded her of someone making her feel profoundly uncomfortable. She could see, however, there was someone behind them in the shadows, just out of sight. "I said move!"
"And I said no."
Rage filled her and she fired a powerful blast but, orbless and weakened as she was, it wasn't enough to kill them immediately. Skid marks formed on the floor as they were pushed back, their shields and armor barely holding on. But, after several tense seconds, they were blown away by the mounting pressure! Their bodies were thrown out of the warehouse, destroying any walls that might have been in their way!
There she is!
Degurechaff was lying there, apparently unconscious, though there were a few wounds on her, splashes of red against the blue dress.
Mary took a step forward but suddenly there were a dozen more people in the way!
Small ones.
Most were holding weird things strapped to their arms or flimsy crooked sticks. One in the front just held his fists up. "You get away from her!" Buddy yelled at the top of his voice!
Waldo stood next to him with a wrist rocket at the ready. "We a-a-aren't gonna let you hurt her!"
Her resolve wavered for the first time. Why? Why! Why do people always rush to defend her?! "Get out of my way! NOW!" She raised her hand again and all the children flinched, obviously frightened out of their wits. But none of them moved. Some were even sobbing with fear but even they refused.
"G-Go away you bad person! Just go away!" It was one of the crying children, a small negro girl, and she didn't even have a weapon. She stood her ground with the others. Her voice rallied the others and soon there were multiple cries telling to leave. "Go! Go away!"
Shocked, Mary took a step back but then a weak voice brought everything to a halt. "Mable. Children. Go on out and find the Knights." Tanya paused, catching her breath. "They'll take care of you."
"But Miss Tanya!" the little girl protested.
"I'll be alright. Thank you." She paused again closing her eyes briefly. "You're all good soldiers. Now get along... everything will be fine."
Very reluctantly, with many looks behind them, they went out into the rain. The remaining corner of the building barely kept the weather away for as long as it lasted but a chill was beginning to descend.
Tanya smiled despite the blood on her forehead that was trickling down her face. "We've never really had a chance to talk but, next time, just call my secretary. I would have scheduled time for you."
Mary almost lost her temper then and there but instead she said. "Really? Those are your last words?"
Tanya continued as if she hadn't spoken. "Before our meeting... are the kids all gone? This building, what's left of it, is hardly stable."
The Legadonian squinted with suspicion but glanced out the holes in the wall before looking back. "They're gone."
"Good. So, what do you want to talk about?"
Sioux felt like she couldn't find her balance. The Devil was at her feat, injured, unarmed but why did she feel like she was at a disadvantage? "There's no need to talk. You killed my father and now my holy mission is to going to end with your death."
Tanya cocked her head to one side. "You belief in a 'higher power' aside, I didn't kill him, you know?"
"You did! The reports were clear! You killed him in the attack on the Osfjord and took his weapon. The weapon I gave to him!"
"Is that what they told you? I'm not surprised if your intelligence department is as bad as ours."
The words hammered her like physical blows. "No! You're lying.. you must be lying!"
"I've been called many things but a liar? No, I have certain evidence that he survived that little tussle."
"What? How!"
She looked at the other woman levelly, "Because I fought him in a different battle after that. Excepting an eyepatch, he was perfectly healthy... at least at the start."
"N-no..." Mary was shaking, torn by emotion... her certain knowledge of her father's death fought with the matter-of-fact recitation of events from Degurechaff. She needed the truth; she needed it now! By chance or mischance, she clutched at her chest as if stopping her heart from breaking its way out and happened to feel something hard there. Suddenly she remembered the witch's words, 'The other one compels truth, you must use it on someone else.'
"Yes," Tanya said levelly but it sounded like mockery in Mary's ears. "Honestly, it was disgraceful how he..."
Mary interrupted her before she continue! "Let's see about honesty!" She pulled out the wooden plaque, the wood fitting snugly in her hand as she held it aloft. "In the name of the Witches of the North, I compel you! Speak the truth!"
Degurechaff looked surprised as she saw the runes, "That is... very interesting."
Sioux felt a connection between her and her target. A certain surety that she could tell truth from lies, fact from fiction. And yet. And yet. She couldn't bring herself to ask about her father just yet. She wanted to test this power before asking the real question.
Even to herself, she didn't want to admit that she feared the truth.
"Why did you do it?"
"What an astonishingly stupid question. You do realize even with me under geas that it's pointless and ridiculously broad ask it?"
Flushing with embarrassment, she clarified, "Why did you join the military? What bloodlust made you want to kill all those people?!"
Tanya looked at her as if she were simple. "It was the simplest course for survival I could think of. I was a penniless orphan with no recognized abilities except for magic. As an officer in the army, I thought I could get a comfortable position doing research and writing papers. As for the other, I've never wanted to kill anyone... at least not for the love of killing. Only a deranged lunatic would go out of their way to murder someone when they didn't have to." She gave Mary a pointed glance that she didn't notice at all.
Mary felt the truth assault her as if it were a physical blow. What is this? What is this! "Th-th-then why did you?! You personally have killed thousands! Can you deny that?"
"More like tens of thousands, but I'm not keeping count. No, I only went to war because I didn't have a choice. You're something like a soldier, Sioux. You should know it's literally kill or be killed out there. I had orders and I carried them out." She snorted. "Don't even bother asking me why I didn't disobey. I have no great love of firing squads, especially if I'm on the receiving end!"
"You love war!"
"I hate war! It's a horrible waste! Lives, money, field, futures... all burnt up! War is utter failure of people to see reason and come to a mutual accord! So many times, those morons could have stepped back... not driven forward, not broken treaties, not attacked us. But they never stopped!"
Mary felt like her flesh was being ripped off a bit at a time as long-held beliefs were being torn away strip by strip. "W-what fools?"
"You dare ask me that? There are far too many to mention. But if you want to start with one, how about your oh-so-beloved Legadonia? How fucking hard is it to just stay one side of a line, huh, Mary?" She saw the young woman shake as spoke. "All they had to do is not break the treaty. Literally by doing NOTHING, this whole war never would have happened! You want to blame someone. You want to blame Germanian. You want to blame me. Look in a mirror! This is your country's fault! Get this through you thick skull, we never broke any treaties! We never declared war on anyone who hadn't attacked us first!" She wanted to spit but her injuries would make the process too painful. "We are the VICTIMS. YOU are the oppressors!"
Mary sat down on a twisted I-beam, stunned. Her comforting shield of ignorance was torn away and she was defenseless. The truth. How terrible! How awful... why would anyone want this? She couldn't look Tanya in the eyes but finally asked, "What do." She cleared her throat. "What do you want? Tell me."
"Me?" Tanya blinked, bemused. "I want to go see the Mississippi, the greatest river in the world. I want to go to Dakota and see the heads of those great Americans carved into the side of Rushmore. I want to go west and see the Grand Canyon and think about how long it took a little river to carve its way down." Her voice gained strength. "I want to fly to Hawai'i, which they say is a paradise even today. I want to hop to Akitsushima and climb Mt. Fuji all the way from the very bottom to the very top. I want to visit Xin, perhaps for the last time before it's destroyed. I want to go to Ispagna and swim in the warm waters there. I want to go to the Commonwealth and see some plays while avoiding the food. I want to return to the Francois Republic and eat and drink my way across the entire country."
"I want to make a great company and produce wonderful luxuries and toys and entertainment for everyone. I want a nice little beach house, maybe some dogs and nice library. I want..." she paused for a long time. "A nice cup of coffee. With my dear friend."
Having come this far, Mary was silent for a long time. Finally, she said, "Tell me about my father."
"Oh, at last? Fine. I met your father exactly three times. The first I was an aerial observer, watching for incursions on the Legadonian border. We know how that turned out, eh?" She smirked but winced due to a cut lip. "Your father, desperate for an achievement so it wouldn't seem like a total loss, decided that taking out at least one mage was the best way. I was nine at the time. He got away with part of his wing and I got a medal."
Her illusions stripped away, Mary could almost see it. A little girl floating above the battle field, being assaulted by a dozen or more highly trained mages. Barely surviving but held up as a model for all her comrades.
"The second time, was off the coast of Norden. We fought and I managed to get the advantage over him. I didn't even recognize him and only later realized who he might be based on that submachinegun. I thought he was dead too, at the time. It was a pretty nasty wound and the waters were very cold."
"But he didn't die." Mary managed to say this calmly, somehow.
"No. Since they told you he had died there, I imagine he decided to go dark, pretend he was dead." She laughed softly and coughed a bit. "He could have gone home then, you know. Missing an eye, having served loyally, he could have chosen retirement. No, he took a different path."
"Why?! His death, even faked, almost killed my mother! I never would have gotten into this war if he had come home?!" The anguish was obvious in her voice. No longer the broken veteran but instead a lost little girl.
"Probably to hide the fact that he had become an assassin." She tched briefly. "Using illegal armaments is against the Code of War and they probably wanted deniability." She cocked her head as if she suddenly understood the question. "Oh, you mean why THAT. Let me ask you, Miss Sioux. Why did you chase me down, just like your father? Isn't your mother still alive, waiting for you to come home? You said your father's death almost killed her. Wouldn't your death finish the job?"
"B-because God 's will..."
Tanya interrupted her flatly. "There is no God, not the way you think. You've been tricked the same way your father was. Used as a tool of punishment and discarded when no longer useful. If his great sin is Pride, I'd say yours is Wrath."
'There is no God', echoed through Mary's head like an artillery strike, over and over again. It didn't sound like like Degurechaff was an atheist, no. It sounded like she knew EXACTLY who she was talking about and was speaking from greater knowledge. There is no God. There is no God!
"What do you mean? Tell me or I'll!"
"Or you will WHAT, Miss Sioux? You came here to kill me. Will you kill me twice? Maybe threaten the children out there? Didn't you know a great flaw of that rune is that I can always choose not to speak?"
"Tell me." She paused and then added one word. "Please."
"You've been deluded by the greatest trickster the world has."
"Y-you mean, S-s-s..."
"No, not THAT. You're probably imagining some red-skinned, fork-tailed pitchfork-wielding caricature, aren't you?"
Mary was too embarrassed to admit that was EXACTLY what she was thinking.
"No, the being people call God tricked you. And your father. And countless others. I don't know why, or if there even is a reason why, but there you go. Now you know one of the great secrets of the world." She smirked again, this time ignoring the pain. "They say ignorance is bliss and you have been so very blissful for ever so long." She coughed and a bit of blood came up.
"You better hurry up, your time is running out. Or perhaps mine. With your orb and weapon gone, you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way. Didn't Cain slay Able with a rock? Plenty of those around here."
"One last question: What did you do to stop the trap you set? Why?"
"Oh. I blew the explosives away from you with a mage bolt. They exploded behind you rather than right around you. Then I threw up a shield and tried to stop what I could." She looked into the distance. "There were kids here. It would look bad if I blew them up, don't you think?"
Mary's eyes widened. "You just... you just..." Then she smiled and pulled the other piece of wood out. "I have everything I need here. Goodbye, Miss Degurechaff. The Witches of the North gave me this healing rune and it's time to use it."
She approached Tanya who warily watched the other woman. She glanced at the rune and said, "Wait, that's not a...!"
But it was too late.
Chapter 99 - Imagine
Invisible to all but those with sight, a line of energy formed between the two women. The world froze in a way that was very familiar to Tanya. Water drops paused mid-air, plumes of steam from hot, wet metal stopped in place and a curious bird stopped in mid landing. But instead of the grey-toned world, the area around her and Mary still had the richness of life but it was brighter than usual. She felt energy wash over her as if the brilliant world was rejuvenating her body.
Mary, on the other hand, winced as she felt a weariness fall upon her. Still, it wasn't worse than when she was using her powers at full steam and there was a freshness to the air that wasn't there before. "What did you say?"
Tanya shook her head, "That wasn't a healing rune. It was a binding rune of some sort. Temporary as far as I can tell. In at least one book they called it the Amity rune. Another called it the rune of Balance."
"Binding?!" While she no longer wanted to kill the Germanian mage, she didn't want to be attached to her!
"I did say temporary." Without the oppressive presence of Being X, she found the effect not at all unpleasant. "My guess is that the Balance aspect is primary and that you are sharing energy with me." She gently probed her wounds. "Nothing dramatic but enough to get me out of any danger."
"You're welcome."
Tanya raised an eyebrow. "Who caused these wounds?"
"You did. With those explosives."
Her eyes widened. "Well! You seem smarter now... I guess I'm sharing with you, too."
"You! You, you... you!"
Ignoring the outburst, Tanya tried analyze the spell. She could feel the flow but the longer it went on, the more she sense something... unpleasant. Unpleasant but familiar.
"I have to say, you have a truly ridiculous amount of power, Sioux. But there's a problem with that, or rather with you."
Mary snorted, still not happy with Tanya even if she wasn't trying to kill her anymore. "Are you looking for a fight?"
She shook her head. "Just listen. That Being that you worship is no deity. It's more like a parasite that uses people. If it has any value, it can unlock abilities you already have inside of you but only at ITS behest. To your detriment, actually."
The woman stumbled back. "That's blasphemy!"
Tanya shook her head. "I'm not being intentionally crude. I never told you EXACTLY how your father died, just that I didn't kill him. The last time we met, he overloaded his orb and killed himself in an attempt to get me. I may not be a stellar example of religious fervor, but I seem to remember the nuns saying that suicide was the one unforgivable sin."
Mary responded dully, drawing on her own knowledge. "Because it's the only sin where you never have the opportunity to beg for forgiveness and be shriven."
"Now, let me ask you, does that SOUND like the man you knew? One that would abandon his family, commit war crimes, and finally blow himself up to kill a child that he barely knew?"
The Legadonian thought back to the warm man of few words from her childhood. His presence was like a great mountain that protected against rain and wind. He was a guardian, not an avenger. The same things that made him a wonderful father led him to the military. Protecting the nation like he would protect his family. "No. No I can't."
"His eyes, his personality... he was completely different from the first or even the second time I saw him. That thing was pushing him, taking him over. At least more than before."
"So, it wasn't his fault?" There was a rising note of hope in her voice.
She shook her head. "Hardly. We all need to take responsibility for our own actions. Even before he was fully controlled, he made decisions that led him there. Let's say, it wasn't fully his fault, at least in the final moments." Tanya watched Mary carefully. There was a black mist coming out of her back slowly. It seemed to be the source of the stench she knew so well.
"Oh. I suppose so." Her eyes were starting to glow slightly.
Tanya kept an eye out, curious as to this new development. Despite her recent healing, she wasn't ready to take on any too strenuous.
The darkness came out in two wispy sheafs, like flat bundles of wheat or sawgrass. They grew larger slowly, gaining volume as if Mary was filling them with every breath.
"What thinking people, with their own brain and wills, need to do is to fight the encroachment."
The glow increased. "But why? It makes us more powerful. And is it wrong to become a tool for justice? For liberty? For the greater good?" The blackness pushed out fully, revealing their full form.
Wings. Wings of smoke and darkness.
"Sioux, listen. What separates us from animals is our ability to reason, to think for ourselves! You're more than just a well-trained beast with an abusive master!" I guess it's time for Plan C. She hated Plan C because it was the least certain of all of them. If it was better, it would have been moved up the list!
Mary was about to speak but the smoke continued to pour out of her back revealing the torso of a winged creature. The outline was nebulous except for the wings and the golden-eyed face.
Mary's face.
It had red-tipped claws and sharpened teeth, but it was obviously her. The smoky torso came out of the young woman's back and was the same size as her but the wings were a good ten feet long and extend back and upwards.
"I know what it's like! It used to control me too! But you can beat it off... just be a stubborn bitch like usual!"
She seemed to hear Tanya but just then, the claws plunged into the sides of Mary's head. Blood trickled out from around her ears but she didn't seem to notice. "No. He didn't kill himself. He loves us. I'm right. I've done nothing wrong. I'm not at fault. I'm not at fault! I'M NOT TO BLAME!"
The shadow creature smiled widely, the first expression it had shown. The golden eye-glow brightened and it turned Mary's head using the claws buried in her skull. Then Mary saw Tanya standing amidst the rubble with her dirt and blood stained dress. "YOU! You did all this! You destroyed my country! Killed my father! You killed all those people! I couldn't do that! I didn't do that!"
Tanya screamed something but the other couldn't hear her. She paused and then opened her mouth again. Somehow, now, Mary could hear every word:
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Livin' for today
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Livin' life in peace
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Mary's face twisted as the song pounded into her brain. But, more than that, it seemed like she actually heard the words. The glow started to fade from her eyes and her lips twitched.
The shadow scowled and sank its claws in deeper. Mary drew in a breath to scream but suddenly her expression smoothed out. A beatific smile graced her face and the glow returned to her eyes, mirrored by the dark angel. "HIS justice is almighty and HIS mercy is infinite. There is no need to struggle or fight. HIS forgiveness will hold you, guide you and lead you to the promised land." A hymn leaked from her lips as if from a broken record player. She took a step forward.
The ex-Colonel held up her cane defensively, keeping a wary eye on the horrible conjoined twins.
"Your weapons are no match for the glory of GOD, Unbeliever. But soon, you will know HIS grace." Both their mouths were moving in sync but still the sound only came from Mary.
Tanya pursed her lips as if deciding something important.
The pair staggered toward her. The dark angel pulled its right claws out with a wet, meaty sound and reached toward Tanya. At the same time, Mary's right hand glowed with violet power, the most she had ever seen. The message was obvious. Submit now.
Submit or die.
Tanya nodded, her mind apparently made up.
Mary finally was within a few paces, still stumbling but apparently not realizing her lack. "Bow before the eternal Yea, find your salvation in HIS light and be shriven of your sins. Your time of salvation has arrived, Unbeliever. REJOICE!"
Then a tiny hole appeared in its forehead.
They SCREAMED! For the first time sound came from its mouth as well as Mary's! It pulled out its other claw and clutched at the hole in its head! Mary dropped to her hands and knees and cried bloody tears while the shadow creature flailed around screeching!
Tanya pulled on a glove and ejected a round from her cane before reloading it with a silvery bullet. She watched the monster flop around curiously. It's like one of the noodle men they use for advertising. Just more disgusting.
Deciding she had seen enough, she put the bullet right through thing's heart.
Only then did the noise stop.
Mary slumped over to one side, strings cut. With her injury, the Rune of Amity drained away, returning the world to its proper colors.
"Well, that was interesting. Very interesting indeed." Tanya went over to see how the other woman was doing. "Hey, Sioux. You still alive?
"T-tanya? I think. I think so." She rolled onto her back. After a few seconds a tiny bit of color returned to her face and she accepted a handkerchief from the Germanian to wipe off the blood. "What the hell was that thing?"
"A friend of mine called it a dybbuk. A creature that feeds off of you and controls you. It's odd, though."
"It went far beyond odd, damnit! That thing was inside of me!"
"Oh, grow up. You think you're alone in that? No, the odd thing is that its master didn't appear here. I think its eyes weren't on you right now and only its servant was left."
Mary thought about this, too tired to argue. Finally she asked, "How did you kill it?"
"That was a bit of luck." She pulled out another bullet with her gloved hand. "I made a few tricks to kill you if you got out of hand. These will punch right through your shields... probably. At any rate, I had no idea if it would work against that thing."
"You had those all along?" She stared at the silver harbinger of death as Tanya loaded her cane again. For years she had gotten used to being nearly invulnerable but lived only by the mercy of her nemesis
"Of course! If you actually tried to finish me, I was going to shoot you and then call over my medics. Fortunately – for you – I didn't have to resort to that." Her voice grew steely. "But if you killed anyone I care about, I'll still put you down. Remember that."
Reflexively, Mary was going to argue but then she closed her eyes. "Okay."
Tanya sent up a firework to summon the Knights.
Red arrived first. "Colonel? Are you okay?" He saw Mary lying there and raised his sword reflexively. He triggered his radio, "Argent is safe, I repeat Argent is safe. Bogie captured. I repeat, bogie captured!"
"No need for that. I'm fine and Miss Sioux has surrendered under my authority as the Ambassador of Germania for crimes committed on Germanian soil."
"Surrendered?" Mary found the strength to ask.
Tanya looked down at her. "If you haven't, you'll force me to see if this bullet will punch through your skull." She grinned widely. "I haven't really tested it fully yet. Are you volunteering?"
"I surrendered!" she quickly responded.
"What's the situation, Red?" She didn't really want to know but she had to know.
"The kids are all safe, Yellow took them there. No fires due to the rain and we cut power to what's left of the Tower so we don't electrocute anyone."
"Casualties?"
"Actually, none as far as we know."
"What? Are you certain?" Tanya looked very surprised and Mary let out the breath she had been holding. Unnoticed, she began to cry.
"I'm not sure about the details but they were quite clear about that." Blue flipped up his visor and grinned at the commander.
"Well! Good news in an otherwise crappy day. I don't know how it happened, but I'll take the win." She said to the prone woman. "Up and at 'em, Sioux! We need to get you into custody and start cleaning up this mess."
"Can..." She stopped and swallowed, her mouth dry. "Can I help?"
Tanya looked shocked and then gave a fleeting smile. "We'll see. For now, let's get someplace dry! I feel a need for beverages you can't find in the rest of Chicago, a cup of coffee, or some combination thereof!"
Chapter 100 - Herzschlag
(During the attack...)
The guests sightseeing and dining on Eiffel's Tower had been sent down first and only the workers were left while waiting their turn. A third of them were, unusually, wearing large goggles and raincoats.
Anthon yelled to the remaining waiters after seeing the unknown mage approaching, "We're going down on the Express!"
"Hold on tight, friends!" Each of the goggled waiters grabbed two others by the waist and jumped off the Tower!
Behind them, louder than thunder, louder than a locomotive emergency braking, louder than judgment day, a huge violent beam sheared off the top of the tower!
Having fallen a few seconds through the rainy skies, the mage waiters activated their flight orbs. "Scheisse, you fellows are heavy!"
"Just think of us as large cannolis!" quipped Anthon.
"I expect a good tip for this delivery!"
Their orbs weren't designed for this kind of weight but the mages weren't try to fly, just fall gracefully. But even graceful falling wasn't comfortable to the more land-bound staff!
The groaning of metal being twisted by stress and gravity sounded above. Rivets tore out like rifle bullets! A waiter looked behind and saw the proud summit of the Tower falling as if in slow motion. He tried to burn that image into his mind so he could describe it to his kids... if he survived to have any! Strings of lights flickered and went out as their power failed under the stress, slowly darkening the once-magnificent Tower.
The Express Waiters fought to maintain their grips (and velocity) so that they didn't land too quickly. The rain made both harder but it had to be said that adrenaline didn't hurt.
"Otto, the ground is coming up fast. Otto. Otto!" He saw the grassy hill approaching at speeds that made his eyes grow wide!
"Working on it!" They pushed their skills to the limit! Six orbs shined brighter than the lightning behind them, slowing them for a few brief seconds! Nearly twenty workers tumbled down the wet hill, rolling on the slick grass and finally ending up against a row decorative landscaping!
Anthon was the first to speak after they caught their breath. "Everyone alive?"
"Uhhgh. I think so." He checked himself. "Nothing broken, I think."
"Great! Now march to a shelter. I'd feel stupid to have survived the attack, and that insane escape, only to die when our feet are on solid ground!"
"How would you feel stupid if you are dead?" Otto asked though he staggered upright at the same time.
"I would be embarrassed to meet St. Peter at the pearly gates. Move it!"
* * *
Pete looked out at the storm rather than obeying the directive to get into a shelter. As a paramedic, he told himself, he needed to stay ready to rescue people and deliver them to the hospital.
Truthfully, though, he just wanted to see what was happening!
He scanned the skies, ignoring the rain wetting his uniform. He had no idea where the bogie might be coming from but he wanted to see who was so bold as to invade Argent's consulate. When she was actually present!
Della poked her head out. "Pete! Get back inside, it's not safe out there!"
"It's a big place, y'know? I doubt his first target is going to be the hospital. Besides, Dr. Trapp has hardened this building enough, that it might be safer than the main consulate itself."
She groaned at his sophistry. "The doctor is the one who told me to tell you to get inside!"
He continued to scan the skies as he talked. "Well, if it's an order, I guess... wait!" He spotted flashes of light not created by nature. He quickly uncovered his binoculars and looked up. "I can't quite make out the uniform, but I think it's American?"
"Why would the Unified States attack us?"
"I dunno but... wait... oh my God..." Both of them saw the coruscating beam of destruction destroy the upper part of the Tower! "It has to be a Named, but who has that kind of power?"
"What else do you see?! Is anyone hurt?" Della held a clenched fist in front of her mouth, heart in her throat as she watched tons of twisted steel crash to the ground!
"I can't tell. The Tower is too... Wait, there's another up there! Both look American I think. I think they are facing each other? Their uniforms aren't the same. Wait, I think one is about to..."
Just then a huge explosion lit up the sky!
"Aigh! Jumping Jesus!" He jerked the binoculars away from his eyes. He blinked rapidly and rubbed his face, trying to clear the afterimages.
Della stumbled back, both from surprise and the wave of sound that washed over them! "What was that?!"
"I reckon it was a combat spell of some sort. It couldn't be anything else." He swore some more as he was trying to clear his eyes. They finally cleared up and he carefully brought his binoculars back up. The aftermath of the explosion still hung in the air, the smoke was gradually dissipating. "I can't see anything, there's too much in the way. No, over there... the second mage is still up but I can't see the first one."
"They are fighting, then?"
He said slowly, "I think you're right. The first one took out the Tower and the second one attacked him. Dang, I wish I had better binoculars!" Pete suddenly stopped talking and his mouth hung open. He shut it with a snap and tossed the binoculars to Della. Without a word, he took off into the sky going faster than Della had ever seen!
She fumbled the binoculars to her face and saw him streaking upwards. One mage hovered above all, the other was falling lifelessly to Earth. "Oh. But Pete... what if she attacks you? Pete?" Talking quietly to herself, she watched him approach the falling mage, blood shockingly obvious on his uniform and the paramedic flying to meet him.
* * *
Pete was a white streak, a reverse lightning bolt flashing upward toward the falling soldier. He did his best to ignore the monstrous presence above, a brutal destroyer, poised to strike again. He hoped that his uniform provided some protection as he knew his shield wouldn't stop a beam that could lop the top off of Eiffel's Tower!
He matched the fall of the body as best he could and tried to time his fall so that he could spend most of their momentum before the ground stopped them. Geez, this guy is heavy! He pushed his lift and even dropped his rain shield, trying to ignore itching between his shoulder blades as they fell away from the site of the battle. Pete spared some energy to put an oxygen spell on the soldier per the new protocols. He didn't know if it would help but it couldn't hurt.
Pete skidded through the doors Della held open for him and put Cal onto a gurney with a thud!
"Easy, Pete!" she remonstrated with him even as she helped push the gurney to the operating room.
"You try carrying this guy!" He kept up the oxygen spell and kept pressure on bloody wound in his gut. They rushed him over and Della cut off his uniform with specialized scissor while Pete monitored him. "Shit, I don't know if he has much longer!"
Dr. Trapp took over. "Coagulants and bandages Della, O pos Pete!" The wound was too large to be subtle and the Doctor took over applying pressure and finding the where the worst bleeding was.
"Got it, doc!" He grabbed a half dozen bottles from the fridge and he used his power to carefully heat them evenly without destroying the bottles or their lifesaving contents. He hooked one to an IV and quickly found a vein. "First one in!"
"Keep them coming," he said matter-of-factly.
This simple statement caused a chill to go down Della's back. That meant the bleeding was nowhere under control. She did her best to clear the wounds with sterile water so that the doctor could suture the worst cut vessels. "Doctor, his heart has stopped... I can't find a pulse!" She listened again, "Wait, there it is, erratic and weak. We're losing him!
Trapp narrowed his eyes. "Keep up the infusions and oxygen, we're going to try something. Sixty seconds and then hit him, Della."
"I've only done that with animals, Doctor!"
His hands didn't stop. "Is there a better time? Pete doesn't have the control needed for this."
"Ouch! But true!"
"Shut up. Thirty seconds, get ready."
Della breathed in shakily and brought out a small orb and hung it around her neck. She watched carefully as Trapp finished up.
He actually found it easier as the bleeding slowed to a crawl with the heart fibrillating. "Okay, go!"
She put her hands on the unmoving chest and electricity sparkled down her arms into hands, the light throwing weird shadows around the room. "Clear!"
Trapp pulled back just as she released into Cal chest causing his body to jump slightly!
"Keep it focused just in the chest!" He put a stethoscope to his chest. "Again!"
"Clear!"
* * *
Gisela was organizing the disaster coordination inside the consulate while Oskar handled coordination with the Unified States. She compiled reports quickly of the consulate inhabitants and visitors. Inter-building communications were robust but there was easy way to account for everyone who was there, who was out of the consulate and who was visiting!
Finally, though, she was able to verify that all those who lived on premises were account for and the few who weren't there were in Chicago. The visitors were harder but quickly compiled registered guests and visitor logs finally were matched up. She sighed and leaned back in her chair. "Is that it, Min?"
"Yes'm! The kids were the last ones and a Knight escorted them back." The soft-spoken mixed-race teen was a lucky find... one of the Tanyaland immigrant-wannabees. She was smart and organized and took to the free classes like a duck to water.
"Good, finally!" She picked up the hotline to the Consulate main office in the rebuilt manor. "Minister, we've verified everyone. It's a miracle, but I think everyone made it to cover."
"Excellent news! I'll inform the Americans. Can you tell me when their mage will come out? Is he helping to escort the prisoner?"
"An American mage, sir? I don't have any record of one here. Didn't he leave after the attack?"
"They are asking, so I assume not. Can you check around? Has anyone not confirmed?"
"No, our people were the first in with their data except for a few in the city. I'll send out a call in case he went to a shelter after the check-in."
Sighing, she and her team called to the various shelters. Finally, she got to the hospital. "We are doing a second personnel check. Is the American mage there?"
Helen responded, "Oh! Gisela! How did you...?"
Gisela could hear a voice in the background, "His heart has stopped!"
"Helen, who are they talking about?" A quaver entered her voice. "Helen? Who's heart?"
"Sixty seconds!"
"Gisela, it's..." she couldn't finish the sentence.
"Clear!"
"Helen? Helen!"
"Again!"
"Clear!"
"It's Cal, Gisela. It's Cal."
The phone fell from her nerveless fingers and clattered to the floor and she collapsed into her chair. Then she struggled to her feet! "I have to go!"
One of the operators said, "What, no!" He grabbed her as she tried to rush out.
"Let me go!" She struggled with surprising strength.
"Gisela, stop! It's not safe out there! Just wait til the all clear. Dr. Trapp is a good doctor, what are you going to do there!"
"I have to go, please let me go..." Reason stopped her from attacking the man but she kept pleading. "Don't you understand?" She pounded her chest and cried out, "Mein Herz bricht. Mein Herz bricht." Finally she just stopped fighting and sobbed while the other operators watched helplessly.
* * *
Several hours later, Gisela stood over a hospital bed while Dr. Trapp spoke softly to her. "He's a strong man, very strong, but his heart stopped for a full minute. There haven't been studies on the affect on humans under these circumstances."
Though red-eyed, her gaze was calm and didn't move from Cal's face. "He will be fine, Doctor. You see, I have his heart and so he can't die while I'm here."
The medical man was about to say something when Gisela grabbed his arm. "Doctor! His eyelids, they moved!"
"Eh?" He put on his stethoscope and listened to Cal's chest.
Cal's eyes struggled open, "Sela?" he whispered and then said something too quiet to hear. "...ortant questi..."
She leaned close and listened carefully and then finally cried while saying, "I don't care where I get married as long as you are there, you idiot!"