Capture Death (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 20) Read online

  “Well, ok - do it.” She shrugged. “I’m not going in there, we aren’t getting those spheres back, and …”

  The video intake on her HUD disappeared as she felt the dirt tremble under her. She quickly rolled to her stomach and lifted her head to see dirt and building parts shooting up into the air.

  “Fuckkkkk…meee…” she whispered.

  “Several new assholes,” quipped ADAM

  She watched some of the larger chunks of the old building crash to the ground. “I hate effective enemies who don’t underestimate you.”

  —

  “We have movement,” ADAM told her. Her HUD showed a few dots of movement coming out of the hills on the other side of the destroyed building. “Shinigami has the video to show their origination point.”

  “Have to love a plan that comes together.” She calculated the distance. “This is going to be a bit of a pain to go through the Etheric with all this damned new metal derivitives armor and shit. It’s going to suck up my reserves like an elephant at a waterhole,” she grumped.

  TOM spoke up. “You will have time to rest unless they use vehicles, and at the moment they aren’t doing so.”

  “Wonder if they mined the areas around the building?” she mused. “That would have ruined my night as well.

  —

  The operations center was a hive of excited whispering. The primary client contact, who was sitting in the back of the room, towered over most of the mercenaries. Between him and the now-destroyed building were well over a hundred fighters.

  Not that it had mattered before when they had thousands of Leath military. Zill, Fourth of what had started as the Eight, dropped to Seven, went back to Eight and then back to Seven a second time crossed his arms and paid attention to the sensors arrayed in the cave system and outside.

  The team slowly making their way to the trap were making sure they stepped carefully.

  He suspected they would be his second helping of bait. First of the Seven Levelot wanted to use this body as her own Avatar, but Zill would be taking that option if he had a chance. There was no way the math could work out to allow such a dangerous enemy the opportunity to escape on the way back.

  At least, that was how his math worked out.

  He glanced at the screens which showed the fourteen different trap locations the Witch would have to pass to get to the Operations center.

  Zill had been meticulous in his placement of the traps, as well as in putting expendable mercenaries between himself and Death, who was coming for the bait.

  Him.

  Etheric Dimension.

  Baba Yaga was breathing hard, lying on the ground trying to pull more energy in, while the white swirled above her. “I suggest we just take off all this armor and do it the old-fashioned way.”

  Which is what? TOM asked.

  “Naked with swords and guns,” she whispered.

  And if they use explosives with ball bearings or something similar?

  “I get peppered?”

  And if one of them hits me?

  “You can’t regenerate?”

  To some level, but if they damage my body enough I’m a goner.

  She heaved a heavy sigh. “Well, fuck. You know, you come with a lot of baggage—just like a boyfriend.”

  I do a lot of good, and I am handy with math.

  “Just like a boyfriend.” She got up started walking towards where she suspected the enemy was located. “Well, some of them,” she qualified. “But if they weren’t good with math, they were usually good with engines.”

  >>Keep it up,<< ADAM shot to TOM. >> She needs to focus on the past.<<<br />
  I’m working on it! TOM shot back. It’s not like I’m her boyfriend or something.

  >>Well, you are with her all the time, you say stuff at the most inopportune times, you curse like a sailor, and she puts you in the doghouse.<<<br />
  You are right, I am her fucking boyfriend, TOM sighed. When Michael came on board with this other human, I should have paid more attention to who I was putting myself into.

  >>Which also sounds just like a boyfriend.<< ADAM smirked, sending the equivalent of a chuckle to TOM.

  “What are you two talking about?” Baba Yaga asked.

  Can I admit I don’t want to talk about it?

  “Of course. Do you want to talk about it?” she asked.

  No.

  “So fucking do it anyway,” she growled.

  Fine! TOM sighed. We were talking about when Michael first brought you onto my ship.

  “Brought Bethany Anne on the ship,” she clarified, and repeated the mantra in her mind: One foot in front of the other! One foot in front of the other!

  Just make the damned changes to the story in your own mind. I didn’t want to talk about this anyway! TOM grumped.

  “Fine,” she huffed. “What were you thinking before you jumped aboard?”

  I was thinking this was the perfect opportunity to engage with a viable candidate, so long as they checked out.

  “Bethany Anne checked out,” she said once more.

  Who-the-fuck-EVER checked out! TOM practically yelled. Who is telling this story? Do you want to know or not? I’m happy to shut up now. Just give me the word.

  “Fine, keep going.” She dropped to her knees and slowly moved her head forward to look back into her dimension before sharply jerking it back. “SHIT!” she cried as she threw her body backward and put her arms out to stop her roll.

  Almost get a face full of vehicle? TOM asked. He hadn’t paid attention to her visual for one damned moment.

  —

  “What the hell are you doing?” Mercenary Third Lead Gellhern yelled at the new recruit who was in front of him. He was waving as if he had a poisonous insect problem.

  The raw recruit, otherwise known as “Mine Minions” to Gellhern, stepped ahead of him, then turned back to look at Gellhern with his eyes open in surprise. He turned back to the front and then back to Gellhern before shaking his head. “Nothing, sir!”

  “Damn right, nothing!” He twirled his hand. “Back around, or you might step on a mine and have your blown-off foot kick your own ass.”

  “Why don’t we have these damned mines mapped better?” another voice called.

  Gellhern yelled, “You die yet, Kellmien?”

  “No.”

  “Then we have them mapped just fine,” was Gellhern’s reply.

  —

  What happened? TOM asked.

  “Just about got a face full of face,” Baba Yaga answered. “Was a bit of a surprise.”

  >>Then we are on the right path,<< ADAM told her. >>Let’s keep going.<<<br />
  “Fuck this.” She rolled over and stood up tiredly, stripping her boots off.

  Oh goody, TOM commented as she kept unbuckling different pieces of her armor. We are all going to blow up and die.

  “You are a pitiful excuse for a superhero,” she told him.

  That the best you got? TOM sniffed. You should drop and give me fifty.

  “When I get most of this shit off me, I’ll be able to give you fifty with one arm and use the other one to flip you the fuck off,” she hissed.

  Soon she wore only black leggings. Baba Yaga went on to remove the armor from her arms, but she left the vest part of her chest armor on.

  She dropped the helmet to the side.

  She left the Ranger coat full of shit behind too, as well as the M1911A and its rounds.

  Nice pile of metal you have there, TOM commented.

  “Too much for too far,” she replied. “I’m feeling better already.”

  Does this mean I don’t have to talk about my first experience with you?

  “Yes. Keep that shit to yourself,” she replied, adding one of her swords to the pile. She started to leave, but then turned back and rifled through the coat.

  A minute later she started jogging in the right direction.

  —

  Zill noticed the movement. “What’s going on?” He removed his arm from his sleeve, pointin
g it towards the mercenary who waved his hand in front of his face before turning to speak with the leader behind him.

  “Unknown,” the communications specialist answered. “I’m reviewing the communication now.”

  Zill reached up and scratched his tusk, then realized what he had just done and grunted.

  It was time for him to try a different body. He was acclimating too well to this skin.

  He watched for another hour before telling the group in the Operations Center, “Bring the soldiers back here. She is on her way.”

  Mercenary Prime Lead Boll turned her head. “Why? We don’t know she wasn’t blown up.”

  “If she was blown up, then…”

  —

  Baba Yaga cocked her head and listened. It had taken her a while to find the cave system, and even longer to work her way through it to this operations room.

  “If she was blown up, then we will find remains in the morning. I have a feeling she will come for us here,” the Leath said as Baba Yaga slipped back into the Etheric.

  “Fifteen of them, one of me. Kill the Leath, and he just moves to another body. Armor too fucking far away,” she mused. “I hate myself.”

  She reached down and opened a metal case, which held five spheres. “Say hello, you fucking bastards, to my little friends,” she hissed. “Blow me up?” She continued her running commentary as she closed the empty case and tossed it to the side. “Let me return the favor.”

  She peeked back into the room and nodded to herself, then took five steps to the side. She revved up her speed and slid into the room, slung the five spheres around the room, pushed the Leath into the Etheric, and then stepped back into the dimension herself.

  She flinched when she got back, thinking of the destruction she had left behind.

  The Leath had rolled over and was already standing some fifteen feet away from her in a defensive position.

  “Ah, the Witch,” he commented, looking around. “You have moved us into the Etheric.”

  Baba Yaga said nothing, but moved to her right. The Kurtherian in the Leath’s body started moving to his own right, maintaining the distance between them.

  Throwing a Kurtherian into the Etheric might not be a great strategy, TOM told her.

  Why? she asked. Can all of you guys use the realm?

  Her voice was gravelly. “Do I call you something base, or do you have a name?”

  “Like what?” he replied.

  “Orc-faced leg-humping cluster-fucking ass-munch, maybe?” she answered. He frowned, but stayed quiet.

  She tried again. “Dried-out senile mental midget?”

  There was just the tiniest of pauses. “It’s ‘Zill,’” he answered, spitting to the side. “Just because you’re going to die,” he went on, “does not mean you need to be rude.”

  This time Baba Yaga shrugged her indifference. “I’ve run out of fucks to give when it comes to you Kurtherians.”

  “Come to me and I will make your future meaningful,” he told her.

  TOM, did he just try to manipulate my mind?

  Uh, no.

  Seriously?

  We would know if he had tried.

  She thought about it a moment. “You are a strange one, but, I will play along. Why don’t you lay down and stab yourself?”

  His eyes narrowed. “Why would I do that?”

  “It would save me the effort.” Baba Yaga cackled.

  They continued their slow circling.

  “We could do this forever,” he told her, “or I could go ahead and—”

  The Witch palmed her Jean Dukes and quickly aimed, pulling the trigger five times before most humans could have blinked once.

  The Leath was still moving circling with her. “Oohhh, fuck,” she whispered. She looked behind her to make sure no one was sneaking up.

  TOM! she called in alarm. Any ideas here?

  Yes.

  Tell me! she asked urgently.

  Get him the fuck out of the Etheric, TOM told her. He is manipulating the metal in here.

  You can manipulate metal in here?

  Well, that’s what I said!

  Is that a guess, or do you know?

  It is a logical guess, unless you have a clue? Anne does some cool shit in here.

  Baba Yaga swung her left pistol to the side, then had to dodge as one of the rounds she had just shot flew back at her.

  I’m seeing it, she admitted, but I’m not believing it. A moment later she ducked as another of her rounds flew past where she had just been.

  “It is so lovely to be here,” Zill informed her. “Do you wish me to give you an example of real power?”

  Her eyes squeezed shut in pain as the rail gun projectile slammed into her back, shattering itself against her armor.

  FUCKING HELL! she thought, and jumped up. She took an Etheric step back and increased the distance between the two of them by a hundred yards.

  The Leath waited a moment before he called, “I can find you anywhere!”

  “Oh my God, this isn’t good.” She started sprinting back the way she had come.

  He will figure out your armor is metal soon enough.

  Why hasn’t he yet?

  His mind is probably overstimulated right now. The math to understand the possibilities is overwhelming his mind in a mad rush of dopamine.

  Baba Yaga kept running, glancing back into their own dimension a moment and then changing her direction in the Etheric. Slowing down, heart pumping, she looked around for her stash.

  I wouldn’t shoot him with anything metal, TOM advised.

  What about energy balls? she asked.

  Fifty-fifty on that, TOM answered. He can do metal, maybe he can’t do energy—or maybe he can.

  I hate those odds, she replied grimly. She glanced out into her dimension and turned right. In another ten steps the mist parted enough for her to see the shape of her stuff off to her left. Keeping her speed up, she grabbed her helmet, slammed it over her head and locked it on.

  I can feel him, TOM told her. We have maybe twelve seconds to get finished putting on all of this armor, grab your other shit, figure out a plan, and execute it.

  I HATE this fucking armor! she bitched, trying to lock the snaps into place.

  Seven seconds, TOM told her.

  Bethany Anne threw her armor on and was sliding the holsters into place for her M1911As when TOM yelled, DUCK!

  She dropped to the ground as multiple objects sliced through the mist.

  His voice came to her from nearby. “Come on, you don’t have to play like this!” Zill’s Leath laugh sounded like a dog barking.

  Baba Yaga’s eyes flared red inside her helmet.

  “Oh, there you are!” he said when he caught sight of the red eyes shining through her helmet’s visor.

  She strained with everything she had and pushed off the ground, aiming her body at his.

  “See, I told you to come to me!” he was saying when her shoulder slammed into him.

  She dropped them both out of the Etheric.

  “WEIGHT!” she yelled, and ADAM slammed on the antigrav in her suit. She continued moving forward while floating five feet above the ground. She looked behind her to see the Leath’s body rolling across the ground before a huge crack and explosion sent the dirt and his body flying.

  She saw an arm go one way, a leg the other. She pulled a .45 and aimed ahead of her. Pulling the trigger three times, she shot at the ground along her future path. The first two rounds slammed into the ground to no effect, but the third caused another explosion of dirt high into the air.

  “Drop me there,” she commanded, and ADAM added weight as she glided over to the site of the explosion. Her feet touched down, and she turned as the Leath’s body came to a stop. She exchanged her pistols and looked up. “Weight, ADAM,” she commanded and pushed gently, slowly rising off the ground. She watched the body, her Jean Dukes pistol in her hand. “Wish I had…” She shook her head in disgust and held out her left hand, and a red ball of energ
y started forming. A moment later she saw the beginning of a Kurtherian start to slither out of the Leath’s body.

  “Tempting,” she said to herself as she flung the energy at the Kurtherian. Soon it was flailing about, Zill’s mental screams amplified by TOM as he fried in the energy.

  “What was tempting?” ADAM asked through her speakers.

  “Letting him slither to see if he set off another bomb,” she replied, and then disappeared into the Etheric.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Planet N’Var, Police Station

  “Captain D221?” a human male asked, and the captain looked up from his work area. He was in a circular area about five steps across with a small desk built into the entire arc of the wall. The captain was usually alone in this work area. He turned to see two human males and a female.

  The female looked suspiciously familiar. He tagged her face and issued a request to find and labeled it “Priority.”

  It would be very beneficial if a wanted criminal walked right into his police station.

  “Yes?” He turned to give them his full attention while his people worked in the background.

  “Ranger Two?” Achronyx said to Tabitha through her bone speaker.

  “Hmm?” she answered almost inaudibly.

  “The captain tagged your face and sent the request to see if you are a wanted person,” her EI replied.

  Tabitha raised an eyebrow and sent the information to Barnabas. “Introductions?” she asked and nodded to the waiting captain.

  “Certainly, Ranger Two,” Barnabas said aloud and turned to the captain, who was canceling a work request. “Captain,” he waved a hand to Tabitha, “this is Ranger Two of the Etheric Empire.” Tabitha stepped forward to greet the police officer. “This is the commander of the Empress’ Guardians, Peter.”

  Barnabas waited a moment for the two to greet each other before continuing. “and I am Barnabas,” he announced as he stepped forward to greet the captain.

  Tabitha added, “My boss.”

  She smiled to herself when the captain did a double take upon receiving that information. While she was known through a lot of the systems, Barnabas kept a low profile. Not on purpose, necessarily—he just didn’t go out and get involved in investigations that placed his name in the news very often. Frankly, Tabitha thought Barnabas was still under the assumption that if you knew about vampires, you knew about him.