God Of Mischief (Fate's Warriors Bk 1), page 6
Far too large to land, the ship hovered over the water. It disgorged thousands of robot soldiers and Grimgorg warriors at various points around the edges of Manhattan. People fled, seeking refuge from the horde of droids that sped after them. In morbid fascination, Loki watched on a monitor as they fired their weapons. Darts flew out, carrying a cocktail of microscopic robots and Viltaran blood. Dozens of civilians were instantly converted into seven-foot-tall, gray skinned, red eyed horrors. These new clones were far larger than the Kveet clones.
Shying away from the deadly sun, they slunk into the shadows to hide and to find a place to sleep. Come nightfall, they would emerge and join the ever-increasing army that would soon spread out across the country. They would help round up their former kin so they could be converted as well.
Other humans were herded together by Grimgorg warriors. Shamans put collars on them and they were instantly turned into mindless slaves by the magical silver chokers. A Viltaran droid translated the orders their new masters gave them. They turned to head towards a transport ship that had landed in the middle of the street.
Loki refused to allow himself to pity the doomed humans. Far inferior in every way, it was inevitable that they would be subjugated to slavery by a superior power one day. He’d just gotten to them first.
Wearying of Uldar’s stench and Rho’s nervous fidgeting, Loki stepped away from the monitor. “I believe I will move to a closer vantage point and enjoy the spectacle in person,” he said. The droid dutifully relayed his words, but he was already striding towards the exit before either of his companions could reply.
Motioning for one of his robots to follow his ally, Uldar didn’t trust Loki. The Asgardian was too clever by far and arrogant beyond his station. If he hadn’t demonstrated his ability to use magic, Uldar would have ended his life upon their first encounter. The knowledge that there were many worlds that had yet to be conquered was the only thing that had saved the alien’s life.
Once this planet had been subdued, Loki would use his power to convert the mothership’s fuel tanks so they never ran empty again. Uldar’s eyes glowed brighter in fierce joy. His kind didn’t believe in ruling other species. Their purpose was to turn them into clones, then destroy their worlds utterly. The Asgardian didn’t realize that he had doomed this planet to annihilation by bringing them here. The moment Uldar had what he needed, he would turn on Loki and the Grimgorg and turn them into his slaves.
Battling the urge to shudder for no reason that he could fathom, Loki took a transporter ship down to the surface. As the ramp slid open, he used his innate ability to change his appearance. His cape and armor disappeared and a black suit, shirt and tie took its place. He had to admit, the attire was far more comfortable than his usual garb. Straightening his tie, he stepped off the ramp and paused to let a fresh unit of robots jog past. Just as he’d expected, the panicked civilians were offering little resistance to the alien invaders. A few brave souls fired weapons, but they were swiftly converted.
He worked his way deeper into the city until he was surrounded by expensive apartment buildings. Picking one at random, he strode past a petrified doorman to an elevator. Riding to the top, he stepped out into a foyer with a white marble floor and expensive looking paintings on the walls. Twin black doors barred his way. They opened with a flick of his wrist and a small surge of magic.
For a moment, he felt dizzy, then shrugged it off. Ever since his encounter with the strange female warrior on Asgard, he hadn’t quite felt like himself whenever he used magic. His mind skittered away from the memory of their kiss. It had been as disturbing as it had been arousing. He didn’t know who she was, but she’d been magnificent in battle.
Inside the apartment, white marble was the predominant feature. It flowed into a spacious living room with plush white couches and a thick cream rug beneath a glass coffee table. The dining room was to the left with a glass table that could seat up to ten people. A kitchen was to the right. The counter tops were more white marble and the appliances were stainless steel. He saw a hallway to the right of the door that led to more rooms, but ignored it for now. He sensed no one in residence and shut the door and locked it to keep it that way. Due to his magic, he was now the only one who could open the door.
Hidden beneath his illusion spell, he unbuckled his sword and it became visible again. Draping the belt over a couch, he stood Lævateinn against the armrest. It was doubtful he would require his weapon while he was in his chosen domain.
Spying a set of French doors between the kitchen and living room, he strode over and opened them to see a large balcony beyond. A table and four chairs made of wrought iron were shaded by an umbrella to the left. He crossed to the ornate marble banister and watched the mayhem twenty-stories below. A pleased smile made his mouth curve upwards. Everything was going to plan. So far, nothing had gone wrong at all. He was confident that things would remain that way.
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Chapter Ten
~~~ Alpha World ~~~
Caught in a crush of terrified people, Bianca was carried along with them as they stampeded down the sidewalk in a blind panic. Her first instinct when the ship started blowing up the bridges was to reach for weapons that didn’t exist. Her hands strayed to her hips and encountered only the too tight skirt. Shaking her head to dispel the weird thought that weapons should have been within reach, she concentrated on staying on her feet. Several people had already been trampled and she didn’t want to become the next victim.
An elbow banged into her, knocking her purse from her shoulder. She caught it by the strap and clutched it to her chest like a shield. Up ahead, the crowd came to a stop and screams rang out. Tall gray creatures with scarlet eyes towered over them. They were strangely familiar, but she didn’t know how that could possibly be. Maybe she’d seen them in a movie. From their stiff movements, they were robots rather than flesh and blood monsters. Not that it made much difference. Beasts or machines, they weren’t here to extend their hands in friendship.
Levelling strange square guns that had a barrel about twelve inches wide, they began to fire. Syringes full of iridescent yellow liquid flew out to hit the people in the front ranks. Horror crawled into Bianca’s throat and lodged there when the victims were transformed into monsters. Sprouting fangs and red eyes, their ears became long and curved on the ends. Growling up at the sun, steam rose from their naked, heavily muscled flesh. They turned and loped towards the subway. Screaming in terror that they would also be turned into hideous creatures, the crowd attempted to flee.
Instincts kicking in, Bianca shoved her way through the press of bodies and ran. She didn’t even feel the pain in her feet as she headed northward towards Central Park. Avoiding the robots, she pushed her way through groups of people who were frozen in terror.
Reaching the park, she saw dozens of hunchbacked green aliens carrying thin silver mirrors with glowing blue edges towards a grassy area. Heading east, she sprinted past Maddison Avenue and turned up Park Avenue. Her breath hitched in her throat and her lungs were burning by now. Seeing a group of robots just ahead, she darted through the doors of an opulent apartment building. Wild eyed with fear, the doorman cowered away from her as if she was one of the invaders. Seeing an elevator, she raced over to it and frantically pushed a button. The door slid shut and it carried her up to the top floor.
Heart racing, she stepped out into an elegant white foyer. Her shoes clicked loudly on the marble floor as she hurried over to a pair of black doors. She almost let out a sob when she found them to be locked. An exit sign to her right caught her eye and she headed for it. Opening the door, she found stairs going both up and down. Hearing the clomp of heavy feet far below, she realized the robots had seen her. Or maybe they were searching every building for people who were desperately trying to hide.
Left with little choice, she headed upwards. She raced up the stairs as fast as she could and pushed the door open. Bright sunlight blinded her. Blinking, she waited for her eyes to adjust. Her heart sank when she took a look around. One glance was enough to know she’d made a mistake by entering this building. She’d hoped to find somewhere to hide, but had chosen a building with a helipad on the roof. Turning to the door, there was no way to bar it from the droids that would shortly be upon her.
Refusing to give in to despair, Bianca hurried over to the edge of the building and peered over the side. Quickly skirting around the perimeter, her doggedness was rewarded when she spied a balcony beneath her. It led to the apartment below with the locked doors. The fall was around twenty feet, which was daunting. “It’s better than staying up here and becoming a monster,” she muttered.
She’d seen glimpses of what was happening to her fellow humans as she’d fled. Some had been converted by the robots, but others had been rounded up by the green things. Glowing silver collars had been placed on their necks and their faces had become blank as their wills had been stripped away. “No way am I ending up like that,” she told herself. She’d take her chances with the balcony below. Breaking her neck had to be better than ending up as a slave for aliens.
Positioning her handbag so it lay across the front of her body, she carefully climbed up the railing and straddled the top of it. Hearing the sound of metal feet reach the top floor, her head shot up. Her attention fastened on the door just as it burst open, revealing the scarlet eyes of a droid. Seeing her, it raised its strange square gun and pulled the trigger.
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Chapter Eleven
~~~ Natalie’s World ~~~
Filled with restless energy, Nat paced the living room floor. Two days had passed since Lexi and Violet had been sent to her world and Loki still hadn’t shown up. The dread and anticipation was starting to get to them all. The girls were in the overseer’s house, reading through the chronicles Danton had written about her.
“How much longer must we wait for Loki and his minions to arrive?” Geordie grumbled. He was even less patient than Natalie and he was fed up with waiting.
Ishida’s tone was snarky when he spoke. “How many times are you going to ask that question?” Usually, the boys got along well. Tension and the possible impending doom of mankind was causing them to snipe at each other.
Igor glowered at them both and they wisely closed their mouths. “You should be thankful our enemies haven’t arrived yet,” he said. “Once they do, you will be complaining that we never get a chance to rest.”
“That is not true,” Geordie said with a pout. “I can take anything except boredom. Being tortured by scientists is preferable to sitting around endlessly waiting for something to happen.”
Nearly everyone in the room shuddered. Nat’s closest friends had been captured and had been experimented on in the name of science. None of them were ever likely to forget that experience.
“If pain will take your mind off your boredom, I can assist you with that,” Igor offered.
“That will not be necessary,” Geordie replied hastily and shrank against Kokoro’s side. She put her arm around his shoulder and he sent her a grateful look.
Ishida’s brows drew down for a moment before he smoothed his expression out. Kokoro had been like a mother to him for his entire ten thousand years of existence. He couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous that she had other people to devote her time and attention to now.
“Don’t worry, they’ll be here soon,” Nat said.
Gregor’s brows rose in curiosity. Natalie was different from every other vampire he’d ever known. Her intuition rarely let her down. “How long do we have before they arrive?”
“Another day or two,” she replied with a shrug.
“How do you know this, chérie?” Geordie asked.
“It’s a gut feeling.” If she’d learned one thing during her trials while saving the world, it was to listen to her instincts.
“Is there anything we can do to prepare?” Danton asked.
Ever the scribe, he’d started taking notes from the moment their two new guests had arrived. Nat was just glad that she wouldn’t be the sole person responsible for averting the apocalypse this time. Lexi and Violet would also star in the drama. “We don’t even know what we’ll be facing this time,” she said. That was what had her so worried. They knew an invasion by hostile aliens was imminent and they’d seen the ugly green Grimgorg aliens, but they had no idea who else Loki had allied himself with. The Viltarans had been wiped out in this dimension. God only knew what monsters had been dredged up to help invade their world.
Distant yells and clashes of metal on metal drifted to them on the wind. Her small number of troops were training with their swords. They practiced with their guns and other assorted weapons in a nearby field. The humans had been hypnotized to keep well clear of the area. They ignored the gunshots and explosions as if they didn’t even exist.
“What is bothering you, Natalie?” Luc asked. He knew his wife well enough to know something was on her mind.
Still pacing up and down, Nat came to a frustrated halt and turned to face her friends. “It’s something Fate said. I’ve had a lot of enemies since I became one of the undead. I’ve dealt with them all the same way.”
A wry expression crossed Igor’s craggy face. “By killing them horribly,” he clarified.
Nodding, she gave him a quick grin. “Exactly.” Plonking down onto Luc’s lap, she drew her knees up and curled against him as he wrapped his arms around her. “That’s the only way I know how to defeat my foes, but Fate told us we’re not allowed to kill Loki. At least not the Loki we’ll eventually meet on what she calls the ‘Alpha World’.” It was even worse than that. Fate had told them they weren’t allowed to let the Loki on the Alpha World know they existed. It seemed like an impossible task.
Geordie shook his head in confusion. “How many Lokis will you have to fight?”
She lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “I have no idea. At least several. Fate said we’d have to travel to each of our dimensions before we’ll find the Alpha World.”
“Are you allowed to kill the other Lokis?” Ishida queried.
“I’m not sure. She didn’t say.”
“I think I see your dilemma,” Gregor said. “You will not be able to rely on brute force, or your unique abilities to kill and maim when you finally meet the Loki that Fate warned you about.”
“How are we going to convince a demi-god to give up his mad plan to control every inhabited planet in the universe?” she asked in despair. “Tact and diplomacy aren’t exactly my areas of expertise.”
“You can say that again,” Geordie said with a snigger. Ishida’s quiet giggle echoed his. Igor lifted a hand in warning and their mirth subsided. Igor threatening the pair into submission was a familiar routine that Nat took comfort in. Despite all the troubles they’d been through, some things never changed.
Faithfully believing in his one true love, Luc kissed her on the cheek. “You will find a way,” he said with quiet conviction.
“You will not be alone,” Kokoro reminded her. “Alexis and Violet will be at your side. They have their own unique skills and abilities. Between the three of you, I am certain that you will prevail.”
Danton nodded in agreement. “Fate has many champions to choose from, yet she selected you three for this task. She must be confident that you will be able to find a way to avert disaster.”
“I don’t see how,” Nat muttered. “What use are we going to be if we can’t just kill him?” She didn’t remind him that they’d been chosen because of their uniqueness at being the only champions that existed in just one dimension.
“Perhaps it is not your skills at meting out death that will be required,” Igor mused.
“I’m Mortis,” she reminded him. “My entire purpose is to mete out death.”
“That was to save our world,” Luc said. “I think Igor could be correct. It will take something other than your skill with your swords to save the universe.”
Scowling down at the floor, Nat tried to push her feelings of inadequacy aside. She was trained to kill, not to persuade. Hopefully, Lexi or Violet would come up with a way they could achieve the task that had been set for them.
₪₪₪
Chapter Twelve
~~~ Alpha World ~~~
Satisfied that his allies were doing their jobs to transform, or round up the populace, Loki left the balcony. After a few steps, he saw someone materialize in the middle of the luxurious living room. Freezing in place, he recognized the black mask, tight black suit and the curvy body beneath it.
“Ah, the woman with no name,” he said. She inclined her head in acknowledgement. He wasn’t particularly happy to see her again. “Why are you here?” He walked towards her slowly, angling towards his sword that was resting against the couch. He had no idea who she was, or what she wanted, but he did know that she was deadly. Glancing down at her feet, he saw she wore high heeled boots. Even with them boosting her height, she was much shorter than him. Without them, she would barely reach his chest.
“I told you that we would meet again,” she reminded him.
“I had not forgotten,” he said as he casually leaned against the couch next to his sword. It was now close enough to reach if he felt threatened. Considering how easily she’d brought him to his knees during their first meeting, he wasn’t going to make the mistake of underestimating her.
“You did not heed my warning.”
He frowned in affront at her icy tone. “Which warning might that be? Perhaps you should remind me.” He remembered every word of their short conversation. He was just in a contentious mood. It had always been one of his failings. His mischievous nature had often landed him in trouble.
