impertinent negroes. He paid them no mind. He'd endured far worse in his life. I'd prefer not to die of old age in the time it'll take Unit 731 to decipher the genius of the greatest Cog that's ever lived. Tesla may have been crazy, but that man sure could build some mighty things. Why are you suddenly so rash? It isn't like you. You are normally the patient one…'Wait…' Isaiah said aloud, Reading deeper. You lost someone out there? Why didn't you say so?
He clenched the Grimnoir ring in his bony fist. It was a small sacrifice to pay for our duty.
It's a shame when you outlive your own descendants. I'm sorry.
Harkeness frowned. Damn you and your pity. Let's finish the mission. Call for Southunder. He will come.
'Very well…' Isaiah said, turning to face him. 'We can-' He grimaced, raising his hands to his head as if a terrible headache had come upon him. Harkeness could see inside his friend's body, all the inner workings, blood moving, organs working, bone, pressure, even impulses of the nervous system, but he saw no reason for the pain, and knew that it came from Isaiah's Power. That he could not see. Harkeness took him by the sleeve and led him away from the crowd.
'What is it?' he whispered.
There is a place. It has been ringed with focal spells. They're calling for help. 'Pershing's knights. Some of them are alive…'
Harkeness looked back to the distant wastes and felt a flicker of hope.
Mar Pacifica, California
'Faye? Can you hear me?'
It was pitch black, so completely dark that even her grey eyes couldn't see a thing. The air was wet. The ground was damp and slick and cold under her side. Hands were on her arm. 'Francis?'
'Yes, it's me. Are you injured?'
Her head really hurt. When the blinding light had come down the stairs, she'd fallen. She couldn't remember much after that. Her hair felt sticky and there was a huge throbbing lump on the back of her head. 'I'm okay, I guess.' She resisted the urge to sit up, because she had a fear that she'd hit her face on something. It felt tight and scary in the dark.
She checked her brain map and recoiled in shock. Other than a few separated spaces of air and salt water, everything else around them was solid rock as far as she could feel. The tunnel had collapsed behind them. They were in a tiny cave. Waves crashed right below. She backed out of her head, brought her knees up to her chest, and held them there as she rocked back and forth. She didn't like being somewhere she couldn't Travel out of.
There was a rustle in the dark as something heavy crawled toward her and Francis. 'How's the kid?' Lance asked.
Francis sounded relieved. 'I'm glad you're awake, Lance.'
Hearing his gruff voice made her feel better. The last she'd seen of Lance, he'd been falling from the ceiling. 'Fine,' Faye answered. 'What happened?'
'Hell if I know,' he grunted. 'I'm in bad shape. Feel like I went twenty rounds with Jack Johnson. Status, Francis?'
'Browning is the worst. He was wearing one of those tight-woven silk vests he'd been working on, so the bullet didn't go through, but I think a bunch of his ribs are broken. He's having a real hard time breathing.'
'Doesn't Jane have any Power left?' Lance asked.
Francis swallowed so hard that Faye could hear it. 'Jane's gone, Lance.'
Another voice came from Faye's other side. 'Madi took her.' It was Mr. Garrett. He sounded so sad that it broke Faye's heart. 'We've got to get her back.'
'We will, Dan, we will. You injured?'
There was a long pause. 'I'll live.' She couldn't see him in the dark, but there was something wrong with the way he sounded. Mr. Garrett was in a lot of pain, and she couldn't tell if it was his body or his heart that was more hurt.
There was a thump from above. 'The stairs are blocked.' Heinrich said. 'I tried to Fade through the rocks, but I'd run out of Power before I made it very far.'
Faye could have told him that. All the rock around them was making her real nervous. 'Where's Delilah?'
'Over there,' Lance said moving in the dark, not realizing that it was so dark that it didn't matter. 'Sullivan's got her.'
'Is she-'
Lance cut her off. 'Don't you mind her, Faye. She'll be just fine, so don't you worry.' He was a terrible liar. 'We need to figure out how to get out of here. Anybody got a damn light?'
'Broken,' Heinrich said. There was a tiny flicker of flame as he flicked open a lighter. 'This is all I've got.' It was so feeble that Faye could barely see Heinrich, let alone anything around him.
'There were some crates stashed down here with supplies,' Francis said. 'But the roof caved in over them.'
'Never a Torch around when you need one,' Lance muttered. 'I already used my ring. If there's anyone else in the Society within range, they'll come, but I don't know how long that'll be. Command was supposed to be sending somebody to replace the General, and if we're lucky, they might already be in San Francisco, but they might not.'
'If it was a full-power blast from the Peace Ray, then San Francisco's gone,' Heinrich said. 'But I doubt that, since we're still alive.'
'Ideas?'
'We wait for low tide and some of us swim for it,' Heinrich said. 'We go for help to get the wounded out.'
'I don't think Browning's got that long,' Francis said. 'The water's still high. I can swim for it now. I'm a strong swimmer.'
'And you'll drown or get smashed on a rock,' Lance said. 'No.'
'What is this place?' Faye asked.
'It's been here forever. Everyone from pirates to bootleggers has used it over the years,' Francis said. 'My father had Mexican booze brought in this way and sold it in the city. It wasn't like we needed the money, but I think he just liked the excitement. When the tide goes out you can bring a little boat right to the rocks outside and wade up here. I can make it now, Lance,' he pleaded. 'It's only partially submersed. There are plenty of spots to come up for air. I used to play down here as a kid.'
Faye went back to her head map. The way out to the ocean was filled with crashing water. There were no spots to come up for air. Either it was a lot tighter than Francis remembered, or he was lying, willing to risk almost certain death to try and get help for his injured friends.
'I don't know…' Lance muttered, tempted to believe his young friend. 'Hang on. Let me check on Browning first. If he's got time, we'll wait for low tide, if not, you can go for it and risk your fool neck.' Faye noticed that he didn't mention needing to check on Delilah and that filled her with dread.
'You did the best you could…' Lance had told him softly. 'I'm sorry… I've got to check on the others.'
Sullivan held Delilah in his arms and rocked her back and forth. 'No…' he finally said aloud, long after the Grimnoir had left his side. I failed her. He began to weep.
When the light had come he'd fallen along with the others. The energy of the Peace Ray had briefly snuffed out consciousness like a candle before a gust of wind. He'd come to, not sure if seconds, minutes, or hours had passed, and found Delilah at his side, one arm thrown over her protectively. Her breathing had grown much weaker.
In the pitch black it was impossible to check her wound. Her skin was clammy and cold to the touch. He'd left a pack of matches in his room and cursed himself for not picking them up when he'd grabbed his guns.
The Grimnoir had begun to stir and he'd screamed for help, for a light, for anything. The German had joined him first and produced a small cigarette lighter. The flickering light had revealed a grisly wound. The ninja had opened her up from belly button to pelvis and her insides were exposed like a tangle of purple snakes. They were kneeling in a puddle of blood.
He'd pulled the trench knife from his belt. There was no time. 'What are you doing?' Heinrich had hissed.
'I need your coat,' he'd answered. The German had been splattered with the Greater Summoned's blood-oil.
