Don’t think about that, he told himself. You’ve still got over a thousand people to save.
Taking three more steps, pulling to within five feet of the train car, Simon reached for the safety bar surrounding the platform. Something hit him in the back between the shoulder blades and threw him off-stride. He lost ground for a moment, then recovered and ran again.
When he was close enough this time, he jumped as hard as he could, propelling himself forward and aiming for altitude, using all the strength the armor gave him. He spun in the air and pulled his other pistol, filling both hands, then firing at the wave of demons trailing the train.
Palladium spikes and the Greek Fire rounds staggered the advancing demons but didn’t stop them. But the train was finally gaining more speed.
Simon landed on his feet on top of the train car, feeling it cave in slightly under the impact of his weight. He was tilted too far forward, though, and couldn’t stop himself from falling on his face. He skidded across the train car top for a moment, watching helplessly as a Blood Angel swooped in and the rider on its back threw a glowing energy ball that slammed into a Templar only a few feet away.
Forty-Nine
I n disbelief and horror, Simon watched as the glowing ball of energy ripped the Templar to shreds and knocked his scattered remains from the train car. The doomed Templar’s Grappler sped across the roof of the train car.
Releasing the Scorcher, Simon grabbed for the Grappler and barely caught it. The Scorcher slid off the side of the train car and disappeared.
Grappler in hand, Simon stood and anchored his boots to the train roof. He shoved the Grappler toward the Blood Angel as it overtook the train and glided alongside. Simon aimed at the demon’s rider at first, then realized that would leave the Blood Angel still able to attack. Behind the train, the demons were finally losing ground, falling back as the train raced on.
They were almost free.
Simon shifted his aim to the Blood Angel and squeezed the trigger. The nano-molecular line crossed the distance between him and the demon, then looped around the Blood Angel’s neck. Triggering the Grappler’s reel, Simon braced himself as the line tightened. He yanked, pulling the Blood Angel into the side of the train.
The impact vibrated through the train car. Simon held on, then felt the Blood Angel pull back with impossible strength. Realizing that the creature was getting caught under the train car’s wheels, Simon released the line from the Grappler. A moment later, he saw torn and bloody hunks of the scattered Blood Angel along the train’s wake.
Then he saw the demon’s hand holding on to the side of the train.
Simon stepped to the train’s edge, listening to the scream of metal along the tracks, and saw the man attached to the demon’s hand. He was surprised to find that it was the same man he’d encountered while searching for Balekor’s Hammer.
Leveling the Spike Bolter, Simon aimed between the man’s eyes. He didn’t know how the man had gotten there or why, and he didn’t know what had moved him to conspire with the demons, but it was going to end now. The Templar had left too many dead behind them to let them go unavenged.
He pulled the trigger as the man threw up a hand. Arcane energy gathered in front of the man and the palladium spikes froze in midair. Undeterred, Simon holstered the Spike Bolter and plucked a grenade from his gear, pulling the pin and dropping the grenade into the man’s face.
As Simon had expected, the grenade froze in midair as well. But the grenade would also explode. Before Simon could move, though, the man gestured at him.
An invisible wall of force slammed into Simon, tearing his boot anchors free of the train’s roof and throwing him across the train.
“Simon!” Crouched on the train car, Wertham reached for him. Their gloved fingertips touched for just a moment, then Simon was gone, sliding out over the side.
Warren swung his free hand at the grenade suspended in the field of force he’d instinctively summoned to keep the palladium spike from shredding his face. Before he made contact, the grenade exploded. Detonating so close to the passenger car kept the deadly force from the Templar on top and managed to rock the car a little, but the explosion came back on Warren. The impact and following second wave tore Warren from the train and knocked the air from his lungs.
He was barely cognizant of striking the ground. Fear steamrollered over him. He couldn’t imagine the ruin his body had taken this time.
Or what would be left of him.
Unable to get control over his fall, Simon struck the ground and rolled. Dazed, he tried to get up but couldn’t move for a moment. He knew the demons trailing the train would be getting closer with every second he lay there.
And the train would be getting farther away.
It didn’t matter, though. The train was no longer an option. The demons couldn’t catch it and neither could he. It was safe. He just had to hope he would be. He rolled over onto his stomach and decided to wait before he tried climbing to his knees.
“Simon!”
The HUD immediately flared to life. “Warning. One of the communication bands available to this unit has been appropriated by an unknown source.”
But Simon knew the feminine voice. It belonged to Leah Creasey. He didn’t know what she would be doing hacking into a frequency they were using.
“Get up.”
That surprised Simon. How had she known he was lying down?
“Get up! Now! I’m coming for you! We don’t have much time!”
Simon groaned as he pushed himself up. He looked back toward the demons, then dodged back to the nearby wall as they opened fire. Explosions, projectiles, and fires rained all around him.
Then the familiar rumbling noise of a powerful
