better trainer than he is. These guys are the best killers the world has ever seen, but I swear sometimes running this show is like herding manticores.' There was a sudden banging from inside Earl's cell. 'And another thing, why is that thing in here?'
'Oh, I almost forgot about him. What's his face… Melvin. We needed to stick him someplace secure,' Julie explained.
'Great, now my cell's gonna smell like troll,' Earl muttered.
'He still might know something,' she said. 'I figure give him a few days without internet access and he'll be ready to talk.'
Earl shook his head. 'I'll have Milo order some air fresheners before the next full moon. Okay, everyone, that's all for now. We'll talk again later.' The group dispersed.
Eyes watering, lungs burning, I stumbled into the hall. Julie took me by the hand as the others kept walking. 'You okay?'
'Asthma,' I replied.
'No, I mean, about everything. Something bad happened at Appleton, didn't it?' she asked.
'How can you tell?'
Julie was worried about me. 'You seem… distant.'
She was right to be concerned. She didn't know just how much I had been using the power that I had gained from that artifact shard. I stroked her hair, and as it parted, the black mark on her neck was revealed. There were a lot of things I hadn't confided to her yet, but since she was the most important person in my world, I needed to. 'Everything's going to be fine. Don't worry. Come on, I'll tell you all about it. But let's get some fresh air.'
'Oh, it isn't that easy,' Julie said. 'You forgot something. You've still got another challenge to face.'
'Oh, man, what now? Walk the Hell Hounds? Clean the pterodactyl cages?'
'Not quite that terrifying. But still, he's pretty darn scary.'
I had totally forgotten. 'Dad.'
I found my father sitting on a bench outside the main building next to a larger man who I recognized as one of our senior team leaders. His name was Benjamin Cody, and he was leading the team that was currently fulfilling our contract with the Department of Energy. Their patch was a molecule with fangs under the words exite! chemicus sum! Which was Latin for, Back off, man! I'm a scientist! That team had the proud history of having cleaned up Los Alamos after the Manhattan Project had unfortunately dabbled in other, less successful, types of weapons projects. Cody was one of the oldest active Hunters, and you had to be damn smart to get assigned to that contract. They were our specialists when it came to taking care of science projects gone bad. Julie had mentioned recently that Cody was mulling over the idea of retirement.
He had also served with Dad in Vietnam. I had learned that fact last summer when he had tried to pump me up to go kick Lord Machado's ass. So at least Dad had found a friend. I approached them from behind. They apparently didn't hear me, but what could you expect from two guys who had spent the best years of their life surrounded by explosions? Cody was telling a familiar story. 'So, then they find this back door into the cavern… it's some sort of magic portal. No hesitation, balls to the wall, your boy actually jumps through it, grabs the hostage, and runs out, with like fifty wights right at his feet.'
Dad stopped him. 'What's a wight?'
'Think of a zombie on steroids that paralyzes you with a touch. But anyway, that was just the beginning. The rest of us were busy fighting these Master vampires, and we were running out of time, when the kid went back through the portal with a small group to take on the head asshole himself.'
I swelled with pride. Everybody in MHI knew about my exploits at DeSoya Caverns.
'Brave and stupid. Sounds like my offspring,' Dad grunted.
Never mind. I cleared my throat so they would know I was present.
Cody turned around. 'Well, afternoon, Z.' He extended one callused hand. I shook it. 'I was just telling your father about the last time we worked together.'
'That was a tough day,' I replied. My dad scowled at me, as if to say that I wasn't qualified to judge such things.
'A bunch of us didn't come back,' Cody replied as he stood. He was a burly man, thick-shouldered, with a gray beard and mane of hair that made him look vaguely like an old lumberjack. 'Well, I've got to get back to work.' He turned his attention back to Dad. 'It was good to see you again, Augie.'
'Likewise, old friend,' my father replied. 'It makes me feel a little better to see that this outfit isn't entirely staffed with nut jobs.'
'Who said that it wasn't?' Cody smiled. 'It takes some getting used to, but this is as good a group of men as I've ever served with. And we've got a hell of a good CO.'
Dad's brow creased. 'You mean, Mr. Wolf?'
Cody didn't show any reaction, even though all of the team commanders were aware of Harbinger's condition. 'I wouldn't know. But if Earl Harbinger came to me and said he needed volunteers to follow him on a suicide mission into Hell's bathroom, I'd go in a heartbeat, just for the chance to watch him kick Satan off his crapper. Don't worry, Aug, your boy's in good hands.' The two old vets shook hands and said their good-byes. I waited patiently.
After Cody left, Dad gestured at the empty spot on the bench. I took a seat. 'We've got some things to talk about,' he said simply, eyes staring into the distant forest. There was a constant rattle of gunfire coming from the shooting range as the Newbies showed off what they'd learned.
'Mom told me you've been sick. She wouldn't let me talk to you yesterday. What's wrong?'
'She's protective like that,' he responded, avoiding the question. 'That's not why you're here.'
'I want to know about this dream of yours.'
He shook his head sadly. 'You wouldn't understand…' My laugh was so sudden and bitter that I must have surprised him. 'What?'
'Wouldn't understand?' My voice dripped with anger. 'Don't treat me like I'm a stupid kid.'
'Listen, boy-'
I cut him off. 'No, you're going to listen to me for once. I've stood at the edge of the universe and seen what's on the other side. I've faced off against evil that most people couldn't even comprehend and I shot it in the face. I've traveled through friggin' time.' A lot of pent-up aggression fought its way to the surface. 'I've read people's minds. I've seen some things that no sane person would ever imagine. I'm not here for you to bully, and push around and scare. So don't you treat me like I'm your fat, dumb, never-good-enough child, Dad. I've had enough of your crap, and it's time I got some straight answers. Man to man.'
Dad waited. 'You done?'
I realized I was breathing hard. 'Yeah.'
He smiled slightly. 'Cody was right. You do take after me. Stubborn. Now put a sock in it.' He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out an envelope that had been folded neatly in half. He handed it to me. My name had been scribbled across the front in bold black letters. 'You know I've never been much of a talker, and Lord knows you aren't a very good listener, so I wrote it down for you. I spent all last night and all morning putting down every detail so I wouldn't forget anything.'
I took the envelope. 'This is the dream?'
'You could say that. Vision, prophecy, whatever.' I started to open it, but his hand landed on mine. Dad started to speak, but hesitated.
'What?'
'Once you read that letter, my life will be over.'
That sounded ominous. He was dead serious. 'What do you mean?'
His voice was strained. 'I've been living on borrowed time for over thirty years. My life was a loan, and once you read that,' he gestured at the letter, 'the loan can get called. So humor me.'
'I don't understand.'
My dad chuckled. 'See, I told you so, Mr. Know-it-all. There's a place, a terrible place inside the border of the old Soviet Union. The coordinates are on that sheet. I was sent there on a black op a long time ago. Some really shady stuff was going on, some weird weapons' project, and we needed to find out what it was. I didn't survive.. '
'Huh?'
'I was murdered. Dead. Done. Literally, a hole blown through my skull. But I was sent back, healed, given
