Syphon: Guardians of the Fractured Realms (27 page)

“Would it be so bad to just make new memories and forget about trying to recover my old ones?”

“Yes, I think it would be. Your primary job is to protect everyone. Turning your back on that because of one person is just selfish and wrong. I think, deep down, you know that.”

Samuel was quiet for a moment.

“I’m scared. I don’t want to remember and find out I don’t like who I really am.”

Raguel smiled up at him.

“I’m pretty sure that won’t be a problem.”

Amitiel glanced at the two of them.

“I don’t know… Look what happened to me.”

Samuel could hear the bitterness in her voice. Even though she did her best to hid it, he still felt a prick of pain in his mind as her emotions washed over him.

I wonder if she’ll ever forgive me for what I felt I had to do…? I just wish I knew why I did it in the first place.

Taking a deep breath, he took one last look around before heading in.

Cora pumped her fist in triumph.

I finally caught a break for once.

She watched Samuel enter the warehouse through the binoculars she’d grabbed from her apartment before setting up her impromptu stakeout. It had been nearly impossible for her to sneak out of the library, but after some hairy near-misses, she’d been able to sneak out without getting caught. Catching a cab, she’d stopped at home to grab some supplies before headed to the warehouse. She’d discussed with Frank about the best place to observe the warehouse without being seen. After some thought, they’d both decided on the roof of an abandoned building about a block away. It was close enough for her to get to the warehouse relatively quickly while being far enough away that it would be nearly impossible to be spotted from the ground.

As she headed back down to the ground floor, she checked over the AMT automag and Calico, making sure both had a round in the chamber and the safeties were on. Why Sybil’s people hadn’t taken them after arriving, she wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Then again, after watching how ineffective they had been against those creatures, maybe they just didn’t feel threatened enough to take them. After all, they probably figured we’d be easier to deal with if we thought we had some protection. Guess I’ll have to ask when I bring Samuel back.

Cora smirked to herself. After witnessing everything Sybil and her group could do, she was still able to find Samuel before they could.

Bet it’ll piss her off pretty good.

Getting to the ground floor, she looked around to make sure nobody was around before jogging down the block and over to the door where Samuel had entered the building. She felt an odd tingling behind her, but when she looked back, she didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.

That was odd.

Drawing the automag, she turned back and put her ear to the door to see if she could hear anything. After a minute, she pulled her head away before quietly pulling on the door, only opening it far enough to slip in without making noise. She stuck a piece of cardboard she’d brought with her in the door to keep the latch from clicking home and possibly alerting him to her presence. Standing just inside the door to let her eyes adjust, she listened intently, trying to catch any scrap of noise Samuel might make. Hopefully, she’d hear him before he heard her.

§§§§§§§§§§§§

“Anything yet?”

Samuel slowly walked through the empty warehouse. Glancing around, he shook his head.

“Nothing. Not a single thing is coming back to me.”

Raguel sighed. After a minute, his head perked up.

“I know, head over there.”

Samuel looked down to see where the dragon was pointing. Peering back up, he slowly started working his way over to where the dragon was indicating.

“How about now?”

Samuel concentrated on where he was standing. As he made a slow circle, he noticed all the different rents and gouges in the pillars and floor. He started to feel like something was just on the edge of his consciousness, but every time he tried focusing on it, the feeling of a memory slipped away.

“There’s something… I don’t know. It feels like I might be getting ready to remember something, but it just won’t come.”

“Draw your sword.”

“Huh?”

“Pull out your sword. This is where you were standing when you got shot. Maybe drawing your sword and going through the motions will help.”

Samuel cocked his head to the side slightly before reaching for the handle. All he managed to do was grab his finger.

“Uh… How do I draw it, exactly?”

“Sorry, forgot again. It’s controlled by need and desire. You basically will it to and it happens.”

“Huh, very Jedi-like, eh?”

Raguel smiled up at Samuel.

“Where do you think they got the idea from?”

Samuel chuckled for a moment, then focused on the pommel.

Let’s see… If I had a handle…

He tried again, but nothing happened.

Okay, this is stupid. It can’t be that hard, otherwise, someone would die if they couldn’t draw it fast enough. Plus, I had no problems pulling it out at the hospital and the alleyway.

Samuel stared at his finger. He tried to remember what it felt like when the sword formed in his hand the last time he drew it. As he concentrated on the memory, he started to feel the familiar itchy sensation in his hand. Focusing on the sensation, he tried reaching for the handle again. As he grabbed for it, he felt the handle solidify under his grasp. With one smooth motion, he tugged the blade free. As it left it’s sheath, he heard a sound like a cross between electrical arcing and glass windchimes.

Wow… I never got the chance to really look at this thing before. This thing is awesome.

As he examined the blade, turning it back and forth, he noticed first condensation, then a sheen of ice start forming on the blade. A few drops of liquid fell from the tip, striking the floor with a sizzling sound. Looking closer, he noticed the liquid had frozen the concrete so quickly that it had formed spidery cracks in it. Standing straight again, he gave it a few experimental swings through the air and marveled at how well balanced it was. As he swung it, he noticed more drops of liquid spraying off the blade, freezing instantly wherever they hit. He couldn’t help but think that, compared to this, the LARP weapons he’d used felt like swinging a broom around. Going through the form he’d used at the meet-up, he slowly lost himself in the flow of movement. Suddenly, the memory of getting shot in the face smashed into him, causing him to stumble off balance. Staggering forward, he accidentally buried the blade into the cement pillar, nearly shearing it in half.

“I remember,” he whispered, supporting himself on the stuck blade.

The force of the memory caused his legs to start buckling under him. As he tried to maintain his balance, images of his fight in the warehouse started flashing through his mind. He could feel himself sliding effortlessly through his opponents, hewing off limbs and heads without thought. Then the memory of a vampire trying to choke him. As he slammed his sword into it, it’s head exploded and then… darkness.

“Don’t move!”

The sudden voice shocked him out of his trance, causing him to search for the source. He realized he was gasping for air from the force of the vivid memory. Looking around, he gaze finally stopped on the last person he wanted to see. His anger started to rise as his attention focused on the gun she had trained on him.

“Detective, not now! I’m finally starting to remember something. I need more time.”

“I’m sorry Samuel, I can’t do that.”

Samuel angrily yanked the sword out of the pillar, causing the pillar to groan ominously. Chunks of frosted cement clattered to the floor, the impact making the chunks shatter like glass.

“I don’t want to hurt you Cora, but I’m too close to getting some answers. You know I can take that gun away from you if I want. Just go away.”

He watched as Cora held her hands up in a non-threatening manner before she holstered her gun.

“I’m not here to arrest you this time. I met some people who’ve been looking for you. I think they can help.”

Samuel slowly lowered the point of his sword toward the floor. As the tip touched, it carved out a small notch in the concrete. Distractedly, he watched as rime ice starting forming on the floor around the tip as supercooled water dribbled off the blade. He had another flashback to a time when he had used that property to freeze a slow moving stream, allowing a caravan he was protecting to cross. The sound of Cora taking a step toward him broke his concentration again.

“GO AWAY, DAMN IT!”

Cora paused before moving back a step.

“I can’t do that. From what these people are saying, it’s too important. You need to come with me and meet them.”

“Not until I’m finished here.”

“We can come back lat—”

“I knew if I gave you enough slack, you’d come though for us again. You’ve got an amazing ability to find what you’re looking for it seems, even better than our own trackers.”

Samuel watched as Cora spun around, snatching her gun out of her holster, aiming in the direction of the new speaker. For some reason, the voice sounded familiar. It was part of another memory that seemed to be slipping away from him. Trying to locate the source of the voice, he slowly started easing around so he could get a better angle.

“You followed me again?”

“Of course. I was hoping you’d lead me to Samuel. Time is running out.”

As the woman came into view, Samuel sucked in his breath.

“Hello Samuel, do you remember me? I’m —”

“You,” he hissed as he launched himself at the fiery red-headed woman… the one that had tried to kill him in his memories.

Cora only had time to catch a slight shimmer of movement from the corner of her eye before she felt the blast of frigid air as Samuel blurred past her. The sudden look of shock on Sybil’s face was instantly replaced by fierce concentration as she whipped her arm up to block his sword from splitting her in two. She lashed out with a kick that he easily dodged by skipping backward before launching himself at her again. The split-second pause allowed her to draw her own blade while trying to deflect the onslaught.

Cora quickly backed away from the wildly swinging blades. Even though she’d seen footage of him fighting, the sheer speed and ferocity of his attach left her breathless.

I actually thought I’d stand a chance against him… He was taking it easy on me when we fought.

Trying to track the combat, she had to continuously move to keep from being accidentally cut down by the two combatants.

It’s almost like watching a kung-fu flick on fast forward.

As the fight wore on, Cora noticed that, imperceptibly at first, Sybil appeared to be gaining the upper hand in the confrontation. As she slowly started to force him back, Cora noticed that it looked like Sybil was trying to say something, but every time she started to open her mouth, Samuel would press his attack, trying to regain his momentum.

After several minutes and narrow misses, Sybil made a series of quick feints and ripostes, finally ending with a hard downward strike/grab combo that left Samuel’s sword pinned against the floor under her foot. A coating of frost began forming across the edge of her sole where it touched the blade.

“Samuel!” she gasped. “Stop fighting me! I’m trying to—”

Cora could see Sybil’s eyes bulge as Samuel made a quick motion with his left hand.

“I’m not going to let you kill me!”

As he yelled, he suddenly yanked another sword from where it was sheathed on his right arm. As the blade came clear, Cora felt a blast of heat hit her. A smoldering chunk of Sybil’s trench coat landed on the floor as she sprang backward, a grimace of pain on her face. Looking back at Samuel, she saw a look of absolute rage painted across his features. Then, for the first time, she could clearly see both swords he was holding.

The one in his right hand was forming a coating of glittering ice. As she watched, it dripped what appeared to be water onto the floor where it sizzled and fogged up. The sword in his left hand, however, was the source of heat blast she’d felt. Flames licked up and down the length of the jagged-edged blade, rippling between various shades of blues, yellows, and reds. The air shimmered from the intense heat radiating off of it, causing a mirage-like effect to ripple around him. Something akin to napalm started dripping off the teeth of the blade, spalling the floor where it hit. The intense heat and cold caused the fog rising from the other blade to begin swirling around him. Glancing back at Sybil, Cora was shocked to see what appeared to be terror forming on the other woman’s face.

“My God! It’s not possible…”

Without warning, Samuel lunged at her, rapidly swinging both blades in intricate patterns. Sybil was forced backward as he continued to pound at her defenses. As the battle continued, Sybil’s clothing started to show burn spots and sections that had fractured due to the rapid freezing of the material. Cora suddenly realized that the other woman wasn’t going to last much longer due to the injuries she was starting to accumulate. Unexpectedly, Samuel ducked down and whipped out a leg, causing Sybil to fall heavily to the ground as he sprung back up. As he started raining blows down on her, her blocks and parries started slowing.

I hope I live to not regret this
.

“Hey Samuel,” she yelled, “catch!”

As he turned his head, Cora squeezed the trigger. The sudden boom of the gun echoed around the room.

Almost as an afterthought, he swung the flaming blade up, melting the bullet in flight.

“Why—” he started, but Sybil was already moving. Swinging back around, he tried to deflect the object she flung at him. The blue dragon on his left arm came alive suddenly, throwing off his swing and causing him to miss the object. As it shattered across his chest, Cora could hear the shock in his voice as he screamed at the now animated dragon on his left arm.

“WHY?”