The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two (104 page)

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The thin barrier that resided between the worlds of the living and the dead was a fog-enshrouded place. There was no landscape to speak of, only clouds of white and gray that extended as far as the eye could see. The air here was slightly damp and smelled like fresh earth after a heavy rain.

Max Davies was as familiar with this awful purgatory as any human being in the world. It was here that he sometimes came when his father wanted to speak face-to-face, as opposed to the way Warren Davies usually preferred: sending horribly painful visions that compelled his son to do what he wanted of him.

Warren Davies appeared through the mist, wearing the suit he’d worn on the day he’d died. There were dried stains on the front of his shirt, as if the blood that had once flown from his wounds had marred him even in death. Max suspected that his father could have changed his appearance if he’d so desired… but he knew the impact that seeing him like this would have on his son.

“Max,” Warren said, loving warmth coming through in the way he said his son’s name. “You’re doing well so far… but you have to pick up the pace. Sun Koh isn’t waiting on you.”

The Peregrine clenched his hands into fists, feeling once more like a little boy being berated by the man he idolized. Warren Davies had been a hero to everyone, including his son. He’d stood up to the criminal forces that had threatened his city and in the end it had gotten him killed. But even in life, Warren had been a stern father, always pushing Max to be the very best. And now that Max knew that his father had continued pushing and prodding, even from the grave, it made matters all the worse. “It’s not like I’m sitting around, doing nothing. There’s been the little matter of The Furies and The Fourth Nail.”

Warren moved closer but stopped just short of his son, as if he was afraid of any contact. Max felt the same trepidation. If his father were to embrace him, he wasn’t sure how he would react—would he shove him angrily away? Or would he bring down in tears? Either way, Max was too proud to want to find out. “I’m not condemning you, son. Things have a way of cropping up. I know that. But those visions of yours… they’re for real. Sun Koh plans to destroy the nation’s capital and then he’s going to drive a stake right through the heart of the Allied forces.”

“Do you have anything to tell me that might actually help… or are you just going to try and scare me into moving faster?”

Warren Davies didn’t seem to take any offense from his son’s tone. “The people that Sun Koh has surrounded himself with… they’re not nearly as loyal as the ones he used to travel with. This group is filled with divisions and there’s the potential for them to turn on one another. Use that, son! It may be the only thing that can stop Sun Koh from succeeding.”

The Peregrine looked away, wondering about his father’s words. He’d sensed some tension within The Furies whenever Sun Koh’s name had come up… the German woman seemed devoted to him, the Japanese less so and the Italian didn’t seem particularly inclined to follow him. And then, of course, The Peregrine knew nothing about the mysterious Elsa or Arthur.

“Thanks,” he said at last. “I’ll try and keep that in mind.”

“Son?” The Peregrine looked his father in the eyes and Max was surprised to something close to fear in the dead man’s eyes. “You’ve never fought a man like Sun Koh. He was designed… he was built… out of psychic energy. He’s specifically your opposite number. You’re as an American ideal as they come. You were trained to be what you are but anyone could have done it, if they’d have the nerve and determination. Sun Koh receives all of his gifts through genetics. His heritage and his racial characteristics define him. That’s the Nazi philosophy. When you two clash, it’s going to reverberate amongst people on both sides. It’s a war of ideologies, not just of men.”

“That’s an awful lot of pressure to put on me,” The Peregrine said with a hint of a smile.

Warren Davies returned the grin and then, with obvious hesitation, reached out and gripped Max’s shoulder. “I won’t see you again until this is over, one way or another. Take care.”

And then Warren Davies was gone, leaving The Peregrine alone in the void. He stood there, collecting his thoughts, until he felt himself slowly drifting back towards the world of the living.

* * *

Elsa Mayen had proven her worth to Sun Koh by the time they set down on the shores of the Potomac. Not only had she managed to evade detection by the myriad air defense systems in place around the American capital, but she’d also made amazing time while doing so. A large portion of the credit had to go to Elsa’s father, for having devised such an incredible aircraft, but Elsa had piloted it so well that one would have been hard pressed to believe she hadn’t been the plane’s creator.

After settling down, the group had stretched their legs outside the plane, setting up a small campsite near the water. The Furies were quite adept at this, having a lot of experience in dealing with the wilderness. Sun Koh allowed them to handle the bulk of the work, choosing to stay close to Elsa as she ran through a series of post-flight diagnostics. Elsa was nervous in his presence but eventually grew used to him and began to ignore him as she went about her work. In fact, she didn’t even notice when Sun Koh finally moved away to locate Käthe.

Elsa was wiping a bit of grease off her face when she heard movement behind her. Without turning, she assumed it was still Sun Koh. “Do you need the flashlight, Herr Koh?” she asked, knowing that it was becoming pitch black outside the sphere of light she’d set up so she could work.

“For a girl so slight and so young, you’re quite a morsel.”

Elsa froze in place, immediately recognizing that those words did not emerge from the lips of Sun Koh. She slowly turned her head to see Arthur Grin standing there, his lips twisted into a terrible leer. Elsa wasn’t sure how to respond given that she was mostly unfamiliar with men hitting on her. She managed a mumbled “Thank you” and set to putting away her tools.

“Are you a virgin?”

Grin’s question made Elsa jump. “Why would you ask something like that?” she gasped, unconsciously wrapping her arms around her upper boy. “We don’t know each other.”

“I’d like to know you,” Grin said, moving closer. His eyes seemed like dip pits of unending darkness and Elsa found the lack of passion there even more frightening than his words. She sensed the danger she was in but felt like a deer caught in the headlights of an approaching vehicle. She couldn’t avert her gaze from his and she began to tremble all over. “I’d like to be your first,” he added in a lower tone. “When I was with the Inuit people, I made use of their women but it was unsatisfying. There’s something about the first to plow those fields that is so intoxicating. Virgin territory, so to speak.” He laughed then, though there was not a trace of humor in it.

Elsa suddenly bolted, trying to step around him, but Grin caught her up in his steely grip and shoved her to the ground. Though he didn’t weigh very much, he felt like a sack of potatoes on top of the small girl. She struggled but Grin caught her with a painful backhand that brought blood to her lower lip. He placed one hand around her throat and squeezed.

“You make a sound and I’ll kill you,” he said calmly. “Do you understand?”

Elsa nodded, tears filling her eyes. She suddenly wished her father were here and the thought of him made her feel ashamed. Maybe her tormentors had been right—she was no true heir to Jan Mayen. She was just a little girl playing dress-up…

Grin relaxed his grip on her neck, sensing the defeat in her spirit. He sat up and began tugging her pants down, revealing the soft downy fluff of her pubic patch. His eyes drank in her nudity and he quickly pushed his own trousers down, revealing his desire to her frightened eyes.

“Please,” she whispered. “Don’t do this.”

Grin paused, his eyes traveling the length of her body. They settled on her face, watching as a tear ran from the corner of her eye. He leaned forward, tongue extended, and swept it from her face. He groaned at the salty taste and roughly shoved her legs apart. He placed himself at her entrance and shoved, causing her to scream in agonized despair. She was dry and her vaginal walls ripped terribly as he forced himself deeper.

Grin was grunting into Elsa’ ear and so he didn’t hear the approach of footsteps behind him. He cried out in surprise when he felt someone grab him by the collar and yank him to his feet. He slid out of Elsa with a sickening sound and Elsa immediately rolled onto her side, moving into a fetal position.

Grin gasped as he felt something sharp come to rest at the base of his erect penis. He turned his head to see that Imelda held him by the scruff of his neck, while Akemi brandished her katana dangerously close to his manhood.

“Looks like we interrupted something,” Akemi said with a sneer. She leaned close to Grin and bared her teeth. “What’s the matter, Arthur? Are you afraid to deal with a grown woman? Is that why you prefer little girls?” With every word, she pressed a little harder with the edge of her blade until Grin felt the skin break and a warm trickle of blood roll over his scrotum.

“She wanted it,” Grin whispered calmly. “You saw her. She wasn’t screaming or fighting.”

Imelda reached up and took a firm grip on Grin’s hair, yanking hard. “Is that true, Elsa? Did you want to rut with this pig?”

Elsa sat up slowly, wiping her nose with the back of a hand. Her eyes were red and angry, matching the vitriol in her shaky voice. “He’s a liar,” she hissed. “I didn’t ask for that.”

Akemi’s eyes glittered. “Seems like you misinterpreted her desires. Are you going to apologize?”

Grin shrugged his shoulders as much as possible. “Of course. Elsa… I’m sorry.”

The girl sniffled, looking away. It was at this moment that Sun Koh and Käthe walked into the scene. They found everyone bathed in flashlight, Grin’s erection having wilted under the pressure of the blade.

“What is going on?” Sun Koh demanded, using the tones of a born leader.

Imelda gestured with her chin towards Elsa. “Our pilot was raped by Mr. Grin.”

Sun Koh moved swiftly to Elsa’s side, kneeling to examine her. She flinched at his touch, obviously ashamed, but he soothed her with kind words. When he saw the blood around her vaginal opening, he turned angry eyes towards Grin. “Arthur, explain this.”

“The girl had been looking at me earlier. I thought she was interested. When I approached her, she seemed tentative but I assumed it was because of her youth. She did not cry out when I began touching her.”

Sun Koh gestured towards Elsa’s lip, which was swollen and bloody. “And this?”

“She asked me to hit her. I was shocked, to say the least, to find one so young who was so… well, forgive me for saying so… slutty. She said she liked it rough.”

Sun Koh stood up slowly. He approached Grin, their eyes locked on one another’s. “I have killed many men in the pursuit of my goals. Bloodshed and violence are things I have grown accustomed to. But forcing yourself on a girl, one who is just past being a child… I cannot stomach that and I cannot allow it to exist in the Aryan paradise that I plan to create. Akemi, please remove the offending member.”

Grin moved so quickly that not even the two Furies holding him could react. He slammed his head backwards, catching Imelda on the forehead. She released her grip on his hair and neck, allowing him to catch Akemi with a sharp blow to the chin. Her blade slid along the underside of his penis, drawing a deep cut but not severing it.

Grin spun away from them, well aware of Käthe’s presence. He struck her in the chest with the flat of his right foot, driving her back. Then he whirled about to face Sun Koh, dropping into a martial arts fighting stance.

The Man of Destiny had remained unmoved during all this. If anything, the expression on his face had darkened, reflecting his displeasure at being betrayed. He had taken Arthur Grin into his confidence and now he was facing the man in open combat.

It called Sun Koh’s decision making into question and that did not please the Heir of Atlantis.

“I’m going to take over this expedition,” Grin was saying. “That gun of yours can help me bring peace to this world.”

“You talk of peace after raping a woman?” Sun Koh asked.

“I was giving her a blessing, allowing her to lay with a real man for her first sexual experience. She should be thanking me.”

Sun Koh danced forward, his body moving with flawless grace. He seized Grin by the wrist and yanked him forward. He slammed an elbow into the back of Grin’s head and then flipped him through the air, sending the man tumbling onto his back. Sun Koh then kicked Grin on the side of the head, causing the fallen man to cry out in pain. But Grin was not defeated just yet. He snatched out with his hand and grabbed hold of Sun Koh’s leg. He sat up as he drove his other fist into the Aryan’s kneecap. Sun Koh grimaced as pain flared through his leg. He yanked himself free but found that putting all of his weight on that limb was now impossible.

Grin did an impressive flip to get to his feet, spitting out some blood before rushing towards Sun Koh. He caught the Atlantean with quick jabs on each side of his face before Sun Koh drove a punch into Grin’s midsection. Sun Koh then grabbed hold of Grin’s penis with one powerful hand. The intense pain was enough to give Grin pause and he winced, unable to respond physically.

“You escaped the blade,” Sun Koh whispered, “but you cannot escape my justice. Let this be a lesson to any who betray me!” The Man of Destiny yanked with all his incredible strength, stretching the already bloodied flesh. He kept pulling until Grin’s penis came loose with a hideous rending sound, blood spraying the ground and Sun Koh’s jodhpurs.

Grin fell back, shock already setting in. He fell to his knees, his groin a ruined mess. Sun Koh tossed the man’s sexual organ to the ground. He caught Akemi’s eye and gestured her closer. “Kill him,” he ordered.

The Japanese woman needed no further encouragement. She raised her katana and brought it across in a swiping motion, cleaving through flesh and bone. Grin’s head flew into the air, spinning end over end before landing at Elsa’s feet. The girl didn’t scream at the gory sight, however. Instead, she began to laugh. It was not a pleasant sound, as it contained more than a trace of madness.