The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two (107 page)

It was at that exact moment that Elsa Mayen’s atomic plane cut through the clouds and moved into view. It was moving to intersect with the Peregrine’s flight path and for a brief moment, The Peregrine was so shocked that he wasn’t sure what to do. He hadn’t anticipated encountering the plane in the air—he’d been positive that Sun Koh would be down below, setting up his doomsday device. But there it was: a plane so sleek and beautiful that The Peregrine had to admire its design. Even from here, he could see some similarities to his own plane and this brought a new level of concern to him. If the pilot was as good as he suspected and that plane as powerful as it seemed, he was in for quite an aerial dogfight.

The atomic plane’s guns suddenly spat out a fiery attack, the bullets strafing the underside of The Peregrine’s own vessel. He sent the plane into a quick turn, avoiding the worst of the attack but Elsa Mayen matched him, angling her own plane so that her guns continued to hold him in their sights. It was only The Peregrine’s incredible skill that kept him one step ahead of her.

The Peregrine’s plane vanished into a thick cloudbank but Elsa Mayen was quick on its tail and Max realized that the atomic plane was even faster than his own incredible craft. The Peregrine pulled back on the controls, sending the nose of his plane higher. He hoped to come down in an arc, ending up behind his quarry but Elsa was too smart for that. She spun about, bringing the two planes nose-to-nose for a second before The Peregrine sent his ship downwards, just avoiding a midair collision. It was quite obvious that Mayen was wiling to crash her own plane if it meant bringing down The Peregrine.

The two planes circled each other, like prizefighters squaring off in the middle of the ring. This time it was The Peregrine who struck first, pressing a lever that caused flaps to open on the underside of his aircraft. Something that looks like a torpedo appeared held aloft by metal clamps. It was an air-to-air missile of The Peregrine’s devising, designed to be ultra-lightweight but quite deadly. A tiny propulsion unit on the back of the rocket flared to life and The Peregrine allowed the metal clamps to release, allowing the missile to fly towards its target. Elsa was stunned by the sight and made a futile attempt to avoid being struck. The missile tore off the backside of her plane, shearing it off like a knife slicing through butter.

The Peregrine watched as his enemy’s plane broke in two but his eyes widened considerably when he saw a strange fiery glow emanating from the shattered rear of the craft. He realized he was staring at the shattered atomic reactor that powered the unusual craft… and though The Peregrine didn’t claim to be an expert in the burgeoning field related to atomic power, he knew that both the Allies and the Axis were working on bombs of considerable power using this as its chief element.

A human figure—shaped like a young boy or a particularly slim girl—ejected from the front half of the aircraft, a white parachute expanding out above them a moment later. The Peregrine saw the pilot staring back at the ruined aircraft and though he was too far away to read the expression on the person’s face, he thought he detected horror and sadness in the posture.

The Peregrine pushed his plane towards the falling power core, wondering what he should do. If it crashed to the earth below, it could set off an explosion that could rattle windows in D.C., if not worse. He’d heard stories that such power sources could contaminate the ground and water for years to come. Realizing that he couldn’t allow that to happen, he armed the second and final missile that his aircraft carried. He took careful aim and fired the missile, knowing that he was risking his life with this maneuver. He was going to detonate the bomb in midair, hopefully lessening its impact on the area below. That meant that The Peregrine could be caught in the explosion, however, and the aircraft was going to be little protection.

The missile slammed into the power core and the resultant flare was enough to light up the sky for hundreds of miles around. The impact slammed into The Peregrine’s plane, rattling everything so hard that Max’s teeth chattered. He closed his eyes and looked away, holding tightly onto the controls in the hopes of riding out the explosive fury. He thought he heard the plane groaning in pain and for a moment he could visualize what could be happening around him: the metal curving under the heat, melting in places, the windows suddenly bursting inwards, showing him in glass and flame. But after what felt like an eternity, the shaking lessened and Max opened his eyes to find that his plane was emerging from a cloud of fire and smoke to blue skies on the other side. He laughed aloud, having cheated death once again.

“Well, that was scary as hell.”

Max’s expression froze and he spun about in his pilot’s seat. Evelyn was standing there in mask and adventuring clothes, a look of confusion writ on her pretty face. “How did you…?”

Evelyn held up the heavy crucifix she wore around her neck. “Emergency device, remember?”

“You nearly joined me in the grave,” The Peregrine answered tartly and Evelyn was momentarily taken aback by his anger. “If we both die, who’s going to take care of little William?”

Evelyn frowned and moved closer. “Both of us could die in a car wreck, Max… or being struck by lightning. Things happen.” Evelyn kissed him on the head and smiled. “Don’t be mad. I came to help.”

Max sighed and nodded. “Sorry. I’m glad to have you here… but you showed up right when I was nearly blown up.

“And you think I should be home with the baby.”

“No. It’s not that, despite what I said. I just… I worry, that’s all. About you and about our son. It was hard enough on me growing up without a father. I can’t imagine having no parents at all.”

“If something did happen to us, McKenzie would look after little William. You know that.”

Max smiled as Evelyn settled into the seat next to him. “That was some great flying back there, huh?”

“Yes, it was.”

The aircraft’s radio squawked to life and a familiar voice came over the speaker. “Do you mind telling me what just happened?”

The Peregrine picked up the “Sorry, Benson. There was a small atomic detonation over the Potomac. I tried to do it high enough where it would do less damage… but there’s bound to be some. You might want to get somebody out here to monitor the water and soil in the days to come.”

“I will do that. Is Sun Koh dead?”

“I don’t think so.” The Peregrine felt Evelyn touch his shoulder. She was pointed down below and Max followed her gaze, noting that down below were a small campsite and an area of grass that showed that it had been used as a take-off and landing strip. “But I’m about to find out. Peregrine out.”

“Ready to face the devil?” The Peregrine asked his wife.

“As long as you’re at my side? Always.”

* * *

Elsa Mayen’s fall was carrying her straight into the maelstrom. She’d tried to angle her descent to carry her away from the explosion but it seemed that she was being inexorably drawn towards it. She could feel the heat already and the air seemed to ripple before her eyes. She wished that she had known the touch of another man besides Arthur Grin… but that was not to be. She would never be a Fury. She would never lie moaning beneath Sun Koh. She would never become a true and proper Aryan princess.

And worst of all, she would never live up to her father’s legacy.

She began to cry, then, and that was the worst shame of all.

Her father’s voice seemed to call to her as she felt her body tumble into the flames of death. He was calling her name, asking her to join him in the pits of Hell.

CHAPTER XIII

Death Comes Quickly

The camp was empty but recently occupied. The embers still burned in the fire and a few odds and ends had been left behind in the party’s haste to move out: Evelyn found several hair clips and other evidence of female habitation while Max noticed footprints that belonged to a heavy male wearing boots.

“They couldn’t have gone far,” Evelyn pointed out. “You don’t think they might have been onboard that plane that attacked you?”

“I don’t think so. Only one person ejected from it. They’re probably out there right now, watching us.”

The Peregrine drew one of his pistols and gestured for Evelyn to do the same. She reached down to her right pants leg and hiked it up, revealing a small handgun strapped to her calf. She unholstered it and checked to make sure it contained a full clip.

“What are they waiting for?” Evelyn wondered aloud. “If they can see us, they can shoot us.”

“Only one of them is a marksman. The other two Furies prefer melee weapons. And Koh… I’m sure he’s a master shot but from all I’ve read he prefers close quarters as well.”

Evelyn was about to say something when a fierce warrior’s cry caused both her and The Peregrine to spin around. Akemi exploded through the air, leaping out from several trees. She held a katana in her hands, slicing at the air. She landed in a crouch and then, with a snarl, was upon them. She feinted with the weapon, driving The Peregrine and Evelyn back several steps. From the opposite side of the camp, came Käthe. The German was cracking her whip loudly, a deadly expression on her face. The third and final of The Furies was Imelda and the Italian beauty moved forward, a powerful hunting rifle in her hands.

It was Käthe who spoke first. “Not many men escape our grasp, Herr Peregrine. We salute you. And we offer you thanks for allowing us the opportunity to avenge our earlier failure. This time, you will die… we will make sure of it.”

The Peregrine didn’t have a chance to respond. Imelda fired her rifle and the shell ripped through The Peregrine’s left shoulder, exiting out the other side. He bellowed in pain but was too well trained to not strike back immediately. He fell forward, spinning into a roll. He came up right in front of Akemi and fired, the bullet catching her in the belly. The Peregrine’s specially designed shells were incredibly powerful and the hole that appeared in the Japanese woman’s midsection was considerable.

“Akemi!” Käthe shouted. She saw her friend stagger back, a look of profound confusion on her face… and then Akemi toppled over, her right hip falling right onto the blade of her sword. It cut deep and prevented her from falling completely. She remained several inches off the ground, blood and gore spilling to the ground.

For a moment, there was absolute silence in the campsite. The Furies had faced defeat before but never like this: the three women were like sisters, having lived and trained together for years. They had shared joys, sorrows, loves and more… and now their trio was sundered. Making it even worse was the fact that Akemi had been killed by a man… all three women had struggled to prove themselves the equal of any male in the world. They had delighted in humiliating and killing their male enemies… and now one of them had dispatched “Red Beauty” with a single shot from his gun.

This strange period, when everyone simply stared at Akemi’s bleeding form, ended quickly enough. Imelda saw Evelyn raise her pistol towards her and she squeezed the rifle’s trigger again. Once again, her aim was true and Evelyn cried out as her fingers exploded in pain. She dropped her gun and held her bleeding hand against her, quickly counting to make sure he hadn’t lost any digits.

The Peregrine had no time to aid his wife, however. Käthe struck quickly, seeking revenge for Akemi’s pain. Her bullwhip wrapped around The Peregrine’s throat and the Nazi was pleased to hear Max gasp in pain. He pointed his gun at her but Käthe sprinted forward, yanking the vigilante towards her. She drove her free hand into his face, her fist connecting solidly with the bridge of his nose. He lost his balance and fell to one knee, unable to defend himself as Käthe slammed a knee into the side of his head.

“If she dies, I’m going to make sure that everyone you care about suffers.” Käthe looked over at Akemi, seeing the icy stillness that had fallen about her friend. “I’ll start with this girl you’re with… and then I’ll find out if you have any other lovers or children. And I’ll kill them. Do you understand me?”

“I understand,” The Peregrine gasped, “that you’re insane. Sun Koh is a murderer.”

“He is an Aryan hero,” she answered, slamming another fist into his head. “And you… you are nothing but a coward. If you were half the man that Sun is, you wouldn’t hide behind a mask. You’d stand tall and proud, encouraging others of your race to raise up arms!”

The Peregrine stared at her with venom in his eyes. “I hide my identity to protect those I love… and to prove a point. Under this mask, I could be almost anyone. That’s symbolic… I fight not for just
one
skin color or country. I fight for the
human race
.”

The German woman scowled at him, amazed that anyone could spout such nonsense. She twisted the whip, binding it tighter around The Peregrine’s throat. She saw tiny droplets of blood oozing around the strap.

Käthe looked over at Imelda, who was approaching the moaning woman with caution. “Knock her out,” Käthe commanded. “But don’t kill her yet.”

Imelda nodded. “Who are you?” she asked Evelyn in English. “His mistress?”

Evelyn continued moaning until Imelda was within a few feet. Then she lunged forward, throwing her weight against the Italian’s legs. The sudden impact sent Imelda falling backwards and she landed with a thud on the grass. Evelyn, trying to ignore the pain in her wounded hand, sprang upon her enemy’s chest and snatched the rifle away before Imelda could secure her grip on it. Imelda looked up in surprise to see the rifle’s barrel pointed directly between her eyes.

“Any last words, cow?” Evelyn asked.

“Don’t do this,” Imelda whispered. Her eyes flickered over where Käthe was standing with her back to them. The German was still beating and kicking The Peregrine, unleashing all of her fury upon him. Imelda looked back at Evelyn. “We are both women. We are sisters in a man’s world. We…”

“I said last words, not last soliloquy.” Evelyn pulled the trigger and Imelda’s once beautiful face exploded in a shower of blood, brain and bone.

Käthe froze at the sound, thinking that Imelda had refused her orders. She turned, readying her rebuke, and suddenly felt her insides begin to churn. Another Fury was dead, another friend and comrade had been lost.