Birth of the Alliance (20 page)

Will studied the man, still struggling to believe that the youngster was his own great-great-great grandfather. The man was only eighteen years old, and his uniform and boots were dirty and ragged after the many long, aggressive marches demanded by the Union generals. But even behind the dirt, even under the sweltering heat of the day, even amidst the overwhelming odor of cannon shot, the soldier’s face was resolute. He believed in his cause, and his suffering was a small price to pay to ensure victory for his side. Will felt a swell of pride.

He turned in the direction Hope’s Energy, inwardly chuckling at the motion again.
So how does this work in the field of battle?

It's been a while, actually,
she confessed.
Generally I shield them with Energy so that bullets or cannon skirt around them. They've occasionally suffered a broken bone or a concussion, but nothing fatal. I'll do that again here today.

I'm concerned that the Aliomenti are starting to reach a more critical mass in this country,
Will replied.
Be very careful with using a lot of Energy. Any usage could draw their—

His thoughts were cut off as a sudden movement in the trees distracted him. He squinted… and realized with horror that Sebastian had arrived in Gettysburg.

We have a problem. Sebastian just arrived.

He could feel the anger rise in her.
Give me a sword and I'll take care of him.

Will chuckled.
Much as I'd love to see that happen, we have to consider the big picture. The Aliomenti still don’t know you exist. Sebastian doesn’t know how to track you. The longer it takes for them to catch on, the better.
Hope started to protest, but Will continued his though.
It’s a positive thing for all of us, for the Alliance, to have someone as powerful as you able to operate without detection.

He could sense her dissatisfaction.
So what do we do now, then? If I can’t use Energy, I can’t protect him.

We need to get you out of here and still protect him. And do that without you using Energy.

She snorted.
In case you haven't noticed, my dear, I'm floating thirty feet in the air and invisible. It's a little late to be worried about using Energy.

He shuddered. She was right, which meant Sebastian might well realize another powerful non-Aliomenti Energy user was here. Could he mask Hope’s presence somehow?
I think I can distract him. This may be a case where we need to use a bit more Energy to get out of this situation.

What are you proposing?

He thought quickly.
I'll blast some Energy into the midst of the soldiers, just enough to add a little confusion there. That should get Sebastian's attention, and he’ll suspect the Energy he’s sensing has been mine all along. I’ll go engage him. As soon as I head toward him, you're going to need to teleport your charge out of here. He needs to remember something exploding and waking up a distance away, unharmed. Hopefully, Sebastian—and the other Aliomenti, if they arrive—focus on me and you can do that without drawing too much attention.

He could sense her resolve growing.
All kinds of things could go wrong with that. But I've got nothing better to offer. Ready when you are.

Will aimed at a spot near where his ancestor marched with the other Union soldiers, and blasted a bolt of Energy in that direction. The blast was tinted with a memory he added; those affected by the “explosion” would swear later that a small bit of gunpowder had discharged, knocking several men down and dizzying them. Will let his Energy Shield drop and flew at high speed toward Sebastian, whose head had predictably snapped in the direction of the explosion. His eyes now followed the invisible Will, leaving the scene just as Hope moved to perform her role.

Will flew into the small grove of trees where Sebastian stood. The trees would hide the two Energy users from the thousands of troops marching by. He phased back to visibility just as he struck Sebastian at full speed. The two men flew through the air, landing some thirty feet away. Sebastian let out an audible exhalation of air as the wind was forced from his lungs, and Will rolled away and sprang to his feet. “Shouldn’t you be fetching Arthur’s slippers, Sebastian? This is straying rather far from home.”

“Stark, Stark,” Sebastian tsked. “You’re both a traitorous fool
and
behind the times.” Sebastian winced as he stood, and he took several gulps of air to refill his lungs. “I’m not called Sebastian anymore. My name is Porthos. And our Leader now has plenty of people serving him, grateful for the opportunities he provides. My job lies not in collecting footwear, but finding traitors.” His eyes darkened. “It seems I’m doing a fine job today, too, seeing as how you’re here in front of me.”

“Porthos?” Will tried to sound as if the name was a surprise. “What kind of a name is
that
?”

“We decided to change the names our human parents provided us so long ago. I located a work of fiction, and was drawn to the characters. They, too, are armed with swords and protect their Leader from danger from those who would do him harm. It's called—”

“
The Three Musketeers
,” Will replied. At Porthos’ look of surprise, Will snapped him a nasty grin. “I’ve heard of it. If your friends are copying your lead—and they must, being incapable of original thought, as they are—I suppose Victor is now called Athos, and Tacitus is now called Aramis. How’d I do?”

Porthos blinked. “How… how did you know?”

“I read, you old fool. Once you’d given me the idea, it wasn’t difficult to figure out which of you clowns fit each name. And Arthur’s just called
Leader
now? How modest of him… and how fiendishly unimaginative."

“
The
Leader,” Porthos hissed. “Show some respect to the man. There is only one.”

“We can all thank our lucky stars for that,” Will replied. The two men circled each other, wary, each with a different goal. Will merely wished to escape—or so Porthos thought. Porthos wanted to distract Will until his friends arrived. Will was happy to oblige, confident he’d be able to escape whatever the trio might throw his way. “So… what brings you here? Sightseeing, I suppose?”

Porthos edged closer. “I sensed a major Energy disturbance. I didn't recognize it, but it was powerful, the type of person I keep track of and hunt down. Alas, I supposed it was just you after all. But that’s okay. The Leader will be happy to see you imprisoned. I’ll put in a good word for you.” He paused a moment, as if deep in thought, and then shook his head. “Nah, scratch that. I’ll tell him you’ve broken a bunch of rules and maybe he’ll
lengthen
your sentence.”

“You seem to be forgetting something,
Porthos
,” Will sneered. “You have to
catch
me first.”

Porthos smiled, the sinister look traveling to his eyes. “Naturally.”

Will’s Energy senses detected the arrivals of the renamed Athos and Aramis in the woods before he saw them.

“Will Stark?” Aramis said; his eyes wide with surprise. He reached for the hat on his head and removed a battered collection of papers. "Oh, this is a sensational find, Porthos! Will Stark, Will Stark… I’m sure you’ve broken more rules than anyone. I’ll have to look them up just to be sure, however.”

“Put your hat back on, Aramis,” Athos snapped. “We don’t have time for that now. We need to subdue the traitor first,
then
pronounce the charges, remember? Subdue
first
. Especially this one. We need you for that more than list checking.”

Will feigned walking away. “If you guys don’t need me, I’ll just be going, then.”

Aramis rushed the papers back inside his hat and donned it once more, looking disappointed. “The party’s just started, Stark.” He smiled. “This won’t hurt a bit.”

He teleported to Will’s side, but Will moved two steps toward the spot Aramis had vacated, turned, and blasted Aramis with Energy. Aramis preferred to approach his victims from behind, and Will had used that knowledge against the man. “You’re right, Aramis. For once. I didn’t feel a thing.”

Aramis crashed into a tree and shouted in pain, but the sound was drowned out by the sounds erupting outside their grove of trees. The fight for Gettysburg had begun, and even in that secluded air the sounds of cannon and gunfire were deafening, the smoke and haze adding even more cover to the smaller battle off to the side. The air filled with the scent of gunpowder and blood and death.

Athos and Porthos, too close to their target to teleport, both dove for Will. Will leaped into the air, a jump aided by Energy, and watched the two men crash into each other. “You guys
really
aren’t very good at this, are you?” Will taunted. “How in the world do expect to catch anyone if you keep crashing into each other?” He glanced to the tree behind him, where Aramis was struggling to his feet. “Or getting thrown into trees? Not the brightest approach.”

Aramis shook himself off and teleported directly behind Will, and his now-adult hands seized Will around the neck. “
This
is how we catch criminals,” he hissed, squeezing.

Will felt the Damper start to take effect; felt the all-too-familiar sensation of having the wind knocked from his lungs spreading. But he knew that, to a degree, it was illusory. Aramis’ gift worked only the special Energy unleashed by the Aliomenti and Alliance; it had no actual effect on his body or his mind. Will reminded himself of this fact as he summoned the strength to reach up, seize Aramis' right forearm, and hurl the man over his shoulder to the ground. Aramis crumbled there, dazed after the second hard hit he’d suffered at Will’s hands. “Like I said,” Will said, his breathing steadying, his Energy surging back to normal levels. “You’re just not good enough.”

Athos and Porthos were beside him in an instant, each seizing an arm. Will phased out, losing his tangibility and with it, his captors. He elevated into the air, and then accelerated upward, soaring into the sky, past the cannon and guns and stench of death. The Aliomenti did not follow. Instead, it was Athos’ telepathic voice that chased him.
The Hunters always get their man, Will Stark. You may run, you may fly, you may teleport far away… but you can't hide from us forever
.

Will snorted, ensuring the sentiment transferred to Athos.
I say you’re wrong.

He flew south at a high speed, landing several minutes later roughly ten miles from the field of battle. Even at this distance, he could still hear the sound of cannon firing, and winced. The bloodshed would be awful. His only relief was that his great-something grandfather and Hope were well away from the melee, and would avoid damage from the weapons operating with such horrific efficiency that day.

Will felt the burst of Energy as the three Hunters materialized out of the air near him, and Aramis managed to make contact before Will could react. Will didn't hesitate, teleporting away before the Damper had a chance to take full effect. He teleported back to the tree grove near the field of battle to get separation from the Hunters, and then soared back into the sky. At this point, he needed to get far enough away from the Hunters, needed to teleport somewhere they couldn't track him.

He thought for a moment, recalling Adam’s insights into the approach the Hunters took when tracking their victims. Adam had told him that the trio were specifically trained at long-range teleportation, and would track and teleport in hops after a suspect until their victim was too worn down to move further. Did they
want
to engage in a chase with Will using teleportation? He found the mere idea strange. The Hunters were fools, but they weren’t stupid; they knew they couldn’t travel as far as he could.

Perhaps, though, they weren’t planning to chase him at high speed. Teleportation used vast amounts of Energy, and left markers on both sides of the hop. Porthos could track those markers at his leisure, and the Hunters could rest themselves, progressing slowly, until Will stopped moving. They’d count on him thinking he was clear, and then appear without warning and try capturing him again. Would that be their approach for dealing with him?

The ability to track, regardless of the speed chosen for pursuit, could work to Will’s advantage. He had the ability to travel long distances, and quickly, without using Energy. But he could use his Energy to set a false trail as he’d done before.

Will encased himself in nanos and let the tiny devices handle flying duties, turning himself due west and accelerating until he was moving at hundreds of miles per hour. He let small bursts of Energy escape every five minutes or so, simulating a long series of teleportation hops moving away from Gettysburg and Hope, away from the Atlantic and the submarine he’d use to return to the Cavern. The bursts of Energy would give Porthos something to chase. After an hour, Will stopped and set foot near a stream. The air here was clear and fresh, with no hint of gunpowder or imminent death, and he relaxed for a moment, enjoying the peace, the tranquility, the safety.

He drank his fill of the fresh, clean water, allowing the cool water to chill his insides, and then he hopped into the stream with a splash, springing out a moment later with a gasp of laughter. He let forth a strong burst of Energy to dry his hair, skin, and clothes, and to leave Porthos a marker indicative of a massive teleportation effort hop. He then put up his Energy Shield, reassembled the nano-based flying suit, and soared once more into the air. Will veered northeast for fifteen minutes, ensuring there was no chance for visual contact with the Hunters, and then resumed his high speed flight back to the east. His Shield would ensure he’d be invisible to Porthos’ skill during that journey.