From Heaven To Earth (The Faith of the Fallen) (35 page)

“Good job, Xoe,” Vern said, chuckling at the sight.

“Thanks, Mom,” Xoe passed out.

Vern felt her weight against her and panicked.

“Xoe!”

She’s just exhausted. What are we going to do now? I don’t have enough
Inner to hold these assholes off.

When Xoe passed out the green shield around them disappeared.

The men held their weapons on the two but did not fire.

The Inner in the concrete must be blocking that dog’s orders,
Vern
thought and glanced at the sphere of concrete embedded in the ground.
I
still don’t have enough energy to get us both out of here.

A phase rocket popped out of the sphere. She sighed.

“I knew it wouldn’t hold him long.”

It exploded a small distance away from the concrete ball: the shock wave
cracked it.

Another came out, exploded inches away from Peter’s prison and blew it
apart. Peter stepped out of it encased in a green shield.

“How has he learned what took me decades to perfect in a matter of
minutes?” Vern asked herself.

Peter pushed some buttons on his wrist and the shield went down. He
jetted over to her.

“The technology is how.”

He even has heightened senses because of that armor...
she
thought.

He smiled at her amazement.

“Your kind will meet their end soon enough,” the Executor said.

“So you say,” Vern said. “Two of us have made a mockery of your
soldiers.”

“Men, open fire on them when I’m out of the way. Use regular bullets,” he
said, “Save the rest of your energy for tougher fights. These two aren’t worth
the waste.”

“You’ll be out of a job when my husband comes back, you charlatan of a
man,” Vern said.

The Executor remembered her again, but only her hatred for him: for his
hopes, his goals, and his beliefs. He had to kill them both. His men would
question him otherwise. He needed their loyalty to continue his campaign. The
more he thought about it the more she deserved it anyway. She didn’t give a
shit about his parents’ death and hated him instead of trying to help him
become a better man. It was not his fault. It was hers.

He spat on her face and jetted away.

“Coward! I saved you! I saved you!” Vern yelled after him.

He only heard her first word, coward. He intended to prove that he was
not.

Peter’s men opened fire as soon as their leader was out of the way.

Peter’s screen notified for him to turn around. A new half-breed threat
had presented itself.

“What?”

A brilliant flash of white light blinded him.

“My eyes are burning...” He struggled to open them but couldn’t. When the
aching abated he opened one eye and the other. His sight was hazy, but he could
see Vern and Xoe had vanished. “What the hell?!”

“Gone, gone, gone! Half-breeds are gone,” Suchi said over the radio.

“Really? Tell me something I don’t know, like where they are! Idiots. Use
your long-range scanners to track them. They’ll be with a third half-breed, one
with an unusual signature,” he said, remembering what he saw when the missiles
failed to hit the building earlier.

“Rightooo!” Suchi said.

Peter stretched his muscles.
They won’t get away, if I can get rid of
those two maybe I can save myself from the mayor. I’ll tell him my men killed
them before I recognized them. He knows how my memory is.

“Got ’em!” Suchi said. “Gonzalez is headed due west on Main Street.
They’re movin’ fast!”

“Well get on it.” He turned to the half-breed headquarters. “At least
with them gone we can exterminate... No way. I don’t believe it!”

“Sir?”

“They’re all gone!” the Executor exclaimed. “All the half-breeds in that
building are gone!”

“We were distracted. So sorry! So sorry, sir!” Suchi said.

“I know that! I just don’t understand how we didn’t notice...” the
Executor fumed.

That flash earlier… it was him. He snuck them out right in front of
me.

“Our guns are runnin’ out of demon juice, sir, sir! Time to refuel, yes?”

“No! Councilor, I’m ordering you to pursue them and kill them. They’re
highly dangerous and cannot be left alive.”

“I might be speedin’ myself right now, but we should refuel, sir, sir!
It’s too risky!”

“The next thing I want to see are my men flying after those half-breeds
per your orders, or you will find a bullet in your head,” the Executor said
between clenched teeth.

The men sailed off to the west.

“We’ll get those bastards,” the Executor followed.

Drean was a white blur as he bounded over traffic and pedestrians. In his
right arm he held Xoe. Vern was slung over his back.

They’re catching up. They’re too fast for me.
Drean huffed.
Or
maybe I’m just slowing down.
His body ached from fatigue
. I had no idea
that teleporting those half-breeds to the mansion would be so taxing.

Xoe stirred under his arm.

“Hey! Where do you think you’re taking me?!” She squirmed to free herself
and looked up at Drean. “Oh! Hi, Drean,” she smiled broadly at him, “I didn’t
realize it was you.”

“It’s fine. Stay still,” Drean said. “I’m tiring.”

“Can’t you fly, or teleport? Or something?” she asked.

“I would but my Inner is nearly depleted!”

He leapt over an incoming eighteen-wheeler.

Xoe shrieked at the unexpected ascent into the air.

“Wow! Nice jump,” Xoe said, when they landed.

“I really hate those large trucks,” he said. He glanced over his
shoulder. Soldiers flew overhead. “They’ve caught up.”

“Fight them! You can take them!” Xoe said.

“No,” Drean breathed. “Not all of them and not in this state.”

“I wonder why they’re not firing yet,” Xoe said.

“The people. They don’t want to endanger them,” Drean said.

“Oh right! You’re smart,” Xoe said with a smile. A crowd of pedestrians
crossed the street in front of them. “Watch out!”

Drean made a quick dodge to his right and knocked a few over instead of
the whole group.

“You really are getting tired aren’t you?” Xoe asked.

“Yeah. I didn’t even see those humans ahead of me,” Drean admitted. “What
about you? Do you have any Inner left?”

“Not enough to make a difference,” Xoe said.

“Rest then,” Drean told her. “You may be needed soon. I don’t know how
much longer I can keep this up.”

“I’ll try, Thanks for saving us, Drean.” Xoe closed her eyes and tried to
meditate.

We’re not in a safe haven yet,
Drean frowned at the men above him.

“This coyote’s caught his roadrunner, sir!” Suchi said.

“Take them out,” the Executor replied. “I’ll be at the front soon.”

“We can’t, sir, sir!” Suchi said.

“Why not?!”

“Bystanders.”

“Use homing bullets then!” the Executor said. “Just be careful.”

“They use much energy!” Suchi protested.

“Just do it,” the Executor ordered. “I’m aware we’re runnin’ on empty.”

“Yes, sir! Our executor wants our bullets to taste the rainbow. Use
homers! Fire at will!” Suchi said.

Arrows on his screen pointed to the left, right and above him.

“What the hell, more of them?” Peter said.

“Herrero! Surrender and I may let you live!” He recognized Feit’s voice
above him, but he could not see her.

He glanced to his left and right and saw skia jump from building to
building. He looked above and while he could not see the skia physically, his
screen showed numerous dark blue auras. They were completely surrounded.

Several of his men had already turned to fire on them. Homing bullets tore
through skia after skia.

“Soldiers 2 through 27 attack these new threats. The rest of us will
pursue the angel.”

He watched the soldiers engage them. Skia on the rooftops took flight to
aid their comrades and caught some of the soldiers off guard. The homing
bullets made quick work of them though. Peter smiled and focused on Drean.

Drean heard gunshots and moved Vern from his back to beneath his right
arm. He cried out when the volley of bullets struck his back.

Drean caught sight of a highway I-70 sign in the distance.

I’ll have to get on the highway soon,
Drean thought, half elated
and half terrified
. Then they’ll start using those rockets.

He glanced at Xoe.

“How are you doing down there?”

She didn’t answer.

I hope that means she’s gathering up some Inner,
he looked at Vern
.
She’s been out for a while too. I wonder if she’s meditating as well.

“Drean,” Vern breathed.

“Yes? You’re her mother?” Drean asked.

“Yes, but we’ll talk formally later,” she said in a raspy voice. “I have
a gift for you.”

“A what?” He felt Vern’s weight get heavier.

“No! Stay with me!” He felt a great surge of energy enter him. Wounds on
his back closed up and healed. The next volley of bullets bounced off of him.
He transferred a small portion of Inner back to Vern. She felt him move under
his arm.

“No. Keep all of it.” She struggled with her words. “I’m finished.”

“No you’re not,” Drean told her. “I’m getting you back, alive.”

“Thank you, Drean,” she said.

“Try to relax.” Drean glanced behind him and saw the Executor and his pack
of soldiers.

“Yes. I’ll get you. Whoever you are,” the Executor said to Drean when he
saw him look back. “Captain,” the Executor said.

“Sir, sir!” the captain answered.

“Take half of the men several miles ahead on the highway,” the Executor
ordered. Set up a trap for our friend here.”

“A gooood idea, sir, sir!”

Suchi did what he was told.

“How are they still moving faster than me?” Drean stared at them as they
flew off into the distance. “No matter, I have more than enough Inner to
protect myself.” Drean realized he was out on open highway.

“Oh no.”

“Fire phase rockets,” the Executor said.

Rockets zoned in on Drean’s Inner signature.

Drean threw Vern back over his shoulder. He looked over it at the cloud
of rockets coming for him and took aim at one in the middle. He concentrated
Inner into his right hand, which burned with a white flame as it gathered. He
fired a blast of energy behind him into the cluster of missiles but missed his
intended target.

“I’ve failed them...”

Some of the rockets near the cluster’s rear turned and followed his bolt
of Inner into the sky.

“No. I haven’t failed yet.”

He fired bolts at the rockets and more of them pulled away to follow the
decoy Inner signatures.

“Brace yourselves,” he told Vern and Xoe, even though he was unsure they
were even listening.

The remaining rockets closed in.

Drean closed his eyes and prepared himself for the explosion.

“We’ve got them,” the Executor grinned. “Surround them when they stop
moving, men,” he said as the rockets collided with Drean and exploded.

Drean went deaf.

Am I dead?
Drean stopped running and opened his eyes. All he saw
was green.

“Keep moving!” Xoe yelled at his side. “The shield won’t last long!”

“Right!” Drean sprinted down the highway. A few moments later the shield
went down.

“Son of a bitch! Fire more! Don’t unphase them until they’re touching
their skin!” the Executor ordered.

None of the men complied.

“Why are none of you firing?!” the Executor screamed.

“Sir,” one said, “our computers are deeming our rockets ineffective
against that shield. It’s preventing us from using them to conserve energy.”

“Damn this technology!” the Executor said. “Men continue pursuit until I
think of something.”

“New Inner application available,” his helmet’s computer said.

“Description.” The Executor smirked.

An animation of a featureless humanoid appeared on the screen with one of
its hands pointed straight out. A ball of energy gathered in its hand. The
energy was released in a beam.

“Prisma wave,” the computer said. “The rifle will converge different
Inner frequencies to release a single penetrating blast of energy. Highly
damaging and energy consuming. Effective against energy shields.”

The Executor laughed with glee. “Men when I give the word fire prisma
waves at the runner.” Peter magnified the road ahead of them and saw the
captain and his men blockade it.

“You’re mine now,” he said.

Drean spotted Suchi and the soldiers as well.

Drean glanced down the south side of the highway.

“We’ve still got a long run ahead of us,” Drean said.

“What?” Xoe asked.

“We have to make it to the white desert.”

“You mean the monument? Is that where we will be safe?”

“I hope.”

“Suchi,” Peter said.

“Sir, sir!”

“They’re going to the White Sand National Monument. Head that way and set
your trap there.”

“Wily will be proud, sir, sir! Today we roast the roadrunner! Today we
make history!”

Peter grinned.

“Second most intelligent thing the man has ever said. Maybe there’s hope
for him yet.”

In minutes they reached the monument’s turn. Drean tried his best to
remember where the mansion was. Drean stared into the space where he thought
the house should be and cleared his mind. “It has to be there...” He squinted
against the glare of the sunlight.

Gri’s enormous mansion came into view on the horizon.

“Yes!” Drean laughed and ran off the road in the direction of the house.

“Suchi, he’s left the road,” Peter said. “I’m sending his new trajectory
to you now.”

“Got it, sir,” Suchi answered. “Rockets are intercepting Mr. Gonzalez
underground.”

“Good work,” Peter said. “Remind me to suggest a mobile phase mine idea
to our techs after this. Also, remind me to increase your salary.”

“Sir, sir!”

“Stop calling me that...” Peter shook his head.

On his screen the Executor could see the position of Drean, his men and
the phase rockets.

“The soldiers with me, listen up,” he said. “Stop here for a moment.
Cease all movement. Draw a bead on the runner and wait for my mark.” The
Executor and his men hovered in the air.

Drean looked over his shoulder at them. “They’re giving up!” He laughed
and ran with renewed vigor.

He looked ahead and saw Suchi and the soldiers. He moved Vern underneath
his arm.

“They can’t stop me now. The mansion is ahead.”

Suchi watched Drean on his screen and paid close attention to his speed
to estimate a detonation time for the rockets.

“Prepare for unphasing!” he said.

“I’m shielding us,” Xoe said. “They’re up to something. Keep running.”
The familiar green of the shield obscured Drean’s vision.

“Fire now,” the Executor said as he took aim and fired himself.

After a few beam impacts the shield protecting Drean dissolved and the
rest seared Drean’s back. He lost grip of Vern and Xoe before he tumbled
through the sand and came to a halt.

Xoe managed to roll on the sand instead of hitting it directly but her
unconscious mother fell heavily.

“Blow ’em! Blow ’em!” Suchi whispered.

Drean was consumed in an explosion of sand and fire.