The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two (39 page)

“And especially not dressed like that,” Evelyn added hopefully. “Want me to fetch you a jacket or something? You’re going to catch a cold or something.”

“In the middle of a Georgia summer?” Eva asked. “No thank you, Mrs. Davies. I am quite comfortable with my body and my clothing.” She stood up, her cigarette still clutching in one hand. “I fled Germany over a week ago. A man named Mr. Dee is loose in America and he’s very dangerous. You have to…”

Max held up a hand. “That name’s coming up a lot all of a sudden. I know about Dee. He was behind the murder of a friend of mine. He’s trying to find the secret of immortality that was invented by a bunch of ancient beings in Africa. Those beings fled to Louisiana here in the United States and a group of associates are there now, trying to find this secret before Dee does.”

Eva stared at him for a moment, smirking as she took another drag on her smoke. There was something innately sexy about her and it had nothing to do with how she was dressed… she smoldered far more than the lit end of her cigarette. “
Meine freunde
, you are so very wrong. About everything. The man you are chasing is named Robert Klein, born 1919. He was, like me, a graduate of the Occult Forces Projects.”

Evelyn moved to get herself a glass of water. “Okay, I’m thoroughly confused.”

Eva ignored her, keeping her eyes on Max. She had seen photographs of him but in person, she found him far more attractive. Well-built, with dark wavy hair and a Mediterranean complexion, he was a remarkably good-looking man. “Mr. Dee took over the OFP shortly after the Grim Reaper debacle. He was one of the geniuses who first mixed together science and the occult, helping create many of the OFP’s finest agents… and after you defeated the Reaper, he was granted total control of the project. It took him some time to begin producing new agents, but both Klein and myself were among the first he produced in the revived OFP.”

“But why is this Klein pretending to be Mr. Dee?” Max asked.

“He’s not pretending. He thinks he really is Dee. Klein suffers from a range of psychiatric problems, and thinks he’s the chosen one who’s going to punish all the sinners in the world. He developed those issues after he was bonded to a fire demon. You probably don’t know it yet, but he can summon part of the demon’s powers, giving him a flaming skull for a face and a whip-like tongue.”

“Lovely,” Evelyn said, sipping her water. She still wasn’t sure what kept Eva’s breasts from slipping free of the blouse.
Maybe that’s her occult power
, she thought wryly.

Eva continued her spiel, leaning back against the kitchen table. Her pert bottom rested easily on the edge. “After he went nuts, he started believing that he
was
Dee. He worshipped the OFP chief and before he could be reined in, he took off on some crazy scheme to find immortality. Mr. Dee had been working on that already, and Klein appropriated the scheme, coming here to the United States. That’s why he’s working with Fifth Columnists and not legitimate Nazis.”

“So the Claws team is chasing a faker,” Max mused, rubbing his chin. “I should call them.”

“Well, make no mistake about it… Klein’s dangerous enough and needs to be stopped. But you have bigger problems. Mr. Dee is coming
here
. Hitler hasn’t forgotten how you humiliated him last September. He wants you brought back to Berlin and executed for crimes against the state.”

Evelyn shrank back a bit, thinking about last fall. That was when she’d accompanied Baron Gustav to Germany, her own mind submerged beneath that of her ancestor’s. She’d cheated on Max during that period but they had reconciled, realizing that she hadn’t been in control of her body. Max had ended up facing the Fuehrer face-to-face, both men barely escaping with their lives intact.

Evelyn cleared her throat and Eva turned in her direction. “I have to ask… and I know it’s terribly inappropriate to do it right at this moment… but if you’re an OFP operative, you must have powers, right?”

“You want to know what I can do?” Eva asked with a smile.

“I’m bursting to know.”

“Most human beings use only ten percent of their brain capacity. I’ve been mystically augmented to use close to sixty percent.”

“And that means… what?”

“My hand-eye coordination is enhanced, I’m a genius at picking up new skills, and my power of recall is second to none.”

The Peregrine touched Eva on the arm. “You mentioned that Mr. Dee was coming here… how do you know that?”

Eva looked sad for a moment, like a little girl who had been caught at a lie by her parents. The sound of William and Emma screaming from outside made Evelyn jump, and she ran to the back door, where she saw dark-clad men emerging from the woods, guns pointed at the children and at Josh.

“I led them here, Max. I’m sorry.”

Max’s grip on her arm suddenly became painful. “You bitch,” he hissed between clenched teeth. “I was trying to help you!”

Eva pursed her lips. “I know that, lover, and I really do appreciate it. But in the end, I have to remember the hand that feeds me. And I know the real Mr. Dee… he’s not somebody that I want to tick off.”

Before Max could respond, Eva drove her knee hard into his groin. Pain exploded throughout his body and he keeled over, fighting hard not to vomit. He could hear Evelyn resisting the men who were now forcing their way into their home and he tried to reach into his coat, his fingers fumbling over the small radio transmitter that kept him in contact with the Claws. He managed to push the control, opening a connection, but it was a brief transmission as Eva shoved him up against the wall, holding him with her arm against his throat. He was beginning to recover from her earlier attack, but he didn’t bother resisting. Evelyn was being held tightly by a stern-faced man in black, an automatic weapon held against her forehead.

The Peregrine turned his eyes upon Eva and glared at her. “I’m going to see you pay for this.”

Eva’s smile widened, revealing straight white teeth. “I’m sure you’d like to think so.” She nodded at one of the gunmen, who came forward and gripped the Peregrine’s right hand. The man used gloved fingers to slide Max’s signet ring off his hand.

The ring was tipped with a red stone, one that had been forged from the heart of the demonic figure named Nyarlathotep. The stone was adorned by the image of a bird in flight… and its touched burned those of evil intent, burning the image onto their skin for life. Only the gunman’s gloved prevented him from screaming in pain as he dropped the signet ring into a pouch on his belt.

Eva leaned forward and lightly ran her tongue across Max’s cheek. A glistening line of saliva was behind the motion and as Eva pulled back, she whispered “It’s such a shame you’re so loyal, Max. You and I… we could do wonderful things together.”

Max gritted his teeth and said nothing. A second later, Evelyn cried out as one of the gunmen raised the butt of his rifle and slammed it into the side of the Peregrine’s head, knocking him out.

Eva stepped back, letting two of her men catch Max before he fell. She looked at Evelyn and laughed. With a dismissive wave of her hand, she said “Someone shut her up, please. I’d like our return trip to be a quiet one, if possible.”

CHAPTER XI

The Price of Immortality

Klein stood in the middle of Daniel Cummings’s ruined laboratory, trying to keep from looking at what Cummings had become. The swamp monster stood like a silent sentinel in the doorway, while the ancient named Breen kicked at the scattered debris with his right foot.

“The mere fact that he was able to so accurately recreate our formula is astounding. We had once believed that humans would never achieve the required intelligence level to comprehend our works. We were wrong.” Breen looked at Klein, who seemed increasingly disturbed. “You are bothered by the changes in his appearance, Mr. Dee?”

Klein looked up at the use of his false name. “Not only that… he’s barely human anymore. I had planned to give this secret to the Fuehrer… he’d be ruined by this! He’d become nothing more than a monster to be ordered about!”

“There are drawbacks, to be sure,” Breen confirmed. He did not seem to grasp the depth of Klein’s disappointment. “But think of what Cummings has gained… he is very powerful and can heal from incredible wounds. In fact, that broken dagger you possess is one of the few things that can truly destroy him. And he is not stupid… far from it. His mind is simply
slowed
. For him, the world moves so quickly and is so bright that is sometimes painful to interact with it. Thus, it is easier for him to respond to a command than to try and carry on a conversation.”

Klein examined the muck-encrusted monster and sneered. “You’re saying he can still talk?”

“Of course… but with great difficulty.”

Klein moved to stand in front of Cummings, staying just out of arm’s reach. He allowed the flames to dance about his face, his features shifting from soft skin to cold white bone. “We both have our ugly faces, don’t we? But only one of us is able to finish the job that was set for us… I’m going to save the world, Cummings. And I’ll find a way to tweak your formula so that…
this
… doesn’t happen to those who take the treatment. You’re disgusting.”

Cummings stared at him for a long moment, his head tilting to the side. His liquid eyes seemed to shine more brightly and as Klein watched, Cummings began to move his mouth, words spilling forth like raindrops. “You… are… not… Dee. I… can… see… it… now. You… are… mad….”

Klein let out a roar of pure anger, the flames about his face suddenly turning into a small inferno. A wave of fire jerked from his skull, engulfing Cummings’s form. The mud monster thrashed for a moment, flailing wildly, and finally he sank to the ground, melting into a disgusting green and brown puddle.

Klein backed away, regaining control over his powers. Cummings had infuriated him, though Klein couldn’t admit why he his pride had been wounded so badly. He turned towards Breen, who watched him with interest. “Your immortality claims didn’t amount to much,” Klein said with anger. “I killed him easily enough.”

“Did you?”

Klein heard a strange noise and whirled back around, watching as Cummings began to slowly rise back up, his body coming together with a squelch. “Impossible,” he whispered.

In less than a full minute, Cummings was standing tall once more. The spark of light that had been in his eyes was now dimmed, however, and the disfigured man slowly turned about, shambling back outside into the swamp.

Breen moved up behind Klein, triumph in his voice. “Do you see? He has evolved past simple humanity. He is now so much more! Think of the good this could do to your world! And finally the genius of my people could be appreciated!”

Klein thought it over for a moment. Even if he couldn’t convince Breen to help him repair the formula, the Fuehrer might still like the idea of unstoppable armies at his command. Creatures like Cummings were apparently incapable of baser desires, which would purify them in a sense. That appealed to Klein.

“Who are you really?” Breen asked with interest, and the question threatened to send Klein into another murderous rage.

“I am Mr. Dee. I serve the Reich.”

“Hmm.” Breen gestured to the laboratory’s contents, which had been devastated by Klein’s men during their raid. “All of this is now unnecessary. I can help your Fuehrer recreate the formula. All I ask is that I be allowed to share the story of my people and their achievements with the masses.”

“And what is the story of your people? You aren’t human, so are you from another world? Are you aliens from space?”

“Yes. Our home world was ravaged by war and a small group of us were forced to flee, lest we suffer the same fate that befell the rest of our race. They perished in the midst of blood and smoke… We came here, finding a beautiful planet ruled over by savages. It suited our purposes for many years but in the end, the same problems that cursed our old home took new life on this one. Petty jealousies sprang up and brother turned against brother. In the end, a group of four remained. We left behind our city in the jungle, journeying here to complete our projects.”

“But why here? Of all the places on earth, why come to the swamplands of Louisiana?”

“Because our immortality serum transformed humans into creatures of earth and water… Can you not see that the raw materials are in abundance? There were many other places that fit our needs, as well, that is true… but there seemed something right about this place.”

“And the map? Who left it behind and why?”

“I did. We always held out hope that more of our brothers and sisters from the stars would make their way here. If they did, I wanted them to find us.”

Klein felt the demon within him begin to churn. It was still angry and wanted to be released. The flames around his skull changed from reddish-orange to an almost blue color. Klein was about to say something when the sound of a motorized vehicle reached him. He moved away from Breen, peering through one of the windows. A motor-propelled airboat was slowing down outside Cummings’s old home and Klein stared with interest at the motley collection of people sitting in it. He recognized Catalyst, Esper, and Revenant from various reports, but the big man was unknown to him. The black girl in their midst must be Makeeda, he mused. Klein wondered if Cummings was still around to see her or if he had retreated further away.

“Who are they?” Breen asked, glancing over Klein’s shoulder, through the dancing flames around the man’s skull.

“Troublemakers.” Klein drew himself up, feeling the hunger beginning to swell. “It’s time to introduce them to the demon who lives inside. It’s time for them to meet the Burning Man.”

* * *

Makeeda fought the urge to cry as the airboat slowly approached the house she’d shared with Daniel. She had no idea if he was still alive or not but she was certain that their lives had been irrevocably changed.

“It’s going to be all right,” Vincent said to her.

Makeeda looked up in surprise, not realizing that her emotions had been so evident. She smiled at the big man, having grown more comfortable in his presence with each passing second. “Thank you. I hope you are right.”