The Peregrine Omnibus, Volume Two (40 page)

“I’ve seen enough tragedy to be able to recognize it in the world around me. In this case, I don’t think it’s going to end badly.”

“Really?”

Vincent laughed. “Well, I’m no seer… and the Lord knows I’ve been wrong about things before. But if we can keep you safe and reunite you with your man, then everything else will take care of itself.”

“I hope you are right.”

Revenant barely hid the exchange. She was staring at the house before them. It was raised up on stilts, a dock just outside the shack with a ladder to help visitors up onto the platform. “Rachel, do you mind scanning the house?”

“Looks pretty abandoned,” Esper replied but she went ahead and opened her mind anyway. She gasped, throwing a warning straight into the minds of her teammates rather than waste the time it would take to formulate words. Even as a wall of flame erupted from inside the building, jetting forth onto the airboat, Vincent had snatched up Makeeda roughly, cradling her against his massive chest as he turned his back to the flames in an attempt to protect her.

Revenant jumped from the ship, landing in the swampy water, while Catalyst and Esper both flew upwards, propelled by magic and telekinetic power.

The Burning Man stepped through the doors of Cummings’s home and laughed. The maniacal sound echoed throughout the swamp and chilled Makeeda’s blood. She’d held out hope that she’d find Daniel waiting for her… but instead there was some monster, perhaps even the feared Mr. Dee.

Sally swam towards the ladder, hoping that the Nazi’s attention was being held by the others. As she began to slowly ascend, she felt the dock suddenly shake and she gripped her perch more tightly.

Catalyst was sending energy bolt after energy bolt down upon the Burning Man, who was staggering under their impact. The villain roared in pain and anger, opening his mouth to lash out with his tongue. The barbed appendage caught Nathaniel around the arm, digging into his flesh.

“Keep your tongue off my husband!” Esper yelled, drawing a look of consternation from Nathaniel. She knew he was wondering how she could joke at a moment like this, but it was one of the ways she kept sane. Esper concentrated and delivered a powerful telekinetic “chop” to Klein’s tongue. The impact snapped the appendage in two, sending a spray of blood from the Nazi’s mouth and freeing Nathaniel.

“You bitth!” Klein yelled, his words distorted by his injured tongue. “I’m gon’ kilth you!”

A heavy rock, hurled by Vincent, suddenly slammed into Klein’s head, knocking him to the ground. He rose quickly but with a dazed manner, and it was then that Revenant jumped off the ladder and came to a crouch before him, a pistol in each hand.

Klein snarled and kicked at her, his foot catching her left hand and nearly snapping her wrist. The blow caused her to drop the gun, which slid across the slick surface of the dock, dangling precariously at the edge. Klein and Sally began to exchange blows, blocking each other’s attack so quickly that they were a blur to the others. A soft rain began to fall, the water sizzling and evaporating as it struck Klein’s flames.

Catalyst and Vincent moved towards the dock, unable to strike at Klein for fear of hitting their leader. Rachel, however, was under no such restraints. She began to use her telekinesis to subtly throw Klein’s attacks off, shoving him mentally without warning whenever he would try to strike. She also attempted to telepathically confuse him about where Sally was, but his mind was well-shielded.

Revenant began to pant, realizing that Klein seemed to have far greater stamina. She knew she would have to end this quickly and when next she struck, she did so with her pistol, bringing it close enough to Klein’s head that the bullet clanged off his skull. He staggered, landing straight into the waiting arms of Vincent.

The creation of a mad doctor, Vincent was dubbed by many to be a monster. His friends knew that within his burly chest lay the heart and soul of a poet… but at this moment, the expression on his face was terrifying to behold and everyone—including Sally—could picture the effect it would have had on superstitious villagers in years past. Vincent gripped Klein’s skull, ignoring the flames that burned him, and he roared as he began to apply tremendous pressure. Cracks began to appear in Klein’s skull as the bones buckled under Vincent’s assault. The villain’s head finally imploded in a cloud of bone and gray matter.

Catalyst looked at the mess that Vincent let fall to the ground. “That’s bloody disgusting.”

“He had it coming,” Rachel muttered. “The world would be a better place if all the Nazis received that same treatment.”

“A lot of them are just people like you and me, doing their jobs,” Revenant pointed out. She had retrieved her fallen weapon and was looking back towards the shack.

“Except their jobs involve fascism and killing innocents,” Rachel said. “Are you seriously defending the Nazis?”

“I’m just saying that not everyone who wears a Nazi uniform or calls themselves a Nazi is irredeemable. Police Chief McKenzie is married to a reformed Nazi.”

Esper rolled her eyes, letting the conversation drop. “I wouldn’t get too close if I were you. There’s still someone inside there.”

Vincent had been checking on Makeeda when Esper had made this pronouncement. He looked up in surprise. “Dee had help? Are we still in danger?”

Before Esper could respond, Breen stepped into view. He was immediately met by Revenant, whose pistol was pointed straight at his face.

The ancient held up his hands in a gesture he’d come to know from his time on earth. “I come in peace,” he said with a smile. “I am one of the entities whose research led Daniel Cummings to his evolutionary enhancement.”

Makeeda pushed forward. “Daniel… is he still alive?”

Breen nodded. “Of course he is. In fact, there he comes now.”

Makeeda turned to look in the direction that Breen had indicated and what she saw there was horrible enough to make her faint dead away. Shambling towards them was one of the muck monsters, and instinctively she knew that her lover was locked inside that mud-encrusted prison.

Vincent caught her easily enough but he stared daggers at the alien.

“I am Breen. I was going to give my secrets to the man you just killed in exchange for his assistance in popularizing the history of my people. Since he is now dead, I shall make the same offer to you.”

“Why should we trust you?” Sally demanded. “You just said you were working with Dee…”

“I don’t think he was truly Mr. Dee,” Breen said, shocking them all. “But that is neither here nor there. You will make an alliance with me, or I will order Daniel Cummings to rip you all limb from limb.”

CHAPTER XII

The True Face of Dee

To the Peregrine’s surprise, he did not awaken in Berlin, with the Fuehrer himself standing triumphantly before him. Instead, he was shackled to a metal wall in a barren room. The air was near freezing and Max could see a tiny cloud of air come from his mouth as he breathed.

The only person in the room with him was Eva, who was heavily bundled up in a parka and skintight pants. The heels of her boots clicked on the floor as she moved towards Max, a cigarette in her left hand. The front of her parka was unzipped just far enough to reveal the enticing valley of her cleavage.

“I’m sorry for the headache you probably have,” Eva said with mock sympathy. “That blow to the head didn’t do any real damage… and we were afraid it wouldn’t keep you unconscious for the entire trip… so I’m afraid we drugged you a bit.”

Max grimaced, realizing that this was the reason why his head felt so fuzzy. “Where am I? Where’s Evelyn?”

“Your lady love is safe and sound. She’s being kept in quarters that are a little bit nicer than yours. The Fuehrer wants to question her about the Gustav affair, so she can’t be harmed. But you… well, your punishments are going to be the stuff that legends are made of, so you get to rest here in the chiller.”

The Peregrine heard the thrumming of engines now and he felt a subtle vibration pass through the floor. “We’re on a steam ship,” he said.

“You’re so bright,” Eva said in response. She intertwined her legs with his, leaning close to smell his neck. Max felt her warm breath on his skin and shivered. He hadn’t realized quite how badly the cold was affecting him until he felt her warmth against him. His bones were aching. “There’s still time for you, Max. Throw your lot in with us and I could be yours…”

“Give it a rest,” he said with the shake of his head. “I’m not interested in bedding a Nazi bitch.”

Eva pulled away, her eyes blazing. “You arrogant prick. All of you Americans are the same: cowboys strutting about, thinking you’re the moral compass for the world.”

“At least we try to do the right thing, Eva, even if it puts us in harm’s way.”

“Really? Your people were more than willing to stand aside and let Europe fall… the only reason you entered the war when you did was because you were attacked. Otherwise, you would have stood back and clucked your tongues as England was buried by the Blitz.”

“I’m not going to argue politics with you,” Max said, straining against his bonds. “When the Reich falls, you and your kind are going to have to pay the piper.”

Heavy footsteps outside the door made Eva hold off on her reply. Max heard the sounds of a lock being undone and the door spun open to reveal a massive figure in a black Nazi uniform and overcoat. The man stood well over six feet tall and had very broad shoulders, but the thing that caught Max’s attention most fully was the fact that there was not one scrap of flesh to be seen. The man wore black leather gloves and a metallic mask that was accentuated by mirrored goggles over his eyes.

The imposing figure crossed the room confidently, stopping at Eva’s side. When he spoke, his voice was muffled by his helmet, giving his deep voice an inhuman quality. His accent was very noticeable but there was nothing comical about it. “Max Davies. At long last we meet. I am Mr. Dee.”

“Pardon me for not shaking your hand,” Max deadpanned. He moved his shackled wrists. “I’m a little tied up at the moment.”

“Ah. The bravado I have heard so much about is still on full display.”

“I wouldn’t want to disappoint you.”

Mr. Dee made a soft chuckle and reached into a pocket. He retrieved Max’s mask, the one he wore when in action as the Peregrine. It was domino style with a small bird-like beak positioned so that it would rest just above the bridge of his nose. A small amount of spirit gum was smeared across the back of the mask, allowing it to adhere to the skin. “I have no fear of you disappointing me, Mr. Davies. But here… let us greet each other as we should, with our true faces on display.” Dee pushed the mask into place on Max’s face, pressing it down firmly.

“So this is your true face? That iron mask?”

Dee gestured to his head with one hand. “Beneath this mask is a ruined mess. A gift to me from a British soldier… if you could see it, you would realize why I keep it hidden. But, as you Americans are fond of saying, ‘you should see the other guy.’” Dee laughed again and he turned towards Eva, who watched him with wide eyes. The look on her face was one of fear intermingled with sexual desire. Obviously, she was one of those women who found danger to be an aphrodisiac. “You did excellently, Eva. I commend you.”

“It was my pleasure… though not as pleasurable as I had hoped.”

“The Peregrine proved resistant to your charms?”

“If his harpy of a wife hadn’t been home, I might have had more of a chance.”

“In your dreams,” the Peregrine whispered. Raising his voice, he asked “What about the other people who were at my house? My kids… Josh? Are they here, too?”

Dee shook his head. “I am a loyal servant of the Fuehrer, Herr Davies, but that does not make me a monster. I gave strict orders for the children to be left at your home. And as for the Negro, we allowed him to live, as well. I cannot tell you how strongly I disagree with your decision to allow your progeny to have close personal interactions with one of his kind, however. They are degenerates!”

“Josh is three times the man you’ll ever be,” Max said.

Dee stood staring at the Peregrine for a long moment, saying nothing. Max got the distinct impression that Dee was disappointed in him. “Eva, please leave us alone for a moment.”

The dark-haired temptress hesitated. If anyone other than Dee had asked her to leave them alone with the Peregrine, she would have told them they were insane. Even chained to the wall, he was a dangerous opponent. But Dee had proven himself again and again, so she said nothing as she exited the room. She paused to give Max one last look, wishing that his damned morals hadn’t been so strong. She would have loved to add his name to her list of lovers, but perhaps part of what made him so exciting was his refusal to bend to her charms.

When the two men were alone, Dee began speaking almost immediately. He clasped his gloved hands behind his back and paced back and forth slowly in front of the Peregrine. “We are currently steaming towards Europe, Herr Davies. The Fuehrer wants to see you personally. He considers you one of the most dangerous men in the world and I cannot disagree. Singlehandedly, you have dispatched numerous members of the OFP. Worse yet, you broke into the Fuehrer’s private offices and confronted him. The rumors of your exploits have spread like wildfire throughout Germany. With the tide of war turning against us,
mein
Fuehrer believes that publicly executing you will not only inspire our forces, but help demoralize yours.”

“I’m no public icon,” the Peregrine replied. “Even if you did kill me, it won’t change the fact that you’re going to lose the war.”

“You underestimate both your own importance and the impact of propaganda. While it is true that you do not dominate the
News of the World
film reels, your stories are fictionalized in print and there are movies inspired by your exploits. You are… a folk legend? I believe that is what you would call it.”

The Peregrine said nothing, instead trying to examine his cell in greater care. He didn’t hold out much hope of the ship being stopped by Allied naval forces… Dee seemed supremely confident that the steamer was going to successfully reach Germany, and Max found the man’s demeanor to be suggestive of one who covered every detail. If the Peregrine was going to be freed, it had to be either himself or Evelyn who engineered it, unless, the Claws team could somehow figure out what had happened.