INCURSION: Knightmare (Knight's Bane Trilogy Book 1) Read online

"I'm going to wait out here, boss," Heavy said as he stared at the two bodyguards. "Holler if you need me."

  Ghost closed the double doors behind the trio as they entered, sealing out the noise of the building. It was a plush office with a large oak desk and comfortable furniture scattered around. The mayor was placing the phone on its receiver as Six approached her desk.

  Desiree Marshall was a slim African American woman with classical features and long hair that she wore down her back. She had spent her entire life in Trinidad and Las Animas County and had worked her way up the political ladder with grit, determination, and a backbone of solid steel. Capable of listening to her constituents and verbally flaying her opponents, she was used to her enemies underestimating her exactly one time. As acting mayor, Ms. Marshall was not going to put up with these federal agents barging into her office uninvited.

  Six did not get a chance to speak; Mayor Marshall verbally attacked him before he came to a stop.

  "Just what do you think you are doing?" she demanded. "Bullying past my administrator and physically threatening my police officers? I don't care what kind of badge you have. I'll have it in my desk before this week is out. I have an entire collection of badges from sanctimonious law enforcement pricks that I've had fired over the years." She smiled a hungry grin. "It will be nice to add a DHS badge to the collection."

  The agent held up his hands to ward off the tirade. "Madam Mayor, I'm sorry that I had to barge in on your busy schedule, but I had some very important information that I had to talk to you about. It's about our investigation here in Trinidad. I believe that we're almost wrapped up. Can you spare a couple of minutes?"

  The mayor's demeanor changed visibly from overtly hostile to coldly calculating. "If it will get you out of my town faster, I will spare you three minutes—no more."

  "Yes, ma'am," the agent replied. "I can honestly say that it won't take more than that. In fact, I actually have one quick question before I tell you what we discovered."

  "Well?" the mayor demanded impatiently. "What's your question?"

  "Are you a familiar for the vampire master?"

  The mayor snapped. Her conservative, calf-length skirt tore as she leapt across the desk at Six. Her eyes were wide with insanity, and she growled as she rushed at him. He was not expecting the direct attack and barely managed to ward off her fists as she aimed punches at his face and throat.

  Six grabbed her arms in his powerful hands as he tried to keep the feral woman off of him, all the while yelling for the deputy to grab his handcuffs. The mayor surged, howled and ripped her arms out of the agent's hands. Six responded by with a solid punch that stunned the mayor and a wild haymaker that connected to her jaw. The mayor fell as if pole-axed, thumping to the floor as the doors burst open. The bodyguards ran inside with weapons drawn pointing them at the team.

  "Freeze. Police!" yelled the officers.

  Six drew his sidearm with lightning speed, countering with, "Federal Agents!"

  It quickly became a standoff—until Heavy stepped into the room. The mountainous agent slammed a thick hand across the arms of each police officer hard enough to make them drop their pistols. Grabbing the police officers by the back of their tailored jackets, he hauled them off of their feet and turned them around to face him. He shook them until he was sure he had their attention.

  Six paused to take a breath, and then said, "The mayor is under arrest for assaulting a federal agent: me. The deputy will be handcuffing her, and we will be taking her with us. Do you understand?"

  When the two officers reluctantly nodded, the big agent slowly put them back on their feet. Six nodded to Heavy and motioned for Ghost to help Christian take the mayor out to the truck.

  He keyed his radio. "Spooky, Six. Fire up the Wagon. We have a prisoner."

  Heavy was the last to leave the office area. He remained behind to make sure that no one interfered. He turned and looked at the still stunned police officers. As he glanced around the posh office area, he muttered under his breath, "I hate politics..."

  22

  FAMILIARS

  MT. SAN RAFAEL HOSPITAL, TRINIDAD, COLORADO.

  While the Beta Team talked with Medical Examiner Bill Stewart in his office, God waited outside the cramped office and watched the halls. He noted that the crematorium was shut down and empty..

  "Doctor Stewart, do you have those files for the original group of deceased that brought us here?" asked Doc. "I'd like to take another look at the files... and at the bodies," she explained.

  The doctor hesitated as he handed over his files. Boomer noticed his hands and forehead were sweaty in spite of the cool temperature of the lab. He looked guilty of something, and she knew what it was.

  After Doc quickly reviewed several files, she looked up at Stewart and asked him for some help. "I want to take another look at the post-mortem wounds," she explained.

  "Sure," replied Stewart. "Which one did you want to start with?"

  After the priest looked at the folders she said, "Let's start with that last one. The remains will be freshest."

  Stewart nodded, and they all left the office.

  Doc and Stewart donned surgical gowns and gloves and retrieved the remains from the cooler. Boomer stood in close proximity to Stewart, subtly boxing him in against a wall.

  The DHS medic began pointing out the various slashing and tearing wounds.

  "What did you determine did these wounds? Was it some sort of big cat?" Doc questioned as she poked and prodded the injuries.

  Stewart nodded fitfully. "Y-Y-Yes," he stammered. "A big cat, maybe a mountain lion. Why do you ask?"

  Doc looked at him and then back to the corpse. She continued, "Because these bites have the same characteristics as human bites, albeit bites made by sharper teeth. Where did you get your degree from, Doctor?"

  "Princeton," the doctor angrily replied. "I graduated with honors forty-four years ago. What of it?"

  The priest looked quizzically at the man before her. "Because I don't understand how someone with your experience and time can mistake an obviously human series of bites for big cat bites," she continued. "They look nothing alike. Can you explain that?"

  The doctor raised his voice shrilly and caught the attention of the sniper in the hallway. "I've got more experience with big cat mauling than you ever will! I'm telling you, this is a big cat. Post mortem."

  Hearing the rising voices, God approached the lab, and placed his hand lightly on his sidearm. He reached for the door leading into the lab.

  Doc looked at Doctor Stewart and calmly explained, "That's another thing. These wounds were not post mortem. These wounds were the cause of death. I'm really not sure how you missed that. There are two choices: either you are hugely incompetent, or you are covering up something. Which is it?"

  The doctor paled at her words. He tried to choke out an answer, but Doc cut him off again.

  "If I had to guess, I'd guess that no one can be this incompetent and actually hold a Medical Examiner position in this day and age, which leaves me with one real option: you are covering up for someone... possibly the real murderers?"

  The coroner was ashen and trembled at the accusation.

  Doc's voice took on a light, conversational tone as she continued. "Although I do have to admit one thing: the monsters that did this to these victims are technically more creature than human."

  She looked Dr. Stewart straight in the eye. Her voice grew quiet as she continued. "How long have you been a familiar, Bill?" she questioned.

  The priest was not sure what to expect, but the suddenness and target of Dr. Stewart's attack took her off-guard. In one frantic movement, the coroner grabbed a scalpel from the instrument tray and swung wildly at Boomer who was standing next to him. The scalpel missed the explosives expert's throat by less than an inch. The doctor overbalanced on the swing, and the agent's instinctive kick caught him in the gut. The kick drove the air from his lungs, doubled him over, and left him struggling to breathe.

  Whe
n he saw the attack, God burst through lab door, running to help his teammates. Doc stepped back out of the sniper's way as God barreled into the fray, knocking aside the scalpel still clutched in Dr. Stewart's hand. A hard punch to the forearm made the doctor's hand go numb, and he dropped the improvised weapon Boomer delivered another kick to the M.E. Her combat boot connected squarely between the doctor's legs, driving the man to the floor in agony.

  God grabbed and twisted the doctor's wrists behind his torso, roughly hauling him up from the floor, and planted him in a nearby chair. A quick search around the office produced some industrial strength zip-ties. The sniper secured the struggling coroner to his desk chair. The sniper leaned over the doctor and said quietly, "Next time, don't attack a woman who is trained in combat. Especially if she's already pissed at you."

  He patted the doctor on the head and walked over to where the rest of his team stood.

  Doc looked at both of the other agents and chuckled. "Mental note, if you ask a familiar if they are, in fact, a familiar, they get violent. Good to know. So now what?"

  God looked at her and said, "Let's see how the other team is doing. See what Six wants us to do." He keyed his radio. "Six, God. What's your status?"

  "Six. We have one in custody for interrogation. You?"

  The sniper answered, "We've got one as well. Why don't you come to the morgue? It's quiet, and there's a back entrance for privacy."

  "That's a great idea, God. We'll be there in five. Six out." The team leader sounded stressed.

  The stoic sniper looked at his teammates, "Well, seems like the party is coming to us."

  FIVE MINUTES LATER, the MRAP backed up to the morgue's entrance. As the back hatch opened, two police cars and a sheriff's patrol car pulled in and blocked the MRAP.

  Six looked at the officers and the sheriff as they got out of their respective vehicles, and he looked back at his team.

  "Heavy, you're with me," Six said. "Spooky, stay in the truck. Ghost, Do-Right, you guys escort the mayor inside and secure her with the coroner. I'll take care of these guys."

  The lead agent thought for a moment and made a snap decision.

  "Spooky. Contact the HRT and get them deployed over here right away. I want about half of them here; the rest should go to the base ops and secure the files."

  Six turned, and Heavy climbed down out of the back of the War Wagon to stand beside him. They walked calmly over to the officers who were gathering around the black MRAP. As they approached, the murmurs and talking grew louder and angrier.

  Six keyed his radio and subvocalized so the gathering officers could not hear him. "Spooky, ETA on the HRT?"

  "Two minutes, boss," Spooky replied.

  Six raised his hands up to shoulder level in an effort to calm the growing voices. "Ladies and gentlemen, before you get too angry, let's talk about what's going on."

  He nodded to a couple of the people in the group. "Chief. Sheriff. I'm glad you are here as well. Let me explain what happened."

  "Your team kidnapped the mayor, Agent Holstein," Sheriff Sweeney interrupted in a voice as brittle as glass. "What are you doing to this town?"

  The federal agent looked over the restless crowd of uniforms, stalling until he saw one of the FBI trucks pull around the corner. As the HRT agents climbed out of the truck, Six addressed the group.

  "I understand that there are a lot of questions today. Mayor Marshall is currently in my custody. She is under arrest for attacking a federal law enforcement officer, namely me. Our investigation led us to the acting mayor and the coroner as potential leads in the case.

  "As it turns out, both are in custody because we believe that they have connection with the terrorist cell that's been targeting this town. I will update you on our progress, as I am able to, without revealing classified information in an ongoing investigation. That is all I can tell you at this time."

  The grumblings were cut short, and the crowd of officers dispersed when the armed and armored HRT team took up station around the MRAP and in front of the hospital door.

  "Thank you for moving so quickly, commander," Six said as he addressed the FBI's team lead. "I'll handle security inside. If we can have you guys on site here for the next couple of hours, and on site over at the SGGC during that time as well, we would appreciate it. We are close to wrapping up this mess."

  "I hope so, Agent Holstein," the commander said as he looked at Six. "I've done some checking. You and your team are brand new to federal service, and we don't work the same here in the states as you did in Iraq."

  The DHS agent chuckled. "Believe me, I know that. I'm just doing the best job I can to take down these bad guys," he said.

  Six and Heavy turned to walk through the loading dock doors and left Spooky enclosed in the War Wagon surrounded by HRT.

  As the men walked into the morgue, Six observed that both familiars had been securely fastened to chairs and that the chairs were three or four feet apart and faced away from each other. As they sat back-to-back, the two snarling people in front of him could not see or take their cues from each other.

  Six smiled and walked into the mayor's line of sight.

  "Madam Mayor, this is how this session is going to go. You can either cooperate and answer my questions or cooperate after we torture you. It is completely your choice. What do you say... want to take the easy route?"

  The mayor looked sullen and glared at the agent with her head bowed low and her hair covering part of her face.

  "You will not get away with this. He will find you and rip your throat out," the mayor threatened.

  "Alright, mayor. I'll take that as the obvious 'F-U' that you intended it for. Let's see what the coroner has to say."

  Six moved into Doctor Stewart's line of sight. "What do you say, Bill? Easy or hard? Your choice."

  The coroner just spat. His phlegm hit the floor by the agent's foot. Six backed away and looked at the rest of the team in disgust.

  "The hard way it is then. Let's break these fools."

  Doc stepped forward and said, "May I try something first, boss? I have an idea that just might get us some information."

  Six nodded to her, and she moved to stand in front of the coroner. The priest leafed through her leather-bound book again and found the page she wanted. She looked up and placed her hand on the coroner's forehead, and then she spoke in Latin.

  The effect of her liturgy was instantaneous: Doctor Stewart looked like he had been electrocuted. The energy that ran through his body froze his muscles, and he began to convulse. The lead agent looked at Doc in alarm, but she never stopped reading from her book. Stewart rocked back and forth in his chair.

  Drool ran out between his lips as he muttered, "Cannot betray master... Going north... Cannot betray north... Going master..."

  The mayor hissed at the coroner. She craned her head around to see him and threatened, "Shut up, fool. Do not betray Zachariah."

  The coroner hissed at the name. "No. Mustn't betray him. No."

  Six looked between the two prisoners, and then approached the mayor.

  "So, Zachariah is your master, huh?" he questioned.

  "You are not worthy to speak his name. Shut your mouth, interloper," the mayor hissed. "You cannot stop our master. Soon everyone will get their reward."

  Six turned to Doc and asked, "Anything ring a bell with this Zachariah character?"

  While the priest shook her head, Ghost nodded and said, "I can't believe it. The rumor is true."

  The entire team turned to look at the esoteric hunter. He continued, "Look, there have been rumors of an ancient master out here somewhere. He's supposed to be at least a couple hundred years old. If so, he's powerful. Twice in my prior life, I came across a reference to this 'Zachariah.' If he's mixed up in this, he's been here for quite some time."

  Ghost turned to the mayor. "How long have you known your master?" he inquired.

  Mayor Marshall hissed and squirmed to get free. "I will not tell you anything more."

 
Doc approached the mayor and laid her hand on the mayor's forehead. Doc spoke in the same Latin that the team heard earlier.

  But the mayor did not react as the doctor had—she laughed instead.

  "Fool. I have been with the master for a long time, I am immune to your parlor tricks and beliefs in a dead god. That will not work on me."

  Six knelt down to look her in the eye.

  Calmly and coldly, the agent whispered, "I don't care if you are not afraid of God. You should be afraid of me. I have the authority to do with you as I please. If you do not help me, you will regret it when this is over. After I find and kill Zachariah, I will then personally take you to one of those secret little government holes designed specifically for terrorists. You will disappear. Forever."

  The mayor blanched but attempted to put on a brave face. "You cannot. There are enough people in this town that know you took me. The news will be all over this story."

  Six smiled coldly. "I have the authority. And you are part of the terrorists that were attacking this town. Your people won't care about you. But none of that matters. You will tell me what I want to know."

  The mayor shook her head.

  "Never. I would never betray the master."

  The agent smiled and tilted his head at the coroner who was regaining some semblance of coherence.

  The agent's voice dropped to a whisper as he leaned closer to the mayor's ear. "You don't have to betray Zachariah. Your fellow familiar will. He can't stand the pain. And when I'm done with him, you will be next."

  Six pulled a roll of duct tape from his fatigues and placed a strip over the mayor's mouth. He stood, drew his gun, and aimed it at the corpse that was still laying on the examination table. He motioned Boomer out of the firing line and wordlessly cautioned everyone to protect their ears. When his team had all plugged their ears, he pulled the trigger twice. The shots echoed in the small lab, and the corpse twitched at the impact of each bullet.

  Six walked around to face the coroner. Doctor Stewart's face was ashen, and he violently twisted his neck to try to see the mayor.

  The lead agent knelt down and stared silently at the coroner. After a brief pause, Six spoke.