Jason and Pridament joined Sophia behind the fray.

"Jackson, any idea how many of them there are?" Jason asked.

Jackson shook his head.

"I can't give you an exact number, but there doesn't seem to be too many. And the few remaining are feeling pretty bad about their chances. They obviously didn't expect to come up against an entire group of Anunnaki. From what I sense, the main force is still elsewhere, probably engaging those troops you mentioned who were outside."

"How's Gwynn?" Sophia asked.

"Still unconscious. But he doesn't feel too warm, and his breathing has been steady. I think Caelum's intervention helped," Pridament answered.

Ahead, Katsuro and Marie had stopped to regard their work. Jason counted sixteen bodies.

"They've broken off and are retreating," Jackson said. "I think this is the best time to push ahead."

"Ok, let's go. Everyone, regroup and head for the hangers," Jason ordered.

Katsuro's brow wrinkled.

"Are you the one giving orders now?"

"No, I mean, well, I guess I was. Sorry, old habits. Besides, most of these guys were my team."

Katsuro took a brief glance at the people surrounding him. The weight of losing all the men who called him a leader forced his shoulders down and knocked the air out of him in a sigh.

"I guess from where I'm standing, maybe you should be giving the orders. It seems you've done a better job of keeping your people alive."

Jason felt the need to argue. After all, he'd done virtually nothing to save his people. From what he could tell, they'd saved themselves. And even then, Wade and Natalie were missing. He believed from their expressions and behavior they'd been through h.e.l.l, and he hadn't been there to help.

But Katsuro's eyes were filled with defeat. Odd, to see the man he'd idolized for so long being broken. He couldn't recall ever seeing weakness in his Katsuro. How could two men share the same face-the same soul-and be so different? And was he defeated because his men were dead, or because he saw Jason being a better leader? Maybe this was just the final straw. It sounds like Fenrir had seen no shortage of casualties. These last three, deaths Katsuro had been close enough to look in the eye, perhaps they'd been the final weight to break his resolve.

But did any of that matter? Regardless of the reasons, his ability to lead was compromised. Jason would take the role. He'd carried it before, and if it meant they survived, he'd carry it again.

"Which way is the hanger?" he asked Katsuro.

Katsuro motioned over his shoulder.

"We go down this hall to a tee intersection. Go left, then the next right, straight along that hall, and up a series of stairs until you reach the hanger. It's a back entrance only accessible from these lower levels. It shouldn't be too heavily guarded."

"Right," Jason nodded. With our luck, not too heavily guarded will mean a hundred or more. "Brandt, you, Jackson, and I have point. Marie, you follow us. Pridament, you still ok with Gwynn?"

"Yes."

"Ok, so you'll carry Gwynn and Sophia will be your shadow. Katsuro, Caelum, you two are the rear guard. We keep the formation loose, so we don't present a bigger target, and we keep the pace easy, so we don't run headfirst into a mess. Everyone understand?"

They fell into line in their a.s.signed positions and started moving. When they reached the intersection, they stopped, allowing Jackson to get a reading on the area.

"I'm not sensing anything directed toward us. A lot of anxieties, and some violent thoughts toward the group outside. I think we're good to keep moving."

Jason eased his head around the corner.

"Hey Brandt, is there enough rock between the wall and metal plating that you could seal this up?"

Jason pointed down the right branch of the hall. He had no idea where it led, but he preferred to make it as difficult as possible for anyone to sneak up on them.

"Should be doable," Brandt said.

He faced the right branch of the hall and let the energies of the Veil flow into him.

As a Script, Jason felt the tear, could almost sense the strands of energy flowing from Brandt's extremities out toward the rock. He manipulated the strands like a puppeteer working strings.

Rock peeled from the roof and floor in equal measure until they met in the center. Then, Brandt added a second layer by bending the rock from each side of the hall against each other.

"There's plenty that could break through it, but at least we'll hear them coming," Brandt said.

The party resumed their march down the left hall.

"Take this right," Jason instructed.

Brandt peeked around the corner.

"Looks like a clear run all the way. I don't even see any doors leading off the hall."

"Jackson, anything?" Jason asked.

Jackson closed his eyes and ran his hand along the wall.

"Again, there's nothing specific. I think there's something in the hanger. But it's more because of the absence of something. There's just a hole of nothing there, like someone is intentionally blocking things out."

Jason motioned for Marie to come forward.

"Pa.s.s it along, we've got a clear run to the hanger, but Jackson thinks we're walking into something. Everyone should be ready for a fight. All eyes."

Marie nodded her understanding and moved to the others to explain the situation.

This time, Jason had Brandt wait until everyone moved into the hall and then had him seal the entrance behind them.

"You realize you just cut off our only other escape route?" Katsuro asked.

Jason shrugged.

"I'm aware. But I've also lessened the chance of us getting caught in a crossfire. I'll take my chances. Besides, between all of us, I'm pretty sure we can move that rock if we need to."

Brandt returned to the front of the formation. He drew two large stones from the walls, holding them in each hand, ready to send projectiles flying.

Their auditory senses were a.s.saulted with sounds of battle as soon as they entered the hanger.

Not the white noise of the battlefield-a series of pops, bangs, groans, and screams-it was an a.s.sault on their ears. Sounds of explosions seemed to happen just behind them. They wheeled and spun, their minds using the input to tell them they were being attacked on all sides. When their eyes saw nothing, their mind's confusion between the two signals-battle, nothing-resulted in a dizzying spin.

Brandt pressed the stones against his ears. He willed them to crumble into small pebbles, filling and conforming to the shape of his inner ear, blocking out the sound. The excess he snapped off, intending they should fulfill their original mission.

The others succ.u.mbed to the noise and fell. More than one puddle of vomit splashed on the ground.

Where are you, you son of a b.i.t.c.h...There!

Brandt let one of the stones fly, shattering it into hundreds of tiny splinters.

They smashed into a nearby jet's fuselage. Metal sc.r.a.ped against metal, sending sparks into the fuel line.

A real explosion rocked the hanger, throwing their a.s.sailant against a far wall.

Brandt looked to the others, who seemed to be regaining their senses. Just in case, he left in the stone ear plugs.

The hanger walls were metal, but the floor was a poured concrete.

A wave rose from the concrete, which Brandt rode, at a crushing pace toward their enemy.

His gauntleted hand smashed into his opponent's abdomen. Even if he wore armor, his fist would punch through it. He'd grab hold of the b.a.s.t.a.r.d's spine and pull it out where his navel used to be.

It should've happened. Not too long ago he'd put his fist through a Curse.

Instead, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d rolled with the punch, wearing a smile.

Brandt brought his left fist around, hoping to catch his opponent in the chin, but his fist flew through empty air, throwing his balance off. He took a couple of stumbling steps forward.

Something slammed into him from the side, tossing him back ten feet.

The enemy stretched his neck, moving his head side to side. Greasy, stringy, silver hair framed a skeletally thin face that studied him with gray, dead, eyes. His mouth opened wide, as though he was shouting at Brandt-who couldn't hear anyway because of the literal rocks in his head.

It was no ordinary shout. The wave slammed into Brandt. Trying to stay on his feet was like walking headfirst into a tornado.

I will not fall.

Brandt gnashed his teeth and leaned into the wave. He willed the concrete to raise, so he had something to grasp.

As the second wave ceased, Brandt tore chunks out of the raised concrete and hurled them at his enemy who dodged each one. Though he didn't dodge, he seemed to phase from one place to another, leaving ghostly trails of images of himself blending together in a single, elongated, blur.

Someone tapped Brandt's shoulder.

He wheeled around, his fist missing Katsuro's face by hundredths of an inch.

Katsuro pointed his fingers at his ears.

"What?" Brandt said.

Katsuro gave him an exasperated look.

Oh, right, I can't hear him.

Brandt willed one of the ear plugs back to gel and pulled it from his ear with a sucking pop!

"Make it quick, I'm kind of in the middle of a battle here," Brandt said, rubbing furiously at his ear.

Though at the moment, the battle seemed quiet-his opponent having disappeared.

"That's what I need to tell you. The Einherjar are Woten's elite-Anunnaki recruited by the Valkyries from a mult.i.tude of worlds. The one you're fighting is Kydoimos. He uses auditory and visual hallucinations to confuse his enemies. On his world, he was considered the personification of war. The ear plug thing was a good trick, but you can't beat him."

"I'm plenty strong enough to beat him," Brandt huffed.

"Don't turn this into a pride thing. You're strong, a good fighter, but robbed of one or more of your senses, you're less effective. Being less effective is going to get you killed."

A war hammer crashed through the s.p.a.ce between them, forcing them apart.

"Katsuro," Kydoimos said. "You finally decided to crawl out of that dank dungeon you've been hiding in."

Sutr leapt to blazing life in Katsuro's hand.

"It's still brighter than the darkness here."

Katsuro slashed with his sword. A wall of flame leapt from Sutr's tip, spreading up and out, pushing Kydoimos back.

"Go. Get your friends out of here," Katsuro said to Brandt. "We have little chance of beating him, and even if we do, we'll destroy every chance of escaping. I know him. I'll be able to hold him off so you can escape."

Brandt had to remind himself this was a stranger. And even if he wasn't, he made sense. Brandt wasn't sure what he'd fallen into, but everything had obviously gone to s.h.i.t. None of whatever plan existed had worked. When things reached that point, there was only one course of action, only one goal, that mattered...Survival.

"Fine," he said. "But don't be a martyr. Get out if you can."

Brandt dashed back to where the others were.

"What's going on?" Jason asked.

"We need to find something that flies, and flies fast, and get the h.e.l.l out of here."

Jason looked to where Katsuro faced off against Kydoimos.

"But we should help-"

"No! We should take the man's advice and get out of here alive. Jay, I threw a punch that would level a house-that guy took it with a smile. We're not winning here. Katsuro's giving us a chance to escape and we should take it."

Jason hesitated. Of all people, he would. Katsuro, their Katsuro, had been his mentor. Together, they were the only two Scripts in Suture-aside from the immortals who were too far removed to be peers.

"Fine," Jason finally said through a clenched jaw.

He took a deep breath and pulled his shoulders back.

"Marie," he said, "check out everything that looks like a jet. See if you can fly it and that it's big enough to carry us all. Go."

She said nothing, just disappeared in a blur.