THE GOD
The helicopters touched down outside the abandoned construction site, blowing up a thick plume of dust that engulfed the skeleton of a half-completed skyscraper and a dozen temporary buildings. The rusted corpses of several trucks groaned against the buffeting sheets of wind, and a towering crane rocked dangerously, the metal hook swinging like a pendulum.
“This was all supposed to be a commercial hub,” Tallon explained, shouting over the roar of the helicopters’ engines. “A few buildings and an entire suburb all around here, but ever since the ’08 crisis, it’s been a ghost town.”
“Why do we always get the spooky-ass abandoned places?” Ryan complained, hopping down onto the dry grass. “I always get the feeling that something’s watching me.”
Cassie ignored their conversation. She checked her equipment for the umpteenth time, as though hoping to find hidden courage in her weaponry. She was lightly armed – just a concealed knife and her Glock 17C, with two magazines of spare ammunition strapped to her thighs.
Shaun stood from beside her, his jaw tight. He dropped to the ground and helped her down alongside him.
Temporal Operations’ snipers were already taking up positions in the skyscraper, the scaffolding creaking loudly as the soldiers hid themselves in hard-to-reach places, their sights trained on a large clearing in the center of the construction yard. The crane came to a gentle stop, looming over the whole area, somehow standing despite years of neglect. Nature had started reclaiming the forgotten equipment – spades, wheelbarrows, even the tow-bar of a truck, now rusted and buried in wild grass.
“Remember the plan,” Tallon said, facing the two Timewalkers. “We’ll have you covered at all times, but we need at least one Adjuster alive. So when they come, let the snipers do the work, and if you have to shoot, aim to incapacitate – we can’t afford a fatal shot. We have the anti-Temporal handcuffs with us; the moment the Adjusters appear, we’ll make a move to injure and capture one of them, okay?”
Cassie managed to nod, not trusting herself to speak.
The walk seemed to take forever, every step harder than the last. She wanted nothing more than to run back to the safety of the helicopters but she forced herself to continue, to put one foot in front of the other. You can do this. Trust in the Bureau. They’re going to protect you, they’ll make sure nothing bad happens.
She wasn’t sure she believed herself.
Then they were there, in the center of the abandoned construction yard. The skeletal skyscraper was on their right; the site office was away to their left; the crane overhead. Ryan and Tallon took up defensive positions, supported by Whirlwind and Blackforest.
“Back to back,” Shaun commanded, standing against Cassie. There was something secure in his presence against her, something that made her heart ache and shone a tiny ray of light against the darkness gathering in her mind.
Her hand drifted toward her holstered Glock, and she reached for her Affinity, trying to detect the telltale signs of an Adjuster attack. The harsh July sun beat down on her shoulders and she started sweating beneath her black combat gear. She blinked salty sweat from her eyes, struggling to see past the haze rising from the ground.
Minutes dragged on in silence, and still nothing. She stirred, her legs aching.
A voice spoke in her ear, startling her.
“Clockwork, this is Eaglepoint,” a female voice said over the comm. “Please be advised, a large Temporal Spike has been registered over your immediate location. Standby for impending extratemporal arrival.”
Fear and adrenaline dumped into Cassie’s body, an uneasy cocktail of emotions running riot through her mind. Her Affinity twitched as the universe moved around her. She could feel Temporal Energy shifting, rippling like a stone tossed into a calm river.
“You heard that?” Tallon said. “Sounds like we’ve got company, over.”
“Copy that,” Shaun replied. His body was tense and rigid against hers, his eyes darting all over the construction yard. He dropped his hand and looked at her. “Are you ready?”
“I think so,” she breathed. Her entire body trembled. She could feel the universe pulsing around them, invisible T.E. curling into thick ribbons, splitting apart and slamming back together again, preparing to accept the teleporting Adjusters. She tensed, expecting the explosion of light, the snarling assassins and their viciously sharp blades.
It was a sickening, wet thump that began the attack.
“What was that?” she asked, her voice going several octaves higher.
Shaun shook his head, a silent I don’t know. Out of the corner of Cassie’s eye, she saw a body tumble from the skyscraper, landing on the ground with a nauseating splat.
One of the snipers, his throat cut from ear-to-ear.
A heartbeat later, she heard a surprised shout, and through her commset:
“CONTACT!”
This time, Cassie felt the Adjusters arrive one after the other with powerful bursts of T.E. like miniature bombs, each accompanied by a blinding flash of light. Bodies rained from the skyscraper with scarlet splatters like dropped buckets of paint. Gunfire roared across the construction yard, followed by a burst of voices over the radio.
“Eyes on, eyes on! Three hostiles—”
“—lost Donovan! Shit, there’s more—”
“—Little Hill, Little Hill, requesting immediate backup—”
“—I’m pinned down in the northwest, repeat—”
“Clockwork, retreat! Retreat! CASSIE, SHAUN, GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!”
They were too late to respond to the new orders, shocked by the sudden turn of events. With another rapid-fire burst of energy, three Adjusters emerged from their explosive wormholes, crimson sashes around their arms. Their steel knives shimmered in the scorching sunlight.
“Fire at will!” Shaun roared, drawing his handgun and squeezing the trigger. Behind him, two more Adjusters appeared, bearing down on Cassie. Gunshots deafened her, and her ears rang with a sharp whine.
Tallon’s order to avoid killing Adjusters was the furthest thing from her mind – surviving was the only thing she cared about.
There was no hesitation this time. No doubt in her mind. She raised her gun and fired, the bullet passing straight through the monster’s chest. The Adjuster collapsed into a black hole, but the second creature used the momentary distraction to slash at her. The knife passed through her combat jacket and pain flared along her arm. She lashed out with her gun, smacking the monster in the face.
The assassin recoiled and she fired at point-blank range. Inky blood splattered over her face and clothes, foul-smelling and unnaturally thick. The creature disappeared into nothingness—but there was no time to rest. Shaun was fighting with another Adjuster, his bullets somehow diverting around the monster; his gun made a heart-stopping click, and she saw the slide flick back, the magazine empty. He fumbled for a spare magazine, tripping backward as the monster advanced on him.
Cassie sucked in a shallow breath, held her handgun with both hands, and fired.
The Adjuster howled, a swarming black hole consuming its body as it disappeared into the fabric of the universe. Shaun slammed a new magazine into his Glock.
“Thank you,” he gasped. She felt a small ripple of T.E. and watched as the cuts along his arms and chest faded into thin scars.
He reached across and grabbed her arm. A thrill of power surged through her veins, invigorating her like a cold shower – the wound on her forearm healed over, leaving nothing but a white line behind.
“We should—” Shaun began, but then he gave a startled yelp and stepped back. A powerful burst of Temporal Energy swept through the construction yard, a piercing pain striking Cassie’s Affinity. She fell to her knees, gasping for air, her head throbbing.
A gust of ash and snow billowed around them, reeking of smoke and death.
The voice wasn’t human.
It was cruel and wet, vicious and wholly evil. Cassie felt a colossal amount of T.E. radiating from the newcomer’s body; her Affinity sent lightning bolts down the back of her spine – a silent alarm screaming at her to run.
“How dis-a-pointing.”
Three pairs of boots crunched against the dirt – the Voice and two others, one on either side. Cassie kept her eyes down, unable to find the strength to look up.
A shadow fell over her face, and the Voice crouched down, a long hand reaching forward, gripping her chin and forcing her gaze up. She struggled, tried to resist, but the monster in front of her was far too strong.
It looked like another Adjuster with a blank face, a hexagonal device attached to its temple. Its breath reeked of rotting meat, and this close, Cassie could see the hollow eye sockets covered by a thick layer of skin, slightly sunken. The creature wore a black jumpsuit, and the scarlet sash around its left arm was tied carefully, the knot elegant and precise.
“This is ironic,” the Adjuster said, rolling its words into a low growl. “Twenty years too early, I see. A great shame.” It laughed, a wet chuckle in the back of its throat. “In another circumstance, I might afford you mercy because of who you become, but – I’m in a rather tight spot, you see?”
The monster let out another insane cackle, and moved over to Shaun, kicking his weapon aside.
Cassie stirred, wanting to help Shaun, but the other Adjusters stood over her, knives at the ready. Three Adjusters, two Timewalkers. Good odds, usually, she thought. But something’s wrong. Where’s Clockwork? The other operators? Are they all – dead? Her commset had fallen out of her ear during the fight. Were the others alive, trying to regroup?
“You,” the first Adjuster spat, using the word like a curse. It kicked Shaun, sprawling him on the ground. Cassie tensed – then felt a blade against the back of her neck. The strange Adjuster put its boot on Shaun’s throat, glaring down at him.
“I should kill you right here and now for what’ve you done!” the creature snarled, its voice rising to a shout. “You’re just the same as him, I can see it in your eyes. I’d be doing your world a favor.”
Desperation sparked inside Cassie and she blurted out: “You freaks can see?”
She cringed. The monster released Shaun, who gave a spluttered cough, gasping for air. She trembled as the Adjuster walked back toward her, T.E. rippling off its body.
“Such insolence,” it drawled. “You cannot begin to comprehend our powers, girl. You are a child, weak and feeble. We are creatures beyond your kin, products of science and man’s desire to become God. You will treat us with the respect we deserve.”
It lashed out, smacking her across the face. She hit the ground and tasted blood.
“DON’T YOU TOUCH HER!” Shaun bellowed, scrambling upright. He drew his knife from his thigh and in a single, fluid motion, stabbed the Adjuster behind him. He barreled toward the first Adjuster – and then the creature teleported away.
Shaun tumbled through the space where the creature had been moments before; there was an explosion of light and the assassin appeared directly behind him, wrapping a knife around his throat.
“Pathetic,” the monster snarled. “To think – the man you’ll become? It’s almost laughable, Shaun Briars.”
“You know my name?” he gasped, struggling to pull the monster’s weapon away. Cassie slowly reached toward her gun, lying abandoned a few feet away. Nobody was watching. She just had to reach a little more…
“Of course,” the creature said, pulling tighter on Shaun’s throat, drawing blood in a thin bead of scarlet. “Why else would I be here? Your name is what makes your important.”
“What’s yours?” he countered. “Even something as vile as you has to have a name.”
The Adjuster laughed, spittle flying from its impossibly thin lips. Cassie’s fingers brushed through the dirt, ignored by the two Adjusters. She touched the gun, and accidentally pushed it further away. She cursed silently, reaching harder, her shoulder aching.
“Your people gave me no name,” the Adjuster announced, “only a number, like a product from a factory. You robbed me of my humanity, so I became a monster like you wanted me to be – something beyond human, something to fear.”
Cassie’s hand closed around the gun, her index finger finding the trigger.
“My name,” the Adjuster cried, “is Zero!”
Then the world exploded into chaotic motion.
Shaun threw his elbow back at the same moment Zero slashed across with his blade; Cassie pulled the trigger, her shot grazing Zero’s shoulder. The assassin twisted sideways, its mouth open in a startled roar; the second Adjuster leaped into the fray, bearing down on Shaun; he scrambled toward his gun, but Zero intervened, grabbing Shaun’s fatigues and pulling him back—
Cassie fired, taking down the second Adjuster, but she was too slow—
Zero plunged his knife straight into Shaun’s chest, blood gushing from around the blade. Shaun gave a horrified gasp, and his body crumpled.
A scream tore itself from Cassie’s throat, raw and powerful, the beginning of a word but ending in something too guttural to name. She started to move toward Shaun – please god no please don’t take him away – but Zero grabbed her arm, holding her back. She screamed again, desperately tugging against the monster, trying to reach Shaun where he lay dying – oh god he’s dead he’s dead oh god no. Desperation surged through her body, fueled by adrenaline, burning through her veins like wildfire – please he can’t die don’t let him die I need him – and activated something hidden deep inside her own body.
Temporal Energy stormed toward her, and Zero released her arm with a surprised howl. She couldn’t control what was happening, didn’t even know how—
A shockwave rippled away from her body, blowing dust and dry grass away—
There was a blinding flash of light—
* * *
“Even something as vile as you has to have a name,” Shaun growled. The knife pressed into his throat, warm blood pooling across his skin. Keep him talking, he thought, psychopaths love to talk. I just need to buy some time…
He glanced down at Cassie, and saw her fingers reaching toward the gun. An inexplicable feeling of déjà vu swept across him, so powerful that he staggered a little. The Adjuster tightened its grip again, cold metal biting into his throat.
“Your people gave me no name,” the Adjuster snarled, its breath hot and foul at his ear, “only a number, like a product from a factory. You robbed me of my humanity, so I became a monster like you wanted me to be – something beyond human, something to fear.”
This is it, I have to make my move, Shaun thought. His gun was gone, as was his knife – but all those training sessions with Ryan hadn’t been for nothing. He had trained in hand-to-hand combat for precisely a situation like this.
The Bureau had always told him one simple truth: you are a human weapon.
He didn’t need guns or knives; he only needed his body and his powers.
“My name,” the Adjuster cried, “is Zero!”
A roaring gunshot cut through the air. The monster called Zero twisted away, inky blood curling from its shoulder. Shaun stumbled back as the second Adjuster leaped toward him, and he darted toward his gun; he felt something collide with him, saw a tumble of red curls—
He snatched up his gun, racked the slide—
He and Cassie rolled on the ground, came to a stop, and both brought up their weapons at the same time. Cassie’s shot took out the second Adjuster, a direct hit to the chest. Shaun squeezed the trigger rapidly, but his bullets never reached Zero.
The slugs stopped in mid-air, defying gravity.
“Not even a challenge!” Zero gave a harsh, inhuman cackle. He tilted his head to one side like a perplexed dog. “I expected so much more.”
Shaun stood, his hands shaking, the weapon trained on Zero’s chest.
“Stand down!” he roared, the words falling from his mouth. “You are now in the custody of the Bureau of Temporal Integrity, Monitoring and Execution. Get on your knees!”
Zero laughed again, the noise devoid of any humor. His body shook with the intensity of his laugh, now growing louder, and the ground itself was trembling, rocks leaping into the air and remaining there, dirt and grass swirling around them in a hurricane.
“Shaun!” Cassie cried, reaching for him, but he refused to let Zero escape. He darted forward, but before he could reach Zero, the creature’s laugh ended and he flung his arms out, energy bursting from his hands. A horrendous shriek of metal filled the air and Shaun looked up to see the crane leaning forward – not leaning, but falling.
“Shaun!” Cassie screeched, grabbing his arm and yanking him sideways. They tumbled away just as the crane hit the ground with a tremendous roar and a colossal report that jarred his bones. Shaun didn’t realize he had formed a protective shield around Cassie until the dust settled, revealing them curled into a tight ball, a slab of shattered concrete just inches away. Her body pressed into his, trembling.
“Are you okay?” Shaun asked, releasing Cassie and activating his Regenerative powers with mechanical ease.
“I’m fine,” she said, accepting his hand as he pulled her to her feet. She had a cut above her eyebrow, blood running across her forehead. He wanted to fix her, wanted to hold her and make sure nothing could ever attack them again – but for that, he had to stop Zero.
Shaun turned around, surveying the wreckage of the crane, a mess of twisted metal and broken concrete slabs that had once balanced the machine. The Adjuster was nowhere to be found, and he couldn’t locate the creature’s signature in the Temporal Field of the universe. In fact, he couldn’t sense Cassie either.
Something was blocking his Affinity.
“You feel it too?” she asked, worry etched on her face along with the blood and dust.
He motioned for her to follow him. “Stay close.”
They were both weaponless now, their guns lost somewhere in the wreckage. They were vulnerable and exposed. They skirted the crane carefully, expecting an Adjuster to leap out of the tangled metal any second. There was just them, the dead operators and the evidence of the Adjusters’ attack.
Shaun saw one of the fallen snipers, rifle still in-hand, and he started toward the corpse, hoping to take the weapon – but invisible hands grabbed his arms and legs, freezing him in place.
“That was a close one, wasn’t it?” Zero laughed, his cruel voice booming across the construction yard. Shaun’s body twisted to face the monster, and Cassie swung around beside him. He couldn’t move his body – he was frozen in mid-air.
This isn’t possible, he thought, his blood running cold. Adjusters don’t have any powers other than teleportation – that’s what we’ve always been told.
How is Zero doing this?
“In another world, I might have been a magician,” Zero chuckled again, as though it was far more meaningful than an insane off-hand remark.
Even this close to the Adjuster, Shaun still couldn’t sense the monster’s signature. Had something happened to his Affinity? Even the usual static was absent from his mind, as though his entire ability to detect changes in Temporal Energy had been switched off.
“What do you want?” Shaun forced the words out, his jaw stiff. “If you want to kill us, just go ahead and get it over with!”
Zero’s face tightened, and if he’d had eyebrows, those might have furrowed. The hexagonal piece of metal in his temple glowed brightly. He took a step forward, his gait confident and powerful.
“I want to kill you,” Zero snarled, his words low and fierce. “I should. You must atone for your sins, for what you will do in the future!”
“The future?” Shaun gasped. “What the hell are you talking about?!”
He never got his answer. The roar of helicopter engines filled the air and two gunships wheeled overhead, blades sending buffeting sheets of wind across the construction yard. Shaun and Cassie dropped to the ground as Zero released his invisible grip, the pair staggering away from the monster.
Black-clad operators slid down ropes and hit the ground, assault rifles raised at shoulder level, all screaming at Zero to kneel. A cry came to Shaun’s lips, afraid that Zero would unleash his terrible powers again, but his shout died out as a hoarse cough.
From the midst of the soldiers came Captain Tallon, bruised and bloodied, but still alive, with Ryan trailing behind him. Zero took several deliberate steps backward, his abnormally large mouth drawn in a thin line. The operators swarmed him, and still Shaun expected another attack – but Zero surprised everyone.
The Adjuster interlaced his hands behind his head and knelt on the ground.
Tallon clasped the anti-Temporal handcuffs around the monster’s wrists. The cuffs glowed bright blue, and Shaun felt the electromagnetic field disrupting the Temporal Field around Zero.
The soldiers hauled Zero upright, dragging him back toward the helicopter. And the whole time, as he was marched toward the waiting gunship, flanked by soldiers on either side, Zero kept his gaze steady on Shaun, a blank mannequin-like face staring hard at him.
Just before he vanished into the helicopter, Zero mouthed five words that stopped Shaun dead:
“You cannot escape your fate.”