An hour later, all of the slaver dens in the Marsh district were on fire and hundreds of slaves had been freed. Surprisingly, President Ashton-Smith’s forces didn’t appear to be exterminating the district’s Deep One hybrids.
I knew he’d never really believed in the innate evil of E.B.E.s, but the fact that no one was objecting showed me the Remnant had changed on a fundamental level. Seemingly overnight. The slavers themselves, of course, were shown no mercy. Watching the entire process from atop the rooftop of the Blue Oyster Inn, Martha stood to my left and Mercury to the right.
Martha sighed, looking down at the burning buildings below. “You do realize this is an empty gesture, right? Slavery isn’t going to disappear and the Remnant isn’t even against it in practice, just principle. All you’ve gotten is a bunch of slavers killed.”
“I know,” I said. “I’m okay with that.”
It wasn’t about justice, what they were doing out here, or even winning the Remnant some points with the locals. No, this was just a final fuck-you to people I loathed. I was already feeling like I was running out of time and suspected my chances of killing Doctor Ward and rescuing the kidnapped children were slim to nonexistent. Stabbing at the nightmare the world had become was my only real pleasure left.
A part of me wasn’t quite ready to accept defeat, though, and already I was thinking about consulting the Necronomicon for alternatives. Nyarlathotep, or the projection I’d conjured of him, had saved my life in the Dreamlands. Maybe it was possible it might heal me again. The idea of dealing with that monster again made my skin crawl but also made me remember the sense of power I’d gotten summoning him. It was a sick realization discovering you liked the feeling magic gave you.
“Figures,” Martha said. “I thought you’d be pleased.”
“I am,” I said, thinking about the hundred and seventy people I’d found out they’d murdered in their coup. I expected I knew a lot of them. These were never as clear cut as the stories described them. I just hoped the General—sorry, President—was able to do some good in the next sixty years. “Is it time to go?”
I checked my watch. I’d sent Sergeant Major Aaron’s team to fetch my associates and they should be arriving any time now.
Before I could even begin to speculate about what exactly Doctor Takahashi was thinking about, my companions were led in by Sergeant Major Aaron. The group consisted of Katryn, Mister Death, Jackie, Jessica, and Ezekiel King of all people.
“Captain, you want to explain what’s going on?” Jessica said, shooting a dirty glare at Sergeant Major Aaron. The Sergeant Major’s gas mask hid her face but by her stance, I gathered she wasn’t happy with Jessica.
“I’ve been exonerated by the Remnant. The Old Council has been overthrown. I’ve rescued Doctor Takahashi. We have two new helicopters.” I paused. “I think that about summarizes it.”
“Good to know,” Jessica deadpanned. Looking between Martha and Doctor Takahashi, she asked, “Do they know about the whole dying thing?”
“What?” Mercury said, shocked.
“I’m not dying,” I lied.
“You’re not?” Jessica blinked before Katryn elbowed her and I shot her a withering glare. “Oh, right.”
“Subtle, Jessica,” I muttered under my breath.
Mercury rolled her eyes. “Of course you’d lie about this.”
“It’s alright, John. I already knew,” Martha said in a voice surprisingly devoid of emotion. “For what it’s worth, I will miss you.”
Mercury grumbled and stared at my shoulder. “Seriously, how could you keep this a secret?”
“We didn’t exactly have time to discuss it,” I said, frowning at her. “But I’m glad you’re alright.”
Mercury blinked then said, “Thanks.”
I was about ready to start praying for Dread Cthulhu to come up when Katryn said to me, “The Dunwych army has started for the Black Cathedral.”
I cursed under my breath. It was too soon. “On foot?”
“On horseback and in cars,” Katryn said. “It occurred hours ago, so we do not have much time.”
“Dammit, dammit, dammit,” I muttered under my breath. “Okay, everyone who is going to be involved in taking down Doctor Ward, into the Hunter-13s. I have an old score to settle and I intend to make sure it’s paid in blood.”
“Yes, sir!” Jessica gave me a salute and headed right for the co-pilot’s chair. The two of us were definitely going to get our money’s worth out of Ranger flight school.
Mister Death and Katryn looked at each other before the former took his daughter off to the side to speak while Jackie tried to get on board, only for me to pull her off.
“I’m going to be entrusting you to Martha Booth and the soldiers here.” I put my hands on her shoulders. “Where we’re going is dangerous. I need you to promise you’re going to stay out of trouble.”
“I’ll try, Mister Booth.” Jackie looked at Martha before leaning in. “You realize she’s touched, right?”
“I’m aware.” I got up and rubbed my hands through her hair before walking back to Mercury and Martha. “Mercury, I’ll explain everything once I’m back from the Black Cathedral. In the meantime, I’m going to just have to ask you to trust me until we manage to get all of this resolved.”
“That’s a lot to ask.” I could tell Mercury wasn’t entirely happy with my request, but she took three short breaths before saying, “Still, you saved my life, I owe you.”
“Thank you.”
“Wait, are we coming back?” Mercury asked.
“We?”
“Those children will need a doctor when we catch up with them.”
I closed my eyes. “The chances of us coming back are very slim.”
“I see. Well, I’m still coming. Perhaps it’s time I actually looked after someone other than myself.” Mercury gave a reluctant salute before heading off to join the group on board the Hunter-13s, leaving me alone with Martha as Jackie looked on.
I stared at my wife, realizing this was now where we probably parted ways forever. “I’m sorry for fostering this on you at the last moment.”
“It’s alright, I’ve come to expect your little twists and turns.” Martha stuck her hands in her pockets. She closed her eyes and stood still for a few seconds. “I cannot read your mind right now.”
I was surprised by that. “Oh?”
“It is growing darker and more opaque by the minute. You are changing, husband. Like a butterfly coming out of its cocoon.”
“Or a death-moth.”
“You don’t need to continue this fight, John. If you are truly dying, you can come back to the Remnant and we can use our researchers to try and find some cure for your condition. I know more magic than anyone but Doctor Ward or the ghouls.” Martha smiled; it was a rare look for her. I could sense the bitterness and concern behind her words, however. “I want to help you.”
“I’m not the sort of guy who is just going to sit around and let myself get poked like a mole rat,” I said before adding, “Besides, I knew what I was signing on for when I joined the Rangers.”
“That’s no excuse not to live.”
“Perhaps. Perhaps not.”
Martha looked down at the ground. “Very well, John. I don’t agree with your choice, but I respect your right to it. It’s one of the reasons why I chose to turn against the old Council.”
“I’m glad I could be so inspiring.” I was tempted to give her a kiss but hesitated. That part of our lives was over and I didn’t intend to reopen it.
“I have a gift for you,” Martha said, reaching into her jacket.
“What’s this one? A revolver blessed by the Unspeakable One? A copy of the King in Yellow script?” I bit my lip then looked down, feeling a bit ashamed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t mock your efforts. Your previous gifts saved my life on more than one occasion.”
“I think you’ll like this one a little bit better.” Martha pulled out a picture of my children.
On the left side of the photo was a well-muscled, brown-skinned fifteen-year-old Anita Booth, wearing a pair of jeans and a tank top. Her freckled face contrasted against her platinum-blonde hair. Her eyes were gray but she looked considerably more human than her mother. On the right, wearing a formal suit sized for his fourteen-year-old body was Gabriel Booth, his skin dusty bronze and his eyes a cat-like shade of yellow. He looked morose and somber, his usual attitude despite all my efforts to cheer him up. They were completely different in both personality and temperament but equally dear to my heart.
“Thank you,” I told her. “I’ll visit them.”
“If you live,” Martha said.
“Yes,” I said. “If I live.”