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  “I’d say it’s time we take the risk of doing what it takes.”

  “I suppose…” JT grumbled.

  “It’s kill or be killed JT. Ermy knows we own him. You’re the one who got him that gig building gadgets for NASA. As far as the Hypertruck goes, well…” Charles pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head, “I’m sure you’re more than up to the task of finding it. Right now, all that matters is the company’s survival. You said the DoD is unaware the Hypertruck is missing?”

  “My contacts there say their people don’t even care yet. It’s not due back until next month.”

  “Thank God for the bureaucracy of the US Government.”

  “Amen to that.”

  “Until then, I have our people looking for it. They tell me they’ve been able to track it to San Diego.”

  “San Diego? What’s it doing there?”

  “I don’t know, but that terrorist incident I mentioned?”

  “Yes?”

  “There was more than one. There have been several all over California over the last few days.”

  “And?” Charles was getting impatient.

  “I’m sorry, is our avoiding jail getting in the way of something?”

  “Get on with it.”

  “According to our people, the GPS of the Hypertruck has been near every single one.”

  “Interesting,” Charles said, stroking his chin. “And they think Ermy had something to do with them?”

  “I don’t know and I don’t care,” JT said wearily, stroking his face with the palm of his hand. “I just need the truck returned before the DoD makes the connection.”

  “It hasn’t been spotted then?”

  “We’ve checked every traffic camera from San Bernardino to San Diego. It’s a ghost. But the GPS pings it in San Diego.”

  Charles chuckled, and JT frowned. He hated it when his brother got like this.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Don’t you see? He did it. He must have gotten the software to finally work. We’re rich beyond our wildest dreams.”

  “All of which means nothing if he continues to wreak havoc through Southern California.”

  “Then you should probably hang up and get to the business of finding Ermy,” Charles hissed at him through the phone. JT rolled his eyes.

  “I’ll take care of it,” JT said firmly. “Just like I take care of everything else.”

  The line was silent for a minute.

  “Whatever you think is best JT,” Charles finally said.

  “Exactly,” JT confirmed. “So may I have the authorization then?”

  “I’ll forward the code to your phone the second we hang-up,” Charles confirmed. Turning to look out at the glacier he was currently hiking, he smiled and inhaled deeply, watching the dawn break across the sky. “Brother, are you sure I can’t tempt you to come join me on my hunt? I’m telling you, I’ve got one of the best I’ve ever had before.”

  JT chuckled slightly and wistfully thought about their estate under the Alps. He flirted with the idea of joining his brother, but he knew there was too much to do. By the time he’d finished putting out all these fires, Charles would have caught and killed his quarry long.

  “A challenge this time around then?” JT asked. “At least you’re getting our money’s worth.”

  “You have no idea,” Charles said, a slight smile playing across his face. He hoisted the compound bow and arrow he used and tested out the weight. “She’s a fighter. I do enjoy it when they’re fighters.”

  “Well, next time I’m in the country, I’ll bring along an extra special target to hunt,” JT promised. He loved his older brother, even if he could be a tad unfocused.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Charles replied. He felt the wind shift and that’s when he felt it. His prey was near, perhaps even watching him now.

  “I have to go,” Charles said sharply, and hung up the satellite phone, clicking it back in place on his belt.

  He turned and sniffed the pre-dawn air as he listened for his quarry. Taking each step carefully, he began moving toward a large bush that he’d passed while talking to his brother. Examining the dirt around the bush carefully, he crouched down and squinted into the thick brush.

  He smiled. She was in there.

  The woman yelped and scrambled out from behind the large bush, running down the path down the mountain. Charles stood, withdrew an arrow from his quiver and nocked it tightly into the bowstring. Drawing the line taut, he released the arrow and watched it fly through the air, and stick directly into the young woman’s shoulder.

  Crying out in pain, the girl stumbled and fell down. Sobbing, she dragged herself away and down the path, hoping to reach the river that was only a few hundred yards away and to the promise of escape.

  Charles began whistling. It was an old tune, one that his family had passed down through the ages whenever they went hunting. It was a great way to locate each other while hunting across their expansive woods.

  The young woman struggled to her feet and began to run down the path. Charles casually knocked another arrow into his bow and released it, watching it fly directly into the woman’s calf.

  He approached the woman slowly, his boots squeaking as he walked slowly down the path.

  She turned, whimpering when she saw Charles standing over her.

  “Please…” her accented English making her sound even more pathetic, “I’ll do whatever you want…”

  “But, what I want, is for you to die…” Charles said, menacing the large hunting knife he carried everywhere, the metal flashing in the early dawn light.

  She screamed in terror as Charles slit her throat letting the blood spill out all over his boots. Her screams echoed through the canyon as birds took off, flying away in a panic from the sound.

  Charles inhaled the air even more deeply watching the steam come off the woman’s blood. There was nothing quite as intoxicating than a hunt gone right.

  Unfortunately, from what his brother said, these hunts may have to come to an end.

  But, what was one more? It wasn’t as if his family couldn’t afford it.

  He turned, moving away from the corpse, knowing that nature would take its course with it. In less than a week, predators, vermin and the other scavengers that nature provided would ensure there’d be nothing left of the woman.

  Charles took out the satellite phone and dialed a number. It might take a few days, but he was ready for another go. After every kill, the urge became stronger.

  The phone connected and Charles smiled. This was easier than ordering a pizza.

  “Yes, I’d like to order some takeout.”

  He paused listening to the man on the other end of the line for a moment before replying.

  “It’s an important one, need a quick turnaround on this. I can forward you details.”

  Another few short sentences from the person on the other end and Charles smiled broadly, “Good. Good. Yes, of course I’ll hold.”

  He trotted down the path back to his cabin while the Muzak kept him company.

  Chapter Two

  The flames from the dragon’s snout billowed across the fading twilight, lighting up the sky in a brilliant wash of light. The fire spewing from Scott’s transformed avatar vaporized Professor Maxwell Collier’s body within seconds.

  Emily Harper watched in tears as her former fiancé’s body was turned into ash as Christina stroked her hair. The ashes from Collier’s body floated peacefully down to the ocean and she buried her face into the crook of Alex’s shoulder while Scott flew through the clouds, enjoying his new body.

  “We have to move…” Alex said softly. Emily didn’t react.

  Christina, turned, facing her friend, and lifted her head up, looking into her eyes. “Em…”

  “NO!” she screamed, whipping away from both of them. “We can’t just leave…”

  “There’s nothing left…” Alex said. “We have to go and regroup before those men with guns back at the
power plant figure out they weren’t hallucinating three giant birds and a dragon.”

  She buried her crying face back into Christina’s shoulder who patted her on the back. Christina looked down at her friend and back at Alex.

  “Better get Scott back,” Christina said, her eyes darting up to the sky where Scott was still flying through the clouds.

  Alex nodded and began waving, trying to catch his friend’s eye. Scott spotted Alex trying to get his attention and with a flick of his wings, aimed his massive body to fly down towards his friends. Using the stone borrowed from Alex, Scott shapeshifted back into his human form, the massive dragon’s body deflating as he returned back to a more familiar face.

  “We’ve got to get back to the hotel and regroup,” Alex said firmly.

  Scott didn’t say anything, only leaning down to pick up his clothes that were lying on the ground where Emily had dropped Alex’s backpack.

  “Can I get the stone back?” Alex asked. “I need some clothes.”

  Scott glanced at the stone in his hand and his clothes in the other, hesitating for a second.

  “I wanna try something…” Scott said, and waved his hand over Alex.

  Alex was suddenly dressed in a loud Hawaiian shirt and comically oversized shorts. He looked down at the ridiculous outfit he was wearing in dismay.

  “Great… It looks like Jimmy Buffet threw up all over me.”

  “Payback for turning me into a parrot,” Scott said, a smile teasing the edge of his lips.

  “Funny, but how about you give the stone back before you inflict your tragic sense of fashion on anyone else,” Alex said, holding his hand out.

  Scott didn’t say anything, and only drew back, holding the stone close to his chest.

  “Scott?” Alex asked softly. “The stone…”

  “I…” Scott’s eyes began darting around as he took a step back. “You’ve got two stones already. Can’t I hang onto this one? I mean, think about it, if someone takes you out, we lose all three. Isn’t there something about keeping all your chickens in one basket, or whatever?”

  “Scott…” Alex’s voice stayed soft, but there was a definite edge to it now, “I know how that stone can feel. It’s powerfully seductive… but you need to give it back before it takes over.”

  Scott licked his lips and looked nervously at Christina and Alex. “You don’t understand…”

  “I do…” Alex said softly. “I understand Scott. But, we’ve seen what happens when someone handles the stone that they’re not ready for.”

  “Alex, I’m still me, I’m not going crazy, I just…” Scott looked around stepping back toward the cliff that led down to the beach. “It’s important… there are things… things I could do with this stone that would change the world.”

  “The very second we have all twelve stones under control, I swear, I’ll let you study every single one,” Alex said carefully. He didn’t want to hurt his friend, but he needed to be ready. He couldn’t allow Scott to take the stone after seeing what had happened to Emily’s fiancée. He pressed on, trying to convince his friend despite the warning bells going off in his head.

  “Remember what Siobhan said? The more stones I hold, the more powerful they get. If I have any hope of going up against Kline with the two stones we know he’s got. And I’m pretty sure that disappearance act of his was because he’s gotten his hands on another stone. I’m gonna need every advantage and stone I can get.”

  Alex stepped forward again, slower this time. No need to spook his friend, “That crazy asshole is already a billionaire with nigh unlimited resources. One miscalculation, one false step, and that’s it for all of us. Not just you and me, but the whole shebang. The whole planet. You get that, right? We can’t know what might happen if he managed to separate us and got ahold of that stone.”

  “What if…” Scott looked around desperately, “What if I just borrowed it, just for a day or so? Let me take care of something. I swear I won’t go crazy and kill everyone, or try to meltdown a nuclear reactor.”

  “What Scott?” Alex asked gently, “What do you need to take care of?”

  “You won’t… can’t understand,” Scott said, his voice cracking.

  “Try me.”

  “You were gone Alex,” Scott said, his voice so small and low Alex had a hard time hearing his friend over the crash of the nearby waves on the beach. “I had to do things that you don’t know about.”

  “It’s okay buddy,” Alex said, taking another step. No need to spook him. “Whatever’s wrong, we can fix. But first, I need that stone back.”

  Scott looked down at the stone he was holding close and slowly stepped back. “She died because of me Alex…” Scott said, his eyes pleading. “And I need to fix that… I swear, I’ll bring it back…”

  “Scott!” Alex shouted, and he leaped forward, intent on tackling his friend, but he was too late.

  Scott had already begun the process of shifting into the same massive dragon he had used to incinerate Collier’s body. His wings spread out, and began beating against the salty ocean air.

  Alex leapt back, and held out the fire stone he’d claimed from Collier, ready to unleash hell on his friend. He could feel the raw power of his new stone combine its energies with the healing stone hanging around his neck. He raised a palm and aimed it toward his friend, intending to send a few warning shots across his friend’s nose.

  But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t - wouldn’t pull that trigger and risk hurting his friend. He watched Scott quickly gain altitude out over the Pacific Ocean as he quickly flew away from their position on the beach.

  Alex stared at the rapidly shrinking dot that was his friend in shock and cursed the wind blowing in his face. He had two stones left, but what if Kline found him? Could he hold out against three?

  “Alex…?” Emily asked in a small voice. Christina and Emily looked on in shock and Scott’s dragon flew through the twilight air until he disappeared over the horizon.

  “I know…” Alex said softly. “Unless I miss my guess, these stones are a whole lot more dangerous than I ever realized.”

  He took off the necklace and looked at the stone wrapped within the wire. His father had returned the stone only a few days ago, an event that felt eons away. He’d even tried to warn Alex about the dangers of the stone’s power, but Alex hadn’t listened. How could he be so stupid to let Scott handle one without knowing what might happen?

  “Maybe he went back to the hotel?” Christina said hopefully.

  “Even if he didn’t, we ought to,” Alex said finally. He looked over at Emily and Christina’s tired faces and made a decision. “We need sleep, and we’re not likely to get any out here.”

  Emily didn’t react. She was still in shock and nearly catatonic over what she’d just been through. Alex glanced at Christina who nodded. She grabbed Emily and led her to the Hypertruck.

  They paused at the top of the hill when they saw the patrol car approach the Hypertruck. Alex yanked Emily down as Christina ducked behind a set of tall scrub brush that lined the edge separating the beach from the roadway.

  They watched as another patrol car approached the strange vehicle and get out to examine it. Alex swore. After dual terrorist attacks, one in downtown and the other at nuclear plant, the authorities weren’t taking any chances. The cops were going to impound any vehicle that looked like it didn’t belong and the Hypertruck certainly qualified for that.

  Christina watched the patrol officers examine their vehicle and looked over at Alex.

  “So, what do we do now?”

  Alex watched them call it in and begin looking around for the owners of the car. He grimaced and stood, helping Emily up as he did so.

  “We walk.”

  They began moving down the roadway back toward their hotel rooms in downtown San Diego. Alex only hoped that once they got back to the hotel, they’d be able to get back in touch with Scott and figure out what was going on.

  Because if they didn’t, a lo
ng walk back to the hotel would be the least of their problems.

  Chapter Three

  The Persian Pipeline had been in development for nearly a decade. Forced to deal with the sanctions leveled against it by the international community for their nuclear program, Iran had sought another way to sell their natural gas to Europe for years.

  Drawing up contracts with Turkey, and a few regional European countries interested in cheap gas flowing to them from the plentiful oil fields of Iran. The building began in earnest after the rival Nabucco pipeline was cancelled a few years before.

  Most of that had to do with politics – something Johan wasn’t especially adept at dealing with. However, he did know that he could undercut his competitors by fifteen percent by being willing to deal with the more dangerous regions of the world. Al Queda was still hiding out in various mountain passes that the pipeline was supposed to go through, so it wasn’t exactly something major investors were looking for.

  Fortunately, Johan had extensive experience in this part of the world. While technically a citizen of Sweden, he’d been traveling to every corner of Europe ever since he was ten years old. He spoke five languages and knew most of the local customs in Eastern Europe which made him the perfect manager for the project.

  The rough country he now found himself in even reminded him of the Swiss Alps he’d grown up as child. The clear blue skies with the rough, imposing backdrop of blue distant mountain peaks, standing thousands of feet above him.

  He was ready to go home. Thankfully, they were finishing up the last kilometer of pipeline before hooking up with the Iranian group who had been constructing the pipeline on the other side of the border.

  Johan had never met his Iranian counterpart, but had heard good things. After traveling around the world for so long, he’d found he couldn’t gin up the kind of hate his home country wanted him to feel for his Iranian counterparts. He’d been in constant contact with the lead engineer across the border for months now and he felt as if Agreeta Al Juhani had become a friend.