I stumbled sideways, realizing that Haley crouched underneath the soldier’s punch.
She didn’t stay there. Even as I realized what was happening, she was already punching back—and upward.
Hitting him in the middle of his diaphragm, she’d have killed a normal person with her strength and winded even some of the tougher supers. Continue reading Before Midnight: Part 10
Though the scream consumed most of my mind, enough was free to notice the splatter of blood and brains and know that that it could be me next.
Despite what I might have hoped, that knowledge did not give me the strength to pull my mind together and concentrate enough to resist it.
Whatever shields Daniel and his parents put in and maintained in my mind weren’t helping either. They were designed to prevent someone from breaking in. The orange man’s scream was more of a psychic electrocution. Continue reading Before Midnight: Part 9
Urin dropped it into my hand. The outside felt as smooth as it looked and I felt a prickle of energy.
I considered trying to interact with it more, but I wasn’t skilled enough with anything Artificer-related to do it casually.
Looking up from it, I asked, “What is it? Do you know who made it?”
Glancing up from my hand with a frown, he said, “I was hoping for more of a reaction from it. Very well. I don’t know anything for sure, but my assumption when I got it was that either the Abominators made it or that it had been made by the Artificers and found by the Abominators. It was supposed to help find the Artificers’ creations.” Continue reading Before Midnight: Part 8
Around us, reality changed.
We, and this we meant not just Uri and me, but also the rest of the team, now stood in a room with the same marble, the same forest on one side, and the same beach and ocean on the other.
In addition, new people were also in the room—guards who dressed in suits and wore guns, guards whose armor and weapons would have been at home on the cover of a Dungeons and Dragons rule book, and people with a mixture of the two styles—plate mail, a sword, and an automatic rifle for example.
It felt different too. Continue reading Before Midnight: Part 7
I said, “I assume you’re talking about Magnus, but are you saying there are even more than that? Oh, and who are you?”
He laughed, “I’ve had many names dating back farther than I care to explain. For now, call me Uri. It’s nice to meet you finally, Nick, but let’s skip the rest of the introductions. We don’t want to waste time.
“Your friends are talking to other people right now. They’ll cover the same topics, but I wanted to meet you.”
I wanted to ask him why, but he didn’t stop talking. Continue reading Before Midnight: Part 6
Of course, I wasn’t dumb enough to ask that question of the actual, for real, wizards when I met them—which was immediately.
I fell through the tear (or at least it felt that way), appearing in a space filled with marble. While I didn’t see the kind of pillars you’d see in a Greek temple, it felt like a place that should have them. I saw white, gray, and black marble for both the ceiling and the floor. Continue reading Before Midnight: Part 5
Rachel gave a quick grin, “I hope you’re not blaming it on me, but that’s about right. I still can’t navigate hyperspace on my own. The Cosmic Ghosts dropped me off over Earth and disappeared. I floated down from orbit on my own and as I floated down, I felt something. It wasn’t a hum. It felt more like gathering energy. Then I felt a pulse. That’s when the hum started.”
I looked at her, “I missed the pulse—actually, I missed everything but the hum.” Continue reading Before Midnight: Part 4
Joe restrained his response, hoping that he wasn’t grinding his teeth. The group didn’t need more right now. Something was off about Giles. He couldn’t put his finger on what. If that wasn’t enough, new people with powers were appearing.
Man-machine, of all people, had visited by his office to tell him about it. Wearing a cheap suit, the kid claimed to be starting a business that made auto parts. He couldn’t hide his nervousness, constantly checking out the window. Continue reading Before Midnight: Part 3
“I’ll know him?” Joe looked up at Gunther, mouth in a straight line, “I’m going to need more information than that.”
Gunther shook his head, “No, you won’t. You’ll need more information than that to find it, but not more when you’ve got it and need to hand it off.”
The creature’s information had always been good even if “his” true motives weren’t obvious. If this thing that Gunther lost explained what Gunther was doing on Earth, Joe could live with it. He didn’t enjoy having that hanging out there as a potential surprise. Continue reading Before Midnight: Part 2
Grand Lake, Michigan, December 31, 1958: Ten Minutes before Midnight
Snow fell outside. Joe watched from the seventh floor of the tallest private home in Grand Lake, wondering if it would be a blizzard. The big, white flakes meant that skiing wouldn’t be great and neither would the shoveling. He wouldn’t have to worry about either until tomorrow. Romy and he were staying over at Giles tonight anyway.
He stood waiting in the music room because Giles’ mansion had enough rooms that he could afford to devote one purely to music. A grand piano stood on one end and a pipe organ on the other. Along the walls were bookshelves filled with music, music stands, and enough instruments for a small orchestra. Continue reading Before Midnight: Part 1