No Tortured Meat!

“Go, go, go, go!” I yelled and jumped out of the van. Three human guards hadn’t been fooled by the smoke bombs the second team had thrown through the windows at the other side of the house. They were reaching for their guns when I mowed them down with a long burst from my Uzi. Even as I was reaching for a new magazine, Burger-face ran past me, swinging his energy whip and laughing like a madman. The rest of the team spread out. “She’s close,” Burger-face growled, his horrible features working hard at producing a grin. “I can smell her.”

“Which way?”

Instead of answering, Burger-face rushed through the double doors leading to the office. This was the place that Janice Hotchkiss had been using as her headquarters. From it, she had been waging a street war manipulating and murdering human and Nightbane alike throughout the state. “Payback time!” Burger-face howled as he leaped forward. I rushed in after him, trying to get a clear shot.

Burger-face bounced against a wall, thrown away with incredible force. The brick and concrete crumbled under the impact. Janice Hotchkiss stood by her desk, laughing. I took aim. Still laughing, she gestured, and the gun liquefied in my hands. Molten metal burned me to the bone, faster than I could heal.

“Little children,” she said. Her smile was full of fangs. “You shouldn’t have annoyed me.”

Ross tried to take the drink offered to him, but found that his hands were still shaking too badly. He leaned back on his chair and continued his story.

“There were six Hounds in the house. They caught Lydia while she was still wearing her Facade. She never had a chance. I managed to change, but six on one — 1 was a gonner, and 1 knew it. That’s when the strangers came.”

“You sure they weren’t Nightbane?” Lloyd broke in. “You know, the pretty boy types that we get from time to time.”

“No way. I would have sensed them coming. I never got a twitch. Two men and a woman, wearing trenchcoats. All three of them were platinum blondes — they looked almost like albinos. They walked in, and suddenly they started to glow, like they were on fire. It got so it hurt to look at them directly. The Hounds actually hesitated for a couple of seconds, but then four went after the shiny guys, and two stayed to tango with me.”

“Four on three,” Sergeant muttered, considering the odds. “Not impossible, if the three Nightbane know how to handle themselves.”

“I’m telling you, these weren’t our kind,” Ross snapped. “The Hounds never had a chance. The three strangers just opened up with beams of light, like lasers! Even from where I was, I felt warmth, as if I was outside on a bright summer morning. They burned big smoking holes in the Hounds, and three of ‘em went down before they even reached the strangers. The last one got taken out by a couple of fancy kung-fu moves. I managed to take out one of the two Hounds, and the other one ran. First time I ever seen a Hound run from a fight, too.”

“Then what?” Lloyd asked. He looked worried.

“Well, one of the two guys looked ready to let me have it. Then the woman said, ‘No, Gaius, he’s not an enemy,’ and they left without saying good-bye or anything. Truth to tell, I was too happy to be alive to really get mad at their manners.”

“I’ve heard of them before,” Lloyd said in a low voice. “The Guardians.”

“You sure?” Sergeant said. “I thought they were a fairy tale.”

“Sure. Like monsters, shape shifters, and people walking through mirrors.”

“Fine, you made your point.”

From: Illuminating Manuscripts, PO Box 6375, Brooklyn, NY.

Dear Valued Customer,

For some time now we have been cataloguing the orders placed with us, and this inevitably allows us to discern the true adept from the mere dabbler. Looking at the orders which you have placed, it is clear that your tastes are far more discerning than those of our average customer.

We have therefore taken the opportunity to forward your name and address to a secret organization which shares your interests, The Brotherhood of True Illumination. Perhaps someone such as yourself
might have heard of the Brotherhood. Most likely you have not. The Brotherhood is very particular about whom it contacts, and does not court publicity. They would ask that you do not tell anyone else that you have been approached in this manner.

In the next few days the Brotherhood will contact you at the address which you have given us. If this is a front address or if you cannot be reached there for any reason, we would ask that you leave a forwarding address or make arrangements for the Brotherhood to reach you. They will want to ask you a few questions about your understanding of the hidden truths in order to get a better idea of your knowledge and abilities. If you satisfy their rigorous standards they will be willing to share many deeper secrets with you.

You are under no obligation to accept the Brotherhood’s generosity, should you wish to retain your independence. In any case, we at Illuminating Manuscripts look forward to continuing to supply you with the finest quality books and journals.

Yours faithfully,
H.R. Sanchez
Accounts Manager