Page 80 of Circle of Death
“I’m sure you recognize the target, Mr. Minister. I believe it’s one of your largest bases.”
The drone dips lower until it’s gliding over the formation at an altitude of about thirty feet. There is no sound accompanying the video. Suddenly, the soldiers start to collapse like rag dolls. Standing at attention one second, dead on the ground the next.
Bayani lets out a guttural growl and jumps up from his seat. Beside him, Diaz squirms.
“Sit down,” says the Destroyer. “There’s more.”
The screen goes black for a second and then lights up again. This time the view shows the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Early morning there. But already a mass of pilgrims and visitors is crowding against the ancient structure, sixty feet tall and almost a third of a mile long. Again, the drone swoops low. Again, the bodies drop. Dead in an instant. In seconds, the holy plaza is a carpet of death. Innocent men, women, children.
By now, Bayani and Diaz are both pitched forward in their chairs, staring at the screen. Speechless and numb.
“It’s as simple as that,” says the Destroyer. “On my command, armies, workers, entire populations,gone. What do you think? Maybe it’s better to start with a clean slate. Build the whole world up again from scratch. The way it should be. Just the three of us.”
I feel sick to my stomach, but my rage is bursting, too. I’ve felt it a thousand times. Whenever I’m in the presence of total evil.
“And now,” says the Destroyer, “something a little closer to home.”
She turns and looks directly at me. As if I’m not invisible at all.
“So rude, Lamont,” she says. “Don’t you know it’s impolite to eavesdrop?”
CHAPTER 98
“ENOUGH!”I SHOUT. I rematerialize at the side of the room. Diaz and Bayani both leap out of their chairs.
“Cranston!” Diaz shouts. Like a man grabbing at his last chance.
The Destroyer glares at me. “I knew you’d get here somehow, Lamont. Your friends are superior trackers. Or,were. Soon to be past tense, I’m afraid.”
The screen shifts to a drone’s eye view of the river. Night vision gives the scene a greenish glow, but the details are clear. The speed boat is now floating in the middle of the current. A small rubber Zodiac boat approaches. Inside are Tapper, Hawkeye, and Jericho, with guns to their heads! Their weapons are gone, their shirts ripped, their faces bruised. Guards force them onto the speedboat, crowding them in next to Burbank. The Zodiac speeds off.
“A more intimate demonstration,” says the Destroyer. “But maybe more powerful. As you can see, I gathered your associates together one last time. More poetic that way, don’t you think? Fight together, die together.”
The drone starts to swoop toward the boat. I can see the faces of my team, looking up.
On the screen, the drone is dropping lower and lower. I’m trying to muster my strength, concentrate my powers. I can feel the blood pounding in my ears. I see the faces of my friends. But I can’t do anything! In the tiny cockpit, Jericho, Hawkeye, and Tapper are standing strong, like soldiers. At the last second, Burbank drops to his knees, terrified.
I thrust my arm forward. A small fireball shoots across the room. But not fast enough. The Destroyer dodges it. The blast hits the monitor just as the drone makes its final pass. The screen explodes into a thousand pieces.
“Look what you’ve done!” the Destroyer shouts. “You’ve spoiled the show! Now they’re dead, but you didn’t get to watch them die! Have you no sense oftheater?”
She waves her arms in a fury. Suddenly the room is engulfed in a furious whirlwind. Furniture spins. Light fixtures shatter. Floorboards splinter. A shaft of electricity circles the room. Bayani and Diaz drop to the floor. Diaz stretches his arm toward me. “Stop this!” he yells. The bolt passes through him, then Bayani, incinerating them both in an instant.
The force of the blast rocks me back against the wall. In the center of the carnage, I can see the Destroyer standing poised and calm. Her dark eyes are shining, looking straight at me. I try to stand, but the force of the wind pins me against the wall. I can’t move. I can’t shout. All I can think about is my friends.Gone!My fault!
Suddenly, the Destroyer’s shape begins to change. The glow around her intensifies. For a second, it seems like she’s dissolving. No! Shape-shifting! The light from her body is blinding, whiting out everything in the room.
A second later, the wind dies down and my vision clears. I can’t believe what I’m seeing. The woman in gold is gone—transformed completely.
“Did you miss me, Lamont?”
Dear God!It’s Shiwan Khan!
CHAPTER 99
THE ROOM IS filled with swirling smoke and the smell of burned flesh. Out on the river, my friends are dead. And now I’m facing my worst enemy. My worst nightmare.
Again!
