Chapter 22: Manannan Mac Lir

  When the bullet hit, I dropped to the floor, expecting death to follow. As the car drove off, I looked down, expecting blood to be flowing out any moment now, but saw nothing but a squished bullet. The bullet had been a hollow-point, low caliber, and I’d swiped one of McClear’s casino plaques, leaving it in my shirt pocket out of instinct: too many nights of having to take the money and run. Turns out those casino plaques are made out of some sort of ceramic, one really not that different to body armour in the Army. Don’t get me wrong, I still felt like I’d been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer, but I would live, for now at least.

  I skipped calling the cops. We didn’t have proof of anything tying Sebastian to Iron Mask, and after my previous encounters with Port Moonstone’s finest, I didn’t have much faith that they could rescue Amy, or that their investigation would lead anywhere. Instead, I called Emma.

  “They took Amy!”

  “What?”

  “Fucking Iron Mask, and Sebastian’s involved, and I got shot-“

  “YOU LET SOMEONE TAKE AMY!?”

  “Bitch, I got shot trying to stop it! I’m at Giallo’s new casino! Tell The Major!”

  I dragged myself to my feet, just as Emma whizzed around the corner on her skate-sword, already in the Crystal Guardian Emerald form. She jumped off, pointing the sword at my face, murder in her eyes.

  “WHERE IS SHE, YOU INCOMPETENT ARSEHOLE!?”

  I pulled out the remains of the plaque out of my shirt pocket, and the bullet with it. It hurt to breathe too deeply, so I couldn’t yell like I wanted to.

  “Like I said, if you would listen to me: it was Iron Mask! Thanks for the concern, by the way, I only took a fucking bullet trying to save her! Now, do you actually want to save Amy or what?”

  She lowered her sword, but let me drag myself to my feet. I spat. I couldn’t tell if it was blood or saliva. “Iron Mask doesn’t know this, yet, but I think I know who wanted her abducted. Mount up. We’re going to Mount Daymoon.”

  “Why? If you know where-“

  “Because I’m taking no fucking chances. I’m bringing Silverback with me. If we’re going in, we’re going in with maximum firepower, something Iron Mask and the other monsters can’t defend against. Either you come with, or I’m going in alone.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “We’ll take my car.”

  The drive was uneventful. The adrenaline was wearing off, and I began to take stock of any internal injuries I could expect. I could already feel the bruise forming. I wouldn’t have been surprised to see a cracked or broken rib, but I didn’t even have time for a painkiller, let alone formal treatment. All I could do was focus on a strategy, and try not to cry out in pain. As we drove, I called The Major to tell her what had happened, gritting my teeth as I did so. The Major swore and told me that she needed more time to finish the repairs, but that was time we didn’t have. I told her to nix it, and prioritize loading weapons and preparing for battle. The Major sighed.

  “Our first priority, right now, is making sure you’re safe, Beltran. I’m going to contact Canberra, let them know what’s going on. In the meantime, I need you to get to a hospital, and-“

  “Too late, boss. We’re here.”

  Getting out of the car was the most painful part. I wanted to run into the base, but I could only stagger. By the time I made it into the command centre, I could barely stand from the pain. The Major and Emma ended up carrying me to the desk. And all the while, my thoughts raced, trying desperately to think of a plan to save Amy. The Major shook her head.

  She took off her sunglasses. “First thing’s first, we examine this wound of yours.”

  I took off my shirt, letting The Major examine my wounds, and her expression softened before she sat down in front of me. I’ve seen the Major look scared or concerned once in my life, at the court martial before the Army and I parted ways. It’s an unsettling look, from someone I’d always thought of as a hard-as-nails ultimate badass. But she didn’t look like she was going to change her mind.

  “Forget it, Beltran. Letting you pilot this mission would essentially be signing your death warrant. I can’t let you do this, not in this condition. We need to get you to a hospital, so you can-”

  Emma looked shocked “But Amy-“

  “Is just going to have to hold out for now, Roland. Beltran, look at me. Really, look at me.”

  I swallowed, still trying not to breathe too deeply, but my brain’s wheels hadn’t stopped turning. Emma was pacing frantically. She sounded like she was panicking. “Major, if you don’t want to let him go, fine, but you can’t stop me from rescuing my friend-“

  “ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU! Can’t you see that this whole thing’s a goddamn trap? You think Iron Mask hasn’t predicted that you would do this? Walking in there, injured, emotional and unprepared, is exactly what Iron Mask would want you to do! Jesus wept, we don’t even know if she’s alive! While you were making your way here, did you two even have a plan, apart from grab multi-billion dollar military equipment and hope for the best? Did you two even have a genuine strategy that isn’t go in guns blazing, and raising hell? Of course you two don’t! You two won’t stand a chance of surviving, let alone rescuing ?ojjell unless you’re going in prepared, calm and with an actual plan! And to top it all off, we don’t actually know where she’s being held! I don’t want to hear another word out of your traps, until you’ve actually calmed down, and come up with a plan that won’t get the three of you killed!”

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  Emma looked like she wanted to take a swing at The Major, but didn’t do anything. The Major held up a hand, went to a back room, and came back with a disinfectant wipe and a needle, as well as some nitrile gloves. “First order of business: wound treatments. Given the gunshot wound, I’d expect a cracked or broken rib, could be some internal bleeding. I’ve got a little something that should stop any internal bleed, or at least slow it down for now.”

  She wiped the bruise with the disinfectant wipe, and gloved up, before injecting me with the substance. I winced, and tried not to let tears fill my eyes from the pain. The Major stood back. “That ought to hold you, at least for now. Now, how about we think about this rationally and actually come up with a plan. You told me you know who’s behind this? What are you basing this on?”

  I pulled out my phone, began pulling the evidence all together, starting with Sebastian’s Facebook profile. “Blondie over here is Manannán McClear, looks like Sebastian Giallo’s boyfriend. Only problem is that he had been going on dates with Amy, and I don’t think she’s the poly-amo-whatsit type. He’s got a house on Almandine Beach. I’ve been there: it’s actually not that far from mine. I think I accidentally walked in on her and McClear on a date”.

  “Get to the point, Beltran.”

  “Point is, I remember that Sebastian Giallo Realty had a sign out the front. His realty company owns the house, and he’d probably have access if he needed it. And when I was at the casino, I heard him talking to someone he called a metal-faced bitch, and he said they’d botched the job at Takeuchi Industries. I’ve got a feeling she’s at one of Sebastian’s properties, and I figure that might be the one. I’m not sure how Manannán McClear fits in, but-“

  The Major’s eyes widened. “You said his name’s Manannán McClear? Are you absolutely sure, Lance-Corporal?”

  “Yeah. Why?”

  The Major went to her computer, and began tapping away, as Emma looked at me distrustfully. Emma finally piped up. “But why would Sebastian know Iron Mask? And why would Manannán date Amy if he’s with Sebastian?”

  The Major frowned. “Beats me. But the morning after that big dustup with the enemy, Amy called me. Somebody had tried to tell her about the inquest into the death of Private Sophie Kessler.”

  My jaw dropped. I’d always been under the impression that those documents were sealed, and only accessible by the Australian Defence Force. My stomach lurched, as I thought of what Amy might have read. For the record, I was actually found innocent at the trial, but I had never intended to bring up that bit of my past: no point, and too painful. Plus, what if the enemy had fabricated something about me? Emma looked quizzical and tilted her head. “Right, I’ll look it up at some point. But what does that have to do with any of this, boss?”

  I was struggling to breathe, so the Major came back with some anti-inflammatories, some painkillers and an ice pack. As I iced my wound and swallowed the pills, the Major continued. “Relax, Beltran. I put Amy on the straight and narrow, as best I could anyway. But that got me thinking and re-reading the file. When they found the body, there were all these names. Kulkulkan, Dagon, and of course, Rahab.”

  I bit my lip. The pain in my mouth was a good distraction from the pain in my chest. The fury was keeping me alive. “He killed her, with those visions. Made her-“

  The Major nodded. “All those names. What if they’re different names for the same thing? Then I looked a bit further. Beltran, I’m sorry. I’m going to need you to look again.”

  She handed over the photographs. I had to force myself to look: a lot of painful memories were flooding back, of the trial, and of finding Sophie, and the smell, dear God the smell. If I’d bitten any harder, I would’ve broken the skin. The Major continued. “I did some digging into some of those names. They’re all old sea gods or monsters. Even Rahab cropped up. Then I found this photograph.”

  The last photograph had a few names that didn’t mean anything: Ahti, Ebisu. But my eyes landed on the last one. Emma said the name first. “Manannán Mac Lir?”

  The Major nodded sagely. “Exactly. Many names for what I’m beginning to suspect is the same thing. We know these monsters are working together. We know that Iron Mask’s working for them. We know that Sebastian Giallo might be backing them financially, we know that this McClear fella is screwing around with Sebastian and ?ojjell. In other words, you go in, you’re not just facing Iron Mask. There’s no telling what’s down there, but at the very least, I would assume Rahab’s in there.”

  Strangely, I didn’t feel angry. It’s strange, but I was in a place beyond anger and rage, beyond fire and storms, in an icy calm and stillness. I couldn’t hear the others arguing. I couldn’t hear them when they spoke. My only thoughts were ripping Rahab’s heart from his chest. It wasn’t enough for Rahab to kill my fellow soldiers. It wasn’t enough for him to torment me with visions of all that he’d done. It wasn’t enough for him to kill and destroy. He just had to bring Amy into it again. I cracked my neck. "Then we have no choice."

  The Major pulled up a map of Almandine Beach on her screen. “We need to play this smart, which is why I want this to be a stealth mission. Roland, you’ll need to sneak in somehow. Priority one is free Amy, and get her the bloody hell out of there. Once you’re out, get her the hell out of Port Moonstone. See if you can get her to base. And for fuck’s sakes, don’t try and make it a stand-up fight. Get in, get out.”

  I pressed the ice pack closer to my chest. “What about me? What do I do? I mean, she can’t go alone, you can’t pilot Silverback, and I’m not sitting this one out. How are you going to make Silverback stealthy? I mean, he’s a big fucking gorilla-“

  “Beltran, if you’re determined to do this, your job is to cover Emma’s retreat, and counter any possible pursuers. If anybody tries to pursue Roland and ?ojjell, I want to see a bit of shock and awe, then get the bloody hell out of there, no matter what.”

  I could breathe a little easier now, even though it still hurt to do so. “Understood.”

  The Major’s expression hardened. “One more thing: We’ve obviously not had time to coordinate with Canberra, or even Port Moonstone Police. This whole operation is obviously not sanctioned by Canberra. I will do my best to try and co-ordinate backup or reinforcements if things go haywire, but I have to admit: The chances are grim, and you’re heading into the dark. If you get caught, do not expect any rescue. Do you two understand?”

  Emma was still looking ahead with defiance. Me? I was a bit more sober about the prospects. But I met the Major’s gaze, resolute. “If we’re heading into the dark, then Amy’s already there, alone. We’re a team, and it’s high time we started acting like one. We don’t have a choice. Now let’s get out there, and rescue Amy!”

  The final preparations were made. I hadn’t seen if Amy had her umbrella, but we didn’t have time to recover it. The missiles and bullets were loaded. I took a look at Silverback. It was still a little dented from my battle with Detritus and Rahab, but it would have to do.

  As I tied the icepack to my bruised flesh, I entered the pilot seat, buckled up, tested comms one last time. The Major warned us one last time, as we tested comms. “Look, whatever condition you find ?ojjell in, you have to be prepared for the worst possible outcome. Hopefully, it won’t come to that, but I need you to prepare mentally. Remember: Maintain radio silence, unless already caught. No heroics, no pitched battles. Do not attempt to engage, unless you have no choice. And be prepared for the worst. This Iron Mask’s already escalated beyond whatever the previous one was doing. Major out”

  I saluted her one last time, and powered up Silverback. There were still some warning signals, but I turned those off. The minute I got out of Mount Daymoon, I turned off all lights, and set everything for silent running. As I made the journey, I promised myself: I’d save Amy, no matter what.