By the Sword

    "Are you one of the Enemy?"

    He laughed—a chilling sound. "You mean as in Enemy with a capital 'E'? How typical of Jonah."

    Jonah?

    "You've heard of my father?"

    "Heard of Jonah Stevens? I knew him. I knew him well. Too well."

    "You're not old enough."

    "Is that so?"

    "Are you or are you not one of the Enemy?"

    He smiled a smile women probably would find sexy. "There's no easy answer to that. No, I'm not the Enemy he was referring to—for that enemy is my enemy as well—but I certainly was not his ally."

    "I don't understand."

    "What makes you think you should? By the way, I was with him when he died."

    "How? How did he die? The Enemy?"

    Was that why his father had stopped coming around? Hank had guessed that but never known for sure. He'd paid regular visits as Hank was growing up, telling him about the Plan, about his destiny, and then when Hank was around seven he stopped coming around altogether. The question of why had plagued him ever since.

    "Jonah was crushed in an elevator shaft. A slow, painful death. Took him hours to die."

    "You were there? Didn't you help him?"

    The man raised his eyebrows. "Help? Why would I do that? I'm the one who put him in there. I stayed to sup."

    Hank let out a roar of rage and struggled to break free of whatever was holding him back, but couldn't budge a muscle. What kind of power did this bastard have? Had he hypnotized them into thinking they couldn't move? Had he drugged them?

    "What's he talking about, Hank?" Darryl said.

    "Just shut up for a minute, okay?" He turned to Rafe or whoever he was. "Why? Why'd you kill him? What he ever do to you?"

    "He forgot his place. He began to think he could supplant me."

    " 'Supplant' you? Why would he want to do that? I mean, who the fuck are you?"

    "I am the One. Jonah forgot that. He conspired against me. You were part of that conspiracy." He pointed to Dawn. "As was she, but most especially the child she carries. That was the ultimate goal—to concentrate his bloodline in a child he could use to replace me." He smiled as he shook his head. "It never would have worked, but the very fact that he was thinking along those lines made him an unfit guardian. He was supposed to be my protector, but instead he plotted against me. I could not allow that."

    An awful thought plowed into Hank like a runaway train.

    "You're not going to hurt the baby, are you?"

    The man shook his head as he stared down at Dawn. "No. I sensed the child's existence upon its conception, and I must say my first impulse was to eradicate it. But as I became aware of other things, I decided the child might prove useful."

    Hank's panic throttled down to cold unease. "Useful how?"

    "I can foresee a circumstance where the child might indeed act as the Key to the Future, though not quite in the way your father intended."

    The Key to the Future…

    "You know about that? You were listening?"

    Another laugh, colder than the first. "You mean did I eavesdrop on his paternal maunderings? I didn't have to. He told me. He told me everything before he died. Everything."

    Hank wanted to rip his throat out but still couldn't budge.

    The man added, "I also see that I might have use for you and your followers in the near future."

    "In your dreams, asshole."

    "Don't be too hasty. Our ends coincide. I might prove as useful to you as you to me."

    "Like how?"

    "Dissimilation… I believe that's what you call it, correct?"

    Hank nodded, though he didn't like his words thrown back at him. "Yeah. What about it?"

    "Wouldn't you like to see everyone on the planet dissimilated—every man, woman, and child an island?"

    "That's the idea," he said slowly. "Break from the crowd."

    Where was this going?

    "That works into my plans as well. I may be able to assist you toward that end. But not tonight."

    Hank felt his gut twist as he watched the man step over to the bed and lift Dawn into his arms as if she weighed nothing.

    "Where are you taking her?"

    "Someplace safe—safer than here. A place she will not escape from again."

    That shocked Hank. "She's been with you? And she got away?"

    "An unfortunate lapse by one of my employees. It will not happen again." He looked up, as if watching the sky through all the floors and ceilings overhead. "I suggest that if you want to be present for any future mass dissimilation, you leave the city at once. An ill wind is about to blow."

    "Wind?"

    He smiled. "An ill wind that blows nobody good—except me. You'd best leave now."

    Hank had no idea what this loon was talking about, so he shook his head. "No way."

    Like he was letting this wimpy-looking dude or anyone else—no matter what his eyes looked like—tell him to get out of town.

    "As you wish."

    And then the man carried Dawn out the door and up the steps to the first floor. Hank waited to hear some sort of commotion from above but all stayed quiet. Was everyone else in the building frozen too?

    Suddenly he was stumbling forward, able to move again. Free. He grabbed the.38 from Darryl's hand and ran up to the first floor where he found the foyer deserted.

    "Hey, boss."

    Hank started and turned to see Ansari strolling in. "Where the hell is everybody?"

    "Stayer thought he heard something on the roof so we went up. We found out how they got in: Scaled down ropes from next door. We never thought to keep watch on the roof."

    "We will now."

    "Damn right. Stayer's up there doing the first shift. We'll rotate till we can find a way to alarm that door."

    Hank looked around. "You see anyone come through here who didn't belong?"

    "Like who?"

    "Never mind."

    The guy had slipped out with Dawn. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. He'd told them he'd take good care of her. He seemed as interested in the baby as Hank.

    I can foresee a circumstance where the child might indeed act as the Keyto the Future, though not quite in the way your father intended.

    Hank wasn't sure what that meant, but it sounded good. And the guy had been holding all the high cards when he'd said it, so no need to lie.

    Hank couldn't help feeling an odd sense of relief. Keeping Dawn and her baby locked away and healthy had looked to be an almost impossible task. Now it was out of his hands.

    But once the baby was born—he and Jeremy had figured that would be next January—he'd go looking. His dreams had led him to Dawn, so he was sure they'd lead him to the baby. He didn't want to go one-on-one with that weird dude, but with a bunch of Kickers behind him… different story.

    He looked at Ansari. "Jantz ever show up?"

    He shook his head. "No sign of him, no call, no nothin."

    Not good. He should have been here by now… unless he ran into the hit men.

    Oh well, his dreams had also led him to the sword… or rather the sword to him. It would happen again.

    The weird guy's parting words came back to him: I suggest that if you want to be present for any future mass dissimilation, you leave the city at once.

    Get out of Dodge? Fat chance. This was Hank's town now.

    Shiro unfolded himself from the tiny space between three large potted trees.

    He'd stumbled as he'd swung onto the roof. Someone below must have heard because in less than a minute four Kickers arrived. They did a quick, cursory search and then spent the rest of the time looking at the ropes Shiro and his now dead brothers had left dangling from the neighboring rooftop.