From the Ashes: CATU Book 6 Ch. 12

"What the fuck!" she shouts. Her shot goes wide missing her target sending Errios and the soldiers sprawling into the water.

Stone spins around bringing his assault rifle around to bear. "Hold still damn it!" he yells as Dupree struggles against the tight grasp of her attacker.

She doesn't respond to Stone as she attempts to bring her weapon around to fire on the creature and in the struggle it is knocked loose. Stone lets out a breath that comes out as a huff and lifts his rifle up taking aim.

"I really wish you'd hold still," he says his voice sounding a bit edgy.

"I really wish you'd have some patience," she says as she slips a Gerber LHR combat knife out from her belt and stabs it up into the creature.

The creature immediately roars in both anger and pain but doesn't release its grip on the small human. Instead, it channels its anger and drops from the ceiling onto its massive legs presenting its back to Stone. He takes the opportunity and opens fire on the creature, releasing a torrent of bullets into its back. The creature lets out a deafening scream as it body absorbs round after. When Stone's HK416 clips dry the creature spins and slings Dupree's limp body like a ragdoll through the air into her expecting partner. The impact is like a jolt and both are sent over the edge to the central hub below.

GREYSON SHAKES HIS HEAD TO TRY to clear the ringing from his ears. He looks over to his right to see Cassidy rolling over to her stomach onto her elbows. Her shirt is shredded exposing the body armor she wears underneath. The armor has done its job as it supposed to, but he doubts it's going to be enough. He smiles and says, "You alright over there?"

Cassidy coughs and spits out a small bit of blood, "Couldn't be better," she says with a bit of latent sarcasm.

Greyson chuckles at her tone and starts to roll to his side to get up. His amusement, however, is quickly ended.

Ratmmas suddenly appears over Cassidy, his large form engulfing her. She sees his shadow just before feeling his large, powerful hands grip into her clothing. A second before she can react, she is lifted into the air and flung through it toward her partner.

Greyson attempts to react and move but is too slow and receives Cassidy full force as she slams into him. Together they fly backward and slam into the nearby wall with Cassidy's weight adding to Greyson's impact and sending his head slamming hard into the wall.

"Son of a bitch," he grunts as red fills his vision.

"Tell me about it," Cassidy moans.

As the two agents slowly get to their feet they look up to see Ratmmas calmly walking toward them. "Got any ideas?" Greyson asks drawing out a Gerber Mark II fighting knife.

Cassidy looks up at a fire escape above them and says, "I have an idea, but you'll have to distract him long enough for me to get up there."

Greyson looks up following her gaze and asks, "What the hell do you plan to do?"

She looks at him and smiles. "Just get out of the way when it all comes down."

Greyson just grins and turns toward Ratmmas. "Come on you fucker!" he yells.

"Where is your little friend going?" Ratmmas asks pointing to Cassidy as she begins ascending the fire escape.

Without turning to look Greyson replies, "You got me so come and get me!"

Ratmmas laughs a deep bellowing laugh. "Very well little man. I'll kill you first then I'll take care of your little girlfriend."

"Then stop your fucking yapping and come on!"

Ratmmas growls picks up his pace. Greyson steals a look back at his partner to check her progress. Taking note of her position he turns back and lunges forward to match the horseman.

Ratmmas swings his massive fist at Greyson's head but the CATU agent ducks and steps to the side throwing his knife out to slice across the horseman's ribcage. Ratmmas slides past without even flinching spilling blood from his wound in the process. They spin around to face each other and Greyson says, "First blood goes to me."

The horseman smiles. "So it does little man, but its final blood that matters to me. Besides you can't hurt me."

Greyson looks confused for a brief second then he looks to the wound he created and slowly it starts to heal itself up. From behind laughter comes and Pierson's voice. "You see it is useless to fight my horsemen. They are indestructible and unstoppable."

Greyson ignores the man keeping his attention instead focused on Ratmmas. The giant creature lunges in with another punch following the same course as before only this time when Greyson moves to sidestep Ratmmas stops short and brings around his left hand with a hook. Greyson being a seasoned fighter anticipates the move and throws an arm up to block but the force behind the larger foe is too much and it nearly send him off his feet. Somehow though he holds his ground and manages to slip in a side kick to the horseman's midsection.

The kick has almost no effect except to send him back a few steps and allow Greyson a moment of breathing room. The moment doesn't last long as Ratmmas is quick to strike again driving his elbow into Greyson's stomach doubling over the agent. Greyson's body armor absorbs the majority of the impact but enough force makes it through to feel like a hammer slamming into him. Before his mind has time to fully register the pain Ratmmas drives his arm up catching the CATU agent up under the chin with his bicep driving the man's jaw together with jaw shattering force. Greyson flies up into the air and backward to slam hard onto his back. His Gerber Mark II slips from his grip to skitter across the ground far from his reach.

Greyson slowly rolls over onto his stomach and wipes away the blood trickling steadily from his mouth and starts to crawl toward the direction of his lost knife. Behind him Ratmmas approaches calmly in no time steps up and hoists up the agent by the back of his clothing into the air turning him around until they are face to face.

At that moment high above both their heads Cassidy stands pressing her throat mic, "Greyson damn it. Get the fuck out of there. I said distract him not get your fucking ass kicked. Now get out this shit coming down on your heads."

"Not so tuff now are you little human?" Ratmmas taunts.

She unclips two M67 frag grenades from her belt and pulls the pins before lobbing them through the final small opening of the fire escape. As they clatter on the steel grating she turns and starts racing back down the stairs counting off the seconds in her mind. She presses the throat mic again, "Last chance dude, ya gotta get the fuck out," she breathes heavily.

Greyson coughs, spitting out blood as a response to the horseman's question. The horseman growls and shakes the man. "So be it." He raises his clawed hand and high above them the frag grenades explode. Ratmmas looks up instantly in time to see the top of the building shatter sending brick flying in every direction and Special Agent Cassidy falling the last fifteen feet or so down safely onto a pile of trash. Seconds later small pieces of brick come raining down on all their heads covering them in a fine layer of dust.

Ratmmas bursts out laughing looking back at Greyson. "What's this? A magic show?"

Suddenly a creak from above resounds through the alley grabbing the horseman's attention. Greyson slips his hand down to his boot and pulls out a knife. The movement doesn't slip past Ratmmas' eye, but when he looks back Greyson sends the knife into his left eye.

Ratmmas instantly drops the man to instinctively grab for the small weapon. Greyson doesn't waste any time quickly getting to his feet and running toward his partner as the fire escape breaks away from what remains of the wall and swings down bringing with it the rest of the building's wall.

Just as Ratmmas pulls the knife free the fire escape slams into him full force, impaling him and driving his body back toward Pierson with the building material right behind crumbling down on top crushing his body.

By the time the dust settles Cassidy is helping Greyson to his feet and the two can hear police sirens heading in their direction. They look back toward the end of the alley where a mountain of bricks and other building material now lay and Greyson says, "Do you think we got the sons of bitches?"

Cassidy grabs his upper arm and pulls. "I know we got one of them. Come on we got to get out of here before the police show up though."

"Right behind you."

STONE AND DUPREE SLOWLY PUSH THEMSELVES up out of the water being extra careful to not move fast and give the two fully armed soldiers reason to shoot them. Behind them they hear the splash of water and they both assume it is caused by the creature they just encountered up above in the pipe.

Errios, who looks like she has just got the hell beat out of her, approaches the two agents clasping her side with her right hand. "Well done," she says. "I didn't expect anyone to track me down here, especially two CATU agents."

Stone casts her an angry glare and says, "You look remarkably well for getting the shit kicked out of you."

"And for having all that Mythril pumped into you," Dupree adds.

"We demons he pretty quickly besides my men are equipped to handle situations like that," she answers offhandedly then quickly changes the subject. "You're not the two agents that chased me before," she says with a frown. "What happened to them?" "You get us bitch!" Dupree shouts.

Errios grins and winces then kicks Dupree across the face sending her into the water. "Would you care to answer?" she asks bending down to kneel in front of Stone.

He smiles at her. "My answer's the same as hers."

Anger flares up in the demon and she doesn't bother to keep it hidden. With full force she backhands Stone sending him in the opposite direction of his partner. "Ugh, fucking humans," she says standing up and turning around toward the jet skis. "Let's go," she says to the soldiers.

"Ma'am," they answer in unison and slowly back away from the two agents as they once again slowly push themselves up out of the water.

Errios turns back around. "You can have your way with them," she says to the creature that has been waiting patiently. "When you are finished, return home." Without waiting for a confirmation she turns around and jumps onto the unmanned jet ski and with the two soldiers she speeds heading down the single exit out of the central hub.

It swivels its heads left and right looking at each agents as if deciding which one to attack first or judging the distance to each one and after a few seconds charges Dupree.

Though the water makes her movements a little sluggish she still manages to maneuver and ducks the swing of a clawed hand. She falls back into the water and delivers a kick into the bottom of its jaw, snapping its mouth shut and its head back. It gives Stone the opportunity to reach it and jump onto its back and wrap his arm around its neck.

As Stones squeezes the creature struggles and trashes, whipping its body around. Its tail catches Dupree in the midsection sending her through the air and into the wall.

"Mel!" Stone yells as her body bounces off the wall and into the water. His grip slackens from around the creature's throat presenting it with the opportunity to grab his arm and swing him around and through the air in the opposite direction.

Stone flies hitting the water in a roll sending a wave cascading then coming back down upon him. As soon as he breaks the surface the creature is upon him reaching for him. Stone fruitlessly attempts to block aside the creature's hand as its hand closes around his neck and lifts him into the air.

The hand around Stone's throat goes tighter as the creature growls pulling him in closer to glare into his eyes. Stone stares back with as much defiance as he can muster as he tries to fight blackness creeping at the edges of his vision. As his struggles against the arms holding him fades a voice from above them suddenly rings out...

"Aaaaiiieee!!!!"

The sound is followed closely by a man covered in a dark cloak and carrying a Remington 1100 shotgun. Both the creature and Stone look up just as a booted foot crashes into the creature's face. The force of the mysterious man's entrance forces the release of Stone and drives the creature down into the water.

The cloaked man drops behind the creature and spins around as the water settles around him. The creature seemingly unfazed by the attack opens its mouth to let out a scream of anger and received a mouth stuffed with the shotgun. A second later the man pulls the trigger filling the hub with the sound of the blast and bits of the creature's head in every direction.

"Don't think he'll be getting up from that," the man says.

"Excuse me?" Stone says shaking his head. He stumbles just as he gets up out of the water and is caught at the elbow by the mysterious man. Stone looks up as the hood of the cloak falls off the man's head revealing a white beard and head of white hair. "You're..."

"Not what you expected?" the man asks. "My name is Samuel Dimetri and I'm not usually expected. Now have a seat and I'll tend to your friend."