Wanted by Bryan Davis

Author:Bryan Davis [Davis, Bryan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scrub Jay Journeys
Published: 2017-08-01T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

A Villain in a Chicken Suit?

When the timer ticked down to two seconds, it stopped. A voice rode the darkness. “A most intriguing demonstration.”

Chet Graham stepped out from under a cluster of trees with a huge eagle perched on his shoulder. He held a projector similar to mine, its lens pointing toward a hologram at his side — a human that moved at his pace — Mephisto. Wearing a hawk-like cowl mask, complete with a hooked beak and huge feathered wings on his back, he looked ready to take off and fly.

Mephisto stood in a room with a window and grandfather clock against a wall behind him, and the entire room moved along with the hovering hologram. Several birds flitted about his head — parakeets, sparrows, and a crow, though he seemed to be ignoring them.

When Graham stopped a few paces away, Mephisto bowed in a formal manner. “Greetings, Eddie and Samantha Hertz.”

My stomach threatened to upchuck everything inside, but I steeled myself and forced a confident nod. “Mephisto.”

He looked around. “Where is Damocles? I saw him a moment ago when he dispatched the ruffians who threatened you.”

“He’s close by.” I had no clue what else to say. To Mephisto, it probably looked like Damocles turned tail and ran while leaving two kids by themselves in the Dead Zone. “He knows what’s going on.”

“So he is employing children as his emissaries.” Mephisto laughed in a scornful way. “Is he afraid to face me?”

I huffed. “Spoken by a hologram wearing a goofy chicken suit.”

He laughed again. “Well struck, Eddie. It appears that I am dealing with a young man who possesses high intellect and a sharp wit.”

“Don’t sweet talk me, Mephisto.” Hoping to keep my arms from shaking, I crossed them tightly over my chest. “Let’s get to business. What do you want?”

“It’s quite simple. Deliver one billion dollars in cash, and I will hand over the earthquake mechanism. While on the Stellar rooftop, I gave Damocles three days, but his delays and cowardice have shortened the time. Now he has twelve hours.”

I glanced at my watch — 4:01 a.m.

“If he fails,” Mephisto continued, “as I warned earlier, I will destroy Nirvana and set my sights on leveling every major city in the world, and the price to stop me will be ten billion dollars.”

I glared at Chet Graham, trying to ignore the huge predator on his shoulder. “So you’re working for Mephisto after all. You even have one of his birds as a playmate.”

Graham batted at the eagle, making it hop to the ground in a flutter of its massive wings. Then, letting out an angry squawk, it flew back to his shoulder. “Mephisto sent this wretched eagle to keep an eye on me, and it insists on digging its claws into my skin to make sure I don’t step out of line.”

I huffed. “And you expect me to believe that lie?”

Graham shoved the eagle off again. This time it stayed on the ground. “Listen, Eddie, believe what you want; I’m just trying to keep Nirvana safe.

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