Flesh and Fury (U.S. Marshals I.S.R. (Interspecies Response) #3)

Prologue

When Eoghan got off the elevator with Ari by his side early Monday morning, he instantly sensed a buzz of electricity in the air. No one was typing, no conversation was happening, and the underground offices of the I.S.R. felt unusually still. He held his arm across Ari’s midsection, stopping him right where he stood.

“What is it?”

Eoghan noted the puzzled look on Ari’s face. Nevertheless, his hand covered the hilt of the Glock at his belt and his posture was stiff.

“It’s way too quiet.” Eoghan glanced side to side, seeing no one. When a whistle suddenly pierced the air, he nearly jumped out of his skin.

“Holy shit!” someone shrieked.

“What the hell is that?”

“Oh my God!”

Eoghan shot a glance at Ari, pulling his gun from its holster at the same time Ari did. They approached slowly, stopping at a bend in the wall. Whatever was going on, was happening on the other side and Eoghan knew as soon as they turned, they’d be out in the open. He lifted his gun, nodding at his partner, and Ari took a position, standing at his shoulder, just a step behind. When a loud commotion suddenly started up, Eoghan held up his hand, counting down on his fingers.

“Three…two…one…go!”

They moved as one, turning the corner, prepared for whatever was happening. Eoghan held both arms out, pointing his firearm at the bullpen. Ari stood immediately at his side, also armed and ready for whatever danger came at them. But when Eoghan spotted a large crowd huddled around a cubicle, he shot an exaggerated eyeroll at Ari. Hoping no one noticed their arrival, Eoghan shoved his weapon into its holster. Ari did the same. The imagined threat didn’t seem to exist at all, since at least four other marshals were among the crowd and inexplicably, grinning down at something. When Deputy Chief Arizona Priest barked an order, his interest peaked.

“Put it up on the screen, Night,” she said, stepping out of the crowd and turning to look up at the large, holographic screen slowly descending from the ceiling with an electric hum. The rest of the staff at the I.S.R., including the marshals, lifted their gaze to stare at whatever this was.

“What’s going on?” Ari asked cautiously.

Eoghan shrugged. “You got me.”

“Sapphire! Brown!” Priest shouted, waving them over. “Come get a look at this. I’d like your take.” She looked back over her shoulder. “Can you zoom in on it so we can get a really good look, Night?”

“The resolution on this camera is shit— ah , I mean, it’s not the best, Chief.” The young IT genius cleared her throat before punching buttons on her keyboard.

Eoghan nodded at a couple of the other marshals he hadn’t seen in a long time; grateful he didn’t spot Wick. He still owed him money from last week’s game. He felt Ari’s body go rigid beside him and then turned to look up at the screen where his attention was focused.

“Have you ever seen anything like this, Sapphire?”

At first, Eoghan didn’t reply to the chief’s question because he wasn’t certain he understood what he was seeing. When it became clear, he glanced over at her. “Is that the closed-circuit feed from the tombs?”

“Yeah,” Priest replied. “Brady and Acres brought these little guys in this morning, and Charlie locked them up.”

On the screen, behind the ballistic glass of the jail complex located in the bowels of their building, two tiny samurai warriors circled each other. Judging by the way the camera was angled, Eoghan realized they couldn’t be more than twelve inches tall. One wore red armor with a chest piece of intricately decorated black iron. The front of his legs were covered with layers of red plates. They appeared to be designed to protect not only his legs, but also the warrior’s groin area, hanging down to the elaborate wooden clogs and white socks he wore as footwear. On his head, his helmet was as grand as any samurai Eoghan had ever seen.

The second warrior was equally as impressive with shoulder pieces and gloves that gleamed with an iridescent blue sparkle to match the rest of his armor. His helmet dipped each time the first warrior moved toward him with raised, glove-covered hands, attacking with a chopping motion. Most notably, neither warrior seemed to care that they didn’t carry samurai’s typical weapons…long, lethal swords so sharp they could slice through leather chest plates or impale their enemies like butter.

Eoghan stared, utterly transfixed as they continued to circle each other, completely oblivious to the camera which caught every move. One suddenly lurched forward with raised arms and brought them down on either side of his opponent’s shoulders with lightning speed. His enemy’s red helmet flew off, revealing the head of a praying mantis.

What. The. Fuck.

A Japanese-style silky topknot adorned the creature’s triangular head, sitting decoratively on his bald pate. His bulging, oblong insect eyes and the actively chewing mandible were the freakiest things Eoghan had ever seen. When the beast tilted his head to size up his opponent, Ari snorted.

Eoghan looked over, Ari was watching the display with a grin on his face. He must have felt the weight of Eoghan’s stare because he glanced over.

“What the fuck is going on?”

“Like I said, Sherri Brady and Ted Acres brought them in this morning,” Priest said. “They’ve just started this face-off. After we subdued them, they seemed to be in some sort of sleep or suspended animation…almost like…well, just like…G.I. Joe samurai dolls. We weren’t sure if they were dead or alive until they were locked up and started this.” The chief wore a sappy grin on her normally stoic expression.

Eoghan glanced around the crowd, not seeing either of the marshals in question. He figured he would have smelled Ted Acres by now since the guy walked around stinking like a sardine most of the time. He could never understand how Sherri could sit in a car and work with him. The singular time Priest had sent him out on a case as backup for Ted, Eoghan was nauseous for a day after. The human body was not designed to sit in a hot car beside a rotting fish for eight hours. Eoghan promised himself he would never work with the guy again. Right now, though, he couldn’t see either of them.

“Speaking of them…where are Acres and Brady?” Eoghan asked.

“The infirmary,” Priest said, sighing. She pointed at the two warriors. “The Agency sent out a fugitive warrant for the one dressed in blue and when we got to its house, these two were fighting in the backyard. Acres made the mistake of stepping between them and pffft …there went the pinky finger on his left hand.”

Eoghan felt his eyes go wide as he glanced back at the small screen. The warriors were circling each other like predators with gloved arms raised in lieu of swords. Come to think of it, they looked well versed in martial arts…praying mantis martial arts. He glanced at the chief.

“Hang on…you’re saying Ted Acres lost his finger? How?” He pointed to the screen. “That little bug dude cut it off? What the hell is he anyway?”

The chief turned to look at Night. “Night, please put up a picture of the weapons Marshal Brady confiscated after the encounter.” She turned back to the holographic screen and pointed up. “That’s what he used,” she said.

Eoghan looked up, and Ari craned his neck to look right beside him. On the screen were six perfect samurai swords…two gleaming, miniature katanas, two shining little wakizashi, and two petite Tanto knives used for close fighting. They appeared to be replicas of the traditionally made and deadly samurai swords Eoghan had seen in museums and movies. He glanced at Ari and noticed his frown as he pulled on his silky beard. When he turned to look at him, his eyes were dancing with excitement.

“What?” Eoghan asked.

Ari pointed at the hologram. “I don’t know what the hell those little samurai bug things are, but this is the coolest job I’ve ever had in my life!”

Eoghan laughed, watching the way Ari’s whole face lit with a light from inside. He was working with not only his best friend, but the man he was falling in love with. He finally dragged his gaze back to the screen, catching sight of the tiny warriors.

Eoghan grinned. “Yeah, Ari, I agree. This job is cool.”