CHAPTER 2
A good thing Aries attended the hockey game armed.
Then again, he never stepped foot outside of Tower without some kind of weapon.
Although, he could have used a bigger gun, maybe some grenades, definitely some backup.
While he usually didn’t like to criticize his wife, he didn’t understand why Sage didn’t have him gather all the warriors to counter the aliens that poured from underneath the arena. The loss of life proved staggering.
Aries had done his best to kill and provide cover for the fleeing spectators; however, he could only do so much.
It didn’t help that each time he took one down, more appeared to take their place.
As if their brute strength, claws, and unhinged jaws—to better bite—weren’t enough, some of the creatures wielded weapons.
Weapons unlike anything he’d ever seen, making them likely aliens because no monster on Earth, past or present, ever used an energy cannon.
A good thing he’d worn his star bracers. They deflected the beam aimed at him, but geezus did it get hot. His arm might need some Stardust paste because that would hurt later.
Another surprise? It would appear the aliens weren’t the real reason he’d been told to attend the Stanley Cup.
A new Libra is about to join us. At least they didn’t have to wait long.
Only seconds from him putting the dying man out of his misery, a slight glow encased the guy before he disappeared. Off to the tower where his new life would begin. And not a moment too soon.
A glance around the arena showed it mostly empty of people, those who could having fled, leaving behind the wounded, who wailed.
Easy pickings for the aliens who kept pouring out of the hole in the ice.
One warrior, no matter how skilled, couldn’t prevail against those kinds of numbers. Time to retreat.
Aries called upon his constellation to beam him home.
He appeared in the portal room and immediately headed for the scale-inscribed dais that held the body of the man from the arena, still fully geared.
A brave fucker. Aries had to admit to being impressed at how he’d used his skates to fight. Clever.
He crouched and began stripping the guy of his jersey embroidered with the number sixteen and last name of Warren.
Removing the helmet showed a fellow with salt-and-pepper hair, not a young guy, which Aries appreciated.
A seasoned fellow would be less likely to lament about this lost youth.
Warriors who’d experienced life tended to transition better than those who never really got a chance, like the previous Libra.
Skates came off next, and as he put all those items aside, he spoke aloud to Tower.
“Have these sent to the lab. I want the fluid and tissues on the blades analyzed.” Because, unlike their most recent alien threat, what they’d fought weren’t microscopic robots but flesh and blood.
Were they related? He couldn’t help remembering the report Aquarius compiled that showed the impact spots of meteors, AKA the remains of the shattered extraterrestrial spaceship masquerading as an asteroid.
It seemed too much of a coincidence that Lake Ontario had gotten hit by one of the largest chunks, and now, a few weeks later, alien creatures boiled from the Earth.
Okay, maybe not the Earth. After all, the arena had basement levels, but still, they’d obviously been underground and decided to pop out for a murderous hello.
Was Toronto the only city that would see them, or should he be worried the other meteor-landing zones would spit some out, too?
After all, hadn’t the rest of the warriors been sent to deal with issues near those locations?
Could these aliens be what killed the local residents?
Hockey socks, pants, jersey, then chest guard, arm guards, and more got removed next, revealing a body in peak shape. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about their new recruit being able to keep up.
While the Astraeus had imbued the new Libra with power, and in the process made him more durable, it didn’t heal.
Aries heaved the man over his shoulder and toted him next door to the Stardust Room, the Zodiac Warriors’ version of an infirmary.
He shook the collected powder over the guy, coating the wounds, of which there were many.
Tough bastard. Most would have died from shock alone.
As he stood back from the table, Sage entered. “Are you okay?”
“Fine. But a little more warning would have been nice. I could have used better weapons against the monsters that emerged from the ice.”
“What monsters?” She frowned. “My vision didn’t show a fight.”
“No, but it did have a warning about blood and death,” he reminded.
“I assumed some kind of natural calamity. You’re saying there were monsters?”
“Yeah, lots of them. I did my best but couldn’t stop the slaughter.” He couldn’t help but sound bitter as he barked, “I should have brought backup.”
“Had you pulled warriors from elsewhere, then those locations would have suffered.” Her eyes took on a faraway cast. “Nothing could have prevented what happened.”
“Wait, you’re saying these creatures attacked elsewhere?”
Her lips pursed. “I see no creatures, merely the terrible aftermath. I’m sorry. If I’d have known—”
“You’d have never let me go,” his wry reply. He glanced at the prone body on the bed. “At least I managed to rescue our newest Libra.”
“That man wasn’t who I saw being picked in my vision,” she murmured.
“What?” The claim had him exclaiming and turning to her in shock.
“In my vision, a security guard gave his life heroically and joined our ranks.”
“Guess the Astraeus changed its mind on who it wanted.”
“Apparently.”
“Is that a bad thing?” he asked.
Sage rolled her shoulders. “I won’t know until my next seeing. Then again, it doesn’t seem too accurate and trustworthy, given what you’ve told me.”
They were interrupted by the arrival of Pisces, who staggered into the Stardust Room bleeding from several gashes.
Aries rushed over to keep him upright. “What happened to you?”
“Monsters,” he exclaimed. “I was just finishing up examining the scene of a gruesome murder that had the Parisian cops baffled when they spilled out of the catacombs.”
“Three-eyed, four-armed with tails?” Aries asked as he leaned Pisces against the wall and fetched his jar of dust.
“Yeah. How did you know?”
“They were at the hockey game I attended.”
“What hockey game? I thought the season was over but for the Stanley Cup.”
“About that game, it ended in a tie.”
“You were there?” Pisces seemed impressed until he glanced at Grayson on the table. “Hold on a second. Don’t tell me those monsters attacked a stadium full of people?”
“Massacred would be more apt. Me and the new Libra over there killed about seven or eight between us, but more were still emerging when I left. But that’s not the worst of it. Some of them were armed.”
Pisces uttered a low whistle. “Holy fuck. Monsters with guns.”
“Aliens, actually. Pretty sure we’re seeing the result of those asteroid chunks hitting Earth.” Because Paris had been another location hit by a meteor, a small chunk that bounced into the Seine.
“How is that possible? They should be dead. We destroyed their ship.”
“Apparently some of them managed to survive in the debris that later crashed to the planet.”
“No way.” Pisces shook his head. “None of those pieces were big enough to carry what I fought. Not one, let alone the four I ran into.”
“Agreed, and yet you can’t deny these things aren’t native to Earth. The weapon they used hasn’t yet been developed.” Aries would know, since they kept an eye on all military and even private technology.
“Well, fuck.” Pisces grimaced as Aries shook some Stardust on his wounds. “You think they’re behind all the unexplained killings and disappearances?”
“Probably.”
“Well, at least I managed to kill the ones in Paris.” Pisces winced as Aries smeared some dust on the deep gash across his midsection. To distract himself, Pisces jerked his head in the direction of the bed holding the still-unconscious man. “Is that seriously the new Libra?”
“Yup.”
“Didn’t he just quit like a day or so ago?”
“The Astraeus wasted no time replacing him. Although, according to Sage, this guy is not the one she originally saw in her vision.”
“Wait, what?” Pisces frowned. “How the fuck does that happen?”
“Fuck if I know.” Aries shrugged. “Anyhow, he seems decent enough. Hockey player, so he’s already pretty fit. Brave, too. You should have seen him use his skates as weapons.”
“No way,” Pisces breathed. “That’s cool as shit. What’s he think about the Zodiac thing?”
“No idea; he hasn’t woken yet.”
Another warrior staggered into the room. Aquarius, who had one eye shut by a swollen cut on his forehead, and he held his left arm.
“Three-eyed, four-armed, tailed creatures?” Aries asked as he pulled down the right jar.
“I’m going to guess I’m not the only one who tangled with them,” Aquarius stated, scanning the room.
“Had at least a dozen emerge in Toronto.”
“Seven in Paris,” chimed in Pisces.
Aquarius grimaced. “Only three for me in Australia, but they got the jump.”
“You were just outside Brisbane, right?”
Aquarius nodded.
“Confirm for me, would you… Did any of the asteroid debris land near there?”
“Yeah.” Quickly followed by, “Fuck. Some of the aliens survived.”
“Sure seems like it.”
“Well, I managed to kill all mine,” Pisces stated. “So, six less in the world.”
“I got quite a few in Toronto, but then had to bail since more kept coming.”
Aquarius pursed his lips. “At least they can be killed, and come to think of it, all the locations you sent us to were near other meteor strikes, meaning all the missing people and slashed bodies being reported are probably due to those aliens.”
“We need to contact the other warriors still in the field and give them warning. Seems off they all decided to come out of hiding and attack at the same time.”
“Not if they’re able to somehow coordinate,” Aquarius posited.
“Now that you’re back, I need you to compile a list of all the meteor strike zones. I want those pieces recovered and sweeps done of the areas to rout out any possible alien nests.”
“Alien hunting time!” Pisces crowed, which also happened to be when the stranger woke and muttered, “Well, that was a wild dream.”
“Not a dream, son.” Aries neared the bed and made sure the new warrior could see him.
“Son?” The new Libra snorted. “Dude, I’ve probably got at least ten years on you.”
“I’m older than I look. How do you feel?”
“Like I got sliced up by monsters.” Grayson snorted. “Guess I finally met a guy on the ice bigger and meaner than me. Did we win?”
“I’m afraid the game ended in a tie due to the alien invasion.”
Grayson blinked. “Did you say aliens? Fuck me, I’m still dreaming.”
“You’re awake.”
A wince tugged the man’s features. “That explains the pain, then. But what hospital is this?” He glanced left and right before frowning. “Where the fuck am I?”
“Tower of Babel, currently in the Stardust Room for some healing. The discomfort you’re feeling is only temporary.”
“Soon you’ll be good as new.” Pisces stood on the opposite side with a grin.
“Better than before, actually,” Aquarius stated from near the man’s feet.
Grayson groaned and leaned his head back. “Fuck me. I died and went to Hell.”
“What makes you say that?” Of all the new warriors Aries had met, none had ever made that claim.
“Because of the sausage fest. I must have really fucked up to be punished with living my afterlife with dudes.”
A huge laugh erupted from Pisces. “Not hell, my new friend. Don’t worry. Once you recover, you’ll be able to bang as many women as you like.”
“Wait, does that mean I made it to heaven?” He sounded so surprised.
“Nope. You’re still on Earth, just in a secret location because you’re now part of the Zodiac Warrior brotherhood.”
“Fuck me, I’m on some good drugs,” Grayson murmured before closing his eyes and losing consciousness once more as the healing took its toll.
Aries scrubbed his face. “What are the chances he remembers any of this next time he wakes?”
“As I recall, my own recruitment took three explanations.” Pisces shook his head. “And even then, it took me even longer before I believed.”
“Where’s Sage?” Aries asked, not seeing his wife. When had she slipped out?
“Right here, giving Zora a hand.” Sage entered with Zora leaning heavily against her.
Leo appeared not long after, wearing his usual glower. Within the next few hours, all the warriors returned injured in some fashion, each telling the same tale.
The Earth was under attack.