Page 69 of The Lost Empress

Sully stepped up, putting his face nose to nose with the other man. “Tell me how. Because if you try and shoot one of us, then our dragons will do to you, and your buddy, what they are doing to your trucks.”

“Oh, hell no,” Jack said with an amused laugh. “I don’t need Voltar to fight my battles. I’ll tear you in half on my own, Taylor. And with my bare hands because only cowards fight with guns.”

The three men faced off for a long moment, not making a move. The narrow street echoed with the sound of screeching metal and the roar of the dragons’ magic. Voltar, her maw sparking with electricity, clamped down on the truck’s antenna, sending a surge of energy through the vehicle’s systems. The headlights flickered and popped, glass raining down onto the asphalt below.

Blaze, not to be outdone, raked her claws across the truck’s hood, leaving deep, glowing gashes in the metal. With a mischievous glint in her eye, she tore off the side mirror and flung it at a nearby streetlight, watching with satisfaction as it shattered in a shower of sparks.

Voltar, her tail lashing with frustration, struggled to pierce the truck’s reinforced windshield. Undaunted, she wrapped her jaws around the metal frame, her electric magic pulsing through the structure. The glass cracked and splintered, the spider web of fractures spreading rapidly under the relentless assault.

Blaze, her flames now a completely blinding white, focused her energy on the truck’s fuel tank. The intense heat caused the metal to expand and warp, the pressure building until the tank ruptured with a deafening blast. Fire and smoke billowed from the wound, engulfing the rear of the vehicle in a raging inferno. The fire, like an inviting bath of goodness to the dragon, shot up suddenly and then dissipated with a boom.

“Well, that’s it!” Taylor said, throwing his hands up to cover his face from the sparks and embers flying through the air. “You wanted to stop us and now you’ve done it.”

Jack shook his head. “No, we wanted to show whoever was threatening and making demands of Tesla that we wouldn’t stand for it. He does what we say. He helps us keep crime at bay.”

“By stealing,” Taylor seethed, backing up, heading in the direction of his buddy. “Are you proud that you’ve now ruined hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment that will be no good to us or Tesla?”

Jack and Sully glanced over at the armored trucks, casually watching for a moment. The dragons, their scales glistened under the streetlights, marked in place with soot, redoubled their efforts. Voltar, her claws now embedded deep within the truck’s engine block, sent a massive surge of electricity through the vehicle’s heart. The engine sputtered and died, the acrid smell of burning electronics filling the air.

Blaze, her tail whipping through the flames, tore at the truck’s undercarriage, exposing the delicate machinery within. With a triumphant roar, she unleashed a concentrated stream of fire, melting the axles and suspension components into a molten mess.

Unaffected by the heat of the flames licking off the second truck, Sully nodded. “Yeah, I’m pretty proud.”

“Me too,” Jack agreed, pointing in Taylor’s direction, several yards away. “And I don’t know who you’re working for or what you’re up to, but I hope you’ve been reminded who runs this city. If you step out of line, if you run crime that can hurt our citizens, then we will come after you.”

“Yeah, whatever, man!” Taylor yelled over his back, but he definitely looked intimidated. He caught up with the other cop and together the pair disappeared down a narrow alleyway.

Jack and Sully glanced back at their dragons, who were climbing off the wreckage. As the trucks lay in ruins, their once-intimidating frames now twisted and scorched, Voltar and Blaze surveyed their handiwork with pride. The night air was thick with the scent of burnt rubber and charred metal, a testament to the dragons’ unyielding determination and raw power. In the end, no armored truck, no matter how well-fortified, could withstand the might of these two legendary creatures.

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE

GOOD COP VERSUS BAD COP

Area Around Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States

You need to get out of there, Emperor urged in Gen’s head.

She knew he was right and she was running out of time. She’d done what she was supposed to do. Once Barry Fer was lured to the crime scene, then Captain Neal could call in his secret weapon, but only then. That had been done and Barry and his team would be there soon. It wasn’t Gen’s job to stay and catch these bank robbers. She wouldn’t get the credit for bringing down this huge operation. But that was fine with her. It wasn’t about the glory.

For the medieval warrior, it was absolutely about protecting justice. Small crime could be acceptable. She’d learned that in some ways, it was beneficial. But actions that can’t be justified to others, are morally wrong. And there was no doubt about it, stealing hundreds of thousands of innocent, hardworking people’s money was incredibly wrong.

Gen was grateful that ironically Dwayne’s assignments on learning moral philosophy had actually benefited Gen. Now that she was familiar with concepts like Contractualism she understood her job as a Rogue Rider that much better. She had theories to help her make sense of the modern world and all its peculiarities. And she better knew the degrees between right and wrong in this land of grays.

Dashing through the construction tunnels, retracing her steps, Gen leaped over the fallen men she’d taken out with the gas grenade. Some of the officers, dressed in black and armed, were starting to stir. Not only did Gen need to get out of there before she had to fight the groggy men, but she couldn’t get stuck there when the new team arrived.

They are right outside the entrance, Emperor called in her head, panic in his voice. Get underground now.

Gen’s gaze darted around, trying to locate the manhole cover that she’d come through. She knew it only had to be a few yards from the first passed out man. It was difficult to make out anything in the darkness. Her heart raced and she sorely wished she could simply portal out to safety. However, the area around the Federal Reserve Bank was a no portal zone, like most places with its level of security.

Marching footsteps echoed from the entrance to the construction tunnel. Gen glanced up in that direction. On the far side, she made out the outline of figures quickly approaching through the darkness. Her breath caught in her throat and she looked behind her, thinking she might have missed the manhole cover. At her back, a few men were starting to rise. She was about to be surrounded.

Behind you, Emperor said in her head, his tone full of tension. She thought his words were a warning and that an attack was coming.

Instead, she saw it. The place she’d come through. While the backup team was still far enough in the distance and the other men were not quite awake, Gen dropped down into the underground, landing hard, having not used the ladder. She doubled back, pulling the lid closed just as the first set of boots crossed overhead.

Gen let out a sigh, thinking she was in the clear.

Get out of there, Emperor ordered in her head. That underground could collapse from the explosives. You can’t be in there.

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