The Suns of Liberty: Legion: A Superhero Novel Read Online Free

distress signal from the bus and were getting ready to
mobilize.
         As Stimpy had his back turned, a ghost appeared in the
center of the room. The ghost was Lantern. He simply materialized in the
middle of the room.
         As he’d made absolutely no sound, Stimpy hadn’t even noticed
him.
         Lantern watched him for a while and then finally spoke
up. “You look busy,” Lantern said calmly.
         Stimpy nearly jumped straight out of his socks. “What
the fuck?” he breathed, too startled to even scream. “What the fuck are you,
man? How the fuck did you get in here?”
         “You shouldn’t curse.” Lantern took a step closer to
Stimpy, and the lanky man stumbled backwards, ramming his back into the shelf
with the Uzis.
         “Stay right where you are!” Stimpy scanned the room.
There were weapons everywhere, but this stranger hadn’t gone for any of them
and his hands were empty.
         Stimpy made the fastest move he’d ever made in his
entire life, spinning, grabbing an Uzi, and spinning back around to point the
deadly weapon straight at Lantern. “Don’t fucking move or I swear to God I’ll
take your fucking head off.”
         “Oh, see now, I asked you not to curse.”
         Stimpy took a good hard look at the stranger in front
of him. It sure looked like he had no weapon on him. But there was no way. Nobody
would come in here with no protection. You’d have to be completely off your
rock—
         Stimpy blanched. He noticed the MagCharges right
behind the stranger. A whole bunch of them lined up on the shelf. Marconi liked
to use them to open vaults and upscale jewelry boxes. Marconi seemed especially
proud of them because they were military grade and came courtesy of the Freedom
Council itself. Haven’t heard much from the Council in some time , Stimpy
thought.
         They were powerful, programmable charges that could be
magnetized to any metallic object for an easily mobile time bomb. And they were
small. They could fit in the palm of your hand—if you had big hands. Did the
stranger have big hands? He strained to see.
         And that’s when he noticed it. Something just wasn’t
right about the stranger. Not right at all. But what the hell was it?  He
couldn’t put his finger on it.
         Lantern took another step forward.
         “Stay where you are, goddamn it! I’ll blow your head
off!”
         “You’ll need to be a good shot.”
         “No, I won’t, you’re standing right there. And
besides, I am a good shot,” Stimpy said.
         “Well, I have a bomb.”
         Stimpy’s heart stopped cold. He had grabbed one
of the MagCharges! But where the fuck was it?
         “Of course, you could just shoot me before I detonate
it,” Lantern said.
         “Maybe I will.” Stimpy so wanted to call in the others
for help. But he was already on “probation.” If the others found out he’d let somebody
into the Weapons Room, he was afraid he’d be “let go.”
         “Take your best shot. Right between the eyes,” Lantern
said.
         Stimpy was sick of this. He spun back to the shelf,
and that’s when he saw the Desert Eagle .50 caliber. Sitting right next to...
the sound suppressor. Perfect.
         He grabbed them up, and when he turned around Lantern was—
         Doing nothing. What the hell was wrong with this guy?
         Stimpy screwed on the silencer and locked it down,
clicked off the safety, and strode forward with purpose. Aimed the big shiny
silver Desert Eagle right between the stranger’s temples. At this close range,
one .50 caliber round should literally take his head off. That ought to make up
for letting the guy get in. “All right, you asked for it!” 
         From across the large room, a group of wise guys in
the Counting Room had heard the noise and strolled in to see what all the commotion
was about. The light played differently from their side of the room