Resonance 4th Edits - Bleeding Worlds Bk 3 by Justus R. Stone Read Free Book Online Page A

rebels, Fenrir, on this planet? If Katsuro didn’t escape, they’d be without a leader.
    That couldn’t be Jason’s problem. If Katsuro were as capable a leader here as his other self had been in Ansuz, then he’d have prepped a replacement. Neither of them lived a life that promised to be a long one.
    Fuyuko… You’d better be all right. Dammit, who even knows if our Earth is still there.
    He did his best to banish the thought. No, their Earth had to be there. They’d return, band together the remnants of Suture and the other teams. They’d seal the tears this disaster created and then continue their original job of protecting the world against any future incursions from the Veil. And if it meant they did it without the Immortals, then that was the way they’d go. Maybe it was time to wipe away the old world and for the new breed to assume their proper roles.
    A loud whirring of machinery and beams of light falling down on them broke him from his thoughts.
    Moment of truth.
    The top of the jet breached the surface, affording them a glimpse of the surface.
    “Holy shit.”
    What Jason had seen of Asgard, the surface of the planet was pristine—golden fields stretched to the horizon, and the sky verged on purple. But here stood the one compound on the surface—Valhalla.
    They’d come out in a military compound built outside the main city’s walls. Fences and armed outposts once guarded the facility. Now, they lay in ruins, their corpses strewn haphazardly across military parade grounds and the paved tarmac of the runway. Potholes deep enough to conceal a grown man dotted the landscape both within and outside the base’s facilities.
    Judging from the total destruction, yet lack of Fenrir or Aesir troops, the place had been hit early in the conflict. Bolts of lightning erupted from Pridament’s hammer at the nose of the plane. Debris either blasted away or vaporized.
    “The runway looks to be in pretty good condition,” Marie said. “Pretty surprising considering the craters everywhere else.”
    “This was always supposed to be Katsuro’s escape route. They were probably instructed to maintain its integrity. Still, if that’s the case, why aren’t they here? You’d think they would keep it secured.”
    “Maybe they had to withdraw to support the other forces?” Marie offered.
    Jason leaned forward and knocked on the window, getting Pridament’s attention.
    He gave Pridament a questioning thumbs up. Are we ok?
    Pridament stood straight, scanning the landscape around them. He looked back at Jason, shrugged, but motioned they should continue straight ahead and lift off. He threw his arm holding Mjolner forward, lifting off into the sky, as though the weight of the hammer carried him off his feet.
    “Punch it, Marie. Let’s get out of here.”
    She pushed a few buttons. The engines revved. She leaned the wheel forward, pushing them down the runway. Each foot they gained speed until finally lifting off into the sky. Jason craned his neck out the windows, trying to catch a glimpse of the battle.
    But it looked like the battle had ended.
    Had they lost or won? From here, there was no way of knowing. All that mattered was no one was shooting at them.
    “Just follow Pridament,” Jason instructed Marie. “He’ll lead us to where we need to go.”
    “And then we get some down time?”
    She sounded hopeful, maybe bordering on desperation.
    Jason hated the thought of disappointing her—maybe disappointing them all. They’d each had their share of trauma today. Perhaps taking some time to regroup, and reflect, might be the only thing to keep them together in the days ahead.
    “Yeah,” he finally answered. “Then we get some down time.”
    Even though the words left his mouth, he found them hard to believe. How much down time could exist in these battered and bleeding worlds?

PART TWO
Homecoming

1
Reunion
    Jason tugged his hood further down and pulled the cloak tighter around his body.
    While Asgard’s