(The Push Chronicles (Book 2): Indefatigable

(The Push Chronicles (Book 2): Indefatigable by J.B. Garner Read Free Book Online

Book: (The Push Chronicles (Book 2): Indefatigable by J.B. Garner Read Free Book Online
Authors: J.B. Garner
Tags: Superhero | Paranormal | Urban Fantasy
I doing this again?  It was a question I asked myself more every day.
    "Here we are," the treaded teen announced.  Even face down, I could tell by the antiseptic white light we were in the infirmary, so I pushed myself up and rolled onto my feet.  Duane Brooks, the other half of my favorite pair of FBI-agents-turned-private-investigators, was already there, snapping rubber gloves onto his meaty hands.
    "Good afternoon, Doc," he nodded.  "Glad to see you're still in one piece."
    "Not for lack of trying," I argued.  "I really need you to work on me as fast as you can.  Ex is keeping an eye on our Crusader friend -"
    "Crusader?!"  Tank's engines revved and energy started to crackle down his forearms.  "Why didn't you say that guy was a Crusader because I would have whomped him right -"
    "Tank!  He's helping out.  This whole mess is something bigger than our two sides squabbling.  For now, he's cool, got it?"
    "If you say so," he replied, "but I better still go find Ex and help watch the dude because you can't trust those Crusaders but at least they aren't Hogs or Pushcrooks so there's that but still .... those guys!"
    "Then get on out of here and stop agitating my patient, kiddo," Brooks advised.  "Shit, who knows what injuries you have her aggravating every time you make her shout like that."
    "I'm not a delicate wilting flower, you know."  My protest was patently ignored by both of them.
    "Okie dokie, Duane, I'm gone!"  The Human Tank left a gouge in the floor behind him as he trundled off to find Ex.  With all of the Five almost constantly in a mind-link courtesy of Mind's Eye, he undoubtedly was heading straight to him.  Brooks shook his head and slapped the examination table.
    "Now, you, get up here and let's see what you've mangled this week."
     
    "Real vampires, huh?" Brooks asked as he dug grenade fragments out of the hole in my back.  I had waved off any kind of pain-killer for the moment, instead focusing the pain away.  I needed to be clear-headed for at least a bit longer; there was too much important information to get across.
    "Well, as real as anything else these days," I said, chin propped up by my good forearm.  "It was like dealing with Reaper: The Pushed shell was controlling the, well, corpse.  Really gruesome.  What worries me more is not knowing what spawned it."   There was a pulling feeling and a sickening sound in my back.
    "There you go, you little bastard," Duane shouted triumphantly.  "You're lucky as hell.  Small bugger managed to wriggle deep, but it missed the more vital spots."  There was a small clink of metal as he continued.  "I think it's best to assume that the entire Hog cell are bloodsuckers now.  What about this Archer dude?"
    "I almost punched the hell out of him," I confessed.  "Just the gall of Epic teleporting in his goons here almost made me lose my cool, but ... this vampire thing.  This is new.  This is bad.  If he's willing to follow the rules, I couldn't turn down the help."  I could feel the spray of liquid as Duane cleaned the wound to pack and dress it.
    "I can feel you.  Hogs are one thing, but vampire terrorists?  That's the kind of shit that'll give you nightmares."  There was the tearing of medical tape and, a few moments later, Duane tapped my shoulder.  "You can get up, all done."  As I got up off the table, he was already scrubbing his hands in the sink.  "There sadly isn't a thing I can do for the arm.  There's no break, just a lot of damaged muscle and nasty bruising.  Best advice I can give you is to try not to use it much until it heals."
    "Okay, I'll try."  I pulled my t-shirt back on.  "Uh, Duane, I know it's probably early yet but -"
    "Hell no, Irene."  Brooks had turned off the water but was still facing the sink, leaning on it with both hands.  "If you need to take that many each day just to deal with the pain, you need to scale this shit back.  It's not healthy; this shit is addictive."
    "Sure, Duane, I'll do

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