Free An Imperceptible Ruse Indeed (The Gods' Executioner Series) by A.L. Bridges Page B

director who found the drones headed towards Adelaide to be bizarre.” Simmons answers.
    We drive down the bumpy dirt road for five minutes before the two predator drones come into view. Simmons pulls over and I hop out before running to the top of the nearest hill. I hold my left arm out as it flushes black and a purple lightning bolt appears on the back of my palm. I lock onto one of the drones as it approaches and I wave my hand downward. A bolt of lightning strikes the drone, but instead of taking a rapid descent towards the ground, it doesn’t really do anything at all.
    Shit! I was not expecting that! Maybe the electr ical water torrent will do it? The only problem is that since lightning didn’t do anything, the water would be the only thing doing damage and I doubt I could even hit the plane from here… fuck!
    (Relax, Master. Just shoot them down using your gun)
    “Even with a velocity of 2,300 ft/s, the weight of the bullets will slow them down too much for me to do any real damage, or even hit the drones to begin with!”
    (Trust me. Use Jupiter’s lightning bolt to pump electricity into the gun, and then fire at the drone)
    I do as Airi says and pull my .460 S&W from its holster. The black in my arm floods into the silver gun as the purple lightning bolt resurfaces on the back of my left hand. I take aim at the first drone and fire . Lightning flies out of the barrel of the gun and hits the drone, causing it to explode in midair.
    (I was able to coil the electricity around the barrel of the gun, enhancing the speed of the bullet in the same manner as a coil gun/ Gauss gun: using electromagnetism that pulls the copper bullet towards all sides of the barrel, accelerating it forward. The bullet penetrated the hull, allowing the lightning to effect the electronics. You got lucky and hit the fuel tank before the lightning ignited the fuel, causing the resulting explosion. Do not expect this to be the case every time)
    “Thanks , Airi.”
    I take aim and fire three rounds at the second drone as it ’s in the process of turning away after seeing the first drone get taken out. I must hit something important because the drone starts a quick descent towards the ground for a crash landing.
    “I think we’re done here!” I announce to Simmons .
    “I think you’re right, mate.” Simmons replies with a fair degree of astonishment from the base of the hill as I walk back to the Jeep.
    I get in the car with Simmons and we head back to the AUSSIE compound.
    “I’ve gotta ask, mate; does your Cook’s hair match her mappa tassie or what?” Simmons asks on the drive back.
    “That seems a little personal… but yeah, it does; just don’t tell my… uh, Cook, that I said anything.” I reply, catching his meaning from the context; after all, anyone who talks to me about hair is usually talking about Cheza, which is usually follow by a guy asking about her hair matching something.
    “Secret’s saf e with me, mate.” Simmons replies with a grin.
    We get stopped at the gate before it automatically opens for us. Simmons drives down the ramp, parks underground, and we take the elevator to the grounds where crews of people are fortifying areas for cover; there are even a few witches and wizards casting spells, which I assume have something to do with protection. I look beyond the fence, noticing the piles of ash and blackened skin flakes where the bodies of the vampires used to be. Simmons and I take the same elevator up to the second floor before giving each other a brief nod and heading our separate ways. I take the sky bridge back to the room, slip in quietly, and strip off my clothes before climbing back into bed beside Cheza and Natasha.
    ****
    I find myself lying on the floor of a black space, a cone of light shining towards me from a large hole in the space as a figure walks towards it. The figure passes through the hole and stops. The figure gives a last look over its shoulder as the hole starts to close and I