Dead Silence - T.G. Ayer Page 0,54

side of the desk was free of frost giants, and I was relieved. At least I only had to worry about one death threat.

Other than the noxious gas, of course.

I glanced at the Icebreaker, noting its progress. With the glass shield so thick, I couldn't gauge how long it would take to break. And the more glass shattered the more impatient I got.

In reality, it had only taken a few seconds, but to me it felt like hours.

And enough time for the green gas to close in on us. The substance tickled my nose even as I held my breath, trying not to get it in my lungs. But it didn't take long before both President Whitman and I were coughing uncontrollably.

Impatient, I said to the President, "I'm going to try breaking it now. In case this works, keep a hold on my shoulder." He nodded, his expression stricken as he let out a cough keeping an eye on the Jotunn behind me at the same time.

My eyes began to water as I aimed my gun at the weakened glass and ripped off a shot. Thankfully, the Icebreaker had done enough of its job and the shield shattered on impact, sending shards of glass flying in all directions. Within a breath, I tapped Gungnir and concentrated to get us to the grass beside the Bifrost.

Gunfire exploded as we began to shimmer and dematerialize. The President's gun exploded beside me as he sent a round of bullets at the Jotunn who now stood a foot from us. But the frost giant was persistent, remaining unaffected by the President's fire. He continued to shower us with lead, his gun being an automatic, giving him a distinct edge over us.

Coughing uncontrollably, we began to fade, pain blooming in my shoulder, but I ignored it.

Just a flesh wound.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

We reappeared on the grass, both the President and myself bent over in a coughing fit, weapons hanging loosely from our fingers. I'd thrown my glamor over us as we arrived, to ensure we didn't shock any innocent bystanders and pedestrians.

When we straightened and began to breathe normally, the President let out a shocked, relieved laugh. His watering eyes looked a little unfocused as he regained his balance and stared at the gun in his hand, his expression shell-shocked.

The team had obeyed my order to disengage and were reappearing around me. Thor strode toward us and I said, "We should leave before they come looking for us. Loki will know where the Bifrost touches down." He fished the note from the pocket of his pants and nodded.

The drone of helicopters, no longer distant, drew our attention to the White House. "Crap," I muttered. "We should get out of here. Now."

Despite my instruction, the team remained focused on the helicopters that hovered a few hundred yards from the monumental building.

"Shit," Derek shouted. "They going to take it out."

The President's hiss of shock went unheard as we watched four bombs fly, two from each of the helicopters, and punch their way into the iconic monument that was the White House.

The bombs exploded on impact, sending fragments of stone and wood flying in all directions. A fireball mushroomed as another explosion rocked the building, sending shock waves through the ground. I could feel the vibrations beneath the soles of my feet but I still couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"I can't believe they did that." Joshua's voice rose over the team.

Letting out a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding all this while, I figured now was a good time to give the team a little insight into Loki's intentions. "Believe it. Loki is being thorough. He wants to cut the power of the government off at the knees. What better way to destabilize a nation than to take away the monuments of liberty?"

Fen moved to my side. "And knowing him, he has only just begun."

I suppressed a sigh, steeling myself against the urge to give up. "Let's get out of here people," I said into my comm.

Joshua's eyes darkened with worry as he looked at me. I wasn't the only one wanting to get away from the sight of the destroyed building.

Within seconds, I sighed with relief as the Bifrost touched down in an unfamiliar street that appeared uninhabited. All the Midgardian team members were visibly shaken and I hadn't fared much better either.

Thor broke away from the group and everyone took that as their cue to follow him. Joshua slowed his steps and came up alongside me.