It was a normal day in life, well as normal as life can get for the only wizard in the phonebook. I was sitting in my lab talking to Bob (a skull with a spirit of intellect in it) when I heard banging on my door. Getting up I hurried up the ladder and to the door. As I got there I heard things that I knew meant trouble. I readied myself for anything and flung my door open.
A warm body fell against mine and its arms wrapped around my neck. Looking down I saw my best friend Karrin Murphy, at five foot nothing, with blond curly hair that came down to her shoulders, a face with soft features and a girlish voice, Murphy was I'll admit it, kinda cute. However, if she ever heard me say that I'd probably be missing bodily parts that are critical for reproduction within a minute, and I guess it might be warranted. Due to her small size it was probably pretty hard for her to keep hold of my neck. So I hugged her back and then she pushed me inside and slammed the door.
"Dresden! We need to get to shelter! I don't know who but someone is invading the US." She was in a panic, and Murphy rarely panicked about anything.
"Alright Murph, go down into my lab," I said pointing to the trapdoor, "I'll be down in an hour."
"No, Harry please go down there with me. Who ever it is, they're killing hundreds of innocent civilians by the minute."
"Murph, I've got to help Michael and his family, my apprentice is out there right now and she needs help." Murphy had tears running down her face, now normally I would look away and pretend she wasn't crying but this wasn't a normal day anymore. I was at her side within a second and had her in my arms in two. I stroked her hair and whispered that everything would be okay, even though I still had no freaking idea what was going on.
"Fine, but I'm going with you." I started to protest when she slapped me across the face and said, "Non-negotiable." My jaw dropped and I touched my face where her hand print was forming.
"Alright then Murph, stay close." I grabbed my duster, my revolver, my staff, my blasting rod and I put on my force rings, before I walked out the door. The blue beetle was in flames along with almost all the rest of the cars on my block. Cursing I heard the sounds of automatic rifle fire and even some explosions. Looking left I saw men in full combat gear with AK-47s and other foreign looking weapons running towards us. Shit! I thought. I shot a controlled jet of fire towards the oncoming soldiers.
They screamed in frantic…was that Russian?...as my flame lance sailed towards them. It struck the ground in front of them and exploded, sending them flying. I grabbed Murphy and sprinted for the closest useable car, it was a red 1969 Ford Mustang, I was stoked to get to drive that until I realized that Murphy would be driving. She tried the door handle and it opened. That's a first! I thought thanking our luck.
Unfortunately the keys weren't in the ignition so Murph was gonna have to hotwire it while I watched her back. I looked around for any weapons so that I wouldn't waste my energy reserves; I saw a rifle lying just out of reach grabbing it I looked around and saw three soldiers round the far corner. I heard English from them and relaxed a little until they saw me and shouted, "STAR!"
"What?" I mumbled to myself.
"STAR!" the call came yet again.
I thought of anything to yell back but was at a loss. So using my mastery of the English language I screamed, "Don't shoot I'm just a wizard!" Smooth…
Of course their reaction to that was confusion and apprehension. So they yelled back, "What's your name 'wizard'?"
"Dresden!" I shouted back.
"Fuck Dresden!" I heard a familiar voice.
"Stallings? I thought you retired after that fiasco at the capital."
"I did," came the reply as a man somewhere between fifty and sixty jogged to my position. "But, I've been in the Army reserves since I was eighteen. And now seemed like the perfect time for me to get my ass out of retirement." John Stallings was the captain of SI after I accidentally got Murphy demoted, and he took over for her.
"Got it!" Murphy called. I ran to the car shouldering my new weapon. Stallings and his two armed companions followed.
"Murph, I got us some help." I told her, "Now lets get a move on before the Russians come back."
Murphy grunted and agreed, Stallings and the soldiers got into the back as I climbed into the passenger seat. Smiling I turned to Murphy and said, "Lets go find the Carpenters."
She grinned and shifted us into drive and gunned the engine, we sped off down the road, turning sharper than I was comfortable with and dodging debris more than necessary. Murphy was trying to kill me… I heard the men in the back cheering and laughing as Murph made her evasive maneuvers, however I wasn't having that much fun.
My stomach was about to empty itself when finally she stopped and I saw the Carpenter's house. Their door was ripped off, the windows were smashed and there were Russian soldiers coming out of it. I felt anger well up inside me, so I shot the AK I had clutched tightly in my hands and as my first shots rang out the men jumped away.
I slammed open my door and continued walking forward as I shot. The gun clicked empty and the soldiers stood up smirking. I continued to walk forward, the soldiers were unnerved by this and began to check their weapons. I raised my right hand and used the energy from my rings to fling the men into the house.
They died on impact and I heard a voice, the voice of my apprentice.
"MOLLY!" I called out.
"Quiet down boss, we're here, just gimme a sec to get the rest of the family and we will leave." Smirking I felt a wave of satisfaction, my apprentice was on her way…
A minute later the whole Carpenter family was walking out of the house. I looked to Murphy, "We're gonna have to make more than one trip aren't we Murph?" She nodded. "Well Carpenter women and children first." I said as I rushed Charity, little Harry, Hope, Amanda, and Alicia into the car. Stallings and his men got out and set up a defensive perimeter around my house, Michael went to help them, as I told Molly to go along with them and take down the wards. She protested, but then fell silent as I gave her the 'I'm your mentor do what I say' look.
I ran to help the soldiers, Michael, and his eldest sons set up some defenses just in case the Russians decided to come back. Murphy drove off and I trusted her to come back as soon as she could, however with the current situation that might not be for a while…
