Larry Correia

#5 in multiple New York Times bestseller Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter series.

Agent Franks of the U.S. Monster Control Bureau is a man of many parts—parts from other people, that is. Franks is nearly seven feet tall and all muscle. He's nearly indestructible. Plus he’s animated by a powerful alchemical substance and inhabited by a super-intelligent spirit more ancient than humanity itself.

Good thing he’s on our side. More or less.

Sworn to serve and protect the United States of America from all monsters by one of the country’s founding fathers, Franks has only one condition to the agreement: no matter what the government learns of him, no matter what is discovered concerning his odd physiology or the alchemy behind the elixir that made him, the government is never, ever allowed to try and make more like him. Such is absolutely forbidden and should the powers-that-be do so, then the agreement is null and void.

Project Nemesis: in a secret location, using sophisticated technology and advanced genetic engineering, the director of the very agency Franks works for is making more like him. And the director is not content with making one. Nope, he’s making thirteen.

Now all bets are off, and Hell hath no fury like a monster betrayed. Particularly if that monster happens to be an undying killing machine capable of taking out vampires and werewolves with one hand tied behind his back.

BAEN BOOKS by LARRY CORREIA

Monster Hunter International

Monster Hunter Vendetta

Monster Hunter Alpha

Monster Hunter Legion

Monster Hunter Nemesis

THE GRIMNOIR CHRONICLES

Hard Magic

Spellbound

Warbound

Dead Six (with Mike Kupari)

Swords of Exodus (with Mike Kupari)

Monster Hunter Nemesis

This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 by Larry Correia

A Baen Books Original

Baen Publishing Enterprises

P.O. Box 1403

Riverdale, NY 10471

ISBN: 978-1-4767-3655-6

Cover art by Alan Pollack

First printing, July 2014

Distributed by Simon & Schuster

1230 Avenue of the Americas

New York, NY 10020

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Correia, Larry.

Monster hunter nemesis / Larry Correia.

pages cm —(A Baen Book) (Baen Fantasy) (Monster hunter ; 5)

ISBN 978-1-4767-3655-6 (hardback)

1. Monsters—Fiction. 2. Cults—Fiction. 3. Fantasy fiction.I. Title.

PS3603.O7723M636 2014

813’.6—dc23

2014014384

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in the United States of America

to Jake

PART 1

PART 1

The Plan

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 1

“There’s innocent blood on your hands. How many federal agents, civilians, and hunters did you kill out there?” the interrogator demanded.

“I lost count.”

The two men sat in a small, brightly lit, white room, separated only by a narrow rectangular table. Franks couldn’t remember how he’d gotten here.

“State your name for the record.”

“Franks.”

“And what position did you hold up until recently?”

“Special Agent of the United States Monster Control Bureau.”