Extensis vitae, p.15
Extensis Vitae, page 15
Sensing that she was becoming more reluctant to talk about it, he simply said, “Well, if you feel like sharing, I’d be interested in hearing more of your story and what the Cataclysm was like.”
“My story is…complex. Perhaps another time. Right now, however, I need to make a brief stop to do something, or else I won’t be of much use during the confrontation.”
They were fast approaching the scene of carnage from the last battle. Reznik could tell by the stench of three day old corpses and the faint buzzing sound of flies. Surprising how flies seem to appear out of thin air when there is decay to feast on.
The corpses lay where they had fallen, bloated and ripe. What looked like gallons of dried blood painted the floor and walls. Reznik nearly gagged from the stench in the enclosed space of the corridor.
Rin appeared unperturbed as she stepped over a corpse and made her way to where Haze lay slumped against the wall. The outlaw’s eyes stared vacantly, and the butt of his final cigarette was still perched between his cracked blue lips. His abdomen was bloated from the effects of decomposition.
Grasping the corpse by the shoulders, Rin dragged Haze clear of the gore. His joints popped noisily from the lingering rigor mortis as if in protest as she pushed the corpse flat on the ground and knelt down beside it. A slender knife blade appeared in her hand, protruding between her second and third fingers.
Reznik went over and watched as she scraped at one of Haze’s eyes with the blade. He briefly wondered where she had been hiding the knife, since he had only returned her sword.
Seeing his curious look, she explained, “I need to peel back the cornea to expose the iris for the biometric scan, or else it won’t work. He has optical implants, so there won’t be any internal decay, but it looks like the cornea is organic—it has deteriorated since his death.”
“You sound like you’ve done this before,” Reznik replied.
Rin didn’t reply as she peeled the cloudy membrane free of the eye and flicked it aside. She withdrew her token from her pocket and reached back to pull her ponytail to the side. Reznik noted that the blade in her hand had disappeared. She placed the interface of the token against the unbroken skin at the base of her skull. The token somehow slid into the skin and snapped into place, a blue LED lighting up on it when the connection was made.
She looked at Reznik and he could see a red glow in the pupil of her left eye. “I can’t make any changes on my own once I enter command mode,” she told him. “You will need to do this to override the directives that Haze implanted. It uses voice command.”
Her vision was unfocused, as she was apparently looking at her HUD. The glow in her eye brightened, and then a faint beam of light projected Japanese characters onto Reznik’s chest. She turned her head slightly in order to project the letters onto the wall of the tunnel. The characters blurred for a moment and then transformed into English.
“COMMAND MODE ACTIVATED. INSTRUCTIONS?”
Reznik thought for a moment. “Remove previous directives,” he stated.
“INPUT BIOMETRIC FOR OVERRIDE,” the letters read. Rin leaned over the corpse’s face and a quick flash of light like a camera flash was reflected in Haze’s eye.
“IRIS SCAN SUCCESSFUL,” the message said when Rin sat back up and looked at the wall. “DISABLE CURRENT DIRECTIVES?”
When he replied in the affirmative, the next words displayed were: “PREVIOUS DIRECTIVES SUCCESSFULLY DISABLED. DO YOU WISH TO INPUT NEW DIRECTIVES?”
For just a moment, Reznik was tempted to give Rin new directives to keep her honest in upholding her end of their bargain. But he realized that doing that would make him no better than Haze. He found the whole process distasteful. She had entrusted him with access to her command mode, and he knew he would feel guilty if he took advantage of that. Besides, he would much rather earn her trust instead of having to compel her by using the token.
“No new directives. Do I need to do anything else, Rin?” She shook her head and he continued, “Disable command mode.”
“COMMAND MODE DISABLED.”
The projection winked out and the red glow was gone from Rin’s eye.
“That takes care of that,” she said. “Now I should be of more use to you in our upcoming confrontation.”
They entered the portal room and were again met with the grim sight of the woman hanging by the electrical cord in the open bay. The corpse was bloated, and in a much more advanced state of decay than the last time they had seen it. Reznik looked around, trying to determine the best way to climb up and untie the cord. Rin watched him for a moment.
“Shall I do it?” she asked. Reznik shrugged, not seeing an easy alternative.
Rin sprang into the air, and faster than the eye could follow, drew her katana and severed the cord just above the corpse’s head in one smooth motion. She sheathed the sword again before her feet hit the ground.
The corpse hit the ground with a sickening splat as the abdomen ruptured. Fluid from the abdominal cavity splattered on the concrete and fetid gas was released into the air. Reznik backpedaled before he could get hit with what was sure to be an even riper stench.
Holding his breath, he moved in and grasped the length of cord and dragged the corpse to the side of the bay and then unwound the cord from around its neck. He made a mental note to find a cloth to cover the body with.
“Maybe that wasn’t the best idea,” he muttered as he joined Rin on the loading dock. “It wasn’t right to leave her hanging there, but it sure left a nasty mess to clean up.”
“Well there’s going to be a much worse mess to clean up before we are done here,” she replied.
“I guess we should be glad that this mission doesn’t entail any clean up, then,” he quipped.
After that, it was just a matter of making preparations for the impending confrontation.
Chapter 19
Rin sat on the roof of the enormous drilling machine’s cab where it was parked in the tunnel just outside the colony. It had been about three weeks since Haze’s band had driven out to this remote site in the desert with the mining rig in tow.
Her anger returned at the memory of the senseless slaughter that day. The stunned colonists hadn’t even been going to put up a fight, but Haze had given the order to cut them down anyway. “If we instill a little fear in them, they won’t even think of fucking with us,” he had said.
When the other members of the band returned this time, things would be different. They wouldn’t be expecting resistance, especially from one of their own.
With her heightened hearing, she heard the approach of their vehicles outside the tunnel several minutes ago. According to her internal clock, it was early evening. She could tell from the group’s banter that the mood was celebratory, and several of them were probably drunk or high or both.
After several minutes, she heard the crunch of footsteps on loose gravel. Long shadows appeared well before their owners did, and dust began choking the tunnel from the tread of many feet. The sound of loose gravel giving way was followed by a curse as someone lost their footing.
Rin remained motionless atop the cab, waiting for their approach. She thought the plan would be effective due to its simplicity. The band—for the most part—was simply comprised of hardened thugs who were used to ambushing and terrorizing their prey. In a toe-to-toe battle with warrior class skins, she doubted they would be able to impress her. Mason and a couple other members of the band were the only ones whose fighting skills concerned her.
She didn’t know if both she and Reznik would survive the upcoming confrontation, but if Reznik fell in battle, it would actually benefit her, since she would be released from her obligation. On the other hand, traveling alone on the surface could be a dangerous undertaking. She respected the man’s sense of honor and didn’t wish any ill will upon him, foolish though his plans may be.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud whistle from the crude outlaw Durdin. “Damn, Rin! You’re lookin’ fuckin’ good!” He was the first to pass below and he leered up at her. “Maybe Haze will finally let me take my turn with you. How would you like that?” he asked, grabbing his crotch.
Rin ignored him. “Don’t keep him waiting,” was all she said to the group.
Izzy winked at her as she passed by next. “He wasn’t lying, girl. You really are looking good. You should play with us—we could really have some fun together,” she giggled. Her breasts threatened to spill out of the tight, low-cut top she wore as she wriggled her chest at Rin. Izzy followed Durdin down the passage through the breached wall and into the cavernous storeroom.
Rin watched the rest of them pass. Mason looked her over and simply nodded in greeting. A few of the others spoke greetings, but for the most part, they ignored her and went on their way. They would be tired from the long trip and looking forward to food, drink, and rest. It was the perfect time for an ambush.
When they had all gone past her, she hopped down and followed them into the storeroom where Reznik was waiting.
***
They started spilling into the storeroom, laughing and bantering. Reznik watched the first two enter the dim room, unaware of his presence. A wiry man and a voluptuous woman were joking about Rin, from the sound of it. They started toward the corridor leading deeper into the complex, unaware of the danger that awaited them. Two more filed in behind the first pair.
The fifth person to enter drew Reznik’s attention. He was a muscular black man wearing a body armor vest and a low-brimmed dark gunslinger hat. He had a mechanical right arm that gleamed silver in the dim light. Reznik noticed the chrome glint of his eyes as he scanned the room.
This must be Mason, he thought. From his manner, Reznik could tell he was the most dangerous of the group. He eased back the hammer of the shotgun.
Mason froze immediately at the faint sound, eyes locking on Reznik where he leaned against the wall in the gloom. A large, burly man with a shaved head and fiery beard loomed in the entrance behind Mason. The big man noticed that Mason had tensed up, and moved up beside him, eyes scanning for any hint of danger.
Mason raised a hand and those behind him stopped. The four outlaws already in the room continued walking, unaware of the situation.
“Who are you?” Mason demanded, scrutinizing Reznik. He had his hand near his belt, but didn’t move, as he saw the shotgun Reznik had leveled.
The first four into the room stopped at Mason’s challenge. They looked around, trying to find the source of the danger, hands going for their weapons.
“Don’t move,” Reznik called out. “First one to touch a weapon dies.” There were now a dozen outlaws in the room, four or five of them jammed into the entrance where Reznik wanted them. He saw Rin slip into the room and around behind the outlaws that had first entered. That was the signal that they were all inside. She made sure to put distance between herself and the entrance.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Mason demanded again. “I suggest you lower your weapon and get the fuck out of our way, or you’re a dead man. In fact, you’re desperately outnumbered, so I suggest you drop your weapon now and start talking.”
Reznik almost laughed. He wasn’t in the mood for talk, and knew that bloodshed would be inevitable. He noticed a bit of hesitation in Mason’s voice. That meant he was smart; he was wondering why anybody would be stupid enough to take on a dozen armed and battle-hardened outlaws by himself. He was waiting for the hammer to fall.
Reznik obliged him. He keyed the trigger for the anti-personnel mines he had planted near the entrance. He had carefully placed them so the force of the blast would be inward, so as not to risk collapsing the tunnel.
The first two charges went off in the entrance, the explosion sending shrapnel ripping into the outlaws still crowded at the choke point. The third mine had been placed a little to the right of the doorway, and it went off a split-second after the first explosion. Mason and the burly outlaw next to him were caught in the blast radius of the third charge. The big man was thrown forward, his arms flailing as he hit the floor. Mason had started moving the instant the first explosion went off. He dove to the side just as the third mine blew up, avoiding the brunt of the blast.
And then everything happened at once.
The four outlaws to the left of the entrance drew their weapons. Steel flashed in the shadows as Rin drew her katana. Reznik blasted the nearest outlaw in the chest with the shotgun, sending him down in a spray of blood. He pivoted to his right, searching for Mason. Somewhere off to his left, a gun started firing.
He saw movement behind some crates and fired another blast from the shotgun, blowing a crate to splinters. He heard a grunt as Mason took some buckshot. Reznik let the sawed-off shotgun drop and pulled the .45 in his left hand. Reloading the shotgun would take too much precious time.
Mason rose from behind the crates with a large gun in his hands. Reznik’s HUD highlighted the weapon, and he recognized it as an AA-12 automatic shotgun.
Oh shit, he thought. This could get messy.
***
Rin slid along the wall unnoticed as everyone focused their attention on Reznik.
She saw Durdin and Izzy share a glance and their hands tensed up near their waists, ready to draw their weapons, yet mindful of the shotgun in Reznik’s hands.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Mason demanded.
Rin’s hand tingled in anticipation of drawing her katana and joining the battle. She knew that there would be no surrendering unless death was the only other option.
And then the explosives went off. Durdin, Izzy, and the other two near Rin instinctively ducked from the concussive blast. Her katana was already in her hand as they drew their weapons. One of the four near her was thrown back from a shotgun blast to the chest. Durdin managed to get off a couple wild shots from his pistol before Rin was on him.
She dove forward, sword slicing out as she came out of her roll. Durdin stumbled forward, his leg severed at the knee, and fell on the stump of his right leg. He looked down in shock and started screaming as blood spurted out.
“Rin, you fucking bitch!” he screamed before she silenced him with a stroke across the throat.
Rin saw motion in her peripheral vision, and instinctively parried the lash of Izzy’s electrified whip. The whip crackled as it wrapped around the blade of her katana, but the insulated hilt protected Rin from the electric charge.
Izzy untangled the whip before Rin could sever it. She readied another swing, but Rin was no longer there.
Rin had sensed movement behind her and had darted sideways as another attacker came at her with knives in both hands. The man threw a knife, but she easily deflected it with the katana. Another knife appeared in his hand and he lunged forward, slashing at her.
With the length advantage of her katana, Rin was easily able to keep him at bay. She slid sideways to keep Izzy in her peripheral vision.
And then the thunder of Mason’s weapon sent everyone diving for cover.
***
Reznik brought the .45 up and snapped off a couple shots at Mason, but the first went wide, and the second pinged off the shoulder plate of the outlaw’s body armor. The roar of the .45 was dwarfed by the thunderous report of the AA-12. Before Reznik could get off the third shot, the shotgun blast hit him in the arm, sending the revolver flying out of his hand. The second slug hit him squarely in the ribs, sending him into an unintentional pirouette. He clumsily dropped to take cover.
Mason slowly turned machine-like as he fired from the hip, the trigger held down and the automatic weapon firing slug after slug across the room. Storage crates were turned to splinters, and Mason carelessly hit one of his own men in the back who was struggling to rise after the explosion. The man fell back down without a cry, as the slug tore through his body and erupted from his chest. Reznik saw everyone taking cover, but couldn’t see Rin in the mayhem.
Mason’s shotgun finally ran out of ammo, the thirty-round canister having been expended in less than eight seconds. Streams of light pierced the shadowy room where the slugs had punched through the wall.
Reznik hurriedly checked himself for damage. Luckily, his nanites seemed to have absorbed both blasts, although he could imagine their protests from all the damage he was taking. He could easily have been dead already, instead of just having a couple ugly welts from the slugs. He looked around for his dropped .45, but couldn’t see it due to all the bodies and debris strewn around.
Mason stood among the wreckage and scanned the room, the light glinting off his chrome eyes and metal arm. The ribbons of light streaming in from the next room reflected off the smoke pouring out of the barrel of the shotgun. He let the gun drop on its sling, and a long blade appeared in his metal hand with a quiet snick.
Reznik saw the burly, bald man rise to one knee. He shook his head to re-orient himself, like a fighter trying to shrug off a powerful haymaker, and got back to his feet. The clothes on his back smoldered from the explosion, but other than that, he seemed relatively unscathed, other than looking angry. Now that he could get a good look at him, Reznik could see he looked freakish. It appeared that metal plates had been sewn under his skin. His limbs and torso bulged not only with muscle, but with the crude armor as well.
And that must be Angus, he thought. Looks like he’s got the low-budget type of dermal plating.
Reznik got to his feet with nothing more than the heavy crowbar he had scavenged in his hands, and stepped forward to meet them.
***
Rin got back to her feet after the thunder of shotgun fire died down. The man with the knives came at her again. She feinted with a high stab and, predictably, the man ducked. She kicked him in the elbow and heard a crack. The man grunted in pain and one of the knives flew out of his hand. He lunged up toward her, off-balance. She dodged and saw she had an open strike at his back. She reversed the blade, punching it down and into the man’s back. The blade easily slid through the back muscles and into the man’s heart, dropping him instantly.
