Ajax: Relinquished

by Gavin Magson

  Hazy, sporadic images flashed through Ajax's mind, the scenes constantly shifting as he tried to focus. He watched on helplessly as his body was dragged through unfamiliar streets, felt the cold surface on his back as he was hoisted inside a building, and the pain, all he felt was pain.

  His eyes fluttered open, ears lagging behind the images that filtered through. A figure was standing above him, framed by a torch that shined bright light into his unfocused eyes. All the while the blaring voice carried on, still incomprehensible to him, a noise that meant nothing to him. His leg ached dully, no longer on the same scale as he could so vividly remember. With shocking force a slap snapped him out of his shock and everything came back into focus.

  “Can you hear me? Can you understand me?” asked the woman's voice.

  Letting out a low groan Ajax replied, “Yes, I can hear you now. Where the fuck am I?”

  Straps tied his body to a metal slab, they cut into his arms and bare chest as he struggled to rise. The woman put down the torch and started loosening the straps, heavy leather fell to the floor with dull thuds. When he tried to sit up the blood rush made his head spin and Ajax leant over the table, bile rose up from his empty stomach. As he threw up the sour after taste made him gag even more.

  “Are you quite done redecorating my house with your body’s fluids?” asked the woman, her voice full of frustration.

  Breathing through his mouth Ajax tried to avoid the stench below him. He still managed to flash the woman a smile, which became a grimace as the pain of movement overwhelmed him. Her steely exterior only softened slightly at the sight.

  “I am sorry about that, it was not on purpose. Where am I?”

  “I think it would be best if you didn't know where I live. I have only made it this long by keeping my location a secret.”

  “That seems smart.” Ajax turned his head slowly and studied the tall woman, taking in the heavy apron she wore that was splattered in blood. “What do they call you?”

  “You can call me Rose. I already know your name, Ajax, you were quite talkative in your delirium.” said Rose, unearthing a bundle of clothes from under the table that she set down next to him. “For a long time I did not think you would pull through the fever, though I'm sure that weird shit augment you have was the only thing keeping you alive. Thing did a damn good job, was almost a waste to use my supplies on you.”

  Ajax allowed the unasked question to hang over them and had no intension of revealing the nano machines. He wasn't stupid enough to tell others about what was coursing through his veins, least of all a stranger he had just met.

  Ajax lifted himself into a seated position and swung his legs over the table’s edge. The clothes next to him were his own, although the blood had now been mostly removed from them. He unfolded the trousers and stiffly pulled them over the blood soaked bandage around his thigh.

  “I haven't thanked you yet, Rose. I am really grateful for what you did for me; I would be dead in the streets without your help. So I don't want you to misunderstand my question, but why save me?” asked Ajax.

  “I saw what you did for your friends, risking your life so that the injured man had a chance to live. It was probably the noblest thing I have seen in the slums since this bloodbath began. I knew you were in trouble, a native would have known not to try and lose them down that street, and so I followed from a safe distance. When I saw you were out of ammo I had to intervene; I thought your life deserved saving. You were so close to making it on your own, I almost did not need to come to your rescue.”

  “I am glad you thought I was worth saving. So you were watching me the whole time? How?”

  “You aren't the only person who can navigate this sectors rooftops, although I would say that your abilities aren't in the same league as mine.” she chuckled, for the first time the tension in Rose’s face seemed to ease.

  His clothes had obviously been washed, rather than scrubbed as he had expected. All Ajax could smell from the shirt he pulled over his head was the odour of cheap soap, not even a trace of the blood, despite the large stains. Rose had done a decent job of repairing the numerous rips, tears and bullet holes; he hoped the stitches he could feel pull his skin tight were on par with her sewing skills.

  “What else did I say during my delirium?” asked Ajax.

  “Not a lot. You answered a few of my questions but it took a lot of repetition to get anything out of you. It was mostly talk of someone called Alex, sounded like they meant a lot to you. You would not tell me who they were to you, despite the amount of times I asked.”

  “Alex? I don't know anyone called Alex. Are you sure you heard me right?”

  “It was definitely Alex, you wouldn't shut up about them. I considered gagging you but feared that you might choke on it, else I would have.”

  “Perhaps it was just some vivid dream,” he mused out loud, uncertainty slowly creeping into his mind. “I would ask how you were able to carry me back here,” he said, motioning to the dank room, “except you wielded that hand cannon with ease for someone so slight.”

  Again Rose laughed, the act lifting years from her freckled face. Her pale skin was littered with the light brown marks, so much so that they could almost join up to change her skin tone. When she laughed Rose’s small nose bobbed up and down, which left him chuckling at the sight.

  Ajax pushed with his hands to slide off the table unsteadily. Rose moved to catch his stumble but he managed to keep upright unaided and waved away her offered arm. He was able to put weight down on his injured leg, it started to tremble with the effort but did not give way under his weight.

  Rose was slightly more than a head shorter than him, still tall for a woman, and carried no excess weight. She could almost pass for one of the stasis chambers inhabitants back on his ship, except Rose was alive and they weren't. Of what he could see between the freckles her pale skin appeared almost bone white to him, long straw blonde hair fell past Rose's shoulders and was draped across her pronounced collarbones. He was awkwardly aware of her plump lips this close to him, the subtle smell of her perfume, and the tightness of her clothes that accentuated her body.

  “I'll have you know I am very strong, though your weight came as a surprise. I thought your jacket was lined with armoured plates at first. A few days without food probably would do you some good, my shoulder still aches from dragging you back here. It was lucky for you that I was able to fashion a sled together before any more men came hunting for you.”

  Ajax mocked a hurt expression at her comments, which did little more than cause him to smile at her neutral face. “How long have I been out?”

  “It's been four long nights now. Truth be told I expected you to die on that table, you had no right to survive those wounds. I ran out of most supplies weeks ago and I've never had any high end stuff. You had the last of my morphine but I had to clean the wound with alcohol and hope for the best; your aug did the rest.”

  “Shit, I didn't realise it had been so long. Miles should have come looking for me by now, our tablets are linked together and it would show up my location on his map.”

  “I had considered that someone could use your tablet to try and trace you back to here. You’ll find that the tablet is with the rest of your possessions. I removed the battery to prevent any unwelcome guests; when I show you out you can activate it again and find your own way home.” said Rose.

  Ajax took a few steps across the wooden floorboards, testing out his healing leg. The room was low, his hair almost brushed against the ceiling as Ajax drew himself to his full height. The only light came from three oil burning lamps positioned around the small room, no windows were set in the walls and the multitude of pipes Ajax could make out in the gloom led him to think they were underground.

  “A cellar? Is there nowhere safer for you in the city, perhaps staying with friends or family?” asked Ajax.

  “You haven't been in the slums much, have you? People don't die of old age often around here. I don't have any family left and m
y friends were either caught in the cross fire or fled without a second thought for me. I'm sticking this thing out; after all I have nowhere else to be. As it is I have free run of the slums, I quite prefer the relative peace. If you don't mind wrapping up this campaign of carnage shortly I would much appreciate it.”

  “You and I both wish that this war was over sooner rather than later; I don’t feel proud of being here. If there is any way I can repay you just say, I owe you my life. I am more than happy to find you somewhere in Sector Four to live, should the slums no longer be appealing. I would be dead without you.”

  “That's okay, but thanks for the offer. I didn't do all this for some kind of reward. Just don't let yourself sink to the level of some of these mercs, they massacre anything that gets in their way. If I see you do that I'll put a round through your heart without hesitation; maybe one in the head to make sure that you stay dead.”

  “Thanks, and I mean it. I would like to think that if I ever turned so evil someone would put me down for good. I'd like to believe that I don't have the capacity for such horror, but how can I say for certain that it could never happen? I think I will be all right to make it back to the guest house now, if you could show me to my stuff.” said Ajax.

  “Fuck, you really do heal fast. Whatever is in that augment I wish that more people had access to it. Come on, follow me.”

  There was only one door into the cellar, the top of the frame was no higher than that of the guesthouse’s basement. Ajax ducked under and through the doorway, which opened up to some steep steps that caused Ajax to wince on each one he climbed. His limp eased slightly through movement, yet he started to doubt his claim of being fit enough to leave.

  Again he could not help but notice Rose's body as she walked ahead. The slight sway of her hips drew his eyes toward her small yet pert behind and reminded him of a woman lost to another man. As they crested the stairs he made sure to hide his lustful stare and turned to study the house.

  The ground floor of the house came as a surprise to Ajax, the evidence on offer gave the impression that it had not been lived in for some time. There was dust everywhere, covering all surfaces and furniture in sight with a thick layer. Rose's footsteps and the sled she had dragged Ajax in on was the only thing that had disturbed the dust in an age, not even the furniture had been used by the woman.

  He knew that the war had been ongoing for some time, though for just how long he wasn’t sure. Definitely not long enough to account for so much dust. The thought nagged at his mind, it left him ill at ease that she lived in something akin to a crypt. He wanted to offer her a place at the sister’s guesthouse, yet he knew Rose was eager to be rid of him and would not accept his invitation. She marched him through the rear of the house, not leaving him long enough to study the view through grimy windows of outside.

  At the rear door rested his guns, none of the paltry remainder of ammunition in sight. Rose told him to stay by the door and disappeared momentarily, returning with three magazines, only one for the rifle. She pocketed them when Ajax held his hand out and unearthed the giant gun seemingly from thin air. He was impressed by just how well concealed the false panel was; he hadn’t noticed it.

  “You'll get these back when I think we are a safe distance from my home. I don't want my opinion changing of you as you try to fill me full of bullets.” said Rose.

  He chuckled, shaking his head at the thought of him turning on the woman who had saved his life. Ajax strapped on the two guns and checked their chambers for any dirt. Rose pulled out a strip of cloth from her coat and told Ajax to crouch down, tying it around his eyes.

  Ajax heard the door open and Rose's fingers wrap around his wrist. “Just follow my lead, I won't be moving fast so don't worry about falling. Mind the steps, there are two down to street level.”

  Three minutes later his blindfold was removed, though there was not much of a change in visibility. The dawn light barely provided much to see by as it struggled to break through thick clouds. Rose handed over his tablet and a silver and white oval, barely bigger than his thumbnail; she still kept a hold on the magazines.

  “We are quite close to where I found you, I’m assuming that this guesthouse of yours is not far away. How is your leg feeling after the walk?” asked Rose.

  “It's still stiff but I am impressed that I can move it freely now. The limping seems to have subsided already.”

  “Just take care of yourself, whatever augment you have that can grow bones at that rate is a powerful thing and one I have never heard of before. You aren't wealthy or you wouldn't be shooting these wasters in the slums, so however you got that don’t be surprised if it spells trouble for you down the line. I wouldn't go bragging about it to people.”

  “Don’t worry, I'll be taking your advice. To my knowledge you are only the third person who knows I have an augment; it's a reasonably well kept secret. Just be careful out here on your own, don't end up getting caught in the crossfire; someone with integrity like yours needs to survive this madness.” he gave her a smile and offered an embrace, which Rose shrugged off.

  Feeling he had overstepped the mark somehow Ajax plugged the oval battery back into his tablet, which started the slow process of booting up. Rose handed over his magazines and backed down the alley with her gun half raised at him. As she stepped back around a corner she left him with a childish grin and was gone, her soft footfalls trailing off. He counted out the bullets in his rifle magazine, loaded up the gun, and turned towards the east.

  Ajax was relieved that the rain had at last subsided; it had become what seemed a permanent addition to his life of late. Whilst he walked onwards waiting for the map to appear he noticed the ground was damp underfoot yet the skies above were nearly clear for the first time since he had arrived in the slums. The temperature had dropped further during his time unconscious, as the city moved through winter he suspected that it would only become worse. Ajax knew little of this planets weather, yet it seemed to follow a pattern familiar to him. The cold winds sapped at his wound, it began to throb and ache dully as he trudged onwards.

  The tablet finished its initialisation sequence and he opened the map, noting that three dots were all within Katherine's guest house in the distance. Ajax followed the alley until it met a street, being careful to check the coast was clear before ambling toward his destination. He was actually looking forward to the gruel Katherine cooked, his stomach rumbled and grumbled in protest after having been starved for days.

  Sweat was running freely down Ajax's face, which only made the cold weather hit him harder. He had to take the cellar steps sideways, shifting most of his weight on the uninjured leg as he cursed under his breath at the stabbing agony. The shock on Angelica's face as she opened the door, shotgun aimed as this head, helped improve his mood slightly.

  “Either shoot me or let me in, it's bloody freezing out here.” said Ajax, his face ashen from the pain throbbing from his wounds.

  The door opened and he relished the heat coming from the rooms stove as he hobbled past it. There was something bubbling away that made his stomach tighten and mouth salivate, he cared not about its contents or texture this time. Ajax rested his rifle on the table and sank heavily into a chair. Angelica finally regained some sense and shut the door behind him, instantly increasing the basements temperature.

  “We thought you were dead; what the fuck happened?” asked the shocked woman.

  “I got tagged trying to get back here,” he said, pointing at his stitched trousers. “This woman saved my life, she took out the last gang member and dragged me back to her house. She patched me up and here I am, and I am as surprised as you are that I’m still alive. I've been out with a fever for four days, apparently. Sorry that I didn't call.”

  “That's incredible. I didn't think there was anyone left in this part of the sector, apart from the mercenaries and gangs. You are lucky to be alive.”

  “Oh, I am fully aware of that. For what seemed like a lifetime I was convinced that I was going
to die. I’ve not eaten in forever, any chance that some of your food could come my way?” asked Ajax, just as his stomach audibly growled.

  They both laughed at his body’s perfect timing. Angelica unearthed a bowl and ladled out something that Ajax prayed tasted better than it looked. He attacked it with gusto, which surprised Angelica as even she was loath to eat her own food of late.

  “I'll go tell the other guys the good news. I hope you enjoy your meal, there’s more if you need it.” a brief, thin smile that barely extended to her eyes crossed Angelica’s face before she disappeared up the basement steps.

  Once the woman was gone Ajax fished out his tablet, this as good a time as any to read the messages that had come through during his walk back. They were both from Aiko, he had hoped at least Greg or Ilya would have been in touch by now.

  Skimming through the messages he saw that the first was sent the same day he was injured, just reporting how much he had earned in bonuses for the day. The more recent message had been sent earlier today and was a lot more personal than the last. She was concerned that he hadn't been active in days and had not replied to her, which he knew was an understandable concern. Feeling it would be even more hazardous to his health if he ignored her message Ajax typed up a reply.

  Aiko, no need to panic but I was wounded 4 nights ago and have just read your messages. I’m back on my feet and mending fast, so nothing to worry about. Will be back in the field soon. Know anything about a Malik? - A

  Ajax set the tablet down and focused on eating as much of the food as he could stomach, more importantly he concentrated on keeping the meal down. The bowl did not contain much food, not that it mattered since his stomach wouldn’t hold more than a few mouthfuls. Already he felt full and the strain on his empty stomach left Ajax uncomfortable and nauseous.

  Out of the cold and no longer concentrating on getting back here in one piece Ajax finally felt the headache that had been brewing this whole time. No doubt its onset was due to his chronic dehydration from being unable to drink for days. The paste he was trying to swallow was so thick it almost left his jaw stuck shut, no saliva left in his mouth to help loosen the gruel.