Ajax: Relinquished

by Gavin Magson

  Through his earpiece Ajax was vaguely aware of a hushed conversation going on between the men above. He could not make out what Miles was talking about and decided to ignore it, there had not been any mention of a threat. Ajax focused all his attention on climbing down the treacherously muddy banking.

  This side was a close mirror to the opposite river bank he had surveyed, all sorts of different handholds had been formed in the soft earth; he just had to make sure none of them gave way. Ajax shimmied down the slope as far as he dared, until his boots were barely two feet above the rushing waters surface.

  How had he been talked into this? They could have taken the bridge by force, a brief burst of fire and the seven men would be dead; at least that way he wouldn't be holding on for his life, hands slipping on slick mud. Granted the noise would have carried to the skyscraper, but they could always have improvised by the time they came across any resistance. With no one to hear his complaints Ajax soldiered on, but kept the internal monologue of hatred going in his mind.

  It was tough, trying to find a hole for his hands and feet that supported his weight, always having to test them first. Just as he was getting accustomed to the peril and making good progress to the bridge the soft ground crumbled away, his left boot slipped and he almost lost his hold on the banking. Ajax cursed his own stupidity for trying to rush and slowed down his movements. His hands gripped the banking tightly, digging in deep as he carefully found another lip in the mud for his foot. Ajax continued, breathing slow and deep to calm his racing heart.

  When he approached the bridge Ajax could see the closest wall of it was at least near head height, none of the guards could be seen as he traversed the banking. The earpiece crackled into life just as he moved underneath the bridge and found rusted metal supports that provided a horizontal ladder for him to hang onto.

  “There are two gang members stood on the furthest side of the bridge, they are still facing our direction so you should not be seen. Be careful, Ajax.”

  Miles' words sounded distant, the radio waves not strong enough to reach him even at such a short distance. Ajax swung from one beam to the next, until a wire snagged at his fingers and he stopped in his tracks.

  Now that the hangover was long gone Ajax felt revitalised, so it was simple to pull himself up to look at the wire. It ran along the beams, forking into several directions at the bridges centre. It was not difficult to trace the wires, each one lead to a small bundle of grey squares secured together, not unlike some of the explosives he had seen in Beryl’s shop. The bundles were strapped to every support that dug into the riverbank, enough to obliterate the bridge and everything around it. Some kind of last chance defence, he thought.

  The explosives were of little concern, they were covered in enough dirt, insects, and dried spots of water to suggest they had been there long enough that Malik could not be responsible for them. Who had placed them there would bug him once this was all over, when he had time to think on it. Ajax swung along the last few bars and detached himself in order to find more handholds on the opposite side. He could shout right now and the men above still would not hear him, the torrent below him was so loud that he suspected it could have even covered up gunshots.

  Ajax pulled himself up onto firmer ground and was euphoric about the feeling of soft grass on his back as he lay there a moment, chest rising and falling rapidly at the exertion to stay above the torrent. To his right was an open road to the skyscrapers, streets lined up on either side but nothing blocked his view of the towers beyond. He slid his knife out of its sheath and rose to a crouch against the bridge; he stayed there a moment to steady his breathing.

  He was quite proud of the knife, something he had taken from the attacker Aiko had hired to test his skill months ago. It must have cost the man a lot of credits, the thing could probably cut through steel it was that sharp, and the balance was perfect if it had to be thrown. With a few deep breaths Ajax readied himself; the mood for bloodletting set over him.

  Still kneeling he moved around the wall until he could look along the bridge. He saw the two men closest to him like Miles had warned, both still with their backs to him. The bridge must have been thirty feet wide and fifty long; there was no cover for half its length. Armed only with a knife and his pistol, should anyone hear him it was game over if Miles could not get a shot away fast enough. He said a silent prayer in the hope that Miles would be fast to react if needs be.

  Ajax moved up to the two men, until the gentle breeze heading his way carried their words along. One was complaining about his girlfriend, something about trouble at home that Ajax tried to block out. He did not want to think of these men having lives beyond this bridge; everything ended for them now.

  He rose behind the man closest to the bridges edge and wrapped his left hand around the man's mouth as the right plunged the blade through his companion’s neck; its edge punctured straight through in a spray of arterial blood. His captive struggled hard, Ajax drew the knife across his victim’s throat and the struggling soon ceased. Just as he crouched again and headed for the remaining men his earpiece crackled into life.

  “Good job with the kills but could you not cover their clothes in so much blood? We need them in a good enough state to wear and not attract attention.” said Miles.

  Despite understanding what the man meant Ajax flashed the adjacent rooftop a single finger salute and headed closer to the next target. Rex's chuckle could faintly be heard through his ear and brought a grim smile to Ajax. None of the gang members looked to be heavily armed, their handguns could still kill him but it was a slight relief to him nonetheless.

  The next man went down with a broken neck, Ajax worried for a second that the snap would be loud enough to carry to another guard. He lowered the body silently, practically feeling Miles' smile from this distance. There was only one more straggler before he would have to deal with three guards that sat on a crate at the bridges centre.

  He had to move out from the bridges wall, the fourth man was leant against cold stone on the opposite side. As Ajax got closer it became obvious the man had fallen asleep on his feet, quite the impressive feat that might save him some pain.

  Ajax was two steps away from his target, carefully watching the bridges surface for anything that might cause noise as he stepped on it. Certain nothing could go wrong Ajax went in for the kill, both hands grabbed the man's neck in a tight grip and twisted. Instead of the expected snap he met resistance, the neck was average in thickness, up close Ajax could now see a long scar running from its base under the man's jacket.

  A single cry came from the man, the three guards turned just as Ajax brought his knife across the man's throat instead. He held the body upright and threw the knife in a savage arc that spun through the air and into an eye socket. Gunfire erupted, through the body Ajax felt the blows land as he scrambled for his own weapon.

  A booming shot took a man through the chest, spraying blood and splintered bone in the air. Miles' gun bucked in his hands, the sole survivor turned to crouch behind the crate for safety and continued firing on Ajax. Using the limp body for a shield Ajax moved forwards, gun now in hand just waiting for his opportunity. Miles' voice came through the earpiece, saying he did not have a shot. No shit.

  Ajax peeked around the body for a better look, the gunshots had ceased from both sides. Just as his eye looked past his shield the last man raised his gun and shot. It took a split second for the pain to register, Ajax did not instantly feel the bullet that clipped his cheek.

  The pain was a trigger, with it came familiar and uncontrollable rage. He dropped the corpse as two more bullets were fired, they punched holes through empty space as Ajax covered ground at a phenomenal rate.

  He was already strafing left, tracking the attackers gun as it tried to follow his rapid movements. Stone dust was kicked up as the man's gun fired again and again, not slowing Ajax in his rage. As he reached the body his knife jutted out of his fingertips narrowly grabbed the blades handle, yanking it out as
he ran on bent over. The man in front of Ajax dropped his weapon, his own hands reaching for a sheathed knife.

  The blades cruel point pierced flesh with ease, Ajax dragged it across the man's gut then straight up his chest. A warm steam cloud passed his face as hot entrails spilled to the ground below. The man collapsed and Ajax stared at the horror struck death mask worn by the dead man. He did not feel remorse for his actions, only exhilaration. His ears rang with his heartbeat, blocking out all other sound. Only after a handful of deep breaths did his mind clear enough to see what was before him.

  Loud voices heralded the arrival of Miles and Rex, both figures were running across the bridge towards him. Ajax walked back over to the man who proved tricky to swiftly dispatch; he needed to know what stopped him. When he reached the corpse Ajax crouched down and plunged his knife through the body’s neck until it met resistance, then cut along the scar and peeled back flesh. Ajax saw the metal that had fused with bone; the man had an artificial spine.

  “What the fuck was that about?” asked Miles, his breathing ragged as he slid to a stop in front of Ajax. “You didn't have to butcher him.”

  Ajax saw the flinch, as he turned to look at Miles the man was greeted by a dead stare that promised untold pain and horrors.

  “I just lost it a bit. They are all dead, like you asked. What are we going to do now that our cover is blown?”

  “Let’s change into their clothes anyway, we go ahead as planned and try to pass ourselves off as the guards fleeing an attack. Bring your own guns, we can claim that the mercenaries were killed and we took their weapons. Ajax already has a wound, Rex make sure to get one of the cleaner outfits and Ajax can wear a bloodied one. Get moving.” said Miles, turning away from Ajax with a sigh of relief.

  Ajax stripped off a corpse swiftly before pulling the bloodied clothes on. They were a snug fit, the faded orange trousers and blood splattered grey vest looked a mess but would easily pass him off as a fellow gang member. He could not help but smirk at Miles, who looked out of place in the bright colours and shorts, despite the freezing conditions.

  “You look like a bloody clown, how are they supposed to believe you are one of them?” Ajax asked.

  “Just focus on your appearance, don't act too professional; hold your gun sideways, that's something I have seen them do. Sling the rifle around your back, these guys always prefer handguns.” said Miles, scooping blood from a pool to spread up one half of his face and into his silver streaked hair.

  Rex may have been closer to Miles than Ajax in terms of age, but he pulled off the look a lot more convincingly. With no other option for a disguise they were ready for the skyscraper. Miles picked up a discarded gun and fired it in the air three times before dropping it again. Ajax shot him a quizzical look.

  “Hopefully they will think the fire fight has just ended. You can do all the talking, Ajax, since you think I would be out of place. Make sure to skim over details and empathise the urgency of getting to Malik. Now run!” said Miles.

  The fog had moved even closer whilst Ajax traversed the banking and dealt with the roadblock. As they ran towards the skyscrapers only the top halves could be seen above the rolling screen of impenetrable white. As they neared the skyscrapers base shouts called out through the fog. Ajax moved right, away from the two men and fired his gun behind him twice, shouting for them to run faster.

  Figures appeared through the fog, guns drawn and their shouts carrying. All three men were breathing heavily when they reached the first man, his shouts for them to stop went unheeded.

  “Run, the mercs are right behind. Fucking run!” shouted Ajax. The urgency in his voice must have got through to the man, his gun lowered and he started running with them.

  Another two men appeared from the fog, not even needing Ajax's words to get them running, the new man did the work for him. The six men reached the skyscrapers base, guns clattering in their gait and breathing ragged.

  At least thirteen more men crowded around three vehicles, strange equipment packed above fat wheels and thick axles. In the confusion several voices tried to explain the situation as quickly as possible, only causing more chaos. Ajax told a group of four men that mercenaries had ambushed them at the bridge, three of them were dead but more could be seen heading this way.

  Eventually the message became clear, four men hopped into the vehicles that soon roared into life and sped away. The rest headed inside the skyscrapers foyer, some stayed back to bar the doors whilst others called the two elevators. As the first set of doors opened men streamed inside, filling the small elevator and disappeared upwards.

  The squad and four more men stood waiting for their elevator to arrive, the gang members constantly looking behind to search frantically for the fake threat. As the doors opened Miles and Rex went to follow the four ahead of them, Ajax pulled them both back gently and quelled their protests. He unslung his rifle, toggled it to full-auto and let rip; bullets shredded through the gang members like a laser through ice.

  “What the fuck was that for?” asked Rex.

  “Get in the elevator, I'll tell you when inside.” replied Ajax. He hit the call button for a third elevator, which instantly opened its doors. He pressed the buttons for three floors, including the top, and watched as it started it’s ascent before following the two men. He did not bother looking at the carnage below.

  Chapter 13

  The elevator door jammed as it tried to close, immediately opening as a gentle noise pinged away to signal the obstruction. Miles shifted a limp hand with his boot and their ride finally got under way.

  “Look, we've only got this far because these men think there is a threat. When the elevator arrives we can say the mercenaries broke down the foyer doors and shot up the elevator. An added bonus is there are four less men that pose a threat to us, should this turn into a full on fire fight. Make sure to look scared when we stop and not get bogged down with questions.” instructed Ajax.

  He changed his rifles magazine for a fresh one and slung it back around his shoulders, then scooped up a handful of the pooling blood to coat his shirt some more. Miles and Rex took the hint and followed suit. Soon they looked more like victims than aggressors.

  “How many floors are there to this scraper?” asked Rex, his face streaked with another man's blood and flakes of shredded flesh. The sight was horrific, Ajax couldn’t help but be impressed with the disguise.

  “At least a hundred, we've only passed fifty by the look of things.” said Miles, pointing at the rows of buttons behind Rex. A light raced along them to indicate the floor they were passing, until it eventually stopped at the final floor for the elevator.

  Ajax hit the first floor button just as the doors opened. They fell out, trying to feint fear as the remaining nine gang members crowded around the elevators with their guns drawn.

  “The mercenaries broke through to the foyer, they opened fire before we could shut the elevator doors. We need to hurry before they can catch up.” said Ajax, without being prompted for an explanation.

  Behind him the elevator doors closed, it started to descend and fear seeped into their audience. Someone towards the rear turned and ran, heading off down the corridor towards a staircase. The remainder took the hint and followed suit, the squad close behind as they rushed past a line of elevators. Ajax had just passed the third elevator as he heard its doors open.

  When they reached the stairs Ajax rammed his knife through the closest man's back, puncturing straight through to the heart. Miles took down a second man, leaving them with seven as the rest headed upstairs; not one looked back. On the next floor were the second set of elevators that would take them higher, five men had disappeared inside the nearest one.

  Ajax opened fire, his handgun spewing rounds that felled the two stragglers. Miles and Rex started shooting behind them, simulating a pitched battle as they backed inside the elevator. Yet more scared faces met them, one of the gang members was hammering on a button until the doors closed. Eight men let out a collec
tive sigh as the elevator began to move.

  “How many were out there?” asked a short, young man, his eyes flared and darting in fear.

  “I couldn't see them all, at least five.” answered Rex, playing the role perfectly.

  The elevator continued to rise ever higher whilst the cramped men breathed heavily; no one broke the silence. Miles had managed to slot into a corner, giving him a little room to manoeuvre and, more importantly, hide from the other men. His disguise might have been good whilst adrenaline and fear distracted onlookers but under close scrutiny anyone could tell he was the oldest occupant of the elevator and severely out of place; a thought occurred to him.

  “Has anyone managed to get a hold of Malik?” asked Miles.

  Five collective shakes of the head were his answer. The man nearest to Ajax reached into his pocket, producing an outdated radio and bringing it up to his lips. Miles struggled to see the movement, Ajax's arm just extended suddenly, blood sprayed from the man's jugular as Ajax was already dispatching a third man. His knife glinted in the elevators pale, artificial light and moved like a steel snake, weaving death where it went.

  Five bodies collapsed to the floor, dark blood coated the walls and made the floor beneath slick with crimson. Rex looked shocked, despite his extensive experience in multiple active war zones the sudden killing had taken him off guard once again. Miles had known exactly what would happen when the question was answered. Below them the raspy breaths of someone convulsing in the throes of death was the only sound inside the elevator; Ajax had left one man alive.

  “Why didn't you kill him?” asked Miles, anger in his voice.

  “We need them to believe that everyone was attacked, it would look a lot better if we weren't the only ones still alive when the doors open. I've crushed his vocal cords, there is no way he can alert them about us. Rex, leave your rifle on the floor in the arms of a body and pick it up once someone has seen this man. I'll pretend to try and save him, should do the trick.” said Ajax.