Forged in the Dawn

by Gavin Zanker

  ‘I can accept that. He won’t be any trouble.’

  ‘He can stay then.’ Kane broke in to a smile and reached down to scratch Hitch behind the ears. ‘I’ve always liked dogs, and this guy looks like he can make himself useful when he needs to. Make sure you train him well, Aiden, because if this fella puts a foot wrong then it’s you I’ll come looking for.’

  Kane turned on his heel and walked away. ‘Jordy,’ he shouted across the lively barracks. ‘Where the bloody hell have you been?’

  AIDEN WAS ROOTING around in his locker while Hitch slept on his bunk. He was reading a faded old leaflet he had found stuffed under all his gear. The rising sun symbol representing the Dawnist Church was printed above a single word. Hope. He stared at it for a while before crumpling it and tossing it back in his locker.

  ‘Kane’s looking for you,’ Jordy said, sweat dripping down his face as he jogged past. ‘He’s on his way over.’

  Aiden leaned back and stretched. Since his return from the mission last week, he had done nothing except lie around and he was beginning to feel lethargic. It was time he checked out the gym and started exercising again.

  ‘Aiden,’ Kane said, striding into view. ‘You look bored. Need a job? I think I can trust you with something important after you proved yourself on that last mission.’

  ‘Definitely, what’s up?’

  Aiden was enjoying being a part of the Seekers more than he would have guessed. The camaraderie of the team was new to him. And despite the name of Trent Reid still burning within him, he felt the need to stick around and honour his contract, in part because of the respect Kane had shown him.

  ‘I need you to head out to the Brentford Casino on the north side of the city,’ Kane said. ‘There’s a Church member there who, shall we say, has something of a colourful history with gambling. With the casino being Syndicate headquarters, I don’t need to tell you how much trouble he’ll find himself in when he starts losing.’

  ‘I’ve heard they take their debts seriously,’ Aiden said. ‘I imagine you want this done quietly?’

  ‘That’s right. I need you to pull him out of there without making a scene. He’ll be wearing a pinstripe suit and one of those irritating trilby hats. Oh, and he’s obnoxiously loud when he’s had a drink, so he shouldn’t be hard to find.’

  ‘I’m free to leave the compound then?’

  ‘You saw first hand what happens to runaways, so I think you’re smart enough not to try anything stupid. I’ll let the gate know you’re on your way. You can pick up a pistol there as you leave.’

  ‘Should I be expecting trouble?’

  ‘I hope not. The longer he’s in there the worse it’ll be though, so get it done. Take Faye and Blanc with you. Pretty faces will help you get inside. Leave the dog, he’ll only complicate things.’

  With that, Kane turned and strode out of the barracks.

  ‘Be back soon, boy,’ Aiden said, patting the sleeping dog. ‘Look after my stuff for me while I’m gone.’

  He left the barracks and found Faye and Blanc in the common room playing pool with Jordy watching their game from a nearby stool.

  ‘What do you want?’ Jordy said, folding his arms as Aiden approached.

  Aiden ignored him. ‘Faye, Blanc. We have a job.’

  ‘Yeah, Kane just mentioned something as he headed out,’ Faye said, leaning on her pool cue.

  ‘Not much bloody notice, is it?’ Jordy said. ‘I had winners after this game as well.’

  ‘How are we supposed to get this guy out then?’ Blanc said with a worried expression. ‘The Syndicate hate Dawnists and we don’t even have a plan.’

  ‘We’ll figure it out when we get there,’ Faye said. ‘Come on, Blanc, let’s go change. They aren’t going to let us in wearing these glamorous uniforms.’ She stuck her hip out and flicked her hair back in an exaggerated fashion.

  ‘The Syndicate don’t like Seekers?’ Aiden asked.

  ‘It’s more the church they have a problem with,’ Faye said. ‘And since we work for the church, they don’t like us by proxy.’

  Aiden nodded, thinking back to the Dawnist support group in prison and how they were often harassed by the Syndicate gangs. ‘Makes sense. Meet by the gate in ten minutes then?’

  ‘See you there,’ Faye said with a wink as she breezed past him towards the barracks. Blanc followed after her with a worried frown.

  ‘I suppose I’d better go change out of this uniform as well then,’ Aiden said to himself.

  Jordy shook his head as he climbed off his stool and sauntered away. Aiden watched him go, trying to figure out why the rough-spoken man had developed such a problem with him lately.

  CHAPTER 23

  THE SYNDICATE CASINO was one of the tallest buildings in the Rim. Set back into the cliff-face, it rose up four stories high. The unmissable neon sign of ‘The Brentford’ glowed fluorescent blue above the entrance, promising girls and gambling inside. It was a popular attraction where the poor were happy to empty their pockets for an opportunity to forget about the harshness of their reality for a while. Under an overhang, the entrance was blocked by two stocky bouncers, each wearing sunglasses, makeshift armour, and carrying submachine guns in hand.

  Aiden, Faye, and Blanc approached the entrance, chatting and laughing between themselves in an effort to appear casual. As they neared the doorway, the two bouncers moved to block their path.

  ‘Not today,’ one of them said, without looking down from the steps.

  ‘What’s the problem?’ Aiden asked.

  ‘We know you,’ the other said, nodding towards Faye. ‘No Seekers allowed on the premises.’

  Aiden rubbed his chin as he eyed the stoic bouncers. He had not expected to stopped before even making it inside.

  ‘We’re not here to cause trouble,’ Faye said, ‘we just want to find our friend and bring him out of your… establishment.’ She waved her hand at the neon lights above as she spoke, failing to keep the distaste out of her voice.

  ‘We can’t allow you inside to harass our customers. Leave now.’

  ‘Come on, let’s just go,’ Blanc said, already walking away.

  The three of them walked a short distance from the entrance, and stopped to discuss their next move.

  ‘Well, what now then?’ Faye said, pursing her lips.

  ‘I’m not sure honesty was the best approach,’ Blanc replied.

  Faye turned to Blanc. ‘Well, I didn’t see you coming up with anything.’

  ‘Look,’ Aiden said, not allowing the bickering to start, ‘Kane was clear that he wanted this done quietly, so if we can’t get inside without a fight then we shouldn’t cause a scene. He can always find someone else to extract the target.’ Aiden glanced back towards the casino. ‘Besides, we’ve got company already.’

  Coming to a stop nearby were a group of five blue-uniformed officers, all wearing full body armour and helmets. They seemed to be watching the three Seekers closely.

  ‘How did they get here already?’ Blanc asked, her agitation showing. ‘And why so many of them?’

  Aiden glanced around at the makeshift buildings along the street, crammed together with no wasted space. All rusted metal and broken scrap. Everything here was run-down and falling apart, except for the towering casino with its gaudy lights.

  ‘Someone could have tipped the police off easily enough,’ he said. ‘Besides, this is Syndicate territory so they probably just travel in groups for safety.’

  ‘I’ll radio Kane and find out what he wants us to do,’ Faye said. She pulled out the bulky radio she had stashed in her jacket and tried to get a response but the radio just echoed static. ‘Useless junk is broken again,’ she said, hitting the radio against her hand. ‘I’m going to run back to the compound then. See what Kane’s orders are. You two stay here and keep an eye on the entrance in case the target leaves.’

  They agreed and Faye set off for the compound at a steady run. Aiden and Blanc perched against an old rusted car chassis across the w
ay from the casino. The police still watched them carefully, showing no intention of leaving. Aiden waved at them with mock friendliness, but there was no response.

  ‘How are you doing?’ he asked Blanc, noticing the sweat on her brow.

  ‘Fine, fine. Just a bit tense. These guys look like they mean business,’ she said, throwing a glance at the heavy bouncers across the street.

  ‘Relax, we’re not doing anything wrong.’

  A glint of reflected light caught Aiden’s eye from one of the casino windows above. He saw a metal barrel poke out of the window and instinctively dived on Blanc, knocking her to the floor just as a bullet ricocheted off the broken vehicle. They ducked around the car, staying behind cover.

  ‘They just shot at us,’ Aiden said, disbelief in his voice. ‘I can’t believe it.’

  ‘That would’ve killed me,’ Blanc said, her breath coming fast and heavy. ‘What do we do? Why haven’t the police done anything? Aren’t they supposed to help?’

  Aiden pulled his pistol out and cocked it. Poking his head around the side of the car, he saw the officers had not reacted to the gunshot. He turned his attention back to Blanc. She was pressed up against the car, her eyes closed tightly.

  ‘Draw your gun,’ he told her. ‘Keep it together, you’re going to be fine.’

  She unholstered her pistol with shaky hands just as another bullet hit the car chassis above them. Aiden rose up, levelling his pistol at the casino window where the shot had come from and squeezed the trigger. His bullet shattered the window, and a shadow moved inside the room.

  The five officers were running at him immediately, shouting as they drew their metal batons. Aiden tucked the gun into his holster, knowing that killing an officer would be a costly mistake. He moved out from the car to meet them, holding his hands up to show he was unarmed.

  The police were uninterested though, and as the first helmeted officer reached Aiden, he was forced to duck as the man swung wildly with his baton. With such momentum, he was easy for Aiden to trip and send stumbling face first into the car. He collided hard, and crumpled to the floor in a heap.

  Another officer swung his baton at Aiden, narrowly missing his arm. Striking with the blade of his hand, Aiden caught the officer in the throat and he fell to the floor gasping for breath. The three remaining men circled warily having just watched two of their friends fall.

  ‘You should learn to do what you’re told, Seeker,’ one of them said, his voice muffled behind his face visor. ‘Now we’re going to have to teach you a lesson.’

  Aiden took a slow breath, forcing himself to stay focused. If they were smart they could easily take him all at once, but so far none of them seemed much for tactics. He braced himself and waited for them to make their move.

  ‘Hold!’ a powerful voice boomed out.

  Everyone stopped and turned as Travis Kendrick strode into view. He brushed past the police as if they did not exist. ‘This situation is over,’ he declared loudly, his stern gaze locked on Aiden. He turned to the officers and continued, ‘There’s no need for escalation. This matter is resolved and you can lower your weapons.’

  Before any of the officers could argue, Travis pointed behind them. They all turned to see the bulky Mayor approaching with Samuel, Travis’ aide, trailing behind.

  ‘There’s no need to take this any further,’ the Mayor said to the officers, his face red with exertion from walking. ‘You are all dismissed.’

  The officers sheathed their batons and picked up their two fallen colleagues. They ambled away, staring at Aiden coldly. ‘We’ll see you soon, Seeker,’ one of them muttered as he passed. ‘Real soon.’

  Travis and the Mayor and exchanged a few quiet words before walking towards the casino together. Samuel approached Aiden, a bemused expression on his face.

  ‘A questionable decision to pick a fight with the police,’ he said.

  ‘They attacked us,’ Aiden said. ‘It was just self defence.’

  ‘What’s going to happen now?’ Blanc asked, emerging from behind the car.

  ‘Don’t worry, the situation will be handled. Make sure to put it all in your report to Kane.’ Samuel glanced at the Mayor and Travis as they entered the casino. ‘If you’ll excuse me, I have things to see to.’

  ‘Should Travis be walking in there alone after they just tried to kill us?’ Aiden asked.

  ‘He’s not alone. Also, the Syndicate would never be stupid enough to make an attempt on Travis’ life in front of the Mayor. You should leave though, your presence will only serve to antagonise people at this point.’

  With that, Samuel turned on his heel and headed into the casino. The bouncers quickly stepped aside, making no attempt to deny him entry.

  Aiden glared up at the windows of the casino. He had not expected to be shot at so brazenly like that. The history between the Dawnists and the Syndicate must run deeper than he knew, and he did not like being caught in the middle of it.

  ‘I just froze up,’ Blanc muttered, her face white. ‘I didn’t help you.’

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Aiden said, turning back to face her. ‘Almost dying will do that to you.’

  ‘How did you stand up to so many men? You were outnumbered, they would’ve killed you.’

  Aiden shrugged. ‘You don’t look at the odds, you just do what you have to to survive.’

  ‘I wouldn’t be stood here if it weren’t for you.’ Blanc looked at the floor, stammering as she tried to find the words. ‘Thanks. Thanks for saving my life.’

  ‘Don’t worry about it, we’re a team.’

  Blanc nodded, folding her arms tightly across her chest. ‘Can we leave now? I want to get away from this place.’

  ‘Yeah, let’s go. I don’t fancy hanging around to be someone’s target practice.’

  They left the casino behind and headed back to the compound when Faye came jogging towards them. She stopped, leaning on Aiden’s shoulder to catch her breath.

  ‘I spoke to Kane,’ she said between breaths. ‘Why aren’t you watching the casino?’

  Aiden explained what had happened. The gunshots, the brawl with the police, and then Travis and the Mayor showing up.

  ‘But I was only gone for ten minutes,’ she said. ‘You had all the fun without me. You both look all right, so no harm done I guess. Sorry I missed the fight though.’

  ‘Why?’ Blanc asked, looking puzzled.

  Faye waved her hand dismissively at the question. ‘Well if Travis is there then he’ll sort it out soon enough. Come on, I know a decent bar not far from here, let’s go get a drink. We’ll need one for the hard time Kane is going to give us for messing this one up.’

  CHAPTER 24

  TRENT TOOK A BREATH, lined up his shot on the pool table, and knocked the ball neatly into the corner pocket. He enjoyed the playing when he found time, although none of his Boys would even attempt to take a game off him any more and winning every time was starting to take the fun out of it. Just as he considered leaving the bar to head out to the stables for a ride, a tall, whip of a man entered through the swinging saloon doors. A recurve bow was slung over his shoulder and an oversized bowie knife strapped to his hip.

  ‘Ah Wesley,’ Trent said, greeting his deputy. ‘Nice to see you still in one piece. How did it go?’

  ‘Successfully,’ Wesley said, walking past the tables and approaching the pool table. ‘We managed to capture eight. More than we hoped, all able-bodied and capable of work.’

  ‘Any injuries?’

  ‘One of the newer lads was a little too enthusiastic to prove himself and ran into a farmer’s pitchfork. Had to put him out of his misery. Other than that, it was shooting fish in a barrel.’

  ‘Good, I knew I could rely on you.’ Trent chalked the end of his cue carefully. ‘And the rest of my orders?’

  ‘Followed to the letter. Some of the men found it distasteful, even called it sacrilegious to behave like Ravagers. They soon learned not to question orders though.’

  ‘You listening to t
his, you bunch of deadbeats?’ Trent said to his men sat around the bar. ‘This is why Wesley is my deputy, why I trust him with the important stuff. The man doesn’t just give it a lick and a promise, he actually gets things done.’ Turning back to Wesley, Trent continued. ‘I want you to see that those slaves are put to work in the mines straight away. We have shipments due for the south soon and I don’t want to fall behind schedule.’

  ‘They’re already on their way there,’ Wesley said. ‘But I’ll follow up on it.’ He nodded at Trent, his tongue darting over his thin lips like a snake, then turned and left the bar.

  Returning to the game, Trent squinted over the pool table, calculating his next move when someone poked their head around the doorway. ‘We found the guy, boss.’

  ‘Bring him in then,’ Trent said, as he took his next shot. He missed the pocket and the ball bounced off the cushion. He cursed loudly, banging his cue against the table.

  A man with bound wrists was shoved into the bar. He stumbled and fell before the pool table, sobbing loudly.

  ‘Ah come on,’ Trent said. ‘You’re going to cover my floor in your bloody fluids. Somebody pick him up, for crying out loud.’

  Two nearby men put down half-finished drinks and rose from their table. They flanked the bound man, hoisting him to his feet and holding him upright, his mud-covered shoes barely touching the floor.

  ‘Right, here’s the deal,’ Trent said. ‘You knew the risks when you tried to steal from me. The gods love a man that rolls the dice. But you lost. So how about losing with some grace, eh?’

  The man pleaded incoherently, his eyes streaming. Trent was too tired to take any pleasure in the begging though.

  ‘Be quiet, man. I’m not in the mood for your blubbering.’

  The thief continued to prattle on in fear. Trent sighed, then stepped forward and jabbed his pool cue into the man’s face, breaking his nose and making him go limp in the grasp of the two men holding him up.

  ‘I told you to be quiet. Why doesn’t anyone listen to me?’ The man gurgled blood as he struggled to breathe. ‘Do you know what we do with thieves around here? What am I saying, of course you do.’