by V Guy
Liola straightened and smiled. “Not ready enough.”
She flipped two small discs forward, watching as they curved to the right, attracted to the men. The small devices hit the body shields, stuck, and sent surges back into the men’s bodies. Their muscles spasmed, dropping them to the ground. Liola walked casually to the rightmost man and disarmed him. Elena took the leader’s weapon.
“You made it easy, using that body shield,” said Liola. She rolled the man on his stomach, planted a knee in his back, removed the body shield, and set her handbag on the ground. This man carried an extra magazine with his firearm.
Elena checked the weapon in her hand, glancing at her man even as her knee kept him grounded. “What about the others?”
Liola plunged her knife between the closest man’s ribs, fatally twisting her blade. “We put them out of their misery.”
She took Elena’s place and motioned. “Make sure the others pass as well.”
Elena woman circumvented Serena to check her attacker. “Nice hit. He suffocated.” A decisive blow ended her man’s life.
Liola withdrew a brain box and a skull interface from her handbag and replaced the leader’s gear with hers. After deactivating the body shield, the man stopped twitching, gathered his wits, and began struggling. Those struggles ended when she activated his interface; his life ended when she plunged her knife into his heart.
“We should go,” said Elena, placing the captured body shields into her handbag and kneeling next to Liola. “The owners of the restaurant might wonder where their boys went. Whoever watched his transmission will also know, and others could come.”
Liola stashed some of their equipment into her bag. She stood, glancing at her hands. “This blood will instantly mark us. We should wash.”
“No, we should leave,” said Elena, tugging urgently. “We should leave now.”
Serena was frozen, staring at the man she killed.
“Come on,” said the other two other women. “We’ve got to go!”
Her gaze was glued to the man she hit. “I killed him.”
“Yes,” said Liola, shaking Serena from her reverie. “We killed all of them. More mercifully than what they had in store for us, and we may join them if we linger.”
After persuading her to follow, they trotted down the boardwalk to the beach, then turned north along the shore, staying alert for movement in the darkness. A flickering of lights along the shoreline caught Serena’s eyes, and she grabbed Elena’s arm. “What was that?”
The woman immediately froze and peered. “What was what?”
Serena pointed. “There. That trio of lights. Something blocked them for a moment. See? It happened again.”
The other women saw it as well. “Someone is approaching,” said Liola. “Those lights are too high for the obstruction to be at the source. It’s on the beach. We need to hide.”
Elena scowled. “They might have heat sensors.”
Liola growled in disgust. “Then we should hide in the dunes.” She looked at a dimly lit home away from the shore, considering the distance they would need to cross. “Overlap the captured body shields over the ones we brought, but don’t activate them just yet. They’d be a beacon for anyone with an electromagnetic sensor. Where’s Preston? He won’t answer my calls.”
“Maybe they got to him,” said Serena in a whisper, shrugging as she ducked between the dunes. “They nearly got us.”
“I don’t think so. They were amateurs attempting to manhandle us. They knew of our capabilities and didn’t take precautions until three of them were down. All of them were armed and had body shields, yet only the last two used either.”
“Arrogance,” whispered Serena. “How’d you shut down their body shields? What were those things?”
Disruption discs, replied Liola through her interface. Malik made them. Stop talking out loud. They’re getting close enough for the interface to register a faint, visual return, and we don’t want to be heard. Those discs sent feedback through the shield’s protection matrix. Although not strong enough to fry electronics, the current is excellent at firing nerves.
Could they kill a man?
Liola nodded. Given time and a good enough shield battery, they could disrupt a heart.
The sound of movement on the sand from both directions stopped near their last position. “We’re close,” said a man into his comm. “I understand.” Moments later, flashlights were activated. “Spread out. Their footprints track into the dunes. They may try to skirt us.”
Liola readied a weapon then handed it to Serena. Don’t be shy. We’ve practiced at the range. She gave her an extra magazine curtesy of their earlier attackers. Now drop the mag and replace it.
Serena’s hands shook as she followed her instructions. Two more attempts and her movements were considerably smoother. What if they’re cops?
They aren’t, said Elena. Give the word, Liola.
What? Serena blanched.
We’re shooting first, said Liola. Because they are guaranteed to find us. When they do, things will get ugly. There are eight of them, and they’re likely wearing body shields. The interface sensors offer excellent targeting; make your shots good ones.
Each woman chose a target. Liola eyed Serena to determine if she were ready; the woman made a nervous nod. Liola glanced at Elena, who scowled.
Liola positioned for the shots. They’re moving. Let’s do this.
As expected, each of their first shots impacted body shields. The latter shots succeeded in bringing down three searchers, capturing the remaining men’s full attention. The survivors immediately hit the sand, sending back a furious return fire. “Men down. They’re hiding in the dunes. We need support!”
The five shuffled to either side, all of them rising to their feet, crouching, and running different directions to flank them. Liola eliminated one of them before he could reach cover. Nonlethal shots hit two others.
Girls, we’ve got to move.
They crawled across the dune into another pit of sand and turned to face the antagonists on the beach. The house, said Elena, nodding inland.
Body shields, said Liola. That’s a humongous, open space to cross.
Serena was terrified, and her eyes were wide. I’m scared.
Liola momentarily paused. We only die once.
I didn’t want it to be now!
She received a hard look. Then make them pay dearly.
They crawled over the next dune to enter the shelter of another dip in the sand, then positioned themselves for another crossing. Liola had raised her head to see their destination, then ducked and cursed. They have a Monitor!
And we have incoming, said Elena, popping off a few shots in the direction they came. We can’t stay here.
Elena and Serena kept eyes peeled for additional adversaries. Three armed gunmen attempted to advance. Two succeeded. New calls into comms were heard around them. What do we do? asked Serena frantically.
We leave, said Liola. Her attention was firmly engaged with her interface, and the explanation for her actions came with the arrival of her Traipse, dropping into their midst. They boarded and the craft rose into the air, a very real target for the attackers but an even faster escape. Projectile and blaster fire peppered the craft as it darted toward the home.
Get ready to bail, cried Liola, trying to control the increasingly damaged craft.
Elena and Serena leaped free, rolling into the open sawgrass.
Liola directed the wounded hovercraft on a low collision course toward the Monitor and leaped free with seconds to spare. The impact ruptured the BELEN tanks within both craft, the activated fuel touched oxygen, and a conflagration ensued. Two surviving shooters turned to find the women only to be contacted by small discs flipped their direction. The trio of women reached the position to disable the paralyzed shooters, acquire fresh weapons and ammo, and obtain additional shields. Shots peppered them from behind.
They hit the ground and checked their shields. Elena grabbed ex
tra magazines, an additional body shield, and one of the men’s helmets before confronting their pursuers. Go! I’ll cover you.
Serena and Liola gave her brief, concerned glances then ran. Elena shifted her aim right, left, and forward, felling three more of the attackers. Frontal fire peppered her shields, but it was a high-velocity, high-caliber, head-impacting round from high left that silenced her. Her mental exit could be heard through their interfaces; their sprint quickened.
Rounds from the same weapon dogged their steps, whistling past to lead a muffled concussion of detonation. They reached an outdoor, enclosed shower to take cover. Liola took aim at the attackers. “Get into the house. I don’t care how you do it!”
Rounds from the sniper shattered the wooden panels. Another pursuer fell to Liola’s exquisite aim before she was forced to retreat, her nested body shields depleted.
Serena had broken in the door. She shut it after Liola scurried in. “They got Elena,” she said tearfully.
“They did, and soon they’ll get us.” Liola, pushed chairs against the broken door. “Away from the windows. Away from the windows!”
Serena helped her push the couch against the wall. After confirming the home was unoccupied, she retreated to the hallway with Liola, them taking opposite positions in a small bath and a closet. She paused. “I’m sorry I treated you as badly as I did.”
Liola made a small smile. “I’m glad I got to know you.”
Serena’s eyes lit with an inner fire. “Make them pay.”
There was answering nod. “Offer no quarter—we’ll be given none.”
First there was the tinkling of breaking glass, then a grenade’s explosion tore apart the front room. A similar burst destroyed one of the rear rooms. Smoke and fire followed. The woman’s skull interfaces were only partially affected, and they saw incoming silhouettes like ghosts approaching from before and behind. The women’s guns roared, sending those apparitions into the next life, until their ammunition was spent. The two women ducked into their protective spaces to draw knives for a final stand.
A quiet fell.
“We will make them pay,” said Serena, her determined demeanor tearful.
“Dearly,” said Liola, the finality of the moment weighing heavily upon her.
Smoke grenades landed before and behind them, then an electromagnetic variant detonated. Suddenly blinded by the loss of interface sensors, they retreated deep into cover.
A fresh set of booted feet approached from both ends of the hallway, then stopped less than two meters from their position. Four quick shots from the outside caused the new arrivals to drop. The confused women crouched uncertainly within their cover, waiting for certain gunfire and death. The smoke faded. An unnerving silence persisted until a cautious voice called, one that belonged to Evelyn Meadows.
“Are there any injuries?”
36: Pursuit
Day 774: Evaline, Tichner Beach; Planet’s nightside
The two women rushed forward to greet Evelyn but were stopped short by her emergence from cloak.
“No,” she said, raising a warding hand. “The sniper is still active. Arturo and Makaha are running him down.”
Serena collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Genuine friendships had been foreign, and now one of them was gone because of her. “They killed Elena.”
Bomani and Li materialized like wraiths amid the smoke, releasing body bags as they knelt next to the dead. Liola embraced Serena, her eyes also moist with grief.
“And you made them pay the price,” said Evelyn, kneeling nearby to check their vitals. “Using the velocity, angle of impact, and penetration power of the slug determined from the Elena’s interface sensors, Malik precisely placed the shooter’s position. Borislav and James are retrieving the corpses in the dunes. Surprisingly, you two only have minor wounds.”
The two commandos were efficient in their organization of the dead, bringing numerous bodies and stacking them in the front room. The ones still alive were gagged and restrained. When they finished scouring the home for dead, they took protective positions to either side.
“They’re collecting them,” said Liola, her curiosity piercing her grief. “Why? Some of them won’t be telling Malik anything.”
Evelyn squatted nearby. “They could tell the cops quite a lot. The bodies at the restrooms have been found, and the tiny, local police force was called. They all heard the war that raged over here, and major reinforcements were requested.” She cocked her head. “The shooter has been found, disabled, and the boys have taken him. Helen has entered the apartment and is tearing apart the man’s position in search of information.”
“What are you doing here?” asked Liola. “We never sent a distress call.”
Evelyn made a soft chuckle. “Malik’s nanobots have been removed. He felt the danger; we just couldn’t get here in time.”
Liola paused, looking where the final attackers had fallen. Her eyes teared. “Not for Elena. What about his interviews?”
“He’ll be tardy. Maybe entirely truant.”
They waited in silence until the giants abruptly rose. The whine of the Rumbler increased as it invisibly slipped onto the ruined front porch and appeared from cloak. Bomani and Li sprang into action to load the bodies. Borislav emerged to assist while a distraught James ran toward the women. He stopped short, looking at Liola with undisguised concern and duress. She saw his hesitation then rose to close the gap. They shared their grief with a tight, intense hug.
“I was worried,” he said, his voice breaking. “I’ve missed you. I like you a lot, never told you, and was afraid I’d lose you without ever having said it.”
She buried her head into his chest, hanging on to him as if her life depended on it. “Life is too dangerous for attachments.”
“Attachments are what makes it worthwhile. I’d stay, but we’re too insanely busy.” He lowered his head to rest on hers. “Try not to die before we get a chance, okay?”
Liola pulled away, wiping tears from her eyes. She gently kissed his lips. “Thanks for coming.”
He smiled sheepishly and lightly kissed her back. After a glance at the commandos’ progress, he frowned and backed away. “I’ve got to make a delivery, come back for the rest, then leave again.”
“Leave?” Liola glanced at Evelyn when James stepped into the Rumbler.
“You’ve got to disappear,” he said, unhappily, considering their conversation. “Some place fresh, some place no one knows about, not even your other crew.”
“Preston?”
Evelyn shrugged, her face flushing with anger. “I don’t know. This has become extremely personal. A serious purge is coming.”
***
“What am I supposed to do with you?” asked Malik, his despair and disappointment directing his vocal and physical expressions. “Elena is dead—a sniper cleanly removed her head. What should I tell her mother? What news should reach her brother? How can I assuage their grief when I’m supposed to be on the opposite side of the world? Am I to tell them a friend was responsible for her death?”
Preston was speechless and frozen with terror. Liola’s capture of the well-dressed man’s mind had led to the revelation of a single dispatcher, and the devices of the leering, would-be rapists had directed Malik to the individual responsible for their task. That person, who was now officially missing, had relented to Malik’s intense mental persuasion and revealed the source of his information, who was discovered to be Preston. Malik then expanded his mind in an ever-increasing sphere around Tichner Beach to find him. When he was unsuccessful, he traveled to Bronton and repeated the process. An appropriate mental impression had been detected at the edge of his range, and he shifted again, confirming and establishing Preston’s position. Malik entered the man’s rented room undetected, cornering the cowering man against the junction of two walls across a small bed.
Malik paced the small, open space, his temper frayed to the point of breaking. “Why did you do it?”
�
�They threatened my family,” said Preston, desperate. “What was I supposed to do? They clearly demonstrated what they would do. I left my old life to make my families’ life better, and I just got them back. I couldn’t lose them again.”
Malik’s darkness mirrored the gloom beyond the walls, and he increased his pacing to avoid a rash decision. “Did you never consider confiding in anyone? I obliterate an entire world of Dynang bosses, and you couldn’t imagine bringing this relative trifle to my attention? Did you think me too small? Elena was family, both mine and yours.”
Preston lowered his head, his shame and grief wetting his eyes. “I couldn’t tell anyone. They wouldn’t let me.”
Malik stopped his pacing, memories of another pair of ex-cons filling his mind. “What did you tell them? What do they know?”
“Buddy, Hadrin, Liola, Elena, contact information, alternate plans, all of it.”
“And where they would be tonight?”
Preston nodded, trembling with fear. Urine soaked his pants.
“You do realize they would’ve been repeatedly raped? They weren’t instructed to be immediately dispatched, but to be abused as their captors saw fit. Killing would come later. I discovered the plans from one of their minds. Every violation was to be recorded and transmitted to me.”
Malik withdrew a skull interface.
The man’s eyes widened, and his face whitened further. If he could retreat any more, he would have. “No, no, no, please don’t.”
“Either you do it, or I rip your head from your body and send it to your daughter as a birthday gift. It’s your choice.” There was no negotiation in Malik’s stance or expression, and his mind, even without the interface, pressed heavily upon Preston’s. “Now get on your feet.”
***
Grant Vest watched his home burn, helpless to act. His wife, two sons, and daughter lay on the pavement before the residence, securely preserved by blankets and nestled among pillows. Vest’s hovercraft was consumed as well, tucked within the burning two-vehicle garage. He and Malik watched unseen from a distance. Sirens signified the approach of fire suppression units, but they would be too late to rescue anything from the accelerated blaze.