by L Bowers
I arrived in time to see a group of slender beings covered from head to toe in armor leading Tevor out of the building. They walked toward an armored looking vehicle that hovered a few feet off the ground.
My hope was that I could get across the street and fight inside the cover of the building. Now it would have to be in the street or risk loosing Tevor.
I backed away from the window until I was stopped by the wall ten feet away. With my left leg I pushed off into a run. My blade hit the glass first shattering it. I flipped through the shards of glass and landed in a crouch on top of the vehicle.
Chapter 24
The vehicle slammed to the ground and bounced back up. I flew off the machine with my arms flailing to land on my ass in front of the closest armored figure. Without skipping a beat the figure grabbed me by my arm and slammed me against the side of the armored vehicle ringing my bell.
“Who are you and why are you interfering,” A raspy voice said from the voice modulator of the helmet.
“Did you … did you get the license plate?” I asked while still pinned to the truck.
“What?”
“Of the truck that hit me. Did you see it? We should call the cops.” Being slammed against the truck really did a number on me. But my augments reacted quickly and the fog lifted from my mind before the armored goon could respond.
“I do not know what you speak of, but it doesn’t matter.” It turned its head to look back. “We are taking this one with us. He has to be involved with Tevor and his friends.”
“Did his grand entrance clue you in?” The man on Tevor’s left said.
“Shut up and get them loaded. I want to be back for dinner,” Another of the armored figures said.
At that time I figured I had two choices. The first was to attack and mess up their day, but the second seamed like the option that would not lead to Tevor being hurt or killed. The armored person holding me up set me on my feet and pushed me to the back of the vehicle. Tevor was loaded up after me and half of the armored crew came in behind us.
“Keep your mouth shut and sit still,” the armored person next to Tevor said. Their voices all sounded alike which meant their helmets changed their voices.
I looked over at the guy that spoke. “I need to stay here and complete my mission,” I said.
“I said keep quiet!” He leaned forward and lashed out with his fist.
I caught his fist with my right hand and winced at the sting. My left shot up morphing and pierced the helmet where his left eye would be. I pushed him onto Tevor as I pulled my blade free. All hands rushed me getting tangled together in the small space. I pushed forward with my arms wide. The augmented legs I sported gave me the strength to push them all out of the truck. I dove out after them, blade leading the way.
My blade sunk into the belly of one guard as my feet landed on his pelvis. I yanked up slicing him in two. Then I leapt and spun taking the head off another. The arc of blood hit an armored guy in the face and he recoiled back. I punched a hole through his heart. The rest fell quickly to my blade.
“Tom?” Tevor’s voice came over my comms.
“Get out of that truck and get home,” I said. “I’ll meet you there once I have her.”
“I can help,” Tevor said. While I appreciated his bravery, his shaky voice clue me into the fear numbing his brain.
“The plan is a bust, Tevor. This next part is all me. I appreciate you’re willingness to help, but right now, I need you getting to a safe place ready.”
“Okay, my friend. I will wait for you at my place, and I’ll have food ready for you both.”
“Thanks, Tevor. You’re a great friend,” I replied.
“If not for you I would be dead, Tom. Dead men have no friends.” His relief at not having to come with me gave his voice a steady cadence.
I chuckled. “I guess that’s true. I’ll be along shortly. Stay safe, Tevor,” I said while thumbing off the communications channel.
A quick jog and I was back at the pleasure den. The truck had managed to get a couple miles away allowing me to get a nice warmup in before the real exorcise started. The door I entered before, was closed and without support I was not going to be able to get in. Looking up I saw the window I left through looked clear. I took two running steps and leapt. My feet hit the window sill fifteen feet up and I was in. One second was all the time I allowed for marveling at my awesomeness.
I started my search at the first door I came to, throwing it open. I found a bedroom well decorated in blues and golds but no people. The next room was a match to the last except a woman lay on the bed in the nude. I went to her and shook her shoulder. She didn’t respond. Her pink skin was clammy and covered in a sheen of sweat. I figured the same tactics used by traffickers on earth were used here and this girl was high as a kite.
I left her and moved on. Two more rooms were empty and the next had a man on a woman pounding away at her. I grabbed the scruff of his neck and pulled him off.
“Hey! Let me go, fucker and wait your turn!” He screamed. His words made me sick to my stomach and I gave him a hammed blow to the gut. Air whooshed out of him and he doubled over. The woman that had been under him lay still looking at the ceiling with dilated pupils. Her bright red hair lay pooled around her head and was a stark contrast to her light brown skin.
“What is your problem?” The man growled as he looked up at me from his bent over posture.
I grabbed his neck and pulled him upright. “Listen to me,” I snarled. “I want you to tell me where all the women are being held.”
“Fuck if I know,” He said. “I pay my money, get my ride, and go home. Find someone who works here, psycho!”
“I’m glad you said that,” I said. My blade slid slowly into the man’s ribcage. His scream was cut short by my blade piercing his lung. I let him fall to the ground so he could drown on his own blood.
I scooped up the woman and took her to an empty room then set her on the bed. I pulled the blanket up over her covering her nudity and preserving some of her dignity, I hoped. I watched the young woman for a minute wondering if there was anyone missing her. More than that how could I get her back to those people. The answer was that I couldn’t and it broke my heart. All I could do for her was stop the system created by the champions that let this happen.
I closed the door behind me. There had to be a way to help these women, and I would find it. That was a mission I took on with great joy, and would not fail. My interaction with the patron of this screwed up establishment gave me a good indication that I was going about my search all wrong. Chances were that anyone I came across would have the same answers. I didn’t have time for that shit. I had to go to the top and find the answers I sought.
First I found a bank of elevators then waited for the one I called. The top most button did not light up when I pressed it and I figured it had to do with the hand sized screen next to it. I pressed the next one down and it did light up. The doors closed and the elevator car rose. As I ascended, I searched the car for a roof hatch but found none. Using my blade arm I made an opening. Once the car stopped I jumped up through the hole and spread my legs to land straddling it.
There was an emergency ladder to my right, but it stopped few feet above the top of the car. I saw no other way to climb up. The car had no cables to lift and lower it and the next set of doors had to be fifty feet above me.
The limits of my new body were still unclear to me so I figured it was a good time to see how high I could jump. I bent down then burst up with a hard push. I sailed through the air but only went about twenty feet up. I hit the elevator car and it shuddered.
“Well damn,” I muttered. “There has to be a way.”
I looked up at the impossible height then I looked behind and an idea came to me. Action movies have been my go to source of entertainment since I first saw a television show. The answer I needed lay in those movies and shows I loved so much. I put my back against the wall and jumped again. This time Instead of going
straight up, I went up and across. My feet hit the wall and I kicked off and up. I twisted as I flew back across the tube and kicked off once more. I spun and did the same as I reached the other side. I overshot the mark and hit the wall too high above the doors.
I slid down the wall grabbing for hand holds that didn’t exist. My left arm shifted and I sunk the blade into the wall which stopped my descent. I looked down and saw the top of the door was level with my knees. Hung there with my arm twisted in an uncomfortable position sucked, but it allowed me to catch my breath. The wall jumps took a lot out of me, more than I would have thought.
When the pain in my arm became more of a hindrance than being winded I put my feet against the wall and pulled the blade free. A moment of free fall occurred where my balls felt like they were jumping into my throat, then I slammed the blade into the door coming to a jarring stop. Pain blossomed through my shoulder and I groaned. Not knowing what was in the other side of the doors meant I had no time to recover. I pushed the left door open with my booted foot as my blade was in the right one.
With my boots resting on the half inch ledge I reached across my body and grabbed the edge of the door with my right hand. I shifted my arm back and shimmied to the opening. Lucingi, there was no one there to see me stepped into the hallway. The floor was a white tile so clean and glossy my reflection stared up meeting my gaze. The walls were also white with picture frames hung containing all black canvases. The pictures were evenly spaced on both sides of the hallway. There were two doors, one at each end, but neither was marked, other than one being black and the other being white. I chose the black door and headed for it.
The door lacked a knob but a green light scanned me as I approached. I guessed that I failed muster because the door remained closed. I put my left hand against it thinking it would shock me or something, but nothing happened. I leaned forward pressing with all of my weight and muscle. The door made a cracking sound then burst open. The room turned out to be a janitor’s closet. But I had to admit it was the cleanest janitor’s closet ever.
Next in line was the white door which was unlocked. That wasn’t the end of the good news though. Standing there was a thin person wearing armor similar to the guys I tangled with in the truck. Unlike them this set had angular protrusions from the back that stuck out behind him and up slightly. The forearms were also thicker than the others and I was sure there would turn out to be a good reason for that.
“I guess you and I are going to have words before I can go in there huh?” I said.
Chapter 25
The armored guy responded by having lines along his armor glow a bright green. Two green glowing blades descended from each forearm with the front most blade being a few inches longer. The surprises didn’t stop there. The figure blurred then was right in front of me. I barely had the time to get my arm shifted and block the first strike.
A blade hit me in the chest and green light exploded out of it. It knocked me back with the force of a locomotive and hurt like hell. The janitor’s closet door did nothing to stop my flight. But the wall, the hard as steel concrete wall did a great job of stopping me. And knocking the wind out of me. Probably broke a few ribs as well.
I pried myself from the mess of shelving and cleaning supplies that crumpled under me and rose on shaking legs. I took one step before the green ranger poser appeared again and smacked my down with a back hand. My face hit the floor so hard the tile cracked and I bounced, causing the world to spin.
The green armored foe looked down at me and laughed. “A weakling like you is in possession of the Master’s Gear? Pathetic!”
“Who are you calling pathetic, Asshat?” I mumbled. The world still spun and I was having trouble seeing both of the green rangers.
A kick to my midsection ensured my ribs were broken. My vision clouded over and I barely felt the next kick. In my minds eye I saw the woman I’d put into another room after finding her being screwed by one of the pleasure house’s customers. I thought of the promise I made to free her and any other women trapped here.
It wasn’t enough to pull me out of the fog, but it helped. The other thing that helped was a little ditty known as the Marine Corps Hymn. I sang it in my head over and over. As I did, I felt a tingle as my adrenaline spiked. Breathing hurt, but I pushed through and took a deep breath. My vision cleared a little so I took another.
I saw the next kick coming and moved my left arm so it would take the brunt of the attack. It was a subtle movement that green ranger didn’t seem to notice. I took another breath and I could see again.
From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli!
I shoved myself up and landed on my feet. It was an amazing feat of strength, but green ranger didn’t seem impressed. He jabbed at me with his glowing blades which I parried.
We will fight our country's battles, in the air, on land, and sea!
I smacked his next blade strike away and jumped forward. My shoulder hit his chest and he fell back. I slashed at him but he blocked. My fist met the inside of his elbow stopping his next blade slash. I lunged head first hitting his chest with the crown of my head. Then I spun on one heel and hit him in the side of his head with a Van Dam style kick.
First to fight for right and freedom …
Freedom. I was fighting for the freedom of others. I was doing what Marines did. That thought energized me. I was fighting the good fight, like every good Marine should. I was in a position to make a difference and be an agent of change.
“OOH RAH! I roared.
I pressed the attack with renewed vigor. Sending a flurry of punches and kicks at the armored dude. He dodged or blocked most but the few that got through pushed him back. The real problem came from him being much faster than me. Which explained him seeming to appear in front of me. While he was already in my face so that trick didn’t work, his hands and feet moved so fast I could barely see them.
A kick I only saw once it smashed into my face knocked me back. My guard dropped and he capitalized. Attacks so fast they felt like one continuous hit smashed into my gut, chest, and face. Attempts to bring my arms up were slapped back. If I were in command of my faculties I may have felt despair. Lucky for me, the head shots had me seeing a little yellow cartoon bird fluttering around my head.
A punch hit my jaw so hard my legs buckled and the world went dark. I had lost the fight by knockout, making the armored soldier undefeated. Or so I told myself thinking this was his first victory in a long line of losses did nothing to sooth my ego.
My senses returned slowly as I was being jostled. Fingers bit into my skin above my collar bone as a hand grabbed the neck opening of my armor. The person hoisted me off me back and my toes dragged along the tile floor as I was pulled in close.
“Why are you here?” A raspy voice came from the helmet of the armored guy.
“I’m here to fuck shit up,” I said. It was then my vision came into focus and the world stopped spinning.
“You might want to get some more practice in before you try fucking shit up. Or you should have. Now, I am going to end you,” he said.
“That’s what she said,” I said.
“What?” He tilted his head to the right as he asked.
It was nonsensical and didn’t fit the situation at all. Contrary to popular belief there are situations where that's what she said doesn’t work. It did one thing though, bought me a split second
My arm slashed up becoming a blade and took off the arm holding me at the elbow. The guy screamed and stepped back. I spun taking his head off his shoulders.
I moved out of the closet because no way was I going to lay down in that puddle of gore. Once I was in the hallway and clear I plopped down and rested my back against the wall. Only after a few minutes I felt my strength returning and the last bit of fog from the head blows fade. My ribs no longer hurt. This Master’s Gear was amazing.
The door the armored guy came through was still open so I took it as an invitation and entered. The first room was a fo
yer the size of my last apartment. Like the hall, it was white marble with white walls and blacked out art. Beyond the foyer was an open floor plan living space with family room, kitchen, and dining room. The decor was the same here.
“I must commend you on getting past my guard,” A tall well built alien said as he came down the hallway leading to what I assumed was the bedrooms. “But it is time to end this little game of yours. What is it you want, stranger?”
“I came for Candy,” I said. “And I’m not leaving without her.”
His steps faltered for a beat as he walked by and to the kitchen. “All of this is for some used up merchandise?” He asked with puzzlement evident in his voice. “Really?”
I nodded once and waited. If this guy was in a talking mood, I was ready to listen. Most of me still hurt from the beating at the hands of the Green Ranger. He was taller than the armored combatant by a foot with wider shoulders and a thicker chest. His skin was a dark violet and his eyes matched. His head had a shovel shape and he was bald.
“A silent man of action, huh? That makes you the real deal or a guy who has seen too many movies. Considering you are indeed standing there while my bodyguard is dead, I will give you the real deal credit. But there is no way you are walking out of here with my merchandise for free. If you want to negotiate for this Candy chick then we can. Otherwise …”
“No negotiations,” I interrupted. “Just tell me where she is and you get to live another day.”
“I’m sorry, but did you not just see me stroll in like I own the place, which I do, and not pay you much attention? What about that makes you think I fear you? I bet it was the bodyguard, right? She was there to take on my light work, and for liability purposes. If you really want to get hurt, we can go down that road. But I have a proposition for you.” He poured a couple glasses with an amber liquid then came around the counter. “Let’s sit and talk like gentlemen.”
I followed him to the living room and took a seat opposite him on one of the couches. He passed me a glass, which I took.