Prime City: A Science Fiction Thriller (Neon Horizon Book 2)

by Michael Robertson

  The militant gang increased in number when several more arrived. At least twenty bounty hunters now stood between her and the Black Hole. Passersby stopped to watch.

  Five minutes and thirteen seconds.

  Marcie charged into the tunnel, with Slip’s warning about the undercity running through her mind.

  Hot and humid, the smoke was from the flaming oil drums lighting the place. The ground uneven, her feet twisted and turned to manage the terrain. It would be harder for the bounty hunters too. Had any of them given chase.

  Four minutes and fifty-one seconds.

  Marcie flicked to night vision and slowed down. The shadows were alive with people. Or rather, approximations of people. Things. Creatures. Orc-like, they hunched in the corners, their arms hanging loose. They had an animalistic sway to their forms, their long hair hanging down.

  Maybe they thought they had the darkness on their side. Creatures of the shadows, two charged at Marcie, the uneven patter of their steps closing in. How could they know she saw in the dark? Catching the first one square on its chin, she knocked it back. The other one raised its guard, so she kicked it in the stomach. It slammed into the wall behind it with a thud.

  Four minutes and thirty-one seconds.

  Marcie took off in the direction of the fork in the road. More creatures closed in from either side, but many of them were too slow.

  The ones blocking her path were used to having the darkness on their side. She slammed them out of the way, punching some, shoving others.

  Four minutes left.

  The bright glow of daylight up ahead. Not enough creatures to stop her, Marcie sped up. She should have looked down. A rope stretched across her path, just six inches from the ground. She caught her right foot and fell, cushioning her landing with her hands, the rough ground tearing grazes on her palms.

  At least six of the creatures landed on her immediately. Their weight pinned her to the ground. Fists and feet rained down stinging blows. They snarled and hissed. They bit at the air. A broiling animalistic rage and a foetid reek of dirt. Guttural noises that might have been words. The red targets showed more closing in.

  Three minutes and forty seconds.

  Marcie twisted and squirmed, the exit just metres away. She kicked, punched, and even bit one, the coppery taste of blood flooding her mouth.

  Four of them driven away, Marcie punched the other two and jumped to her feet again. Another mob closed in. Flicking off her night vision revealed the next rope. Marcie jumped it before she sprinted out into daylight, the gate to the Black Hole in sight. What an idiot to think she could do this in ten minutes.

  Marcie weaved through the people. Sweat stung the cuts on her face, and her lungs remained tight from the smoke in the undercity.

  Twenty metres from the gates. Three minutes remaining.

  The red circles in Marcie’s eyes warned her too late. Several of the militant gang hit her at the same time, landing on top of her and pinning her to the ground. More piled on before she had time to fight the first ones. The guards at the gates watched as they buried Marcie beneath a press of bodies.

  All traces of daylight vanished, and the collar dug into Marcie’s neck beneath the weight of the bounty hunters. Her heart hammered, but her will left her. She fell limp.

  Daylight flooded in when the bounty hunters got off Marcie. Although she stood up, the holographic clock counted down, three, two, one. Not even her enhancements could prevent the pull of her collar. It dragged her down, slamming her into the road, a flash of white light crashing through her vision, her cheek on fire from the impact.

  Pinned to the road by her neck, the crewcuts had formed a circle around her. Fifteen to twenty bounty hunters strong, this catch belonged to them. They’d let her go when they decided. Hopefully they’d let her go before she ran out of credits.

  Chapter 29

  Marcie winced and dragged a sharp intake through her clenched teeth as the Eye cleaned one of the many cuts on her face with antiseptic. He said, “And you’re sure Slip had nothing to do with it?”

  “I can’t be certain, but I don’t think so, no. The collar has a ten-minute timer. It’s not the most subtle thing. I get the impression anyone who wears one marks themselves as a target. There are people who get paid if you overstay your welcome. There’s no reason to suspect he’d have anything to do with it with such a clear motive already there. I suppose I should just be grateful they let me go at thirty minutes.”

  “They still took three thousand credits from you.” The Eye discarded one bloody cotton wool ball, pressed a fresh one to the antiseptic bottle and upended it.

  The white fluffy ball quickly turned grey as the liquid soaked it, and Marcie tensed in anticipation of the sting. “Better than the whole lot though, eh? And it’s taught me some valuable lessons for the next time I go into Prime City.”

  “That it’s a tough place and you need to be less complacent?”

  “Well, that, and that many bounty hunters work in gangs. Slip confirmed a lot of this for me on the way back.”

  “He could have told you beforehand.”

  The reek of antiseptic burned her nose. “Prime City’s a big place with a lot to learn. He couldn’t tell me everything.”

  “No, but some information seemed rather pertinent. Like watch out for the gangs. Or that a collar makes you a target.”

  “He did warn me against going into the undercity.”

  “But you did it anyway?”

  “It would have cost me much more than three grand if I hadn’t. Can I continue now?”

  The Eye put more antiseptic on the cotton wool and wiped it along a cut on her cheek, pressing harder than before.

  “So there are three main types of bounty hunters, and I met two of them. The jocks are a bunch of bored rich kids. Their bounty hunting is almost like a gap year. They finish their education and they spend most of their time in the gym. They wear body cameras and use the job to build their social media profile before they go and live in the sky apartments and work for daddy’s firm. Although, not an insignificant number of them end up dead. Some of them have had such a life of privilege, they just don’t have the street smarts, you know?”

  “And you do?”

  “I got you here, didn’t I?”

  “The jocks sound like arseholes.”

  “Thankfully I didn’t get caught by them. Their strike rate’s low. That would have been embarrassing.”

  “And what happened to you was better?”

  Marcie shrugged.

  “If the jocks didn’t catch you, then who did?”

  “The crewcuts. They’re militant motherfuckers. They model themselves on an old-school army, harkening back to a time when nations existed and they had people who cared about them enough to arm up and fight. Most people in Prime City are in it for themselves, but this lot are zealous in their training and unflinching in their purpose. They’re dangerous and they earn well because of it. They always split their earnings. They’re also a fraternity. To them, the women belong at home. It makes me want to kick their arses even more if I meet them again.”

  “Because the first time went so well. And the third type?”

  “The careers. They work for what they consider real bounties rather than picking the low-hanging fruit of robbing tourists. They have their own moral code and they stick to it. It seems if you want to properly work as a bounty hunter, you either join the crewcuts, or you become a career.”

  “What was the undercity like?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You said you went down there.”

  “I didn’t get a guided tour. It was too dark. I think the things living down there are human.”

  “What else would they be?”

  “Dunno. But I can see why Slip warned me away from there. Had they managed to pin me down for much longer, they would have eaten me alive.”

  The Eye screwed the lid back on the antiseptic and reclined in his seat. He waited for the shrieking monolin
e to pass their window. “You need to go back to the Blind Spot.”

  “What? No. Not yet.”

  “You’ve got me here safely like you promised.”

  “What about Sal’s lungs? What about getting you into Prime City?”

  “Neither of those is worth dying for. I’m alright in the Black Hole.”

  “You only think that because you’ve spent most of your time in this room with the cockroaches. If you’d been out there like I have, I’m not sure you’d be as confident. Who’s going to get food and clothes for you?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my clothes.”

  The fur coat remained thrown over the chair where the Eye had discarded it the second they’d entered the room. Marcie raised her eyebrows. “Look, I’m not going anywhere until I’ve done what I promised. You need to be set up in Prime City, and Sal needs lungs.”

  “Why don’t you just leave me alone?”

  Marcie dragged a deep breath in through her nose.

  The Eye’s face flushed and he shrugged. “What?” He then said, “So how are you going to do everything you want to do, then?”

  “Mads.”

  “How did I know you’d say that.” The Eye pointed at the window. “That little shit out there works for Mads. He’s shown up as your guide, and now you have the idea of going to see the man. It doesn’t take a genius to see what his agenda is.”

  “If we’re going to get you set up in Prime City, and if I’m going to get Sal’s lungs—which is what I fully intend to make happen whether you like it or not—I need credits. The only way to get credits in this place is to get a paying job. The only person who has a steady stream of paying jobs—”

  “Is Mads. How convenient.”

  “He also gives out visas to get into Prime City, where the decent bounties are. Visas that don’t involve me making myself a target by wearing one of those stupid collars with a big fucking countdown to bounty-hunter payday.” Marcie stood up. “I’m going to go and see him. It’s the only way.”

  The Eye’s face softened and he put down the bottle of antiseptic. “Look, I don’t mean to be a dick.”

  “Really? What are you like when you’re trying?”

  The Eye opened his mouth, but it took him a few more seconds to get his words out. “I care about you, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt trying to help me. I’d never forgive myself.” He frowned hard and his voice broke. “Also, I’m not very good around people. I spend a lot of time on my own. Having a friend is a new thing for me.”

  Marcie’s reply caught in her throat and her temples stung. It felt like a lifetime had already passed since she’d last spoken to Sal. She gulped and nodded. “Thank you. I didn’t realise I needed to hear that.” She coughed into her hand. “Look, I think going to Mads is the only way. Maybe if we dug deeper, we’d find some opportunities to make money, but we don’t have time. Every day we spend in this place costs us more credits. I’d rather act now while we have a little bit of money to fall back on.”

  When the Eye didn’t reply, Marcie said, “There’s something else too.”

  A raised eyebrow, the albino man said, “Go on.”

  “The way you get bounties from Mads is to fight in his arena.”

  “What?”

  “Mads has a fighting arena. He runs the bookies for people to bet on the fights. The winner of the fight gets the bounty.” Before the Eye could argue, she said, “I’m ready to fight.”

  The Eye snorted a laugh. “Maybe the crewcuts didn’t get the memo.”

  “I was pinned to the ground by supergravity. I can do this. With my enhancements, I’m a match for anyone.”

  “You’re ready to show them what you can do? You want that kind of attention?”

  “Do we have any other choice?”

  “Fine.” The Eye stood up. “I’m coming with you, then. I don’t like it, but I can see you’re not going to change your mind. I’m not sure what I can do to help, but I won’t let you go through this on your own.”

  Marcie got to her feet too. For a second they stood in silence before she hugged the Eye.

  The Eye turned rigid in her embrace. “What are you doing?”

  “Thanks for caring. Even when that caring comes out as hostility.”

  “Let go of me.”

  Marcie stepped away, and the Eye headed for the door, throwing his fur coat on as he walked from the hotel room. Before he’d turned away from her, she’d seen the glaze in his crimson eyes. His voice weaker than usual, he called back from the corridor outside, “Let’s get this over with, then.”

  Chapter 30

  Marcie walked in between the Eye and Slip, but it didn’t stop the Eye leaning across in front of her and pointing a finger at the kid. “Know that I don’t trust you.”

  If Slip heard him, it didn’t show.

  “And what’s this Mads character all about?”

  Again, Slip didn’t react.

  They weaved through the busy streets, everyone heading somewhere. Everyone except the black jackets, who hung out on the sides of the roads and in some of the darker alleyways. Many of them simply watched her pass. The other gangs she’d seen on the first night were gone. Maybe they only came out after dark. Or, because they were heading for Mads’ arena, maybe they were now much deeper into the black jackets’ territory.

  Slip stopped in front of a large steel door. Rust covered it like a bad rash, but it would still take a great effort to force entry. A blue neon skull had been attached to the wall above the door. It had crosses for eyes. The smallest sign Marcie had seen since entering the Black Hole, it measured no more than five centimetres square.

  “We’ve got to go in here,” Slip said.

  The Eye shook his head. “I’m not going in there. And will you stop looking at my coat.”

  Marcie sniggered.

  “It’s cold!” the Eye said, blowing out a large cloud of condensation as if to prove his point. He pulled his jacket tight.

  “I know it’s cold,” Slip said, “but that doesn’t excuse poor taste.”

  The Eye lunged for the kid, but Marcie pushed him back, her arms shaking with the power of her cybernetics. “He’s eight! Leave him alone!”

  “He’s old enough to walk the streets,” the Eye said. “He’s old enough for a smart mouth.”

  “So he’s old enough to get beaten up by a fully grown man?”

  The Eye shrugged.

  “And how do you think that will go down with everyone here?” She nodded at a nearby alley. Several black jackets watched on. Her eyes had framed them with red targets.

  “I dunno, but I’m sure I’ll be doing his mamma a favour. One less parasite to feed.”

  Slip looked at the Eye’s coat again and smirked. For a second time Marcie shoved the Eye back. “Besides, he’s right. It’s a shit coat. Deal with it.”

  “Well, fuck me for caring about you,” the Eye said.

  After letting go of her mirth, Marcie nodded. “Look, I appreciate that you care, I really do. But I’ve decided to trust Slip, so we need to move on.” She pointed at the rusty door. “I’m going in there. If you can’t keep a lid on your anger, I’m going to need you to stay here. I can’t have anything messing with my head before a fight.”

  The hinges on the large metal door groaned when Slip shoved it open. Too dark to see inside, the boy vanished into the shadows.

  As Marcie followed him, the Eye grabbed her arm and pulled her back. “Are you sure about this?”

  “No. But I have no evidence to show that I shouldn’t trust him.” She ducked into the darkness.

  Not as dark on the other side as she’d anticipated, Marcie had no need for her night vision, the large space bathed in red light. Animal carcasses hung on meathooks down either side of the room. The air was colder in here than outside. Her voice echoed when she said, “Where the hell are we?”

  “It’s an abattoir. It’s one of the ways into the arena. Mads makes sure we can walk through here, but don’t touch the carcasse
s.”

  “Oh, that’s a shame!” the Eye said. “I was so hoping I could play with some cold dead meat.”

  “Mads has to pay for any damages. Which means you’ll have to pay for any damages. Plus interest.”

  Slip walked down the centre of the room, the hard concrete floor lined with drains and stained with blood.

  Fragile from the beating she’d taken in Prime City, the cold air offered some relief against Marcie’s throbbing wounds.

  At the other end of the room, Slip opened another door. Much smaller than the steel one from the main road, it revealed an unlit corridor.

  “I don’t like this,” the Eye said, taking up the rear.

  But Marcie’s night vision saw no danger. “It’s fine. Trust me.”

  “It’s not you I have a problem trusting.”

  Marcie nearly slammed into Slip when he stopped abruptly, taking the impact from the Eye so she didn’t shove the boy down the hole in front of him.

  Slip turned around to face her before climbing down a ladder, the gentle tock of his feet on the rungs echoing in the tight tunnel.

  Marcie followed Slip and joined him ten metres below in front of another steel door.

  The creak of more metal hinges, Slip opened the door, the crowd noise flooding towards them.

  The second they stepped into the underground arena, the Eye removed his coat. They’d come in from high up, a flight of stairs leading down to the cage in the middle. Two fighters battled while spectators sat around them on layered steps. Maybe a thousand people, maybe more. The low ceiling made it sound like double that.

  Marcie’s ears rang from the roar as the large man in the arena stamped on the downed woman’s head. Her stomach lurched as the woman’s skull gave with a crack!

  “What the hell is this place?” the Eye said.

  “If you want bounties,” Slip said, “and you want a chance at getting into Prime City, you have to fight in the arena and win.”

  The Eye nodded at the two guards pulling the woman out by her feet, her squashed head leaving a trail of blood in her wake. “When you step in that ring, it doesn’t look like there’s any choice but to win. I don’t like it, Marcie. I think we should go.”