Smuggler's Legacy

by Bradford Bates

  The answer to that question became readily apparent when a blaster bolt slammed into the plaster wall about ten feet behind us. The smell of burning ozone lingered in the air as we continued to run. More bolts hit the alley walls behind us as we continued our mad dash towards the dead end. It’d only be a matter of moments before those assclowns figured out they didn’t have to keep running while they were shooting. We didn’t have anywhere to go.

  Samantha reached out behind her ten paces from the wall. Maze stuck out her arm fully trusting our vampy friend. If these two started working together as a team the world was in trouble, or maybe it was our oyster. Did that metaphor have something to do with pearls, because I liked treasure? If it didn’t then the whole metaphor was kind of pointless. At that point, I’d much rather have the world be a double bacon cheeseburger with an endless side of fries.

  Maze’s hand clasped Samantha’s forearm and then she was flying through the air. It had happened so fast that I almost missed it. To me it looked like Samantha planted her feet and twitched her shoulders and then Maze was doing a new version of the awkward airplane.

  My lady landed hard on the top of the wall, but that didn’t stop her from flipping around onto her stomach and laying down some covering fire over our heads. The men chasing us stopped and tried to back up, but the miners had found their way into the alley behind them. It seemed as if we weren’t the only ones with nowhere to go.

  Samantha was standing at the base of the wall now motioning for me to hurry the fuck up. When I reached her, she linked her hands together making a step. I felt a little bit weird stepping into the hands of a woman that weighed half as much as me, but then I remembered my near-daily beatings and how Maze had just flown through the air. “Fuck it.” I put my foot into her hands, and before I could even tell her I was ready to go she had me flying towards the top of the wall.

  I let my rifle drop to my back as the top came into view. It was almost as if everything had gone in slow motion. I could see Maze’s smile as she continued to fire. It was possible that she even winked at me as my arms pinwheeled through open space. Maze jumped down the other side as I started to come back down. My stomach slammed into the top of the wall, and I pulled myself over in a hurry so Samantha could jump without having to dodge me. There wasn’t room for more than one of us on top of the wall.

  It turns out I didn’t need to hurry. Just as I was letting go of the wall and falling the remaining ten feet to the ground I saw a dark shape fly over the top of the wall in a crouch. Samantha had her knees pressed to her chest and arms extended slightly to stabilize herself. She flew through the air with all of the grace of a cat. At the apex of her leap she remained totally calm, slightly extending her legs down once her forward momentum stopped. She hit the ground hard, but her body absorbed the landing as if she had only come down from four feet in the air instead of twenty.

  Whenever I saw her do something incredible like that I thought maybe I should get on board with this vampire thing. I mean drinking blood forever couldn’t be that bad, could it? Not if you could do the things she was doing now. I could handle being this age and in peak physical condition for the rest of eternity. Hell, that would make leaving a legacy unnecessary. All I’d have to do is get Maze to agree to come with me. That was if Samantha could even make other vampires. There was no way to be sure.

  I was still picking myself up from where my undignified fall from the top of the wall left me in a dirty heap on the ground when Samantha hissed, “Hurry up.”

  Nothing got a man moving faster than being shamed by a woman in a feat of physical prowess. Scrambling the rest of the way to my feet I grumbled, “Lead the way, princess.”

  “That one’s going to cost you next time we train.” Samantha turned and continued running.

  Maze must have seen me flinch because she smiled. “I’m sure it won’t be that bad, stud.”

  “Oh, I’ve got something bad in store for you when I get you alone in our cabin.”

  Maze let out a little laugh and started to turn so she could catch up with Samantha. “Not unless you clean all that shit off yourself first.”

  Women. Ugh, you couldn’t even make a bad sex joke without having to take a shower first. Still, the view from back here was pretty damned good. If I had to be stuck running behind someone, please God, always make it behind a woman with a great ass and incredibly tight pants.

  Samantha was moving a little slower now that we weren’t being directly pursued. That was nice, since the only time I had to catch my breath was when my stomach slammed into the wall. Not all of us had cool cybernetic enhancements that could regulate our breathing. Some of us still had to work on brain power alone. It felt good having an excuse as to why these two ladies could run laps around me, shoot better than I could, and were just a hair stronger than myself. Just a hair, I won’t admit to anything more.

  We reached the end of the alley and Samantha turned right, quickly followed by a left, and then another right. We came out in a small courtyard behind the temple. I could just make out the people milling around in the front through the wall of bones that shielded us from their view. Samantha moved slowly forward until she stopped at a symbol on the ground.

  Closer examination revealed the symbol to be some kind of dragon’s head breathing fire. The whole thing was made about a million times creepier because it was all made out of the bones of the fallen. Samantha knelt in front of the symbol and touched five places around it. The ground shifted in front of her, and the panel slid back into a recess. All that was left was a stairway heading down into the catacombs. The clock was ticking on Ice’s brother, and we were running late.

  Chapter 23

  Drake

  Go into the creepy passage built out of bones, I’m sure it will be fun, said no one, ever. I certainly wasn’t expecting any fun. What I was expecting were more priests with shitty aim and big guns. That and you knew there was going to be a boss fight. Why? Because you could never take down the bad guys without something bigger and badder trying to take you out. It almost seemed to defy logic.

  Looking over at my companions I didn’t see one ounce of hesitation on their faces. That either made me the lone voice of reason or a pussy. I wasn’t sure which, and at this point, it didn’t matter. Those two were determined to go down the creepy stairwell of death, so I had to follow.

  “Ladies first,” I said with a smirk.

  “And they say chivalry is dead,” Samantha retorted, flashing me a quick grin with her fangs out.

  Point taken, message delivered. The captain will go into the creepy death hole first. A quick glance at Maze confirmed I wasn’t going to be getting any help from that quarter so I did what any God fearing, testosterone-fueled man would do in the face of being emasculated. I adjusted the boys, spit on the ground, and moved my rifle up into firing position. Then and only then was I ready to take the first step. My foot didn’t even shake when it hung in the air before gently landing on the first step. I swear. I mean, when have I ever lied?

  The lighting in the passage was dim at best. It led me to believe that the priests normally brought their own lights with them. I snapped a cord over my wrists, and a faint blue glow filled the chamber. Moving my rifle back into place, I continued into the passageway.

  The stairs were steep and curved around the wall. It was almost like climbing to the top of an old earth lighthouse. Yes, I did that once. Don’t ask. The only difference was we were doing it in reverse and this time without the luxury of handrails. No way the creepy death stairway was up to any kind of current building code. One missed step and you were falling all the way to the bottom, and that was only if you weren’t unlucky enough to bounce off a few sets of stairs first.

  Something brushed past me on the outer edge of the stairs. I realized after double clutching my rifle that it was only Samantha impatient as ever to get to the bottom of things. If she was in such a hurry then why didn’t she just go down the stairs first? Oh, that’s right, the captain neede
d to go first in case there was some kind of deadly trap. Apparently, she could see better than I could in the dark and had decided everything was all clear.

  Maze stayed behind me covering my back. She was always the better soldier. Nothing would be sneaking up behind us with her in the flank position. Maze might as well have been the goddess of pure death when she had a rifle in her hand. I liked to kid her that she had been born and raised next to the river Styx to be that proficient at sending people to the ferryman.

  With Samantha in front and Maze behind, it felt like I was just along for the ride and to provide the witty color commentary. A shape blurred towards me, and I almost fired before I realized I only knew one thing that could move that fast.

  Samantha stopped a few steps below me and whispered, “It’s clear to the bottom of the stairs. Hope you’re not tired of running yet, Captain.”

  “Tired of running? I’m always tired of running. Just ask Maze about the battle of Hensenberg.” I gave Samantha a cocky grin. Not sure why I was feeling cocky, though. Being too lazy to keep running had almost gotten us killed. When the smoke cleared and we were still alive, instead of being court-martialed, we were given accommodations. Good PR always goes a long way with the brass.

  “Don’t ask,” Maze said dryly, but her eyes danced with excitement. That excitement said I couldn't wait to tell you all about it, just not until we get out of here. They also promised that a few good laughs would be thrown in as long as they were at my expense.

  Samantha turned and ran back down the stairs. Her rifle was slung over her back, but she had a combat knife in each hand. That was the first time I had seen her show a ton of tactical awareness. She knew that bringing down one or two people quietly was going to save us some headaches. That or she just wanted to look like a badass for bringing a knife to a gunfight.

  There would be time to decide which one when we reached the bottom and got moving. That meant it was time for more running. Even running downstairs got old real quick. You would think it wouldn’t take that much effort, but I was in forty pounds of gear and still a little tired from our mad dash to get here. If we ever got off of this damn planet, I was going to eat the biggest cheeseburger known to man. There would be bacon, yes, lots of bacon.

  Five minutes later we reached the bottom of the stairs. I was completely gassed. Maze was breathing hard but looked like she could go for another round. Samantha’s lungs looked fine. Yes, I meant her lungs. Get your heads out of the gutter. I’d never say anything about how nice her chest looked as it gently moved up and down. What I wouldn’t give to feel like that after the run we just had.

  Samantha started forward, and Maze moved into position behind her. Outside of the awesome view I had, I felt a little betrayed. Sure it’s fine to send the captain down the eerie stairwell first, but when we reach the bottom let’s make sure to push him to the back of the line. That way he can follow us at his own pace while he catches his breath.

  The two women in front of me continued forward, heedless of my inner monologue. I knew Samantha was picking some of it up through our bond, but I didn’t expect anything from her except a few knowing smirks tossed in my direction. Damn, it sucked getting old. Not that I’d ever admit to being old in public.

  The passageway continued forwards, and for the first time I could see the flicker of light ahead. Samantha froze a few moments later and then held up two fingers and pointed ahead. I was wondering how she knew anyone was there until my breathing slowed enough for me to hear two men talking. I couldn’t hear what they were saying but my two companions could, and their faces looked grim.

  Samantha raced forward. I moved to join her, but Maze held out an arm to block the passage. I was giving her a questioning look when two soft whumps filtered back to us. It was kind of like the sound when you dropped a pillow on the ground from about chest height. Only this time it was accompanied by a few wet gurgling noises.

  Maze moved her arm, and I pushed forward. The only thing I hated more than being in the middle was being in the back. I knew Maze was shaking her head behind me, but I just couldn’t help myself. Despite my bitching, I wanted to be out in front. I preferred for the danger to be focused on me so my crew could do what they needed to. That and it helped to keep them safe, which was my top priority, even when it came down to giving my life for them.

  The two bodies had been pulled to the side of the room and left tucked under a table in the corner. There was nothing we could do about the blood on the dirty floor. Anyone that came into this room and looked down would find the bodies in about four seconds. Now the clock was really ticking. It was time to get this party started.

  All of us turned as one when the chanting started. Chanting was never a good sign when you were working with a death cult. That meant that things were about to get bad, really bad. This time I didn’t mind the running so much as my legs started churning down the corridor.

  The chanting was getting louder, so at least I knew we were going in the right direction. Still, I felt like we had been running for too long. The chanting couldn’t have been that far away, or we never would have heard it. The speed of the chanting continued to increase. Now all of the voices seamlessly rose and fell as one.

  There was a door at the end of the corridor, and it took everything I had not to crash through it at full speed. Call it paranoia, or maybe it was just the years of abuse I had endured in military training, but something told me crashing through this particular door was a very bad idea.

  Sliding to a stop in front of the door, I looked back to check on my companions. I shouldn’t have bothered. They were both already there, neither of them looking anywhere near as dog-tired as I felt. Maybe I was losing a step. Nah, that couldn’t be it at all. The infamous Captain Drake would never admit to such a thing. Ok, maybe I was just losing it. I mean was I really starting to talk about myself in third person, to myself?

  Pulling my head out of my ass, I did what any good soldier would do, I started asking questions. “Maze, you picking up on anything that I’m not seeing?” Maze motioned for me to move out of the way and started to examine the door.

  Samantha stood behind us tapping her foot with impatience. “We don’t have time for this. Let’s just kick the damn thing in and get to work.”

  The chanting coming through the door stopped. I was with Samantha, time was a luxury that we didn’t have anymore. When the chanting stopped, the killing started. At least that was how I always imagined that it would happen. Not that I imagine ritualistic sacrifices very often.

  Leaning back so I could kick the door open with some force was a mistake. Maze pushed back on my boot as soon as I lifted it sending me tumbling to the ground. “What in the fuck, Maze?”

  Samantha had seen enough. She darted past me before Maze could answer and grabbed the large iron bars to throw the doors wide open. Her body started to convulse. Scrambling to my knees, I reached out to pull her away from the door and Maze stopped me again.

  “Get out of the way.” I tried to push past her, but her grip was firm enough to hold me in place.

  “You can’t do anything for her now, you just have to wait for it to pass.”

  At least Maze didn’t look happy about what was happening. This was something I couldn’t see her doing to Samantha on purpose despite the fact they weren’t always on the best of terms. And of course, Maze was right, again. If I reached out to grab Samantha now I’d fry right along with her, only I wouldn’t be able to heal through that and hopefully she would.

  Five agonizing seconds later, the power stopped coursing through her body. Samantha fell to her knees, blood dribbling from her mouth. Steam was rising from her hair and clothes, but they hadn’t caught on fire. There was no way to know if the door was just resetting or if it only had a limited power supply. That meant we had to get it open now.

  I tried to pull Samantha away from the door, but her hands had burned right into the handles. This was going to hurt, but since she hadn’t moved yet I hoped that sh
e wouldn’t be able to feel it until she woke up. I wasn’t relishing the ass kicking I would take in our next sparring match if she woke up in the extreme pain I was about to inflict upon her.

  I had my knife out and moved to cut her hands free. Maze stopped me before I could make the first incision and handed me a small bag of blood.

  “Try this first.” She said it as if she didn’t care about the outcome, but I knew that she cared. Why else bring the blood in the first place?

  Cutting the top of the bag open with a knife wasn’t exactly the easiest thing I’d done. The bags were designed to withstand punctures. Which made cutting it open without cutting myself a bit of a struggle. Finally, I settled for poking a rather large hole in one of the corners.

  Samantha was still on her knees, head lolled back and to the side. I didn’t think she was breathing, but then again her chest didn’t rise and fall like a normal human’s so that might not mean much. Reaching down, I tilted her head back and held her mouth open with one hand. Steam rose from her mouth when I opened it, and her jaw was clamped shut. I didn’t even want to know what her tongue looked like right now.

  Still, there wasn’t a lot I could do with her jaw clamped shut so I called for reinforcements. “Maze, I need your help here.” She stepped in and tried to pry open Samantha’s mouth. When that didn’t work she brought the butt of her rifle down onto her face. Samantha’s head snapped back from the force of the blow, but her jaw stayed locked shut. I was about to ask Maze what in the fuck she was doing when she reached down and yanked out one of our vampire’s front teeth.

  The blow from her rifle must have knocked it loose. That mixed with the trauma her body had already suffered must have been too much for it to heal the wound right away. I gave Maze a goofy grin, thinking we should probably never speak of this moment again. “Bottoms up.” I poured the blood in through the gap in what used to be the perfect smile. Doc could fix a tooth, but he wouldn’t get the chance unless we hurried.