by Wesley Chu
The smoke was beginning to dissipate, and Ella could make out Cameron leaning against the wall near the front door holding a pistol in his hand. She ran over to him. He looked half-dead. His face was swollen with bruises, cuts and angry red marks. One of his shoulders was drooping, and he cradled his arm close to his body.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
He coughed. “Let me tell you. This is the worst vacation ever. I’ll live. Thanks for… Hey, where are you going?”
Ella had seen Nabin slumped in the corner and was making a beeline to the Nepalese. She stood over him and froze. There was so much blood. Half of his left side was red, and she couldn’t even tell where he was hurt. His eyes were closed and his face looked pale. He seemed so weak, she was afraid to touch him. Was he dead?
His chest is moving. His breath is shallow.
Ella reached for him, and was shoved aside by Lam. The Prophus agent pulled out some bandages from a kit and began to work on his shoulder. She turned to Ella. “Give me some space, girl.”
“Hey, Ella,” Cameron beckoned. “Do you have your earpiece? Mine fell off while I was getting my ass kicked.”
She took hers off and lobbed it to him. Cameron hooked it over his ear and began to bark out orders. “This is Cameron. Package retrieved. Everyone rendezvous at the extraction point.”
He took a step and fell to a knee. Ella backed away from Nabin, grabbed Cameron’s good hand and helped him to his feet. He grimaced, took a deep breath, and seemed to push all the pain out of his body. He straightened up. “We can tend to the injured later. Everyone be ready to go in ten seconds. Patch Nabin up along the way, or we’re all dead. Bijan, you’re going to need to walk on your own. K2, take point. You’re the only one with two good hands.” He put his earpiece back on. “Jax, rendezvous up the coast three hundred meters north of our location. We have to meet up with Dana–”
He suddenly kicked out and swept Ella’s legs. She crashed into the ground with a startled oomph and then a crack punctured the air. Cameron fell back, groaning, clutching his side. Ella looked the other way and saw Surrett climbing out of the hole with a pistol in his hand.
Instinct took over and a blade flew out of her hand, striking Surrett’s shoulder. He grunted and fumbled his pistol, dropping it back into the hole. He was about to reach for it when their eyes locked. Instead, he got to his feet and fled through the double doors into the darkness.
Ella patted her chest and thigh for blades, but she was dry. With a growl, she drew her long knife and took off after him. She charged out of the building and saw Surrett half-stumbling, half-running north along the shore, fleeing toward a stockyard just on the other side of the parking lot.
You need to learn to retrieve your knives after you use them. You are not going to catch up with him in time. You have a blade left in your left ankle sheath.
Ella sure as gods was going to try anyway. She checked her ankle and was pleased to discover Io had told the truth and she still had a knife to throw. She would need to close some distance before she had a chance to hit him with it. She ran across the parking lot, briefly losing him when he turned behind a cement mixer and between several stacks of wooden beams. She saw flashes of body in the openings as she ran down a parallel aisle. She raised her arm and readied a throw.
No. You will not hit him at twenty meters with your weaker hand while you are both moving. You need to be within ten.
Ella ignored Io and loosed the knife anyway. It missed Surrett by a mile, ricocheting off two cement pipes and falling into the groove between them.
That was your last throwing knife. Pick it up as you pass. Remember Manish’s training. Release while exhaling.
She lost precious seconds pawing the gap between the beams for it in the dark. “Damn black throwing knives.”
You wanted cool blades.
“Why are you trying to help me nail Surrett?”
Surrett has made many promises to me and has yet to deliver on them. Also, I am starting to realize that my fate may be more tied to yours than I thought. If that is the case, you might as well succeed.
Ella was able to cover the distance she had lost as Surrett tired. He looked back several times, desperation painted on his face. He began to zig-zag, as if trying to throw her off. She wasn’t sure what the gods he was trying to do, since that only made it easier for her to catch up.
She switched the knives in her hand, moving the long knife to her left and the throwing knife to her right. She gave it another go, this time aiming for square in his back. She missed again, but managed to strike him in the ass. He screamed and fell, skidding along the ground. Ella closed in for the kill.
Look out to your left!
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash, and then felt a hard impact, and then she was flying in the air. She landed on the gravel with a hard thud and rolled along the loose rocks. She groaned as a large figure approached.
“Black Cat, always causing problems,” a voice said. A moment later, Inspector Manu’s face appeared in the dim light. “Why am I not surprised?” He raised his feet up in the air.
Roll left.
Io’s voice in her head was deafening. Ella followed the order on instinct even as she tried to clear the cobwebs from her head. Manu’s foot came down with a crunch, followed by another, and then his baton struck the ground.
Ella found a bit of space between her and the rampaging inspector and scampered to safety. She reached for her long knife in her waistband. It wasn’t there. She must have dropped it when Manu ran her over.
“Kill her, inspector,” Surrett barked from off to the side. He was lying on the ground still holding his thigh, struggling unsuccessfully to stand. Ella scanned the ground and retreated as Manu swung his baton.
Your knife is to your right four meters away.
She tried to make her way in its direction, but the inspector cut her off. He was faster than he looked. She dodged as he came in, this time diving to the ground and coming up with the knife in her hand. She wielded it like Manish had taught her. In a way, the familiar stance helped calm her nerves as she zeroed in on her opponent.
Watch his eyes. Remember his reach. He is also wearing an armored vest.
“Why are you helping me get him?”
Because I do not relish having Surrett or Manu as my host. You are not as weak as I thought you were, and at least I know what I am getting with you.
“Little cat has claws,” Manu chuckled. “Be careful, or you’ll cut yourself.”
He lunged. She juked right. Upward slash on his left triceps. Downward stab on his shoulder, and then a parting thrust against the back of his vest that didn’t do any damage as she stepped out of range.
Manu looked at his bleeding arm and growled. The inspector attacked again, although this time, it wasn’t nearly as aggressively as before. Their weapons clanged together, and he surprised her with a left-handed slap that stung her face, sending her tumbling to the ground.
Hang onto your knife!
Ella did, and got back on unsteady feet.
Move left. Back, back! Watch for the stack of concrete blocks behind you.
Ella did as she was told until she could clear the ringing in her ear. She and Manu began circling each other. He came at her with a jab. She sidestepped. Downward slash to the right wrist. Upward stab across his armpit. Finish with a follow-through across his hamstring. Manu staggered on his feet and dropped his baton.
Ella went in for the kill, putting both hands on her handle and thrusting the knife into his chest, right above the armor. It sunk in and Manu howled. He managed to get a beefy hand around her neck. She pushed harder. He squeezed.
Ella felt the world blacken as she gasped for air. She could feel her strength ebb away, but she could feel him weaken as well. As a last-ditch effort, she summoned what little strength she had left before passing out and twisted the blade. Manu screamed, his throat gurgling as he let go of her. He smacked her across the head a few times, each time we
aker, until he finally collapsed to the ground.
Ella heaved forward and fell on top of him, driving the knife deeper. They both fell over, and she rolled off, gasping and coughing for air. She felt woozy and tired. A nap sounded wonderful right about now. She closed her eyes.
Ella, you have to get up. Get up. Surrett is still nearby.
Io had just said the magic words. Ella’s eyes flickered open and she sat up. Her breathing came in short, hard gasps, and her arms shook when she put any weight on them. She looked at where she had last seen Surrett. He was no longer there. He couldn’t have made it too far with a knife stuck in his ass.
No. Let him go. It is not worth it. You still have to escape. Get up. Go.
Ella rolled onto all fours, and got to one knee. A blur came at her just at the edge of her peripheral vision, and she felt her body crunch as Surrett kicked her in the ribs. He hit her so hard, she lifted off the ground. Ella fell onto her back, stunned, the breath knocked out of her. She could only watch helplessly as Surrett walked over to Manu and pulled out her knife. He came at her slowly, limping.
“So much trouble caused by one little street rat,” he growled. “Well, I would have preferred a Holy One with higher standing, one that hasn’t been tainted by the betrayers, but yours will have to do.”
He stood over her and raised the knife. She saw the glint of the metal and the sharp point in the air above her. He brought his arm down at her chest.
There was a loud crack and Surrett spasmed. The knife fell from his hand and nearly skewered her anyway, but it managed to fall harmlessly to the side. Surrett looked down at the growing red stain on his chest, clutched it, and fell over.
The last thing Ella remembered before passing out was Jax running over and scooping her in his arms. She managed to mutter something about not forgetting her knife. She faintly remembered being jostled as he ran, carrying her like a babe, and then she saw flashes of faces, the swaying of water, and the wind as darkness swept over her.
Epilogue
It seems no matter how much I try to save my kind, I fall far short. I believe my influence has done more damage to humanity and to the Prophus than not.
My failures on Earth far outnumber my successes. In fact, my one real achievement is not one at all. I have been foolishly measuring success by my hosts making their mark in history. That is the wrong metric. Real success is taking the Quasing closer to reuniting with the Eternal Sea. In that regard, I have failed utterly.
I have become disillusioned, not only with the Prophus and the Genjix, but with our methods as a whole. I believe there is a fundamental flaw in our philosophy here on Earth. It has been right in front of me the entire time. That flaw is humanity. How can humans be the key to taking us back to Quasar? I realize that if we are ever to see the Eternal Sea again, we must do so on our own.
I know now. Humanity is the wrong vehicle for progress.
* * *
Shura stood before the wall-screen, head bowed, eyes on the floor. Standing a few meters away, Rurik was in a similar pose. Both appeared properly chastised. The only difference was Shura was smirking inside. Hovering in front of them, appearing larger than life, Weston ranted as he paced back and forth in the air.
“Let me get this straight. The Prophus rescued the prisoners directly from under you. They killed our handpicked operative who we were grooming to be the future prime minister of India. You riled up the local population to the extent they’re now in full revolt. And, to top off this gross display of incompetence, you didn’t even capture Cameron Tan. Is this correct?”
“Yes, High Father,” said Rurik. “We believe Cameron Tan is still in this country. I am confident we can still locate him. As for the regional upheaval, this problem is isolated–”
“Isolated?” Weston roared. “Kloos had to call up two more divisions to quell the revolt. All of Surat is now under martial law. The prime minster of India called me in the middle of the night demanding answers.”
Shura considered raising her head and saying something. She peeked at the Russian. To his credit, he was only sweating a little.
No, not a word. Let this play out. Do not get caught in Rurik’s crossfire.
“High Father,” Rurik gulped. “There have been some issues with the local populace, but the project has made significant gains as well. The Bio Comm Array facility is ready to begin tests this week, putting us a month ahead of our original schedule.”
“Do not play loose with the facts with me, Rurik. The only reason the project is ahead of schedule is because I sent Shura to save the sinking ship.” Weston pounded a few keys in the air. “There is also the matter of the cost that the Indian government is billing me. What happened?”
“I exercised what I considered proper judgment in containing the Prophus,” said Rurik.
“Yes, according to Shura, you required eight hundred additional police and four hundred military just to keep the populace from descending into riots, and then you were tricked into taking most of them to the opposite side of the slum while Cameron Tan strolled into the site and rescued his people, and probably took his time walking the grounds and gathering intel for the Prophus.”
Rurik looked as if he were going to respond, and then thought better of it. He bowed his head.
So undisciplined.
“Indeed, Tabs.”
Rurik tried to recover. “There have been setbacks, yes, but Shura’s report has only highlighted the negatives.”
“Highlighted?” Weston stopped pacing and stared Rurik down. He switched his gaze to her.
“Shura, do you factually stand by your report? On your status as a vessel?”
She lifted her head and raised her chin. “I do, High Father.”
“Have you embellished anything in order to paint a more negative narrative, providing anything other than the facts?”
Say you do not believe so. Give yourself some space to maneuver.
Now was the time to be bold. “No, High Father,” she said clearly. “On my continued status as a vessel to my Holy One.”
The die is cast now.
“What did you tell me, Tabs? Standing must be seized.”
Weston turned to Rurik. “Do you challenge Shura on the facts of her report?”
The challenge hung in the air. As Adonis vessels raised in the Hatchery, there were codes to live by. Rurik had painted himself neatly into one with his life on the line. “I… No, High Father.” Rurik shot her a look of death.
Weston turned to her. “Shura, can you fix this mess? Can you quell the locals, push the project forward, cut the cost bleed, and complete India’s integration into the Genjix?”
Weston was demanding a lot with his simple question. A dozen caveats popped into her head. The entire region was unstable; no amount of money could buy off the local government. The Chief Minister of Gujurat had already petitioned the prime minister to shut down the entire site. Not to mention the Genjix no longer had anyone in power to operate on their behalf in an official capacity.
Shutting or moving the site was not an option. Not only would it be catastrophic in terms of time, cost and manpower, it was actually unfeasible. There were few locations on this planet more suited to the Bio Comm Array’s purpose than this one. In fact, the Genjix would likely rather go to war than lose it. There was also the risk of these problems cascading across all of India and loosening the Genjix’s grip on the country.
In the end, Shura kept her answer brief. “Absolutely, High Father.”
Weston nodded. “Very well. India and all of its responsibilities are yours until you fail me. Succeed and you may contest for a seat on the Council. Fail and, well–” he glanced at Rurik, “–you had better watch your back.”
The screen went blank and left the two of them alone in awkward silence. Rurik rounded on her. “You’ve stolen from me, daughter.”
“I don’t think so, brother.” Shura emphasized that last word. “Our standing in the hierarchy is now equal. You’re right about one th
ing though. We were never on equal footing. I don’t need my family to stand taller than you.”
He took a step toward her. “Don’t think for a second I’ll let you get away with this.”
Shura met him halfway. “Are you sure you want to make your move here? Now? Without the authority or your bodyguards at your back?” She leaned in until their noses nearly touched. She could feel his hot breath on her face. “Do you remember when I nearly drowned you to within an inch of your life? Just because I could. Afterward, all you did was cry and run to the safety of your family name. Well, this should be a familiar sight then. Go on, slink back home.”
For a second, Shura thought Rurik was going to actually attack her. She shot him a contemptuous smile and dared him to throw the first blow. His face had turned crimson red and his nostrils flared. His chest heaved up and down, and the veins on his neck bulged. Then, with a snarl, he took a step back. “I’ll make you pay for this.”
“You’re playing out of your league, Rurik. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of cleaning up to do. Someone made a mess. You had best return to Russia to make sure you still control it.”
Shura watched as Rurik stormed out.
That was inelegant. There may have been a moment of reconciliation between you two, but you have made a permanent enemy. There were several ways you could have approached taking control over India. Russia is a much more powerful and influential region than India. Wresting the last Council seat from him will be difficult.
“It wouldn’t have mattered. I made an enemy of him twenty years ago at the Hatchery when he spoke ill of my father and I sent him to the infirmary.”
I warned you at the time not to make an unnecessary enemy. You just cannot help yourself. It has come back to haunt you.
“You were right then, you are probably right now. Personally, it was worth it. For now, let’s worry about the problems we have on hand. We have an uprising to quell, a high profile facility to run, and a country to subjugate. We can worry about the future later.”