DogSeven touched his radio button. "Charges on garage door are planted."
Zen said, "Back door is ready."
"On three, one, two, three," Thomas said. A series of three booms detonated. Damn, our timing was off. You'd think we'd have practiced this maneuver in the danger room more.
DogSeven and I pushed through past the debris. A man, wearing a dirty white lab coat and greasy plastic gloves, pulled out a double barrel 12-gauge shotgun and blasted DogSeven in the gut. He went down. I fired my stunner at the man, and the web of electrostatic charged filaments got stuck on his shotgun, and he tossed it away. I fired a second charge, as the man tried to run. It caught him on the left arm, and he fell to the ground, twitching. I got the zip ties on his wrists. DogSeven made it up by then. He was already moving towards the next door. I wanted to say, 'stop, it's my turn,' in the worst way, but there wasn't enough time. He pulled open the door with his left hand.
Rifle fire erupted, what I thought was a .50 caliber on full auto. DogSeven fell backwards grabbing at his chest.
He was hit in three places. I peeked down the hallway. There was a remote controlled .50 cal machine gun down there. I unzipped DogSeven's jacket and applied the magic adhesive bandages to his chest to stop the bleeding. He was coughing up blood.
I held his hand and tightened my grip. "That girl, Amber, did you sleep with her?"
He let out a chuckle spurting out blood. "Three times in one night, better believe it."
"I believe it."
Then he died.
"DogSeven is dead," I radioed. "They have remote controlled .50 cal machine guns. Be very careful."
I pulled out my white phosphorous grenade and threw it as hard as I could at the .50 cal nest down the hallway. Firecracker like explosions followed, as if I set off the ammo. I looked down the hallway. The .50 cal was smoking. The floor was on fire, and one wall was smoldering. I stepped into the doorway. The .50 cal twitched, but it didn't fire.
My turn to open that door. I should be the one knowing the embrace of darkness right now. I walked down the hallway. A man jumped in front of me waving a Smith&Wesson automatic pistol. My stunner was back at DogSeven's body.
I leaped at the fucker aiming my right fist for his nose. He ducked out of the way and fired two rounds into my belly. It hurt for sure, but it pissed me off, too. I threw my left hand in a spear at the side of his head. It connected, and split his flesh open along his skull. My right fist followed. Soon enough I was pumping both fists into his skull until he stopped moving and died. My knuckles hurt, and steel poked through my flesh on both hands.
Enigma and Zen captured two people. Archangel, Jet, and Thomas captured three. We found hundreds of kilos of MindBender, as well as cocaine, methamphetamines, and heroin. The MindBender was the real concern. That was the drug of choice among Centurian's crew.
We were heading back to the plane. "You're facing charges, again, Bear," Thomas said.
"I know."
Enigma wrapped gauze around my hands, and promised the Chor'Tan in me would help them heal up in no time. Chor'Tan in me? "Hasn't my body processed all the Chor'Tan out of me by now?"
"You wish," Enigma said. "The effects can last years."
Years? What did they do to me?
Chapter Forty-One
I slept on the flight home. Enigma nudged me awake. "You need proper bandages on those hands."
"I'm fine."
"Come on," she said.
I followed. She poured alcohol on my knuckles and wrapped them. Thomas was with us, and he escorted me to my room. I asked, "Can I get some books at least?"
"Read on your computer," he said.
I shrugged and entered my cell. Checked the computer. Email from Nancy, Minos, and Heathers. Oh, and the court, yes, the court wanted to talk to me after I talked to Minos. I didn't return any of their emails. DogSeven is dead, echoed in my mind. My email beeped again, this time it was from Amber, DogSeven's woman. "How did he die?" She asked.
I typed back. "He was shot." Then, that's not what she is asking me. I typed, "His dying breath, he said, 'Tell Amber I love her.'" I pushed the send button. It was a hard lie, but I thought it was necessary. I called Minos on the phone and said, "I screwed up."
"That you did, my boy," he said.
I'm not your boy.
"A fit of blind rage may be your best defense," Minos said. "You lost your stunner?"
"I forgot it when DogSeven died."
"There's a bit of luck on your side. We identified the man you killed, and he was wanted for three murders in three different states. The feds were looking for him, in a big way."
He was one of Centurian's men, that's all I needed to know to not feel bad.
"Look, you've got to make some kind of statement to the court. Just put everything in your own words and tell the truth," Minos said.
I hung up the phone and typed up a statement.
"I just lost a good friend. I was blinded by grief and rage. I misplaced my stunner. It was him or me."
I never actually read the email from Nancy. Now would be a good time to read it. "I'm sorry, Bear, but you're going to miss the memorial for DogSeven and Omni. If you need anything reasonable, contact me."
Dr. Heathers rang my phone, and I answered.
"Hello, Bear. How are you feeling?"
"Two of my comrades in arms are dead, and I'm facing murder charges, and you want to know how I feel?"
In the video, she rolled her head around in a circle. "You're not facing murder charges. DogSeven was a friend, yes? You'll go through various stages--"
"Screw your damn stages!"
"Anger, that's good, let it--"
I punched the end call button. The person I really wanted to talk to was Xeon. Was she alright? Could I talk to her? My fingers blazed out a message to Nancy asking about Xeon.
My video phone rang. It was Nancy. I pushed the button. "If you were married to Xeon, I could get you in touch with her medical team, but just because you've been sleeping--"
"I love her!"
"All I can say is she's in stable condition. You don't have any legitimate right to communicate with her."
I pushed the end call button. Part of me wanted to hurt something, or hurt myself. I pushed on my damaged knuckles with my fingertips. It hurt, but it was a kind of dull throbbing pain not a sharp pain that I was seeking. Punch the wall, danced in my mind, but no. I pulled up my schedule on the computer. In one hour, I'd get lunch, but in three hours, it would be time to exercise. It calmed my mind to think of going for a solid run. Hell, I could beat my personal record for a kilometer today.
I looked in on a class. An important class, but my focus wasn't there. My body found its way to my bed, but I couldn't stay still long enough to possibly sleep.
I rang Heathers on the video phone. It went to a mailbox. I shouted, "I feel like shit!"
Wait. My fridge. The last time we had Chor'Tan Ale there were two bottles left over. I moved real slow to the fridge, like I was sneaking up on it. Threw the door open. The bottles were still there.
Lunch and exercise first. Was it right to drink away my problems? My video phone rang. Dr. Heathers.
"You feel bad," she said. "I get that."
I wanted to cry. No way was I going to.
"My friend is dead," I said.
"He knew the risks when he took the job, just like you know the risks."
"It's not really real until you start burying the dead. I've buried so many."
She nodded vigorously. "How many do you think Nancy has buried? Thomas? You've buried so few to be so upset."
Why that fucking bitch. I've buried more than I ever thought I would. "I'm not upset!"
"You should think of the time in your cell as a vacation. Study for your classes. Do your two hours a day of exercise. Read some books. Watch some porn."
"I don't use porn."
"Interesting, do you just use your imagination? Imagination is definitely best."
I turned away
from the screen. "Look, lady, I don't use my hand at all, not since I lost my virginity."
"How cool. Was there anything you needed?"
"I'd like to talk to Xeon," I said.
"I can get a message to her, but you're on restricted communications."
"Would you tell her I love her?"
"Of course."
Chapter Forty-Two
I ate, exercised, and slept. Nightmares rolled through the darkness like a train at full speed. A letter came in my in-slot. Just a simple white envelope with my name written on it. I opened it.
"Dear Bear, I am leaving the Agency. Early retirement. Laying there, injured, not knowing if I would live or die, it was too much for me. The reality of what they were training me to do, good or bad, never really sank in until I was shot. I am going through the mind-wipe today. I won't even remember you, tomorrow. I love you. Goodbye. Xeon. (Jennifer)."
No! Fucking, no! Not even a goodbye kiss? I reread the letter again and again. Not entirely sure if I should save it or not, I tucked it into a folder. The Chor'Tan Ale in the fridge called out my name. Twisting the first cap off, I paused. No hangover medicine. Not sure if they'd give me any if I asked. The first bottle glugged its way into my tummy. I attacked the second bottle with a thirst. Blacked out.
Felt like hell, twisting and turning on my bed. My blanket kept trying to strangle me. I threw it off me. Somebody was punching the door buzzer button. My eyes opened, and I wanted to puke. A groan stretched out of my throat. I opened the door.
Nancy, Thomas, Zen, Jet, Enigma, and Archangel all stood there. I threw up on their shoes. No, I said, "Hangover medicine."
"You found alcohol," Nancy asked.
"I had some saved." Then I moaned like the dead.
Nancy pulled out a cellphone. "I need a medic. Hangover medicine. Now. Bear's room."
"How are you otherwise?" Thomas asked.
I looked at them. They were all smiling. "The charges have been dropped?"
"Yes."
A medic came running down the hall. She dropped two white pills into my palm, and I chewed them up. I started feeling better almost immediately.
I needed to pee, shower, and eat, more that I needed to stare at these grinning idiots. "Leave me alone. I'll see you at breakfast."
"My office, after breakfast," Nancy said.
I nodded and shooed them down the hallway. I took care of all my morning necessities. Shaved, brushed my teeth, showered, everything. I made my way to the cafeteria and grabbed some breakfast. Sat with the crew.
I asked Thomas, "Nancy can't possibly have another mission lined up so soon for us. Aren't we due some reinforcements?"
Thomas looked away. "Our team is big enough. We could go on a new mission today. Nobody's injured, and we're strong enough for most missions. We don't need a week off between missions like pussies."
"I haven't even graduated," Zen said. "There might be some useful bit of knowledge in a class I haven't finished yet."
Archangel stole a tater tot off her plate. "Classes are boring."
Zen aimed her plastic fork at his face. "Steal another tater tot, and you'll be too banged up to be bored."
He tried to steal one off Jet's plate, and my oriental friend was fast enough to slap Archangel's hand, making him drop the stolen fried potato treat.
I had three tater tots left on my plate, and I motioned towards them and Archangel. He said, "They taste better, if stolen."
"You can pretend," I said.
He grabbed one as fast as he could off my plate. "Not bad."
Nancy broadcast across the intercom system. "My office!"
We dumped our trays and ran. I was last to her office, still feeling a little under the weather. I stepped inside. A woman waited in there adorned in black leather. Asian. Broad chest for a female. Wide hips. Slight makeup. Brown eyes. Pistol at her side. She stared into my eyes like she was reading my soul.
Nancy waved at this woman. "This is Sphinx. She lost her whole team. Now she's joining yours."
"I thought she was part of the Asian team?" Thomas asked.
"I was," Sphinx said, "but budget cuts and huge progress in the war are forcing me to America."
This woman was hot! I could do her in a heartbeat. Well, more than one heartbeat.
Sphinx put her hands on her hips. "Who's in charge of your team?"
Thomas said, "Bear."
Wait? I mean, Nancy referred to us as my team, but Thomas was senior.
"Bear," Zen and Archangel said.
Like an idiot, I raised my hand.
Sphinx nodded at me. "What level do you train on in the martial arts bot?"
How relevant was that to anything? I said, "Level five."
"In America, the Agency trains you to be soft."
I'm not soft. "Last time out, I killed a man with my bare hands. That's not soft."
"You lost control of your temper. Soft is the right word."
Bitch. My hands curled into balls.
Sphinx headed towards the door. "Let me show you."
We followed her to the martial arts bot. She turned the dial up to level 20 and stepped into the chamber.
Chapter Forty-Three
The bot appeared. Sphinx put her left hand on top of his head, pushed back, and lashed out with her right palm at his nose. He drifted into a mass of pixels.
The computer chirped, "Bot killed. Next bot."
A new figure appeared, and this one seemed ready, with his arms up in a guard. Sphinx kicked him hard enough in the groin for him to reach down and bend over. She threw a roundhouse kick at his temple, and he too crumpled into a pile of pixels.
The computer beeped, and a new bot appeared.
Sphinx took three running steps at it, jumped in the air, and threw a right front kick at its skull. It too became a pile of dwindling pixels. A bot appeared behind her, and a spinning wheel kick greeted his skull. The computer didn't even bother to beep, or it's possible my rage was consuming me. Kill the fucking bot? Since when were we supposed to kill the bot?
My eyes turned on Thomas. "What the fuck?"
He shrugged. "You haven't graduated yet."
I pushed the pause button on the bots. Sphinx stopped, and she stepped out of the room. "Soft," she said.
"Nobody ever told me to kill the bots," I said.
"Because they train you to be soft in America."
"No," Thomas said, "Bear and his team are still students. When they graduate, we teach them to kill the bot."
"We teach ours to kill the bot from the age of 15."
"China and America are two different worlds."
Sphinx walked away. I pushed the reset button on the bot and moved towards the door. Enigma grabbed me by the arm. "Not with your hands. Not for a while."
Zen pushed past me. "I want to try it."
"Not on level 20," Thomas said.
"Fuck you! A half hour ago you said Bear was in charge."
I nodded. "We all need to start doing it on level 20. Kill the bot."
Archangel said, "Kill the bot."
They started saying it in unison like a chant. "Kill the bot. Kill the bot."
Thomas sighed just a bit. "Kill the bot, I guess. I don't want to hear anybody bitching about bruises."
Thomas left. I watched the others. All their training started to pay off. They hit hard and fast. We stayed at it until lunch. I was the first through the food line, and Sphinx was sitting alone at a table sipping tea, with a half-eaten tofu sandwich in front of her. I sat down across from her.
"You have steel hands?" Sphinx asked.
"Aye."
"What are you a fucking pirate?"
Only in bed. I steal all the girls.
Sphinx took another bite of sandwich, while Archangel sat down. "I had my feet done," she said.
"Did you have to relearn how to masturbate?" I asked.
"NO!" Then she started laughing. "Chief reason I didn't get my hands done."
"I want to get my whole body done," Arc
hangel said.
"When you get old, you'll regret it. If you get your whole body done, that means two to three hours of exercise a day for the rest of your life."
"I exercise more than that already."
Zen sat with us. Jet and Enigma soon joined us.
"You've been on five missions?" Sphinx asked.
"I have been," I said. "So have Zen and Archangel, less for Enigma, one mission for Jet. I think that's right."
"I'm surrounded by noobs."
Archangel let out a low growl. "I have done head shots on a target at a kilometer, at a rate of over 50% with wind."
"I have disarmed live bombs," I said.
Zen took a drink of iced tea. "I've killed my share."
"First she ties them up and abuses them," Jet said.
Man, that kid had some balls, to say that.
"Is that an invitation?" Zen asked.
"Hell no!"
"Then shut-up. Where are all the real men?"
Enigma whimpered a bit. "They keep fucking dying."
"Yeah. Bastards."
Jet pounded his fist on his chest. "I'm a real man."
Thomas walked up to us. He had a brownie that was easily 10cm by 10cm. Enigma said, "That's not what I think it is?"
"You said you didn't want any," Thomas said. "I'm off for the day. I got nothing scheduled."
"Pot brownie?" Sphinx asked.
Thomas took a bite and smiled.
"Eh, better to eat it than smoke it," she said.
"While I agree, all things in moderation," Enigma said.
Zen leaned in forward like she was telling a secret. "Who wants to do the bot again after lunch?"
"I've got class," I said.
Archangel said, "Class."
Jet and Enigma said the same thing.
"I guess I have class, too," Zen said.
My schedule was generally exercise in the morning, class in the afternoon, then danger room or study time in the evening. So I went to class. Class was boring. The next day Enigma wanted to put fresh bandages on my hands. The old bandages came off no problem, and the skin was healed over, but it was still pink and tender. Enigma said, "Tomorrow, you can kill the bot."
Codename: Bear: Secret Agent (Codename Universe Book 1) Page 14