by S. T. Moon
What really annoyed him was how smart these things were. He’d expected them to continue to swarm him. What he saw as he positioned himself against the wall and sat to take weight off his leg were dozens of the smaller killers systematically searching the street. And they weren’t alone.
He couldn’t be sure, but he thought the medium-size humanoids and at least one of the full-size Death Angels were following at a cautious distance.
He dug into his pack, moving slowly to avoid attracting attention, and found one of his silencers. A human would see him because he didn’t belong here—a human shape on the ground would draw the attention of other humans, no matter how still. But these things operated methodically. They would find him, but not because instinct or intuition led them here. They needed data points and time.
He attached the silencer, then aimed carefully. He didn’t shoot the first one, but the one in the middle. More confusion, he hoped.
He fired one shot, then waited. They scurried around seeking the source. A second shot would’ve given him away.
That meant letting them get closer than he wanted to. Nothing about this situation or his plan was good.
The smoke in the alley thickened. He started to feel heat and realized the building he was leaning on was fueling the growing blaze.
Abel’s men were gone. Victoria was too far away to help even if he could ask her to save him. Breaker was a man comfortable with solitude. But the loneliness of certain death weighed heavier upon him than he would have predicted.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The Smallest Team Possible
“You’ve given me a situation report on all our units, except Breaker,” Victoria said, staring Joseph down.
He held her gaze.
“Where is he?”
Uriah interrupted, “Breaker doesn’t really fit into a squad. He just showed up and we don’t know where he’s fighting from moment to moment.”
“It’s okay, Uriah. She knows what’s up,” Joseph said. “Scott James, leader of Blue squad, reported him holding an alley in zone five. They continued with their own mission.”
“They left him to die is what they did,” Victoria said. “I can’t believe we’re not more unified. Breaker is on our side, never mind that he came back to save my life.”
“That’s the problem. There’s been some doubt about his loyalty. Is he here for the cause, or for you?” Joseph asked.
“Joe and I don’t care. We’re all for rescuing him,” Uriah said.
“I was just telling you what some of the other people said.” Joseph shrugged.
“Thanks. Can you get me to this alley in zone five?”
“Yeah. I know the way.”
They hurried through a version of D. C. Metro she didn’t recognize. There hadn’t been this kind of destruction since the postwar riots generations ago. She’d never seen a burned out vehicle outside of a history book until she deserted Red-6. Groups of unarmed citizens appeared from time to time, darting in and out of buildings. Everyone was a looter at this point. She ignored them.
“Sounds like Red-6 has its hands full downtown,” Uriah said.
“How did this get so out of control?” Victoria asked.
“Maybe you can ask Breaker when we find him,” Joseph said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Jonathan Breaker was one of the people advocating to expose what the corporations were doing to control the population. He wasn’t the first, but if you’re connected with off-grid movements or other seditious societies, you’ve heard the talk. He was known for advocating drastic measures. That’s why Abel doesn’t like him,” Joseph said. He aimed his weapon into broken buildings and alleyways as they passed them.
“Abel wanted to move freely between the grid and the rest of the world. Some people accused him of enjoying grid amenities too much. He argued it was the only way to get things done,” Uriah said.
“That doesn’t seem to be his position now,” Victoria said.
“None of us have a choice now,” Joseph replied.
“We’re moving into zone five. Might see Abel and his team. Uriah, scout ahead and make sure we don’t run into an ambush. We don’t need to take friendly fire,” Joseph said. He covered one direction, Victoria took the other.
“Did you like working for Red-6?” Joseph asked.
“I wasn’t with them long. Most of my career was spent with 6Corps.”.
“Same thing.”
Uriah came back with Abel and a dozen other men and women.
“Set up a perimeter,” Abel said.
Uriah seemed to be warning them with his eyes. Victoria wasn’t surprised Abel was angry. She really didn’t have much to say to him right now, either.
“I don’t work for you, Abel,” she said. “It wasn’t that long ago I was your boss.”
“If that’s what you wanted, you should’ve stayed in the occupied territories with the corporations,” Abel said.
She knew what he meant by occupied territories. That was what people in the off-grid Colorado settlements called people who lived on the grid. “We’re in the occupied territories, or haven’t you noticed?” she snapped.
He motioned for his squad leaders to give him some space. They set up a perimeter and pretended not to listen. Joseph and Uriah loitered close enough to hear. Abel glared at them. They backed away.
“Uriah said you’re going after Breaker.”
“It only seems right. He came back for me. What’s your problem with him? He has more knowledge and skill than your entire squad put together,” she said.
He snorted. “You don’t know anything about my people. Or me for that matter. Just because I was your subordinate when we were infiltrating the corporations doesn’t mean you are now. I’ve been doing this my whole life.”
“I wasn’t infiltrating anything. That was my life.”
“Which proves my point,” he said.
Victoria left Abel and his team behind, probably forever. Part of her wished Joseph and Uriah had stayed with their friends. They were good men, loyal and brave, but her decision was made. It had always been made. She was going to find Breaker and stay with him no matter the cost.
She darted across a footbridge and climbed down a narrow ladder. Joseph and Uriah were only seconds behind her.
“You shouldn’t have come,” she said.
“You need us, and we never fit in with those guys anyway,” Joseph said.
Uriah shrugged. “It was only a matter of time until we went solo anyway—well, us two. You know what I mean.”
Victoria found the alley but not Breaker. There was a pool of blood near a wall, then a trail he must have left crawling away from the scene.
“What are these weird marks? Millipede tracks?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Through the Smoke
Victoria whistled to get Joseph’s attention. “Do you know a way out of this area?”
He looked grim but smiled, as was his nature. “My brother and I always know a way out. That’s why we’re still alive.”
Uriah interrupted, “Seems like the DAP has been stockpiling killing machines for a while. I hate what Frank Oden is doing, but we may need his army before much longer. Part of me hopes Red-6 can recall them. Press a button and end this.”
Victoria shook her head. “That’s not going to happen.”
“They should’ve known they couldn’t control these things,” Joseph said. He led them downtown. “We’re crossing into the historical sector.”
Victoria had been here when she was young. The long pool in front of the Washington Monument was meticulously maintained, in contrast to the bloody riots of centuries past. The monument was scared with cracks and bullet holes and a sheath of ceramic sealant had been painted over the entire structure to hold together. It was stronger than it had been before it was half destroyed by small arms fire.
Trees bordered the park around the pool. When. they stopped to rest at the New Lincoln Memorial, smoke drifted o
ver the water into the trees. Gunfire and explosions sounded from less than a mile away.
“Can you tell which direction that battle is moving?” she asked.
Joseph shrugged. “Normal rules of engagement have gone out the window.”
“The DAP make their own rules. It’s been a long time since we’ve been in a war. No amount of fancy equipment and training can change that,” Uriah added. “No matter what Frank Oden claims.”
Clouds had darkened the sky. Cold rain pattered softly but only for a few minutes. As soon as it stopped, the smoke thickened again.
Joseph turned his head and spat. “Just when I thought this day couldn’t get more miserable.”
“We need to find Breaker and shelter.” Victoria wouldn’t budge from that point.
“Shelter won’t be impossible to find, but fewer and fewer of the off-grid strongholds will be allowing visitors. They know us, but that doesn’t matter with bullets flying and riots tearing through the city,” Joseph warned. “I still think we can get inside one of the forts.”
“Forts?” Victoria asked.
“Strongholds with adults only. Places we always expected to fight,” Uriah said.
Victoria took a few more minutes to rest. There was nothing useful to loot in this part of the city. She wondered if the museum guards had stayed at their posts. Considering the chaos and destruction sweeping the rest of the city, this could be the eye of the storm.
Victoria saw a figure darting through the smoke in the direction of the Vietnam Memorial. “Did either of you see that?”
“See what?” Joseph asked.
Uriah shook his head and raised his weapon slightly as though expecting trouble. They took defensive positions.
“I think it might’ve been Irene Vail, but maybe that’s just because I’m really pissed at her right now.”
“What would she be doing here?” Joseph asked.
“Looking for Breaker. I doubt she gave him permission to come here.”
“I was surprised to see him,” Joseph said.
Anger torched Victoria’s caution. She drew her pistol and struck out into the smoke.
“Wait,” Joseph said. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
She heard them behind her, guarding her flanks. When a breeze shifted the smoke, she stopped and took stock of the situation.. Making a decision, she turned toward the Vietnam Memorial and searched the mall around it and beyond before she realized the cherry blossoms were blooming. The vivid pink and white and flowers stood out in the gray day.
“I know that’s you, Irene,” Victoria said.
No response.
She yelled this time, demanding the fixer show herself.
“I think that’s about the worst tactic you could use,” Joseph said from somewhere on her left.
Victoria stopped near a bridge and composed herself. The sky was clearing and the sun was out. All that remained of the gloom was mist rising from the two thousand foot long reflecting pool.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Frozen Survivors
Monica dimmed the lights and let her silk robe slide to the floor. It wasn’t the first hotel room she’d crossed to seduce a target.
Trepidation wormed in her gut. Frank Oden’s violence had excited her once but now that he’d be fighting for his life, the stakes had changed. She needed to take him by surprise.
A small light flashed on her computer at the corner desk.
“Are you going to tie me up?” Frank asked from the bed.
“Always,” she said. “I don’t want you escaping.” She swayed suggestively to her computer and opened it, careful to keep the screen away from him. The blue light from the screen cast a shadow between her breasts and silhouetted the space between her legs.
She woke the screen and saw the message was from her source off the grid. The word “horizon” was slipped somewhat clumsily into the subject line, indicating a warning about Frank Oden.
Rough hands grabbed her and yanked her away from the computer. She thought he was going to slam her on the bed, but she hit the floor, flat on her back. The air exploded from her lungs and she saw stars. He was on her, parting her legs and dropping his weight on her.
This was just like him. They agreed to take turns being the dominant sex partner. The man was animal and she hated him. This had quit being fun a long time ago. He needed to die.
“Not like this, Frank. This isn’t rough sex, this is you trying to rape me.”
He laughed. “Trying?”
She punched him in the balls and squirmed out from under him, her heart racing. She had been lucky. Kicking a man where counted never worked as well as self-defense instructors promised. He was an expert martial artist and should’ve seen that coming. She sprinted across the room for her gun but he’d moved it.
Smart.
He climbed to his feet and spread his arms, tears streaming from his eyes. A vein pumped in his neck. His red face suggested he hadn’t been able to breathe for some time. “I’m sorry. I’ll be good. You should punish me.”
“Try that again, and I’ll kill you,” she said, leaving out the small fact that she was going to kill him anyway. Those were her orders.
She glanced at the computer before giving her full attention to the son of a bitch. Breathing hard, keeping her body between Oden and the screen, she read the brief message. It had to be important, this source had been dark recently, refusing any type of contact.
“Pay attention,” Oden said. “Or did you like getting slammed? Cause I’ll do it again.”
Monica deactivated the screen. Faced him. More than prepared to do terrible things to him. According to her source, Frank Oden had been spending a lot of time at a little pleasure retreat a few days hike from the Breaker Clan. She’d been there herself and found the marathon orgies a bit boring, but it didn’t surprise her that Oden patronized the place. What surprised her was the place had lasted as long as it had.
Now it was gone, burned to the ground, evidence destroyed.
She wondered what happened to all the sex slaves.
Frank Oden and his friends needed to pay. Fortunately, she had a green light to assassinate him—with a clause to retain him in the event he could be controlled.
She now had now evidence on her computer he’d murdered a lot of young men and women. She needed to send a team to process the scene—and hopefully recover evidence Oden had been there and lit it himself. Easy. She had him in a box. Very soon she’d be able to control SAC North America.
She strutted toward him, hands on her naked hips, breasts pushed forward, eyes on his, promising she was going to fuck his brains out.
“Finally. This is the Monica Triton I’ve been looking for,” he said.
She stopped short and turned around slowly, putting on a show and stalling for time while she thought through the scenario. It was too neat. A man like this monster wouldn’t be so easily snared.
“I’ve been bad,” he said.
Heart pounding, she slipped rope loops over his wrists and tied them. She pulled tight, stretching him out to the four corners of the bed. His erection looked bigger than she remembered. Tracing his muscular chest with her fingertips, she avoided his eyes.
There was something primal in his need for this encounter. “You look ready for me,” she said, straddling his stomach.
“Slide down, you mean bitch. Get on my cock.”
Shifting backward, she touched her ass to the tip of his trembling dick. She knew he wanted to put it in her ass. That was the first thing he did when he had control. Predictable and boring. “Not yet, sub.”
In a single swift, graceful move she was kneeling on his chest. She moved her hips, pressed her weight down on him, hoping to restrict his breathing.
“Stop with the games. Stop teasing me. It’s boring. Untie me and get on your hands and knees. We’re going to play a new game,” he said.
She wrapped both hands around his throat and started to squeeze.
He grunted, his nostrils flar
ing like an animal’s. Disgust colored his words. “You’re not going to kill me. Does this game excite you? Because I find it boring.”
She reached back and grabbed his cock. “You don’t feel bored.”
“That’s because I’m going to give it to you hard when you untie me. Gonna work my way around you, putting it in everywhere I can,” he said.
She slapped his face.
He laughed. The mocking sound made her feel small and weak. Suddenly, the idea of untying him terrified her.
When they met, he’d been oversexed but naive. His idea of wild was a threesome. The first time she tied him up he’d ejaculated at the first touch of her pussy, squirting on her stomach like a teenager about to lose his virginity.
She’d taught him everything she knew about BDSM sex. Thought he liked it. Thought he understood the rules.
His eyes told her something different. What he really wanted was her pain. He didn’t like being the submissive when it was his turn. What he wanted was to kill her. And another, and another, and another until the blackness in his heart was all that was left of him.
This man wasn’t here for sex. That was just the lie he told himself. Frank Oden was rotting all the way to his black heart.
Their eyes locked.
“Untie me,” he said.
Trembling from head to toe, she scrambled off him, backed away from the bed and tried to breathe.
“I’ll going to pump you in the ass and make you lick it off. You’ll beg me for more or I’ll hurt you. Untie me.”
She darted to the bed and tightened the ropes, pulling with both hands and pressing one foot against the bed for leverage.
“That fucking hurts, you bitch!”
“Shut up.” Her high-pitched words sounded fearful in her ears. She finished and stepped back, hands shaking.
“This game is over you, dirty little whore. The next time you use that tone with me, you’ll regret it. I’ll destroy you and your career. I’m going to—”
She grabbed his cock, squeezing it hard. “You’re going to what? Say it again. Tell me what you’re going to do to me. Piss me off and see what happens. You signed the contract. I’m the dom today. You’re the sub.”