Carbon Life

by HR Ringer

  Pulling both of her Húdié dāo, she spun in place as she buried one knife in the right side of the first thug, then dodged the blow coming from the other side as she rewarded the second man’s effort by nearly removing his head. Two down.

  The surviving four men, obviously having expected an easy time of taking care of a lowly comms specialist, checked up, slowing a bit in an attempt to double-team her. The third man swung what appeared to be a nine-iron; Sammy countered with a parry from the alloy baseball bat she’d retrieved from the first man down. Her assailant hollered in shock when the shaft of his makeshift club connected with the unyielding alloy held by a person in possession of nearly three times his muscle mass. Traynor cleared her new club of the obstruction, then used the large end as a blunt spear to strike him forcefully in the middle of his torso; this caused his diaphragm to spasm uncontrollably, dropping him to the deck as he gasped for air that was no longer being drawn into his lungs.

  As he went down, Traynor squatted to allow the man behind her to grasp at a shadow; as he staggered off balance, she exploded straight up, leading with the bat held crosswise between her hands. The thug never saw the blow that hit him in the face; as he fell over backwards with blood coming from his nose and mouth, the last two decided running away would be the wisest thing to do.

  Activating her omnitool with a flick of her wrist, Sammy quickly launched four flash-forged xīlā shǒu lǐ jiàn [希拉手裡劍 – hira shuriken] – throwing stars, each of their four blade edges coated in an extremely toxic nerve agent. Both of the last two assailants fell victim to these; the blades barely scratching them as they flew past their bodies, allowing the fast-acting poison to quickly disable their autonomic nervous systems. They died from suffocation as they fell to the deck.

  Looking around herself quickly, Traynor brought her hands up in front of her chest, took a deep breath and exhaled. Walking over to the man with the bloody face, she leaned over slightly in order to grasp the front of his shirt at the collar. Pulling the man’s weight clear of the deck, she ignored his cries of pain as she hissed through clenched teeth, “Who the fuck sent you? Why are you targeting me?”

  The man gasped as he struggled to comprehend how this simple comms specialist had so convincingly dropped him. “We was supposed to grab you, take you to the docks and toss your body out an airlock.”

  “Who sent you and these other mutherfuckers?”

  “Lieutenant – named Winters.” The man was nearly crying from the pain as Traynor dropped him. ‘Winters,’ she thought. ‘Looks as if General Park was correct about her.’ Sammy retrieved her Húdié dāo; after wiping the blades on her victims clothes, she shoved them back into their sheathes and began walking. She was going to have a little chat with Lieutenant Winters.

  * * *

  Sammy activated her kinetic shield as she entered Kelsey Winters office and latched the door behind her; Winters looked up, surprise plain on her face. “Specialist Traynor… what are… I mean, why are you here?” It was patently obvious from the lieutenant’s expression and tone of voice she hadn’t expected to see Traynor – at least not alive – ever again. Standing from her chair, she quickly grabbed a heavy pistol; with the muzzle aimed squarely at Traynor, she sneered, “I don’t know how in hell you managed to evade being captured by my squad of merc marines, but I don’t intend to allow you the same success in here. Keep your hands where I can see them, Specialist.”

  Traynor was gambling that Winters wouldn’t simply shoot her before answering some questions. “Why do this, Winters? What do you hope to accomplish by eliminating me? Is my existence that much of a threat to Cerberus?”

  “I don’t ask for the reasoning, and the Illusive Man doesn’t pay me to hear excuses. Michael Moser Lang is sitting in an Alliance lockup; it’s probably where he’ll die.”

  Traynor shook her head slightly at this revelation. “Son of a bitch wasn’t supposed to be here, was he? So, why not simply let me slice his throat?” The specialist suddenly realized that Cerberus may have shorted Lang’s payday for killing Raherix Ursivus. If that was the case, he must have gone to see the traitorous Admiral Fletcher at Alliance HQ in Vancouver. “He learned about my current assignment from Fletcher and came here to settle a score, didn’t he?”

  Winters chuckled as she answered, “Lang didn’t receive a bonus that had been promised him; I expect Admiral Fletcher was the recipient of those credits for pushing the other admirals to allow that fucking chicken-faced bastard’s death, and to terminate your clandestine little program. That’s the sort of thing that makes people mad, especially paid assassins.”

  “So, does your loyalty to Cerberus override the oath you swore when you joined the Alliance military, or is plain ol’ greed for their creds enough?”

  “A little bit of both, I guess. And here’s the thing, Specialist. I intend to kill you in self-defense, and there’s not a damned thing you can do to stop me. You may have some crazy-assed martial arts skills, but I seriously doubt you can dodge a bullet.” So saying, Kelsey pulled the trigger, firing the gun she had been pointing at Traynor since the specialist had entered the office. Unfortunately for Winters, Traynor had anticipated this and was ready; seemingly faster than thought, she leaned backwards while turning 90º the instant Winters uttered the words ‘a bullet’, resulting in the round passing so close to Sammy’s chest it flew through her kinetic barrier from left to right.

  Activating her omnitool, Traynor sent a massive overload at Winters; this overwhelmed the gun’s heatsink, forcing the lieutenant to let the gun fall to the floor in order to avoid burns to her hand and fingers. “Okay, Lieutenant… it’s your move. If you’re smart, you’ll come with me quietly. I’ll even ask security if they have a nice cell for you right next to Lang’s… that way, when Cerberus shows up to eliminate loose ends, you’ll be conveniently located side by side.”

  After dropping the overheated pistol, Winters had taken several steps back from Traynor as she said in protest, “It was nothing personal, Specialist, and honestly, I’d rather have you beat me to death than sit in a cell next to Lang and worry about how long it will be before a Cerberus assassin arrives to kill me. Taking Lang down the way you did… nearly ripping his foot from his leg… was quite unexpected, but it doesn’t matter… no way I'm going to jail, and, if I somehow manage to pull this off, I’ll get paid whether I shoot you or kill you with my bare hands.”

  Traynor smirked as she raised and spread her arms slightly while crouching in anticipation. “You can try.”

  A brief look of concern crossed Winters’ face as she crouched, then sprang into action; taking three rapid steps forward, she attempted to bowl Traynor over bodily. Sammy responded by grabbing both of Kelsey’s forearms; holding on with a vise-like grip, she dragged the surprised woman around with her as she spun about, fell onto her butt and rolled onto her back while placing her booted feet in Kelsey’s hip joints, then violently straightening her legs with every bit of her strength, launching Winters in an arc through the air to crash – head down and back-first – into the metal bulkhead at the rear of the compartment.

  Traynor was on her feet and on top of Winters before she could gather her wits together; as the Lieutenant struggled to get loose, Traynor hit her in the face twice with her gauntleted fist, breaking her nose and fracturing her left eye socket. Grabbing the thoroughly overmatched woman by the open neck of her SDU, she yanked her to her feet and slammed a fist into her lower abdomen, doubling Winters over, where her chest and head encountered the top of an armored thigh being brought up to meet her. Traynor finished by grabbing the back of her collar and her equipment belt and ramming her headfirst into the cabinets beside her desk to lay bleeding and motionless.

  Samantha brought her hands together in front of her chest, took a deep breath, then released it before bringing up her omnitool to call station security. Lieutenant Kelsey Winters was going to need some medical attention before she could be hauled off to the brig. While she waited, Traynor hacked into K
elsey’s terminal, where she discovered a virtual treasure trove of files concerning her association with Cerberus, along with records of payments going back several years. She downloaded everything she found to her omnitool, then closed the terminal and locked it with a new passcode.

  A sergeant and a corporal entered through the main door as Traynor finished looking for the vid-files that should have been stored nearby. ‘Dammit – she must have turned the vid-feed off as I arrived – didn’t want any evidence left of her shooting me.’ The sergeant cocked his head as he recognized Traynor, saying, “Twice in three days, Specialist? Bit of a coincidence, or is this going to become a bad habit?”

  “My apologies, Sergeant… I seem to have become a target for agents employed by Cerberus. Lieutenant Winters sent a group of mercs to grab and toss me out an airlock; I left ‘em where I dropped ‘em, near the entrance to my housing complex.” Waving a hand, she indicated Kelsey Winters. “The lieutenant here thought she could shoot me… you’ll probably find the bullet…” Traynor pointed to a spot behind the sergeant, “… buried in that wall. When her pistol overheated, she decided to attempt a physical altercation.” Sam shook her head from side-to-side as she continued, “She’ll need to be hospitalized for some facial reconstruction before you can place her in the brig.”

  After checking Winters’ injuries, the sergeant let out a low whistle and said, “My god, Specialist… what the hell did you use to hit her? She looks like she tangled with a damned Krogan.”

  The corporal had called for a Med-evac team to take Lieutenant Winters to the nearby hospital’s military wing. The sergeant covered his ear with a hand for several moments before fixing Traynor with an unfriendly look. “I’ve just been told about the bodies lying around near the entrance to your quarters, Specialist; they’re all dressed as Marines. You say they’re mercs… how do you know?”

  “Have you ever known a dishonorable Marine, Sergeant? Do you think for one moment that a group of six Marines would attempt to kidnap a fellow service member and either kill her or pitch her out an airlock? Those men were all mercs. If they honestly are just Marines, then they’re traitors to the uniform and deserved what they received.”

  “I’m told that five of those men are dead, Specialist, and the sixth man will have to eat strained baby food for a month or more,” the sergeant said as he shook his head in open skepticism. “Are you really sure about their status, Ms Traynor?”

  “I make no apologies for defending myself, Sergeant. I don’t fight to take prisoners… if Winters dies, or that merc can’t eat steaks the rest of his life, I really don’t care… if I hadn’t done what I did, I’d most likely be in hospital now… or dead, and I can assure you… either outcome would bother me, a lot. Those six bastards I took down worked for Cerberus,” she exclaimed, then waved her hand at the silent form of Lieutenant Winters as a pair of Medtechs carried her away, “as did this so-called lieutenant.” Traynor placed her hands on her hips and shifted her weight as she cocked one leg back. “Now, I’d like to go to my quarters, shed this armor and wash up, have a bite to eat, then write my report. You know where I live, Sergeant. I’ll come see you in the morning.”

  The Marine silently looked at Traynor for several seconds before finally nodding in agreement. “Get going, Specialist. We can talk tomorrow. Just… try to stay out of trouble until then, okay?”

  “Traynor grinned as she replied, “I’ll do my best, Sergeant.”

  * * *

  General RaeLee Park looked thoroughly relieved at being able to talk to Traynor again so soon after her previous conversation; her relief seemed to fade as Sammy told her of the multiple attempts on her life. “You were correct to be suspicious of Winters, Ma’am… she would have shot me if I hadn’t cooked her pistol and dodged. I’m going to forward you copies of everything I discovered in the files in her office. She’s been taking payments from Cerberus for years. Were you able to take any action against Admiral Fletcher?”

  Park’s expression changed subtly to one of some mental anguish. “Extraordinary thing here, Specialist… Admiral Fletcher’s aide found him in his office this afternoon… dead. Self-inflicted gunshot to the head. I guess knowing he’d been caught was more than he could stand. I can’t say I’m sorry for his death… he was dirty, Sammy… Son of a bitch had been taking payments since he was a vice-admiral. Despite living a rather extravagant lifestyle, he had quite a fortune socked away, apparently all from Cerberus.”

  Traynor’s expression was a mixture of grim and angry. “So, he was ultimately responsible for allowing the assassination of Raherix Ursivus to proceed and for getting the O7 program shut down. I don’t suppose there’s any chance of reactivating the program now that you and the other admirals know Cerberus was calling the shots, is there?”

  Park looked down for a moment, then returned her gaze to Traynor’s image. “I’m afraid it’s too late for that, Specialist… I’m sorry. We have to see just how many decisions from the upper brass were tainted by the influence from Cerberus. I don’t know how long that will take, but I expect it will not be a speedy process. However, I’ll see what I can do to get some of the restrictions on service records… yours and Yuan’s… lifted, so your superiors now and in the future will have some idea of your true capabilities. I think the admirals owe you that much, at least.”

  Traynor smiled as she replied, “Thank you, Ma’am. I’d appreciate that, and I’m sure Xiùlán will as well. I’ll stay in touch… keep you informed about developments here.”

  “Always a pleasure to talk to you, or Lieutenant Yuán. Stay safe.”

  * * *

  Chapter 37: Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing

  Some days I am more wolf than woman, and I am still learning how to stop apologizing for my wild - Nikita Gill

  * * *

  Inamorata – A woman with whom one is in love; a female lover (Italian)

  LCDR – Abbreviation for ‘Lieutenant Commander’; may also be ‘LtCdr’ or ‘Lt Cdr’

  N7 – An allegedly discontinued vocational code in the Systems Alliance military. The O designates covert operations and the 7 refers to the highest level of proficiency.

  XO – Executive Officer

  * * *

  * ARCTURUS STATION · SPECIALIST TRAYNOR’S QUARTERS *

  Samantha Traynor rose at her normal time of 0530; after shedding her sleepshirt and relieving her bladder, she moved into the small kitchen, there to start a kettle of water heating for a cup of tea. When she moved to turn around, she was met with a pair of strong arms wrapping around her nude torso. “You always wander around in here like a newborn, Sà mǐ?”

  Overcoming her shock, Traynor instantly threw her arms around her inamorata, purring, “Xiùlán… this is a welcome surprise.” She planted a big kiss on a mouth displaying a combination smile and smirk. “Not that it matters at all to me, but what brings you to the station?”

  Xiùlán gently slid her hands down until she could grasp Sammy’s muscular ass. “Commander Nolan gave me a shore pass, based on XO Tyler’s recommendation. The Tokyo isn’t scheduled to leave for another day, and Nolan and Tyler could both see I was distracted by the situation over here.” Keeping a hand on Sammy’s bare butt, she slid her other hand back up to gently rub her neck and shoulders.

  Sammy had melted into Xiùlán’s embrace, feeling some of her tension dissolve under the familiar feel of Xiùlán’s hands. “Damn! You can do that forever, Luv. I’ve really missed your touch.” Sammy kissed Xiùlán again, then forced herself to back away. “Water’s almost ready for tea; make yourself at home for a few while I take a shower and get dressed.”

  Xiùlán admired her lover’s firm backside as she walked back to the bathroom; when Sammy was out of sight, the lieutenant turned towards the small stove to make herself a cup of tea. Taking a seat at the table, she would sip her tea and listen for the shower water to be turned off before pouring a cup for Sammy.

  * * *

  “So, this Admiral Fletcher was betraying us
, dancing to whatever tune Cerberus played, since the very beginning of our training?” Xiùlán was trying to understand how one greedy person could sabotage their entire program. “I’m having a really difficult time understanding this, Sà mǐ! And no one, not even General Park, suspected this yīgè liú kǒushuǐ de jìnǚ de érzi [一個流口水的妓女的兒子 – (literally) son of a drooling whore] of being bought and paid for?”

  Traynor sipped her tea as she thought for a moment before responding. “You remember when we were on Mars, and I told you the school was going to be shut down? General Park may have suspected, but she never said anything to us… especially me! Fuckin’ ‘ell, Xiùlán… She didn’t dare, considering what a conspiracy theorist I am!” Traynor took another sip of tea, studied her mug for several moments, then continued. “So now, because that dirty bastard’s shriveled up nut sack prevented him from standing up to a scum-sucking vorcha like Lang, we have a situation similar to that which existed on Mars – a pair of Cerberus lowlifes in Alliance lockup, waiting for the termination of their sad, lonely lives. Question is, what can we do to prevent that, or do we even want to?”

  “How secure is the brig on this station, Ai? [愛 - Love (Xiùlán’s meaning is ‘luv’)] This is an Alliance run facility, and unlike holding facilities available on the Citadel, access to that section here should be a lot more difficult.” Xiùlán finished her mug of tea and stood, stretched, then took the mug to the sink as Traynor thought about the question.

  “I believe the people assigned to guard duty are above reproach, but it would still be possible for an Alliance serviceman, bought and paid for by Cerberus, to be transferred in with no one the wiser. Look how easy it was for a squad of fake Marines to get on the station in order to attack me.”