Zero Sum

by B. Justin Shier

  “No more games,” Rei snapped. “Hand him to me now.”

  My own hands still bound, I felt like a rack of ribs stuck between the jaws of two hungry dogs. The men from Talmax looked from Rei to Anna, not quite sure if they wanted a piece of this. Anna’s eyes strayed back to Carrera’s array. Her teeth clenched tight, she let out an angry hiss.

  “Fine, sister,” she said with a vicious sneer. “Catch.”

  Anna threw me right off the side of the building (which wasn’t very nice). I had time to get a nice view of the Strip, think about soiling my underpants, and make all sorts of promises to my new best friend, Jesus. Fortunately, Rei was up to the task. She caught me by the ankle and yanked me back to safety.

  “Gotcha,” she exclaimed. I winced as her razor sharp digits cut into my flesh. Ignoring my howls, Rei tossed me over her shoulder and leapt down onto the lower perimeter ledge. A flurry of bullets flew past us. They were mere seconds from their mark. Hidden behind the barrier, Rei activated her wireless.

  “The board is clear, captain. Begin your sortie,” she lisped. Tossing a grenade over the wall, she urged me forward. We ran for at least a hundred yards. There, safe behind some machinery, she cut my restraints with a flick of a finger and gave me a gleeful smile.

  “An excellent diversion, no?”

  “You sound like Cobra Commander.” My voice was strained. Rei looked even weirder up close. The huge fangs were scary as hell, and her fine, membranous scales were like nothing I’d ever seen before. Half of me wanted to touch them. The other half wanted to jump off the side of the building screaming “cooties!”

  Rei noticed my attention and examined her arms. She shrugged. “I had hoped for black—but at least I did not get pink. Marie Antoinette was pink. It is considered a bad omen. Silver is fine, I guess. And I appear to have remained sane.” She looked at me, oblong pupils blown wide. “Am I still sane?”

  I thought back to the decapitated troll head.

  “In that you have not eaten my face, yes.”

  “And might I say, that was a most excellent mana-shift, Dieter. You are a natural at wefting. And the same blade you procured for me in the warehouse. Thank you, kindly. It cut all my problems down to size.”

  Rei broke out into the giggles.

  So I had giddy Rei on my hands…wonderful.

  I gestured at her new bodywork. “Is this normal?”

  Rei stiffened. “I am not allowed to talk about it.”

  I looked at her blandly. “Dudette. Seriously. You cannot go all scaly and say ‘no comment.’ Spill.”

  Rei sighed. “Fine. To heck with protocol, we have already fucked the dog most severely.”

  “More like chopped him in half.”

  “Indeed…” Rei did a sweep of the area and knelt back down. “Dieter, we Nostophoros are not what you think.”

  “Wait, you’re not children of darkness? How disappointing.”

  “Actually, that’s close to the mark, but in modern parlance, we Nostophoros would be considered weapon systems.”

  “Huh?”

  “We were designed, Dieter. Manufactured. We are one of the products of foremutation, the last of the banned crafts. Recall Chancellor Eikhorn’s tale, Dieter. The legends tell of an enemy that outmatched humanity in every conceivable way. As a means of matching their power, a group of magi performed a series of foremutations on—” Rei turned her attention to her earpiece. “We need to move, Dieter. Strike Team A has arrived.”

  Rei took my hand (carefully this time), and we headed around the perimeter to the North side of the building. My legs were shaky, but absolute terror is a great motivator.

  “And me?” I asked, gasping for breath. “Hans just tried to turn me into a sanguinarian. Why didn’t it work?”

  “Goodness, you are out of the loop. No one will be turning you, Dieter. You are of dhampir stock. Only a quarter, yes, but a dhampir nonetheless.”

  “Jigga what?

  “I guessed at your nature when I sampled your blood on the bus. That was why I risked healing your wounds at the warehouse. I confirmed your lineage when I met your father. I knew that man by sight. Kurtz is a dhampir. He is the progeny of a human and a Nostophoros. He is quite infamous.”

  “I’m pretty sure he’s just a drunk.”

  “One moment, Dieter.” Rei released my hand and shot forward like a cannonball. The unsuspecting troll was flying off the tower before he even knew what hit him. He gave a sad yowl as he plummeted to his end. Finished with her chore, Rei skipped back and grabbed my hand.

  “I do so dislike trolls,” she commented.

  “Agreed. But Rei, you should stop sending things off buildings. Didn’t your parents ever tell you to not toss pennies off skyscrapers?”

  Rei looked surprised. “How did you know this? Father scolded me quite severely.”

  “A wild guess. But back to what I was saying, I’ll give you that my father is on a liquid diet, but blood ain’t his poison.”

  “Transference is a common way to address the addiction. Your father doesn’t work nights for fun, and he certainly doesn’t get beaten up in taverns. To think of Kurtz the Butcher trading punches with a bunch of inebriated Imperiti…” Rei patted me on the head. “There wouldn’t be anything left of them. You are quite clueless, Dieter. But perhaps it is best to have your father explain when he arrives. Out of respect for you, I’ll even promise not to kill him.”

  “Um, thanks?”

  Rei stopped at the northernmost point of the building. My chest was heaving, and I was grateful for the break. Explosions and weapons fire were erupting from the other side of the building. Lambda must have landed. Looking back at Rei, I did a double take. Her skin was back to normal.

  “Do the…modifications, like, wear off?”

  “Indeed. A manifestation requires a great deal of energy. It is as we discussed on the train, Dieter. Nothing is free. The weft-link merely permits us to share what mana we have.”

  “So the link is back.”

  Rei shook her head. She looked a tad unwell. “I restored it by accident.”

  “You restored the link? You told me you couldn’t cast magic.”

  “It was an accident. I reached out instinctively,” Rei tossed the white-hilted blade up into the air and caught it with her left hand, “and it just happened.”

  My mouth dropped open. “You’re left-handed!”

  “Indeed. It’s silly really, but I never even considered trying to cast backwards.” And no one would. You extract mana with your left hand. You never cast spells with it. Right-handed casting is dogma. I didn’t know a single mage that could cast with their left.

  “Well, this could be good news. Link from Zelda is left-handed. He kicks some serious ass.”

  “I can wield magic…” Rei said it as though she was trying out the idea with her mouth. She looked so relieved. “Thank you for nearly dying, Dieter.”

  “No worries. I do it all the time. But what about the weft-link? Didn’t you want to snuff it out?”

  “I did, but that may be impossible now. The weft-link has been used thrice: once by you in the warehouse, once by me as we dangled, and once again by you to cause my manifestation. The saying, third time’s a charm, exists for a reason. The weft-link is probably permanent now.” Rei took a deep breath and sighed. “But let us deal with the weft-link later. Right now we must attend to our duties.”

  I nodded, not quite sure what to make of the news. I liked Rei, but to be weft to her permanently…

  “The rest of Lambda has arrived,” Rei said. “The weft-pair of Collins and Masterson is with them. We have new orders. Monique and Lambda have established one front. We are to open a second behind the enemy. Can you sketch another translocation circle?”

  “Sure thing. Who else is comin’ to the party?”

  Rei grinned through her shrinking fangs. “A team from the ICE.” Relief washed over me. Amateur night was over. I pulled out my chalk and repeated the design Jules taught me. I finished it
, tried to charge it, and frowned. I didn’t have any mana left. I’d sent Rei everything I had. Maybe one of the Talmax guys could spare me a light?

  I turned to Rei. She was passing the time picking troll guts from her fingernails.

  “Can you do it?”

  Eyes still on her fingertips, Rei smiled. “Oh, dear. Impotence in the face of adversity, Dieter? How unbecoming.”

  I crossed my arms. “I give you razor fingers for Christmas and this is the thanks I get?”

  Rei chuckled. “Very well. I shall attempt it.” She sheathed her blade and crawled over. Furrowing her brow, she pointed her left hand at my circle.

  The seconds ticked away.

  My nerves grew frayed.

  Grass grew.

  Paint dried.

  I considered screaming.

  Then Rei gasped. A tiny burst of mana squirted out of her palm. The bead of yellow gold crawled toward the sphere like a tiny balloon lost in the wind. I watched nervously as the mana teetered between priming the circle and going to mana heaven. A subtle pop indicated success.

  I turned to Rei and whispered, “That was seriously lame.”

  She stuck up her nose. “My most explosive ally, that was a work of finesse—a concept you are wholly unfamiliar with.”

  “Says the girl who just eye-gouged a troll.”

  “He looked at me queerly.”

  Rei and I scurried away from the circle and gave Maria the okay.

  “Remember, Dieter. As far as anyone else is concerned, we are not partners.”

  “Relax, kumpadre. I like my skin right-side out too.”

  Rei perked. “You looked up the punishment as well? It is one of my personal favorites.”

  “No doubt,” I muttered. “You still have that boxcutter?”

  “No,” Rei said with a frown. “Security seized it.”

  With a blue flash, a gate peeled opened before us. Out walked Gaston Spinoza in his black alguacil fatigues. He grinned as he tossed us our robes. “I knew I would like this one. Like father, like son.”

  Behind Spinoza came said father figure. My father, Kurtz Resnick, was dressed like Spinoza—and was packing a shotgun the size of a small car.

  He acknowledged me with a stiff nod. “Son, I need to—”

  His eyes flashed to the wound on my neck. A fire I had never seen erupted in his eyes.

  “Lad,” he said gruffly. “I want you to walk over here real slow.” He leveled his hand-cannon at Rei. “This’ll all be over right quick. I’ll get you home safe and sound.”

  Then things happened rather fast.

  Rei snarled. My Sight flared. Spinoza shouted. I dove. And my father fired.

  I took the blast right in the gut.

  My ears ringing, the world slowed. Spinoza jumped in front of my father. I watched as he wrestled the gun from his hands. Rei collapsed into a heap. She might have been screaming. I wasn’t sure. I curled up in a ball from the pain. It was funny, really. I had never considered jumping into a wave of light before. But I had done it without hesitation. No regrets, either. Rei was safe. That was good enough. Still…a gut shot? What a way to go.

  “She’s not to be harmed!” Spinoza roared. “I gave Albright my word, damn it!”

  My father rolled his eyes.

  Rei crawled toward me. She was mumbling nonsense in a tongue I didn’t understand.

  Funny, I thought. Death smelled a lot like a garlic lover’s pizza.

  My eyes widened. “Stay back!” I screamed. “I’ve been seasoned!”

  Rei sniffed the air and froze. “Oh, a garlic round.” She scurried backwards. “Thank you for the warning, my most odiferous companion.”

  I examined the welts the garlic pellets had left on my stomach. They hurt like a bitch, but I’d recover after a shower. Now if these had hit Rei…I got to my feet and went for my father. Patricide had a great ring to it.

  Spinoza jumped between us. “Enough, you two. We’ll deal with this later. Avert a major reaping now, yes?”

  “Fuck that!” I screamed. “I can’t trust this bastard.”

  “Dieter, we must attend to Lambda,” Rei urged. “The Thompson Pair is outflanking them to the north.”

  I was still glaring at my father, but the fight had dropped out of me. I took a step back. “Fine, but Rei and I will strike out north. Spinoza, you take this jackass and head south. I don’t want to see his face.”

  My father didn’t say a word. I couldn’t tell what was going on inside his head, and I didn’t care. I tore off my ruined shirt and tossed it off the side of the building. Replacing it with my robe, I turned to Rei.

  “Let’s move,” I growled.

  I could sense Rei was biting her tongue as we hustled away.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “How can you speak to your kin like that?”

  “He just tried to shoot you. He’s an asshole.”

  “If I uttered such words against my parents, I would be gutted, staked, and left to roast in the sun.”

  “Yikes.”

  “Then, on the fourth day—”

  “I get the picture. Remind me to never vacation in Chicago.”

  “Don’t be silly. You would most certainly enjoy Chicago. Sailing on the lake is most refreshing, and the beaters do rave about the cuisine. I cannot speak from my own experience of course, but it certainly plumps them up nicely.”

  Pushing Rei’s culinary insights to the side, I checked my bearings. “Access to the upper deck should be right around here.”

  “Very well. Let’s disable the forces here and then move to interfere with the cast.”

  I gave Rei a boost over the ledge, and she lifted me up. We hid behind a nearby hot dog cart and checked out the scene.

  “So that’s a castout?” I said. “Okay. Wow.”

  “Indeed,” Rei said. She was similarly in awe. The observation deck was a bona fide battlefield. From down on the Strip, it must have looked like the fireworks had started early. Lambda had carved out some turf behind what was left of the gift shop, but they were under heavy fire from half a dozen gunmen. Roster and Sheila were pressed back-to-back fending off four trolls. I watched as Sheila, her giant broadsword gleaming, amputated one of the trolls at the knee. A shower of light shot across the sky, and the downed monster howled in pain.

  “She always gets me with that move,” Rei said in passing. She clicked on her radio and updated our location. Monique was tossing off heavy spells, trying to break through Talmax’s suppressive fire. Jules and Dante were working defense. Closer to us, agents Masterson and Collins were squaring off against the Rileys. Both pairs’ mana reserves must have been massive; they were casting like there was no tomorrow.

  Looping around from the South, Spinoza screamed, “ICE. Yield or die!” at Carrera’s eight remaining colleagues. The Talmax mages responded with a veritable firestorm. Judging by the bits my father turned the nearest spellcaster into, he’d switched to regular rounds. One thing bothered me.

  “I don’t see Anna or Hans.”

  Rei nodded. “Sister is not one to lead a charge. And Dieter, whatever her crimes, you mustn’t touch her. You represent the DEA. You can’t comprehend the implications of an assault on her person. I will manage her when she shows. Her actions are in defiance of the Treaty. I will bring her home for justice. Promise me that you will leave her to me.”

  I nodded. Yea, like I wanted to pick a fight with a super-vampire right now.

  “Then I guess I’ll handle Sadie.”

  Rei looked at me uneasily.

  “Hey, if Sadie can fling it, I can entrap it.” I tried to sound confident, but capturing a plasma flow with my palm seemed like a bit of a stretch.

  “Dieter, our link is stronger now. Your attempts at subterfuge are doomed to failure. And besides, you were always a horrendous liar.”

  I sighed. “Then I guess I can’t hide the fact that you have wicked blood-breath right now.”

  Rei stared at me, mortified,

  “Good
hunting, kumpadre.”

  I struck out low and fast toward the back of the enemy line.

  Glancing back, I caught Rei breathing into her hand.

  That ego of hers…it was fantastic.

  +

  As I ran along, I took a peek at my stomach.

  Stars above.

  The welts had totally healed. The same went for the spot where Hans had punched me. My innards felt fine too. I felt my neck—not even a scab. The vampire blood hadn’t turned me, but it was certainly acting on me. I wiped the sweat off my brow. If I didn’t kill him first, my father and I needed to have a talk.

  A defensive arch had been set up around Lambda. I recognized Jules’ signature in the fortification. Anti-personnel by the look of it. It gave Lambda a fighting chance at holding off Talmax’s superior numbers. But it wasn’t perfect. It had gaps. I spotted Sadie making her way to one of them. I kept low and shadowed her movements.

  Halfway there, my Sight flared. I dropped flat on my belly, and a brilliant ball of energy flew straight past me. I watched as it soar off the side of the building. Streaming out into the night, it exploded into a brilliant red fireball. A chorus of cheers erupted from below. Maybe I should have tried to catch it. I was running on zero mana and there was no way I could pull off any spells.

  Fortunately, a dead gunman was in my way. I took his assault rifle and shoved a few of those flash grenades into the pockets of my robe. Halfway through the task, I looked down at my hands. The gun was coated in the man’s blood. Concerned about my future passions, I gave the blood a probative sniff.

  Yuck. Rapid healing or not, human blood still smelled like shit. Much more at ease, I pulled the dongle connected to the gun’s bolt. I was pretty sure that motion chambered a round. Checking that the safety was off, I crept forward. I was about to go toe-to-toe with a good friend, and I didn’t like the prospects of it. Sadie had knelt down to work on a circle. My guess was she planned to blast away at Jules’ fortification using one of her counters. That would leave Lambda exposed to whatever the rest of Talmax wanted to throw at them. Lucky for me, the complicated counter-cast left Sadie distracted.

  I pointed the heavy rifle at her back, swallowed, and lowered the muzzle. Aiming a gun at a girl…it just felt wrong. Reconsidering, I dug out a flash grenade. I pulled the pin and gave it a toss. The fat tube rolled right up next to her. Sadie let out a yelp as the nonlethal grenade burst two feet from her toes. Even my ears were ringing from the intense flash of light and noise. She’d be knocked out cold.