by Jake Bible
"I said on your knees, son," Father as thug ordered. "I will not warn you again."
"Is that a Chelk Nine-Five you're using?" Roak asked Father as thug. "You have to be careful with those rifles. They can overheat quickly."
"Why would it overheat when I have no intention of firing?" Father as thug asked. "That is unless you decide to fight me. Then I will fire and I will put you down, son."
"Stop calling me that," Roak snapped.
"Keep your temper, Roak," Hessa said. "I need him talking and distracted so I can wrest control of the 714 from the frozen AI."
"Is your AI friend talking to you in your ear?" Father as thug asked. "It was a pleasure to briefly be a part of your little team."
"Not a team," Roak snapped.
"Of course not," Father as thug responded. "The framework of her network is quite ingenious and somewhat perplexing. I had hoped to be able to crack her security and overtake you all through that network, but this Hessa is honestly the most formidable AI I have come across."
"If you couldn't take over her implants then how are you controlling Klib?" Roak asked.
"Tsk tsk, Roak," Klib's voice called from the loudspeakers. "Some secrets cannot be revealed."
"Are you afraid, son?" Father as thug asked. "You should be. I am so close to being able to control every living sentient being in this galaxy. Once I do that then you will have no one to turn to. Nowhere to go. Nothing to gain from running and hiding. You will have to complete the task I set before you."
Roak furrowed his brow. "What task? What in all the Hells are you talking about?"
"Have you forgotten so soon?" Father as thug shook his head. All of the thugs shook their heads. "I wonder if brain damage is an issue. I know that the med pods are no longer as effective with you as they used to be. A shame, really. It will be sad for me to watch you deteriorate."
"Stop being smug and answer my question," Roak said. "What task?"
"To find Mother, of course," Klib's voice called. "Did you think I had released you from that request? Roak. Son. I gave you a job to do. You need to do that job."
"Why?" Roak asked.
"That is none of your concern," Father as thug said.
"Just a couple more seconds, Roak," Hessa said. "I'm so close… There!"
"What is happening?" Klib called then the loudspeakers went silent.
"Oh, she is clever," Father as thug said. He glanced at the ship. "Sealing off the ship and expelling the atmosphere is a great idea. Bravo to her."
"Hessa! Get the ship up and going!" Roak shouted as he rushed Father as thug.
Father as thug's eyes widened in surprise and he fired the rifle. He was neither fast enough nor accurate enough to even come close to hitting Roak.
Roak, however, had better luck. He simultaneously grabbed the rifle and tackled the thug, sending them both sprawling to the ground.
The other thugs shouted in alarm and fired directly at Roak and the thug, none showing any concern for friendly fire.
Roak rolled onto his back and pulled the Father as thug over him. The body shook over and over as plasma ripped into it. A couple of blasts pierced the thug and singed Roak's armor, but luckily didn't breach the protection.
Still stung like all the Hells though.
"Hessa!" Roak shouted.
"I have control of most systems, but the engines are fully locked," Hessa replied. "The security is too strong for me to crack quickly."
"Work on it!" Roak yelled as he shoved the thug corpse up off of him and at the other thugs. He took a blast to his left shoulder and grunted, but didn't let it slow him down.
Roak was up on his feet, the Chelk Nine-Five firing away, before he'd finished yelling at Hessa.
"I am working on it!" Hessa roared. "Get off my back, Roak!"
Three thugs fell, their heads obliterated, and two more collapsed as Roak took them out at the legs, his finger never straying from the Chelk's trigger.
But taking out five thugs was barely a dent in the problem. Over two dozen came sprinting into the hangar from the street, all armed, all headed right for Roak.
Then the 714's plasma cannons came to life, took aim at the incoming mob, and opened fire. The thugs were shredded into flesh confetti by the massive guns.
That left eight from the original party still standing in front of Roak. He killed three more before the Chelk overheated.
"Cheap piece of terpigshit," Roak swore as he flipped the rifle around and gripped it like a bat. "Come on!"
The first thug almost had her head taken right off by Roak's swing. A second one was able to get inside the backswing and grab Roak around the waist, but Roak dropped an elbow onto the back of the thug's neck and the distinct sound of vertebrae cracking was heard even over the roar of the 714's plasma cannons. The thug fell, but was quickly replaced by the three remaining thugs.
Roak and the thugs collapsed to the floor in a pile of thrashing limbs and flailing fists. Roak took a few hits to the face, but not before he punched his armored fist through a thug's chest and out its back. He hooked his arm through the corpse and used its weight to shove one of the other thugs away which left only one still on top.
Roak drew his Kepler and powered up the heat blade. The thug on top of Roak must have realized what was about to happen because it tried to shove up and away, but it was too late. The Kepler's blade sliced through the thug's temple and the stink of cooking brain and fluid filled the air, joining the stench of excrement, blood, and other bodily fluids that were leaking from the many corpses that littered the floor of the hangar.
A boot nailed Roak in the temple as he shoved the dead thug off of him. Stars filled his vision and he grunted with pain. Roak was able to get his arm up in time to block another blow to his head, but the deflected boot nailed his wounded shoulder instead which sent white hot pain racing through Roak's body. He rolled over and forced himself not to vomit as he shoved up onto his hands and knees.
Roak saw the boot coming at him one more time and he struck fast and sure. The Kepler knife took the boot and the foot inside off with ease. Roak sneered at the wail of pain as the footless thug collapsed next to him. Roak buried the Kepler deep into the thug's eye socket. The wailing stopped.
And so did the 714's plasma cannons.
"Hessa?" Roak croaked as he struggled up onto his feet. "How fucked are we?"
"I am secure on Zuus still," Hessa replied. "But you are really and truly fucked."
Roak grabbed for a stray plasma rifle, missed, took a deep breath, and tried again. He managed to stand upright and get the rifle to his shoulder as the mob of controlled Jafla citizens raced towards him.
"Well. Any ideas?" Roak asked. "Moltrans?"
"The 714 is not equipped," Hessa said, her voice filled with emotion." Roak…? I…"
"Nah, don't say it," Roak replied. He took a deep breath and centered himself as much as he could. Then he took aim, slowly let out the breath, and opened fire. "Goodbye, Hessa."
"Goodbye, Roak…"
18.
"Get your low caste ass in the ship!" Meshara yelled over the comm. "The cargo hold is open and I have everyone inside, Roak."
Roak could tell he wouldn't make it even as he fired at the mob and sprinted towards the 714. The mob was going to cut him off before he could reach the open hold.
"The port airlock!" Nimm yelled.
"Glad you're awake," Roak said. "I should apologize to you, Nimm."
Hessa didn't mark the time and date and that was when Roak knew he was in very deep terpigshit.
"Apologize in person," Nimm said. "The airlock is open and waiting for you."
Roak could see the airlock, it was only a few meters away. But he could also see a dozen thugs that were sprinting straight at it instead of straight at Roak.
"Close the ship!" Roak ordered.
The airlock closed instantly.
"I saw them," Hessa said, choking back a sob.
"AIs don't cry, Hessa," Roak said.
"Fuck you, Roak," H
essa replied. "I'll cry if I want to."
"I mean AIs can't cry," Roak said.
"Roak, let it go," Nimm said. "I think I can get some more charge to the plasma cannons. I could power them up completely if I could start the engines!"
"Try now," a voice interrupted. "I was able to override the fine. Your ship should be released."
"Poq?" Roak asked.
"Yes, Roak, it is I," Poq replied. "Would you mind reversing your trajectory and retreat towards the lift you arrived in?"
"Why would I do that?" Roak asked.
The answer to his question came in the form of a sea of attacking thugs being parted down the middle by a speeding roller. A speeding roller that was aimed directly for him.
Roak spun about and retreated back to the lift as bodies flew this way and that.
A body collided with Roak's back, sending him sprawling to the floor, but he scrambled back up onto his feet and kept moving. He didn't need to look back over his shoulder to know that the roller was almost on him.
As soon as Roak was close enough to the wide-open lift he dove head first inside, tucking his wounded shoulder so he could roll up against the far wall and use that as leverage to get back up onto his feet.
"You did not die!" Hessa cheered.
"Not yet," Roak said as he watched the incoming roller get closer and closer.
At the last second, the roller spun to the right and slid sideways almost up against the lift's opening.
The gore-covered side door opened and Poq stepped out.
"Hessa or Nimm, you will want to leave now," Poq said.
The android walked casually into the lift and activated the doors. They slammed shut on several father-controlled beings, spraying both of them with plenty of blood and bits of flesh. An arm hung between the doors for a moment then fell to the lift floor. Roak kicked it to the side.
"Thanks for that," Roak said.
"Time and date!" Hessa cried with obvious joy.
"Hold a moment," Poq said. "Hessa or Nimm? You must leave now."
"What about Roak?" Hessa asked.
"I will make sure Roak leaves the planet unharmed," Poq said. He glanced sideways at the gore-coated Roak. "Or no more harmed than he already is. Please lift off now."
"I am prepping the ship for liftoff," Nimm responded.
"Do not prep," Poq said. "There is no time for that."
"Why…?" Nimm asked.
"I have set the roller to self-destruct," Poq stated. "You have less than three minutes to leave before the hangar is destroyed."
The lift shuddered then moved at a speed that threw Roak up against the wall.
"A little warning," Roak said as he steadied himself. He clamped a hand over his shoulder. "Not at my best right now."
"Yes. Here," Poq said and pulled a small med kit from a pocket. "This will stop the bleeding."
Roak took the kit and fished out a compression bandage. He slapped it to his shoulder and the bandage instantly merged with Roak's light armor and sealed over his wound. The pain eased, but Roak also lost all mobility in his left arm as the bandage locked his shoulder into place.
"Kalaka is in a med pod," Meshara reported. "Yellow Eyes is not doing well, though. I will monitor him closely and switch the two out if need be."
"Thanks, Meshara," Roak said and added before Hessa could say anything, "Time and date. Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"Lifting off now," Nimm said. "Traffic control is shouting their heads off, but they aren't stopping us."
"They cannot stop you," Poq said. "All systems on Jafla Base have been corrupted by the one you call Father. He is using his resources to maintain his control over the populace."
"So he can't stop this lift?" Roak asked.
"He would not be able to anyway," Poq responded. "This lift is not connected to the main grid or network. The construction and ingenuity are to be admired. Shava Stem Shava should have focused on this technology instead of the orb fights. He would have been exponentially more successful as a businessbeing."
"It may have kept him alive too," Roak said. "I don't run across many lift tycoons in my line of work."
"He was a corrupt being at his core," Poq said. "Your paths would have eventually crossed anyway."
"Probably," Roak said and shrugged. And winced.
He took a couple of deep breaths.
"Where are we going?" Roak asked. "Not back to the Gas Chamber?"
"Why would I take you back there?" Poq asked. "It is a dead zone. And completely engulfed in flame."
"Then where?"
"The municipal building hangar," Poq said. "We will escape using a GF speeder."
"Good plan," Roak said. "You sure Father can't control that too?"
"Like I said before, Roak," Poq replied, "your Father is too occupied with controlling the entire population of Jafla Base to be able to also control all vehicles on this planet."
"Are you sure about that? Because the asshole tends to find ways of making beings eat their words."
"I do not eat."
"It's an expression."
"Which does not apply to me since I do not eat."
"Never the Hells mind." Roak pulled his Flott. "You don't happen to have an extra charge for this?"
"Not at the moment, but you may charge the weapon on the speeder."
"I might need it before that. I have a feeling we're going to have company when we arrive."
"Yes. True," Poq said and fished a Blorta 22 laser pistol from a different pocket. "This will have to do."
"Better than nothing," Roak said as he checked the weapon. "But not by much."
The lift doors opened onto a lavatory.
"Of course," Roak said. "Shava Stem Shava connected his special lift to the Jafla PD toilet."
"This is but one of many toilets in the building," Poq said.
The android stepped out of the lift and waited for Roak to join him. He then reached back inside and executed a series of keystrokes on the lift's interface.
"You're gonna blow the lift too," Roak stated. "You sure we don't want to keep it intact? Just in case."
"Just in case of what?"
"Just in case we can't get to the PD hangar and need a way out of this building."
"If we cannot get to the hangar then we will not be able to return to this lavatory and the lift." The lift doors closed. "It is a moot point since what I have initiated cannot be uninitiated."
"No return," Roak said. "I like your style."
"I do not have a style," Poq said.
"Hessa? Can you give this guy a crash course on galactic slang and sayings?" Roak called.
"I can do that," Hessa replied.
Poq stiffened for less than a second then shook his head. "That was unwanted. None of these words or phrases make sense."
"What language does?" Roak asked. He looked at his little Blorta then at the lavatory door. "Where do we go?"
"Take an immediate left once we leave this room," Poq said. "Five doors down will be the entrance to the stairwell. We proceed up to the rooftop hangar."
"And you're sure Father isn't controlling the GF vehicles up there?"
"I am as sure as a being can be considering the unprecedented circumstances we have found ourselves in."
"That didn't answer the question."
"Because there is no true answer. I cannot be certain until we have reached a speeder and I am able to inspect it up close."
"I have a lot more unwanted words and phrases I want to express, but I'm not going to," Roak said. He nodded at the lavatory door controls. "You first."
"So I may be cover in case we are fired upon immediately?" Poq asked.
"Yep."
"Very well. There are no beings outside this lavatory."
"Wait, what?"
Poq opened the door and stepped from the lavatory without answering. Roak was right behind him.
"Eight Million Gods!" Roak exclaimed. He jammed the back of his hand to his nose. "What is that?"
"That would b
e the smell of burning flesh from several different species of beings," Poq replied. "Interesting. That would explain the lack of police officers on this floor."
"Fire ants," Roak said. "They've already spread through the city."
"Yes. They have utilized the plumbing and electrical conduits in order to travel from area to area quickly. They are quite industrious."
"Good for them," Roak said. "Fifth door down?"
"Yes."
Roak moved along the hall, his eyes scanning every point of possible attack, his Blorta up and ready. Poq was directly behind him.
They reached the stairwell and Roak was about to open the door when Poq stopped him.
"Allow me," Poq said.
He flung open the door and rushed into the stairwell, his fists moving so fast that Roak could barely track their movement. What he could track was the blood of many colors that filled the air as Poq shredded his way through the beings that clogged the stairwell.
The stench of burning flesh was mixed with the strong odor of fire suppressant. It was almost overpowering as Roak followed Poq into the stairwell. Fire ant husks crunched under Roak's boots.
Beings of all species clogged the space, several of them already dead, but most of them able to move and attack even with their limbs fused to their sides by fire foam. They came at Roak with mouths wide open, teeth ready to tear through Roak's armor. He fired point blank at everyone and everything, staying close behind Poq as the android battled its way up the stairs towards the rooftop hangars.
A Gwreq missing three of its four arms, with the fourth dangling by a thread-thin tendon, dodged Poq's attack and rushed Roak. The bounty hunter got the Blorta under the Gwreq's chin, which wasn't too hard since the being was a good half-meter taller than Roak, and squeezed the trigger. The top of the Gwreq's head burst open like a brain fountain and the Gwreq's corpse tumbled over the railing onto the landing below.
Roak watched the Gwreq fall then wished he hadn't. The sight below wasn't pretty. There had to be hundreds of smoking and smoldering controlled beings trying to force their way up the stairwell through the waterfall of already scorched corpses.
"How many floors?" Roak shouted.
"Fifteen," Poq replied.
"Are you…?" Roak took a deep breath, gagged a little, took another deep breath, and nodded. "Fifteen. Great."