Maniacs: 01 - The Krittika Conflict

by Nick S. Thomas

  "When fighters like you stay home and rob the locals, it’s no wonder the Alliance is losing the war."

  Hunter looked down at the belt that identified Viktor. Looking at the pistol across the floor that had struck him, confirmed it.

  "You aren't exactly out fighting the cause either," he spat back.

  "Maybe I prefer killing punks like you."

  Viktor roared as he rushed forward with the assault.

  * * *

  "Run!" Liu screamed.

  Erin raced to where they were falling back, and he threw a grenade around the corner where she had come from. It exploded and was followed by screams of pain by those caught in the blast.

  "Keep moving!"

  Erin struggled to reload her rifle as they made their way to the next line of cover.

  "Where are we going?"

  "Anywhere, so as not to get overrun!"

  He turned and took a knee beside the frame of an archway leading into a conference hall.

  "We can't keep running forever."

  "Then nail these next bastards, and let's see if we can't hold some ground."

  The militia continued to advance, but the first two were cut down by fire. The next few fired as they came through, but the shots didn't find their targets, as both Erin and Liu fired from cover. As another of the militiamen was struck down, the other two grabbed him and hauled him back to safety.

  "All right, they're starting to lose momentum."

  * * *

  Mason's gun raged as he stepped through into a hallway where militiamen were gathering up ammunition from a table. He was firing on full auto, and blood spewed out over the counter when only one managed to return fire. The shot hit the gun and hit into his armour. He jolted slightly, the broken shotgun falling from his hands. He ripped his pistol out and fired two shots from the hip, killing the man instantly.

  A stairway led up beyond their position to an elevated luxury office space. He could already tell it must be Volkov's centre of operations.

  "Volkov! I'm coming for you!" he roared at the top of his voice.

  He heard a weapon cock inside the large room. He rushed up the steps without any form of caution.

  I want blood, and I want it soon!

  The entrance was completely round, leading to a wide hallway that opened out into a bar with sofas and large projection screens. It was more like a playboy's mansion than a Colonel's office.

  "Volkov! Come out and fight me, you coward!"

  His voice came over speakers all around the room.

  "What is it you want from me, Captain? What? Money? Power? Do you want to be my new right hand and share in this wealth?"

  "I want your head!"

  It all went quiet. Mason expected to see the Colonel coming at him at any moment and turned continually with his pistol held at the ready. Instead, he was greeted by the sound of machinery firing up and doors opening high on the walls. He looked up at robotically mounted lasers articulating out from the walls. Looking back for just a second, he could see even heavier weapons at the entrance.

  "Oh, shit."

  He launched into a running pace further into the room as laser fire landed at his feet. One of them scorched his shoe, and he leapt over a large conference table for cover. He breathed heavily, looking around for a way out. The guns had stopped firing. He was safe for a moment.

  "What is your price, Mason?" Volkov asked over the tannoy.

  The fact he’s asking means he’s scared.

  Gunfire still raged throughout the building. Volkov had no idea how many Mason had with him, and it was better it stayed that way.

  "I'm not going to let you live, Mason. Keep this up, maybe you'll kill me, maybe you won't, but what about the price to you and your friends? How many more of them have to die before you call it enough?"

  "You're really starting to bore me!"

  "Then let me make your life more interesting, Captain."

  Ah, shit, I'm not gonna like this!

  Doors opened in the ceiling above him. He looked up, and clamps were coming off a domed device half a metre wide. He jumped to his feet and ran as fast as he could as the dome dropped. As it reached the middle of the room, it erupted with a white flash of light and a blast, propelling Mason through the air. It slammed him into the far sidewall.

  He just about got to his feet when a ten-metre radius around where he had previously stood had been vaporised. He tried to shake of the ringing in his ears and was just about getting his hearing back.

  "I'm still standing, you bastard!"

  He took pleasure in knowing Volkov was probably cursing the gods as he stood defiantly before the damage. He looked around. He was now standing beside a large ornate desk with a comfy chair behind it and a drinks cabinet at the side.

  "So this is your throne? Doesn't look like much, anymore."

  He scanned the area, trying to find any sign of where the Colonel could be hiding, and then he saw it; a safe room door. A display cabinet obscured it, but the blast had revealed the frame.

  "Hiding like the coward you are?"

  No response came.

  "Unfortunately for you, Colonel, this ain't the first time I've had to deal with a safe room." He walked along the edge of the wall, tapping it with his pistol butt.

  "Pretty much every one builds the air filtration system into the wall."

  His pistol tapped a hollow point. "And there you have it."

  He turned his pistol around and fired three shots into the area. The interior wall fragmented. He pulled the last grenade from his vest and looked up to the door for one last moment.

  "Last chance, Colonel."

  No reply came. He twisted the arming cap and stuffed the grenade in through the hole until it hit the metalwork of the air cleaner. He quickly rushed back and hid behind the heavy-duty desk as the explosion blew the room apart. Smoke clouded the office as he rushed to the blast area. The grenade had blown the filtration system apart, creating a hole big enough to crawl through. He peered in. It was just a few metres square inside, and there was an open door the other side.

  "Goddamn it."

  He crawled through into the space. Volkov couldn't have been inside when the grenade erupted. Shards of the filtration system were imbedded like shrapnel in all four walls, and yet there was no sign of blood.

  "Gonna have to flush you out," he said to himself.

  * * *

  Erin reloaded her rifle and looked out down the corridor. It was eerily quiet.

  "Where are they, Liu?" she asked.

  "Maybe they've run?" he answered hopefully.

  She shook her head, turning back to see a fresh wave rush through the door, screaming as they fired.

  "No such luck!"

  They fired back, but as they did, Erin heard a laser fire from behind them. Liu dropped to the floor, and smoke poured from his body armour where he had been struck. One of the militiamen turned the bend at their side, and she hit him with the stock of her rifle as hard as she could. It stopped him in his tracks and knocked him back a little, enough that she could turn the rifle around and fire two shots into his chest.

  She looked back; Liu was still firing at the rest.

  Thank God for body armour, he thought.

  None of the militiamen wore the expensive ballistic armour they did, a fact that spoke volumes of their leader.

  "We can't hold like this much longer!"

  "Just keep firing, Erin. They haven't got infinite numbers. Many more, and they'll break!"

  She looked down at the trail of bodies leading up to their position.

  "When?" she asked.

  They kept up the fire as lasers still shot past their heads. Erin's rifle ran out, and she reached for the dead militiaman's beside her. It was a bulky weapon compared to the one Mason had given her, but it was better than nothing.

  "Give it up!" Liu shouted. "Your Colonel doesn't care for your lives! Don't die for nothing!"

  They both knew the militiamen kept fighting because they
were being paid handsomely to do so, and it was hard to beat that. Liu was praying Mason had found Volkov and was dealing with him, for if not, they were in serious trouble.

  Chapter 14

  "Come on!" Viktor roared.

  Hunter was looking tired and blood gushed from both his mouth and nose, but Viktor's face was swelling up from strikes too, and they were both beginning to slow. Vik's smile weighed heavily on Hunter psychologically - he couldn't break his opponent. Viktor wasn't much of a technical fighter or one who would put on much of a pretty display, but he was a veteran brawler.

  The Sergeant quickly jabbed twice at Viktor who took the punches and answered them with a hard hook that Hunter was too tired to avoid. He staggered back from the strike but came right back at him with a kick to the inside of Viktor's knee. It wobbled his leg slightly. Hunter continued forward to press the advantage and drove in with a knee. It never connected; Viktor struck him hard with a straight punch that threw his upper body back while his legs still went forward. He slammed hard into the ground, but Viktor wasn't done with him.

  He grabbed the Sergeant by the collar and hauled him to his feet. Hunter tried to punch to the ribs but was met with a headbutt to the face. It burst his already bleeding nose. Viktor stepped forward, grabbed Hunter, rotated him fully, and dropped him on his head. The Sergeant's neck snapped as he hit the floor, and his body went limp. Viktor let go, allowing it to slump down in front of him.

  Vik wiped the sweat and blood from his face and then smiled in response. It was the most fun he'd had all day, but a relief having won.

  * * *

  Volkov was running down the corridors of his ruined palace, hoping to find any of his militia.

  "Hunter?" he whispered. "Sergeant Hunter?"

  He called but no response came.

  "Fuck, fuck," he said quietly to himself. He heard gunfire and turned to look down a long room and smiled. He thought he'd found allies and got moving, only to stop dead as he saw Erin and Liu fighting frantically. He turned back to change direction but had the shock of his life to find Mason standing before him.

  "No where left to run, Colonel."

  Volkov saw Mason's hands were empty. The only gun he had was holstered at his side. He smiled as he took a firmer grip on the multi-laser he was carrying.

  "You're a little outgunned, don't you think?"

  "Size isn't everything. You know how to use yours?"

  Volkov took his opportunity and lifted the weapon to fire, but Mason's gun was out of the holster and lighting up the room before he could even take aim. Volkov yelped as a shot hit his gun and burnt the back of his right hand. The gun fell from his hands.

  "Fuck!" he screamed, spinning around in pain. "What are we even doing this for? I offered you everything you could have ever dreamed of!"

  "You've taken what can never be replaced."

  "And you've killed too. Let's not forget who started the killing?"

  "Tell it to someone who cares."

  "What are they paying you for this job? Twenty?"

  "Ten."

  Volkov laughed.

  "Ten? I'll give you twenty just to walk out of here and leave this world."

  "A nice offer, but you see, here’s the problem. I took a job, and I'm gonna finish it."

  Volkov shook his head and then flicked his wrist. A small pocket gun slid out from his sleeve. He fired before Mason noticed what was going on. The shot hit his right arm, forcing him to release the grip on his pistol. As the second shot came at his head, he ducked and rolled forward, launching him into Volkov. He knocked them both to the floor.

  Mason reached down and took a hold of the gun and its fragile fixing, ripped it from his wrist, and threw it aside. His right arm felt weak, but he was ignoring it with all his strength. Volkov had drawn Mason's knife and thrust it towards him. He got a lock on his wrist in time, striking him twice in the head to make him loosen his grip. The Captain got up and threw the knife aside.

  "Every cheap play in the book. You're no man. You're pathetic," Mason sneered.

  He let Volkov get to his feet and take a stance. Although he was certainly trained, Mason didn't care.

  "Why not take the money? Retire, buy a place like this, and live how you want to live?" he asked.

  "Time for talk is over. It's time for you to answer for what you have done."

  "And you think you are the man to do it?"

  He rushed forward, driving a surprisingly quick snap kick into Mason's stomach and a knee into the side of his head. Mason stumbled across the room, gathering his composure.

  "Good, I thought this was gonna be too easy."

  Volkov came at him once against, first with a punch. Mason got a lock on it, collapsed his elbow in at the joint, and drove a hard knee into his abdomen. He recovered quickly and spun out of the lock, kicked Mason's knee out from behind, and took a chokehold. It was a hard hold, and Mason was already starting to feel the air being restricted. He reached back to punch Volkov in the head but couldn't get any power into the strike.

  Mason's vision was starting to blur, and he could feel the energy being sapped out his body.

  No way, he told himself.

  He drove his elbow into Volkov's side twice. It didn’t force him to release his grip but was enough to gain some room to manoeuvre. He stamped down on Volkov's foot with all the strength he could muster and crushed his toes. Through the pain, his grip weakened slightly. Mason reached back, took a hold of his hair, and yanked him overhead. He was thrown over Mason's shoulder and crashed down onto the floor.

  The wind was blasted out of Volkov's lungs, but Mason went down on one knee and took some deep breaths. He watched as Volkov got to his feet and tried to run towards a stairway. Mason staggered to his feet and rushed after the Colonel. He reached him as he got to the top of the stairs and barged into him. They both crashed through a large window at the top of the stairs.

  They burst out from the first floor window of the inner courtyard and were showered in glass. Mason had only a second to see what they were heading for, an open swimming pool. They crashed into the water, narrowly missing the hard edges that would have split their skulls open.

  Volkov was up first, wading through the water to the shallow ramp to get out, but Mason was close behind. He leapt forward, managing to catch the back of his shirt and drag them both under. Volkov turned and fought back with a flurry of shots as they re-surfaced, but Mason blocked the first two, hitting with a straight punch and immediately following with an elbow. The impact landed hard and stunned the Colonel.

  Mason grabbed a hold of his head before he could recover and smashed it down on the edge of the pool. He immediately pulled it back and did the same again. Volkov's head split open and blood gushed out into the water. A third time made sure, and Mason let go. Volkov's body floated out across the water. Blood continued to spread out all around the two of them.

  He looked up. Erin was standing at a doorway ten metres in front of him and looking in horror. He thought she was appalled by the brutality, but the next words out of her mouth surprised him.

  "You okay?"

  He nodded in agreement and strode up the ramp, the bloody water dripping from him. Footsteps approached from the opposite side to Erin. Mason watched as half a dozen militiamen appear at the doorway. They stopped, looking in shock at the blood filled pool and floating body of their leader. Mason glared at them with murderous intent, but he also knew unarmed he was in trouble if they were to keep fighting.

  "It's over. Go home," he stated.

  They were still stunned and uncertain of what to do.

  "You heard the man!" yelled Viktor.

  He appeared at a first floor window, opposite the one the Captain had fallen from. Viktor held the massive gun he had taken from the armoury and looked all too happy for the opportunity to use it. Mason looked back at the soldiers and could already hear the sound of their guns touching the ground. They hurriedly left without another word.

  "They were gonna su
rrender to me!" Mason shouted.

  "Yeah, when a man's got a gun trained on me, I'd rather be sure. They just needed a little convincing."

  Liu hobbled in and stood by Erin.

  "You finish it?" he asked before he could see the evidence for himself.

  "Little dramatic, don't you think?" he asked, looking at the blood pool.

  Mason sighed in relief, "It's over."

  "Shame, it was starting to get fun," added Viktor.

  "What now?" asked Erin.

  "We collect our payment."

  * * *

  They rolled back into town in Volkov's personal wagon. It had comfy seats and a great air conditioning system, but the mirrored windows meant nobody could see inside as they came in from the east. Many of the town’s people were out and had already begun the clean up. Most stopped and stared at the vehicle. They reached the bar, and Mitchell was on guard. He had a table set up with a heavy weapon resting on the table. He took careful aim at their approach. The doors opened, and he dropped the stock of the weapon and smiled.

  "Holy shit."

  He got up to greet them but was still a little unsteady on his feet. Viktor helped Liu out and dragged him along with little effort at all.

  "They're back!"

  The others came out to greet them. Andrews supported Hughes, and Hella looked like she was recovering from the world's worst hang over.

  "You kill him?"

  "Damn straight, Hell!"

  "So it's over?" asked Hughes.

  He looked around the town and the bodies and debris still strewn about.

  "For us, yes. But there's one more thing we have to do."

  Fifteen minutes later, they were riding out of town with the Boss’ body for burial. None of the town’s folk were with them, but they were happy to keep it to their crew only.

  "Where'd you want to do this?" Liu asked.

  Mason looked around and saw a lone tree, the only significant feature of the landscape.