Sanctuary 1 (The Foliage Series Book 3)

by Aline Riva

  Jekel stood three floors above, looking down in horror, clutching at the rail as his flooring almost slipped with the sway for the broken walkway beneath him, then he clung tighter to the rail, losing his gun as it slipped from his grasp, and stepped into the small, compact control area and looked down at the severed cable at his feet.

  “What now?” he said aloud, and then as a shot whistled past his head and studded into the wall, he did the only thing he could and activated his stealth mode and vanished.

  On the ground level, Lynch fought back from the pain that had knocked him on his back and raised his head and shoulders, aiming the gun at the man who fought with Riley, squeezing the trigger and peppering the attacker with bullet holes as he struck Riley with the butt of his gun in a last desperate blow, knocking him to his knees as he slumped bleeding to the floor. As a second hail of bullets came his way, Lynch felt a second hit in his shoulder, and as the force jerked him backwards, he fired again, punching a bullet into the side of Byron Leather. Then Lynch slumped back, breathing hard as he fought pain and blood and cybernetic fluid leaked from his wounds.

  Leather ignored his dead companions and the battered and bruised Blake Riley, who was on his hands and knees and bleeding from a gash to his brow as he tried to breathe and fight of the urge to collapse. Leather picked up the sword and tossed it aside, laughing darkly as he looked down at Riley, then he set his sights across the room to where Felix Lynch, the man the cyborgs called a hero, was dragging himself up into a sitting position as he leant hard against the wall, wounded and unable to reach for his weapon.

  “Not quite so impressive now, are we, Lynch?” he said.

  And Elise ran in through the open door way, her sights on her wounded lover – as Leather fired a single shot.

  The bullet smacked against solid metal, punching a hole in artificial skin as metal gleamed through her camouflage clothing, and Elise turned, a slightly unearthly glow about her eyes as she regarded her attacker.

  “Better luck next time,” she said, and raised her gun, as Leather turned a dial on his and her finger slipped from the trigger as a charge emitted from his weapon, sending a shudder through her inner circuits, and Else dropped the gun, falling lifeless to the floor in the middle of the room.

  Leather clutched at his bleeding wound and looked at the dead android.

  “That was easy,” he remarked, and Lynch gave a yell of pain and anger as he rolled for his gun, grabbed it and opened fire on the man who killed his lover.

  Three bullets hit Leather, and he swayed, his blackened eyes seeing nothing, and he fell heavily.

  Then Lynch dropped the gun, looking up to the top of the tower.

  “Jekel!” he yelled, and Jekel disabled his stealth mode, looking down from the top in alarm at the sight of Elise dead on the floor.

  “Those cables..” he said as he pulled himself into a sitting position and clutched at leaking cybernetic fluid that ran from his hip, “Join them...Join the cables, Jekel!”

  The former illusionist's eyes widened as he looked to the cables and back down at Lynch.

  “That's the power supply to a massive shield system. I'll be electrocuted!”

  “Just do it, Jekel! Thirty seconds, come on!”

  “No!”he exclaimed.

  “Fucking do it!” Lynch yelled.

  Riley had staggered to his feet. He looked to Elise and up at Jekel.

  “He's right, Ash, You'll be okay. You can withstand much more than this – I designed your cyborg spec...trust me. Join the cables.”

  “Twenty seconds!” Lynch yelled.

  Jekel picked up the severed ends in utter confusion.

  “I hope you're right!” he called to Riley, and held the bare ends together.

  The power surged through the cables, through his own systems, shuddering his body as the power arced and headed for ground, running across the floor, sending the body of Elise to a violent convulsion with the force of the shock.

  As his own inner computer warned of overload, Jekel pulled the cables apart, let them fall, stepped over them and then looked down.

  “What did I just do that for?” he demanded.

  Riley exchanged a glance with Jekel, then with Lynch, and he and Lynch laughed as Jekel continued to look down in confusion.

  “Thirty seconds,” Lynch explained, drawing in a breath as he bore the pain of the bullets in his body, “She has an emergency cover system in the event of a massive electrical shock...a second shock within a window of thirty seconds and -”

  “I restart,” Elise said, sitting up and turning her head, she saw the enemy was motionless face down and his two gunmen clearly dead, and as she got up she smiled as she looked to Lynch.

  “Sorry about that,” she added as she went over to him and looked down at him, “I only showed up to help... looks like you need helping up from the floor!”

  As she reached for him and helped him to stand, Lynch looked up at Jekel and laughed despite his pain.

  “I take back every bad thing I ever said to you, Ash Jekel!” he called up, “ You've earned your stripes, Tiger...Thank you so much for rebooting my girlfriend!”

  And Riley laughed and so did Lynch, as Elise looked up to the top and smiled.

  “You saved me,” she said.

  Jekel looked down, partly balancing on the broken walkway as he replied.

  “Now I've been a hero I'll just climb down this thing like its a massive ladder and go and find Joy,” he said, “I want her back. I love her.”

  “You do that,” Lynch said warmly.

  And with his dying breath, Byron Leather raised his head, then his gun in a shaking hand, aiming for the back of Riley's head. He squeezed the trigger, the shot missed the target as the shooter slumped dead, the bullet flew high, clipping the shoulder of Jekel's jacket, throwing him off balance. Jekel slipped, grabbed for the rail but clutched at thin air and fell three floors, landing hard on his back as something inside him snapped loudly.

  “No!” Lynch yelled, “No!”

  But as he turned around he knew his rage was wasted on a dead man – Byron Leather was finished as he lay in a pool of blood beside the two felled gunman.

  Elise looked on in horror as Blake fell to his knees, ripped open Jekel's shirt and looked down at the sharp object visibly protruding through his abdomen.

  “Oh Ash, no!” he said, drawing a knife from the inside of his boot. As he used it to slit Jekel's body open Elise gave a gasp, watching as the flesh began to close up again and Riley held the incision open with one hand as with the other, he switched off his internal battery and then manually twisted the cables to rejoin the wires.

  “He's severed his main cable...I don't think I can get him back from this... but I can try...”

  As Lynch leant against the wall he pulled away from her supportive grip as Elise looked at him in confusion.

  “I'll live,” Lynch said, “Flesh wounds and some metal work punctures...Go and find Joy...just find her!”

  As they had cleared the door and Joy had run faster than she had ever realised she could the tower went up, shaking the ground as the explosion flung them to the hillside. Then in the smoke and the debris as the remaining survivors battled amongst the chaos, as a hail of bullets hit enemy soldiers who had survived the rubble as the house collapsed, the shooter lowered his gun and through the smoke, Kait's eyes filled with tears as she recognised the man who had just fired off the barrage of rounds.

  “Lexie!” she yelled and as he stepped away from a wall, he put his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder.

  “I said I'd find you,” he told her, and their lips met in a brief kiss, then he let go of her and staggered back, taking his hand off his coat as blood soaked through.

  “Sorry Kait, I'm hit,” he said and slumped against the wall as his eyes closed and she fell to her knees and embraced him.

  “Someone help us!” she yelled above the chaos.

  In the distance gunfire could be heard, but here it had fa
llen silent.

  Then Joy saw men she recognised from Bullet, their guns were down and they were searching the devastation for the wounded.

  “Over here!” she called, then she put her hand on Kait's shoulder.

  “I have to go,” she told her as in the distance, explosions could still be heard, “I need to find Murdock!” Then Joy dashed off through the smoke, heading in the direction of the gunfire as the last gasp of the battle was starting to fade out.

  As Joy ran through the smoke and headed towards the gunfire, her heart was racing, then an enemy soldier slammed the butt of a gun into her face and she fell on her back, as he aimed his rifle she slammed her finger on the trigger of her own weapon, pumping him with lead as the shots knocked him on his back. Then she got up again, wiping blood from her brow as she noticed a large gash on her arm from falling, she had hit a rock and it had torn through her clothing and through her flesh, but she ignored the pain as she kept going, in the distance through clearing smoke she saw Murdock in his dark uniform, the same one she recalled him wearing during the battle for Freedom, with the name Murdock illuminated on the back. As he fired more rounds at retreating aggressors, for a moment the battle fell silent and it seemed all of time had stood still as he turned, looked through his visor, then lowered his weapon and released his helmet.

  Joy's heart was pounding as she ran to him, over head the last rumble of a fading storm was dying out and as she reached him and looked into his eyes, she was breathless.

  “Murdock!” she said, and he smiled.

  Somewhere far off beyond the swirling smoke, rounds were still being exchanged, but now they were fading, as the battle died its natural death – Joy had already worked out the consequence – the guards of King Steel and the army from Bullet had won...

  “I'm so glad you -”

  Then a boom knocked them sideways as a final blast kicked up dirt and debris nearby. Murdock caught Joy's waist and they fell to the ground as dirt rained down, but then more shots rang out, and finally, the battle fell silent.

  “What a reunion!” Murdock remarked and he laughed, despite the tiny cut to his cheek from flying debris, and got up from the battlefield, taking Joy's hand and pulling her to her feet.

  Joy stared in surprise as the tiny cut to his cheek closed up right away, leaving behind just a drop of shining blood where the wound had just been open. Then she recalled her own injuries and looked down at her wounded arm – her clothing was bloodied, but the wound was gone.

  Murdock gave her a knowing look.

  “You don't have a single scratch on you,” he said, and he chuckled, recalling the fast healing ability of the agent they had both shared long ago in their bloodstreams.

  “So I don't...and neither do you!” she said in surprise. Then as she looked at the man she could never forget, who she had been through so much with as they had fought a war five years before, her heart ached.

  “I wish you could stay.”

  “I wish I could too, I mean that... But I was never meant for this place...”Murdock told her.

  Joy wasn't about to give up.

  “But look at this place...we need you here! They need you!”

  He looked into her eyes.

  “They have you... And you're all they will ever need.”

  Joy blinked away tears and look back to the town as she thought of Jekel and Lynch and wondered if they have held off Leathers men, but torn between her emotions, turned back to Murdock once more.

  “I always wanted you to stay!”

  “It's been five years, Joy. Ever thought that maybe I was just waiting for you to call?”

  Murdock chuckled, knowing how old school that had just sounded.

  Joy smiled, looking fondly at him.

  “So what now, where will you go?”

  “Well, while I was waiting for that call that never came...” Murdock winked, “I've been assembling a crew, oh... Didn't I mention that?”

  “A crew?” Joy asked.

  Murdock explained.

  “A discovery team, we're leaving earth.”

  Joy stared at him as those words sunk in.

  “For how long?”

  “As long as it takes,” he told her, “There's no place for us here, look at what the world has become, our only hope now is to reach up there... And find something better, or maybe answers!”

  Joy's heart ached for Murdock, but at the same time her thoughts turned again to Jekel as she wondered if he made it through the battle.

  “As long as it takes?” she echoed as she blinked away tears, “Blimey, you don't do anything by haves, do you!”

  Murdock smiled.

  “You're going to do an amazing job, Joy... Don't you ever doubt that. And I'm almost certain I'll be back... You'll see me again one day.”

  Joy stepped forward and embraced him. As he held her, Murdock planted a kiss on her brow and then stepped back again.

  “You'd better stay safe, you hear me? I won't forgive you if you go and get yourself killed! Stay safe. I love you, Murdock.”

  Just then Elise emerged through the fading smoke of the ended battle, she ran up to Joy and said her name.

  Joy turned her head and smiled.

  “Elise,” she said, “This is Captain Nathan Murdock. He helped us win today.”

  And Elise immediately understood that bad news would have to wait, as she stepped forward, placed her hand on Murdock's cheek and looked into his eyes.

  “Thank you,” she said softly, and then she drew her hand away and with the other one, grabbed at Joy's bloody sleeve.

  “Joy you need to come with me -”

  “Soon,” Joy replied, and as Elise stepped back, she blinked away tears thinking of Jekel and his broken main cable...as a part android she knew what that meant – Jekel stood little chance of survival. He was probably already gone. But this was Captain Murdock, the man Joy had loved first, and so she said no more, keeping back as they continued to speak.

  “If this is goodbye,” Joy said to him, “Know that you're always in my heart.”

  “And you will always be in mine,” he promised her. It was then Murdock got a sudden idea.

  “Hey...do you want to come with me? I'm due to leave in one hour – but there's something I want to show you quickly...it won't take long.”

  Joy smiled and nodded, Elise went to call her name again, but as Joy walked off towards the war bird, she guessed she may as well make the most of this time, she was certain she would not be returning to good news...

  Down below ground in the vast medical centre below the palace, Jekel was on the operating table, his suit was off and a sheet covered his body save for the wound that was now clamped open to prevent his rapid healing from closing it up again, as the torn cable was exposed. His eyes were shut and his breathing was shallow despite the tube in his mouth that passed into his throat, pumping air into his lungs.

  The scan had showed the worst possible scenario – the snapped cable had shut off power to the twenty thousand fine wires inserted into Jekel's brain tissue, the cable repair and restart of power had brought back most connections – but there was still an area that stayed dark and that left him with little options. Riley was already scrubbed up and in his surgeon's attire as he looked to the android nurse who stood beside him.

  “I want you to pull in every spare medic droid we have – leave the nurses to deal with the walking wounded I have OR 3 and 4 ready for the surgical and maintenance repair cases. I need a team in here urgently... He needs a spare power line fed from the wire cluster at the base of the brain to boost the power supply to bring the dead section back. I'll need to do this the old fashioned way, open up his skull and flush the surface of the brain with cybernetic fluid and then link the wire and hope for the best. I need surgical assistants...find them!”

  The human looking android nodded and left the operating room. Then Riley looked to the other medic who stood nearby.

  “Set up a peripheral line and a very slow and careful infusi
on of 5000 mg of Altinixtine - he's got a formula inside him that gives his flesh rapid healing ability. We have to cancel that out now, the cable work has to be done, I'm doing a battery replacement at the same time and his skull will be open for hours, we can't afford to risk anything closing up before time.”

  Then as the medic set up the IV, Riley turned away from the table, pain reflecting in his eyes as he thought of those closest to Jekel, who he now needed the most.

  “Where are you, Joy?” he said quietly.

  As Joy entered the war bird she had noticed it had gained a few scratches and scars since she had last seen it, but it strangely felt like home it be back on board as memories flooded her mind.

  “Bet this brings back some memories,” said Murdock.

  “It does, she agreed, and then her gaze fell on her favourite chair and she sat down and strapped herself in, looking to Murdock with admiration in her eyes.

  “Oh, the way you handled this craft...I watched your every move, I never saw anything like it before or since.”

  “One more trip for old times sake?” he asked as he took his place in the pilot's seat.

  Joy smiled.

  “Why not?” she said warmly, and Murdock fired up the engines, and the powerful craft rose with grace from the bloodstained battlefield, and took off into the skies, leaving the smoke and the carnage far behind.

  As they flew on together, Joy watched his handling of the craft with an admiration that had not dimmed as the war bird flew on, as now and then Murdock glanced back at Joy, and she smiled fondly.

  “One last flight,” she said, “I like that, Murdock. Yeah, we needed this.”

  “Indeed we did,” he agreed, “And you're about to get a big surprise.”

  They were descending now, but before the war bird made its final approach towards an open area of land, in the distance she saw that sat upon the ground was a large vessel, three times the size of the War bird in a similar matching Matt black shade.