The Bloodlust: (Volume Three of the Virion Series)

by R. L. M. Sanchez

  “Are you going to tell me that you're fighting for some noble cause? Give me a break!”

  “There's nothing noble about it. For true freedom, for our future, we must strip ourselves to our barest nature of barbarism. Tear down these walls of false security and mindless technologies to see the true threat to our existence! And only the Council holds us back.” McKenna tried to keep up with Kazan's words, but they weren’t making any sense to him.

  “You know they said you were one of the best,” McKenna said. “One of the smartest and most revered Marshals. But after being down here, seeing what this city is… I think I'm beginning to see their logic.”

  “Maybe you're not so dense after all,” Kazan chuckled as he reloaded his pistol. “I used to be an officer of justice and I uphold that still. I fight for the innocents. I fight for a cause hundreds of years in the making. He said you were stubborn, but I knew even you would understand.”

  “Yeah, I do understand,” McKenna’s voice calmed. “You're not crazy.” Kazan peeked around a pillar to where he thought McKenna was. “You're batshit insane!”

  McKenna dashed from the pillar, lined up Kazan with his pistol, and fired shot after shot, but the pillars were a constant obstacle with debris exploding out of them as the bullets struck. Kazan was already moving, keeping adequate cover in between and soon McKenna lost sight of him as he vanished behind another pillar. The distances were close and playing it smart could get either of them killed.

  “And what are you fighting for, McKenna?!” Kazan yelled. “Why are you here? Why accept the burden of a Marshal, the cold case of High Science?!”

  “What’s it to you? It’s a job that pays, isn’t it?”

  “You don't know those scientists, the good doctor, the people in the streets! Things are bigger than you! You’re just a recluse from another planet, an old dog of war, a fossil of a murderous age!”

  “I took a mission and I'm going to see it through. To you, it's as simple as that!”

  “So, it's your diminishing sense of honor that drives you?” Kazan said as he peeked around the pillar. “Yes, The Commander and I know full well what lengths you'd go just to see a mission through, what you'd sacrifice. You and he aren't much different, you know, except he isn't left battling his own conscious. No, I can tell you firsthand that in this age honor is dead!”

  McKenna popped from cover to see Kazan peel from a pillar just beside him and dash straight for him. The distance was too close. He raised his pistol but Kazan grabbed it and brought his own handgun up to McKenna's head, pulling the trigger, but he jerked his head to avoid the shot. He knocked the pistol’s aim away from Kazan and aimed his own pistol low into his gut. Kazan spun out of the way while grabbing McKenna's arm and the shot went off, hitting nothing but air. The jerking pain in his arm made McKenna grunt in discomfort.

  Kazan brought his pistol up to the back of McKenna's head, but it soon went out of view as McKenna spun to alleviate pressure on his arm. The boom of the handgun had McKenna's ears ringing for a few moments. He swept his free arm at Kazan's handgun, knocking it back momentarily, and then struck his other arm, breaking the hold. Kazan was already bringing the gun back up but McKenna sent his fists sweeping at the gun, finally prying it from his hands as it went flying into the dirt. McKenna delivered a powerful push kick, sending Kazan slamming into a pillar. He raised his pistol to see the slide locked back. He quickly loaded another magazine, but before he could chamber the round Kazan pulled a knife and threw it straight into McKenna's abdomen, just below the armor.

  Without wasting time, Kazan ran up to him and jumped into the air, performing a perfect scissor kick. The kick simultaneously struck McKenna's gun into the middle of the arena and smacked his face, sending blood onto the dirt. McKenna put his elbows above his head and brought them down on Kazan's neck, stunning him. He put a firm grasp on his upper body and threw him into the pillar to see it begin to crack. He threw him once more to see him go straight through it, making the stonework and flame tumbling down on Kazan. Kazan quickly scurried towards the middle of the arena, trying to make a dash for McKenna's pistol. As he stood up to run, McKenna pulled the knife out of his abdomen and threw it at Kazan's leg, straight into the calf muscle. Kazan grunted in pain as he tumbled a few meters before the gun, but his time was already ticking.

  Kazan crawled slowly to the gun, slowing with each second. McKenna wiped the blood from his lip and walked to the Marshal. He was surprised to see a faint blood trail soaking the red dirt as Kazan crawled. As he stood over him, he turned on his back, looking up at McKenna. He started reaching to his shoulders and unclasped his armor, throwing it off to the side. McKenna counted three bullet holes, two in the gut and one in the lungs. Kazan rested his heavy head on the dirt, accepting his defeat. He could feel his own blood begin to pool in his right lung. McKenna knelt and picked up his pistol.

  “Not bad, McKenna,” Kazan said as he coughed. “Maybe you'll make a name for yourself yet…”

  “Why, Kazan? You were a blade for the Council, the true agent of justice. What would make you turn your back on it all? The helpless, the lost, the innocent?”

  “I know how it looks to you and, if I was in your position, I would be on your side. You deserve to know… why I did it…”

  The blood was flowing non-stop from Kazan's wounds. They were fatal wounds. If he was shot on the operating table, it’d be a miracle if he survived. He didn’t have long. “I did it for us, for people. The word humanity is tossed around like a scientist's glossary term but we've forgotten what it is, not what it means to us but rather the rest of the galaxy. He showed me…”

  “The Commander?”

  “He wants our species to thrive so that we'll never suffer a genocide or another cataclysm. We're slowly ripping ourselves apart again, just like we did in the Dark Age. But they would love to see that again, even when we finally have the power to stop it. We can get rid of it. The undercities, the corruption, all the wars. You saw it in the streets. We can make ourselves equal with the rest of them.”

  “Kazan, you're not making any sense. What is The Commander planning? What does he want with the cure?”

  “Controlled Evolution, McKenna. Self-ascension.” McKenna shook his head, seeing the Kazan was just as delirious now than before the fight. “The Council spits on us from their cozy tower. Orintus understood in the end, at least he tried to unify us all. I fought for decades on the side of the law. I saw glimpses of the good from time to time but, truthfully, this city is a fucking death factory. People go in one way and body parts out the other. The whole planet… When I realized, that even as a Marshal I was a drop in the bucket, I gave up on it. Nothing can save us. But then he came along…”

  “It doesn't give you the right. The Commander saw many scientists killed, men and women, all dedicated to curing our species. I can't imagine how many you've killed to further The Commander's cause.”

  “And why do you kill? What motivations have you in that stone heart of yours? Or maybe you don’t even have that. You just do what you're told, right? Indoctrinated from infancy, sent to battle as a young boy, seeing blood and gore at a child’s age until you were satisfied with it. Until you craved it. Perfect killing machines. You try to refrain from killing your foes, but I know what you really are. It’s all a smoke screen, isn’t it?”

  Kazan winced in pain as his wounds unbearably tormented him. “McKenna, a Marshal turning on the Council is a treasonous action. There won't be a trial, no jury. I'm a dead man. From one soldier to another, make it quick.” The crowd began to entice McKenna as they started their cheer.

  “Red Fields, Red Fields, kill him in The Fields!”

  McKenna stood up and hit the slide release on his weapon, knocking the red dirt from the weapon and chambering a bullet.

  “That's what you Martians do, right? You never let a comrade suffer, you offer each other quick deaths. The reward for sacrifice. Or maybe it was some strange form of hara-kiri? I never understood you… Mar
tians.”

  McKenna aimed at Kazan's head and placed his finger on the trigger. Kazan wasn't afraid, he was the very opposite and true to his beliefs. “When you leave this place, understand why. I don't want to remember what I am, but I did it for us.”

  McKenna saw that Kazan truly believed his own words as his eyes wandered the heavens above and then saw a single tear roll down his face. He knew what he gave up and he hoped it was worth it as he wondered where his soul would go next. Kazan swallowed his fear and stared at McKenna again. Trial or not, Kazan would bleed out in moments. “Good luck when you find him, McKenna.”

  The thundering boom of the pistol quieted the crowd. McKenna looked at the smoking barrel almost with regret. The crowd wanted death but didn't fully expect a Marshal to kill one of their own, leading to their silent awe. He holstered the pistol and walked towards the nearest gate before stopping to look at the crowd. Still silent, he reminded them why they were watching in the first place.

  “What’s the matter?! You’ve never seen a man kill another before?!” he said as he walked out in anger. The crowd erupted shortly after his words.

  “Demon! Demon of The Fields!” a single crowd member said in excitement. The crowd began their cheer. “Martian! Martian! Martian!”

  McKenna looked at his hands to see them covered in blood and dirt as well as his clothes. He shook his head as he heard the crowd, reminded of two words from Lily’s ghost. McKenna walked through the gate and past two guards who nodded at him for giving a good show. He was finally free from the blood sport and with that he had his prize from Hasker.

  16

  HE WHO WATCHES

  Kimmy heard nothing while in the lush lobby, her thought blocking all incoming noise. It was a small room with only a few chairs, but the team didn't mind. The room itself was practically non-existent as far as the Games arena blueprints were concerned; only select Wordkeepers were aware of its existence and even fewer knew how to access it. For half an hour they were waiting, being offered drinks, snacks, fine wines and cheeses if they desired. The team was speaking on their experiences in The Games, some of them trading a few personal stories as well, but McKenna was in the nearby lavatory, washing up a little. Kimmy needed her own time to think. She didn't even notice the Auroran walk over and sit in a chair next to her.

  “You're the Marshal's techmage, I hear?” Veena said nervously, trying to make conversation, something she found hard to do outside of the confined walls of High Science.

  Kimmy broke from her trance and looked at her. Female Revente were a rare sight and no human seemed to know why. Rumors amongst conspiracy theorists speculate that the Aurorans had a seventy-thirty sex ratio; however, there was hardly any evidence to support the claim. Kimmy noticed right away that female Aurorans looked very similar to humans in terms of shape and form, with even facial structure requiring a second glance to confirm. if it weren’t for her blue-green skin pigment and pointed ears, she would have passed for a human.

  “Sorry,” Kimmy chuckled. “Yeah, recently recruited to his rag tag team.” Veena leaned back with her hands in her lap. “How come you're not mingling with the others?”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to disturb you—”

  “Not at all, Doctor, just tired is all. It’s been a long night.”

  “I’m… not too sure what I could say to the others.”

  “McKenna told us not to pester you with questions. I guess it'd be a little awkward. Not everyone likes it too fast, right,” Kimmy chuckled nervously.

  “I promise to help the Marshal once we're at his station. I can't stand to be down here any longer.” Kimmy sat down in the chair next to her and let out a deep breath.

  “You know, you're helping them out a lot,” Kimmy said. “Interviewing suits, crime scenes, undercity brokers, fighting mutants. They've gone through a lot looking for the Golden Bough. And then you just showed up.”

  “I don't know how much help I can be. I’ve been in Wargame’s protection for two weeks. I’m sure Hasker will provide more. Maybe with his information, I can piece some things together.”

  “Doc, may I call you Doc?” Veena looked puzzled. “Thanks. When you saw McKenna for the first time down there, I'm assuming he tried to tell you who he was but you attacked him anyways.”

  “I… was being cautious. I didn't want to make any more mistakes.”

  “But killing the Marshal who was sent to save you is… over-dramatic, right?”

  “Kazan appeared to be a noble soul as well, but he was quickly twisted to another philosophy. I had no reason to trust another Marshal, or any other human down here.” Veena’s words turned angry, possibly revealing resentment, though she hid her emotions well.

  “I’m getting an awkward racist vibe from you, Doc.”

  She smiled with frustration. “You couldn’t possibly understand.”

  “Oh, I couldn’t, huh? Hey, it’s cool. Humans hate humans, not strange that an alien would. Just thought it was ironic is all. You making a cure to save humanity? I suppose it must be the Rite of Passage? That thing your kind does to earn their way into the Revente community as a whole? We do the same thing here. It’s called prestige. Or community service.”

  Kimmy’s passive-aggressive tone passed on easily to Veena. Her first interaction with the doctor had her irritated and disappointed, but she could play it off as her callous self.

  “And someone who steals and publicizes information for profit? Or is this to be considered prestige on this planet as well?” Veena said.

  Kimmy smirked and nodded. “It is,” Kimmy said. “Now I’m getting an awkward bitch vibe from you, Doc. The Marshal will just love to have you around.”

  The Auroran crossed her arms and looked elsewhere. “Speaking of him, is the Marshal okay?”

  “Who, McKenna? He's tougher than he looks. I think I lost count of how many times he's been clubbed, punched, kicked, shot, stabbed, and mouthed off to. That's just the past couple of days.”

  “Resilient for a human, or just exceedingly lucky.” She looked to the door of the bathroom, curious about McKenna’s extended stay inside. “The wounds he sustained… He's been in the lavatory for some time now. Should we…?” Kimmy ushered her arm to the bathroom door, a little eager to get rid of the doctor.

  “Have at it, Doc,” she said as she pointed to the washroom, which creaked open. “We should be getting called in a few. Best to let the Marshal know.”

  Kimmy saw that the Auroran’s timid nature was fleeting fast. She simply chose to not have an interest in talking to anyone else. Kimmy thought it had to do with a level of trust. She thought it strange because, from what she had heard, Aurorans were very blunt and always said what they were thinking.

  “Don't worry, Doc, we're all here for you, him especially. He's new to this planet, doesn't have many friends. Kinda like you right now.”

  Veena didn’t acknowledge but she stood up and walked over to the lavatory and knocked.

  “Marshal?” she said.

  “Yeah?”

  McKenna had the faucet running as he stared into the mirror. His face was almost unrecognizable, covered in blood and dirt. He took a moment to recollect as the dirt from the arena was the same as the Martian surface. He grabbed a scoopful of water and splashed it on his face, washing away the battle tarnish, the water dyed red as it flowed into the drain. As he inspected his recent wounds, he heard the door creak open as Veena walked in. When she saw him without his shirt in the private sanctum of a bathroom, she immediately looked away.

  “Excuse me, Marshal,” she said. He changed one of his bandages, paying little mind to the doctor. She closed the door behind her for McKenna’s privacy. McKenna chuckled as he watched her shut the door. “Were your treatments satisfactory?”

  “Ha,” McKenna smiled. “Given their record, I'm sure the medics here practice grave digging more than stitching wounds. I'll manage.” From a medical standpoint, she was intrigued at the resilience of humans as she looked at the number o
f scars and bruising McKenna had on his body, literally dozens, and not all of them from The Red Fields. She also had a hint of caution, as she felt no man is completely just with so many wounds.

  “Hyper-styptic and suture foam should be eliminating almost all traces of scarring.”

  “Martian formulas had scarring agents omitted. The late colonial surgeon general preached to us in basic that every wound is a permanent mistake not to be made again.” McKenna ran medical gel over his new cut across his torso. “I've made a lot of mistakes.” Most Marshals she had met were not so forward, if at all. She didn’t even realize she was staring. “You know, Doctor, I’m not sure how it goes with Aurorans, but when a woman walks into the men’s restroom, implications are made…”

  “Implications…?” she said under her breath before realizing what he meant. Although she was around humans everyday with her medical work, she rarely interacted with them socially.

  “Spirit!” she said, embarrassed as she put her palm to her head. McKenna chuckled, something he led her into intentionally.

  “Relax, I’m only teasing. So, what really brings you into the men’s restroom?”

  “Right, well, we should be getting called in shortly. Just thought you'd want the warning. And Miss Huan-Yue was worried.”

  “Kimmy? It looked as if her mind was on other things ever since The Games ended.” He was her way out of the undercity, making his safety of great importance to her, just as hers was to him.

  “When you fought Kazan, she appeared more distressed than any of the others.”

  McKenna chuckled as he cleaned the dried blood from his wound. “Hm. She’s young and has a big heart. Rare for people these days from what I've seen. Especially from the undercity.”

  “She cares for you, that much was certain. I was beginning to assume the two of you were…” McKenna looked at her as she trailed off, ever curious as to why the Auroran was so curious herself. She was blunt with her words, not caring much for potentially sensitive matters.