He caught the chain, despite the impact on his face, and began to wrap it round his arm. Pulling himself closer to Tres, he struck at her with the dagger. A sharp jab to her neck drew blood.
Before he could take another, Cuatro grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back. A swift chop to his wrist made Tanner drop the dagger, followed by another chop this his throat. He lost his breath and stumbled backwards.
The klaxon sounded.
Tylr flew to the mat fast, their body angled feet first, like a diver into water. Landing with the grace of a cat, they leaned forward and started to sprint towards the fight. Passing several weapons on the ground, instead heading for the battle.
A roll took them under a swing from Cuatro’s leg, as he tried to intercept them, Tylr rose and jabbed a punch into Cuatro’s stomach, causing them to double over. Without missing at beat, they struck with a knee to the man's face and, as he straightened up from the impact, grabbed his head with both hands and head-butted him in the mask. The sound of blood exploding inside the mask indicated serious damage, confirmed as blood oozed out of the eye sockets and mouthpiece.
Tylr pushed the defeated man aside and turned to look at Tres who had taken a step back.
“Check on Dack,” Tylr said to Tanner, “I got this.”
Tanner hesitated, but quickly moved to check on Dack who had been going paler from the blood loss.
Tylr stared down Tres, as she strode towards her, without breaking step, they kicked up the dagger Tanner had dropped and caught it midair.
“You ready for this?” Tylr shouted.
The klaxon sounded.
Uno dropped from the cage and landed hard in the centre of the ring, causing it to shake, he flexed his neck and turned to Tylr.
“Are you?”
28
Valen had come with them to the arena, allowing them use of his fastest vehicle.
“I can get us into the Royal Box, that’s most likely where Oswell will be. He likes a front-row seat to the action,” he said as they exited.
“This makes us even,” Vittoria said.
“It does,” Valen said, a hint of sorrow in his words.
The four of them headed into the arena.
“Which ways t’the ring?” Lyla shouted.
“Down that way,” Valen pointed down a ramp.
“I’m headin’ there, the guys look like they need some help,” she said.
“I’ll come with you,” Jonir said, getting his hammer off his back, “I’ve been itching for a fight.”
“Ok, sounds like a plan, we’ll try to get Oswell to end the fight, and get the cipher from him,” Vittoria nodded, as she and Valen continued toward the box.
Lyla and Jonir broke into a run as they heard the sounds of the crowd swell, something was happening.
Two security officers blocked their route into the arena, holding their hands up to halt them.
“Excuse me, this is a restricted area, only authorised personal are...”
Before they finished the sentence, Lyla had shoulder barged her way into the first guard, Jonir shoved the other away with his end of his hammer. “Don’t even think about it,” he warned.
They burst into the arena. The view made them both slow their pace, the size and spectacle of the show was awe-inspiring. Rows upon rows of people, along with the lights and cameras filling the arena. In the centre, the ring was enclosed in a metal cage; the cage had several cameras and drones moving around to capture all the action inside.
“We need t’get inside,” Lyla shouted.
“They may have a security pulse on them,” warned Jonir as they approached.
He touched the metal with the end of his hammer, fiery sparks of electricity flew from the contact.
“Shit,” Lyla cursed, looking around for anything that could help them enter the ring.
Inside the ring they could see Dack on the floor still, Tanner was with him, and Tylr was staring down two Jackals.
“We need t’get in there now!”
Jonir moved her to one side and stepped closer to the cage and raised his hammer up.
“No, that’ll kill ya!”
“You say we need to get in, then I’ll get us in.”
The hammer swung down, clashing with the metal of the cage, the electricity exploded. Arcs of lightning sparked in every direction, several of them directly into Jonir’s body, the electricity coursing through him. He convulsed as the power flowed through his body. The cage bars had bent and broken under the strike, leaving a opening.
Lyla ran to his side, knowing touching him would risk the electricity going though her, instead she grabbed the wooden handle of the hammer and pulled it away from the cage. The sparks stopped as Jonir fell to the ground, his body slightly blackened.
“Did… it work?” He asked, his eyes struggling to focus.
“Ya crazy bastard! It did!” Lyla bent down and kissed the bearded cheek of the half conscious man.
“Go… help our friends, I think I’ll just take a little rest here.”
“I’ll come back for ya.”
Lyla smiled, then jumped to her feet and ran into the ring through the opening.
Inside the ring, Tanner was standing again, having done all he could for Dack, which wasn’t much, other than try to stem the bleeding with a makeshift tourniquet, and stood next to Tylr, as Uno and Tres faced them.
Lyla joined beside them, on her way to the ring she’d found two swords and a club with nails sticking out of it. She passed the swords to the others.
“Hi guys, thought ya might need a pair o’hands,” she quipped, and immediately regretted it when she saw Dack’s severed hand on the mat beside them.
“Another fighter has entered the arena!” Oswell’s voice echoed out. “The odds are now balanced, four Coyotes and four Jackals! Though we appear to have lost one Coyote and two Jackals.”
“Uno isn’t someone to underestimate guys,” Tanner said, he had the most experience with the Jackals.
Uno stepped forward as if he’d heard Tanner, and thrust a punch towards him.
Tanner ducked the attack, but Tres pounced forward from behind Uno, the chain still around her arm. The impact of the chain on Tanner’s face disorientated him for a moment. Tylr sprang into action and sliced the sword down towards Uno’s arm, but the blade scrapped across the armour Uno wore. He turned to look at them and laughed a deep hollow laugh.
“Little gnat,” he bellowed. A large step brought him next to Tylr, and he grabbed them by the top of their head, and lifted them off the ground. They struggled under the large hand of Uno digging into her scalp, but the action just twisted their neck. Lyla used her club to hit the elbow of Uno, it struck hard and, though it didn’t break the armour, it caused him to loosen his grip slightly.
Tres had moved into position now, and swung the chain towards Lyla, before she could take another shot, the chain wrapping around the club’s body. A sharp tug and it was wrenched from Lylas’ grip. Lyla leapt, striking Tres with a kick to the chest.
The hit dropped Tres to the ground, but only for a moment as she rolled and flipped to her feet again. Behind them Tylr had swung their legs up and wrapped them around Uno’s arm. The angle put a strain on their neck, as Uno continued to grip their skull, but it allowed Tylr to jab their heel into the centre of Uno’s elbow, several strikes later he finally released his grip. Tylr still kept her legs around his arm, and used the freedom to swing upside down and retrieve her sword from the floor. With it in hand, they drove the end into Uno’s elbow, hoping the blade would get through the small joint in the armour. It did, and the blade sunk into Uno’s, arm as Tylr released the sword and rolled away from the brute.
Tanner had got to his feet, shaking the haze from the blow to his face. He saw Tylr moving away from Uno and Lyla facing down Tres. He had to make a choice. Tylr was the strongest fighter of them all, so he moved to assist Lyla. Tres was swinging the chain, keeping them both at a distance, with the odds turned, she was being more str
ategic.
“You take the high road?” Lyla sang to Tanner.
Tanner rolled under the swing, whilst Lyla leapt over it.
“And I’ll take the low,” Tanner sung back, as they both converged on Tres as the chain swung behind her.
They struck simultaneously, Tanner kicking Tres’ kneecaps, whilst Lyla punched her ribcage, feeling the break of bones under the impact. Tres crumpled to the ground, muffled screams rang from the mask. Tanner and Lyla high-fived, but their victory was short-lived.
Tylr had squared up to Uno, watching as blood seeped from the sword which was impaled in his arm. Tylr looked around for another weapon, but the area was sparse. Uno took a step closer, putting his free hand on the hilt of the sword, he pulled it. The sound of metal slicing through flesh was audible, as the crowd held their breath, sensing the fight was near its end.
The ring, which had started out a pure white, was now stained dark red from the blood of all the fighters, no one had escaped damage.
The sword was freed with a fountain of blood which spurted from Uno’s arm, blood seeping from the wound.
“I’ll give you credit gnat, you’re a strong fighter,” he stepped closer, the sword in hand, “it will be an honour to kill you.”
Tylr dove forwards, taking the offense was their last hope. The damage they had taken, especially to the head, slowed their reactions and caused a misstep and they stumbled to their knees, defenceless. Uno swung the sword towards Tylr, the blade hissed through the air. The shine of the metal reflecting in Tylr’s eyes, as the sword came down towards their face. Tanner and Lyla knew they were too far away to do anything, and watched as the blade sliced towards Tylr.
A metal clang rang out as the blade stuck iron.
29
Dack, who until this point had been trying his best to stay conscious from the blood loss, gazed around the arena. His head felt woozy, and he took a few careful movements to assess his body. Despite missing a hand and several broken bones he felt his senses returning. He sat upright slowly, and raised his head and saw the fighting taking place in front of him. Focusing on the scene, he narrowed his eyes to clear his vison.
Tylr was facing down Uno, and it didn’t look good. Uno raised a sword above his head, he could see Tylr had lost her footing leaving her open for attack. Adrenaline kicked into his bloodstream, he was only a metre away, and it seemed everyone had forgotten about him in the heat of the battle. He grabbed an iron rod with his remaining hand and got to his feet. Ignoring the pain screaming through his body, he held the pipe under his wounded arm, and gripped it with his remaining hand. He managed to get the pipe between the sword and Tylr’s face, inches away from their face.
The impact caused a shudder through the pipe which stung his hand, causing him to drop it. Tylr was in a state of shock, staring forwards as they realised they were still alive.
Uno turned, and stared at the bloody mess of a man who had stopped his attack. The sword still in hand, he drove it towards Dack. Tylr snapped back to reality just in time, and jumped onto Uno’s back, and began to rip and tug at the mask, which was strapped to his head. It was tightly fastened, Uno reached back to try and grab Tylr.
With a final pull, the mask flew loose and revealed the face of Uno underneath. The mask dropped to the mat; soaked with blood on the inside. Metal needles protruded from its inner seal, each about a centimetre long. Uno’s face matched the needlepoints, an array of puncture wounds, all weeping blood, covered his face.
“What the... ” Tylr paused as they saw the injuries. The hesitation was all he needed, as Uno twisted his body over and flung them to the floor. Raising a foot, aimed at Tylr’s head, he screamed in pure anger. Dack moved as fast as he could and jumped towards Uno’s head. He had no weapon, so instead drove the bloody stump of his remaining arm into Uno’s open mouth, forcing the bone and flesh down his throat and choking the man. Uno’s teeth scrapped along Dack’s forearm, and he forced it further.
A moment later and Uno dropped to the floor, suffocated by the flesh and blood. Dack ripped his arm free, blood flowing more than before, he rolled to the ground.
All the fighters in the ring stopped and stared, the wounded surrounding the ring, looking over at the fallen body of Uno and the barely breathing Dack.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Oswell called out over the tannoy, his voice less enthusiastic than normal. “This match is being declared, a Draw!”
The boos from the crowd filled the arena air, they wanted a victor.
“I know, I know, but we will return shortly with more fights, and more bloodshed for you to enjoy.”
*
In the Royal Balcony, Oswell switched off the microphone, and turned back to Vittoria and Valen who stood beside him.
“Well done,” Vittoria said, her revolver aimed at Oswell’s head. “Now, about the artefact, which I know you have.”
“I don’t know what you mean?” Oswell pleaded, his hands up in surrender.
“This item,” Valen said, and opened a small holographic projector, it showed a small metallic orb.
“Ooooh, that little thing,” Oswell laughed nervously, “I’m afraid I don’t have it anymore.”
“What?!” Vittoria moved closer, the gun now resting on Oswell’s forehead.
“I traded it, someone was here just today asking for it.”
“Who?! And tell me the truth, or your brains will paint the windows,” Vittoria shouted.
“Well, they were very interested in it, almost as much as you… in fact the deal I made with them, is how your friends ended up down there….”
“I wouldn’t waste time if I were you,” Valen said calmly, nodding at Vittoria.
“It was Cinco! The Jackal Cinco!” Oswell cried out.
“Cinco? You gave him the artefact? In trade for what?”
“For that,” Oswell pointed at the bloodied arena underneath them. “He said, if I gave him the artefact, then the Jackals would fight for me, it was a fair trade. The alternative was the force of the Syndicate on my back! The ratings alone were worth it, the artefact was useless really.”
“You stupid, greedy, idiot!” Vittoria slammed the revolver on the counter beside her.
“Where did he go?” Valen asked Oswell.
“Cinco? I’ve no idea. He said that he would send the others to fight, as long as I gave him the artefact. I think he went off-moon immediately after.”
“Then you may well have allowed the Syndicate to win the war, Oswell, I hope you’re happy.” Vittoria slumped onto the counter, deflated.
“Well, there is something that might be able to help,” Oswell smiled, “if the price it right?”
Valen grabbed Oswell by the collar, and slammed him against the window, it cracked from the impact, and Oswell could see the ring below him.
“Now is not the time for deals, but if you like, you talk or you die, good enough wager for you?” Valen hissed.
“Ok, ok. That artefact was from way back right? It was a historic item. I did a lot of research on it, lots of scans. All it contained was a code, like a decryption key. But the letters were nothing I’ve seen before, and I’ve done a lot of history research. Anyway, I made several copies of the key, in case the symbols ever popped up. That’s why I didn’t mind trading the artefact. I have all the information it contained on file.”
He moved slowly toward a terminal, keeping his hands up to show Valen he wasn’t up to anything.
“Here, take it,” he handed Vittoria a small data stick, “it’s all on there, even a software program to input any code you find. It’ll be faster than doing it manually,” he smiled, risking it.
“You may have just redeemed yourself, Oswell,” Vittoria smiled back.
She opened communication to all the Coyote’s.
“Coyote’s we have a copy of the artefact’s decryption key, but the Jackals have the original. We can follow, but they have a day head start on us. We need to regroup, patch up and get moving.”
30
It was the medical bay of the StarQuake. The pod was in the far corner of the room, next to it was a bed, several cabinets, and a counter.
He rotated his body through the air, putting his right hand up to push against the glass, then raising his left to do the same. A bandaged stump came into view, the fight flooded back into his memories. He jerked away from the glass, as if trying to run away from his own dismembered hand. Hitting back of the pod he spun, panic growing, his breathing fast and shallow. His eyes darted around the pod, he needed to get out, needed to get away. Seeing the emergency lever, he used his right hand to grab it, and pull it down. The gravity returned to the pod, and he fell to the base, whilst a hatch opened at its front. Dack stumbled out, and leaned on the counter.
“Dack! Y’re awake! Jesus! Lay on the table!” Lyla came running into the room, lifting his legs up, and swung him onto the table. He lay there, eyes staring at the lights above him, as his chest burned with each breath.
“Y’re in shock Dack, hold on, it’s ok,” Lyla pulled a patch from a cabinet and slapped it onto his shoulder. The instant dose forced a sedative into Dack’s bloodstream, and his breath began to slow.
“Lyla?” He said once he had relaxed.
“Aye, it’s me Dack, you had us worried for a bit there,” she said, checking several vitals.
“How long have I been out?”
“Not too long, a couple of days.”
“Days? Jeez, where are we?”
“Heading to see the council, Jako has decrypted the code we got, but the Endlings want us to report, in person, with the information before we head to the location.”
The Omega Drive Page 10