Sol Arbiter Box Set: Books 1-5

by Chaney, J. N.

  That’s what I thought for the first few seconds, but then I realized it just wouldn’t work. If I couldn’t seize the initiative, the Augman would kill me before Raven even crossed the plaza. No one can block punches and kicks all day without a single one getting through. If I wanted to survive, I had to stop this guy from hitting me at all.

  I ducked under his punch suddenly and threw myself forward. I slammed into his body, driving him back. He swiveled his hips and turned his shoulders, and I went sailing across the hall and slammed into the floor.

  A Peacekeeper came running in, yelling something and pointing his gun. I couldn’t hear what he yelled, just an incoherent roaring sound. As I tried to stand, I saw the Augman strike the Peacekeeper’s gun so hard that the barrel bent. A moment later, blood shot out of the man’s mouth and his eyes went blank. The Augman pulled his fist back and gave an ugly smile, stepping toward me to finish me off.

  I rolled away from him, tripped and fell on my tailbone, then kept backing up. Somehow—I’m not sure how, exactly—I stumbled to my feet before he caught up with me.

  A security guard came running over, shouting something just as useless as whatever the dead Peacekeeper had just been shouting. The Augman simply ignored him and kept throwing kicks and punches, and a moment later I heard the sound of gunfire.

  Sparks shot up from the Augman’s body, and he didn’t pay them any thought at all. He was determined to kill me, and a few bullets in the back weren’t going to change that. I kept retreating through the hall, blocking punches and kicks and elbow shots.

  There was a stained-glass window behind me, some ornate design I had barely registered before this fight. I was backing up toward it—not because I wanted to run into it, but solely because the Augman was driving me back in that direction. He was so focused on killing me that he seemed to have completely forgotten about the Secretary-General, which could well have meant that there were other hitmen in the building.

  Perhaps removing me from the fight was his primary mission all along. Whatever the truth of the matter, he was literally ignoring gunfire just to keep punching and kicking at me furiously.

  I kept backing up, blocking everything but slowly wearying. I could see the choice he was giving me. Let one of his strikes connect, and I would fall down broken. Keep defending and backing up, and I would eventually be forced right through that window.

  With no more room to back up, I braced myself and raised my fists. The Augman grinned at me, raising both hands as if in mockery. I heard Raven yelling my name from across the hall. Then the Augman charged, lowering his head to slam it into my body.

  There was no way to stop him. He wasn’t even trying to push me out the window. He was crashing right through it and taking me with him. The window shattered behind me, and I felt the sickening sensation of empty space below me. The world upended, and the city spun around at least twice as I plummeted.

  I don’t know that I had time to expect anything before I hit the bottom, but the sensation of water rather than hard pavement was still somehow a surprise. I hit the surface of the canal with a splash like an explosion and fell toward the bottom so rapidly that all I could see was murky green.

  I felt the Augman’s arms around me and realized he was still trying to fight me even though we were underwater now. Our dense, augmented bodies brought us rapidly to the bottom, where we wrestled frantically for advantage in the thick green mud beneath our feet.

  He was still punching at me fiercely, but the water was taking a lot of the force out of his shots. I kept my arms up as well as I could, but I still had to keep his body away from me too. He was trying to get closer, trying to find the angle for a choke hold. He was trying everything he could think of that might lead to my death, while I was rapidly running out of options.

  I found a gap between his arms and landed a punch on his jaw somehow. In the underwater darkness I couldn’t see his reaction clearly, but I caught a glimpse of a fierce grimace. He grabbed my hair with his right hand, then he yanked my head to the side and raised his left fist for a hammer-fist punch.

  My brains would have come shooting out my ears if he had landed that, but I managed to throw my right arm up in time to catch it. He punched again and again, and the sheer impact of his repeated strikes made me lose my footing. I was down on my knees now in the mud of the canal, and the Augman who looked like Byron was looming over me like a monster feeding.

  Even if I had somehow managed to break away from his grip, I would never have been able to swim to the surface. The sheer density of my limbs would have made that a challenging task, and with the Augman grabbing at me and trying to catch me, I would never have made it.

  I could see the sunlight up above, as the canal was only about seven meters deep. For someone with prosthetic limbs it might as well have been a hundred, and a deep feeling of despair overtook me. I couldn’t do this forever, but for all I knew the Augman could.

  I’d been trained in combat swimming techniques, including the ability to hold my breath for a long time when I needed to. Even so, I was starting to see little flashing lights. Every time he punched at me, every time he tried to get a chokehold, I saw bright explosions like dying stars.

  I shrunk and covered up, not trying to do anything but hide from my attacker. His assault was so ferocious, I couldn’t even think of doing anything else. I just held my arms up, trying to keep his fists away from my head. I sank down into the mud, while the air in my lungs began to burn like tear gas.

  I was running out of breath, but the Augman pounding away at me didn’t even look uncomfortable. The despair inside me turned to panic, and from panic it became a sudden explosion of rage and energy.

  I didn’t try to fight him, but I kicked and flailed like a caught fish. I was trying to get up, trying to make for the sunlight. I pushed off with both feet, and before I knew it, I felt his hand trying to close around my shoe as I shot upward and past him.

  I kicked down at his face—not intentionally but in pure instinctive desperation. My foot connected, and he disappeared in the dark below. I clawed at the water above me like I was climbing a wall, and somehow I got to the surface. When I felt the fresh air, I gasped desperately and took in all the oxygen I could.

  I couldn’t see where I was, but I saw enough to know we had already drifted well past the Sol Federation building. I didn’t think that would bother the man trying to kill me. Whoever was in charge of killing the Secretary-General, this Augman was solely responsible for killing me.

  I managed to get a single deep breath in my body before his hand closed around my ankle and pulled me below the surface of the river once again. This time was different, though. I wasn’t going to let him drag me down to the bottom. Not while I still had limbs to hurt him with.

  I kicked at his face as he pulled me down, and I punched over and over as he pulled me in. I hit him so hard and so many times that he lost his grip on me, and I was able to get to the surface again and take another breath of air. This time I caught a glimpse of passersby, gaping at the man in the middle of the canal.

  When the killer’s arms came up and closed tight around my waist, my punches were like bullets from a machine gun. One after the other my punches slammed into him, and I even landed another kick to his jaw as I fought my way back to the surface again.

  After that, he never got me under again for more than a few seconds at a time. I kept fighting my way free of him, and even though he remained as determined as ever, I was finally succeeding in staying one beat ahead of him. He’d throw his arms or his hands around me, I’d viciously hit him and kick at him until I broke free and got some air, and then a few moments later he would do it again.

  An Augman is basically a machine with a human mind, so I was surprised to see that I was winning this fight. On the other hand, I could feel my own energy slowly draining. For all I knew, he could continue for another twelve hours. I had to get out and continue the fight from dry land, if nothing else.

  In the distance
up ahead of me, I vaguely noticed the shape of a dock. I only glimpsed it for a moment because he was dragging me down again a second later. We drifted down the canal, though, and before long it was above me. I saw the rectangular shape of the dock up above my head and kicked for that with all my strength.

  My head broke the surface underneath the dock, but I expected him to pull me away again. For whatever reason, he didn’t. I looked around, thinking I would see his shape underneath me. The wooden boards of the dock were above my head, and the sunlight shining between them made a lattice pattern on the water.

  I peered down, trying to find him. He’d been so persistent, repeatedly resurfacing and grabbing me again, that I found it hard to believe he was really gone. He never came back, though. Either he’d finally had enough, or he’d simply drifted too far away to find me.

  I rested for a few minutes, taking deep breaths and regaining my strength. I knew I couldn’t stay there, but I didn’t exactly want to face the world outside. Considering the scene I’d just been part of, the world outside would probably involve an encounter with MetSec and I was just too exhausted for it.

  In the end, I had no choice though. I took another deep breath and went back under water, and I resurfaced outside the dock. I reached up over the edge and pulled myself up, fully expecting the Augman to grab me from below the entire time.

  Between the water and my own prosthetic limbs, I felt like I was made of lead. I pulled myself up with all my strength, and I just barely succeeded in hooking my elbows over the edge of the dock and then getting a knee over. I rolled my body weight up and collapsed.

  24

  I didn’t know if I was safe, but I didn’t have the energy to even care. I just lay there with my eyes closed, gasping repeatedly and starting to shiver with the cold. I think I drifted off, lapsing into an unconsciousness that was much like exhausted sleep. The world felt like it was sliding, drifting along like the canal itself. I saw stars and galaxies floating by, even though it was still broad daylight.

  I don’t think it was all that long, but my memory of lying there is vague and timeless. After I collapsed, it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes before someone came by and stood there leaning over me.

  Whoever they were, they said something in French. I could probably have understood what they were saying if I was fully conscious, but I was far from being fully conscious.

  “What…?” I murmured, and the person leaned closer.

  “You are an English-speaker?”

  I nodded weakly but didn’t open my eyes. “Yes.”

  “Did you fall in the canal?”

  I opened my eyes this time, realizing that this good Samaritan had not observed the fight. If I didn’t stay here too long, I might even be able to avoid an immediate conversation with MetSec.

  “Yes. Thank you, I think I fell in the canal.”

  “I’ve called for an ambulance. Just lie down and rest. They will be here soon.”

  I couldn’t have that. I shook my head, which only confused the man who was trying to help me. I put a foot underneath me and managed to get up on my hands and knees.

  “You do not understand, sir. You need to lie down and wait for the ambulance.”

  He was a middle-aged man, with gray hair and concerned eyes. “I don’t need anything else,” I told him. “Really, I’m grateful.”

  I pushed against the dock with my prosthetic hands and got to my feet unsteadily.

  My would-be rescuer was now extremely uneasy. He put a hand on my arm. “I must insist, sir!”

  I shook his hand off and stumbled away just as an ambulance appeared at the end of the street. I was soaking wet, had almost drowned repeatedly, and was now faced with the necessity of avoiding medical assistance before I could even contact my commanding officer.

  The man who’d been trying to help me—if that’s really the word for it—was now attempting to flag down the ambulance, pointing in my direction and shouting something in French. I walked rapidly away, while the emergency medical crew called out to me.

  When I reached the street, I hurried to the nearest alley and ducked into it before anyone behind me could get close enough to see. I walked through the alley to the other side, wove left and right a few times, then finally stopped and leaned back against a wall.

  Fairly confident that they would not pursue me, I sent a message to Veraldi.

  I’ve managed to shake the Augman.

  Raven thought you were dead, he replied.

  I’m dead at least a dozen times over.

  His next message was over our shared channel. Raven, where are you?

  South of the building, she responded. I’m in the car gearing up.

  Pick up Tycho, he said. He’s further up on the north side.

  On my way, Raven said. Glad you’re still with us, Tycho.

  Me too, I said, while filthy canal water ran down from my hair and clothing. Any update on the assassination plot? I asked.

  Everyone knows that an assassin was intercepted, Veraldi replied. They seem to be taking it about as seriously as they can.

  What do you mean by that?

  An evacuation order has been issued. The Secretary-General and all heads of state are being marshalled out of the building.

  I had an ominous feeling when I heard those words. I don’t think I like it, Vincenzo.

  An old man walked by me, his medical exoskeleton humming with every movement. When he saw me standing there, soaked through with canal water, he stopped and stared for a moment. Then he shook his head, chuckled to himself, and went on walking.

  Neither do I, replied Veraldi, but what’s your reason?

  The Sol Federation Building is a defensible position, and they have a lot of people there to defend it. If they stay put, the assassins will never get through to the Secretary-General. The best tactical response is to shelter in place and wait until the exact scope of the attack can be determined.

  That’s not our decision to make, Tycho.

  “Maybe it should be,” I said to myself.

  Veraldi continued. From their perspective, one assassin already managed to get inside the building, past all that security. For all they know, there are other teams already in place to strike. They’re taking the position that it’s a compromised location, and that the safest thing to do is just to get all the leaders out.

  The Sol Federation Building was filled with heads of state, and all of them were terrified they might be targeted. This wasn’t a plan. It was more like a stampede for the exit.

  I guess there’s nothing we can do except get back to the Secretary-General and try to help.

  That’s the current plan. We’re not doing the undercover thing anymore.

  Where are we headed? I asked. I was starting to shiver, my synthetic muscles following an organic reflex. My time in the canal had really lowered my core body temperature.

  The Secretary-General is being taken to the airport, and that’s the most likely place for a follow-up attack.

  We’ll stop them, Vincenzo.

  I hope you’re right, Tycho. I really do. I’m almost at the airport now. Raven, ETA to Tycho?

  Ninety seconds, she replied.

  A young couple walked by, holding hands and smiling out at the world together. They had no idea what was going on as far as I could tell, and no sense that their world was about to be cracked in two.

  Even if we did succeed in stopping the assassins now, how could we possibly expect to hold back the momentum of the approaching war? The attempt was enough to provoke a conflict on its own, but the flight of the NAS Prime Minister would make the whole thing look intentional. The only thing that could stop the conflict now would be the most sober and thoughtful leadership, and even if one side was lucky enough to have leaders like that, it wouldn’t matter unless the other side did as well.

  These thoughts were weighing heavily on my mind as I waited for Raven to show up. The young couple walking by didn’t even seem to notice me, although maybe it make
s sense not to notice a soaking wet man standing alone on the street. In any case, the water and the chill together were probably doing as much to depress me as the ominous prospect of a solar-system-wide war. When Raven’s car finally pulled up in front of me, I smiled despite my mood and hopped in immediately.

  “Shit, Tycho, I am so glad you’re alive,” Raven suddenly blurted out, throwing herself into my arms as soon as I had the door closed. The car took off and maneuvered through the busy streets on the way to the airport. She squeezed me tightly, then said, “Holy hell. You don’t smell so good.”

  “Yeah, well, I wasn’t in the cleanest water…”

  “You need to get changed.”

  She was already in her full complement of field gear. My bag was on the seat next to her.

  “That’s going to be a little awkward,” I said.

  “What are you, twelve years old?”

  “No, I mean physically awkward.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll help.”

  She grabbed my shirt, which was soaked so thoroughly that it was stuck to my chest. Before I could say anything, she peeled it up and it lifted away like a second suit of skin. I started shivering uncontrollably, although it did actually feel good to not be wearing that soaking wet shirt anymore.

  “Okay, well, that was the easy part.”

  Getting my pants off was a lot more complicated, as wiggling out of a pair of wet pants is difficult enough when you have room to move. In the cramped space of a moving car, it was a ridiculous procedure. I sat there completely naked, while she grinned at me with her eyebrows raised.

  I reached into the bag beside her and pulled out my clothes, and a few minutes later I was finally completely dressed. The sensation of clean, dry clothes on my body was already doing a lot to raise my mood. I was beginning to think our situation wasn’t as bad as I’d previously thought.

  “What happened to the man you were fighting?” Raven asked. “The assassin who fell in with you?”