by R. E. Graham
He retrieved a glass cup from one of the cabinets and filled it with water from the food cooler’s dispenser built into the door.
Carso Rey’s head was slumped towards the floor while the rest of his body remained secured to the chair. Varius knew his time was short. He tossed the water into the agent’s face which woke him instantly. The agent tried to wipe his face with his arms but found them restricted to the arms of the chair. He fought for a moment then looked around confused and finally realized the other man standing there.
“Who are…Inquisitor Varius?” he asked in a half daze as his eyes focused in the dim light.
The Inquisitor leaned in close and grabbed a fistful of his captive’s hair. “I am here to get some answers about your involvement with Eva Primus and the Eden’s Forgotten Legion. Who is the Shadow Man?”
“Wha…Shadow Man?”
Varius didn’t hesitate. He punched the agent right in the jaw with a right hook.
Carso’s head bucked backwards violently. The Inquisitor again grabbed a fistful of the other man’s hair and forced his head upright. “I am short on time and need answers quickly.”
“You…you are way over your head here. You have no idea what you are getting involved with.”
“Enlighten me!” Varius said before he punched Carso in the stomach.
The agent gasped for air as he attempted to kick out with his tied down feet. “You stupid bastard. They’ll kill you and everyone you love.”
Varius scoffed. “They’ll be a little late for that agent. Tell me what I want to know right now. Who is the Shadow Man? How did you meet? Do you know where he operates from?”
Carso shook his head. “You really don’t understand. I can’t say anything.”
“Okay, that’s fine” the Inquisitor said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out his last tru-loxan dose and held it up to Carso’s face.
“You can’t be serious Inquisitor. Pl…please don’t use that. I can’t tell you the truth or they’ll kill her.”
Varius shrugged and flicked the cap off. He slammed it into Carso’s neck and pressed.
The agent convulsed as the serum coursed through his body. He suddenly felt very numb and relaxed.
Varius stood up straight and put his hands on his hips. “Now, who is the Shadow Man?”
“I…don’t…I don’t know.” Carso said as he fought to control himself.
“You know that the harder you resist the more it will hurt, right? Okay, well let’s try this then, did you knowingly setup the EFL?”
“Yes…I had orders to in…filtrate the group and work my way up. Then they would…raaaaah…be set up for a plot to attack…the governor”
“Why?”
The agent looked towards the balcony before he continued. “Be…because we needed a reason to enact…martial law on Eden.”
Varius crossed his arms. “Why would you need martial law?”
“The…the governor wouldn’t do what was necessary to maintain order. He’s weak!”
A new song began to play from the speakers with a more upbeat tempo.
“Does the Shadow Man work for the Keepers of Peace?”
Carso continued to look over towards the balcony. He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
“So, then you don’t know who he really is?”
“No…”
“Well you are going to have to start giving me better answers than that agent. No more playing around. How did you meet the Shadow Man?”
Carso began to shake. He tried to resist his body from betraying him, but he couldn’t win. The agent tried to clench his teeth as he spoke. “I…I was put in contact…with him by the other inquisitor.”
Varius’ body tensed up. “Which inquisitor? Who was it?!”
Rey fought to keep the truth in his mouth, but his lips released the secret. “Alex…ander Titus.”
Titus!
The agent leaned back in the chair and breathed heavily. “You have to release me Inquisitor. He has her.”
“Who has who?”
“The Shadow Man, he has her!” Carso shouted loudly.
Outside the door one of the guards thought he heard a strange noise and leaned in close to the door to listen. He pushed the open button for the door but it didn’t move. The agent pressed it two more times. He looked back to the other guard who’s body language also looked concerned.
The guard at the door banged on the door twice. “Agent Rey, is everything alright?”
Inside Varius looked to the door then back to Carso. “Time’s running out which means I start making you hurt a whole lot more. Where did you meet with the Shadow Man?”
Outside the guard banged on the door several more times. “Go get someone to open this door” the armored agent said to the other. His compatriot nodded and ran off to the elevator.
“I…I can’t tell you that…”
Varius was out of time and out of patience. He slammed his right fist into Rey’s face. “Where did you meet him?!”
“I can’t tell you! Please don’t make me. My baby girl…he’ll ki..ill her.”
“I’m going to kill you right here and now if you don’t tell me! You are already guilty of conspiring with others to cause chaos and disorder here on Eden. You orchestrated an arms deal with a group of citizens and I have no doubt you have broken even more laws.”
Carso attempted to thrash in the chair but was too tightly bound. He happened to notice the handle of the Inquisitor’s knife sticking out from beneath his pant leg.
“Carso, tell me, where did you meet with the Shadow Man? I need a location.”
The agent resisted but gave in as the tru-loxan numbed his mind even further. His veins however began to feel like they were on fire. “I…it was at the warehouse.”
“The same warehouse that the weapons deal went down?”
“Ye…yes.”
Varius ran his hand through his short cut hair. “I need something else Carso. That warehouse was burned down. You need to give me another lead.”
“I…I can’t tell you anything else” Rey said before he began to convulse more. He attempted to stand as the pain in his body increased exponentially but fell backwards. The chair tipped over and he slammed very hard to the ground on his right side.
“Ugh…” the Inquisitor said as he knelt down to help the agent up. He didn’t notice that the arm of the chair became weak from the fall. Carso however did notice and used every bit of strength he could muster to rip the arm free of the frame of the chair.
He reached down and yanked the knife out from Varius’ boot. The Inquisitor raised his hands to protect himself and wasn’t ready to stop the agent as he brought the blade up to his own neck and sliced it right through his carotid artery. Blood gushed from the wound and sprayed Varius across his face and chest.
The Inquisitor stood stunned for several heart beats before his training kicked back in and he placed both hands on the wound to apply pressure.
Within seconds of heavy blood loss Rey slipped into shock and dropped the knife to the ground. Just then the front door of the unit slid open and the two KoP agents that had been waiting outside rushed in with guns up. The front agent used the flashlight on his rifle to see Varius and the dying man across the living room. “Put your hands up and step away!”
“If I do, he will die” the Inquisitor barked back.
“Put your hands up now or I will shoot!” the agent shouted.
Varius put his hands in the air and stepped back as Rey bled to death. Blood streaked down the Inquisitor’s hands and dripped to the carpeted floor.
Both agents stood still, guns aimed at the Inquisitor’s head. The front man kept his right arm up holding the rifle while he used his left hand to reach up to his shoulder and activate his radio.
“Command, this is agent Fisk. Agent Rey has been attacked by Inquisitor Varius. We have him apprehended but we need a medical team to the condo immediately. I repeat, we need a medical team immediately.”
&
nbsp; “Roger that agent. Medical team is en route” answered a calm female voice over the radio.
The other agent took a step forward and extended his rifle further. “Turn around and place your hands behind your back Inquisitor.”
Varius sighed and shook his head.
This isn’t going as planned…not at all.
Chapter 16
Cycle: 412 Month: 7 Rotation: 13
Prefecture: Siimon
Planet: Eden
Location: Inside Carso Rey’s Residence
Blood dripped to the floor from Varius’ long sleeved shirt. The Inquisitor’s body was tense from adrenaline and from the Keepers of Peace agents that aimed their rifles square at his face. His arms were held high in the air to show that he didn’t have a weapon or show hostility. The two agents however were still overly excited.
Carso Rey’s head was slumped forward while all but his right arm remained constrained to what remained of the wooden chair.
“Get on the ground!” Agent Fisk ordered.
A new instrumental song began to play through the condo’s built-in speakers. This one was solemn and had a slow mechanical beat to it woven amongst the brass instruments.
“This isn’t what it looks like…” Varius started.
“I said get on the ground! Do it now or I will blast you away” Fisk cut in as he took a step forward to show his resolve to kill him.
At this range there was nothing Varius could do to avoid being hit by both the full-auto rifles. Without another word the blood covered Inquisitor kept both of his hands up as he slowly lowered himself to his knees.
The second agent moved around the kneeling man and slung his rifle behind his back. He retrieved a set of binders from his duty belt and pulled them apart. Varius did not resist as the agent placed the first binder on his left wrist and yanked his hand behind his back.
“Agent Fisk, the medical team should arrive in t-minus five” said the female dispatcher over the radio.
Fisk turned his head slightly to the right to activate the radio with his left hand.
It’s now or never…
Varius activated his assassin blade under his right sleeve and stabbed back at the agent binding him. The blade locked in place just as it made contact with the unsuspecting agent’s neck. The Inquisitor yanked his left hand free while the agent immediately put his right hand to the wound to stop the blood flow.
Varius hopped to his feet just as Fisk turned his attention back to the Inquisitor. As soon as his left hand grasped the foregrip of his rifle the Inquisitor swiped the rifle to the side as the agent fired. The entire shot missed wide of anyone in the living room of the condo but the glass door that led to the balcony behind Varius shattered as the bullets burst their way through.
Fisk brought his left gloved hand up to block the Inquisitor’s next attack but got stabbed in the hand by the assassin blade. He cried out in agony as he did his best to grip his injured hand around Varius’ right.
As he continued to bleed heavily, the other agent fell to the ground behind the tussle happening an arm’s length away and now had both hands firmly applying pressure to his injury.
The Inquisitor tightly grasped the top of Fisk’s rifle preventing him from getting a clean shot into his torso. Both fought hard to keep the other from making a move. That is until Varius drew his right arm back and thrust it forward. The pain of the blade still lodged in Fisk’s hand was too much and he lost his grip of his attacker’s right hand.
In a flash Varius yanked his blade free and lashed out with two ravenous kicks to the agent’s helmeted head. The second blow knocked him over.
He turned back around to the agent holding his neck. “Keep your hands on your neck and apply pressure. Don’t move until the medical team arrives.”
The agent just stared at him with a mix of helplessness and confusion in his eyes.
Motion out of the corner of Varius’ eye caught his attention. He looked in time to see a team of white armored KoP agents burst into the room guns ready. The Inquisitor flicked his knife to retract it and dashed for the balcony just as the team opened fire. Bullets zipped past Varius while others dug into the walls on either side of him. He nearly slipped on broken glass from the sliding door as he ran onto the balcony and flipped himself over the left side of the railing.
The moisture on the railing from the long-gone thunderstorm made it difficult for him to get a solid grip as he dangled from the side of the metal railing holding on for dear life.
The squad leader inside the condo motioned for his team to move ahead while one stayed behind to check on the injured agents. One of the agents cautiously checked the balcony and momentarily was stunned to see Varius hanging on.
Varius grunted in frustration as he began to lose his grip. Shock filled his face when he saw his own reflection in the black visor of the armed agent now on the balcony with him. Just as the agent raised his rifle the Inquisitor let go and dropped below. Shots rang out above him as Varius fell two stories down before he smacked into another set of railing.
“Aaaah!” he growled in pain. He grabbed onto the metal as hard as he could. After he secured his grip he looked up to see several agents leaning over the edge of the balcony he just fell from aiming their rifles. He swung himself backward then forward and let go of the edge of the balcony curling himself up and landing very hard on the balcony that was below his floor. In fact, he hit so hard that the air was knocked out of him.
Using all of his might the Inquisitor struggled to his feet. He took a step back as he looked up to see the little old man who probably owned the balcony he landed on staring in surprise at him through the glass.
“Get down there and capture him. Legatus Aquilas wants him alive!” the squad leader shouted to his team from above.
With little options Varius used his boot to break the glass. “Sorry about that!” the Inquisitor said as he ran ahead and exited the unit. His heart pounded within his chest as he launched himself down the hallway and headed away from the elevator.
All major skyscrapers similar to this one required builders to construct staircases on opposite sides of the structure in case of fire. While the preventative measures such as ceiling mounted fire sprayers was typical building code in the Corre Republic still required it just in case.
The Inquisitor reached the door as it slid open to reveal one of the KoP agents. He swatted the agent’s rifle to the left with his left forearm and followed it with a right strike.
While the agent took a step back from the blow Varius shook his hand. It throbbed angrily at him, but his face gave it away as it contorted into pain.
I don’t have my gloves!
Not wanting to lose even more of his momentum he rushed the agent and slammed his shoulder into him. The force of the attack bashed the armored man into the stairwell railing that was behind him.
“Gah!” the agent shouted. His armor grinded fiercely against the metal frame of the railing while the Inquisitor regained his feet.
Varius took the agent’s stun baton from his utility belt. He used it to smack away the rifle as the agent fought to bring it up to fore. The metal cracked against one another loudly as the rifle’s barrel bounced off the stonecrete floor. The Inquisitor followed his previous attack with a swipe to the agent’s helmet with the baton. There was enough force in the fierce attack to crack the visor of the helmet.
The guard fell to the ground and began to struggle to get to his feet. Varius wasted no time and scooped up the rifle.
No, wait!
With a change of thought he ran back to the downed man. The agent was just beginning to get up when Varius returned and punted him in the face with a kick. That was enough to knock him out cold. The Inquisitor tossed the baton to the ground and scavenged several spare mags for the rifle from the agent’s tactical vest. He placed them in each of his back pockets and took the radio from the agent as well.
As he slung the rifle around his shoulder he turned up the volume of the radio
and continued on down the stairwell. His steps echoing off the stairwell walls while his heart continued to beat harshly as he rushed down flight after flight of metallic stairs. A bold “18” was spray painted in black on the wall signaling that he was on the eighteenth floor now.
The radio in his hand crackled for a second before a gruff voice broke through the channel. “Does anyone have visual on the suspect?”
Varius didn’t stop to listen but he did slow his pace a little, so he could be sure to hear the radio chatter accurately.
“Sir, we located Sortoroe. His rifle is missing” an agent way up in the stairwell responded.
There was a moment of hesitation before the commanding officer spoke again. “All units, suspect is to be considered armed and dangerous. Shoot on sight.”
Varius moved faster. His boots stomped loudly on the steps and the agent way up in the stairwell with the incapacitated agent heard the commotion and looked over the railing.
It wasn’t hard for him to spot the Inquisitor even so many flights of stairs below.
“I have contact of the target in the Eastern stairwell. Can’t confirm which floor he is on.”
“Blue team, head him off on the second floor of the Eastern stairwell. Take him down.”
“Roger that” responded a new voice.
With little option at the moment, Varius arrived at the door for floor 10 and hit the door panel. The metal door slid open with a whoosh and he ran down the hall.
The radio chatter continued several moments later. “I lost visual.”
“Can you confirm which floor?” asked the commanding officer.
“Negative. It was from floors thirteen to maybe eleven. I am in pursuit and will confirm momentarily.”
“Roger. Blue team redeploy to the Western stairwell.”
Varius didn’t wait to hear the affirmed response as his attention had to change as a two-man team of agents stepped off the elevator and began to clear the hallway he was running down. The first agent went to the right while the second went left and spotted the Inquisitor instantly. He opened fire with his rifle but Varius sidestepped then slammed himself into a small doorway on his left. The impact of his body hitting the hard surface caused him to drop the radio. It hit so hard that a piece broke off and the rest spun away.