Extensis Vitae: Empire of Dust

by Gregory Mattix

Extended life—Extensis Vitae. Strange how things eventually come full circle. She’s offering me a way back. I wonder what Nash thinks I should do?

  Reznik sorted through his thoughts for a long time while Lynessa waited patiently for him to come to grips. He was tired—tired of fighting all the time. He was about to say he was content just to drift off into oblivion with the pleasant dreams of his past, but then remembered nothing was left for him. His friends and family were gone, and Amanda had run away from him. His life in the future was more real than the past had been.

  A sea of faces flashed through his mind: Myrna Kane, with her piercing green eyes and quiet strength; Ichiro on his deathbed, living through his robots; Marcus lying in the desert with a head wound before Reznik had saved him; Red Royce and his daughter Keeva; Lady Angelis and her daughter standing in front of him; and finally Rin, the fierce woman warrior with the striking turquoise eyes. All of the friends he had made in his new life seemed to watch him as if hoping he would return.

  Not everything was bad about that life. In fact, there was a lot of good about it. It almost was starting to seem like home. “So none of this is real around us?”

  “It’s a construct that your mind holds onto—something comfortable for you to interpret this new data with me being in here. We could be anywhere you imagine.” As she spoke those words, the bar began to disappear as if wide swaths of an artist’s brush painted over it in plain white.

  Soon, Reznik and Lynessa were standing alone in a featureless white space. Reznik felt a sense of vertigo for a moment before a floor appeared beneath his feet. It was a white room, extending endlessly in all directions. A door hung in midair nearby, the door to the bar. Reznik looked around behind it, but nothing was there other than the other side of the door. The Green Beret poster from Paulie’s still hung behind Lynessa—it too was hanging in midair.

  “Your mind hangs onto this image. It is important to you somehow.” Lynessa stepped aside as Reznik studied the poster intently.

  De Oppresso Liber. To liberate the oppressed. That’s what we were fighting for. That’s our motto—it’s what we do. It’s what I do. This is merely a dream. There’s more work to be done, and I owe it to my friends to see that work through.

  Realizing he had made his decision, he turned to Lynessa. “Take me back with you. I haven’t yet completed the mission.”

  Lynessa smiled. “I had hoped you’d say something like that. Come with me.” She slipped her small hand into his and opened the door. Together, they stepped through the door and into the unknown.

  Chapter 13

  Marcus felt his jaw sag open in shock. James Mason watched him with a gentle smile on his face—a smile that seemed out of place on that hard countenance, worn and lined from years scrabbling out a hard survival. Hideous burn scars marred his brow and the area around his inhuman chrome eyes. Mason beckoned Marcus closer.

  “Dad?” Marcus finally managed. He walked closer and finally slid into the seat across from his father, not trusting his suddenly unsteady legs. It can’t be him… this man with the artificial arm and blank eyes looks like he’s been chewed up and spit out by an industrial shredder. And yet the voice is familiar, even though the face may not be. “Where… where the hell have you been all these years? I thought you were long dead… I thought you were… well, they said you were a…”

  “Terrorist? Murderer?” Mason chuckled, the sound a low rumble in his throat. “I’ve been called every name in the book. Some truer than others, unfortunately.” His face looked amused yet somehow pained at the same time. “I’m glad I’ve finally found you. You’re looking well, son.”

  Marcus was awash in emotions: elation, bitterness, and anger all warred inside him. Finally, the anger won out. “Is it true what they say? Did you murder Mom and Miles?” he blurted.

  “No, of course not.” Mason’s face was calm, yet a spark of anger lurked.

  Marcus found it hard to read him with those unnerving chrome eyes, but he could detect no lie in his father’s face.

  “I loved… love you guys. Still do. Your mother and brother were murdered in a plot to get to me. I’m so sorry, son. I thought you were all dead until I just recently learned the truth. I came to find you as soon as I was able.”

  Marcus took a shaky breath. “I don’t know what to say. All these years hearing nothing except how my father murdered the rest of my family, betrayed the company, that you killed a bunch of innocent people…” He shook his head. “Jesus… I don’t know what to believe. I finally just tried to shut it all off so I didn’t have to think about it.”

  A barmaid popped her head through the curtain to ask if they wanted anything. Marcus ordered a Snakebite, but his father declined.

  Mason proceeded to relate to Marcus what had happened to him twenty years previous, before the Cataclysm. Thorne Industries had begun to purge itself of its veterans, people Mason had worked with and trusted for years, to make way for the new crop of skins, tokened for obedience in order to set up a core of servants absolutely loyal to Thorne. They were establishing their vision of a new world order for after the Cataclysm. He told Marcus how Bethany had tried to kill him and how they fought until he had emerged broken but victorious.

  “Bethany tried to kill you? She mentioned that she worked for you for a time before you went rogue but not that you fought.” Marcus’s mind raced as he thought about everything she had told him about his father, what little that had been. He suddenly remembered a strange comment she had made after an assault she had led on the wasteland rebels. “And she encountered you again several months ago, right? You’ve taken up with the rebels?”

  “That’s right. You need to be careful around that bitch, Marcus. She’s loyal to Thorne and only him. How well do you know her?” His face hardened.

  “Uh, well… Bethany’s sort of a friend.” Mason’s eyes narrowed, and Marcus rushed to explain. “Look, Father, you don’t know her anymore. She took care of me when I was taken to the underground compound as an orphan during the Cataclysm. I didn’t have anyone else—I was a young kid who was fucking terrified. My family was dead and missing, and the world was coming to an end. What else was I supposed to do?” he asked with some heat in his voice. “I don’t know what happened between the two of you, but she’s been looking out for me the last twenty years. More than I can say for you.” The words were out of his mouth, and Marcus instantly regretted them.

  “I suppose I deserved that,” Mason said.

  “No, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that.” Marcus took a long gulp of his Snakebite.

  “You were being honest. No need to apologize. It’s a true statement.” Mason waved off his apologies. “We don’t have much longer, but I want to let you know that I’m proud of you, son. You’ve made the best out of the shitty situation that was dealt you. Not just that, but you’ve excelled. Director of Section 7—that’s truly impressive.” He smiled again. “However, I imagine you have minders that will be looking for you, yes?”

  Marcus nodded. “I gave them the slip at a sandwich joint about a half mile away.” A quick glance at his HUD revealed that nearly an hour had gone by. “Dad, you’ve gotta help me. I don’t know how much longer I can keep up this game. CorpSec just arrests and makes people disappear that they don’t like. An alien organism was discovered in the wasteland, and the corporation just totally wiped a village off the map, killing dozens of men, women, and children instead of trying to assist them. With our advanced biotech, we could’ve done so much.” Marcus put his head in his hands.

  “It was a military decision, I’m sure. Thorne and crew just care about power and their own survival. Don’t forget that.”

  “Yeah, I’ve come to realize that. There’s something else… there’s a woman I have feelings for. They’ve taken her hostage. I need to find a way to free her before they hurt or kill her. Even with my position, I can barely get access to visit her occasionally, but I’m afraid… I must sound like a coward.” He shook his head. Mason was si
lent, listening intently. “I just don’t like living day to day, always afraid and having to look over my shoulder all the time. I know the rebels want to take down Thorne Industries… I’d like to do what I can to assist them… you. Can you get me out of there?”

  Mason smiled again. “I was hoping you’d feel that way, Marcus. We can help you, but you’re going to have to sit tight for a while. We need some eyes and ears on the inside before you can be extracted.”

  ***

  Mason gave his son a rough hug and watched Marcus leave the back room. The young man had been understandably shocked at his reappearance after being AWOL for twenty years, yet he had quickly recovered and gotten a grasp of the situation. Pride filled Mason—his son had grown into a fine young man. Of course he would do everything in his power to try to ensure Marcus could be safely extracted from the corporation Mason had vowed to destroy.

  However, worry gnawed at him. He feared that, with the shit luck he had always had, something tragic would happen and he would lose his son again after finally being reunited. He was also racked with guilt. What kind of a father am I—using my son as a pawn to get back at Thorne Industries? It needs to be done, though… We might never get a chance like this again. He sighed and massaged his temples. He could tell another motherfucker of a headache was coming on.

  ***

  Marcus said goodbye to his father and walked through the curtain, where Keeva intercepted him immediately.

  “This way,” she said quietly, tugging on his arm. She led him through the hallway at the rear of the bar, past the restrooms and the small, grungy kitchen, and through the rear exit.

  An old panel van sat idling just outside the door. She hustled him inside. Several grim-faced rebels sat in the van, watching him curiously.

  “What’s going on?” Marcus asked Keeva. The van pulled out of the alley.

  “We’re getting you out of here and back to where your babysitters will find you,” she replied. “Junior, how we looking?”

  The young man with the VR shades sitting in the passenger seat glanced over his shoulder. “Surprisingly, no distress calls yet. They sent out an encrypted message to a private channel, which I couldn’t track. I found a drone was suddenly redirected to this area. So far, no CorpSec response.”

  “Good deal. I doubt they are in any hurry to let anyone know they fucked up and let Marcus get away from them.” Keeva regarded Marcus, her pretty face intrigued. “How was your meeting?”

  “Interesting.” The whole experience still seemed so surreal that Marcus honestly didn’t know what to make of it.

  Keeva nodded and gave him a smile but didn’t press further. “You’re gonna want to come up with a cover story fast. Something about being abducted by dealers who mistook you for someone that owed them money. They were pissed, but when they realized their mistake they knocked you out and dumped you in an alley would be my pick.” She shrugged. “You’re a smart guy—you’ll think of something.”

  Marcus’s mind raced as he sought to think of a good story. He nodded as he thought about using Keeva’s excuse. But then he seized on the last part. “Knocked out and dumped in an alley? Say wha—”

  Stars bloomed in his vision as something slammed the back of his head. He slumped over, and everything started going dark.

  “Sorry about that, hon. It has to be legit.” Keeva’s voice drifted from somewhere in the darkness as his consciousness faded.

  ***

  Mason was roused from his reverie some time later when Keeva swept through the curtain into the back room of the Ibizu Lounge. He had been reliving a pleasant memory of Marcus and his other son, Miles, playing soccer one warm afternoon in the park. That felt as if it was a hundred years ago.

  “How’d the meeting go?” Keeva carried a pair of tumblers with whiskey and slid into the seat across from him. Mason declined the drink, and she shrugged, keeping them both for herself. She tossed back half a glass.

  “Better than expected, I’d say. Thank you for this.” He gave her a sad smile.

  “No problemo.”

  “Did you get him back okay?”

  “Yeah, he’ll either wake up with a headache and make it back on his own, or his bodyguards will find him. We didn’t cold-cock him too hard.”

  “Good.” Mason’s thoughts drifted for a few moments as they sat in companionable silence. Keeva finished the first glass of liquor and started on the second.

  “He’ll do it.” Mason finally broke the silence. “I feel like a piece of shit using my son like this, but it’s the only way.”

  “It’ll be okay,” Keeva replied. She patted Mason’s meat hand. “He seems like he has a good head on his shoulders. Besides, it sounds like Rin and her people will be in the game soon. That should be a big help. We might be able to pull this off after all.”

  “We have to go big or go home. None of us are getting any younger.” As if in confirmation, his knee popped as he got up from the table. “Let’s get out of here.”

  ***

  “Some Rage dealers mistook you for someone else and abducted you, drove you around, questioned you, then realized their mistake and knocked you out and dumped you in the trash?” Beefy loomed over Marcus, his face dubious. He shone a small flashlight in Marcus’s eyes.

  Marcus pushed the flashlight away. “Would you get that damn thing out of my eyes? Shit, my head hurts.” He leaned against the brick wall of a building a block away from where he had given his bodyguards the slip. He had to give it to Keeva—if they hadn’t knocked him out, his story wouldn’t be the least bit credible, farfetched as it sounded to his ears.

  “Olsen reports that there’s no sign of them. Drone scans are negative as well.” The lower half of Beefy’s face was about to be swallowed up by his frown.

  He knows I’m up to something.

  “Olsen?” It took Marcus a moment to realize Beefy was speaking of his partner, Taciturn. He had almost forgotten their real names. “Oh, right. Sorry, just some disorientation. I doubt they’d be dumb enough to stick around when they realized who they’d mugged. Let’s get the hell out of here—it’s freezing.”

  “Copy.” Beefy grunted something into his Datalink.

  Marcus brushed some spongy vegetable matter reeking of curry off his pants. Keeva’s people had dumped him on a pile of trash behind an Indian restaurant. At least it had been a comfortable, albeit smelly, place to wake up when Beefy had found him and shaken him awake.

  A minute later, the limo roared up. Marcus collapsed in the back seat and cranked up the heater. Keeva had been right—the two bodyguards no doubt weren’t thrilled about their fuck-up at losing him, and wouldn’t want to report it to CorpSec and cause a huge ruckus. Now to see if Bethany finds out about this. I just have to somehow manage to convince her.

  Chapter 14

  A flash of bright light greeted Reznik as soon as he stepped through the door. He experienced a moment of vertigo and then found himself lying on his back, looking at a plain white ceiling.

  “Transfer successful,” someone said from nearby.

  “Lynessa…” Reznik fought to hold onto the memories, fearing they would disappear, but they did not. All of them were available, which was a stark contrast from the swiss cheese his memory had been after the first neural transfer that Myrna Kane performed on his old skin.

  “I’m here.” Lynessa leaned over and smiled down at him. “Welcome back. You will find that the procedures are much improved since the early days of neural transfers,” she said as if reading his mind. “Lady Angelis will be pleased that you accepted her offer to return. I’m happy as well,” she added with a shy smile.

  Reznik returned her smile. “So am I. I fear there is much that still needs to be done, however.” He sat up on the firm hospital bed, prepared for vertigo but feeling none.

  They were in a stark white room—only the bed, an extra chair, and a bank of equipment were inside. Lynessa sat beside the bed, watching him, and a technician hovered near the door. Reznik felt mentall
y sharp and ready to go, as if he had merely had a good night’s sleep instead of being dead for more than six months, followed by being resuscitated in a new body.

  “A hundred and ninety-eight days,” he remarked, pulling up his HUD and noting the date. Instead of the low-resolution monochrome display his old skin had had, this new one featured slick, high-resolution graphics.

  “Sorry?” Lynessa regarded him with a bit of concern.

  “Oh, nothing. I was just noting how long it’s been since I died.” Reznik gave her a reassuring smile. He hopped off the bed and stood in front of a wall mirror. He wore simple white garments and looked like himself—the same person he had been when he had awoken in the Extensis Vitae colony, at any rate. The golden replacement eye and myriad of scars were gone, as if they had never happened.

  They must have cloned my old skin.

  “Are you well? I hope you are happy with the skin the Lady has given you. It is an advanced combat-spec.” Lynessa stood and nervously smoothed out her white dress.

  “This will do nicely.” Reznik turned away from the mirror. “How did you manage to revive me?”

  “I apologize that it took so long, but the augmentation resellers all went underground after the fall of the Overseer. Your friend Rin sought to reclaim your black box, but she was unsuccessful and eventually got summoned back to Sea-Tac. I took it upon myself to continue the search. It took quite some time, but finally we came across the aug reseller a couple days ago that had your black box. I let the Lady know that I had found you, and she had this skin prepared for your return.”

  Interesting… she’s coming out of her shell, it seems. The Lynessa he remembered had been rather timid; he was surprised at her initiative.

  “Thank you for not giving up on me.” Reznik smiled and clasped Lynessa on the shoulder, causing her to blush.

  “It was my pleasure,” she said, bowing slightly. “I’m sure the Lady will be happy to see you as well. Shall we go meet her?”