“Why the hell did he do that? They won! All they had to do was behave, do a little press, and they were home free!” Roland said, “Don’t kill them, not yet! Just have the droids watch them and send in more men!”
“Sir-, we’re picking up movement in the arena!” One of the techs said, “We were monitoring the Abomination’s corpse in case it showed any signs of life, but we’ve caught something else instead!”
Chapter Twenty-Four.
“Yearning for a simpler time? Before the chaos of modern life? Before science tried to ruin all the mysteries and magic of the world? Living off the land, by the labour of your own hand and the sweat of your own brow? When men were men and women were women? When everything made sense and had a place? Before vaccines and pasteurised milk? When you didn’t have to worry about climate change and war in faraway places? When you could take a man at his word and his handshake? Before social media, mobile phones and sitting at a desk from nine-to-five? When you didn’t have to deal with people different from you, or their different, sometimes challenging views? Before children were named before the age of two to stop all the good names getting wasted on infants that were probably going to die anyway? Before we all got soft and educated? When the only difference between a good harvest or a bad one was how hard you prayed?”
“Have you considered life on a historical reserve?”
“Life on a historical reserve: if you lived in the 1930s, you’d be home by now.”
When Church and Jeannie had started moving across the bridge, Thao’s eyes snapped back open. He couldn’t remember where he was. The ground was hard and littered with sharp stones, and it was dark. But he could see his wife’s face hanging over him, smiling. He could feel the softness of a mattress under him and sense gauzy sunlight. But then his nostrils were filled with a fishy stink that chased the memory away.
As his eyes adjusted fully, Thao found himself instead staring at a set of gaping jaws filled with rows and rows of jagged, white teeth. He jerked back, letting out a short cry of surprise. The jaws didn’t move although Thao had been convinced they were about to jump forward and chew his face off. It was the shark that Layla had killed at the beginning of the game. Purely by coincidence it must have washed up on the shoreline at the same spot where Thao had rolled after Layla tossed him down the slope.
Thao had hit his head rolling down the slope. Thankfully he’d had enough sense to cut through the kill switch on his sleeve without setting off the shock before briefly passing out. He’d set it off with the laser scalpel, just like he’d done with Kohler. The sleeve was still stuck around his wrist but the white globe was destroyed and the techs had stopped monitoring him.
Making sure he was still in one piece, Thao clamoured back up the slope of rubble that ran along the shoreline, away from the body of the great white shark. His neck still hurt from Layla’s grip as she’d lifted him off his feet. His head throbbed and he had a few cuts and bruises from rolling down the rubble. Layla’s betrayal to save the others, however, had all been an act and he’d known it was coming. She had only mimed breaking his neck and he had done the rest with the laser scalpel.
Thao reached the top of the slope. The body of the Abomination was sprayed across the ruins like a giant, dead starfish. Parts of it that had been blown off now littered the ground looking disturbingly human but Thao supposed that was because they originally were.
“Layla! Layla!” Thao yelled.
“Over here.”
Layla emerged from the darkness of the ruins where she’d seemingly walked off to die. The sleeve was still wrapped around her right arm.
“Did it work?” Thao said.
“I wouldn’t still be here if it hadn’t, would I?” Layla said.
Layla held her right arm up. A thick skim of purplish synthetic skin poked out from under the edge of the metal bracelet. The same stuff that was patched across Layla’s right shoulder and covering the long scars down the right side of her face. Using the attachment he had taken from the medical droid, along with the laser scalpel, Thao had sprayed the synthetic skin under both their bracelets while they were in the office building taking cover from the Abomination. It spread easily but was tougher than real skin. They had gambled on it being too tough for the needles to get through although they hadn’t had any real reassurance it would work. After Thao’s kill switch went off though it had kept the drugs from killing Layla.
“I think a little adrenaline still got through actually, maybe a little bit of the drugs but not enough to kill me. I feel good, a little amped, like the poppers they used to give us with our MREs in the service.” Layla said.
Layla scooped up the massive tri-barrelled laser gun she had dropped earlier. Her P90 was strapped to her side but she carried the giant weapon with her mechanical arm. Thao only had his pistol, riding its holster on his hip, and his trusty stun baton that was clipped to the other side. Untethered from the arena, the two of them could have raced for the wall and freedom. Instead, the two of them started toward the central control building where the bridge was stretching from the rubble to the building’s entryway.
xXx
“It’s Southpaw Jackson and Thao Seong, they’re-, somehow they’re still alive!” One of the control room techs said, “They’re coming down the bridge!”
“Are you kidding me?” Roland said, “I thought those kill switches couldn’t be tampered with? How could they-, we saw her snap his neck! He-, the switch went off! She should’ve been poisoned!”
“Well, they’re still coming, sir.” The tech said.
“Then lower the bridge! Do I have to tell you to do everything?” Roland said.
Outside, the bridge started to judder and sink back toward the surface of the lake. Both Thao and Layla sped up, running as hard as they could. The bridge didn’t lower all at once but in random sections, piece by piece into the dark water. Spray hissed around some of the pillars. Carrying the heavy gun, Layla leapt onto a sinking platform and crossed it before heaving herself onto a section that was still raised. Thao lagged behind her, even without dealing with a stiff leg and Layla’s in-built mechanics, but he managed to cross the sinking section as well.
“Why the hell doesn’t the bridge go down all at once? Why does everything around here have to be so goddamn dramatic?” Roland said, “Faster! Faster!”
Layla leapt off one sinking section onto another that was even closer to the waterline. Thao stumbled after her. The water boiled with movement under them. A couple of grey fins cut through the surface from a pair of genetically engineered great whites that were intrigued by all the noise. One slick platform hovered just above the water’s surface as other sections delved underneath. Layla heaved herself onto the next section, throwing the laser cannon ahead and hauling herself up. Thao sprinted after her as spray hissed in curtains off to either side. Reaching back, Layla grabbed Thao and swung him onto the section as well before the whole lower platform descended into a bubbling pit.
The last few sections were arranged like a set of stairs. Thao and Layla vaulted up the final platforms to the entryway of the central building. On the last platform were the weapons Church and Jeannie had dropped before they were allowed to come inside. The vibrating surface of the platform caused Jeannie’s arm cannon to roll sideways and before Layla could grab for it the weapon dropped over the edge into the water below. Carrying the heavy laser cannon, Layla turned on the weapons Church had dropped instead. She grabbed the final brick of explosive Church had been carrying along with one of the remote detonators. As the section of bridge continued to sink into the water, Layla and Thao then raced inside.
“Church! Jeannie!” Layla said.
A missile hissed past Layla into the darkness outside before exploding. Church and Jeannie were lying on the ground wrapped in the electrified bolas, surrounded by dead guards, balloons and party streamers. The blonde host who had started the game was also on her back in the middle of the chaos, bleeding from a stomach wound. The ‘Congratulations Wi
nners!’ banner was flapping overhead. Two heavily armoured security droids advanced from the far end of the massive room, one having just fired the missile at Layla and Thao.
Layla lifted her tremendous laser weapon and returned fire. Lasers streaked back across the entryway, filling it with the smell of cooked ozone, and blazed into one of the two droids. The shots left smouldering craters across its armour. The droid’s minigun rattled, bullets drilling into the wall and floor and ricocheting past Layla. She focused in on the droid’s upper body, lasers pelting and then carving their way through the armour as it heated up and started to melt away like butter. There was an explosion of sparks and smoke, melted shrapnel spraying off the droid.
The two sentry guns on the ceiling swivelled and fired, electrified bolas streaking in blue blurs through the air. Thao leapt sideways and let one set of bolas spark off the floor and coil in on themselves. Slipping his pistol out of its holster he pointed at the sentry gun and opened fire. The large and faintly glowing X on the front of the weapon made it easy to aim for. The bolas gun backfired with an explosion of blue lightning as Thao hit the mark, shattering it open and sending pieces raining from the ceiling. The other gun was tracking Layla, firing glowing sets of balls and cords at the soldier. Raising the laser gun, Layla fired from the hip and bolts of energy raked across the wall then chewed through the second sentry gun.
The remaining security droid wheeled across the room, firing wildly. Thao was forced to take cover behind one of the large, riblike support beams that ran down the walls. The droid’s minigun sprayed the support beam. Meanwhile, Church, Jeannie and the wounded Slayerz host were all caught in the crossfire. The blonde woman screamed but Church and Jeannie were too paralysed by the extra-strength bolas to move. Layla also had to seek cover as the droid released a barrage of small but powerful missiles in her direction. Explosions consumed the side of the hall near Layla. Hauling the laser weapon around, Layla went to return fire but a nearby blast sent her staggering back toward the gaping entryway at the nearest end of the room. The bridge had completely lowered outside although the doorway was still open, leaving a precarious drop into the shark-filled waters below.
“Shit!” Thao said.
Thao stayed low as he darted out from behind cover. He fired one-handed with his pistol, a couple of bullets bouncing off the droid’s armour harmlessly. Thao only had to provide a distraction for a few moments so he kept firing. The droid wheeled around on Thao with both of its primary weapons. A missile streaked toward Thao’s position and erupted against the corner of the nearest support beam. The shockwave picked up Thao and threw him, end over end, across the room with his head ringing like he’d just been struck with a sledgehammer.
As the droid was distracted, Layla recovered and fixed the large laser weapon on it again. A streak of burning lasers zeroed in on the droid. They scythed through its missile launcher arm and let it drop to the ground, smoking. The robot started to turn with its minigun but Layla continued to unleash a barrage of energy on the droid. Lasers cut across its chest and small explosions went off inside the droid’s casing. It wheeled back, pieces falling off into puddles of slag. Waving its minigun as if in surrender, the droid toppled off its wheeled tripod and crashed to the ground.
“Thao, are you alright?” Layla shouted.
Thao felt the warm sunlight again, filtering through the curtains and falling across his face. The bed and pillows were soft under him. Dimly, he was aware of how much his head hurt and wondered if he’d had a little too much to drink the night before. Thao turned and saw a woman with light brown hair lying in the bed next to him. Reaching out, Thao felt compelled to touch her gently as if to make sure she was real.
“G-good morning.” He said.
She rolled over and smiled at him, beaming in the morning glow. Thao recognised her immediately but her name escaped him for the moment. As she reached for his face, Thao could see the wedding band on her left ring finger.
“Hey, good morning, how did you sleep?” She said, “Thao? Thao! Wake up!”
Thao realised his head was hurting much worse than he’d actually thought. The name Thao sounded wrong coming out of the woman’s mouth. The bed and pillow shifted and became much harder, sending stiffness and pain radiating through his body. The sunlit bedroom drained away and Thao found himself back in the cavernous and grey entry hall. Fires were still crackling in the corners of the room and there seemed to be bodies in black armour splayed everywhere in pools of blood. Layla was crouched over Thao, propped up on her mechanical arm, and shaking him awake.
“Thao, are you alright?” Layla said.
“I’m okay, I’m okay.” Thao said.
Head throbbing, Thao struggled to sit up. The motion threw him off-balance and his stomach churned.
“How many concussions do doctors say is actually bad for you to get in one day?” Thao said.
“Come on, this isn’t over yet.” Layla said.
Chapter Twenty-Five.
“Slayerz is experiencing some minor technical difficulties and will be back on the air shortly!”
“Please do not attempt anything you see on Slayerz at home, or on members of your friends and family!”
“We’ll be back to the slaying soon, but to satisfy your bloodlust in the meantime, visit the Slayerz feedsite for replays of all your favourite kills from this year and from previous seasons!”
“Slayerz, the team that slays together, stays together.”
“Unbelievable, I really do have to do everything myself.” Roland said.
The head producer crossed the control room to a large weapon safe on the other side. The technicians watched as he punched in the code and withdrew a large handgun. The small, bald doctor who took care of the contestants before the show had appeared in the doorway, ready to meet Roland.
“Have the rest of the security personnel meet me in the entry hall, and shut off the cyborg’s arm again for shit’s sake!” Roland said, “Can’t any of you think for yourselves?”
“Are you sure about this?” The doctor said.
“Of course I am, I’m in control here.” Roland said, “Bring the girl, once security is in place I’ll handle this. I always wanted to make the big speech, even if all the cameras aren’t broadcasting.”
Roland rolled up his right sleeve, carrying the pistol from the weapon cabinet in his right hand. Shrugging, the doctor fit a kill switch bracelet around Roland’s forearm and let it seal itself closed.
xXx
Downstairs, leaving Thao for a moment, Layla went to help Church. Using her mechanical hand she twisted and pulled the bolas off of Church’s body. The shocks made Church go rigid and grind his teeth but they didn’t affect Layla at all. The glowing blue balls and straps peeled away from Church like an uncooperative, electric octopus. Layla tossed the bolas across the room and helped Church sit up.
“Thanks.” Church said, “There’ll be more coming, help Jeannie if you could.”
The blonde Slayerz host was still lying among the bodies of the guards nearby. She flinched as Layla straightened up and looked her way.
“Don’t hurt me! Please, don’t hurt me!” The host said, “It was just a job!”
Ignoring the blonde woman, Layla started to move toward Jeannie. The younger woman was keeping as still as possible in an effort not to get shocked but pained tears were streaming down her face. Before she could get to Jeannie, Layla let out a pained grunt and then slumped suddenly to the left. Her prosthetic arm lost power, falling limply away from her scarred shoulder and dragging Layla sideways just like it had during her fight with Donny Kohler and Jackrabbit Slim. Layla sat down hard. She was anchored to the floor by the heavy arm that she was no longer able to control.
“Help! Help, something’s gone wrong here.” Layla said.
“What’s happening?” Thao said.
Still feeling like he might throw up, Thao awkwardly stumbled to his feet. He managed to stagger over to his partner as Layla dragged the limp mechanical
arm into her lap.
“Something must have shut this thing off remotely again.” Layla said, “I knew it, they did it during that fight with Kohler and Jackrabbit Slim hoping it’d be enough to get us killed without tipping off the viewers. Now they’ve shut it off to make us easier to take down. Go and help Jeannie first, I’ll be fine.”
Thao moved toward Jeannie, glancing over as well at the blonde woman who’d been hosting the game. There was a pool of blood started to spread around the host’s side and her face was looking deathly pale. She needed medical attention soon or she wasn’t going to make it. Thao ignored her as well and knelt beside Jeannie.
“Hey, it’s alright, I’m going to get you out of these.” Thao said.
Thao went to grab the cords of the bolas that were strapped around Jeannie but his hands jerked back purely on instinct, as if he’d touched a hot stove, when they shocked him. Jeannie whimpered and looked at him with desperation. Church was getting armed again and Layla was out of commission.
Looking around, Thao grabbed the nearest dead guard by the hands and removed the man’s thick and armoured, black gloves. Slipping them on, Thao tried the bolas again. Shocks still ran up Thao’s arms but he was protected from the worst of it. He could tell it was hurting Jeannie, however, so he worked fast and removed the balls and cords. As soon as they were off, Jeannie sat up and wrapped her arms around Thao’s shoulders. Scorch marks cut across her clothing.
“Thank you! I couldn’t take it much longer.” Jeannie said.
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