The Birth of Death

by Orlando A. Sanchez

  “They’re not the same.”

  “Will this SCAN thing kill me?”

  “Hasn’t killed me yet,” I said. “But I didn’t get it until I was nearly twice your age.”

  “But it hasn’t hurt you and you speak to this Lucy through it, right?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Lucy is my handler. She looks out for me and helps…helped me on contracts.”

  “If we get separated, can we still talk to each other with this SCAN?”

  She caught on quick, good.

  “Yes, at the very least you’ll still be able to speak to Lucy.”

  “Good,” she said with a nod. “I want it.”

  “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Do I have a choice?”

  “There is always a choice, Ren. You can just let them kill you,” I said, testing the level of her commitment. “Much easier than going up against trained operators.”

  “No,” Ren answered, her voice a sharp blade. “My choice is easy. I will not run for the rest of my life. Either I kill them or they kill me. Why didn’t you kill me in the duplex?”

  “My code.” Your eyes.

  “Your code?”

  “No children. No innocents.”

  “No one is innocent,” she said, her face darkening at an unwanted memory. “At least, not for long.”

  “No one stays innocent…in this life.”

  “Doesn’t your code make this line of work difficult?”

  “Only if I’m sloppy, lazy, or both. If I ever get to that point, I deserve to be retired.”

  “Does every assassin have a code?” she asked.

  “Operator,” I corrected. “Not assassin.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “We are operators,” I answered. “Your words create your world.”

  “Sounds like semantics,” Ren answered. “Does every operator have a code?”

  “No, not everyone,” I said. “Then again, not my business.”

  “You are one cold man.”

  “Arctic even,” I said. “Focus on who you need to be. Let everything else fall to the side. Don’t get emotional and don’t try and save everyone. You can’t.”

  “You saved me.” Ren said quietly. “Why?”

  “Temporary insanity,” I answered. “All these questions are making me reconsider.”

  “Can you tell me about her?”

  “About who?”

  “Her, you know…her?”

  “I swear if your next question is ‘who’s on first?’ I’ll shoot you and leave you with the Nurse,” I said. “Who are you talking about?”

  “La Muerte—Santa Muerte.”

  “What are you talking about?” I said, deflecting as my blood turned to ice. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Are all operators such horrible liars?” Ren asked. “I know you see her. Even speak to her. She’s your patrona—your patron saint. Smart, considering what you do for a living.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “I see her sometimes, out of the corner of my eye,” Ren said, pensively. “Sometimes she’s a little girl and sometimes an abuela—an old grandmother. Every time I try to look at her, she disappears.”

  “Could be you’re hallucinating. Have you eaten anything?”

  Ren crossed her arms and glared. “You know what I’m talking about. I saw her right before you came into the duplex. She was the one that told me to get into the closet. She told me you were coming.”

  “She told you I was coming? Really?” I scoffed. “Did she give you my name?”

  “Yes—she said her hand was coming and I should hide. She called you Mano de Muerte—Hand of Death.”

  Shit.

  “Listen, Ren,” I started. “I didn’t choose this profession. It chose me.”

  “Really? You really wanted to be what, an IT guy, but found out you were better at shooting people?”

  “Something like that,” I said. “Something like you.”

  “Oh, you were about to be drugged, raped, and discarded when an assas—I mean, operator came in, erased everyone and saved you? What a coincidence.”

  “Don’t be a smartass.”

  “Better than a dumbass.”

  “You’re looking for pain, Ren,” I said. “This won’t end with Sam. It won’t ever end.”

  “All my life has been pain,” Ren said, looking down. “At least give me a chance to fight back.”

  “Fine,” Nurse said, walking into the room. “I’ll do it under several conditions.”

  “Thank you, Nurse,” Ren said.

  “Don’t thank me, girl,” Nurse answered. “You thought your life was pain before? I’m going to introduce you to pain you’ve never experienced. Are you sure you want to do this…last chance.”

  “I’m ready.”

  “No, you’re not, but you will be.”

  FIFTEEN

  The blade is silent.

  The blade is swift.

  The blade is always ready.

  The blade heals.

  The blade kills.

  The blade is life and the blade is death.

  Huracan Karib

  “How long will this take?” I asked. “Degas gave us three days, which means nothing to Samael.”

  “Are you planning on putting that rabid dog down? Or are you going to let him kill you?”

  “I’ve grown attached to breathing,” I said. “How long? We can’t stay in one place for too long.”

  “This location is secure,” Nurse said. “Once you leave here, that’s another story.”

  “Lucy is getting me help.”

  “Lucy has access to an army?” Nurse replied. “I’m impressed.

  “She’s getting Seq.”

  Nurse nodded. “Next best thing,” she said with a nod. “The procedure will take an hour, then her eyes and optic nerves will need to adjust to the HUDs. Total time will be two hours.”

  “Two hours?” I asked in disbelief. “Mine took eight hours and I was dizzy for days afterwards. Will she have a shut-off feature?”

  “Of course,” Nurse said. “No need to drive her insane immediately, being around you will take care of that over time.”

  “Can’t believe my procedure took so long.”

  “Your procedure was done with a different method and older tech. It’s been streamlined now,” Nurse answered. “She’ll be on yours and Lucy’s frequencies, since I’m assuming The Cartel has tried to shut you down?”

  I nodded. “Is there anyway I can contact Lucy without compromising my location?”

  “Last room on the left,” Nurse said, looking at Ren. “Let’s go. The sooner we begin, the sooner we can finish.”

  “Do you need any help?” I asked. “I can assist.”

  “Only if I want a two hour procedure to take four hours,” Nurse answered. “Go speak to your handler and get this situation under control. Don’t worry about Ren. She’s in good hands—mine.”

  The room at the end on the left was the Nurse’s main communication center. It took me a few minutes to figure out some of the equipment. Once I got it sorted, I made an encrypted call.

  “Lucy, it’s me.” I said. “Give me a sitrep.”

  “We have a situation,” Lucy said, clearly angry. “Viktor was window dressing.”

  “Shit. Clarify.”

  “It was a two birds, one stone contract.”

  “And I was the stone?”

  “Indeed. I did some digging, still am. The sanitation order wasn’t just for Viktor. There was another target on-site. Someone who left before you arrived.”

  “The person funding Viktor,” I said. “Someone The Cartel wants erased with extreme prejudice.”

  “Someone your rescue saw, Huracan,” Lucy answered. “Don’t you think the response to what you did was a little over the top? Even for Degas? Considering how many years you’ve worked for The Cartel?”

  “He knows,” I said. “And he wants to erase anyone who has the information.”
<
br />   “That’s why they want her gone. Your rescue knows who was in the duplex. Degas knows she knows, and whoever was there knows you rescued her.”

  “If I were Degas, I’d have to assume I know also—I’m a loose end.”

  “You need to get rid of her.”

  “I told you, Lucy I’m not going—”

  “Not that way,” Lucy interrupted. “Send her to the Farm. She’ll be safe here. If you keep her with you, she’ll slow you down and get you both killed.”

  It was actually a good idea, with one major flaw.

  If I sent Ren to Lucy, the likelihood of Sam or Degas showing up at the Farm increased exponentially. They were after me on principle. They were after Ren because she was a threat. I just didn’t know how—yet.

  Besides, my choice, my responsibility.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Lucy. She’d saved my life more times than I could count. Sending Ren to the Farm would make Lucy vulnerable. Lucy was a pragmatist, I wouldn’t put it past her to put two in Ren if it meant ending a threat.

  Saving Ren was a choice I would have to live or die with. Instead of sending Ren to her I needed Lucy to come to me.

  “He declared me borrado—erased.”

  “Us,” Lucy answered. “He declared us borrado.”

  “Sending her to the Farm only sends them your way.”

  “Which means they die faster.”

  “It’s too risky,” I said. “Why don’t you join us?”

  “I’m going to overlook your questioning of my abilities and remind you...I don’t leave—”

  “You don’t leave the Farm for anyone, I know.”

  “Then don’t make me repeat myself. If you’re going to keep the girl, at least wait until Seq gets there before moving against Samael.”

  “It’s never simple, is it?” I asked.

  “If you wanted simple, you picked the wrong career,” Lucy replied with a short laugh. “I hear the golden arches are always hiring. It’s not too late. You could always be a janitor or something like that.”

  “Speaking of wrong career paths, your talent for humor is underdeveloped.”

  “Much like your brain,” she shot back. “I’m sending you more information as I get it. Figure this mess out and get it resolved.”

  “We’ll talk soon.”

  SIXTEEN

  The procedure took a little over two hours.

  Ren emerged from the room dressed like a ninja version of the Nurse. Black T-shirt, black cargo pants, and black combat boots.

  “At least she’ll blend in,” I said, giving Ren the once over. “Is this all polykev?”

  “Yes,” Nurse said. “Should offer some protection and better than the knockoff you were wearing when you walked in here.”

  “Any complications with the procedure?” I asked. “Is she ready?”

  “Absolutely not,” Nurse said. “She hasn’t had the sensory training needed. Her HUD is disabled, but I sent Lucy the codes to activate it when she’s ready. She’ll also have limited auditory and vocal functionality. Because of the narrow frequency, she can only listen and speak to you and Lucy.

  “Thank you, Nurse.” I said. “I owe you.”

  “Huracan,” Nurse said with a pause. “You chose this life, she didn’t. If she dies on your watch, I’m going to make sure you live just long enough to regret this choice.”

  “Understood.”

  I didn’t bother explaining that neither I nor Ren chose this life. It wasn’t the kind of conversation that made you sound sane, but on some deeper level I knew Nurse understood.

  “She needs her blade, and for goodness sake give her a real gun,” Nurse said. “What is she supposed to do with that spitballer—tickle them?”

  “The .22 is perfect for her right now,” I countered. “You don’t have a blade here for her?”

  “The .22 is perfect to piss someone off, and no I don’t have her blade here.”

  I knew what Nurse was referring to. Every operator had a preferred method of execution, a signature weapon style. Nurse knew Ren would use the blade, just as I did.

  “Hanso?” I asked, knowing the answer. “You know The Cartel will have eyes on him.”

  “That’s what makes it a challenge.”

  “I prefer non-lethal types of challenges.”

  “A little late for that,” she answered. “Besides, you need to visit him about the polykev Swiss cheese clothing the Forge gave you, may as well get this done.”

  “Hanso won’t be happy.”

  “Cranky and unhappy is his default setting,” Nurse said. “According to The Cartel, you have two days left. Then Degas unleashes everyone—generous, I might add.”

  “Sam didn’t get that memo,” I said. “He started this morning.”

  “He always was something of an overachiever. This works for you though.”

  “How? I’m really not seeing how having a pack of psycho operators after me works.”

  “If you eliminate Sam and his deranged group without collateral damage, Degas will be forced to rescind the contract once three days are up.”

  I nodded as I followed her logic.

  “Because he let Sam attack and didn’t rein him in immediately. If Degas opens the contract, The Cartel will lose face.”

  Nurse nodded. “Degas and his ego,” Nurse said, shaking her head. “He cares about the image of The Cartel.”

  “Image is more than half the job in this work,” I answered. “Appearances matter.”

  “If he acts against you now, the reputation of The Cartel takes a damaging hit. This doesn’t mean he won’t act, but whatever action he takes won’t be overt.”

  “And not until the three days are up.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Right now that means all I have to deal with is one psychopath and his group, not the entire Cartel,” I said. “Doesn’t help that the one psycho is an excellent operator.”

  “Well Samael never liked you and prefers the idea of you being dead,” she answered. “Use that time to choose her blade, and come up with a plan to get ready. If you don’t put him down early, Degas will open the contract without loss of face.”

  “Then all I have to do is stay alive, keep Ren alive, eliminate Sam, deal with whoever Degas sends later, and then deal with Degas himself.”

  “Seems like you have a handle on things,” Nurse said. “Sounds pretty simple from where I’m standing.”

  I glared at her.

  All we had to do was get to the Forge—alive.

  SEVENTEEN

  We climbed the steps inside the arch and stopped at the exit.

  “By now, you’ll have Cartel in the area,” Nurse said. “Don’t stop to play with them. Get to the Forge as fast as possible.”

  “Just have to get down to City Hall and avoid getting shot on the way…this should be a cakewalk.”

  “Normally, I would say yes,” Nurse replied. “Just remember you aren’t doing this alone.”

  “You wouldn’t happen to have a tank down here we could use?”

  “Let me check my inventory,” Nurse said with a look. “Now that I think of it…fresh out of tanks, sorry.”

  “Figures. I’d even take an armored anything.”

  “You must have me confused with some other full-service combat medic who happens to have a garage full of armored vehicles lying around,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “My name isn’t Alfred and yours isn’t Wayne, so let’s get back to reality.”

  “Armored clothing it is,” I said with a nod. “Thanks.”

  “You have real polykev on now. That should help.”

  I glanced down at the black jacket, black shirt and pants ensemble, and realized I was doing the ‘black is the new black’ thing too.

  “Polykev doesn’t encourage me,” I said. “The Forge is nearly a mile away.”

  “It’s sixteen blocks from here,” Nurse started, “give or take a block, lose them in the Village, stick to the side streets, use the night to your advantage, and it
should take you thirty minutes to get there. I’ll let Hanso know to expect you.”

  “You expect us to run the whole way?”

  “Actually, yes,” Nurse said with a nod. “The moment you step out of this door, you head South and run. You run as if your lives depend on it, because they do.”

  “Once we get outside,” I started, looking at Ren, “anything Lucy tells you to do, you do. It could save your life, our lives. You follow her instructions. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” Ren replied. “Follow all instructions given.”

  I shook my head slightly in disbelief.

  I kept myself in shape. I didn’t keep myself in sixteen-city-blocks-in-thirty minutes shape, but I could push it if I needed to. I looked at Ren who nodded.

  “Think you can keep up?” I asked her. “This isn’t going to be easy.”

  “With an old man like you?” Ren asked. “Without breaking a sweat.”

  I knew her answer was mostly bluff and bravado. Once the adrenaline kicked in she’d get moving, but that wouldn’t last. Nothing like people trying to erase you to get you going, but I knew she was weak and had just undergone a procedure with the Nurse.

  I turned to the Nurse.

  “Can you give her anything? To increase her endurance?”

  “Besides a stiff cup of Death Wish coffee, you mean?” Nurse said. “No, she’s too young for anything I have, and frankly, you’re too old.”

  “She’s not exactly at one hundred percent,” I said. “No offense, Ren.”

  “I’m more worried about you than the teenager over here,” Nurse said. “Do you think you can make it to Hanso’s without having a heart attack?”

  “Hilarious, my heart is fine. Is her SCAN off?”

  “Like I said, limited functionality. They won’t be able to pinpoint your precise location, but they’ll have your general area if they manage to get in proximity.”

  “How close?”

  “I’d say about a five meter radius.”

  “If they’re that close, I better be engaging them,” I said.

  “My thoughts exactly,” Nurse said. “The arch will be closed for several days after you leave. It’s getting a little warm around here.”