“You’ll all thank me for this!” Atilla screamed, finally letting go of my head. “You’ll be glad I led you when—”
Now I don’t normally condone fighting dirty. But there are times in a man’s life when you do what you need to do to survive. This was one of those times.
I balled my right hand into a fist and channeled everything I could into my blow. I hit Atilla in the balls so hard, Cyber Hunter or not, he wasn’t going to be able to have kids anytime soon.
The air escaped his lips in a rush. A squeal came from him as he fell to the ground grabbing at his crotch.
Everyone watching gasped and “ooooooooooh’d” at the action.
“Get up!” Angel shouted from the tent. “Get back up, Daniel!”
More shouts reached my ears as everyone witnessed the impossible. I limped to my feet, stumbling over to where Atilla was also struggling to stand.
I fell on him more than tackled him, letting my weight take him to the ground.
We grappled there for a moment trading blows. I was so far gone, I didn’t even really have a plan. Years of training kicked in and I reacted. We both landed a few shots, rolling in the sand.
With his augmented strength from being a Cyber Hunter, Atilla was able to push me off.
I rolled across the sand, coming to rest where his staff lay abandoned.
I picked up the weapon, rising to my feet. The staff was lightweight, perfectly balanced.
Atilla sneered at me, kicking sand into my face with his left boot as he charged.
I turned my head just in time to avoid sand in my eyes, bringing the staff upward to connect with the bottom of his chin. The crack was so loud, it nearly echoed.
Atilla stumbled back, dazed but still on his feet.
I don’t really know what possessed me to try this move. As far as I could remember, I had never attempted it in the past.
I channeled what strength I had left in my legs, springing at him. I leapt into the air, sending my right knee into his chest with all of my weight behind it. I heard something pop in his chest.
He went down hard.
I dragged my body over to where he lay more than actually walked. I still held his staff in my hands.
To his credit, he was gasping for breath, trying to get up. Maybe I should have given him the option to surrender there, but I was no saint.
With his own staff, I cracked him across the jaw so hard, his head snapped to the side. Finally, he lay still.
A cheer went up from those gathered.
I dropped the staff to my side, trying to think straight.
“You did it, Daniel,” X said in my head with a voice so full of pride, it almost made me smile. “You did it!”
“Daniel Hunt from Immortal Corp will be leading us against the Voy invasion.” Madam Eternal moved beside me and placed a hand on my right wrist.
She lifted my hand into the air.
Another round of shouts and applause came my way.
I wish I had something more eloquent to say. I started to open my mouth, maybe even got a word or two in; I don’t remember. I fell into the dark embrace of unconsciousness that I had put off for so long.
“Idiot,” Alerna admonished me in my unconscious state. “An alien invasion takes place in three days and you’re fighting your own allies in some kind of barbaric human blood sport.”
“It’s nice to see you too,” I replied, catching something she said. “Three days? We still have four left before they invade.”
“Not once you wake up,” Alerna chided with a harsh stare. She raised her eyebrow and pursed her lips in thought. “You also need to learn to get that temper of yours in control. You played right into Atilla’s hands when he hinted at knowing what happened to Amber.”
“Yeah, well, nobody’s perfect,” I said with a shrug. I examined my surroundings for the first time. We stood inside a strange building—more of a cave—whose walls, ceiling, and floor were chiseled out of the ground itself. “Where are we anyway?”
“A memory of my own,” Alerna said dismissively. “Well, now that you have officially claimed the title as ruler, you need to turn your attention to the Voy.”
“Yeah, I don’t think my title is going to be ruler, but I know what you mean,” I said, looking down at my hands and shirt. It seemed in this state of Alerna’s memory, my body had been healed. “Three days will be enough to plan and prepare. It has to be.”
“You saw the creatures that you’re up against now,” Alerna reminded me. “This may be the last time I’m able to talk to you before the invasion.”
Something in her voice tipped me off that this bothered her.
“Why’s that?” I asked. “You said yourself that we still have three days. You can bother me in my sleep or odds are I’m going to get knocked unconscious again between now and then.”
She actually smiled; maybe not a true smile, but the edges of her lips turned up. It was strange and wonderful to see the stoic alien grin.
“Yes, you probably will be unconscious between now and then,” Alerna agreed. “However, that’s not the issue. The problem lies with my own deeming my intervening with the Voy enough at this point.”
“What do you mean?” I pushed.
“I mean that those in my circle believe everything is to be kept in balance,” Alerna explained. “I have done what I can to keep that balance by giving you information on your enemy. Now it is up to you to execute on that knowledge and prove yourself worthy.”
“We will,” I asserted with more conviction than I felt. “We’ll be ready when the Voy come.”
“Be wary of those you call friends,” Alerna cautioned with a gaze so serious, I almost looked away. “Not all is as it seems.”
“Who?” I asked. “Atilla?”
“He is not of whom I speak.”
“Well, who is it of whom you speak?” I questioned, not really knowing if that was proper English but not caring at the moment.
“The woman named Madam Eternal,” Alerna answered. “She is more than what she seems.”
“Well, yeah, I figured with a name like that, there had to be something up,” I agreed. “Hey, I don’t know if I ever thanked you.”
Alerna looked surprised at my comment.
“I mean it,” I said. “You’ve given us a fighting chance. Thank you.”
“Yes, yes.” Alerna shrugged off the praise. It was clear she was uncomfortable with gratitude. “Well, you needed it. It’s time for you to wake up now and prepare. Remember my warning of the woman, Madam Eternal.”
I woke with large dark eyes peering down at me.
Fifteen
Three Days Until the Voy Invasion
“Holy crip!” I yelled, startled by the face so close to mine.
“Son of a—” Cryx jumped back, holding a hand to her chest. “You’re going to give me a heart attack. You always wake up like that?”
“No, only when someone’s staring at me a few inches from my face,” I said, sitting up in bed. I looked under the sheets. I was completely naked. “Hey what kind of weird stuff are you doing to me?”
“What no—not me.” Cryx shook her head from side to side violently. “You were muttering something in your sleep, so I leaned in. Angel and Jax were the ones that removed your clothes and cleaned you up.”
“Still doesn’t make me feel any better,” I said, looking around the room I had been given at the estate. “Clothes?”
My stomach rumbled, my mouth was dry.
“Food?” I added.
“Bapz thought you’d need both.” Cryx motioned to the dresser where fresh clothes and a warm meal waited. She then stood up from the bed and turned her back to give me some privacy.
I moved off the bed in my birthday suit, headed for the clothes and food. My mouth was already watering as the aroma of fresh bread and meat assailed my nostrils.
Rosemary Cripps really knew how to live. I was used to protein pouches and meal bars. To cook this kind of food not only took a large amou
nt of money, but a state-of-the-art kitchen facility.
“So I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and I think I need to learn how to fight,” Cryx said with her back still toward me. “I mean, if I’m going to be living in a house with mercenaries in it and all, I think I should at least be able to defend myself.”
I pulled on the pants and shoved my head through the soft short-sleeved shirt.
“Let me look at your eyes,” I requested, grabbing a piece of the bread and biting into it. It was glorious. Flavors exploded in my mouth. There was some kind of spiced meat and cheese in the bread. I felt like I could eat twenty of them.
“My eyes?” Cryx asked, turning around with a raised eyebrow. “I told you I was off the stim.”
“Right,” I said, studying her pupils. She looked like she was telling the truth. Her pupils were the normal dilation and her weight looked healthy. “You stay off the stim and I’ll see about setting up some classes with Angel or Jax. I mean, it might have to take a back seat to the alien invasion and all, but we’ll make it happen.”
“Really?” Cryx blurted, brightening up like the moon on a clear night. “You don’t think it’s too dangerous for me? Sister Monroe thought for sure you’d turn me down.”
“Too dangerous?” I repeated, working through another of the meat pockets. “You’re talking to the wrong guy if you wanted to hear some kind of voice of reason right now.”
“Thanks!” Cryx cried with a huge smile on her face. “Thank you!”
“Yeah,” I answered, coming up with a question I had yet to ask. Cryx had to be in her late teens but still not yet old enough to have been out of the house for long. “Hey, you have parents or something who are going to be worried about you?”
“Yeah, not so much.” Cryx shrugged, going over and helping herself to one of the sandwiches. “They divorced when I was young. Mom doesn’t really check in anymore. I think she’s on the moon somewhere. Dad has custody, but he travels for work nonstop. Won’t even notice I’m gone.”
Cryx shrugged off the explanation as if it were the simplest thing to understand. She had come to grips with the hard facts about her life. Despite her best attempt at downplaying the events I could see the pain in her eyes. A brief flash of hurt and anger, but as soon as it was there, it was gone again.
I didn’t have the words to comfort her, if she needed comforting at all. I wasn’t really the best at being anyone’s role model.
“Bapz is requesting a link,” X intervened, saving Cryx and me both from having to come up with something to say. I didn’t get the feeling Cryx wanted to continue the conversation anyway.
“Put him through,” I answered, going over and pouring myself a glass of water from a pitcher that sat on the desk.
“Good to hear that you are awake and well, sir,” Bapz said over the open channel. “Angel and Wesley assured me you’d be fine, but I was still worried about you.”
“I’m good to go,” I replied. “Thanks for the food.”
“Of course,” Bapz answered. “Wesley asked that I get in touch with you as soon as you are able. He wanted me to direct you to the armory, where preparations are now underway.”
“Right,” I said, looking out the windows to the rising sun. I had slept the rest of yesterday and through the night healing from my wounds. “I’m on my way.”
I pulled the shoes that had been provided for me on my feet, grabbing another of the meat pockets to go.
“I can always start training on my own,” Cryx said. “I mean, I know you’re busy, but if you had like twenty minutes to show me a few moves, I could start today.”
Teaching Cryx anything at the moment paled compared to the mountain of work that needed to be done. There was an alien invasion on the horizon for crying out loud and she was asking for a few pointers on how to hit someone.
Everything inside me told me to go. That one look in her eyes when she talked about her parents made me stay.
You’re getting soft, I told myself in my head. What would the gladiators on the moon tell you if they saw you giving lessons to a kid? But you’re not that guy anymore, are you?
“Preacher and Jax have also requested you get in contact with them once you were awake,” Bapz imparted via X’s implant.
Cryx’s face fell at the words.
“Tell them I’ll be right there,” I answered, putting down the extra meat pocket. “Cryx, feet wider, hands up, and palms open.”
Cryx’s face changed from sullen to ecstatic as she mirrored my own stance. “Like this?”
“Yep, keep your knees slightly bent, elbows in,” I instructed her. “Have you ever been in a fight before?”
“I mean, with the Hessian Guild here, we were more thieves trying not to get into fights, but I threw hands with a few of the other members when there was an argument,” Cryx answered.
“Threw hands, huh?” I asked.
I sent a strike to her face.
She was much too slow to react.
I stopped my fist an inch from her nose.
“Wow,” Cryx gasped. Her eyes went crossed as she stared at my closed hand.
“Hours, days, weeks, years of training will teach you the muscle memory you’ll need,” I explained, dropping my fist. “You have to get it so ingrained into you that when things happen, you just react. That only happens through practice, practice, and more practice.”
Cryx nodded. I could tell I had her full attention.
“Close your fists, pivot your hips when you throw a punch. Your power doesn’t come from the fist; it comes from your entire body channeled into your hand,” I instructed her. I lifted my right hand, palm open to provide a target. “Think of something that pisses you off. Channel those feelings into every punch. Breathe out through your mouth when you strike.”
Cryx nodded again. She was focused. She threw a right punch that actually stung my open palm a little.
“Good,” I coached her. “Twist those hips more violently. Don’t just hit my hand; drive through my hand. Again.”
Cryx slammed her fist into my palms.
“Again!” I shouted. “Harder!”
She did. Twisting her waist, she really let my palm have it. The slapping sound her strike made echoed around the room.
“Very good,” I admired, shaking out my hand from the numbness. “You practice that punch and you’re off to a great foundation.”
Cryx beamed at me so wide, I had to imagine no one had ever given her that kind of praise.
“I will,” she vowed, striking at the air in front of her. “I’ll practice.”
“I have no doubt you will,” I answered, turning to go. I opened the door to my room and stepped out.
“Daniel?” Cryx called.
“Yep?” I said, turning around.
“Thank you.” She smiled.
“You bet,” I answered before heading down the hall.
“X, can you plot a course for me to the armory?” I asked. “I still don’t know my way around this place.”
“Of course,” X answered, overlaying a shining gold broken line of augmented reality for me to follow. “What you just did for Cryx—it means a lot to her. You’re doing something really good there. Maybe not just for her. Maybe for both of you.”
“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just not talk about it,” I urged.
“Does providing emotional support for others make you feel uncomfortable?” X asked. “Or maybe your own healing through helping others is the cause for your sweaty hands.”
“I don’t have sweaty hands,” I argued.
“The slight up-beat in your heart rate says otherwise,” X said, unwilling to let the subject go. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Daniel. You’re doing some real good, not just on a leadership level, but on a personal level.”
“Okay, okay,” I said, feeling as uncomfortable as being in a group hug with a bunch of Voy. “I just don’t want to talk about it. We have a to do list a meter long. Let’s get to work. Wesley talked about some kind of war council being
set up for strategy. I want Julian and the woman from the Order to be on it.”
“Understood,” X responded as we made our way down to the bottom story of the manor. “With the invasion only three days away, some of the corporations accepted an invite from Wesley to stay here while we prepare. Those that did not promised to come when they were called.”
“The Order?” I asked. “Are they staying here?”
“Unfortunately, they aren’t,” X replied. “They did, however, promise to return as soon as they were needed.”
“I guess that’ll have to do,” I remarked. “If we can set up that meeting tonight, I’ll find out what I need to know if I have to beat it from them.”
X led me deep into the first floor of the manor and to a room with a steel door. The door was closed at the moment with a large metal wheel in place. Beside the wheel was a digital display.
A bright blue light scanned me.
“Please state your name,” a robotic voice said.
“Daniel Hunt,” I answered.
“Master Hunt.” The robotic voice sounded pleased. “Identity confirmed, access granted.”
There were a series of thick clicks and metal tumblers rolling. The massive door slowly swung outward, revealing a state-of-the-art armory. I felt like a kid in a candy shop.
The room was way larger than I initially expected. On the left were a series of steel work tables and tools. On the right, row after row of body armor, crates of weapons, shelves of rifles, bladed weapons, and heavy guns.
Everything in the room was metal with bright white lights overhead. Deeper into the room, Wesley stood with Bapz discussing the state of the armory.
“We’ll need all the firepower we can get,” Wesley said, taking a puff from the cigar in his mouth. He looked down at a datapad, scrolling through the inventory. “There’s enough smaller weapons here, but we’ll need some heavier stuff as well. I’ll coordinate with the Immortal Corp members that are still coming in after the GG attack and see what assets they have. We’ll need dropships, land vehicles, and cannons large enough to take down their ships if need be.”
Vendetta: A Near Future Thriller (Forsaken Mercenary Book 4) Page 10