Rebel 2

by Riker Kane

  “You really expect me to believe that?” she said.

  “Believe what you want. But I know the Disciples have a presence here. If you can give me anything, I’d appreciate it.”

  She slowly turned back toward him. “A thousand creds. Upfront.”

  Max pulled his AllDevice out of his jacket and held it up. Brina did the same and approved the transfer of the credits.

  “Head to Barb Wire,” she said. “It’s a club a few blocks from here. Speeder shouldn’t have trouble finding it. Head there at night if you wanna get Disciple attention.”

  “Barb Wire. Got it.”

  She looked him up and down then sighed softly. “I’d ask if you wanted to spend some time together but I actually believe your story.”

  “That’s because it’s the truth.”

  “If it’s the truth, here’s some free advice.” She leaned forward and looked him right in the eye. “Don’t mess with the Disciples. Your friend isn’t the first person to be hurt by them. They won’t be the last.” She got up from her seat. “Something tells me you won’t take my advice though.”

  “Thanks… Sabrina.”

  She gave him a half-hearted smile before turning around and walking away. Max stared at the shape of her backside for a moment before heading back over to Hudson.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  Hudson twirled his empty glass around in his hands. “A little drunk. A little better.”

  “Stop drinking. We’re heading out later tonight.”

  Hudson raised an eyebrow. “You got a lead?”

  Max didn’t have much but it was enough to make him smile. “I got a lead.”

  Chapter 5

  “I will rip off your fucking head and kick it to fuckin’ Mars!”

  Proxy crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at the argument going on just a few meters away from her. “Lovely crowd we’ve got here. We must be in the right spot.”

  Max gave her a smirk. “Must be.”

  Max managed to drag Hudson back to his hotel suite deep in the heart of the Cobalt District. Max contemplated his next move while Hudson recovered from an afternoon of drinking. By the time night came, the four stepped back onto the streets and headed toward the destination Sabrina pointed Max to.

  They quickly found themselves inside the confines of another local bar. The alcohol. The smoke. Even the noisy chatter from the angry patrons wasn’t anything new to Max. But the bar was a lot more spacious than the last few holes he’d found himself in.

  While tables and chairs were scattered along the walls, at the center of the bar was an empty space dug about ten meters into the floor. A few spotlights shined down upon it, illuminating it in the darkness of Barb Wire. The space was square and about half the size of a football pitch. There was nothing but concrete pavement underneath it. Surrounding the space was metal fencing with barbed wire upon it.

  And at the moment, two men were screaming at one another as they pointed their ACEs forward. Spectators lined the space from all sides and looked down upon the carnage.

  “That’s a makeshift arena if I’ve ever seen one,” Proxy said. “You sure the Disciples are here?”

  “It’d make sense,” Max replied. “Where there are ACE battles going on, there’s creds. And where there’s creds, you know somebody is spending it on loot. Look at the men down there in the cage. Look at the people around here. Somebody has to know something.”

  “All right.” Proxy leaned against the railing looking down on the battlefield. “Somebody here can lead us to the Disciples. How are you gonna figure out who that somebody is?”

  Max watched the two men going at it. A sudden blast from one of the men’s ACEs fired a hail of steel projectiles that shredded his opponent’s clothes and the skin underneath it. The blood spilled from his wounds as he collapsed to the ground.

  “And this battle is over!”

  The announcement over the speakers brought cheers throughout the bar. The victorious man raised his arms in the air and bathed in the adulation of cheers while those who bet against him booed in disapproval.

  “It’s not pretty,” Hudson said. “Arena’s not as fancy as the War Zone in Cosmic. But I’m not one to talk. A battle’s a battle.”

  “And that’s how we’re gonna do it,” Max said.

  “Do what?”

  “Get Disciple attention. If they’ve got any kinda clout in Santa Fe, one of them has to be watching. I go down there and win a battle, I get credits. Pushers always wanna deal with a man who’s got creds.”

  “You sure about that?” Proxy asked. “You were pretty adamant about retiring.”

  Max turned to Hudson and gave him a reassuring nod as he answered Proxy’s question. “Whatever it takes to get to the Disciples.”

  “I will assist you,” Zigzag said.

  “No. Guys here aren’t professionals. Just a bunch of street fighters scrapping for loose creds. Keep your sword tucked.”

  “I’m guessing you don’t need an Operator either,” Proxy said. “We’ll be watching from the sidelines… Maybe I should put a few creds on you…”

  Max and Hudson made their way through the rowdy bar. They descended a set of stairs and onto an open floor. The seats and chairs were occupied by a few men and women looking to get a better seat of the action. Others were waiting for a chance to step inside the cage.

  Max didn’t have to look for very long to know what he was up against.

  “What do you think?” Hudson asked.

  “T-shirt and jeans. No armor. No fancy equipment. No Operators. Reminds me of the first battle you put me in.”

  Hudson put a hand on Max’s shoulder and shook him. “Just like old times.”

  They shared a laugh as a man with a digital tablet walked up to them. The man wore a cheap blue and yellow plaid suit. His greasy hair was so shiny Max wasn’t sure if it was real or not. The man gave Max a look up and down.

  “Haven’t seen you around here,” the man said. “You looking for a fight?”

  “That’s right,” Max said.

  “What are you battling with?”

  Max rolled up his sleeve and showed the ACE attached to his left forearm. The man nodded in approval.

  “All right. Lemme explain the rules to you. You don’t pick your opponent. Leaving the cage is an automatic forfeit. Anything goes. Don’t worry about letting loose because the barrier protects your attacks from spilling out into the crowd. Keep fighting until one man’s HP drops to zero. My name’s Barry. You got any questions, you come to me. Got it?”

  Max shrugged. “Got it.”

  “All right. You’re going up against Spike next. Strap on a harness. Shit goes south, regenerator is right there.” Barry pointed at the set of glass tanks on the other side of the room then moved back toward the entrance of the cage.

  Max and Hudson walked over to examine the regenerators, one of them occupied by the man who just fell in battle.

  “Seems sturdy enough,” Hudson said. “Barb Wire might not be very pretty but they know how to run a fight.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Don’t plan on using this regenerator tonight.”

  “How’s your ACE looking?”

  Max looked down at the rusty piece of steel attached to his arm. He activated it and the prongs dug into his skin. The warmth from the silicone tips spread from his arm and through the rest of his body.

  “It’s been a while…”

  Max sighed as he got used to the adrenaline that came with activating his ACE. He looked down to double-check his abilities.

  ACTIVE ABILITIES

  Mammoth Blast III

  Short-range concussive energy blast with tremendous force

  Energy drain: High

  Energy Shield III

  A heavy barrier that protects from energy projectiles and melee attacks. Drains energy upon absorption.

  Energy drain: High

  Recovery I

  Heal minor wounds and injuries

  Energy drai
n: Medium

  Fiery Arrow III

  Long-range piercing explosive energy arrow. Causes burning damage to opponent’s HP.

  Energy drain: High

  PASSIVE ABILITIES

  High Jump II

  Increase jumping height and distance by 50%

  Speed Boost III

  Movement speed is increased by 75%

  Hudson looked over his shoulder and examined them. “You won the biggest battle in War Zone history with those things. Something tells me you won’t have much trouble with Spike.”

  “Don’t worry about me. Keep an eye out. If the Disciples are pushing loot, they’ve got credits. Next best investment after drugs is betting on fights. Anybody who’s got a close interest in what’s going on is who we’re looking for.”

  “I’ll let Proxy and Zigzag know…”

  “Max!” Barry motioned for him. “You’re up!”

  Hudson put both hands on Max’s shoulders. “Go kick some ass.”

  “It’s all in the wrist.” Max winked then walked over near the entrance of the cage.

  “Where’s your harness?” Barry said to him.

  “Don’t need it.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I don’t know where the fuck you think you are, but this is a professional joint. I’m not about to let you risk yourself.”

  “I’ll take the risk.”

  “It’s not just the risk. You still need a BioHarness to put your HP up on display. People don’t like it when they don’t know what the score is.”

  “Fine.” Max took off his coat and placed the BioHarness over his shirt. The metal locked onto his chest and formed an ‘X’ over his front and back. At the center of it, there was a faint blue light to indicate it was active. “How’s that?”

  “That’s how we do it in Barb Wire. Now go put on a show.”

  Max put his coat back on then stepped inside the caged arena. The bright spotlights shining above were blinding enough to make it hard to see the drunken crowd hooting and hollering. Not that it mattered to him, as his attention was focused on his opponent standing on the other side of the arena.

  The man was shirtless except for his BioHarness. He crossed his arms and puffed his chest out in an attempt to make him look more intimidating. But outside of a few skull tattoos on one arm and a shaved head, the man didn’t look any more intimidating than every other punk in the bar.

  “Get close… Mammoth Blast until he’s done…”

  Max closed his eyes and spoke his gameplan in his thoughts as the voice made an announcement to the bar.

  “Listen up! Our next battle scheduled for tonight, we’ve got the newcomer, Max!”

  “Mammoth Blast until he’s done… Mammoth Blast until he’s done…”

  “And his opponent, Barb Wire’s own… Spike!”

  Max ignored the cheers from the audience as he steadied himself. The heat from the ACE made the adrenaline surge through him. His weapon powered-up, Max knew he had everything he needed to win.

  “Let’s go!”

  Max opened his eyes wide to see his opponent directing a volley at him, rolling out of the way just in time to avoid the burst of energy projectiles.

  “Let’s see how you deal with this.” Max calmly raised his arm up and launched a Fiery Arrow at his opponent. To Max’s surprise, Spike put up a barrier to block it.

  Max took a quick glance at his stats. Two green bars with a red bar underneath it told him everything he needed to know.

  HP: 100%

  Energy: 87%

  Opponent’s HP: 100%

  “Not bad… Let’s see what else you got.”

  Max rushed forward and rolled out of the way of another volley. He kept moving as fast as he could, closing the distance until he was right on top of Spike. Just as Spike raised his ACE up, Max interrupted him with a hard right hook to his jaw.

  The crowd yelled as the man fell onto his back.

  “Mammoth Blast until he’s done…”

  Max only thought about it for a split-second before he followed through with it. The burst from the Mammoth Blast caught Spike right in the chest, breaking his bones and making him scream in pain.

  Max watched the red bar on his ACE drain.

  Opponent’s HP: 6%

  He stepped back and watched the last few percentage points disappear.

  “Your winner… Max!”

  As the audience hollered in a combination of excited cheers and frustrated boos, ushers moved into the arena to rush Spike into a regenerator. Max sighed and shut his ACE off as he stepped out of the cage.

  “Not bad,” Barry greeted him. “You look like you know how to use that thing.”

  “I’ve got some experience,” Max said.

  A sudden loud clapping made Max turn his head. He turned to see a woman slapping her hands together.

  She didn’t look like most of the other women in the bar. Short platinum blond hair. Piercings along her ears. A sleeveless leather jacket displayed the colorful ink digging into the skin on her thin arms. A pair of jean shorts and black high boots completed the ensemble.

  Despite her small stature, she carried herself like she was twice as tall.

  “Hmm…”

  “Well done,” the blond said, her blue eyes locked on Max. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone fight at Barb Wire who actually knows what they’re doing.”

  “I try,” Max said.

  She gave him a half-smirk as she looked him up and down. Her black lipstick was a stark contrast to her fair skin. “Someone like you shouldn’t be fighting in a place like this.”

  “I fight wherever the creds are.”

  “That’s the right way to do it. You wanna make some real creds, you head on over to Reincarnation.”

  “Reincarnation? That sounds serious.”

  “It’s serious, all right. Professionals. But you fight like you fought just now, you’ll make the creds you’re looking for.”

  “I’m only interested in making enough creds to score some loot.” Max kept a straight face, staring a hole through the blond.

  She stood her ground, her eyes slightly narrowed as she looked back at him. “You can get anything you want if you have enough creds. If you’re serious about this, you’ll head to Reincarnation. Tell ‘em Venom sent you… Max.”

  She winked then turned around to walk away. Max watched her ascend up the stairs before Hudson walked up to him.

  “You see that?” Max said.

  “I saw it all right,” Hudson said. “I did like you said. She was eyeballing you the whole time. What’d she say?”

  “Sounds like an Agent. Maybe a broker. Looking for someone to fight in a bigger arena. Called Reincarnation.”

  “Downpour. Barb Wire. Reincarnation. Feel like we’re on a damn goose chase trying to track down these assholes.”

  “You said the Cobalt District was big… But I think we found what we’re looking for. Follow the trail of credits and you’ll find the loot.”

  Hudson shrugged then nodded. “We keep going, somebody’s gotta know something.”

  “No point in rushing into this though. We play it slow. Don’t draw any attention to ourselves. The Disciples will show up sooner or later.”

  “If that’s the way you wanna do it. Come on. The ladies are waiting for us.”

  Chapter 6

  “Interesting.” Zigzag held the glass of clear liquor up before swallowing it down. Proxy and Hudson watched with curious eyes, waiting for any sort of reaction from her. The android smacked her lips after setting the glass back down.

  “What do you think?” Hudson asked.

  “There is no difference. The pungent aroma of the alcohol is off-putting. My receptors are overwhelmed by its acidity. I’m aware of the addictive nature of alcohol. As I’ve experienced the previous times, I find no purpose to indulge in something that has been linked to addiction.”

  “You don’t have to get addicted to get a little tipsy.”

  “I’m afraid I can’t be
affected by inebriation. But… I will drink with you to strengthen our camaraderie.”

  “That’s the spirit. At least you’re drinking.” Hudson shot a glance at Max and smirked.

  Max leaned forward in his seat, his chin in his palm while he enjoyed the scene of the bar all around him. “Drink up while you can,” Max said. “No point in being so focused. But remember we’re here on business.”

  “I haven’t forgotten,” Proxy said. “None of us have. We’ll get this thing settled with the Disciples. They can’t hide forever.”

  “It’ll help to blend in with everybody else,” Hudson said. “We make it obvious who we’re looking for and they might try to start something when we’re not expecting.”

  “New town. New bar. And Max just got his first win since forever. I say that’s reason enough to drink.”

  Max laughed at the blond’s enthusiasm as she toasted with the other two at the table. “I’ll get you guys another round.” Max got up from his seat and made his way through the bar.

  The festivities in Barb Wire hadn’t let up one bit. The alcohol continued to flow. The conversations became more aggressive, though everything was settled in the caged arena sunken into the center of the spacious club. The sound of abilities going off and subsequent cheers drowned out the bass pumping through the speakers.

  Max kept a low profile when he got to the bar. His head down, he looked around for anybody who might give him more information on the Disciples.

  “Not bad.”

  A bell went off when he heard a voice behind him. He turned around to see a familiar-looking brunette standing there with her hands on her hips.

  “Sabrina,” he said.

  “You remembered. I’m flattered.”

  Max glanced down at her outfit. A short-sleeve t-shirt. A tight pair of blue jeans that looked like they were painted onto her legs. A pair of black leather boots. Her hair was tied into a ponytail. She appeared to be wearing less makeup than before, her lips a more natural pink.