by Riker Kane
“What about the Disciples? Did you ask about them?”
“After what happened with Black, I don’t think it’s a good idea to trust someone like Venom so quick. She claims to have ties to a broker but wouldn’t say anything else.”
“Shit…”
“There are broker booths all over the arena. There’s money moving around. Somebody here can lead us to the Disciples. I win enough, I can ask about loot without making it look suspicious.”
Max could see the reservation in his friend’s eyes. But he knew he didn’t have to convince Hudson to keep going. Not with everything already on the line.
“The ACE was just for your protection,” Hudson said. “Never planned to force you to come out of retirement.”
“We get this matter settled quick, it should be a short comeback. And it starts tonight.”
“Tonight, huh?” Hudson took a step back and looked him up and down. “You still got your battle armor? I’ve got some creds you can use…”
“Let’s see what else I can find to suit up in.”
Chapter 8
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 drain: 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%
Max read the digital display on the metal device wrapped around his left forearm. The small room he sat in was quiet. The low hum of the regenerator next to him was joined only by the soft breathing of the man leaning against the wall.
Hudson crossed his arms as he looked around. “Same set up as the War Zone. More than enough for you to get prepped in. How you feeling?”
Max powered on his ACE. The warmth of the silicone digging into his skin spread from his arm and surged through the rest of his body. “No feeling like an ACE… I’ll be fine.”
“You could’ve bought some better armor.”
“What? This?” Max ran his fingers along the rusty steel covering him. “It’s pretty flimsy but should be able to take a few shots. Not that I plan on getting hit at all…”
“Just remember. It doesn’t matter if you win or lose out here. Keep fighting and make a name for yourself. Pretty soon you’ll be just another Contender in the Vicious Sanctum. Then we can start asking around for the Disciples. The creds don’t matter.”
The room shook as the noise came from within the arena. Max popped up to his feet and put his leather coat over his flimsy metal armor.
“I’ll be with Zigzag in the stands. Plenty of empty seats.”
“Doesn’t matter as long as the important people are watching.”
Hudson put a hand on Max’s shoulder. “Get it done.”
Max gave him a nod then looked up at the sign hanging above the entrance.
THE VICIOUS SANCTUM LIES AHEAD
Max walked out of the room and into a narrow corridor. The black pathway was illuminated only by the faint glow of red neon lights on the floor. The lines led toward the steel grid. As soon as he stepped out into the arena, Max saw the pulse of the red lights surround him in every direction. He ignored the half-filled arena, most of the audience too busy enjoying their drinks to pay too much attention to him. Above them, broker boxes housed those wealthy enough to afford the luxury seats.
Scattered around the 100-yard battlefield, towers stood ominously with two cannons pointed at the ground.
“Doesn’t look like they’re active… You with me, Proxy?” He adjusted his earpiece then turned around to look above.
Proxy stood on a small balcony, swiping a tablet she observed through a pair of digital goggles. “Loud and clear.”
“Anything I should know?”
“I watched a couple of battles before. Only one tower is gonna be up for grabs.”
“Up for grabs?”
“There’s a control panel on it. I don’t know how it’s activated exactly. Couldn’t get a closer look. But once you get near it, you should be able to figure it out.”
“And then?”
“And then it’ll fire on your opponent when they’re in proximity. Or if your opponent gets control of it—”
“It’ll fire on me. Don’t matter. I’ll beat this guy by myself.”
“That’s the idea, Max. Hit points are full. Energy is steady. You won the War Gamez with those abilities. I don’t see why you can’t win tonight.”
“Winning is one thing. I’m not in the mood for too much excitement.”
“Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Vicious Sanctum!” The voice thundered over the speakers. “Tonight, we have a special introductory battle. Please join me in welcoming the man making his debut here at Club Reincarnation… Give it up for Max!”
Max’s introduction was met with a smattering of applause.
“What happened to Maximilian?” Proxy said with a laugh.
“I’m not Maximilian. I’m just a guy trying to make some creds… Nothing special.”
“And introducing his opponent. Let’s have a warm welcome for TJ Melee!”
Maximilian looked across the red steel grid at his opponent. A long-haired man in blue and red battle armor raised his hands as a spotlight focused on him. Outside of the ACE strapped to his arm, there wasn’t much remarkable about him, Max thought.
“Standard issue ACE,” Proxy said. “Might be loaded though. We’ll see what kind of abilities he has when you get into it.”
“Any suggestions?”
“Do what you always do, Max. Close the distance or play it from afar. Just remember to watch that tower.”
“Keep an eye on my numbers.”
“You know I always do.”
“Let the battle begin!” As soon as the voice spoke, the red lights of the arena flickered brighter. Electronic strings and bass were pumped in through the speakers, thumping loud enough it shook the steel beneath Max’s feet.
“Let’s go.”
Max raced forward with his adrenaline surging through his veins. He raised his ACE up and shot a Fiery Arrow at TJ but it was avoided with a sudden dash to the side.
“Movement,” Proxy said. “That’s one ability. Energy is down to 87-percent.”
TJ kept dashing, moving so fast he was already right next to one of the towers at the side of the arena.
“Not so fast.” Max aimed another Fiery Arrow, crashing it into the tower and forcing his opponent to roll out of the way. TJ gritted his teeth in frustration and fired a hail of projectiles. Max immediately put his ACE up and activated an Energy Shield around him to absorb everything.
“That’s 15-percent,” Proxy said. “Try not to use it too often.”
“Just need to get in position.”
Max faked firing another arrow. TJ bought the fake, rolling out of the way when there was nothing to dodge. Max used the short opportunity to boost himself forward until he stood a meter in front of his opponent.
A Mammoth Blast from his ACE caught TJ in the chest and sent him rolling back along the grid.
“Big hit!” Proxy said. “Keep it up!”
Max moved forward to finish off his opponent. But just when Max was on top of him, TJ activated a burst of energy that sent Max flying several meters back.
Max landed on the steel with a thud.
“Shit…”
“Ten-percent to your hit points. You still with me, Max?”
“Fine… Just got the wind knocked out of me…” He rolled
over and pushed himself back up to his feet just in time to see TJ again trying to activate the tower.
Max sent another Fiery Arrow in his direction. TJ ducked out of the way but quickly went back to activating the tower.
“Control of the tower is at 75-percent,” Proxy said.
The urgency in her voice was enough for Max to run forward even harder. He used his passive abilities to move as fast as he could until he was right behind TJ. His ACE up, Max fired a Mammoth Blast and caught TJ in the back. The concussive blow cracked the blue and red armor and sent TJ reeling forward onto his stomach.
“You can finish him,” Proxy said. “He’s below 50-percent.”
“I can do that. But I need to figure out how to work this thing…”
While TJ struggled to recover, Max pressed his hands over the control panel.
“Let’s see…” He examined the two meters on the digital blue display. One of them was nearly full while the other was empty. “I think this is how you do it.” He put his hand down on the touchpad beneath the display and watched as the empty meter began to fill green.
“Keep an eye on my friend here,” Max said.
He kept his eyes locked on the digital meter and watched it reach 50-percent.
“He’s getting up, Max.”
“Almost there…”
“Max…”
Max could barely see TJ beginning to stir from the corner of his eye.
The meter moved to 70-percent.
“Almost…”
“Max…”
TJ pushed himself back up to his feet and shook himself out of the daze he was in.
“Max!”
Max turned around at the last moment, ducking to avoid the projectiles from the compartment of TJ’s ACE, then quickly raised up to respond with a Fiery Arrow. The arrow caught TJ in the arm, forcing him to lower his weapon and grimace in pain.
“Got it.” Max pressed his hand on the touchpad and watched the meter fill up completely.
TJ looked up as the turret activated and pointed right at him. “Shit—” He could barely finish muttering as an energy blast caught him right in the chest and sent him reeling.
“He’s down to 20-percent,” Proxy said. “He’s out of the proximity of the tower though.”
“I can take it from here.” Max ran forward as TJ got back up to his feet.
The man in the blue and red armor swung violently. Max avoided the punch and responded with his own, catching TJ in the jaw. Another hard punch from his opponent was met with another counter underneath his chin. Two punches and TJ was already bleeding from the mouth. His knees wobbled as he tried to stay standing.
TJ lazily raised his ACE up but Max knocked it down then caught him in the chest with a Mammoth Blast. The massive blow sent TJ stumbling until he fell onto his stomach. Max moved closer to him, looking down at his fallen opponent on the steel grid.
“He’s at 5-percent,” Proxy said. “You got this.”
“I think I do…”
“Execute! Execute! Execute! Execute!”
The sudden interruption from the crowd made Max turn his head up. Even though most of the seats were empty, those in the stands all chanted in unison as they pumped their fists.
“His hit points are dropping,” Proxy said. “He won’t recover from his internal ruptures. There’s no reason to finish him off.”
Max looked down at TJ. He was barely conscious, blood trickling out of both sides of his mouth and his eyes flickering.
“If I don’t finish him off, people will think something is wrong,” Max said.
“It’s your call. Do what you need to do. But I know that isn’t who you are.”
“Shit…”
Max raised his ACE up and immediately had second thoughts. It wouldn’t have been the first time he blew away his opponent. This time was different, he thought.
“He’s just an opponent. That’s it…”
Max gritted his teeth and lowered his arm down. The rest of TJ’s hit points ticked away and the red lights in the arena dimmed.
“The battle is over!”
The announcement over the speakers was met with a chorus of boos. Max put his hands on his hips and stepped back to allow the attendants to usher TJ’s lifeless body out of the arena.
“Nice job, Max.”
“Thanks…”
Max looked up at the broker’s boxes then noticed a familiar face looking down on him. Even though she was several stories higher, the intense look on Venom’s face was clear. Max stared back at her.
“You all right?” Proxy’s voice made Max look away.
“I’m fine. Don’t have a scratch on me.”
“You haven’t lost a step.”
“This was just my first match in the Vicious Sanctum. I’m pretty sure Venom gave me an easier opponent on purpose.”
“No reason you can’t celebrate. C’mon. I’m sure Hudson and Zigzag are eager to celebrate.”
Max looked up at Venom. She remained standing in the broker’s box, her stare as emotionless as it had been this entire time.
“Whatever…”
He stopped thinking about her and turned around to leave the arena.
Chapter 9
“There are three towers on the battlefield. A one-on-one battle with only one tower activated is a negligible difference. But all three towers could prove to be the deciding variables on a battle’s outcome.”
Max listened to Zigzag’s explanation and nodded in agreement. “I won’t argue with that. I should be able to get used to it.”
“Won a battle and you’re already talking about the next one,” Proxy said. “I don’t even know why you retired in the first place.”
Max gave her a wink and leaned back in his seat.
While he enjoyed some a simple glass of water, the others helped to themselves to their own drinks. Off to the side of the lounge, they were able to enjoy their privacy while the other patrons relaxed in the ambiance of Club Reincarnation.
“You sure you don’t want a drink?” Proxy said to Max. “This is the synthetic stuff. Won’t get you as drunk. Won’t leave you with a nasty hangover.”
“Just because I won doesn’t mean I need to celebrate. We’ve still got our work cut out for us.”
“We’re not exactly any closer to finding out who the hell these Disciples are. They might not even exist.”
“I have downloaded the Santa Fe police files into my database,” Zigzag said. “There is record of a group called the Disciples in the area and there are individuals with records linked to past criminal activity.”
“Any chance you see any of them around here?” Max asked.
“Those mentioned have already been apprehended. There are no more outstanding warrants.”
“Figures,” Max sighed as he looked around the bar. “We’ve only been in Santa Fe for a few days but we’re making progress. I figure if I keep winning, eventually I’ll be able to see who’s pushing the loot around here…”
He noticed Hudson had been quiet this entire time. Hudson kept his head down, his eyes focused on his half-empty glass of liquor.
“You all right?” Max asked.
“Just finished a call from the hospital. Sammy’s still under. His condition’s stable but they’re not sure if he’ll ever get full brain activity back. Whoever beat him knew what they were doing. It’s like they didn’t want him to die just so he could suffer.”
“If the Disciples are pushing weight around here, I’d believe they were capable of something like that. We’ll get ‘em, Hudson. We just gotta be patient and wait until we’ve got enough attention.”
“Speaking of attention,” Proxy said.
Max turned his head to see Venom walking toward their table. The stern look on her face was enough for him to know something was wrong. He jumped up to his feet and stood in her path to stop her from getting any closer to the table.
“What the hell was that?” she said.
“What are you talking about?”
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“You didn’t execute him. I thought you said you were trying to make credits.”
Venom furrowed her brow, an angry stare locked on Max. He turned away from her while he searched for the right answer.
“It’s not something I’m used to,” he said.
“What does that mean?”
Max looked at the table where his friends were then took a few steps away from them to make sure they couldn’t hear.
“The Sanctum’s the only place I heard where someone gets a bonus for finishing an already beaten opponent.”
“That’s what the people want. I don’t see what’s so hard killing someone when they’re already gonna die. It’s not permanent. With the harness, they’ll be regenerated.”
“It doesn’t matter. I know what it’s like to die. I know what it’s like floating in that tub of goo. It’s not a feeling I’d put on anybody when I don’t have to.”
“You’d rather let someone suffer than put ‘em out of their misery? Even with creds on the line?” Venom crossed her arms. The frustration in her eyes hadn’t gone away though it wasn’t enough to make Max change his mind.
“I came here to win and make some creds. I do things differently. If I’m not allowed in the Sanctum because of that, fine. But you and I both know I’m good enough to fight here. I’m not going anywhere.”
He clenched his jaw as he looked down at her.
The small blond woman rolled her eyes and sighed before looking Max up and down. But to Max’s surprise, the anger and frustration he saw suddenly disappeared. She gave him a smirk despite her apparent reluctance.
“You’re different,” she said. “Strange but effective. Confident. It’d be stupid to stop backing a fighter when he’s winning.”
“That’s all I’m here for.”
“Yes. To make creds and get yourself some loot… Though I find it curious. You don’t have the usual build of a junkie.”
“Who said I planned on just using it?”
Venom raised her eyebrows. “A fighter and a pusher. You’re full of surprises, Max. You came to the wrong place.”