Rebel 2

by Riker Kane

  Max chuckled at Zigzag’s apparent disappointment. “Don’t worry about it. Just got a little overzealous. Figured I could squeeze some information from a seller I found.”

  “Were you able to acquire any useful data?”

  “Apparently, the Disciples like to keep a low profile. Even the dealers on the corners and in the alleys don’t know who they are personally. If we’re gonna find out who these assholes really are, we’re gonna have to knock on everyone’s door or make enough noise they come looking for us.”

  “There are hundreds in the Vicious Sanctum watching. If you intend to continue fighting, we will eventually draw the eyes of those with significant credits.”

  Max sat inside the small room before the entrance to the Vicious Sanctum. It was sparse outside of a few lockers and a lone regenerator.

  Zigzag stood rigidly near the hallway leading onto the battlefield. No expression on her face, it was easy to tell she was focused.

  “How’s your new armor?” he asked.

  The sleek metal frame she used to wear was replaced with a smaller white counterpart. Her legs and midriff exposed, Max thought she was beginning to appear more human every day.

  “You do not have to worry about the change in material,” she said. “My structural frame will not be compromised due to the lack of an exoskeleton suit. I can sustain the same amount of trauma I would otherwise. Removing the redundant armor pieces will increase my speed by a considerable percentage yet to be determined.”

  Max gave her a nod of approval. “Speed. That’ll be important with the towers in play. You ready to kick some ass?”

  Her pink lips twitched into a subtle smile. “I am ready to kick some ass.”

  Max forgot about his troubles from the other night and even the danger of stepping into the battlefield against an unknown number of opponents.

  “Let’s go.” He patted the android on the arm and made his way into the Vicious Sanctum. The soft pulse of the neon red lights was already familiar to him. The dark hallway brightened from the light at the end of the tunnel. The sound of the audience chatting among themselves grew louder until they were fully in view.

  He stepped onto the red grid with Zigzag just behind him as a voice came into his ear.

  “Looks like some people came out to see you.” Proxy stood several meters up on the Operator’s balcony above the arena, sorting through her digital display like she always was.

  “Still not filled to capacity,” Max said as he examined the audience scattered around. “All we need is one Disciple to be watching. Hell, I might even get Venom to introduce me to one of ‘em if she’s impressed.”

  “No matter how you win this, she’ll be impressed. Going through multiple opponents will let everybody know you’re not the man to mess with.”

  Max powered up his ACE and the rush of adrenaline surged through his veins. “Let’s get this going.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen! Club Reincarnation proudly presents to you this special exhibition gauntlet battle! Tonight… Making his second appearance in the Vicious Sanctum, it’s Max!”

  The same smattering of cheers from the time he made his debut greeted him.

  “Tonight, Max will be attempting to defeat multiple opponents, one after the other. Introducing his first two challengers, stepping into the arena once again. You know ‘em! You love ‘em! Give it up for everybody’s favorite twins, Snow and Inferno!”

  A guitar riff screeched from the arena speakers and echoed through the steel grid. Red and blue spotlights aimed toward one end of the battlefield. There Max saw two men stepping out. One of them was dressed in a light blue battle armor thick enough to stop the heaviest blows. The other wore a similar set of armor, though it was a darker shade of orange and red.

  They held their arms up and waved to the crowd as they were showered in cheers.

  “Maybe you should think about getting a paint job for your armor,” Proxy said.

  “Armor functions the same no matter what color it is,” Max replied. “Spending creds on cosmetics is a waste.”

  “I don’t know… There’s something appealing about having your own customized armor.”

  “Save the fashion tips for another time.”

  “Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Vicious Sanctum! Let the gauntlet… begin!”

  Max began running forward with Zigzag right behind him. On the other end, Inferno and Snow raced to meet them.

  “Zigzag, activate the tower on the eastern side,” he said. “I’m heading west. Proxy, what can you tell me?”

  “I’m guessing these guys live up to their namesake. I’ll have an analysis when they use their abilities.”

  Max moved to the western side of the arena where Snow had the same idea. Max aimed a Fiery Arrow at him. Snow threw up a block of ice but the arrow melted right through, forcing him to roll out of the way.

  “Not fair,” Snow muttered. He stopped in his tracks and straightened his helmet out. He pointed his ACE into the air and shot a blast of energy.

  “Ice Hail! Watch out, Max!”

  Proxy’s warning came just in time as he was barely able to rush forward and avoid the bricks of ice showering down onto the grid. They shattered against the steel floor and made the ground slick.

  “Bastard’s making it hard for me to walk…” Max leaped into the air to avoid stumbling on the wet ground. He responded with a Fiery Arrow, forcing the man in blue to jump out of the way.

  “Ice Hail,” Proxy said. “He’s got an Ice Arrow, too, I’m guessing.”

  Just as she said it, Snow shot an arrow right at Max. Too slow to move out of the way, Max shot an arrow right back. The clash of fire and ice created an explosion bright enough to make Max turn his head.

  “Shit…” He gritted his teeth and raced toward the tower on the other side of the arena. He managed to get to it just as Snow showed up next to him.

  “No, you don’t!” Max yelled.

  Max aimed a Mammoth Blast but Snow responded by creating a barrier of ice around him. The energy reverberated against the ice and took off chunks from it but the blast wasn’t able to get through.

  “Your energy is at 67-percent,” she said. “Either use your arrows or get close because that blast isn’t gonna get through.”

  “Abilities?”

  “Ice Hail. Ice Arrow. Ice Barrier. Ice, ice, ice…”

  The Ice Barrier melted around Snow before he kept moving forward.

  Max looked at the tower panel just a few meters away and ran toward it. “Ice Barrier’s not strong enough to take a tower blast.” He quickly got to the panel and placed his hand on it. He watched the meter slowly fill up a quarter of the way.

  “He’s ten-meters away,” Proxy said. “All of his abilities are in range.”

  Max rolled out of the way just as Snow fired an Ice Arrow at him. Max shot another Fiery Arrow that Snow ducked out of the way from. But it was just enough time for Max to rush up and get close. He caught Snow in the jaw with a right fist, knocking his helmet crooked on his head. Another punch to his nose sent him stumbling back. Max quickly followed up with his ACE, sending a Mammoth Blast that caught Snow right in the chest and on his back.

  “Bullseye!” Proxy said. “He’s down to 40-percent.”

  While Snow struggled to get back up to his feet, Max rushed back over to the tower panel and filled the meter for control of it.

  “How’s Zigzag doing?” he asked.

  “She seems to be holding steady. Inferno’s hit points are down to half.”

  “She knows what she’s doing…” Max watched the meter fill up near 60-percent. Every second that went by, another few percentage points went up.

  Snow slowly began to stir.

  “Watch your back, Max.”

  “Almost there… Almost there…” Max did his best to ignore Proxy’s warning, his hand pressed on the panel as it filled up.

  “Bastard.” Snow spit blood from his mouth and raised his ACE up. “Let’s see how you handle this!” H
e fired three blasts into the air.

  “Max!”

  “Got it!” Max filled the meter up completely to gain control of the tower then activated his Energy Barrier to block the hail of ice bricks raining down on him. The ice sparked and chipped the barrier but Max held his ground as it continued to rain down on him.

  “You can’t hide forever!” Snow marched forward with his ACE up.

  Max held on for as long as he could before rolling toward Snow and avoiding the Ice Arrow aimed at him. The tower activated, a blast of energy fired from the turret and caught Snow square in the chest. It sent him flying backward but Max didn’t let up, quickly rushing forward and blasting him in the chest to drain the last of his hit points.

  “You took some chips from that Ice Hail,” Proxy said. “But hit points are still at 95-percent. Energy is down to 50-percent. You might not have enough to deal with the next opponents…”

  “I don’t need all my energy if I’ve got control of the towers.” Max raced to the other side of the arena. There he saw Zigzag racing up the steel columns to avoid Inferno’s Fiery Arrows.

  “Stand still, dammit!” The man in red armor muttered in frustration, unable to land on the agile android.

  “I got you, Zigzag!” Max ran forward until he was right behind Inferno but his Mammoth Blast was rolled away from.

  “You’ll have to do better than that to hit me!” Inferno said.

  “You’re right. Good thing she’s got better aim.”

  As soon as he said it, Zigzag came crashing down from the sky. She sank her blade into Inferno’s chest and out of the front of his armor. He grimaced in pain as the blood leaked from his wound. The android removed her blade and Inferno collapsed like his batteries had run out.

  “His hit points are down to 20-percent and dropping fast,” Proxy said.

  “Take the tower.”

  Zigzag nodded and followed Max’s instructions as she placed her palm on the display.

  Max focused on the other end of the arena as heavy metal thundered through the speakers above.

  “That’s two!” The announcer’s voice drew cheers from the audience. “But can our combatants deal with the onslaught from their next two opponents, Jin and Jones!”

  Two men in imposing suits of gray steel armor appeared like medieval knights.

  “Shit,” Proxy muttered. “I think you’ll have a tough time getting through their armor.”

  “The armor doesn’t matter. Just gotta get ‘em in range of the towers. Zigzag. Play defense. Let the turret do the work for you.”

  “Understood.” Zigzag nodded and raced up the side of the tower just as Jones began rushing toward her.

  Max ran to the western end of the arena where the armored Jin was running toward. Jin raised his ACE up and fired a missile aimed right at Max. Max ran to the side to avoid it but it still chased after him.

  “Heat-seeking!” Proxy yelled. “Barrier!”

  Max activated his Energy Barrier just in time to take the brunt of the explosion. He waited for the smoke to clear then saw Jin aiming his ACE at him.

  “Let’s see if you can handle another one!” Jin shot another missile and again Max was forced to activate his barrier.

  “Energy is down to 33-percent,” Proxy said. “You gotta get close.”

  “Get close,” Max said. “I think you’ve got the right idea.”

  Jin readied his ACE for another missile. The compartments opened up but Max ran as hard as he could, wrapping his arms around the big man and tackling him to the ground.

  The audience gasped at the sight of them struggling with one another. Fists flew as the electronic bass continued thumping through the speakers. They traded punches as they rolled around, neither man able to gain advantage of the other.

  Suddenly, Jin wrapped his massive armored gloves around Max’s collar and slammed him onto his back.

  “You think I’m gonna lose to a scrawny runt like you?” He gritted his teeth, his eyes hidden behind the visor of his steel mask. Max took the brunt of a fist right to his jaw.

  “Blast to get out!” Proxy yelled.

  “No,” Max grunted. “Gotta… get in position.”

  He moved out of the way of another punch then rolled Jin onto his back. With all of his strength, he dragged Jin forward and hammered him with a right jab.

  “Now I gotcha.” Max rolled out of the way just as the tower fired. Jin was unable to avoid the blast that caught him right in his chestplate, searing the metal off of his skin. Another blast to his legs split his armor and severed his legs in a violent display. Jin fell to the floor, crawling forward as attendants ran in to take him to a regenerator.”

  “Shit…” Max muttered as he ran toward the eastern end of the arena. “Where am I at?”

  “Hit points are 72-percent,” Proxy said. “Only enough energy for a few more abilities. Not bad, all things considered.”

  Zigzag was busy running up the steel columns to avoid the volley of energy Jones kept firing. Max paused for a moment as he looked up at the activated tower.

  “Proxy, what’s the range and how far is he from it?” Max asked.

  “Range is twenty-meters. I’d say he’s only about a few feet away from it.”

  “I guess we’re about to find out, aren’t we?” Max didn’t hesitate, charging forward and wrapping his arms around the unsuspecting Jones. He dragged him toward the steel tower until the turrets rose up to fire.

  “Shit!” Jones muttered as the unavoidable blast caught him in the legs. Another blast from the turret to his side and he was on his back. His hit points dropping, Jones laid helplessly as attendants rushed in to usher him out.

  “That’s four!” The announcements with a few louder cheers from the audience.

  Max put his hands on his hips to catch his breath while Zigzag stood calmly by his side. “Easy enough,” he sighed.

  “But can our competitors defeat their greatest challenge yet? There’s only one way to win the gauntlet tonight and it goes through Spider!”

  Max scrunched his face in confusion as the music being piped in through the speakers. “Is that… opera?”

  “Carmen,” Zigzag said. “Overture. A French composition composed in the late nineteenth century.”

  Zigzag’s information was the least of Max’s concerns at the moment, his attention focused on the man slowly walking into the arena. But he didn’t walk as much as he floated in. Four pairs of black steel limbs dug into the ground. They were connected to a metal apparatus around the man’s waist, suspending him in the air as he pointed his ACE to the sky. His face hidden behind a black mask, it was hard to tell if Spider could even see straight.

  “Spider,” Max said. “Makes sense.”

  “Don’t take him lightly just because you’ve got him outnumbered,” Proxy said.

  “Suggestions?”

  “Zigzag’s got the speed. You’ve got the power. It’s been working so far.”

  “We’ve got two towers activated, too…”

  Spider stomped forward on his eight legs with his ACE pointed at Max. “An admirable performance,” he said. “But it’s time to enter the spider’s web!”

  The compartments of his weapon opened and a blast of gray fluid fired out. Max rolled out of the way but some of it caught him on the ankles. The sticky fluid locked him to the steel grid unable to move. Zigzag quickly rushed up and sliced him free.

  “Webbing,” Max said. “Dangerous. Same gameplan, Zigzag. Look for an opening.”

  “Understood.” Zigzag nodded then raced forward to engage Spider. She twirled and dashed around the arena, avoiding more blasts of the sticky webbing.

  “Enough of this!” Spider aimed his ACE to the sky and fired. Black projectiles filled the air then landed on the steel grid.

  Max narrowed his eyes to get a closer look at them. “What are those?”

  He got his answer when the black balls unfurled. Dozens of mechanical spiders began crawling in his direction.

  “Shit.�
�� Max raised his ACE up. A Mammoth Blast swept away a swarm of spiders trying to converge around him.

  Zigzag continued dancing through the bugs as she moved closer to the man trying to nail her to the floor with his webbing.

  “Gotta get him in range…”

  “It doesn’t look like he’s getting anywhere near the towers,” Proxy said. “I don’t know if you two have the strength to drag him over. He wants a straight fight between the two of you.”

  “Then that’s what I’ll give him.”

  Max ran forward and stomped on all of the mechanical spiders trying to crawl on top of him. He and Zigzag got close enough to strike.

  “I don’t think so.”

  Zigzag raised her blade up and swiped but Spider ascended into the air and avoided her swing. He quickly fell back down on the ground and pounced on top of Zigzag.

  “Shit!” Max rushed forward but two steel limbs slammed him in the chest and sent him reeling back.

  Two limbs pinning Zigzag’s arms down, the others rose up with pointed blades on their tips.

  “You’re fast, android,” Spider said. “But you’re not fast enough for this.”

  Max got up to his knees and shot a Fiery Arrow at Spider just before he could bring his limbs down. The arrow ripped through two of the legs, severing them completely.

  “No!” Spider shouted.

  The distraction was enough for Zigzag to pull her arms free and hop back up to her feet. A quick slice and two more of the limbs were severed.

  “Energy is down!” Proxy said. “You’ve only got enough for one more blast.”

  “That’s all I need.” Max used the last of his energy to blow away a group of spiders blocking his path to Spider.

  Spider fired his webbing at Zigzag but the android dodged out of the way and severed another one of his limbs. Max raced up right next to him and grabbed the steel, twisting it between his hands until it snapped in the wrong direction.

  “No! What are you doing?” Spider helplessly watched as the android cut the remainder of his legs. He was forced to fall back onto his own two feet. Max could see the defeat in his eyes even through his mask.

  Spider raised his ACE up to fire but the android raised her blade up to his neck.