by Riker Kane
“In too deep… Gotta get the hell out of here…”
Max twirled his glass around in his fingers, watching the liquor swirl around in small waves. From the corner of his eye, he saw someone take a seat at the table in front of him. Just a glance was enough to know it wasn’t Sabrina.
He looked up and saw a man in an ordinary t-shirt and a pair of ripped blue jeans. His dark hair was long and messy. He needed a shave and a wash.
Max squinted as a half-smirk formed on the man’s lips.
“…Nightblade. You look different.”
“Everybody looks a little different when they’re not in their armor,” he said. “But I’m just Danny now.”
“Danny… What are you doing here? Come to settle business down in the caged arena there?”
“I’m here to settle business. But not in the way you’re thinking.” Danny leaned forward, his elbows propped up on the table. “I’d be sitting in a regenerator right now if you did what you were supposed to do. Managed to recover manually.”
“I already did what I was supposed to do.”
“You sure about that? It’s no secret what Venom was trying to get you to do. Execute the two men who nobody in the Sharp District fucks with and nobody else will fuck with you.”
“I don’t think anybody in the Sharp District will give us any problems.”
“It’s not anybody in the Sharp District who’ll give you any problems.”
Max narrowed his eyes, trying to get a read on the man in front of him. The more he stared, the more Max could see he was hiding something.
“What are you getting at?” Max said.
“I know.”
“…What?”
“A man doesn’t just show up in town and get in good with the Disciples for no reason. You’re not who you claim to be.”
“And you aren’t either.”
Danny clicked his tongue and pointed an index finger at Max.
“Who are you?” Max said.
“I’m just a man with the same interests as you.” He leaned forward even closer and whispered to make sure nobody could hear. “You watch your back now, Max. You can’t trust anybody in Santa Fe.”
Nightblade’s cryptic remarks only left Max more confused. He was confused enough that he didn’t say anything as he watched the man get up from his seat and walk away.
Sabrina came back and took a seat, a drink in her hand. “Who was that?”
“No idea… Doesn’t matter though.” Max shook the thoughts from his head and looked at her drink. “I thought you said you were getting a snack.”
“I didn’t see anything interesting. I was thinking maybe we could head out. Since you’re not up to anything, we can get something else. Maybe a real meal to refuel. Battling in the Sanctum is pretty draining, I’m guessing.”
“Sounds like a good idea—”
Max’s AllDevice suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out to see Hudson calling then held it to his ear.
“Is everything all right?”
“I’m fine. I’m talking to Sammy.”
“That’s good news. He say anything interesting?”
Hudson didn’t respond immediately.
“Hello? You still there, Hudson?”
“…I think you need to come down here and listen to this. I’ll explain everything when you get here.”
Max lowered his AllDevice slowly then looked at Sabrina.
“You okay?” she said.
“I’m gonna hold off on that meal. Something just came up.”
Chapter 23
Even late at night, the Cobalt District was bright enough for those looking for something to do. Clouds billowed together to block the full moon. Not that anybody noticed with how bright all of the buildings were. The neon lights flashed to entice potential customers to stop and spend some of their hard-earned credits. The advertising billboards played on an endless loop though most citizens had grown numb to them.
Max kept his hands in his coat pockets and stared out the window of the small hospital room. Machines beeped and hummed at a steady rhythm to indicate the vital signs they monitored.
Hudson sat at the patient’s bedside. “How are you doing, Sammy?”
Sammy blinked his eyes and forced a smile onto his lips. “I’m a little tired. Hungry. I could go for a nice roast beef sandwich right now.”
“I could get something supplemented for you.”
“I don’t care about the supplements. I just need something to fill my stomach. Nutrition can wait for another time.”
Max stayed quiet while he listened to the conversation between the two old friends. Even without looking at them, the tone in their voices was enough to indicate how close they were.
“How long has it been?” Sammy asked.
“More than a week.”
“A week… Regenerators aren’t usually that slow. Not even in Santa Fe.”
“You took a pretty bad beating and you barely made it. Doctors had to resequence more than usual.”
“But I came back. I always come back. We’re fighters, Hudson.”
It was so quiet in the room Max could hear Hudson’s hard swallow.
“What happened?” Hudson asked.
There was a sigh and a moment of hesitation. Max stayed staring at the window, patiently waiting for Sammy to collect himself.
“Santa Fe’s the wrong place for an ex-soldier. Especially one with no skills like me. Sometimes the only escape is the loot. You get hooked and the next thing you know, it’s all that matters. You grind for it. You keep chasing it. Just for that hit. Then as soon as it’s over, you’re back on the grind.”
“Sammy…”
“I know, I know. Stupid. Never had much sense. But the stupidest thing I ever did was get involved with the Disciples. They’re pushing product all over the Cobalt District. You can’t walk down the street without running into a dealer who’s moving their drugs. I figured I enjoyed the loot so much I started doing it myself. Make some creds. Maybe partake myself.”
“Didn’t work out.”
“…No. No, it didn’t. Couldn’t help myself. Being around all that loot… Broke the rules and got high off my own supply, like they always say. Next thing I know, I got a bag over my head and I’m in some underpass I’ve never been before. Pleaded. Begged. I guess I’m still alive, so they showed me some mercy…”
“Who was it?”
“It was the two people who handle most of the business for the Gears of Destruction. A big thug who calls himself Slug and a blond who goes by Venom.”
The names were enough to make Max turn around. He and Hudson looked at one another, already knowing what the other one was thinking.
“Are you sure it was Slug and Venom?” Hudson asked.
“You don’t forget two people like them. Like I said, they handle most business for the man.”
“The man?” Max raised an eyebrow.
“Or maybe it’s a woman. Everybody knows the Disciples are run by the Gears of Destruction, or GODs, as they like to call themselves. There’s four of ‘em. Venom, Slug, Lotto and someone else. Nobody’s ever seen the fourth one though. Could be someone they made up to try and scare everybody else. Wouldn’t surprise me.”
Max slowly walked to Sammy’s bedside. “You’re sure it was Venom and Slug?”
Sammy labored a smile onto his lips. “They beat me pretty bad but the regenerator restored all of my memories. It was them. I’m sure of it. Not that it matters. They’ll be coming to collect their creds and I don’t got ‘em.”
“I got creds, Sammy,” Hudson said. “I can take care of it.”
Sammy reached up and put his hand on top of his friend’s. “You were always looking out for me. Even when we were on the battlefield. Maybe it’s best that you just let me go—”
“Bullshit. You won’t have to worry about the product you took from them. We’ll get your system flushed so you won’t have to worry about the addiction. We’ll go to New Austin. Leave this shi
thole behind. You just… You let me handle it.”
Hudson got worked up enough he began to tremble. Max walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. The growing tension in the room was thick enough for Max to feel but he did his best to calm the anxiety shaking through his friend.
“You just relax,” Hudson said. “You stay here and do what the doctors tell you to do. My friend Max and I will settle this for you.”
“I don’t want you doing anything crazy now,” Sammy said. “The GODs… They run this Santa Fe. Everybody knows that.”
“Max and I aren’t from Santa Fe. We don’t know any better.” Hudson squeezed his hand around Sammy’s before getting up from his seat. “I’ll see what I can do about that roast beef sandwich.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”
Hudson smiled to hold back his emotions then stepped out of the hospital room. Max followed after him and they stood in the bright hallway where the nurses and doctors made their way.
Hudson put his hands on his hips and sighed a deep breath to collect himself.
“You trust him?” Max crossed his arms.
“Sammy and I served together a long time ago. I don’t see why he would lie to me. It’s not like he knows how deep we’ve gotten with the Disciples.”
“Right… We can do this just like you said. We pay off the debt he owes, take him back to New Austin and flush his system clean to break his addiction.”
“I’ve got the creds for it…”
“He’s your friend. It’s your call. You know I’m with you.”
Hudson stared at the floor, shaking his head softly. “You should’ve seen how bad it was. He was unrecognizable. Barely managed to crawl and get some help. He says they showed him mercy but they wouldn’t have cared if he died.”
He raised his head up. “We came here for justice, Max. I… I can’t ask you to kill ‘em.”
“I know you wouldn’t ask me to do that. But there’s a way. We can make ‘em suffer. Make ‘em pay for what they did and get away with it.”
Hudson smirked despite the emotions he was still trying to hold down.
“I’ll get ‘em in the Sanctum,” Max said. “We’ll give ‘em the justice they deserve. Teach ‘em a lesson for what they did to Sammy.”
“But how are you gonna bait Venom and Slug into a battle? They find out this is just for revenge, they won’t bite.”
“I’ll just have to think of another way to convince ‘em.”
Max looked down the hall and saw an older man in a suit walking toward them.
“What the hell?” He narrowed his eyes to make sure he was seeing it right but there was no denying it was him.
Detective Pitt walked right up with his hands in the pockets of his coat. His cold, emotionless stare locked on Max.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Max said.
“I came here to talk to you.”
“You following me around?”
“You’re a person of interest, Mr. Shaw. You don’t realize how deep this investigation into the GODs and the Disciples goes.”
“Well, what do you want?”
Pitt shot a look at Hudson. Just his stare was enough to get his point across.
“I’m gonna go get that sandwich,” Hudson said. “You want anything?”
Max shook his head and watched as Hudson slowly made his way down the hall.
“Go ahead,” Max said.
“The district attorney has approved all of the evidence we have stacked against Vick and the other Gears. They’re ready to press charges.”
“Will the charges stick?”
“They wouldn’t be willing to go through with it if they couldn’t get a conviction.”
“Fine. You do what you gotta do. But I’m getting to her first. What does this have to do with me?”
“The DA isn’t gonna press charges until they get the fourth person.”
“Of course,” Max sighed. “This fourth person who might not even exist.”
“You have to get in deeper with Vick. You have to gain her trust. You have to find out who she’s working with.”
Max shook his head. “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because…” Max looked at the door leading back into Sammy’s room. “Because my business is with Vick and Banks. And right now I’m in the position to settle it with them.”
“What are you saying?”
“What I’m saying is I’m gonna teach ‘em a lesson my own way and then be on my way.”
Pitt narrowed his eyes. It was the first time Max had ever seen him show any kind of emotion, so he knew he was serious.
“You’re close,” Pitt said. “Closer than anybody has ever gotten to finding out who all the GODs are. If you get there, we can lock away all of them for good and take out all the Disciples in the process.”
“You do what you have to do. And I’m gonna do what I have to do.”
“We can’t do this without each other.”
“It’s not my business to do your job for you, Pitt. How many times do I have to tell you? I came here to settle things with Venom and Slug. Santa Fe’s loot problem isn’t my problem.”
Pitt took a step back. “…You’re gonna blow your cover. You’re gonna tell ‘em what you’re doing here just to get back at them for beating up a junkie.”
Max held back his surprise despite the frustration building in his stomach. “…You knew. You’ve been following me this entire time and found out I was trying to figure out what happened to Sammy.”
“I’m trying to make sure something like that never happens to anybody again.”
“I’ve got no reason to believe you’ll follow through on that.” Max started to walk away but Pitt grabbed his arm. The two glared at one another as Pitt squeezed his grip around him.
“Don’t mess this up,” Pitt said. “You blow your cover, we’ll never get Vick or anybody else to talk about how they’re working for.”
“I’m going after Venom and Slug. You can have whatever’s left of them.” Max tugged his arm free and walked down the hall.
He kept his head down, listening to the squeak of his sneakers against the tiles. His thoughts raced with all of the options in his head. But he didn’t have to think about it for very long. He knew what he had to do.
Chapter 24
Max stepped into Club Reincarnation, brushing by all of the patrons in the midst of their celebration for the night. He headed to the back of the building and took the elevator to the floor where all of the broker’s suites were located. As soon as he got off, he was greeted by the appearance of several men standing along the hall. Just the way they were dressed in their ragged jeans and ripped t-shirts was enough to show their allegiance. But even a dozen Disciples weren’t enough to stop him from pushing his way through.
He marched up to Venom’s office and forced the door open.
“Hey! What are you doing?”
A couple of Disciples rushed up and grabbed him by the arm. Max responded with a couple of right hands, catching each Disciple in the chin and knocking them to the floor. More guards rushed up behind Max as he forced his way into the suite.
Inside, Slug and Venom were looking on their desk when Max walked up to them.
“What the hell is this?” Venom furrowed her brow in anger as he got next to them.
Slug moved in front of her as more of the guards struggled to pull Max back.
“Call ‘em off,” Max said. “Call ‘em off or they’ll regret it.”
Venom slowly raised her hand up. “Get out. All of you.”
The Disciples looked at one another before reluctantly leaving the suite and closing the door behind them.
“You better have a good reason for coming into my suite and—”
“It’s over, Venom.” Max cut her off. He clenched his jaw, trying to hold everything back.
Slug stood ready, waiting for Max to make a move. But Venom kept her hand up to keep her enforcer on
a leash.
“I know it was you.”
“You’ll have to be more specific,” the blond said.
“Sammy. You and Slug nearly beat him to death.”
“Sammy…” Venom tapped the side of her chin, her eyes aimed at the ceiling as she thought about it. “Sammy… Oh, yes. Sam.”
“You beat him so bad even the regenerator had trouble putting him back together.”
“Ah, well… Santa Fe hospitals aren’t much to brag about. Unfortunately, city council doesn’t care about proper funding.” Venom shrugged. “I don’t see what this has to do with you… Unless…”
A shrew grin crossed her lips. She took a step forward, her eyes squinted as she stared right at him. “That’s what this is all about. You came all the way to Santa Fe… for him.”
“That’s right. And you’re gonna pay for what you did.”
“Watch your mouth.” Slug moved closer and stood face-to-face with Max.
Max looked him right in the eye, ignoring the big man trying to intimidate him. “The only reason I haven’t put a hole in your fucking chest is because Sammy is still breathing. Consider it a courtesy.”
“My, my, my!” Venom giggled softly and put a hand on Slug’s shoulder to gently pull him away. “There he is. The man we’ve all been waiting for. That’s the Rebel I was looking for.”
“What?”
Max held back his surprise as he slowly turned toward her. But his silence told her enough.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t figure out who you are?” she said. “The GODs run Santa Fe. I had you pegged for a professional ever since I saw you in Barb Wire. I just didn’t expect the Champion of the War Gamez to come right up to my doorstep.”
“I’m on your doorstep. And I’m about to kick your fucking door down.”
Venom scoffed. “You were right, Slug. I thought the Rebel came to Santa Fe because he might actually help us. Turns out it was all just to get back at some junkie he doesn’t even know.”
“If you know who I am, you know exactly what I’m capable of. But you know I’m merciful. That’s why I’m gonna give you a deal.”
“Ha!” Venom rolled her eyes. Even Slug managed to chuckle. “This should be interesting. All right. What is your deal?”