We keep going, circling a couple of blocks, and I’m so focused on safety and security that it takes me awhile to get a grasp of Bane. The city’s . . . desperate. The dirt streets are pockmarked, holes and stones popping up at random intervals instead of the smoothly worn roads of Solace. The buildings are ramshackle, built of scraps of wood, corrugated metal, and concrete blocks. The few places I look inside have dirt floors, and rats run in and around the residents. Actually, in a move that makes my stomach turn, the one space advertising itself as a meat shop had skinned rat carcasses hanging from a string that was stretched on the wall.
“Five for a quarter?” I ask, and Lance nods, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a piece of metal that he hands to me. I turn it over in my fingers, looking at the ghostly image of a man’s head on one side and some sort of bird on the other. There used to be words, but they’ve been worn away by the years, and what I assume used to be a bright silvery surface is now pitted and dull, with hints of the copper core showing through.
“American coins are used still here,” Tym explains quietly as we make another right turn. “Easy to carry, easy to control, and most of them are irradiated past the point of being useful for things like Gauss rifles. If someone ever finds an old bank safe filled with coins, they’d be able to buy half the city.”
I push the idea of people paying for vermin with irradiated coins in order to eat out of the way and focus on operational security. It helps, because with every hollow-cheeked child, every desperate-looking wretch that I pass, my gorge rises.
I don’t understand. Bane’s supposed to be the strongest, wealthiest city in all the Scorched Earth, or at least the area that Solace knows about. Nothing in at least a thousand miles in all directions can hold a candle to the power that Bane controls . . . but most of the city’s residents look like half-starved wrecks.
“Fairyville,” Lance murmurs, leading us to the right. “A fun place to visit if you’ve taken your meds, but you don’t want to go there by yourself.”
I nod, knowing the danger that fairies represent. Weaker than even regular humans, they assure their safety with what some say is the oldest weapon and profession in existence, sex itself. Unbelievably beautiful almost to a fault, a slender, supple fairy, male or female, can fulfill anyone’s deepest sexual desires . . . while at the same time enslaving their partners into taking care of them for the rest of their lives. Smart fairies will seduce dozens or even a hundred or more, if they can, skimming just a bit from each. But just one will do if they have to.
Fairies also don’t mind grabbing an unsuspecting stranger and planting a kiss on them, starting the cycle that inevitably leads to one conclusion. I don’t blame fairies. It isn’t like their mutation was something they chose, but I do make sure I’m careful whenever I go near a fairy hangout. Obviously, Tym and Lance are the same.
We penetrate further and further into the city, and as we do, I see walls start to rise above the shanty buildings around me. They aren’t much, mostly barbed wire and debris, but the meaning is clear. “What’re those?”
“Borders to the next enclaves,” Tym says. “That’s wendigo territory over there. But more importantly, we’re coming up on the embassy.”
Two blocks later, I see what Tym means. The embassy is the first building I’ve seen in Bane that looks like it was actually built professionally, with two floors, multiple wings, and a white exterior that shines brightly in the miserable squalor of the city surrounding me.
“Careful,” Lance whispers, jerking his head to the side. I see a group of Bane guards, some with shotguns, others with various melee weapons, watching the embassy like a hawk. At least three of them are paranormals, although I can’t tell what in their black uniforms and hats.
“We’re on a mission. We haven’t broken laws,” I point out, and Tym grunts. “Point taken. But we have to get in there. The sun’s going down.”
We approach, and while we’re still half a block away, two of the guards approach us, one with a shotgun while the other has a sword shorter than mine in his hand.
“Halt!”
“By whose authority?” I ask, gripping my swords and getting them ready. The street’s narrow, but wide enough that they’ll be more useful than my power gloves.
“Bane Security,” the guard says. “Hands off the weapons, Hunter. Or else.”
Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Lance shake his head minutely, preparing himself. Tym’s also ready, his eyes narrowing. I turn my attention back to the two Security thugs, seeing six more coming to back them up.
“Last warning, Hunter. You’re coming with us.”
I smile, lifting the left side of my mouth in a feral little smirk. “I don’t think so . . . and I’m not a Hunter. I’m the Huntress.”
Chapter 15
Lance
Can this chick be any more badass?
Seriously, her words are so sexy and hot my cock’s about ready to pop out of my pants as she utters her taunt to the Security goon, who’s about a half-second too slow as I use time stop to cover the distance between us. I have just enough time to get behind him and plant my knife before things speed up again and the Security guy suddenly realizes that instead of a shotgun in his right hand, he no longer has a right hand.
I would have done more, but my left arm’s still in the cast, which means I cannot hold my knives in that hand. Still, the momentary surprise that ripples through the Security idiots allows Cerena and Tym to close the distance, Cerena’s sword disemboweling the other nearby guard while Tym gets a hammer out.
He’ll still be limited in this environment. One errant swing and he’s going to knock down an entire building around here. For Tym, it’s about ethics, but for me, it’s more practicality. We just fight Security, and the gang-bangers and street rats are going to stay out of it and watch for the laughs. They’ll be there to raid the corpses of course, but they won’t get in our way. He knocks a building down, and everyone and their fucking brother’s going to jump us.
Still, a six-four giant of a motherfucker with a hammer whistling around is going to cause a scene, and three Security focus on him, which means they’re not taking a look at me.
My left hand might not be able to grip a knife yet, but I can still cast entanglement from it, so I bind up one of the Security guys. Cerena’s involved in a sword fight with two goons who look like they could be paranormals of some kind, so I time stop again to slit one’s throat while hamstringing the other. Time starts up, and Cerena decapitates the one I left intact, both bodies dropping to the road at the same time.
“Well, that was nice timing, wasn’t it?” I tease, winking. “Come on, inside the walls of the embassy.”
Tym’s hammer pulverizes two guards’ ribs, and we push forward quickly, darting inside just as the embassy guards open the gate for us. They snatch them closed, and I look through the slit in the wall as the few remaining Security guys, including the one that I entangled, retreat. Seconds later, the residents of Bane descend upon the bodies, stripping them of everything they can.
“Someone’s got themselves a shiny new shotgun,” I murmur while Cerena completes whatever security measures she has to with the embassy guards. They’re dressed like Hunters, probably Wall Guards who have a little bit more oomph to them if they’re living in Bane, but both of them are still looking at Cerena with respect while Tym and I watch the street.
“I hope they use it for a good trade,” Tym says quietly. He’s right, a Security shotgun can easily get someone a whole house in Bane or at least make sure your house is upgraded.
“You unhurt?” Tym asks, and I nod, adjusting my pack. “Would have been a lot easier with a Gauss rifle.”
“Yeah . . . if you wanted a hole through them, their three buddies, and the next two buildings,” I point out. “Besides, I’m low on ammo.”
“Come on, guys,” Cerena says, and I turn away to head inside the embassy. We’re stopped once past the door by three Hunters, each fully armed and armored,
but Cerena nods and shrugs off her pack and coat. When Tym and I hesitate, she explains. “No weapons are allowed near the Elders. The packs will be left untouched.”
I’m not used to trusting my things to strangers, and I’m certainly not used to walking into unknown situations unarmed, but I follow suit, knowing that if I have to, I can at least use my skills to get the hell out of Dodge.
Once we’ve placed our packs and coats on a table, one of the Hunters turns and silently leads us deeper into the embassy. I hang back, just a step, but enough to let me watch Cerena’s ass flex and wiggle while she walks, her boots clunking on the wooden floorboards.
I’ve seen some women, usually fairies but also human women who are in the seduction game, wear a ridiculous-looking shoe called a high heel, a contraption that seems to have no other purpose than to make a woman stand on her toes and stick her ass out to maintain her balance. It usually works. Even a flat ass can look good in high heels.
Cerena doesn’t need them. Her ass is just right, thick and muscular while soft and feminine, and in my new pants, I can feel my cock stiffening again. I really have to learn how to control myself around Cerena . . . but then again, I never seem to have a problem with her sexiness when there’s danger around.
Maybe my dick’s got a trouble detector in it or something.
We’re led upstairs, which isn’t much by a lot of standards. In fact, the firehouse that the three of us crashed in after our encounter with the zed heads was bigger. Still, outside of the main government buildings of Bane, it has the highest windows around, although how they’ve remained unbroken is beyond me. Must be another one of those secret technologies that Solace has and everyone else wants to get their hands on.
I know that’s what a lot of the people in Bane would think if they knew about this job. But the simple fact is that I’ve worn out my welcome in this town. Too many people, too many factions, have problems with me. And while I’m not the kind to ditch a fight, even I’m not stupid. I’ll cut bait when the numbers are a hundred to one.
Besides, something inside me, the same side of me that taught me how to use time stop or how to get under people’s skin . . . that side of me said this was a good job to pull.
“You do realize,” the Hunter guard says to us as we come to a stop outside of a large set of double doors, “that you’re fugitives from Bane Security.”
“So is 95% of the rest of the population of the city,” I point out with a laugh. “Find someone who doesn’t have a warrant out for their arrest and I’ll show you someone who hasn’t been in the city long enough.”
The Hunter grunts, and for some reason, it pisses me off. In an instant, I’m in his face, not pushing him against the door but still clearly not backing off. “Listen, Wall Guard. While you might think things are all hunky-dory with your own little two-tier system of haves and have nots, this entire city took a different path. Imagine an entire city that’s run by only one law. Total functional anarchy. Or a fucking feudal system, if you want. That’s what the streets of Bane are, and the city government encourages it. So while your Elder might be here doing negotiations, I’m going to tell you right now . . . she’s wasting her fucking time. Because nobody in this city will care about that treaty, except maybe as a fucking sheet of toilet paper.”
The Hunter’s pissed, and I almost want him to try something. I can see the way he looks at me, like I’m not on his level, but he isn’t the one who took on vampires, zombies, and a team of Bane Security in less than a week. He’s not the one who broke his arm, and still held his own.
He’s not the one who isn’t even halfway done with his job.
“Lance,” Cerena says quietly, laying a hand on my shoulder. “Remember, we’re here to see Elizabeth.”
“Yeah . . . Elizabeth,” I murmur. “Well, let’s get on with it. We’ve got a package to deliver.”
The Hunter’s nostrils twitch, but he nods and jerks his head to the side. “Wait for the Elder in here.”
He opens one of the doors to a lavish waiting room and herds us inside before closing it tightly. Immediately, I try the knob, but it doesn’t move. “Well, we’re trapped.”
“Standard procedure when you’re meeting an Elder,” Cerena says placatingly. “There’s a video camera in here right now, probably scanning us on multiple frequencies to make sure we’re not carrying anything concealed. You aren’t, are you?”
I shake my head and go over to a real leather chair, sitting down. I haven’t seen a chair like this outside of holovids, with wide, cushioned arms, a seat that I feel like I’m going to collapse into, and a back that cradles my spine like it was custom poured to each bump and notch. Putting my feet up, I feel like I don’t even need to move. “Sorry about getting in that guy’s face. You gonna catch heat?”
Cerena shakes her head, taking a much less comfortable-looking but still richly decorated chair, leaning back. “Nothing I can’t handle. These Embassy Guards, they’re not technically Wall Guards. If you’re an active Team Hunter who gets injured or in some other way needs to come out of the field but are just too high-quality to be stuck as a Wall Guard, you’ve got a chance to come to the embassy detail. Not that Bane’s the top choice. There are other embassies with much . . . nicer quarters. Or so I’ve heard. I’ve never been to any.”
Tym, who’s been silent this whole time, sits down in one of the remaining chairs, looking uncomfortable almost instantly. “This . . . it’s too soft.”
“You could try this one,” I offer with a chuckle. “Don’t think it’d help. Take a minute, Tym. Let that weight off your damn shoulders. It’s not like we’re going to get a lot of opportunities to try this out. Unless . . . Cerena, you got digs like this in Solace?”
“Like this?” she asks, shaking her head and laughing softly. “My couch is made of frame and webbing, my table is hard wood, and the only luxury I’ve got is a mattress that I paid six months’ salary for. And it’s not as soft as this chair.”
There’s a quiet, educated chuckle behind me, and I spring to my feet in utter shock as a woman seems to have appeared out of nowhere. “What the—”
“Apologies, but your conversation was fascinating,” the woman says. “Please, sit back down. I’m Elizabeth.”
An Elder . . . but while I know that factually, this woman might even pre-date the nuclear war, she looks barely older than I am. Instead, she stands tall and aristocratic, the tilt of her chin not haughty but still putting off an air of someone who isn’t used to not being listened to. She’s slender, with a trim, athletic body that might just be more classically beautiful than Cerena’s . . . but in my eyes, she pales in comparison to my Huntress.
Maybe it’s the way her eyes aren’t so honest, how she is obviously keeping certain secrets to herself as she evaluates Tym and me, and even in the way she looks at Cerena. She doesn’t see us as equals, even if she’s trying not to be condescending. But it’s in that active working that she shows just how different from us she is.
And it takes away from her sexiness, despite her wearing a dress . . . a dress, of all things. In a world where men and women both wear pants on almost a daily basis simply for survival purposes, she’s wearing . . . a dress.
“So, tell me about your trip here,” Elizabeth says. “I do hope it wasn’t . . . eventful? The Guards already briefed me on the problems outside the gate. I’m afraid that was to be expected.”
“It wasn’t boring, Elder,” Cerena says, and for the next hour, we go around the room, telling her about our trip from Ringtown to Bane. I’ll give this to Elizabeth. She listens well, asking questions to all of us to get our insights and observations.
“So, Lance, what led you to finding the supply cache?” Elizabeth asks, her eyes twinkling. “No offense, but if you still have the coordinates, I’d like to send a team to retrieve everything usable from it before someone else finds it. You and Tym would get a bonus on top of your fee for this mission too, of course.”
“Of course,” I reply, knowing th
at Cerena’s going to give her the coordinates of the town no matter what. “Honestly, it’s just something that’s come with my . . . background. I’ve always had a bit of a nose for finding hidden things. I was the kid who turned over rocks just to see what was underneath.”
I know I’ve told Cerena about my grandfather. I felt it was important for this mission. But still, this is a Solace Elder. They might hold themselves better than the factions that run Bane, but that doesn’t make them anything other than racist assholes. It says something about just how bad Bane and their twisted worship of their dark god are to say that being treated as a second-class being is a step up.
Elizabeth seems to read my thoughts, and a subtle little smile plays across her bow-shaped lips. “I’m sure that your skills will be very useful then. I thank you both for your teaming with Cerena. I requested her personally for this mission, but I knew that working in a team would be a challenge for her. I’m glad to see you three have worked well together.”
“The mission isn’t over, Elder,” Tym says, and Elizabeth nods.
“Too true. And you’re all probably wondering what the big deal is that I didn’t give any of you more details about this mission. It was vital that I didn’t, but the time for wondering about that is over. Here’s what I brought you to Bane for.”
Cerena gets up and goes over to a bookshelf that’s on the wall. I’d noticed it before, too sure that the books were fakes. Paper is worth its weight in gold in this world, where even that level of non-military production is seen as rare and precious. But then again, considering what I’ve seen in this room, maybe those books are real.
I’m fooled once again when Elizabeth presses a hidden button behind the shelves and they shimmer, revealing a holoscreen panel that, while large, isn’t as impressive as the technology that masked it. Tym whistles softly, leaning forward as he studies the screen. “Solid-state holograms?”
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